Vintage Airplane - May 2006

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  N E VOL. 34, No.5

1

Straight

2006

M A y

Level

by Geoff Robison

2

VAA News

4

Bucker Lite Lightened Bucker Bucker bip lanes were used to set Czech national records by Pat Quinn

6

Anti Ant ique Instruments Some clever solutions to measuring flight by H.G. Frautschy

9

Vintage Aircraft in the United Kingdom The Shuttleworth Collection by H.G. Frautschy

2

Standard Issue or Customized Take Your Pick

Dan Wood and his Takes-a-Lickin -and-Keeps-on-Tickin C-170 by Budd Davisson Jack Russell Rescues a 170 and Makes I t His Own by H.G. Frautschy 24

rass It To Buck Dear Buck, by Buck Hilbert

26

The Vintage Instructor

What goes around comes around

by Doug Stewart

28

Restoration Corner

by Buck Hilbert and Ron Fritz

36

Mystery Plane

by H.G. Frautschy

38

Calendar

4

Classified Ads

COVERS FRONT COVER: Jack Russell and Gene Day along with Jack's fiancee, Cindy Johnson, and Gene's wife, Bonnie, restored Jack's Cessna 170 with a bit of a custom flair, using a color scheme that is based in part on the old Eastern Airlines markings. Read about it and a stock Cessna 170 in the article starting on page 12. EM photo by Jim Koepnick, EAA photo plane flown by Bruce Moore. BACK COVER: Dan Wood and his son Nick did all the metalwork when they restored their pristine Cessna 170 shown here over a broken layer of clouds west of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, during E M AirVenture Oshkosh 2005. EM photo by Mike Steineke, EAA photo plane flown by Bruce Moore.

 

ST

FF

Publisher Editor-in-Chief Executive Director/Editor Administrative Assistant Managing Editor News Editor Photography E E

Tom Poberezny Scott Spangler H.G. Frautschy

Jennif er Lehl Kathleen Witman Ric Reynolds Jim Koepnick Bonnie Bartel

Sue Anderson Advertising Coordinator Classified Ad Coordi nator Louise Schoenike Copy Ed itor Colleen Walsh Director of Advertising Katrina Bradshaw Display Advertising Repre senta tiv es:

Northeast: Allen Murray Phone 609·265·1666, FAX 609-265-1661, e-mail: a l e m n l l r r a y l l i l l d ~ p r i l l g c o / l l Southeast: Chester Baumgartner Phone 727·573·0586, F X 727·556·0177, e·mail: ci>allllllll@ ci>allllllll@   niwi niwis sprillg.colll Central: Todd Reese .culll   Phone 800-444·9932, F X 816·741·6458, e·mail: todd@Sp ·mag.culll Mountain Pacific Keith Knowlton Associates Phone 770-516-2743 e-mail: kekllowltoll@?llilldsprill g.coJII oJII  

GE OFF R O B I S O N PR ES ID ENT, VINTAGE A IRC RAFT

E

S SO C I AT IO N

convention thoughts

With the flying season now in full swing, I have been out doing m y spring thing by knocking off the rust that gets attached to my flying skills over the long Midwestern winter. winter. I typ ically start by flying a bunch of touch

ley came up with a great idea of printing a removable insert to the magazine that will feature a convention program spe cific to the Vintage area of operations. So be sure to remove it from your maga zine and bring i t along to AirVenture for

drivers choose to arrive early to be as as sured of a campin g space in this popu popu  lar area. So, you will all be pleased to learn we have chosen to rescind policy for at a t least the short term to again al al low access to Contemporary campers in

and-go landings and some simulated short-field takeoffs. And then I finish

an opportunity to save you and your guests some steps while visiting the VAA

off with some short-field landings,

grounds. I'm guessing that a good nu m  ber of members will learn of several activities in this program that you were previously unaware of. I f you forget to bring it along, or maybe you just don't want to alter your copy of Vintage rp l ane that's fine, because we intend to do an overprint of these program pages and have them available to the mem bership in the Vintage Red Barn for your convenience. After all, the new catch phrase for the Vintage area at Oshkosh this year is "Vintage aircraft;

this area. Please be aware that this spe cific area is strictly availabl availablee on a first  come, first-served basis for our members camping with their vintage aircraft. We do intend to occasionally revisit our aircraft parking layout in future years; however, major changes are unlikely until additional camping facili t ies be come availab availablle further south on the field. Although I have communicated with a good number of folks who took the time to wri wr ite or call, I als also o wanted to apologiz apol ogizee to anyon e else who was unex pectedly displaced to the south because

turns around a pOint, and some slow

flight maneuvers. I t always feels good to get back into the full swing of things with both of my flying machines . By the time you read this, both of the an nual inspections will hopefully have been completed in the Cessna 120, and the 170A. 170A . Both annuals ar aree anticipated to go well. The spruce-up of the C-120 continues to go pretty well, and again, by the time you read this column

hopefully hopef ully it will will be at the in intt erior shop

of this 200S policy change.

for all the finishing touches. My favor ite tin bender should have the whee wheell pants and the lower cowl finished later this week, so the paint shop can get to work on the new finish. The top cow l was in the worst shape, and the tin man did a really nice job of fabricat

not ju st a lifestyle, it's an adventure." Speaking of the 2006 event, my e

mail box has been pretty active for sev eral months now with members who have shared their displeasure with our 200S poli policy cy of parking only Classic air craft directly south of the Antique dis

ing a new replacement center section, as the old one had a b u nch of vibra tion cracks that were slowl slow ly getting worse. We also now have all the mate mate rials needed to repl rep l ace the ratty-look ing and mostly ineffective cowl seals . I can 't wait to see how it all works out. For those of you i ntendi n g to vi v isit us at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2006, be sure to watch the June issue of Vintage irp lane for a newly feat u red it item em . Vintage Directors Steve Krog and Bob Lum

p lay are areaa and an d t he Theater in the Woods. We had previously decided this would improve the overall layout of the field and provide for a more common sense approach of displaying t he various types of vintage aircraft in our area. Boy, did I get an earfu earfull from those of you who typica ll lly y co m e early with your Con temporar y aircraft aircraft to make certain you yo u will be able to camp in this obvious ly pop ul ar area. area. Most of us actually had no idea how many Contemporary airplane

HAVE YOU MADE YOUR PLANS TO ATTEND EAA

AIRVENTURE OSHKOSH 2006, VAA

IS ABOUT

THE

Also, while we're on the top iCof new facilities, be sure to come visit us at the Tall Pines Cafe again this year and check out o ur brand n ew kitc kitch h en facility down near the Ultralight area of operations. The n ew facility will now house the en t i re cooking operation for the cafe and shou ld prove to be a much more ef effi fi cient operation . Be sure to come join

us at the kitchen and experience a great meal for a good val valu u e. VAA is ab o u t participation. Be a member Be a vol vo lunteer Be there Le t  s a ll pu ll in the same direction for t he good of aviation. Remember, we are better together. Join us and have it all

EAA AIRVENTURE

2006?

