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JULY 2011

Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Page 1: Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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JULY 2011

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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 244

Mark and Mary purchased the Fleet (1930 Consolidated YPT-6A) as a

project back in 2001 They spent the next seven years restoring it and

now enjoy flying to various events around Florida

The AUA team provided us top-notch service and a reasonable rate

when writing a policy to insure our 1930 Consolidated YPT-6A Fleet

They were very professional and showed a genuine interest in providingcoverage for antique and classic aircraft

mdash Mark amp Mary White

Mark amp Mary WhiteVero Beach Florida

Mark earned his pilotrsquoslicence at age 17

Mary also has herpilotrsquos licence

EAA Vintage amp Antique AircraftAssociation members

a

n s A

U

Come see us for a no-obligation quote at our booth during Air Venture Oshkosh July 25ndash31

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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2 Straight amp Level Chapter success the right recipe by Geoff Robison

3 News

6 A Waco Kind of Family The Applegate clan and their YKS-6 by Budd Davisson

13 Flashes of Purple Sparks by Daniel J Demers

16 First Regular Airmail Flight by Lieut H Latane Lewis II

20 To Follow the Line This was the way I had learned navigation to follow the line by E Jeff Justis

25

The Vintage Mechanic Early fire-extinguishing system by Robert G Lock

30 The Vintage Instructor Vintage flying is very much alive by Steve Krog CFI

32 Mystery Plane

by HG Frautschy

38 Classified Ads

40 Flying Outside the Fishbowl by S Michelle Souder

A I R P L A N E J U L Y

C O N T E N T S

S T A F FEAA Publisher Rod Hightower

Director of EAA Publications Mary Jones

Executive DirectorEditor HG Frautschy

ProductionSpecial Project Kathleen WitmanPhotography Jim KoepnickCopy Editor Colleen Walsh

Senior Art Director Olivia P TrabboldEAA Chairman of the Board Tom Poberezny

Publication AdvertisingManagerDomestic Sue Anderson

T l 920 426 6127 E il d

Vol 39 No 7 2011

16

6

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By the time this monthrsquos Vintage

Airplane hits your mailbox we will

be days away from the start of the

Worldrsquos Greatest Aviation Celebration

known to us all as EAA AirVenture

Oshkosh As I have stated repeatedly

in this column this is yet another year

at Oshkosh you do not want to miss

The planning continues to evolve in

spectacular fashion If you havenrsquot re-cently visited the convention website

wwwAirVentureorg you really need

to check out all the amazing events

scheduled for this yearrsquos event There

truly is something for everyone

The monthly work parties at Osh-

kosh in the Vintage area continue

to experience great success I wantto personally thank everyone who

has attended and invested their per-

sonal resources in assisting us with

this always-important task of prepar-

ing the site for our annual fly-in and

convention It is impossible for me to

imagine how we could possibly ac-

complish so much progress without

the valued assistance of our many

pre-convention volunteers I also look

forward to personally welcoming

back the hundreds of Vintage volun-

teers who assist us with all the critical

responsibilities that make this event a

tive ldquodoom and gloomrdquo that we all

read in the GA magazines these days

is absolutely the wrong message to

expound upon Relatively speaking

our vintage aircraft are as economi-

cal and safe to operate today as they

were 50 years ago Everything in our

lives is impacted by the value of our

dollar today as compared to yester-

day If you think about the issue ina fair and impartial manner it really

is all relative Yes it is more expen-

sive to operate the aircraft I own but

so is driving my automobile When

you do a complete analysis of whatrsquos

important in your life flying will al-

ways float to the top as one of my top

three things that gives me the mostpleasure in life My very best memo-

ries are always going to include fam-

ily friends and flying Steversquos point

of view is the right one What are we

doing individually to help grow the

pilot population Join Steve in selling

the ldquofunrdquo in aviation

Letrsquos talk Vintage chapters for a

minute What are the key ingredients

to creating and then maintaining a

Vintage chapter Every chapter EAA

or otherwise will experience the nor-

mal ebbs and flows of maintaining

and attending to the many responsi-

no one is willing to address the real

issue of what will potentially lead to

the demise of that chapter Some-

times the problem is that itrsquos the same

small crowd of individuals who carry

the full burden of operating the chap-

ter and it is way past the time to ldquore-

vitalizerdquo Get your arms around those

folks with the energy to help out As-

sign some of these individuals somereal responsibility then get out of the

way and let them do their thing They

may really surprise you Remember

the recipe Itrsquos got to be fun safe and

it better taste good

I do have a bit of news that is of

great concern about my immediate

predecessor in this volunteer jobButch Joyce Hersquos one of my very

best friends and Irsquom very sorry to tell

you he was recently diagnosed with

a brain tumor The tumor was found

to be malignant and the surgical

procedure to remove the tumor was

less than successful At the moment

Butch remains hospitalized at Duke

University in North Carolina where

he will continue with physical ther-

apy and radiation and chemotherapy

treatments The only good news wersquove

heard related to his illness is that the

type of tumor he has can be success-

GEOFF ROBISON

PRESIDENT VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

STRAIGHT amp LEVEL

Chapter success the right recipe

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VAA NEWS

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Find Your FavoritePresentations andWorkshops Online

With hundreds of the worldrsquos

leading aviation authorities giv-ing close to 1000 individual pre-

sentations at nearly 45 locations

spread throughout the AirVenture

grounds finding out who is pre-

senting where and when can be

in a word challenging The EAA

AirVenture website has an online

tool that can make this task simple

when you use the integrated Air-

Venture schedule

Located at wwwAirVentureorg

under ldquoAttractionsrdquo and then un-

der ldquoActivities Presentations amp

Workshopsrdquo the database includes

all the venues subjects and top-

ics presenters and events from

not only Forums and Workshopsbut also Warbirds in Review Kid-

Venture Museum Speakers Show-

case Authors Corner Theater in

the Woods special ldquoat the aircraftrdquo

presentations on ConocoPhillips

Plaza and more If itrsquos scheduled

yoursquoll find it here In addition the

web schedule is updated on a dailybasis to reflect any changes or ad-

ditions that might occur at the last

minute You can even create your

own itinerary of various events of

interest You can save or print it out

for future reference

A quick link to this new schedule

is wwwAirVentureorgschedule

Fabric-Covering WorkshopLast month we mentioned that

Superflite covering systems would

be presenting covering workshops

in the VAA area Changes in the

tant part of your VAA membership)

you can use the EAA Flight Planner

to chart your trip to Wittman Field

for EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2011

Just click on the EAA Flight Plannerlink on the left side of the VAA home

page at wwwVintageAircraftorg or ac-

cess it through the membersrsquo only

section of EAArsquos online community

at wwwOshkosh365org

Grass Runways and FuelAlso on our VAA website we

publish a list created by VAA mem-

ber Kris Kortokrax

Kris flies a variety of old bi-

planes that are more pleasant to

fly when they are flown from grass

strips and he and his buddies from

Shelbyville Illinois do their best to

keep the old biplanes happy (and

keep tire wear to a minimum) byflying cross-country from grass strip

to grass strip Finding fuel facilities

can be a challenge these days and

Kris has distilled this airport infor-

mation to be useful for like-minded

grass-runway-preferring pilots This

data was current as of the beginning

of the year and wersquod suggest callingahead to confirm fuel availability

and hours of operation If you have

any changes or additions drop us

an e-mail here at VintageAircraft

eaaorg and wersquoll forward it to Kris

Our thanks to Kris for sharing his

list Let us know if you find it useful

VAArsquos Portable ElectronicsCharging Station

Do your rechargeable personal

electronics like your cellphone or

computer go dead before AirVen-

turersquos over VAA has the solution to

service to EAA members for whatever

donation you feel is appropriate

Breakfast and a Briefing

The VAA Tall Pines Cafeacute will bein operation again this year with

an expanded schedule prior to

convention and fly-in-style pan-

cake and egg breakfasts during

EAA AirVenture Starting on Fri-

day morning July 22 and continu-

ing through Sunday July 24 the

VAA Tall Pines Cafeacute will be open for

breakfast (630-930 am) and din-

ner (430-730 pm) Starting Mon-

day July 25 only breakfast will be

served at the Tall Pines Cafeacute (630-

930 am) through Saturday July

30 Just to the north a Flight Ser-

vice Station (FSS) trailer will be lo-

cated near the cafeacute At the trailer

yoursquoll be able to check the weatherfor your flight and obtain a full

briefing from FSS specialists with-

out having to trek up to the FAA

Building near the control tower

Wersquoll see you there each morning

for ldquobreakfast and a briefingrdquo

Are You a Friend of the VAA Red Barn

If so be sure to check in at the

information desk at the VAA Red

Barn There wersquoll issue you a spe-

cial name badge We can also point

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 744

VAA Message Center If you would like to leave a

message for people you know

who frequent the VAA Red Barn

stop by the information desk Youcan write them a message in our

ldquonotebook on a stringrdquo and wersquoll

post their name on the marker

board so theyrsquoll know therersquos a

message waiting for them Sure

cellphones and walkie-talkies are

great but sometimes nothing

works better than a hand-scrib-

bled note

VAA PicnicTickets for the annual VAA

picnic to be held Wednesday

Ju ly 27 at the Nature Center

will be available for sale at the

VAA Red Barn Tickets must be

purchased in advance so weknow how much food to or-

der The delicious meal will be

served from 530 pm until ap-

proximately 7 pm If you need

transportation trams will be-

gin leaving the VAA Red Barn

around 5 pm and will make re-

turn trips after the picnic Typeclubs may hold their annual

banquets during the picnic Call

Jeannie Hill (815-245-4464)

and she will reserve seating so

your type club can sit together

Shawano Fly-OutThe annual fly-out to Shawano

is Saturday July 30 The sign-up

sheet will be at the desk at the VAA

Red Barn and the briefing will be

at 7 am the morning of the fly-

out The community of Shawano

approximately an hour north of

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 844

A Waco Kind of Family

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 944

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1044ldquowas about 6 years old

and Dad had taken us

to a fly-in in Ottumwa

show for his youthful fascination

with things that fly He now has

what he wished for when looking

Aviation families are quite common

within the sport aviation commu-

nity but few have made aviation

MIKE STEINEKE

The entire family enjoys flying the Waco all over the Midwest and beyond The color scheme evokes the colors chosenby Wiley Post for his record-setting Lockheed Vega the Winnie Mae

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1144

port That was in 1964 So basically

wersquove lived on an airport from just

about the moment I was born Now

So was Dad So we called the FAA

and got a lsquospecialrsquo VFR clearance

The last words my instructor said

before I took off in the C-152

were lsquoStay out of the clouds comearound and landrsquo So I didrdquo

There he was a certificated pilot

and still riding the school bus to his

little country school and living the

life of a typical high school kid in-

cluding going to local fairs

ldquoIt was at a local fair right after I

graduated that I met Carolyn and

I asked her out for a date On our

second or third date I took her fly-

ing in Dadrsquos Decathlon I guess that

must have impressed her because

we got married a year laterrdquo

Carolyn says ldquoHersquos such an avia-

tion addict that our honeymoon

had us stopping at various airports

as we traveled But Irsquoll tell youwhat Irsquod much rather he be out fly-

ing or hanging out at airports than

out drinkingrdquo And she laughs She

laughs a lot

Often it is at this point in an avi-

atorrsquos life story that the individual

says his flying stopped while he

built a business and a family tobe resumed as a later date Harve

however managed to sidestep that

layoff For one thing he essen-

tially lived on an airport his wife

liked flying (she says ldquoI decided if I

couldnrsquot beat him Irsquod join him and

started taking flying lessonsrdquo) and

hersquod grown up banging knuckles

working on airplanes So where so

many young fathers find their avia-

tion career has stagnated he started

building up his own airplanes the

first being a Cessna 170B

ldquoThe 170rdquo he says ldquowas actually

ldquoBecause we live barely 40 miles

from Blakesburg getting hooked on

vintage airplanes was unavoidable

Dad would take us to lots of fly-ins

including Blakesburg and from thevery beginning I actually liked vin-

tage airplanes better than he did

And I loved working on themrdquo

Harversquos love of vintage mechan-

ics showed through many years of

polishing and restoration of the

C-170 It went to Oshkosh for 16

years At first it was noticed because

it looked dreadfully forlorn but

over the years it began to gain more

attention and for better reasons

The judges were impressed enough

in 2000 to give it the best 170180

award Then it won Grand Cham-

pion in its class at the AAA Fly-In at

Blakesburg the next year

ldquoFirst I have to say that I donrsquotbuild airplanes to win trophies and

I donrsquot go to fly-ins to be judged I

build airplanes to go to fly-ins Pe-

riod We love going to fly-ins and

attend at least 15 or 20 a year and

we do it as a family Eventually the

kids got too big and we out-grew

the 170 after putting a little over1200 hours on itrdquo

While Harve might say he was

building a family the truth is that

Carolyn was the one having the

babies and trying to build a career

And her schedule was more than

just a little tight She started col-

lege right after Taryn was born and

missed her own graduation because

she was busy finishing her own

homebuilt Shalyn Today she puts

that diploma to work teaching sec-

ond grade while Harve farms 1500

acres of soybeans and corn

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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that he has made a huge number

of friends out of the other partici-

pants and thatrsquos good for all of usrdquo

ldquoI was looking for a bigger air-

plane when a friend of mine toldme about a beautiful 195 with a

blown engine sitting out on the

ramp in Tullahoma ldquo Harve says

ldquoI contacted the airport to find out

info about the owner I contacted

him and discovered it not only had

a bad engine but the finance com-

pany held the note as the owner

was going through bankruptcy I

flew down with my stepfather (who

had become a pilot after marry-

ing my motherhellipdad had died by

then) and we looked it over

ldquoI put in a bid and got it I sold

the 170 to a wonderful friend and

fortunately it stayed at our airport

where it is well tended We put anew 330 Jake from Radial Engines

Limited on the 195 and it won

awards at both Oshkosh and Blakes-

burg as well We kept the 195 for

three years But it still wasnrsquot a

Waco something I just couldnrsquot get

out of my head

ldquoWhen I started looking forWacosrdquo he says ldquolike everyone

else I was assaulted by the incred-

ible number of different varieties

But I wasnrsquot looking for something

to rebuild nor was I looking for a

rare variety I wanted an airplane

that would serve our family well

The fact that it would be an incred-

ibly cool antique was just a bonus

Because of that I passed on a lot of

projects and focused on airplanes

that were flying and needed a mini-

mum of work and could be fairly

easily supported That meant an

ldquoI looked at a few airplanes be-

fore a friend Doug Parsons turned

me on to N16249 a 1936 YKS-6 It

was last restored by Pete Coving-ton in 1994 so it was in really good

condition In fact well-known an-

tiquer Morton Lester had owned it

at the time of restoration It was a

good solid airplane that was due for

some freshening up not a rebuild

This was exactly what I was looking

for It had been through two own-

ers since Lester owned it and was

now part of an estate sale

ldquoI got it home in July of 2005 and

began working on itrdquo he says ldquoBe-

cause it had been restored nearly 15

years earlier and hadnrsquot been a han-

difficult but the paperwork turned

out to be a headache

ldquoThe original engine was a Ja-

cobs R-755-9 which is 245 hp butI wanted more power We have a

pretty big useful load with this air-

plane but it needs the extra power

when itrsquos heavy So I wanted to go

up to the 755-B2M which is 275

hp I had Air Repair in Cleveland

Mississippi build up an engine for

me Since itrsquos virtually identical to

the original Jake putting it on was

nothing At the same time we in-

stalled a new Sensenich wooden

prop But then we started working

on the paperwork

ldquoThis shouldnrsquot have been nearly

CRAIG VANDERKOLK

Most of the Applegate family during AirVenture 2010 from left to right

daughter Shalyn Harve Carolyn and son Matt The Applegatesrsquo other

daughter Taryn couldnrsquot make the trip

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two airplanes were one in the same

Finally we got a hold of Jeff Janus

at the FAArsquos Aircraft Certification

Office (ACO) who said it was a no-

brainer and sent it back to the FSDO

and told them to sign it off

ldquoWersquove been flying the airplane

for five years now and itrsquos exactly

what we wanted an d what we

thought it should be First for an

airplane this big itrsquos really easy to

fly In fact it lands a lot like our

Cub and even on pavement isnrsquot

A Lesson in the Learning Caveats When DonatingAt one point Harversquos dad began having airport problems and therersquos a lesson

to be learned for a lot of us here

ldquoThe airport had never gotten hugerdquo Harve says ldquoIt was just a nice friendly

airport with a few hangars and some local tenants But it was the only airport in

the area so Dad deeded it over to the city I guess you could say he donated it

For years this worked out really well and all the aviation guys in the area loved it

We host a fly-in there each year and that became something of a local event that

everyone looked forward to

ldquoDad died suddenly in 1981 and we decided to build a house right near the

CRAIG VANDERKOLK

The Applegates camp every year just south of the VAA Flightline Opera-

tions building so son Matt and the family can enjoy visiting with their many

friends and watch the afternoon air show

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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bigger yoursquod want The back seat

is an honest three kids wide and

the two front seats are separated

by nearly a foot So you feel as ifyoursquore flying your own little air-

liner And how many airplanes to-

day let you crank the side windows

down and fly with you elbows up

on the windowsill

ldquoItrsquos not a rocketship in climb

about 500-600 fpm but itrsquoll give

you that or close to it whether

yoursquore loaded or not Those big old

wings can really carry a load

ldquoItrsquos also not a speed demon

but itrsquoll indicate 120 mph give or

take 5 mph at about 14 gallons per

hour and fly straight ahead with

MIKE STEINEKE

Another gorgeous picture of the Applegatesrsquo plane flying over the Midwest

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1544

The first wireless message sent

from an airplane to a ground station

wasnrsquot very imaginative or profound

The message telegraphed in dots and

dashes by US Army Lt Paul W Beck

on January 21 1911 was

ldquoAssociated Press AviationField Scotford is not the only

bird on the aviation board Beckrdquo

The message didnrsquot have the hum-

bling sense of Samuel Morsersquos ldquoWhat

hath God wroughtrdquo or the quaint-

ness of Alexander Graham Bellrsquos ldquoMr

Watsonmdashcome heremdashI want to see

yourdquo or Neil Armstrongrsquos inspira-

tional ldquoThatrsquos one small step for man

one giant leap for mankindrdquoThe rather mundane message was

hastily scribbled by Associated Press

reporter Guy Moysten who was cov-

Corps

Beck had been taken aloft by Philip

O Parmalee an early aviation pio-

neer The ldquopurple sparks spluttered

by the telegraph keyrdquo were also inter-

cepted by navy wireless stations on

Goat Island (now Yerba Buena Island)

and the Mare Island Navy YardBeckrsquos second message was ldquoThree

hundred feet up and riding level

It is cold It is bumpyrdquo The word

ldquobumpyrdquo wasnrsquot received because

Beckrsquos fingers were so cold that they

refused to as Beck put it ldquoanswer the

nerve impulsesrdquo

The word ldquoScotfordrdquo in the first

message referred to Frederick E Scot-

ford chairman of the Aviation Ex-

ecutive Committee which had

conceived planned and set in mo-

tion the air meet The message re-

ferred to a previous flight ldquoaround the

army also ldquolent their band for daily

concerts during guard mount or pa-

raderdquomdashall this to the delight of the

crowds throughout the entire affair

San Francisco was in heavy compe-

tition with New Orleans for the exclu-

sive rights to the 1915 Panama-Pacific

International Exhibition (PPIE) aworldrsquos fair to celebrate the upcom-

ing 1914 opening of the Panama

Canal The city desperately wanted

to land the exhibition believing it

would confirm San Franciscorsquos phoe-

nix-like rise from the ashes of devasta-

tion The air show was thought of as

the opening act

Plans for the PPIE had already

been complicated in 1910 Just six

months earlier Californiarsquos gover-

nor had banned the Jim Jeffries-Jack

Johnson fight scheduled for San

Franciscomdashforcing the epic ldquoFight

Flashes of Purple SparksBY DANIEL J DEMERS

Lt Paul Beck left with

the Western Wireless

Equipment Company A-4wireless set in his lap

while seated in a Wright

biplane during wireless

tests during the 1911 San

Francisco Air Meet The

set weighed 29 pounds

and featured a telegraph

key mounted on the top of

the mahogany box

JOURNAL OF ELECTRICITY POWER AND GAS

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1644

shadowed all the other historic firsts

achieved at the meet

Beck described the sensation of fly-

ing at 800 feet like this

ldquoWhirring propellers throb-

bing pistons and machine-

gun-like gasoline explosions

deafened you while tears bit-

ter tears were forced from your

eyes by the back rush of air and

you have a slight conception

how it feels to rival the eagle in a

Wright biplanerdquo

He had used in his own words

ldquoa rough makeshift affair weighing

thirty-two poundsrdquo It consisted of

a ldquosmall gap and interrupter an or-

dinary telegraph key a small storage

cellrdquo and a shunt ldquoto prevent over-

charging of the cellrdquo The entire de-vice was contained in a wooden box

that he carried on his lap The aerial

used for the experiment was a 120-

foot bronze wire trailing the plane

connected to the ldquosending appara-

tus by a number sixteen copper wirerdquo

The whole gizmo was grounded to a

stay wire on the aircraft connectedldquoto the sending apparatusrdquo Beck ex-

plained ldquoThe wave length measured

by the wave meter at the receiving

station was 575 meters in length This

is rather longer than we had thought

it would berdquo

Simultaneous to Beckrsquos experi-

ment Charlie Willard (another

pioneer aviator) unsuccessfully at-

tempted to send a wireless message

using a different set According to

Beck ldquoHis outfit weighed a trifle less

than the one which I used and his

antenna wire was a trifle longerrdquo Ac-

ldquoengine is practically noiseless when

comparedrdquo with the other planes at

the air meet ldquoSilencerdquo wrote Beck ldquois

an essential factor to the successful

reading of telegraphic codes or thesuccessful undertaking of human

speech by wireless telephonerdquo

Of great concern to the experi-

mentrsquos sponsors was the fact that an

ldquoelectrical dischargerdquo was involved in

the actual receiving of the message

from the ground Thus it was of ldquogreat

importance that the gasoline tank be

thoroughly insulated in order to pre-vent possible ignition from a sparkrdquo

Avoiding such an aerial catastrophe

was to be overcome by using ldquoone of

the guy wires on the Antoinette ma-

chine as the static ground and to drag

from the tail of the airship an alumi-

num wire of great capacity and weigh-

ing less than two pounds though 130feet in length as the antennardquo

Unfortunately as Beck told it ldquothe

god or gods of the elementsrdquo stepped

in On this particular day being ldquoaloft

was dangerous to life and limbrdquo

Lathamrsquos beautiful Antoinette mono-

plane was demolished in an accident

Latham survived the crash but a mere12 months later he died a mysterious

death in the French Congo

Beck understood that aviation was

in its infancy and that ldquowe must creep

before we walkrdquo While the experi-

ment to send a message had failed

due to an air wreck Beck concluded

it had been ldquoreduced to a mere ques-

tion of providing mechanical devices

for deadening the sound of the pro-

pellers shutting out the noise of the

rushing wind and providing some

simple means for placing the received

message in written form on some

Sources

Chief Warrant Officer Mark J

Denger Dominguez Inter-

national Air Meet California

Aviation History wwwMilitary- MuseumorgDominguezhtml

Lt Paul W Beck Aviation Meet

From War Viewpoint How

Army and Navy Will Take Part

San Francisco Examiner January

6 1911 5

Lt JC Walker Jr War Prob-

lems to be Solved In Air San

Francisco Examiner January 7

1911 3

Lt Paul W Beck What Army Is

Striving For Opening Day a

Big Success San Francisco Ex-

aminer January 8 1911 76

Lt Paul W Beck Wreck Spoils Wire-

less Experiment San Francisco

Examiner January 11 1911 2

Lt JC Walker Jr Biplanes in

Wind Please Army Man San

Francisco Examiner January 11

1911 2

Lt Paul W Beck Airplane Wire-

less Experiments Today War

Expert Reviews the Aviation

Meet San Francisco Examiner

January 18 1911 2

Lt Paul W Beck Wireless Adds

New Link To War Chain San Francisco Examiner January 22

1911 67

Flashes of Purple Glint From

Aeroplane in the Sky to Earth

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1744

VAA Friends of the Red BarnName______________________________________________________________________EAA ___________ VAA ___________

Address______________________________________________________________________________________________________

CityStateZIP________________________________________________________________________________________________

Phone___________________________________________________E-Mail______________________________________________

Please choose your level of participation

DiamondPlus$1250

Diamond$1000

Platinum$750

Gold$500

Silver$250

Bronze$100

LoyalSupporter$99 amp Under

EAA VIP Center2 peopleFull

Week

VIP Air Show Seating2 people2

Days2 people1

Day

Close Auto Parking Full Week Full Week 2 Days

Two Tickets to VAA Picnic

Tri-Motor Certificate 2 Tickets 2 Tickets 2 Tickets 1 Ticket

Breakfast at Tall Pines Cafeacute2 PeopleFull Wk

2 PeopleFull Wk

2 PeopleFull Wk

1 PersonFull Wk

Special FORB Cap

Two Passes to VAA Volunteer Party

Special FORB Badge

Access to Volunteer Center

Donor Appreciation Certificate

Name Listed Vintage Airplane Magazine Website and Sign at Red Barn

Donrsquot wait for a mailing from VAA HQ before you send in your contributionmdashto keep our administration costs as low as possible wersquore not

sending out a mailingto each VAA member Please send your donation today while itrsquos fresh in your mindPlease help the VAA and our nearly 500 dedicated volunteers make this an unforgettable experience for our EAA AirVenture guestsYour contribution does make a dif ference There are seven levels of gifts and gift recognition Thank you for whatever you can doHere are some of the many activities the Friends of the Red Barn fund under writes

bullRed Barn Information Desk Supplies bullFlightline Parking Scooters and Supplies bullBreakfast for Past Grand Champions

bullParticipant Plaques and Supplies bullVolunteer Booth Administrative Supplies bullSigns Throughout the Vintage Area

bull Ton irsquos Red Car pet Expre ss Van and Rad ios bullRed Barn and Other Building Maintenance bullAnd More

bullCaps for VAA Volunteers bull Tal l Pin es Caf eacute D in ing Ten t

2 11 VAA Friends of the Red Barn Campaign2011 VAA Friends of the Red Barn CampaignThe VAA annual fundraising campaign fuels VAA action

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1844

T

he worldrsquos first regular air-

mail line was operated by

the United States Army

back in 1918 when a fleet

of old Jennies were pushed back

and forth between New York City

and Washington DC a distance

of two hundred and twenty miles

the fields that no self-respecting pi-

lot would take a second look at in

these times But those were the days

of wooden ships and iron men

Chief pilot on the line was a

handsome youth just out of his

teens Lieutenant James C Edger-

ton who had an unusual knack of

gan There were impressive ceremo-

nies political speeches bouquets of

flowers for the flyers and the Presi-

dent of the United States himself

went down to the Polo Grounds

and wished the pilot who was to

carry the mail to New York ldquoGod

speedrdquo Almost as soon as he left

From the Archives Reprinted from Popular Aviation Dec 1935

First Regular

Airmail FlightBY LIEUT H LATANE LEWIS II

The pilot is receiving his last-minute orders before shoving off with the mail Once more old Jenny

makes history

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1944

through with considerable diffi-

culty The pilot scheduled to make

the flight hopped off from Philadel-

phia and pointed the blunt nose of

his Jennie southward toward Wash-ington The checkerboard fields and

streams sliding beneath his wings

soon became a jigsaw puzzle and

one that he couldnrsquot piece together

The flyer realized that he was hope-

lessly lost He barged around for

awhile and finally decided to come

down and ask directions

Landing on the race track atBridgeton New Jersey forty miles

off his course he became involved

with a group of curious

horses which cracked up

the ship The mail was sent

back to Philadelphia by truck and

started out in another plane with

another pilot About thirty milesout his engine began to miss and

as it was getting dark he turned and

high-tailed back to his home field

Jim Edgerton stepped forward

and offered to save the face of the

new service and take the mail on

to Washington in spite of darkness

and a bad engine Night was comingon in earnest by this time If his en-

gine should conk on the trip down

there would be no flares for him to

release and land by nor would he be

able to bail out with a parachute for

this was before the day of the Cater-

pillar Club And at Washington he

would have no floodlights to illu-

minate the Polo Grounds It would

mean coming into that narrow field

which was surrounded by tall trees

in utter darkness

But Jim was an impatient and

adventurous young man so he

cians all through his eventful flying

career He was the least perturbed of

all as he came roaring down from the

north and circled the inky pit into

which he must bring his ship at thespeed of an express train

There were about half a dozen

automobiles parked around the

field and Jim estimated his ap-

proach from their headlights Spec-

tators heard his engine stop then

the shrill scream of the wind on

his struts and wires Then they

caught sight of a ghost-like silhou-ette against the night sky coming

down in a dizzy slideslip An in-

stant later a gray phantom swept

across the field and settled down

to a perfect landing The mail had

come through

Edgerton was the first pilot who

ever flew into a thunderstorm Upto that time flyers all over the world

looked upon electrical storms as a

deadly menace and had avoided

them as they would a plague Or-

ders had been issued that no mail

pilot should take off if weather con-

ditions were unfavorable

At Philadelphia one afternoon

during the middle of July Jim had

his ship tuned up and was ready to

shove off but down towards the

southwest storm clouds were gath-

ering It was against orders to fly

under such conditions Jim fumed

possible and then as he came over

the ldquoSusquehanna River he ran

smack into it It was a violent line

squall the storm most dreaded of

all by aviators and the kind thatsent the mighty Akron and Shenan-

doah down to destruction On the

ground trees were being uprooted

and houses damaged

ldquoIt was the bumpiest ride I ever

had before or sincerdquo chuckles Jim

Edgerton today as he recalls the

vivid impression it left on him

ldquoWe were thrown all over the skyThe rain and hail were so thick that

I couldnrsquot see the wingtips The

propeller was all chewed

up and I had to throttle

down the engine Butrdquo he

adds modestly ldquoI came out right

on the courserdquo

And the mail was landed inWashington on time

That flight and the others like it

that Edgerton made probably did

more than anything else to give the

public confidence in the reliability

of the airmail Frequently he flew

through dense fog and relied en-

tirely on the crude instruments ofthose early days to keep him in the

air On one of these flights he es-

caped death by as narrow a margin

as was ever vouchsafed a pilot

He shoved off in heavy rain and

soon ran into thick weather He

barged on into it flying blind for

awhile and then climbing up on

the top of the stuff It was so thick

that even the birds had to walk Af-

ter about an hour and a half he

decided to try to find the ground

to check his course He was com-

ing down in a fast glide when sud-

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2044

altitude the fog was so thick

it was like being submerged

in pea soup but occasion-

ally there would be a break

and Edgerton would catcha glimpse of the ground and

know where he was

As he passed over Havre

de Grace there suddenly

loomed up dead ahead a

church steeple He was right

on it before he saw it He

banked for all he was worth

standing the old crock rightup on her ear and missed

the steeple by a miracle

But the crowning thr ill

of the day came a little later

as he passed the Army Proving

Ground at Aberdeen

ldquoWe were flying at an altitude of

about 150 feetrdquo Edgerton recallsldquoVisibility was practically nil Sud-

denly there was a terrific bump al-

most as violent as if the plane had

struck something That afternoon

Army authorities at Aberdeen

called up and said that an airplane

had flown over there and almost

collided with a shell fired from a16-inch gunrdquo

Is it any wonder that Edgertonrsquos

hair has turned slightly gray

On another occasion Jim got

caught in a vicious summer thun-

derstorm over Baltimore He was

flying his faithful old mount No

38274 The turbulent air tossed

the frail wooden Jenny about like

a ship on a rough sea One instant

her nose would be pointed straight

toward heaven and the next instant

Jim would see the ground rush-

ing up at him just over the engine

of a lead pencil were spurting out

Soon the whole forward part of the

fuselage was saturated

Jim watched the lightning play-

ing about the metal parts of the

plane and waited for the spark

that would blow him to shreds and

splatter him all over Baltimore But

Lady Luck was riding with him

again and the spark never came

He rode out the storm and brought

had broken and was dangling al-

most in the shining arc of the

propeller If it became entangled

in the prop it would shatter it to

a million splinters and probablytear the engine loose

Throttling down Jim maneu-

vered as best he could to keep

wire and prop from that fatal

embrace Below him were plenty

of flat broad fields into which

he could have glided But that

would mean delaying the mail

so the plucky youngster kept go-ing and finally sat down safely

in Washington

Altogether Edgerton made

fifty-three trips and never failed

to bring the mail through on any

of them On only one did he have

a forced landing

He was over Camp Meade Mary-land when a magneto shaft broke

There was a terrific jolt that almost

jumped the engine out of the ship

For once Jim had to come down

and come down in a hurry He

looked below him and his heart

stood still He was plunging straight

towards the heads of hundreds ofmarching men on parade

Lower and lower sank the help-

less Jenny Edgerton flattened his

glide as much as he dared and tried

to squeeze over the soldiers He was

almost knocking their hats off but

still the Yanks continued to hold

their ground

ldquoI just skimmed over their heads

and landed on the very edge of the

parade groundrdquo Jim laughingly re-

lates ldquoIt was my old outfit and they

certainly gave me a welcomerdquo

It was just a bit demoralizing to

With the mail aboard the pilot proceeds to warm

up the OX-5 which animates the Jenny

Authentic dope on the

controversial subject

ldquoWho flew the firstairmailrdquo In spite of the

many claims to priority by

various pilots we believe

that this is the real

answer to the problem

An old Jenny as usual

does the work

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2144

AirVenture amp Ford Together Again

REO Speedwagon Concert Monday

600PM next to the Ford Hangar

Fly In Theater Nightly Sunday ndash

Saturday 830PM Camp Scholler

Cruisinrsquo Legends See Mustangs and

more Knapp Street near Warbirds

Model T Experience Tour in a Model

T ldquoCruisinrsquo Legendsrdquo

ldquoBlues Brothersrdquo Tribute Party

Saturday 630PM Ford ldquoHangar of Bluesrdquo

Free Ice Cream Nightly in the camp-

grounds ndash from the Transit Connect

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2244

My son and I spent the better part of

six years restoring an Aeronca 7BCM

Jeff was 13 years old when we started

the project and 19 when we finished

sponds quickly to my urging as I

push the throttle control forward

to begin a low-level no-radio no-

transponder flight from Charles W

time I admit to being spoiled first by

low-frequency ldquobeamsrdquo then VORs

DME RNAV LORAN and now GPS

But for this flight I left all that behind

To Follow the LineThis was the way I had learned navigation to follow the line

BY E JEFF JUSTIS

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE AUTHOR

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Down low it was fun once more

watching the small towns pass

even being able to read the names

on water towers

In north-central Mississippi

there appears a vast forest spread-

ing out beneath my wings an il-

lusory remnant of the gloriouswilderness that once extended

from the East Coast to the Great

Plains Now clear-cutting scars are

evidence of manrsquos meddling graf-

fiti on our planetrsquos face

I am surprised at the hills of

North Mississippi at higher al-

titudes they flatten into the ter-rain but here at 1000 feet above

the ground the hills are alive with

depth and color

My craft and I intruders in his

world pass a circling hawk I look

down and try to see the tiny crea-

ture I am sure he sees but where

he must perceive the slightest rus-tle of the brush I see only patterns

of green and brown and the bright

blue of reflected sky

Enough of this sightseeing I should

have crossed this highway a couple

of miles farther to the north I make a

slight correction Highways They criss-

cross this land cutting it into smaller

and smaller bits these scratches of

man meant little when there were

fewer men but now they separate deer

from deer and life from life

At the edge of a field pebbled by

round bales of hay rests a red tractor Jeff Justis was just 13 when he and his family embarked on the restoration of

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2444

suppose is the essence of life

Soon the forward horizon bulges

upward as I approach old tectonic

ridges aligned northeast-southwest

near Birmingham The dark greenof the forested ridges contrasts with

the lighter verdant hues of manrsquos

cultivation Ahead a sharp razor-

backed ridge prompts a climb to

3000 feet I teeter across the top and

slide down toward the broad valley

on the eastern side My first land-

ing after one hour and 45 minutes is

welcome As a no-radio aircraft I am

careful to follow the standard pat-

tern and glide down final touching

down on the much-too-long-for-

The-Champ runway of Posey AirportMost cross-country flights in

the rsquo50s were from grass strip to

grass strip A red gas pump would

be brought into service by the col-

orful operatormechanic of these

old aerodromes Aeroncas and

Luscombes were everywhere and

Cessna 195s were the elite air-

planes Now on this ramp my

Aeronca is an anachronism

A King Air is being readied for cor-

porate passengers and my little tail-

dragger is lost on the large apronFortunately we modified the 7BCM

with a starter and generator so I do

not have to find someone to help me

get started In years past almost ev-

ery lineman was proficient in hand-

propping now itrsquos almost a lost art

Soon I am on the way to my

next stop Lagrange Georgia I am

fooled by the appearance of a large

airport an old military field at 12

orsquoclock on the horizon Only when

I get close enough do I realize this is

not the field I am supposed to over-

fly and that I am 10 miles south of

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2544

ramp taking nearly as long as the

flight itself

The cost of this slow flight is cer-

tainly minimal with fill-ups after

two hours averaging 15 or so dol-

lars Besides the trip has been fun so

far relearning old navigation tricks

and seeing the country down low

Now I have only a few more milesto navigate to Eaglesrsquo Landing The

fly-in community strip is near Wil-

liamson Georgia and just east of a

northeast-southwest-oriented rail-

road I decide to proceed due east

find the railroad and follow it

northeast toward the destination

I cross a highway but see no rail-road A few miles further still no

railroad I must have passed it Af-

ter a 180 I find the highway again

but nohellipwait what is that That is

an abandoned rail line for sure and

it does parallel the road I continue

northeast scanning the horizon

passing pretty fields and housesI locate one airport with houses

neatly lining both sides of the single

runway but it is not Eaglesrsquo Landing

Soon I see Griffin Georgia I have

come too far I ease The Champ into

a bank to try again back down the

rail line andhellipherersquos a golf coursehellip

and yes there are two grass run-

ways meeting in a ldquoVrdquo I circle andmake a low pass over the northwest

runway watching my friends wave

from their yard ldquoWhat a nice place

to liverdquo I think as I line up on final

I glide just above the grass and

A foil tape antenna ground plane was just one of the nifty little touches added

to The Champ as the two Jeffs restored their airplane

Doesnrsquot ever yone use Champ

tail surfaces as decorative ele-

ments in their household dec-orating Mrs Justis is a very

patient woman

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2644

CALIFORNIAHayward CA VIN 29

Meeting 2nd Thurs 600 pm

Hayward Airport

See website for hangar info

Gary Oberti President

Phone 510-357-8600

E-mail infovaa29org

Website wwwvaa29org

CALIFORNIASacramento CA VIN 25

Meeting 2nd Sat 900 am

See chapter website for location

Robert Opdahl President

Phone 530-273-7348

E-mail bopdahlsbcglobalnet

Website wwwVin25org

CAROLINAS VIRGINIAWalnut Cove NC VIN 3

Meeting Contact President

Susan Dusenbury President

Phone 336-591-3931

E-mail sr6sueaolcom

Website wwwVAA3org

FLORIDALakeland FL VIN 1

Meeting Contact President

Bobby Capozzi President

Phone 352-475-9736

INDIANAAuburn IN VIN 37

Meeting 4th Thurs 700 pm

DeKalb County Airport (kGWB)

Hangar AmdashVAA 37 Clubhouse

Drew Hoffman President

Phone 260-515-3525

E-mail drewhoffmanvaa37org

Website wwwVAA37org

KANSASOverland Park KS VIN 16

Meeting 2nd Fri 730 pm

CAF Hangar

New Century Airport

Kevin Pratt President

Phone 913-541-1149

E-mail kprattvaa16com

Website wwwVAA16com

LOUISIANANew Iberia LA VIN 30

Meeting 1st Sun 900 am

LeMaire Memorial Airport Hangar 4

Roland Denison President

Phone 337-365-3047

E-mail vaa30coxnet

MINNESOTAAlbert Lea MN VIN 13

Meeting 2nd Thurs 700 pm

Albert Lea Airport FBO

OHIODelaware OH VIN 27

Meeting 3rd Sat 8-10AM May thru Sept

Delaware Municiple Airport (DLZ)

Terminal Building

Woody McIntire President

Phone 740-362-7228

E-mail wjmcintirecscom

Website wwwEAAdlzorg

OHIOZanesville OH VIN 22

Meeting 2nd Fri 630 pm

Perry County Airport

John Morozowsky President

Phone 740-453-6889

OKLAHOMATulsa OK VIN 10

Meeting 4th Thurs 700 PM

Hardesty South Regional Library

No meetings in July Nov amp Dec

Joe Champagne President

Phone 918-257-4688

Email skypalgroveemailcom

TEXASSpring TX VIN 2

Meeting 4th Sun 200 PM

David Wayne Hooks Airport (KDWH)

Fred Ramin President

Phone 281-255-4430

Vintage Chapter LocatorVisit the VAA chapter nearest you and get to know some great old-airplane enthusiasts You donrsquot need

to be a pilot to join in the funmdashjust have a love of the great airplanes of yesteryear

Chapter 27 of Delaware Ohio hosts a monthly pancake breakfast where attendees enjoy the camara-derie among the airplanes

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2744

When Albert Vollmecke joined

Arkansas Aircraft Company in Sep-tember 1927 he brought fresh ideas

from his native Germany regarding

aircraft design stability and safety

He would on occasion return to

Germany to bring back something

new for the company In 1928 Ar-

kansas Aircraft Company changed

its name to Command-Aire Incor-porated and the production run

of new ships increased in its Little

Rock Arkansas plant

After one such visit to Ger-

many Vollmecke returned with

the rights to import and sell the

PHYLAX fire-extinguisher system

patented (GB 0267542) March 10

1926 and manufactured in Berlinby Phylax Feuerlosch-Automaten-

Bau GmbH The PHYLAX fire-

extinguisher system consisted of

a tank containing the extinguish-

ing liquid From the tank which

BY ROBERT G LOCK

Early 1047297re-extinguishing system

THE Vintage

Mechanic

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2844

advertisement from AVIATION

November 1928 using the OX-5

powered model 3C3 ship to dem-

onstrate the system

The PHYLAX system consisted

of a pressurized tank of fluid with

associated lines and nozzles lead-

ing to the engine compartment of

the ship Note here that the unit

is manufactured in t he United

States by the Aero Supply Man-

ufacturing Company located in

Long Island New York The cost

of the unit is $70 in this May 1929

advertisement in an aviation mag-

azine Illustration 2 shows the

manufacturerrsquos advertisement for

the product

In a letter dated April 10 1929

Mr Wiley Wright assistant sales

director for Command-Aire Incor-

porated wrote

ldquoCommand-Aire Incorporated

acquired the exclusive franchise

rights for PHYLAX automatic fire

extinguishers in the United States

Mexico and Central America This

extinguisher is the only automatic

fire extinguisher available and is

standard equipment on many Eu-

ropean lines It is manufactured

by PHYLAX Bau of Germany and

is receiving great response in the

United States at the present timerdquo

In this factory Illustration 3

and from the files of Albert Voll-

mecke is a 110-hp Warner engine

mounted in the Command-Aire

model 3C3-A ship Note the en-

gine cowling being neatly fitted

around cylinders and associated

tubes The 3C3-A had a very longnose due to its light weight ne-

ce s s i ta t ing a longer a rm f or

weight and balance control In

this photo the PHYLAX sprinkler

heads are visible behind the mag-

netos down near the carburetor

and behind the oil inlet hoses on

the accessory case of the engineIllustration 3 is an original fac-

tory photograph of the PHYLAX

system installed in the nose of a

model 3C3-A

Illustration 4 is the same photo-

graph with some details removed

and other details added princi-

pally the identification of the PHY-LAX automatic fuse that fired the

bottle of extinguishing fluid and

the sprinkler heads These illustra-

tions taken from a Command-Aire

original factory brochure from the

files of Albert Vollmecke

Illustration 5 on page 27 is a

sketch from the PHYLAX patent

0267542 dated March 10 1926A general description of the PHY-

LAX system is contained within

the patent and states ldquoThe inven-

tion relates to a fire extinguishing

device intended for use particu-

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2944

not indicate what type of extinguishing fluid was

contained within the tank however soda-acid was

widely used in those days and carbon tetrachloridewas invented in 1912 by the Pyrene Company

In a communication from Command-Aire Pres-

ident Robert Snowden regarding the purchase of

stock options in the company he states ldquoOur ex-

clusive franchise for the sale of Phylax automatic

Illustration 3

Illustration 4

Illustration 5

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3044

homeland on a regular basis and

always brought back some new in-

vention or new ideas on design andsafety This system was certainly

ahead of its time safety-wise and a

credit to Vollmeckersquos focus on sta-

bility and safety for his designs

Above in this original factory

photograph (Illustration 6) of a

Command-Aire 3C3-T fuselage on

the assembly line at the Little Rock

plant the PHYLAX system can beseen mounted in the rear cock-

pit just behind the front seat in

the center of the photograph The

chemical bottles with two lines

tied to the side tubes run forward

Illustration 6

Pyrene 1047297re extinguishers

were made of brass and

were nicely polished

They were not high-pressure units

but required the use of a hand pump

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3144

Pyrene fire extinguishers were

made of brass and were nicely pol-

ished They were not high-pressureunits but required the use of a

hand pump to generate pressure

to expel liquid from the cylinder

These extinguishers were gener-

ally mounted in the rear cockpit

ton or linen fabric and the only

dope available was cellulose ni-

trate that burned like a torch when

lit Watching nitrate dope burn

reminded me of a Fourth of July

sparkler very intense and hot If

a nitrate-doped ship caught fire in

the air there was no extinguisher

that would put out the flames

The PHYLAX system had an auto-

matic sensor that would trigger the

bottlersquos valve open and send the

chemical into the engine compart-

ment The Pyrene extinguisher wasmore for ground use because you

could not operate the bottle and

fly the airplane at the same time

By todayrsquos standards these ex-

tinguishing systems seem ar-

chaic but for the time back in

the 1920s they were the thing to

have in your automobile boator airplane

Editorrsquos Note WARNING An-

tique carbon tetrachloride fire extin-

guishers like the Pyrene occasionally

show up either contaminated with

the original agent or worse yet with

the full charge of agent still inside

Carbon tet is treated as a hazard-

ous substance (its use was banned

in consumer products in 1970) and

should be dealt with accordingly

In fact carbon tetrachloride when

heated by a fire will create poison-

ous phosgene gas (World War Irsquos

ldquonerve gasrdquo) something that would

definitely ruin someonersquos day if the

fire hadnrsquot done so already In its

standard form this substance is verytoxic to the liver and a single signifi-

cant exposure can result in sickness

or death

L a n g l ey may have been the

f h f i i i b

last and last The instruction

l i l d f

1903 Samuel Pierpont Langleyrsquos ldquoAerodromerdquoattempts to take off from a floating platform

Have a comment or ques-

tion for Bob Lock the Vintage

Mechanic Drop us an e-mail at

vintageaircrafteaaorg or you

can mail your question to Vintage

Airplane PO Box 3086 Osh-

kosh WI 54903

Illustration 7

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3244

Authorrsquos Note We held a small open house at the

flight school hangar this past Saturday Though the

weather was not conducive to give many rides we still

had about 60 people show up enjoy a brat or ham-

burger and talk about flying or learning to fly Interest

in flying is not dead One of my pet peeves is how we

in general aviation go about attracting individuals tolearn the pleasure of flight

Nearly every aviation publication I read carries ar-

ticles and editorials about the downward spiral of gen-

eral aviation Flight schools are having a hard time

attracting new students ldquoDoom and gloomrdquo reigns

with little positive to report on the horizon This al-

ways reminds me of the proverbial three wise mon-keys who embody the principle ldquoSee no evil hear no

evil and speak no evilrdquo We all complain about the

problem but no one ever offers solutions It seems as

though by not doing anything about the challenge it

will eventually go away and right itself

Many of the aviation organizations are wringing

their respective hands giving great lip service to the

drop in pilot numbers Some like EAA have launched

activities to attract new pilots such as the Young Ea-gles program This has been a good start but it will not

fill the ever-increasing void for more pilots

What are we all missing FUN

Four years ago I chose early retirement from a 38-

The student make-up is a real cross-section of Amer-

ica My youngest student to date began flight lessons

at age 14 and the oldest was 77 years young Irsquove men-

tioned some of my students in previous articles At

yearrsquos end 2010 while converting our student files

from paper to computer I was amazed to discover that

in the previous two years I had given instruction tomore than 200 individuals Some were new students

others were individuals in search of a tailwheel en-

dorsement and many were older individuals who had

pursued flight training early in their lives but gave it

up to raise a family Now they had the time and still re-

tained the burning desire to get back into flying What

attracted these individuals to the flight school FUN

And thefun

challenge of flying J-3 Cubs

Herersquos a small cross-section of this yearrsquos group

of students

bullA retired US Navy lieutenant who flew F-4 Phan-

toms off carriers in Vietnam He hasnrsquot done any fly-

ing in more than 10 years but hersquos been building a

Skybolt which will soon be finished and hersquos return-

ing to his lifelong lovemdashaviation He also has two

young sons who want to fly and will soon be joining

the group of student pilotsbullA young CPA from Iowa whose grandfather was a

friend of Bernie Pietenpol and who has built two Piets

The CPA used two weeks of his vacation time to learn

to fly so that he can fly the airplane(s) that his grandfa-

ther built and take his grandfather for a ride

BY Steve Krog CFI

THE Vintage

Instructor

Vintage flying is very much alive

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3344

Cubs flying every day he decided to pursue his pas-

sion for flight

bullA national chain hardware store employee who

has had a dream of flying driving nearly two hours

each way to learn to fly in a Cub

bullAn aviation writervideo producer who already has

a sport pilot certificate but desires to obtain a private

pilot certificate and do so in Cubs

bullA 30-something young family man who sells

construction equipment attachments While deer

hunting a year ago he learned one of his hunting

friends had recently learned to fly in Cubs For three

days they talked airplanes and flying rather than do-

ing much hunting Upon his return from the hunt-ing trip he drove to the airport and signed up for

lessons in the Cub

bullA professional musician from the Chicago area

who always wanted to learn to fly Although not yet

old enough to have a true ldquobucket listrdquo learning to fly

a Cub was number one on his list

With two exceptions these individuals had never

before flown or flown in tailwheel airplanes but alwayshad a dream of learning to fly in a Cubmdashjust like dad

or granddad did many years ago

Although no one in this group comes from simi-

lar backgrounds or professions there is one common

denominator among every studentmdashFUN None of

these students are learning to fly to pursue a career

in aviation (although Irsquove worked with a couple who

have done so) Rather they are learning to fly or get-

ting back into flying for the FUN and CHALLENGE of

flight They all have a true love of flight and seeing the

world from 500 feet with the door and window open

I have also worked with a number of students who

began taking flight lessons but quit after a period of

time They still had the passion for flight but gave it

up When asked why the responses fell into one of the

following four categories

bullI began taking lessons but after three or four les-sons Irsquod be assigned to a different instructor After 30

hours of dual three instructors and still not having

soloed I quit

bullThe instructor wasnrsquot teaching me anything He

was more interested in building time than teaching

Take a moment and think about how you first be-

came interested in airplanes What triggered your

pursuit of learning to fly Did you have a buddy or

maybe a family friend who encouraged you Or even

became a mentor Do you remember your first flight

lesson Do you remember the day you made your

first solo flight

Remember that passion and sense of accomplish-

ment Donrsquot hesitate to share it with anyone express-

ing an interest in learning to fly

At Cub Air Flight we sell FUN When individuals

visit the airport to inquire about learning to fly we

know they have made the commitment in their own

mind It then becomes our responsibility to makethe visit friendly A friendly environment is a FUN

environment Kids are always welcome If a prospec-

tive student has children with him or her we invite

the kids to sit in the planes At the conclusion of our

discussion we emphasize the following statement If

you learn to fly with us it will be FUN CHALLENG-

ING and SAFE

I donrsquot believe there is a shortage of pilot prospectsbut there is a shortage in how we all go about attract-

ing these people to become active participants in plea-

sure flying Remember flying is FUN Letrsquos make an

effort to help others share in that FUN

AERO CLASSICldquoCOLLECTOR SERIESrdquo

Vintage Tires New USA Production

Show off your pride and joy with afresh set of Vintage Rubber Thesenewly minted tires are FAA-TSOrsquodand speed rated to 120 MPH Some

things are better left the way theywere and in the 40rsquos and 50rsquos these tires were perfectly intune to the exciting times in aviation

Not only do these tires set your vintage plane apart fromthe rest but also look exceptional on all General Aviationaircraft Deep 832nd tread depth offers above averagetread life and UV treated rubber resists aging

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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We enjoy your suggestions for

Mystery Planesmdashin fact more than

half of our subjects are sent to us by

members often via e-mail Please

remember that if you want to scan

the photo for use in Mystery Plane

it must be at a resolution of 300 dpior greater You may send a lower-

resolution version to us for our re-

view but the final version has to be

at that level of detail or it will not

print properly Also please let us

craft in the photo is of Canadian civil

registry CF-BXO formerly Royal Cana-

dian Air Force (RCAF) 920 This photo-

graph would have been taken at some

time between 1962 and 1967 after an

overhaul at Abbotsford British Colum-

bia (BC) and possibly while in servicewith Stranraer Aerial Enterprises The

location strongly resembles the Fraser

River dockings at the Vancouver air-

port The aircraft had undergone a re-

spray with a bright red cheat line The

(beaching gear required) for the Royal Air

Force (RAF) in 1933 The prototype first

flew in October 1934 with two Bristol

Pegasus IIIM engines rated at 820 hp

The production aircraft were delivered to

the RAF with Pegasus engines delivering

920 hp entering service in April 1937The British-built machines of which 23

were ordered and only 17 being built

were all delivered by April 1939

In Canada Canadian Vickers Lim-

ited of Montreal Quebec produced 40

Send your answer to EAA Vin-

tage Airplane PO Box 3086 Osh-

kosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer

needs to be in no later than August

20 for inclusion in the October

2011 issue of Vintage Airplane

You can also send your response via

e-mail Send your answer to mystery

planeeaaorg Be sure to include your

name plus your city and state in the

body of your note and put ldquo(Month)

Mystery Planerdquo in the subject line

This monthrsquos Mystery Plane comes to us from Bruce Voran

MYSTERY PLANE

by HG FRAUTSCHY

A P R I L rsquo S M Y S T E RY A N S W E R

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QCA began buying several examplesand was instrumental in convincing

the Canadian Department of Transport

(DOT) to issue a civilian Certificate of

Airworthiness (C of A) One of the first

aircraft so issued was CF-BYI which be-

1980 the Canadian Museum of Flightand Transportation in BC salvaged the

wreck for possible restoration As late as

April 1952 QCA still had two Stranraer

in service CF-BXO and CF-BYM Pacific

Western Airlines (PWA) also operated

Two RAF Belfast freighters were dis-

patched and the disassembled aircraft

was transported to the United Kingdomwhere the machine is currently one of the

centerpieces of the collection

The aircraft type had many names

The most familiar (and printable) were

Stranny Strainer and Flying Meccano

Set The least affectionate was the Whis-

tling Shouse as when the lid to the

throne was lifted there was direct access

to the great outdoors and there emitted a

loud whistling noise

Other correct answers were re-

ceived from Hillis Cunliffe Mill-

brook Alabama Brian Baker Sun

City Arizona Wesley R Smith

Springfield Illinois John White-

head Cheyenne Wyoming ScottChurch Cochrane Alberta Can-

ada Jay Broze Walla Walla Wash-

ington Jerry Paterson Kent

Washington Jamie Patterson Mi-

ramichi New Brunswick Canada

Bill Bishop of Mulgoa New South Wales Australia sent along this photo

of the surviving Supermarine Stranraer

David Nixon supplied us with the April Mystery Plane shot of CF-BXO

a Canadian Vickers-built Supermarine Stranraer

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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urday 8 am until 6 pm Early-bird

arrivals can shop on the pre-conven-

tion weekend as well during limited

hours Show your VAA membership

card (or your receipt showing you

joined VAA at the convention) and

yoursquoll receive a 10 percent discount

VAA Volunteer Opportunities

Are you an ace pancake flipperIf yoursquore not one yet we can help

The VAA Tall Pines Cafeacute is looking

for volunteers who can help provide

a hearty breakfast to all the hungry

campers on the south end of Witt-

man Field If you could lend a hand

for a morning or two wersquod appreci-

ate it If thatrsquos not your cup of tea feelfree to check with the VAA Volunteer

Center located just to the northeast

of the VAA Red Barn The volun-

teers who operate the booth will be

happy to tell you when your help is

needed each day It doesnrsquot matter if

itrsquos just for a few hours or for a few

daysmdashwersquod love to have your help-

ing hands There is no need for you

to contact us ahead of time you can

talk with us when you arrive

VAA Judging Categoriesand Awards

The VAArsquos internationally recog-

nized judging categories are

bullAntique Aircraft built prior toSeptember 1 1945

bullClassic September 1 1945 - De-

cember 31 1955

bullContemporary January 1 1956

- December 31 1970

VAA NEWScontinued frpm page 5

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the award winners Judging closes at noon on Friday

July 29 The Awards Ceremony will be held Saturday

evening July 30 at 6 pm in the Vintage Hangar

just south of the VAA Red Barn

Designated Smoking Areas Near FlightlineSmoking on the flightline at EAA AirVenture is prohib-

ited because itrsquos a hazard to all aircraft There are several

designated smoking areas with butt cans along the flight-

line well away from aircraft and refueling operations

Designated smoking areas will be south of the ultra-light runway near the Hangar Cafeacute near the Warbirdsarea (northeast corner of Audrey Lane and Eide Av-

enue) the Wearhouse flag pole area the shade pavil-ion north of the control tower and near the UltralightBarn Locations will be indicated on EAArsquos free con-vention grounds map The admission wristband alsoinstructs visitors that smoking is allowed only in desig-nated smoking areas

More on the Web

Visit wwwAirVentureorg for more information onEAA AirVenture 2011

EAA AirVenture Is Almost Here Are You Ready

Just a few short weeks from now many of you will

make the annual pilgrimage to Oshkosh for EAA Air-

Venture 2011 Are you ready Here are several handy

online tools on the AirVenture website that can help

you take care of any last-minute concerns

Visit wwwAirVentureorg and find out what you

need to know about The Worldrsquos Greatest Avia-

tion Celebration

Admission Parking Hours

wwwAirVentureorgplanningadmissionhtml

Find or Share a Ride to Oshkosh

wwwAirVentureorgrideshare

Site Map

wwwAirVentureorgplanningschedules_mapshtml

Where to Stay

Yoursquore cleared to stay connected

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3844

ship services at 800-564-6322 but

given the time from when you read

this until AirVenture it may not ar-

rive in the mail in time for your de-

parture We suggest downloading

the NOTAM

The NOTAM contains the specialflight procedures in effect for Witt-

man Regional Airport and alternate

airports from 6 am CDT on Friday

July 22 to 12 pm CDT on Mon-

day August 1 2011 All pilots who

fly into the event are expected to

know the special flight procedures

prior to arrival EAA AirVenture Os-

hkosh runs from July 25 through

July 31 For additional EAA AirVen-

ture Oshkosh 2011 information

visit wwwAirVentureorg

Call for VAA Hall of

Fame Nominations

To the left is our information

for nominations for VAArsquos Hallof Fame which is presented each

year during a special dinner This

yearrsquos dinner will be held Friday

October 28 Wersquoll have more on

this yearrsquos inductee John Under-

To nominate someone is easy It just takes a little time and a little reminiscing on your part

Mail nominating materials to

Remember your ldquocontemporaryrdquo may be a candidate nominate someone today

wwwVintageAircraftorg

CALL FOR VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

Nominations

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

Wit tman Regional A i rpor t (OSH)

Oshkosh Wisconsin

July 25-31 2011

wwwAirVentureorg

Colorado Sport International Air Show

and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In

Rocky Mountain Met ropol i tan A irpor t (BJC)

Denver Colorado

August 27-28 2011

wwwCOSportAviationorg

Mid-Eastern Regional Fly-In

Gr imes F ie ld A irpor t (I74)

Urbana Ohio

September 10-11 2011

httpMERFIcom

Copperstate Fly-In

Casa Grande Munic ipal A i rpor t (CGZ)

Casa Grande Ar izona

Upcoming Major

Fly-Ins

W I N

Only 2000 ticketswill be sold1 ticket $50

3 tickets $125

Piper Tri-Pacer Airplane

Free Flying Lessons

Free Pilot License

Country Legend Roy Clarkrsquos Personal Proceeds fromthis raffle

SAVEAMERICANKIDS LIVES

wwwwingsofhoperaffleorg

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4044

MISCELLANEOUS

wwwaerolistorg Aviationsrsquo Leading

Marketplace

Rare find Lycoming 0-145 partsinventory blocks bearings rings

shafts amp much more $20000

at 1970 prices $5000 Six four

cylinder case aircraft magnetos

$300 Call for more details (FL)

VINTAGETRADER

Someth ing t o buyse l l o r t rade

Classified Word Ads $550 per 10

words 180 words maximum with boldface

lead-in on first line

Classified Display Ads One column wide

(2167 inches) by 1 2 or 3 inches high at

$20 per inch Black and white only and nofrequency discounts

Advertising Closing Dates 10th of second

month prior to desired issue date (ie

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 (classads

eaaorg ) using credit card payment (all cards

accepted) Include name on card complete

address type of card card number and

expiration date Make checks payable to EAA

Address advertising correspondence to EAA

Publications Classified Ad Manager PO Box

3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

What Our Members

Are Restoring

Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done and

yoursquore busy flying and showing it off If so wersquod like to hear from

you Send us a 4-by-6-inch print from a commercial source (no

home printers please those prints just donrsquot scan well) or a

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4144

EAAMembership in the Experimental Aircraft

Association Inc is $40 for one year includ-ing 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION Familymembership is an additional $10 annually Allmajor credit cards accepted for membership(Add $16 for International Postage)

FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPSPlease submit your remittance with a

check or draft drawn on a United Statesbank payable in United States dollars Addrequired Foreign Postage amount for eachmembership

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATIONCurrent EAA members may join the

Vintage Aircraft Association and receive

year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not included)(Add $7 for International Postage)

WARBIRDSCurrent EAA members may join the EAA

Warbirds of America Division and receiveWARBIRDS magazine for an additional$45 per year

EAA Membership WARBIRDS mag-azine and one year membership in theWarbirds Division is available for $55 per

year (SPORT OficAVIATION magazinenot included) (Add $7 for Interna-tional Postage)

IACCurrent EAA members may join the

International Aerobatic Club Inc Divi-sion and receive SPORT AEROBATICS magazine for an additional $45 per year

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

VINTAGE

AIRCRAFT

ASSOCIATION

OFFICERS

DIRECTORS

DIRECTORS

EMERITUS

PresidentGeoff Robison

1521 E MacGregor DrNew Haven IN 46774

260-493-4724chief7025aolcom

Vice-PresidentGeorge Daubner

N57W34837 Pondview LnOconomowoc WI 53066

262-560-1949 gdaubnereaaorg

Steve Bender85 Brush Hill Road

Sherborn MA 01770508-653-7557

sst10comcastnet

David Bennett375 Killdeer Ct

Lincoln CA 95648916-952-9449

antiquerinreachcom

Jerry Brown4605 Hickory Wood Row

Greenwood IN 46143317-422-9366

lbrown4906aolcom

Dave Clark635 Vestal Lane

Plainfield IN 46168317-839-4500davecpdattnet

John S Copeland1A Deacon Street

Northborough MA 01532508-393-4775

copeland1junocom

Phil Coulson28415 Springbrook Dr

Lawton MI 49065269-624-6490

rcoulson516cscom

Dale A Gustafson7724 Shady Hills Dr

Indianapolis IN 46278317-293-4430

dalefayemsncom

Jeannie HillPO Box 328

Harvard IL 60033-0328815-943-7205

Espie ldquoButchrdquo Joyce704 N Regional Rd

Greensboro NC 27409336-668-3650

windsockaolcom

Steve Krog1002 Heather Ln

Hartford WI 53027262-966-7627sskrogaolcom

Robert D ldquoBobrdquo Lumley1265 South 124th StBrookfield WI 53005

262-782-2633rlumley1wirrcom

SH ldquoWesrdquo Schmid2359 Lefeber Avenue

Wauwatosa WI 53213414-771-1545

shschmidgmailcom

Robert C Brauer9345 S Hoyne

Chicago IL 60643773-779-2105

photopilotaolcom

Gene Chase2159 Carlton Rd

Oshkosh WI 54904920-231-5002

GRCHAcharternet

Ronald C Fritz15401 Sparta Ave

Kent City MI 49330616-678-5012

rFritzpathwaynet com

Charlie HarrisPO Box 470350Tulsa OK 74147

918-622-8400cwhhvsucom

EE ldquoBuckrdquo Hilbert8102 Leech RdUnion IL 60180

815-923-4591buck7acgmailcom

Gene Morris5936 Steve Court

Roanoke TX 76262817-491-9110

genemor rischarter net

Membership Services DirectoryEnjoy the many benefits of EAA and

EAArsquos Vintage Aircraft Association

EAA Aviation Center PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086Phone (920) 426-4800 Fax (920) 426-4873Web Sites wwwvintageaircraftorg wwwairventureorg wwweaaorgmemberbenefits E-Mail vintageaircrafteaaorg

EAA and Division Membership Services (800 AMndash600 PM MondayndashFriday CST)800-564-6322 FAX 920-426-4873 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

bullNewrenew memberships bullAddress changes bullMerchandise sales bullGift memberships

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 888-322-4636 wwwairventureorg airventureeaaorg

Sport PilotLight-Sport Aircraft Hotline 877-359-1232 wwwsportpilotorg sportpiloteaaorg

Programs and Activities

Auto Fuel STCs 920-426-4843 stceaaorg EAA Air Academy 920-426-6880 wwwairacademyorg airacademyeaaorg

EAA Scholarships 920-426-6823 scholarshipseaaorg

Library ServicesResearch 920-426-4848 slurveyeaaorg

Benefits

AUA Vintage Insurance Plan 800-727-3823 wwwauaonlinecom

EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan 866-647-4322 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

EAA VISA Card 800-853-5576 ext 8884

EAA Her tz Rent-A-Car Program 800-654-2200 wwweaaorghertz membershipeaaorg

VAA EditorialExecutive Director 920-426-4825 wwwvintageaircraftorg vintageeaaorg

VAA Office 920-426-6110 tbookseaaorg

TM

EAA Members Information Line 888-EAA-INFO (322-4636)

Use this toll-free number for information about AirVenture Oshkosh aeromedical and technical aviation questions

chapters and Young Eagles Please have your membership number ready when calling

Office hours are 815 am - 500 pm (Monday - Friday CST)

SecretarySteve Nesse

2009 Highland AveAlbert Lea MN 56007

507-373-1674

stnes2009livecom

TreasurerDan Knutson

106 Tena Marie CircleLodi WI 53555608-592-7224

lodicubcharternet

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4244

If yoursquove ever watched fish in

an aquarium yoursquove probably no-

ticed how they respond differently

to their surroundings There are

those that zip around the tank in a

mad dash to nowhere Some seem

to sit and not go much of any-

where and some will swim f romone end to the other turn around

and do it again

The latter are the ones that remind

me of myself I seem to fly in a fish-

bowl I go from one end of our val-

proficient by practicing things we

know over and over or it can make

us lazy When something becomes

so ingrained that we do it from habit

only we may not be thinking about

what wersquore doing

On a night cross-country some

time ago I found out just how easyit is to forget things that I hadnrsquot

used in a while While night may be

a little more challenging it still re-

quires the basic pre-flight planning

of any cross-country and following

whether I go far or stay in the com-

fort zone I canrsquot let complacency take

over Those skills and experiences

need to be stretched from time to

time regardless of where I fly An un-

expected situation or emergency is a

bad time to find out I donrsquot remem-

ber how to do somethingComplacency also allows fear

to creep in where it doesnrsquot belong

Some fear (I think) is a natural part of

flying but it can also unnecessarily

keep us grounded because we wonrsquot

BY S MICHELLE SOUDER

Flying Outside

the Fishbowl

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4344

Itrsquos gonna be a big year at Oshk osh

B-29 Superfortress ldquoFIFIrdquo

The first visit since 1995for the worldrsquos only airworthyB-29 Superfortress

REO SpeedwagonOshkosh rocks Monday duringthe opening day concert presentedby Ford Motor Company

Tribute to Bob HooverTuesday afternoon air showfeaturing aircraft and maneuvershe made legendary

eVentureInnovation will be on displayand in the air with the ElectricFlight Prize Competition

Join us for a week-long celebration of the Centennial of Naval Aviationincluding a special air show Wednesday See the hottest naval aircraftin historic colors all week on ConocoPhillips Plaza

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Page 2: Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 244

Mark and Mary purchased the Fleet (1930 Consolidated YPT-6A) as a

project back in 2001 They spent the next seven years restoring it and

now enjoy flying to various events around Florida

The AUA team provided us top-notch service and a reasonable rate

when writing a policy to insure our 1930 Consolidated YPT-6A Fleet

They were very professional and showed a genuine interest in providingcoverage for antique and classic aircraft

mdash Mark amp Mary White

Mark amp Mary WhiteVero Beach Florida

Mark earned his pilotrsquoslicence at age 17

Mary also has herpilotrsquos licence

EAA Vintage amp Antique AircraftAssociation members

a

n s A

U

Come see us for a no-obligation quote at our booth during Air Venture Oshkosh July 25ndash31

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 344

2 Straight amp Level Chapter success the right recipe by Geoff Robison

3 News

6 A Waco Kind of Family The Applegate clan and their YKS-6 by Budd Davisson

13 Flashes of Purple Sparks by Daniel J Demers

16 First Regular Airmail Flight by Lieut H Latane Lewis II

20 To Follow the Line This was the way I had learned navigation to follow the line by E Jeff Justis

25

The Vintage Mechanic Early fire-extinguishing system by Robert G Lock

30 The Vintage Instructor Vintage flying is very much alive by Steve Krog CFI

32 Mystery Plane

by HG Frautschy

38 Classified Ads

40 Flying Outside the Fishbowl by S Michelle Souder

A I R P L A N E J U L Y

C O N T E N T S

S T A F FEAA Publisher Rod Hightower

Director of EAA Publications Mary Jones

Executive DirectorEditor HG Frautschy

ProductionSpecial Project Kathleen WitmanPhotography Jim KoepnickCopy Editor Colleen Walsh

Senior Art Director Olivia P TrabboldEAA Chairman of the Board Tom Poberezny

Publication AdvertisingManagerDomestic Sue Anderson

T l 920 426 6127 E il d

Vol 39 No 7 2011

16

6

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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By the time this monthrsquos Vintage

Airplane hits your mailbox we will

be days away from the start of the

Worldrsquos Greatest Aviation Celebration

known to us all as EAA AirVenture

Oshkosh As I have stated repeatedly

in this column this is yet another year

at Oshkosh you do not want to miss

The planning continues to evolve in

spectacular fashion If you havenrsquot re-cently visited the convention website

wwwAirVentureorg you really need

to check out all the amazing events

scheduled for this yearrsquos event There

truly is something for everyone

The monthly work parties at Osh-

kosh in the Vintage area continue

to experience great success I wantto personally thank everyone who

has attended and invested their per-

sonal resources in assisting us with

this always-important task of prepar-

ing the site for our annual fly-in and

convention It is impossible for me to

imagine how we could possibly ac-

complish so much progress without

the valued assistance of our many

pre-convention volunteers I also look

forward to personally welcoming

back the hundreds of Vintage volun-

teers who assist us with all the critical

responsibilities that make this event a

tive ldquodoom and gloomrdquo that we all

read in the GA magazines these days

is absolutely the wrong message to

expound upon Relatively speaking

our vintage aircraft are as economi-

cal and safe to operate today as they

were 50 years ago Everything in our

lives is impacted by the value of our

dollar today as compared to yester-

day If you think about the issue ina fair and impartial manner it really

is all relative Yes it is more expen-

sive to operate the aircraft I own but

so is driving my automobile When

you do a complete analysis of whatrsquos

important in your life flying will al-

ways float to the top as one of my top

three things that gives me the mostpleasure in life My very best memo-

ries are always going to include fam-

ily friends and flying Steversquos point

of view is the right one What are we

doing individually to help grow the

pilot population Join Steve in selling

the ldquofunrdquo in aviation

Letrsquos talk Vintage chapters for a

minute What are the key ingredients

to creating and then maintaining a

Vintage chapter Every chapter EAA

or otherwise will experience the nor-

mal ebbs and flows of maintaining

and attending to the many responsi-

no one is willing to address the real

issue of what will potentially lead to

the demise of that chapter Some-

times the problem is that itrsquos the same

small crowd of individuals who carry

the full burden of operating the chap-

ter and it is way past the time to ldquore-

vitalizerdquo Get your arms around those

folks with the energy to help out As-

sign some of these individuals somereal responsibility then get out of the

way and let them do their thing They

may really surprise you Remember

the recipe Itrsquos got to be fun safe and

it better taste good

I do have a bit of news that is of

great concern about my immediate

predecessor in this volunteer jobButch Joyce Hersquos one of my very

best friends and Irsquom very sorry to tell

you he was recently diagnosed with

a brain tumor The tumor was found

to be malignant and the surgical

procedure to remove the tumor was

less than successful At the moment

Butch remains hospitalized at Duke

University in North Carolina where

he will continue with physical ther-

apy and radiation and chemotherapy

treatments The only good news wersquove

heard related to his illness is that the

type of tumor he has can be success-

GEOFF ROBISON

PRESIDENT VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

STRAIGHT amp LEVEL

Chapter success the right recipe

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 544

VAA NEWS

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 644

Find Your FavoritePresentations andWorkshops Online

With hundreds of the worldrsquos

leading aviation authorities giv-ing close to 1000 individual pre-

sentations at nearly 45 locations

spread throughout the AirVenture

grounds finding out who is pre-

senting where and when can be

in a word challenging The EAA

AirVenture website has an online

tool that can make this task simple

when you use the integrated Air-

Venture schedule

Located at wwwAirVentureorg

under ldquoAttractionsrdquo and then un-

der ldquoActivities Presentations amp

Workshopsrdquo the database includes

all the venues subjects and top-

ics presenters and events from

not only Forums and Workshopsbut also Warbirds in Review Kid-

Venture Museum Speakers Show-

case Authors Corner Theater in

the Woods special ldquoat the aircraftrdquo

presentations on ConocoPhillips

Plaza and more If itrsquos scheduled

yoursquoll find it here In addition the

web schedule is updated on a dailybasis to reflect any changes or ad-

ditions that might occur at the last

minute You can even create your

own itinerary of various events of

interest You can save or print it out

for future reference

A quick link to this new schedule

is wwwAirVentureorgschedule

Fabric-Covering WorkshopLast month we mentioned that

Superflite covering systems would

be presenting covering workshops

in the VAA area Changes in the

tant part of your VAA membership)

you can use the EAA Flight Planner

to chart your trip to Wittman Field

for EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2011

Just click on the EAA Flight Plannerlink on the left side of the VAA home

page at wwwVintageAircraftorg or ac-

cess it through the membersrsquo only

section of EAArsquos online community

at wwwOshkosh365org

Grass Runways and FuelAlso on our VAA website we

publish a list created by VAA mem-

ber Kris Kortokrax

Kris flies a variety of old bi-

planes that are more pleasant to

fly when they are flown from grass

strips and he and his buddies from

Shelbyville Illinois do their best to

keep the old biplanes happy (and

keep tire wear to a minimum) byflying cross-country from grass strip

to grass strip Finding fuel facilities

can be a challenge these days and

Kris has distilled this airport infor-

mation to be useful for like-minded

grass-runway-preferring pilots This

data was current as of the beginning

of the year and wersquod suggest callingahead to confirm fuel availability

and hours of operation If you have

any changes or additions drop us

an e-mail here at VintageAircraft

eaaorg and wersquoll forward it to Kris

Our thanks to Kris for sharing his

list Let us know if you find it useful

VAArsquos Portable ElectronicsCharging Station

Do your rechargeable personal

electronics like your cellphone or

computer go dead before AirVen-

turersquos over VAA has the solution to

service to EAA members for whatever

donation you feel is appropriate

Breakfast and a Briefing

The VAA Tall Pines Cafeacute will bein operation again this year with

an expanded schedule prior to

convention and fly-in-style pan-

cake and egg breakfasts during

EAA AirVenture Starting on Fri-

day morning July 22 and continu-

ing through Sunday July 24 the

VAA Tall Pines Cafeacute will be open for

breakfast (630-930 am) and din-

ner (430-730 pm) Starting Mon-

day July 25 only breakfast will be

served at the Tall Pines Cafeacute (630-

930 am) through Saturday July

30 Just to the north a Flight Ser-

vice Station (FSS) trailer will be lo-

cated near the cafeacute At the trailer

yoursquoll be able to check the weatherfor your flight and obtain a full

briefing from FSS specialists with-

out having to trek up to the FAA

Building near the control tower

Wersquoll see you there each morning

for ldquobreakfast and a briefingrdquo

Are You a Friend of the VAA Red Barn

If so be sure to check in at the

information desk at the VAA Red

Barn There wersquoll issue you a spe-

cial name badge We can also point

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 744

VAA Message Center If you would like to leave a

message for people you know

who frequent the VAA Red Barn

stop by the information desk Youcan write them a message in our

ldquonotebook on a stringrdquo and wersquoll

post their name on the marker

board so theyrsquoll know therersquos a

message waiting for them Sure

cellphones and walkie-talkies are

great but sometimes nothing

works better than a hand-scrib-

bled note

VAA PicnicTickets for the annual VAA

picnic to be held Wednesday

Ju ly 27 at the Nature Center

will be available for sale at the

VAA Red Barn Tickets must be

purchased in advance so weknow how much food to or-

der The delicious meal will be

served from 530 pm until ap-

proximately 7 pm If you need

transportation trams will be-

gin leaving the VAA Red Barn

around 5 pm and will make re-

turn trips after the picnic Typeclubs may hold their annual

banquets during the picnic Call

Jeannie Hill (815-245-4464)

and she will reserve seating so

your type club can sit together

Shawano Fly-OutThe annual fly-out to Shawano

is Saturday July 30 The sign-up

sheet will be at the desk at the VAA

Red Barn and the briefing will be

at 7 am the morning of the fly-

out The community of Shawano

approximately an hour north of

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 844

A Waco Kind of Family

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 944

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1044ldquowas about 6 years old

and Dad had taken us

to a fly-in in Ottumwa

show for his youthful fascination

with things that fly He now has

what he wished for when looking

Aviation families are quite common

within the sport aviation commu-

nity but few have made aviation

MIKE STEINEKE

The entire family enjoys flying the Waco all over the Midwest and beyond The color scheme evokes the colors chosenby Wiley Post for his record-setting Lockheed Vega the Winnie Mae

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1144

port That was in 1964 So basically

wersquove lived on an airport from just

about the moment I was born Now

So was Dad So we called the FAA

and got a lsquospecialrsquo VFR clearance

The last words my instructor said

before I took off in the C-152

were lsquoStay out of the clouds comearound and landrsquo So I didrdquo

There he was a certificated pilot

and still riding the school bus to his

little country school and living the

life of a typical high school kid in-

cluding going to local fairs

ldquoIt was at a local fair right after I

graduated that I met Carolyn and

I asked her out for a date On our

second or third date I took her fly-

ing in Dadrsquos Decathlon I guess that

must have impressed her because

we got married a year laterrdquo

Carolyn says ldquoHersquos such an avia-

tion addict that our honeymoon

had us stopping at various airports

as we traveled But Irsquoll tell youwhat Irsquod much rather he be out fly-

ing or hanging out at airports than

out drinkingrdquo And she laughs She

laughs a lot

Often it is at this point in an avi-

atorrsquos life story that the individual

says his flying stopped while he

built a business and a family tobe resumed as a later date Harve

however managed to sidestep that

layoff For one thing he essen-

tially lived on an airport his wife

liked flying (she says ldquoI decided if I

couldnrsquot beat him Irsquod join him and

started taking flying lessonsrdquo) and

hersquod grown up banging knuckles

working on airplanes So where so

many young fathers find their avia-

tion career has stagnated he started

building up his own airplanes the

first being a Cessna 170B

ldquoThe 170rdquo he says ldquowas actually

ldquoBecause we live barely 40 miles

from Blakesburg getting hooked on

vintage airplanes was unavoidable

Dad would take us to lots of fly-ins

including Blakesburg and from thevery beginning I actually liked vin-

tage airplanes better than he did

And I loved working on themrdquo

Harversquos love of vintage mechan-

ics showed through many years of

polishing and restoration of the

C-170 It went to Oshkosh for 16

years At first it was noticed because

it looked dreadfully forlorn but

over the years it began to gain more

attention and for better reasons

The judges were impressed enough

in 2000 to give it the best 170180

award Then it won Grand Cham-

pion in its class at the AAA Fly-In at

Blakesburg the next year

ldquoFirst I have to say that I donrsquotbuild airplanes to win trophies and

I donrsquot go to fly-ins to be judged I

build airplanes to go to fly-ins Pe-

riod We love going to fly-ins and

attend at least 15 or 20 a year and

we do it as a family Eventually the

kids got too big and we out-grew

the 170 after putting a little over1200 hours on itrdquo

While Harve might say he was

building a family the truth is that

Carolyn was the one having the

babies and trying to build a career

And her schedule was more than

just a little tight She started col-

lege right after Taryn was born and

missed her own graduation because

she was busy finishing her own

homebuilt Shalyn Today she puts

that diploma to work teaching sec-

ond grade while Harve farms 1500

acres of soybeans and corn

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1244

that he has made a huge number

of friends out of the other partici-

pants and thatrsquos good for all of usrdquo

ldquoI was looking for a bigger air-

plane when a friend of mine toldme about a beautiful 195 with a

blown engine sitting out on the

ramp in Tullahoma ldquo Harve says

ldquoI contacted the airport to find out

info about the owner I contacted

him and discovered it not only had

a bad engine but the finance com-

pany held the note as the owner

was going through bankruptcy I

flew down with my stepfather (who

had become a pilot after marry-

ing my motherhellipdad had died by

then) and we looked it over

ldquoI put in a bid and got it I sold

the 170 to a wonderful friend and

fortunately it stayed at our airport

where it is well tended We put anew 330 Jake from Radial Engines

Limited on the 195 and it won

awards at both Oshkosh and Blakes-

burg as well We kept the 195 for

three years But it still wasnrsquot a

Waco something I just couldnrsquot get

out of my head

ldquoWhen I started looking forWacosrdquo he says ldquolike everyone

else I was assaulted by the incred-

ible number of different varieties

But I wasnrsquot looking for something

to rebuild nor was I looking for a

rare variety I wanted an airplane

that would serve our family well

The fact that it would be an incred-

ibly cool antique was just a bonus

Because of that I passed on a lot of

projects and focused on airplanes

that were flying and needed a mini-

mum of work and could be fairly

easily supported That meant an

ldquoI looked at a few airplanes be-

fore a friend Doug Parsons turned

me on to N16249 a 1936 YKS-6 It

was last restored by Pete Coving-ton in 1994 so it was in really good

condition In fact well-known an-

tiquer Morton Lester had owned it

at the time of restoration It was a

good solid airplane that was due for

some freshening up not a rebuild

This was exactly what I was looking

for It had been through two own-

ers since Lester owned it and was

now part of an estate sale

ldquoI got it home in July of 2005 and

began working on itrdquo he says ldquoBe-

cause it had been restored nearly 15

years earlier and hadnrsquot been a han-

difficult but the paperwork turned

out to be a headache

ldquoThe original engine was a Ja-

cobs R-755-9 which is 245 hp butI wanted more power We have a

pretty big useful load with this air-

plane but it needs the extra power

when itrsquos heavy So I wanted to go

up to the 755-B2M which is 275

hp I had Air Repair in Cleveland

Mississippi build up an engine for

me Since itrsquos virtually identical to

the original Jake putting it on was

nothing At the same time we in-

stalled a new Sensenich wooden

prop But then we started working

on the paperwork

ldquoThis shouldnrsquot have been nearly

CRAIG VANDERKOLK

Most of the Applegate family during AirVenture 2010 from left to right

daughter Shalyn Harve Carolyn and son Matt The Applegatesrsquo other

daughter Taryn couldnrsquot make the trip

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1344

two airplanes were one in the same

Finally we got a hold of Jeff Janus

at the FAArsquos Aircraft Certification

Office (ACO) who said it was a no-

brainer and sent it back to the FSDO

and told them to sign it off

ldquoWersquove been flying the airplane

for five years now and itrsquos exactly

what we wanted an d what we

thought it should be First for an

airplane this big itrsquos really easy to

fly In fact it lands a lot like our

Cub and even on pavement isnrsquot

A Lesson in the Learning Caveats When DonatingAt one point Harversquos dad began having airport problems and therersquos a lesson

to be learned for a lot of us here

ldquoThe airport had never gotten hugerdquo Harve says ldquoIt was just a nice friendly

airport with a few hangars and some local tenants But it was the only airport in

the area so Dad deeded it over to the city I guess you could say he donated it

For years this worked out really well and all the aviation guys in the area loved it

We host a fly-in there each year and that became something of a local event that

everyone looked forward to

ldquoDad died suddenly in 1981 and we decided to build a house right near the

CRAIG VANDERKOLK

The Applegates camp every year just south of the VAA Flightline Opera-

tions building so son Matt and the family can enjoy visiting with their many

friends and watch the afternoon air show

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1444

bigger yoursquod want The back seat

is an honest three kids wide and

the two front seats are separated

by nearly a foot So you feel as ifyoursquore flying your own little air-

liner And how many airplanes to-

day let you crank the side windows

down and fly with you elbows up

on the windowsill

ldquoItrsquos not a rocketship in climb

about 500-600 fpm but itrsquoll give

you that or close to it whether

yoursquore loaded or not Those big old

wings can really carry a load

ldquoItrsquos also not a speed demon

but itrsquoll indicate 120 mph give or

take 5 mph at about 14 gallons per

hour and fly straight ahead with

MIKE STEINEKE

Another gorgeous picture of the Applegatesrsquo plane flying over the Midwest

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1544

The first wireless message sent

from an airplane to a ground station

wasnrsquot very imaginative or profound

The message telegraphed in dots and

dashes by US Army Lt Paul W Beck

on January 21 1911 was

ldquoAssociated Press AviationField Scotford is not the only

bird on the aviation board Beckrdquo

The message didnrsquot have the hum-

bling sense of Samuel Morsersquos ldquoWhat

hath God wroughtrdquo or the quaint-

ness of Alexander Graham Bellrsquos ldquoMr

Watsonmdashcome heremdashI want to see

yourdquo or Neil Armstrongrsquos inspira-

tional ldquoThatrsquos one small step for man

one giant leap for mankindrdquoThe rather mundane message was

hastily scribbled by Associated Press

reporter Guy Moysten who was cov-

Corps

Beck had been taken aloft by Philip

O Parmalee an early aviation pio-

neer The ldquopurple sparks spluttered

by the telegraph keyrdquo were also inter-

cepted by navy wireless stations on

Goat Island (now Yerba Buena Island)

and the Mare Island Navy YardBeckrsquos second message was ldquoThree

hundred feet up and riding level

It is cold It is bumpyrdquo The word

ldquobumpyrdquo wasnrsquot received because

Beckrsquos fingers were so cold that they

refused to as Beck put it ldquoanswer the

nerve impulsesrdquo

The word ldquoScotfordrdquo in the first

message referred to Frederick E Scot-

ford chairman of the Aviation Ex-

ecutive Committee which had

conceived planned and set in mo-

tion the air meet The message re-

ferred to a previous flight ldquoaround the

army also ldquolent their band for daily

concerts during guard mount or pa-

raderdquomdashall this to the delight of the

crowds throughout the entire affair

San Francisco was in heavy compe-

tition with New Orleans for the exclu-

sive rights to the 1915 Panama-Pacific

International Exhibition (PPIE) aworldrsquos fair to celebrate the upcom-

ing 1914 opening of the Panama

Canal The city desperately wanted

to land the exhibition believing it

would confirm San Franciscorsquos phoe-

nix-like rise from the ashes of devasta-

tion The air show was thought of as

the opening act

Plans for the PPIE had already

been complicated in 1910 Just six

months earlier Californiarsquos gover-

nor had banned the Jim Jeffries-Jack

Johnson fight scheduled for San

Franciscomdashforcing the epic ldquoFight

Flashes of Purple SparksBY DANIEL J DEMERS

Lt Paul Beck left with

the Western Wireless

Equipment Company A-4wireless set in his lap

while seated in a Wright

biplane during wireless

tests during the 1911 San

Francisco Air Meet The

set weighed 29 pounds

and featured a telegraph

key mounted on the top of

the mahogany box

JOURNAL OF ELECTRICITY POWER AND GAS

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1644

shadowed all the other historic firsts

achieved at the meet

Beck described the sensation of fly-

ing at 800 feet like this

ldquoWhirring propellers throb-

bing pistons and machine-

gun-like gasoline explosions

deafened you while tears bit-

ter tears were forced from your

eyes by the back rush of air and

you have a slight conception

how it feels to rival the eagle in a

Wright biplanerdquo

He had used in his own words

ldquoa rough makeshift affair weighing

thirty-two poundsrdquo It consisted of

a ldquosmall gap and interrupter an or-

dinary telegraph key a small storage

cellrdquo and a shunt ldquoto prevent over-

charging of the cellrdquo The entire de-vice was contained in a wooden box

that he carried on his lap The aerial

used for the experiment was a 120-

foot bronze wire trailing the plane

connected to the ldquosending appara-

tus by a number sixteen copper wirerdquo

The whole gizmo was grounded to a

stay wire on the aircraft connectedldquoto the sending apparatusrdquo Beck ex-

plained ldquoThe wave length measured

by the wave meter at the receiving

station was 575 meters in length This

is rather longer than we had thought

it would berdquo

Simultaneous to Beckrsquos experi-

ment Charlie Willard (another

pioneer aviator) unsuccessfully at-

tempted to send a wireless message

using a different set According to

Beck ldquoHis outfit weighed a trifle less

than the one which I used and his

antenna wire was a trifle longerrdquo Ac-

ldquoengine is practically noiseless when

comparedrdquo with the other planes at

the air meet ldquoSilencerdquo wrote Beck ldquois

an essential factor to the successful

reading of telegraphic codes or thesuccessful undertaking of human

speech by wireless telephonerdquo

Of great concern to the experi-

mentrsquos sponsors was the fact that an

ldquoelectrical dischargerdquo was involved in

the actual receiving of the message

from the ground Thus it was of ldquogreat

importance that the gasoline tank be

thoroughly insulated in order to pre-vent possible ignition from a sparkrdquo

Avoiding such an aerial catastrophe

was to be overcome by using ldquoone of

the guy wires on the Antoinette ma-

chine as the static ground and to drag

from the tail of the airship an alumi-

num wire of great capacity and weigh-

ing less than two pounds though 130feet in length as the antennardquo

Unfortunately as Beck told it ldquothe

god or gods of the elementsrdquo stepped

in On this particular day being ldquoaloft

was dangerous to life and limbrdquo

Lathamrsquos beautiful Antoinette mono-

plane was demolished in an accident

Latham survived the crash but a mere12 months later he died a mysterious

death in the French Congo

Beck understood that aviation was

in its infancy and that ldquowe must creep

before we walkrdquo While the experi-

ment to send a message had failed

due to an air wreck Beck concluded

it had been ldquoreduced to a mere ques-

tion of providing mechanical devices

for deadening the sound of the pro-

pellers shutting out the noise of the

rushing wind and providing some

simple means for placing the received

message in written form on some

Sources

Chief Warrant Officer Mark J

Denger Dominguez Inter-

national Air Meet California

Aviation History wwwMilitary- MuseumorgDominguezhtml

Lt Paul W Beck Aviation Meet

From War Viewpoint How

Army and Navy Will Take Part

San Francisco Examiner January

6 1911 5

Lt JC Walker Jr War Prob-

lems to be Solved In Air San

Francisco Examiner January 7

1911 3

Lt Paul W Beck What Army Is

Striving For Opening Day a

Big Success San Francisco Ex-

aminer January 8 1911 76

Lt Paul W Beck Wreck Spoils Wire-

less Experiment San Francisco

Examiner January 11 1911 2

Lt JC Walker Jr Biplanes in

Wind Please Army Man San

Francisco Examiner January 11

1911 2

Lt Paul W Beck Airplane Wire-

less Experiments Today War

Expert Reviews the Aviation

Meet San Francisco Examiner

January 18 1911 2

Lt Paul W Beck Wireless Adds

New Link To War Chain San Francisco Examiner January 22

1911 67

Flashes of Purple Glint From

Aeroplane in the Sky to Earth

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1744

VAA Friends of the Red BarnName______________________________________________________________________EAA ___________ VAA ___________

Address______________________________________________________________________________________________________

CityStateZIP________________________________________________________________________________________________

Phone___________________________________________________E-Mail______________________________________________

Please choose your level of participation

DiamondPlus$1250

Diamond$1000

Platinum$750

Gold$500

Silver$250

Bronze$100

LoyalSupporter$99 amp Under

EAA VIP Center2 peopleFull

Week

VIP Air Show Seating2 people2

Days2 people1

Day

Close Auto Parking Full Week Full Week 2 Days

Two Tickets to VAA Picnic

Tri-Motor Certificate 2 Tickets 2 Tickets 2 Tickets 1 Ticket

Breakfast at Tall Pines Cafeacute2 PeopleFull Wk

2 PeopleFull Wk

2 PeopleFull Wk

1 PersonFull Wk

Special FORB Cap

Two Passes to VAA Volunteer Party

Special FORB Badge

Access to Volunteer Center

Donor Appreciation Certificate

Name Listed Vintage Airplane Magazine Website and Sign at Red Barn

Donrsquot wait for a mailing from VAA HQ before you send in your contributionmdashto keep our administration costs as low as possible wersquore not

sending out a mailingto each VAA member Please send your donation today while itrsquos fresh in your mindPlease help the VAA and our nearly 500 dedicated volunteers make this an unforgettable experience for our EAA AirVenture guestsYour contribution does make a dif ference There are seven levels of gifts and gift recognition Thank you for whatever you can doHere are some of the many activities the Friends of the Red Barn fund under writes

bullRed Barn Information Desk Supplies bullFlightline Parking Scooters and Supplies bullBreakfast for Past Grand Champions

bullParticipant Plaques and Supplies bullVolunteer Booth Administrative Supplies bullSigns Throughout the Vintage Area

bull Ton irsquos Red Car pet Expre ss Van and Rad ios bullRed Barn and Other Building Maintenance bullAnd More

bullCaps for VAA Volunteers bull Tal l Pin es Caf eacute D in ing Ten t

2 11 VAA Friends of the Red Barn Campaign2011 VAA Friends of the Red Barn CampaignThe VAA annual fundraising campaign fuels VAA action

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1844

T

he worldrsquos first regular air-

mail line was operated by

the United States Army

back in 1918 when a fleet

of old Jennies were pushed back

and forth between New York City

and Washington DC a distance

of two hundred and twenty miles

the fields that no self-respecting pi-

lot would take a second look at in

these times But those were the days

of wooden ships and iron men

Chief pilot on the line was a

handsome youth just out of his

teens Lieutenant James C Edger-

ton who had an unusual knack of

gan There were impressive ceremo-

nies political speeches bouquets of

flowers for the flyers and the Presi-

dent of the United States himself

went down to the Polo Grounds

and wished the pilot who was to

carry the mail to New York ldquoGod

speedrdquo Almost as soon as he left

From the Archives Reprinted from Popular Aviation Dec 1935

First Regular

Airmail FlightBY LIEUT H LATANE LEWIS II

The pilot is receiving his last-minute orders before shoving off with the mail Once more old Jenny

makes history

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1944

through with considerable diffi-

culty The pilot scheduled to make

the flight hopped off from Philadel-

phia and pointed the blunt nose of

his Jennie southward toward Wash-ington The checkerboard fields and

streams sliding beneath his wings

soon became a jigsaw puzzle and

one that he couldnrsquot piece together

The flyer realized that he was hope-

lessly lost He barged around for

awhile and finally decided to come

down and ask directions

Landing on the race track atBridgeton New Jersey forty miles

off his course he became involved

with a group of curious

horses which cracked up

the ship The mail was sent

back to Philadelphia by truck and

started out in another plane with

another pilot About thirty milesout his engine began to miss and

as it was getting dark he turned and

high-tailed back to his home field

Jim Edgerton stepped forward

and offered to save the face of the

new service and take the mail on

to Washington in spite of darkness

and a bad engine Night was comingon in earnest by this time If his en-

gine should conk on the trip down

there would be no flares for him to

release and land by nor would he be

able to bail out with a parachute for

this was before the day of the Cater-

pillar Club And at Washington he

would have no floodlights to illu-

minate the Polo Grounds It would

mean coming into that narrow field

which was surrounded by tall trees

in utter darkness

But Jim was an impatient and

adventurous young man so he

cians all through his eventful flying

career He was the least perturbed of

all as he came roaring down from the

north and circled the inky pit into

which he must bring his ship at thespeed of an express train

There were about half a dozen

automobiles parked around the

field and Jim estimated his ap-

proach from their headlights Spec-

tators heard his engine stop then

the shrill scream of the wind on

his struts and wires Then they

caught sight of a ghost-like silhou-ette against the night sky coming

down in a dizzy slideslip An in-

stant later a gray phantom swept

across the field and settled down

to a perfect landing The mail had

come through

Edgerton was the first pilot who

ever flew into a thunderstorm Upto that time flyers all over the world

looked upon electrical storms as a

deadly menace and had avoided

them as they would a plague Or-

ders had been issued that no mail

pilot should take off if weather con-

ditions were unfavorable

At Philadelphia one afternoon

during the middle of July Jim had

his ship tuned up and was ready to

shove off but down towards the

southwest storm clouds were gath-

ering It was against orders to fly

under such conditions Jim fumed

possible and then as he came over

the ldquoSusquehanna River he ran

smack into it It was a violent line

squall the storm most dreaded of

all by aviators and the kind thatsent the mighty Akron and Shenan-

doah down to destruction On the

ground trees were being uprooted

and houses damaged

ldquoIt was the bumpiest ride I ever

had before or sincerdquo chuckles Jim

Edgerton today as he recalls the

vivid impression it left on him

ldquoWe were thrown all over the skyThe rain and hail were so thick that

I couldnrsquot see the wingtips The

propeller was all chewed

up and I had to throttle

down the engine Butrdquo he

adds modestly ldquoI came out right

on the courserdquo

And the mail was landed inWashington on time

That flight and the others like it

that Edgerton made probably did

more than anything else to give the

public confidence in the reliability

of the airmail Frequently he flew

through dense fog and relied en-

tirely on the crude instruments ofthose early days to keep him in the

air On one of these flights he es-

caped death by as narrow a margin

as was ever vouchsafed a pilot

He shoved off in heavy rain and

soon ran into thick weather He

barged on into it flying blind for

awhile and then climbing up on

the top of the stuff It was so thick

that even the birds had to walk Af-

ter about an hour and a half he

decided to try to find the ground

to check his course He was com-

ing down in a fast glide when sud-

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2044

altitude the fog was so thick

it was like being submerged

in pea soup but occasion-

ally there would be a break

and Edgerton would catcha glimpse of the ground and

know where he was

As he passed over Havre

de Grace there suddenly

loomed up dead ahead a

church steeple He was right

on it before he saw it He

banked for all he was worth

standing the old crock rightup on her ear and missed

the steeple by a miracle

But the crowning thr ill

of the day came a little later

as he passed the Army Proving

Ground at Aberdeen

ldquoWe were flying at an altitude of

about 150 feetrdquo Edgerton recallsldquoVisibility was practically nil Sud-

denly there was a terrific bump al-

most as violent as if the plane had

struck something That afternoon

Army authorities at Aberdeen

called up and said that an airplane

had flown over there and almost

collided with a shell fired from a16-inch gunrdquo

Is it any wonder that Edgertonrsquos

hair has turned slightly gray

On another occasion Jim got

caught in a vicious summer thun-

derstorm over Baltimore He was

flying his faithful old mount No

38274 The turbulent air tossed

the frail wooden Jenny about like

a ship on a rough sea One instant

her nose would be pointed straight

toward heaven and the next instant

Jim would see the ground rush-

ing up at him just over the engine

of a lead pencil were spurting out

Soon the whole forward part of the

fuselage was saturated

Jim watched the lightning play-

ing about the metal parts of the

plane and waited for the spark

that would blow him to shreds and

splatter him all over Baltimore But

Lady Luck was riding with him

again and the spark never came

He rode out the storm and brought

had broken and was dangling al-

most in the shining arc of the

propeller If it became entangled

in the prop it would shatter it to

a million splinters and probablytear the engine loose

Throttling down Jim maneu-

vered as best he could to keep

wire and prop from that fatal

embrace Below him were plenty

of flat broad fields into which

he could have glided But that

would mean delaying the mail

so the plucky youngster kept go-ing and finally sat down safely

in Washington

Altogether Edgerton made

fifty-three trips and never failed

to bring the mail through on any

of them On only one did he have

a forced landing

He was over Camp Meade Mary-land when a magneto shaft broke

There was a terrific jolt that almost

jumped the engine out of the ship

For once Jim had to come down

and come down in a hurry He

looked below him and his heart

stood still He was plunging straight

towards the heads of hundreds ofmarching men on parade

Lower and lower sank the help-

less Jenny Edgerton flattened his

glide as much as he dared and tried

to squeeze over the soldiers He was

almost knocking their hats off but

still the Yanks continued to hold

their ground

ldquoI just skimmed over their heads

and landed on the very edge of the

parade groundrdquo Jim laughingly re-

lates ldquoIt was my old outfit and they

certainly gave me a welcomerdquo

It was just a bit demoralizing to

With the mail aboard the pilot proceeds to warm

up the OX-5 which animates the Jenny

Authentic dope on the

controversial subject

ldquoWho flew the firstairmailrdquo In spite of the

many claims to priority by

various pilots we believe

that this is the real

answer to the problem

An old Jenny as usual

does the work

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AirVenture amp Ford Together Again

REO Speedwagon Concert Monday

600PM next to the Ford Hangar

Fly In Theater Nightly Sunday ndash

Saturday 830PM Camp Scholler

Cruisinrsquo Legends See Mustangs and

more Knapp Street near Warbirds

Model T Experience Tour in a Model

T ldquoCruisinrsquo Legendsrdquo

ldquoBlues Brothersrdquo Tribute Party

Saturday 630PM Ford ldquoHangar of Bluesrdquo

Free Ice Cream Nightly in the camp-

grounds ndash from the Transit Connect

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2244

My son and I spent the better part of

six years restoring an Aeronca 7BCM

Jeff was 13 years old when we started

the project and 19 when we finished

sponds quickly to my urging as I

push the throttle control forward

to begin a low-level no-radio no-

transponder flight from Charles W

time I admit to being spoiled first by

low-frequency ldquobeamsrdquo then VORs

DME RNAV LORAN and now GPS

But for this flight I left all that behind

To Follow the LineThis was the way I had learned navigation to follow the line

BY E JEFF JUSTIS

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE AUTHOR

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Down low it was fun once more

watching the small towns pass

even being able to read the names

on water towers

In north-central Mississippi

there appears a vast forest spread-

ing out beneath my wings an il-

lusory remnant of the gloriouswilderness that once extended

from the East Coast to the Great

Plains Now clear-cutting scars are

evidence of manrsquos meddling graf-

fiti on our planetrsquos face

I am surprised at the hills of

North Mississippi at higher al-

titudes they flatten into the ter-rain but here at 1000 feet above

the ground the hills are alive with

depth and color

My craft and I intruders in his

world pass a circling hawk I look

down and try to see the tiny crea-

ture I am sure he sees but where

he must perceive the slightest rus-tle of the brush I see only patterns

of green and brown and the bright

blue of reflected sky

Enough of this sightseeing I should

have crossed this highway a couple

of miles farther to the north I make a

slight correction Highways They criss-

cross this land cutting it into smaller

and smaller bits these scratches of

man meant little when there were

fewer men but now they separate deer

from deer and life from life

At the edge of a field pebbled by

round bales of hay rests a red tractor Jeff Justis was just 13 when he and his family embarked on the restoration of

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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suppose is the essence of life

Soon the forward horizon bulges

upward as I approach old tectonic

ridges aligned northeast-southwest

near Birmingham The dark greenof the forested ridges contrasts with

the lighter verdant hues of manrsquos

cultivation Ahead a sharp razor-

backed ridge prompts a climb to

3000 feet I teeter across the top and

slide down toward the broad valley

on the eastern side My first land-

ing after one hour and 45 minutes is

welcome As a no-radio aircraft I am

careful to follow the standard pat-

tern and glide down final touching

down on the much-too-long-for-

The-Champ runway of Posey AirportMost cross-country flights in

the rsquo50s were from grass strip to

grass strip A red gas pump would

be brought into service by the col-

orful operatormechanic of these

old aerodromes Aeroncas and

Luscombes were everywhere and

Cessna 195s were the elite air-

planes Now on this ramp my

Aeronca is an anachronism

A King Air is being readied for cor-

porate passengers and my little tail-

dragger is lost on the large apronFortunately we modified the 7BCM

with a starter and generator so I do

not have to find someone to help me

get started In years past almost ev-

ery lineman was proficient in hand-

propping now itrsquos almost a lost art

Soon I am on the way to my

next stop Lagrange Georgia I am

fooled by the appearance of a large

airport an old military field at 12

orsquoclock on the horizon Only when

I get close enough do I realize this is

not the field I am supposed to over-

fly and that I am 10 miles south of

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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ramp taking nearly as long as the

flight itself

The cost of this slow flight is cer-

tainly minimal with fill-ups after

two hours averaging 15 or so dol-

lars Besides the trip has been fun so

far relearning old navigation tricks

and seeing the country down low

Now I have only a few more milesto navigate to Eaglesrsquo Landing The

fly-in community strip is near Wil-

liamson Georgia and just east of a

northeast-southwest-oriented rail-

road I decide to proceed due east

find the railroad and follow it

northeast toward the destination

I cross a highway but see no rail-road A few miles further still no

railroad I must have passed it Af-

ter a 180 I find the highway again

but nohellipwait what is that That is

an abandoned rail line for sure and

it does parallel the road I continue

northeast scanning the horizon

passing pretty fields and housesI locate one airport with houses

neatly lining both sides of the single

runway but it is not Eaglesrsquo Landing

Soon I see Griffin Georgia I have

come too far I ease The Champ into

a bank to try again back down the

rail line andhellipherersquos a golf coursehellip

and yes there are two grass run-

ways meeting in a ldquoVrdquo I circle andmake a low pass over the northwest

runway watching my friends wave

from their yard ldquoWhat a nice place

to liverdquo I think as I line up on final

I glide just above the grass and

A foil tape antenna ground plane was just one of the nifty little touches added

to The Champ as the two Jeffs restored their airplane

Doesnrsquot ever yone use Champ

tail surfaces as decorative ele-

ments in their household dec-orating Mrs Justis is a very

patient woman

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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CALIFORNIAHayward CA VIN 29

Meeting 2nd Thurs 600 pm

Hayward Airport

See website for hangar info

Gary Oberti President

Phone 510-357-8600

E-mail infovaa29org

Website wwwvaa29org

CALIFORNIASacramento CA VIN 25

Meeting 2nd Sat 900 am

See chapter website for location

Robert Opdahl President

Phone 530-273-7348

E-mail bopdahlsbcglobalnet

Website wwwVin25org

CAROLINAS VIRGINIAWalnut Cove NC VIN 3

Meeting Contact President

Susan Dusenbury President

Phone 336-591-3931

E-mail sr6sueaolcom

Website wwwVAA3org

FLORIDALakeland FL VIN 1

Meeting Contact President

Bobby Capozzi President

Phone 352-475-9736

INDIANAAuburn IN VIN 37

Meeting 4th Thurs 700 pm

DeKalb County Airport (kGWB)

Hangar AmdashVAA 37 Clubhouse

Drew Hoffman President

Phone 260-515-3525

E-mail drewhoffmanvaa37org

Website wwwVAA37org

KANSASOverland Park KS VIN 16

Meeting 2nd Fri 730 pm

CAF Hangar

New Century Airport

Kevin Pratt President

Phone 913-541-1149

E-mail kprattvaa16com

Website wwwVAA16com

LOUISIANANew Iberia LA VIN 30

Meeting 1st Sun 900 am

LeMaire Memorial Airport Hangar 4

Roland Denison President

Phone 337-365-3047

E-mail vaa30coxnet

MINNESOTAAlbert Lea MN VIN 13

Meeting 2nd Thurs 700 pm

Albert Lea Airport FBO

OHIODelaware OH VIN 27

Meeting 3rd Sat 8-10AM May thru Sept

Delaware Municiple Airport (DLZ)

Terminal Building

Woody McIntire President

Phone 740-362-7228

E-mail wjmcintirecscom

Website wwwEAAdlzorg

OHIOZanesville OH VIN 22

Meeting 2nd Fri 630 pm

Perry County Airport

John Morozowsky President

Phone 740-453-6889

OKLAHOMATulsa OK VIN 10

Meeting 4th Thurs 700 PM

Hardesty South Regional Library

No meetings in July Nov amp Dec

Joe Champagne President

Phone 918-257-4688

Email skypalgroveemailcom

TEXASSpring TX VIN 2

Meeting 4th Sun 200 PM

David Wayne Hooks Airport (KDWH)

Fred Ramin President

Phone 281-255-4430

Vintage Chapter LocatorVisit the VAA chapter nearest you and get to know some great old-airplane enthusiasts You donrsquot need

to be a pilot to join in the funmdashjust have a love of the great airplanes of yesteryear

Chapter 27 of Delaware Ohio hosts a monthly pancake breakfast where attendees enjoy the camara-derie among the airplanes

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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When Albert Vollmecke joined

Arkansas Aircraft Company in Sep-tember 1927 he brought fresh ideas

from his native Germany regarding

aircraft design stability and safety

He would on occasion return to

Germany to bring back something

new for the company In 1928 Ar-

kansas Aircraft Company changed

its name to Command-Aire Incor-porated and the production run

of new ships increased in its Little

Rock Arkansas plant

After one such visit to Ger-

many Vollmecke returned with

the rights to import and sell the

PHYLAX fire-extinguisher system

patented (GB 0267542) March 10

1926 and manufactured in Berlinby Phylax Feuerlosch-Automaten-

Bau GmbH The PHYLAX fire-

extinguisher system consisted of

a tank containing the extinguish-

ing liquid From the tank which

BY ROBERT G LOCK

Early 1047297re-extinguishing system

THE Vintage

Mechanic

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2844

advertisement from AVIATION

November 1928 using the OX-5

powered model 3C3 ship to dem-

onstrate the system

The PHYLAX system consisted

of a pressurized tank of fluid with

associated lines and nozzles lead-

ing to the engine compartment of

the ship Note here that the unit

is manufactured in t he United

States by the Aero Supply Man-

ufacturing Company located in

Long Island New York The cost

of the unit is $70 in this May 1929

advertisement in an aviation mag-

azine Illustration 2 shows the

manufacturerrsquos advertisement for

the product

In a letter dated April 10 1929

Mr Wiley Wright assistant sales

director for Command-Aire Incor-

porated wrote

ldquoCommand-Aire Incorporated

acquired the exclusive franchise

rights for PHYLAX automatic fire

extinguishers in the United States

Mexico and Central America This

extinguisher is the only automatic

fire extinguisher available and is

standard equipment on many Eu-

ropean lines It is manufactured

by PHYLAX Bau of Germany and

is receiving great response in the

United States at the present timerdquo

In this factory Illustration 3

and from the files of Albert Voll-

mecke is a 110-hp Warner engine

mounted in the Command-Aire

model 3C3-A ship Note the en-

gine cowling being neatly fitted

around cylinders and associated

tubes The 3C3-A had a very longnose due to its light weight ne-

ce s s i ta t ing a longer a rm f or

weight and balance control In

this photo the PHYLAX sprinkler

heads are visible behind the mag-

netos down near the carburetor

and behind the oil inlet hoses on

the accessory case of the engineIllustration 3 is an original fac-

tory photograph of the PHYLAX

system installed in the nose of a

model 3C3-A

Illustration 4 is the same photo-

graph with some details removed

and other details added princi-

pally the identification of the PHY-LAX automatic fuse that fired the

bottle of extinguishing fluid and

the sprinkler heads These illustra-

tions taken from a Command-Aire

original factory brochure from the

files of Albert Vollmecke

Illustration 5 on page 27 is a

sketch from the PHYLAX patent

0267542 dated March 10 1926A general description of the PHY-

LAX system is contained within

the patent and states ldquoThe inven-

tion relates to a fire extinguishing

device intended for use particu-

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2944

not indicate what type of extinguishing fluid was

contained within the tank however soda-acid was

widely used in those days and carbon tetrachloridewas invented in 1912 by the Pyrene Company

In a communication from Command-Aire Pres-

ident Robert Snowden regarding the purchase of

stock options in the company he states ldquoOur ex-

clusive franchise for the sale of Phylax automatic

Illustration 3

Illustration 4

Illustration 5

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3044

homeland on a regular basis and

always brought back some new in-

vention or new ideas on design andsafety This system was certainly

ahead of its time safety-wise and a

credit to Vollmeckersquos focus on sta-

bility and safety for his designs

Above in this original factory

photograph (Illustration 6) of a

Command-Aire 3C3-T fuselage on

the assembly line at the Little Rock

plant the PHYLAX system can beseen mounted in the rear cock-

pit just behind the front seat in

the center of the photograph The

chemical bottles with two lines

tied to the side tubes run forward

Illustration 6

Pyrene 1047297re extinguishers

were made of brass and

were nicely polished

They were not high-pressure units

but required the use of a hand pump

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Pyrene fire extinguishers were

made of brass and were nicely pol-

ished They were not high-pressureunits but required the use of a

hand pump to generate pressure

to expel liquid from the cylinder

These extinguishers were gener-

ally mounted in the rear cockpit

ton or linen fabric and the only

dope available was cellulose ni-

trate that burned like a torch when

lit Watching nitrate dope burn

reminded me of a Fourth of July

sparkler very intense and hot If

a nitrate-doped ship caught fire in

the air there was no extinguisher

that would put out the flames

The PHYLAX system had an auto-

matic sensor that would trigger the

bottlersquos valve open and send the

chemical into the engine compart-

ment The Pyrene extinguisher wasmore for ground use because you

could not operate the bottle and

fly the airplane at the same time

By todayrsquos standards these ex-

tinguishing systems seem ar-

chaic but for the time back in

the 1920s they were the thing to

have in your automobile boator airplane

Editorrsquos Note WARNING An-

tique carbon tetrachloride fire extin-

guishers like the Pyrene occasionally

show up either contaminated with

the original agent or worse yet with

the full charge of agent still inside

Carbon tet is treated as a hazard-

ous substance (its use was banned

in consumer products in 1970) and

should be dealt with accordingly

In fact carbon tetrachloride when

heated by a fire will create poison-

ous phosgene gas (World War Irsquos

ldquonerve gasrdquo) something that would

definitely ruin someonersquos day if the

fire hadnrsquot done so already In its

standard form this substance is verytoxic to the liver and a single signifi-

cant exposure can result in sickness

or death

L a n g l ey may have been the

f h f i i i b

last and last The instruction

l i l d f

1903 Samuel Pierpont Langleyrsquos ldquoAerodromerdquoattempts to take off from a floating platform

Have a comment or ques-

tion for Bob Lock the Vintage

Mechanic Drop us an e-mail at

vintageaircrafteaaorg or you

can mail your question to Vintage

Airplane PO Box 3086 Osh-

kosh WI 54903

Illustration 7

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Authorrsquos Note We held a small open house at the

flight school hangar this past Saturday Though the

weather was not conducive to give many rides we still

had about 60 people show up enjoy a brat or ham-

burger and talk about flying or learning to fly Interest

in flying is not dead One of my pet peeves is how we

in general aviation go about attracting individuals tolearn the pleasure of flight

Nearly every aviation publication I read carries ar-

ticles and editorials about the downward spiral of gen-

eral aviation Flight schools are having a hard time

attracting new students ldquoDoom and gloomrdquo reigns

with little positive to report on the horizon This al-

ways reminds me of the proverbial three wise mon-keys who embody the principle ldquoSee no evil hear no

evil and speak no evilrdquo We all complain about the

problem but no one ever offers solutions It seems as

though by not doing anything about the challenge it

will eventually go away and right itself

Many of the aviation organizations are wringing

their respective hands giving great lip service to the

drop in pilot numbers Some like EAA have launched

activities to attract new pilots such as the Young Ea-gles program This has been a good start but it will not

fill the ever-increasing void for more pilots

What are we all missing FUN

Four years ago I chose early retirement from a 38-

The student make-up is a real cross-section of Amer-

ica My youngest student to date began flight lessons

at age 14 and the oldest was 77 years young Irsquove men-

tioned some of my students in previous articles At

yearrsquos end 2010 while converting our student files

from paper to computer I was amazed to discover that

in the previous two years I had given instruction tomore than 200 individuals Some were new students

others were individuals in search of a tailwheel en-

dorsement and many were older individuals who had

pursued flight training early in their lives but gave it

up to raise a family Now they had the time and still re-

tained the burning desire to get back into flying What

attracted these individuals to the flight school FUN

And thefun

challenge of flying J-3 Cubs

Herersquos a small cross-section of this yearrsquos group

of students

bullA retired US Navy lieutenant who flew F-4 Phan-

toms off carriers in Vietnam He hasnrsquot done any fly-

ing in more than 10 years but hersquos been building a

Skybolt which will soon be finished and hersquos return-

ing to his lifelong lovemdashaviation He also has two

young sons who want to fly and will soon be joining

the group of student pilotsbullA young CPA from Iowa whose grandfather was a

friend of Bernie Pietenpol and who has built two Piets

The CPA used two weeks of his vacation time to learn

to fly so that he can fly the airplane(s) that his grandfa-

ther built and take his grandfather for a ride

BY Steve Krog CFI

THE Vintage

Instructor

Vintage flying is very much alive

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3344

Cubs flying every day he decided to pursue his pas-

sion for flight

bullA national chain hardware store employee who

has had a dream of flying driving nearly two hours

each way to learn to fly in a Cub

bullAn aviation writervideo producer who already has

a sport pilot certificate but desires to obtain a private

pilot certificate and do so in Cubs

bullA 30-something young family man who sells

construction equipment attachments While deer

hunting a year ago he learned one of his hunting

friends had recently learned to fly in Cubs For three

days they talked airplanes and flying rather than do-

ing much hunting Upon his return from the hunt-ing trip he drove to the airport and signed up for

lessons in the Cub

bullA professional musician from the Chicago area

who always wanted to learn to fly Although not yet

old enough to have a true ldquobucket listrdquo learning to fly

a Cub was number one on his list

With two exceptions these individuals had never

before flown or flown in tailwheel airplanes but alwayshad a dream of learning to fly in a Cubmdashjust like dad

or granddad did many years ago

Although no one in this group comes from simi-

lar backgrounds or professions there is one common

denominator among every studentmdashFUN None of

these students are learning to fly to pursue a career

in aviation (although Irsquove worked with a couple who

have done so) Rather they are learning to fly or get-

ting back into flying for the FUN and CHALLENGE of

flight They all have a true love of flight and seeing the

world from 500 feet with the door and window open

I have also worked with a number of students who

began taking flight lessons but quit after a period of

time They still had the passion for flight but gave it

up When asked why the responses fell into one of the

following four categories

bullI began taking lessons but after three or four les-sons Irsquod be assigned to a different instructor After 30

hours of dual three instructors and still not having

soloed I quit

bullThe instructor wasnrsquot teaching me anything He

was more interested in building time than teaching

Take a moment and think about how you first be-

came interested in airplanes What triggered your

pursuit of learning to fly Did you have a buddy or

maybe a family friend who encouraged you Or even

became a mentor Do you remember your first flight

lesson Do you remember the day you made your

first solo flight

Remember that passion and sense of accomplish-

ment Donrsquot hesitate to share it with anyone express-

ing an interest in learning to fly

At Cub Air Flight we sell FUN When individuals

visit the airport to inquire about learning to fly we

know they have made the commitment in their own

mind It then becomes our responsibility to makethe visit friendly A friendly environment is a FUN

environment Kids are always welcome If a prospec-

tive student has children with him or her we invite

the kids to sit in the planes At the conclusion of our

discussion we emphasize the following statement If

you learn to fly with us it will be FUN CHALLENG-

ING and SAFE

I donrsquot believe there is a shortage of pilot prospectsbut there is a shortage in how we all go about attract-

ing these people to become active participants in plea-

sure flying Remember flying is FUN Letrsquos make an

effort to help others share in that FUN

AERO CLASSICldquoCOLLECTOR SERIESrdquo

Vintage Tires New USA Production

Show off your pride and joy with afresh set of Vintage Rubber Thesenewly minted tires are FAA-TSOrsquodand speed rated to 120 MPH Some

things are better left the way theywere and in the 40rsquos and 50rsquos these tires were perfectly intune to the exciting times in aviation

Not only do these tires set your vintage plane apart fromthe rest but also look exceptional on all General Aviationaircraft Deep 832nd tread depth offers above averagetread life and UV treated rubber resists aging

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3444

We enjoy your suggestions for

Mystery Planesmdashin fact more than

half of our subjects are sent to us by

members often via e-mail Please

remember that if you want to scan

the photo for use in Mystery Plane

it must be at a resolution of 300 dpior greater You may send a lower-

resolution version to us for our re-

view but the final version has to be

at that level of detail or it will not

print properly Also please let us

craft in the photo is of Canadian civil

registry CF-BXO formerly Royal Cana-

dian Air Force (RCAF) 920 This photo-

graph would have been taken at some

time between 1962 and 1967 after an

overhaul at Abbotsford British Colum-

bia (BC) and possibly while in servicewith Stranraer Aerial Enterprises The

location strongly resembles the Fraser

River dockings at the Vancouver air-

port The aircraft had undergone a re-

spray with a bright red cheat line The

(beaching gear required) for the Royal Air

Force (RAF) in 1933 The prototype first

flew in October 1934 with two Bristol

Pegasus IIIM engines rated at 820 hp

The production aircraft were delivered to

the RAF with Pegasus engines delivering

920 hp entering service in April 1937The British-built machines of which 23

were ordered and only 17 being built

were all delivered by April 1939

In Canada Canadian Vickers Lim-

ited of Montreal Quebec produced 40

Send your answer to EAA Vin-

tage Airplane PO Box 3086 Osh-

kosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer

needs to be in no later than August

20 for inclusion in the October

2011 issue of Vintage Airplane

You can also send your response via

e-mail Send your answer to mystery

planeeaaorg Be sure to include your

name plus your city and state in the

body of your note and put ldquo(Month)

Mystery Planerdquo in the subject line

This monthrsquos Mystery Plane comes to us from Bruce Voran

MYSTERY PLANE

by HG FRAUTSCHY

A P R I L rsquo S M Y S T E RY A N S W E R

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3544

QCA began buying several examplesand was instrumental in convincing

the Canadian Department of Transport

(DOT) to issue a civilian Certificate of

Airworthiness (C of A) One of the first

aircraft so issued was CF-BYI which be-

1980 the Canadian Museum of Flightand Transportation in BC salvaged the

wreck for possible restoration As late as

April 1952 QCA still had two Stranraer

in service CF-BXO and CF-BYM Pacific

Western Airlines (PWA) also operated

Two RAF Belfast freighters were dis-

patched and the disassembled aircraft

was transported to the United Kingdomwhere the machine is currently one of the

centerpieces of the collection

The aircraft type had many names

The most familiar (and printable) were

Stranny Strainer and Flying Meccano

Set The least affectionate was the Whis-

tling Shouse as when the lid to the

throne was lifted there was direct access

to the great outdoors and there emitted a

loud whistling noise

Other correct answers were re-

ceived from Hillis Cunliffe Mill-

brook Alabama Brian Baker Sun

City Arizona Wesley R Smith

Springfield Illinois John White-

head Cheyenne Wyoming ScottChurch Cochrane Alberta Can-

ada Jay Broze Walla Walla Wash-

ington Jerry Paterson Kent

Washington Jamie Patterson Mi-

ramichi New Brunswick Canada

Bill Bishop of Mulgoa New South Wales Australia sent along this photo

of the surviving Supermarine Stranraer

David Nixon supplied us with the April Mystery Plane shot of CF-BXO

a Canadian Vickers-built Supermarine Stranraer

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3644

urday 8 am until 6 pm Early-bird

arrivals can shop on the pre-conven-

tion weekend as well during limited

hours Show your VAA membership

card (or your receipt showing you

joined VAA at the convention) and

yoursquoll receive a 10 percent discount

VAA Volunteer Opportunities

Are you an ace pancake flipperIf yoursquore not one yet we can help

The VAA Tall Pines Cafeacute is looking

for volunteers who can help provide

a hearty breakfast to all the hungry

campers on the south end of Witt-

man Field If you could lend a hand

for a morning or two wersquod appreci-

ate it If thatrsquos not your cup of tea feelfree to check with the VAA Volunteer

Center located just to the northeast

of the VAA Red Barn The volun-

teers who operate the booth will be

happy to tell you when your help is

needed each day It doesnrsquot matter if

itrsquos just for a few hours or for a few

daysmdashwersquod love to have your help-

ing hands There is no need for you

to contact us ahead of time you can

talk with us when you arrive

VAA Judging Categoriesand Awards

The VAArsquos internationally recog-

nized judging categories are

bullAntique Aircraft built prior toSeptember 1 1945

bullClassic September 1 1945 - De-

cember 31 1955

bullContemporary January 1 1956

- December 31 1970

VAA NEWScontinued frpm page 5

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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the award winners Judging closes at noon on Friday

July 29 The Awards Ceremony will be held Saturday

evening July 30 at 6 pm in the Vintage Hangar

just south of the VAA Red Barn

Designated Smoking Areas Near FlightlineSmoking on the flightline at EAA AirVenture is prohib-

ited because itrsquos a hazard to all aircraft There are several

designated smoking areas with butt cans along the flight-

line well away from aircraft and refueling operations

Designated smoking areas will be south of the ultra-light runway near the Hangar Cafeacute near the Warbirdsarea (northeast corner of Audrey Lane and Eide Av-

enue) the Wearhouse flag pole area the shade pavil-ion north of the control tower and near the UltralightBarn Locations will be indicated on EAArsquos free con-vention grounds map The admission wristband alsoinstructs visitors that smoking is allowed only in desig-nated smoking areas

More on the Web

Visit wwwAirVentureorg for more information onEAA AirVenture 2011

EAA AirVenture Is Almost Here Are You Ready

Just a few short weeks from now many of you will

make the annual pilgrimage to Oshkosh for EAA Air-

Venture 2011 Are you ready Here are several handy

online tools on the AirVenture website that can help

you take care of any last-minute concerns

Visit wwwAirVentureorg and find out what you

need to know about The Worldrsquos Greatest Avia-

tion Celebration

Admission Parking Hours

wwwAirVentureorgplanningadmissionhtml

Find or Share a Ride to Oshkosh

wwwAirVentureorgrideshare

Site Map

wwwAirVentureorgplanningschedules_mapshtml

Where to Stay

Yoursquore cleared to stay connected

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3844

ship services at 800-564-6322 but

given the time from when you read

this until AirVenture it may not ar-

rive in the mail in time for your de-

parture We suggest downloading

the NOTAM

The NOTAM contains the specialflight procedures in effect for Witt-

man Regional Airport and alternate

airports from 6 am CDT on Friday

July 22 to 12 pm CDT on Mon-

day August 1 2011 All pilots who

fly into the event are expected to

know the special flight procedures

prior to arrival EAA AirVenture Os-

hkosh runs from July 25 through

July 31 For additional EAA AirVen-

ture Oshkosh 2011 information

visit wwwAirVentureorg

Call for VAA Hall of

Fame Nominations

To the left is our information

for nominations for VAArsquos Hallof Fame which is presented each

year during a special dinner This

yearrsquos dinner will be held Friday

October 28 Wersquoll have more on

this yearrsquos inductee John Under-

To nominate someone is easy It just takes a little time and a little reminiscing on your part

