Vintage Airplane - Oct 1991
Content
pose that a lot of us who live in rural areas,
as I do, do not appreciate the advantages
STRAIGHT & LEVEL we have of not being as crowded as those
by Espie "Butch" Joyce
The other day I received a card from
Mr. Earl Stahl (A/C 11013) of Yorktown,
Virginia. This card was in reference to our
membership drive. I am sure that you
have seen the hard card pullout which will
also be included in this issue of
VINTAGE AIRPLANE. Earl was con-
cerned with the tardiness of the
VINTAGE AIRPLANE magazine which
has been the case during the past year. I
wrote to Earl, assuring him that we were
aware of our problem and were working
on it. When you receive this October
issue, it will be within a day or two of
being on schedule. (This issue will be
mailed October 3rd, close to our normal
scheduled date - HGF) I really didn't
want to bore Earl with all the reasons
causing this problem, but we are working
on it. H.G. Frautschy, our Editor, is very
concerned about it and I have to admit that
sometimes the tardiness of the magazine
is caused by me not having my Straight
& Level article in on time. It always
seems when it is time for me to write this
article, everything at my office gets really
hectic and my article gets put aside. I
generally try to do my article on the
weekend, but I become interested in work-
ing on my airplane and other projects. I
apologize to the membership for any con-
cerns they may have had concerning the
tardiness of the magazine. Hopefully, this
won't be the case in the future!
I appreciate Earl's concern and any
member who has concerns for the
Division, I welcome your comments.
While talking to H.G. on the phone, he
reported that the first month he has been
tracking our membership drive, we have
picked up 84 new members. This is a
very good response, and I really do ap-
preciate the membership promoting . our
Division. By increasing our numbers, we
can look forward to enhancing our ser-
vices, as well as holding the line on any
dues increase by spreading the load over
a larger group.
As I am putting this article on tape, I am
sitting in my hangar at Shiloh Airport,
looking out the door. A good friend of
mine, Henry Miller (A/C 7623), has just
taxied out in his Piper Super Cub of 1953
vintage that Henry has owned for about 15
years. He rebuilt this aircraft into one nice
airplane. Henry is taking a gentleman for
a ride in his aircraft. He really takes pride
introducing new people to aviation, simp-
ly because of his love for aviation and the
joy that it gives him. Aviation is lucky to
have people like Henry.
This past weekend I made a trip to
Annapolis, Maryland to spend the
weekend at a seminar. The flight was a
good illustration of what the airways are
becoming today. I do not bring up this
subject to carry any torch about it, but I
would like to relate some of my experien-
ces along this line. I decided since An-
napolis was very close to the
Washington-Baltimore TCA, and all the
Naval restricted areas there, to make the
flight VFR. I left Shiloh Airport with the
scattered cloud layer down to about 1500
feet, so I climbed to 5500 feet on top to get
over a MOA that is located in central
Virginia. I passed that MOA, descended
below 2500 feet to avoid another MOA,
then proceeded directly to Frederick-
sburg, Virginia. We were getting close to
the Washington TCA - the loran was
flashing to alert me that we were close in.
At Fredericksburg, I took up a heading of
075, descending to 2000 feet MSL and
proceeded in that direction to stay under
the TCA. Also, the heading would let me
avoid the naval restricted areas associated
with the Patuxent River Naval Air Station.
I flew that heading until I reached the west
coast of the Chesapeake Bay, then flew up
the coast at 1500 feet to a small airport of
Lee, which is just south of Annapolis,
Maryland, and landed there. This airport
is a small field of 2400 feet by 50 feet wide
and was just covered with aircraft. I sup-
in the Northwest Corridor and other large
metropolis areas! Another example: I used
to leave Shiloh and to to South Boston,
Virginia to Emporia, Virginia direct to
Norfolk, Virginia where my sister lives.
One day when I left and finally got in
touch with approach to get my clearance,
they said stand by for rerouting. The
rerouting was from my position to Rich-
mond, Virginia to Williamsburg, Virginia
then to Norfolk, Virginia. That is almost
90 miles out of the way, so I asked "What
altitude can I file so I can go direct?" They
said "There is no altitude that you can fly
to go direct from your position to Norfolk,
Virginia, as Raleigh, North Carolina has
taken this area as an arrival corridor for
their airport."
I suppose I am just frustrated between
arrival corridors, TCAs, Military Opera-
tional Areas and military restricted areas
in our area. Itjust really gets to you some-
times. Like I said, there is no conclusion
to be drawn from this; I was just relating
some of my frustrations to everyone. It
sure does make taking my Clip-Wing Cub
out of the hangar and flying around our
local area a lot more pleasurable than
flying cross-country today.
In November your Antique/Classic
Board of Directors will be meeting for
their quarterly meeting. If anyone has
concerns for the Division, or any item of
business that should be brought up at the
board meeting, please contact me at least
by the third week in October.
January 1, 1992 is the date we will offi-
cially recognize the Contemporary category
of airplanes in our Division. These are
aircraft manufactured from January 1, 1956
until December 31,1960. In 1992, we will
also be parking these aircraft in our
showplane area. I would like to encourage
everyone who would like to park in our
showplane area, to start getting their airplane
up to showplane standards. This era of
aircraft represents a lot of memories to a
good number of today's pilots, including
myself - I learned to fly during tlus time.
Also, I would like to mention that ADA, Inc.
in Greensboro, our agent for the Anti-
que/Classic Division insurance program and
Global Aircraft, our underwriters for the
program, will, by the [ust of the year, have
Contemporary aircraft premium rates in
place for these aircraft. You should contact
ADA, Inc. (they have an ad in tIUs magazine)
and see what our insurance program can do
for you.
Remember, we are better together.
Let's all pull in the same direction for the
good of aviation. Join us and have it all!
...
2 OCTOBER 1991
PUBLISHER
Tom Poberezny
VICE-PRESIDENT
October 1991 • Vol. 19, No. 10
PUBLICATION STAFF
MARKETING &COMMUNICATIONS
DickMatt
EDITOR
HenryG. Frautschy
MANAGINGEDITOR
GoldaCox
ART DIRECTOR
MikeDrucks
ADVERTISING
MaryJones
ASSOCIATE EDITORS
NormanPetersen DickCavin
FEATURE WRITERS
GeorgeA.Hardie,Jr. DennisParks
EDITORIALASSISTANT
IsabelleWiske
STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS
JimKoepnick CarlSchuppel
MikeSteineke
EAAANTIQUE/CLASSIC
DIVISION, INC.
OFFICERS
President Vice-President
Espie "Butch"Joyce ArthurR. Morgan
604HighwaySt. 3744North51stBlvd.
Madison.NC27025 Milwaukee.WI 53216
919j427'{)216 414/442-3631
Secretary Treasurer
StevenC.Nesse E.E. "Buck"Hilbert
2009HighlandAve. P.O. Box424
AlbertLea.MN56007 Union.IL60180
W7/373-1674 815/923-4591
DIRECTORS
JohnBerendt RobertC. "Bob"Brauer
7645EchoPointRd. 9345S.Hoyne
CannonFalls. MN55009 Chicago.IL 60620
W7/263-2414 312/779-2105
GeneChase JohnS. Copeland
2159CarltonRd. P.O.Box 1035
Oshkosh.WI 54904 Westborough.MA01581
414/231-5002 W8/836-1911
PhilipCoulson GeorgeDaubner
28415SpringbrookDr. 2448LoughLane
Lawton.MI 49065 Hartford.WI 53027
616/624-6490 414/673-5885
CharlesHarris StanGomoll
3933SouthPeoria 104290thLane.NE
P.O.Box904038 Minneapolis.MN55434
Tulsa. OK74105 612/784-1172
918/742-7311
DaleA.Gustafson JeannieHill
7724ShadyHill Drive P.O. Box328
Indianapolis.IN 46278 Harvard.IL 60033
317/293-4430 815/943-7205
Robertlickteig RobertD. "Bob"Lumley
1708BayOaksDrive 1265South 124thSt.
AlbertLea. MN56007 Brookfield.WI 53005
W7/373-2922 414/782-2633
GeneMorris GeorgeS. York
115CSteveCourt.R.R.2 181 SlobodaAve.
Roanoke.TX 76262 Mansfield.OH44906
817/491-9110 419/529-4378
S.H. "Wes"Schmid
2359LefeberAvenue
Wauwatosa.WI 53213
414/771-1545
DIRECTOR EMERITUS
S.J. Wittman
7200S.E. 85thLane
Ocala.FL 32672
904/245-7768
ADVISORS
JohnA.Fogerty JimmyRollison
479Highway65 823CarrionCircle
Roberts.WI 54023 Winters.CA95694-1665
715/425-2455 916/795-4334
DeanRichardson GeoffRobison
6701 ColonyDrive 1521 E. MacGregorDr.
Madison.W 53717 NewHaven.IN 46774
608/833-1291 219/493-4724
Copyright© 1991 bythe EAAAntique/ClassicDivision. Inc. All rights reserved.
Contents
2 Straight & Level/by Espie "Butch" Joyce
4 Aeromail
5 A/C News/compiled by H.G. Frautschy
7 Vintage Literature/by Dennis Parks
11 Plus A Bit Of History
by Skeeter Carlson
12 What A Man Will Do To Fly
by H.G. Frautschy
14 What Our Members Are Restoring
by Norm Petersen
15 Jerry Brown's Waco UPF-7
by H.G. Frautschy
19 Buzz Kaplan, Gary Underland and
the Curtiss Robin J6-5
by Norm Petersen
23 Pass It To BUCk/by E.E. "Buck" Hilbert
24 The First Cropduster
by Robert Whitmoyer
26 New Products/Book Review
27 Snap-on's Hints For Hombuilders
28 CalendarfWelcome New Members
29 Vintage Trader
33 Mystery Plane/by George Hardie
FRONTCOVER...BuzzKaplanhasplentyofglassinhisSiverAge
Champion Curtiss Robin J6-5 during his rendevous over Lake
WinnebagoduringEAAOSHKOSH '91. PhotobyCarlSchuppel.
shotwithCanonEOS-l with80-200lens.1 /2501hsec.atf5.6using
Kodachrome64. PhotoplaneflownbyBuckHilbert.
BACKCOVER ...JerryBrown putsEAA'scameraship between
thecabanestrutsonhisCustomChampionWacoUPF-7overthe
centralWisconsincountryside.PhotobyJimKoepnick.shotwith
Canon EOS-l with 80-200 lens. 1/500th sec. at f5.6 using
Kodachrome64.
The words EM,ULTRALIGHT, FLYWITH THE FIRSTTEAM. SPORTAVIATION.and lhelogos01 EXPERIMENTALAIRCRAFTASSOCIATION INC.,
EMINTERNATIONALCONVENTION.EMANTIOUEjCLASSICDIVISIONINC.,INTERNATIONALAEROBATICCLUBINC.• WARBIRDSOFAMERICA
INC. areregistered trademarks.THE EMSKYSHOPPE and logos olttleEMAVIATION FOUNDATION INC.and EMULTRALIGHTCONVIENTION
aretrademarks01 It1e aboveassociationsandlt1eiruse byanypersonottlerthan It1e aboveassociationsisstrictlyprohibited.
Editorial Policy:Readers are eooouraged to submit stories and photographs.Policy opinions expressed in articles are solely ttlose 01 ttle authors.
Responsibilityloraccuracyin repor1ing restsentirelywittllt1econtributor.Material sI10uld be sentto: Editor, The VINTAGEAIRPLANE. P.O. Box3006,
Oshkosh,WI 54903-3086. Phone: 414/4264800.
The VINTAGE AIRPLANE (SSN 0091-6943) is published and owned exclusively by EMAntique/Classic Division, Inc. 01 It1e Experimental Aircraft
Association, Inc.andispublishedmonthlyatEMAviationCenter,P.O.Box3006,Oshkosh,WI54903-3086.SecondClassPostagepaidatOshkosh,WI
54901 andadditionalmailingofflCOs.The membershipratelorEMAntique/ClassicDivision, Inc.is $20.00loraJrrentEMmemberslor12monttlperiod
ofwhich$12.00islorttlepublicationofThe VINTAGEAIRPLANE.Membershipisopen toailwhoareinterestedinaviation.