WORLD ' S GREATEST AVIATION C E L E B R A T I O N - J U L Y 2 4 - 3 0

PARTICIPATION : BE

A

M E M B E R ! BE

A VOLUNTEER

BE THERE! V IN T A G E A I R P L A N E

 

EAA s Advocacy,

affairs; and Doug Macnair, EAA vice

(AASI) process. This process allows

Members Help Bring Change to F Medical Processing

Backlog reduction is fi r st goal Among the most important issues

facing the pilot community has been the FAA s backlog in special issuance medical certifications, as well as the cost and difficu difficulty lty associated with ob taining and renewing a special issu

ance medical.

That's why EAA is committed to

finding a solution to the special issu ance process that affects or will affect many of its members. The issue came to a head at EAA AirV AirVentu enture re Oshkos h 200S, when the majority of questions fielded by FAA Administrator Marion Blakey at her annual Meet the Admin istrator session were from pilots con cerned or upset about delayed special issuance certificate applications applications.. After EAA AirVenture 200S, EAA s Aeromedical Advisory Council, a group of volunteer flight surgeons who serve as a reservoir of aeromedi

cal expertise to EAA and its members, developed a plan to attack the prob lem . Based on this proposal submit ted to the FAA last December, EAA officials received an invitation from FAA Ass Associa ociate te Adm inistr ator Nick Sa-

president of government affairs. EAA's recommendations to t h e FAA for improving medical certifica tion processing were summarized in four points: . Review of examination intervals (e.g. , one year instead of six months for first class examinations, and five years

medical examiners to renew special

for third class medical certificates). . Review of special issuance medi cal conditions with the potential for

the renewal of special issuances. The FAA is enlisting EAA, the EAA Aero

complete elimination of some and/ or reduced reporting requirements

for others. . A super AME concept , includ ing t h e delegation o f a ddi t i ona l

review and approval authority to avi ation medical examiners (AMEs) who are willing to assume the responsibil ity and have demonstrated compe tency in aeromedical disposition.

• Review of the third class medi cal certification system with consid erations ranging from elimination of the certificate to more relaxed medi cal requirements requirements.. Sabatini said EAA's recommen dations were right on target. The FAA responded with a series of ac tions intended to address the spe cial issuance medical certification

batini and new FAA Flight Surgeon

backlog. The actions the FAA has

Dr. Fred Tilton to visit FAA head

proposed, or are continuing to work

issuances directly instead of sending them to the FAA for review. review. • Undertake an extensive commu nications effort to educate medical

examiners and encourage them to participate more fully in the AASI

process. This can dramatically ease

medical Advocates, the Civil Aviation Medical Association, and other asso ciations to assist in distributing infor mation about the new AASI program and to help encourage both doctors and medical certificate applicants to take advantage of the program in 

stead of deferring the renewal of spe cial issuances to the FAA. • The FAA has pledged to address EAA s longer-term recommendations for increased certificate duration and explore opportunities for greater del egation of authority from the FAA to the aviation medica medicall examiner (EAA s super AME proposal). These pro posals are long-term efforts because they require additional rulemaking, but the agency is willing to undertake

significant signif icant changes in these areas.

Annual EAA Business Meeting July 9 at EAA AirVenture

quarters in Washington, D.C., for the purpose of discussing the recommen dations. A review of new agency ac tions in response to EAA s proposal

o n behind the scenes, address all of

In accordance with its bylaws, the

EAA s recommendations. The FAA is taking these immedi ate steps to ease the special issuance

Experimental Aircraft Association

to improve special issuance proces process s ing was also part of the session. The

backlog, while EAA and the FAA con

meeting was held March 30, with

long-term improvements: .Farming out special issuance cases electronically from the Civil Aero

Sabatini, Tilton, and Peggy Gilligan, FAA deputy associate administrator for aviation safety. EAA President Tom Poberezny and EAA Aeromedical Advisory Council Chairman Dr. Jack Hastings led the EAA delegation that also included Dr. Richard Jennings, EAA aeromedi

cal advocate and incoming president of the Aerospace Medicine Associa tion (AsMA); Earl Lawrence, EAA vice president of industry and regulatory M

Y 2

tinue to work o n more sweeping,

medical Branch in Oklahoma City to the FAA regional flight surgeons,

effectively increasing the number of doctors available to review and ap ap prove special issua issuance nce applic ations ations.. • Expanding the list of approved conditions for which medical exam iners may renew special issuance cer tificates under the aviation medical examiner assisted special issuance

will hold its annual business meet ing at 10 a .m. on Saturday, July 29, at the Theater in the Wood Woodss during EAA AirVenture 2006, Wittman Regional Airport, Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Electing eight Class I directors (three-year terms) will be the first agenda item, said Alan Shackleton, secretary of the EAA board of direc tors. For these pOSitions, the nomi nating committee has submitted the following candidates : Richard W. Beebe, Jerry Baker, Michael H. Dale Dale,, John W Jack Harrington, David C. Lau, David R. Pasahow, Robert Reece, Dan Schwinn, Alan R. Shackleton, and Paul]. Spanbauer.

6

 

Friends of the Red Barn Campaign Many serv ic es are provided to vintage aircraft en th u sias ts at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. From parking airplanes t o feedin feeding g people at th e Tall Pines Cafe and Red Barn, more than 400 volunteers do it all. Some may ask, I f volunteers are providing providin g the services, where is the expense?"

Your contribution n o w really does make a differ ence.. There are six levels of gif ence gifts ts and gift recognition. Thank you for whatever yo you u can do. Here are some of the many activities the Friends of the Red Barn fund underwrite s:

Glad yo you u asked. The scooters fo forr th e flightline crew need repair and batteries, and the Red Barn needs paint, new windowsills, update d wiring wiring,, and o ther sundry repairs, plus we love to care for our vo lunt eers wit h specia speciall recognition caps and a pizza party. The

• Red Barn Information Desk Supplies

list really could go o n and on, but n o matter how many expenses we can point out, the need remains constant. The Frie nds of the Red Barn fund helps pay for the VAA expenses at EAA AirVenture, a n d is a cru cial part of the Vintage Aircraf Aircraftt Association budget. Please help the VAA and our 400-p 400-plus lus dedica ted vo lunt eers make this an un forgettab orgettablle experience for

• Pizza Party for VAA Volunteers

• Participant Plaques and Supplies • Toni 's Red Carpet Express Repairs

Name Usled:

Special FORB Badge

Radios

• Caps for VAA Volunteers • Flightline Parking Scooters and Supplies • Breakfast for Past Grand Grand Champions • Volunteer Volunteer Boot h Administrat ive Supplies • Membership Booth Administrative Supplies

our many EAA AirVenture guests. We've made it even more fun t o give this year, with wit h more giving levels to fit each person's budget, and more interesting activi ties for donors to be a part of. Thatlk -You Items by level

and

• Signs Signs Throug hout the Vintage Area • Red Barn and Other Buildings' Buildings ' Maintenance And