Mail nominating materials to

Remember your ldquocontemporaryrdquo may be a candidate nominate someone today

wwwVintageAircraftorg

CALL FOR VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

Nominations

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3944

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

Wit tman Regional A i rpor t (OSH)

Oshkosh Wisconsin

July 25-31 2011

wwwAirVentureorg

Colorado Sport International Air Show

and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In

Rocky Mountain Met ropol i tan A irpor t (BJC)

Denver Colorado

August 27-28 2011

wwwCOSportAviationorg

Mid-Eastern Regional Fly-In

Gr imes F ie ld A irpor t (I74)

Urbana Ohio

September 10-11 2011

httpMERFIcom

Copperstate Fly-In

Casa Grande Munic ipal A i rpor t (CGZ)

Casa Grande Ar izona

Upcoming Major

Fly-Ins

W I N

Only 2000 ticketswill be sold1 ticket $50

3 tickets $125

Piper Tri-Pacer Airplane

Free Flying Lessons

Free Pilot License

Country Legend Roy Clarkrsquos Personal Proceeds fromthis raffle

SAVEAMERICANKIDS LIVES

wwwwingsofhoperaffleorg

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4044

MISCELLANEOUS

wwwaerolistorg Aviationsrsquo Leading

Marketplace

Rare find Lycoming 0-145 partsinventory blocks bearings rings

shafts amp much more $20000

at 1970 prices $5000 Six four

cylinder case aircraft magnetos

$300 Call for more details (FL)

VINTAGETRADER

Someth ing t o buyse l l o r t rade

Classified Word Ads $550 per 10

words 180 words maximum with boldface

lead-in on first line

Classified Display Ads One column wide

(2167 inches) by 1 2 or 3 inches high at

$20 per inch Black and white only and nofrequency discounts

Advertising Closing Dates 10th of second

month prior to desired issue date (ie

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 (classads

eaaorg ) using credit card payment (all cards

accepted) Include name on card complete

address type of card card number and

expiration date Make checks payable to EAA

Address advertising correspondence to EAA

Publications Classified Ad Manager PO Box

3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

What Our Members

Are Restoring

Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done and

yoursquore busy flying and showing it off If so wersquod like to hear from

you Send us a 4-by-6-inch print from a commercial source (no

home printers please those prints just donrsquot scan well) or a

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4144

EAAMembership in the Experimental Aircraft

Association Inc is $40 for one year includ-ing 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION Familymembership is an additional $10 annually Allmajor credit cards accepted for membership(Add $16 for International Postage)

FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPSPlease submit your remittance with a

check or draft drawn on a United Statesbank payable in United States dollars Addrequired Foreign Postage amount for eachmembership

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATIONCurrent EAA members may join the

Vintage Aircraft Association and receive

year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not included)(Add $7 for International Postage)

WARBIRDSCurrent EAA members may join the EAA

Warbirds of America Division and receiveWARBIRDS magazine for an additional$45 per year

EAA Membership WARBIRDS mag-azine and one year membership in theWarbirds Division is available for $55 per

year (SPORT OficAVIATION magazinenot included) (Add $7 for Interna-tional Postage)

IACCurrent EAA members may join the

International Aerobatic Club Inc Divi-sion and receive SPORT AEROBATICS magazine for an additional $45 per year

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

VINTAGE

AIRCRAFT

ASSOCIATION

OFFICERS

DIRECTORS

DIRECTORS

EMERITUS

PresidentGeoff Robison

1521 E MacGregor DrNew Haven IN 46774

260-493-4724chief7025aolcom

Vice-PresidentGeorge Daubner

N57W34837 Pondview LnOconomowoc WI 53066

262-560-1949 gdaubnereaaorg

Steve Bender85 Brush Hill Road

Sherborn MA 01770508-653-7557

sst10comcastnet

David Bennett375 Killdeer Ct

Lincoln CA 95648916-952-9449

antiquerinreachcom

Jerry Brown4605 Hickory Wood Row

Greenwood IN 46143317-422-9366

lbrown4906aolcom

Dave Clark635 Vestal Lane

Plainfield IN 46168317-839-4500davecpdattnet

John S Copeland1A Deacon Street

Northborough MA 01532508-393-4775

copeland1junocom

Phil Coulson28415 Springbrook Dr

Lawton MI 49065269-624-6490

rcoulson516cscom

Dale A Gustafson7724 Shady Hills Dr

Indianapolis IN 46278317-293-4430

dalefayemsncom

Jeannie HillPO Box 328

Harvard IL 60033-0328815-943-7205

Espie ldquoButchrdquo Joyce704 N Regional Rd

Greensboro NC 27409336-668-3650

windsockaolcom

Steve Krog1002 Heather Ln

Hartford WI 53027262-966-7627sskrogaolcom

Robert D ldquoBobrdquo Lumley1265 South 124th StBrookfield WI 53005

262-782-2633rlumley1wirrcom

SH ldquoWesrdquo Schmid2359 Lefeber Avenue

Wauwatosa WI 53213414-771-1545

shschmidgmailcom

Robert C Brauer9345 S Hoyne

Chicago IL 60643773-779-2105

photopilotaolcom

Gene Chase2159 Carlton Rd

Oshkosh WI 54904920-231-5002

GRCHAcharternet

Ronald C Fritz15401 Sparta Ave

Kent City MI 49330616-678-5012

rFritzpathwaynet com

Charlie HarrisPO Box 470350Tulsa OK 74147

918-622-8400cwhhvsucom

EE ldquoBuckrdquo Hilbert8102 Leech RdUnion IL 60180

815-923-4591buck7acgmailcom

Gene Morris5936 Steve Court

Roanoke TX 76262817-491-9110

genemor rischarter net

Membership Services DirectoryEnjoy the many benefits of EAA and

EAArsquos Vintage Aircraft Association

EAA Aviation Center PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086Phone (920) 426-4800 Fax (920) 426-4873Web Sites wwwvintageaircraftorg wwwairventureorg wwweaaorgmemberbenefits E-Mail vintageaircrafteaaorg

EAA and Division Membership Services (800 AMndash600 PM MondayndashFriday CST)800-564-6322 FAX 920-426-4873 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

bullNewrenew memberships bullAddress changes bullMerchandise sales bullGift memberships

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 888-322-4636 wwwairventureorg airventureeaaorg

Sport PilotLight-Sport Aircraft Hotline 877-359-1232 wwwsportpilotorg sportpiloteaaorg

Programs and Activities

Auto Fuel STCs 920-426-4843 stceaaorg EAA Air Academy 920-426-6880 wwwairacademyorg airacademyeaaorg

EAA Scholarships 920-426-6823 scholarshipseaaorg

Library ServicesResearch 920-426-4848 slurveyeaaorg

Benefits

AUA Vintage Insurance Plan 800-727-3823 wwwauaonlinecom

EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan 866-647-4322 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

EAA VISA Card 800-853-5576 ext 8884

EAA Her tz Rent-A-Car Program 800-654-2200 wwweaaorghertz membershipeaaorg

VAA EditorialExecutive Director 920-426-4825 wwwvintageaircraftorg vintageeaaorg

VAA Office 920-426-6110 tbookseaaorg

TM

EAA Members Information Line 888-EAA-INFO (322-4636)

Use this toll-free number for information about AirVenture Oshkosh aeromedical and technical aviation questions

chapters and Young Eagles Please have your membership number ready when calling

Office hours are 815 am - 500 pm (Monday - Friday CST)

SecretarySteve Nesse

2009 Highland AveAlbert Lea MN 56007

507-373-1674

stnes2009livecom

TreasurerDan Knutson

106 Tena Marie CircleLodi WI 53555608-592-7224

lodicubcharternet

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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If yoursquove ever watched fish in

an aquarium yoursquove probably no-

ticed how they respond differently

to their surroundings There are

those that zip around the tank in a

mad dash to nowhere Some seem

to sit and not go much of any-

where and some will swim f romone end to the other turn around

and do it again

The latter are the ones that remind

me of myself I seem to fly in a fish-

bowl I go from one end of our val-

proficient by practicing things we

know over and over or it can make

us lazy When something becomes

so ingrained that we do it from habit

only we may not be thinking about

what wersquore doing

On a night cross-country some

time ago I found out just how easyit is to forget things that I hadnrsquot

used in a while While night may be

a little more challenging it still re-

quires the basic pre-flight planning

of any cross-country and following

whether I go far or stay in the com-

fort zone I canrsquot let complacency take

over Those skills and experiences

need to be stretched from time to

time regardless of where I fly An un-

expected situation or emergency is a

bad time to find out I donrsquot remem-

ber how to do somethingComplacency also allows fear

to creep in where it doesnrsquot belong

Some fear (I think) is a natural part of

flying but it can also unnecessarily

keep us grounded because we wonrsquot

BY S MICHELLE SOUDER

Flying Outside

the Fishbowl

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4344

Itrsquos gonna be a big year at Oshk osh

B-29 Superfortress ldquoFIFIrdquo

The first visit since 1995for the worldrsquos only airworthyB-29 Superfortress

REO SpeedwagonOshkosh rocks Monday duringthe opening day concert presentedby Ford Motor Company

Tribute to Bob HooverTuesday afternoon air showfeaturing aircraft and maneuvershe made legendary

eVentureInnovation will be on displayand in the air with the ElectricFlight Prize Competition

Join us for a week-long celebration of the Centennial of Naval Aviationincluding a special air show Wednesday See the hottest naval aircraftin historic colors all week on ConocoPhillips Plaza

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Page 3: Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 344

2 Straight amp Level Chapter success the right recipe by Geoff Robison

3 News

6 A Waco Kind of Family The Applegate clan and their YKS-6 by Budd Davisson

13 Flashes of Purple Sparks by Daniel J Demers

16 First Regular Airmail Flight by Lieut H Latane Lewis II

20 To Follow the Line This was the way I had learned navigation to follow the line by E Jeff Justis

25

The Vintage Mechanic Early fire-extinguishing system by Robert G Lock

30 The Vintage Instructor Vintage flying is very much alive by Steve Krog CFI

32 Mystery Plane

by HG Frautschy

38 Classified Ads

40 Flying Outside the Fishbowl by S Michelle Souder

A I R P L A N E J U L Y

C O N T E N T S

S T A F FEAA Publisher Rod Hightower

Director of EAA Publications Mary Jones

Executive DirectorEditor HG Frautschy

ProductionSpecial Project Kathleen WitmanPhotography Jim KoepnickCopy Editor Colleen Walsh

Senior Art Director Olivia P TrabboldEAA Chairman of the Board Tom Poberezny

Publication AdvertisingManagerDomestic Sue Anderson

T l 920 426 6127 E il d

Vol 39 No 7 2011

16

6

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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By the time this monthrsquos Vintage

Airplane hits your mailbox we will

be days away from the start of the

Worldrsquos Greatest Aviation Celebration

known to us all as EAA AirVenture

Oshkosh As I have stated repeatedly

in this column this is yet another year

at Oshkosh you do not want to miss

The planning continues to evolve in

spectacular fashion If you havenrsquot re-cently visited the convention website

wwwAirVentureorg you really need

to check out all the amazing events

scheduled for this yearrsquos event There

truly is something for everyone

The monthly work parties at Osh-

kosh in the Vintage area continue

to experience great success I wantto personally thank everyone who

has attended and invested their per-

sonal resources in assisting us with

this always-important task of prepar-

ing the site for our annual fly-in and

convention It is impossible for me to

imagine how we could possibly ac-

complish so much progress without

the valued assistance of our many

pre-convention volunteers I also look

forward to personally welcoming

back the hundreds of Vintage volun-

teers who assist us with all the critical

responsibilities that make this event a

tive ldquodoom and gloomrdquo that we all

read in the GA magazines these days

is absolutely the wrong message to

expound upon Relatively speaking

our vintage aircraft are as economi-

cal and safe to operate today as they

were 50 years ago Everything in our

lives is impacted by the value of our

dollar today as compared to yester-

day If you think about the issue ina fair and impartial manner it really

is all relative Yes it is more expen-

sive to operate the aircraft I own but

so is driving my automobile When

you do a complete analysis of whatrsquos

important in your life flying will al-

ways float to the top as one of my top

three things that gives me the mostpleasure in life My very best memo-

ries are always going to include fam-

ily friends and flying Steversquos point

of view is the right one What are we

doing individually to help grow the

pilot population Join Steve in selling

the ldquofunrdquo in aviation

Letrsquos talk Vintage chapters for a

minute What are the key ingredients

to creating and then maintaining a

Vintage chapter Every chapter EAA

or otherwise will experience the nor-

mal ebbs and flows of maintaining

and attending to the many responsi-

no one is willing to address the real

issue of what will potentially lead to

the demise of that chapter Some-

times the problem is that itrsquos the same

small crowd of individuals who carry

the full burden of operating the chap-

ter and it is way past the time to ldquore-

vitalizerdquo Get your arms around those

folks with the energy to help out As-

sign some of these individuals somereal responsibility then get out of the

way and let them do their thing They

may really surprise you Remember

the recipe Itrsquos got to be fun safe and

it better taste good

I do have a bit of news that is of

great concern about my immediate

predecessor in this volunteer jobButch Joyce Hersquos one of my very

best friends and Irsquom very sorry to tell

you he was recently diagnosed with

a brain tumor The tumor was found

to be malignant and the surgical

procedure to remove the tumor was

less than successful At the moment

Butch remains hospitalized at Duke

University in North Carolina where

he will continue with physical ther-

apy and radiation and chemotherapy

treatments The only good news wersquove

heard related to his illness is that the

type of tumor he has can be success-

GEOFF ROBISON

PRESIDENT VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

STRAIGHT amp LEVEL

Chapter success the right recipe

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 544

VAA NEWS

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 644

Find Your FavoritePresentations andWorkshops Online

With hundreds of the worldrsquos

leading aviation authorities giv-ing close to 1000 individual pre-

sentations at nearly 45 locations

spread throughout the AirVenture

grounds finding out who is pre-

senting where and when can be

in a word challenging The EAA

AirVenture website has an online

tool that can make this task simple

when you use the integrated Air-

Venture schedule

Located at wwwAirVentureorg

under ldquoAttractionsrdquo and then un-

der ldquoActivities Presentations amp

Workshopsrdquo the database includes

all the venues subjects and top-

ics presenters and events from

not only Forums and Workshopsbut also Warbirds in Review Kid-

Venture Museum Speakers Show-

case Authors Corner Theater in

the Woods special ldquoat the aircraftrdquo

presentations on ConocoPhillips

Plaza and more If itrsquos scheduled

yoursquoll find it here In addition the

web schedule is updated on a dailybasis to reflect any changes or ad-

ditions that might occur at the last

minute You can even create your

own itinerary of various events of

interest You can save or print it out

for future reference

A quick link to this new schedule

is wwwAirVentureorgschedule

Fabric-Covering WorkshopLast month we mentioned that

Superflite covering systems would

be presenting covering workshops

in the VAA area Changes in the

tant part of your VAA membership)

you can use the EAA Flight Planner

to chart your trip to Wittman Field

for EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2011

Just click on the EAA Flight Plannerlink on the left side of the VAA home

page at wwwVintageAircraftorg or ac-

cess it through the membersrsquo only

section of EAArsquos online community

at wwwOshkosh365org

Grass Runways and FuelAlso on our VAA website we

publish a list created by VAA mem-

ber Kris Kortokrax

Kris flies a variety of old bi-

planes that are more pleasant to

fly when they are flown from grass

strips and he and his buddies from

Shelbyville Illinois do their best to

keep the old biplanes happy (and

keep tire wear to a minimum) byflying cross-country from grass strip

to grass strip Finding fuel facilities

can be a challenge these days and

Kris has distilled this airport infor-

mation to be useful for like-minded

grass-runway-preferring pilots This

data was current as of the beginning

of the year and wersquod suggest callingahead to confirm fuel availability

and hours of operation If you have

any changes or additions drop us

an e-mail here at VintageAircraft

eaaorg and wersquoll forward it to Kris

Our thanks to Kris for sharing his

list Let us know if you find it useful

VAArsquos Portable ElectronicsCharging Station

Do your rechargeable personal

electronics like your cellphone or

computer go dead before AirVen-

turersquos over VAA has the solution to

service to EAA members for whatever

donation you feel is appropriate

Breakfast and a Briefing

The VAA Tall Pines Cafeacute will bein operation again this year with

an expanded schedule prior to

convention and fly-in-style pan-

cake and egg breakfasts during

EAA AirVenture Starting on Fri-

day morning July 22 and continu-

ing through Sunday July 24 the

VAA Tall Pines Cafeacute will be open for

breakfast (630-930 am) and din-

ner (430-730 pm) Starting Mon-

day July 25 only breakfast will be

served at the Tall Pines Cafeacute (630-

930 am) through Saturday July

30 Just to the north a Flight Ser-

vice Station (FSS) trailer will be lo-

cated near the cafeacute At the trailer

yoursquoll be able to check the weatherfor your flight and obtain a full

briefing from FSS specialists with-

out having to trek up to the FAA

Building near the control tower

Wersquoll see you there each morning

for ldquobreakfast and a briefingrdquo

Are You a Friend of the VAA Red Barn

If so be sure to check in at the

information desk at the VAA Red

Barn There wersquoll issue you a spe-

cial name badge We can also point

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 744

VAA Message Center If you would like to leave a

message for people you know

who frequent the VAA Red Barn

stop by the information desk Youcan write them a message in our

ldquonotebook on a stringrdquo and wersquoll

post their name on the marker

board so theyrsquoll know therersquos a

message waiting for them Sure

cellphones and walkie-talkies are

great but sometimes nothing

works better than a hand-scrib-

bled note

VAA PicnicTickets for the annual VAA

picnic to be held Wednesday

Ju ly 27 at the Nature Center

will be available for sale at the

VAA Red Barn Tickets must be

purchased in advance so weknow how much food to or-

der The delicious meal will be

served from 530 pm until ap-

proximately 7 pm If you need

transportation trams will be-

gin leaving the VAA Red Barn

around 5 pm and will make re-

turn trips after the picnic Typeclubs may hold their annual

banquets during the picnic Call

Jeannie Hill (815-245-4464)

and she will reserve seating so

your type club can sit together

Shawano Fly-OutThe annual fly-out to Shawano

is Saturday July 30 The sign-up

sheet will be at the desk at the VAA

Red Barn and the briefing will be

at 7 am the morning of the fly-

out The community of Shawano

approximately an hour north of

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 844

A Waco Kind of Family

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 944

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1044ldquowas about 6 years old

and Dad had taken us

to a fly-in in Ottumwa

show for his youthful fascination

with things that fly He now has

what he wished for when looking

Aviation families are quite common

within the sport aviation commu-

nity but few have made aviation

MIKE STEINEKE

The entire family enjoys flying the Waco all over the Midwest and beyond The color scheme evokes the colors chosenby Wiley Post for his record-setting Lockheed Vega the Winnie Mae

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1144

port That was in 1964 So basically

wersquove lived on an airport from just

about the moment I was born Now

So was Dad So we called the FAA

and got a lsquospecialrsquo VFR clearance

The last words my instructor said

before I took off in the C-152

were lsquoStay out of the clouds comearound and landrsquo So I didrdquo

There he was a certificated pilot

and still riding the school bus to his

little country school and living the

life of a typical high school kid in-

cluding going to local fairs

ldquoIt was at a local fair right after I

graduated that I met Carolyn and

I asked her out for a date On our

second or third date I took her fly-

ing in Dadrsquos Decathlon I guess that

must have impressed her because

we got married a year laterrdquo

Carolyn says ldquoHersquos such an avia-

tion addict that our honeymoon

had us stopping at various airports

as we traveled But Irsquoll tell youwhat Irsquod much rather he be out fly-

ing or hanging out at airports than

out drinkingrdquo And she laughs She

laughs a lot

Often it is at this point in an avi-

atorrsquos life story that the individual

says his flying stopped while he

built a business and a family tobe resumed as a later date Harve

however managed to sidestep that

layoff For one thing he essen-

tially lived on an airport his wife

liked flying (she says ldquoI decided if I

couldnrsquot beat him Irsquod join him and

started taking flying lessonsrdquo) and

hersquod grown up banging knuckles

working on airplanes So where so

many young fathers find their avia-

tion career has stagnated he started

building up his own airplanes the

first being a Cessna 170B

ldquoThe 170rdquo he says ldquowas actually

ldquoBecause we live barely 40 miles

from Blakesburg getting hooked on

vintage airplanes was unavoidable

Dad would take us to lots of fly-ins

including Blakesburg and from thevery beginning I actually liked vin-

tage airplanes better than he did

And I loved working on themrdquo

Harversquos love of vintage mechan-

ics showed through many years of

polishing and restoration of the

C-170 It went to Oshkosh for 16

years At first it was noticed because

it looked dreadfully forlorn but

over the years it began to gain more

attention and for better reasons

The judges were impressed enough

in 2000 to give it the best 170180

award Then it won Grand Cham-

pion in its class at the AAA Fly-In at

Blakesburg the next year

ldquoFirst I have to say that I donrsquotbuild airplanes to win trophies and

I donrsquot go to fly-ins to be judged I

build airplanes to go to fly-ins Pe-

riod We love going to fly-ins and

attend at least 15 or 20 a year and

we do it as a family Eventually the

kids got too big and we out-grew

the 170 after putting a little over1200 hours on itrdquo

While Harve might say he was

building a family the truth is that

Carolyn was the one having the

babies and trying to build a career

And her schedule was more than

just a little tight She started col-

lege right after Taryn was born and

missed her own graduation because

she was busy finishing her own

homebuilt Shalyn Today she puts

that diploma to work teaching sec-

ond grade while Harve farms 1500

acres of soybeans and corn

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1244

that he has made a huge number

of friends out of the other partici-

pants and thatrsquos good for all of usrdquo

ldquoI was looking for a bigger air-

plane when a friend of mine toldme about a beautiful 195 with a

blown engine sitting out on the

ramp in Tullahoma ldquo Harve says

ldquoI contacted the airport to find out

info about the owner I contacted

him and discovered it not only had

a bad engine but the finance com-

pany held the note as the owner

was going through bankruptcy I

flew down with my stepfather (who

had become a pilot after marry-

ing my motherhellipdad had died by

then) and we looked it over

ldquoI put in a bid and got it I sold

the 170 to a wonderful friend and

fortunately it stayed at our airport

where it is well tended We put anew 330 Jake from Radial Engines

Limited on the 195 and it won

awards at both Oshkosh and Blakes-

burg as well We kept the 195 for

three years But it still wasnrsquot a

Waco something I just couldnrsquot get

out of my head

ldquoWhen I started looking forWacosrdquo he says ldquolike everyone

else I was assaulted by the incred-

ible number of different varieties

But I wasnrsquot looking for something

to rebuild nor was I looking for a

rare variety I wanted an airplane

that would serve our family well

The fact that it would be an incred-

ibly cool antique was just a bonus

Because of that I passed on a lot of

projects and focused on airplanes

that were flying and needed a mini-

mum of work and could be fairly

easily supported That meant an

ldquoI looked at a few airplanes be-

fore a friend Doug Parsons turned

me on to N16249 a 1936 YKS-6 It

was last restored by Pete Coving-ton in 1994 so it was in really good

condition In fact well-known an-

tiquer Morton Lester had owned it

at the time of restoration It was a

good solid airplane that was due for

some freshening up not a rebuild

This was exactly what I was looking

for It had been through two own-

ers since Lester owned it and was

now part of an estate sale

ldquoI got it home in July of 2005 and

began working on itrdquo he says ldquoBe-

cause it had been restored nearly 15

years earlier and hadnrsquot been a han-

difficult but the paperwork turned

out to be a headache

ldquoThe original engine was a Ja-

cobs R-755-9 which is 245 hp butI wanted more power We have a

pretty big useful load with this air-

plane but it needs the extra power

when itrsquos heavy So I wanted to go

up to the 755-B2M which is 275

hp I had Air Repair in Cleveland

Mississippi build up an engine for

me Since itrsquos virtually identical to

the original Jake putting it on was

nothing At the same time we in-

stalled a new Sensenich wooden

prop But then we started working

on the paperwork

ldquoThis shouldnrsquot have been nearly

CRAIG VANDERKOLK

Most of the Applegate family during AirVenture 2010 from left to right

daughter Shalyn Harve Carolyn and son Matt The Applegatesrsquo other

daughter Taryn couldnrsquot make the trip

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1344

two airplanes were one in the same

Finally we got a hold of Jeff Janus

at the FAArsquos Aircraft Certification

Office (ACO) who said it was a no-

brainer and sent it back to the FSDO

and told them to sign it off

ldquoWersquove been flying the airplane

for five years now and itrsquos exactly

what we wanted an d what we

thought it should be First for an

airplane this big itrsquos really easy to

fly In fact it lands a lot like our

Cub and even on pavement isnrsquot

A Lesson in the Learning Caveats When DonatingAt one point Harversquos dad began having airport problems and therersquos a lesson

to be learned for a lot of us here

ldquoThe airport had never gotten hugerdquo Harve says ldquoIt was just a nice friendly

airport with a few hangars and some local tenants But it was the only airport in

the area so Dad deeded it over to the city I guess you could say he donated it

For years this worked out really well and all the aviation guys in the area loved it

We host a fly-in there each year and that became something of a local event that

everyone looked forward to

ldquoDad died suddenly in 1981 and we decided to build a house right near the

CRAIG VANDERKOLK

The Applegates camp every year just south of the VAA Flightline Opera-

tions building so son Matt and the family can enjoy visiting with their many

friends and watch the afternoon air show

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1444

bigger yoursquod want The back seat

is an honest three kids wide and

the two front seats are separated

by nearly a foot So you feel as ifyoursquore flying your own little air-

liner And how many airplanes to-

day let you crank the side windows

down and fly with you elbows up

on the windowsill

ldquoItrsquos not a rocketship in climb

about 500-600 fpm but itrsquoll give

you that or close to it whether

yoursquore loaded or not Those big old

wings can really carry a load

ldquoItrsquos also not a speed demon

but itrsquoll indicate 120 mph give or

take 5 mph at about 14 gallons per

hour and fly straight ahead with

MIKE STEINEKE

Another gorgeous picture of the Applegatesrsquo plane flying over the Midwest

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1544

The first wireless message sent

from an airplane to a ground station

wasnrsquot very imaginative or profound

The message telegraphed in dots and

dashes by US Army Lt Paul W Beck

on January 21 1911 was

ldquoAssociated Press AviationField Scotford is not the only

bird on the aviation board Beckrdquo

The message didnrsquot have the hum-

bling sense of Samuel Morsersquos ldquoWhat

hath God wroughtrdquo or the quaint-

ness of Alexander Graham Bellrsquos ldquoMr

Watsonmdashcome heremdashI want to see

yourdquo or Neil Armstrongrsquos inspira-

tional ldquoThatrsquos one small step for man

one giant leap for mankindrdquoThe rather mundane message was

hastily scribbled by Associated Press

reporter Guy Moysten who was cov-

Corps

Beck had been taken aloft by Philip

O Parmalee an early aviation pio-

neer The ldquopurple sparks spluttered

by the telegraph keyrdquo were also inter-

cepted by navy wireless stations on

Goat Island (now Yerba Buena Island)

and the Mare Island Navy YardBeckrsquos second message was ldquoThree

hundred feet up and riding level

It is cold It is bumpyrdquo The word

ldquobumpyrdquo wasnrsquot received because

Beckrsquos fingers were so cold that they

refused to as Beck put it ldquoanswer the

nerve impulsesrdquo

The word ldquoScotfordrdquo in the first

message referred to Frederick E Scot-

ford chairman of the Aviation Ex-

ecutive Committee which had

conceived planned and set in mo-

tion the air meet The message re-

ferred to a previous flight ldquoaround the

army also ldquolent their band for daily

concerts during guard mount or pa-

raderdquomdashall this to the delight of the

crowds throughout the entire affair

San Francisco was in heavy compe-

tition with New Orleans for the exclu-

sive rights to the 1915 Panama-Pacific

International Exhibition (PPIE) aworldrsquos fair to celebrate the upcom-

ing 1914 opening of the Panama

Canal The city desperately wanted

to land the exhibition believing it

would confirm San Franciscorsquos phoe-

nix-like rise from the ashes of devasta-

tion The air show was thought of as

the opening act

Plans for the PPIE had already

been complicated in 1910 Just six

months earlier Californiarsquos gover-

nor had banned the Jim Jeffries-Jack

Johnson fight scheduled for San

Franciscomdashforcing the epic ldquoFight

Flashes of Purple SparksBY DANIEL J DEMERS

Lt Paul Beck left with

the Western Wireless

Equipment Company A-4wireless set in his lap

while seated in a Wright

biplane during wireless

tests during the 1911 San

Francisco Air Meet The

set weighed 29 pounds

and featured a telegraph

key mounted on the top of

the mahogany box

JOURNAL OF ELECTRICITY POWER AND GAS

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1644

shadowed all the other historic firsts

achieved at the meet

Beck described the sensation of fly-

ing at 800 feet like this

ldquoWhirring propellers throb-

bing pistons and machine-

gun-like gasoline explosions

deafened you while tears bit-

ter tears were forced from your

eyes by the back rush of air and

you have a slight conception

how it feels to rival the eagle in a

Wright biplanerdquo

He had used in his own words

ldquoa rough makeshift affair weighing

thirty-two poundsrdquo It consisted of

a ldquosmall gap and interrupter an or-

dinary telegraph key a small storage

cellrdquo and a shunt ldquoto prevent over-

charging of the cellrdquo The entire de-vice was contained in a wooden box

that he carried on his lap The aerial

used for the experiment was a 120-

foot bronze wire trailing the plane

connected to the ldquosending appara-

tus by a number sixteen copper wirerdquo

The whole gizmo was grounded to a

stay wire on the aircraft connectedldquoto the sending apparatusrdquo Beck ex-

plained ldquoThe wave length measured

by the wave meter at the receiving

station was 575 meters in length This

is rather longer than we had thought

it would berdquo

Simultaneous to Beckrsquos experi-

ment Charlie Willard (another

pioneer aviator) unsuccessfully at-

tempted to send a wireless message

using a different set According to

Beck ldquoHis outfit weighed a trifle less

than the one which I used and his

antenna wire was a trifle longerrdquo Ac-

ldquoengine is practically noiseless when

comparedrdquo with the other planes at

the air meet ldquoSilencerdquo wrote Beck ldquois

an essential factor to the successful

reading of telegraphic codes or thesuccessful undertaking of human

speech by wireless telephonerdquo

Of great concern to the experi-

mentrsquos sponsors was the fact that an

ldquoelectrical dischargerdquo was involved in

the actual receiving of the message

from the ground Thus it was of ldquogreat

importance that the gasoline tank be

thoroughly insulated in order to pre-vent possible ignition from a sparkrdquo

Avoiding such an aerial catastrophe

was to be overcome by using ldquoone of

the guy wires on the Antoinette ma-

chine as the static ground and to drag

from the tail of the airship an alumi-

num wire of great capacity and weigh-

ing less than two pounds though 130feet in length as the antennardquo

Unfortunately as Beck told it ldquothe

god or gods of the elementsrdquo stepped

in On this particular day being ldquoaloft

was dangerous to life and limbrdquo

Lathamrsquos beautiful Antoinette mono-

plane was demolished in an accident

Latham survived the crash but a mere12 months later he died a mysterious

death in the French Congo

Beck understood that aviation was

in its infancy and that ldquowe must creep

before we walkrdquo While the experi-

ment to send a message had failed

due to an air wreck Beck concluded

it had been ldquoreduced to a mere ques-

tion of providing mechanical devices

for deadening the sound of the pro-

pellers shutting out the noise of the

rushing wind and providing some

simple means for placing the received

message in written form on some

Sources

Chief Warrant Officer Mark J

Denger Dominguez Inter-

national Air Meet California

Aviation History wwwMilitary- MuseumorgDominguezhtml

Lt Paul W Beck Aviation Meet

From War Viewpoint How

Army and Navy Will Take Part

San Francisco Examiner January

6 1911 5

Lt JC Walker Jr War Prob-

lems to be Solved In Air San

Francisco Examiner January 7

1911 3

Lt Paul W Beck What Army Is

Striving For Opening Day a

Big Success San Francisco Ex-

aminer January 8 1911 76

Lt Paul W Beck Wreck Spoils Wire-

less Experiment San Francisco

Examiner January 11 1911 2

Lt JC Walker Jr Biplanes in

Wind Please Army Man San

Francisco Examiner January 11

1911 2

Lt Paul W Beck Airplane Wire-

less Experiments Today War

Expert Reviews the Aviation

Meet San Francisco Examiner

January 18 1911 2

Lt Paul W Beck Wireless Adds

New Link To War Chain San Francisco Examiner January 22

1911 67

Flashes of Purple Glint From

Aeroplane in the Sky to Earth

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1744

VAA Friends of the Red BarnName______________________________________________________________________EAA ___________ VAA ___________

Address______________________________________________________________________________________________________

CityStateZIP________________________________________________________________________________________________

Phone___________________________________________________E-Mail______________________________________________

Please choose your level of participation

DiamondPlus$1250

Diamond$1000

Platinum$750

Gold$500

Silver$250

Bronze$100

LoyalSupporter$99 amp Under

EAA VIP Center2 peopleFull

Week

VIP Air Show Seating2 people2

Days2 people1

Day

Close Auto Parking Full Week Full Week 2 Days

Two Tickets to VAA Picnic

Tri-Motor Certificate 2 Tickets 2 Tickets 2 Tickets 1 Ticket

Breakfast at Tall Pines Cafeacute2 PeopleFull Wk

2 PeopleFull Wk

2 PeopleFull Wk

1 PersonFull Wk

Special FORB Cap

Two Passes to VAA Volunteer Party

Special FORB Badge

Access to Volunteer Center

Donor Appreciation Certificate

Name Listed Vintage Airplane Magazine Website and Sign at Red Barn

Donrsquot wait for a mailing from VAA HQ before you send in your contributionmdashto keep our administration costs as low as possible wersquore not

sending out a mailingto each VAA member Please send your donation today while itrsquos fresh in your mindPlease help the VAA and our nearly 500 dedicated volunteers make this an unforgettable experience for our EAA AirVenture guestsYour contribution does make a dif ference There are seven levels of gifts and gift recognition Thank you for whatever you can doHere are some of the many activities the Friends of the Red Barn fund under writes

bullRed Barn Information Desk Supplies bullFlightline Parking Scooters and Supplies bullBreakfast for Past Grand Champions

bullParticipant Plaques and Supplies bullVolunteer Booth Administrative Supplies bullSigns Throughout the Vintage Area

bull Ton irsquos Red Car pet Expre ss Van and Rad ios bullRed Barn and Other Building Maintenance bullAnd More

bullCaps for VAA Volunteers bull Tal l Pin es Caf eacute D in ing Ten t

2 11 VAA Friends of the Red Barn Campaign2011 VAA Friends of the Red Barn CampaignThe VAA annual fundraising campaign fuels VAA action

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1844

T

he worldrsquos first regular air-

mail line was operated by

the United States Army

back in 1918 when a fleet

of old Jennies were pushed back

and forth between New York City

and Washington DC a distance

of two hundred and twenty miles

the fields that no self-respecting pi-

lot would take a second look at in

these times But those were the days

of wooden ships and iron men

Chief pilot on the line was a

handsome youth just out of his

teens Lieutenant James C Edger-

ton who had an unusual knack of

gan There were impressive ceremo-

nies political speeches bouquets of

flowers for the flyers and the Presi-

dent of the United States himself

went down to the Polo Grounds

and wished the pilot who was to

carry the mail to New York ldquoGod

speedrdquo Almost as soon as he left

From the Archives Reprinted from Popular Aviation Dec 1935

First Regular

Airmail FlightBY LIEUT H LATANE LEWIS II

The pilot is receiving his last-minute orders before shoving off with the mail Once more old Jenny

makes history

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1944

through with considerable diffi-

culty The pilot scheduled to make

the flight hopped off from Philadel-

phia and pointed the blunt nose of

his Jennie southward toward Wash-ington The checkerboard fields and

streams sliding beneath his wings

soon became a jigsaw puzzle and

one that he couldnrsquot piece together

The flyer realized that he was hope-

lessly lost He barged around for

awhile and finally decided to come

down and ask directions

Landing on the race track atBridgeton New Jersey forty miles

off his course he became involved

with a group of curious

horses which cracked up

the ship The mail was sent

back to Philadelphia by truck and

started out in another plane with

another pilot About thirty milesout his engine began to miss and

as it was getting dark he turned and

high-tailed back to his home field

Jim Edgerton stepped forward

and offered to save the face of the

new service and take the mail on

to Washington in spite of darkness

and a bad engine Night was comingon in earnest by this time If his en-

gine should conk on the trip down

there would be no flares for him to

release and land by nor would he be

able to bail out with a parachute for

this was before the day of the Cater-

pillar Club And at Washington he

would have no floodlights to illu-

minate the Polo Grounds It would

mean coming into that narrow field

which was surrounded by tall trees

in utter darkness

But Jim was an impatient and

adventurous young man so he

cians all through his eventful flying

career He was the least perturbed of

all as he came roaring down from the

north and circled the inky pit into

which he must bring his ship at thespeed of an express train

There were about half a dozen

automobiles parked around the

field and Jim estimated his ap-

proach from their headlights Spec-

tators heard his engine stop then

the shrill scream of the wind on

his struts and wires Then they

caught sight of a ghost-like silhou-ette against the night sky coming

down in a dizzy slideslip An in-

stant later a gray phantom swept

across the field and settled down

to a perfect landing The mail had

come through

Edgerton was the first pilot who

ever flew into a thunderstorm Upto that time flyers all over the world

looked upon electrical storms as a

deadly menace and had avoided

them as they would a plague Or-

ders had been issued that no mail

pilot should take off if weather con-

ditions were unfavorable

At Philadelphia one afternoon

during the middle of July Jim had

his ship tuned up and was ready to

shove off but down towards the

southwest storm clouds were gath-

ering It was against orders to fly

under such conditions Jim fumed

possible and then as he came over

the ldquoSusquehanna River he ran

smack into it It was a violent line

squall the storm most dreaded of

all by aviators and the kind thatsent the mighty Akron and Shenan-

doah down to destruction On the

ground trees were being uprooted

and houses damaged

ldquoIt was the bumpiest ride I ever

had before or sincerdquo chuckles Jim

Edgerton today as he recalls the

vivid impression it left on him

ldquoWe were thrown all over the skyThe rain and hail were so thick that

I couldnrsquot see the wingtips The

propeller was all chewed

up and I had to throttle

down the engine Butrdquo he

adds modestly ldquoI came out right

on the courserdquo

And the mail was landed inWashington on time

That flight and the others like it

that Edgerton made probably did

more than anything else to give the

public confidence in the reliability

of the airmail Frequently he flew

through dense fog and relied en-

tirely on the crude instruments ofthose early days to keep him in the

air On one of these flights he es-

caped death by as narrow a margin

as was ever vouchsafed a pilot

He shoved off in heavy rain and

soon ran into thick weather He

barged on into it flying blind for

awhile and then climbing up on

the top of the stuff It was so thick

that even the birds had to walk Af-

ter about an hour and a half he

decided to try to find the ground

to check his course He was com-

ing down in a fast glide when sud-

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2044

altitude the fog was so thick

it was like being submerged

in pea soup but occasion-

ally there would be a break

and Edgerton would catcha glimpse of the ground and

know where he was

As he passed over Havre

de Grace there suddenly

loomed up dead ahead a

church steeple He was right

on it before he saw it He

banked for all he was worth

standing the old crock rightup on her ear and missed

the steeple by a miracle

But the crowning thr ill

of the day came a little later

as he passed the Army Proving

Ground at Aberdeen

ldquoWe were flying at an altitude of

about 150 feetrdquo Edgerton recallsldquoVisibility was practically nil Sud-

denly there was a terrific bump al-

most as violent as if the plane had

struck something That afternoon

Army authorities at Aberdeen

called up and said that an airplane

had flown over there and almost

collided with a shell fired from a16-inch gunrdquo

Is it any wonder that Edgertonrsquos

hair has turned slightly gray

On another occasion Jim got

caught in a vicious summer thun-

derstorm over Baltimore He was

flying his faithful old mount No

38274 The turbulent air tossed

the frail wooden Jenny about like

a ship on a rough sea One instant

her nose would be pointed straight

toward heaven and the next instant

Jim would see the ground rush-

ing up at him just over the engine

of a lead pencil were spurting out

Soon the whole forward part of the

fuselage was saturated

Jim watched the lightning play-

ing about the metal parts of the

plane and waited for the spark

that would blow him to shreds and

splatter him all over Baltimore But

Lady Luck was riding with him

again and the spark never came

He rode out the storm and brought

had broken and was dangling al-

most in the shining arc of the

propeller If it became entangled

in the prop it would shatter it to

a million splinters and probablytear the engine loose

Throttling down Jim maneu-

vered as best he could to keep

wire and prop from that fatal

embrace Below him were plenty

of flat broad fields into which

he could have glided But that

would mean delaying the mail

so the plucky youngster kept go-ing and finally sat down safely

in Washington

Altogether Edgerton made

fifty-three trips and never failed

to bring the mail through on any

of them On only one did he have

a forced landing

He was over Camp Meade Mary-land when a magneto shaft broke

There was a terrific jolt that almost

jumped the engine out of the ship

For once Jim had to come down

and come down in a hurry He

looked below him and his heart

stood still He was plunging straight

towards the heads of hundreds ofmarching men on parade

Lower and lower sank the help-

less Jenny Edgerton flattened his

glide as much as he dared and tried

to squeeze over the soldiers He was

almost knocking their hats off but

still the Yanks continued to hold

their ground

ldquoI just skimmed over their heads

and landed on the very edge of the

parade groundrdquo Jim laughingly re-

lates ldquoIt was my old outfit and they

certainly gave me a welcomerdquo

It was just a bit demoralizing to

With the mail aboard the pilot proceeds to warm

up the OX-5 which animates the Jenny

Authentic dope on the

controversial subject

ldquoWho flew the firstairmailrdquo In spite of the

many claims to priority by

various pilots we believe

that this is the real

answer to the problem

An old Jenny as usual

does the work

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2144

AirVenture amp Ford Together Again

REO Speedwagon Concert Monday

600PM next to the Ford Hangar

Fly In Theater Nightly Sunday ndash

Saturday 830PM Camp Scholler

Cruisinrsquo Legends See Mustangs and

more Knapp Street near Warbirds

Model T Experience Tour in a Model

T ldquoCruisinrsquo Legendsrdquo

ldquoBlues Brothersrdquo Tribute Party

Saturday 630PM Ford ldquoHangar of Bluesrdquo

Free Ice Cream Nightly in the camp-

grounds ndash from the Transit Connect

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2244

My son and I spent the better part of

six years restoring an Aeronca 7BCM

Jeff was 13 years old when we started

the project and 19 when we finished

sponds quickly to my urging as I

push the throttle control forward

to begin a low-level no-radio no-

transponder flight from Charles W

time I admit to being spoiled first by

low-frequency ldquobeamsrdquo then VORs

DME RNAV LORAN and now GPS

But for this flight I left all that behind

To Follow the LineThis was the way I had learned navigation to follow the line

BY E JEFF JUSTIS

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE AUTHOR

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2344

Down low it was fun once more

watching the small towns pass

even being able to read the names

on water towers

In north-central Mississippi

there appears a vast forest spread-

ing out beneath my wings an il-

lusory remnant of the gloriouswilderness that once extended

from the East Coast to the Great

Plains Now clear-cutting scars are

evidence of manrsquos meddling graf-

fiti on our planetrsquos face

I am surprised at the hills of

North Mississippi at higher al-

titudes they flatten into the ter-rain but here at 1000 feet above

the ground the hills are alive with

depth and color

My craft and I intruders in his

world pass a circling hawk I look

down and try to see the tiny crea-

ture I am sure he sees but where

he must perceive the slightest rus-tle of the brush I see only patterns

of green and brown and the bright

blue of reflected sky

Enough of this sightseeing I should

have crossed this highway a couple

of miles farther to the north I make a

slight correction Highways They criss-

cross this land cutting it into smaller

and smaller bits these scratches of

man meant little when there were

fewer men but now they separate deer

from deer and life from life

At the edge of a field pebbled by

round bales of hay rests a red tractor Jeff Justis was just 13 when he and his family embarked on the restoration of

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2444

suppose is the essence of life

Soon the forward horizon bulges

upward as I approach old tectonic

ridges aligned northeast-southwest

near Birmingham The dark greenof the forested ridges contrasts with

the lighter verdant hues of manrsquos

cultivation Ahead a sharp razor-

backed ridge prompts a climb to

3000 feet I teeter across the top and

slide down toward the broad valley

on the eastern side My first land-

ing after one hour and 45 minutes is

welcome As a no-radio aircraft I am

careful to follow the standard pat-

tern and glide down final touching

down on the much-too-long-for-

The-Champ runway of Posey AirportMost cross-country flights in

the rsquo50s were from grass strip to

grass strip A red gas pump would

be brought into service by the col-

orful operatormechanic of these

old aerodromes Aeroncas and

Luscombes were everywhere and

Cessna 195s were the elite air-

planes Now on this ramp my

Aeronca is an anachronism

A King Air is being readied for cor-

porate passengers and my little tail-

dragger is lost on the large apronFortunately we modified the 7BCM

with a starter and generator so I do

not have to find someone to help me

get started In years past almost ev-

ery lineman was proficient in hand-

propping now itrsquos almost a lost art

Soon I am on the way to my

next stop Lagrange Georgia I am

fooled by the appearance of a large

airport an old military field at 12

orsquoclock on the horizon Only when

I get close enough do I realize this is

not the field I am supposed to over-

fly and that I am 10 miles south of

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2544

ramp taking nearly as long as the

flight itself

The cost of this slow flight is cer-

tainly minimal with fill-ups after

two hours averaging 15 or so dol-

lars Besides the trip has been fun so

far relearning old navigation tricks

and seeing the country down low

Now I have only a few more milesto navigate to Eaglesrsquo Landing The

fly-in community strip is near Wil-

liamson Georgia and just east of a

northeast-southwest-oriented rail-

road I decide to proceed due east

find the railroad and follow it

northeast toward the destination

I cross a highway but see no rail-road A few miles further still no

railroad I must have passed it Af-

ter a 180 I find the highway again

but nohellipwait what is that That is

an abandoned rail line for sure and

it does parallel the road I continue

northeast scanning the horizon

passing pretty fields and housesI locate one airport with houses

neatly lining both sides of the single

runway but it is not Eaglesrsquo Landing

Soon I see Griffin Georgia I have

come too far I ease The Champ into

a bank to try again back down the

rail line andhellipherersquos a golf coursehellip

and yes there are two grass run-

ways meeting in a ldquoVrdquo I circle andmake a low pass over the northwest

runway watching my friends wave

from their yard ldquoWhat a nice place

to liverdquo I think as I line up on final

I glide just above the grass and

A foil tape antenna ground plane was just one of the nifty little touches added

to The Champ as the two Jeffs restored their airplane

Doesnrsquot ever yone use Champ

tail surfaces as decorative ele-

ments in their household dec-orating Mrs Justis is a very

patient woman

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CALIFORNIAHayward CA VIN 29

Meeting 2nd Thurs 600 pm

Hayward Airport

See website for hangar info

Gary Oberti President

Phone 510-357-8600

E-mail infovaa29org

Website wwwvaa29org

CALIFORNIASacramento CA VIN 25

Meeting 2nd Sat 900 am

See chapter website for location

Robert Opdahl President

Phone 530-273-7348

E-mail bopdahlsbcglobalnet

Website wwwVin25org

CAROLINAS VIRGINIAWalnut Cove NC VIN 3

Meeting Contact President

Susan Dusenbury President

Phone 336-591-3931

E-mail sr6sueaolcom

Website wwwVAA3org

FLORIDALakeland FL VIN 1

Meeting Contact President

Bobby Capozzi President

Phone 352-475-9736

INDIANAAuburn IN VIN 37

Meeting 4th Thurs 700 pm

DeKalb County Airport (kGWB)

Hangar AmdashVAA 37 Clubhouse

Drew Hoffman President

Phone 260-515-3525

E-mail drewhoffmanvaa37org

Website wwwVAA37org

KANSASOverland Park KS VIN 16

Meeting 2nd Fri 730 pm

CAF Hangar

New Century Airport

Kevin Pratt President

Phone 913-541-1149

E-mail kprattvaa16com

Website wwwVAA16com

LOUISIANANew Iberia LA VIN 30

Meeting 1st Sun 900 am

LeMaire Memorial Airport Hangar 4

Roland Denison President

Phone 337-365-3047

E-mail vaa30coxnet

MINNESOTAAlbert Lea MN VIN 13

Meeting 2nd Thurs 700 pm

Albert Lea Airport FBO

OHIODelaware OH VIN 27

Meeting 3rd Sat 8-10AM May thru Sept

Delaware Municiple Airport (DLZ)

Terminal Building

Woody McIntire President

Phone 740-362-7228

E-mail wjmcintirecscom

Website wwwEAAdlzorg

OHIOZanesville OH VIN 22

Meeting 2nd Fri 630 pm

Perry County Airport

John Morozowsky President

Phone 740-453-6889

OKLAHOMATulsa OK VIN 10

Meeting 4th Thurs 700 PM

Hardesty South Regional Library

No meetings in July Nov amp Dec

Joe Champagne President

Phone 918-257-4688

Email skypalgroveemailcom

TEXASSpring TX VIN 2

Meeting 4th Sun 200 PM

David Wayne Hooks Airport (KDWH)

Fred Ramin President

Phone 281-255-4430

Vintage Chapter LocatorVisit the VAA chapter nearest you and get to know some great old-airplane enthusiasts You donrsquot need

to be a pilot to join in the funmdashjust have a love of the great airplanes of yesteryear

Chapter 27 of Delaware Ohio hosts a monthly pancake breakfast where attendees enjoy the camara-derie among the airplanes

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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When Albert Vollmecke joined

Arkansas Aircraft Company in Sep-tember 1927 he brought fresh ideas

from his native Germany regarding

aircraft design stability and safety

He would on occasion return to

Germany to bring back something

new for the company In 1928 Ar-

kansas Aircraft Company changed

its name to Command-Aire Incor-porated and the production run

of new ships increased in its Little

Rock Arkansas plant

After one such visit to Ger-

many Vollmecke returned with

the rights to import and sell the

PHYLAX fire-extinguisher system

patented (GB 0267542) March 10

1926 and manufactured in Berlinby Phylax Feuerlosch-Automaten-

Bau GmbH The PHYLAX fire-

extinguisher system consisted of

a tank containing the extinguish-

ing liquid From the tank which

BY ROBERT G LOCK

Early 1047297re-extinguishing system

THE Vintage

Mechanic

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advertisement from AVIATION

November 1928 using the OX-5

powered model 3C3 ship to dem-

onstrate the system

The PHYLAX system consisted

of a pressurized tank of fluid with

associated lines and nozzles lead-

ing to the engine compartment of

the ship Note here that the unit

is manufactured in t he United

States by the Aero Supply Man-

ufacturing Company located in

Long Island New York The cost

of the unit is $70 in this May 1929

advertisement in an aviation mag-

azine Illustration 2 shows the

manufacturerrsquos advertisement for

the product

In a letter dated April 10 1929

Mr Wiley Wright assistant sales

director for Command-Aire Incor-

porated wrote

ldquoCommand-Aire Incorporated

acquired the exclusive franchise

rights for PHYLAX automatic fire

extinguishers in the United States

Mexico and Central America This

extinguisher is the only automatic

fire extinguisher available and is

standard equipment on many Eu-

ropean lines It is manufactured

by PHYLAX Bau of Germany and

is receiving great response in the

United States at the present timerdquo

In this factory Illustration 3

and from the files of Albert Voll-

mecke is a 110-hp Warner engine

mounted in the Command-Aire

model 3C3-A ship Note the en-

gine cowling being neatly fitted

around cylinders and associated

tubes The 3C3-A had a very longnose due to its light weight ne-

ce s s i ta t ing a longer a rm f or

weight and balance control In

this photo the PHYLAX sprinkler

heads are visible behind the mag-

netos down near the carburetor

and behind the oil inlet hoses on

the accessory case of the engineIllustration 3 is an original fac-

tory photograph of the PHYLAX

system installed in the nose of a

model 3C3-A

Illustration 4 is the same photo-

graph with some details removed

and other details added princi-

pally the identification of the PHY-LAX automatic fuse that fired the

bottle of extinguishing fluid and

the sprinkler heads These illustra-

tions taken from a Command-Aire

original factory brochure from the

files of Albert Vollmecke

Illustration 5 on page 27 is a

sketch from the PHYLAX patent

0267542 dated March 10 1926A general description of the PHY-

LAX system is contained within

the patent and states ldquoThe inven-

tion relates to a fire extinguishing

device intended for use particu-

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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not indicate what type of extinguishing fluid was

contained within the tank however soda-acid was

widely used in those days and carbon tetrachloridewas invented in 1912 by the Pyrene Company

In a communication from Command-Aire Pres-

ident Robert Snowden regarding the purchase of

stock options in the company he states ldquoOur ex-

clusive franchise for the sale of Phylax automatic

Illustration 3

Illustration 4

Illustration 5

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homeland on a regular basis and

always brought back some new in-

vention or new ideas on design andsafety This system was certainly

ahead of its time safety-wise and a

credit to Vollmeckersquos focus on sta-

bility and safety for his designs

Above in this original factory

photograph (Illustration 6) of a

Command-Aire 3C3-T fuselage on

the assembly line at the Little Rock

plant the PHYLAX system can beseen mounted in the rear cock-

pit just behind the front seat in

the center of the photograph The

chemical bottles with two lines

tied to the side tubes run forward

Illustration 6

Pyrene 1047297re extinguishers

were made of brass and

were nicely polished

They were not high-pressure units

but required the use of a hand pump

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Pyrene fire extinguishers were

made of brass and were nicely pol-

ished They were not high-pressureunits but required the use of a

hand pump to generate pressure

to expel liquid from the cylinder

These extinguishers were gener-

ally mounted in the rear cockpit

ton or linen fabric and the only

dope available was cellulose ni-

trate that burned like a torch when

lit Watching nitrate dope burn

reminded me of a Fourth of July

sparkler very intense and hot If

a nitrate-doped ship caught fire in

the air there was no extinguisher

that would put out the flames

The PHYLAX system had an auto-

matic sensor that would trigger the

bottlersquos valve open and send the

chemical into the engine compart-

ment The Pyrene extinguisher wasmore for ground use because you

could not operate the bottle and

fly the airplane at the same time

By todayrsquos standards these ex-

tinguishing systems seem ar-

chaic but for the time back in

the 1920s they were the thing to

have in your automobile boator airplane

Editorrsquos Note WARNING An-

tique carbon tetrachloride fire extin-

guishers like the Pyrene occasionally

show up either contaminated with

the original agent or worse yet with

the full charge of agent still inside

Carbon tet is treated as a hazard-

ous substance (its use was banned

in consumer products in 1970) and

should be dealt with accordingly

In fact carbon tetrachloride when

heated by a fire will create poison-

ous phosgene gas (World War Irsquos

ldquonerve gasrdquo) something that would

definitely ruin someonersquos day if the

fire hadnrsquot done so already In its

standard form this substance is verytoxic to the liver and a single signifi-

cant exposure can result in sickness

or death

L a n g l ey may have been the

f h f i i i b

last and last The instruction

l i l d f

1903 Samuel Pierpont Langleyrsquos ldquoAerodromerdquoattempts to take off from a floating platform

Have a comment or ques-

tion for Bob Lock the Vintage

Mechanic Drop us an e-mail at

vintageaircrafteaaorg or you

can mail your question to Vintage

Airplane PO Box 3086 Osh-

kosh WI 54903

Illustration 7

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Authorrsquos Note We held a small open house at the

flight school hangar this past Saturday Though the

weather was not conducive to give many rides we still

had about 60 people show up enjoy a brat or ham-

burger and talk about flying or learning to fly Interest

in flying is not dead One of my pet peeves is how we

in general aviation go about attracting individuals tolearn the pleasure of flight

Nearly every aviation publication I read carries ar-

ticles and editorials about the downward spiral of gen-

eral aviation Flight schools are having a hard time

attracting new students ldquoDoom and gloomrdquo reigns

with little positive to report on the horizon This al-

ways reminds me of the proverbial three wise mon-keys who embody the principle ldquoSee no evil hear no

evil and speak no evilrdquo We all complain about the

problem but no one ever offers solutions It seems as

though by not doing anything about the challenge it

will eventually go away and right itself

Many of the aviation organizations are wringing

their respective hands giving great lip service to the

drop in pilot numbers Some like EAA have launched

activities to attract new pilots such as the Young Ea-gles program This has been a good start but it will not

fill the ever-increasing void for more pilots

What are we all missing FUN

Four years ago I chose early retirement from a 38-

The student make-up is a real cross-section of Amer-

ica My youngest student to date began flight lessons

at age 14 and the oldest was 77 years young Irsquove men-

tioned some of my students in previous articles At

yearrsquos end 2010 while converting our student files

from paper to computer I was amazed to discover that

in the previous two years I had given instruction tomore than 200 individuals Some were new students

others were individuals in search of a tailwheel en-

dorsement and many were older individuals who had

pursued flight training early in their lives but gave it

up to raise a family Now they had the time and still re-

tained the burning desire to get back into flying What

attracted these individuals to the flight school FUN

And thefun

challenge of flying J-3 Cubs

Herersquos a small cross-section of this yearrsquos group

of students

bullA retired US Navy lieutenant who flew F-4 Phan-

toms off carriers in Vietnam He hasnrsquot done any fly-

ing in more than 10 years but hersquos been building a

Skybolt which will soon be finished and hersquos return-

ing to his lifelong lovemdashaviation He also has two

young sons who want to fly and will soon be joining

the group of student pilotsbullA young CPA from Iowa whose grandfather was a

friend of Bernie Pietenpol and who has built two Piets

The CPA used two weeks of his vacation time to learn

to fly so that he can fly the airplane(s) that his grandfa-

ther built and take his grandfather for a ride

BY Steve Krog CFI

THE Vintage

Instructor

Vintage flying is very much alive

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Cubs flying every day he decided to pursue his pas-

sion for flight

bullA national chain hardware store employee who

has had a dream of flying driving nearly two hours

each way to learn to fly in a Cub

bullAn aviation writervideo producer who already has

a sport pilot certificate but desires to obtain a private

pilot certificate and do so in Cubs

bullA 30-something young family man who sells

construction equipment attachments While deer

hunting a year ago he learned one of his hunting

friends had recently learned to fly in Cubs For three

days they talked airplanes and flying rather than do-

ing much hunting Upon his return from the hunt-ing trip he drove to the airport and signed up for

lessons in the Cub

bullA professional musician from the Chicago area

who always wanted to learn to fly Although not yet

old enough to have a true ldquobucket listrdquo learning to fly

a Cub was number one on his list

With two exceptions these individuals had never

before flown or flown in tailwheel airplanes but alwayshad a dream of learning to fly in a Cubmdashjust like dad

or granddad did many years ago

Although no one in this group comes from simi-

lar backgrounds or professions there is one common

denominator among every studentmdashFUN None of

these students are learning to fly to pursue a career

in aviation (although Irsquove worked with a couple who

have done so) Rather they are learning to fly or get-

ting back into flying for the FUN and CHALLENGE of

flight They all have a true love of flight and seeing the

world from 500 feet with the door and window open

I have also worked with a number of students who

began taking flight lessons but quit after a period of

time They still had the passion for flight but gave it

up When asked why the responses fell into one of the

following four categories

bullI began taking lessons but after three or four les-sons Irsquod be assigned to a different instructor After 30

hours of dual three instructors and still not having

soloed I quit

bullThe instructor wasnrsquot teaching me anything He

was more interested in building time than teaching

Take a moment and think about how you first be-

came interested in airplanes What triggered your

pursuit of learning to fly Did you have a buddy or

maybe a family friend who encouraged you Or even

became a mentor Do you remember your first flight

lesson Do you remember the day you made your

first solo flight

Remember that passion and sense of accomplish-

ment Donrsquot hesitate to share it with anyone express-

ing an interest in learning to fly

At Cub Air Flight we sell FUN When individuals

visit the airport to inquire about learning to fly we

know they have made the commitment in their own

mind It then becomes our responsibility to makethe visit friendly A friendly environment is a FUN

environment Kids are always welcome If a prospec-

tive student has children with him or her we invite

the kids to sit in the planes At the conclusion of our

discussion we emphasize the following statement If

you learn to fly with us it will be FUN CHALLENG-

ING and SAFE

I donrsquot believe there is a shortage of pilot prospectsbut there is a shortage in how we all go about attract-

ing these people to become active participants in plea-

sure flying Remember flying is FUN Letrsquos make an

effort to help others share in that FUN

AERO CLASSICldquoCOLLECTOR SERIESrdquo

Vintage Tires New USA Production

Show off your pride and joy with afresh set of Vintage Rubber Thesenewly minted tires are FAA-TSOrsquodand speed rated to 120 MPH Some

things are better left the way theywere and in the 40rsquos and 50rsquos these tires were perfectly intune to the exciting times in aviation

Not only do these tires set your vintage plane apart fromthe rest but also look exceptional on all General Aviationaircraft Deep 832nd tread depth offers above averagetread life and UV treated rubber resists aging

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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We enjoy your suggestions for

Mystery Planesmdashin fact more than

half of our subjects are sent to us by

members often via e-mail Please

remember that if you want to scan

the photo for use in Mystery Plane

it must be at a resolution of 300 dpior greater You may send a lower-

resolution version to us for our re-

view but the final version has to be

at that level of detail or it will not

print properly Also please let us

craft in the photo is of Canadian civil

registry CF-BXO formerly Royal Cana-

dian Air Force (RCAF) 920 This photo-

graph would have been taken at some

time between 1962 and 1967 after an

overhaul at Abbotsford British Colum-

bia (BC) and possibly while in servicewith Stranraer Aerial Enterprises The

location strongly resembles the Fraser

River dockings at the Vancouver air-

port The aircraft had undergone a re-

spray with a bright red cheat line The

(beaching gear required) for the Royal Air

Force (RAF) in 1933 The prototype first

flew in October 1934 with two Bristol

Pegasus IIIM engines rated at 820 hp

The production aircraft were delivered to

the RAF with Pegasus engines delivering

920 hp entering service in April 1937The British-built machines of which 23

were ordered and only 17 being built

were all delivered by April 1939

In Canada Canadian Vickers Lim-

ited of Montreal Quebec produced 40

Send your answer to EAA Vin-

tage Airplane PO Box 3086 Osh-

kosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer

needs to be in no later than August

20 for inclusion in the October

2011 issue of Vintage Airplane

You can also send your response via

e-mail Send your answer to mystery

planeeaaorg Be sure to include your

name plus your city and state in the

body of your note and put ldquo(Month)

Mystery Planerdquo in the subject line

This monthrsquos Mystery Plane comes to us from Bruce Voran

MYSTERY PLANE

by HG FRAUTSCHY

A P R I L rsquo S M Y S T E RY A N S W E R

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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QCA began buying several examplesand was instrumental in convincing

the Canadian Department of Transport

(DOT) to issue a civilian Certificate of

Airworthiness (C of A) One of the first

aircraft so issued was CF-BYI which be-

1980 the Canadian Museum of Flightand Transportation in BC salvaged the

wreck for possible restoration As late as

April 1952 QCA still had two Stranraer

in service CF-BXO and CF-BYM Pacific

Western Airlines (PWA) also operated

Two RAF Belfast freighters were dis-

patched and the disassembled aircraft

was transported to the United Kingdomwhere the machine is currently one of the

centerpieces of the collection

The aircraft type had many names

The most familiar (and printable) were

Stranny Strainer and Flying Meccano

Set The least affectionate was the Whis-

tling Shouse as when the lid to the

throne was lifted there was direct access

to the great outdoors and there emitted a

loud whistling noise

Other correct answers were re-

ceived from Hillis Cunliffe Mill-

brook Alabama Brian Baker Sun

City Arizona Wesley R Smith

Springfield Illinois John White-

head Cheyenne Wyoming ScottChurch Cochrane Alberta Can-

ada Jay Broze Walla Walla Wash-

ington Jerry Paterson Kent

Washington Jamie Patterson Mi-

ramichi New Brunswick Canada

Bill Bishop of Mulgoa New South Wales Australia sent along this photo

of the surviving Supermarine Stranraer

David Nixon supplied us with the April Mystery Plane shot of CF-BXO

a Canadian Vickers-built Supermarine Stranraer

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3644

urday 8 am until 6 pm Early-bird

arrivals can shop on the pre-conven-

tion weekend as well during limited

hours Show your VAA membership

card (or your receipt showing you

joined VAA at the convention) and

yoursquoll receive a 10 percent discount

VAA Volunteer Opportunities

Are you an ace pancake flipperIf yoursquore not one yet we can help

The VAA Tall Pines Cafeacute is looking

for volunteers who can help provide

a hearty breakfast to all the hungry

campers on the south end of Witt-

man Field If you could lend a hand

for a morning or two wersquod appreci-

ate it If thatrsquos not your cup of tea feelfree to check with the VAA Volunteer

Center located just to the northeast

of the VAA Red Barn The volun-

teers who operate the booth will be

happy to tell you when your help is

needed each day It doesnrsquot matter if

itrsquos just for a few hours or for a few

daysmdashwersquod love to have your help-

ing hands There is no need for you

to contact us ahead of time you can

talk with us when you arrive

VAA Judging Categoriesand Awards

The VAArsquos internationally recog-

nized judging categories are

bullAntique Aircraft built prior toSeptember 1 1945

bullClassic September 1 1945 - De-

cember 31 1955

bullContemporary January 1 1956

- December 31 1970

VAA NEWScontinued frpm page 5

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3744

the award winners Judging closes at noon on Friday

July 29 The Awards Ceremony will be held Saturday

evening July 30 at 6 pm in the Vintage Hangar

just south of the VAA Red Barn

Designated Smoking Areas Near FlightlineSmoking on the flightline at EAA AirVenture is prohib-

ited because itrsquos a hazard to all aircraft There are several

designated smoking areas with butt cans along the flight-

line well away from aircraft and refueling operations

Designated smoking areas will be south of the ultra-light runway near the Hangar Cafeacute near the Warbirdsarea (northeast corner of Audrey Lane and Eide Av-

enue) the Wearhouse flag pole area the shade pavil-ion north of the control tower and near the UltralightBarn Locations will be indicated on EAArsquos free con-vention grounds map The admission wristband alsoinstructs visitors that smoking is allowed only in desig-nated smoking areas

More on the Web

Visit wwwAirVentureorg for more information onEAA AirVenture 2011

EAA AirVenture Is Almost Here Are You Ready

Just a few short weeks from now many of you will

make the annual pilgrimage to Oshkosh for EAA Air-

Venture 2011 Are you ready Here are several handy

online tools on the AirVenture website that can help

you take care of any last-minute concerns

Visit wwwAirVentureorg and find out what you

need to know about The Worldrsquos Greatest Avia-

tion Celebration

Admission Parking Hours

wwwAirVentureorgplanningadmissionhtml

Find or Share a Ride to Oshkosh

wwwAirVentureorgrideshare

Site Map

wwwAirVentureorgplanningschedules_mapshtml

Where to Stay

Yoursquore cleared to stay connected

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3844

ship services at 800-564-6322 but

given the time from when you read

this until AirVenture it may not ar-

rive in the mail in time for your de-

parture We suggest downloading

the NOTAM

The NOTAM contains the specialflight procedures in effect for Witt-

man Regional Airport and alternate

airports from 6 am CDT on Friday

July 22 to 12 pm CDT on Mon-

day August 1 2011 All pilots who

fly into the event are expected to

know the special flight procedures

prior to arrival EAA AirVenture Os-

hkosh runs from July 25 through

July 31 For additional EAA AirVen-

ture Oshkosh 2011 information

visit wwwAirVentureorg

Call for VAA Hall of

Fame Nominations

To the left is our information

for nominations for VAArsquos Hallof Fame which is presented each

year during a special dinner This

yearrsquos dinner will be held Friday

October 28 Wersquoll have more on

this yearrsquos inductee John Under-

To nominate someone is easy It just takes a little time and a little reminiscing on your part

Mail nominating materials to

Remember your ldquocontemporaryrdquo may be a candidate nominate someone today

wwwVintageAircraftorg

CALL FOR VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

Nominations

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3944

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

Wit tman Regional A i rpor t (OSH)

Oshkosh Wisconsin

July 25-31 2011

wwwAirVentureorg

Colorado Sport International Air Show

and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In

Rocky Mountain Met ropol i tan A irpor t (BJC)

Denver Colorado

August 27-28 2011

wwwCOSportAviationorg

Mid-Eastern Regional Fly-In

Gr imes F ie ld A irpor t (I74)

Urbana Ohio

September 10-11 2011

httpMERFIcom

Copperstate Fly-In

Casa Grande Munic ipal A i rpor t (CGZ)

Casa Grande Ar izona

Upcoming Major

Fly-Ins

W I N

Only 2000 ticketswill be sold1 ticket $50

3 tickets $125

Piper Tri-Pacer Airplane

Free Flying Lessons

Free Pilot License

Country Legend Roy Clarkrsquos Personal Proceeds fromthis raffle

SAVEAMERICANKIDS LIVES

wwwwingsofhoperaffleorg

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4044

MISCELLANEOUS

wwwaerolistorg Aviationsrsquo Leading

Marketplace

Rare find Lycoming 0-145 partsinventory blocks bearings rings

shafts amp much more $20000

at 1970 prices $5000 Six four

cylinder case aircraft magnetos

$300 Call for more details (FL)

VINTAGETRADER

Someth ing t o buyse l l o r t rade

Classified Word Ads $550 per 10

words 180 words maximum with boldface

lead-in on first line

Classified Display Ads One column wide

(2167 inches) by 1 2 or 3 inches high at

$20 per inch Black and white only and nofrequency discounts

Advertising Closing Dates 10th of second

month prior to desired issue date (ie

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 (classads

eaaorg ) using credit card payment (all cards

accepted) Include name on card complete

address type of card card number and

expiration date Make checks payable to EAA

Address advertising correspondence to EAA

Publications Classified Ad Manager PO Box

3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

What Our Members

Are Restoring

Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done and

yoursquore busy flying and showing it off If so wersquod like to hear from

you Send us a 4-by-6-inch print from a commercial source (no

home printers please those prints just donrsquot scan well) or a

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4144

EAAMembership in the Experimental Aircraft

Association Inc is $40 for one year includ-ing 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION Familymembership is an additional $10 annually Allmajor credit cards accepted for membership(Add $16 for International Postage)

FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPSPlease submit your remittance with a

check or draft drawn on a United Statesbank payable in United States dollars Addrequired Foreign Postage amount for eachmembership

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATIONCurrent EAA members may join the

Vintage Aircraft Association and receive

year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not included)(Add $7 for International Postage)

WARBIRDSCurrent EAA members may join the EAA

Warbirds of America Division and receiveWARBIRDS magazine for an additional$45 per year

EAA Membership WARBIRDS mag-azine and one year membership in theWarbirds Division is available for $55 per

year (SPORT OficAVIATION magazinenot included) (Add $7 for Interna-tional Postage)

IACCurrent EAA members may join the

International Aerobatic Club Inc Divi-sion and receive SPORT AEROBATICS magazine for an additional $45 per year

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

VINTAGE

AIRCRAFT

ASSOCIATION

OFFICERS

DIRECTORS

DIRECTORS

EMERITUS

PresidentGeoff Robison

1521 E MacGregor DrNew Haven IN 46774

260-493-4724chief7025aolcom

Vice-PresidentGeorge Daubner

N57W34837 Pondview LnOconomowoc WI 53066

262-560-1949 gdaubnereaaorg

Steve Bender85 Brush Hill Road

Sherborn MA 01770508-653-7557

sst10comcastnet

David Bennett375 Killdeer Ct

Lincoln CA 95648916-952-9449

antiquerinreachcom

Jerry Brown4605 Hickory Wood Row

Greenwood IN 46143317-422-9366

lbrown4906aolcom

Dave Clark635 Vestal Lane

Plainfield IN 46168317-839-4500davecpdattnet

John S Copeland1A Deacon Street

Northborough MA 01532508-393-4775

copeland1junocom

Phil Coulson28415 Springbrook Dr

Lawton MI 49065269-624-6490

rcoulson516cscom

Dale A Gustafson7724 Shady Hills Dr

Indianapolis IN 46278317-293-4430

dalefayemsncom

Jeannie HillPO Box 328

Harvard IL 60033-0328815-943-7205

Espie ldquoButchrdquo Joyce704 N Regional Rd

Greensboro NC 27409336-668-3650

windsockaolcom

Steve Krog1002 Heather Ln

Hartford WI 53027262-966-7627sskrogaolcom

Robert D ldquoBobrdquo Lumley1265 South 124th StBrookfield WI 53005

262-782-2633rlumley1wirrcom

SH ldquoWesrdquo Schmid2359 Lefeber Avenue

Wauwatosa WI 53213414-771-1545

shschmidgmailcom

Robert C Brauer9345 S Hoyne

Chicago IL 60643773-779-2105

photopilotaolcom

Gene Chase2159 Carlton Rd

Oshkosh WI 54904920-231-5002

GRCHAcharternet

Ronald C Fritz15401 Sparta Ave

Kent City MI 49330616-678-5012

rFritzpathwaynet com

Charlie HarrisPO Box 470350Tulsa OK 74147

918-622-8400cwhhvsucom

EE ldquoBuckrdquo Hilbert8102 Leech RdUnion IL 60180

815-923-4591buck7acgmailcom

Gene Morris5936 Steve Court

Roanoke TX 76262817-491-9110

genemor rischarter net

Membership Services DirectoryEnjoy the many benefits of EAA and

EAArsquos Vintage Aircraft Association

EAA Aviation Center PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086Phone (920) 426-4800 Fax (920) 426-4873Web Sites wwwvintageaircraftorg wwwairventureorg wwweaaorgmemberbenefits E-Mail vintageaircrafteaaorg

EAA and Division Membership Services (800 AMndash600 PM MondayndashFriday CST)800-564-6322 FAX 920-426-4873 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

bullNewrenew memberships bullAddress changes bullMerchandise sales bullGift memberships

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 888-322-4636 wwwairventureorg airventureeaaorg

Sport PilotLight-Sport Aircraft Hotline 877-359-1232 wwwsportpilotorg sportpiloteaaorg

Programs and Activities

Auto Fuel STCs 920-426-4843 stceaaorg EAA Air Academy 920-426-6880 wwwairacademyorg airacademyeaaorg

EAA Scholarships 920-426-6823 scholarshipseaaorg

Library ServicesResearch 920-426-4848 slurveyeaaorg

Benefits

AUA Vintage Insurance Plan 800-727-3823 wwwauaonlinecom

EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan 866-647-4322 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

EAA VISA Card 800-853-5576 ext 8884

EAA Her tz Rent-A-Car Program 800-654-2200 wwweaaorghertz membershipeaaorg

VAA EditorialExecutive Director 920-426-4825 wwwvintageaircraftorg vintageeaaorg

VAA Office 920-426-6110 tbookseaaorg

TM

EAA Members Information Line 888-EAA-INFO (322-4636)

Use this toll-free number for information about AirVenture Oshkosh aeromedical and technical aviation questions

chapters and Young Eagles Please have your membership number ready when calling

Office hours are 815 am - 500 pm (Monday - Friday CST)

SecretarySteve Nesse

2009 Highland AveAlbert Lea MN 56007

507-373-1674

stnes2009livecom

TreasurerDan Knutson

106 Tena Marie CircleLodi WI 53555608-592-7224

lodicubcharternet

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4244

If yoursquove ever watched fish in

an aquarium yoursquove probably no-

ticed how they respond differently

to their surroundings There are

those that zip around the tank in a

mad dash to nowhere Some seem

to sit and not go much of any-

where and some will swim f romone end to the other turn around

and do it again

The latter are the ones that remind

me of myself I seem to fly in a fish-

bowl I go from one end of our val-

proficient by practicing things we

know over and over or it can make

us lazy When something becomes

so ingrained that we do it from habit

only we may not be thinking about

what wersquore doing

On a night cross-country some

time ago I found out just how easyit is to forget things that I hadnrsquot

used in a while While night may be

a little more challenging it still re-

quires the basic pre-flight planning

of any cross-country and following

whether I go far or stay in the com-

fort zone I canrsquot let complacency take

over Those skills and experiences

need to be stretched from time to

time regardless of where I fly An un-

expected situation or emergency is a

bad time to find out I donrsquot remem-

ber how to do somethingComplacency also allows fear

to creep in where it doesnrsquot belong

Some fear (I think) is a natural part of

flying but it can also unnecessarily

keep us grounded because we wonrsquot

BY S MICHELLE SOUDER

Flying Outside

the Fishbowl

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4344

Itrsquos gonna be a big year at Oshk osh

B-29 Superfortress ldquoFIFIrdquo

The first visit since 1995for the worldrsquos only airworthyB-29 Superfortress

REO SpeedwagonOshkosh rocks Monday duringthe opening day concert presentedby Ford Motor Company

Tribute to Bob HooverTuesday afternoon air showfeaturing aircraft and maneuvershe made legendary

eVentureInnovation will be on displayand in the air with the ElectricFlight Prize Competition

Join us for a week-long celebration of the Centennial of Naval Aviationincluding a special air show Wednesday See the hottest naval aircraftin historic colors all week on ConocoPhillips Plaza

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Page 4: Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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By the time this monthrsquos Vintage

Airplane hits your mailbox we will

be days away from the start of the

Worldrsquos Greatest Aviation Celebration

known to us all as EAA AirVenture

Oshkosh As I have stated repeatedly

in this column this is yet another year

at Oshkosh you do not want to miss

The planning continues to evolve in

spectacular fashion If you havenrsquot re-cently visited the convention website

wwwAirVentureorg you really need

to check out all the amazing events

scheduled for this yearrsquos event There

truly is something for everyone

The monthly work parties at Osh-

kosh in the Vintage area continue

to experience great success I wantto personally thank everyone who

has attended and invested their per-

sonal resources in assisting us with

this always-important task of prepar-

ing the site for our annual fly-in and

convention It is impossible for me to

imagine how we could possibly ac-

complish so much progress without

the valued assistance of our many

pre-convention volunteers I also look

forward to personally welcoming

back the hundreds of Vintage volun-

teers who assist us with all the critical

responsibilities that make this event a

tive ldquodoom and gloomrdquo that we all

read in the GA magazines these days

is absolutely the wrong message to

expound upon Relatively speaking

our vintage aircraft are as economi-

cal and safe to operate today as they

were 50 years ago Everything in our

lives is impacted by the value of our

dollar today as compared to yester-

day If you think about the issue ina fair and impartial manner it really

is all relative Yes it is more expen-

sive to operate the aircraft I own but

so is driving my automobile When

you do a complete analysis of whatrsquos

important in your life flying will al-

ways float to the top as one of my top

three things that gives me the mostpleasure in life My very best memo-

ries are always going to include fam-

ily friends and flying Steversquos point

of view is the right one What are we

doing individually to help grow the

pilot population Join Steve in selling

the ldquofunrdquo in aviation

Letrsquos talk Vintage chapters for a

minute What are the key ingredients

to creating and then maintaining a

Vintage chapter Every chapter EAA

or otherwise will experience the nor-

mal ebbs and flows of maintaining

and attending to the many responsi-

no one is willing to address the real

issue of what will potentially lead to

the demise of that chapter Some-

times the problem is that itrsquos the same

small crowd of individuals who carry

the full burden of operating the chap-

ter and it is way past the time to ldquore-

vitalizerdquo Get your arms around those

folks with the energy to help out As-

sign some of these individuals somereal responsibility then get out of the

way and let them do their thing They

may really surprise you Remember

the recipe Itrsquos got to be fun safe and

it better taste good

I do have a bit of news that is of

great concern about my immediate

predecessor in this volunteer jobButch Joyce Hersquos one of my very

best friends and Irsquom very sorry to tell

you he was recently diagnosed with

a brain tumor The tumor was found

to be malignant and the surgical

procedure to remove the tumor was

less than successful At the moment

Butch remains hospitalized at Duke

University in North Carolina where

he will continue with physical ther-

apy and radiation and chemotherapy

treatments The only good news wersquove

heard related to his illness is that the

type of tumor he has can be success-

GEOFF ROBISON

PRESIDENT VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

STRAIGHT amp LEVEL

Chapter success the right recipe

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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VAA NEWS

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 644

Find Your FavoritePresentations andWorkshops Online

With hundreds of the worldrsquos

leading aviation authorities giv-ing close to 1000 individual pre-

sentations at nearly 45 locations

spread throughout the AirVenture

grounds finding out who is pre-

senting where and when can be

in a word challenging The EAA

AirVenture website has an online

tool that can make this task simple

when you use the integrated Air-

Venture schedule

Located at wwwAirVentureorg

under ldquoAttractionsrdquo and then un-

der ldquoActivities Presentations amp

Workshopsrdquo the database includes

all the venues subjects and top-

ics presenters and events from

not only Forums and Workshopsbut also Warbirds in Review Kid-

Venture Museum Speakers Show-

case Authors Corner Theater in

the Woods special ldquoat the aircraftrdquo

presentations on ConocoPhillips

Plaza and more If itrsquos scheduled

yoursquoll find it here In addition the

web schedule is updated on a dailybasis to reflect any changes or ad-

ditions that might occur at the last

minute You can even create your

own itinerary of various events of

interest You can save or print it out

for future reference

A quick link to this new schedule

is wwwAirVentureorgschedule

Fabric-Covering WorkshopLast month we mentioned that

Superflite covering systems would

be presenting covering workshops

in the VAA area Changes in the

tant part of your VAA membership)

you can use the EAA Flight Planner

to chart your trip to Wittman Field

for EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2011

Just click on the EAA Flight Plannerlink on the left side of the VAA home

page at wwwVintageAircraftorg or ac-

cess it through the membersrsquo only

section of EAArsquos online community

at wwwOshkosh365org

Grass Runways and FuelAlso on our VAA website we

publish a list created by VAA mem-

ber Kris Kortokrax

Kris flies a variety of old bi-

planes that are more pleasant to

fly when they are flown from grass

strips and he and his buddies from

Shelbyville Illinois do their best to

keep the old biplanes happy (and

keep tire wear to a minimum) byflying cross-country from grass strip

to grass strip Finding fuel facilities

can be a challenge these days and

Kris has distilled this airport infor-

mation to be useful for like-minded

grass-runway-preferring pilots This

data was current as of the beginning

of the year and wersquod suggest callingahead to confirm fuel availability

and hours of operation If you have

any changes or additions drop us

an e-mail here at VintageAircraft

eaaorg and wersquoll forward it to Kris

Our thanks to Kris for sharing his

list Let us know if you find it useful

VAArsquos Portable ElectronicsCharging Station

Do your rechargeable personal

electronics like your cellphone or

computer go dead before AirVen-

turersquos over VAA has the solution to

service to EAA members for whatever

donation you feel is appropriate

Breakfast and a Briefing

The VAA Tall Pines Cafeacute will bein operation again this year with

an expanded schedule prior to

convention and fly-in-style pan-

cake and egg breakfasts during

EAA AirVenture Starting on Fri-

day morning July 22 and continu-

ing through Sunday July 24 the

VAA Tall Pines Cafeacute will be open for

breakfast (630-930 am) and din-

ner (430-730 pm) Starting Mon-

day July 25 only breakfast will be

served at the Tall Pines Cafeacute (630-

930 am) through Saturday July

30 Just to the north a Flight Ser-

vice Station (FSS) trailer will be lo-

cated near the cafeacute At the trailer

yoursquoll be able to check the weatherfor your flight and obtain a full

briefing from FSS specialists with-

out having to trek up to the FAA

Building near the control tower

Wersquoll see you there each morning

for ldquobreakfast and a briefingrdquo

Are You a Friend of the VAA Red Barn

If so be sure to check in at the

information desk at the VAA Red

Barn There wersquoll issue you a spe-

cial name badge We can also point

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 744

VAA Message Center If you would like to leave a

message for people you know

who frequent the VAA Red Barn

stop by the information desk Youcan write them a message in our

ldquonotebook on a stringrdquo and wersquoll

post their name on the marker

board so theyrsquoll know therersquos a

message waiting for them Sure

cellphones and walkie-talkies are

great but sometimes nothing

works better than a hand-scrib-

bled note

VAA PicnicTickets for the annual VAA

picnic to be held Wednesday

Ju ly 27 at the Nature Center

will be available for sale at the

VAA Red Barn Tickets must be

purchased in advance so weknow how much food to or-

der The delicious meal will be

served from 530 pm until ap-

proximately 7 pm If you need

transportation trams will be-

gin leaving the VAA Red Barn

around 5 pm and will make re-

turn trips after the picnic Typeclubs may hold their annual

banquets during the picnic Call

Jeannie Hill (815-245-4464)

and she will reserve seating so

your type club can sit together

Shawano Fly-OutThe annual fly-out to Shawano

is Saturday July 30 The sign-up

sheet will be at the desk at the VAA

Red Barn and the briefing will be

at 7 am the morning of the fly-

out The community of Shawano

approximately an hour north of

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 844

A Waco Kind of Family

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 944

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1044ldquowas about 6 years old

and Dad had taken us

to a fly-in in Ottumwa

show for his youthful fascination

with things that fly He now has

what he wished for when looking

Aviation families are quite common

within the sport aviation commu-

nity but few have made aviation

MIKE STEINEKE

The entire family enjoys flying the Waco all over the Midwest and beyond The color scheme evokes the colors chosenby Wiley Post for his record-setting Lockheed Vega the Winnie Mae

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1144

port That was in 1964 So basically

wersquove lived on an airport from just

about the moment I was born Now

So was Dad So we called the FAA

and got a lsquospecialrsquo VFR clearance

The last words my instructor said

before I took off in the C-152

were lsquoStay out of the clouds comearound and landrsquo So I didrdquo

There he was a certificated pilot

and still riding the school bus to his

little country school and living the

life of a typical high school kid in-

cluding going to local fairs

ldquoIt was at a local fair right after I

graduated that I met Carolyn and

I asked her out for a date On our

second or third date I took her fly-

ing in Dadrsquos Decathlon I guess that

must have impressed her because

we got married a year laterrdquo

Carolyn says ldquoHersquos such an avia-

tion addict that our honeymoon

had us stopping at various airports

as we traveled But Irsquoll tell youwhat Irsquod much rather he be out fly-

ing or hanging out at airports than

out drinkingrdquo And she laughs She

laughs a lot

Often it is at this point in an avi-

atorrsquos life story that the individual

says his flying stopped while he

built a business and a family tobe resumed as a later date Harve

however managed to sidestep that

layoff For one thing he essen-

tially lived on an airport his wife

liked flying (she says ldquoI decided if I

couldnrsquot beat him Irsquod join him and

started taking flying lessonsrdquo) and

hersquod grown up banging knuckles

working on airplanes So where so

many young fathers find their avia-

tion career has stagnated he started

building up his own airplanes the

first being a Cessna 170B

ldquoThe 170rdquo he says ldquowas actually

ldquoBecause we live barely 40 miles

from Blakesburg getting hooked on

vintage airplanes was unavoidable

Dad would take us to lots of fly-ins

including Blakesburg and from thevery beginning I actually liked vin-

tage airplanes better than he did

And I loved working on themrdquo

Harversquos love of vintage mechan-

ics showed through many years of

polishing and restoration of the

C-170 It went to Oshkosh for 16

years At first it was noticed because

it looked dreadfully forlorn but

over the years it began to gain more

attention and for better reasons

The judges were impressed enough

in 2000 to give it the best 170180

award Then it won Grand Cham-

pion in its class at the AAA Fly-In at

Blakesburg the next year

ldquoFirst I have to say that I donrsquotbuild airplanes to win trophies and

I donrsquot go to fly-ins to be judged I

build airplanes to go to fly-ins Pe-

riod We love going to fly-ins and

attend at least 15 or 20 a year and

we do it as a family Eventually the

kids got too big and we out-grew

the 170 after putting a little over1200 hours on itrdquo

While Harve might say he was

building a family the truth is that

Carolyn was the one having the

babies and trying to build a career

And her schedule was more than

just a little tight She started col-

lege right after Taryn was born and

missed her own graduation because

she was busy finishing her own

homebuilt Shalyn Today she puts

that diploma to work teaching sec-

ond grade while Harve farms 1500

acres of soybeans and corn

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1244

that he has made a huge number

of friends out of the other partici-

pants and thatrsquos good for all of usrdquo

ldquoI was looking for a bigger air-

plane when a friend of mine toldme about a beautiful 195 with a

blown engine sitting out on the

ramp in Tullahoma ldquo Harve says

ldquoI contacted the airport to find out

info about the owner I contacted

him and discovered it not only had

a bad engine but the finance com-

pany held the note as the owner

was going through bankruptcy I

flew down with my stepfather (who

had become a pilot after marry-

ing my motherhellipdad had died by

then) and we looked it over

ldquoI put in a bid and got it I sold

the 170 to a wonderful friend and

fortunately it stayed at our airport

where it is well tended We put anew 330 Jake from Radial Engines

Limited on the 195 and it won

awards at both Oshkosh and Blakes-

burg as well We kept the 195 for

three years But it still wasnrsquot a

Waco something I just couldnrsquot get

out of my head

ldquoWhen I started looking forWacosrdquo he says ldquolike everyone

else I was assaulted by the incred-

ible number of different varieties

But I wasnrsquot looking for something

to rebuild nor was I looking for a

rare variety I wanted an airplane

that would serve our family well

The fact that it would be an incred-

ibly cool antique was just a bonus

Because of that I passed on a lot of

projects and focused on airplanes

that were flying and needed a mini-

mum of work and could be fairly

easily supported That meant an

ldquoI looked at a few airplanes be-

fore a friend Doug Parsons turned

me on to N16249 a 1936 YKS-6 It

was last restored by Pete Coving-ton in 1994 so it was in really good

condition In fact well-known an-

tiquer Morton Lester had owned it

at the time of restoration It was a

good solid airplane that was due for

some freshening up not a rebuild

This was exactly what I was looking

for It had been through two own-

ers since Lester owned it and was

now part of an estate sale

ldquoI got it home in July of 2005 and

began working on itrdquo he says ldquoBe-

cause it had been restored nearly 15

years earlier and hadnrsquot been a han-

difficult but the paperwork turned

out to be a headache

ldquoThe original engine was a Ja-

cobs R-755-9 which is 245 hp butI wanted more power We have a

pretty big useful load with this air-

plane but it needs the extra power

when itrsquos heavy So I wanted to go

up to the 755-B2M which is 275

hp I had Air Repair in Cleveland

Mississippi build up an engine for

me Since itrsquos virtually identical to

the original Jake putting it on was

nothing At the same time we in-

stalled a new Sensenich wooden

prop But then we started working

on the paperwork

ldquoThis shouldnrsquot have been nearly

CRAIG VANDERKOLK

Most of the Applegate family during AirVenture 2010 from left to right

daughter Shalyn Harve Carolyn and son Matt The Applegatesrsquo other

daughter Taryn couldnrsquot make the trip

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1344

two airplanes were one in the same

Finally we got a hold of Jeff Janus

at the FAArsquos Aircraft Certification

Office (ACO) who said it was a no-

brainer and sent it back to the FSDO

and told them to sign it off

ldquoWersquove been flying the airplane

for five years now and itrsquos exactly

what we wanted an d what we

thought it should be First for an

airplane this big itrsquos really easy to

fly In fact it lands a lot like our

Cub and even on pavement isnrsquot

A Lesson in the Learning Caveats When DonatingAt one point Harversquos dad began having airport problems and therersquos a lesson

to be learned for a lot of us here

ldquoThe airport had never gotten hugerdquo Harve says ldquoIt was just a nice friendly

airport with a few hangars and some local tenants But it was the only airport in

the area so Dad deeded it over to the city I guess you could say he donated it

For years this worked out really well and all the aviation guys in the area loved it

We host a fly-in there each year and that became something of a local event that

everyone looked forward to

ldquoDad died suddenly in 1981 and we decided to build a house right near the

CRAIG VANDERKOLK

The Applegates camp every year just south of the VAA Flightline Opera-

tions building so son Matt and the family can enjoy visiting with their many

friends and watch the afternoon air show

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1444

bigger yoursquod want The back seat

is an honest three kids wide and

the two front seats are separated

by nearly a foot So you feel as ifyoursquore flying your own little air-

liner And how many airplanes to-

day let you crank the side windows

down and fly with you elbows up

on the windowsill

ldquoItrsquos not a rocketship in climb

about 500-600 fpm but itrsquoll give

you that or close to it whether

yoursquore loaded or not Those big old

wings can really carry a load

ldquoItrsquos also not a speed demon

but itrsquoll indicate 120 mph give or

take 5 mph at about 14 gallons per

hour and fly straight ahead with

MIKE STEINEKE

Another gorgeous picture of the Applegatesrsquo plane flying over the Midwest

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1544

The first wireless message sent

from an airplane to a ground station

wasnrsquot very imaginative or profound

The message telegraphed in dots and

dashes by US Army Lt Paul W Beck

on January 21 1911 was

ldquoAssociated Press AviationField Scotford is not the only

bird on the aviation board Beckrdquo

The message didnrsquot have the hum-

bling sense of Samuel Morsersquos ldquoWhat

hath God wroughtrdquo or the quaint-

ness of Alexander Graham Bellrsquos ldquoMr

Watsonmdashcome heremdashI want to see

yourdquo or Neil Armstrongrsquos inspira-

tional ldquoThatrsquos one small step for man

one giant leap for mankindrdquoThe rather mundane message was

hastily scribbled by Associated Press

reporter Guy Moysten who was cov-

Corps

Beck had been taken aloft by Philip

O Parmalee an early aviation pio-

neer The ldquopurple sparks spluttered

by the telegraph keyrdquo were also inter-

cepted by navy wireless stations on

Goat Island (now Yerba Buena Island)

and the Mare Island Navy YardBeckrsquos second message was ldquoThree

hundred feet up and riding level

It is cold It is bumpyrdquo The word

ldquobumpyrdquo wasnrsquot received because

Beckrsquos fingers were so cold that they

refused to as Beck put it ldquoanswer the

nerve impulsesrdquo

The word ldquoScotfordrdquo in the first

message referred to Frederick E Scot-

ford chairman of the Aviation Ex-

ecutive Committee which had

conceived planned and set in mo-

tion the air meet The message re-

ferred to a previous flight ldquoaround the

army also ldquolent their band for daily

concerts during guard mount or pa-

raderdquomdashall this to the delight of the

crowds throughout the entire affair

San Francisco was in heavy compe-

tition with New Orleans for the exclu-

sive rights to the 1915 Panama-Pacific

International Exhibition (PPIE) aworldrsquos fair to celebrate the upcom-

ing 1914 opening of the Panama

Canal The city desperately wanted

to land the exhibition believing it

would confirm San Franciscorsquos phoe-

nix-like rise from the ashes of devasta-

tion The air show was thought of as

the opening act

Plans for the PPIE had already

been complicated in 1910 Just six

months earlier Californiarsquos gover-

nor had banned the Jim Jeffries-Jack

Johnson fight scheduled for San

Franciscomdashforcing the epic ldquoFight

Flashes of Purple SparksBY DANIEL J DEMERS

Lt Paul Beck left with

the Western Wireless

Equipment Company A-4wireless set in his lap

while seated in a Wright

biplane during wireless

tests during the 1911 San

Francisco Air Meet The

set weighed 29 pounds

and featured a telegraph

key mounted on the top of

the mahogany box

JOURNAL OF ELECTRICITY POWER AND GAS

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1644

shadowed all the other historic firsts

achieved at the meet

Beck described the sensation of fly-

ing at 800 feet like this

ldquoWhirring propellers throb-

bing pistons and machine-

gun-like gasoline explosions

deafened you while tears bit-

ter tears were forced from your

eyes by the back rush of air and

you have a slight conception

how it feels to rival the eagle in a

Wright biplanerdquo

He had used in his own words

ldquoa rough makeshift affair weighing

thirty-two poundsrdquo It consisted of

a ldquosmall gap and interrupter an or-

dinary telegraph key a small storage

cellrdquo and a shunt ldquoto prevent over-

charging of the cellrdquo The entire de-vice was contained in a wooden box

that he carried on his lap The aerial

used for the experiment was a 120-

foot bronze wire trailing the plane

connected to the ldquosending appara-

tus by a number sixteen copper wirerdquo

The whole gizmo was grounded to a

stay wire on the aircraft connectedldquoto the sending apparatusrdquo Beck ex-

plained ldquoThe wave length measured

by the wave meter at the receiving

station was 575 meters in length This

is rather longer than we had thought

it would berdquo

Simultaneous to Beckrsquos experi-

ment Charlie Willard (another

pioneer aviator) unsuccessfully at-

tempted to send a wireless message

using a different set According to

Beck ldquoHis outfit weighed a trifle less

than the one which I used and his

antenna wire was a trifle longerrdquo Ac-

ldquoengine is practically noiseless when

comparedrdquo with the other planes at

the air meet ldquoSilencerdquo wrote Beck ldquois

an essential factor to the successful

reading of telegraphic codes or thesuccessful undertaking of human

speech by wireless telephonerdquo

Of great concern to the experi-

mentrsquos sponsors was the fact that an

ldquoelectrical dischargerdquo was involved in

the actual receiving of the message

from the ground Thus it was of ldquogreat

importance that the gasoline tank be

thoroughly insulated in order to pre-vent possible ignition from a sparkrdquo

Avoiding such an aerial catastrophe

was to be overcome by using ldquoone of

the guy wires on the Antoinette ma-

chine as the static ground and to drag

from the tail of the airship an alumi-

num wire of great capacity and weigh-

ing less than two pounds though 130feet in length as the antennardquo

Unfortunately as Beck told it ldquothe

god or gods of the elementsrdquo stepped

in On this particular day being ldquoaloft

was dangerous to life and limbrdquo

Lathamrsquos beautiful Antoinette mono-

plane was demolished in an accident

Latham survived the crash but a mere12 months later he died a mysterious

death in the French Congo

Beck understood that aviation was

in its infancy and that ldquowe must creep

before we walkrdquo While the experi-

ment to send a message had failed

due to an air wreck Beck concluded

it had been ldquoreduced to a mere ques-

tion of providing mechanical devices

for deadening the sound of the pro-

pellers shutting out the noise of the

rushing wind and providing some

simple means for placing the received

message in written form on some

Sources

Chief Warrant Officer Mark J

Denger Dominguez Inter-

national Air Meet California

Aviation History wwwMilitary- MuseumorgDominguezhtml

Lt Paul W Beck Aviation Meet

From War Viewpoint How

Army and Navy Will Take Part

San Francisco Examiner January

6 1911 5

Lt JC Walker Jr War Prob-

lems to be Solved In Air San

Francisco Examiner January 7

1911 3

Lt Paul W Beck What Army Is

Striving For Opening Day a

Big Success San Francisco Ex-

aminer January 8 1911 76

Lt Paul W Beck Wreck Spoils Wire-

less Experiment San Francisco

Examiner January 11 1911 2

Lt JC Walker Jr Biplanes in

Wind Please Army Man San

Francisco Examiner January 11

1911 2

Lt Paul W Beck Airplane Wire-

less Experiments Today War

Expert Reviews the Aviation

Meet San Francisco Examiner

January 18 1911 2

Lt Paul W Beck Wireless Adds

New Link To War Chain San Francisco Examiner January 22

1911 67

Flashes of Purple Glint From

Aeroplane in the Sky to Earth

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1744

VAA Friends of the Red BarnName______________________________________________________________________EAA ___________ VAA ___________

Address______________________________________________________________________________________________________

CityStateZIP________________________________________________________________________________________________

Phone___________________________________________________E-Mail______________________________________________

Please choose your level of participation

DiamondPlus$1250

Diamond$1000

Platinum$750

Gold$500

Silver$250

Bronze$100

LoyalSupporter$99 amp Under

EAA VIP Center2 peopleFull

Week

VIP Air Show Seating2 people2

Days2 people1

Day

Close Auto Parking Full Week Full Week 2 Days

Two Tickets to VAA Picnic

Tri-Motor Certificate 2 Tickets 2 Tickets 2 Tickets 1 Ticket

Breakfast at Tall Pines Cafeacute2 PeopleFull Wk

2 PeopleFull Wk

2 PeopleFull Wk

1 PersonFull Wk

Special FORB Cap

Two Passes to VAA Volunteer Party

Special FORB Badge

Access to Volunteer Center

Donor Appreciation Certificate

Name Listed Vintage Airplane Magazine Website and Sign at Red Barn

Donrsquot wait for a mailing from VAA HQ before you send in your contributionmdashto keep our administration costs as low as possible wersquore not

sending out a mailingto each VAA member Please send your donation today while itrsquos fresh in your mindPlease help the VAA and our nearly 500 dedicated volunteers make this an unforgettable experience for our EAA AirVenture guestsYour contribution does make a dif ference There are seven levels of gifts and gift recognition Thank you for whatever you can doHere are some of the many activities the Friends of the Red Barn fund under writes

bullRed Barn Information Desk Supplies bullFlightline Parking Scooters and Supplies bullBreakfast for Past Grand Champions

bullParticipant Plaques and Supplies bullVolunteer Booth Administrative Supplies bullSigns Throughout the Vintage Area

bull Ton irsquos Red Car pet Expre ss Van and Rad ios bullRed Barn and Other Building Maintenance bullAnd More

bullCaps for VAA Volunteers bull Tal l Pin es Caf eacute D in ing Ten t

2 11 VAA Friends of the Red Barn Campaign2011 VAA Friends of the Red Barn CampaignThe VAA annual fundraising campaign fuels VAA action

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1844

T

he worldrsquos first regular air-

mail line was operated by

the United States Army

back in 1918 when a fleet

of old Jennies were pushed back

and forth between New York City

and Washington DC a distance

of two hundred and twenty miles

the fields that no self-respecting pi-

lot would take a second look at in

these times But those were the days

of wooden ships and iron men

Chief pilot on the line was a

handsome youth just out of his

teens Lieutenant James C Edger-

ton who had an unusual knack of

gan There were impressive ceremo-

nies political speeches bouquets of

flowers for the flyers and the Presi-

dent of the United States himself

went down to the Polo Grounds

and wished the pilot who was to

carry the mail to New York ldquoGod

speedrdquo Almost as soon as he left

From the Archives Reprinted from Popular Aviation Dec 1935

First Regular

Airmail FlightBY LIEUT H LATANE LEWIS II

The pilot is receiving his last-minute orders before shoving off with the mail Once more old Jenny

makes history

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1944

through with considerable diffi-

culty The pilot scheduled to make

the flight hopped off from Philadel-

phia and pointed the blunt nose of

his Jennie southward toward Wash-ington The checkerboard fields and

streams sliding beneath his wings

soon became a jigsaw puzzle and

one that he couldnrsquot piece together

The flyer realized that he was hope-

lessly lost He barged around for

awhile and finally decided to come

down and ask directions

Landing on the race track atBridgeton New Jersey forty miles

off his course he became involved

with a group of curious

horses which cracked up

the ship The mail was sent

back to Philadelphia by truck and

started out in another plane with

another pilot About thirty milesout his engine began to miss and

as it was getting dark he turned and

high-tailed back to his home field

Jim Edgerton stepped forward

and offered to save the face of the

new service and take the mail on

to Washington in spite of darkness

and a bad engine Night was comingon in earnest by this time If his en-

gine should conk on the trip down

there would be no flares for him to

release and land by nor would he be

able to bail out with a parachute for

this was before the day of the Cater-

pillar Club And at Washington he

would have no floodlights to illu-

minate the Polo Grounds It would

mean coming into that narrow field

which was surrounded by tall trees

in utter darkness

But Jim was an impatient and

adventurous young man so he

cians all through his eventful flying

career He was the least perturbed of

all as he came roaring down from the

north and circled the inky pit into

which he must bring his ship at thespeed of an express train

There were about half a dozen

automobiles parked around the

field and Jim estimated his ap-

proach from their headlights Spec-

tators heard his engine stop then

the shrill scream of the wind on

his struts and wires Then they

caught sight of a ghost-like silhou-ette against the night sky coming

down in a dizzy slideslip An in-

stant later a gray phantom swept

across the field and settled down

to a perfect landing The mail had

come through

Edgerton was the first pilot who

ever flew into a thunderstorm Upto that time flyers all over the world

looked upon electrical storms as a

deadly menace and had avoided

them as they would a plague Or-

ders had been issued that no mail

pilot should take off if weather con-

ditions were unfavorable

At Philadelphia one afternoon

during the middle of July Jim had

his ship tuned up and was ready to

shove off but down towards the

southwest storm clouds were gath-

ering It was against orders to fly

under such conditions Jim fumed

possible and then as he came over

the ldquoSusquehanna River he ran

smack into it It was a violent line

squall the storm most dreaded of

all by aviators and the kind thatsent the mighty Akron and Shenan-

doah down to destruction On the

ground trees were being uprooted

and houses damaged

ldquoIt was the bumpiest ride I ever

had before or sincerdquo chuckles Jim

Edgerton today as he recalls the

vivid impression it left on him

ldquoWe were thrown all over the skyThe rain and hail were so thick that

I couldnrsquot see the wingtips The

propeller was all chewed

up and I had to throttle

down the engine Butrdquo he

adds modestly ldquoI came out right

on the courserdquo

And the mail was landed inWashington on time

That flight and the others like it

that Edgerton made probably did

more than anything else to give the

public confidence in the reliability

of the airmail Frequently he flew

through dense fog and relied en-

tirely on the crude instruments ofthose early days to keep him in the

air On one of these flights he es-

caped death by as narrow a margin

as was ever vouchsafed a pilot

He shoved off in heavy rain and

soon ran into thick weather He

barged on into it flying blind for

awhile and then climbing up on

the top of the stuff It was so thick

that even the birds had to walk Af-

ter about an hour and a half he

decided to try to find the ground

to check his course He was com-

ing down in a fast glide when sud-

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2044

altitude the fog was so thick

it was like being submerged

in pea soup but occasion-

ally there would be a break

and Edgerton would catcha glimpse of the ground and

know where he was

As he passed over Havre

de Grace there suddenly

loomed up dead ahead a

church steeple He was right

on it before he saw it He

banked for all he was worth

standing the old crock rightup on her ear and missed

the steeple by a miracle

But the crowning thr ill

of the day came a little later

as he passed the Army Proving

Ground at Aberdeen

ldquoWe were flying at an altitude of

about 150 feetrdquo Edgerton recallsldquoVisibility was practically nil Sud-

denly there was a terrific bump al-

most as violent as if the plane had

struck something That afternoon

Army authorities at Aberdeen

called up and said that an airplane

had flown over there and almost

collided with a shell fired from a16-inch gunrdquo

Is it any wonder that Edgertonrsquos

hair has turned slightly gray

On another occasion Jim got

caught in a vicious summer thun-

derstorm over Baltimore He was

flying his faithful old mount No

38274 The turbulent air tossed

the frail wooden Jenny about like

a ship on a rough sea One instant

her nose would be pointed straight

toward heaven and the next instant

Jim would see the ground rush-

ing up at him just over the engine

of a lead pencil were spurting out

Soon the whole forward part of the

fuselage was saturated

Jim watched the lightning play-

ing about the metal parts of the

plane and waited for the spark

that would blow him to shreds and

splatter him all over Baltimore But

Lady Luck was riding with him

again and the spark never came

He rode out the storm and brought

had broken and was dangling al-

most in the shining arc of the

propeller If it became entangled

in the prop it would shatter it to

a million splinters and probablytear the engine loose

Throttling down Jim maneu-

vered as best he could to keep

wire and prop from that fatal

embrace Below him were plenty

of flat broad fields into which

he could have glided But that

would mean delaying the mail

so the plucky youngster kept go-ing and finally sat down safely

in Washington

Altogether Edgerton made

fifty-three trips and never failed

to bring the mail through on any

of them On only one did he have

a forced landing

He was over Camp Meade Mary-land when a magneto shaft broke

There was a terrific jolt that almost

jumped the engine out of the ship

For once Jim had to come down

and come down in a hurry He

looked below him and his heart

stood still He was plunging straight

towards the heads of hundreds ofmarching men on parade

Lower and lower sank the help-

less Jenny Edgerton flattened his

glide as much as he dared and tried

to squeeze over the soldiers He was

almost knocking their hats off but

still the Yanks continued to hold

their ground

ldquoI just skimmed over their heads

and landed on the very edge of the

parade groundrdquo Jim laughingly re-

lates ldquoIt was my old outfit and they

certainly gave me a welcomerdquo

It was just a bit demoralizing to

With the mail aboard the pilot proceeds to warm

up the OX-5 which animates the Jenny

Authentic dope on the

controversial subject

ldquoWho flew the firstairmailrdquo In spite of the

many claims to priority by

various pilots we believe

that this is the real

answer to the problem

An old Jenny as usual

does the work

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2144

AirVenture amp Ford Together Again

REO Speedwagon Concert Monday

600PM next to the Ford Hangar

Fly In Theater Nightly Sunday ndash

Saturday 830PM Camp Scholler

Cruisinrsquo Legends See Mustangs and

more Knapp Street near Warbirds

Model T Experience Tour in a Model

T ldquoCruisinrsquo Legendsrdquo

ldquoBlues Brothersrdquo Tribute Party

Saturday 630PM Ford ldquoHangar of Bluesrdquo

Free Ice Cream Nightly in the camp-

grounds ndash from the Transit Connect

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2244

My son and I spent the better part of

six years restoring an Aeronca 7BCM

Jeff was 13 years old when we started

the project and 19 when we finished

sponds quickly to my urging as I

push the throttle control forward

to begin a low-level no-radio no-

transponder flight from Charles W

time I admit to being spoiled first by

low-frequency ldquobeamsrdquo then VORs

DME RNAV LORAN and now GPS

But for this flight I left all that behind

To Follow the LineThis was the way I had learned navigation to follow the line

BY E JEFF JUSTIS

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE AUTHOR

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2344

Down low it was fun once more

watching the small towns pass

even being able to read the names

on water towers

In north-central Mississippi

there appears a vast forest spread-

ing out beneath my wings an il-

lusory remnant of the gloriouswilderness that once extended

from the East Coast to the Great

Plains Now clear-cutting scars are

evidence of manrsquos meddling graf-

fiti on our planetrsquos face

I am surprised at the hills of

North Mississippi at higher al-

titudes they flatten into the ter-rain but here at 1000 feet above

the ground the hills are alive with

depth and color

My craft and I intruders in his

world pass a circling hawk I look

down and try to see the tiny crea-

ture I am sure he sees but where

he must perceive the slightest rus-tle of the brush I see only patterns

of green and brown and the bright

blue of reflected sky

Enough of this sightseeing I should

have crossed this highway a couple

of miles farther to the north I make a

slight correction Highways They criss-

cross this land cutting it into smaller

and smaller bits these scratches of

man meant little when there were

fewer men but now they separate deer

from deer and life from life

At the edge of a field pebbled by

round bales of hay rests a red tractor Jeff Justis was just 13 when he and his family embarked on the restoration of

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2444

suppose is the essence of life

Soon the forward horizon bulges

upward as I approach old tectonic

ridges aligned northeast-southwest

near Birmingham The dark greenof the forested ridges contrasts with

the lighter verdant hues of manrsquos

cultivation Ahead a sharp razor-

backed ridge prompts a climb to

3000 feet I teeter across the top and

slide down toward the broad valley

on the eastern side My first land-

ing after one hour and 45 minutes is

welcome As a no-radio aircraft I am

careful to follow the standard pat-

tern and glide down final touching

down on the much-too-long-for-

The-Champ runway of Posey AirportMost cross-country flights in

the rsquo50s were from grass strip to

grass strip A red gas pump would

be brought into service by the col-

orful operatormechanic of these

old aerodromes Aeroncas and

Luscombes were everywhere and

Cessna 195s were the elite air-

planes Now on this ramp my

Aeronca is an anachronism

A King Air is being readied for cor-

porate passengers and my little tail-

dragger is lost on the large apronFortunately we modified the 7BCM

with a starter and generator so I do

not have to find someone to help me

get started In years past almost ev-

ery lineman was proficient in hand-

propping now itrsquos almost a lost art

Soon I am on the way to my

next stop Lagrange Georgia I am

fooled by the appearance of a large

airport an old military field at 12

orsquoclock on the horizon Only when

I get close enough do I realize this is

not the field I am supposed to over-

fly and that I am 10 miles south of

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2544

ramp taking nearly as long as the

flight itself

The cost of this slow flight is cer-

tainly minimal with fill-ups after

two hours averaging 15 or so dol-

lars Besides the trip has been fun so

far relearning old navigation tricks

and seeing the country down low

Now I have only a few more milesto navigate to Eaglesrsquo Landing The

fly-in community strip is near Wil-

liamson Georgia and just east of a

northeast-southwest-oriented rail-

road I decide to proceed due east

find the railroad and follow it

northeast toward the destination

I cross a highway but see no rail-road A few miles further still no

railroad I must have passed it Af-

ter a 180 I find the highway again

but nohellipwait what is that That is

an abandoned rail line for sure and

it does parallel the road I continue

northeast scanning the horizon

passing pretty fields and housesI locate one airport with houses

neatly lining both sides of the single

runway but it is not Eaglesrsquo Landing

Soon I see Griffin Georgia I have

come too far I ease The Champ into

a bank to try again back down the

rail line andhellipherersquos a golf coursehellip

and yes there are two grass run-

ways meeting in a ldquoVrdquo I circle andmake a low pass over the northwest

runway watching my friends wave

from their yard ldquoWhat a nice place

to liverdquo I think as I line up on final

I glide just above the grass and

A foil tape antenna ground plane was just one of the nifty little touches added

to The Champ as the two Jeffs restored their airplane

Doesnrsquot ever yone use Champ

tail surfaces as decorative ele-

ments in their household dec-orating Mrs Justis is a very

patient woman

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2644

CALIFORNIAHayward CA VIN 29

Meeting 2nd Thurs 600 pm

Hayward Airport

See website for hangar info

Gary Oberti President

Phone 510-357-8600

E-mail infovaa29org

Website wwwvaa29org

CALIFORNIASacramento CA VIN 25

Meeting 2nd Sat 900 am

See chapter website for location

Robert Opdahl President

Phone 530-273-7348

E-mail bopdahlsbcglobalnet

Website wwwVin25org

CAROLINAS VIRGINIAWalnut Cove NC VIN 3

Meeting Contact President

Susan Dusenbury President

Phone 336-591-3931

E-mail sr6sueaolcom

Website wwwVAA3org

FLORIDALakeland FL VIN 1

Meeting Contact President

Bobby Capozzi President

Phone 352-475-9736

INDIANAAuburn IN VIN 37

Meeting 4th Thurs 700 pm

DeKalb County Airport (kGWB)

Hangar AmdashVAA 37 Clubhouse

Drew Hoffman President

Phone 260-515-3525

E-mail drewhoffmanvaa37org

Website wwwVAA37org

KANSASOverland Park KS VIN 16

Meeting 2nd Fri 730 pm

CAF Hangar

New Century Airport

Kevin Pratt President

Phone 913-541-1149

E-mail kprattvaa16com

Website wwwVAA16com

LOUISIANANew Iberia LA VIN 30

Meeting 1st Sun 900 am

LeMaire Memorial Airport Hangar 4

Roland Denison President

Phone 337-365-3047

E-mail vaa30coxnet

MINNESOTAAlbert Lea MN VIN 13

Meeting 2nd Thurs 700 pm

Albert Lea Airport FBO

OHIODelaware OH VIN 27

Meeting 3rd Sat 8-10AM May thru Sept

Delaware Municiple Airport (DLZ)

Terminal Building

Woody McIntire President

Phone 740-362-7228

E-mail wjmcintirecscom

Website wwwEAAdlzorg

OHIOZanesville OH VIN 22

Meeting 2nd Fri 630 pm

Perry County Airport

John Morozowsky President

Phone 740-453-6889

OKLAHOMATulsa OK VIN 10

Meeting 4th Thurs 700 PM

Hardesty South Regional Library

No meetings in July Nov amp Dec

Joe Champagne President

Phone 918-257-4688

Email skypalgroveemailcom

TEXASSpring TX VIN 2

Meeting 4th Sun 200 PM

David Wayne Hooks Airport (KDWH)

Fred Ramin President

Phone 281-255-4430

Vintage Chapter LocatorVisit the VAA chapter nearest you and get to know some great old-airplane enthusiasts You donrsquot need

to be a pilot to join in the funmdashjust have a love of the great airplanes of yesteryear

Chapter 27 of Delaware Ohio hosts a monthly pancake breakfast where attendees enjoy the camara-derie among the airplanes

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2744

When Albert Vollmecke joined

Arkansas Aircraft Company in Sep-tember 1927 he brought fresh ideas

from his native Germany regarding

aircraft design stability and safety

He would on occasion return to

Germany to bring back something

new for the company In 1928 Ar-

kansas Aircraft Company changed

its name to Command-Aire Incor-porated and the production run

of new ships increased in its Little

Rock Arkansas plant

After one such visit to Ger-

many Vollmecke returned with

the rights to import and sell the

PHYLAX fire-extinguisher system

patented (GB 0267542) March 10

1926 and manufactured in Berlinby Phylax Feuerlosch-Automaten-

Bau GmbH The PHYLAX fire-

extinguisher system consisted of

a tank containing the extinguish-

ing liquid From the tank which

BY ROBERT G LOCK

Early 1047297re-extinguishing system

THE Vintage

Mechanic

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2844

advertisement from AVIATION

November 1928 using the OX-5

powered model 3C3 ship to dem-

onstrate the system

The PHYLAX system consisted

of a pressurized tank of fluid with

associated lines and nozzles lead-

ing to the engine compartment of

the ship Note here that the unit

is manufactured in t he United

States by the Aero Supply Man-

ufacturing Company located in

Long Island New York The cost

of the unit is $70 in this May 1929

advertisement in an aviation mag-

azine Illustration 2 shows the

manufacturerrsquos advertisement for

the product

In a letter dated April 10 1929

Mr Wiley Wright assistant sales

director for Command-Aire Incor-

porated wrote

ldquoCommand-Aire Incorporated

acquired the exclusive franchise

rights for PHYLAX automatic fire

extinguishers in the United States

Mexico and Central America This

extinguisher is the only automatic

fire extinguisher available and is

standard equipment on many Eu-

ropean lines It is manufactured

by PHYLAX Bau of Germany and

is receiving great response in the

United States at the present timerdquo

In this factory Illustration 3

and from the files of Albert Voll-

mecke is a 110-hp Warner engine

mounted in the Command-Aire

model 3C3-A ship Note the en-

gine cowling being neatly fitted

around cylinders and associated

tubes The 3C3-A had a very longnose due to its light weight ne-

ce s s i ta t ing a longer a rm f or

weight and balance control In

this photo the PHYLAX sprinkler

heads are visible behind the mag-

netos down near the carburetor

and behind the oil inlet hoses on

the accessory case of the engineIllustration 3 is an original fac-

tory photograph of the PHYLAX

system installed in the nose of a

model 3C3-A

Illustration 4 is the same photo-

graph with some details removed

and other details added princi-

pally the identification of the PHY-LAX automatic fuse that fired the

bottle of extinguishing fluid and

the sprinkler heads These illustra-

tions taken from a Command-Aire

original factory brochure from the

files of Albert Vollmecke

Illustration 5 on page 27 is a

sketch from the PHYLAX patent

0267542 dated March 10 1926A general description of the PHY-

LAX system is contained within

the patent and states ldquoThe inven-

tion relates to a fire extinguishing

device intended for use particu-

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2944

not indicate what type of extinguishing fluid was

contained within the tank however soda-acid was

widely used in those days and carbon tetrachloridewas invented in 1912 by the Pyrene Company

In a communication from Command-Aire Pres-

ident Robert Snowden regarding the purchase of

stock options in the company he states ldquoOur ex-

clusive franchise for the sale of Phylax automatic

Illustration 3

Illustration 4

Illustration 5

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3044

homeland on a regular basis and

always brought back some new in-

vention or new ideas on design andsafety This system was certainly

ahead of its time safety-wise and a

credit to Vollmeckersquos focus on sta-

bility and safety for his designs

Above in this original factory

photograph (Illustration 6) of a

Command-Aire 3C3-T fuselage on

the assembly line at the Little Rock

plant the PHYLAX system can beseen mounted in the rear cock-

pit just behind the front seat in

the center of the photograph The

chemical bottles with two lines

tied to the side tubes run forward

Illustration 6

Pyrene 1047297re extinguishers

were made of brass and

were nicely polished

They were not high-pressure units

but required the use of a hand pump

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Pyrene fire extinguishers were

made of brass and were nicely pol-

ished They were not high-pressureunits but required the use of a

hand pump to generate pressure

to expel liquid from the cylinder

These extinguishers were gener-

ally mounted in the rear cockpit

ton or linen fabric and the only

dope available was cellulose ni-

trate that burned like a torch when

lit Watching nitrate dope burn

reminded me of a Fourth of July

sparkler very intense and hot If

a nitrate-doped ship caught fire in

the air there was no extinguisher

that would put out the flames

The PHYLAX system had an auto-

matic sensor that would trigger the

bottlersquos valve open and send the

chemical into the engine compart-

ment The Pyrene extinguisher wasmore for ground use because you

could not operate the bottle and

fly the airplane at the same time

By todayrsquos standards these ex-

tinguishing systems seem ar-

chaic but for the time back in

the 1920s they were the thing to

have in your automobile boator airplane

Editorrsquos Note WARNING An-

tique carbon tetrachloride fire extin-

guishers like the Pyrene occasionally

show up either contaminated with

the original agent or worse yet with

the full charge of agent still inside

Carbon tet is treated as a hazard-

ous substance (its use was banned

in consumer products in 1970) and

should be dealt with accordingly

In fact carbon tetrachloride when

heated by a fire will create poison-

ous phosgene gas (World War Irsquos

ldquonerve gasrdquo) something that would

definitely ruin someonersquos day if the

fire hadnrsquot done so already In its

standard form this substance is verytoxic to the liver and a single signifi-

cant exposure can result in sickness

or death

L a n g l ey may have been the

f h f i i i b

last and last The instruction

l i l d f

1903 Samuel Pierpont Langleyrsquos ldquoAerodromerdquoattempts to take off from a floating platform

Have a comment or ques-

tion for Bob Lock the Vintage

Mechanic Drop us an e-mail at

vintageaircrafteaaorg or you

can mail your question to Vintage

Airplane PO Box 3086 Osh-

kosh WI 54903

Illustration 7

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Authorrsquos Note We held a small open house at the

flight school hangar this past Saturday Though the

weather was not conducive to give many rides we still

had about 60 people show up enjoy a brat or ham-

burger and talk about flying or learning to fly Interest

in flying is not dead One of my pet peeves is how we

in general aviation go about attracting individuals tolearn the pleasure of flight

Nearly every aviation publication I read carries ar-

ticles and editorials about the downward spiral of gen-

eral aviation Flight schools are having a hard time

attracting new students ldquoDoom and gloomrdquo reigns

with little positive to report on the horizon This al-

ways reminds me of the proverbial three wise mon-keys who embody the principle ldquoSee no evil hear no

evil and speak no evilrdquo We all complain about the

problem but no one ever offers solutions It seems as

though by not doing anything about the challenge it

will eventually go away and right itself

Many of the aviation organizations are wringing

their respective hands giving great lip service to the

drop in pilot numbers Some like EAA have launched

activities to attract new pilots such as the Young Ea-gles program This has been a good start but it will not

fill the ever-increasing void for more pilots

What are we all missing FUN

Four years ago I chose early retirement from a 38-

The student make-up is a real cross-section of Amer-

ica My youngest student to date began flight lessons

at age 14 and the oldest was 77 years young Irsquove men-

tioned some of my students in previous articles At

yearrsquos end 2010 while converting our student files

from paper to computer I was amazed to discover that

in the previous two years I had given instruction tomore than 200 individuals Some were new students

others were individuals in search of a tailwheel en-

dorsement and many were older individuals who had

pursued flight training early in their lives but gave it

up to raise a family Now they had the time and still re-

tained the burning desire to get back into flying What

attracted these individuals to the flight school FUN

And thefun

challenge of flying J-3 Cubs

Herersquos a small cross-section of this yearrsquos group

of students

bullA retired US Navy lieutenant who flew F-4 Phan-

toms off carriers in Vietnam He hasnrsquot done any fly-

ing in more than 10 years but hersquos been building a

Skybolt which will soon be finished and hersquos return-

ing to his lifelong lovemdashaviation He also has two

young sons who want to fly and will soon be joining

the group of student pilotsbullA young CPA from Iowa whose grandfather was a

friend of Bernie Pietenpol and who has built two Piets

The CPA used two weeks of his vacation time to learn

to fly so that he can fly the airplane(s) that his grandfa-

ther built and take his grandfather for a ride

BY Steve Krog CFI

THE Vintage

Instructor

Vintage flying is very much alive

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Cubs flying every day he decided to pursue his pas-

sion for flight

bullA national chain hardware store employee who

has had a dream of flying driving nearly two hours

each way to learn to fly in a Cub

bullAn aviation writervideo producer who already has

a sport pilot certificate but desires to obtain a private

pilot certificate and do so in Cubs

bullA 30-something young family man who sells

construction equipment attachments While deer

hunting a year ago he learned one of his hunting

friends had recently learned to fly in Cubs For three

days they talked airplanes and flying rather than do-

ing much hunting Upon his return from the hunt-ing trip he drove to the airport and signed up for

lessons in the Cub

bullA professional musician from the Chicago area

who always wanted to learn to fly Although not yet

old enough to have a true ldquobucket listrdquo learning to fly

a Cub was number one on his list

With two exceptions these individuals had never

before flown or flown in tailwheel airplanes but alwayshad a dream of learning to fly in a Cubmdashjust like dad

or granddad did many years ago

Although no one in this group comes from simi-

lar backgrounds or professions there is one common

denominator among every studentmdashFUN None of

these students are learning to fly to pursue a career

in aviation (although Irsquove worked with a couple who

have done so) Rather they are learning to fly or get-

ting back into flying for the FUN and CHALLENGE of

flight They all have a true love of flight and seeing the

world from 500 feet with the door and window open

I have also worked with a number of students who

began taking flight lessons but quit after a period of

time They still had the passion for flight but gave it

up When asked why the responses fell into one of the

following four categories

bullI began taking lessons but after three or four les-sons Irsquod be assigned to a different instructor After 30

hours of dual three instructors and still not having

soloed I quit

bullThe instructor wasnrsquot teaching me anything He

was more interested in building time than teaching

Take a moment and think about how you first be-

came interested in airplanes What triggered your

pursuit of learning to fly Did you have a buddy or

maybe a family friend who encouraged you Or even

became a mentor Do you remember your first flight

lesson Do you remember the day you made your

first solo flight

Remember that passion and sense of accomplish-

ment Donrsquot hesitate to share it with anyone express-

ing an interest in learning to fly

At Cub Air Flight we sell FUN When individuals

visit the airport to inquire about learning to fly we

know they have made the commitment in their own

mind It then becomes our responsibility to makethe visit friendly A friendly environment is a FUN

environment Kids are always welcome If a prospec-

tive student has children with him or her we invite

the kids to sit in the planes At the conclusion of our

discussion we emphasize the following statement If

you learn to fly with us it will be FUN CHALLENG-

ING and SAFE

I donrsquot believe there is a shortage of pilot prospectsbut there is a shortage in how we all go about attract-

ing these people to become active participants in plea-

sure flying Remember flying is FUN Letrsquos make an

effort to help others share in that FUN

AERO CLASSICldquoCOLLECTOR SERIESrdquo

Vintage Tires New USA Production

Show off your pride and joy with afresh set of Vintage Rubber Thesenewly minted tires are FAA-TSOrsquodand speed rated to 120 MPH Some

things are better left the way theywere and in the 40rsquos and 50rsquos these tires were perfectly intune to the exciting times in aviation

Not only do these tires set your vintage plane apart fromthe rest but also look exceptional on all General Aviationaircraft Deep 832nd tread depth offers above averagetread life and UV treated rubber resists aging

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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We enjoy your suggestions for

