Vintage Airplane - Mar 1995

EDITORIAL STAFF 
Publisher 
Tom  Poberezny 
March 1995  Vol. 23, No.3 
CONTENTS 
1  Straight &  Level/ 
Espie "Butch" Joyce 
2  AlC News/ 
Compiled by H.G. Frautschy 
4  Aeromail 
5  From the Archives/ 
Dennis Parks 
9  Pass it to Buckl 
PageS
E.E. "Buck" Hilbert 
10  N5817N Over Holland/ 
Walter Van Tilborg 
12  Aerodrome ' 94/H.G. Frautschy 
16  Frank Warren's 
Thompson Trophy Paintings 
18  Howard Hughes Legacy 
Page  10
The Sikorsky S-43 
" Amphibion" INorm Petersen 
24  Members  ProjectslN orm Petersen 
26  Mystery Airplane/George Hardie 
28  Welcome New Members 
30  Calendar 
31  Vintage Trader 
Page  12 
FRONT  COVER  ... Ron  Van  Kregten's  Sikorsky  S-43.  flown  during  EAA 
OSHKOSH  ' 94  by Jess Bootenhof and co-pilot Richard Dickson. crosses the 
west shoreline of Lake Winnebago,  EM photo by Jim Koepnlck. shot with 
a  Canon EOS-l  equipped with an 8D-200mm  1f2,8Iens,  1/250 sec, at f 9,0 
on Kodak Ektachrome Lumlere  100 film,  Cessna 210 photo plane flown by 
Bruce Moore, 
BACK  COVER  , , ,From  the  1937  book  "Couriers  of  the Clouds'  comes this 
lIIustrotlon  of Charles  Lindbergh  flying  Pon  Am ' s Sikorsky  S-38  in  the 
Caribbean,  See this month' s AIC News regarding news about the S-38, 
Copyright  ©  1995  by the EAA Antique/Classic  Division Inc, All  rights reserved. 
VINTAGE AIRPLANE  OSSN  0091-6943)  is  published  and  owned  exclusively  by  the  EM Antique/Classic  Division,  Inc, of  the  Experimental 
Aircraft  Association  and  is  published  monthly at  EM Aviation  Center,  3000  Poberezny  Rd"  P,O,  Box  3086,  Oshkosh,  Wisconsin  54903-3086. 
Second  Class  Postage  paid  at  Oshkosh,  Wisconsin  54901  and  at  additional  mailing  offices.  The  membership  rate  for  EM Antique/Classic 
Division, Inc. is $27.00 for current EM 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  EM Antique/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 to foreign and APO addresses via suriace mail. 
AiDVERTISING  - 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  to submit stories and  photographs.  Policy opinions  expressed  in  articles are solely those of the 
authors.  Responsibility for accuracy in  reporting rests entirely with the contributor. No renumeration is made. 
Material should be sent to: Editor, VINTAGE AIRPLANE, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI  54903-3086.  Phone 4141426-4800.
The  words  EAA, ULTRALIGHT, FLY  WITH  THE  FIRST TEAM, SPORT  AVIATION  and  the  logos  of  EAA, EAA  INTERNATIONAL 
CONVENTfON, EAA  ANTfQUE/CLASSfC  DIVISfON, INTERNATIONAL  AEROBATIC  CLUB, WARBfRDS  OF  AMERfCA  are  ® registered 
trademarks. THE EAA  SKY  SHOPPE  and  logos of the  EAA  AVIATION  FOUNDATION  and  EAA  ULTRALIGHT CONVENTION  are trademarks 
of the abcve associations and their use by any person other than the abcve association is strictly prohibited. 
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 
Presidenf  Vice·President 
Espie "Butch" Joyce  Arthur Mor9.an 
P.O. Box  1001  W211  Nl1863 Hilltop Dr. 
Madison. NC 27025  Germantown. W153D22 
910/573-3843 414/628-2724
Secretary  Treasurer 
SIeve Nesse  E.E. "Buck" Hilbert 
2009 Highland Ave,  P,O,  Box 424 
Albert Lea. MN 56007  Union.IL60180 
507/373-1674  815/923-4591 
DIRECTORS 
John Berendt  Roberl C. "Bob" Brauer 
7645 Echo Point Rd.  9345 S.  Hoyne
Cannon Falls. MN 55OD9  Chicogo. IL 60620 
507/263-2414  312/779-2105 
Gene Chase  John S. Copeland 
2159  Rd.  28-3 Williamsburg CI. 
Oshkosh. Wi 54904  Shrewsbury. MA 01545 
414/231-5002  fIJ8/842-7867 
Phil  Coulson  George Daubner 
28415 Springbrook Dr. 
Lawton. MI 49065   
616/624-6490  414/673-5885 
Charles Hams  SIan Gomoll 
7215 East 46th SI.  1042 90th Lane. NE 
Tulsa. OK  74145  Minneopolis. MN 55434 
918/622-8400  612/784-1172 
Dale A. Gustafson  Jeannie Hili 
7724 Shady Hili  Dr,  P.O.  Box 328 
Indianapolis. IN 46278  Harvard.IL 60033 
317/293-4430  815/943-7205 
Roberl Ucktelg  Robert D.  "Bob" Lumley
1708 Bay Oaks Dr.  1265 Scuth  124th St . 
Albert Lea. MN 56007  Brookfield. WI  53005 
507/373-2922 414/782-2633
Gene Morris  George York 
115C SIeve Court. R,R. 2  181  Sloboda Av, 
Roanoke. TX  76262  Mansfield. OH  44906 
817/491-9110 419/529-4378
S.H.  "Wes" 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 
550akeyAv.  640 Alamo Dr. 
Lawrenceburg. IN 47025  Vacaville. CA 95688 
812/537-9354 707/451-0411 
Dean Richardson  Geoff Robison 
6701  Colony Dr,  1521  E, MacGregor Dr, 
Madison. WI  53717  New Haven, IN  46774 
608/833-1291  219/493-4724 
STRAIGHT  & LEVEL 
by Espie "Butch" Joyce 
In the last iss ue of VINTAGE
AIRPLANE I talked about the fact
that we were going to hold our next
Board of Directors meeting at Kermit
Weeks' facilit y in Polk City, Florida.
The new attracti on is approximately
15 miles east of Lakeland. Kermit has
erect ed three large buildings, along
with a 5,000 foot grass runway and a
2, 600 foot cross runway. There is a
large lake adjoining this property and
Kermit is constructing a seapl ane base
there. Right now, one of the buildings
is being used for storage and support
of t he grounds. The second building
is for maintenance and restorati on of
aircraft. The third houses t he office
area (i n t he cen t er ) wi th two large
hangars on each side of the offices .
We have al1 become so accustomed to
expecting to stop at a place like thi s
and see a st ati c dis play of muse um
qualit y aircraft , but thank goodness,
the re ar e some peopl e wh o do no t
think that way. Ke rmit ' s f acility is
cal1ed "Fant asy of Flight;" it is to be
an avi ation theme park.
To give you a bett er idea of Ker-
mit ' s direction with this mass ive pro-
ject, he has two to three people work-
ing with him who have done work at
Di sney World to set up hi s di spl ays.
The ce nter building wil1 also have a
gift shop and res taurant. His futur e
plans are to develop the area on the
north e nd of the property with the
more physical aspects of the theme
park. Fantasy of Flight can be seen
from Interstate 4 (the prope rt y runs
right up to the hi ghway) between Or-
lando and Lakeland with the most no-
ticeable landmark being a r ed and
whit e checkerboard elevated water
t ank that Kermit had to construct.
Whil e it wil1 not be ready for ful1 op-
eration by the time Sun ' n Fun takes
place, it is anticipated that Fantasy of
Fli ght will ope n some time in th e
spring. Personal1y, I can' t wait! I'm
not going to tel1 you all that Ke rmit
has planned for the exhibits, but I will
tell you that it wil1 be quite spectacu-
lar!
The avi ation community is lucky to
have an individual who has the love of
avia ti o n like Ke rmit , o ne who ca n
carry forward with the kind of effort
that allows al1 of us to share the vision
he has been building in Polk City.
Aft er saying all of that , you may
think it was tough to get to work whil e
in thi s e nvironme nt , but we cert ainl y
did hold a Board meeting. There were
a number of topi cs di scussed. The
Antique/Classic area during Oshkosh
was one of the main topics . I would
like to hi ghlight some of the items of
concern.
First we feel we need to do a better
job of keeping display or show aircraft
separated from the aircraft that peo-
ple want to camp with, therefore, the
parking chairman and hi s co-workers
are busy planning the layout for the
A/C parking area. The reality of the
situati on is that we wil1 have to park
aircraft further south than some care
to walk, and to work to minimize the
inconve ni e nce the following wil1 be
done:
• The r e wi ll be a shower locat e d
roughly in the area of the ILS on the
south end of Runway 36.
• There will al so be food service lo-
cated in thi s area to better serve the
south end of the the field.
• And every day, we will have trans-
portati on from the north e nd of our
area to the south end. We are going to
work out an additional trip schedule
each day from the south e nd to the
Camp Store located in the main camp-
ground.
We hope these additions to the ser-
vices provided at EAA Oshkosh wil1
help make your stay at Wittman Field
more enj oyable.
If we can work it out with Main Reg-
istration thi s year, we wil1 be register-
ing aircraft at Antique/Classic Head-
quarters to better serve the members.
Another topic at the Board meeting
was the me rcha ndi se so ld at An-
tique/Classic Headquarters. It was felt
that the variety of merchandi se should
be expanded and we should have some
upgraded items as well. Antique/Clas-
sic Director Bob Lumley was asked to
work with EAA and others to acquire
the needed items. If any member has
any good ideas for merchandise, please
contact Bob at his address, listed on
the Contents page.
The Golden Age of Air Racing will
be back this year. This should be very
exciting. Of al1 of the past Conven-
tion Showcase events, the racers have
proven to be one of the most popular.
Whil e at Lakeland it gave everyone
a chance to see what Sun ' n Fun has
been doing to get ready for this year' s
fl y-in. With the fly-in so close th e
staff and early bird voluntee rs ar e
very busy getting ready for Sun ' n Fun
' 95. Hope to see you there April 9-15.
Let ' s al1 pul1 in the same direction
for the good of aviation. Remember
we are bett er together. Join us and
have it all. ...
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 1
C-=Wl 
SIKORSKY S-38 
Our back cover features  another illus-
tration  from  the  book " Couriers of the 
Clouds. "  Drawn by author and illustrator 
Edward Shenton, it  depicts Charles Lind-
bergh's use  of an  S-38  to open Caribbean 
routes for Juan Trippe's Pan  American 
airlines.  We've included it  in  this  month's 
issue to commemorate a project by a new 
company formed by  R.W.  "Buzz"  Kaplan 
(EAA70086) of Owatonna, MN. 
Born Again  Restorations (BAR) will 
build  two Sikorsky S-38' s,  the  first  of 
which  will  roll  out in  two years.  A  large 
(71'8"  wingspan) sesquiplane, the S-38 
was a very successful design for Sikorsky -
38 were used by Pan Am alone, and  many 
othe rs  were  used  both  by  airlines  and 
wealthy owners.  Readers may  recall  the 
zebra striped  S-38  used  by  Martin  and 
Osa  Johnson  to  explore  th e  wilds  of 
Africa  in  the  1930' s.  The S.c. Johnson 
Wax  Company sponsors an exhibit in  the 
EAA  Air Adventure Museum  concern-
ing the  use by  S.c. Johnson Wax of an  S-
38  on an expedition  to find  carnauba wax 
palm  trees  in  Brazil, South America.  The 
exhibit features  a  full  size S-38 mock-up, 
compl ete  with  a  video  presentation on 
the expedition. 
BAR does have  a full  set of S-38  blue-
prints , thanks to  the efforts of Gerald 
Brubaker of McMinnville, TN, who had 
the  FAA make  copies  from  the ir files. 
While  they  have  all  of the prints needed, 
the folks  at  BAR would  benefit by seeing 
and  inspecting any  remaining S-38  com-
ponents .  If you  have any S-38  parts or 
compiled by  H.G. Frautschy 
components, please call  Dick Anderson 
at 507/451-6126 if you wish  to help with 
this ambitious project. 
We can look  forward  to  a  time when 
those of us  born  too late to ever see an 
original S-38 will  see  one grace  the skies 
again.  How lucky we are to  have  mem-
bers interested in  reproducing historic 
aircraft such as  this. 
SUN'NFUN 
If you are headed to Sun  ' n Fun  ' 95, 
the parking crew at Sun ' n Fun asks  that 
you  make up  a  sign  to  help  them  direct 
you  to the correct parking area.  The sign 
should be made of a light color with  large 
black letters.  You should be able to read 
the sign  from  50  feet  away.  Display the 
sign  in  the windshield, and you  can  use 
the  following  abbreviations for different 
parking areas: 
ACC - Antique/Classic/Contemporary 
(both regular parking and camping) 
GAC - General Aviation Camping 
GAP - General Aviation Parking 
HB  - Homebuilt Parking 
SP - Seaplane Parking 
WB  - Warbird Parking 
For those of you  headed to Lakeland, 
the  Sun 'n Fun  '95  arrival  procedures 
have  been included  in  the polybag wrap-
per of your March  issue of Sport Avia-
tion.  If you  need a copy of the procedure, 
you can get one by  contacting Sun  'n  Fun 
at 813/644-2431. 
Mode  C  Requirements:  During the 
FAA MEDICALS 
The proposal  by  the  FAA to change 
the standards by which  we  are issued 
medical certificates continues to be a 
very hot topic.  In  the March  issue of 
Sport Aviation, on pages 12 and 13, is  a 
complete article detailing EAA' s posi-
tion  regarding these changes.  I  urge 
you each to  read this article, because 
the issues  raised  by the FAA will  di-
rectly affect your access to the skies as 
a certified civilian  pilot. 
