Vintage Airplane - Nov 2005

G

R


N E

VOL. 33, No, 11

2005

CONTENTS
1

Straight and Level

2

VAA News

5

Aeromail

6

The Pylon Club: Part IV

by Nick Rezich


12

T-Hangar Treasure
Getting excited about a contemporary airplane
by Budd Davisson

18

Frank Clark
Movie Stunt Pilot

by Madeleine Kimotek


26

Pass it to Buck
Winter ops
by Buck Hilbert

28

The Vintage Instructor
Weather notes
by Doug Stewart

30

Mystery Plane
by H.G. Frautschy

31

Calendar

31

Classified Ads

FRONT COVER: We're starting to see more original look­
ing Contemporary aircraft at EM events, such as this
sharp example of a 1967 Piper Cherokee 180 owned
and flown by Randy and Naomi St. Julian of Garrettsville,
Ohio. EM photo by Phil High, EM camera plane flown by
Bruce Moore .
BACK COVER: The Lockheed Altair was one of the sleek­
est airplanes of the Golden Age of Aviation, and serial
number 180 was flown by Jimmy Doolittle for Shell Oil
Company. This watercolor by artist David Darbyshire, of
Sierra Madre, California is one of the paintings featured
in the 2005 EM Sport Aviation Art Competition show, on
display through May 2006 at the EM AirVenture Museum.
The painting is for sale. Contact David at 626-355-6293
for more information. You can also visit www.flightgraph­
ics.com for more information and photographs of other
pieces of David's artwork.

STAFF

Publisher
Editor-in-Chief
Executive Director/Editor
Administrative Assistant
Managing Editor
News Editor
Photography
Advertising Coordinator
Classified Ad Manager
Copy Editor

Tom Poberezny
Scott Spangler
H.G. Frautschy
Jennifer Lehl
Kathleen Witman
Ric Reynolds
Jim Koepnick
Bonnie Bartel
Sue Anderson
Isabelle Wiske
Colleen Walsh

Director of Advertising

Katrina Bradshaw

Display Advertising Representatives:
Northeast: Allen Murray
Phone 609-265-1666, FAX 609-265-1661 e·mail: al/elllllllfmyC"""il/(/spri,,s.mm
Southeast: Chester Baumgartner
Phone 727-573-0586, FAX 727-556-0177 e-mail: cballmi} }(ii)lIillrisprillg.mlll
Central: Todd Reese
Phone 800-444-9932, FAX 816-741-6458 e-mail: [email protected]
Mountain & Pacinc: Keith Knowlton &. Associates
Phone 770-516-2743, e-mail: kkllowito,,@eaa.org

GEOFF ROBISON
PRESIDENT, VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

Old airports and round engines

Sitting around the hangar these
days has gotten to be a chilly affair.
These fall temperatures just seem to be
dropping more and more each day.
I like to sit out here and write this
column, as the airport environment
has always been helpful in inspiring
aviation thoughts and ideas to con­
vey to the membership. Pretty soon
I'll need a parka and mittens!
A lot of you are aware that I am
based at historic Smith Field in Fort
Wayne, Indiana. I am often asked
about the fight to keep this airfield
open, and it has not always been
good news. I've been amazed at the
number of EAA folks from all over
this country who have heard of the
fight. When they find out I am based
here, they always ask what the cur­
rent situation is.
I am pleased to tell you that by all
appearances we have turned the cor­
ner here with the Airport Authority.
Not only do I believe that we have
turned the corner, but also the author­
ity has now budgeted to spend more
than 1.8 million dollars in airport im­
provements for 2006 alone. It also re­
cently hired a new airport supervisor
for Smith Field, so we now have a full­
time person providing oversight and
planning for the future development
of this airfield.
At the time of this writing, the new
supervisor has been on the field for a
mere six weeks, and he has in my esti­
mation already performed six months
of work. In a short time period we
have gone from doom and gloom to a
whirlwind of planning activities.
Although we are still awaiting word
on the FAA feasibility study for the
airfield (needed so the airport layout
plan can be completed), we remain

enthusiastic that this airfield is now
well on its way to becoming a more
vital economic asset to this commu­
nity, as well as an important link to
the vitality of the national aviation
transportation system.
You may have heard me state this in
the past, but it is critically important
that the users of all airports across this
nation should be conSistently remind­
ing their communities that the airport
plays a vitally important role to local
economic development opportunities,
and the mere existence of an airfield, in
a global sense, offers additional safety
of flight options for everyone who op­
erates an aircraft. Just when you think
all is well, the boogeyman can show
up at the door of the local airport with
a development plan, or alternative use
for these valuable pieces of real estate.
All it takes is one seemingly innocuous
step in the wrong direction, and the
fight is on, and another valued avia­
tion facility is sudden ly at risk. Let's
all be diligent. Keep your eyes and ears
open at all times. And be especially dil­
igent in reminding the community
of the positive aviation activities at
your individual airports, whether it's
a Young Eagles event, a safety seminar,
or even an interesting or rare aircraft
that is visiting your facility. Promote
and report everything that would gen­
erate the positives and uniqueness of
your facilities.
Below is a little bit of a really neat
perception of the nuances in operat­
ing old airplanes as compared to the
more modern mode of transporta­
tion by air. I thought the membership
might enjoy it, so I elected to share it
with you in this column. It came to
me from a gentleman and good friend
who commanded a B-17 bomber out

of England during World War II. I am
certain it was especially meaningful
to him, so I thought you would enjoy
it as well. Thanks for sharing it, Hal.
Dedicated to All Who Flew Behind
Round Engines

Author unknown
We gotta get rid ofthose turbines, they're
ruining aviation and our hearing . ..
A turbine is too simple minded, it has
no mystery. The air travels through it in
a straight line and doesn 't pick up any of
the pungent fragrance ofengine oil or pilot
sweat. Anybody can start a turbine. You
just need to move a switch from "OFF"
to "START" and then remember to move
it back to "ON" after a while. My PC
is harder to start. Cranking a round en­
gine requires skill, finesse, and style. You
have to seduce it into starting. On some
planes, the pilots aren't even allowed to
do it. .. Turbines start by whining for a
while, then give a lady-like poofand start
whining a little louder. Round engines
give a satisfying rattle-rattle, click-click,
BANG, more rattles, another BANG, a
big macho fart or two, more clicks, a lot
more smoke, and finally a serious low
pitched roar. We like that. It's a GUY
thing . .. When you start a round en­
gine, your mind is engaged, and you can
concentrate on the flight ahead. Starting
a turbine is like flicking on a ceiling fan:
useful, but hardly exciting. When you
have started his round engine success­
fully, your crew chief looks up at you like
he'd let you kiss his girl, too! Turbines
don't break or catch fire often enough,
leading to aircrew boredom, compla­
cency, and inattention. A round engine at
speed looks and sounds like it's going to
blow any minute. This helps concentrate
the mind! Turbines don't have enough
control levers or gauges to keep a pilot'S
continued on page 29
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

made by calling 920-426-6880 or
online at www.airventuremuseum.
org. Cocktails and a cash bar will
be open at 6:30 p.m. with dinner
served at 7:00 p.m. and the keynote
address to follow.

EAA Instructors Database
Surpasses 250

EAA President Tom Poberezny with Scott Crossfield at the Countdown to Kitty Hawk
celebration in North Carolina on December 17, 2003.

Scott Crossfield to Speak at EAA
Aviation legend Scott Cross­
field will be the featured
speaker at EAA's 3rd Annual
Wright Brothers Memorial
Banquet, to be held Saturday,
December 17, at the EAA Air­
Venture Museum in Oshkosh.
The dinner commemorates the
102nd anniversary of man's
first successful powered flight.
Crossfield made history on No­
vember 20, 1953, when he became
the first person to fly at Mach 2,
piloting the Douglas D-558-II Sky­
rocket research aircraft to more
than 1,320 mph. After five years
as a test pilot for the National Ad­
visory Committee for Aeronautics
(precursor to NASA), Crossfield
joined North American Aviation.
As a design consultant and test
pilot, he helped guide the X-IS's
development and made its maiden
flight in 1959. Crossfield flew the
rocket plane 14 times, to a maxi­
mum altitude of more than 88,000
feet and a maximum speed of Mach
2.97 (1,960 mph).
2

NOVEMBER 2005

Later, Crossfield was an execu­
tive at Eastern Airlines and Hawker
Siddeley Aviation and served as
technical consultant on aviation
to the U.S. Congress' House Com­
mittee on Science and Technology.
His aviation awards include the
Harmon Trophy (1960), the Col­
lier Trophy (1961), and the NASA
Distinguished Public Service Medal
(1993) for half a century of service
to aviation and aeronautics.
During EAA's Countdown to
Kitty Hawk celebration in 2003,
Crossfield led the pilot training for
the 1903 Wright Flyer reproduction,
which attempted to fly at Kill Devil
Hills on December 17 that year.
Crossfield was inducted into the
National Aviation Hall of Fame in
1983, the International Space Hall
of Fame in 1988, and the Aerospace
Walk of Honor in 1990. He pub­
lished his autobiography, Always
Another Dawn: The Story of a Rocket
Test Pilot, in 1960.
Cost to attend this special event
is $30 for EAA members, $35 for
nonmembers. Reservations can be

The world's prime location for lo­
cating a sport pilot flight instructor
keeps getting better. Now more that
250 flight instructors in 43 states are
listed in the EAA sport pilot data­
base at www.sportpilot.org/instructors,
making it easier for potential sport
pilots to find quality instruction
where they live.
Scattered among the 250-plus
instructors are 74 training aircraft.
Check the website list for details.
EAA/NAFI extend their invita­
tion to current flight instructors to
complete an online information
form and join the database. The
form can be found at https://secllre.
eaa.org/sportpilot/instrllctor.html.

Learn TIG Welding in a Weekend
More and more, TIG welding is
becoming the preferred method for
building amateur-built aircraft. "Be­
ing able to easily weld chromoly tub­
ing, stainless steel, and aluminum
makes TIG a useful skill for building
an aircraft," says Charlie Becker, di­
rector of EAA Aviation Services.
That's why EAA and Lincoln Elec­
tric will offer seven weekend Sport­
Air TIG welding courses in 2006 at
the state-of-the-art Alexander Tech­
nical Center in Griffin, Georgia ,
near Atlanta. Participants get their
own Lincoln Precision TIG 185 ma­
chine for use during the class.
"These classes present unique
opportunities to learn TIG welding
in a weekend. There really isn't any
other training like this available for
the amateur welder," Becker says.
The TIG classes are limited to
12 students each to allow for more
personalized instruction. Tui tion

is $359 for EAA members, $399
for nonmembers.
The schedu le for 2006 is as fo l­
lows:
e January 20-22
e March 10-12
e March 31-April 2
e May 19-21
e September 8-10
e October 13-15
e November 10-12
To enroll in this or any EAA
SportAir Workshop, or to learn
more, call 800-967 -5746 or visit
www.sportair.org.

Intemet Notes

It seems hardly a month goes by where we don't discover a neat spot
on the Internet to learn something new about aviation and its many facets.
From time to time, we'll highlight some of the interesting sites we've vis­
ited, often while in pursuit of an answer to a question posed by a member.
For instance:

.www.woodenpropeller.comis a site committed to the exchange
of information about wooden aircraft propellers in gen­
eral, with emphasis on World War I and earlier antique pro­
pellers. Its partner site, www.modernwoodenpropellers.com.
deals with props a bit newer, those built since the 1920s.

ewww.connectedtral'eier.com has an interesting interview
with the father of the 747, Joe Sutter, who is now 85.
Sutter's interview by Russ Johnson can be downloaded
as an MP3 file. The genesis of the 747, created by a team
of 4,500 engineers equipped with slide rules and early
computers, is covered in detail during the 20-minute in­
terview and can be listened to using popular computer
audio programs such as iTunes, QuickTime, RealPlayer, or
Windows Media Player.

ewww.hotelbeaumontks.comis the website for a neat little

Relive the Magic With the 2005
EAA AirVenture DVD
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2005
will be remembered as perhaps the
best all-around convention ever,
and you can preserve those mem­
ories by getting your copy of the
2005 EAA AirVenture video, pro­
duced by the EAA Television staff.
The annual video, featuring
SpaceShipOne, GlobalFlyer, Glacier
Girl, and countless other highlights
from the World's Greatest Aviation
Celebration, is now available. To or­
der your copy today in either DVD
format ($24.99) or VHS ($19.95),
call EAA membership at 800-JOIN­
EAA (564-6322), or order online
through http://shop.eaa.org.