ADVERTISING·Antique/ClassicDivisiondoesnotguaranteeorendorseanyproductofferedttlroughouradvertising.Weinviteconstructivecriticismand
wek>ome Myreport01 interiormerchandiseobtainedthroughouradvertising sottlatcorrectivemeasurescanbetaken.
POSTMASTER: Sendaddresschangesto EMAntique/ClassicDivision, Inc.P.O. Box3006,Oshkosh,WI 54903-3006.
VINTAGEAIRPLANE3
INTERNATIONAL VISITOR
Dear Friends,
This year I returned to Oshkosh!
What a pleasure! I could see that the
EAA spirit is stronger than ever!
I could sit at the A/C Headquarters
and talk with people so different than
me in certain aspects, like age, way of
life, job, etc., but with the same spirit
and love with aviation.
Here is Brazil we are a group with the
same spirit. We have a condominium,
with an approximately 2400 foot grass
strip, where we are building our han-
gars, chesting (can I say this in
English?) our birds.
There are beautiful birds; a Canadian
Fieet,a TaylorE-2,aJ-3, Cessnas 140and
170, among others, and my loved Stinson
Voyager 108-2 (serial number 2719).
Weare preparing all the things to
fund an EAA function in the near future.
We invite all of our EAA friends who
visit Brazil to contact us, so we can
improve our friendship.
I am sending a photo of my Stinson,
named "Spirit Of The Thing" (here in
Brazil we have a joke that says "We're
understanding everything when we un-
4 OCTOBER 1991
derstand the spirit of the thing! ") and I
hope to see it in VINTAGE AIRPLANE
some day.
Joaquim Ferreira Pinto
R. Agisse 230/84
Sao Paulo - Brazil 05439
Look for Joaquim 's Stinson on page
14, "What out Members Are Restor-
ing". - HGF
... AND ANOTHER VISITOR
Gentleman,
On July 29th I flew into Oshkosh for
the annual convention in my '46 Cessna
120.
It has been several years since I have
flown in, many times driving to the con-
vention instead. I was delighted with
the "treasures" presented to the par-
ticipants like myself.
The coffee mugs offered in the past
have been nice mementos, but the drink-
ing mug presented this year was impres-
sive with the EAA logo on the side. I
was particularly appreciative of the An-
tique/Classic wall plaque with the at-
tached Polaroid photo. Every time I
gaze upon this plaque I will think back
to the great time I had.
Sincerely yours,
George B. Dowell
Dayton,OH
EXTRA CREDIT
Dear Sir,
After reading Dick Hill's article on
Max Krueger's Brunner Winkle Bird
airplane, I was disappointed that Mr.
Hill failed to give credit to my husband,
Hoyt Smith. My husband Hoyt did the
actual restoration on the "Bird", assisted
by our son, Jack Smith. When you have
lived and breathed an airplane as we did
the "Bird", you tend to be very posses-
sive of it.
The "Bird" is flying well and has
recently been moved to Castroville,
Texas from its original home at San
Geronimo Airpark.
Hoyt is presently restoring a 1928
Curtiss Fledgling biplane owned by Mr.
John Killian of of San Antonio, Texas.
Thanks for letting me sound off.
Sincerely,
Monna Smith
San Antonio, Texas
We're happy to set th e record
straight, Manna. - HGF
compiled by H.G. Frautschy
ADULT AIR ACADEMY
OFFERED IN '92
The Adult EAA AIR ACADEMY
'92 is scheduled for February 24-29,
1992. The basic skills of aircraft build-
ing and restoration, owner maintenance
of certified aircraft, and presentations
by key Headquarters staff plus the op-
portunity to share in hangar sessions
with fellow aviation enthusiasts will be
featured. Planned activities for each
day include a half-hour program about
EAA, an hour devoted to owner main-
tenance of certified aircraft and three
2-hour sessions in the Cessna
Aeronautical Restoration Center of the
EAA Air Adventure Museum. Planned
hands-on activities include welding,
fabric covering, woodworking and
sheet metal work. Composite construc-
tion, upholstery and other topics will be
demonstrated and/or discussed as well.
The $650.00 registration fee includes
housing, lunches, instruction, materials
and necessary local transportation. For
additional information or registration
forms contact the Education Office at
EAA Headquarters (414) 426-4888.
EAA AIR ADVENTURE DAY
FOR '91-'92
EAA Air Adventure Days offer the
opportunity for Chapters and their
members to share the skills and lore of
aviation with the next generation of
aviators. This one day program in-
cludes building a wooden wing rib and
balsa glider with equipment and
materials secured from EAA. Grasp
this opportunity for your Chapter to
present this rewarding program to the
youth of your community. For more
information please write or call (414)
426-4888 the Education Office at EAA
Headquarters.
OSHKOSH '91 VIDEO
As soon as the dust settled here at
EAA Headquarters after the annual con-
vention, EAA' s crack Video staff began
work on this year's production of "EAA
OSHKOSH '91, Aviation at its Best."
Expected to be ready for release when
you read this, this video will review the
many highlights of EAA OSHKOSH
'91, including the celebration of the
Golden Age of Racing, the tribute to the
"Flying Tigers" on their 50th anniver-
sary and a salute to Allied Air Power of
Operation Desert Storm. You'll also
see the latest homebuilt designs dis-
played as well as coverage of Antiques,
Classics, Warbirds, Ultralights,
rotorcraft and much more. Call 1-800-
843-3612 for your copy of the official
EAA video, priced at $39.95, plus ship-
ping.
WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE
RESTORING
A regular feature of VINTAGE
AIRPLANE is "What Our Members are
Restoring", designed to show all of us
what we all are working on or have just
completed. It's supposed to be a regular
feature, but Norm and I need a bit of
help from the membership out there -
we've experienced a bit of a drought this
past summer, and need those of you with
projects to get those pictures in! This is
your page in the truest sense. We need
your input, and look forward to seeing
every ones handiwork. Send in those
sharp photos, and remember, if at all
possible, try to show the entire airplane.
Also, don't forget a description with the
photo, but please don't write on the
back of the picture - the ink makes a
mess of things.
SMITHSONIAN FELLOWSHIPS
The Smithsonian Air and Space
Museum in Washington, DC offers two
aviation related fellowships to qualified
individuals. The first, the Guggenheim
Fellowship, is a one year resident fel-
lowship for pre- or post-doctoral re-
search. Scholars interested in historical
and scientific research related to avia-
tion and space are encouraged to apply.
Pre-doctoral applicants should have
completed preliminary course work and
examinations and be engaged in disser-
tation research. Postdoctoral program
applicants preferably should have
received their Ph.D within the past
seven years.
The A. Verville Fellowship, estab-
lished by the museum in honor of avia-
tion designer Alfred V. Verville, is a
competitive nine- to twelve-month fel-
lowship intended for the analysis of
major trends, developments, and ac-
complishments in the history of aviation
or space studies. The fellowship is open
to all interested candidates with
demonstrat ed skills in research and
writing. A degree in history, engineer-
ing or related fields is not required.
If your are interested in learning more
about these fellowships, contact Cheryl
Bauer, Fellowship Coordinator, Nation-
al Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian
Institution, 202/357-1529.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5
ROGER DON RAE 1909-1991 Ledger. racing planes than any other race pilot,
Roger Don Rae, famous racing pilot While still going to school in 1928, including various models of both the
of the 1930's as well as an early Roger learned about parachute jump- Keith Rider and Folkerts racing
parachute jumper, passed away this ing from a World War I pilot, Art aircraft, as well as Benny Howard's
past August at the age of 82. Born in Davis. After Davis' jumper quit "Ike". His racing career would end
Bay City, MI, Roger was destined for before a performance at a fair, Roger when he signed on with TWA as a pilot
the sky at an early age. "He never made the jump with no prior actual in 1937, and would see the airline in-
would have done anything else but fly. experience. He would go on to win 7 dustry progress from the Douglas DC-
He said when he was a boy on the farm, National Aeronautic Association 3 to the Boeing 707, which he listed as
he'd look up at the sky, see an airplane championships in parachuting. But one of his favorite aircraft.
flying over and say 'I am going to fly parachuting was not the least of his Our condolences to Roger's wife
them one day'" according to his accomplishements. In 1936, he also Frances and his family as well as all his
widow, Frances, who was quoted in a won the NAA race pilot point cham- friends in aviation.
story by Bill Rufty in the Lakeland pionship. Roger flew more different
Roger stands with steve WiHman's Chief Oshkosh in
1936. "Chief" now featured a 150 hp Menasco CS-4
engine, replacing the upright 90 hp Cirrus.
6 OCTOBER 1991
by [)ennis Var-ks!!
Libr-ar-y / Ar-chives
[)ir-ect()r-
Rudy Kli ng rebuilt the aluminum Keith Rider
R-1 "Suzy" for the 1936 season. He finished
fourth in the Greve Trophy race.
THE NATIONAL AIR RACES
THE GOLDEN AGE (Part 9) 1936
The 16th edition of the National Air
Races was held at the Los Angeles
Municipal Airport, September 4-7,
1936. Transfer of the sanction to Los
Angeles of the 1936 races was made
possible through the cooperation of the
National Air Races of Cleveland, Inc.,
but management of the races was still
handled by Clifford Henderson and his
brother Philip.
WELCOME
In the 1936 Program, Carl B. Squire,
president of the 1936 races, gave his
welcome.
"I am happy to extend a cordial and
official welcome to you who are
privileged to see the 1936 National Air
Races here in Los Angeles; and to the
Army, Navy, Marines, civilian pilots
and European participants whose
presence lends greater color and dignity
to this impressive spectacle.
"Aside from the thrilling and spec-
tacular entertainment and educational
advantages provided to the public, the
National Air Races have proved to be
one of the greatest contributing factors
in the advancement of aviation. Much
has been accomplished on these proving
grounds in the development of greater
speed with safety.
"Through the friendly competition en-
couraged by the various trophy races,
designers, manufacturers and fliers have
been inspired to vie with each other in
striving for perfection in conquering the
air. The National Air Races have
provided the proving field for the
numerous innovations that have so suc-
cessfully contributed to the great strides
made in aviation during the past 16 years.
This is reflected in the advanced design
and construction of air transports today."
SYMPHONY OF THE SKIES
In his comments in the 1936 NAR
Program, Clifford Henderson provided
a musical analogy for the events.
"Now that aviation is an industry of
public service, it inherits a perpetual
obligation to improve its equipment.
The National Air Races is the logical
proving ground for such constructive
advancement in design, efficiency and
safety.
"Spurred on by coveted international
trophies and substantial awards en-
gineers have been inspired to create -
men and women pilots have been eager
to prove or disprove structural innova-
tions. National Air Races function as
the front page of aviation's progress,
dominating world news through press,
radio, motion picture and all known
media.
"And now for the symphonic tempo
- roaring motors - motion - action -
speed planes hurtling through the skies
to new world's records. Precision-
crack military and naval aces in breath-
taking formation - daring national and
international acrobatic aces - famous
men and women pilots - international
dignitaries - aviation executives and
technicians and an audience of
hundreds of thousands of eager spec-
tators thrilled, inspired and awed by it
all ... truly a SYMPHONY OF THE
SKIES."
CAST OF THOUSANDS
No doubt being in Los Angeles
provided some of the Hollywood
hoopla for the races. Among the well-
known cast of the Contest Committee
were: James Doolittle, Edward Ricken-
backer, Harold Lloyd, Eddie Cantor,
Amelia Earhart, Waldo Waterman, Max
Harlow, W. B. Kinner and C. A.
"Casey" Jones.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7
.,
'E
o
:J:
The Aeronautical Advisory commit-
tee was replete with over 100 dignitaries
of the aviation industry, including
"Hap" Arnold, Walter Beech, Larry
Bel1, Giuseppe Bel1anca, C. 1. Brunker,
Clyde Cessna, Sherman Fairchild, Don
Luscombe, Jimmie Mattern, Oliver
Parks, E. E. Porterfield, Lloyd Stear-
man, Wil1iam B. Stout, and Fred Weick.