EAA' s  response  to  the  proposed 
changes has  been carefully prepared by 
the EAA Aeromedical Advisory Coun-
cil, comprised of twelve EAA members 
who are highly experienced Aviation 
Medical Examiners (AME's) and doc-
tors who  have specialties that apply  to 
the proposed changes.  This past Feb-
2 MARCH 1995
ruary  4  the  Council  came  to  EAA 
Headquarters to meet with  EAA staff 
members to final ize  EAA' s response to 
the FAA.  Hundreds of you wrote the 
FAA  and  sent  a  copy of your com-
ments  to  EAA, sending the FAA  a 
message  that this issue was  being  care-
fully watched by the flying public. 
EAA's comments will  be filed  in 
late March, and you also have  time  to 
submit your own letter with comments 
to  the FAA. Don' t delay,  or assume 
that because everybody else has sent in 
a  note, that yours does  not matter - it 
does, so get out your pens and let  the 
FAA know you are  not willing to give 
up your right to fly  by  having overly re-
strictive medical  regulations  put in 
place. 
Sun  'n Fun Convention and Fly-In, pilots 
are exempt from  meeting the Mode C re-
quirements for the Tampa 30  nm  Mode C 
Veil , as  long as  they are following the 
published arrival and departure proce-
dures.  For the remainder of the year, pi-
lots entering and exiting from  the east at 
or below 1,500 ft.  meet this  requirement. 
For more information, call the LAL tower 
at 813/644-2361. 
TWA  Charters: TWA  is  planning a 
number of charter flights  direct to  Lake-
land  from  several  Midwest cities.  The 
flights  will depart Sunday, April 9, and  re-
turn Saturday, April 15.  For information 
and  reservations, contact JoAnnie Genne 
at Dynamic Travel, 800/237-4083. 
Aerospace Education Workshop For 
Teachers: The 8th annual Sun  'n  Fun 
Aerospace Education Workshop will  be 
held Saturday, April 8, 1995.  Kinder-
garten through high school  teachers will 
have  the opportunity  to learn about avia-
tion  from  presenters from  NASA , the 
FAA, EAA and CAP, as  well  as several 
outstanding teachers.  A  field  trip  to  Ker-
mit Weeks '  Fantasy of Flight and a  visit 
to  the  Lakeland Control Tower are in-
cluded in  the activities.  In the evening a 
banquet will  be held  with  astronaut Curt 
Brown  as  the keynote speaker.  For more 
info, contact Barbara  Walters-Phillips at 
the  Sun  ' n  Fun office, phone 813/644-
2431. 
ED LACHENDRO HEADS 
BACK TO USAIR 
The Executive Director of the Young 
Eagles  program,  Ed  Lachendro,  an-
nounced  that he has accepted a  position 
with  the  Flight Operations office  at  US-
Air effective  March  1.  Ed  was  a  fur-
loughed pilot with  that airline when  he 
came  to  EAA  at  the inception  of the 
Young Eagles program, and the progress 
in  the program  to this  point is  a direct re-
flection  of the outstanding skills and dedi-
cation  he applied  to  the Young Eagles 
cause.  He will continue with  the program 
as a Field  Representative, as well  as  help-
ing in  any way  possible, as  many other 
EAA members volunteer their time. 
Discussions and interviews regarding a 
new  Executive  Director for  the Young 
Eagles  program are currently underway. 
Our thanks and best wishes to Ed and  his 
wife Joy for  the time, effort and dedica-
tion they have given  to the program so 
far , and  we  look forward  to seeing Ed's 
Champ giving Young Eagle rides all  over 
the  midwest. 
BLACK EXHAUST STACKS 
Most of you who have an EAA or Pe-
tersen STC to use  auto fuel  in  your air-
plane have no doubt noticed  that your ex-
haust stacks seem  to have more black, 
sooty deposits upon them than you  had 
with avgas. You may think that for some
reason, the autogas is making your engine
run richer. In fact, the unleaded autogas
formulated today does run "sootier," as a
quick look at your car's exhaust stack will
tell you. Comments have been received
here at EAA HQ regarding this phenom-
enon, and we have been assured that the
slightly black exhaust is perfectly normal.
While burning unleaded autogas, do not
adjust your mixture to get a grey exhaust
pipe - doing so will result in an overly
lean mixture and probable engine dam-
age. (A burned piston is the most com-
mon type of damage due to overJeaning.)
During the fuel research conducted by
the EAA Foundation, it has been noticed
that different fuels leave varying deposits
on the stacks - regular unleaded gasoline
leaves the black deposits, but the stacks
clean up considerably if MTBE or ETBE
is added to the fuel as an oxygenate. Re-
member, don't assume that because your
stacks are dirty while running on auto
fuel , your engine is running rich - setting
your mixture based upon the look of your
stacks while burning avgas is still the sim-
plest process available at this time, with-
out using an instrumented method.
FUEL BLADDER SEALANTS
Daryl Lenz, Director of Aircraft Main-
tenance with the EAA Aviation Founda-
tion, has sent us the following regarding
certain fuel tank sealants:
EAA has received several reports (and
some samples) of rubber fuel bladder
sealants which have come loose in the
tanks. The sealants, which are sprayed on
by several bladder overhaul facilities ,
come loose in several large pieces or
sheets.
If undetected, these pieces could result
in fuel starvation to the engine. The
problem appears to be related to the
sealant's adhesion to the bladder, and not
to the type of fuel used. Periodic inspec-
tion of the fuel cells through the filler
neck is advised. If you have a fuel cell in
need of repair, you might consider send-
ing the cell to an overhaul facility that
uses the "hot patch" repair method.
The past few months have seen the passing of
afew ofaviation's notables . . .
FATHER JOHN MACGILLIVRAY,
71, passed away February 5,1995 in Anti-
ngonish, Nova Scotia. Father John was
the unoffical chaplain of the EAA Con-
vention, offering Catholic mass to Con-
vention goers since the early days of the
event. He was present for each Conven-
tion since 1959, except for the 3 years he
spent in Germany while serving as a
RCAF chaplain.
He served in the RCAP in that capac-
ity for 24 years, until his retirement in
1978. While in the RCAF he earned his
STOUT BATWING
Peter Bowers sent in this photo of the Stout Batwing Limousine. A unusual
looking airplane, it featured all wood construction and was powered by 150 hp
Packard engine. We have more on the Batwing in this month ' s " From the
Archives," starting on page 5.
pilot ' s license and would go on to own
four different aircraft - a Taylorcraft; the
last deHavilland Puss Moth to fly in
Canada, which he donated to the Na-
tional Aeronautical Collection in Ottawa;
his beloved Tiger Moth, CF-IVO, and the
last flyable Miles Hawk. Both the Hawk
and the Tiger Moth were donated to the
EAA Aviation Foundation, and are on
display in the Air Adventure Museum Pi-
oneer Airport hangars.
After retiring to Nova Scotia in 1978,
Father John continued to serve his min-
istry with various church positions until
his passing.
PERCIVAL "Spence" SPENCER,
97, dies January 16, 1995 in Los Angeles.
Christopher Spencer, Spence' s father , in-
vented the Spencer repeating rifle, cred-
ited with shortening the Civil War
(Christopher was 63 years old when Per-
cival was born in 1897!). Spence had a
wide inventive streak in his psyche as
well. His father let him have run of the
workshop, resulting in Spence' s construc-
tion of a hang glider at the age of 14.
Learning to fly with the craft , he contin-
ued to be an active pilot until the age of
90. Spence, like many of his contempo-
raries, had a number of careers in avia-
tion, as a barnstormer, corporate pilot ,
fixed base operator, aircraft designer, test
pilot and manufacturer.
The airplane most often identified
with P.H. Spencer is the Republic
SeaBee, which started life as the Air Car
Amphibian #1 in 1940. As a production
test pilot for Republic during WW II, he
was in a unique position to pitch his Air
Car for production after the war. The
rights were purchased from Spence and
the all metal SeaBee went on the become
an aviation classic.
In later years, working in conjunction
with his partner, Dale "Andy" Anderson,
a revised version of the Spencer Air Car
was made available to the homebuilder. A
smaller 2-place version called the Air Car
Jr. was also designed and flown by Spence
at the age of 86. That airplane was do-
nated to the EAA Aviation Foundation.
Spence's legacy reached into a number
of fringe aviation areas - many boys and
girls who grew up in the 1950's may recall
the Wham-O-Bird flying ornithopter toy,
invented and patented by none other that
P.H. Spencer. He was an aviation inven-
tor of the highest order.
ELSIE LAIRD, wife of aviation leg-
end Matty Laird, passed away on January
20,1995. Elsie was a long time pilot -
she learned to fly in Matty's personal
Laird LC-B, NC6906, and was later re-
united with the same airplane at the 1982
AAA fly-In after its restoration by For-
rest Lovley and Ed Sampson. She was
Matty' s partner in his aeronautical and
business ventures since their marriage in
1933. An active supporter of EAA,
Elsie was present when she and her hus-
band, along with Jimmy Doolittle, were
thrilled by the constuction of EAA's
replica Laird Super Solution replica.
LEIGHTON COLLINS, 92, passed
away on January 16, 1995 in Henderson-
ville, NC. A publisher and editor who set
the standards for outstanding aviation
journalism with his magazine, Air Facts,
Leighton Collins put down in plain lan-
guage the real world facts of private avia-
tion from the magazines inception in 1938
until his retirement in the early 1970' s. A
pilot since the roaring '20s, he saw private
aviation graduate from the Jenny to the
light twin, and was witness to and partici-
pant in the birth of light aircraft IFR flight.
Through it all, he reported on aviation's
progress.
Leighton' s legacy continues with his
son, aviation journalist and Flying maga-
zine editor-at-Iarge Richard Collins. ...
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3
MAIL 
DearH.G. , 
In  reference  to  your  article  on  the 
Grand Champion Taylorcraft in  the No-
vember issue of SPORT A VIATION: 
You mentioned that Phillips  head screws 
were " ... another product of the postwar 
era, antique airplanes simply shouldn't 
have  them." 
Well,  I don't think that statement is  en-
tirely true.  Years ago,  I posed the ques-
tion of use  of Phillips screws in  aircraft to 
noted antiquer Joe Pfeifer.  He mentioned 
that he  first  observed these screws being 
used  by  Lockheed in  the "late 1930s" to 
assemble  Model  12 and  14  aircraft.  The 
advent of power tools in  aircraft assembly 
dictated  the use of Phillips screws at this 
time.  I also submit this Phillips screws ad-
vertisement in  the December 1939 issue of 
AVIATION magazine. 
Light aircraft manufacturers probably 
didn't use  Phillips type screws until some-
time after the war-but the bigger air-
planes certainly employed them  as  early as 
the late 1930s so don't be so quick  to dock 
points from  all  prewar aircraft employing 
Phillips head screws. 
Sincerely, 
Dan Cullman 
17661  SE 301st Street 
Kent, W A 98042-5715 
Thanks for the note, Dan - I'm sure many
of the folks both restoring and judging air-
planes find this information enlightening.
How about it restorers? Have you run across
documentable original light airplanes with
Phillips head screws? If you have, drop us a
note here at EAA HQ.
Dear Mr.  Frautschy: 
The December issue was  a real Christ-
mas present for  me!  That's because of 
your  article  about  Waco  NC17470.  I 
haven't seen it  for several years except for 
a brief moment at Sun  'n Fun, but I have 
flown  it several hundred hours, owned it 
and  had it  restored (the restoration prior 
to  the current one). 
Your article is  a very good one, in  my 
opinion.  As  a writer myself I  know  how 
difficult  it can be to obtain pertinent facts 
undistorted.  So, in  a holiday happy spirit I 
send you  the following few  facts  to set the 
record straight (Ray Brandly was  obvi-
ously confused). 
First, Arnold Nieman never owned the 
airplane.  I  bought it from  a  guy named 
Tony Blackstone in  Enid, Oklahoma.  It
was  a super basket case.  I was  working as 
a  mathematics professor at Purdue Uni-
versity at the time, and I  hired Arnold  to 
go  to Oklahoma and get the goodies and 
bring them to Florida, where he did  the 
restoration.  I first  flew  the restored air-
plane at Ocala, Florida on New Years day, 
1982.  I had the "new" 275  Jacobs installed 
in  April of 1987.  By  that time I had moved 
to Orange Springs, Florida, near Ocala, 
where I  had  built a  horse  farm  with an 
airstrip on it, called  "Patch 0' Blue. " 
Arnold still  has  a place there and so  does 
Dale Gustafson. 
The airplane looks almost exactly as  it 
did  when  I owned it.  The only differences 
I can see are:  a)  It did  not wear the Tex-
aco star logo, and  b)  I  had a  green  pin-
stripe on it,  which I  believe that it had 
originally. 
Naturally,  I  miss  the  airplane very 
much-wouldn't have sold it if circum-
stances had  not made it necessary-but it 
was  really good to see it again in  your arti-
cle. 
Thanks.  Happy Flying, 
M. L. (Mike) Keedy, Ph.D. 
1010 S.  Orange Avenue 
Box 180 
Bartow, FL 33831-0180 
P. S.  Of course, my  name was also  mis-
spelled.  It usually is. 
Sorry about the misspelled last name Mike,
and thanks for setting the record straight
about the Texaco Waco, NC17470.
Dear H.G.: 
I thoroughly enjoyed your excellent ar-
ticle in  the January, 1995  issue of VIN-
TAGE AIRPLANE.  It brought back to 
me my  brief but torrid love affair with  a 
PT-23,  NC64047  back in  the fall  of 1947  in 
Grand Rapids, Michigan.  I say "brief" be-
cause  it  lasted only 29 days from  my  first 
flight  to my  last one some 9-1/2 flying 
hours later. 