Mystery Planesmdashin fact more than

half of our subjects are sent to us by

members often via e-mail Please

remember that if you want to scan

the photo for use in Mystery Plane

it must be at a resolution of 300 dpior greater You may send a lower-

resolution version to us for our re-

view but the final version has to be

at that level of detail or it will not

print properly Also please let us

craft in the photo is of Canadian civil

registry CF-BXO formerly Royal Cana-

dian Air Force (RCAF) 920 This photo-

graph would have been taken at some

time between 1962 and 1967 after an

overhaul at Abbotsford British Colum-

bia (BC) and possibly while in servicewith Stranraer Aerial Enterprises The

location strongly resembles the Fraser

River dockings at the Vancouver air-

port The aircraft had undergone a re-

spray with a bright red cheat line The

(beaching gear required) for the Royal Air

Force (RAF) in 1933 The prototype first

flew in October 1934 with two Bristol

Pegasus IIIM engines rated at 820 hp

The production aircraft were delivered to

the RAF with Pegasus engines delivering

920 hp entering service in April 1937The British-built machines of which 23

were ordered and only 17 being built

were all delivered by April 1939

In Canada Canadian Vickers Lim-

ited of Montreal Quebec produced 40

Send your answer to EAA Vin-

tage Airplane PO Box 3086 Osh-

kosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer

needs to be in no later than August

20 for inclusion in the October

2011 issue of Vintage Airplane

You can also send your response via

e-mail Send your answer to mystery

planeeaaorg Be sure to include your

name plus your city and state in the

body of your note and put ldquo(Month)

Mystery Planerdquo in the subject line

This monthrsquos Mystery Plane comes to us from Bruce Voran

MYSTERY PLANE

by HG FRAUTSCHY

A P R I L rsquo S M Y S T E RY A N S W E R

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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QCA began buying several examplesand was instrumental in convincing

the Canadian Department of Transport

(DOT) to issue a civilian Certificate of

Airworthiness (C of A) One of the first

aircraft so issued was CF-BYI which be-

1980 the Canadian Museum of Flightand Transportation in BC salvaged the

wreck for possible restoration As late as

April 1952 QCA still had two Stranraer

in service CF-BXO and CF-BYM Pacific

Western Airlines (PWA) also operated

Two RAF Belfast freighters were dis-

patched and the disassembled aircraft

was transported to the United Kingdomwhere the machine is currently one of the

centerpieces of the collection

The aircraft type had many names

The most familiar (and printable) were

Stranny Strainer and Flying Meccano

Set The least affectionate was the Whis-

tling Shouse as when the lid to the

throne was lifted there was direct access

to the great outdoors and there emitted a

loud whistling noise

Other correct answers were re-

ceived from Hillis Cunliffe Mill-

brook Alabama Brian Baker Sun

City Arizona Wesley R Smith

Springfield Illinois John White-

head Cheyenne Wyoming ScottChurch Cochrane Alberta Can-

ada Jay Broze Walla Walla Wash-

ington Jerry Paterson Kent

Washington Jamie Patterson Mi-

ramichi New Brunswick Canada

Bill Bishop of Mulgoa New South Wales Australia sent along this photo

of the surviving Supermarine Stranraer

David Nixon supplied us with the April Mystery Plane shot of CF-BXO

a Canadian Vickers-built Supermarine Stranraer

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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urday 8 am until 6 pm Early-bird

arrivals can shop on the pre-conven-

tion weekend as well during limited

hours Show your VAA membership

card (or your receipt showing you

joined VAA at the convention) and

yoursquoll receive a 10 percent discount

VAA Volunteer Opportunities

Are you an ace pancake flipperIf yoursquore not one yet we can help

The VAA Tall Pines Cafeacute is looking

for volunteers who can help provide

a hearty breakfast to all the hungry

campers on the south end of Witt-

man Field If you could lend a hand

for a morning or two wersquod appreci-

ate it If thatrsquos not your cup of tea feelfree to check with the VAA Volunteer

Center located just to the northeast

of the VAA Red Barn The volun-

teers who operate the booth will be

happy to tell you when your help is

needed each day It doesnrsquot matter if

itrsquos just for a few hours or for a few

daysmdashwersquod love to have your help-

ing hands There is no need for you

to contact us ahead of time you can

talk with us when you arrive

VAA Judging Categoriesand Awards

The VAArsquos internationally recog-

nized judging categories are

bullAntique Aircraft built prior toSeptember 1 1945

bullClassic September 1 1945 - De-

cember 31 1955

bullContemporary January 1 1956

- December 31 1970

VAA NEWScontinued frpm page 5

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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the award winners Judging closes at noon on Friday

July 29 The Awards Ceremony will be held Saturday

evening July 30 at 6 pm in the Vintage Hangar

just south of the VAA Red Barn

Designated Smoking Areas Near FlightlineSmoking on the flightline at EAA AirVenture is prohib-

ited because itrsquos a hazard to all aircraft There are several

designated smoking areas with butt cans along the flight-

line well away from aircraft and refueling operations

Designated smoking areas will be south of the ultra-light runway near the Hangar Cafeacute near the Warbirdsarea (northeast corner of Audrey Lane and Eide Av-

enue) the Wearhouse flag pole area the shade pavil-ion north of the control tower and near the UltralightBarn Locations will be indicated on EAArsquos free con-vention grounds map The admission wristband alsoinstructs visitors that smoking is allowed only in desig-nated smoking areas

More on the Web

Visit wwwAirVentureorg for more information onEAA AirVenture 2011

EAA AirVenture Is Almost Here Are You Ready

Just a few short weeks from now many of you will

make the annual pilgrimage to Oshkosh for EAA Air-

Venture 2011 Are you ready Here are several handy

online tools on the AirVenture website that can help

you take care of any last-minute concerns

Visit wwwAirVentureorg and find out what you

need to know about The Worldrsquos Greatest Avia-

tion Celebration

Admission Parking Hours

wwwAirVentureorgplanningadmissionhtml

Find or Share a Ride to Oshkosh

wwwAirVentureorgrideshare

Site Map

wwwAirVentureorgplanningschedules_mapshtml

Where to Stay

Yoursquore cleared to stay connected

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3844

ship services at 800-564-6322 but

given the time from when you read

this until AirVenture it may not ar-

rive in the mail in time for your de-

parture We suggest downloading

the NOTAM

The NOTAM contains the specialflight procedures in effect for Witt-

man Regional Airport and alternate

airports from 6 am CDT on Friday

July 22 to 12 pm CDT on Mon-

day August 1 2011 All pilots who

fly into the event are expected to

know the special flight procedures

prior to arrival EAA AirVenture Os-

hkosh runs from July 25 through

July 31 For additional EAA AirVen-

ture Oshkosh 2011 information

visit wwwAirVentureorg

Call for VAA Hall of

Fame Nominations

To the left is our information

for nominations for VAArsquos Hallof Fame which is presented each

year during a special dinner This

yearrsquos dinner will be held Friday

October 28 Wersquoll have more on

this yearrsquos inductee John Under-

To nominate someone is easy It just takes a little time and a little reminiscing on your part

Mail nominating materials to

Remember your ldquocontemporaryrdquo may be a candidate nominate someone today

wwwVintageAircraftorg

CALL FOR VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

Nominations

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3944

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

Wit tman Regional A i rpor t (OSH)

Oshkosh Wisconsin

July 25-31 2011

wwwAirVentureorg

Colorado Sport International Air Show

and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In

Rocky Mountain Met ropol i tan A irpor t (BJC)

Denver Colorado

August 27-28 2011

wwwCOSportAviationorg

Mid-Eastern Regional Fly-In

Gr imes F ie ld A irpor t (I74)

Urbana Ohio

September 10-11 2011

httpMERFIcom

Copperstate Fly-In

Casa Grande Munic ipal A i rpor t (CGZ)

Casa Grande Ar izona

Upcoming Major

Fly-Ins

W I N

Only 2000 ticketswill be sold1 ticket $50

3 tickets $125

Piper Tri-Pacer Airplane

Free Flying Lessons

Free Pilot License

Country Legend Roy Clarkrsquos Personal Proceeds fromthis raffle

SAVEAMERICANKIDS LIVES

wwwwingsofhoperaffleorg

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4044

MISCELLANEOUS

wwwaerolistorg Aviationsrsquo Leading

Marketplace

Rare find Lycoming 0-145 partsinventory blocks bearings rings

shafts amp much more $20000

at 1970 prices $5000 Six four

cylinder case aircraft magnetos

$300 Call for more details (FL)

VINTAGETRADER

Someth ing t o buyse l l o r t rade

Classified Word Ads $550 per 10

words 180 words maximum with boldface

lead-in on first line

Classified Display Ads One column wide

(2167 inches) by 1 2 or 3 inches high at

$20 per inch Black and white only and nofrequency discounts

Advertising Closing Dates 10th of second

month prior to desired issue date (ie

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 (classads

eaaorg ) using credit card payment (all cards

accepted) Include name on card complete

address type of card card number and

expiration date Make checks payable to EAA

Address advertising correspondence to EAA

Publications Classified Ad Manager PO Box

3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

What Our Members

Are Restoring

Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done and

yoursquore busy flying and showing it off If so wersquod like to hear from

you Send us a 4-by-6-inch print from a commercial source (no

home printers please those prints just donrsquot scan well) or a

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4144

EAAMembership in the Experimental Aircraft

Association Inc is $40 for one year includ-ing 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION Familymembership is an additional $10 annually Allmajor credit cards accepted for membership(Add $16 for International Postage)

FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPSPlease submit your remittance with a

check or draft drawn on a United Statesbank payable in United States dollars Addrequired Foreign Postage amount for eachmembership

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATIONCurrent EAA members may join the

Vintage Aircraft Association and receive

year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not included)(Add $7 for International Postage)

WARBIRDSCurrent EAA members may join the EAA

Warbirds of America Division and receiveWARBIRDS magazine for an additional$45 per year

EAA Membership WARBIRDS mag-azine and one year membership in theWarbirds Division is available for $55 per

year (SPORT OficAVIATION magazinenot included) (Add $7 for Interna-tional Postage)

IACCurrent EAA members may join the

International Aerobatic Club Inc Divi-sion and receive SPORT AEROBATICS magazine for an additional $45 per year

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

VINTAGE

AIRCRAFT

ASSOCIATION

OFFICERS

DIRECTORS

DIRECTORS

EMERITUS

PresidentGeoff Robison

1521 E MacGregor DrNew Haven IN 46774

260-493-4724chief7025aolcom

Vice-PresidentGeorge Daubner

N57W34837 Pondview LnOconomowoc WI 53066

262-560-1949 gdaubnereaaorg

Steve Bender85 Brush Hill Road

Sherborn MA 01770508-653-7557

sst10comcastnet

David Bennett375 Killdeer Ct

Lincoln CA 95648916-952-9449

antiquerinreachcom

Jerry Brown4605 Hickory Wood Row

Greenwood IN 46143317-422-9366

lbrown4906aolcom

Dave Clark635 Vestal Lane

Plainfield IN 46168317-839-4500davecpdattnet

John S Copeland1A Deacon Street

Northborough MA 01532508-393-4775

copeland1junocom

Phil Coulson28415 Springbrook Dr

Lawton MI 49065269-624-6490

rcoulson516cscom

Dale A Gustafson7724 Shady Hills Dr

Indianapolis IN 46278317-293-4430

dalefayemsncom

Jeannie HillPO Box 328

Harvard IL 60033-0328815-943-7205

Espie ldquoButchrdquo Joyce704 N Regional Rd

Greensboro NC 27409336-668-3650

windsockaolcom

Steve Krog1002 Heather Ln

Hartford WI 53027262-966-7627sskrogaolcom

Robert D ldquoBobrdquo Lumley1265 South 124th StBrookfield WI 53005

262-782-2633rlumley1wirrcom

SH ldquoWesrdquo Schmid2359 Lefeber Avenue

Wauwatosa WI 53213414-771-1545

shschmidgmailcom

Robert C Brauer9345 S Hoyne

Chicago IL 60643773-779-2105

photopilotaolcom

Gene Chase2159 Carlton Rd

Oshkosh WI 54904920-231-5002

GRCHAcharternet

Ronald C Fritz15401 Sparta Ave

Kent City MI 49330616-678-5012

rFritzpathwaynet com

Charlie HarrisPO Box 470350Tulsa OK 74147

918-622-8400cwhhvsucom

EE ldquoBuckrdquo Hilbert8102 Leech RdUnion IL 60180

815-923-4591buck7acgmailcom

Gene Morris5936 Steve Court

Roanoke TX 76262817-491-9110

genemor rischarter net

Membership Services DirectoryEnjoy the many benefits of EAA and

EAArsquos Vintage Aircraft Association

EAA Aviation Center PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086Phone (920) 426-4800 Fax (920) 426-4873Web Sites wwwvintageaircraftorg wwwairventureorg wwweaaorgmemberbenefits E-Mail vintageaircrafteaaorg

EAA and Division Membership Services (800 AMndash600 PM MondayndashFriday CST)800-564-6322 FAX 920-426-4873 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

bullNewrenew memberships bullAddress changes bullMerchandise sales bullGift memberships

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 888-322-4636 wwwairventureorg airventureeaaorg

Sport PilotLight-Sport Aircraft Hotline 877-359-1232 wwwsportpilotorg sportpiloteaaorg

Programs and Activities

Auto Fuel STCs 920-426-4843 stceaaorg EAA Air Academy 920-426-6880 wwwairacademyorg airacademyeaaorg

EAA Scholarships 920-426-6823 scholarshipseaaorg

Library ServicesResearch 920-426-4848 slurveyeaaorg

Benefits

AUA Vintage Insurance Plan 800-727-3823 wwwauaonlinecom

EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan 866-647-4322 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

EAA VISA Card 800-853-5576 ext 8884

EAA Her tz Rent-A-Car Program 800-654-2200 wwweaaorghertz membershipeaaorg

VAA EditorialExecutive Director 920-426-4825 wwwvintageaircraftorg vintageeaaorg

VAA Office 920-426-6110 tbookseaaorg

TM

EAA Members Information Line 888-EAA-INFO (322-4636)

Use this toll-free number for information about AirVenture Oshkosh aeromedical and technical aviation questions

chapters and Young Eagles Please have your membership number ready when calling

Office hours are 815 am - 500 pm (Monday - Friday CST)

SecretarySteve Nesse

2009 Highland AveAlbert Lea MN 56007

507-373-1674

stnes2009livecom

TreasurerDan Knutson

106 Tena Marie CircleLodi WI 53555608-592-7224

lodicubcharternet

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4244

If yoursquove ever watched fish in

an aquarium yoursquove probably no-

ticed how they respond differently

to their surroundings There are

those that zip around the tank in a

mad dash to nowhere Some seem

to sit and not go much of any-

where and some will swim f romone end to the other turn around

and do it again

The latter are the ones that remind

me of myself I seem to fly in a fish-

bowl I go from one end of our val-

proficient by practicing things we

know over and over or it can make

us lazy When something becomes

so ingrained that we do it from habit

only we may not be thinking about

what wersquore doing

On a night cross-country some

time ago I found out just how easyit is to forget things that I hadnrsquot

used in a while While night may be

a little more challenging it still re-

quires the basic pre-flight planning

of any cross-country and following

whether I go far or stay in the com-

fort zone I canrsquot let complacency take

over Those skills and experiences

need to be stretched from time to

time regardless of where I fly An un-

expected situation or emergency is a

bad time to find out I donrsquot remem-

ber how to do somethingComplacency also allows fear

to creep in where it doesnrsquot belong

Some fear (I think) is a natural part of

flying but it can also unnecessarily

keep us grounded because we wonrsquot

BY S MICHELLE SOUDER

Flying Outside

the Fishbowl

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4344

Itrsquos gonna be a big year at Oshk osh

B-29 Superfortress ldquoFIFIrdquo

The first visit since 1995for the worldrsquos only airworthyB-29 Superfortress

REO SpeedwagonOshkosh rocks Monday duringthe opening day concert presentedby Ford Motor Company

Tribute to Bob HooverTuesday afternoon air showfeaturing aircraft and maneuvershe made legendary

eVentureInnovation will be on displayand in the air with the ElectricFlight Prize Competition

Join us for a week-long celebration of the Centennial of Naval Aviationincluding a special air show Wednesday See the hottest naval aircraftin historic colors all week on ConocoPhillips Plaza

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4444

Page 5: Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 544

VAA NEWS

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 644

Find Your FavoritePresentations andWorkshops Online

With hundreds of the worldrsquos

leading aviation authorities giv-ing close to 1000 individual pre-

sentations at nearly 45 locations

spread throughout the AirVenture

grounds finding out who is pre-

senting where and when can be

in a word challenging The EAA

AirVenture website has an online

tool that can make this task simple

when you use the integrated Air-

Venture schedule

Located at wwwAirVentureorg

under ldquoAttractionsrdquo and then un-

der ldquoActivities Presentations amp

Workshopsrdquo the database includes

all the venues subjects and top-

ics presenters and events from

not only Forums and Workshopsbut also Warbirds in Review Kid-

Venture Museum Speakers Show-

case Authors Corner Theater in

the Woods special ldquoat the aircraftrdquo

presentations on ConocoPhillips

Plaza and more If itrsquos scheduled

yoursquoll find it here In addition the

web schedule is updated on a dailybasis to reflect any changes or ad-

ditions that might occur at the last

minute You can even create your

own itinerary of various events of

interest You can save or print it out

for future reference

A quick link to this new schedule

is wwwAirVentureorgschedule

Fabric-Covering WorkshopLast month we mentioned that

Superflite covering systems would

be presenting covering workshops

in the VAA area Changes in the

tant part of your VAA membership)

you can use the EAA Flight Planner

to chart your trip to Wittman Field

for EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2011

Just click on the EAA Flight Plannerlink on the left side of the VAA home

page at wwwVintageAircraftorg or ac-

cess it through the membersrsquo only

section of EAArsquos online community

at wwwOshkosh365org

Grass Runways and FuelAlso on our VAA website we

publish a list created by VAA mem-

ber Kris Kortokrax

Kris flies a variety of old bi-

planes that are more pleasant to

fly when they are flown from grass

strips and he and his buddies from

Shelbyville Illinois do their best to

keep the old biplanes happy (and

keep tire wear to a minimum) byflying cross-country from grass strip

to grass strip Finding fuel facilities

can be a challenge these days and

Kris has distilled this airport infor-

mation to be useful for like-minded

grass-runway-preferring pilots This

data was current as of the beginning

of the year and wersquod suggest callingahead to confirm fuel availability

and hours of operation If you have

any changes or additions drop us

an e-mail here at VintageAircraft

eaaorg and wersquoll forward it to Kris

Our thanks to Kris for sharing his

list Let us know if you find it useful

VAArsquos Portable ElectronicsCharging Station

Do your rechargeable personal

electronics like your cellphone or

computer go dead before AirVen-

turersquos over VAA has the solution to

service to EAA members for whatever

donation you feel is appropriate

Breakfast and a Briefing

The VAA Tall Pines Cafeacute will bein operation again this year with

an expanded schedule prior to

convention and fly-in-style pan-

cake and egg breakfasts during

EAA AirVenture Starting on Fri-

day morning July 22 and continu-

ing through Sunday July 24 the

VAA Tall Pines Cafeacute will be open for

breakfast (630-930 am) and din-

ner (430-730 pm) Starting Mon-

day July 25 only breakfast will be

served at the Tall Pines Cafeacute (630-

930 am) through Saturday July

30 Just to the north a Flight Ser-

vice Station (FSS) trailer will be lo-

cated near the cafeacute At the trailer

yoursquoll be able to check the weatherfor your flight and obtain a full

briefing from FSS specialists with-

out having to trek up to the FAA

Building near the control tower

Wersquoll see you there each morning

for ldquobreakfast and a briefingrdquo

Are You a Friend of the VAA Red Barn

If so be sure to check in at the

information desk at the VAA Red

Barn There wersquoll issue you a spe-

cial name badge We can also point

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 744

VAA Message Center If you would like to leave a

message for people you know

who frequent the VAA Red Barn

stop by the information desk Youcan write them a message in our

ldquonotebook on a stringrdquo and wersquoll

post their name on the marker

board so theyrsquoll know therersquos a

message waiting for them Sure

cellphones and walkie-talkies are

great but sometimes nothing

works better than a hand-scrib-

bled note

VAA PicnicTickets for the annual VAA

picnic to be held Wednesday

Ju ly 27 at the Nature Center

will be available for sale at the

VAA Red Barn Tickets must be

purchased in advance so weknow how much food to or-

der The delicious meal will be

served from 530 pm until ap-

proximately 7 pm If you need

transportation trams will be-

gin leaving the VAA Red Barn

around 5 pm and will make re-

turn trips after the picnic Typeclubs may hold their annual

banquets during the picnic Call

Jeannie Hill (815-245-4464)

and she will reserve seating so

your type club can sit together

Shawano Fly-OutThe annual fly-out to Shawano

is Saturday July 30 The sign-up

sheet will be at the desk at the VAA

Red Barn and the briefing will be

at 7 am the morning of the fly-

out The community of Shawano

approximately an hour north of

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 844

A Waco Kind of Family

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 944

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1044ldquowas about 6 years old

and Dad had taken us

to a fly-in in Ottumwa

show for his youthful fascination

with things that fly He now has

what he wished for when looking

Aviation families are quite common

within the sport aviation commu-

nity but few have made aviation

MIKE STEINEKE

The entire family enjoys flying the Waco all over the Midwest and beyond The color scheme evokes the colors chosenby Wiley Post for his record-setting Lockheed Vega the Winnie Mae

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1144

port That was in 1964 So basically

wersquove lived on an airport from just

about the moment I was born Now

So was Dad So we called the FAA

and got a lsquospecialrsquo VFR clearance

The last words my instructor said

before I took off in the C-152

were lsquoStay out of the clouds comearound and landrsquo So I didrdquo

There he was a certificated pilot

and still riding the school bus to his

little country school and living the

life of a typical high school kid in-

cluding going to local fairs

ldquoIt was at a local fair right after I

graduated that I met Carolyn and

I asked her out for a date On our

second or third date I took her fly-

ing in Dadrsquos Decathlon I guess that

must have impressed her because

we got married a year laterrdquo

Carolyn says ldquoHersquos such an avia-

tion addict that our honeymoon

had us stopping at various airports

as we traveled But Irsquoll tell youwhat Irsquod much rather he be out fly-

ing or hanging out at airports than

out drinkingrdquo And she laughs She

laughs a lot

Often it is at this point in an avi-

atorrsquos life story that the individual

says his flying stopped while he

built a business and a family tobe resumed as a later date Harve

however managed to sidestep that

layoff For one thing he essen-

tially lived on an airport his wife

liked flying (she says ldquoI decided if I

couldnrsquot beat him Irsquod join him and

started taking flying lessonsrdquo) and

hersquod grown up banging knuckles

working on airplanes So where so

many young fathers find their avia-

tion career has stagnated he started

building up his own airplanes the

first being a Cessna 170B

ldquoThe 170rdquo he says ldquowas actually

ldquoBecause we live barely 40 miles

from Blakesburg getting hooked on

vintage airplanes was unavoidable

Dad would take us to lots of fly-ins

including Blakesburg and from thevery beginning I actually liked vin-

tage airplanes better than he did

And I loved working on themrdquo

Harversquos love of vintage mechan-

ics showed through many years of

polishing and restoration of the

C-170 It went to Oshkosh for 16

years At first it was noticed because

it looked dreadfully forlorn but

over the years it began to gain more

attention and for better reasons

The judges were impressed enough

in 2000 to give it the best 170180

award Then it won Grand Cham-

pion in its class at the AAA Fly-In at

Blakesburg the next year

ldquoFirst I have to say that I donrsquotbuild airplanes to win trophies and

I donrsquot go to fly-ins to be judged I

build airplanes to go to fly-ins Pe-

riod We love going to fly-ins and

attend at least 15 or 20 a year and

we do it as a family Eventually the

kids got too big and we out-grew

the 170 after putting a little over1200 hours on itrdquo

While Harve might say he was

building a family the truth is that

Carolyn was the one having the

babies and trying to build a career

And her schedule was more than

just a little tight She started col-

lege right after Taryn was born and

missed her own graduation because

she was busy finishing her own

homebuilt Shalyn Today she puts

that diploma to work teaching sec-

ond grade while Harve farms 1500

acres of soybeans and corn

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1244

that he has made a huge number

of friends out of the other partici-

pants and thatrsquos good for all of usrdquo

ldquoI was looking for a bigger air-

plane when a friend of mine toldme about a beautiful 195 with a

blown engine sitting out on the

ramp in Tullahoma ldquo Harve says

ldquoI contacted the airport to find out

info about the owner I contacted

him and discovered it not only had

a bad engine but the finance com-

pany held the note as the owner

was going through bankruptcy I

flew down with my stepfather (who

had become a pilot after marry-

ing my motherhellipdad had died by

then) and we looked it over

ldquoI put in a bid and got it I sold

the 170 to a wonderful friend and

fortunately it stayed at our airport

where it is well tended We put anew 330 Jake from Radial Engines

Limited on the 195 and it won

awards at both Oshkosh and Blakes-

burg as well We kept the 195 for

three years But it still wasnrsquot a

Waco something I just couldnrsquot get

out of my head

ldquoWhen I started looking forWacosrdquo he says ldquolike everyone

else I was assaulted by the incred-

ible number of different varieties

But I wasnrsquot looking for something

to rebuild nor was I looking for a

rare variety I wanted an airplane

that would serve our family well

The fact that it would be an incred-

ibly cool antique was just a bonus

Because of that I passed on a lot of

projects and focused on airplanes

that were flying and needed a mini-

mum of work and could be fairly

easily supported That meant an

ldquoI looked at a few airplanes be-

fore a friend Doug Parsons turned

me on to N16249 a 1936 YKS-6 It

was last restored by Pete Coving-ton in 1994 so it was in really good

condition In fact well-known an-

tiquer Morton Lester had owned it

at the time of restoration It was a

good solid airplane that was due for

some freshening up not a rebuild

This was exactly what I was looking

for It had been through two own-

ers since Lester owned it and was

now part of an estate sale

ldquoI got it home in July of 2005 and

began working on itrdquo he says ldquoBe-

cause it had been restored nearly 15

years earlier and hadnrsquot been a han-

difficult but the paperwork turned

out to be a headache

ldquoThe original engine was a Ja-

cobs R-755-9 which is 245 hp butI wanted more power We have a

pretty big useful load with this air-

plane but it needs the extra power

when itrsquos heavy So I wanted to go

up to the 755-B2M which is 275

hp I had Air Repair in Cleveland

Mississippi build up an engine for

me Since itrsquos virtually identical to

the original Jake putting it on was

nothing At the same time we in-

stalled a new Sensenich wooden

prop But then we started working

on the paperwork

ldquoThis shouldnrsquot have been nearly

CRAIG VANDERKOLK

Most of the Applegate family during AirVenture 2010 from left to right

daughter Shalyn Harve Carolyn and son Matt The Applegatesrsquo other

daughter Taryn couldnrsquot make the trip

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1344

two airplanes were one in the same

Finally we got a hold of Jeff Janus

at the FAArsquos Aircraft Certification

Office (ACO) who said it was a no-

brainer and sent it back to the FSDO

and told them to sign it off

ldquoWersquove been flying the airplane

for five years now and itrsquos exactly

what we wanted an d what we

thought it should be First for an

airplane this big itrsquos really easy to

fly In fact it lands a lot like our

Cub and even on pavement isnrsquot

A Lesson in the Learning Caveats When DonatingAt one point Harversquos dad began having airport problems and therersquos a lesson

to be learned for a lot of us here

ldquoThe airport had never gotten hugerdquo Harve says ldquoIt was just a nice friendly

airport with a few hangars and some local tenants But it was the only airport in

the area so Dad deeded it over to the city I guess you could say he donated it

For years this worked out really well and all the aviation guys in the area loved it

We host a fly-in there each year and that became something of a local event that

everyone looked forward to

ldquoDad died suddenly in 1981 and we decided to build a house right near the

CRAIG VANDERKOLK

The Applegates camp every year just south of the VAA Flightline Opera-

tions building so son Matt and the family can enjoy visiting with their many

friends and watch the afternoon air show

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1444

bigger yoursquod want The back seat

is an honest three kids wide and

the two front seats are separated

by nearly a foot So you feel as ifyoursquore flying your own little air-

liner And how many airplanes to-

day let you crank the side windows

down and fly with you elbows up

on the windowsill

ldquoItrsquos not a rocketship in climb

about 500-600 fpm but itrsquoll give

you that or close to it whether

yoursquore loaded or not Those big old

wings can really carry a load

ldquoItrsquos also not a speed demon

but itrsquoll indicate 120 mph give or

take 5 mph at about 14 gallons per

hour and fly straight ahead with

MIKE STEINEKE

Another gorgeous picture of the Applegatesrsquo plane flying over the Midwest

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1544

The first wireless message sent

from an airplane to a ground station

wasnrsquot very imaginative or profound

The message telegraphed in dots and

dashes by US Army Lt Paul W Beck

on January 21 1911 was

ldquoAssociated Press AviationField Scotford is not the only

bird on the aviation board Beckrdquo

The message didnrsquot have the hum-

bling sense of Samuel Morsersquos ldquoWhat

hath God wroughtrdquo or the quaint-

ness of Alexander Graham Bellrsquos ldquoMr

Watsonmdashcome heremdashI want to see

yourdquo or Neil Armstrongrsquos inspira-

tional ldquoThatrsquos one small step for man

one giant leap for mankindrdquoThe rather mundane message was

hastily scribbled by Associated Press

reporter Guy Moysten who was cov-

Corps

Beck had been taken aloft by Philip

O Parmalee an early aviation pio-

neer The ldquopurple sparks spluttered

by the telegraph keyrdquo were also inter-

cepted by navy wireless stations on

Goat Island (now Yerba Buena Island)

and the Mare Island Navy YardBeckrsquos second message was ldquoThree

hundred feet up and riding level

It is cold It is bumpyrdquo The word

ldquobumpyrdquo wasnrsquot received because

Beckrsquos fingers were so cold that they

refused to as Beck put it ldquoanswer the

nerve impulsesrdquo

The word ldquoScotfordrdquo in the first

message referred to Frederick E Scot-

ford chairman of the Aviation Ex-

ecutive Committee which had

conceived planned and set in mo-

tion the air meet The message re-

ferred to a previous flight ldquoaround the

army also ldquolent their band for daily

concerts during guard mount or pa-

raderdquomdashall this to the delight of the

crowds throughout the entire affair

San Francisco was in heavy compe-

tition with New Orleans for the exclu-

sive rights to the 1915 Panama-Pacific

International Exhibition (PPIE) aworldrsquos fair to celebrate the upcom-

ing 1914 opening of the Panama

Canal The city desperately wanted

to land the exhibition believing it

would confirm San Franciscorsquos phoe-

nix-like rise from the ashes of devasta-

tion The air show was thought of as

the opening act

Plans for the PPIE had already

been complicated in 1910 Just six

months earlier Californiarsquos gover-

nor had banned the Jim Jeffries-Jack

Johnson fight scheduled for San

Franciscomdashforcing the epic ldquoFight

Flashes of Purple SparksBY DANIEL J DEMERS

Lt Paul Beck left with

the Western Wireless

Equipment Company A-4wireless set in his lap

while seated in a Wright

biplane during wireless

tests during the 1911 San

Francisco Air Meet The

set weighed 29 pounds

and featured a telegraph

key mounted on the top of

the mahogany box

JOURNAL OF ELECTRICITY POWER AND GAS

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1644

shadowed all the other historic firsts

achieved at the meet

Beck described the sensation of fly-

ing at 800 feet like this

ldquoWhirring propellers throb-

bing pistons and machine-

gun-like gasoline explosions

deafened you while tears bit-

ter tears were forced from your

eyes by the back rush of air and

you have a slight conception

how it feels to rival the eagle in a

Wright biplanerdquo

He had used in his own words

ldquoa rough makeshift affair weighing

thirty-two poundsrdquo It consisted of

a ldquosmall gap and interrupter an or-

dinary telegraph key a small storage

cellrdquo and a shunt ldquoto prevent over-

charging of the cellrdquo The entire de-vice was contained in a wooden box

that he carried on his lap The aerial

used for the experiment was a 120-

foot bronze wire trailing the plane

connected to the ldquosending appara-

tus by a number sixteen copper wirerdquo

The whole gizmo was grounded to a

stay wire on the aircraft connectedldquoto the sending apparatusrdquo Beck ex-

plained ldquoThe wave length measured

by the wave meter at the receiving

station was 575 meters in length This

is rather longer than we had thought

it would berdquo

Simultaneous to Beckrsquos experi-

ment Charlie Willard (another

pioneer aviator) unsuccessfully at-

tempted to send a wireless message

using a different set According to

Beck ldquoHis outfit weighed a trifle less

than the one which I used and his

antenna wire was a trifle longerrdquo Ac-

ldquoengine is practically noiseless when

comparedrdquo with the other planes at

the air meet ldquoSilencerdquo wrote Beck ldquois

an essential factor to the successful

reading of telegraphic codes or thesuccessful undertaking of human

speech by wireless telephonerdquo

Of great concern to the experi-

mentrsquos sponsors was the fact that an

ldquoelectrical dischargerdquo was involved in

the actual receiving of the message

from the ground Thus it was of ldquogreat

importance that the gasoline tank be

thoroughly insulated in order to pre-vent possible ignition from a sparkrdquo

Avoiding such an aerial catastrophe

was to be overcome by using ldquoone of

the guy wires on the Antoinette ma-

chine as the static ground and to drag

from the tail of the airship an alumi-

num wire of great capacity and weigh-

ing less than two pounds though 130feet in length as the antennardquo

Unfortunately as Beck told it ldquothe

god or gods of the elementsrdquo stepped

in On this particular day being ldquoaloft

was dangerous to life and limbrdquo

Lathamrsquos beautiful Antoinette mono-

plane was demolished in an accident

Latham survived the crash but a mere12 months later he died a mysterious

death in the French Congo

Beck understood that aviation was

in its infancy and that ldquowe must creep

before we walkrdquo While the experi-

ment to send a message had failed

due to an air wreck Beck concluded

it had been ldquoreduced to a mere ques-

tion of providing mechanical devices

for deadening the sound of the pro-

pellers shutting out the noise of the

rushing wind and providing some

simple means for placing the received

message in written form on some

Sources

Chief Warrant Officer Mark J

Denger Dominguez Inter-

national Air Meet California

Aviation History wwwMilitary- MuseumorgDominguezhtml

Lt Paul W Beck Aviation Meet

From War Viewpoint How

Army and Navy Will Take Part

San Francisco Examiner January

6 1911 5

Lt JC Walker Jr War Prob-

lems to be Solved In Air San

Francisco Examiner January 7

1911 3

Lt Paul W Beck What Army Is

Striving For Opening Day a

Big Success San Francisco Ex-

aminer January 8 1911 76

Lt Paul W Beck Wreck Spoils Wire-

less Experiment San Francisco

Examiner January 11 1911 2

Lt JC Walker Jr Biplanes in

Wind Please Army Man San

Francisco Examiner January 11

1911 2

Lt Paul W Beck Airplane Wire-

less Experiments Today War

Expert Reviews the Aviation

Meet San Francisco Examiner

January 18 1911 2

Lt Paul W Beck Wireless Adds

New Link To War Chain San Francisco Examiner January 22

1911 67

Flashes of Purple Glint From

Aeroplane in the Sky to Earth

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1744

VAA Friends of the Red BarnName______________________________________________________________________EAA ___________ VAA ___________

Address______________________________________________________________________________________________________

CityStateZIP________________________________________________________________________________________________

Phone___________________________________________________E-Mail______________________________________________

Please choose your level of participation

DiamondPlus$1250

Diamond$1000

Platinum$750

Gold$500

Silver$250

Bronze$100

LoyalSupporter$99 amp Under

EAA VIP Center2 peopleFull

Week

VIP Air Show Seating2 people2

Days2 people1

Day

Close Auto Parking Full Week Full Week 2 Days

Two Tickets to VAA Picnic

Tri-Motor Certificate 2 Tickets 2 Tickets 2 Tickets 1 Ticket

Breakfast at Tall Pines Cafeacute2 PeopleFull Wk

2 PeopleFull Wk

2 PeopleFull Wk

1 PersonFull Wk

Special FORB Cap

Two Passes to VAA Volunteer Party

Special FORB Badge

Access to Volunteer Center

Donor Appreciation Certificate

Name Listed Vintage Airplane Magazine Website and Sign at Red Barn

Donrsquot wait for a mailing from VAA HQ before you send in your contributionmdashto keep our administration costs as low as possible wersquore not

sending out a mailingto each VAA member Please send your donation today while itrsquos fresh in your mindPlease help the VAA and our nearly 500 dedicated volunteers make this an unforgettable experience for our EAA AirVenture guestsYour contribution does make a dif ference There are seven levels of gifts and gift recognition Thank you for whatever you can doHere are some of the many activities the Friends of the Red Barn fund under writes

bullRed Barn Information Desk Supplies bullFlightline Parking Scooters and Supplies bullBreakfast for Past Grand Champions

bullParticipant Plaques and Supplies bullVolunteer Booth Administrative Supplies bullSigns Throughout the Vintage Area

bull Ton irsquos Red Car pet Expre ss Van and Rad ios bullRed Barn and Other Building Maintenance bullAnd More

bullCaps for VAA Volunteers bull Tal l Pin es Caf eacute D in ing Ten t

2 11 VAA Friends of the Red Barn Campaign2011 VAA Friends of the Red Barn CampaignThe VAA annual fundraising campaign fuels VAA action

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1844

T

he worldrsquos first regular air-

mail line was operated by

the United States Army

back in 1918 when a fleet

of old Jennies were pushed back

and forth between New York City

and Washington DC a distance

of two hundred and twenty miles

the fields that no self-respecting pi-

lot would take a second look at in

these times But those were the days

of wooden ships and iron men

Chief pilot on the line was a

handsome youth just out of his

teens Lieutenant James C Edger-

ton who had an unusual knack of

gan There were impressive ceremo-

nies political speeches bouquets of

flowers for the flyers and the Presi-

dent of the United States himself

went down to the Polo Grounds

and wished the pilot who was to

carry the mail to New York ldquoGod

speedrdquo Almost as soon as he left

From the Archives Reprinted from Popular Aviation Dec 1935

First Regular

Airmail FlightBY LIEUT H LATANE LEWIS II

The pilot is receiving his last-minute orders before shoving off with the mail Once more old Jenny

makes history

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1944

through with considerable diffi-

culty The pilot scheduled to make

the flight hopped off from Philadel-

phia and pointed the blunt nose of

his Jennie southward toward Wash-ington The checkerboard fields and

streams sliding beneath his wings

soon became a jigsaw puzzle and

one that he couldnrsquot piece together

The flyer realized that he was hope-

lessly lost He barged around for

awhile and finally decided to come

down and ask directions

Landing on the race track atBridgeton New Jersey forty miles

off his course he became involved

with a group of curious

horses which cracked up

the ship The mail was sent

back to Philadelphia by truck and

started out in another plane with

another pilot About thirty milesout his engine began to miss and

as it was getting dark he turned and

high-tailed back to his home field

Jim Edgerton stepped forward

and offered to save the face of the

new service and take the mail on

to Washington in spite of darkness

and a bad engine Night was comingon in earnest by this time If his en-

gine should conk on the trip down

there would be no flares for him to

release and land by nor would he be

able to bail out with a parachute for

this was before the day of the Cater-

pillar Club And at Washington he

would have no floodlights to illu-

minate the Polo Grounds It would

mean coming into that narrow field

which was surrounded by tall trees

in utter darkness

But Jim was an impatient and

adventurous young man so he

cians all through his eventful flying

career He was the least perturbed of

all as he came roaring down from the

north and circled the inky pit into

which he must bring his ship at thespeed of an express train

There were about half a dozen

automobiles parked around the

field and Jim estimated his ap-

proach from their headlights Spec-

tators heard his engine stop then

the shrill scream of the wind on

his struts and wires Then they

caught sight of a ghost-like silhou-ette against the night sky coming

down in a dizzy slideslip An in-

stant later a gray phantom swept

across the field and settled down

to a perfect landing The mail had

come through

Edgerton was the first pilot who

ever flew into a thunderstorm Upto that time flyers all over the world

looked upon electrical storms as a

deadly menace and had avoided

them as they would a plague Or-

ders had been issued that no mail

pilot should take off if weather con-

ditions were unfavorable

At Philadelphia one afternoon

during the middle of July Jim had

his ship tuned up and was ready to

shove off but down towards the

southwest storm clouds were gath-

ering It was against orders to fly

under such conditions Jim fumed

possible and then as he came over

the ldquoSusquehanna River he ran

smack into it It was a violent line

squall the storm most dreaded of

all by aviators and the kind thatsent the mighty Akron and Shenan-

doah down to destruction On the

ground trees were being uprooted

and houses damaged

ldquoIt was the bumpiest ride I ever

had before or sincerdquo chuckles Jim

Edgerton today as he recalls the

vivid impression it left on him

ldquoWe were thrown all over the skyThe rain and hail were so thick that

I couldnrsquot see the wingtips The

propeller was all chewed

up and I had to throttle

down the engine Butrdquo he

adds modestly ldquoI came out right

on the courserdquo

And the mail was landed inWashington on time

That flight and the others like it

that Edgerton made probably did

more than anything else to give the

public confidence in the reliability

of the airmail Frequently he flew

through dense fog and relied en-

tirely on the crude instruments ofthose early days to keep him in the

air On one of these flights he es-

caped death by as narrow a margin

as was ever vouchsafed a pilot

He shoved off in heavy rain and

soon ran into thick weather He

barged on into it flying blind for

awhile and then climbing up on

the top of the stuff It was so thick

that even the birds had to walk Af-

ter about an hour and a half he

decided to try to find the ground

to check his course He was com-

ing down in a fast glide when sud-

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2044

altitude the fog was so thick

it was like being submerged

in pea soup but occasion-

ally there would be a break

and Edgerton would catcha glimpse of the ground and

know where he was

As he passed over Havre

de Grace there suddenly

loomed up dead ahead a

church steeple He was right

on it before he saw it He

banked for all he was worth

standing the old crock rightup on her ear and missed

the steeple by a miracle

But the crowning thr ill

of the day came a little later

as he passed the Army Proving

Ground at Aberdeen

ldquoWe were flying at an altitude of

about 150 feetrdquo Edgerton recallsldquoVisibility was practically nil Sud-

denly there was a terrific bump al-

most as violent as if the plane had

struck something That afternoon

Army authorities at Aberdeen

called up and said that an airplane

had flown over there and almost

collided with a shell fired from a16-inch gunrdquo

Is it any wonder that Edgertonrsquos

hair has turned slightly gray

On another occasion Jim got

caught in a vicious summer thun-

derstorm over Baltimore He was

flying his faithful old mount No

38274 The turbulent air tossed

the frail wooden Jenny about like

a ship on a rough sea One instant

her nose would be pointed straight

toward heaven and the next instant

Jim would see the ground rush-

ing up at him just over the engine

of a lead pencil were spurting out

Soon the whole forward part of the

fuselage was saturated

Jim watched the lightning play-

ing about the metal parts of the

plane and waited for the spark

that would blow him to shreds and

splatter him all over Baltimore But

Lady Luck was riding with him

again and the spark never came

He rode out the storm and brought

had broken and was dangling al-

most in the shining arc of the

propeller If it became entangled

in the prop it would shatter it to

a million splinters and probablytear the engine loose

Throttling down Jim maneu-

vered as best he could to keep

wire and prop from that fatal

embrace Below him were plenty

of flat broad fields into which

he could have glided But that

would mean delaying the mail

so the plucky youngster kept go-ing and finally sat down safely

in Washington

Altogether Edgerton made

fifty-three trips and never failed

to bring the mail through on any

of them On only one did he have

a forced landing

He was over Camp Meade Mary-land when a magneto shaft broke

There was a terrific jolt that almost

jumped the engine out of the ship

For once Jim had to come down

and come down in a hurry He

looked below him and his heart

stood still He was plunging straight

towards the heads of hundreds ofmarching men on parade

Lower and lower sank the help-

less Jenny Edgerton flattened his

glide as much as he dared and tried

to squeeze over the soldiers He was

almost knocking their hats off but

still the Yanks continued to hold

their ground

ldquoI just skimmed over their heads

and landed on the very edge of the

parade groundrdquo Jim laughingly re-

lates ldquoIt was my old outfit and they

certainly gave me a welcomerdquo

It was just a bit demoralizing to

With the mail aboard the pilot proceeds to warm

up the OX-5 which animates the Jenny

Authentic dope on the

controversial subject

ldquoWho flew the firstairmailrdquo In spite of the

many claims to priority by

various pilots we believe

that this is the real

answer to the problem

An old Jenny as usual

does the work

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AirVenture amp Ford Together Again

REO Speedwagon Concert Monday

600PM next to the Ford Hangar

Fly In Theater Nightly Sunday ndash

Saturday 830PM Camp Scholler

Cruisinrsquo Legends See Mustangs and

more Knapp Street near Warbirds

Model T Experience Tour in a Model

T ldquoCruisinrsquo Legendsrdquo

ldquoBlues Brothersrdquo Tribute Party

Saturday 630PM Ford ldquoHangar of Bluesrdquo

Free Ice Cream Nightly in the camp-

grounds ndash from the Transit Connect

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2244

My son and I spent the better part of

six years restoring an Aeronca 7BCM

Jeff was 13 years old when we started

the project and 19 when we finished

sponds quickly to my urging as I

push the throttle control forward

to begin a low-level no-radio no-

transponder flight from Charles W

time I admit to being spoiled first by

low-frequency ldquobeamsrdquo then VORs

DME RNAV LORAN and now GPS

But for this flight I left all that behind

To Follow the LineThis was the way I had learned navigation to follow the line

BY E JEFF JUSTIS

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE AUTHOR

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Down low it was fun once more

watching the small towns pass

even being able to read the names

on water towers

In north-central Mississippi

there appears a vast forest spread-

ing out beneath my wings an il-

lusory remnant of the gloriouswilderness that once extended

from the East Coast to the Great

Plains Now clear-cutting scars are

evidence of manrsquos meddling graf-

fiti on our planetrsquos face

I am surprised at the hills of

North Mississippi at higher al-

titudes they flatten into the ter-rain but here at 1000 feet above

the ground the hills are alive with

depth and color

My craft and I intruders in his

world pass a circling hawk I look

down and try to see the tiny crea-

ture I am sure he sees but where

he must perceive the slightest rus-tle of the brush I see only patterns

of green and brown and the bright

blue of reflected sky

Enough of this sightseeing I should

have crossed this highway a couple

of miles farther to the north I make a

slight correction Highways They criss-

cross this land cutting it into smaller

and smaller bits these scratches of

man meant little when there were

fewer men but now they separate deer

from deer and life from life

At the edge of a field pebbled by

round bales of hay rests a red tractor Jeff Justis was just 13 when he and his family embarked on the restoration of

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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suppose is the essence of life

Soon the forward horizon bulges

upward as I approach old tectonic

ridges aligned northeast-southwest

near Birmingham The dark greenof the forested ridges contrasts with

the lighter verdant hues of manrsquos

cultivation Ahead a sharp razor-

backed ridge prompts a climb to

3000 feet I teeter across the top and

slide down toward the broad valley

on the eastern side My first land-

ing after one hour and 45 minutes is

welcome As a no-radio aircraft I am

careful to follow the standard pat-

tern and glide down final touching

down on the much-too-long-for-

The-Champ runway of Posey AirportMost cross-country flights in

the rsquo50s were from grass strip to

grass strip A red gas pump would

be brought into service by the col-

orful operatormechanic of these

old aerodromes Aeroncas and

Luscombes were everywhere and

Cessna 195s were the elite air-

planes Now on this ramp my

Aeronca is an anachronism

A King Air is being readied for cor-

porate passengers and my little tail-

dragger is lost on the large apronFortunately we modified the 7BCM

with a starter and generator so I do

not have to find someone to help me

get started In years past almost ev-

ery lineman was proficient in hand-

propping now itrsquos almost a lost art

Soon I am on the way to my

next stop Lagrange Georgia I am

fooled by the appearance of a large

airport an old military field at 12

orsquoclock on the horizon Only when

I get close enough do I realize this is

not the field I am supposed to over-

fly and that I am 10 miles south of

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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ramp taking nearly as long as the

flight itself

The cost of this slow flight is cer-

tainly minimal with fill-ups after

two hours averaging 15 or so dol-

lars Besides the trip has been fun so

far relearning old navigation tricks

and seeing the country down low

Now I have only a few more milesto navigate to Eaglesrsquo Landing The

fly-in community strip is near Wil-

liamson Georgia and just east of a

northeast-southwest-oriented rail-

road I decide to proceed due east

find the railroad and follow it

northeast toward the destination

I cross a highway but see no rail-road A few miles further still no

railroad I must have passed it Af-

ter a 180 I find the highway again

but nohellipwait what is that That is

an abandoned rail line for sure and

it does parallel the road I continue

northeast scanning the horizon

passing pretty fields and housesI locate one airport with houses

neatly lining both sides of the single

runway but it is not Eaglesrsquo Landing

Soon I see Griffin Georgia I have

come too far I ease The Champ into

a bank to try again back down the

rail line andhellipherersquos a golf coursehellip

and yes there are two grass run-

ways meeting in a ldquoVrdquo I circle andmake a low pass over the northwest

runway watching my friends wave

from their yard ldquoWhat a nice place

to liverdquo I think as I line up on final

I glide just above the grass and

A foil tape antenna ground plane was just one of the nifty little touches added

to The Champ as the two Jeffs restored their airplane

Doesnrsquot ever yone use Champ

tail surfaces as decorative ele-

ments in their household dec-orating Mrs Justis is a very

patient woman

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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CALIFORNIAHayward CA VIN 29

Meeting 2nd Thurs 600 pm

Hayward Airport

See website for hangar info

Gary Oberti President

Phone 510-357-8600

E-mail infovaa29org

Website wwwvaa29org

CALIFORNIASacramento CA VIN 25

Meeting 2nd Sat 900 am

See chapter website for location

Robert Opdahl President

Phone 530-273-7348

E-mail bopdahlsbcglobalnet

Website wwwVin25org

CAROLINAS VIRGINIAWalnut Cove NC VIN 3

Meeting Contact President

Susan Dusenbury President

Phone 336-591-3931

E-mail sr6sueaolcom

Website wwwVAA3org

FLORIDALakeland FL VIN 1

Meeting Contact President

Bobby Capozzi President

Phone 352-475-9736

INDIANAAuburn IN VIN 37

Meeting 4th Thurs 700 pm

DeKalb County Airport (kGWB)

Hangar AmdashVAA 37 Clubhouse

Drew Hoffman President

Phone 260-515-3525

E-mail drewhoffmanvaa37org

Website wwwVAA37org

KANSASOverland Park KS VIN 16

Meeting 2nd Fri 730 pm

CAF Hangar

New Century Airport

Kevin Pratt President

Phone 913-541-1149

E-mail kprattvaa16com

Website wwwVAA16com

LOUISIANANew Iberia LA VIN 30

Meeting 1st Sun 900 am

LeMaire Memorial Airport Hangar 4

Roland Denison President

Phone 337-365-3047

E-mail vaa30coxnet

MINNESOTAAlbert Lea MN VIN 13

Meeting 2nd Thurs 700 pm

Albert Lea Airport FBO

OHIODelaware OH VIN 27

Meeting 3rd Sat 8-10AM May thru Sept

Delaware Municiple Airport (DLZ)

Terminal Building

Woody McIntire President

Phone 740-362-7228

E-mail wjmcintirecscom

Website wwwEAAdlzorg

OHIOZanesville OH VIN 22

Meeting 2nd Fri 630 pm

Perry County Airport

John Morozowsky President

Phone 740-453-6889

OKLAHOMATulsa OK VIN 10

Meeting 4th Thurs 700 PM

Hardesty South Regional Library

No meetings in July Nov amp Dec

Joe Champagne President

Phone 918-257-4688

Email skypalgroveemailcom

TEXASSpring TX VIN 2

Meeting 4th Sun 200 PM

David Wayne Hooks Airport (KDWH)

Fred Ramin President

Phone 281-255-4430

Vintage Chapter LocatorVisit the VAA chapter nearest you and get to know some great old-airplane enthusiasts You donrsquot need

to be a pilot to join in the funmdashjust have a love of the great airplanes of yesteryear

Chapter 27 of Delaware Ohio hosts a monthly pancake breakfast where attendees enjoy the camara-derie among the airplanes

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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When Albert Vollmecke joined

Arkansas Aircraft Company in Sep-tember 1927 he brought fresh ideas

from his native Germany regarding

aircraft design stability and safety

He would on occasion return to

Germany to bring back something

new for the company In 1928 Ar-

kansas Aircraft Company changed

its name to Command-Aire Incor-porated and the production run

of new ships increased in its Little

Rock Arkansas plant

After one such visit to Ger-

many Vollmecke returned with

the rights to import and sell the

PHYLAX fire-extinguisher system

patented (GB 0267542) March 10

1926 and manufactured in Berlinby Phylax Feuerlosch-Automaten-

Bau GmbH The PHYLAX fire-

extinguisher system consisted of

a tank containing the extinguish-

ing liquid From the tank which

BY ROBERT G LOCK

Early 1047297re-extinguishing system

THE Vintage

Mechanic

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2844

advertisement from AVIATION

November 1928 using the OX-5

powered model 3C3 ship to dem-

onstrate the system

The PHYLAX system consisted

of a pressurized tank of fluid with

associated lines and nozzles lead-

ing to the engine compartment of

the ship Note here that the unit

is manufactured in t he United

States by the Aero Supply Man-

ufacturing Company located in

Long Island New York The cost

of the unit is $70 in this May 1929

advertisement in an aviation mag-

azine Illustration 2 shows the

manufacturerrsquos advertisement for

the product

In a letter dated April 10 1929

Mr Wiley Wright assistant sales

director for Command-Aire Incor-

porated wrote

ldquoCommand-Aire Incorporated

acquired the exclusive franchise

rights for PHYLAX automatic fire

extinguishers in the United States

Mexico and Central America This

extinguisher is the only automatic

fire extinguisher available and is

standard equipment on many Eu-

ropean lines It is manufactured

by PHYLAX Bau of Germany and

is receiving great response in the

United States at the present timerdquo

In this factory Illustration 3

and from the files of Albert Voll-

mecke is a 110-hp Warner engine

mounted in the Command-Aire

model 3C3-A ship Note the en-

gine cowling being neatly fitted

around cylinders and associated

tubes The 3C3-A had a very longnose due to its light weight ne-

ce s s i ta t ing a longer a rm f or

weight and balance control In

this photo the PHYLAX sprinkler

heads are visible behind the mag-

netos down near the carburetor

and behind the oil inlet hoses on

the accessory case of the engineIllustration 3 is an original fac-

tory photograph of the PHYLAX

system installed in the nose of a

model 3C3-A

Illustration 4 is the same photo-

graph with some details removed

and other details added princi-

pally the identification of the PHY-LAX automatic fuse that fired the

bottle of extinguishing fluid and

the sprinkler heads These illustra-

tions taken from a Command-Aire

original factory brochure from the

files of Albert Vollmecke

Illustration 5 on page 27 is a

sketch from the PHYLAX patent

0267542 dated March 10 1926A general description of the PHY-

LAX system is contained within

the patent and states ldquoThe inven-

tion relates to a fire extinguishing

device intended for use particu-

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2944

not indicate what type of extinguishing fluid was

contained within the tank however soda-acid was

widely used in those days and carbon tetrachloridewas invented in 1912 by the Pyrene Company

In a communication from Command-Aire Pres-

ident Robert Snowden regarding the purchase of

stock options in the company he states ldquoOur ex-

clusive franchise for the sale of Phylax automatic

Illustration 3

Illustration 4

Illustration 5

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3044

homeland on a regular basis and

always brought back some new in-

vention or new ideas on design andsafety This system was certainly

ahead of its time safety-wise and a

credit to Vollmeckersquos focus on sta-

bility and safety for his designs

Above in this original factory

photograph (Illustration 6) of a

Command-Aire 3C3-T fuselage on

the assembly line at the Little Rock

plant the PHYLAX system can beseen mounted in the rear cock-

pit just behind the front seat in

the center of the photograph The

chemical bottles with two lines

tied to the side tubes run forward

Illustration 6

Pyrene 1047297re extinguishers

were made of brass and

were nicely polished

They were not high-pressure units

but required the use of a hand pump

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3144

Pyrene fire extinguishers were

made of brass and were nicely pol-

ished They were not high-pressureunits but required the use of a

hand pump to generate pressure

to expel liquid from the cylinder

These extinguishers were gener-

ally mounted in the rear cockpit

ton or linen fabric and the only

dope available was cellulose ni-

trate that burned like a torch when

lit Watching nitrate dope burn

reminded me of a Fourth of July

sparkler very intense and hot If

a nitrate-doped ship caught fire in

the air there was no extinguisher

that would put out the flames

The PHYLAX system had an auto-

matic sensor that would trigger the

bottlersquos valve open and send the

chemical into the engine compart-

ment The Pyrene extinguisher wasmore for ground use because you

could not operate the bottle and

fly the airplane at the same time

By todayrsquos standards these ex-

tinguishing systems seem ar-

chaic but for the time back in

the 1920s they were the thing to

have in your automobile boator airplane

Editorrsquos Note WARNING An-

tique carbon tetrachloride fire extin-

guishers like the Pyrene occasionally

show up either contaminated with

the original agent or worse yet with

the full charge of agent still inside

Carbon tet is treated as a hazard-

ous substance (its use was banned

in consumer products in 1970) and

should be dealt with accordingly

In fact carbon tetrachloride when

heated by a fire will create poison-

ous phosgene gas (World War Irsquos

ldquonerve gasrdquo) something that would

definitely ruin someonersquos day if the

fire hadnrsquot done so already In its

standard form this substance is verytoxic to the liver and a single signifi-

cant exposure can result in sickness

or death

L a n g l ey may have been the

f h f i i i b

last and last The instruction

l i l d f

1903 Samuel Pierpont Langleyrsquos ldquoAerodromerdquoattempts to take off from a floating platform

Have a comment or ques-

tion for Bob Lock the Vintage

Mechanic Drop us an e-mail at

vintageaircrafteaaorg or you

can mail your question to Vintage

Airplane PO Box 3086 Osh-

kosh WI 54903

Illustration 7

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Authorrsquos Note We held a small open house at the

flight school hangar this past Saturday Though the

weather was not conducive to give many rides we still

had about 60 people show up enjoy a brat or ham-

burger and talk about flying or learning to fly Interest

in flying is not dead One of my pet peeves is how we

in general aviation go about attracting individuals tolearn the pleasure of flight

Nearly every aviation publication I read carries ar-

ticles and editorials about the downward spiral of gen-

eral aviation Flight schools are having a hard time

attracting new students ldquoDoom and gloomrdquo reigns

with little positive to report on the horizon This al-

ways reminds me of the proverbial three wise mon-keys who embody the principle ldquoSee no evil hear no

evil and speak no evilrdquo We all complain about the

problem but no one ever offers solutions It seems as

though by not doing anything about the challenge it

will eventually go away and right itself

Many of the aviation organizations are wringing

their respective hands giving great lip service to the

drop in pilot numbers Some like EAA have launched

activities to attract new pilots such as the Young Ea-gles program This has been a good start but it will not

fill the ever-increasing void for more pilots

What are we all missing FUN

Four years ago I chose early retirement from a 38-

The student make-up is a real cross-section of Amer-

ica My youngest student to date began flight lessons

at age 14 and the oldest was 77 years young Irsquove men-

tioned some of my students in previous articles At

yearrsquos end 2010 while converting our student files

from paper to computer I was amazed to discover that

in the previous two years I had given instruction tomore than 200 individuals Some were new students

others were individuals in search of a tailwheel en-

dorsement and many were older individuals who had

pursued flight training early in their lives but gave it

up to raise a family Now they had the time and still re-

tained the burning desire to get back into flying What

attracted these individuals to the flight school FUN

And thefun

challenge of flying J-3 Cubs

Herersquos a small cross-section of this yearrsquos group

of students

bullA retired US Navy lieutenant who flew F-4 Phan-

toms off carriers in Vietnam He hasnrsquot done any fly-

ing in more than 10 years but hersquos been building a

Skybolt which will soon be finished and hersquos return-

ing to his lifelong lovemdashaviation He also has two

young sons who want to fly and will soon be joining

the group of student pilotsbullA young CPA from Iowa whose grandfather was a

friend of Bernie Pietenpol and who has built two Piets

The CPA used two weeks of his vacation time to learn

to fly so that he can fly the airplane(s) that his grandfa-

ther built and take his grandfather for a ride

BY Steve Krog CFI

THE Vintage

Instructor

Vintage flying is very much alive

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3344

Cubs flying every day he decided to pursue his pas-

sion for flight

bullA national chain hardware store employee who

has had a dream of flying driving nearly two hours

each way to learn to fly in a Cub

bullAn aviation writervideo producer who already has

a sport pilot certificate but desires to obtain a private

pilot certificate and do so in Cubs

bullA 30-something young family man who sells

construction equipment attachments While deer

hunting a year ago he learned one of his hunting

friends had recently learned to fly in Cubs For three

days they talked airplanes and flying rather than do-

ing much hunting Upon his return from the hunt-ing trip he drove to the airport and signed up for

lessons in the Cub

bullA professional musician from the Chicago area

who always wanted to learn to fly Although not yet

old enough to have a true ldquobucket listrdquo learning to fly

a Cub was number one on his list

With two exceptions these individuals had never

before flown or flown in tailwheel airplanes but alwayshad a dream of learning to fly in a Cubmdashjust like dad

or granddad did many years ago

Although no one in this group comes from simi-

lar backgrounds or professions there is one common

denominator among every studentmdashFUN None of

these students are learning to fly to pursue a career

in aviation (although Irsquove worked with a couple who

have done so) Rather they are learning to fly or get-

ting back into flying for the FUN and CHALLENGE of

flight They all have a true love of flight and seeing the

world from 500 feet with the door and window open

I have also worked with a number of students who

began taking flight lessons but quit after a period of

time They still had the passion for flight but gave it

up When asked why the responses fell into one of the

following four categories

bullI began taking lessons but after three or four les-sons Irsquod be assigned to a different instructor After 30

hours of dual three instructors and still not having

soloed I quit

bullThe instructor wasnrsquot teaching me anything He

was more interested in building time than teaching

Take a moment and think about how you first be-

came interested in airplanes What triggered your

pursuit of learning to fly Did you have a buddy or

maybe a family friend who encouraged you Or even

became a mentor Do you remember your first flight

lesson Do you remember the day you made your

first solo flight

Remember that passion and sense of accomplish-

ment Donrsquot hesitate to share it with anyone express-

ing an interest in learning to fly

At Cub Air Flight we sell FUN When individuals

visit the airport to inquire about learning to fly we

know they have made the commitment in their own

mind It then becomes our responsibility to makethe visit friendly A friendly environment is a FUN

environment Kids are always welcome If a prospec-

tive student has children with him or her we invite

the kids to sit in the planes At the conclusion of our

discussion we emphasize the following statement If

you learn to fly with us it will be FUN CHALLENG-

ING and SAFE

I donrsquot believe there is a shortage of pilot prospectsbut there is a shortage in how we all go about attract-

ing these people to become active participants in plea-

sure flying Remember flying is FUN Letrsquos make an

effort to help others share in that FUN

AERO CLASSICldquoCOLLECTOR SERIESrdquo

Vintage Tires New USA Production

Show off your pride and joy with afresh set of Vintage Rubber Thesenewly minted tires are FAA-TSOrsquodand speed rated to 120 MPH Some

things are better left the way theywere and in the 40rsquos and 50rsquos these tires were perfectly intune to the exciting times in aviation

Not only do these tires set your vintage plane apart fromthe rest but also look exceptional on all General Aviationaircraft Deep 832nd tread depth offers above averagetread life and UV treated rubber resists aging

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3444

We enjoy your suggestions for

Mystery Planesmdashin fact more than

half of our subjects are sent to us by

members often via e-mail Please

remember that if you want to scan

the photo for use in Mystery Plane

it must be at a resolution of 300 dpior greater You may send a lower-

resolution version to us for our re-

view but the final version has to be

at that level of detail or it will not

print properly Also please let us

craft in the photo is of Canadian civil

registry CF-BXO formerly Royal Cana-

dian Air Force (RCAF) 920 This photo-

graph would have been taken at some

time between 1962 and 1967 after an

overhaul at Abbotsford British Colum-

bia (BC) and possibly while in servicewith Stranraer Aerial Enterprises The

location strongly resembles the Fraser

River dockings at the Vancouver air-

port The aircraft had undergone a re-

spray with a bright red cheat line The

(beaching gear required) for the Royal Air

Force (RAF) in 1933 The prototype first

flew in October 1934 with two Bristol

Pegasus IIIM engines rated at 820 hp

The production aircraft were delivered to

the RAF with Pegasus engines delivering

920 hp entering service in April 1937The British-built machines of which 23

were ordered and only 17 being built

were all delivered by April 1939

In Canada Canadian Vickers Lim-

ited of Montreal Quebec produced 40

Send your answer to EAA Vin-

tage Airplane PO Box 3086 Osh-

kosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer

needs to be in no later than August

20 for inclusion in the October

2011 issue of Vintage Airplane

You can also send your response via

e-mail Send your answer to mystery

planeeaaorg Be sure to include your

name plus your city and state in the

body of your note and put ldquo(Month)

Mystery Planerdquo in the subject line

This monthrsquos Mystery Plane comes to us from Bruce Voran

MYSTERY PLANE

by HG FRAUTSCHY

A P R I L rsquo S M Y S T E RY A N S W E R

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3544

QCA began buying several examplesand was instrumental in convincing

the Canadian Department of Transport

(DOT) to issue a civilian Certificate of

Airworthiness (C of A) One of the first

aircraft so issued was CF-BYI which be-

1980 the Canadian Museum of Flightand Transportation in BC salvaged the

wreck for possible restoration As late as

April 1952 QCA still had two Stranraer

in service CF-BXO and CF-BYM Pacific

Western Airlines (PWA) also operated

Two RAF Belfast freighters were dis-

patched and the disassembled aircraft

was transported to the United Kingdomwhere the machine is currently one of the

centerpieces of the collection

The aircraft type had many names

The most familiar (and printable) were

Stranny Strainer and Flying Meccano

Set The least affectionate was the Whis-

tling Shouse as when the lid to the

throne was lifted there was direct access

to the great outdoors and there emitted a

loud whistling noise

Other correct answers were re-

ceived from Hillis Cunliffe Mill-

brook Alabama Brian Baker Sun

City Arizona Wesley R Smith

Springfield Illinois John White-

head Cheyenne Wyoming ScottChurch Cochrane Alberta Can-

ada Jay Broze Walla Walla Wash-

ington Jerry Paterson Kent

Washington Jamie Patterson Mi-

ramichi New Brunswick Canada

Bill Bishop of Mulgoa New South Wales Australia sent along this photo

of the surviving Supermarine Stranraer

David Nixon supplied us with the April Mystery Plane shot of CF-BXO

a Canadian Vickers-built Supermarine Stranraer

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3644

urday 8 am until 6 pm Early-bird

arrivals can shop on the pre-conven-

tion weekend as well during limited

hours Show your VAA membership

card (or your receipt showing you

joined VAA at the convention) and

yoursquoll receive a 10 percent discount

VAA Volunteer Opportunities

Are you an ace pancake flipperIf yoursquore not one yet we can help

The VAA Tall Pines Cafeacute is looking

for volunteers who can help provide

a hearty breakfast to all the hungry

campers on the south end of Witt-

man Field If you could lend a hand

for a morning or two wersquod appreci-

ate it If thatrsquos not your cup of tea feelfree to check with the VAA Volunteer

Center located just to the northeast

of the VAA Red Barn The volun-

teers who operate the booth will be

happy to tell you when your help is

needed each day It doesnrsquot matter if

itrsquos just for a few hours or for a few

daysmdashwersquod love to have your help-

ing hands There is no need for you

to contact us ahead of time you can

talk with us when you arrive

VAA Judging Categoriesand Awards

The VAArsquos internationally recog-

nized judging categories are

bullAntique Aircraft built prior toSeptember 1 1945

bullClassic September 1 1945 - De-

cember 31 1955

bullContemporary January 1 1956

- December 31 1970

VAA NEWScontinued frpm page 5

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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the award winners Judging closes at noon on Friday

July 29 The Awards Ceremony will be held Saturday

evening July 30 at 6 pm in the Vintage Hangar

just south of the VAA Red Barn

Designated Smoking Areas Near FlightlineSmoking on the flightline at EAA AirVenture is prohib-

ited because itrsquos a hazard to all aircraft There are several

designated smoking areas with butt cans along the flight-

line well away from aircraft and refueling operations

Designated smoking areas will be south of the ultra-light runway near the Hangar Cafeacute near the Warbirdsarea (northeast corner of Audrey Lane and Eide Av-

enue) the Wearhouse flag pole area the shade pavil-ion north of the control tower and near the UltralightBarn Locations will be indicated on EAArsquos free con-vention grounds map The admission wristband alsoinstructs visitors that smoking is allowed only in desig-nated smoking areas

More on the Web

Visit wwwAirVentureorg for more information onEAA AirVenture 2011

EAA AirVenture Is Almost Here Are You Ready

Just a few short weeks from now many of you will

make the annual pilgrimage to Oshkosh for EAA Air-

Venture 2011 Are you ready Here are several handy

online tools on the AirVenture website that can help

you take care of any last-minute concerns

Visit wwwAirVentureorg and find out what you

need to know about The Worldrsquos Greatest Avia-

tion Celebration

Admission Parking Hours

wwwAirVentureorgplanningadmissionhtml

Find or Share a Ride to Oshkosh

wwwAirVentureorgrideshare

Site Map

wwwAirVentureorgplanningschedules_mapshtml

Where to Stay

Yoursquore cleared to stay connected

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3844

ship services at 800-564-6322 but

given the time from when you read

this until AirVenture it may not ar-

rive in the mail in time for your de-

parture We suggest downloading

the NOTAM

The NOTAM contains the specialflight procedures in effect for Witt-

man Regional Airport and alternate

airports from 6 am CDT on Friday

July 22 to 12 pm CDT on Mon-

day August 1 2011 All pilots who

fly into the event are expected to

know the special flight procedures

prior to arrival EAA AirVenture Os-

hkosh runs from July 25 through

July 31 For additional EAA AirVen-

ture Oshkosh 2011 information

visit wwwAirVentureorg

Call for VAA Hall of

Fame Nominations

To the left is our information

for nominations for VAArsquos Hallof Fame which is presented each

year during a special dinner This

yearrsquos dinner will be held Friday

October 28 Wersquoll have more on

this yearrsquos inductee John Under-

To nominate someone is easy It just takes a little time and a little reminiscing on your part

Mail nominating materials to

Remember your ldquocontemporaryrdquo may be a candidate nominate someone today

wwwVintageAircraftorg

CALL FOR VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

Nominations

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3944

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

Wit tman Regional A i rpor t (OSH)

Oshkosh Wisconsin

July 25-31 2011

wwwAirVentureorg

Colorado Sport International Air Show

and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In

Rocky Mountain Met ropol i tan A irpor t (BJC)

Denver Colorado

August 27-28 2011

wwwCOSportAviationorg

Mid-Eastern Regional Fly-In

Gr imes F ie ld A irpor t (I74)

Urbana Ohio

September 10-11 2011

httpMERFIcom

Copperstate Fly-In

Casa Grande Munic ipal A i rpor t (CGZ)

Casa Grande Ar izona

Upcoming Major

Fly-Ins

W I N

Only 2000 ticketswill be sold1 ticket $50

3 tickets $125

Piper Tri-Pacer Airplane

Free Flying Lessons

Free Pilot License

Country Legend Roy Clarkrsquos Personal Proceeds fromthis raffle

SAVEAMERICANKIDS LIVES

wwwwingsofhoperaffleorg

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4044

MISCELLANEOUS

wwwaerolistorg Aviationsrsquo Leading

Marketplace

Rare find Lycoming 0-145 partsinventory blocks bearings rings

shafts amp much more $20000

at 1970 prices $5000 Six four

cylinder case aircraft magnetos

$300 Call for more details (FL)

VINTAGETRADER

Someth ing t o buyse l l o r t rade

Classified Word Ads $550 per 10

words 180 words maximum with boldface

lead-in on first line

Classified Display Ads One column wide

(2167 inches) by 1 2 or 3 inches high at

$20 per inch Black and white only and nofrequency discounts

Advertising Closing Dates 10th of second

month prior to desired issue date (ie

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 (classads

eaaorg ) using credit card payment (all cards

accepted) Include name on card complete

address type of card card number and

expiration date Make checks payable to EAA

Address advertising correspondence to EAA

Publications Classified Ad Manager PO Box

3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

What Our Members

Are Restoring

Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done and

yoursquore busy flying and showing it off If so wersquod like to hear from

you Send us a 4-by-6-inch print from a commercial source (no

home printers please those prints just donrsquot scan well) or a

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4144

EAAMembership in the Experimental Aircraft

Association Inc is $40 for one year includ-ing 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION Familymembership is an additional $10 annually Allmajor credit cards accepted for membership(Add $16 for International Postage)

FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPSPlease submit your remittance with a

check or draft drawn on a United Statesbank payable in United States dollars Addrequired Foreign Postage amount for eachmembership

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATIONCurrent EAA members may join the

Vintage Aircraft Association and receive

year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not included)(Add $7 for International Postage)

WARBIRDSCurrent EAA members may join the EAA

Warbirds of America Division and receiveWARBIRDS magazine for an additional$45 per year

EAA Membership WARBIRDS mag-azine and one year membership in theWarbirds Division is available for $55 per

year (SPORT OficAVIATION magazinenot included) (Add $7 for Interna-tional Postage)

IACCurrent EAA members may join the

International Aerobatic Club Inc Divi-sion and receive SPORT AEROBATICS magazine for an additional $45 per year

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

VINTAGE

AIRCRAFT

ASSOCIATION

OFFICERS

DIRECTORS

DIRECTORS

EMERITUS

PresidentGeoff Robison

1521 E MacGregor DrNew Haven IN 46774

260-493-4724chief7025aolcom

Vice-PresidentGeorge Daubner

N57W34837 Pondview LnOconomowoc WI 53066

262-560-1949 gdaubnereaaorg

Steve Bender85 Brush Hill Road

Sherborn MA 01770508-653-7557

sst10comcastnet

David Bennett375 Killdeer Ct

Lincoln CA 95648916-952-9449

antiquerinreachcom

Jerry Brown4605 Hickory Wood Row

Greenwood IN 46143317-422-9366

lbrown4906aolcom

Dave Clark635 Vestal Lane

Plainfield IN 46168317-839-4500davecpdattnet

John S Copeland1A Deacon Street

Northborough MA 01532508-393-4775

copeland1junocom

Phil Coulson28415 Springbrook Dr

Lawton MI 49065269-624-6490

rcoulson516cscom

Dale A Gustafson7724 Shady Hills Dr

Indianapolis IN 46278317-293-4430

dalefayemsncom

Jeannie HillPO Box 328

Harvard IL 60033-0328815-943-7205

Espie ldquoButchrdquo Joyce704 N Regional Rd

Greensboro NC 27409336-668-3650

windsockaolcom

Steve Krog1002 Heather Ln

Hartford WI 53027262-966-7627sskrogaolcom

Robert D ldquoBobrdquo Lumley1265 South 124th StBrookfield WI 53005

262-782-2633rlumley1wirrcom

SH ldquoWesrdquo Schmid2359 Lefeber Avenue

Wauwatosa WI 53213414-771-1545

shschmidgmailcom

Robert C Brauer9345 S Hoyne

Chicago IL 60643773-779-2105

photopilotaolcom

Gene Chase2159 Carlton Rd

Oshkosh WI 54904920-231-5002

GRCHAcharternet

Ronald C Fritz15401 Sparta Ave

Kent City MI 49330616-678-5012

rFritzpathwaynet com

Charlie HarrisPO Box 470350Tulsa OK 74147

918-622-8400cwhhvsucom

EE ldquoBuckrdquo Hilbert8102 Leech RdUnion IL 60180

815-923-4591buck7acgmailcom

Gene Morris5936 Steve Court

Roanoke TX 76262817-491-9110

genemor rischarter net

Membership Services DirectoryEnjoy the many benefits of EAA and

EAArsquos Vintage Aircraft Association

EAA Aviation Center PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086Phone (920) 426-4800 Fax (920) 426-4873Web Sites wwwvintageaircraftorg wwwairventureorg wwweaaorgmemberbenefits E-Mail vintageaircrafteaaorg

EAA and Division Membership Services (800 AMndash600 PM MondayndashFriday CST)800-564-6322 FAX 920-426-4873 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

bullNewrenew memberships bullAddress changes bullMerchandise sales bullGift memberships

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 888-322-4636 wwwairventureorg airventureeaaorg

Sport PilotLight-Sport Aircraft Hotline 877-359-1232 wwwsportpilotorg sportpiloteaaorg

Programs and Activities

Auto Fuel STCs 920-426-4843 stceaaorg EAA Air Academy 920-426-6880 wwwairacademyorg airacademyeaaorg

EAA Scholarships 920-426-6823 scholarshipseaaorg

Library ServicesResearch 920-426-4848 slurveyeaaorg

Benefits

AUA Vintage Insurance Plan 800-727-3823 wwwauaonlinecom

EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan 866-647-4322 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

EAA VISA Card 800-853-5576 ext 8884

EAA Her tz Rent-A-Car Program 800-654-2200 wwweaaorghertz membershipeaaorg

VAA EditorialExecutive Director 920-426-4825 wwwvintageaircraftorg vintageeaaorg

VAA Office 920-426-6110 tbookseaaorg

TM

EAA Members Information Line 888-EAA-INFO (322-4636)

Use this toll-free number for information about AirVenture Oshkosh aeromedical and technical aviation questions

chapters and Young Eagles Please have your membership number ready when calling

Office hours are 815 am - 500 pm (Monday - Friday CST)

SecretarySteve Nesse

2009 Highland AveAlbert Lea MN 56007

507-373-1674

stnes2009livecom

TreasurerDan Knutson

106 Tena Marie CircleLodi WI 53555608-592-7224

lodicubcharternet

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4244

If yoursquove ever watched fish in

an aquarium yoursquove probably no-

ticed how they respond differently

to their surroundings There are

those that zip around the tank in a

mad dash to nowhere Some seem

to sit and not go much of any-

where and some will swim f romone end to the other turn around

and do it again

The latter are the ones that remind

me of myself I seem to fly in a fish-

bowl I go from one end of our val-

proficient by practicing things we

know over and over or it can make

us lazy When something becomes

so ingrained that we do it from habit

only we may not be thinking about

what wersquore doing

On a night cross-country some

time ago I found out just how easyit is to forget things that I hadnrsquot

used in a while While night may be

a little more challenging it still re-

quires the basic pre-flight planning

of any cross-country and following

whether I go far or stay in the com-

fort zone I canrsquot let complacency take

over Those skills and experiences

need to be stretched from time to

time regardless of where I fly An un-

expected situation or emergency is a

bad time to find out I donrsquot remem-

ber how to do somethingComplacency also allows fear

to creep in where it doesnrsquot belong

Some fear (I think) is a natural part of

flying but it can also unnecessarily

keep us grounded because we wonrsquot

BY S MICHELLE SOUDER

Flying Outside

the Fishbowl

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4344

Itrsquos gonna be a big year at Oshk osh

B-29 Superfortress ldquoFIFIrdquo

The first visit since 1995for the worldrsquos only airworthyB-29 Superfortress

REO SpeedwagonOshkosh rocks Monday duringthe opening day concert presentedby Ford Motor Company

Tribute to Bob HooverTuesday afternoon air showfeaturing aircraft and maneuvershe made legendary

eVentureInnovation will be on displayand in the air with the ElectricFlight Prize Competition

Join us for a week-long celebration of the Centennial of Naval Aviationincluding a special air show Wednesday See the hottest naval aircraftin historic colors all week on ConocoPhillips Plaza

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Page 6: Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Find Your FavoritePresentations andWorkshops Online

With hundreds of the worldrsquos

leading aviation authorities giv-ing close to 1000 individual pre-

sentations at nearly 45 locations

spread throughout the AirVenture

grounds finding out who is pre-

senting where and when can be

in a word challenging The EAA

AirVenture website has an online

tool that can make this task simple

when you use the integrated Air-

Venture schedule

Located at wwwAirVentureorg

under ldquoAttractionsrdquo and then un-

der ldquoActivities Presentations amp

Workshopsrdquo the database includes

all the venues subjects and top-

ics presenters and events from

not only Forums and Workshopsbut also Warbirds in Review Kid-

Venture Museum Speakers Show-

case Authors Corner Theater in

the Woods special ldquoat the aircraftrdquo

presentations on ConocoPhillips

Plaza and more If itrsquos scheduled

yoursquoll find it here In addition the

web schedule is updated on a dailybasis to reflect any changes or ad-

ditions that might occur at the last

minute You can even create your

own itinerary of various events of

interest You can save or print it out

for future reference

A quick link to this new schedule

is wwwAirVentureorgschedule

Fabric-Covering WorkshopLast month we mentioned that

Superflite covering systems would

be presenting covering workshops

in the VAA area Changes in the

tant part of your VAA membership)

you can use the EAA Flight Planner

to chart your trip to Wittman Field

for EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2011

Just click on the EAA Flight Plannerlink on the left side of the VAA home

page at wwwVintageAircraftorg or ac-

cess it through the membersrsquo only

section of EAArsquos online community

at wwwOshkosh365org

Grass Runways and FuelAlso on our VAA website we

publish a list created by VAA mem-

ber Kris Kortokrax

Kris flies a variety of old bi-

planes that are more pleasant to

fly when they are flown from grass

strips and he and his buddies from

Shelbyville Illinois do their best to

keep the old biplanes happy (and

keep tire wear to a minimum) byflying cross-country from grass strip

to grass strip Finding fuel facilities

can be a challenge these days and

Kris has distilled this airport infor-

mation to be useful for like-minded

grass-runway-preferring pilots This

data was current as of the beginning

of the year and wersquod suggest callingahead to confirm fuel availability

and hours of operation If you have

any changes or additions drop us

an e-mail here at VintageAircraft

eaaorg and wersquoll forward it to Kris

Our thanks to Kris for sharing his

list Let us know if you find it useful

VAArsquos Portable ElectronicsCharging Station

Do your rechargeable personal

electronics like your cellphone or

computer go dead before AirVen-

turersquos over VAA has the solution to

service to EAA members for whatever

donation you feel is appropriate

Breakfast and a Briefing

The VAA Tall Pines Cafeacute will bein operation again this year with

an expanded schedule prior to

convention and fly-in-style pan-

cake and egg breakfasts during

EAA AirVenture Starting on Fri-

day morning July 22 and continu-

ing through Sunday July 24 the

VAA Tall Pines Cafeacute will be open for

breakfast (630-930 am) and din-

ner (430-730 pm) Starting Mon-

day July 25 only breakfast will be

served at the Tall Pines Cafeacute (630-

930 am) through Saturday July

30 Just to the north a Flight Ser-

vice Station (FSS) trailer will be lo-

cated near the cafeacute At the trailer

yoursquoll be able to check the weatherfor your flight and obtain a full

briefing from FSS specialists with-

out having to trek up to the FAA

Building near the control tower

Wersquoll see you there each morning

for ldquobreakfast and a briefingrdquo

Are You a Friend of the VAA Red Barn

If so be sure to check in at the

information desk at the VAA Red

Barn There wersquoll issue you a spe-

cial name badge We can also point

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 744

VAA Message Center If you would like to leave a

message for people you know

who frequent the VAA Red Barn

stop by the information desk Youcan write them a message in our

ldquonotebook on a stringrdquo and wersquoll

post their name on the marker

board so theyrsquoll know therersquos a

message waiting for them Sure

cellphones and walkie-talkies are

great but sometimes nothing

works better than a hand-scrib-

bled note

VAA PicnicTickets for the annual VAA

picnic to be held Wednesday

Ju ly 27 at the Nature Center

will be available for sale at the

VAA Red Barn Tickets must be

purchased in advance so weknow how much food to or-

der The delicious meal will be

served from 530 pm until ap-

proximately 7 pm If you need

transportation trams will be-

gin leaving the VAA Red Barn

around 5 pm and will make re-

turn trips after the picnic Typeclubs may hold their annual

banquets during the picnic Call

Jeannie Hill (815-245-4464)

and she will reserve seating so

your type club can sit together

Shawano Fly-OutThe annual fly-out to Shawano

is Saturday July 30 The sign-up

sheet will be at the desk at the VAA

Red Barn and the briefing will be

at 7 am the morning of the fly-

out The community of Shawano

approximately an hour north of

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 844

A Waco Kind of Family

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 944

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1044ldquowas about 6 years old

and Dad had taken us

to a fly-in in Ottumwa

show for his youthful fascination

with things that fly He now has

what he wished for when looking

Aviation families are quite common

within the sport aviation commu-

nity but few have made aviation

MIKE STEINEKE

The entire family enjoys flying the Waco all over the Midwest and beyond The color scheme evokes the colors chosenby Wiley Post for his record-setting Lockheed Vega the Winnie Mae

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1144

port That was in 1964 So basically

wersquove lived on an airport from just

about the moment I was born Now

So was Dad So we called the FAA

and got a lsquospecialrsquo VFR clearance

The last words my instructor said

before I took off in the C-152

were lsquoStay out of the clouds comearound and landrsquo So I didrdquo

There he was a certificated pilot

and still riding the school bus to his

little country school and living the

life of a typical high school kid in-

cluding going to local fairs

ldquoIt was at a local fair right after I

graduated that I met Carolyn and

I asked her out for a date On our

second or third date I took her fly-

ing in Dadrsquos Decathlon I guess that

must have impressed her because

we got married a year laterrdquo

Carolyn says ldquoHersquos such an avia-

tion addict that our honeymoon

had us stopping at various airports

as we traveled But Irsquoll tell youwhat Irsquod much rather he be out fly-

ing or hanging out at airports than

out drinkingrdquo And she laughs She

laughs a lot

Often it is at this point in an avi-

atorrsquos life story that the individual

says his flying stopped while he

built a business and a family tobe resumed as a later date Harve

however managed to sidestep that

layoff For one thing he essen-

tially lived on an airport his wife

liked flying (she says ldquoI decided if I

couldnrsquot beat him Irsquod join him and

started taking flying lessonsrdquo) and

hersquod grown up banging knuckles

working on airplanes So where so

many young fathers find their avia-

tion career has stagnated he started

building up his own airplanes the

first being a Cessna 170B

ldquoThe 170rdquo he says ldquowas actually

ldquoBecause we live barely 40 miles

from Blakesburg getting hooked on

vintage airplanes was unavoidable

Dad would take us to lots of fly-ins

including Blakesburg and from thevery beginning I actually liked vin-

tage airplanes better than he did

And I loved working on themrdquo

Harversquos love of vintage mechan-

ics showed through many years of

polishing and restoration of the

C-170 It went to Oshkosh for 16

years At first it was noticed because

it looked dreadfully forlorn but

over the years it began to gain more

attention and for better reasons

The judges were impressed enough

in 2000 to give it the best 170180

award Then it won Grand Cham-

pion in its class at the AAA Fly-In at

Blakesburg the next year

ldquoFirst I have to say that I donrsquotbuild airplanes to win trophies and

I donrsquot go to fly-ins to be judged I

build airplanes to go to fly-ins Pe-

riod We love going to fly-ins and

attend at least 15 or 20 a year and

we do it as a family Eventually the

kids got too big and we out-grew

the 170 after putting a little over1200 hours on itrdquo

While Harve might say he was

building a family the truth is that

Carolyn was the one having the

babies and trying to build a career

And her schedule was more than

just a little tight She started col-

lege right after Taryn was born and

missed her own graduation because

she was busy finishing her own

homebuilt Shalyn Today she puts

that diploma to work teaching sec-

ond grade while Harve farms 1500

acres of soybeans and corn

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1244

that he has made a huge number

of friends out of the other partici-

pants and thatrsquos good for all of usrdquo

ldquoI was looking for a bigger air-

plane when a friend of mine toldme about a beautiful 195 with a

blown engine sitting out on the

ramp in Tullahoma ldquo Harve says

ldquoI contacted the airport to find out

info about the owner I contacted

him and discovered it not only had

a bad engine but the finance com-

pany held the note as the owner

was going through bankruptcy I

flew down with my stepfather (who

had become a pilot after marry-

ing my motherhellipdad had died by

then) and we looked it over

ldquoI put in a bid and got it I sold

the 170 to a wonderful friend and

fortunately it stayed at our airport

where it is well tended We put anew 330 Jake from Radial Engines

Limited on the 195 and it won

awards at both Oshkosh and Blakes-

burg as well We kept the 195 for

three years But it still wasnrsquot a

Waco something I just couldnrsquot get

out of my head

ldquoWhen I started looking forWacosrdquo he says ldquolike everyone

else I was assaulted by the incred-

ible number of different varieties

But I wasnrsquot looking for something

to rebuild nor was I looking for a

rare variety I wanted an airplane

that would serve our family well

The fact that it would be an incred-

ibly cool antique was just a bonus

Because of that I passed on a lot of

projects and focused on airplanes

that were flying and needed a mini-

mum of work and could be fairly

easily supported That meant an

ldquoI looked at a few airplanes be-

fore a friend Doug Parsons turned

me on to N16249 a 1936 YKS-6 It

was last restored by Pete Coving-ton in 1994 so it was in really good

condition In fact well-known an-

tiquer Morton Lester had owned it

at the time of restoration It was a

good solid airplane that was due for

some freshening up not a rebuild

This was exactly what I was looking

for It had been through two own-

ers since Lester owned it and was

now part of an estate sale

ldquoI got it home in July of 2005 and

began working on itrdquo he says ldquoBe-

cause it had been restored nearly 15

years earlier and hadnrsquot been a han-

difficult but the paperwork turned

out to be a headache

ldquoThe original engine was a Ja-

cobs R-755-9 which is 245 hp butI wanted more power We have a

pretty big useful load with this air-

plane but it needs the extra power

when itrsquos heavy So I wanted to go

up to the 755-B2M which is 275

hp I had Air Repair in Cleveland

Mississippi build up an engine for

me Since itrsquos virtually identical to

the original Jake putting it on was

nothing At the same time we in-

stalled a new Sensenich wooden

prop But then we started working

on the paperwork

ldquoThis shouldnrsquot have been nearly

CRAIG VANDERKOLK

Most of the Applegate family during AirVenture 2010 from left to right

daughter Shalyn Harve Carolyn and son Matt The Applegatesrsquo other

daughter Taryn couldnrsquot make the trip

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1344

two airplanes were one in the same

Finally we got a hold of Jeff Janus

at the FAArsquos Aircraft Certification

Office (ACO) who said it was a no-

brainer and sent it back to the FSDO

and told them to sign it off

ldquoWersquove been flying the airplane

for five years now and itrsquos exactly

what we wanted an d what we

thought it should be First for an

airplane this big itrsquos really easy to

fly In fact it lands a lot like our

Cub and even on pavement isnrsquot

A Lesson in the Learning Caveats When DonatingAt one point Harversquos dad began having airport problems and therersquos a lesson

to be learned for a lot of us here

ldquoThe airport had never gotten hugerdquo Harve says ldquoIt was just a nice friendly

airport with a few hangars and some local tenants But it was the only airport in

the area so Dad deeded it over to the city I guess you could say he donated it

For years this worked out really well and all the aviation guys in the area loved it

We host a fly-in there each year and that became something of a local event that

everyone looked forward to

ldquoDad died suddenly in 1981 and we decided to build a house right near the

CRAIG VANDERKOLK

The Applegates camp every year just south of the VAA Flightline Opera-

tions building so son Matt and the family can enjoy visiting with their many

friends and watch the afternoon air show

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1444

bigger yoursquod want The back seat

is an honest three kids wide and

the two front seats are separated

by nearly a foot So you feel as ifyoursquore flying your own little air-

liner And how many airplanes to-

day let you crank the side windows

down and fly with you elbows up

on the windowsill

ldquoItrsquos not a rocketship in climb

about 500-600 fpm but itrsquoll give

you that or close to it whether

yoursquore loaded or not Those big old

wings can really carry a load

ldquoItrsquos also not a speed demon

but itrsquoll indicate 120 mph give or

take 5 mph at about 14 gallons per

hour and fly straight ahead with

MIKE STEINEKE

Another gorgeous picture of the Applegatesrsquo plane flying over the Midwest

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1544

The first wireless message sent

from an airplane to a ground station

wasnrsquot very imaginative or profound

The message telegraphed in dots and

dashes by US Army Lt Paul W Beck

on January 21 1911 was

ldquoAssociated Press AviationField Scotford is not the only

bird on the aviation board Beckrdquo

The message didnrsquot have the hum-

bling sense of Samuel Morsersquos ldquoWhat

hath God wroughtrdquo or the quaint-

ness of Alexander Graham Bellrsquos ldquoMr

Watsonmdashcome heremdashI want to see

yourdquo or Neil Armstrongrsquos inspira-

tional ldquoThatrsquos one small step for man

one giant leap for mankindrdquoThe rather mundane message was

hastily scribbled by Associated Press

reporter Guy Moysten who was cov-

Corps

Beck had been taken aloft by Philip

O Parmalee an early aviation pio-

neer The ldquopurple sparks spluttered

by the telegraph keyrdquo were also inter-

cepted by navy wireless stations on

Goat Island (now Yerba Buena Island)

and the Mare Island Navy YardBeckrsquos second message was ldquoThree

hundred feet up and riding level

It is cold It is bumpyrdquo The word

ldquobumpyrdquo wasnrsquot received because

Beckrsquos fingers were so cold that they

refused to as Beck put it ldquoanswer the

nerve impulsesrdquo

The word ldquoScotfordrdquo in the first

message referred to Frederick E Scot-

ford chairman of the Aviation Ex-

ecutive Committee which had

conceived planned and set in mo-

tion the air meet The message re-

ferred to a previous flight ldquoaround the

army also ldquolent their band for daily

concerts during guard mount or pa-

raderdquomdashall this to the delight of the

crowds throughout the entire affair

San Francisco was in heavy compe-

tition with New Orleans for the exclu-

sive rights to the 1915 Panama-Pacific

International Exhibition (PPIE) aworldrsquos fair to celebrate the upcom-

ing 1914 opening of the Panama

Canal The city desperately wanted

to land the exhibition believing it

would confirm San Franciscorsquos phoe-

nix-like rise from the ashes of devasta-

tion The air show was thought of as

the opening act

Plans for the PPIE had already

been complicated in 1910 Just six

months earlier Californiarsquos gover-

nor had banned the Jim Jeffries-Jack

Johnson fight scheduled for San

Franciscomdashforcing the epic ldquoFight

Flashes of Purple SparksBY DANIEL J DEMERS

Lt Paul Beck left with

the Western Wireless

Equipment Company A-4wireless set in his lap

while seated in a Wright

biplane during wireless

tests during the 1911 San

Francisco Air Meet The

set weighed 29 pounds

and featured a telegraph

key mounted on the top of

the mahogany box

JOURNAL OF ELECTRICITY POWER AND GAS

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1644

shadowed all the other historic firsts

achieved at the meet

Beck described the sensation of fly-

ing at 800 feet like this

ldquoWhirring propellers throb-

bing pistons and machine-

gun-like gasoline explosions

deafened you while tears bit-

ter tears were forced from your

eyes by the back rush of air and

you have a slight conception

how it feels to rival the eagle in a

Wright biplanerdquo

He had used in his own words

ldquoa rough makeshift affair weighing

thirty-two poundsrdquo It consisted of

a ldquosmall gap and interrupter an or-

dinary telegraph key a small storage

cellrdquo and a shunt ldquoto prevent over-

charging of the cellrdquo The entire de-vice was contained in a wooden box

that he carried on his lap The aerial

used for the experiment was a 120-

foot bronze wire trailing the plane

connected to the ldquosending appara-

tus by a number sixteen copper wirerdquo

The whole gizmo was grounded to a

stay wire on the aircraft connectedldquoto the sending apparatusrdquo Beck ex-

plained ldquoThe wave length measured

by the wave meter at the receiving

station was 575 meters in length This

is rather longer than we had thought

it would berdquo

Simultaneous to Beckrsquos experi-

ment Charlie Willard (another

pioneer aviator) unsuccessfully at-

tempted to send a wireless message

using a different set According to

Beck ldquoHis outfit weighed a trifle less

than the one which I used and his

antenna wire was a trifle longerrdquo Ac-

ldquoengine is practically noiseless when

comparedrdquo with the other planes at

the air meet ldquoSilencerdquo wrote Beck ldquois

an essential factor to the successful

reading of telegraphic codes or thesuccessful undertaking of human

speech by wireless telephonerdquo

Of great concern to the experi-

mentrsquos sponsors was the fact that an

ldquoelectrical dischargerdquo was involved in

the actual receiving of the message

from the ground Thus it was of ldquogreat

importance that the gasoline tank be

thoroughly insulated in order to pre-vent possible ignition from a sparkrdquo

Avoiding such an aerial catastrophe

was to be overcome by using ldquoone of

the guy wires on the Antoinette ma-

chine as the static ground and to drag

from the tail of the airship an alumi-

num wire of great capacity and weigh-

ing less than two pounds though 130feet in length as the antennardquo

Unfortunately as Beck told it ldquothe

god or gods of the elementsrdquo stepped

in On this particular day being ldquoaloft

was dangerous to life and limbrdquo

Lathamrsquos beautiful Antoinette mono-

plane was demolished in an accident

Latham survived the crash but a mere12 months later he died a mysterious

death in the French Congo

Beck understood that aviation was

in its infancy and that ldquowe must creep

before we walkrdquo While the experi-

ment to send a message had failed

due to an air wreck Beck concluded

it had been ldquoreduced to a mere ques-

tion of providing mechanical devices

for deadening the sound of the pro-

pellers shutting out the noise of the

rushing wind and providing some

simple means for placing the received

message in written form on some

Sources

Chief Warrant Officer Mark J

Denger Dominguez Inter-

national Air Meet California

Aviation History wwwMilitary- MuseumorgDominguezhtml

Lt Paul W Beck Aviation Meet

From War Viewpoint How

Army and Navy Will Take Part

San Francisco Examiner January

6 1911 5

Lt JC Walker Jr War Prob-

lems to be Solved In Air San

Francisco Examiner January 7

1911 3

Lt Paul W Beck What Army Is

Striving For Opening Day a

Big Success San Francisco Ex-

aminer January 8 1911 76

Lt Paul W Beck Wreck Spoils Wire-

less Experiment San Francisco

Examiner January 11 1911 2

Lt JC Walker Jr Biplanes in

Wind Please Army Man San

Francisco Examiner January 11

1911 2

Lt Paul W Beck Airplane Wire-

less Experiments Today War

Expert Reviews the Aviation

Meet San Francisco Examiner

January 18 1911 2

Lt Paul W Beck Wireless Adds

New Link To War Chain San Francisco Examiner January 22

1911 67

Flashes of Purple Glint From

Aeroplane in the Sky to Earth

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1744

VAA Friends of the Red BarnName______________________________________________________________________EAA ___________ VAA ___________

Address______________________________________________________________________________________________________

CityStateZIP________________________________________________________________________________________________

Phone___________________________________________________E-Mail______________________________________________

Please choose your level of participation

DiamondPlus$1250

Diamond$1000

Platinum$750

Gold$500

Silver$250

Bronze$100

LoyalSupporter$99 amp Under

EAA VIP Center2 peopleFull

Week

VIP Air Show Seating2 people2

Days2 people1

Day

Close Auto Parking Full Week Full Week 2 Days

Two Tickets to VAA Picnic

Tri-Motor Certificate 2 Tickets 2 Tickets 2 Tickets 1 Ticket

Breakfast at Tall Pines Cafeacute2 PeopleFull Wk

2 PeopleFull Wk

2 PeopleFull Wk

1 PersonFull Wk

Special FORB Cap

Two Passes to VAA Volunteer Party

Special FORB Badge

Access to Volunteer Center

Donor Appreciation Certificate

Name Listed Vintage Airplane Magazine Website and Sign at Red Barn

Donrsquot wait for a mailing from VAA HQ before you send in your contributionmdashto keep our administration costs as low as possible wersquore not

sending out a mailingto each VAA member Please send your donation today while itrsquos fresh in your mindPlease help the VAA and our nearly 500 dedicated volunteers make this an unforgettable experience for our EAA AirVenture guestsYour contribution does make a dif ference There are seven levels of gifts and gift recognition Thank you for whatever you can doHere are some of the many activities the Friends of the Red Barn fund under writes

bullRed Barn Information Desk Supplies bullFlightline Parking Scooters and Supplies bullBreakfast for Past Grand Champions

bullParticipant Plaques and Supplies bullVolunteer Booth Administrative Supplies bullSigns Throughout the Vintage Area

bull Ton irsquos Red Car pet Expre ss Van and Rad ios bullRed Barn and Other Building Maintenance bullAnd More

bullCaps for VAA Volunteers bull Tal l Pin es Caf eacute D in ing Ten t

2 11 VAA Friends of the Red Barn Campaign2011 VAA Friends of the Red Barn CampaignThe VAA annual fundraising campaign fuels VAA action

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1844

T

he worldrsquos first regular air-

mail line was operated by

the United States Army

back in 1918 when a fleet

of old Jennies were pushed back

and forth between New York City

and Washington DC a distance

of two hundred and twenty miles

the fields that no self-respecting pi-

lot would take a second look at in

these times But those were the days

of wooden ships and iron men

Chief pilot on the line was a

handsome youth just out of his

teens Lieutenant James C Edger-

ton who had an unusual knack of

gan There were impressive ceremo-

nies political speeches bouquets of

flowers for the flyers and the Presi-

dent of the United States himself

went down to the Polo Grounds

and wished the pilot who was to

carry the mail to New York ldquoGod

speedrdquo Almost as soon as he left

From the Archives Reprinted from Popular Aviation Dec 1935

First Regular

Airmail FlightBY LIEUT H LATANE LEWIS II

The pilot is receiving his last-minute orders before shoving off with the mail Once more old Jenny

makes history

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1944

through with considerable diffi-

culty The pilot scheduled to make

the flight hopped off from Philadel-

phia and pointed the blunt nose of

his Jennie southward toward Wash-ington The checkerboard fields and

streams sliding beneath his wings

soon became a jigsaw puzzle and

one that he couldnrsquot piece together

The flyer realized that he was hope-

lessly lost He barged around for

awhile and finally decided to come

down and ask directions

Landing on the race track atBridgeton New Jersey forty miles

off his course he became involved

with a group of curious

horses which cracked up

the ship The mail was sent

back to Philadelphia by truck and

started out in another plane with

another pilot About thirty milesout his engine began to miss and

as it was getting dark he turned and

high-tailed back to his home field

Jim Edgerton stepped forward

and offered to save the face of the

new service and take the mail on

to Washington in spite of darkness

and a bad engine Night was comingon in earnest by this time If his en-

gine should conk on the trip down

there would be no flares for him to

release and land by nor would he be

able to bail out with a parachute for

this was before the day of the Cater-

pillar Club And at Washington he

would have no floodlights to illu-

minate the Polo Grounds It would

mean coming into that narrow field

which was surrounded by tall trees

in utter darkness

But Jim was an impatient and

adventurous young man so he

cians all through his eventful flying

career He was the least perturbed of

all as he came roaring down from the

north and circled the inky pit into

which he must bring his ship at thespeed of an express train

There were about half a dozen

automobiles parked around the

field and Jim estimated his ap-

proach from their headlights Spec-

tators heard his engine stop then

the shrill scream of the wind on

his struts and wires Then they

caught sight of a ghost-like silhou-ette against the night sky coming

down in a dizzy slideslip An in-

stant later a gray phantom swept

across the field and settled down

to a perfect landing The mail had

come through

Edgerton was the first pilot who

ever flew into a thunderstorm Upto that time flyers all over the world

looked upon electrical storms as a

deadly menace and had avoided

them as they would a plague Or-

ders had been issued that no mail

pilot should take off if weather con-

ditions were unfavorable

At Philadelphia one afternoon

during the middle of July Jim had

his ship tuned up and was ready to

shove off but down towards the

southwest storm clouds were gath-

ering It was against orders to fly

under such conditions Jim fumed

possible and then as he came over

the ldquoSusquehanna River he ran

smack into it It was a violent line

squall the storm most dreaded of

all by aviators and the kind thatsent the mighty Akron and Shenan-

doah down to destruction On the

ground trees were being uprooted

and houses damaged

ldquoIt was the bumpiest ride I ever

had before or sincerdquo chuckles Jim

Edgerton today as he recalls the

vivid impression it left on him

ldquoWe were thrown all over the skyThe rain and hail were so thick that

I couldnrsquot see the wingtips The

propeller was all chewed

up and I had to throttle

down the engine Butrdquo he

adds modestly ldquoI came out right

on the courserdquo

And the mail was landed inWashington on time

That flight and the others like it

that Edgerton made probably did

more than anything else to give the

public confidence in the reliability

of the airmail Frequently he flew

through dense fog and relied en-

tirely on the crude instruments ofthose early days to keep him in the

air On one of these flights he es-

caped death by as narrow a margin

as was ever vouchsafed a pilot

He shoved off in heavy rain and

soon ran into thick weather He

barged on into it flying blind for

awhile and then climbing up on

the top of the stuff It was so thick

that even the birds had to walk Af-

ter about an hour and a half he

decided to try to find the ground

to check his course He was com-

ing down in a fast glide when sud-

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2044

altitude the fog was so thick

it was like being submerged

in pea soup but occasion-

ally there would be a break

and Edgerton would catcha glimpse of the ground and

know where he was

As he passed over Havre

de Grace there suddenly

loomed up dead ahead a

church steeple He was right

on it before he saw it He

banked for all he was worth

standing the old crock rightup on her ear and missed

the steeple by a miracle

But the crowning thr ill

of the day came a little later

as he passed the Army Proving

Ground at Aberdeen

ldquoWe were flying at an altitude of

about 150 feetrdquo Edgerton recallsldquoVisibility was practically nil Sud-

denly there was a terrific bump al-

most as violent as if the plane had

struck something That afternoon

Army authorities at Aberdeen

called up and said that an airplane

had flown over there and almost

collided with a shell fired from a16-inch gunrdquo

Is it any wonder that Edgertonrsquos

hair has turned slightly gray

On another occasion Jim got

caught in a vicious summer thun-

derstorm over Baltimore He was

flying his faithful old mount No

38274 The turbulent air tossed

the frail wooden Jenny about like

a ship on a rough sea One instant

her nose would be pointed straight

toward heaven and the next instant

Jim would see the ground rush-

ing up at him just over the engine

of a lead pencil were spurting out

Soon the whole forward part of the

fuselage was saturated

Jim watched the lightning play-

ing about the metal parts of the

plane and waited for the spark

that would blow him to shreds and

splatter him all over Baltimore But

Lady Luck was riding with him

again and the spark never came

He rode out the storm and brought

had broken and was dangling al-

most in the shining arc of the

propeller If it became entangled

in the prop it would shatter it to

a million splinters and probablytear the engine loose

Throttling down Jim maneu-

vered as best he could to keep

wire and prop from that fatal

embrace Below him were plenty

of flat broad fields into which

he could have glided But that

would mean delaying the mail

so the plucky youngster kept go-ing and finally sat down safely

in Washington

Altogether Edgerton made

fifty-three trips and never failed

to bring the mail through on any

of them On only one did he have

a forced landing

He was over Camp Meade Mary-land when a magneto shaft broke

There was a terrific jolt that almost

jumped the engine out of the ship

For once Jim had to come down

and come down in a hurry He

looked below him and his heart

stood still He was plunging straight

towards the heads of hundreds ofmarching men on parade

Lower and lower sank the help-

less Jenny Edgerton flattened his

glide as much as he dared and tried

to squeeze over the soldiers He was

almost knocking their hats off but

still the Yanks continued to hold

their ground

ldquoI just skimmed over their heads

and landed on the very edge of the

parade groundrdquo Jim laughingly re-

lates ldquoIt was my old outfit and they

certainly gave me a welcomerdquo

It was just a bit demoralizing to

With the mail aboard the pilot proceeds to warm

up the OX-5 which animates the Jenny

Authentic dope on the

controversial subject

ldquoWho flew the firstairmailrdquo In spite of the

many claims to priority by

various pilots we believe

that this is the real

answer to the problem

An old Jenny as usual

does the work

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2144

AirVenture amp Ford Together Again

REO Speedwagon Concert Monday

600PM next to the Ford Hangar

Fly In Theater Nightly Sunday ndash

Saturday 830PM Camp Scholler

Cruisinrsquo Legends See Mustangs and

more Knapp Street near Warbirds

Model T Experience Tour in a Model

T ldquoCruisinrsquo Legendsrdquo

ldquoBlues Brothersrdquo Tribute Party

Saturday 630PM Ford ldquoHangar of Bluesrdquo

Free Ice Cream Nightly in the camp-

grounds ndash from the Transit Connect

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2244

My son and I spent the better part of

six years restoring an Aeronca 7BCM

Jeff was 13 years old when we started

the project and 19 when we finished

sponds quickly to my urging as I

push the throttle control forward

to begin a low-level no-radio no-

transponder flight from Charles W

time I admit to being spoiled first by

low-frequency ldquobeamsrdquo then VORs

DME RNAV LORAN and now GPS

But for this flight I left all that behind

To Follow the LineThis was the way I had learned navigation to follow the line

BY E JEFF JUSTIS

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE AUTHOR

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2344

Down low it was fun once more

watching the small towns pass

even being able to read the names

on water towers

In north-central Mississippi

there appears a vast forest spread-

ing out beneath my wings an il-

lusory remnant of the gloriouswilderness that once extended

from the East Coast to the Great

Plains Now clear-cutting scars are

evidence of manrsquos meddling graf-

fiti on our planetrsquos face

I am surprised at the hills of

North Mississippi at higher al-

titudes they flatten into the ter-rain but here at 1000 feet above

the ground the hills are alive with

depth and color

My craft and I intruders in his

world pass a circling hawk I look

down and try to see the tiny crea-

ture I am sure he sees but where

he must perceive the slightest rus-tle of the brush I see only patterns

of green and brown and the bright

blue of reflected sky

Enough of this sightseeing I should

have crossed this highway a couple

of miles farther to the north I make a

slight correction Highways They criss-

cross this land cutting it into smaller

and smaller bits these scratches of

man meant little when there were

fewer men but now they separate deer

from deer and life from life

At the edge of a field pebbled by

round bales of hay rests a red tractor Jeff Justis was just 13 when he and his family embarked on the restoration of

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2444

suppose is the essence of life

Soon the forward horizon bulges

upward as I approach old tectonic

ridges aligned northeast-southwest

near Birmingham The dark greenof the forested ridges contrasts with

the lighter verdant hues of manrsquos

cultivation Ahead a sharp razor-

backed ridge prompts a climb to

3000 feet I teeter across the top and

slide down toward the broad valley

on the eastern side My first land-

ing after one hour and 45 minutes is

welcome As a no-radio aircraft I am

careful to follow the standard pat-

tern and glide down final touching

down on the much-too-long-for-

The-Champ runway of Posey AirportMost cross-country flights in

the rsquo50s were from grass strip to

grass strip A red gas pump would

be brought into service by the col-

orful operatormechanic of these

old aerodromes Aeroncas and

Luscombes were everywhere and

Cessna 195s were the elite air-

planes Now on this ramp my

Aeronca is an anachronism

A King Air is being readied for cor-

porate passengers and my little tail-

dragger is lost on the large apronFortunately we modified the 7BCM

with a starter and generator so I do

not have to find someone to help me

get started In years past almost ev-

ery lineman was proficient in hand-

propping now itrsquos almost a lost art

Soon I am on the way to my

next stop Lagrange Georgia I am

fooled by the appearance of a large

airport an old military field at 12

orsquoclock on the horizon Only when

I get close enough do I realize this is

not the field I am supposed to over-

fly and that I am 10 miles south of

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2544

ramp taking nearly as long as the

flight itself

The cost of this slow flight is cer-

tainly minimal with fill-ups after

two hours averaging 15 or so dol-

lars Besides the trip has been fun so

far relearning old navigation tricks

and seeing the country down low

Now I have only a few more milesto navigate to Eaglesrsquo Landing The

fly-in community strip is near Wil-

liamson Georgia and just east of a

northeast-southwest-oriented rail-

road I decide to proceed due east

find the railroad and follow it

northeast toward the destination

I cross a highway but see no rail-road A few miles further still no

railroad I must have passed it Af-

ter a 180 I find the highway again

but nohellipwait what is that That is

an abandoned rail line for sure and

it does parallel the road I continue

northeast scanning the horizon

passing pretty fields and housesI locate one airport with houses

neatly lining both sides of the single

runway but it is not Eaglesrsquo Landing

Soon I see Griffin Georgia I have

come too far I ease The Champ into

a bank to try again back down the

rail line andhellipherersquos a golf coursehellip

and yes there are two grass run-

ways meeting in a ldquoVrdquo I circle andmake a low pass over the northwest

runway watching my friends wave

from their yard ldquoWhat a nice place

to liverdquo I think as I line up on final

I glide just above the grass and

A foil tape antenna ground plane was just one of the nifty little touches added

to The Champ as the two Jeffs restored their airplane

Doesnrsquot ever yone use Champ

tail surfaces as decorative ele-

ments in their household dec-orating Mrs Justis is a very

patient woman

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2644

CALIFORNIAHayward CA VIN 29

Meeting 2nd Thurs 600 pm

Hayward Airport

See website for hangar info

Gary Oberti President

Phone 510-357-8600

E-mail infovaa29org

Website wwwvaa29org

CALIFORNIASacramento CA VIN 25

Meeting 2nd Sat 900 am

See chapter website for location

Robert Opdahl President

Phone 530-273-7348

E-mail bopdahlsbcglobalnet

Website wwwVin25org

CAROLINAS VIRGINIAWalnut Cove NC VIN 3

Meeting Contact President

Susan Dusenbury President

Phone 336-591-3931

E-mail sr6sueaolcom

Website wwwVAA3org

FLORIDALakeland FL VIN 1

Meeting Contact President

Bobby Capozzi President

Phone 352-475-9736

INDIANAAuburn IN VIN 37

Meeting 4th Thurs 700 pm

DeKalb County Airport (kGWB)

Hangar AmdashVAA 37 Clubhouse

Drew Hoffman President

Phone 260-515-3525

E-mail drewhoffmanvaa37org

Website wwwVAA37org

KANSASOverland Park KS VIN 16

Meeting 2nd Fri 730 pm

CAF Hangar

New Century Airport

Kevin Pratt President

Phone 913-541-1149

E-mail kprattvaa16com

Website wwwVAA16com

LOUISIANANew Iberia LA VIN 30

Meeting 1st Sun 900 am

LeMaire Memorial Airport Hangar 4

Roland Denison President

Phone 337-365-3047

E-mail vaa30coxnet

MINNESOTAAlbert Lea MN VIN 13

Meeting 2nd Thurs 700 pm

Albert Lea Airport FBO

OHIODelaware OH VIN 27

Meeting 3rd Sat 8-10AM May thru Sept

Delaware Municiple Airport (DLZ)

Terminal Building

Woody McIntire President

Phone 740-362-7228

E-mail wjmcintirecscom

Website wwwEAAdlzorg

OHIOZanesville OH VIN 22

Meeting 2nd Fri 630 pm

Perry County Airport

John Morozowsky President

Phone 740-453-6889

OKLAHOMATulsa OK VIN 10

Meeting 4th Thurs 700 PM

Hardesty South Regional Library

No meetings in July Nov amp Dec

Joe Champagne President

Phone 918-257-4688

Email skypalgroveemailcom

TEXASSpring TX VIN 2

Meeting 4th Sun 200 PM

David Wayne Hooks Airport (KDWH)

Fred Ramin President

Phone 281-255-4430

Vintage Chapter LocatorVisit the VAA chapter nearest you and get to know some great old-airplane enthusiasts You donrsquot need

to be a pilot to join in the funmdashjust have a love of the great airplanes of yesteryear

Chapter 27 of Delaware Ohio hosts a monthly pancake breakfast where attendees enjoy the camara-derie among the airplanes

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2744

When Albert Vollmecke joined

Arkansas Aircraft Company in Sep-tember 1927 he brought fresh ideas

from his native Germany regarding

aircraft design stability and safety

He would on occasion return to

Germany to bring back something

new for the company In 1928 Ar-

kansas Aircraft Company changed

its name to Command-Aire Incor-porated and the production run

of new ships increased in its Little

Rock Arkansas plant

After one such visit to Ger-

many Vollmecke returned with

the rights to import and sell the

PHYLAX fire-extinguisher system

patented (GB 0267542) March 10

1926 and manufactured in Berlinby Phylax Feuerlosch-Automaten-

Bau GmbH The PHYLAX fire-

extinguisher system consisted of

a tank containing the extinguish-

ing liquid From the tank which

BY ROBERT G LOCK

Early 1047297re-extinguishing system

THE Vintage

Mechanic

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2844

advertisement from AVIATION

November 1928 using the OX-5

powered model 3C3 ship to dem-

onstrate the system

The PHYLAX system consisted

of a pressurized tank of fluid with

associated lines and nozzles lead-

ing to the engine compartment of

the ship Note here that the unit

is manufactured in t he United

States by the Aero Supply Man-

ufacturing Company located in

Long Island New York The cost

of the unit is $70 in this May 1929

advertisement in an aviation mag-

azine Illustration 2 shows the

manufacturerrsquos advertisement for

the product

In a letter dated April 10 1929

Mr Wiley Wright assistant sales

director for Command-Aire Incor-

porated wrote

ldquoCommand-Aire Incorporated

acquired the exclusive franchise

rights for PHYLAX automatic fire

extinguishers in the United States

Mexico and Central America This

extinguisher is the only automatic

fire extinguisher available and is

standard equipment on many Eu-

ropean lines It is manufactured

by PHYLAX Bau of Germany and

is receiving great response in the

United States at the present timerdquo

In this factory Illustration 3

and from the files of Albert Voll-

mecke is a 110-hp Warner engine

mounted in the Command-Aire

model 3C3-A ship Note the en-

gine cowling being neatly fitted

around cylinders and associated

tubes The 3C3-A had a very longnose due to its light weight ne-

ce s s i ta t ing a longer a rm f or

weight and balance control In

this photo the PHYLAX sprinkler

heads are visible behind the mag-

netos down near the carburetor

and behind the oil inlet hoses on

the accessory case of the engineIllustration 3 is an original fac-

tory photograph of the PHYLAX

system installed in the nose of a

model 3C3-A

Illustration 4 is the same photo-

graph with some details removed

and other details added princi-

pally the identification of the PHY-LAX automatic fuse that fired the

bottle of extinguishing fluid and

the sprinkler heads These illustra-

tions taken from a Command-Aire

original factory brochure from the

files of Albert Vollmecke

Illustration 5 on page 27 is a

sketch from the PHYLAX patent

0267542 dated March 10 1926A general description of the PHY-

LAX system is contained within

the patent and states ldquoThe inven-

tion relates to a fire extinguishing

device intended for use particu-

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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not indicate what type of extinguishing fluid was

contained within the tank however soda-acid was

widely used in those days and carbon tetrachloridewas invented in 1912 by the Pyrene Company

In a communication from Command-Aire Pres-

ident Robert Snowden regarding the purchase of

stock options in the company he states ldquoOur ex-

clusive franchise for the sale of Phylax automatic

Illustration 3

Illustration 4

Illustration 5

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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homeland on a regular basis and

always brought back some new in-

vention or new ideas on design andsafety This system was certainly

ahead of its time safety-wise and a

credit to Vollmeckersquos focus on sta-

bility and safety for his designs

Above in this original factory

photograph (Illustration 6) of a

Command-Aire 3C3-T fuselage on

the assembly line at the Little Rock

plant the PHYLAX system can beseen mounted in the rear cock-

pit just behind the front seat in

the center of the photograph The

chemical bottles with two lines

tied to the side tubes run forward

Illustration 6

Pyrene 1047297re extinguishers

were made of brass and

were nicely polished

They were not high-pressure units

but required the use of a hand pump

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Pyrene fire extinguishers were

made of brass and were nicely pol-

ished They were not high-pressureunits but required the use of a

hand pump to generate pressure

to expel liquid from the cylinder

These extinguishers were gener-

ally mounted in the rear cockpit

ton or linen fabric and the only

dope available was cellulose ni-

trate that burned like a torch when

lit Watching nitrate dope burn

reminded me of a Fourth of July

sparkler very intense and hot If

a nitrate-doped ship caught fire in

the air there was no extinguisher

that would put out the flames

The PHYLAX system had an auto-

matic sensor that would trigger the

bottlersquos valve open and send the

chemical into the engine compart-

ment The Pyrene extinguisher wasmore for ground use because you

could not operate the bottle and

fly the airplane at the same time

By todayrsquos standards these ex-

tinguishing systems seem ar-

chaic but for the time back in

the 1920s they were the thing to

have in your automobile boator airplane

Editorrsquos Note WARNING An-

tique carbon tetrachloride fire extin-

guishers like the Pyrene occasionally

show up either contaminated with

the original agent or worse yet with

the full charge of agent still inside

Carbon tet is treated as a hazard-

ous substance (its use was banned

in consumer products in 1970) and

should be dealt with accordingly

In fact carbon tetrachloride when

heated by a fire will create poison-

ous phosgene gas (World War Irsquos

ldquonerve gasrdquo) something that would

definitely ruin someonersquos day if the

fire hadnrsquot done so already In its

standard form this substance is verytoxic to the liver and a single signifi-

cant exposure can result in sickness

or death

L a n g l ey may have been the

f h f i i i b

last and last The instruction

l i l d f

1903 Samuel Pierpont Langleyrsquos ldquoAerodromerdquoattempts to take off from a floating platform

Have a comment or ques-

tion for Bob Lock the Vintage

Mechanic Drop us an e-mail at

vintageaircrafteaaorg or you

can mail your question to Vintage

Airplane PO Box 3086 Osh-

kosh WI 54903

Illustration 7

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Authorrsquos Note We held a small open house at the

flight school hangar this past Saturday Though the

weather was not conducive to give many rides we still

had about 60 people show up enjoy a brat or ham-

burger and talk about flying or learning to fly Interest

in flying is not dead One of my pet peeves is how we

in general aviation go about attracting individuals tolearn the pleasure of flight

Nearly every aviation publication I read carries ar-

ticles and editorials about the downward spiral of gen-

eral aviation Flight schools are having a hard time

attracting new students ldquoDoom and gloomrdquo reigns

with little positive to report on the horizon This al-

ways reminds me of the proverbial three wise mon-keys who embody the principle ldquoSee no evil hear no

evil and speak no evilrdquo We all complain about the

problem but no one ever offers solutions It seems as

though by not doing anything about the challenge it

will eventually go away and right itself

Many of the aviation organizations are wringing

their respective hands giving great lip service to the

drop in pilot numbers Some like EAA have launched

activities to attract new pilots such as the Young Ea-gles program This has been a good start but it will not

fill the ever-increasing void for more pilots

What are we all missing FUN

Four years ago I chose early retirement from a 38-

The student make-up is a real cross-section of Amer-

ica My youngest student to date began flight lessons

at age 14 and the oldest was 77 years young Irsquove men-

tioned some of my students in previous articles At

yearrsquos end 2010 while converting our student files

from paper to computer I was amazed to discover that

in the previous two years I had given instruction tomore than 200 individuals Some were new students

others were individuals in search of a tailwheel en-

dorsement and many were older individuals who had

pursued flight training early in their lives but gave it

up to raise a family Now they had the time and still re-

tained the burning desire to get back into flying What

attracted these individuals to the flight school FUN

And thefun

challenge of flying J-3 Cubs

Herersquos a small cross-section of this yearrsquos group

of students

bullA retired US Navy lieutenant who flew F-4 Phan-

toms off carriers in Vietnam He hasnrsquot done any fly-

ing in more than 10 years but hersquos been building a

Skybolt which will soon be finished and hersquos return-

ing to his lifelong lovemdashaviation He also has two

young sons who want to fly and will soon be joining

the group of student pilotsbullA young CPA from Iowa whose grandfather was a

friend of Bernie Pietenpol and who has built two Piets

The CPA used two weeks of his vacation time to learn

to fly so that he can fly the airplane(s) that his grandfa-

ther built and take his grandfather for a ride

BY Steve Krog CFI

THE Vintage

Instructor

Vintage flying is very much alive

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Cubs flying every day he decided to pursue his pas-

sion for flight

bullA national chain hardware store employee who

has had a dream of flying driving nearly two hours

each way to learn to fly in a Cub

bullAn aviation writervideo producer who already has

a sport pilot certificate but desires to obtain a private

pilot certificate and do so in Cubs

bullA 30-something young family man who sells

construction equipment attachments While deer

hunting a year ago he learned one of his hunting

friends had recently learned to fly in Cubs For three

days they talked airplanes and flying rather than do-

ing much hunting Upon his return from the hunt-ing trip he drove to the airport and signed up for

lessons in the Cub

bullA professional musician from the Chicago area

who always wanted to learn to fly Although not yet

old enough to have a true ldquobucket listrdquo learning to fly

a Cub was number one on his list

With two exceptions these individuals had never

before flown or flown in tailwheel airplanes but alwayshad a dream of learning to fly in a Cubmdashjust like dad

or granddad did many years ago

Although no one in this group comes from simi-

lar backgrounds or professions there is one common

denominator among every studentmdashFUN None of

these students are learning to fly to pursue a career

in aviation (although Irsquove worked with a couple who

have done so) Rather they are learning to fly or get-

ting back into flying for the FUN and CHALLENGE of

flight They all have a true love of flight and seeing the

world from 500 feet with the door and window open

I have also worked with a number of students who

began taking flight lessons but quit after a period of

time They still had the passion for flight but gave it

up When asked why the responses fell into one of the

following four categories

bullI began taking lessons but after three or four les-sons Irsquod be assigned to a different instructor After 30

hours of dual three instructors and still not having

soloed I quit

bullThe instructor wasnrsquot teaching me anything He

was more interested in building time than teaching

Take a moment and think about how you first be-

came interested in airplanes What triggered your

pursuit of learning to fly Did you have a buddy or

maybe a family friend who encouraged you Or even

became a mentor Do you remember your first flight

lesson Do you remember the day you made your

first solo flight

Remember that passion and sense of accomplish-

ment Donrsquot hesitate to share it with anyone express-

ing an interest in learning to fly

At Cub Air Flight we sell FUN When individuals

visit the airport to inquire about learning to fly we

know they have made the commitment in their own

mind It then becomes our responsibility to makethe visit friendly A friendly environment is a FUN

environment Kids are always welcome If a prospec-

tive student has children with him or her we invite

the kids to sit in the planes At the conclusion of our

discussion we emphasize the following statement If

you learn to fly with us it will be FUN CHALLENG-

ING and SAFE

I donrsquot believe there is a shortage of pilot prospectsbut there is a shortage in how we all go about attract-

ing these people to become active participants in plea-

sure flying Remember flying is FUN Letrsquos make an

effort to help others share in that FUN

AERO CLASSICldquoCOLLECTOR SERIESrdquo

Vintage Tires New USA Production

Show off your pride and joy with afresh set of Vintage Rubber Thesenewly minted tires are FAA-TSOrsquodand speed rated to 120 MPH Some

things are better left the way theywere and in the 40rsquos and 50rsquos these tires were perfectly intune to the exciting times in aviation

Not only do these tires set your vintage plane apart fromthe rest but also look exceptional on all General Aviationaircraft Deep 832nd tread depth offers above averagetread life and UV treated rubber resists aging

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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We enjoy your suggestions for

Mystery Planesmdashin fact more than

half of our subjects are sent to us by

members often via e-mail Please

remember that if you want to scan

the photo for use in Mystery Plane

it must be at a resolution of 300 dpior greater You may send a lower-

resolution version to us for our re-

view but the final version has to be

at that level of detail or it will not

print properly Also please let us

craft in the photo is of Canadian civil

registry CF-BXO formerly Royal Cana-

dian Air Force (RCAF) 920 This photo-

graph would have been taken at some

time between 1962 and 1967 after an

overhaul at Abbotsford British Colum-

bia (BC) and possibly while in servicewith Stranraer Aerial Enterprises The

location strongly resembles the Fraser

River dockings at the Vancouver air-

port The aircraft had undergone a re-

spray with a bright red cheat line The

(beaching gear required) for the Royal Air

Force (RAF) in 1933 The prototype first

flew in October 1934 with two Bristol

Pegasus IIIM engines rated at 820 hp

The production aircraft were delivered to

the RAF with Pegasus engines delivering

920 hp entering service in April 1937The British-built machines of which 23

were ordered and only 17 being built

were all delivered by April 1939

In Canada Canadian Vickers Lim-

ited of Montreal Quebec produced 40

Send your answer to EAA Vin-

tage Airplane PO Box 3086 Osh-

kosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer

needs to be in no later than August

20 for inclusion in the October

2011 issue of Vintage Airplane

You can also send your response via

e-mail Send your answer to mystery

planeeaaorg Be sure to include your

name plus your city and state in the

body of your note and put ldquo(Month)

