Vintage Airplane - Jun 2003

JUNE 2003


VOL. 31, NO.6

2 VAA NEWS/H.G. Frautschy
4

AEROMAIL

5

MYSTERY PLANE

6

JOHN MILLER RECALLS
A UNIQUE FORCED LANDING IN 1934/John Miller

8
8 RIBS, ANYONE?

How MANY ARE NEEDEDlTed Teach

10 SUN 'N FUN
CELEBRATING FLIGHT
16 THE HOFFMEYER T-CRAFT
JUST ANOTHER FORM OF THERAPY
Budd Davisson
20 AIRCRAFT TIEDOWNS
H.G. Frautschy & Joe Dickey
22

THE VINTAGE INSTRUCTOR
TAILDRAGGERS - HAVE YOU FLOWN A FORD LATELY?
Doug Steward

24

PASS IT TO BUCK

26

NEW MEMBERS

27

CALENDAR

29

CLASSIFIED ADS

Publisher
Editor-in-Chief
Executive Editor
News Editor
Photography Staff
Advertising Coordinator
Advertising/Editorial Assistant
Copy Editing
VINTAGE AIRPLANE
Executive Director, Editor
VAA Administrative Assistant
Contributing Editors

Graphic Designer

TOM POBEREZNY
scon SPANGLER
MIKE DIFRISCO
RIC REYNOLDS
JIM KOEPNICK
LEEANN ABRAMS
TRISHA LUNDQUIST
JULIE RUSSO
ISABELLE WISKE
COLLEEN WALSH
KATHLEEN WITMAN
HENRY G. FRAUTSCHY
THERESA BOOKS
JOHN UNDERWOOD
BUDD DAVISSON
OLIVIA L. PHILLIP

FRONT COVER: The brothers Hoffmeyer fly their dad's resurrected Tay­
lorcraft. Ron Hoffmeyer rebuilt the airplane after it had been
destroyed by a fire set by vandals. It was selected as the Best Cus­
tom Classic of Sun 'n Fun 2003.
BACK COVER: Seen in the light of dawn over the shoreline of Florida's
Lake Hancock, the Best Fabric Amphibian of Sun 'n Fun 2003 was
Brad and Glen Larson's Cessna Airmaster, mounted on a pair of
Wipline amphibious floats. VM photo by H.G. Frautschy, EM Cessna
210 photo plane flown by Bruce Moore.

STRAIGHT Be LEVEL
BY ESPIE "BUTCH" JOYCE
PRESIDENT, VINTAGE ASSOCIATION

EAAand VAA
I have been signing thank-you
letters to be sent to members who
have participated in the Friends of
the Red Barn program for this year.
Once again , many of our loyal
members have chosen to help out,
and we 're pleased to see some new
members have also come on board.
This financial commitment by
these members is much appreci­
ated by the Vintage Aircraft
Association, and will enable us to
better serve the total membership
during our annual convention. I
would also like to say a personal
thanks to these members. I hope
to see you all at Oshkosh this year.
Having the Friends of the Red
Barn fund has also given me the
chance to discuss with members
different subjects regarding the
structure and operation of the Vin­
tage Aircraft Association.
I'm often asked about the na­
ture of the relationship between
the Vintage Aircraft Association
and the Experimental Aircraft As­
sociation . Well, in a nutshell,
here's how I view this subject.
The Vintage Aircraft Association
(VAA) is a Wisconsin corporation,
with its own bylaws and treasury.
It might be noted here that this is
the case with the other two EAA
divisions, Warbirds of America and
the International Aerobatic Club .
The National Association of Flight
Instructors (NAFI) is not an EAA
division; it is an affiliate organiza­
tion.
The VAA has a letter of agree­
ment with the EAA as to how this
relationship is carried forward on a
daily basis. The subjects of this
agreement include the rendering
of services to the VAA and what
services VAA provides to EAA. From

the beginning of the division in
1972, we at the VAA (back then
the Antiq u e/Classic Division)
agreed that to be a member of the
division a member would also be a
member of EAA. This still applies
today as we ll. It's good for both
parties: Every time VAA gains a
new member, so does EAA. That
new member has access to the
broader range of information and
services that EAA can offer.
Strength in numbers also helps
VAA, partic u larly with regard to
government issues.

Strength in
numbers also helps
VAA, particularly with
regard to government
issues.
By having a close working part­
nership between VAA and EAA, we
bring EAA close to 10,000 VAA
members, and VAA gives EAA a
broader interest base wi t h mem­
bers interested in vintage airplanes.
EAA brings to VAA and VAA mem­
bers the support and voice of a
larger membership-based organiza­
tion. Membership in VAA gives
members a common flag to rally
aro u nd for a number of reasons,
including challenging over-regula­
tion by the government, technical
issues, and opportunities for socia l
interaction at fly-ins and Chapter
meetings . This re lationship allows
the VAA to p lay an important ro le
during EAA AirVenture Oshkosh
each year. Our operation of the
Vintage area of the convention

grounds gives each member, both
VAAer and the overall EAA mem ­
bership, the opportunity t o see
firsthand how much the VAA does
to make yo u r stay for the week
more en joyable. Plus, our presence
at the convention serves to edu­
cate the public about our aircraft
and the men and women who fly
them . We can only hope that in
the future the VAA and EAA rela­
tionship wi ll remain as close as it
has been during the past 32 years.
Your Officers, the Board of Di­
rectors; H.G. Frautschy, our
Executive Director and Editor;
Theresa Books, our VAA Adminis­
trative Assistant; EAA Pres ident
Tom Poberezny; and all of the
EAA staff continue to work hard
to provide you, the VAA member,
our best efforts to make being a
VAA member a valued relation­
ship. As a member, I ask each of
you to ask a friend to join with us
as a member so that he or she too
can enjoy the VAA.
As a final thought, I would like
to take a moment to express how
proud I am of all of the mi li tary
personnel of the United States and
its coalition forces. The bravery
and commitment yo u have shown
in your military mission and your
dedication to the American people
is without q uestion the greatest. I
am proud to be an American.
Let's all pull in the same direc­
tion for the good of aviation.
Remember, we are better togeth er.
Join us and have it all.
~
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

VAA N EWS

VAA ELECTIONS
In the center spread of this issue
you'll find candidate biographies
and a ballot for this year's VAA elec­
tions, which will be ratified at the
annual business meeting held dur­
ing EAA AirVenture Oshkosh.
Notice is hereby given that an an­
nual business meeting of the
members of the EAA Vintage Aircraft
Association will be held on Monday,
August 4, 2003, at 9:30 a.m. CDT in
the tent next to the VAA Red Barn
Headquarters during the 51st annual
convention of the Experimental Air­
craft Association Inc., Wittman
Regional Airport, Oshkosh, Wiscon­
sin. Notice is hereby further given
that the annual election of officers
and directors of the EAA Vintage
Aircraft Association will be con­
ducted by ballot distributed to the
members along with this June issue
of Vintage Airplane. Said ballot must
be returned properly marked to the
Ballot Tally Committee, Vintage Air­
craft Association, P.O. Box 3086,
Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086, and re­
ceived no later than July 24, 2003.
The Nominating Committee sub­
mits the following list of candidates:
for vice president, George Daubner;
for treasurer, Charles W. Harris; for
directors (eight total), David Ben­
nett, Bob Brauer, John S. "Jack"
Copeland, Philip Coulson, Roger
Gomoll, Dale A. Gustafson, Eugene
E. Morris, and Wes Schmid.

EAA AIRVENTURE PLANNING
The Internet has allowed us to
streamline planning for your trip
to EAA AirVenture. Visit EAA's of­
ficial convention website at
www.airventure.org for up-to-date in­
formation regarding convention
highlights and events, including the
100th anniversary of flight celebra­
tion. A complete schedule of forums is
also presented throughout the week.
New features and tools are being added
to the website on a regular basis, so be
2

JUNE 2003

sure to check back often. Also, use the
EAA Flight Planner to flight plan your
trip. You can access it through the VAA
website at www.vintageaircra(t.01g.

FRIENDS OF THE RED BARN
We are pleased to announce that
many of you have responded to the
VAA's annual appeal for help with
funding VAA activities during EAA
AirVenture. In the July issue, we'll be
publishing a list of volunteers who
have participated in the VAA Friends
of the Red Barn. Remember, any funds
sent and received prior to July I, 2003,
will be applied to the 2003 campaign,
and those received after that date will
be placed in the fund for 2004, with
any benefits then available during
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2004.
See page four for more details on
the VAA Friends of the Red Barn.

CALL FOR VAA HALL OF FAME
NOMINATIONS
If you wish to nominate an indi­
vidual who you believe has made a
significant contribution to the ad­
vancement of aviation between 1950
and the present day, please go to

www.vintageaircra(t.org/programs/ho(J
orm.html and download the nomina­
tion form. Add supporting material
and send it to:
Charles W. Harris

VAA Hall of Fame

P.O. Box 470350

Tulsa, OK 74147-0350

Be as thorough and objective as
possible. Attach copies of materials
you deem appropriate and helpful
to the committee.
The person you nominate can be
a citizen of any country and may
be living or deceased. The nomi­
nee's contribution could be in the
areas of flying, design, mechanical
or aerodynamic developments, ad­
ministration, writing, some other
vital and relevant field, or any com­
bination of fields that support
aviation. To be considered for induc­

tion into the VAA Hall of Fame dur­
ing 2004, petitions must be received
by September 30, 2003.
If you're unable to access the In­
ternet, call VAA Administrative
Assistant Theresa Books and ask her
to fax or mail you a copy of the
form. She can be reached at 920­
426-6110.

NOTICE OF ANNUAL
BUSINESS MEETING
In accordance with the fourth
restated bylaws of the Experimen­
tal Aircraft Association Inc. (Article
Seven, Section I), "Notice of all
meetings shall be mailed by first
class mail to each member, or pub­
lished in any publication of the
corporation which is mailed to all
members, or to all families partici­
pating in a Family Membership
Program, and such notice shall be
sufficient if the mailing is made at
least twenty (20) days before the
scheduled meeting."
Notice is hereby given that the
Annual Business Meeting of the
members will be held at the The­
ater in the Woods on Sunday,
August 3, 2003, at 1:00 p.m. (CDT)
at the 51 st annual convention of
the Experimental Aircraft Associa­
tion Inc., Wittman Regional
Airport, Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
Notice is hereby further given
that the election will be held as
the first item on the agenda at the
business meeting.
Five Class II directors (three-year
terms) and one Class III director
(one-year term) shall be elected. In
accordance with the fourth re­
stated bylaws of the Experimental
Aircraft Association Inc. (Article
Eight, Section IV), All nominees,
whether properly nominated by
petition or by the Nominating
Committee, shall have their names
presented to all members no later
than sixty (60) days prior to the
Annual Membership Meeting."
II

The Nominating Committee has
submitted the following candi­
dates:
Class II

John Baugh

Jack Harrington

Verne Jobst

Bob Reece

Alan Shackleton

Frank P. Sperandeo III

Class III

Paul D. Seehafer

Barry Valentine


Alan Shackleton,

Secretary, EAA Board of Directors


GREAT WEBSITES
Dave Bahnson is an avid pri ­
vate collector of World War I
wooden airplane propellers, and

he recent l y started a website,
www.woodenpropeller.com. dedi­
cated to that pursuit.
The site contains information
about identifying propellers, as well
as some facts about design and con­
struction. He's continually adding
photos to the site to help others
identify their propellers.
Have you ever wondered just
what was going on inside a ro­
tary engine while it was running?
So did Matt Keveney. A mechani­
cal engineer, he's been fascinated
with the workings of various
powerplants. To help him visual­
ize the process, he created
web-based animations of both in­
ternal combustion and steam
engines . Spend a few moments at
www.keveney.com and enjoy the
work Matt put into each of his an­
imated illustrations.

