Vintage Airplane - Jan 1995

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EDITORIAL STAFF 
Publisher 
Tom  Poberezny 
January1995 Vol.23,No.1
CONTENTS 
1 Straight &  Level/ 
Espie"Butch"Joyce 
2  AlC News/Compiledby
H.G.Frautschy
3 VintageLiterat ure/ 
DennisParks 
8 MembersProjects/ 
NormPetersen 
11 AlC Tidbits/H.G. Frautschy
13 25thAnniversaryKZFly-In/
NormPetersen
17 OneofEach,Please-
GregHerrick'sPT-23/H.G.Frautschy
21 StanGomoll's
1928HeathSuperParasol/
NormPetersen
Page  17 
25 MysteryAirplane/George Hardi e
27 PassittoBuck!
E.E."Buck" Hilbert
29 WelcomeNewMembers
29 Calendar
30 VintageTrader
Page 21 
Page  13 
Vice-President, 
Marketing and Communications 
Dick Matt 
Editor-in-Chief 
Jack Cox 
Editor 
Henry G.  Frautschy 
Managing Editor 
Golda Cox 
Art Director 
Mike Drucks 
Computer Graphic Specialists 
Sara  Hansen 
Olivia L. Phillip  Jennifer Larsen 
Advertising 
Mary  Jones 
Associate Editor 
Norm Petersen 
Feature Writers 
George Hardie, Jr.  Dennis Parks 
Staff Photographers 
Jim Koepnick  Mike Steineke 
Carl Schuppel  Donna Bushman 
Editorial Assistant 
Isabelle Wiske 
EAA ANTIQUE/ CLASSIC DIVISION, INC. 
OFFICERS 
President  Vice-President 
Espie "Butch" Joyce  Arthur MorQan 
P.O.  Box  1001  W211  N11863 Hilltop Dr. 
Madison. NC 27025  Germantown. WI  53022 
910/573-3843  414/628-2724 
Secrefary  Treasurer 
Steve Nesse  E.E.  ' Buck' Hilbert 
2009 Highland Ave.  P.O.  Box 424 
Albert Lea. MN 56007  Union.IL 6D18D 
507/373-1674  815/923-4591 
DIRECTORS 
John Berendt  Robert C.  "Bob" Brouer 
7645 Echo Point Rd.  9345 S.  Hoyne 
Cannon Falls.  MN 55009 
507/263-2414 
 
Gene Chose  John S. Copeland 
2159 Carlton Rd.  28-3 Williamsburg Ct . 
Oshkosh. WI  54904  Shrewsbury. MA 01545 
414/231-5002  508/842-7867 
Phil  Coulson  George Daubner 
28415 Springbrook Dr.  2448 Lough Lane 
Lawton. MI 49065  Harf1ord, WI  53027 
616/624-6490  414/673-5885 
Charles Harris  StonGomoll 
7215 East 46th St.  1042 90th Lane. NE 
Tulsa. OK  74145  Minneapolis. MN 55434 
918/622-8400  612/784-1172 
Dale A. Gustafson  Jeonnie Hill 
7724 Shady Hill  Dr.  p.o. Box 328 
Indianapolis, IN  46278  Harvard. IL 60033 
317/293-4430  815/943-7205 
Robert Lickteig  Robert D. "Bob" Lumley 
1708 Bay Oaks Dr.  1265 South  124th St. 
Alberf Lea. MN 56007  Brookfeld. WI  53005 
507/373-2922  414/782-2633 
Gene Morris  George York 
115C Steve Court. R.R.  2  181  Sloboda Av. 
Roanoke. TX  76262  Mansfield. OH 44906 
817/491-9110  419/529-4378 
S.H. OWes" Schmid 
2359 Lefeber Avenue 
Wauwatosa. WI  53213 
414/771-1545 
DIRECTOR  EMERITUS 
S.J.  WiHman 
7200 S.E.  85th Lane 
Ocala, FL 32672 
904/245-7768 
ADVISORS 
Joe Dickey  Jimmy Rollison 
55 Oakey Av.  640 Alamo Dr. 
Lawrenceburg, IN  47025  Vacaville. CA 95688 
812/537-9354  707/45 HJ411 
Dean Richardson  Geoff Robison 
6701  Colony Dr.  1521  E.  MacGregor Dr. 
Madison. WI  53717  New Haven. IN  46774 
608/833-1291  219/493-4724 
FRONT COVER.  . Joe and  Mark Denest of West Chester.  PA restored  this  1943 
Fairchild  PT-23-SL  for  owner Greg  Herrick  of Minneapolis.  MN.  It  was  picked  by 
the  EM  OSHKOSH  '94  judges  to  be the  WW  II  Military  Trainer/Liaison  Aircraft 
runner-up  in  the  Antique  category.  EAA  photo  by  Jim  Koepnick.  shot  with  a 
Canon  EOS- l  equipped  with  an  80-200mm  /f2.8  lens.  1/500  sec.  at f  6.3  on 
Kodak  Ektachrome  Lumiere  100  film .  Cessna  210  photo  plane  flown  by  Bruce 
Moore. 
BACK COVER  ... Hugh Polder of Chicago. IL  captured the beauty and speed 
of  the  Granville  Brothers  Gee  Bee  Super  Sportster  "City  of  Springfield"  in  his 
casein  painting.  Flown  by Lowell  Bayles.  the first  of the Gee Bee  racer winners 
was the  1931  Thompson Trophy winner at the N.A.R.  I'm sure  you  not iced  that 
last  month' s  back  cover  also  featured  a  Gee  Bee  - what  gives?  Look  for  an 
announcement concerning race planes in  next month's VINTAGE AIRPLANE. 
Copyright  ©  1995  by the EM Antique/Classic Division Inc. All rights reserved. 
VINTAGE AIRPLANE  (ISSN  0091-6943)  is  published  and  owned  exclusively  by  the  EAA  Anlique/Classic  Division.  Inc.  of  the  Experimental 
Aircraft  Association  and  is  published  monlhly  at  EAA  Aviation  Center,  3000  Poberezny  Rd.,  P.O.  Box  3086,  Oshkosh,  Wisconsin  54903-3086. 
Second  Class  Poslage  paid  al  Oshkosh,  Wisconsin  54901  and  at  additional  mailing  offices.  The  membership  rale  for  EAA  Antique/Classic 
Division, Inc. is $27.00 for current  EAA members for  12 month period of which $15.00 is for the publication of VINTAGE  AIRPLANE.  Membership 
is open to all  who are interested in aviation. 
POSTMASTER: Send  address  changes  to  EAA  Anlique/Classic  Division,  Inc.,  P.O.  Box  3086,  Oshkosh,  WI  54903-3086.  FOREIGN  AND  APO 
ADDRESSES - Please allow at least two months for delivery of VINTAGE AIRPLANE 10foreign and APO addresses via surface mail. 
ADVERTISING - Antique/Classic  Division  does  not  guarantee  or  endorse  any  product offered  through  the  advertising.  We  invite  constructive 
criticism  and welcome any report of inferior merchandise obtained through our advertising so that corrective measures can be taken. 
EDITORIAL POLICY:  Readers  are  encouraged 10 submit  slories and  pholographs.  Policy  opinions  expressed  in  articles are solely those  of the 
authors.  Responsibility for accuracy  in reporting rests entirely with the contributor.  No renumeration  is made. 
Material should  be sent to:  Ednor, VINTAGE AIRPLANE, P.O.  Box 3086,  Oshkosh,  WI  54903-3086.  Phone 414/426-4800. 
The  words  EAA,  ULTRALIGHT,  FLY  WITH  THE  FIRST  TEAM,  SPORT  AVIATION  and  the  logos  of  EAA,  EAA  INTERNATIONAL 
CONVENTION,  EAA  ANTIQUE/CLASSIC  DIVISION,  INTERNATIONAL  AEROBATIC  CLUB,  WAR BIRDS  OF  AMERICA  are  ®registered 
Irademarks. THE  EAA SKY  SHOPPE  and  logos  of  Ihe EAA AVIATION  FOUNDATION  and  EAA ULTRAlIGHT CONVENTION  are  trademarks 
of the above associalions and their use by any person other Ihan the above association is strictly prohibited. 
I hope everyone had a good, safe
holiday season. This past year has
been a good year for the
Antique/Classic movement. Rebuilds
of antique aircraft continue to add to
our fleet and the quality of these re-
builds continues to get better and bet-
ter. As an example, there are five
clipped wing Monocoupes flying, each
being a grand champion in its own
right.
One of the contributing reasons
for this growth is that there are a
number of very good restoration
shops around the country turning out
top notch aircraft. Credit also needs
to be given to the Type Clubs. The
clubs with good leadership and a
strong newsletter really stand out.
These clubs give support to their type
of aircraft with technical information
and parts suppliers. I receive calls
weekly from individuals requiring in-
formation relating to their aircraft or
other aviation interests . If it's an
item that I cannot answer, I generally
refer the person to a Type Club, an
individual, Antique/Classic Chapter
or an EAA Chapter.
Speaking of Chapters , the An-
tique/Classic Division has approxi-
mately 19 Chapters at this time. EAA
Chapters number in the hundreds. It
has been my experience that the EAA
Chapter members often own (for the
most part) antique, classic or contem-
porary aircraft. There is a wealth of
knowledge among these individual
members and there is a rewarding so-
cial aspect to be found by being a
member of a Chapter. If you don't
have a local A/C Chapter, don' t over-
look the benefits of belonging to a lo-
cal EAA Chapter. Or, if there is
enough local interest , perhaps you' d
STRAIGHT  & LEVEL 
by Espie "Butch" Joyce 
be interested in starting an Antique/
Classic Chapter in your area. Contact
the EAA Chapter office at 414/426-
4876 for more information.
This past Christmas EAA Chapter
8 had its annual Christmas covered
dish lunch on a Saturday at my
hangar. This has become an annual
event with each member making a
special effort to attend. It is very in-
teresting to sit back and listen to the
conversations conducted at this meet-
ing. Everyone is good friends; the
talk ranges from aircraft to health
matters, to family concerns. Out of
this comes offers of support and help
for all of the above matters. It just
makes you feel good about aviation
and aviation people.
I see the same from members of
the Antique/Classic Division when
they gather each year at Oshkosh and
other fly-ins around the country. It
makes you feel good to belong. Try
it.
Speaking of Oshkosh, the Conven-
tion for 1995 has and is being dis-
cussed a great deal by your Officers
and Directors. It is our top concern
that your visit during the 1995 Con-
vention be a pleasant one. Some-
times certain items may slip by us, so
please do not mind bringing a matter
to our attention.
The membership of the Antique/
Classic Division now stands at ap-
proximately 9,500 members. Our
growth has been very strong. I feel
that your publication, VINTAGE
AIRPLANE, has improved greatly
over this past year. Your Editor,
Henry G. Frautschy, deserves a lot of
credit for this. You can look at the
masthead inside the front cover to
discover some of the other people
who help in this regard.
Now that the winter months are
here it's time to take care of those
maintenance matters that need to be
done. Twould like to remind every-
one to also check the structure of the
building that you have your pride and
joy stored in. Each year we have
some member have their aircraft dam-
aged from a falling hangar - let's see if
we can avoid having that happen this
season.
