Vintage Airplane - Apr 1990

8/12/2019 Vintage Airplane - Apr 1990

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STRAIGHT AND LEVEL

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PUBLICATION STAFFPUBLISHERTom Poberezny

VICE-PRESIDENTMARKETING & COMMUNICATIONSDick Matt

EDITORMark Phelps

MANAGING EDITORGolda CoxART DIRECTORMike DrucksADVERTISINGMary Jones

ASSOCIATE EDITORSNorman Petersen Dick CavinFEATURE WRITERSGeorgeA Hardie, Jr. Denni s Parks

EDITORIAl ASSISTANTIsabelle Wiske

STAFF PHOTOGRAP HERSJim Koepnick Carl SchuppelJeff IsomEAA ANTIQUE /CLASSICDIVISION, INC.OFFICERS

President Vice PresidentEspie "But c h" Joyce Arthur R. Morgan604 Highway St. 3744 North 51st Blvd.Madison. NC 27025 Milwaukee. WI 53216919/427-0216 414 /44 2-3631

Secretary TreosurerGeorge SYork E.E. "Buck" Hilbert181Sloboda Ave. P.O. Box 424Mansfield. OH 44906 Union. IL 60180419/529 -4378 815/9234591DIRECTORS

Robert C. "Bob" Brauer John SCopeland9345 S. Hayne 9 Joanne DriveChicago . IL60620 Westborough. MA 01581

312m92105 508/366 7245Ph ilip Coulson William A Eickhoff28415 Springbrook Dr. 415 15th Ave . N.E.Lawton. MI 49065 St.Petersburg. FL 33704616/624-6490 813/823 -2339Chartes Harris Stan Gomoll3933 Sou th Peoria 1042 90th Lane. NEPO Box 904038 Minneapol is, MN 55434Tulsa. OK 74105 612178411729181742 7311 Robert D. "Bob" Lumley

Dale A Gustafson 1265 South 124th SI.7724 Shady Hill Drive Brookf ie ld. WI 53005Indianapolis. IN 46278 4141782 2633317/293-4430 Steven C. NesseGene Morris 2009 Highland Ave.115C Steve Court,R.R. 2 Albert Lea. MN 56007Roanoke. TX 76262 507/373-1674817/4919110 SH. OWes" SchmidDan iel Neuman 2359 Le feber Avenue1521 Berne Circle W. Wauwatosa. WI 53213Minneapolis. MN 55421414m l 1545612/571-0893

DIRECTOR EMERITUSSJ. Wittman7200 SE. 85th LaneOcala, FL 32672

904/2457768ADVISORS

John Berendt Gene Chase7645 Echo Point Rd . 2159 Carlton Rd.Cannon Falls.MN 55009 Oshkosh, WI 54904507 /26324 < 414/231 5002

George Daubner John A Fog e rty2448 Lough Lane 479 Highway 65Hartford. WI 530 27 Roberts. WI 54023414 /673 5885 715/4252455

Jeannie HillPO . Box 328HONard, L 60033

815/9437205

APRIL 1990 Vol. 18, No4Copyright 1990 by the EAA Antique/Classic Div ision, tnc. A ll rights reseNed.

Contents2 Straight and Level/by Espie Butch Joyce4 lC Newslby Mark Phelps4 Letters to the Editor5 Calendar Page 66 InterestingMember: Ray BrooksJeannie Hill8 Vintage Literaturelby Dennis Parks

12 Members' Projectslby Norm Petersen14 Pass It To Bucklby E.E. Buck Hilbert16 Vintage Seaplaneslby Norm Petersen Page 1717 1950 Bonanzalby Mark Phelps20 Chapter Onelby Bob Brauer23 Project Porterfield lby Norm Petersen28 Old Blue lby Mike McCann34 Vintage Trader38 Mystery Planelby George Hardie, Jf.

FRONT COVER Mike McCann's Stinson negotiating the Alaskanterra in.(Photo cou rtesy of Mike McCann)

REAR COVER A Sun 'n Fun scene. Barefoot pilot, Hal Wighton'sLincoln Page PT-W 'neath the photographers' tree at Lakeland , 1988.(Photo by Mark Phelps)

TIle words EAA . ULTRALIGHT, FLY WITH THE FIRST TEAM , SPORT AVIATION .and !he k>gos 1 EXPE RIMENTAL AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION INC ., EAA INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION , EAA AlNTIQUEICLASSIC DIVISION INC . INTERNATIONAL AEROOAT IC CLUB INC .. WARB IRDS OF AMERICA INC . lre registeredtrademar1


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Compiled by Mark Phelps

EAA dues increaseThe EAA Board of Directors hasvoted to increase EAA membershipdues to $35 effective July I, 1990. Thecurrent dues structure has been in effect since October 1985 . Additionalmembership increases are as follows:Family members $10S. schools and libraries $20Foreign schools and libraries $23Junior membership $20Full family memberships $45Again, the increases are effective July1, 1990 .

EAA Scholarships OfferedScholarships and awards rangingfrom $200 to fuJ degree programs areoffered through the EAA AviationFoundation. To encourage, recognizeand support excellence in students pursuing the knowledge of thetechnologies and skills of aviation arethe stated goals for these Scholarshipawards. Scholarship applecations maybe made on the application providedby EAA Education Director, ChuckLarsen, EAA Aviation Center, Oshkosh Wisconsin 54903-3086 Tel. 414426-4800. Applications must be re-ceived by May 1 to be considered.A wards will be announced at EAAOshkosh '90.

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Wabash flierDear Norm,Please find the enclosed photographof what I believe to be a Curtiss JN4DJenny. The photograph is believed tohave been taken around 1915, ormaybe later (probably later - Ed.).The gentleman standing in the middleis Frank W. Kern . Mr. Kern was bornin 1898. He was an entrepreneur wholearned to fly at an early age. Mr. Kernwas known to have done some flyingin the Wabash, Indiana area during thistime period. This photo is believed tohave been taken around Wabash orFort Wayne . Notice the advertisement4 APRIL 1990

on the side of the airplane . The othertwo men in the photo are unidentified.At the time of this photo Mr. Kernlived in the small town of Athens, Indiana. My interest in Mr. Kern is thathe is the grandfather of a colleague ofmine. We are interested in knowingmore about Mr. Kern's flying activities. We would enjoy hearing fromanyone with any information on thisearly aviator.

Sincerely,Ray L Johnson (EAA 159826, AlC 5728)347 South, 500 EastMarion, Indiana 46952

P.S. Norm, I just completed your article about John Lafferty (February1990). Keep up the good work.

Expensive autographsDear Mark,I was happy to read that Paul Poberezny might be willing to push for arepairman's certificate on older production light aircraft (Interview, January 1990). I do not feel the requirements should be the same for an American Airlines engine mechanic and aguy who owns and flys his own classicBeechcraft. I have two formerbrothers-in-law who are A&Pmechanics for Piedmont Airlines.They may have the skills necessary torebuild a 727 engine but I wouldn twant either of them working on mylawn mower, much less my airplane. Iam also tired of paying someone whoknows less about my airplane than I doto sign off my work. I own a 1952Bonanza because I can't afford a newerone. The cost of maintenance wouldbe greatly reduced if it did not includethe price of the A&P autograph. I alsodon't like anyone else working on myairplane. f we are going to make thepilot in command responsible for theairworthiness of his airplane, shouldwe not also give him the authority tobe the one person who really knowsthe quality of maintenance? Wouldn'tour entire fleet be better maintained ifthe mechanic were required to fly theairplane?Sincerely,Paul Whitesell (EAA 288943, AlC 12757)Plano, Texas


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8-14 - Lakeland, Florida. 16th'n Fun '90 EAA Fly-in.

'n Fun EAA Fly-in Inc., PO Box813/

- Levelland, Texas. Airportsponsored by EAA Chapter9 at Levelland Municipal Airport.2826 62nd Street,, Texas . Tel 8061793-7889.

- Shreveport, Louisiana.oliday in Dixie fly-in sponsored by

Shreveport,. Tel. 318/653

4-6 - Burlington , NorthSponby Antique/Classic Chapter 3., c/o Antique Air

103 Powhatan Parkway ,ampton, Virginia 23661. Tel. 804/

5-6 - Winchester, Virginia.EAA Spring FlyContact George/256-7873 .

6 - Rockford, Illinois. EAA22 Annual Fly-in Breakfast.Courtesy Aircraft ,7:00 am toATIS 126.7. Contact Wallace, 8 15 /332-4708.12-13 - Reading , Pennsylvania.

Aerofest at Reading RegionalR Doelp, R.D .9416, Reading, Pennsylvania19605-9606. Tel 215/372-4666.

19-20 - Hampton, New HampFlea. Anything aviation reokay. No fees Camping on air. Contact Mike Hart, Hampton, Route US I , North Hampton ,. Tel. 603/964-6749.

ay 20 - Benton Harbor, Michigan.ourth Annual EAA Chapter 585Dawn Patrol Breakfast/Lunch. Incar show. Rossield, Benton Harbor, Michigan. Con

AI Todd, PO Box 61, Stevensville ,ichigan 49127 . Tel. 616/429-2929.

