AUGUST 2003

VOL. 31 , NO.8

VAA NEWS/H. G. Frautschy

JOHN MILLER RECALLS

My SECRET BARNSTORMING SYSTEM REVEALED

/John Miller

MYSTERY PLANE

THE LOCKHEED CONSTITUTION/Richard C. Hill

10

TYPE CLUB NOTES

TAIL WHEEL SHIMMy/Gilbert Pierce

12

TYPE CLUB NOTES

My THOUGHTS ON RADIAL ENGINES/Robert G . Lock

14

THE LUCKY CESSNA

Russ FARRIS' 170B/ Budd Davisson

18

EAA AIRVENTURE MUSEUM HOSTS EXHIBIT OF

CHARLES LINDBERGH'S LIFE/ Dick Knapinski

19

58 YEARS TOGETHER IN THE COCKPIT

A WWII TRANSPORT CREW STICKS TOGETHER!
H.G. Frautschy

20

TAILWHEEL TRANSITION TRAINING , PART 2

WHEEL LANDINGS, OR 101 WAYS TO
START A RELIGIOUS WAR/ Donovan Hammer

22

THE VINTAGE INSTRUCTOR

AFTER THE PROP STOPS/ Doug Stewart

24

PASS IT TO BUCK

25

CALENDAR

28

NEW MEMBERS

29

CLASSIFIED ADS

Publisher
Editor-in-Chief
Executive Editor
News Editor
Photography Staff
Advertising Coordinator
Advertising/Editorial Assistant
Copy Editing

TOM POBEREZNY
scon SPANGLER
MIKE DIFRISCO
RIC REYNOLDS
JIM KOEPNICK
LEEANN ABRAMS
TRISHA LUNDQUIST
JULIE RUSSO
ISABELLE WISKE
COLLEEN WALSH
KATHLEEN WITMAN

~
V~~~-"
INTAG-~
E A~~~-~~E
IR PLA N ~------Executive Director, Editor
VAA Administrative Assistant
Contributing Editors
GraphiC DeSigner

HENRY G. FRAUTSCHY
THERESA BOOKS
JOHN UNDERWOOD
BUDD DAVISSON
OLIVIA L. PHILLIP

Front Cover:

Look closely at the leading edge of the left wing of Russ Farris '
Cessna 170, and you 'll see evidence of why this airplane is one lucky taildrag
ger. See Budd Davisson 's article beginning on page 14. EAA photo by LeeAnn
Abrams, shot with a Canon EOSln. EAA photo plane flown by Walt Dorlac .

Back Cover:

Kendra Spak's mixed-media collage of artwork and artifacts is

entitled "Women of the Air. " Kendra , who lives in the fly-in community located at
Poplar Grove airport in Illinois, has been painting professionally for 20 years, and
chose to highlight the careers of Matilde MOisant, pioneer aviator, Jesse Woods ,
wing wa lker, ferry pilot and flight instructor, Nancy Nesbit, one of the 1,830
young women trained to serve as Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) during
WW-II, and Jerrie Mock, a housewife from Columbus, Ohio who became the first
woman to fly solo around the world in her Cessna 180, the "Spirit of Columbus ."
Kendra 's artwork was presented with an Excellence ribbon during the 2003 EAA
Sport Aviation Art Competition .

STRAIGHT Be

LE EL

BY ESPIE "BUTCH" JOYCE

PRESIDENT, VINTAGE ASSOCIATION

Preventing unnecessary expense

Now that it's summer, many of us
down here in the South now have to
deal with the heat. While the high tem
peratures are uncomfortable and we
spend as much time wiping our fore
heads as we do talking, some of our
fellow members are dealing with some
thing even more uncomfortable and
difficult. The high water in Indiana,
Ohio, and Kentucky has been flooding
homes and businesses in the heart of
the Midwest. Our hearts go out to them
as they deal with the aftermath, spend
ing their days cleaning out the mud and
muck from their homes and belongings,
Let's all hope for better weather in the
weeks to come,
On the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh
front, we do expect a large turnout of
antique aircraft this year. We'll be re
porting on these great airplanes in
future issues of Vintage Airplane, We've
heard from many folks who want to
be sure to attend EAA AirVenture to
celebrate the 100th anniversary of
powered flight, and if you're one of
those new members attending the
convention who- are reading this col
umn for the first time, I'd like to take
this opportunity to welcome you to
the Vintage Aircraft Association, and
to encourage you to stop by the Red
Barn and say "hi," Also, feel free to
stop any of the directors (you can gen
erally spot them by their VAA ID
badges) and introduce yourself.
The Vintage Aircraft Association's
mission is to help enthusiasts main
tain and continue to fly the
wonderful aircraft of the past. One of
the ways we do this is by providing
technical support and working with
EAA to help protect pilots and owners
rights. One of our strongest mandates
is to encourage the safe operation of
these aircraft. Operating safely often
requires additional knowledge of the
aircraft type. Tailwheel flying and

maintenance is not often taught to

new pilots as they work toward their
new pilot certificate, so it's up to us to
help fill in the gap.
In past years, the most common
accident with our category of aircraft
was the hand-propping accident.
When someone hand-props their air
craft and it gets away from them due
to their inattentiveness, we have a sit
uation where we'll see an insurance
claim. At the very least it will be a
claim for the airplane that was started
without being restrained, or, God for
bid, it will also involve someone else's
airplane, and perhaps even a person.
Thankfully, due in part to increased
emphasis in our publications, web
site, and during the safety program
presented each year at EAA AirVen
ture by VAA Director Steve Krog,
we've seen a decline in those types of
accidents. Great job, everyone; let's
keep it up!
That's the good news. The bad
news is that there's been an alarming
increase in the number of ground
loop accidents. Just this year alone we
have had no less than 10 PT-1? losses,
and almost every loss has averaged
$100,000. That is a $1 million loss to
the insurance company. And these
acciden ts are not confined to Stear
mans alone-we have had IS Waco
losses , and each of these average
$150,000 per loss. Again, almost all of
these are from ground loop accidents.
Do the math ($150,000 x IS), and the
loss equals $2.25 million!
There have been other losses as
well, but the bottom line is that when
an insurance company has a loss ra
tio that is ISO percent, everyone will
have to pay higher premiums.
We all need to encourage one an
other to get good training and to use
good judgment. Once you've learned
how to fly a tailwheel airplane, be

sure to get recurrent training as well.

Sometimes bad habits creep into our
technique and then jump up and bite
us at the worst moments . Find that
experienced instructor and get to
work polishing up your technique. I
have friends that were great stick and
rudder pilots, but their ability to
properly judge a situation was not
very good. A good instructor can help
you with that as well. Another great
way to gain experience is by reading
articles and books on piloting tech
niques. An occasional rereading of
Wolfgang Langewiesche's Stick and
Rudder can go a long way to clearing
out the mental cobwebs.
This issue of Vintage Ai/plane will
be an "educational issue" with multi
ple columns dealing with the issue of
tailwheel maintenance and the use of
them in handling tailwheel landings.
There are plenty of opinions on the
proper operation of airplanes
eqUipped with a tailwheel, so if you
have a different view, please don't
hesitate to drop us a note.
VAA Chapter 10 located in Tulsa,
Oklahoma, has always been very ac
tive, and it has promoted the VAA
mission for many years. I would like
to personally thank them , on behalf
of the VAA, for their thoughtful pledge
to the Friends of the Red Barn cam
paign. Thanks, Chapter 10 VAAers!
I have received word that one of
our own members, Charlie Nelson,
who heads up the Swift Association,
will be inducted into Tennessee's Avi
ation Hall of Fame. This is a great
honor, and I'd like to say it's certainly
well deserved.
Let's all pull in the same direction
for the good of aviation. Remember,
we are better together. Join us and
have it all.
Butch
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

VAA NEWS

2003 HALL OF FAM E

INDUCTEES

Our congratulations to thi s

year's inductees into the VAA
Hall of Fame , the late Nick
Rezich, of Chicago and Rockford,
Illinois, and Al Kelch of Mequon,
Wisconsin.
Nick soloed in a Waco RNF in
1933 , and from that point on
was immersed in aviation both
as a profession and a hobby until
his death in 1981. One of the
earliest EAA members (EAA 225),
Nick had a soft spot in his heart
for the antiques, and he served
the newly formed Antique/Clas
sic division as its first treasurer.
Along with his brothers, Mik e
and Frank, Nick was always help
ing out at EAA conventions,
serving as the "voice of EAA"
from 1956 until his passing.
Al Kelch was also an early en
thusiast of aviation, co llecting
antique airplane artifacts as a
youngster. He's never stopped ,
and his amazing collection of ar

tifacts and d oc u ments served

him we ll when he became o n e
of the c h arter m e mbers of the
An t iqu e/Classic division wh en it
was formed in 1971. He served
as a di rec t or for a n u m b er of
years, and , assisted by h is wife,
Lois, was the editor of Vintage
Airplane from J anuary 1 976
t hrough February 1978. In addi
tion to running a su cce ssful
m anufactur ing company, Al was
ab le to devote time t o restore
more than 16 airplanes, many of
them rare artifacts like t he
Franklin Sport and a pair of
American Eagles. Al was also in
strumental in creating the VAA
judging guidelines still in use to
day at fly-ins around the world .
There's p lenty more to learn
abou t t h ese two accomplished
gentlemen, and following their
induction at ceremon ies in Octo
ber 2003, we' ll have more
complete biograp h ies of Nick
and Al in a later issue of Vintage
Airplane.

BOB CARR'S AERONCA CHIEF-STYLE SPINNER.

If you're an Aeronca
owner looking for a new
spinner, Bob Carr, 506
Heavitree Garth, Severna
Park, MD 2114, can help.
For a number of years Bob
has been able to supply
an accurate spinner, true
to the original factor y
drawings, of the 10-7/8
inch spinner u sed on all
postwar Aeron ca Chiefs.
It will fit all Continental
e n g in es fr o m th e A6 5
thru the 0-200. The spin
ner and backplate is ready for priming and paint, and includes the
cutouts for a wood or metal prop, depend in g on your requirement.
The correct mounting screws are also included. The price is $195 plus
$10 for shipping. Tapered crankshafts require a l/2-inch spacer that is
priced at $30. When ordering, specify whether you have a fl anged or
tapered crankshaft, and if the spinner will be mounted over a wood or
metal prop.
2

AUGUST 2003

UPCOMING EVENTS AT THE

EAA AIRVENTURE MUSEUM

British Car & Airplane Day

August 23, 2003
More than 100 classic British cars
are expected to be on display at this
special event to celebrate the finest
in British automotive and aeronau
tical style! In addition, there will be
a special display of British airplanes
from the Museum's collection, and
a number of visiting airplanes have
been invited to participate . Th e
event is included in regular Mu
seum admission.
Owners of British-built cars and
airplanes, please contact Mar y
McKeown at mmckeown@eaa .org or
920-426-6880 for more informa
tion about attending the event.
Good 01' Days
August 29-31,2003
Regular flight and ground demon
strations of EAA's fleet of historic
vintage airp lanes and visiting an
tiqu e airplan es; guided tours of
Pioneer Airport; living histor y
demonstrations; and vintage vehicle
displays are just part of this special
weekend at Pioneer Airport. There
will be free Young Eagles flights for
young people ages 8-17; hands-on
educational activities for youth; and
a "Parade of Flight" each da y at 2
p.m. Pioneer Airport volunteers will
be d ressed in 1920s and '30s era
clothing to complement the look
and feel of the weekend. Good 01 '
Days at Pioneer Airport is included
with regular Museum admission.
Whirlybird Weekend
Septem ber 20-21,2003
Our 3rd annua l celebration of
rotorcraft. Helicopter and autogiro
owners, please call Adam Smith at
920-426-4842 to register for th e
even t.
For information on these and other
events taking place year-round at
EAA's AirVen ture Museum , plea se
point your web browser toward
www.airventuremllsellm.org/activities/events

FRIENDS OF THE RED BARN

In addition to our list of contributors published last
month, the following members generously contributed to
the 2003 Friends of the Red Barn campaign:
Silver Level
Jay B. Esty ............. Neenah , Wisconsin
Bronze Level
Marilyn Boese .......... .
Carl W. Higgins ..........
Gordon L. Knapp .........
Jennifer S. Ledman ... ....
Earl F. Livingston .........
Thomas M. Peterson ......
David L. Posey...........

Fort Bragg, California

Altoona, Wisconsin
Tampa, Florida
Gaithersburg, Maryland
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Rockton , Illinois
Woodstock, Georgia

Gift
Eugene and Bernice Nabors. Berlin, Michigan
Our thanks again to all contributors who helped make this
year's celebration of flight a great success!

TRACK PRESIDENTIAL
TFRs WITH EAA FLIGHT
PLANNER

With President Bush primed to

begin campaigning for re-election,
EAA and AeroPlanner.com have
created a new web service to make
it easier for any pilot to keep track
of the latest presidential tempo
rary flight restrictions (TFRs) .
To view active and/or an
nounced notices to airmen
(NOTAM) for presidential TFRs
simply click on the presidential
seal graphic located along the left
side of the EAA home page,
www. eaa.org. Included are several
graphical view and print options
to choose from. (In the event of
late-breaking changes, pilots
should continue to contact Flight
Service to obtain the very latest in
formation before taking off.)