Mystery Planerdquo in the subject line

This monthrsquos Mystery Plane comes to us from Bruce Voran

MYSTERY PLANE

by HG FRAUTSCHY

A P R I L rsquo S M Y S T E RY A N S W E R

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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QCA began buying several examplesand was instrumental in convincing

the Canadian Department of Transport

(DOT) to issue a civilian Certificate of

Airworthiness (C of A) One of the first

aircraft so issued was CF-BYI which be-

1980 the Canadian Museum of Flightand Transportation in BC salvaged the

wreck for possible restoration As late as

April 1952 QCA still had two Stranraer

in service CF-BXO and CF-BYM Pacific

Western Airlines (PWA) also operated

Two RAF Belfast freighters were dis-

patched and the disassembled aircraft

was transported to the United Kingdomwhere the machine is currently one of the

centerpieces of the collection

The aircraft type had many names

The most familiar (and printable) were

Stranny Strainer and Flying Meccano

Set The least affectionate was the Whis-

tling Shouse as when the lid to the

throne was lifted there was direct access

to the great outdoors and there emitted a

loud whistling noise

Other correct answers were re-

ceived from Hillis Cunliffe Mill-

brook Alabama Brian Baker Sun

City Arizona Wesley R Smith

Springfield Illinois John White-

head Cheyenne Wyoming ScottChurch Cochrane Alberta Can-

ada Jay Broze Walla Walla Wash-

ington Jerry Paterson Kent

Washington Jamie Patterson Mi-

ramichi New Brunswick Canada

Bill Bishop of Mulgoa New South Wales Australia sent along this photo

of the surviving Supermarine Stranraer

David Nixon supplied us with the April Mystery Plane shot of CF-BXO

a Canadian Vickers-built Supermarine Stranraer

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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urday 8 am until 6 pm Early-bird

arrivals can shop on the pre-conven-

tion weekend as well during limited

hours Show your VAA membership

card (or your receipt showing you

joined VAA at the convention) and

yoursquoll receive a 10 percent discount

VAA Volunteer Opportunities

Are you an ace pancake flipperIf yoursquore not one yet we can help

The VAA Tall Pines Cafeacute is looking

for volunteers who can help provide

a hearty breakfast to all the hungry

campers on the south end of Witt-

man Field If you could lend a hand

for a morning or two wersquod appreci-

ate it If thatrsquos not your cup of tea feelfree to check with the VAA Volunteer

Center located just to the northeast

of the VAA Red Barn The volun-

teers who operate the booth will be

happy to tell you when your help is

needed each day It doesnrsquot matter if

itrsquos just for a few hours or for a few

daysmdashwersquod love to have your help-

ing hands There is no need for you

to contact us ahead of time you can

talk with us when you arrive

VAA Judging Categoriesand Awards

The VAArsquos internationally recog-

nized judging categories are

bullAntique Aircraft built prior toSeptember 1 1945

bullClassic September 1 1945 - De-

cember 31 1955

bullContemporary January 1 1956

- December 31 1970

VAA NEWScontinued frpm page 5

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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3744

the award winners Judging closes at noon on Friday

July 29 The Awards Ceremony will be held Saturday

evening July 30 at 6 pm in the Vintage Hangar

just south of the VAA Red Barn

Designated Smoking Areas Near FlightlineSmoking on the flightline at EAA AirVenture is prohib-

ited because itrsquos a hazard to all aircraft There are several

designated smoking areas with butt cans along the flight-

line well away from aircraft and refueling operations

Designated smoking areas will be south of the ultra-light runway near the Hangar Cafeacute near the Warbirdsarea (northeast corner of Audrey Lane and Eide Av-

enue) the Wearhouse flag pole area the shade pavil-ion north of the control tower and near the UltralightBarn Locations will be indicated on EAArsquos free con-vention grounds map The admission wristband alsoinstructs visitors that smoking is allowed only in desig-nated smoking areas

More on the Web

Visit wwwAirVentureorg for more information onEAA AirVenture 2011

EAA AirVenture Is Almost Here Are You Ready

Just a few short weeks from now many of you will

make the annual pilgrimage to Oshkosh for EAA Air-

Venture 2011 Are you ready Here are several handy

online tools on the AirVenture website that can help

you take care of any last-minute concerns

Visit wwwAirVentureorg and find out what you

need to know about The Worldrsquos Greatest Avia-

tion Celebration

Admission Parking Hours

wwwAirVentureorgplanningadmissionhtml

Find or Share a Ride to Oshkosh

wwwAirVentureorgrideshare

Site Map

wwwAirVentureorgplanningschedules_mapshtml

Where to Stay

Yoursquore cleared to stay connected

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3844

ship services at 800-564-6322 but

given the time from when you read

this until AirVenture it may not ar-

rive in the mail in time for your de-

parture We suggest downloading

the NOTAM

The NOTAM contains the specialflight procedures in effect for Witt-

man Regional Airport and alternate

airports from 6 am CDT on Friday

July 22 to 12 pm CDT on Mon-

day August 1 2011 All pilots who

fly into the event are expected to

know the special flight procedures

prior to arrival EAA AirVenture Os-

hkosh runs from July 25 through

July 31 For additional EAA AirVen-

ture Oshkosh 2011 information

visit wwwAirVentureorg

Call for VAA Hall of

Fame Nominations

To the left is our information

for nominations for VAArsquos Hallof Fame which is presented each

year during a special dinner This

yearrsquos dinner will be held Friday

October 28 Wersquoll have more on

this yearrsquos inductee John Under-

To nominate someone is easy It just takes a little time and a little reminiscing on your part

Mail nominating materials to

Remember your ldquocontemporaryrdquo may be a candidate nominate someone today

wwwVintageAircraftorg

CALL FOR VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

Nominations

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3944

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

Wit tman Regional A i rpor t (OSH)

Oshkosh Wisconsin

July 25-31 2011

wwwAirVentureorg

Colorado Sport International Air Show

and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In

Rocky Mountain Met ropol i tan A irpor t (BJC)

Denver Colorado

August 27-28 2011

wwwCOSportAviationorg

Mid-Eastern Regional Fly-In

Gr imes F ie ld A irpor t (I74)

Urbana Ohio

September 10-11 2011

httpMERFIcom

Copperstate Fly-In

Casa Grande Munic ipal A i rpor t (CGZ)

Casa Grande Ar izona

Upcoming Major

Fly-Ins

W I N

Only 2000 ticketswill be sold1 ticket $50

3 tickets $125

Piper Tri-Pacer Airplane

Free Flying Lessons

Free Pilot License

Country Legend Roy Clarkrsquos Personal Proceeds fromthis raffle

SAVEAMERICANKIDS LIVES

wwwwingsofhoperaffleorg

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4044

MISCELLANEOUS

wwwaerolistorg Aviationsrsquo Leading

Marketplace

Rare find Lycoming 0-145 partsinventory blocks bearings rings

shafts amp much more $20000

at 1970 prices $5000 Six four

cylinder case aircraft magnetos

$300 Call for more details (FL)

VINTAGETRADER

Someth ing t o buyse l l o r t rade

Classified Word Ads $550 per 10

words 180 words maximum with boldface

lead-in on first line

Classified Display Ads One column wide

(2167 inches) by 1 2 or 3 inches high at

$20 per inch Black and white only and nofrequency discounts

Advertising Closing Dates 10th of second

month prior to desired issue date (ie

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 (classads

eaaorg ) using credit card payment (all cards

accepted) Include name on card complete

address type of card card number and

expiration date Make checks payable to EAA

Address advertising correspondence to EAA

Publications Classified Ad Manager PO Box

3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

What Our Members

Are Restoring

Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done and

yoursquore busy flying and showing it off If so wersquod like to hear from

you Send us a 4-by-6-inch print from a commercial source (no

home printers please those prints just donrsquot scan well) or a

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4144

EAAMembership in the Experimental Aircraft

Association Inc is $40 for one year includ-ing 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION Familymembership is an additional $10 annually Allmajor credit cards accepted for membership(Add $16 for International Postage)

FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPSPlease submit your remittance with a

check or draft drawn on a United Statesbank payable in United States dollars Addrequired Foreign Postage amount for eachmembership

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATIONCurrent EAA members may join the

Vintage Aircraft Association and receive

year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not included)(Add $7 for International Postage)

WARBIRDSCurrent EAA members may join the EAA

Warbirds of America Division and receiveWARBIRDS magazine for an additional$45 per year

EAA Membership WARBIRDS mag-azine and one year membership in theWarbirds Division is available for $55 per

year (SPORT OficAVIATION magazinenot included) (Add $7 for Interna-tional Postage)

IACCurrent EAA members may join the

International Aerobatic Club Inc Divi-sion and receive SPORT AEROBATICS magazine for an additional $45 per year

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

VINTAGE

AIRCRAFT

ASSOCIATION

OFFICERS

DIRECTORS

DIRECTORS

EMERITUS

PresidentGeoff Robison

1521 E MacGregor DrNew Haven IN 46774

260-493-4724chief7025aolcom

Vice-PresidentGeorge Daubner

N57W34837 Pondview LnOconomowoc WI 53066

262-560-1949 gdaubnereaaorg

Steve Bender85 Brush Hill Road

Sherborn MA 01770508-653-7557

sst10comcastnet

David Bennett375 Killdeer Ct

Lincoln CA 95648916-952-9449

antiquerinreachcom

Jerry Brown4605 Hickory Wood Row

Greenwood IN 46143317-422-9366

lbrown4906aolcom

Dave Clark635 Vestal Lane

Plainfield IN 46168317-839-4500davecpdattnet

John S Copeland1A Deacon Street

Northborough MA 01532508-393-4775

copeland1junocom

Phil Coulson28415 Springbrook Dr

Lawton MI 49065269-624-6490

rcoulson516cscom

Dale A Gustafson7724 Shady Hills Dr

Indianapolis IN 46278317-293-4430

dalefayemsncom

Jeannie HillPO Box 328

Harvard IL 60033-0328815-943-7205

Espie ldquoButchrdquo Joyce704 N Regional Rd

Greensboro NC 27409336-668-3650

windsockaolcom

Steve Krog1002 Heather Ln

Hartford WI 53027262-966-7627sskrogaolcom

Robert D ldquoBobrdquo Lumley1265 South 124th StBrookfield WI 53005

262-782-2633rlumley1wirrcom

SH ldquoWesrdquo Schmid2359 Lefeber Avenue

Wauwatosa WI 53213414-771-1545

shschmidgmailcom

Robert C Brauer9345 S Hoyne

Chicago IL 60643773-779-2105

photopilotaolcom

Gene Chase2159 Carlton Rd

Oshkosh WI 54904920-231-5002

GRCHAcharternet

Ronald C Fritz15401 Sparta Ave

Kent City MI 49330616-678-5012

rFritzpathwaynet com

Charlie HarrisPO Box 470350Tulsa OK 74147

918-622-8400cwhhvsucom

EE ldquoBuckrdquo Hilbert8102 Leech RdUnion IL 60180

815-923-4591buck7acgmailcom

Gene Morris5936 Steve Court

Roanoke TX 76262817-491-9110

genemor rischarter net

Membership Services DirectoryEnjoy the many benefits of EAA and

EAArsquos Vintage Aircraft Association

EAA Aviation Center PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086Phone (920) 426-4800 Fax (920) 426-4873Web Sites wwwvintageaircraftorg wwwairventureorg wwweaaorgmemberbenefits E-Mail vintageaircrafteaaorg

EAA and Division Membership Services (800 AMndash600 PM MondayndashFriday CST)800-564-6322 FAX 920-426-4873 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

bullNewrenew memberships bullAddress changes bullMerchandise sales bullGift memberships

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 888-322-4636 wwwairventureorg airventureeaaorg

Sport PilotLight-Sport Aircraft Hotline 877-359-1232 wwwsportpilotorg sportpiloteaaorg

Programs and Activities

Auto Fuel STCs 920-426-4843 stceaaorg EAA Air Academy 920-426-6880 wwwairacademyorg airacademyeaaorg

EAA Scholarships 920-426-6823 scholarshipseaaorg

Library ServicesResearch 920-426-4848 slurveyeaaorg

Benefits

AUA Vintage Insurance Plan 800-727-3823 wwwauaonlinecom

EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan 866-647-4322 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

EAA VISA Card 800-853-5576 ext 8884

EAA Her tz Rent-A-Car Program 800-654-2200 wwweaaorghertz membershipeaaorg

VAA EditorialExecutive Director 920-426-4825 wwwvintageaircraftorg vintageeaaorg

VAA Office 920-426-6110 tbookseaaorg

TM

EAA Members Information Line 888-EAA-INFO (322-4636)

Use this toll-free number for information about AirVenture Oshkosh aeromedical and technical aviation questions

chapters and Young Eagles Please have your membership number ready when calling

Office hours are 815 am - 500 pm (Monday - Friday CST)

SecretarySteve Nesse

2009 Highland AveAlbert Lea MN 56007

507-373-1674

stnes2009livecom

TreasurerDan Knutson

106 Tena Marie CircleLodi WI 53555608-592-7224

lodicubcharternet

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4244

If yoursquove ever watched fish in

an aquarium yoursquove probably no-

ticed how they respond differently

to their surroundings There are

those that zip around the tank in a

mad dash to nowhere Some seem

to sit and not go much of any-

where and some will swim f romone end to the other turn around

and do it again

The latter are the ones that remind

me of myself I seem to fly in a fish-

bowl I go from one end of our val-

proficient by practicing things we

know over and over or it can make

us lazy When something becomes

so ingrained that we do it from habit

only we may not be thinking about

what wersquore doing

On a night cross-country some

time ago I found out just how easyit is to forget things that I hadnrsquot

used in a while While night may be

a little more challenging it still re-

quires the basic pre-flight planning

of any cross-country and following

whether I go far or stay in the com-

fort zone I canrsquot let complacency take

over Those skills and experiences

need to be stretched from time to

time regardless of where I fly An un-

expected situation or emergency is a

bad time to find out I donrsquot remem-

ber how to do somethingComplacency also allows fear

to creep in where it doesnrsquot belong

Some fear (I think) is a natural part of

flying but it can also unnecessarily

keep us grounded because we wonrsquot

BY S MICHELLE SOUDER

Flying Outside

the Fishbowl

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4344

Itrsquos gonna be a big year at Oshk osh

B-29 Superfortress ldquoFIFIrdquo

The first visit since 1995for the worldrsquos only airworthyB-29 Superfortress

REO SpeedwagonOshkosh rocks Monday duringthe opening day concert presentedby Ford Motor Company

Tribute to Bob HooverTuesday afternoon air showfeaturing aircraft and maneuvershe made legendary

eVentureInnovation will be on displayand in the air with the ElectricFlight Prize Competition

Join us for a week-long celebration of the Centennial of Naval Aviationincluding a special air show Wednesday See the hottest naval aircraftin historic colors all week on ConocoPhillips Plaza

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4444

Page 7: Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 744

VAA Message Center If you would like to leave a

message for people you know

who frequent the VAA Red Barn

stop by the information desk Youcan write them a message in our

ldquonotebook on a stringrdquo and wersquoll

post their name on the marker

board so theyrsquoll know therersquos a

message waiting for them Sure

cellphones and walkie-talkies are

great but sometimes nothing

works better than a hand-scrib-

bled note

VAA PicnicTickets for the annual VAA

picnic to be held Wednesday

Ju ly 27 at the Nature Center

will be available for sale at the

VAA Red Barn Tickets must be

purchased in advance so weknow how much food to or-

der The delicious meal will be

served from 530 pm until ap-

proximately 7 pm If you need

transportation trams will be-

gin leaving the VAA Red Barn

around 5 pm and will make re-

turn trips after the picnic Typeclubs may hold their annual

banquets during the picnic Call

Jeannie Hill (815-245-4464)

and she will reserve seating so

your type club can sit together

Shawano Fly-OutThe annual fly-out to Shawano

is Saturday July 30 The sign-up

sheet will be at the desk at the VAA

Red Barn and the briefing will be

at 7 am the morning of the fly-

out The community of Shawano

approximately an hour north of

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 844

A Waco Kind of Family

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 944

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1044ldquowas about 6 years old

and Dad had taken us

to a fly-in in Ottumwa

show for his youthful fascination

with things that fly He now has

what he wished for when looking

Aviation families are quite common

within the sport aviation commu-

nity but few have made aviation

MIKE STEINEKE

The entire family enjoys flying the Waco all over the Midwest and beyond The color scheme evokes the colors chosenby Wiley Post for his record-setting Lockheed Vega the Winnie Mae

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1144

port That was in 1964 So basically

wersquove lived on an airport from just

about the moment I was born Now

So was Dad So we called the FAA

and got a lsquospecialrsquo VFR clearance

The last words my instructor said

before I took off in the C-152

were lsquoStay out of the clouds comearound and landrsquo So I didrdquo

There he was a certificated pilot

and still riding the school bus to his

little country school and living the

life of a typical high school kid in-

cluding going to local fairs

ldquoIt was at a local fair right after I

graduated that I met Carolyn and

I asked her out for a date On our

second or third date I took her fly-

ing in Dadrsquos Decathlon I guess that

must have impressed her because

we got married a year laterrdquo

Carolyn says ldquoHersquos such an avia-

tion addict that our honeymoon

had us stopping at various airports

as we traveled But Irsquoll tell youwhat Irsquod much rather he be out fly-

ing or hanging out at airports than

out drinkingrdquo And she laughs She

laughs a lot

Often it is at this point in an avi-

atorrsquos life story that the individual

says his flying stopped while he

built a business and a family tobe resumed as a later date Harve

however managed to sidestep that

layoff For one thing he essen-

tially lived on an airport his wife

liked flying (she says ldquoI decided if I

couldnrsquot beat him Irsquod join him and

started taking flying lessonsrdquo) and

hersquod grown up banging knuckles

working on airplanes So where so

many young fathers find their avia-

tion career has stagnated he started

building up his own airplanes the

first being a Cessna 170B

ldquoThe 170rdquo he says ldquowas actually

ldquoBecause we live barely 40 miles

from Blakesburg getting hooked on

vintage airplanes was unavoidable

Dad would take us to lots of fly-ins

including Blakesburg and from thevery beginning I actually liked vin-

tage airplanes better than he did

And I loved working on themrdquo

Harversquos love of vintage mechan-

ics showed through many years of

polishing and restoration of the

C-170 It went to Oshkosh for 16

years At first it was noticed because

it looked dreadfully forlorn but

over the years it began to gain more

attention and for better reasons

The judges were impressed enough

in 2000 to give it the best 170180

award Then it won Grand Cham-

pion in its class at the AAA Fly-In at

Blakesburg the next year

ldquoFirst I have to say that I donrsquotbuild airplanes to win trophies and

I donrsquot go to fly-ins to be judged I

build airplanes to go to fly-ins Pe-

riod We love going to fly-ins and

attend at least 15 or 20 a year and

we do it as a family Eventually the

kids got too big and we out-grew

the 170 after putting a little over1200 hours on itrdquo

While Harve might say he was

building a family the truth is that

Carolyn was the one having the

babies and trying to build a career

And her schedule was more than

just a little tight She started col-

lege right after Taryn was born and

missed her own graduation because

she was busy finishing her own

homebuilt Shalyn Today she puts

that diploma to work teaching sec-

ond grade while Harve farms 1500

acres of soybeans and corn

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1244

that he has made a huge number

of friends out of the other partici-

pants and thatrsquos good for all of usrdquo

ldquoI was looking for a bigger air-

plane when a friend of mine toldme about a beautiful 195 with a

blown engine sitting out on the

ramp in Tullahoma ldquo Harve says

ldquoI contacted the airport to find out

info about the owner I contacted

him and discovered it not only had

a bad engine but the finance com-

pany held the note as the owner

was going through bankruptcy I

flew down with my stepfather (who

had become a pilot after marry-

ing my motherhellipdad had died by

then) and we looked it over

ldquoI put in a bid and got it I sold

the 170 to a wonderful friend and

fortunately it stayed at our airport

where it is well tended We put anew 330 Jake from Radial Engines

Limited on the 195 and it won

awards at both Oshkosh and Blakes-

burg as well We kept the 195 for

three years But it still wasnrsquot a

Waco something I just couldnrsquot get

out of my head

ldquoWhen I started looking forWacosrdquo he says ldquolike everyone

else I was assaulted by the incred-

ible number of different varieties

But I wasnrsquot looking for something

to rebuild nor was I looking for a

rare variety I wanted an airplane

that would serve our family well

The fact that it would be an incred-

ibly cool antique was just a bonus

Because of that I passed on a lot of

projects and focused on airplanes

that were flying and needed a mini-

mum of work and could be fairly

easily supported That meant an

ldquoI looked at a few airplanes be-

fore a friend Doug Parsons turned

me on to N16249 a 1936 YKS-6 It

was last restored by Pete Coving-ton in 1994 so it was in really good

condition In fact well-known an-

tiquer Morton Lester had owned it

at the time of restoration It was a

good solid airplane that was due for

some freshening up not a rebuild

This was exactly what I was looking

for It had been through two own-

ers since Lester owned it and was

now part of an estate sale

ldquoI got it home in July of 2005 and

began working on itrdquo he says ldquoBe-

cause it had been restored nearly 15

years earlier and hadnrsquot been a han-

difficult but the paperwork turned

out to be a headache

ldquoThe original engine was a Ja-

cobs R-755-9 which is 245 hp butI wanted more power We have a

pretty big useful load with this air-

plane but it needs the extra power

when itrsquos heavy So I wanted to go

up to the 755-B2M which is 275

hp I had Air Repair in Cleveland

Mississippi build up an engine for

me Since itrsquos virtually identical to

the original Jake putting it on was

nothing At the same time we in-

stalled a new Sensenich wooden

prop But then we started working

on the paperwork

ldquoThis shouldnrsquot have been nearly

CRAIG VANDERKOLK

Most of the Applegate family during AirVenture 2010 from left to right

daughter Shalyn Harve Carolyn and son Matt The Applegatesrsquo other

daughter Taryn couldnrsquot make the trip

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1344

two airplanes were one in the same

Finally we got a hold of Jeff Janus

at the FAArsquos Aircraft Certification

Office (ACO) who said it was a no-

brainer and sent it back to the FSDO

and told them to sign it off

ldquoWersquove been flying the airplane

for five years now and itrsquos exactly

what we wanted an d what we

thought it should be First for an

airplane this big itrsquos really easy to

fly In fact it lands a lot like our

Cub and even on pavement isnrsquot

A Lesson in the Learning Caveats When DonatingAt one point Harversquos dad began having airport problems and therersquos a lesson

to be learned for a lot of us here

ldquoThe airport had never gotten hugerdquo Harve says ldquoIt was just a nice friendly

airport with a few hangars and some local tenants But it was the only airport in

the area so Dad deeded it over to the city I guess you could say he donated it

For years this worked out really well and all the aviation guys in the area loved it

We host a fly-in there each year and that became something of a local event that

everyone looked forward to

ldquoDad died suddenly in 1981 and we decided to build a house right near the

CRAIG VANDERKOLK

The Applegates camp every year just south of the VAA Flightline Opera-

tions building so son Matt and the family can enjoy visiting with their many

friends and watch the afternoon air show

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1444

bigger yoursquod want The back seat

is an honest three kids wide and

the two front seats are separated

by nearly a foot So you feel as ifyoursquore flying your own little air-

liner And how many airplanes to-

day let you crank the side windows

down and fly with you elbows up

on the windowsill

ldquoItrsquos not a rocketship in climb

about 500-600 fpm but itrsquoll give

you that or close to it whether

yoursquore loaded or not Those big old

wings can really carry a load

ldquoItrsquos also not a speed demon

but itrsquoll indicate 120 mph give or

take 5 mph at about 14 gallons per

hour and fly straight ahead with

MIKE STEINEKE

Another gorgeous picture of the Applegatesrsquo plane flying over the Midwest

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1544

The first wireless message sent

from an airplane to a ground station

wasnrsquot very imaginative or profound

The message telegraphed in dots and

dashes by US Army Lt Paul W Beck

on January 21 1911 was

ldquoAssociated Press AviationField Scotford is not the only

bird on the aviation board Beckrdquo

The message didnrsquot have the hum-

bling sense of Samuel Morsersquos ldquoWhat

hath God wroughtrdquo or the quaint-

ness of Alexander Graham Bellrsquos ldquoMr

Watsonmdashcome heremdashI want to see

yourdquo or Neil Armstrongrsquos inspira-

tional ldquoThatrsquos one small step for man

one giant leap for mankindrdquoThe rather mundane message was

hastily scribbled by Associated Press

reporter Guy Moysten who was cov-

Corps

Beck had been taken aloft by Philip

O Parmalee an early aviation pio-

neer The ldquopurple sparks spluttered

by the telegraph keyrdquo were also inter-

cepted by navy wireless stations on

Goat Island (now Yerba Buena Island)

and the Mare Island Navy YardBeckrsquos second message was ldquoThree

hundred feet up and riding level

It is cold It is bumpyrdquo The word

ldquobumpyrdquo wasnrsquot received because

Beckrsquos fingers were so cold that they

refused to as Beck put it ldquoanswer the

nerve impulsesrdquo

The word ldquoScotfordrdquo in the first

message referred to Frederick E Scot-

ford chairman of the Aviation Ex-

ecutive Committee which had

conceived planned and set in mo-

tion the air meet The message re-

ferred to a previous flight ldquoaround the

army also ldquolent their band for daily

concerts during guard mount or pa-

raderdquomdashall this to the delight of the

crowds throughout the entire affair

San Francisco was in heavy compe-

tition with New Orleans for the exclu-

sive rights to the 1915 Panama-Pacific

International Exhibition (PPIE) aworldrsquos fair to celebrate the upcom-

ing 1914 opening of the Panama

Canal The city desperately wanted

to land the exhibition believing it

would confirm San Franciscorsquos phoe-

nix-like rise from the ashes of devasta-

tion The air show was thought of as

the opening act

Plans for the PPIE had already

been complicated in 1910 Just six

months earlier Californiarsquos gover-

nor had banned the Jim Jeffries-Jack

Johnson fight scheduled for San

Franciscomdashforcing the epic ldquoFight

Flashes of Purple SparksBY DANIEL J DEMERS

Lt Paul Beck left with

the Western Wireless

Equipment Company A-4wireless set in his lap

while seated in a Wright

biplane during wireless

tests during the 1911 San

Francisco Air Meet The

set weighed 29 pounds

and featured a telegraph

key mounted on the top of

the mahogany box

JOURNAL OF ELECTRICITY POWER AND GAS

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1644

shadowed all the other historic firsts

achieved at the meet

Beck described the sensation of fly-

ing at 800 feet like this

ldquoWhirring propellers throb-

bing pistons and machine-

gun-like gasoline explosions

deafened you while tears bit-

ter tears were forced from your

eyes by the back rush of air and

you have a slight conception

how it feels to rival the eagle in a

Wright biplanerdquo

He had used in his own words

ldquoa rough makeshift affair weighing

thirty-two poundsrdquo It consisted of

a ldquosmall gap and interrupter an or-

dinary telegraph key a small storage

cellrdquo and a shunt ldquoto prevent over-

charging of the cellrdquo The entire de-vice was contained in a wooden box

that he carried on his lap The aerial

used for the experiment was a 120-

foot bronze wire trailing the plane

connected to the ldquosending appara-

tus by a number sixteen copper wirerdquo

The whole gizmo was grounded to a

stay wire on the aircraft connectedldquoto the sending apparatusrdquo Beck ex-

plained ldquoThe wave length measured

by the wave meter at the receiving

station was 575 meters in length This

is rather longer than we had thought

it would berdquo

Simultaneous to Beckrsquos experi-

ment Charlie Willard (another

pioneer aviator) unsuccessfully at-

tempted to send a wireless message

using a different set According to

Beck ldquoHis outfit weighed a trifle less

than the one which I used and his

antenna wire was a trifle longerrdquo Ac-

ldquoengine is practically noiseless when

comparedrdquo with the other planes at

the air meet ldquoSilencerdquo wrote Beck ldquois

an essential factor to the successful

reading of telegraphic codes or thesuccessful undertaking of human

speech by wireless telephonerdquo

Of great concern to the experi-

mentrsquos sponsors was the fact that an

ldquoelectrical dischargerdquo was involved in

the actual receiving of the message

from the ground Thus it was of ldquogreat

importance that the gasoline tank be

thoroughly insulated in order to pre-vent possible ignition from a sparkrdquo

Avoiding such an aerial catastrophe

was to be overcome by using ldquoone of

the guy wires on the Antoinette ma-

chine as the static ground and to drag

from the tail of the airship an alumi-

num wire of great capacity and weigh-

ing less than two pounds though 130feet in length as the antennardquo

Unfortunately as Beck told it ldquothe

god or gods of the elementsrdquo stepped

in On this particular day being ldquoaloft

was dangerous to life and limbrdquo

Lathamrsquos beautiful Antoinette mono-

plane was demolished in an accident

Latham survived the crash but a mere12 months later he died a mysterious

death in the French Congo

Beck understood that aviation was

in its infancy and that ldquowe must creep

before we walkrdquo While the experi-

ment to send a message had failed

due to an air wreck Beck concluded

it had been ldquoreduced to a mere ques-

tion of providing mechanical devices

for deadening the sound of the pro-

pellers shutting out the noise of the

rushing wind and providing some

simple means for placing the received

message in written form on some

Sources

Chief Warrant Officer Mark J

Denger Dominguez Inter-

national Air Meet California

Aviation History wwwMilitary- MuseumorgDominguezhtml

Lt Paul W Beck Aviation Meet

From War Viewpoint How

Army and Navy Will Take Part

San Francisco Examiner January

6 1911 5

Lt JC Walker Jr War Prob-

lems to be Solved In Air San

Francisco Examiner January 7

1911 3

Lt Paul W Beck What Army Is

Striving For Opening Day a

Big Success San Francisco Ex-

aminer January 8 1911 76

Lt Paul W Beck Wreck Spoils Wire-

less Experiment San Francisco

Examiner January 11 1911 2

Lt JC Walker Jr Biplanes in

Wind Please Army Man San

Francisco Examiner January 11

1911 2

Lt Paul W Beck Airplane Wire-

less Experiments Today War

Expert Reviews the Aviation

Meet San Francisco Examiner

January 18 1911 2

Lt Paul W Beck Wireless Adds

New Link To War Chain San Francisco Examiner January 22

1911 67

Flashes of Purple Glint From

Aeroplane in the Sky to Earth

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1744

VAA Friends of the Red BarnName______________________________________________________________________EAA ___________ VAA ___________

Address______________________________________________________________________________________________________

CityStateZIP________________________________________________________________________________________________

Phone___________________________________________________E-Mail______________________________________________

Please choose your level of participation

DiamondPlus$1250

Diamond$1000

Platinum$750

Gold$500

Silver$250

Bronze$100

LoyalSupporter$99 amp Under

EAA VIP Center2 peopleFull

Week

VIP Air Show Seating2 people2

Days2 people1

Day

Close Auto Parking Full Week Full Week 2 Days

Two Tickets to VAA Picnic

Tri-Motor Certificate 2 Tickets 2 Tickets 2 Tickets 1 Ticket

Breakfast at Tall Pines Cafeacute2 PeopleFull Wk

2 PeopleFull Wk

2 PeopleFull Wk

1 PersonFull Wk

Special FORB Cap

Two Passes to VAA Volunteer Party

Special FORB Badge

Access to Volunteer Center

Donor Appreciation Certificate

Name Listed Vintage Airplane Magazine Website and Sign at Red Barn

Donrsquot wait for a mailing from VAA HQ before you send in your contributionmdashto keep our administration costs as low as possible wersquore not

sending out a mailingto each VAA member Please send your donation today while itrsquos fresh in your mindPlease help the VAA and our nearly 500 dedicated volunteers make this an unforgettable experience for our EAA AirVenture guestsYour contribution does make a dif ference There are seven levels of gifts and gift recognition Thank you for whatever you can doHere are some of the many activities the Friends of the Red Barn fund under writes

bullRed Barn Information Desk Supplies bullFlightline Parking Scooters and Supplies bullBreakfast for Past Grand Champions

bullParticipant Plaques and Supplies bullVolunteer Booth Administrative Supplies bullSigns Throughout the Vintage Area

bull Ton irsquos Red Car pet Expre ss Van and Rad ios bullRed Barn and Other Building Maintenance bullAnd More

bullCaps for VAA Volunteers bull Tal l Pin es Caf eacute D in ing Ten t

2 11 VAA Friends of the Red Barn Campaign2011 VAA Friends of the Red Barn CampaignThe VAA annual fundraising campaign fuels VAA action

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1844

T

he worldrsquos first regular air-

mail line was operated by

the United States Army

back in 1918 when a fleet

of old Jennies were pushed back

and forth between New York City

and Washington DC a distance

of two hundred and twenty miles

the fields that no self-respecting pi-

lot would take a second look at in

these times But those were the days

of wooden ships and iron men

Chief pilot on the line was a

handsome youth just out of his

teens Lieutenant James C Edger-

ton who had an unusual knack of

gan There were impressive ceremo-

nies political speeches bouquets of

flowers for the flyers and the Presi-

dent of the United States himself

went down to the Polo Grounds

and wished the pilot who was to

carry the mail to New York ldquoGod

speedrdquo Almost as soon as he left

From the Archives Reprinted from Popular Aviation Dec 1935

First Regular

Airmail FlightBY LIEUT H LATANE LEWIS II

The pilot is receiving his last-minute orders before shoving off with the mail Once more old Jenny

makes history

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1944

through with considerable diffi-

culty The pilot scheduled to make

the flight hopped off from Philadel-

phia and pointed the blunt nose of

his Jennie southward toward Wash-ington The checkerboard fields and

streams sliding beneath his wings

soon became a jigsaw puzzle and

one that he couldnrsquot piece together

The flyer realized that he was hope-

lessly lost He barged around for

awhile and finally decided to come

down and ask directions

Landing on the race track atBridgeton New Jersey forty miles

off his course he became involved

with a group of curious

horses which cracked up

the ship The mail was sent

back to Philadelphia by truck and

started out in another plane with

another pilot About thirty milesout his engine began to miss and

as it was getting dark he turned and

high-tailed back to his home field

Jim Edgerton stepped forward

and offered to save the face of the

new service and take the mail on

to Washington in spite of darkness

and a bad engine Night was comingon in earnest by this time If his en-

gine should conk on the trip down

there would be no flares for him to

release and land by nor would he be

able to bail out with a parachute for

this was before the day of the Cater-

pillar Club And at Washington he

would have no floodlights to illu-

minate the Polo Grounds It would

mean coming into that narrow field

which was surrounded by tall trees

in utter darkness

But Jim was an impatient and

adventurous young man so he

cians all through his eventful flying

career He was the least perturbed of

all as he came roaring down from the

north and circled the inky pit into

which he must bring his ship at thespeed of an express train

There were about half a dozen

automobiles parked around the

field and Jim estimated his ap-

proach from their headlights Spec-

tators heard his engine stop then

the shrill scream of the wind on

his struts and wires Then they

caught sight of a ghost-like silhou-ette against the night sky coming

down in a dizzy slideslip An in-

stant later a gray phantom swept

across the field and settled down

to a perfect landing The mail had

come through

Edgerton was the first pilot who

ever flew into a thunderstorm Upto that time flyers all over the world

looked upon electrical storms as a

deadly menace and had avoided

them as they would a plague Or-

ders had been issued that no mail

pilot should take off if weather con-

ditions were unfavorable

At Philadelphia one afternoon

during the middle of July Jim had

his ship tuned up and was ready to

shove off but down towards the

southwest storm clouds were gath-

ering It was against orders to fly

under such conditions Jim fumed

possible and then as he came over

the ldquoSusquehanna River he ran

smack into it It was a violent line

squall the storm most dreaded of

all by aviators and the kind thatsent the mighty Akron and Shenan-

doah down to destruction On the

ground trees were being uprooted

and houses damaged

ldquoIt was the bumpiest ride I ever

had before or sincerdquo chuckles Jim

Edgerton today as he recalls the

vivid impression it left on him

ldquoWe were thrown all over the skyThe rain and hail were so thick that

I couldnrsquot see the wingtips The

propeller was all chewed

up and I had to throttle

down the engine Butrdquo he

adds modestly ldquoI came out right

on the courserdquo

And the mail was landed inWashington on time

That flight and the others like it

that Edgerton made probably did

more than anything else to give the

public confidence in the reliability

of the airmail Frequently he flew

through dense fog and relied en-

tirely on the crude instruments ofthose early days to keep him in the

air On one of these flights he es-

caped death by as narrow a margin

as was ever vouchsafed a pilot

He shoved off in heavy rain and

soon ran into thick weather He

barged on into it flying blind for

awhile and then climbing up on

the top of the stuff It was so thick

that even the birds had to walk Af-

ter about an hour and a half he

decided to try to find the ground

to check his course He was com-

ing down in a fast glide when sud-

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2044

altitude the fog was so thick

it was like being submerged

in pea soup but occasion-

ally there would be a break

and Edgerton would catcha glimpse of the ground and

know where he was

As he passed over Havre

de Grace there suddenly

loomed up dead ahead a

church steeple He was right

on it before he saw it He

banked for all he was worth

standing the old crock rightup on her ear and missed

the steeple by a miracle

But the crowning thr ill

of the day came a little later

as he passed the Army Proving

Ground at Aberdeen

ldquoWe were flying at an altitude of

about 150 feetrdquo Edgerton recallsldquoVisibility was practically nil Sud-

denly there was a terrific bump al-

most as violent as if the plane had

struck something That afternoon

Army authorities at Aberdeen

called up and said that an airplane

had flown over there and almost

collided with a shell fired from a16-inch gunrdquo

Is it any wonder that Edgertonrsquos

hair has turned slightly gray

On another occasion Jim got

caught in a vicious summer thun-

derstorm over Baltimore He was

flying his faithful old mount No

38274 The turbulent air tossed

the frail wooden Jenny about like

a ship on a rough sea One instant

her nose would be pointed straight

toward heaven and the next instant

Jim would see the ground rush-

ing up at him just over the engine

of a lead pencil were spurting out

Soon the whole forward part of the

fuselage was saturated

Jim watched the lightning play-

ing about the metal parts of the

plane and waited for the spark

that would blow him to shreds and

splatter him all over Baltimore But

Lady Luck was riding with him

again and the spark never came

He rode out the storm and brought

had broken and was dangling al-

most in the shining arc of the

propeller If it became entangled

in the prop it would shatter it to

a million splinters and probablytear the engine loose

Throttling down Jim maneu-

vered as best he could to keep

wire and prop from that fatal

embrace Below him were plenty

of flat broad fields into which

he could have glided But that

would mean delaying the mail

so the plucky youngster kept go-ing and finally sat down safely

in Washington

Altogether Edgerton made

fifty-three trips and never failed

to bring the mail through on any

of them On only one did he have

a forced landing

He was over Camp Meade Mary-land when a magneto shaft broke

There was a terrific jolt that almost

jumped the engine out of the ship

For once Jim had to come down

and come down in a hurry He

looked below him and his heart

stood still He was plunging straight

towards the heads of hundreds ofmarching men on parade

Lower and lower sank the help-

less Jenny Edgerton flattened his

glide as much as he dared and tried

to squeeze over the soldiers He was

almost knocking their hats off but

still the Yanks continued to hold

their ground

ldquoI just skimmed over their heads

and landed on the very edge of the

parade groundrdquo Jim laughingly re-

lates ldquoIt was my old outfit and they

certainly gave me a welcomerdquo

It was just a bit demoralizing to

With the mail aboard the pilot proceeds to warm

up the OX-5 which animates the Jenny

Authentic dope on the

controversial subject

ldquoWho flew the firstairmailrdquo In spite of the

many claims to priority by

various pilots we believe

that this is the real

answer to the problem

An old Jenny as usual

does the work

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AirVenture amp Ford Together Again

REO Speedwagon Concert Monday

600PM next to the Ford Hangar

Fly In Theater Nightly Sunday ndash

Saturday 830PM Camp Scholler

Cruisinrsquo Legends See Mustangs and

more Knapp Street near Warbirds

Model T Experience Tour in a Model

T ldquoCruisinrsquo Legendsrdquo

ldquoBlues Brothersrdquo Tribute Party

Saturday 630PM Ford ldquoHangar of Bluesrdquo

Free Ice Cream Nightly in the camp-

grounds ndash from the Transit Connect

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2244

My son and I spent the better part of

six years restoring an Aeronca 7BCM

Jeff was 13 years old when we started

the project and 19 when we finished

sponds quickly to my urging as I

push the throttle control forward

to begin a low-level no-radio no-

transponder flight from Charles W

time I admit to being spoiled first by

low-frequency ldquobeamsrdquo then VORs

DME RNAV LORAN and now GPS

But for this flight I left all that behind

To Follow the LineThis was the way I had learned navigation to follow the line

BY E JEFF JUSTIS

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE AUTHOR

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Down low it was fun once more

watching the small towns pass

even being able to read the names

on water towers

In north-central Mississippi

there appears a vast forest spread-

ing out beneath my wings an il-

lusory remnant of the gloriouswilderness that once extended

from the East Coast to the Great

Plains Now clear-cutting scars are

evidence of manrsquos meddling graf-

fiti on our planetrsquos face

I am surprised at the hills of

North Mississippi at higher al-

titudes they flatten into the ter-rain but here at 1000 feet above

the ground the hills are alive with

depth and color

My craft and I intruders in his

world pass a circling hawk I look

down and try to see the tiny crea-

ture I am sure he sees but where

he must perceive the slightest rus-tle of the brush I see only patterns

of green and brown and the bright

blue of reflected sky

Enough of this sightseeing I should

have crossed this highway a couple

of miles farther to the north I make a

slight correction Highways They criss-

cross this land cutting it into smaller

and smaller bits these scratches of

man meant little when there were

fewer men but now they separate deer

from deer and life from life

At the edge of a field pebbled by

round bales of hay rests a red tractor Jeff Justis was just 13 when he and his family embarked on the restoration of

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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suppose is the essence of life

Soon the forward horizon bulges

upward as I approach old tectonic

ridges aligned northeast-southwest

near Birmingham The dark greenof the forested ridges contrasts with

the lighter verdant hues of manrsquos

cultivation Ahead a sharp razor-

backed ridge prompts a climb to

3000 feet I teeter across the top and

slide down toward the broad valley

on the eastern side My first land-

ing after one hour and 45 minutes is

welcome As a no-radio aircraft I am

careful to follow the standard pat-

tern and glide down final touching

down on the much-too-long-for-

The-Champ runway of Posey AirportMost cross-country flights in

the rsquo50s were from grass strip to

grass strip A red gas pump would

be brought into service by the col-

orful operatormechanic of these

old aerodromes Aeroncas and

Luscombes were everywhere and

Cessna 195s were the elite air-

planes Now on this ramp my

Aeronca is an anachronism

A King Air is being readied for cor-

porate passengers and my little tail-

dragger is lost on the large apronFortunately we modified the 7BCM

with a starter and generator so I do

not have to find someone to help me

get started In years past almost ev-

ery lineman was proficient in hand-

propping now itrsquos almost a lost art

Soon I am on the way to my

next stop Lagrange Georgia I am

fooled by the appearance of a large

airport an old military field at 12

orsquoclock on the horizon Only when

I get close enough do I realize this is

not the field I am supposed to over-

fly and that I am 10 miles south of

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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ramp taking nearly as long as the

flight itself

The cost of this slow flight is cer-

tainly minimal with fill-ups after

two hours averaging 15 or so dol-

lars Besides the trip has been fun so

far relearning old navigation tricks

and seeing the country down low

Now I have only a few more milesto navigate to Eaglesrsquo Landing The

fly-in community strip is near Wil-

liamson Georgia and just east of a

northeast-southwest-oriented rail-

road I decide to proceed due east

find the railroad and follow it

northeast toward the destination

I cross a highway but see no rail-road A few miles further still no

railroad I must have passed it Af-

ter a 180 I find the highway again

but nohellipwait what is that That is

an abandoned rail line for sure and

it does parallel the road I continue

northeast scanning the horizon

passing pretty fields and housesI locate one airport with houses

neatly lining both sides of the single

runway but it is not Eaglesrsquo Landing

Soon I see Griffin Georgia I have

come too far I ease The Champ into

a bank to try again back down the

rail line andhellipherersquos a golf coursehellip

and yes there are two grass run-

ways meeting in a ldquoVrdquo I circle andmake a low pass over the northwest

runway watching my friends wave

from their yard ldquoWhat a nice place

to liverdquo I think as I line up on final

I glide just above the grass and

A foil tape antenna ground plane was just one of the nifty little touches added

to The Champ as the two Jeffs restored their airplane

Doesnrsquot ever yone use Champ

tail surfaces as decorative ele-

ments in their household dec-orating Mrs Justis is a very

patient woman

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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CALIFORNIAHayward CA VIN 29

Meeting 2nd Thurs 600 pm

Hayward Airport

See website for hangar info

Gary Oberti President

Phone 510-357-8600

E-mail infovaa29org

Website wwwvaa29org

CALIFORNIASacramento CA VIN 25

Meeting 2nd Sat 900 am

See chapter website for location

Robert Opdahl President

Phone 530-273-7348

E-mail bopdahlsbcglobalnet

Website wwwVin25org

CAROLINAS VIRGINIAWalnut Cove NC VIN 3

Meeting Contact President

Susan Dusenbury President

Phone 336-591-3931

E-mail sr6sueaolcom

Website wwwVAA3org

FLORIDALakeland FL VIN 1

Meeting Contact President

Bobby Capozzi President

Phone 352-475-9736

INDIANAAuburn IN VIN 37

Meeting 4th Thurs 700 pm

DeKalb County Airport (kGWB)

Hangar AmdashVAA 37 Clubhouse

Drew Hoffman President

Phone 260-515-3525

E-mail drewhoffmanvaa37org

Website wwwVAA37org

KANSASOverland Park KS VIN 16

Meeting 2nd Fri 730 pm

CAF Hangar

New Century Airport

Kevin Pratt President

Phone 913-541-1149

E-mail kprattvaa16com

Website wwwVAA16com

LOUISIANANew Iberia LA VIN 30

Meeting 1st Sun 900 am

LeMaire Memorial Airport Hangar 4

Roland Denison President

Phone 337-365-3047

E-mail vaa30coxnet

MINNESOTAAlbert Lea MN VIN 13

Meeting 2nd Thurs 700 pm

Albert Lea Airport FBO

OHIODelaware OH VIN 27

Meeting 3rd Sat 8-10AM May thru Sept

Delaware Municiple Airport (DLZ)

Terminal Building

Woody McIntire President

Phone 740-362-7228

E-mail wjmcintirecscom

Website wwwEAAdlzorg

OHIOZanesville OH VIN 22

Meeting 2nd Fri 630 pm

Perry County Airport

John Morozowsky President

Phone 740-453-6889

OKLAHOMATulsa OK VIN 10

Meeting 4th Thurs 700 PM

Hardesty South Regional Library

No meetings in July Nov amp Dec

Joe Champagne President

Phone 918-257-4688

Email skypalgroveemailcom

TEXASSpring TX VIN 2

Meeting 4th Sun 200 PM

David Wayne Hooks Airport (KDWH)

Fred Ramin President

Phone 281-255-4430

Vintage Chapter LocatorVisit the VAA chapter nearest you and get to know some great old-airplane enthusiasts You donrsquot need

to be a pilot to join in the funmdashjust have a love of the great airplanes of yesteryear

Chapter 27 of Delaware Ohio hosts a monthly pancake breakfast where attendees enjoy the camara-derie among the airplanes

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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When Albert Vollmecke joined

Arkansas Aircraft Company in Sep-tember 1927 he brought fresh ideas

from his native Germany regarding

aircraft design stability and safety

He would on occasion return to

Germany to bring back something

new for the company In 1928 Ar-

kansas Aircraft Company changed

its name to Command-Aire Incor-porated and the production run

of new ships increased in its Little

Rock Arkansas plant

After one such visit to Ger-

many Vollmecke returned with

the rights to import and sell the

PHYLAX fire-extinguisher system

patented (GB 0267542) March 10

1926 and manufactured in Berlinby Phylax Feuerlosch-Automaten-

Bau GmbH The PHYLAX fire-

extinguisher system consisted of

a tank containing the extinguish-

ing liquid From the tank which

BY ROBERT G LOCK

Early 1047297re-extinguishing system

THE Vintage

Mechanic

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2844

advertisement from AVIATION

November 1928 using the OX-5

powered model 3C3 ship to dem-

onstrate the system

The PHYLAX system consisted

of a pressurized tank of fluid with

associated lines and nozzles lead-

ing to the engine compartment of

the ship Note here that the unit

is manufactured in t he United

States by the Aero Supply Man-

ufacturing Company located in

Long Island New York The cost

of the unit is $70 in this May 1929

advertisement in an aviation mag-

azine Illustration 2 shows the

manufacturerrsquos advertisement for

the product

In a letter dated April 10 1929

Mr Wiley Wright assistant sales

director for Command-Aire Incor-

porated wrote

ldquoCommand-Aire Incorporated

acquired the exclusive franchise

rights for PHYLAX automatic fire

extinguishers in the United States

Mexico and Central America This

extinguisher is the only automatic

fire extinguisher available and is

standard equipment on many Eu-

ropean lines It is manufactured

by PHYLAX Bau of Germany and

is receiving great response in the

United States at the present timerdquo

In this factory Illustration 3

and from the files of Albert Voll-

mecke is a 110-hp Warner engine

mounted in the Command-Aire

model 3C3-A ship Note the en-

gine cowling being neatly fitted

around cylinders and associated

tubes The 3C3-A had a very longnose due to its light weight ne-

ce s s i ta t ing a longer a rm f or

weight and balance control In

this photo the PHYLAX sprinkler

heads are visible behind the mag-

netos down near the carburetor

and behind the oil inlet hoses on

the accessory case of the engineIllustration 3 is an original fac-

tory photograph of the PHYLAX

system installed in the nose of a

model 3C3-A

Illustration 4 is the same photo-

graph with some details removed

and other details added princi-

pally the identification of the PHY-LAX automatic fuse that fired the

bottle of extinguishing fluid and

the sprinkler heads These illustra-

tions taken from a Command-Aire

original factory brochure from the

files of Albert Vollmecke

Illustration 5 on page 27 is a

sketch from the PHYLAX patent

0267542 dated March 10 1926A general description of the PHY-

LAX system is contained within

the patent and states ldquoThe inven-

tion relates to a fire extinguishing

device intended for use particu-

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2944

not indicate what type of extinguishing fluid was

contained within the tank however soda-acid was

widely used in those days and carbon tetrachloridewas invented in 1912 by the Pyrene Company

In a communication from Command-Aire Pres-

ident Robert Snowden regarding the purchase of

stock options in the company he states ldquoOur ex-

clusive franchise for the sale of Phylax automatic

Illustration 3

Illustration 4

Illustration 5

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3044

homeland on a regular basis and

always brought back some new in-

vention or new ideas on design andsafety This system was certainly

ahead of its time safety-wise and a

credit to Vollmeckersquos focus on sta-

bility and safety for his designs

Above in this original factory

photograph (Illustration 6) of a

Command-Aire 3C3-T fuselage on

the assembly line at the Little Rock

plant the PHYLAX system can beseen mounted in the rear cock-

pit just behind the front seat in

the center of the photograph The

chemical bottles with two lines

tied to the side tubes run forward

Illustration 6

Pyrene 1047297re extinguishers

were made of brass and

were nicely polished

They were not high-pressure units

but required the use of a hand pump

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3144

Pyrene fire extinguishers were

made of brass and were nicely pol-

ished They were not high-pressureunits but required the use of a

hand pump to generate pressure

to expel liquid from the cylinder

These extinguishers were gener-

ally mounted in the rear cockpit

ton or linen fabric and the only

dope available was cellulose ni-

trate that burned like a torch when

lit Watching nitrate dope burn

reminded me of a Fourth of July

sparkler very intense and hot If

a nitrate-doped ship caught fire in

the air there was no extinguisher

that would put out the flames

The PHYLAX system had an auto-

matic sensor that would trigger the

bottlersquos valve open and send the

chemical into the engine compart-

ment The Pyrene extinguisher wasmore for ground use because you

could not operate the bottle and

fly the airplane at the same time

By todayrsquos standards these ex-

tinguishing systems seem ar-

chaic but for the time back in

the 1920s they were the thing to

have in your automobile boator airplane

Editorrsquos Note WARNING An-

tique carbon tetrachloride fire extin-

guishers like the Pyrene occasionally

show up either contaminated with

the original agent or worse yet with

the full charge of agent still inside

Carbon tet is treated as a hazard-

ous substance (its use was banned

in consumer products in 1970) and

should be dealt with accordingly

In fact carbon tetrachloride when

heated by a fire will create poison-

ous phosgene gas (World War Irsquos

ldquonerve gasrdquo) something that would

definitely ruin someonersquos day if the

fire hadnrsquot done so already In its

standard form this substance is verytoxic to the liver and a single signifi-

cant exposure can result in sickness

or death

L a n g l ey may have been the

f h f i i i b

last and last The instruction

l i l d f

1903 Samuel Pierpont Langleyrsquos ldquoAerodromerdquoattempts to take off from a floating platform

Have a comment or ques-

tion for Bob Lock the Vintage

Mechanic Drop us an e-mail at

vintageaircrafteaaorg or you

can mail your question to Vintage

Airplane PO Box 3086 Osh-

kosh WI 54903

Illustration 7

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Authorrsquos Note We held a small open house at the

flight school hangar this past Saturday Though the

weather was not conducive to give many rides we still

had about 60 people show up enjoy a brat or ham-

burger and talk about flying or learning to fly Interest

in flying is not dead One of my pet peeves is how we

in general aviation go about attracting individuals tolearn the pleasure of flight

Nearly every aviation publication I read carries ar-

ticles and editorials about the downward spiral of gen-

eral aviation Flight schools are having a hard time

attracting new students ldquoDoom and gloomrdquo reigns

with little positive to report on the horizon This al-

ways reminds me of the proverbial three wise mon-keys who embody the principle ldquoSee no evil hear no

evil and speak no evilrdquo We all complain about the

problem but no one ever offers solutions It seems as

though by not doing anything about the challenge it

will eventually go away and right itself

Many of the aviation organizations are wringing

their respective hands giving great lip service to the

drop in pilot numbers Some like EAA have launched

activities to attract new pilots such as the Young Ea-gles program This has been a good start but it will not

fill the ever-increasing void for more pilots

What are we all missing FUN

Four years ago I chose early retirement from a 38-

The student make-up is a real cross-section of Amer-

ica My youngest student to date began flight lessons

at age 14 and the oldest was 77 years young Irsquove men-

tioned some of my students in previous articles At

yearrsquos end 2010 while converting our student files

from paper to computer I was amazed to discover that

in the previous two years I had given instruction tomore than 200 individuals Some were new students

others were individuals in search of a tailwheel en-

dorsement and many were older individuals who had

pursued flight training early in their lives but gave it

up to raise a family Now they had the time and still re-

tained the burning desire to get back into flying What

attracted these individuals to the flight school FUN

And thefun

challenge of flying J-3 Cubs

Herersquos a small cross-section of this yearrsquos group

of students

bullA retired US Navy lieutenant who flew F-4 Phan-

toms off carriers in Vietnam He hasnrsquot done any fly-

ing in more than 10 years but hersquos been building a

Skybolt which will soon be finished and hersquos return-

ing to his lifelong lovemdashaviation He also has two

young sons who want to fly and will soon be joining

the group of student pilotsbullA young CPA from Iowa whose grandfather was a

friend of Bernie Pietenpol and who has built two Piets

The CPA used two weeks of his vacation time to learn

to fly so that he can fly the airplane(s) that his grandfa-

ther built and take his grandfather for a ride

BY Steve Krog CFI

THE Vintage

Instructor

Vintage flying is very much alive

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3344

Cubs flying every day he decided to pursue his pas-

sion for flight

bullA national chain hardware store employee who

has had a dream of flying driving nearly two hours

each way to learn to fly in a Cub

bullAn aviation writervideo producer who already has

a sport pilot certificate but desires to obtain a private

pilot certificate and do so in Cubs

bullA 30-something young family man who sells

construction equipment attachments While deer

hunting a year ago he learned one of his hunting

friends had recently learned to fly in Cubs For three

days they talked airplanes and flying rather than do-

ing much hunting Upon his return from the hunt-ing trip he drove to the airport and signed up for

lessons in the Cub

bullA professional musician from the Chicago area

who always wanted to learn to fly Although not yet

old enough to have a true ldquobucket listrdquo learning to fly

a Cub was number one on his list

With two exceptions these individuals had never

before flown or flown in tailwheel airplanes but alwayshad a dream of learning to fly in a Cubmdashjust like dad

or granddad did many years ago

Although no one in this group comes from simi-

lar backgrounds or professions there is one common

denominator among every studentmdashFUN None of

these students are learning to fly to pursue a career

in aviation (although Irsquove worked with a couple who

have done so) Rather they are learning to fly or get-

ting back into flying for the FUN and CHALLENGE of

flight They all have a true love of flight and seeing the

world from 500 feet with the door and window open

I have also worked with a number of students who

began taking flight lessons but quit after a period of

time They still had the passion for flight but gave it

up When asked why the responses fell into one of the

following four categories

bullI began taking lessons but after three or four les-sons Irsquod be assigned to a different instructor After 30

hours of dual three instructors and still not having

soloed I quit

bullThe instructor wasnrsquot teaching me anything He

was more interested in building time than teaching

Take a moment and think about how you first be-

came interested in airplanes What triggered your

pursuit of learning to fly Did you have a buddy or

maybe a family friend who encouraged you Or even

became a mentor Do you remember your first flight

lesson Do you remember the day you made your

first solo flight

Remember that passion and sense of accomplish-

ment Donrsquot hesitate to share it with anyone express-

ing an interest in learning to fly

At Cub Air Flight we sell FUN When individuals

visit the airport to inquire about learning to fly we

know they have made the commitment in their own

mind It then becomes our responsibility to makethe visit friendly A friendly environment is a FUN

environment Kids are always welcome If a prospec-

tive student has children with him or her we invite

the kids to sit in the planes At the conclusion of our

discussion we emphasize the following statement If

you learn to fly with us it will be FUN CHALLENG-

ING and SAFE

I donrsquot believe there is a shortage of pilot prospectsbut there is a shortage in how we all go about attract-

ing these people to become active participants in plea-

sure flying Remember flying is FUN Letrsquos make an

effort to help others share in that FUN

AERO CLASSICldquoCOLLECTOR SERIESrdquo

Vintage Tires New USA Production

Show off your pride and joy with afresh set of Vintage Rubber Thesenewly minted tires are FAA-TSOrsquodand speed rated to 120 MPH Some

things are better left the way theywere and in the 40rsquos and 50rsquos these tires were perfectly intune to the exciting times in aviation

Not only do these tires set your vintage plane apart fromthe rest but also look exceptional on all General Aviationaircraft Deep 832nd tread depth offers above averagetread life and UV treated rubber resists aging

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3444

We enjoy your suggestions for

Mystery Planesmdashin fact more than

half of our subjects are sent to us by

members often via e-mail Please

remember that if you want to scan

the photo for use in Mystery Plane

it must be at a resolution of 300 dpior greater You may send a lower-

resolution version to us for our re-

view but the final version has to be

at that level of detail or it will not

print properly Also please let us

craft in the photo is of Canadian civil

registry CF-BXO formerly Royal Cana-

dian Air Force (RCAF) 920 This photo-

graph would have been taken at some

time between 1962 and 1967 after an

overhaul at Abbotsford British Colum-

bia (BC) and possibly while in servicewith Stranraer Aerial Enterprises The

location strongly resembles the Fraser

River dockings at the Vancouver air-

port The aircraft had undergone a re-

spray with a bright red cheat line The

(beaching gear required) for the Royal Air

Force (RAF) in 1933 The prototype first

flew in October 1934 with two Bristol

Pegasus IIIM engines rated at 820 hp

The production aircraft were delivered to

the RAF with Pegasus engines delivering

920 hp entering service in April 1937The British-built machines of which 23

were ordered and only 17 being built

were all delivered by April 1939

In Canada Canadian Vickers Lim-

ited of Montreal Quebec produced 40

Send your answer to EAA Vin-

tage Airplane PO Box 3086 Osh-

kosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer

needs to be in no later than August

20 for inclusion in the October

2011 issue of Vintage Airplane

You can also send your response via

e-mail Send your answer to mystery

planeeaaorg Be sure to include your

name plus your city and state in the

body of your note and put ldquo(Month)

Mystery Planerdquo in the subject line

This monthrsquos Mystery Plane comes to us from Bruce Voran

MYSTERY PLANE

by HG FRAUTSCHY

A P R I L rsquo S M Y S T E RY A N S W E R

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3544

QCA began buying several examplesand was instrumental in convincing

the Canadian Department of Transport

(DOT) to issue a civilian Certificate of

Airworthiness (C of A) One of the first

aircraft so issued was CF-BYI which be-

1980 the Canadian Museum of Flightand Transportation in BC salvaged the

wreck for possible restoration As late as

April 1952 QCA still had two Stranraer

in service CF-BXO and CF-BYM Pacific

Western Airlines (PWA) also operated

Two RAF Belfast freighters were dis-

patched and the disassembled aircraft

was transported to the United Kingdomwhere the machine is currently one of the

centerpieces of the collection

The aircraft type had many names

The most familiar (and printable) were

Stranny Strainer and Flying Meccano

Set The least affectionate was the Whis-

tling Shouse as when the lid to the

throne was lifted there was direct access

to the great outdoors and there emitted a

loud whistling noise

Other correct answers were re-

ceived from Hillis Cunliffe Mill-

brook Alabama Brian Baker Sun

City Arizona Wesley R Smith

Springfield Illinois John White-

head Cheyenne Wyoming ScottChurch Cochrane Alberta Can-

ada Jay Broze Walla Walla Wash-

ington Jerry Paterson Kent

Washington Jamie Patterson Mi-

ramichi New Brunswick Canada

Bill Bishop of Mulgoa New South Wales Australia sent along this photo

of the surviving Supermarine Stranraer

David Nixon supplied us with the April Mystery Plane shot of CF-BXO

a Canadian Vickers-built Supermarine Stranraer

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3644

urday 8 am until 6 pm Early-bird

arrivals can shop on the pre-conven-

tion weekend as well during limited

hours Show your VAA membership

card (or your receipt showing you

joined VAA at the convention) and

yoursquoll receive a 10 percent discount

VAA Volunteer Opportunities

Are you an ace pancake flipperIf yoursquore not one yet we can help

The VAA Tall Pines Cafeacute is looking

for volunteers who can help provide

a hearty breakfast to all the hungry

campers on the south end of Witt-

man Field If you could lend a hand

for a morning or two wersquod appreci-

ate it If thatrsquos not your cup of tea feelfree to check with the VAA Volunteer

Center located just to the northeast

of the VAA Red Barn The volun-

teers who operate the booth will be

happy to tell you when your help is

needed each day It doesnrsquot matter if

itrsquos just for a few hours or for a few

daysmdashwersquod love to have your help-

ing hands There is no need for you

to contact us ahead of time you can

talk with us when you arrive

VAA Judging Categoriesand Awards

The VAArsquos internationally recog-

nized judging categories are

bullAntique Aircraft built prior toSeptember 1 1945

bullClassic September 1 1945 - De-

cember 31 1955

bullContemporary January 1 1956

- December 31 1970

VAA NEWScontinued frpm page 5

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3744

the award winners Judging closes at noon on Friday

July 29 The Awards Ceremony will be held Saturday

evening July 30 at 6 pm in the Vintage Hangar

just south of the VAA Red Barn

Designated Smoking Areas Near FlightlineSmoking on the flightline at EAA AirVenture is prohib-

ited because itrsquos a hazard to all aircraft There are several

designated smoking areas with butt cans along the flight-

line well away from aircraft and refueling operations

Designated smoking areas will be south of the ultra-light runway near the Hangar Cafeacute near the Warbirdsarea (northeast corner of Audrey Lane and Eide Av-

enue) the Wearhouse flag pole area the shade pavil-ion north of the control tower and near the UltralightBarn Locations will be indicated on EAArsquos free con-vention grounds map The admission wristband alsoinstructs visitors that smoking is allowed only in desig-nated smoking areas

More on the Web

Visit wwwAirVentureorg for more information onEAA AirVenture 2011

EAA AirVenture Is Almost Here Are You Ready

Just a few short weeks from now many of you will

make the annual pilgrimage to Oshkosh for EAA Air-

Venture 2011 Are you ready Here are several handy

online tools on the AirVenture website that can help

you take care of any last-minute concerns

Visit wwwAirVentureorg and find out what you

need to know about The Worldrsquos Greatest Avia-

tion Celebration

Admission Parking Hours

wwwAirVentureorgplanningadmissionhtml

Find or Share a Ride to Oshkosh

wwwAirVentureorgrideshare

Site Map

wwwAirVentureorgplanningschedules_mapshtml

Where to Stay

Yoursquore cleared to stay connected

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3844

ship services at 800-564-6322 but

given the time from when you read

this until AirVenture it may not ar-

rive in the mail in time for your de-

parture We suggest downloading

the NOTAM

The NOTAM contains the specialflight procedures in effect for Witt-

man Regional Airport and alternate

airports from 6 am CDT on Friday

July 22 to 12 pm CDT on Mon-

day August 1 2011 All pilots who

fly into the event are expected to

know the special flight procedures

prior to arrival EAA AirVenture Os-

hkosh runs from July 25 through

July 31 For additional EAA AirVen-

ture Oshkosh 2011 information

visit wwwAirVentureorg

Call for VAA Hall of

Fame Nominations

To the left is our information

for nominations for VAArsquos Hallof Fame which is presented each

year during a special dinner This

yearrsquos dinner will be held Friday

October 28 Wersquoll have more on

this yearrsquos inductee John Under-

To nominate someone is easy It just takes a little time and a little reminiscing on your part

Mail nominating materials to

Remember your ldquocontemporaryrdquo may be a candidate nominate someone today

wwwVintageAircraftorg

CALL FOR VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

Nominations

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3944

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

Wit tman Regional A i rpor t (OSH)

Oshkosh Wisconsin

July 25-31 2011

wwwAirVentureorg

Colorado Sport International Air Show

and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In

Rocky Mountain Met ropol i tan A irpor t (BJC)

Denver Colorado

August 27-28 2011

wwwCOSportAviationorg

Mid-Eastern Regional Fly-In

Gr imes F ie ld A irpor t (I74)

Urbana Ohio

September 10-11 2011

httpMERFIcom

Copperstate Fly-In

Casa Grande Munic ipal A i rpor t (CGZ)

Casa Grande Ar izona

Upcoming Major

Fly-Ins

W I N

Only 2000 ticketswill be sold1 ticket $50

3 tickets $125

Piper Tri-Pacer Airplane

Free Flying Lessons

Free Pilot License

Country Legend Roy Clarkrsquos Personal Proceeds fromthis raffle

SAVEAMERICANKIDS LIVES

wwwwingsofhoperaffleorg

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4044

MISCELLANEOUS

wwwaerolistorg Aviationsrsquo Leading

Marketplace

Rare find Lycoming 0-145 partsinventory blocks bearings rings

shafts amp much more $20000

at 1970 prices $5000 Six four

cylinder case aircraft magnetos

$300 Call for more details (FL)

VINTAGETRADER

Someth ing t o buyse l l o r t rade

Classified Word Ads $550 per 10

words 180 words maximum with boldface

lead-in on first line

Classified Display Ads One column wide

(2167 inches) by 1 2 or 3 inches high at

$20 per inch Black and white only and nofrequency discounts

Advertising Closing Dates 10th of second

month prior to desired issue date (ie

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 (classads

eaaorg ) using credit card payment (all cards

accepted) Include name on card complete

address type of card card number and

expiration date Make checks payable to EAA

Address advertising correspondence to EAA

Publications Classified Ad Manager PO Box

3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

What Our Members

Are Restoring

Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done and

yoursquore busy flying and showing it off If so wersquod like to hear from

you Send us a 4-by-6-inch print from a commercial source (no

home printers please those prints just donrsquot scan well) or a

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4144

EAAMembership in the Experimental Aircraft

Association Inc is $40 for one year includ-ing 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION Familymembership is an additional $10 annually Allmajor credit cards accepted for membership(Add $16 for International Postage)

FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPSPlease submit your remittance with a

check or draft drawn on a United Statesbank payable in United States dollars Addrequired Foreign Postage amount for eachmembership

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATIONCurrent EAA members may join the

Vintage Aircraft Association and receive

year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not included)(Add $7 for International Postage)

WARBIRDSCurrent EAA members may join the EAA

Warbirds of America Division and receiveWARBIRDS magazine for an additional$45 per year

EAA Membership WARBIRDS mag-azine and one year membership in theWarbirds Division is available for $55 per

year (SPORT OficAVIATION magazinenot included) (Add $7 for Interna-tional Postage)

IACCurrent EAA members may join the

International Aerobatic Club Inc Divi-sion and receive SPORT AEROBATICS magazine for an additional $45 per year

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

VINTAGE

AIRCRAFT

ASSOCIATION

OFFICERS

DIRECTORS

DIRECTORS

EMERITUS

PresidentGeoff Robison

1521 E MacGregor DrNew Haven IN 46774

260-493-4724chief7025aolcom

Vice-PresidentGeorge Daubner

N57W34837 Pondview LnOconomowoc WI 53066

262-560-1949 gdaubnereaaorg

Steve Bender85 Brush Hill Road

Sherborn MA 01770508-653-7557

sst10comcastnet

David Bennett375 Killdeer Ct

Lincoln CA 95648916-952-9449

antiquerinreachcom

Jerry Brown4605 Hickory Wood Row

Greenwood IN 46143317-422-9366

lbrown4906aolcom

Dave Clark635 Vestal Lane

Plainfield IN 46168317-839-4500davecpdattnet

John S Copeland1A Deacon Street

Northborough MA 01532508-393-4775

copeland1junocom

Phil Coulson28415 Springbrook Dr

Lawton MI 49065269-624-6490

rcoulson516cscom

Dale A Gustafson7724 Shady Hills Dr

Indianapolis IN 46278317-293-4430

dalefayemsncom

Jeannie HillPO Box 328

Harvard IL 60033-0328815-943-7205

Espie ldquoButchrdquo Joyce704 N Regional Rd

Greensboro NC 27409336-668-3650

windsockaolcom

Steve Krog1002 Heather Ln

Hartford WI 53027262-966-7627sskrogaolcom

Robert D ldquoBobrdquo Lumley1265 South 124th StBrookfield WI 53005

262-782-2633rlumley1wirrcom

SH ldquoWesrdquo Schmid2359 Lefeber Avenue

Wauwatosa WI 53213414-771-1545

shschmidgmailcom

Robert C Brauer9345 S Hoyne

Chicago IL 60643773-779-2105

photopilotaolcom

Gene Chase2159 Carlton Rd

Oshkosh WI 54904920-231-5002

GRCHAcharternet

Ronald C Fritz15401 Sparta Ave

Kent City MI 49330616-678-5012

rFritzpathwaynet com

Charlie HarrisPO Box 470350Tulsa OK 74147

918-622-8400cwhhvsucom

EE ldquoBuckrdquo Hilbert8102 Leech RdUnion IL 60180

815-923-4591buck7acgmailcom

Gene Morris5936 Steve Court

Roanoke TX 76262817-491-9110

genemor rischarter net

Membership Services DirectoryEnjoy the many benefits of EAA and

EAArsquos Vintage Aircraft Association

EAA Aviation Center PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086Phone (920) 426-4800 Fax (920) 426-4873Web Sites wwwvintageaircraftorg wwwairventureorg wwweaaorgmemberbenefits E-Mail vintageaircrafteaaorg

EAA and Division Membership Services (800 AMndash600 PM MondayndashFriday CST)800-564-6322 FAX 920-426-4873 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

bullNewrenew memberships bullAddress changes bullMerchandise sales bullGift memberships

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 888-322-4636 wwwairventureorg airventureeaaorg

Sport PilotLight-Sport Aircraft Hotline 877-359-1232 wwwsportpilotorg sportpiloteaaorg

Programs and Activities

Auto Fuel STCs 920-426-4843 stceaaorg EAA Air Academy 920-426-6880 wwwairacademyorg airacademyeaaorg

EAA Scholarships 920-426-6823 scholarshipseaaorg

Library ServicesResearch 920-426-4848 slurveyeaaorg

Benefits

AUA Vintage Insurance Plan 800-727-3823 wwwauaonlinecom

EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan 866-647-4322 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

EAA VISA Card 800-853-5576 ext 8884

EAA Her tz Rent-A-Car Program 800-654-2200 wwweaaorghertz membershipeaaorg

VAA EditorialExecutive Director 920-426-4825 wwwvintageaircraftorg vintageeaaorg

VAA Office 920-426-6110 tbookseaaorg

TM

EAA Members Information Line 888-EAA-INFO (322-4636)

Use this toll-free number for information about AirVenture Oshkosh aeromedical and technical aviation questions

chapters and Young Eagles Please have your membership number ready when calling

Office hours are 815 am - 500 pm (Monday - Friday CST)

SecretarySteve Nesse

2009 Highland AveAlbert Lea MN 56007

507-373-1674

stnes2009livecom

TreasurerDan Knutson

106 Tena Marie CircleLodi WI 53555608-592-7224

lodicubcharternet

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4244

If yoursquove ever watched fish in

an aquarium yoursquove probably no-

ticed how they respond differently

to their surroundings There are

those that zip around the tank in a

mad dash to nowhere Some seem

to sit and not go much of any-

where and some will swim f romone end to the other turn around

and do it again

The latter are the ones that remind

me of myself I seem to fly in a fish-

bowl I go from one end of our val-

proficient by practicing things we

know over and over or it can make

us lazy When something becomes

so ingrained that we do it from habit

only we may not be thinking about

what wersquore doing

On a night cross-country some

time ago I found out just how easyit is to forget things that I hadnrsquot

used in a while While night may be

a little more challenging it still re-

quires the basic pre-flight planning

of any cross-country and following

whether I go far or stay in the com-

fort zone I canrsquot let complacency take

over Those skills and experiences

need to be stretched from time to

time regardless of where I fly An un-

expected situation or emergency is a

bad time to find out I donrsquot remem-

ber how to do somethingComplacency also allows fear

to creep in where it doesnrsquot belong

Some fear (I think) is a natural part of

flying but it can also unnecessarily

keep us grounded because we wonrsquot

BY S MICHELLE SOUDER

Flying Outside

the Fishbowl

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4344

Itrsquos gonna be a big year at Oshk osh

B-29 Superfortress ldquoFIFIrdquo

The first visit since 1995for the worldrsquos only airworthyB-29 Superfortress

REO SpeedwagonOshkosh rocks Monday duringthe opening day concert presentedby Ford Motor Company

Tribute to Bob HooverTuesday afternoon air showfeaturing aircraft and maneuvershe made legendary

eVentureInnovation will be on displayand in the air with the ElectricFlight Prize Competition

Join us for a week-long celebration of the Centennial of Naval Aviationincluding a special air show Wednesday See the hottest naval aircraftin historic colors all week on ConocoPhillips Plaza

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4444

Page 8: Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 844

A Waco Kind of Family

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 944

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1044ldquowas about 6 years old

and Dad had taken us

to a fly-in in Ottumwa

show for his youthful fascination

with things that fly He now has

what he wished for when looking

Aviation families are quite common

within the sport aviation commu-

nity but few have made aviation

MIKE STEINEKE

The entire family enjoys flying the Waco all over the Midwest and beyond The color scheme evokes the colors chosenby Wiley Post for his record-setting Lockheed Vega the Winnie Mae

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1144

port That was in 1964 So basically

wersquove lived on an airport from just

about the moment I was born Now

So was Dad So we called the FAA

and got a lsquospecialrsquo VFR clearance

The last words my instructor said

before I took off in the C-152

were lsquoStay out of the clouds comearound and landrsquo So I didrdquo

There he was a certificated pilot

and still riding the school bus to his

little country school and living the

life of a typical high school kid in-

cluding going to local fairs

ldquoIt was at a local fair right after I

graduated that I met Carolyn and

I asked her out for a date On our

second or third date I took her fly-

ing in Dadrsquos Decathlon I guess that

must have impressed her because

we got married a year laterrdquo

Carolyn says ldquoHersquos such an avia-

tion addict that our honeymoon

had us stopping at various airports

as we traveled But Irsquoll tell youwhat Irsquod much rather he be out fly-

ing or hanging out at airports than

out drinkingrdquo And she laughs She

laughs a lot

Often it is at this point in an avi-

atorrsquos life story that the individual

says his flying stopped while he

built a business and a family tobe resumed as a later date Harve

however managed to sidestep that

layoff For one thing he essen-

tially lived on an airport his wife

liked flying (she says ldquoI decided if I

couldnrsquot beat him Irsquod join him and

started taking flying lessonsrdquo) and

hersquod grown up banging knuckles

working on airplanes So where so

many young fathers find their avia-

tion career has stagnated he started

building up his own airplanes the

first being a Cessna 170B

ldquoThe 170rdquo he says ldquowas actually

ldquoBecause we live barely 40 miles

from Blakesburg getting hooked on

vintage airplanes was unavoidable

Dad would take us to lots of fly-ins

including Blakesburg and from thevery beginning I actually liked vin-

tage airplanes better than he did

And I loved working on themrdquo

Harversquos love of vintage mechan-

ics showed through many years of

polishing and restoration of the

C-170 It went to Oshkosh for 16

years At first it was noticed because

it looked dreadfully forlorn but

over the years it began to gain more

attention and for better reasons

The judges were impressed enough

in 2000 to give it the best 170180

award Then it won Grand Cham-

pion in its class at the AAA Fly-In at

Blakesburg the next year

ldquoFirst I have to say that I donrsquotbuild airplanes to win trophies and

I donrsquot go to fly-ins to be judged I

build airplanes to go to fly-ins Pe-

riod We love going to fly-ins and

attend at least 15 or 20 a year and

we do it as a family Eventually the

kids got too big and we out-grew

the 170 after putting a little over1200 hours on itrdquo

While Harve might say he was

building a family the truth is that

Carolyn was the one having the

babies and trying to build a career

And her schedule was more than

just a little tight She started col-

lege right after Taryn was born and

missed her own graduation because

she was busy finishing her own

homebuilt Shalyn Today she puts

that diploma to work teaching sec-

ond grade while Harve farms 1500

acres of soybeans and corn

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1244

that he has made a huge number

of friends out of the other partici-

pants and thatrsquos good for all of usrdquo

ldquoI was looking for a bigger air-

plane when a friend of mine toldme about a beautiful 195 with a

blown engine sitting out on the

ramp in Tullahoma ldquo Harve says

ldquoI contacted the airport to find out

info about the owner I contacted

him and discovered it not only had

a bad engine but the finance com-

pany held the note as the owner

was going through bankruptcy I

flew down with my stepfather (who

had become a pilot after marry-

ing my motherhellipdad had died by

then) and we looked it over

ldquoI put in a bid and got it I sold

the 170 to a wonderful friend and

fortunately it stayed at our airport

where it is well tended We put anew 330 Jake from Radial Engines

Limited on the 195 and it won

awards at both Oshkosh and Blakes-

burg as well We kept the 195 for

three years But it still wasnrsquot a

Waco something I just couldnrsquot get

out of my head

ldquoWhen I started looking forWacosrdquo he says ldquolike everyone

else I was assaulted by the incred-

ible number of different varieties

But I wasnrsquot looking for something

to rebuild nor was I looking for a

rare variety I wanted an airplane

that would serve our family well

The fact that it would be an incred-

ibly cool antique was just a bonus

Because of that I passed on a lot of

projects and focused on airplanes

that were flying and needed a mini-

mum of work and could be fairly

easily supported That meant an

ldquoI looked at a few airplanes be-

fore a friend Doug Parsons turned

me on to N16249 a 1936 YKS-6 It

was last restored by Pete Coving-ton in 1994 so it was in really good

condition In fact well-known an-

tiquer Morton Lester had owned it

at the time of restoration It was a

good solid airplane that was due for

some freshening up not a rebuild

This was exactly what I was looking

for It had been through two own-

ers since Lester owned it and was

now part of an estate sale

ldquoI got it home in July of 2005 and

began working on itrdquo he says ldquoBe-

cause it had been restored nearly 15

years earlier and hadnrsquot been a han-

difficult but the paperwork turned

out to be a headache

ldquoThe original engine was a Ja-

cobs R-755-9 which is 245 hp butI wanted more power We have a

pretty big useful load with this air-

plane but it needs the extra power

when itrsquos heavy So I wanted to go

up to the 755-B2M which is 275

hp I had Air Repair in Cleveland

Mississippi build up an engine for

me Since itrsquos virtually identical to

the original Jake putting it on was

nothing At the same time we in-

stalled a new Sensenich wooden

prop But then we started working

on the paperwork

ldquoThis shouldnrsquot have been nearly

CRAIG VANDERKOLK

Most of the Applegate family during AirVenture 2010 from left to right

daughter Shalyn Harve Carolyn and son Matt The Applegatesrsquo other

daughter Taryn couldnrsquot make the trip

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1344

two airplanes were one in the same

Finally we got a hold of Jeff Janus

at the FAArsquos Aircraft Certification

Office (ACO) who said it was a no-

brainer and sent it back to the FSDO

and told them to sign it off

ldquoWersquove been flying the airplane

for five years now and itrsquos exactly

what we wanted an d what we

thought it should be First for an

airplane this big itrsquos really easy to

fly In fact it lands a lot like our

Cub and even on pavement isnrsquot

A Lesson in the Learning Caveats When DonatingAt one point Harversquos dad began having airport problems and therersquos a lesson

to be learned for a lot of us here

ldquoThe airport had never gotten hugerdquo Harve says ldquoIt was just a nice friendly

airport with a few hangars and some local tenants But it was the only airport in

the area so Dad deeded it over to the city I guess you could say he donated it

For years this worked out really well and all the aviation guys in the area loved it

We host a fly-in there each year and that became something of a local event that

everyone looked forward to

ldquoDad died suddenly in 1981 and we decided to build a house right near the

CRAIG VANDERKOLK

The Applegates camp every year just south of the VAA Flightline Opera-

tions building so son Matt and the family can enjoy visiting with their many

friends and watch the afternoon air show

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1444

bigger yoursquod want The back seat

is an honest three kids wide and

the two front seats are separated

by nearly a foot So you feel as ifyoursquore flying your own little air-

liner And how many airplanes to-

day let you crank the side windows

down and fly with you elbows up

on the windowsill

ldquoItrsquos not a rocketship in climb

about 500-600 fpm but itrsquoll give

you that or close to it whether

yoursquore loaded or not Those big old

wings can really carry a load

ldquoItrsquos also not a speed demon

but itrsquoll indicate 120 mph give or

take 5 mph at about 14 gallons per

hour and fly straight ahead with

MIKE STEINEKE

Another gorgeous picture of the Applegatesrsquo plane flying over the Midwest

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1544

The first wireless message sent

from an airplane to a ground station

wasnrsquot very imaginative or profound

The message telegraphed in dots and

dashes by US Army Lt Paul W Beck

on January 21 1911 was

ldquoAssociated Press AviationField Scotford is not the only

bird on the aviation board Beckrdquo

The message didnrsquot have the hum-

bling sense of Samuel Morsersquos ldquoWhat

hath God wroughtrdquo or the quaint-

ness of Alexander Graham Bellrsquos ldquoMr

Watsonmdashcome heremdashI want to see

yourdquo or Neil Armstrongrsquos inspira-

tional ldquoThatrsquos one small step for man

one giant leap for mankindrdquoThe rather mundane message was

hastily scribbled by Associated Press

reporter Guy Moysten who was cov-

Corps

Beck had been taken aloft by Philip

O Parmalee an early aviation pio-

neer The ldquopurple sparks spluttered

by the telegraph keyrdquo were also inter-

cepted by navy wireless stations on

Goat Island (now Yerba Buena Island)

and the Mare Island Navy YardBeckrsquos second message was ldquoThree

hundred feet up and riding level

It is cold It is bumpyrdquo The word

ldquobumpyrdquo wasnrsquot received because

Beckrsquos fingers were so cold that they

refused to as Beck put it ldquoanswer the

nerve impulsesrdquo

The word ldquoScotfordrdquo in the first

message referred to Frederick E Scot-

ford chairman of the Aviation Ex-

ecutive Committee which had

conceived planned and set in mo-

tion the air meet The message re-

ferred to a previous flight ldquoaround the

army also ldquolent their band for daily

concerts during guard mount or pa-

raderdquomdashall this to the delight of the

crowds throughout the entire affair

San Francisco was in heavy compe-

tition with New Orleans for the exclu-

sive rights to the 1915 Panama-Pacific

International Exhibition (PPIE) aworldrsquos fair to celebrate the upcom-

ing 1914 opening of the Panama

Canal The city desperately wanted

to land the exhibition believing it

would confirm San Franciscorsquos phoe-

nix-like rise from the ashes of devasta-

tion The air show was thought of as

the opening act

Plans for the PPIE had already

been complicated in 1910 Just six

months earlier Californiarsquos gover-

nor had banned the Jim Jeffries-Jack

Johnson fight scheduled for San

Franciscomdashforcing the epic ldquoFight

Flashes of Purple SparksBY DANIEL J DEMERS

Lt Paul Beck left with

the Western Wireless

Equipment Company A-4wireless set in his lap

while seated in a Wright

biplane during wireless

tests during the 1911 San

Francisco Air Meet The

set weighed 29 pounds

and featured a telegraph

key mounted on the top of

the mahogany box

JOURNAL OF ELECTRICITY POWER AND GAS

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1644

shadowed all the other historic firsts

achieved at the meet

Beck described the sensation of fly-

ing at 800 feet like this

ldquoWhirring propellers throb-

bing pistons and machine-

gun-like gasoline explosions

deafened you while tears bit-

ter tears were forced from your

eyes by the back rush of air and

you have a slight conception

how it feels to rival the eagle in a

Wright biplanerdquo

He had used in his own words

ldquoa rough makeshift affair weighing

thirty-two poundsrdquo It consisted of

a ldquosmall gap and interrupter an or-

dinary telegraph key a small storage

cellrdquo and a shunt ldquoto prevent over-

charging of the cellrdquo The entire de-vice was contained in a wooden box

that he carried on his lap The aerial

used for the experiment was a 120-

foot bronze wire trailing the plane

connected to the ldquosending appara-

tus by a number sixteen copper wirerdquo

The whole gizmo was grounded to a

stay wire on the aircraft connectedldquoto the sending apparatusrdquo Beck ex-

plained ldquoThe wave length measured

by the wave meter at the receiving

station was 575 meters in length This

is rather longer than we had thought

it would berdquo

Simultaneous to Beckrsquos experi-

ment Charlie Willard (another

pioneer aviator) unsuccessfully at-

tempted to send a wireless message

using a different set According to

Beck ldquoHis outfit weighed a trifle less

than the one which I used and his

antenna wire was a trifle longerrdquo Ac-

ldquoengine is practically noiseless when

comparedrdquo with the other planes at

the air meet ldquoSilencerdquo wrote Beck ldquois

an essential factor to the successful

reading of telegraphic codes or thesuccessful undertaking of human

speech by wireless telephonerdquo

Of great concern to the experi-

mentrsquos sponsors was the fact that an

ldquoelectrical dischargerdquo was involved in

the actual receiving of the message

from the ground Thus it was of ldquogreat

importance that the gasoline tank be

thoroughly insulated in order to pre-vent possible ignition from a sparkrdquo

Avoiding such an aerial catastrophe

was to be overcome by using ldquoone of

the guy wires on the Antoinette ma-

chine as the static ground and to drag

from the tail of the airship an alumi-

num wire of great capacity and weigh-

ing less than two pounds though 130feet in length as the antennardquo

Unfortunately as Beck told it ldquothe

god or gods of the elementsrdquo stepped

in On this particular day being ldquoaloft

was dangerous to life and limbrdquo

Lathamrsquos beautiful Antoinette mono-

plane was demolished in an accident

Latham survived the crash but a mere12 months later he died a mysterious

death in the French Congo

Beck understood that aviation was

in its infancy and that ldquowe must creep

before we walkrdquo While the experi-

ment to send a message had failed

due to an air wreck Beck concluded

it had been ldquoreduced to a mere ques-

tion of providing mechanical devices

for deadening the sound of the pro-

pellers shutting out the noise of the

rushing wind and providing some

simple means for placing the received

message in written form on some

Sources

Chief Warrant Officer Mark J

Denger Dominguez Inter-

national Air Meet California

Aviation History wwwMilitary- MuseumorgDominguezhtml

Lt Paul W Beck Aviation Meet

From War Viewpoint How

Army and Navy Will Take Part

San Francisco Examiner January

6 1911 5

Lt JC Walker Jr War Prob-

lems to be Solved In Air San

Francisco Examiner January 7

1911 3

Lt Paul W Beck What Army Is

Striving For Opening Day a

Big Success San Francisco Ex-

aminer January 8 1911 76

Lt Paul W Beck Wreck Spoils Wire-

less Experiment San Francisco

Examiner January 11 1911 2

Lt JC Walker Jr Biplanes in

Wind Please Army Man San

Francisco Examiner January 11

1911 2

Lt Paul W Beck Airplane Wire-

less Experiments Today War

Expert Reviews the Aviation

Meet San Francisco Examiner

January 18 1911 2

Lt Paul W Beck Wireless Adds

New Link To War Chain San Francisco Examiner January 22

1911 67

Flashes of Purple Glint From

Aeroplane in the Sky to Earth

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1744

VAA Friends of the Red BarnName______________________________________________________________________EAA ___________ VAA ___________

Address______________________________________________________________________________________________________

CityStateZIP________________________________________________________________________________________________

Phone___________________________________________________E-Mail______________________________________________

Please choose your level of participation

DiamondPlus$1250

Diamond$1000

Platinum$750

Gold$500

Silver$250

Bronze$100

LoyalSupporter$99 amp Under

EAA VIP Center2 peopleFull

Week

VIP Air Show Seating2 people2

Days2 people1

Day

Close Auto Parking Full Week Full Week 2 Days

Two Tickets to VAA Picnic

Tri-Motor Certificate 2 Tickets 2 Tickets 2 Tickets 1 Ticket

Breakfast at Tall Pines Cafeacute2 PeopleFull Wk

2 PeopleFull Wk

2 PeopleFull Wk

1 PersonFull Wk

Special FORB Cap

Two Passes to VAA Volunteer Party

Special FORB Badge

Access to Volunteer Center

Donor Appreciation Certificate

Name Listed Vintage Airplane Magazine Website and Sign at Red Barn

Donrsquot wait for a mailing from VAA HQ before you send in your contributionmdashto keep our administration costs as low as possible wersquore not

sending out a mailingto each VAA member Please send your donation today while itrsquos fresh in your mindPlease help the VAA and our nearly 500 dedicated volunteers make this an unforgettable experience for our EAA AirVenture guestsYour contribution does make a dif ference There are seven levels of gifts and gift recognition Thank you for whatever you can doHere are some of the many activities the Friends of the Red Barn fund under writes

bullRed Barn Information Desk Supplies bullFlightline Parking Scooters and Supplies bullBreakfast for Past Grand Champions

bullParticipant Plaques and Supplies bullVolunteer Booth Administrative Supplies bullSigns Throughout the Vintage Area

bull Ton irsquos Red Car pet Expre ss Van and Rad ios bullRed Barn and Other Building Maintenance bullAnd More

bullCaps for VAA Volunteers bull Tal l Pin es Caf eacute D in ing Ten t

2 11 VAA Friends of the Red Barn Campaign2011 VAA Friends of the Red Barn CampaignThe VAA annual fundraising campaign fuels VAA action

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1844

T

he worldrsquos first regular air-

mail line was operated by

the United States Army

back in 1918 when a fleet

of old Jennies were pushed back

and forth between New York City

and Washington DC a distance

of two hundred and twenty miles

the fields that no self-respecting pi-

lot would take a second look at in

these times But those were the days

of wooden ships and iron men

Chief pilot on the line was a

handsome youth just out of his

teens Lieutenant James C Edger-

ton who had an unusual knack of

gan There were impressive ceremo-

nies political speeches bouquets of

flowers for the flyers and the Presi-

dent of the United States himself

went down to the Polo Grounds

and wished the pilot who was to

carry the mail to New York ldquoGod

speedrdquo Almost as soon as he left

From the Archives Reprinted from Popular Aviation Dec 1935

First Regular

Airmail FlightBY LIEUT H LATANE LEWIS II

The pilot is receiving his last-minute orders before shoving off with the mail Once more old Jenny

makes history

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1944

through with considerable diffi-

culty The pilot scheduled to make

the flight hopped off from Philadel-

phia and pointed the blunt nose of

his Jennie southward toward Wash-ington The checkerboard fields and

streams sliding beneath his wings

soon became a jigsaw puzzle and

one that he couldnrsquot piece together

The flyer realized that he was hope-

lessly lost He barged around for

awhile and finally decided to come

down and ask directions

Landing on the race track atBridgeton New Jersey forty miles

off his course he became involved

with a group of curious

horses which cracked up

the ship The mail was sent

back to Philadelphia by truck and

started out in another plane with

another pilot About thirty milesout his engine began to miss and

as it was getting dark he turned and

high-tailed back to his home field

Jim Edgerton stepped forward

and offered to save the face of the

new service and take the mail on

to Washington in spite of darkness

and a bad engine Night was comingon in earnest by this time If his en-

gine should conk on the trip down

there would be no flares for him to

release and land by nor would he be

able to bail out with a parachute for

this was before the day of the Cater-

pillar Club And at Washington he

would have no floodlights to illu-

minate the Polo Grounds It would

mean coming into that narrow field

which was surrounded by tall trees

in utter darkness

But Jim was an impatient and

adventurous young man so he

cians all through his eventful flying

career He was the least perturbed of

all as he came roaring down from the

north and circled the inky pit into

which he must bring his ship at thespeed of an express train

There were about half a dozen

automobiles parked around the

field and Jim estimated his ap-

proach from their headlights Spec-

tators heard his engine stop then

the shrill scream of the wind on

his struts and wires Then they

caught sight of a ghost-like silhou-ette against the night sky coming

down in a dizzy slideslip An in-

stant later a gray phantom swept

across the field and settled down

to a perfect landing The mail had

come through

Edgerton was the first pilot who

ever flew into a thunderstorm Upto that time flyers all over the world

looked upon electrical storms as a

deadly menace and had avoided

them as they would a plague Or-

ders had been issued that no mail

pilot should take off if weather con-

ditions were unfavorable

At Philadelphia one afternoon

during the middle of July Jim had

his ship tuned up and was ready to

shove off but down towards the

southwest storm clouds were gath-

ering It was against orders to fly

under such conditions Jim fumed

possible and then as he came over

the ldquoSusquehanna River he ran

smack into it It was a violent line

squall the storm most dreaded of

all by aviators and the kind thatsent the mighty Akron and Shenan-

doah down to destruction On the

ground trees were being uprooted

and houses damaged

ldquoIt was the bumpiest ride I ever

had before or sincerdquo chuckles Jim

Edgerton today as he recalls the

vivid impression it left on him

ldquoWe were thrown all over the skyThe rain and hail were so thick that

I couldnrsquot see the wingtips The

propeller was all chewed

up and I had to throttle

down the engine Butrdquo he

adds modestly ldquoI came out right

on the courserdquo

And the mail was landed inWashington on time

That flight and the others like it

that Edgerton made probably did

more than anything else to give the

public confidence in the reliability

of the airmail Frequently he flew

through dense fog and relied en-

tirely on the crude instruments ofthose early days to keep him in the

air On one of these flights he es-

caped death by as narrow a margin

as was ever vouchsafed a pilot

He shoved off in heavy rain and

soon ran into thick weather He

barged on into it flying blind for

awhile and then climbing up on

the top of the stuff It was so thick

that even the birds had to walk Af-

ter about an hour and a half he

decided to try to find the ground

to check his course He was com-

ing down in a fast glide when sud-

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2044

altitude the fog was so thick

it was like being submerged

in pea soup but occasion-

ally there would be a break

and Edgerton would catcha glimpse of the ground and

know where he was

As he passed over Havre

de Grace there suddenly

loomed up dead ahead a

church steeple He was right

on it before he saw it He

banked for all he was worth

standing the old crock rightup on her ear and missed

the steeple by a miracle

But the crowning thr ill

of the day came a little later

as he passed the Army Proving

Ground at Aberdeen

ldquoWe were flying at an altitude of

about 150 feetrdquo Edgerton recallsldquoVisibility was practically nil Sud-

denly there was a terrific bump al-

most as violent as if the plane had

struck something That afternoon

Army authorities at Aberdeen

called up and said that an airplane

had flown over there and almost

collided with a shell fired from a16-inch gunrdquo

Is it any wonder that Edgertonrsquos

hair has turned slightly gray

On another occasion Jim got

caught in a vicious summer thun-

derstorm over Baltimore He was

flying his faithful old mount No

38274 The turbulent air tossed

the frail wooden Jenny about like

a ship on a rough sea One instant

her nose would be pointed straight

toward heaven and the next instant

Jim would see the ground rush-

ing up at him just over the engine

of a lead pencil were spurting out

Soon the whole forward part of the

fuselage was saturated

Jim watched the lightning play-

ing about the metal parts of the

plane and waited for the spark

that would blow him to shreds and

splatter him all over Baltimore But

Lady Luck was riding with him

again and the spark never came

He rode out the storm and brought

had broken and was dangling al-

most in the shining arc of the

propeller If it became entangled

in the prop it would shatter it to

a million splinters and probablytear the engine loose

Throttling down Jim maneu-

vered as best he could to keep

wire and prop from that fatal

embrace Below him were plenty

of flat broad fields into which

he could have glided But that

would mean delaying the mail

so the plucky youngster kept go-ing and finally sat down safely

in Washington

Altogether Edgerton made

fifty-three trips and never failed

to bring the mail through on any

of them On only one did he have

a forced landing

He was over Camp Meade Mary-land when a magneto shaft broke

There was a terrific jolt that almost

jumped the engine out of the ship

For once Jim had to come down

and come down in a hurry He

looked below him and his heart

stood still He was plunging straight

towards the heads of hundreds ofmarching men on parade

Lower and lower sank the help-

less Jenny Edgerton flattened his

glide as much as he dared and tried

to squeeze over the soldiers He was

almost knocking their hats off but

still the Yanks continued to hold

their ground

ldquoI just skimmed over their heads

and landed on the very edge of the

parade groundrdquo Jim laughingly re-

lates ldquoIt was my old outfit and they

certainly gave me a welcomerdquo

It was just a bit demoralizing to

With the mail aboard the pilot proceeds to warm

up the OX-5 which animates the Jenny

Authentic dope on the

controversial subject

ldquoWho flew the firstairmailrdquo In spite of the

many claims to priority by

various pilots we believe

that this is the real

answer to the problem

An old Jenny as usual

does the work

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2144

AirVenture amp Ford Together Again

REO Speedwagon Concert Monday

600PM next to the Ford Hangar

Fly In Theater Nightly Sunday ndash

Saturday 830PM Camp Scholler

Cruisinrsquo Legends See Mustangs and

more Knapp Street near Warbirds

Model T Experience Tour in a Model

T ldquoCruisinrsquo Legendsrdquo

ldquoBlues Brothersrdquo Tribute Party

Saturday 630PM Ford ldquoHangar of Bluesrdquo

Free Ice Cream Nightly in the camp-

grounds ndash from the Transit Connect

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2244

My son and I spent the better part of

six years restoring an Aeronca 7BCM

Jeff was 13 years old when we started

the project and 19 when we finished

sponds quickly to my urging as I

push the throttle control forward

to begin a low-level no-radio no-

transponder flight from Charles W

time I admit to being spoiled first by

low-frequency ldquobeamsrdquo then VORs

DME RNAV LORAN and now GPS

But for this flight I left all that behind

To Follow the LineThis was the way I had learned navigation to follow the line

BY E JEFF JUSTIS

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE AUTHOR

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2344

Down low it was fun once more

watching the small towns pass

even being able to read the names

on water towers

In north-central Mississippi

there appears a vast forest spread-

ing out beneath my wings an il-

lusory remnant of the gloriouswilderness that once extended

from the East Coast to the Great

Plains Now clear-cutting scars are

evidence of manrsquos meddling graf-

fiti on our planetrsquos face

I am surprised at the hills of

North Mississippi at higher al-

titudes they flatten into the ter-rain but here at 1000 feet above

the ground the hills are alive with

depth and color

My craft and I intruders in his

world pass a circling hawk I look

down and try to see the tiny crea-

ture I am sure he sees but where

he must perceive the slightest rus-tle of the brush I see only patterns

of green and brown and the bright

blue of reflected sky

Enough of this sightseeing I should

have crossed this highway a couple

of miles farther to the north I make a

slight correction Highways They criss-

cross this land cutting it into smaller

and smaller bits these scratches of

man meant little when there were

fewer men but now they separate deer

from deer and life from life

At the edge of a field pebbled by

round bales of hay rests a red tractor Jeff Justis was just 13 when he and his family embarked on the restoration of

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2444

suppose is the essence of life

Soon the forward horizon bulges

upward as I approach old tectonic

ridges aligned northeast-southwest

near Birmingham The dark greenof the forested ridges contrasts with

the lighter verdant hues of manrsquos

cultivation Ahead a sharp razor-

backed ridge prompts a climb to

3000 feet I teeter across the top and

slide down toward the broad valley

on the eastern side My first land-

ing after one hour and 45 minutes is

welcome As a no-radio aircraft I am

careful to follow the standard pat-

tern and glide down final touching

down on the much-too-long-for-

The-Champ runway of Posey AirportMost cross-country flights in

the rsquo50s were from grass strip to

grass strip A red gas pump would

be brought into service by the col-

orful operatormechanic of these

old aerodromes Aeroncas and

Luscombes were everywhere and

Cessna 195s were the elite air-

planes Now on this ramp my

Aeronca is an anachronism

A King Air is being readied for cor-

porate passengers and my little tail-

dragger is lost on the large apronFortunately we modified the 7BCM

with a starter and generator so I do

not have to find someone to help me

get started In years past almost ev-

ery lineman was proficient in hand-

propping now itrsquos almost a lost art

Soon I am on the way to my

next stop Lagrange Georgia I am

fooled by the appearance of a large

airport an old military field at 12

orsquoclock on the horizon Only when

I get close enough do I realize this is

not the field I am supposed to over-

fly and that I am 10 miles south of

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2544

ramp taking nearly as long as the

flight itself

The cost of this slow flight is cer-

tainly minimal with fill-ups after

two hours averaging 15 or so dol-

lars Besides the trip has been fun so

far relearning old navigation tricks

and seeing the country down low

Now I have only a few more milesto navigate to Eaglesrsquo Landing The

fly-in community strip is near Wil-

liamson Georgia and just east of a

northeast-southwest-oriented rail-

road I decide to proceed due east

find the railroad and follow it

northeast toward the destination

I cross a highway but see no rail-road A few miles further still no

railroad I must have passed it Af-

ter a 180 I find the highway again

but nohellipwait what is that That is

an abandoned rail line for sure and

it does parallel the road I continue

northeast scanning the horizon

passing pretty fields and housesI locate one airport with houses

neatly lining both sides of the single

runway but it is not Eaglesrsquo Landing

Soon I see Griffin Georgia I have

come too far I ease The Champ into

a bank to try again back down the

rail line andhellipherersquos a golf coursehellip

and yes there are two grass run-

ways meeting in a ldquoVrdquo I circle andmake a low pass over the northwest

runway watching my friends wave

from their yard ldquoWhat a nice place

to liverdquo I think as I line up on final

I glide just above the grass and

A foil tape antenna ground plane was just one of the nifty little touches added

to The Champ as the two Jeffs restored their airplane

Doesnrsquot ever yone use Champ

tail surfaces as decorative ele-

ments in their household dec-orating Mrs Justis is a very

patient woman

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2644

CALIFORNIAHayward CA VIN 29

Meeting 2nd Thurs 600 pm

Hayward Airport

See website for hangar info

Gary Oberti President

Phone 510-357-8600

E-mail infovaa29org

Website wwwvaa29org

CALIFORNIASacramento CA VIN 25

Meeting 2nd Sat 900 am

See chapter website for location

Robert Opdahl President

Phone 530-273-7348

E-mail bopdahlsbcglobalnet

Website wwwVin25org

CAROLINAS VIRGINIAWalnut Cove NC VIN 3

Meeting Contact President

Susan Dusenbury President

Phone 336-591-3931

E-mail sr6sueaolcom

Website wwwVAA3org

FLORIDALakeland FL VIN 1

Meeting Contact President

Bobby Capozzi President

Phone 352-475-9736

INDIANAAuburn IN VIN 37

Meeting 4th Thurs 700 pm

DeKalb County Airport (kGWB)

Hangar AmdashVAA 37 Clubhouse

Drew Hoffman President

Phone 260-515-3525

E-mail drewhoffmanvaa37org

Website wwwVAA37org

KANSASOverland Park KS VIN 16

Meeting 2nd Fri 730 pm

CAF Hangar

New Century Airport

Kevin Pratt President

Phone 913-541-1149

E-mail kprattvaa16com

Website wwwVAA16com

LOUISIANANew Iberia LA VIN 30

Meeting 1st Sun 900 am

LeMaire Memorial Airport Hangar 4

Roland Denison President

Phone 337-365-3047

E-mail vaa30coxnet

MINNESOTAAlbert Lea MN VIN 13

Meeting 2nd Thurs 700 pm

Albert Lea Airport FBO

OHIODelaware OH VIN 27

Meeting 3rd Sat 8-10AM May thru Sept

Delaware Municiple Airport (DLZ)

Terminal Building

Woody McIntire President

Phone 740-362-7228

E-mail wjmcintirecscom

Website wwwEAAdlzorg

OHIOZanesville OH VIN 22

Meeting 2nd Fri 630 pm

Perry County Airport

John Morozowsky President

Phone 740-453-6889

OKLAHOMATulsa OK VIN 10

Meeting 4th Thurs 700 PM

Hardesty South Regional Library

No meetings in July Nov amp Dec

Joe Champagne President

Phone 918-257-4688

Email skypalgroveemailcom

TEXASSpring TX VIN 2

Meeting 4th Sun 200 PM

David Wayne Hooks Airport (KDWH)

Fred Ramin President

Phone 281-255-4430

Vintage Chapter LocatorVisit the VAA chapter nearest you and get to know some great old-airplane enthusiasts You donrsquot need

to be a pilot to join in the funmdashjust have a love of the great airplanes of yesteryear

Chapter 27 of Delaware Ohio hosts a monthly pancake breakfast where attendees enjoy the camara-derie among the airplanes

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2744

When Albert Vollmecke joined

Arkansas Aircraft Company in Sep-tember 1927 he brought fresh ideas

from his native Germany regarding

aircraft design stability and safety

He would on occasion return to

Germany to bring back something

new for the company In 1928 Ar-

kansas Aircraft Company changed

its name to Command-Aire Incor-porated and the production run

of new ships increased in its Little

Rock Arkansas plant

After one such visit to Ger-

many Vollmecke returned with

the rights to import and sell the

PHYLAX fire-extinguisher system

patented (GB 0267542) March 10

1926 and manufactured in Berlinby Phylax Feuerlosch-Automaten-

Bau GmbH The PHYLAX fire-

extinguisher system consisted of

a tank containing the extinguish-

ing liquid From the tank which

BY ROBERT G LOCK

Early 1047297re-extinguishing system

THE Vintage

Mechanic

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2844

advertisement from AVIATION

November 1928 using the OX-5

powered model 3C3 ship to dem-

onstrate the system

The PHYLAX system consisted

of a pressurized tank of fluid with

associated lines and nozzles lead-

ing to the engine compartment of

the ship Note here that the unit

is manufactured in t he United

States by the Aero Supply Man-

ufacturing Company located in

Long Island New York The cost

of the unit is $70 in this May 1929

advertisement in an aviation mag-

azine Illustration 2 shows the

manufacturerrsquos advertisement for

the product

In a letter dated April 10 1929

Mr Wiley Wright assistant sales

director for Command-Aire Incor-

porated wrote

ldquoCommand-Aire Incorporated

acquired the exclusive franchise

rights for PHYLAX automatic fire

extinguishers in the United States

Mexico and Central America This

extinguisher is the only automatic

fire extinguisher available and is

standard equipment on many Eu-

ropean lines It is manufactured

by PHYLAX Bau of Germany and

is receiving great response in the

United States at the present timerdquo

In this factory Illustration 3

and from the files of Albert Voll-

mecke is a 110-hp Warner engine

mounted in the Command-Aire

model 3C3-A ship Note the en-

gine cowling being neatly fitted

around cylinders and associated

tubes The 3C3-A had a very longnose due to its light weight ne-

ce s s i ta t ing a longer a rm f or

weight and balance control In

this photo the PHYLAX sprinkler

heads are visible behind the mag-

netos down near the carburetor

and behind the oil inlet hoses on

the accessory case of the engineIllustration 3 is an original fac-

tory photograph of the PHYLAX

system installed in the nose of a

model 3C3-A

Illustration 4 is the same photo-

graph with some details removed

and other details added princi-

pally the identification of the PHY-LAX automatic fuse that fired the

bottle of extinguishing fluid and

the sprinkler heads These illustra-

tions taken from a Command-Aire

original factory brochure from the

files of Albert Vollmecke

Illustration 5 on page 27 is a

sketch from the PHYLAX patent

0267542 dated March 10 1926A general description of the PHY-

LAX system is contained within

the patent and states ldquoThe inven-

tion relates to a fire extinguishing

device intended for use particu-

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2944

not indicate what type of extinguishing fluid was

contained within the tank however soda-acid was

widely used in those days and carbon tetrachloridewas invented in 1912 by the Pyrene Company

In a communication from Command-Aire Pres-

ident Robert Snowden regarding the purchase of

stock options in the company he states ldquoOur ex-

clusive franchise for the sale of Phylax automatic

Illustration 3

Illustration 4

Illustration 5

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3044

homeland on a regular basis and

always brought back some new in-

vention or new ideas on design andsafety This system was certainly

ahead of its time safety-wise and a

credit to Vollmeckersquos focus on sta-

bility and safety for his designs

Above in this original factory

photograph (Illustration 6) of a

Command-Aire 3C3-T fuselage on

the assembly line at the Little Rock

plant the PHYLAX system can beseen mounted in the rear cock-

pit just behind the front seat in

the center of the photograph The

chemical bottles with two lines

tied to the side tubes run forward

Illustration 6

Pyrene 1047297re extinguishers

were made of brass and

were nicely polished

They were not high-pressure units

but required the use of a hand pump

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3144

Pyrene fire extinguishers were

made of brass and were nicely pol-

ished They were not high-pressureunits but required the use of a

hand pump to generate pressure

to expel liquid from the cylinder

These extinguishers were gener-

ally mounted in the rear cockpit

ton or linen fabric and the only

dope available was cellulose ni-

trate that burned like a torch when

lit Watching nitrate dope burn

reminded me of a Fourth of July

sparkler very intense and hot If

a nitrate-doped ship caught fire in

the air there was no extinguisher

that would put out the flames

The PHYLAX system had an auto-

matic sensor that would trigger the

bottlersquos valve open and send the

chemical into the engine compart-

ment The Pyrene extinguisher wasmore for ground use because you

could not operate the bottle and

fly the airplane at the same time

By todayrsquos standards these ex-

tinguishing systems seem ar-

chaic but for the time back in

the 1920s they were the thing to

have in your automobile boator airplane

Editorrsquos Note WARNING An-

tique carbon tetrachloride fire extin-

guishers like the Pyrene occasionally

show up either contaminated with

the original agent or worse yet with

the full charge of agent still inside

Carbon tet is treated as a hazard-

ous substance (its use was banned

in consumer products in 1970) and

should be dealt with accordingly

In fact carbon tetrachloride when

heated by a fire will create poison-

ous phosgene gas (World War Irsquos

ldquonerve gasrdquo) something that would

definitely ruin someonersquos day if the

fire hadnrsquot done so already In its

standard form this substance is verytoxic to the liver and a single signifi-

cant exposure can result in sickness

or death

L a n g l ey may have been the

f h f i i i b

last and last The instruction

l i l d f

1903 Samuel Pierpont Langleyrsquos ldquoAerodromerdquoattempts to take off from a floating platform

Have a comment or ques-

tion for Bob Lock the Vintage

Mechanic Drop us an e-mail at

vintageaircrafteaaorg or you

can mail your question to Vintage

Airplane PO Box 3086 Osh-

kosh WI 54903

Illustration 7

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Authorrsquos Note We held a small open house at the

flight school hangar this past Saturday Though the

weather was not conducive to give many rides we still

had about 60 people show up enjoy a brat or ham-

burger and talk about flying or learning to fly Interest

in flying is not dead One of my pet peeves is how we

in general aviation go about attracting individuals tolearn the pleasure of flight

Nearly every aviation publication I read carries ar-

ticles and editorials about the downward spiral of gen-

eral aviation Flight schools are having a hard time

attracting new students ldquoDoom and gloomrdquo reigns

with little positive to report on the horizon This al-

ways reminds me of the proverbial three wise mon-keys who embody the principle ldquoSee no evil hear no

evil and speak no evilrdquo We all complain about the

problem but no one ever offers solutions It seems as

though by not doing anything about the challenge it

will eventually go away and right itself

Many of the aviation organizations are wringing

their respective hands giving great lip service to the

drop in pilot numbers Some like EAA have launched

activities to attract new pilots such as the Young Ea-gles program This has been a good start but it will not

fill the ever-increasing void for more pilots

What are we all missing FUN

Four years ago I chose early retirement from a 38-

The student make-up is a real cross-section of Amer-

ica My youngest student to date began flight lessons

at age 14 and the oldest was 77 years young Irsquove men-

tioned some of my students in previous articles At

yearrsquos end 2010 while converting our student files

from paper to computer I was amazed to discover that

in the previous two years I had given instruction tomore than 200 individuals Some were new students

others were individuals in search of a tailwheel en-

dorsement and many were older individuals who had

pursued flight training early in their lives but gave it

up to raise a family Now they had the time and still re-

tained the burning desire to get back into flying What

attracted these individuals to the flight school FUN

And thefun

challenge of flying J-3 Cubs

Herersquos a small cross-section of this yearrsquos group

of students

bullA retired US Navy lieutenant who flew F-4 Phan-

toms off carriers in Vietnam He hasnrsquot done any fly-

ing in more than 10 years but hersquos been building a

Skybolt which will soon be finished and hersquos return-

ing to his lifelong lovemdashaviation He also has two

young sons who want to fly and will soon be joining

the group of student pilotsbullA young CPA from Iowa whose grandfather was a

friend of Bernie Pietenpol and who has built two Piets

The CPA used two weeks of his vacation time to learn

to fly so that he can fly the airplane(s) that his grandfa-

ther built and take his grandfather for a ride

BY Steve Krog CFI

THE Vintage

Instructor

Vintage flying is very much alive

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Cubs flying every day he decided to pursue his pas-

sion for flight

bullA national chain hardware store employee who

has had a dream of flying driving nearly two hours

each way to learn to fly in a Cub

bullAn aviation writervideo producer who already has

a sport pilot certificate but desires to obtain a private

pilot certificate and do so in Cubs

bullA 30-something young family man who sells

construction equipment attachments While deer

hunting a year ago he learned one of his hunting

friends had recently learned to fly in Cubs For three

days they talked airplanes and flying rather than do-

ing much hunting Upon his return from the hunt-ing trip he drove to the airport and signed up for

lessons in the Cub

bullA professional musician from the Chicago area

who always wanted to learn to fly Although not yet

old enough to have a true ldquobucket listrdquo learning to fly

a Cub was number one on his list

With two exceptions these individuals had never

before flown or flown in tailwheel airplanes but alwayshad a dream of learning to fly in a Cubmdashjust like dad

or granddad did many years ago

Although no one in this group comes from simi-

lar backgrounds or professions there is one common

denominator among every studentmdashFUN None of

these students are learning to fly to pursue a career

in aviation (although Irsquove worked with a couple who

have done so) Rather they are learning to fly or get-

ting back into flying for the FUN and CHALLENGE of

flight They all have a true love of flight and seeing the

world from 500 feet with the door and window open

I have also worked with a number of students who

began taking flight lessons but quit after a period of

time They still had the passion for flight but gave it

up When asked why the responses fell into one of the

following four categories

bullI began taking lessons but after three or four les-sons Irsquod be assigned to a different instructor After 30

hours of dual three instructors and still not having

soloed I quit

bullThe instructor wasnrsquot teaching me anything He

was more interested in building time than teaching

Take a moment and think about how you first be-

came interested in airplanes What triggered your

pursuit of learning to fly Did you have a buddy or

maybe a family friend who encouraged you Or even

became a mentor Do you remember your first flight

lesson Do you remember the day you made your

first solo flight

Remember that passion and sense of accomplish-

ment Donrsquot hesitate to share it with anyone express-

ing an interest in learning to fly

At Cub Air Flight we sell FUN When individuals

visit the airport to inquire about learning to fly we

know they have made the commitment in their own

mind It then becomes our responsibility to makethe visit friendly A friendly environment is a FUN

environment Kids are always welcome If a prospec-

tive student has children with him or her we invite

the kids to sit in the planes At the conclusion of our

discussion we emphasize the following statement If

you learn to fly with us it will be FUN CHALLENG-

ING and SAFE

I donrsquot believe there is a shortage of pilot prospectsbut there is a shortage in how we all go about attract-

ing these people to become active participants in plea-

sure flying Remember flying is FUN Letrsquos make an

effort to help others share in that FUN

AERO CLASSICldquoCOLLECTOR SERIESrdquo

Vintage Tires New USA Production

Show off your pride and joy with afresh set of Vintage Rubber Thesenewly minted tires are FAA-TSOrsquodand speed rated to 120 MPH Some

things are better left the way theywere and in the 40rsquos and 50rsquos these tires were perfectly intune to the exciting times in aviation

Not only do these tires set your vintage plane apart fromthe rest but also look exceptional on all General Aviationaircraft Deep 832nd tread depth offers above averagetread life and UV treated rubber resists aging

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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We enjoy your suggestions for

Mystery Planesmdashin fact more than

half of our subjects are sent to us by

members often via e-mail Please

remember that if you want to scan

the photo for use in Mystery Plane

it must be at a resolution of 300 dpior greater You may send a lower-

resolution version to us for our re-

view but the final version has to be

at that level of detail or it will not

print properly Also please let us

craft in the photo is of Canadian civil

registry CF-BXO formerly Royal Cana-

dian Air Force (RCAF) 920 This photo-

graph would have been taken at some

time between 1962 and 1967 after an

overhaul at Abbotsford British Colum-

bia (BC) and possibly while in servicewith Stranraer Aerial Enterprises The

location strongly resembles the Fraser

River dockings at the Vancouver air-

port The aircraft had undergone a re-

spray with a bright red cheat line The

(beaching gear required) for the Royal Air

Force (RAF) in 1933 The prototype first

flew in October 1934 with two Bristol

Pegasus IIIM engines rated at 820 hp

The production aircraft were delivered to

the RAF with Pegasus engines delivering

920 hp entering service in April 1937The British-built machines of which 23

were ordered and only 17 being built

were all delivered by April 1939

In Canada Canadian Vickers Lim-

ited of Montreal Quebec produced 40

Send your answer to EAA Vin-

tage Airplane PO Box 3086 Osh-

kosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer

needs to be in no later than August

20 for inclusion in the October

2011 issue of Vintage Airplane

You can also send your response via

e-mail Send your answer to mystery

planeeaaorg Be sure to include your

name plus your city and state in the

body of your note and put ldquo(Month)

Mystery Planerdquo in the subject line

This monthrsquos Mystery Plane comes to us from Bruce Voran

MYSTERY PLANE

by HG FRAUTSCHY

A P R I L rsquo S M Y S T E RY A N S W E R

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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QCA began buying several examplesand was instrumental in convincing

the Canadian Department of Transport

(DOT) to issue a civilian Certificate of

Airworthiness (C of A) One of the first

aircraft so issued was CF-BYI which be-

1980 the Canadian Museum of Flightand Transportation in BC salvaged the

wreck for possible restoration As late as

April 1952 QCA still had two Stranraer

in service CF-BXO and CF-BYM Pacific

Western Airlines (PWA) also operated

Two RAF Belfast freighters were dis-

patched and the disassembled aircraft

was transported to the United Kingdomwhere the machine is currently one of the

centerpieces of the collection

The aircraft type had many names

The most familiar (and printable) were

Stranny Strainer and Flying Meccano

Set The least affectionate was the Whis-

tling Shouse as when the lid to the

throne was lifted there was direct access

to the great outdoors and there emitted a

loud whistling noise

Other correct answers were re-

ceived from Hillis Cunliffe Mill-

brook Alabama Brian Baker Sun

City Arizona Wesley R Smith

Springfield Illinois John White-

head Cheyenne Wyoming ScottChurch Cochrane Alberta Can-

ada Jay Broze Walla Walla Wash-

ington Jerry Paterson Kent

Washington Jamie Patterson Mi-

ramichi New Brunswick Canada

Bill Bishop of Mulgoa New South Wales Australia sent along this photo

of the surviving Supermarine Stranraer

David Nixon supplied us with the April Mystery Plane shot of CF-BXO

a Canadian Vickers-built Supermarine Stranraer

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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urday 8 am until 6 pm Early-bird

arrivals can shop on the pre-conven-

tion weekend as well during limited

hours Show your VAA membership

card (or your receipt showing you

joined VAA at the convention) and

yoursquoll receive a 10 percent discount

VAA Volunteer Opportunities

Are you an ace pancake flipperIf yoursquore not one yet we can help

The VAA Tall Pines Cafeacute is looking

for volunteers who can help provide

a hearty breakfast to all the hungry

campers on the south end of Witt-

man Field If you could lend a hand

for a morning or two wersquod appreci-

ate it If thatrsquos not your cup of tea feelfree to check with the VAA Volunteer

Center located just to the northeast

of the VAA Red Barn The volun-

teers who operate the booth will be

happy to tell you when your help is

needed each day It doesnrsquot matter if

itrsquos just for a few hours or for a few

daysmdashwersquod love to have your help-

ing hands There is no need for you

to contact us ahead of time you can

talk with us when you arrive

VAA Judging Categoriesand Awards

The VAArsquos internationally recog-

nized judging categories are

bullAntique Aircraft built prior toSeptember 1 1945

bullClassic September 1 1945 - De-

cember 31 1955

bullContemporary January 1 1956

- December 31 1970

VAA NEWScontinued frpm page 5

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the award winners Judging closes at noon on Friday

July 29 The Awards Ceremony will be held Saturday

evening July 30 at 6 pm in the Vintage Hangar

just south of the VAA Red Barn

Designated Smoking Areas Near FlightlineSmoking on the flightline at EAA AirVenture is prohib-

ited because itrsquos a hazard to all aircraft There are several

designated smoking areas with butt cans along the flight-

line well away from aircraft and refueling operations

Designated smoking areas will be south of the ultra-light runway near the Hangar Cafeacute near the Warbirdsarea (northeast corner of Audrey Lane and Eide Av-

enue) the Wearhouse flag pole area the shade pavil-ion north of the control tower and near the UltralightBarn Locations will be indicated on EAArsquos free con-vention grounds map The admission wristband alsoinstructs visitors that smoking is allowed only in desig-nated smoking areas

More on the Web

Visit wwwAirVentureorg for more information onEAA AirVenture 2011

EAA AirVenture Is Almost Here Are You Ready

Just a few short weeks from now many of you will

make the annual pilgrimage to Oshkosh for EAA Air-

Venture 2011 Are you ready Here are several handy

online tools on the AirVenture website that can help

you take care of any last-minute concerns

Visit wwwAirVentureorg and find out what you

need to know about The Worldrsquos Greatest Avia-

tion Celebration

Admission Parking Hours

wwwAirVentureorgplanningadmissionhtml

Find or Share a Ride to Oshkosh

wwwAirVentureorgrideshare

Site Map

wwwAirVentureorgplanningschedules_mapshtml

Where to Stay

Yoursquore cleared to stay connected

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3844

ship services at 800-564-6322 but

given the time from when you read

this until AirVenture it may not ar-

rive in the mail in time for your de-

parture We suggest downloading

the NOTAM

The NOTAM contains the specialflight procedures in effect for Witt-

man Regional Airport and alternate

airports from 6 am CDT on Friday

July 22 to 12 pm CDT on Mon-

day August 1 2011 All pilots who

fly into the event are expected to

know the special flight procedures

prior to arrival EAA AirVenture Os-

hkosh runs from July 25 through

July 31 For additional EAA AirVen-

ture Oshkosh 2011 information

visit wwwAirVentureorg

Call for VAA Hall of

Fame Nominations

To the left is our information

for nominations for VAArsquos Hallof Fame which is presented each

year during a special dinner This

yearrsquos dinner will be held Friday

October 28 Wersquoll have more on

this yearrsquos inductee John Under-

To nominate someone is easy It just takes a little time and a little reminiscing on your part

Mail nominating materials to

Remember your ldquocontemporaryrdquo may be a candidate nominate someone today

wwwVintageAircraftorg

CALL FOR VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

Nominations

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3944

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

Wit tman Regional A i rpor t (OSH)

Oshkosh Wisconsin

July 25-31 2011

wwwAirVentureorg

Colorado Sport International Air Show

and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In

Rocky Mountain Met ropol i tan A irpor t (BJC)

Denver Colorado

August 27-28 2011

wwwCOSportAviationorg

Mid-Eastern Regional Fly-In

Gr imes F ie ld A irpor t (I74)

Urbana Ohio

September 10-11 2011

httpMERFIcom

Copperstate Fly-In

Casa Grande Munic ipal A i rpor t (CGZ)

Casa Grande Ar izona

Upcoming Major

Fly-Ins

W I N

Only 2000 ticketswill be sold1 ticket $50

3 tickets $125

Piper Tri-Pacer Airplane

Free Flying Lessons

Free Pilot License

Country Legend Roy Clarkrsquos Personal Proceeds fromthis raffle

SAVEAMERICANKIDS LIVES

wwwwingsofhoperaffleorg

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4044

MISCELLANEOUS

wwwaerolistorg Aviationsrsquo Leading

Marketplace

Rare find Lycoming 0-145 partsinventory blocks bearings rings

shafts amp much more $20000

at 1970 prices $5000 Six four

cylinder case aircraft magnetos

$300 Call for more details (FL)

VINTAGETRADER

Someth ing t o buyse l l o r t rade

Classified Word Ads $550 per 10

words 180 words maximum with boldface

lead-in on first line

Classified Display Ads One column wide

(2167 inches) by 1 2 or 3 inches high at

$20 per inch Black and white only and nofrequency discounts

Advertising Closing Dates 10th of second

month prior to desired issue date (ie

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 (classads

eaaorg ) using credit card payment (all cards

accepted) Include name on card complete

address type of card card number and

expiration date Make checks payable to EAA

Address advertising correspondence to EAA

Publications Classified Ad Manager PO Box

3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

What Our Members

Are Restoring

Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done and

yoursquore busy flying and showing it off If so wersquod like to hear from

you Send us a 4-by-6-inch print from a commercial source (no

home printers please those prints just donrsquot scan well) or a

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4144

EAAMembership in the Experimental Aircraft

Association Inc is $40 for one year includ-ing 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION Familymembership is an additional $10 annually Allmajor credit cards accepted for membership(Add $16 for International Postage)

FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPSPlease submit your remittance with a

check or draft drawn on a United Statesbank payable in United States dollars Addrequired Foreign Postage amount for eachmembership

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATIONCurrent EAA members may join the

Vintage Aircraft Association and receive

year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not included)(Add $7 for International Postage)

WARBIRDSCurrent EAA members may join the EAA

Warbirds of America Division and receiveWARBIRDS magazine for an additional$45 per year

EAA Membership WARBIRDS mag-azine and one year membership in theWarbirds Division is available for $55 per

year (SPORT OficAVIATION magazinenot included) (Add $7 for Interna-tional Postage)