May 25-27 - Atchinson Kansas .Kansas City Area Chapter, AAA Flyin at Amelia Earhart Memorial Airport. Contact Lynn Wendl, 7509 Conser , Overland Park, Kansas 66204.Tel. 913/642-5906.May 26-27 - Vidalia , Louisiana. Ferriday Fly-in sponsored by EAA Chapter 912 . Concordia Parish Airport.Contact Jerry Stallings , Rte . I , Box19D , Ferriday , Louisiana 71334-9709 .3181757-2103.June 1-2 - Bartlesville , Oklahoma.Biplane Expo '90, the National Biplane Association' s -Fourth AnnualConvention and Exposition. FrankPhillips Field , Bartlesville, Oklahoma .Free to members of NBA. For membership information , contact CharlesHarris , NBA , Hangar 5, 4-J Aviation ,Jones-Riverside Airport, Tulsa, Oklahoma. Tel. 918/299-2532.June 1-3 - Merced , California. 33rdMerced West Coast Antique Fly-in .Merced Municipal Airport. ContactMerced Pilots Association, PO Box2312 , Merced, California 95344 or callDick Escola at 209/358-6707 .June 8-10 - Middletown , Ohio. FifthNational Aeronca Convention.Aeronca factory. Includes factory tourand visit to USAF Museum. ContactJim Thompson , President, NationalAeronca Association, PO Box 2219,Terre Haute, Indiana 47802. Tel. 812/232-1491.June 9 - Newport News, Virginia.18th Annual Colonial Fly-in. Sponsored by EAA Chapter 156 at the Patrick Henry Airport. Contact ChetSprague, 8 Sinclair Road, Hampton,Virginia 23669. Tel 8041723-3904 .June 22-24 - Pauls Valley, Oklahoma. Greater Oklahoma City AAAChapter Fly-in. Contact Dick Darnell,100 Park Avenue Building, Suite 604,Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73102.Tel. 405/236-5635.June 23-24 - Orange , Massachusett s.14th Annual New England EAA Fly-

in . Orange Airport. Contact JamesO'Connell at 413/498-2266.June 28 - July 1 - Mount Vernon,Ohio. 31st Annual Waco Reunion.Wynkoop Airport. Contact NationalWaco Club, 700 Hill Avenue , Hamilton , Ohio 45015. Tel 513/868-0084 .July 7-8 - Emmetsburg, Iowa. Second Annual Aeronca Champ Fly-inand fly-in breakfast. Emmetsburg Airport. Contact Keith Harnden, Box 285,Emmetsburg , Iowa 50536. Tel 712/852-3810.July 13-15 - Simsbury Connecticut.2nd Annual Northeast Stearman Fly-inat Simsbury Airport . Contact Jim Kippen, II Crestwood Street, Simsbury ,Connecticut 06070. Tel. 203/6510328.July 20-21 - Collingwood , Ontario.Second Annual Gathering of ClassicAircraft sponsored by CollingwoodClassic Aircraft Foundation. Collingwood Airport (NY3). ContactDoug Murray , 5 Plater Street, R.RNo. 3 , Collingwood, Ontario, CanadaL9Y 3Z2. Tel. 705/445-5433.July 27-August 2 - Oshkosh , Wisconsin. 38th Annual EAA Fly-in Convention, EAA Oshkosh '90. "Wittman Regional Airport , OshkoshWisconsin. Contact EAA, EAA Aviation Center, Oshkosh, Wisconsin54903-3086. Tel. 414/426-4800.August 19 - Brookfield, Wisconsin .5th Annual Ice Cream Social sponsored by EAA Antique/Classic ChapterII at Capitol Drive Airport . ContactGeorge Meade, 5514 N. Navajo Avenue, Glendale , Wisconsin 53217.Tel. 414/962-2428.August 24-26 - Sussex, New Jersey.18th Annual Sussex Air Show. SussexAirport. Call 201 /875-7337 or 7029719.September 8 - Chico, California.Chico Antique Airshow . Chico Airport . Contact Chico Antique AirshowCommittee, 6 St. Helens Lane, Chico,California 95926. Tel 916/342-3730.September 15-16 - Rock Falls, Illinois. Fourth Annual North CentralEAA "Old Fashioned" Fly-in. Pancakebreakfast Sunday . Contact Dave Christansen at 815/625-6556.

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INTERESTING MEMBERS

The biggest sm ile nd the brightest twinkle in his eye . se ted second from right.6 APRIL 1990

Ray rooks in Skeeter Carlson s Curtiss Canuek.

R Y BROOKSbyJeannie Hill dvisor

n trying to pick up poillfers on howto know and fly old, slow airplanes. Ialways try to seek out the guys andgals who flew themfirst.J7ew them bestand lived the longest to tell about it.Even in a crowd it s usually easy tosingle out these folks. They re the vin-tage fliers with the biggest smiles onth eir faces and that mandatory twinklein their eyes that lets you know rightoff that they ve probably got a story ortwo to tell. I can t remember where Ifirst ran into Ray Brooks. but there hewas with that smile and that twinkle.There was nothing left to do but intro-duce myself. ask a leading questionand sit back and he delighted.


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Y o u d have to search far and wideto find a more interesting member thanRay Brooks. First of all , it would behard to find another member with moreseniority in the system . Ray has beenworking in aviation since 1917 . He is96 years young and as each year passes ,Ray seems to be able to glean the verybest from it and then tries to pass it allalong to us. He wants to share what heis and what he has with everyone .That's just the kind of guy he is . At atime in his life when he should be resting on his laurels , Ray Brooks is stillgoing to air shows, being interviewed,posing for photos and serving as awalking, talking encyclopedia of aviation for anyone whohas the good senseto realize that whenthey've found RayBrooks they've stum-bled upon a motherlode of knowledgeand experience inthe aviation world.There is so muchhistory on Ray Brooksthat in this short article I couldn't begin to recount enoughof it to do justice tohim. So I won'teven try right now.Besides, that leavesan opening to do aneven more extensive article aboutone of my favoritesubjects at a laterdate. Suffice to saythat among his manyaccomplishments Rayhas had a very distinguished militarycareer. His initialtraining took place in Canada in CurtissJN4Ds from September through November of 1917. In France, duringWorld War I, he learned to fly a Nieuport. He was later assigned and flewthe Spad VII and the Spad XIII. Now,I couldn't tell you the difference between a Spad VII and a Spad XIII tosave my life. But, if you have a minute, Ray sure can and in as much detailas you care to get into. (I'll give youa hint. t has something to do with anextra 40 hp on the Hispano Suiza engine and with a second Vickers guninstallation on the Spad XIII. So there,now you know as much as I do .)

Ray flew with the Lafayette Escadrille and became an ace with six mentions in orders for confirmed air victories. His restored Spad , No. 20,Smith IV, with the Shooting Star insignia of the 22nd Pursuit Squadron, isnow on display with the SmithsonianInstitution Air and Space Museum inWashington, DC. Due to a stroke ofluck it was shipped there when orderscame through to send two combat airplanes to the States for a war bondtour. t seems Ray was the officer ofthe day when headquarters called , sohe selected his and a friend's airplanefor the tour. At some point during the

Antique/Classic Division Advisor Jeannie Hill with Ray Brooks.tour the other plane was destroyed, butRay's remained in original conditionuntil its recent, total restoration at theSmithsonian .After his wartime service, Ray returned to the States and graduated fromField Officers School at Langley Field,Virginia where he became an instructor. After five and a half years of military service, Ray received his honorable discharge on December 14, 1922.

His civilian career carried equal importance. As an engineer with BellTelephone Laboratories he authored 18secret, technical manuals for the military services . He helped pioneer air

mail routes, organize the early airlinesand establish location and contracts forthe visual rotating beacons that delineatedthe routes for the night flying airmailpilots. Ray has logged over 3,100 solohours and the low number of his transport pilot license No . 1738 is anothertestimony to his early entry into aviation. A list of Ray's credits and membership associations would take up half apage . Some of his more noteworthy affiliations are Associate Fellow of American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics , World War I Overseas Flyers,American Fighter Aces Association,OX-5 , QBs and , of course, our ownAntique/Classic Division. In 1980 Raywas inducted intothe New Jersey Avi-ation Hall of Fame.

Ray attends bothSun 'n Fun and theEAA Oshkosh Convention wheneverpossible. This pastConvention we werehonored to have himwith us at the RedBam for several days.While he was there,he gave freely of histime allowing us tovisit with him andintroduce him tomultitudes of interested people . Raygave us a wonderfulinterview for our Avi-at ion Pioneer VideoLibrary. He allowedus to lift him intothe Canuck for hisfirst-hand accountof what it was liketo learn to fly ina Jenny . The stillshots of Ray in that Canuck are priceless. I've shared a few of them herewith you. As you can see, Ray Brooks

is far from being a has-been. The Rayof yesterday was a great fellow, butthe Ray of today is fantastic . So justremember, the next time you saunteron down to the Red Barn and see adapper, old gentleman leaning overhis cane, peering through his wirerimmed glasses and looking likemaybe he has a story to tell, go upand introduce yourself and shake hishand . And remember that hand heldthe stick that fought the battles ofWorld War I

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V I ~ T A ~ L I T ~ I A T U I ~by )ennls llal ksLlbrao Mdllves

()Iroc(()r

STOUT 2 AT

FORD MODEL 14

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THE STOUT 2-A TA REMEMBRANCEThe January 1990 issue of SPORTAV ATlON had an article about theFord Tri-Motors and the Stout aircraftthat proceeded them . The articlebrought about some interesting responses. One of the most interestingwas a letter from Roland L Hall (EAA# 146593) of Northfield, Illinois . Mr.Hall told in his letter of his firstairplane flight which took place aboarda Stout 2-AT in April, 1927 at GrandRapids, Michigan.Dear Mr. Parks:I can't tell you how much I enjoyedyour excellent article, THE PLANESTHAT MR. FORD AND MR. STOUTBUILT, since my first flight was in aStout 2-AT in April, 1927.My boyhood was spent in GrandRapids, Michigan our being withinearshot and a short bike ride from thefield that became the airport and wepractically lived there . We couldquickly recognize the sounds of anOX-5, C-6, or Hisso, so when weheard the throaty roar of the Liberty ina DH-4 or the D-12 in a P-I from Selfridge Field across the state, wouldpedal madly to the field, hoping to seeone of these beautiful machines beforeit departed.