Ask a friend to join us. Remem-
ber, we are better together. Join us
and have it all. ...
..
8
Four of the five clipped wing Monocoupes flying today.  ~
~                                                                                                                             ~ ~
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 1
OWNER PRODUCED PARTS 
An Aviation Rulemaking Advisory
Committee (ARAC) working group has
drafted a new advisory circular concern-
ing this subject. EAA ' s Washington
representative Charlie Schuck partic-
ipated in the process with the working
group, and during the drafting of the
AC, EAA was instrumental in maintain-
ing an aircraft owner's ability to make
parts for his own aircraft. This part of
the FAR's is unique to the United
States, and comes under fire often.
EAA is committed to maintaining this
right.
The working group's task was to de-
velop an interim plan for evaluating the
acceptability of aircraft parts that exist
within the present civil inventories that
lack acceptable documentation. The
group will also develop a plan to ensure
that in the future, aircraft parts are prop-
erly documented.
During the development of this new
Advisory Circular, EAA ensured that the
problems associated with out of produc-
tion aircraft and owner/operator-pro-
duced parts were specifically addressed.
An owner or operator of a product is con-
sidered a producer of a part if the owner
or operator participated in controlling the
design, manufacture or quality of the
part.
NEW AlC CHAPTER 
Congratulations to the newest An-
tique/Classic Chapter to be organized,
A/C Chapter 27 in Delaware, OH. Roger
Brown is the Chapter's first president ,
and we look forward to news of their ac-
tivities.
If you belong to an Antique/Classic
Chapter, we'd like to hear about your ac-
tivities - send us a note and some photos
so we can let the entire membership know
how much fun you're having as an A/C
Chapter!
AIR ADVENTURE WEEKEND 
The EAA Air Adventure Museum has
created a unique way for EAA' ers and
their families to experience the museum's
Pioneer Airport. The" Air Adventure
Weekend" is quickly becoming a popular
way to visit Oshkosh and truly experience
the sights and sounds of the early days of
aviation. Here's what the weekend offers:
2 JANUARY 1995
compiled by H.G. Frautschy 
Saturday night accommodations for
two at a local motel, a special "insiders"
tour of the EAA Air Adventure Museum
and the Weeks Flight Research Center,
and the "piece de resistance" is a series of
flights that is sure to be remembered for a
long time to come - participants will be
able to share flights (weather permitting,
of course) with a spouse or a friend in
four unique and different aircraft : an
open cockpit biplane, a cabin class an-
tique monoplane, a classic Bell helicopter
and the queen of the Pioneer Airport
fleet, the magnificent 1929 Ford Tri-Mo-
tor. Best of all, your flight in the Ford
also includes time in the co-pilot's seat!
These packages are proving to be very
popular, and are already selling at a quick
pace. The cost is only $295 per person, or
$495 per couple. Weekend packages are
limited, and are assigned on a first come,
first serve basis, so don't delay - call the
EAA Flight Center at 414/426-4886 to
book your "Air Adventure Weekend."
CLIFF ROBERTSON 
WORK EXPERIENCE '95 
The Cliff Robertson Work Experience
program provides opportunities for total
immersion in the activities of EAA and
the EAA Aviation Foundation in
Oshkosh, WI. Two participants, age 16
or 17 and one youthful mentor/CFl will
be selected to participate in the 1995 pro-
gram. Applications must be completed
and returned by April 1, 1995.
A package of information and applica-
tion materials can be sent to you by con-
tacting the EAA Aviation Foundation
Education Office, P. O. Box 3065,
Oshkosh, WI 54903-3065 or by calling
414/426-4888.
BPPP RETURNS 
No, it's not the sound a rotary engine
makes on approach, BPPP stands for Bo-
nanza/Baron Pilot Proficiency Program.
After a short period of time during which
the program was not offered, the Ameri-
can Bonanza Society has been able to see
to it that a new corporate structure was
put in place to administer the program
outside of the Society itself. ABS Service
Clinics and Pilot Proficiency Programs
will be held throughout 1995 in various
locations in the U.S. Contact the ABS
for more information at 316/945-6913 or
Fax at 316/945-6990.
LUSCOMBE WINNER 
The Don Luscombe Aviation Histori-
cal Foundation's drawing for a newly re-
stored Luscombe 8E was held during the
Copperstate Fly-In at Mesa, AZ, Novem-
ber 12, 1994. The winner of the 8E was
Walter IIIston of Jefferson City, MO.
Second place, a Garmin GPS, was won
by Ivory White of Mesa, AZ. All pro-
ceeds from the ticket sales go to the pur-
chase of the Luscombe 8 series type cer-
tificates and engineering data.
If you missed out on this past year's
drawing, don't fret - a drawing will be
held again during 1995, and once more ,
only 2,400 tickets will be sold at $40 each
(3 for $100). Much better odds than play-
ing the lottery! The 1995 tickets are on
sale now, and you can purchase them by
contacting the DLAHF at 1-800/678-9900
- tone 4522 - 602/917-0969 for more infor-
mation.
LUSCOMBE AD
AD94-16-02 is applicable to all model
8 series airplanes that have round-tipped
vertical stabilizer installations. Replace-
ment of the forward vertical stabilizer at-
tach fitting within the next 100 hours is
required by the AD.
AEROMATIC TC  SOLD 
Jeff Brown of Imperial, MO has re-
cently purchased the Type Certificate and
tooling for the Aeromatic prop. At this
point in time , Jeff is unable to supply
parts until he is able to finalize lease
arrangements for manufacturing and stor-
age space. You can contact him at 1702
Hilltop Lane, Imperial, MO 63052, phone
314/464-6927. The rights to the Beech-
Roby and also Flottorp props were also
included in the transaction.
A  LITTLE  HELP PLEASE . ..
We all know how frustrating it can be
to come up with one or two seemingly in-
significant items to finish off a restoration
- insignificant until you realize your get-
ting closer to the end and still have not
found what you want. A well-known fel-
low from these parts has just that prob-
lem - EAA founder and chairman Paul
Poberezny has been busy with a number
of aircraft projects, including a Fairchild
PT-23. Paul is in need of a carb air scoop
for the PT, and would appreciate hearing
from anyone who has a lead on one. You
can call Paul at 414/426-4814.
PHOTO CREDIT 
Last month's shot of the Northrop
N9M was taken by photographer Frank
B. Mormillo. Our thanks to Frank for
supplying EAA with this picture. ....
 
by ()ennis  Va.-ks!! 
Lib.-a.-y/A..-chives  ()i.-ect().-
From the Collection of George Noville
Photographs from  the  George Noville Collection  include some very interesting and rare photos ofaircraft from 
the  1915-1916 period.  These aircraft could have been  used as  mystery planes, but as  they are from  the same collection 
and  represent a particular period,  some are  presented here. 
George O. Noville was an aeronau-
tical engineer born in Cleveland Ohio
in 1891. Noville was a naval aviator ,
war-flyer, trans-Atlantic flyer and arc-
tic expedition flyer, gaining fame flying
with Admiral Byrd. At the age of fif-
teen he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and
continued in the service until 1914
when he transferred to aviation and
qualified as a naval aviator.
During the World War he served
with the "Esquadrille Candiana ," a
naval air combat unit operating on the
Austrian Front. He resigned from the
US Naval Air Service, with the grade
of Lieutenant Commander.
His resignation from the naval ser-
vice was due to his appointment to the
Post Office Department as Superinten-
dent of the Eastern Division of the
U.S. Air Mail , a position he held dur-
ing the winter of 1919-20. He then
took a posting with the French com-
pany Mesagerie Aerienne where he
worked on developing the London to
Paris air mail service. He then held
positions with several major oil compa-
nies until 1927 after which he became a
consulting engineer.
Noville gained recognition for his
work with Admiral Byrd on the ex-
ploratory flight to the Arctic and the
Atlantic crossing. In 1926, Noville be-
came executive officer of the Byrd
Arctic Expedition to the North Pole.
In 1927, he served as relief pilot and
second in command for Admiral Byrd
on the Trans-Atlantic flight of the
Fokker " America" for the New York
to Paris flight.
BERCKMANS: SPEED SCOUT
BIPLANE -1917
During 1918, a few obscure Ameri-
can designers were able to obtain or-
ders from the Army for aircraft of their
own design. One of the few men able
to obtain such a contract was Maurice
Berckmans, who' s previous experience
seems to have been limited to his de-
sign and construction of the Speed
Scout of 1917 which he had flown
around the country for some time.
BERCKMANS: SPEED SCOUT
BIPLANE - 1917 - The Speed
Scout was trim and incor-
porated many features ahead
of its time, but the military
wasn't interested.
Above - COMMANDER GEORGE NOVILLE
on the deck of the SS Leviathan returnin9 to
the United States after the flight to France
with Commander Byrd, Bert Acosta and
Brent Balchen on the Fokker Trimotor
"America."
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3
Above - BERCKMANS: SPEED SCOUT BIPLANE - 1917 - Note the lower wing suspended below the fuselage. The test pilots were Bert Acosta
and Edward Holterman.
 
_____ 
I

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BERCKMANS
100 HP G.v.
SPEED SCOUT

5c". of F••I 
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4 JANUARY 1995
Maurice learned to fly  at the Curtiss 
flying school  on  North  Island at San 
Diego in  1915.  His Speed Scout was 
built on Long Island in  a  hangar adja-
cent to the  L.W.F.  factory.  The bi-
plane was  unusual and  advanced in 
having a  three-ply monocoque fuse-
lage  and a  lower wing suspended be-
low the fuselage.  Bert Acosta made 
most of the test flights  of the plane.  In 
the  spring  of  1918  the  Scout  was 
painted with  Liberty Bond slogans and 
flown  in  a local war bond drive. 
CURTISS-COX: TEXAS 
WILDCAT RACER 
In  the summer of 1919, the  Aero 
Club of Texas discovered that  up  to 
that time no  plans had been made to 
have an American entry in  the Gordon 
Bennett Race to be held  in  France in 
September 1920. 
Lacking funds  with which  to finance 
such a  project, the club  made an ap-
peal to  S.E.J.  Cox, an  oil promoter 
from  Houston, Texas, who decided  to 
sponsor two aircraft in  the race. 
Requests for  designs were sent out 
to every manufacturer.  This resulted 
in 49  proposals being submitted, some 
of them  unique - one being a  machine 
without wings,  some fantastic - a  de-
sign which  promised a speed of 1,000 
miles per hour. 
At the request of Cox, a  committee 
of aeronautical experts narrowed the 
proposals down  to 12, and out of this 
group the committee selected the pro-
posal from  the  Curtiss  Company. 
Desi gned  by  Curtiss  Engineers, 
W.L.  Gilmore, Arthur Thurston and 
H.E.  Coffin, the  two  Cox  racers were 
built at Garden City on Long Island. 
The fuselage  was  of laminated wood 
monocoque construction, while  the 
wings and tail surfaces were of wood 
ribs and spars with  fabric covering. 
The two racers were named TEXAS 
WILDCAT and  the CACTUS KIT-
TEN by  Mrs. Cox, a  pilot herself who 
owned a Curtiss Oriole. 
