Vintage Airplane - Apr 1990

--------------
STRAIGHT  AND LEVEL 
 
o
'<l
 
.Q
by Espie "Butch" Joyce
As many of you read this, you are
enjoying the EAA Sun ' n Fun Fly-in
in Lakeland, Florida or will have re-
turned from that event. I also realize
that there are many of our members
who could not attend this fun event due
to your work schedules. The people at
Sun 'n Fun really work their hearts out
to put on a superior show and the
weather is a welcome taste of the sum-
mer to come for northern visitors.
As I have said many times before,
there are a number of antique and
classic aircraft at Sun 'n Fun that you
will seldom see outside the Florida
area. The Sunshine State is a haven for
retired people including many with an
aviation bent. There are a number of
air-park developments with adjacent
landing strips rather than golf courses
(and in some cases, both) . One of the
finest of these air parks is Jimmy Lee-
ward's Air Ranch in Ocala. Notable
aviation personalities such as Steve
Wittman have settled there for the
winter.
Chapter One
Antique Classic Chapter One, fea-
tured in the color section of this issue
starting on page 20 hosts the Antiquel
Classic area at Sun 'n Fun. The Chap-
ter members' good leadership and hos-
pitality have made vistitors comforta-
ble for the past several years.
2 APRIL 1990
Florida fly-market
The fly-market at Sun 'n Fun is most
interesting as several old duster opera-
tions bring out years of accumulated
"wares." What 's one man's trash is
another man's treasure and nowhere is
that more true than in old aircraft resto-
ration . Make up a comprehensive wish
list and keep your eyes peeled as you
survey the mountains of grimy goodies
at the fly-market. I hope my airplane
will haul all the junk/treasure that I
hope to find at Lakeland this year.
EAA Oshkosh '90
While talking about fly-ins, let 's
discuss the upcoming event at EAA
Oshkosh '90. All your Headquarters
staff and I are certainly looking for-
ward to an even more exciting Conven-
tion this year than in the past. There
will be some changes in our area this
year, all for the good of the Antiquel
Classic Division of the EAA. First, the
EAA has acquired additional land to
the west and will be moving the Ul-
tralight area in that direction. The old
Ultralight area will be ours, expanding
our parking space to accommodate the
growing number of participants in our
division. The amount of NC merchan-
dise available to the membership will
also be expanded.
Since 163 Cessna 120/ 140 aircraft
flew in two years ago, an increasing
number of type clubs have asked to
arrive in a group . This year we have
been contacted by a group that wishes
to arrive with 22 Ryan PT-22s. In the
interest of safety, we need to limit the
number of aircraft arriving simultane-
ously to 25 .
As time progresses, we have to bend
to the pressures of legal action and lia-
bility. At times , I personally would
like to throw this type of thinking to
the wind and just not concern myself
with it, but that would not be good for
the whole division or EAA .
Parade of Flight '90
This year the Parade of Flight will
be held on Monday afternoon during
the air show. We will not be able to
re-park the participating ai rcraft until
the entire air show is completed and
the crowd has thinned . With the
number of people on the flight line dur-
ing the show, it 's just not practical to
move our aircraft through. Also, if you
think about it , it's not really consider-
ate to ask spectators to move from their
seats when some of them have staked
them out hours in advance for the best
view of the air show .
Those who want to fly in the Parade
of Flight will also need to have proof
of insurance. Please contact Phil Coul-
son in advance this year or have this
insurance paperwork with you.
One of the changing items thi s year
is that the Valley Queen riverboat has
been sold. This means that we will not
be hosting a riverboat cruise. Steve
Nesse, Chairman of our AIC picnic has
asked the past Chairman of the river-
boat cruise, Jeannie Hill to team up
with him. Together they hope to make
our annual picnic on Sunday night an
extra-special event.
Grass roots
Enough rambling on about the sum-
mer's rally BIG shows. The spring fly-
ing weather is upon us with a great
deal of local events to enjoy. This type
of flying is my personal favorite. The
people I meet are as important to me
as the airplanes. There will be some
new restorations flying this spring and
I look forward to seeing them. Please
exercise extra safety thi s year when
you fly . We cannot afford any bad pub-
licity .
Let's all pull in the same direction
for the good of aviation . Join us and
have it all! •
PUBLICATION  STAFF 
PUBLISHER 
Tom  Poberezny 
VICE-PRESIDENT 
MARKETING  & COMMUNICATIONS 
Dick Matt 
EDITOR 
Mark Phelps 
MANAGING  EDITOR 
Golda Cox 
ART  DIRECTOR 
Mike Drucks 
ADVERTISING 
Mary Jones 
ASSOCIATE  EDITORS 
Norman Petersen  Dick Cavin 
FEATURE  WRITERS 
George A  Hardie, Jr.  Dennis Parks 
EDITORIAl  ASSISTANT 
Isabelle Wiske 
STAFF  PHOTOGRAPHERS 
Jim Koepnick  Carl Schuppel 
Jeff Isom 
EAA  ANTIQUE/CLASSIC 
DIVISION,  INC. 
OFFICERS 
President  Vice President 
Espie "Butc h" Joyce  Arthur R.  Morgan 
604 Highway St.  3744 North 51st Blvd. 
Madison. NC 27025  Milwaukee. WI  53216 
919/427-0216  414/442-3631 
Secretary  Treosurer 
George S. York  E.E.  "Buck" Hilbert 
181 Sloboda Ave.  P.O. Box 424 
Mansfield. OH 44906  Union. IL  60180 
419/529-4378  815/923-4591
DIRECTORS 
Robert C. "Bob" Brauer  John S. Copeland 
9345 S.  Hayne  9 Joanne Drive 
Chicago. IL 60620  Westborough. MA 01581 
312m9-2105 508/366·7245 
Philip Coulson  William A  Eickhoff 
28415 Springbrook Dr.  415 15th Ave ..  N.E. 
Lawton. MI 49065  St . Petersburg. FL  33704 
616/624-6490  813/823-2339 
Chartes Harris  Stan Gomoll 
3933 South Peoria  1042 90th Lane. NE 
PO  Box 904038  Minneapol is,  MN 55434 
Tulsa. OK 74105  6121784-1172
9181742-7311
Robert  D. "Bob"  Lumley 
Dale A  Gustafson  1265 South  124th  SI. 
7724 Shady Hill Drive  Brookfield. WI  53005 
Indianapolis. IN 46278  4141782-2633
317/293-4430 
Steven C. Nesse
Gene Morris 
2009 Highland Ave. 
115C Steve Court, R.R. 2 
Albert Lea. MN 56007
Roanoke. TX  76262 
507/373-1674
817/491-9110
SH.  OWes" Schmid 
Daniel Neuman 
2359 Lefeber Avenue
1521 Berne Circle W. 
Wauwatosa. WI 53213
Minneapolis. MN 55421 
414m l -1545
612/571-0893 
DIRECTOR  EMERITUS 
S.J. Wittman 
7200  S.E. 85th  Lane 
Ocala, FL  32672 
904/245-7768
ADVISORS 
John Berendt  Gene Chase 
7645 Echo Point Rd.  2159 Carlton Rd. 
Cannon Falls. MN 55009  Oshkosh, WI  54904 
507/263-241<1 414/231-5002
George Daubner  John A  Fogerty 
2448 Lough Lane  479 Highway 65 
Hartford. WI 53027  Roberts. WI  54023 
414/673·5885 715/425·2455
Jeannie Hill 
PO. Box 328 
HONard, IL  60033 
815/943·7205
APRIL 1990 • Vol. 18, No.4
Copyright © 1990 by the EAA Antique/Classic Division, tnc. All  rights reseNed. 
Contents
2 Straight and Level/by Espie "Butch" Joyce
4 AlC Newslby Mark Phelps
4 Letters to the Editor
5 Calendar
Page 6 
6 Interesting Member: Ray Brooks
Iby Jeannie Hill
8 Vintage Literaturelby Dennis Parks
12 Members' Projectslby Norm Petersen
14 Pass It To Bucklby E.E. "Buck" Hilbert
16 Vintage Seaplaneslby Norm Petersen
Page 17 
17 1950 Bonanzalby Mark Phelps
20 Chapter Onelby Bob Brauer
23 Project Porterfieldlby Norm Petersen
28 "Old Blue"lby Mike McCann
34 Vintage Trader
38 Mystery Planelby George Hardie, Jf.
FRONT  COVER  ... Mike  McCann's  Stinson  negotiating  the  Alaskan 
terrain. 
(Photo courtesy  of Mike McCann) 
REAR  COVER  ... A  Sun  ' n  Fun  scene.  Barefoot  pilot,  Hal  Wighton's 
Lincoln Page PT-W'neath the photographers' tree at Lakeland, 1988. 
(Photo  by Mark Phelps) 
TIle words  EAA. ULTRALIGHT, FLY WITH THE  FIRST TEAM, SPORT AVIATION. and !he k>gos  01 EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION INC.,  EAA INTERNA· 
TIONAL  CONVENTION, EAA  AlNTIQUEICLASSIC  DIVISION  INC.• INTERNATIONAL  AEROOATIC  CLUB  INC.. WARBIRDS  OF  AMERICA INC.• lre  registered 
trademar1<s. THE  EAA  SKY  SHOf'PE  and k>gos  01 !he  EAA  AVIATION  FOUNDATION  INC. and EAA  ULTRALIGHT  CONVENTION  ...e trademar1<s 01 !he  above
associations  <rod  lheir use by  arrt person  _than !he  above associations is  sbictIy prolliJited. 
Edtorial  Policy: Readers  are encouraged  10 sOOrrit SIOIies and pOOUlgraphs. Policy  op;r;ons expressed  in  mes are  solely !hose  01 !he  authors. Responsblity  lor 
aooJracy  in  repor1ing  rests  enti'ety with !he  con1riluIOr. Malen.;  shook!  be sent 10: Edtor.  TIle  VINTAGE  AIRPlANE. \WIman Regional Airpor1, 3(XX)  Poberezny  Ad., 
OsN<osh. WI  54903-3086. F'hor<!: 4141426-4800. 
TIle VINTAGE  AIRPlANE (ISSN  0091·6943)  •  published  and owned exclusively  by EAA Antique/Classic  Division.  Inc. 01 !he Experimental Aicraf1 Association. Inc. and
•  published  al  Wrttman  Regional  Ai!por1,  3(XX)  Poberezny Ad..  Oshkosh. WI  54903-3086. Second Class  Postage  paid a1 OsN<osh, WI  54901  <rod  additional 
mai ling offices. rales lor EAA ArliqueiClassic Division. Inc. are $18.00 lor OJ"en! EAA  members lor  12  morIh period 01 v.!1ic1l  $12.00  •  lor !he publication 
01 TIle  VINTAGE  AIRPLANE.    •  open 10 all  who  are  in aviation.
ADVERTISING - Antique/Classic Division does no1 guaranlee or eOOorse any product offered 1I1rough our advef1ising. We invile constructive cti1icism and welcome
arrt repor1  01 inlefior mercllardse oblained 1I1rough  our adver1ising  so  1I1al  corrective measures can  be taken. 
POSTMASTER:  Send address changes  10 EM Antique/Classic  Division. Inc., P.O. Box  3086. Oshkosh. WI  54903-3086. 
VtNTAGE  AIRPLANE  3 
Compiled  by  Mark Phelps 
EAA  dues  increase 
The  EAA  Board  of  Directors  has 
voted  to  increase  EAA  membership 
dues to  $35 effective July  I,  1990.  The 
current  dues  structure  has  been  in  ef-
fect  since  October  1985 .  Additional 
membership  increases  are  as  follows: 
Family  members  $10 
u. S.  schools  and  libraries  $20 
Foreign  schools  and  libraries  $23 
Junior  membership  $20 
Full  family  memberships  $45 
Again,  the  increases  are  effective July 
1,  1990. 
