Vintage Airplane - Jan 1988

STRAIGHT AND LEVEL 
by  Bob  Lickteig 
On Friday November 20, 1987, just
11 months after its historical flight, the
Voyager has become the newest attrac-
tion at the National Air and Space
Museum in Washington, D.C.
As we well remember from its two vis-
its to Oshkosh, the Voyager is a large
aircraft, with a wing span of 110ft.,
about the same as a Boeing 727 air-
liner. Suspending this huge aircraft pre-
sented some problems as the gallery it
was destined for is only 105 ft .wide.
This required positioning the Voyager
in a slight bank, which gives the viewer
a sense that it is making a graceful turn
inside the Independence Avenue en-
trance to the Museum. The Voyager is
displayed without its winglets, as the
record flight of 25,000 plus miles was
made without them . The one on the
right wing blew away on take off, and
the pilots maneuvered the aircraft to
cause the left winglet to tear away in
flight.
The Voyager was not a government
or big business project. The Voyager
was more like a typical EAA homebuilt
project. EAA members were involved in
contributing and soliciting money, parts,
material and equipment from wherever
they could to keep the project alive. This
project was a dream and a challenge,
VOYAGER -
NOW PUBLIC  DOMAIN 
and the only way to accomplish it was
the EAA way - design, build, test,
change, redo and make do. The total
project did not cost $2 million like it
might have had the government been
involved. In fact, if the government had
been involved, that amount probably
would have been spent just to estimate
what the cost would be.
We of EAA have seen so much suc-
cessful work from Burt Rutan, the Voy-
ager's designer, that we knew structur-
ally the project was possible. I am sure
most of us would admit that this pro-
posed flight was a long shot, though,
when you consider the factors of weath-
er, fuel, mechanical failures and human
fatigue. The master of long distance
flights, Max Conrad, never considered
an eight-day endurance flight of any
kind. And that's not even considering
the cramped quarters the Voyager crew
had to endure - Max would never have
had room to bring along his guitar.
The flight of the Voyager was a per-
fect example of courageous and daring
people willing to test and gamble
perhaps life itself for a chance to do
something no one has done before. All
EAA members should stand tall at this
success for the part they played in it.
The Voyager is now the second
homebuilt aircraft on display at the Na-
tional Air and Space Museum. It joins
Steve Wittman's Bonzo.
Many stories, books and a motion
picture have been written covering the
Voyager odyssey. Now, the Voyager it-
self is on display in the center of U.S.
aviation history. These are all fitting tri-
butes to the Voyager, its gallant crew,
Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager, and its
designer Burt Rutan.
The Voyager now belongs to the pub-
lic. In its proud position at the National
Air and Space Museum, it will continue
to inspire and thrill over 7 million visitors
a year.
We're better together. Welcome
aboard, join us and you have it all. •
2 NOVEMBER 1987
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CREATIVE  ART  DIRECTOR 
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FEATURE  WRITERS 
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Dennis  Parks 
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TIlt=
JANUARY 1988. Vol.  16,  No.1 
Copyright "' 1988  by  the  EAA  Antique/Classic  Division, Inc.  All  rights  reserved. 
Contents 
2  Straight and Level /by Bob Lickteig 
4  AlC News/by Norm Petersen 
5  Vintage Literature/by Dennis Parks 
6  Ed Wegner's Fairchild 24 
by Norm Petersen 
9  Members' Projects/by Norm Petersen 
10  The Time Capsule/by Jack Cox 
12  Vintage Seaplanes/by Norm Petersen 
13  Type Club Activities/by Norm Petersen 
14  Harry & Sherry's Taylorcraft BC-12D 
by Harry Miltner 
19  Out of the Past ... In Photos 
by Ray L. Johnson 
20  Fly Out to Shawano/by Bob Lumley 
22  Interesting Members - Jay Vieaux 
by Bob Brauer 
23  Prop Tips 
24  Just Another Grass Landing Strip. __ 
Not Anymore/by Joyce Helser 
26  Welcome New Members 
28  Mystery Plane/by George A.  Hardie, Jr. 
28  Letters to the Editor 
29  Vintage Trader 
Page 6 
Page 10 
Page  22 
FRONT  COVER  ... Flying  over  the  green  Wisconsin  countryside  is 
Ed  Wegner  of  Plymouth,  WI  in  his  award-winning  Ranger-powered 
1941  Fairchild  24  which  employs  a  certified  Beech  electric  propeller. 
For  the  full  story on  this  custom  restoration  see  page  6. 
(Carl  Schuppel  Photo) 
BACK  COVER  ... Keystone-Loening  K-84  "Commuter."  Introduced 
in  1929,  NX9781  was  the  prototype  300  hp  amphibian  of  which  40 
were  built.  (EAA  Photo  Archives, Kurt  Collection) 
The words EAA, ULTRALIGHT, FLY WITH THE FIRST TEAM, SPORT AVIATION, and the logos of EXPERIMENTAL 
AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION  INC., EAA INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION, EAA ANTIQUE/CLASSIC  DIVISION  INC  . 
INTERNATIONAL AEROBATIC  CLUB  INC., WARBIRDS  OF  AMERICA  INC ..  are  registered  trademarks. THE  EAA 
SKY  SHOPPE  and  logos  of  the  EAA  AVIATION  FOUNDATION  INC.  and  EAA  ULTRALIGHT  CONVENTION  are 
trademarks  of  the  above  associations  and  their  use  by  any  person  other  than  the  above  associations  is  strictly 
prohibited. 
Editorial  Policy:  Readers are encouraged to submit stories and  photographs.  Policy opinions expressed in articles are 
solely those  of  the authors.  Responsibility for accuracy in  reporting  rests entirely with the contributor. Material should 
be  sent  to:  Editor, The  VINTAGE  AIRPLANE, Wittman  Airfield, Oshkosh, WI  54903-3086.  Phone: 414/426-4800. 
The  VINTAGE  AIRPLANE  (ISSN  0091-6943)  is  published  and  owned  exclusively by  EAA  Antique/Classic  Division. 
Inc. of the  Experimental  Aircraft Association, Inc. and  is published  monthly at  Wittman  Airfield, Oshkosh. WI  54903-
3086.  Second  Class  Postage  paid  at  Oshkosh,  WI  54901  and  additional  mailing  offices.  Membership  rates  for 
EAA  Antique/Classic  Division,  Inc.  are  $18.00  for  current  EAA  members  for  12  month  period  of  which  $12.00  is 
for  the  publication  of  The  VINTAGE  AIRPLANE.  Membership  is  open  to  all  who  are  interested  in  aviation. 
ADVERTISING - Antique/Classic Division  does not guarantee or endorse any product offered through our advertis-
ing. We  invite constructive criticism  and  welcome any repOrt  of  inferior merchandise obtained through our advertising 
so  that  corrective  measures can  be  taken. 
Postmaster: Send address changes to EAA Antique/Classic Division, Inc. , Wittman Airfield, Oshkosh, WI  54903-3086. 
VINTAGE  AIRPLANE  3 
Gene Chase contemplates retirement on his last day at his EAA desk. These multi-
talented hands have flown more than 287 different types of airplanes and written
~ m   r o u s airplane articles.
Compiled by Norm Petersen
GENE CHASE RETIRES
After 14-1 12 years at EAA Headquar-
ters in various capacities, including
editor of The Vintage Airplane since De-
cember 1979, Gene Chase jumped on
the retirement bandwagon as of
. November 1, 1987. Not one to worry as
to what he would be keeping busy with,
Gene admitted he has many "projects"
that need work, including his model
shop in his home and two airplanes in
his hangar - a 1933 Davis D-1-W and
a 1935 Taylor E-2 "Cub."
Gene came to work at EAA from a
corporate pilot position at Standard Oil
Company in Tulsa, Oklahoma where he
had flown a Lockheed Lodestar for a
number of years. In addition, Gene has
maintained a CFI rating for over 40
years and plans on continuing dual in-
struction in the future. At present, he is
busy checking out a new owner in his
Cessna 195 powered with a 450 hp
P&Wengine!
Having the desire to fly since his early
childhood, Gene has actively pursued
aviation since entering the Naval Avia-
tion Cadet program during WW II. Addi-
tional military flight time was added as
Gene flew in the Navy Reserve for a
number of years, which included the
changeover from propellers to jets.
At present, Gene's logbook shows
some 287 different types of aircraft over
the years, a feat that puts him among a
very select few. He has flown the gamut
from ultralights to four-engine recips
and jets.
A member of the exclusive "Caterpil-
lar Club" by virtue of bailing out of a
flaming airplane, Gene has one more
take off than landing in his book. While
flying a Grumman F3F-2 biplane fighter
during Oshkosh '71, the nose of the
airplane caught fire (a broken fuel line
was suspect) and forced Gene and his
passenger, 18-year-old Randy Beloff,
to bailout over open country southwest
of Oshkosh near Pickett, Wisconsin.
Both parachutists landed safely, how-
ever, Gene was severely burned on his
hands, arms and neck and spent con-
siderable time healing.
The F3F-2 (which at one time was
Leroy Grumman's personal airplane)
slammed into the ground on the Clyde
Brey farm and was demolished. Sur-
prisingly, the exact spot is easy to find
as Clyde and Karen Brey report that to
this very day every time they plow the
ground, some additional silver grey and
green fabric comes to the surface!
Gene and his wife, Dorothy, donated
their "Church Midwing" to the EAA Air
Museum where it proudly hangs in the
Racing Section along with some pretty
fast company. They totally restored the
tiny yellow and black racer when they
lived in Tulsa and Gene flew it on
numerous occasions. It is powered with
a four-cylinder Heath Henderson en-
gine of approximately 26 hp. Gene's
150 lb. frame would just fit in the tiny
cockpit. Luckily, Gene's other two
airplanes, the Davis and Taylor Cub,
are also black and yellow, so Gene has
to inventory only two colors of paint.
Perhaps it is called progress, how-
ever, we miss the happy smile that
Gene would bring to EAA on a daily
basis. His friendly attitude merely com-
plimented that exceptional "aircraft
mind" that was our constant resource
for information. A man of exceptional
organizational ability, Gene grew with
EAA and the Antique/Classic Division.
As Senior Editor, he discharged his
duties in a faithful manner over the
many years, and the membership was
the benefactor.
A most happy retirement, Gene, and
don't forget to drag out the flute and
piccolo once in a while!
Hans Lohman Rasmussen
Roger Lorenzen, propeller maker of
Heath Parasol fame, inquired of Bill
Schlapman, another Heath Parasol
owner, about his old friend Hans Ras-
mussen, who had worked with Roger at
the Heath factory in the early '30s. Hans
had returned to his native Denmark in
1935 and Roger thought he might still
be living in Odense, Denmark - up in
his eighties!
Bill Schlapman asked if I knew any
Danes in Odense. It just happened that
Carl Erik Gimbel (EAA 146080) of
Holmstrupvej 9, 5250 Odense SV, Den-
mark not only lived there but was com-
ing to Oshkosh '87. Photo copies of
pages 296A, 297 A and 298A of Volume
I, The Golden Age of Air Racing,which
tells the story of Hans Rasmussen and
his "Skippy" racer were sent to Carl Erik
with the words, "Try and locate this
man."
A check of the phone book revealed
Hans Rasmussen lived only a short dis-
tance from Carl Erik and in no time he
was located and gave Carl Erik the en-
tire story of his aviation activities in the
U.S. Carl Erik brought greetings along
to Oshkosh '87 where he met with
Roger Lorenzen and gave him the full
story on Hans Rasmussen, now 83
years old!
Returning to Denmark after five full
days at Oshkosh '87, Carl Erik Gimbel
sat down and wrote the story of Hans
Lohman Rasmussen and his "Skippy"
racer for the Danish antique airplane
magazine published by the KZ and Vet-
eranfly Klubben (EAA Chapter 655) .
The story, along with pictures, was pub-
lished in this third quarter issue of the
magazine and is very nicely done. It
carefully explains how Hans Rasmus-
sen (who uses the name Lohman Ras-
mussen in Denmark for easier identifi-
cation) built not only the airframe for
"Skippy," but the engine as well!
(Continued on Page 23)
4 JANUARY 1988
 
by Dennis Parks
The Post-War Emergence of
the Lightplane
"43 Private Planes Certified by CAA,"
Aviation News, February 26, 1945;
"Lightplane Production Obstacles Loom
Despite WPB's Go-Ahead," Aviation
News, May 21 , 1945; "Low-Price plane
potentials," Aero Digest, July 1945 and
similar articles were some of the harbin-
gers of the post-war boom expected for
the lightplane industry.
The "43 Private Planes" mentioned in
the first articles not only reflected the
return of private flying but also fore-
shadowed one of the problems with the
expected boom- they were surplus mil-
itary aircraft. They included Ryan STs,
Fairchild M-62s and Taylorcraft DCOs.
They were among the 18,500 primary
trainers and liaison types declared
surplus in 1945, more than 80 percent
of which were sold.
The predictions at this time period
were for a very healthy market. In fact,
today it is hard to believe that they were
taken seriously. Victor Pero, chief of the
Industry War Board, had estimated that
2,800,000 of the nation's families would
in the next decade have enough pur-
chasing power to buy their own plane
but that "Only 1,000,000 of them will
hanker after private planes. "
As reported in the March, 1946 issue
of AERO DIGEST, "A recent survey by
one of the leading popular magazines
turned up 300,000 urban families in the
higher income brackets who listed a
plane as either their first or second pur-
chase contemplated."