I  had soloed a J-3  Cub in  May of 1941, 
but the war (I was  a 2DLT in  the Marine 
Corps) got in  the way and it was  not until 
November, 1946 flying  under the  GI Bill 
that I got my  Private license.  I continued 
to build time in  7AC Champs and later in 
Cessna 120s.  I had around 100 hours when 
the school, Camfield Aviation, acquired 
NC64047  for  a  reported $500.00.  My  in-
structor at  the  time  who  shall  remain 
nameless announced that it was time for 
me to transition to something bigger than 
the 120. 
This was  pretty heady stuff.  You wore 
a helmet and goggles, a parachute, and sat 
up there in the front cockpit while two line 
boys cranked the hand inertia starter. 
There was  scorn  on  their  faces  if you 
couldn't get the Continental W-670 to fire 
off on  the first  try.  I must admit that I was 
somewhat in  awe  of the big bird, a feeling 
that was  not lessened when  I found  myself 
becoming airborne on a  heading about 45 
degrees to  the left of the runway center-
line! 
After a  couple of hours I  had learned 
that she was  really a most docile  machine 
and a  real joy to fly.  On my  final  check 
ride before solo, Instructor Nameless an-
nounced  that he was going to show me 
how  to roll the airplane.  Under normal 
circumstances this might have been OK 
but he was  suffering from  a colossal hang-
over and  his  reflexes were  not all  they 
should have been.  He simply couldn't get 
the wings  past vertical and we  would just 
fall  out of the sky.  After two or three tries 
he gave  up and we  returned to the field 
where he climbed out and  told me to take 
her around the pattern a few  times by  my-
self.  As I  did  my cockpit check before 
taxiing out I was greeted by the sight of 
my belt and  harness lying disconnected in 
my  lap.  I  have  often wondered if I  may 
have escaped an  unplanned parachute 
jump. 
The PT-23 and I got along beautifully 
and  I think those last few  hours I shared 
with  her were the most delightful flying  I 
have ever had.  The terrain west of Grand 
Rapids was  level  and open and we were 
encouraged to  practice simulated emer-
gency landings.  I  found  that this drill 
could be much more interesting if I made 
my final  approach leg with the airspeed in-
dicator on the red line and  my  recovery a 
glorious chandelle! 
On Sunday, 2 November 1947, we  had 
our last flight  together.  Three days later a 
former  high  time civilian instructor for  the 
Army took off in  her with a passenger in 
the rear seat and  his  fuel  selector on an 
empty tank.  A hundred feet off the ground 
the engine quit.  He attempted a 180 and 
spun in,  killing his  passenger and destroy-
ing that beautiful gal.  The following  week 
I  made  a  couple of hops in  the 120 but 
something was  missing.  I hung it up  and 
never flew  again for 36 years. 
Best regards, 
Rowland L. Hall 
Northfield, IL  *"
4 MARCH 1995
FROM THE ARCHIVES  ... 
Stout Batwing Limousine 
by Dennis Parks 
William Stout
In the January issue of VINTAGE, I had misidenti-
fied a Fokker F.I1l, calling it the Stout Batwing Limou-
sine. In order to help rectify the situation, here is some
information and photos about the F.JII and the Batwing.
The Stout Batwing passenger ship was a further de-
velopment of a Stout experiment with a canti lever
monoplane, constructed in 1918. This was a single-seat
design that was powered by a Hispano engine loaned by
the Army Air Service. The plane was impressive enough
to attract the interest of Bob Stranahan, head of the
Champion Spark Plug Company. In order to further ex-
plore the design potential, he supplied the financing to
start the Stout Engineering Company.
The Batwing Limousine was built entirely of wood.
The wings were covered with very thin three-ply wood
gl ued over a lattice style wing made of wood and veneer.
According to an article written by Stout and published
in the January 3 issue of AERIAL AGE, " the com-
pleted ship, while having thirty square feet more than
the German Junker aeroplane (F.13), weighs almost 400
pound less, while its structural strength is doubled. The
total ship weighs 1,940 pounds empty, as against the
2,380 pounds for the German ship. Its landing speed,
however is ten miles less and its maximum speed greater
than that of the German plane. In the flying test the
plane flew at a maximum speed close to 120 miles an
hour, yet lands at 40 miles an hour."
. ~
~
  ~
. ~
~                     ~ ~ ~                     ~     ~ ~     ~ ~
FOKKER F.III Transport
This aircraft was misidentified in the January issue of VINTAGE as the Stout Batwing Limousine.  The FJII  was a slightly larger more pow-
erful development of the  previous F.II.  An  interesting feature was the placing of the  pilot on the right side of the engine.  In April of 1921, 
Holland's KLM began to use the F.III as the basis of its passenger service. 
In the summer of 1921  the FJII  was demonstrated in the United States by the well known pilot, Bert Acosta, flying from Long Island.  The 
F.III  stayed in the United States, owned by Acosta himself and carried the registered  number of 1891. The June 1993 issue of AERO-
PLANE  MONTHLY shows a photo of the aircraft taken at  Roosevelt Field in October 1929. 
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5 
Limousine Nose
Vision in an airplane was not considered as very important in 1920. The Batwing had a small flat windshield above the engine cowl that
enabled the pilot to see straight ahead. Note the pointed leading edge of the wing, similar to supersonic wing sections.
6 MARCH 1995
Limousine Tail (Above)
This view of the Batwing shows the deep
cord of the wing and its taper. According
to Stout, this was one of the first aircraft in
the country with a double-taper wing.
The Batwing had a span of 36 feet
and used a Packard engine develop-
ing 150 horsepower. Demonstrated
by test pilot Bert Acosta, it gained
the interest of the Navy. During Navy
trials in December of 1921, the air-
craft carried a load of 1,170 pounds
and climbed to 5,000 feet in ten min-
utes.
The Navy was impressed by the
plane's flying abilities, but more so of
its speed and its load carrying capabil-
ities. This lead the Navy into con-
tracting with Stout for an all-metal,
twin-engine torpedo plane based on
the Batwing configuration. The con-
cept was revolutionary - at that time,
no metal plane of this type had been
built in the country. Two years of
work produced the ST all-metal tor-
pedo plane for the Navy.
Flight Pictures
Fl ight tests of t he Bat wi ng t ook
place at t he Packard field at Mt.
Clemens, MI. Apparent ly the air -
craft performed well in the air but
Stout reported that the fixed hori-
zontal stabilizer presented prob-
lems duri ng landing. The craft
wanted to porpoise on the landing
glide. However, when the plane
came close to " terra firma,"
ground effect helped it level out
and land very smoothly.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7
1918 Batwing (Above)
The 1918 Batwing. This was Stout's first attempt to solve the structural problem of putting all the structure members inside a single wing
in order to lessen drag. Stout had figured that of the 400 horsepower used in the DH 4 biplane, 297 horsepower went into "shoving the
sticks, braces and radiator through the air." Thus he proposed an aircraft which was nothing but a wing with control surfaces. Even the
engine was inside the wing. With financing from the Motor Products Corporation of Detroit, Stout was able to build his aircraft.
The plane was flown in November of 1918 at McCook Field but engine problems hampered tests. The Army retained the airplane but with
the war over, they lost interest in pursuing the design.
ST Torpedo Plane (Below)
The Stout ST all-metal torpedo plane was completed in April 1922. Eddie Stinson was retained as the test pilot for Navy demonstrations
at Selfridge Field. Stinson flew the torpedo bomber several times before it was handed over to a Navy pilot. On the second flight the
Navy pilot stalled the airplane on landing and pancaked into the ground, ruining the airplane. The Navy closed the contract, which was for
three machines, and Stout and his backers were out $163,000. ..
8 MARCH 1995
by Buck Hilbert • EAA #21 • Ale #5 • P.O. Box 424 • Union, IL 60180
Yours truly has gotten himself another
volunteer job. Again!
This one really gets my attention.
Why? 'Cause it affects each and every
one of us who own airplanes, fly airplanes,
maintain or restore airplanes either for
our own amusement or for pay.
The job is being part of the A VIA-
nON RULE MAKING ADVISORY
COMMITTEE. This committee is
charged with the rewrite of FAR parts 43
and appendices, and 91 where it applies to
maintenance responsibilities of owners
and pilots.
Have I got your attention? I hope so,
because this affects everyone of us,
whether we fly or whether we maintain or
restore airplanes . Any airplane that
weighs less than 12,500 pounds, empty, to
be exact, and regardless of its age!
The task of this General Aviation
Maintenance working group is beautifully
illustrated by EAA's Washington repre-
sentative, Charlie Schuck, in the mission
statement he authored. It reads:
"Review Title 14 Code of Federal Reg-
ulations, parts 43 and 91 , and supporting
policy and guidance material for the pur-
pose of determining the course of action
to be taken for rulemaking and/or policy
relative to the issue of General Aviation
Aircraft Inspection and Maintenance,
specifically, section 91.409, Part 43 and
Appendices A and D of that part 43. In
your review, consider any inspection and
maintenance initiatives underway
throughout the aviation industry affecting
General Aviation with a maximum certifi-
cated weight of 12,500 pounds or less .
Also consider ongoing initiatives in the ar-
eas of: Maintenance record keeping, Re-
search and Development, the AGE of the
current aircraft fleet, harmonization, the
true COSTS of inspection versus mainte-
nance, and changes in technology."
Now that is ALL the Aviation Rule-
making Advisory Committee has to do!
Simple, what?
Hey! Who' s idea is this anyhow? Just
how did this General Aviation Mainte-
nance Working Group come into being?
Well, the current regulations, the bulk
of them, were written in simpler times.
The "Good Old Days" if you want to call
them that. Back when the Cessna Air-
masters and the Aeronca Chiefs were
newest of the sporty airplanes. When the
CAA was created and standardization was
the buzzword. It was a time of distrust, al-
most like today. The whole idea of air-
plane regulations was new and so were the
people who were the line inspectors who
took on the job.
You hear comments all the time about
all the "old-timers" retiring and the "new"
guys going by the book with stiff interpre-
tation of the rules that just seem to defy
common sense. Well , I can tell you from
experience that this is history repeating it-
self! We had the same situation back
when I was a line boy in 1940. The
grapevine would come alive, the under-
ground lines of communication would
buzz whenever one of the CAA inspectors
left his office and came out in the field.
There must have been numerous leaks
from his office cause we always knew just
where he was , who was getting checked,
and where he was headed next. The KGB
couldn' t have done a better job.
It took years , but these people mel-
lowed as time went by. They actually used
a little common sense that comes with ex-
perience. They'd seen it all , and they
came to realize that there were gray areas,
that everything wasn't black and white.
They learned a little when it was apparent
that a modification was be tter than the
original, or when common sense told them
something was all right.
Well , we have a crop of "new ones" to-
day, and they have this great big bunch of
regulations to administer. And because of
the times, the age of the airplanes, the liti-
gious society we live in, and a hundred
other reasons, we have been asked to help
FAA rewrite these regs, as necessary to fit
today' s scene. Maybe they don't need it,
but we need to review them and then say
so! Face it , gang, this is our chance! Our
chance to rewrite rules and come up with
policy that is once in a lifetime. These
regs have stood since 1938. The ones we
rewrite, the policies we come out with as a
result of these meetings will stand every
bit as long! Let ' s get with it. We are af-
fecting ourselves in our time and those
who will follow, the ones who will some-
day take over our Anflque and Classic air-
planes. Have I made my point?
The next meeting, to be held in con-
junction with the Professional Aviation
Maintenance Association Annual Semi-
nar, is February 11 at the Hyatt Regency
Hotel in Savannah, GA. Contact Tim
Coggin 912/920-9370 or Vince Miller
912/965-4736 for the time. It may be too
late for this one, but other meetings are
scheduled in Ft. Worth, Texas on March
29; then Cincinnati, Ohio, May 11; then
Wichita, Kansas on June 21.
The exact locations and times of these
meetings will be in mailings to the local
EAA Chapters as they firm up. Watch for
them, and please understand, the dates
are very tentative. If you want to go, give
Earl Lawrence, Government Affairs spe-
cialist at EAA HQ a call and confirm the
time and date of the meeting you want to
attend. They are being held on weekdays,
and believe you me, if you need to take a
day off from work, this is the one FAA
meeting you should make the sacrifice for
- it really is that important.
Come to these meetings, come pre-
pared! The panel sitting in front of you is
there to accept your INPUT! Don't come
to ask questions or HASSLE anybody.
Come armed with suggestions on how to
change parts and pieces of the Regula-
tions that are hazy, irksome, cumbersome,
unworkable, that DEFY common sense,
or that could be more workable if there
were just working changes or better defin-
itions.
Review the FARs. Pay close attention
to airworthiness, to STCs, field approvals,
modifications, manufacturers' specifica-
tions, owner maintenance and parts man-
ufacturing, and the biggie, "paperwork! "
Do some homework on these and what-
ever constructive criticism you can come
you with, BUT, and this is a BIG BUT,
give with the suggestions as to how to
make things more workable. Let's make
aviation fun again! Let's do it , guys and
gals. To paraphrase a line you see at the
end of each of Butch's columns, Let's all
pull together on this so we can pass on our
flying machines to posterity as legal cer-
tificated flying machines, and with a book
of rules and policies that will keep them
going forever.
Over to You,
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9
--
-
  ~
.
N5817N
OVER
HOLLAND
By Francois Collard and
Walter K. van Tilborg, EAA 92129
I guess every person does some day-
dreaming now and then and I certainly
did when flying my Piper Super Cub, a
former Dutch Army PA-18-35. I should
have been a happy man considering
that sport flying in Holland is an expen-
sive hobby but I could not help that I
kept dreaming of once owning a bi-
plane, preferably an old-timer. So one
day, after another happy flight you start
looking for that biplane and start talk-
ing to experts and people who can, you
hope, tell you where to start with. They
advise you to read the advertisements
10 MARCH 1995
in the aviation magazines but you soon
find out it is very difficult to find what
you are looking for. It is soon clear
that the U.S.A. is probably the only
country where you can get your biplane
at an affordable price and when a friend
tells you to go to Oshkosh, you ask, in
your ignorance, why go there? The
only thing to do is buy your airplane
ticket and look for yourself. And then
you arrive at Oshkosh during the 1980
Fly-In, soon to find out you need to be
in very good physical condition to see
everyt hing that is going on during the
show.