VAA VOLUNTEER INFORMATION
FOR EAA AIRVENTURE 2003
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2003
will be held at Wittman Regional Air­

port in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, from
Tuesday, July 29, through Monday,
August 4. Volunteers will again be
needed to staff the many different
committees in the Vintage area.
If you are going to attend EAA
AirVenture 2003 and would like to
participate in activities as a volun­
teer, drop a note to the chairperson
of the area in which you would like
to volunteer. It would be helpful to
the chairperson in his or her plan­
ning for the event if you could also
include your previous experience
or training and the dates of your
arrival and departure.
The following committees will
use volunteer help:
PAST GRAND CHAMPIONS
Steve Krog
262-966-7627
[email protected]
SECURITY and FLIGHT LINE
Geoff Robison
260-493-4724
[email protected]
TYPECLUBHQ
Roger Gomoll
507-288-2810
[email protected]

PETER BOWERS
We're sorry to report that Peter Bowers, EAA 977 and VAA 7563, passed
away on April 27, 2003. It's hard to categorize Pete's contributions; because
his work was so wide ranging, you hardly knew where he'd pop up next.
An avid model airplane builder and designer as a young man, he quickly
took to full-size aircraft, and spent 36 years as an aeronautical engineer at
Boeing. But there were plenty of other things to do, and Pete wrote the ar­
ticles, drew the plans, and spoke on the subject he knew best-airplanes.
You may think of him as the designer of the Fly Baby, winner of EAA's de­
sign competition in 1962. Or perhaps you've read one of the dozens of
authoritative books written by Peter over a half-century. Pete's paSSion was
accuracy, and many of us prevailed upon him to check out the facts on a
little-known airplane or aviator. He seemed to always have the right an­
swer, and to know where to direct us for more information. I can't recall
anyone who knew more about airplanes than Peter Bowers did. His fre­
quent notes and contributions to Vintage Airplane, and in particular, our
"Mystery Plane" column, will be sorely missed. Our condolences to his
wife, Alice, and to his many friends and fans .

VAAPARKING
George Daubner
262-673-5885
[email protected]
OTHER CONTACTS
Teresa Lautenschlager,
Operation Protect Our Planes
[email protected]
Anna Osborn, Volunteer Center
[email protected]
Butch Joyce, President
336-393-0344
[email protected]
H.G. Frautschy, Executive Director
920-426-4825
[email protected]
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

3

~~8.'

let me steer the plane! [ liked it so much, that
when the plane landed, [ asked if[ could go
aga in the next day. He said we could, if the
weather was okay.
The next day we did go again, even though
it was a little cloudy, and that time we even
flew over their house! We had another great
flight, and [ got a Young Eagles certificate.
[ think that was the best summer I've had
so far.

AERO M A IL
John Miller's Poppy Drop
Young Eagles
I received a very interesting and
pleasing Christmas gift from my
granddaughter, and I thought you
might be interested. Her fourth grade
class had the usual project to write
about their summer experiences. To
my surprise she wrote about her Young
Eagles flight with me. I didn't realize
the flight made such a memorable im­
pression. I have enclosed a copy of her
report. As you can see, the computer
skills of my 9-year-old granddaughter
are much better than mine.
Bob Hollenbaugh
Middletown, Ohio
Up, Up, and Away
By Natalie Young
For my wonderful Grandpa

The summer of2000 was a summer [ will
never forget. We did a lot of exciting things,
such as going to Canada and seeing Niagara
Falls, but one of the most memorable things
we did that year was going to Ohio and visit­
ing my grandparents. My grandpa is a pilot
and owns a small yellow Aeronca Chief,
which he rebuilt himself My grandpa had in­
vited my sister Chelsea and me to take a ride
in his plane.
We went to the airport on a sunny clear
day. [ couldn't wait for him to take me up in
his plane. The small plane could only fit one
passenger and the pilot, so Chelsea and [ had
to take rums. [ went first.
My grandpa took me all around the plane
checking the parts to see if they were working
right, and showing me what they were. He
called it a safety check. Finally, he told me [
could climb in. [ felt excited, yet nervous, as [
climbed into the plane. My grandpa handed
me a pair of headphones that kept out the
noise, but still let us talk to each other. I
pulled on my headphones and my seatbelt,
and we were off!
We rolled down the runway for a short
amount of time, and then we took off into the
sky. It was so much fun! [ looked out the win­
dow amazed. [ could see for miles! I could see
lakes and rivers and trees. [ could see cars and
houses, and if[ looked really hard I could
even see tiny people. Once my grandpa even
4

JUNE 2003

I love those old stories of pilots
dropping stuff ou t of airplanes for
whatever reason or occasion. Appar­
ently back in the olden days it was
not a violation of any government
regulations to do so. I have come
across many stories like John Miller
and his "Poppy Drop of 1928" in the
April issue. I have come across several
similar tales, most of them involving
Curtiss Robins.
In the Life and Times of Clarence
Kavale, an autobiography, Kavale tells
of his experiences as a barnstormer
(1932-1936) in an OX-S Curtiss
Robin . He ranged from the Dakotas
to Texas. One of his tales involved be­
ing approached by a "Pather of the
Bride" who asked Kavale if he would
drop rice on the bridal couple as they
exited the church. Kavale could not
turn down the money that was paid
in advance, figuring that if he blew
the job, he would just fly on. He prac­
ticed the day before the event in
order to be sure of the territory. To
make a long story short, everything
went well until the couple emerged
from the church. Kavale's ticket seller,
who was riding in the back seat, emp­
tied the bag of rice into the
slipstream, only to see the wind carry
the grain at least a block from the
church. Kavale flew on.
When I was researching my book

Shadows of Wings: An Aviation History
of West Central Illinois, Vol. [,1910­
1945, I found another story in the
Avon Sentinel, a weekly of Avon, Illi­
nois. (Pop-700) Frank Clugsten was a
local Chevrolet dealer who also had a
Curtiss dealership. He had a 40-acre
airfield on the edge of town. On the
other side of town was a small, pri­
vate man-made lake where the town's
snooty citizens had a club called
Avondale. Each Fourth of July they

held a celebration wherein they
opened the facilities to the public and
held the usual festivities appropriate
to the occasion. Someone came up
with a fund raising idea that would
help offset the expenses of the annual
fireworks display. The story involves
guinea hens.
The celebration committee sold
tickets that contained various num­
bers. Certain numbers were attached
to the legs of about a dozen guinea
hens. The tickets cost $1 each. The
idea was that Clugsten would fly his
OX-S Robin low over the crowd at
Avondale and a helper in the back
seat would toss the guinea hens out
the airplane for the onlookers to try
to catch and retrieve their winnings.
As in the case of Clarence Kavale, all
went well until the cargo was released
from the airplane. The guinea hens
were released from the airplane di­
rectly over the crowd who were
supposed to catch the prizewinners
with the numbers. The guinea hens
surprised the committee with their
amazing ability to fly, and the last
anyone saw of them, they were wing­
ing their way out of Fulton County!
On a more somber note, I was told
a story similar to that of John Miller's,
only this one did not involve any
derring-do. It had to do with releas­
ing rose petals over the cemetery as
the bugler played taps at a Memorial
Day ceremony held in Monmouth,
Illinois, shortly after World War II.
The Monmouth Cemetery was on the
approach to Runwa y 36 at Mon­
mouth airport at the time . The
ceremony took place near the ap­
proach end of the airport, thus [this
flight] was no different than any
other aircraft on final. According to
the pilot who told of this incident,
everything went according to plan.
As the bugler started to play, the Piper
Cub quietly slid over the gathering
and the back-seat passenger dumped
a bushel basket of rose petals on the
gathered throng. Some eyewitnesses
were said to be in tears as the petals
silently floated down to the moaning
of the music.
Enough said!
Jim Haynes

BY H.G. FRAUTSCHY

MARCH'S MYSTE R Y ANSWER
The March Mystery Plane, supplied
to us by Alfred Fox of Gray, Louisiana,
brought back a few memories for quite a
few of you. Here's our first letter, with a
bit of the history of Miles Aircraft and
the Sparrowhawk:

The Mystery Plane featured in the
March edition of Vintage Airplane is a
British aircraft, one of the Miles designs.
Miles was a major producer of sporting
light aircraft in Britain during the 1930s
and for some time after the war.

THIS MONTH'S MYSTERY PLANE C O MES F ROM ANNA
PENNINGTON. THE PHOTO WAS T A KE N I N 1 940 AT
AN AIR SHOW, BUT ANNA DIDN'T H AV E A NY OTHER
INFORMATION. ANNA HAILS FROM W IL MING T ON ,
NORTH CAROLINA.

SEND YOUR ANSWER TO : EAA,

3086,
WI 54903-3086 . YOUR

VINTAGE AIRPLANE , P.O. Box
OSHKOSH ,

ANSWER NEEDS TO BE IN NO LATER
THAN JULY

SPONSE VIA E-MAIL. SEND YOUR AN­
SWER TO [email protected] .
BE SURE TO INCLUDE BOTH YOUR
NAME AND ADDRESS (ESPECIALLY

15,2003, FOR INCLU ­

YOUR CITY AND STATE!) IN THE BODY

2003 ISSUE

OF YOUR NOTE AND PUT "(MONTH)

SION IN THE SEPTEMBER
OF VINTAGE AIRPLANE.

YOU CAN ALSO SEND YOUR RE­

MYSTERY PLANE" IN THE SUBJECT
LINE .