Added to this estimate was the possi-
bility that rural families would wish to
own their own planes, adding another
100,000 prospective buyers. That total
of 400,000 matched other estimates of
the time.
That these expectations for the rural
population remained high in the follow-
ing year was reflected in the Sep-
tember, 1946 article in AERO DIGEST,
"Flying Farmers Will Account for 60%
of the Lightplanes." The article provided
coverage of the first annual convention
of the National Flying Farmers Associa-
tion held in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
The 250 members attending the Con-
vention were told by Art Boreman,
chairman of the CAA non-scheduled
flight committee, "Farmers
men of the United States are expected
to purchase 60% of all the lightplanes
produced during 1947-50. That means
that flying farmers will be a constantly
growing influence in the development
of ol,Jr civil aviation."
The CAA in its report "Civil Aviation
and the National Economy" had pre-
dicted that by 1955 the aircraft registra-
tion would reach 400,000 of which
320,000 would be for personal and bus-
iness use.
The outlook looked good in early
1946. The March issue of AERO 01-
GESTstated "A survey of editors of 132
publications, completed recently by the
Associated Business Papers organiza-
tion, reveals that twenty-one manufac-
turers have a total of 53,000 orders on
their books. "
The aviation magazines were full of
articles on lightplanes. The INDUS-
TRIAL ARTS INDEX for 1945 listed 85
articles on lightplanes and in 1946 110
were listed. During this same time is-
sues of FLYING and SKYWA YS
magazines had as many as 16 pages
of full-page ads for personal planes.
Trying to reach a broader audience
outside the aviation journals, Piper,
Beech and others were advertising to
readers in BUSINESS WEEK, LIFE,
and BETTER HOME AND GARDENS
among others.
The fall of 1945 saw the Type Certifi-
cation of the first of the new post-war
lightplanes when the Aeronca 7AC
Champion received Type number 759
on 18 October. By the end of 1946 18
more lightplanes would be certified.
These included the Aeronca Chief,
Globe Swift, Stinson Voyager, Cessna
120 and the Ercoupe.
These aircraft were well received in
the various aviation magazines. From
March 1945 to December 1946 light-
planes graced the covers of 46 issues
of AIR FACTS, FL YING, and SKY-
WAYS.
The first pilot report on the new
planes appeared in the November 1945
issue of AIR FACTS. This flight test was
of the Stinson Voyager. The first pilot
report to appear in SKYWA YS was in
February 1946 and the first for FL YING
was in May 1946. These were both of
the Stinson Voyager.
From November, 1945 till December,
1946 these three magazines which ap-
pealed to the personal pilot carried out
31 flight tests on 20 different light-
planes. No plane besides the Voyager
was covered in all three journals.
Others covered in two of the three in-
cluded, the Aeronca Champion, Beech
Bonanza, Cessna 140, Swift, Navion
and the Piper Super Cruiser.
Another indicator in the lightplane
boom was the lAS (Institue for Aeronau-
tical Sciences) National Light Aircraft
Meeting held in Detroit during the sum-
mer of 1946. This two-day meeting at-
tended by over 200 aeronautical en-
gineers included papers by Grover
Loening - "Noise Reduction"; Carl
Doman, chief engineer of Aircooled
Motors - "Simplified Design for En-
gines"; George Weitz of CAA - "Mainte-
nance Problems of the Personal
Airplane"; and J. Gwinn of Convair,
"The Effect of Center ot Gravity Move-
ment of Safety of Personal Aircraft" (Re-
member the Gwinn Aircar?)
November 1946 probably saw the
highwater mark of the lightplane boom
with the holding of the first National Air-
craft Show in Cleveland. From the De-
cember 1946 issue of A VIA nON:
"The one word 'Big' is the best single
adjective to apply to the nation's first
postwar National Aircraft Show, held in
the huge wartime bomber plant at
Cleveland Airport.
"First, it was the biggest show in the
industry's history from the standpoint of
participation, with more than 155
exhibitors.
"Second, it attracted the largest audi-
ence to ever view an indoor aircraft dis-
(Continued on Page 12)
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5
• • •
ED WEGNER'S
Fairchild 24 
(Transcribed from Gene Chase's Inter-
view with Ed Wegner at Oshkosh '87)
Most airplane folks will agree that one
of the outstanding authorities on Fair-
child aircraft is Ed Wegner of Plymouth,
Wisconsin. His dedication to the mar-
que is known the world over and if you
need an answer to a question about
Fairchilds, Ed will most likely be able to
provide the correct answer. Perhaps the
term ,"walking encyclopedia" describes
Ed better than any other.
Ed, whose full name is Edward C.
Wegner (EAA 33887, AlC 136), resides
at 10 Stafford Street, Plymouth, WI
53073, has been heavily involved in an-
tique restorations for many, many
years. His latest project is a 1941 Fair-
child 24W-41 A, NC28690, SI N W41 A-
111 , which earned the Grand Champion
Custom Antique award at EAA Oshkosh
'87.
The project began when Ed, along
with his son Randy, bought a couple of
Cruising above the waters of Lake Winnebago, Ed Wegner's Fairchild 24 presents a
pretty picture with its long nose and fully-faired landing gear. The paint scheme is very
complimentary to the airplane.
6 JANUARY 1988
by Norm Petersen
Intake side of the big 440 cu.in. Ranger engine with its hanging bed-type mount. Note
Marvel-Schebler carb with attendant plumbing and remote oil tank on firewall. This is
a very "sanitary" installation!
"24" airframes that had been Warner
powered from the factory. Being partial
to Ranger engines, (and an expert on
the intricacies of same), Ed decided to
convert the best airframe to Ranger in-
line power. He had a factory engine
mount so the hunt for cowl pieces
began. Success was partially achieved
on a trip to New Jersey and Solberg
Airport. (Ed Wegner's eyes beam with
excitement when he describes walking
through rooms adjacent to an old
hangar with Ranger parts stacked from
floor to ceiling, many in original cartons!
The collection, remaining after the elder
Solberg had died, was one of the most
mind-boggling experiences Ed had ever
come across.)
Using some new Solberg cowl blanks
and making a new top cowl worked very
nicely. A nosebowl from a PT-19 was
modified to conform to the Beech elec-
tric propeller spinner. With this prop, the
pilot can set the propeller for whatever
pitch he wants. Ed says this prop makes 
NC28690 the  "goingest 24" he has ever 
owned,  even  better than  the  Aeromatic 
on  his  previous  Fairchild  24, NC25323 
- the  red  and  cream  Ranger-powered 
bird  that had  so  many of us drooling for 
years! 
Ed's  latest  edition  is  covered  with 
Stits  Dacron, four  coats  of  nitrate,  four 
coats  of  butyrate  - nontautening  and 
six coats of nontautening silver, sanded 
periodically  and  then  a final  light  sand-
ing.  Ed  says, "We  used  a non-sanding 
sealer  over  the  silver  to  give  better 
adhesion  when  we  applied  the  Deltron 
paint,  which  is  a pure  urethane.  We  let 
it sit for about a week and then ultra fine 
sanded  the  fuselage,  the  cloth  parts, 
and  then  buffed  it  to  get  away  from 
some  of  the  really  high  lustre  that  the 
enamel  would  have.  This  way  it  looks 
more  like  buffed  butyrate." 
The  instrument  panel  was  built  new, 
more  or  less  in  the  configuration  of  the 
Fairchild panel,  but the hump was elimi-
nated. It was used mainly for the old GE 
radio.  Modern  wiring  and  circuit  break-
ers  brought  it  up  to  a  near  IFR  panel , 
although  it's  not  certified  as  such. The 
panel  was  then  wood-grained  and  a 
coat  of  clear  urethane  was  applied  to 
protect  the  wood  grain. The  result  is  a 
better appearing panel than the original. 
Leading  edge  landing  lights  were  in-
stalled  along  with  strobes  on  the 
wingtips  for  better  visibility.  A King  KX-
160  radio  with  VOR  head  along  with  a 
transponder  (under  the  panel)  are  the 
necessary radio items for normal flying. 
The  engine  is  a  200  hp  Ranger  that 
was  purchased  new  in  the  crate!  How-
ever,  these  military  engines  were  built 
with  too  large  of  tolerances,  so  it  was 
disassembled  and  totally  rebuilt.  New 
main  bearings that are .010 under were 
installed  and  then  the  case  was  line 
bored  for  a  perfect  close  fit  on  the 
mains.  The  rods  were  bored  out  to  the 
same  dimensions  as  the  mains  -
roughly  .002 to  .003  instead of the  .004 
to  .006 that the  military had. Along  with 
new guides and seals plus some modifi-
cations  to  the  oil  galley  holes  resulted 
in  an  engine  that  burns  very  little  oil. 
Besides  maintaining  excellent  cyl in-
der  head  temperatures  and  good  oil 
temperatures,  the  rebuilt  engine  has 
been running very well for the near forty 
hours it  has accumulated to date. At  21 
square,  it  uses  about  a  pint  of  oil  per 
hour, however, if  it  is  run  hard, about  a 
quart  per  hour  is  normal  consumption. 
Cruise  speed  at  21  square  is  115  mph 
at  a  fuel  burn  of  about  10  gallons  per 
hour.  Using the approved  Marvel Sche-
bier  carburetor  instead  of  the  original 
Stromberg  gives  much  better  perfor-
mance  and  uses  about  one  gallon  per 
hour  less  fuel. 
The  idea  of  using  a  Beech  electric 
propeller  on  a  Fairchild  24  had  been 
dancing  through  Ed  Wegner's  fertile 
mind for  some time. He discovered that 
Beech had not only certified the prop on 
the  early  Model  35  "Bonanza"  but  also 
on  the  200  hp  Ranger  as  used  in  the 
Fairchild  24!  Since  many  of  the  early 
"Bonanzas" have  been  converted  from 
the  Beech  electric prop to the  hydraulic 
Hartzell,  the  supply  of  Beech  electric 
props  just  laying  around  is  very  good. 
Ed  located  a  Beech  prop  and 
promptly  put  it  in  top  condition.  "It's  a 
laminated  wooden-bladed  propeller 
with  a  little  gear  box  run  by  an  electric 
motor.  It works just great on this engine/ 
airframe combination.  The  rate  of climb 
increased by almost 200 ft .lminute over 
any other 24 that I had with an  Aeroma-
tic,  however,  the  cruise  speed  stayed 
about  the  same." 
How  a pair of  aluminum  wheel  pants 
could  have  withstood  over  40  years  of 
pounding  and  still  be  in  letter  perfect 
The  "master  rebuilder"  Ed  Wegner  with 
his  familiar  Fairchild  hat  stands  by  his 
pride  and  joy,  NC28690.  At  a  slim  and 
trim  62,  Ed  looks  in  as  good  a  shape  as 
his airplane. 
shape elicited  the next answer from  Ed. 
"Augie Wegner (EAA 85671,  NC 7581) 
found  them  for  me  in  Michigan.  The 
airplane they had  been  on  burned up in 
'49 or '50 and the wheelpants had been 
saved  since  then.  They  were  brand 
new!" 
Ed  Wegner  explains  the  wood  work 
on  the airplane as  such: "The wings are 
all  new.  The  only  thing  we  used  over 
were  the  truss wires,  all  the  fittings  and 
the  bellcranks. The  ailerons, of course, 
and  the elevator and  rudder are a com-
bination of aluminum and steel so it was 
just  a  matter  of  cleaning  them  up. The 
stringers  and  formers  on  the  fuselage 
plus  new  doors  and  door frames  were 
built from  new wood. All the sheet metal 
was  replaced.  I found  a new  firewall  at 
Solberg's  Airport  in  New  Jersey.  The 
horizontal  tail  was  reskinned  with  new 
Beautiful  custom-built  instrument  panel 
is  nearly  identical  to  the  original  except 
for  the  missing  "hump"  where  the  com-
pass  sits.  Stick  grips  are  custom  made 
With the Ranger engine turning the Beech electric prop at a good clip, the two exhaust 
from  walnut.  Note  Fairchild  logo  on  left 
pipes are devoid of any smoke or carbon - the sign of a very healthy engine. The fairing 
side brake pedals. 
of the spinner into the  modified  nosebowl  is especially well  done. 
VINTAGE  AIRPLANE  7 
The full interior is shown in this photo with the custom door panels and other fine pOints of Jeff Bell ' s work really looking good.
Note crank down windows and passenger assist straps, a typical Fairchild trademark.
The most easily recognized feature of a Fairchild 24 is the outrigger
landing gear with the beautifully faired wheelpants. Note the strict atten-
tion to detail and the close fit of the various pieces - a Wegner trademark.
The aluminum casting on the cabin step is another Fairchild " Pegasus"
logo.
8 JANUARY 1988
plywood along with the vertical fin ."
The basic paint color is Porsche red
which was chosen because it had the
least amount of orange in it, so it would
stand up well. The trim color is a dark
Ford red with an orange separator
stripe between the two. The exceptional
quality of the paint scheme and its per-
fect detailing is a tribute to Ed Wegner
and his son, Randy, who have been in
the automotive body business for more
years than Ed cares to remember. A
very close look at the painting work-
manship on this Fairchild has sent
many an antiquer walking away shaking
his head in absolute wonderment -
muttering, "How do they do it so per-
fectly?"
The material used on the upholstery
is very close to the original that Fairchild
used, although it is a modern type fabric
which is flame retardant. The color and
texture of the fabric is from an early
Hudson Terraplane and closely
matches the original. Ed did add a little
more vinyl on the side door kick panels
for better durability. The work was done
by Jeff Bell of Sheboygan, Wisconsin,
son of Charlie Bell (EAA 49475, AlC
7923), who had the Grand Champion
Fairchild 24W at Oshkosh '83.