Special FORB Cp

at Red Bam

Cerlilicale

Actess to Volunteer Center

Diamond ,   1,000

X

X

X

X

X

X

2P,opItfF,.1I\

2Tickets

X

Full Week

Platinum, 750

X

X

X

X

X

X

2PeopIeIfIlIII\

2Tlckets

X

2Days

Gold ,   500

X

X

X

X

X

X

1Ponoo/F,.II\

1Ticket

Siver, S SO

X

X

X

X

X

X

Bronze, 100

X

X

X

X

loyal Supporter, 99

X

X

\ \ n t a g e , W e b

~

Donor Appreciation

Two Passes to

More

Volunteer Party

VAA

Breakfast at Tall Pines Cafe

Tri-Motor Ride Certificate

Two Tickets to VAA

Picnic

Close Auto Parking

&Under

VAA Friends of the Red Barn

_ __ _

___

Name______ ___ _ EAA VAA _ ____________ ____________ __________________________________________ ____ ______________________________________ Address______ __________ ________________ __________ ________________ _______ ___ _________ City/State/Zip _ _ _

 

_ _ _ __ _ __ __ _ __ _ _ _

Phone__ ______ _____ _________ ______________ __________ ___________________E-Mail _ ____________ ________ ____________ _____ __ ___ ____ _ Please choose your level of participation participation:: _ _ Diamond Leve l Gift - $1,000.00 1,000.00   Silver Lev el Gift - $250.00 _ __ Platinum Leve l Gift - $750.00 Bronze Level Gift - $100 $100.00 .00 _ __ Gold Level Gi Gift ft - $5 $500 00.00 .00 Loyal Supporter Gift - ($99 .00 or un und d er) Your Support $ o Payme nt Enclosed (Make checks payab payable le to Vintage Aircraft Assoc.) o Please Charge my credit card (below) Mail your contribution to: EAA VINTAGE AI ReRAn ASSOC. Credit Card Number _ Expiration Dat Datee _ _

__

PO 3 86 OSHKOSH Box WI 549 3·3 86

Signature

_ _ _   sp o use work for a match in ing g gift compan y? 00 you o r your spo

so , this gift ma m a y qualify for   a matching donation . Pleas Pleasee ask your Human Resou rce cess de d e partm partmee nt fo r th e appropriat appropriatee form . If

N a m e o f

o m p a n y

~

 

~

~

~ ~

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~ ~ ~ ~

 

~

~

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Th e Vin tage A ir cr a ft A sso sociatioll ciatioll is is a n on -pr pro o fit edll dllca cati tio o lwl or org g ani za ti tio o n urule urule r IR S SO I c3 rill rilles. es. Un Un der e d eral La w, th e d edll dllccli lio o ll fro m e d eral Inco In co m e ta taxx fo r charita haritab b le co rltribllti rltriblltio oll llss is limited t o th thee am o unt by whi ch a n y m on ey and th thee valu v alu e o an anyy p ro p erty oth o th er tlwn m on ey) co nt rib llt llteed ex cee ceed ds th thee va lu luee o  the goo good ds or or servi se rvices ded d i n ex e x chan hange ge for th e contributi contributio on. A n appro appropriat priatee rec eipt ackl10wie ackl10wi edg ill illg g YO ll r gi gi ft will be sent to you or IRS g ift reportin rting g rea so son ns . ces p rov ide eceipt VINTAGE  

IRPL

NE

  uckerLite

Lightene d ucker Lightened ucke r b iplane iplaness were u sed to set Czech national records Y PAT Q U I N N

n t he Cold War days of the 1960s, Czechoslovakia was a firm Communist member of the Eastern Bloc and civilian flying as we know it didn't exis existt . Virtually all private aviation was via the aero clubs throughout the country and was administered by th e military. military. The aero clubs were equipped with the indigenous version of the t he Bu Buck cker er Jungmann, the Aero C-104, powered by a 10S-hp Walter Minor engine. Because the Czech military consid consid ered the small biplane obsolete, it be

I

gan preparing to dispose of the type. To do so, it simp simplly chopped the air

the 1,000-kg class in the L-40 Meta

Falcon during the same time perio period, d, many were set with Aero 104s in the FAI (Federation Mronautique In In ternationale) C-la class of SOO ki lograms ( 1,102 pounds) of gross

To qu a l ify for the SOO-kg class, three Aero 104 biplanes were stripped of all unnecessary weight, including the front cockpit instru ment panel, seat controls, and wind shie ld. All three then had the front

weight

With its lightly clothed pilot, Karel Balasek, on board, OK-AXF weighed less than 1,102 pounds 500 kg) when it set a SOO-kilometer 310_7-mile) speed record of 93 93..21 mph on October 19, 1961.

craft into pieces. For an 18-month period, however, the SVAZARM As sociation for Cooperation with the Army) gave permission to the coun try s aero clubs and the Centra Centrall Avi ation School to modify the Aero C-104 to attempt to set national and records.. The Central international records Aviation School and two aero clubs accepted the challenge. Although some records were set in M

Y 2

6

 

cockpits faired over. The standard

On October 19, 1961, pilot Karel

empty weight of an Aero C-104 was 859 pounds, and the three clubs were able to somewhat reduce this weight. The entry from the Central Avia tion School at Vrchabi, OK -AXF, was equipped with an enclosed rear cock cock pit. Aeroklub Jihlava s u bmitted a

Balasek,, who weighed less than 130 Balasek pounds, wa wass attemp ting to bre break ak the national C-1a speed record over a 500-km course in OK-AXE His crew rolled the aircraft onto the certified scalles, and then removed everything sca possible from the airplane, but it was

lightened entry, OK-AXG. Aeroklub Kladno equipped its mount with a 140--hp M332 engine. This engine is 140 now marketed as the LOM M332 M332.. On June 17, 1960, Helena Rum lerova flew the stripped and tuned OK-AXG to a C-1a world record al a l titude for women of 18 553 feet.

still just(500-kg) a little bit over theweight. 1,102 pound maximum

When the luncheon to celebrate her record achievement was fin 

Helena Rumlerova received a bouquet of flowers after setting a world altitude record. While she was at a celebratory luncheon her mount for the record  

Balasek then removed his clothes , including his shoes until he was wearing only his shorts, undershirt, and socks. Finally, 7 ounces under 500-kilogram ogram requ irement, Bal the 500-kil asek set a new record of 93.21 mph over the 31O.7-mile course with the stock-powered Aero C-104, but in

ished that day, Rum Rumllerova returned to the airport and was shocked to find the SVAZARM had already de stroyed OK-AXG . Fifteen months later, the M332 powered OK-AQR started setting

nation al records over a four-day four-day in terval. September 11, 1961, was the busiest day of all. Eva Leignerova flew into the record books at 129.6 mph over 3 - k ilo m e te r a n d 15  kilometer courses thereby set ting national records for women. Leignerova followed that up with a record of 129. 129 .1 mph over a 100-kil 100-kilo o

meter closed course. Karel Jares also set national records for men on the same day in OK-AQR on the 3-kilo-

OK-AXG was chopped up and de stroyed by government officials.

meter and IS-kilometer courses with identical speeds of 129. 129 .6 .mph. Jare Jaress then flew OK-AQR to a new national nationa l C-1a altitude record of 23,589 feet on September IS, 1961.

Balasek set a new record o f 93.21 mph over the 31 0 .7 .7 mile course cours e w ith the stock-powered C-104,, but in Aero C-104 the late fall air h e nearly froze to dea de ath doiin g so do so!!

the la te fall air, h e nearly froze t o death doing so In the end the government de stroyed the other two aircraft, but

these were impressive records set in lightweight biplanes.