In 1933 Fred Miles (known as "EG.")
and his wife, Blossom, the design genius
behind the partnership, together with
EG.'s brother, George, conceived a sleek
low-wing monoplane design of all­
wooden construction, in direct
competition to the contemporary bi­
planes of the time, offering greatly
enhanced performance and low cost.
Unusually, this first product, the M2
Hawk, powered by a 9S-hp upright four­
in-line A.D.C. Cirrus engine, was built
not by the Miles team itself, but by a
small firm, Phillips and Powis Aircraft
Ltd., based at Woodley Aerodrome, near
Reading, a town just a few miles west of
what is now London's Heathrow Air­
port. The Miles design team eventually
joined the company, which was re­
named Miles Aircraft Ltd. in 1943.
During the war Miles manufactured a
range of training aircraft and set up an
additional manufacturing facility near
Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Most of Miles' subsequent designs
were named after raptors-Hawk Major
(powered by the four-cylinder de Havil­
land Gipsy Major engine), Falcon,
Merlin, Peregrine, Hobby, Nighthawk,
and more. An exception was a one-off
long-range aircraft to the basic Miles
layout with a two-seat enclosed cockpit
and powered by a Menasco Buccaneer,
commissioned by Charles Lindbergh for
touring in Europe with his wife. Miles
named this design Mohawk in honor of
his client, and this actual aircraft has re­
cently been restored for exhibition at
London's Royal Air Force Museum.
Identification of the Miles aircraft
featured is surprisingly difficult without
a specific registration identity because
many of the designs look superficially
similar, especially the many variants of
the Hawk Major, some of which were
converted to Single-seat racing configu­
ration, including also a special design
powered by the 200-hp de Havilland
Gipsy Six six-cylinder engine and called
the Hawk Speed Six.
However, the short chord engine
cowling identifies it as a Gipsy Major­
powered model, and a lowered fuselage
decking suggests it is a Miles M.S Spar­
rowhawk. Close study of the picture
appears to show large British-style regis­
continued on the page 29
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

5

I

t was a bright, sunny, mild
and calm day, January 26,
1934, when I took off from
Newark Airport's gravelly sur­
face with a huge advertising banner
to cover a specified course around
the New York City area. The 330-hp
Wright engine had been overhauled
only a few days before, and I had
full confidence that it would stand
up under the hard tOwing job in the
fairly cool air. The aircraft was a Pit­
cairn PCA-2 autogiro, the forebear of
today's helicopters, and ideally suit­
able for the safe towing of banners.
It was my own aircraft. I had no in­
surance. It was simply not available
in those days for that type of flying,
and even if it had been I could not
have afforded it in the Depression,
which was still in full effect.
The method of takeoff to tow a
banner with an autogiro at that time
was to lay it out on the ground with
the last letter upwind and the first
letter downwind , then continue
downwind with a 400-foot towing
cord, which was then attached to
the release hook on the tailskid of
the autogiro. The takeoff was then
made upwind directly over the ban­
ner, so that gave 800 feet to get
altitude and speed with the autogiro
before the banner started peeling off
of the ground. This particular ban­
ner was the largest that I had ever
seen towed . It had 37 letters, each
one 9 feet high. The letters were
made out of red cloth and the nu­
merous spreaders were made of
bamboo poles. I do not know its
weight, but it was plenty heavy and
it took at least three men to carry
6

JUNE 2003

and unroll it. To this day I don't

That banner in­
stantly dragged me
to zero airspeed,
dead stopped in
the air.

know what it advertised. That was
normal, for during a busy day of
towing several banners in succession
I had all I could do to re-fuel be­
tween tows and study the road maps
showing the routes I was to follow.
The banners did not belong to me. I
was merely towing them on con­
tract by the hour.
The takeoff went quite well in a
light north breeze, but the climb
was laborious and slow with full
power. Flying north, I finally
reached 1,200 feet altitude, which
put me only 1,000 feet above the
housetops of North Arlington, New
Jersey, with another 800 feet to go to
the specified altitude before turning
180 degrees to fly south along the
east edge of the Hudson River to
show the banner while circling Man­

hattan Island.
I was carefully monitoring the en­
gine cylinder head and oil
temperatures and considering a
slight reduction in power to try to
get them down a little when the en­
gine suddenly and positively
stopped-dead still. So did the air­
speed. That banner instantly
dragged me to zero airspeed, dead
stopped in the air. I knew that I had
no hope for further power so I pulled
the release lever to drop the banner
to drape itself over the housetops of
North Arlington. Whatever hap­
pened to it I know not to this day. I
suppose the kids tore it apart.
When an autogiro engine stops
and the autogiro stops dead in the
air, everything is silent and my auto­
giro entered a stable vertical descent
at about 1,800 fpm. I heard my loud
voice say, "Holy smoke," and in­
stantly I nosed down to gain a little
airspeed for control, at the same
time looking quickly for some open
place to land among all those
houses. There was no such space
and by that time I was down to less
than 700 feet above the houses, but
then behind me to the right I saw a
cemetery, so I made a 180 to head
for it in a steep glide. While doing
this I heard a lot of factory whistles
blowing but was too busy looking
for a spot in the cemetery to realize
that they were the customary noon
whistles of that era. Fortunately au­
togiros always make auto rotative
landings, and I had become very
adept at that technique so was able
to land on a tiny clear area in the
cemetery at zero airspeed, with

l~1tPl'1il1illl

dimblng down from
the cockpit to the ground I was sur­
rounded by a mob of kids. The

me,cnalntC had gotten
the senations on top of each other
instead of meshing properly. When
the engine got hot during the long
climb the bolt expanded, which let

autogiro was then in greater danger
from them. I was afraid it would be
destroyed by the kids climbing on it.
Then one kid yelled at me to au­
tograph his school notebook and all
the rest of them followed. I sud­
denl y remember ed the proper
procedure in such a case is to yell
back at them to form a spiral around
the autogiro so that I could write my
autograph in turn. A huge spiral of
kids soon surrounded me and my
precious autogiro while I auto­
graphed notebooks until the police
arrived and chased them off to their
homes for their lunches. Remember
how I said, "Holy smoke"? The land­
ing was made in the Holy Cross
Cemetery a few seconds later!
I had to hire off-duty policemen

the discs slip just enough to stop the
engine. We were able to push th e
autogiro to a little road trail through
the cemetery and with a little breeze
I took off in about 100 feet.
In the first place I was very fortu­
nate to be flying an autogiro, for an
airplane brought to a sudden stop
in the air by such a banner would
.instantly dive into th e ground, but
an autogiro is still safe at zero air­
speed and a controlled survivabl e
crash can be made vertically even if
there is not enough altitude to re­
ga in a little airspeed to make a
normal gentle landing.
The early autogiros h ad each ro­
tor blade fixed, both in position and
pitch setting. They had no collective
or cycl iC pitch control, as do h eli­

tDI1IB>lfln'I!IIn

much of it
sands of hours of
by pilots who had no understanding
of its aerodynamics or proper flying
technique. They crashed almost all
of them but walked away
without injury.
One notorious crash
was performed by Amelia
Earhart who crashed into a
chain-link fence, then
barely cleared over the
heads of a crowd of people
and crashed, with full
power, into a group of
parked cars, fortunately
vacant. The autogiro and a
number of cars were de­
molished but fortunately
no fire occurred and she
and her mechanic passen­
ger walked away. Now the
only two surviving PCA-2s
are in possession of the
Henry Ford Museum and
Steven Pitcairn, son of the original
manufacturer.
The one I owned, serial number
13, was the first purchased by a pri­
vate individual and first to be flown,
in each direction, across the United
States. It was also the first rotary­
wing aircraft to perform aerobatics
including loops, and rolls, at air
shows, the National Air Races 1932
at Cleveland, at Los Angeles in 1933,
the International Air Races 1933 at
Chicago, and many other smaller
events. Its final days were spent as a
crop-duster, but then it was de­
stroyed by a hurrican e in Florida
when its pilot failed to tie down its
rotor blades. I had flown it safely,
crisscrossing the United States for
six years, 1931-1936.
~
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

7

How many are needed?
TED TEACH

ack Tiffany of Leading Edge
Aircraft had been looking for
an autogiro for years. At last
he found his prize, a 1932
Pitcairn PA-18, in Mojave,
California. While Jack has been
restoring antique airplanes for
years, this one was going to be the
real test. It was a basket case, with
most parts there, but in very poor
condition.
It was a prize in that
while antique autogiros
are rare, this was to be
the only remaining PA­
18. Only 19 PA-18s were
built and sold in 1932
and 1933.
The autogiro differs
from the he licopter in
that it flies on the same
principle as an airplane.
An engine-driven pro-

J

One of the sign ificant restora­
tion challenges was the rotor blades
themselves. The construction is
similar to many aircraft wings.
There is a spar (simply a steel tube),
ribs of 1/4-inch plywood, a thin
plywood covered leading edge, and
a formed sheet metal trailing edge
strip. Conventional fabric and dope
cover the structure.

peller pulls it forward, The finished ribs are ready for shipment.
and due to the oncoming
air stream and the angle of attack
The only salvageable component
of the rotors, they rotate rapidly, of the blades when received was the
creating lift at a very low forward spar with rib attachment fittings.
speed; it's simply a rotating wing.
With the rib spacing set at only 4
8

JUNE 2003

inches, more than 300 ribs would be
needed. The precision needed was
great, as the chord is only 18-3/4
inches and rib depth about 2 inches.
A local woodworker and aviation
enthusiast, Bill Weikert, agreed to
accept the challenge of building
these ribs. For earlier woodworking
projects, Bill had acquired an Ons­
rud Inverted Pin Router. This type
of machine was used in the aircraft
industry for years, mostly in the
contouring of sheet metal skin and
components.
The inverted pin router has the
motor driven bit mounted under
the table and the bit raised up into
the work with a foot pedal. Opera­
tionally, a template of the desired
part is attached above and onto the
material to be contoured. This then
is placed on the tabletop. A guide
pin of the same size as the router
bit is directly above the bit. The
guide pin is lowered against the
template, the bit raised into the
material, and the pin guided
around the template. Thus, the ma­
terial is contoured to exactly the
same shape as the template.
The templates were made from
1/4-inch aluminum plate, and com­
puter generated. Bill then made a
fixture that would attach the ply­
wood to a plate that then attached
to the master template. With five
different chord lengths , using a
common fixture to hold any of the
five was a productivity issue.
At the completion of the
project it was found that the
cost of the rib shaping was far
less than other methods (in­
cluding laser cutting), and the
accuracy to the work far better
than the original.
The inverted pin router is an
ideal tool for shaping aircraft
products in that it is qUick, eas­
ily tooled, and accurate. Bill
would be pleased to discuss
this kind of project for others
and may be contacted at:
3000 Hampton Rd. North
Springfield, OH 45502
937-964-8301
E-mail: [email protected] .....

Routing ribs on the Onsrud Inverted Pin Router.

Attaching the rib material to fixture.

The finished rib ready to remove from fixture.
Attaching the rib template to fixture.

Breaking the rib away.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

9

2003

An aerial reconnaissance view of a portion of the vintage aircraft parking area.

o

JUNE 2003

H.G.

FRAUTSCHY

The winner of an
Outstanding
Classic Aircraft
trophy at Sun 'n
Fun 2003, Bob
Haas has plenty
to smile about
with his neat-as­
a-pin Aeronca
7AC Champ.

This striking custom
version of the early
Bonanza color
scheme was dis­
played during the
early days of Sun 'n
Fun by James Dixon
of Bowman, Georgia.
Bob Haas
The Sun 'n Fun Grand Champion Antique for 2003 Is Mlkael Carlson's Bleriot XI, powered by a 60-hp Thulln­
built Gnome Omega rotary engine. It was one of 23 Blerlots built under license by Thulin In Sweden.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

11

Paul Erickson's restoration
of the last Sky King Cessna 310,
N6817T, pulled in a Contemporary Out­
standing In Type award at Sun 'n Fun.

A

EAA President Tom Poberezny hosts the opening of the Countdown to Kitty Hawk touring pavilion, presented by
Ford Motor Company. The centerpiece of the pavilion is the accurate reproduction of the 1903 Wright Ryer built
by Ken Hyde's Wright Experience in Warrington, Virginia. The Ryer's presence in the large tent was mesmerizing.
It's hard to resist the call of a nice old biplane.
Dan Smith didn't have to travel far with his
Brewster Aeet 7-he lives right
in Lakeland.