The TEXAS WILDCAT tested  in 
July of 1920 with  a  thick conventional 
airfoil  was  able  to  reach a speed of 183 
mph.  For the  race a  symmetrical air-
foil  wing  was  produced .  Unfortu-
nately,  the  racer  was  damaged  in 
France prior to  the  race.  Later the 
CACTUS KITTEN was  rebuilt as a 
triplane and  finished  second  in  the 
1921  Pulitzer Trophy race. 
CURTISS: HS-2L FLYING BOAT 
When the  United States entered the 
World  War in 1917 the U.S.  Navy had 
only six  flying  boats in  service. By the 
time the Armistice was signed in 1918, 
the  number  had  increased  to  over 
1,000.  The largest number of these 
were the single-engined Curtiss HS-2 
flying  boats. 
The HS-l  (Hydroplane, Single En-
gine), which  was  first  flown  in  October 
1917, combined  the hull  design from 
the Curtiss AMERICA with  the wings 
of the R-Type seaplane.  The first  air-
craft had  the Curtiss 200  hp  V-X-3 
eight-cylinder engine.  When the first 
360  hp Liberty 12  became available, 
that engine became the standard  for 
production aircraft. 
CURTISS-COX: TEXAS WILDCAT RACER - This photo may have been taken at the airplanes
dedication. The person by t he pitot tube appears to be Mr. Cox who sponsored the project for
the Gordon Bennett Races of 1920.
Navy demand for  the HS series was 
so great that other firms  constructed 
the craft including LWF, Standard, 
Gallaudet, Boeing and  Lockheed. 
Many of the flying  boats were sold  to 
private operators after the war and 
the  US Navy still  had 40 in  service  in 
1925. 
JUNKERS-LARSEN: JL 
SEAPLANE 
In  1919 Junkers developed an  all-
metal four seat transport aircraft des-
ignated the F.13. This would  turn  out 
to  be a  very popular aircraft with  over 
300 produced. Early in  1920, John M. 
Larsen, a  Danish born American citi-
zen traveled  to Europe with consul-
tant  Charles B.  Kirkham,  a  noted 
aeronautical engineer.  Larsen was in-
terested in  advanced German technol-
ogy and hoped to make money by ex-
ploiting it. 
After visiting the Junkers works at 
Dessau, Larsen purchased the  Ameri-
can  patent  rights  to  the  F.13.  He 
planned to  import several, then manu-
facture  them in  the  United States un-
der the JL-6 designation.  Eight of the 
CURTISS: HS-2L Flying Boat - The HS-2 series of flying boats was JUNKERS-LARSEN: JL-6 SEAPLANE - An innovative all-metal transport,
the most numerous of those built for the US Navy with over 600 this aircraft came to grief while in use with the U.S. Air Mail Service.
constructed.
VI NTAGE AIRPLANE 5
JUNKERS-LARSEN: JL-6 -
One of the routes that the
:i=__   JL-6 was used on was the
Chicago to Omaha run.
aircraft were sold to the US Air Mai l
Service and and six to t he Army and
the Navy.
Will iam B. Stout had recommended
to the head of the Mail Service that he
invest igate the Junkers F.13 t hen at
Mineola Field on Long Island. The
F.13 feat ured a semi-enclosed cockpit
and an enclosed cabin that could seat
four passengers. Powered by a 6 cylin-
der BMW 185 hp engine, it crui sed at
a speed of 87 mph a nd ha d a maxi-
mum speed of 110 mph. For t he price
of $200,000, the Air Mai l Service pur-
ORENCO: TYPE A TRAINER - Powered
by a four-cylinder Dussenberg, this
was the first ai'rcraft produced by the
Ordinance Engineering Company. The
Army only purchased two.
chased eigh t JL-6s a long wit h four
spare engines and spare parts.
The beginni ngs of Air Mai l service
wit h t he JL-6 in August 1920 was in-
auspicious wit h nine forced landings,
four because of radiator leaks, t hree
due to fuel leaks, and two because of
clogged fuel strainers. Things became
worse in September with three in-flight
fires and t wo fatal crashes which re-
sulted in t he grounding of JL-6s. The
aircraft were put back into service af-
ter modification of the fuel system but
another fata l crash put them out of
business. Despite the success of the
machines in other parts of the world,
their use by the U.S. Air Mail Service
proved a fai lure.
ORENCO: TYPE A TRAINER
Orenco, originally Ordinance Engi-
neering Company, was formed in 1916
with a plant in Baldwin, Long Island,
to build aircraft for the US Army.
Their first aircraft was the Type A, a
side-by-side two seat trainer powered
with a 105 hp Dusenberg four cylinder
engine.
The only picture I've been able to
locate was in a United States Aero
Propeller Company advertisement in
the November 5, 1917 issue of
AERIAL AGE WEEKLY. According
to "Fahey's US Army Aircraft" the
Army procured two of the aircraft.
Orenco's most successful design was
the Type D Hisso powered fighter.
Unfortunately for Orenco, Curtiss won
the contract to produce 50 of the fight-
ers.
6 JANUARY 1995
companies  that  tried  to  find  a  market for  a 
converted, faster Jenny. 
SPERRY:  CURTISS  MONOPLANE  CONVERSION 
OF  A  CANUCK  - Sperry  was  among  the 
STOUT:  BATWING  LIMOUSINE  - This 
was  the  second  of Stout's flying  wing 
designs and the first passenger ship. 
VINTAGE AIRPI  ANF  7 
SPERRY CURTISS CANUCK
MONOPLANE
The Lawrence Sperry Aircraft
Company of Famingdale, Long Is-
land, in 1921, produced a thick can-
tilever monoplane wing which was
specially designed for use on Curtiss
IN-4 and Canadian Curtiss Canuck
biplanes. Owing to the high efficiency
of the wing, and to a reduction in par-
asitic drag, the performance was
much improved over the amply strut-
ted and cross-braced biplane wings of
the originals. The top speed on the
conversion was listed as 95 mph com-
pared to that of the original. Siko-
rsky was another concern offering
such a conversion but the Sikorsky
used strut bracing.
STOUT: BATWING 1920
In 1918-19 William B. Stout de-
signed and built the si ngl e seat
Batwing Monoplane. This cantilever
monoplane was constructed of wood
and covered with a thin veneer. Pow-
ered by a 150 hp Hisso, it was flown in
1920.
Based on the success of the
Batwing, Stout formed the Stout En-
gineering Laboratories and devel-
oped, for commercial purposes, the
Batwing Limousine powered by a 200
hp Packard engine. Also constructed
of wood with a veneer covering, the
craft weighed 1,940 pounds empty. It 
had a maximum speed of close to 120
mph and landed at 40 mph. This de-
sign led to Stout's contract with the
Navy to build a cantilever all-metal
torpedo plane which merged the de-
sign features of the Batwing designs
with the new duraluminum metal. ...
Best Custom  Class  B Award Winner 
by Norm Petersen
Quietly lined up in the Antique/Classic
section on the north side of "Red Barn
Road" at EAA Oshkosh ' 94 was a pretty
cream and maroon Luscombe 8E, N71645,
SIN 3072, that seemed to attract more
than its share of interested parties. Sure,
the paint scheme looked liked it had just
come off the showroom floor and the pro-
peller even had the identical colors, but
the overall impression of the airplane was
one of owner fastidiousness.
John and Kathy McMurray (EAA
457359, A/C 22744) of Burkburnett,
Texas, have literally jumped into the An-
tique/Classic game in the last year and a
half. John is an Air Force jet instructor
(T-38 Talon) and they bought the neat lit-
tle Luscombe on February 26,1993, at
Yuma, AZ. Their previous aircraft was a
BO-12, a single place glider!
Transfered to Witch ita Falls, TX, the
Luscombe was brought to Witchita Valley
Airport, a haven for taildraggers, with the
likes of Dave Eby (EAA 78731 , A/C
16735) and crew adding expertise and en-
couragement. The Luscombe was soon
stripped by John and Kathy and readied
for painting by Dave along with a new
nose cowl from Univair. In addition, new
8 JANUARY 1995
glass was installed, new skylights, new
wingtips and a new headliner - specially
modified for John's long torso so his head
wouldn't hit the roof! All new hardware
was used on reassembly and a pair of Dave
Eby's moulded fiberglass wheelpants were
carefully installed to give it "the look."
The horizontal stabilizer was reskinned
and final painting and touch ups were furi-
ously completed on Saturday and Sunday
with John and Kathy leaving for Oshkosh
on Monday - the paint being allowed to
(Continued on page 10) 
It's called super detailing and it helps to win awards.
WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE RESTORING 
-------------------------------------------------------byNorrnPetersen
it is quite readily recognized at the vari-
ous fly-ins according to Harry.
The second photo (below) is brother
Jack Fox' s 1966 "Helton Lark 95," G-
LARK (I love those registration let-
ters!), again the only example of its
kind in Great Britain. It is a much later
version of the Culver line of aircraft
and features a Continental C90-16 en-
gine and a fixed tricycle landing gear.
The sliding canopy makes for a bit eas-
ier entrance to the cockpit and two peo-
ple can enjoy a rather nice tour with
such a machine. Note the EAA sticker
just below the windshield.
Two from
Jolly Olde England
The photos of these two " kinfolk"
airplanes were sent in by Harry Fox
(EAA 275119) of Bucks, England. The
first is his Culver LCA Cadet, ex.
NC29261, SIN 129 (above) built in 1940
in Columbus, Ohio. Previous owners
include Jim Rezich (1986), Rockford
and Winnebago, IL, Henry Barrows
(1974) , Winchester, OH, and Stan Crox-
ford (1964) of Speonk, NY. The little
retractable geared speedster is the only
example of its kind in Great Britain, yet
area since being acquired by the U. S. Forest Service
back in 1950.
Photographed in front of a hangar at Sky Harbor
Airport in Duluth, MN, is Wayne Preston's (EAA
227761) Champion Challenger (below) N9950Y, SIN
7GCB-156. A bit rare with only 57 remaining on the
FAA register, this Challenger, just like the Stinson
above, began serving with the Nebraska Dept. of
Game, Forest Station and Parks after emerging
from the factory in Osceola, WI. For many years,
the Challenger was owned by Robert Hatch in Du-
luth before Wayne Preston acquired it.
Two Minnesota Airplanes
Pictured on a tiedown at Sky Harbor Airport in
Duluth, MN, is Bruce Dudley's (EAA 347684) Stin-
son 108-3, N6937M, SIN 108-4937 (above) with its
180 Franklin engine well bundled up for the cold
weather. Note the McCauley constant-speed pro-
peller on the nose and the float attach fittings just
ahead of the landing gear. Bruce has owned the
Stinson about five years and flies it on wheels, Edo
2425 floats and Federal A3500 skis. The Stinson has
spent its entire life in the northeastern Minnesota
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9
MEMBERS Cont. 
Two North Carolina Pipers 
This extremely original  Piper J-3 
Cub (below)  N7034H,  SIN  20278,  is  the 
pride and joy of Cathy Joan  Norris of 
Mooresville, NC, which  has been  in  her 
family  since  the  1960's.  Her father 
taught  her to fly  in  the Cub and she has 
received additional  instruction  from  a 
good  friend  by  the  name  of  Duane 
Cole! 