JOIN TODAY!

800-322-241 2

spot tucked away just east of Wichita, Kansas. Originally
a cattleman's hotel located next to a rail siding in the
small town of Beaumont, it has been transformed into a
neat aviation-themed bed and breakfast hotel. The res­
taurant is open daily Wednesday through Sunday, and
it makes a great fly-in destination; you can land on the
grass strip to the east of town, taxi up the back road on
the south side of town, and park across the street from
the hotel. For more information, you can call the Beau­
mont at 620-843-2422.

ewww.safarimuseum.comis the home of the Martin and
Osa Johnson Safari Museum, which is located in Cha­
nute, Kansas. (As an aside, the city is named for Wright
brothers confidant Octave Chanute. In 1872, as the chief
engineer of the LL&G railroad, he helped settle a railroad­
related dispute between two small towns. With Chanute
mediating the dispute, the two towns merged, and in
gratitude, the new town was named Chatlute.) Martin
and OsaJohnson, adventurers, filmmakers, and pilots, are
well-known for their use of Sikorsky Amphibion aircraft
while making their African safari documentary films.
The museum's website hosts a number of great photo­
graphs of the Sikorskys in action, and the rest of the site
is equally interesting and gives great insight into the
early days of "documentary" filmmaking.
If you have an interesting website you think your fe llow VAAers would
like to visit, please e-mai l us a link at [email protected].
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

3

Friends of the Red Barn Campaign

Many services are provided to vintage aircraft en­
thusiasts at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. From pa rking
airplanes to feeding people at the Tall Pines Cafe and
Red Barn, more than 400 volunteers do it all. Some
may ask, "If volunteers are providing the services,
where is the expense?"
Glad you asked. The scooters for the flightline crew
need repair and batteries, and the Red Barn needs
paint, new windowsills, updated wiring, and other
sundry repairs, plus we love to care for our volunteers
with special recognition caps and a pizza party. The
list really could go on and on, but no matter how
many expenses we can point out, the need remains
constant. The Friends of the Red Barn fund helps pay
for the VAA expenses at EAA AirVenture, and is a cru­
cial part of the Vintage Aircraft Association budget.
Please help the VAA and our 400-plus dedicated
volunteers make this an unforgettable experience for
our many EAA AirVenture guests. We've made it even
more fun to give this year, with more giving levels to
fit each person's budget, and more interesting activi­
ties for donors to be a part of.
Thank·You Items
by Level

Access to
Volunteer
Center

Speci al
FORB
Badge

Your contribution now really does make a differ­
ence. There are six levels of gifts and gift recognition.
Thank you for whatever you can do.
Here are some of the many activities the Friends of
the Red Barn fund underwrites:
• Red Barn Information Desk Supplies
• Participant Plaques and Supplies
• Toni's Red Carpet Express Repairs and Radios
• Caps for VAA Volunteers

• Pizza Party for VAA Volunteers
• Flightline Parking Scooters and Supplies
• Breakfast for Past Grand Champions
• Volunteer Booth Administrative Supplies
• Membership Booth Administrative Supplies
• Signs Throughout the Vintage Area
• Red Barn and Other Buildings' Maintenance
.And More!

Two Passes
toVM
Volunteer
Party

Special
FORB
Cap

Name Listed:
Vintage , Web
& Sign at
Red Barn

Donor
Appreciation
Certificate

Diamond , $1 ,000

X

X

X

X

X

X

Platinum, $750

X

X

X

X

X

Breakfast
at Tall Pines
Cafe

Tri-Motor
Ride
Certificate

Two Tickets
toVM
Picnic

Close Auto
Parking

2 People/Full Wk

2 Tickets

X

Full Week

X

2 People/Full Wk

2 Tickets

X

2 Days

1 Person/Full Wk

1 Ticket

Gold, $500

X

X

X

X

X

X

Silver, $250

X

X

X

X

X

X

Bronze , $100

X

X

X

X

Loyal Supporter,
$99 & Under

X

X

VAA Friends of the Red Barn
Name_______________________________________________________EAA#________ VAA#________
Address_______________________________________________________________________________________
City /State/Zip,_______________________________________________________________________
Phone___________________________________________ E-Mail_______________________________________
Please choose your level of participation:
___ Diamond Level Gift - $1,000.00
___ Silver Level Gift - $250.00
Platinum Level Gift - $750.00
___ Bronze Level Gift - $100.00
___ Gold Level Gift - $500.00
___ Loyal Supporter Gift - ($99.00 or under) Your Support $ _ _
DPayment Enclosed (Make checks payable to Vintage Aircraft Assoc.)
...----------------,
D Please Charge my credit card (below)
Mail your contribution to:
Credit Card Number _________________________ Expiration Date ______
Signature___________________________________

EAA, VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOC.
PO Box 3086
OSHKOSH, WI 54903-3086

*Do you or your spouse work for a matching gift company? If so, this gift may qualify for ' - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - '
a matching donation. Please ask your Human Resources department for th e appropriate form.

NameofCompany~~~----~~~~~--~~--~~~~~--~~~~~~~

The Vintage Aircraft Association is a non-profit educational organization under IRS SO h3 rttles , Under Federal Law, the dedu ction from Federal Incollle tax (or
charitable contributions is limited to the amount by which any money (and the value ofany property other than money) contributed exceeds the value ofthe goods or
services provided in exchange (or the contribution. An appropriate receipt acknowledging your gift will be sent ta you (ar IRS gift reporting reasons.
4

NOVEMBER 2005

• MIL SPEC and RFI SHIELDING
CONDUIT ASSEMBLIES custom made
per your specifications
• Original equipment style Braided
Conduits in Aluminum, Brass or
Stainless Steel
• We carry a complete line of AN - MS
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• We also have full machine shop
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• Rebuild your Warbird back to
Original!

AIR/FLEX INDUSTRIES

Who Dat?
The person in the middle of this
photograph is my grandfather. I
don't know who the men are or
what the airplane is; it was taken
at Ford Field in 1928. I would like
to know if anyone can tell me any
more about the picture, identify
the airplane and tell us who is in
the photo. I had a friend whom I
work with here at Ford Motor Com­
pany tell me that the man with
the hat could possibly be William
Stout, but they were not sure. Any­
thing that you can tell me would be
greatly appreciated, or maybe you
can point me in the right direction
to someone who might know.
Regards,
Paul E. Ostrander
Ford Motor Company
We directed Paul to the Waco His­
torical Society in Troy, Ohio, and iden­
tified the airplane to him as a Waco
10, but we couldn't help with the peo­
ple identification. Think you know
who is standing to the left and right
of Paul's grandfather? We've enlarged
that portion of the photo (see inset) so

you can get a better look at the trio.
Drop us a note at vintageaircraft@
eaa.org and we'll forward it on to him.

Old Beacons
I was wondering if you might
be able to point me to a source for
information on old airway bea­
cons and their routes. I am looking
for specifics on the Donner bea­
con light, which is located west of
Truckee, California, on the Reno to
San Francisco route. This is a mostly
complete tower, which I would
imagine is one of only a few re­
maining. I know that the light was
damaged in a blasting accident, and
the buildings are now gone, but the
tower is still in its original configu­
ration. Currently the tower is be­
ing used as a radio site in support of
search and rescue communications
in Placer County, California.
Any information would be ap­
preciated.
Thanks,
Eric Struble
We pointed Eric toward a couple of
sites we found:

2538 SUPPLY STREET, POMONA, CA 91767

Tel. 909-392-8474

AI RFLEXIN DUSTRI ES .COM


• http://oldbeacon.com/beacon/
airway_beacons.htm
.www.centennialofflight.gov/
essay /Government_Role/
navigation/P0L13 .htm
• www.navfltsm.addr.com/
howitbegan.htm
If you have any other books or web­
sites you think would help Eric, please
drop us a note at vintageaircraft@eaa.
org and we'll forward it on to him ........
If you have a comment, ques­
tion, or wish to contact us re­
garding the content of Vintage
Airplane or the activities of the
Vintage Aircraft Association,
you're invited to send us a letter
via regular mail or e-mail. Send
your letters to:

Vintage Aircraft Association
Attn: H.G. Frautschy, Editor
P.O. Box 3086

Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

E-mail: vintageaircra([email protected]
VINTAGE AIRPLAN E

5

REMINISCING WITH BIG NICK
THE PYLON C L U B : PART IV
BY NICK REZICH
PHOTOS COURTESY OF NICK REZlCH

The Pylon Club and the EM were founded at about the
same time ... early '50s ... with parallel goals of achieve­
ment in mind. Paul Poberezny's idea was an organization
that would foster homebuilding, sport flying, air racing,
and air shows. The purpose of the Pylon Club was to foster
and support air racing, air shows, and Nick Rezich.
Between 1950-1953, the growing years of the Club and
EM, I never ran into Poberezny's prop wash even though
he was only 90 miles away in Beer Town, U.S.A. Poberezny
and I were promoting or helping to promote air shows
during this time, and in doing so we both used the na­
tion's top talent, namely, the world famous Cole Brothers
Air Show. Paul booked the Cole Brothers in 1950 for an air
show at Hales Corners airport, and later in 1951 he was
instrumental in booking them for the Milwaukee Air Pag­
eant. It was during this time that he signed up Marion and
Duane as members of EM... Numbers 47 and 48, respec­
tively. I had also been working with the Coles at the De­
troit Air Races and had hired them for some of my shows
in Chicago. It wasn't until July 1953 while working a show
in Chicago that Marion mentioned Poberezny and EM
for the first time. Marion asked me if I knew Poberezny or
the organization he founded, known as EM. I replied in
the negative, and about this time Duane jumped in with
both feet and proceeded to brainwash me about EM and

Poberezny, only Duane didn't call him Paul but instead re­
ferred to him as "Poopdeck."
After listening to Duane and Marion carrying on about
EAA ... and about 5 gallons of beer later. . .I promised
that I would meet with this guy, Poopdeck, and see if we
could help each other. In the meantime I was invited to
appear with my Travel Air at the 3rd Milwaukee Air Pag­
eant, which was also the first annual EM fly-in, on Sep­
tember 12-13 at Curtiss-Wright Airport in Milwaukee. On
September 9, 1953, I received the following letter on EM
stationery:
September 8, 1953
Nickc/o Pylon Club
3017 W. 63rd St.
Chicago, Ill.
Dear Nick:
I don't have your last name, but Marion Cole told me
that you are going to attend the air show at Curtiss-Wright
Airport, Milwaukee.
Duane also talked very highly of you and gave me your
address, which was mislaid. I am looking forward to meet­
ing you and telling you what we are trying to accomplish
with our organization. At present we have more than 100

Reprinted from Vintage Airplane April 1975
6

NOVEMBER 2005

members from all parts of the nation.
Sincerely,
Paul Poberezny, President, EAA
I arrived at Curtiss field Satur­
day morning, taxied up, and parked
next to Roy Timm's modified Waco
F-2, and before that deep-breath­
ing Wright up front stopped rotat­
ing, a young, skinny, healthy-look­
ing Ukrainian thrust his hand into
the cockpit and gave me the welcome
treatment. He introduced himself as
Paul Poberezny, president of EAA. Af­
ter the formal exchange of introduc­
tions, I was then introduced to Vice­
President Carl Schultz, Secretary-Trea­
surer Bob Nolinske, Leo Kohn, George
Gruenberger, and CAA Inspector
Tony Maugeri.
That evening we all met in the
Miller Inn of the Miller Brewing Com­
pany for some real cool, fresh Miller
High Life beer. My first beer-drink­
ing partner was the late Dick Owens,
who flew a modified Rose Parakeet in Big Nick hoists a tankard of Milwaukee's finest in front of Marion Cole's
the Cole Brothers Air Show. This guy Stearman during the Detroit races. Now, who was first with the straw hat­
wasn't much more than S feet tall Hoover, Lyjak, or Hillard?
and weighed less than 100 pounds.