To get a firsthand feeling for what it felt like to pilot the Flyer,
EAA and Microsoft teamed up to create the Wright simulators,
which were very popular all day long.

The best fabric floatplane so judged at the Sun 'n Fun Splash-In
was Stan Sweikar's Taylorcraft BGS 120, which he flew down
from Maryland. It's seen here along the grassy shore at Brown's
Seaplane Base in Winter Haven, Florida.
12

JUNE 2003

(/)

:2

«
0:

co

«

z
z

~

UJ

:-------' --'

\1Registered to Barrels of Fun in Lebanon, Missouri, this Volpar
V Beech 18 was judged the Best Twin in the Contemporary category.

~
Thomas Lever brought his
Moraine Saulnier 230 Et 2 to
Lakeland for the last couple of
days of the fly-in. If it looks famil­
iar to those of you who are
aviation movie buffs, that's be­
cause this was the airplane used
in the final scenes of The Blue
Max and many years later in the
Tom Selleck movie High Road to
China. One of only five that still
exist, and only one of three still
flying, Thomas' Moraine, even
with its intimidating size, is a
tailskid, no brakes airplane.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

13

A family airplane it is, and we
saw a number of them at Sun 'n
Fun with more than one tent
pitched next to them. The
Cessna 170 is still one of the
most desirable light planes that
seat four people, or two with a
lot of camping gear. Russ Farris
and Shayla Reese are flying this
nice-looking example.

A
The Rearwin 180F Skyranger (built by Commonwealth) is a rare sight these
days, but still a pretty airplane from the time just prior to World War II.
Doug Clukey of Dexter, Maine, brought this example to the event.

Can you tell who's an Auburn University
fan? John C. Adams (class of '77, indus­
trial management) of Huntsville, Alabama,
tools around in his Auburn Tiger Ercoupe.
His Coupe still has the original throttle
quadrant with mixture control.

V

Vaughn Grasso of Oak Hill, Florida, brought a rare Helton Lark, the
last factory-produced version of the Culver Cadet. It's powered by
a Continental C-90.

A

}i> The other spectacular bookend
to Mikael's early aviation air­
craft is his reproduction of a
Thulin Tummelisa, a Swedish
fighter aircraft originally built
in 1919, and in service as late
as 1934! Mikael built the
Tummelisa from scratch, and was able to power the diminutive airframe with a 90-hp Thulin engine, another
powerplant built by the company under license, this time from LeRhone.

~

V

Roughing it at Sun 'n Fun. Bringing the
comforts of home seems to get easier and
easier these days.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

15

BY BUDD DAVISSON

s a breed, Taylorcrafts
are definitely coming
into their own. Even
though they may have
been one of the last
classics to hitch a ride on the
restoration bandwagon, more and
more are showing up at fly-ins once
aga in dressed in their Sunday-go­
to-meeting duds. Ron Hoffmeyer's
1946 BD-12D, which was destined
to be based on his farm in Evart,
Michigan, is one of those. However,
the little airplane had more than its
share of life's problems and the
road it traveled to Sun 'n Fun 2003
was a rough one. In fact, both the
airplane and Ron Hoffmeyer have
stories to tell.
16

JUNE 2003

Like so many others during the
1960s, Ron was a member of the
ROTC while in college at Michigan
State. He had opted to try for flight
training, which meant that during
college he had to take thirty-five
hours of flight training. So even
though he was bound for some sort
of whiz-bang U.S. Air Force airplane,
he took his first steps into the air in
a Piper Colt. A side effect of that
kind of training was that rag and
tube airplanes were central to his
aeronautical core, something that
would surface many years later.
As was the case with most pilots
trained during that period, it was
only a matter of time before he found
himself looking down at the jungles

of Vietnam. However, Ron had a great
seat for the role he was about to play
in the drama around him.
"When I graduated from flight
school, the usual pipeline was to fly
one of the older airplanes then move
up to the newer ones. That changed
just about the time I got my wings,
however, because they put me right
into an F-10S, rather than having
me work my way up through F-lOOs.
It was a terrific thrill to strap on a
'Thud.' Especially since I was a kid
just out of flight school.
"I spent most of '68 and '69 fly­
ing out of Karat, Thailand, with the
34th Tactical Fighter Squadron car­
rying the war to North Vietnam
against some of the heaviest de­

fifteen years old, so I
used the GI bill to get
my CFI, so I could
teach him. We started
looking around for lit­
tle airplanes, including
Champs and Cubs, but
in 1984 we bought our
first T-craft, a 1941,
and Paul learned to fly
in it.

fended targets . We were always
dodging SAMs, MiGs and triple-A. I
flew a total of 146 missions."
As soon as he got out of the serv­
ice he started flying light airplanes
again although he stayed in the Air
National Guard for 28 years.
"In '72 I started flying for Eastern
Airlines but was also working my
way up through the Guard and
made it sort of a side career."
As part of that "side career" Ron
became the squadron commander of
an air-refueling unit first flying KC­
97s, and then moving into KC-13Ss.
"During the first Gulf War, we
were flying out of Abbu Dabe. We
were constantly up there as a gas sta­
tion in the sky keeping everything
else flying."
"My son, Paul, started showing
some interest in flying when he was

"We had a farm
and the pasture was
our runway, which
was perfect for the T­
Craft . That was my
first taildragger and I
really came to love it . I still think
the Taylorcraft is the most under-ap­
preciated of the classics. It gives
good cross-country performance
and is faster than almost all of the
6S-hp airplanes. I think it's a great
all-purpose flying machine.
"That first airplane was Franklin
powered, and was very smooth and
nice flying, but over the years, it had
been neglected. Rather than change
the engine or rebuild the airplan e,
we decided we'd keep that one fly­
ing, but get another one to rebuild.
Paul did that first one, a '46 model,
and he put it in my name.
"In 1993 I started going through
chemotherapy, which grounded me
for a while and was pretty hard on
my spirits. I had to get my head into
something, so I decided I'd rebuild a
Taylorcraft for therapy and put the

airplane in Paul's name. Somehow,
that just seemed fair."
Taylorcrafts are apparently some­
thing of a family tradition because
when Ron started looking for a proj­
ect airplane, he had to go no further
than a cousin's garage.
"My cousin had the remains of a T­
Craft and I say 'remains' because it
had been burned. At some pOint in its
life, it was sitting in an open hangar
and kids set fire to it
just for the fun of it.
By the time the fire
department showed
up , the only parts
that were still burn­
ing were the tires. It
was a terrible mess!"
Ron trucked what
was left of the air­
plane home and
spread it out on the
shop floor to survey
what he had.
"The wings were
toast. The spars were
charred and the alu­
minum ribs were
crystallized . The heat hadn 't been
too bad, so all the fittings were use­
able, but the tank was also no good."
It was obvious he was going to
have to build new wings but he
didn't even have anything to use
as an accurate pattern, so he
started from scratch.
"I bought some wings off a wreck
that needed spars and a bunch of
the ribs rebuilt. These were truss
type ribs, not stamped aluminum,
and I knew I could make those fairly
easily. What made building new
wings an easy decision was that I
had an extra set of brand new,
PMA'd spar blanks, ready to be
trimmed and drilled.
"When I started on the wings I
got a regular rib building routine go­
ing. There are fifteen ribs per wing
and I'd do a wing a month, so I was
actually moving fairly quickly."
Most airplane spars are nothing
but boards with bolt holes in the
appropriate places. Taylorcraft
spars, however, are a little more
complicated.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

17

Back in the days before shielded plugs
were widely available, "cans" such as
these were used with unshielded plugs
to minimize radio interference. These
plug shields are pretty rare, and gath­
ering up a complete set of eight can
be quite a challenge.

panel has a
solid original
feel, but has
a few custom
touches to suit
Ron 's taste.

"A lot of the spar bolts in a T­
Craft go through big phenolic
bushings that are pressed into the
spar to help spread the load. I could­
n't find any new bushings, and
those I had were burned. So, once
again, we had to make the parts. I
used most of the steel fittings off the
original wings, but the aileron
hinges came off the lawn-dart wings.
"The fire also warped the original
wing struts, so I had to make a new
set. I got some strut blanks from
Univair. I cut them and in about a
week had the ends done and ready
to have an approved welding shop
TIG them together for me.
"Incidentally," he says with a grin,
"rebuilding a burned airplane isn't
something I'd do again, and it's defi­
nitely not something I recommend."
Although the fuselage is largely
steel, that doesn't mean a fire does­
18

JUNE 2003

n't wreak havoc w ith everything
around it.
"All of the aluminum on the air­
plane was crystallized, warped, or
melted. I suppose I could have pur­
chased some of the sheet metal parts
and saved myself a lot of time, but I
needed therapy, so I built it all, ex­
cept the nose bowl. I rolled most of
it, but the bottom windshield lip
was made out of dead-soft alu­
minum and I stretch formed that."
Obviously, the fire eliminated the
interior altogether and charred the
floorboards, so everything inside
had to be new.
"Most of the interior is a light tan
aircraft wool fabric over a thin foam
which is attached to plastic or alu­
minum backing. The baggage
compartment and seat sling came
from AirTex. For the seats, side panels,
and glare shield I picked out the mate-

rial and had an aircraft shop do the
stitching and I did the installation."
Originality is fine, but for an air­
plane to be usable tOday, the restorer
has to deviate once in a while, and
this is usually in the area of radios
and electrical systems. However, in
Hoffmeyer's airplane, the deviations
are hardly noticeable.
"The original Taylorcraft battery
box is mounted ahead of the seats. It
is just the right size to mount a 12­
volt motorcycle battery. I use this to
drive the nav lights and using an
adapter, it also powers my handheld
radio and GPS. I didn't try to put one
of the old wind-driven generators on
it because they slow you down about
5 mph in cruise. I just attach a trickle
charge to the battery when we're not
flying, which works fine.
"The original instrument panel
was also fire damaged, so I found a
beat-up instrument panel and welded
patches in all the big holes. Then, I
made up glove box doors in wood
that matches the new floor boards."
It goes without saying that the
original instruments were totally

Ron Hoffmeyer's sons, David and Paul , cruise along in their dad's resur­
rected Taylorcraft.