In 1926, I recall Father telling usthat an airline would soon begin flyingbetween Dearborn, near Detroit, andGrand Rapids . Naturally, on the dayof the inaugural flight I, along withabout every kid in the town (and a lotof grown-ups too), was there. Soon the2-AT appeared in the east and landedon the sod field. Maneuvering on the

ground was not a simple operationsince the plane had a tailskid and nowheel brakes. Two "mechanics" inwhite coveralls would run out on thefield to meet it at the end of its rollout.Each carried a large wooden block witha length of rope attached which, uponsignal from the pilot or copilot , theywould place in front of the designatedwheel . A blast of the big Liberty wouldcause the plane to turn in the desireddirection and it ultimately lumbered upto the area where a group of local dignitaries and photographers were waiting . With the engine shut down, sevenpassengers made their way out of arather small oval shaped door on theright side of the fuselage. Most of themstill had bits of cotton sticking out oftheir ears. As I learned much laterwhen I flew in it , the cabin lackedsound insulation and the noise from theLiberty was deafening.We boys were bugeyed. Never hadwe seen such a huge plane. Actually,I believe the span was something lessthan 70 feet. Its skin was a corrugatedmaterial which we naturally assumed ,in view of the name " FORD" prominently displayed in several places, wastin. We also assumed that the wordStout referred to the rugged construction of the aircraft Other markings were a large numeral " I on the

rudder and the name, " Miss GrandRapids" on each side of the enginecowl. The nose of the plane was surmounted by a monumental radiatorcomplete with cap as was the style withautomobiles of the day . The massivepropeller appeared to be at least 10 feetlong. Since it had no mechanical starterof any sort, it had to be propped likemy Champ. Well, not exactly. Afterthe blades had been pulled through several times, three " mechanics , uponsignal from the copilot (the pilot beingon the left, couldn't see them) wouldlink hands and run past the prop , thelast man grabbing it as he went by .Note the position of the blade in theillustration No .2 in your article. t is60 degrees beyond that which we useon our smaller engines.Initially only one aircraft was used.It departed from Dearborn the firstthing in the morning, arriving at GrandRapids an hour or an hour and a halflater, depending on the prevailing westerly headwind. It would depart late inthe afternoon for its return flight. Thefare one way was $16 so even with a100 percent load factor , which it seldom was, it gave the airline a gross

revenue of only $224 per day , totallyinadequate even in those days whenyou could buy a Ford car for just under$500.It was this layover of the 2-AT forseveral hours that got me my firstflight. The Stout people reasoned thatby charging $5.00 for a 20-minutesightseeing flight over Grand Rapidsthey could produce an hourly revenue

equal or greater than flying their regular route . On a Saturday in April ,1927, Father chartered the whole planefor seven family members includingtwo of my grandparents and myself.To me, and perhaps to my fellow passengers, the flight was memorable inmore ways than one . Just before landing, I, for the only time in 63 years offlying , became violently airsick andthey hadn't invented barfuagsA short time later, a second 2-ATwas added to the run . This one bore noname as did its hangarmate , only thenumeral 2 on its rudder . Where theearlier schedule catered to the Detroitbased businessman who would fly toGrand Rapids in the morning and return home in the afternoon, his muchmore numerous counterpart was thesalesman representing one of the manysmall companies who were suppliersto Detroit's automobile plants. t waspointless for him to arrive in Detroit inthe later afternoon , spend two nightsin a hotel, and return home two dayslater. The second plane allowed him tomake the trip within the same day. Italso added to the enjoyment of thethree Hall boys. When the arriving afternoon plane had discharged its passengers at the small terminal building ,it was restarted and taxied a fewhundred feet to the hangar where itspent the night. We were frequentlyallowed to climb on board and rideover to the hangar. t did not enter ourheads that it was Father' s frequent useof the airline that got us this specialtreatment.The pilots who were always addressed by their former military ranks oras "mister" included such names as J.Parker VanZant, who played a key partin setting up the first coast to coast 'airmail routes; Tom Halpin who laterset up his own company to make an allmetal plane of his own design , theFlamingo; Capt. C C. Swenson; andPeter Berger, to name a few.Unfortunately, the airline was not acommercial success and the GrandRapids route was discontinued afterabout a year. My recollection is that

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\

AERO DIGEST . N.Y.Three-view ou tline drawing of the 2530-horsepower Ford odel 14-A transport a irplane.

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they had onl y one fo rced landing, thiswithout damage to the pl ane, nor in-jur ies, and th at they fai led to completetheir schedul ed fl ig ht on less th an halfa dozen occas ions. Although I we nt onto ge t my lice nse fly ing out of th at fie ldin later years, thin gs we re never qui tethe sa me after the 2 A Ts left.In the years that fo llowed, I can recal l two visits to th e pl ane in Dearborn .On one of these I saw Richard Byrd'sFl oyd Benn ett be ing mod ifie d by thereplacement of its nosemounted 3 5Whirlwind with a 525-hp Cyclone.Eve n with thi s add ed power, BerntBalchen was barely abl e to coax herhigh enough to reach the South Po le.In a later visit , I saw the Model 14.Th e people at the plan t wo ul dn' t eventalk about it. LeRoy Manning, Ford'schi f test pilot, had just been ki lled ina cras h of a Fo rd pl ane. Rum or waswas th at Mr. Fo rd had iss ued orders toshut dow n the operation. I'd li ke tokn ow mo re about the 14.I have a coupl e of observations re-gardin g yo ur fine arti cle. Stout neverused 4-ATs in sc hedu led service on theGrand Rapid s ro ute. Ea rly models withtheir 34 engines ap peared on th e fieldfrom time to time. On e of thembro ught Charles Lindbergh's mother inthe summ er of 1927 to see her so n dur

ing hi s tour of the US fo llowing hi sParis fli ght. Itwas fro m thi s field th atshe had her onl y fli ght in the Spi rit ofSt. Loui s. Th e o ther concern s the lac kof registration numbers on th e 4-AT inph oto No .5. I seem to recall th at theywe re not required until 1927. I neversaw any on the 2 A Ts.First of all , let me apologize fo rbeing so long-w ind ed, and since I havebeen, for not retyping thi s. Your articlebrought bac k so many fond memoriesthat I got carri ed away . Toss it or useit as you see fit . Thank s aga in for agreat arti cle .

FORDModel 14In hi s letter , Mr. Hall asked fo rsome in form ation about the Model 14.The Fo rd Model 14 was the las t ofthe Ford Tri M otors. As a repl acementfor the prev ious Tri-Motors, thi s pl anewas designed to carry 40 pa ssenge rs inPullman car comfort.Itwas hu ge with a full y canti leveredwing of 0 fee t and an all metal fuse-lage with a length of 4 1 fee t. The wingwas very deep with a max imum depthof four feet three inches . Though theplane was skinned in alclad, the centralfu se lage se ction and the wing centersection was done in steel.The three engines used were French

built Hi spano-Suizas. The center engine, rated at 1, 100 hp at 2,000 rp m,was a direct-drive, threebank , 18 cylinder type 18Sb, dri ving a threebl aded adjustable pitch p ropeller.The outboard eng ines, buried in thewin gs, were 12 cylinder type 12 Nbrrated at 715 horsepower. At the end ofan extension shaft , each of th ese engines had a 12-foo t, IQ-inch fo urbl aded wooden propeller.Itwa s expected to appear at the Na-tional Airpl ane Sh ow in Detroit , butchecking with AE RO DIGEST andAVI ATION magaz ines indicate that itwas not exhibited. Bill Stout in hi sbook, SO AWAY I WENT, reportedon its fat e:Before the giant pl ane built by thebac k-door crowd at Ford was fini shed,the government CAA sa id that even ifit did fly, the fortypassenge r shipwould be licensed fo r a max imum ofonl y ten passenge rs. Wh en it went outfor trial, no prov ision had been madefor steerin g it to the ground . Work didgo on, however, with the bi g planeuntil its final fiasco. It was exhibitedin one show as a marve lous structure,which it was , and then cut up withtorches for the sc rap heap."It didn ' t fly, but they learned a lotfro m it. .

EAA AVIATION FOUNDATIONBOEING AERONAUTICAL LIBRARY

The EM AviationFoundation 'sBoeingAeronautical library is aresearchcollectiondevoted toacquiring,preservingand sharingtheheritageofaviation in generaland personalflight in particular.HOURS

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PUBLICATIONSl ibraryHandbookand Use rGuide- Free SPORT AVIATION AircraftArticleIndex(1953-1988) - $12.00Journall ist - $2.00RadtkePhotoCollection atalog- $3.00 TH VINTAGE AIRPLANE AirplaneArticleIndex (1973-1988) - $5.00IndextoScale AircraftDrawings- $15.00

WRITE:EM AviationFoundationBoeingAeronautical libraryEM AviationCenterOshkosh,Wisconsin54903-3065VINTAGEAIRPLANE11


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MEMBERS' PROJECtSy Norm Petersen

This blue and silver American Eagle 101 ,NC7157, SN 273 has been owned by SwannAllen EM 75432, N 14930) of Milford,Michigan since 1936 The restoration wasstarted in 1968 and finished in October1989. Swann reports a wheel was broken

on taxi tests, so new wheels are in the offing. Although he is 75 years of age, Swannstill has the enthusiasm of a youngster andloves his American Eagle with its OX-5 engine. Note the very tidy workmanship onthe rebuild.