To view a graphical representa

tion of TFRs , users can select
"Locate on Map," "Printable
WAC/Sectional , " or "Printable
GNC," which creates a PDF file for
easy, clear printing. The upgrade
also has powerful sort options, al
lowing users to pull out state TFRs,
recency, and TFR type , as well as
pending and cancelled TFRs.
Another new EAA Fight Planner
feature alerts pilots, especially in
the Western United States, of TFRs
created to provide safe firefighting
environments. These NOTAMs ap
pear more frequently than do
others and are denoted by the Na
tional Interagency Fire Center logo.
EAA FLIGHT PLANNER
AEROPLANNER FEATURES

More than 20,000 EAAers, and a

healthy number of VAA members,

already know the benefits of EAA

Flight Planner, and now its even
better. Several n ew enhancements
create an even more useful flight
planning utility, and it's provided
at no cos t to EAA members. (EAA
members can also up grade their
service for 10 percent off the regu
lar rate.) Scheduled for unveiling
at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2003,
new features include:
Route-Around Op tion s (MOAs,
Water, Pro hibit ed, Restricted,
etc.) just by clicking on a few
boxes in the Options Menu.
Climb and Descent Calculated
into Flight Plan: configured for
your aircraft by entering a few
numbers and EAA Flight Plan
ner provides climb and descent
rates . (AeroP lanner is working
on an aircraft database that can
be used as a default setting, with
the option to customize.)
Enha nced Navigation Options:
Minimum clearance above
MEFs; Preferred separation be
tween points; Maximum
distance to move point from
VOR; Go direct to VOR if within
a certain amo unt of nautical
miles; Use VOR as waypoint if
within so many nm; Include all
VORs within however many
nm; Maximum allowable course
deviation in degrees; Maximum
d istance off straight-line course
in nm; and Maximum distance
between VORs.
Fuel Stop Finder, includi ng fuel
prices/types, airport specs, and
distance from route.
FBO Information for over 4,000
FBOs (p h one numbers, ad
dresses, hours, contacts,
amen ities, submi t comments,
etc.). AeroPlanner is creating ac
counts for all FBOs in the United
States a ll owing them to self
service their listings.
New Chart in g Features : The
Chart Book lets you download
Sectionals, WACs, and TACs that
will print out full pieces of maps
(PDF files) in book format.
For more information, visit
www.aeroplanner.com.

......

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

JOHN M. MILLER

ATPNo.5945
soloed in my own Jenny, De
cember 25, 1923, and graduated
with a degree in mechanical en
gineering in 1927, mixing flying
with my studies. That year the new
air regulations started, and I quali
fied for an airframe and engine
(A&E) certificate, No. 2906. I did not
have funds for another airplane
with which to qualify for one of the
new pilot certificates, so I worked
for Gates Flying Circus as a me
chanic. I participated in a few of
their events, one of them being at
Pittsfield, Massachusetts, which was
the biggest weekend in the history
of the Circus, measured by gross
take. (This was in 1927.)
I observed their methods of ad
vertising and publicity and devised
what I thought would be a better
way, but I did not reveal my idea,
preferring to keep it to myself for
when I could acquire a plane of my
own and go out barnstorming alone
to try it out.
After accumulating some money
while working for Gates, I bought
the wreck of a World War I Standard
]-1, the same type used by the Gates
Circus, with Hispano-Suiza (Hisso)
engines of 180 hp replacing the orig
inal Hall-Scott four-cylinder 100-hp
engines. It took me six months of
hard work to restore the J-1 to first
class condition and install a Hisso
engine. I had planned to carry four
passengers in the front cockpit, just
as Gates had done, with close to half
a million passengers, but one of the
new Department of Commerce in
spectors told me that he would not
allow more than two passengers in

AUGUST 2003

the front cockpit. I tried barnstorm

ing with it, but it did not pay with
only half a load, so I sold it in 1929.
That StandardJ-l, with the same en
gine, still existed in 1999, owned by
Jim Hammond of Yellow Springs,
Ohio. I'm 97 now, in 2003, and still
actively flying, with ATP No. 5945.
In 1929 the newly designed New
Standard D-25 with the Wright J-5
225-hp engine was available. It was
specifically designed for barnstorm
ing and carried four passengers,
facing forward, in the front open
cockpit. I started flying that type
and was able to successfully apply
my idea of advertising and publicity
to get large crowds to part with sub
stantial sums of money for short
flights, VERY short.
Most barnstorming at that time
was conducted in the proximity of
fairs and carnivals, or at least on es
tablished airports or airstrips already
used by previous airplanes, and
where the local population was al
ready familiar with airplanes. The
methods of publicizing the usual
weekend events were to use newspa
per advertising, printed posters, etc.,
and, of course, whatever stories the
local newspapers could be coaxed to
print about the event, often com
bined with some advertising of local
merchants. One of the major attrac
tions was sometimes an air show of
aerobatic flying and parachute
jumps. Those methods were begin
ning to be outworn in the late
1920s, and were not very effective.
The barnstorming airplane would be
parked in front of the crowd, and
usually a man with a megaphone or

PA system would talk to the crowd

to try to sell tickets for flights until
the plane was loaded with most of
its seats filled. The plane would then
take off and disappear in the dis
tance for 10 to 20 minutes. The big
feature of the flight was its length
and the sights to be seen from the
air. While the plane was thus out on
its cross-country trip, the crowd
would lose interest and begin to dis
perse. If some of those so-called
barnstormers grossed $200 to $300
in a day, it was considered to be just
fine. Usually the price of the flights
was at least $5 for a 1O-minute flight,
or up to as much as $15 for the
longer rides. Hanging around an air
port in the hot sun to watch such
flying could get to be boring for the
crowd. After observing the opera
tion of the Gates Flying Circus in
1927, conSisting of very short rides
for only $2.50 per person, four at a
time, grossing $1,000 per day or
more per plane, I could see the pos
sibility of going further with the
idea of very short hops at a still
lower price, and with my idea of a
much more effective method of ad
vertising.
Before I reveal the advertiSing
method, I will first describe the pre
liminary preparations of the fields
to be used for the flying because
they were a necessary and integral
part of the whole plan. I knew that a
large enough field would be needed
to permit landing, stopping to re
load, and then taking off, all without
wasting any time turning or taxiing.
The plane would take off right from
the place where it stopped to reload,

It' ~Pi.iilw

with airplanes

or airstrip nearby.
such a field was found, it
would be made suitable for flight
operation if necessary by grading, by
tree removal and blasting of rocks
and stumps, by opening of fences,
and by filling or plank bridging of
drainage ditches. I got to be an ex
pert with dynamite, saws, axes, and
shovels for there were no chain saws
or bulldozers in those
days. All this, of course,
had to be arranged by
contract with the owner,
and a fee was paid for a
weekend-usually with
an option to return for a
rain date or repeat date,
for another fee. An iron
bound written agreement
was necessary because
when the owner would
see how much money
was taken in he might be
tempted to raise the fee.

This all had to be done a week in ad

vance of the weekend to be used. A

location of this kind, away from any

previous flying operation, was called

virgin territory and was very impor

tant, but not difficult to find at the

time.

If there were room for car park

ing, a gate had to be made for them
and a parking area defined and
marked off. Otherwise the parking
had to be on the adjacent road,
which would, of course, be for quite
a distance in each direction and re
quire the spectators to walk. No
special permits were required in
those days, but sometimes the state
police would get rather upset about
all the cars parked along the road, a
detriment to traffic. However, every
one else was very happy.
Now the real plan starts, also at
least a week in advance. A trip is
made by automobile to each village

ber of the village and RFD \.n\.l'~

Fann District) boxes serviced by
post office. The cards were to be
mailed from the post office at which
they were purchased because the
post office got credit for volume of
sales, and it was necessary to keep
the postmaster and carriers happy
for all the extra work they were go
ing to do for us. The cards purchased
at each post office were kept in sepa
rate bundles and marked.

end.
wonderful new $1
with a Wright Whirlwind engine,
the same kind that flew Charles
lindbergh across the Atlantic Ocean
in 1927, for only one dollar per per
son, "stunt" flying, and dead-engine
landings, sometimes a parachute
jump, too.
Arrows printed on
The New Standard gets refueled on the run.
cardboard with "FLY $1"
were posted on poles and
trees on the surrounding
roads to guide the cars to
the field. Posters were
sometimes used, but were
not at all important. The
postal cards did it all. At
the field, steel posts were
driven into the ground in
a long line parallel to the
landing area and ropes
were strung along them
to keep the crowd back.
They were then taken to some lo
The posts and ropes also formed a
cal village printer and printed on corral area behind the fence for the
the blank side with the advertising people who had bought tickets, and
and on the address side with "Box a chute area was formed outward
Holder" and the name of the post from the fence line to hold four pas
office for each group of cards to be sengers for the next flight. Chains
mailed from the post offices from were used as gates for the corral and
which they were purchased and chute. This was all very important
from which they would lat er be for the fast action that would take
mailed. This was extra work for the place.
printer because he had to change
A loca l gasoline station was of
the type for the proper post office fered the privilege of having its logo
name for each group of cards. All of painted on the side of the fuselage
this was important to the success of of the plane with washable watercol
the plan. When the cards were all ors, in return for delivering two or
printed and in separate groups of three drums of good Gulf or Texaco
two times the number of boxes serv
auto gasoline and some cans of en
iced by each post office, each group gine oil to the field , free. It never
was divided into two separate bun
failed, and the stations advertised
dles to be mailed on two successive that their gasoline and oil must be
days.
good stuff if it worked in a Whirl
Next, another trip was made by wind. They often painted their
automobile to each of the post of
names on the drums, too. We ab
fices, preferably on the Wednesday solutely never bought gas!
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

(_"_0"0-0" -JOCiiiii)

F1y$l~
Hibernia Flats
Wabington Hollow

....Sepl20 '" Sepl21

.. UPSIDEDOWN
JOHNNY MJLLER
(U,s. ... c.a./

Wi l - u ........ - ' . . . -

. .. .

.-f_

Aerial ..... Inverted

Acroba~Tc: p. !lying

When those cards arrived at each

farm or village home, they caused
lots of excitement, especially among
the children who would urge the
parents to take them on Saturday or
Sunday. As soon as the milking and
feeding was done, the family would
pile into the Model T and rush to
the field, following the arrows and
holding the cards. Farm families get
up early, so they started arriving af
ter daylight.
A good pit crew was necessary,
consisting of a good ticket-seller,
one man to load the four passengers
and another man to unload the pre
vious four on the opposite side of
the plane Simultaneously. The two
loader/un loader men were also
trained to refuel the plane with 5
gallon cans and a funnel with the
ENGINE RUNNING, to save time.
The plane was flown with a light
load of fuel, so now and then an
other 5 gallons of gas was put in.
One man would climb up on the
steps on the landing gear shock strut
to stand on the cowling over the en
gine behind the revolving propeller.
The other man would pass up a fun
nel and a can of gas. It was all done
very quickly before the next passen
6

AUGUST 2003

gers got in, for safety.

The sequence of action was this:
The loading man would have four
passengers ready in the chute, and
just as soon as the wing of the plane
passed the chute he would drop the
chain and urge the four passengers
to run to the plane and start climb
ing up on the lower wing and into
the cockpit, which was already be
ing vacated by the previous
passengers urged by the unloading
man who had been waiting outside
of the spot where the plane would
stop. He would run in behind the
wing and urge the four previous pas
sengers to get out and climb down.
He would get them far enough out
to let the tail of the plane pass them
because the takeoff was started just
as soon as they were out of the way
of the tail, before the new load of
passengers had even all seated them
selves.
The passengers usually did not
get their belts on before they were
on the ground again because the
ride was so short. The unloading
man would then guide the previous
passengers back to the gate into the
crowd area and then take his post
again. The loading man would get

. . .. _ f l. . . . . . . . . .

W riaf>t Whi,lwind Motor

.... _

...... Ii:f

Lindber,h

four new passengers together from

the corral to go on the next flight.
By that time, about one minute after
takeoff, all would be ready for the
next unload/load sequence.
The flights were very short, about
one minute block to block, though
you may find it hard to believe.
About 50 flights per hour could be
made. That would be $200 per hour.
The flying would begin early and
last until dark, "dew to dew" as a
harvester would say, and we were re
ally harvesting the greenbacks, all
gold in those days. It was easy to
make 250 to 350 flights in a day,
$1,000 to $1,400 revenue. The en
gine would never stop all day, and I
would never get out of the cockpit. I
made my own relief tube and still
have the little funnel I hammered
out of copper to connect to a hose. I
ate, drank, and "undrank" right in
the cockpit. I enjoyed the flights
and never tired. It was really fun
making all that money.
If you wonder how we could
continued on the page 27

THIS MONTH'S MYSTERY PLANE

COMES FROM LONGTIME MEMBER
JOHN VETTE OF OSHKOSH, WISCONSIN.

BY

H.G.

FRAUTSCHY

MAY' S MYSTERY ANSWER

S END YOUR ANSWER TO : EAA , VINTAGE A IRPLANE, P.O .

B ox

308 6 , OSHKOSH , WI 54903-3086 .

YOUR ANSWER

NEEDS TO BE IN NO LATER THAN SEPTEMBER

FOR INCLUSION IN THE NOVEMBER

2003

10, 2003 ,

ISSUE OF VINTAGE

A IRPLANE.
YOU CAN ALSO SEND YOUR RESPONSE VIA E-MAIL. S END
YOUR ANSWER TO

CHANCE VOUGHT UO-1

Photo ta ken in 1928 in EI Monte , California , by Mr.
Reed at the time of his very first airplane ride.

vintage@eaa.org.

B E SURE TO INCLUDE BOTH YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS

(ESPECIALLY YOUR CITY AND STATE!) IN THE BODY OF
YOUR NOTE AND PUT "( MONTH) MYSTERY PLANE" IN THE
SUBJECT LINE.