But when it came to drinking beer, he would outlast the
loon business. In Duane Cole's book This Is EAA, he tells
major leaguers.

it like it was, but he left out one chapter of the early-day
After a tasty buffet dinner, we all sat down for some se­
meetings held in the Gran-Aire hangar lobby.
rious talk about EAA. Poberezny fortified himself with the
It seemed to me that every meeting night it was either a
big guns of EAA, like Steve Wittman, Marion and Duane blizzard or an ice storm, and as I drove to Milwaukee I kept
Cole, Roy True, Pete Myers, Carl Tietz, Ned Kensinger, telling myself, "You've got to be nuts to drive in this stuff
George Hardie, and about 2S other early EAA members. to a meeting that won't have anybody in attendance."
About two barrels of Miller High Life later, I was convinced Much to my surprise, I would find Wittman there from
that I should join EAA.
Oshkosh, Kensinger, "Doc" Torrey and the whole gang
from Peoria, along with members from Racine, Monroe,
I pledged my total support to Poberezny and his or­
ganization and promised I would do everything within West Bend, Chicago, and Milwaukee.
my power to help EAA grow. I left Milwaukee with a bag­
I really made a fool of myself the first meeting I at­
tended.
gage compartment full of applications and very much im­
pressed with Poberezny and EAA. Before I left I presented
Audrey and Lois Nolinske had a table set with coffee,
Paul with a membership card in the Pylon Club and told pop, and cookies on one side and beer and raw hamburger
him he qualified as a member by the virtue of finishing in on the other end. After the meeting I went up to the table
last place Saturday during the running of the midget races, for a beer, and Audrey asked if I cared for a sandwich, to
which was won by none other than the great SJ. Wittman which I replied in the affirmative. She proceeded to spread
flying Buster, followed by Owens in Tater Chip, True in Slow raw meat on the rye bread and handed it to me. I looked
Poke, Bruce Pitt in Yellow Jacket, and Poberezny in Little Au­ at the raw meat and figured it must be a dO-it-yourself pro­
drey, the former famed Howard Pete.
gram, so I began searching for the hot plate to cook my
When I returned to the Club, I set up an EAA recruiting burger, only to find there was no hot plate. I then noticed
comer at the end of the bar where we signed up more than that the others were eating the meat raw, and I said to my­
2S new members during the first week.
self, "They must really be in bad shape not being able to
About this same time I was co-hosting a TV show on afford a hot plate."
WBKB-ABC Chicago called "Flight Plan," and I would
I didn't want to put the meat back on the table, so I fla­
have Poberezny and the others on the show plugging EAA. vored it with three more beers and finally got it down. By
The show not only helped, but it was also good for the sa­
now I was feeling sorry for Poberezny and EM, so big time
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

7

Steve Wittman's Buster, seemingly about to be gobbled up
by an aluminum monstrosity of sorts. Buster has since been
placed in the Smithsonian in Washington.

Bill Falck in Rivets.

me, I offered to buy a hot plate to cook the meat or pick up
the tab for cold cuts. They looked at me like I just flipped
my cookies, and all burst out laughing. As I was trying to
figure out what I said that was so funny, Poberezny in­
formed me that the raw meat mixed with onions is a com­
mon delicacy in Wisconsin and thanked me for my con­
cern for the status of the treasury.
The next stupid statement to leave my big mouth was
directed to Wittman. I casually asked if he had much dif­
ficulty driving down from Oshkosh. He also looked at me
somewhat oddly and answered, "Oh no, I flew down-did
you drive?" I crawled out of my hole and went over and
sat down like all little boys should do. Other than the raw
hamburger, I liked what I saw and heard at the meetings,
and I knew Poberezny was on the right track and the orga­
nization would grow.
The Pylon Club pledged to furnish all the major tro­
phies for the future fly-ins, and along with the trophies,
I also accepted the job of emceeing the awards program.
The Club also provided on/off field liquid refreshments,
8

NOVEMBER 2005

which were never very hard to locate. All one had to do
was locate the two red and white pylons on the roof of my
car, and you were there.
We expanded our trophy program to include special
awards for the ladies of EAA. Today they are known at the
Mink Coat awards sponsored by Ray Stits. Stits was and
still is a great behind-the-scenes supporter of EAA.
Many people think that I have always been the field an­
nouncer for EAA. Wrong! The first field announcer for EAA
was Stits with Duane Cole taking over for the air show por­
tion, along with Duane's brother, Arnold.
You know where the idea of giving away an airplane
during the fly-in came from? It was Ray Stits in Rockford,
1961. I knew Stits before I was in EAA-in fact, he holds
one of the lowest-numbered Pylon Club cards. During
the fly-ins or air races Stits and I would always be joshing
around doing something crazy, like when he got on the
mic at Rockford and offered my Travel Air to the member­
ship for $1 a ticket with the drawing to be held after the air
show. I don't know if you were one of the multitude who
rushed me with dollar bills that day, but believe you me, I
turned away more than $10,000. The next night after the
air show, I announced that Stits was having an open house
at the Holiday Inn and everybody was invited. When that
mob hit his room he knew immediately who was behind
the prank.
Stits also has his serious moods. I remember one very
well. Lester Cole, the then West Coast aerobatic cham­
pion, was hospitalized with a very serious back injury.
He was without any insurance, and funds were running
out in the Cole family to pay the doctor and hospital.
And to make things worse, Christmas was coming and
no money.
The Pylon Club received a letter from Stits explaining
Lester's plight. He asked if we could raise some money
to help pay Lester's bills without Lester knowing it and
thanked me in advance for any help we could furnish
from the Club. Like I said in an earlier issue, when you
hollered "Hey, Rube" in the Pylon Club you got results.
The Cole brothers were very well liked by the Club mem­
bers, and most everyone knew the Coles from their visits
to the Club or the shows they flew in and around Chi­
cago. When I posted the notice that we would have a Les­
ter Cole night with all proceeds going to the family, the
place ran over the brim with customers. We raised a hatful
of money and I sent two checks to Lester-one for hospital
bills and one later to his wife for Christmas presents. Yes,
the Pylon Club and EAA were very close.
My drive to raise money for the air-racing fraternity
was endless. I traveled the nation knocking on agency
doors, searching for sponsors. My quest for sponsors sur­
faced in October 1953. During my TV show, I would de­
vote half of the show to air racing. In October I depicted a
possible show for the Chicago area to be presented during
the Fourth ofJuly weekend or the Labor Day weekend. On
the third week of the show I hit the jackpot. I received a

phone call from a large Chicago agency advising it had a
client interested in underwriting the races. I also received a
phone call from a young executive from the station's radio
affiliate; he identified himself as Frank Tallman from Glen­
view, Illinois-also an EAA member. He was very much in­
terested in the show and offered his assistance and posi­
tion to see the show materialize.
The following day I met Frank for lunch, and we dis­
cussed the possible use of Naval Air Station Glenview as
a possible site to hold races. As a member of the Navy, he
knew Adm. Dan Gallery well-as well as Cook Cleland,
former Thompson Trophy winner, who was based at Glen­
view at that time. He felt confident in securing the Navy
base for the show and assured me it was quite all right to
inform the sponsors of the possible use of Glenview. I then
met with the agency and its client . .. where I really gained
an education about sponsors.
My initial program that I presented was a carbon copy
of the Cleveland National Air Races-big bores, midgets,
and aerobatics. After several meetings expired, the client
agreed to sponsor only one event, the Unlimiteds. Several
meetings later we signed a conditional contract for a guar­
anteed purse of $30,000 and an option for two additional
years. With the contract in my hand I literally floated out
of the office and headed for the Club to celebrate the re­
turn of the National Air Races to Chicago.
The following week I jumped the gun and went on
the tube, announcing the Chicago National Air Races
would be held Labor Day weekend 1954. I really stuck
my neck out a long way with that announcement, but
that little ... or was it big? ... white lie paid off. The
agency called again and informed me that it had an­
other client for the midgets, providing I could meet their
request. I put on my best manners and a clean, pressed
suit and met with a very distinguished gentleman in an
office the size of my saloon.
I knew I was /lin" the minute I stepped into his office.
There hanging on the wall was an autographed photo
of Benny Howard and Mr. Mulligan. After ten minutes of
name-dropping we were on a first-name basis. He wanted
to sponsor not only the Chicago races, but also an addi­
tional six races. He named the six cities where he had his
major outlets and wanted races run in each of the cities
prior to the Chicago race. His idea was to build the product
name with the races prior to the Chicago date. When he
mentioned six additional races, I couldn't believe my ears.
I was so elated I gave him a /lyes sir" right then.
During lunch at his private club we worked out the
money distribution, which wasn't as much as I was seek­
ing but enough to be acceptable. After lunch his lawyers
worked up a conditional carte blanche contract, which
was signed and sealed by 4:30 p.m. the same day. Believe
you me, the champagne flowed freely at the Club that eve­
ning. I spent the next 30 days trying to nail down the air­
port site before I made any more announcements. I wasn't
having too much luck with the airport problem, but I was

John Paul Jones in the original Shoestring. After a" these
years it is still the plane to beat at Reno.

Ray Stits' "World's Smallest Airplane." Now on display in
the EAA Museum.

confident that I would be able to secure one of the three
Chicago airports. As I was preparing for my proposed race
program for Professional Race Pilots Association (PRPA)
and NAA, I received a newsletter from the PRPA announc­
ing December 9-10 as the dates of the annual business
meeting to be held in Cincinnati, Ohio, and that any race
programs be presented at the meeting for sanction. I imme­
diately sent in my reservations and advised PRPA I would
be in attendance. I left Chicago armed to the teeth with
enthUSiasm, a portfolio full of contracts totaling $127,000,
and options for an additional $100,000 and hopefully the
future of air racing. At Cincinnati I met with Poberezny,
Duane Cole, and Manyard Corkill to discuss some of the
program in preparation to the announcement.
When I signed the conditional contracts with the spon­
sors, we arrived at the amounts of the purses in relationV IN TAGE AIRP L A N E

9

EAA President Paul Poberezny and his homebuilt Little Audrey.

ship to time of sponsor exposure (Le., $10,000 per hour
for the midgets and $20,000 per hour for the Unlimiteds
plus a guarantee of a minimum of 10 airplanes entered
in the Unlimited and 15 in the midgets). I was confident
that PRPA would accept the terms of the sponsors without
question; therefore, I never consulted it before signing.
You may believe it or not, but I never had a chance
to present my completed program at Cincinnati and
my whole program went
down the drain. When I
announced my program,
I went about it all "ball
ackwards." I started with
the five midget races-I
told them I had six races
scheduled at $3,500 per
race and one at $10,000
plus $5,000 for estab­
lishing a point-standing
purse. Before I could an­
nounce the $30,000 race
for the Unlimiteds, I was
promptly advised that
the only purse PRPA
would consider would
be $25,000 or nothing.
I quickly reminded
them of the $10,000
purses of Continental
Motors and the $5,000
Tennessee Products Cup
The late
Race and that nobody
Pylon Club Trophy. He was later raced in 1953 for any
killed in a Beech King Air while kind of purse. Again it
on an instrument approach to
was a flat no followed by
Racine, Wisconsin.
a 10-minute lecture on
10