David & Paula Henderson EM 276589, N 11264 of Felton, Delaware have eight Piper Cubs under restoration at the same time Theirfirm, called Henderson Aviation, specializes in Cub rebuilds. On hand: an l-4B military Cub; a PA-11 85hp Cub; a Clip Wing Cub andfive standard J-3 Cubs One has the feeling their days are full from early morning to late at night.12 APRIL 1990


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Retuming to the airshow circuit this summer will be ex-president of the AntiquelClassic Division, R.J. (Dobbie) Lickteig ofPort Lucie, Florida and Albert Lea, Minnesota in this nicely rebuilt 135 hp PiperSuper Cruiser, N4219M, S N 12-3115. Expertlyrebuilt by Gordy Westphal EM 9833, lC7270) of Rochester, Minnesota, the Cruiserfeatures many extras such as interior sightfuel gauges, Cleveland wheels andbrakes, sky light, shoulder hamesses andavionics. The white and red paint schemecarries inside the aircraft as well as outside. We look forward to seeing Dobbiethis summer as he taxis up with a big grinon his face

This photo of a very pretty Taylorcraft BC-12D, N43002, SN 6661, was taken at an open house at Eglin AFB in Florida. It had beencompletely restored from 1984 to '85 by Captain Rob Ray EM 344216, lC 14398) and his father, who had previously owned the verysame airplane from 1970 to '72 Rob reports he had his very first airplane ride in this T-craft' Built on December 16, 1945, it was one ofthe first T crafts off the line following WW II.Although Rob is an Air Force F-16 pilot in Japan, he hopes to be able to attend EM Oshkosh '90 .

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P SS IO J ]n information exchange column with input from readers

ded it in the Bakolite thereby makingconstant contact and making it HOTanytime it was out of any detent.

Let's skip to 1975 when I had Mr.Fleet. That ' s the one I sold to RichardBach to raise the money to build the Swallow. I was up at Oshkosh and the blasted thing wouldn't start . I had CurtTaylor in the cockpit and it justwouldn't start Sure it was cockpit

by Buck Hilbert(EM 2 , 5Po Box 424Un ion IL 60180

Prop'er BehaviorP RT IIW ell, since Part One I've had moreexperiences . I was over in Michigan ata fly-in and a gal name of Dorothy usedto have a real neat Meyers OTW witha Kinner on it. No electric starter ofcourse, and I got to prop it. "Switchoff " I yelled and she gave an affirmative reply. I grabbed that prop andmoved it about one blade. The impulsesnapped and it was running My precaution of always treating a Kinner like14 APRIL 1990

it's gonna start paid off MeanwhileDorothy is screaming in a voice loudenough to hear in Heaven, "It ' s offIt's off " and when [ walked aroundthe wing and up to the cockpit it wasindeed ;'OFF. But it was one of thoseold A-7 switches from 1946 that therewas an AD note on. They were all supposed to be replaced because they hadan internal problem that wiped someof the brass off the contacts and imbed-

trouble, I ousted Curt and jumped inmyself after I recruited Bill Haseltonto prop it. Now Bill overhauled the engine and has as much smarts as anyonewho has been around Kinners as longas he has. We went through the routineand after about three tries he hollers,"It must be loaded Switch OFF'" [ doas he says and he backs it up a couplerevs and calls, Contact. [ replyContact, he grabs the blade and it

prompt ly fires backwards and busts hishand. It didn't start and [ hear all thiscussin and see him jumpin around so[ shut down everything and jumped outto see what happened . After a trip tothe infirmary and getting him patchedup , we opened the cowl. The impulsewas just hanging on one mag, andsomehow the assembly had slipped andwas firing way off proper time. Lesson? If it don't wanna start , it's tryingto tell you something Investigate'

Then we got the Swallow flying. Inan effort to be as authentic as possible,I didn ' t have an electrical system . [propped it each time [ got ready to go,and [ always did it myself because [don't trust anybody . [ tied the tail in


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most instances and le ft the fuel off andI always briefed the person in the seat,whe th er passenger or pilot , on what todo " IF . Well, everything was go in galong real nicely until one day I wasflying from Wichita to Kansas Citywhere I was to meet some of th e KCAntiquers. I was running parallel to afast advancing cold front and makingterrific ground speeds when I rea li zedthe rain and thunderstorms had cut meoff from my destination which was actually Gardiner , Kansas. I elected toland at Paoli , Kansas about 10 minutesahead of all this weather phenomenon.The place was deserted - not a soularound and the office was locked up .I found one T-hangar (no doors) openso I decided to taxi over there and stuffSwallow in it. I was alone, but I'd beenthrough thi s many times. All went welland she started up beautifully . Ijumped in and taxied to the hanga r AsI swung the ta il around towards thehangar , th e left brake pedal le t go Itbroke right off at the master cylinderand go uged hec k out of my ankle boneto boot. I had given one good blast ofthe engine to get the tail around andgot momentum that carried me rightinto a barbed wire fence. The bi g HamStandard wrapped itself in barbed wireand pulled fence staples like crazy Icut the switch. My ankle was hurtin',I was hurtin' and the storm was coming, FAST

I jumped out, started to unravelbarbed wire from the prop , tried to getSwallow up the incline into the hangar ,and co uldn ' t seem to accomplish eitherone as the hail balls started beating meabout the shoulders and bouncin ' offthe fabric. It rained and hailed andblew like the dickens , but the barbedwire he ld and the Swallow rode it outpretty well. As it lessened up some, Idashed out into the highway that frontson the airport and tried to fl ag down apassing car to get help . I can just imagine the feeling the drivers had as theysee this soaking wet character with he l-met and goggles, dressed in a 1920 'sflying suit, trying to stop their car.Especially, as I learn later, since thereis an in sane asylum just down the roada ways and there are signs postedagainst picking up hitch-hikers .Thoroughly wet and defeated, I wentback to Swallow.

The storm had all but quit. Therewas a fine misty rain falling now , andI was wet anyway, so I got to workwith side cutters and a 2x4 and whatever else I could find layin' around. I

untangled the barbed wire and leveredthe Swallow out of th e fence , onewheel at a time , with th e 2x4. J finallygo t it up the incline and straightenedaround so I could prop it and continueon toward Gardine r My ankle hurt ,and I hurt - 'cause I hurt th e airplane.I was mad and disgusted. J startedpropping. NO GO Shutting it downwith the switch and not the mixturelike usual , had loaded it up . I musthave unwound it and rewound it 10times, and it still wouldn't start. I

THE FBOHAD EXPRESSLYFORBIDDENHIM TO PROPHIS AIRPLANE.

walked back to the cockpit and nudgedthe throttle a little . Next pull, it startedand went to about I , 100 rpm , almostran me down as I dropped to theground and let the wing pass over me .Then the chase began. t was movingat a very fast walk and I realized Icou ldn ' t get up on the wing and intothe cockpit to close the throttle beforewe came to the end of the row of hangars. I grabbed the wing strut and sortof veered it around the corner of thehangars and headed it out towards theopen field. t was gaining on me Ifinally got up on the wing walk, threwmyself into the cockpit and closed thethrottle . I sa t there trying to gather mymarbles and "believe you me ," as NickRezich used to say, I' d have given upold biplanes had there been anotherway to get home. To shorten the storysomewhat, I did strap in, take off andfly on to Gardiner where, after landingin standing water a couple inches deep," Kelly" Viets and the boys helped meinstall a new master cylinder, tendedmy gored ankle bone, fed me andnursed me back into a better frame ofmind.

Now we're here at the Funny Farm.Swallow again. Nice brisk morningand I was about to leave for a flight

over to Niles, Michigan . My destination was Jack Knight 's home town ofBuchanan , Michiga n. This folklorehero of the airmail days was being recognized by the home town at last, andthey were about to dedicate a chapel inhis honor. Swallow would pay her respects to the man who proved the mailcould be carried by air. Tail tied , everything went great , carb heat on, mixrich, it started with ease . I let it sit andidle and warm up while I suited up,climbed into the cockpit, got all buckled up and ready to go. Yes, I did untiethe tail rope. I opened the throttle . tbarked once and quit DagNabit [unbuckled , and fully suited up, startedthe procedure again. It was loaded, soI nudged the throttle (again?). Well,the story is getting to be repititious; itchased me all around the Funny Farmwhen it did start. Lesson? Get an electrical system and a starter installedASAP . It was and is still installed, andthat took care of that. [ never proppedit again.

What brought all these incidents andthoughts to mind was a conversationwith Ben Owen up at EAA. A fellahad just called him and asked him whatto do 'cause the FBO had expresslyforbidden him to prop his airplane onthe airport. Even though he tied thetail and all that, the FBO was not aboutto allow hand propping on his airport.[ don ' t know what that fella is goingto do to alleviate the situation, but [ doknow I recited all the things I knew onhow to accomplish a safe and sane propjob. Ben suggested [ write them down.I said [ would, but that writin' it downstill doesn ' t get around the FARs andmost insurance policy clauses that sayhand propping can only be accomplished with a qualified personat the controls. Despite the fact thatthe tail is tied , that you can't find aqualified person to twirl the prop or sitin the cockpit, you just ain't legal according to the FARs and your insurance is no good What are you gonnado? I really haven ' t the answer, but [usually do get someone into the cockpitwhere [ can show them the switch, thethrottle, the mix and the fuel, and drillthem as to what to expect and what todo if what happens. That makes himor her qualified as you can get andshould sa tisfy the rule book, so goahead and prop your airplane. If perchance you are alone and if perchanceyou lose your cool, count to 10 slowlyand take every precaution possible toensure a safe, sane operation

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5


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VINTAGE SEAPLANESy orm Petersen

Pretty summertime picture sent in byThomas Melbye EM 132217, Ale 14121 of51 Paul, Minnesota, shown standing on thefloat of his Waco YKS-7, N19373, SIN 5 4 mounted on a set of 1929 Edo P-3300floats. Note the enlarged rudder and aux.seaplane fin used with floats. Tom reportshe enjoyed the big cabin Waco for severalyears before selling it to Tom Orlowski ofMinneapolis. The Waco was damaged ina subsequent accident and is presentlystored in a hangar awaiting a rebuild ,floats and airplane

one-of-a-kind seaplane is a Northrop Alpha 2, NR11Y, SIN 3, which was flown on TWA routes from 1930 to 1935. Sold by the airlinein 1935, it was converted to a model 4A and put on Edo XA-5400 floats by Frederick B. Lee of New York. He intended to fly around theorld, however, he only flew it up and down the east coast for two years. In 1937 it was converted back to wheels and wound up inof Foster Hannaford, Jr. in Illinois, who donated it to EM. In the 1970s the Northrop was traded to the NASM where it is nowon display after being totally restored by TWA employees. The engine is a 450 hp Wasp R-1340.6 APRIL 1990


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OR195 ...

by Mark Phelpsow does an RF 4 Phantom instructor-pilot relax? He rebuilds classic Bonanzas course.At least this one does. Ross Collins Boise Idaho has more than 2 500 hours in RF 4s andis currently based at the USAF Fighter Weapons School. In November 979 he bought his1950 Bonanza B351D2513 after the aircraft had suffered a particularly bad gear up landing. He

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7


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ferried it back home, disassembled itand trucked it to his garage. Not onlydid he overhaul his Bonanza , he acquired his A P licence at the sametime .