EAA  Scholarships  Offered 
Scholarships  and  awards  ranging 
from  $200  to  fuJI  degree  programs  are 
offered  through  the  EAA  Aviation 
Foundation.  To  encourage,  recognize 
and  support excellence  in  students  pur-
suing  the  knowledge  of  the 
technologies  and  skills  of aviation  are 
the  stated  goals  for  these  Scholarship 
awards.  Scholarship  applecations  may 
be  made  on  the  application  provided 
by  EAA  Education  Director,  Chuck 
Larsen ,  EAA  Aviation  Center,  Osh-
kosh  Wisconsin  54903-3086 Tel.  4141 
426-4800.  Applications  must  be  re-
ceived  by  May  1 to  be  considered. 
A wards  will  be  announced  at  EAA 
Oshkosh  '90. 
~   L
Wabash  flier 
Dear  Norm, 
Please  find  the  enclosed  photograph 
of what  I  believe  to  be  a Curtiss JN4D 
Jenny.  The  photograph  is  believed  to 
have  been  taken  around  1915,  or 
maybe  later  (probably  later  - Ed.). 
The  gentleman  standing  in  the  middle 
is  Frank  W.  Kern .  Mr.  Kern  was  born 
in  1898.  He  was  an  entrepreneur  who 
learned  to  fly  at an  early age.  Mr.  Kern 
was  known  to  have  done  some  flying 
in  the Wabash,  Indiana area during this 
time  period.  This  photo  is  believed  to 
have  been  taken  around  Wabash  or 
Fort  Wayne.  Notice  the  advertisement 
4 APRIL 1990
on  the  side  of the  airplane.  The  other 
two  men  in  the  photo are  unidentified. 
At  the  time  of  this  photo  Mr.  Kern 
lived  in  the  small  town  of Athens,  In-
diana.  My  interest  in  Mr.  Kern  is  that 
he  is  the  grandfather of a  colleague  of 
mine.  We  are  interested  in  knowing 
more  about  Mr.  Kern's  flying  ac-
tivities.  We  would enjoy  hearing  from 
anyone  with  any  information  on  this 
early  aviator. 
Sincerely, 
Ray L. Johnson (EAA 159826, AlC 5728) 
347  South,  500  East 
Marion,  Indiana  46952 
P.S.  Norm,  I just completed  your arti-
cle  about  John  Lafferty  (February 
1990).  Keep  up  the  good  work. 
Expensive autographs 
Dear Mark, 
I  was  happy  to  read that Paul  Pober-
ezny  might  be  willing  to  push  for  a 
repairman's  certificate  on  older  pro-
duction  light  aircraft  (Interview,  Janu-
ary  1990).  I  do  not  feel  the  require-
ments should be the same for an  Amer-
ican  Airlines  engine  mechanic  and  a 
guy  who owns and  flys  his  own classic 
Beechcraft.  I  have  two  former 
brothers-in-law  who  are  A&P 
mechanics  for  Piedmont  Airlines. 
They  may  have  the  skills  necessary  to 
rebuild  a  727  engine  but  I  wouldn ' t 
want  either  of  them  working  on  my 
lawn  mower,  much  less  my  airplane.  I 
am  also  tired  of paying  someone  who 
knows  less  about  my airplane than  I do 
to  sign  off  my  work.  I  own  a  1952 
Bonanza because I can't afford a newer 
one.  The  cost  of  maintenance  would 
be  greatly  reduced  if it  did  not  include 
the  price of the  A&P autograph.  I also 
don't  like  anyone  else  working  on  my 
airplane.  If we  are  going  to  make  the 
pilot  in  command  responsible  for  the 
airworthiness  of  his  airplane,  should 
we  not  also  give  him  the  authority  to 
be  the  one  person  who  really  knows 
the  quality  of maintenance?  Wouldn't 
our entire  fleet  be  better  maintained  if 
the  mechanic  were  required  to  fly  the 
airplane? 
Sincerely, 
Paul Whitesell (EAA 288943,  AlC 12757) 
Plano,  Texas 
April 8-14 - Lakeland, Florida. 16th
annual Sun 'n Fun '90 EAA Fly-in.
Lakeland Municipal Airport. Contact
Sun 'n Fun EAA Fly-in Inc., PO Box
6750, Lakeland, Florida. Tel. 813/
644-2431.
April 28 - Levelland, Texas. Airport
Breakfast sponsored by EAA Chapter
19 at Levelland Municipal Airport.
Contact John Smith, 2826 62nd Street,
Lubbock , Texas . Tel 8061793-7889.
April 29 - Shreveport, Louisiana.
Holiday in Dixie fly-in sponsored by
EAA Chapter 343. Shreveport Down-
town Airport. Contact Sam Waldrop,
6215 Quilen Blvd., Shreveport,
Louisiana 71108-3703 . Tel. 318/653-
9933.
May 4-6 - Burlington , North
Carolina. Burlington Airport. Spon-
sored by Antique/Classic Chapter 3.
Contact Ray Bottom , c/o Antique Air-
ways, 103 Powhatan Parkway ,
Hampton, Virginia 23661. Tel. 804/
722-5056.
May 5-6 - Winchester, Virginia.
Winchester Regional EAA Spring Fly-
in. Winchester Airport. Sponsored by
EAA Chapter 186. Contact George
Lutz, Tel. 703/256-7873.
May 6 - Rockford, Illinois. EAA
Chapter 22 Annual Fly-in Breakfast.
Mark Clark's Courtesy Aircraft ,
Greater Rockford Airport. 7:00 am to
noon. ATIS 126.7. Contact Wallace
Hunt , 8 15/332-4708.
May 12-13 - Reading, Pennsylvania.
Reading Aerofest at Reading Regional
Airport. Contact Paul R. Doelp, R.D .
9, Box 9416, Reading, Pennsylvania
19605-9606. Tel 215/372-4666.
May 19-20 - Hampton, New Hamp-
shire. Fourteenth Annual Aviation Flea
Market. Hampton Airfield, Hampton,
New Hampshire. Anything aviation re-
lated okay. No fees! Camping on air-
field . Contact Mike Hart, Hampton
Airfield , Route US I , North Hampton,
New Hampshire. Tel. 603/964-6749.
May 20 - Benton Harbor, Michigan.
Fourth Annual EAA Chapter 585
Dawn Patrol Breakfast/Lunch. In-
cludes boat and classic car show. Ross
Field, Benton Harbor, Michigan. Con-
tact AI Todd, PO Box 61, Stevensville,
Michigan 49127 . Tel. 616/429-2929.
May 25-27 - Atchinson Kansas .
Kansas City Area Chapter, AAA Fly-
in at Amelia Earhart Memorial Air-
port. Contact Lynn Wendl, 7509 Con-
ser , Overland Park, Kansas 66204.
Tel. 913/642-5906.
May 26-27 - Vidalia, Loui siana. Fer-
riday Fly-in sponsored by EAA Chap-
ter 912 . Concordia Parish Airport.
Contact Jerry Stallings , Rte. I , Box
19D , Ferriday , Louisiana 71334-9709 .
3181757-2103.
June 1-2 - Bartlesville, Oklahoma.
Biplane Expo ' 90, the National Bi-
plane Association' s -Fourth Annual
Convention and Exposition. Frank
Phillips Field, Bartlesville, Oklahoma.
Free to members of NBA. For mem-
bership information, contact Charles
Harris , NBA, Hangar 5, 4-J Aviation,
Jones-Riverside Airport, Tulsa, Ok-
lahoma. Tel. 918/299-2532.
June 1-3 - Merced , California. 33rd
Merced West Coast Antique Fly-in .
Merced Municipal Airport. Contact
Merced Pilots Association, PO Box
2312 , Merced , California 95344 or call
Dick Escola at 209/358-6707 .
June 8-10 - Middletown , Ohio. Fifth
National Aeronca Convention.
Aeronca factory. Includes factory tour
and vi sit to USAF Museum. Contact
Jim Thompson , President, National
Aeronca Association, PO Box 2219,
Terre Haute, Indiana 47802. Tel. 812/
232-1491.
June 9 - Newport News, Virginia.
18th Annual Colonial Fly-in. Spon-
sored by EAA Chapter 156 at the Pat-
rick Henry Airport. Contact Chet
Sprague, 8 Sinclair Road, Hampton,
Virginia 23669. Tel 8041723-3904 .
June 22-24 - Pauls Valley, Ok-
lahoma. Greater Oklahoma City AAA
Chapter Fly-in. Contact Dick Darnell,
100 Park Avenue Building, Suite 604,
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73102.
Tel. 405/236-5635.
June 23-24 - Orange , Massachusetts.
14th Annual New England EAA Fly-
in . Orange Airport. Contact James
O'Connell at 413/498-2266.
June 28 - July 1 - Mount Vernon,
Ohio. 31st Annual Waco Reunion.
Wynkoop Airport. Contact National
Waco Club, 700 Hill Avenue , Hamil-
ton, Ohio 45015. Tel 513/868-0084.
July 7-8 - Emmetsburg, Iowa. Sec-
ond Annual Aeronca Champ Fly-in
and fly-in breakfast. Emmetsburg Air-
port. Contact Keith Harnden, Box 285,
Emmetsburg , Iowa 50536. Tel 712/
852-3810.
July 13-15 - Simsbury Connecticut.
2nd Annual Northeast Stearman Fly-in
at Simsbury Airport . Contact Jim Kip-
pen, II Crestwood Street, Simsbury,
Connecticut 06070. Tel. 203/651-
0328.
July 20-21 - Collingwood , Ontario.
Second Annual Gathering of Classic
Aircraft sponsored by Collingwood
Classic Aircraft Foundation. Col-
lingwood Airport (NY3). Contact
Doug Murray, 5 Plater Street, R.R.
No. 3, Collingwood, Ontario, Canada
L9Y 3Z2. Tel. 705/445-5433.
July 27-August 2 - Oshkosh , Wis-
consin. 38th Annual EAA Fly-in Con-
vention, "EAA Oshkosh '90. "
Wittman Regional Airport , Oshkosh
Wisconsin. Contact EAA, EAA Avia-
tion Center, Oshkosh, Wisconsin
54903-3086. Tel. 414/426-4800.
August 19 - Brookfield, Wisconsin .
5th Annual Ice Cream Social spon-
sored by EAA Antique/Classic Chapter
II at Capitol Drive Airport . Contact
George Meade, 5514 N. Navajo Av-
enue, Glendale, Wisconsin 53217.
Tel. 414/962-2428.
August 24-26 - Sussex, New Jersey.
18th Annual Sussex Air Show. Sussex
Airport. Call 201 /875-7337 or 702-
9719.
September 8 - Chico, California.
Chico Antique Airshow. Chico Air-
port . Contact Chico Antique Airshow
Committee, 6 St. Helens Lane, Chico,
California 95926. Tel 916/342-3730.
September 15-16 - Rock Falls, Il-
linois. Fourth An nual North Central
EAA "Old Fashioned" Fly-in. Pancake
breakfast Sunday. Contact Dave Chris-
tansen at 815/625-6556.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5
INTERESTING MEMBERS 
The biggest smile and the brightest twinkle in his eye . . . seated second from right.
6 APRIL 1990
Ray Brooks in Skeeter Carlson's Curtiss Canuek.
RAY BROOKS
by
Jeanni e Hill, Advisor
In trying to pick up poillfers on how
to know and fly old, slow airplanes. I
always try to seek out the guys and
gals who flew themfirst.J7ew them best
and lived the longest to tell about it.
Even in a crowd it's usually easy to
single out these folks. They're the vin-
tage fliers with the biggest smiles on
their faces and that mandatory twinkle
in their eyes that lets you know right
off that they've probably got a story or
two to tell. I can't remember where I
first ran into Ray Brooks. but there he
was with that smile and that twinkle.
There was nothing left to do but intro-
duce myself. ask a leading question
and sit back and he delighted.
You'd have to search far and wide
to find a more interesting member than
Ray Brooks. First of all , it would be
hard to find another member with more
seniority in the system . Ray has been
working in aviation since 1917. He is
96 years young and as each year passes ,
Ray seems to be able to glean the very
best from it and then tries to pass it all
along to us. He wants to share what he
is and what he has with everyone.