Ed Wegner learned to fly at the age
of 16 at the Kohler, Wisconsin Airport
from Melvin Thompson. Ed was able to
get a job as a line boy to help with ex-
penses. After receiving his Private
license, he signed up for the service
• and went through the cadet program
which included college training. "We
were just into flying Stearmans when
the war ended in '45 and they cut off
our program." With the military career
over, Ed returned to Kohler airport and
jumped into the surplus airplane joyride.
"We bought six or seven PT-19s and
PT-23s from Fayetteville, Arkansas and
ferried them home, one at a time. That
was really a fun time. I only wish I had
known then what I know now!
Many Antique/Classic Division mem-
bers will remember the 1975 Grand
Champion Antique "American Eagle"
which Ed had restored over a 4-1 /2 year
period. Nicknamed "Tempus Fugit, " the
silver-colored biplane was eventually
sold to a museum in Athol, Idaho where
it was destroyed in a hangar fire a year
later.
Other restorations by Ed Wegner
have been more fortunate and are still
flying today, including a Swift, an early
Funk, a Waco DOC, a Waco VKS-7F,
a Spartan C-3 biplane which Ed still flies
and a Spartan Model 12, a low wing, all
metal tri-gear airplane with a 500 hp
P&W engine up front. It was a 450 hp
(R-985) with a 12 to 1 blower system
that boosted the horsepower to 500.
Weighing over 3300 Ibs. empty, it
needed the extra horsepower. As Ed
says, "It was a well-designed, nice flying
airplane. It just came out at the wrong
period of time in 1946."
After so many airplanes over such a
long period of time, Ed feels he should
sit back and take it a bit easy on the
airplane work. "Let some of the younger Telling Ed Wegner to stop rebuilding he shouldn't go for a walk! It's tough to
ones take over, " he says. airplanes is like telling an old mailman do! •
Tail surfaces of the Fairchild are spruce and plywood ahead of the hinge
line and steel and fabric behind. Note the Fairchild logo on the fin and the
beautiful job of rib-stitching on the rudder.
MEMBER'S PROTECTS...
u
by Norm Petersen
,--------------------------, Making its initial flight on October 11,1987 was "Turkey Red," a
homebuilt, two-place biplane designed and built by Jim Soares
(EAA 104408, AlC 2243) of 7093 Dry Creek Road, Belgrade, Montana
59714. With a steel tube fuselage and wood wings, "Turkey Red"
is powered by a converted Model "A" Ford engine swinging an
aluminum alloy propeller. Jim reports that October 11th was quite
some day! "It felt like 1915 - everything in slow motion." Note the
brass radiator which Jim built from scratch.•
Stinson Flying Station Wagon 108-3, SIN 108-3941, owned by 26-
year-old Jon EckriclI (EAA 297550), 7623 Deansville Road, Mar-
shall, WI 53559. Both Jon's father and grandfather flew a 108-3 so
it is only right that Jon continues with the tradition! Rebuilt in 1975,
N1000M has some 500 hours on it now and is almost IFR certified.
Jon reports the Stinson has a full complement of King radios in-
cluding a Loran-C receiver.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9
The  Time  Capsule  8yJack Cox 
Photographs  are  time  capsules ... a fleeting  instant frozen  forever . . . preserved for future generations  to  use as a peephole  to 
the  past.  The  EAA  Foundation  has  thousands  of negatives  that have  been  donated by photographers  . .. or their estates  .  .. who 
attended great events  of the  1930s  like  the  Cleveland Air Races  or simply haunted their local airports  to  photograph  the airplanes 
passing through.  These priceless peeks at aviation's Golden Age deserve to be seen . . . and we intend to present a few of them each 
month in this new feature. Any additional light readers can shed on any of the aircraft is welcomed.  This month's photos are from the 
Schrade Radtke Collection. 
,
I 
I 
Left. This brawny beast is R189M, the
Seversky 2-PA-L, variously described as
an "export fighter" and a "2-seat convoy
fighter." Powered by a 1000 hp Wright
GR-1830-G3 Cyclone, it was apparently a
company prototype of many uses. As
X189M, the airframe was previously the
P&W R-1340 powered Model X-BT. Radtke
Collection #869.
Harry Crosby's CR-4 racer being run up at the Cleveland Air Races, probably in 1938. All metal, it was about the absolute minimum
airframe that could be built behind a Menasco C6S-4 Super Buccaneer. The fuselage was 21.5 ft. long but the highly tapered wings
spanned just 16 feet. Quite innovative, the tiny bird had oil tanks in the leading edges of the wing, provision for dry ice cooling ...
and the rough looking side cowl was a surface or skin type oil cooler. Engine and landing gear problems kept the airplane from
reaching its full development. Its best finish was fourth in the 1939 Thompson Trophy race at 244.522 mph. Crosby died during World
War II in the crash of an experiemental Northrop flying wing, the XP-79B Flying Ram. Radtke Collection #257.
r 
This chubby little polliwog of an airplane is the Gwinn Aircar I .. . at the Cleveland Air Races in 1937. It was demonstrated there by
Frank Hawks, who got a big kick out of taxiing by the grandstands tooting its automotive 2-toned horn at the crowd. The Aircar was
a 2-control airplane designed to be flown by anyone who could drive a car. Many of the instruments were from a 1935 Oldsmobile. It
had a tilt-up steering wheel to control the ailerons and elevator (there was no rudder - just a trim tab) and a foot pedal for the throttle.
A brake and a " clutch" pedal on the floor completed the auto look. The Aircar was simply driven down a runway until , at 55 mph, the
" clutch" was depressed to move the flaps to a high lift position - and the thing flew. It had limited up elevator and could not be stalled
on take-off with full aft wheel. The airplane was certified for landing with full forward wheel! Frank Hawks' favorite ploy was to take
his hand off the wheel and let it land itself. Unfortunately, Hawks and a passenger were killed when he hit unseen electric wires on
take-off from a polo field on a private estate. This caused designer Joe Gwinn to fold the company. Two Aircars were built, the Model
1(90 hp Pobjoy) and the Model II (130 hp Pobjoy). Hawks crashed in the Model II. The Modell pictured here was shipped to San Diego
in the early 1940s and was evaluated by Consolidated. Afterwards, it was reported to have been donated to a school ... and has
never been heard from since. Radtke Collection # 558.
Here' s a little mystery . . . according to
Revolution In The Sky, the book on the
early Lockheeds, this Sirius was wrecked
in 1935 and never repaired, yet here it is
at the 1937 Cleveland Air Races looking
pretty fit. This is a 1930 Lockheed 8C
Sport Cabin Sirius, a special model with
tandem cockpits and a 2-place cabin just
behind the P&W Wasp C. The name under
the canopy is "S. R. Sague, Pilot". Radtke
# 689.
(Continued from Page 5)
play, the final total topping 150,00 paid
admissions.
"Third, the actual floor space - some
500,000 sq. ft . - was the largest ever
devoted to an aeronautical display.
"Personal displays . . . were among
the best attended throughout the 10 day
show."
In truth this time lightplane production
was at an all time high. At the overall
production peak in August and Sep-
tember 1946, 4,000 aircraft were being
turned out a month. Aeronca itself was
producing about 1,000 each month.
At the beginning of 1947 there were
over 400,000 licensed pilots, 189,156
with private pilot licenses. There were
more than 30 personal aircraft models
for the private owner to consider when
buying a flying machines for business
or pleasure, ranging from two to seven-
place machines. No less than 17 com-
panies were competing for sales in this
market segment.
Personal aircraft production had
. gone from 1,946 units in 1945 to an un-
believable 33,254 units. The end of
1946 saw 81 ,000 civil aircraft in opera-
tion. Of the close to 61 ,000 single en-
gine civil aircraft registered, over 43,000
were powered by engines of under 145
horsepower. Close to 31 ,000 had 65
horsepower or less.
This was truly the golden era of the
lightplane. But, it was a short-lived one
as the market rapidly went sour. Sales
in 1947 fell to around 15,515 units, and
by 1949 had plunged to 3,500 units.
It was a unique event in the history
of the lightplane; one never to be seen
again . •
VINTAGE 
SEAPLANES 
Dennis Parks, EAA librarian, came across the photo of this rare biplane in one of the
EAA photo collections. It's a Viking Kittyhawk B-8, N753Y, SIN 26, powered with a Kinner
B5 (125hp) and mounted on Edo L-2260 floats. This three-place, open cockpit biplane
was built-by the Viking Flying Boat Co., New Haven, CT and Franklin T. Kurt was the
chief engineer.
by 
Norman Petersen
A somewhat rare 1939 Piper J-4A Cub "Coupe" mounted on Edo 1320 floats turns into
the wind on Lake Winnebago during the 1983 Oshkosh fly-In. Owned by Don Eckman,
P.O. Box 12586, Milwaukee, WI 53212, the "Coupe" N25064, SIN 4-801, was built up for
floats by AI Ziebell of Oshkosh, WI and features extreme light weight, 85hp Continental
engine with flat 42" pitch prop, heavy duty float struts and 3/16" cable support wires
to floats. Note clever use of fully enclosed Cessna 140 cowling.
12 JANUARY 1988
- - -- - -
~ I ~ y p e ClubActivities 
Compiled by Norm Petersen
International Cessna
120/140 Association
The latest newsletter edited by Dor-
chen Forman tells of their trip to Oshkosh
'87 and the really enjoyable flights that
brought them across the middle of the
U.S. to Oshkosh. They got a big kick
out of the Antique/Classic fly-out to
Shawano described elsewhere in this
magazine.
When the time came to leave Osh-
kosh, the engine on their Cessna 140
acted very sick so a trip was made to
the Emergency Repair Tent at Oshkosh
run by EAA Chapter 75 of Davenport,
Iowa (they operate this tent on dona-
tions and kindness!) They removed the
cowl , pulled the plug on the cold cylin-
der, pushed a large rope down through
the plug hole, hit the "thang" with a mal-
let and pulled on the prop several
hundred times. It worked! The valve
came unstuck and Dorchen was ready
to go - a bit later than planned.
That was the second time for a stuck
valve. It happend the last time on a long
cross-country when Forman's had to
buy several loads of 100LL. Now they
put Marvel Mystery in when they buy
100LL. "You have to believe in some-
thing!" Dorchen has nothing but kind
words to say about young   r ~ p p Myrick
who did the job as a member of Chapter
75, Davenport, Iowa.
Another interesting member of the In-
ternantional Cessna 120/140 Associa-
tion is David Lowe (EM 125661) who
lives in Sacramento, Kentucky with his
wife Joyce. Dave bought a Cessna 140
in 1981 and rebuilt it with an 0-200 Con-
tinental engine, Edo 1650 floats and
long range fuel tanks. (You need long
range tanks in Kentucky in order to fly
to Oshkosh !)
On the morning of August 1, 1986,
the 140 was lowered into the water for
the first time and Dave taxied out for
three take offs and landings. Everything
went well , so he loaded Joyce and a lot
of baggage on board and headed for
the big "0". After a fuel stop at Lake
Shelbyville, Illinois, they headed for
Lake Michigan where they lost a mag-
neto and had to land in six-foot waves!
After buying the most expensive mag in
Chicago, they headed for Lake Win-
nebago. Late afternoon thunderstorms
cut them off 15 miles short so they
headed for Lake Michigan again and
rough water.
They landed at Port Washington just
ahead of the storm. The only room in
town was above a bar. The next day
brought sunshine and they made it to
Oshkosh and the Brennand Seaplane
base.
After flying back to Kentucky from
Oshkosh, the 140 was hit head on by a
houseboat on August 8, 1986! The dam-
age amounted to $13,500 and Dave
and Joyce are now rebuilding the
wreck. They say, "It will be flying again."
Technical Advisor Bill Rhoades has a
two-page insert on building a tool for
removing Cessna 140 aileron bellcrank
bearings and another tool for removing
aileron and elevator hinge bearings.
Both tools also install the new bearings
in their respective holders. The de-
signer is John W. Dooley of Rt. 2, Box
317B2, Frisco, TX 75034.
For information on the International
Cessna 120/140 Association, write to
Box 830092, Richardson, TX 75083-
0092.
Lightning Strikes in Rain
The November '87 Navioneer pub-
lished by the American Navion Society
has a most unique story by Ken
McTavish regarding a Twin Navion that
was struck by lightning during a moder-
ate rain shower while flying at 7200 feet
ASL over Canmore, Alberta on July 25,
1986. The lightning arrived in the form
of a five foot diameter fireball directly in
front of the aircraft, accompanied by a
deafening bang. More than $7000 dam-
age was caused to the airframe and air-
craft components.
The lightning passed from the nose
through to the tail of the aircraft, exiting
through the rudder trim tab and rear
navigation light. The light was shat-
tered, melted and re-fused by the exit-
ing electrical charge. The lightning
singed sleeping bags and pillows
stowed in the nose, resulting in a strong
burnt smell. The radios were still func-
tional but the ADFs would not home.
After a safe landing in Calgary, an
inspection revealed extensive damage.
The two Collins 650A ADF loop anten-
nae were destroyed - the amplifiers
were burnt out in the solid unit. The rud-
der trim tab and trim tab cables were
burnt and there was skin damage to the
aircraft nose. The spirit compass and
carb air temperature gauges were de-
magnetized and extensive areas of the
cabin and nose were magnetized, in-
cluding landing gear, heater, radios,
radio racks, pilot's seat, control yoke
and control columns as well as hoses,
nuts and bolts.