This overhaul was performed in thetruest sense of the word. Ross took everything down to its barest minimumof parts, cleaned, inspected and replaced the smallest of those pieces inan effort to make his aircraft bette r thannew. In addition to revamping all thestock components, Ross added severalBeryl D'Shannon modifications to increase the speed, range and load-carrying capacity of his B3S. He added aone-piece, sloped windshield, pilot swindow , extended tailcone, exhaustsilencers, aileron- and flap-gap sealsand D'Shannon s IS-gallon tip tanks.Other mods include late-model controlwheel and fuel selector, a digital clock,Cleveland wheels and brakes, extended nose-gear doors, electric propgovernor, Beech firewall-mounted battery and battery-solenoid kits , Beech

step assist kit, a SO-amp generator, airoil separator , a dry vacuum pump,bracket air filter and Ross rearrangedhis gyro instruments in the standard.or configuration.

Ross went the used-avionics routeto upgrade the YFR panel. He selecteda Collins package including dual navcoms, glides lope receiver , audiopanel, ADF and transponder with encoder. A King DME, Apollo loranwith database and Sigtronics intercommanaged to fit into the panel as well.

The budding mechanic/ownermeticulously rebuilt his own E22S-8Continental to factory-new specs. Hespent hours on the detailing of the engine compartment, gear wells andcenter section so that his airplanelooked as good inside as it did outside.Besides a clean airplane, the goal wasultimate reliability

Ross waited until he had 20 flighthours of tweaking and testing on theBonanza before turning it over to SteveGreene in Ashland , Oregon to apply

the paint scheme that the owner designed. In March 1988 he topped offthe project with a set of stainless steelexterior screws . The 40-year-oldBonanza performs like a yearling withan average cruise speed of 160 knots.Empty weight is a trim 1,849 poundswith a useful load of 1,00 I pounds . Itnibbles away at its 70-gallon fuel capacity at an average rate of 11 .5 gallons per hour.Most Bonanza afficianados have afondness in their hearts for the early,lightweight versions without the heavysprings attached to the elevators designed to lower pitch sensitivity. Rosshas taken an airplane that is only acouple of years younger than he is andmade it uniquely his own. He successfully incorporated his specific flyingneeds in an airplane he can truly enjoy- the more so since he did the workall himself, and earned his A P ratingto boot. The nine years of hard workshow up well.

18 APRIL 199


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Bob White of Zellwood, Florida with his Waco Taperwing at Sun n Fun 89. Charles Speed Holm

2 APRIL 1990


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flew this Waco

CHAPTER CAPSULES

CHAPTER ONEYour hosts at un 'n Fun

by Bob Brauer

Stor ies generally begin with ChapterOne and our Antique/Classic historykeeps with this practice. In May 1966,the Florida State A viation Antique andClassic Association based in Lakelandaffiliated with EAA to form the firstEAA Antique/Classic chapter.

Membership now numbers approximately 135 families . President, RayOlcott of Nokomis, Florida says thatalthough there are no specific qualifications for membership a, love of antiques, classics and sport aircraft help.We are very proud to be a part ofEAA .Its emergence as the vanguard of sportaviation has been increasingly evident.

Ray, who took office in December1989, has been around airplane peoplefor quite a while. He is chairman ofthe Antique/Classic Division's Oshkosh volunteer manpower, past director of the division, is now a director ofSun 'n Fun and has restored a Cessna180 which he flies regularly.

One of the chapter's most importantfunctions is directing the Antique/Classic Division's activities at the annual Sun 'n Fun fly-in in Lakeland . Itis the host chapter of this fly-in andoperates the Antique/Classic DivisionHeadquarters. In 1982, 33 of ChapterOne's volunteers obtained a buildingfor this purpose and donated it to Sun

Johnny Thomson nd his New Standard

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 2


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n Fun. It all started as a result of anthat originated with past-presiGene Crosby in 1981.

There are many chapter membersin restoration projects. Bob

of Zellwood, Florida is a pastof the chapter and has reappeared at the Sun 'n Fun

over the years. John Stilly ofhas restored some old bi

including an OX-S powereda Travel Air and a rare ButlerBarbara Fidler and herof Alva, Florida restored

EAA Oshkosh '88 Grand ChamAntique J-3 Cub. Barbara's

in the cover story cthe September 1988 issue of SPORT 0. EChapter meetings are held at various =;in Florida seven or eight times Oshkosh Grand Champion Cub by Barbara Fidler.The meetings are hosted bylocal EAA chapters or individual EAA ing of dining, EAA programs, socializ chapter membership changes overgroups. Chapter One meetings are real ing and, of course, much hangar talk. time, interests and activities seem toly mini-fly-ins of three days and two The chapter holds an annual September go through different phases. She saidnights. Participants tly or drive to the business meeting in Thomasville, that, although it is an Antique/Classicmeetings and frequently camp at the Georgia which is hosted by the Rose chapter with interests in vintageThe programs consist of semi City Antiquers. airplanes, we are mainly a 'people'nars on aviation-related topics . Bill Kilborn of Melbourne, Florida chapter and tend to stay away from

n addition to programs, the fly-in is the group's newsletter chairman. stereotypes. Interest in vintage aircraftmeetings include visits with FBOs and The publication features aviation news is a cementing factor." Sandy also feelspoints of interest such as the Kennedy and information , schedules of local that receiving publications such asSpace Center at Cape Canavaral and aviation events , interchange of mem VINT GE IRPL NE and SPORTthe Jacksonville Navy Yard. Among bership information and even cartoons. AVI TfON are an important benefit ofthe 80 to 100 planes that are flown to Besides the membership, the newslet membership.the meetings are many fine examples ter goes to previous members, recent Chapter officers practice what theyantiques and classics which are guests and selected aviation associa preach. Sandy completed a restorationusing similar standards to those tions . project on a Cessna J20 last October.used at EAA Oshkosh. Fly-in Outgoing President, Sandy McKen The project took almost seven years inweekends are highlighted by an even- zie of 0 Brien, Florida says that as the an on-and-off schedule that included a

complete rebuild of both the airframeCubsters Barbara Fidler front) and friend, Marcia Sullivan. and engine .Sandy believes that it would be great

if the Antique/Classic Division as wellas the chapter could function as an official activity at Sun 'n Fun and shewould like to see a combined regionalAntique/Classic Chapter tly-in to helpcement our interests. There is no doubtabout the priorities of Chapter One people and airplanes in that order.

Sun 'n Fun is upon us! For information, call Bonnie Ware at 813/6442431 and plan on sampling ChapterOne's hospitality at the Sun 'n Fun Antique/Classic Headquarters . Enjoy theshade of the porch and meet some fineantiquers.

Anyone interested in information forthis year's remaining tly-in meetingsis invited to contact Ray Olcott at 813/488-8791

APRIL 1990


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PROJECT PORTERFIELD1940 BeautyRebuilt in theWild Northwest

by orm Petersen

Perhaps the dream of finding a derelict antique airplane in an old b m and restoringit to new condition is prevalent in all of us For some the dream never comes true tryas they might to make it so However for others the dream becomes a reality through

VINT GE IRPL NE 3


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steady, persistent hard work and sometimes - a little dumb luck . One hasto realize that in the wonderful worldof airplanes, it is all part of the game

Our subject aircraft is a 1940 Porterfield CP-65 Collegiate, NC25590 , SN696 , which was one of about 200 CP-65's built at the Porterfield factory inKansas City, Missouri from 1938-1942.Although purchased primarily for theCivil Pilot Training Program (CPTP) ,which was urgently training pilots forthe future military demands , some Collegiates were sold to private ownersaround the country.

The rebuilder of NC25590 is William (Bill) Burkey (EAA 275966, A C14970) of Moses Lake, Washington.Bill is an A & P with Inspection Authorization and runs an aircraft repairshop. His interest in antique airplanesgoes back many years and when theword came wafting through his shopthat an old airplane was laying in a hayshed near Othello , about 20 milessouth, Bill was off and running t tooknearly five years to strike a deal for theforlorn looking Porterfield that hadbeen idle for over O years. t was covered with ash from the eruption ofMt. St. Helens in 1980 . Bill hauled thebare bones home in a trailer and slowly

4 APRIL 199


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began the teardown to a bare airframe.Once everything was detached (andscraped) from the basic tubing, it wassandblasted clean. Surprisingly, it wasin excellent shape with no rust orholes. Bill painted the framework witha Ditzler polyurethane primer that isimpervious to almost any other paintor liquid. Assembly was then begunwith each part and piece being broughtup to new condition or replaced beforeit was installed. Bill reports excellentassistance from Univair o Aurora ,Colorado, which carries many of thenecessary parts on hand. In addition,the holder o the original Type Certificate for the Porterfield CP-65 is JoeRankin in Mayville, Missouri (Phone816-582-3291) and certain parts areavailable from him.One lucky acquisition with the tiredold Porterfield was a complete set ofblueprints that helped the assemblyprocess a great deal. It makes it somuch easier to sort a pail full of partswhen you know where the parts goll wood was replaced on the fuselageand properly varnished before installation. New control cables were madeup and installed with new guides - for

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5


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that moving your hand through a tubof whipped cream feel. All of thebearings n the Porterfield control system are ball bearing, so it behoovesone to do a good job on the controls.