That's just the kind of guy he is . At a
time in his life when he should be rest-
ing on his laurels , Ray Brooks is still
going to air shows, being interviewed,
posing for photos and serving as a
walking, talking en-
cyclopedia of avia-
tion for anyone who
has the good sense
to realize that when
they've found Ray
Brooks, they've stum-
bled upon a mother
lode of knowledge
and experience in
the aviation world.
There is so much
history on Ray Brooks
that in this short ar-
ticle I couldn't be-
gin to recount enough
of it to do justice to
him. So I won't
even try right now.
Besides, that leaves
an opening to do an
even more exten-
sive article about
one of my favorite
subjects at a later
date. Suffice to say
that among his many
accomplishments, Ray
has had a very dis-
tinguished military
career. His initial
training took place in Canada in Curtiss
JN4Ds from September through No-
vember of 1917. In France, during
World War I, he learned to fly a Nieu-
port. He was later assigned and flew
the Spad VII and the Spad XIII. Now,
I couldn't tell you the difference be-
tween a Spad VII and a Spad XIII to
save my life. But, if you have a min-
ute, Ray sure can and in as much detail
as you care to get into. (I'll give you
a hint. It has something to do with an
extra 40 hp on the Hispano Suiza en-
gine and with a second Vickers gun
installation on the Spad XIII. So there,
now you know as much as I do.)
Ray flew with the Lafayette Esca-
drille and became an ace with six men-
tions in orders for confirmed air vic-
tories. His restored Spad, No. 20,
"Smith IV," with the Shooting Star in-
signia of the 22nd Pursuit Squadron, is
now on display with the Smithsonian
Institution Air and Space Museum in
Washington, DC. Due to a stroke of
luck it was shipped there when orders
came through to send two combat air-
planes to the States for a war bond
tour. It seems Ray was the officer of
the day when headquarters called, so
he selected his and a friend's airplane
for the tour. At some point during the
Antique/Classic Division Advisor, Jeannie Hill with Ray Brooks.
tour the other plane was destroyed, but
Ray's remained in original condition
until its recent, total restoration at the
Smithsonian.
After his wartime service, Ray re-
turned to the States and graduated from
Field Officers School at Langley Field,
Virginia where he became an instruc-
tor. After five and a half years of mil-
itary service, Ray received his honor-
able discharge on December 14, 1922.
His civilian career carried equal im-
portance. As an engineer with Bell
Telephone Laboratories he authored 18
secret, technical manuals for the mili-
tary services . He helped pioneer air-
mail routes, organize the early airlines
and establish location and contracts for
the visual rotating beacons that delineated
the routes for the night flying airmail
pilots. Ray has logged over 3,100 solo
hours and the low number of his trans-
port pilot license No . 1738 is another
testimony to his early entry into avia-
tion. A list of Ray's credits and member-
ship associations would take up half a
page. Some of his more noteworthy af-
filiations are Associate Fellow of Ameri-
can Institute of Aeronautics and Astro-
nautics , World War I Overseas Flyers,
American Fighter Aces Association,
OX-5 , QBs and , of course, our own
Antique/Classic Di-
vision. In 1980 Ray
was inducted into
the New Jersey A vi-
ation Hall of Fame.
Ray attends both
Sun 'n Fun and the
EAA Oshkosh Con-
vention whenever
possible. This past
Convention we were
honored to have him
with us at the Red
Bam for several days.
While he was there,
he gave freely of his
time allowing us to
visit with him and
introduce him to
multitudes of inter-
ested people. Ray
gave us a wonderful
interview for our A vi-
ation Pioneer Video
Library. He allowed
us to lift him into
the Canuck for his
first-hand account
of what it was like
to learn to fly in
a Jenny . The still
shots of Ray in that Canuck are price-
less. I've shared a few of them here
with you. As you can see, Ray Brooks
is far from being a has-been. The Ray
of yesterday was a great fellow, but
the Ray of today is fantastic . So just
remember, the next time you saunter
on down to the Red Barn and see a
dapper, old gentleman leaning over
his cane, peering through his wire
rimmed glasses and looking like
maybe he has a story to tell, go up
and introduce yourself and shake his
hand. And remember that hand held
the stick that fought the battles of
World War I..
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7
 
by ()ennls llal"ks
Llbrao'!Mdllves
()Iroc(()r
STOUT 2-AT
.
FORD MODEL 14
8 APRIL 1990
THE STOUT 2-A T
A REMEMBRANCE
The January 1990 issue of SPORT
A V1ATlON had an article about the
Ford Tri-Motors and the Stout aircraft
that proceeded them . The article
brought about some interesting re-
sponses . One of the most interesting
was a letter from Roland L. Hall (EAA
# 146593) of Northfield, Illinoi s. Mr.
Hall told in his letter of his first
airplane flight which took place aboard
a Stout 2-AT in April, 1927 at Grand
Rapids, Michigan.
Dear Mr. Parks:
I can't tell you how much I enjoyed
your excellent article, THE PLANES
THAT MR. FORD AND MR. STOUT
BUILT, since my first flight was in a
Stout 2-AT in April, 1927.
My boyhood was spent in Grand
Rapids, Michigan our being within
earshot and a short bike ride from the
field that became the airport and we
practically lived there . We could
quickly recognize the sounds of an
OX-5, C-6, or Hisso, so when we
heard the throaty roar of the Liberty in
a DH-4 or the D-12 in a P-I from Self-
ridge Field across the state, would
pedal madly to the field, hoping to see
one of these beautiful machines before
it departed.
In 1926, I recall Father telling us
that an airline would soon begin flying
between Dearborn, near Detroit, and
Grand Rapids . Naturally, on the day
of the inaugural flight I, along with
about every kid in the town (and a lot
of grown-ups too), was there. Soon the
2-AT appeared in the east and landed
on the sod field. Maneuvering on the
ground was not a simple operation
since the plane had a tailskid and no
wheel brakes. Two "mechanics" in
white coveralls would run out on the
field to meet it at the end of its rollout.
Each carried a large wooden block with
a length of rope attached which, upon
signal from the pilot or copilot , they
would place in front of the designated
wheel . A blast of the big Liberty would
cause the plane to turn in the desired
direction and it ultimately lumbered up
to the area where a group of local dig-
nitaries and photographers were wait-
ing. With the engine shut down, seven
passengers made their way out of a
rather small oval shaped door on the
right side of the fuselage. Most of them
still had bits of cotton sticking out of
their ears. As I learned much later
when I flew in it , the cabin lacked
sound insulation and the noise from the
Liberty was deafening.
We boys were bugeyed. Never had
we seen such a huge plane. Actually,
I believe the span was something less
than 70 feet. Its skin was a corrugated
material which we naturally assumed ,
in view of the name " FORD" promi-
nently displayed in several places, was
tin. We also assumed that the word
"Stout" referred to the rugged con-
struction of the aircraft! Other mark-
ings were a large numeral " I" on the
rudder and the name, " Miss Grand
Rapids" on each side of the engine
cowl. The nose of the plane was sur-
mounted by a monumental radiator
complete with cap as was the style with
automobiles of the day . The massive
propeller appeared to be at least 10 feet
long. Since it had no mechanical starter
of any sort, it had to be propped like
my Champ. Well, not exactly. After
the blades had been pulled through sev-
eral times, three " mechanics ," upon
signal from the copilot (the pilot being
on the left, couldn't see them) would
link hands and run past the prop, the
last man grabbing it as he went by.
Note the position of the blade in the
illustration No.2 in your article. It is
60 degrees beyond that which we use
on our smaller engines.
Initially only one aircraft was used.
It departed from Dearborn the first
thing in the morning, arriving at Grand
Rapids an hour or an hour and a half
later, depending on the prevailing wes-
terly headwind. It would depart late in
the afternoon for its return flight. The
fare one way was $16 so even with a
100 percent load factor , which it sel-
dom was, it gave the airline a gross
revenue of only $224 per day , totally
inadequate even in those days when
you could buy a Ford car for just under
$500.
It was this layover of the 2-AT for
several hours that got me my first
flight. The Stout people reasoned that
by charging $5.00 for a 20-minute
sightseeing flight over Grand Rapids
they could produce an hourly revenue
equal or greater than flying their regu-
lar route . On a Saturday in April ,
1927, Father chartered the whole plane
for seven family members including
two of my grandparents and myself.
To me, and perhaps to my fellow pas-
sengers , the flight was memorabl e in
more ways than one . Just before land-
ing, I, for the only time in 63 years of
flying , became violently airsick and
they hadn't invented barfuags!
A short time later, a second 2-AT
was added to the run . This one bore no
name as did its hangarmate , only the
numeral "2" on its rudder . Where the
earlier schedule catered to the Detroit-
based businessman who would fly to
Grand Rapids in the morning and re-
turn home in the afternoon, his much
more numerous counterpart was the
salesman representing one of the many
small companies who were suppliers
to Detroit's automobile plants. It was
pointless for him to arrive in Detroit in
the later afternoon , spend two nights
in a hotel, and return home two days
later. The second plane allowed him to
make the trip within the same day. It
also added to the enjoyment of the
three Hall boys. When the arriving af-
ternoon plane had discharged its pas-
sengers at the small terminal building,
it was restarted and taxied a few
hundred feet to the hangar where it
spent the night. We were frequently
allowed to climb on board and ride
over to the hangar. It did not enter our
heads that it was Father' s frequent use
of the airline that got us this special
treatment.
The pilots who were always addres-
sed by their former military ranks or
as "mister" included such names as J.
Parker VanZant, who played a key part
in setting up the first coast to coast '
airmail routes; Tom Halpin who later
set up his own company to make an all
metal plane of his own design , the
Flamingo; Capt. C. C. Swenson; and
Peter Berger, to name a few.
Unfortunately, the airline was not a
commercial success and the Grand
Rapids route was discontinued after
about a year. My recollection is that
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9
I
,
\ I
'... __....
000
AERO DIGEST. N.Y.
Three-view outline drawing of the 2530-horsepower Ford Model 14-A transport airplane.
10 APRIL 1990
they had onl y one forced landing, this
without damage to the pl ane, nor in-
juries, and that they fai led to complete
their schedul ed fl ight on less than half
a dozen occasions. Although I went on
to get my license fly ing out of that field
in later years, things were never qui te
the same after the 2-ATs left .
In the years that foll owed, I can re-
cal l two visits to the pl ane in Dearborn .
On one of these I saw Richard Byrd' s
"Fl oyd Bennett" being modified by the
repl acement of it s nose-mounted 3-5
Whirl wind with a 525- hp Cyclone.
Even with thi s added power, Bernt
Balchen was barely abl e to coax her
hi gh enough to reach the South Pole.
In a later visit , I saw the Model 14.
The peopl e at the plant woul dn' t even
talk about it. LeRoy Manning, Ford's
chi ef test pilot, had j ust been ki ll ed in
a crash of a Ford pl ane. Rumor was
was that Mr. Ford had issued orders to
shut down the operati on. I'd li ke to
know more about the 14.
I have a coupl e of observati ons re-
garding your fine arti cle. Stout never
used 4-A Ts in scheduled service on the
Grand Rapids rout e. Earl y models with
their 3-4 engines appeared on the field
from time to time. One of them
brought Charles Lindbergh's mother in
the summer of 1927 to see her son dur-
ing hi s tour of the US foll owing hi s
Paris fli ght. It was fro m thi s field th at
she had her onl y fli ght in the Spi rit of
St. Loui s. The other concerns the lack
of registrati on numbers on the 4-A T in
photo No.5. I seem to recall that they
were not required until 1927. I never
saw any on the 2-ATs.
First of all , let me apologize for
being so long-w inded, and since I have
been, for not retyping thi s. Your arti cle
brought back so many fond memories
that I got carri ed away. Toss it or use
it as you see fit . Thanks aga in for a
great arti cle.
FORD Model 14
In hi s letter, Mr. Hall asked for
some informati on about the Model 14.
The Ford Model 14 was the last of
the Ford Tri-Motors. As a repl acement
for the previous Tri -Motors, thi s pl ane
was designed to carry 40 passengers in
Pullman car comfort.