Footn ote: Joe Krybus, Footnote: Krybus, a Czech ex patriate, is the foremost expert on Bucker aircraft in the United Stat States es and perhaps, in the world. He op erates a shop at the Santa Paula where h e re Airportsupports, in California, stores, and builds Bucker aircraft. This story represents many years of Joe s research, and I write it with a great deal of gratitude to him for the information.

Editor s Note: Pat Quinn owns and pilots a Lycomin g 0 360 powered Spanish built Jungmann , which he hangars at the historic Santa Paula Airport in California.

Records were also set in the L-40 Meta Falcon during the same time period. VINT

GE A I RPL

NE

 

tique

Instruments Some clever solutions to measuring flight BY

i nce man be-

S

gan flying, he s wanted a way to quantify the experience

of flight.

Was the airplane turn -

H.G.

FRAUTS CHY

ment makers began filling requests from aircraft manufacturers and pilots who needed to know more. As aviation matured

ing a lo lott   or just a little? And what direction wa wass

as a n i n d u s t r y , new companies started to fill

it heade he aded? d? The hiker and the mariner had a s o l u tion which was quickly adapted by aviators. A magnetic compass pivoted o n a jeweled LEE NN BR MS pin wi t h th e m ovem en t Th;;RiieiUeriLii4iiiViaitiOii1i1cliilOinet;r,iiijiiiiidWCfumiiYiiieSisaHmrue;-

the needs of the aircraft

dampened by a slightly viscous fluid, did the

company for decades.

trick prett y neatly. There was quite a bit more however to measure measure.. Was the airplane in a skid or a slip? The aviator could feel the effect in the seat of his pants or the slipstream o n his cheek but with the propeller blasting the air back in a whirling horizontal tornado, the effect wasn t always fe fe lt i f the slip or skid was minimal. A tuft of yarn tied to a cross brace or strut outside of the prop s slipstream,

worked a bit better. I f the pilot wanted to know how much the nose of th e airplane pitched up or down, a glance out at the bottom of the wing would tell him what he needed to know. When airplanes were more frail and were flown only in the best

weather conditions, these envi of ronmental observations were more

me n t C o m p a n y (now

Riekerr Inc Incor or known as Rieke porated), Philadelphia, Pe n ns y Iva n i a has be e n

busy filling orders for its spirit-filled glass levels and inclinomete rs for 89 years. After its founding during WWI avi-

R i e I ~ e r

II

ation products soon became one of its primary product lines and Rieker quickly became known for

Inc _

~ e S Stl l11 a1 fal11.iliar slip -

manu fact urers. Fo unded in 1917 Rieker Instru

t

he

s I ~ i d

 

I n Icator l11 any

0

u s See o n the instrul11.en instrul11.en  t panels o f l11 any vintage airplanes_

its high quality and innovation. In fact it remains in business to this day supplying not only aviators   but also the commercial and indus trial trade with spirit levels and inclinometers for use on fire engines lift trucks and any other vehicles that may encounter a grade along with electronic digital inclinome ters. I t has maintained its presence in aviation and in fact is open to making just about any aircraft in strument it has made over the past 89 years. I f it still has the mold it

will make it.

Rieker still makes the familiar slip/skid indicator many of us see

than adequate but as aviation be came more sophisticated, instruM

Y 2

on the instrument panels of many

vintage airplanes either as a stand-

6

 

alone instrument or as

the

ball

portion of a

turn -and-bank gyro in  s t r u m e n t . Its PMA'd 1040 manual inclinom  eter (we know it as a slip/skid indicator) is still in production and used on new manufac

tured aircraft. I asked the folks from Rieker to send us a few samples so we could see LEE NN BR MS what goes on inside, and The larger Rieker 1030, which has the same 10 10--degree graduations not surprisingly, I could as the smaller 1040. The hand · blown glass tube with a steel ball is see a few things hidden the heart of the alcohol -filled aviation slip/skid indicator. from view that are key to the success of the indicator. For the normal slip/skid

indicator, glass is blown in a mold to produce a con

now you k n o w - o n e end houses the expan

sion chamber. Each tube is then set i n potting compound within a cast and ma  chined aluminum housing that has been painted. Then the letter is

them ing cast filled a in wipe with 'n' white paint. For some appli  cations, a pair of lubber lines may be included to indicate when the incli nometer is centered centered.. Typ ically, that's done on the units intended for use in a turn-and bank indicator or an aviation slip/

Sistently shaped

skid indicator. Rieker has in  dicated it will re

curved tube. The

b u ild t h e glass

size is critical,

since a steel ball will be dropped into the tube be fore it is filled

p o r t i o n o f any indicator manu  f a c t u r e d b y it. You can contact the company at

with clear fluid

www riekeri riekerinc nc com  com  

(normally alco hol). The top is then sealed by a

More commonly used in antique aircraft before the widespread use of gyroscopic in· struments , spirit levels wit h a bubble were used to indicate th e inclination of the air· plane in roll. A simi lar unit was installed in the Ryan NYP The pirit o Sf. Louis.

glass blower, with a small amount of air left in the very top of the tube's small umbil ical. The airspace serves s an ex pansion chamber, and as a clever way to keep the instrument's vis ible portion free of any air bub bles, which can negatively affect the ball's movement in the tube. Tubes t h a t have a more pro nounced curve may not have the umbilical, s the expansion cham

uring

the

1920s, aviation

instrumentation became far more sophisticated with the introduc tion of the gyr gyrosc oscopi opiC C ins tru trument ment s built by Sperry. Still, the spirit level was well regarded, particu

larly for flight in visual flight rules conditions. Often installed in con junction with Sperry Sperry''s gyros, the

ber bubble can be maintained in

the tops of the upturned tubes. For others that have no steel ball included in them, the small bub ble used in the upside down level is all the expans i on bub ble the unit needs. I f you've ever

At the time of Lindbergh s construction of the Sp irit he chose the lightweight Rieker P·1917 egree Inclinometer to give him climb and descent angle infonnation. This replica instrument panel of The Spirit of St. Louis was displayed during the 75th anniversary exposition of artifacts related

wondered why most slip/skid in dicators have those funny little upturned bumps o n each end,

to Lindbergh s historic 1927 flight. A pair of Rieker inclinometers were mounted In the lower center of the panel. VINT

 

or by calling 800 497-4523.

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A copy of the tube used in the vertical pitch indicator shown on the Spirit Spirit  s panel panel.. When the nose pitche s down , the fluid in the tube facing the pilot descends , and is read on a graduated scale mounted with th e tube tub e on th the e in strument 's case case.. The opposite is true for the aircraft in a climb . The kink in th the e lower tube serves as a fluid move per,, while the disc men t da mper disc--shaped part of the tube is a fluid reservoir.