The wing spars were n good restorable shape , however , the ribs and ailerons had to be done over from scratch.All ribs were jig built to the originalMunk M-5 airfoil and slid on thesanded and varnished spars . When allthe hardware was n place , Bill trammeled the wings square and readiedthem for covering . The ailerons werealso rebuilt with new wood and carefully assembled . t was now covering26 APRIL 199

time .Stits HS90X lightweight fabric wasused on the fuselage, wings and tailfeathers with the normal build-up andsanding before a final finish in CanyonRed (Tennessee Red) with black trim .The results speak for themselves as thefinish is outstanding.

All cowling metal was replaced andthe many metal fairings were redone nnew aluminum to get away from "thatwrinkled look" , so prevalent in oldairplanes The instruments were sentout to an overhaul shop for rebuild andthe 65-hp Continental engine was tomdown for a major overhaul. Although

the log books showed only 200 hourssince the engine had been worked on,t was n dire need of help . Bill broughtit back to new limits and ordered a

Flottorp propeller to be installed on theengine when ready . The final touchwould be a skullcap spinner.

The original 13.5 gallon fuel tankhad to be repaired before t could beinstalled, just ahead of the instrumentpanel. However , once t tested OK, twas carefully installed and the plumbing was hooked up. The engine mountwas then installed and the newly overhauled 65 Continental was hung on themount. The old exhaust system needed


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t was.A new windshield was shipped n

glass for all windows, was careseats

of the Porjust as nice as the out

he cream faced instruments reof a well

.Final assembly of the wings and tailmade all the work

effort worthwhile as the Porterfieldt had just

rolled out of the Kansas City factory.he Flottorp propeller was installed

and the overhauled brakes werechecked to see that they worked properly. I once had a friend in Minnesotawho taxied his newly restored LP-65Porterfield to the far end of the runwayfor its first flight. Reaching the end ofthe hard-surface, he stepped on thebrakes to make a turn around . NothingHe had forgotten to hook up thebrakes he Porterfield rolled off theend of the runway and flopped over onits back )

Bill Burkey says his beautifully restored CP-65 flies like a new airplane

and handles very nicely . Although itcan be flown from either the front orrear seat, it handles the nicest whenflown solo from the rear seat. His fondest hope and dream s to fly the brightred bird to Oshkosh where it can enjoythe company of many other antique andclassic airplanes. We look forward toseeing the Porterfield taxi up to theparking area and receive its rightfulshare of admiring glances. And youcan be sure the gentleman standingnext to the pretty airplane with thehuge smile on his face s Bill Burkey,one of the lucky ones who found anold airplane in a barn .

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"OLD BLUE"Wrecked in 1952, this classic Stinson Gullwing wasn t too

much for this pilot to handle

Itwas a cool, clear June morningabout five years ago when Old Blueand [ lifted off the Fairbanks MetroAirfield for the last time. We werepacked with a fairly hefty load, including spare engine parts, tools, survivalgear and a rocking chair. I had to8 APRIL 199

by Mike McCann

search for the pilot s seat.After a smooth engine run-up, [aimed down the narrow airstrip, then

pushed the throttle in for full power.Within yards, her tail was up. Wesprang along on the main gear, overthe wavy tarmac . With a leap, the

thick , gull-shaped wings pulled herskyward.Climbing, she sounded like a 0 8Cat pulling a sled-load up a steep hill.But once we reached 8,000 feet, propand engine slowed to 8 inches and1,800 rpm. Old Blue purred and flew


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like the beauti ful Gullwing Stin so nshe d been back in '46.Followin g the Tanana Ri ve r east, wehad a good sti ff tail wind . In two hourswe we re clos ing in on the Canad ianborder. I was not digesting th is fac tve ry we ll. The tail wind di ed off and Old Blu e slowed dow n, seem ingto hes itate herse lf.Sh e' d been in Alaska since 1949,except fo r four month s in '8 1 when myfriend Claire and I hauled her mangledremai ns to Montana for restoration.Thirty of those years she d lain on herbac k in the Interior tundra, slowlysettling into the ice and tu ss ocks. Manya cold trapper camp ed in her tatteredcabin , often stripping a piece of win grib or engine ho se to repair a faultysnow machine or patch .a broken dogsled. From the air, she was a landmark- the bi g ye llow fu se lage among theshort blac k spru ce - we ll knownamong Yukon Ri ve r Bu sh pil ots, alerting them th at they we re 15 mil es westof the village of Tanana.Now , about to cross the north -southsur vey line th at indicates the officialU. S.-Canadi an border, I banked intoa shallow left turn , fl ying two largecircles. Th e ac tion seemed to be

slowed dow n. My min d was rac in g.Hard to believe I was leav ingAlas ka. Even harder to believe th at OldBlu e wo uld pro babl y never return , butfa ll into the hands of some co llector in

IN APUFF THE NOSEOF THESTINSON WASENGULFEDIN FLAMES.

the Lower 48. Leve lin g off, I rockedthe wings in sa lut e, too k a deep brea th- then crossed th e border.I knew the ro ute south pre tty we ll.I pl ann ed to fl y along the A Can Hi ghway . In case of severe wea th er or

mechani cal problems, I could se t herdown on the road.There was lots to think about on thi strip . Lots of memories. Not the leastof which was Joe Cook him se lf - theAlas ka Bu sh pil ot who d parked theStinson on the tun dra way back in thefall of 52.Joe had spent a ro ugh three days try-ing to fl y from the western Alaska v illage of Galena to Fa irbank s. Th e firstday, icing and poor visibility hadforced him to land on a sa ndbar on theTanana Ri ver. He spent the ni ght wrapped in a sleeping bag in the cockpit.The nex t mo rning, the visibility wasmarg in al but improved. He took offwithout troubl e and flew low ove r thecountrys ide, hop ing to find a cl oudbreak th at would allow him to make itinto Nenana. In stead, heavy ici ng

forced him dow n on a hill side in theRedl ands area. 40 mil es north ofNenana.Us ing a sma ll hatchet. he spent theaftern oon clearin g a path across theslope th ro ugh the bl ac k spru ce fo r apo ss ibl e run way. Temp era tu res haddropped. By the time he was ready totry a takeoff the pl ane 's engine oil had

he ChallengeVINTAGE AIRPLANE 9


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3 PRIL 199


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thickened so much that the ba ttery He had only two ca ndy bars and ha lf crept over the horizon , Joe could seecouldn ' t turn the propeller over. En a container of water for food. He began the c louds had li fted. If he could justgine heat was needed . to work up a plan. He decided to hea t get in the air and aim nor th he knewJoe jumped from the cockpit, grab he would intercept the Yukon Rive r.bed armfuls of brush and stacked it After two hours, the bucket of oilunder the engine cowl. Next he drainedseveral gallons of A V gas from thewing tank and poured it on the brushpile . He lit the brush. In a puff, thenose of the Stinson was engulfed inflames . Dense bl ack smoke billowedout from under the old sleeping bagthat was doubling as an eng in e cow lover.In a frenzy now , Joe was abl e to

kick the blazing brush away from theirplane. Then by wrapping th e bagompletely around the engine cowl , hetried to suffocate the fire. "Please don ' t

blow , he thought, knowing full wellthat if the carburetor gas caught, itwould be curtains for his plane. Thefire smothered. Joe lay back aga instthe windshield . The Stinson wassaved , but what nex t?

The snow was ge tting heavier, andit was almost dark . Joe crawled intothe cockpit, wrapped him se lf in theharred sleeping bag that had justaved his only way out - wherever-nd tried to sleep.Joe Cook awoke just before dawn .

JOE COOKGRUNTEDSHORT PRAYERND GAVE

HER FULLPOWER.

th e oil and engine separately. Fumbling in the dark , he built a fire wellaway from the aircraft. He drained th eengine oil into a five-gallon pail, thenhun g it over the fire. Next, he built asmall fire under the plane's nos e. Heneeded to heat the mass ive radial engine case. Pouring warm oi l into a frozen engine would be futile. As light

was plenty hot, the eng ine case warmto the touch. Joe tossed the ratty enginecover as id e and poured th e five ga llonsof hot oi l into the oil reservoir - hoping some of its hea t would help defrostthe windshield , too. He nee ded all thevisibility he could ge t to maneuverdown hi s narrow , s lanted , homemaderunway .

Stamping out his fires, Joe leapedinside the cockpit and pumped theprimer knob five solid strokes andkicked down hard on the starter button .The Stinson roared to life, no unevenpopping. It was hard to believe theelectrical harness had survived the previous ni ght's torching.