NOVEMBER 2005

how much it cost to build and race a midget. Now-the
guy giving the lecture didn't have a dime invested in a
racer-he was only the pilot of a racer that belonged to
a friend of his. By now my temper is running about 80,
and I proceed to inform him that I am my own builder
and financier. In the meantime the chairman intervened
and had both of us sit down.
Duane Cole got up and calmed the group and asked if
they would listen to my proposal and reconsider the offer.
When I regained the floor, I advised the group that before
I could guarantee a $25,000 purse there would have to be
some changes in the length of the races. I suggested that
the heat races be increased to 10 or 12 laps in place of the
present 8-10 laps and that the feature race be changed to
30 laps rather than 10-15 laps of the past. Well, I would
have been better off throwing a bomb in the place rather
than suggest a 30-lap feature. To make a longer story
short-I was told in so many words to sit down. Before
sitting down I reminded the group that prime TV time was
cheaper and more captive than any air race flown by a
bunch of unknowns. That statement practically had me
thrown out of the place.
I never did get around to explaining my $5,000
pOint-standing offer.
Duane Cole and Maynard Corkill got up and said we
were wasting our time with this bunch and suggested a
beer was in order ... to which I agreed wholeheartedly.
Later that evening some of the fellows who I knew
quite well offered to run for the proposed purse without
PRPA sanction, but there wasn't enough of them to make
up a competitive field of racers that would meet the spon­
sors specifications of our contract.
I left the convention licking my bloody wounds, trying
to figure out why in the hell did I spend three years and
$14,000 trying to help those jerks. My biggest licking was
yet to come. I had to face the agency and sponsors and

try to get out from under the contracts without losing an­
other $5,000.
As it turned out, I lost some money terminating the
Unlimited contract, but I came out ahead on the midgets.
Two days before Christmas the midget sponsor dropped
into the Club to wish me the best of the holidays and to
check on the outcome of the Cincinnati meeting. When
I informed him of the happenings, he told me to forget
the whole matter and congratulated me for trying to bring
back air racing on a national level.
The next day, Christmas Eve, his chauffeur delivered
to me a huge spread of flowers and a cheese and sausage
package large enough to feed an army. We went on to be­
come close friends. I called him before I wrote this and
asked if I could use his name or the product's name. He
laughed and said, fiNo-I'll have every air show promoter
in the country after me." So went the big Chicago Na­
tional Air Races that never bloomed. Believe you me-the
Pylon Club tried!
As it turned out, the PRPA had only one race in 1954,
and it was not for $25,000. As a matter of fact, the PRPA
has never had a $25,000 purse for the midgets since
Cleveland 1949.
Before I closed the Pylon Club I made one more small
effort to help racing ... the Pylon Club sponsored a tro­
phy for the 1957 Fort Wayne races. I did it for Duane
Cole more than for the PRPA. We also plugged the races
and attended them. Believe you me, Duane tried to revive
racing and deserves more credit than he has received.
I still believe in air raCing, and I believe there is a
bright future for it, mainly because of the new breed of
pilots and builders.
The midgets will always be the crowd-pleasers along
with the biplanes. The big bores will eventually die because
of equipment attrition, not because of spirit. I also believe
there is a strong future in Unlimited stocks, Le., Bonan­
zas, Mooneys, Cessnas, etc.-with no limitations to engine
size or modifications. I would like to see them pull out the
stops and let 'em go. Stop trying to protect the man who
wants to race. He knows the risks-that's why he's there.
The name of the game is money versus risk.
If I had my own airport, believe you me I would turn it
into a race course and run stocks, homebuilts, midgets,
and anything else that flies every Sunday on a 60/40 gate,
and at the end of a year I'd need an airport the size of Mo­
jave to stay in business. If you want air racing to flourish,
you have to open the avenues to the young newcomers,
and you can't do it with a closed association. Remember,
A.]. Foyt, AI Unser, and the others didn't get their first ride
at Indy; they started with stocks, midgets, dune buggies,
or sports cars.
My experience with PRPA was devastating, but it has
not dimmed my enthusiasm or interest in air racing-I see
I am beginning to preach, so I better sign off.
Before I do-tell me-am I crazy or do you believe in stock
airplane racing?
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE

11

s Naomi St. Julian visited
her friend's T-hangar, she
couldn't help but notice
that the hangar next door
didn't look as if it was
opened often.
"Hey," she asked, "what's in the
hangar next door?"
"I dunno," her friend answered.
"Some sort of old airplane. Hasn't
flown for years and years."
The easily excited Ms. St. Julian got
excited. "What kind of old airplane?"
"Dunno, take a look."
Naomi quickly inserted as much
of her face as she could in the narrow
gap between the doors and tried
to make out a vague outline in the
gloom beyond . Whatever it was, it

H

12

NOVEMBER 2005

was covered in plastic, and even in
the semi-darkness she could see the
outline of a low-wing airplane that
hadn't moved in a long time. It was
every vintage airplane buff's most
cherished dream: the abandoned­
super-rare-airplane-in-the-barn was
a reality. Now, if she could only
figure out what it was.
Later, as they gained entrance
to the hangar and pulled aside the
plastic covering, she realized it was
even better than she had hoped
for. It wasn't some rusty old Cub
or cherry Staggerwing. No, this was
a treasure that seemed destined
specifically for her and her husband,
Randy. It was a 1967 Cherokee 180.
They had struck pay dirt.

Now, before any of you gray beards
start sticking your nose in the air and
uttering things like, "1967? Hell,
I've got socks older than that! A
Cherokee 180 ain't no vintage
airplane. It's a used airplane," let's
talk about this a bit.
For one thing, it would help if
we all checked our calendars. 1967
was 38 years ago, and anything
made that long ago may not be
truly vintage, but it's a lot older
than used. In fact, it would be the
equivalent of restoring a Cessna
140 in 1988, and we certainly didn't
consider those used airplanes at the
time. They were classics then as
they are now.
More importantly, to an even

larger (and younger) portion of the
population, something like the St.
Julians' found Cherokee 180 is this
generation's classic and represents
an affordable portal into aviation.
For the St. Julians, who describe
themselves as "just normal folks
and far from rich," finding the
Cherokee was the answer to a long­
held dream, but we're getting ahead
of ourselves.
Randy is a switchgear specialist
for General Electric, and Naomi is a
legal secretary. Their paths wouldn't
have crossed if her son hadn't been
dating Randy's daughter. She was
dropping her son off at Randy's
house, and he noticed, with more
than a little interest, that she was

wearing a glider club jacket. That was
reason enough to ask the obvious
question, "Do you fly gliders?"
When the answer was in the
affirmative, the next line was
equally as obvious, as Randy had
been flying power planes since he
was a ramp rat as a kid, "Do you
want to go flying some time?"
They were married shortly
thereafter and decided they had two
goals. One was to remedy Randy's
renter pilot status by getting an
airplane, which would achieve the
other goal of getting Naomi her
power certificate.
Naomi says, "We found a Cessna
1 SO and were getting ready to
buy it, but there was some sort

of misunderstanding. We figured
it needed over $2,000 worth of
work, and we thought the seller
had agreed to reduce the price that
much, but that turned out not to
be the case."
Randy picks up the story, "The
owner called his wife and they
wouldn't budge, but we wanted
that airplane. We were right up
against the wall financially, and
Naomi finally told him we'd pay
it, but we'd have to take the money
out of her daughter's savings, at
which point her daughter broke
into tears and started sobbing. It
was as if we had planned it because
he relented."
They started flying the wings off
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

13

the little airplane, and Naomi got
her power rating in it. However,
at some point they realized their
goals had changed. Now they
wanted a cross-country airplane
and instrument tickets. Besides, the
C-1S0 was just too small.
"Many of our friends were on
Atkins diets," Naomi says. "We
thought about losing weight, if
nothing else because we'd fit in the
airplane better. Then we said, 'Nah,
let's just get a bigger airplane. "'
We like their way of thinking.
It was right at that juncture
that Naomi saw the seemingly
abandoned Cherokee in the hangar.
"The airplane wasn't actually
abandoned, but it had not flown
for six years. The owner was Meigs
Adams, a well-known local Ninety­
Niner who had owned the airplane
for 27 years. We called, and while
she hadn't thought seriously about
selling the airplane, she'd at least
let us in the hangar and talk to us
about it."
Before going any further, it's
important to know something
14

NOVEMBER 2005

about Naomi St. Julian. She is,
shall we say, excitable. With just
a hint of drama. And we would
have given a hundred bucks to be
standing in a corner of the hangar,
watching as they pulled the plastic
off the Cherokee. There's no doubt
that her reaction had more than
just a little to do with Meigs Adams'
decision to sell them the airplane.
To say her excitement is infectious
is an understatement.
"This was the perfect airplane for
us simply because, even though it
needed work," Naomi says, " for
what we could afford, it was as close
to perfect as we were going to get."
Randy says, "It hadn't turned a
blade in six years, but it only had
1,300 hours on the engine and
airframe. It would have to be gone
through, but at least we were starting
with something really good."
"The panel was basic," Randy says,
"but still IFR, and the interior was, at
the very least, usable. So, we could
concentrate on the engine and forget
about the rest for the time being."
Naomi was only half-listening to

Randy talk about the engine, because
at the moment of discovery, they
weren't sure whether they'd have
to repaint it or not.
"The airplane was really dusty,"
Naomi says, "but as soon as we
started washing it, I began to get
excited (oh, gee, we're surprised)
because the paint was in terrific
condition. And it was an interesting
color because Meigs had it repainted
in 1991 using the original scheme."
As an afterthought, she says,
"She was named after the airport,
you know."
Dormant engines are best left
sleeping, so rather than taking the
chance of damaging it by flying
it, Randy says, "We did the engine
almost immediately, and I have to
admit that when the engine came
back, after being overhauled, Naomi
was really afraid something would
happen to it. In fact, it was in the
back of a pickup going to the airport,
and Naomi drove 30 feet behind it
all the way, ready to put her car in
front of anything that looked as if it
might hurt our motor."

Naomi and Randy 5t. Julian, proud owners of N4815L, winner of an Outstanding
Piper PA-28 Cherokee plaque in the Contemporary judging category.

One advantage to working with
an airplane like Meigs' Cherokee
is that there is none of the three­
steps-forward -and -two-ba ck process
that haunts most airplane rebuild
projects. First of all, even though
the airplane had a lot of years on
it, at 1,300 hours total time, it
had not spent enough time flying
to be exposed to hard times. Plus,
not only had it almost always been
hangared, but also, as the second
owner, Meigs obviously loved the
airplane and kept it protected.
So, there was no critter damage
(mice, birds, etc.), and it had been
kept totally dry, so there was no
corrosion to worry about. Because of
the way the airplane was cocooned
and stored, it was something of a
time capsule, since all of its systems
worked. Only the engine had the
potential of suffering from the lack
of use, and Randy cured that by
having it overhauled.
"When we finished hanging the
engine," Randy says, "I took a CFI
along on the break-in flight, which
turned out to be so uneventful

that it was actually a boring two
hours. Which is a good thing.
"After the break-in we started
working toward our goal of both
of us getting our instrument tickets
in the airplane. While just about
everything in the airplane worked,
we still had go to through everything,
making certain it was appropriate
for instrument flying in this age. The
first flight after engine break-in was
to Carroll County, Ohio, to have a
new IFR-certificated Apollo UPSAT
GX-60 GPS installed and the pi tot­
static certification. We installed
an alternate static source, digital
clock, audio panel, and a four-place
intercom. We kept the VFR Apollo
GPS as a backup system.
"As we started bringing it back
to life, an extensive annual was
done, including complying with
all applicable ADs, replacement of
all hoses, tank drains, tanks screws,
battery, turn-coordinator, flashing
beacon, steering horn and stops,
new O-rings in the brake master
and wheel cylinders, new tires and
tubes, cable tensions. Rigging was
checked, and then we started on the
project of pulling the fuel tanks."
Naomi chimes in, "There had to
be' a thousand screws holding those
things in, and it was a lot of work
getting them all out. Then, when we
thought we were home-free and ready
to take the tank out-we were initially
worried they'd fall out when the last
screw was removed-they wouldn't

budge. Randy was beating on them
very carefully, and they just wouldn't
come out. It was ridiculous. So, I went
down and talked to our A&P who was
helping us throughout the restoration.
His suggestion, to my surprise, was,
'Get a bigger hammer,' so we did.
Thankfully there were no leaks, and
we changed the hoses and fuel sender
gaskets while they were out."
The airplane has flown more
than 100 hours per year almost
since the day they got it, and it has
all been fun, although Naomi says
there were some tense moments.
She says, "I really struggled with
the whole IFR thing. I was studying
like crazy for the instrument written
and wasn't sure I'd be able to do it.
Then, right out of the blue, Randy
decided we'd take the test at the
same time. I did well and would
have been proud of my 96 percent
if Randy hadn't walked in cold and
walked out with only one wrong."
She laughs.
Naomi took her checkride first
and busted it and says she just
couldn't get it together, but that
cured itself.
"When I went the second time,
everything just sort of fell into
place, and I found it was the best
rating I ever got," she says.
Several years after buying the
airplane and many hundreds of
hours of flying later, they decided
the original interior, although not
in terribly bad shape, had to go.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