Rieker units were relied upon for both pitch and roll information, albeit with some inherent limita

tions. One of the most famous in stallations seen in the 1920s was the use of a pair of Rieker glass tube instruments on the panel of t he Ryan NYP The Spirit o st Louis.

at the photos as you read along. So simple, but very clever. For the Rieker P-1917 Degrees

true as the airplane's nose is pulled up in a climb. The small restriction in the lower tube acts as a damper,

Inclinometer used in the Spirit o St Louis and many other aircraft of t hat period, a triangle of tubes is formed by the glass blower blower,, with a disc-shaped reservoir chamber on

allowing the alcohol to pass by without causing the fluid to exces sively jump up and down in t he visible portion of the tube. With it, Charles Lindbergh and other pi

As a young boy I understood the operation of the curved, inverted

spirit level at the top of aT-shaped

pair of tubes mounted dead cen ter in the Spirit s panel. After all, it was just like t he level my dad had used so often when we were building things in the basement, but the vertical tube was a bit of a mystery to me, and I never gave it much thought, until I was looking at the marvelous cockpit photos of the e Co nthe Spirit for the book t th

trols: The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Book o Cockpits, edited by Thomas M . Alison and Dana Bell. There, glowing back

lots who were challenged by their aircraft's configuration were able

Both the kinked restriction and the reservoir chamber are on the lower leg of the triangle. The tube is filled

to accurate ly determine climb or dive angles and the aircraft's rela

about halfway with dyed alcohol. At first, I thought the liquid might be antifreeze, since it resembles a certain brand-name product, but I was assured it has always been plain old alcohol with a bit of yel low/green dye added to it it.. The tube is then mounted in a case that has a series of catcher's mask wi w i re guards across the face, to protect the tube from being ac cidenta ll y broken. So the indicators

Considering its limitations, the spirit level leve l-based degree inclinom eter worked particularly well. The

tive trim. trim .

fluid is still subject to acceleration errors, so in low-visibility flight levell s cannot conditions the spirit leve be relied upon to give accurate indi cations concerning the actual bank or pitch angle of t he airplane. I t would require the additional work of Sperry and other gyroscopic in in s t r u m e n t makers to make true

can read correct ly, the instrument panel must be installed with its face vertical when the aircraft is in level leve l

of one of the instrument's tubes.

flight, as well as level from wingtip to wingtip. As the nose of the airplane dips in flight, the fluid level in the tube

instrument flight practical practica l, but in in terestingly, the small, simple fluid filled steel ball slip/skid indicator is still found o n just about every aircraft instrument panel, from the lightest lightplane to the largest air liners. I t works, with a minimum of

what you don't see that's Again, it  s interesting. the most Take a look

the pilot will go down, indi facing and the opposite is cating a dive,

What more could you ask of fuss. an instrument?

at me in luminous yellow-green,

were those tubes I recalled seeing in drawings. Ned Denigan, president of Rieker, was happ y to explain them to me , and h e kindly sent m e a sample

M  

one leg, and a small kink formed a bit further down the same tube.

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The Shuttleworth Collection BY

B. G .

FR

UTS C HY

PHOTOS BY D AVID M

R EADY

A number of years ago, VAA member David Macready, of Rugby Rugby,, Warwick, Great Britain, Britain ,

in labeling each slide with the aircraft name, registration markings, and the event at which

was kind enough to send us a three-ring binder binde r

the photograph was shot. We ll prese present nt the vin vin  tage aircraft shot by David in a few more issues

chock-full of

slides taken at various vintage

aviation events in the United Kingdom. David s

o f Vint Vintage age Airplane

photographs are great, and what made them doub do ubly ly useful useful was was his careful careful attention attent ion to detail

shots sho ts taken at the Shu Shuttle ttlewort worth h Collection in Old Warden Park , North Biggleswade.

Let  s get started with his Let

of antique and antique replica aircraft on the line at the Shuttleworth Collection aerodrome. From left to right the Bristol Boxkite replica 1912 Blackburn D Monoplane 191 Deperdussin and Avro Triplane replica. A lineup

The Shuttleworth

olledion

A remarkable setting for some of the rarest airpl airp lanes still flying, the Shuttleworth Collection is located in the English countryside, with a grass runway and eight han gars It is open all year, year, with spec special ial fl ying display day days s held th roughout the flying season For more information, visit its website at www shuttleworth  shuttleworth  or org g  The Shuttleworth Collection, Old Warden Park , Nr. Biggleswade, Bedford shire SG18 9EA. Visitor Centre Centre phon e : (01767 ) 627288 . E-mail : collection @shuttleworth org  org  VINTAGE A I R PL

 

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The Percival Mew Gull G-AEXF was badly dam aged after an engine failure but was expertly restored by Hawker Restorations. Shown here at the Shuttleworth Military Pageant in August 2001 this is the same airplane flown by Alex Henshaw in his historic flight from London to Cape Town South Africa in February 1939. It is owned by Desmond Penrose of The Real Aero plane Co. of Breighton.

Another of the original airpla airplanes nes on display at the Shuttleworth Collection is this Bleriot XI monoplane. This Bleriot was used at the Bleriot School at Hendon in 1910 and is the 14th model XI built. Crashed in 1912 it was stored for a time un der a railway bridge. Rebuilt by A.E. Grimmers it was bought in 1935 by Richard Shuttleworth his irst historic aeroplane purchase. Still in flying condition it is restricted to straight hops down the grass runway at Old Warden. The engine is the originall three-cylinder 24-hp Anzani. origina 1

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The oldest flying aircraft in the United Kingdom, this is an original 1912 Blackburn Type D Mono engine.. plane, powered by a 50-hp Gnome rotary engine First constructed by Robert Blackburn's com pany in 1912 after an order was received from Cyril Foggin, it was used by Foggin to deliver the orkshire ost newspaper from Leeds to York in July 1913. Crashed and abandoned in 1914 by a subsequent owner, the late Richard Shuttleworth discovered the aircraft buried under a haystack.

After buying the haystack to obtain the aero War plane, he took it back to his airfield at Old War den and began restoration. His untimely death delayed the restoration's completion until 1949, when it was finished by L.A. Jackson. It was first flown by Group Captain A.H. Wheeler on Sep tember 17, 1949, and it remains airworthy. It is flown when the air is calm in the early evening.

1963   Dar 1963  Dary y l Zanuck of 20th Century Fox approved the production of a movie set in 1910 1910   which centered around a mythical air race between London and Paris Re leased in 1965  1965   hose Magnificent Men in h eir lying Machines became a classic for its broad comedy and exce l lent use of rep repll ica airc raft for the fl f lying scenes . The movie was re ce ntly released on DV DVD D . ir Commodore A . H. Whee ler was tasked w ith coordinating the creation of nine replica aircraft five of which had to be f lown. Within six months months   he had see n to the constr const ruction of the aeroplanes of which three of each example had to be built. Here are two of the replicas that we re constructed for the film and subsequently purchased by by the Shuttleworth Trust In

The first is the Bristol Boxkite replica, flown in the movie as an "American airplane." The replica was built by Miles Aircraft, with George Miles himseH serving as its test pilot. The constructors of the replica had planned on using a Rolls-Royce (Continental) A-65 engine, but it ran too hot while being run as a pusher at high speeds, so the decision re--engine the aircraft with the was made to re C-OO. Even still, the main fuel jets had to be reamed out to make the engine run a bit richer, to aid in cooling It is shown here in preparation for flight during the Sunset Dis play 3 at Old Warden in July 1999.