IACCurrent EAA members may join the

International Aerobatic Club Inc Divi-sion and receive SPORT AEROBATICS magazine for an additional $45 per year

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

VINTAGE

AIRCRAFT

ASSOCIATION

OFFICERS

DIRECTORS

DIRECTORS

EMERITUS

PresidentGeoff Robison

1521 E MacGregor DrNew Haven IN 46774

260-493-4724chief7025aolcom

Vice-PresidentGeorge Daubner

N57W34837 Pondview LnOconomowoc WI 53066

262-560-1949 gdaubnereaaorg

Steve Bender85 Brush Hill Road

Sherborn MA 01770508-653-7557

sst10comcastnet

David Bennett375 Killdeer Ct

Lincoln CA 95648916-952-9449

antiquerinreachcom

Jerry Brown4605 Hickory Wood Row

Greenwood IN 46143317-422-9366

lbrown4906aolcom

Dave Clark635 Vestal Lane

Plainfield IN 46168317-839-4500davecpdattnet

John S Copeland1A Deacon Street

Northborough MA 01532508-393-4775

copeland1junocom

Phil Coulson28415 Springbrook Dr

Lawton MI 49065269-624-6490

rcoulson516cscom

Dale A Gustafson7724 Shady Hills Dr

Indianapolis IN 46278317-293-4430

dalefayemsncom

Jeannie HillPO Box 328

Harvard IL 60033-0328815-943-7205

Espie ldquoButchrdquo Joyce704 N Regional Rd

Greensboro NC 27409336-668-3650

windsockaolcom

Steve Krog1002 Heather Ln

Hartford WI 53027262-966-7627sskrogaolcom

Robert D ldquoBobrdquo Lumley1265 South 124th StBrookfield WI 53005

262-782-2633rlumley1wirrcom

SH ldquoWesrdquo Schmid2359 Lefeber Avenue

Wauwatosa WI 53213414-771-1545

shschmidgmailcom

Robert C Brauer9345 S Hoyne

Chicago IL 60643773-779-2105

photopilotaolcom

Gene Chase2159 Carlton Rd

Oshkosh WI 54904920-231-5002

GRCHAcharternet

Ronald C Fritz15401 Sparta Ave

Kent City MI 49330616-678-5012

rFritzpathwaynet com

Charlie HarrisPO Box 470350Tulsa OK 74147

918-622-8400cwhhvsucom

EE ldquoBuckrdquo Hilbert8102 Leech RdUnion IL 60180

815-923-4591buck7acgmailcom

Gene Morris5936 Steve Court

Roanoke TX 76262817-491-9110

genemor rischarter net

Membership Services DirectoryEnjoy the many benefits of EAA and

EAArsquos Vintage Aircraft Association

EAA Aviation Center PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086Phone (920) 426-4800 Fax (920) 426-4873Web Sites wwwvintageaircraftorg wwwairventureorg wwweaaorgmemberbenefits E-Mail vintageaircrafteaaorg

EAA and Division Membership Services (800 AMndash600 PM MondayndashFriday CST)800-564-6322 FAX 920-426-4873 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

bullNewrenew memberships bullAddress changes bullMerchandise sales bullGift memberships

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 888-322-4636 wwwairventureorg airventureeaaorg

Sport PilotLight-Sport Aircraft Hotline 877-359-1232 wwwsportpilotorg sportpiloteaaorg

Programs and Activities

Auto Fuel STCs 920-426-4843 stceaaorg EAA Air Academy 920-426-6880 wwwairacademyorg airacademyeaaorg

EAA Scholarships 920-426-6823 scholarshipseaaorg

Library ServicesResearch 920-426-4848 slurveyeaaorg

Benefits

AUA Vintage Insurance Plan 800-727-3823 wwwauaonlinecom

EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan 866-647-4322 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

EAA VISA Card 800-853-5576 ext 8884

EAA Her tz Rent-A-Car Program 800-654-2200 wwweaaorghertz membershipeaaorg

VAA EditorialExecutive Director 920-426-4825 wwwvintageaircraftorg vintageeaaorg

VAA Office 920-426-6110 tbookseaaorg

TM

EAA Members Information Line 888-EAA-INFO (322-4636)

Use this toll-free number for information about AirVenture Oshkosh aeromedical and technical aviation questions

chapters and Young Eagles Please have your membership number ready when calling

Office hours are 815 am - 500 pm (Monday - Friday CST)

SecretarySteve Nesse

2009 Highland AveAlbert Lea MN 56007

507-373-1674

stnes2009livecom

TreasurerDan Knutson

106 Tena Marie CircleLodi WI 53555608-592-7224

lodicubcharternet

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4244

If yoursquove ever watched fish in

an aquarium yoursquove probably no-

ticed how they respond differently

to their surroundings There are

those that zip around the tank in a

mad dash to nowhere Some seem

to sit and not go much of any-

where and some will swim f romone end to the other turn around

and do it again

The latter are the ones that remind

me of myself I seem to fly in a fish-

bowl I go from one end of our val-

proficient by practicing things we

know over and over or it can make

us lazy When something becomes

so ingrained that we do it from habit

only we may not be thinking about

what wersquore doing

On a night cross-country some

time ago I found out just how easyit is to forget things that I hadnrsquot

used in a while While night may be

a little more challenging it still re-

quires the basic pre-flight planning

of any cross-country and following

whether I go far or stay in the com-

fort zone I canrsquot let complacency take

over Those skills and experiences

need to be stretched from time to

time regardless of where I fly An un-

expected situation or emergency is a

bad time to find out I donrsquot remem-

ber how to do somethingComplacency also allows fear

to creep in where it doesnrsquot belong

Some fear (I think) is a natural part of

flying but it can also unnecessarily

keep us grounded because we wonrsquot

BY S MICHELLE SOUDER

Flying Outside

the Fishbowl

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4344

Itrsquos gonna be a big year at Oshk osh

B-29 Superfortress ldquoFIFIrdquo

The first visit since 1995for the worldrsquos only airworthyB-29 Superfortress

REO SpeedwagonOshkosh rocks Monday duringthe opening day concert presentedby Ford Motor Company

Tribute to Bob HooverTuesday afternoon air showfeaturing aircraft and maneuvershe made legendary

eVentureInnovation will be on displayand in the air with the ElectricFlight Prize Competition

Join us for a week-long celebration of the Centennial of Naval Aviationincluding a special air show Wednesday See the hottest naval aircraftin historic colors all week on ConocoPhillips Plaza

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Page 9: Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 944

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1044ldquowas about 6 years old

and Dad had taken us

to a fly-in in Ottumwa

show for his youthful fascination

with things that fly He now has

what he wished for when looking

Aviation families are quite common

within the sport aviation commu-

nity but few have made aviation

MIKE STEINEKE

The entire family enjoys flying the Waco all over the Midwest and beyond The color scheme evokes the colors chosenby Wiley Post for his record-setting Lockheed Vega the Winnie Mae

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1144

port That was in 1964 So basically

wersquove lived on an airport from just

about the moment I was born Now

So was Dad So we called the FAA

and got a lsquospecialrsquo VFR clearance

The last words my instructor said

before I took off in the C-152

were lsquoStay out of the clouds comearound and landrsquo So I didrdquo

There he was a certificated pilot

and still riding the school bus to his

little country school and living the

life of a typical high school kid in-

cluding going to local fairs

ldquoIt was at a local fair right after I

graduated that I met Carolyn and

I asked her out for a date On our

second or third date I took her fly-

ing in Dadrsquos Decathlon I guess that

must have impressed her because

we got married a year laterrdquo

Carolyn says ldquoHersquos such an avia-

tion addict that our honeymoon

had us stopping at various airports

as we traveled But Irsquoll tell youwhat Irsquod much rather he be out fly-

ing or hanging out at airports than

out drinkingrdquo And she laughs She

laughs a lot

Often it is at this point in an avi-

atorrsquos life story that the individual

says his flying stopped while he

built a business and a family tobe resumed as a later date Harve

however managed to sidestep that

layoff For one thing he essen-

tially lived on an airport his wife

liked flying (she says ldquoI decided if I

couldnrsquot beat him Irsquod join him and

started taking flying lessonsrdquo) and

hersquod grown up banging knuckles

working on airplanes So where so

many young fathers find their avia-

tion career has stagnated he started

building up his own airplanes the

first being a Cessna 170B

ldquoThe 170rdquo he says ldquowas actually

ldquoBecause we live barely 40 miles

from Blakesburg getting hooked on

vintage airplanes was unavoidable

Dad would take us to lots of fly-ins

including Blakesburg and from thevery beginning I actually liked vin-

tage airplanes better than he did

And I loved working on themrdquo

Harversquos love of vintage mechan-

ics showed through many years of

polishing and restoration of the

C-170 It went to Oshkosh for 16

years At first it was noticed because

it looked dreadfully forlorn but

over the years it began to gain more

attention and for better reasons

The judges were impressed enough

in 2000 to give it the best 170180

award Then it won Grand Cham-

pion in its class at the AAA Fly-In at

Blakesburg the next year

ldquoFirst I have to say that I donrsquotbuild airplanes to win trophies and

I donrsquot go to fly-ins to be judged I

build airplanes to go to fly-ins Pe-

riod We love going to fly-ins and

attend at least 15 or 20 a year and

we do it as a family Eventually the

kids got too big and we out-grew

the 170 after putting a little over1200 hours on itrdquo

While Harve might say he was

building a family the truth is that

Carolyn was the one having the

babies and trying to build a career

And her schedule was more than

just a little tight She started col-

lege right after Taryn was born and

missed her own graduation because

she was busy finishing her own

homebuilt Shalyn Today she puts

that diploma to work teaching sec-

ond grade while Harve farms 1500

acres of soybeans and corn

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1244

that he has made a huge number

of friends out of the other partici-

pants and thatrsquos good for all of usrdquo

ldquoI was looking for a bigger air-

plane when a friend of mine toldme about a beautiful 195 with a

blown engine sitting out on the

ramp in Tullahoma ldquo Harve says

ldquoI contacted the airport to find out

info about the owner I contacted

him and discovered it not only had

a bad engine but the finance com-

pany held the note as the owner

was going through bankruptcy I

flew down with my stepfather (who

had become a pilot after marry-

ing my motherhellipdad had died by

then) and we looked it over

ldquoI put in a bid and got it I sold

the 170 to a wonderful friend and

fortunately it stayed at our airport

where it is well tended We put anew 330 Jake from Radial Engines

Limited on the 195 and it won

awards at both Oshkosh and Blakes-

burg as well We kept the 195 for

three years But it still wasnrsquot a

Waco something I just couldnrsquot get

out of my head

ldquoWhen I started looking forWacosrdquo he says ldquolike everyone

else I was assaulted by the incred-

ible number of different varieties

But I wasnrsquot looking for something

to rebuild nor was I looking for a

rare variety I wanted an airplane

that would serve our family well

The fact that it would be an incred-

ibly cool antique was just a bonus

Because of that I passed on a lot of

projects and focused on airplanes

that were flying and needed a mini-

mum of work and could be fairly

easily supported That meant an

ldquoI looked at a few airplanes be-

fore a friend Doug Parsons turned

me on to N16249 a 1936 YKS-6 It

was last restored by Pete Coving-ton in 1994 so it was in really good

condition In fact well-known an-

tiquer Morton Lester had owned it

at the time of restoration It was a

good solid airplane that was due for

some freshening up not a rebuild

This was exactly what I was looking

for It had been through two own-

ers since Lester owned it and was

now part of an estate sale

ldquoI got it home in July of 2005 and

began working on itrdquo he says ldquoBe-

cause it had been restored nearly 15

years earlier and hadnrsquot been a han-

difficult but the paperwork turned

out to be a headache

ldquoThe original engine was a Ja-

cobs R-755-9 which is 245 hp butI wanted more power We have a

pretty big useful load with this air-

plane but it needs the extra power

when itrsquos heavy So I wanted to go

up to the 755-B2M which is 275

hp I had Air Repair in Cleveland

Mississippi build up an engine for

me Since itrsquos virtually identical to

the original Jake putting it on was

nothing At the same time we in-

stalled a new Sensenich wooden

prop But then we started working

on the paperwork

ldquoThis shouldnrsquot have been nearly

CRAIG VANDERKOLK

Most of the Applegate family during AirVenture 2010 from left to right

daughter Shalyn Harve Carolyn and son Matt The Applegatesrsquo other

daughter Taryn couldnrsquot make the trip

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1344

two airplanes were one in the same

Finally we got a hold of Jeff Janus

at the FAArsquos Aircraft Certification

Office (ACO) who said it was a no-

brainer and sent it back to the FSDO

and told them to sign it off

ldquoWersquove been flying the airplane

for five years now and itrsquos exactly

what we wanted an d what we

thought it should be First for an

airplane this big itrsquos really easy to

fly In fact it lands a lot like our

Cub and even on pavement isnrsquot

A Lesson in the Learning Caveats When DonatingAt one point Harversquos dad began having airport problems and therersquos a lesson

to be learned for a lot of us here

ldquoThe airport had never gotten hugerdquo Harve says ldquoIt was just a nice friendly

airport with a few hangars and some local tenants But it was the only airport in

the area so Dad deeded it over to the city I guess you could say he donated it

For years this worked out really well and all the aviation guys in the area loved it

We host a fly-in there each year and that became something of a local event that

everyone looked forward to

ldquoDad died suddenly in 1981 and we decided to build a house right near the

CRAIG VANDERKOLK

The Applegates camp every year just south of the VAA Flightline Opera-

tions building so son Matt and the family can enjoy visiting with their many

friends and watch the afternoon air show

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1444

bigger yoursquod want The back seat

is an honest three kids wide and

the two front seats are separated

by nearly a foot So you feel as ifyoursquore flying your own little air-

liner And how many airplanes to-

day let you crank the side windows

down and fly with you elbows up

on the windowsill

ldquoItrsquos not a rocketship in climb

about 500-600 fpm but itrsquoll give

you that or close to it whether

yoursquore loaded or not Those big old

wings can really carry a load

ldquoItrsquos also not a speed demon

but itrsquoll indicate 120 mph give or

take 5 mph at about 14 gallons per

hour and fly straight ahead with

MIKE STEINEKE

Another gorgeous picture of the Applegatesrsquo plane flying over the Midwest

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1544

The first wireless message sent

from an airplane to a ground station

wasnrsquot very imaginative or profound

The message telegraphed in dots and

dashes by US Army Lt Paul W Beck

on January 21 1911 was

ldquoAssociated Press AviationField Scotford is not the only

bird on the aviation board Beckrdquo

The message didnrsquot have the hum-

bling sense of Samuel Morsersquos ldquoWhat

hath God wroughtrdquo or the quaint-

ness of Alexander Graham Bellrsquos ldquoMr

Watsonmdashcome heremdashI want to see

yourdquo or Neil Armstrongrsquos inspira-

tional ldquoThatrsquos one small step for man

one giant leap for mankindrdquoThe rather mundane message was

hastily scribbled by Associated Press

reporter Guy Moysten who was cov-

Corps

Beck had been taken aloft by Philip

O Parmalee an early aviation pio-

neer The ldquopurple sparks spluttered

by the telegraph keyrdquo were also inter-

cepted by navy wireless stations on

Goat Island (now Yerba Buena Island)

and the Mare Island Navy YardBeckrsquos second message was ldquoThree

hundred feet up and riding level

It is cold It is bumpyrdquo The word

ldquobumpyrdquo wasnrsquot received because

Beckrsquos fingers were so cold that they

refused to as Beck put it ldquoanswer the

nerve impulsesrdquo

The word ldquoScotfordrdquo in the first

message referred to Frederick E Scot-

ford chairman of the Aviation Ex-

ecutive Committee which had

conceived planned and set in mo-

tion the air meet The message re-

ferred to a previous flight ldquoaround the

army also ldquolent their band for daily

concerts during guard mount or pa-

raderdquomdashall this to the delight of the

crowds throughout the entire affair

San Francisco was in heavy compe-

tition with New Orleans for the exclu-

sive rights to the 1915 Panama-Pacific

International Exhibition (PPIE) aworldrsquos fair to celebrate the upcom-

ing 1914 opening of the Panama

Canal The city desperately wanted

to land the exhibition believing it

would confirm San Franciscorsquos phoe-

nix-like rise from the ashes of devasta-

tion The air show was thought of as

the opening act

Plans for the PPIE had already

been complicated in 1910 Just six

months earlier Californiarsquos gover-

nor had banned the Jim Jeffries-Jack

Johnson fight scheduled for San

Franciscomdashforcing the epic ldquoFight

Flashes of Purple SparksBY DANIEL J DEMERS

Lt Paul Beck left with

the Western Wireless

Equipment Company A-4wireless set in his lap

while seated in a Wright

biplane during wireless

tests during the 1911 San

Francisco Air Meet The

set weighed 29 pounds

and featured a telegraph

key mounted on the top of

the mahogany box

JOURNAL OF ELECTRICITY POWER AND GAS

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1644

shadowed all the other historic firsts

achieved at the meet

Beck described the sensation of fly-

ing at 800 feet like this

ldquoWhirring propellers throb-

bing pistons and machine-

gun-like gasoline explosions

deafened you while tears bit-

ter tears were forced from your

eyes by the back rush of air and

you have a slight conception

how it feels to rival the eagle in a

Wright biplanerdquo

He had used in his own words

ldquoa rough makeshift affair weighing

thirty-two poundsrdquo It consisted of

a ldquosmall gap and interrupter an or-

dinary telegraph key a small storage

cellrdquo and a shunt ldquoto prevent over-

charging of the cellrdquo The entire de-vice was contained in a wooden box

that he carried on his lap The aerial

used for the experiment was a 120-

foot bronze wire trailing the plane

connected to the ldquosending appara-

tus by a number sixteen copper wirerdquo

The whole gizmo was grounded to a

stay wire on the aircraft connectedldquoto the sending apparatusrdquo Beck ex-

plained ldquoThe wave length measured

by the wave meter at the receiving

station was 575 meters in length This

is rather longer than we had thought

it would berdquo

Simultaneous to Beckrsquos experi-

ment Charlie Willard (another

pioneer aviator) unsuccessfully at-

tempted to send a wireless message

using a different set According to

Beck ldquoHis outfit weighed a trifle less

than the one which I used and his

antenna wire was a trifle longerrdquo Ac-

ldquoengine is practically noiseless when

comparedrdquo with the other planes at

the air meet ldquoSilencerdquo wrote Beck ldquois

an essential factor to the successful

reading of telegraphic codes or thesuccessful undertaking of human

speech by wireless telephonerdquo

Of great concern to the experi-

mentrsquos sponsors was the fact that an

ldquoelectrical dischargerdquo was involved in

the actual receiving of the message

from the ground Thus it was of ldquogreat

importance that the gasoline tank be

thoroughly insulated in order to pre-vent possible ignition from a sparkrdquo

Avoiding such an aerial catastrophe

was to be overcome by using ldquoone of

the guy wires on the Antoinette ma-

chine as the static ground and to drag

from the tail of the airship an alumi-

num wire of great capacity and weigh-

ing less than two pounds though 130feet in length as the antennardquo

Unfortunately as Beck told it ldquothe

god or gods of the elementsrdquo stepped

in On this particular day being ldquoaloft

was dangerous to life and limbrdquo

Lathamrsquos beautiful Antoinette mono-

plane was demolished in an accident

Latham survived the crash but a mere12 months later he died a mysterious

death in the French Congo

Beck understood that aviation was

in its infancy and that ldquowe must creep

before we walkrdquo While the experi-

ment to send a message had failed

due to an air wreck Beck concluded

it had been ldquoreduced to a mere ques-

tion of providing mechanical devices

for deadening the sound of the pro-

pellers shutting out the noise of the

rushing wind and providing some

simple means for placing the received

message in written form on some

Sources

Chief Warrant Officer Mark J

Denger Dominguez Inter-

national Air Meet California

Aviation History wwwMilitary- MuseumorgDominguezhtml

Lt Paul W Beck Aviation Meet

From War Viewpoint How

Army and Navy Will Take Part

San Francisco Examiner January

6 1911 5

Lt JC Walker Jr War Prob-

lems to be Solved In Air San

Francisco Examiner January 7

1911 3

Lt Paul W Beck What Army Is

Striving For Opening Day a

Big Success San Francisco Ex-

aminer January 8 1911 76

Lt Paul W Beck Wreck Spoils Wire-

less Experiment San Francisco

Examiner January 11 1911 2

Lt JC Walker Jr Biplanes in

Wind Please Army Man San

Francisco Examiner January 11

1911 2

Lt Paul W Beck Airplane Wire-

less Experiments Today War

Expert Reviews the Aviation

Meet San Francisco Examiner

January 18 1911 2

Lt Paul W Beck Wireless Adds

New Link To War Chain San Francisco Examiner January 22

1911 67

Flashes of Purple Glint From

Aeroplane in the Sky to Earth

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1744

VAA Friends of the Red BarnName______________________________________________________________________EAA ___________ VAA ___________

Address______________________________________________________________________________________________________

CityStateZIP________________________________________________________________________________________________

Phone___________________________________________________E-Mail______________________________________________

Please choose your level of participation

DiamondPlus$1250

Diamond$1000

Platinum$750

Gold$500

Silver$250

Bronze$100

LoyalSupporter$99 amp Under

EAA VIP Center2 peopleFull

Week

VIP Air Show Seating2 people2

Days2 people1

Day

Close Auto Parking Full Week Full Week 2 Days

Two Tickets to VAA Picnic

Tri-Motor Certificate 2 Tickets 2 Tickets 2 Tickets 1 Ticket

Breakfast at Tall Pines Cafeacute2 PeopleFull Wk

2 PeopleFull Wk

2 PeopleFull Wk

1 PersonFull Wk

Special FORB Cap

Two Passes to VAA Volunteer Party

Special FORB Badge

Access to Volunteer Center

Donor Appreciation Certificate

Name Listed Vintage Airplane Magazine Website and Sign at Red Barn

Donrsquot wait for a mailing from VAA HQ before you send in your contributionmdashto keep our administration costs as low as possible wersquore not

sending out a mailingto each VAA member Please send your donation today while itrsquos fresh in your mindPlease help the VAA and our nearly 500 dedicated volunteers make this an unforgettable experience for our EAA AirVenture guestsYour contribution does make a dif ference There are seven levels of gifts and gift recognition Thank you for whatever you can doHere are some of the many activities the Friends of the Red Barn fund under writes

bullRed Barn Information Desk Supplies bullFlightline Parking Scooters and Supplies bullBreakfast for Past Grand Champions

bullParticipant Plaques and Supplies bullVolunteer Booth Administrative Supplies bullSigns Throughout the Vintage Area

bull Ton irsquos Red Car pet Expre ss Van and Rad ios bullRed Barn and Other Building Maintenance bullAnd More

bullCaps for VAA Volunteers bull Tal l Pin es Caf eacute D in ing Ten t

2 11 VAA Friends of the Red Barn Campaign2011 VAA Friends of the Red Barn CampaignThe VAA annual fundraising campaign fuels VAA action

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1844

T

he worldrsquos first regular air-

mail line was operated by

the United States Army

back in 1918 when a fleet

of old Jennies were pushed back

and forth between New York City

and Washington DC a distance

of two hundred and twenty miles

the fields that no self-respecting pi-

lot would take a second look at in

these times But those were the days

of wooden ships and iron men

Chief pilot on the line was a

handsome youth just out of his

teens Lieutenant James C Edger-

ton who had an unusual knack of

gan There were impressive ceremo-

nies political speeches bouquets of

flowers for the flyers and the Presi-

dent of the United States himself

went down to the Polo Grounds

and wished the pilot who was to

carry the mail to New York ldquoGod

speedrdquo Almost as soon as he left

From the Archives Reprinted from Popular Aviation Dec 1935

First Regular

Airmail FlightBY LIEUT H LATANE LEWIS II

The pilot is receiving his last-minute orders before shoving off with the mail Once more old Jenny

makes history

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1944

through with considerable diffi-

culty The pilot scheduled to make

the flight hopped off from Philadel-

phia and pointed the blunt nose of

his Jennie southward toward Wash-ington The checkerboard fields and

streams sliding beneath his wings

soon became a jigsaw puzzle and

one that he couldnrsquot piece together

The flyer realized that he was hope-

lessly lost He barged around for

awhile and finally decided to come

down and ask directions

Landing on the race track atBridgeton New Jersey forty miles

off his course he became involved

with a group of curious

horses which cracked up

the ship The mail was sent

back to Philadelphia by truck and

started out in another plane with

another pilot About thirty milesout his engine began to miss and

as it was getting dark he turned and

high-tailed back to his home field

Jim Edgerton stepped forward

and offered to save the face of the

new service and take the mail on

to Washington in spite of darkness

and a bad engine Night was comingon in earnest by this time If his en-

gine should conk on the trip down

there would be no flares for him to

release and land by nor would he be

able to bail out with a parachute for

this was before the day of the Cater-

pillar Club And at Washington he

would have no floodlights to illu-

minate the Polo Grounds It would

mean coming into that narrow field

which was surrounded by tall trees

in utter darkness

But Jim was an impatient and

adventurous young man so he

cians all through his eventful flying

career He was the least perturbed of

all as he came roaring down from the

north and circled the inky pit into

which he must bring his ship at thespeed of an express train

There were about half a dozen

automobiles parked around the

field and Jim estimated his ap-

proach from their headlights Spec-

tators heard his engine stop then

the shrill scream of the wind on

his struts and wires Then they

caught sight of a ghost-like silhou-ette against the night sky coming

down in a dizzy slideslip An in-

stant later a gray phantom swept

across the field and settled down

to a perfect landing The mail had

come through

Edgerton was the first pilot who

ever flew into a thunderstorm Upto that time flyers all over the world

looked upon electrical storms as a

deadly menace and had avoided

them as they would a plague Or-

ders had been issued that no mail

pilot should take off if weather con-

ditions were unfavorable

At Philadelphia one afternoon

during the middle of July Jim had

his ship tuned up and was ready to

shove off but down towards the

southwest storm clouds were gath-

ering It was against orders to fly

under such conditions Jim fumed

possible and then as he came over

the ldquoSusquehanna River he ran

smack into it It was a violent line

squall the storm most dreaded of

all by aviators and the kind thatsent the mighty Akron and Shenan-

doah down to destruction On the

ground trees were being uprooted

and houses damaged

ldquoIt was the bumpiest ride I ever

had before or sincerdquo chuckles Jim

Edgerton today as he recalls the

vivid impression it left on him

ldquoWe were thrown all over the skyThe rain and hail were so thick that

I couldnrsquot see the wingtips The

propeller was all chewed

up and I had to throttle

down the engine Butrdquo he

adds modestly ldquoI came out right

on the courserdquo

And the mail was landed inWashington on time

That flight and the others like it

that Edgerton made probably did

more than anything else to give the

public confidence in the reliability

of the airmail Frequently he flew

through dense fog and relied en-

tirely on the crude instruments ofthose early days to keep him in the

air On one of these flights he es-

caped death by as narrow a margin

as was ever vouchsafed a pilot

He shoved off in heavy rain and

soon ran into thick weather He

barged on into it flying blind for

awhile and then climbing up on

the top of the stuff It was so thick

that even the birds had to walk Af-

ter about an hour and a half he

decided to try to find the ground

to check his course He was com-

ing down in a fast glide when sud-

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2044

altitude the fog was so thick

it was like being submerged

in pea soup but occasion-

ally there would be a break

and Edgerton would catcha glimpse of the ground and

know where he was

As he passed over Havre

de Grace there suddenly

loomed up dead ahead a

church steeple He was right

on it before he saw it He

banked for all he was worth

standing the old crock rightup on her ear and missed

the steeple by a miracle

But the crowning thr ill

of the day came a little later

as he passed the Army Proving

Ground at Aberdeen

ldquoWe were flying at an altitude of

about 150 feetrdquo Edgerton recallsldquoVisibility was practically nil Sud-

denly there was a terrific bump al-

most as violent as if the plane had

struck something That afternoon

Army authorities at Aberdeen

called up and said that an airplane

had flown over there and almost

collided with a shell fired from a16-inch gunrdquo

Is it any wonder that Edgertonrsquos

hair has turned slightly gray

On another occasion Jim got

caught in a vicious summer thun-

derstorm over Baltimore He was

flying his faithful old mount No

38274 The turbulent air tossed

the frail wooden Jenny about like

a ship on a rough sea One instant

her nose would be pointed straight

toward heaven and the next instant

Jim would see the ground rush-

ing up at him just over the engine

of a lead pencil were spurting out

Soon the whole forward part of the

fuselage was saturated

Jim watched the lightning play-

ing about the metal parts of the

plane and waited for the spark

that would blow him to shreds and

splatter him all over Baltimore But

Lady Luck was riding with him

again and the spark never came

He rode out the storm and brought

had broken and was dangling al-

most in the shining arc of the

propeller If it became entangled

in the prop it would shatter it to

a million splinters and probablytear the engine loose

Throttling down Jim maneu-

vered as best he could to keep

wire and prop from that fatal

embrace Below him were plenty

of flat broad fields into which

he could have glided But that

would mean delaying the mail

so the plucky youngster kept go-ing and finally sat down safely

in Washington

Altogether Edgerton made

fifty-three trips and never failed

to bring the mail through on any

of them On only one did he have

a forced landing

He was over Camp Meade Mary-land when a magneto shaft broke

There was a terrific jolt that almost

jumped the engine out of the ship

For once Jim had to come down

and come down in a hurry He

looked below him and his heart

stood still He was plunging straight

towards the heads of hundreds ofmarching men on parade

Lower and lower sank the help-

less Jenny Edgerton flattened his

glide as much as he dared and tried

to squeeze over the soldiers He was

almost knocking their hats off but

still the Yanks continued to hold

their ground

ldquoI just skimmed over their heads

and landed on the very edge of the

parade groundrdquo Jim laughingly re-

lates ldquoIt was my old outfit and they

certainly gave me a welcomerdquo

It was just a bit demoralizing to

With the mail aboard the pilot proceeds to warm

up the OX-5 which animates the Jenny

Authentic dope on the

controversial subject

ldquoWho flew the firstairmailrdquo In spite of the

many claims to priority by

various pilots we believe

that this is the real

answer to the problem

An old Jenny as usual

does the work

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2144

AirVenture amp Ford Together Again

REO Speedwagon Concert Monday

600PM next to the Ford Hangar

Fly In Theater Nightly Sunday ndash

Saturday 830PM Camp Scholler

Cruisinrsquo Legends See Mustangs and

more Knapp Street near Warbirds

Model T Experience Tour in a Model

T ldquoCruisinrsquo Legendsrdquo

ldquoBlues Brothersrdquo Tribute Party

Saturday 630PM Ford ldquoHangar of Bluesrdquo

Free Ice Cream Nightly in the camp-

grounds ndash from the Transit Connect

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2244

My son and I spent the better part of

six years restoring an Aeronca 7BCM

Jeff was 13 years old when we started

the project and 19 when we finished

sponds quickly to my urging as I

push the throttle control forward

to begin a low-level no-radio no-

transponder flight from Charles W

time I admit to being spoiled first by

low-frequency ldquobeamsrdquo then VORs

DME RNAV LORAN and now GPS

But for this flight I left all that behind

To Follow the LineThis was the way I had learned navigation to follow the line

BY E JEFF JUSTIS

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE AUTHOR

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2344

Down low it was fun once more

watching the small towns pass

even being able to read the names

on water towers

In north-central Mississippi

there appears a vast forest spread-

ing out beneath my wings an il-

lusory remnant of the gloriouswilderness that once extended

from the East Coast to the Great

Plains Now clear-cutting scars are

evidence of manrsquos meddling graf-

fiti on our planetrsquos face

I am surprised at the hills of

North Mississippi at higher al-

titudes they flatten into the ter-rain but here at 1000 feet above

the ground the hills are alive with

depth and color

My craft and I intruders in his

world pass a circling hawk I look

down and try to see the tiny crea-

ture I am sure he sees but where

he must perceive the slightest rus-tle of the brush I see only patterns

of green and brown and the bright

blue of reflected sky

Enough of this sightseeing I should

have crossed this highway a couple

of miles farther to the north I make a

slight correction Highways They criss-

cross this land cutting it into smaller

and smaller bits these scratches of

man meant little when there were

fewer men but now they separate deer

from deer and life from life

At the edge of a field pebbled by

round bales of hay rests a red tractor Jeff Justis was just 13 when he and his family embarked on the restoration of

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2444

suppose is the essence of life

Soon the forward horizon bulges

upward as I approach old tectonic

ridges aligned northeast-southwest

near Birmingham The dark greenof the forested ridges contrasts with

the lighter verdant hues of manrsquos

cultivation Ahead a sharp razor-

backed ridge prompts a climb to

3000 feet I teeter across the top and

slide down toward the broad valley

on the eastern side My first land-

ing after one hour and 45 minutes is

welcome As a no-radio aircraft I am

careful to follow the standard pat-

tern and glide down final touching

down on the much-too-long-for-

The-Champ runway of Posey AirportMost cross-country flights in

the rsquo50s were from grass strip to

grass strip A red gas pump would

be brought into service by the col-

orful operatormechanic of these

old aerodromes Aeroncas and

Luscombes were everywhere and

Cessna 195s were the elite air-

planes Now on this ramp my

Aeronca is an anachronism

A King Air is being readied for cor-

porate passengers and my little tail-

dragger is lost on the large apronFortunately we modified the 7BCM

with a starter and generator so I do

not have to find someone to help me

get started In years past almost ev-

ery lineman was proficient in hand-

propping now itrsquos almost a lost art

Soon I am on the way to my

next stop Lagrange Georgia I am

fooled by the appearance of a large

airport an old military field at 12

orsquoclock on the horizon Only when

I get close enough do I realize this is

not the field I am supposed to over-

fly and that I am 10 miles south of

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2544

ramp taking nearly as long as the

flight itself

The cost of this slow flight is cer-

tainly minimal with fill-ups after

two hours averaging 15 or so dol-

lars Besides the trip has been fun so

far relearning old navigation tricks

and seeing the country down low

Now I have only a few more milesto navigate to Eaglesrsquo Landing The

fly-in community strip is near Wil-

liamson Georgia and just east of a

northeast-southwest-oriented rail-

road I decide to proceed due east

find the railroad and follow it

northeast toward the destination

I cross a highway but see no rail-road A few miles further still no

railroad I must have passed it Af-

ter a 180 I find the highway again

but nohellipwait what is that That is

an abandoned rail line for sure and

it does parallel the road I continue

northeast scanning the horizon

passing pretty fields and housesI locate one airport with houses

neatly lining both sides of the single

runway but it is not Eaglesrsquo Landing

Soon I see Griffin Georgia I have

come too far I ease The Champ into

a bank to try again back down the

rail line andhellipherersquos a golf coursehellip

and yes there are two grass run-

ways meeting in a ldquoVrdquo I circle andmake a low pass over the northwest

runway watching my friends wave

from their yard ldquoWhat a nice place

to liverdquo I think as I line up on final

I glide just above the grass and

A foil tape antenna ground plane was just one of the nifty little touches added

to The Champ as the two Jeffs restored their airplane

Doesnrsquot ever yone use Champ

tail surfaces as decorative ele-

ments in their household dec-orating Mrs Justis is a very

patient woman

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CALIFORNIAHayward CA VIN 29

Meeting 2nd Thurs 600 pm

Hayward Airport

See website for hangar info

Gary Oberti President

Phone 510-357-8600

E-mail infovaa29org

Website wwwvaa29org

CALIFORNIASacramento CA VIN 25

Meeting 2nd Sat 900 am

See chapter website for location

Robert Opdahl President

Phone 530-273-7348

E-mail bopdahlsbcglobalnet

Website wwwVin25org

CAROLINAS VIRGINIAWalnut Cove NC VIN 3

Meeting Contact President

Susan Dusenbury President

Phone 336-591-3931

E-mail sr6sueaolcom

Website wwwVAA3org

FLORIDALakeland FL VIN 1

Meeting Contact President

Bobby Capozzi President

Phone 352-475-9736

INDIANAAuburn IN VIN 37

Meeting 4th Thurs 700 pm

DeKalb County Airport (kGWB)

Hangar AmdashVAA 37 Clubhouse

Drew Hoffman President

Phone 260-515-3525

E-mail drewhoffmanvaa37org

Website wwwVAA37org

KANSASOverland Park KS VIN 16

Meeting 2nd Fri 730 pm

CAF Hangar

New Century Airport

Kevin Pratt President

Phone 913-541-1149

E-mail kprattvaa16com

Website wwwVAA16com

LOUISIANANew Iberia LA VIN 30

Meeting 1st Sun 900 am

LeMaire Memorial Airport Hangar 4

Roland Denison President

Phone 337-365-3047

E-mail vaa30coxnet

MINNESOTAAlbert Lea MN VIN 13

Meeting 2nd Thurs 700 pm

Albert Lea Airport FBO

OHIODelaware OH VIN 27

Meeting 3rd Sat 8-10AM May thru Sept

Delaware Municiple Airport (DLZ)

Terminal Building

Woody McIntire President

Phone 740-362-7228

E-mail wjmcintirecscom

Website wwwEAAdlzorg

OHIOZanesville OH VIN 22

Meeting 2nd Fri 630 pm

Perry County Airport

John Morozowsky President

Phone 740-453-6889

OKLAHOMATulsa OK VIN 10

Meeting 4th Thurs 700 PM

Hardesty South Regional Library

No meetings in July Nov amp Dec

Joe Champagne President

Phone 918-257-4688

Email skypalgroveemailcom

TEXASSpring TX VIN 2

Meeting 4th Sun 200 PM

David Wayne Hooks Airport (KDWH)

Fred Ramin President

Phone 281-255-4430

Vintage Chapter LocatorVisit the VAA chapter nearest you and get to know some great old-airplane enthusiasts You donrsquot need

to be a pilot to join in the funmdashjust have a love of the great airplanes of yesteryear

Chapter 27 of Delaware Ohio hosts a monthly pancake breakfast where attendees enjoy the camara-derie among the airplanes

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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When Albert Vollmecke joined

Arkansas Aircraft Company in Sep-tember 1927 he brought fresh ideas

from his native Germany regarding

aircraft design stability and safety

He would on occasion return to

Germany to bring back something

new for the company In 1928 Ar-

kansas Aircraft Company changed

its name to Command-Aire Incor-porated and the production run

of new ships increased in its Little

Rock Arkansas plant

After one such visit to Ger-

many Vollmecke returned with

the rights to import and sell the

PHYLAX fire-extinguisher system

patented (GB 0267542) March 10

1926 and manufactured in Berlinby Phylax Feuerlosch-Automaten-

Bau GmbH The PHYLAX fire-

extinguisher system consisted of

a tank containing the extinguish-

ing liquid From the tank which

BY ROBERT G LOCK

Early 1047297re-extinguishing system

THE Vintage

Mechanic

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advertisement from AVIATION

November 1928 using the OX-5

powered model 3C3 ship to dem-

onstrate the system

The PHYLAX system consisted

of a pressurized tank of fluid with

associated lines and nozzles lead-

ing to the engine compartment of

the ship Note here that the unit

is manufactured in t he United

States by the Aero Supply Man-

ufacturing Company located in

Long Island New York The cost

of the unit is $70 in this May 1929

advertisement in an aviation mag-

azine Illustration 2 shows the

manufacturerrsquos advertisement for

the product

In a letter dated April 10 1929

Mr Wiley Wright assistant sales

director for Command-Aire Incor-

porated wrote

ldquoCommand-Aire Incorporated

acquired the exclusive franchise

rights for PHYLAX automatic fire

extinguishers in the United States

Mexico and Central America This

extinguisher is the only automatic

fire extinguisher available and is

standard equipment on many Eu-

ropean lines It is manufactured

by PHYLAX Bau of Germany and

is receiving great response in the

United States at the present timerdquo

In this factory Illustration 3

and from the files of Albert Voll-

mecke is a 110-hp Warner engine

mounted in the Command-Aire

model 3C3-A ship Note the en-

gine cowling being neatly fitted

around cylinders and associated

tubes The 3C3-A had a very longnose due to its light weight ne-

ce s s i ta t ing a longer a rm f or

weight and balance control In

this photo the PHYLAX sprinkler

heads are visible behind the mag-

netos down near the carburetor

and behind the oil inlet hoses on

the accessory case of the engineIllustration 3 is an original fac-

tory photograph of the PHYLAX

system installed in the nose of a

model 3C3-A

Illustration 4 is the same photo-

graph with some details removed

and other details added princi-

pally the identification of the PHY-LAX automatic fuse that fired the

bottle of extinguishing fluid and

the sprinkler heads These illustra-

tions taken from a Command-Aire

original factory brochure from the

files of Albert Vollmecke

Illustration 5 on page 27 is a

sketch from the PHYLAX patent

0267542 dated March 10 1926A general description of the PHY-

LAX system is contained within

the patent and states ldquoThe inven-

tion relates to a fire extinguishing

device intended for use particu-

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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not indicate what type of extinguishing fluid was

contained within the tank however soda-acid was

widely used in those days and carbon tetrachloridewas invented in 1912 by the Pyrene Company

In a communication from Command-Aire Pres-

ident Robert Snowden regarding the purchase of

stock options in the company he states ldquoOur ex-

clusive franchise for the sale of Phylax automatic

Illustration 3

Illustration 4

Illustration 5

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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homeland on a regular basis and

always brought back some new in-

vention or new ideas on design andsafety This system was certainly

ahead of its time safety-wise and a

credit to Vollmeckersquos focus on sta-

bility and safety for his designs

Above in this original factory

photograph (Illustration 6) of a

Command-Aire 3C3-T fuselage on

the assembly line at the Little Rock

plant the PHYLAX system can beseen mounted in the rear cock-

pit just behind the front seat in

the center of the photograph The

chemical bottles with two lines

tied to the side tubes run forward

Illustration 6

Pyrene 1047297re extinguishers

were made of brass and

were nicely polished

They were not high-pressure units

but required the use of a hand pump

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Pyrene fire extinguishers were

made of brass and were nicely pol-

ished They were not high-pressureunits but required the use of a

hand pump to generate pressure

to expel liquid from the cylinder

These extinguishers were gener-

ally mounted in the rear cockpit

ton or linen fabric and the only

dope available was cellulose ni-

trate that burned like a torch when

lit Watching nitrate dope burn

reminded me of a Fourth of July

sparkler very intense and hot If

a nitrate-doped ship caught fire in

the air there was no extinguisher

that would put out the flames

The PHYLAX system had an auto-

matic sensor that would trigger the

bottlersquos valve open and send the

chemical into the engine compart-

ment The Pyrene extinguisher wasmore for ground use because you

could not operate the bottle and

fly the airplane at the same time

By todayrsquos standards these ex-

tinguishing systems seem ar-

chaic but for the time back in

the 1920s they were the thing to

have in your automobile boator airplane

Editorrsquos Note WARNING An-

tique carbon tetrachloride fire extin-

guishers like the Pyrene occasionally

show up either contaminated with

the original agent or worse yet with

the full charge of agent still inside

Carbon tet is treated as a hazard-

ous substance (its use was banned

in consumer products in 1970) and

should be dealt with accordingly

In fact carbon tetrachloride when

heated by a fire will create poison-

ous phosgene gas (World War Irsquos

ldquonerve gasrdquo) something that would

definitely ruin someonersquos day if the

fire hadnrsquot done so already In its

standard form this substance is verytoxic to the liver and a single signifi-

cant exposure can result in sickness

or death

L a n g l ey may have been the

f h f i i i b

last and last The instruction

l i l d f

1903 Samuel Pierpont Langleyrsquos ldquoAerodromerdquoattempts to take off from a floating platform

Have a comment or ques-

tion for Bob Lock the Vintage

Mechanic Drop us an e-mail at

vintageaircrafteaaorg or you

can mail your question to Vintage

Airplane PO Box 3086 Osh-

kosh WI 54903

Illustration 7

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Authorrsquos Note We held a small open house at the

flight school hangar this past Saturday Though the

weather was not conducive to give many rides we still

had about 60 people show up enjoy a brat or ham-

burger and talk about flying or learning to fly Interest

in flying is not dead One of my pet peeves is how we

in general aviation go about attracting individuals tolearn the pleasure of flight

Nearly every aviation publication I read carries ar-

ticles and editorials about the downward spiral of gen-

eral aviation Flight schools are having a hard time

attracting new students ldquoDoom and gloomrdquo reigns

with little positive to report on the horizon This al-

ways reminds me of the proverbial three wise mon-keys who embody the principle ldquoSee no evil hear no

evil and speak no evilrdquo We all complain about the

problem but no one ever offers solutions It seems as

though by not doing anything about the challenge it

will eventually go away and right itself

Many of the aviation organizations are wringing

their respective hands giving great lip service to the

drop in pilot numbers Some like EAA have launched

activities to attract new pilots such as the Young Ea-gles program This has been a good start but it will not

fill the ever-increasing void for more pilots

What are we all missing FUN

Four years ago I chose early retirement from a 38-

The student make-up is a real cross-section of Amer-

ica My youngest student to date began flight lessons

at age 14 and the oldest was 77 years young Irsquove men-

tioned some of my students in previous articles At

yearrsquos end 2010 while converting our student files

from paper to computer I was amazed to discover that

in the previous two years I had given instruction tomore than 200 individuals Some were new students

others were individuals in search of a tailwheel en-

dorsement and many were older individuals who had

pursued flight training early in their lives but gave it

up to raise a family Now they had the time and still re-

tained the burning desire to get back into flying What

attracted these individuals to the flight school FUN

And thefun

challenge of flying J-3 Cubs

Herersquos a small cross-section of this yearrsquos group

of students

bullA retired US Navy lieutenant who flew F-4 Phan-

toms off carriers in Vietnam He hasnrsquot done any fly-

ing in more than 10 years but hersquos been building a

Skybolt which will soon be finished and hersquos return-

ing to his lifelong lovemdashaviation He also has two

young sons who want to fly and will soon be joining

the group of student pilotsbullA young CPA from Iowa whose grandfather was a

friend of Bernie Pietenpol and who has built two Piets

The CPA used two weeks of his vacation time to learn

to fly so that he can fly the airplane(s) that his grandfa-

ther built and take his grandfather for a ride

BY Steve Krog CFI

THE Vintage

Instructor

Vintage flying is very much alive

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Cubs flying every day he decided to pursue his pas-

sion for flight

bullA national chain hardware store employee who

has had a dream of flying driving nearly two hours

each way to learn to fly in a Cub

bullAn aviation writervideo producer who already has

a sport pilot certificate but desires to obtain a private

pilot certificate and do so in Cubs

bullA 30-something young family man who sells

construction equipment attachments While deer

hunting a year ago he learned one of his hunting

friends had recently learned to fly in Cubs For three

days they talked airplanes and flying rather than do-

ing much hunting Upon his return from the hunt-ing trip he drove to the airport and signed up for

lessons in the Cub

bullA professional musician from the Chicago area

who always wanted to learn to fly Although not yet

old enough to have a true ldquobucket listrdquo learning to fly

a Cub was number one on his list

With two exceptions these individuals had never

before flown or flown in tailwheel airplanes but alwayshad a dream of learning to fly in a Cubmdashjust like dad

or granddad did many years ago

Although no one in this group comes from simi-

lar backgrounds or professions there is one common

denominator among every studentmdashFUN None of

these students are learning to fly to pursue a career

in aviation (although Irsquove worked with a couple who

have done so) Rather they are learning to fly or get-

ting back into flying for the FUN and CHALLENGE of

flight They all have a true love of flight and seeing the

world from 500 feet with the door and window open

I have also worked with a number of students who

began taking flight lessons but quit after a period of

time They still had the passion for flight but gave it

up When asked why the responses fell into one of the

following four categories

bullI began taking lessons but after three or four les-sons Irsquod be assigned to a different instructor After 30

hours of dual three instructors and still not having

soloed I quit

bullThe instructor wasnrsquot teaching me anything He

was more interested in building time than teaching

Take a moment and think about how you first be-

came interested in airplanes What triggered your

pursuit of learning to fly Did you have a buddy or

maybe a family friend who encouraged you Or even

became a mentor Do you remember your first flight

lesson Do you remember the day you made your

first solo flight

Remember that passion and sense of accomplish-

ment Donrsquot hesitate to share it with anyone express-

ing an interest in learning to fly

At Cub Air Flight we sell FUN When individuals

visit the airport to inquire about learning to fly we

know they have made the commitment in their own

mind It then becomes our responsibility to makethe visit friendly A friendly environment is a FUN

environment Kids are always welcome If a prospec-

tive student has children with him or her we invite

the kids to sit in the planes At the conclusion of our

discussion we emphasize the following statement If

you learn to fly with us it will be FUN CHALLENG-

ING and SAFE

I donrsquot believe there is a shortage of pilot prospectsbut there is a shortage in how we all go about attract-

ing these people to become active participants in plea-

sure flying Remember flying is FUN Letrsquos make an

effort to help others share in that FUN

AERO CLASSICldquoCOLLECTOR SERIESrdquo

Vintage Tires New USA Production

Show off your pride and joy with afresh set of Vintage Rubber Thesenewly minted tires are FAA-TSOrsquodand speed rated to 120 MPH Some

things are better left the way theywere and in the 40rsquos and 50rsquos these tires were perfectly intune to the exciting times in aviation

Not only do these tires set your vintage plane apart fromthe rest but also look exceptional on all General Aviationaircraft Deep 832nd tread depth offers above averagetread life and UV treated rubber resists aging

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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We enjoy your suggestions for

Mystery Planesmdashin fact more than

half of our subjects are sent to us by

members often via e-mail Please

remember that if you want to scan

the photo for use in Mystery Plane

it must be at a resolution of 300 dpior greater You may send a lower-

resolution version to us for our re-

view but the final version has to be

at that level of detail or it will not

print properly Also please let us

craft in the photo is of Canadian civil

registry CF-BXO formerly Royal Cana-

dian Air Force (RCAF) 920 This photo-

graph would have been taken at some

time between 1962 and 1967 after an

overhaul at Abbotsford British Colum-

bia (BC) and possibly while in servicewith Stranraer Aerial Enterprises The

location strongly resembles the Fraser

River dockings at the Vancouver air-

port The aircraft had undergone a re-

spray with a bright red cheat line The

(beaching gear required) for the Royal Air

Force (RAF) in 1933 The prototype first

flew in October 1934 with two Bristol

Pegasus IIIM engines rated at 820 hp

The production aircraft were delivered to

the RAF with Pegasus engines delivering

920 hp entering service in April 1937The British-built machines of which 23

were ordered and only 17 being built

were all delivered by April 1939

In Canada Canadian Vickers Lim-

ited of Montreal Quebec produced 40

Send your answer to EAA Vin-

tage Airplane PO Box 3086 Osh-

kosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer

needs to be in no later than August

20 for inclusion in the October

2011 issue of Vintage Airplane

You can also send your response via

e-mail Send your answer to mystery

planeeaaorg Be sure to include your

name plus your city and state in the

body of your note and put ldquo(Month)

Mystery Planerdquo in the subject line

This monthrsquos Mystery Plane comes to us from Bruce Voran

MYSTERY PLANE

by HG FRAUTSCHY

A P R I L rsquo S M Y S T E RY A N S W E R

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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QCA began buying several examplesand was instrumental in convincing

the Canadian Department of Transport

(DOT) to issue a civilian Certificate of

Airworthiness (C of A) One of the first

aircraft so issued was CF-BYI which be-

1980 the Canadian Museum of Flightand Transportation in BC salvaged the

wreck for possible restoration As late as

April 1952 QCA still had two Stranraer

in service CF-BXO and CF-BYM Pacific

Western Airlines (PWA) also operated

Two RAF Belfast freighters were dis-

patched and the disassembled aircraft

was transported to the United Kingdomwhere the machine is currently one of the

centerpieces of the collection

The aircraft type had many names

The most familiar (and printable) were

Stranny Strainer and Flying Meccano

Set The least affectionate was the Whis-

tling Shouse as when the lid to the

throne was lifted there was direct access

to the great outdoors and there emitted a

loud whistling noise

Other correct answers were re-

ceived from Hillis Cunliffe Mill-

brook Alabama Brian Baker Sun

City Arizona Wesley R Smith

Springfield Illinois John White-

head Cheyenne Wyoming ScottChurch Cochrane Alberta Can-

ada Jay Broze Walla Walla Wash-

ington Jerry Paterson Kent

Washington Jamie Patterson Mi-

ramichi New Brunswick Canada

Bill Bishop of Mulgoa New South Wales Australia sent along this photo

of the surviving Supermarine Stranraer

David Nixon supplied us with the April Mystery Plane shot of CF-BXO

a Canadian Vickers-built Supermarine Stranraer

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3644

urday 8 am until 6 pm Early-bird

arrivals can shop on the pre-conven-

tion weekend as well during limited

hours Show your VAA membership

card (or your receipt showing you

joined VAA at the convention) and

yoursquoll receive a 10 percent discount

VAA Volunteer Opportunities

Are you an ace pancake flipperIf yoursquore not one yet we can help

The VAA Tall Pines Cafeacute is looking

for volunteers who can help provide

a hearty breakfast to all the hungry

campers on the south end of Witt-

man Field If you could lend a hand

for a morning or two wersquod appreci-

ate it If thatrsquos not your cup of tea feelfree to check with the VAA Volunteer

Center located just to the northeast

of the VAA Red Barn The volun-

teers who operate the booth will be

happy to tell you when your help is

needed each day It doesnrsquot matter if

itrsquos just for a few hours or for a few

daysmdashwersquod love to have your help-

ing hands There is no need for you

to contact us ahead of time you can

talk with us when you arrive

VAA Judging Categoriesand Awards

The VAArsquos internationally recog-

nized judging categories are

bullAntique Aircraft built prior toSeptember 1 1945

bullClassic September 1 1945 - De-

cember 31 1955

bullContemporary January 1 1956

- December 31 1970

VAA NEWScontinued frpm page 5

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3744

the award winners Judging closes at noon on Friday

July 29 The Awards Ceremony will be held Saturday

evening July 30 at 6 pm in the Vintage Hangar

just south of the VAA Red Barn

Designated Smoking Areas Near FlightlineSmoking on the flightline at EAA AirVenture is prohib-

ited because itrsquos a hazard to all aircraft There are several

designated smoking areas with butt cans along the flight-

line well away from aircraft and refueling operations

Designated smoking areas will be south of the ultra-light runway near the Hangar Cafeacute near the Warbirdsarea (northeast corner of Audrey Lane and Eide Av-

enue) the Wearhouse flag pole area the shade pavil-ion north of the control tower and near the UltralightBarn Locations will be indicated on EAArsquos free con-vention grounds map The admission wristband alsoinstructs visitors that smoking is allowed only in desig-nated smoking areas

More on the Web

Visit wwwAirVentureorg for more information onEAA AirVenture 2011

EAA AirVenture Is Almost Here Are You Ready

Just a few short weeks from now many of you will

make the annual pilgrimage to Oshkosh for EAA Air-

Venture 2011 Are you ready Here are several handy

online tools on the AirVenture website that can help

you take care of any last-minute concerns

Visit wwwAirVentureorg and find out what you

need to know about The Worldrsquos Greatest Avia-

tion Celebration

Admission Parking Hours

wwwAirVentureorgplanningadmissionhtml

Find or Share a Ride to Oshkosh

wwwAirVentureorgrideshare

Site Map

wwwAirVentureorgplanningschedules_mapshtml

Where to Stay

Yoursquore cleared to stay connected

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3844

ship services at 800-564-6322 but

given the time from when you read

this until AirVenture it may not ar-

rive in the mail in time for your de-

parture We suggest downloading

the NOTAM

The NOTAM contains the specialflight procedures in effect for Witt-

man Regional Airport and alternate

airports from 6 am CDT on Friday

July 22 to 12 pm CDT on Mon-

day August 1 2011 All pilots who

fly into the event are expected to

know the special flight procedures

prior to arrival EAA AirVenture Os-

hkosh runs from July 25 through

July 31 For additional EAA AirVen-

ture Oshkosh 2011 information

visit wwwAirVentureorg

Call for VAA Hall of

Fame Nominations

To the left is our information

for nominations for VAArsquos Hallof Fame which is presented each

year during a special dinner This

yearrsquos dinner will be held Friday

October 28 Wersquoll have more on

this yearrsquos inductee John Under-

To nominate someone is easy It just takes a little time and a little reminiscing on your part

Mail nominating materials to

Remember your ldquocontemporaryrdquo may be a candidate nominate someone today

wwwVintageAircraftorg

CALL FOR VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

Nominations

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3944

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

Wit tman Regional A i rpor t (OSH)

Oshkosh Wisconsin

July 25-31 2011

wwwAirVentureorg

Colorado Sport International Air Show

and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In

Rocky Mountain Met ropol i tan A irpor t (BJC)

Denver Colorado

August 27-28 2011

wwwCOSportAviationorg

Mid-Eastern Regional Fly-In

Gr imes F ie ld A irpor t (I74)

Urbana Ohio

September 10-11 2011

httpMERFIcom

Copperstate Fly-In

Casa Grande Munic ipal A i rpor t (CGZ)

Casa Grande Ar izona

Upcoming Major

Fly-Ins

W I N

Only 2000 ticketswill be sold1 ticket $50

3 tickets $125

Piper Tri-Pacer Airplane

Free Flying Lessons

Free Pilot License

Country Legend Roy Clarkrsquos Personal Proceeds fromthis raffle

SAVEAMERICANKIDS LIVES

wwwwingsofhoperaffleorg

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4044

MISCELLANEOUS

wwwaerolistorg Aviationsrsquo Leading

Marketplace

Rare find Lycoming 0-145 partsinventory blocks bearings rings

shafts amp much more $20000

at 1970 prices $5000 Six four

cylinder case aircraft magnetos

$300 Call for more details (FL)

VINTAGETRADER

Someth ing t o buyse l l o r t rade

Classified Word Ads $550 per 10

words 180 words maximum with boldface

lead-in on first line

Classified Display Ads One column wide

(2167 inches) by 1 2 or 3 inches high at

$20 per inch Black and white only and nofrequency discounts

Advertising Closing Dates 10th of second

month prior to desired issue date (ie

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 (classads

eaaorg ) using credit card payment (all cards

accepted) Include name on card complete

address type of card card number and

expiration date Make checks payable to EAA

Address advertising correspondence to EAA

Publications Classified Ad Manager PO Box

3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

What Our Members

Are Restoring

Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done and

yoursquore busy flying and showing it off If so wersquod like to hear from

you Send us a 4-by-6-inch print from a commercial source (no

home printers please those prints just donrsquot scan well) or a

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4144

EAAMembership in the Experimental Aircraft

Association Inc is $40 for one year includ-ing 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION Familymembership is an additional $10 annually Allmajor credit cards accepted for membership(Add $16 for International Postage)

FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPSPlease submit your remittance with a

check or draft drawn on a United Statesbank payable in United States dollars Addrequired Foreign Postage amount for eachmembership

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATIONCurrent EAA members may join the

Vintage Aircraft Association and receive

year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not included)(Add $7 for International Postage)

WARBIRDSCurrent EAA members may join the EAA

Warbirds of America Division and receiveWARBIRDS magazine for an additional$45 per year

EAA Membership WARBIRDS mag-azine and one year membership in theWarbirds Division is available for $55 per

year (SPORT OficAVIATION magazinenot included) (Add $7 for Interna-tional Postage)

IACCurrent EAA members may join the

International Aerobatic Club Inc Divi-sion and receive SPORT AEROBATICS magazine for an additional $45 per year

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

VINTAGE

AIRCRAFT

ASSOCIATION

OFFICERS

DIRECTORS

DIRECTORS

EMERITUS

PresidentGeoff Robison

1521 E MacGregor DrNew Haven IN 46774

260-493-4724chief7025aolcom

Vice-PresidentGeorge Daubner

N57W34837 Pondview LnOconomowoc WI 53066

262-560-1949 gdaubnereaaorg

Steve Bender85 Brush Hill Road

Sherborn MA 01770508-653-7557

sst10comcastnet

David Bennett375 Killdeer Ct

Lincoln CA 95648916-952-9449

antiquerinreachcom

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Greenwood IN 46143317-422-9366

lbrown4906aolcom

Dave Clark635 Vestal Lane

Plainfield IN 46168317-839-4500davecpdattnet

John S Copeland1A Deacon Street

Northborough MA 01532508-393-4775

copeland1junocom

Phil Coulson28415 Springbrook Dr

Lawton MI 49065269-624-6490

rcoulson516cscom

Dale A Gustafson7724 Shady Hills Dr

Indianapolis IN 46278317-293-4430

dalefayemsncom

Jeannie HillPO Box 328

Harvard IL 60033-0328815-943-7205

Espie ldquoButchrdquo Joyce704 N Regional Rd

Greensboro NC 27409336-668-3650

windsockaolcom

Steve Krog1002 Heather Ln

Hartford WI 53027262-966-7627sskrogaolcom

Robert D ldquoBobrdquo Lumley1265 South 124th StBrookfield WI 53005

262-782-2633rlumley1wirrcom

SH ldquoWesrdquo Schmid2359 Lefeber Avenue

Wauwatosa WI 53213414-771-1545

shschmidgmailcom

Robert C Brauer9345 S Hoyne

Chicago IL 60643773-779-2105

photopilotaolcom

Gene Chase2159 Carlton Rd

Oshkosh WI 54904920-231-5002

GRCHAcharternet

Ronald C Fritz15401 Sparta Ave

Kent City MI 49330616-678-5012

rFritzpathwaynet com

Charlie HarrisPO Box 470350Tulsa OK 74147

918-622-8400cwhhvsucom

EE ldquoBuckrdquo Hilbert8102 Leech RdUnion IL 60180

815-923-4591buck7acgmailcom

Gene Morris5936 Steve Court

Roanoke TX 76262817-491-9110

genemor rischarter net

Membership Services DirectoryEnjoy the many benefits of EAA and

EAArsquos Vintage Aircraft Association

EAA Aviation Center PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086Phone (920) 426-4800 Fax (920) 426-4873Web Sites wwwvintageaircraftorg wwwairventureorg wwweaaorgmemberbenefits E-Mail vintageaircrafteaaorg

EAA and Division Membership Services (800 AMndash600 PM MondayndashFriday CST)800-564-6322 FAX 920-426-4873 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

bullNewrenew memberships bullAddress changes bullMerchandise sales bullGift memberships

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Programs and Activities

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Benefits

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VAA EditorialExecutive Director 920-426-4825 wwwvintageaircraftorg vintageeaaorg

VAA Office 920-426-6110 tbookseaaorg

TM

EAA Members Information Line 888-EAA-INFO (322-4636)

Use this toll-free number for information about AirVenture Oshkosh aeromedical and technical aviation questions

chapters and Young Eagles Please have your membership number ready when calling

Office hours are 815 am - 500 pm (Monday - Friday CST)

SecretarySteve Nesse

2009 Highland AveAlbert Lea MN 56007

507-373-1674

stnes2009livecom

TreasurerDan Knutson

106 Tena Marie CircleLodi WI 53555608-592-7224

lodicubcharternet

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4244

If yoursquove ever watched fish in

an aquarium yoursquove probably no-

ticed how they respond differently

to their surroundings There are

those that zip around the tank in a

mad dash to nowhere Some seem

to sit and not go much of any-

where and some will swim f romone end to the other turn around

and do it again

The latter are the ones that remind

me of myself I seem to fly in a fish-

bowl I go from one end of our val-

proficient by practicing things we

know over and over or it can make

us lazy When something becomes

so ingrained that we do it from habit

only we may not be thinking about

what wersquore doing

On a night cross-country some

time ago I found out just how easyit is to forget things that I hadnrsquot

used in a while While night may be

a little more challenging it still re-

quires the basic pre-flight planning

of any cross-country and following

whether I go far or stay in the com-

fort zone I canrsquot let complacency take

over Those skills and experiences

need to be stretched from time to

time regardless of where I fly An un-

expected situation or emergency is a

bad time to find out I donrsquot remem-

ber how to do somethingComplacency also allows fear

to creep in where it doesnrsquot belong

Some fear (I think) is a natural part of

flying but it can also unnecessarily

keep us grounded because we wonrsquot

BY S MICHELLE SOUDER

Flying Outside

the Fishbowl

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4344

Itrsquos gonna be a big year at Oshk osh

B-29 Superfortress ldquoFIFIrdquo

The first visit since 1995for the worldrsquos only airworthyB-29 Superfortress

REO SpeedwagonOshkosh rocks Monday duringthe opening day concert presentedby Ford Motor Company

Tribute to Bob HooverTuesday afternoon air showfeaturing aircraft and maneuvershe made legendary

eVentureInnovation will be on displayand in the air with the ElectricFlight Prize Competition

Join us for a week-long celebration of the Centennial of Naval Aviationincluding a special air show Wednesday See the hottest naval aircraftin historic colors all week on ConocoPhillips Plaza

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4444

Page 10: Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1044ldquowas about 6 years old

and Dad had taken us

to a fly-in in Ottumwa

show for his youthful fascination

with things that fly He now has

what he wished for when looking

Aviation families are quite common

within the sport aviation commu-

nity but few have made aviation

MIKE STEINEKE

The entire family enjoys flying the Waco all over the Midwest and beyond The color scheme evokes the colors chosenby Wiley Post for his record-setting Lockheed Vega the Winnie Mae

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1144

port That was in 1964 So basically

wersquove lived on an airport from just

about the moment I was born Now

So was Dad So we called the FAA

and got a lsquospecialrsquo VFR clearance

The last words my instructor said

before I took off in the C-152

were lsquoStay out of the clouds comearound and landrsquo So I didrdquo

There he was a certificated pilot

and still riding the school bus to his

little country school and living the

life of a typical high school kid in-

cluding going to local fairs

ldquoIt was at a local fair right after I

graduated that I met Carolyn and

I asked her out for a date On our

second or third date I took her fly-

ing in Dadrsquos Decathlon I guess that

must have impressed her because

we got married a year laterrdquo

Carolyn says ldquoHersquos such an avia-

tion addict that our honeymoon

had us stopping at various airports

as we traveled But Irsquoll tell youwhat Irsquod much rather he be out fly-

ing or hanging out at airports than

out drinkingrdquo And she laughs She

laughs a lot

Often it is at this point in an avi-

atorrsquos life story that the individual

says his flying stopped while he

built a business and a family tobe resumed as a later date Harve

however managed to sidestep that

layoff For one thing he essen-

tially lived on an airport his wife

liked flying (she says ldquoI decided if I

couldnrsquot beat him Irsquod join him and

started taking flying lessonsrdquo) and

hersquod grown up banging knuckles

working on airplanes So where so

many young fathers find their avia-

tion career has stagnated he started

building up his own airplanes the

first being a Cessna 170B

ldquoThe 170rdquo he says ldquowas actually

ldquoBecause we live barely 40 miles

from Blakesburg getting hooked on

vintage airplanes was unavoidable

Dad would take us to lots of fly-ins

including Blakesburg and from thevery beginning I actually liked vin-

tage airplanes better than he did

And I loved working on themrdquo

Harversquos love of vintage mechan-

ics showed through many years of

polishing and restoration of the

C-170 It went to Oshkosh for 16

years At first it was noticed because

it looked dreadfully forlorn but

over the years it began to gain more

attention and for better reasons

The judges were impressed enough

in 2000 to give it the best 170180

award Then it won Grand Cham-

pion in its class at the AAA Fly-In at

Blakesburg the next year

ldquoFirst I have to say that I donrsquotbuild airplanes to win trophies and

I donrsquot go to fly-ins to be judged I

build airplanes to go to fly-ins Pe-

riod We love going to fly-ins and

attend at least 15 or 20 a year and

we do it as a family Eventually the

kids got too big and we out-grew

the 170 after putting a little over1200 hours on itrdquo

While Harve might say he was

building a family the truth is that

Carolyn was the one having the

babies and trying to build a career

And her schedule was more than

just a little tight She started col-

lege right after Taryn was born and

missed her own graduation because

she was busy finishing her own

homebuilt Shalyn Today she puts

that diploma to work teaching sec-

ond grade while Harve farms 1500

acres of soybeans and corn

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1244

that he has made a huge number

of friends out of the other partici-

pants and thatrsquos good for all of usrdquo

ldquoI was looking for a bigger air-

plane when a friend of mine toldme about a beautiful 195 with a

blown engine sitting out on the

ramp in Tullahoma ldquo Harve says

ldquoI contacted the airport to find out

info about the owner I contacted

him and discovered it not only had

a bad engine but the finance com-

pany held the note as the owner

was going through bankruptcy I

flew down with my stepfather (who

had become a pilot after marry-

ing my motherhellipdad had died by

then) and we looked it over

ldquoI put in a bid and got it I sold

the 170 to a wonderful friend and

fortunately it stayed at our airport

where it is well tended We put anew 330 Jake from Radial Engines

Limited on the 195 and it won

awards at both Oshkosh and Blakes-

burg as well We kept the 195 for

three years But it still wasnrsquot a

Waco something I just couldnrsquot get

out of my head

ldquoWhen I started looking forWacosrdquo he says ldquolike everyone

else I was assaulted by the incred-

ible number of different varieties

But I wasnrsquot looking for something

to rebuild nor was I looking for a

rare variety I wanted an airplane

that would serve our family well

The fact that it would be an incred-

ibly cool antique was just a bonus

Because of that I passed on a lot of

projects and focused on airplanes

that were flying and needed a mini-

mum of work and could be fairly

easily supported That meant an

ldquoI looked at a few airplanes be-

fore a friend Doug Parsons turned

me on to N16249 a 1936 YKS-6 It

was last restored by Pete Coving-ton in 1994 so it was in really good

condition In fact well-known an-

tiquer Morton Lester had owned it

at the time of restoration It was a

good solid airplane that was due for

some freshening up not a rebuild

This was exactly what I was looking

for It had been through two own-

ers since Lester owned it and was

now part of an estate sale

ldquoI got it home in July of 2005 and

began working on itrdquo he says ldquoBe-

cause it had been restored nearly 15

years earlier and hadnrsquot been a han-

difficult but the paperwork turned

out to be a headache

ldquoThe original engine was a Ja-

cobs R-755-9 which is 245 hp butI wanted more power We have a

pretty big useful load with this air-

plane but it needs the extra power

when itrsquos heavy So I wanted to go

up to the 755-B2M which is 275

hp I had Air Repair in Cleveland

Mississippi build up an engine for

me Since itrsquos virtually identical to

the original Jake putting it on was

nothing At the same time we in-

stalled a new Sensenich wooden

prop But then we started working

on the paperwork

ldquoThis shouldnrsquot have been nearly

CRAIG VANDERKOLK

Most of the Applegate family during AirVenture 2010 from left to right

daughter Shalyn Harve Carolyn and son Matt The Applegatesrsquo other

daughter Taryn couldnrsquot make the trip

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1344

two airplanes were one in the same

Finally we got a hold of Jeff Janus

at the FAArsquos Aircraft Certification

Office (ACO) who said it was a no-

brainer and sent it back to the FSDO

and told them to sign it off

ldquoWersquove been flying the airplane

for five years now and itrsquos exactly

what we wanted an d what we

thought it should be First for an

airplane this big itrsquos really easy to

fly In fact it lands a lot like our

Cub and even on pavement isnrsquot

A Lesson in the Learning Caveats When DonatingAt one point Harversquos dad began having airport problems and therersquos a lesson

to be learned for a lot of us here

ldquoThe airport had never gotten hugerdquo Harve says ldquoIt was just a nice friendly

airport with a few hangars and some local tenants But it was the only airport in

the area so Dad deeded it over to the city I guess you could say he donated it

For years this worked out really well and all the aviation guys in the area loved it

We host a fly-in there each year and that became something of a local event that

everyone looked forward to

ldquoDad died suddenly in 1981 and we decided to build a house right near the

CRAIG VANDERKOLK

The Applegates camp every year just south of the VAA Flightline Opera-

tions building so son Matt and the family can enjoy visiting with their many

friends and watch the afternoon air show

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1444

bigger yoursquod want The back seat

is an honest three kids wide and

the two front seats are separated

by nearly a foot So you feel as ifyoursquore flying your own little air-

liner And how many airplanes to-

day let you crank the side windows

down and fly with you elbows up

on the windowsill

ldquoItrsquos not a rocketship in climb

about 500-600 fpm but itrsquoll give

you that or close to it whether

yoursquore loaded or not Those big old

wings can really carry a load

ldquoItrsquos also not a speed demon

but itrsquoll indicate 120 mph give or

take 5 mph at about 14 gallons per

hour and fly straight ahead with

MIKE STEINEKE

Another gorgeous picture of the Applegatesrsquo plane flying over the Midwest

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1544

The first wireless message sent

from an airplane to a ground station

wasnrsquot very imaginative or profound

The message telegraphed in dots and

dashes by US Army Lt Paul W Beck

on January 21 1911 was

ldquoAssociated Press AviationField Scotford is not the only

bird on the aviation board Beckrdquo

The message didnrsquot have the hum-

bling sense of Samuel Morsersquos ldquoWhat

hath God wroughtrdquo or the quaint-

ness of Alexander Graham Bellrsquos ldquoMr

Watsonmdashcome heremdashI want to see

yourdquo or Neil Armstrongrsquos inspira-

tional ldquoThatrsquos one small step for man

one giant leap for mankindrdquoThe rather mundane message was

hastily scribbled by Associated Press

reporter Guy Moysten who was cov-

Corps

Beck had been taken aloft by Philip

O Parmalee an early aviation pio-

neer The ldquopurple sparks spluttered

by the telegraph keyrdquo were also inter-

cepted by navy wireless stations on

Goat Island (now Yerba Buena Island)

and the Mare Island Navy YardBeckrsquos second message was ldquoThree

hundred feet up and riding level

It is cold It is bumpyrdquo The word

ldquobumpyrdquo wasnrsquot received because

Beckrsquos fingers were so cold that they

refused to as Beck put it ldquoanswer the

nerve impulsesrdquo

The word ldquoScotfordrdquo in the first

message referred to Frederick E Scot-

ford chairman of the Aviation Ex-

ecutive Committee which had

conceived planned and set in mo-

tion the air meet The message re-

ferred to a previous flight ldquoaround the

army also ldquolent their band for daily

concerts during guard mount or pa-

raderdquomdashall this to the delight of the

crowds throughout the entire affair

San Francisco was in heavy compe-

tition with New Orleans for the exclu-

sive rights to the 1915 Panama-Pacific

International Exhibition (PPIE) aworldrsquos fair to celebrate the upcom-

ing 1914 opening of the Panama

Canal The city desperately wanted

to land the exhibition believing it

would confirm San Franciscorsquos phoe-

nix-like rise from the ashes of devasta-

tion The air show was thought of as

the opening act

Plans for the PPIE had already

been complicated in 1910 Just six

months earlier Californiarsquos gover-

nor had banned the Jim Jeffries-Jack

Johnson fight scheduled for San

Franciscomdashforcing the epic ldquoFight

Flashes of Purple SparksBY DANIEL J DEMERS

Lt Paul Beck left with

the Western Wireless

Equipment Company A-4wireless set in his lap

while seated in a Wright

biplane during wireless

tests during the 1911 San

Francisco Air Meet The

set weighed 29 pounds

and featured a telegraph

key mounted on the top of

the mahogany box

JOURNAL OF ELECTRICITY POWER AND GAS

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1644

shadowed all the other historic firsts

achieved at the meet

Beck described the sensation of fly-

ing at 800 feet like this

ldquoWhirring propellers throb-

bing pistons and machine-

gun-like gasoline explosions

deafened you while tears bit-

ter tears were forced from your

eyes by the back rush of air and

you have a slight conception

how it feels to rival the eagle in a

Wright biplanerdquo

He had used in his own words

ldquoa rough makeshift affair weighing

thirty-two poundsrdquo It consisted of

a ldquosmall gap and interrupter an or-

dinary telegraph key a small storage

cellrdquo and a shunt ldquoto prevent over-

charging of the cellrdquo The entire de-vice was contained in a wooden box

that he carried on his lap The aerial

used for the experiment was a 120-

foot bronze wire trailing the plane

connected to the ldquosending appara-

tus by a number sixteen copper wirerdquo

The whole gizmo was grounded to a

stay wire on the aircraft connectedldquoto the sending apparatusrdquo Beck ex-

plained ldquoThe wave length measured

by the wave meter at the receiving

station was 575 meters in length This

is rather longer than we had thought

it would berdquo

Simultaneous to Beckrsquos experi-

ment Charlie Willard (another

pioneer aviator) unsuccessfully at-

tempted to send a wireless message

using a different set According to

Beck ldquoHis outfit weighed a trifle less

than the one which I used and his

antenna wire was a trifle longerrdquo Ac-

ldquoengine is practically noiseless when

comparedrdquo with the other planes at

the air meet ldquoSilencerdquo wrote Beck ldquois

an essential factor to the successful

reading of telegraphic codes or thesuccessful undertaking of human

speech by wireless telephonerdquo

Of great concern to the experi-

mentrsquos sponsors was the fact that an

ldquoelectrical dischargerdquo was involved in

the actual receiving of the message

from the ground Thus it was of ldquogreat

importance that the gasoline tank be

thoroughly insulated in order to pre-vent possible ignition from a sparkrdquo

Avoiding such an aerial catastrophe

was to be overcome by using ldquoone of

the guy wires on the Antoinette ma-

chine as the static ground and to drag

from the tail of the airship an alumi-

num wire of great capacity and weigh-

ing less than two pounds though 130feet in length as the antennardquo

Unfortunately as Beck told it ldquothe

god or gods of the elementsrdquo stepped

in On this particular day being ldquoaloft

was dangerous to life and limbrdquo

Lathamrsquos beautiful Antoinette mono-

plane was demolished in an accident

Latham survived the crash but a mere12 months later he died a mysterious

death in the French Congo

Beck understood that aviation was

in its infancy and that ldquowe must creep

before we walkrdquo While the experi-

ment to send a message had failed

due to an air wreck Beck concluded

it had been ldquoreduced to a mere ques-

tion of providing mechanical devices

for deadening the sound of the pro-

pellers shutting out the noise of the

rushing wind and providing some

simple means for placing the received

message in written form on some

Sources

Chief Warrant Officer Mark J

Denger Dominguez Inter-

national Air Meet California

Aviation History wwwMilitary- MuseumorgDominguezhtml

Lt Paul W Beck Aviation Meet

From War Viewpoint How

Army and Navy Will Take Part

San Francisco Examiner January

6 1911 5

Lt JC Walker Jr War Prob-

lems to be Solved In Air San

Francisco Examiner January 7

1911 3

Lt Paul W Beck What Army Is

Striving For Opening Day a

Big Success San Francisco Ex-

aminer January 8 1911 76

Lt Paul W Beck Wreck Spoils Wire-

less Experiment San Francisco

Examiner January 11 1911 2

Lt JC Walker Jr Biplanes in

Wind Please Army Man San

Francisco Examiner January 11

1911 2

Lt Paul W Beck Airplane Wire-

less Experiments Today War

Expert Reviews the Aviation

Meet San Francisco Examiner

January 18 1911 2

Lt Paul W Beck Wireless Adds

New Link To War Chain San Francisco Examiner January 22

1911 67

Flashes of Purple Glint From

Aeroplane in the Sky to Earth

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1744

VAA Friends of the Red BarnName______________________________________________________________________EAA ___________ VAA ___________

Address______________________________________________________________________________________________________

CityStateZIP________________________________________________________________________________________________

Phone___________________________________________________E-Mail______________________________________________

Please choose your level of participation

DiamondPlus$1250

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Platinum$750

Gold$500

Silver$250

Bronze$100

LoyalSupporter$99 amp Under

EAA VIP Center2 peopleFull

Week

VIP Air Show Seating2 people2

Days2 people1

Day

Close Auto Parking Full Week Full Week 2 Days

Two Tickets to VAA Picnic

Tri-Motor Certificate 2 Tickets 2 Tickets 2 Tickets 1 Ticket

Breakfast at Tall Pines Cafeacute2 PeopleFull Wk

2 PeopleFull Wk

2 PeopleFull Wk

1 PersonFull Wk

Special FORB Cap

Two Passes to VAA Volunteer Party

Special FORB Badge

Access to Volunteer Center

Donor Appreciation Certificate

Name Listed Vintage Airplane Magazine Website and Sign at Red Barn

Donrsquot wait for a mailing from VAA HQ before you send in your contributionmdashto keep our administration costs as low as possible wersquore not

sending out a mailingto each VAA member Please send your donation today while itrsquos fresh in your mindPlease help the VAA and our nearly 500 dedicated volunteers make this an unforgettable experience for our EAA AirVenture guestsYour contribution does make a dif ference There are seven levels of gifts and gift recognition Thank you for whatever you can doHere are some of the many activities the Friends of the Red Barn fund under writes

bullRed Barn Information Desk Supplies bullFlightline Parking Scooters and Supplies bullBreakfast for Past Grand Champions

bullParticipant Plaques and Supplies bullVolunteer Booth Administrative Supplies bullSigns Throughout the Vintage Area

bull Ton irsquos Red Car pet Expre ss Van and Rad ios bullRed Barn and Other Building Maintenance bullAnd More

bullCaps for VAA Volunteers bull Tal l Pin es Caf eacute D in ing Ten t

2 11 VAA Friends of the Red Barn Campaign2011 VAA Friends of the Red Barn CampaignThe VAA annual fundraising campaign fuels VAA action

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1844

T

he worldrsquos first regular air-

mail line was operated by

the United States Army

back in 1918 when a fleet

of old Jennies were pushed back

and forth between New York City

and Washington DC a distance

of two hundred and twenty miles

the fields that no self-respecting pi-

lot would take a second look at in

these times But those were the days

of wooden ships and iron men

Chief pilot on the line was a

handsome youth just out of his

teens Lieutenant James C Edger-

ton who had an unusual knack of

gan There were impressive ceremo-

nies political speeches bouquets of

flowers for the flyers and the Presi-

dent of the United States himself

went down to the Polo Grounds

and wished the pilot who was to

carry the mail to New York ldquoGod

speedrdquo Almost as soon as he left

From the Archives Reprinted from Popular Aviation Dec 1935

First Regular

Airmail FlightBY LIEUT H LATANE LEWIS II

The pilot is receiving his last-minute orders before shoving off with the mail Once more old Jenny

makes history

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1944

through with considerable diffi-

culty The pilot scheduled to make

the flight hopped off from Philadel-

phia and pointed the blunt nose of

his Jennie southward toward Wash-ington The checkerboard fields and

streams sliding beneath his wings

soon became a jigsaw puzzle and

one that he couldnrsquot piece together

The flyer realized that he was hope-

lessly lost He barged around for

awhile and finally decided to come

down and ask directions

Landing on the race track atBridgeton New Jersey forty miles

off his course he became involved

with a group of curious

horses which cracked up

the ship The mail was sent

back to Philadelphia by truck and

started out in another plane with

another pilot About thirty milesout his engine began to miss and

as it was getting dark he turned and

high-tailed back to his home field

Jim Edgerton stepped forward

and offered to save the face of the

new service and take the mail on

to Washington in spite of darkness

and a bad engine Night was comingon in earnest by this time If his en-

gine should conk on the trip down

there would be no flares for him to

release and land by nor would he be

able to bail out with a parachute for

this was before the day of the Cater-

pillar Club And at Washington he

would have no floodlights to illu-

minate the Polo Grounds It would

mean coming into that narrow field

which was surrounded by tall trees

in utter darkness

But Jim was an impatient and

adventurous young man so he

cians all through his eventful flying

career He was the least perturbed of

all as he came roaring down from the

north and circled the inky pit into

which he must bring his ship at thespeed of an express train

There were about half a dozen

automobiles parked around the

field and Jim estimated his ap-

proach from their headlights Spec-

tators heard his engine stop then

the shrill scream of the wind on

his struts and wires Then they

caught sight of a ghost-like silhou-ette against the night sky coming

down in a dizzy slideslip An in-

stant later a gray phantom swept

across the field and settled down

to a perfect landing The mail had

come through

Edgerton was the first pilot who

ever flew into a thunderstorm Upto that time flyers all over the world

looked upon electrical storms as a

deadly menace and had avoided

them as they would a plague Or-

ders had been issued that no mail

pilot should take off if weather con-

ditions were unfavorable

At Philadelphia one afternoon

during the middle of July Jim had

his ship tuned up and was ready to

shove off but down towards the

southwest storm clouds were gath-

ering It was against orders to fly

under such conditions Jim fumed

possible and then as he came over

the ldquoSusquehanna River he ran

smack into it It was a violent line

squall the storm most dreaded of

all by aviators and the kind thatsent the mighty Akron and Shenan-

doah down to destruction On the

ground trees were being uprooted

and houses damaged

ldquoIt was the bumpiest ride I ever

had before or sincerdquo chuckles Jim

Edgerton today as he recalls the

vivid impression it left on him

ldquoWe were thrown all over the skyThe rain and hail were so thick that

I couldnrsquot see the wingtips The

propeller was all chewed

up and I had to throttle

down the engine Butrdquo he

adds modestly ldquoI came out right

on the courserdquo

And the mail was landed inWashington on time

That flight and the others like it

that Edgerton made probably did

more than anything else to give the

public confidence in the reliability

of the airmail Frequently he flew

through dense fog and relied en-

tirely on the crude instruments ofthose early days to keep him in the

air On one of these flights he es-

caped death by as narrow a margin

as was ever vouchsafed a pilot

He shoved off in heavy rain and

soon ran into thick weather He

barged on into it flying blind for

awhile and then climbing up on

the top of the stuff It was so thick

that even the birds had to walk Af-

ter about an hour and a half he

decided to try to find the ground

to check his course He was com-

ing down in a fast glide when sud-

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2044

altitude the fog was so thick

it was like being submerged

in pea soup but occasion-

ally there would be a break

and Edgerton would catcha glimpse of the ground and

know where he was

As he passed over Havre

de Grace there suddenly

loomed up dead ahead a

church steeple He was right

on it before he saw it He

banked for all he was worth

standing the old crock rightup on her ear and missed

the steeple by a miracle

But the crowning thr ill

of the day came a little later

as he passed the Army Proving

Ground at Aberdeen

ldquoWe were flying at an altitude of

about 150 feetrdquo Edgerton recallsldquoVisibility was practically nil Sud-

denly there was a terrific bump al-

most as violent as if the plane had

struck something That afternoon

Army authorities at Aberdeen

called up and said that an airplane

had flown over there and almost

collided with a shell fired from a16-inch gunrdquo

Is it any wonder that Edgertonrsquos

hair has turned slightly gray

On another occasion Jim got

caught in a vicious summer thun-

derstorm over Baltimore He was

flying his faithful old mount No

38274 The turbulent air tossed

the frail wooden Jenny about like

a ship on a rough sea One instant

her nose would be pointed straight

toward heaven and the next instant

Jim would see the ground rush-

ing up at him just over the engine

of a lead pencil were spurting out

Soon the whole forward part of the

fuselage was saturated

Jim watched the lightning play-

ing about the metal parts of the

plane and waited for the spark

that would blow him to shreds and

splatter him all over Baltimore But

Lady Luck was riding with him

again and the spark never came

He rode out the storm and brought

had broken and was dangling al-

most in the shining arc of the

propeller If it became entangled

in the prop it would shatter it to

a million splinters and probablytear the engine loose

Throttling down Jim maneu-

vered as best he could to keep

wire and prop from that fatal

embrace Below him were plenty

of flat broad fields into which

he could have glided But that

would mean delaying the mail

so the plucky youngster kept go-ing and finally sat down safely

in Washington

Altogether Edgerton made

fifty-three trips and never failed

to bring the mail through on any

of them On only one did he have

a forced landing

He was over Camp Meade Mary-land when a magneto shaft broke

There was a terrific jolt that almost

jumped the engine out of the ship

For once Jim had to come down

and come down in a hurry He

looked below him and his heart

stood still He was plunging straight

towards the heads of hundreds ofmarching men on parade

Lower and lower sank the help-

less Jenny Edgerton flattened his

glide as much as he dared and tried

to squeeze over the soldiers He was

almost knocking their hats off but

still the Yanks continued to hold

their ground

ldquoI just skimmed over their heads

and landed on the very edge of the

parade groundrdquo Jim laughingly re-

lates ldquoIt was my old outfit and they

certainly gave me a welcomerdquo

It was just a bit demoralizing to

With the mail aboard the pilot proceeds to warm

up the OX-5 which animates the Jenny

Authentic dope on the

controversial subject

ldquoWho flew the firstairmailrdquo In spite of the

many claims to priority by

various pilots we believe

that this is the real

answer to the problem

An old Jenny as usual

does the work

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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AirVenture amp Ford Together Again

REO Speedwagon Concert Monday

600PM next to the Ford Hangar

Fly In Theater Nightly Sunday ndash

Saturday 830PM Camp Scholler

Cruisinrsquo Legends See Mustangs and

more Knapp Street near Warbirds

Model T Experience Tour in a Model

T ldquoCruisinrsquo Legendsrdquo

ldquoBlues Brothersrdquo Tribute Party

Saturday 630PM Ford ldquoHangar of Bluesrdquo

Free Ice Cream Nightly in the camp-

grounds ndash from the Transit Connect

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2244

My son and I spent the better part of

six years restoring an Aeronca 7BCM

Jeff was 13 years old when we started

the project and 19 when we finished

sponds quickly to my urging as I

push the throttle control forward

to begin a low-level no-radio no-

transponder flight from Charles W

time I admit to being spoiled first by

low-frequency ldquobeamsrdquo then VORs

DME RNAV LORAN and now GPS

But for this flight I left all that behind

To Follow the LineThis was the way I had learned navigation to follow the line

BY E JEFF JUSTIS

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE AUTHOR

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Down low it was fun once more

watching the small towns pass

even being able to read the names

on water towers

In north-central Mississippi

there appears a vast forest spread-

ing out beneath my wings an il-

lusory remnant of the gloriouswilderness that once extended

from the East Coast to the Great

Plains Now clear-cutting scars are

evidence of manrsquos meddling graf-

fiti on our planetrsquos face

I am surprised at the hills of

North Mississippi at higher al-

titudes they flatten into the ter-rain but here at 1000 feet above

the ground the hills are alive with

depth and color

My craft and I intruders in his

world pass a circling hawk I look

down and try to see the tiny crea-

ture I am sure he sees but where

he must perceive the slightest rus-tle of the brush I see only patterns

of green and brown and the bright

blue of reflected sky

Enough of this sightseeing I should

have crossed this highway a couple

of miles farther to the north I make a

slight correction Highways They criss-

cross this land cutting it into smaller

and smaller bits these scratches of

man meant little when there were

fewer men but now they separate deer

from deer and life from life

At the edge of a field pebbled by

round bales of hay rests a red tractor Jeff Justis was just 13 when he and his family embarked on the restoration of

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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suppose is the essence of life

Soon the forward horizon bulges

upward as I approach old tectonic

ridges aligned northeast-southwest

near Birmingham The dark greenof the forested ridges contrasts with

the lighter verdant hues of manrsquos

cultivation Ahead a sharp razor-

backed ridge prompts a climb to

3000 feet I teeter across the top and

slide down toward the broad valley

on the eastern side My first land-

ing after one hour and 45 minutes is

welcome As a no-radio aircraft I am

careful to follow the standard pat-

tern and glide down final touching

down on the much-too-long-for-

The-Champ runway of Posey AirportMost cross-country flights in

the rsquo50s were from grass strip to

grass strip A red gas pump would

be brought into service by the col-

orful operatormechanic of these

old aerodromes Aeroncas and

Luscombes were everywhere and

Cessna 195s were the elite air-

planes Now on this ramp my

Aeronca is an anachronism

A King Air is being readied for cor-

porate passengers and my little tail-

dragger is lost on the large apronFortunately we modified the 7BCM

with a starter and generator so I do

not have to find someone to help me

get started In years past almost ev-

ery lineman was proficient in hand-

propping now itrsquos almost a lost art

Soon I am on the way to my

next stop Lagrange Georgia I am

fooled by the appearance of a large

airport an old military field at 12

orsquoclock on the horizon Only when

I get close enough do I realize this is

not the field I am supposed to over-

fly and that I am 10 miles south of

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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ramp taking nearly as long as the

flight itself

The cost of this slow flight is cer-

tainly minimal with fill-ups after

two hours averaging 15 or so dol-

lars Besides the trip has been fun so

far relearning old navigation tricks

and seeing the country down low

Now I have only a few more milesto navigate to Eaglesrsquo Landing The

fly-in community strip is near Wil-

liamson Georgia and just east of a

northeast-southwest-oriented rail-

road I decide to proceed due east

find the railroad and follow it

northeast toward the destination

I cross a highway but see no rail-road A few miles further still no

railroad I must have passed it Af-

ter a 180 I find the highway again

but nohellipwait what is that That is

an abandoned rail line for sure and

it does parallel the road I continue

northeast scanning the horizon

passing pretty fields and housesI locate one airport with houses

neatly lining both sides of the single

runway but it is not Eaglesrsquo Landing

Soon I see Griffin Georgia I have

come too far I ease The Champ into

a bank to try again back down the

rail line andhellipherersquos a golf coursehellip

and yes there are two grass run-

ways meeting in a ldquoVrdquo I circle andmake a low pass over the northwest

runway watching my friends wave

from their yard ldquoWhat a nice place

to liverdquo I think as I line up on final

I glide just above the grass and

A foil tape antenna ground plane was just one of the nifty little touches added

to The Champ as the two Jeffs restored their airplane

Doesnrsquot ever yone use Champ

tail surfaces as decorative ele-

ments in their household dec-orating Mrs Justis is a very

patient woman

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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CALIFORNIAHayward CA VIN 29

Meeting 2nd Thurs 600 pm

Hayward Airport

See website for hangar info

Gary Oberti President

Phone 510-357-8600

E-mail infovaa29org

Website wwwvaa29org

CALIFORNIASacramento CA VIN 25

Meeting 2nd Sat 900 am

See chapter website for location

Robert Opdahl President

Phone 530-273-7348

E-mail bopdahlsbcglobalnet

Website wwwVin25org

CAROLINAS VIRGINIAWalnut Cove NC VIN 3

Meeting Contact President

Susan Dusenbury President

Phone 336-591-3931

E-mail sr6sueaolcom

Website wwwVAA3org

FLORIDALakeland FL VIN 1

Meeting Contact President

Bobby Capozzi President

Phone 352-475-9736

INDIANAAuburn IN VIN 37

Meeting 4th Thurs 700 pm

DeKalb County Airport (kGWB)

Hangar AmdashVAA 37 Clubhouse

Drew Hoffman President

Phone 260-515-3525

E-mail drewhoffmanvaa37org

Website wwwVAA37org

KANSASOverland Park KS VIN 16

Meeting 2nd Fri 730 pm

CAF Hangar

New Century Airport

Kevin Pratt President

Phone 913-541-1149

E-mail kprattvaa16com

Website wwwVAA16com

LOUISIANANew Iberia LA VIN 30

Meeting 1st Sun 900 am

LeMaire Memorial Airport Hangar 4

Roland Denison President

Phone 337-365-3047

E-mail vaa30coxnet

MINNESOTAAlbert Lea MN VIN 13

Meeting 2nd Thurs 700 pm

Albert Lea Airport FBO

OHIODelaware OH VIN 27

Meeting 3rd Sat 8-10AM May thru Sept

Delaware Municiple Airport (DLZ)

Terminal Building

Woody McIntire President

Phone 740-362-7228

E-mail wjmcintirecscom

Website wwwEAAdlzorg

OHIOZanesville OH VIN 22

Meeting 2nd Fri 630 pm

Perry County Airport

John Morozowsky President

Phone 740-453-6889

OKLAHOMATulsa OK VIN 10

Meeting 4th Thurs 700 PM

Hardesty South Regional Library

No meetings in July Nov amp Dec

Joe Champagne President

Phone 918-257-4688

Email skypalgroveemailcom

TEXASSpring TX VIN 2

Meeting 4th Sun 200 PM

David Wayne Hooks Airport (KDWH)

Fred Ramin President

Phone 281-255-4430

Vintage Chapter LocatorVisit the VAA chapter nearest you and get to know some great old-airplane enthusiasts You donrsquot need

to be a pilot to join in the funmdashjust have a love of the great airplanes of yesteryear

Chapter 27 of Delaware Ohio hosts a monthly pancake breakfast where attendees enjoy the camara-derie among the airplanes

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2744

When Albert Vollmecke joined

Arkansas Aircraft Company in Sep-tember 1927 he brought fresh ideas

from his native Germany regarding

aircraft design stability and safety

He would on occasion return to

Germany to bring back something

new for the company In 1928 Ar-

kansas Aircraft Company changed

its name to Command-Aire Incor-porated and the production run

of new ships increased in its Little

Rock Arkansas plant

After one such visit to Ger-

many Vollmecke returned with

the rights to import and sell the

PHYLAX fire-extinguisher system

patented (GB 0267542) March 10

1926 and manufactured in Berlinby Phylax Feuerlosch-Automaten-

Bau GmbH The PHYLAX fire-

extinguisher system consisted of

a tank containing the extinguish-

ing liquid From the tank which

BY ROBERT G LOCK

Early 1047297re-extinguishing system

THE Vintage

Mechanic

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2844

advertisement from AVIATION

November 1928 using the OX-5

powered model 3C3 ship to dem-

onstrate the system

The PHYLAX system consisted

of a pressurized tank of fluid with

associated lines and nozzles lead-

ing to the engine compartment of

the ship Note here that the unit

is manufactured in t he United

States by the Aero Supply Man-

ufacturing Company located in

Long Island New York The cost

of the unit is $70 in this May 1929

advertisement in an aviation mag-

azine Illustration 2 shows the

manufacturerrsquos advertisement for

the product

In a letter dated April 10 1929

Mr Wiley Wright assistant sales

director for Command-Aire Incor-

porated wrote

ldquoCommand-Aire Incorporated

acquired the exclusive franchise

rights for PHYLAX automatic fire

extinguishers in the United States

Mexico and Central America This

extinguisher is the only automatic

fire extinguisher available and is

standard equipment on many Eu-

ropean lines It is manufactured

by PHYLAX Bau of Germany and

is receiving great response in the

United States at the present timerdquo

In this factory Illustration 3

and from the files of Albert Voll-

mecke is a 110-hp Warner engine

mounted in the Command-Aire

model 3C3-A ship Note the en-

gine cowling being neatly fitted

around cylinders and associated

tubes The 3C3-A had a very longnose due to its light weight ne-

ce s s i ta t ing a longer a rm f or

weight and balance control In

this photo the PHYLAX sprinkler

heads are visible behind the mag-

netos down near the carburetor

and behind the oil inlet hoses on

the accessory case of the engineIllustration 3 is an original fac-

tory photograph of the PHYLAX

system installed in the nose of a

model 3C3-A

Illustration 4 is the same photo-

graph with some details removed

and other details added princi-

pally the identification of the PHY-LAX automatic fuse that fired the

bottle of extinguishing fluid and

the sprinkler heads These illustra-

tions taken from a Command-Aire

original factory brochure from the

files of Albert Vollmecke

Illustration 5 on page 27 is a

sketch from the PHYLAX patent

0267542 dated March 10 1926A general description of the PHY-

LAX system is contained within

the patent and states ldquoThe inven-

tion relates to a fire extinguishing

device intended for use particu-

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2944

not indicate what type of extinguishing fluid was

contained within the tank however soda-acid was

widely used in those days and carbon tetrachloridewas invented in 1912 by the Pyrene Company

In a communication from Command-Aire Pres-

ident Robert Snowden regarding the purchase of

stock options in the company he states ldquoOur ex-

clusive franchise for the sale of Phylax automatic

Illustration 3

Illustration 4

Illustration 5

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3044

homeland on a regular basis and

always brought back some new in-

vention or new ideas on design andsafety This system was certainly

ahead of its time safety-wise and a

credit to Vollmeckersquos focus on sta-

bility and safety for his designs

Above in this original factory

photograph (Illustration 6) of a

Command-Aire 3C3-T fuselage on

the assembly line at the Little Rock

plant the PHYLAX system can beseen mounted in the rear cock-

pit just behind the front seat in

the center of the photograph The

chemical bottles with two lines

tied to the side tubes run forward

Illustration 6

Pyrene 1047297re extinguishers

were made of brass and

were nicely polished

They were not high-pressure units

but required the use of a hand pump

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3144

Pyrene fire extinguishers were

made of brass and were nicely pol-

ished They were not high-pressureunits but required the use of a

hand pump to generate pressure

to expel liquid from the cylinder

These extinguishers were gener-

ally mounted in the rear cockpit

ton or linen fabric and the only

dope available was cellulose ni-

trate that burned like a torch when

lit Watching nitrate dope burn

reminded me of a Fourth of July

sparkler very intense and hot If

a nitrate-doped ship caught fire in

the air there was no extinguisher

that would put out the flames

The PHYLAX system had an auto-

matic sensor that would trigger the

bottlersquos valve open and send the

chemical into the engine compart-

ment The Pyrene extinguisher wasmore for ground use because you

could not operate the bottle and

fly the airplane at the same time

By todayrsquos standards these ex-

tinguishing systems seem ar-

chaic but for the time back in

the 1920s they were the thing to

have in your automobile boator airplane

Editorrsquos Note WARNING An-

tique carbon tetrachloride fire extin-

guishers like the Pyrene occasionally

show up either contaminated with

the original agent or worse yet with

the full charge of agent still inside

Carbon tet is treated as a hazard-

ous substance (its use was banned

in consumer products in 1970) and

should be dealt with accordingly

In fact carbon tetrachloride when

heated by a fire will create poison-

ous phosgene gas (World War Irsquos

ldquonerve gasrdquo) something that would

definitely ruin someonersquos day if the

fire hadnrsquot done so already In its

standard form this substance is verytoxic to the liver and a single signifi-

cant exposure can result in sickness

or death

L a n g l ey may have been the

f h f i i i b

last and last The instruction

l i l d f

1903 Samuel Pierpont Langleyrsquos ldquoAerodromerdquoattempts to take off from a floating platform

Have a comment or ques-

tion for Bob Lock the Vintage

Mechanic Drop us an e-mail at

vintageaircrafteaaorg or you

can mail your question to Vintage

Airplane PO Box 3086 Osh-

kosh WI 54903

Illustration 7

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Authorrsquos Note We held a small open house at the

flight school hangar this past Saturday Though the

weather was not conducive to give many rides we still

had about 60 people show up enjoy a brat or ham-

burger and talk about flying or learning to fly Interest

in flying is not dead One of my pet peeves is how we

in general aviation go about attracting individuals tolearn the pleasure of flight

Nearly every aviation publication I read carries ar-

ticles and editorials about the downward spiral of gen-

eral aviation Flight schools are having a hard time

attracting new students ldquoDoom and gloomrdquo reigns

with little positive to report on the horizon This al-

ways reminds me of the proverbial three wise mon-keys who embody the principle ldquoSee no evil hear no

evil and speak no evilrdquo We all complain about the

problem but no one ever offers solutions It seems as

though by not doing anything about the challenge it

will eventually go away and right itself

Many of the aviation organizations are wringing

their respective hands giving great lip service to the

drop in pilot numbers Some like EAA have launched

activities to attract new pilots such as the Young Ea-gles program This has been a good start but it will not

fill the ever-increasing void for more pilots

What are we all missing FUN

Four years ago I chose early retirement from a 38-

The student make-up is a real cross-section of Amer-

ica My youngest student to date began flight lessons

at age 14 and the oldest was 77 years young Irsquove men-

tioned some of my students in previous articles At

yearrsquos end 2010 while converting our student files

from paper to computer I was amazed to discover that

in the previous two years I had given instruction tomore than 200 individuals Some were new students

others were individuals in search of a tailwheel en-

dorsement and many were older individuals who had

pursued flight training early in their lives but gave it

up to raise a family Now they had the time and still re-

tained the burning desire to get back into flying What

attracted these individuals to the flight school FUN

And thefun

challenge of flying J-3 Cubs

Herersquos a small cross-section of this yearrsquos group

of students

bullA retired US Navy lieutenant who flew F-4 Phan-

toms off carriers in Vietnam He hasnrsquot done any fly-

ing in more than 10 years but hersquos been building a

Skybolt which will soon be finished and hersquos return-

ing to his lifelong lovemdashaviation He also has two

young sons who want to fly and will soon be joining

the group of student pilotsbullA young CPA from Iowa whose grandfather was a

friend of Bernie Pietenpol and who has built two Piets

The CPA used two weeks of his vacation time to learn

to fly so that he can fly the airplane(s) that his grandfa-

ther built and take his grandfather for a ride

BY Steve Krog CFI

THE Vintage

Instructor

Vintage flying is very much alive

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3344

Cubs flying every day he decided to pursue his pas-

sion for flight

bullA national chain hardware store employee who

has had a dream of flying driving nearly two hours

each way to learn to fly in a Cub

bullAn aviation writervideo producer who already has

a sport pilot certificate but desires to obtain a private

pilot certificate and do so in Cubs

bullA 30-something young family man who sells

construction equipment attachments While deer

hunting a year ago he learned one of his hunting

friends had recently learned to fly in Cubs For three

days they talked airplanes and flying rather than do-

ing much hunting Upon his return from the hunt-ing trip he drove to the airport and signed up for

lessons in the Cub

bullA professional musician from the Chicago area

who always wanted to learn to fly Although not yet

old enough to have a true ldquobucket listrdquo learning to fly

a Cub was number one on his list

With two exceptions these individuals had never

before flown or flown in tailwheel airplanes but alwayshad a dream of learning to fly in a Cubmdashjust like dad

or granddad did many years ago

Although no one in this group comes from simi-

lar backgrounds or professions there is one common

denominator among every studentmdashFUN None of

these students are learning to fly to pursue a career

in aviation (although Irsquove worked with a couple who

have done so) Rather they are learning to fly or get-

ting back into flying for the FUN and CHALLENGE of

flight They all have a true love of flight and seeing the

world from 500 feet with the door and window open

I have also worked with a number of students who

began taking flight lessons but quit after a period of

time They still had the passion for flight but gave it

up When asked why the responses fell into one of the

following four categories

bullI began taking lessons but after three or four les-sons Irsquod be assigned to a different instructor After 30

hours of dual three instructors and still not having

soloed I quit

bullThe instructor wasnrsquot teaching me anything He

was more interested in building time than teaching

Take a moment and think about how you first be-

came interested in airplanes What triggered your

pursuit of learning to fly Did you have a buddy or

maybe a family friend who encouraged you Or even

became a mentor Do you remember your first flight

lesson Do you remember the day you made your

first solo flight

Remember that passion and sense of accomplish-

ment Donrsquot hesitate to share it with anyone express-

ing an interest in learning to fly

At Cub Air Flight we sell FUN When individuals

visit the airport to inquire about learning to fly we

know they have made the commitment in their own

mind It then becomes our responsibility to makethe visit friendly A friendly environment is a FUN

environment Kids are always welcome If a prospec-

tive student has children with him or her we invite

the kids to sit in the planes At the conclusion of our

discussion we emphasize the following statement If

you learn to fly with us it will be FUN CHALLENG-

ING and SAFE

I donrsquot believe there is a shortage of pilot prospectsbut there is a shortage in how we all go about attract-

ing these people to become active participants in plea-

sure flying Remember flying is FUN Letrsquos make an

effort to help others share in that FUN

AERO CLASSICldquoCOLLECTOR SERIESrdquo

Vintage Tires New USA Production

Show off your pride and joy with afresh set of Vintage Rubber Thesenewly minted tires are FAA-TSOrsquodand speed rated to 120 MPH Some

things are better left the way theywere and in the 40rsquos and 50rsquos these tires were perfectly intune to the exciting times in aviation

Not only do these tires set your vintage plane apart fromthe rest but also look exceptional on all General Aviationaircraft Deep 832nd tread depth offers above averagetread life and UV treated rubber resists aging

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3444

We enjoy your suggestions for

Mystery Planesmdashin fact more than

half of our subjects are sent to us by

members often via e-mail Please

remember that if you want to scan

the photo for use in Mystery Plane

it must be at a resolution of 300 dpior greater You may send a lower-

resolution version to us for our re-

view but the final version has to be

at that level of detail or it will not

print properly Also please let us

craft in the photo is of Canadian civil

registry CF-BXO formerly Royal Cana-

dian Air Force (RCAF) 920 This photo-

graph would have been taken at some

time between 1962 and 1967 after an

overhaul at Abbotsford British Colum-

bia (BC) and possibly while in servicewith Stranraer Aerial Enterprises The

location strongly resembles the Fraser

River dockings at the Vancouver air-

port The aircraft had undergone a re-

spray with a bright red cheat line The

(beaching gear required) for the Royal Air

Force (RAF) in 1933 The prototype first

flew in October 1934 with two Bristol

Pegasus IIIM engines rated at 820 hp

The production aircraft were delivered to

the RAF with Pegasus engines delivering

920 hp entering service in April 1937The British-built machines of which 23

were ordered and only 17 being built

were all delivered by April 1939

In Canada Canadian Vickers Lim-

ited of Montreal Quebec produced 40

Send your answer to EAA Vin-

tage Airplane PO Box 3086 Osh-

kosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer

needs to be in no later than August

20 for inclusion in the October

2011 issue of Vintage Airplane

You can also send your response via

e-mail Send your answer to mystery

planeeaaorg Be sure to include your

name plus your city and state in the

body of your note and put ldquo(Month)

Mystery Planerdquo in the subject line

This monthrsquos Mystery Plane comes to us from Bruce Voran

MYSTERY PLANE

by HG FRAUTSCHY

A P R I L rsquo S M Y S T E RY A N S W E R

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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QCA began buying several examplesand was instrumental in convincing

the Canadian Department of Transport

(DOT) to issue a civilian Certificate of

Airworthiness (C of A) One of the first

aircraft so issued was CF-BYI which be-

1980 the Canadian Museum of Flightand Transportation in BC salvaged the

wreck for possible restoration As late as

April 1952 QCA still had two Stranraer

in service CF-BXO and CF-BYM Pacific

Western Airlines (PWA) also operated

Two RAF Belfast freighters were dis-

patched and the disassembled aircraft

was transported to the United Kingdomwhere the machine is currently one of the

centerpieces of the collection

The aircraft type had many names

The most familiar (and printable) were

Stranny Strainer and Flying Meccano

Set The least affectionate was the Whis-

tling Shouse as when the lid to the

throne was lifted there was direct access

to the great outdoors and there emitted a

loud whistling noise

Other correct answers were re-

ceived from Hillis Cunliffe Mill-

brook Alabama Brian Baker Sun

City Arizona Wesley R Smith

Springfield Illinois John White-

head Cheyenne Wyoming ScottChurch Cochrane Alberta Can-

ada Jay Broze Walla Walla Wash-

ington Jerry Paterson Kent

Washington Jamie Patterson Mi-

ramichi New Brunswick Canada

Bill Bishop of Mulgoa New South Wales Australia sent along this photo

of the surviving Supermarine Stranraer

David Nixon supplied us with the April Mystery Plane shot of CF-BXO

a Canadian Vickers-built Supermarine Stranraer

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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urday 8 am until 6 pm Early-bird

arrivals can shop on the pre-conven-

tion weekend as well during limited

hours Show your VAA membership

card (or your receipt showing you

joined VAA at the convention) and

yoursquoll receive a 10 percent discount

VAA Volunteer Opportunities

Are you an ace pancake flipperIf yoursquore not one yet we can help

The VAA Tall Pines Cafeacute is looking

for volunteers who can help provide

a hearty breakfast to all the hungry

campers on the south end of Witt-

man Field If you could lend a hand

for a morning or two wersquod appreci-

ate it If thatrsquos not your cup of tea feelfree to check with the VAA Volunteer

Center located just to the northeast

of the VAA Red Barn The volun-

teers who operate the booth will be

happy to tell you when your help is

needed each day It doesnrsquot matter if

itrsquos just for a few hours or for a few

daysmdashwersquod love to have your help-

ing hands There is no need for you

to contact us ahead of time you can

talk with us when you arrive

VAA Judging Categoriesand Awards

The VAArsquos internationally recog-

nized judging categories are

bullAntique Aircraft built prior toSeptember 1 1945

bullClassic September 1 1945 - De-

cember 31 1955

bullContemporary January 1 1956

- December 31 1970

VAA NEWScontinued frpm page 5

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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the award winners Judging closes at noon on Friday

July 29 The Awards Ceremony will be held Saturday

evening July 30 at 6 pm in the Vintage Hangar

just south of the VAA Red Barn

Designated Smoking Areas Near FlightlineSmoking on the flightline at EAA AirVenture is prohib-

ited because itrsquos a hazard to all aircraft There are several

designated smoking areas with butt cans along the flight-

line well away from aircraft and refueling operations

Designated smoking areas will be south of the ultra-light runway near the Hangar Cafeacute near the Warbirdsarea (northeast corner of Audrey Lane and Eide Av-

enue) the Wearhouse flag pole area the shade pavil-ion north of the control tower and near the UltralightBarn Locations will be indicated on EAArsquos free con-vention grounds map The admission wristband alsoinstructs visitors that smoking is allowed only in desig-nated smoking areas

More on the Web

Visit wwwAirVentureorg for more information onEAA AirVenture 2011

EAA AirVenture Is Almost Here Are You Ready

Just a few short weeks from now many of you will

make the annual pilgrimage to Oshkosh for EAA Air-

Venture 2011 Are you ready Here are several handy

online tools on the AirVenture website that can help

you take care of any last-minute concerns

Visit wwwAirVentureorg and find out what you

need to know about The Worldrsquos Greatest Avia-

tion Celebration

Admission Parking Hours

wwwAirVentureorgplanningadmissionhtml

Find or Share a Ride to Oshkosh

wwwAirVentureorgrideshare

Site Map

wwwAirVentureorgplanningschedules_mapshtml

Where to Stay

Yoursquore cleared to stay connected

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3844

ship services at 800-564-6322 but

given the time from when you read

this until AirVenture it may not ar-

rive in the mail in time for your de-

parture We suggest downloading

the NOTAM

The NOTAM contains the specialflight procedures in effect for Witt-

man Regional Airport and alternate

airports from 6 am CDT on Friday

July 22 to 12 pm CDT on Mon-

day August 1 2011 All pilots who

fly into the event are expected to

know the special flight procedures

prior to arrival EAA AirVenture Os-

hkosh runs from July 25 through

July 31 For additional EAA AirVen-

ture Oshkosh 2011 information

visit wwwAirVentureorg

Call for VAA Hall of

Fame Nominations

To the left is our information

for nominations for VAArsquos Hallof Fame which is presented each

year during a special dinner This

yearrsquos dinner will be held Friday

October 28 Wersquoll have more on

this yearrsquos inductee John Under-

To nominate someone is easy It just takes a little time and a little reminiscing on your part

Mail nominating materials to

Remember your ldquocontemporaryrdquo may be a candidate nominate someone today

wwwVintageAircraftorg

CALL FOR VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

Nominations

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3944

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

Wit tman Regional A i rpor t (OSH)

Oshkosh Wisconsin

July 25-31 2011

wwwAirVentureorg

Colorado Sport International Air Show

and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In

Rocky Mountain Met ropol i tan A irpor t (BJC)

Denver Colorado

August 27-28 2011

wwwCOSportAviationorg

Mid-Eastern Regional Fly-In

Gr imes F ie ld A irpor t (I74)

Urbana Ohio

September 10-11 2011

httpMERFIcom

Copperstate Fly-In

Casa Grande Munic ipal A i rpor t (CGZ)

Casa Grande Ar izona

Upcoming Major

Fly-Ins

W I N

Only 2000 ticketswill be sold1 ticket $50

3 tickets $125

Piper Tri-Pacer Airplane

Free Flying Lessons

Free Pilot License

Country Legend Roy Clarkrsquos Personal Proceeds fromthis raffle

SAVEAMERICANKIDS LIVES

wwwwingsofhoperaffleorg

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4044

MISCELLANEOUS

wwwaerolistorg Aviationsrsquo Leading

Marketplace

Rare find Lycoming 0-145 partsinventory blocks bearings rings

shafts amp much more $20000

at 1970 prices $5000 Six four

cylinder case aircraft magnetos

$300 Call for more details (FL)

VINTAGETRADER

Someth ing t o buyse l l o r t rade

Classified Word Ads $550 per 10

words 180 words maximum with boldface

lead-in on first line

Classified Display Ads One column wide

(2167 inches) by 1 2 or 3 inches high at

$20 per inch Black and white only and nofrequency discounts

Advertising Closing Dates 10th of second

month prior to desired issue date (ie

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 (classads

eaaorg ) using credit card payment (all cards

accepted) Include name on card complete

address type of card card number and

expiration date Make checks payable to EAA

Address advertising correspondence to EAA

Publications Classified Ad Manager PO Box

3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

What Our Members

Are Restoring

Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done and

yoursquore busy flying and showing it off If so wersquod like to hear from

you Send us a 4-by-6-inch print from a commercial source (no

home printers please those prints just donrsquot scan well) or a

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4144

EAAMembership in the Experimental Aircraft

Association Inc is $40 for one year includ-ing 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION Familymembership is an additional $10 annually Allmajor credit cards accepted for membership(Add $16 for International Postage)

FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPSPlease submit your remittance with a

check or draft drawn on a United Statesbank payable in United States dollars Addrequired Foreign Postage amount for eachmembership

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATIONCurrent EAA members may join the

Vintage Aircraft Association and receive

year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not included)(Add $7 for International Postage)

WARBIRDSCurrent EAA members may join the EAA

Warbirds of America Division and receiveWARBIRDS magazine for an additional$45 per year

EAA Membership WARBIRDS mag-azine and one year membership in theWarbirds Division is available for $55 per

year (SPORT OficAVIATION magazinenot included) (Add $7 for Interna-tional Postage)

IACCurrent EAA members may join the

International Aerobatic Club Inc Divi-sion and receive SPORT AEROBATICS magazine for an additional $45 per year

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

VINTAGE

AIRCRAFT

ASSOCIATION

OFFICERS

DIRECTORS

DIRECTORS

EMERITUS

PresidentGeoff Robison

1521 E MacGregor DrNew Haven IN 46774

260-493-4724chief7025aolcom

Vice-PresidentGeorge Daubner

N57W34837 Pondview LnOconomowoc WI 53066

262-560-1949 gdaubnereaaorg

Steve Bender85 Brush Hill Road

Sherborn MA 01770508-653-7557

sst10comcastnet

David Bennett375 Killdeer Ct

Lincoln CA 95648916-952-9449

antiquerinreachcom

Jerry Brown4605 Hickory Wood Row

Greenwood IN 46143317-422-9366

lbrown4906aolcom

Dave Clark635 Vestal Lane

Plainfield IN 46168317-839-4500davecpdattnet

John S Copeland1A Deacon Street

Northborough MA 01532508-393-4775

copeland1junocom

Phil Coulson28415 Springbrook Dr

Lawton MI 49065269-624-6490

rcoulson516cscom

Dale A Gustafson7724 Shady Hills Dr

Indianapolis IN 46278317-293-4430

dalefayemsncom

Jeannie HillPO Box 328

Harvard IL 60033-0328815-943-7205

Espie ldquoButchrdquo Joyce704 N Regional Rd

Greensboro NC 27409336-668-3650

windsockaolcom

Steve Krog1002 Heather Ln

Hartford WI 53027262-966-7627sskrogaolcom

Robert D ldquoBobrdquo Lumley1265 South 124th StBrookfield WI 53005

262-782-2633rlumley1wirrcom

SH ldquoWesrdquo Schmid2359 Lefeber Avenue

Wauwatosa WI 53213414-771-1545

shschmidgmailcom

Robert C Brauer9345 S Hoyne

Chicago IL 60643773-779-2105

photopilotaolcom

Gene Chase2159 Carlton Rd

Oshkosh WI 54904920-231-5002

GRCHAcharternet

Ronald C Fritz15401 Sparta Ave

Kent City MI 49330616-678-5012

rFritzpathwaynet com

Charlie HarrisPO Box 470350Tulsa OK 74147

918-622-8400cwhhvsucom

EE ldquoBuckrdquo Hilbert8102 Leech RdUnion IL 60180

815-923-4591buck7acgmailcom

Gene Morris5936 Steve Court

Roanoke TX 76262817-491-9110

genemor rischarter net

Membership Services DirectoryEnjoy the many benefits of EAA and

EAArsquos Vintage Aircraft Association

EAA Aviation Center PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086Phone (920) 426-4800 Fax (920) 426-4873Web Sites wwwvintageaircraftorg wwwairventureorg wwweaaorgmemberbenefits E-Mail vintageaircrafteaaorg

EAA and Division Membership Services (800 AMndash600 PM MondayndashFriday CST)800-564-6322 FAX 920-426-4873 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

bullNewrenew memberships bullAddress changes bullMerchandise sales bullGift memberships

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 888-322-4636 wwwairventureorg airventureeaaorg

Sport PilotLight-Sport Aircraft Hotline 877-359-1232 wwwsportpilotorg sportpiloteaaorg

Programs and Activities

Auto Fuel STCs 920-426-4843 stceaaorg EAA Air Academy 920-426-6880 wwwairacademyorg airacademyeaaorg

EAA Scholarships 920-426-6823 scholarshipseaaorg

Library ServicesResearch 920-426-4848 slurveyeaaorg

Benefits

AUA Vintage Insurance Plan 800-727-3823 wwwauaonlinecom

EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan 866-647-4322 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

EAA VISA Card 800-853-5576 ext 8884

EAA Her tz Rent-A-Car Program 800-654-2200 wwweaaorghertz membershipeaaorg

VAA EditorialExecutive Director 920-426-4825 wwwvintageaircraftorg vintageeaaorg

VAA Office 920-426-6110 tbookseaaorg

TM

EAA Members Information Line 888-EAA-INFO (322-4636)

Use this toll-free number for information about AirVenture Oshkosh aeromedical and technical aviation questions

chapters and Young Eagles Please have your membership number ready when calling

Office hours are 815 am - 500 pm (Monday - Friday CST)

SecretarySteve Nesse

2009 Highland AveAlbert Lea MN 56007

507-373-1674

stnes2009livecom

TreasurerDan Knutson

106 Tena Marie CircleLodi WI 53555608-592-7224

lodicubcharternet

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4244

If yoursquove ever watched fish in

an aquarium yoursquove probably no-

ticed how they respond differently

to their surroundings There are

those that zip around the tank in a

mad dash to nowhere Some seem

to sit and not go much of any-

where and some will swim f romone end to the other turn around

and do it again

The latter are the ones that remind

me of myself I seem to fly in a fish-

bowl I go from one end of our val-

proficient by practicing things we

know over and over or it can make

us lazy When something becomes

so ingrained that we do it from habit

only we may not be thinking about

what wersquore doing

On a night cross-country some

time ago I found out just how easyit is to forget things that I hadnrsquot

used in a while While night may be

a little more challenging it still re-

quires the basic pre-flight planning

of any cross-country and following

whether I go far or stay in the com-

fort zone I canrsquot let complacency take

over Those skills and experiences

need to be stretched from time to

time regardless of where I fly An un-

expected situation or emergency is a

bad time to find out I donrsquot remem-

ber how to do somethingComplacency also allows fear

to creep in where it doesnrsquot belong

Some fear (I think) is a natural part of

flying but it can also unnecessarily

keep us grounded because we wonrsquot

BY S MICHELLE SOUDER

Flying Outside

the Fishbowl

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4344

Itrsquos gonna be a big year at Oshk osh

B-29 Superfortress ldquoFIFIrdquo

The first visit since 1995for the worldrsquos only airworthyB-29 Superfortress

REO SpeedwagonOshkosh rocks Monday duringthe opening day concert presentedby Ford Motor Company

Tribute to Bob HooverTuesday afternoon air showfeaturing aircraft and maneuvershe made legendary

eVentureInnovation will be on displayand in the air with the ElectricFlight Prize Competition

Join us for a week-long celebration of the Centennial of Naval Aviationincluding a special air show Wednesday See the hottest naval aircraftin historic colors all week on ConocoPhillips Plaza

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Page 11: Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1144

port That was in 1964 So basically

wersquove lived on an airport from just

about the moment I was born Now

So was Dad So we called the FAA

and got a lsquospecialrsquo VFR clearance

The last words my instructor said

before I took off in the C-152

were lsquoStay out of the clouds comearound and landrsquo So I didrdquo

There he was a certificated pilot

and still riding the school bus to his

little country school and living the

life of a typical high school kid in-

cluding going to local fairs

ldquoIt was at a local fair right after I

graduated that I met Carolyn and

I asked her out for a date On our

second or third date I took her fly-

ing in Dadrsquos Decathlon I guess that

must have impressed her because

we got married a year laterrdquo

Carolyn says ldquoHersquos such an avia-

tion addict that our honeymoon

had us stopping at various airports

as we traveled But Irsquoll tell youwhat Irsquod much rather he be out fly-

ing or hanging out at airports than

out drinkingrdquo And she laughs She

laughs a lot

Often it is at this point in an avi-

atorrsquos life story that the individual

says his flying stopped while he

built a business and a family tobe resumed as a later date Harve

however managed to sidestep that

layoff For one thing he essen-

tially lived on an airport his wife

liked flying (she says ldquoI decided if I

couldnrsquot beat him Irsquod join him and

started taking flying lessonsrdquo) and

hersquod grown up banging knuckles

working on airplanes So where so

many young fathers find their avia-

tion career has stagnated he started

building up his own airplanes the

first being a Cessna 170B

ldquoThe 170rdquo he says ldquowas actually

ldquoBecause we live barely 40 miles

from Blakesburg getting hooked on

vintage airplanes was unavoidable

Dad would take us to lots of fly-ins

including Blakesburg and from thevery beginning I actually liked vin-

tage airplanes better than he did

And I loved working on themrdquo

Harversquos love of vintage mechan-

ics showed through many years of

polishing and restoration of the

C-170 It went to Oshkosh for 16

years At first it was noticed because

it looked dreadfully forlorn but

over the years it began to gain more

attention and for better reasons

The judges were impressed enough

in 2000 to give it the best 170180

award Then it won Grand Cham-

pion in its class at the AAA Fly-In at

Blakesburg the next year

ldquoFirst I have to say that I donrsquotbuild airplanes to win trophies and

I donrsquot go to fly-ins to be judged I

build airplanes to go to fly-ins Pe-

riod We love going to fly-ins and

attend at least 15 or 20 a year and

we do it as a family Eventually the

kids got too big and we out-grew

the 170 after putting a little over1200 hours on itrdquo

While Harve might say he was

building a family the truth is that

Carolyn was the one having the

babies and trying to build a career

And her schedule was more than

just a little tight She started col-

lege right after Taryn was born and

missed her own graduation because

she was busy finishing her own

homebuilt Shalyn Today she puts

that diploma to work teaching sec-

ond grade while Harve farms 1500

acres of soybeans and corn

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1244

that he has made a huge number

of friends out of the other partici-

pants and thatrsquos good for all of usrdquo

ldquoI was looking for a bigger air-

plane when a friend of mine toldme about a beautiful 195 with a

blown engine sitting out on the

ramp in Tullahoma ldquo Harve says

ldquoI contacted the airport to find out

info about the owner I contacted

him and discovered it not only had

a bad engine but the finance com-

pany held the note as the owner

was going through bankruptcy I

flew down with my stepfather (who

had become a pilot after marry-

ing my motherhellipdad had died by

then) and we looked it over

ldquoI put in a bid and got it I sold

the 170 to a wonderful friend and

fortunately it stayed at our airport

where it is well tended We put anew 330 Jake from Radial Engines

Limited on the 195 and it won

awards at both Oshkosh and Blakes-

burg as well We kept the 195 for

three years But it still wasnrsquot a

Waco something I just couldnrsquot get

out of my head

ldquoWhen I started looking forWacosrdquo he says ldquolike everyone

else I was assaulted by the incred-

ible number of different varieties

But I wasnrsquot looking for something

to rebuild nor was I looking for a

rare variety I wanted an airplane

that would serve our family well

The fact that it would be an incred-

ibly cool antique was just a bonus

Because of that I passed on a lot of

projects and focused on airplanes

that were flying and needed a mini-

mum of work and could be fairly

easily supported That meant an

ldquoI looked at a few airplanes be-

fore a friend Doug Parsons turned

me on to N16249 a 1936 YKS-6 It

was last restored by Pete Coving-ton in 1994 so it was in really good

condition In fact well-known an-

tiquer Morton Lester had owned it

at the time of restoration It was a

good solid airplane that was due for

some freshening up not a rebuild

This was exactly what I was looking

for It had been through two own-

ers since Lester owned it and was

now part of an estate sale

ldquoI got it home in July of 2005 and

began working on itrdquo he says ldquoBe-

cause it had been restored nearly 15

years earlier and hadnrsquot been a han-

difficult but the paperwork turned

out to be a headache

ldquoThe original engine was a Ja-

cobs R-755-9 which is 245 hp butI wanted more power We have a

pretty big useful load with this air-

plane but it needs the extra power

when itrsquos heavy So I wanted to go

up to the 755-B2M which is 275

hp I had Air Repair in Cleveland

Mississippi build up an engine for

me Since itrsquos virtually identical to

the original Jake putting it on was

nothing At the same time we in-

stalled a new Sensenich wooden

prop But then we started working

on the paperwork

ldquoThis shouldnrsquot have been nearly

CRAIG VANDERKOLK

Most of the Applegate family during AirVenture 2010 from left to right

daughter Shalyn Harve Carolyn and son Matt The Applegatesrsquo other

daughter Taryn couldnrsquot make the trip

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1344

two airplanes were one in the same

Finally we got a hold of Jeff Janus

at the FAArsquos Aircraft Certification

Office (ACO) who said it was a no-

brainer and sent it back to the FSDO

and told them to sign it off

ldquoWersquove been flying the airplane

for five years now and itrsquos exactly

what we wanted an d what we

thought it should be First for an

airplane this big itrsquos really easy to

fly In fact it lands a lot like our

Cub and even on pavement isnrsquot

A Lesson in the Learning Caveats When DonatingAt one point Harversquos dad began having airport problems and therersquos a lesson

to be learned for a lot of us here

ldquoThe airport had never gotten hugerdquo Harve says ldquoIt was just a nice friendly

airport with a few hangars and some local tenants But it was the only airport in

the area so Dad deeded it over to the city I guess you could say he donated it

For years this worked out really well and all the aviation guys in the area loved it