15

"We were starting to fly it on a
lot of cross-country flights, and the
seats were uncomfortable," Randy
explains. liThe covering was starting
to show some wear, but mostly it
was that we'd get out of the airplane
and hurt. So, we had an on-site
aircraft interior restoration shop
rebuild the cushions and stitch up
an interior for the entire airplane.
Now we can sit in there for hours
on end with no problem. And we
often do."
Naomi says, lilt's important for
everyone to know that we wouldn't
have this airplane if it wasn't for
a lot of people being very nice to
us. We couldn't afford it otherwise.
Our mechanic, Chris Hopkins, has
worked with us every inch of the
way, and without his time, effort,
understanding, and help, it would
have never happened. We have so
much to thank him for.
Also, our flying friends (fellow
EAAers and accomplished builders)
have helped and offered their
expertise and advice, as well, for
which we owe a huge thanks."
"Meigs, of course, has to be
thanked. She made it easy for us
to buy the airplane, and she loves
having it near to her. We feel as
if she is part of our flying family
and take her up in the Cherokee
as often as we can. There is no way
the airplane won't always have a
little bit of Meigs in it."
Naomi sums it up for the two of
them when she says, "We love this
airplane. We simply love it , and
we fly it every chance we possibly
can . In so many ways, we just
can't believe it is ours. This year we
were so proud to have it parked in
vintage aircraft parking at Oshkosh.
Then, to our surprise it won the
Outstanding Contemporary Piper
PA-28 Cherokee award!"
There are people in the world who
think airplanes are mere inanimate
objects, but when an airplane
answers as many dreams as this one
has, it gains a soul and becomes part
of the family. We certainly hope this
Cherokee knows that.
.......
II

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Frank Clarke


Movie Stunt Pilot

Madeleine Kimotek
The release of The Great Waldo
Pepper with Robert Redford, a movie
based on the exploits of a 1920s air
circus pilot, brings a renewed inter­
est in that now legendary figure, the
barnstormer, as well as in air epics.
I thought the members of the An­
tique and Classic Division might be
interested in knowing a little of the
story of the man I think was the king
of barnstormers and stunt pilots,
Frank Clarke. He also was the chief
pilot responsible for the aerial foot­
age of one of the greatest air epics of
all time-Hell's Angels, produced by
Howard Hughes in 1927. I certainly

make no claim to be an expert on
Frank Clarke's life, or on the making
of Hell's Angels. But through a dear
friend of mine, who is now deceased,
Jim Barton, I came to know quite a bit
of the story, and I would like to share
it with you.
Jim Barton, known affectionately
to the movie stunt pilots and me­
chanics as "Jimmy," was a mechanic
responsible for Frank Clarke's aircraft
during the filming of Hell's Angels, as
well as being Frank's close friend. My
father, who is an avid air historian,
decided to write a book on the mak­
ing of Hell's Angels and in the process

was introduced to Jim. I became in­
terested in the project, and in a typi­
cal feminine fashion, I took Jim over
as my special friend. Through a se­
ries of letters and a sharing of photos
and visits, a picture began to emerge
of Frank Clarke, pilot extraordinaire,
and of those far-off days when avia­
tion was still a glamorous adventure
and pilots looked like pilots-oily
faces, creased leather jackets, and hel­
mets, wings, and puttees!
According to Robert Lincks, Frank's
uncle, Frank began flying in 1917 with
Al Wilson. Frank was originally from
Paso Robles, but came to the movie

Reprinted from Vintage Airplane March 1975
18

NOVEMBER 2005

capital in the 1920s. Because he could moving passenger train. But Hell's An­
be counted on to provide authentic, gels was his greatest assignment.)
Jim Barton left me many photo­
heart-stopping stunts that were just
what the director ordered, he began graphs taken during the making of
to accrue a list of screen credits that Hell's Angels, and I have included
eventually led to his being chosen as some of them here in the hopes that
the sinister Lt. von Bruen in Hell's An­ the members will recognize them.
During World War II, Frank Clarke
gels and as chief pilot in charge of the
air sequences. (In 1920, in the film served with the Celluloid Comman­
Stranger Than Fiction, which starred dos, a motion picture group, as he
Katherine MacDonald, Frank flew a was now considered too old to be a
Jenny off a downtown Los Angeles of­ fighter pilot. Naturally, his first choice
fice building. He was known, too, for had been the Flying Tigers. I know
his plane-to-plane changes sans a rope he would have been a good one! On
ladder. In the 1927 Pathe serial Eagle of June II, 1948, he was killed in a BT­
the Night, he landed and took off on a 15 crash that occurred in Isabella

Canyon, California. Jim was on the
scene soon afterward, and he erected
a cross made from the twisted pro­
peller blades. The next time you see
one of the great old stunt-flying epics,
please think of the man behind the
goggles-Frank Clarke-I know I will.
Because I think Frank Clarke's own
words were certainly more evocative
than mine of that era, I have recop­
ied some magazine articles he wrote
for Liberty magaZine in 1931. I know
you'll enjoy them as I did.
I'd like to close with a poem writ­
ten about Frank after his death by his
friend Dean Spencer:

An S.E. 5 used for movie work. By 1927 these aircraft

were considered to be expendable junk and usually

had a very short life with the movie studio crews.


JIM BARTON COLLECTION

"SPOOKS" CLARKE
Midst annals of aviation fame
Surpassing all living and dead
Immortalized "Spooks" one syllable name
Eternally blazed at the head.
Hater of gravity-Master of Wings
Nonpareil on the fly
Artist of stick-he tenaciously clings
To his loved Shangri-la of the sky.
Idol of kiwis-God of all flyers
King of stunt pilots unsung

Laymen would swear that we were damn liars
Relating the things he has done.
To know is to love him. I am no exception
For I have been favored and blessed
With friendship of his without bond of convention
The kind between men-and the best.
A toast to you, birdman. It's fates' own decision
To wear your boots-when you depart
You're not only history-By God, you're tradition
To all aviation-"Spooks" C l a r k - - - - - - - ­
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

19

(The following is a portion of an
article by Frank Clarke that appeared
in the June 20, 1931, edition of Lib­
erty magazine.)
Howard Hughes, producer and di­
rector of the picture Hell's Angels, was
years old, and many times a million­
aire through royalties on oil inven­
tions perfected by his father, when he
decided to come to Hollywood and
see what could be done about making
motion pictures. He had done a little
flying and was a rabid enthusiast.
He entered the picture game over
the protests of his uncle, Rupert
Hughes, the novelist, who told him he
would lose his shirt. According to all
the rules of the game, this should have
been true. "Angels" for film ventures
are an old story in Hollywood. They
usually were meat for unscrupulous
film sharpshooters and eventually left
town sadder but wiser, having dropped
the roll in making a few pictures that
would never be shown anywhere.
However, his uncle's opinion of his
ability annoyed young Mr. Hughes ex­
ceedingly. When he determined to go
ahead he got hold of John Considine
Jr., production chief of United Artists,
and formed a partnership with him
to produce one picture. When Holly­
wood heard the plot of his first story
it laughed heartily. The story didn't
have any of the conventional "pro­
duction" or "box-office" values. It was
called Two Arabian Knights, and the
two heroes were William Boyd and
Louis Wolheim. There was, strictly
speaking, no heroine. It was a story of
a couple of doughboys who were cap­
tured and made their escape through
a series of fantastic circumstances.
While it was being filmed Hughes
spent his entire time behind the cam­
eras. He is something of a mechanical
genius, and it wasn't long before he
knew the technical work of directing
inside out. Because of his curiosity it
took about twice as long as ordinary to
film the picture and cost about twice
as much-something in the neighbor­
hood of $400,000, I believe.
When it was done, Hollywood, as
well as Uncle Rupert, sat back and
waited for the picture to flop and
20

NOVEMBER 2005

JIM BARTON COLLECTION

Fokker D.VII rigged for "Hell's Angel's" movie work.

young Mr. Hughes to disappear from
filmland. But, contrary to all predic­
tions, when the picture was shown it
was an enormous moneymaker.
Hughes then conceived the idea
of an air epic. He found his story in
Hell's Angels, a tale of the British Royal
Flying Corps during the war. He be­
gan to formulate plans for its film­
ing-plans which more or less stag­
gered Hollywood, even though it had
seen in the making such enormously
costly pictures as The Ten Command­
ments, Ben-Hur, Old Ironsides, Wings,
King ofKings, and Von Stroheim's ex­
travagant ventures.
He started filming the preliminary
sequences at the studio, and after a
few weeks had a disagreement with
the director, who quit. Hughes then
stepped in and announced that he
would direct the picture himself.
Meanwhile he purchased the play,
The Racket, and filmed it, starring
Thomas Meighan, with Lewis Mile­
stone directing. It was voted one of
the ten best pictures of the year and
was a big moneymaker. He also pro­
duced another Meighan picture­
The Mating Call.
Hughes originally prepared to film
the air sequences of Hell's Angels,
which occupy half of the picture, at
an air field near Inglewood. He built a
mess hall and barracks in preparation
for his fleet of planes, etc. Later, how­
ever, he decided that cloud conditions
would be better in the San Fernando

Valley, so he leased what had been an
alfalfa field there and turned it into
an air field, completely equipped with
hangars, a mechanical department,
and lights for night flying. He called it
Caddo Field, after the corporate name
of the company.
He then began to assemble a fleet
of planes of wartime vintage. He in­
sisted on the utmost possible accu­
racy in detail. This was no easy task,
for by 1927 a good part of those old
wartime planes had disappeared. A
large part of those to be found were
in such condition that they were be­
yond hope of repair.
One of the first planes he bought
was a Sikorsky bomber, five or six
years old. It had a wing spread of
eighty-four feet, and when flown out
from the east by Roscoe Turner it was
the largest plane that had ever been
seen on the Pacific coast. This was the
nearest replica available of a Gotha
bomber of the type used in the war.
The story of Hell's Angels revolved
around two brothers in the flying
corps, and Ben Lyon and James Hall
were engaged for the roles.
It was at about this time that I
joined the company and became chief
pilot on the picture. Frank Tomick
was engaged to fly the No.1 camera
ship throughout the production.
Hughes himself had learned to fly,
and bought a Waco job with a Wright
Whirlwind motor for his own use.
The wartime planes were bought

Briefing of air crews before another day of filming Hell's Angels.

wherever we could find them. Among
others we had a number of SE.5s, pow­
ered by Hispano motors. There were
also several Fokker D.VIIs that had been
used in the war. Their Mercedes motors
had been replaced with Hall Scott L-6s.
Then there were some Thomas Morse
ships with Le Rhone rotary motors,
some Avros, the British training plane,
and a number of Canucks, which were
used for crash scenes. The Canucks were
the Curtiss Canadian training planes,
resembling our Jennys, except for dif­
ferent rigging and double ailerons.
Various other ships were rented as
the need arose.
The gang of pilots who were assem­
bled made me think of the old days.
Among them were Frank Tomick, Jack
Rand, Leo NOrnis, and Maurice (Loop
the Loop) Murphy.
In taking the job as chief pilot, I
had insisted on the employment of
Roy Wilson, who is one of the great­
est in the business. The first air work
consisted largely of takeoffs and land­
ings, the scenes depicting a British
training ground.