And then, after 3 days and I do not
know how many miles, there she is, the
FOR SALE sign hanging from the nose.
The fact that the plane cost more than
you wanted to invest does not matter
anymore. To tell the truth, I had hoped
to find a Tiger Moth or a Stampe SV-4,
which r considered to be the perfect
plane because several of t hese E uro-
pean-built machines were st ill flying in
Europe. But I fell in love with a Stear-
man E75, a type of aircraft r did not
know, apart from having seen pho-
tographs. After I had talked to the
owner I did not know what to do, so a
sleepless night foll owed. The next day I
had made up my mind but when I ar-
rived at Oshkosh the plane was still
there but the owner had left. Now
what? Fortunately, I had his address
and we soon ag reed on the terms of
sale. I was advised to have the plane
shipped to Europe in a container and as
soon as I was back in Holland I made
the necessary arrangements. It was not
until May 1981 that the container ar-
rived in Rotterdam. The customs offi-
cer who handled the customs clearance
wanted to see the aircraft (must have
been curiosity) and I had the first
chance of taking a look at the plane to
see whether it had arrived without dam-
age.
I soon found out that the people who
had done the packing had done a per-
fect job keeping in mind that the engine,
all four wings and the tail surfaces had
to be taken off, and that only one inch
was left between the container walls and
the main wheels.
The same day the container was
transported to Rotterdam airport and
the Stearman was unloaded. Putting all
parts together was started immediately
by an enthusiastic group of mechanics
who were happy to work on my plane
rather than on the usual Cessnas. Dale,
the Stearman's former owner was work-
ing for Pan Am, and he could arrange to
come over to Holland to supervise the
whole job. Within 3 days the plane was
in flying condition agai n with all the rig-
ging done. Fortunately Dale had a ten-
siometer, a tool completely unknown in
Holland.
We soon had the engine running
again. I knew that the big day was there
but weather conditions forced us to wait
until the weekend. No time was lost as
this gave me time to have all the neces-
sary paperwork done because I kept the
plane on the US register.
Though it had not been unnoticed
that there was a "strange" plane in one
of the hangars of Rotterdam airport,
many more people than I would have
expected were present when the first
flight was made. I had found a friend of
mine willing to make the check flight
and when, after circling the airport , he
did not land again we were all sure that
everything was o.k. and the Stearman
disappeared on a north-easterly heading
to Hilversum airfield where it is based
now. I used the summer months to get
experience on the Stearman and I vis-
ited several small air shows in Holland
and Belgium.
The Stearman attracted a lot of at-
tention because it is a relatively rare air-
craft in Europe and as far as I know
only three or four are active in Europe.
Flying the Stearman can be summed up
in one word - fantastic - and I hope that
my very pleasant experience may stimu-
late others who have dreams like I had.
Finally I like to thank Dale and all the
wonderful people in Rotterdam airport
who helped in getting the plane flying in
the Dutch skies. ....
(Above)  After unloading from  the container on the Rotterdam docks,  Collard and Tilborg get 
their first  look at the Stearman. 
(Left)  Last preparations  for  the first  flight  in  Holland in May of 1981. The small biplane in 
the  foreground is not a Dutch homebuilt - Holland is not that small! 
(Above)  N5817N is immortalized in  this gouache painting by Thijs  Postma. 
(Below)  After all of the proper parts have been put in  their respective places,  the N2S Stear-
man is  ready  for  flight  at the Rotterdam airport. 
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11
Aerodrome 
Article and photos by H.C. Frautschy
Crummy weather once again hampered
the efforts of Frank Ryder and his busy
band of WW I enthusiasts during Aero-
drome ' 94. This was the second event put
on by Frank and his Lake Guntersville
Fighter Replica Museum staff and volun-
teers, with the fly-in moved from Gun-
tersville to Gadsden, AL. Still, pilots are a
pretty resourceful bunch, and by the end
of the weekend, well over 40 airplanes and
pilots had somehow made their way one
way or another to Gadsden. They came
early to beat the weather, pulling trailers
(like the Dawn Patrol from Kansas City
with their Nieuports) or simply waiting it
out. Patrick Henry decided that since he
had so much fun flying his Fokker Tri-
plane to Alabama the last time, he' d just
do it again, crossing most of the U.S. on his
journey from Jacksonville, OR.
R/C modelers were also invited to this
Fly-In, with scheduled times for flying. 114
and 1/3 scale radio controlled models of
WW I era aircraft flew each day, perform-
ing well for a number of pilots who had
never seen these unmanned aircraft . The
large size of these models allows realistic
flights , especially the slow flight of a Sop-
with Pup equipped with a 4-cyc\e engine.
The Saturday evening banquet featured
the induction of nominees into the World
War One Aviation Historical Hall of
Fame. They are:
Douglas (deceased) and Anthony
Bianchi, father and son team of Personal
Plane Services in England. Doug and
Tony built many of the airplanes for
"Those Magnificent Men and Their Flying
Machines " and "The Blue Max." They
were pioneer builders of flying replica air-
craft.
Jo Kotula, artist for 38 consecutive
years of the cover of Model Airplane
News. Many of his paintings featured WW
Three replicas on the attack -
Barney Petersen's Fokker DVII,
and two airplanes from Ryder's
Replica Museum - the Albatros
DVa and Fokker Dr.l Triplane.
I themes.
Holger Steinle, curator of aviation at
the Museum for Verkehr und Tech nik.
Berlin, Germany. His dedicated and
meticulous work regarding the restoration
of WW I aircraft has set the standards for
many to follow.
Tony Ditheridge of AJD Engineering,
master WW I replica builder.
Bill Marsalko, aviation watercolor artist
whose paintings have captured much of
the spirit of WW I aviation.
As detailed in the January 1995 issue of
Vintage Airplane, Frank Ryder, his wife
Carolyn and son Scott perished in the
crash of Frank's Piper Malibu shortly after
takeoff at Rochester, MN on December
23, 1994. As of this time, no determination
as to the cause has been made. The plans
for Aerodrome '95 and the disposition of
Frank ' s estate, including the Fighter
Replica Museum remain uncertain. Ry-
der's Replica Museum, remains open as of
this date - if you' d like to visit , I'd suggest
a phone call to confirm the museum hours.
Call Robin at 205/582-4309 for more infor-
mation.
At the banquet Saturday night , Frank
Ryder said during his speech that he hoped
he had provided some spark to the move-
ment , but if we were looking for someone
to always be there to organize and lead the
way , he said, " I ' m not your man ." He
wanted us all to take on the responsibility
of keeping the movement alive and see it
progress. With his passing, the point is dri-
ven further home - if we want something
to happen, we each have to pick up the
yoke and pull it along.
12 MARCH 1995
(Above) On hand for Aerodrome '94 was Bill
Nungesser, great-cousin of French WW I
ace Charles Nungesser. An American citi-
zen living in the New York area, Bill was on
hand with a fascinating photo display of his
long departed great-cousin's life.
(Above left) Pat Tomlinson of Marana, AZ
brought his LeRhone rotary-powered Sop-
with Pup to Gadsden. Pat and Fred Murrin,
flying his Fokker Triplane, put on a neat
demonstration of the capabilities of rotary
powered airplanes - the flat turns at low
speed were mind boggling! Pat also has a
single Vickers machine gun rigged to fire
blanks at the proper rate of fire. Hearing the
gun actually fire was very enlightening.
(Above, left) Roger Freeman was given a
chance by Pat to fly the Pup during Aero-
drome '94. Do you think he enjoyed himself?
The pretty Sopwith Camel built by the late Don
Rushton is now a part of the Replica Fighter Mu-
seum Collection in Lake Guntersville. It looks as
though Patrick Henry has the Camel in his slghtsl
(Left) Master machinist
Paul Knapp runs his
miniature Bentley BR2
WW I rotary engine just
before one of the thunder-
storms pelts the airport.
Built to 1/4 scale, Paul is
making a production run
of 20 of these engines
(sorry, they're already
spoken for) and has plans
to build other engines, in-
cluding a run of LeRhones,
in the future. His work-
manship is outstanding,
as you can see - even the
small magneto was handbuilt by Paul. You can contact him
at NapCo Lit. , 2126 W. 7th St., Tempe, AZ 85281.
(Below) Barney Petersen's Fokker D-VII replica is back in
the skies again, rebuilt following a crash two years ago.
The full size replica of this successful Fokker is nicely de-
tailed and exhibits excellent workmanship.
Fred Murrin' s Fokker Dr-I Triplane, in the
colors of German ace Werner Voss. The
last time we saw it, it had a modern flat
opposed engine, but Fred always wanted
to install a rotary, and in the past year,
his plan came to fruition. A LeRhone ro-
tary was rebuilt and mounted, and Fred
says that the airplane's personality in-
stantly changed, becoming even more
nimble and interesting to fly. Starting it
(below) takes teamwork - one crewman
rotates the engine to open each exhaust
valve, the other squirts gasoline directly
into the cylinder to prime it.
14 MARCH 1995
(Above) Bagpipers of the Heritage Pipe and Drum
Corps were present to give the Gadsden airport an
air of authenticity. Piper John Richardson of Birm-
ingham, AL marched among the crowd with his fel-
low corps members.
(Above, left) Craig and Chuck Garrett of Kentwood,
MI brought their handsome SE5a replica down to Al-
abama for a little fun with the 6 other SE's that were
at the fly-in.
(Left) When you wish for full scale, you'd better have
room if you're hoping for a Bristol F2B. Ed Storo's
replica is quite large, and very accurate. It has a 39
ft. wingspan, and even has the bootlace stitching to
hold the fabric side panels onto the fuselage. Ed
used an upright Ranger engine for power, but you'd
never know it - the shuttered cowl keeps it com-
pletely hidden from view.
(Above) Bill Cole and Harry Wooldridge had just fin-
ished this replica Siemens-Schuckert D-VI in time for
the fly-in, flown here by Aerodrome '94 organizer Frank
Ryder.
(Right) The late Frank Ryder in the cockpit of the
Siemens, reflecting his attitude about the event, as well
as life in general. WW I aviation enthusiasts throughout
the world mourn his loss. ..
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15
1932
THOMPSON TROPHY
by Frank Warren
The winners:
# 11 Jimmy Doolittle - Gee Bee R-1
252.69
#44 Jim Wedell - Wedell-WIlliams 44
242.50
# 121 Roscoe Turner - Wedell Turner
233.04
Others in the race:
#92 Jim Haizlip - Wedell-WIlliams 92
# 7 Lee Gehlbach - Gee Bee R-2
#6 Robert Hall - Hall Bulldog
#39 WIlliam Ong - Howard "Ike"
# 131 Ray Moore - Keith Rider R-1
12 1
 
RED LIOIv.
16 MARCH 1995
1931 
THOMPSON TROPHY
by Frank Warren
The winners:
#4 Lowell Bayles - Gee Bee Z
236.24
#44 Jim Wedell - Wedell-WIlliams 44
227.99
#77 Dale Jackson - Laird Solution
211.18
Others in the race:
#54 Robert Hall- Gee Bee Y Sportster
#50 Ira Eaker - Lockheed Altair
#37 Benny Howard - Howard "Pete"
WIlliam Ong - Laird Speedwing
#400 f. Doolittle - Laird Super Solution
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17
(Left) The entire crew that made the
trip to Oshkosh from Houston includes
owner Ron Kregten, left, Chief Pilot
Jesse Bootenhof, co-pilot Richard
Dickson and co-pilot Will Bonefas on
the right. There is complete agreement
among this foursome that flying to the
Convention was the trip of a lifetime.
(Below) The photo gives you an idea of
the huge impact the 5-43 had on the
crowd at EAA OSHKOSH '94. People
were completely enthralled with the
opportunity to walk around the huge
amphibian and study it closely, espe-
cially when they discovered the former
owner was Howard Hughes.
"The water was rising fast as Von
Rosenberg began pushing Hughes out
through the pilot's side window. The win-
dow was small and Von Rosenberg feared
Hughes might get stuck and block his own
escape. But after he got Hughes half way
out, he remembered the overhead escape
hatch, opened it and floated out.
"Meanwhile, Blandford worked Felt
over to the hole in the side of the airplane
where Von Rosenberg, who was outside
now, helped him float Felt out through
the hole. 'Where is Ceco?' said Von
Rosenberg. 'Well, he's not in there,' said
Blandford. 'Maybe he went aft before the
crash.'
"By this time Hughes was down in the
water hanging onto the radio mast and
still pretty stunned because he wasn ' t
moving around giving orders as he would
have been otherwise. Blandford and Von
Rosenberg climbed up on the sloping
back of the plane and down into the back
hatch looking for Ceco Cline.
"Looking in the compartment Bland-
ford had been in , he could see it was
flooded, but the rear compartments, be-
ing elevated by the nose-down attitude,
could still be entered. While looking for
Cline, Blandford found all the ship's life
preservers stowed in boxes behind the
tied-open hatch to the radio compartment
- an indication of Hughes informal flight
operations.
"Blandford went into the compart-
ment as far as he could without letting go
20 MARCH 1995
(Left) Cruising over the placid waters of Lake Winnebago, the former
Howard Hughes Sikorsky S-43, N440, displays its classy lines from
way back in 1937.
(Above) "How a modern airliner instrument panel looked in the 1940's."
This is the front office of the S-43 with the pilot' s seat on the left and
the co-pilot's seat on the right. The main addition to the panel would
be the center stack of radios which are about 40 years newer than the
airplane. Note the individual wheel brakes on the pilot's rudder pedals.