PROGRAM OF EVENTS
The September 1936 issue of AERO
DIGEST reported on the expected
events and competition at Los Angeles.
"Competition in this year's National
Air Races is expected to be keener than at
any other race in the past, record entries
already having been received in many of
the major events which will be run off at
the Los Angeles Municipal Airport.
"At least seven, and possibly nine,
planes wil1 take off from Floyd Bennett
Field, New York, for Los Angeles, Sept.
4, in the Bendix Transcontinental Derby.
Thirty-two entries have already been
received in the Ruth Chatterton
Sportsman Pilots Race which started at
Cleveland, August 29, and is scheduled to
arrive in Los Angeles during the opening
day of the show. Nineteen pilots have
been entered in the Thompson Trophy
Race, a record entry for the event.
"Foreign participation in the past has
been limited to some of Europe's best
stunt fliers. This year, however, the
four-day program, with $70,000 prize
money at stake, wil1 witness various
foreign pilots and planes in a number of
events. France is sending Michel
Detroyat with two Caudron-Renault
racers, three engines and two mechanics
to represent the Aero Club of France.
"Both the Bendix and Thompson
races this year are expected to bring
about a number of surprises. For the
first time in the Bendix, women will
compete with the men for the total purse
of $12,500. Amelia Earhart, Laura In-
galls, Louise Thaden and Jacqueline
Cochran have already been entered and
are grooming new and faster equipment
than they have been flying in the past.
"The Thompson trophy race this
year, which carries a total purse of
$20,000, wil1 be flown over a 10-mile
course, 15 laps for a distance of 150
miles. Qualifying speed is 225 mph. Of
the total purse, an additional $2,500 wil1
be awarded to the winner provided his
speed exceeds the present record of
252.686 mph (set in 1932 by Jimmy
Doolittle in the Gee Bee R-l) . Entered
in this event are Turner, Haldeman, Wit-
tman, Detroyat, Crosby, Jacobson,
.,
e>
o
.,
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Art Chester's rebuilt Special, now known as the "Jeep", finished third in the Greve and
second in both of the Shell 375 cu. in. races.
Roger Don Rae took third in the Thompson in a new Rider R-4 with a six cylinder
Menasco.
Harry Crosby's newall-metal CR-3 racer finished sixth in the Thompson.
8 OCTOBER 1991
2
.,
«
The French Caudron C-460 Racer
Winner of the 1936 Thompson Trophy Race
were maneuvers and demonstrations by
the Army, Navy and Marine Corps;
stunting exhibitions with a Ford
Trimotor by Harold Johnson and a
12,000 ft. power dive.
FLYING BARN DOORS
In 1935 there was an article by Lewis
Brocker in POPULAR AVIATION
decrying the lack of innovation in race
plane design. The author lamented the
lack of real development in airplanes,
and said that the only tool used by desig-
ners was more horsepower. He should
louise Thaden in the Beechcraft C17R Staggerwing in which she and co-pilot Blanche
Noyes won the Bendix Race from New York to los Angeles.
The new Folkerts SK-2 "Toots" in which Harold Neumann did so well in 1936.
Neumann and Ortman. Turner is ex-
pected to fly his new plane which is built
around a twin-row P&W Wasp engine.
"The Louis W. Greve Trophy Race
represents a total purse of $10,000 and
is open to planes with engines of 550 cu.
in. displacement, or less. The Shell Oil
Co. has sponsored three races with a
total purse of $12,000. The Shell
Trophy race is a 375 cu. in. event with
a purse of $6,000; the Shell A ward and
the Shell Cup races are also for planes
with engines of 375 cu. in. displacement
and each has a total purse of $3,000."
Among the airshow activities were a
demonstration of "crazy flying"; a bat-
wing jump; acrobatic exhibitions by
Achgelis and Burcham; and by the Hol-
lywood Trio of Paul Mantz, Frank Clark
and Easton Noble. Also scheduled
have been happy in 1936 for there were
at least four new designs at the National
Air Races each of which bucked the
trend in going to large radial engies as
used by Wedell-Williams and Gee Bee.
Each of these new racers built for the
Greve and Thompson trophy races were
powered by Menasco four- or six-
cylinder inline engines ranging from
225 to 300 horsepower compared with
the 1,000 horsepower in Roscoe
Turner's Wedell-Williams. The new
aircraft included the Brown B-3, the
all-metal Crosby CR-3, Folkerts SK-2
Toots, and the Rider R-4.
However, the sensation of the races
was the entry from France, the Caudron
C-460, flown by Michel Detroyat who
had previously appeared in aerobatic
demonstrations at the National Air Races.
The Caudron C-460 series of racers had
been built in 1934 for the Deutsche de la
Meurthe long distance air races for eight
liter engines (488 cu. in.) and was the
current world's record speed holder for
landplanes at 314.2 mph.
Apparently in 1935 Louis Greve asked
Michel Detroyat to arrange to bring over a
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9
French racer for competition. Detroyat,
who worked for the Morane-Saulnier
company was able to convince the
Renault company, who owned
Caudron, to let him fly one of the C-460
racers in the United States, much to the
chagrin of Greve, as Detroyat not only
beat the U. S. competition in the Greve
race but also won the Thompson Trophy
at a record speed.
The Caudron was a very innovative
aircraft. It was of all-wood construction
with the fuselage being of modern
monocoque design. The wings were fully
cantilevered and used liberal fillets at the
wing fuselage joint. Extensive wind tun-
nel tests were used to refine the
aerodynamics which resulted in a coeffi-
cient of drag of only 0.016 which is in the
range of the World War IT P-51 Mustang.
Other innovations included ram-air
for the carburetor and a variable pitch
propeller operated by a rubber bladder
in the propeller hub that bled air to bring
On a higher pitch. The propeller blade
variation between coarse and high pitch
was 12 degrees. As was the practice for
the Schneider Cup racers, the Caudron
used skin mounted oil radiators. There
was also an air system that retracted the
landing gear.
The engine was a 485 cubic inch,
six-cylinder Renault Bengali . The en-
gine had a built-in blower and made use
of a special fuel from Shell that was
rated at 110 octane.
BENDIX RACE
Having won the Bendix in 1935,
Benny Howard, in "Mister Mulligan",
was clearly the favorite of the seven
starters lined up on September 4, 1936
at Floyd Bennett Field in New York for
the start of the Bendix Trophy Race.
This was an unusual year for the Bendix
as all except one of the aircraft were
factory production models and most
were commercial transports.
The Bendix competition suffered a
mishap before it even began when Ros-
coe Turner lost an engine and crash
landed his Wedell-Williams racer in
New Mexico while on his way to New
York for the start of the race.
The Bendix racers had from midnight
Eastern Standard Time until the 6:00
p.m. Pacific time deadline to fly the
2,500 miles to Los Angeles. Joe Jacob-
son was the first away in the race with
his Northrop Gamma. He was the vic-
tim of a freak accident when an empty
fuel tank exploded over Kansas and
blew him out of the aircraft. He
parachuted to safety and arrived via an
10 OCTOBER 1991
airliner in Los Angeles in time to race.
Ben Howard and his wife Maxine were
also accident victims when a propeller
blade departed the engine on "Mister
Mulligan" and they crashed in New
Mexico suffering serious injuries.
Three of the aircraft entered in the
race were piloted by women. Laura In-
galls flew a Lockheed Orion, a plane in
which she was the. first female pilot to
fly non-stop coast-to-coast in July 1935.
Amelia Earhart flew the Lockheed
Electra that was destined for her around
the world trip. Her co-pilot was Helen
Richey who was the first female pilot of
a scheduled commercial airliner.
The other women entered in the race
were Louise Thaden and Blanche Noyes
who had been offered a ride in a
Beechcraft Staggerwing by Olive Ann
Beech. Olive Beech had found that Vin-
cent Bendix had posted a special $2,500
prize for the fust woman to finish in the
Bendix Race. The Beech was stock ex-
cept for an extra 56 gallon gas tank and
an additional 12 gallon oil tank. It was
powered by a 450 hp Whirlwind engine
and was also the only biplane in the
competition. The last time a biplane
won the Bendix was in its fust year,
1931.
The other two competitors were
George Pomeroy of Washington, DC
who had the biggest plane in the race, a
Douglas DC-2 twin-engined transport,
piloted by Louis Brewer and William
"Buster" Warner, a pilot from new
York, who entered a Vultee V-IA
transport co-piloted by William Gulick.
Thaden and Noyes went on to win the
Bendix flying coast-to-coast in 14 hours
and 55 minutes for an average speed of
165.3 mph. Laura Ingalls in her Orion
finished second with a speed of 157.5
mph. Buster Warner and William
Gulick finished third in the Vultee at an
average speed of 156.6 mph. Fourth
was George Pomeroy in the DC-2 and
the last to finish was Amelia Earhart and
Helen Richey.
HAROLD NEUMANN
Harold Neumann, flying the new four-
cylinder Menasco powered Folkerts Sk-2
"Toots" had a great year at the races taking
on and besting the higher powered aircraft.
He won the 375 cu. in. qualifier at a speed
of 230 mph, finished second in the Shell
550 cu. in. race and won both of the Shell
375 cu. in. events . . His best speed being
231.344 mph. This with 230 horsepower.
GREVE TROPHY
First offered in 1934, the Greve Trophy
was an inspiration for the builders of
smaller displacement racers. Originally
run in heats and awarded by points for
1936, there was just one race for the
trophy. Though the race allowed up to
550 cu. in. displacement engines many of
the entrants were in the 375 cu. in. class
which also made them also eligible for the
two Shell races of that class plus the
qualifiers for both the 375 cu. in. and the
550 cu. in. races a total of five races.
Michel Detroyat put the Greve racers
on notice when he won the Shell
Qualifier at a speed of 273.5 mph - 45
mph faster than Rudy Kling in the rebuilt
Rider R-l "Suzy." Detroyat, flying the
only racer with a variable pitch
propeller, was the fust off in the race and
took a commanding lead. He throttled
well back to win at a speed of247.3 mph.
Neumann in his four-cylinder did an
amazing job coming in second at a speed
of 225.5 mph followed closely by Art
Chester in his "Jeep."
THOMPSON TROPHY
Detroyat not only put people on
notice in the Greve, but kept them there
in the Thompson. Not only did he and
the Caudron beat the other 550 cu. in.
class racers, he also beat the only Wasp
powered racer, the new Keith Rider R-3
flown by Earl Ortman. Another promis-
ing new design that was bested was the
all-metal retractable gear Crosby CR-3
powered by a Menasco 544 cu. in. C-6S
Super Buccaneer.
At the start of the race Detroyat was off
and away before anyone else and stayed
that way running the second lap at 301
mph. On the third lap he settled down to
293 mph eventually dropping his lap
speeds in the 250 mph bracket. At the
finish of the 15 lap 150 mile course
Detroyat had lapped all the aircraft except
Earl Ortman averaging 264.3 mph -
breaking Doolittle's 1932 record by 12
mph. This on 964 less cubic inches. In-
deed, progress was being made in aircraft
design and efficiency. .....
Plus a Bit of History
By Skeeter Carlson
(A/C 2043)
Spokane, WA
I would like to add a bit of history
connected to Dorothy Fowler's out-
standing bronze, "The Aviator",
presented to Paul Poberezny during the
1990 EAA Convention.
With Dorothy and "Doc" Fowler as
rural neighbors, it has been a pleasing
experience to watch the creation of her
sculptures. A couple years ago she an-
nounced her intention to do one of an
aviator. That caught my full attention,
for I liked her work and knew she was
no newcomer in the field of aviation.
"Doc" had introduced her to using
airplanes some 25 years ago with his
Cubs, Waco UPF-7, and Maules when
they made several flights to Alaska,
Central America and, of course, Osh-
kosh. She joined in his interests helping
EAA Chapter 79, became a pilot and
president in the regional chapter of
Ninety-Nines and now uses the family
Cessna 182 for the many trips made to
the Oregon bronze foundry.