One of the most flightworthy of the replicas made for the film was the Avro IV Triplane. Powered by the 105 · hp Cirrus Hermes, the triplane was flown by the movie  s villain, Sir Percy Ware-Armitage. Built by the Hampshire Aero Club, the replica was known for its strength and pleasant flying charac teristics, t least as far as a 1910 aeroplane was concerned These shots were also taken during the Shuttleworth Collection's Sunset Display and its pageant t Old Warden Aerodrome. V IN T

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Stan St and d ar ard d Is Issue

Dan Wood a n d his Takes-a-Lickin -and-Keeps-on-Tickin C-170 Y BUDD DAYlSSON

n Wood has an un  usual perspective on airplanes and why

and a strut, but there had to be lots of stuff I didn t know about. Even the most casual listener

out of circulation for a time. I f i t h a d n t been completely rebuilt, it would have been just another

some of them last as long as they do.

would have to question this being

that totaled it in ' 85. I t was appar ently pushed into a hangar and the usual stuff was crumpled. I couldn t track it all down , but I knew for sure it crunched the fin, a wing,

been totaled and sold by the insur ance company. The current owner would have simply repaired repaired it and kept it. I t also wouldn ' t have been completely rebuilt, which took it

The best thing to happen to my airplane, he says, was the tornado II

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a good thing.

I f the airplane hadn ' t been

so severely sever ely damaged, i t wouldn ' t have

rag-wing 170, and th e re was a time back then that straight 170s weren t worth much. Many wound up sinking into the ground o n the

y the time this airplane re-emerged, re-emerged , that time was past. I think the tornado saved this airplane. Ip a twisted sort of way, there ' s back tie-down line .

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Customized

some logic to his argument. The original 1948 170 was so quickly and completely eclipsed b y the all-metal 170A and its handsome tapered wings that the old 170 immediately began to look a lit

licopter by the Brantly test pilot, his uncle Elton Barnum. Plus, his father had flown Taylorcrafts dur ing World War II, doing his part for liberty while flying CAP pa trols. Wo o d -th e -e ld e r saw t h e

for a while and am now a supplier quality team leader at General Mo tors in Spring Hill, Hill, Tennessee. We decided th a t rather th a n renting for me to learn to fly, Dan says, we'd buy a 150. He got cur

to mention, from dowdy. Not atledistance, i t looked for all the world like a 140. Today, a good percentage of those in sport avi

sparkthough of interest son, and in his even he'd been out of avia tion for years, the two of them de cided it would be a good thing for them to do together (Dan's father, W. Robert Wood, passed away Au gust 21, 2005).

rent while o namy li I washaving working cense . We were such good time that shortly after I got m y ticket, my wife [Debbie] decided she wanted to fly with us, so we bought a 172. Even though she was preg

ation d o n 't even know th a t the ancestor of the now-famous C 172 had rag wings. However, you

nant, she decided she wanted to

don't have to look far past Dan's airplane to know it's one of the

best of a relatively rare breed. Dan came by aviation natural naturally: ly: his first ride was in a Brantly he he

Dad always wanted me to get

m y A&P, and I did after getting my BS in airc aircraft raft engineeri ng from Western Michigan University. I worked in the aerospace industry

learn to fly and started taking les sons. When someone is pregnant, however, howe ver, there comes a time wh en, for increasingly obvious reasons, you can't land an airplane. VINT

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MIKE STEINEKE

Intended to e the

planes could be just

I found a straight 170 in Georgia

four-place airplane 120/140

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any could handle, pilotCessna from a distance the first version of the Cessna 170 could easily e mistaken for its smalle r brethren  

as reliable and pro

that was flying reasonably priced. I t

vide exactly the same utility as newer ones, and I found that re ally attractive.

was pretty rough and needed lots of TLC. Lots of it. I liked the fact that the airplane had never been painted. Plus the skin was good enough to polish, which I also found enticing . The

The 172 had set

t h e s t a n d a r d fo r

the Wood family in . terms f uti·1·Ity, so It was a foregone conclusion that the Champ wouldn t last long. It was

As is always the case with avia tion, the birds of a feather thing kicks in, and you begin making

fun, but the Champ was just too small and too slow. My son, Nick, and I started flying and camping earlier in the 172, and after one camping trip in the Champ , it was obvious that more room and speed wass needed. wa We began looking for a four place, all-aluminum airplane, and when you re looking at older air planes, there are really just a cou ple choices that fit that description,

airplane did have some damage his tory, but it was was a little ha rd to figure out exactly what had happened to it from looking at the logs. I was ly ing in my tent relaxing at Oshkosh this year when I heard a gentleman getting more excited the closer he got to my airplane. He turned out to be the pilot who had owned the airplane in 1985 when the tornado totaled it. John Startz owned this airplane in Houston, Texas, and he was sure that the insurance com pany had scrapped it. He was so ex cited to see her still flying, and we became instant friends.

They just feel right . The 172 was a great airplane, but I seemed to like the older airplanes better. So, my wife and I bought a 7AC Champ. I started going to dawn patrols

the 170 and 180 being the first two. One-eighties were out of our bud get, but we thought by doing some creative searching we could find a 170 of some kind . At the time, I wasn t looking for a straight 17 170 0, but was looking at 170s in general. I didn t want a project, but some part of me was attracted to finding a n airplane that I could do a lit

" It was really fun to watch him walk around and look at th e airplane. walk airplane. The last time he d seen it, it was in a pile against a hangar. He told me the whole story. story. That's on e of the things that makes owning an airplane like this so much fun. Every vintage air plane has had a long string of own ers and you never know when you'll run into one of them.

~

.; ;

Dan  ,Wood above) did all of the metalwork with his son, Nick.

friends you would never have found friends if it hadn t been for airplanes. In so doing, you often find yourself dis covering new facets facets of aviation. I hung out with some friends that were into vintage airplanes. Noth ing rea really lly exotic. exotic. Just the usual tail dragger stuff, and that s what got me hooked on older airplanes.

in Michigan with my dad in the early '70s. W e must have gone at least 10 times every summer, and that helped fuel my interest in vin tage airplanes, too. I t became pretty

obvious that many of the older air   4

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tle work o n and make it our own.

W hen a machine has lived for

 

More outstandin g metalwork y Dan and Nick Wood is evident in this shot of their engine compartment .

Russell handed him a n envelope.

well more than half a century, it is bound to have had its fair share of incidents, but you'd think get ting scramb scrambled led by a torna do would be enough for an airplane. But fate

I n i t was his last rent check

wasn t finished with the Wood fam ily C-170. I n 2000 a friend was flying

all torn up.

He said, "It i s your hangar

it when the engine quit cold. I t turned out there was a slug of wa ter in the fuel. e got it down okay, but it went up on its nose. Thank

fully, it didn't hit a hangar, or we would have been right back where this particular airplane started. I t did, however, get the cowling, the prop, the landing gear, and a few other items. So, even though

for a s long a s

I a m alive." While not intending to create a perfect stock Cessna 170, the Wood s  airplane maintains the feel of the airplane as it was in the late 194 s.

