November1997 Vol. 25,No.

11
CONTENTS
Straight& Level!
Espie"Butch"Joyce
2 AlC News
3 Aeromail
4 AlC Volunteersrrri shDorlac
7 TypeClubNotes/NonnPetersen
Page 13
9 CharlesLasher- AeroncaGuru/
DonaldF.Wood
10MysteryPlanelH.G.Frautschy
11 38thAnnualNationalWacoFly-In!
AndyHeins
13 TheLincoAcesTaperwingl
H.G. Frautschy
Page 18
18 RogerFreeman'sFarmanBoxkite
Replica/SamBurgess
24 WhatOurMembersAreRestoring/
NonnPetersen
26 PassItToBucklE.E."Buck"Hilbert

.
..- ,\
28 WelcomeNewMembers
,
30 MembershipInformation/Calendar
Page24

as
FRONTCOVER ...OwnedbyB.F.GoodrichAerospace.restored bytheBomstormers
Workshopin Williamson.GAandflownbyfamedalrshowpilotBobWagner.thisIs the
'Unco Aces' Waco CTO Taperwlng originally owned and flown bythe renowned
airshowpilotofthe 1930s.Col.JoeMackey.HewontheIntematlonalAirManeuvers
in Paris. FranceInthe 1936with this someairplane. The metallzed fusel age.theonly
one ofIts kind. was doneby the famous Hill Streamliners of CincinnatI. OH. EAA
photo byJim Koepnlck. shot with a Canon EOS- ln equippedwith on 80-200 mm
lens. 1/250sec.@ fll on 100 ASA slide film.EAA Cessna 210 photoplaneflown by
BruceMoore.
BACKCOVER ...RogerFreemonofVintageAviationSeNlces.Marlon.TX flies along
as a modem "Magnificent Mon' In his replica of the 1910 Forman BoxkHe hebuln
undercontractfortheHongKongHistoricalAircraftAssociation.The HKHAAwonted
thepioneererabiplanebulnto commemorate thefirst flightofonairplaneIn Hong
Kong in 1911. It will be placedon display In thet erminal of the NewHong Kong
airportafterit Is flown duringtheopeningceremoniesfortheairport.GregHamlnon
took the photofrom a helicopter pilotedby Bob Soner.See thearticlestarting on
page18formoreonthisfascinatingproject.
Copyright C 1997 bytheEAAAntique/ClassicDivisionInc.Allrightsreserved.
VINTAGEAIRPlANE OSSN 0091-6943) is published and owned exclusively by the EMAntique/Classic Division, Inc.of the Experimental
Aircraft Association and is publishedmonthlyat EMAviation Center, 3000 Pobe<ezny Rd., P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WISCOnSin 54903-3086.
PeriodicalsPostagepaidatOshkosh,WISCOnSin 54901 andatedditionalmailingoffices.Themembershiprate forEMAntique/Classic Division,
Inc.is$27.00torcurrentEMmembersfor12month periodofwhich$15.00isforthepublicationofVINTAGEAIRPlANE. Membershipisopen
toallwhoareinterestedinaviation.
POSTMASTER: Sendaddresschanges to EMAnlique/Classic Division, Inc., P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086.FOREIGN AND APO
ADDRESSES- PleaseallowatleasttwomonthsfordeliveryofVINTAGEAIRPlANEtoforeignandAPOaddressesvias...tacemail.
ADVERTISING- AntiqueICIassic Division doesnotguaranteeorendorse8Irf productoffered through the advertising.We inviIeconstructive
criticismIW1d welcome8Irf reportofinferiormerchandiseobtainedthrough(Uadvertisingsothatcorrective"""'"""'"canbetaken.
EDITORIALPOLICY:Readersinencouragedtosubmitstoriesandphofogaphs. PolicyopinionsexpressedinlVIicIesinsolelythoseofthe
authors. ResponsibilityforaccuracyinreportingrestsentieIywiththecontributor. Norerunerationismade.
MaterialshooIdbesentto: Editor,VINTAGEAIRPlANE,P.O.Box3086,Oshkosh,WI 54903-3086. Phone920/426-4800.
The words EM, ULTRALIGHT, FLY WITH THE FIRST TEAM,SPORT AVIATION and the logos of EM, EMINTERNATIONAL
CONVENTlON, EMAHTlQUEICLASSIC DIVISION, INTERNATIONAL AEROBATIC CLUB, WARBIRDS OF AMERICA are eregistered
trademart<s. THE EMSKYSHOPPEIW1d logosoftheEMAVIATION FOUNDATION and EMULTRALIGHT CONVENTION ...trademart<s
oftheaboveassociationsandtheiruseby8Irf personotherthantheaboveassociationisstricttyprohibited.
EDITORIALSTAFF
Publisher
TomPoberezny
Edltor-In-Chlef
JackCox
Editor
HenryG.Frautschy
ManagingEditor
GoldaCox
ArtDirector
MikeDrucks
ComputerGraphicSpecialists
OliviaL. Phillip .JenniferLarsen
NancyHanson
AssociateEditor
NormPetersen
FeatureWriter
DennisParks
StaffPhotographers
JimKoepnlck LeeAnnAbrams
KenLichtenberg
Advertising/EditorialAssistant
lsobelieWlske
EAAANTIQUE/CLASSIC DIVISION, INC,
OFFICERS
President VIce-President
Espie'Butch'Joyce GeorgeDoubner
P.O. Box35584 2448LoughLane
Greensboro,NC27425 Hartford.WI 53027
910/393-0344 414/ 673-5885
Secretory Treasurer
SteveNessa ChoriesHorris
2009HighlandAve. 7215East46thSt.
AlbertLea,MNfHYJ7 Tulsa,OK 74145
507/373-1674 918/622-8400
DIRECTORS
JohnBerendt GeneMonis
7645EchoPolntRd. 115CSteveCourt,R.R.2
ConnonFalls,MN5SOO9 Roanoke,TX 76262
507/263-2414 817/ 491-9110
PhIlCoulson Robel!C.' Bob"Brauer
28415SpringbrookDr. 9345S.Hoyne
Lawton.MI49065 Chicago,IL60620
616/624-6490 312/779-2105
JohnS.CopeIcwl
55OokeyAv.
2S-3Wililornsbur8Ct.
Lawrenceburg.IN 47025
JoeDIckey
Shrewsbury,MA 1545
812/ 537-9354
508/842-7867
SlanGomol
7724ShadyHiliDr.
DaleA.GusIaIson
104290thLone,NE
Indianapolis,IN46278
Minneapolis.MN55434
317/293-4430
612/784-1172
RobertUcklelg
JeannieHl1
1708BoyOaksDr.
P.O.Box328
AlbertLea,MNfHYJ7
Harvard,IL60033
507/373-2922
815/943-7205
DeanRIchardson
Robel!D."Bob"Lumley
6701 ColonyDr. 1265South 124thSt.
Madison,WI53717 Brookfleld,WI 53005
608/833-1291 414/782-2633
S.H.-W.."Schmid GeoffRobIson
2359LefeberAvenue 1521 E.MacGregorDr.
Wauwatosa,WI53213 NewHoven,IN46774
414/771-1545 219/493-4724
GeorgeYork
181 SIo6odoAv.
Mansfield,OH44906
419/529-4378
DIRECTORS EMERITUS
GeneChase E.E. "Buck"HIberI
2159CorIIonRd. P.O. Box424
Oshkosh,WI 54904 Union,IL60180
920/231-5002 815/923-4591
ADVISORS
SleYeKlOg
1002HeatherIn.
Hortford.WI 53027 ApI.3
414/966-7627 Rochester,MN55904
507288-2810
DavtdIenneII
403TannerCt.
Roseville,CA95678
916-782-7025
STRAIGHT& LEVEL
by ESPIE "BUTCH" JOYCE
T
here is one thing about it being No-
vember, we know that we are going
to get plenty to eat and Christmas
will not be far away. Many Antique/Classic
members will be storing their aircraft away
for the winter. Before you park it under the
eaves for a few long months, I would again
caution you to structurally check the hangars
you will be storing your pride and joy in. Be
sure it is sound enough to withstand whatever
weather condition that Old Man Winter
might send your way. You do not have to live
in the northern part of the country to have to
be concerned about winter weather - an ice
storm in the south can be just a detrimental as
a 12" snowfall! There is generally some
change in weather around the country be-
cause of the changing of seasons, so lets be
careful out there!
There are a couple of things that [would like
to mention when it comes to your aircraft insur-
ance. AUA, Inc. is the agency that is approved
by the Antique/Classic Division to handle the
Antique/Classic Insurance Program. Many of
you are insured in this program, a great benefit
of being an Antique/Classic member. This in-
formation will be good for most anyone who
insures an airplane.
As a general rule, your insurance policy
will be classified as a B&P (business and
pleasure policy). Now the pleasure part is for
your enjoyment and personal use. The busi-
ness part of this policy is not understood by
most insured people. This means that you
might sometimes use your aircraft to assist
you in doing business, but it does not cover
you for doing business with your aircraft -
that is, where you might be paid because you
used your aircraft (ex: hopping passengers,
fish spotting, etc., and even being invited to an
air showlfly-in and getting free fuel for your
participation could fall into that grey area);
this is, most of the time, considered a com-
mercial operation. If you feel that you might
fall under this umbrella of a commercial oper-
ation, then you might want to talk to your
agent to determine if you need commercial
coverage. One item that really seems to bug
pilots is the fact that you must, from time to
time, fill out and return a piece of paper called
an insurance company application. It details
the aircraft information, pilot information, pi-
lot history, types of ratings, pilot experience,
types of aircraft flown, and a statement that
this information is true to the best of your
knowledge, and a place for you to sign that
this was done by you. This application seals
the contract between you and the insurance
company (they will provide you insurance for
a certain premium based on your experience
level that you have stated and assessed to) and
this application must be returned within a cer-
tain time limit for your policy to remain in
force. If you are particpating in the
Antique/Classic Insurance Program, part of
your application will be filled out based on the
information that your agent gathered from
your telephone conversation. You should
check this information ASAP, note any cor-
rections and return it quickly to AUA, Inc.
Should there be any major change in the in-
formation , you should call this in to your
agent, as it could affect your premium.
You need to understand that your pre-
mium amount is not rock solid until the
company gets your signed application in their
hands. Also, you need to know that the pilot
flight experience asked for on this application
is LOGGED flight time, and should you have
an accident, you will be asked to provide a
copy of your logbook showing the logged
time you said you had is an accurate amount (
a major factor in determining your premium
is based on pilot experience). This does not
mean that your claim will be turned down,
but is just one of those pieces of paperwork
that you will have to provide to the company
should you have a claim. I will cover the
claim side of insurance in a future issue of
Vintage Airplane.
Some other items that need to be addressed
are the following. If you state that you are based
at a certain airport, the insurance company will
assume that this is the type of flying operation
you'll be conducting the year round. You
should not assume on your side that if you de-
cide to fly off of skis, floats, move your base of
operation to another state, or move your aircraft
from a hangar to a tiedown, that your insurance
coverage will remain the same. Companies do
understand that if you are making a cross-coun-
try trip, you encounter different conditions
(remember base of operation). When in doubt,
call your agent and ask a question.
What's the difference between a named
pilot and an open pilot clause in the insur-
ance policy?
A named pilot only policy is just that. Only
the pilots who are named on the policy and
meeting the pilot experience requirements will
be afforded coverage by that policy when flying
the covered aircraft. There will not be any insur-
ance coverage enforced should the aircraft be
flown by any person not named, but there most
likely will be coverage as far as instructors and
maintenance people are concemed. An open pi-
lot coverage generally states that any person
whom you approve can fly the insured aircraft
will be covered by insurance as long as they
meet the open pilot requirements that are stated
in the policy. Here's an example. Say you own
and have insured a 1-3 Cub. The open pilot re-
quirements could be any private pilot with a
current medical, current BFR, 300 hours pilot in
command, 100 hours tailwheel, and 10 hours
make and model (a Piper 1-3) could fly your 1-3
and would be covered by your insurance policy.
I will talk to you about passenger coverage in a
future Vintage Airplane.
If you think that in December you need
some warm weather, you should consider
heading on down to the Ocean Reef Club at
Key Largo, Florida, over the weekend of De-
cember 5-7. Norma and I have attended an
inviational fly-in for the past several years
and it sure is a welcome break at a busy time
of the year. Take my word for it, you will not
be disappointed. The seafood and relaxation
is just great; the planes, boats, cars and other
places to hop out to with your airplane are a
lot of fun , too. If you have not been to this
weekend event, I encourage you to go for it.
Ocean Reefs ad is on page 29 - check it out
and give them a call, and tell them you saw it
here in Vintage Airplane!
Your I on I membership drive is doing
great! Those of you who have not gotten your
three or four new members should be able to
find some good ones at your EAA Chapter
meetings that will be held this winter. [fyou
think that it would be helpful to have me send
you a packet of past issues of Vintage Airplane
to hand out at your chapter meeting, just drop
me a note and [ will have some sent to you from
Headquarters. Every member should help to
keep this membership drive going.
I would like to say that we will all miss
10hn Denver; what a great guy.
Let's all pull in the same direction for the
good of aviation. Remember we are better to-
gether. loin us and have it all! ...
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 1
will have opportunitiesto explorethe EAA 1-800-843-3612. PAL format isavailable
AirAdventureMuseumand EAA Aviation for internationalcustomers.