Itwas huge with a full y canti levered
wing of 11 0 feet and an all metal fuse-
lage with a length of 4 1 feet. The wing
was very deep with a max imum depth
of four feet three inches . Though the
plane was skinned in alcl ad, the central
fuselage section and the wing center
section was done in steel.
The three engines used were French
built Hi spano-Suizas. The center en-
gine, rated at 1, 100 hp at 2,000 rpm,
was a direct-dri ve, three-bank , 18 cy-
linder type 18Sb, dri ving a three-
bl aded adjustabl e pitch propell er.
The outboard engines, buried in the
wings, were 12-cylinder type 12 Nbr
rated at 715 horsepower. At the end of
an extension shaft , each of these en-
gines had a 12-foot, IQ-inch four-
bl aded wooden propeller.
It was expected to appear at the Na-
ti onal Airpl ane Show in Detroit , but
checking with AERO DIGEST and
AVI ATION magaz ines indicate that it
was not exhibited. Bill Stout in hi s
book, SO A WA Y I WENT, reported
on it s fat e:
" Before the giant pl ane built by the
back-door crowd at Ford was fini shed,
the government CAA said that even if
it did fl y, the forty-passenger ship
would be li censed for a maximum of
onl y ten passengers. When it went out
for tri al, no provision had been made
for steering it to the ground . Work did
go on, however, with the bi g plane
until its final fi asco. It was exhibited
in one show as a marvelous structure,
whi ch it was , and then cut up with
torches for the scrap heap.
"It didn' t fl y, but they learned a lot
from it. " .
EAA AVIATION  FOUNDATION 
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devotedto acquiring,preserving andsharing the heritage of aviation in general
andpersonal flight in particular.
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(1953-1988) - $12.00
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11
MEMBERS' PROJECtS 
by Norm Petersen 
This blue and silver American Eagle 101,
NC7157, SIN 273 has been owned by Swann
Allen (EM 75432, NC 14930) of Milford,
Michigan since 1936! The restoration was
started in 1968 and finished in October
1989. Swann reports a wheel was broken
on taxi tests, so new wheels are in the of-
fing. Although he is 75 years of age, Swann
still has the enthusiasm of a youngster and
loves his American Eagle with its OX-5 en-
gine. Note the very tidy workmanship on
the rebuild.
David & Paula Henderson (EM 276589, NC 11264) of Felton, Delaware have eight Piper Cubs under restoration at the same time! Their
firm, called Henderson Aviation, specializes in Cub rebuilds. On hand: an l-4B military Cub; a PA-11 85hp Cub; a Clip Wing Cub and
five standard J-3 Cubs! One has the feeling their days are full from early morning to late at night.
12 APRIL 1990
Retuming to the airshow circuit this sum-
mer will be ex-president of the Antiquel
Classic Division, R.J. (Dobbie) Lickteig of
Port Lucie, Florida and Albert Lea, Min-
nesota in this nicely rebuilt 135 hp Piper
Super Cruiser, N4219M, SIN 12-3115. Expertly
rebuilt by Gordy Westphal (EM 9833, AlC
7270) of Rochester, Minnesota, the Cruiser
features many extras such as interior sight
fuel gauges, Cleveland wheels and
brakes, sky light, shoulder hamesses and
avionics. The white and red paint scheme
carries inside the aircraft as well as out-
side. We look forward to seeing Dobbie
this summer as he taxis up with a big grin
on his face!
This photo of a very pretty Taylorcraft BC-12D, N43002, SIN 6661, was taken at an open house at Eglin AFB in Florida. It had been
completely restored from 1984 to '85 by Captain Rob Ray (EM 344216, AlC 14398) and his father, who had previously owned the very
same airplane from 1970 to '72! Rob reports he had his very first airplane ride in this T-craft' Built on December 16, 1945, it was one of
the first T -crafts off the line following WW II. Although Rob is an Air Force F-16 pilot in Japan, he hopes to be able to attend EM Oshkosh '90.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13
PASS II IO
--J]
An information exchange column with input from readers.
ded it in the Bakolite thereby making
constant contact and making it HOT
anytime it was out of any detent.
Let's skip to 1975 when I had Mr.
Fleet. That ' s the one I sold to Richard
Bach to raise the money to build the
€ Swallow. I was up at Oshkosh, and the
§ blasted  thing  wouldn't  start . I had  Curt 
  Taylor in the cockpit and it just
Q wouldn't start! Sure it was cockpit
by Buck Hilbert
(EM 21, Ale 5)
P.o. Box 424
Union, IL 60180
Prop'er  Behavior 
PART  II 
W ell, since Part One I've had more
experiences . I was over in Michigan at
a fly-in and a gal name of Dorothy used
to have a real neat Meyers OTW with
a Kinner on it. No electric starter of
course, and I got to prop it. "Switch
off!" I yelled and she gave an affirma-
tive reply. I grabbed that prop and
moved it about one blade. The impulse
snapped and it was running! My pre-
caution of always treating a Kinner like
14 APRIL 1990
it's gonna start paid off! Meanwhile
Dorothy is screaming in a voice loud
enough to hear in Heaven, "It ' s off!
It's off!" and when [ walked around
the wing and up to the cockpit it was
indeed ;'OFF." But it was one of those
old A-7 switches from 1946 that there
was an AD note on. They were all sup-
posed to be replaced because they had
an internal problem that wiped some
of the brass off the contacts and imbed-
trouble, I ousted Curt and jumped in
myself after I recruited Bill Haselton
to prop it. Now Bill overhauled the en-
gine and has as much smarts as anyone
who has been around Kinners as long
as he has. We went through the routine
and after about three tries he holl ers,
"It must be loaded! Switch OFF'" [ do
as he says and he backs it up a couple
revs and calls, "Contact." [ reply
"Contact," he grabs the blade and it
prompt ly fires backwards and busts his
hand. It didn't start and [ hear all this
cussin ' and see him jumpin ' around so
[ shut down everything and jumped out
to see what happened. After a trip to
the infirmary and getting him patched
up , we opened the cowl. The impulse
was just hanging on one mag, and
somehow the assembly had slipped and
was firing way off proper time. Les-
son? If it don't wanna start , it's trying
to tell you something! Investigate'
Then we got the Swallow flying. In
an effort to be as authentic as possible,
I didn ' t have an electrical system. [
propped it each time [ got ready to go,
and [ always did it myself because [
don't trust anybody . [ tied the tail in
most instances and left the fuel off and
I always briefed the person in the seat ,
whether passenger or pilot , on what to
do " IF." Well, everything was going
along real nicely until one day I was
flying from Wichita to Kansas City
where I was to meet some of the KC
Antiquers. I was running parallel to a
fast advancing cold front and making
terrifi c ground speeds when I reali zed
the rain and thunderstorms had cut me
off from my destination which was ac-
tuall y Gardiner , Kansas. I elected to
land at Paoli , Kansas about 10 minutes
ahead of all thi s weather phenomenon.
The place was deserted - not a soul
around and the office was locked up.
I found one T-hangar (no doors) open
so I decided to taxi over there and stuff
Swallow in it. I was alone, but I'd been
through thi s many times. All went well
and she started up beautifully . I
jumped in and taxied to the hangar. As
I swung the tail around towards the
hangar , the left brake pedal let go I It
broke right off at the master cylinder
and gouged heck out of my ankle bone
to boot. I had given one good blast of
the engine to get the tail around and
got momentum that carried me right
into a barbed wire fence. The bi g Ham
Standard wrapped itself in barbed wire
and pulled fence staples like crazy! I
cut the switch. My ankle was hurtin',
I was hurtin' and the storm was com-
ing, FAST!
I jumped out, started to unravel
barbed wire from the prop, tried to get
Swallow up the incline into the hangar ,
and couldn' t seem to accomplish ei ther
one as the hail balls started beating me
about the shoulders and bouncin' off
the fabric. It rained and hailed and
blew like the dickens , but the barbed
wire held and the Swallow rode it out
pretty well. As it lessened up some, I
dashed out into the highway that fronts
on the airport and tried to fl ag down a
passing car to get help. I can just im-
agine the feeling the drivers had as they
see this soaking wet character with hel-
met and goggles, dressed in a 1920's
flying suit, trying to stop their car.
Especially, as I learn later, since there
is an insane asylum just down the road
a ways and there are signs posted
against picking up hitch-hikers .
Thoroughly wet and defeated, I went
back to Swallow.
The storm had all but quit. There
was a fine misty rain falling now, and
I was wet anyway, so I got to work
with side cutters and a 2x4 and what-
ever else I could find layin' around. I
untangled the barbed wire and levered
the Swallow out of the fence , one
wheel at a time , with the 2x4. J finally
got it up the incline and straightened
around so I could prop it and continue
on toward Gardiner. My ankle hurt ,
and I hurt - 'cause I hurt the airplane.
I was mad and disgusted. J started
propping. NO GO! Shutting it down
with the switch and not the mixture
like usual , had loaded it up. I must
have unwound it and rewound it 10
times, and it still wouldn't start. I
"THE FBO
HAD EXPRESSLY
FORBIDDEN
HIM TO PROP
HIS AIRPLANE."
walked back to the cockpit and nudged
the throttle a little . Next pull, it started
and went to about I , 100 rpm, almost
ran me down as I dropped to the
ground and let the wing pass over me .
Then the chase began. It was moving
at a very fast walk and I realized I
couldn' t get up on the wing and into
the cockpit to close the throttle before
we came to the end of the row of hang-
ars. I grabbed the wing strut and sort
of veered it around the corner of the
hangars and headed it out towards the
open field. It was gaining on me! I
finally got up on the wing walk, threw
myself into the cockpit and closed the
throttle . I sat there trying to gather my
marbles and " believe you me ," as Nick
Rezich used to say, I' d have given up
old biplanes had there been another
way to get home. To shorten the story
somewhat, I did strap in, take off and
fly on to Gardiner where, after landing
in standing water a couple inches deep,
" Kelly" Viets and the boys helped me
install a new master cylinder, tended
my gored ankle bone, fed me and
nursed me back into a better frame of
mind.
Now we're here at the Funny Farm.
Swallow again. Nice brisk morning
and I was about to leave for a flight
over to Niles, Michigan . My destina-
tion was Jack Knight 's home town of
Buchanan , Michi gan. This folklore
hero of the airmail days was being rec-
ognized by the home town at last , and
they were about to dedicate a chapel in
hi s honor. Swallow would pay her re-
spects to the man who proved the mail
could be carried by air. Tail tied , ev-
erything went great , carb heat on, mix
rich, it started with ease. I let it sit and
idle and warm up while I suited up,
climbed into the cockpit, got all buck-
led up and ready to go. Yes, I did untie
the tail rope. I opened the throttle . It
barked once and quit! DagNabit! [un-
buckled , and fully suited up, started
the procedure again. It was loaded, so
I nudged the throttle (again?). Well,
the story is getting to be repititious; it
chased me all around the Funny Farm
when it did start. Lesson? Get an elec-
trical system and a starter installed
ASAP. It was and is still installed, and
that took care of that. [ never propped
it again.
What brought all these incidents and
thoughts to mind was a conversation
with Ben Owen up at EAA. A fella
had just called him and asked him what
to do ' cause the FBO had expressly
forbidden him to prop his airplane on
the airport. Even though he tied the
tail and all that, the FBO was not about
to allow hand propping on his airport.
[ don ' t know what that fella is going
to do to alleviate the situation, but [ do
know I recited all the things I knew on
how to accomplish a safe and sane prop
job. Ben suggested [ write them down.