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A modern set of ra dios is installed in the lower left corner of

The rounded tail sur faces are another distinctive charac

I wasn't looking for a project air plane, right at that moment, that s

he instrument panel, which otherwise looks

teristic of the 170.

stock, complete with a new reproduction of the plastic panel with a graph paper style insert in the lower center.

exactly what we had. One of my aviation buddies that got me interested in vintage

taildraggers is Jay Cavender. Jay is an IA and operates Classic Flight In c . in Brookly Brooklyn, n, M ichigan. W e

took the wings off and got i t ready to rebuild it. We decided this would be the obvious time to do some of those things we'd been wanting to do all along. The wings and engine were left in Jay's care, care , and th thee fus fusela elage ge wentWhen homethe to Tennes Tennes Wood Wo od  family first moved

see.

to Tennessee and started looking for a hangar, they met a person who would

become a good friend and inspiration. Russell

wh e n I told him that I wa s n 't put ting i t back in t h e r e I

continued stop

ping by and talk ing airplanes until he passed away last year at 96 years young. I still see him sometimes

at 6,500

AGL.

When we started

work, the goal

Bob had redone his panel and steered Dan to Joy Warren with the Cessna 120/140 Association who makes the reproduction plastic panels that dominate the lower part of most vin vin  tage Cessna panels. We refinished every thing on the panel in the in te rio r i n

original colors and

Puckett owned an airport Puckett in Eagleville, Tennessee, and he had a hangar across the road for $30 per month. I t became normal to stop and talk to Russell and his wife, Nora, almost every time Dan went flying. Russell was a civilian instructor at Pine Bluff, Arkansas, during the war flying PT 19s. After the war, he became a Piper dealer buying new J-3s for $600 each. At one time he had six new JJ-3s 3s with the wings off in that hangar. Dan and Russell became and one time Dan lifelong friends, friends stopped by and ,Russell handed him an envelope. In it was his last rent check all torn up. He said, I t is your hangar for as long as I am alive alive.. The hangar was getting really bad, and when the airplane was finished, I think it broke his heart

A pair of A-framed wing struts and fab ric-covered wings are your irst clue this is the Cessna 170 not the single-strut, all metal taper wing Cessna 170A that was to follow. wasn't to have a completely origi

nal airplane. At its core, we wanted a completely usable airplane that was as original as we could make it without compromising its util ity. For instance, when doing the panel, o n the one hand I took the

box and out of the LORAN kept looking until I glove found an origi nal do or for the box. On the other, I stayed with the Terra avionics stack in the panel. Dan met another friend-to-be, Bob Runkle, at a fly-in, where Bob had his beautiful 1948 Cessna 140.

used one o f Joy's reproduction plastic panels to replace the orig inal one that was getting pretty funky looking. Then, I polished the switch keys. keys . Unnecessary, but very

cool looking. looking . We completely zero timed the engine, including replacing the crank with what was essentially a

new one. The original crank cr ank cracked cracked when the airplane went up on its nose during the accident. When working o n the airplane, Dan corrected something that had never made any sense t o him, and V

 

since the root cause of t he in c id e n t was water i n th e fuel, some corrections had to be made.

"The original origina l rag wing 170s

son, I just think it looks better on that airplane." Regardless of what kind of airplane we're talking about, i f it has the original alumi

have two 12-gallon, Cessna

num wheel pants and they ar aree

140 tanks in the right wing,

polished, everyone who sees

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but only one on the left. This airplane had been modified and had a fourth tank in the left wing. However, only two fuel drains were installed. So , water can get trapped in the outboard tanks, and you have n o way of draining it out. We decided to add addi tional fuel drains to the out board tanks to get the fuel out. Then we added Monarch fuel caps to keep the water out i n t he first place. Field approvals were received for both modifications. When the gear was bent back, it really did a number o n t he forward lower fuse lage, so we had to do some surgery in that area. My son,

the machine gives it a mental

Nick, and I did all the met alwork ourselves, with Nick

weeks working on them in m y b a s e me n t, I h a d a re  spectable pair of wheelpants. I t was amazing to watch the surfaces start to come back u p level. (Editor S Note: In etal Shaping tent the VAA

doing the bucking bar du

ties,, so meth ing of which he is ties very proud.

The rest of t he airplane was actually fairly clean in in considering but side, age, naturally some its s tu ff was worn. We installed new seat tracks and did some detail work, like painting the en 

thumbs-up, and that is definitely the case with the Wood 170 T h e w h e e l p a n t s wer e b o u g h t a c o u p le o f years ago, and they were painted. I stripped the paint and re m o v e d all t h e filler a n d found they d id n 't seem t o be that bad underneath, so I took them to one of the met alworking shops at Oshkosh 2004. There I s p e n t some time with Shawn Miller of

Jack Russell

Miller Custom Metalcrafting who runs one of the forums, and he showed me how to work the metal with a dolly and slapper. I learned a lot from h i m i n a ver y short time, and after a couple of

just south

located Red Barn, Shawn be demonstrating again during EAA Oshkosh 2006.)

V

o f the will Miller metalwork

AirVenture

escues

17

nd

a

M a k e s It

His O w n BY

H .G .

FRAUTSCHY

hen you look through the restoration photo album compiled by Jack Russell, realize that you quickly

most amateur-built airplane airplane kits have more components riveted together than his Cessna 170 did when it was disas

tire interior so it matched the Silver French Gray that was found on the rear ashtrays. "The cowl was pretty beat up in the accident, but rather t h a n replace it, we rolled

most of the wrinkles out. At the same time I removed the antenna, which for some rea son they had mounted right

tucked away in the back of

in the top, center of the cowl ing and replaced the sheet

the mind as a way of describ ing the airplane. Actually, the

metal. Very weird. "We replaced all of the win dows in the airplane and went back to the original two-piece windshield. For whatever rea   8  

"My great-great-granddad was a blacksmith, so I guess I have it in my blood." Dan may have the blood of a blacksmi th flowing through his veins, but you're going to be hard-pressed to find any one viewing his gem-like air plane who has blacksmith

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word "jeweler" comes to mind. Or maybe "silversmith." Not bad for an airplane that has been brought back from the dead twice. ........

sembled during restoration There are times in every restorer's lif lifee when the project feels more like an exercise in frustration. Most bat tle through those days, and for Jack and his fiance, Cindy Johnson, the end result of hang ing in there is this agreeably restrained restrained custo m

Cessna 170.