The May Mystery Plane was one of the many Navy

biplanes of the 1930s. Here's our first note:
liThe Chance Vought UO-l May Mystery quiz al
lows the HGF airplane spotter class to answer with
both type and color. This is code yellow top alert!
II Aluminum paint and blue-white-red trailing rud
der stripes conform to 1920s U.S. Navy markings.
Lewis and Vought began production of VE-7 two-seat
observation double-wing bay strut biplanes with
Wright-Hisso SPAD-like noses before the end of World
War I. The Chance Vought UO-l followed, beginning
with SIN A 6482, with the same VE-7 DH-4-like wing
outline and fuselage rounded out with stringers be
hind a Lawrance-Wright nine-cylinder radial engine.
A lengthened fin added area for float flying. VE-9, A
6478, was modified to develop the UO-I.
II A Single-seat fighter version, the FU-l changed the
airfoil section from an RAAF 15 to a Navy N-9, and
rounded wingtips, with less fin area . This new wing
went on the UO-S with a Wright J-s at SIN A6729.
The photo view hides the wingtip shape, but wing
shadows seem to show the May Mystery Plane is the
original UO-l/VE-7 tip shape.
liThe 19th UO-l was raced with a 2s0-hp Aeroma
rine engine and Lamblin 'lobster pot' radiators in the
landing gear struts with modifications as the UO-2.
The UO-l is significant since its design led to the Cor-

sair observation types , Corsair fighters, and ending

round engine types with the Goodyear FG2s. Refer to
the book United States Navy Aircraft since 1911 by Gor
don Swanborough and Peter M. Bowers published by
the Naval Institute Press.
IIWhite hats off and a missing man formation for
Pete . Aviation has lost a most prolific contributor of
aero history with the passing to the west of Peter
Bowers."
Russ Brown
Lundhurst, Ohio
Other correct answers were received from Thomas
Lymburn, Princeton, Minnesota; Wayne Muxlow,
Minneapolis, Minnesota; Wayne VanValkenburgh,
Jasper, Georgia; Ray Wagner, CinCinnati, Ohio; and
Charles Schultz, Louisville, Kentucky. Our correct e
mail responders were Bub Borman, Dallas, Texas ;
Wa lter Albert and John Bishop, Ocala, Florida; and
Jim Stothers, Rancho Palos Verdes, California. Our
hats off to Thomas A. Baldenhofer, Waveland, Missis
sippi, whose very extensive answer was too long to
repeat here in Vintage Airplane, but for those who are
interested, we'd be happy to forward the text of his e
mail to you via e-mail. Just drop us a request at
vintage@eaa.org.
......
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

~.

RICHARD

C.

--

During the period of time that the Air

Force was working with the Consolidated
XC-99, parallel negotiations were con
ducted with Lockheed, which was
designing another behemoth airplane,
which would be called the Constitution.
h e Constitution was also
being developed to fur
ther explore the use of
large planes on Pan Am's
Pacific routes . As with the XC-99,
the plane was built without civil
involvement. Actually, two Consti
tutions were built for the Navy.
They were outfitted as personnel
transports and flew various routes.
Th e Constitution used engines
that were similar to the XC-99,
and also had a double-deck config
uration . It had a load capacity of
only about half that of the XC-99 .
Performance figur es were much
the same, with speeds in excess of

AUGUST 2003

300 mph and a cruise speed of 269

mph. For scheduled long-distance
passenger service flights , the flights
were planned for a maximum alti
tude of 25,000 feet with a range of
approximately 6,000 miles. The
Constitution was able to haul 168
servicemen with a crew of 12.
Gross weight was 184,000 pounds,
wingspan measured 189 feet, and
length was 156 feet.
After being discharged from the
Marines in 1949, I made my way to
Opa-loca, Florida, where I entered
flight training at the Embry-Riddle
School of Aeronautics. Having
hitchhiked there with almost no

HILL

funds, I was in need of sustenance.

The school policy was such that I
cou ld fly only five hours a week, so
I had lots of time to waste. As a Ma
rine veteran, [ was able to sign up as
a station keeper at the nearby Navy
Master Field. I was assigned as a
plane captain on the Corsair flight
line, preparing the FG-1Ds for week
end flights by reserve pilots.
It was quite a thrill to attend
these great planes and th e men
who flew them during the recent
Pacific war. Morning preflights and
engine run-ups were great, and the
only really tough thing was having
to return to the ramp without fly
ing the planes.
Another great thrill for me was
watching as the Co nstitution
landed there each Saturday to un
load its passengers.
Master Field has long since been
closed, and the acreage is now used
for the campus of the University of
Florida. Few if any of the com
muters who drive along th e old
fence line would believe that such

built for long-range cargo and

troop movements, mainly during
the Korean War era. The C-124
was better known because so
many more of them were put into
service. A follow-on design of the
plane was a single-deck version. It
was a bug-eyed looking thing with
fighter-type canopies over the two
cockpits, and it evolved into the
civilian DC-7 .
Another of our lesser well
known giants is the Martin Mars.
Two of these giant seaplanes still
exist and are used for fighting for
est fires. They are flown from
Sproat Lake near VancouveG
British Columbia, Canada.
On my return from Marine duty
in China, I was privileged to be a
passenger on a 14-hour flight of
the Philippine Mars, from Hon
olulu to NAS Alameda, California.
During the boarding procedure
the steward asked if I would help
with the evening and breakfast
meal services, and thus I was in
cluded as a crewman for the trip
across the Pacific. ("CHINA CLIP
an airplane could ever have landed
there. (Th e southwest corner of th e
base had been the field where Amelia
Earhart began her fateful trip.)
Pan Am realized there was no
current market for such a large
plane, so it was busy buying war
surplus DC-4s and Constellations
for its world airline network.
The Constitutions were pur
chased from Navy surplus in 19S5,
for $98,000 apiece. Several
aborted attempts were made to
use the planes, and eventually
both of them were abandoned.
One was parked at Ft. Lauderdale,
Florida, where it suffered vandal
ism. Beyond repair, it, as with
most other surplus military air
craft , was chopped up to be
turned into beer cans.
The sister ship had a similar fate.
In the 1960s it ended up at McCar
ran Field, Las Vegas, Nevada , for
use as a giant billboard. It also suf
fered the fate of vandalism and
was destroyed by fire.
Several other attempts had

been made in building large

transport aircraft. Probably the
most well known would be the gi
ant Hughes flying boat, the HK-1,
or as it is more well known, the
Spruce Goose.
That plane has recently been
placed in a new aviation museum
near McMinnville, Oregon. Dur
ing a visit to that museum in
August 2001, the Spruce Goose
had not been completely reassem
bled . The control surfaces had not
been installed, and there was no
manner with which to enter it.
We did, however, visit the Spruce
Goose when it was displayed in
California several years prior. At
that time one could tour inside
the hull and even the upper cabin
area. (It's now fully open to the
public in the new facility of the
Evergreen Aviation Museum in
McMinnville. For more informa
tion, visit www.sprucegoose.org.)
Douglas built the C-124, also a
large double-deck cargo aircraft of
the Korean War era. It too was

PER CALLING ALAMEDA TOWER,

COME IN PLEASE! ")

The XC-99 was the world's

largest operational plane at that
time, and the Martin Mars was our
largest production seaplane.
No large, piston-type aircraft
are currently in use by the mili
tary, and all have been forgotten
by the airlines. Thus came the end
of big radials and the giant pis
ton-driven aircraft in domestic
and worldwide service. The "jet
age" had taken over.
Many of those older piston
powered planes are still in
service, worldwide. Used for pas
sengers and cargo, as well as in
some third world military serv
ices, they will continue soldiering
on for many years.
In recent times an increasing
number of several types of the old
prop airliners have been put back
into flying condition. They can be
seen at air shows all over the na
tion and in some other countries
of the free world.
......
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

GILBERT PI~' ~!ICA~!lo~mmy

EAA Chapter 182, Gpiercel@midsouth.rr.com

From the May/June issue of Cub

Clues, the official newsletter of the

Cub Club.

I noticed when flying my Piper

Clipper heavily loaded, I experi
enced tail wheel shimmy on my
Scott 3200 when landing on a
hard surface such as concrete or
asphalt. Several years ago I was
parked at the landing end of Run
way 36L at Oshkosh. I always get
tail wheel shimmy when landing
there. This afforded me the oppor
tunity to observe many landings
as I lounged under my wing. It
was here that I made the discov
ery that about 50 percent of the
tail wheel airplanes landing on
36L experienced tail wheel
shimmy. I believe the grooved
runway exacerbates the problem.
Anyway, those tail wheels were
not just shaking side to side, they
were rotating around their pivot
axis 360 degrees, and doing so vi
olently. On my recent trip to
Alaska I had tail wheel shimmy
on almost every landing unless I
really greased it on. On my return
I vowed to solve the problem .
I started the quest for a solution
on the Internet. I was told that if
you raised your tail wheel tire air
pressure, it would assure the tail
wheel would shimmy no more. I
10

AUGUST 2003

was told to reduce the tail wheel

air pressure. I was told I had too
much grease in the tail wheel. I
was told that if the tail wheel did
n't spit grease at you when you
walked by it, it did not have
enough grease, hence the shimmy.
I was told to loosen my steering
springs. I was told to tighten my
springs. I was told that the pivot
axis must be absolutely vertical so
that the surface the tail wheel
swivels on is parallel with the
ground; hence the pivot bolt
would be vertical. Mine was. I was
told the pivot bolt must face for
ward at the top. I was told the
pivot bolt must face aft at the top.
So what did I do? I took the tail
wheel apart and made sure it was
mechanically in top-notch condi
tion and adjusted to the
manufacturer's specifications
again. It was. Then I tried each
and every remedy listed above ex
cept changing the angle of the
pivot bolt; none helped. The Scott
2000 tail wheel does require some
tension on the steering springs to
control the unlock tension and
hence any shimmy. The Scott
3200 installation instructions say
that chain tension is not required
or recommended. The tail wheel
condition and installation was de
termined to be in accordance with

all of the available manufacturer's

literature I could find. I still had
shimmy on pavement with the
aircraft close to gross weight.
Next I got out an old 1950s auto
repair manual that explained
kingpin front wheel suspension
systems and steering castor angle.
If you have ever pushed a grocery
cart through the supermarket with
one of the front wheels shaking
side to side, you have experienced
wheel shimmy and improper cas
tor angle. What I learned from the
chapter on steering alignment was
basic steering geometry.
To measure your tail wheel
steering geometry, drop a line
drawn parallel to and through the
pivot axis (pivot bolt) and extend
it to the floor and make a mark
on the floor where this line hits,
or use a straight edge parallel to
the steering axis shaft (pivot bolt).
Next, drop a line vertically from
your tail wheel axle to the floor
and make a mark on the floor, or
use a straight edge. This will also
be where your tail wheel contacts
the floor. Now move this line or
straight edge that passed from the
axle to the wheel/floor contact
point horizontally until it inter
sects the pivot axis line at the
pivot axis midpoint. The line that
is parallel to the steering axis

must hit the floor ahead of the

line dropped vertically from the
wheel axle. The angle formed by
these two lines is your castor an
gle. The larger the castor angle
the better, as far as tail wheel
shimmy is concerned. In other
words, the farther ahead of the
tail wheel that the steering axis
line hits the floor, the greater the
castor angle and the less likely
the tail wheel w ill shimmy. To
put it another way, the steering
axis pin or bolt m u st be vertical
or tilted with the top pointing be
hind or to the rear of the airplane
when the airplane is fu lly loaded.
Emphasis on fully loaded .
When my airplane was empty,
the steering axis bolt was vertical.
When I loaded the airp lane, t h e
tail wheel spring compressed and
the top of the steering axis bolt
was pointing to the front of the
airplane. This wou ld p u t the ex
tension of a line drawn through
the steering axis behind the tail
wheel contact point. Bad news-it
will now shimmy. You don't want
the castor angle to be too large be
cause it will make steering on the
ground more difficult. A large cas
tor angle will tend to lift the rear
of the airplane slight ly as yo u
turn the aircraft. This is called the
self-centering effect. Having the
steering axis bolt vertical or in
clined slightly with the top
pointing back when fully loaded
should be sufficient.
So how do you correct this an
gle? There are two easy solutions .
If your airplane is like most, the
spring is bolted at the front to the
airframe with a bolt that passes
through the spring leaves . The
spring then rests on a pad several
inches behind t he point through
which the bolt passes. Usually the
spring is clamped to t he pad at
this point. You can add a shim be
tween the pad and the spring to
increase your steering angle . Or
you can take the route I took . I
took the spring off and laid it on a
piece of poster board and traced
out its arc. Then I took the spring

Tail wheel 1 - Poor Tail wheel Geometry

Parallel to Line ~
Dropped from Wheel

Line Dropped
From Wheel

Tail wheel 2 - Good Tail wheel Geometry

Line Dropped
From Wheel

Tail wheel with positive and negative castor angles--exaggerated.