Later, as we began to get into the
air scenes, a good many planes and pi­
lots were added. In alI, I guess we used
more than 125 planes in the pictures,
including those that were cracked
up, and employed even more pilots.
There were many changes in person­
nel, as a lot of them didn't stick with
us because of the antiquated craft we
were using.
In speaking of Leo Nomis, I should
mention the fact that he was not only
a stunt man in the air, but also in au­
tomobiles. He was once a race driver,
and specialized in smashing up auto­
mobiles and turning them over for
spectacular scenes in pictures.
Ben Lyon and Jimmy Hall flew in
the old bomber throughout the pic­
ture. Ben became a real airplane en­
thusiast and a regular pilot. Both he
and Bebe Daniels, his wife, are crazy
about aviation.
It was while Ben was learning to
fly that a very amusing incident hap­
pened. The flyers on the Ford reli­
ability tour had arrived in Los Ange­
les and were to be entertained at the

open-air dining room of the Los An­
geles Breakfast Club at 8:00 a.m.
Somebody had thought up the idea
of having Roscoe Turner and Ben Lyon
fly low overhead during the ceremony
and throw a flock of flowers down.
They were going to use Roy Wil­
son's plane, which was at Caddo
Field. When they arrived that morn­
ing at the field they were late, and
Turner was in such a hurry that he
didn't stop to listen to Wilson explain
his trick gas system.
They flew down over the Breakfast
Club and were doing their stuff when
the motor suddenly cut. There was
plenty of gas in the plane, but Turner
had opened the wrong tank. The ship
had to land in the bed of the Los An­
geles River and turned over. By some
miracle the river at that time had
about eight inches of water in it.
Ben and Turner crawled out, a
rather woebegone sight, while the re­
liability flyers stood on the bank and
cheered, saying they had expected to
be entertained but not quite so roy­
ally as by having Ben Lyon put on a
crash for them!
Few people, even pilots them­
selves, have any conception of the
magnitude of the task of maintain­
ing a military squadron. Many peo­
ple have seen army fields, but every­
thing there goes off so smoothly and
with so little apparent effort that it all
looks simple.
Yet the old saying that for every
man at the front there must be ten be­
hind the lines holds true in aviation,
with the added factor that every man
on the ground must be an expert.
For the filming of Hell's Angels
not only did Howard Hughes, the
boy producer, have to establish a
flying field complete in every de­
tail and gather his planes and pilots,
but he also had to gather a complete
ground crew.
At Caddo Field there were approxi­
mately 130 men on the ground, ser­
vicing and checking the planes, keep­
ing the motors in tune, and doing
machine-shop work. The task was
doubly difficult because most of our
crates were old and of obsolete deVI N TAGE A I RP LA N E

21

This is Roscoe Turner's Sikorsky S-29A in which he did a lot of barnstorming
before leasing it to Howard Hughes for use in the movie Hell's Angels. In the
movie the plane was painted up to represent a German Hotha bomber. The
Sikorsky crashed during filming.

sign and in constant need of repair.
Most needed parts had to be made
on the spot, as they were either dif­
ficult to obtain or out of stock alto­
gether. Harry Reynolds had charge of
the ground work.
Hughes gathered for the film­
ing of this picture the largest fleet
of fighting aircraft ever brought to­
gether, save by governments. He
actually owned a larger number of
fighting planes than most small na­
tions do today.
In the final scenes of the picture
we have forty wartime planes en­
gaged in battle in the air at one time!
In addition there were a number of
camera Ships. I was directing.
Added to the extensive layout at
Caddo Field, a German air field far­
ther out in the valley was also ac­
quired and equipped.
When we started the actual air se­
quences, Al Johnson was engaged
to perform several of the dangerous
crackups. He did the first one in De­
cember, 1927. The scene called for
a steep dive to the ground, the ship
turning over on its back when it hit.
It was a tough stunt, and many of
the flyers didn 't believe it could be
done without death or serious injury
to the pilot. But they didn't know AI.
He used an old Canuck ship and took
no special precautions in preparing for
the crash.
He performed it beautifully, nos­
ing the crate over right in front of
the cameras. He stepped out without
a scratch, with his usual luck.
The next day several of us went
over to the Glendale Municipal Air­
port. We were going to fly a num­
ber of old ships from there to a field
22

NOVEMBER 2005

near Inglewood. It was not for cam­
era work and was the sort of flight
any novice might make.
Al was to take over an old built­
up Avro. He was the first to take off.
Hardly had he left the ground when
his motor started to miss, and then
cut out on him.
He attempted to clear the high­
tension wires adjoining the field, but
his marvelous sense of judging dis­
tance, which made him one of the
greatest stunt men in the world,
failed him.
He misjudged the wires and
crashed into them. His plane imme­
diately burst into flames.
Al himself was thrown clear and
lit fifty feet away. As he ran across
the field we hoped his usual luck
had stayed with him and saved him
from injury.
We found him writhing in hor­
rible agony. Although he had bro­
ken no bones, he had breathed the
flames which enveloped the plane.
His lungs were scorched.
We carried him to the road. Be­
tween gasps he said:
"This is the end. Save me the suf­
fering. Put me out of the way now."
There was nothing we could do
for him. We rushed him to the hos­
pital, where he lingered a day or
so, never losing consciousness, and
then died.
With him passed a master of a
game that is vanishing. But if, up be­
yond the pearly gates, they have been
looking for a long time for someone
to change from cloud to cloud with
one hand, and without using a rope
ladder, they at last have him in AI.
Our hearts were heavy, but we had

Frank Clarke shortly before his death
in June of 1948.

to carryon.
Everyone in our squadron was
a flying enthusiast, including Ben
Lyon and Howard Hughes. It didn't
really seem like a motion-picture
troupe at all.
One afternoon Ben decided he
would fly from the field back to town
with one of the boys.
Hughes got the idea that Ben
and Jimmy Hall were already taking
enough risks riding each day in the
creaky old German bomber.
"Now, look here, Ben," he said, "I
don't want you to do any unneces­
sary flying. Cut it out!"
"I'll tell you, Howard," said Ben,
laughing, "1'11 make you a proposi­
tion. I'll stop flying if you will. If I
get killed, you can hire another actor
and retake my scenes, but if you get
killed, we all stop getting paid."
"Nonsense!" snorted Hughes. lilt's
different with me. In fact, I think I'll
fly one of those old war crates just to
see how it goes."
Hughes had just recently obtained
his pilot's license, and purchased his
new Waco with a Whirlwind motor,
but he had never tried to fly one of
the old jobs.
Immediately all the pilots tried to
dissuade him. But he was stubborn­
ness personified. He ordered an old
Thomas Morse with a Le Rhone ro­
tary motor wheeled out of the han­
gar. The boys crowded around, giv­
ing him all sorts of advice on how to
handle it.
I didn't butt in, as I figured he al­
ready had enough advice to last him
for months.
It seemed, however, that they had
continued on page 29

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Hampshire, Il

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E AIRPLANE

25

E.E. " BUCK" HILBERT

Winter ops
The fall colors are beautiful, the
leaves are turning, and wouldn 't
you know it, the winter words of
warning are out.
GAMA, NBA, and NATA are all tell­
ing their members to take the usual
precautions for winter flying.
The same precautions apply to our
antique and classic airplanes.
We may not have those slippery
Lear or Citation wings that are af­
fected even by little bugs impinged
on the leading edge, but our airfoils
and control surfaces are just as impor­
tant to our flying. Maybe even more
so, because we normally don't have
heated hangars and a crew of mainte­
nance people to look after our safety.
I'm not going into preaching to the
choir stuff. There is so much informa­
tion available out there that one can
become oversaturated just trying to
assimilate all of it. So commit some
of it to memory and put together a
mental checklist of precautions to be
taken before winter flying.
Winter flying can be a rewarding
experience, once you get your footsies
and your pinkies warmed up. But it's
what you do before you do the warm­
up that counts.
Fortunately, with the multigrade
oils available today, it isn't like the
old days when we drained the oil and
took it home where it was kept warm,
actually heating it on the stove or the
steam radiator and then pouring it
into the engine before starting it. I
could never understand how that did
any good. I can imagine the oil hit­
ting the cold engine and beginning to
gel. Did it really work?
The engine preheaters available
26

NOVEMBER 2005

these days are great, easy to use, and
usually portable, efficient, and effec­
tive. There are alternative ways to
warm things up. A few years ago I
wrote an article telling of one guy
who put an adapter in the passen­
ger-side window of his car, attached
a couple of SCAT tubes, shoved them
into the engine inlet, cranked the

Winter flying can
be a rewarding
experience, once
you get your
footsies and your
pinkies warmed up.
heat and the blower to high, and sat
inside while the engine got warmed
up. That same guy had booster cables
he hooked up to his car battery to
warm his aircraft battery as well.
Now there's one item no one seems
to be aware of. A cold battery loses ef­
ficiency. In fact, it can get so cold it
becomes almost useless. One of the
record attempts I was an observer
on was a solar-powered UAV. It was
taken up where the ambient tempera­
ture was -50°F. Night came, and with
no solar heat or power from the solar
cells, the battery got colder and colder
as the night wore on, and the battery

nearly froze. Some control of the UAV
was lost as a result. Then someone re­
called that the rotating beacon's power
came directly off the battery. They
turned on the beacon, by remote con­
trol of this unmanned vehicle, and
guess what? The high current drain of
the beacon warmed the battery, and
the UAV was back in business.
That lesson prompts a thought that
maybe, just maybe, we should get a lit­
tle warmth into the battery before try­
ing to do a start. Aircraft batteries are
smaller than their automotive coun­
terparts, weigh less, and are shorter on
cranking amps. Get them good and
cold, and they are really affected.
Let's think of some way to warm
up that battery just a bit. Turn on
some lights, give it some work to do,
and that will help. Actually, the best
way would be to physically warm
it up. Put a 20-watt light bulb next
to the battery and leave it on, or get
yourself a float trickle charger and
leave it on to keep the battery fully
charged, warm, and happy. I know
one guy who has a solar charger he
puts up on the glare shield that does
great, when the sun shines or there is
enough light to make it work.
We all know about icing, about
carburetor ice, and keeping the air­
foils clean, so I won't get into that.
One thing I do want to stress is that
if it's cold enough to freeze and freeze
hard, leave those tank drains alone.
If there is some water in the bottom
of the tank, it is just as frozen as the
ice puddles around the airport. Push­
ing in on the drains will rupture the
seals if they move at all, and you 'll
have a leaker. Those little O-rings are

special and not easy to come by and
replace. This brings to mind that I
almost had my wife convinced that
the odor of gasoline was really my
aftershave lotion. She almost bought
it, but never mind.
The next thing I want to cover is
wheel pants and the effect of slush
and puddles as you run through
them . Slush or water will impinge
on any surface and especially loves
packing into wheelpants. On break­
ing ground, the windchill factor will
freeze that stuff solid. Heaven forbid
if the wheelpant or even wheel well
is full; you can imagine the conse­
quence. The slush will also increase
your takeoff run, so be aware. Also,
be aware that landing on a snow­
covered or icy surface can increase
your stopping distance by as much as
100 percent. Your brakes won't be ef­
fective, and if your locked wheel hits
a dry spot, you may have a problem.
The best advice I can offer here is
to take the wheelpants off for win­
ter flying. With your parka up and
around your ears, it will be one of the
last things you'd miss having on the
airplane during the winter! If your
gear retracts, exercise the gear a cou­
ple of times to assure yourself that it'll
work. Also, in the case of slush and
water, it could impinge on the hori­
zontal stabilizer, unless you have a
T-tail, and cause problems.
The super-cold air sure makes the
engine perform. Don't get carried
away and overboost it. Take some
time to get the oil circulating and the
cylinder head temperature up before
you poke it to higher power. I wish
every pilot could spend some time
with the "bushies" up in Alaska or
Canada. Those heroes contend with
this kind of operation as standard
operating procedure. Matter of fact,
I'd like to hear from some of them.
There's nothing like going to the
source for the best information.
Don't get in a hurry, and as old
"Gus" Limbach used to say, "Don't
do nuthin' dumb."
Over to you.