A/C NEWS Center,aswellasbecomefamiliarwithmany
oftheaircraftand resourcesavailablehere;'
MEMBERSHIPSERVICES
compiled by H.G. Frautschy
EAAOFFERS'HANDS-ON'
BUILDINGEXPERIENCEAT1998
ADULTAIRACADEMYSESSIONS
Adultswhowantto discoveranddevelop
aviationbuildingand restoration skillsare
invitedto receive"hands-on"experience
from someofaviation'sbestartisansduring
the 1998 EAA AdultAirAcademyses-
sions. Thereare two sessionsscheduled,
Feb. 15- 21 and Feb. 22- 28, 1998.
TheAdultAirAcademy,whichwill be
held at the EAA Aviation Center in
Oshkosh,evolvedfrom the highlysuccessful
EAAAirAcademyfor youngpeople.Par-
ticipantscanexplorethe basic skillsof
aviationorconcentrateononeormoreair-
planebuildingandrestorationtopics.
"TheAdultAirAcademyoffersmuch
more than aclassroomexperience,"said
EAA Aviation FoundationPresidentTom
Poberezny. "It is an opportunityto share
common interestswith fellowaviation
enthusiasts.Thosewhoparticipatelearn
aboutthe technologiesand techniquesof
buildingand restoringairplanes. More im-
portantly,the unique learningenvironment
ofthe EAAAviationCentercreatesexpe-
riencesand friendships thatlastalifetime."
ChuckLarsen,the Foundation'sEduca-
tion Director,explainedthatclassroomand
workshopactivitiesare includedfor all
participants in theAdultAirAcademy.
"Thereis awide rangeofactivitiesthat
can be asdetailedas the individual partici-
pantwants,"Larsen said. "Thatincludes
techniquessuchaswelding,fabriccovering,
woodworking, sheetmetal workandcom-
posites.Weofferparticipantsanopportunity
to learnunderthe watchfuleyesofexperi-
encedinstructors."
Thefirstsessionwillemphasizebasicair-
craft maintenance,buildingand restoration
skills. AirAcademystaffwillsharemethods
and skillsrequiredto successfullybuild,re-
store, andmaintainaircraft .Theproject
duringthissessionwill beaCubreplica.
DuringtheFeb. 22- 28 Academysession,
participantswill constructaLoehle Sport
Parasol,which uses skillsrequired in
buildingmanytypesofaircraft. Loehle
AircraftCorporationstaffwilljoinAcad-
emystaffandparticipantsto fabricate this
very lighthomebuiltaircraft.
Luncheonswill includeEAAstaffpre-
sentationsdescribinghighlightsofEAA
programsandactivities. Fourtwo-hourwork-
shop sessionseachday includeacomplete
overviewofbasicaircraftbuildingskills.
"In additiontotheworkshops,participants
2 NOVEMBER 1997
Larsensaid."Thecamaraderiedevelopedbe-
tweenparticipantsand staffwill surely be
thebasisfor many lastingfriendships."
Registrationfor the EAA AdultAir
Academyis $800perpersonperweek.
Registration includesaccommodations
(doubleoccupancy),meals, transportation
whilein Oshkoshplusall materialsand
supplies. Those who registerbeforeJan. 10,
1998, will receive the complete setof
renownedTonyBingelisaircraftbuilding
publications free ofcharge.
The EAA AviationFoundationalso
offersresidentaviationprograms for young
peopleand avarietyofinternshipsforavia-
tion studentsandprofessionals.Formore
informationon the AdultAirAcademyor
any ofthe Foundation'seducationpro-
grams, call toll free 888-EAA-EAA9
(888-322-3229)or920-426-6815. You may
alsowriteto the EAA Aviation Foundation
EducationOffice;P.O. Box 3065,Oshkosh,
WI 54903-3065,orcontactEAA'sWorld
Wide Web siteat www.eaa.org.You may
alsoe-mail the EducationOfficedirectlyat
education@eaa.org.
EAAOSHKOSH'97'WORLDOF
WINGS'VIDEONOWAVAILABLE
The officialvideo reviewofthe 1997
ExperimentalAircraftAssociation(EAA)
Fly-InConvention is now availableon
home video. "WorldofWings" is acom-
pletereviewofEAA OSHKOSH '97,the
world'slargestsportaviationevent.
The6O-minute videofeatures the people
andairplanesofthe world'spremiersport
aviationevent. Thisyear'sConventionat-
tracted more than 840,000visitorsand
11,500airplanes.
"WorldofWings providesaperspective
ofthe Fly-InConventionthatonlyEAA's
videoproductionstaffcandeliver,"said
EAA AviationFoundationPresidentTom
Poberezny."The 1997videoprovidesview-
ersaglimpseofthe massivesizeandscope
ofEAA OSHKOSH.It also lets viewers
enjoyflying footage thatis simplynot
avai lableanywhereelse."
Thisyear'sproduction includesair-to-
air footage used in this fall's EAA
OSHKOSHprime-timespecialon ESPN,
plusexclusive EAA footage ofhomebuilts,
vintageairplanes, warbirds,ultralightsand
more. Thisvideoalsoincludessegmentson
the 50thanniversaryoftheU.S. AirForce,
the 50thyearofsupersonicflightand other
significantaviationdevelopmentspresented
duringtheevent.
EAA Oshkosh '97: WorldofWingscan
be purchasedfor $19.95,plus$5 forship-
ping and handling, by calling EAA at
EXPANDEDPHONEHOURS
Ifyou'vegotaneed to talkto an EAA
Membership Servicesrepresentativeto re-
new memberships, purchase books ,
merchandiseormagazinebackissues,you
can now reach them alittleeasier. We now
havepeopleavailableto fufill yourrequests
from 8:00a.m.until 7:00p.m. CentralTime,
Monday through Friday. Givethemacallto
updateyouraddress,oranythingyou may
need from theMembership Servicesdepart-
ment. Theremainderofthe EAAofficesare
opentoserveyou from 8:15 a.m.- 5:00p.m.
PAULENNIS:TIPFOR
AIRCRAFTRESTORERS
Ireceivedaphonecall from Paul Ennis
(EAA 67592, AlC 1312)ofSalisbury, MD,
whowas featured in the SentimentalJourney
article in the August issue with his Great
Lakes2T-l poweredwithaMenasco0-84
enginehoused inanengine-turnedcowling.
Paul relatedthaton the trip home, the
engine beganto lose powerandhe and his
wife,Ellie,hadtocarefullynursetheoldbi-
planeto theirhomefield. An investigation
revealedthattwo cylinderswere not in
goodshape,so thejugswerepulledto
checkthingsout.Theringsandringgrooves
werebadlycakedwitholdpreservativeoil
thatwas hardas arock! (Theenginehad
beenpreservedfor manyyearsbeforeitwas
installedin theGreatLakes.)It tookneary
everysolventknown to getthe ringsand
landscleanedup to wherethe rings could
movefreely in thegrooves.
Meanwhile,Paul is restoringaRyan
STA and had located a "brand new"
Menascoenginethathadbeenpreservedfor
fiftyyears. Beingsuspiciousaftertheabove
mentionedepisode,he pulledthejugson
the "new"Menasoandfound the rings to
be frozen in placeon the pistons- from
absolutelyhardand cakedpreservativeoil!
Needlessto say, ifthe enginehad beenrun
in suchcondition,severedamagecould
havebeendone.
PaulEnnisadvisesany and all restorers
to be gun shyon anyenginethathas been
preservedfor alongperiodoftime. Don't
startsuchanengineuntil youareabsolutely
sure thatthe ringsare free to work in their
grooves.It couldsaveyou majorexpense.
Addenda: It is withagreatdeal ofhu-
militythatIadmitto mis-namingPaul
Ennis' father, the late FredE. Ennis, who
purchasedthe GreatLakes2T-I,NC818K,
brandnewin 1929. I am happyto makethe
correctionasFredEnniswas anaviationin-
stitution in his ownright- andPaul Ennis
is following in his footsteps. ...
-Norm Petersen
VINTAGE
AeroMail
Gentlemen,
Enclosed is a photo of me standing in
front of my Curtiss Robin, with a 185 hp
Challenger engine. I acquired this in
August 1944, or thereabouts, at Ogden,
Utah for $700. The fabric was bad, and
I had it recovered for $1,000.
Later I spun it and it handled beauti-
fully. But when I tried to open the door
to get out, it was blocked by the gas
tank, which had dropped an inch or two.
I reached out and pushed the tank up ,
whereupon I was able to open the door
and get out. This never happened again.
It had what was called a "booster"
magneto. I had never heard of this and I
have never encountered anyone who
had. A small crank of the instrument
panel operated a small magneto which
fired a spark, causing the engine to
statt. This saved hand cranking.
One day, while standing in front of
the Robin, I noticed the engine appeared
to have six cylinders, when it should
have had an odd number. I stepped to
the side of the engine and noted 3 cylin-
ders were placed behind the other three,
thus appearing to be two 3-cylinder en-
gines instead of one 6-cylinder.
The wings had metal ribs reinforced
by wooden ones.
This engine had a slow RPM, and I
could almost see each revolution. My
airspeed indicated 100 mph at 1000 rpm.
The rear seat was designed for two,
but I often carried my wife and two
small children there.
Very truly yours,
Robert R. Renfro
AlC 18312
Portsmouth, NH
Dear Mr. Frautschy,
I am sending the information we dis-
cussed on the phone regarding a future
article on the Ercoupe plane.
While taking flying lessons back in
1946- 47, I saw my first Ercoupe and
immediately felt a desire to own one.
Finally, in 1992 I was financially able
to purchase one. After many years of
rental flying with many types of aircraft,
all with rudder pedals, the transition to
an aircraft without rudder pedals was an
exciting experience, but if you do it as
the book says, "it works."
Steering down the runway, on take
off run and disregarding a wingtip lift-
ing off in a cross wind takes discipline
and lading in a crabbed position is con-
trary to all previous flight training.
I believe it to be the easiest and safest
plane to fly, plus the visibility is fantastic.
Arriving high with no flaps, do "s"
turns, pull up and lose speed, or you can
open the canopy, extend hands and sink
in. Warm weather flying with the
canopy open is very nice.
This is a fun airplane that won' t stall
or spin. I cruise at 110 mph on 85hp, on
less than 5 gph of fuel making it very
economical flying.
Enclosed is more information and
some pictures. Thank you for returning
my call, and your interest.
Very truly yours,
Donald B. Sword
AlC 19551
Woodstock, IL
The material Don enclosed details
the fact that the Air Force Museum has
acquired the Ercoupe used in rocket-as-
sisted flight trials during World War II.
Here's what the write-up says:
"The first American to ride a rocket
was Homer A. Boushey, then a Captain
in the Army Air Corps and now a re-
tired Air Force General. Boushey was at
the controls of an Ercoupe monoplane
specially fitted with Jet Assist Take Off
(JATO) units to determine if military
aircraft with heavy payloads could use
rockets to get into the air faster from
short runways.
"The highly secret series of tests dur-
ing the period from August 6 - 23, 1941,
was a major success. Using the small
rocket motors, Boushey:
Made one takeoff in the Ercoupe on
rocket power alone.
Made 11 takeoffs combining rocket
and aircraft power.
Made four flights in which the
rockets were fired while the plane was
at altitude.
"Boushey made his first rocket
assisted takeoff on August 12, 1941 and
took off on rocket power alone on
August 23. Four to 12 rockets were
used in each of the tests. Each of the
rocket motors produced 28 pounds of
thrust for 12 seconds.
"The tests led to the development of
more advanced JATO units and paved
the way for the manned rockets now
carrying men into space and eventually
back to the moon. "The Air Force Mu-
seum has obtained General Boushey's
original rocket powered Ercoupe and
plan to do a complete restoration and
then put it on display in the museum. "
If anyone can fill us in further on the
Air Force's plans to restore the Ercoupe,
we'd appreciate a note!
Donald's Ercoupe,
a goal he pursued for
45 years, is shown at 1 i i i I i ~ - '
the northern Illinois
airfield where he
keeps it tied down . ...
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3
ANTIQUE/CLASSIC
OX-5AviationPioneers
by PATRICIA "TRISH" DORLAC
First of all,
if you are not
already familiar
with the OX-5, let
me educate you!
The Curtiss IN-4D
"Jenny" had its be-
ginnings in 1914.
By Armistice Day,
6,000 Jennies had
been produced for
the US Govern-
ment, 2,000 more
for governments
abroad and an
additional 2,000
d db Several members of the Intematlonal Cessna 170 include (seated) Elaine Schmidt (a brand new member!), David Rosol (our Type Club tent
were pro uce e- Co-Chainnan) and in the back row, left to right we have Byrd Raby, Ron Drake, Mari Dee and Glen Dee, the president of the association.
fore Washington
stopped their production. After the war, engine and although more expensive, Bob Wallace is the current Chairman
several thousand of these planes and was used to power the Spirit of St. of the Pioneers. In 1940 he was at
their engines, the OX-5, and many of Louis. That in itself was great advertis- Roosevelt Aviation School at Roosevelt
the airplanes that were powered by ing and the OX-5 was gradually Field on Long Island. His first project
them, became surplus goods. (If only replaced. It is worth pointing out that was to perform a major overhaul on an
luck would occur in this manner this engine IS still around! In the OX-5. Several years later, he joined the
again!!) Thousands of these engines November 1996 issue of VINTAGE, organization and remembers that for
were sold BRAND NEW, in the crate, you can read about a recently restored quite a while he was the youngest mem-
for $100.00. With a grand total of90 hp OX-5 powered Command-A ire 3C3. ber! In 1970 he had an experience that
and a weight of only 485 pounds, this The OX-5 Aviation Pioneers began was to start him on a quest. He was at
was a mighty popular engine to mount on in 1955. Over 100 people showed up an airport and caught a glimpse of an
your plane! There were about 31 types for the first meeting ... a DC-3 brought a immaculate Tailwind through some
of aircraft that were powered by this en- load to that first picnic. It was decided hangar doors. Johnny Livingston ap-
gine, including the Waco 9 and 10, to meet again the next year. At that proached him and noted his interest...