The terms positive and negative are simply the naming convention I
choose to use, as they agree with my textbook references.

to a spring shop and had them re

bend the spring until the tail
wheel end of the spring was about
1-1/2 inches below the original as
drawn on the poster board. In
other words, I increased the arc
slightly. Voila-no more shimmy
when loaded .
One other point. You should
carry sufficient air pressure in your
tail wheel to keep the tire firmly at
tached to the rim when it hits the
pavement on landing. Because of
the small diameter of the tail

wheel, it accelerates very rapidly

on contact with the runway. If you
have insufficient pressure in the
tire, it will slip on the rim and cut
the valve stem . You now have a
flat tail wheel tire. I know; it's hap
pened to me twice. I now carry a
minimum of 4S pounds of pressure
in my Scott tail wheel. The same
thing can happen to your main
tires, but with more surface con
tact area around the rim it is less
likely to happen unless your plane
lands at very high speeds.
.....
V INTAGE AIRPLANE

11

. . . - - ~L~~

7-

My thoughts on radial engines

ROBERT

As an FAA airframe & power

plant (A&P) mechanic, I have been
around single row radial engines
for many years. Wright )-6-7 (R
760), Continental W-670 (R-670),
Pratt & Whitney R-985 are all en
gines I' m familiar with. I will
attempt to pass along some of my
experiences, most recently main
taining and operating a Wright
R-760-8, which as of this writing
has a total of 930 hours SMOH
(since major overhaul).
Many older small single-row ra
dial engines were certificated on
73 octane fuel. They were low
compression engines and operated
at low rpm, and manifold pressure
was not boosted. When 73 octane
fuel was no longer available, the
next higher grade was used, which
was grade 80/87. This fuel worked
well with low compression en
gines, but has recently become
another good product on the "en
dangered species" list. So now
operators must decide whether to
use 100LL or auto fuel. During the
late 1980s and into the early 1990s
I had the opportunity to operate a
Wright R-760 installed in my 1929
Command -Aire biplane on both
80/87, leaded regular, and un
leaded regular automotive fuel. I
found the leaded automotive fuel
to be a suitable replacement for
the more expensive grade 80/87,
but when leaded fuel became ex
tinct, I switched to unleaded auto
fuel. I found it to be a dirty burn
ing fuel that sooted up the exhaust
collector of my Wright and sent
exhaust residue down the side of
the fuselage. So I immediately quit
using unleaded fuel and switched
completely to 100LL. That engine
now has about 400 hours SMOH,
12

AUGUST 2003

G.

LOCK

but I haven't flown the Com

mand-Aire for the past three years.
Now I am flying behind a Wright
on an everyday basis. My son, Rob,
owns a 1929 New Standard D-25
biplane equipped with the Wright
R-760-8 . It is one of only four that
are airworthy.
That leads us to a discussion of
low-lead avgas and the radial en
gine. Plus some tips I've learned to
keep the engine operational as the
hours SMOH build.
After close to three years of op
eration, the engine has, as of this
writing, 930 hours SMOH. I have
done all the maintenance on the
airframe and powerplant and can
report the following information.
First, the engine now operates
about 400 hours per year and is in
stalled in an airplane used
specifically for giving rides; there
fore, I use full power for takeoff,
climb at 1800 rpm to 1,000 to
1,500 feet above the ground, cruise
at 1650 to 1710 rpm, gradually re
duce power, and land. Each flight
is actually in the air for about 15
minutes. There are, of course, ferry
flights where the engine runs con
stantlyat 1700 to 1750 rpm. That's
the type of operation the engine
has endured. And it has operated
specifically on 100 octane LL air
craft fuel.
The engine has regular 250-hour
inspections, which includes an oil
change, screen inspections, and
spark plug maintenance, plus a
generous inspection of the engine
compartment and solvent wash
down. At the even inspections I
inspect and gap the spark plugs,
then rotate the installation from
front bank to rear, being sure to
place spark plugs from lower cylin

ders into top cylinders. This auto

matically cleans the plugs because
rear plugs tend to run hotter, will
erode quicker, and tend to acquire
chemical deposits. I attribute this
routine to getting 700 hours of
foul-free spark plug operation.
New plugs were installed at this
point. So, if you don't change
plugs from front to rear, I suggest
you institute this procedure. It re
ally works! We never had a
magneto drop because of a fouled
spark plug caused by 100LL fuel.
I was conducting a cylinder
leakage test every 100 hours of op
eration, but since the engine is
nearing the end of its service life, I
did the check every 50 hours. Now
it wi ll be every 25 hours, just to
keep tabs on cylinder leakage. With
the engine warm and at 80 psi of air
pressure, a cylinder normally will
hold 72 to 78 psi. When cylinder
leakage drops below 70 psi, I "stake"
the exhaust valve by removing the
rocker cover to tap the valve with a
wood block and hammer. Avgas of
lOOLL puts an unbelievable amount
of chemical deposits into the com
bustion chamber, piston top, and
around the exhaust valve that some
times causes the valve not to seat
properly. You can usually hear
where air is escaping around the
rings or around the exhaust valve
seat. It's when you have leakage at
both locations that make things in
teresting.
At the 600 SMOH mark of oper
ation, the engine began acting a
little strange . Since I have flown
behind Wright engines for more
than 800 hours, it "talks" to me. I
thought I could hear a cylinder ei
ther not firing or running a little
rough on takeoff power, but the

engine seemed to develop power,

and performance seemed other
wise normal. The problem also
seemed to come and go. I leakage
checked the cylinders, and every
thing was normal; however, the
problem persisted. Finally 1 caught
the culprit! It was the No . 4 cylin
der; the leakage check showed at
80 psi it was only holding 10 psi. 1
removed the cylinder and piston,
but there appeared to be no obvi
ous damage other than blow-by
around the rings. 1 replaced the
cylinder, and we continued on.
Now, at the 910-hour SMOH
mark, the No.5 cylinder decided
to do the same
thing. At 80 psi the
cylinder would hold
only 50 psi, which
would slowly drop
to 44 psi and stabi
lize. So 1 removed
the cylinder, and it
appeared exactly as
No.4 did 300 hours
earlier. It had blow
by around the rings
(which could be
heard coming out of
the crankshaft breather) and a lot
of chemical buildup from the LL
fuel. I inspected the piston and
cylinder, roughed the walls with a
hone, and reinstalled the cylinder
with new seals and gaskets. That
was 20 operation hours ago, and a
leakage check shows at 80 psi the
cylinder holds 76 psi. For the pres
ent, problem solved!
The No.5 cylinder can cause
other problems. Overnight, oil will
seep around the suction inlet
check valve in the oil pump, and
since it's located directly above the
cylinder, oil will flood the combus
tion chamber causing "hydraulic
lock." 1 always drain any oil from
the No.5 induction pipe by re
moving a lI8-inch pipe plug before
pulling the prop through at least
21 blades. 1 also make sure that the
No. 5 piston is on top dead center
(TDC) on firing stroke when 1 leave
the engine overnight. 1 line up the
No. 1 propeller blade with the cen

terline of the No.5 cylinder on

compression stroke. It works!
The cylinder problems we've ex
perienced on the Wright have been
on No.4 and No.5, the two lower
cylinders. Why, 1 don't know. All
the other cylinders are still the
original overhauled parts and have
930 total hours of operating time.
The first problem (No . 4) was loss
of ring tension. The second prob
lem (No.5) was glazing of cylinder
walls. Wright R-760s have always
had an oil control problem with
the lower cylinders. This could be
the cause.
The Wright R-760 engine also

has no lower rocker drains, so all

rocker arms below the horizontal
will not drain back to the sump
to be scavenged into the oil tank.
During engine operation, con
densation forms in the oil tank
and works its way to the lower
parts of the engine. This water
from condensation will eventu
ally seek the lowest level and
form sludge in the rocker bosses
of the No.4 and No . 5 cylinders
and in the lowest rocker bosses of
the No.3 and No.6 cylinders. 1
remove the rocker covers to drain
this static oil every 25 hours of
engine operation. The new sili
cone rocker cover gaskets make
this job easy, but it's still messy.
Valve clearance of .010 inches
cold should be set and checked on
the 100-hour inspection. 1 rarely
find that the clearance has gotten
out of limit, but do occasionally
have to readjust clearance. Rotate
the engine through three complete

firing revolutions and check the

clearance on each cylinder. Here
again, the silicone valve cover gas
kets make this task easy but messy.
Re-torque the rocker cover retain
ing nuts to about 20 to 25
inch-pounds, no more. After a
flight around the patch the leaking
covers will be readily seen. 1 carry
a 7116-inch socket and ratchet in
the baggage compartment and just
"snug" the nuts until the cover
quits leaking.
Engine power output and gauge
readings plus listening to the en
gine is helpful to long life. We
have been using AeroShell SAE
100 (50 weight) oil
here in Florida.
However, the tem
perature is starting
to rise into the 80s,
and 1 will switch to
SAE 120 (60 weight)
on the next oil
change. Oil pressure
is a constant 70 psi
while I occasionally
see the operating
temperature at 65C.
AeroShell tech reps
have told me that 1 can operate
the oil to slightly warmer than
lOOoe (actually 250 0 F) with no
breakdown of the oil. The oil
should run hot to help boil off wa
ter accumulations caused by
condensation. The Wright redlines
at 88e inlet oil temperature. I set
operating oil pressure at mid
range, 70 psi (the Wright oil
pressure is 50-80 psi). It has been
cold (!) here in Florida, and the
temperature gauge reads below
30 0 e when I start the engine. 1
warm the oil for 15 minutes before
taking off.
My primary concern in operat
ing this engine has been the use of
100LL fuel. The aromatics used to
boost octane rating and whatever
chemical is used to replace the
lead causes large buildup in the
combustion chamber, on the pis
ton top, and on valve stems and
seats. There are chemical deposits
continued on the page 32
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

13

s Russ Farris sat un

der the wing of his
shiny 170B enjoy
ing the crowd at
Sun 'n Fun 2003, he
knew that few of the passersby could
know that the most interesting
chapter in the life of his airplane,
N8143A, actually started on the
morning of September 9, 1956. On
that day, the lives of a Continental
Airlines pilot, Ben Richards, and one
of the first owners of the Cessna,
James Folks of Carthage, Texas, were
about to cross in a most unexpected
sort of way.
Continental Flight 190 was a rou
tine DC-3 short hop flight-EI Paso,
Tulsa, Bartlesville, then Kansas City.
Captain Richards had made the
flight many times in the past. In
fact, he had more than 5,800 hours
of DC-3 time-nearly half of his to
tal time in the air had been at the
controls of a Gooney Bird. This par
ticular DC-3 had seen its share of
traveling, too. By 1956 it had accu
mulated nearly 36,000 hours since
joining the Army as a C-47 in 1942.
It was a clear Sunday morning,
and James Folks was enjoying some
time off and looking forward to giv
ing some of his young friends a tour
of the Bartlesville, Oklahoma, area
in his recently acquired 170B. Folks
had been flying for years and had a
total of 3,200 hours in his logbook,
a considerable amount of time for a
civilian pilot.
Captain Richards and his copilot,
John Deshurley, made their first stop
in Tulsa, refueled, and then rolled
down the runway with 14 passen
gers for the 16-minute flight to
Phillips Airport in Bartlesville. It was
about 2:15 in the afternoon.
As Richards and Deshurley rolled
down the runway at Tulsa, James
Folks was 43 miles away trying to
get his four excited passengers
strapped in. They ranged from 8 to
16 years of age, and all were totally
psyched at the prospect of seeing
their houses from the air. The
Dewey Hi-Way airport where he
based his Cessna was 3 miles north
east of Bartlesville.

His passel of pas

sengers finally settled
down, and with their
noses glued to the
windows, Folks and
the Cessna trundled
down the runway
and lifted into the air.
The time was almost
exactly 2:30 pm.
As the gear of the
Cessna left the
ground, Continental
pilots Richards and
Deshurley were get
ting ready for their
arrival at Bartlesville.
They had already
called and gotten the
wind and altimeter
settings and were in
the process of clean
ing up the flight
deck in preparation
for th eir landing.
Their route made it
Russell Farris and his friend, Shayla Reese.
easy for them to
make a straight en
try into downwind for Runway 17 James Folks was rolling into a turn
at Phillips. About that time, James to look at a house, fate brought their
Folks and his passengers were scan two airplanes together. The Cessna's
ning the ground trying to pick out prop sliced into the right aileron of
various homes on the outskirts of the DC-3 from below, then the trans
port surged ahead, and the 170B
Bartlesville.
The DC-3 was established on a chopped several feet off the airliner's
long downwind, and First Officer right elevator and stab.
With all the sheet metal flailing
Deshurley was running through the
short "in range" checklist, which around, the top cowling of the
normally took about 30 seconds. Cessna disappeared, the leading
One of the items on the list was edge of the left wing was bashed and
checking the level in the hydraulic scored, and the windshield broken.
reservoir behind the copilot's seat. A prop tip was bent forward, and
As Deshurley was twisting around the leading edge of the prop was cut
to check the sight gauge on the and nicked from thrashing through
reservoir, one of Folks' young pas so much aluminum.
sengers started yelling that he saw
The DC-3 lurched slightly. Pre
his house, so James Folks cranked dictably, the Cessna had a harder
the Cessna into a 45-degree bank time of it and bucked and fought for
turn to the right.
a few seconds. Then both airplanes
limped ahead on downwind to make
It was at that moment that the
lives of James Folks, Captain landings . The airline passengers
Richards, First Officer Deshurley, barely knew anything had hap
14 airline passengers, and four pened, but Folks' landing was
young Cessna passengers became undoubtedly accompanied by the
instantly entwined.
screams of frightened passengers.
While all of this excitement was
While copilot Deshurley was
checking the hydraulic fluid and taking place over Bartlesville, Okla
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

15

With the exception of modern avion

ics, the 170's panel remains much
as it did during its encounter with
the DC-3. A pair of LightSPEED ac
tive noise canceling headsets
keeps the pilot and copilot's hear
ing intact.

homa, Russell Farris, now 48, was

still in diapers in Lakeland, Florida,
and although "airplane" wou ld be
one of his first word s, it would be
years before he began looking for an
airplane of his own.
Farris was the son of a newspaper
editor and writer, but he was fated
to be a pilot. By the tim e he was 17
years old, he had migrated to Punta
Gorda, Florida, and started taking
flying lessons as soon as he could.
"I was 17 when I started flying the
C-1S0, but a lm ost immediately
changed over to a T-craft, which is
16

AUGUST 2003

what I flew for the rest of my license."