Come or t e wee en


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VINTAGE AIRPLANE

27

DOUG STEWART

Weather notes
The National Transportation Safety
Board (NTSB) recently released a report
sent to Marion Blakey, the adminis­
trator of the Federal Aviation Admin­
istration, detailing the conclusions it
had come to after undertaking a safety
study titled Risk Factors Associated with

Weather-Related General Aviation Acci­
dents. Some of its findings were not
surprising, such as the fact that the
knowledge tests reqUired for any pi­
lot certificate could be passed with­
out answering a single weather-related
question correctly, or that poor perfor­
mance on the knowledge and practi­
cal tests was directly associated "with a
higher risk of a pilot being involved in
a weather-related accident."
What did surprise me, however, was
the fact that it found a direct correla­
tion between the age at which a pi­
lot first obtained a certificate and the
risk factors he or she would be exposed
to. It found that the younger a person
was when obtaining that first certifi­
cate, regardless of current age, or hours
logged, the less risk he or she had in re­
lation to a weather-related accident. In
other words, many of the pilots who
had weather-related accidents obtained
their pilot certificates later in life. The
report concluded that quite typically
the younger a pilot was when first start­
ing in aviation, the more likely he or
she was to continue in some form of
professional flying. Thus, as more rat­
ings are added, more weather-related
training is acquired.
The NTSB also determined that the
guidance from the FAA currently dis­
courages pilots from obtaining weather
information from Internet, satellite, and
other data sources. The report stated,
"Many pilots use other sources to obtain
28

NOVEMBER 2005

weather data not included in a stan­
dard briefing and then contact FSS or
DUATS to fulfill a perceived regulatory
obligation. This creates the potential for
pilot misinterpretation or confusion if
weather information gathered from var­
ious sources appears to be more detailed
than the FSS information."
The NTSB concluded the report with
six recommendations, some of which
might be considered Draconian, espe­
cially by those who consider aviation
already too highly regulated. Those rec­
ommendations are to:
l. "Add a specific requirement for all
pilots who do not receive weather-related
recurrent training that the biennial flight
review include the following: recognition
of critical weather situations from the
ground and in flight, procurement and
use of aeronautical weather reports and
forecasts, determination of fuel require­
ments, and planning for alternatives if
the intended flight cannot be completed
or delays are encountered."
2. "Add a requirement that the BFR
include demonstrations of basic attitude
flying, virtually the same as those re­
quired by the private pilot practical test."
3. "Establish a minimum number of
weather-related questions that must be
answered correctly in order to pass FAA
airman knowledge tests."
4. "Develop a means to identify pi­
lots whose overall performance history
indicates that they are at future risk of
accident involvement, and develop a
program to reduce risk for those pilots."
S. "Determine optimal information
presentation methods and delivery sys­
tems for flight service station weather
information briefings, including the pos­
sibility of supplementing or replacing
some portions of the current standard

weather briefing with graphical data."
6. "Revise guidance materials asso­
ciated with pilot weather briefings to
include gUidance for pilots in the use
of Internet, satellite, and other data
sources for obtaining weather informa­
tion suitable for meeting the intent of
CFR Part 91.103" (which says the pilot
must obtain all "available information"
prior to any flight) "and subsequently
inform the aviation community about
this change."
As many of us are aware, virtu­
ally three out of four weather-related
accidents are fatal ones. The NTSB is
obviously concerned with this high per­
centage and is taking steps to try and re­
duce it. I vigorously applaud that effort.
However, I can't help but notice that it
did not address one thing I feel is at the
root of many weather-related accidents:
you cannot teach common sense.
I do not disagree with most of the
report, but nowhere in it does the
NTSB address the issues of proper
aeronautical decision -making. No­
where in the report are the five haz­
ardous attitudes addressed. Not once
is there a suggestion that perhaps sce­
nario-based training might be able to
address these issues.
The NTSB found that the knowledge
test does not adequately address the
issues of weather knowledge, but not
once does the report address the fact
that many of the weather questions on
the knowledge test are testing to a rote
knowledge of things like abbreviations
used in METARs, or charts that one will
rarely, if ever, actually see. The report
does not address the fact that there
are too few questions, if any, that ade­
quately test the pilot'S abilities to make
proper "go/no go" decisions. And I be­

lieve that it is this inability that is kill­
ing pilots.
I have long contended that those
portions of the knowledge test dealing
with weather have been sorely inad­
equate. To be honest I had never even
considered that it might be possible to
pass the test without answering one
single question on weather correctly.
But again I will offer that it is not a lack
of weather knowledge, or how to ob­
tain it, that is killing pilots. Instead I
feel that it is the hazardous attitudes
that exist in all of us that are reducing
the pilot population.
I doubt that any pilot, nor the pas­
sengers they took with them, went out
to his or her airplane on the day of the
crash thinking: "Hmm ...1 think I'll
kill myself today in a weather-related
crash." It is possible that the pilot did
not understand the briefing he or she
received, or that if graphics had been
added to the briefing, it might have
made more of an impression than the
one he or she made on the ground.
But it is also possible that the pilot
didn't get any briefing at all (anti-

STRAIGHT

&

LEVEL

continued from page 1

attention. There's nothing to fiddle with
during long flights. Turbines smell like a
Boy Scout camp full of Coleman lamps.
Round engines smell like God intended
machines to smell. Pass this on to an old
World War II pilot (or his son who flew
them in Vietnam) in remembrance of
that "greatest generation." The best ship
ofall is friendship!
As you may have observed in the

Vintage magazine, the 2006 Vintage
Calendar is complete and ready for dis­
tribution. I would encourage each of
you to get at least one. They are avail­
able through the website www.vaa­
calendar. com, and they would make
a great gift to all. Call 800/788-3350
now-they're only printing enough
to cover the orders, plus just a few ex­
tra-when they're gone, they're gone!
Let's all pull in the same direction
for the good of aviation. Remember,
we are better together. Join us and
have it all.

authority), as was the case with a pi­
lot who recently destroyed a beautiful
aerobatic airplane, while luckily surviv­
ing the crash not far from my house
just a few weeks ago, when the weather
went south on him.
Or perhaps the pilot understood the
briefing, and even went to numerous
other sources of weather information,
before departing on the final flight,
thinking he had the skills to handle all
that the weather could throw at him
(macho). And maybe, just maybe,
the pilot felt the weather did not pose
more of a threat than he was capable,
or that the airplane was capable, of
handling (invulnerability).
If the encounter with the weather
was inadvertent, or if part of the prob­
lem was an equipment failure while in
IMC, did the pilot do something that
compounded the problem (impulsiv­
ity) before properly thinking through
(aviate, navigate, communicate) the
problem? Is there the pOSSibility, as the
yogurt started to slowly creep up toward
the eyeballs, that the pilot just gave up
and hoped for the best (resignation)?

I strongly feel that rather than man­
dating "basic attitude" training (which
will be quite difficult for those of us
who fly minimally equipped light­
planes like Cubs and Champs), we
instead endeavor to instill the recog­
nition of the need for more frequent,
voluntarily obtained training, as in
the FAA Wings program. I feel that we
need to change our training paradigm
from a maneuvers-based syllabus to a
scenario-based syllabus. By teaching
pilots how to use the tools and tech­
niques of proper aeronautical decision­
making, we will reduce the number of
weather-related accidents.
If all of us made it a paint to obtain
frequent recurrent training, it would
definitely reduce the number of ac­
cidents and perhaps even reduce the
number of new regulations that some
would like to have written. Won't you
join me in that effort?

Doug Stewart is the 2004 National CFI
ofthe Year, a Master Instructor, and a DPE.
He operates DSFI Inc. (www.dsflight.
com) based at the Columbia County Air­
port (1Bl).
......

F RAN K C LA R KE continued from page 22
forgotten to tell him the most impor­
tant thing about the ship, which was
not to try to make a right-hand turn
with it too soon after taking off.
A rotary motor has a strong gy­
roscopic pull to the right. It almost
ducks the plane in that direction,
while added pressure is needed to
turn to the left.
Hughes got in, warmed her up,
taxied across the field, and took off.
He went up a couple of hundred
feet and started to bank to the right
to circle the grounds.
The old crate ducked sharply, went
into a spin, and hit the ground.
As we ran across toward the
crackup we certainly thought we
were seeing the end of our meal
ticket. We found the young mil­
lionaire cut and bruised some, but
not seriously injured, although he
was ordered to bed for several days.
A couple of days after the acci­
dent Freddie Fleck, the tall, lean,

and voluble assistant director of

Hell's Angels, went to see Hughes at
his home.
Now the principal business of
an assistant director is to be able to
explain anything, at any time, en­
tirely satisfactorily. Hughes called
Fleck to his bedside.
"Now, Freddie," he drawled
confidentially, "tell me what re­
ally happened?"
"Why, nothing, boss, nothing
at all," replied Freddie with the
air of pooh-poohing the whole
thing. "You simply took off, and a
minute and a half later you were
flat on the seat of your trousers
on the ground."
It was the best explanation of the
affair that could have been given.
From that time on Hughes was a lot
easier to handle. He had a lot more
sympathy for the boys and an un­
derstanding of their problems in
handling the old jobs.
......
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

29

BY

H.G. FRAUTSCHY

THIS MONTH'S MYSTERY PLANE COMES TO US FROM THE EAA LIBRARY'S

GARNER P. "EMY" EMERSON COLLECTION . WE'VE GOT A NUMBER OF PHOTOS

IN THAT ALBUM THAT MAKE GREAT MYSTERY PLANES.

Send your answer to EAA, Vintage Airplane,
P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Your
answer needs to be in no later than December
10 for inclusion in the February 2005 issue of
Vintage Airplane.

You can also send your response via e-mail.
Send your answer to [email protected].
Be sure to incl ude your name, city, and state
in the body of your note, and put "(Month)
Mystery Plane" in the subject line.

AUGUST ' S

The August Mystery Plane, also
from the Emerson Co ll ection,
brought forth a n umber of letters.
Here's our first:
The August 'OS Mystery PLane is a
fN-6HG -1 Curtiss fenny converted to
an aerial ambuLance after WWI.
The "6/1 series is distinguished by
struts connecting the ailerons on the
upper and Lower wings. [Ailerons were

added to the lower wing in the H
mode l.-HGF] The larger radiator
makes it an "H/' indicating it was
powered by a 150-hp Wright-Hispano
rather than the 90-hp Curtiss OX-5.
30

N OVEMB E R 200 5

MYSTERY

This same aircraft, A .S. 45082, is
pictured in Peter Bowers' Curtiss Air­
craft 1907-1947. It was converted
from a gunnery trainer, hence the ad­
ditiona LG-1 sUffix.
fim Stubner
Mercer Island, Washington

ANSW E R
was retired by 1927. Many were burned.
Some fN-6Hs were converted by in­
dividual units for ambulance duties.
The first fenny ambulance seems to
go back to late 1917, but had an open
cockpit for the patient. Later, a hinged
cover was added for protection. Other
aircraft converted to ambulances in­
cluded the Fokker C-2 and C-15, the
Ford C-9, DH-4 Amb, and the Cur­
tiss EagLe. The Cox-Klemin A-I and
the Atlantic (Fokker) A-2 were built as
ambulances from the outset. The win­
ter 1999 and spring 2000 Journal of

the American Aviation Historical
Society have good articles on The Be­
ginnings of Military Transportation
by Air that include details and pic­
tures of early ambulance aircraft.