Travel Air 2000 and 4000, the Air King, meeting, regulations were set up and it and OX-5 pin, and let him see it close
American Eagle and others. While it was decided that membership would be up! Johnny was an early racing pilot
had a history of causing forced landings, open to those who had owned, operated, and one of the very first OX-5 presidents.
often times the lack of expertise by the or maintained a plane with the OX-5 Johnny told Bob to "Never let the OX-5
pilot was more to blame than the engine engine. Five dollars was collected as shrine be misused." He was referring to
itself. The OX-5 was very popular until dues and in a very short time, there a bottle of Old Crow that was kept in a
the arrival of air-cooled radial engines were over 700 members! Most promi- birdcage to be opened by the last surviv-
such as the Wright Whirlwind J-5 came nent aviators in history were members ing members. After some leads, the cage
along with 220 hp. It was a more modem of this group. was found in Texas minus the bottle.
4 NOVEMBER 1997
Bob feels that the bottle
is sti ll out there some-
where. Knowing the
importance of this
"shrine," some Waco
Club of America mem-
bers presented Bob
wit h a newly con-
structed replacement.
In the shape of an out-
house, it contains a new
bottle of Old Crow!
Plans are being
made for next year's
c?nvention and a spe- Travel Air infonnation is shared between Ruth and Paul Hamilton (seated on the left) and Harry Woods.
clal guest has been . . .
invited. In 1996 Verona Harvey was Charles Faber IS another great vo.lunteer mamtenance effort by alert-
inducted into the OX-5 Hall of Fame. who devotes a great deal of time as mg the members to AD, ACs, and any
Verona is an 83 year old pi lot with her well. Their tent is located the suspec.t area affecting the
second class physical who has been Red Barn: After.only two bnef phone of the ir airplanes. More than 85 Vo of
actively flying since the age of 15. She conversatlOn.s With I fe lt survey belonged to a type
began flying in airshows at the age of 16 that I had gamed great mSlght and en- club for pnmanly three reasons:
and was selected to be one of the WAFS thusiasm for our aviation heritage. If 1. For technical information
pilots. The Woman's Auxi liary Flying you have. not taken advantage of the 2. To obtain parts and,
Service consisted of only 11 women who opportumty to meet these 3. To have/un!
were already qualified pilots and were ac- who played a great part m aViatIOn To get a taste of the information
tively drafted into service by Hap Arnold history , drop by and meet them n.ext provided by the different type clubs, be
and Jimmy Doolittle. The WAFS pre- year! You shall surely be glad you did! sure to read Norm Petersen's bi-monthly
ceded the WASPs. If you are interested column in VINTAGE which is a com-
in flying history, make plans to get over TYPE CLUBS pilation of various type club publications
to the Antique Classic Pioneer Airman' s Thi s is one of the great benefits of and newsletters.
Tent behind the Red Barn .. . obviously our organization! Right within every- The Chairman and Vice-Chairman
"Airman" includes women! one ' s grasp is a group who can teach of the Type Club Tent are Joe and Julie
The Pioneer group may fade away, you about the aircraft you are most Dickey. Joe refers to them as the Type
as Bob says, "Mother Nature and Father interested in. If you are debating which Club Team! Julie is the Founding
Time are difficult parents to handle," but type of airplane to purchase, try one of President of EAA Chapter 729, Past
the historical portion of the group will the Type clubs. You can learn a wealth President of the Indiana Council of
continue through auxiliary membership. of infomlation about the plane, the me- EAA Chapters, 1983 recipient of an
At the last membership meeting thi s chanics, and availability of parts and EAA Major Achievement Award, pro-
summer in Oshkosh, Bob suggested that planes simply by subscribing to the dif- fessionallibrarian, and mother. Joe also
their location at Oshkosh be renamed ferent clubs for a nominal fee and refers to her as the coolest Champ back-
the Antique/Classic Pioneer Hospitality reading the periodicals they distribute. seat pilot there is! Joe describes himself
Center. Bob's Vice-Chairman is hi s wife, In the Antique/ Classic Survey, taken as a "very VFR pilot, amateur writer and
Freda Wallace. Hi s co-chairmen in- last year, members indicated that Type cartoonist and Applications Engineer. "
c1ude Charlie Dewey and Larry Bartell. Clubs playa very important part in the Joe started to fly in a 150 but did not
finish as he was disappointed in the
Mary Gowans visits with OX5 Pioneer chalnnan Bob Wallace. Bob Is our high t ime Antique/ Classic
Volunteer with a capital "V" . He has 32 years In as a volunteer at the EAA Convention.
Bob and Freda Wallace pose with t he replica of
"The Birdhouse" complete with a bottle of Old Crow.
VINTAGE AI RPLANE 5
plane and instruction. Two years later a
friend who had recently earned her in-
strument rating challenged him to be her
first student. Joe started this instruction
in a Champ and "found out what he had
been missing!" He completed his ticket
and bought a Champ a couple of years
later. Together, Joe and Julie also oper-
ate the Aeronca Aviators Club. Aiding
them is their Co-Chairman, Dave Rosol,
who lives in LaGrange Park, Illinois.
Joe and Julie greatly appreciate that he
usually has everything under control
when they arrive at Oshkosh!
The idea for the Type Club tent origi-
nated with Butch Joyce and started with
only two clubs, the Aeronca Aviators
and the Cessna 120 - 140 Association.
The Dickeys took over when Butch was
elected President and have seen it grow
tremendously. This year at Oshkosh
there were over 25 different clubs rep-
resented in the Type Club tent! Joe says
that sometimes the actual designers or
people who designed the assembly line
for your particular plane can be seen
around the tent! How is that for getting
to the source! ?
The character of the Type Club Tent
has changed, although the goal is to
keep it more of a "grass roots fly-in
under a tent"! The intent is to keep it as
a primary source of information. It
would be difficult for EAA to have
such a depth of expertise in each air-
craft and that is a void filled by the
Type Clubs. In addition to the above
mentioned reasons that people join a
type club, they can also learn more
about issues on how to fly and operate
the different planes, transition to a dif-
ferent type, changes from plane to
plane, and even where, how and when
to fly! The Type Club often keeps a
roster oftaildragger pilots, tube and
fabric mechanics, and people familiar
The Navioneers
consists of
Navion owners
and enthusiasts.
Jerry Feather
(left), Ron Judy
and Phil Dawes
take some time
out of the sun to
discuss their
favorite aircraft.
6 NOVEMBER 1997
Judi Matuscak and Syd Cohen from the Wisconsin
Wing of the Ercoupe Owners Club were there to
help members who wanted to know more about
the great airplane designed by Fred Weick.
with the older style planes. If you are
interested in joining a type club or want
to learn more about type clubs, I would
recommend the article that Joe Dickey
wrote in the April 1997 issue of VIN-
T AGE "What's a Type Club and Why
Should I CareT'. You may also want to
refer to the December 1996 issue for a
listing of type clubs available.
While there is a great demand for the
more Antique plane clubs, there are not
as many Contemporary groups. There
may be more in the future as their
planes get older and there is more of a
need for the technical support. The
clubs range in size anywhere from the
loosely knit Curtiss Robin Club with
about 40 members or the smallest club,
the Lockheed Club with about 35 mem-
bers to the 120/140 Club, Shortwing
Piper and Aeronca Clubs with larger
memberships. Sort of makes sense. The
larger clubs tend to have more of their
aircraft still flying!! Almost all of the
Julie and Joe Dickey, shown here in 1996, with
Buck Hilbert in the background.
clubs have some type of publication.
Some are put out monthly and some are
sent out quarterly or less often depend-
ing on the resources each club can
dedicate to the cause.
If the summer rolls around and you
haven't gotten involved in a type club,
but want more information, be sure to
visit the Type Club Headquarters in the
big tent south of the Antique Classic
Division's Little Red Bam. Not only will
you fmd representatives from the various
clubs, you will find shade, cool drinks,
and great listeners to all stories! ...
Type Club
NOTES
by NORM PETERSEN
Compiled from various type club
The International Cessna 170
Association - Flypaper
Executive Secretary and Editor: Velvet
Fackelday phone:
417-532-4847
Joseph Neff from Indiana writes in
the October issue of "Flypaper" regarding
his fuel pump experience with his 1948
Cessna 170:
During 1993 I had a series of in-flight
partial power failures on my 1948 170.
The first intermittent failures were only
momentary power blips, as if a water
drop had entered. One occurred over a
mountain range and I nursed it to the sea
level airport while performing a lot of
mag and mixture checks and fuel valve
checks. The fmal two partial power fail-
ures were on takeoff. The strange thing
is that a new mag, rebuilding of the fuel
sediment bowl and a complete dumping
and filtering of the tank fuel stopped the
failures for several flights, including fer-
rying the aircraft back to my home
airport over the same mountain range.
But the partial power failures reoc-
curred with increased severity. A full
power tiedown investigation finally
disclosed that about 8 years earlier, the
A & P mechanic who overhauled the
carb and airbox had installed the fuel
check valve backwards. The arrow that
clearly points to the carb was reversed,
pointing towards the ftrewall. This in-line
check valve is between the firewall fuel
sediment bowl and the carb, and is paral-
leled by the Cont. 145-2 engine-driven
mechanical fuel pump. A coincidental
gradual failure of the mechanical pump
from sediment or a diaphragm pinhole,
coupled with the reversed check valve,
starved the engine from receiving full
power fuel. The diagnosis was difficult
because in its final stages, the result was
a loss of power to 1900 RPM about
20 seconds after full power application
for takeoff. Normal takeoff power and
RPM existed prior to the sudden loss.
I asked Cessna why there is a mechan-
ical pump only on the ragwing 170, but
the only answer I received was there are
certain regimes of the flight envelope
when there is inadequate fuel without the
-1/2 to 3 psi pressure of the pump. One of
these regimes is obviously takeoff.
The Cessna 150-152 News
Editor: Skip Carden, phone
919-471-9492
WHAT'S IN-A PROP
This is a silly title, but I thought that
you might pay more attention if it were
silly and attracted your attention. The
subject is your propeller. I have recently
done some exhaustive research and
arrived at some start ling conclusions
about propellers. First of all, propellers
are not alike. Some are flat and twisted
and others have an airfoil and are
twisted. Some (folks) will tell you to get
a climb prop and others will tell you to
get a cruise prop. What is best? Well ,
that is up to you and your flying habits. I
wi ll try to tell you my experiences and
let you be the judge.
Back around Easter, I visited Ocra-
coke on the outer banks ofNorth Carolina
and when I ran up my engine to leave,
my prop picked up seashells which were
embedded in the leading edges of the
publications &newsletters
blade. On returning home, my mechanic
said that I needed to get the prop over-
hauled. This was done and it was
replaced. I noticed that I had lots more
RPM than I had had before the overhaul,
but thought this was to my advantage.
After several cross country trips, I no-
ticed that my ground speed had gone to
pot, and that to maintain any speed at all,
I had to use 75 - 80% power. It was also
noted that ground acceleration was great
up to 60, but then it didn't want to accel -
erate past this speed, which was most
unusual. After several more trips, I told
my mechanic about the problem and he
agreed that the prop was too flat and
needed more pitch. We decided to sub-
tract 200 RPMs from what we had (they
can add or subtract RPMs at the prop
shop as per your request) . They re-bent
the blade and re-checked it, as this was
the limit for my blade. When we tried it,
we were astounded at the difference. The
ground roll was a little longer but when
we broke ground we really accelerated.
The cruise was way up and top speed
was unbelievable. There was only one
problem. We couldn't turn red line in
straight and level flight. We also noticed
a slight increase in fuel consumption.
Back to the prop shop and a request for
50- 75 more RPMs, they once again bent
the blade and it was re-installed. We
haven't had sufficient time to test it, but
we have our red line in level flight and
out static is where it should be with only
a slight sacrifice in speed.
The results of my tests are as follows:
Don't use a climb prop wlless you really
need to accelerate and climb at maxi-
mum, or carry nearly gross weight all
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7
the time, or the penalty that you will pay
exceeds the performance. Use a prop
with an airfoil if possible, like the
Sensenich. The McCauley is a "flat prop"
and has less efficiency. A climb prop has
no efficiency at altitude and results in
poor performance. A climb prop is like
running your car in second gear all the
time. Good acceleration but poor speed
and lots of wasted engine power. My
plane now climbs better because it is
moving through the air faster and at alti-
tude it climbs really great. The climb
area is great for getting off the ground,
but then you need the high cruise. Think
of a complex airplane. They use a flat
pitch setting to take off and then imme-
diately begin adding pitch and at altitude
they use max pitch, so now I have max
pitch but require a little more runway
and the speed increase more than makes
up for it.
I would suggest that you take your
plane up and fly it at maximum throttle
in level flight for several minutes so that
everything has stabilized. Then record
the RPMs, if it goes past red line, then
let it go until it stops and then retard the
throttle. You must do this in order to de-
termine whether you can re-pitch the
prop more. Make the tests at near gross
weight and on as near a normal day as
you can. Your readings will then be
more accurate. Have the prop re-bent so
that the engine will make red line and
possibly a little more. This will give you
the best performance. One bonus feature
that I noticed is that the engine is now
operating under a load and seems to run
smoother and on rough (air) days the en-
gine doesn't go up and down.
Don't be misled by others. Choose
what is right for you. At altitude, my
engine performs better and the resultant
speed is unbelievable.