Following the normal path in an
aviation career, his next step was to
get a cer tifi ca t ed flight instructor
(CFI) certificate. He was 19 years old
at the time.
"I was like most kids-trying hard
to get flight time. I instructed, I flew
air taxi for a time, then started fly
ing commuters, including, ironically
enough, a lot of DC-3 and some de
Havilland Heron time. Finally, I got
a real job and started flying DC-8s
for a freight company."
Eventually, Russ wound up in the

right seat for U.S. Airways via Pied

mont, but he never lost his love for
little airplanes.
"As a young CFI, I was instructing
in Cubs and Champs, Cessna 170s
and 140s, and my taste has always
run that way. In the early '90s, I got
a straight 108 Stinson. It was totally
original and unrestor ed and had
only 290 hours on it total time. It
still had the original paint and fab
ric, which at that point was about
30 years old. I actually flew it for
three years with the original cover.
Eventually, however, I had to take it
down for restoration.
"I like airplanes that are as origi
nal as you can get them . They don 't
have to be showpieces, but I don't
want them modified in any way.
That's what I was trying to do with
the Stinson, but it was just taking
too long.

glideslope, but that was it.

"I live in Rock Hill, South Car
olina, and I fly the airplane all the
time on instruments, so it was im
portant I have a good panel, but I
tried to keep it looking as original as
possible while getting maximum
utility out of it.
>
"Almost from the moment I
UJ
~ bought the airplane, I have been
8 vaguely bothered by a series of scuffs
:.::
~ and creases on the leading edge of
::;:
the left wing. It's an area about the
"Then, about three years ago I size of your hand, but it always
came across this 170B. The airplane bugged me because the rest of the
was really unusual because besides airplane is so straight. In fact, I was
having clean, straight sheet metal, it very seriously considering changing
had never been modified, and it had that piece of skin.
never been painted. At the time it
"Then one evening I was on the
had only 1,900 hours total time, and Internet and decided to search my N
it has about 2,250 now.
number and see what I could find.
"It had sat around for quite some That's when I ran across the acci
time, about 10 years, but it was all dent report.
there and was ready to go. Because
"If you crawl all over the airplane
it had never been allowed to [get] with a magnifying glass, you can
run down, but hadn't been flown find several areas that you wouldn't
much, about all the restoration even think were collision damage.
amounted to was a good wash job. Just a few nicks, etc. But the thing
I did change out the LORAN for a on the leading edge looks exactly as
GPS and put in a decent radio with if something hit the leading edge

and flowed over it.

"Having flown
DC-3s quite a bit, I
can't imagine how
they managed to do
that amount of dam
age to a DC-3 and
not crash them
selves. For the prop
to chew up the ele
vator and stab, that
means the wing was
clear under the DC3's fuselage. It just
looks as if it would
hook the tail wheel
or something. The
way the dings are
shaped in my wing,
they look exactly as
you'd expect a wing
to look that skipped
off the bottom of a
fuselage.
"I managed to
come up with a
newspaper clipping
from Bartlesville about the aCCident,
and it had photos of both airplanes.
The top cowling is completely miss
ing, and the crash investigation says
that two spark plugs were knocked
out. That means something with
some weight came down and took
the cowl and the plugs at the same
time. How do you hit something
hard enough to break spark plugs
and not crash? Absolutely amazing!
"I have spoken with John Deshur
ley, who has very vivid memories of
that day. Also, the DC-3 involved
still exists in a museum in Holland.
It is painted in D-day colors with no
mention of its close call on the mu
seum's website. They probably don't
even know about it./I
The creases in the top of Russ Far
ris' 170B are one of the few things
that keep the airplane from being
nearly perfect. At the same time, how
ever, he isn't about to remove them.
It has been said that if you could
read the wrinkles in a person's face,
you'd know their history. This is one
of those few cases where a few wrin
kles in a pretty face can tell a very
interesting story.
......
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

17

EAA AirVenture Museum hosts

extensive exhibit of

Charles Lindbergh's life

DICK KNAPINSKI
The EAA AirVenture Museum in
Oshkosh marks its 20th anniversary
in Oshkosh this summer by hosting
the largest traveling exhibit ever
brought to the facility, as the
renowned "Lindbergh" exhibit pro
duced by the Missouri Historical
Society will be on display at EAA
through early October.
It includes hundreds of superb
artifacts drawn from Charles Lind
bergh's personal collection, many
on public view for the first time in
decades. Those items include Lind
bergh's flight suit and other gear
from his historic trans-Atlantic jour
ney in 1927; the Orteig Prize
proclamation and medal won by
Lindbergh; his Congressional Medal
of Honor; and many more of the
important documents, souvenirs,
and other objects attesting to lind
bergh's worldwide popularity.

The exhibit also looks at the more

controversial elements of Lindbergh's
life, including the tragic kidnapping
and murder of his son in 1932; lind
bergh's forceful support of the
isolationist" America First" move
ment; and his acceptance of awards
from Nazi Germany and Japan in the
days prior to World War II.
Other exhibit items include his
toric film footage and radio
broadcasts that capture the emo
tion surrounding Lindbergh's
successful solo flight across the At
lantic Ocean; an interactive cross
section of the Spirit ofSt. Louis cock
pit that gives visitors a thorough
understanding of the challenges
faced during Lindbergh's 33-hour
journey; and special displays of par
ticular interest to children and
families. In addition, memorabilia
from Lindbergh's wife, Anne Mor-

To display the Lindbergh exhibit adjacent to its own display of the EAA Spirit of
St. Louis replica, EAA had to construct a 4 ,OOO-square foot "museum within a
museum." The special t emporary construction allows the Lindbergh exhibit to
have its own lighting and display capabilities, creating a unique experience for
EAA AirVenture Museum visitors.

18

AUGUST 2003

row Lindbergh, who became an ac

claimed author in her own right,
will also be included.
The exhibit's appearance at EAA
is made possible through support
from Socata Aircraft, EADS North
America, and Dassault Falcon Jet
Corporation. Additional support
provided by Goodrich Corp.
The EAA AirVenture Museum is lo
cated just off Highway 41 at the
Highway 44 exit in Oshkosh. The Mu
seum is open Monday through
Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and
on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For
more information, call the EAA Air
Venture Museum at 920-426-4818 or
visit www.airventuremuseum.org.
Personal artifacts , such as the
large globe presented to the Lind
berghs as a wedding present from
B. Franklin Mahoney, are part of
the hundreds of Lindbergh arti
facts and souvenirs on display
until early October at the EAA Air
Venture Museum.

58 Y.ars TOCJ.th.r in th. (o(kpit

A WWII transport crew sticks together

t is unlikely you'll find any

World War II pilots still flying as
a crew, but we know of two: Jim
Gorman and Frank Moynahan.
Their story began in the South
west Pacific 58 years ago. Jim's crew,
along with 15 airplanes, departed
the United States in C-47s as part of
the 3rd Air Commando Group,
318th Troop Carrier Squadron for
assignment to the 5th Air Force. Af
ter 51 hours of flying time via the
Hawaii, Christmas, Canton, and
Tarawa islands and Guadalcanal,
they arrived in New Guinea.
As the war progressed, moves
were made to the islands of Leyte,
Mindoro in the Philippines, and
Luzon, where they landed at Lin
gayen Gulf shortly after the
invasion. There the runway was a
dry rice paddy. Frank Moynahan
arrived on the scene in January
1945, and Gorman and Moyna
han became a team at ages 20 and
19. As Jim has stated many times,
it took only a week or so to realize
that Frank was probably a better
pilot than he was. From then on
they exchanged seats on their mis
sions. During the battle for
Manila, they landed on Quezon
City Boulevard with ammunition
and other supplies. On the return
trip wounded soldiers were taken
back to Lingayen and a waiting
hospital ship in the harbor.
With Manila secure, a move was
made to Laoag in northern Luzon.
The unusual part was the location:
behind enemy lines in guerilla-held
territory. Everything had to be flown
in-fuel and food supplies-which
kept the C-47s busy in addition to
their mission to supply other guerilla
operations by aerial drop or landing
on small, unimproved airstrips.

Jim Gorman and Frank Moynahan in 1945 (Jim 's on the far left , and
Frank 's next to him) and present day (Jim 's on the right) with Jim 's
Beech Staggerwing.

continued on the page 26

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

19

Tailwheel Transition

Training Part 2

Wheel landings, or 101 ways to start a religious war

DONOVAN HAMMER

f long ago you were the type of

kid who would poke at an ant
hill, you might like to know of
an adult equivalent in which
you enter a hangar full of tailwheel
pilots and ask how and why wheel
landings are performed. The ensu
ing chaos is very nearly the same,
with the latter situation providing
the greater potential for personal in
jury if you're not too quick on your
feet. That said, I will try to avoid
poking any "ant hills" by not delv
ing too deeply into the hows and
whys of wheel landings in this arti
cle. Anyway, the topic deserves
much more discussion than I can
expeditiously provide here. What I
do hope to achieve, though, is to
convince the transitioning tailwheel
pilot of the importance of learning
and becoming proficient with wheel
landings. Since I'm deferring de

20

AUGUST 2003

tailed arguments supporting my po

sition, some of what I say here will
have to be taken on faith for now.
The three-point landing is widely
accepted to be the conventional
method of landing for most models
of taildragger airplanes. But, the
wheel landing is an important tool,
also. Nonetheless, I often encounter
pilots with poor wheel landing skills,
and they're seemingly content to
stay that way. Wheel landings are to
the taildragger student as NDB
(nondirectional beacon) approaches
are to the instrument student, or as
aero-tows are to the glider student.
It is one of those things that is easy
to do, but for many, it is hard to
learn. However, you should stick
with it because not only is learning
to do wheel landings a good idea,
but it is also the law. FAR
61.31(i)(1)(ii) specifically requires

that, to receive a tailwheel endorse

ment, a pilot must demonstrate
proficiency in wheel landings unless
they are not recommended by the
manufacturer for the airplane used
for training. Unfortunately, for some
certificated flight instructors (eFls),
this is what could be one of the most
neglected rules in the book. And
doubly bad, this sort of attitude also
leaves the student with the idea that
wheel landings are not worthy of
their attention.
To properly and safely perform a
three-point landing, the airplane
must touch down simultaneously
on both the mains and the tail
wheel with the airplane fully or
nearly stalled. In contrast, the wheel
landing is done on the main gear
only with the aircraft in a nearly
level attitude, and the aircraft is es
sentially flown onto the runway.

Because the tail wheel has no sup

port at touchdown, and because the
airspeed is a bit higher, the wheel
landing is more susceptible to the

t
bounce. At touchdown, the pilot
must gently apply forward pressure
on the yoke or stick to eliminate the
tendency for the aircraft to bounce
as well as to hold the aircraft to the
runway. The pilot must exercise
good control so that the touchdown
is done gently with very little verti
cal velocity. It should be noted that
landing techniques used for tricycle
airplanes have no real counterpart
to the wheel landing, so transition
pilots have little prior experience to
draw from. Ironically, glider pilots
can relate to wheel landings more
easily because the conventional
landing for gliders is essentially a
wheel landing, although it is not re
ferred to as such.
The list of advantages and disad
vantages offered by wheel landings
can be somewhat subjective and will
vary to some degree from instructor
to instructor. The transitioning pilot
should not be deterred by the fact
that there are some differences of
opinion. Notwithstanding, a partial
list of the advantages might be (a)
improved visibility, (b) wider allow
able speed range for touchdown, (c)
more control authority during the
final stages of the approach to
touchdown, and (d) perhaps an eas
ier way to judge the exact
touchdown point. A comparable list
of disadvantages might be (a) more
prone to bouncing, or skipping, (b)
higher energy landings, (c) requires
more attention to control, and (d)
extends the touchdown phase-the
touchdown isn't over until the tail
wheel is on the ground.
After considerable research on the
subject, I have found that the situa

tions calling for wheel landings are

as much a matter of technique, de
pendent on pilot and aircraft, as
they are a matter of accepted prac
tice. Most students are more
comfortable with definite rules gov
erning the use of wheel landings.
But, like many things in aviation,
one size does not necessarily fit all,
and it is up to the judgment of the
pilot to decide what usage is appro
priate for the situation. Therefore,
an important job rests with the in
structor to ensure that the student is
adequately prepared to make a safe
and informed decision. The instruc
tor will provide guidelines based on
accepted practices flavored with per
sonal preferences that are based on
the instructor's own technique.
However, in the final analysis, it is
up to the transitioning pilot to be
come proficient with wheel landings
and to experiment with them to see
what works best. Whether or not
you decide to use a wheel landing
should be based on what you judge
to be the appropriate action for your
situation, and not because you lack
the skill to do it.
Wheel landings and crosswind
technique are two areas where CFls
frequently fail to provide adequate
training. The fact that Mother Nature
cannot be relied upon to provide the
proper conditions becomes one com
mon reason that crosswind training
gets neglected. On the other hand,
the reasons that wheel landings get
shortchanged are not so easily ex
cused. The first of these reasons is
perhaps that wheel landings are not
one of the more fun parts of the tail
dragger training curriculum. If you,
the student, are nervous during your
first few wheel landing attempts, you
should consider the flight instructor
who is trying to anticipate all the cre
ative ways this maneuver can be
"enhanced" by an untested pilot.
(That's why I like hiding out of view
in the rear seat of a Champ or a
Citabria, as it allows me to maintain
the illusion of the dignified, un
flinching flight instructor.) Another
reason is that some CFls with low
time and spurious experience with

tailwheel airplanes don't really un

derstand their significance. And yet
one more reason is that it is not un
common for the wheel landing part
of the training to become somewhat
protracted if the CFI is intent on
bringing the student up to the appro
priate level of proficiency. However,
the overly customer-oriented CF I,
sometimes under pressure from stu
dents , may rationalize that the
students can be turned loose to re
solve any shortcomings on their
own, or to come back later for fur
ther instruction when they get a
better feel for their new airplane. The
truth is that the likelihood that ei
ther will happen is not always gOOd.
The punchline to all this verbiage
is that in order for you to consider
yourself a taildragger pilot you must
be proficient at wheel landings. The
first step toward this goal comes
from the proper training, which
must be followed up with frequent
practice and experimentation. I
know that getting many pilots to
read anything can be about as suc
cessful as getting them to enjoy a
trip to the dentist, but I cannot stress
enough the importance of a good
textbook. Two very good and readily
available texts are The Compleat Tail
dragger Pilot by Harvey S. Plourde
and Conventional Gear: Flying a Tail
dragger by David Robson. You need
not worry too much about deciding
between them. Get both; each has
its own perspective, and they com
plement each other well. In closing
maybe you should consider all of
this as enlightened self-interest.
Good training and preparation is a
good way to improve safety and re
duce the risk to that precious
taildragger of yours.
Don Hammer
CFI-ASE, CFI-I, CFI-G
503/627-4666 (day)
503/692-3471 (night)

donovanh@tek.com
[Don Hammer provides tailwheel train
ing through the McMinnville FBD. If
you're interested in tailwheel training
and this syllabus, he invites you to con
tact him by phone or e-mail.}
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