We host a fly-in there each year and that became something of a local event that

everyone looked forward to

ldquoDad died suddenly in 1981 and we decided to build a house right near the

CRAIG VANDERKOLK

The Applegates camp every year just south of the VAA Flightline Opera-

tions building so son Matt and the family can enjoy visiting with their many

friends and watch the afternoon air show

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1444

bigger yoursquod want The back seat

is an honest three kids wide and

the two front seats are separated

by nearly a foot So you feel as ifyoursquore flying your own little air-

liner And how many airplanes to-

day let you crank the side windows

down and fly with you elbows up

on the windowsill

ldquoItrsquos not a rocketship in climb

about 500-600 fpm but itrsquoll give

you that or close to it whether

yoursquore loaded or not Those big old

wings can really carry a load

ldquoItrsquos also not a speed demon

but itrsquoll indicate 120 mph give or

take 5 mph at about 14 gallons per

hour and fly straight ahead with

MIKE STEINEKE

Another gorgeous picture of the Applegatesrsquo plane flying over the Midwest

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1544

The first wireless message sent

from an airplane to a ground station

wasnrsquot very imaginative or profound

The message telegraphed in dots and

dashes by US Army Lt Paul W Beck

on January 21 1911 was

ldquoAssociated Press AviationField Scotford is not the only

bird on the aviation board Beckrdquo

The message didnrsquot have the hum-

bling sense of Samuel Morsersquos ldquoWhat

hath God wroughtrdquo or the quaint-

ness of Alexander Graham Bellrsquos ldquoMr

Watsonmdashcome heremdashI want to see

yourdquo or Neil Armstrongrsquos inspira-

tional ldquoThatrsquos one small step for man

one giant leap for mankindrdquoThe rather mundane message was

hastily scribbled by Associated Press

reporter Guy Moysten who was cov-

Corps

Beck had been taken aloft by Philip

O Parmalee an early aviation pio-

neer The ldquopurple sparks spluttered

by the telegraph keyrdquo were also inter-

cepted by navy wireless stations on

Goat Island (now Yerba Buena Island)

and the Mare Island Navy YardBeckrsquos second message was ldquoThree

hundred feet up and riding level

It is cold It is bumpyrdquo The word

ldquobumpyrdquo wasnrsquot received because

Beckrsquos fingers were so cold that they

refused to as Beck put it ldquoanswer the

nerve impulsesrdquo

The word ldquoScotfordrdquo in the first

message referred to Frederick E Scot-

ford chairman of the Aviation Ex-

ecutive Committee which had

conceived planned and set in mo-

tion the air meet The message re-

ferred to a previous flight ldquoaround the

army also ldquolent their band for daily

concerts during guard mount or pa-

raderdquomdashall this to the delight of the

crowds throughout the entire affair

San Francisco was in heavy compe-

tition with New Orleans for the exclu-

sive rights to the 1915 Panama-Pacific

International Exhibition (PPIE) aworldrsquos fair to celebrate the upcom-

ing 1914 opening of the Panama

Canal The city desperately wanted

to land the exhibition believing it

would confirm San Franciscorsquos phoe-

nix-like rise from the ashes of devasta-

tion The air show was thought of as

the opening act

Plans for the PPIE had already

been complicated in 1910 Just six

months earlier Californiarsquos gover-

nor had banned the Jim Jeffries-Jack

Johnson fight scheduled for San

Franciscomdashforcing the epic ldquoFight

Flashes of Purple SparksBY DANIEL J DEMERS

Lt Paul Beck left with

the Western Wireless

Equipment Company A-4wireless set in his lap

while seated in a Wright

biplane during wireless

tests during the 1911 San

Francisco Air Meet The

set weighed 29 pounds

and featured a telegraph

key mounted on the top of

the mahogany box

JOURNAL OF ELECTRICITY POWER AND GAS

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1644

shadowed all the other historic firsts

achieved at the meet

Beck described the sensation of fly-

ing at 800 feet like this

ldquoWhirring propellers throb-

bing pistons and machine-

gun-like gasoline explosions

deafened you while tears bit-

ter tears were forced from your

eyes by the back rush of air and

you have a slight conception

how it feels to rival the eagle in a

Wright biplanerdquo

He had used in his own words

ldquoa rough makeshift affair weighing

thirty-two poundsrdquo It consisted of

a ldquosmall gap and interrupter an or-

dinary telegraph key a small storage

cellrdquo and a shunt ldquoto prevent over-

charging of the cellrdquo The entire de-vice was contained in a wooden box

that he carried on his lap The aerial

used for the experiment was a 120-

foot bronze wire trailing the plane

connected to the ldquosending appara-

tus by a number sixteen copper wirerdquo

The whole gizmo was grounded to a

stay wire on the aircraft connectedldquoto the sending apparatusrdquo Beck ex-

plained ldquoThe wave length measured

by the wave meter at the receiving

station was 575 meters in length This

is rather longer than we had thought

it would berdquo

Simultaneous to Beckrsquos experi-

ment Charlie Willard (another

pioneer aviator) unsuccessfully at-

tempted to send a wireless message

using a different set According to

Beck ldquoHis outfit weighed a trifle less

than the one which I used and his

antenna wire was a trifle longerrdquo Ac-

ldquoengine is practically noiseless when

comparedrdquo with the other planes at

the air meet ldquoSilencerdquo wrote Beck ldquois

an essential factor to the successful

reading of telegraphic codes or thesuccessful undertaking of human

speech by wireless telephonerdquo

Of great concern to the experi-

mentrsquos sponsors was the fact that an

ldquoelectrical dischargerdquo was involved in

the actual receiving of the message

from the ground Thus it was of ldquogreat

importance that the gasoline tank be

thoroughly insulated in order to pre-vent possible ignition from a sparkrdquo

Avoiding such an aerial catastrophe

was to be overcome by using ldquoone of

the guy wires on the Antoinette ma-

chine as the static ground and to drag

from the tail of the airship an alumi-

num wire of great capacity and weigh-

ing less than two pounds though 130feet in length as the antennardquo

Unfortunately as Beck told it ldquothe

god or gods of the elementsrdquo stepped

in On this particular day being ldquoaloft

was dangerous to life and limbrdquo

Lathamrsquos beautiful Antoinette mono-

plane was demolished in an accident

Latham survived the crash but a mere12 months later he died a mysterious

death in the French Congo

Beck understood that aviation was

in its infancy and that ldquowe must creep

before we walkrdquo While the experi-

ment to send a message had failed

due to an air wreck Beck concluded

it had been ldquoreduced to a mere ques-

tion of providing mechanical devices

for deadening the sound of the pro-

pellers shutting out the noise of the

rushing wind and providing some

simple means for placing the received

message in written form on some

Sources

Chief Warrant Officer Mark J

Denger Dominguez Inter-

national Air Meet California

Aviation History wwwMilitary- MuseumorgDominguezhtml

Lt Paul W Beck Aviation Meet

From War Viewpoint How

Army and Navy Will Take Part

San Francisco Examiner January

6 1911 5

Lt JC Walker Jr War Prob-

lems to be Solved In Air San

Francisco Examiner January 7

1911 3

Lt Paul W Beck What Army Is

Striving For Opening Day a

Big Success San Francisco Ex-

aminer January 8 1911 76

Lt Paul W Beck Wreck Spoils Wire-

less Experiment San Francisco

Examiner January 11 1911 2

Lt JC Walker Jr Biplanes in

Wind Please Army Man San

Francisco Examiner January 11

1911 2

Lt Paul W Beck Airplane Wire-

less Experiments Today War

Expert Reviews the Aviation

Meet San Francisco Examiner

January 18 1911 2

Lt Paul W Beck Wireless Adds

New Link To War Chain San Francisco Examiner January 22

1911 67

Flashes of Purple Glint From

Aeroplane in the Sky to Earth

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1744

VAA Friends of the Red BarnName______________________________________________________________________EAA ___________ VAA ___________

Address______________________________________________________________________________________________________

CityStateZIP________________________________________________________________________________________________

Phone___________________________________________________E-Mail______________________________________________

Please choose your level of participation

DiamondPlus$1250

Diamond$1000

Platinum$750

Gold$500

Silver$250

Bronze$100

LoyalSupporter$99 amp Under

EAA VIP Center2 peopleFull

Week

VIP Air Show Seating2 people2

Days2 people1

Day

Close Auto Parking Full Week Full Week 2 Days

Two Tickets to VAA Picnic

Tri-Motor Certificate 2 Tickets 2 Tickets 2 Tickets 1 Ticket

Breakfast at Tall Pines Cafeacute2 PeopleFull Wk

2 PeopleFull Wk

2 PeopleFull Wk

1 PersonFull Wk

Special FORB Cap

Two Passes to VAA Volunteer Party

Special FORB Badge

Access to Volunteer Center

Donor Appreciation Certificate

Name Listed Vintage Airplane Magazine Website and Sign at Red Barn

Donrsquot wait for a mailing from VAA HQ before you send in your contributionmdashto keep our administration costs as low as possible wersquore not

sending out a mailingto each VAA member Please send your donation today while itrsquos fresh in your mindPlease help the VAA and our nearly 500 dedicated volunteers make this an unforgettable experience for our EAA AirVenture guestsYour contribution does make a dif ference There are seven levels of gifts and gift recognition Thank you for whatever you can doHere are some of the many activities the Friends of the Red Barn fund under writes

bullRed Barn Information Desk Supplies bullFlightline Parking Scooters and Supplies bullBreakfast for Past Grand Champions

bullParticipant Plaques and Supplies bullVolunteer Booth Administrative Supplies bullSigns Throughout the Vintage Area

bull Ton irsquos Red Car pet Expre ss Van and Rad ios bullRed Barn and Other Building Maintenance bullAnd More

bullCaps for VAA Volunteers bull Tal l Pin es Caf eacute D in ing Ten t

2 11 VAA Friends of the Red Barn Campaign2011 VAA Friends of the Red Barn CampaignThe VAA annual fundraising campaign fuels VAA action

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1844

T

he worldrsquos first regular air-

mail line was operated by

the United States Army

back in 1918 when a fleet

of old Jennies were pushed back

and forth between New York City

and Washington DC a distance

of two hundred and twenty miles

the fields that no self-respecting pi-

lot would take a second look at in

these times But those were the days

of wooden ships and iron men

Chief pilot on the line was a

handsome youth just out of his

teens Lieutenant James C Edger-

ton who had an unusual knack of

gan There were impressive ceremo-

nies political speeches bouquets of

flowers for the flyers and the Presi-

dent of the United States himself

went down to the Polo Grounds

and wished the pilot who was to

carry the mail to New York ldquoGod

speedrdquo Almost as soon as he left

From the Archives Reprinted from Popular Aviation Dec 1935

First Regular

Airmail FlightBY LIEUT H LATANE LEWIS II

The pilot is receiving his last-minute orders before shoving off with the mail Once more old Jenny

makes history

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1944

through with considerable diffi-

culty The pilot scheduled to make

the flight hopped off from Philadel-

phia and pointed the blunt nose of

his Jennie southward toward Wash-ington The checkerboard fields and

streams sliding beneath his wings

soon became a jigsaw puzzle and

one that he couldnrsquot piece together

The flyer realized that he was hope-

lessly lost He barged around for

awhile and finally decided to come

down and ask directions

Landing on the race track atBridgeton New Jersey forty miles

off his course he became involved

with a group of curious

horses which cracked up

the ship The mail was sent

back to Philadelphia by truck and

started out in another plane with

another pilot About thirty milesout his engine began to miss and

as it was getting dark he turned and

high-tailed back to his home field

Jim Edgerton stepped forward

and offered to save the face of the

new service and take the mail on

to Washington in spite of darkness

and a bad engine Night was comingon in earnest by this time If his en-

gine should conk on the trip down

there would be no flares for him to

release and land by nor would he be

able to bail out with a parachute for

this was before the day of the Cater-

pillar Club And at Washington he

would have no floodlights to illu-

minate the Polo Grounds It would

mean coming into that narrow field

which was surrounded by tall trees

in utter darkness

But Jim was an impatient and

adventurous young man so he

cians all through his eventful flying

career He was the least perturbed of

all as he came roaring down from the

north and circled the inky pit into

which he must bring his ship at thespeed of an express train

There were about half a dozen

automobiles parked around the

field and Jim estimated his ap-

proach from their headlights Spec-

tators heard his engine stop then

the shrill scream of the wind on

his struts and wires Then they

caught sight of a ghost-like silhou-ette against the night sky coming

down in a dizzy slideslip An in-

stant later a gray phantom swept

across the field and settled down

to a perfect landing The mail had

come through

Edgerton was the first pilot who

ever flew into a thunderstorm Upto that time flyers all over the world

looked upon electrical storms as a

deadly menace and had avoided

them as they would a plague Or-

ders had been issued that no mail

pilot should take off if weather con-

ditions were unfavorable

At Philadelphia one afternoon

during the middle of July Jim had

his ship tuned up and was ready to

shove off but down towards the

southwest storm clouds were gath-

ering It was against orders to fly

under such conditions Jim fumed

possible and then as he came over

the ldquoSusquehanna River he ran

smack into it It was a violent line

squall the storm most dreaded of

all by aviators and the kind thatsent the mighty Akron and Shenan-

doah down to destruction On the

ground trees were being uprooted

and houses damaged

ldquoIt was the bumpiest ride I ever

had before or sincerdquo chuckles Jim

Edgerton today as he recalls the

vivid impression it left on him

ldquoWe were thrown all over the skyThe rain and hail were so thick that

I couldnrsquot see the wingtips The

propeller was all chewed

up and I had to throttle

down the engine Butrdquo he

adds modestly ldquoI came out right

on the courserdquo

And the mail was landed inWashington on time

That flight and the others like it

that Edgerton made probably did

more than anything else to give the

public confidence in the reliability

of the airmail Frequently he flew

through dense fog and relied en-

tirely on the crude instruments ofthose early days to keep him in the

air On one of these flights he es-

caped death by as narrow a margin

as was ever vouchsafed a pilot

He shoved off in heavy rain and

soon ran into thick weather He

barged on into it flying blind for

awhile and then climbing up on

the top of the stuff It was so thick

that even the birds had to walk Af-

ter about an hour and a half he

decided to try to find the ground

to check his course He was com-

ing down in a fast glide when sud-

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2044

altitude the fog was so thick

it was like being submerged

in pea soup but occasion-

ally there would be a break

and Edgerton would catcha glimpse of the ground and

know where he was

As he passed over Havre

de Grace there suddenly

loomed up dead ahead a

church steeple He was right

on it before he saw it He

banked for all he was worth

standing the old crock rightup on her ear and missed

the steeple by a miracle

But the crowning thr ill

of the day came a little later

as he passed the Army Proving

Ground at Aberdeen

ldquoWe were flying at an altitude of

about 150 feetrdquo Edgerton recallsldquoVisibility was practically nil Sud-

denly there was a terrific bump al-

most as violent as if the plane had

struck something That afternoon

Army authorities at Aberdeen

called up and said that an airplane

had flown over there and almost

collided with a shell fired from a16-inch gunrdquo

Is it any wonder that Edgertonrsquos

hair has turned slightly gray

On another occasion Jim got

caught in a vicious summer thun-

derstorm over Baltimore He was

flying his faithful old mount No

38274 The turbulent air tossed

the frail wooden Jenny about like

a ship on a rough sea One instant

her nose would be pointed straight

toward heaven and the next instant

Jim would see the ground rush-

ing up at him just over the engine

of a lead pencil were spurting out

Soon the whole forward part of the

fuselage was saturated

Jim watched the lightning play-

ing about the metal parts of the

plane and waited for the spark

that would blow him to shreds and

splatter him all over Baltimore But

Lady Luck was riding with him

again and the spark never came

He rode out the storm and brought

had broken and was dangling al-

most in the shining arc of the

propeller If it became entangled

in the prop it would shatter it to

a million splinters and probablytear the engine loose

Throttling down Jim maneu-

vered as best he could to keep

wire and prop from that fatal

embrace Below him were plenty

of flat broad fields into which

he could have glided But that

would mean delaying the mail

so the plucky youngster kept go-ing and finally sat down safely

in Washington

Altogether Edgerton made

fifty-three trips and never failed

to bring the mail through on any

of them On only one did he have

a forced landing

He was over Camp Meade Mary-land when a magneto shaft broke

There was a terrific jolt that almost

jumped the engine out of the ship

For once Jim had to come down

and come down in a hurry He

looked below him and his heart

stood still He was plunging straight

towards the heads of hundreds ofmarching men on parade

Lower and lower sank the help-

less Jenny Edgerton flattened his

glide as much as he dared and tried

to squeeze over the soldiers He was

almost knocking their hats off but

still the Yanks continued to hold

their ground

ldquoI just skimmed over their heads

and landed on the very edge of the

parade groundrdquo Jim laughingly re-

lates ldquoIt was my old outfit and they

certainly gave me a welcomerdquo

It was just a bit demoralizing to

With the mail aboard the pilot proceeds to warm

up the OX-5 which animates the Jenny

Authentic dope on the

controversial subject

ldquoWho flew the firstairmailrdquo In spite of the

many claims to priority by

various pilots we believe

that this is the real

answer to the problem

An old Jenny as usual

does the work

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2144

AirVenture amp Ford Together Again

REO Speedwagon Concert Monday

600PM next to the Ford Hangar

Fly In Theater Nightly Sunday ndash

Saturday 830PM Camp Scholler

Cruisinrsquo Legends See Mustangs and

more Knapp Street near Warbirds

Model T Experience Tour in a Model

T ldquoCruisinrsquo Legendsrdquo

ldquoBlues Brothersrdquo Tribute Party

Saturday 630PM Ford ldquoHangar of Bluesrdquo

Free Ice Cream Nightly in the camp-

grounds ndash from the Transit Connect

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2244

My son and I spent the better part of

six years restoring an Aeronca 7BCM

Jeff was 13 years old when we started

the project and 19 when we finished

sponds quickly to my urging as I

push the throttle control forward

to begin a low-level no-radio no-

transponder flight from Charles W

time I admit to being spoiled first by

low-frequency ldquobeamsrdquo then VORs

DME RNAV LORAN and now GPS

But for this flight I left all that behind

To Follow the LineThis was the way I had learned navigation to follow the line

BY E JEFF JUSTIS

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE AUTHOR

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2344

Down low it was fun once more

watching the small towns pass

even being able to read the names

on water towers

In north-central Mississippi

there appears a vast forest spread-

ing out beneath my wings an il-

lusory remnant of the gloriouswilderness that once extended

from the East Coast to the Great

Plains Now clear-cutting scars are

evidence of manrsquos meddling graf-

fiti on our planetrsquos face

I am surprised at the hills of

North Mississippi at higher al-

titudes they flatten into the ter-rain but here at 1000 feet above

the ground the hills are alive with

depth and color

My craft and I intruders in his

world pass a circling hawk I look

down and try to see the tiny crea-

ture I am sure he sees but where

he must perceive the slightest rus-tle of the brush I see only patterns

of green and brown and the bright

blue of reflected sky

Enough of this sightseeing I should

have crossed this highway a couple

of miles farther to the north I make a

slight correction Highways They criss-

cross this land cutting it into smaller

and smaller bits these scratches of

man meant little when there were

fewer men but now they separate deer

from deer and life from life

At the edge of a field pebbled by

round bales of hay rests a red tractor Jeff Justis was just 13 when he and his family embarked on the restoration of

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2444

suppose is the essence of life

Soon the forward horizon bulges

upward as I approach old tectonic

ridges aligned northeast-southwest

near Birmingham The dark greenof the forested ridges contrasts with

the lighter verdant hues of manrsquos

cultivation Ahead a sharp razor-

backed ridge prompts a climb to

3000 feet I teeter across the top and

slide down toward the broad valley

on the eastern side My first land-

ing after one hour and 45 minutes is

welcome As a no-radio aircraft I am

careful to follow the standard pat-

tern and glide down final touching

down on the much-too-long-for-

The-Champ runway of Posey AirportMost cross-country flights in

the rsquo50s were from grass strip to

grass strip A red gas pump would

be brought into service by the col-

orful operatormechanic of these

old aerodromes Aeroncas and

Luscombes were everywhere and

Cessna 195s were the elite air-

planes Now on this ramp my

Aeronca is an anachronism

A King Air is being readied for cor-

porate passengers and my little tail-

dragger is lost on the large apronFortunately we modified the 7BCM

with a starter and generator so I do

not have to find someone to help me

get started In years past almost ev-

ery lineman was proficient in hand-

propping now itrsquos almost a lost art

Soon I am on the way to my

next stop Lagrange Georgia I am

fooled by the appearance of a large

airport an old military field at 12

orsquoclock on the horizon Only when

I get close enough do I realize this is

not the field I am supposed to over-

fly and that I am 10 miles south of

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2544

ramp taking nearly as long as the

flight itself

The cost of this slow flight is cer-

tainly minimal with fill-ups after

two hours averaging 15 or so dol-

lars Besides the trip has been fun so

far relearning old navigation tricks

and seeing the country down low

Now I have only a few more milesto navigate to Eaglesrsquo Landing The

fly-in community strip is near Wil-

liamson Georgia and just east of a

northeast-southwest-oriented rail-

road I decide to proceed due east

find the railroad and follow it

northeast toward the destination

I cross a highway but see no rail-road A few miles further still no

railroad I must have passed it Af-

ter a 180 I find the highway again

but nohellipwait what is that That is

an abandoned rail line for sure and

it does parallel the road I continue

northeast scanning the horizon

passing pretty fields and housesI locate one airport with houses

neatly lining both sides of the single

runway but it is not Eaglesrsquo Landing

Soon I see Griffin Georgia I have

come too far I ease The Champ into

a bank to try again back down the

rail line andhellipherersquos a golf coursehellip

and yes there are two grass run-

ways meeting in a ldquoVrdquo I circle andmake a low pass over the northwest

runway watching my friends wave

from their yard ldquoWhat a nice place

to liverdquo I think as I line up on final

I glide just above the grass and

A foil tape antenna ground plane was just one of the nifty little touches added

to The Champ as the two Jeffs restored their airplane

Doesnrsquot ever yone use Champ

tail surfaces as decorative ele-

ments in their household dec-orating Mrs Justis is a very

patient woman

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2644

CALIFORNIAHayward CA VIN 29

Meeting 2nd Thurs 600 pm

Hayward Airport

See website for hangar info

Gary Oberti President

Phone 510-357-8600

E-mail infovaa29org

Website wwwvaa29org

CALIFORNIASacramento CA VIN 25

Meeting 2nd Sat 900 am

See chapter website for location

Robert Opdahl President

Phone 530-273-7348

E-mail bopdahlsbcglobalnet

Website wwwVin25org

CAROLINAS VIRGINIAWalnut Cove NC VIN 3

Meeting Contact President

Susan Dusenbury President

Phone 336-591-3931

E-mail sr6sueaolcom

Website wwwVAA3org

FLORIDALakeland FL VIN 1

Meeting Contact President

Bobby Capozzi President

Phone 352-475-9736

INDIANAAuburn IN VIN 37

Meeting 4th Thurs 700 pm

DeKalb County Airport (kGWB)

Hangar AmdashVAA 37 Clubhouse

Drew Hoffman President

Phone 260-515-3525

E-mail drewhoffmanvaa37org

Website wwwVAA37org

KANSASOverland Park KS VIN 16

Meeting 2nd Fri 730 pm

CAF Hangar

New Century Airport

Kevin Pratt President

Phone 913-541-1149

E-mail kprattvaa16com

Website wwwVAA16com

LOUISIANANew Iberia LA VIN 30

Meeting 1st Sun 900 am

LeMaire Memorial Airport Hangar 4

Roland Denison President

Phone 337-365-3047

E-mail vaa30coxnet

MINNESOTAAlbert Lea MN VIN 13

Meeting 2nd Thurs 700 pm

Albert Lea Airport FBO

OHIODelaware OH VIN 27

Meeting 3rd Sat 8-10AM May thru Sept

Delaware Municiple Airport (DLZ)

Terminal Building

Woody McIntire President

Phone 740-362-7228

E-mail wjmcintirecscom

Website wwwEAAdlzorg

OHIOZanesville OH VIN 22

Meeting 2nd Fri 630 pm

Perry County Airport

John Morozowsky President

Phone 740-453-6889

OKLAHOMATulsa OK VIN 10

Meeting 4th Thurs 700 PM

Hardesty South Regional Library

No meetings in July Nov amp Dec

Joe Champagne President

Phone 918-257-4688

Email skypalgroveemailcom

TEXASSpring TX VIN 2

Meeting 4th Sun 200 PM

David Wayne Hooks Airport (KDWH)

Fred Ramin President

Phone 281-255-4430

Vintage Chapter LocatorVisit the VAA chapter nearest you and get to know some great old-airplane enthusiasts You donrsquot need

to be a pilot to join in the funmdashjust have a love of the great airplanes of yesteryear

Chapter 27 of Delaware Ohio hosts a monthly pancake breakfast where attendees enjoy the camara-derie among the airplanes

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2744

When Albert Vollmecke joined

Arkansas Aircraft Company in Sep-tember 1927 he brought fresh ideas

from his native Germany regarding

aircraft design stability and safety

He would on occasion return to

Germany to bring back something

new for the company In 1928 Ar-

kansas Aircraft Company changed

its name to Command-Aire Incor-porated and the production run

of new ships increased in its Little

Rock Arkansas plant

After one such visit to Ger-

many Vollmecke returned with

the rights to import and sell the

PHYLAX fire-extinguisher system

patented (GB 0267542) March 10

1926 and manufactured in Berlinby Phylax Feuerlosch-Automaten-

Bau GmbH The PHYLAX fire-

extinguisher system consisted of

a tank containing the extinguish-

ing liquid From the tank which

BY ROBERT G LOCK

Early 1047297re-extinguishing system

THE Vintage

Mechanic

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2844

advertisement from AVIATION

November 1928 using the OX-5

powered model 3C3 ship to dem-

onstrate the system

The PHYLAX system consisted

of a pressurized tank of fluid with

associated lines and nozzles lead-

ing to the engine compartment of

the ship Note here that the unit

is manufactured in t he United

States by the Aero Supply Man-

ufacturing Company located in

Long Island New York The cost

of the unit is $70 in this May 1929

advertisement in an aviation mag-

azine Illustration 2 shows the

manufacturerrsquos advertisement for

the product

In a letter dated April 10 1929

Mr Wiley Wright assistant sales

director for Command-Aire Incor-

porated wrote

ldquoCommand-Aire Incorporated

acquired the exclusive franchise

rights for PHYLAX automatic fire

extinguishers in the United States

Mexico and Central America This

extinguisher is the only automatic

fire extinguisher available and is

standard equipment on many Eu-

ropean lines It is manufactured

by PHYLAX Bau of Germany and

is receiving great response in the

United States at the present timerdquo

In this factory Illustration 3

and from the files of Albert Voll-

mecke is a 110-hp Warner engine

mounted in the Command-Aire

model 3C3-A ship Note the en-

gine cowling being neatly fitted

around cylinders and associated

tubes The 3C3-A had a very longnose due to its light weight ne-

ce s s i ta t ing a longer a rm f or

weight and balance control In

this photo the PHYLAX sprinkler

heads are visible behind the mag-

netos down near the carburetor

and behind the oil inlet hoses on

the accessory case of the engineIllustration 3 is an original fac-

tory photograph of the PHYLAX

system installed in the nose of a

model 3C3-A

Illustration 4 is the same photo-

graph with some details removed

and other details added princi-

pally the identification of the PHY-LAX automatic fuse that fired the

bottle of extinguishing fluid and

the sprinkler heads These illustra-

tions taken from a Command-Aire

original factory brochure from the

files of Albert Vollmecke

Illustration 5 on page 27 is a

sketch from the PHYLAX patent

0267542 dated March 10 1926A general description of the PHY-

LAX system is contained within

the patent and states ldquoThe inven-

tion relates to a fire extinguishing

device intended for use particu-

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2944

not indicate what type of extinguishing fluid was

contained within the tank however soda-acid was

widely used in those days and carbon tetrachloridewas invented in 1912 by the Pyrene Company

In a communication from Command-Aire Pres-

ident Robert Snowden regarding the purchase of

stock options in the company he states ldquoOur ex-

clusive franchise for the sale of Phylax automatic

Illustration 3

Illustration 4

Illustration 5

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3044

homeland on a regular basis and

always brought back some new in-

vention or new ideas on design andsafety This system was certainly

ahead of its time safety-wise and a

credit to Vollmeckersquos focus on sta-

bility and safety for his designs

Above in this original factory

photograph (Illustration 6) of a

Command-Aire 3C3-T fuselage on

the assembly line at the Little Rock

plant the PHYLAX system can beseen mounted in the rear cock-

pit just behind the front seat in

the center of the photograph The

chemical bottles with two lines

tied to the side tubes run forward

Illustration 6

Pyrene 1047297re extinguishers

were made of brass and

were nicely polished

They were not high-pressure units

but required the use of a hand pump

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3144

Pyrene fire extinguishers were

made of brass and were nicely pol-

ished They were not high-pressureunits but required the use of a

hand pump to generate pressure

to expel liquid from the cylinder

These extinguishers were gener-

ally mounted in the rear cockpit

ton or linen fabric and the only

dope available was cellulose ni-

trate that burned like a torch when

lit Watching nitrate dope burn

reminded me of a Fourth of July

sparkler very intense and hot If

a nitrate-doped ship caught fire in

the air there was no extinguisher

that would put out the flames

The PHYLAX system had an auto-

matic sensor that would trigger the

bottlersquos valve open and send the

chemical into the engine compart-

ment The Pyrene extinguisher wasmore for ground use because you

could not operate the bottle and

fly the airplane at the same time

By todayrsquos standards these ex-

tinguishing systems seem ar-

chaic but for the time back in

the 1920s they were the thing to

have in your automobile boator airplane

Editorrsquos Note WARNING An-

tique carbon tetrachloride fire extin-

guishers like the Pyrene occasionally

show up either contaminated with

the original agent or worse yet with

the full charge of agent still inside

Carbon tet is treated as a hazard-

ous substance (its use was banned

in consumer products in 1970) and

should be dealt with accordingly

In fact carbon tetrachloride when

heated by a fire will create poison-

ous phosgene gas (World War Irsquos

ldquonerve gasrdquo) something that would

definitely ruin someonersquos day if the

fire hadnrsquot done so already In its

standard form this substance is verytoxic to the liver and a single signifi-

cant exposure can result in sickness

or death

L a n g l ey may have been the

f h f i i i b

last and last The instruction

l i l d f

1903 Samuel Pierpont Langleyrsquos ldquoAerodromerdquoattempts to take off from a floating platform

Have a comment or ques-

tion for Bob Lock the Vintage

Mechanic Drop us an e-mail at

vintageaircrafteaaorg or you

can mail your question to Vintage

Airplane PO Box 3086 Osh-

kosh WI 54903

Illustration 7

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Authorrsquos Note We held a small open house at the

flight school hangar this past Saturday Though the

weather was not conducive to give many rides we still

had about 60 people show up enjoy a brat or ham-

burger and talk about flying or learning to fly Interest

in flying is not dead One of my pet peeves is how we

in general aviation go about attracting individuals tolearn the pleasure of flight

Nearly every aviation publication I read carries ar-

ticles and editorials about the downward spiral of gen-

eral aviation Flight schools are having a hard time

attracting new students ldquoDoom and gloomrdquo reigns

with little positive to report on the horizon This al-

ways reminds me of the proverbial three wise mon-keys who embody the principle ldquoSee no evil hear no

evil and speak no evilrdquo We all complain about the

problem but no one ever offers solutions It seems as

though by not doing anything about the challenge it

will eventually go away and right itself

Many of the aviation organizations are wringing

their respective hands giving great lip service to the

drop in pilot numbers Some like EAA have launched

activities to attract new pilots such as the Young Ea-gles program This has been a good start but it will not

fill the ever-increasing void for more pilots

What are we all missing FUN

Four years ago I chose early retirement from a 38-

The student make-up is a real cross-section of Amer-

ica My youngest student to date began flight lessons

at age 14 and the oldest was 77 years young Irsquove men-

tioned some of my students in previous articles At

yearrsquos end 2010 while converting our student files

from paper to computer I was amazed to discover that

in the previous two years I had given instruction tomore than 200 individuals Some were new students

others were individuals in search of a tailwheel en-

dorsement and many were older individuals who had

pursued flight training early in their lives but gave it

up to raise a family Now they had the time and still re-

tained the burning desire to get back into flying What

attracted these individuals to the flight school FUN

And thefun

challenge of flying J-3 Cubs

Herersquos a small cross-section of this yearrsquos group

of students

bullA retired US Navy lieutenant who flew F-4 Phan-

toms off carriers in Vietnam He hasnrsquot done any fly-

ing in more than 10 years but hersquos been building a

Skybolt which will soon be finished and hersquos return-

ing to his lifelong lovemdashaviation He also has two

young sons who want to fly and will soon be joining

the group of student pilotsbullA young CPA from Iowa whose grandfather was a

friend of Bernie Pietenpol and who has built two Piets

The CPA used two weeks of his vacation time to learn

to fly so that he can fly the airplane(s) that his grandfa-

ther built and take his grandfather for a ride

BY Steve Krog CFI

THE Vintage

Instructor

Vintage flying is very much alive

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Cubs flying every day he decided to pursue his pas-

sion for flight

bullA national chain hardware store employee who

has had a dream of flying driving nearly two hours

each way to learn to fly in a Cub

bullAn aviation writervideo producer who already has

a sport pilot certificate but desires to obtain a private

pilot certificate and do so in Cubs

bullA 30-something young family man who sells

construction equipment attachments While deer

hunting a year ago he learned one of his hunting

friends had recently learned to fly in Cubs For three

days they talked airplanes and flying rather than do-

ing much hunting Upon his return from the hunt-ing trip he drove to the airport and signed up for

lessons in the Cub

bullA professional musician from the Chicago area

who always wanted to learn to fly Although not yet

old enough to have a true ldquobucket listrdquo learning to fly

a Cub was number one on his list

With two exceptions these individuals had never

before flown or flown in tailwheel airplanes but alwayshad a dream of learning to fly in a Cubmdashjust like dad

or granddad did many years ago

Although no one in this group comes from simi-

lar backgrounds or professions there is one common

denominator among every studentmdashFUN None of

these students are learning to fly to pursue a career

in aviation (although Irsquove worked with a couple who

have done so) Rather they are learning to fly or get-

ting back into flying for the FUN and CHALLENGE of

flight They all have a true love of flight and seeing the

world from 500 feet with the door and window open

I have also worked with a number of students who

began taking flight lessons but quit after a period of

time They still had the passion for flight but gave it

up When asked why the responses fell into one of the

following four categories

bullI began taking lessons but after three or four les-sons Irsquod be assigned to a different instructor After 30

hours of dual three instructors and still not having

soloed I quit

bullThe instructor wasnrsquot teaching me anything He

was more interested in building time than teaching

Take a moment and think about how you first be-

came interested in airplanes What triggered your

pursuit of learning to fly Did you have a buddy or

maybe a family friend who encouraged you Or even

became a mentor Do you remember your first flight

lesson Do you remember the day you made your

first solo flight

Remember that passion and sense of accomplish-

ment Donrsquot hesitate to share it with anyone express-

ing an interest in learning to fly

At Cub Air Flight we sell FUN When individuals

visit the airport to inquire about learning to fly we

know they have made the commitment in their own

mind It then becomes our responsibility to makethe visit friendly A friendly environment is a FUN

environment Kids are always welcome If a prospec-

tive student has children with him or her we invite

the kids to sit in the planes At the conclusion of our

discussion we emphasize the following statement If

you learn to fly with us it will be FUN CHALLENG-

ING and SAFE

I donrsquot believe there is a shortage of pilot prospectsbut there is a shortage in how we all go about attract-

ing these people to become active participants in plea-

sure flying Remember flying is FUN Letrsquos make an

effort to help others share in that FUN

AERO CLASSICldquoCOLLECTOR SERIESrdquo

Vintage Tires New USA Production

Show off your pride and joy with afresh set of Vintage Rubber Thesenewly minted tires are FAA-TSOrsquodand speed rated to 120 MPH Some

things are better left the way theywere and in the 40rsquos and 50rsquos these tires were perfectly intune to the exciting times in aviation

Not only do these tires set your vintage plane apart fromthe rest but also look exceptional on all General Aviationaircraft Deep 832nd tread depth offers above averagetread life and UV treated rubber resists aging

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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We enjoy your suggestions for

Mystery Planesmdashin fact more than

half of our subjects are sent to us by

members often via e-mail Please

remember that if you want to scan

the photo for use in Mystery Plane

it must be at a resolution of 300 dpior greater You may send a lower-

resolution version to us for our re-

view but the final version has to be

at that level of detail or it will not

print properly Also please let us

craft in the photo is of Canadian civil

registry CF-BXO formerly Royal Cana-

dian Air Force (RCAF) 920 This photo-

graph would have been taken at some

time between 1962 and 1967 after an

overhaul at Abbotsford British Colum-

bia (BC) and possibly while in servicewith Stranraer Aerial Enterprises The

location strongly resembles the Fraser

River dockings at the Vancouver air-

port The aircraft had undergone a re-

spray with a bright red cheat line The

(beaching gear required) for the Royal Air

Force (RAF) in 1933 The prototype first

flew in October 1934 with two Bristol

Pegasus IIIM engines rated at 820 hp

The production aircraft were delivered to

the RAF with Pegasus engines delivering

920 hp entering service in April 1937The British-built machines of which 23

were ordered and only 17 being built

were all delivered by April 1939

In Canada Canadian Vickers Lim-

ited of Montreal Quebec produced 40

Send your answer to EAA Vin-

tage Airplane PO Box 3086 Osh-

kosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer

needs to be in no later than August

20 for inclusion in the October

2011 issue of Vintage Airplane

You can also send your response via

e-mail Send your answer to mystery

planeeaaorg Be sure to include your

name plus your city and state in the

body of your note and put ldquo(Month)

Mystery Planerdquo in the subject line

This monthrsquos Mystery Plane comes to us from Bruce Voran

MYSTERY PLANE

by HG FRAUTSCHY

A P R I L rsquo S M Y S T E RY A N S W E R

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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QCA began buying several examplesand was instrumental in convincing

the Canadian Department of Transport

(DOT) to issue a civilian Certificate of

Airworthiness (C of A) One of the first

aircraft so issued was CF-BYI which be-

1980 the Canadian Museum of Flightand Transportation in BC salvaged the

wreck for possible restoration As late as

April 1952 QCA still had two Stranraer

in service CF-BXO and CF-BYM Pacific

Western Airlines (PWA) also operated

Two RAF Belfast freighters were dis-

patched and the disassembled aircraft

was transported to the United Kingdomwhere the machine is currently one of the

centerpieces of the collection

The aircraft type had many names

The most familiar (and printable) were

Stranny Strainer and Flying Meccano

Set The least affectionate was the Whis-

tling Shouse as when the lid to the

throne was lifted there was direct access

to the great outdoors and there emitted a

loud whistling noise

Other correct answers were re-

ceived from Hillis Cunliffe Mill-

brook Alabama Brian Baker Sun

City Arizona Wesley R Smith

Springfield Illinois John White-

head Cheyenne Wyoming ScottChurch Cochrane Alberta Can-

ada Jay Broze Walla Walla Wash-

ington Jerry Paterson Kent

Washington Jamie Patterson Mi-

ramichi New Brunswick Canada

Bill Bishop of Mulgoa New South Wales Australia sent along this photo

of the surviving Supermarine Stranraer

David Nixon supplied us with the April Mystery Plane shot of CF-BXO

a Canadian Vickers-built Supermarine Stranraer

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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urday 8 am until 6 pm Early-bird

arrivals can shop on the pre-conven-

tion weekend as well during limited

hours Show your VAA membership

card (or your receipt showing you

joined VAA at the convention) and

yoursquoll receive a 10 percent discount

VAA Volunteer Opportunities

Are you an ace pancake flipperIf yoursquore not one yet we can help

The VAA Tall Pines Cafeacute is looking

for volunteers who can help provide

a hearty breakfast to all the hungry

campers on the south end of Witt-

man Field If you could lend a hand

for a morning or two wersquod appreci-

ate it If thatrsquos not your cup of tea feelfree to check with the VAA Volunteer

Center located just to the northeast

of the VAA Red Barn The volun-

teers who operate the booth will be

happy to tell you when your help is

needed each day It doesnrsquot matter if

itrsquos just for a few hours or for a few

daysmdashwersquod love to have your help-

ing hands There is no need for you

to contact us ahead of time you can

talk with us when you arrive

VAA Judging Categoriesand Awards

The VAArsquos internationally recog-

nized judging categories are

bullAntique Aircraft built prior toSeptember 1 1945

bullClassic September 1 1945 - De-

cember 31 1955

bullContemporary January 1 1956

- December 31 1970

VAA NEWScontinued frpm page 5

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the award winners Judging closes at noon on Friday

July 29 The Awards Ceremony will be held Saturday

evening July 30 at 6 pm in the Vintage Hangar

just south of the VAA Red Barn

Designated Smoking Areas Near FlightlineSmoking on the flightline at EAA AirVenture is prohib-

ited because itrsquos a hazard to all aircraft There are several

designated smoking areas with butt cans along the flight-

line well away from aircraft and refueling operations

Designated smoking areas will be south of the ultra-light runway near the Hangar Cafeacute near the Warbirdsarea (northeast corner of Audrey Lane and Eide Av-

enue) the Wearhouse flag pole area the shade pavil-ion north of the control tower and near the UltralightBarn Locations will be indicated on EAArsquos free con-vention grounds map The admission wristband alsoinstructs visitors that smoking is allowed only in desig-nated smoking areas

More on the Web

Visit wwwAirVentureorg for more information onEAA AirVenture 2011

EAA AirVenture Is Almost Here Are You Ready

Just a few short weeks from now many of you will

make the annual pilgrimage to Oshkosh for EAA Air-

Venture 2011 Are you ready Here are several handy

online tools on the AirVenture website that can help

you take care of any last-minute concerns

Visit wwwAirVentureorg and find out what you

need to know about The Worldrsquos Greatest Avia-

tion Celebration

Admission Parking Hours

wwwAirVentureorgplanningadmissionhtml

Find or Share a Ride to Oshkosh

wwwAirVentureorgrideshare

Site Map

wwwAirVentureorgplanningschedules_mapshtml

Where to Stay

Yoursquore cleared to stay connected

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3844

ship services at 800-564-6322 but

given the time from when you read

this until AirVenture it may not ar-

rive in the mail in time for your de-

parture We suggest downloading

the NOTAM

The NOTAM contains the specialflight procedures in effect for Witt-

man Regional Airport and alternate

airports from 6 am CDT on Friday

July 22 to 12 pm CDT on Mon-

day August 1 2011 All pilots who

fly into the event are expected to

know the special flight procedures

prior to arrival EAA AirVenture Os-

hkosh runs from July 25 through

July 31 For additional EAA AirVen-

ture Oshkosh 2011 information

visit wwwAirVentureorg

Call for VAA Hall of

Fame Nominations

To the left is our information

for nominations for VAArsquos Hallof Fame which is presented each

year during a special dinner This

yearrsquos dinner will be held Friday

October 28 Wersquoll have more on

this yearrsquos inductee John Under-

To nominate someone is easy It just takes a little time and a little reminiscing on your part

Mail nominating materials to

Remember your ldquocontemporaryrdquo may be a candidate nominate someone today

wwwVintageAircraftorg

CALL FOR VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

Nominations

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3944

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

Wit tman Regional A i rpor t (OSH)

Oshkosh Wisconsin

July 25-31 2011

wwwAirVentureorg

Colorado Sport International Air Show

and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In

Rocky Mountain Met ropol i tan A irpor t (BJC)

Denver Colorado

August 27-28 2011

wwwCOSportAviationorg

Mid-Eastern Regional Fly-In

Gr imes F ie ld A irpor t (I74)

Urbana Ohio

September 10-11 2011

httpMERFIcom

Copperstate Fly-In

Casa Grande Munic ipal A i rpor t (CGZ)

Casa Grande Ar izona

Upcoming Major

Fly-Ins

W I N

Only 2000 ticketswill be sold1 ticket $50

3 tickets $125

Piper Tri-Pacer Airplane

Free Flying Lessons

Free Pilot License

Country Legend Roy Clarkrsquos Personal Proceeds fromthis raffle

SAVEAMERICANKIDS LIVES

wwwwingsofhoperaffleorg

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4044

MISCELLANEOUS

wwwaerolistorg Aviationsrsquo Leading

Marketplace

Rare find Lycoming 0-145 partsinventory blocks bearings rings

shafts amp much more $20000

at 1970 prices $5000 Six four

cylinder case aircraft magnetos

$300 Call for more details (FL)

VINTAGETRADER

Someth ing t o buyse l l o r t rade

Classified Word Ads $550 per 10

words 180 words maximum with boldface

lead-in on first line

Classified Display Ads One column wide

(2167 inches) by 1 2 or 3 inches high at

$20 per inch Black and white only and nofrequency discounts

Advertising Closing Dates 10th of second

month prior to desired issue date (ie

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 (classads

eaaorg ) using credit card payment (all cards

accepted) Include name on card complete

address type of card card number and

expiration date Make checks payable to EAA

Address advertising correspondence to EAA

Publications Classified Ad Manager PO Box

3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

What Our Members

Are Restoring

Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done and

yoursquore busy flying and showing it off If so wersquod like to hear from

you Send us a 4-by-6-inch print from a commercial source (no

home printers please those prints just donrsquot scan well) or a

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4144

EAAMembership in the Experimental Aircraft

Association Inc is $40 for one year includ-ing 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION Familymembership is an additional $10 annually Allmajor credit cards accepted for membership(Add $16 for International Postage)

FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPSPlease submit your remittance with a

check or draft drawn on a United Statesbank payable in United States dollars Addrequired Foreign Postage amount for eachmembership

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATIONCurrent EAA members may join the

Vintage Aircraft Association and receive

year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not included)(Add $7 for International Postage)

WARBIRDSCurrent EAA members may join the EAA

Warbirds of America Division and receiveWARBIRDS magazine for an additional$45 per year

EAA Membership WARBIRDS mag-azine and one year membership in theWarbirds Division is available for $55 per

year (SPORT OficAVIATION magazinenot included) (Add $7 for Interna-tional Postage)

IACCurrent EAA members may join the

International Aerobatic Club Inc Divi-sion and receive SPORT AEROBATICS magazine for an additional $45 per year

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

VINTAGE

AIRCRAFT

ASSOCIATION

OFFICERS

DIRECTORS

DIRECTORS

EMERITUS

PresidentGeoff Robison

1521 E MacGregor DrNew Haven IN 46774

260-493-4724chief7025aolcom

Vice-PresidentGeorge Daubner

N57W34837 Pondview LnOconomowoc WI 53066

262-560-1949 gdaubnereaaorg

Steve Bender85 Brush Hill Road

Sherborn MA 01770508-653-7557

sst10comcastnet

David Bennett375 Killdeer Ct

Lincoln CA 95648916-952-9449

antiquerinreachcom

Jerry Brown4605 Hickory Wood Row

Greenwood IN 46143317-422-9366

lbrown4906aolcom

Dave Clark635 Vestal Lane

Plainfield IN 46168317-839-4500davecpdattnet

John S Copeland1A Deacon Street

Northborough MA 01532508-393-4775

copeland1junocom

Phil Coulson28415 Springbrook Dr

Lawton MI 49065269-624-6490

rcoulson516cscom

Dale A Gustafson7724 Shady Hills Dr

Indianapolis IN 46278317-293-4430

dalefayemsncom

Jeannie HillPO Box 328

Harvard IL 60033-0328815-943-7205

Espie ldquoButchrdquo Joyce704 N Regional Rd

Greensboro NC 27409336-668-3650

windsockaolcom

Steve Krog1002 Heather Ln

Hartford WI 53027262-966-7627sskrogaolcom

Robert D ldquoBobrdquo Lumley1265 South 124th StBrookfield WI 53005

262-782-2633rlumley1wirrcom

SH ldquoWesrdquo Schmid2359 Lefeber Avenue

Wauwatosa WI 53213414-771-1545

shschmidgmailcom

Robert C Brauer9345 S Hoyne

Chicago IL 60643773-779-2105

photopilotaolcom

Gene Chase2159 Carlton Rd

Oshkosh WI 54904920-231-5002

GRCHAcharternet

Ronald C Fritz15401 Sparta Ave

Kent City MI 49330616-678-5012

rFritzpathwaynet com

Charlie HarrisPO Box 470350Tulsa OK 74147

918-622-8400cwhhvsucom

EE ldquoBuckrdquo Hilbert8102 Leech RdUnion IL 60180

815-923-4591buck7acgmailcom

Gene Morris5936 Steve Court

Roanoke TX 76262817-491-9110

genemor rischarter net

Membership Services DirectoryEnjoy the many benefits of EAA and

EAArsquos Vintage Aircraft Association

EAA Aviation Center PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086Phone (920) 426-4800 Fax (920) 426-4873Web Sites wwwvintageaircraftorg wwwairventureorg wwweaaorgmemberbenefits E-Mail vintageaircrafteaaorg

EAA and Division Membership Services (800 AMndash600 PM MondayndashFriday CST)800-564-6322 FAX 920-426-4873 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

bullNewrenew memberships bullAddress changes bullMerchandise sales bullGift memberships

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 888-322-4636 wwwairventureorg airventureeaaorg

Sport PilotLight-Sport Aircraft Hotline 877-359-1232 wwwsportpilotorg sportpiloteaaorg

Programs and Activities

Auto Fuel STCs 920-426-4843 stceaaorg EAA Air Academy 920-426-6880 wwwairacademyorg airacademyeaaorg

EAA Scholarships 920-426-6823 scholarshipseaaorg

Library ServicesResearch 920-426-4848 slurveyeaaorg

Benefits

AUA Vintage Insurance Plan 800-727-3823 wwwauaonlinecom

EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan 866-647-4322 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

EAA VISA Card 800-853-5576 ext 8884

EAA Her tz Rent-A-Car Program 800-654-2200 wwweaaorghertz membershipeaaorg

VAA EditorialExecutive Director 920-426-4825 wwwvintageaircraftorg vintageeaaorg

VAA Office 920-426-6110 tbookseaaorg

TM

EAA Members Information Line 888-EAA-INFO (322-4636)

Use this toll-free number for information about AirVenture Oshkosh aeromedical and technical aviation questions

chapters and Young Eagles Please have your membership number ready when calling

Office hours are 815 am - 500 pm (Monday - Friday CST)

SecretarySteve Nesse

2009 Highland AveAlbert Lea MN 56007

507-373-1674

stnes2009livecom

TreasurerDan Knutson

106 Tena Marie CircleLodi WI 53555608-592-7224

lodicubcharternet

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4244

If yoursquove ever watched fish in

an aquarium yoursquove probably no-

ticed how they respond differently

to their surroundings There are

those that zip around the tank in a

mad dash to nowhere Some seem

to sit and not go much of any-

where and some will swim f romone end to the other turn around

and do it again

The latter are the ones that remind

me of myself I seem to fly in a fish-

bowl I go from one end of our val-

proficient by practicing things we

know over and over or it can make

us lazy When something becomes

so ingrained that we do it from habit

only we may not be thinking about

what wersquore doing

On a night cross-country some

time ago I found out just how easyit is to forget things that I hadnrsquot

used in a while While night may be

a little more challenging it still re-

quires the basic pre-flight planning

of any cross-country and following

whether I go far or stay in the com-

fort zone I canrsquot let complacency take

over Those skills and experiences

need to be stretched from time to

time regardless of where I fly An un-

expected situation or emergency is a

bad time to find out I donrsquot remem-

ber how to do somethingComplacency also allows fear

to creep in where it doesnrsquot belong

Some fear (I think) is a natural part of

flying but it can also unnecessarily

keep us grounded because we wonrsquot

BY S MICHELLE SOUDER

Flying Outside

the Fishbowl

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4344

Itrsquos gonna be a big year at Oshk osh

B-29 Superfortress ldquoFIFIrdquo

The first visit since 1995for the worldrsquos only airworthyB-29 Superfortress

REO SpeedwagonOshkosh rocks Monday duringthe opening day concert presentedby Ford Motor Company

Tribute to Bob HooverTuesday afternoon air showfeaturing aircraft and maneuvershe made legendary

eVentureInnovation will be on displayand in the air with the ElectricFlight Prize Competition

Join us for a week-long celebration of the Centennial of Naval Aviationincluding a special air show Wednesday See the hottest naval aircraftin historic colors all week on ConocoPhillips Plaza

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4444

Page 12: Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1244

that he has made a huge number

of friends out of the other partici-

pants and thatrsquos good for all of usrdquo

ldquoI was looking for a bigger air-

plane when a friend of mine toldme about a beautiful 195 with a

blown engine sitting out on the

ramp in Tullahoma ldquo Harve says

ldquoI contacted the airport to find out

info about the owner I contacted

him and discovered it not only had

a bad engine but the finance com-

pany held the note as the owner

was going through bankruptcy I

flew down with my stepfather (who

had become a pilot after marry-

ing my motherhellipdad had died by

then) and we looked it over

ldquoI put in a bid and got it I sold

the 170 to a wonderful friend and

fortunately it stayed at our airport

where it is well tended We put anew 330 Jake from Radial Engines

Limited on the 195 and it won

awards at both Oshkosh and Blakes-

burg as well We kept the 195 for

three years But it still wasnrsquot a

Waco something I just couldnrsquot get

out of my head

ldquoWhen I started looking forWacosrdquo he says ldquolike everyone

else I was assaulted by the incred-

ible number of different varieties

But I wasnrsquot looking for something

to rebuild nor was I looking for a

rare variety I wanted an airplane

that would serve our family well

The fact that it would be an incred-

ibly cool antique was just a bonus

Because of that I passed on a lot of

projects and focused on airplanes

that were flying and needed a mini-

mum of work and could be fairly

easily supported That meant an

ldquoI looked at a few airplanes be-

fore a friend Doug Parsons turned

me on to N16249 a 1936 YKS-6 It

was last restored by Pete Coving-ton in 1994 so it was in really good

condition In fact well-known an-

tiquer Morton Lester had owned it

at the time of restoration It was a

good solid airplane that was due for

some freshening up not a rebuild

This was exactly what I was looking

for It had been through two own-

ers since Lester owned it and was

now part of an estate sale

ldquoI got it home in July of 2005 and

began working on itrdquo he says ldquoBe-

cause it had been restored nearly 15

years earlier and hadnrsquot been a han-

difficult but the paperwork turned

out to be a headache

ldquoThe original engine was a Ja-

cobs R-755-9 which is 245 hp butI wanted more power We have a

pretty big useful load with this air-

plane but it needs the extra power

when itrsquos heavy So I wanted to go

up to the 755-B2M which is 275

hp I had Air Repair in Cleveland

Mississippi build up an engine for

me Since itrsquos virtually identical to

the original Jake putting it on was

nothing At the same time we in-

stalled a new Sensenich wooden

prop But then we started working

on the paperwork

ldquoThis shouldnrsquot have been nearly

CRAIG VANDERKOLK

Most of the Applegate family during AirVenture 2010 from left to right

daughter Shalyn Harve Carolyn and son Matt The Applegatesrsquo other

daughter Taryn couldnrsquot make the trip

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1344

two airplanes were one in the same

Finally we got a hold of Jeff Janus

at the FAArsquos Aircraft Certification

Office (ACO) who said it was a no-

brainer and sent it back to the FSDO

and told them to sign it off

ldquoWersquove been flying the airplane

for five years now and itrsquos exactly

what we wanted an d what we

thought it should be First for an

airplane this big itrsquos really easy to

fly In fact it lands a lot like our

Cub and even on pavement isnrsquot

A Lesson in the Learning Caveats When DonatingAt one point Harversquos dad began having airport problems and therersquos a lesson

to be learned for a lot of us here

ldquoThe airport had never gotten hugerdquo Harve says ldquoIt was just a nice friendly

airport with a few hangars and some local tenants But it was the only airport in

the area so Dad deeded it over to the city I guess you could say he donated it

For years this worked out really well and all the aviation guys in the area loved it

We host a fly-in there each year and that became something of a local event that

everyone looked forward to

ldquoDad died suddenly in 1981 and we decided to build a house right near the

CRAIG VANDERKOLK

The Applegates camp every year just south of the VAA Flightline Opera-

tions building so son Matt and the family can enjoy visiting with their many

friends and watch the afternoon air show

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1444

bigger yoursquod want The back seat

is an honest three kids wide and

the two front seats are separated

by nearly a foot So you feel as ifyoursquore flying your own little air-

liner And how many airplanes to-

day let you crank the side windows

down and fly with you elbows up

on the windowsill

ldquoItrsquos not a rocketship in climb

about 500-600 fpm but itrsquoll give

you that or close to it whether

yoursquore loaded or not Those big old

wings can really carry a load

ldquoItrsquos also not a speed demon

but itrsquoll indicate 120 mph give or

take 5 mph at about 14 gallons per

hour and fly straight ahead with

MIKE STEINEKE

Another gorgeous picture of the Applegatesrsquo plane flying over the Midwest

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1544

The first wireless message sent

from an airplane to a ground station

wasnrsquot very imaginative or profound

The message telegraphed in dots and

dashes by US Army Lt Paul W Beck

on January 21 1911 was

ldquoAssociated Press AviationField Scotford is not the only

bird on the aviation board Beckrdquo

The message didnrsquot have the hum-

bling sense of Samuel Morsersquos ldquoWhat

hath God wroughtrdquo or the quaint-

ness of Alexander Graham Bellrsquos ldquoMr

Watsonmdashcome heremdashI want to see

yourdquo or Neil Armstrongrsquos inspira-

tional ldquoThatrsquos one small step for man

one giant leap for mankindrdquoThe rather mundane message was

hastily scribbled by Associated Press

reporter Guy Moysten who was cov-

Corps

Beck had been taken aloft by Philip

O Parmalee an early aviation pio-

neer The ldquopurple sparks spluttered

by the telegraph keyrdquo were also inter-

cepted by navy wireless stations on

Goat Island (now Yerba Buena Island)

and the Mare Island Navy YardBeckrsquos second message was ldquoThree

hundred feet up and riding level

It is cold It is bumpyrdquo The word

ldquobumpyrdquo wasnrsquot received because

Beckrsquos fingers were so cold that they

refused to as Beck put it ldquoanswer the

nerve impulsesrdquo

The word ldquoScotfordrdquo in the first

message referred to Frederick E Scot-

ford chairman of the Aviation Ex-

ecutive Committee which had

conceived planned and set in mo-

tion the air meet The message re-

ferred to a previous flight ldquoaround the

army also ldquolent their band for daily

concerts during guard mount or pa-

raderdquomdashall this to the delight of the

crowds throughout the entire affair

San Francisco was in heavy compe-

tition with New Orleans for the exclu-

sive rights to the 1915 Panama-Pacific

International Exhibition (PPIE) aworldrsquos fair to celebrate the upcom-

ing 1914 opening of the Panama

Canal The city desperately wanted

to land the exhibition believing it

would confirm San Franciscorsquos phoe-

nix-like rise from the ashes of devasta-

tion The air show was thought of as

the opening act

Plans for the PPIE had already

been complicated in 1910 Just six

months earlier Californiarsquos gover-

nor had banned the Jim Jeffries-Jack

Johnson fight scheduled for San

Franciscomdashforcing the epic ldquoFight

Flashes of Purple SparksBY DANIEL J DEMERS

Lt Paul Beck left with

the Western Wireless

Equipment Company A-4wireless set in his lap

while seated in a Wright

biplane during wireless

tests during the 1911 San

Francisco Air Meet The

set weighed 29 pounds

and featured a telegraph

key mounted on the top of

the mahogany box

JOURNAL OF ELECTRICITY POWER AND GAS

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1644

shadowed all the other historic firsts

achieved at the meet

Beck described the sensation of fly-

ing at 800 feet like this

ldquoWhirring propellers throb-

bing pistons and machine-

gun-like gasoline explosions

deafened you while tears bit-

ter tears were forced from your

eyes by the back rush of air and

you have a slight conception

how it feels to rival the eagle in a

Wright biplanerdquo

He had used in his own words

ldquoa rough makeshift affair weighing

thirty-two poundsrdquo It consisted of

a ldquosmall gap and interrupter an or-

dinary telegraph key a small storage

cellrdquo and a shunt ldquoto prevent over-

charging of the cellrdquo The entire de-vice was contained in a wooden box

that he carried on his lap The aerial

used for the experiment was a 120-

foot bronze wire trailing the plane

connected to the ldquosending appara-

tus by a number sixteen copper wirerdquo

The whole gizmo was grounded to a

stay wire on the aircraft connectedldquoto the sending apparatusrdquo Beck ex-

plained ldquoThe wave length measured

by the wave meter at the receiving

station was 575 meters in length This

is rather longer than we had thought

it would berdquo

Simultaneous to Beckrsquos experi-

ment Charlie Willard (another

pioneer aviator) unsuccessfully at-

tempted to send a wireless message

using a different set According to

Beck ldquoHis outfit weighed a trifle less

than the one which I used and his

antenna wire was a trifle longerrdquo Ac-

ldquoengine is practically noiseless when

comparedrdquo with the other planes at

the air meet ldquoSilencerdquo wrote Beck ldquois

an essential factor to the successful

reading of telegraphic codes or thesuccessful undertaking of human

speech by wireless telephonerdquo

Of great concern to the experi-

mentrsquos sponsors was the fact that an

ldquoelectrical dischargerdquo was involved in

the actual receiving of the message

from the ground Thus it was of ldquogreat

importance that the gasoline tank be

thoroughly insulated in order to pre-vent possible ignition from a sparkrdquo

Avoiding such an aerial catastrophe

was to be overcome by using ldquoone of

the guy wires on the Antoinette ma-

chine as the static ground and to drag

from the tail of the airship an alumi-

num wire of great capacity and weigh-

ing less than two pounds though 130feet in length as the antennardquo

Unfortunately as Beck told it ldquothe

god or gods of the elementsrdquo stepped

in On this particular day being ldquoaloft

was dangerous to life and limbrdquo

Lathamrsquos beautiful Antoinette mono-

plane was demolished in an accident

Latham survived the crash but a mere12 months later he died a mysterious

death in the French Congo

Beck understood that aviation was

in its infancy and that ldquowe must creep

before we walkrdquo While the experi-

ment to send a message had failed

due to an air wreck Beck concluded

it had been ldquoreduced to a mere ques-

tion of providing mechanical devices

for deadening the sound of the pro-

pellers shutting out the noise of the

rushing wind and providing some

simple means for placing the received

message in written form on some

Sources

Chief Warrant Officer Mark J

Denger Dominguez Inter-

national Air Meet California

Aviation History wwwMilitary- MuseumorgDominguezhtml

Lt Paul W Beck Aviation Meet

From War Viewpoint How

Army and Navy Will Take Part

San Francisco Examiner January

6 1911 5

Lt JC Walker Jr War Prob-

lems to be Solved In Air San

Francisco Examiner January 7

1911 3

Lt Paul W Beck What Army Is

Striving For Opening Day a

Big Success San Francisco Ex-

aminer January 8 1911 76

Lt Paul W Beck Wreck Spoils Wire-

less Experiment San Francisco

Examiner January 11 1911 2

Lt JC Walker Jr Biplanes in

Wind Please Army Man San

Francisco Examiner January 11

1911 2

Lt Paul W Beck Airplane Wire-

less Experiments Today War

Expert Reviews the Aviation

Meet San Francisco Examiner

January 18 1911 2

Lt Paul W Beck Wireless Adds

New Link To War Chain San Francisco Examiner January 22

1911 67

Flashes of Purple Glint From

Aeroplane in the Sky to Earth

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1744

VAA Friends of the Red BarnName______________________________________________________________________EAA ___________ VAA ___________

Address______________________________________________________________________________________________________

CityStateZIP________________________________________________________________________________________________

Phone___________________________________________________E-Mail______________________________________________

Please choose your level of participation

DiamondPlus$1250

Diamond$1000

Platinum$750

Gold$500

Silver$250

Bronze$100

LoyalSupporter$99 amp Under

EAA VIP Center2 peopleFull

Week

VIP Air Show Seating2 people2

Days2 people1

Day

Close Auto Parking Full Week Full Week 2 Days

Two Tickets to VAA Picnic

Tri-Motor Certificate 2 Tickets 2 Tickets 2 Tickets 1 Ticket

Breakfast at Tall Pines Cafeacute2 PeopleFull Wk

2 PeopleFull Wk

2 PeopleFull Wk

1 PersonFull Wk

Special FORB Cap

Two Passes to VAA Volunteer Party

Special FORB Badge

Access to Volunteer Center

Donor Appreciation Certificate

Name Listed Vintage Airplane Magazine Website and Sign at Red Barn

Donrsquot wait for a mailing from VAA HQ before you send in your contributionmdashto keep our administration costs as low as possible wersquore not

sending out a mailingto each VAA member Please send your donation today while itrsquos fresh in your mindPlease help the VAA and our nearly 500 dedicated volunteers make this an unforgettable experience for our EAA AirVenture guestsYour contribution does make a dif ference There are seven levels of gifts and gift recognition Thank you for whatever you can doHere are some of the many activities the Friends of the Red Barn fund under writes

bullRed Barn Information Desk Supplies bullFlightline Parking Scooters and Supplies bullBreakfast for Past Grand Champions

bullParticipant Plaques and Supplies bullVolunteer Booth Administrative Supplies bullSigns Throughout the Vintage Area

bull Ton irsquos Red Car pet Expre ss Van and Rad ios bullRed Barn and Other Building Maintenance bullAnd More

bullCaps for VAA Volunteers bull Tal l Pin es Caf eacute D in ing Ten t

2 11 VAA Friends of the Red Barn Campaign2011 VAA Friends of the Red Barn CampaignThe VAA annual fundraising campaign fuels VAA action

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1844

T

he worldrsquos first regular air-

mail line was operated by

the United States Army

back in 1918 when a fleet

of old Jennies were pushed back

and forth between New York City

and Washington DC a distance

of two hundred and twenty miles

the fields that no self-respecting pi-

lot would take a second look at in

these times But those were the days

of wooden ships and iron men

Chief pilot on the line was a

handsome youth just out of his

teens Lieutenant James C Edger-

ton who had an unusual knack of

gan There were impressive ceremo-

nies political speeches bouquets of

flowers for the flyers and the Presi-

dent of the United States himself

went down to the Polo Grounds

and wished the pilot who was to

carry the mail to New York ldquoGod

speedrdquo Almost as soon as he left

From the Archives Reprinted from Popular Aviation Dec 1935

First Regular

Airmail FlightBY LIEUT H LATANE LEWIS II

The pilot is receiving his last-minute orders before shoving off with the mail Once more old Jenny

makes history

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1944

through with considerable diffi-

culty The pilot scheduled to make

the flight hopped off from Philadel-

phia and pointed the blunt nose of

his Jennie southward toward Wash-ington The checkerboard fields and

streams sliding beneath his wings

soon became a jigsaw puzzle and

one that he couldnrsquot piece together

The flyer realized that he was hope-

lessly lost He barged around for

awhile and finally decided to come

down and ask directions

Landing on the race track atBridgeton New Jersey forty miles

off his course he became involved

with a group of curious

horses which cracked up

the ship The mail was sent

back to Philadelphia by truck and

started out in another plane with

another pilot About thirty milesout his engine began to miss and

as it was getting dark he turned and

high-tailed back to his home field

Jim Edgerton stepped forward

and offered to save the face of the

new service and take the mail on

to Washington in spite of darkness

and a bad engine Night was comingon in earnest by this time If his en-

gine should conk on the trip down

there would be no flares for him to

release and land by nor would he be

able to bail out with a parachute for

this was before the day of the Cater-

pillar Club And at Washington he

would have no floodlights to illu-

minate the Polo Grounds It would

mean coming into that narrow field

which was surrounded by tall trees

in utter darkness

But Jim was an impatient and

adventurous young man so he

cians all through his eventful flying

career He was the least perturbed of

all as he came roaring down from the

north and circled the inky pit into

which he must bring his ship at thespeed of an express train

There were about half a dozen

automobiles parked around the

field and Jim estimated his ap-

proach from their headlights Spec-

tators heard his engine stop then

the shrill scream of the wind on

his struts and wires Then they

caught sight of a ghost-like silhou-ette against the night sky coming

down in a dizzy slideslip An in-

stant later a gray phantom swept

across the field and settled down

to a perfect landing The mail had

come through

Edgerton was the first pilot who

ever flew into a thunderstorm Upto that time flyers all over the world

looked upon electrical storms as a

deadly menace and had avoided

them as they would a plague Or-

ders had been issued that no mail

pilot should take off if weather con-

ditions were unfavorable

At Philadelphia one afternoon

during the middle of July Jim had

his ship tuned up and was ready to

shove off but down towards the

southwest storm clouds were gath-

ering It was against orders to fly

under such conditions Jim fumed

possible and then as he came over

the ldquoSusquehanna River he ran

smack into it It was a violent line

squall the storm most dreaded of

all by aviators and the kind thatsent the mighty Akron and Shenan-

doah down to destruction On the

ground trees were being uprooted

and houses damaged

ldquoIt was the bumpiest ride I ever

had before or sincerdquo chuckles Jim

Edgerton today as he recalls the

vivid impression it left on him

ldquoWe were thrown all over the skyThe rain and hail were so thick that

I couldnrsquot see the wingtips The

propeller was all chewed

up and I had to throttle

down the engine Butrdquo he

adds modestly ldquoI came out right

on the courserdquo

And the mail was landed inWashington on time

That flight and the others like it

that Edgerton made probably did

more than anything else to give the

public confidence in the reliability

of the airmail Frequently he flew

through dense fog and relied en-

tirely on the crude instruments ofthose early days to keep him in the

air On one of these flights he es-

caped death by as narrow a margin

as was ever vouchsafed a pilot

He shoved off in heavy rain and

soon ran into thick weather He

barged on into it flying blind for

awhile and then climbing up on

the top of the stuff It was so thick

that even the birds had to walk Af-

ter about an hour and a half he

decided to try to find the ground

to check his course He was com-

ing down in a fast glide when sud-

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2044

altitude the fog was so thick

it was like being submerged

in pea soup but occasion-

ally there would be a break

and Edgerton would catcha glimpse of the ground and

know where he was

As he passed over Havre

de Grace there suddenly

loomed up dead ahead a

church steeple He was right

on it before he saw it He

banked for all he was worth

standing the old crock rightup on her ear and missed

the steeple by a miracle

But the crowning thr ill

of the day came a little later

as he passed the Army Proving

Ground at Aberdeen

ldquoWe were flying at an altitude of

about 150 feetrdquo Edgerton recallsldquoVisibility was practically nil Sud-

denly there was a terrific bump al-

most as violent as if the plane had

struck something That afternoon

Army authorities at Aberdeen

called up and said that an airplane

had flown over there and almost

collided with a shell fired from a16-inch gunrdquo

Is it any wonder that Edgertonrsquos

hair has turned slightly gray

On another occasion Jim got

caught in a vicious summer thun-

derstorm over Baltimore He was

flying his faithful old mount No

38274 The turbulent air tossed

the frail wooden Jenny about like

a ship on a rough sea One instant

her nose would be pointed straight

toward heaven and the next instant

Jim would see the ground rush-

ing up at him just over the engine

of a lead pencil were spurting out

Soon the whole forward part of the

fuselage was saturated

Jim watched the lightning play-

ing about the metal parts of the

plane and waited for the spark

that would blow him to shreds and

splatter him all over Baltimore But

Lady Luck was riding with him

again and the spark never came

He rode out the storm and brought

had broken and was dangling al-

most in the shining arc of the

propeller If it became entangled

in the prop it would shatter it to

a million splinters and probablytear the engine loose

Throttling down Jim maneu-

vered as best he could to keep

wire and prop from that fatal

embrace Below him were plenty

of flat broad fields into which

he could have glided But that

would mean delaying the mail

so the plucky youngster kept go-ing and finally sat down safely

in Washington

Altogether Edgerton made

fifty-three trips and never failed

to bring the mail through on any

of them On only one did he have

a forced landing

He was over Camp Meade Mary-land when a magneto shaft broke

There was a terrific jolt that almost

jumped the engine out of the ship

For once Jim had to come down

and come down in a hurry He

looked below him and his heart

stood still He was plunging straight

towards the heads of hundreds ofmarching men on parade

Lower and lower sank the help-

less Jenny Edgerton flattened his

glide as much as he dared and tried

to squeeze over the soldiers He was

almost knocking their hats off but

still the Yanks continued to hold

their ground

ldquoI just skimmed over their heads

and landed on the very edge of the

parade groundrdquo Jim laughingly re-

lates ldquoIt was my old outfit and they

certainly gave me a welcomerdquo

It was just a bit demoralizing to

With the mail aboard the pilot proceeds to warm

up the OX-5 which animates the Jenny

Authentic dope on the

controversial subject

ldquoWho flew the firstairmailrdquo In spite of the

many claims to priority by

various pilots we believe

that this is the real

answer to the problem

An old Jenny as usual

does the work

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2144

AirVenture amp Ford Together Again

REO Speedwagon Concert Monday

600PM next to the Ford Hangar

Fly In Theater Nightly Sunday ndash

Saturday 830PM Camp Scholler

Cruisinrsquo Legends See Mustangs and

more Knapp Street near Warbirds

Model T Experience Tour in a Model

T ldquoCruisinrsquo Legendsrdquo

ldquoBlues Brothersrdquo Tribute Party

Saturday 630PM Ford ldquoHangar of Bluesrdquo

Free Ice Cream Nightly in the camp-

grounds ndash from the Transit Connect

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2244

My son and I spent the better part of

six years restoring an Aeronca 7BCM

Jeff was 13 years old when we started

the project and 19 when we finished

sponds quickly to my urging as I

push the throttle control forward

to begin a low-level no-radio no-

transponder flight from Charles W

time I admit to being spoiled first by

low-frequency ldquobeamsrdquo then VORs

DME RNAV LORAN and now GPS

But for this flight I left all that behind

To Follow the LineThis was the way I had learned navigation to follow the line

BY E JEFF JUSTIS

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE AUTHOR

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2344

Down low it was fun once more

watching the small towns pass

even being able to read the names

on water towers

In north-central Mississippi

there appears a vast forest spread-

ing out beneath my wings an il-

lusory remnant of the gloriouswilderness that once extended

from the East Coast to the Great

Plains Now clear-cutting scars are

evidence of manrsquos meddling graf-

fiti on our planetrsquos face

I am surprised at the hills of

North Mississippi at higher al-

titudes they flatten into the ter-rain but here at 1000 feet above

the ground the hills are alive with

depth and color

My craft and I intruders in his

world pass a circling hawk I look

down and try to see the tiny crea-

ture I am sure he sees but where

he must perceive the slightest rus-tle of the brush I see only patterns

of green and brown and the bright

blue of reflected sky

Enough of this sightseeing I should

have crossed this highway a couple

of miles farther to the north I make a

slight correction Highways They criss-

cross this land cutting it into smaller

and smaller bits these scratches of

man meant little when there were

fewer men but now they separate deer

from deer and life from life

At the edge of a field pebbled by

round bales of hay rests a red tractor Jeff Justis was just 13 when he and his family embarked on the restoration of

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2444

suppose is the essence of life

Soon the forward horizon bulges

upward as I approach old tectonic

ridges aligned northeast-southwest

near Birmingham The dark greenof the forested ridges contrasts with

the lighter verdant hues of manrsquos

cultivation Ahead a sharp razor-

backed ridge prompts a climb to

3000 feet I teeter across the top and

slide down toward the broad valley

on the eastern side My first land-

ing after one hour and 45 minutes is

welcome As a no-radio aircraft I am

careful to follow the standard pat-

tern and glide down final touching

down on the much-too-long-for-

The-Champ runway of Posey AirportMost cross-country flights in

the rsquo50s were from grass strip to

grass strip A red gas pump would

be brought into service by the col-

orful operatormechanic of these

old aerodromes Aeroncas and

Luscombes were everywhere and

Cessna 195s were the elite air-

planes Now on this ramp my

Aeronca is an anachronism

A King Air is being readied for cor-

porate passengers and my little tail-

dragger is lost on the large apronFortunately we modified the 7BCM

with a starter and generator so I do

not have to find someone to help me

get started In years past almost ev-

ery lineman was proficient in hand-

propping now itrsquos almost a lost art

Soon I am on the way to my

next stop Lagrange Georgia I am

fooled by the appearance of a large

airport an old military field at 12

orsquoclock on the horizon Only when

I get close enough do I realize this is

not the field I am supposed to over-

fly and that I am 10 miles south of

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2544

ramp taking nearly as long as the

flight itself

The cost of this slow flight is cer-

tainly minimal with fill-ups after

two hours averaging 15 or so dol-

lars Besides the trip has been fun so

far relearning old navigation tricks

and seeing the country down low

Now I have only a few more milesto navigate to Eaglesrsquo Landing The

fly-in community strip is near Wil-

liamson Georgia and just east of a

northeast-southwest-oriented rail-

road I decide to proceed due east

find the railroad and follow it

northeast toward the destination

I cross a highway but see no rail-road A few miles further still no

railroad I must have passed it Af-

ter a 180 I find the highway again

but nohellipwait what is that That is

an abandoned rail line for sure and

it does parallel the road I continue

northeast scanning the horizon

passing pretty fields and housesI locate one airport with houses

neatly lining both sides of the single

runway but it is not Eaglesrsquo Landing

Soon I see Griffin Georgia I have

come too far I ease The Champ into

a bank to try again back down the

rail line andhellipherersquos a golf coursehellip

and yes there are two grass run-

ways meeting in a ldquoVrdquo I circle andmake a low pass over the northwest

runway watching my friends wave

from their yard ldquoWhat a nice place

to liverdquo I think as I line up on final

I glide just above the grass and

A foil tape antenna ground plane was just one of the nifty little touches added

to The Champ as the two Jeffs restored their airplane

Doesnrsquot ever yone use Champ

tail surfaces as decorative ele-

ments in their household dec-orating Mrs Justis is a very

patient woman

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2644

CALIFORNIAHayward CA VIN 29

Meeting 2nd Thurs 600 pm

Hayward Airport

See website for hangar info

Gary Oberti President

Phone 510-357-8600

E-mail infovaa29org

Website wwwvaa29org

CALIFORNIASacramento CA VIN 25

Meeting 2nd Sat 900 am

See chapter website for location

Robert Opdahl President

Phone 530-273-7348

E-mail bopdahlsbcglobalnet

Website wwwVin25org

CAROLINAS VIRGINIAWalnut Cove NC VIN 3

Meeting Contact President

Susan Dusenbury President

Phone 336-591-3931

E-mail sr6sueaolcom

Website wwwVAA3org

FLORIDALakeland FL VIN 1

Meeting Contact President

Bobby Capozzi President

Phone 352-475-9736

INDIANAAuburn IN VIN 37

Meeting 4th Thurs 700 pm

DeKalb County Airport (kGWB)

Hangar AmdashVAA 37 Clubhouse

Drew Hoffman President

Phone 260-515-3525

E-mail drewhoffmanvaa37org

Website wwwVAA37org

KANSASOverland Park KS VIN 16

Meeting 2nd Fri 730 pm

CAF Hangar

New Century Airport

Kevin Pratt President

Phone 913-541-1149

E-mail kprattvaa16com

Website wwwVAA16com

LOUISIANANew Iberia LA VIN 30

Meeting 1st Sun 900 am

LeMaire Memorial Airport Hangar 4

Roland Denison President

Phone 337-365-3047

E-mail vaa30coxnet

MINNESOTAAlbert Lea MN VIN 13

Meeting 2nd Thurs 700 pm

Albert Lea Airport FBO

OHIODelaware OH VIN 27

Meeting 3rd Sat 8-10AM May thru Sept

Delaware Municiple Airport (DLZ)

Terminal Building

Woody McIntire President

Phone 740-362-7228

E-mail wjmcintirecscom

Website wwwEAAdlzorg

OHIOZanesville OH VIN 22

Meeting 2nd Fri 630 pm

Perry County Airport

John Morozowsky President

Phone 740-453-6889

OKLAHOMATulsa OK VIN 10

Meeting 4th Thurs 700 PM

Hardesty South Regional Library

No meetings in July Nov amp Dec

Joe Champagne President

Phone 918-257-4688

Email skypalgroveemailcom

TEXASSpring TX VIN 2

Meeting 4th Sun 200 PM

David Wayne Hooks Airport (KDWH)

Fred Ramin President

Phone 281-255-4430

Vintage Chapter LocatorVisit the VAA chapter nearest you and get to know some great old-airplane enthusiasts You donrsquot need

to be a pilot to join in the funmdashjust have a love of the great airplanes of yesteryear

Chapter 27 of Delaware Ohio hosts a monthly pancake breakfast where attendees enjoy the camara-derie among the airplanes

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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When Albert Vollmecke joined

Arkansas Aircraft Company in Sep-tember 1927 he brought fresh ideas

from his native Germany regarding

aircraft design stability and safety

He would on occasion return to

Germany to bring back something

new for the company In 1928 Ar-

kansas Aircraft Company changed

its name to Command-Aire Incor-porated and the production run

of new ships increased in its Little

Rock Arkansas plant

After one such visit to Ger-

many Vollmecke returned with

the rights to import and sell the

PHYLAX fire-extinguisher system

patented (GB 0267542) March 10

1926 and manufactured in Berlinby Phylax Feuerlosch-Automaten-

Bau GmbH The PHYLAX fire-

extinguisher system consisted of

a tank containing the extinguish-

ing liquid From the tank which

BY ROBERT G LOCK

Early 1047297re-extinguishing system

THE Vintage

Mechanic

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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advertisement from AVIATION

November 1928 using the OX-5

powered model 3C3 ship to dem-

onstrate the system

The PHYLAX system consisted

of a pressurized tank of fluid with

associated lines and nozzles lead-

ing to the engine compartment of

the ship Note here that the unit

is manufactured in t he United

States by the Aero Supply Man-

ufacturing Company located in

Long Island New York The cost

of the unit is $70 in this May 1929

advertisement in an aviation mag-

azine Illustration 2 shows the

manufacturerrsquos advertisement for

the product

In a letter dated April 10 1929

Mr Wiley Wright assistant sales

director for Command-Aire Incor-

porated wrote

ldquoCommand-Aire Incorporated

acquired the exclusive franchise

rights for PHYLAX automatic fire

extinguishers in the United States

Mexico and Central America This

extinguisher is the only automatic

fire extinguisher available and is

standard equipment on many Eu-

ropean lines It is manufactured

by PHYLAX Bau of Germany and

is receiving great response in the

United States at the present timerdquo

In this factory Illustration 3

and from the files of Albert Voll-

mecke is a 110-hp Warner engine

mounted in the Command-Aire

model 3C3-A ship Note the en-

gine cowling being neatly fitted

around cylinders and associated

tubes The 3C3-A had a very longnose due to its light weight ne-

ce s s i ta t ing a longer a rm f or

weight and balance control In

this photo the PHYLAX sprinkler

heads are visible behind the mag-

netos down near the carburetor

and behind the oil inlet hoses on

the accessory case of the engineIllustration 3 is an original fac-

tory photograph of the PHYLAX

system installed in the nose of a

model 3C3-A

Illustration 4 is the same photo-

graph with some details removed

and other details added princi-

pally the identification of the PHY-LAX automatic fuse that fired the

bottle of extinguishing fluid and

the sprinkler heads These illustra-

tions taken from a Command-Aire

original factory brochure from the

files of Albert Vollmecke

Illustration 5 on page 27 is a

sketch from the PHYLAX patent

0267542 dated March 10 1926A general description of the PHY-

LAX system is contained within

the patent and states ldquoThe inven-

tion relates to a fire extinguishing

device intended for use particu-

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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not indicate what type of extinguishing fluid was

contained within the tank however soda-acid was

widely used in those days and carbon tetrachloridewas invented in 1912 by the Pyrene Company

In a communication from Command-Aire Pres-

ident Robert Snowden regarding the purchase of

stock options in the company he states ldquoOur ex-

clusive franchise for the sale of Phylax automatic

Illustration 3

Illustration 4

Illustration 5

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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homeland on a regular basis and

always brought back some new in-

vention or new ideas on design andsafety This system was certainly

ahead of its time safety-wise and a

credit to Vollmeckersquos focus on sta-

bility and safety for his designs

Above in this original factory

photograph (Illustration 6) of a

Command-Aire 3C3-T fuselage on

the assembly line at the Little Rock

plant the PHYLAX system can beseen mounted in the rear cock-

pit just behind the front seat in

the center of the photograph The

chemical bottles with two lines

tied to the side tubes run forward

Illustration 6

Pyrene 1047297re extinguishers

were made of brass and

were nicely polished

They were not high-pressure units

but required the use of a hand pump

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Pyrene fire extinguishers were

made of brass and were nicely pol-

ished They were not high-pressureunits but required the use of a

hand pump to generate pressure

to expel liquid from the cylinder

These extinguishers were gener-

ally mounted in the rear cockpit

ton or linen fabric and the only

dope available was cellulose ni-

trate that burned like a torch when

lit Watching nitrate dope burn

reminded me of a Fourth of July

sparkler very intense and hot If

a nitrate-doped ship caught fire in

the air there was no extinguisher

that would put out the flames

The PHYLAX system had an auto-

matic sensor that would trigger the

bottlersquos valve open and send the

chemical into the engine compart-

ment The Pyrene extinguisher wasmore for ground use because you

could not operate the bottle and

fly the airplane at the same time

By todayrsquos standards these ex-

tinguishing systems seem ar-

chaic but for the time back in

the 1920s they were the thing to

have in your automobile boator airplane

Editorrsquos Note WARNING An-

tique carbon tetrachloride fire extin-

guishers like the Pyrene occasionally

show up either contaminated with

the original agent or worse yet with

the full charge of agent still inside

Carbon tet is treated as a hazard-

ous substance (its use was banned

in consumer products in 1970) and

should be dealt with accordingly

In fact carbon tetrachloride when

heated by a fire will create poison-

ous phosgene gas (World War Irsquos

ldquonerve gasrdquo) something that would

definitely ruin someonersquos day if the

fire hadnrsquot done so already In its

standard form this substance is verytoxic to the liver and a single signifi-

cant exposure can result in sickness

or death

L a n g l ey may have been the

f h f i i i b

last and last The instruction

l i l d f

1903 Samuel Pierpont Langleyrsquos ldquoAerodromerdquoattempts to take off from a floating platform

Have a comment or ques-

tion for Bob Lock the Vintage

Mechanic Drop us an e-mail at

vintageaircrafteaaorg or you

can mail your question to Vintage

Airplane PO Box 3086 Osh-

kosh WI 54903

Illustration 7

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Authorrsquos Note We held a small open house at the

flight school hangar this past Saturday Though the

weather was not conducive to give many rides we still

had about 60 people show up enjoy a brat or ham-

burger and talk about flying or learning to fly Interest

in flying is not dead One of my pet peeves is how we

in general aviation go about attracting individuals tolearn the pleasure of flight

Nearly every aviation publication I read carries ar-

ticles and editorials about the downward spiral of gen-

eral aviation Flight schools are having a hard time

attracting new students ldquoDoom and gloomrdquo reigns

with little positive to report on the horizon This al-

ways reminds me of the proverbial three wise mon-keys who embody the principle ldquoSee no evil hear no

evil and speak no evilrdquo We all complain about the

problem but no one ever offers solutions It seems as

though by not doing anything about the challenge it

will eventually go away and right itself

Many of the aviation organizations are wringing

their respective hands giving great lip service to the

drop in pilot numbers Some like EAA have launched

activities to attract new pilots such as the Young Ea-gles program This has been a good start but it will not

fill the ever-increasing void for more pilots

What are we all missing FUN

Four years ago I chose early retirement from a 38-

The student make-up is a real cross-section of Amer-

ica My youngest student to date began flight lessons

at age 14 and the oldest was 77 years young Irsquove men-

tioned some of my students in previous articles At

yearrsquos end 2010 while converting our student files

from paper to computer I was amazed to discover that

in the previous two years I had given instruction tomore than 200 individuals Some were new students

others were individuals in search of a tailwheel en-

dorsement and many were older individuals who had

pursued flight training early in their lives but gave it

up to raise a family Now they had the time and still re-

tained the burning desire to get back into flying What

attracted these individuals to the flight school FUN

And thefun

challenge of flying J-3 Cubs

Herersquos a small cross-section of this yearrsquos group

of students

bullA retired US Navy lieutenant who flew F-4 Phan-

toms off carriers in Vietnam He hasnrsquot done any fly-

ing in more than 10 years but hersquos been building a

Skybolt which will soon be finished and hersquos return-

ing to his lifelong lovemdashaviation He also has two

young sons who want to fly and will soon be joining

the group of student pilotsbullA young CPA from Iowa whose grandfather was a

friend of Bernie Pietenpol and who has built two Piets

The CPA used two weeks of his vacation time to learn

to fly so that he can fly the airplane(s) that his grandfa-

ther built and take his grandfather for a ride

BY Steve Krog CFI

THE Vintage

Instructor

Vintage flying is very much alive

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Cubs flying every day he decided to pursue his pas-

sion for flight

bullA national chain hardware store employee who

has had a dream of flying driving nearly two hours

each way to learn to fly in a Cub

bullAn aviation writervideo producer who already has

a sport pilot certificate but desires to obtain a private

pilot certificate and do so in Cubs

bullA 30-something young family man who sells

construction equipment attachments While deer

hunting a year ago he learned one of his hunting

friends had recently learned to fly in Cubs For three

days they talked airplanes and flying rather than do-

ing much hunting Upon his return from the hunt-ing trip he drove to the airport and signed up for

lessons in the Cub

bullA professional musician from the Chicago area

who always wanted to learn to fly Although not yet

old enough to have a true ldquobucket listrdquo learning to fly

a Cub was number one on his list

With two exceptions these individuals had never

before flown or flown in tailwheel airplanes but alwayshad a dream of learning to fly in a Cubmdashjust like dad

or granddad did many years ago

Although no one in this group comes from simi-

lar backgrounds or professions there is one common

denominator among every studentmdashFUN None of

these students are learning to fly to pursue a career

in aviation (although Irsquove worked with a couple who

have done so) Rather they are learning to fly or get-

ting back into flying for the FUN and CHALLENGE of

flight They all have a true love of flight and seeing the

world from 500 feet with the door and window open

I have also worked with a number of students who

began taking flight lessons but quit after a period of

time They still had the passion for flight but gave it

up When asked why the responses fell into one of the

following four categories

bullI began taking lessons but after three or four les-sons Irsquod be assigned to a different instructor After 30

hours of dual three instructors and still not having

soloed I quit

bullThe instructor wasnrsquot teaching me anything He

was more interested in building time than teaching

Take a moment and think about how you first be-

came interested in airplanes What triggered your

pursuit of learning to fly Did you have a buddy or

maybe a family friend who encouraged you Or even

became a mentor Do you remember your first flight

lesson Do you remember the day you made your

first solo flight

Remember that passion and sense of accomplish-

ment Donrsquot hesitate to share it with anyone express-

ing an interest in learning to fly

At Cub Air Flight we sell FUN When individuals

visit the airport to inquire about learning to fly we

know they have made the commitment in their own

mind It then becomes our responsibility to makethe visit friendly A friendly environment is a FUN

environment Kids are always welcome If a prospec-

tive student has children with him or her we invite

the kids to sit in the planes At the conclusion of our

discussion we emphasize the following statement If

you learn to fly with us it will be FUN CHALLENG-

ING and SAFE

I donrsquot believe there is a shortage of pilot prospectsbut there is a shortage in how we all go about attract-

ing these people to become active participants in plea-

sure flying Remember flying is FUN Letrsquos make an

effort to help others share in that FUN

AERO CLASSICldquoCOLLECTOR SERIESrdquo

Vintage Tires New USA Production

Show off your pride and joy with afresh set of Vintage Rubber Thesenewly minted tires are FAA-TSOrsquodand speed rated to 120 MPH Some

things are better left the way theywere and in the 40rsquos and 50rsquos these tires were perfectly intune to the exciting times in aviation

Not only do these tires set your vintage plane apart fromthe rest but also look exceptional on all General Aviationaircraft Deep 832nd tread depth offers above averagetread life and UV treated rubber resists aging

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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We enjoy your suggestions for

Mystery Planesmdashin fact more than

half of our subjects are sent to us by

members often via e-mail Please

remember that if you want to scan

the photo for use in Mystery Plane

it must be at a resolution of 300 dpior greater You may send a lower-

resolution version to us for our re-

view but the final version has to be

at that level of detail or it will not

print properly Also please let us

craft in the photo is of Canadian civil

registry CF-BXO formerly Royal Cana-

dian Air Force (RCAF) 920 This photo-

graph would have been taken at some

time between 1962 and 1967 after an

overhaul at Abbotsford British Colum-

bia (BC) and possibly while in servicewith Stranraer Aerial Enterprises The

location strongly resembles the Fraser

River dockings at the Vancouver air-

port The aircraft had undergone a re-

spray with a bright red cheat line The

(beaching gear required) for the Royal Air

Force (RAF) in 1933 The prototype first

flew in October 1934 with two Bristol

Pegasus IIIM engines rated at 820 hp

The production aircraft were delivered to

the RAF with Pegasus engines delivering

920 hp entering service in April 1937The British-built machines of which 23

were ordered and only 17 being built

were all delivered by April 1939

In Canada Canadian Vickers Lim-

ited of Montreal Quebec produced 40

Send your answer to EAA Vin-

tage Airplane PO Box 3086 Osh-

kosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer

needs to be in no later than August

20 for inclusion in the October

2011 issue of Vintage Airplane

You can also send your response via

e-mail Send your answer to mystery

planeeaaorg Be sure to include your

name plus your city and state in the

body of your note and put ldquo(Month)

Mystery Planerdquo in the subject line

This monthrsquos Mystery Plane comes to us from Bruce Voran

MYSTERY PLANE

by HG FRAUTSCHY

A P R I L rsquo S M Y S T E RY A N S W E R

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3544

QCA began buying several examplesand was instrumental in convincing

the Canadian Department of Transport

(DOT) to issue a civilian Certificate of

Airworthiness (C of A) One of the first

aircraft so issued was CF-BYI which be-

1980 the Canadian Museum of Flightand Transportation in BC salvaged the

wreck for possible restoration As late as

April 1952 QCA still had two Stranraer

in service CF-BXO and CF-BYM Pacific

Western Airlines (PWA) also operated

Two RAF Belfast freighters were dis-

patched and the disassembled aircraft

was transported to the United Kingdomwhere the machine is currently one of the

centerpieces of the collection

The aircraft type had many names

The most familiar (and printable) were

Stranny Strainer and Flying Meccano

Set The least affectionate was the Whis-

tling Shouse as when the lid to the

throne was lifted there was direct access

to the great outdoors and there emitted a

loud whistling noise

Other correct answers were re-

ceived from Hillis Cunliffe Mill-

brook Alabama Brian Baker Sun

City Arizona Wesley R Smith

Springfield Illinois John White-

head Cheyenne Wyoming ScottChurch Cochrane Alberta Can-

ada Jay Broze Walla Walla Wash-

ington Jerry Paterson Kent

Washington Jamie Patterson Mi-

ramichi New Brunswick Canada

Bill Bishop of Mulgoa New South Wales Australia sent along this photo

of the surviving Supermarine Stranraer

David Nixon supplied us with the April Mystery Plane shot of CF-BXO

a Canadian Vickers-built Supermarine Stranraer

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3644

urday 8 am until 6 pm Early-bird

arrivals can shop on the pre-conven-

tion weekend as well during limited

hours Show your VAA membership

card (or your receipt showing you

joined VAA at the convention) and

yoursquoll receive a 10 percent discount

VAA Volunteer Opportunities

Are you an ace pancake flipperIf yoursquore not one yet we can help

The VAA Tall Pines Cafeacute is looking

for volunteers who can help provide

a hearty breakfast to all the hungry

campers on the south end of Witt-

man Field If you could lend a hand

for a morning or two wersquod appreci-

ate it If thatrsquos not your cup of tea feelfree to check with the VAA Volunteer

Center located just to the northeast

of the VAA Red Barn The volun-

teers who operate the booth will be

happy to tell you when your help is

needed each day It doesnrsquot matter if

itrsquos just for a few hours or for a few

daysmdashwersquod love to have your help-

ing hands There is no need for you

to contact us ahead of time you can

talk with us when you arrive

VAA Judging Categoriesand Awards

The VAArsquos internationally recog-

nized judging categories are

bullAntique Aircraft built prior toSeptember 1 1945

bullClassic September 1 1945 - De-

cember 31 1955

bullContemporary January 1 1956

- December 31 1970

VAA NEWScontinued frpm page 5

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3744

the award winners Judging closes at noon on Friday

July 29 The Awards Ceremony will be held Saturday

evening July 30 at 6 pm in the Vintage Hangar

just south of the VAA Red Barn

Designated Smoking Areas Near FlightlineSmoking on the flightline at EAA AirVenture is prohib-

ited because itrsquos a hazard to all aircraft There are several

designated smoking areas with butt cans along the flight-

line well away from aircraft and refueling operations

Designated smoking areas will be south of the ultra-light runway near the Hangar Cafeacute near the Warbirdsarea (northeast corner of Audrey Lane and Eide Av-

enue) the Wearhouse flag pole area the shade pavil-ion north of the control tower and near the UltralightBarn Locations will be indicated on EAArsquos free con-vention grounds map The admission wristband alsoinstructs visitors that smoking is allowed only in desig-nated smoking areas

More on the Web

Visit wwwAirVentureorg for more information onEAA AirVenture 2011

EAA AirVenture Is Almost Here Are You Ready

Just a few short weeks from now many of you will

make the annual pilgrimage to Oshkosh for EAA Air-

Venture 2011 Are you ready Here are several handy

online tools on the AirVenture website that can help

you take care of any last-minute concerns

Visit wwwAirVentureorg and find out what you

need to know about The Worldrsquos Greatest Avia-

tion Celebration

Admission Parking Hours

wwwAirVentureorgplanningadmissionhtml

Find or Share a Ride to Oshkosh

wwwAirVentureorgrideshare

Site Map

wwwAirVentureorgplanningschedules_mapshtml

Where to Stay

Yoursquore cleared to stay connected

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3844

ship services at 800-564-6322 but

given the time from when you read

this until AirVenture it may not ar-

rive in the mail in time for your de-

parture We suggest downloading

the NOTAM

The NOTAM contains the specialflight procedures in effect for Witt-

man Regional Airport and alternate

airports from 6 am CDT on Friday

July 22 to 12 pm CDT on Mon-

day August 1 2011 All pilots who

fly into the event are expected to

know the special flight procedures

prior to arrival EAA AirVenture Os-

hkosh runs from July 25 through

July 31 For additional EAA AirVen-

ture Oshkosh 2011 information

visit wwwAirVentureorg

Call for VAA Hall of

Fame Nominations

To the left is our information

for nominations for VAArsquos Hallof Fame which is presented each

year during a special dinner This

yearrsquos dinner will be held Friday

October 28 Wersquoll have more on

this yearrsquos inductee John Under-

To nominate someone is easy It just takes a little time and a little reminiscing on your part

Mail nominating materials to

Remember your ldquocontemporaryrdquo may be a candidate nominate someone today

wwwVintageAircraftorg

CALL FOR VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

Nominations

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3944

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

Wit tman Regional A i rpor t (OSH)

Oshkosh Wisconsin

July 25-31 2011

wwwAirVentureorg

Colorado Sport International Air Show

and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In

Rocky Mountain Met ropol i tan A irpor t (BJC)

Denver Colorado

August 27-28 2011

wwwCOSportAviationorg

Mid-Eastern Regional Fly-In

Gr imes F ie ld A irpor t (I74)

Urbana Ohio

September 10-11 2011

httpMERFIcom

Copperstate Fly-In

Casa Grande Munic ipal A i rpor t (CGZ)

Casa Grande Ar izona

Upcoming Major

Fly-Ins

W I N

Only 2000 ticketswill be sold1 ticket $50

3 tickets $125

Piper Tri-Pacer Airplane

Free Flying Lessons

Free Pilot License

Country Legend Roy Clarkrsquos Personal Proceeds fromthis raffle

SAVEAMERICANKIDS LIVES

wwwwingsofhoperaffleorg

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4044

MISCELLANEOUS

wwwaerolistorg Aviationsrsquo Leading

Marketplace

Rare find Lycoming 0-145 partsinventory blocks bearings rings

shafts amp much more $20000

at 1970 prices $5000 Six four

cylinder case aircraft magnetos

$300 Call for more details (FL)

VINTAGETRADER

Someth ing t o buyse l l o r t rade

Classified Word Ads $550 per 10

words 180 words maximum with boldface

lead-in on first line

Classified Display Ads One column wide

(2167 inches) by 1 2 or 3 inches high at

$20 per inch Black and white only and nofrequency discounts

Advertising Closing Dates 10th of second

month prior to desired issue date (ie

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 (classads

eaaorg ) using credit card payment (all cards

accepted) Include name on card complete

address type of card card number and

expiration date Make checks payable to EAA

Address advertising correspondence to EAA

Publications Classified Ad Manager PO Box

3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

What Our Members

Are Restoring

Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done and

yoursquore busy flying and showing it off If so wersquod like to hear from

you Send us a 4-by-6-inch print from a commercial source (no

home printers please those prints just donrsquot scan well) or a

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4144

EAAMembership in the Experimental Aircraft

Association Inc is $40 for one year includ-ing 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION Familymembership is an additional $10 annually Allmajor credit cards accepted for membership(Add $16 for International Postage)

FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPSPlease submit your remittance with a

check or draft drawn on a United Statesbank payable in United States dollars Addrequired Foreign Postage amount for eachmembership

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATIONCurrent EAA members may join the

Vintage Aircraft Association and receive

year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not included)(Add $7 for International Postage)

WARBIRDSCurrent EAA members may join the EAA

Warbirds of America Division and receiveWARBIRDS magazine for an additional$45 per year

EAA Membership WARBIRDS mag-azine and one year membership in theWarbirds Division is available for $55 per

year (SPORT OficAVIATION magazinenot included) (Add $7 for Interna-tional Postage)

IACCurrent EAA members may join the

International Aerobatic Club Inc Divi-sion and receive SPORT AEROBATICS magazine for an additional $45 per year

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

VINTAGE

AIRCRAFT

ASSOCIATION

OFFICERS

DIRECTORS

DIRECTORS

EMERITUS

PresidentGeoff Robison

1521 E MacGregor DrNew Haven IN 46774

260-493-4724chief7025aolcom

Vice-PresidentGeorge Daubner

N57W34837 Pondview LnOconomowoc WI 53066

262-560-1949 gdaubnereaaorg

Steve Bender85 Brush Hill Road

Sherborn MA 01770508-653-7557

sst10comcastnet

David Bennett375 Killdeer Ct

Lincoln CA 95648916-952-9449

antiquerinreachcom

Jerry Brown4605 Hickory Wood Row

Greenwood IN 46143317-422-9366

lbrown4906aolcom

Dave Clark635 Vestal Lane

Plainfield IN 46168317-839-4500davecpdattnet

John S Copeland1A Deacon Street

Northborough MA 01532508-393-4775

copeland1junocom

Phil Coulson28415 Springbrook Dr

Lawton MI 49065269-624-6490

rcoulson516cscom

Dale A Gustafson7724 Shady Hills Dr

Indianapolis IN 46278317-293-4430

dalefayemsncom

Jeannie HillPO Box 328

Harvard IL 60033-0328815-943-7205

Espie ldquoButchrdquo Joyce704 N Regional Rd

Greensboro NC 27409336-668-3650

windsockaolcom

Steve Krog1002 Heather Ln

Hartford WI 53027262-966-7627sskrogaolcom

Robert D ldquoBobrdquo Lumley1265 South 124th StBrookfield WI 53005

262-782-2633rlumley1wirrcom

SH ldquoWesrdquo Schmid2359 Lefeber Avenue

Wauwatosa WI 53213414-771-1545

shschmidgmailcom

Robert C Brauer9345 S Hoyne

Chicago IL 60643773-779-2105

photopilotaolcom

Gene Chase2159 Carlton Rd

Oshkosh WI 54904920-231-5002

GRCHAcharternet

Ronald C Fritz15401 Sparta Ave

Kent City MI 49330616-678-5012

rFritzpathwaynet com

Charlie HarrisPO Box 470350Tulsa OK 74147

918-622-8400cwhhvsucom

EE ldquoBuckrdquo Hilbert8102 Leech RdUnion IL 60180

815-923-4591buck7acgmailcom

Gene Morris5936 Steve Court

Roanoke TX 76262817-491-9110

genemor rischarter net

Membership Services DirectoryEnjoy the many benefits of EAA and

EAArsquos Vintage Aircraft Association

EAA Aviation Center PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086Phone (920) 426-4800 Fax (920) 426-4873Web Sites wwwvintageaircraftorg wwwairventureorg wwweaaorgmemberbenefits E-Mail vintageaircrafteaaorg

EAA and Division Membership Services (800 AMndash600 PM MondayndashFriday CST)800-564-6322 FAX 920-426-4873 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

bullNewrenew memberships bullAddress changes bullMerchandise sales bullGift memberships

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 888-322-4636 wwwairventureorg airventureeaaorg

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Programs and Activities

Auto Fuel STCs 920-426-4843 stceaaorg EAA Air Academy 920-426-6880 wwwairacademyorg airacademyeaaorg

EAA Scholarships 920-426-6823 scholarshipseaaorg

Library ServicesResearch 920-426-4848 slurveyeaaorg

Benefits

AUA Vintage Insurance Plan 800-727-3823 wwwauaonlinecom

EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan 866-647-4322 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

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EAA Her tz Rent-A-Car Program 800-654-2200 wwweaaorghertz membershipeaaorg

VAA EditorialExecutive Director 920-426-4825 wwwvintageaircraftorg vintageeaaorg

VAA Office 920-426-6110 tbookseaaorg

TM

EAA Members Information Line 888-EAA-INFO (322-4636)

Use this toll-free number for information about AirVenture Oshkosh aeromedical and technical aviation questions

chapters and Young Eagles Please have your membership number ready when calling

Office hours are 815 am - 500 pm (Monday - Friday CST)

SecretarySteve Nesse

2009 Highland AveAlbert Lea MN 56007

507-373-1674

stnes2009livecom

TreasurerDan Knutson

106 Tena Marie CircleLodi WI 53555608-592-7224

lodicubcharternet

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4244

If yoursquove ever watched fish in

an aquarium yoursquove probably no-

ticed how they respond differently

to their surroundings There are

those that zip around the tank in a

mad dash to nowhere Some seem

to sit and not go much of any-

where and some will swim f romone end to the other turn around

and do it again

The latter are the ones that remind

me of myself I seem to fly in a fish-

bowl I go from one end of our val-

proficient by practicing things we

know over and over or it can make

us lazy When something becomes

so ingrained that we do it from habit

only we may not be thinking about

what wersquore doing

On a night cross-country some

time ago I found out just how easyit is to forget things that I hadnrsquot

used in a while While night may be

a little more challenging it still re-

quires the basic pre-flight planning

of any cross-country and following

whether I go far or stay in the com-

fort zone I canrsquot let complacency take

over Those skills and experiences

need to be stretched from time to

time regardless of where I fly An un-

expected situation or emergency is a

bad time to find out I donrsquot remem-

ber how to do somethingComplacency also allows fear

to creep in where it doesnrsquot belong

Some fear (I think) is a natural part of

flying but it can also unnecessarily

keep us grounded because we wonrsquot

BY S MICHELLE SOUDER

Flying Outside

the Fishbowl

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4344

Itrsquos gonna be a big year at Oshk osh

B-29 Superfortress ldquoFIFIrdquo

The first visit since 1995for the worldrsquos only airworthyB-29 Superfortress

REO SpeedwagonOshkosh rocks Monday duringthe opening day concert presentedby Ford Motor Company

Tribute to Bob HooverTuesday afternoon air showfeaturing aircraft and maneuvershe made legendary

eVentureInnovation will be on displayand in the air with the ElectricFlight Prize Competition

Join us for a week-long celebration of the Centennial of Naval Aviationincluding a special air show Wednesday See the hottest naval aircraftin historic colors all week on ConocoPhillips Plaza

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4444

Page 13: Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1344

two airplanes were one in the same

Finally we got a hold of Jeff Janus

at the FAArsquos Aircraft Certification

Office (ACO) who said it was a no-

brainer and sent it back to the FSDO

and told them to sign it off

ldquoWersquove been flying the airplane

for five years now and itrsquos exactly

what we wanted an d what we

thought it should be First for an

airplane this big itrsquos really easy to

fly In fact it lands a lot like our

Cub and even on pavement isnrsquot

A Lesson in the Learning Caveats When DonatingAt one point Harversquos dad began having airport problems and therersquos a lesson

to be learned for a lot of us here

ldquoThe airport had never gotten hugerdquo Harve says ldquoIt was just a nice friendly

airport with a few hangars and some local tenants But it was the only airport in

the area so Dad deeded it over to the city I guess you could say he donated it

For years this worked out really well and all the aviation guys in the area loved it

We host a fly-in there each year and that became something of a local event that

everyone looked forward to

ldquoDad died suddenly in 1981 and we decided to build a house right near the

CRAIG VANDERKOLK

The Applegates camp every year just south of the VAA Flightline Opera-

tions building so son Matt and the family can enjoy visiting with their many

friends and watch the afternoon air show

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1444

bigger yoursquod want The back seat

is an honest three kids wide and

the two front seats are separated

by nearly a foot So you feel as ifyoursquore flying your own little air-

liner And how many airplanes to-

day let you crank the side windows

down and fly with you elbows up

on the windowsill

ldquoItrsquos not a rocketship in climb

about 500-600 fpm but itrsquoll give

you that or close to it whether

yoursquore loaded or not Those big old

wings can really carry a load

ldquoItrsquos also not a speed demon

but itrsquoll indicate 120 mph give or

take 5 mph at about 14 gallons per

hour and fly straight ahead with

MIKE STEINEKE

Another gorgeous picture of the Applegatesrsquo plane flying over the Midwest

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1544

The first wireless message sent

from an airplane to a ground station

wasnrsquot very imaginative or profound

The message telegraphed in dots and

dashes by US Army Lt Paul W Beck

on January 21 1911 was

ldquoAssociated Press AviationField Scotford is not the only

bird on the aviation board Beckrdquo

The message didnrsquot have the hum-

bling sense of Samuel Morsersquos ldquoWhat

hath God wroughtrdquo or the quaint-

ness of Alexander Graham Bellrsquos ldquoMr

Watsonmdashcome heremdashI want to see

yourdquo or Neil Armstrongrsquos inspira-

tional ldquoThatrsquos one small step for man

one giant leap for mankindrdquoThe rather mundane message was

hastily scribbled by Associated Press

reporter Guy Moysten who was cov-

Corps

Beck had been taken aloft by Philip

O Parmalee an early aviation pio-

neer The ldquopurple sparks spluttered

by the telegraph keyrdquo were also inter-

cepted by navy wireless stations on

Goat Island (now Yerba Buena Island)

and the Mare Island Navy YardBeckrsquos second message was ldquoThree

hundred feet up and riding level

It is cold It is bumpyrdquo The word

ldquobumpyrdquo wasnrsquot received because

Beckrsquos fingers were so cold that they

refused to as Beck put it ldquoanswer the

nerve impulsesrdquo

The word ldquoScotfordrdquo in the first

message referred to Frederick E Scot-

ford chairman of the Aviation Ex-

ecutive Committee which had

conceived planned and set in mo-

tion the air meet The message re-

ferred to a previous flight ldquoaround the

army also ldquolent their band for daily

concerts during guard mount or pa-

raderdquomdashall this to the delight of the

crowds throughout the entire affair

San Francisco was in heavy compe-

tition with New Orleans for the exclu-

sive rights to the 1915 Panama-Pacific

International Exhibition (PPIE) aworldrsquos fair to celebrate the upcom-

ing 1914 opening of the Panama

Canal The city desperately wanted

to land the exhibition believing it

would confirm San Franciscorsquos phoe-

nix-like rise from the ashes of devasta-

tion The air show was thought of as

the opening act

Plans for the PPIE had already

been complicated in 1910 Just six

months earlier Californiarsquos gover-

nor had banned the Jim Jeffries-Jack

Johnson fight scheduled for San

Franciscomdashforcing the epic ldquoFight

Flashes of Purple SparksBY DANIEL J DEMERS

Lt Paul Beck left with

the Western Wireless

Equipment Company A-4wireless set in his lap

while seated in a Wright

biplane during wireless

tests during the 1911 San

Francisco Air Meet The

set weighed 29 pounds

and featured a telegraph

key mounted on the top of

the mahogany box

JOURNAL OF ELECTRICITY POWER AND GAS

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1644

shadowed all the other historic firsts

achieved at the meet

Beck described the sensation of fly-

ing at 800 feet like this

ldquoWhirring propellers throb-

bing pistons and machine-

gun-like gasoline explosions

deafened you while tears bit-

ter tears were forced from your

eyes by the back rush of air and

you have a slight conception

how it feels to rival the eagle in a

Wright biplanerdquo

He had used in his own words

ldquoa rough makeshift affair weighing

thirty-two poundsrdquo It consisted of

a ldquosmall gap and interrupter an or-

dinary telegraph key a small storage

cellrdquo and a shunt ldquoto prevent over-

charging of the cellrdquo The entire de-vice was contained in a wooden box

that he carried on his lap The aerial

used for the experiment was a 120-

foot bronze wire trailing the plane

connected to the ldquosending appara-

tus by a number sixteen copper wirerdquo

The whole gizmo was grounded to a

stay wire on the aircraft connectedldquoto the sending apparatusrdquo Beck ex-

plained ldquoThe wave length measured

by the wave meter at the receiving

station was 575 meters in length This

is rather longer than we had thought

it would berdquo

Simultaneous to Beckrsquos experi-

ment Charlie Willard (another

pioneer aviator) unsuccessfully at-

tempted to send a wireless message

using a different set According to

Beck ldquoHis outfit weighed a trifle less

than the one which I used and his

antenna wire was a trifle longerrdquo Ac-

ldquoengine is practically noiseless when

comparedrdquo with the other planes at

the air meet ldquoSilencerdquo wrote Beck ldquois

an essential factor to the successful

reading of telegraphic codes or thesuccessful undertaking of human

speech by wireless telephonerdquo

Of great concern to the experi-

mentrsquos sponsors was the fact that an

ldquoelectrical dischargerdquo was involved in

the actual receiving of the message

from the ground Thus it was of ldquogreat

importance that the gasoline tank be

thoroughly insulated in order to pre-vent possible ignition from a sparkrdquo

Avoiding such an aerial catastrophe

was to be overcome by using ldquoone of

the guy wires on the Antoinette ma-

chine as the static ground and to drag

from the tail of the airship an alumi-

num wire of great capacity and weigh-

ing less than two pounds though 130feet in length as the antennardquo

Unfortunately as Beck told it ldquothe

god or gods of the elementsrdquo stepped

in On this particular day being ldquoaloft

was dangerous to life and limbrdquo

Lathamrsquos beautiful Antoinette mono-

plane was demolished in an accident

Latham survived the crash but a mere12 months later he died a mysterious

death in the French Congo

Beck understood that aviation was

in its infancy and that ldquowe must creep

before we walkrdquo While the experi-

ment to send a message had failed

due to an air wreck Beck concluded

it had been ldquoreduced to a mere ques-

tion of providing mechanical devices

for deadening the sound of the pro-

pellers shutting out the noise of the

rushing wind and providing some

simple means for placing the received

message in written form on some

Sources

Chief Warrant Officer Mark J

Denger Dominguez Inter-

national Air Meet California

Aviation History wwwMilitary- MuseumorgDominguezhtml

Lt Paul W Beck Aviation Meet

From War Viewpoint How

Army and Navy Will Take Part

San Francisco Examiner January

6 1911 5

Lt JC Walker Jr War Prob-

lems to be Solved In Air San

Francisco Examiner January 7

1911 3

Lt Paul W Beck What Army Is

Striving For Opening Day a

Big Success San Francisco Ex-

aminer January 8 1911 76

Lt Paul W Beck Wreck Spoils Wire-

less Experiment San Francisco

Examiner January 11 1911 2

Lt JC Walker Jr Biplanes in

Wind Please Army Man San

Francisco Examiner January 11

1911 2

Lt Paul W Beck Airplane Wire-

less Experiments Today War

Expert Reviews the Aviation

Meet San Francisco Examiner

January 18 1911 2

Lt Paul W Beck Wireless Adds

New Link To War Chain San Francisco Examiner January 22

1911 67

Flashes of Purple Glint From

Aeroplane in the Sky to Earth

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1744

VAA Friends of the Red BarnName______________________________________________________________________EAA ___________ VAA ___________

Address______________________________________________________________________________________________________

CityStateZIP________________________________________________________________________________________________

Phone___________________________________________________E-Mail______________________________________________

Please choose your level of participation

DiamondPlus$1250

Diamond$1000

Platinum$750

Gold$500

Silver$250

Bronze$100

LoyalSupporter$99 amp Under

EAA VIP Center2 peopleFull

Week

VIP Air Show Seating2 people2

Days2 people1

Day

Close Auto Parking Full Week Full Week 2 Days

Two Tickets to VAA Picnic

Tri-Motor Certificate 2 Tickets 2 Tickets 2 Tickets 1 Ticket

Breakfast at Tall Pines Cafeacute2 PeopleFull Wk

2 PeopleFull Wk

2 PeopleFull Wk

1 PersonFull Wk

Special FORB Cap

Two Passes to VAA Volunteer Party

Special FORB Badge

Access to Volunteer Center

Donor Appreciation Certificate

Name Listed Vintage Airplane Magazine Website and Sign at Red Barn

Donrsquot wait for a mailing from VAA HQ before you send in your contributionmdashto keep our administration costs as low as possible wersquore not

sending out a mailingto each VAA member Please send your donation today while itrsquos fresh in your mindPlease help the VAA and our nearly 500 dedicated volunteers make this an unforgettable experience for our EAA AirVenture guestsYour contribution does make a dif ference There are seven levels of gifts and gift recognition Thank you for whatever you can doHere are some of the many activities the Friends of the Red Barn fund under writes

bullRed Barn Information Desk Supplies bullFlightline Parking Scooters and Supplies bullBreakfast for Past Grand Champions

bullParticipant Plaques and Supplies bullVolunteer Booth Administrative Supplies bullSigns Throughout the Vintage Area

bull Ton irsquos Red Car pet Expre ss Van and Rad ios bullRed Barn and Other Building Maintenance bullAnd More

bullCaps for VAA Volunteers bull Tal l Pin es Caf eacute D in ing Ten t

2 11 VAA Friends of the Red Barn Campaign2011 VAA Friends of the Red Barn CampaignThe VAA annual fundraising campaign fuels VAA action

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1844

T

he worldrsquos first regular air-

mail line was operated by

the United States Army

back in 1918 when a fleet

of old Jennies were pushed back

and forth between New York City

and Washington DC a distance

of two hundred and twenty miles

the fields that no self-respecting pi-

lot would take a second look at in

these times But those were the days

of wooden ships and iron men

Chief pilot on the line was a

handsome youth just out of his

teens Lieutenant James C Edger-

ton who had an unusual knack of

gan There were impressive ceremo-

nies political speeches bouquets of

flowers for the flyers and the Presi-

dent of the United States himself

went down to the Polo Grounds

and wished the pilot who was to

carry the mail to New York ldquoGod

speedrdquo Almost as soon as he left

From the Archives Reprinted from Popular Aviation Dec 1935

First Regular

Airmail FlightBY LIEUT H LATANE LEWIS II

The pilot is receiving his last-minute orders before shoving off with the mail Once more old Jenny

makes history

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1944

through with considerable diffi-

culty The pilot scheduled to make

the flight hopped off from Philadel-

phia and pointed the blunt nose of

his Jennie southward toward Wash-ington The checkerboard fields and

streams sliding beneath his wings

soon became a jigsaw puzzle and

one that he couldnrsquot piece together

The flyer realized that he was hope-

lessly lost He barged around for

awhile and finally decided to come

down and ask directions

Landing on the race track atBridgeton New Jersey forty miles

off his course he became involved

with a group of curious

horses which cracked up

the ship The mail was sent

back to Philadelphia by truck and

started out in another plane with

another pilot About thirty milesout his engine began to miss and

as it was getting dark he turned and

high-tailed back to his home field

Jim Edgerton stepped forward

and offered to save the face of the

new service and take the mail on

to Washington in spite of darkness

and a bad engine Night was comingon in earnest by this time If his en-

gine should conk on the trip down

there would be no flares for him to

release and land by nor would he be

able to bail out with a parachute for

this was before the day of the Cater-

pillar Club And at Washington he

would have no floodlights to illu-

minate the Polo Grounds It would

mean coming into that narrow field

which was surrounded by tall trees

in utter darkness

But Jim was an impatient and

adventurous young man so he

cians all through his eventful flying

career He was the least perturbed of

all as he came roaring down from the

north and circled the inky pit into

which he must bring his ship at thespeed of an express train

There were about half a dozen

automobiles parked around the

field and Jim estimated his ap-

proach from their headlights Spec-

tators heard his engine stop then

the shrill scream of the wind on

his struts and wires Then they

caught sight of a ghost-like silhou-ette against the night sky coming

down in a dizzy slideslip An in-

stant later a gray phantom swept

across the field and settled down

to a perfect landing The mail had

come through

Edgerton was the first pilot who

ever flew into a thunderstorm Upto that time flyers all over the world

looked upon electrical storms as a

deadly menace and had avoided

them as they would a plague Or-

ders had been issued that no mail

pilot should take off if weather con-

ditions were unfavorable

At Philadelphia one afternoon

during the middle of July Jim had

his ship tuned up and was ready to

shove off but down towards the

southwest storm clouds were gath-

ering It was against orders to fly

under such conditions Jim fumed

possible and then as he came over

the ldquoSusquehanna River he ran

smack into it It was a violent line

squall the storm most dreaded of

all by aviators and the kind thatsent the mighty Akron and Shenan-

doah down to destruction On the

ground trees were being uprooted

and houses damaged

ldquoIt was the bumpiest ride I ever

had before or sincerdquo chuckles Jim

Edgerton today as he recalls the

vivid impression it left on him

ldquoWe were thrown all over the skyThe rain and hail were so thick that

I couldnrsquot see the wingtips The

propeller was all chewed

up and I had to throttle

down the engine Butrdquo he

adds modestly ldquoI came out right

on the courserdquo

And the mail was landed inWashington on time

That flight and the others like it

that Edgerton made probably did

more than anything else to give the

public confidence in the reliability

of the airmail Frequently he flew

through dense fog and relied en-

tirely on the crude instruments ofthose early days to keep him in the

air On one of these flights he es-

caped death by as narrow a margin

as was ever vouchsafed a pilot

He shoved off in heavy rain and

soon ran into thick weather He

barged on into it flying blind for

awhile and then climbing up on

the top of the stuff It was so thick

that even the birds had to walk Af-

ter about an hour and a half he

decided to try to find the ground

to check his course He was com-

ing down in a fast glide when sud-

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2044

altitude the fog was so thick

it was like being submerged

in pea soup but occasion-

ally there would be a break

and Edgerton would catcha glimpse of the ground and

know where he was

As he passed over Havre

de Grace there suddenly

loomed up dead ahead a

church steeple He was right

on it before he saw it He

banked for all he was worth

standing the old crock rightup on her ear and missed

the steeple by a miracle

But the crowning thr ill

of the day came a little later

as he passed the Army Proving

Ground at Aberdeen

ldquoWe were flying at an altitude of

about 150 feetrdquo Edgerton recallsldquoVisibility was practically nil Sud-

denly there was a terrific bump al-

most as violent as if the plane had

struck something That afternoon

Army authorities at Aberdeen

called up and said that an airplane

had flown over there and almost

collided with a shell fired from a16-inch gunrdquo

Is it any wonder that Edgertonrsquos

hair has turned slightly gray

On another occasion Jim got

caught in a vicious summer thun-

derstorm over Baltimore He was

flying his faithful old mount No

38274 The turbulent air tossed

the frail wooden Jenny about like

a ship on a rough sea One instant

her nose would be pointed straight

toward heaven and the next instant

Jim would see the ground rush-

ing up at him just over the engine

of a lead pencil were spurting out

Soon the whole forward part of the

fuselage was saturated

Jim watched the lightning play-

ing about the metal parts of the

plane and waited for the spark

that would blow him to shreds and

splatter him all over Baltimore But

Lady Luck was riding with him

again and the spark never came

He rode out the storm and brought

had broken and was dangling al-

most in the shining arc of the

propeller If it became entangled

in the prop it would shatter it to

a million splinters and probablytear the engine loose

Throttling down Jim maneu-

vered as best he could to keep

wire and prop from that fatal

embrace Below him were plenty

of flat broad fields into which

he could have glided But that

would mean delaying the mail

so the plucky youngster kept go-ing and finally sat down safely

in Washington

Altogether Edgerton made

fifty-three trips and never failed

to bring the mail through on any

of them On only one did he have

a forced landing

He was over Camp Meade Mary-land when a magneto shaft broke

There was a terrific jolt that almost

jumped the engine out of the ship

For once Jim had to come down

and come down in a hurry He

looked below him and his heart

stood still He was plunging straight

towards the heads of hundreds ofmarching men on parade

Lower and lower sank the help-

less Jenny Edgerton flattened his

glide as much as he dared and tried

to squeeze over the soldiers He was

almost knocking their hats off but

still the Yanks continued to hold

their ground

ldquoI just skimmed over their heads

and landed on the very edge of the

parade groundrdquo Jim laughingly re-

lates ldquoIt was my old outfit and they

certainly gave me a welcomerdquo

It was just a bit demoralizing to

With the mail aboard the pilot proceeds to warm

up the OX-5 which animates the Jenny

Authentic dope on the

controversial subject

ldquoWho flew the firstairmailrdquo In spite of the

many claims to priority by

various pilots we believe

that this is the real

answer to the problem

An old Jenny as usual

does the work

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2144

AirVenture amp Ford Together Again

REO Speedwagon Concert Monday

600PM next to the Ford Hangar

Fly In Theater Nightly Sunday ndash

Saturday 830PM Camp Scholler

Cruisinrsquo Legends See Mustangs and

more Knapp Street near Warbirds

Model T Experience Tour in a Model

T ldquoCruisinrsquo Legendsrdquo

ldquoBlues Brothersrdquo Tribute Party

Saturday 630PM Ford ldquoHangar of Bluesrdquo

Free Ice Cream Nightly in the camp-

grounds ndash from the Transit Connect

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2244

My son and I spent the better part of

six years restoring an Aeronca 7BCM

Jeff was 13 years old when we started

the project and 19 when we finished

sponds quickly to my urging as I

push the throttle control forward

to begin a low-level no-radio no-

transponder flight from Charles W

time I admit to being spoiled first by

low-frequency ldquobeamsrdquo then VORs

DME RNAV LORAN and now GPS

But for this flight I left all that behind

To Follow the LineThis was the way I had learned navigation to follow the line

BY E JEFF JUSTIS

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE AUTHOR

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2344

Down low it was fun once more

watching the small towns pass

even being able to read the names

on water towers

In north-central Mississippi

there appears a vast forest spread-

ing out beneath my wings an il-

lusory remnant of the gloriouswilderness that once extended

from the East Coast to the Great

Plains Now clear-cutting scars are

evidence of manrsquos meddling graf-

fiti on our planetrsquos face

I am surprised at the hills of

North Mississippi at higher al-

titudes they flatten into the ter-rain but here at 1000 feet above

the ground the hills are alive with

depth and color

My craft and I intruders in his

world pass a circling hawk I look

down and try to see the tiny crea-

ture I am sure he sees but where

he must perceive the slightest rus-tle of the brush I see only patterns

of green and brown and the bright

blue of reflected sky

Enough of this sightseeing I should

have crossed this highway a couple

of miles farther to the north I make a

slight correction Highways They criss-

cross this land cutting it into smaller

and smaller bits these scratches of

man meant little when there were

fewer men but now they separate deer

from deer and life from life

At the edge of a field pebbled by

round bales of hay rests a red tractor Jeff Justis was just 13 when he and his family embarked on the restoration of