(Right) From the rear of the passenger cabin looking aft, we can see
the stairway leading to the topside of the aft fuselage. Note the huge
fin and stabilizer in the background. The on-board bathroom is on
the right.
of the flange on the bulkhead. No sign of
Ceco. Von Rosenberg had no better luck
so the two men climbed back out. Re-
membering a life raft was stowed in a
compartment on top of the wing, they got
it out, plopped it down in the water near
where Hughes was holding Dick Felt and
Blandford pulled the string. Compressed
air hissed, the raft began to take shape,
but remained limp. Someone had left the
air valve open. Quickly they rigged the
hand pump.
"Hughes had regained full conscious-
ness. 'Get Dick in the boat,' he said. A
couple of people in a small outboard ar-
rived on the scene to offer assistance.
'Get Dick in the outboard and take him to
the hospital,' said Hughes.
"Blandford, being the least injured,
went with Felt. A couple of hundred yards
on hi s way, he looked back. Hughes was
sitting in the rubber boat pumping away.
The flying boat was beginning to go to the
bottom of the lake.
"Von Rosenberg suffered severe back
injuries in the crash and spent the night in
the hospital at Boulder City. The follow-
ing day, Hughes had him flown to Los An-
geles in a TWA aircraft. A Los Angeles
specialist, whom Hughes had immediately
brought to Boulder City to insure that
Von Rosenberg had the best of care, went
with him.
"The only identifiable injuries Bland-
ford had were bruises and strains which
aggravated a bad vertebra that had both-
ered him before. ' But ,' said Blandford,
'i t was a great shock to my faith in air-
planes.'
"As for Hughes, in addition to his head
injury, he suffered a severe psychological
blow. He had killed two men. One was
Dick Felt with whom he had flown in the
Sikorsky for many years and Hughes was
closer to hi s personally selected flight en-
gineer mechanics than to most other peo-
ple.
"The Sikorsky, too, was an old friend.
He had personally supervised its birth at
the Sikorsky plant a number of years back,
when he had planned to use it for his
around-the-worl d flight, and was person-
ally responsible for a number of special
features such as flush riveting the hull.
All in all, the crash grave ly affected
Hughes' pride and confidence as a pilot.
"Perhaps this explains hi s motivation
in salvagi ng the plane from Lake Mead.
As former Hughes power plant mechanic
John H. Glenn recalls , 'We had no idea
when he drug it out of Lake Mead during
the war that he was going to rebuild it.
And by God, he put it back together. He
must have put hundreds of thousands of
dollars into that thing in labor and materi-
als.'
"The tragic crash probably helped push
Hughes to the brink of complete mental
breakdown in the final year of World War
Two. But, strangely, this aircraft in which
he crashed later became the the vehicle of
his deliverance. Rebuilt , it carried him
away from the pressures of multiple busi-
ness and personal problems in the fall of
1944 on a strange get-away-from-it-all
odyssey, so that he was able to return to
work after the war, finish his F-ll photo-
plane and the HK-1 flying boat, and per-
sonally triumph at the Senate hearings
into his wartime contracts in 1947."
During the extensive rebuild of the
Sikorsky S-43, the former twin tail empen-
nage was replaced with the single tail ver-
sion which featured supporting struts on
the lower side of the stabilizer. Although
it was flown a few times during the late
1940's, eventually the big flying boat was
placed in long term storage in a hangar in
Houston, Texas. In the early 1960's, for-
mer EAA Senior Editor Gene Chase
viewed the S-43 on several occasions when
visiting Houston as a corporate pilot for
Standard Oil Co.
As Howard Hughes became more and
more of a recluse, the S-43 quietly sat in
storage for over thirty years. In 1976,
Howard Hughes died and the die was cast
for the next part of the story. The S-43
was registered to Howard Hughes' com-
pany named Summa Corporation in Las
Vegas, Nevada, and after 1980, it was de-
cided to sell off some of the airplanes - in-
cluding the S-43. The plot thickens.
Enter one Ron Van Kregten (EAA
370694) of San Jose, California - connois-
seur of fine motor cars and airplanes, a
student of aviation history and above all
else, a person who firmly desires to pre-
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21
serve our aviation heritage for future gen-
erations.
Ron came by his "aviation bent" natu-
rally - his father was the late Anthony Van
Kregten, a distinguished aeronautical en-
gineer who spent his entire lifetime in avi-
ation! A native of Holland, Anthony Van
Kregten worked for a number of years for
the Fokker Company in Holland, always
in close harmony with Anthony Fokker,
himself a " master" in the aviation busi-
ness. In 1952, Anthony Van Kregten,
along with his family, which included his
young son, Ron, emigrated to the United
States under the sponsorship of Gen .
Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Anthony Van Kregten went to work
for Lockheed in California, designing the
tail section for the Lockheed F-104 and
later working in the super secret Lock-
heed "Ice Box" section of Research and
Development. This was followed by de-
sign work on the Polaris Missile system.
Anthony Van Kregten passed away just
two years ago.
Meanwhile, Ron Kregten grew up in
California and got into the trade school
business. The lucrative California real es-
tate market soon became the object of his
attention and he became quite successful.
His aviation future was assured when he
soloed a Stearman (as a civilian, yet) and
even became a crop duster for a spell. In
later years, he would become enamored
with World War II aircraft, owning a P-51
for a time, flying a P-38 at various times
and becoming quite adept at flying such
high speed, high powered machinery.
When the Hughes S-43 came up for
sale, Ron jumped into the fray , knowing
full well that a piece of aviation history
was on the block. The long and arduous
22 MARCH 1995
task of acquiring the huge amphibion was
finally completed, the airplane was re-reg-
istered to Ron Kregten and the long
process of refurbishment began.
It took ten years of hard and devoted
work by many, many people to bring the
former "hangar queen" to the point where
it could actually be flown. The long pe-
riod of inactivity had taken its toll and
each piece and part of the airplane had to
be inspected, cleaned and brought up to
flight standards. At times, it seemed like a
never-ending job, but Ron Van Kregten
comes from good stock - affectionately re-
ferred to as a "stubborn Dutchman." He
doesn't give up easily.
Rumors were floating about in the late
'80s that an S-43 amphib was slowly being
readied for flight in the Houston area and
antique airplane folks across the country
were getting excited. Just the thought of
such a majestic bird flying by makes the
old timers tingle with anticipation.
By 1990, the S-43 was getting close to
its first flight in nearly 36 years. Ron Van
Kregten and his busy crew were getting
anxious to see if Howard Hughes' legacy
would once again become airborne. Chief
pilot Jesse Bootenhof (EAA 477124) , a
retired Delta Airlines pilot with over
27,000 hours in his logbook was ready to
go and his co-pilot , Jack Carrignan, an-
other veteran pilot, was ready. Everyone
admitted the big amphibion looked beau-
tiful - it couldn't help but fly well. About
this time, the "stubborn Dutchman" Ron
Kregten, said, "Just to be on the safe side,
let's do a weight and balance - even though
it may not be necessary." The scales were
brought in and 10' and behold - the CG
was way forward of its desired location! It
took quite a few 100 lb. bags of cement in
the tail section to bring the CG into the
perfect location! Ron Kregten heaved a
huge sigh of relief for making the correct
judgment call.
The first flight of the S-43 was made
from Houston Hobby Airport, taking off
from a grass runway, and flying to the hard
surface runway at La Porte Airport. Jesse
Bootenhof says the airplane flies very
much like a DC3, being in the same weight
class, a bit heavy on the controls, powered
by the same 1200 hp Wright engines and
being a tailwheel airplane. Jesse has many,
many hours in a DC-3 and knows of what
he speaks! The S-43 is not a difficult air-
plane to fly, once you learn the systems
and go easy with the huge flaps that cover
48% of the wingspan. Half flap is nor-
mally used for landing, the flaps using a
" blow-by" feature that raises them up if
you exceed 95 mph. Normal approach
speed is 100 mph with the touchdown at 70
to 80. With full flaps and power, it is possi-
ble to slow down to 60 - 70 mph.
The first flight revealed a few more
"glitches" to work on plus some more of
the aluminum panels were removed to
eliminate corrosion. Once more the crew
began working diligently to upgrade the
huge airplane. A second flight was made
to Wolfe Airpark, where more rebuild
work was carried out. The owner of the
airpark is Richard Dickson, former East-
ern Airlines pilot with 18 years of experi-
ence and owner of a family furniture busi-
ness. Jesse talked Richard into helping
with the S-43 rebuild and also to become
type rated in the big twin. An FAA Des-
ignated Examiner by the name of Ronnie
Gardner gave type rating check rides in
the Sikorsky to Jesse Bootenhof, Richard
Dickson and Will Bonefas, a local instruc-
tor who is an A&P with Inspection Au-
thorization and a CAF pilot flying the
"Kate" from "Tora, Tora, Tora." He is a
retired NASA employee of 27 years and
has over 8,000 hours logged.
Regarding getting involved with Jesse
and t he S-43 project , Will Bonefas jok-
ingly says, "I don't know if l owe him one
- or if I should shoot him!" He readily
admits it has been the most fascinating
project he has ever been involved with
and the Oshkosh '94 experience was the
trip of a lifetime. Will is also quite vocal
in his praise of the FAA inspectors they
have worked with on the airplane. The in-
spectors have been very helpful and really
appreciate good work when the crew fin-
ishes another task and brings a portion up
for final inspection. It is readily apparent
that the FAA inspectors are just as anx-
ious as the hard-working crew to get the
S-43 airborne and keep it there.
From the Wolfe Airpark, the big flying
boat was flown over to Houston South-
west Airport where it is based at the pre-
sent time. Additional work is being done
on the airplane on a steady basis to help
eliminate long term corrosion and replace
a luminum skins that have seen better
days. To say that it is a rather la'rge job is
the understatement of the year!
(Continued on page 29)
(Above) Chief pilot Jesse Bootenhof ex-
plains the operation of flying the big am-
phibion which he compares to a Douglas
DC-3 as far as handling goes. He admits
the "one of a kind" element adds a little
excitement to the job! Jesse says that
when he learns "to walk on water," the
boss may allow him to try a water landing!
(Above left) This remarkable photo was
taken on June 23,1961, in Houston, Texas.
Notice the wingtip floats hanging on the
hangar wall to allow aircraft storage un-
der the huge wing. The airplane had 485
hours total flight time on that date. Jesse
Bootenhof says they have added 67 hours
to this total since getting the 5-43 air-
borne again.
(Left) Owner Ron Kregten revels in the
chance to fly the 5-43 from the same seat
that Howard Hughes occupied many
years ago.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23
WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE RESTORING 
----------------------------by Norm Petersen 
Capt. Rob Ray's
Taylorcraft BC-UD
This spectacular photo of Capt. Rob
Ray (EAA 344216, A/C 14398) flying
his sharp 100king1945 Taylorcraft BC-
12D, N43002, SI N 6661, past the most
famous sculpture in South Dakota ,
Mount Rushmore, was sent in Capt.
Ray. The Taylorcraft is overall white
with red trim and features wheel pants
and a metal propeller. Note the shoul-
der harness that Rob is wearing as he
looks at the photo plane and the radio
aerial above the cabin for VHF com-
munications. The photo was taken by
a friend of Rob's who obviously knew
what he was doing.
Billy E. Thompson's Aeronca Champ
This photo of Aeronca Champ, N467AC, SIN
7 AC-2570, was sent in by new EAA member Billy
Ed Thompson (EAA 478393) of Rowlett, Texas.
The Champ came off the Aeronca line on 23 May
1946 and was sold to Howard and T. N. Brown of
Reno, Nevada, 24 May 1946. It remained on the
west coast until 1970, when it was put on a trailer
and moved to Mangum. OK. Billy purchased the
airplane in 1988 (still on the trailer!) and began
the rebuild in April, 1989. It took 14 months to
restore the pretty bird and Billy has flown it about
200 ( enjoyable) hours since then. The colors are
cream and blue, using the original factory paint
design, and the "N" number was changed from
NC83889 to N467AC (That's short for 1946 7AC).
Some readers may like to know that the Champ
was owned by the Travis Air Force Base Flying
Club from 1954 to 1963 - in case your logbook
shows NC83889! Billy hopes to fly the neat two-
placer to Oshkosh '95.
24 MARCH 1995
West Valley Flying Club's Taylorcraft BC-UD
Out in Palo Alto, California, Leland McGee (EAA 476667) and
fellow members of the West Valley Flying Club are busy restoring
their Taylorcraft BC-12D, N95252, SIN 9652, which had languished
in pieces in the corner of numerous hangars for much of the past
decade. It was quite a challenge to gather and sort all the parts and
pieces of the 1946 taildragger and figure out what went where! As
Leland says, "Fortunately, the beautiful Tay]orcraft wings were left
assembled for us." One evening, a team of ten club members de-
cided to clean up corrosion of one wing, and much to their surprise,
the majority of the decade-old corrosion and dirt of the entire wing
structure was cleaned and the wing was readied for inspection and
priming in just one night! They had discovered that teamwork was
the answer. The club consists of about a dozen members, including
an A & P with Inspection Authorization, and they are looking for-
ward to the day the neat little Taylorcraft takes to the air once more.
(We will be looking for the photos of N95252 when it flies.)
Another Golden Oldie -
Lewis' Stinson 108-1 
A photo of Ralph Mosling by his com-
pany's Stinson 108-1  in  the February 
1995  isuue  brought out this "Golden 
Oldie" photo taken in  1947 of Charles L. 
Lewis on the left and his son, Charles H. 
Lewis  (EAA 85323, AIC 19023) on the 
right.  It was  taken  in  June  of 1947, 
shortly after the Lewis' purchased the 
Stinson 108, NC9115K, SIN 108-2115,
and based the airplane at Shell Lake, 
WI.  Note the large wooden Sensenich 
propeller, the factory  metal wheelpants 
and what appears to be two  tiny  fabric 
patches by  the left door (maybe some-
body dropped a screwdriver?). 