I recently told an Ercoupe owner
about this and he went out and bought a
Sensenich prop and wrote that he lost little
on take off but had gained 8- 10 mph
and has as good climb and better atlitude
performance. I leave you to judge, but
you are spinning your wheels with that
flat climb prop. Sensenich has told me
that any 152 owner who wants to try
their new prop can do so with no obliga-
tion by flying into their Lancaster, PA,
plant and they will put on one of their
new props and let you test fly it.
Also, if anyone has had experience
with props, I would like to hear from
you, pro or con, concerning what has
worked best for you. -Skip-
S NOVEMBER 1997
Bamboo Bomber Club Newsletter
Newsletter Editor: Jim Anderson:
phone 612-433-3024
(The following article, contributed by
Francois Blondeau ofthe GPPA Aviation Mu-
seum in Arville, France, was translatedfrom
German by Edie Peterson ofStillwater, MN.)
DES BAMBUS-BOMBERS
ZWEITE GEBURT
(The Bamboo Bomber's Second Birth)
Who would guess that one would
find a rare airplane at the main port of
K10ten (Switzerland)? Truly one of a kind.
Who would know that Cessna UC-78,
HB-UEF, an airplane that looks from the
outside like a Beech 18 without the double
(seitenleitwerk) tail. Take a closer look
at this bird. It is hard to believe that this
type has not been produced since 1944.
Still , HB-UEF looks like a model from
last year. Right , it was (re )built within
the last few years by a restorer.
The development of the UC-78 when
different companies competition and
successive models of the Beech 18 intro-
duced that was a big success at the time.
Only the Cessna stayed successful. Their
model T-50 flew for the first time in
March 1939. It is hard tojudge if the
success of the machine was due to its
size, or because she was smaller than the
normal two-engine planes and bigger
than the normal single-engine planes.
The five-seater T-50 was in size between
between the Beech 18 and the biggest
Cessna, the four-seater Airmaster. Struc-
turally the T -50 didn't bring anything
new. The body consisted of a welded
structure that is covered with cloth. The
rudder and elevator are made of wood.
The wings are constructed of wood with
a plywood nose. The pilot and co-pilot
were seated in the front of the interior. In
the rear was a bench for three passen-
gers. The commercial success of the
T-50 was stopped due to the Second
World War. Of the private T -50, only
42 were sold, including those that were
sold to the Civil Aeronautics Authority,
the FAA of today. The Royal Canadian
Air Force bought 640 airplanes. They
were used as two-engine trainers and
light duty transporters under the name
Crane I. In need of their own trainer, the
U. S. Army bought in July 1940,33 T-50
with Lycoming R-680-9 radial engines
of295 hp. Extra weight was added due to
the autopilot and other extras. This model
was called the AT -8 (Advanced Trainer
model 8). Another military order was
placed in July 1941 for over 450 T -50's
with R-755-9 Jacobs motors of 245 hp.
This model was called the A T-17. More
orders were placed for 223 AT-17 A,
466 AT-17B and 60 AT-17C. They all
varied only slightly in details, 190 planes
with variations, A T-17C, were sold under
the name Crane II to the Royal Canadian
Air Force. From private sources, the
U. S. Army bought 17 T-50's. These
planes were named UC-78A. Another
name for the same machine is Bobcat.
From the pilots and the broad public
comes the name Bamboo Bomber, for
which name the T -50 was famous for.
Back to the Bamboo Bomber located
in Kloten. It was built between March
26th and December 11 th of 1943 in
Wichita. It ended up in Germany with
the U.S. military. After the war in 1946,
the plane was sold to the Grenchener
company, Aero Union. They owned two
of the T-50's then. After that company
went bankrupt, the plane became the
property of Berner Kontanal Bank in
Porrentruy, which sold it back to the
U.S. Army. Both of the Dusseldorfcom-
panies , Transavia and Barvarian Air
Service, were interested in the two
machines, but there was not a sale.
Stationed was our T-50 at the airport
Langenfeld under the command of
Oberst Lieutenant Colonel Ronny
Kowski . This U.S. Lt. Col. headed the
negotiations when a certain Mr.
Trottman of Zurich found out about the
machine and showed an interest.
Trottman thought that with a little effort
the two machines would be ready to fly.
But he was terribly wrong about that.
Since the price was low, he quickly
bought the airplanes. The transport
across Switzerland was done by the
Army. There were lots of problems. For
instance, the width of the wings was
more than some railroad viaducts. Sure
enough the wings were damaged, oddly
enough in the duty-free hall at Basel.
The crane arm hit the back edge of the
wing and broke a piece off. The wing
was transported to the airport Frauenfeld
and the body was brought to the back
yard and garage of the new owner. The
wing alone needed a lot of work. The
huge piece was hoisted into the rafters
with two hoists, so it wouldn't bother
anyone during the week. On weekends,
Trottman worked for hours on it. After
disassembly, everything was cleaned
and the streben taped with plastic. The
wing nose was built new, plywood glued
with pine wood, flugelaustrittskante and
-continued on page 28-
CharlesLasher-AeroncaGuru
This past February 1997 I had the distinct
pleasure of meeting Mr. Charles Lasher at his
home in Oviedo, Florida. Having observed
an ad for some small Aeronca parts for sale
in Trade-A-Plane in 1996, I was reminded
of the ad in the 1960s that Charlie had run
selling Aeronca related parts and pertinent
Aeronca information. I then remembered
that Charlie had conducted an Aeronca Club
with a monthly newsletter which carried
general Aeronca information as well as
Aeronca parts for sal e, and parts wanted
submitted by both Charlie and the club's
members. Charlie printed and distributed
over 5,000 of his club newsletters over a
period of 18 years. The general information
consisted mostly of improvements for the
Aeronca 7AC and II AC performance and
operation, ADs, possible ADs and Aeronca
factory letters. Also, there were suggested
aircraft and/or operational improvements
from the Aeronca club members.
As I and my wife Cookie would be in
Fort Myers during February 1997, I decided
to try and meet this fabled gentleman,
Mr. Charles Lasher. I called Charlie at the
number in Trade-A-Plane in December
1996 and explained that because of my hav-
ing a long-time love affair with the Aeronca
7AC (since 1945) and having worked for an
Aeronca dealer at Arlington Airport in
Poughkeepsie, NY, and having owned and
extensively flown and completely rebui lt
my 7AC, and as we would be in his area on
a certain weekend in February 1997, I would
like to stop by his home. He welcomed me
warmly and the date was set.
When we arrived at Charlie' s home, he
was standing on the front lawn waiting for
us. He fit my mental picture ofhim- a
pleasant, smiling, soft spoken, just plain
nice gentleman. He invited Cookie and I in
and we spent the next hour talking and visit-
ing like we had known each other for years.
Of course we swapped our family histories
and old airport stories, but mostly we spoke,
"AERONCA." I value this visit with
Charlie Lasher very highly.
Now, Charlie's first real interest in air-
planes surfaced at an early age, sparked by
the solo flight of Charles Lindbergh from
New York to Paris, France in 1927. In the
early 1930s, Charlie gladly helped a neigh-
bor rebuild an OX-5 powered WACO
Model-I 0 biplane and of course he was re-
warded with many free rides and even some
dual stick time.
The flying bug had bit deep. Charlie was
now doing any odd jobs after school and on
the weekends to scrape together three dollars,
the minimum amount required for 15 min-
utes of flight instruction in a two-cylinder
Alive andWell inFlorida
model E-1 13 engine powered Aeronca C-3
at the All American Airport in Miami ,
Florida. He soloed the C-3 in 1935.
Charlie never forgot his real fun days of
flying the two place Aeronca C-3 (bathtub)
and the single place Aeronca C-2, which
had so little ground clearance that it enabled
Charlie to pick up a piece of dried cow flop
while taxiing and try to bomb his airport
buddies with it while airborne. Real fun days
and Charlie has "begged, borrowed and
rented any Aeronca he could ever since; '
An interesting project of Charlie' s which
was covered in his news letter with actual
pictures was modi fication of an Aeronca
7AC to "clipped wing" Continental C-85
powered aerobatic Champ. It looked great,
so it must have flown great.
Charlie says he has flown every Aeronca
model except the early low wing model Land
the four place C-1 45 powered 15AC. There
were a herd of other Aeronca models, i.e. ,
"K;' "TAC;' and Charl ie has hefted them all.
Charlie' s formal education is evident in
his accomplishments. He holds a Bachelor
of Science degree of Aeronautical Engineer-
ing from the University of Chicago which
was awarded to him in 1940. He then was
employed in the very responsible position
of Supervisor of Quality Control of Military
Aircraft manufacturing at the Curtiss Wright
Corporation in Buffalo, New York until the
end of 1945.
During 1946 Charlie held the position of
Maintenance Manager with the local Aeronca
dealer at the Tarniami airport in Miami and
quickly entered into his own business by de-
signing and building his own hangar there.
As a tribute to Charlie's moral commitment
and work ethic, after a hurricane had passed
through in 1947, his hangar was the only
building left standing on the field.
In 1948 Charlie accepted the position of
Manager of Maintenance and Overhaul Pro-
cedure Development at Eastern Airlines in
Miami where he remained until late in 1981.
During all of his activities Charlie found
time to compile the most important and in-
by DONALD F. WOOD
Ale 16643
Charlie today at his home in
Oviedo, Florida. He' s been
busy writi ng sequels to his
popular "Champs and Chiefs"
book of 13 years ago. Volumes
2 and 3 are now available.
Contact Charlie at the address
at the end of the article to
order a copy of the books.
teresting information from his monthly
newsletters, and he published a soft cover
book titled simply, "AERONCA CHAMPS
and CHIEFS" which, incidentally, is now
out of print and is considered by many to be
a collectors' item. This is di sappointing
news, but the good news is that Charlie is
hard at work adding additional fact and fun
to the original manuscript for publication in
the very near future.
You do not have to own an Aeronca 7AC
or II AC or even like them to enjoy reading
Charlie's new book. I can guarantee that
when yo u have read it you wi ll be an
Aeronca fan. Of course, for Aeronca owners
and lovers this book is a must.
More good news, Charlie is putting to-
gether book #2 for Aeronca Owners and
book #3 for Mechanics and Restorers. Book
#4 is a possibility.
You may obtain your new Aeronca books
by contacting Mr. Charles Lasher at 4660
Parker Court, Oviedo, FL 32765, or by
phone at 407/678-3467. These publications
are bound to become collector items also. I
would not procrastinate in ordering them,
and Charlie will autograph anyone of them
when you request it with your order. ....
VINTAGE AI RPLANE 9
The Knight Twister, this one with a Douglas conver-
sion of a Ford auto engine to an air cooled version.
This same airplane is the one built in 1937 by
Vernon Payne for a sportsman pilot In Buenos Aires,
Argentina, according to an article in Popular
Aviation, October 1937.
Weappreciatethenotesandpotential
MysteryPlaneswe have receivedfrom
members,andwould love to continueto
addtoourlistsowecancontinuetoenjoy
this feature. Ifyoudo haveanairplane
you'dliketo submit,pleasesendapho-
tograph(xerographiccopiesdon'tprint
well) ofyoursubmissionattheaddress
attheendofthisarticle.
Beforewe answertheAugustMys-
teryPlane,IshouldnotethattheOctober
Mysteryreallyhaseveryonestumped- I
haveyetto getasingleanswerforthepi-
oneererabiplanewe showed.You still
haveuntil November26 to getyouran-
swerin for thatone, so startflipping the
pagesofyourJane'soutthere!
OurAugustMysteryPlanewas an
easyonefor manyofourmembers, but
onethatthoseofus bornafter 1955 may
nothaveseen. MemberMorris Ripple of
Albuquerque ,NMjumpedrighton it
and sentusanotetellingus itwasthe
These neat shots were sent by Vernon Payne to
Bob Richardson, Broken Arrow, OK after Bob had
written to Vernon requesting information on the
Knight Twister.
by H.G. Frautschy
"KnightTwister"designedbyVernon
Paynein 1932.
Oneofthe lettersthatwas interesting
camefrom HaleWallace,theproprietor
ofthe SteenAero LabofMarion,NC.
Halewrote:
'Thisone is tooeasy,as wenowown
the designrightsforthe littleplane. The
onepicturedisa DouglasFordconver-
sionon oneofVernonPayne's little
KnightTwisters.
Hardto say howmanyofthese little
shipswereeverbuiltbutIwouldguess
wellover 100. Remembertheaverage
man in 1928 whentheKnightTwister
wasdesignedwasabout 160 lbs. The
littleplanewasverywell designedand
wasuniquein that it requiredno internal
orexternalwires!
"Wearecurrentlybuildinga 125 hp
versionthatshouldbeatOshkosh '98.It
will be the originalshortfuselage short
wingversion.Togetafeel howreally
small thisplane is, ithelpsto compare
the wingareato aPitts. Thesingleplace
Pittshas 98 squarefeetofwingandthe
KnightTwisterhas55!
"Wewouldlikeverymuchto obtain
acopyofthestressanalysisthatwas ad-
vertisedjustafterthewarbyPaynefor
$9.00. Perhapssomeofyourreaders
mightstillhaveacopy?"
You can rightto Hale Wallaceat
SteenAeroLab, Inc.,1210AirportRd.,
Marion,NC 28752.
Otheranswerswerereceived from:
BobRichardson,BrokenArrow, OK;
WayneVanValkenburgh,Jasper, GA;
RobertEngels, Ronan, MT; Charley
Hayes,New Lenox,IL;Ralph Roberts,
Saginaw, MI; DaveHarris,MasonCity,
IA; OwenBruce,Richardson,TX;and
JohnBeebe,WhiteStone,CA. ...