cooked in the fire, so Ron had to do
some high-end scrounging to fill
the panel he had just made.
"I collected instruments for some­
thing like six years trying to get the
right mix. The oil temp is an origi­
nal with the Taylorcraft logo and the
oil pressure gauge, mag switch, and
airspeed are correct for the year of
airplane. I used a newer tachometer
that has an hour meter in it and
went to a three-pointer altimeter,
which needs to be really short in
length to clear the fuel tank. In gen­
eral, I think the panel has the right
look to it."
"We finished the first Taylorcraft
in dope, but this time we went with
Ceconite and SuperFlite's System 6
with urethane on top of that.
liThe paint scheme isn't original,
but then, we weren't trying to build
an original airplane. We just wanted
something that made us happy. For
that reason, when we did the interior,
we styled it to match the outside.
"I also added a skylight, which was
done on a field approval. This adds a
lot of brightness to the inside and im­
proves visibility in turns.
No part of the airplane escaped the
fire, which was constantly causing
headaches right down to the wheels.
liThe tires had burned hot enough
that they actually melted the hubs,
and I had to find another set of origi­

nal wheels and brakes. I was just glad
the wheels weren't fused to the axles."
As Ron began working ahead of
the firewall, he found challenges
that were even bigger than those be­
hind it.
liThe cowling was hard, but the
aluminum heat shroud was the sin­
gle hardest piece of the project . It's
formed in two pieces that were prob­
ably originally stamped at the
factory. I couldn't stamp them, so I
made a mold and formed the two
halves into it. They came out look­
ing good and the heater works great.
The shroud alone took two months.
Although I'm an A & P, you really
can't do an airplane like this without
friends , and I had a couple of the
best. I built up both the engine and
the wings at a friend's house. John
Yost was not only my A.I. but also a
friend and teacher. He watched over
and guided me every step of the way.
Unfortunately, he suffered a fatal
heart attack and never got to see the
airplane finished."
"We started out with a pretty
good engine, but I went with a
freshly overhauled crankshaft and
cam because I was planning on tak­
ing this airplane on a lot of cross
countries. In fact, by the time we got
to Sun 'n Fun, which is a pretty long
cross country in a Taylorcraft, we
had only fifteen hours on the en­
II

gine. Four hours of the trip was in
light snow, so we were sure glad to
see the Florida sunshine."
"John Frieling, another A.I.
friend, had done a lot of Taylor­
crafts, and I went to him to help
me with the covering and the
paint. He was a huge he lp, and
you learn so much faster when
you're working with someone
who has done it before. It's diffi ­
cult to explain how much I
learned from both John Yost and
John Frieling. I would never be
able to thank them enough."
"When it came time to put a prop
on the airplane I went with my heart,
not my head. I knew a metal prop
would give me more rpm and more
performance, but it just wouldn't feel
right. So, I got a beautiful Sensenich
wood prop . It's so beautiful that my
wife made me a prop cover for it to
protect it when at fly-ins."
liThe airplane spent five and a
half years in my garage. Some days
I'd make a lot of progress. Some
days none. But I kept hacking at it
and it was the best therapy I could
have found.
Ron did the first flight on the air­
plane and reports that it was nearly
perfect with the wing rigging being
almost right on . After getting back
from Sun 'n fun, he did tweak one
wing, but that was it. The little air­
plane accumulated 25 hours of flight
time going to and from Lakeland.
liThe little airplane cruises an
honest 95 -100 mph, which isn't
bad for 65 hp and less than four
gallons an hour.
"I was pushing hard to get the air­
plane ready to take to Sun 'Fun 2003
and barely made it. However, the air­
plane has been absolutely trouble free
almost from the first time we fired it
up. I flew it a few hours, and then we
were ready to head south and escape
what had been a bad winter. We'd
earned a little sunshine."
Is he done restoring airplanes?
Hardly. He says, "I think I'd like to
find an L-2M and restore it into its
original military configuration."
It looks as if Taylorcrafts have a
way of becoming an addiction .. . . .
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

19

All sizes in inches
unless otherwise
noted. Fabricate from
drawing dimensions ­
drawings not to scale.

Tiedowns have always elicited a
bunch of opinions, and one of my
favorites is a compact set of
tiedowns that Joe Dickey built up
to secure his Aeronca Champ. Joe
uses them to supplement "perma­
nent" tied owns at airports other
than his home field, and as a sole
means of constraint when he is at
a fly-in. He has had good success
with them, having never had
them pulled out of the ground or
breaking. The same can't be said
for the "dog anchor" types of
tied owns, which have opened up
and broken while Joe was tied
down at a fly-in . (Remember the
"big blow" at EAA Oshkosh '82?)
The set pictured in the doodles on
these pages have been used suc­
cessfully in both rocky and loamy
soil, and have proven to be very
damage resistant. Small rocks are
pushed aside, and impacting larger
rocks or boulders results in a re­
sounding "ring" when the rod is
struck by the hammer. When that
happens, just move the tiedown.
A few whacks with the hammer
will straighten the steel stake out.
Just follow the dimensions shown
on the drawings, and remember to
always tie your light plane down­
it helps when someone decides to
run up a helicopter, jet or even an­
other prop driven airplane with
the wind blast pointed right at
your pride and joy. Having your
tail surfaces strained through a
chain link fence will ruin a per­
fectly good summer, not to
mention your checkbook!

A GOOD HAMMER

AIRPLANES WITH WELDED
ON TIEooWN RINGS

TIEDOWN BASE PLATES

(MAKE FROM 1/ 8 STEEL)

WI NG PLATE - 2 REQ.

7 /8 OR TO FIT } FOR 3 / 8
13/ 32 DIA. (2) " U" BOLT

TAKE ROPE THROUGH RING ,
AROUND STRUT AND BACK.
USE RING ONLY TO KEEP
ROPE FROM SLIPPING DOWN.


ANCHOR PINS - 8 REQ.

-

MACHINIST'S MALLET WITH ONE
PLASTIC HEAD AND ONE STEEL
HEAD. DOESN'T WEIGH MUCH.

DRIVES T1EDOWN PINS, PLASTIC
TENT STAKES, AND THOSE WHO
IGNORE " PLEASE DO NOT
TOUCH " SIGNS.

~--'--'-L......L- MAKE FROM 1 / 4
~

STEEL ROD


SETTING ANCHORS

....,.."-t-f'-f............ THREAD TOP TO

1-1/ 8 R.

TAIL PLATE - 1 REQ.
1 / 32 DIA. (2)
C()

oM

OR TO FIT

}--­-­

SUIT HARDWARE
USED. RUN BOT­
TOM NUT SNUG
TO BOnOM OF
THREADS . ADD
WASHER (NEEDED
TO PULL PIN) AND
TIGHTEN TOP NUT.
PEEN OVER TO

LOCK.

.L.

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<-<
"­
<-<

j_ 1 - - - ;

9 / 32 0 (2)

4

2

/ I
I /

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1/
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DRIVE PINS
IN . ANGLED
TOWARD
CENTER.

I II
/ / I

/ / II

/ /
II


j

,

I

I

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TO REMOVE PINS

BASE PLATE ASSEMBLY
USE HAMMER HANDLE TO GRIP SLIP LOOP UNDER
WASHER . 450 LB. TEST NYLON CORD WORKS WELL.
USE ONE FOOT TO HOLD BASEPLATE DOWN , PULL
STRAIGHT IN LINE WITH PIN .