The Stinson was based at Shell Lake 
for  roughly  twenty years before being 
sold to Tom Winters of Butler, Missouri, 
who  has  owned the airplane for  the last 
twenty some years.  Chuck Lewis re-
ports his  father  passed away  in  1977, 
however he  is  still flying  at age  77  and 
enjoying every minute!  His  present air-
plane is  a 1956  Piper TriPacer, N3938P, 
SIN 22-3613,  which he  has owned since 
1963  and is  presently about 600  hours 
into the  third  rebuilt Lycoming engine! 
Chuck and  his TriPacer were featured  in 
the June 1991  issue  of the  Minnesota 
Flyer magazine when he  and his lovely 
wife, Gina, celebrated their 50th wed-
ding anniversary.  A  longtime  EAA 
member, Chuck says his  wife  is  a great 
co-pilot on  the many long trips they 
have flown  all over the  U.S.  The last 
sentence in  Chuck's letter says  it all in a 
nutshell, "It's a great life when you can 
fly  your own plane." 
A Couple of Dandies 
The photos of these  two aircraft , a 
1940 Luscombe 8C,  N28825, SIN 1567,
and a 1946 Stinson 108-1, N9711O, SIN
108-1110, were sent in  by owner Bueil 
Chafin  (EAA 203322,  AIC 9837)  of 
Collierville, TN.  Bueil reports the Lus-
combe, complete with  wood prop and 
wheelpants, was  restored by Joe Flee-
man  (EAA 428226,  AIC 20349)  in  1984 
and won  an  award at Oshkosh shortly 
thereafter (Runner-up, Contemporary 
Age,  Antique  Division,  Harris  and 
Randy Weise) .  The Stinson is  an ongo-
ing restoration  and  has  original log-
books going back to the  factory  test 
flight  in  November, 1946.  The 150 hp 
Frankin engine was overhauled in  1993 
and was equipped with  a  set of new 
Slick mags at the time.  One has to ad-
mit that Bueil has  a very nice pair of 
airplanes! 
Working on a project of your own?
Send your photos along with a 
short story on your airplane to:
Attn:  H.G.  Frautschy 
EAA Headquarters 
P.O.  Box 3086 
Oshkosh,VVI54903-3086 
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25 
ysteryPane
Here's another from the Golden Age of
aviation which should be easy to identify.
But maybe there are some individual stories
that will add to the interest. The photo is
from the Owen Billman collection. Answers
will be published in the June 1995 issue of
VINTAGE AIRPLANE. Deadline for that
issue is April 25.
The December Mystery Plane stumped
a lot of readers. Bob Pauley of Farming-
ton Hills, MI sent in a most complete
story. Here it is:
"The 'Mystery Plane' in the December
1994 issue of VINTAGE AIRPLANE
was the Williams 'Gold Tip' Monoplane, a
product of the Niles Aircraft Corporation
26 MARCH 1995
by George Hardie
of Niles, Michigan. It was built by James
R. Williams who, along with his partner
Willis E. Kysor, operated Niles Airways in
the late 1920s. In 1927 Williams formed
the Niles Aircraft Corporation with the
express purpose of building a small, sin-
gle-place 'Flivver Plane,' a concept that
had become popular due to the publicity
given the original Ford 'Flivver' that first
flew in July of 1926.
"To design the airplane Jimmy
Williams hired the services of Peter Alt-
man, then Dean of Aeronautics Depart-
ment at the University of Detroit.
Williams had first met Professor Altman
when he participated in the 1926 Ford Air
Tour, flying an OX-5 powered Alexander
Eaglerock and finishing in 15th place.
Altman was head of the Technical and
Rules Committee for the Air Tour which
started, and ended, at the Ford Airport in
Dearborn. It was prior to the start of the
Air Tour, in August 1926, when Jimmy
Williams first saw Harry Brooks demon-
strate the Anzani powered Ford Flivver.
"Williams felt that there was a big mar-
ket for that type of airplane and suggested
to Professor Altman that the new design
be similar in size and shape to the Ford
airplane. However, Williams insisted that
the new design have a more modern steel
tube fuselage rather than the all wood
construction used by Ford.
"Professor Altman assigned the design
task to his Aero students at the University
of Detroit, dividing the assignments for
aerodynamics, stress analysis, drafting and
performance calculations among his vari-
ous classes. The airplane was built by
Jimmy Williams and a small crew of air-
craft mechanics in the hangar at the old
Niles Airport, located on the north side of
the city. The finished airplane was named
the Williams 'Gold Tip' Monoplane be-
cause it had been painted with yellow, or
golden-yellow, wing tips. The first flight
was made by Jimmy Williams on February
6, 1928 from the Niles Airport, and he was
most pleased with the plane's perfor-
mance. A search through the Domestic
Air News Register shows the Williams
Monoplane was assigned license number
X4448 in the April 1, 1928 issue.
"The Williams 'Gold Tip' had a
wingspan of 26 feet, was 18 feet long and
had a wing area of 108 square feet. The
airfoil used was the Gottingen 387, the
same as that used on the Ford 'Flivver.'
The empty weight was 460 pounds and the
gross weigh t was listed as 530 pounds.
The top speed was estimated to be 85 mph
and the 7-112 gallon fuel tank gave it a
range of 300 miles . Construction was
welded steel tubing for the fuselage and
tail surfaces while the one piece cantilever
wing was a spruce and mahogany struc-
ture with an eight inch deep box spar, all
fabric covered. "The powerplant was a 30
hp French Anzani air-cooled three cylin-
der radial, the same type of engine as used
on the Ford ' Flivver. '
" It was inevitable that Jimmy Williams
would soon meet Otto Szekely, a tal-
ented engineer from Hungary then living
in Holland, Michigan, only 60 miles north
of Niles. Jimmy had a fine new airplane,
but it was plagued with an unreliable and
cantankerous Anzani engine. By good
fortune Szekely had recently completed
development work on a new 40 hp air-
cooled three cylinder radial engine and
was making preparations to place it into
production. Here was the engine Jimmy
Williams needed for his new airplane,
and the airplane was well suited for
Szekely's new engine. Williams soon
made an agreement with Szekely to build
' Flivver ' airplanes for him and initially
built three, maybe four prototypes in his
Niles hangar. The new airplanes differed
slightly from Professor Altman's original
design, having a revised landing gear, a
tail skid instead of a tail wheel , square
wing tips and, of course, the new Szekely
SR-3 engine. The " new" airplane was
also given a new name, the Szekely ' Fly-
ing Dutchman.' Since photos of the pro-
totype " Flying Dutchman " show the
same license number as the Williams
Monoplane (X4448) it must be assumed
that the Wi ll iams airplane was reworked
to produce the first ' Dutchman.'
"On September 4,1928 Szekely Air-
craft and Engine Company was formed
with Otto Szekely as president and Jimmy
Williams listed as pla nt manager. The
new company opened for business in a
small factory on 12th Street in Holland,
overlooking Black Lake, and production
of the ' Flying Dutchman' airframes was
moved to Niles from that location.
"In September] 928 Jimmy Williams
flew one of the first production ' Flying
Dutchman' airplanes to California to dis-
play it at the Los Angeles National Air
Races and Exposition. It was reported
that Col. Charles Lindbergh examined the
airplane closely for some 20 minutes, ask-
ing Jimmy Williams many questions and
commenting on what a neat looking air-
plane it was. Lindbergh was familiar with
flivver planes and had flown the Ford
Flivver in August 1927 when he visited the
Ford Airport in Dearborn , and both
Williams and Szekely were encouraged by
his favorable remarks.
THE STORY
A SPORT PLANE
·,FOR,
Sportsmen
Students
Businessmen

fll!t11I!iArDuldunnn
.. 
..
Own .'hke Uf 
Air Cooled Ai r.:nfr
ENGINES
Szekel y Aircraft Corporation
Holland. Michigan
lJilyiug iutr4mau
    ]But Big Performance
Upkeep
SPECIFICATIONS SPKClFICATtONS
Winli'____...Full C8ntilever-OOJ: spar and lnl.ea FUM! Radial Type _...Air CooIed__._. __3 CyL
rib (onnalion, with steel compreWon mem- Bore  ___.__._._.___.___.%-
ben and tie roda. Stroke  ....  _._._........... _. ____..__ _......_ .. __...%..
Willtf  Span  __.. ____  ________ .... _ .26 fl-
H.  P. @  1800 r. p. m._ _._.______. ________40
Coni ______....... __ ._ ..... .. ___._ f' S- Marimum  Speed  _.. _.____  I900R.P.M. 
e llrv@ ..•_. _____._... _.__.__ __ .___...._ GOtt 387 Cruisinr SpeecL . ... _._._. __._. 1600 R.P.M.
CaTburelor _..... __._ _ _ _  l lh"  bal&nced
Fu.silap _ includiu&, Wl as5el1'lbly, Welded steel
la-nition, __._. __________. Two Mainetos
.•. .._.._.... _.. __.__...8R-3. 3 cyl. 4.0 lIP
Cratlbhaft MateriaL. _.. _. 3140 S. A. E. Steel
Takeoff  __"  ...._. ___.__... ._____ ....  80 ft. 
CranbWt Diamewr ___.__..... _ .___I """H
I...oodin&  .__  ......•. _ _.. .___..__ ......__.100  ft. 
Conn('Ctinll Rod Deanna..._ _ Hi.... ;I;: 2"
Cruisin" Speed.. ..___..... _._..... _.__._80 M.P.H. Pistol'lB.____._.._.___.__..Aluminum Alloy
Lar.ding: Speed. _.. _._._._._._.........3{J M. P . H.
Rini8 on each Piston __._ .. __.______ 3
Main Suring,. .__ .. _ __ _ .....___Roller
PTopelJer Thrust Beuin.r____... Deep Groove
Ranae ._ .. .. .. _.....____..._.. _._.300 miles
I"uel CoIUIUDl ption _ _  ... _-30M. P. G.
Oil Pump _. ._._.. ___ ._ ______ ...._.. .. GearType
Weivht, empty._.._....... ___...._.. _._..... _._.. 680 1b8.
Sc&venjl!t" Punl p...... .... __....... _____ . Gear Type
Priee_. __ .. .._... __._ $2,100  f. o. b. Holland, Mich.
Fuel Co08umptloo ._....... .68 1bs. per B. H. 1'. hr.
Oil CoTUlUmption . ______.029 1bs. per B. H. P. hr.
" Back in Holland , Michigan the
Szekely Company was doing well and the
sales of the new engines was increasing.
In June 1929 Szekely built its own airport
north of the city with two 2,200 foot run-
ways. But despite all the good publicity
and the enthusiasm for the engines and
airplanes the business outlook changed
abruptly as the country entered a deep de-
pression in late 1929 and into 1930. A to-
tal of 21 ' Flying Dutchman' flivvers were
completed before Szekely fi led for bank-
ruptcy in May 1932, bringing the ' flivver
era' to an end.
There has been much conjecture as to
tbe true relationship between the two ver-
sions of t he Ford "Flivver" and the
Williams Mo noplane and the "Flying
Dutchman" ai rplanes. As we have seen in
the above story there was no direct tie-i n
between the Ford products built in Dear-
born and the other two aircraft built in the
western part of Michigan. Each was a dis-
tinct and separate design . In today's
world, to the uninitiated a Piper Cherokee
looks like a Beech Musketeer and both
look like a French Socata Tampico, yet
each is a separate and unique design! The
Ford ' Flivvers' were the creation of Otto
Koppen, a young Ford engineer, while the
Williams Monoplane, later known as the
'Flying Dutchman,' was the design work
of Professor Peter Altman, a kind and
gentle friend who passed away several
years ago.'
John A. Bluth, Birmingham, MI, Ralph
Nordell, Spokane, WA and Gary McFarowe,
Hudsonville, MI also sent in detailed replies.
Other answers were received from Charley
Hayes, New Lenox, IL; Robert Clark, Ox-
nard, CA; Marion Robles, Lakeland, FL;
Lynn Towns, Brooklyn, MI; Steven McNi-
coil, DePere, WI; M. H. Eisenmann, Gar-
rettsville, OH, Lloyd Willis, N.S. W., Aus-
tralia. ...