SendyourMysteryPlane
correspondenceto:
VintageMysteryPlane
EAA
P.O. Box3086
Oshkosh,WI54903-3086
OurMysteryPlaneforNovembercomesto us from an advertisementin a long
reveredjoumal,onestill inpublication. It'snotanaviationpublication, buttheydo,
on rareoccasions,publish itemsofanaeronautical nature. Answersneedto be in no
laterthanDecember26, 1997forinclusionintheFebruaryissueof VintageAirplane.
10 NOVEMBER 1997
WACOFly-In
The38thannualNationalWacoClub
fly-in,heldJune26-29,1997atbeautiful
WynkoopAirportin MountVernon,
Ohio is now in the history books.
Twenty-fiveoutstandingWacosrepre-
senting 13 modelsfrom eightstates
wereableto attend.
byANDYHEINSAle 20529
WynkoopAirportis a 3500x 100
grassstrip withasettingasthoughyou
hadjuststeppedbackin time 50years
ago.Theenviromentis perfectfor old
airplaneswithradialenginesandques-
tionable ground handling. Brian
Wynkoop hasoperatedtheairportfor
over30yearsand hasbeengracious
enoughtoextendhis hospitalityto the
WacoClubsince 1989.
Wednesday,June25, sawthe first
two arrivals grace the skies above
MountVernon.PeteHeins,in hisone
ofa kind 1930WacoCRG,andJack
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11
Hill in his 1941 Waco UPF-7 both ar-
rived from Dayton, Ohio. Overcast
skies dawned on Thursday and it looked
as though we might have rain as the or-
der of the day. But by noon the grey
was gone, replaced by blue skies with
puffy white clouds. Three more Wacos
were tied down by the end of the night.
As Friday rolled around, the weather
was checked and found to be excellent
Waco weather. One by one the aircraft
started arriving and reports were re-
ceived that a group was heading our
way from the East Coast. Around 1:00
o'clock Friday afternoon, the wonder-
ful , vibrating sound of multiple radial
engines was heard. Looking to the east,
the distinctive shape of seven biplanes
was observed. As the formation entered
the pattern, each plane made a pass
down the field to the delight of all the
onlookers - Bill Smela in a 1932 UBF-
2, John Bussard in a 1937 YKS-7, Jack
Race in a 1940 UPF-7, Al Shimer in his
rare 1937 Waco VPF-7, Fred Schrnuck-
ler in a 1941 UPF-7, John Shue in a
1941 UPF-7 and Loel Crawford in his
newly restored 1941 UPF-7. By Friday
evening 21 Wacos sat side by side in
the grass.
Saturday brought beautiful weather
again and the skies around Mount Vernon
were filled with Wacos giving buddy
rides and enjoying the wonderful at-
mosphere that abounds at Wynkoop
Airport. Four more arrivals brought the
total up to 25. A banquet was held Sat-
urday evening in the large hangar, in
sight of all the beautiful Wacos tied
down for the evening. Over 80 people
attended, enjoying the lasagna dinner
catered by my wife Michele and her fa-
ther Keith Frank. The special guest
speaker was Ray Brandly, President of
the National Waco Club. Special awards
were presented to long-time Waco en-
thusiasts Hans and Edith Dam, and to
Bev Frost, understanding and patient
wife of Waco pilot Bob Frost, owner of
a beautiful 1930 INF.
The following Wacos were
in attendance:
1929 ASO NC261M Tony Morozowski
1929 CTO NR13918 B. F. Goodrich!
Bob Wagner
1930 CRG NC600Y Pete Heins
1930 CSO NC656N Larry Harmacinski
1930 INF NC11203 Bob Frost
1931 QCF NC11427 Lee Parsons
1932 UBF-2 NC13446 Bill Srnelal
John Bussard
1934 UMF-3 NC14041 Harold Johnson
1934 UKC NC14052 Cliff Hogan
1936 YKS-6 NC16241 Bill Bohannon
1937 VPF-7 NC17712 Jim Buchwald
1937 VPF-7 NC74835 Al Shimer
1937 YKS-7 NCI7700 John Bussard
1937 YKS-7 NC17474 Mark Harter
1940 UPF-7 NC164 Joe Maguire
1940 UPF-7 NC173E Phil Coulson
1940 UPF-7 NC29300 Mike
Brown! Alan Hoeweler
1940 UPF-7 NC30130 Jack Race
1941 UPF-7 NC32071 Jack Hill
1941 UPF-7 NC32080 Jerry Brown
1941 UPF-7 NC32084 Loel Crawford
1941 UPF-7 NC32133 Fred Schrnuckler
1941 UPF-7 NC32183 John Shue/
Chris Kidder
1942 UPF-7 NC39714 Bud Hayes
1942 UPF-7 NC39754 Ron France *'
12 NOVEMBER 1997
Mackey's"LincoAces"
WacoCTO Taperwing
by H. G. FRAUTSCHY
Eighteen hundred bucks. Not a
bad price, but still not cheap either,
in 1934. Then Lt. Joe Mackey gave
up that much cash for a Waco ATO
"Taperwing" he planned on using
with the airshow troupe he had put
together along with the incorrigi-
ble teenager Bill Sweet, who was
just beginning a long career as an
airshow promoter and announcer.
Also part of their trio was their
mechanic, "Fatso" DeBolt.
Mackey picked the airplane up
in Jackson, MI. Powered with a
220 hp Wright J-5 , the ATO was
fIrst going to be used as a skywrit-
ing airplane, so they could get
into the smokewriting game .
According to Sweet's fanciful
book, "They Call Me Mr. Air-
show," their fIrst modifIcations to
the Taperwing' s exhaust system
resulted in a disappointingly small
amount of smoke. Finally, they
tapped a larger smoke oil line ,
served by a pressure pump, into a
hot spot in the exhaust manifold,
solving the problem and putting
them into the skywriting business.
Back in those days, an airshow
outfIt did it's best to get into every
angle of the aviation business.
Advertising, "death-defying, oh-
my-gosh, can you believe he did
that!" aerial acts and hopping
rides were the main sources of the
income in the hand-to-mouth ex-
istence in which the promoters,
mechanics and pilots lived. Ad-
vertising took the forms we still
see today, with banners, skywriting
or even with lights at night under
the wings being used to get the
advertisers message out to poten-
tial customers.
Fortunately for Mackey and his
gang, they had managed to enter
into a deal with the Ohio Oil
Company (now Marathon Oil) to
promote Ohio ' s Linco gasoline
Jim Koepnick
and oil products. The Taperwing be-
came the favorite of Mackey, who flew
it skywriting, in aerobatic contests and
during airshows. Later powered with a
330 hp Wright J-6-9E with a front ex-
haust, Mackey was thrilling crowds
with his Taperwing (now designated as
a Waco CTO after the installation of the
higher horsepower Wright), as well as
keeping the Ohio Oil bigwigs impressed
with the exposure his outfit was able to
get for the Linco products. The "Linco
Flying Aces," as the outfit was dubbed,
were known throughout the land,
and included famous pilots such as
Mike Murphy, W. Myron Hightower
and Gordon P. Mougey.
Based in Findlay, OH, they used
every available method to get the Linco
name in front of the public, including a
neon light setup on the lower wings of a
Curtiss Fledgling, and later a loud-
speaker system in a Stinson Tri-Motor.
During 1935, during the Dayton Air
Olympics, Mackey was wringing out the
Waco and during an outside maneuver,
the Townend Ring around the Wright's
cylinders cracked at the bottom and
broke, fl ipping over the upper wing and
banging Joe on the head, nearly render-
The Ohio 011 Company, now Marathon Oil, contracted with Col. Mackey
and his troupe to tout the virtues of their " Llnco" 011 products, which
t hey did In a number of ways, Including banner towing, skywriting
and night signs strung on the bottom of both a Curtiss Fledgling and
Stinson Trl-motor. The modified Waco CTO Taperwlng owned by
Mackey was flown by him for both skywriting and aerobatlc displays.
ing him unconscious. He
managed to land the
Taperwing and was
hauled off to the hospital,
where the doctors looked
him over and bandaged
up his head wound. He'd
already been thinking
about working on the
Waco to make it an even
more suitabl e airs how
airplane, and the Dayton
incident triggered a plan
to rebuild the Taperwing
into something no one
else had ever seen.
High speed aviators
of that time were not
solely from the military-
Ken Uchtenberg
in fact , the civilians often were flying
ships faster than the government boys
were issued- and men like Roscoe
Turner and Jimmy Wedell went to the
fellow in Cincinnati who knew how to
form metal into fluid, smooth shapes
that made air molecules just slide on by.
Hill Streamliners hammered out sheet
aluminum into beautiful cowlings,
wheel fairings and wing roots.
John Hill spent the winter working
on the fuselage of the Waco, completely
covering the entire fuselage in sheet
aluminum and adding a full NACA
cowl, complete with 18 speed bumps to
fair in the rocker box covers on the 330
hp Wright (which Bill Sweet wrote was
souped up to 400 hp) . A special pair of
wheel pants finished off the streamlin-
ing job, one that even the people at
Waco, who expressed concern at first ,
were willing to concede that the project
was well done. Sweet and his mechanic
Fatso Debolt rebuilt the wings and had
the struts, flying wires and massive ex-
haust collector ring chrome plated back
in the hangar in Findlay while Hill and
his crew reworked the fuselage. It was
not a cheap project, either- Mackey
had Bill Sweet and Jimmy Taylor head
down to Cincinnati to pick up the newly
modified fuselage with $12,000 packed
in an old gym bag, the fee Hill required
for the streamlining job he and his
14 NOVEMBER 1997
Things are really happening in Troy, Ohio, the hometown of Waco
airplanes. The Waco Historical Society was founded a number of years ago
to preserve the heritage ofthe airplanes and the company that built them. For
the past couple of years, they have operated a museum in downtown Troy,
with long-term plans for a larger, dedicated facility.
Well underway are the plans for the Waco Museum and Learning Center.
Pat Horgan, who outside of his responsibilities at B.F. Goodrich, is also the
Director of the new museum. He tells us that they just dedicated the 2,400'
airstrip and held an old-fashioned bam raising for a 147 year old structure
that had been moved to the site, located just south of the town of Troy.
Fund-raising efforts are well underway, and plans are being made for a
world-class facility dedicated to proclaiming and perpetuating the important
aviation achievements of the Waco Aircraft Co., and to transfer the "love of
flight" to both young and old through the use of hands-on displays, a hangar
style museum and archives. That's a small snapshot of what is going on, and
for more information, please write to the Waco Museum & Aviation Learn-
ing Center, P.O. Box 62, Troy, OH 45373.
workers had done on the CTO's
fuselage. Mr. Hill was wary of the
chronically short-on-cash aviation
trade, and required a bank note or plain
old hard currency upon delivery, or you
couldn't take your airplane home.
By the spring of 1936, the Waco
CTO, SIN A-1l8, which had originally
been purchased by the CAA in 1929,
was ready to take the '36 airshow flying
season by storm. It almost didn't make
it. Sweet tells the story that Mackey had
to land the Taperwing at the end of its
test flight using the elevator trim, since
a piece of tubing was not cleaned out of
the fuselage, and jammed the elevator.
You can bet they were all the way back
to the tail cone cleaning out the scraps
after that nearly disastrous fIrst flight!
Mackey's most famous event with
the Taperwing was still to come. During
the month long celebrations surrounding
the Kentucky Derby, Mackey and the
Linco Aces were preforming in the
state; skywriting, night signs and
banner towing were all part of the ad-
vertising game.
While at a refueling stop one day
that April, the phone rang and the caller
wanted to speak to Mackey, who was
already in the cockpit getting ready to
fly out on another advertising mission.
The caller turned out to be an offIcial of
the French Embassy, who was calling
to invite Mackey to attend the Interna-
tional Air Show in Paris, France, all
expenses paid!
Mackey made a beeline for New York,
and with the Taperwing hoisted aboard
the U.S.S. Washington, he headed
across the Atlantic for the big meet.
One of only two Americans invi ted to
the meet (the other was Milo Burcham
and hi s Boeing 100 [P-1 2]), Mackey
wowed the French crowds, and was
presented with a $8,000 check on top of
the expenses already being paid. Re-
turning home as an international
aviation star, Mackey would parlay that
triumph into greater aviation success.
Hooking up with the the ever flamboy-
ant Roscoe Turner, Mackey flew the
gold Wedell-Williams NR61 Y while
Roscoe was busy with the silver Turner
Special. He flew the racer in both the '37
and '38 Thompson trophy races, among
others. Later in his career, he started
Mackey International Airlines, Mackey
Airlines and Mackey Air Transport after
WW II. Col. Joe Mackey passed away
February 14, 1982, at the age of72.
But what happened to the Taper-
wing? After the War, it bounced around
a number of owners, including another
The aft cockpit Is detailed In these two shots. The
airplane has been registered In the experimental
exhibition category since Its modifications by Hili
Streamliners In 1936. Since It was Intended for alr-
show and skywriting use, the restrictions placed In
that type of registration were not detrimental.
famous aerobatic aviator, none other
than Duane Cole. In 1949, he bought
the Taperwing for $1,000 in Dallas,
Texas, and in the heat of the plains, he
nearly passed out from dehydration as
the Waco's metal fuselage offered little
in the way of ventilation, but plenty in
the head department. With its uninsu-
lated firewall, and the oil tank in the
fuselage, the heat from the engine oil
had nowhere to go but out the cockpit
holes, passing over the
pilot and keeping him
plenty warm whether
he needed it or not!