Her sculpture, Dorothy explained,
would be from the era when many
returned from WW -II with caps, goggles
and leather jackets to fly new and surplus
planes, plus ones they could build them-
selves. She wanted her pilot to stand as
she had observed Paul Poberezny,
thumb in pocket and looking skyward
with a dream of flying. Also, she had
decided it would be proper to have her
aviator in front of an engine and prop.
Sounded good to me. "Doc" suggested
a Kinner engine with its five large
cylinders and I commented that many a
pilot flew behind that distinctive sound-
ing motor. Then I grinned and offered
my Kinner with prop that was stored in
my shed for use as a model. After
"Doc" and I mounted it in the art studio
at the height we figured it was attached
to a Fleet biplane, I told them what I
knew of the engine's history.
In 1968 I bought the few remains of a
1930 Fleet, N620M, from Vern St. John
of Wilbur, WA. While loading it, Vern
said, "This isn' t just a Fleet, Skeeter, but
was at one time Reuben Fleet's private
sport plane. He loved this airplane and
we understood he even had women who
worked in his company flying it. The old
girl really handles like a dream and I
ought to know' cause I put a lot of hours
on her from when the company bought
it from Reuben in '34 'til she was
damaged in our hangar fire in '49."
Vern seemed to really like the Fleet
biplanes and said most everyone in the
aviation field around the Seattle and
Portland areas knew Reuben Fleet quite
well. He added that the aircraft builder
had grown up at Grays Harbor, so he
delivered some of the Northwest
airplane sales himself to get an extra
visit with his parents and sister.
While driving home I wondered
about Reuben's sport flying and about
him having the airplane in 1934 since it
must have left the factory in 1930. I
intended to ask Vern much more but two
weeks later he unexpectedly went to the
big EAA meeting in the sky, ending my
source of information. After several
years I became curious enough to send
for the FAA records on N 620M and they
proved Vern to be right.
Fleet N 620M was tested Feb. 17,
1930 and soon after was owned by a R.
Bradley of Tacoma, Washington. Per-
haps Reuben himself delivered the bird
and liked how it handled or maybe the
fact it was on floats made a difference.
Whatever the reason, the records show
Fleet bought it back from Bradley in
1932. The logs for the next two years
were lost but it certainly would be inter-
esting to know how the plane was used.
In 1934 it was sold to Commercial
Aircraft Co. of Swan Island at Portland,
Oregon. Vern was the company's presi-
dent and I'm not sure if they terminated
during WW-II or moved inland 150
miles because of wartime restrictions.
The 1944 record shows N620M
registered at Yakima, WA as Vern St.
John's private plane and then to him at
Wilbur, WA before I purchased it.
I'm glad to have had a small hand in
Dorothy Fowler's great bronze.
Sculpturing the engine and prop proved
to be more difficult than the Fowlers
anticipated but it really put a fmal touch
to the piece. Reuben Fleet passed away
in 1975 at age 88. I'm sure he would
have appreciated the details in thesculp-
ture of the pilot and the Kinner engine
from his Fleet biplane . ...
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11
~ i n n llJ)
How many of us grumble when we
have to dri ve an hour or so to our airport,
just to fly our beloved airplane? If you
live in a major metropolitan area, you
may have to drive even further, and it
can be frustrating. But what if you had
to go to the international airport first,
keep your fingers crossed that there is
room on the next plane, hop a ride on
that jet across the Atlantic to Houston,
Texas, get to your friend's house, work
your way out to the local airport, and
then, after all that, spend only a day or
two flying your pretty Boeing Stearman
PT -17 before you have to do it all in
reverse again, so you can go back to
work! Now that's dedication! But for
Heinrich Fila, a Captain of the Mc-
Donnell Douglas MD-80 for Austrian
Airlines, that's exactly how he gets to
fly his Stearman.
I ran across Heinrich and his en-
thusiastic crew at EAA Oshkosh '91
while they were busy polishing his
white and yellow biplane. They were
busy enjoying one of the joys of owner-
ship by cleaning the little bits of oil,
12 OCTOBER 1991
by H.G. Frautschy
grass and bugs from the windshield and
leading edges of the wings. A little
polish here and a lot of rubbing there
and the wings glistened in the midday
sun. All of the crew consisted of friends
of Heinrich's from Austrian Airlines,
Heinrich Fila applies a IiHie elbow grease
to the cleaning of his Stearman.
who had flown over to enjoy EAA Osh-
kosh. Pilots Dietmar Gross, Martin
Fickl and Richard Linsberger were
complemented by the the presence of
Flight Attendants Monja Hassan and
Susanne Niedermeyer. They all
chipped in to keep Heinrich's pride and
joy bright and shiny.
But why would anybody want to have
to go through this to fly a Stearman, or
any other light airplane? They have
light aircraft in Austria, right? As Hein-
rich explained, flight in Europe is quite
different than it is here in this part of the
world, even during his commercial job.
As he talked, it was interesting to hear
someone discuss a system of air travel
that was more restrictive and apparently
less friendly than the North American
A TC system. "Everybody is nice here;
every ATC controller is nice here. This
is much different than the ATC control-
lers in Europe. Here they are very
happy to help - they are friendly and
they like you, and that's what I like
here."
That certainly caught my attention.
Heinrich Fila (kneeling) with his Austrian Airlines "crew". From left to right they are: Dietmar Gross, Martin Fickl, Monja Hassan, Susanne
Niedermeyer and Richard Linsberger.
Its not every day you hear that said
about an FAA controller. It was
refreshing to hear from someone whose
perspective was different than yours.
"Flying's much easier here. You
don't have as many restrictions like we
have in Austria, over in Germany or in
Europe, and I think the American
people think more in terms of freedom.
For example, it is easier to land on an
international airport here. The restric-
tions do not matter to me because I have
a transponder in this airplane." Captain
Fila flies all over the eastern European
continent for Austrian Airlines. "Most
of the time I fly in Europe. I have
around 60 cities where I'm allowed to
land. I fly also to Moscow, Kiev,
Leningrad - sometimes India if we
have a charter, and to the Gulf region.
Also to Africa; most of the time it's
North Africa. And to the small islands
of Tenerife and to Maldives." With
that much territory covered as a com-
mercial pilot, Heinrich felt he needed a
way to enjoy flight for flight's sake, and
todo that he was drawn to the U.S., with
its relatively unrestricted flying .
Having flown a Bucker Jungmeister on
But when he saw the Stearman about 8
years ago when he first started coming
to Oshkosh, he changed his mind. The
Stearman had a lot that he liked in the
Bucker - it had two open cockpits, a
radial engine and two wings. Plus, he
said "I saw so many Stearmans here!"
The Stearman has been flying with
Heinrich about 4 years, since its second
restoration after he purchased it. After
contracting with a Houston firm to
rebuild the Stearman, the airplane was
test flown by that company and on the
second or third test flight, the PT -17 was
overturned in the tall grass next to the
runway. The insurance paid for the
damage and another company was
given the job of helping Heinrich
rebuild the wings of the trainer after the
unfortunate accident. After starting on
the project five years ago, he has been
flying the finished product for the last
two. Heinrich didn't sit idly by while
somebody else did the work. He did
much of the work on the plane on his
own, including the covering and the
ribstitching. For his efforts, he had done
the required work for his FAA Airframe
and Powerplant mechanics license, and
of the freedoms that he was privileged
to enjoy. It simply was not attainable in
his native Austria. ''I'm not allowed to
do any A&P work in Austria; they don't
allow it. I would have to go to work for
four years or so, really work (as an ap-
prentice). 1 cannot do it; I have my job.
Here it was hardly any trouble to get the
A&P license." With his new A&P, he
is able to maintain his own airplane, and
keep his A&P current.
How often does he get to fly the
Stearman? About 20 to 25 times a year.
"If! have three days off, and I had good
flights before, so I have four days off, I
can stay for a real three to four days in
Houston, Texas where the airplane is
situated." Heinrich stays with his friend
Craig Podzielinski, a pilot in the Hous-
ton area. Every bit of vacation time he
has available is spent in the U.S. work-
ing on his airplane or flying.
Heinrich Fila really loves to fly, and
to travel halfway around the globe for
three or four hours of flight in his Stear-
man takes an amount of dedication that
is admirable. Heinrich says it's easy -
"I just like to fly here." So do we,
Heinrich, so do we. We'll all see if we
the airshow circuit in Europe about fif- with the passage of the written he earned can keep it that way!
teen years ago, he wanted one of those. the FAA certificate. That was another .....
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13
This photo of Navion N5401K, SIN
NAV-4-2301-B, was sent in by owner
Byron Woodside (EAA 376106) of
Manassas, Virginia. The Navion was
built in February, 1951, and features a
Lycoming GO-435 of 260 hp. The
Woodside family purchased it in 1965
for $8000 and has flown it for over 25
years, adding 3300 hours to the
airframe, for a total of 5010 hours. The
Navion is presently on its third engine
(500 hours) and is running well. In
1990, the family put in 45 days (360
hours) of reconditioning and modifica-
tion installation to the present pristine
condition. Besides much internal work,
the tip tanks were added, a custom
designed leather interior was installed
This photo of two Callair airplanes in
front of a really nice hangar built by a
group from EAA Chapter 648 in
Longmont, CO, was sent in by C. D.
(Red) Beitelshees of Boulder, CO.
Both Calla irs were restored by Bill
Anderson (EAA 92319, AIC 11638) of
Longmont. He is a former president of
the chapter and very active in rebuilding
airplanes.
On the left is Callair N2916V, SIN
132, a 1949 model A-2 powered with a
Lycoming 0-290 engine. It is one of 11
A-2 Calla irs remaining on the U.S.
register. The aircraft in the foreground
is Callair N6028C, SIN 137-4, a 1954
model A-4 powered with an 0-290
Lycoming. It is one of only 18 model
A-4 Callairs remaining on the U.S.
register.
remarkable condition and really shows
lots ofTLC.
and the unique 1964 Navion paint
scheme was applied. For a forty-year-
old airplane, the Woodside Navion is in
two place with some models being able
to haul three people in close comfort.
The design eventually led to a line of
Callair agricultural spray planes.
Built in Afton, Wyoming, in the
1940's and '50's, the Callair models
were designed for high altitude ranch
work and were quite at home on run-
ways above 6,000 feet MSL. Most were
A very active antiquer in Sao Paulo,
Brazil, Joaquim Ferreira Pinto, sent in
this picture of his pretty Stinson
Voyager 108-2, PT-ASQ, SIN 2719.
Powered with a 165 hp Franklin, the
Stinson would have been registered
NC9719K in the U.S. according to the
serial number. Joaquin reports his local
group has a Canadian Fleet, a Taylor
J-2, a J-3 Cub, a Cessna 140 and a
Cessna 170. He invites EAA members
to visit when in South America. His
address is listed in Letters to the Editor.
....
14 OCTOBER 1991
With that beautiful Curtiss-Reed prop and natural brass finished The Carpathian elm instrument panel and leather trim set the
ignition harness, the engine compartment is neat as a pin. tone for the nicely appointed cockpit.
musIc store? When it came time to
overhaul the ignition harness, it was dis-
covered that it was a Jacobs part, and
made out of solid brass. To work out all
the little dents and dings that inevitably
find their way into an item like that, the
music shop was found to have all sorts
of neat tools to put the brass back in
shape. Small expander type tools were
fitted into the tubing, just as though they
were working on a tuba or a French
hom. To finish it off, the harness was
polished to a high sheen. It looked so
nice when it came back, Jerry left it as
is to complement the polished
aluminum of the propeller and other
engine compartment items. The other
polished brass item, the Pitot tube, is an
original strut-mounted piece.
With a full electrical system, Jerry's
Waco has a set of original wing and tail
lights by Grimes. The wing lights have
a 45 degree socket to mount on the
leading edge of the wing, and the light
mounted on the top of the rudder fea-
tures the then standard post mount to fit
in the rudder spar. A full radio package,
including a transponder, enables Jerry
to go anywhere in the U.S. he cares to
fly. A remote mounted ELT rounds out
the modem items.