Crusing along above the North Car-
olina  trees is  Piper Super Cub  (right) 
N1471C, SIN  18-2673, flown  by  Cathy 
Norris'  father,  Amos  Norris  of 
Statesville, NC.  A  1953  model, the Su-
per Cub has  unde rgone  some very ef-
fective  restoration  work which makes it 
a  dandy  looking  a irplane .  Dual nav-
coms, tail-mounted  rotating beacon, 
3200 Scott t ai lwheel  and  Cleveland 
wheel s  a nd  brakes  a re  some  of  the 
amenities added to this jewel.  ... 
Working on a project of your own?
Send your photos along with a 
short story on your airplane to:
Attn:  Norm Petersen 
EAA Headquarters 
P.O.  Box 3086 
Oshkosh,VVlS4903-3086 
LUSCOMBE8E 
(Continued from page 8)
dry on  the way!  (Sound familiar?)  With 
the Cont inental 0-200 singing a  merry 
tune, the  Luscombe cruised at 95  knots  all 
the way  to  Oshkosh where  the pretty two-
seater ran off with  the Best Custom  Class 
B A ward  (81  to  150  hp). 
Kath y  a nd  J ohn  we re  almos t  over-
whe lmed  by  the  huge  crowds and  th e 
chance  to  buy  necessary  it e ms  for 
" Boomer" - as  the Luscombe was  nick-
named.  Kathy says, " We went way over 
budget , but there were such bargains." 
(New  Lora n,  ne w  720  radio,  new  tail 
springs, etc.) 
Ret urning  to Witch ita Falls, the  Mc-
Murrays bought new exhaust pipes  from 
the  Luscombe  Association and  had  them 
custom plated with 24-karat gold  plate! 
Installed on " Boomer,"  they  really add 
that custom  look.  The dynamic duo  then 
fl ew to Tu lsa,  OK, and  took  home  the 
Best Luscombe award.  This was  followed 
by  the  Kerrville ,  TX,  fly-in  where 
"Boomer "  ran  off with  the Best Custom 
Classic award.  (Their trophy wall  is  get-
ling a bit crowded!) 
Pe rhaps  the  neatest s urpri se  ca me 
when John  and Kathy discovered  their 
Luscombe was  the prototype "Model 8E" 
at the factory in 1946!  This was confirmed 
by  photos  and  comments  in  The  Lus-
combe  Story written  by John  C.  Swick. 
Old  N71645  has quite a  hi story  behind 
her, however, with John and Kathy Mc-
Murray doting over their new offspring, 
"Boomer"  has even more exciting history 
ahead.  Stay tuned.  ... 
Beautiful interior features a custom instrument panel with the airplane's nickname on 
the right side. 
10 JANUARY 1995 
Ale
TidbiTs 
by H.G.  Frautschy 
BRACE WIRE WAIT A DRAG? 
If waiting for a set of drag/anti-drag
brace wires has got you in a blue funk,
then you may wish to contact the Steen
Aero Lab, Inc. They are now the U.S.
and Canadian representatives for Brun-
tons of Scotland, and are able to supply
made-to-order wires. Contact them at
1210 Airport Rd., Marion, NC 28752, or
call them at 704/652-7382.
AUTO  FUEL 
If you are an auto fuel user, remember
that your STC specifically excludes any
auto fuel containing alcohol. Back in 1992,
the West Coast Cessna 120/140 Club
newsletter published an easy method for
checking for possible alcohol content in your
auto fuel , written by Jim Jula. He also had
some pertinent comments to make regarding
auto fuel use. Here's what he wrote:
STC's for auto gas explicitly mention
to NOT USE Gasohol (auto gas with an
alcohol content of about 10%) in any
aircraft. Another important warning is
that auto gas does not store as well as
A vgas. Evaporation is more of a prob-
lem. Buy gas from a busy station to be
sure to get fresh gas that is properly for-
mulated for the season. DO NOT store
auto gas - you could end up using sum-
mer mix in cold weather or worse, win-
ter mix in summer. Old gas or the wrong
formulation will cause hard starting or
worse yet, possible vapor lock.
Also be sure you have a metal float in
your carbo The composite floats are ap-
parently affected the most by alcohol in
the gas, should you get some by mistake.
It seems all non-metal elements of the
fuel system are prone to problems if al-
cohol additive fuel is used. To test any
auto gas for alcohol content, the follow-
ing is suggested:
Get a graduated container in which
you can reliably indicate 10 parts. (A
part is a chemists term for a unit of mea-
sure. A part can be any amount. The
important thing is that each of the parts
is of equal volume.) A hypo like those
used to add TCP to the fuel will work
fine, or even a small measuring cup will
do in a pinch.
(Editor's note: I've found that a num-
ber of the fuel sample tubes/cups are gradu-
ated with markings so you can test for alco-
hol in your fuel. - HGF)
First, get a sample of the fuel with
which you intend to fuel your aircraft.
For this explanation I'll assume we're
using a TCP dispenser. Using the green
scale (or blue if you wish, but only draw
in the suggested amounts) in to the TCP
hypo. Draw in the gas to the 9 gal.
marker (this is now known as 9 parts).
Then draw in 1 more part of WATER.
Now, vigorously shake the container and
then hold it still for about 60 seconds.
Because alcohol will absorb water , you
will observe one of the following:
For GOOD gas:
9 parts of gas and 1 part of water set-
tled out. This shows alcohol free gas
and is OK to use. (But be sure to get rid
of all test fluid in your container. Don't
put it back in your tank!)
For BAD (alcohol containing) gas:
8 parts of gas and 2 parts mixed alco-
hol/water. Observing anything more
than 1 part of water means you probably
still have a lesser blend (5%?) of alco-
hol. If more than 1 part of water added
shows up, the fuel contains alcohol. DO
NOT use it in an aircraft.
Test all gas every time you fuel, espe-
cially if you buy off-brand gas. You will
WINTER HEAT 
From Rowland HaU, of Northfield,
IL is this description of the winter baf-
fles he made up to help keep the
temps up on his Bellanca 7 ACA
Champ. Here's his note:
Here are the winter baffles I made
up and have used for the last five years
on my 7 ACA Champ. They are made
of 0.040 aluminum and are held in
place by spring clips I salvaged from
some old inspection plates I had lying
around. To avoid scratching up the
nose bowl I put rubber channels
around the edges.
Photo No.1 (Above): The baffle
on the left goes in the right hand open-
ing. Note the top and bottom clips
held in place with pop rivets. The end
clip, in addition to the pop rivets has a
#6 round head bolt with a hex nut and
lock washer. After installation, the
bolt is tightened to clamp the baffle in
place. I use a pocket screwdriver on
my key ring and hold the hex nut with
my fingers. The whole operation
be amazed how often these off-brands
contain alcohol without advertising the
fact.
With the "oxygenated fuels" that must
be sold as of January 1, 1995, in certain ar-
eas of the country, some of you may find it
hard to get unaltered auto fuel. EAA is
continuing the research into alternate oxy-
genates for fuel, and we will report on the
outcome of that research as soon as it be-
comes available. Until then, stick to the
major brand names, and don't use any fuel
with alcohol.
TACH  CHECK 
Speaking of checks you can do on
your airplane, here is an old trick that
has been around as long as alternating
current and vapor lights have been light-
ing up streets and yards.
If you're suspicious of your tachome-
ter , you can do a quick check before
dragging yourself down to the FBO for a
replacement, or picking up the aircraft
supply catalog.
You' ll need a sodium or mecury va-
por light, and a piece of white or reflec-
tive tape. Don't try this with any other
takes less than a minute per side. The
baffle on the right goes in the left
hand opening. The thing you see pro-
truding through the face of the baffle
is a 1 inch ID PVC plumbing elbow.
More on this below.
Photo No.2 (Above): This shows
the right hand baffle in place. Note
that it covers only the barrel of the
cylinder, not the head. For the purpose
of the photo, the left hand baffle is
hung backwards with a piece of tape.
Note the PVC "L" in place and the
cabin heat air inlet in the bottom of the
engine cooling air opening. Before I
came up with the "L" the baffle cut off
a lot of the airflow to the heater muff.
In flight, the "L" actually provides
a ram effect so I get more badly
needed cabin heat.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11
type of light - it simply won't work.
Think back to the old movies where, as
the image flashes across the screen, a
propeller or wheel appears to be
"stopped" or turning slowly in the wrong
direction. That undesirable effect is due
to an interaction of the propellers or
wheel spokes turning at a specific fre-
quency, and the film being exposed at a
set rate. The same thing happens with a
sodi um or mercury vapor li ght. The va-
por inside the lamp is excited by AC cur-
rent at a set frequency, and if we look at
the prop in just the right light, it will ap-
pear to stop at 600, 1200 and 1800 rpm.
Here' s how to check your tach.
You can often find sodi um (a copper
colored light used often for street lights
nowadays) or mercury (a blue/white light)
vapor lamps used for illumination in
hangars and on airport ramps . Find an
area illuminated by that type of light. You
can also buy sodium vapor lights for use as
security lights for home or farm use.
Apply the tape to the backside of one
blade on your prop. Then, at night, with
the light coming from behind you, run
the engine up and check your tach at the
rpm when the prop seems to stop.
(Again, it should appear to stop at 600,
1200 and 1800 rpms for a 4-or 6-cylinder
engine) If your tach and the prop
"stops" don' t agree, you' ll need to check
your tach further or, if the discrepancy is
not too severe and is repeatable, you
may wish to make a correction chart for
use in the cockpit. Either way, you' ve
been able to check your tach without
having to spend a bundle in shop time.
2-707
2-680
ASI- 6083-0-22
4 REO.
Vernon Lawrence of Hamilton , OH
wrote an interesting note concerning his
findings during the inspection of an
Aeronca Champ. Here's what he found:
It has come to my attention that an
area of the fuselage of Aeronca 7AC
airframes may have been inadvertently
neglected during recovering and/or
restoration procedures. This area is the
tubing that is hidden under the door
frame. This condition was first brought
to my attention when a structural fail-
ure occurred on 7AC, N84783 in 1992
while the aircraft was in service.
The following inspection revealed
that tube number 70 (reference
Aeronca fuselage frame drawing 7-450,
right and top views) had failed in ten-
sion stress just above the junction of
tube 65 and tube 66, and that it was cor-
roded through previous to the accident
with the remaining tube of less than 50
percent of the original thickness. It is
interesting to note that this corrosion
was mainly from the outside.
The second reference to this concern
was noted during the restoration of
L1R
AERONCA CORROSION
7AC, N84866. After removing the door
frame for inspection in that area deterio-
ration of tube 70 was found in almost the
same station. Also, a worse condition ex-
isted in tubes 2 and 42 where they meet
just above tube 20 (right side under door
frame). In this instance, tubes 2 and 42
had completely deteriorated almost 50
percent around and the remaining tube's
integrity was greatly affected.
In both instances, the corrosion was
from mainly outside in. It seems as
though the removal of the door frame for
inspection and corrosion treatment dur-
ing recovering and restoration has not
been a standard practice. This is proba-
bly due to the door frame being tack
welded to the tubes.