By the end of the
1949 airshow season,
Duane had decided that
while the Waco flew
reasonably well , he
didn't really care for it
in airshow work, and
landing it was always
a potential ground-
looping adventure. He
decided he would fly it
down to Florida, where
he and the Cole broth-
ers had a couple of
winter airshow book-
ings, and sell it after he
was through. Finally,
the heat generated by
the big Wright worked
to his advantage- while
his fellow airshow pi-
lots were all bundled up
in their cockpits against
the central Illinois cold,
Duane was able to fly
along comfortably
dressed in only a light
sweater along with his
helmet and goggles!
Duane' s assessment
of the modified Waco's
landing tendencies were
reinforced later, when good banging about,
he heard that the next two owners man- with the belly skin
aged to ding up the airplane on their first also taking a beat-
landings, one of them evidently wiping ing. The rudder and
the gear completely off the airplane. vertical fin needed
Later, as the Waco had become a to be completely
project, it was with Dick Jackson (who rebuilt, as were
owns and fli es the sole remaining Waco the wings, which
D) in New Hampshire. He sold it to needed additional
Bob White, who began to restore work beyond just
the airplane until he passed away. Con- 1..0---..;......;....__________________--1
cleaning up and be-
cerned that the historic airplane might ing recovered.
not get the treatment it deserved, Phil and it failed during the flight, causing a Happily, the beautiful work done by
Debeau of Florida worked to hook forced landing that resulted in rather se- Hill Streamliners was, for the most part
Bob's widow up with a suitable organi- vere damage to the airframe. perfectly usable, and Chris Hughes did
zation who would commit to maintaining B.F. Goodrich, to their credit, didn't a major amount of straightening and
the historic airplane. give up . After working through the fabrication to make the airplane look
B.F. Goodrich, of Troy, Ohio, had insurance paperwork, they committed like it did when Joe Mackey sailed to
some historic links to the Waco Aircraft to having the airplane rebuilt . By the France. Both David Harwell , who is
Company - in fact, the building they spring of 1993, the Barnstormer's one of the partners in Barnstormers
currently reside in was, at one time, the Workshop was selected to do the work. Workshop, and Pat Horgan, the Taper-
Waco factory building. After being con- After a short delay as the workshop re- wing Project Manager for B.F.
tacted by Phil, B.F. Goodrich purchased located to Williamson, GA, the work Goodrich, praised Chris' sheet metal
the airplane and made arrangements to began in earnest. working skills, pointing out that hi s
have it flown up to Troy. Unfortunately, During the forced landing, the for- work was instrumental in getting the
the Wright J-6 was not up to the trip, ward fuselage and tail received a pretty Waco back in the air. All of the Hill
16 NOVEMBER 1997
sheet metal was kept, with the excep-
tion of the belly skin, which was too
badly damaged to serve as anything but
a pattern.
David, and his partner, Max Gwaltney,
also run Peach State Airport in
Williamson, as well as running and
working in the restoration shop. Also
part of the team who restored the Waco
were: Gary Gachesa, a fabric man who
has since moved on to other endeavors,
and Mary and Ed Berluchaux. Mary
also worked at making the fabric work
on the wings and tail surfaces an excel-
lent example of that exacting task.
A few changes were made to the air-
plane to make it a more reliable airplane
to fly on national tours. First, because
overhaul parts and overall reliability
were in short supply for the Wright, it
was decided to change the engine in-
stallation to a new Jacobs R-755-B2
engine of275 hp. The Wright is available
for reinstallation when the Waco goes
on static display at some time in the fu-
ture. Also changed was the cowl. The
original cowl would not have fit prop-
erly with the Jacobs, so a cowl from a
UC-78 was reworked to resemble the
original sheet metal.
One more change woul d be made
to the Waco that took a fair amount of
discussion. Over the years, this Waco
had been the subject of many modifi-
cations beyond the metalized fuselage.
The installation of the 330 hp Wright
necessitated a longer prop w ith a
resulting change in the landing gear.
The change in the gear made the air-
plane a real handful on the ground,
particularly on pavement, as a number
of previous owners, including Duane
Cole, can attest. After taking a look at
the gear geometry, the experienced pilot
chosen to fly the Waco, Bob Wagner .
decided that a change had to be made to
tame some of the modified Waco's c:
ground handling orneriness. Bob, who
along with his wife Pat have flown their
450 Stearman wingwalking act for
many years, a regular treat each year at
the annual EAA Convention, as well as
many other airshows all over the U.S.
Also, the original Hayes wheels and
brakes were no longer airworthy, so a
set ofB.F. Goodrich wheels and brakes
were installed. The B.F. Goodrich line
descends from the Hayes company, so
another historical tie was made by the
company to the Waco' s original
The distinctive landing gear of the Taperwlng stili
Includes the original Aerol struts, which were later a
division of Cleveland Pneumatic Tools, now a part of
B.F. Goodrich Aerospace. The wheels and tires on
the biplane were originally Hayes components, but
since they were no longer airworthy, and In the Inter-
est of reliability, they were changed over to a set of
Goodrich wheels and brakes. The Hayes company
Is part of the Goodrich product line.
production. Goodrich makes wheels
and brakes for everythi ng from light
airplanes to the Space Shuttle.
By the end of 1996, the restored
Waco was just about ready to go, and it
made its first appearance at Sun ' n Fun
' 97, where many in the crowd recog-
nized it from their earlier days. During
its visit to EAA Oshkosh ' 97 this year,
it was parked in a place of honor in frot
of the t he AI C Red Barn, where Pat
Horgan, who is also a Waco pilot, and
Bob Wagner spent the better part of the
week relating the history of the Waco
that Col. Joe Mackey flew to glory in
the 1930' s. ...
AFarman
BoxkiteReplica
-Part One
by SAM BURGESS
Many of you antiquers will recall
the delightful movie a few years back
(30+ now!), "Those Magnificent Men
In Their Flying Machines, " and the
American from Arizona who flew his
aircraft in the air race in England - that
was a Bristol from which the Farman
Boxkite was copied.
This past August 4, Roger Freeman
of Vintage Aviation Services, Inc.,
6658 Gin Road, Marion, TX 78124,
210/ 914-2219, FAX same number,
finished flight testing a replica of this
type for the Hong Kong Historical
Aircraft Association.
It is to be transported to LAX and
then a 747 to China, assembled and
flown, disassembled and placed on
permanent display in the new airport
terminal building. Why? Because it
was the very first aircraft to be flown
in Hong Kong.
The HKHAA was desirous of flying
a replica of the Farman in conjunction
with the opening of their new airport,
and had investigated contractors in the
UK and New Zealand who were known
for their restoration of deHavilland air-
craft in that country. With their
expertise in the airplanes and engines
of the pioneer era, Vintage Aviation
Services was finally selected.
Helpful modified specifications were
received by Vintage Aviation Services
in December, 1996 from Cliff Dunaway
of the HKHAA in a review of general
arrangements and drawings, with par-
ticular emphasis on the rear center
section of the upper wing, lower hori-
zontal stabilizer, seating and engine
mount frame. Many FAX exchanges
were made along the way!
A contract was issued for building
the Boxkite and the replica was com-
pleted two months ahead of schedule.
It is programmed to be flown in Hong
Kong on 15 November 1997.
Roger's company was made known
to the HKHAA by his previous restora-
tions of a Fokker D-7 and a Triplane
for the USAF Museum in Dayton,
Ohio. In addition to the Boxkite, he
has presently in work a 1910 Bleriot, a
Fokker D-8, a Meyers, a Ken Royce
Rearwin biplane, a Pietenpol Scout
and a Nieuport 28.
His real love is with WW I aircraft
and memorabilia. In his museum are
many rifles, machine-guns, uniforms,
two ambulances and a library full of
antique pUblications.
Roger grew up helping his father,
Ernie, an American Airlines pilot, re-
store a WW I Thomas Morse Scout
with a rotary engine that he has flown
in many local air shows and displays,
having received many citations and
awards for his efforts.
To capture the full intent of the
HKHAA's desire to commemorate the
first aircraft flight in Hong Kong, it is
necessary to become acquainted with a
bit of history leading up to this event. In
December 1996 Roger Freeman and his
assistant, Tommy Anderson, visited the
Shuttleworth Aviation Museum in Old
Warden, England to inspect a Boxkite
built under British license and was the
actual aircraft used in the film, "Those
Magnificent Men In Their Flying Ma-
chines. " They took many measurements
and shot loads of pictures to be able to
draw up plans and stay as original as
possible for his Hong Kong order.
By 1910 it had become universally
known that the Wright brothers had
been the first to fly a powered aircraft in
controlled and sustained flight at Kitty
Hawk, North Carolina on 17 December
1903. In the following years, other ad-
venturesome and inventive people in
Europe quickly took to the skies in
their own remarkable machines. The
first person to gain recognition was
Henry Farman, an Englishman, who
flew a Voisin biplane on 13 January
1908 to win the much coveted Deutsch-
Archdeacon prize of 50,000 Franks. He
later developed his own aircraft from
the Voisin design - the Boxkite.
Capt. Thomas S. Baldwin arrived in
Hong Kong on his way to Manila on
28 January 1911 to demonstrate the
first flight of a flying machine in the
province; however, the local authorities
had refused permission for fear of set-
ting a precedent that might allow
foreign agents to photograph military
installations from the air. At that time
England and her Allies were about to
enter into WW I with Germany in 1914.
So it remained for the French aviator
Charles Van Den Born to make the
first powered flight of an aircraft in
Hong Kong on 18 March 1911. Previ-
0 u s y he had made the first successful
flight in the same Boxkite in Saigon on
10 December 1910, again in Bangkok
on January 1911 and Canton on
10 April 1911.
The multitude of ribs are evident In this view.
Also, the brown pigment In the dope gives it
that antiquated look with a 1910 flavor. All
the struts are numbered and assigned their
relative position on an assembly drawing.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19
A Fokker o.a, the "Aylng Razor," high wing parasol monoplane that saw service toward the end of WW I.
Note the mount for the rotary engine. The spreader bar lifting section Is similar to the other Fokker designs.
You can see the bungee mechanism In the left wheel. The propeller hanging over the shop entrance par-
tially obscures the sign "ROGER'S SKUNK WORKS" a Iii Kelly Johnson.
Charles was no doubt inspired by
the feats of the Wrights, Bleriot and
Farman in the field of aviation and in
1909 he decided to take up flying at
age 35.
He became a skilled pilot in a very
short time and received his pilot's li-
cense, #37, from the Aero Club of
France (now the F AI). He was the first
to fly a powered aircraft in Asia.
After hi s historic flight in Hong
Kong, Van Den Born returned to France
on 11 April 1911 with his Farman via
Macau, Shanghai, Dainy and Moukden
and also Japan where a number of
Boxkites were purchased, sparking an
early interest of Japanese military leaders
in aviation.
In France he trained many pilots
who fought in the Great War. He
remained in aviation as a representa-
tive of Henry Farman and other firms
until he retired at age 66 and died in
1958 at age 84.
In 1958 the USAF Museum in Dayton, >-
~
Ohio had in its possession an aircraft s
that was the first to fly in Japan. It was ,.t!
a Farman modified Voisin and flown ~
by the Japanese at a base near Tokyo.
The aircraft came to the U.S. as a part
of a shipment of intelligence material
consigned to the Air Technical Center
The contract with the HKHAA called for an alter-
nate pilot to accompany Roger Freeman to Hong
Kong. Don Dixon has flown the Fannan Boxklte
around the pattem and his duster experience well
qualifies him for this position. He also just finished
restoring a Meyers OTW (Out To Win) for Vintage
Aviation Services.
Roger's assistants In building the Boxklte,
Tommy Anderson and Larry Ross, with '01 Blue.
Both are expert wood workers, welders, sheet
metal men and were expert In solving the many
problems associated with old replicas.
An original WW I Thomas Morse Scout restored by
Emle and his son Roger. It Is In flying condition
with the Le Rhone 9 cylinder rotary engine of 80 hp.
It's a popular l r ~ r f t at many flying displays. It
was the "SPAD" of the USA In WW I, although none
saw combat.
This view below of the Boxklte shows the "aileron droop." They operate ONLY In the down position and retract to a streamlined position with less than ten mph
airspeed. They are really not ailerons but are better described as "balancing flaps" for the want of a better nomenclature.
L..-_____
Charles Van Den Born - first to fly in Hong Kong-1911. He was a prominent Belgian aviator and winner of the aviation meeting in Lyon, France in 1910, with
his Farman biplane. Here he poses with the Boxkite on his Far East tour and was the first to fly a powered aircraft in Asia.
i
c
LL
i
:J
Uo
at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio at the
close ofWW II.
Subsequent to many diplomatic ex-
changes, the Farman was returned to
Japan. The Japanese ambassador to the
U.S. formally accepted custody of the
restored aircraft.
Now we can better understand the in-
tent of the HKHAA to honor the history
of flying in Hong Kong by duplicating
its first powered flight in 1911 with a
commemorative flight by the same
type of aircraft in 1997.
The maze of struts, wires and fit-
tings along with the covering process
required many hours of TLC by
Roger's assistants Tommy Anderson
and Larry Ross. The fabric dope was
tinted a light brown to give it that vin-
tage look. The front and rear elevators
had to be rigged properly to ensure
exact coordination.
A gondola type frame perches on the
lower wing center section that contains
an four-cylinder 0-290 Lycoming en-
gine, with a pusher propeller from an
air boat. Also, two seats, fuel tanks,
flight and engine controls are incorpo-
rated into this easily removable section.
The fuse lage is more of a skeletal
structure with wires, struts and inter-
connecting fittings than the usual
monocoque type of main structure.