I said [ would, but that writin' it down
still doesn' t get around the FARs and
most insurance policy clauses that say
hand propping can only be ac-
complished with a "qualified" person
at the controls. Despite the fact that
the tail is tied , that you can't find a
qualified person to twirl the prop or sit
in the cockpit, you just ain't legal ac-
cording to the FARs and your insur-
ance is no good! What are you gonna
do? I really haven' t the answer, but [
usually do get someone into the cockpit
where [ can show them the switch, the
throttle, the mix and the fuel, and drill
them as to what to expect and what to
do if what happens . That makes him
or her qualified as you can get and
should satisfy the rule book, so go
ahead and prop your airplane. If per-
chance you are alone and if perchance
you lose your cool, count to 10 slowly
and take every precaution possible to
ensure a safe, sane operation .•
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15
VINTAGE  SEAPLANES 
by  Norm Petersen
Pretty summertime picture sent in by
Thomas Melbye (EM 132217, Ale 14121) of
51. Paul, Minnesota, shown standing on the
float of his Waco YKS-7, N19373, SI N 5204,
mounted on a set of 1929 Edo P-3300
floats. Note the enlarged rudder and aux.
seaplane fin used with floats. Tom reports
he enjoyed the big cabin Waco for several
years before selling it to Tom Orlowski of
Minneapolis. The Waco was damaged in
a subsequent accident and is presently
stored in a hangar awaiting a rebuild,
floats and airplane!
This one-of-a-kind seaplane is a Northrop Alpha 2, NR11Y, SI N 3, which was flown on TWA routes from 1930 to 1935. Sold by the airline
in 1935, it was converted to a model 4A and put on Edo XA-5400 floats by Frederick B. Lee of New York. He intended to fly around the
world, however, he only flew it up and down the east coast for two years. In 1937 it was converted back to wheels and wound up in
the estate of Foster Hannaford, Jr. in Illinois, who donated it to EM. In the 1970s the Northrop was traded to the NASM where it is now
on display after being totally restored by TWA employees. The engine is a 450 hp Wasp R-1340.
16 APRIL 1990
FOR  1950 ... 
by  Mark Phelps 
How does an RF-4 Phantom instructor-pilot relax? He rebuilds classic Bonanzas ofcourse.
At least this one does. Ross Collins ofBoise, Idaho has more than 2,500 hours in RF-4s and
is currently based at the USAF Fighter Weapons School. In November 1979 he bought his
1950 Bonanza B351D2513 after the aircraft had suffered a particularly bad gear-up landing. He
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17
ferried it back home, disassembled it
and trucked it to his garage. Not only
did he overhaul his Bonanza, he ac-
quired his A&P licence at the same
time .
This overhaul was performed in the
truest sense of the word. Ross took ev-
erything down to its barest minimum
of parts, cleaned, inspected and re-
placed the smallest of those pieces in
an effort to make his aircraft better than
new. In addition to revamping all the
stock components, Ross added several
Beryl D'Shannon modifications to in-
crease the speed, range and load-carry-
ing capacity of his B3S. He added a
one-piece, sloped windshield, pilot ' s
window , extended tailcone, exhaust
silencers, aileron- and flap-gap seals
and D'Shannon' s IS-gallon tip tanks.
Other mods include late-model control
wheel and fuel selector, a digital clock,
Cleveland wheels and brakes, ex-
tended nose-gear doors, electric prop
governor, Beech firewall-mounted bat-
tery and battery-solenoid kits , Beech
step assist kit, a SO-amp generator, air-
oil separator, a dry vacuum pump,
bracket air filter and Ross rearranged
his gyro instruments in the standard
.or' configuration.
Ross went the used-avionics route
to upgrade the YFR panel. He selected
a Collins package including dual nav-
coms, glides lope receiver , audio
panel, ADF and transponder with en-
coder. A King DME, Apollo loran
with database and Sigtronics intercom
managed to fit into the panel as well.
The budding mechanic/owner
meticulously rebuilt his own E22S-8
Continental to factory-new specs. He
spent hours on the detailing of the en-
gine compartment, gear wells and
center section so that his airplane
looked as good inside as it did outside.
Besides a clean airplane, the goal was
ultimate reliability
Ross waited until he had 20 flight
hours of tweaking and testing on the
Bonanza before turning it over to Steve
Greene in Ashland , Oregon to apply
the paint scheme that the owner de-
signed. In March 1988 he topped off
the project with a set of stainless steel
exterior screws . The 40-year-old
Bonanza performs like a yearling with
an average cruise speed of 160 knots.
Empty weight is a trim 1,849 pounds
with a useful load of 1,00 I pounds . It
nibbles away at its 70-gallon fuel ca-
pacity at an average rate of 11 .5 gal-
lons per hour.
Most Bonanza afficianados have a
fondness in their hearts for the early,
lightweight versions without the heavy
springs attached to the elevators de-
signed to lower pitch sensitivity. Ross
has taken an airplane that is only a
couple of years younger than he is and
made it uniquely his own. He success-
fully incorporated his specific flying
needs in an airplane he can truly enjoy
- the more so since he did the work
all himself, and earned his A&P rating
to boot. The nine years of hard work
show up well. •
18 APRIL 1990
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19
Bob White of Zellwood, Florida with his Waco Taperwing at Sun 'n Fun '89. Charles "Speed" Holm.
20 APRIL 1990
n once flew this Waco.
CHAPTER  CAPSULES 
CHAPTER ONE 
Your hosts at Sun 'n Fun 
by Bob  Brauer 
Stories generally begin with  Chapter 
One  and  our  Antique/Classic  history 
keeps  with  this  practice.  In  May  1966, 
the  Florida  State  A viation  Antique and 
Classic  Association  based  in  Lakeland 
affiliated  with  EAA  to  form  the  first 
EAA  Antique/Classic  chapter. 
Membership  now  numbers  approxi-
mately  135  families .  President,  Ray 
Olcott  of  Nokomis,  Florida  says  that 
although  there  are  no  specific  qualifi-
cations  for  membership a, "love of an-
tiques,  classics  and  sport  aircraft  help. 
We are very proud to be a part ofEAA . 
Its  emergence  as  the  vanguard  of sport 
aviation  has  been  increasingly  evi-
dent. " 
Ray,  who  took  office  in  December 
1989,  has  been  around  airplane  people 
for  quite  a  while.  He  is  chairman  of 
the  Antique/Classic  Division's  Osh-
kosh  volunteer  manpower,  past  direc-
tor of the division,  is  now  a director of 
Sun  'n  Fun  and  has  restored  a  Cessna 
180  which  he  flies  regularly. 
One of the  chapter's most  important 
functions  is  directing  the  Antique/ 
Classic  Division's  activities  at  the  an-
nual  Sun  'n  Fun  fly-in  in  Lakeland .  It
is  the  host  chapter  of  this  fly-in  and 
operates  the  Antique/Classic  Division 
Headquarters.  In  1982,  33  of Chapter 
One's  volunteers  obtained  a  building 
for  this  purpose  and  donated  it  to  Sun 
Johnny Thomson and his New Standard.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21
' n  Fun.  It all  started  as  a  result  of an 
idea  that  originated  with  past-presi-
dent,  Gene  Crosby  in  1981. 
There  are  many  chapter  members 
active  in  restoration  projects.  Bob 
White  of  Zellwood,  Florida  is  a  past 
president  of  the  chapter  and  has  re-
stored  several  antiques  and  classics 
that  have  appeared  at  the  Sun  'n  Fun 
fly-in  over  the  years.  John  Stilly  of 
Lakeland  has  restored  some  old  bi-
planes  including  an  OX-S  powered 
Waco,  a  Travel  Air  and  a  rare  Butler 
Blackhawk.  Barbara  Fidler  and  her 
husband Jerry of Alva,  Florida restored 
the  EAA  Oshkosh  '88  Grand  Cham-
pion  Antique  J-3  Cub.  Barbara's 
airplane was featured  in  the cover story 
11
c 
of the  September  1988  issue of SPORT
0. 
§
AVIATION.
E
Chapter meetings are  held  at  various 
=;
airports  in  Florida  seven  or eight times 
Oshkosh Grand Champion Cub by Barbara Fidler.
a  year.  The  meetings  are  hosted  by 
local  EAA chapters or individual  EAA  ing of dining, EAA programs, socializ- chapter  membership  changes  over 
groups.  Chapter One meetings are real- ing  and,  of course,  much  hangar  talk.  time,  interests  and  activities  seem  to 
ly  mini-fly-ins  of  three  days  and  two  The chapter holds an  annual September  go  through  different  phases.  She  said 
nights.  Participants  tly  or drive  to  the  business  meeting  in  Thomasville,  that,  "although it  is  an  Antique/Classic 
meetings  and  frequently  camp  at  the  Georgia  which  is  hosted  by  the  Rose  chapter  with  interests  in  vintage 
airport.  The  programs  consist  of semi- City  Antiquers.  airplanes,  we  are  mainly  a  'people' 
nars  on  aviation-related  topics .  Bill  Kilborn  of  Melbourne,  Florida  chapter  and  tend  to  stay  away  from 
In  addition  to  programs,  the  fly-in  is  the  group's  newsletter  chairman.  stereotypes.  Interest  in  vintage  aircraft 
meetings  include  visits  with  FBOs  and  The  publication  features  aviation  news  is  a cementing factor." Sandy also feels 
points  of interest  such  as  the  Kennedy  and  information ,  schedules  of  local  that  receiving  publications  such  as 
Space  Center  at  Cape  Canavaral  and  aviation  events ,  interchange  of  mem- VINTAGE AIRPLANE and  SPORT
the  Jacksonville  Navy  Yard.  Among  bership information and even cartoons.  AVIATfON are  an  important  benefit of 
the  80  to  100  planes  that  are  flown  to  Besides  the  membership,  the  newslet- membership. 
the  meetings  are  many  fine  examples  ter  goes  to  previous  members,  recent 
Chapter  officers  practice  what  they 
of  antiques  and  classics  which  are  guests  and  selected  aviation  associa-
preach.  Sandy  completed a  restoration 
judged using  similar standards to  those  tions . 
project  on  a  Cessna  J20  last  October. 
used  at  EAA  Oshkosh.  Fly-in  Outgoing  President ,  Sandy  McKen-
The  project  took almost seven  years  in 
weekends  are  highlighted  by  an  even- zie  of 0' Brien,  Florida says that  as  the 
an  on-and-off schedule  that  included  a 
complete  rebuild  of both  the  airframe 
Cubsters Barbara Fidler (front) and friend, Marcia Sullivan.
and  engine. 
Sandy believes that it  would be great 
if the  Antique/Classic  Division  as  well 
as  the  chapter could  function  as  an  of-
ficial  activity  at  Sun  'n  Fun  and  she 
would  like  to  see  a  combined  regional 
Antique/Classic  Chapter  tly-in  to  help 
cement our interests.  There is  no doubt 
about  the  priorities  of Chapter One -
people  and  airplanes  in  that  order. 
Sun  'n Fun  is  upon  us!  For informa-
tion,  call  Bonnie  Ware  at  813/644-
2431  and  plan  on  sampling  Chapter 
One's hospitality at the Sun 'n Fun  An-
tique/Classic  Headquarters .  Enjoy  the 
shade of the  porch  and  meet  some fine 
antiquers. 
Anyone interested in  information for 
this  year's  remaining  tly-in  meetings 
is  invited  to contact  Ray  Olcott at  813/ 
488-8791 .• 
22 APRIL 1990
PROJECT PORTERFIELD 
A1940  Beauty Rebuilt in the Wild Northwest 
by Norm Petersen
Perhaps the dream of finding a derelict antique airplane in an old bam and restoring
it to new condition is prevalent in all of us. For some, the dream never comes true, try
as they might to make it so. However, for others, the dream becomes a reality through
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23
steady, persistent hard work and some-
times - a little "dumb luck". One has
to realize that in the wonderful world
of airplanes, it is all part of the game!
Our subject aircraft is a 1940 Porter-
field CP-65 Collegiate, NC25590, SI N
696, which was one of about 200 CP-
65's built at the Porterfield factory in
Kansas City, Missouri from 1938-1942.
Although purchased primarily for the
Civil Pilot Training Program (CPTP) ,
which was urgently training pilots for
the future military demands , some Col-
legiates were sold to private owners
around the country.
The rebuilder of NC25590 is Wil-
liam (Bill) Burkey (EAA 275966, A/C
14970) of Moses Lake, Washington.