Considering the age of these aircraft
(almost 50 years now) it is understand-
able that any areas that have not been pe-
riodically maintained will have lost their
structural integrity. Although the dam-
age on N84866 was detected before an in-
cident occurred, it is my opinion that left
uncorrected, these tubes would have
failed under normal conditions in a rela-
THESE TWO AREAS
WERE FOUND COR-
RODED ON TWO
CHAMPS. SEE TEXT
FOR DETAILS
ASI-6 8-0-16
tively short period of time at any time
under abnormal conditions, such as
during a hard landing. There is at this
time no service bulletins or A.D.s out
on this subject, but there is no doubt
that a dangerous condition exists and it
is my opinion that all 7 AC owners and
maintenance personnel involved will
seriously consider this and act in a safe,
conscientious manner.
I've included a copy of the Aeronca
drawing from the service manual with the
affected areas circled. Any aircraft with a
door frame constructed in similar manner
should be looked at for this type of corro-
sion. Even when the airframe is sand-
blasted and then painted, areas such as the
tubing under the door sill plates are still
unprotected, and will eventually corrode.
On my Chief, I'll use a Dremel Tool to cut
the tack welds and remove the door sill
plates so I can give the tubing underneath
a good inspection. Keep an eye on all your
tubing, especially during restoratation.
Anybody have any ideas on how we can
get a good look at this area on airplanes
currently in service? ...
12 JANUARY 1995
Few people in this world enjoy air-
One of the first arrivals was this out-
planes more than the Danes in the
standing 1949 Be"anca 14-13-3, HB-
DUN, flown in by Willy Bernhard, Freien-
small country of Denmark. The his-
will, Switzerland.
tory of aviation in this country of just
over 5 million people is rich in tradi-
tion, beginning with J. C. H. Ell eham- gines. With full leading edge slats, large
mer, who first flew his "aeroplane" in flaps and drooped ailerons, the KZ III
1906. Although much of aviation in was one of the original STOL airplanes.
Denmark was military oriented in the In 1947, the pair of designers devel-
1920's and 1930's, the civilian side of oped the KZ VII , a four-place version
Danish aviation received a much of the KZ III, powered with a Continen-
needed boost in 1937 when two Danes tal 1251145 hp engine and 56 of this
decided to go into the airplane manu- model were built in spite of a devastat-
facturing business. ing factory fire on February 17, 1947,
Viggo Kramme and Karl Zeuthen that destroyed some 17 aircraft under
constructed a small , low-wing, single construction. From the ashes, a small
seat airplane called a KZ I (for Kramme production resumed in some Luftwaffe
& Zeuthen Model One) which was pow- hangars at Copenhagen' s Kastrup Air-
ered by a two cylinder ABC Scorpion port, but the worldwide collapse in the
engine of 38 hp. From this humble be- light aircraft market sounded the death
ginning, the firm continued with the KZ knell of the company. Some 13 observa-
II Kupe (Coupe)(14 built) , the KZ II tion models of the KZ X were built for
Sport(16 built) and the KZ II the Danish Air Force, but by the middle
Trainer(16 built) , with financial support '50s, SAl was out of business after pro- 0
coming from the firm of F. L. ducing a total of 217 airplanes.
Smidth to enable the new Determined not to let the
firm, called Scandinavisk -"",.....I!!!==I     ... marque disappear , a small
Aero Industri (SAl) , to prosper. I band of pilots gather ed in the
The remarkable KZ III, a two-place, A western part of Denmark (call ed Jut-
side-by-side, high wing trainer was de- DANMARK land) in 1969 and formed a club under
vel oped in secret right under the noses N'" the name of "KZ & Veteranfly
of the occupying German Army during Klubben," which translates to "KZ and
WW II and secretly test flown in Swe- L1 Antique Airplane Club." Under the
den! In 1946, it went into production in leadership of Dr. Magnus Pedersen
Denmark and 64 KZ Ill 's were built Text and photos (EAA 79229, AIC 638), a family doctor
powered with 901100 hp Blackburn Cir- by Norm Petersen from Spjald, and Jens Toft (EAA
rus Minor inverted four-cylinder en- (The Great Dane) 126945), a farm machinery dealer from
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13
HlIljmark, plus many other dedicated
airplane people, the KZ Club has grown
from its initial fly-in in 1969 at the small
Spjald airstrip to one of the most re-
spected fly-ins in all of Europe.
The fly-in has been held for many
years at the Stauning Airport located
near the Ringklllbing Fjord on Den-
mark's west coast and attracts a loyal
following of airplanes and dedicated
people from all over Europe. Naturally,
the various models of the Danish KZ
airplanes are featured, however, an-
tique, classic and homebuilt aircraft
from many countries make the pilgrim-
age each year to join in the fun . The
four day fly-in is held in the middle of
June and from 250 to 500 aircraft are on
hand. The KZ club has over 800 mem-
bers worldwide and publishes a very
nice magazine each quarter written in
the Danish language (this author's na-
tive tongue) with an English synopsis
for those unable to read Danish. In
1979, the club incorporated as EAA
Chapter 655, so the membership bene-
fits are twofold, including both antique
and amateur-built aircraft.
My wife, Loretta, and I attended the
1986 KZ & Veteranfly Rally at
Stauning and were completely over-
whelmed with the tremendous hospital-
ity of the aviation-minded Danes. The
many KZ types of aircraft on the flight-
line along with numerous classic and an-
tique airplanes from England, Norway,
Above - Mogens Pedersen taxies KZ III, OY-DGV, with George Rotter on board for George's first
ever flight in a KZ airplane. This airplane has covered most all of Europe at one time or another
for its owner, Dr. Magnus Pedersen, president of the KZ Club and EAA Chapter 655.
Right - A visitor every year is this Percival Proctor flown in from England by Cobby Moore, a per-
son who can add spice to any fly-in!
14 JANUARY 1995
Left - Jorgen Skov Nielsen, Sunds, Denmark, with his three children,
pause for a picture by his recently completed J-3 Cub with a C85-12 en-
gine. He was awarded the KZ Cup for Best Restoration at the Rally. This
author flew with Jorgen in a Learjet 35 back in 1977 from Denmark to Eng-
land and he remembered me from 17 years ago! Note the registration:
JSN - his initials!
Above - George Rotter discovered his KZ III, OY-DVO, in this 1946 factory
photo hanging on the museum wall.
Right - Lady Helena Hamilton, Chesterfield, England, receives her 25-
year award for exemplifying the ''flying spirit" from Dr. Magnus Pedersen.
Sweden, Finland, Germany and even from a Danish friend (and KZ member)
Switzerland gave this author the feeling that two KZ III aircraft were for sale in
of being a "blind dog in a meat market" Denmark. In just a short time, George
- not knowing which way to go first! Rotter (EAA 54992, A/C 9276) of
And the beautiful people that arrived Oshkosh, WI, agreed to buy one if I
in the airplanes were fascinating folks to bought the other. Both aircraft were
visit with - each one with a different carefully placed in a 40-foot container
story of overcoming great odds just to and shipped from Denmark to Oshkosh,
participate in the KZ Rally. It was heart arriving December 26, 1991. These are
warming beyond all expectation and the the very first KZ aircraft to arrive in the
new friendships are for a lifetime. U.S. and are undergoing total restora-
In the fall of 1991, I received a call tion as this is being written. George's
KZ III is SIN 76 and was previously reg-
istered OY-DVO in Denmark. Before
tearing the KZ III down for rebuild,
George managed to get his Cirrus Mark
II engine running in his back yard - the
neighbors rushing out to learn the
source of all the noise! It was April 7,
1993 and his was the first KZ to ever
run in the U.S.
My KZ III is SIN 63 and was fomerly
OY-ABA in Denmark and prior to that
it was registered LN-FAT in Norway
One interior wall of the new KZ Hall with its excellent lighting. From the right, KZ VIII
aerobatic single-place, KZ VII four-place, KZ II open cockpit trainer and KZ IV ambu-
lance plane.
from 1946 to 1959. Our new U.S. regis-
trations are N63KZ and N76KZ, a com-
bination of the serial numbers and the
designer's initials.
With a special invitation to attend
the KZ Rally on June 16-19, 1994,
George Rotter, his wife, Janet, my wife,
Loretta, and I spent the first week of
June running loose in Germany and
Switzerland before arriving in Copen-
hagen, Denmark, for three busy days
with Knud Thaarup (EAA 280077) and
his lovely wife, Jytte. (We even helped
the Danish Queen Margarethe's hus-
band, Prince Henrik, celebrate his 60th
birthday with a hundred horse parade
including the "Royal Coach"!)
After spending a couple of beautiful
days as guests of Johannes and Ruth
Bach (EAA 126941) at Ejstrupholm,
Denmark, we drove to the west coast of
Denmark to visit Bent and Tina Es-
bensen (EAA 340077) at Esbjerg before
heading north to the KZ Rally at
Stauning. Although the weather was
cool and a bit windy, the airplanes were
arriving and taxiing into their parking
places.
A brand new "KZ Hall " displaying
eleven different models of KZ airplanes
greeted the Rally visitors this year. The
beautiful facility has been built next to
the original museum building, adjacent
to the airport, and is most impressive.
On Saturday morning, a reception was
held in the "KZ Hall" in honor of the
25th Anniversary of the KZ Club.
Among the invited guests were Val Eg-
gers of the Danish FAA, Vibeke Rech-
nagel, daughter of Viggo Kramme and
Peter Zeuthen, son of Karl Zeuthen.
16 JANUARY 1995
The sparkle in the eyes of these distin-
guished people was a special treat for
the visitors from foreign lands. They
love aviation with a passion.
During the fly-in, George Rotter
had his first flight in Dr. Magnus Ped-
ersen's KZ III, OY-DGV, flown by his
son, Mogens Pedersen. George made
several takoffs and landings with the
smooth-running KZ III and was totally
sold on the STOL performance of the
silver and blue airplane.(The Danes
have a nickname for OY-DGV. They
call it "Doctorens Gamle Vogn "
[DGVj which translates as "Doctor's
Old Wagon"!)
I was lucky to spend some time flying
OY-DME, an award-winning KZ III
owned by Mogens Jepsen of Haderslev,
Denmark. The airplane would jump off
the runway in just a few plane lengths
and climb out smartly, the Cirrus Minor
100 hp engine sounding like a sewing
machine. With its light fingered con-
trols, comfortable seats and easy flying
characteristics, it is difficult to visualize
that it was designed over 50 years ago
by a couple of ingenious Danes named
Kramme and Zeuthen.
The Friday night hangar dance was a
festive occasion with many people en-
joying the music and the rest " hangar
flying." I borrowed an accordian and
played about six "oldtime" numbers
with the band. Even though the four
young men were in their twenties, they
jumped in with me after about two sec-
onds and played "oldtime" like a bunch
of experts - their first experience with
such music! (And they grinned from ear
to ear while playing!)
Even though the cool winds of Fri-
day turned to rain on Saturday, seven
models of KZ airpl anes were wheeled
out of the museum and readied for the
annual fl y-by. I was all owed to fly co-
pilot on the twin-engined KZ IV ambu-
lance plane that had just fi ni shed a 13-
year rest orati on. Powered wit h two
Gipsy Major engines of 145 hp, the all-
wood KZ IV, OY-DI Z, was bui lt in
1944 and served for years in the Danish
Ambul ance Service. Like all KZ air-
craft, the IV was very quick off the run-
way a nd soon fe ll i n be hind t he six
ot her airplanes in a loose circle forma -
tion. We were "tail -end Charli e" as we
made t hree for mation circui ts of the
pattern and then landed, the IV coming
in at Cub landing speed! What a de-
lightful airplane!