One of the themes that Jerry and his
friends held to was the premise that they
would only do what the people at Waco
could have done in 1941, if they chose
to do so per a customer request. A few
modem concessions were chosen, such
as the fabric work, but by and large they
were able to hold to their intended
theme.
One other interesting policy was used
by Jerry in documenting the restoration.
During his search, if a questionable item
came up, he would work to have 3 dif-
ferent sources of information that back-
ed each other up. He used the drawings
available from the Smithsonian, but
since the factory would occasionally
make a running change on the line and
not document it on a drawing, they
could not always be regarded as infal-
lible. Jerry credited Ray Brandly with
being a great source of inspiration and
help during the entire 3 -1/2 years it took
to restore the biplane, and feels a debt of
gratitude to him for all he has done to
keep Wacos flying.
For all the efforts spent by Jerry and
his friends, Jerry's UPF-7 was awarded
the Champion Customized Aircraft
trophy. I'll bet Clayton Brukner would
have approved! ...
For more information on the Waco,
contact the National Waco Club, 700
Hill Avenue, Hamilton, OH 45015.
Another group ofWaco enthusiasts is
the International Waco Association,
P.D. Box 2065 - WACO, Terre Haute,
IN 47802. Please include an SASE
when requesting membership infor-
mation from these clubs.
18 OCTOBER 1991
This story does not begin a few short
years ago. It goes back nearly twenty
years to when our major participant, R.
W. (Buzz) Kaplan, and his multi-
talented chief mechanic, Gary Under-
land, became aware of a 1929 Curtiss
Robin that was slowly being restored in
Osseo, Minnesota. The man behind the
budding restoration was Norm Sten
(EAA 7735), antiquer extraordinaire and
donor of the EAA Foundation's Lincoln
PT-K and Tank-engine powered Curtiss
Robin , NC50H . (See VINTAGE
AIRPLANE, February, 1991)
Our subject, award-winning Curtiss
Robin, NC292E, SIN 130, was com-
pleted on April 26, 1929 in its St. Louis,
Missouri factory, where it was assigned
to the Curtiss Robertson Flying Service
as a B model Robin with a 90 hp OX-5
engine. Some 17 years later, it was con-
verted to a B-2 model by Edgar B. Todd
of Billings, Montana, who installed a
115 hp "Tank" engine on July 16, 1946.
George Carver of Highwood, Mon-
tana, converted the Robin to a sprayer
by installing a 220 hp Continental R-
670 on June 9, 1952. It remained in this
Buzz Kaplan,
Gary Underland
and the
Curtiss Robin J6-5
by Norm Petersen
(Above) Gary Underland and Buzz Kaplan show off the Lindbergh Trophy presented to
them at EAA Oshkosh '91 tor winning the Silver Age Antique Championship.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19
"heavy hauler" configuration until
Nonn Sten purchased the Robin in 1961
with the idea of returning it to B-2 status
with a Tank engine restoration. In ad-
dition to the Robin, Nonn had accumu-
lated a set of "previously owned" Edo
2665 floats with Curtiss Robin rigging.
This was the "trigger" that set the future
course for Curtiss Robin, NC292E.
Any person who has ever come in
contact with R. W. (Buzz) Kaplan (EAA
70086, AIC 8609) of Owatonna, Min-
nesota, knows without the slightest
doubt that he is a seaplane "aficionado"
of the first order! (It has been rumored
that his toes are fully webbed by now!)
Buzz always feels that an airplane that
can't be put on floats is sort of a social
outcast. He has owned any number of
floatplanes, up to and including a tur-
bine-powered Cessna Caravan mounted
on the prototype Wipline amphib floats.
Previous chronicles by this author in
SPORT AVIATION and VINTAGE
AIRPLANE include the restoration of
Waco YKS-6, "Old Barbeque" on Edo
3430 floats and Buzz's Grand Cham-
pion Antique Savoia-Marchetti S56
flying boat amphibian, which went on
Buzz shows the reliable (as long as the "startee" holds up!) inertia starter for the Wright
J6-S.
to score a Grand Slam for only the failing and he decided to sell the Robin
second time in history when it also won and the floats to Buzz Kaplan. The
the FAI "Phoenix" award in internation- Robin was in fairly good shape for
al competition, having garnered the rebuilding, however, the Edo 2665
AAA Championship award the pre- floats looked like the last rose of sum-
vious year. mer - only the most determined (and
By 1974, Nonn Sten's health was stubborn) restorers would have at-
c
.g
c
'>
..
""
2l
Just when he needed them, a company named Coker started One of the busiest collections of struts on a cabin monoplane!
making just the right kind of smooth tread tires that were
needed to complete the restoration.
20 OCTOBER 1991
tempted to rebuild such merchandise.
As the Robin restoration slowly
progressed with Gary Underland (EAA
43898) putting his expertise to good
use, the hammer fell! It was discovered
the Tank engine had a severe crack in
the crankcase and was near hopeless.
Realizing the 115 hp Tank engine
would be rather weak for float opera-
tions, it was decided to look for a Wright
J6-5 engine of 165 hp and restore the
Robin as a J-l model. The search
began.
All inquiries regarding Wright J6-5
engines seemed to lead back to one
place; Ft. Calhoun, Nebraska, and a
Robin enthusiast named John Rathjen.
John (EAA 2576, A/C 272) had ac-
cumulated parts and pieces from five
J6-5 engines besides the one he had used
in his beautiful restoration of Curtiss
Robin, NC766M, which garnered the
Silver Age Champion Trophy at EAA
Oshkosh '81 (see VINTAGE
AIRPLANE January '83). One of the
extra engines had supposedly been
owned by Douglas "Wrong Way" Cor-
rigan at some time in the past.
Now the problem. John Rathjen was
interested in selling his mint condition
Curtiss Robin with the extra engines and
numerous extra parts as an added in-
ducement - a tantalizing deal, indeed!
However, Buzz Kaplan was interested
in buying the spare engines and parts as
he already owned a Curtiss Robin in the
process of restoration. The equivalent
of a Mexican stand off developed!
Negotiations continued.
As the years went by, Buzz could see
the Robin was getting ready for an en-
gine, the time was getting ripe! The
restoration had been in process for over
a dozen years and something had to be
done - it was either fish, or cut bait.
Buzz swallowed hard and proceeded to
make an offer for John Rathjen's Robin,
spare engines and parts - the whole
works. A deal was struck and the Robin
(NC766M) was flown to Owatonna,
MN along with a truckload of engines
and parts.
The quality of John Rathjen's work,
along with his son, Bill (EAA 122305),
was quickly substantiated when Buzz
flew the Robin to EAA Oshkosh' 89 and
promptly won the Silver Age Champion
trophy. While at Oshkosh, an
Australian named Jeff Davis inquired
about buying NC766M from Buzz
Kaplan and a deal was struck. Back in
Owatonna, Gary Underland carefully
dismantled the Robin and mounted the
parts in a huge ship container. With
extra room left over, Gary negotiated to
sell his own Aeronca 7 AC project to Jeff
Davis also. Result - he packed the
Champ in the same container and the
whole works was shipped to Australia.
Needless to say, a very happy Jeff Davis
is now flying the only Curtiss Robin in
all of Australia and "enjoying it immen-
sely" as the Aussies say.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the
project Robin was progressing and Gary
Underland began working on putting a
Wright J6-5 together from the many
parts and pieces. Realizing the skills
needed with the old five-banger, he
shipped it to Florida where Mike Con-
ners, who runs a father, son, wife opera-
tion, finished the overhaul and
assembly. A matching Hamilton Stand-
ard ground adjustable prop was located
at Forrest Lovley's place near Jordan,
MN and after purchase, was redone by
Kenny Maxwell's Prop Shop in Min-
neapolis. The prop had been installed
on Richard Bach's Parks P-2 biplane at
one time!
Although the late Norm Sten had
started rebuilding the woodwork on the
fuselage, Gary Underland had to finish
the job, replacing some bulkheads and
fmishing the stringers. When every-
thing was varnished and the many small
interior jobs were done, it was time to
consider covering.
The Robin was covered with Grade A
fabric and finished in Randolph
butyrate dope - with much sanding and
polishing. The colors are burnt orange
and Cub yellow. A matching enamel
was found in Martin Senour acrylic
which covered the metal parts of the
aircraft. Gary says he found many
original paint chips on the airplane, but
they were all different colors! Ah, the
joys of restoring an old airplane.
Working from a set of Robin
blueprints obtained from Dick Fisher in
Lancaster, CA, Gary was able to fabri-
cate a new tailskid which is suspended
by rubber doughnuts in compression.
An optional tail wheel is also available
for use when the aircraft is not being
judged on authenticity. He also made
an aluminum frame to enclose the large
inspection panel that is laced to the
fuselage, just under the stabilizer. The
rawhide lacing goes around hooks that
are put on with special pop rivets into
the aluminum frame. (Such authentic
laced panels always catch the judge's
eye.)
One more contribution from John
Rathjen was a very substantial motor
mount jig which Gary put to good use in
building up the mount for the J6-5 en-
gine. A close inspection of the welding
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21
reveals the hand of an artist - so typical
of Gary Underland and his workman-
ship. He also welded in two new pieces
of tubing on each side of the windshield
posts. These had been replaced at some
earlier time and Gary was not satisfied
with the quality of the weldments. One
mandatory item that was also taken care
of - seaplane fittings were installed!
A complete new exhaust manifold
was fabricated and carefully colored
with oil while still hot, to get that
"blued" look. Again, the excellent
welding by Gary is so evident. The
plate glass in the forward windows was
all replaced while plexiglass was used
on the side windows in the cabin. The
traditional wicker seats were entirely
redone with new wicker, a tricky piece
of work by itself.
By a stroke of luck, a company by the
name of Coker started making antique
smooth tread auto tires about the time
Buzz was looking for a set. These tires
also fit Curtiss Robins! The smooth
tires really give the airplane that antique
look - a point well noticed by the judges.
One more point was the Curtiss Robin
logo on the tail that was carefully
painted by Dennis Dunkirk of Owaton-
na, MN. Such detail work is what es-
tablishes award winning airplanes.
At Oshkosh, Buzz reported about
four hours of flight time on the Robin.
He readily admitted the starting proce-
dures were not totally worked out. The
combination of a hand cranked inertia
starter and the proper priming of the
engine gave rise to many grunts and
groans, blue smoke and hard work to get
the old girl running. However,
everybody is moving up the learning
curve and success is improving with
each starting experience.
Between now and next summer the
really difficult work will be forthcom-
ing. Gary and Buzz hope to finish the
huge job of rebuilding the Edo 2665
floats (new bulkheads, new skins, etc.)
and mounting the Robin on them for a
summer of float flying - circa 1929. All
of us look forward to the graceful old
cabin job, with its orange and yellow
paint scheme, entering the harbor at Bill
Brennand's seaplane base and slowly
taxiing to the dock, the J6-5 ticking over
slowly. Oshkosh '91 is over and we can
hardly wait for Oshkosh '92. It's called
anticipation! .....
22 OCTOBER 1991
Curtiss Robin Background
by Norm Petersen
Introduced in March of 1928, the
Curtiss Robin was one of the most sig-
nificant aircraft designs of the 1920's.
A three-place cabin monoplane, the
Robin represented a trend toward the
"modern" airplane as we know it today.
Up until this time, most aircraft were
open cockpit biplanes - a legacy of
World War I.
Several parameters were used out of
necessity in the design of the Curtiss
Robin. First, the aircraft would have to
out perform the majority of the biplanes
in use, especially in the area of pas-
senger comfort! Second, the
powerplant would have to be the 90 hp
Curtiss OX -5 - of which thefactory had
1150 brand new examples on hand, left
over from WW-I. Third, the Robin
would have to be designed with excel-
lent flying characteristics and a long
term service life to win over the hearts
of the pilots and potential buyers.