IMPORTANT:
BASE PLATE
/

TIGHTEN NUTS PEEN OVER TO LOCK


THIS IS A MODIFICATION OF JOE' S ORIGINAL DESIGN
BY BION MCPEAK - ELIM INATE THE " u " BOLT, AND ON
A NEW SET OF BASE PLATES, CAREFULLY RAD IUS THE
~~~ NEW HOLE FOR THE ROPE TO PREVENT CHAFING. THE
HOLE SHOU LD BE A TIGHT FIT FOR THE ROPE . KNOT
THE ROPE AS SHOWN ON THE BACKSIDE OF THE
BASEPLATE. MELT OR GLUE THE KNOT TO BE SURE IT
WILL NOT COME UNDONE. THIS BASEPLATE IS NOT
RECOMMENDED FOR USE WITH POLYETHYLENE ROPE .

SPREAD TIEDOWNS SO PULL IS NOT
STRAIGHT UP! YOU ' LL NEED
LONGER ROPES, BUT
ANGLING THE TIEDOWN
POINTS WILL
INCREASE THEIR
RESISTANCE TO BEING
PULLED OUT OF
THE GROUND .

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

21

THE VINTAGE INST UCTOR


Taildraggers

,'W

ould you want
to fly a Ford
Tri-Motor, if
you had the
chance?" Sue Strehlow, NAFI pro­
gram administrator, asked, gently
nudging me in the ribs, while her
eyes twinkled even more brightly
than they normally do. My answer
had something to do with what
bears do in the proverbial woods.
It was opening day of AirVenture
2002, and I had just been made an
offer I couldn't refuse. The reason I
instruct in taildraggers is because I
love flying them so much. And now
the opportunity to fly one of the
22

JUNE 2003

DOUG STEWART

NAFI MASTER INSTRUCTOR


greatest taildraggers of all time had
just become mine. Do they call this
pig heaven?
At the appointed hour I boarded
the shuttle van near the tower and
rode out to runway 09. We waited
in the van as that beautiful corru­
gated airplane (beauty is in the eye
of the beholder) taxied off the run­
way and onto the grass. It was only
as it got on the grass that the gear
struts finally started to compress,
and as the 3-foot-thick wing gave
up the lift it was still generating.
After the wonderful rumble of
three round Pratt & Whitney R­
985 450-hp engines quieted from

three to two, the passengers on the
Ford airplane deplaned as we
climbed out of the Ford van.
I was the first of our group to
board, and I quickly went uphill to
the cockpit. Sitting in the left front
seat was Sean Elliott, not only pres­
ident of NAFI but also EAA's
director of aircraft operations. He
had been my ticket to the right
front seat, which I now settled
into. Hanging my elbow out the
open window to my right (hey,
this wasn't too unlike my Super
Cruiser), I was in awe as I took in
the sights and smells of this his­
toric airplane.

Once the remaining nine pas­
sengers were boarded, Sean fired
up the right engine and called for
taxi. We taxied to runway 09 and
awaited takeoff clearance. Getting
that, we pulled out onto the run­
way and applied takeoff power. It
seemed that as soon as the throt­
tles were all the way forward, Sean
was pushing forward on the wheel
(it is a wheel-a huge wooden
steering wheel, also found on Ford
Model Ts!) and the tail was up in
the air. With a short takeoff roll of
less than 700 feet, we were up in
the air. This old bird just wanted to
fly! I'm talking about the airplane,
not me.
We climbed out towards Lake
Winnebago, and Sean leveled off
at 1,000 feet AGL. Accelerating to
90 mph indicated, he set the power
and trimmed it up. Turning to­
wards me, he said, "You've got it."
I had not expected to be flying this
rare beast, let alone with a cabin
full of paying passengers. "If it
drops a wing, don't try to raise it
with the aileron ... use your feet!"
Sure enough, we hadn't flown very
far when the right wing started to
drop. As instructed, I let the wheel
be, and applied pressure to the left
rudder pedal. The rudder pedals in
this huge taildragger are humon­
gous when compared to the small
bars in my PA-12. And I quickly re­
alized why. This was going to take
a little more than some ankle de­
flection. In fact it took the strength
of my entire leg to push hard
enough on the rudder pedal to
pick the wing up. And Sean had
said, use my feet ... hah, by the
time we were lining up back on fi­
nal, my thighs were starting to
ache. (And I ride a bicycle regu­
larly.) Take a look at Sean's thighs;
he could pass for an Olympic
sprinter, and I think it's all from
his Tri-Motor time. Hmmm. Use
your feet!
Which brings me to the point of
this article. Which is what we learn
when flying aircraft with the little
wheel in the back. Conventional
geared, tailwheel, tail dragger ...

call them what you will, flying
these aircraft will redefine what
flying is all about for most pilots.
We are going to have to use our
feet when flying these airplanes.
Not only in the air, but more im­
portantly, on the ground.

Conventional
geared,
tailwheel,
taildragger .
call them what
you will,
flying these
aircraft will
redefine what
flying is all about
for most pilots.
It is said that when "flying" a
tailwheel airplane, you're not
done flying until the engine is
shut down and the tiedown ropes
are attached. The most important
lessons to be learned when oper­
ating a taildragger are those
lessons learned on the ground. Es­
pecially when the wind is
blowing. A tail wheel airplane has
its center of gravity located be­
hind the main gear.
When conducting ground oper­
ations-most notably when rolling
out during landing, but at all
times, even when taxiing slowly­
whenever there is any sideload,
such as when there is a crosswind,
this rearward CG will aid and abet
that side force in trying to make
the tail swap ends with the nose.
This is avoided by deft use of

our feet, applying opposite rudder
to direction of swing, to keep the
aircraft tracking straight. Once
that tail starts swinging, it gets
harder and harder to stop. If the
pilot does not react quickly
enough, the rudder will become
ineffective, and they will need to
use some brake as well. And if not
quick enough with the brake, the
pilot will get to experience a
ground loop. If the groundspeed is
on the fast side when this happens
one can expect to damage the air­
frame, and perhaps the landing
gear as well.
The other place we get to use our
feet in most tail wheel aircraft is in
coordinating our turns. The ailerons
of most taildraggers are rather large.
Whenever they are deflected, the
drag they create results in adverse
yaw that is much greater than that
experienced in most tri-gear air­
craft. Therefore, whenever you roll
into or out of a turn in a conven­
tional geared airplane, you will
experience one heck of a slip unless
you coordinate the turn with suffi­
cient rudder.
The reasons that people elect to
fly taildraggers are numerous, but
all are valid. For some it affords the
ability to fly low and slow, allow­
ing one to "smell the roses" so to
speak. (Although, here in the dairy
region of New England it isn't al­
ways roses one smells.) For others
it is the only type of aircraft that
can be used to access rough sur­
faced and/or remote runways. Still,
for others it brings their mentality
back to an earlier age of aviation
when flying was not about ATC
and GPS, autopilots and glass cock­
pits, TFRs and FARs, but about stick
and rudder skills and being totally
connected in a visceral way to the
aircraft being flown. And for all it
will mean using your feet!
No matter what your reason ...
learning to fly a tailwheel airplane
will certainly improve your skills
in any airplane that you fly, taking
you another step from being more
than just a good pilot, to being a
GREAT pilot.
......
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

23

PASS

IT TO BUCK

BY E.E. "BUCK" HILBERT, EAA #21 VAA #5
P.O. Box 424, UN ION, IL 60180

Stowaways, Freeloaders,
and Other Culprits
ne day, more than a few
years ago, Dorothy and I
were puttin' along in our
old 6SLA Chief when she
tapped my shoulder and pOinted
to the wing root.
There, peering out at us was a
cute, little brown and white mouse.
How long the rascal had been
there I don't know, but there it
was, seemingly enjoying the ride.
It would disappear for a while,
show up again and seemed quite
active. We delivered it to the AAA
fly-in at Ottumwa. That was a long
time ago.
The mystery was, where did he
come from, and how'd he get in?
Fully aware that mice can be a
problem, I tossed a supply of old­
fashioned mothballs back into the
rear of the fuselage, and a few more
under the seat sling.
I don't believe that mouse had
read the publication I had, which said
mothballs were a deterrent to mice.
The odor and the residue lin­
gered for a long, long time
afterwards. We never uncovered
the wing before we sold the air­
plane, so I didn't see any damage,
just half a bushel of nesting mate­
rial-highly odiferous at that.
Another time and many years
later, I stopped off at a friend's
hangar to visit. He was working on
a Stearman project on one side of
the hangar and had a Bonanza as
his "go places" airplane on the
other side.
Something about the Bonanza
caught my eye. There were cloves
of garlic lying atop the tires, and
get this, fences of aluminum sheet

O

24

JUNE 2003

circling each of the tires. He had
actually built a circular barrier,
about six inches or more high
around each wheel.
When asked, he dropped a few
expletives about mice, and how
he'd had a problem with them get­
ting into the upholstery; this was
his method to prevent a reoccur­
rence. Did it work? I don't know,
but I've never seen anyone do any­
thing like it since.
We've also heard that dryer
sheets, the kind that are supposed
to make your clot h es soft, repel
the four-legged critters. Anyone
have experience with that?
Another airplane, this time a
Stinson L-SE we brought home to
Illinois from Denver. After we got
it home, we decided to do an an­
nual. Again, the remnants of a
hitchhiking mouse, maybe a whole
family of them. We must have
pulled two bushel baskets of nest
and debris out of the left wing.
Now this is a wood wing, and the
stains and the odors were there to
the day we sold the airplane.
These invasio n s seem to be
pretty prevalent. I don't know
what the antidote really is, but it's
a recurring problem here in the
midwestern part of the country.
I'm working on a pair of Champ
wings. These guys had been hang­
ing on a dirt floor h angar wall for
several years. (Our Champ is get­
ting pretty tired and is almost, but
not quite because we like to fly,
ready for another restoration.) Any­
way, I saw these wings, and thought
that maybe I could get a little ahead
of the restoration game by redoing

them, and have them ready to bolt
on when we did the restoration. I
talked to the owner, and we struck
a deal. A week or so later we picked
them up, along with some rusty but
restorable tail feathers and some
other little items.
We opened them up and there
they were! Mouse nests and rem­
nants, mud-daubed wasp nests ,
spiders, and who knows how many
other little buggers who had built
themselves a real comfortable
condo site. We even found some
nutshells that ground squirrels had
put there.
Now how did these guys get up
a sheer wall maybe five or six feet
above the floor? I sure don't know,
but the evidence was sure there. It
was a below freezing day when we
brought them into the heated
hangar and it sure wasn't long be­
fore we knew we had to do
something. The odor was terrific!
We lucked out, though; there
must have been an adequate food
supply 'cause they didn 't gnaw on
the spars . The woodwork was in­
tact and aside from being dirt
encrusted, it is in good shape. Our
editor, H.G., can relate his tale of
woe as to how his Chief spars were
just ravaged by these little guys
gnawing on them. Ask him about
it and then get the crying towel
handy. (Amen. Boo Hoo! - HGF)
It isn't just the wood and fabric
machines these hitchhikers are apt
to get into. Just the other day, do­
ing an annual on a Cessna 120,
there was a huge collection of
mouse nest and dirt under the
floor in the gearbox area. I've seen

residue in Mooneys, Piper Chero­
kees, Howard DGAs Stearmans .
You name it. It is a problem. How
do we keep them out? How do we
get rid of them if they're in? You
can't just poison them; then they
die in the nests or in the uphol­
stery and create a very unpleasant
stink. You can shake the wing,