A steady 60 pounds of o il pressureregistered on the ga uge. Clenching hi steeth , Joe Cook grunted a short prayerand gave her full pow e r. The pl anewaddled a bit. The tail wheel hung upin the short brush . He worked the yokeback and forth - and the tail sprangfree. The propeller sucked snow , ashesand sma ll twigs. The plane started toroll forward, while sliding sideways

VINT GE IRPL NE 3


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Iown the slope. The left wingtiplodged in a tree. Cutting the eng ine toidl e, Joe jumped out with hi s axe ,clea red some more trees and pushedthe ta il sideways.Several more such del ays and Joewas at the far end of his airfield . Turning the Stinson around was no easychore. Fina lly he was able to aim itback down the runway . He brea thed ahope th at the e ngine torque would helphim keep the plane out of the downhillbrush - then gave her full power onceaga in .Starting slow, she began to ga inspeed - then lifted off.Joe bank ed the Stinson out ove r theflats and headed north for the YukonRiver. t took full power to keep herflying, since the plane had lost muchof her lower- s ide fabric and tail co ve ring to the prev ious day' s semi -crashlandings. In 30 minutes, Joe could seethe Yukon. But he co uld also see thatboth hi s gas gauges indicated empty ."She' ll make it," he thought.Joe reca lled later that he 'd ju st completed that thought when the enginebegan sputtering - and then all wasso quiet he could hear the air hiss ingover the Stinson 's big wings." Damn "

Rocking the wings, he hoped to coaxan extra cup of fu el out of the tank . Atthe same time, he searched the area foranother place to crash-land ." I thought she'd glide to the river ,"Joe sa id later. "But all torn up , shecame down like a streamlined rock .Hitting the tundra, she bounced andlurched - then flipped hard , ejectingJoe through the front windshi e ld . Helanded in the se mifrozen muck . He wasOK . But he was growing tired of thetrip . His big yellow airplane lookedbad . The worst he' d ever see n her:ly ing there on her back with sma llspruce trees sticking throu gh herwings , whee ls 10 feet off the ground .Joe Cook picked up his gun and hi sfrayed sleeping bag. He looked at hisplane one last time . It was hard to believe she was fini shed. He felt as if hewas leaving an old friend at thegraveyard .Then Joe turned away and beganwalking . He walked three miles to theYukon River. Then he wa lked 15 moremiles to a sand spit across the villageof Tanana. To get attention, he firedtwo shotgun bl asts. Then he lay downin the snow, exhausted.Cross ing Lake Kluane with a 40

32 APRIL 199

mph headwind , Old Blue and I turnedeast at Ha ines Junction.When Claire and I had returned Blueto Alaska from Montana in '8 1, she' dsee med to fly double-time, like a horseheadin g for the barn . Although she wasindicating 115 mph , all ca lcul ationsgave us 145 mph ground speed. Nowthe best she could do was 85 mph . Icould only think Blue wasn ' t rea l anxious to meet the customs man inWhitehorse.As we rounded the las t bend of theMendenhall River, Whitehorse Airpo rt

IT'S BEENHERE 3YEARS. IT'LLBE HERETOMORROW. "

came into view. I flew a straight andleve l turn , lined up and landed , tax iingover to the fli ght service station, wherea small crew of mechani cs ga theredunder Blue 's wings . Several of themremembered her from our flight northin '8 1. That evening, ro lled up underthe midnight sun in the deep grass, Ithought of how fortun ate I was to ownsuch a beautiful old plane, and of theunu sual circumstances that had led tothis fli ght.I had come to Alaska to lea rn howto fly. After two years o f working asa nurse in a small Bush hos pital inTanana , I took my bankro ll of $4 ,500and hopped a fli ght into Fairbanks,hoping to buy a small , fl yablemachine. I had a rude awakening coming. In 1980 , my savings could onlyafford a balled up pile of tubing behinda hangar on Phillips Field , a pile thatI was not convinced had ever been anairpl ane.I headed back to the village, frustrated and di sappointed . In the nextfew days, I thought of different options, all based on the fact that sinceI'd never acquired an ything in workingorder before , why start now? I'd hea rdof several wrecks in the area within a100-mile radius of the vill age. With

the help of several local res idents,pl otted the ir approx imate s ites on amap.Then I conv inced my frie nd Claire,who ow ned an Alaskanized PA-J2 , totake several reconnaissa nce/sce ni cflights . With in a week we'd spotted allthe s ites except one, and all were e ithertotally in access ible without a he licopter or too far gone to ju sti fy a tripacross tundra and mounta in s. Last onthe list was a Stinson - Joe Cook 's

pl ane - crashed in the ea rly ' 50s about15 miles dow n the Yuk on.It was co ld and gray that Februaryafternoon when we found somethingthat resembled her. A small patch ofdull ye llow peeked out from a snowberm , looking like a chunk of snowmachine cowling fro m the air. We decided to have a closer look. Claire shota compass headin g while preparing to

land on a sma ll lake. Landing on sk isin a puff of dry snow , we jumped outand untied our snowshoes from th ewing struts.Fro m the ground, the berm lookedlike there was a schoo l bus buried un dernea th . A sma ll metal stepl adderpointed skyward from its snow-covered hea p. I was convinced it was theclass ic Stinson . Us ing the snowshoesas shovels, we stood ches t-deep anddug has tily, uncovering a large, tattered , inverted fuse lage.C laire ca lled a ha lt . " It 's been here30 years, it ' ll be here tomorrow. Westill have a run way to stomp out. -The lake was too small. Eve n withbuilding a sma ll launch ramp andshow shoe-packing the whole runway ,the pl ane's ski s trimmed the trees ontakeoff. Obviously, we couldn ' t returnto that lake.Back in th e village that evening, itwas time to o rgani ze a strategy without

advertis ing too much. We would needhea ters, generators, saws, shove ls andcome-alongs . Stan Zuray, a homesteader 40 miles to the north , had arrived for the evening. Caught up in theexcitement , he offered to help with hi slarge fre ight sled and disc iplined dogteam.The airpl ane had la in upside downfor 30 yea rs on the tundra, its w ingsswallowed by the tussocks and ice. Wespent several days hea ting the metalwin g structure with portab le hea ters

run by a sma ll generator before th eground would rea lease each wing .They were hardly recogni zable.We were pressured by an early thawand the overflow from a tr ibutarv


33/40

stream flooding the river ice . The fourmile , snow- packed trail from the riverthrough the spruce was dropping out.The Lycoming engine and prop,mounted on a fre ight sled, flippedmany times due to poor trai l conditionsbefore we got it to the more solid rivertrail.After tw o weeks and many trips tothe crash site by dogsled and snowmachine - and with the help of Stanand hi s 18-foot freight sled - muchof th e Stinson was in my yard . On thelast trip , we had three sleds loaded wi thwings and fuselage, and pulled straightthrough town.There was a big pre-dog-race partyat the time. Lots of folks were socia lizing out on Main Street, most blea ryeyed. They came to attention as thisconvoy of decrepit airplane part screaked past. It came to rest on thesawhorses behind my house.Later , I liked to sit on an o ld kitchenchai r in place of the pilot's sea t in thefuse lage and wonder just what style oftinson I actually had. t sure wasn' t.Sometimes friends would visit. Iirs to the Stinson and welthem on fantasy exc ursions.spring I dug through all the aviation books avai lable, anxious to see apicture of what a Gullwing Stinson inflying order looked like. Claire arrivedne evening with a folded-up picturea V-77 Stinson Re liant Gullwing. Iuldn ' t believe that my pile of piecesuld ever have looked like the beautiful plane in her photo.The parts search was on. Manyhone ca lls an d ads later, a contact wasmade in Minnesota. He had what J' t , all fo r sale. He was willing toold the parts until September while Iried to come up with more money. I

up with enough for the neededarts by making tents, working partime as a nurse and running a smallfish business.I shipped the plane on a river bargeo Nenana, where I loaded her onto aoat trailer towed by an old Chevyvan. Thanksgiving, Claire and Ieaded south . Nine days and 45 quartsmotor o il later, we hit the Mont anaorder.

t took three months to restore her.We lived in a big ga rage with her untilthe job was done . She was reshaped ,recovered , repainted (blue) - and ,hopefull y, ready to fly .A retired Alaska Bush pilot, Glen, hopped in and gave Claire

her first Gullwing flying lesson off aMontana whea t field .'These Stinsons are built like abridge , Glen said, by way of encouragement. Only problem is they flylike one Anyway , th ey always getoff before they hit th e fence .We knew he liked flying the Stinson- which we rechristened Old Blue- because he often bea t us to th e airfield .Several weeks of practice and wewere ready to head home to Alaska.Anxious and overloaded, we took off

YOU DON'TC LLPRE CHERON SUND YFOR GAS,

from Bozeman . We barely cleared thehorizon. An hour later, we landed inGreat Falls and dumped 500 poundsout of our load .Now she ' ll be fun to fly, Clairesaid .The shiny, classic Stinson drew acrowd everywhere we landed . She wasmaking great time . Dawson Creek,Fort Nelson, Wqtson Lake - a llseemed to go by in a blur. We landedin Tanana Easter Sunday, spring of8 1

Over th e next three years, Old Bluereceived lots of tender lov ing care. Igot a handle on fl y ing her and wouldtake her up between the many hours oftinkering. I never could get myself toload her up with fish or sled dogs. Soshe enjoyed the retired life of a workhorse getting out to stretch once inawhile. Often the old-timers would saythat whenever they saw the old Gullwing flying it reminded them of theearly trapline years, when Stinsonswere the most common Bush plane .

Now it was the spring of '84. Blueand I were heading south . After twolong days of flying, we reac hed Dawson Creek .The temperature was close to 100

deg rees, midday. I would take off at 5a.m ., fly three hours, th en put downuntil evening. The countryside hadleveled out, and I had to be more careful following roads. Suddenly , theyseemed eve rywhere.I found a small airstrip 20 miles westof Edmonton and spe nt that eveningvisiting old friends . Up and off at 5a.m. , I was having a hard time navigating. Forest fire smoke from the Rockies covered the valley. I planned torefuel in Lethbridge, but the runwaywas socked in .Luckily Cardston was up on aplateau, with a sma ll paved strip fivemiles from tow n. Blue was hot anddripping oil from eve ry poss ible fi tting . The local preac her also ran thefuel depot. If I learned anything on thistrip, it was that you don ' t call apreacher on 'Sunday for gas. Fifty gallons of car gas cost me more th an$ 150.00 .