The Robin was probably the most
completely engineered private plane of
its day. It was designed at the Curtiss
Aeroplane and Motor Company, Inc.
plant at Garden City, L. I., by an en-
gineering group composed of men who
had designed and engineered the well-
known Curtiss Hawk pursuits. All
Curtiss aircraft were named for birds
such as Falcon, Condor, Lark and
Oriole. The name "Robin" seemed to
fit a first time civilian aircraft to be built
for the growing public airplane market.
Every part of the Robin was built to
standards customarily employed in
military designs. The Robin's
aerodynamics were very thoroughly
tested in the Curtiss wind tunnel.
Numerous experiments, design chan-
ges and wing and cabin arrangements
were tried and the best one fmally used.
Particular attention was paid to control
surface design.
The fuselage, made entirely of welded
steel tubing, was braced by the Warren
Truss method, eliminating all wires and
their subsequent adjustments. "Alclad",
so new at the time that trade descriptions
carried an explanation ofwhat it was, was
utilized wherever other metals had been
used before. Alclad was also used as
wing rib material.
The 41 foot semi-cantilever wing,
which employed the Curtiss C-72 air-
foil, was braced by two struts on each
side, the upper extremity attaching to
an auxiliary structure which used two
streamlined wires to form a rigid "box"
which reduced any wing twisting mo-
ments, especially during full aileron
deflection (this same system was used
on early Bellanca cabin aircraft).
Ailerons and control surfaces were un-
balanced, but designed to give full con-
trol at the stall, with low stick loads
over the entire speed range.
Fuel for the Robin was carried in
welded aluminum tanks set in each
wing root and were available in two
sizes, giving a total of 30 or 50 gallons.
The first four Robins were built and
tested at the Curtiss, Long Island, New
York plant. Not wanting this new com-
mercial venture to interfere with
military production, a completely new
company - Curtiss-Robertson Airplane
Manufacturing Co. - was formed and a
new plant erected at Anglum, Missouri,
near St. Louis, for construction in quan-
tities. Production was begun in mid-
1928 on the OX-5 powered version of
the Robin, which lasted until 1929,
when the old familiar horsepower race
began and larger engines came on the
scene. The Curtiss Challenger radial
engine of 165/170 hp was installed on
many Robins, improving the perfor-
mance of the three-placer and giving
rise to a series of endurance flights that
were notably "one upmanship"! First
was the 150 hour mark followed by a
246 hour flight set by Reinhart and
Mendell. Jackson and O'Brine estab-
lished a record of 420 hours aloft in
1929, the mark standing until 1930
when the Hunter brothers remained
aloft for 533 hours in a Stinson
Detroiter. However, Jackson and 0'-
Brine secured another Challenger
Robin and took off on July 21, 1930 for
a record flight of 647 hours, 28 minutes
and 30 seconds!
Curtiss Robins have been powered
with Wright J6-5 engines, Warner en-
gines of various horsepower and many
have used 220 hp engines in difficult
and challenging jobs. It is primarily the
result of the excellent stress analysis
and substantial engineering in the early
stages of design that allowed these
modifications over the years. As the
oldtimers have said for years, "The
Curtiss Robin was built hell-for-stout!"
The famous flight of "Wrong Way
Corrigan" was made from New York to
Ireland in a J6-5 powered Curtiss
Robin in 1938, the flight lasting 28
hours and 13 minutes. No other
airplane has come close to such a long
trip while going the "wrong way". It
is all part of history! .....
PASS IT TO
--rJuck
An information exchange column with input from readers.
September! Already? The fmal fall
Fly-Ins are fast diminishing from the
scene. In the past few weeks since I got
back from fishing it seems like the time
has really gotten away from me.
Soon after I got back here, I packed a
bag and had John Kuranz, (A/C 7946)
of Barrington, IL fly me over to Jack-
son, Michigan so I could repossess my
Champ, and work on my Fleet. Brian
Van Wagner, Joe Knight and the boys
were having so much fun "Clunking
Around" as they call it, they never
delivered it to me at Oshkosh like they
were supposed to.
I hadn't been there 10 minutes and I
HAD to get it off the ground. What a
sweetheart. There's nothing like a
Champ for airport hopping and just
visiting with the friendlies at all the little
strips around the area. With two '41
Chiefs leading the way, we went
"Clunkin'" every evening for the next
five days. I took time out from the Fleet
to fix a leaking gas tank and Brian and
I painted the belly of the Champ orange,
so now I have an off colored Ocala
Orange Champ with an International
Orange belly. It may not be the exact
color but it's the right color scheme and
it heads off the question, "Is that a Piper
Cub?"
I did manage to wreck the Fleet a
little. I didn't like the oil tank or the
engine controls hookups, so I dis-
mangled them. I also removed the mag-
netic compasses and the seatbelts for
rebuild and replacement. Wag-Aero re-
webbed the belts for me and even
replaced the leather buckle guards and
they came out beautiful. So much better
than the worse for wear military. The
compasses were both almost dry, so
they are at the shop being overhauled.
I contacted George Gregory, the Fleet
Club President, and asked him for draw-
ings of the original oil tank. He didn't
have them, so I called Bob Von Willer
out in California. He is searching!
Meanwhile, he aced me out of a Y-150
starter to put on Hiroshi Morita's Fleet
Two. Anything to help keep an airplane
in flying condition.
Then I flew home in the Champ and
I must admit there is something very
peaceful about enjoying the scenery
passing by at seventy mph. There is also
a tremendous sense of accomplishment
traversing under ARSAs and TCAs,
knowing that because you don't have an
electrical system, you are EXEMPT!
More phone calls than letters the past
month. Bill Rausch from upstate New
York, the Thousand Island country,
called about his Aeronca C-1 replica
plans. It was real nice hearing about his
plane to build a C-1 replica. I'd like to
see it happen.
Chuck Burtch, from Phoenix, New
York, not too far from Bill Rausch, sent
me a very interesting article about "Buzz"
Wagner. Seems Buzz was flying his
Aeronca Super Chief on floats when he
was involved in a mid-air with a Cessna
150. Both landed safely, with Buzz's tail-
feathers hanging in shreds, and the ISO's
prop all twisted and the windshield busted
out. It was a pretty close call for the old
"Buzzard" and the Aeronca Lovers of the
world, including me, heave a sigh of
relief. (Me too! - HGF) Oh yes, this all
happened August 24th at Pelican Lake,
South Dakota, near Watertown.
Chuck also sent along a three-view
drawing of a Fleet Two. Thanks,
Chuck, maybe after I get the real one
flying I'll build that model.
Been attending a few local fly-ins.
It's great to be back in the wing of things
again. Some of my neighbors, Dennis
and Debbie Jankowski had a picnic and
invited the entire local flying com-
munity. We had a great time. Then last
weekend it was out to Brodhead, Wis-
consin for their annual. The Antiques
and Classics were there in force. Art
Morgan, George Daubner, Bob Brauer
and several other of the Antique and
Classic crowd were there, including
your editor and mine, H.G. Frautschy,
plus Gene Chase and Norm Petersen.
I'm sure you'll see pictures and articles
on several of the airplanes there, espe-
cially the Lincoln Sport biplane
prototype and the "Hisso" Travel Air
that belong to Dennis Trone. Dennis is
by Buck Hilbert
(EAA 21 , Ale 5)
P.O. Box 424
Union, IL 60180
a riverboat Captain on the Mississippi
who is first an A viator and then a Sailor.
Wait 'till you see that little Lincoln
Sport. What a cute little machine!
One of the topics of conversation was
the FAA man who is bent upon ground-
ing every airplane he comes into contact
with. This guy is apparently determined
to put us all out of business. He recent-
ly, according to the rampant rumor,
grounded a whole line ofsmall airplanes
because they had AC gascolators in-
stalled and supposedly, he claims, these
are automotive and therefore not ap-
proved for aircraft installation.
This is a real touchy area. Somehow
the idea that the manufacturer can get an
aircraft certificated as a whole and yet
the individual parts are not certificated
seems ridiculous! Yet it happens. I've
just read of similar circumstances in the
Navion Newsletter, where certain re-
placement parts are not considered
PMA-ed, although they come from ven-
dors and distributors who sold them to
the original manufacturers. How do we
get through to these people?
One bright ray ofsunshine! One of our
aircraft restorers told me a local FSDO
inspector who is quite new to the game,
called to tell him he was about to inspect
a Culver Cadet. He called to ask our
friend what it looked like so he wouldn't
feel too foolish when he did the inspec-
tion. That I like! At least he was earnest
in seeking advice and not ashamed to
admit his inexperience. I'm sure we
would all help a FAA inspector who came
to us with that kind of question, eh?
A nice letter from Al Meyer arrived.
Al is from Panacea, Florida, near Tal-
lahasse. He has his Aeronca C-3 flying
at last. He is having a little trouble
believing its performance which is
something less than an F-16, but never-
less, it IS flying! Al Fitzgerald was a
big help in getting this one into the air.
Father Tom Rowland writes that he
missed Oshkosh and that he is waiting
patiently to read all about it in SPORT
A VIATION and VINTAGE
AIRPLANE. Me too, Father Tom!
Over to you! .....
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23
AGRICULTURE TAKES TO THE AIR-
The First Crop Duster
\
1 \
Sometime in 1920, C. R. Neillie of
the Cleveland Parks Department con-
tacted the Ohio Agricultural Experi-
ment Station in Wooster, OH with an
interesting idea. Mr. Neillie had be-
come frustrated trying to spray tall trees
and remote areas of the Cleveland parks
to combat insect infestations. He
wanted to know if the station could
devise some way to drop "insect
poison" from a balloon, dirigible or one
of the new flying machines. J. S.
Houser of the Entomology Department
agreed to take on the project. In order
to obtain an airplane and qualified pilot,
an agreement was arranged between the
station and the Air Services Engineer-
ing Division, U. S. War Department,
McCook Field, Dayton, Ohio. The pilot
assigned to the project was 1st Lieut. J.
A. Macready. Actual work was started
in the summer of 1921.
The airplane used for the test was a
Curtiss IN-6 Army biplane. A sheet
metal hopper was constructed to hold
about 135 pounds of arsenate of lead
obtained from the Sherwin-Williams
Paint Company of Cleveland, OH. A
hand crank and chain apparatus turned
a rotating vane in the bottom of the
24 OCTOBER 1991
By Bob Whitmoyer
Historical Records Officer
Ohio Agricultrural Research
and Development Center!
Ohio State University Wooster, OH
hopper to push the powder out and into
the slipstream of the airplane. The hand
crank was turned by a second person
riding in the rear cockpit of the airplane.
An initial test was made in late July of
1921 using lime. The test was run over
the landing field at Dayton. The lime
produced a cloud of "dust" that settled
to the ground but the crank proved too
hard to operate. This was corrected by
reducing the size of the rotary vane by
one-half. More tests were being con-
sidered when an actual opportunity to
do this for real came up unexpectedly.
H. B. Carver of nearby Troy, Ohio had
a 6 acre Catalpa tree grove that was
about to be completely defoliated for the
second time that year by the Catalpa
Sphinx caterpillar. Mr. Carver asked if
they would be willing to try out their
ideas on his wood lot. It was either that
or a lot of dead Catalpa trees! So, based
on one test that showed the hopper
worked and the plane didn't crash over
a level landing field, pilot J. A.
The Curtiss IN-6 used for the first cropdust-
ing tests.
Macready and 1. S. Houser agreed to try.
At 3:00 p.m. on August 3, 1921, all
was ready. Macready had made a care-
ful ground inspection of the woodlot. J.
S. Houser commented that "Although
the ground inspection seems to be of
considerable value to the aviators, it
may not be essential." A Lt. Kelly and
a Capt. A. W. Stevens, aerial
photographic staff, were standing by
with a DeHavilland airplane to take air
photos of the trial. The hopper was
loaded with 135 pounds of arsenate of
lead. Macready commented later that
this caused the plane to pull to the right,
but not too badly! A Mr. Dormoy
climbed aboard to operate the hopper
crank and they were off. (Editor's Note:
The Mr. Dormoy referred to here is
believed to be Etienne Dormoy, later of
"Domory Bathtub" fame.)