The aircraft had to be demagnetized,
all compasses and the RMI system had
to be overhauled and reswung; the rud-
der trim tab and trim cables replaced as
was the rear navigation light and the
ADF loops. Of course, sheet metal re-
pairs were necessary for the nose sec-
tion. The ELT required recertification al-
though it had just been signed off and
the WX-8 "Stormscope" was returned
to the factory for a check and recalibra-
tion.
Weather radar and a "stormscope"
are excellent weather avoidance de-
vices, but as the story shows, are not
infallible in detecting every hazard.
For information on the American Nav-
ion Society, write to Box 1175, Munici-
pal Airport, Banning, CA 92220-0911 -
phone 714/849-2213.
Good News - Bad News
Editor Loren Bump of the Continental
Luscombe Association's newsletter,
called "The Luscombe Courant," makes
note of the bad news first. Effective De-
cember 8, 1987, all U.S. registered air-
craft are required to install an 10 plate
on the exterior of the airplane. This is
part of the ruling that also requires 12
inch registration numbers for any air-
craft penetrating an ADIZ (Air Defense
Identification Zone) and if you have
added extra fuel tanks in the passenger
or baggage compartments, authorizing
documentation must be carried on
board the aircraft.
Now the good news! Many years ago,
Ron Price had Luscombe 10 plates
made up in quantity to sell to the mem-
bership. He has now seen fit to turn the
remaining batch of 10 plates over to the
C.L.A. to sell and raise money for their
1988 "Get Together. " (Note: He didn't
say fly-in, which it is not - for insurance
purposes!) (Continued on Page 23)
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13
by Harry Miltner
(EAA 223678)
1512 Skyline Drive
Ellensburg, WA 98926
(Photos by Gordon McDonald)
Chapter I: Another Toy?
That was Sherry's comment
another toy? Have you ever dreamed
of finding an old vintage aircraft or an-
tique car hidden in some farmer's barn?
I have for years! I guess the men work-
ing for Harrah's car collection and
museum in Reno gave me the clue as
these chaps were paid to comb the
countryside looking for antiques.
I spent the winter of 1979-80 in the
bucolic countryside of Central Utah
building a barn for Charley and Marcia
Eppler. Over a fire at night, Charley
would spin a yarn about an old mono-
plane that was hidden in a shed on some
farmer's place. With a little research, we
quickly found the shed and the most de-
lapidated airplane sitting inside, hardly
out of the way of the harsh Utah winters.
The weather had taken its toll as the
fabric was completely tattered, and one
could even see its wing and fuselage
skeleton.
The identity revealed an old Taylor-
craft, possibly circa 1946-48. It took
14 JANUARY 1988
Charley some time to find the real name
of the owner and then Marcia went to
work. Having been brought up in the
valley, she knew everyone on a first
name basis. The owner turned out to be
"Floyd." We found Floyd on Sunday
down in Ephram, and his only remark
was, "Won't sell the old bird, want to
restore it myself. "
Gloom set in the for the rest of winter
and our talks turned from airplanes to
the Carter administration and back to
airplanes, never forgetting Floyd's old
shed. The main topic was, was it worth
anything? The shed roof had leaked
right down into the wing junction section
and the water had no doubt continued
into the lower fuselage area. Were the
longerons damaged? What about the
spars themselves? What about the en-
gine, stored all these years in the open
shed? Certainly it had not run in a dec-
ade. We came up with a true worth to
be $1 ,OOO.OO! Not a penny more.
Since then, I moved to Central Wash-
ington state, miles and months from our
find in that old shed in Spring City, Utah.
But, I have kept in contact with the
Epplers, birds of a feather stick together
you know. After a while, I got a call from
Charley saying the T -Craft was on the
block and he was number one in line to
bid on it. Not a finger had been put on
the old bird; it lay just as we-first found
it over two years ago. With inflation and
such, we moved our price to $1 ,200.00,
but that was a joke as old Floyd came
up with a firm price of $2,000.00 -
nothing more and certainly nothing less.
No country boy haggling, I thought.
Gratefully we paid the dough and
Charley moved the old bird to higher
ground in fear the old shed would not
withstand another snowfall. On my way
to a friend 's wedding in Jackson Hole,
Wyoming in April, I'd continue on down
to central Utah and fetch the old girl and
bring 'er back to Ellensburg. Being a
member of EAA and with the help of
some retired Boeing types, I figured
within a year or two we should have the
old Taylorcraft restored and back in. its
natural habitat.
The logbooks reveal a total airframe
time of 455 hours and the engine logs
show a recent overhaul of .015 oversize
many decades ago. If the main spars
are good, and the fuselage tubing is
okay, then in retrospect it would be a
good buy.
The big topic of conversation is
whether to clip the wings and go to a
bigger engine or restore it as original.
But, we have plenty of time for such
decisions. The main thing is that it has
been moved to higher ground and is on
the road to a full restoration program.
But, I won't give up either, I still dream
of running onto an old Morgan or Allard
in a shed somewhere in rural America.
Chapter II: On the Road to Spring
City
In late March, I dragged an open
glider trailer down to Spring City, Utah
behind our wee pick-up truck, "Dottie."
What an awful trip. I had headwinds on
the way and stronger headwinds on the
return trip. But the wee beast did exactly
as the advertisements say, "Datsun's
are DRIVEN!"
I found the old T-Craft in about the
condition I expected. The wing was
worse, but the fuselage much better. In
fact , with the old tattered original Irish
linen stripped off, the fuselage looks
new. However the left wing is pretty
awful. Zillions of tiny bees built nests in
the wing and the secretion or whatever
corroded the aluminum ribs and steel.
About six or seven ribs have to be re-
placed completely, plus the trailing
edge aluminum. The left aileron is non-
existent. The right wing could be reco-
vered tomorrow, but we will replace the
two wood spars. The material is Sitka
spruce from Washington State.
Everyone here thinks we got quite a
buy. With only 455 hours, they say the
airplane's hardly broken in, but the en-
gine is still a mystery. It was supposedly
rebuilt by old Floyd, but there is nothing
written in the logbooks. The engine is a
65 hp Continental ; it's one of the first
things that will be sold. 65 hp will hardly
get my 225-pound partner off the
ground at 5,000' elevation on a hot
summer day. In its place we will install
a 100 hp engine out of a Cessna 150.
I checked with the local Technical Col-
lege in Tacoma and they said it would
be a rather simple installation. Also, the
brakes have to be converted from
mechanical drum brakes to hydrauli-
cally actuated drum brakes. This is a
must, for the old mechanical brakes
leave a lot to be desired.
The project is progressing well. I have
the left wing completely dismantled and
have made accurate drawings of all the
components. Xerox copies have been
sent to all the aircraft parts houses and
the search has just started for ribs, aile-
ron components, bellcranks, etc. Also I
have contacted dozens of people whom
I've learned about through the T-craft
movement for spare parts for the wing.
Prater Hogue is nearby for assist-
ance, but he outlined how "I" can do all
the work. I want to come away from this
with not only a restored antique but the
"A" rating for aircraft repair.
When not working on the wing, i have
been stripping all the components from
the fuselage. Windows, doors, instru-
ments, fuel tank have been removed
and stored in safe places. The shop has
needed work, mostly to keep out the
famous Ellensburg wind . Overhead
lights will have to be installed if any
moonlighting is to go on this fall and
winter. All in all , it is a fun project - a
bit frustrating at time as no one seems
to know exactly how a 100 hp engine is
installed and what mods have to be
made to the fuselage and engine cowl.
The FAA gives us what they call a "one
time STC" but the exact details to the
conversion are up to the owner.
Taylorcrafts are still being built in Al -
liance, Ohio by the same chaps that
possibly built ours. They are very much
the same design but stronger in many
ways as the engine is the 0-235, 115
horsepower. The price is much
Before covering began, the Taylorcraft was assembled with all major parts intact to
check rigging of cables and fit of all rebuilt assemblies. Workmanship looks to be first
class.
stronger, too, bringing some $23,000. It
is hard to imagine how much a project
like this is going to cost. If we were to
restore it just as it is, leaving the 65
engine in place, perhaps we could get
away for $4,000 to $5,000, but the
larger engine conversion could cost a
packet. It is even hard to get good
prices on used/serviceable parts as
everyone seems to think their parts are
made out of gold! And they might be,
as nobody makes certain parts any-
more. But, that's part of the fun, running
down some part that is long since for-
gotten. Project reports will come slowly
as the work will come slowly. When it's
finished, though, Sherry and I want to
see America in aT-Craft - something
I haven't been able to do in my
sailplane. So wish us luck!
Chapter III: The Trials and Tribula-
tions of Rebuilding a Vintage Aircraft
For those of you who have followed
the trials and tribulations of rebuilding a
vintage aircraft, the last quarter of '82
was no exception. First, my silent part-
ner came on to some severe financial
problems so the lifeblood of the restora-
tion was cut, somewhat. I have had to
dig deep to buy the necessary parts to
see the wings, at least, finished. The
six-month wait for the Sitka Spruce
spars ended up a no-show and I had to
purchase some locally. Sitka Spruce is
becoming scarce, at least aircraft
grade. The timber was oversize so
naturally it had to be whittled down to
the exact size of the original. The Uni-
versity shop gave me the cold shoulder
- a possible shop accident would lead
to a lawsuit, so I then turned to the El-
lensburg High School where I was
warmly received and their new surface
planer certainly did the trick. To make
the spars super accurate, I first dressed
them down on a table saw. Working the
17-foot piece by myself, the spar
jumped out of the saw and when it came
down, the blade put a slice in the spar
itself. So a factory modification had to
be made before the wing was ever put
together. Bad show! While working on
the wing, I spent two weeks sandblast-
ing the fuselage with a very underpow-
ered sandblaster and compressor.
Then using the latest Stits epoxy, I
primed the aft part of the fuselage. Sev-
eral weeks later I noticed corrosion oc-
curring under the primer. The local ex-
perts said that rinsing the metal with
"Metal Prep" was unnecessary but it
later turned out to be untrue advice. So,
the primer had to all be removed and
started over again. This time I hired a
student to do the spraying as the fumes
were getting to me. He did a lovely job
and now the fuselage just shines.
More advice from the local pundits
declared my 65 hp engine unfit for any-
thing short of an anchor. Can't be any
good, sitting in a shed for 25 some year,
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15
Frontal view shows Hendrickson prop with extensively re-worked cowling to handle the
full electric 0-200 engine with shielded ignition. Aluminum grills are standard T-Craft.
they said. So I unloaded it to a chap in
Spokance for $750.00 I threw in the
motor mount and prop. He has since
gone through the engine and has found
it to be in mint condition. Props alone
cost $750.00!!! So, you win a few and
loose a bunch. (More advice proved
worthless.)
Don't buy anything new, they said.
Scrounge if you can. Just about all the
wing parts I purchased in "serviceable"
condition had to be restored as corro-
sion had set in. The compression struts
were twisted and I am stili waiting for
Wally Olsen in Vancouver to replace
these for me. For the little savings, buy-
ing them new from Univair is the smart
move.
We have decided to go to juice
brakes, drum not disc. I ordered some
used PA-22 brakes and wheels and
when the package arrived, there was
one brake. I called and asked about the
shortage and he said, "That's all you
get for $49.50. " I asked about the plural
words . . . "wheels and brakes?" It
seems the same used car parts gypos
are now selling aircraft parts! (Editor's
note: Harry writes later that he decided
to go with the hydraulic brake instead.)
Beginning in December I saw a
breakthrough in the project. The spars
were nicely cut, dressed and varnished.
(In drilling out the spars, I forgot to say
that several of the holes were drilled
several thousands off. I then had to find
16 JANUARY 1988
some phenolic plugs and re-drill to ac-
commodate the spar fittings.) Within a
week the wing is totally rebuilt now and
looks very serviceable. The FAA has
not let up their pursuit of harassment,
however, and we are now going into the
ninth month of paperwork to get an "N"
number and STC for the larger engine
modification! But, I'll see it through,
however. Germans are known for stub-
bornness! Tune in to next time.
Chapter IV: The T-Pot is Finally Look-
ing Like an Airplane!
All is alive and well. Despite the many
setbacks, including losing our lovely
workshop in several months, the old T-
Pot is finally looking like an airplane.
After a year of putting the Taylorcraft
"on hold" while Skeeter got an engine
transplant, I'm back again with the old
girl. How does Sherry know my prog-
ress?? I've been broke from buying air-
craft parts since June 4, 1985. On that
day we rigged the entire aircraft putting
the wings in place, hooking up the con-
trol cables and attaching the tail feath-
ers. I felt this essential as after the fabric
was installed and the aircraft fully as-
sembled, I did not want any surprises.
(I'm getting too old for these kind of sur-
prises.)
A very knowledgeable chap named
Lee Stevens came up from Yakima and
gave it the inspection, "prior to fabric."
Lee is a retired aircraft mechanic and
has surely forgotten more about light
aircraft than I will ever learn. He found
several things needing further attention
and then signed it off, "for cover." The
following weeks were spent learning the
covering process with lots of reading
and VCR tapes from the experts. After
the usual Miltner research, the Stits
Poly Fiber process was chosen. This is
a dacron cloth weighing 2.7 oz. per
square yard and Stits Poly co?tings are
Looking forward we get a good look at the graceful lines of the airplane put in by C. G.
Taylor, himself. Note dual wing tanks and overhead skylights. Grimes tail light on top
of fin is standard.