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2444

suppose is the essence of life

Soon the forward horizon bulges

upward as I approach old tectonic

ridges aligned northeast-southwest

near Birmingham The dark greenof the forested ridges contrasts with

the lighter verdant hues of manrsquos

cultivation Ahead a sharp razor-

backed ridge prompts a climb to

3000 feet I teeter across the top and

slide down toward the broad valley

on the eastern side My first land-

ing after one hour and 45 minutes is

welcome As a no-radio aircraft I am

careful to follow the standard pat-

tern and glide down final touching

down on the much-too-long-for-

The-Champ runway of Posey AirportMost cross-country flights in

the rsquo50s were from grass strip to

grass strip A red gas pump would

be brought into service by the col-

orful operatormechanic of these

old aerodromes Aeroncas and

Luscombes were everywhere and

Cessna 195s were the elite air-

planes Now on this ramp my

Aeronca is an anachronism

A King Air is being readied for cor-

porate passengers and my little tail-

dragger is lost on the large apronFortunately we modified the 7BCM

with a starter and generator so I do

not have to find someone to help me

get started In years past almost ev-

ery lineman was proficient in hand-

propping now itrsquos almost a lost art

Soon I am on the way to my

next stop Lagrange Georgia I am

fooled by the appearance of a large

airport an old military field at 12

orsquoclock on the horizon Only when

I get close enough do I realize this is

not the field I am supposed to over-

fly and that I am 10 miles south of

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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ramp taking nearly as long as the

flight itself

The cost of this slow flight is cer-

tainly minimal with fill-ups after

two hours averaging 15 or so dol-

lars Besides the trip has been fun so

far relearning old navigation tricks

and seeing the country down low

Now I have only a few more milesto navigate to Eaglesrsquo Landing The

fly-in community strip is near Wil-

liamson Georgia and just east of a

northeast-southwest-oriented rail-

road I decide to proceed due east

find the railroad and follow it

northeast toward the destination

I cross a highway but see no rail-road A few miles further still no

railroad I must have passed it Af-

ter a 180 I find the highway again

but nohellipwait what is that That is

an abandoned rail line for sure and

it does parallel the road I continue

northeast scanning the horizon

passing pretty fields and housesI locate one airport with houses

neatly lining both sides of the single

runway but it is not Eaglesrsquo Landing

Soon I see Griffin Georgia I have

come too far I ease The Champ into

a bank to try again back down the

rail line andhellipherersquos a golf coursehellip

and yes there are two grass run-

ways meeting in a ldquoVrdquo I circle andmake a low pass over the northwest

runway watching my friends wave

from their yard ldquoWhat a nice place

to liverdquo I think as I line up on final

I glide just above the grass and

A foil tape antenna ground plane was just one of the nifty little touches added

to The Champ as the two Jeffs restored their airplane

Doesnrsquot ever yone use Champ

tail surfaces as decorative ele-

ments in their household dec-orating Mrs Justis is a very

patient woman

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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CALIFORNIAHayward CA VIN 29

Meeting 2nd Thurs 600 pm

Hayward Airport

See website for hangar info

Gary Oberti President

Phone 510-357-8600

E-mail infovaa29org

Website wwwvaa29org

CALIFORNIASacramento CA VIN 25

Meeting 2nd Sat 900 am

See chapter website for location

Robert Opdahl President

Phone 530-273-7348

E-mail bopdahlsbcglobalnet

Website wwwVin25org

CAROLINAS VIRGINIAWalnut Cove NC VIN 3

Meeting Contact President

Susan Dusenbury President

Phone 336-591-3931

E-mail sr6sueaolcom

Website wwwVAA3org

FLORIDALakeland FL VIN 1

Meeting Contact President

Bobby Capozzi President

Phone 352-475-9736

INDIANAAuburn IN VIN 37

Meeting 4th Thurs 700 pm

DeKalb County Airport (kGWB)

Hangar AmdashVAA 37 Clubhouse

Drew Hoffman President

Phone 260-515-3525

E-mail drewhoffmanvaa37org

Website wwwVAA37org

KANSASOverland Park KS VIN 16

Meeting 2nd Fri 730 pm

CAF Hangar

New Century Airport

Kevin Pratt President

Phone 913-541-1149

E-mail kprattvaa16com

Website wwwVAA16com

LOUISIANANew Iberia LA VIN 30

Meeting 1st Sun 900 am

LeMaire Memorial Airport Hangar 4

Roland Denison President

Phone 337-365-3047

E-mail vaa30coxnet

MINNESOTAAlbert Lea MN VIN 13

Meeting 2nd Thurs 700 pm

Albert Lea Airport FBO

OHIODelaware OH VIN 27

Meeting 3rd Sat 8-10AM May thru Sept

Delaware Municiple Airport (DLZ)

Terminal Building

Woody McIntire President

Phone 740-362-7228

E-mail wjmcintirecscom

Website wwwEAAdlzorg

OHIOZanesville OH VIN 22

Meeting 2nd Fri 630 pm

Perry County Airport

John Morozowsky President

Phone 740-453-6889

OKLAHOMATulsa OK VIN 10

Meeting 4th Thurs 700 PM

Hardesty South Regional Library

No meetings in July Nov amp Dec

Joe Champagne President

Phone 918-257-4688

Email skypalgroveemailcom

TEXASSpring TX VIN 2

Meeting 4th Sun 200 PM

David Wayne Hooks Airport (KDWH)

Fred Ramin President

Phone 281-255-4430

Vintage Chapter LocatorVisit the VAA chapter nearest you and get to know some great old-airplane enthusiasts You donrsquot need

to be a pilot to join in the funmdashjust have a love of the great airplanes of yesteryear

Chapter 27 of Delaware Ohio hosts a monthly pancake breakfast where attendees enjoy the camara-derie among the airplanes

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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When Albert Vollmecke joined

Arkansas Aircraft Company in Sep-tember 1927 he brought fresh ideas

from his native Germany regarding

aircraft design stability and safety

He would on occasion return to

Germany to bring back something

new for the company In 1928 Ar-

kansas Aircraft Company changed

its name to Command-Aire Incor-porated and the production run

of new ships increased in its Little

Rock Arkansas plant

After one such visit to Ger-

many Vollmecke returned with

the rights to import and sell the

PHYLAX fire-extinguisher system

patented (GB 0267542) March 10

1926 and manufactured in Berlinby Phylax Feuerlosch-Automaten-

Bau GmbH The PHYLAX fire-

extinguisher system consisted of

a tank containing the extinguish-

ing liquid From the tank which

BY ROBERT G LOCK

Early 1047297re-extinguishing system

THE Vintage

Mechanic

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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advertisement from AVIATION

November 1928 using the OX-5

powered model 3C3 ship to dem-

onstrate the system

The PHYLAX system consisted

of a pressurized tank of fluid with

associated lines and nozzles lead-

ing to the engine compartment of

the ship Note here that the unit

is manufactured in t he United

States by the Aero Supply Man-

ufacturing Company located in

Long Island New York The cost

of the unit is $70 in this May 1929

advertisement in an aviation mag-

azine Illustration 2 shows the

manufacturerrsquos advertisement for

the product

In a letter dated April 10 1929

Mr Wiley Wright assistant sales

director for Command-Aire Incor-

porated wrote

ldquoCommand-Aire Incorporated

acquired the exclusive franchise

rights for PHYLAX automatic fire

extinguishers in the United States

Mexico and Central America This

extinguisher is the only automatic

fire extinguisher available and is

standard equipment on many Eu-

ropean lines It is manufactured

by PHYLAX Bau of Germany and

is receiving great response in the

United States at the present timerdquo

In this factory Illustration 3

and from the files of Albert Voll-

mecke is a 110-hp Warner engine

mounted in the Command-Aire

model 3C3-A ship Note the en-

gine cowling being neatly fitted

around cylinders and associated

tubes The 3C3-A had a very longnose due to its light weight ne-

ce s s i ta t ing a longer a rm f or

weight and balance control In

this photo the PHYLAX sprinkler

heads are visible behind the mag-

netos down near the carburetor

and behind the oil inlet hoses on

the accessory case of the engineIllustration 3 is an original fac-

tory photograph of the PHYLAX

system installed in the nose of a

model 3C3-A

Illustration 4 is the same photo-

graph with some details removed

and other details added princi-

pally the identification of the PHY-LAX automatic fuse that fired the

bottle of extinguishing fluid and

the sprinkler heads These illustra-

tions taken from a Command-Aire

original factory brochure from the

files of Albert Vollmecke

Illustration 5 on page 27 is a

sketch from the PHYLAX patent

0267542 dated March 10 1926A general description of the PHY-

LAX system is contained within

the patent and states ldquoThe inven-

tion relates to a fire extinguishing

device intended for use particu-

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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not indicate what type of extinguishing fluid was

contained within the tank however soda-acid was

widely used in those days and carbon tetrachloridewas invented in 1912 by the Pyrene Company

In a communication from Command-Aire Pres-

ident Robert Snowden regarding the purchase of

stock options in the company he states ldquoOur ex-

clusive franchise for the sale of Phylax automatic

Illustration 3

Illustration 4

Illustration 5

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3044

homeland on a regular basis and

always brought back some new in-

vention or new ideas on design andsafety This system was certainly

ahead of its time safety-wise and a

credit to Vollmeckersquos focus on sta-

bility and safety for his designs

Above in this original factory

photograph (Illustration 6) of a

Command-Aire 3C3-T fuselage on

the assembly line at the Little Rock

plant the PHYLAX system can beseen mounted in the rear cock-

pit just behind the front seat in

the center of the photograph The

chemical bottles with two lines

tied to the side tubes run forward

Illustration 6

Pyrene 1047297re extinguishers

were made of brass and

were nicely polished

They were not high-pressure units

but required the use of a hand pump

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Pyrene fire extinguishers were

made of brass and were nicely pol-

ished They were not high-pressureunits but required the use of a

hand pump to generate pressure

to expel liquid from the cylinder

These extinguishers were gener-

ally mounted in the rear cockpit

ton or linen fabric and the only

dope available was cellulose ni-

trate that burned like a torch when

lit Watching nitrate dope burn

reminded me of a Fourth of July

sparkler very intense and hot If

a nitrate-doped ship caught fire in

the air there was no extinguisher

that would put out the flames

The PHYLAX system had an auto-

matic sensor that would trigger the

bottlersquos valve open and send the

chemical into the engine compart-

ment The Pyrene extinguisher wasmore for ground use because you

could not operate the bottle and

fly the airplane at the same time

By todayrsquos standards these ex-

tinguishing systems seem ar-

chaic but for the time back in

the 1920s they were the thing to

have in your automobile boator airplane

Editorrsquos Note WARNING An-

tique carbon tetrachloride fire extin-

guishers like the Pyrene occasionally

show up either contaminated with

the original agent or worse yet with

the full charge of agent still inside

Carbon tet is treated as a hazard-

ous substance (its use was banned

in consumer products in 1970) and

should be dealt with accordingly

In fact carbon tetrachloride when

heated by a fire will create poison-

ous phosgene gas (World War Irsquos

ldquonerve gasrdquo) something that would

definitely ruin someonersquos day if the

fire hadnrsquot done so already In its

standard form this substance is verytoxic to the liver and a single signifi-

cant exposure can result in sickness

or death

L a n g l ey may have been the

f h f i i i b

last and last The instruction

l i l d f

1903 Samuel Pierpont Langleyrsquos ldquoAerodromerdquoattempts to take off from a floating platform

Have a comment or ques-

tion for Bob Lock the Vintage

Mechanic Drop us an e-mail at

vintageaircrafteaaorg or you

can mail your question to Vintage

Airplane PO Box 3086 Osh-

kosh WI 54903

Illustration 7

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Authorrsquos Note We held a small open house at the

flight school hangar this past Saturday Though the

weather was not conducive to give many rides we still

had about 60 people show up enjoy a brat or ham-

burger and talk about flying or learning to fly Interest

in flying is not dead One of my pet peeves is how we

in general aviation go about attracting individuals tolearn the pleasure of flight

Nearly every aviation publication I read carries ar-

ticles and editorials about the downward spiral of gen-

eral aviation Flight schools are having a hard time

attracting new students ldquoDoom and gloomrdquo reigns

with little positive to report on the horizon This al-

ways reminds me of the proverbial three wise mon-keys who embody the principle ldquoSee no evil hear no

evil and speak no evilrdquo We all complain about the

problem but no one ever offers solutions It seems as

though by not doing anything about the challenge it

will eventually go away and right itself

Many of the aviation organizations are wringing

their respective hands giving great lip service to the

drop in pilot numbers Some like EAA have launched

activities to attract new pilots such as the Young Ea-gles program This has been a good start but it will not

fill the ever-increasing void for more pilots

What are we all missing FUN

Four years ago I chose early retirement from a 38-

The student make-up is a real cross-section of Amer-

ica My youngest student to date began flight lessons

at age 14 and the oldest was 77 years young Irsquove men-

tioned some of my students in previous articles At

yearrsquos end 2010 while converting our student files

from paper to computer I was amazed to discover that

in the previous two years I had given instruction tomore than 200 individuals Some were new students

others were individuals in search of a tailwheel en-

dorsement and many were older individuals who had

pursued flight training early in their lives but gave it

up to raise a family Now they had the time and still re-

tained the burning desire to get back into flying What

attracted these individuals to the flight school FUN

And thefun

challenge of flying J-3 Cubs

Herersquos a small cross-section of this yearrsquos group

of students

bullA retired US Navy lieutenant who flew F-4 Phan-

toms off carriers in Vietnam He hasnrsquot done any fly-

ing in more than 10 years but hersquos been building a

Skybolt which will soon be finished and hersquos return-

ing to his lifelong lovemdashaviation He also has two

young sons who want to fly and will soon be joining

the group of student pilotsbullA young CPA from Iowa whose grandfather was a

friend of Bernie Pietenpol and who has built two Piets

The CPA used two weeks of his vacation time to learn

to fly so that he can fly the airplane(s) that his grandfa-

ther built and take his grandfather for a ride

BY Steve Krog CFI

THE Vintage

Instructor

Vintage flying is very much alive

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3344

Cubs flying every day he decided to pursue his pas-

sion for flight

bullA national chain hardware store employee who

has had a dream of flying driving nearly two hours

each way to learn to fly in a Cub

bullAn aviation writervideo producer who already has

a sport pilot certificate but desires to obtain a private

pilot certificate and do so in Cubs

bullA 30-something young family man who sells

construction equipment attachments While deer

hunting a year ago he learned one of his hunting

friends had recently learned to fly in Cubs For three

days they talked airplanes and flying rather than do-

ing much hunting Upon his return from the hunt-ing trip he drove to the airport and signed up for

lessons in the Cub

bullA professional musician from the Chicago area

who always wanted to learn to fly Although not yet

old enough to have a true ldquobucket listrdquo learning to fly

a Cub was number one on his list

With two exceptions these individuals had never

before flown or flown in tailwheel airplanes but alwayshad a dream of learning to fly in a Cubmdashjust like dad

or granddad did many years ago

Although no one in this group comes from simi-

lar backgrounds or professions there is one common

denominator among every studentmdashFUN None of

these students are learning to fly to pursue a career

in aviation (although Irsquove worked with a couple who

have done so) Rather they are learning to fly or get-

ting back into flying for the FUN and CHALLENGE of

flight They all have a true love of flight and seeing the

world from 500 feet with the door and window open

I have also worked with a number of students who

began taking flight lessons but quit after a period of

time They still had the passion for flight but gave it

up When asked why the responses fell into one of the

following four categories

bullI began taking lessons but after three or four les-sons Irsquod be assigned to a different instructor After 30

hours of dual three instructors and still not having

soloed I quit

bullThe instructor wasnrsquot teaching me anything He

was more interested in building time than teaching

Take a moment and think about how you first be-

came interested in airplanes What triggered your

pursuit of learning to fly Did you have a buddy or

maybe a family friend who encouraged you Or even

became a mentor Do you remember your first flight

lesson Do you remember the day you made your

first solo flight

Remember that passion and sense of accomplish-

ment Donrsquot hesitate to share it with anyone express-

ing an interest in learning to fly

At Cub Air Flight we sell FUN When individuals

visit the airport to inquire about learning to fly we

know they have made the commitment in their own

mind It then becomes our responsibility to makethe visit friendly A friendly environment is a FUN

environment Kids are always welcome If a prospec-

tive student has children with him or her we invite

the kids to sit in the planes At the conclusion of our

discussion we emphasize the following statement If

you learn to fly with us it will be FUN CHALLENG-

ING and SAFE

I donrsquot believe there is a shortage of pilot prospectsbut there is a shortage in how we all go about attract-

ing these people to become active participants in plea-

sure flying Remember flying is FUN Letrsquos make an

effort to help others share in that FUN

AERO CLASSICldquoCOLLECTOR SERIESrdquo

Vintage Tires New USA Production

Show off your pride and joy with afresh set of Vintage Rubber Thesenewly minted tires are FAA-TSOrsquodand speed rated to 120 MPH Some

things are better left the way theywere and in the 40rsquos and 50rsquos these tires were perfectly intune to the exciting times in aviation

Not only do these tires set your vintage plane apart fromthe rest but also look exceptional on all General Aviationaircraft Deep 832nd tread depth offers above averagetread life and UV treated rubber resists aging

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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We enjoy your suggestions for

Mystery Planesmdashin fact more than

half of our subjects are sent to us by

members often via e-mail Please

remember that if you want to scan

the photo for use in Mystery Plane

it must be at a resolution of 300 dpior greater You may send a lower-

resolution version to us for our re-

view but the final version has to be

at that level of detail or it will not

print properly Also please let us

craft in the photo is of Canadian civil

registry CF-BXO formerly Royal Cana-

dian Air Force (RCAF) 920 This photo-

graph would have been taken at some

time between 1962 and 1967 after an

overhaul at Abbotsford British Colum-

bia (BC) and possibly while in servicewith Stranraer Aerial Enterprises The

location strongly resembles the Fraser

River dockings at the Vancouver air-

port The aircraft had undergone a re-

spray with a bright red cheat line The

(beaching gear required) for the Royal Air

Force (RAF) in 1933 The prototype first

flew in October 1934 with two Bristol

Pegasus IIIM engines rated at 820 hp

The production aircraft were delivered to

the RAF with Pegasus engines delivering

920 hp entering service in April 1937The British-built machines of which 23

were ordered and only 17 being built

were all delivered by April 1939

In Canada Canadian Vickers Lim-

ited of Montreal Quebec produced 40

Send your answer to EAA Vin-

tage Airplane PO Box 3086 Osh-

kosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer

needs to be in no later than August

20 for inclusion in the October

2011 issue of Vintage Airplane

You can also send your response via

e-mail Send your answer to mystery

planeeaaorg Be sure to include your

name plus your city and state in the

body of your note and put ldquo(Month)

Mystery Planerdquo in the subject line

This monthrsquos Mystery Plane comes to us from Bruce Voran

MYSTERY PLANE

by HG FRAUTSCHY

A P R I L rsquo S M Y S T E RY A N S W E R

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3544

QCA began buying several examplesand was instrumental in convincing

the Canadian Department of Transport

(DOT) to issue a civilian Certificate of

Airworthiness (C of A) One of the first

aircraft so issued was CF-BYI which be-

1980 the Canadian Museum of Flightand Transportation in BC salvaged the

wreck for possible restoration As late as

April 1952 QCA still had two Stranraer

in service CF-BXO and CF-BYM Pacific

Western Airlines (PWA) also operated

Two RAF Belfast freighters were dis-

patched and the disassembled aircraft

was transported to the United Kingdomwhere the machine is currently one of the

centerpieces of the collection

The aircraft type had many names

The most familiar (and printable) were

Stranny Strainer and Flying Meccano

Set The least affectionate was the Whis-

tling Shouse as when the lid to the

throne was lifted there was direct access

to the great outdoors and there emitted a

loud whistling noise

Other correct answers were re-

ceived from Hillis Cunliffe Mill-

brook Alabama Brian Baker Sun

City Arizona Wesley R Smith

Springfield Illinois John White-

head Cheyenne Wyoming ScottChurch Cochrane Alberta Can-

ada Jay Broze Walla Walla Wash-

ington Jerry Paterson Kent

Washington Jamie Patterson Mi-

ramichi New Brunswick Canada

Bill Bishop of Mulgoa New South Wales Australia sent along this photo

of the surviving Supermarine Stranraer

David Nixon supplied us with the April Mystery Plane shot of CF-BXO

a Canadian Vickers-built Supermarine Stranraer

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3644

urday 8 am until 6 pm Early-bird

arrivals can shop on the pre-conven-

tion weekend as well during limited

hours Show your VAA membership

card (or your receipt showing you

joined VAA at the convention) and

yoursquoll receive a 10 percent discount

VAA Volunteer Opportunities

Are you an ace pancake flipperIf yoursquore not one yet we can help

The VAA Tall Pines Cafeacute is looking

for volunteers who can help provide

a hearty breakfast to all the hungry

campers on the south end of Witt-

man Field If you could lend a hand

for a morning or two wersquod appreci-

ate it If thatrsquos not your cup of tea feelfree to check with the VAA Volunteer

Center located just to the northeast

of the VAA Red Barn The volun-

teers who operate the booth will be

happy to tell you when your help is

needed each day It doesnrsquot matter if

itrsquos just for a few hours or for a few

daysmdashwersquod love to have your help-

ing hands There is no need for you

to contact us ahead of time you can

talk with us when you arrive

VAA Judging Categoriesand Awards

The VAArsquos internationally recog-

nized judging categories are

bullAntique Aircraft built prior toSeptember 1 1945

bullClassic September 1 1945 - De-

cember 31 1955

bullContemporary January 1 1956

- December 31 1970

VAA NEWScontinued frpm page 5

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3744

the award winners Judging closes at noon on Friday

July 29 The Awards Ceremony will be held Saturday

evening July 30 at 6 pm in the Vintage Hangar

just south of the VAA Red Barn

Designated Smoking Areas Near FlightlineSmoking on the flightline at EAA AirVenture is prohib-

ited because itrsquos a hazard to all aircraft There are several

designated smoking areas with butt cans along the flight-

line well away from aircraft and refueling operations

Designated smoking areas will be south of the ultra-light runway near the Hangar Cafeacute near the Warbirdsarea (northeast corner of Audrey Lane and Eide Av-

enue) the Wearhouse flag pole area the shade pavil-ion north of the control tower and near the UltralightBarn Locations will be indicated on EAArsquos free con-vention grounds map The admission wristband alsoinstructs visitors that smoking is allowed only in desig-nated smoking areas

More on the Web

Visit wwwAirVentureorg for more information onEAA AirVenture 2011

EAA AirVenture Is Almost Here Are You Ready

Just a few short weeks from now many of you will

make the annual pilgrimage to Oshkosh for EAA Air-

Venture 2011 Are you ready Here are several handy

online tools on the AirVenture website that can help

you take care of any last-minute concerns

Visit wwwAirVentureorg and find out what you

need to know about The Worldrsquos Greatest Avia-

tion Celebration

Admission Parking Hours

wwwAirVentureorgplanningadmissionhtml

Find or Share a Ride to Oshkosh

wwwAirVentureorgrideshare

Site Map

wwwAirVentureorgplanningschedules_mapshtml

Where to Stay

Yoursquore cleared to stay connected

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3844

ship services at 800-564-6322 but

given the time from when you read

this until AirVenture it may not ar-

rive in the mail in time for your de-

parture We suggest downloading

the NOTAM

The NOTAM contains the specialflight procedures in effect for Witt-

man Regional Airport and alternate

airports from 6 am CDT on Friday

July 22 to 12 pm CDT on Mon-

day August 1 2011 All pilots who

fly into the event are expected to

know the special flight procedures

prior to arrival EAA AirVenture Os-

hkosh runs from July 25 through

July 31 For additional EAA AirVen-

ture Oshkosh 2011 information

visit wwwAirVentureorg

Call for VAA Hall of

Fame Nominations

To the left is our information

for nominations for VAArsquos Hallof Fame which is presented each

year during a special dinner This

yearrsquos dinner will be held Friday

October 28 Wersquoll have more on

this yearrsquos inductee John Under-

To nominate someone is easy It just takes a little time and a little reminiscing on your part

Mail nominating materials to

Remember your ldquocontemporaryrdquo may be a candidate nominate someone today

wwwVintageAircraftorg

CALL FOR VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

Nominations

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3944

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

Wit tman Regional A i rpor t (OSH)

Oshkosh Wisconsin

July 25-31 2011

wwwAirVentureorg

Colorado Sport International Air Show

and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In

Rocky Mountain Met ropol i tan A irpor t (BJC)

Denver Colorado

August 27-28 2011

wwwCOSportAviationorg

Mid-Eastern Regional Fly-In

Gr imes F ie ld A irpor t (I74)

Urbana Ohio

September 10-11 2011

httpMERFIcom

Copperstate Fly-In

Casa Grande Munic ipal A i rpor t (CGZ)

Casa Grande Ar izona

Upcoming Major

Fly-Ins

W I N

Only 2000 ticketswill be sold1 ticket $50

3 tickets $125

Piper Tri-Pacer Airplane

Free Flying Lessons

Free Pilot License

Country Legend Roy Clarkrsquos Personal Proceeds fromthis raffle

SAVEAMERICANKIDS LIVES

wwwwingsofhoperaffleorg

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4044

MISCELLANEOUS

wwwaerolistorg Aviationsrsquo Leading

Marketplace

Rare find Lycoming 0-145 partsinventory blocks bearings rings

shafts amp much more $20000

at 1970 prices $5000 Six four

cylinder case aircraft magnetos

$300 Call for more details (FL)

VINTAGETRADER

Someth ing t o buyse l l o r t rade

Classified Word Ads $550 per 10

words 180 words maximum with boldface

lead-in on first line

Classified Display Ads One column wide

(2167 inches) by 1 2 or 3 inches high at

$20 per inch Black and white only and nofrequency discounts

Advertising Closing Dates 10th of second

month prior to desired issue date (ie

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 (classads

eaaorg ) using credit card payment (all cards

accepted) Include name on card complete

address type of card card number and

expiration date Make checks payable to EAA

Address advertising correspondence to EAA

Publications Classified Ad Manager PO Box

3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

What Our Members

Are Restoring

Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done and

yoursquore busy flying and showing it off If so wersquod like to hear from

you Send us a 4-by-6-inch print from a commercial source (no

home printers please those prints just donrsquot scan well) or a

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4144

EAAMembership in the Experimental Aircraft

Association Inc is $40 for one year includ-ing 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION Familymembership is an additional $10 annually Allmajor credit cards accepted for membership(Add $16 for International Postage)

FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPSPlease submit your remittance with a

check or draft drawn on a United Statesbank payable in United States dollars Addrequired Foreign Postage amount for eachmembership

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATIONCurrent EAA members may join the

Vintage Aircraft Association and receive

year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not included)(Add $7 for International Postage)

WARBIRDSCurrent EAA members may join the EAA

Warbirds of America Division and receiveWARBIRDS magazine for an additional$45 per year

EAA Membership WARBIRDS mag-azine and one year membership in theWarbirds Division is available for $55 per

year (SPORT OficAVIATION magazinenot included) (Add $7 for Interna-tional Postage)

IACCurrent EAA members may join the

International Aerobatic Club Inc Divi-sion and receive SPORT AEROBATICS magazine for an additional $45 per year

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

VINTAGE

AIRCRAFT

ASSOCIATION

OFFICERS

DIRECTORS

DIRECTORS

EMERITUS

PresidentGeoff Robison

1521 E MacGregor DrNew Haven IN 46774

260-493-4724chief7025aolcom

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N57W34837 Pondview LnOconomowoc WI 53066

262-560-1949 gdaubnereaaorg

Steve Bender85 Brush Hill Road

Sherborn MA 01770508-653-7557

sst10comcastnet

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Lincoln CA 95648916-952-9449

antiquerinreachcom

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Greenwood IN 46143317-422-9366

lbrown4906aolcom

Dave Clark635 Vestal Lane

Plainfield IN 46168317-839-4500davecpdattnet

John S Copeland1A Deacon Street

Northborough MA 01532508-393-4775

copeland1junocom

Phil Coulson28415 Springbrook Dr

Lawton MI 49065269-624-6490

rcoulson516cscom

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Indianapolis IN 46278317-293-4430

dalefayemsncom

Jeannie HillPO Box 328

Harvard IL 60033-0328815-943-7205

Espie ldquoButchrdquo Joyce704 N Regional Rd

Greensboro NC 27409336-668-3650

windsockaolcom

Steve Krog1002 Heather Ln

Hartford WI 53027262-966-7627sskrogaolcom

Robert D ldquoBobrdquo Lumley1265 South 124th StBrookfield WI 53005

262-782-2633rlumley1wirrcom

SH ldquoWesrdquo Schmid2359 Lefeber Avenue

Wauwatosa WI 53213414-771-1545

shschmidgmailcom

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Chicago IL 60643773-779-2105

photopilotaolcom

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Oshkosh WI 54904920-231-5002

GRCHAcharternet

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Kent City MI 49330616-678-5012

rFritzpathwaynet com

Charlie HarrisPO Box 470350Tulsa OK 74147

918-622-8400cwhhvsucom

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815-923-4591buck7acgmailcom

Gene Morris5936 Steve Court

Roanoke TX 76262817-491-9110

genemor rischarter net

Membership Services DirectoryEnjoy the many benefits of EAA and

EAArsquos Vintage Aircraft Association

EAA Aviation Center PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086Phone (920) 426-4800 Fax (920) 426-4873Web Sites wwwvintageaircraftorg wwwairventureorg wwweaaorgmemberbenefits E-Mail vintageaircrafteaaorg

EAA and Division Membership Services (800 AMndash600 PM MondayndashFriday CST)800-564-6322 FAX 920-426-4873 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

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Programs and Activities

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Benefits

AUA Vintage Insurance Plan 800-727-3823 wwwauaonlinecom

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VAA EditorialExecutive Director 920-426-4825 wwwvintageaircraftorg vintageeaaorg

VAA Office 920-426-6110 tbookseaaorg

TM

EAA Members Information Line 888-EAA-INFO (322-4636)

Use this toll-free number for information about AirVenture Oshkosh aeromedical and technical aviation questions

chapters and Young Eagles Please have your membership number ready when calling

Office hours are 815 am - 500 pm (Monday - Friday CST)

SecretarySteve Nesse

2009 Highland AveAlbert Lea MN 56007

507-373-1674

stnes2009livecom

TreasurerDan Knutson

106 Tena Marie CircleLodi WI 53555608-592-7224

lodicubcharternet

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4244

If yoursquove ever watched fish in

an aquarium yoursquove probably no-

ticed how they respond differently

to their surroundings There are

those that zip around the tank in a

mad dash to nowhere Some seem

to sit and not go much of any-

where and some will swim f romone end to the other turn around

and do it again

The latter are the ones that remind

me of myself I seem to fly in a fish-

bowl I go from one end of our val-

proficient by practicing things we

know over and over or it can make

us lazy When something becomes

so ingrained that we do it from habit

only we may not be thinking about

what wersquore doing

On a night cross-country some

time ago I found out just how easyit is to forget things that I hadnrsquot

used in a while While night may be

a little more challenging it still re-

quires the basic pre-flight planning

of any cross-country and following

whether I go far or stay in the com-

fort zone I canrsquot let complacency take

over Those skills and experiences

need to be stretched from time to

time regardless of where I fly An un-

expected situation or emergency is a

bad time to find out I donrsquot remem-

ber how to do somethingComplacency also allows fear

to creep in where it doesnrsquot belong

Some fear (I think) is a natural part of

flying but it can also unnecessarily

keep us grounded because we wonrsquot

BY S MICHELLE SOUDER

Flying Outside

the Fishbowl

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4344

Itrsquos gonna be a big year at Oshk osh

B-29 Superfortress ldquoFIFIrdquo

The first visit since 1995for the worldrsquos only airworthyB-29 Superfortress

REO SpeedwagonOshkosh rocks Monday duringthe opening day concert presentedby Ford Motor Company

Tribute to Bob HooverTuesday afternoon air showfeaturing aircraft and maneuvershe made legendary

eVentureInnovation will be on displayand in the air with the ElectricFlight Prize Competition

Join us for a week-long celebration of the Centennial of Naval Aviationincluding a special air show Wednesday See the hottest naval aircraftin historic colors all week on ConocoPhillips Plaza

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4444

Page 14: Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1444

bigger yoursquod want The back seat

is an honest three kids wide and

the two front seats are separated

by nearly a foot So you feel as ifyoursquore flying your own little air-

liner And how many airplanes to-

day let you crank the side windows

down and fly with you elbows up

on the windowsill

ldquoItrsquos not a rocketship in climb

about 500-600 fpm but itrsquoll give

you that or close to it whether

yoursquore loaded or not Those big old

wings can really carry a load

ldquoItrsquos also not a speed demon

but itrsquoll indicate 120 mph give or

take 5 mph at about 14 gallons per

hour and fly straight ahead with

MIKE STEINEKE

Another gorgeous picture of the Applegatesrsquo plane flying over the Midwest

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1544

The first wireless message sent

from an airplane to a ground station

wasnrsquot very imaginative or profound

The message telegraphed in dots and

dashes by US Army Lt Paul W Beck

on January 21 1911 was

ldquoAssociated Press AviationField Scotford is not the only

bird on the aviation board Beckrdquo

The message didnrsquot have the hum-

bling sense of Samuel Morsersquos ldquoWhat

hath God wroughtrdquo or the quaint-

ness of Alexander Graham Bellrsquos ldquoMr

Watsonmdashcome heremdashI want to see

yourdquo or Neil Armstrongrsquos inspira-

tional ldquoThatrsquos one small step for man

one giant leap for mankindrdquoThe rather mundane message was

hastily scribbled by Associated Press

reporter Guy Moysten who was cov-

Corps

Beck had been taken aloft by Philip

O Parmalee an early aviation pio-

neer The ldquopurple sparks spluttered

by the telegraph keyrdquo were also inter-

cepted by navy wireless stations on

Goat Island (now Yerba Buena Island)

and the Mare Island Navy YardBeckrsquos second message was ldquoThree

hundred feet up and riding level

It is cold It is bumpyrdquo The word

ldquobumpyrdquo wasnrsquot received because

Beckrsquos fingers were so cold that they

refused to as Beck put it ldquoanswer the

nerve impulsesrdquo

The word ldquoScotfordrdquo in the first

message referred to Frederick E Scot-

ford chairman of the Aviation Ex-

ecutive Committee which had

conceived planned and set in mo-

tion the air meet The message re-

ferred to a previous flight ldquoaround the

army also ldquolent their band for daily

concerts during guard mount or pa-

raderdquomdashall this to the delight of the

crowds throughout the entire affair

San Francisco was in heavy compe-

tition with New Orleans for the exclu-

sive rights to the 1915 Panama-Pacific

International Exhibition (PPIE) aworldrsquos fair to celebrate the upcom-

ing 1914 opening of the Panama

Canal The city desperately wanted

to land the exhibition believing it

would confirm San Franciscorsquos phoe-

nix-like rise from the ashes of devasta-

tion The air show was thought of as

the opening act

Plans for the PPIE had already

been complicated in 1910 Just six

months earlier Californiarsquos gover-

nor had banned the Jim Jeffries-Jack

Johnson fight scheduled for San

Franciscomdashforcing the epic ldquoFight

Flashes of Purple SparksBY DANIEL J DEMERS

Lt Paul Beck left with

the Western Wireless

Equipment Company A-4wireless set in his lap

while seated in a Wright

biplane during wireless

tests during the 1911 San

Francisco Air Meet The

set weighed 29 pounds

and featured a telegraph

key mounted on the top of

the mahogany box

JOURNAL OF ELECTRICITY POWER AND GAS

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1644

shadowed all the other historic firsts

achieved at the meet

Beck described the sensation of fly-

ing at 800 feet like this

ldquoWhirring propellers throb-

bing pistons and machine-

gun-like gasoline explosions

deafened you while tears bit-

ter tears were forced from your

eyes by the back rush of air and

you have a slight conception

how it feels to rival the eagle in a

Wright biplanerdquo

He had used in his own words

ldquoa rough makeshift affair weighing

thirty-two poundsrdquo It consisted of

a ldquosmall gap and interrupter an or-

dinary telegraph key a small storage

cellrdquo and a shunt ldquoto prevent over-

charging of the cellrdquo The entire de-vice was contained in a wooden box

that he carried on his lap The aerial

used for the experiment was a 120-

foot bronze wire trailing the plane

connected to the ldquosending appara-

tus by a number sixteen copper wirerdquo

The whole gizmo was grounded to a

stay wire on the aircraft connectedldquoto the sending apparatusrdquo Beck ex-

plained ldquoThe wave length measured

by the wave meter at the receiving

station was 575 meters in length This

is rather longer than we had thought

it would berdquo

Simultaneous to Beckrsquos experi-

ment Charlie Willard (another

pioneer aviator) unsuccessfully at-

tempted to send a wireless message

using a different set According to

Beck ldquoHis outfit weighed a trifle less

than the one which I used and his

antenna wire was a trifle longerrdquo Ac-

ldquoengine is practically noiseless when

comparedrdquo with the other planes at

the air meet ldquoSilencerdquo wrote Beck ldquois

an essential factor to the successful

reading of telegraphic codes or thesuccessful undertaking of human

speech by wireless telephonerdquo

Of great concern to the experi-

mentrsquos sponsors was the fact that an

ldquoelectrical dischargerdquo was involved in

the actual receiving of the message

from the ground Thus it was of ldquogreat

importance that the gasoline tank be

thoroughly insulated in order to pre-vent possible ignition from a sparkrdquo

Avoiding such an aerial catastrophe

was to be overcome by using ldquoone of

the guy wires on the Antoinette ma-

chine as the static ground and to drag

from the tail of the airship an alumi-

num wire of great capacity and weigh-

ing less than two pounds though 130feet in length as the antennardquo

Unfortunately as Beck told it ldquothe

god or gods of the elementsrdquo stepped

in On this particular day being ldquoaloft

was dangerous to life and limbrdquo

Lathamrsquos beautiful Antoinette mono-

plane was demolished in an accident

Latham survived the crash but a mere12 months later he died a mysterious

death in the French Congo

Beck understood that aviation was

in its infancy and that ldquowe must creep

before we walkrdquo While the experi-

ment to send a message had failed

due to an air wreck Beck concluded

it had been ldquoreduced to a mere ques-

tion of providing mechanical devices

for deadening the sound of the pro-

pellers shutting out the noise of the

rushing wind and providing some

simple means for placing the received

message in written form on some

Sources

Chief Warrant Officer Mark J

Denger Dominguez Inter-

national Air Meet California

Aviation History wwwMilitary- MuseumorgDominguezhtml

Lt Paul W Beck Aviation Meet

From War Viewpoint How

Army and Navy Will Take Part

San Francisco Examiner January

6 1911 5

Lt JC Walker Jr War Prob-

lems to be Solved In Air San

Francisco Examiner January 7

1911 3

Lt Paul W Beck What Army Is

Striving For Opening Day a

Big Success San Francisco Ex-

aminer January 8 1911 76

Lt Paul W Beck Wreck Spoils Wire-

less Experiment San Francisco

Examiner January 11 1911 2

Lt JC Walker Jr Biplanes in

Wind Please Army Man San

Francisco Examiner January 11

1911 2

Lt Paul W Beck Airplane Wire-

less Experiments Today War

Expert Reviews the Aviation

Meet San Francisco Examiner

January 18 1911 2

Lt Paul W Beck Wireless Adds

New Link To War Chain San Francisco Examiner January 22

1911 67

Flashes of Purple Glint From

Aeroplane in the Sky to Earth

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1744

VAA Friends of the Red BarnName______________________________________________________________________EAA ___________ VAA ___________

Address______________________________________________________________________________________________________

CityStateZIP________________________________________________________________________________________________

Phone___________________________________________________E-Mail______________________________________________

Please choose your level of participation

DiamondPlus$1250

Diamond$1000

Platinum$750

Gold$500

Silver$250

Bronze$100

LoyalSupporter$99 amp Under

EAA VIP Center2 peopleFull

Week

VIP Air Show Seating2 people2

Days2 people1

Day

Close Auto Parking Full Week Full Week 2 Days

Two Tickets to VAA Picnic

Tri-Motor Certificate 2 Tickets 2 Tickets 2 Tickets 1 Ticket

Breakfast at Tall Pines Cafeacute2 PeopleFull Wk

2 PeopleFull Wk

2 PeopleFull Wk

1 PersonFull Wk

Special FORB Cap

Two Passes to VAA Volunteer Party

Special FORB Badge

Access to Volunteer Center

Donor Appreciation Certificate

Name Listed Vintage Airplane Magazine Website and Sign at Red Barn

Donrsquot wait for a mailing from VAA HQ before you send in your contributionmdashto keep our administration costs as low as possible wersquore not

sending out a mailingto each VAA member Please send your donation today while itrsquos fresh in your mindPlease help the VAA and our nearly 500 dedicated volunteers make this an unforgettable experience for our EAA AirVenture guestsYour contribution does make a dif ference There are seven levels of gifts and gift recognition Thank you for whatever you can doHere are some of the many activities the Friends of the Red Barn fund under writes

bullRed Barn Information Desk Supplies bullFlightline Parking Scooters and Supplies bullBreakfast for Past Grand Champions

bullParticipant Plaques and Supplies bullVolunteer Booth Administrative Supplies bullSigns Throughout the Vintage Area

bull Ton irsquos Red Car pet Expre ss Van and Rad ios bullRed Barn and Other Building Maintenance bullAnd More

bullCaps for VAA Volunteers bull Tal l Pin es Caf eacute D in ing Ten t

2 11 VAA Friends of the Red Barn Campaign2011 VAA Friends of the Red Barn CampaignThe VAA annual fundraising campaign fuels VAA action

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1844

T

he worldrsquos first regular air-

mail line was operated by

the United States Army

back in 1918 when a fleet

of old Jennies were pushed back

and forth between New York City

and Washington DC a distance

of two hundred and twenty miles

the fields that no self-respecting pi-

lot would take a second look at in

these times But those were the days

of wooden ships and iron men

Chief pilot on the line was a

handsome youth just out of his

teens Lieutenant James C Edger-

ton who had an unusual knack of

gan There were impressive ceremo-

nies political speeches bouquets of

flowers for the flyers and the Presi-

dent of the United States himself

went down to the Polo Grounds

and wished the pilot who was to

carry the mail to New York ldquoGod

speedrdquo Almost as soon as he left

From the Archives Reprinted from Popular Aviation Dec 1935

First Regular

Airmail FlightBY LIEUT H LATANE LEWIS II

The pilot is receiving his last-minute orders before shoving off with the mail Once more old Jenny

makes history

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1944

through with considerable diffi-

culty The pilot scheduled to make

the flight hopped off from Philadel-

phia and pointed the blunt nose of

his Jennie southward toward Wash-ington The checkerboard fields and

streams sliding beneath his wings

soon became a jigsaw puzzle and

one that he couldnrsquot piece together

The flyer realized that he was hope-

lessly lost He barged around for

awhile and finally decided to come

down and ask directions

Landing on the race track atBridgeton New Jersey forty miles

off his course he became involved

with a group of curious

horses which cracked up

the ship The mail was sent

back to Philadelphia by truck and

started out in another plane with

another pilot About thirty milesout his engine began to miss and

as it was getting dark he turned and

high-tailed back to his home field

Jim Edgerton stepped forward

and offered to save the face of the

new service and take the mail on

to Washington in spite of darkness

and a bad engine Night was comingon in earnest by this time If his en-

gine should conk on the trip down

there would be no flares for him to

release and land by nor would he be

able to bail out with a parachute for

this was before the day of the Cater-

pillar Club And at Washington he

would have no floodlights to illu-

minate the Polo Grounds It would

mean coming into that narrow field

which was surrounded by tall trees

in utter darkness

But Jim was an impatient and

adventurous young man so he

cians all through his eventful flying

career He was the least perturbed of

all as he came roaring down from the

north and circled the inky pit into

which he must bring his ship at thespeed of an express train

There were about half a dozen

automobiles parked around the

field and Jim estimated his ap-

proach from their headlights Spec-

tators heard his engine stop then

the shrill scream of the wind on

his struts and wires Then they

caught sight of a ghost-like silhou-ette against the night sky coming

down in a dizzy slideslip An in-

stant later a gray phantom swept

across the field and settled down

to a perfect landing The mail had

come through

Edgerton was the first pilot who

ever flew into a thunderstorm Upto that time flyers all over the world

looked upon electrical storms as a

deadly menace and had avoided

them as they would a plague Or-

ders had been issued that no mail

pilot should take off if weather con-

ditions were unfavorable

At Philadelphia one afternoon

during the middle of July Jim had

his ship tuned up and was ready to

shove off but down towards the

southwest storm clouds were gath-

ering It was against orders to fly

under such conditions Jim fumed

possible and then as he came over

the ldquoSusquehanna River he ran

smack into it It was a violent line

squall the storm most dreaded of

all by aviators and the kind thatsent the mighty Akron and Shenan-

doah down to destruction On the

ground trees were being uprooted

and houses damaged

ldquoIt was the bumpiest ride I ever

had before or sincerdquo chuckles Jim

Edgerton today as he recalls the

vivid impression it left on him

ldquoWe were thrown all over the skyThe rain and hail were so thick that

I couldnrsquot see the wingtips The

propeller was all chewed

up and I had to throttle

down the engine Butrdquo he

adds modestly ldquoI came out right

on the courserdquo

And the mail was landed inWashington on time

That flight and the others like it

that Edgerton made probably did

more than anything else to give the

public confidence in the reliability

of the airmail Frequently he flew

through dense fog and relied en-

tirely on the crude instruments ofthose early days to keep him in the

air On one of these flights he es-

caped death by as narrow a margin

as was ever vouchsafed a pilot

He shoved off in heavy rain and

soon ran into thick weather He

barged on into it flying blind for

awhile and then climbing up on

the top of the stuff It was so thick

that even the birds had to walk Af-

ter about an hour and a half he

decided to try to find the ground

to check his course He was com-

ing down in a fast glide when sud-

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2044

altitude the fog was so thick

it was like being submerged

in pea soup but occasion-

ally there would be a break

and Edgerton would catcha glimpse of the ground and

know where he was

As he passed over Havre

de Grace there suddenly

loomed up dead ahead a

church steeple He was right

on it before he saw it He

banked for all he was worth

standing the old crock rightup on her ear and missed

the steeple by a miracle

But the crowning thr ill

of the day came a little later

as he passed the Army Proving

Ground at Aberdeen

ldquoWe were flying at an altitude of

about 150 feetrdquo Edgerton recallsldquoVisibility was practically nil Sud-

denly there was a terrific bump al-

most as violent as if the plane had

struck something That afternoon

Army authorities at Aberdeen

called up and said that an airplane

had flown over there and almost

collided with a shell fired from a16-inch gunrdquo

Is it any wonder that Edgertonrsquos

hair has turned slightly gray

On another occasion Jim got

caught in a vicious summer thun-

derstorm over Baltimore He was

flying his faithful old mount No

38274 The turbulent air tossed

the frail wooden Jenny about like

a ship on a rough sea One instant

her nose would be pointed straight

toward heaven and the next instant

Jim would see the ground rush-

ing up at him just over the engine

of a lead pencil were spurting out

Soon the whole forward part of the

fuselage was saturated

Jim watched the lightning play-

ing about the metal parts of the

plane and waited for the spark

that would blow him to shreds and

splatter him all over Baltimore But

Lady Luck was riding with him

again and the spark never came

He rode out the storm and brought

had broken and was dangling al-

most in the shining arc of the

propeller If it became entangled

in the prop it would shatter it to

a million splinters and probablytear the engine loose

Throttling down Jim maneu-

vered as best he could to keep

wire and prop from that fatal

embrace Below him were plenty

of flat broad fields into which

he could have glided But that

would mean delaying the mail

so the plucky youngster kept go-ing and finally sat down safely

in Washington

Altogether Edgerton made

fifty-three trips and never failed

to bring the mail through on any

of them On only one did he have

a forced landing

He was over Camp Meade Mary-land when a magneto shaft broke

There was a terrific jolt that almost

jumped the engine out of the ship

For once Jim had to come down

and come down in a hurry He

looked below him and his heart

stood still He was plunging straight

towards the heads of hundreds ofmarching men on parade

Lower and lower sank the help-

less Jenny Edgerton flattened his

glide as much as he dared and tried

to squeeze over the soldiers He was

almost knocking their hats off but

still the Yanks continued to hold

their ground

ldquoI just skimmed over their heads

and landed on the very edge of the

parade groundrdquo Jim laughingly re-

lates ldquoIt was my old outfit and they

certainly gave me a welcomerdquo

It was just a bit demoralizing to

With the mail aboard the pilot proceeds to warm

up the OX-5 which animates the Jenny

Authentic dope on the

controversial subject

ldquoWho flew the firstairmailrdquo In spite of the

many claims to priority by

various pilots we believe

that this is the real

answer to the problem

An old Jenny as usual

does the work

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2144

AirVenture amp Ford Together Again

REO Speedwagon Concert Monday

600PM next to the Ford Hangar

Fly In Theater Nightly Sunday ndash

Saturday 830PM Camp Scholler

Cruisinrsquo Legends See Mustangs and

more Knapp Street near Warbirds

Model T Experience Tour in a Model

T ldquoCruisinrsquo Legendsrdquo

ldquoBlues Brothersrdquo Tribute Party

Saturday 630PM Ford ldquoHangar of Bluesrdquo

Free Ice Cream Nightly in the camp-

grounds ndash from the Transit Connect

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2244

My son and I spent the better part of

six years restoring an Aeronca 7BCM

Jeff was 13 years old when we started

the project and 19 when we finished

sponds quickly to my urging as I

push the throttle control forward

to begin a low-level no-radio no-

transponder flight from Charles W

time I admit to being spoiled first by

low-frequency ldquobeamsrdquo then VORs

DME RNAV LORAN and now GPS

But for this flight I left all that behind

To Follow the LineThis was the way I had learned navigation to follow the line

BY E JEFF JUSTIS

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE AUTHOR

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2344

Down low it was fun once more

watching the small towns pass

even being able to read the names

on water towers

In north-central Mississippi

there appears a vast forest spread-

ing out beneath my wings an il-

lusory remnant of the gloriouswilderness that once extended

from the East Coast to the Great

Plains Now clear-cutting scars are

evidence of manrsquos meddling graf-

fiti on our planetrsquos face

I am surprised at the hills of

North Mississippi at higher al-

titudes they flatten into the ter-rain but here at 1000 feet above

the ground the hills are alive with

depth and color

My craft and I intruders in his

world pass a circling hawk I look

down and try to see the tiny crea-

ture I am sure he sees but where

he must perceive the slightest rus-tle of the brush I see only patterns

of green and brown and the bright

blue of reflected sky

Enough of this sightseeing I should

have crossed this highway a couple

of miles farther to the north I make a

slight correction Highways They criss-

cross this land cutting it into smaller

and smaller bits these scratches of

man meant little when there were

fewer men but now they separate deer

from deer and life from life

At the edge of a field pebbled by

round bales of hay rests a red tractor Jeff Justis was just 13 when he and his family embarked on the restoration of

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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suppose is the essence of life

Soon the forward horizon bulges

upward as I approach old tectonic

ridges aligned northeast-southwest

near Birmingham The dark greenof the forested ridges contrasts with

the lighter verdant hues of manrsquos

cultivation Ahead a sharp razor-

backed ridge prompts a climb to

3000 feet I teeter across the top and

slide down toward the broad valley

on the eastern side My first land-

ing after one hour and 45 minutes is

welcome As a no-radio aircraft I am

careful to follow the standard pat-

tern and glide down final touching

down on the much-too-long-for-

The-Champ runway of Posey AirportMost cross-country flights in

the rsquo50s were from grass strip to

grass strip A red gas pump would

be brought into service by the col-

orful operatormechanic of these

old aerodromes Aeroncas and

Luscombes were everywhere and

Cessna 195s were the elite air-

planes Now on this ramp my

Aeronca is an anachronism

A King Air is being readied for cor-

porate passengers and my little tail-

dragger is lost on the large apronFortunately we modified the 7BCM

with a starter and generator so I do

not have to find someone to help me

get started In years past almost ev-

ery lineman was proficient in hand-

propping now itrsquos almost a lost art

Soon I am on the way to my

next stop Lagrange Georgia I am

fooled by the appearance of a large

airport an old military field at 12

orsquoclock on the horizon Only when

I get close enough do I realize this is

not the field I am supposed to over-

fly and that I am 10 miles south of

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ramp taking nearly as long as the

flight itself

The cost of this slow flight is cer-

tainly minimal with fill-ups after

two hours averaging 15 or so dol-

lars Besides the trip has been fun so

far relearning old navigation tricks

and seeing the country down low

Now I have only a few more milesto navigate to Eaglesrsquo Landing The

fly-in community strip is near Wil-

liamson Georgia and just east of a

northeast-southwest-oriented rail-

road I decide to proceed due east

find the railroad and follow it

northeast toward the destination

I cross a highway but see no rail-road A few miles further still no

railroad I must have passed it Af-

ter a 180 I find the highway again

but nohellipwait what is that That is

an abandoned rail line for sure and

it does parallel the road I continue

northeast scanning the horizon

passing pretty fields and housesI locate one airport with houses

neatly lining both sides of the single

runway but it is not Eaglesrsquo Landing

Soon I see Griffin Georgia I have

come too far I ease The Champ into

a bank to try again back down the

rail line andhellipherersquos a golf coursehellip

and yes there are two grass run-

ways meeting in a ldquoVrdquo I circle andmake a low pass over the northwest

runway watching my friends wave

from their yard ldquoWhat a nice place

to liverdquo I think as I line up on final

I glide just above the grass and

A foil tape antenna ground plane was just one of the nifty little touches added

to The Champ as the two Jeffs restored their airplane

Doesnrsquot ever yone use Champ

tail surfaces as decorative ele-

ments in their household dec-orating Mrs Justis is a very

patient woman

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CALIFORNIAHayward CA VIN 29

Meeting 2nd Thurs 600 pm

Hayward Airport

See website for hangar info

Gary Oberti President

Phone 510-357-8600

E-mail infovaa29org

Website wwwvaa29org

CALIFORNIASacramento CA VIN 25

Meeting 2nd Sat 900 am

See chapter website for location

Robert Opdahl President

Phone 530-273-7348

E-mail bopdahlsbcglobalnet

Website wwwVin25org

CAROLINAS VIRGINIAWalnut Cove NC VIN 3

Meeting Contact President

Susan Dusenbury President

Phone 336-591-3931

E-mail sr6sueaolcom

Website wwwVAA3org

FLORIDALakeland FL VIN 1

Meeting Contact President

Bobby Capozzi President

Phone 352-475-9736

INDIANAAuburn IN VIN 37

Meeting 4th Thurs 700 pm

DeKalb County Airport (kGWB)

Hangar AmdashVAA 37 Clubhouse

Drew Hoffman President

Phone 260-515-3525

E-mail drewhoffmanvaa37org

Website wwwVAA37org

KANSASOverland Park KS VIN 16

Meeting 2nd Fri 730 pm

CAF Hangar

New Century Airport

Kevin Pratt President

Phone 913-541-1149

E-mail kprattvaa16com

Website wwwVAA16com

LOUISIANANew Iberia LA VIN 30

Meeting 1st Sun 900 am

LeMaire Memorial Airport Hangar 4

Roland Denison President

Phone 337-365-3047

E-mail vaa30coxnet

MINNESOTAAlbert Lea MN VIN 13

Meeting 2nd Thurs 700 pm

Albert Lea Airport FBO

OHIODelaware OH VIN 27

Meeting 3rd Sat 8-10AM May thru Sept

Delaware Municiple Airport (DLZ)

Terminal Building

Woody McIntire President

Phone 740-362-7228

E-mail wjmcintirecscom

Website wwwEAAdlzorg

OHIOZanesville OH VIN 22

Meeting 2nd Fri 630 pm

Perry County Airport

John Morozowsky President

Phone 740-453-6889

OKLAHOMATulsa OK VIN 10

Meeting 4th Thurs 700 PM

Hardesty South Regional Library

No meetings in July Nov amp Dec

Joe Champagne President

Phone 918-257-4688

Email skypalgroveemailcom

TEXASSpring TX VIN 2

Meeting 4th Sun 200 PM

David Wayne Hooks Airport (KDWH)

Fred Ramin President

Phone 281-255-4430

Vintage Chapter LocatorVisit the VAA chapter nearest you and get to know some great old-airplane enthusiasts You donrsquot need

to be a pilot to join in the funmdashjust have a love of the great airplanes of yesteryear

Chapter 27 of Delaware Ohio hosts a monthly pancake breakfast where attendees enjoy the camara-derie among the airplanes

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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When Albert Vollmecke joined

Arkansas Aircraft Company in Sep-tember 1927 he brought fresh ideas

from his native Germany regarding

aircraft design stability and safety

He would on occasion return to

Germany to bring back something

new for the company In 1928 Ar-

kansas Aircraft Company changed

its name to Command-Aire Incor-porated and the production run

of new ships increased in its Little

Rock Arkansas plant

After one such visit to Ger-

many Vollmecke returned with

the rights to import and sell the

PHYLAX fire-extinguisher system

patented (GB 0267542) March 10

1926 and manufactured in Berlinby Phylax Feuerlosch-Automaten-

Bau GmbH The PHYLAX fire-

extinguisher system consisted of

a tank containing the extinguish-

ing liquid From the tank which

BY ROBERT G LOCK

Early 1047297re-extinguishing system

THE Vintage

Mechanic

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advertisement from AVIATION

November 1928 using the OX-5

powered model 3C3 ship to dem-

onstrate the system

The PHYLAX system consisted

of a pressurized tank of fluid with

associated lines and nozzles lead-

ing to the engine compartment of

the ship Note here that the unit

is manufactured in t he United

States by the Aero Supply Man-

ufacturing Company located in

Long Island New York The cost

of the unit is $70 in this May 1929

advertisement in an aviation mag-

azine Illustration 2 shows the

manufacturerrsquos advertisement for

the product

In a letter dated April 10 1929

Mr Wiley Wright assistant sales

director for Command-Aire Incor-

porated wrote

ldquoCommand-Aire Incorporated

acquired the exclusive franchise

rights for PHYLAX automatic fire

extinguishers in the United States

Mexico and Central America This

extinguisher is the only automatic

fire extinguisher available and is

standard equipment on many Eu-

ropean lines It is manufactured

by PHYLAX Bau of Germany and

is receiving great response in the

United States at the present timerdquo

In this factory Illustration 3

and from the files of Albert Voll-

mecke is a 110-hp Warner engine

mounted in the Command-Aire

model 3C3-A ship Note the en-

gine cowling being neatly fitted

around cylinders and associated

tubes The 3C3-A had a very longnose due to its light weight ne-

ce s s i ta t ing a longer a rm f or

weight and balance control In

this photo the PHYLAX sprinkler

heads are visible behind the mag-

netos down near the carburetor

and behind the oil inlet hoses on

the accessory case of the engineIllustration 3 is an original fac-

tory photograph of the PHYLAX

system installed in the nose of a

model 3C3-A

Illustration 4 is the same photo-

graph with some details removed

and other details added princi-

pally the identification of the PHY-LAX automatic fuse that fired the

bottle of extinguishing fluid and

the sprinkler heads These illustra-

tions taken from a Command-Aire

original factory brochure from the

files of Albert Vollmecke

Illustration 5 on page 27 is a

sketch from the PHYLAX patent

0267542 dated March 10 1926A general description of the PHY-

LAX system is contained within

the patent and states ldquoThe inven-

tion relates to a fire extinguishing

device intended for use particu-

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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not indicate what type of extinguishing fluid was

contained within the tank however soda-acid was

widely used in those days and carbon tetrachloridewas invented in 1912 by the Pyrene Company

In a communication from Command-Aire Pres-

ident Robert Snowden regarding the purchase of

stock options in the company he states ldquoOur ex-

clusive franchise for the sale of Phylax automatic

Illustration 3

Illustration 4

Illustration 5

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3044

homeland on a regular basis and

always brought back some new in-

vention or new ideas on design andsafety This system was certainly

ahead of its time safety-wise and a

credit to Vollmeckersquos focus on sta-

bility and safety for his designs

Above in this original factory

photograph (Illustration 6) of a

Command-Aire 3C3-T fuselage on

the assembly line at the Little Rock

plant the PHYLAX system can beseen mounted in the rear cock-

pit just behind the front seat in

the center of the photograph The

chemical bottles with two lines

tied to the side tubes run forward

Illustration 6

Pyrene 1047297re extinguishers

were made of brass and

were nicely polished

They were not high-pressure units

but required the use of a hand pump

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Pyrene fire extinguishers were

made of brass and were nicely pol-

ished They were not high-pressureunits but required the use of a

hand pump to generate pressure

to expel liquid from the cylinder

These extinguishers were gener-

ally mounted in the rear cockpit

ton or linen fabric and the only

dope available was cellulose ni-

trate that burned like a torch when

lit Watching nitrate dope burn

reminded me of a Fourth of July

sparkler very intense and hot If

a nitrate-doped ship caught fire in

the air there was no extinguisher

that would put out the flames

The PHYLAX system had an auto-

matic sensor that would trigger the

bottlersquos valve open and send the

chemical into the engine compart-

ment The Pyrene extinguisher wasmore for ground use because you

could not operate the bottle and

fly the airplane at the same time

By todayrsquos standards these ex-

tinguishing systems seem ar-

chaic but for the time back in

the 1920s they were the thing to

have in your automobile boator airplane

Editorrsquos Note WARNING An-

tique carbon tetrachloride fire extin-

guishers like the Pyrene occasionally

show up either contaminated with

the original agent or worse yet with

the full charge of agent still inside

Carbon tet is treated as a hazard-

ous substance (its use was banned

in consumer products in 1970) and

should be dealt with accordingly

In fact carbon tetrachloride when

heated by a fire will create poison-

ous phosgene gas (World War Irsquos

ldquonerve gasrdquo) something that would

definitely ruin someonersquos day if the

fire hadnrsquot done so already In its

standard form this substance is verytoxic to the liver and a single signifi-

cant exposure can result in sickness

or death

L a n g l ey may have been the

f h f i i i b

last and last The instruction

l i l d f

1903 Samuel Pierpont Langleyrsquos ldquoAerodromerdquoattempts to take off from a floating platform

Have a comment or ques-

tion for Bob Lock the Vintage

Mechanic Drop us an e-mail at

vintageaircrafteaaorg or you

can mail your question to Vintage

Airplane PO Box 3086 Osh-

kosh WI 54903

Illustration 7

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Authorrsquos Note We held a small open house at the

flight school hangar this past Saturday Though the

weather was not conducive to give many rides we still

had about 60 people show up enjoy a brat or ham-

burger and talk about flying or learning to fly Interest

in flying is not dead One of my pet peeves is how we

in general aviation go about attracting individuals tolearn the pleasure of flight

Nearly every aviation publication I read carries ar-

ticles and editorials about the downward spiral of gen-

eral aviation Flight schools are having a hard time

attracting new students ldquoDoom and gloomrdquo reigns

with little positive to report on the horizon This al-

ways reminds me of the proverbial three wise mon-keys who embody the principle ldquoSee no evil hear no

evil and speak no evilrdquo We all complain about the

problem but no one ever offers solutions It seems as

though by not doing anything about the challenge it

will eventually go away and right itself

Many of the aviation organizations are wringing

their respective hands giving great lip service to the

drop in pilot numbers Some like EAA have launched

activities to attract new pilots such as the Young Ea-gles program This has been a good start but it will not

fill the ever-increasing void for more pilots

What are we all missing FUN

Four years ago I chose early retirement from a 38-

The student make-up is a real cross-section of Amer-

ica My youngest student to date began flight lessons

at age 14 and the oldest was 77 years young Irsquove men-

tioned some of my students in previous articles At

yearrsquos end 2010 while converting our student files

from paper to computer I was amazed to discover that

in the previous two years I had given instruction tomore than 200 individuals Some were new students

others were individuals in search of a tailwheel en-

dorsement and many were older individuals who had

pursued flight training early in their lives but gave it

up to raise a family Now they had the time and still re-

tained the burning desire to get back into flying What

attracted these individuals to the flight school FUN

And thefun

challenge of flying J-3 Cubs

Herersquos a small cross-section of this yearrsquos group

of students

bullA retired US Navy lieutenant who flew F-4 Phan-

toms off carriers in Vietnam He hasnrsquot done any fly-

ing in more than 10 years but hersquos been building a

Skybolt which will soon be finished and hersquos return-

ing to his lifelong lovemdashaviation He also has two

young sons who want to fly and will soon be joining

the group of student pilotsbullA young CPA from Iowa whose grandfather was a

friend of Bernie Pietenpol and who has built two Piets

The CPA used two weeks of his vacation time to learn

to fly so that he can fly the airplane(s) that his grandfa-

ther built and take his grandfather for a ride

BY Steve Krog CFI

THE Vintage

Instructor

Vintage flying is very much alive

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3344

Cubs flying every day he decided to pursue his pas-

sion for flight

bullA national chain hardware store employee who

has had a dream of flying driving nearly two hours

each way to learn to fly in a Cub

bullAn aviation writervideo producer who already has

a sport pilot certificate but desires to obtain a private

pilot certificate and do so in Cubs

bullA 30-something young family man who sells

construction equipment attachments While deer

hunting a year ago he learned one of his hunting

friends had recently learned to fly in Cubs For three

days they talked airplanes and flying rather than do-

ing much hunting Upon his return from the hunt-ing trip he drove to the airport and signed up for

lessons in the Cub

bullA professional musician from the Chicago area

who always wanted to learn to fly Although not yet

old enough to have a true ldquobucket listrdquo learning to fly

a Cub was number one on his list

With two exceptions these individuals had never

before flown or flown in tailwheel airplanes but alwayshad a dream of learning to fly in a Cubmdashjust like dad

or granddad did many years ago

Although no one in this group comes from simi-

lar backgrounds or professions there is one common

denominator among every studentmdashFUN None of

these students are learning to fly to pursue a career

in aviation (although Irsquove worked with a couple who

have done so) Rather they are learning to fly or get-

ting back into flying for the FUN and CHALLENGE of

flight They all have a true love of flight and seeing the

world from 500 feet with the door and window open

I have also worked with a number of students who

began taking flight lessons but quit after a period of

time They still had the passion for flight but gave it

up When asked why the responses fell into one of the

following four categories

bullI began taking lessons but after three or four les-sons Irsquod be assigned to a different instructor After 30

hours of dual three instructors and still not having

soloed I quit

bullThe instructor wasnrsquot teaching me anything He

was more interested in building time than teaching

Take a moment and think about how you first be-

came interested in airplanes What triggered your

pursuit of learning to fly Did you have a buddy or

maybe a family friend who encouraged you Or even

became a mentor Do you remember your first flight

lesson Do you remember the day you made your

first solo flight

Remember that passion and sense of accomplish-

ment Donrsquot hesitate to share it with anyone express-

ing an interest in learning to fly

At Cub Air Flight we sell FUN When individuals

visit the airport to inquire about learning to fly we

know they have made the commitment in their own

mind It then becomes our responsibility to makethe visit friendly A friendly environment is a FUN

environment Kids are always welcome If a prospec-

tive student has children with him or her we invite

the kids to sit in the planes At the conclusion of our

discussion we emphasize the following statement If

you learn to fly with us it will be FUN CHALLENG-

ING and SAFE

I donrsquot believe there is a shortage of pilot prospectsbut there is a shortage in how we all go about attract-

ing these people to become active participants in plea-

sure flying Remember flying is FUN Letrsquos make an

effort to help others share in that FUN

AERO CLASSICldquoCOLLECTOR SERIESrdquo

Vintage Tires New USA Production

Show off your pride and joy with afresh set of Vintage Rubber Thesenewly minted tires are FAA-TSOrsquodand speed rated to 120 MPH Some

things are better left the way theywere and in the 40rsquos and 50rsquos these tires were perfectly intune to the exciting times in aviation

Not only do these tires set your vintage plane apart fromthe rest but also look exceptional on all General Aviationaircraft Deep 832nd tread depth offers above averagetread life and UV treated rubber resists aging

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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We enjoy your suggestions for

Mystery Planesmdashin fact more than

half of our subjects are sent to us by

members often via e-mail Please

remember that if you want to scan

the photo for use in Mystery Plane

it must be at a resolution of 300 dpior greater You may send a lower-

resolution version to us for our re-

view but the final version has to be

at that level of detail or it will not

print properly Also please let us

craft in the photo is of Canadian civil

registry CF-BXO formerly Royal Cana-

dian Air Force (RCAF) 920 This photo-

graph would have been taken at some

time between 1962 and 1967 after an

overhaul at Abbotsford British Colum-

bia (BC) and possibly while in servicewith Stranraer Aerial Enterprises The

location strongly resembles the Fraser

River dockings at the Vancouver air-

port The aircraft had undergone a re-

spray with a bright red cheat line The

(beaching gear required) for the Royal Air

Force (RAF) in 1933 The prototype first

flew in October 1934 with two Bristol

Pegasus IIIM engines rated at 820 hp

The production aircraft were delivered to

the RAF with Pegasus engines delivering

920 hp entering service in April 1937The British-built machines of which 23

were ordered and only 17 being built

were all delivered by April 1939

In Canada Canadian Vickers Lim-

ited of Montreal Quebec produced 40

Send your answer to EAA Vin-

tage Airplane PO Box 3086 Osh-

kosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer

needs to be in no later than August

20 for inclusion in the October

2011 issue of Vintage Airplane

You can also send your response via

e-mail Send your answer to mystery

planeeaaorg Be sure to include your

name plus your city and state in the

body of your note and put ldquo(Month)

Mystery Planerdquo in the subject line

This monthrsquos Mystery Plane comes to us from Bruce Voran

MYSTERY PLANE

by HG FRAUTSCHY

A P R I L rsquo S M Y S T E RY A N S W E R

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3544

QCA began buying several examplesand was instrumental in convincing

the Canadian Department of Transport

(DOT) to issue a civilian Certificate of

Airworthiness (C of A) One of the first

aircraft so issued was CF-BYI which be-

1980 the Canadian Museum of Flightand Transportation in BC salvaged the

wreck for possible restoration As late as

April 1952 QCA still had two Stranraer

in service CF-BXO and CF-BYM Pacific

Western Airlines (PWA) also operated

Two RAF Belfast freighters were dis-

patched and the disassembled aircraft

was transported to the United Kingdomwhere the machine is currently one of the

centerpieces of the collection

The aircraft type had many names

The most familiar (and printable) were

Stranny Strainer and Flying Meccano

Set The least affectionate was the Whis-

tling Shouse as when the lid to the

throne was lifted there was direct access

to the great outdoors and there emitted a

loud whistling noise

Other correct answers were re-

ceived from Hillis Cunliffe Mill-

brook Alabama Brian Baker Sun

City Arizona Wesley R Smith

Springfield Illinois John White-

head Cheyenne Wyoming ScottChurch Cochrane Alberta Can-

ada Jay Broze Walla Walla Wash-

ington Jerry Paterson Kent

Washington Jamie Patterson Mi-

ramichi New Brunswick Canada

Bill Bishop of Mulgoa New South Wales Australia sent along this photo

of the surviving Supermarine Stranraer

David Nixon supplied us with the April Mystery Plane shot of CF-BXO

a Canadian Vickers-built Supermarine Stranraer

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3644

urday 8 am until 6 pm Early-bird

arrivals can shop on the pre-conven-

tion weekend as well during limited

hours Show your VAA membership

card (or your receipt showing you

joined VAA at the convention) and

yoursquoll receive a 10 percent discount

VAA Volunteer Opportunities

Are you an ace pancake flipperIf yoursquore not one yet we can help

The VAA Tall Pines Cafeacute is looking

for volunteers who can help provide

a hearty breakfast to all the hungry

campers on the south end of Witt-

man Field If you could lend a hand

for a morning or two wersquod appreci-

ate it If thatrsquos not your cup of tea feelfree to check with the VAA Volunteer

Center located just to the northeast

of the VAA Red Barn The volun-

teers who operate the booth will be

happy to tell you when your help is

needed each day It doesnrsquot matter if

itrsquos just for a few hours or for a few

daysmdashwersquod love to have your help-

ing hands There is no need for you

to contact us ahead of time you can

talk with us when you arrive

VAA Judging Categoriesand Awards

The VAArsquos internationally recog-

nized judging categories are

bullAntique Aircraft built prior toSeptember 1 1945

bullClassic September 1 1945 - De-

cember 31 1955

bullContemporary January 1 1956

- December 31 1970

VAA NEWScontinued frpm page 5

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3744

the award winners Judging closes at noon on Friday

July 29 The Awards Ceremony will be held Saturday

evening July 30 at 6 pm in the Vintage Hangar

just south of the VAA Red Barn

Designated Smoking Areas Near FlightlineSmoking on the flightline at EAA AirVenture is prohib-

ited because itrsquos a hazard to all aircraft There are several

designated smoking areas with butt cans along the flight-

line well away from aircraft and refueling operations

Designated smoking areas will be south of the ultra-light runway near the Hangar Cafeacute near the Warbirdsarea (northeast corner of Audrey Lane and Eide Av-

enue) the Wearhouse flag pole area the shade pavil-ion north of the control tower and near the UltralightBarn Locations will be indicated on EAArsquos free con-vention grounds map The admission wristband alsoinstructs visitors that smoking is allowed only in desig-nated smoking areas

More on the Web

Visit wwwAirVentureorg for more information onEAA AirVenture 2011

EAA AirVenture Is Almost Here Are You Ready

Just a few short weeks from now many of you will

make the annual pilgrimage to Oshkosh for EAA Air-

Venture 2011 Are you ready Here are several handy

online tools on the AirVenture website that can help

you take care of any last-minute concerns

Visit wwwAirVentureorg and find out what you

need to know about The Worldrsquos Greatest Avia-

tion Celebration

Admission Parking Hours

wwwAirVentureorgplanningadmissionhtml

Find or Share a Ride to Oshkosh

wwwAirVentureorgrideshare

Site Map

wwwAirVentureorgplanningschedules_mapshtml

Where to Stay

Yoursquore cleared to stay connected

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3844

ship services at 800-564-6322 but

given the time from when you read

this until AirVenture it may not ar-

rive in the mail in time for your de-

parture We suggest downloading

the NOTAM

The NOTAM contains the specialflight procedures in effect for Witt-

man Regional Airport and alternate

airports from 6 am CDT on Friday

July 22 to 12 pm CDT on Mon-

day August 1 2011 All pilots who

fly into the event are expected to

know the special flight procedures

prior to arrival EAA AirVenture Os-

hkosh runs from July 25 through

July 31 For additional EAA AirVen-

ture Oshkosh 2011 information

visit wwwAirVentureorg

Call for VAA Hall of

Fame Nominations

To the left is our information

for nominations for VAArsquos Hallof Fame which is presented each

year during a special dinner This

yearrsquos dinner will be held Friday

October 28 Wersquoll have more on

this yearrsquos inductee John Under-

To nominate someone is easy It just takes a little time and a little reminiscing on your part

Mail nominating materials to

Remember your ldquocontemporaryrdquo may be a candidate nominate someone today

wwwVintageAircraftorg

CALL FOR VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

Nominations

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3944

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

Wit tman Regional A i rpor t (OSH)

Oshkosh Wisconsin

July 25-31 2011

wwwAirVentureorg

Colorado Sport International Air Show

and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In

Rocky Mountain Met ropol i tan A irpor t (BJC)

Denver Colorado

August 27-28 2011

wwwCOSportAviationorg

Mid-Eastern Regional Fly-In

Gr imes F ie ld A irpor t (I74)

Urbana Ohio

September 10-11 2011

httpMERFIcom

Copperstate Fly-In

Casa Grande Munic ipal A i rpor t (CGZ)

Casa Grande Ar izona

Upcoming Major

Fly-Ins

W I N

Only 2000 ticketswill be sold1 ticket $50

3 tickets $125

Piper Tri-Pacer Airplane

Free Flying Lessons

Free Pilot License

Country Legend Roy Clarkrsquos Personal Proceeds fromthis raffle

SAVEAMERICANKIDS LIVES

wwwwingsofhoperaffleorg

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4044

MISCELLANEOUS

wwwaerolistorg Aviationsrsquo Leading

Marketplace

Rare find Lycoming 0-145 partsinventory blocks bearings rings

shafts amp much more $20000

at 1970 prices $5000 Six four

cylinder case aircraft magnetos

$300 Call for more details (FL)

VINTAGETRADER

Someth ing t o buyse l l o r t rade

Classified Word Ads $550 per 10

words 180 words maximum with boldface

lead-in on first line

Classified Display Ads One column wide

(2167 inches) by 1 2 or 3 inches high at

$20 per inch Black and white only and nofrequency discounts

Advertising Closing Dates 10th of second

month prior to desired issue date (ie

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 (classads

eaaorg ) using credit card payment (all cards

accepted) Include name on card complete

address type of card card number and

expiration date Make checks payable to EAA

Address advertising correspondence to EAA

Publications Classified Ad Manager PO Box

3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

What Our Members

Are Restoring

Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done and

yoursquore busy flying and showing it off If so wersquod like to hear from

you Send us a 4-by-6-inch print from a commercial source (no

home printers please those prints just donrsquot scan well) or a

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4144

EAAMembership in the Experimental Aircraft

Association Inc is $40 for one year includ-ing 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION Familymembership is an additional $10 annually Allmajor credit cards accepted for membership(Add $16 for International Postage)

FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPSPlease submit your remittance with a

check or draft drawn on a United Statesbank payable in United States dollars Addrequired Foreign Postage amount for eachmembership

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATIONCurrent EAA members may join the

Vintage Aircraft Association and receive

year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not included)(Add $7 for International Postage)

WARBIRDSCurrent EAA members may join the EAA

Warbirds of America Division and receiveWARBIRDS magazine for an additional$45 per year

EAA Membership WARBIRDS mag-azine and one year membership in theWarbirds Division is available for $55 per

year (SPORT OficAVIATION magazinenot included) (Add $7 for Interna-tional Postage)

IACCurrent EAA members may join the

International Aerobatic Club Inc Divi-sion and receive SPORT AEROBATICS magazine for an additional $45 per year

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

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AIRCRAFT

ASSOCIATION

OFFICERS

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DIRECTORS

EMERITUS

PresidentGeoff Robison

1521 E MacGregor DrNew Haven IN 46774

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262-560-1949 gdaubnereaaorg

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Sherborn MA 01770508-653-7557

sst10comcastnet

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Lincoln CA 95648916-952-9449

antiquerinreachcom

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Greenwood IN 46143317-422-9366

lbrown4906aolcom

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Plainfield IN 46168317-839-4500davecpdattnet

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Northborough MA 01532508-393-4775

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Indianapolis IN 46278317-293-4430

dalefayemsncom

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Harvard IL 60033-0328815-943-7205

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Greensboro NC 27409336-668-3650

windsockaolcom

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Hartford WI 53027262-966-7627sskrogaolcom

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262-782-2633rlumley1wirrcom

SH ldquoWesrdquo Schmid2359 Lefeber Avenue

Wauwatosa WI 53213414-771-1545

shschmidgmailcom

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Chicago IL 60643773-779-2105

photopilotaolcom

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GRCHAcharternet

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Kent City MI 49330616-678-5012

rFritzpathwaynet com

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918-622-8400cwhhvsucom

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815-923-4591buck7acgmailcom

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Roanoke TX 76262817-491-9110

genemor rischarter net

Membership Services DirectoryEnjoy the many benefits of EAA and

EAArsquos Vintage Aircraft Association

EAA Aviation Center PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086Phone (920) 426-4800 Fax (920) 426-4873Web Sites wwwvintageaircraftorg wwwairventureorg wwweaaorgmemberbenefits E-Mail vintageaircrafteaaorg

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VAA Office 920-426-6110 tbookseaaorg

TM

EAA Members Information Line 888-EAA-INFO (322-4636)

Use this toll-free number for information about AirVenture Oshkosh aeromedical and technical aviation questions

chapters and Young Eagles Please have your membership number ready when calling

Office hours are 815 am - 500 pm (Monday - Friday CST)

SecretarySteve Nesse

2009 Highland AveAlbert Lea MN 56007

507-373-1674

stnes2009livecom

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106 Tena Marie CircleLodi WI 53555608-592-7224

lodicubcharternet

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4244

If yoursquove ever watched fish in

an aquarium yoursquove probably no-

ticed how they respond differently

to their surroundings There are

those that zip around the tank in a

mad dash to nowhere Some seem

to sit and not go much of any-

where and some will swim f romone end to the other turn around

and do it again

The latter are the ones that remind

me of myself I seem to fly in a fish-

bowl I go from one end of our val-

proficient by practicing things we

know over and over or it can make

us lazy When something becomes

so ingrained that we do it from habit

only we may not be thinking about

what wersquore doing

On a night cross-country some

time ago I found out just how easyit is to forget things that I hadnrsquot

used in a while While night may be

a little more challenging it still re-

quires the basic pre-flight planning

of any cross-country and following

whether I go far or stay in the com-

fort zone I canrsquot let complacency take

over Those skills and experiences

need to be stretched from time to

time regardless of where I fly An un-

expected situation or emergency is a

bad time to find out I donrsquot remem-

ber how to do somethingComplacency also allows fear

to creep in where it doesnrsquot belong

Some fear (I think) is a natural part of

flying but it can also unnecessarily

keep us grounded because we wonrsquot

BY S MICHELLE SOUDER

Flying Outside

the Fishbowl

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4344

Itrsquos gonna be a big year at Oshk osh

B-29 Superfortress ldquoFIFIrdquo

The first visit since 1995for the worldrsquos only airworthyB-29 Superfortress

REO SpeedwagonOshkosh rocks Monday duringthe opening day concert presentedby Ford Motor Company

Tribute to Bob HooverTuesday afternoon air showfeaturing aircraft and maneuvershe made legendary

eVentureInnovation will be on displayand in the air with the ElectricFlight Prize Competition

Join us for a week-long celebration of the Centennial of Naval Aviationincluding a special air show Wednesday See the hottest naval aircraftin historic colors all week on ConocoPhillips Plaza

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4444

Page 15: Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1544

The first wireless message sent

from an airplane to a ground station

wasnrsquot very imaginative or profound

The message telegraphed in dots and

dashes by US Army Lt Paul W Beck

on January 21 1911 was

ldquoAssociated Press AviationField Scotford is not the only

bird on the aviation board Beckrdquo

The message didnrsquot have the hum-

bling sense of Samuel Morsersquos ldquoWhat

hath God wroughtrdquo or the quaint-

ness of Alexander Graham Bellrsquos ldquoMr

Watsonmdashcome heremdashI want to see

yourdquo or Neil Armstrongrsquos inspira-

tional ldquoThatrsquos one small step for man

one giant leap for mankindrdquoThe rather mundane message was

hastily scribbled by Associated Press

reporter Guy Moysten who was cov-

Corps

Beck had been taken aloft by Philip

O Parmalee an early aviation pio-

neer The ldquopurple sparks spluttered

by the telegraph keyrdquo were also inter-

cepted by navy wireless stations on

Goat Island (now Yerba Buena Island)

and the Mare Island Navy YardBeckrsquos second message was ldquoThree

hundred feet up and riding level

It is cold It is bumpyrdquo The word

ldquobumpyrdquo wasnrsquot received because

Beckrsquos fingers were so cold that they

refused to as Beck put it ldquoanswer the

nerve impulsesrdquo

The word ldquoScotfordrdquo in the first

message referred to Frederick E Scot-

ford chairman of the Aviation Ex-

ecutive Committee which had

conceived planned and set in mo-

tion the air meet The message re-

ferred to a previous flight ldquoaround the

army also ldquolent their band for daily

concerts during guard mount or pa-

raderdquomdashall this to the delight of the

crowds throughout the entire affair

San Francisco was in heavy compe-

tition with New Orleans for the exclu-

sive rights to the 1915 Panama-Pacific

International Exhibition (PPIE) aworldrsquos fair to celebrate the upcom-

ing 1914 opening of the Panama

Canal The city desperately wanted

to land the exhibition believing it

would confirm San Franciscorsquos phoe-

nix-like rise from the ashes of devasta-

tion The air show was thought of as

the opening act

Plans for the PPIE had already

been complicated in 1910 Just six

months earlier Californiarsquos gover-

nor had banned the Jim Jeffries-Jack

Johnson fight scheduled for San

Franciscomdashforcing the epic ldquoFight

Flashes of Purple SparksBY DANIEL J DEMERS

Lt Paul Beck left with

the Western Wireless

Equipment Company A-4wireless set in his lap

while seated in a Wright

biplane during wireless

tests during the 1911 San

Francisco Air Meet The

set weighed 29 pounds

and featured a telegraph

key mounted on the top of

the mahogany box

JOURNAL OF ELECTRICITY POWER AND GAS

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1644

shadowed all the other historic firsts

achieved at the meet

Beck described the sensation of fly-

ing at 800 feet like this

ldquoWhirring propellers throb-

bing pistons and machine-

gun-like gasoline explosions

deafened you while tears bit-

ter tears were forced from your

eyes by the back rush of air and

you have a slight conception

how it feels to rival the eagle in a

Wright biplanerdquo

He had used in his own words

ldquoa rough makeshift affair weighing

thirty-two poundsrdquo It consisted of

a ldquosmall gap and interrupter an or-

dinary telegraph key a small storage

cellrdquo and a shunt ldquoto prevent over-

charging of the cellrdquo The entire de-vice was contained in a wooden box

that he carried on his lap The aerial

used for the experiment was a 120-

foot bronze wire trailing the plane

connected to the ldquosending appara-

tus by a number sixteen copper wirerdquo

The whole gizmo was grounded to a

stay wire on the aircraft connectedldquoto the sending apparatusrdquo Beck ex-

plained ldquoThe wave length measured

by the wave meter at the receiving

station was 575 meters in length This

is rather longer than we had thought

it would berdquo

Simultaneous to Beckrsquos experi-

ment Charlie Willard (another

pioneer aviator) unsuccessfully at-

tempted to send a wireless message

using a different set According to

Beck ldquoHis outfit weighed a trifle less

than the one which I used and his

antenna wire was a trifle longerrdquo Ac-

ldquoengine is practically noiseless when

comparedrdquo with the other planes at

the air meet ldquoSilencerdquo wrote Beck ldquois

an essential factor to the successful

reading of telegraphic codes or thesuccessful undertaking of human

speech by wireless telephonerdquo

Of great concern to the experi-

mentrsquos sponsors was the fact that an

ldquoelectrical dischargerdquo was involved in

the actual receiving of the message

from the ground Thus it was of ldquogreat

importance that the gasoline tank be

thoroughly insulated in order to pre-vent possible ignition from a sparkrdquo

Avoiding such an aerial catastrophe

was to be overcome by using ldquoone of

the guy wires on the Antoinette ma-

chine as the static ground and to drag

from the tail of the airship an alumi-

num wire of great capacity and weigh-

ing less than two pounds though 130feet in length as the antennardquo

Unfortunately as Beck told it ldquothe

god or gods of the elementsrdquo stepped

in On this particular day being ldquoaloft

was dangerous to life and limbrdquo

Lathamrsquos beautiful Antoinette mono-

plane was demolished in an accident

Latham survived the crash but a mere12 months later he died a mysterious

death in the French Congo

Beck understood that aviation was

in its infancy and that ldquowe must creep

before we walkrdquo While the experi-

ment to send a message had failed

due to an air wreck Beck concluded

it had been ldquoreduced to a mere ques-

tion of providing mechanical devices

for deadening the sound of the pro-

pellers shutting out the noise of the

rushing wind and providing some

simple means for placing the received

message in written form on some

Sources

Chief Warrant Officer Mark J

Denger Dominguez Inter-

national Air Meet California

Aviation History wwwMilitary- MuseumorgDominguezhtml

Lt Paul W Beck Aviation Meet

From War Viewpoint How

Army and Navy Will Take Part

San Francisco Examiner January

6 1911 5

Lt JC Walker Jr War Prob-

lems to be Solved In Air San

Francisco Examiner January 7

1911 3

Lt Paul W Beck What Army Is

Striving For Opening Day a

Big Success San Francisco Ex-

aminer January 8 1911 76

Lt Paul W Beck Wreck Spoils Wire-

less Experiment San Francisco

Examiner January 11 1911 2

Lt JC Walker Jr Biplanes in

Wind Please Army Man San

Francisco Examiner January 11

1911 2

Lt Paul W Beck Airplane Wire-

less Experiments Today War

Expert Reviews the Aviation

Meet San Francisco Examiner

January 18 1911 2

Lt Paul W Beck Wireless Adds

New Link To War Chain San Francisco Examiner January 22

1911 67

Flashes of Purple Glint From

Aeroplane in the Sky to Earth

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1744

VAA Friends of the Red BarnName______________________________________________________________________EAA ___________ VAA ___________

Address______________________________________________________________________________________________________

CityStateZIP________________________________________________________________________________________________

Phone___________________________________________________E-Mail______________________________________________

Please choose your level of participation

DiamondPlus$1250

Diamond$1000

Platinum$750

Gold$500

Silver$250

Bronze$100

LoyalSupporter$99 amp Under

EAA VIP Center2 peopleFull

Week

VIP Air Show Seating2 people2

Days2 people1

Day

Close Auto Parking Full Week Full Week 2 Days

Two Tickets to VAA Picnic

Tri-Motor Certificate 2 Tickets 2 Tickets 2 Tickets 1 Ticket

Breakfast at Tall Pines Cafeacute2 PeopleFull Wk

2 PeopleFull Wk

2 PeopleFull Wk

1 PersonFull Wk

Special FORB Cap

Two Passes to VAA Volunteer Party

Special FORB Badge

Access to Volunteer Center

Donor Appreciation Certificate

Name Listed Vintage Airplane Magazine Website and Sign at Red Barn

Donrsquot wait for a mailing from VAA HQ before you send in your contributionmdashto keep our administration costs as low as possible wersquore not

sending out a mailingto each VAA member Please send your donation today while itrsquos fresh in your mindPlease help the VAA and our nearly 500 dedicated volunteers make this an unforgettable experience for our EAA AirVenture guestsYour contribution does make a dif ference There are seven levels of gifts and gift recognition Thank you for whatever you can doHere are some of the many activities the Friends of the Red Barn fund under writes

bullRed Barn Information Desk Supplies bullFlightline Parking Scooters and Supplies bullBreakfast for Past Grand Champions

bullParticipant Plaques and Supplies bullVolunteer Booth Administrative Supplies bullSigns Throughout the Vintage Area

bull Ton irsquos Red Car pet Expre ss Van and Rad ios bullRed Barn and Other Building Maintenance bullAnd More

bullCaps for VAA Volunteers bull Tal l Pin es Caf eacute D in ing Ten t

2 11 VAA Friends of the Red Barn Campaign2011 VAA Friends of the Red Barn CampaignThe VAA annual fundraising campaign fuels VAA action

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1844

T

he worldrsquos first regular air-

mail line was operated by

the United States Army

back in 1918 when a fleet

of old Jennies were pushed back

and forth between New York City

and Washington DC a distance

of two hundred and twenty miles

the fields that no self-respecting pi-

lot would take a second look at in

these times But those were the days

of wooden ships and iron men

Chief pilot on the line was a

handsome youth just out of his

teens Lieutenant James C Edger-

ton who had an unusual knack of

gan There were impressive ceremo-

nies political speeches bouquets of

flowers for the flyers and the Presi-

dent of the United States himself

went down to the Polo Grounds

and wished the pilot who was to

carry the mail to New York ldquoGod

speedrdquo Almost as soon as he left

From the Archives Reprinted from Popular Aviation Dec 1935

First Regular

Airmail FlightBY LIEUT H LATANE LEWIS II

The pilot is receiving his last-minute orders before shoving off with the mail Once more old Jenny

makes history

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1944

through with considerable diffi-

culty The pilot scheduled to make

the flight hopped off from Philadel-

phia and pointed the blunt nose of

his Jennie southward toward Wash-ington The checkerboard fields and

streams sliding beneath his wings

soon became a jigsaw puzzle and

one that he couldnrsquot piece together

The flyer realized that he was hope-

lessly lost He barged around for

awhile and finally decided to come

down and ask directions

Landing on the race track atBridgeton New Jersey forty miles

off his course he became involved

with a group of curious

horses which cracked up

the ship The mail was sent

back to Philadelphia by truck and

started out in another plane with

another pilot About thirty milesout his engine began to miss and

as it was getting dark he turned and

high-tailed back to his home field

Jim Edgerton stepped forward

and offered to save the face of the

new service and take the mail on

to Washington in spite of darkness

and a bad engine Night was comingon in earnest by this time If his en-

gine should conk on the trip down

there would be no flares for him to

release and land by nor would he be

able to bail out with a parachute for

this was before the day of the Cater-

pillar Club And at Washington he

would have no floodlights to illu-

minate the Polo Grounds It would

mean coming into that narrow field

which was surrounded by tall trees

in utter darkness

But Jim was an impatient and

adventurous young man so he

cians all through his eventful flying

career He was the least perturbed of

all as he came roaring down from the

north and circled the inky pit into

which he must bring his ship at thespeed of an express train

There were about half a dozen

automobiles parked around the

field and Jim estimated his ap-

proach from their headlights Spec-

tators heard his engine stop then

the shrill scream of the wind on

his struts and wires Then they

caught sight of a ghost-like silhou-ette against the night sky coming

down in a dizzy slideslip An in-

stant later a gray phantom swept

across the field and settled down

to a perfect landing The mail had

come through

Edgerton was the first pilot who

ever flew into a thunderstorm Upto that time flyers all over the world

looked upon electrical storms as a

deadly menace and had avoided

them as they would a plague Or-

ders had been issued that no mail

pilot should take off if weather con-

ditions were unfavorable

At Philadelphia one afternoon

during the middle of July Jim had

his ship tuned up and was ready to

shove off but down towards the

southwest storm clouds were gath-

ering It was against orders to fly

under such conditions Jim fumed

possible and then as he came over

the ldquoSusquehanna River he ran

smack into it It was a violent line

squall the storm most dreaded of

all by aviators and the kind thatsent the mighty Akron and Shenan-

doah down to destruction On the

ground trees were being uprooted

and houses damaged

ldquoIt was the bumpiest ride I ever

had before or sincerdquo chuckles Jim

Edgerton today as he recalls the

vivid impression it left on him

ldquoWe were thrown all over the skyThe rain and hail were so thick that

I couldnrsquot see the wingtips The

propeller was all chewed

up and I had to throttle

down the engine Butrdquo he

adds modestly ldquoI came out right

on the courserdquo

And the mail was landed inWashington on time

That flight and the others like it

that Edgerton made probably did

more than anything else to give the

public confidence in the reliability

of the airmail Frequently he flew

through dense fog and relied en-

tirely on the crude instruments ofthose early days to keep him in the

air On one of these flights he es-

caped death by as narrow a margin

as was ever vouchsafed a pilot

He shoved off in heavy rain and

soon ran into thick weather He

barged on into it flying blind for

awhile and then climbing up on

the top of the stuff It was so thick

that even the birds had to walk Af-

ter about an hour and a half he

decided to try to find the ground

to check his course He was com-

ing down in a fast glide when sud-

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2044

altitude the fog was so thick

it was like being submerged

in pea soup but occasion-

ally there would be a break

and Edgerton would catcha glimpse of the ground and

know where he was

As he passed over Havre

de Grace there suddenly

loomed up dead ahead a

church steeple He was right

on it before he saw it He

banked for all he was worth

standing the old crock rightup on her ear and missed

the steeple by a miracle

But the crowning thr ill

of the day came a little later

as he passed the Army Proving

Ground at Aberdeen

ldquoWe were flying at an altitude of

about 150 feetrdquo Edgerton recallsldquoVisibility was practically nil Sud-

denly there was a terrific bump al-

most as violent as if the plane had

struck something That afternoon

Army authorities at Aberdeen

called up and said that an airplane

had flown over there and almost

collided with a shell fired from a16-inch gunrdquo

Is it any wonder that Edgertonrsquos

hair has turned slightly gray

On another occasion Jim got

caught in a vicious summer thun-

derstorm over Baltimore He was

flying his faithful old mount No

38274 The turbulent air tossed

the frail wooden Jenny about like

a ship on a rough sea One instant

her nose would be pointed straight

toward heaven and the next instant

Jim would see the ground rush-

ing up at him just over the engine

of a lead pencil were spurting out

Soon the whole forward part of the

fuselage was saturated

Jim watched the lightning play-

ing about the metal parts of the

plane and waited for the spark

that would blow him to shreds and

splatter him all over Baltimore But

Lady Luck was riding with him

again and the spark never came

He rode out the storm and brought

had broken and was dangling al-

most in the shining arc of the

propeller If it became entangled

in the prop it would shatter it to

a million splinters and probablytear the engine loose

Throttling down Jim maneu-

vered as best he could to keep

wire and prop from that fatal

embrace Below him were plenty

of flat broad fields into which

he could have glided But that

would mean delaying the mail

so the plucky youngster kept go-ing and finally sat down safely

in Washington

Altogether Edgerton made

fifty-three trips and never failed

to bring the mail through on any

of them On only one did he have

a forced landing

He was over Camp Meade Mary-land when a magneto shaft broke

There was a terrific jolt that almost

jumped the engine out of the ship

For once Jim had to come down

and come down in a hurry He

looked below him and his heart

stood still He was plunging straight

towards the heads of hundreds ofmarching men on parade

Lower and lower sank the help-

less Jenny Edgerton flattened his

glide as much as he dared and tried

to squeeze over the soldiers He was

almost knocking their hats off but

still the Yanks continued to hold

their ground

ldquoI just skimmed over their heads

and landed on the very edge of the

parade groundrdquo Jim laughingly re-

lates ldquoIt was my old outfit and they

certainly gave me a welcomerdquo

It was just a bit demoralizing to

With the mail aboard the pilot proceeds to warm

up the OX-5 which animates the Jenny

Authentic dope on the

controversial subject

ldquoWho flew the firstairmailrdquo In spite of the

many claims to priority by

various pilots we believe

that this is the real

answer to the problem

An old Jenny as usual

does the work

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2144

AirVenture amp Ford Together Again

REO Speedwagon Concert Monday

600PM next to the Ford Hangar

Fly In Theater Nightly Sunday ndash

Saturday 830PM Camp Scholler

Cruisinrsquo Legends See Mustangs and

more Knapp Street near Warbirds

Model T Experience Tour in a Model

T ldquoCruisinrsquo Legendsrdquo

ldquoBlues Brothersrdquo Tribute Party

Saturday 630PM Ford ldquoHangar of Bluesrdquo

Free Ice Cream Nightly in the camp-

grounds ndash from the Transit Connect

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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My son and I spent the better part of

six years restoring an Aeronca 7BCM

Jeff was 13 years old when we started

the project and 19 when we finished

sponds quickly to my urging as I

push the throttle control forward

to begin a low-level no-radio no-

transponder flight from Charles W

time I admit to being spoiled first by

low-frequency ldquobeamsrdquo then VORs

DME RNAV LORAN and now GPS

But for this flight I left all that behind

To Follow the LineThis was the way I had learned navigation to follow the line

BY E JEFF JUSTIS

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE AUTHOR

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Down low it was fun once more

watching the small towns pass

even being able to read the names

on water towers

In north-central Mississippi

there appears a vast forest spread-

ing out beneath my wings an il-

lusory remnant of the gloriouswilderness that once extended

from the East Coast to the Great

Plains Now clear-cutting scars are

evidence of manrsquos meddling graf-

fiti on our planetrsquos face

I am surprised at the hills of

North Mississippi at higher al-

titudes they flatten into the ter-rain but here at 1000 feet above

the ground the hills are alive with

depth and color

My craft and I intruders in his

world pass a circling hawk I look

down and try to see the tiny crea-

ture I am sure he sees but where

he must perceive the slightest rus-tle of the brush I see only patterns

of green and brown and the bright

blue of reflected sky

Enough of this sightseeing I should

have crossed this highway a couple

of miles farther to the north I make a

slight correction Highways They criss-

cross this land cutting it into smaller

and smaller bits these scratches of

man meant little when there were

fewer men but now they separate deer

from deer and life from life

At the edge of a field pebbled by

round bales of hay rests a red tractor Jeff Justis was just 13 when he and his family embarked on the restoration of

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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suppose is the essence of life

Soon the forward horizon bulges

upward as I approach old tectonic

ridges aligned northeast-southwest

near Birmingham The dark greenof the forested ridges contrasts with

the lighter verdant hues of manrsquos

cultivation Ahead a sharp razor-

backed ridge prompts a climb to

3000 feet I teeter across the top and

slide down toward the broad valley

on the eastern side My first land-

ing after one hour and 45 minutes is

welcome As a no-radio aircraft I am

careful to follow the standard pat-

tern and glide down final touching

down on the much-too-long-for-

The-Champ runway of Posey AirportMost cross-country flights in

the rsquo50s were from grass strip to

grass strip A red gas pump would

be brought into service by the col-

orful operatormechanic of these

old aerodromes Aeroncas and

Luscombes were everywhere and

Cessna 195s were the elite air-

planes Now on this ramp my

Aeronca is an anachronism

A King Air is being readied for cor-

porate passengers and my little tail-

dragger is lost on the large apronFortunately we modified the 7BCM

with a starter and generator so I do

not have to find someone to help me

get started In years past almost ev-

ery lineman was proficient in hand-

propping now itrsquos almost a lost art

Soon I am on the way to my

next stop Lagrange Georgia I am

fooled by the appearance of a large

airport an old military field at 12

orsquoclock on the horizon Only when

I get close enough do I realize this is

not the field I am supposed to over-

fly and that I am 10 miles south of

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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ramp taking nearly as long as the

flight itself

The cost of this slow flight is cer-

tainly minimal with fill-ups after

two hours averaging 15 or so dol-

lars Besides the trip has been fun so

far relearning old navigation tricks

and seeing the country down low

Now I have only a few more milesto navigate to Eaglesrsquo Landing The

fly-in community strip is near Wil-

liamson Georgia and just east of a

northeast-southwest-oriented rail-

road I decide to proceed due east

find the railroad and follow it

northeast toward the destination

I cross a highway but see no rail-road A few miles further still no

railroad I must have passed it Af-

ter a 180 I find the highway again

but nohellipwait what is that That is

an abandoned rail line for sure and

it does parallel the road I continue

northeast scanning the horizon

passing pretty fields and housesI locate one airport with houses

neatly lining both sides of the single

runway but it is not Eaglesrsquo Landing

Soon I see Griffin Georgia I have

come too far I ease The Champ into

a bank to try again back down the

rail line andhellipherersquos a golf coursehellip

and yes there are two grass run-

ways meeting in a ldquoVrdquo I circle andmake a low pass over the northwest

runway watching my friends wave

from their yard ldquoWhat a nice place

to liverdquo I think as I line up on final

I glide just above the grass and

A foil tape antenna ground plane was just one of the nifty little touches added

to The Champ as the two Jeffs restored their airplane

Doesnrsquot ever yone use Champ

tail surfaces as decorative ele-

ments in their household dec-orating Mrs Justis is a very

patient woman

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CALIFORNIAHayward CA VIN 29

Meeting 2nd Thurs 600 pm

Hayward Airport

See website for hangar info

Gary Oberti President

Phone 510-357-8600

E-mail infovaa29org

Website wwwvaa29org

CALIFORNIASacramento CA VIN 25

Meeting 2nd Sat 900 am

See chapter website for location

Robert Opdahl President

Phone 530-273-7348

E-mail bopdahlsbcglobalnet

Website wwwVin25org

CAROLINAS VIRGINIAWalnut Cove NC VIN 3

Meeting Contact President

Susan Dusenbury President

Phone 336-591-3931

E-mail sr6sueaolcom

Website wwwVAA3org

FLORIDALakeland FL VIN 1

Meeting Contact President

Bobby Capozzi President

Phone 352-475-9736

INDIANAAuburn IN VIN 37

Meeting 4th Thurs 700 pm

DeKalb County Airport (kGWB)

Hangar AmdashVAA 37 Clubhouse

Drew Hoffman President

Phone 260-515-3525

E-mail drewhoffmanvaa37org

Website wwwVAA37org

KANSASOverland Park KS VIN 16

Meeting 2nd Fri 730 pm

CAF Hangar

New Century Airport

Kevin Pratt President

Phone 913-541-1149

E-mail kprattvaa16com

Website wwwVAA16com

LOUISIANANew Iberia LA VIN 30

Meeting 1st Sun 900 am

LeMaire Memorial Airport Hangar 4

Roland Denison President

Phone 337-365-3047

E-mail vaa30coxnet

MINNESOTAAlbert Lea MN VIN 13

Meeting 2nd Thurs 700 pm

Albert Lea Airport FBO

OHIODelaware OH VIN 27

Meeting 3rd Sat 8-10AM May thru Sept

Delaware Municiple Airport (DLZ)

Terminal Building

Woody McIntire President

Phone 740-362-7228

E-mail wjmcintirecscom

Website wwwEAAdlzorg

OHIOZanesville OH VIN 22

Meeting 2nd Fri 630 pm

Perry County Airport

John Morozowsky President

Phone 740-453-6889

OKLAHOMATulsa OK VIN 10

Meeting 4th Thurs 700 PM

Hardesty South Regional Library

No meetings in July Nov amp Dec

Joe Champagne President

Phone 918-257-4688

Email skypalgroveemailcom

TEXASSpring TX VIN 2

Meeting 4th Sun 200 PM

David Wayne Hooks Airport (KDWH)

Fred Ramin President

Phone 281-255-4430

Vintage Chapter LocatorVisit the VAA chapter nearest you and get to know some great old-airplane enthusiasts You donrsquot need

to be a pilot to join in the funmdashjust have a love of the great airplanes of yesteryear

Chapter 27 of Delaware Ohio hosts a monthly pancake breakfast where attendees enjoy the camara-derie among the airplanes

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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When Albert Vollmecke joined

Arkansas Aircraft Company in Sep-tember 1927 he brought fresh ideas

from his native Germany regarding

aircraft design stability and safety

He would on occasion return to

Germany to bring back something

new for the company In 1928 Ar-

kansas Aircraft Company changed

its name to Command-Aire Incor-porated and the production run

of new ships increased in its Little

Rock Arkansas plant

After one such visit to Ger-

many Vollmecke returned with

the rights to import and sell the

PHYLAX fire-extinguisher system

patented (GB 0267542) March 10

1926 and manufactured in Berlinby Phylax Feuerlosch-Automaten-

Bau GmbH The PHYLAX fire-

extinguisher system consisted of

a tank containing the extinguish-

ing liquid From the tank which

BY ROBERT G LOCK

Early 1047297re-extinguishing system

THE Vintage

Mechanic

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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advertisement from AVIATION

November 1928 using the OX-5

powered model 3C3 ship to dem-

onstrate the system

The PHYLAX system consisted

of a pressurized tank of fluid with

associated lines and nozzles lead-

ing to the engine compartment of

the ship Note here that the unit

is manufactured in t he United

States by the Aero Supply Man-

ufacturing Company located in

Long Island New York The cost

of the unit is $70 in this May 1929

advertisement in an aviation mag-

azine Illustration 2 shows the

manufacturerrsquos advertisement for

the product

In a letter dated April 10 1929

Mr Wiley Wright assistant sales

director for Command-Aire Incor-

porated wrote

ldquoCommand-Aire Incorporated

acquired the exclusive franchise

rights for PHYLAX automatic fire

extinguishers in the United States

Mexico and Central America This

extinguisher is the only automatic

fire extinguisher available and is

standard equipment on many Eu-

ropean lines It is manufactured

by PHYLAX Bau of Germany and

is receiving great response in the

United States at the present timerdquo

In this factory Illustration 3

and from the files of Albert Voll-

mecke is a 110-hp Warner engine

mounted in the Command-Aire

model 3C3-A ship Note the en-

gine cowling being neatly fitted

around cylinders and associated

tubes The 3C3-A had a very longnose due to its light weight ne-

ce s s i ta t ing a longer a rm f or

weight and balance control In

this photo the PHYLAX sprinkler

heads are visible behind the mag-

netos down near the carburetor

and behind the oil inlet hoses on

the accessory case of the engineIllustration 3 is an original fac-

tory photograph of the PHYLAX

system installed in the nose of a

model 3C3-A

Illustration 4 is the same photo-

graph with some details removed

and other details added princi-

pally the identification of the PHY-LAX automatic fuse that fired the

bottle of extinguishing fluid and

the sprinkler heads These illustra-

tions taken from a Command-Aire

original factory brochure from the

files of Albert Vollmecke

Illustration 5 on page 27 is a

sketch from the PHYLAX patent

0267542 dated March 10 1926A general description of the PHY-

LAX system is contained within

the patent and states ldquoThe inven-

tion relates to a fire extinguishing

device intended for use particu-

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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not indicate what type of extinguishing fluid was

contained within the tank however soda-acid was

widely used in those days and carbon tetrachloridewas invented in 1912 by the Pyrene Company

In a communication from Command-Aire Pres-

ident Robert Snowden regarding the purchase of

stock options in the company he states ldquoOur ex-

clusive franchise for the sale of Phylax automatic

Illustration 3

Illustration 4

Illustration 5

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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homeland on a regular basis and

always brought back some new in-

vention or new ideas on design andsafety This system was certainly

ahead of its time safety-wise and a

credit to Vollmeckersquos focus on sta-

bility and safety for his designs

Above in this original factory

photograph (Illustration 6) of a

Command-Aire 3C3-T fuselage on

the assembly line at the Little Rock

plant the PHYLAX system can beseen mounted in the rear cock-

pit just behind the front seat in

the center of the photograph The

chemical bottles with two lines

tied to the side tubes run forward

Illustration 6

Pyrene 1047297re extinguishers

were made of brass and

were nicely polished

They were not high-pressure units

but required the use of a hand pump

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Pyrene fire extinguishers were

made of brass and were nicely pol-

ished They were not high-pressureunits but required the use of a

hand pump to generate pressure

to expel liquid from the cylinder

These extinguishers were gener-

ally mounted in the rear cockpit

ton or linen fabric and the only

dope available was cellulose ni-

trate that burned like a torch when

lit Watching nitrate dope burn

reminded me of a Fourth of July

sparkler very intense and hot If

a nitrate-doped ship caught fire in

the air there was no extinguisher

that would put out the flames

The PHYLAX system had an auto-

matic sensor that would trigger the

bottlersquos valve open and send the

chemical into the engine compart-

ment The Pyrene extinguisher wasmore for ground use because you

could not operate the bottle and

fly the airplane at the same time

By todayrsquos standards these ex-

tinguishing systems seem ar-

chaic but for the time back in

the 1920s they were the thing to

have in your automobile boator airplane

Editorrsquos Note WARNING An-

tique carbon tetrachloride fire extin-

guishers like the Pyrene occasionally

show up either contaminated with

the original agent or worse yet with

the full charge of agent still inside

Carbon tet is treated as a hazard-

ous substance (its use was banned

in consumer products in 1970) and

should be dealt with accordingly

In fact carbon tetrachloride when

heated by a fire will create poison-

ous phosgene gas (World War Irsquos

ldquonerve gasrdquo) something that would

definitely ruin someonersquos day if the

fire hadnrsquot done so already In its

standard form this substance is verytoxic to the liver and a single signifi-

cant exposure can result in sickness

or death

L a n g l ey may have been the

f h f i i i b

last and last The instruction

l i l d f

1903 Samuel Pierpont Langleyrsquos ldquoAerodromerdquoattempts to take off from a floating platform

Have a comment or ques-

tion for Bob Lock the Vintage

Mechanic Drop us an e-mail at

vintageaircrafteaaorg or you

can mail your question to Vintage

Airplane PO Box 3086 Osh-

kosh WI 54903

Illustration 7

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Authorrsquos Note We held a small open house at the

flight school hangar this past Saturday Though the

weather was not conducive to give many rides we still

had about 60 people show up enjoy a brat or ham-

burger and talk about flying or learning to fly Interest

in flying is not dead One of my pet peeves is how we

in general aviation go about attracting individuals tolearn the pleasure of flight

Nearly every aviation publication I read carries ar-

ticles and editorials about the downward spiral of gen-

eral aviation Flight schools are having a hard time

attracting new students ldquoDoom and gloomrdquo reigns

with little positive to report on the horizon This al-

ways reminds me of the proverbial three wise mon-keys who embody the principle ldquoSee no evil hear no

evil and speak no evilrdquo We all complain about the

problem but no one ever offers solutions It seems as

though by not doing anything about the challenge it

will eventually go away and right itself

Many of the aviation organizations are wringing

their respective hands giving great lip service to the

drop in pilot numbers Some like EAA have launched

activities to attract new pilots such as the Young Ea-gles program This has been a good start but it will not

fill the ever-increasing void for more pilots

What are we all missing FUN

Four years ago I chose early retirement from a 38-

The student make-up is a real cross-section of Amer-

ica My youngest student to date began flight lessons

at age 14 and the oldest was 77 years young Irsquove men-

tioned some of my students in previous articles At

yearrsquos end 2010 while converting our student files

from paper to computer I was amazed to discover that

in the previous two years I had given instruction tomore than 200 individuals Some were new students

others were individuals in search of a tailwheel en-

dorsement and many were older individuals who had

pursued flight training early in their lives but gave it

up to raise a family Now they had the time and still re-

tained the burning desire to get back into flying What

attracted these individuals to the flight school FUN

And thefun

challenge of flying J-3 Cubs

Herersquos a small cross-section of this yearrsquos group

of students

bullA retired US Navy lieutenant who flew F-4 Phan-

toms off carriers in Vietnam He hasnrsquot done any fly-

ing in more than 10 years but hersquos been building a

Skybolt which will soon be finished and hersquos return-

ing to his lifelong lovemdashaviation He also has two

young sons who want to fly and will soon be joining

the group of student pilotsbullA young CPA from Iowa whose grandfather was a

friend of Bernie Pietenpol and who has built two Piets

The CPA used two weeks of his vacation time to learn

to fly so that he can fly the airplane(s) that his grandfa-

ther built and take his grandfather for a ride

BY Steve Krog CFI

THE Vintage

Instructor

Vintage flying is very much alive

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Cubs flying every day he decided to pursue his pas-

sion for flight

bullA national chain hardware store employee who

has had a dream of flying driving nearly two hours

each way to learn to fly in a Cub

bullAn aviation writervideo producer who already has

a sport pilot certificate but desires to obtain a private

pilot certificate and do so in Cubs

bullA 30-something young family man who sells

construction equipment attachments While deer

hunting a year ago he learned one of his hunting

friends had recently learned to fly in Cubs For three

days they talked airplanes and flying rather than do-

ing much hunting Upon his return from the hunt-ing trip he drove to the airport and signed up for

lessons in the Cub

bullA professional musician from the Chicago area

who always wanted to learn to fly Although not yet

old enough to have a true ldquobucket listrdquo learning to fly

a Cub was number one on his list

With two exceptions these individuals had never

before flown or flown in tailwheel airplanes but alwayshad a dream of learning to fly in a Cubmdashjust like dad

or granddad did many years ago

Although no one in this group comes from simi-

lar backgrounds or professions there is one common

denominator among every studentmdashFUN None of

these students are learning to fly to pursue a career

in aviation (although Irsquove worked with a couple who

have done so) Rather they are learning to fly or get-

ting back into flying for the FUN and CHALLENGE of

flight They all have a true love of flight and seeing the

world from 500 feet with the door and window open

I have also worked with a number of students who

began taking flight lessons but quit after a period of

time They still had the passion for flight but gave it

up When asked why the responses fell into one of the

following four categories

bullI began taking lessons but after three or four les-sons Irsquod be assigned to a different instructor After 30

hours of dual three instructors and still not having

soloed I quit

bullThe instructor wasnrsquot teaching me anything He

was more interested in building time than teaching

Take a moment and think about how you first be-

came interested in airplanes What triggered your

pursuit of learning to fly Did you have a buddy or

maybe a family friend who encouraged you Or even

became a mentor Do you remember your first flight

lesson Do you remember the day you made your

first solo flight

Remember that passion and sense of accomplish-

ment Donrsquot hesitate to share it with anyone express-

ing an interest in learning to fly

At Cub Air Flight we sell FUN When individuals

visit the airport to inquire about learning to fly we

know they have made the commitment in their own

mind It then becomes our responsibility to makethe visit friendly A friendly environment is a FUN

environment Kids are always welcome If a prospec-

tive student has children with him or her we invite

the kids to sit in the planes At the conclusion of our

discussion we emphasize the following statement If

you learn to fly with us it will be FUN CHALLENG-

ING and SAFE

I donrsquot believe there is a shortage of pilot prospectsbut there is a shortage in how we all go about attract-

ing these people to become active participants in plea-

sure flying Remember flying is FUN Letrsquos make an

effort to help others share in that FUN

AERO CLASSICldquoCOLLECTOR SERIESrdquo

Vintage Tires New USA Production

Show off your pride and joy with afresh set of Vintage Rubber Thesenewly minted tires are FAA-TSOrsquodand speed rated to 120 MPH Some

things are better left the way theywere and in the 40rsquos and 50rsquos these tires were perfectly intune to the exciting times in aviation

Not only do these tires set your vintage plane apart fromthe rest but also look exceptional on all General Aviationaircraft Deep 832nd tread depth offers above averagetread life and UV treated rubber resists aging

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3444

We enjoy your suggestions for

Mystery Planesmdashin fact more than

half of our subjects are sent to us by

members often via e-mail Please

remember that if you want to scan

the photo for use in Mystery Plane

it must be at a resolution of 300 dpior greater You may send a lower-

resolution version to us for our re-

view but the final version has to be

at that level of detail or it will not

print properly Also please let us

craft in the photo is of Canadian civil

registry CF-BXO formerly Royal Cana-

dian Air Force (RCAF) 920 This photo-

graph would have been taken at some

time between 1962 and 1967 after an

overhaul at Abbotsford British Colum-

bia (BC) and possibly while in servicewith Stranraer Aerial Enterprises The

location strongly resembles the Fraser

River dockings at the Vancouver air-

port The aircraft had undergone a re-

spray with a bright red cheat line The

(beaching gear required) for the Royal Air

Force (RAF) in 1933 The prototype first

flew in October 1934 with two Bristol

Pegasus IIIM engines rated at 820 hp

The production aircraft were delivered to

the RAF with Pegasus engines delivering

920 hp entering service in April 1937The British-built machines of which 23

were ordered and only 17 being built

were all delivered by April 1939

In Canada Canadian Vickers Lim-

ited of Montreal Quebec produced 40

Send your answer to EAA Vin-

tage Airplane PO Box 3086 Osh-

kosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer

needs to be in no later than August

20 for inclusion in the October

2011 issue of Vintage Airplane

You can also send your response via

e-mail Send your answer to mystery

planeeaaorg Be sure to include your

name plus your city and state in the

body of your note and put ldquo(Month)

Mystery Planerdquo in the subject line

This monthrsquos Mystery Plane comes to us from Bruce Voran

MYSTERY PLANE

by HG FRAUTSCHY

A P R I L rsquo S M Y S T E RY A N S W E R

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3544

QCA began buying several examplesand was instrumental in convincing

the Canadian Department of Transport

(DOT) to issue a civilian Certificate of

Airworthiness (C of A) One of the first

aircraft so issued was CF-BYI which be-

1980 the Canadian Museum of Flightand Transportation in BC salvaged the

wreck for possible restoration As late as

April 1952 QCA still had two Stranraer

in service CF-BXO and CF-BYM Pacific

Western Airlines (PWA) also operated

Two RAF Belfast freighters were dis-

patched and the disassembled aircraft

was transported to the United Kingdomwhere the machine is currently one of the

centerpieces of the collection

The aircraft type had many names

The most familiar (and printable) were

Stranny Strainer and Flying Meccano

Set The least affectionate was the Whis-

tling Shouse as when the lid to the

throne was lifted there was direct access

to the great outdoors and there emitted a

loud whistling noise

Other correct answers were re-

ceived from Hillis Cunliffe Mill-

brook Alabama Brian Baker Sun

City Arizona Wesley R Smith

Springfield Illinois John White-

head Cheyenne Wyoming ScottChurch Cochrane Alberta Can-

ada Jay Broze Walla Walla Wash-

ington Jerry Paterson Kent

Washington Jamie Patterson Mi-

ramichi New Brunswick Canada

Bill Bishop of Mulgoa New South Wales Australia sent along this photo

of the surviving Supermarine Stranraer

David Nixon supplied us with the April Mystery Plane shot of CF-BXO

a Canadian Vickers-built Supermarine Stranraer

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3644

urday 8 am until 6 pm Early-bird

arrivals can shop on the pre-conven-

tion weekend as well during limited

hours Show your VAA membership

card (or your receipt showing you

joined VAA at the convention) and

yoursquoll receive a 10 percent discount

VAA Volunteer Opportunities

Are you an ace pancake flipperIf yoursquore not one yet we can help

The VAA Tall Pines Cafeacute is looking

for volunteers who can help provide

a hearty breakfast to all the hungry

campers on the south end of Witt-

man Field If you could lend a hand

for a morning or two wersquod appreci-

ate it If thatrsquos not your cup of tea feelfree to check with the VAA Volunteer

Center located just to the northeast

of the VAA Red Barn The volun-

teers who operate the booth will be

happy to tell you when your help is

needed each day It doesnrsquot matter if

itrsquos just for a few hours or for a few

daysmdashwersquod love to have your help-

ing hands There is no need for you

to contact us ahead of time you can

talk with us when you arrive

VAA Judging Categoriesand Awards

The VAArsquos internationally recog-

nized judging categories are

bullAntique Aircraft built prior toSeptember 1 1945

bullClassic September 1 1945 - De-

cember 31 1955

bullContemporary January 1 1956

- December 31 1970

VAA NEWScontinued frpm page 5

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3744

the award winners Judging closes at noon on Friday

July 29 The Awards Ceremony will be held Saturday

evening July 30 at 6 pm in the Vintage Hangar

just south of the VAA Red Barn

Designated Smoking Areas Near FlightlineSmoking on the flightline at EAA AirVenture is prohib-

ited because itrsquos a hazard to all aircraft There are several

designated smoking areas with butt cans along the flight-

line well away from aircraft and refueling operations

Designated smoking areas will be south of the ultra-light runway near the Hangar Cafeacute near the Warbirdsarea (northeast corner of Audrey Lane and Eide Av-

enue) the Wearhouse flag pole area the shade pavil-ion north of the control tower and near the UltralightBarn Locations will be indicated on EAArsquos free con-vention grounds map The admission wristband alsoinstructs visitors that smoking is allowed only in desig-nated smoking areas

More on the Web

Visit wwwAirVentureorg for more information onEAA AirVenture 2011

EAA AirVenture Is Almost Here Are You Ready

Just a few short weeks from now many of you will

make the annual pilgrimage to Oshkosh for EAA Air-

Venture 2011 Are you ready Here are several handy

online tools on the AirVenture website that can help

you take care of any last-minute concerns

Visit wwwAirVentureorg and find out what you

need to know about The Worldrsquos Greatest Avia-

tion Celebration

Admission Parking Hours

wwwAirVentureorgplanningadmissionhtml

Find or Share a Ride to Oshkosh

wwwAirVentureorgrideshare

Site Map

wwwAirVentureorgplanningschedules_mapshtml

Where to Stay

Yoursquore cleared to stay connected

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3844

ship services at 800-564-6322 but

given the time from when you read

this until AirVenture it may not ar-

rive in the mail in time for your de-

parture We suggest downloading

the NOTAM

The NOTAM contains the specialflight procedures in effect for Witt-

man Regional Airport and alternate

airports from 6 am CDT on Friday

July 22 to 12 pm CDT on Mon-

day August 1 2011 All pilots who

fly into the event are expected to

know the special flight procedures

prior to arrival EAA AirVenture Os-

hkosh runs from July 25 through

July 31 For additional EAA AirVen-

ture Oshkosh 2011 information

visit wwwAirVentureorg

Call for VAA Hall of

Fame Nominations

To the left is our information

for nominations for VAArsquos Hallof Fame which is presented each

year during a special dinner This

yearrsquos dinner will be held Friday

October 28 Wersquoll have more on

this yearrsquos inductee John Under-

To nominate someone is easy It just takes a little time and a little reminiscing on your part

Mail nominating materials to

Remember your ldquocontemporaryrdquo may be a candidate nominate someone today

wwwVintageAircraftorg

CALL FOR VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

Nominations

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3944

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

Wit tman Regional A i rpor t (OSH)

Oshkosh Wisconsin

July 25-31 2011

wwwAirVentureorg

Colorado Sport International Air Show

and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In

Rocky Mountain Met ropol i tan A irpor t (BJC)

Denver Colorado

August 27-28 2011

wwwCOSportAviationorg

Mid-Eastern Regional Fly-In

Gr imes F ie ld A irpor t (I74)

Urbana Ohio

September 10-11 2011

httpMERFIcom

Copperstate Fly-In

Casa Grande Munic ipal A i rpor t (CGZ)

Casa Grande Ar izona

Upcoming Major

Fly-Ins

W I N

Only 2000 ticketswill be sold1 ticket $50

3 tickets $125

Piper Tri-Pacer Airplane

Free Flying Lessons

Free Pilot License

Country Legend Roy Clarkrsquos Personal Proceeds fromthis raffle

SAVEAMERICANKIDS LIVES

wwwwingsofhoperaffleorg

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4044

MISCELLANEOUS

wwwaerolistorg Aviationsrsquo Leading

Marketplace

Rare find Lycoming 0-145 partsinventory blocks bearings rings

shafts amp much more $20000

at 1970 prices $5000 Six four

cylinder case aircraft magnetos

$300 Call for more details (FL)

VINTAGETRADER

Someth ing t o buyse l l o r t rade

Classified Word Ads $550 per 10

words 180 words maximum with boldface

lead-in on first line

Classified Display Ads One column wide

(2167 inches) by 1 2 or 3 inches high at

$20 per inch Black and white only and nofrequency discounts

Advertising Closing Dates 10th of second

month prior to desired issue date (ie

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 (classads

eaaorg ) using credit card payment (all cards

accepted) Include name on card complete

address type of card card number and

expiration date Make checks payable to EAA

Address advertising correspondence to EAA

Publications Classified Ad Manager PO Box

3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

What Our Members

Are Restoring

Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done and

yoursquore busy flying and showing it off If so wersquod like to hear from

you Send us a 4-by-6-inch print from a commercial source (no

home printers please those prints just donrsquot scan well) or a

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4144

EAAMembership in the Experimental Aircraft

Association Inc is $40 for one year includ-ing 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION Familymembership is an additional $10 annually Allmajor credit cards accepted for membership(Add $16 for International Postage)

FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPSPlease submit your remittance with a

check or draft drawn on a United Statesbank payable in United States dollars Addrequired Foreign Postage amount for eachmembership

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATIONCurrent EAA members may join the

Vintage Aircraft Association and receive

year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not included)(Add $7 for International Postage)

WARBIRDSCurrent EAA members may join the EAA

Warbirds of America Division and receiveWARBIRDS magazine for an additional$45 per year

EAA Membership WARBIRDS mag-azine and one year membership in theWarbirds Division is available for $55 per

year (SPORT OficAVIATION magazinenot included) (Add $7 for Interna-tional Postage)