Specifications for the Farman
Boxkite are: span, 26.5 feet; length,
39.5 feet; weight, 1200 pounds;
motor - Gnome or Vivinus rotary
with a two-bladed pusher propeller.
An FAA inspection was completed
with not one squawk on the airframe or
engine installation. If you ever build a
1910 type aircraft, just be sure to get
an old gent about to retire from the
FAA who cut his teeth on flying wires,
tail skids and taildraggers.
Flight testing consisted of a series
of liftoffs to about six feet with straight
ahead recoveries. After about a dozen
of these to get the feel of a real vintage
aircraft and test the engine, a successful
flight around the pattern was made.
Very good control on the ground was
experienced due to the proximity of
the propeller to the rudder. In flight,
the control pressures were better than
expected from a 1909 design.
The only two glitches found during
the test flights were the 0- 290 running
Two ambulances from WW I. They were built from
scratch by Roger Freeman for his WW I museum.
Powered by Ford Model " T" engines, they are pop-
ular at air shows while Roger is flying the Tommy.
Note the different radiator design from 1916 and
1917. One is usually commanded by the General
at Air Force bases as his ramp vehicle.
A 1910 Bleriot of the type that was the first to fly
across the English Channel. Note the unusual tail
skid and "open" cockpit.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21
Just before touchdown with the
photo Cub in the background.
Even for the Cub it was difficult
to get slow enough as the VNE
speed for the Fannan is 40 mph
at 2300 rpm. Touchdown is at
2S mph.
This 7 cylinder rotary engine is an original Gnome and Is the typethat powered the original Fannan Boxkite. It was a historic
aeronautical breakthrough for that era with the intake on the piston and the exhaust on the cylinder. It produced 50 hp.
hot,so a 12"by 12" oil cooler radi ator
was install ed,and thetail skid had to
be reinforced witha metalplate tosus-
taintheconstantwearofagravelbased
runwayatZuehl Airport,eight mil es
SE ofRandolphAFB and formally an
auxili ary fi eld.
Rogerisconsideringbuildingasec-
ondBoxkitefor himselfto fly inthe
U.S. atcountryfairs andfly-ins.
Asthe original Boxkitewaspowered
bya seven-cylinderrotaryengine, a
THE BRISTOL
dummyreproductionofthi s type will
replacethe Lycoming, alongwith a
manikindressed inpilotgarb ofthat
"lo ST
<----....... THE BRiTISH --,.
day whenthe aircraftis placedon per-
AfRIftANE coL
81i ISla. manentdisplay in theterminalbuilding
atthenewHongKongairport,sched-
uledto openon 15 November 1997.
PartTwoofthisarticlewill bean
accountofthe disassembly,crating
andtruckingofthe Farmanto LAX
airport,loadingonthe CathayPacific
Airline- whohasdonatedspacefor
the aircraftand crew- andanaccount
ofthedemonstrationflightandfinal
assembly in thenewterminalbuilding Roger Freeman at the Shuttleworth Aviation Museum in England inspecting the aircraft that actually
flew in the great flying movie " Those Magnificent Men In Theil Flying Machines. n Shown with Roger is
atHongKong'snewairport.Lookfor
his host while he was in England, Harry Woodman.
ournext installmentinthelatewinter

22 NOVEMBER 1997
A rear view of the Boxkite with the two fuel tanks, air/ oil separator, rudder and
rear elevator. The pusher air boat propeller is tumlng 2300 rpm. Cooling the oil
was accomplished by a 12" x 12" radiator; however, the slow speed combined
with only suction air passing through the oil cooler is just adequate to keep the
Lycoming coolon a warm day.
All of these ill-flight shots were taken by
Roger Freeman with a hand held camera
while slow flying in the Boxkite. A view
(above) of the controls in flight from the
pilot's eye. Note the only engine instrl)-
ments-an oil pressure, oil temperature
and tachometer. Holes were drilled throug1l-
out the structure for weight considerations.
Note the tumbuckle and thimble that was
nicropressed and covered with brown
twine to give it that authentic look.
The gaps between the outer and inner wing panels
were sealed with glue and are easily removable for
dismantling the Farman for transport to China.
A pilot's eye view of the forward elevator with the
red yam streamlined at 40 mph. The control cables
are also evident in this shot. Flying at an altitude
of 500 feet, the unusually green fields of Texas in
August are in evidence after a very wet winter.
The verdancy was short-lived come summer.
Looking forward at the front elevator with a view of the hangar row at Zuehl Airport.
Two runways were built by the USAF with one closed. Note the "airspeed/slip skid
indicator" - a strand of red yarn attached to a cross brace wire to give speed and
attitude of the Farman.
WHATOURMEMBERSARERESTORING
-----------------------------by NormPetersen
Harry Miltner's Tiger Moth
Busy belting up for a flight in DeHaviliand Tiger Moth, N88816, SIN NMI36-12,
is ownerlrestorer Harry Miltner (EAA 223678, AlC 26689) of Ellensburg, W A, and
a passenger. Harry spent 5,500 hours rebuilding the wings and fuselage with all
new wood, restoring all metal fittings, overhauling the Gypsy Major engine, and
covering the entire airplane with Poly Fiber materials. Mods include an engine
starter, steerable tailwheel and brakes on the main wheels. In addition, Harry used
T-88 epoxy glue in the rebuild, which sent the FAA inspectors into hiding! The air-
plane is now licensed Experimental Exhibition until everything is sorted out and
approved. The Tiger Moth was built in 1944 by Morris Motors and has 1675 total
hours on the airframe and engine. First flight was July 27, 1997, and it flew
"hands off' according to Harry Miltner. Bill Orbeck (EAA 307364, A/C 13378)
from Ferndale,
W A, and a Tiger
Moth owner of
38 years, was a
major help in
the long rebuild.
Harry says it is
a real treat to
fly "one of Sir
Geoffrey' s finest."
Rick Martin's Lincoln PT-K
These photos ofa 1929 Lincoln PT-K
project were sent in by owner, Rick
Martin (EAA 517699, A/C 25976) of
Las Vegas, NY. Rick reports the Lincoln
PT-K was originally placed in service
in Blythe, CA, in 1930, and the last
owner was John Cook, who purchased
the airplane in 1941, learned to fly in
the PT -K and later joined TWA. Last
flown in 1946, the airplane was stored
until 1996, when Rick purchased the
project from Gwen Cook, the widow of
John Cook. With the 100 hp Kinner
K-5 at Al Ball's Santa Paula shop
for rebuild, the airframe is being
rebuilt with the help of longtime
EAAer Joe Maridon (EAA 45956,
AlC 18215). New wings had to be
constructed from scratch, however,
the fuselage and tail feathers were
in good restorable shape. Rick' s
PT-K is a sister-ship to EAA's
1930 Lincoln PT-K, N275N,
SIN 602, which was donated in
1973 by Norm Sten of Osseo, MN,
and now resides at Pioneer Airport
in Oshkosh.
This highly polished 1946 Globe
Swift, N3392K, SIN 1385, is the pride
and joy of Ranley Nelson (EAA
409613) of Butler, PA. With a most
unusual total time of 900 hours, and
350 since major on the 125 Continental
engine, it has to be one of the lowest
time Swifts in the country. Other fea-
tures include a Scott 3250 tailwheel ,
Cleveland wheels and brakes, stainless
steel exhaust and much, much, custom
chrome plating. Most unusual of all is
"no damage history!" Ranley might
consider a trade, so if you call him at
412-287-6659, tell him Norm sent you.
MembersProjectsin
ForeignLands
A chance remark at the International Foreign
Visitors Picnic during EAA Oshkosh '97, attended
by over 800 people, brought us in contact with
Udo Bert Walther (EAA 560994) of Heidelberg,
Germany. Udo has several unique aircraft
includng a Fieseler Fi 156 Storch (Stork). a Biicker
Bii 133 Jungmeister and a Focke-Wulf Fw-44
Stieglitz. With a big smil e on hi s face, he pull ed
these photos from his handbag and gave permission
to print them in VINTAGE AIRPLANE. (In addition
to airplanes, Udo has a collection of two German
Army tracked vehicl es, a German "Jeep," and two
German Army motorcycles with official sidecars.)
This beautifully restored Focke-Wulf Fw44 Stosser, [).EMUT, all done up in a silver and dark
blue paint scheme, was Udo' s favorite biplane until it was badly damaged in an accident.
Power is a 160 hp Siemens and Halske radial pulling a Hoffmann propeller. This aircraft
is the approximate equivalent of the Stearman training biplane as used in the military ser-
vices in the United States during WW II.
Here is a side shot of
Udo's Biicker Jungmelster,
D-EIIH, which is one of
the world's very best all-
time aerobatic ai rplanes.
Power is a 160 hp Siemens
and Halske SH 14a
radial engine swinging a
Hoffmann propeller. The
airplane was designed by
a Swedish aeronautical
engineer named Anders J.
Andersson, who worked
with Dr. Carl Clemens
The sad remains of Udo's Fw44 Stosser lies in a field
Biicker at SAAB i n
in Germany. The airplane is slowly being restored to its
Sweden before moving
original splendor, however, much work remains to be
to Rangsdorf, Germany,
done. Udo needs an engine mount and a set of gear legs
in 1935.
for the Fw44 to complete the restoration. If you can
help, write him at: Udo Bert Walther, Fr. Ebert Anlage
25A, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany.
Powered with a 240 hp Argus A-10 air-cooled inverted V-8 engine, this Fieseler Fi 156 Storch is a
liaison aircraft that actually served with General Rommel in Africa. Its long (49 ft_, 9 In.) wing with
high lift devices makes it a true
STOL aircraft, however, it is
also subject to "hangar rash"-
note the wingtips! From 1937 to
1945, nearly 2900 Storch air-
craft were built for the military.
by E.E. "Buck" Hilbert
EM #21 NC#5
P.O. Box 424, Union, IL 60180
A trip back in time to see some
new scenery.
During a combination business and plea-
sure trip to Anchorage, Alaska, I became
enamored with the idea of taking a scenic
trip in a DC-3, partly because there was a
time when I used to fly DC-3s, and partly
because time constraints wouldn't let us see
all the places we wanted to see in Alaska.
ERA Classic Airlines, an interstate com-
muter, operates two DC-3s in a Flightseeing
Air Tour operation as a sideline. They have
about 20 airplanes and link Anchorage with
many outlying towns, villages and camps.
I asked the guys at United Airlines
Worldwide Cargo Operations about them,
and they were as uninformed as I was.
However, their call for information broke
the ice and we were invited over. With our
directions on how to find their hangar ter-
minal way over on the south side of the
airport behind the Alaska National Guard
facility, we found a pleasant surprise.
An outside deck, sort of an observation
area, leads to an old-time canvas canopy
and gate like the old-time movies; remem-
ber Casablanca? And inside, a plush 1940's
style lobby and ticket counter. Decor and
nice comfortable furniture all done in the
forties motif, and big band background mu-
sic, and that isn't all! There's a very pretty
young hostess flitting about serving refresh-
ments and talking to the waiting passengers.
Her 1939 Hostess uniform was a sight to
see. She was very well presented and a most
perfect hostess. The Captain in his "natty"
uniform came in about that time and he, too,
mingled with the passengers, telling them
about the route we were going to fly and
26 NOVEMBER 1997
PaSSitto
Buel{
giving us a preview of what we could ex-
pect to see. The flight plan had changed
because smoke from the interior forest fifes
all but obliterated the area north of us.
I had been talking to the ticket agent,
Brenda Spivey, and learned she wasn't re-
ally a ticket agent at all but was the
Operations Manager. In the conversation
she noticed my Eagle Hangar name tag
and informed me she was an EAA member.
Her real home is in Montana; she owns an
Ercoupe and is partners with her husband
on a Cessna 195. They never miss Oshkosh,
but wi ll have to pass it up this year. This
woman is great! EAA member, pilot, A&P
with lA, and has a great personality. We
talked about the DC-3 and flying them up
to Alaska from the lower 48 and about the
Ercoupe and the 195 and EAA.
Captain Dan Cloud (how's that for a
flying name!) came over, introduced him-
self and asked if I'd like to go out and walk
around the airplane with him. Professional
courtesy, I guess, cause he sure didn' t have
to do it. I jumped at the chance and out on
the ramp it was.
The airplane, N I 944M, was all polished
aluminum with very attractive red trim. It
was almost impeccable. I had to ask if they
really flew it because I never saw a DC-3
as clean as this. He informed me that like
everyone else in the operation, they were
all proud of their airplanes and that keeping
them looking proud was part of the game.
In answer as to where they got the air-
plane, Captain Dan told me this airplane
was an Air Force C-47 that had served as
an executive transport after its retirement
from active duty, and when they acquired
it, they had completely refurbished it as a
1940s airliner. Our United "threes" never
looked that good, but then they were at the
end of their service life and had served all
through WW II and had been hard used for
17 plus years. We phased them out in 1954.
It was trip time, so back to the lobby and
get in line for boarding. Dorothy and I took
seats behind the wing. The engines were
started and the long taxi to runway 26 left;
the run up and the takeoff were behind us
as we lifted off.
A right turn out over Cook's Inlet, up the
Knick Arm to Palmer, southeast through
the Pass over glaciers and through the
mountains into Prince William Sound.
South towards Valdez, back to Whittier,
through the pass to Portage and then up the
Turnagain Arm back to Anchorage.
I won't go into a lot of detail. I can't!
The scenery was overwhelming, magnifi-
cent! Scooting through the passes and over
the glaciers was a real kick. Those Pratt &
Whitney dash 94 engines never missed a
beat. The cockpit door was open, and when
I stuck my head in to talk to the boys, I
was surprised at how small the cockpit
seemed; it was real cozy, and that brought
back memories of flying with some of the
old-time United Captains. I always thought
those guys just had long arms, when in fact
the copilot is an easy target when you want
to whack him to get his attention. I must
admit I got whacked a time or two. It was
real close earshot, too. I know we didn't
have an intercom and I had absolutely no
trouble hearing the Captain's orders.