Bill is an A & P with Inspection Au-
thorization and runs an aircraft repair
shop. His interest in antique airplanes
goes back many years and when the
word came wafting through his shop
that an old airplane was laying in a hay
shed near Othello , about 20 miles
south, Bill was off and running! It took
nearly five years to strike a deal for the
forlorn looking Porterfield that had
been idle for over IO years. It was co-
vered with ash from the eruption of
Mt. St. Helens in 1980. Bill hauled the
bare bones home in a trailer and slowly
24 APRIL 1990
began the teardown to a bare airframe.
Once everything was detached (and
scraped) from the basic tubing, it was
sandblasted clean. Surprisingly, it was
in excellent shape with no rust or
holes. Bill painted the framework with
a Ditzler polyurethane primer that is
impervious to almost any other paint
or liquid. Assembly was then begun
with each part and piece being brought
up to new condition or replaced before
it was installed . Bill reports excellent
assistance from Univair of Aurora ,
Colorado, which carries many of the
necessary parts on hand. In addition,
the holder of the original Type Certifi-
cate for the Porterfield CP-65 is Joe
Rankin in Mayville , Missouri (Phone
816-582-3291) and certain parts are
available from him.
One lucky acquisition with the tired
old Porterfield was a complete set of
blueprints that helped the assembly
process a great deal. It makes it so
much easier to sort a pail full of parts
when you know where the parts go!
All wood was replaced on the fuselage
and properly varnished before installa-
tion. New control cables were made
up and installed with new guides - for
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25
that "moving your hand through a tub
of whipped cream" feel. All of the
bearings in the Porterfield control sys-
tem are ball bearing, so it behooves
one to do a good job on the controls.
The wing spars were in good restor-
able shape, however , the ribs and ailer-
ons had to be done over from scratch.
All ribs were jig built to the original
Munk M-5 airfoil and slid on the
sanded and varnished spars . When all
the hardware was in place, Bill tram-
meled the wings square and readied
them for covering. The ailerons were
also rebuilt with new wood and care-
fully assembled. It was now covering
26 APRIL 1990
time .
Stits HS90X lightweight fabric was
used on the fuselage, wings and tail-
feathers with the normal build-up and
sanding before a final finish in Canyon
Red (Tennessee Red) with black trim .
The results speak for themselves as the
finish is outstanding.
All cowling metal was replaced and
the many metal fairings were redone in
new aluminum to get away from "that
wrinkled look" , so prevalent in old
airplanes! The instruments were sent
out to an overhaul shop for rebuild and
the 65-hp Continental engine was tom
down for a major overhaul. Although
the log books showed only 200 hours
since the engine had been worked on,
it was in dire need of help. Bill brought
it back to new limits and ordered a
Flottorp propeller to be installed on the
engine when ready . The final touch
would be a skullcap spinner.
The original 13.5 gallon fuel tank
had to be repaired before it could be
installed, just ahead of the instrument
panel. However , once it tested OK, it
was carefully installed and the plumb-
ing was hooked up. The engine mount
was then installed and the newly over-
hauled 65 Continental was hung on the
mount. The old exhaust system needed
considerable rework before it was
ready for installation.
A new windshield was shipped in
from Pennsylvania and together with
new glass for all windows, was care-
fully installed. With the redone seats
and new interior, the inside of the Por-
terfield looked just as nice as the out-
side! The cream faced instruments re-
ally gave the panel that look of a well
restored airplane when they were in-
stalled.
Final assembly of the wings and tail
surfaces somehow made all the work
and effort worthwhile as the Porterfield
looked for all the world like it had just
rolled out of the Kansas City factory.
The Flottorp propeller was installed
and the overhauled brakes were
checked to see that they worked prop-
erly. (I once had a friend in Minnesota
who taxied his newly restored LP-65
Porterfield to the far end of the runway
for its first flight. Reaching the end of
the hard-surface, he stepped on the
brakes to make a turn around. Nothing!
He had forgotten to hook up the
brakes! The Porterfield rolled off the
end of the runway and flopped over on
its back!)
Bill Burkey says his beautifully re-
stored CP-65 flies like a new airplane
and handles very nicely. Although it
can be flown from either the front or
rear seat, it handles the nicest when
flown solo from the rear seat. His fon-
dest hope and dream is to fly the bright
red bird to Oshkosh where it can enjoy
the company of many other antique and
classic airplanes. We look forward to
seeing the Porterfield taxi up to the
parking area and receive its rightful
share of admiring glances. And you
can be sure the gentleman standing
next to the pretty airplane with the
huge smile on his face is Bill Burkey,
one of the lucky ones who found an
old airplane in a barn . •
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
"OLD  BLUE" 
Wrecked  in  1952,  this  classic  Stinson Gullwing wasn't too 
much for  this  pilot to  handle. 
It was a cool, clear June morning
about five years ago when Old Blue
and [ lifted off the Fairbanks Metro
Airfield for the last time. We were
packed with a fairly hefty load, includ-
ing spare engine parts, tools, survival
gear and a rocking chair. I had to
28 APRIL 1990
by  Mike  McCann 
search for the pilot's seat.
After a smooth engine run-up, [
aimed down the narrow airstrip, then
pushed the throttle in for full power.
Within yards, her tail was up. We
sprang along on the main gear, over
the wavy tarmac . With a leap, the
thick , gull-shaped wings pulled her
skyward.
Climbing, she sounded like a 0-8
Cat pulling a sled-load up a steep hill.
But once we reached 8,000 feet, prop
and engine slowed to 18 inches and
1,800 rpm. Old Blue purred and flew
like the beauti ful Gull wing Stinson
she' d been back in '46.
Foll owing the Tanana Ri ver east, we
had a good sti ff tail wind . In two hours
we were cl osing in on the Canadian
border. I was not digesting th is fac t
very well. The tail wind di ed off -
and Old Blue slowed down, seem ing
to hesitate herself.
She' d been in Alaska since 1949,
except for four months in '8 1 when my
friend Claire and I haul ed her mangled
remai ns to Montana for restoration.
Thirty of those years she' d lain on her
back in the Interior tundra, slowly
settling into the ice and tussocks. Many
a cold trapper camped in her tatt ered
cabin, oft en stripping a pi ece of wing
rib or engine hose to repair a faulty
snow machine or patch . a broken dog-
sled. From the air, she was a landmark
- the bi g yell ow fuselage among the
short bl ack spruce - well known
among Yukon Ri ver Bush pil ots, alert-
ing them that they were 15 mil es west
of the vill age of Tanana.
Now, about to cross the north-south
survey line that indicates the official
U. S. -Canadi an border, I banked int o
a shall ow left turn , fl ying two large
circles. The acti on seemed to be
slowed down. My mind was rac ing.
Hard to believe I was leaving
Alaska. Even harder to beli eve that Old
Blue would probabl y never return , but
fall into the hands of some co ll ector in
"IN A
PUFF, THE NOSE
OF THE
STINSON WAS
ENGULFED
IN FLAMES."
the Lower 48. Leveling off, I rocked
the wings in salute, took a deep breath
- then crossed the border.
I knew the route south prett y well.
I pl anned to fl y along the AI- Can Hi gh-
way . In case of severe weather or
mechani cal problems, I could set her
down on the road.
There was lots to think about on thi s
trip. Lots of memori es . Not the least
of whi ch was Joe Cook himself - the
Alaska Bush pilot who' d "parked" the
Stinson on the tundra way back in the
fall of '52.
Joe had spent a rough three days try-
ing to fl y from the western Alaska vil -
lage of Galena to Fairbanks. The first
day, icing and poor visibilit y had
forced him to land on a sandbar on the
Tanana Ri ver. He spent the ni ght wrap-
ped in a sleeping bag in the cockpit.
The next morning, the visibility was
marginal but improved. He took off
without troubl e and fl ew low over the
countrys ide, hop ing to find a cl oud
break that would all ow him to make it
into Nenana. Instead, heavy ici ng
forced him down on a hill side in the
Redl ands area. 40 mil es north of
Nenana.
Us ing a small hatchet. he spent the
afternoon clearing a path across the
slope through the bl ack spruce for a
possibl e runway. Temperatures had
dropped. By the time he was ready to
try a takeoff, the pl ane' s engine oil had
The Challenge.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
30 APRIL 1990
thickened  so  much  that  the  battery  He  had  only  two  candy  bars  and  half  crept  over  the  horizon ,  Joe  could  see 
couldn ' t  turn  the  propeller  over.  En- a container of water for food.  He began  the  clouds  had  li fted.  If  he  could  just 
gine  heat  was  needed.  to  work  up  a  plan.  He  decided  to  heat  get  in  the  air  and  aim  north  he  knew 
Joe  jumped  from  the  cockpit,  grab- he  would  intercept  the  Yukon  River. 
bed  armfuls  of  brush  and  stacked  it  After  two  hours,  the  bucket  of  oil 
under the engine cowl.  Next he drained 
several  gallons  of  A V  gas  from  the 
wing  tank  and  poured  it  on  the  brush 
pile.  He  lit  the  brush.  In a  puff,  the 
nose  of  the  Stinson  was  engulfed  in 
flames .  Dense  bl ack  smoke  billowed 
out  from  under  the  old  sleeping  bag 
that  was  doubling  as  an  engine  cowl 
cover. 
In a  frenzy  now,  Joe  was  abl e  to 
kick  the  blazing  brush  away  from  the 
airplane.  Then  by  wrapping  the  bag 
completely  around  the  engine cowl ,  he 
tried  to suffocate the fire.  "Please don ' t 
blow,"  he  thought,  knowing  full  well 
that  if  the  carburetor  gas  caught,  it 
would  be  curtains  for  his  plane.  The 
fire  smothered.  Joe  lay  back  against 
the  windshield.  The  Stinson  was 
saved,  but  what  next? 
The  snow  was  getting  heavi er,  and 
it  was  almost  dark .  Joe  crawled  into 
the  cockpit,  wrapped  himself  in  the 
charred  sleeping  bag  that  had  just 
saved  hi s only way out - wherever-
and  tried  to  sleep. 
Joe  Cook  awoke  just  before  dawn . 
"JOE COOK
GRUNTED A
SHORT PRAYER
AND GAVE
HER FULL
POWER."
the  oil  and  engine  separately.  Fumbl-
ing  in  the  dark ,  he  built  a  fire  well 
away  from  the  aircraft.  He  drained  the 
engine  oil  into  a  five-gallon  pail,  then 
hung  it  over  the  fire.  Next,  he  built  a 
small  fire  under  the  pl ane's  nose.  He 
needed  to  heat  the  massive  radial  en-
gine  case.  Pouring  warm oi l  into  a  fro-
zen  engine  would  be  futile.  As  li ght 
was  plenty  hot,  the  engine  case  warm 
to  the touch.  Joe  tossed the ratty engine 
cover as ide  and  poured  the  five  gallons 
of hot  oi l  into  the  oil  reservoir - hop-
ing  some of its  heat would  help defrost 
the  windshield ,  too.  He  needed  all  the 
visibility  he  could  get  to  maneuver 
down  hi s  narrow,  slanted ,  homemade 
runway . 
Stamping  out  his  fires,  Joe  leaped 
inside  the  cockpit  and  pumped  the 
primer  knob  five  solid  strokes  and 
kicked down hard on  the  starter button . 
The  Stinson  roared  to  life,  no  uneven 
popping.  It  was  hard  to  believe  the 
electrical  harness  had  survived  the  pre-
vious  ni ght's  torching. 
A  steady  60  pounds  of oil  pressure 
registered  on  the  gauge.  Clenching  hi s 
teeth ,  Joe  Cook  grunted  a  short  prayer 
and  gave  her  full  power.  The  pl ane 
waddl ed  a  bit.  The  tail  wheel  hung  up 
in  the  short brush .  He  worked  the yoke 
back  and  forth  - and  the  tail  sprang 
free.  The propeller sucked snow, ashes 
and  small  twi gs.  The  plane  started  to 
roll  forward,  while  sliding  sideways 
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
I down the slope. The left wingtip
lodged in a tree. Cutting the engine to
idl e, Joe jumped out with hi s axe ,
cl eared some more trees and pushed
the tail sideways.