blow compressed air at them,
maybe even chase them out, but
they're back again, because this is
their home.
My theory is prevention. I took
a tip from a farm neighbor. When
he plants his corn crop, he'll put
out a sacrificial token. Every thirty
feet or so he'll toss out an ear of
corn. This is easy pickings for ma­
rauders like the crows and ground
sqUirrels, and they ' ll go for the
easy ears and not bother the plant­

ings. I thought this was really
clever, and decided maybe it ' d
work for hangar prevention, too.
So I went to the local hardware
store years ago and purchased one
of those live traps. It's a two-door
job where they can get in, but can't
get out. I bait it with cat food or
birdseed, sit back and wait. About
every four of five days I take the
trap, and if there are some, I dump
the mice into a bucket of water, re­
bait the trap, and do it again. I
guess I'm lucky, as I haven't had
an intrusion of these critters in
any of my airplanes for several
years now.
Sometimes I run out of mice, too.
Just last week, and I must admit I
hadn't looked at the trap for several
weeks, maybe months, and there
were the remains of seven mice and

one very live one in the trap. What
prompted this check was the Cessna
120 I mentioned earlier.
Another preventive measure .
Don't leave anything in the air­
plane that might be used for
nesting material. They love paper
towels, rags, (They don't seem to
bother sectionals, maybe it's the
government red tape!), and what­
ever you do, don't leave anything
edible in any compartment. That
is an open invitation to a critter
smorgasbord.
So far, I've been lucky. I would
like to hear from any of you, victims
or not, as to how and what you have
experienced, and what action you
are taking or contemplating. And
with that, it's over to you,
If

(( -;BtJ.ck

most car cup holders.

SEE MORE!


SEE MANY ADDITIONAL ITEMS
AT THE VAA RED BARN DURING
AIRVENTURE 2003.

Check out all the VAA

available merchandise

by shopping the

Vintage section of
EAA Aeronautica.

ORDER ONLINE:

3-D VAA Patch

VOO548

hHp://shop.eaa.org

$3.99

This 3-dimensional patch is well tailored and

will look great on your clothing and accessories.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

25

NEW MEMBERS

Wayne Ouellette ..........Utopia, ON, Canada

John Froelich ........Petersfield, Hampshire, UK

Richard A. Pulley ..............Anchorage, AK

Scott Haggenmacher ............Jonesboro, AR

Jeffrey D. Cannon ................Ventura, CA

Larry Feuerhelm ..............Agua Dulce, CA

Dave Garland .....................Davis, CA

J. William Gotcher ..............Hayward, CA

Elmer William Knobloch ...........Lincoln, CA

Marty Noonan ...............Long Beach, CA

Lance Schaus .................South Gate, CA

Gary Suozzi ....................Oak Park, CA

James M. Thomas .............Watsonville, CA

Tom Broadbent ............Pagosa Springs, CO

Robert D. Tofsrud ................Clifton, CO

Ian A. Wayman ..................Peyton, CO

Stephen M. Kelly .............Stoneington, CT

George Byrd ....................Dunedin, FL

David McFarland ..............Juno Beach, FL

Jorge Neumann ..................Sarasota, FL

Mark Peck ..............Altamount Spring, FL

Carmen D. Pena ..................Naples, FL

Eric Pinon ..................... Ft. Pierce, FL

Thomas M. Shelton .........Boynton Beach, FL

Fred Rascoe ................Lawrenceville, GA

Robert W. Turner .................Brooks, GA

Michael Tindall ..............Webster City, IA

James Auman ...................Sycamore, IL

Douglas A. Engel ................Naperville, IL

Mathew L. Hunsaker ............Carbondale, IL

David J. Mayer ................. .Ingleside, IL

Thomas M. Peterson ..............Rockton, IL

Don A. pfeiffer ...............Poplar Grove, IL

Terry L. Burger ....................Salina, KS

Bruce L. Miles ...............Smith Center, KS

William K. Ortigo ................Pineville, LA

Margaret Ortigo .................Pineville, LA

John Ortigo ....................Pineville, LA

George Frederick Waters .........Westboro, MA

26

JUNE 2003

Fred L. Day .................East Baldwin, ME

Ben Ennenga ...............Grand Haven, MI

Richard Janke .........Commerce Township, MI

Philip Mintari .................Davisburg, MI

Jeremy Winsor .................Houghton, MI

Gary M. Granfors .................Tower, MN

John L. Wells ...............Minneapolis, MN

Kenneth Doyle ...............Springfield, MO

Stephen C. Thayer .............High Point, NC

Dana Cornelius ..................Madrid, NE

Tom Wieduwilt ..................Omaha, NE

John R. Stahl .....................Weare, NH

David Blanche ..................Neptune, NJ

William G. Moore ...............Lebanon, NJ

Bart Voyce ...................Ledgewood, NJ

Alexander Cohen .............Long Beach, NY

George Donaldson ............Amsterdam, NY

Randy J. Barney ................Tipp City, OH

David S. Kroner ...............Rock Creek, OH

Donald E. Ross ............Oklahoma City, OK

John T. Bagg .....................Salem, OR

Kerry L. Hofsess .................Ashland, OR

Raymond J. Davidowski, Sr. Natrona Heights., PA

Raymond P. Davidowski, Jr. .Natrona Heights., PA

Berk B. Walker .................Morrisville, PA

Carl Eversole ...................Beaufort, SC

Mikell Van der Laan .........Goodlettsville, TN

Brian F. Burney .................Houston, TX

Evans Gauthier ................McKinney, TX

Robert Hickerson ............... .junction, TX

George Moore ....................Spring, TX

David Zimmerman ................Austin, TX

Richard Hutton .............Charlottesville, VA

James Bavendam ............Mercer Island, WA

Gary Eklund ....................Sequim, WA

Jeff Stefanski .................... .Lacey, WA

Gerald E. Gutzmann ......Menomenee Falls, WI

David A. Williams .............Whitewater, WI


EAA FLY-IN SCHEDULE 2003

FLY-IN CALENDAR


• Golden West EAA Regional Fly-In

June 20-22, Marysville, CA (MYV)
www.go/denwest{lyin.org
• EAA Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In

June 28-29, Longmont, CO (2V2)
www.rmrfi·org
• Northwest EAA Fly-In

July 9-13, Arlington, WA (AWO)
www.nweaa.org
• EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

July 29-August 4, Oshkosh, WI (OSH)
www.airventure.org
• EAA Mid-Eastern Fly-In

The following list of coming events is furnished to our readers as a matter of informa­
tion only and does not constitute approval, sponsorship, involvement, control or direction
of any event (fly-in, seminars, fly market, etc.) listed. To submit an event, please log on
to www.eaa.org/events/events.asp. Only if Internet access is unavailable should you
send the information via mail to:, Att: Vintage Airplane, PO. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI
54903-3086. Information should be received four months prior to the event date.

August 22-24, Marion, OH (MNN)
440-352-1781
• EAA East Coast Fly-In

September 6-7, Toughkenamon, PA (N57)
• Virginia State EAA Fly-In

September 20-21, Petersburg, VA (PTB)
www.vaeaa.org
• EAA Southeast Regional Fly-In
October 3-5, Evergreen, AL (GZH)

www.serfi·org

JUNE I3-IS-Gainesville, TX-41st An­
nual Fly-In, Texas Ch. of the Antique
Airplane Assn, Gainesville Municipal
Airport (GLE), $5/person, $10/family.
Camping or hotels. Info: 940-482­
6175 or [email protected]
JUNE I4-IS-Rutland, VT-13th Annual
Taildraggers Rendezvous Fly-In Break­
fast, Rutland State Airport. Info:

802-235-2808, vt{[email protected]
JUNE I4-IS-Toledo, OH-EAA Ch . 582
Fly-In, Metcalf Field (TDZ). Pull-A­
Plane contest, Young Eagles, food,
aircraft and auto displays. 9am-5pm.
Info: John 419-666-0503 or

www.eaa582.org
JUNE I4-IS-Somerset, PA-Somerset
Aero Club's 61st Annual Fly-In Break­
fast on Father's Day Weekend,
Somerset County Airport (2G9). PIC
eat Free at Sunday Breakfast. Vintage,
US Military planes on display and fly­
ing. Antique, classic, and new autos.
Info: 814-754-50250r

[email protected]
JUNE IS-Ghent, NY-EAA Ch. 146
Summer Fly-In Pancake Breakfast,
Klinekill Airport (NY1), Route 21 B.
8:30-noon. (Gas available at Columbia
County Airport, IB1.) 518-758-6355,
web: www.eaa146.org
JUNE I8-2I-Lock Haven, PA-Senti­
mental Journey '03, William T. Piper
Memorial -Airport. Info: 570-893-4200
or www.sentimentaljoumeyfly-in.com
JUNE I9-22-St. Louis, MO-American
Waco Club, Inc. Fly-In, Dauster Flying
Field, Creve Coeur. Info: Phil 269-624­
6490. Web www.americanwacoc/ub.com
JUNE 2I-Zanesville, OH-EAA Ch . 425
Pancake Breakfast Fly-In/Drive-In,
Riverside Airport, 8-11am. Hog Roast
for lunch 11am-2pm. Info: 740-454­
0003
JUNE 2I-22-Howell, MI-4th Annual
Great Lakes Fly-In, Livingston County
Airport (OXW). Hands-on workshops,
seminars, and more. Info: 517-223­

3233, www.greatlakesflyin.org
JUNE 22-Niles, MI-EAA Ch. 865 An­
nual Fly-In Breakfast, Tyler Mem orial
Airport (3TR), 7-noon at Ch. Hangar.
Info: 269-684-0972 or E-mail:

[email protected]

JUNE 28--Prosser, WA-EAA Ch. 391 Fly­
In Breakfast. Info: 509-735-1664
JUNE 28--Quincy, CA- 6th Annual An­
tique Wings & Wheels, Pre 1950
aircraft & automobiles, 8am-3pm,
Gansner Field (201). Info: 530-283­
4312 or [email protected]
JULY I2-Toughkenamon, PA-EAA Ch.
240 Fly-In/Drive-In Pancake Breakfast
& Lunch, New Garden Airport (N57).
8a.m.-2p.m. Young Eagles Flights. Info:
215-761-3191 or EAA240.org
JULY I2-Gainesville, GA-EAA Ch . 611
35 th Annual Cracker Fly-In (GVL), 7:30
Pancake Breakfast. Judging in 9 cate­
gories, awards, rides, food & drinks. All
day fun for the family. Info: 770-531­
0291 or www.eaa611.com
JULY I 7-20-Dayton, OH-Vectren Day­
ton Air Show, Dayton Int'l airport. Info:
937-898-5901 or www.daytol1airshow.com
JULY I9-Zanesville, OH-EAA Ch. 425
Pancake Breakfast Fly-In/Drive-In, Parr
Airport, 8am-2pm. Lunch also avail­
able. Info: 740-454-0003
AUGUST I-Oshkosh, WI-Bellanca­
Champion Club Banquet, 6 pm at Hilton
Gardens. Tickets ava ilable in late April,
$27 including dinner. Info: 518-731-6800
or www.bellanca-cl7ampionc/ub.com
AUGUST 8-I O-Alliance, OH-5th An­
nual Ohio Aeronca Avia tors Fly-In,
Alliance Barber Airport (2D l ) Info: Brian

216-932-3475, [email protected],
or www.oaafly-in.com
AUGUST 9-Toughkenamon, PA-EAA
Ch. 240 Fly-In/Drive-In Pancake Break­
fast & Lunch, New Garden Airport
(N57). 8a.m.-2p.m. Young Eagles
Flights. Info: 215-761-3191 or
EAA240.org
AUGUST IO-Queen City, MO-15th
Annual Watermelon Fly-In & BBQ, Ap­
plegate Airport, 2pm-dark. Info:
660-766-2644
AUGUST I~adillac , MI-EAA Ch .
678 Fly- In /Drive-In Breakfast, Wex­
ford Cty Airport. 7:30-11 a.m. Info:
231-779-8113
AUGUST I 7-Broo kfield, WI-VAA Ch.
11, 19th Annual Vintage Aircraft Dis­
play and Ice Cream Social, Capitol
Airport. Noon-5 . Info: George 414-962­
2428 or Capitol Airport 262-781-8132

• Copperstate EAA Fly-In

October 9-12, Phoenix, AZ (A39)
www.copperstate.org

EAA's Countdown to
Kitty Hawk Touring

Pavilion presented by
Ford Motor Company
Key Venues in 2003
•June 13-16 - Ford Motor Company's lOOth
Anniversary Celebration, Dearborn, MI
•July 4-20 - Inventing Flight Celebration,
Dayton,OH
•July 29-Aug. 4 - EM AirVenture Oshkosh,
Oshkosh, WI
• August 23-September 2 - Museum of
Flight, Seattle, WA
. December 13-17 - First Flight Centennial
Celebration, Kitty Hawk, NC
AUGUST 22-23-Coffeyville, KS-Funk
Aircraft Owners Association 26th An­
nual Fly-In and Reunion . Info:
302-674-5350
AUGUST 22-24--Sussex, NJ-Sussex
Airshow. Experimentals, ultralights,
classics, warbirds, top performers,
celebrate the history of flight.
Info: 973-875-0783
or www.sl.lssexairshowinc.com
AUGUST 29-3I -Saranac Lake, NY-Cen­
tennial of Flight Celebration Air Show.

www.saranaclake.com/airport.sl7tml
AUGUST 30-Zanesville, OH-EAA Ch.
425 Pancake Breakfast Fly-In/Drive-In,
Riverside Airport, 8am-2pm. Lunch
also available. Info: 740-454-0003
AUGUST 30-Prosser, WA-EAA Ch. 391
20th Annual Labor Day Weekend
Prosser Fly-In. Info: 509-735-1664
AUGUST 30 --Marion, IN--13th Annual
FlylIn Cruise/ In Pancake Brea kfast.
Marion Municipal Airport (MZZ).
Features Antique, ClaSSiC, Homebuilt,