The Sat urday evening Awards Ban-
quet was a fitting climax to the 25th
Anniversary of the KZ & Veteranfly
Kl ubben. Over 400 members and
guests were seated and we were at the
head table with Dr. Magnus Pedersen,
his beaut ifu l wife, Gudrun, Mr. and
Mrs. Jens Toft, and Dr. Helena Hamil-
ton of Chesterfield, England. (Dr.
Hamilton is a retired physician who
flies her own DeHavilland DH87B
Hornet Moth at the tender age of "four
score." In a game of aviation enthusi-
asm, this dedicated lady would win all
contests - hands down!)
Accepting well deserved 25-year
participation awards from the KZ Club
were Jens Toft (Toft Air Force) , who
has imported over 200 antique and
classic airplanes into Denmark, and
Lady Helena Hamilton, who has in-
stilled more "flying spirit" into the
membership during the past 25 years
than any other person. I had the plea-
sure of awarding the EAA Plaque for
the best antique airplane to Michael
Schultz (EAA 442543) of Wakendorf,
Germany, for his immaculate Beech
D-17 Staggerwing, N69H, and the
EAA Plaque for the best homebuilt
airplane to Per Christensen, Fred-
erikssund, Denmark, for his beautiful
Long-EZ, OY-EEZ.
The following day (Sunday) we bid
an almost tearful goodbye to our out-
standing hosts, Magnus and Gudrun
Pedersen, who had been so kind to us
during the KZ Rally, and all the other
wonderful people whom we had come
to know as our best friends. It's funny
how the common denominator of the
love of aviation can bring so many peo-
ple, so close together, to have so much
fun! Having been a KZ Club member
since 1985, I can truthfully say it is one
of the finest groups of aviation people in
'* the entire world.
The KZ Rally for 1995 is set for June 8-
11, 1995. Make your plans now!
62.
new low wing trainer.
by H.G. Frautschy
Y 1938, Sherman Fairchild had
been enjoying a moderate amount
of success with the Fairchild F-24
series of cabin airplanes, and the 6
cylinder Ranger engine that powered
the final variants was proving to be a
reliable inline powerplant. Sensing that
the time might be right for a new mili-
tary trainer, Fairchild directed his chief
engineer, Armand J. Thiebolt, to de-
sign a monoplane trainer that would
use the Ranger engine. The low wing
was decided upon using the reasoning
that if the new pilots were expected to
fly low and mid-wing fighters, they
should fl y a low wing tr ainer. That
same configuration would also allow
the use of a wide (112") track landing
gear, making those first landings a bit
easier to complete successfully.
Work was st art ed without the sup-
port of a government contract, and the
civilian model was designated as the M-
Dr awing upon the experie nce
ga ined from the production of the
model 24 and the prototyping of the
model 46, the M-62 was designed and
built. The model 46 was a sleek low
wing cabin job built with an innovative
met hod called "Duramold," a process
that used plywood and an early plastic
to mold the flight surfaces and fuselage
into a smooth, almost seamless appear-
ance. The M-62 wing construction
would benefit from this process, as the
wing skins would be pre-molded for the
Extensive work was done during the
design and testing phase of the new
trainer to make certain that the air-
plane would behave predictably and
would hold up to the abuse sure to be
heaped upon it by novice pilots. (It had
Oneof
Each, please
Jim Koepnick +
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17
a strength factor of 10!) When first de-
signed, the airplane had an enclosed
cockpit and perforated flaps, a hi Dou-
glas SBD. After its first flight on May
15, 1939, NX 18689, the prototype M-62,
was modified with a redesigned cockpit,
revised to the standard U. S. Army Air
Corps size - 24 inches in any direction.
The wing design featuring an airfoil that
started as an NACA 2416 at the root
and transitioned to a NACA 4408 at the
wing tip was refined to tame the stall.
The flap system was redesigned to give
better low speed handling characteris-
tics, and the horizontal tail was moved
up 10" to lessen the buffeting effects of
turbulence from the wing during the
stall. Thiebolt and his staff applied a lot
of engineering know-how to refine the
M-62, and the hard work they put into
the project finally paid off when the M-
62 won a fly-off competition against 17
other competitors. The Primary Trainer
(PT) was bought by the U.S. govern-
18 JANUARY 1995
ment September 22,1939 as a primary
trainer to be used to train new pilots.
The initial order awarded that day was
for 270 airplanes.
PT-26, PT-23, Fairchild Model 62-C,
PT-19 - by whatever designation, the ba-
sic Fairchild PT-19 "Cornell" airframe
proved to be a versatile and accommo-
dating training airplane during the WW
II years. The PT-19 and its siblings were
used by the U.S. Army Air Corps and
the RCAF, as well as other foreign coun-
tries. They filled a number of training
roles, primarily with civilian training
schools doing basic aviator training
work while under contract with the gov-
ernment. Some of the work also in-
cluded a stint as basic instrument train-
ers. By the end of 1944, more Allied
pilots received their primary training in
a PT series airplane than any other pri-
mary military trainer.
As the war clouds loomed and pro-
duction of the PT-19 "Cornell," as the
military was to designate the Ranger
powered M-62, got underway, it was de-
cided that more airplanes were needed
than Fairchild could produce. The St.
Louis Airplane company, Howard Air-
craft in Chicago, Fleet Aircraft in
Canada and Aeronca in Middletown,
OH all built various models of the M-62.
PT's were even built in South America
by the Brazilian firm Fabrica do Galeao.
Aeronca primarily built the PT-23
model , powered with the 220 hp Conti-
nental radial engine. The Continental
was used when the production rate of
the Ranger engine could not keep up
with the airframe production rates, and
an alternative engine was needed.
One of the many PT-23' s built by the
St. Louis Aircraft Co., Inc. was SIN 129,
given the USAAF ID number 42-49805.
Delivered to the U.S. Army Air Corps
August 27,1947, it was assigned to the
69th Flying Training (Elementary) De-
tachment, 2154th Army Air Force Base
Unit. Delivered to Clarksdale School of
Aviation, Clarksdale Airport , Missis-
sippi, the airplane was based at Fletcher
Field, eight miles up the road from
Clarksville.
At Clarksville, this particular PT was
given line number 139, painted in bold
numbers on the fuselage. This PT-23 ,
served to train USAAF pilots from 1943
until it was surplused out of government
service in 1946, when it was bought for
$510 and flown to Minnesota. After the
war, the airplane went through a succes-
sion of owners in the same state, until it
went to Illinois and then on to Pennsyl-
vania.
Bob Nolan, of Half Moon Bay, CA
was entertaining his friend, Greg Her-
rick, who was visiting from Minneapolis.
Bob took Greg for a ride in his PT-19,
and from that point, Greg was hooked -
he wanted a PT trainer. Bob then told
him about a man in Pennsylvania who
was one of the experts on PT restora-
tions - Joe Denest, of West Chester, P A.
Before he met Joe, Greg did some-
thing quite impetuous - he bought a PT-
23, the aforementioned SIN 129, sight
unseen. Then he called Joe and asked
him to go get it for him. Greg went to
Pennsylvania to see his new acquisition.
Joe told him, "You have a sound air-
plane, . . . but I don't know if you want
to take it back to Minnesota looking like
this! " After showing Greg his current
PT project, Joe was told, "Fine, let ' s
leave it here, but I want it to look just
like yours."
Joe and his son Mark are well-known
around PT circles as some of the most
meticulous Fairchild restorers around.
Joe has restored six Fairchild PTs, and
Mark has been learning the trade from
his father. The airplanes they've re-
stored have become outstanding exam-
ples of what a restorer can do given the
time and the talent.
To ensure the structural integrity of
Right - The wide track (112") landing
gear of the PT series allowed neophyte
pilots to learn the basics of landing with-
out too much trouble, provided they paid
attention to the instructor in the other
cockpit!
Below - The front cockpit of the PT-23,
including a pair of mint Fairchild "Pega-
sus" rudder pedals and a stack of modern
radios centered between the pedal wells.
The aft cockpit, is a little simpler, and the
inhabitant of the back seat gets the bat-
tery for company. Everything possible
was done to keep the cockpits authentic,
right down to the olive drab cotton can-
vas partition between the two cockpits.
the PT, Joe also enlisted the help of an-
other PT expert, Harland A vezzie of
Westfield, MA who rebuilt the wing cen-
ter section to like new condition.
Joe' s also a pilot, and for the last 20
years, PT's are pretty much all he has
flown. While restoring Greg's PT, he
contacted an old friend, Joe Leonard of
Lakeland, FL. Joe Leonard taught Joe
Denest how to fly a PT, and he was also
an instructor during WW II , including
time at - surprise! - Fletcher Field! He
went flipping back through the pages of
his log book and, sure enough, there
were entries for aircraft No. 139. In fact,
Joe Leonard had over 100 hours in the
very same airplane that his old student
was now restoring.
As the airplane neared completion,
Joe had no problem trying to decide
what color scheme to paint the airplane -
as far as he and history was concerned,
there is only one correct color scheme
for this particular airplane ... silver
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19
overall, with black marking. Joe also
points out that as far as PT-23's go, only
one airplane was ever finished in the
blue and yellow color scheme seen on
many PT-19s - the Fairchild factory pro-
totype. Every ot her one made by the
various sub-manufacturers was silver.
Prior to June 1942, all U.S. Army
PT's sported the blue and yellow color
scheme, complete with red and whit e
bars with a blue vertical stripe on the
rudder. After May 30, 1942, all PT' s
were to be painted silver, with no color
added to the rudder.
It was also easy to figure out what the
line number of the airplane was. During
the war, mechanics at the airfields would
mark the inside of each of the remov-
able panels on the
airplane with the
line number, so that
the same panels al-
ways went back onto the
same airplane. Each of the
panels on SIN 129 had the num-
ber 139 painted or written on them.
The PT bug must
have bitten Greg Her-
rick awfully hard, for he
came to decide he wanted
one of each of the PT vari-
ants - a PT-19, I?T-23 and PT-26 will all
go thought Joe Denest's shops on their
way to Greg's hangar in Minneapolis,
and we'll bet he'll really like that en-
closed cockpit of the PT-26 during those
balmy Minnesota winters! ....
It's easy to see why Gregfell
in love with the PT trainers on
the day Bob Nolan took him up.
And from the sound of things
the affection hasn't faded
any since purchasing
his own - sight unseen!
20 JANUARY 1995
Stan  Gomoll's 
1928 Heath SuperParasol 
w,y back in the early 1930's, a
young man in the Chicago area dili-
gently saved enough pennies to buy a
kit for building a Heath Parasol which
was powered with a Heath/Henderson
converted motorcycle engine. In those
days, the price for the entire kit was
$199. Included in the price was a test
flight of the completed airplane by a
factory pilot - anywhere in the United
States!
Although the project slowly began to
see some progress, World War II came
on the scene and the young man went
off to war. He never came back. The
welded fuselage and tai l feathers sat
undisturbed for over twenty years until
discovered by avid antiquer , Marion
McClure (EAA 2138, A/C 387) of
Bloomington, IL. He bought the pro-
ject along with two partners and hauled
it home. In due time, the little parasol
was finished and flown with a Conti-
nental A-40 engine.