Several more such del ays and Joe
was at the far end of his airfield. Turn-
ing the Stinson around was no easy
chore. Finall y he was abl e to aim it
back down the runway. He breathed a
hope that the engine torque would help
him keep the pl ane out of the downhill
brush - then gave her full power once
again .
Starting slow, she began to gain
speed - then lifted off.
Joe banked the Stinson out over the
fl ats and headed north for the Yukon
River. It took full power to keep her
flying, since the plane had lost much
of her lower-side fabric and tail cover-
ing to the previous day' s semi -crash
landings. In 30 minutes, Joe could see
the Yukon. But he could also see that
both hi s gas gauges indicated empty.
"She' ll make it ," he thought.
Joe recall ed later that he' d just com-
pl eted that thought when the engine
began sputtering - and then all was
so qui et he could hear the air hi ssing
over the Stinson's bi g wings.
" Damn !"
Rocking the wings, he hoped to coax
an extra cup of fuel out of the tank. At
the same time, he searched the area for
another pl ace to crash-l and .
" I thought she' d glide to the river ,"
Joe said later. "But all torn up, she
came down like a streamlined rock."
Hitting the tundra, she bounced and
lurched - then flipped hard , ej ecting
Joe through the front windshi eld . He
landed in the semifrozen muck . He was
OK. But he was growing tired of the
trip. Hi s bi g yellow airpl ane looked
bad . The worst he' d ever seen her:
lying there on her back with small
spruce trees sticking through her
wings , wheels 10 feet off the ground.
Joe Cook pi cked up hi s gun and hi s
frayed sleeping bag. He looked at hi s
plane one last time. It was hard to be-
lieve she was fini shed. He felt as if he
was leaving an old fri end at the
graveyard .
Then Joe turned away and began
walking. He walked three mil es to the
Yukon River. Then he walked 15 more
mil es to a sand spit across the vill age
of Tanana. To get attention, he fired
two shotgun bl asts. Then he lay down
in the snow, exhausted.
Crossing Lake Kluane with a 40-
32 APRIL 1990
mph headwind, Old Blue and I turned
east at Haines Juncti on.
When Claire and I had returned Blue
to Al aska from Montana in '8 1, she' d
seemed to fl y doubl e-time, like a horse
heading for the barn . Although she was
indi cating 115 mph , all calcul ati ons
gave us 145 mph ground speed. Now
the best she could do was 85 mph . I
could only think Blue wasn' t real anx-
ious to meet the customs man in
Whitehorse.
As we rounded the last bend of the
Mendenhall Ri ver, Whitehorse Airport
"IT'S BEEN
HERE 30
YEARS. IT'LL
BE HERE
TOMORROW. "
came into view. I fl ew a straight and
level turn , lined up and landed , taxiing
over to the fli ght service stati on, where
a small crew of mechani cs gathered
under Blue's wings . Several of them
remembered her from our fli ght north
in '8 1. That evening, roll ed up under
the midnight sun in the deep grass, I
thought of how fortunate I was to own
such a beautiful old pl ane, and of the
unusual circumstances that had led to
thi s fli ght.
I had come to Alaska to learn how
to fl y. After two years of working as
a nurse in a small Bush hospital in
Tanana, I took my bankroll of $4 ,500
and hopped a fli ght into Fairbanks,
hoping to buy a small , fl yabl e
machine. I had a rude awakening com-
ing. In 1980, my savings could onl y
afford a balled up pile of tubing behind
a hangar on Phillips Field , a pile that
I was not convinced had ever been an
airpl ane.
I headed back to the vill age, frus-
trated and di sappointed . In the next
few days, I thought of different op-
ti ons, all based on the fact that since
I'd never acquired anything in working
order before, why start now? I' d heard
of several wrecks in the area within a
100-mile radius of the vill age. With
the help of several local res ident s,
pl otted their approx imate sites on a
map.
Then I convinced my frie nd Claire,
who owned an Alaskanized PA-J2 , to
take several reconnaissance/sceni c
fli ght s. Within a week we' d spotted all
the sites except one, and all were either
totally inaccess ibl e without a heli cop-
ter or too far gone to justify a trip
across tundra and mount ains. Last on
the li st was a Stinson - Joe Cook's
pl ane - crashed in the earl y ' 50s about
15 mil es down the Yukon.
It was cold and gray that February
afternoon when we found something
that resembl ed her. A small patch of
dull yell ow peeked out from a snow
berm, looking like a chunk of snow
machine cowling from the air. We de-
cided to have a cl oser look. Cl aire shot
a compass heading whil e preparing to
land on a small lake. Landing on skis
in a puff of dry snow, we jumped out
and unti ed our snowshoes from the
wing strut s.
From the ground, the berm looked
like there was a school bus buri ed un-
derneath . A small metal stepl adder
pointed skyward from its snow-co-
vered heap. I was convinced it was the
cl ass ic Stinson. Us ing the snowshoes
as shovels, we stood chest-deep and
dug hastil y, uncovering a large, tat-
tered, inverted fuselage.
Claire call ed a halt . " It 's been here
30 years, it ' ll be here tomorrow. We
still have a runway to stomp out. -'
The lake was too small. Even with
building a small launch ramp and
showshoe-packing the whole runway ,
the pl ane's ski s trimmed the trees on
takeoff. Obviously, we couldn ' t return
to that lake.
Back in the vill age that evening, it
was time to organi ze a strategy wi thout
adverti sing too much. We would need
heaters, generators, saws, shovels and
come-alongs . Stan Zuray, a home-
steader 40 mil es to the north , had ar-
rived for the evening. Caught up in the
excitement , he offered to help with hi s
large freight sled and di sc iplined dog
team.
The airpl ane had lain upside down
for 30 years on the tundra, it s wings
swall owed by the tussocks and ice. We
spent several days heating the metal
wing structure with portable heaters
run by a small generator before the
ground would realease each wi ng.
They were hardly recogni zabl e.
We were pressured by an earl y thaw
and the overfl ow from a tributarv
stream flooding the river ice . The four-
mile , snow-packed trail from the river
through the spruce was dropping out.
The Lycoming engine and prop,
mounted on a fre ight sled, flipped
many times due to poor trai l conditi ons
before we got it to the more solid river
trail.
After two weeks and many trips to
the crash site by dogsled and snow-
machine - and with the help of Stan
and hi s 18-foot freight sled - much
of the Stinson was in my yard. On the
last trip, we had three sleds loaded wi th
wings and fuselage, and pulled straight
through town.
There was a big pre-dog-race party
at the time. Lots of folks were sociali z-
ing out on Main Street, most bl eary-
eyed. They came to attention as thi s
convoy of decrepit airplane part s
creaked past. It came to rest on the
sawhorses behind my house.
Later, I liked to si t on an old kitchen
chai r in place of the pilot's seat in the
fuselage and wonder just what style of
Stinson I actually had. It sure wasn' t
obvious .
Sometimes friends would visit. I
added chairs to the Stinson and wel-
comed them on fantasy excursions.
That spring I dug through all the avia-
tion books avai lable, anxious to see a
picture of what a Gullwing Stinson in
flying order looked like. Claire arrived
one evening with a folded-up pi cture
of a V -77 Stinson Reli ant Gullwing. I
couldn ' t believe that my pile of pieces
could ever have looked like the beauti-
ful plane in her photo.
The parts search was on. Many
phone call s and ads later, a contact was
made in Minnesota. He had what J
didn' t, all for sale. He was willing to
hold the parts until September while I
tried to come up with more money. I
came up with enough for the needed
parts by making tents, working part
time as a nurse and running a small
fish business.
I shipped the plane on a ri ver barge
to Nenana, where I loaded her onto a
boat trailer towed by an old Chevy
panel van. Thanksgiving, Claire and I
headed south . Nine days and 45 quarts
of motor oil later, we hit the Mont ana
border.
It took three months to restore her.
We lived in a big garage with her until
the job was done . She was reshaped,
recovered, repainted (blue) - and,
hopefull y, ready to fly .
A retired Alaska Bush pil ot, Glen
Gregory , hopped in and gave Claire
her first Gullwing flying lesson off a
Montana wheat field .
' These Stinsons are built like a
bridge," Glen said, by way of encour-
agement. "Onl y problem is they fl y
like one ... Anyway , they always get
off before they hit the fence ."
We knew he liked flying the Stinson
- which we rechristened "Old Blue"
- because he often beat us to the air-
field .
Several weeks of practice and we
were ready to head home to Alaska.
Anxious and overloaded, we took off
"YOU DON'T
CALLA
PREACHER
ON SUNDAY
FOR GAS,"
from Bozeman . We barely cleared the
hori zon. An hour later, we landed in
Great Falls and dumped 500 pounds
out of our load .
"Now she ' ll be fun to fl y," Claire
said .
The shiny, classic Stinson drew a
crowd everywhere we landed. She was
making great time . Dawson Creek,
Fort Nelson, Wqtson Lake - all
seemed to go by in a blur. We landed
in Tanana Easter Sunday, spring of
'8 1.
Over the next three years, Old Blue
received lots of tender loving care. I
got a handle on fl ying her and would
take her up between the many hours of
tinkering. I never could get myself to
load her up with fish or sled dogs. So
she enjoyed the retired life of a work-
horse getting out to stretch once in
awhile. Often the old-timers would say
that whenever they saw the old Gull-
wing flying it reminded them of the
early trapline years, when Stinsons
were the most common Bush plane.
Now it was the spring of '84. Blue
and I were heading south. After two
long days of fl ying, we reached Daw-
son Creek.
The temperature was close to 100
degrees, midday. I would take off at 5
a.m., fly three hours, then put down
until evening. The countryside had
leveled out, and I had to be more care-
ful following roads. Suddenly, they
seemed everywhere.
I found a small airstrip 20 miles west
of Edmonton and spent that evening
visiting old friends . Up and off at 5
a.m. , I was having a hard time navigat-
ing. Forest fire smoke from the Rock-
ies covered the valley. I planned to
refuel in Lethbridge, but the runway
was socked in .
Luckil y Cards ton was up on a
pl ateau, with a small paved strip five
miles from town. Blue was hot and
dripping oil from every possibl e fi t-
ting. The local preacher also ran the
fuel depot. If I learned anything on this
trip, it was that you don' t call a
preacher on 'Sunday for gas. Fifty gal-
lons of car gas cost me more than
$ 150.00.
Then off we went to Bozeman,
Mont. , with a strong tailwind. Late
that afternoon, just as we had climbed
high enough to clear Flathead Pass in
the Bridger Mountains, with Bozeman
runway visible in the di stance, the en-
gine began to surge - racing, then
slowing. We were sinking. I put the
nose down to gain speed and cool
things, looking for a place to land . I
couldn't believe we had made it thi s
far and now were heading for the
bushes - in clear sight of our destina-
tion .
I flashed back on old Joe Cook and
hi s many rough landings . Still on the
wrong side of the ridge, skimming the
hill side at treetop level, the engine
began to smooth out. I started breath-
ing again, pulling back easy on the
yoke, hoping for power enough to
climb out of the Bridger Canyon . Bit
by bit we neared the 8,OOO-foot pass
once again . My pul se raced faster than
the engine. Bozeman Airport was in
sight. Crossing the pass was like escap-
ing from jail. I put the nose down and
glided the 15 mil es to Gallatin Field.
As the prop quit spinning, Claire,
who had since become my wife , and
Chris , our 2-year-old son, ran up the
runway to greet me. I hugged them
both.
" How was the trip?" Claire asked.
" For a pl ane that didn ' t want to
come south , she did a helluva job," I
said .
"Gl en was right. She always clears
the fence. Though the cow elk had to
lie down so I could get over the pass." .
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 33
Where  The  Sellers  and  Buyers  Meet ... 
25¢  per word, $5.00  minimum charge.  Send your ad to 
The Vintage Trader,  EAA Aviation Center 
Oshkosh, WI  54903-2591. 
AIRCRAFT:
(2)  C-3  Aeronca  Razorbacks - 1931  and  1934. 