21

NTAGEINSTRUCTOR

After the

DOUG STEWART

Short while ago I was flying to a nearby air

port with my 16-year-old son at the controls
in the front seat of my 1947 Piper Supe r
Cruiser. At the appropriate time he started
his descent. With carb heat on and power reduced to
2,000 rpm, we were in a stable cruise descent. We
were approximately 2 miles from the airport, descend
ing through 2,500 feet AGL, when he suddenly pulled
the power to idle. It certainly caught my attention as I
sat up and said, "Why'd you pull the power?" "I did
n't," he said. "I thought you did," he continued as he
began sitting up straight in the front seat.
Saying, "I've got it," I quickly took him through the
drill. Trim for best glide. Carb heat on. Mixture full
rich. Check both fuel tanks on. Mags on in both .
From our position relative to the airport, we had just
enough altitude and distance to glide to a downwind
landing. Announcing our position and predicament
on the UNICOM frequency, we set up for a modified
left base to the runway. Luckily there was no one else
in the pattern. With the slow glide speed of a PA-12,
there was not enough air passing through the prop to
keep it windmilling, and as it came to a stop, I am
sure my son's eyeballs were about as big as saucers.
I touched down on the runway just a little farther
than I had planned, as I had not realized the tail wind
would be as strong as it was. However, I was still able
to coast off the runway onto the grass just beyond the
first taxiway. As we rolled to a stop, my son said, liThe
only thing missing was a hat on the runway," refer
ring to our friend Stan Segalla's "Flying Farmer" act
that ends with a dead-stick landing, coming to a stop
right beside his farmer's hat that had "blown" out of
the cockpit on takeoff.
Was it luck, skill, or currency (and I'm not referring
to money in my pocket) that led to an uneventful
outcome to a potentially dangerous situation? I'd like
to think that it was a combination of all three. Luck?
Certainly, in that the failure occurred within gliding
distance of the airport, and the absence of anyone else
in the pattern. Skill? I'd like to think that I have good
skills ... but who amongst us would admit to having

22

AUGUST 2003

less than good skills? Currency? As a flight instructor

there isn't too much in my pocket, but as far as prac
ticing simulated power failures goes, I would be
honest and accurate if I said that I coach students
through these at least several times each week. Fur
thermore, when I am pleasure flying my Super Cruiser
by myself, or with friends and/or family on board, I
practice a simulated power failure at a minimum of
once a month. To me, that is money in the bank.
These simulated failures are practiced both at alti
tude as well as in the pattern, and they are always
taken to a landing. To up the ante I insist both for
myself, as well as for my students, that the landing be
a precision landing, touching down on, or no more
than 100 feet beyond, a deSignated spot.
Bob Martens, one of the best Safety Program Man
agers the FAA has in it's employ, is often heard to say
that if you have not practiced a simulated power failure
in the past 30 days, then you are not current if your en
gine does indeed fail for real. How current are you?
Many pilots feel that they have to have an instruc
tor on board to practice a simulated failure. This is not
the case at all. However let's be CLEAR about several
things. When practicing failures, be sure to CLEAR
your engine at least once for every thousand feet of al
titude loss . That way if a go-around becomes a
necessity, your simulation will not become a "real
ation." Also be sure to CLEAR the area. Although an
instructor is not reqUired, it is always great to have
someone else on board to help keep an eye out for
other traffic; it is easy to miss traffic when all your at
tention is focused on getting to the runway. Also be
sure to announce your position and intentions over
the CTAF (common traffic advisory frequency). Obvi
ously, if you are operating at a towered airport, you
will need to coordinate with ATe.
Many instructors have their students break off a
simulated power failure when they get within 1,000
feet of the ground. Unfortunately if you have not
practiced a simulated power failure to a full landing,
you might find that the most difficult decisions occur
below 1,000 feet AGL. Even judging when to apply

The Golden Age of Aviation Series

flaps wi ll only come from experience. I wo uld not
want that knowledge to be gained only when experi
encing a genuine failure. To gain the most out of the
training be sure that you endeavor to land on a desig
nated spot. And to further enhance the training, do a
soft-field landing so that you are prepared to land in a
plowed corn lot if that happens to be the only landing
option if or when your engine fails for real.
Speaking of real engine failures, you won't have
time during a failure to get out the checklist. This is
one of those emergencies that requires you to know
what to do immediately. It is on ly through frequent
practice that will you be prepared for the eventuality.
Memorize the engine failure checklist through re
peated practice.
I have also found that many pilots, when verbaliz
ing the procedure, say at some point, "Attempt res tart
of engine." I ask if that means that they are going to
go to the starter switch, and I usually receive a reply to
the affirmative.
What we have to realize is that in many engine fail
ures, the reason the engine is no longer producing
power is because it is missing one of three ingredients:
fuel, fire, or air. If this is the case, the propeller will be
windmilling. Restore what is missing and the engine
will immediately restart without ever touching a start
switch. The fuel could be missing because you 've run a
tank dry (if it's your only tank, you had better look for
a landing spot) the mixture might have vibrated to idle
cut-off a fuel line might be blocked; a fuel pump, if you
have one, might have failed; or a fuel line might have
broken.
Switching tanks, checking mixture full rich, and
putting on an electric pump, if so equipped, should re
store the fuel. The engine might not be getting air
because of carb ice or a blocked induction system. Try
carb heat or alternate air. An engine might not run too
well if a magneto has jumped time, so see if the engine
will run better on one mag or the other.
You are probably wondering what had caused my
failure. Well . . . the best I can figure out, I had more
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tributed un evenly between the tanks. When a Super
Cruiser pitches nose down, as in a glide, the fuel line at
the back of the tank unports, sucking in air, if the fuel
quantity is low. In retrospect, had I switched that low
tank to "OFF" I might have gotten a restart before the
prop stopped. I'll remember to try that next time!
If you are reluctant to practice simulated power fail
ures by yourself, then by all means hire an instructor
to come along with you. And do not wait to prac ti ce
these only once every other year during your biennial
flight review. Practice them frequently. If, or when,
your engine quits, you'll be thrilled that you invested
in the training . .. and furthermore it will help you in
the transition from being a good pilot, into being a
great pilot!
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PASS

IT TO

Bue

BY E.E. "BUCK" HILBERT, EAA #21 VAA #5

P.O. Box 424,

UNION,

IL 60180

How come we do . ?

Doing owner-assisted annuals has

its perks. It gives me a chance to meet
and greet fellow aviation enthusiasts
who are addicted to the airplane dis
ease and love airplanes. There are
times when everything isn't fun, and
an annual inspection reveals prob
lems that can really deflate an owner's
ego as well as his wallet.
Then too, there is the guy, let's call
him Captain Knowitall, who flies for
an airline and is an expert on every
thing. His attitude and treatment of
his "little" airplane borders on the
criminal. "That little airplane can't
hurt me! I'm a heavy equipment op
erator! By the way, I'm having a little
trouble trying to turn my airplane to
the right. Is there a problem?"
After a few more comments and a
question or two, the source of the
"problem II is uncovered. He has a
"big" Scott tail wheel on his Cessna
140, and it does in fact swivel in only
one direction. Other than that, the
operation, although dirty and over
lubed, seems normal.
I asked him if when he parked his
airplane after he is through flying for
the day, if he trailed the tail wheel to
the fore and aft position? His reply
was something like this : "What the
heck for? I never worry about it!"
That tells me immediately what the
problem is.
The Scott 3200 series of tail wheel
has a spring. (Take a look at the isomet
ric drawing; it's Item No. 18.) This little
coiled fellow normally rides in a groove
or slot and assists in unlatching the tail
wheel so it will swivel. When it is under
constant pressure, as it is when the
wheel is cocked, or out of the trailing
position for days or weeks at a time, the
spring weakens. Result? It will swivel in
only one direction and will be locked
up tighter than Ft. Knox in the other di
rection. It is very annoying and very
24

AUGUST 2003

hard on the tire, the spring, and all the

attached hardware . It's also embarrass
ing to our pilot when he tries to make a
tight turn in the locked-up direction.
All the lube in the world won't help.
The only remedy is to remove and re
place the tired, weakened spring, and
then take care to always park with the
tail wheel in the trailing position when
you secure your airplane.
Captain Knowitall is also a verita
ble repetitive question box . I'm
forever answering questions such as:
Why do we do a compression check?
Why do we rotate the spark plugs?
Where do the lead deposits come
from in the spark plugs?
Don't misunderstand me; there re
ally isn't a dumb question. If a person
asks a question, an explanation is the
only way to go; however, and this is
the problem, Captain Knowitall some
how doesn't absorb the answer. He is
cyclical in his questions. He abounds
in theories that contradict plausible
explanation, and is ~o busy telling all
who will listen hi s theory that he
never hears what I have to say.
Your technician, your airframe and
powerplant (A&P) mechanic , and
your A&P with an inspection authori
za tion have spent countless hours,
days, and even years gaining the ex
perience to help you keep your
airplane flying. All the while with the
FAA, the boss, and his conscience
looking over his shoulder and con
stantly checking his work. Give him a
break! Listen to him. If he jabs you in
the wallet, that may be the only way
there is to fix the situation. If you
have a "c ranky " engine, or a recur
ring problem that just doesn't seem
to have a fix, be patient. It'll come to
light and get fixed. It hurts him, too,
to put all kinds of extra effort into a
IS-minute job that may take several
hours to resolve.

I mentioned
the compression
check. What does
it accomplish? In
short, it's not an
MRI, but if it's
done correctly,
and when the en
gine is still warm
after recent opera
tion, it's sort of like
an examination of
your innards.
A look at the spark plugs, coupled
with the compression check, can give
a good indication as to the condition
of your engine. The clues are there;
it's up to the "wrench II to read them.
Oily plugs? Fouled plugs? Burned
electrodes? Plugs have a story to tell,
if one can only read them, and that
coupled with the compression check
can isolate a problem when it may
still be minor-before it escalates into
a major repair.
This is why we do the compression
check just as soon after the opera
tional check when the airplane comes
into the shop. If there is a "bellyache"
it will soon be evident.
The second item is to drain the oil
and open up the filter to look for any
suspicious debris. Finding that the fil
ter has done its job and is holding
little pieces of whatnot isn't always a
fatal sign. Your "techie" will examine
the folds in the filter, test any suspi
cious findings, and 99 times out of
100 will find everything is okey-doke!
The filter did its job, and the stuff
didn't run around inside the engine.
And by the way, that oil does more
then just dirty the belly and cost four
bucks a quart. We all know it makes
things slippery inside the engine, but
did you know it also cools? And cleans?
K
And with that. . .
It's over to you, (( ~t<cJ.,

FLY-IN CALENDAR

EAA FLY-IN SCHEDULE 2003

EAA Mid-Eastern Fly-In

August 22-24, Marion, OH

(MNN)
440-352-1781
Virginia State EAA Fly-In
r~.= ~~~~~~~_ .