Continental 0-200 installation is very
neatly done including the all-important
baffling. Lower cowling is "bumped out"
to allow room for the Cessna 150 type
exhaust system.
used to protect the fabric. (Days of
Grade "A" cotton and Irish linen are
stitching. "
Exactly 323 hours from start, the fab-
ric was then ready for its first coat of
"silver" dope. Then three or four coats
follow, sanded between coats to protect
the dacron from the ultra-violet rays
when parked outside. The most fun was
exploring the many color schemes for
the final paint job. Since this is an an-
tique airplane, we wanted to use colors
and designs typical of the late '30s and
'40s. I remember seeing a Beech 18 on
display at the Smithsonian with a two-
tone yellow paint job and dark green
accent stripe. I wrote to the Smithsonian
and they were kind enough to send the
exact color numbers and by chance,
Stits had them in their repertoire.
The only shortcoming to the entire
Stits process is a very toxic and smelly
odor to the dopes and glues. Trying to
work in a well-ventilated, wood-heated
shop in the middle of one of the worst
Washington State winters was a chore.
Standard T-Craft interior is finished with a touch of class, including the two original
glove box doors. Note heel brakes on pilot's side only. Portable transceiver fits nicely
on floor, just ahead of the seat.
over.)
To make things easier on my first
covering job, I had Hower Aviation of
Sarasota sew up envelopes or socks
out of the Stits dacron. These socks are
then pulled over the ailerons, elevator,
horizontal stabilator, wings and fuse-
lage components. The loose side is
glued to the metal with Poly Tak ce-
ment. Then a household clothes iron,
set at 250 degrees, is rubbed over the
baggy, wrinkled dacron until it becomes
taut. This has to be one of the seven
wonders of the world for instantly it
looks professional and airworthy! After
this, two coats of Stits Polybrush are
hand painted on the fabric. All horizon-
tal surfaces are adhered to the ribs and
stiffners with a "rib stitch," stitched with
needle and dacron thread. Two inch
dacron tape is then applied to all lead-
ing and trailing edges and over the "rib
In the beginning I got sick from the
odors and then turned to a well-respi-
rated mask which I wore for months.
For the spraying of the silver and final
coats, I have hired a young student from
the Tech department here at Central
University.
Well, I've blown about 1162 hours
and a ton of dough on the old restora-
tion project, and it still ain't flyable. We
are still without an engine so if you hap-
pen to know of an 0-200 (100 hpj Con-
tinental, call collect. There is no flying
date set but we do want to barnstorm
Americain summer 1987. Cheers and
stay tuned.
Chapter V: How to Make a Turkey
into an Eagle
For those of you who have hung
through 4% years of frustration and
joy, the restorer's three step continues
. . . two steps forward and one back.
"Hell, it's easy, they say, start with a
vintage basket case Taylorcraft and
with a few parts and a little time, you'll
be flying. " Well, the hands on the old
Seth Thomas have rotated some 1400
revolutions (297 trips to the shop alone)
and what seems like a mini National
Debt, the old bird is far from airborne.
A typical week is such: Five days to
trim and fit a brand new windscreen to
the boot cowl and wings. Tighten the
last bolt just another turn and WHAM-O,
a hairline crack races across the front
of the windshield. Luckily I had warned
the windshield manufacturer that the
lovely curves did not fit the frame prop-
erly, and another will be sent free. But,
all is not gloom. The fabric is on and the
cream and yellow Stits paint glistens
like a new Pfennig. Not a grand champi-
on, mind you, but catching up to one.
Being at this project for what seems
a lifetime, we felt it fitting to buyout our
partner and place my mate, co-pilot and
navigator's name on the FAA registry.
There will be times I am sure when a
very silent partner 1200 miles away in
rural Utah will be sorely missed, but
thanks, Charley, for turning loose one-
half the ownership.
After looking for years at a replace-
ment engine for the tired old 65, we re-
turned from Canada with a 108 horse
jewel. I had done my homework, I had
thought. I contacted the FAA, the
Taylorcraft Company and with a very
green light we purchased the Lycoming
0-235. Upon returning I again con-
tacted the T-craft factory to order a
mount; 10 and behold, the mount is a
dynafocal mount. What's the old tune of
Kenny Rogers . . . "If it wasn't for bad
luck, I'd have no luck at aiL" Well, my
engine has the conical mount and its an
insurmountable task to mate the two.
To add insult to injury, the factory
would not supply any data as to thrust
line, etc., due to the "liability" song. So,
rolling my own mount seemed impossi-
ble. Sorry, Bruce, your engine is still a
gem, but hopefully a fellow in Sun-
nyside will trade even for a freshly ma-
jored engine by Quackenbush. It's an
0-200 Continental (100 hpj. In reality
the 100 hp Continental is the better bet
for it is some 40 Ibs. lighter, parts are
easier to come by and a motor mount
can be purchased "over the counter."
But when you make a change, the re-
verberation is felt all the way through
the fuselage. Now the engine cowl will
have to be altered and new bits and
pieces hung on the engine. The FAA
will again give the nod to use a wooden
propeller ... nostalgia city, these old
wood clubs.
Play it again, Sam. Time for a back
step. Kittitas County gave up the shoe
about seven months ago, throwing us
out of our EAA clubhouse and shop.
Saint Dugan was quick to come to the
rescue and now our lovely Taylorcraft
is fully rigged, living in the real world of
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17
a Bowers field hangar. But, the war with
the County is not over. "Liability" again
rears its ugly head, and the County
wants all hangar renters and leasees to
carry a million dollars worth of liability
insurance - to the tune, if we'll pay it,
of $1600 a year. Well, I can handle the
Federal Agrivation Agency, the famous
Ellensburg winds, but this new caper
could kill the gander. I know the old ad-
age - if God had wanted man to fly,
he would have made them all mil-
lionaires.
In the meantime, work continues on
the old turkey - rather slowly this
winter as the hangar is not heated.
Come spring, it will be flat stick to com-
petition. Flying date is set for May 12,
1987. Come mid-June when Sher is
finished with school, we'll head east and
barnstorm the U.S. of A., landing in
farmer's fields, sleeping under the wing
and all the good things that Richard
Bach mentions in his flying books.
And our dream is to land on the old
Silliman's farm strip in Canaan, Con-
necticut and celebrate my first first flight
some 40 years ago with Gus in his old
Widgeon.
P.S. Just got a note from the FAA
informing me that the gas lines are the
wrong size and the entire fuel system
has to be revamped. Bigger size due to
bigger engine. When will it stop??
Chapter VI: The Finale!
Christmas Eve: The chap from Sun-
nyside arrived to make the big engine
switch - my Lycoming 108 hp for his
Continental 0-200. As he opened the
tailgate he paused and said, "I really
shouldn't make this trade as I have over
seven grand in the engine and rebuild.
My heart sank, as I had contacted the
new Taylorcraft Company in Lock
Haven for one of their motor mounts to
mate the new 0-200 to my vintage BC-
12D. But, "my word is my word," he
said. So, Santa brought us one of the
finest engines available - a freshly re-
manufactured engine by one of the west
coast's leading rebuilders - Lynn
Quackenbush!
After Christmas I called Taylorcraft to
order the motor mount and they said
that they could not supply the motor
mount after all. They were in Chapter
11! What next? I had gotten rid of the
0-235 because a mount was unavaila-
ble and now I was stuck with an 0-200
and again no mount was available.
Another step backwards. Univair did
have one in stock, and it was pur-
chased.
It was decided that the stock Cessna
150 exhaust system would be used, so
now the original 65 hp aluminum cowl
would have to be drastically altered to
fit the extended engine and different
muffler system. (The 0-200 has a star-
ter and alternator, which moves the en-
gine forward some 5".) This was done
by adding some 5" to the back of the
18 JANUARY 1988
cowl in aluminum and fiberglass bulges
were made to cover the mufflers and
sparkplugs. The top cowl, by the way,
had to be made from scratch with some
pre-formed sheets of aluminum. Prog-
ress through the spring of '87 went well .
Control cables, tach, hot air box, electri-
cal components were obtained from a
number of sources and by May it was
ready for FAA inspection. By the way,
a Ted Hendrickson prop was chosen
knowing quite well that a 0-200 Taylor-
craft has never been offered, factory
made, with a wood propeller.
In late Mayan FAA Field Advisor ar-
rived and started the long, drawn out
paperwork ordeal. He mentioned that
he was representing the Engineering/
Modification branch of the FAA, respon-
sible for the issue of a future STC in my
name. The STC would cover the follow-
ing changes:
1. Skylight in roof, over cockpit.
2. Plastic in lower section of each
door.
3. Pop rivets used to fasten fabric in
wings instead of rib stitching.
4. Continental 0-200A engine.
5. Battery box mounted under bag-
gage compartment.
6. Wood propeller manufactured by
Ted Hendrickson.
The FAA also required an inspection
by the local A&P (AI). The Field Advisor
noticed that the alternator did not have
a name tag on it, even though it was
checked by the engine rebuilder and
stated in the logs. For five weeks the
FAA hassled us with this problem and
finally requested that we buy a new al-
ternator which would produce a yellow
tag. He also did not like the "handmade"
looking engine data plate found on the
right side of the Continental engine.
Four trips were made from Seattle (800
miles) to review the paper and reinspect
the alternator.
Growing tired of the harrassment, I
went to visit Modification/Engineering
and talked them into putting the whole
aircraft into the "Experimental" category
for a period of time so that we could at
least go to Oshkosh. They agreed to
this and the aircraft would be tested,
along with the wood prop and all the
other modifications for a month or so.
It is still in the Experimental category
and the paperwork and testing con-
tinues. Oh, they came over one day and
personally flew the old bird, and I
haven't seen them since.
On the 12th of June I flew the Taylor-
craft for the first time in over 25 years,
and I must admit that there was abso-
lutely no enjoyment or emotion on my
part. The FAA has done their job too
well, and I was drained, both physically
and mentally. It was as if I was installing
an Allison in the old girl. Heavens
knows there are many factory-made F-
19 models built by Mrs. Ferris of the old
Taylorcraft Company flying around with
0-200A engines on board.
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS FOR A
CLASSIC AIRCRAFT RESTORER
Or, Ten Ways I Personally Screwed
Up!
1. As you disassemble the aircraft,
make accurate drawings or take
Polaroid pictures of the components as
they are taken apart. Several months or
even years later, it will make it less dif-
ficult to reassemble.
2. Surround yourself with knowledge-
able people. Remember you get what
you pay for. "Sidewalk Supers" are a
dime a dozen and can cost you a packet
in the long run.
3. Build yourself a glass bead box. Truly
an effortless way to clean old paint and
light corrosion and rust off your old
parts.
4. Corrosion, like cancer, has to be re-
moved and the part, whether steel or
aluminum, has to be treated with an
acid etch. DuPont has both these prod-
ucts. If the fuselage has to be
sandblasted, the residue (oil from the
compressor and sand dust) has to be
cleaned thoroughly and then cleaned
with "Metal Prep."
5. If small modifications are to be made
- remember a 337 FAA form will have
to be made, including a drawing, de-
scription and a photograph of the com-
pleted part or component, then signed
by an A&P. If a major mod or change
is to be made requiring structural
changes or an engine transplant, take
it up with the Engineering/Modification
branch of the FAA.
6. If a job being done requires two
people, don't try to do it by yourself.
Wait until help arrives.
7. Remember when buying from an air-
craft salvage yard they usually charge
33% of the original cost. These original
parts are sky high to begin with. Most
likely they can be obtained new from an
aircraft parts store, i. e., Aircraft Spruce,
Wicks, etc., etc. Again, if obtained from
a salvage yard, they are off of a totalled
out aircraft, so buyer beware!
8. The FAA will sometimes put your
"Classic" in the "Experimental" category
to test a part, component change or en-
gine swap, but it will have to be put back
into the standard category at the end of
a test. Unfortunately, there are no ex-
ceptions.
9. If an engine has been stored in a dry
climate for a long period of time, even
unpickled, it still could be airworthy with
a minimum of teardown.
10. Reassemble the entire aircraft, in-
cluding rigging the control cables, be-
fore fabric recover - especially if new
spars were installed .•
• •
Out
Of The
Past
•
In Photos
Ray L. Johnson
(EAA 159826, Ale 5728)
347 S. 500 East
Marion, IN 46953
and
Wilbur Hostetler
(EAA 94013)
2515 Monroe Pike
Marion, IN 46953
These two photos were given to us
by a gentleman who recently retired
from our company, Indiana and Michi-
gan Electric Company. Another retiree
had given them to him several years
earlier! We were given the photos be-
cause of our obvious obsession with
airplanes.
After getting the photos, we went
about finding a date when the accident
occurred. Wilbur's supervisor found the
date for us - July 15, 1930. We then
went to the library to find the old news-
paper clippings. Here is the story.
On July 15, 1930, a pilot flew this bip-
lane through a high voltage line be-
tween towers numbered 7 and 8 (one
span). The pilot miraculously escaped
injury. According to the newspaper clip-
ping, the pilot was flying a Pheasant
biplane. He was on his way to Fond du
Lac, Wisconsin from Dayton, Ohio.
"The neat part, " Ray says, "was the
fact that it occurred on the farm across
the road from where I grew up! I recog-
nized the buildings in the photos as we
had lived there since 1960. My first
knowledge of the accident was when
we received the photos. "
Then the bonus part turned up!
"While researching the two photos, we
discovered a second airplane had gone
through high lines on June 16, 1943!
(13 years later). You guessed it, be-
tween towers numbered 7 and 8 - the
same exact spot as the first accident!"