Many years ago, Jack learned to fly i n a Cessna 140. For much of the time since then, he's wanted to own a Cessna 170. Before fly-

ing became his life's career, he graduated from East Coast Aero Tech in Boston. His early years were spent working as an airline mechaniC, first for American Airlines and later for East ern. While bending wrenches for Eastern at its Boston base, Jack heard the word that the airline was looking for pilots, so he restored

an Aeronca Chief to use

requirements of five years of maintenance experience and 500 hours of multien

d have trouble alized meetinghethe requirements since the Chief lacked a

gine time. was pleased to find he He d been chosen out of the three and went on to fly the Gulfstream G- I and the newly acquire acquired d Gulfstrea Gulfs tream m GG-II II serial no. 3. After being upgraded to first officer on the G-II

for his commercial rating. Nice airplane, but he re

radio. O n to plan B, i n this case a Cessna 140 he bought and flew to obtain his commercial. All of that effort took about eight years and when Jack ap

h e retired his wrenches.

plied for one of the pilot slots he was told he was too old at the completely washed up age of 28 Chagrined Jack returned to Boston and heard that Gillette was looking for a copilot/mechanic for its corporate flight department. Out of 100 applicants Jack was one of only three who could meet its

He has spent an aviation lifetime flying Gulfstream business aircraft for 37

years . He worked for Gil lette for for 12 years an d then found himself working dur dur ing the next decade for the royal family of the United Arab Ara b Emirates flying a G III all over the world. He came back to the United States in 1989 doing conVINT

 

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tract flying for a number of operators, most recently for a n Australian businessman and his wife. The couple has homes o n multiple continents and Jack's last type rating before he retired was for a Boeing Business Jet (BBJ),

the inte  io  o f t hes e  

which he also flew all around the globe . He retired in 2004, and spent the first year of his retirement in the home stretch of finishing a

project that began in 1999 1999,, when he located a Cessna 170 to restore. restore . e found his 170 o n the west coast of Florida, and trailered it home to his place, Tradewinds Aerodrome o n the Space Coast of eastern Flor20

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wings was aa azlng;

you could use thea as

6

 

ida. His grass strip airport is only 12 miles north/northwest o f the Shuttle Landing Facility runway at thee Kennedy Spa th Space ce Center. You can imagine the view during a rocket launch s you would expect with an air plane found in a saltwater coastal environment, as Jack disassembled the airplan airplanee he foun found d surface corro sion. Now he had to make a choice; should he scrap the project or dig in and start restoring? He chose t he latter, but there were days when he rea really lly questione d whether he d made right decision. decision . one fe lNotthe surprisingly, there's low whom Jack credits with mak ing the project possible, his friend Gene Day. While Jack was the

The instrument panel has a solid period

a i 

o

to shave.

a

While cleaning-up and refinishing fellow, Gene did the metalwork, and Jack says he really was the backbone of the operati operation. on. I f it wer weree not for this 79-year-old spark plug, he doubts the project would have been suc

cessfully cessfull y completed co mpleted.. Along with Gene, who's been in aviation maintenance all his life, Gene's wife, Bonnie, was also in

volved in the teardown and repair of the airframe. I t was her work that showed the crew just how badly ba dly cor cor roded the original wings were. The wings win gs nearly brought the project to a halt. It became clear that unless a new set of serviceable wings could be found, involved the thaninthey other wingthe waslabor was just more could bear. Jack had to make a de cision; should he simply scrap the airframe, tear it apart and start an in-depth restoration, or check on an alternate route? A parts search canvassing the United States uncovered a pair of wings at a Cessna parts dealer i n Colorado. They were new old stock, still covered in the original fabric, and had never been installed on an airplane. Sometimes it pays to own one of the airplanes that isn't

feel with a few custom additions   like the powder-coated piano switches at the center panel   and the custom-engraved bone-colored plastic panel. Detail at right.

Buckskin   sad dle   and camel were the colors o the AirTex in terior installed in 1959 and it still worked well with the new color scheme so Air Tex was again called upon to update the inte rior o the 170 170..

the leader in production for a par ticular ticu lar model Jack say says, s, "Believe "Believe it or not, the interior of these wings was amazing; you could use them VINT

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A Grimes retractable landing light is powered by a GO amp alternator  the only major change to the accessory section of the newly overhauled Continental C 14S .

as a mirror to shave . We were re luctant to prime them. They were

Jack says was d o n e for precau tionary reasons. The crankshaft

tom fitted to the installation. The new installation included circuit

that good. Primed in the same way as the fuselage, the metal-structure wings were covered in new Dacron polyester, and painted to match the

was also replaced, wh e n i t was deemed the original crank was marginal when it came to passing inspection. The engine's acces sories also passed inspection, but were certainly due for overhaul, and were sent to Kelly Aerospace i n Alabama for their work and

breakers th a t replaced the origi nal fuses in their proper locations.

fuselage. All of the paints used were Randolph products products,, including the Tennessee Red base color with Las Vegas gold trim.

There is a separate sub-panel for the avionics, located in the left panel, near the Garmin GPS. You can't help yourself from be

ing drawn to the center panel of the post-war Cessnas. The plastic

Starting at the tail cone, the fuse lage skin rivets were drilled out and the airplane disassembled disassembled righ t up to t he baggag baggagee com partment. All of the skins except one (which had a surfac sur facee pa tch they didn't like) were salvageable, but each had to be

yellow tags. The original 20-amp generator was replaced with a 60 amp alternator alternator,, also from Kelly Aerospace.. Finally, at the nose of Aerospace the airplane, the fixed-pitch prop, which is original to the airplane, was sent to Space Coast Propeller

panel on Jack's is expert expertly ly machined machine d and laid out with neat, tidy mark ings. Each of the push/pull contr controls ols knobs was was duplicated dupl icated from the th e origi origi nal plastic. Then they were powder coated to mat ch th e red color color of the exterior, as were th thee pian piano o switches

stripped of any paint, cleaned with stripped metal brightener, and alodined for corrosion resistance. Then the skins were we re painted wi th a zinc-chromate epoxy primer. The aft fuselage skins were a start; from that point, every component

in Cocoa Beach, Florida, where it was checked and recertified. As the work progressed, all of the flight instruments were checked, and with the exception of the big, heavy old gyros, each was over hauled and kept. All the engine in

at the bottom of the panel. panel. Buckskin, camel, and saddle were the colors of the new AirTex interior which was installed in 2004, which worked well with the red and gold exterior chosen chos en for the th e exterior. exterior. The interi or side panels were were sent off to

on the airplane was removed, disas sembled, and evaluated for airwor thiness. thines s. Jack was happy to find the vast majority of parts on the Cessna were repairable, and once cleaned up and repainted, they were ready to be installed on the airframe. The six-cylinder Co n tin e n ta l C-14S engine, which had more than 1,700 hours o n i t with one overhaul done i n that time, was also reduced to a box of parts, and they were sent to Engine Compo nents Inc. (ECi) of San Antonio, Texas, for inspection and machine

struments were replaced with UMA instruments, and the panel was re stored with correct-lookin correct-looking g left and right side panels, which is typically where radios are installed in the older Cessnas. The left side panel now holds a Garmin 2S0XL GPS receiver and a Garmin transponder; on the right side there is the origi nal glove box. As you'd also expect of a restora tion, the wiring behind the panel needed quite a bit of help, so the cockpit was rewired by Denton Aircraft of Titusville, Titusville, Flori Florida. da. Jack Jack built b uilt

AirTex, where new fabric match ing the older interior inte rior was installed. Plenty of o f care went into the instal lation of the headliner and si side de pan els, where a lapse of workmanship can really show. Not so in the Russell 170-ifs first class all the way. Jack and Cindy plan to use the 170 during the entire year, enjoying the winter in Florida at their home o n the Space Coast and their sum mers in New Hampshire. It's pretty clear that wherever they go, their custom Cessna 170 will be caus ing people to nudge their neighbor

work. That included a complete set of updated new ECi cylinder heads installed b y ECi, which

up a wooden mock-up of the panel and the instruments, and sent that along so the harness co uld be cus

hanging o n the airport fence, and perhaps say What a nice 170. I always wanted one of those.

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