and Warbird aircraft, as well as vin­
tage vehicles. Info: Ray 765-664-2588
or www.FlylnCruiseln.com
AUGUST 30-SEPTEMBER I -Cleve­
land, OH-Cleveland Nat'l Air
Show. Info: 216-781-0747 or

www.c1evelandairsl7ow.com
continued on the next page
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

27

FLY-IN CALENDAR
CONTINUED

-

Workshop Schedule

••

•

Aircraft CooUng.

www.polyfiber.com

www.aircrafts pruce.com

June 21-22.2003 Frederick. MD
SHEET METAL BASICS
COMPOSITE CONSTRUCT
FABRIC COVERING
ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS
& AVIONICS
GAS WELDING
June 27-29. 2003 Griffin (Atlanta). GA
RVASSEMBLY
TIG WELDING
Aug 23. 2003

Arlington. WA
TEST FLYING YOUR PROJECT

Aug 23-24. 2003 Arlington. WA
SHEET METAL BASICS
COMPOSITE CONSTRUCT
FABRIC COVERING
ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS
&AVIONICS
Sept 5-7. 2003

Griffin (Atlanta). GA
TIG WELDING

Sept 12-14. 2003 Corona. CA
RVASSEMBLY

1-800-WORKSHOP
1-800-967-5746
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Sept 20-21 .2003 Denver. CO
SHEET METAL BASICS
COMPOSITE CONSTRUCT
FABRIC COVERING
ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS
&AVIONICS
INTRO TO AIRCRAFT BUILDING

Visit www.sportair.com
Sept 26-28. 2003 Griffin (Atlanta). GA
RVASSEMBLY
for a complete listing of workshops.
28

JUNE 2003

SEPTEMBER 13-14--Rock Falls, IL­
North Central EAA "Old Fashioned"
Fly-In, Whiteside County Airport
(SQI). Forums, workshops, fly-mar­
ket, camping, air rally, awards, food
& exhibitors, Sunday pancake break­
fast. Info: 630-543-6743 or
www.nceaa .org
SEPTEMBER 13-14--Bayport, NY­
40th Annual Fly-In of the Antique
Airplane Club of Greater New York,
Brookhaven Calabro Airport. Display
of vintage and homebuilt aircraft,
awards, flea market, hangar party.
Info: 631-589-0374
SEPTEMBER 19-20-Bartlesville,
OK-47th Annual Tulsa Regional Fly­
In. Info: Charlie Harris
918-665-0755, Fax 918-665-0039,
www.tulsaf/yin.com
SEPTEMBER 21-Simsbury, CT-An­
nual Fly-In, Simsbury Airport (4BO),
8 am-5 pm. Info: [email protected]
SEPTEMBER 26-28-Pottstown, PA­
Bellanca-Champion Club East Coast
Fly-In at Pottstown Municipal Air­
port (N47). Info: 518-731-6800 or
www.bellanca-championcJub.com
SEPTEMBER 27-28-Midland, TX­
Fina-CAF AIRSHO 2003, Midland
Int'l Airport. Info: 915-563-1000,
www.airsho.org
SEPTEMBER 27-Hanover, IN-An­
nual Wood, Fabric, & Tailwheels
Fly-In, Lee Bottom Flying Field. Re­
laxed atmosphere, legendary "Cajun
Avgas" (15 Bean Chili). May arrive
the night before to share fireside fly­
ing stories and enjoy Dawn Patrol.
Rain date 9/28/03. Info: 812-866­
3211 or If/[email protected]
SEPTEMBER 28-Ghent, NY-EAA
Ch. 146 Fall Fly-In Pancake Breakfast,
Klinekill Airport (NY 1), Ro ute 21B.
8:30-noon. (Gas available at Colum­
bia County Airport, IB1.)
518-758-6355, web: www.eaa146.org
OCTOBER 4-5-Rutland, VT-13th
Annual Leafpeepers Fly-In Breakfast,
Rutland State Airport . Info: 802-235­
2808, vt(lyerCiVvermontel.net
OCTOBER 15-19-Tullahoma, TN­
Beech Party 2003 "A Celebration"
Tullahoma Regional Airport. Safety &
Formation Flying School 10/17/03.
Awards, BBQ, kids hayride, ladies
fashion show, pilots
maintenance/safety seminars and
much more. Info: 931-455-1974 or
www.staggerwing.com
OCTOBER 25-26-Royal Newcastle
Aero Club, Maitland, New South
Wa les-The Great Tiger Moth Air
Race 2003 . Info: 02-9328-2480 e­
mail: {[email protected]

MYSTERY PLANE
CONTINUED FROM PAGE

5

tration letters under the port wing and
possibly a vestigial N number under the
tailplane. Could this be NC191M (ex G­
ADWW) before the original open
cockpit was enclosed and faired with a
raised decking back to the fin? Im­
ported into the United States to
Hyattsville, Maryland, in 1936, she
came to grief at Palm Beach, Florida, in
1959.
Mike Vaisey
Little Gransden Airfield
Nr. Cambridge, England
From one of our most experienced
members, we have this recollection:
The March Mystery Plane is the Miles
M-5 Sparrowhawk. Built in Great Britain
by Phillips and Powis Aircraft, it partici­
pated in the King's Cup race in the '30s.
It was a smaller version of the well­
known Miles Hawk and was powered
by a de Havilland Gipsy Major of 130
hp. Registered as NC-191M, it was the
former G-ADWW under British registry.
I first saw this aircraft at the old
Queen's Chapel Airport in Washington,
D.C., in the late '30s, where it was un­
dergoing restoration. In the summer of
1946 it was sold by Perry Boswell to
Carl Conrad of Romney, West Virginia,
who hangared it at Baker's Air Park in
Burlington, West Virginia. It was later
stored at the nearby Keyser, West Vir­
ginia, airport. In the early '50s it was
resold to Boswell and wound up in
southern Florida. It was later reported to
have crashed while being flown by an­
other pilot who suffered fatal injuries,
and the aircraft was destroyed.
I first flew the Sparrowhawk in Sep­
tember 1946 while employed at Baker's
Air Park, and during the next three
years I made about 30 additional flights
in it. Most were of short duration, with
a few aerobatic demonstrations at local
air shows and fly-ins.
We had a Waco UEC at Burlington
for passenger hops and an occasional
charter trip. In May 1947 we were in
need of engine parts for the Waco,
which were located in Springfield, Mass­
achusetts. I flew to Springfield in the
Sparrowhawk, picked up the parts, and

VINTAGE

TRADER

Something to buy, sell or trade?
Classified Word Ads: $5.50 per 10
words, 180 words maximum, with bold­
face lead-in on first line.
Classified Display Ads: One column
wide (2.167 inches) by I, 2, or 3 inches
high at $20 per inch. Black an d wh ite
only, and no frequency discounts.
Advertising Closing Dates: 10th of sec­
ond month prior to desired issue date (i.e.,
January 10 is the closing date for the
March issue). VAA reserves the right to re­
ject any advertising in conflict with its
policies. Rates cover one insertion per is­
sue. Classified ads are not accepted via
phone. Payment must accompany order.
Word ads may be sent via fax (920-426­
4828) or e-mail ([email protected]) using
credit card payment (all cards accepted).
Include name on card, complete address,
type of card, card number, and expiration
date . Make checks payable to EAA. Ad­
dress advertising correspondence to EAA
Publications Classified Ad Manager, P.O.
Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086.
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE

29

Membership Services Directo~y_
VINTAGE

AIRCRAFT
ENJOY THE MANY BENEFITS OF EAA AND
THE EAA VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION
ASSOCIATION


~

EAA Aviation Center, PO Box 3086, Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

OFFICERS
President
Espie 'Butch' Joyce
704 N. Regional Rd.
Greensboro, NC 27425
336-668-3650
[email protected]
Secretary

Steve Nesse
2009 Highland Ave.
Albert Lea, MN 56007
507-373-1674

[email protected]

Vice-President

George Daubner
2448 Lough Lane
Hartford, WI 53027
262-673-5885
[email protected]

Treasurer
Charles W. Harris
7215 East 46th 51.
Tulsa, OK 74147
918·622-8400

[email protected]

DIRECTORS
Steve Bender
85 Brush Hill Road
Sherborn, MA 01770
508-653-7557

sst [email protected]

Dale A. Gustafson
7724 Shady Hills Dr.
Indianapolis, IN 46278
317·293-4430
[email protected]

David Bennett
P.O. Box 1188
Roseville, CA 95678
916-645·6926

Jeannie Hill
P.O. Box 328

Harvard, IL 60033-0328

815·943-7205


[email protected]

dinghao@owc,net

John Berendt

7645 Echo Point Rd.

Cannon Falls, MN 55009

507-263-2414

[email protected]


Steve Krog
1002 Heather Ln.
Hartford, WI 53027
262-966-7627
[email protected]

Robert C. "Bob" Brauer

Robert D. "Bob" Lumley
1265 South 124th St.
Brookfield, WI 53005
262-782-2633
[email protected]

9345 S. Hoyne
Chlcago, IL 60620
773·779-2105
[email protected]

Gene Morris

Dave Clark
635 Vestal Lane
Plainfield, IN 46168
317·839·4500
[email protected]

5936 Steve Court
Roanoke, TX 76262
817-491-9110

John S. Copeland
lA Deacon Street
Northborough, MA 01532
5OB-393-4775
[email protected]


1429 Kings Lynn Rd
Stoughton, WI 53589
608-877-8485

Pltil Coulson

28415 Springbrook Dr.

Lawton, MJ 49065

269-624-6490


rcouisonSl6@c:s.com
Roger Gomoll

8891 Airport Rd, Box C2

Blaine, MN 55449

763-786-3342


pledgedrive@msncom

[email protected]
Dean Richardson

[email protected]
Geoff Robison

1521 E. MacGregor Dr.

New Haven, IN 46774

260-493-4724

[email protected]


S.H. II Wes" Sch mid
2359 Lefeber Avenue
Wauwatosa, WI 53213
414-771-1545
[email protected]

DIRECTORS

EMERITUS

Gene Chase
2159 Carlton Rd.
Oshkosh, WI 54904
920-231-5002

Phone (920) 426-4800 Fax (920) 426-4873

Web Site: http://www.eaa.org and http://www.airventure.org
E-Mail: vintage @ eaa.org


E.E. "Buck" Hilbert
P.O. Box 424
Unlon, IL 60180
815-923·459 1
[email protected]

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All major credit cards accepted for membership.
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AVIATION magaZine not included). (A dd $15

for Foreign Postage_)

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Current EAA members may join the EAA War­
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EAA Membership, WARBIRDS magaZine
and one year membership in the Warbirds Divi­
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EAA EXPERIMENTER
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Current EAA members may receive EAA
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EAA Membership and EAA EXPERIMENTER
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SPORT AEROBA TICS magazine for an addi ­
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Copyright ©2003 by Ihe EAA Vintage Aircra~ Association
All rights reserved.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE (ISSN 0091-6943) IPM 40032445 is published and owned exclusively by the EAA Vintage Aircra~ Association of the Experimental Aircra~ Association ane is published monthly at EAA Aviation
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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
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30

JUNE 2003

MYSTERY PLANE

CONTINUED FROM PAGE

Wit'll

•...
••

29

was back home by midday. This was a good demonstration of
its cross-country capability.
The Sparrowhawk was a fine aircraft, and it's too bad that it
no longer exists.
Clement H. Armstrong
Rawlings, Maryland
Alfred Fox Jr. had found the photo in some of his father's
materials, and Alfred Sr. didn't recall what it was. Alfred Sr. has
been actively flying since before the war, and is a veteran
World War II pilot, who continues to fly a Kitfox.
Other correct answers were received from the following members:
Jan Christie, Holmen, Wisconsin; Russ Brown, Lyndhurst, Ohio; Re­
nald Fortier, Ottawa, Ontario; Mike Searle, Tucson, Arizona; Bill
Pancake, Keyser, West Virginia (who used to taxi the airplane at the
Keyser airport when he was a IS-year-old!); Rick Wery, Juneau, Alaska;
Arnol Sellars, Tulsa, Oklahoma; Steve McGuire, Ponca City, Okla­
homa; Jim Strothers, Rancho Palos Verdes, California; Robert Byrd,
San FranCiSCO, California; Bill Mette, Campell, California; Roy Cagle,
Prescott, Arizona; Wayne Muxlow, Minneapolis, Minnesota; Vicki
Buttles, Placerville, California; Wayne Van Valkenburgh, Jasper, Geor­
gia; Thomas Lymburn; Princeton, Minnesota; John Erickson, State
College, Pennsylvania; Theodore Wales, Westwood, Massachusetts;
Frederick Blewitt, Youngstown, Ohio; Ted Stanfill, Alexandria, Vir­
ginia; Don DeGasperi, Albuquerque, New Mexico; Frank Garove,
Baltimore, Maryland; David Money, Wellington, New Zealand.

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VINTAGE AIRPLANE

31

Don and Donna Warner

Gilbert, AZ

• Don purchased (irst
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• Don met Donna in 1981
and introduced her to flying;
they were married in 1982
• In 1987, the Warners
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learned to fly
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