J. S. Houser and his crew were in the
middle of the grove of trees in position
to observe if any of the insect poison
settled onto the trees.
Now, folks, J. A. Macready was no
wimp when it came to flying. He
circled the grove a couple of times and
then banked around to the windward
side of the trees from about a mile away.
c:
o
o
o
1st Lt. J.A. Macready makes a pass above the Catalpa trees while Etienne Dormoy cranks away at the hopper to create a cloud
of insecticide.
Macready opened
the throttle on the
Curtiss and brought
the plane by the
grove at 80 miles per
hour, 25 feet off the
ground, while Mr.
Dormoy cranked
away. The 80 mph
slipstream combined
with the propwash
made a wonderful
cloud of dust which
settled gently over
the trees. As Mac-
ready banked the
plane around and up-
ward, he noted two
things. The first pass
had taken 9 seconds
and it must have
been successful as he
could see Houser and
his crew "fleeing for
their very lives out
c:
the far side of the
o
.,
.!
o
grove to escape the
o
cloud of poison."
o
grove at tree top height while they
emptied the hopper. The total dusting
time was 54 seconds, immediately es-
tablishing a world's record for speed of
insecticide application on forest areas.
The results were astounding and far
exceeded everyone's wildest expecta-
tions. Forty-eight hours later J. S.
Houser recorded these comments
during his inspection of the grove:
"Hanging on the trees, foliage, fence
posts and weeds, and lying on the forest
floor were millions of dead and dying
caterpillars. Less than one percent of
the caterpillars remained alive. As an
entomologist I was both repulsed by the
destruction and elated by the success of
the experiment."
The word of this experiment took the
nation by storm and "airplane dusting"
became famous nearly overnight.
Houser gave talks at national meetings
that winter and in March of 1922 the
experiment was written up in the pres-
tigous National Geographic with
worldwide circulation. Almost lost to
history is the name of the first crop
duster, J. A. Macready, and the en-
Five more times tomologist who made it possible, J. S.
B
Macready brought Houser of the Ohio Agricultural Experi-
The hopper and crank designed and buiH by Etienne Dormoy.
the plane across the ment Station, Wooster, Ohio. .....
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25
New
Products
THE ULTIMATE DZUS TOOL
Are you tired of scratches in your
finish because you slipped with your
stubby screwdriver while turning a
Dzus fastener on your cowl? Charles
Dickey has the answer. The "Ultimate
Dzus Tool" is fashioned from 4130 heat
treated steel, with an injection molded
handle. Light weight and small enough
to fit in your pocket, this tool is reminis-
cent of a tool North American (and I'm
sure many other manufacturers) sup-
plied to their workers during WW II.
With two different radius' on the tool,
you'll have "the right tool for the job",
as they used to say in A&P school.
$25.00, postpaid in the U.S. (Calif. resi-
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dents add $5.00 for shipping). Order
from: Charles Dickey, 246 S. Empire
St., Anaheim, CA 92804
SERENGETISUNGLASSES
VFR flight can result in some of the
most demanding visual conditions en-
countered - a hazy day with bright sun-
light can make it tough to spot other
traffic or landmarks. In the 1980's, the
use of a brown or amber lens to cut
through the haze became popular with
pilots. With the production of the Corn-
ing Serengeti Driver, a variety of fea-
tures have been brought together to
make them an excellent choice for the
pilot. The pair I used this summer fea-
tured a strong welded frame that resisted
distortion, and the frame held its adjust-
ment to my face without changing every
time you put them back in the case. The
sunglasses also feature a gradient lens,
allowing the instrument panel to be seen
easily. The strongest item in my book
was the enhanced ability to see items in
a hazy sky while in flight. The
photochromatic amber lens darkened
enough while in the cockpit, and the
increased defmition of the clouds was
an added bonus that miss when I don't
have them on. I used to wear a grey-
green lens, but no longer. VFR flying
doesn't require a lot ofspecial tools, and
this is one I do not want to part with.
A vailable nationwide from optical
stores, as well as many aviation
retailers.
-H.G. Frautschy
26 OCTOBER 1991
Book
Reviews
FLYWORD PUZZLES
by "Buddy Bob" Gardner
Book Review? I'm puzzled!
Our VINTAGE AIRPLANE Editor
H.G., handed me a booklet a month or
so back, during Oshkosh, and I really
didn't have time to look at it. He said
something like," Since you are a
crossword puzzle nut, let me know what
you think of this."
Well, like so many of these things, I
shelved it. Not really, Ijust put it on that
pile ofstuff I want to read, someday, and
left it there until that time.
The time came! Came because of a
phone message from H.G. asking me
what I thought of it. I rummaged
through the pile and there it was! Now
for a quiet few moments to pore over it,
I ducked into the bathroom. I often use
the bathroom as a library, and especially
when I work my morning crossword
puzzle.
The "Library" provided a few
minutes that turned into a few more
minutes while I worked some of these
fascinating Aviation Puzzles. I was
really intrigued! The puzzles cover all
facets of Aviation. General Aviation,
Antique and Classic, Commercial A via-
tion, Warbirds, Person's name and
Nicknames, Airports, Military,
Weather, and even the Cockpit.
Hey! The jargon is great, the subjects
are what we all like, and it turns out to
be a real challenge! I must admit I get a
real kick out of working these puzzles,
and I find they educate you as well with
the answers on the last pages. So you
can always say, " I knew that! I just
couldn't think of it!"
Want some fun and a chance to get
educated? Try Flyword Puzzles, and
think of Buck when you're in your
"Library" doing your thing!
-Buck Hilbert
A vailable for $8.95, postpaid, from
Flyword Puzzles, P.O. Box 37527,
Omaha, NE 68137.
PIPER CUB ERA
at Nicolet Airport -
by Beverly M. Butler
If, per chance, you should ever meet
a pilot from the "Green Bay Area" of
northeast Wisconsin and the name,
Nicolet Airport, is mentioned, you will
be in for quite a dissertation on how
things were when flying was fun. And
much of the conversation will revolve
around a gentleman who made it so -
Beverly M. Butler - one time airport
manager and flight instructor ex-
traodinaire.
Fortunately for all of us, Bev Butler
has written a 200 page book on his ex-
periences during the six years he
managed the Nicolet Airport and, best
of all, probably touched more people's
lives in a positive way than at any time
in his life. Granted that he was an ex-
cellent pilot and top flight instructor, but
most of all, was his unique insight into
the wants, needs and desires of his
many, many students. They enjoyed
(and learned) so much about flying that
they have become permanent ambas-
sadors for grass roots aviation. The
benefits of his endeavors are still being
enjoyed today, nearly thirty years later.
As one who learned about flying in
the "Piper Cub Era" of the 1950's and
1960's, I can truthfully say that Beverly
Butler tells of his experiences exactly
like it was in those days. There is no
embellishment in the 150 stories in his
book, he tells it straight from the heart
in a most delightful manner. I found the
book fascinating from cover to cover
and impossible to put down until
finished. PIPER CUB ERA at Nicolet
Airport is highly recommended reading
for the true grass roots flier.
- Norm Petersen
Available at $14.95 plus $3.00 S & H
from EAA Mail Order Department, P.O.
Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086 or
call toll free: 1-800-843-3612.
by Walter McNeil
EAA363051
4506 Dolphin Place
Corpus Christi, TX 78411
Continuing our occasional
presentation of Snap-on's "Hints
For Homebuilders ", here's an item
that many A&P's have used for
years, as related to us by member
Walter McNeil
When doing restoration on my 1946
Ercoupe 415-C-D, I often run into stub-
born screws not defeated by penetrating
oil. I have found that by wetting the tip
of my screwdriver with valve grinding
compund, the grip on the screw im-
proves, and most screws come out
without "buggering" the screw head or
requiring major surgery.
Readers are invited to submit entries to
EAA, Hints For Homebuilders, Att:
Golda Cox, EAA Aviation Center, P.O.
Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086.
Entries will be reviewed by a panel of
EAA judges. Readers whose hints are
published in any EAA magazine will be
awarded one of three monthly prizes -
a 3/8" Drive Socket Wrench Set, a 1/4"
Drive Socket Wrench Set or a Nine-
piece Long-Handle Combination Wrench
Set. The contest will run from August
through July of each year with a Grand
Prize of a Snap-on Tools KR657 Roll
Cab and KR637 Top Chest being
awarded the best entry for the year.
This award will be presented during the
EAA Convention. Our thanks go to
Snap-on Tools for providing the awards.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
October 19 - Hampton, NH. EAA
A/C Chapter 15 1st Annual Pumpkin
Patch Pancake Fly-In. Call 207/967-
5415 for more information.
October 19 - Kerrville, TX - 27th
Annual EAA Southwest Regional Fly-
In. Contact: 800/221-7958.
October 19 - Evergreen, AL.
Evergreen regional EAA Chapters Fly-
In. Aircraft camping, R.V. Grounds
nearby, motels. Dinner Sat. night.
Breakfast both Sat. and Sun. AlC Judg-
ing and static displays. Contact: Bubba
Hamiter, P.O. Box 1551, Monroeville,
AL 36461 or Evergreen Airport,
205/578-1274.
October 19 - Bellanca/Champion
Club Regional Fly-In and meeting for
members living in the southwestern
U.S. If you plan to attend, please notify
in advance: Joe Field, P.O. Box 3729,
Kingman, AZ 86402 602/753-7654
(evenings).
October 25 - 27 - Reklaw, TX. EAA
Chapter 727 Fly-In and Campout at
Flying M Ranch. For more informa-
tion, call Judy or Dave Mason at
409/369-4362.
October 26-27 - Hickory, North
Carolina, Municipal Airport. 6th An-
nual Fly-In, sponsored by EAA Chap-
ter 731. Awards for homebuilts,
antiques, classics and warbirds. Static
display of military aircraft, fly-bys, and
banquet. Contact Doug Teague, days
704/751-3598 or evenings, Norman
Rainwater, 704-328-5807.
October 27 - Sussex, NJ. EAA
Chapter 891 3rd Annual Great Pumpkin
Fly-In. Contact: 201/875-7337, or 875-
9359 for more information.
October 31- November 1 - Jack-
son, MS. Swift Fly-In, Slobovia Out-
ernational Open House '91. Call D.
Upton 601/879-3655 or E. Mahaffey
601/879-3357 for information.
WELCOME
NEW MEMBERS
More and more Antique and Classic enthusiasts are signing up to join EAA's Antique/Classic Division. To help you
sponsor your friends and your neighbor at the airport, and earn gifts from the Division, use the tan insert included in this issue
of VINTAGE AIRPLANE. You can earn 1 full year of Antique/Classic membership by sponsoring 3 new members!
Here are the latest additions:
Aakre, Leann S. A. San Diego, CA Frenzel, CarlO. Grand Prairie, TX McDivitt, James A. Arlington, V A
Adrion, Janeen Winter Haven, FL Gray, Don Houston, TX
McKean,Graeme T.