The newspaper accounts of the two
nearly identical accidents add informa-
tion to the story. The Pheasant was
being flown by pilot Don Williams, age
40, an experienced aviator with over 15
years of flight time. He was not injured
in the crash. The highline carried
132,000 volts and the Pheasant had
gone through three of seven wires. The
Lying inverted in a farm field is the Pheasant biplane following the "tangle" with high
tension wires between towers No.7 and 8 on July 15, 1930. Unusual for the period is
a metal propeller on the OX-5 engine as most planes used wooden props with that
powerplant. Note tailskid instead of tailwheel (well polished from use).
Mute testimony to the wrecked airplane below are the patched wires above! Photo came
from the power company collection of years ago. Exact same spot was hit by another
airplane 13 years later.
airplane was one of three built by the
company at Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
where Steve Wittman was the company
test pilot.
Details on the 1943 accident were
given in the newspaper account. It
seems Air Cadet James J. Coughey
had flown the Navy trainer from Bunker
Hill Naval Air Station (now named Gris-
som Air Force Base) and after encoun-
tering fog and low ceilings, hit the lower
wire of the highline and landed upside
down in the field. The crash tore the
motor from the plane, however, the pilot
merely unloosened his safety belt and
toppled out on the ground unhurt.
We wonder what the odds are for two
airplanes to hit the same power lines in
the same spot, crash inverted into the
nearby field and both pilots emerge un-
scathed?
Editor's Note: Ray Johnson and Wil-
bur Hostetler restored the 1947
Aeronca "Chief", N3469E, that won
Best of Type at Oshkosh '86 and was
featured in the April '87 issue of The
Vintage Airplane . ... N. A. P.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19
OSHKOSH '87 
ABOVE. A ground view taken as the event 
was  well  along,  about  10  a.m.,  reveals 
three  lines  of  airplanes  parked  on  the 
large  expanse  of  mowed  grass.  This  is 
indeed  a beautiful spot for a fly-in! 
LEFT.  The  initial  bunch  of  15  to  20 
airplanes are  parked along the perimeter 
road  so the local population can look and 
visit. The  NE/SW  grass runway was used 
almost  exclusively.  Seaplane  ramp  has 
two boats tied  up next to it. 
FLY  OUT  TO  SHAWANO 
by Bob Lumley 
(EAA  106377,  AlC  6560) 
Nl04 W20398  Willow Road 
Colgate,  WI  53017 
In  a  bold  move, the  annual  Antique/ 
Classic  Monday  morning  fly-out  was 
held  at  Shawano,  Wisconsin  airport. 
From  Oshkosh,  the  distance  is  approx-
imately  60  miles  and  the  landing  area 
includes  not  only  the  Shawano  Airport, 
but  the  adjoining  Shawano  Lake  for 
those (fortunate) few who fly seaplanes. 
The  absolutely  perfect  weather 
brought forth  a nice turnout of some  50 
aircraft and just over 100 people to feast 
on  the  coffee  and  fresh  rolls  that  were 
distributed  by  the  good  folks  of 
Shawano.  In  addition to the free coffee, 
many  of the  pilots  and  passenger took 
advantage  of  several  nearby  restau-
rants  within  easy  walking  distance  of 
the  Shawano  Airport.  The  local  folks 
20 JANUARY  1988 
were  quite  surprised  at  the  number  of 
people who flew in. Even the free coffee 
was  consumed  to  the  last  drop! 
Many  Shawano  residents  turned  out 
to  view  the  many  Antique/Classic  air-
craft  of  all  types  and  were  particularly 
thrilled  to  visit  with  the  pilots  and  pas-
sengers.  An  exciting  time  was  enjoyed 
by  all. 
The  free  coffee  and  rolls  were  pro-
vided  by  the  Shawano  Chamber  of 
Commerce  and  the  Mayor  of  the  city, 
Leo  Schroeder,  welcomed  the  entire 
group  and  graciously  invited  everyone 
to  return  in  '88! 
For  the  first  time  ever,  seaplanes 
were  invited to the  Fly-Out as Shawano 
has  a  seaplane  base  at  the  north  end 
of  the  runway.  Kirk  Erickson  of  War-
road,  Minnesota  flew  his  beautiful 
Cessna  180 on  Edo  2960  floats  with  a 
couple  of  passengers  on  board.  His 
time from  the Brennand Seaplane Base 
was  only  25  minutes with  the  230  Con-
tinental  really  humming. 
EAA Associate Editor Norm Petersen 
cranked  up  his  90  hp  J-3  Cub  on  Edo 
1320s and, with EAA staff photographer 
Jeff Isom in the back seat, made the trip 
to  Shawano  in  fine  style.  Several 
airplanes pulled up alongside during the 
trip  and  had  themselves  "shot"  with 
Jeff's  camera.  On  the  return  trip, they 
reported  seeing  a  bald  eagle  just  50' 
below the Cub shortly after take off from 
Shawano  Lake! 
A  drawing  was  held  at  the  Shawano 
Airport  to  give  away  25  "Fly-Out  '87" 
dash  plaques and  a one-year member-
ship  in  the  Antique/Classic  Division. 
Plaudits are heartily extended to Tom 
Hampshire of  Menomonee Falls, WI  for 
his extensive help in  putting the Fly-Out 
together.  Tom  contacted  the  local  offi-
cials  who  provided  refreshments  and 
then  arrived  early  enough to  handle  all 
the  aircraft  parking. Great job,  Tom! 
Don't  miss  the  fly-out  in  '88!  Stay 
turned  for  the  time  and  place  - and 
keep  your tanks  full! 
Part of the Antique/Classic bunch waiting in line for takeoff from
WiHman Field to go to Shawano. Some of the waits were in
excess of one hour which failed to gain much favor with the
pilots!
An overview from the back seat of Norm Petersen's Cub shows
the town of Shawano in the background, the river through town
and the airport in the left foreground with the seaplane landing
in the center of the picture. The first batch of AlC members have
landed and parked.
Another Marlboro visitor on the way to Shawano is Mark Crowe
(EAA 186220, AlC 11057), 8 South Street, Ashland, MA 01721
and his 1946 7AC "Champ," N2120E, SIN 7AC-5691. Very preHy
paint job, Mark.
Pulling up close to the photo plane on the way to Shawano is
Lola Oyko (EAA 221089, AlC 10481), 10 Broadmeadow Rd.,
Marlboro, MA 01752 in her 1939 J-3 " Cub, " N24619, SIN 3307
powered with a 65 Lycoming. Note how Jeff Isom placed the
tailwheel and right main directly on top of a silo!
Part of the fun of the Shawano Fly-Out was looking at different
airplanes. Here is a Oornier 00-28 mounted on Edo YO-6470
Nineteen aircraft are lined up on the edge of the beautiful grass
floats with an engine removed for work. This 1961 twin is owned
area as a Cessna 195 taxies up from the runway. The local
by Grognet Flying Service of Shawano, WI. •
townsfolk were quite excited to see so many airplanes at their
airport and SPB.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21
nteresting Members 
by Bob Brauer 
(EAA 81504,  AlC 4319) 
9345  S.  Hoyne 
Chicago,  IL 60620 
If you  like  aircraft at least as  much as 
I do, then  I guess  those  friends  of  ours 
who  are  deeply involved  in  aviation  are 
interesting  to  us.  It  would  be  great  if  I 
could  talk · about  several of  the  terrific 
people  I  know  whose  involvement in 
aviation  is  fascinating  to  me. However,
one person comes to mind for this occa-
sion  because  of  his  total  involvement
and  broad  experience  in  aviation,  in 
spite  of  his  relatively  young  age. 
He  is  Jay  Vieaux  of  Park  Forest,  il-
linois,  a  member  of  our  local  Chapter 
260  in  Lansing, Illinois  near  Chicago. 
For as  long  as  he  can  remember, his 
interests  were  always  centered  around 
aviation, and  from  a hobby this  interest 
has  grown  into  a  career.  Even before 
he  obtained  his A&P license, he  had an 
intense  interest  in  aircraft  construction 
and  in  particular,  the  Breezy.  By  the 
time  he  was  18  years  old,  he  had 
learned  all  the  skills  necessary to  build 
and fly one.  In  addition,  he had become 
an  accomplished  welder,  having  been 
taught by Breezy deSigner, Carl Unger. 
Having  earned  his  reputation  as  an 
expert welder,  he generously fabricates 
aircraft parts  and  frame sections for his 
EM  friends.  This  activity  then  ex-
panded to doing welding repairs on cus-
tom  built aircraft, as well  as special and 
unusual  welding  on  antique and  classic 
aircraft. 
Following  completion  of  the  Breezy, 
he  was  hired  to  build  a  Steen  Skybolt. 
After his graduation from  high school , 
it  was  necessary  for  him  to  obtain  his 
A&P  license  in  order to  get a job  as  an 
aircraft mechanic. With all of the experi-
ence  he  had,  getting the  license turned 
out to  be a mere formality. Upon receiv-
ing  his license in  1976, he worked for a 
Chicago  Hammond  Airport  FBO  to  ac-
quire  the  necessary  18  months  experi-
ence. 
Following  his  job  at  Chicago  Ham-
mond  (now  named  Lansing  Municipal 
Airport), Jay worked for Emery Air Char-
ter in  Rockford, Illinois and  G & N Avia-
tion  at  Griffith,  Indiana  as  an  A&P 
mechanic. 
During  his  employment  at  these  two 
firms,  he  owned  a  Bellanca,  Citabria, 
Stits Flutter Bug and a Cassutt. He does 
not talk  much  about the  time he owned 
the  Citabria or the  bug, and  he  doesn't 
have to say anything about the Cassutt; 
it  speaks  for  itself,  thanks  to  Jay's  ex-
pert touch. 
He purchased the  little  red  Cassutt in 
*****************************************
Jay Vieaux
*****************************************
With  a  Whitney  Roper  punch  in  hand,  Jay  Vieaux  gets  ready  to add  a few  holes to a 
lower cowling assembly.  Note the neat workbench  in the background. 
1979  and  proceeded  to  completely  re-
build  it for serious  racing, incorporating 
many  subtle  improvements  to  the  air-
frame.  These  improvements  covered
an extensive aerodynamic clean up and 
weight  reduction  while  remaining  well 
within  safe  operation  of the  airframe. 
Regarding  the  engine,  to  me  it  bor-
dered  on  witchcraft,  considering  the 
performance  he  got  out  of  that  0-200! 
During  the  build  up  of  the  engine,  he 
handpicked  every part  for  optimum 
quality and matched weight. The results 
were  impressive.  The  engine  turned 
over 4200  rpm  during  flight  tests. 
Jay  entered  the  Cassutt,  named 
Super Spook (after the P-51  racer, "Gal-
loping  Ghost"),  in  every formula  race  in  . 
1981,  choosing  for  his  pilot  Carroll 
Dietz.  The  results  for a first-time  record 
were  impressive:  fourth  place  in  the 
Silver  division  at  Reno;  two  first  place 
victories  at  Corvallis,  Oregon,  second 
or  third  place  (he  can't  remember)  in 
the  San  Marcos  Silver race. 
Jay currently works for AMOCO Cor-
poration  (formerly  Standard  Oil)  where 
he  has  been  for the  past  four  and  one-
half  years.  He  holds  the  position  of 
senior  aircraft  technician  and  acts  as 
flight  engineer  on  AMOCO's  fleet  of 
Gulfstream  Ills  out  of  Chicago  Midway 
Airport. 
Jay  pOints  out  that  in  the  early  days 
of aviation,  Standard Oil was one of the 
first  corporations  to  place  heavy em-
phasis  on  its  newly  created  aviation 
products division. He  has used his pos-
ition  to  do research  on  the  early use of 
aircraft for corporate  transportation. 
Although  his  current  job  takes  him 
away  from  home  from  time  to  time  to 
exotic  places  like  Wichita,  Jakarta  and 
Sidney,  there  is  always  time  left for  his 
first  love, vintage aircraft.  He is  now re-
storing  his  classic  Tri-Pacer  and  work-
ing  with  a friend  rebuilding  a J-3  CUb. 
Jay  cannot  seem  to  get  his  mind  off 
those  fine  old  aircraft  of  the  Golden 
Age.  He  has just  completed  an  exten-
sive  six-year research  project involving 
selection  of  a  very special  replica  an-
tique  aircraft  construction  project  .. . 
but that's another story. This much I can 
tell  you : It will  be  an  exact replica of an 
aircraft with  a round  engine, two wings, 
rag  and  tube  construction,  and  superb 
workmanship.• 
22  JANUARY  1988 
PROP  TIPS 
The following material is reprinted with
permission from the Fall, 1987 issue of
PROP TIPS, published by Aero Propel-
ler and Accessories, Inc., 3400 Indus-
trial Lane, Broomfield, Colorado 80020,
(303/469-1749).
Maintenance Tips 
This  second  issue  of  Prop Tips will 
review  some  inspection,  maintenance 
and  general  care  recommendations  of-
fered by the manufacturers. Don't forget 
that your propeller is  subjected  to  high, 
often extreme, stresses including bend-
ing,  twisting,  centrifugal  forces,  impact 
from  rocks, and abrasion from sand just 
to  name a few. The following  Prop Tips
will help to minimize the effects of these 
forces. 
1. Your preflight should  include: 
Conduct  a  visual  inspection  for 
bends, nicks, scratches, cracks, cor-
rosion,  loose  spinner screws, nut or 
bolts.  Look  for  excessive  oil  or 
grease  (new  or  recently  overhauled 
props  may  show  minor  leakage  for 
up  to  20  hours of operation). 
2. Your ground  run-up: 
Follow  the  Operator's  Handbook. 