On May 16, 1967, Gene Chase (EAA
10522, A/C 300, and retired editor of
Vintage Airplane) was in Bloomington,
A dedicated and proud recipient, Stan
cradles the beautiful Lindy trophy that he
won at EAA Oshkosh ' 94 for t he restora-
tion of NX2864A. Note the Eagle Hangar
jacket, a sure sign of an EAA booster.
Text and photos
by Norm Petersen
IL, to purchase a Church Midwing pro-
ject from McClure. (The Church Mid-
wing today hangs in the racing section
of the EAA Museum). Invited to fly
the Heath, Gene enjoyed the chance to
fly the little parasol and promptly en-
tered the flight in his logbook.
Marion McClure was unable to get
his substantial frame into the tiny Heath
following an injury, so he dismantled
the airplane and stored the pieces - for
the next twenty years! In 1988, Stan
Gomoll (EAA 44419, A/C 369) trav-
elled to Bloomington, IL, to buy an en-
gine for a Curtiss-Wright Pusher from
Marion. While there, he spied a
Heath/Henderson engine carefully
tucked in among the "goodies." For
sale? Marion said the engine was not
for sale, but if he would buy the Heath
airplane, he would give Stan the engine.
Thinking the deal over for a spell, Stan
decided to buy the Heath, so he made
another drive to Bloomington and
hauled the project home to Anoka
County Airport.
By 1991, Stan had most of his "ducks
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21
in order" to begin the rebuild of the
tiny Heath. He had located additional
Heath parts in Holland, MI and bought
fuselage pieces and a set of wire wheels
from Gene Chase in Oshkosh. In addi-
tion, I put Stan in contact with the late
Keith Wolle (EAA 336486) of
Lewisville, MN, who had salvaged a
considerable collection of Heath parts
from a barn on the farm of the late Ray-
mond Peets near Truman, MN.
Using articles written by the de-
signer, Ed Heath, in the 1929-1930 Pop-
ular A iation magazines for guidance,
Stan restored the Heath as close to
original plans as possible. Many volun-
teers were "enlisted" into the project to
the point where Stan literally had a
small training school in aircraft rebuild-
ing!
The airframe was covered with 1.7
oz. dacron except for the belly, which
was covered with Ceconite 102 to han-
dle stone abrasion. Silver and black ni-
trate dope was used for the finish along
with enamel on the metal parts. Many
parts in the airplane, including pulley
covers , have the Heath/Henderson
stamp on them. Even the original wing
struts were repaired on the ends (square
22 JANUARY 1995
tube) and used in the parallel position
with "X" wire-bracing between, exactly
as a Super Parasol of 1928. Stan regis-
tered the airplane NX2864A, SIN 1928-
3, and certificated it in the Experimen-
tal Amateur-built category.
The single 4-1/2 gal. fuel tank for the
Henderson engine was augmented with
a second 4-112 gallon tank required for
the Continental A-40 engine. The gas
caps are from a Model T Ford radiator.
The landing gear employs a straight
axle between the rather heavy spoked
wheels which use 20 X 4 tires. There
are no brakes and the tailskid is the
only means of slowing down the 425 lb.
aircraft. As a result, crosswind landings
are rather difficult and are only done on
grass.
The wings are wood with a small
metal leading edge ahead of the fuel
tanks and metal false nose ribs (alu-
minum channel) between the regular
ribs. The ailerons are gap-sealed on the
top side for better control. For some
reason or another , the wing is 25 feet
long - 18 inches shorter than normal.
Must be the "Speedwing" model!
The cockpit of the Heath included a
throttle, mag switch, tachometer, oil
temperature and pressure gauges .
However, to keep in harmony with the
FAA Inspector, Stan added an altime-
ter, compass and Johnson Airspeed In-
dicator on the wing strut. The throttle
is unique in that it sits in the center of
the panel and goes up and down. The
lower part is inscribed "start" and the
upper part says "run." Stan thinks the
idea was for the neophyte to lift it up to
fly and to bring it down to come down.
A small entrance door was installed
on the right side of the fuselage to make
the job of getting on board a bit easier.
It also helps when propping the engine
from behind the prop on the right side.
(With the Henderson, a lefthand door
was used as it was propped from the left
side.) Three "extras" that were avail-
able from Heath in 1928 were a hand-
hammered metal propeller, a set of
wheel brakes and a ratchet for starting
the engine from the cockpit.
The Continental A-40 engine had
about 38 hours since overhaul , but just
to be sure, Stan pulled the heads and
found one to be cracked. Another head
was located and installed. A new car-
buretor heat box was fabricated and a
carb airscoop was built with an air filter
install ed. Stan feels the reason the A-
40 was on ly good for 400 hours TBO
was the unfi ltered air to the carb with
its low mounti ng position close to the
ground and the low-tech oi ls avai lable
in the early days. An original Flottorp
wooden propell er was install ed and it
turns up 2100 rpm static (the manual
says 2100 to 2150 static). It will turn
2550 in level flight which is redline on
the engine.
By the spring of 1994, the Heath had
been inspected and signed off by FAA
and taxi tests were begun to get some
time on the engine. Things went very
well, the engine was running fine and
the time had come to "either fish or cut
bait."
On May 16, Gene Chase was invited
to Anoka County Airport on the north
side of Minneapolis and everything was
readied for the first flight of the Heath
Parasol in over 25 years. The wind was
blowing so hard that the first flight was
delayed until early the next morning on
May 17.
The Heath was towed to the south
end of the grass next to the runway and
Gene climbed aboard. The A-40 was
propped into life and after a good
Above Right - Instrument panel as restored by Stan Gomoll. Mag switch is in center
of panel with unique vertical moving throttle in lower center. Note pristine workman-
ship which caught the judge' s eye.
Above - With the EAA Headquarters i n the background, the Heath Super Parasol
takes on the look of " an original " in the homebuilt f ield. The Johnson Airspeed Indi-
cator is visible on the left wing strut.
Below - A covey of Heaths at Pioneer Airport. Stan Gomoll ' s in the center, Mark
Lokken' s on the left and Bill Schlapman' s on the right.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23
Above - Roger Gomoll pulls the Heath backward by the tailskid as his father walks
by the wingtip, getting ready for another fly-by at Pioneer.
Right - Carefully   d j u s ~ · . -: .he shoulder harness, Roger Gomoll gets ready for an-
other flight in the Heath Super Parasol. You know he is ready to go because the fuel
petcocks are in the open position.
warm-up, Gene was satisfied the single
magneto was doing its job. He slowly
fed in power and the totall y restored
Heath climbed into the cool morning
air after a short run of about 300 feet.
This was exactly 27 years and one day
si nce Gene had flown the same airplane
in Bloomington, IL, in 1967.
Three flights were made by Gene
that morning before everyone had to go
to work, so the airplane was towed back
to the hangar. The Heath had clocked
a cruise of about 63 mph and about 80
to 85 wide open. The Johnson Air-
speed Indicator on the wing strut only
goes to 65 mph and had been carefully
calibrated while hanging it outside a car
window. A Loran check confirmed the
63 mph cruise speed.
Additional flights were made with
the Heath by Stan's son, Roger Gomoll
(EAA 209737 , A IC 9179) and Dave
Anderson (EAA 40593, AIC 21570) of
nearby Fridley, MN. By the end of
June, sufficient time had proven the lit-
tle parasol to be a dependable machine
and the FAA restriction had been flown
off, so plans were made to fly it to
EAA's Pioneer Airport in Oshkosh,
WI.
24 JANUARY 1995
Early on Friday morning, July 1,
1994, Dave Anderson took off from
Anoka County Airport , picked up a
welcome tailwind and headed for
Oshkosh. Roger Gomoll flew the sec-
ond leg, Dave the third leg and Roger
made the fourth leg into Brennand' s
Airport at Neenah, WI. Meanwhile,
Stan Gomoll drove his pickup with fuel,
oil and ladder aboard to refuel the
Heath at the grass (only) runways. The
groundspeed was between 74 and 78
knots (GPS). Flying time for the trip
was 3 hours and 35 minutes at a fuel
consumption of just 3 gph!
At Pioneer, the pretty silver and
black Heath was the darling of the sum-
mertime crowds. On numerous occa-
sions, Roger Gomoll journeyed to
Oshkosh to voluntarily fly the airplane
for the weekend f1y-bys. For hundreds
of people, it was their first sight ever of
a genuine Heath Parasol in the air. The
flights were most impressive and the
1928 airplane performed in a first class
manner.
The crowning achievement came on
Tuesday evening, August 2, when Stan
Gomoll was awarded the Antique Cus-
tom Built Trophy for his 1928 Heath
Super Parasol, NX2864A, at the The-
ater in the Woods on EAA's Conven-
tion grounds. Suddenly, all the hours
and years of hard work and dedication
had come home to roost. An excited
and happy Stan Gomoll came forward,
up the stairs and across the stage to ac-
cept his well-earned Lindy for restoring
another piece of aviation history.
It couldn't happen to a finer person
nor a better student of antique aviation.
Congratulations to you personally,
Stan, and to all the many helpers who
put in their time and talents towards
getting the Heath Parasol flying again.
It is indeed a splendid achievement. ...
ysteryPane
by George Hardie
surface of the wings. As apparent in the
Mystery Plane photo, the BR-1 was
equipped with a Lamblin type radiator
above the wing root on each side of the
fuselage. Powered with the Wright-Hisso
400 hp H-3 engine, the Bee-Line racers'
top speed was reported to be 213 mph.
Wing span was 28 ft. 1 in.; length, 21
ft. 4 in.; wing area, 104 sq. ft.; gross
weight, 2,020 pounds; and empty weight,
1,635 pounds. Fuselage construction was
welded steel tubing with wood formers
and stringers, fabric covered. Wing con-
struction was wood, plywood covered.
The main landing gear was retractable. A
streamline water-expansion tank on top of
the fuselage, ahead of the cockpit, served as
a windscreen.
Navy Us. Rittenhouse and Calloway
were assigned the BR-1 and BR-2, respec-
H ere's one that should tempt
replica builders. The photo is from the
Owen Billman collect ion. Answers will
be published in the April issue of VIN-
TAGE AIRPLANE. Deadline for that
issue is February 25.
A record number of answers were
received for the October Mystery
Plane. Ralph Nortell of Spokane,
Washington sent in a most complete re-
ply. Here it is:
The Mystery Plane for October (1994)
is the Bee-Line "Special," BR-1 (Bu. Air.
No. A6429) racer, one of two purchased by
the U. S. Navy for the Pulitzer Trophy
Race of 1922. The second example, the
BR-2 (Bu. Air. No. A6430) was identical
with the BR-1 except for the installation of
brass sheet, flush type radiators in the top
,
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25
Bee-Line "Special",
BR-l
tive/y. But the advanced, clean design,
combined wi th the efforts of highly skilled
pilots were to no avail. Due to mechanical
problems, neither racer was a successful
contender.
The Bee- Line des ign was by former
Curtiss engineers Booth and Thurston.
The aircraft were constructed by the Aer-
ial Engineering Corporation, Hammond-
sport, New York.