Will iam s  "Gold TIp" Monoplane 
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27 
New Members 
Danny Abbott Salem, WI
Steven E. Adams Los Angeles, CA
Robert O. Anderson Lakewood, CO
Thomas J. Arnold Oak Brook, IL
James W. Ashley Lincoln, NE
Allen Baker, lr. Coloma,MI
Elvis L. Baker Laveen, AZ
Todd Baldwin Seattle, WA
Wayne Ball Baton Rouge, LA
Alan J. Baltz Barrington, IL
Lene Band
Georgetown, Ontario, Canada
Ray Banicki Park Forest, IL
Terry Barbee Weslaco, TX
Franklin R. Barber Morris,IL
William J. Barnes III Westampton, NJ
Leo 1. Bartel Morrison, IL
Robert D. Beard Northglenn, CO
Frank S. Behne Canfield,OH
Charles L. Bigelow III Michanopy, FL
Harold E. Bills Brookston, IN
Charles H. Birdsong III Fayetteville, GA
Cecil L. Blackwood Pomeroy,OH
Wesley D. Blasjo Lake Mathews, CA
Michele Boland Houston, TX
Thomas M. Boland Andover, NJ
John D. Booker Lovington, IL
James Bowe Chippewa Falls, Wl
Don F. Bowhay Airdrie, Alberta, Canada
James Bradley Gurnee,IL
Keith E. Brandon Dewitt, MI
Jon W. Breese Omaha, NE
Thomas H. Bresnahan, Jr. Edgewater, FL
Donald Brettrager Chesaning, MI
James F. Brichan Gaines, MI
Bruce E Brielmaier Cleves, OH
Mark R. Brothers Pinckney, MI
August J. Bucci Bloomingdale,IL
William R. Bucknor Columbus,OH
Waide Bungard Eastpoint, MI
Mark J. Bunzel San Jose, CA
Eric R. Bury Beaver Creek, OH
Brian Callahan Crestwood, IL
Mark Camp Naperville, IL
Albert W. Canaday Holly Hills, SC
Daniel E. Cardinal, Jr. St Charles, IL
Fred G. Carlson Rockford, lL
James J. Casey Glenview,lL
James E. Christopherson Ishpeming, MI
David A. Cimprich Petal, MS
LeRoy Clark, Jr. Putnam, cr
Thomas L. Clark Columbia, SC
Ivan E. Clower Englewood,OH
William Colbert Des Plaines, IL
James W. Connett Phoenix, AZ
Guillermo Consuegra Tampa, FL
Rudolph Cook Grand Juction, CO
David W. Corrick Aukland, New Zealand
Robert R. Cramer Findlay,OH
Elliott Peter Cregler, Jr. Brewster, NY
Ronald Cunningham Sedona, AZ
Robert W. Daggett Elsie,MI
Frederick O. Dammann Yorkville,IL
Jeff S. Davis Brighton, Ml
Beverly Dawson Glenview,IL
Walter Deinhard Nuernberg, Germany
J. Tyre Denney Lawrenceburg, KY
David W. Dennis West Palm Beach, FL
Charles P. Depkin Fallston, MD
Michael R. Devroy Vernon Hills, IL
Kenneth F. Deyo, Jr. Wolcott, cr
Bartlett C. Dickey Port Huron, MI
Bruce Dinning Bloomfield Hills, MI
Fred Disosway Sheldon,IL
Robert P. Disse Crystal Lake, IL
Raymond R. Dobnick, Jr. Wichita, KS
Rick Dozier Winters, CA
David A. Dudley N. Attleboro, MA
Michael Dumke, Jr. St Joseph, MI
Terry Dunn Wilmer, AL
Thomas R. Durliat Coral Springs, FL
Nils H. Dybwad Marietta,OH
Teodoro Echeverri Cali, Colombia
Timmothy J Edgington Chicago,IL
Jerry A. Eichenberger Powell , OH
Ole J. Eikeland Tananger, Norway
Richard L. Ekleberry Durand, MI
Gregg R. Elstone
Tecumseh, Ontario, Canada
Glen W. Ernst Temecula, CA
J. Albert Exline Miamisburg,OH
R.F. Farmer Carolina, PR
Larry Feuerhelm Agua Dulce, CA
Raymond C. Field Tipp City, OH
William F. Fields Hazard, KY
William D. Fleming Centralia, IL
David W. Foster · Naples, FL
Daniel J. Fournet Danville, CA
Donald H. Fraser Seneca, SC
Mark Freeland Farmington Hills, MI
Eugene F. Gaffney Mason,OH
Bill Garrett Coshoston,OH
Robert G. Gehrke Herscher, IL
Philip Gibbs Canton,OH
Gideon M. Gilbert, Jr. Kent, WA
George H. Giles
Fairview, Alberta, Canada
Lawrence L. Gooding Hilton Head, SC
Raymond A. Goodrich Fremont , Ml
Victor A. Grahn Coloma, MI
Stan Greenberg Davie, FL
John Gregory Columbus,OH
James K. Grieser Wauseon,OH
Eric J. Hagen Whitebear Lake, MN
Don Hamilton Pawnee, IL
Gordon Hansen Tallahassee, FL
Donna Hanshew Leesburg, OH
Alan R. Hantke Sunnyvale, CA
David Hanus Mound, MN
Richard C. Harmon Sheffield Lake, OH
Ted C. Harper Columbus,OH
Shirley Robert Hart Fort Gratiot, MI
Woodson G. Hays Arlington, V A
Harold T. Heard Palm Bay, FL
Donald Helmick Valley City, OH
Raymond Helminiak Mequon, WI
Harold Hempler, Jr. Stillwater, MN
Rex Hensley Wichita, KS
Tim Hogan Bedford Hills, NY
David R. Holls Bloomfield Hills, MI
Glen G. Holt, Jr. Grand Rapids, MI
lackson B. Horn Houston, TX
Sherman C. Horton Elba, NY
Joseph Hosteny Chicago, IL
Boatner Howell Centreville, MS
Paul Howse Bala, Gwynedd, England
Clifton Hubbard Middleburgh, NY
George M. Hudak Deerfield,OH
Gregory L. James Grass Lake, MI
Robert A. Jastifer Lowell , MI
Dale H. Johnson Midland, MI
Mark Johnson Quartz Hill, CA
Ted Johnson Paxton, IL
Tom Johnson Van Nuys, CA
Warren B. Johnston Woodstock, IL
David W. Jones Evanston, IL
Michael F. Jones Fort Collins, CO
Kent E. Joranlien Brodhead, WI
Peter H. Karalus Alexandria, V A
Wayne Keegstra Hamilton, MI
William Kelley Ray, MI
Kenneth E. Kellogg Belleville, IL
Steven Kemple West Worthington, OH
Carl P. Kennedy Harvard,IL
Eugene Blair Kent Troy, MI
Craig S. Kern Huber Heights, OH
William A. King La Grange, OH
Don S. Kinsey Swansea, IL
Lorenz G. Kisor Toledo, OH
John H. Klaucke West Dennis, MA
Lee B. Kluger Acworth, GA
Jack J. Kopf Alameda, CA
Michael J. Kovasckitz Cincinnati,OH
John Kowalski Trenton, TX
Phillip Kraus Westport, NY
Arthur Krotz Allegan, MI
Richard G. Kruse South Elgin, IL
Florian E. Krzak Saginaw, MI
Bengt L. Kuller Rockford, IL
James H. Lake Whitmore Lake, MI
William D. Lamberton Mercer Island, W A
Culmer Lammey Urbana, IL
Robert J. Lampman Vernon, NY
Robert E. Lang Columbus, OH
Glen L. Larson Golden, CO
Richard F. Law Carthage,IL
Brian R. LeSchander Spencerport, NY
28 MARCH 1995
John N. Leacock 
Norman J. Lehocky 
Napoleon Levesque 
Donald L. Linder 
Ray  Longbrake 
Dennis A.  Lott 
Dennis M. Lupcho 
Thomas D.  Lynch 
John C.  MacPherson 
Donald J.  Maciejewski 
Roger E. Maertens 
John M.  Marcinkevich 
Henry T. Marks 
Cleone L. Markwell 
Harry Maugans 
G. P.  McCormick 
Bradley E.  McFaul 
Dennis B.  McGuire 
Fred R. Meyer Jr 
Mike Meyer 
Elmer Miller 
Robert B.  Mincer 
G. Albert Mini 
G.  David Moore 
Joseph D.  Moore 
Thomas L. Moore 
Arthur L. Morgan 
Randy A. Morris 
R. B. Murray 
Warren D. Myers 
Carl  B.  Nank 
Michael  B.  Narrin 
Craig H. Neilson 
Lee E.  Nelson 
Barbara S.  Nerroth 
Richard D.  Newell 
Harold S.  Newman 
Richard  D. Nudtsen 
Barry J. O'Brien 
Palisade, CO 
Woodstock,IL 
Fermont, Canada 
St  Charles, IL 
Grafton,OH 
Harrison, AR 
Grass Valley, CA 
Fullerton, CA 
Salinas, CA 
Aurora, IL 
Story, WY 
Methuen, MA 
Rochelle, IL 
Casey, IL 
London, OH 
Worthington, OH 
Flint,  MI 
Howell, MI 
Freeland, M1 
Greenville, OH 
North Branch, M1 
Atlanta,GA 
Waukegan, IL 
Aurora,IL 
Alexandria, LA 
Nedba, IL 
Lexington, KY 
Ft Pierce, FL 
Hamilton, New Zealand 
Downers Grove, IL 
Wixom,MI 
Wyoming, MI 
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Gurnee,IL 
Glen Ellyn, IL 
Jackson, MI 
Two Harbors, MN 
Buffalo Narrows, Sask, Canada 
Scott O'Brien  Westlake Village, CA 
Thomas B.  O'Bryon  Monticello, GA 
Craig R. O'Mara  O'Fallon,IL 
Marcello Oberto  Pinerolo, Italy 
Mark  Ohlinger  Akron,OH 
Ron Okerson  Gulconda, IL 
Ruth Osgood  LaGrange, IL 
Norbert A. Ottersen  Port Orange, FL 
W. A. Pachasa  N Royalton, OH 
Doyle R. Padgett  Petty, FL 
Gerald L. Painter  Everett, W A 
Paul Pernet  Milpitas, CA 
Carl J.  Pitcher  Spring Lake, MI 
Frank M. Pitt  Bellingham, W A 
Carl L. Prather  San Jose, CA 
Eric Andrew Presten  Vineburg, CA 
Michael W.  Priess  Bloomington,IL 
John  Pszenitzki  North Ridgeville, OH 
George Reid  Georgetown, Ontario, Canada 
Vern J.  Renaud  Merritt Island, FL 
Alfred G.  Reylek  E.  Dennis, MA 
Hugh S.  Richardson  A vila  Beach, CA 
David M.  Rickert  Dayton, OH 
James M.  Riverside  Iron Mountain, MI 
James Rolland  Hazel  Park, MI 
Mark  Runge  Piqua, OH 
David G.  Runyan  West Chicago, IL 
Clay Sanders  Leverett , MA 
Mike Schiffer  Ovid, Ml 
E. Robert Schodt  Crewe, V A 
Rod Schrage  Steamboat Springs, CO 
John Schuler  Peoria, IL 
Lynn A.  Schwabauer  Monticello, IL 
Paul F. Scroggs  Oakwood, GA 
Rene J.  Shales  Hampshire,IL 
Larry R. Sharratt  Waconia, MN 
Barry Silver  Pierre fonds, Quebec, Canada 
Tom Sims  Carthage, IL 
Charles J. Sinclair  Kanata, Ontario, Canada 
Kenneth W.  Sink  Berrien Springs, MI 
Gary J. Sinkus  Hubbardson, MA 
Kenneth R. Slepecky  Hinckley,OH 
Leon W. Slocum  Montrose, MI 
Craig E.  Smith  Fillmore, NY 
F.  Eugene Smith  Akron,OH 
Henry W. Smith  Oak lawn, IL 
Jack L. Smith  Fremont , MI 
Richard M Smith  Las Vegas,  NV 
William Richard Smith  Franklin, P A 
Martin V.  Smyk 
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada 
Aaron A. Snider 
Robert Snowden 
George Soderberg 
Joseph Richard Solar 
John Sorensen 
Earl D. Space 
R. A. Stanley 
Hart, MI 
Irving, TX 
Crystal  Lake, IL 
Lighthouse Point, FL 
Carbondale, IL 
Seattle, W A 
Southwick, West Sussex, England 
Thomas E. Steele  North Platte, NE 
Frank Crawford Stewart  Little Rock, AR 
Clair D. Stotlar  Burton,OH 
Charles R. Stout  Denver, CO 
Bradley J.  Subler  Lemont,IL 
Joe Suttles  Centerville,OH 
Stephen B. Swan  Westbrook, ME 
Roger D. Teese  Charlotte, VT 
Robert W.  Thaxton  Elko, NY 
James R. Thompson  Atmautluak, AK 
James A. Tibbets  Rigby, ID 
Jim Tipke  Spokane, W A 
Richard  M.  Tounshendeaux 
West  Farmington, OH 
Ernest A. Towers  Palmdale, CA 
Allen N.  Trask  Wilmington, NC 
Charles A. Travis  Wauconda, IL 
James M. Tucker  Collierville, TN 
Rimvydas Tveras  Palos Hills, IL 
Victor A. Tyler  Brighton, MA 
Gerald C.  Urban  Lincolnshire, IL 
John D.  Van  Horn  Linton, IN 
Jim VanAndel  Kalamazoo, MI 
Doug Vander Hoff  Rockford, MI 
John E. Von Linsowe, Jr.  Metamora, MI 
Allen T. Wacasey  Lubbock, TX 
Fletcher R. Wade 
Greenwood, Nova Scotia, Canada 
Raymond S.  Wagner 
Robert L. Walker 
Phillip S.  Walpole 
Lee Aaron Ward 
Fred M.  Warner 
Preston K. Watson 
Thomas G.  Watson 
William J. Weber 
Nate Weinsaft 
Richard  E.  Wells 
Ronald D.  Wenzel 
Bill Westerdahl 
John H. Whitehouse 
George B. Whysall 
Peter D.  Wiggin 
Tom Williams 
Thomas N. Williamson 
Clarence W.  Witte 
Chris Woodard 
Charles F. Wright 
Thomas W. Wright 
Tom L. Wyrick 
Dwight C.  Zeller 
Cincinnati,OH 
St Charles, IL 
Johnstown,OH 
Napa,CA 
Ann Arbor, MI 
Zion,IL 
Medina, OH 
Copley,OH 
Hopkinton, MA 
Pickerington,OH 
Fort Pierce, FL 
Sioux Falls, SO 
Vero Beach, FL 
Wauseon,OH 
Carbondale, IL 
Ottawa,IL 
Windsor, VT 
Kewanee,IL 
Flat Rock, MI 
Palatine, IL 
Ashland,  KY 
Rochelle,IL 
Schaumburg, IL 
S-43 
(Continued/rom page 23)
The first  long trip with  the S-43  was 
the flight  "up nawth" to Oshkosh, WI, 
and the big EAA Convention last sum-
mer.  Ron Kregten reports the foursome 
had a  beautiful flight  in  the 57-year-old 
airplane with those two  big Wright R-
1820 engines just purring aU  the way.  The 
huge crowds with their associated ques-
tions were heartwarming to the four-man 
crew.  It was at this time the realization 
began to hit home that they were indeed 
flying a genuine piece of history.  So many 
people wanted to know what kind  of air-
plane it was - and where it came from! 
One of the highlights of the EAA Con-
vention was  the opportunity to go on an 
air-to-air  photo  mission  with  EAA's 
photo plane piloted by Bruce Moore with 
photographer Jim Koepnick doing the 
camera work.  Maneuvering the big am-
phibion up  to the camera ship was quite a 
delicate piece of work - to which  Will 
Bonefas quipped, "It felt like we were fly-
ing the hangar instead of the airplane!" 