Avoid  run-up  in  loose  sand,  gravel, 
or  rocks. Beware  of tie-down  ropes, 
chains, towbars, etc. 
3.  Washing the  plane - Corrosion pro-
tection: 
Do  not  use  solvents  or  solutions  on 
the  prop  in  a  way  in  which  the  fluid 
could  seep  into  the  hub  on  the  up-
right  blade.  Do  not  use  pressure 
washes  on  the  prop  pointed  toward 
the  hub.  Any  moisture  which  pene-
trates  the  hub  seals  increases  the 
risk  of corrosion. 
4. Lubrication: 
Take care to  avoid blowing out clamp 
gaskets  by  removing  one  zerk  and 
pumping  grease  into  the  remaining 
fitting  until  grease  appears  through 
the  hole  where  the  zerk  was  re-
moved. 
Replace  the  zerk  fitting.  Use  grease 
which  conforms  to  MIL-G-23827, 
81322, or  3545, such  as  Aero  Shell 
Grease  NO.5.  Mixing  of  different 
greases  is  to  be  avoided,  so  record 
the  type  and  MIL  Spec  number  of 
the  grease  installed. 
5.  Filing  the  propeller: 
Take sand and gravel nicks seriously! 
Nicks  or  scratches  can  be  the  start 
of fatigue cracks and/or catastrophic 
prop  failure!  Have your  FBO or cer-
tified  technician  inspect  and  repair 
any  nick  before you  fly  again. Large 
nicks or gouges may affect the struc-
ture,  balance,  or  operation  of  the 
prop  and  should  be  repaired  by  a 
certified  propeller  repair  station  im-
mediately.  When  taking  off  from  a 
non-hard  surface  runway,  minimLze 
prop damage by allowing the aircraft 
to  move before  applying  full  power. 
6. Constant speed  props: 
Controllable  pitch  propellers  require 
periodic  reconditioning.  Check  your 
propeller  logbook  and  follow  the 
TBO  interval  recommended  by  the 
propeller  manufacturer.  This  infor-
mation  can  be found  in  Hartzell Ser-
vice  Letter  61 M  and  in  McCauley 
Service  Bulletin  137B. 
If  you  wish,  send  a  self-addressed 
stamped  envelope  with  your  request 
and  we  will  be  happy to  mail  copies  of 
the Hartzell and McCauley TBO specifi-
cations  to  you  at  the  earliest  possible 
date.• 

«Jews
(Continued from  Page 4) 
The second engine after an improved 
Heath  four-cylinder  was  a  five-cylinder 
radial  engine  named  "Clipper"  which 
featured  four  valves  per  cylinder  and 
developed 65  hp at  2600 rpm. The little 
speedster took a second and third place 
in two 200 cubic inch races in  1934 with 
the old  master, Steve Wittman,  winning 
both races in his Pobjoy-powered racer. 
Our  best  wishes  go  out  to  these 
pioneer  aviators  and  designers  -
Roger  Lorenzen,  Steve  Wittman  and 
Hans Lohman Rasmussen - who have 
contributed  so  much  over these  many, 
many  years. And  we  must  also  extend 
a hearty "Mange Tak" to  Carl  Erik Gim-
bel  of Odense, Denmark for assisting in 
the  greeting  exchange  and  for  writing 
the  fascinating  story  of  Hans  Lohman 
Rasmussen  for the  Danish  magazine .• 
CALENDAR  OF  EVENTS 
APRIL  10-16  - LAKELAND,  FLORIDA  - 13th 
annual  Sun  'n  Fun  EAA  Fly-In  at  Lakeland 
Municipal  Airport.  Contact:  Sun  'n  Fun  Head-
quarters,  3838  Dranefield  Road,  P.  O.  Box 
6750,  Lakeland,  FL  33807,  phone  813/644-
2431. 
JUNE  23-26  - GRAND  LAKE  VACATION  RE-
SORT, OKLAHOMA - International  Bird  Dog 
Association  annual  meeting  and  fly-in  at 
Golden  Falcon  Airpark,  Grand  Lake  Vacation 
Resort. Contact:  Phil  Phillips,  505/897-4174. 
JULY 17-22 - FAIRBANKS, ALASKA - Interna-
tional  Cessna  170  Associ ation  Convention  at 
Fairbanks  International  Airport.  Convention 
site: Sophie Station Motel. Contact: Convention 
Chairmen, Rick and Cheryl Schikora, 1919 Lat-
hrop,  Drawer  17,  Fairbanks,  AK  99701 ,  907/ 
456-1566 (work) , or 907/488-1724 (home).  Re-
member the  time  difference. 
JULY 29-AUGUST 5 - OSHKOSH, WISCONSIN 
- 36th  annual  International  EAA  Convention 
and  Sport Aviation Exhibition  at Willman  Field. 
Contact:  John  Burton,  EAA  Headquarters, 
Willman  Airfield, Oshkosh, WI  54903-3086. 
  Llnl?A
(Continued from  Page  13) 
Dwayne  Green  has  volunteered  to 
take  over  the  project  of  selling  the 
plates  to  all  Luscombe  owners  who 
want  them.  It  is  a  must that  you  install 
the 10 plates on the exterior of your Lus-
combe.  You  probably  can  remove  the 
old  from  the  inside  and  install  it  exter-
nally,  but  why  bother.  The  price  of  the 
new 10 plate is so low-priced that it isn't 
worth the effort! Contact Dwayne Green 
at  4  Meadow  Glen  Court,  Santa  Rosa, 
CA 95404, phone  707/544-4535 .• 
VINTAGE  AIRPLANE  23 
JUST 
ANOTHER 
GRASS 
LANDING STRIP 
The  patriarch of Hay Meadow Airport, John Hatz, fills the fuel  tank of his 65hp J-3 Cub 
before taking another student for a lesson on flying skis. Known throughout Wisconsin 
for  his thorough  instruction,  John  has  the  ability to  instill  a  life  long  appreciation  for 
flying with  his many students.  John  is a busy,  busy man! 
by Joyce Helser 
I  lived  at  Gleason,  Wisconsin  from 
1968  to  1983  and  never  heard  much 
about the local airport, except that some 
family  had  an  airstrip. We  would  see  a 
plane  in  the  sky  and  if  it  wasn't  very 
high,  we  knew  it  probably  came  from 
Gleason  International  Airport  ... that's 
how  many  people  around  Gleason  re-
ferred  to  the  airport. 
Eventually I came to know the wife of 
the family that owned the airport as she 
worked in the gas station at Gleason for 
a few years.  She and  I would exchange 
pleasantries  when  I saw her at the sta-
24  JANUARY  1988 
tion.  I  didn't  know  her  name;  we  just 
enjoyed  small  talk  about  the  things 
going  on  in  town  or with  our families. 
In  1983  we  moved  to  Oshkosh  after 
giving  up our jobs in  Rhinelander.  I had 
a job as a nurse's aid in a nursing home, 
but  my  husband  Rudy  had  to  look  for 
work. He finally got a job at  EM on  the 
Maintenance  Staff  as  a  custodian.  A 
year later,  I was hired there also; first in 
the volunteer kitchen and  later as grass 
cutter for  the  Ingersoll  Company. 
In  1986  I met Dorothy Chase,  whose 
husband  Gene  also  worked  at  EAA. 
Dorothy  encouraged  me  to  introduce 
myself  to  Gene,  and  when  I  did  he 
asked  if  I  knew  John  Hatz  from 
Gleason. Of course,  I said "no," as I had 
really  only  heard  of  him  but  never  met 
him.  Gene  informed  me  that  John 
owned  the  airport  near  Gleason  and 
that  it  was  called  "Hay  Meadow."  We 
looked  at  an  aeronautical  chart  and 
sure  enough,  it  was  the  same  airport.  I 
told  Gene  how  we  always  just  called  it 
Gleason  International.  Since  I  was 
going  home  that  weekend,  I decided  I 
would  check  it out to  be  sure  it  was  the 
same  airport. 
When  I got back  to  Gleason,  I asked 
at  the  gas  station  where  Mrs.  Hatz 
worked  (she  wasn't  there  that  day)  if 
their  airport  was  called  Hay  Meadow 
Airport.  The  man  said,  "I  think  it  is,  but 
we  just  call  it  Gleason  International."  I 
came  back  and  told  Gene,  "Yes,  that's 
the  airport  all  right." 
In  the  spring  of  1987  I kept  thinking 
about this airport and  how I never really 
knew  anything  about  it.  For  all  those 
years  I never knew  or  cared  about  it. 
One  thing  you  learn  by  working  for 
EAA  is  that  people  interested  in 
airplanes  know  each  other.  Since  the 
Hatz's  were  EAA  members,  many 
people,  including  members  of  EM's 
staff,  knew  them  well.  I thought  about 
how  I'd  lived  in  the  same  little  town  of 
maybe  200  people  for  1  5  years  and 
didn't know  them  at  all. 
In  March  of  1987  my  mother  took 
sick,  so  I  traveled  back  to  Gleason  to 
see her.  One night as  I drove by the gas 
station,  Mrs.  Hatz  was  working,  so  I 
stopped  especially to  talk  with  her. We 
didn't  discuss  the  town's  happenings 
that  night,  rather  we  talked  about 
people  and  places  and  things  of  EM. 
We  talked  about people we  both  knew, 
and  she told me about some of the con-
ventions  that  they  attended.  We  talked 
about Paul and  Audrey  Poberezny,  and 
what  nice  people  they  were. 
She even told a story about Tom Pob-
erezny  at  one  of the  convention's.  She 
didn't  remember  what  year  it  was,  but 
it  was  some  years  ago  when  Tom  was 
a  young  lad.  He  asked  her  if  they  still 
ate  their  dinner  on  the  tailgate  of  their 
station  wagon.  She  told  him  they  did, 
and  he  asked  if  he  could  join  them.  As 
they  ate  he  said,  "It's  nice  to  sit  here 
and  enjoy  dinner,  for  nobody  would 
even  think  of  me  being  here."  Nowa-
days,  Tom  couldn't  get  lost  with  that 
radio  on  his belt. 
After  we  talked  for  about two  hours, 
it  was  time  for  me  to  go  home,  but  I 
wanted  to  know  more  about the  Hatz's 
and  their  airport.  Summers  are  busy, 
though,  when you  work for EM. I knew 
I would  have to wait until  after the  1987 
Convention  before  I could  continue  my 
adventure with this airport, which meant 
more  to  me  now  than  it  ever did  when 
I lived  there. 
In late August I went to see John Hatz 
and  met  him  for  the  first  time.  As  we 
were  driving  down  Vascheau  Road 
where  their  home  and  airport  are  10-
cated , we could see a plane practicing
touch and goes. I talked to his wife, Ber-
dina, again, as we waited for John and
his student to land. While waiting I had
the opportunity to see everything they
did there. In one hangar, his boys were
building a plane. They had the wood
constructed for the wings and fuselage.
In another barn were stored two fuse-
lages of older planes that John plans to
restore when he has the time.
I asked John if I could have an inter-
view with him and, of course, he said
yes. But, he didn't have too much time
left. This was on Monday and he only
had two hours left open for the week -
one on Wedneday and one on Friday.
I took the Wednesday appointment .
Wednesday came and I was there on
time. John came in after giving a stu-
dent a lesson . I wondered why anybody
would pick a town like Gleason to have
an airport, as Gleason is a declining busi-
ness and farming community. John said
he wanted his own field after managing
the Merrill Airport for 11 years. He said
he just got tired of regulations. So, he
bought this 77-acre farm and made an
east-west runway. Presently he hang-
ars eight planes for other owners, plus
five of his own .
This past year has been the best ever
for him. Currently he has more students
than he can handle, having to turn many
away as he doesn't have enough hours
in the day. In addition to giving lessons
at Hay Meadow, he also trains at
Wausau.
As I talked with John I learned that
he had donated a 1929 Velie
Monocoupe to the EAA Aviation Foun-
dation. I learned that all of John and
Beautiful Hay Meadow Airport looking west along the smooth sod runway. In the back-
ground are the hangars and shop where John Hatz and his crew do their inside work.
This is rural America at its very best!
The logo of the Hay Meadow Flyers, EAA Chapter 640, which is made up of many flyers
in the area. This group puts on the finest Ski Plane Fly-In in all of Wisconsin.
Berdina's sons are involved in aviation.
Allen and Clifford work at Hay Meadow
Field, Lyman is a commercial pilot and
mechanic, and Aaron is an airline em-
ployee. A daughter, Barbara, enjoys rid-
ing in the airplanes, just like her mother.
The Hatz's generally sponsor two fly-
ins a year at Hay Meadow Field. One
- a ski plane fly-in - is held the sec-
ond weekend of February each year.
The second is held sometime during the
month of July and features antique and
classic airplanes.
As John and I talked he showed me
pictures and articles that had been writ-
ten about them in the past year. I could
tell that this family was well known
throughout the Midwest. I asked John if
he had a little time to take me for a ride
in one his planes and he said, "Of
course! " I told him I'd always wanted a
ride in an open cockpit biplane and he
said , "I have one over in the other
hangar we could go up in it."
As we walked to the hangar I noticed
two other planes in it - a Piper Cub
which they just finished restoring and a
1928 Waco - and the biplane that we
were going to take a ride in. John calls
it the Hatz Special , "Happiness". I put
on a jacket as it was cool that morning,
then John made my day by handing me
a leather helmet with goggles attached,
just like they wore in World War II. I was
so excited about getting into an open
cockpit biplane with the leather helmet,
I felt like I was in another world . As we
taxied down the grass air strip, I felt like
a queen. We flew over the village of
Gleason and I recognized some of the
farms. It was a delightful flight.