Baird, Lawrence J. Huntington Beach, CA Grooms, H. P. Leesburg, FL Parksville, B. C., Canada
Belisle, Barry A. Woodland, CA Grubb, Norman L. McComb, OH McMillan, James A. Kent, W A
Bengston, Jim F. Longmont, CO
Guizzardi, Fernando Pergamino, Argentina
McNeal, Staff Sgt. John H. APO - AE, NY
Blackman, Robert L. New London, OH
Hamilton, J. Joe Baton Rouge, LA McNutt, Robert Amarillo, TX
Blankenship, Raymond C. Hanahan, SC
Harris, Hubert J. Cumberland, MD Morgan, William R. Paragould, AR
Blomquist, Dennis J. Arroya Grande, CA
Harrison, Arthur L. Ames, IA Moxley, Arthur W. Maple Valley, WA
Bolin, William Coldwater, MI Hartman, Ernest C. Creamridge, NJ Nardi, Raymond B. Millville, NJ
(Sponsor: Dave Bennett)
Hilsendeger, Robert E. Fargo, ND Nelson, David A. Arden Hills, MN
Brown, Mike A. Oshkosh, WI
Hixon, Fred Phoenix, AZ
Nisbet, Matthew Leland, ll.,
Burgess, John H. Virginia, MN
(Sponsor: Jeff McKeever) Noyes, Daniel W. Vacaville, CA
Cell, David S. Tempe,AZ
Hoag, Michael R. Augusta, MI Packard, Paul L. Wellington, KS
Chastain, Terry R. Houston, TX
Jefferies, Mark Graham
Pardee, Douglas L. Wilmington, NC
Chiodo, Tom A. Memphis, TN
Little Gansden Airfield, England Pickard, Nancy J. Winneconne, WI
Chivens, David E. Mission Viejo, CA
Jeffries, Mark Little Gansden Airfield, Platner, Gary L. Double Oak, TX
Coates, Billy Denham Springs, LA
England
Reynolds, David Lawrenceville, GA
Cutler, Richard F. Dublin, PA
Kowalczyk, Edward W. Benson, AZ
Reynolds, Ron E. Westport, CT
D' Angelo, Dennis L. Glen Carbon, ll., (Sponsor: Walter Kowalczyk)
Riley, David K. Paducah, KY
Dachille, Frank Johnstown, PA Kram, Remco Hackensack, NJ
Roth, Donald C. Norwalk,OH
Dailey, Donald Russell Leesburg, VA Kreydich, Frank Oak Lawn, ll.,
Rundstrom, C. R. Keamey,NE
Daley, Francis James Frenchtown, NJ Smith, Melvin Woodstock, GA
Krumlauf, John Nashport,OH
(Sponsor: Bob Smith)
Larsen, Chuck Oshkosh, WI Snow, John W. Macon, ll.,
Demarco, Gene Rhinebeck, NY (Sponsor: H.G. Frautschy)
Swenty, Jim J. De Pere, WI
Donnelly, Andrew J. Staten Island, NY
Leiser,Don Bethlehem, PA
Tenney, Jr., Charles M. Plymouth, MA
(Sponsor: Bob Smith) Leon, Charles J. Forked River, NJ
Thompson, Matthew V. Madison, NJ
Easter, Marvin Columbus, OH Liu, Weston B.
Nashua, NH West, Harry
Sonoma,CA
Engler, Nick West Milton, OH Manning, Robert
Briantree, MA Wilkens, Delbert D.
Elk City, KS
Evans, Rex O. Hawkes Bay, New Zealand Manzo, Anthony B.
Gainesville, GA Yandrasevich, Daniel
Oakland, NJ
Fassino, Franco B. Renaca, Chile Marschke, Ernest
Sussex, WI Young, Ben
Los Osos, CA
Fratelli, Alfonse Dover, DE Matthews, Douglas G.
Atlanta, GA Zaro, Lynn
Lauderhill, FL
28 OCTOBER 1991
,INC.
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P.o. Box 35289 • Greensboro, NC 27425
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tips. Prepared by Tony Bingelis specifically for EAA and SPORT AVIATION.
these publications are profusely illustrated with photos, cutaway drawings
and easy to understand descriptions that clearly resolve the most compli·
cated problem. Invaluable material for anyone designing. building. restoring
or maintaining sport aircrafl. Order your copies today.
SPORTPLANE BUiLDER ......$17.95
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IA Bui lder's Handbook - 350 pages I Add S6.95 postage and handling.
Send check or money order - WI residents add WI residents add 5% sales tax .
5% sales tax. Add S2.40 postage and handling
for each oubli cat ion ordered.
Order immediately by calling EAA's Toll Free Number 1·80c)'843·3612
or call (414) 426-4800
Major cards accepted.
EAA AVIATION FOUNDATION
EM Aviation Center Oshkosh. WI 54903-3086
30 OCTOBER 1991
EMOSHKOSH '91
Aviation At Its Best
SHARE THE EXCITEMENT!
Enjoy the best aviation has to offer
at EAA OSHKOSH '91. The annual
Fly-In Convention is one of the high-
lights of the aviation year. "EAA
OSHKOSH '91, Aviation At Its Best"
features all the activities includ-
ing a salute to the Flying Tigers;
famous air racers of the 1930s;
and a patriotic tribute to the allied
air power of Operation Desert
Storm. See the latest homebuilt
designs plus antiques, classics,
ultralights, warbirds and much
more. Makes a great gift, too!
$39.95*
(*plus $3 shipping/handling)
ORDER TODAY
1-800-843-3612
(outside U.S. call 414-426-5900)
FAX orders accepted (414) 426-4873
Major credit cards accepted
Order your copy of "EM OSHKOSH '91, Aviation At Its
Best' today and your credit card will not be billed
until the tape is shipped in mid-October.
EAA AVIATION FOUNDATION
Dept. MO, p.o. Box 3065, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3065
ULTIMATE
WHEEL PANTS
or choose from stock of antiques.
homebuilts and ul tralights seamless
Wit hprimer gelcoat Cal l for free
brochure or estimate
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Where The Sellers and Buyers Meet . . .
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per word, 20 word mi nimum
Send your ad and payment to . .
THE VINTAGE TRADER
EAA Aviation Cenler,
PO Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086
• Great Labor Savings • Six Coat Appl ication
• Lightweight • Less Coats
• Positive Adhesion • Peel and Crack Resistant
The Oac-Proofer Finishing System Features:
DAC-PRDOFER- A fi rst coat special adhesive coating
of great strength and flexibility.
SPRA-FILL - A special high solid and plasticized, non-
tautening CAB dope. Combines the function of clear
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The above coatings specially designed to ensure
positive adhesion to fabric at 40°F below zero. In use
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NEW CANADIAN SERVICE
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25$ per word, $5.00 minimum charge. Send your ad to
The Vintage Trader, EAA Aviation Center, Oshkosh, Wl54903-2591 .
MISCELLANEOUS:
CURTISS JN4-D MEMORABILIA - You can
now own memorabilia from the famous
"Jenny", as seen on "TREASURES FROM
THE PAST". We have posters, postcards,
videos, pins, airmail cachets, etc. We also
have RIC documentation exdusive to this
historic aircraft. Sale of these items support
operating expense to keep this "Jenny" flying
for the aviatio public. We appreciate your
help. Write for your free price list. Virginia
Aviation Co., PDv-8, Box 294, Warrenton, VA
22186. (C/11-90)
SUPER CUB PA-18 FUSELAGES - New
manufacture, STC-PMA-d, 4130 chrome-
moly tubing throughout , also complete
fuselage repair. ROCKY MOUNTAIN
AIRFRAME INC. (J. E. Soares, Pres.), 7093
Dry Creek Rd ., Belgrade, Montana. 406-
388-6069. FAX 406/388-0170. Repair sta-
tion No. QK5R148N.
Parachutes - Toll Free 1-800-526-2822,
New & Used Parachutes. We take trade-ins,
5-year repair or replacement warranty,
many styles in stock. Parachute Associates,
Inc., 2 Unda Lane, Suite A, Vincentown, NJ
08088,609/859-3397. (C/7/92)
C-26 Champion Spark Plugs - New and
re'Xlnditioned. New - $14.75, reconditioned
- $5.75 to $9.75. Eagle Air, 2920 Emerald
Drive, Jonesboro, GA 30236, 404/478-
2310. (10-3)
AVIATION PHOTOGRAPHY - 250,000
images, 1909-91. Specialists in restora-
tion/model documentation, theme displays.
Try us for dassics, racing, personalities.
Heritage Press, Glendale, CA 91209-0167.
(1 0-1)
If you love biplanes - join us and be a part
of Biplanes Forever. Annual Convention,
quarterly newsletters, museum forthcoming,
annual membership $25.00. National
Biplane Association, Dept. VA, Jones-River-
side Airport, Tulsa, OK 74132. 918/299-
2532 or 918/742-7311. (12-3)
TOP SCALE ACCURACY RATED 1930' S
Aircraft Model Plans by Vern Clements,
EAA 9297, 308 Palo Alto, Caldwell , ID
83605. Catalog. $3.00. (12-3)
ANC-19 Bulletin - Wood Aircraft Inspec-
tion and Fabrication, 1951 edition, now
available as reprint. Early aircraft Service
Notes, rigging data, other titles available.
Send SASE for listing and prices. John W.
Grega, 355 Grand Blvd., Bedford, OH
44146. (c-3/92)
WANTED:
Want Aeronca C-3 Parts, E113 engine and
parts, Continental A-40 engine, carb, mag,
hub and parts. Young, 11 Willow Court,
Totowa, NJ 07512, 201/256-1342 (dial ac-
cess code 286 if requested). (1 0-1)
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MYSTERY PLANE
Here's a special purpose design that
will add a little variety to our Mystery
Plane series. The photo was submitted
by Pete Bowers of Seattle, Washington.
Answers will be published in the
January, 1992 issue of VINTAGE
AIRPLANE. Deadline for that issue is
November 25, 1991.
The July mystery plane is the Fair-
child 21. Marty Eisenmann of Garret-
tsville, Ohio sent a page from the
January, 1929 issue of Aero Digest
which gives a complete description of
the airplane. Quoting from the article:
"The new Fairchild 21, a two-place
low wing semi-cantilever monoplane of
simple construction, has been designed
specifically for the instruction of stu-
dent fliers. The two cockpits in tandem
are easily accessible, and the design al-
lows excellent range if vision from both.
By George Hardie
"The cockpits are so situated that the
airplane can be flown solo from either
cockpit without the use of ballast. The
dual controls located in each cockpit
include rudder pedals, brake pedals,
control sticks, throttle, mixture control,
ignition switch and gasoline shut-off
control.
"Wings are of conventional construc-
tion with box spars and spruce ribs .. .
ailerons are balanced to compensate for
yaw . . . the fuselage is constructed
entirely of welded chrome-molyb-
denum tubing, reinforced at the joints.
Tail surfaces are constructed of built-up
Alclad channels riveted together and
covered with cloth, forming stiff, light
structure.
"The landing gear is of the split-axle
type, having an unusually wide tread of
8 feet . .. Brakes of simple and positive
action are standard equipment on the
Fairchild 21. They are unusual in a
plane of this type.
"A tail wheel which replaces the con-
ventional tail skid is carried in a fork
which is free to travel the full 360
degrees.
"The Genet engine installed in the
Fairchild 21 is a five-cylinder air-
cooled, radial type. A Hamilton
wooden propeller was selected as stand-
ard equipment."
Only one was built. Evidently, the
design was a victim of the Great Depres-
sion then getting underway. Other
answers were received from Charley
Hayes, Park Forest, Illinois; Glenn Buf-
fington, El Doraro, Arkansas; Cedric
Gallowat, Hesperia, California; and
Ralph Nordell, Spokane, Washington.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 33
, -------le·-O·- ------- -
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"FAIRCHILD-21 " Low WING MONOPLANE
ENGINE-80 HoP_ "GENET"
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34 OCTOBER 1991
Antiques & Classics-
You're Welcome Here!
I s there a pilot among us whose
heart doesn't swell when a WACO,
Stearman or a pretty little Jenny
flies overhead? On the wings of
these airplanes, we all experience
the leather helmet days before
radios, nose wheels and controlled
airspace. We're fortunate your EAA
is dedicated to keeping our flying
heritage alive.
Keeping antique and classic
aircraft flying means investing
substantial money as well as time.
AVEMCO's antique and classic air-
craft coverage provides protection
of your financial investment at a
surprisingly reasonable cost. In ad-
dition to liability and hull coverage,
you can be compensated for your
labor if you make repairs yourself.
After all, who knows your airplane
better than you do?
Stop by and see us at Oshkosh.
Your antique and classic aircraft, as
well as your enthusiasm, is welcome
here.
CALL DIRECT TOOA Y FOR AN
IMMEOIA TE, NO OBLICA TlON QUOTE.
1-800-638-8440
rHf SPORT AIIATION ASSOCIA1ION
This is intended as a brief description of the coverage
INSURANCE COMPANY
offered. Certain exclusions and limitations apply. We
will be glad to send you a sample policy for your review.
By Aviation People .. .For Aviation People
AAA04·0 (6/90)