Other answers were received from
Jim Borden, Menahga, MN; Arnol Sell-
ars, Tulsa, OK; Joseph Tarafas, Bethle-
hem, PA; Michael Heffran, Verona,
P A; Ed Trice, Bedford, TX; Rowland
Hall , Northfield, IL; Lester Everett, Jr.,
Crawfordsvill e, IN; Wayne Va n
Valkenburgh, Jasper, CA; J. F. Meade,
Jr., Hammondsport , NY; James Freese,
Ukiah, CAl; Lindsley Dunn, Ham-
mondsport, NY; Peter Bowers, Seattle,
WA; Lynn Towns, Brooklyn, MI;
Lennart Johnsson, Sweden.
These three photos of the Bee-Line
"Special" Br-1 were sent in by member
J.F. Meade, Jr., chairman of the board of
Mercury Aircraft in Hammondsport, NY.
26 DECEMBER 1994

/ jJ." r/u'>  
(". . c."
r..)

PASS

BUCK
by Buck Hilbert • EAA #21 • Ale #5 • P.O. Box 424 • Union, IL 60180
First  off,  last  month  we  mentioned  Key-
stone  In struments.  For  those  of you  who 
may have a need of their services  - they  re-
build instruments,  including those from  our 
Classics  and  Antiques, here's  their address 
and  phone number: 
Keystone Instruments 
Lockhaven Airport 
Lockhaven, P A 17740 
7171748-7083 
Give  Glen  Barnhart a ca ll  and  check  to 
see  if they can cover your  needs. 
'Nuf of that stuff,  on  to  the  letters  . .. 
Dear Buck, 
I recently purchased a 1946 Common-
wealth  Skyra nger ,  Model  185, Serial 
#1737.  I would  like  to rebuild  thi s air-
plane and certify it on floats. 
I know  Edo Corporation  has  never 
certified this aircraft on their float s,  but 
they  have certified several  Rearwin  air-
craft  mode ls,  including  the  Rea rwin 
6000M, 7000, 8125  and 9000. 
I beli eve  my Skyranger was  manufac-
tured  under a  type certificate purchased 
from  Rearwin.  If I could show that my 
airplane has  the same type certificate as  a 
Re a rwin  model  that was  certified on 
floats , perhaps I could convince the FAA 
that I have  a normal category seaplane. 
Any help  or advice you can offer will 
be greatly appreciated.  I  have encl osed a 
preaddressed stamped envelope. 
Sincerely, 
Bob Everts, A/C #5641 
Hi,  Bob, 
Thanks for  the letter.  Hope  you  had a 
nice Thanksgiving Holiday,  but  then  you 
Floridians  don't have  the  weather and  the 
like  to  get  you  in  the  mood  like we do  up 
here. 
I've put my airplanes  away for  the 
winter.  Still have  the  Champ  and  the 
Sedan  where  I can get at  them  if I can' t 
stand it, but for all  practical  purposes  the 
season is over. 
In regards to  your 185, I'm  in a bit of a 
quandary.  I don ' t have  the spec  sheets 
handy so  I can't verify that  it  was  never 
certified for floats , but I can  tell  you from 
past experience  that it  would  not make a 
very good float  plane. 
It was  built f or  the sport  pilot so  he 
could  outrun  th e Cubs,  T-Crafts  and 
Aeroncas  in  straight and  level flight.  It 
did  not have a surplus of lift capability.  In 
other  words,  its short field  capability is 
somewhat lacking.  If you  have luptner 
ATC book,  Volume  8,  page  212,  it'll tell 
you  right out that  its  payload wi th full fuel 
was  only 21  pounds.  That  ain't much! 
Back about  1948  I had a chance  to  buy 
one.  At that  time  I was  a flight  instructor 
working  eve ry  day  with  Champs,  C-
120/140s,  Swifts,  Tandem  and  BC  "T" 
Carts,  etc.  My personal airplane was a 
Chief.  I was  intrigued  with  the  C-185 be-
cause it  had  the  electrical which  my Chief 
did  not. 
A  "Ride and  Drive" later,  I walked 
away muttering to  myself.  The  owner 
had  taken  me for  the ride, and  then  I took 
it out myself.  I won't belabor  the  subject 
anymore,  but my Chief was  all  of a sud-
den  much  more appreciated,  believe  me! 
If you  are going  to  do  it, Bob,  I'd  sug-
ges t you get  in  touch  with  the guys at 
Brown's  Seaplane  Base.  Th ey  could  clue 
you  in  on  how  to get  it  by  the Feds  and  no 
doubt  help  you  with the struts,  wires and 
maybe even find  a set  offloats  to  match 
your airframe. 
HC1I  thanks for  thinking of me.  I'll  see 
you at  Sun  'n Fun .  Over to  you,  Bob. 
Buck. 
Dear Buck, 
I  read  your column every issue  and 
the one  dated  May 1994 confused  me  a 
bit .  My husband Jon and  I flew  our 170 
out  to  the  Reno Air Races and while 
there  I checked with  a  few  o ld  fri ends 
about what I thought  I  knew. 
In  1972, while on vacation in  Hawaii , 
Jim  Lockridge, an  old friend  from  the 
Richard Bach days, escorted me  around 
and  introduced me  to several  people-
among them  a gray-haired  Mrs.  Woods 
who  ran  an  FBO at  the main airport in 
Honolulu; I don't re member her first 
name.  We sat around and  talked about 
her  hi story a nd  de piction  in  the  film 
"Tora, Tora, Tora."  She had clippings 
a nd  photographs ,  remarking that she 
had n't flown  a  Stearman as  the  movie 
showed.  As I recall , she  was either flying 
a  Great Lakes or a  Meyers, but the rest 
of the depiction  in  the movi e  was correct. 
I was  impressed at the time. 
Later  that day,  Art Daegling,  the di-
rector of all  the aerial sequences for  the 
movie ,  took me  up  in  his  Pitts.  It was 
painted  with seagull s a nd  lett ered very 
ni ce ly  on  the  tail  with Jonathan Liv-
ingston Seagull.  He  thought it  was  neat 
to be flying someone connected so closely 
with  the  stor y and the author.  He  also 
gave my daught e r  a  ride.  Art had  no 
question  in  hi s mind about the authentic-
ity of Mrs.  Woods and  her hi story, and  I
remembe r  him  being di smayed at the 
producer's use of the incorrect airpl ane. 
Unfortunately, both of these fine  pi-
lots are dead  now, but both lived  at least 
anothe r  15  years after  I met them.  Jim 
Lockridge flies  for  Hawaiian Airlines and 
lives in  Reno.  He  does some movie and 
television work in  the islands using his  bi-
plane and  has  lots of connections.  Peter 
Forman, a TWA pilot who used  to  fl y for 
Hawaiian and  is writi ng a  history of that 
airplane, confirmed the same story.  That 
is  why  your story about Miss Fort is con-
fusing.  Upon Mrs.  Woods' death, her 
FBO was taken  over by  the  young female 
First Officer involved  in  the  Aloha Air-
lines "skin-peeling incident "  a  number of 
years ago. 
It is quite possible  that a  number of 
women instructors were in  the  islands at 
that  time  a nd  involved  with  Pearl  Har-
bor ,  a nd  th e  woman  depicted  in  the 
movi e  was a  representative  of that hi s-
tory. 
Regards, 
Bette Bach Fineman, A /C  #119
Hello  Bette, 
Nice  to  hear from  you  again.  It's  been a 
long time since Fleet hunting, hasn't it? 
You  wou ld  not  believe the  controversy 
and  the  stories  that  have  come  out of that 
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
Pearl Harbor lightplane story. We, H.G.
Frautschy, VINTAGE AIRPLANE editor
and 1, have been up and down on this one a
dozen times . We have tried to be objective
and publish facts as they come to light.
Trouble is, more and more keep surfacing
just when we think we have it pat!
As we have done more and more research
on this, we find all the stories intermingle
resulting in controversial agreement to dis-
agree. We know "Tora, Tora, Tora" was
technically in error. We know there were
about a dozen airplanes in the air that morn-
ing-Cubs, Aeroncas--and there was even a
claim of a Fleet.
If you listen to them all, they were all
shot at! They all escaped! The airplanes
survived only to be lost at sea or were
shipped stateside and are hidden away, or
they flew there in the Islands until they sim-
ply disappeared. The names of the principals
are history. Corroboration is difficult. The
mystery lingers on.
I'm going to turn this one over to H.G.
and let him fill you in if he can on what the
latest is.
Meanwhile, it's great to hear from you.
Don't write us off; we enjoy your letters.
Over to you, Bette!
Here's what our friend an aviation histo-
rian John Underwood wrote about the Pearl
Harbor lightplanes - his note was to Pat
Quinn, and he sent a copy along to us.
Hi, Pat!
Just caught your letter in the latest
VINTAGE AIRPLANE regarding the
Pearl Harbor Aeronca 65TC, NC33838.
It just goes to show you how stuff be-
comes history.
What happened is this: Two members
of the Honolulu Flying Club-Guy M.
28 JANUARY 1995
(Tommy) Tomerlin and Jimmy Dun-
can-were on a cross-country in NC33838
when they found themselves in the midst
of a wave of Jap attackers. They were
near Koneohi naval base on the opposite
side of Hawaii. Apparently they did get
winged by a couple of random bursts, but
got back to John Rogers without further
incident. Unfortunately, by that time
JRA had been strafed, resulting in the
death of Bob Tice who was trying to start
another 65TC so he could taxi it to safety,
but nobody was shot down.
There may have been as many as half
a dozen other light aircraft flying at the
time, mostly Aeroncas. Certainly there
were no Stearmans. One was a gent with
his little boy. Another was Cornelia
Fort, a flight instructor who I think was
working for Margo Gambo, but Gambo
herself was not flying. However, she did
achieve the distinction of being the only
civilian authorized to continue opera-
tions after 7 December 1941. She air-
lifted medics and supplies to the leper
colony on Molokai using a Fairchild 24,
NC28504, and a Cub Coupe.
As you perhaps know, MGW died sev-
eral years back. She was quite a gal and a
top surfer early on when it was strictly a
male activity and boards were heavy.
She was taught to fly by Paul (Pappy)
Gunn, who was himself a legend in his
own time for having served in the Cor-
regidor airlift as the Japs swarmed over
the Pacific Islands.
My first airworthy (?) "knocker" was
a 65TC, NC34578. It cost me $300! We
patched the wing with a piece of bed
sheet cotton, pumped up the flat tire and
flew it 100 miles over the Sierra Madres
from Taft to San Fernando where the
tiedown was about $2.50 a week.
Cheers!
John Underwood, A/C #1653
Dear Buck,
Per enclosed picture, I hope you can
shed some light on these engine parts.
Several of the locals say Menasco. These
parts came from the Patterson, Louisiana
area. The lady I acquired them from is 80
years old and soloed in 1935. She has
scrapbooks full of clippings about Jimmy
Wedell. She said these parts possibly
came from the Wedell- Williams Flying
Service. She wasn't positive as they be-
longed to husband who has passed away.
The "Golden Age of Air Racing, " page
279, shows a picture of Joe Will, Jr. I feel
sure you have this book, and if you can
look at the valve spring and rocker arm
at the front of the engine, it sure looks
like the parts I have. All parts as you you
see them in the picture are as I acquired
them. The cylinders had very light sur-
face rust but clean up real easy. The
markings are as follows:
Con Rods has 5019 (Lynite) raised marking
The oi

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