By the time I left John and his little
empire of airplanes, a neighbor had
come over and needed the use of one
of his planes to look for some cattle that
had strayed off into the woods. John's
son Allen took them up to look.
I will never know all the goodness
John has put into aviation, but I'm find-
ing out more everyday. As we drove
away from Hay Meadow Field, I felt very
satisfied with what I found - a family
that was really friendly and John, a pilot
and instructor, in his own little empire.
And he flies just for fun . •
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25
WELCOME  NEW MEMBERS 
The  following  is  a  listing  of new members who  have joined the  EAA  Antique/Classic  Division  (through  October 21 , 1987).  We 
are  honored  to  welcome  them  into the  organization  whose  members'  common  interest  is  vintage  aircraft. Succeeding  issues 
of  THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE will  contain  additional  listings  of new members. 
Craft,  Kenneth  L. 
Strasburg,  Pennsylvania 
Strick, Benjamin T. 
Corona  Del  Mar,  California 
Foley,  Ken  F. 
Columbus,  Ohio 
Foley,  Joseph  Edwin 
Westerville,  Ohio 
Anderson,  Bill 
Littleton,  Colorado 
James, Marvin 
Scio,  Oregon 
Wesenberg,  Donald  R. 
Winton,  California 
Borath, Ernest  F. 
Crescent City,  California 
Bartis, John 
St.  Charles,  Missouri 
Pasha,Joseph 
Boynton  Beach,  Florida 
Cass,  Gerald C. 
Carlsbad,  New  Mexico 
Vander Lugt,  Tunis 
Kentwood,  Michigan 
Davis, Jeffrey R. 
EI  Cajon, California 
Castle, Richard 
Mount Holly,  New Jersey 
Stanton Jr., James  R. 
Ocean  City,  New Jersey 
Cameron, J. 
Mount Gravatt,  Queensland, 
Australia 
Clure,  Lawrence A. 
Santa Barbara,  California 
Koide,  Gyoko 
Miami,  Florida 
Tendlck, Ted  O. 
Hayfield,  Minnesota 
Schiller, Doug 
Warrenville,  Illinois 
Erickson,  Russell 
Humnoke,  Arizona 
Cocks,  Eric H. 
Ft.  Lauderdale,  Florida 
Gilliland, William  L. 
Santa Cruz,  California 
Klein,  Fred  R. 
East Sound, Washington 
Kleckner,  Frank 
Allentown, Pennsylvania 
Albright,  Ralph  N. 
Tucson,  Arizona 
Lambrecht,  Richard 
Bethany,  Oklahoma 
Major,  Don  D. 
Collierville,  Tennessee 
Jordan, William Tomas Lee 
Edenton,  North  Carolina 
Patterson,  Robert W. 
Brampton,  Ontario,  Canada 
Pruchnis,  Albert B. 
Windber,  Pennsylvania 
Stedman, William 
Stockbridge,  Massachusetts 
Hamilton, Carolynn 
Anchorage,  Alaska 
Erickson, Ed 
Hagerstown,  Maryland 
Shirley, Jess G. 
Fort  Bragg,  California 
Swanson,  Kyle G. 
Cloquet,  Minnesota 
Lund,  Lawrence 
Pleasanton,  California 
Jeffery, Terry 
Winnipeg,  Manitoba,  Canada 
Rawlings,  David  E. 
Palatine,  Illinois 
Williams,  Franklin T. 
Walnut Creek,  California 
Smith, Melissa 
Santa  Barbara, California 
Wilkinson, Bill 
Selkirk,  Manitoba, Canada 
Quebe,  Raymond J. 
Austin,  Texas 
Bymaster,  Don 
Colorado Springs,  Colorado 
Tollett, Thomas V. 
Marble Falls,  Texas 
Garel-Frantzen, Tony 
Wheeling,  Illinois 
Tylenda,  John R. 
A.P.O. New York,  New  York 
Hendricks, C.  Michael 
Columbia, Maryland 
Dickinson, Jim Paul 
Norman,  Oklahoma 
Covey, Jim 
Snohomish,  Washington 
Atkins,  A.D. 
Acworth,  Georgia 
De  Van  Jr., William  L. 
Birmingham,  Alabama 
Espinosa,  Floyd 
Mission  Hills,  California 
Murray,  Douglas 
Toronto,  Ontario,  Canada 
Hoggatt,  Raymond 
Wyoming,  Michigan 
Bussinah, Alex 
Columbia,  South  Carolina 
Mylnarek, R. 
Canfield,  Ohio 
Rose,  Daniel  J. 
New Baltimore,  Michigan 
Gislason, Vldir 
Akureyi,  Iceland 
Clifton,  Patty R. 
Eldorado,  Kansas 
26 JANUARY  1988 
Tanaka,  Seichiro  Ridenour,  Edwin E. 
Neeves,  Brian J. 
Tokyo, Japan  Springfield, Ohio 
Henderson,  Nevada 
Blackburne, J.  A.  Shows,  Herbert  Byers, Thomas C. 
College  Park, Georgia  Larose, Louisiana  Loomis,  California 
Reichek,  Edward  R.
Wruck, Jerry  Gavalis,  Richard 
Cleveland,  Ohio 
Douglas, Arkansas  Valley  Forge,  Pennsylvania 
Comstock, G.  Kenneth 
Donaldson, John A.  Simmonds,  Don  M. 
Garberville, Cal ifornia 
Victoria, Ontario  Mercer  Island, Washington 
S i n g h ~   Charles 
Hodges,  William T.  Pilkington,  Lynn 
Grimsby, England 
Andersonville, Georgia  Hyrum,  Utah 
Polonitza,  Rollin 
Sharp,  Milford G.  Linnihaw, Terry 
Evanston, Illinois 
Steele, Alabama  Appleton,  Wisconsin 
Field,  Harold S. 
Windh,  Peter L.  Lockwood, Terry 
Amarillo, Texas 
Mississauga, Ontario  Chandler,  Arizona 
Dezendorf, Thomas C. 
Stagner,  Robert E.  Sagerser, James A. 
Belmont, California 
Poplar  Bluff, Missouri  Mesa, Arizona 
Volpe,  Tom 
Nelson,  Amos  Smith, Dennis R. 
Laconia, New Hampshire 
Mineral  Point, Wisconsin  Sault Ste.  Marie, Ontario 
Hillis,  Rod 
Griffin, Jimmy C. 
Bergsmann,  Robert  E. 
Heriot Bay,  British  Columbia 
Alameda, California 
Pottsboro, Texas 
Lieb,  Tom 
Gordon, Eugene C. 
Ewers,  Ivan 
Redondo  Beach,  California 
Crumpler,  North  Carolina 
Santa  Barbara, California 
Asplundh,  Barr E. 
Meyer,  John E.
Janousek,  Joseph O.
Fort  Washington, Pennsylvania  Midland, Texas 
Chevy Chase, Maryland 
Smythe,  David 
Wing,  Jerold D.
Bohlmann, Melvin 
Roseville, Minnesota 
Cheyenne, Wyoming 
Valparaiso, Indiana 
Eckel,  Mark G. 
Moore,  Donald  L. 
Crystal  Lake, Illinois  Ladd,  Larry S. 
Sedalia,  Missouri 
Floyds  Knobs,  Indiana 
Krysiak,  Richard  C. 
Melvin,  Kenneth  E.  W.
Atlanta, Georgia  Sell, George J. 
Beaverton,  Oregon 
Oshkosh, Wisconsin 
Murray,  Raymond 
Finerty,  Duane J. 
East Aurora, New York 
Bakula,  Mark 
Troy,  Michigan 
Muskego,  Wisconsin 
Anderson, Thomas  P. 
Berkman, Herbert R.
Los  Angeles,  California 
Vieaux, James M. 
Canoga  Park,  California 
Park  Forest,  Illinois 
Holman,  Daily A. 
Portland, Oregon 
Snelling, John 
Reid,  David  W. 
Corvallis,  Oregon  • 
EI  Dorado,  Alabama 
Guest,  Roger R. 
Stevensville,  Maryland 
Robles Jr.,  Marion W.
Allender,  J.  Reverdy 
Lakeland,  Florida
Bothell , Washington 
Plendl,  Bruce R. 
Harmacinski,  Larry 
Everett,  Washington 
Asheville,  North  Carolina 
Arnold,  M.  Lee 
Gilpatrick,  Robert J. 
Mesa, Arizona  So  Daytona, Florida 
Godfrey, James D.  Jewett, Dale  P. 
Arlington,  Texas  Hutchinson, Kansas 
VINTAGE  AIRPLANE  27 
           
This neat little monoplane is evidently
a two-place, possibly a side-by-side. It
appears to be a modification of an ear-
lier design. The photo was taken at
Bowman Field, Louisville, Kentucky in
the early 1930s and was submitted by
Ed Peck of Waddy, Kentucky, who is
compiling a history of the field. Answers
will be published in the April , 1988 issue
of THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE Deadline
for that issue is February 10, 1988.
The Mystery Plane in the October,
1987 issue of THE VINTAGE
AIRPLANE was the Populair. Charley
Hayes of Park Forest, Illinois writes: "As
I recall, it was a one of a kind which
never received an ATC. It was powered
by a Chevrolair engine. "
by George A. Hardie, Jr.
The photo was taken from an ad that
appeared in the April, 1930 issue of
Popular Aviation. The airplane was built
by the Earl Aviation Corp., Ltd. , a closed
corporation located at Los Angeles,
California. It was to be shown at the
New York Aircraft Salon in May of that
year. Excerpts from the ad show the
confidence the company had in their
new design:
"To a plane-wise public and a world
of pilots and executives accustomed to
flying and selling good airplanes,
POPULAIR makes its bow at the New
York Aircraft Salon without
apologies.
"The POPULAIR is everything you
demand in a two-place sport training
plane. It embodies a new high perfor-
mance at a low, readily saleable price.
"In the production of the POPULAIR,
the Earl Aviation Corporation, Ltd. had
a definite purpose in view - to create
a small plane of superior type to any-
thing in the field of simi lar character.
How splendidly this aim has been
achieved can well be realized upon in-
spection, study of specifications and
demonstration of performance."
But as Dave Hatfield remarked in his
scrapbook, "The POPULAIR did not be-
come popular." Too bad, for it was an
attractive design.
Additional correct answers were re-
ceived from Ted Businger, Willow
Springs, Missouri; Dave Gauthier, Au-
burn, Washington; Ben Bowman,
Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania; Wayne
Van Valkenburgh, Jasper, Georgia;
Roy Cagle, Juneau, Alaska; and Emil
Strasser, Hawthorne, Georgia . •
Letters TO The

Dear Gene (Chase),
I meant to write you for some time
regarding the modern day aviation
nomenclature composed and used by
the younger generation in aviation
today.
The nomenclature and terminology is
rather demeaning and degrading of the
golden age era of airplanes.
As the elder of the Rezich brothers, I
have been around airplanes going on
almost 60 years. And we used proper
terminology in those days and now.
I can immediately identify a "Johnny
come lately" when he uses terms such
as: Number one - Ragwing. I never
saw an airplane covered with rags.
They were covered with expensive and
durable flytex Irish linen or cotton fabric.
We also kept our airplanes inside and
never let them deteriorate to rags. The
proper term is fabric covered airplane.
Newspapers used to call them can-
vas covered and still do, but that's par
28 JANUARY 1988
for the course for news people.
Number two: Tail feathers. I never
saw feathers on an airplane except
when sparrows got inside the wing or
fuselage. The proper term is tail group
or empennage.
Number three: Taildragger. To me
the tail flys as fast as the nose. In my
day when the tail was dragging, the
airplane was not fit to fly, It was drag-
ging on the tail post because of a tail
skid or tail wheel failure.
Number four: Bipe. What in the h-
is a bipe? Sounds like some kind of
squeemy animal. The proper name is
biplane, monoplane or triplane, de-
pending on which it is.
Number Five: Tu Holer. Sounds like
someone punched some holes in the
fuselage or wings. The only time I saw
holes in an airplane is when the inspec-
tors used to cut holes in new fabric to
look inside. The proper term is open
cockpit, one place, two place or three
place.
.. , ..
Number Six: Round Engine. The
proper term is radial engine. There ac-
tually was a round engine built for air-
craft use where the cylinders were
parallel to the crankshaft operated on a
wobble plate principle. I doubt if any of
the younger gneration has ever heard
or seen one. There were only a few
built. It was a six-cylinder barrel type
engine, liquid cooled.
Then there is the forever misclassifi-
cation of center section riders as wing
walkers. They don't go anywhere. They
are strapped to a mast and that's where
they stay.
You might publish this as the opinion
and remarks of an old timer.
Best regards,
Mike Rezich
(EM 510, NC 2239)
6424 So. LaPorte Avenue
Chicago, IL 60638 •
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VINTAGE AiRPLANE 29
It's Exciting! 
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See this priceless collection of
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in the world's largest. most mod-
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the many educational displays
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Stop by - here's somet hing the
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HOURS 
8:30 to 5:00 p.m.
Monday thru Saturday
11 :00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Sundays
Closed Easter. Thanksgiving. Christmas
and New Years Day (Guided group tour
arrangements must be made two weeks
in advance).
CONVENIENT LOCATION 
The EM Aviation Center is located on
Wittman Field. Oshkosh. Wis. - just off
Highway 41. Going North Exit Hwy. 26
or 44. Going South Exit Hwy. 44 and
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Now accepting selected projects. 
Please submit details to: 
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30 JANUARY 1988
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