The results of the photo mission were 
quite spectacular as the pictures show and 
"congrats" should be extended to Jesse, 
Richard, Will and Ron for doing a great 
job.  In addition, the fantastic set of pic-
tures reveals that Jim Koepnick, EAA 
Chief Photographer, is  one of the very 
best. 
Following the EAA '94 Convention, 
the "fortunate foursome"  had a splendid 
return trip to Houston, the "old girl" not 
missing a beat along the way,  and much 
like an old plow horse, picking up  speed 
on the way home after a full  days'  work. 
Assessing the entire trip afterwards, Ron 
noticed the exhaust pipes were not quite 
the same color on the two engines.  An in-
vestigation revealed the left engine super-
charger was entering a "destruct" mode, 
so the left engine was pulled and  repairs 
are being made as this story is  being writ-
ten. 
Future plans include a  trip to Sun  'n 
Fun in April if the left engine is  com-
pleted in  time.  In addition, Ron plans on 
a  return trip to EAA OSHKOSH '95  to 
enjoy more of the same fine  treatment ac-
corded the "foursome" last summer.  If
you didn't get a close look at this  magnifi-
cent airplane in 1994, better do  your best 
to  keep an eye open in  '95, because it  is  a 
rare treat for antique airplane lovers - es-
pecially amphibion lovers. 
Ron Kregten, all of us  in  EAA salute 
you  for your fine  effort to allow us  to 
once again view  the marvelous Sikorsky 
S-43  amphibion.  And to your devoted 
crew, Jesse, Richard and Will, a  hearty 
"Thank You" and our best wishes to keep 
the old girl flying!  ... 
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
MAY 27-28 - RESERVE,  LA  - EAA 
Chapter 971  Day on  the  Delt a.  Rain  date 
6/3-4. 504/652-9270.
MAY 28  - CUMBERLAND, MD  - EAA 
Chapter 426  Fly-In  Breakfast.  3011777-2951.
c::---CC
MAY 28  - SMOKETOWN, PA - EAA 
Chapt er 540  13th  Annual  Fly-In  Breakfast.
Fly-In
Jim Newman
94 
-------\\ 
Rain date 5/29.  717/486-0831.
JUNE 2-3 - MERCED, CA - 38th  An-
nual Merced West Coast Antique Fly-In.
Calendar
~  
Contact: Mike  Berry, 209/358-3728 or for 
concessions, call  Dick  Escola, 209/358-
6707. 
JUNE 4 - DEKALB, IL - EAA Chapter 
241  annual  breakfast 7am - noon.  8151286-
Thefollowing list of coming events isfumished to our readers as a matter of information
7818.
only and does not constitute approval, sponsorship, involvement, control or direction of
JUNE 2-3  - BARTLESVILLE, OK - 9th 
any event (fly-in, seminars, fly market, etc.) listed Please send the infomlation to EAA,
annual  National Biplane Convention and 
Att: Golda Cox, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Information should be
Expo.  Biplanes and  NBA members free  - all 
receivedfour months prior 10 the event date. others  pay  admission.  Charlie  Harris  -
918/622-8400, or Virgil  Gaede, 918/336-3976.
MARCH 16-18 - 1995  Women  in  Avia- 804/873-3059.
JUNE 2-4 - MERCED, CA - 38th  An-
tion Conference.  618/337-7575. MAY 6-7 - CLEVELAND, OH - lInd An-
nual  Merced West  Coast Antique Fly-In. 
MARCH 18-19 - DALLAS, TX - Alexan- nual  Air Racing History Symposium.  216/255-
2091722-6666. 
der Aeroplane's Builders'  Workshop.  1- 8100. 
JUNE 9-10 - DENTON, TX  - Texas 
800/831-2949. MAY 6-7 - GEORGETOWN, TX - 9th An-
Chapter of the  AAA Annual Fly-In.  Con-
MARCH  21-26  - AVALON,  AUS- nual  Fly-In/Airshow.  512/869-1759. 
tact:  Danny Doyle, 214/420-8858. 
TRALIA  - AirShow  DownUnder  '95.  MAY 7 - Rockford, IL - EAA Chapter 22 
JUNE 9-11- WICHITA,  KS  - Aero-
602/314-0290. annual  fl y- in  breakfast at  Mark  Clark' s Cour-
drome Days ' 95.  3]6/683-9242. 
APRIL 1  - TUSKEGEE,  AL  - EAA  tesy Aircraft , Greater Rockford  Airport.  Wal-
JUNE] 1 - LANSING, IL - EAA Chap-
Chapter  998  3rd  Annual  Spring  Fly-ln.  lace Hunt 815/332-4708.
t er  260  Fly-In  Breakfas t l  GPS  raffle/ 
205/749-0987.  MAY 13 - PUNTA GORDA, FL - EAA 
Young Eagles Rally.  Info: 7081331-4276.
APRIL 8 - PUNTA GORDA, FL - EAA  Chapter  565  Pa ncake  Breakfast  Fly-In. 
JUNE  11  - INDEPENDENCE,  KS  -
Chapter 565  Pancake  Breakfast  Fly-In.  8131575-6360.
EAA Chapter 980 4th annual  fly-in  break-
813/575-6360.  MAY 13 - VIDALIA, LA - EAA Chapter 
fast.  316/331-2592. 
APRIL 8 - WINNSBORO, LA - EAA  912 Spring Picnic/ Banquet.  Rain  date 5/20.
JUNE  10-11  - COLUMBUS,  OH  -
Chapter 836 Catfish Festival  Fly-In.  318/435- 3181757-2103.
Alexander Aeroplane's Builders' Workshop. 
4711.  MAY 13 - TOCCOA, GA - EAA Chapter 
1-800/831-2949. 
APRIL 9-15 - LAKELAND, FL - 21st  1011  Parade  of Planes.  Fax 7061779-2302.
JUNE 15-18 - ST.  LOUIS, MO - Creve 
Annual Sun ' n Fun EAA Fly-In and Conven- MAY 19-21- PAULS  VALLEY, OK - An-
Coeur Airport.  American Waco Club Fly-
tion.  813/644-2431.  tique  Airplane Fly-in.  Contact Dick  Fournier 
In.  Contacts:  Phil  Coulson, 616/624-6490 
APRIL 22-23 - SPRINGFIELD, IL - 2nd  405/258-1129 or Bob Kruse 405/691-6940.
or John Halterman, 314/434-4856. 
Annual  Charlie  Wells  Memorial  Fly- MAY 20  - DA YTON, OH  - Chapter 325 
JUNE 17-18 - CAMARILLO,  CA-
InlDrive-In.  217/483-3201. EAA  Day/U.S.  Air Force Museum.  216/382-
15th  Annual Fly-In.  Homebuilts,  An-
APRIL 22-23 - AMERICUS, GA - 2nd  0781. 
tiques,  Classics,  Warbirds, featuring the 
Annual  Lindbergh Days, held at the site of  MAY 20 - CRESTVIEW, FL - EAA Chap-
CAF's B-29 "Fifi ."  Contact: John  Parrish, 
his first  solo  flight.  Homebuilts, Warbirds,  ter 108  Pancake Breakfast.  904/862-2673. 
805/488-3372. 
airshow daily.  Contact :  Dale  Sellars,  MAY 20  - DAYTON, OH - EAA Chapter 
JUNE 18 - RUTLAND, VT - 4th  An-
912/931-2561.  325.  EAA day at  the  U.S.  Air Force Museum. 
nual Traildragge r  Rendezvous!  EAA 
APRIL 29  - KITTY HAWK, NC - An- 216/382-0781.
Chapter 968  pancake breakfast , 8  a. m. to 
tique  (pre-1960)  Aircraft  Fly-In.  Replica  MAY 20 - NEWPORT NEWS, VA - 23rd 
11  a.m.  Contact: 802/492-3647. 
antiques welcome.  Wright Memorial Field,  Annual Colonial  Fly-In, sponsored by EAA 
JUNE 23-25 - GREELEY,  CO  - 17th 
9  a.m.  to 5  p.m. Sponsored by First Flight  Chapter 156.  Newport  News/ Williamsburg 
Annual  EAA  Rocky  Mountain  Regional 
Society and Dare County Airport Autor- IntI.  Airport.  Contact Charles Collier for 
Fly-In/Airshow.  303/798-6086. 
ity.  Show aircraft advance registration re- info and no-radio entry.  804/247-5844. 
JUNE 22-25  - MT.  VERNON, OH-
quested.  Contact: Tim Gaylord, 919/473- MA Y 20-21 - WINCHESTER, V A  - EAA 
36th  Annual  National  Waco  Reunion Fly-
2600.  Chapter 186 Annual Spring Fly-In.  703/391-
In.  " Greatest Waco Show on Earth."  For 
APRIL 29 - OPELOUSAS, LA - EAA  0674. 
info call 513/868-0064. 
Chapter 529  Fly-In.  Rain  date 5/6.  318/942- MAY 20-21- BLAINE, MN  - EAA Chap-
JUNE 24-25 - GREELEY, CO - Alexan-
2254.  ter 237  Pancake  Breakfast/Fly-in.  6121757-
der Aeropl ane' s  Builders'  Workshop.  ]-
APRIL 29  - LEVELLAND, TX - EAA  4353. 
800/831-2949.
Chapter 19 Fly-In  Breakfast.  8061797-1900. MAY 20-21  - MIDLAND, TX - Dynamics 
JUNE 30-JULY 2  - GAINESVILLE, 
APRIL 29-30 - GRIFFIN, GA - Alexan- of Flight Discovery Center.  CAF Headquar-
GA  - 27th  Annual  "Cracker  Fly-ln ." 
der Aeroplane's Builders '  Workshop.  1- ters.  915/563-1000.
Sponsored by EAA Chapter 611 .  Contact: 
800/831-2949. MAY  21  - ROMEOVILLE,  IL  - EAA 
Bennet Aiken, 404/532-8558 or Bob Sav-
APRIL 30  - CUMBERLAND,  MD  - Chapter  15  Annual  Pancake  Breakfast. 
age, 4041718-1966. 
EAA Chapter 426  Fly-In Breakfast.  3011777- 312/735-1353 (after 6 p.m.). 
JULY 14-16 - RED LAKE, ONTARIO, 
2951.  MAY 26-28 - ATCHISON, KS  - 29th An-
CANADA - Diamond Jubilee Norseman 
APRIL 30 - HALF MOON BAY, CA  - nual Fly-In, sponsored by  the  Kansas City 
Floatplane Festival.  Events for  both pilots 
Pacific  Coast  Dream  Machines  Fly-ln.  Chapter  of  the  AAA .  Contacts:  Del 
and pedestrians.  Contact the Norseman  Fes-
4151726-2328.  Durham, 8161753-6625 or Dr. A.F. Lindquist, 
tival  Committee at 8071727-2809.
MA Y 5-7 - WOODLAND, CA  - First  8161756-0941.
JULY 27 - AUGUST2- OSHKOSH, WI
Annual Gt.  Valley Fly-In.  916/666-1751, MAY 27-28 - SYRACUSE, NY - Alexan-
- 43rd  Annual  EAA Fly-In and Sport Avia-
FAX 916/666-7071. der  Aeroplane 's  Builders'  Workshop.  1-
tion Convention.  Wittman Regional  Air-
MAY 5-7 - ROANOKE RAPIDS, NC  800/831-2949.
port.  Contact John  Burton, EAA, P.O.  Box 
- EAA AlC Chapter 3 Spring Fly-In.  Con- MAY 27-28 - TOCCOA, GA - EAA Chap-
3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086, 414/426-
tact : Ray Bottom, Jr. 804/722-5056 or Fax  ter 1011  Fly-ln.  Rain date 6/3-4. 7061779-3446.
4800. 
30 MARCH 1995
EAA SCHOLARSHIPS 
AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING 
MOVING?
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IN  YOUR IMMEDIATE FUTURE? 
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Vintage Airplane ... follows you. Let us know 
at least two months in advance of your move. 
Send your change of address (include membership number) 
to:  VINTAGE AIRPLANE 
P.O.  Box 3086 
OSHKOSH, WI  54903-3086 
or call1-S00-S43-3612 
PILOT AND MECHANIC 
EAA 
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EAA AVIATION CENTER 
PO BOX 3086 
OSHKOSH, WI  54903-3086 
414/426-4800 
4   ~ per word, $6.00  minimum charge. Send  your ad  to 
The Vintage Trader, EAA Aviation Center, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI  54903-3086 
Payment  must accompany ad. VISAIMasterCard  accepted. 
MISCELLANEOUS: 
Ultralight Aircraft - One year old  in  April  1995 and our monthly 
publication is still growing. Buy, sell trade, kit built, fixed wing, powered 
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FREE  CATALOG  - Aviation  books  and  videos.  How  to,  building 
388-0170. Repair station No. QK5R148N. 
and restoration tips,  historic,  flying  and entertainment titles. Call for 
a free catalog,  1-800-843-3612. 
(NEW) This &That about the Ercoupe, $14.00. Fly-About Adventures 
Wheel Pants - The most accurate replica wheel pants for antique 
&the Ercoupe, $17.95. Both books, $25.00. Fly-About, P.O. Box 51144, 
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1326 Batey Place,  Harbor City,  CA 90720,  phone 310/326-5609 or 
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1995Taylorcraft Calender - 12 full color "T-Carts·  in flight. $14.00 
ppd. c/o 2704 W. 31 st St., Sioux Falls, SO 57105. (3-1) 
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Modellers, Historians - Aviation packets for sale. Plans, three-views, 
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zine drawings. $5 to $14. Send $1  $ SASE for sample info to: Douglas 
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Free catalog of complete product line. 
Fabric  Selection  Guide  showing  actual  sample  colors  and 
styles of materials: $3.00. 

259 Lower Morrisville Rd., Dept. VA 
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