Tom Lymburn adds this:
1,035 fN-6Hs were manufactured ...
The air service got rid ofthe OX versions
after WWI. fN-6H production versions
included bomber, observation, pursuit,
target glider towing, and one- and two­
gun gunner trainers. The Last of the JNs

Other correct answers were received
from Doug Rounds, Zebulon, Geor­
gia; Wayne Van Valkenburgh, Jasper,
Georgia; Jack Erickson, State College,
Pennsylvania; and Harold Swanson,
Shoreview, Minnesota.
.....

Something to buy , sell or trade?
Classified Word Ads: $5.50 per 10 words, 180 words maximum, with boldface lead-in on first line.
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frequency discounts.
Advertising Closing Dates: 10th of second month prior to desired issue date (i.e., January 10 is the closing date for the March issue). VAA
reserves the right to reject any advertising in conflict with its policies. Rates cover one insertion per issue. Classified ads are not accepted
via phone. Payment must accompany order. Word ads may be sent via fax (920-426-4828) or e-mail ([email protected]) using credit card
payment (all cards accepted). Include name on card, complete address, type of card, card number, and expiration date. Make checks payable to
EM. Address advertising correspondence to EM Publications Classified Ad Manager, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086
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99202
CUSTOM PRINTED T-SHIRTS for your
flying club, flight shop, museum. Free
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THERE'S JUST NOTHING LIKE IT
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A Website with the Pilot in Mind
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Warner engines. Two 165s, one fresh
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For Sale ­ 1939 Spartan Executive,
3500TT, 10 SMOH. 214-354-6418,

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The following list ofcoming events is furn ished to our readers as
a matter of information only and does not constitute approval,
sponsorship, involvemen t, control or directio n of any event
(fIy-in, seminars, fIy market, etc.) listed. To submit an event,
send the information via mail to: Vintage Airplane, P.O. Box
3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Or e-mail the information
to: vintageaircra{[email protected]. Information should be received fOllr
months prior to the event date.

2006 REGIO~Al FLY-IN SCHEDULE

Sun 'n r... FIy-In

April 4-10, 2006
Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL)
www.sun-n-fun. org

Mid-£asIern FIy-In


EAA ~ RegIonal FIy-In

VirIinia RegIonal EAA FIy-In


May 12-14, 2006
Hondo Municipal Airport, Hondo, TX (HDO)
www.swrti.org

September30·October 1, 2006

Petersburg, VA (PTB)

www.vaeaa.org

Golden West EAA RegIonal FIy-In
June 9·11,2006
Yuba County Airport, Marysville, CA (MYV)
www.go/denwestflyin.org

EAA Southeast ResIonaI FIy-In
October 6·8, 2006
Evergreen, AL (GZH)
www.serfi.org

Rocky Mountain EAA RegIonal Fly.Jn
June 24-25, 2006
Front Range Airport, Watkins, CO (FTG)
www.rmrfi.org

Copperstate RegIonal EAA FIy-In
October 12-15, 2006
Phoenix, /'\l. (A39)
www.copperstate.org

EAA Northwest ResIonaI FIy-In
July 5-9, 2006
Arlington, WA (AWO)
www. nweaa.org

August 25-27,2006 (tentative)

Marion , OH (MNN)


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STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT, AND
CIRCULATION (Required by 39 U.S.c. 3685). I. Title of
Publication: Vintage Aircraft 2. Pub lication No.:0062-750 3. Filing
Date: 10/1 0/054 . Issue Frequency: Monthly. 5. No. of Issues
Published Annually: 12.6. Annual Subscription Price: $36.00 in U.S.
7. Known Office of Publication: 3000 Poberezny Road, Oshkosh, WI
54902-8900. Contact Person: H.G . Frautschy, Telephone: 920-426­
4825 8. Headquarters or General Business Office of the Publisher:
Same as above. 9. Pub lisher: Tom P. Poberezny, 3000 Poberezny
Road, Oshkosh, WI 54902-8900. Editor: Henry G. Frautschy, 3000
Poberezny Road , Oshkosh , WI 54902-8900. Managing Editor:
Kathleen Witman , 3000 Poberezny Road, Oshkosh, WI 54902-8900.
10. Owner: Experimental Aircraft Association, 3000 Poberezny Road,
Oshkosh , WI 54902-8900 . I I. Known bondholders, mortgagees ,
and other sec urity holders owning or holding I percent or more of
total amounts of bonds, mo rtgages or other securities: None. 12 .
Tax Status: Has Not Changed During Preceding 12 Months. 13.
Title: Vintage Airplane. 14. Issue date for circulation data below :
September 2005. 15. Extent and Nature of Circu lation (Average
No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Monthsl No. Copies
of Single Issue Published Nearest to Fi li ng Date) : a. Total No. of
Copies Printed (9,551 / 10, 125) b. Paid andlor Requested Circulation:
I . PaidlRequested Outside-County Mail Subscriptions Stated on
Form 3541 (7,92717,815). 2. Paid In-County Subscriptions (0 /0).
3. Sa les Through Dealers and Carriers, Street Vendors, Counter
Sales, and Other Non-USPS Paid Distribution (434 /388). 4. Other
C lasses Mailed Through the USPS (162/ 187). c. Total Paid andl or
Requested Circulation (8,523 /8,390). d. Free Distribution by Mail: I.
Outs ide-County as Stated on Form 3541 (0/0). 2. In-County as Stated
on Form 3541 (0 /0). 3. Other C lasses Mailed Through the USPS
(231 /50). e. Free Distribution Outside the Mail (5361l ,040). f. Total
Free Distribution (7671l ,090). g. Total Distribution (9 ,290/9,480). h.
Copies not Distributed (261/645). i. Total (9,55 III 0, 125). j. Percent
Paid andl or Requested Circu lation (92% /89%). 16. Pub lication
of Statement Ownership: Publication required. Will be printed in
the November 2005 issue of this publication. 17. I certify that all
information furnished on this fonn is true and complete. Editor: H.G.
Frautschy, 10/ 10/05.
VINTAGE AIRPLA N E

31

Membershi~ Services
VINTAGE

AIRCRAFT

ENJOY THE MANY BENEFITS OF EAA AND
ASSOCIATION
THE EAA VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION
OFFICERS
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Geoff Robi son
152 1 E. MacGrego r Dr.

New Ha ven , IN 46774
260-493-4724
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rcoli/[email protected]

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Dean Ri chardson

Gene Chase
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920-231-5002

E.E. "Buck" Hil bert
P.O. Box 424
Union, I L 60 180
81 5-923-459 1

GRCHA @Charler.llet

[email protected]:'l

2159 Carlton Rd.

Honald C. Fritz
15401 Sparta Ave.
Kent City, M I 49330
6 16-678-50 J 2
[email protected]

~

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

Phone (920) 426-4800

Fax (920) 426-4873


Web Site: www.vintageaircraft.org and www.airventllre.org
EAA and Division Membership Services
800-843-3612 . . .. .... FAX 920-426-6761
Monday-Friday CST)
(8:00 AM-7:00 PM
-New/renew memberships: EAA, Divi­
sio ns (Vintage Aircraft Association, lAC,
Warbirds), Nati onal AssociatiDn of Flight
Instructors (NAFI)
- Address changes

- Merchandise sales

- Gift memberships

Programs and Activities
EAA AirVenture Fax-On-Demand Directory
....... ...... ....... .... 732-885-67 11
Auto Fuel STCs . ..... . ..... 920-426-4843
Build/ restore info rm ati o n . . . 920-426-4821
Chapters: loca ting/o rgani zing920-426-4876
Ed ucation ...... . .. ... . . . . 888-322-3229
- EAA Air Academy

- EAA Scholarships


E-Mail : vintagea [email protected]


Flight Advisors informati on ..
Flight Instructor info rmatio n
Flying Start Program . ... .. .
Library Services/ Resea rch ....
Medical Questions . ... . ....
Techni cal Counselors . ......
Young Eagles ..... ...... . .

920-426-6864
920-426-6801
920-426-6847
920-426-4848
920-426-6112
920-426-6864
877-806-8902

Benefits
AU A Vintage Insurance Plan. 800-727-3823
EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan . 866-647-4322
Term Life and Accidental .... 800-241-6103
Death Insurance (Harvey Watt & Company)
Edito rial ... ... . ... . . .. . .. 920-426-4825
Vintage .. . .. .... .. .. . FAX 920-426-6865
- Submitting articl e/photo
- Advertising info rmation
EAA Aviation Foundation
Artifact Donations ... . .. . . 920-426-4877
Fin ancial Support ...... ... . 800-236-1 025

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION
EAA
Membership in the Experimental Aircraft
Association, Inc. is $40 for one year, includ­
ing 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION. Family
membership is an additional $10 annually.
Junior Membership (under 19 years of age)
is available at $23 annually. All maj or credit
cards accepted for membership. (Add $16 for
Foreign Postage.)

1429 Kings Lynn Rd

DIRECTORS

EMERITUS


Directory


EAA SPORT PILOT
Current EAA members may add EAA
SPORT PILOT magazine for an addHional
$20 per year.
EAA Membership and EAA SPORT
PILOT maga zin e is available for $40 per
year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not in­
cluded). (Add $16 for Foreign Postage.)

VINTAGE AIRCRAFf ASSOCIATION
Current EAA members may join the
Vintage Aircraft Association and receive
VINTAGE AIRPLANE magazine for an ad­
ditional $36 per year.
EAA Membership, VINTAGE AIRPLANE
magazine and one year membership in the EAA
Vintage Aircraft Association is available for $46
per year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not in­
cluded). (Add $7 for Foreign Postage.)

lAC

Current EAA members may ioin the
International Aerobatic Club, Inc. Divi­
sion and receive SPORT AEROBATICS
magazine for an add itional $45 per year.
EAA Membership, SPORT AEROBAT­
ICS magazine and one year membership
in the lAC Division is available for $55
per year (SPORT AVIATION magazine
not included). (Add $15 for Foreign
Postage.)

WARBIRDS
Current EAA members may join the EAA
Warbirds of America Division and receive
WARBIRDS magazine for an additional $40
per year.
EAA Membership, WARBIRDS maga­
zine and one year membership in the
Warbirds Division is available for $50 per
year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not in­
cluded) . (Add $7 for Foreign Postage.)

FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPS
Please submit your remittance with a
check or draft drawn on a Un ited States
bank payable in United States dollars. Add
required Foreign Postage amount for each
membership.

Membership dues to EAA and its divisions are not tax deductible as charitable contributions
Copyrighl ©2OO5 by the EM Vintage Aircraft Association
All rights reserved.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE (USPS 062-750; ISSN 0091-6943) 0; published and owned exclusively by Ihe EM Vintage Aircraft Association of the Experimental Aircraft Association and is published monthly at EM
Aviation Center, 3000 Poberezny Ad" PO Box 3086, Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54903 ~3086, e-mail: [email protected]. Periodicals Postage paid at Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54901 and at additional mailing offices. POST­
MASTER: Send address changes to Vintage Airplane, PO Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. PM 40032445 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to World Dislribution Services, Station A. PO Box 54, Windsor,
ON N9A 6J5, e-mail: [email protected]. FOREIGN AND APD ADDRESSES - Please allow at least two months for delivery of VINTAGE AIRPLANE to foreign and APO addresses via surtace mail. ADVERTIS­
ING - Vintage Aircraft Association 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 remuneration is made. Malerial should be senl lo: Edrtor, VINTAGE AIRPLANE, PD Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Phone 920-426-4800.
EM® and EM SPORT AVIATION®, the EM Logo® and Aeronautica ' " are registered trademarks, trademarks, and service marks of the EXperimental Aircraft Association, Inc. The use of these trademarks and
service marks without the permission of the Experimental Aircraft Association, Inc. is strictly prohibited.

32

NOVEMBER 2005

av
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