September 20-21, Petersburg,

J,M NEWlUN

"f

The fol/owing list ofcoming events is furnished to ollr readers as a matter of illforrnatioll ollly and
does not constitute approval, spollsorship, involvemellt, control or direction ofallY event (fly-in, semi
nars, fly market, etc.) listed. To submit an event, please log on to www.eaa.org/events/events.asp.
Only if Internet access is unavailable should you send the information via mai l to:, Att: Vin
tage Airplane, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Information should be received four
mOllths prior to the event date.
AUGUST 8 -10--Alli ance, OH-5th Annual
Ohio Aeronca Aviators Fly-In, Alliance
Barber Airport (2Dl) Info: Brian 216-932
3475, bwmatzllac@yallOo.com, or

www.oaafly-in.com
AUGUST 9-Toughkenamon, PA-EAA Ch.
240 Fly-In/Drive-In Pancake Breakfast &
Lunch, New Garden Airport (N57). 8a.m.
2p.m. Young Eagles Flights. Info:
215-761-3191 or EAA240.org
AUGUST 1000Queen City, MO-15th Annual
Watermelon Fly-In & BBQ, Applegate Air
port, 2pmdark. Info: 660-766-2644
AUGUST 16-Cadil lac, MI-EAA Ch. 678
Fly-In/Drive-In Breakfast, Wexford Cty
Airport. 7:30-11 a.m. Info: 231-779-8113
AUGUST 1 7-Brookfield, WI-VAA Ch. 11,
19th Annual Vintage Aircraft Display and
Ice Cream Social, Capitol Airport. Noon
5. Info: George 414-962-2428 or Capitol
Airport 262-781 -8132
AUGUST 22-23-Coffeyville, KS-Funk Air
craft Owners Association 26th Annual
Fly-In and Reunion. Info: 302-674-5350
AUGUST 22-24-Sussex, NJ-Sussex Air
show. Experimentals, ultralights, classics,
warbirds, top performers,
celebrate the history of flight. Info: 973
875-0783 or www.sussexairshowinc.com
AUGUST 29-31-Saranac Lake, NY-Cen
tennial of Flight Celebration Air Show.

www.saranaclake.com/airport.shtnll
AUGUST 30--Zanesville, OH-EAA Ch .
425 Pancake Breakfast Fly-I n/Drive-In,
Riverside Airport, 8am-2pm. Lunch also
available. Info: 740-454-0003
AUGUST 30--Prosser, WA-EAA Ch. 391
20th Annual Labor Day Weekend
Prosser Fly- In. Info: 509-735-1664
AUGUST 30--Ma rion, I --13th Annual
Fly/In Cruise/ln Pancake Breakfast.
Marion Municipal Airport (MZZ). Fea
tures Antique, Classic, Homebuilt, anel
Warbird aircraft, as well as vintage vehi
cles. Info: Ray 765-664-2588 or

www.FlylnCruiseln.com
AUGUST 30-SEPTEMBER I -Cleveland,
OH-Clevelanel Nat' l Air Show. Info:
216-781-0747 or www.clevelandairsllOw.com
SEPTEMBER 6-Niles, MI-VAA ch. 35
Corn & Sausage Roast, Niles Michigan
Airport (3TR). 11 am-4pm . Rain elate:
Sept. 7. Info 574-272-5858.
SEPTEMBER 13-Bennington, VT-Ben
nington, Sport Flying Club & AirNow
Fly-In, William H. Morse State Airport
(DD H). 8am-5pm. Hanga rs available
free of charge for most vintage aircraft.
Info: Erin 802-753-5240 or

ederoche@aimow.com

SEPTEM BER 13-14-Rock Fa ll s, IL

North Central EAA "Olel Fashioneel"
Fly- In, Whiteside County Airport (SQI).
Forums, workshops, fly-market, camp
ing, air ra lly, awards, food & exhibitors,
Sunday pancake b reakfast. Info: 630
543-6743 or www.nceaa.org
SEPTEMBER 13-14-Bayport, NY-40th
Annual Fly-In of the Antique Airplane Club
of Greater New York, Brookhaven Calabro
Airport. Display of vintage and homebuilt
aircraft, awards, flea market, hangar party.
Info: 631-589-03 74
SEPTEMB ER 19-20--Bartlesville, OK
47th Annual Tulsa Regiona l Fly-l n. Info:
Charlie Harris 918-665-0755, Fax 918

665-0039, www.tulsaflyill.com
SEPTEMB ER 20 -2 1-Nashua, NH-2003
Aviatio n Heritage Festival, sponsored by
Daniel Webster Co ll ege. Nashua Airport,
adjacent to the co llege. 8:30am-5pm.
Featuring 25 vintage airplanes, distin
guished guests, seminars, and aviation
exhibits sure to educate and entertain
people of all ages. Tickets avai lable at the
gate, cash on ly. Adults: $10, Childre n 6
12: $5, Children 5 and under: Free. Info:
603-577-6624 or www.dwc.edu/fes tival
SEPTEMBER 2 1-Simsbury, CT-Annual
Simsbury Connecticut Fly-ln. We especially
welcome antique and vintage a/c, along w/
homebuilts and Warbirds. Trophies awarded
for best of type. Event also features flybys by
Navy F-18 jets, a Canadair business jet, para
chute jumping, over 125 beautiful antique
cars, and more. No advance registration, no
admission fee for aircraft flying to the event.
Info: Bill Thomas 860-693-4550 or

wdtholnas@snet.net.
SEPTEM BER 26-28--Pottstown , PA-Bel
lanca-Champion Club East Coast Fly- In
at Pottstown Municipal Airport (N47).
Info: 518-731-6800 or

www.bellanca-c/lampionclllb.conl
SEPTEM BER 2 7-Hanover, IN-Annual
Wood, Fabric, & Tailwheels Fly-In, Lee Bot
tom Flying Field. Relaxed atmosphere,
legendary "Cajun Avgas" (15 Bean Chili).
May arrive the night before to share fireside
!lying stories and enjoy Dawn Patrol. Rain
date 9/28/03. Info: 812-866-3211 or

IfitsOldIIIFlylt@msl1.com
SE PTEM BER 2 7-Richmond, VA-8th An
nual Wings and Wheels, Humme l Air
Field (W-75), Topping, VA. An tique, Clas
sic, Ultra light, and Experimental Aircraft
fly-in, and a British, European, American
and Exotic car show, 8:00 am-4:00 pm.
Spectator parking fee of $5 per auto will
go to the Hartfield Volunteer Fire Depart-

VA

(PTB)

www.vaeaa.org
EAA Southeast Regional Fly-In

October 3-5, Evergreen, AL

(GZH)

www.serfiorg
Copperstate EAA Fly-In

October 9-12, Phoenix, AZ

(A39)

www.copperstate.org
EAA's Countdown to
Kitty Hawk Touring
Pavilion presented by
Ford Motor Company

Key Venues in 2003

- August 23-September 2 - Museum
of Flight, Seattle, WA
- December l3-1 7 - First Flight
Centenn ial Celebra tion, Kitty
Hawk, NC
ment. General admission is free . Arts and
Crafts vendors, Stearman rides, food, and
much, much more. Info: 804-758-2753 or

in{o@wingsandwileels.us.
SEPTEM BER 2 7-28--Midland, TX-Fina
CAF AlRSHO 2003, Mid land Int'I Airport.
Info: 915-563-1000, www.airsho.org
SEPTEMBER 28--Ghent, NY-EAA Ch.
146 Fall Fly-In Pancake Breakfast,
Klinekill Airport (NY 1), Route 21B.
8:30-noon. (Gas available at Columbia
County Airport, 1B1.) 518-758-6355,
web: www.eaa146.org
OCTO BER 4-S-Rutland, VT-13th An
nual Leafpeepers Fly- In Breakfast,
Rutland State Airport. Info: 802-235

2808, vt{1yer@vermontel.net
OCTO BER IS -19-Tull ahoma, TN
Beech Party 2003 "A Celebration"
Tullahoma Regiona l Airport. Safety &:
Formation Flying School 10/17/03.
Awards, BBQ, kids hayride, ladies fash
ion show, pilots maintenance/safety
seminars and much more. Info: 931
455-1974 or www.staggerwing.com
OCTOBER 2S-26-Royal Newcastle Aero
Club, Maitland, New South Wales-The
Great Tiger Moth Air Race 2003. Info:
02-9328-2480 e-mail:

(iona.c.coYlSulting@bigpond.com
OCTO BER 25-26-Elba, Alabama - EAA
Chapter 351 Fly-In, Elba municipal Air
port (14]). Early arrivals welcome, free
transportation to local motels, no fee
under wing camping permitted, rest
room available in terminal, no fee Fly
Market. Young Eag les flying program,
food , 100 Ll Avgas available. Info: Mike
Haynes, 334-897-1137
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

25

58 Years Together in the Cockpit continued from page 19

Their C-47, flown by ano th er
crew, was lost in the Luzon Moun
tains while on an aerial resupply
mission. Fortunately, anoth er very
well used C-47 was located as a re
placement.
During February 1945, Jim and
Frank flew 112 hours and 32 com
bat missions for aerial resupply of
the Philippine guerillas that were
fighting the Japanese on Luzon.
In Europe, 30 missions got you a
trip home. In the Southwest Pacific,
you got a warm cola at the Red Cross
tent and the opportunity to finish

out the war where you were. In eight

months, 6,600 sorties were flown by
the 318th. That's just short of two
missions per day, per airplane.
The next base of operations for
the 318th was the island of Ie
Shima, off the coast of Okinawa, to
prepare for the expected November
I, 1945, invasion of Japan. While
there, after the dropping of the
atomic bombs, they had the rare
opportunity to see the Japanese
Betty bombers land on their strip
with the high-ranking delegation
en route to Manila to arrange for

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26

AUGUST 2003

the final surrender.

The most heart-warming of their
missions was, after arriving in
Japan two weeks before the formal
surrender, flying out to remote ar
eas of Japan to bring American
and other prisoners of war back to
Tokyo for transfer back home after
some had spent more than four
long years in captivity.
After the end of World War II,
they learned that had the invasion
of Japan taken place, the estimated
casualty rate of their squadron was
80 percent. Both would be glad to
discuss the matter with those who
say we should not have dropped
the atomic bomb.
Once back home, Frank and Jim
followed the same format for their
early civilian lives, returning to col
lege and joining the National
Guard, where they again flew the
C-47 in addition to the P-51 Mus
tang and P-80 jet fighter.
Jim joined his father's company, a
pump manufacturer, while Frank be
came a Delta Air Lines pilot. He flew
DC-3s and everything else up to and
including the Lockheed L-101 1. Their
paths drifted apart until the 1970s,
when they met again at the EAA fly
in in Oshkosh. Frank had brought his
Pitts Special, while Jim had flown in
with his Beech Staggerwing.
Frank was the last WWII veteran
pilot to retire from Delta. Jim and
his wife, Marge, joined Frank and
his wife, Lucille, and Frank's chil
dren on his last flight from
Frankfurt, Germany, to Atlanta.
Now, it's standard operating proce
dure for Frank to fly his Beech
Travelair twin to Mansfield, Ohio,
hop in the Staggerwing, and reac
quaint himself with the antique
Beechcraft as he and Jim trade off
flying each leg on the trip to
Oshkosh. As these two late-70s pi
lots fly a 56-year-old airplane on
the trip, they both remarked it's
been a wonderful life, and they
have 50,000 hours of flying time
between them to prove it (Frank
has 40,000 of the 50,OOO!).
.......

JOHN MILLER RECALLS continued from page 6

make such short flights, here is how it was done. The
takeoff began right at the chute. After liftoff the plane
was held down two or three seconds and then lifted
up into a steep climbing 180-degree turn to down
wind, a cross between a wingover and an Immelman.
Shortly after passing the touchdown area a steep
banked turn was made to land. The speed was killed
by wide fishtailing, and touchdown was made exactly
on the same spot each time so that the plane could be
slightly braked to a stop with the lower wing just past
the chute. It was a real rolier-coaster ride, and the
people loved it. They all got out laughing, and many
went right back and bought tickets for a second ride.
I had realized that those people who had never been
close to an airplane before just wanted a short sample
ride the first time, not a long one. A family of four
could go up for $4, fully equivalent to today's $16 at
least, but far less than the $20 or more that it would
cost at an airport. None complained. With the airplane
going up and down, with never a break, the excitement
was high, and people who would not normally take a
chance of flying got caught up in the enthusiasm and
did it, by the hundreds. The tailskid would actually dig
a big hole in the ground where it touched down repeat
edly in an area of only about 5 or 6 feet.
The flying would become almost automatic from
repetition. In the evening it was fun to layout all the
money on the beds and the floor of the hotel room to
count it and check the tickets against it and then to
divide it up. Even though it was obvious to many
people that we were loaded with money at the end of
the day, there was little chance of a holdup in those
days. Nevertheless, I always carried a .32 Colt pistol.
In later years while flying on the airline, my copi
lots and even the flight attendants sometimes asked
how I could make such consistently good landings,
and I just said that I' d had a heliuvalotta practice
while barnstorming, like 250 or more landings a day.
In 1930 I did a lot of passenger hopping in a New
Standard D-25 at Teterboro Airport with Bill Diehl fly
ing a second D-25. We would be flying passengers at
$2.50 each from the same chute, one right behind the
other, as fast as we could go. We flew for the New
Standard Flying Service, owned by Ive McKinney,
who had flown for the Gates Flying Circus when I
worked for it as a mechanic temporarily in 1927. We
could average 50 hops per hour each in the two
planes, $1,000 per hour ela psed time at the peak
crowd with no advertising at all, for about four or five
hours on a Sunday. We got a 28 percent commission
for our flying. We really kept the pit crew working fu
riously. Bill Diehl was an Early Bird, having started
flying in 1911, and he had been a civilian flight in
structor in WWI. He had given me my first airplane

ride in a IN-4 Canuck in 1921 and flew out of Teter

boro until he retired. A street at Teterboro is named
for him. Before he died he wrote me several letters re
calling that flying.
None of the other pilots ever learned about my
method, and I did not brag about how many passen
gers I carried because they might get curious and
investigate. They were all busy on some airport trying
to get people to part with five bucks for a 10 or 15
minute ride, so they did not know what I was doing
or even where I was. It would often be several weeks
before I would even touchdown on the established
airport, for I was always out in the farm country
somewhere. The men who worked for me were not
aviation people, so they did not go to airports. In fact,
I kept them busy seven days per week.
I like to think about the thousands of people whom
I flew on their very first flights , before the era of air
lines more than 60 years ago, when airplanes were still
open-cockpit biplanes. They are the airline passengers
of today. When I was flying the airliners later, I often
wondered if any of the people I originally introduced
to flying might be riding with me in a pressurized jet
airliner at 35,000 feet, but I was afraid to ask.
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE

27

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AUGUST 2003

NEW MEMBERS

Barry Sutherland. . . .. Brisbane, Queensland,

Australia
Christopher Owen Shine .. Geraldton, Australia
Fernando D. Guerra ...... Alegrete, R.S., Brazil
Paul Lucas ............ Lantau Island, China
Mauro Trocca ................ , Roma, Italy
Arnfinn Roald , , , , ... , . , . , Valderoy, Norway
Daniel j. Shoop ....... Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
Lyle Grace. , , , Harley, Surrey, United Kingdom
j. Richard Appleton . ....... , , Strathmore, AB
Sheldon Schroeder .... , , ....... Calgary, AB
Dirk j. Greeley ......... , .... Anchorage, AK
Sam Wright. , ... , . , ........... Haines, AK
Gregory Carter ... , , .... , ... Fayetteville, AR
Eugene Albamonte ........... Scottsdale, AZ
Gary W. Kent ......... , .... . ... Aguila, AZ
Mark Stephens... , , . , . , , , . , , . , Flagstaff, AZ
Donal j. Bunker. ...... Huntington Beach, CA
jeff Dejohn, , , , , .. , ..... Arroyo Grande, CA
jeff Field . , ...... , .. , .. , . , Chatsworth, CA
Gary Hartshorn ........ . ..... Glendale, CA
Kenton E. Kiaser , . , . , , , . , . , , . Elk Grove, CA
jim Mueller. , .. , . , ..... . , .. San Diego, CA
Richard Skjerven ............. Los Gatos, CA
Keith Livo ... .. ...... .. ... . Lakewood, CO
Tom Lytle, .... , ........... Longmont, CO
Dennis Raphael ....... Colorado Springs, CO
Robert C. Rogers .............. . Aurora, CO
George Anderson, ... , . , ... . , .. Clinton, CT
Larry Simpson ............... Ridgeville, DE
Lawrence V. Grondzki .......... Live Oak, FL
David L Joseph, . , . , . , . ..... .. Lakeland, FL
Allen Rice ............ . .... Boca Raton, FL
Gary A. Braun ... .. . .......... Roswell, GA
jerry Clements ................. Tucker, GA
Micheal j. Lossner .... , ..... Mitchellville, IA
Dwight Magnuson ...... . ........ Boise, ID
David Burroughs ............... Normal, IL
Lee Hilbert .......... . ...... Algonquin, IL
Steven j. Rosenfeld .. . . .. ..... . . Glencoe, IL
james E. Fisher ......... . .... Greenville, IN
Rick Fox .............. , .... Van Buren, IN
Dwayne L Clemens ............. Benton, KS
Morrie Bishop ............... St Amant, LA
john Bryan ...... , .. .... , , . Choudrant, LA
Dennis p, Dowling............ Salisbury, MA
William W, Bell ... , ......... Baltimore, MD
Ron Berkheimer ... . ...... Silver Spring, MD
jason Garver. ... , .. , . , , , ...... Detour, MD
Frederick Lohr. .... .. . , ... Chestertown, MD
Robert Bartlett. , , . , .. , , , , , , Gouldsboro, ME

Dale Anderson ...... ..... . ..... Linden, MI

Gerald Kuchera ......... West Bloomfield, MI
Craig V. Lahti ................ Brethren, MI
Michael B. Madden ..... Farmington Hills, MI
Boyde Anderson . ........ Spring Grove, MN
Chris Haeffner, ... . , ..... , , , . SI. Louis, MO
john M, johnson ...... .. ... . . Big Fork, MT
Robert L Morris ..... . ........... Ulm, MT
Richard Bottegal. ........... Kure Beach, NC
john S. Cargill .... . .. . .......... Cary, NC
Mark Honeycutt ...... . ... Elizabeth City, NC
Frank Mason ....... , . , , .. , , , Davidson, NC
jeffrey Reynolds, .......... , . Troutman, NC
William C. Smathers ........... Canton, NC
jack R. jacobsen ............... Omaha, NE
Richard Millard ..... . .. , ... . .. Bedford, NH
Anthony j, Ciampa ........... Northfield, Nj
David L Hamann ........... Los Lunas, NM
Frederick Prosser . , , , , , . , , , Boulder City, NY
Eugene Schultz . , .......... Stone Ridge, NY
john Siedhoff. ............. Averill Park, NY
Perry M. Chappano ... Grandview Heights, OH
Eric E. Franks ........... , . , .. . Weston, OH
james j. Hill .. .... .......... Napoleon, OH
Thomas V. Seevers .. .. . ...... .. Hilliard, OH
Vincent Anderson .............. Canby, OR
Philip Bales, , . . .... . ..... .. ... Astoria, OR
Russell Darr ..... . .. . . ....... Portland, OR
David Gester .......... . ... Grants Pass, OR
Frank Martin ... , . .. , .. .. ...... Albany, OR
Chris Presley .............. Stroudsburg, PA
William Steinkamp. , , . .. .. Saunderstown, RI
john Sweeney .. ..... .. ...... Smithfield, RI
Harvard Schulz ....... . .. .. Mission Hill, SD
Raymond Thomas .......... Spring Field, SD
Don C. Donahue ......... jonesborough, TN
joel F. Rupe , .................. , . Gray, TN
Ronin B. Colman .... .. , .... , Arlington, TX
Tom E. Gregory, jr...... , ........ , Alvin, TX
james B. Himes ............... , . Plano, TX
Hal Hodges , ..... , , ...... Canyon Lake, TX
Gary L jackson ... , . . ... .. ..... Simms, TX
Tom McKnight. .......... , ..... Austin, TX
Mark Phillips .......... .. . Sulphur Bluff, TX
john H. Smith ... ... . . ........ Lubbock, TX
Robert G. Schindler ............. Sandy, UT
Richard N. Cushman .. .. . , Fort Atkinson, WI
William Fons ...... . , .. ... . . Brookfield, WI
james A. Rasmussen ... . . . ... Marshfield, WI
Terry j. Sheafor ......... . , .. ,janesville, WI

.......

VINTAGE

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Publications Classified Ad Manager, P.O. Box 3086,
Oshkosh, Wl 54903-3086.
BABBITT BEARING SERVICE - rod bear
ings, main bearings. bushings. master
rods. valves. piston rings Call us Toll Free
1/800/233-6934,
e-mail
ramremfg@ao/.com Web site www.ra
mengine.com
VINTAGE ENGINE
MACHINE WORKS , N. 604 FREYA ST..
SPOKANE. WA 99202.
Airplane T-Shirts

150 Different Airplanes Available

WE PROBABLY HAVE YOUR AIRPLANE!

www.airplanetshirts.com
1-800-645-7739

Aug 23. 2003

www.polyfiber.com

www.aircraftspruce.com

THERE'S JUST NOTHING LIKE IT

ON THE WEB!!

www.aviation-giftshop.com
A Web Site With The Pilot In Mind
(and those who love airplanes)
For sale, reluctantly: Warner 145 & 165
engines. 1 each, new OH and low time.
No tire kickers. please . Two Curtiss
Reed props to go with above engines.
1966 Helton Lark 95, Serial #8. Very rare.
PQ-8 certified Target Drone derivative.
Tri-gear Culver Cadet. See Juptner's
Vol. 8-170. Total time A&E 845 hrs. I just
have too many toys and I'm not getting
any younger. Find my name in the Offi
cers & Directors listing of Vintage and
e-mail or call evenings . E. E. "Buck"
Hilbert
Flying wires available. 1994 pricing. Visit
www.flyingwires.com or caIlSOO-517
927S.
For Sale - 1939 Spartan Executive,
35OOTT,10 SMOH. 214-354-641S.
For Sale-One pair of ORIGINAL Curtiss
Jenny (IN-4) wheels. Nice original con
dition. These wheels were stored in
wooden crate in a barn for over 80 years.
Pictures are available via e-mail. Best
Reasonable offer will be accepted! Call
610-861-4406, ask for Chuck.

Arlington. WA
TEST FLYING YOUR PROJECT

Aug 23-24. 2003 Arlington. WA

SHEET METAL BASICS
COMPOSITE CONSTRUCTION
FABRIC COVERING
ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS
& AVIONICS
Sept 5-7. 2003

Griffin (Atlanta). GA
TIG WELDING

Sept 12-14. 2003 Corona.CA

RVASSEMBLY
Sept 20. 2003

Denve~ CO
TEST FLYING YOUR PROJECT

~ EAA

Sept 20-21 .2003 Denver. CO

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ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS
& AVIONICS
INTRO TO AIRCRAFT BUILDING

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Sept 26-28. 2003 Griffin (Atlanta). GA

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llBQII/It~IJJBr
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Oct 4-5. 2003

Columbus. OH
SHEET METAL BASICS
COMPOSITE CONSTRUCTION
FABRIC COVERING
ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS
&AVIONICS
GAS WELDING

Visit www.sportair.com
Ocll0-12.2003 Oshkosh. WI
for a complete listing of workshops.
RV ASSEMBLY
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

29

Membership Services
VINTAGE

AIRCRAFT
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VicePresident

Espie 'Butch' joyce

704 N. Regional Rd.
Greensboro, NC 27425
3366683650

2448 Lough Lane

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2626735885

windsock@aol.com
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Steve Nesse
2009 Highland Ave.
Albert lea, MN 56007
5073731674

stnes@deskmedia.com

George Daubner

vaaflyboy@msn.com
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Charles W. Harris
7215 East 46th St.
Tuha, OK 74147
9186228400

cwh@hv5u.com

DIRECTORS
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85 Brush Hill Road
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5086537557

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P.O. Box !l88

Roseville, CA 95678

9166456926

Jeannie Hill
P.O. Box 328

Harvard, IL 600330328

8159437205

dinghao@owc.net

antiquer@inreach.com
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7645 Echo Point Rd.

Cannon Falls, MN 55009

5072632414

fchld@rconnect.com

Steve Krog
1002 Heather Ln.
Hartford, WI 53027
2629667627

Robert C. "Bob" Brauer

9345 S. Hoyne
Chicago, IL 60620
7737792105
photopilot@aol.com

Robert D. "Bob" Lumley

1265 South 124th Sl.
Brookfield, WI 53005
262-7822633

Dave Clark
635 Vestal Lane
Plainfield, IN 46168
3178394500

Gene Morris
5936 Steve Court
Roanoke, TX 76262
8174919110

davecpd@iquest.net

n03capt@f1ash.net

john S. Copeland
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5083934775

Dean Richardson
1429 Kings Lynn Rd
Stoughton, WI 53589
6088778485

copelandl@juno.com

dar@aprilaire.com

Phil Coulson

28415 Springbrook Dr.

Lawton, MI 49065

2696246490

Geoff Robison

1521 E. MacGregor Dr.

New Haven, IN 46774

260-4934724

chief7025@aol.com

1A Deacon Street

rcouJson516@cs.com
Roger Gomoll

8891 Airport Rd, Box C2

Blalne, MN 55449

763786-3342

pledgedrive@msncom

Gene Chase

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30

AUGUST 2003

Dove and Trevor flew to LI"'''lAlI~

for the first time in 2002
Dove
_ Started flying as teenager
_ After 23-yeor hiatus, began
fly ing again in 1997
_ Bought 1941 Interstate
Cadet in 1998
Trevor
_ Soloed a glider on 14 th
birthday - Sept. 29, 2000
_ Soloed the Cadet on his
16 th birthday

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TYPE CLUB NOTES

showing up on the leading edge of
the lower wing just behind ex
haust tail pipe that nothing will
remove. These deposits appear as
small black specs that you can feel
when running your hands over
them. Your fingernail will flake
them off. This chemical buildup is
also inside the exhaust system and
appears as a light tan to a yellow
color. I've seen it in this engine
and inside exhaust systems of op
posed engines. I have a series of
colored photographs taken of a Ly
coming 0-320 in New Hampsh ire
that was operated on lOOLL fuel.
The chemical buildup is very
heavy. So we can expect changes
in radial engine operation and
even overhaul life if this fue l is
used on a regular basis.

cont inued from page 12

I have used no fuel/oil additives;

however, I d id use some Marvel
Mystery Oil in the fuel for a time.
We cannot operate the engine on
automotive fuel because the air
plane is flown commercially.
However, if I could use auto fuel, I
think I'd try to use a mixture of 75
percent auto and 25 percent
100LL. I'll bet the engine would
love it!
So, it is my belief that if one
stays on top of engine operation
and does regu lar maintenance
along with good preventive main
tenance measures, engine life
should be enhanced. I am ab
so l utely "sold" on AeroShell
ashless dispersant oil, with changes
every 25 hours (with no fil ter sys
tem installed). In fact, AeroShell is

now an official sponsor of Rob's

barnstorming business-Waldo
Wright's Flying Service.
Cylinder leakage checks every
50 hours, spark plug gapping and
reversing every 50 hours, and per
haps oil analysis wi ll keep that
radia l engine operational for a
long period of time. I pay close at
tention to oil consumption. This
engine has used 4 quarts of oil
over a IS-hour span of operation.
I'm sure that prolonged engine life
is due to the improvements in lu
bricating oil. And a good
understanding of how best to op
erate and maintain the engine over
a long period of time.
Good luck and happy flying.
Robert Lock
E-mail: waldo997e@aol.com

.... ....

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32

AUGUST 2003

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