Which brings to mind one incident with
one of those old-timers. It was a very hot and
humid August day and our flight segment
was Toledo Municipal to Cleveland Hopkins.
It was so miserable and hot we were actually
flying in our skivvies. My shirt was hanging
on the fire axe just behind my left shoulder.
As we crossed Sandusky Bay at minimum
enroute altitude, about 2,000 MSL, which
put us about 14 or 1500 feet above Lake Erie,
the Captain shouted, "Open that damned
window and get some air in here!" I did and
the fun began. My shirt flew right out the
window and into the carburetor intake on
the right engine. It backfired once and quit!
Well, we landed at Cleveland with an
engine out. This caused some excitement, but
the problems were mounting. Thi s was a
turnaround and I hadn't packed a bag; no
extra shirt! To avoid being obvious, I lin-
gered in the cockpit until I thought it was
safe and then I put on my uniform blouse,
tied my tie around my bare neck and pro-
ceeded into dispatch.
That confused the check in clerk no end,
and the matter was further complicated for
him when one ofthe mechanics came in and
said they'd gotten the "bird" out of the intake
and were checking the engine and it looked
like we could continue on back to Chicago.
Then he secretly handed me my tattered,
tom, greasy and otherwise unusable shirt.
The lesson learned on this one was don't
ever underestimate the mechanic. A real air-
plane mechanic can fix anything, has
God-given ingenuity and one hell of a sense
of humor, especially if he can see that the
joke is on you!
To finish the story, I borrowed an extra
shirt from the clothes rack in the pilot's
"dog house;' finished the trip, and for years
afterwards had a gush of thankfulness
every time I flew through Cleveland and
saw that mechanic.
I didn ' t mean
to get off the sub-
ject, but if you are
up there in Alaska,
take a Flightseeing
ride with ERA
Classic Airlines at
Anchorage. The
scenery and the
ride are well worth
it. And they serve
champagne and
snacks on board!
Over to you, rr 3t(ck. .r
jannus, an American Flier
Thomas Reilly
'Jannus, an American Flier recounts the life and exploits of one of the forgotten
figures of early aviation, a colleague of Curtiss and Benoist who pioneered in
military and commercial aviation but died early and was all but lost amid the
high-speed developments of the industry. Reilly's account will appeal to
aviation historians in particular and to the many general readers interested in
the pioneer era of fli ght. "- Louis S. Casey, curator, National Air and Space
Museum, Smithsonian Institution
December. Cloth. $29.95
Also available-
Hugh Robinson,
Pioneer Aviator
George L. Vergara
Order through full -service booksellers or with
1995. Cloth, $32.95
VISA or M/C toll free: 1-800-226-3822
http://nersp . nerdc. ufl. ed ul-upf
UNIVERSITY PRESS OF J'lorida
Gainesville, Tallahassee, Tampa, Boca Raton, Pensacola, Orlando, Miami, Jacksonville
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
TypeClub
NOTES
Randall C. Aarestad .......Halstad,MN
TimothyA. Abke .......Zanesfield,OH
Roy I. Acker .........E. Northport,NY
Brian Anderson ...........Hudson, WI
ThomasP. Austin ........Culpeper,VA
BarrettA. Bailey ........SpringHill,FL
CraigA. Bair .....McCoolJunction,NE
HarveyC. Bell . ...........Vaughn, WA
StevenBitondo .........NewYork,NY
HorstBrinker ..........LasCruses,NM
Dale1. Brown .............Gurley, AL
WalterM. Bullock ..........Tampa,FL
MikeC. Caswell ......N. Hampton, NH
VictorK.Chewning ....Kennebunk, ME
Paul Choroba ............Ramona,CA
DaveCooper .............Zebulon,NC
Paul Corbett ........Rochester Hills,MI
RaymondCorry
.........Delta,BritishColumbia,Canada
Neil Dale ................. Tuscon, AZ
Ron Davis .........Newport Beach,CA
TomE. DeHart ......KlamathFalls,OR
GaryT. Dyer ... .. . . ....Glenbrook,NY
GuyD.Frenya ........Fort Edward,NY
DouglasA. Galloway .....Sandusky,OH
Edward V.Giraud ...........Milan, MI
Keith Gustavson ..........Danbury,CT
DouglasK. Hahn ...........Tigard,OR
BobHahnemann ..PonteVedra Beach,FL
Daryl Hammond .....MidwestCity,OK
Nick Hampton ..Maidstone,GreatBritain
Robert E. Harman .........Prescott,AZ
Robert Heckler .............Austin,TX
TerryE. Henry .........Hortonville, WI
FrankL. Hines,Jr. ....Albuquerque,NM
EdwinG. Holl ...........Lansdale,PA
ThomasE. Hughston ......Niceville,FL
Henry W.Jarrett .....VirginiaBeach,V A
DouglasM. Johnstone .....Portland,OR
Benjamin P.Kennedy ....Wilminton,NC
Sean M. Kirkpatrick ........Denton,TX
SteveS. Knouse ............Moline, IL
DonaldV.La Couture,Jr. ..Marlboro,MA
Andrew U. Lamborn ......Pasadena,CA
K.1. Lassen ............Bradenton,FL
StanLega ..........EastBrunswick,NJ
TamiL. Lemna .........FortWayne, IN
Clifton B. Lopert ..........Phoenix,AZ
RjchardA. Marciniak ......Modena,NY
28 NOVEMBER 1997
JimG. Martinez ....SanBernardino,CA
Michael1. Massingill ....San Diego,CA
CurtissD. Matson ....BrokenArrow, OK
GrantMetsger .....HighlandVillage,TX
GeorgeC. Moench ........Gulfport,FL
SteveNitchman ..........Bellevue,W A
Mitchell Noble .............Saline,MI
PatrickW. O' Kelley ........Tucson,AZ
LarryO'Quinn ............Kinston, NC
LaurenceOgden .....DownersGrove,IL
JimOldach .............Lexington, KY
RjchardPaquin .......Montoursville,P A
Glenn Parker ................Eads,TN
Clark Parker ............LadyLake, FL
Thaniel A. Parnell ............Tyler,TX
TimPayne .................Tulsa,OK
DavidPeeler ..........Weddington,NC
DonPellegreno ..........StoryCity,IA
DavidR. Powell ...UnitedArabEmirates
DavidS. Purvis ............Fresno,CA
Damon Raike ........San Francisco,CA
Ray1. Reilly ...........San Rafael, CA
Thomas M. Rosenthal ......Delmar, DE
MarkA. Scarbrough ........Oberlin,OH
WilliamSchnelker ........FtWayne,IN
Mark Schnetzer.........Sioux Falls,SD
RobeltE. Schultz ..........Folsom,CA
BudShacklesford .........Rjchfield, CT
JackL. Shahan ........Okeechobee, FL
MikeSheehan ...........Carlsbad,CA
Paul T. Sienko ........OrlandoPark, IL
Joe F. Silva.................Davie, FL
ArthurSt. Charles ..........Burton,MI
GordonAlan Stamper ..Hopkinsville, KY
AutumnL. Steed .......FortWayne, IN
AngelaL. Steed ........FortWayne,IN
Ronald Steelman .........Salisbury,NC
TerryStrong ................Mesa, AZ
TomTerry ...............Geneseo, IL
William Utterback .....San Antonio, TX
MikeA. Vickers .........Dogtown, WV
Joseph W. Wagner ........Norwalk, CT
Rod L. Wagoner ...........Tucson,AZ
Hal Weise ..............Glen Ellen,CA
LewisN. Whittum .......Richmond,NH
George Wilts ..............Streator,IL
GaryA. Wray ..........Mon'istown,NJ
JamesYates ...........PoncaCity,OK
- continuedfrompage8-
somestahlrohverstrebungenwerenow
constructed. Everythingwas(painted)
withboatvarnish. Thegastankswere
newlycoveredwithplywood. Up tothis
pointTrotten workedalone. Onlywhen
the heavyworkstartedtwoco-workers
helpedhim.
Thebodywas disassembleddownto
thesteel pipework.Thebrandschotts
anddifferentpartsofthebodyhadtobe
rebuilt .Afterthesefirst renovations,
Trottmantransportedthebodyandthe
wingstoKlotento finish theworkin
hangarNord.Firstthe(fahrwerk)land-
inggearwasputin place. Themotors,
bothoriginals, were overhauled in
Fehraltdorfand installed. Sincethe
owneris an electronicspecialist,he
builtinextrainstrumentationwhich
resultedin manychanges. Thehardest
partofthejobwasthenose. Originally
shewasa littleblunt,butinorderto
receivetheextraelectronicswas built
moreaerodynamically. Aftera paper
rnache form, Trottmanconstructeda
negativeofplasterandlatera positive
ofpolyester. Afteraboutsixyearsof
painstakingdetail workbyoneman,
HB-UEFwasreadyto fly again. This
soundseasybutonlythe personthatdid
itknowshowmuch sweatwentintothe
project. Aprettybigairplanebuiltbya
singleperson.ButthisUC-78 is notthe
fIrstandnotthe lastairplaneputtogether
byTrottman. BeforetheCessna,hebuilt
a Norecrin in the same fashion. He
boughtitand completelyrenovated it.
Heis dreamingofbuilding(up) aT-28.
Healreadyownsamanual and sketches
ofthe machine.
Sadlyenough,theHB-UEFisdropped
offtheLuftfahrtregister. Forthe last
threemonths,HB-UEFhas beenfor
salefor Fr. 60,000neg.pres. Forall the
workMr.Trottmanshouldbepaidtwice
as much. Accordingto the latestnews,
themachinewas soldto somebody in
Holland. Whoeverwantsto see the
planein K10ten hasto go soon.
- GerryOberdorfer-
The Boardof DirectorsofOcean Reef Club
Key Largo, Florida
cordially invitesyou to attend
THE 4TH ANNuAL VINTAGE WEEKEND
December5th,6th and 7th, 1997
Honoringclassic conveyancesby air, land, andsea
~ andincluding ~
TheAntiqueandClassicAirplaneFly-in
The Concourse d'Elegance ofAutomobiles
- t t ~
~ ----_._.----
TheAntiqueandClassic Yacht Rendezvous
R SV P
M01CY Kilby - (305) 367-5874
Because Ocean ReefClub is aprivateclub,
The Vintage Weekendis open only to
membersandinvitedguestsstayingin
the Inn orMarina.
Participation includeswelcomingcocktail
partyin aprivate hlJ'me Friday evening;
Saturdayday-longcelebration ofboats, cars,
andplanes; genuineMaine lobsterbake
Saturday eveningwith The BillAllredJazz
Band; a7vardsandfarewellbreakfastSunday
morning. $160perpo"Son
OCEAN REEF CLUB
31 OCEAN REEF DRIVE, SUITE C-300 KEY LARGO, FLORIDA 33037
VINTAGE
TRADER
Something to buy, sell or trade?
An inexpensive ad in the Vintage Trader
may be just the answer to obtaining that
elusive part . .40 per word, $7.00 mini-
mum charge. Send your ad and payment
to: Vintage Trader, EAA Aviation Center,
P.o. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086,
or fax your ad and your credit card num-
ber to 920/ 426-4828. Ads must be
received by the 20th ofthe monthfor in-
sertion in th e issue the second month
following (e .g., October 20th for the
December issue.)
AIRCRAFT
Seeki ng bids for rare 1944 DH89A Mk IV Rapide
with overhaul ed Gypsy 6 Series III engines.
Aircraft disassembled and in need of extensive
restoration. Organization looking to sell aircraft to
collector who will return it to flying status. Please
contact the EM Aviation Museum Director at
920/426-4842.
1947 Cessna 120-Excell ent shape, always
hangared Moore Cly. Airport, Pinehurst, NC. TSOH
1013 ACn 2089, Owner 910/295-6912. (1207)
MISCELLANEOUS
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Fly-In Calendar
Th e following lisl ofcoming even Is is furni shed 10 our
readers as a mailer o/information only and does not con-
stitufe approval. sponsorship. involvement, control or
direction ofany event (fly-in, seminars. fly market, etc.)
listed. Please send the information to EAA, All: Golda
Cox, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Informa-
tion shollid be received fOllr months prior to the event date.
JANUARY 1, 1998 - NAPPANEE, rN
- Napanee County Airport. EAA
Chapter 938 6th Annual Hangar-
Over Fly-In . 11 a.m. -2 p.m. For
information, call "Fast Eddie "
Milleman at 219/ 773-2866.
APRIL 19-25, 1998 - LAKELAND, FL
- 24th Annual Sun 'n Fun EAA Fly-In
and Convention. 9411644-2431.
July 29-August 4, 1998 - OSHKOSH,
WI - 46th Annual EAA Fly-In and
Sport Aviation Convention. Wittman
Regional Airport. Contact John Bur-
ton, EAA, P.D. Box 3086, Oshkosh,
WI54903-3086. 920/426-4800.
Statement of Ownership, Management, and CirculatiOn
... _-
VDfTAGB URPLAHB
14. ..... ...
VDn'AGB A.IRPLAHB
1M PO BOX 3086 9"W5A II 51903-3086
.. NI ..... __lIIIriI

n.c.as P. Pobereany
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___
Golda G. Cox
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(FIoqbd by .... usc 3tJB5)
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$27 _00
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Gr
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First soloedin 1973
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Hyou love the iJirpIanes ofyeste!ye , chances are
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