Then off we went to Bozeman ,Mont. , with a strong tailwind . Latethat afternoon, just as we had climbedhigh enough to clear Flathead Pass inthe Bridger Mounta in s, with Bozemanrunway visible in the distance, the engine began to surge - racing, thenslowing. We were sinking. I put thenose down to ga in speed and coolthings, looking for a place to land . Icouldn't believe we had made it thisfar and now were heading for thebushes - n clear sight our destina-tionI flashed back on o ld Joe Cook andhis many rough landings . Still on thewrong s ide of the ridge, skimming thehillside at treetop level, the enginebegan to smooth out. I started breathing again, pulling back easy on theyoke, hoping fo r power enough toclimb out of the Bridger Canyon . Bitby bit we nea red the 8,OOO-foot passonce aga in . My pulse raced faster thanthe engine . Bozeman Airport was insight. Cross ing the pass was like escaping from jail. I put the nose down andglided the 15 miles to Gallatin Field.As the prop quit spinning, Claire ,who had since become my wife , andChris , our 2-year-old son, ran up th erunway to greet me. I hugged th emboth.How was the trip? Claire asked.For a pl ane that didn ' t want toco me south , she did a helluva job, Isaid .Glen was right. She always clearsthe fence. Though the cow elk had tolie down so I could get over the pass. .

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 33


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Where The Sellers and Buyers Meet ..25 per word, 5.00 minimum charge. Send your ad toThe Vintage Trader, EAA Aviation CenterOshkosh, WI 54903-2591.AIRCRAFT:(2) C-3 Aeronca Razorbacks - 1931 and 1934.Package includes extra engine and spares. Fuselage, wing spars and extra props. Museum quality!$30,000 firm! No tire kickers, collect calls or penpals, please! E.E. "Buck" Hilbert, P.O. Box 424,Union, IL 60180-0424.1950 Cessna 170A - 3,200 n , 1,050 SMOH,300 STOH, Franklin 165 w/40 amp alternator. Kingradios with Loran , Digital EGT/CHT, auxiliary tank,wing leveler, Imron paint and much more. $29,000.Call Mark Lindberg, 415/967-4795. (4-1)1961 Piper PA-22-108 "Colt" 150 hours SMOHand restoration . Two people plus 36 gallons fueland 100 Ibs. luggage. Cleveland brakes, ELT, Escort 110, EGT, CHT, beacon, new glass, tires andDacron cover. A lot of flight time for $9,800. CallChuck at 414/426-4815 days and 414/235-8714evenings . (CST-WI). ufnSell or Trade 1940 Fleet 16B - O/H Kinner B5-R,brand new unused Fahlin 92-63 prop. Guaranteedcomplete except few minor instruments. Fuselagecovered Stits, Fleet Blue. Wings ready for cover.SIS wires. ALSO historic Warner SS-50A. Was installed in stbd. position of Blimp L-8 when shecame ashore minus crew at Daly City, California inAugust 1942. Complete logs show crash . Later O/Hand served on L-9 and L-l0 . Was removed fromfleet to mOdify to large cylinder studs, but uponexamination of logs decided not to change anythingaccount of history. Cylinders removed for pickling,eng ine complete and standard. SASE, no phone.Curtiss-Reed 86-63 extra. Smith, 204 Lockport ,Plainfield , Illinois 60544-1940. (4 -1)1935 Porterfield Flyabout - Model 35 /70 - 70 hpLeBlond engine. 84 hours since total restoration . Atrue classic and award winner. $17,000. Todd, 405/282-7580. (5-2)Curtiss-Wright 16E - Powered by a Wright U-65. This aircraft is the only known surviving exampleof a 1936 CoW export order for the Argentine Navy.The aircraft is complete and was flown as recentlyas 1988. Recently imported and offered for sale at49 ,500. Contact John Tucker, 3141731-7111 . (4-1)Taylorcraft 1941 BC12D - C85, 250 SMOH,wings partially rebuilt, envelopes, original wheelpants. 3 ,000 obo, wi ll consider trades plus cashforC170, C180, PA12, PA20. 408/296-3458. (4-1)

ENGINES:Dynamic Antique Radial Engine Balancing Specializing in Warner 145, 165, 185 engines."Smooth out the vibration when rebuilding. " 904 /768-5031 . (7-4)34 APRIL 1990

MISCELLANEOUS:Super Cub PA18 fuselages repaired or rebuilt- in precision master fixtures. All makes of tubeassemblies or fuselages repaired or fab ricatednew. J. E. Soares Inc., 7093 Dry Creek Road, Belgrade, Montana 59714,406/388-6069, Repair Station D65-21. (c/4-90)JN4-D Memorabilia - "Jenny Mail" collectorcachets, actually flown in Jenny to Day and Osh,along with T-shirts , pins, posters, etc. Send SASEfor catalog/pricing. Virginia Aviation Co. , R.D. 5,Box 294, Warrenton, VA 22186. (c-5/90)NEW EAA REFERENCE GUIDE - Now in onevolume! Covering all EAA journals 1953 through1989. Newly organized, easier to read. MUCH REDUCED PRICE! Past purchasers: $7.50 USD plus$1.50 UPS/postage, $3.00 Canadian, $7.00 other.New purchasers: $15 USD plus 1 .50 UPS/postage, $3.00 Canadian, $7.00 other. VISAIMASTERCARD accepted. John B. Bergeson, 6438 W.Millbrook Road, Remus, MI 49340. 517/561-2393.Note: Have all journals . Will make copy of any article(s) from any issue at 25 per page. ($3.00minimum)." Meticulous Delineations" - Antique scalemodel construction plans, or wall decor by VernClements (AiC 5989) , 308 Palo Alto, Caldwell, ID83605. Catalog/Info/News $3.00, refundable. (7-4)Porterfield Landing Gear Vees - $100. RyanPT-22 parts, controls, flying wires, L.G. parts, engine mounts, tailwheels and much more. KentMcMakin , 815/624-6617 eves. (4-1)1910-1950 Original Plane and Pilot Items - Buy- sell - trade. 44-page catalog over 350 items available, $5.00 . Airmailed. John Aldrich, POB-706 Airport, Groveland, CA 95321 , 209/962-6121 . (9-6)Sectional Charts - 1941 to 1966, many areas.Send long SASE for descriptive price list. EdwardPeck, Rt. 2, Box 225-A, Waddy, KY 40076. (4-1)For Sale - Beautiful winged CONTINENTAL engine "Powerful as the Nation" 1930/40's era watertransfer decals. Red, black and silver, just like Continental made 'em. 6" by 2". Apply face up or downto cowl, panel , windows. Pair, postpaid, 6 .50. CurtissAldrich, POB-21 , Big Oak Flat, CA 95305. (4-1)

WANTED:WANTED: Right streamlined gear leg , taperedaxle, shinn wheel for 1938 Aeronca C50 Chief.Minor axis 7/8 inch, major 2 inch. Also completeset of rudder, brake pedals for Fleet 16B. Smith,204 Lockport, Plainfield, Illinois. 60544-1940.

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ANTIQUE/CLASSICSEAA Member - $18.00. Includesone year membership in EAA Antique-Classic Division, 12 monthlyissues of The Vintage Airplane andmembership card. Applicant mustbe a current EAA member and mustgive EAA membership number.Non-EAA Member - $28.00. In-cludes one year membership in theEAA Antique-Classic Division, 12monthly issues of The Vintage Airplane, one year membership in theEAA and separate membershipcards.SportAviation not included.

lACMembership in the InternationalAerobatic Club, Inc. is $25.00 annually which includes 12 issues ofSport Aerobatics. All lAC membersare required to be members of EAA .

WARBIRDSMembership in the Warbirds ofAmerica, Inc. is $25.00 per year,which includes a subscription toWarbirds. Warbird members arerequired to be members of EAA.EAA EXPERIMENTEREAA membership and EAA EXPERIMENTER magazine is available for$28.00 per year (Sport Aviation notincluded). Current EAA membersmay receive EAA EXPERIMENTER

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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 37
http:///reader/full/2~v:~I~~~:.mlhttp:///reader/full/2~v:~I~~~:.ml


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by George ardie Jr

There is considerable mystery as tothe eventual fate of this airplane. Thephoto was taken in a hangar at theWayne County airport according toknown sources. The photo was submit-ted by Jack McRae of Huntington Sta-tion New York. Answers will be pub-lished in the July 1990 issue of V -TAGE AIRPLANE Deadline for thatissue is May 99 .

8 APRIL 199


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Nathan Rounds of Zebulon, Georgiadetailed answer to thefor January. He writes:This January Mystery Plane is theairplane - it was built1930 in Tulsa , Oklahoma. In

it was built in the town of thesubmitter , George Goodhead .was powered by a Warner engine,a 100 or 25 hp model of thewhich was originally manufacfrom vendor parts near my' s home town in Michigan - he

is 5 milesMichigan where thewas first manufactured beforeDetroit, Michigan.Enclosed is a three-view of the Wi -

Wilcox T12 1

._ _-------;- ---.

1 VT 1

H. F. WILCOX AERONAUTICS, INC.Tuh.,Okl.

MODEL: T 12-13 PUCE

ENGINE: W AR NER

cox. It was built by the W . F. WilcoxAeronautics, Inc . Company. In somereferences they refer to it as a two placetrainer and in some a three placeairplane take your pick ."George Goodhead, Tulsa , Oklahoma, who submitted the photo,writes : "These are photos of the H. F.

Wilcox Trainer that was built here inTulsa back around 1928/ 1929. Thethree-view drawing of this ship waspublished in the 1930 Aircraft Yearbook.These photos were taken by HowardPettit who was working for Wilcox atthat time. He now lives in Wichita,Kansas . I received the photos fromWalter D . House, an aviation historianand collector of old photographs atWichita."Quoting from Aero Digest for June,1930: "A biplane designed by W. S.Collier of the H. F. Wilcox Aeronautics, Inc . , of Tulsa, will be manufactured by the Wilcox company. Theplane has a cruising speed of about 100miles an hour, a landing speed of 35miles per hour and a high speed of liSmiles per hour, and is powered withIIO-horsepower Warner Scarab engine. The overall length is 2 feet andthe wing span is 3 feet. Dual controlsand a set of Navy type instruments areprovided . The plane is designed as atraining ship. The plane will be produced with any type powerplant desired within the 100 to 150 horsepowerrange." .

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39


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Documents

Vintage Airplane - Apr 1990