Package  includes extra  engine  and  spares.  Fuse-
lage,  wing  spars and extra props.  Museum quality! 
$30,000  firm!  No  tire  kickers, collect  calls  or  pen 
pals,  please!  E.E.  "Buck"  Hilbert,  P.O.  Box  424, 
Union, IL  60180-0424. 
1950  Cessna  170A  - 3,200  n  , 1,050  SMOH, 
300  STOH, Franklin 165 w/40  amp alternator.  King 
radios  with  Loran, Digital EGT/CHT, auxiliary tank, 
wing  leveler,  Imron paint and much  more.  $29,000. 
Call  Mark  Lindberg, 415/967-4795.  (4-1) 
1961  Piper PA-22-108 "Colt" -150 hours SMOH 
and  restoration.  Two  people  plus  36  gallons  fuel 
and  100 Ibs.  luggage.  Cleveland  brakes, ELT, Es-
cort  110,  EGT,  CHT,  beacon, new glass, tires  and 
Dacron  cover.  A  lot  of  flight  time  for  $9,800.  Call 
Chuck  at  414/426-4815  days  and  414/235-8714 
evenings. (CST-WI).  ufn 
Sell or Trade 1940 Fleet 16B - O/H Kinner B5-R, 
brand  new  unused  Fahlin  92-63 prop.  Guaranteed 
complete  except  few  minor instruments.  Fuselage 
covered  Stits,  Fleet  Blue.  Wings  ready  for  cover. 
SIS wires. ALSO historic Warner SS-50A.  Was in-
stalled  in  stbd.  position  of  Blimp  L-8  when  she 
came ashore minus crew at  Daly City, California in 
August 1942. Complete logs show crash. Later O/H 
and  served  on  L-9  and  L-l0.  Was  removed  from 
fleet  to  mOdify  to  large  cylinder  studs,  but  upon 
examination of logs decided not to change anything 
account  of  history. Cylinders removed  for  pickling, 
engine  complete  and  standard.  SASE,  no  phone. 
Curtiss-Reed  86-63  extra.  Smith,  204  Lockport , 
Plainfield, Illinois 60544-1940.  (4-1) 
1935 Porterfield Flyabout - Model 35/70 - 70 hp 
LeBlond  engine.  84  hours since total  restoration . A 
true classic and award winner. $17,000. Todd, 405/ 
282-7580.  (5-2) 
Curtiss-Wright 16E - Powered  by  a Wright U-6-
5. This aircraft is the only known surviving example 
of a 1936 CoW export order for the Argentine Navy. 
The  aircraft is  complete  and  was  flown  as  recently 
as  1988. Recently  imported and  offered for sale at 
$49,500.  Contact John  Tucker, 3141731-7111 .  (4-1) 
Taylorcraft  1941  BC12D  - C85,  250  SMOH, 
wings  partially  rebuilt,  envelopes,  original  wheel 
pants.  $3,000  obo, wi ll  consider  trades  plus  cash 
forC170, C180, PA12,  PA20. 408/296-3458. (4-1) 
ENGINES:
Dynamic  Antique  Radial  Engine  Balancing  -
Specializing  in  Warner  145,  165,  185  engines. 
"Smooth  out  the  vibration  when  rebuilding. "  904/ 
768-5031 . (7-4) 
34  APRIL  1990 
MISCELLANEOUS:
Super  Cub  PA18  fuselages  repaired  or rebuilt 
- in  precision  master  fixtures.  All  makes  of  tube 
assemblies  or  fuselages  repaired  or  fabricated 
new. J. E.  Soares Inc.,  7093  Dry Creek Road, Bel-
grade, Montana 59714,406/388-6069, Repair Sta-
tion  D65-21.  (c/4-90) 
JN4-D  Memorabilia  - "Jenny  Mail "  collector 
cachets,  actually  flown  in  Jenny  to  Day  and  Osh, 
along  with  T-shirts, pins,  posters, etc. Send  SASE 
for  catalog/pricing.  Virginia  Aviation  Co. ,  R.D.  5, 
Box  294, Warrenton,  VA  22186. (c-5/90) 
NEW  EAA  REFERENCE  GUIDE  - Now  in  one 
volume!  Covering  all  EAA  journals  1953  through 
1989. Newly organized, easier to  read.  MUCH  RE-
DUCED  PRICE!  Past purchasers: $7.50  USD plus 
$1.50  UPS/postage, $3.00 Canadian, $7.00  other. 
New  purchasers:  $15  USD  plus  $1 .50  UPS/post-
age, $3.00 Canadian, $7.00 other. VISAIMASTER-
CARD  accepted.  John  B.  Bergeson,  6438  W. 
Millbrook Road,  Remus,  MI  49340. 517/561-2393. 
Note: Have  all  journals. Will  make  copy  of  any  ar-
ticle(s)  from  any  issue  at  25¢  per  page.  ($3.00 
minimum). 
" Meticulous  Delineations"  - Antique  scale 
model  construction  plans,  or  wall  decor  by  Vern 
Clements  (AiC  5989) , 308  Palo  Alto,  Caldwell,  ID 
83605. Catalog/Info/News $3.00, refundable. (7-4) 
Porterfield  Landing  Gear  Vees  - $100.  Ryan 
PT-22  parts, controls,  flying  wires, L.G.  parts, en-
gine  mounts,  tailwheels  and  much  more.  Kent 
McMakin, 815/624-6617 eves.  (4-1) 
1910-1950 Original Plane and Pilot Items - Buy 
- sell - trade. 44-page catalog over 350 items avail-
able,  $5.00.  Airmailed.  John  Aldrich, POB-706  -
Airport, Groveland, CA 95321 , 209/962-6121 . (9-6) 
Sectional  Charts  - 1941  to  1966,  many  areas. 
Send  long  SASE  for  descriptive  price  list.  Edward 
Peck, Rt.  2, Box  225-A, Waddy,  KY  40076. (4-1) 
For Sale - Beautiful  winged  CONTINENTAL en-
gine  "Powerful  as  the  Nation" 1930/40's era  water 
transfer decals. Red , black and silver, just like Con-
tinental  made 'em. 6" by 2". Apply face up or down 
to cowl, panel , windows.  Pair, postpaid, $6.50. Cur-
tissAldrich, POB-21 , Big Oak Flat, CA 95305. (4-1) 
WANTED:
WANTED:  Right  streamlined  gear  leg,  tapered 
axle,  shinn  wheel  for  1938  Aeronca  C50  Chief. 
Minor  axis  7/8  inch,  major  2  inch.  Also  complete 
set  of  rudder,  brake  pedals  for  Fleet  16B. Smith, 
204  Lockport, Plainfield,  Illinois.  60544-1940. 
MEMBERSHIP 
INFORMATION 
EAA 
Membership  in  the  Experimental 
Aircraft  Association,  Inc.  is  $30.00 
for  one  year,  including  12 issues  of 
Sport  A viation.  Junior  Membership 
(under  19 years  of age)  is  available 
at  $18.00  annually.  Family  Member-
ship  is  available  for  an  additional 
$10.00 annually. 
ANTIQUE/CLASSICS 
EAA  Member  - $18.00.  Includes 
one  year  membership  in  EAA  An-
tique-Classic  Division,  12  monthly 
issues  of The  Vintage Airplane and 
membership  card.  Applicant  must 
be  a current  EAA  member and must 
give EAA membership number. 
Non-EAA  Member  - $28.00.  In-
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EAA  Antique-Classic  Division,  12 
monthly  issues  of The  Vintage  Air-
plane,  one  year  membership  in  the 
EAA  and  separate  membership 
cards. Sport Aviation not included. 
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nually  which  includes  12  issues  of 
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are  required  to  be  members  of EAA. 
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America,  Inc.  is  $25.00  per  year , 
which  includes  a  subscription  to 
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required to be members of EAA. 
EAA EXPERIMENTER 
EAA  membership and EAA  EXPERI-
MENTER  magazine  is  available  for 
$28.00 per year (Sport Aviation not 
included).  Current  EAA  members 
may  receive  EAA  EXPERIMENTER 
for $18.00 per year. 
FOREIGN 
MEMBERSHIPS 
Please  submit  your  remittance  with 
a check  or  draft  drawn  on  a United 
States  bank  payable  in  United 
States dollars. 
Make  checks  payable  to  EAA  or the 
division  in  which  membership  is 
desired.  Address  all  letters  to  EAA 
or  the  particular  division  at  the  fol-
lowing address: 
EAA  AVIATION CENTER 
OSHKOSH,  WI  54903-3086 
PHONE (414) 426-4800 
OFFICE HOURS: 
8:15-5:00 MON.-FRI. 
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NEW.  USED  AND  .!CONDITIONED  TANKS 
VINTAGE  AIRPLANE  37 
by George Hardie Jr.
There is considerable mystery as to
the eventual fate of this airplane. The
photo was taken in a hangar at the
Wayne County airport, according to
known sources. The photo was submit-
ted by Jack McRae of Huntington Sta-
tion, New York. Answers will be pub-
lished in the July 1990 issue of VIN-
TAGE AIRPLANE. Deadline for that
issue is May 10, 1990.
38 APRIL 1990
Nathan  Rounds of Zebulon, Georgia 
submitted  a  detailed  answer  to  the 
Mystery  Plane  for  January.  He  writes: 
"This  January  Mystery  Plane  is  the 
Wilcox  T-12-1  airplane - it  was  built 
about  1930  in  Tulsa,  Oklahoma.  In 
fact,  it  was  built  in  the  town  of  the 
picture  submitter,  George  Goodhead . 
It  was  powered  by  a  Warner  engine, 
probably  a  100 or  125  hp  model  of the 
Scarab,  which was originally manufac-
tured  from  vendor  parts  near  my 
father ' s  home  town  in  Michigan - he 
was  from  Dowagic  which  is  15  miles 
from  Niles,  Michigan  where  the 
Warner  was  first  manufactured  before 
moving  to  Detroit,  Michigan. 
Enclosed  is  a  three-view of the  Wi 1-
Wilcox T12-1 
._- - -- - -- - - --- - --
 
.. _-------;- ---. 
1-"-------V·T-------1
H.  F.  WILCOX  AERONAUTICS,  INC. 
Tuh.,Okl•. 
MODEL:  T  12-1 
3  PUCE 
ENGI NE:  W ARNER 
cox.  It was  built  by  the  W.  F.  Wilcox 
Aeronautics,  Inc .  Company.  In  some 
references they refer to it as a two place 
trainer  and  in  some  a  three  place 
airplane - take  your  pick ." 
George  Goodhead,  Tulsa,  Ok-
lahoma,  who  submitted  the  photo, 
writes:  "These  are  photos  of the  H.  F. 
Wilcox  Trainer  that  was  built  here  in 
Tulsa  back  around  1928/ 1929.  The 
three-view  drawing  of  this  ship  was 
published  in  the  1930  Aircraft  Year-
book. 
These photos were taken by Howard 
Pettit  who  was  working  for  Wilcox  at 
that  time.  He  now  lives  in  Wichita, 
Kansas .  I  received  the  photos  from 
Walter D.  House,  an  aviation  historian 
and  collector  of  old  photographs  at 
Wichita." 
Quoting  from  Aero  Digest  for  June, 
1930:  "A  biplane  designed  by  W.  S. 
Collier  of the  H.  F.  Wilcox  Aeronau-
tics,  Inc . ,  of Tulsa,  will  be  manufac-
tured  by  the  Wilcox  company.  The 
plane has a cruising speed of about  100 
miles  an  hour,  a  landing  speed  of  35 
miles  per hour and  a high  speed of liS 
miles  per  hour,  and  is  powered  with 
IIO-horsepower  Warner  Scarab  en-
gine.  The  overall  length  is  21  feet  and 
the  wing  span  is  31  feet.  Dual  controls 
and  a  set  of Navy  type  instruments  are 
provided .  The  plane  is  designed  as  a 
training  ship.  The  plane  will  be  pro-
duced  with  any  type  powerplant  de-
sired within  the  100 to  150 horsepower 
range." . 
VINTAGE  AIRPLANE  39