IACCurrent EAA members may join the

International Aerobatic Club Inc Divi-sion and receive SPORT AEROBATICS magazine for an additional $45 per year

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

VINTAGE

AIRCRAFT

ASSOCIATION

OFFICERS

DIRECTORS

DIRECTORS

EMERITUS

PresidentGeoff Robison

1521 E MacGregor DrNew Haven IN 46774

260-493-4724chief7025aolcom

Vice-PresidentGeorge Daubner

N57W34837 Pondview LnOconomowoc WI 53066

262-560-1949 gdaubnereaaorg

Steve Bender85 Brush Hill Road

Sherborn MA 01770508-653-7557

sst10comcastnet

David Bennett375 Killdeer Ct

Lincoln CA 95648916-952-9449

antiquerinreachcom

Jerry Brown4605 Hickory Wood Row

Greenwood IN 46143317-422-9366

lbrown4906aolcom

Dave Clark635 Vestal Lane

Plainfield IN 46168317-839-4500davecpdattnet

John S Copeland1A Deacon Street

Northborough MA 01532508-393-4775

copeland1junocom

Phil Coulson28415 Springbrook Dr

Lawton MI 49065269-624-6490

rcoulson516cscom

Dale A Gustafson7724 Shady Hills Dr

Indianapolis IN 46278317-293-4430

dalefayemsncom

Jeannie HillPO Box 328

Harvard IL 60033-0328815-943-7205

Espie ldquoButchrdquo Joyce704 N Regional Rd

Greensboro NC 27409336-668-3650

windsockaolcom

Steve Krog1002 Heather Ln

Hartford WI 53027262-966-7627sskrogaolcom

Robert D ldquoBobrdquo Lumley1265 South 124th StBrookfield WI 53005

262-782-2633rlumley1wirrcom

SH ldquoWesrdquo Schmid2359 Lefeber Avenue

Wauwatosa WI 53213414-771-1545

shschmidgmailcom

Robert C Brauer9345 S Hoyne

Chicago IL 60643773-779-2105

photopilotaolcom

Gene Chase2159 Carlton Rd

Oshkosh WI 54904920-231-5002

GRCHAcharternet

Ronald C Fritz15401 Sparta Ave

Kent City MI 49330616-678-5012

rFritzpathwaynet com

Charlie HarrisPO Box 470350Tulsa OK 74147

918-622-8400cwhhvsucom

EE ldquoBuckrdquo Hilbert8102 Leech RdUnion IL 60180

815-923-4591buck7acgmailcom

Gene Morris5936 Steve Court

Roanoke TX 76262817-491-9110

genemor rischarter net

Membership Services DirectoryEnjoy the many benefits of EAA and

EAArsquos Vintage Aircraft Association

EAA Aviation Center PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086Phone (920) 426-4800 Fax (920) 426-4873Web Sites wwwvintageaircraftorg wwwairventureorg wwweaaorgmemberbenefits E-Mail vintageaircrafteaaorg

EAA and Division Membership Services (800 AMndash600 PM MondayndashFriday CST)800-564-6322 FAX 920-426-4873 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

bullNewrenew memberships bullAddress changes bullMerchandise sales bullGift memberships

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 888-322-4636 wwwairventureorg airventureeaaorg

Sport PilotLight-Sport Aircraft Hotline 877-359-1232 wwwsportpilotorg sportpiloteaaorg

Programs and Activities

Auto Fuel STCs 920-426-4843 stceaaorg EAA Air Academy 920-426-6880 wwwairacademyorg airacademyeaaorg

EAA Scholarships 920-426-6823 scholarshipseaaorg

Library ServicesResearch 920-426-4848 slurveyeaaorg

Benefits

AUA Vintage Insurance Plan 800-727-3823 wwwauaonlinecom

EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan 866-647-4322 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

EAA VISA Card 800-853-5576 ext 8884

EAA Her tz Rent-A-Car Program 800-654-2200 wwweaaorghertz membershipeaaorg

VAA EditorialExecutive Director 920-426-4825 wwwvintageaircraftorg vintageeaaorg

VAA Office 920-426-6110 tbookseaaorg

TM

EAA Members Information Line 888-EAA-INFO (322-4636)

Use this toll-free number for information about AirVenture Oshkosh aeromedical and technical aviation questions

chapters and Young Eagles Please have your membership number ready when calling

Office hours are 815 am - 500 pm (Monday - Friday CST)

SecretarySteve Nesse

2009 Highland AveAlbert Lea MN 56007

507-373-1674

stnes2009livecom

TreasurerDan Knutson

106 Tena Marie CircleLodi WI 53555608-592-7224

lodicubcharternet

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4244

If yoursquove ever watched fish in

an aquarium yoursquove probably no-

ticed how they respond differently

to their surroundings There are

those that zip around the tank in a

mad dash to nowhere Some seem

to sit and not go much of any-

where and some will swim f romone end to the other turn around

and do it again

The latter are the ones that remind

me of myself I seem to fly in a fish-

bowl I go from one end of our val-

proficient by practicing things we

know over and over or it can make

us lazy When something becomes

so ingrained that we do it from habit

only we may not be thinking about

what wersquore doing

On a night cross-country some

time ago I found out just how easyit is to forget things that I hadnrsquot

used in a while While night may be

a little more challenging it still re-

quires the basic pre-flight planning

of any cross-country and following

whether I go far or stay in the com-

fort zone I canrsquot let complacency take

over Those skills and experiences

need to be stretched from time to

time regardless of where I fly An un-

expected situation or emergency is a

bad time to find out I donrsquot remem-

ber how to do somethingComplacency also allows fear

to creep in where it doesnrsquot belong

Some fear (I think) is a natural part of

flying but it can also unnecessarily

keep us grounded because we wonrsquot

BY S MICHELLE SOUDER

Flying Outside

the Fishbowl

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4344

Itrsquos gonna be a big year at Oshk osh

B-29 Superfortress ldquoFIFIrdquo

The first visit since 1995for the worldrsquos only airworthyB-29 Superfortress

REO SpeedwagonOshkosh rocks Monday duringthe opening day concert presentedby Ford Motor Company

Tribute to Bob HooverTuesday afternoon air showfeaturing aircraft and maneuvershe made legendary

eVentureInnovation will be on displayand in the air with the ElectricFlight Prize Competition

Join us for a week-long celebration of the Centennial of Naval Aviationincluding a special air show Wednesday See the hottest naval aircraftin historic colors all week on ConocoPhillips Plaza

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4444

Page 16: Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1644

shadowed all the other historic firsts

achieved at the meet

Beck described the sensation of fly-

ing at 800 feet like this

ldquoWhirring propellers throb-

bing pistons and machine-

gun-like gasoline explosions

deafened you while tears bit-

ter tears were forced from your

eyes by the back rush of air and

you have a slight conception

how it feels to rival the eagle in a

Wright biplanerdquo

He had used in his own words

ldquoa rough makeshift affair weighing

thirty-two poundsrdquo It consisted of

a ldquosmall gap and interrupter an or-

dinary telegraph key a small storage

cellrdquo and a shunt ldquoto prevent over-

charging of the cellrdquo The entire de-vice was contained in a wooden box

that he carried on his lap The aerial

used for the experiment was a 120-

foot bronze wire trailing the plane

connected to the ldquosending appara-

tus by a number sixteen copper wirerdquo

The whole gizmo was grounded to a

stay wire on the aircraft connectedldquoto the sending apparatusrdquo Beck ex-

plained ldquoThe wave length measured

by the wave meter at the receiving

station was 575 meters in length This

is rather longer than we had thought

it would berdquo

Simultaneous to Beckrsquos experi-

ment Charlie Willard (another

pioneer aviator) unsuccessfully at-

tempted to send a wireless message

using a different set According to

Beck ldquoHis outfit weighed a trifle less

than the one which I used and his

antenna wire was a trifle longerrdquo Ac-

ldquoengine is practically noiseless when

comparedrdquo with the other planes at

the air meet ldquoSilencerdquo wrote Beck ldquois

an essential factor to the successful

reading of telegraphic codes or thesuccessful undertaking of human

speech by wireless telephonerdquo

Of great concern to the experi-

mentrsquos sponsors was the fact that an

ldquoelectrical dischargerdquo was involved in

the actual receiving of the message

from the ground Thus it was of ldquogreat

importance that the gasoline tank be

thoroughly insulated in order to pre-vent possible ignition from a sparkrdquo

Avoiding such an aerial catastrophe

was to be overcome by using ldquoone of

the guy wires on the Antoinette ma-

chine as the static ground and to drag

from the tail of the airship an alumi-

num wire of great capacity and weigh-

ing less than two pounds though 130feet in length as the antennardquo

Unfortunately as Beck told it ldquothe

god or gods of the elementsrdquo stepped

in On this particular day being ldquoaloft

was dangerous to life and limbrdquo

Lathamrsquos beautiful Antoinette mono-

plane was demolished in an accident

Latham survived the crash but a mere12 months later he died a mysterious

death in the French Congo

Beck understood that aviation was

in its infancy and that ldquowe must creep

before we walkrdquo While the experi-

ment to send a message had failed

due to an air wreck Beck concluded

it had been ldquoreduced to a mere ques-

tion of providing mechanical devices

for deadening the sound of the pro-

pellers shutting out the noise of the

rushing wind and providing some

simple means for placing the received

message in written form on some

Sources

Chief Warrant Officer Mark J

Denger Dominguez Inter-

national Air Meet California

Aviation History wwwMilitary- MuseumorgDominguezhtml

Lt Paul W Beck Aviation Meet

From War Viewpoint How

Army and Navy Will Take Part

San Francisco Examiner January

6 1911 5

Lt JC Walker Jr War Prob-

lems to be Solved In Air San

Francisco Examiner January 7

1911 3

Lt Paul W Beck What Army Is

Striving For Opening Day a

Big Success San Francisco Ex-

aminer January 8 1911 76

Lt Paul W Beck Wreck Spoils Wire-

less Experiment San Francisco

Examiner January 11 1911 2

Lt JC Walker Jr Biplanes in

Wind Please Army Man San

Francisco Examiner January 11

1911 2

Lt Paul W Beck Airplane Wire-

less Experiments Today War

Expert Reviews the Aviation

Meet San Francisco Examiner

January 18 1911 2

Lt Paul W Beck Wireless Adds

New Link To War Chain San Francisco Examiner January 22

1911 67

Flashes of Purple Glint From

Aeroplane in the Sky to Earth

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1744

VAA Friends of the Red BarnName______________________________________________________________________EAA ___________ VAA ___________

Address______________________________________________________________________________________________________

CityStateZIP________________________________________________________________________________________________

Phone___________________________________________________E-Mail______________________________________________

Please choose your level of participation

DiamondPlus$1250

Diamond$1000

Platinum$750

Gold$500

Silver$250

Bronze$100

LoyalSupporter$99 amp Under

EAA VIP Center2 peopleFull

Week

VIP Air Show Seating2 people2

Days2 people1

Day

Close Auto Parking Full Week Full Week 2 Days

Two Tickets to VAA Picnic

Tri-Motor Certificate 2 Tickets 2 Tickets 2 Tickets 1 Ticket

Breakfast at Tall Pines Cafeacute2 PeopleFull Wk

2 PeopleFull Wk

2 PeopleFull Wk

1 PersonFull Wk

Special FORB Cap

Two Passes to VAA Volunteer Party

Special FORB Badge

Access to Volunteer Center

Donor Appreciation Certificate

Name Listed Vintage Airplane Magazine Website and Sign at Red Barn

Donrsquot wait for a mailing from VAA HQ before you send in your contributionmdashto keep our administration costs as low as possible wersquore not

sending out a mailingto each VAA member Please send your donation today while itrsquos fresh in your mindPlease help the VAA and our nearly 500 dedicated volunteers make this an unforgettable experience for our EAA AirVenture guestsYour contribution does make a dif ference There are seven levels of gifts and gift recognition Thank you for whatever you can doHere are some of the many activities the Friends of the Red Barn fund under writes

bullRed Barn Information Desk Supplies bullFlightline Parking Scooters and Supplies bullBreakfast for Past Grand Champions

bullParticipant Plaques and Supplies bullVolunteer Booth Administrative Supplies bullSigns Throughout the Vintage Area

bull Ton irsquos Red Car pet Expre ss Van and Rad ios bullRed Barn and Other Building Maintenance bullAnd More

bullCaps for VAA Volunteers bull Tal l Pin es Caf eacute D in ing Ten t

2 11 VAA Friends of the Red Barn Campaign2011 VAA Friends of the Red Barn CampaignThe VAA annual fundraising campaign fuels VAA action

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1844

T

he worldrsquos first regular air-

mail line was operated by

the United States Army

back in 1918 when a fleet

of old Jennies were pushed back

and forth between New York City

and Washington DC a distance

of two hundred and twenty miles

the fields that no self-respecting pi-

lot would take a second look at in

these times But those were the days

of wooden ships and iron men

Chief pilot on the line was a

handsome youth just out of his

teens Lieutenant James C Edger-

ton who had an unusual knack of

gan There were impressive ceremo-

nies political speeches bouquets of

flowers for the flyers and the Presi-

dent of the United States himself

went down to the Polo Grounds

and wished the pilot who was to

carry the mail to New York ldquoGod

speedrdquo Almost as soon as he left

From the Archives Reprinted from Popular Aviation Dec 1935

First Regular

Airmail FlightBY LIEUT H LATANE LEWIS II

The pilot is receiving his last-minute orders before shoving off with the mail Once more old Jenny

makes history

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1944

through with considerable diffi-

culty The pilot scheduled to make

the flight hopped off from Philadel-

phia and pointed the blunt nose of

his Jennie southward toward Wash-ington The checkerboard fields and

streams sliding beneath his wings

soon became a jigsaw puzzle and

one that he couldnrsquot piece together

The flyer realized that he was hope-

lessly lost He barged around for

awhile and finally decided to come

down and ask directions

Landing on the race track atBridgeton New Jersey forty miles

off his course he became involved

with a group of curious

horses which cracked up

the ship The mail was sent

back to Philadelphia by truck and

started out in another plane with

another pilot About thirty milesout his engine began to miss and

as it was getting dark he turned and

high-tailed back to his home field

Jim Edgerton stepped forward

and offered to save the face of the

new service and take the mail on

to Washington in spite of darkness

and a bad engine Night was comingon in earnest by this time If his en-

gine should conk on the trip down

there would be no flares for him to

release and land by nor would he be

able to bail out with a parachute for

this was before the day of the Cater-

pillar Club And at Washington he

would have no floodlights to illu-

minate the Polo Grounds It would

mean coming into that narrow field

which was surrounded by tall trees

in utter darkness

But Jim was an impatient and

adventurous young man so he

cians all through his eventful flying

career He was the least perturbed of

all as he came roaring down from the

north and circled the inky pit into

which he must bring his ship at thespeed of an express train

There were about half a dozen

automobiles parked around the

field and Jim estimated his ap-

proach from their headlights Spec-

tators heard his engine stop then

the shrill scream of the wind on

his struts and wires Then they

caught sight of a ghost-like silhou-ette against the night sky coming

down in a dizzy slideslip An in-

stant later a gray phantom swept

across the field and settled down

to a perfect landing The mail had

come through

Edgerton was the first pilot who

ever flew into a thunderstorm Upto that time flyers all over the world

looked upon electrical storms as a

deadly menace and had avoided

them as they would a plague Or-

ders had been issued that no mail

pilot should take off if weather con-

ditions were unfavorable

At Philadelphia one afternoon

during the middle of July Jim had

his ship tuned up and was ready to

shove off but down towards the

southwest storm clouds were gath-

ering It was against orders to fly

under such conditions Jim fumed

possible and then as he came over

the ldquoSusquehanna River he ran

smack into it It was a violent line

squall the storm most dreaded of

all by aviators and the kind thatsent the mighty Akron and Shenan-

doah down to destruction On the

ground trees were being uprooted

and houses damaged

ldquoIt was the bumpiest ride I ever

had before or sincerdquo chuckles Jim

Edgerton today as he recalls the

vivid impression it left on him

ldquoWe were thrown all over the skyThe rain and hail were so thick that

I couldnrsquot see the wingtips The

propeller was all chewed

up and I had to throttle

down the engine Butrdquo he

adds modestly ldquoI came out right

on the courserdquo

And the mail was landed inWashington on time

That flight and the others like it

that Edgerton made probably did

more than anything else to give the

public confidence in the reliability

of the airmail Frequently he flew

through dense fog and relied en-

tirely on the crude instruments ofthose early days to keep him in the

air On one of these flights he es-

caped death by as narrow a margin

as was ever vouchsafed a pilot

He shoved off in heavy rain and

soon ran into thick weather He

barged on into it flying blind for

awhile and then climbing up on

the top of the stuff It was so thick

that even the birds had to walk Af-

ter about an hour and a half he

decided to try to find the ground

to check his course He was com-

ing down in a fast glide when sud-

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2044

altitude the fog was so thick

it was like being submerged

in pea soup but occasion-

ally there would be a break

and Edgerton would catcha glimpse of the ground and

know where he was

As he passed over Havre

de Grace there suddenly

loomed up dead ahead a

church steeple He was right

on it before he saw it He

banked for all he was worth

standing the old crock rightup on her ear and missed

the steeple by a miracle

But the crowning thr ill

of the day came a little later

as he passed the Army Proving

Ground at Aberdeen

ldquoWe were flying at an altitude of

about 150 feetrdquo Edgerton recallsldquoVisibility was practically nil Sud-

denly there was a terrific bump al-

most as violent as if the plane had

struck something That afternoon

Army authorities at Aberdeen

called up and said that an airplane

had flown over there and almost

collided with a shell fired from a16-inch gunrdquo

Is it any wonder that Edgertonrsquos

hair has turned slightly gray

On another occasion Jim got

caught in a vicious summer thun-

derstorm over Baltimore He was

flying his faithful old mount No

38274 The turbulent air tossed

the frail wooden Jenny about like

a ship on a rough sea One instant

her nose would be pointed straight

toward heaven and the next instant

Jim would see the ground rush-

ing up at him just over the engine

of a lead pencil were spurting out

Soon the whole forward part of the

fuselage was saturated

Jim watched the lightning play-

ing about the metal parts of the

plane and waited for the spark

that would blow him to shreds and

splatter him all over Baltimore But

Lady Luck was riding with him

again and the spark never came

He rode out the storm and brought

had broken and was dangling al-

most in the shining arc of the

propeller If it became entangled

in the prop it would shatter it to

a million splinters and probablytear the engine loose

Throttling down Jim maneu-

vered as best he could to keep

wire and prop from that fatal

embrace Below him were plenty

of flat broad fields into which

he could have glided But that

would mean delaying the mail

so the plucky youngster kept go-ing and finally sat down safely

in Washington

Altogether Edgerton made

fifty-three trips and never failed

to bring the mail through on any

of them On only one did he have

a forced landing

He was over Camp Meade Mary-land when a magneto shaft broke

There was a terrific jolt that almost

jumped the engine out of the ship

For once Jim had to come down

and come down in a hurry He

looked below him and his heart

stood still He was plunging straight

towards the heads of hundreds ofmarching men on parade

Lower and lower sank the help-

less Jenny Edgerton flattened his

glide as much as he dared and tried

to squeeze over the soldiers He was

almost knocking their hats off but

still the Yanks continued to hold

their ground

ldquoI just skimmed over their heads

and landed on the very edge of the

parade groundrdquo Jim laughingly re-

lates ldquoIt was my old outfit and they

certainly gave me a welcomerdquo

It was just a bit demoralizing to

With the mail aboard the pilot proceeds to warm

up the OX-5 which animates the Jenny

Authentic dope on the

controversial subject

ldquoWho flew the firstairmailrdquo In spite of the

many claims to priority by

various pilots we believe

that this is the real

answer to the problem

An old Jenny as usual

does the work

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2144

AirVenture amp Ford Together Again

REO Speedwagon Concert Monday

600PM next to the Ford Hangar

Fly In Theater Nightly Sunday ndash

Saturday 830PM Camp Scholler

Cruisinrsquo Legends See Mustangs and

more Knapp Street near Warbirds

Model T Experience Tour in a Model

T ldquoCruisinrsquo Legendsrdquo

ldquoBlues Brothersrdquo Tribute Party

Saturday 630PM Ford ldquoHangar of Bluesrdquo

Free Ice Cream Nightly in the camp-

grounds ndash from the Transit Connect

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2244

My son and I spent the better part of

six years restoring an Aeronca 7BCM

Jeff was 13 years old when we started

the project and 19 when we finished

sponds quickly to my urging as I

push the throttle control forward

to begin a low-level no-radio no-

transponder flight from Charles W

time I admit to being spoiled first by

low-frequency ldquobeamsrdquo then VORs

DME RNAV LORAN and now GPS

But for this flight I left all that behind

To Follow the LineThis was the way I had learned navigation to follow the line

BY E JEFF JUSTIS

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE AUTHOR

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2344

Down low it was fun once more

watching the small towns pass

even being able to read the names

on water towers

In north-central Mississippi

there appears a vast forest spread-

ing out beneath my wings an il-

lusory remnant of the gloriouswilderness that once extended

from the East Coast to the Great

Plains Now clear-cutting scars are

evidence of manrsquos meddling graf-

fiti on our planetrsquos face

I am surprised at the hills of

North Mississippi at higher al-

titudes they flatten into the ter-rain but here at 1000 feet above

the ground the hills are alive with

depth and color

My craft and I intruders in his

world pass a circling hawk I look

down and try to see the tiny crea-

ture I am sure he sees but where

he must perceive the slightest rus-tle of the brush I see only patterns

of green and brown and the bright

blue of reflected sky

Enough of this sightseeing I should

have crossed this highway a couple

of miles farther to the north I make a

slight correction Highways They criss-

cross this land cutting it into smaller

and smaller bits these scratches of

man meant little when there were

fewer men but now they separate deer

from deer and life from life

At the edge of a field pebbled by

round bales of hay rests a red tractor Jeff Justis was just 13 when he and his family embarked on the restoration of

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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suppose is the essence of life

Soon the forward horizon bulges

upward as I approach old tectonic

ridges aligned northeast-southwest

near Birmingham The dark greenof the forested ridges contrasts with

the lighter verdant hues of manrsquos

cultivation Ahead a sharp razor-

backed ridge prompts a climb to

3000 feet I teeter across the top and

slide down toward the broad valley

on the eastern side My first land-

ing after one hour and 45 minutes is

welcome As a no-radio aircraft I am

careful to follow the standard pat-

tern and glide down final touching

down on the much-too-long-for-

The-Champ runway of Posey AirportMost cross-country flights in

the rsquo50s were from grass strip to

grass strip A red gas pump would

be brought into service by the col-

orful operatormechanic of these

old aerodromes Aeroncas and

Luscombes were everywhere and

Cessna 195s were the elite air-

planes Now on this ramp my

Aeronca is an anachronism

A King Air is being readied for cor-

porate passengers and my little tail-

dragger is lost on the large apronFortunately we modified the 7BCM

with a starter and generator so I do

not have to find someone to help me

get started In years past almost ev-

ery lineman was proficient in hand-

propping now itrsquos almost a lost art

Soon I am on the way to my

next stop Lagrange Georgia I am

fooled by the appearance of a large

airport an old military field at 12

orsquoclock on the horizon Only when

I get close enough do I realize this is

not the field I am supposed to over-

fly and that I am 10 miles south of

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ramp taking nearly as long as the

flight itself

The cost of this slow flight is cer-

tainly minimal with fill-ups after

two hours averaging 15 or so dol-

lars Besides the trip has been fun so

far relearning old navigation tricks

and seeing the country down low

Now I have only a few more milesto navigate to Eaglesrsquo Landing The

fly-in community strip is near Wil-

liamson Georgia and just east of a

northeast-southwest-oriented rail-

road I decide to proceed due east

find the railroad and follow it

northeast toward the destination

I cross a highway but see no rail-road A few miles further still no

railroad I must have passed it Af-

ter a 180 I find the highway again

but nohellipwait what is that That is

an abandoned rail line for sure and

it does parallel the road I continue

northeast scanning the horizon

passing pretty fields and housesI locate one airport with houses

neatly lining both sides of the single

runway but it is not Eaglesrsquo Landing

Soon I see Griffin Georgia I have

come too far I ease The Champ into

a bank to try again back down the

rail line andhellipherersquos a golf coursehellip

and yes there are two grass run-

ways meeting in a ldquoVrdquo I circle andmake a low pass over the northwest

runway watching my friends wave

from their yard ldquoWhat a nice place

to liverdquo I think as I line up on final

I glide just above the grass and

A foil tape antenna ground plane was just one of the nifty little touches added

to The Champ as the two Jeffs restored their airplane

Doesnrsquot ever yone use Champ

tail surfaces as decorative ele-

ments in their household dec-orating Mrs Justis is a very

patient woman

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CALIFORNIAHayward CA VIN 29

Meeting 2nd Thurs 600 pm

Hayward Airport

See website for hangar info

Gary Oberti President

Phone 510-357-8600

E-mail infovaa29org

Website wwwvaa29org

CALIFORNIASacramento CA VIN 25

Meeting 2nd Sat 900 am

See chapter website for location

Robert Opdahl President

Phone 530-273-7348

E-mail bopdahlsbcglobalnet

Website wwwVin25org

CAROLINAS VIRGINIAWalnut Cove NC VIN 3

Meeting Contact President

Susan Dusenbury President

Phone 336-591-3931

E-mail sr6sueaolcom

Website wwwVAA3org

FLORIDALakeland FL VIN 1

Meeting Contact President

Bobby Capozzi President

Phone 352-475-9736

INDIANAAuburn IN VIN 37

Meeting 4th Thurs 700 pm

DeKalb County Airport (kGWB)

Hangar AmdashVAA 37 Clubhouse

Drew Hoffman President

Phone 260-515-3525

E-mail drewhoffmanvaa37org

Website wwwVAA37org

KANSASOverland Park KS VIN 16

Meeting 2nd Fri 730 pm

CAF Hangar

New Century Airport

Kevin Pratt President

Phone 913-541-1149

E-mail kprattvaa16com

Website wwwVAA16com

LOUISIANANew Iberia LA VIN 30

Meeting 1st Sun 900 am

LeMaire Memorial Airport Hangar 4

Roland Denison President

Phone 337-365-3047

E-mail vaa30coxnet

MINNESOTAAlbert Lea MN VIN 13

Meeting 2nd Thurs 700 pm

Albert Lea Airport FBO

OHIODelaware OH VIN 27

Meeting 3rd Sat 8-10AM May thru Sept

Delaware Municiple Airport (DLZ)

Terminal Building

Woody McIntire President

Phone 740-362-7228

E-mail wjmcintirecscom

Website wwwEAAdlzorg

OHIOZanesville OH VIN 22

Meeting 2nd Fri 630 pm

Perry County Airport

John Morozowsky President

Phone 740-453-6889

OKLAHOMATulsa OK VIN 10

Meeting 4th Thurs 700 PM

Hardesty South Regional Library

No meetings in July Nov amp Dec

Joe Champagne President

Phone 918-257-4688

Email skypalgroveemailcom

TEXASSpring TX VIN 2

Meeting 4th Sun 200 PM

David Wayne Hooks Airport (KDWH)

Fred Ramin President

Phone 281-255-4430

Vintage Chapter LocatorVisit the VAA chapter nearest you and get to know some great old-airplane enthusiasts You donrsquot need

to be a pilot to join in the funmdashjust have a love of the great airplanes of yesteryear

Chapter 27 of Delaware Ohio hosts a monthly pancake breakfast where attendees enjoy the camara-derie among the airplanes

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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When Albert Vollmecke joined

Arkansas Aircraft Company in Sep-tember 1927 he brought fresh ideas

from his native Germany regarding

aircraft design stability and safety

He would on occasion return to

Germany to bring back something

new for the company In 1928 Ar-

kansas Aircraft Company changed

its name to Command-Aire Incor-porated and the production run

of new ships increased in its Little

Rock Arkansas plant

After one such visit to Ger-

many Vollmecke returned with

the rights to import and sell the

PHYLAX fire-extinguisher system

patented (GB 0267542) March 10

1926 and manufactured in Berlinby Phylax Feuerlosch-Automaten-

Bau GmbH The PHYLAX fire-

extinguisher system consisted of

a tank containing the extinguish-

ing liquid From the tank which

BY ROBERT G LOCK

Early 1047297re-extinguishing system

THE Vintage

Mechanic

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advertisement from AVIATION

November 1928 using the OX-5

powered model 3C3 ship to dem-

onstrate the system

The PHYLAX system consisted

of a pressurized tank of fluid with

associated lines and nozzles lead-

ing to the engine compartment of

the ship Note here that the unit

is manufactured in t he United

States by the Aero Supply Man-

ufacturing Company located in

Long Island New York The cost

of the unit is $70 in this May 1929

advertisement in an aviation mag-

azine Illustration 2 shows the

manufacturerrsquos advertisement for

the product

In a letter dated April 10 1929

Mr Wiley Wright assistant sales

director for Command-Aire Incor-

porated wrote

ldquoCommand-Aire Incorporated

acquired the exclusive franchise

rights for PHYLAX automatic fire

extinguishers in the United States

Mexico and Central America This

extinguisher is the only automatic

fire extinguisher available and is

standard equipment on many Eu-

ropean lines It is manufactured

by PHYLAX Bau of Germany and

is receiving great response in the

United States at the present timerdquo

In this factory Illustration 3

and from the files of Albert Voll-

mecke is a 110-hp Warner engine

mounted in the Command-Aire

model 3C3-A ship Note the en-

gine cowling being neatly fitted

around cylinders and associated

tubes The 3C3-A had a very longnose due to its light weight ne-

ce s s i ta t ing a longer a rm f or

weight and balance control In

this photo the PHYLAX sprinkler

heads are visible behind the mag-

netos down near the carburetor

and behind the oil inlet hoses on

the accessory case of the engineIllustration 3 is an original fac-

tory photograph of the PHYLAX

system installed in the nose of a

model 3C3-A

Illustration 4 is the same photo-

graph with some details removed

and other details added princi-

pally the identification of the PHY-LAX automatic fuse that fired the

bottle of extinguishing fluid and

the sprinkler heads These illustra-

tions taken from a Command-Aire

original factory brochure from the

files of Albert Vollmecke

Illustration 5 on page 27 is a

sketch from the PHYLAX patent

0267542 dated March 10 1926A general description of the PHY-

LAX system is contained within

the patent and states ldquoThe inven-

tion relates to a fire extinguishing

device intended for use particu-

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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not indicate what type of extinguishing fluid was

contained within the tank however soda-acid was

widely used in those days and carbon tetrachloridewas invented in 1912 by the Pyrene Company

In a communication from Command-Aire Pres-

ident Robert Snowden regarding the purchase of

stock options in the company he states ldquoOur ex-

clusive franchise for the sale of Phylax automatic

Illustration 3

Illustration 4

Illustration 5

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3044

homeland on a regular basis and

always brought back some new in-

vention or new ideas on design andsafety This system was certainly

ahead of its time safety-wise and a

credit to Vollmeckersquos focus on sta-

bility and safety for his designs

Above in this original factory

photograph (Illustration 6) of a

Command-Aire 3C3-T fuselage on

the assembly line at the Little Rock

plant the PHYLAX system can beseen mounted in the rear cock-

pit just behind the front seat in

the center of the photograph The

chemical bottles with two lines

tied to the side tubes run forward

Illustration 6

Pyrene 1047297re extinguishers

were made of brass and

were nicely polished

They were not high-pressure units

but required the use of a hand pump

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Pyrene fire extinguishers were

made of brass and were nicely pol-

ished They were not high-pressureunits but required the use of a

hand pump to generate pressure

to expel liquid from the cylinder

These extinguishers were gener-

ally mounted in the rear cockpit

ton or linen fabric and the only

dope available was cellulose ni-

trate that burned like a torch when

lit Watching nitrate dope burn

reminded me of a Fourth of July

sparkler very intense and hot If

a nitrate-doped ship caught fire in

the air there was no extinguisher

that would put out the flames

The PHYLAX system had an auto-

matic sensor that would trigger the

bottlersquos valve open and send the

chemical into the engine compart-

ment The Pyrene extinguisher wasmore for ground use because you

could not operate the bottle and

fly the airplane at the same time

By todayrsquos standards these ex-

tinguishing systems seem ar-

chaic but for the time back in

the 1920s they were the thing to

have in your automobile boator airplane

Editorrsquos Note WARNING An-

tique carbon tetrachloride fire extin-

guishers like the Pyrene occasionally

show up either contaminated with

the original agent or worse yet with

the full charge of agent still inside

Carbon tet is treated as a hazard-

ous substance (its use was banned

in consumer products in 1970) and

should be dealt with accordingly

In fact carbon tetrachloride when

heated by a fire will create poison-

ous phosgene gas (World War Irsquos

ldquonerve gasrdquo) something that would

definitely ruin someonersquos day if the

fire hadnrsquot done so already In its

standard form this substance is verytoxic to the liver and a single signifi-

cant exposure can result in sickness

or death

L a n g l ey may have been the

f h f i i i b

last and last The instruction

l i l d f

1903 Samuel Pierpont Langleyrsquos ldquoAerodromerdquoattempts to take off from a floating platform

Have a comment or ques-

tion for Bob Lock the Vintage

Mechanic Drop us an e-mail at

vintageaircrafteaaorg or you

can mail your question to Vintage

Airplane PO Box 3086 Osh-

kosh WI 54903

Illustration 7

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Authorrsquos Note We held a small open house at the

flight school hangar this past Saturday Though the

weather was not conducive to give many rides we still

had about 60 people show up enjoy a brat or ham-

burger and talk about flying or learning to fly Interest

in flying is not dead One of my pet peeves is how we

in general aviation go about attracting individuals tolearn the pleasure of flight

Nearly every aviation publication I read carries ar-

ticles and editorials about the downward spiral of gen-

eral aviation Flight schools are having a hard time

attracting new students ldquoDoom and gloomrdquo reigns

with little positive to report on the horizon This al-

ways reminds me of the proverbial three wise mon-keys who embody the principle ldquoSee no evil hear no

evil and speak no evilrdquo We all complain about the

problem but no one ever offers solutions It seems as

though by not doing anything about the challenge it

will eventually go away and right itself

Many of the aviation organizations are wringing

their respective hands giving great lip service to the

drop in pilot numbers Some like EAA have launched

activities to attract new pilots such as the Young Ea-gles program This has been a good start but it will not

fill the ever-increasing void for more pilots

What are we all missing FUN

Four years ago I chose early retirement from a 38-

The student make-up is a real cross-section of Amer-

ica My youngest student to date began flight lessons

at age 14 and the oldest was 77 years young Irsquove men-

tioned some of my students in previous articles At

yearrsquos end 2010 while converting our student files

from paper to computer I was amazed to discover that

in the previous two years I had given instruction tomore than 200 individuals Some were new students

others were individuals in search of a tailwheel en-

dorsement and many were older individuals who had

pursued flight training early in their lives but gave it

up to raise a family Now they had the time and still re-

tained the burning desire to get back into flying What

attracted these individuals to the flight school FUN

And thefun

challenge of flying J-3 Cubs

Herersquos a small cross-section of this yearrsquos group

of students

bullA retired US Navy lieutenant who flew F-4 Phan-

toms off carriers in Vietnam He hasnrsquot done any fly-

ing in more than 10 years but hersquos been building a

Skybolt which will soon be finished and hersquos return-

ing to his lifelong lovemdashaviation He also has two

young sons who want to fly and will soon be joining

the group of student pilotsbullA young CPA from Iowa whose grandfather was a

friend of Bernie Pietenpol and who has built two Piets

The CPA used two weeks of his vacation time to learn

to fly so that he can fly the airplane(s) that his grandfa-

ther built and take his grandfather for a ride

BY Steve Krog CFI

THE Vintage

Instructor

Vintage flying is very much alive

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Cubs flying every day he decided to pursue his pas-

sion for flight

bullA national chain hardware store employee who

has had a dream of flying driving nearly two hours

each way to learn to fly in a Cub

bullAn aviation writervideo producer who already has

a sport pilot certificate but desires to obtain a private

pilot certificate and do so in Cubs

bullA 30-something young family man who sells

construction equipment attachments While deer

hunting a year ago he learned one of his hunting

friends had recently learned to fly in Cubs For three

days they talked airplanes and flying rather than do-

ing much hunting Upon his return from the hunt-ing trip he drove to the airport and signed up for

lessons in the Cub

bullA professional musician from the Chicago area

who always wanted to learn to fly Although not yet

old enough to have a true ldquobucket listrdquo learning to fly

a Cub was number one on his list

With two exceptions these individuals had never

before flown or flown in tailwheel airplanes but alwayshad a dream of learning to fly in a Cubmdashjust like dad

or granddad did many years ago

Although no one in this group comes from simi-

lar backgrounds or professions there is one common

denominator among every studentmdashFUN None of

these students are learning to fly to pursue a career

in aviation (although Irsquove worked with a couple who

have done so) Rather they are learning to fly or get-

ting back into flying for the FUN and CHALLENGE of

flight They all have a true love of flight and seeing the

world from 500 feet with the door and window open

I have also worked with a number of students who

began taking flight lessons but quit after a period of

time They still had the passion for flight but gave it

up When asked why the responses fell into one of the

following four categories

bullI began taking lessons but after three or four les-sons Irsquod be assigned to a different instructor After 30

hours of dual three instructors and still not having

soloed I quit

bullThe instructor wasnrsquot teaching me anything He

was more interested in building time than teaching

Take a moment and think about how you first be-

came interested in airplanes What triggered your

pursuit of learning to fly Did you have a buddy or

maybe a family friend who encouraged you Or even

became a mentor Do you remember your first flight

lesson Do you remember the day you made your

first solo flight

Remember that passion and sense of accomplish-

ment Donrsquot hesitate to share it with anyone express-

ing an interest in learning to fly

At Cub Air Flight we sell FUN When individuals

visit the airport to inquire about learning to fly we

know they have made the commitment in their own

mind It then becomes our responsibility to makethe visit friendly A friendly environment is a FUN

environment Kids are always welcome If a prospec-

tive student has children with him or her we invite

the kids to sit in the planes At the conclusion of our

discussion we emphasize the following statement If

you learn to fly with us it will be FUN CHALLENG-

ING and SAFE

I donrsquot believe there is a shortage of pilot prospectsbut there is a shortage in how we all go about attract-

ing these people to become active participants in plea-

sure flying Remember flying is FUN Letrsquos make an

effort to help others share in that FUN

AERO CLASSICldquoCOLLECTOR SERIESrdquo

Vintage Tires New USA Production

Show off your pride and joy with afresh set of Vintage Rubber Thesenewly minted tires are FAA-TSOrsquodand speed rated to 120 MPH Some

things are better left the way theywere and in the 40rsquos and 50rsquos these tires were perfectly intune to the exciting times in aviation

Not only do these tires set your vintage plane apart fromthe rest but also look exceptional on all General Aviationaircraft Deep 832nd tread depth offers above averagetread life and UV treated rubber resists aging

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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We enjoy your suggestions for

Mystery Planesmdashin fact more than

half of our subjects are sent to us by

members often via e-mail Please

remember that if you want to scan

the photo for use in Mystery Plane

it must be at a resolution of 300 dpior greater You may send a lower-

resolution version to us for our re-

view but the final version has to be

at that level of detail or it will not

print properly Also please let us

craft in the photo is of Canadian civil

registry CF-BXO formerly Royal Cana-

dian Air Force (RCAF) 920 This photo-

graph would have been taken at some

time between 1962 and 1967 after an

overhaul at Abbotsford British Colum-

bia (BC) and possibly while in servicewith Stranraer Aerial Enterprises The

location strongly resembles the Fraser

River dockings at the Vancouver air-

port The aircraft had undergone a re-

spray with a bright red cheat line The

(beaching gear required) for the Royal Air

Force (RAF) in 1933 The prototype first

flew in October 1934 with two Bristol

Pegasus IIIM engines rated at 820 hp

The production aircraft were delivered to

the RAF with Pegasus engines delivering

920 hp entering service in April 1937The British-built machines of which 23

were ordered and only 17 being built

were all delivered by April 1939

In Canada Canadian Vickers Lim-

ited of Montreal Quebec produced 40

Send your answer to EAA Vin-

tage Airplane PO Box 3086 Osh-

kosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer

needs to be in no later than August

20 for inclusion in the October

2011 issue of Vintage Airplane

You can also send your response via

e-mail Send your answer to mystery

planeeaaorg Be sure to include your

name plus your city and state in the

body of your note and put ldquo(Month)

Mystery Planerdquo in the subject line

This monthrsquos Mystery Plane comes to us from Bruce Voran

MYSTERY PLANE

by HG FRAUTSCHY

A P R I L rsquo S M Y S T E RY A N S W E R

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3544

QCA began buying several examplesand was instrumental in convincing

the Canadian Department of Transport

(DOT) to issue a civilian Certificate of

Airworthiness (C of A) One of the first

aircraft so issued was CF-BYI which be-

1980 the Canadian Museum of Flightand Transportation in BC salvaged the

wreck for possible restoration As late as

April 1952 QCA still had two Stranraer

in service CF-BXO and CF-BYM Pacific

Western Airlines (PWA) also operated

Two RAF Belfast freighters were dis-

patched and the disassembled aircraft

was transported to the United Kingdomwhere the machine is currently one of the

centerpieces of the collection

The aircraft type had many names

The most familiar (and printable) were

Stranny Strainer and Flying Meccano

Set The least affectionate was the Whis-

tling Shouse as when the lid to the

throne was lifted there was direct access

to the great outdoors and there emitted a

loud whistling noise

Other correct answers were re-

ceived from Hillis Cunliffe Mill-

brook Alabama Brian Baker Sun

City Arizona Wesley R Smith

Springfield Illinois John White-

head Cheyenne Wyoming ScottChurch Cochrane Alberta Can-

ada Jay Broze Walla Walla Wash-

ington Jerry Paterson Kent

Washington Jamie Patterson Mi-

ramichi New Brunswick Canada

Bill Bishop of Mulgoa New South Wales Australia sent along this photo

of the surviving Supermarine Stranraer

David Nixon supplied us with the April Mystery Plane shot of CF-BXO

a Canadian Vickers-built Supermarine Stranraer

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3644

urday 8 am until 6 pm Early-bird

arrivals can shop on the pre-conven-

tion weekend as well during limited

hours Show your VAA membership

card (or your receipt showing you

joined VAA at the convention) and

yoursquoll receive a 10 percent discount

VAA Volunteer Opportunities

Are you an ace pancake flipperIf yoursquore not one yet we can help

The VAA Tall Pines Cafeacute is looking

for volunteers who can help provide

a hearty breakfast to all the hungry

campers on the south end of Witt-

man Field If you could lend a hand

for a morning or two wersquod appreci-

ate it If thatrsquos not your cup of tea feelfree to check with the VAA Volunteer

Center located just to the northeast

of the VAA Red Barn The volun-

teers who operate the booth will be

happy to tell you when your help is

needed each day It doesnrsquot matter if

itrsquos just for a few hours or for a few

daysmdashwersquod love to have your help-

ing hands There is no need for you

to contact us ahead of time you can

talk with us when you arrive

VAA Judging Categoriesand Awards

The VAArsquos internationally recog-

nized judging categories are

bullAntique Aircraft built prior toSeptember 1 1945

bullClassic September 1 1945 - De-

cember 31 1955

bullContemporary January 1 1956

- December 31 1970

VAA NEWScontinued frpm page 5

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3744

the award winners Judging closes at noon on Friday

July 29 The Awards Ceremony will be held Saturday

evening July 30 at 6 pm in the Vintage Hangar

just south of the VAA Red Barn

Designated Smoking Areas Near FlightlineSmoking on the flightline at EAA AirVenture is prohib-

ited because itrsquos a hazard to all aircraft There are several

designated smoking areas with butt cans along the flight-

line well away from aircraft and refueling operations

Designated smoking areas will be south of the ultra-light runway near the Hangar Cafeacute near the Warbirdsarea (northeast corner of Audrey Lane and Eide Av-

enue) the Wearhouse flag pole area the shade pavil-ion north of the control tower and near the UltralightBarn Locations will be indicated on EAArsquos free con-vention grounds map The admission wristband alsoinstructs visitors that smoking is allowed only in desig-nated smoking areas

More on the Web

Visit wwwAirVentureorg for more information onEAA AirVenture 2011

EAA AirVenture Is Almost Here Are You Ready

Just a few short weeks from now many of you will

make the annual pilgrimage to Oshkosh for EAA Air-

Venture 2011 Are you ready Here are several handy

online tools on the AirVenture website that can help

you take care of any last-minute concerns

Visit wwwAirVentureorg and find out what you

need to know about The Worldrsquos Greatest Avia-

tion Celebration

Admission Parking Hours

wwwAirVentureorgplanningadmissionhtml

Find or Share a Ride to Oshkosh

wwwAirVentureorgrideshare

Site Map

wwwAirVentureorgplanningschedules_mapshtml

Where to Stay

Yoursquore cleared to stay connected

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3844

ship services at 800-564-6322 but

given the time from when you read

this until AirVenture it may not ar-

rive in the mail in time for your de-

parture We suggest downloading

the NOTAM

The NOTAM contains the specialflight procedures in effect for Witt-

man Regional Airport and alternate

airports from 6 am CDT on Friday

July 22 to 12 pm CDT on Mon-

day August 1 2011 All pilots who

fly into the event are expected to

know the special flight procedures

prior to arrival EAA AirVenture Os-

hkosh runs from July 25 through

July 31 For additional EAA AirVen-

ture Oshkosh 2011 information

visit wwwAirVentureorg

Call for VAA Hall of

Fame Nominations

To the left is our information

for nominations for VAArsquos Hallof Fame which is presented each

year during a special dinner This

yearrsquos dinner will be held Friday

October 28 Wersquoll have more on

this yearrsquos inductee John Under-

To nominate someone is easy It just takes a little time and a little reminiscing on your part

Mail nominating materials to

Remember your ldquocontemporaryrdquo may be a candidate nominate someone today

wwwVintageAircraftorg

CALL FOR VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

Nominations

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3944

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

Wit tman Regional A i rpor t (OSH)

Oshkosh Wisconsin

July 25-31 2011

wwwAirVentureorg

Colorado Sport International Air Show

and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In

Rocky Mountain Met ropol i tan A irpor t (BJC)

Denver Colorado

August 27-28 2011

wwwCOSportAviationorg

Mid-Eastern Regional Fly-In

Gr imes F ie ld A irpor t (I74)

Urbana Ohio

September 10-11 2011

httpMERFIcom

Copperstate Fly-In

Casa Grande Munic ipal A i rpor t (CGZ)

Casa Grande Ar izona

Upcoming Major

Fly-Ins

W I N

Only 2000 ticketswill be sold1 ticket $50

3 tickets $125

Piper Tri-Pacer Airplane

Free Flying Lessons

Free Pilot License

Country Legend Roy Clarkrsquos Personal Proceeds fromthis raffle

SAVEAMERICANKIDS LIVES

wwwwingsofhoperaffleorg

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4044

MISCELLANEOUS

wwwaerolistorg Aviationsrsquo Leading

Marketplace

Rare find Lycoming 0-145 partsinventory blocks bearings rings

shafts amp much more $20000

at 1970 prices $5000 Six four

cylinder case aircraft magnetos

$300 Call for more details (FL)

VINTAGETRADER

Someth ing t o buyse l l o r t rade

Classified Word Ads $550 per 10

words 180 words maximum with boldface

lead-in on first line

Classified Display Ads One column wide

(2167 inches) by 1 2 or 3 inches high at

$20 per inch Black and white only and nofrequency discounts

Advertising Closing Dates 10th of second

month prior to desired issue date (ie

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 (classads

eaaorg ) using credit card payment (all cards

accepted) Include name on card complete

address type of card card number and

expiration date Make checks payable to EAA

Address advertising correspondence to EAA

Publications Classified Ad Manager PO Box

3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

What Our Members

Are Restoring

Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done and

yoursquore busy flying and showing it off If so wersquod like to hear from

you Send us a 4-by-6-inch print from a commercial source (no

home printers please those prints just donrsquot scan well) or a

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4144

EAAMembership in the Experimental Aircraft

Association Inc is $40 for one year includ-ing 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION Familymembership is an additional $10 annually Allmajor credit cards accepted for membership(Add $16 for International Postage)

FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPSPlease submit your remittance with a

check or draft drawn on a United Statesbank payable in United States dollars Addrequired Foreign Postage amount for eachmembership

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATIONCurrent EAA members may join the

Vintage Aircraft Association and receive

year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not included)(Add $7 for International Postage)

WARBIRDSCurrent EAA members may join the EAA

Warbirds of America Division and receiveWARBIRDS magazine for an additional$45 per year

EAA Membership WARBIRDS mag-azine and one year membership in theWarbirds Division is available for $55 per

year (SPORT OficAVIATION magazinenot included) (Add $7 for Interna-tional Postage)

IACCurrent EAA members may join the

International Aerobatic Club Inc Divi-sion and receive SPORT AEROBATICS magazine for an additional $45 per year

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

VINTAGE

AIRCRAFT

ASSOCIATION

OFFICERS

DIRECTORS

DIRECTORS

EMERITUS

PresidentGeoff Robison

1521 E MacGregor DrNew Haven IN 46774

260-493-4724chief7025aolcom

Vice-PresidentGeorge Daubner

N57W34837 Pondview LnOconomowoc WI 53066

262-560-1949 gdaubnereaaorg

Steve Bender85 Brush Hill Road

Sherborn MA 01770508-653-7557

sst10comcastnet

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Lincoln CA 95648916-952-9449

antiquerinreachcom

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Greenwood IN 46143317-422-9366

lbrown4906aolcom

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Plainfield IN 46168317-839-4500davecpdattnet

John S Copeland1A Deacon Street

Northborough MA 01532508-393-4775

copeland1junocom

Phil Coulson28415 Springbrook Dr

Lawton MI 49065269-624-6490

rcoulson516cscom

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Indianapolis IN 46278317-293-4430

dalefayemsncom

Jeannie HillPO Box 328

Harvard IL 60033-0328815-943-7205

Espie ldquoButchrdquo Joyce704 N Regional Rd

Greensboro NC 27409336-668-3650

windsockaolcom

Steve Krog1002 Heather Ln

Hartford WI 53027262-966-7627sskrogaolcom

Robert D ldquoBobrdquo Lumley1265 South 124th StBrookfield WI 53005

262-782-2633rlumley1wirrcom

SH ldquoWesrdquo Schmid2359 Lefeber Avenue

Wauwatosa WI 53213414-771-1545

shschmidgmailcom

Robert C Brauer9345 S Hoyne

Chicago IL 60643773-779-2105

photopilotaolcom

Gene Chase2159 Carlton Rd

Oshkosh WI 54904920-231-5002

GRCHAcharternet

Ronald C Fritz15401 Sparta Ave

Kent City MI 49330616-678-5012

rFritzpathwaynet com

Charlie HarrisPO Box 470350Tulsa OK 74147

918-622-8400cwhhvsucom

EE ldquoBuckrdquo Hilbert8102 Leech RdUnion IL 60180

815-923-4591buck7acgmailcom

Gene Morris5936 Steve Court

Roanoke TX 76262817-491-9110

genemor rischarter net

Membership Services DirectoryEnjoy the many benefits of EAA and

EAArsquos Vintage Aircraft Association

EAA Aviation Center PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086Phone (920) 426-4800 Fax (920) 426-4873Web Sites wwwvintageaircraftorg wwwairventureorg wwweaaorgmemberbenefits E-Mail vintageaircrafteaaorg

EAA and Division Membership Services (800 AMndash600 PM MondayndashFriday CST)800-564-6322 FAX 920-426-4873 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

bullNewrenew memberships bullAddress changes bullMerchandise sales bullGift memberships

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 888-322-4636 wwwairventureorg airventureeaaorg

Sport PilotLight-Sport Aircraft Hotline 877-359-1232 wwwsportpilotorg sportpiloteaaorg

Programs and Activities

Auto Fuel STCs 920-426-4843 stceaaorg EAA Air Academy 920-426-6880 wwwairacademyorg airacademyeaaorg

EAA Scholarships 920-426-6823 scholarshipseaaorg

Library ServicesResearch 920-426-4848 slurveyeaaorg

Benefits

AUA Vintage Insurance Plan 800-727-3823 wwwauaonlinecom

EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan 866-647-4322 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

EAA VISA Card 800-853-5576 ext 8884

EAA Her tz Rent-A-Car Program 800-654-2200 wwweaaorghertz membershipeaaorg

VAA EditorialExecutive Director 920-426-4825 wwwvintageaircraftorg vintageeaaorg

VAA Office 920-426-6110 tbookseaaorg

TM

EAA Members Information Line 888-EAA-INFO (322-4636)

Use this toll-free number for information about AirVenture Oshkosh aeromedical and technical aviation questions

chapters and Young Eagles Please have your membership number ready when calling

Office hours are 815 am - 500 pm (Monday - Friday CST)

SecretarySteve Nesse

2009 Highland AveAlbert Lea MN 56007

507-373-1674

stnes2009livecom

TreasurerDan Knutson

106 Tena Marie CircleLodi WI 53555608-592-7224

lodicubcharternet

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4244

If yoursquove ever watched fish in

an aquarium yoursquove probably no-

ticed how they respond differently

to their surroundings There are

those that zip around the tank in a

mad dash to nowhere Some seem

to sit and not go much of any-

where and some will swim f romone end to the other turn around

and do it again

The latter are the ones that remind

me of myself I seem to fly in a fish-

bowl I go from one end of our val-

proficient by practicing things we

know over and over or it can make

us lazy When something becomes

so ingrained that we do it from habit

only we may not be thinking about

what wersquore doing

On a night cross-country some

time ago I found out just how easyit is to forget things that I hadnrsquot

used in a while While night may be

a little more challenging it still re-

quires the basic pre-flight planning

of any cross-country and following

whether I go far or stay in the com-

fort zone I canrsquot let complacency take

over Those skills and experiences

need to be stretched from time to

time regardless of where I fly An un-

expected situation or emergency is a

bad time to find out I donrsquot remem-

ber how to do somethingComplacency also allows fear

to creep in where it doesnrsquot belong

Some fear (I think) is a natural part of

flying but it can also unnecessarily

keep us grounded because we wonrsquot

BY S MICHELLE SOUDER

Flying Outside

the Fishbowl

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4344

Itrsquos gonna be a big year at Oshk osh

B-29 Superfortress ldquoFIFIrdquo

The first visit since 1995for the worldrsquos only airworthyB-29 Superfortress

REO SpeedwagonOshkosh rocks Monday duringthe opening day concert presentedby Ford Motor Company

Tribute to Bob HooverTuesday afternoon air showfeaturing aircraft and maneuvershe made legendary

eVentureInnovation will be on displayand in the air with the ElectricFlight Prize Competition

Join us for a week-long celebration of the Centennial of Naval Aviationincluding a special air show Wednesday See the hottest naval aircraftin historic colors all week on ConocoPhillips Plaza

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4444

Page 17: Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1744

VAA Friends of the Red BarnName______________________________________________________________________EAA ___________ VAA ___________

Address______________________________________________________________________________________________________

CityStateZIP________________________________________________________________________________________________

Phone___________________________________________________E-Mail______________________________________________

Please choose your level of participation

DiamondPlus$1250

Diamond$1000

Platinum$750

Gold$500

Silver$250

Bronze$100

LoyalSupporter$99 amp Under

EAA VIP Center2 peopleFull

Week

VIP Air Show Seating2 people2

Days2 people1

Day

Close Auto Parking Full Week Full Week 2 Days

Two Tickets to VAA Picnic

Tri-Motor Certificate 2 Tickets 2 Tickets 2 Tickets 1 Ticket

Breakfast at Tall Pines Cafeacute2 PeopleFull Wk

2 PeopleFull Wk

2 PeopleFull Wk

1 PersonFull Wk

Special FORB Cap

Two Passes to VAA Volunteer Party

Special FORB Badge

Access to Volunteer Center

Donor Appreciation Certificate

Name Listed Vintage Airplane Magazine Website and Sign at Red Barn

Donrsquot wait for a mailing from VAA HQ before you send in your contributionmdashto keep our administration costs as low as possible wersquore not

sending out a mailingto each VAA member Please send your donation today while itrsquos fresh in your mindPlease help the VAA and our nearly 500 dedicated volunteers make this an unforgettable experience for our EAA AirVenture guestsYour contribution does make a dif ference There are seven levels of gifts and gift recognition Thank you for whatever you can doHere are some of the many activities the Friends of the Red Barn fund under writes

bullRed Barn Information Desk Supplies bullFlightline Parking Scooters and Supplies bullBreakfast for Past Grand Champions

bullParticipant Plaques and Supplies bullVolunteer Booth Administrative Supplies bullSigns Throughout the Vintage Area

bull Ton irsquos Red Car pet Expre ss Van and Rad ios bullRed Barn and Other Building Maintenance bullAnd More

bullCaps for VAA Volunteers bull Tal l Pin es Caf eacute D in ing Ten t

2 11 VAA Friends of the Red Barn Campaign2011 VAA Friends of the Red Barn CampaignThe VAA annual fundraising campaign fuels VAA action

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1844

T

he worldrsquos first regular air-

mail line was operated by

the United States Army

back in 1918 when a fleet

of old Jennies were pushed back

and forth between New York City

and Washington DC a distance

of two hundred and twenty miles

the fields that no self-respecting pi-

lot would take a second look at in

these times But those were the days

of wooden ships and iron men

Chief pilot on the line was a

handsome youth just out of his

teens Lieutenant James C Edger-

ton who had an unusual knack of

gan There were impressive ceremo-

nies political speeches bouquets of

flowers for the flyers and the Presi-

dent of the United States himself

went down to the Polo Grounds

and wished the pilot who was to

carry the mail to New York ldquoGod

speedrdquo Almost as soon as he left

From the Archives Reprinted from Popular Aviation Dec 1935

First Regular

Airmail FlightBY LIEUT H LATANE LEWIS II

The pilot is receiving his last-minute orders before shoving off with the mail Once more old Jenny

makes history

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1944

through with considerable diffi-

culty The pilot scheduled to make

the flight hopped off from Philadel-

phia and pointed the blunt nose of

his Jennie southward toward Wash-ington The checkerboard fields and

streams sliding beneath his wings

soon became a jigsaw puzzle and

one that he couldnrsquot piece together

The flyer realized that he was hope-

lessly lost He barged around for

awhile and finally decided to come

down and ask directions

Landing on the race track atBridgeton New Jersey forty miles

off his course he became involved

with a group of curious

horses which cracked up

the ship The mail was sent

back to Philadelphia by truck and

started out in another plane with

another pilot About thirty milesout his engine began to miss and

as it was getting dark he turned and

high-tailed back to his home field

Jim Edgerton stepped forward

and offered to save the face of the

new service and take the mail on

to Washington in spite of darkness

and a bad engine Night was comingon in earnest by this time If his en-

gine should conk on the trip down

there would be no flares for him to

release and land by nor would he be

able to bail out with a parachute for

this was before the day of the Cater-

pillar Club And at Washington he

would have no floodlights to illu-

minate the Polo Grounds It would

mean coming into that narrow field

which was surrounded by tall trees

in utter darkness

But Jim was an impatient and

adventurous young man so he

cians all through his eventful flying

career He was the least perturbed of

all as he came roaring down from the

north and circled the inky pit into

which he must bring his ship at thespeed of an express train

There were about half a dozen

automobiles parked around the

field and Jim estimated his ap-

proach from their headlights Spec-

tators heard his engine stop then

the shrill scream of the wind on

his struts and wires Then they

caught sight of a ghost-like silhou-ette against the night sky coming

down in a dizzy slideslip An in-

stant later a gray phantom swept

across the field and settled down

to a perfect landing The mail had

come through

Edgerton was the first pilot who

ever flew into a thunderstorm Upto that time flyers all over the world

looked upon electrical storms as a

deadly menace and had avoided

them as they would a plague Or-

ders had been issued that no mail

pilot should take off if weather con-

ditions were unfavorable

At Philadelphia one afternoon

during the middle of July Jim had

his ship tuned up and was ready to

shove off but down towards the

southwest storm clouds were gath-

ering It was against orders to fly

under such conditions Jim fumed

possible and then as he came over

the ldquoSusquehanna River he ran

smack into it It was a violent line

squall the storm most dreaded of

all by aviators and the kind thatsent the mighty Akron and Shenan-

doah down to destruction On the

ground trees were being uprooted

and houses damaged

ldquoIt was the bumpiest ride I ever

had before or sincerdquo chuckles Jim

Edgerton today as he recalls the

vivid impression it left on him

ldquoWe were thrown all over the skyThe rain and hail were so thick that

I couldnrsquot see the wingtips The

propeller was all chewed

up and I had to throttle

down the engine Butrdquo he

adds modestly ldquoI came out right

on the courserdquo

And the mail was landed inWashington on time

That flight and the others like it

that Edgerton made probably did

more than anything else to give the

public confidence in the reliability

of the airmail Frequently he flew

through dense fog and relied en-

tirely on the crude instruments ofthose early days to keep him in the

air On one of these flights he es-

caped death by as narrow a margin

as was ever vouchsafed a pilot

He shoved off in heavy rain and

soon ran into thick weather He

barged on into it flying blind for

awhile and then climbing up on

the top of the stuff It was so thick

that even the birds had to walk Af-

ter about an hour and a half he

decided to try to find the ground

to check his course He was com-

ing down in a fast glide when sud-

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2044

altitude the fog was so thick

it was like being submerged

in pea soup but occasion-

ally there would be a break

and Edgerton would catcha glimpse of the ground and

know where he was

As he passed over Havre

de Grace there suddenly

loomed up dead ahead a

church steeple He was right

on it before he saw it He

banked for all he was worth

standing the old crock rightup on her ear and missed

the steeple by a miracle

But the crowning thr ill

of the day came a little later

as he passed the Army Proving

Ground at Aberdeen

ldquoWe were flying at an altitude of

about 150 feetrdquo Edgerton recallsldquoVisibility was practically nil Sud-

denly there was a terrific bump al-

most as violent as if the plane had

struck something That afternoon

Army authorities at Aberdeen

called up and said that an airplane

had flown over there and almost

collided with a shell fired from a16-inch gunrdquo

Is it any wonder that Edgertonrsquos

hair has turned slightly gray

On another occasion Jim got

caught in a vicious summer thun-

derstorm over Baltimore He was

flying his faithful old mount No

38274 The turbulent air tossed

the frail wooden Jenny about like

a ship on a rough sea One instant

her nose would be pointed straight

toward heaven and the next instant

Jim would see the ground rush-

ing up at him just over the engine

of a lead pencil were spurting out

Soon the whole forward part of the

fuselage was saturated

Jim watched the lightning play-

ing about the metal parts of the

plane and waited for the spark

that would blow him to shreds and

splatter him all over Baltimore But

Lady Luck was riding with him

again and the spark never came

He rode out the storm and brought

had broken and was dangling al-

most in the shining arc of the

propeller If it became entangled

in the prop it would shatter it to

a million splinters and probablytear the engine loose

Throttling down Jim maneu-

vered as best he could to keep

wire and prop from that fatal

embrace Below him were plenty

of flat broad fields into which

he could have glided But that

would mean delaying the mail

so the plucky youngster kept go-ing and finally sat down safely

in Washington

Altogether Edgerton made

fifty-three trips and never failed

to bring the mail through on any

of them On only one did he have

a forced landing

He was over Camp Meade Mary-land when a magneto shaft broke

There was a terrific jolt that almost

jumped the engine out of the ship

For once Jim had to come down

and come down in a hurry He

looked below him and his heart

stood still He was plunging straight

towards the heads of hundreds ofmarching men on parade

Lower and lower sank the help-

less Jenny Edgerton flattened his

glide as much as he dared and tried

to squeeze over the soldiers He was

almost knocking their hats off but

still the Yanks continued to hold

their ground

ldquoI just skimmed over their heads

and landed on the very edge of the

parade groundrdquo Jim laughingly re-

lates ldquoIt was my old outfit and they

certainly gave me a welcomerdquo

It was just a bit demoralizing to

With the mail aboard the pilot proceeds to warm

up the OX-5 which animates the Jenny

Authentic dope on the

controversial subject

ldquoWho flew the firstairmailrdquo In spite of the

many claims to priority by

various pilots we believe

that this is the real

answer to the problem

An old Jenny as usual

does the work

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2144

AirVenture amp Ford Together Again

REO Speedwagon Concert Monday

600PM next to the Ford Hangar

Fly In Theater Nightly Sunday ndash

Saturday 830PM Camp Scholler

Cruisinrsquo Legends See Mustangs and

more Knapp Street near Warbirds

Model T Experience Tour in a Model

T ldquoCruisinrsquo Legendsrdquo

ldquoBlues Brothersrdquo Tribute Party

Saturday 630PM Ford ldquoHangar of Bluesrdquo

Free Ice Cream Nightly in the camp-

grounds ndash from the Transit Connect

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2244

My son and I spent the better part of

six years restoring an Aeronca 7BCM

Jeff was 13 years old when we started

the project and 19 when we finished

sponds quickly to my urging as I

push the throttle control forward

to begin a low-level no-radio no-

transponder flight from Charles W

time I admit to being spoiled first by

low-frequency ldquobeamsrdquo then VORs

DME RNAV LORAN and now GPS

But for this flight I left all that behind

To Follow the LineThis was the way I had learned navigation to follow the line

BY E JEFF JUSTIS

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE AUTHOR

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2344

Down low it was fun once more

watching the small towns pass

even being able to read the names

on water towers

In north-central Mississippi

there appears a vast forest spread-

ing out beneath my wings an il-

lusory remnant of the gloriouswilderness that once extended

from the East Coast to the Great

Plains Now clear-cutting scars are

evidence of manrsquos meddling graf-

fiti on our planetrsquos face

I am surprised at the hills of

North Mississippi at higher al-

titudes they flatten into the ter-rain but here at 1000 feet above

the ground the hills are alive with

depth and color

My craft and I intruders in his

world pass a circling hawk I look

down and try to see the tiny crea-

ture I am sure he sees but where

he must perceive the slightest rus-tle of the brush I see only patterns

of green and brown and the bright

blue of reflected sky

Enough of this sightseeing I should

have crossed this highway a couple

of miles farther to the north I make a

slight correction Highways They criss-

cross this land cutting it into smaller

and smaller bits these scratches of

man meant little when there were

fewer men but now they separate deer

from deer and life from life

At the edge of a field pebbled by

round bales of hay rests a red tractor Jeff Justis was just 13 when he and his family embarked on the restoration of

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2444

suppose is the essence of life

Soon the forward horizon bulges

upward as I approach old tectonic

ridges aligned northeast-southwest

near Birmingham The dark greenof the forested ridges contrasts with

the lighter verdant hues of manrsquos

cultivation Ahead a sharp razor-

backed ridge prompts a climb to

3000 feet I teeter across the top and

slide down toward the broad valley

on the eastern side My first land-

ing after one hour and 45 minutes is

welcome As a no-radio aircraft I am

careful to follow the standard pat-

tern and glide down final touching

down on the much-too-long-for-

The-Champ runway of Posey AirportMost cross-country flights in

the rsquo50s were from grass strip to

grass strip A red gas pump would

be brought into service by the col-

orful operatormechanic of these

old aerodromes Aeroncas and

Luscombes were everywhere and

Cessna 195s were the elite air-

planes Now on this ramp my

Aeronca is an anachronism

A King Air is being readied for cor-

porate passengers and my little tail-

dragger is lost on the large apronFortunately we modified the 7BCM

with a starter and generator so I do

not have to find someone to help me

get started In years past almost ev-

ery lineman was proficient in hand-

propping now itrsquos almost a lost art

Soon I am on the way to my

next stop Lagrange Georgia I am

fooled by the appearance of a large

airport an old military field at 12

orsquoclock on the horizon Only when

I get close enough do I realize this is

not the field I am supposed to over-

fly and that I am 10 miles south of

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2544

ramp taking nearly as long as the

flight itself

The cost of this slow flight is cer-

tainly minimal with fill-ups after

two hours averaging 15 or so dol-

lars Besides the trip has been fun so

far relearning old navigation tricks

and seeing the country down low

Now I have only a few more milesto navigate to Eaglesrsquo Landing The

fly-in community strip is near Wil-

liamson Georgia and just east of a

northeast-southwest-oriented rail-

road I decide to proceed due east

find the railroad and follow it

northeast toward the destination

I cross a highway but see no rail-road A few miles further still no

railroad I must have passed it Af-

ter a 180 I find the highway again

but nohellipwait what is that That is

an abandoned rail line for sure and

it does parallel the road I continue

northeast scanning the horizon

passing pretty fields and housesI locate one airport with houses

neatly lining both sides of the single

runway but it is not Eaglesrsquo Landing

Soon I see Griffin Georgia I have

come too far I ease The Champ into

a bank to try again back down the

rail line andhellipherersquos a golf coursehellip

and yes there are two grass run-

ways meeting in a ldquoVrdquo I circle andmake a low pass over the northwest

runway watching my friends wave

from their yard ldquoWhat a nice place

to liverdquo I think as I line up on final

I glide just above the grass and

A foil tape antenna ground plane was just one of the nifty little touches added

to The Champ as the two Jeffs restored their airplane

Doesnrsquot ever yone use Champ

tail surfaces as decorative ele-

ments in their household dec-orating Mrs Justis is a very

patient woman

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2644

CALIFORNIAHayward CA VIN 29

Meeting 2nd Thurs 600 pm

Hayward Airport

See website for hangar info

Gary Oberti President

Phone 510-357-8600

E-mail infovaa29org

Website wwwvaa29org

CALIFORNIASacramento CA VIN 25

Meeting 2nd Sat 900 am

See chapter website for location

Robert Opdahl President

Phone 530-273-7348

E-mail bopdahlsbcglobalnet

Website wwwVin25org

CAROLINAS VIRGINIAWalnut Cove NC VIN 3

Meeting Contact President

Susan Dusenbury President

Phone 336-591-3931

E-mail sr6sueaolcom

Website wwwVAA3org

FLORIDALakeland FL VIN 1

Meeting Contact President

Bobby Capozzi President

Phone 352-475-9736

INDIANAAuburn IN VIN 37

Meeting 4th Thurs 700 pm

DeKalb County Airport (kGWB)

Hangar AmdashVAA 37 Clubhouse

Drew Hoffman President

Phone 260-515-3525

E-mail drewhoffmanvaa37org

Website wwwVAA37org

KANSASOverland Park KS VIN 16

Meeting 2nd Fri 730 pm

CAF Hangar

New Century Airport

Kevin Pratt President

Phone 913-541-1149

E-mail kprattvaa16com

Website wwwVAA16com

LOUISIANANew Iberia LA VIN 30

Meeting 1st Sun 900 am

LeMaire Memorial Airport Hangar 4

Roland Denison President

Phone 337-365-3047

E-mail vaa30coxnet

MINNESOTAAlbert Lea MN VIN 13

Meeting 2nd Thurs 700 pm

Albert Lea Airport FBO

OHIODelaware OH VIN 27

Meeting 3rd Sat 8-10AM May thru Sept

Delaware Municiple Airport (DLZ)

Terminal Building

Woody McIntire President

Phone 740-362-7228

E-mail wjmcintirecscom

Website wwwEAAdlzorg

OHIOZanesville OH VIN 22

Meeting 2nd Fri 630 pm

Perry County Airport

John Morozowsky President

Phone 740-453-6889

OKLAHOMATulsa OK VIN 10

Meeting 4th Thurs 700 PM

Hardesty South Regional Library

No meetings in July Nov amp Dec

Joe Champagne President

Phone 918-257-4688

Email skypalgroveemailcom

TEXASSpring TX VIN 2

Meeting 4th Sun 200 PM

David Wayne Hooks Airport (KDWH)

Fred Ramin President

Phone 281-255-4430

Vintage Chapter LocatorVisit the VAA chapter nearest you and get to know some great old-airplane enthusiasts You donrsquot need

to be a pilot to join in the funmdashjust have a love of the great airplanes of yesteryear

Chapter 27 of Delaware Ohio hosts a monthly pancake breakfast where attendees enjoy the camara-derie among the airplanes

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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When Albert Vollmecke joined

Arkansas Aircraft Company in Sep-tember 1927 he brought fresh ideas

from his native Germany regarding

aircraft design stability and safety

He would on occasion return to

Germany to bring back something

new for the company In 1928 Ar-

kansas Aircraft Company changed

its name to Command-Aire Incor-porated and the production run

of new ships increased in its Little

Rock Arkansas plant

After one such visit to Ger-

many Vollmecke returned with

the rights to import and sell the

PHYLAX fire-extinguisher system

patented (GB 0267542) March 10

1926 and manufactured in Berlinby Phylax Feuerlosch-Automaten-

Bau GmbH The PHYLAX fire-

extinguisher system consisted of

a tank containing the extinguish-

ing liquid From the tank which

BY ROBERT G LOCK

Early 1047297re-extinguishing system

THE Vintage

Mechanic

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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advertisement from AVIATION

November 1928 using the OX-5

powered model 3C3 ship to dem-

onstrate the system

The PHYLAX system consisted

of a pressurized tank of fluid with

associated lines and nozzles lead-

ing to the engine compartment of

the ship Note here that the unit

is manufactured in t he United

States by the Aero Supply Man-

ufacturing Company located in

Long Island New York The cost

of the unit is $70 in this May 1929

advertisement in an aviation mag-

azine Illustration 2 shows the

manufacturerrsquos advertisement for

the product

In a letter dated April 10 1929

Mr Wiley Wright assistant sales

director for Command-Aire Incor-

porated wrote

ldquoCommand-Aire Incorporated

acquired the exclusive franchise

rights for PHYLAX automatic fire

extinguishers in the United States

Mexico and Central America This

extinguisher is the only automatic

fire extinguisher available and is

standard equipment on many Eu-

ropean lines It is manufactured

by PHYLAX Bau of Germany and

is receiving great response in the

United States at the present timerdquo

In this factory Illustration 3

and from the files of Albert Voll-

mecke is a 110-hp Warner engine

mounted in the Command-Aire

model 3C3-A ship Note the en-

gine cowling being neatly fitted

around cylinders and associated

tubes The 3C3-A had a very longnose due to its light weight ne-

ce s s i ta t ing a longer a rm f or

weight and balance control In

this photo the PHYLAX sprinkler

heads are visible behind the mag-

netos down near the carburetor

and behind the oil inlet hoses on

the accessory case of the engineIllustration 3 is an original fac-

tory photograph of the PHYLAX

system installed in the nose of a

model 3C3-A

Illustration 4 is the same photo-

graph with some details removed

and other details added princi-

pally the identification of the PHY-LAX automatic fuse that fired the

bottle of extinguishing fluid and

the sprinkler heads These illustra-

tions taken from a Command-Aire

original factory brochure from the

files of Albert Vollmecke

Illustration 5 on page 27 is a

sketch from the PHYLAX patent

0267542 dated March 10 1926A general description of the PHY-

LAX system is contained within

the patent and states ldquoThe inven-

tion relates to a fire extinguishing

device intended for use particu-

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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not indicate what type of extinguishing fluid was

contained within the tank however soda-acid was

widely used in those days and carbon tetrachloridewas invented in 1912 by the Pyrene Company

In a communication from Command-Aire Pres-

ident Robert Snowden regarding the purchase of

stock options in the company he states ldquoOur ex-

clusive franchise for the sale of Phylax automatic

Illustration 3

Illustration 4

Illustration 5

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3044

homeland on a regular basis and

always brought back some new in-

vention or new ideas on design andsafety This system was certainly

ahead of its time safety-wise and a

credit to Vollmeckersquos focus on sta-

bility and safety for his designs

Above in this original factory

photograph (Illustration 6) of a

Command-Aire 3C3-T fuselage on

the assembly line at the Little Rock

plant the PHYLAX system can beseen mounted in the rear cock-

pit just behind the front seat in

the center of the photograph The

chemical bottles with two lines

tied to the side tubes run forward

Illustration 6

Pyrene 1047297re extinguishers

were made of brass and

were nicely polished

They were not high-pressure units

but required the use of a hand pump

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Pyrene fire extinguishers were

made of brass and were nicely pol-

ished They were not high-pressureunits but required the use of a

hand pump to generate pressure

to expel liquid from the cylinder

These extinguishers were gener-

ally mounted in the rear cockpit

ton or linen fabric and the only

dope available was cellulose ni-

trate that burned like a torch when

lit Watching nitrate dope burn

reminded me of a Fourth of July

sparkler very intense and hot If

a nitrate-doped ship caught fire in

the air there was no extinguisher

that would put out the flames

The PHYLAX system had an auto-

matic sensor that would trigger the

bottlersquos valve open and send the

chemical into the engine compart-

ment The Pyrene extinguisher wasmore for ground use because you

could not operate the bottle and

fly the airplane at the same time

By todayrsquos standards these ex-

tinguishing systems seem ar-

chaic but for the time back in

the 1920s they were the thing to

have in your automobile boator airplane

Editorrsquos Note WARNING An-

tique carbon tetrachloride fire extin-

guishers like the Pyrene occasionally

show up either contaminated with

the original agent or worse yet with

the full charge of agent still inside

Carbon tet is treated as a hazard-

ous substance (its use was banned

in consumer products in 1970) and

should be dealt with accordingly

In fact carbon tetrachloride when

heated by a fire will create poison-

ous phosgene gas (World War Irsquos

ldquonerve gasrdquo) something that would

definitely ruin someonersquos day if the

fire hadnrsquot done so already In its

standard form this substance is verytoxic to the liver and a single signifi-

cant exposure can result in sickness

or death

L a n g l ey may have been the

f h f i i i b

last and last The instruction

l i l d f

1903 Samuel Pierpont Langleyrsquos ldquoAerodromerdquoattempts to take off from a floating platform

Have a comment or ques-

tion for Bob Lock the Vintage

Mechanic Drop us an e-mail at

vintageaircrafteaaorg or you

can mail your question to Vintage

Airplane PO Box 3086 Osh-

kosh WI 54903

Illustration 7

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Authorrsquos Note We held a small open house at the

flight school hangar this past Saturday Though the

weather was not conducive to give many rides we still

had about 60 people show up enjoy a brat or ham-

burger and talk about flying or learning to fly Interest

in flying is not dead One of my pet peeves is how we

in general aviation go about attracting individuals tolearn the pleasure of flight

Nearly every aviation publication I read carries ar-

ticles and editorials about the downward spiral of gen-

eral aviation Flight schools are having a hard time

attracting new students ldquoDoom and gloomrdquo reigns

with little positive to report on the horizon This al-

ways reminds me of the proverbial three wise mon-keys who embody the principle ldquoSee no evil hear no

evil and speak no evilrdquo We all complain about the

problem but no one ever offers solutions It seems as

though by not doing anything about the challenge it

will eventually go away and right itself

Many of the aviation organizations are wringing

their respective hands giving great lip service to the

drop in pilot numbers Some like EAA have launched

activities to attract new pilots such as the Young Ea-gles program This has been a good start but it will not

fill the ever-increasing void for more pilots

What are we all missing FUN

Four years ago I chose early retirement from a 38-

The student make-up is a real cross-section of Amer-

ica My youngest student to date began flight lessons

at age 14 and the oldest was 77 years young Irsquove men-

tioned some of my students in previous articles At

yearrsquos end 2010 while converting our student files

from paper to computer I was amazed to discover that

in the previous two years I had given instruction tomore than 200 individuals Some were new students

others were individuals in search of a tailwheel en-

dorsement and many were older individuals who had

pursued flight training early in their lives but gave it

up to raise a family Now they had the time and still re-

tained the burning desire to get back into flying What

attracted these individuals to the flight school FUN

And thefun

challenge of flying J-3 Cubs

Herersquos a small cross-section of this yearrsquos group

of students

bullA retired US Navy lieutenant who flew F-4 Phan-

toms off carriers in Vietnam He hasnrsquot done any fly-

ing in more than 10 years but hersquos been building a

Skybolt which will soon be finished and hersquos return-

ing to his lifelong lovemdashaviation He also has two

young sons who want to fly and will soon be joining

the group of student pilotsbullA young CPA from Iowa whose grandfather was a

friend of Bernie Pietenpol and who has built two Piets

The CPA used two weeks of his vacation time to learn

to fly so that he can fly the airplane(s) that his grandfa-

ther built and take his grandfather for a ride

BY Steve Krog CFI

THE Vintage

Instructor

Vintage flying is very much alive

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Cubs flying every day he decided to pursue his pas-

sion for flight

bullA national chain hardware store employee who

has had a dream of flying driving nearly two hours

each way to learn to fly in a Cub

bullAn aviation writervideo producer who already has

a sport pilot certificate but desires to obtain a private

pilot certificate and do so in Cubs

bullA 30-something young family man who sells

construction equipment attachments While deer

hunting a year ago he learned one of his hunting

friends had recently learned to fly in Cubs For three

days they talked airplanes and flying rather than do-

ing much hunting Upon his return from the hunt-ing trip he drove to the airport and signed up for

lessons in the Cub

bullA professional musician from the Chicago area

who always wanted to learn to fly Although not yet

old enough to have a true ldquobucket listrdquo learning to fly

a Cub was number one on his list

With two exceptions these individuals had never

before flown or flown in tailwheel airplanes but alwayshad a dream of learning to fly in a Cubmdashjust like dad

or granddad did many years ago

Although no one in this group comes from simi-

lar backgrounds or professions there is one common

denominator among every studentmdashFUN None of

these students are learning to fly to pursue a career

in aviation (although Irsquove worked with a couple who

have done so) Rather they are learning to fly or get-

ting back into flying for the FUN and CHALLENGE of

flight They all have a true love of flight and seeing the

world from 500 feet with the door and window open

I have also worked with a number of students who

began taking flight lessons but quit after a period of

time They still had the passion for flight but gave it

up When asked why the responses fell into one of the

following four categories

bullI began taking lessons but after three or four les-sons Irsquod be assigned to a different instructor After 30

hours of dual three instructors and still not having

soloed I quit

bullThe instructor wasnrsquot teaching me anything He

was more interested in building time than teaching

Take a moment and think about how you first be-

came interested in airplanes What triggered your

pursuit of learning to fly Did you have a buddy or

maybe a family friend who encouraged you Or even

became a mentor Do you remember your first flight

lesson Do you remember the day you made your

first solo flight

Remember that passion and sense of accomplish-

ment Donrsquot hesitate to share it with anyone express-

ing an interest in learning to fly

At Cub Air Flight we sell FUN When individuals

visit the airport to inquire about learning to fly we

know they have made the commitment in their own

mind It then becomes our responsibility to makethe visit friendly A friendly environment is a FUN

environment Kids are always welcome If a prospec-

tive student has children with him or her we invite

the kids to sit in the planes At the conclusion of our

discussion we emphasize the following statement If

you learn to fly with us it will be FUN CHALLENG-

ING and SAFE

I donrsquot believe there is a shortage of pilot prospectsbut there is a shortage in how we all go about attract-

ing these people to become active participants in plea-

sure flying Remember flying is FUN Letrsquos make an

effort to help others share in that FUN

AERO CLASSICldquoCOLLECTOR SERIESrdquo

Vintage Tires New USA Production

Show off your pride and joy with afresh set of Vintage Rubber Thesenewly minted tires are FAA-TSOrsquodand speed rated to 120 MPH Some

things are better left the way theywere and in the 40rsquos and 50rsquos these tires were perfectly intune to the exciting times in aviation

Not only do these tires set your vintage plane apart fromthe rest but also look exceptional on all General Aviationaircraft Deep 832nd tread depth offers above averagetread life and UV treated rubber resists aging

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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We enjoy your suggestions for

Mystery Planesmdashin fact more than

half of our subjects are sent to us by

members often via e-mail Please

remember that if you want to scan

the photo for use in Mystery Plane

it must be at a resolution of 300 dpior greater You may send a lower-

resolution version to us for our re-

view but the final version has to be

at that level of detail or it will not

print properly Also please let us

craft in the photo is of Canadian civil

registry CF-BXO formerly Royal Cana-

dian Air Force (RCAF) 920 This photo-

graph would have been taken at some

time between 1962 and 1967 after an

overhaul at Abbotsford British Colum-

bia (BC) and possibly while in servicewith Stranraer Aerial Enterprises The

location strongly resembles the Fraser

River dockings at the Vancouver air-

port The aircraft had undergone a re-

spray with a bright red cheat line The

(beaching gear required) for the Royal Air

Force (RAF) in 1933 The prototype first

flew in October 1934 with two Bristol

Pegasus IIIM engines rated at 820 hp

The production aircraft were delivered to

the RAF with Pegasus engines delivering

920 hp entering service in April 1937The British-built machines of which 23

were ordered and only 17 being built

were all delivered by April 1939

In Canada Canadian Vickers Lim-

ited of Montreal Quebec produced 40

Send your answer to EAA Vin-

tage Airplane PO Box 3086 Osh-

kosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer

needs to be in no later than August

20 for inclusion in the October

2011 issue of Vintage Airplane

You can also send your response via

e-mail Send your answer to mystery

planeeaaorg Be sure to include your

name plus your city and state in the

body of your note and put ldquo(Month)

Mystery Planerdquo in the subject line

This monthrsquos Mystery Plane comes to us from Bruce Voran

MYSTERY PLANE

by HG FRAUTSCHY

A P R I L rsquo S M Y S T E RY A N S W E R

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3544

QCA began buying several examplesand was instrumental in convincing

the Canadian Department of Transport

(DOT) to issue a civilian Certificate of

Airworthiness (C of A) One of the first

aircraft so issued was CF-BYI which be-

1980 the Canadian Museum of Flightand Transportation in BC salvaged the

wreck for possible restoration As late as

April 1952 QCA still had two Stranraer

in service CF-BXO and CF-BYM Pacific

Western Airlines (PWA) also operated

Two RAF Belfast freighters were dis-

patched and the disassembled aircraft

was transported to the United Kingdomwhere the machine is currently one of the

centerpieces of the collection

The aircraft type had many names

The most familiar (and printable) were

Stranny Strainer and Flying Meccano

Set The least affectionate was the Whis-

tling Shouse as when the lid to the

throne was lifted there was direct access

to the great outdoors and there emitted a

loud whistling noise

Other correct answers were re-

ceived from Hillis Cunliffe Mill-

brook Alabama Brian Baker Sun

City Arizona Wesley R Smith

Springfield Illinois John White-

head Cheyenne Wyoming ScottChurch Cochrane Alberta Can-

ada Jay Broze Walla Walla Wash-

ington Jerry Paterson Kent

Washington Jamie Patterson Mi-

ramichi New Brunswick Canada

Bill Bishop of Mulgoa New South Wales Australia sent along this photo

of the surviving Supermarine Stranraer

David Nixon supplied us with the April Mystery Plane shot of CF-BXO

a Canadian Vickers-built Supermarine Stranraer

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3644

urday 8 am until 6 pm Early-bird

arrivals can shop on the pre-conven-

tion weekend as well during limited

hours Show your VAA membership

card (or your receipt showing you

joined VAA at the convention) and

yoursquoll receive a 10 percent discount

VAA Volunteer Opportunities

Are you an ace pancake flipperIf yoursquore not one yet we can help

The VAA Tall Pines Cafeacute is looking

for volunteers who can help provide

a hearty breakfast to all the hungry

campers on the south end of Witt-

man Field If you could lend a hand

for a morning or two wersquod appreci-

ate it If thatrsquos not your cup of tea feelfree to check with the VAA Volunteer

Center located just to the northeast

of the VAA Red Barn The volun-

teers who operate the booth will be

happy to tell you when your help is

needed each day It doesnrsquot matter if

itrsquos just for a few hours or for a few

daysmdashwersquod love to have your help-

ing hands There is no need for you

to contact us ahead of time you can

talk with us when you arrive

VAA Judging Categoriesand Awards

The VAArsquos internationally recog-

nized judging categories are

bullAntique Aircraft built prior toSeptember 1 1945

bullClassic September 1 1945 - De-

cember 31 1955

bullContemporary January 1 1956

- December 31 1970

VAA NEWScontinued frpm page 5

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3744

the award winners Judging closes at noon on Friday

July 29 The Awards Ceremony will be held Saturday

evening July 30 at 6 pm in the Vintage Hangar

just south of the VAA Red Barn

Designated Smoking Areas Near FlightlineSmoking on the flightline at EAA AirVenture is prohib-

ited because itrsquos a hazard to all aircraft There are several

designated smoking areas with butt cans along the flight-

line well away from aircraft and refueling operations

Designated smoking areas will be south of the ultra-light runway near the Hangar Cafeacute near the Warbirdsarea (northeast corner of Audrey Lane and Eide Av-

enue) the Wearhouse flag pole area the shade pavil-ion north of the control tower and near the UltralightBarn Locations will be indicated on EAArsquos free con-vention grounds map The admission wristband alsoinstructs visitors that smoking is allowed only in desig-nated smoking areas

More on the Web

Visit wwwAirVentureorg for more information onEAA AirVenture 2011

EAA AirVenture Is Almost Here Are You Ready

Just a few short weeks from now many of you will

make the annual pilgrimage to Oshkosh for EAA Air-

Venture 2011 Are you ready Here are several handy

online tools on the AirVenture website that can help

you take care of any last-minute concerns

Visit wwwAirVentureorg and find out what you

need to know about The Worldrsquos Greatest Avia-

tion Celebration

Admission Parking Hours

wwwAirVentureorgplanningadmissionhtml

Find or Share a Ride to Oshkosh

wwwAirVentureorgrideshare

Site Map

wwwAirVentureorgplanningschedules_mapshtml

Where to Stay

Yoursquore cleared to stay connected

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3844

ship services at 800-564-6322 but

given the time from when you read

this until AirVenture it may not ar-

rive in the mail in time for your de-

parture We suggest downloading

the NOTAM

The NOTAM contains the specialflight procedures in effect for Witt-

man Regional Airport and alternate

airports from 6 am CDT on Friday

July 22 to 12 pm CDT on Mon-

day August 1 2011 All pilots who

fly into the event are expected to

know the special flight procedures

prior to arrival EAA AirVenture Os-

hkosh runs from July 25 through

July 31 For additional EAA AirVen-

ture Oshkosh 2011 information

visit wwwAirVentureorg

Call for VAA Hall of

Fame Nominations

To the left is our information

for nominations for VAArsquos Hallof Fame which is presented each

year during a special dinner This

yearrsquos dinner will be held Friday

October 28 Wersquoll have more on

this yearrsquos inductee John Under-

To nominate someone is easy It just takes a little time and a little reminiscing on your part

Mail nominating materials to

Remember your ldquocontemporaryrdquo may be a candidate nominate someone today

wwwVintageAircraftorg

CALL FOR VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

Nominations

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3944

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

Wit tman Regional A i rpor t (OSH)

Oshkosh Wisconsin

July 25-31 2011

wwwAirVentureorg

Colorado Sport International Air Show

and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In

Rocky Mountain Met ropol i tan A irpor t (BJC)

Denver Colorado

August 27-28 2011

wwwCOSportAviationorg

Mid-Eastern Regional Fly-In

Gr imes F ie ld A irpor t (I74)

Urbana Ohio

September 10-11 2011

httpMERFIcom

Copperstate Fly-In

Casa Grande Munic ipal A i rpor t (CGZ)

Casa Grande Ar izona

Upcoming Major

Fly-Ins

W I N

Only 2000 ticketswill be sold1 ticket $50

3 tickets $125

Piper Tri-Pacer Airplane

Free Flying Lessons

Free Pilot License

Country Legend Roy Clarkrsquos Personal Proceeds fromthis raffle

SAVEAMERICANKIDS LIVES

wwwwingsofhoperaffleorg

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4044

MISCELLANEOUS

wwwaerolistorg Aviationsrsquo Leading

Marketplace

Rare find Lycoming 0-145 partsinventory blocks bearings rings

shafts amp much more $20000

at 1970 prices $5000 Six four

cylinder case aircraft magnetos

$300 Call for more details (FL)

VINTAGETRADER

Someth ing t o buyse l l o r t rade

Classified Word Ads $550 per 10

words 180 words maximum with boldface

lead-in on first line

Classified Display Ads One column wide

(2167 inches) by 1 2 or 3 inches high at

$20 per inch Black and white only and nofrequency discounts

Advertising Closing Dates 10th of second

month prior to desired issue date (ie

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 (classads

eaaorg ) using credit card payment (all cards

accepted) Include name on card complete

address type of card card number and

expiration date Make checks payable to EAA

Address advertising correspondence to EAA

Publications Classified Ad Manager PO Box

3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

What Our Members

Are Restoring

Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done and

yoursquore busy flying and showing it off If so wersquod like to hear from

you Send us a 4-by-6-inch print from a commercial source (no

home printers please those prints just donrsquot scan well) or a

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4144

EAAMembership in the Experimental Aircraft

Association Inc is $40 for one year includ-ing 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION Familymembership is an additional $10 annually Allmajor credit cards accepted for membership(Add $16 for International Postage)

FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPSPlease submit your remittance with a

check or draft drawn on a United Statesbank payable in United States dollars Addrequired Foreign Postage amount for eachmembership

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATIONCurrent EAA members may join the

Vintage Aircraft Association and receive

year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not included)(Add $7 for International Postage)

WARBIRDSCurrent EAA members may join the EAA

Warbirds of America Division and receiveWARBIRDS magazine for an additional$45 per year

EAA Membership WARBIRDS mag-azine and one year membership in theWarbirds Division is available for $55 per

year (SPORT OficAVIATION magazinenot included) (Add $7 for Interna-tional Postage)

IACCurrent EAA members may join the

International Aerobatic Club Inc Divi-sion and receive SPORT AEROBATICS magazine for an additional $45 per year

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

VINTAGE

AIRCRAFT

ASSOCIATION

OFFICERS

DIRECTORS

DIRECTORS

EMERITUS

PresidentGeoff Robison

1521 E MacGregor DrNew Haven IN 46774

260-493-4724chief7025aolcom

Vice-PresidentGeorge Daubner

N57W34837 Pondview LnOconomowoc WI 53066

262-560-1949 gdaubnereaaorg

Steve Bender85 Brush Hill Road

Sherborn MA 01770508-653-7557

sst10comcastnet

David Bennett375 Killdeer Ct

Lincoln CA 95648916-952-9449

antiquerinreachcom

Jerry Brown4605 Hickory Wood Row

Greenwood IN 46143317-422-9366

lbrown4906aolcom

Dave Clark635 Vestal Lane

Plainfield IN 46168317-839-4500davecpdattnet

John S Copeland1A Deacon Street

Northborough MA 01532508-393-4775

copeland1junocom

Phil Coulson28415 Springbrook Dr

Lawton MI 49065269-624-6490

rcoulson516cscom

Dale A Gustafson7724 Shady Hills Dr

Indianapolis IN 46278317-293-4430

dalefayemsncom

Jeannie HillPO Box 328

Harvard IL 60033-0328815-943-7205

Espie ldquoButchrdquo Joyce704 N Regional Rd

Greensboro NC 27409336-668-3650

windsockaolcom

Steve Krog1002 Heather Ln

Hartford WI 53027262-966-7627sskrogaolcom

Robert D ldquoBobrdquo Lumley1265 South 124th StBrookfield WI 53005

262-782-2633rlumley1wirrcom

SH ldquoWesrdquo Schmid2359 Lefeber Avenue

Wauwatosa WI 53213414-771-1545

shschmidgmailcom

Robert C Brauer9345 S Hoyne

Chicago IL 60643773-779-2105

photopilotaolcom

Gene Chase2159 Carlton Rd

Oshkosh WI 54904920-231-5002

GRCHAcharternet

Ronald C Fritz15401 Sparta Ave

Kent City MI 49330616-678-5012

rFritzpathwaynet com

Charlie HarrisPO Box 470350Tulsa OK 74147

918-622-8400cwhhvsucom

EE ldquoBuckrdquo Hilbert8102 Leech RdUnion IL 60180

815-923-4591buck7acgmailcom

Gene Morris5936 Steve Court

Roanoke TX 76262817-491-9110

genemor rischarter net

Membership Services DirectoryEnjoy the many benefits of EAA and

EAArsquos Vintage Aircraft Association

EAA Aviation Center PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086Phone (920) 426-4800 Fax (920) 426-4873Web Sites wwwvintageaircraftorg wwwairventureorg wwweaaorgmemberbenefits E-Mail vintageaircrafteaaorg

EAA and Division Membership Services (800 AMndash600 PM MondayndashFriday CST)800-564-6322 FAX 920-426-4873 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

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EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 888-322-4636 wwwairventureorg airventureeaaorg

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Programs and Activities

Auto Fuel STCs 920-426-4843 stceaaorg EAA Air Academy 920-426-6880 wwwairacademyorg airacademyeaaorg

EAA Scholarships 920-426-6823 scholarshipseaaorg

Library ServicesResearch 920-426-4848 slurveyeaaorg

Benefits

AUA Vintage Insurance Plan 800-727-3823 wwwauaonlinecom

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VAA Office 920-426-6110 tbookseaaorg

TM

EAA Members Information Line 888-EAA-INFO (322-4636)

Use this toll-free number for information about AirVenture Oshkosh aeromedical and technical aviation questions

chapters and Young Eagles Please have your membership number ready when calling

Office hours are 815 am - 500 pm (Monday - Friday CST)

SecretarySteve Nesse

2009 Highland AveAlbert Lea MN 56007

507-373-1674

stnes2009livecom

TreasurerDan Knutson

106 Tena Marie CircleLodi WI 53555608-592-7224

lodicubcharternet

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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If yoursquove ever watched fish in

an aquarium yoursquove probably no-

ticed how they respond differently

to their surroundings There are

those that zip around the tank in a

mad dash to nowhere Some seem

to sit and not go much of any-

where and some will swim f romone end to the other turn around

and do it again

The latter are the ones that remind

me of myself I seem to fly in a fish-

bowl I go from one end of our val-

proficient by practicing things we

know over and over or it can make

us lazy When something becomes

so ingrained that we do it from habit

only we may not be thinking about

what wersquore doing

On a night cross-country some

time ago I found out just how easyit is to forget things that I hadnrsquot

used in a while While night may be

a little more challenging it still re-

quires the basic pre-flight planning

of any cross-country and following

whether I go far or stay in the com-

fort zone I canrsquot let complacency take

over Those skills and experiences

need to be stretched from time to

time regardless of where I fly An un-

expected situation or emergency is a

bad time to find out I donrsquot remem-

ber how to do somethingComplacency also allows fear

to creep in where it doesnrsquot belong

Some fear (I think) is a natural part of

flying but it can also unnecessarily

keep us grounded because we wonrsquot

BY S MICHELLE SOUDER

Flying Outside

the Fishbowl

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Itrsquos gonna be a big year at Oshk osh

B-29 Superfortress ldquoFIFIrdquo

The first visit since 1995for the worldrsquos only airworthyB-29 Superfortress

REO SpeedwagonOshkosh rocks Monday duringthe opening day concert presentedby Ford Motor Company

Tribute to Bob HooverTuesday afternoon air showfeaturing aircraft and maneuvershe made legendary

eVentureInnovation will be on displayand in the air with the ElectricFlight Prize Competition

Join us for a week-long celebration of the Centennial of Naval Aviationincluding a special air show Wednesday See the hottest naval aircraftin historic colors all week on ConocoPhillips Plaza

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Page 18: Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1844

T

he worldrsquos first regular air-

mail line was operated by

the United States Army

back in 1918 when a fleet

of old Jennies were pushed back

and forth between New York City

and Washington DC a distance

of two hundred and twenty miles

the fields that no self-respecting pi-

lot would take a second look at in

these times But those were the days

of wooden ships and iron men

Chief pilot on the line was a

handsome youth just out of his

teens Lieutenant James C Edger-

ton who had an unusual knack of

gan There were impressive ceremo-

nies political speeches bouquets of

flowers for the flyers and the Presi-

dent of the United States himself

went down to the Polo Grounds

and wished the pilot who was to

carry the mail to New York ldquoGod

speedrdquo Almost as soon as he left

From the Archives Reprinted from Popular Aviation Dec 1935

First Regular

Airmail FlightBY LIEUT H LATANE LEWIS II

The pilot is receiving his last-minute orders before shoving off with the mail Once more old Jenny

makes history

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through with considerable diffi-

culty The pilot scheduled to make

the flight hopped off from Philadel-

phia and pointed the blunt nose of

his Jennie southward toward Wash-ington The checkerboard fields and

streams sliding beneath his wings

soon became a jigsaw puzzle and

one that he couldnrsquot piece together

The flyer realized that he was hope-

lessly lost He barged around for

awhile and finally decided to come

down and ask directions

Landing on the race track atBridgeton New Jersey forty miles

off his course he became involved

with a group of curious

horses which cracked up

the ship The mail was sent

back to Philadelphia by truck and

started out in another plane with

another pilot About thirty milesout his engine began to miss and

as it was getting dark he turned and

high-tailed back to his home field

Jim Edgerton stepped forward

and offered to save the face of the

new service and take the mail on

to Washington in spite of darkness

and a bad engine Night was comingon in earnest by this time If his en-

gine should conk on the trip down

there would be no flares for him to

release and land by nor would he be

able to bail out with a parachute for

this was before the day of the Cater-

pillar Club And at Washington he

would have no floodlights to illu-

minate the Polo Grounds It would

mean coming into that narrow field

which was surrounded by tall trees

in utter darkness

But Jim was an impatient and

adventurous young man so he

cians all through his eventful flying

career He was the least perturbed of

all as he came roaring down from the

north and circled the inky pit into

which he must bring his ship at thespeed of an express train

There were about half a dozen

automobiles parked around the

field and Jim estimated his ap-

proach from their headlights Spec-

tators heard his engine stop then

the shrill scream of the wind on

his struts and wires Then they

caught sight of a ghost-like silhou-ette against the night sky coming

down in a dizzy slideslip An in-

stant later a gray phantom swept

across the field and settled down

to a perfect landing The mail had

come through

Edgerton was the first pilot who

ever flew into a thunderstorm Upto that time flyers all over the world

looked upon electrical storms as a

deadly menace and had avoided

them as they would a plague Or-

ders had been issued that no mail

pilot should take off if weather con-

ditions were unfavorable

At Philadelphia one afternoon

during the middle of July Jim had

his ship tuned up and was ready to

shove off but down towards the

southwest storm clouds were gath-

ering It was against orders to fly

under such conditions Jim fumed

possible and then as he came over

the ldquoSusquehanna River he ran

smack into it It was a violent line

squall the storm most dreaded of

all by aviators and the kind thatsent the mighty Akron and Shenan-

doah down to destruction On the

ground trees were being uprooted

and houses damaged

ldquoIt was the bumpiest ride I ever

had before or sincerdquo chuckles Jim

Edgerton today as he recalls the

vivid impression it left on him

ldquoWe were thrown all over the skyThe rain and hail were so thick that

I couldnrsquot see the wingtips The

propeller was all chewed

up and I had to throttle

down the engine Butrdquo he

adds modestly ldquoI came out right

on the courserdquo

And the mail was landed inWashington on time

That flight and the others like it

that Edgerton made probably did

more than anything else to give the

public confidence in the reliability

of the airmail Frequently he flew

through dense fog and relied en-

tirely on the crude instruments ofthose early days to keep him in the

air On one of these flights he es-

caped death by as narrow a margin

as was ever vouchsafed a pilot

He shoved off in heavy rain and

soon ran into thick weather He

barged on into it flying blind for

awhile and then climbing up on

the top of the stuff It was so thick

that even the birds had to walk Af-

ter about an hour and a half he

decided to try to find the ground

to check his course He was com-

ing down in a fast glide when sud-

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altitude the fog was so thick

it was like being submerged

in pea soup but occasion-

ally there would be a break

and Edgerton would catcha glimpse of the ground and

know where he was

As he passed over Havre

de Grace there suddenly

loomed up dead ahead a

church steeple He was right

on it before he saw it He

banked for all he was worth

standing the old crock rightup on her ear and missed

the steeple by a miracle

But the crowning thr ill

of the day came a little later

as he passed the Army Proving

Ground at Aberdeen

ldquoWe were flying at an altitude of

about 150 feetrdquo Edgerton recallsldquoVisibility was practically nil Sud-

denly there was a terrific bump al-

most as violent as if the plane had

struck something That afternoon

Army authorities at Aberdeen

called up and said that an airplane

had flown over there and almost

collided with a shell fired from a16-inch gunrdquo

Is it any wonder that Edgertonrsquos

hair has turned slightly gray

On another occasion Jim got

caught in a vicious summer thun-

derstorm over Baltimore He was

flying his faithful old mount No

38274 The turbulent air tossed

the frail wooden Jenny about like

a ship on a rough sea One instant

her nose would be pointed straight

toward heaven and the next instant

Jim would see the ground rush-

ing up at him just over the engine

of a lead pencil were spurting out

Soon the whole forward part of the

fuselage was saturated

Jim watched the lightning play-

ing about the metal parts of the

plane and waited for the spark

that would blow him to shreds and

splatter him all over Baltimore But

Lady Luck was riding with him

again and the spark never came

He rode out the storm and brought

had broken and was dangling al-

most in the shining arc of the

propeller If it became entangled

in the prop it would shatter it to

a million splinters and probablytear the engine loose

Throttling down Jim maneu-

vered as best he could to keep

wire and prop from that fatal

embrace Below him were plenty

of flat broad fields into which

he could have glided But that

would mean delaying the mail

so the plucky youngster kept go-ing and finally sat down safely

in Washington

Altogether Edgerton made

fifty-three trips and never failed

to bring the mail through on any

of them On only one did he have

a forced landing

He was over Camp Meade Mary-land when a magneto shaft broke

There was a terrific jolt that almost

jumped the engine out of the ship

For once Jim had to come down

and come down in a hurry He

looked below him and his heart

stood still He was plunging straight

towards the heads of hundreds ofmarching men on parade

Lower and lower sank the help-

less Jenny Edgerton flattened his

glide as much as he dared and tried

to squeeze over the soldiers He was

almost knocking their hats off but

still the Yanks continued to hold

their ground

ldquoI just skimmed over their heads

and landed on the very edge of the

parade groundrdquo Jim laughingly re-

lates ldquoIt was my old outfit and they

certainly gave me a welcomerdquo

It was just a bit demoralizing to

With the mail aboard the pilot proceeds to warm

up the OX-5 which animates the Jenny

Authentic dope on the

controversial subject

ldquoWho flew the firstairmailrdquo In spite of the

many claims to priority by

various pilots we believe

that this is the real

answer to the problem

An old Jenny as usual

does the work

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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AirVenture amp Ford Together Again

REO Speedwagon Concert Monday

600PM next to the Ford Hangar

Fly In Theater Nightly Sunday ndash

Saturday 830PM Camp Scholler

Cruisinrsquo Legends See Mustangs and

more Knapp Street near Warbirds

Model T Experience Tour in a Model

T ldquoCruisinrsquo Legendsrdquo

ldquoBlues Brothersrdquo Tribute Party

Saturday 630PM Ford ldquoHangar of Bluesrdquo

Free Ice Cream Nightly in the camp-

grounds ndash from the Transit Connect

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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My son and I spent the better part of

six years restoring an Aeronca 7BCM

Jeff was 13 years old when we started

the project and 19 when we finished

sponds quickly to my urging as I

push the throttle control forward

to begin a low-level no-radio no-

transponder flight from Charles W

time I admit to being spoiled first by

low-frequency ldquobeamsrdquo then VORs

DME RNAV LORAN and now GPS

But for this flight I left all that behind

To Follow the LineThis was the way I had learned navigation to follow the line

BY E JEFF JUSTIS

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE AUTHOR

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Down low it was fun once more

watching the small towns pass

even being able to read the names

on water towers

In north-central Mississippi

there appears a vast forest spread-

ing out beneath my wings an il-

lusory remnant of the gloriouswilderness that once extended

from the East Coast to the Great

Plains Now clear-cutting scars are

evidence of manrsquos meddling graf-

fiti on our planetrsquos face

I am surprised at the hills of

North Mississippi at higher al-

titudes they flatten into the ter-rain but here at 1000 feet above

the ground the hills are alive with

depth and color

My craft and I intruders in his

world pass a circling hawk I look

down and try to see the tiny crea-

ture I am sure he sees but where

he must perceive the slightest rus-tle of the brush I see only patterns

of green and brown and the bright

blue of reflected sky

Enough of this sightseeing I should

have crossed this highway a couple

of miles farther to the north I make a

slight correction Highways They criss-

cross this land cutting it into smaller

and smaller bits these scratches of

man meant little when there were

fewer men but now they separate deer

from deer and life from life

At the edge of a field pebbled by

round bales of hay rests a red tractor Jeff Justis was just 13 when he and his family embarked on the restoration of

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2444

suppose is the essence of life

Soon the forward horizon bulges

upward as I approach old tectonic

ridges aligned northeast-southwest

near Birmingham The dark greenof the forested ridges contrasts with

the lighter verdant hues of manrsquos

cultivation Ahead a sharp razor-

backed ridge prompts a climb to

3000 feet I teeter across the top and

slide down toward the broad valley

on the eastern side My first land-

ing after one hour and 45 minutes is

welcome As a no-radio aircraft I am

careful to follow the standard pat-

tern and glide down final touching

down on the much-too-long-for-

The-Champ runway of Posey AirportMost cross-country flights in

the rsquo50s were from grass strip to

grass strip A red gas pump would

be brought into service by the col-

orful operatormechanic of these

old aerodromes Aeroncas and

Luscombes were everywhere and

Cessna 195s were the elite air-

planes Now on this ramp my

Aeronca is an anachronism

A King Air is being readied for cor-

porate passengers and my little tail-

dragger is lost on the large apronFortunately we modified the 7BCM

with a starter and generator so I do

not have to find someone to help me

get started In years past almost ev-

ery lineman was proficient in hand-

propping now itrsquos almost a lost art

Soon I am on the way to my

next stop Lagrange Georgia I am

fooled by the appearance of a large

airport an old military field at 12

orsquoclock on the horizon Only when

I get close enough do I realize this is

not the field I am supposed to over-

fly and that I am 10 miles south of

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2544

ramp taking nearly as long as the

flight itself

The cost of this slow flight is cer-

tainly minimal with fill-ups after

two hours averaging 15 or so dol-

lars Besides the trip has been fun so

far relearning old navigation tricks

and seeing the country down low

Now I have only a few more milesto navigate to Eaglesrsquo Landing The

fly-in community strip is near Wil-

liamson Georgia and just east of a

northeast-southwest-oriented rail-

road I decide to proceed due east

find the railroad and follow it

northeast toward the destination

I cross a highway but see no rail-road A few miles further still no

railroad I must have passed it Af-

ter a 180 I find the highway again

but nohellipwait what is that That is

an abandoned rail line for sure and

it does parallel the road I continue

northeast scanning the horizon

passing pretty fields and housesI locate one airport with houses

neatly lining both sides of the single

runway but it is not Eaglesrsquo Landing

Soon I see Griffin Georgia I have

come too far I ease The Champ into

a bank to try again back down the

rail line andhellipherersquos a golf coursehellip

and yes there are two grass run-

ways meeting in a ldquoVrdquo I circle andmake a low pass over the northwest

runway watching my friends wave

from their yard ldquoWhat a nice place

to liverdquo I think as I line up on final

I glide just above the grass and

A foil tape antenna ground plane was just one of the nifty little touches added

to The Champ as the two Jeffs restored their airplane

Doesnrsquot ever yone use Champ

tail surfaces as decorative ele-

ments in their household dec-orating Mrs Justis is a very

patient woman

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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CALIFORNIAHayward CA VIN 29

Meeting 2nd Thurs 600 pm

Hayward Airport

See website for hangar info

Gary Oberti President

Phone 510-357-8600

E-mail infovaa29org

Website wwwvaa29org

CALIFORNIASacramento CA VIN 25

Meeting 2nd Sat 900 am

See chapter website for location

Robert Opdahl President

Phone 530-273-7348

E-mail bopdahlsbcglobalnet

Website wwwVin25org

CAROLINAS VIRGINIAWalnut Cove NC VIN 3

Meeting Contact President

Susan Dusenbury President

Phone 336-591-3931

E-mail sr6sueaolcom

Website wwwVAA3org

FLORIDALakeland FL VIN 1

Meeting Contact President

Bobby Capozzi President

Phone 352-475-9736

INDIANAAuburn IN VIN 37

Meeting 4th Thurs 700 pm

DeKalb County Airport (kGWB)

Hangar AmdashVAA 37 Clubhouse

Drew Hoffman President

Phone 260-515-3525

E-mail drewhoffmanvaa37org

Website wwwVAA37org

KANSASOverland Park KS VIN 16

Meeting 2nd Fri 730 pm

CAF Hangar

New Century Airport

Kevin Pratt President

Phone 913-541-1149

E-mail kprattvaa16com

Website wwwVAA16com

LOUISIANANew Iberia LA VIN 30

Meeting 1st Sun 900 am

LeMaire Memorial Airport Hangar 4

Roland Denison President

Phone 337-365-3047

E-mail vaa30coxnet

MINNESOTAAlbert Lea MN VIN 13

Meeting 2nd Thurs 700 pm

Albert Lea Airport FBO

OHIODelaware OH VIN 27

Meeting 3rd Sat 8-10AM May thru Sept

Delaware Municiple Airport (DLZ)

Terminal Building

Woody McIntire President

Phone 740-362-7228

E-mail wjmcintirecscom

Website wwwEAAdlzorg

OHIOZanesville OH VIN 22

Meeting 2nd Fri 630 pm

Perry County Airport

John Morozowsky President

Phone 740-453-6889

OKLAHOMATulsa OK VIN 10

Meeting 4th Thurs 700 PM

Hardesty South Regional Library

No meetings in July Nov amp Dec

Joe Champagne President

Phone 918-257-4688

Email skypalgroveemailcom

TEXASSpring TX VIN 2

Meeting 4th Sun 200 PM

David Wayne Hooks Airport (KDWH)

Fred Ramin President

Phone 281-255-4430

Vintage Chapter LocatorVisit the VAA chapter nearest you and get to know some great old-airplane enthusiasts You donrsquot need

to be a pilot to join in the funmdashjust have a love of the great airplanes of yesteryear

Chapter 27 of Delaware Ohio hosts a monthly pancake breakfast where attendees enjoy the camara-derie among the airplanes

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2744

When Albert Vollmecke joined

Arkansas Aircraft Company in Sep-tember 1927 he brought fresh ideas

from his native Germany regarding

aircraft design stability and safety

He would on occasion return to

Germany to bring back something

new for the company In 1928 Ar-

kansas Aircraft Company changed

its name to Command-Aire Incor-porated and the production run

of new ships increased in its Little

Rock Arkansas plant

After one such visit to Ger-

many Vollmecke returned with

the rights to import and sell the

PHYLAX fire-extinguisher system

patented (GB 0267542) March 10

1926 and manufactured in Berlinby Phylax Feuerlosch-Automaten-

Bau GmbH The PHYLAX fire-

extinguisher system consisted of

a tank containing the extinguish-

ing liquid From the tank which

BY ROBERT G LOCK

Early 1047297re-extinguishing system

THE Vintage

Mechanic

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2844

advertisement from AVIATION

November 1928 using the OX-5

powered model 3C3 ship to dem-

onstrate the system

The PHYLAX system consisted

of a pressurized tank of fluid with

associated lines and nozzles lead-

ing to the engine compartment of

the ship Note here that the unit

is manufactured in t he United

States by the Aero Supply Man-

ufacturing Company located in

Long Island New York The cost

of the unit is $70 in this May 1929

advertisement in an aviation mag-

azine Illustration 2 shows the

manufacturerrsquos advertisement for

the product

In a letter dated April 10 1929

Mr Wiley Wright assistant sales

director for Command-Aire Incor-

porated wrote

ldquoCommand-Aire Incorporated

acquired the exclusive franchise

rights for PHYLAX automatic fire

extinguishers in the United States

Mexico and Central America This

extinguisher is the only automatic

fire extinguisher available and is

standard equipment on many Eu-

ropean lines It is manufactured

by PHYLAX Bau of Germany and

is receiving great response in the

United States at the present timerdquo

In this factory Illustration 3

and from the files of Albert Voll-

mecke is a 110-hp Warner engine

mounted in the Command-Aire

model 3C3-A ship Note the en-

gine cowling being neatly fitted

around cylinders and associated

tubes The 3C3-A had a very longnose due to its light weight ne-

ce s s i ta t ing a longer a rm f or

weight and balance control In

this photo the PHYLAX sprinkler

heads are visible behind the mag-

netos down near the carburetor

and behind the oil inlet hoses on

the accessory case of the engineIllustration 3 is an original fac-

tory photograph of the PHYLAX

system installed in the nose of a

model 3C3-A

Illustration 4 is the same photo-

graph with some details removed

and other details added princi-

pally the identification of the PHY-LAX automatic fuse that fired the

bottle of extinguishing fluid and

the sprinkler heads These illustra-

tions taken from a Command-Aire

original factory brochure from the

files of Albert Vollmecke

Illustration 5 on page 27 is a

sketch from the PHYLAX patent

0267542 dated March 10 1926A general description of the PHY-

LAX system is contained within

the patent and states ldquoThe inven-

tion relates to a fire extinguishing

device intended for use particu-

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2944

not indicate what type of extinguishing fluid was

contained within the tank however soda-acid was

widely used in those days and carbon tetrachloridewas invented in 1912 by the Pyrene Company

In a communication from Command-Aire Pres-

ident Robert Snowden regarding the purchase of

stock options in the company he states ldquoOur ex-

clusive franchise for the sale of Phylax automatic

Illustration 3

Illustration 4

Illustration 5

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3044

homeland on a regular basis and

always brought back some new in-

vention or new ideas on design andsafety This system was certainly

ahead of its time safety-wise and a

credit to Vollmeckersquos focus on sta-

bility and safety for his designs

Above in this original factory

photograph (Illustration 6) of a

Command-Aire 3C3-T fuselage on

the assembly line at the Little Rock

plant the PHYLAX system can beseen mounted in the rear cock-

pit just behind the front seat in

the center of the photograph The

chemical bottles with two lines

tied to the side tubes run forward

Illustration 6

Pyrene 1047297re extinguishers

were made of brass and

were nicely polished

They were not high-pressure units

but required the use of a hand pump

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3144

Pyrene fire extinguishers were

made of brass and were nicely pol-

ished They were not high-pressureunits but required the use of a

hand pump to generate pressure

to expel liquid from the cylinder

These extinguishers were gener-

ally mounted in the rear cockpit

ton or linen fabric and the only

dope available was cellulose ni-

trate that burned like a torch when

lit Watching nitrate dope burn

reminded me of a Fourth of July

sparkler very intense and hot If

a nitrate-doped ship caught fire in

the air there was no extinguisher

that would put out the flames

The PHYLAX system had an auto-

matic sensor that would trigger the

bottlersquos valve open and send the

chemical into the engine compart-

ment The Pyrene extinguisher wasmore for ground use because you

could not operate the bottle and

fly the airplane at the same time

By todayrsquos standards these ex-

tinguishing systems seem ar-

chaic but for the time back in

the 1920s they were the thing to

have in your automobile boator airplane

Editorrsquos Note WARNING An-

tique carbon tetrachloride fire extin-

guishers like the Pyrene occasionally

show up either contaminated with

the original agent or worse yet with

the full charge of agent still inside

Carbon tet is treated as a hazard-

ous substance (its use was banned

in consumer products in 1970) and

should be dealt with accordingly

In fact carbon tetrachloride when

heated by a fire will create poison-

ous phosgene gas (World War Irsquos

ldquonerve gasrdquo) something that would

definitely ruin someonersquos day if the

fire hadnrsquot done so already In its

standard form this substance is verytoxic to the liver and a single signifi-

cant exposure can result in sickness

or death

L a n g l ey may have been the

f h f i i i b

last and last The instruction

l i l d f

1903 Samuel Pierpont Langleyrsquos ldquoAerodromerdquoattempts to take off from a floating platform

Have a comment or ques-

tion for Bob Lock the Vintage

Mechanic Drop us an e-mail at

vintageaircrafteaaorg or you

can mail your question to Vintage

Airplane PO Box 3086 Osh-

kosh WI 54903

Illustration 7

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Authorrsquos Note We held a small open house at the

flight school hangar this past Saturday Though the

weather was not conducive to give many rides we still

had about 60 people show up enjoy a brat or ham-

burger and talk about flying or learning to fly Interest

in flying is not dead One of my pet peeves is how we

in general aviation go about attracting individuals tolearn the pleasure of flight

Nearly every aviation publication I read carries ar-

ticles and editorials about the downward spiral of gen-

eral aviation Flight schools are having a hard time

attracting new students ldquoDoom and gloomrdquo reigns

with little positive to report on the horizon This al-

ways reminds me of the proverbial three wise mon-keys who embody the principle ldquoSee no evil hear no

evil and speak no evilrdquo We all complain about the

problem but no one ever offers solutions It seems as

though by not doing anything about the challenge it

will eventually go away and right itself

Many of the aviation organizations are wringing

their respective hands giving great lip service to the

drop in pilot numbers Some like EAA have launched

activities to attract new pilots such as the Young Ea-gles program This has been a good start but it will not

fill the ever-increasing void for more pilots

What are we all missing FUN

Four years ago I chose early retirement from a 38-

The student make-up is a real cross-section of Amer-

ica My youngest student to date began flight lessons

at age 14 and the oldest was 77 years young Irsquove men-

tioned some of my students in previous articles At

yearrsquos end 2010 while converting our student files

from paper to computer I was amazed to discover that

in the previous two years I had given instruction tomore than 200 individuals Some were new students

others were individuals in search of a tailwheel en-

dorsement and many were older individuals who had

pursued flight training early in their lives but gave it

up to raise a family Now they had the time and still re-

tained the burning desire to get back into flying What

attracted these individuals to the flight school FUN

And thefun

challenge of flying J-3 Cubs

Herersquos a small cross-section of this yearrsquos group

of students

bullA retired US Navy lieutenant who flew F-4 Phan-

toms off carriers in Vietnam He hasnrsquot done any fly-

ing in more than 10 years but hersquos been building a

Skybolt which will soon be finished and hersquos return-

ing to his lifelong lovemdashaviation He also has two

young sons who want to fly and will soon be joining

the group of student pilotsbullA young CPA from Iowa whose grandfather was a

friend of Bernie Pietenpol and who has built two Piets

The CPA used two weeks of his vacation time to learn

to fly so that he can fly the airplane(s) that his grandfa-

ther built and take his grandfather for a ride

BY Steve Krog CFI

THE Vintage

Instructor

Vintage flying is very much alive

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3344

Cubs flying every day he decided to pursue his pas-

sion for flight

bullA national chain hardware store employee who

has had a dream of flying driving nearly two hours

each way to learn to fly in a Cub

bullAn aviation writervideo producer who already has

a sport pilot certificate but desires to obtain a private

pilot certificate and do so in Cubs

bullA 30-something young family man who sells

construction equipment attachments While deer

hunting a year ago he learned one of his hunting

friends had recently learned to fly in Cubs For three

days they talked airplanes and flying rather than do-

ing much hunting Upon his return from the hunt-ing trip he drove to the airport and signed up for

lessons in the Cub

bullA professional musician from the Chicago area

who always wanted to learn to fly Although not yet

old enough to have a true ldquobucket listrdquo learning to fly

a Cub was number one on his list

With two exceptions these individuals had never

before flown or flown in tailwheel airplanes but alwayshad a dream of learning to fly in a Cubmdashjust like dad

or granddad did many years ago

Although no one in this group comes from simi-

lar backgrounds or professions there is one common

denominator among every studentmdashFUN None of

these students are learning to fly to pursue a career

in aviation (although Irsquove worked with a couple who

have done so) Rather they are learning to fly or get-

ting back into flying for the FUN and CHALLENGE of

flight They all have a true love of flight and seeing the

world from 500 feet with the door and window open

I have also worked with a number of students who

began taking flight lessons but quit after a period of

time They still had the passion for flight but gave it

up When asked why the responses fell into one of the

following four categories

bullI began taking lessons but after three or four les-sons Irsquod be assigned to a different instructor After 30

hours of dual three instructors and still not having

soloed I quit

bullThe instructor wasnrsquot teaching me anything He

was more interested in building time than teaching

Take a moment and think about how you first be-

came interested in airplanes What triggered your

pursuit of learning to fly Did you have a buddy or

maybe a family friend who encouraged you Or even

became a mentor Do you remember your first flight

lesson Do you remember the day you made your

first solo flight

Remember that passion and sense of accomplish-

ment Donrsquot hesitate to share it with anyone express-

ing an interest in learning to fly

At Cub Air Flight we sell FUN When individuals

visit the airport to inquire about learning to fly we

know they have made the commitment in their own

mind It then becomes our responsibility to makethe visit friendly A friendly environment is a FUN

environment Kids are always welcome If a prospec-

tive student has children with him or her we invite

the kids to sit in the planes At the conclusion of our

discussion we emphasize the following statement If

you learn to fly with us it will be FUN CHALLENG-

ING and SAFE

I donrsquot believe there is a shortage of pilot prospectsbut there is a shortage in how we all go about attract-

ing these people to become active participants in plea-

sure flying Remember flying is FUN Letrsquos make an

effort to help others share in that FUN

AERO CLASSICldquoCOLLECTOR SERIESrdquo

Vintage Tires New USA Production

Show off your pride and joy with afresh set of Vintage Rubber Thesenewly minted tires are FAA-TSOrsquodand speed rated to 120 MPH Some

things are better left the way theywere and in the 40rsquos and 50rsquos these tires were perfectly intune to the exciting times in aviation

Not only do these tires set your vintage plane apart fromthe rest but also look exceptional on all General Aviationaircraft Deep 832nd tread depth offers above averagetread life and UV treated rubber resists aging

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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We enjoy your suggestions for

Mystery Planesmdashin fact more than

half of our subjects are sent to us by

members often via e-mail Please

remember that if you want to scan

the photo for use in Mystery Plane

it must be at a resolution of 300 dpior greater You may send a lower-

resolution version to us for our re-

view but the final version has to be

at that level of detail or it will not

print properly Also please let us

craft in the photo is of Canadian civil

registry CF-BXO formerly Royal Cana-

dian Air Force (RCAF) 920 This photo-

graph would have been taken at some

time between 1962 and 1967 after an

overhaul at Abbotsford British Colum-

bia (BC) and possibly while in servicewith Stranraer Aerial Enterprises The

location strongly resembles the Fraser

River dockings at the Vancouver air-

port The aircraft had undergone a re-

spray with a bright red cheat line The

(beaching gear required) for the Royal Air

Force (RAF) in 1933 The prototype first

flew in October 1934 with two Bristol

Pegasus IIIM engines rated at 820 hp

The production aircraft were delivered to

the RAF with Pegasus engines delivering

920 hp entering service in April 1937The British-built machines of which 23

were ordered and only 17 being built

were all delivered by April 1939

In Canada Canadian Vickers Lim-

ited of Montreal Quebec produced 40

Send your answer to EAA Vin-

tage Airplane PO Box 3086 Osh-

kosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer

needs to be in no later than August

20 for inclusion in the October

2011 issue of Vintage Airplane

You can also send your response via

e-mail Send your answer to mystery

planeeaaorg Be sure to include your

name plus your city and state in the

body of your note and put ldquo(Month)

Mystery Planerdquo in the subject line

This monthrsquos Mystery Plane comes to us from Bruce Voran

MYSTERY PLANE

by HG FRAUTSCHY

A P R I L rsquo S M Y S T E RY A N S W E R

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3544

QCA began buying several examplesand was instrumental in convincing

the Canadian Department of Transport

(DOT) to issue a civilian Certificate of

Airworthiness (C of A) One of the first

aircraft so issued was CF-BYI which be-

1980 the Canadian Museum of Flightand Transportation in BC salvaged the

wreck for possible restoration As late as

April 1952 QCA still had two Stranraer

in service CF-BXO and CF-BYM Pacific

Western Airlines (PWA) also operated

Two RAF Belfast freighters were dis-

patched and the disassembled aircraft

was transported to the United Kingdomwhere the machine is currently one of the

centerpieces of the collection

The aircraft type had many names

The most familiar (and printable) were

Stranny Strainer and Flying Meccano

Set The least affectionate was the Whis-

tling Shouse as when the lid to the

throne was lifted there was direct access

to the great outdoors and there emitted a

loud whistling noise

Other correct answers were re-

ceived from Hillis Cunliffe Mill-

brook Alabama Brian Baker Sun

City Arizona Wesley R Smith

Springfield Illinois John White-

head Cheyenne Wyoming ScottChurch Cochrane Alberta Can-

ada Jay Broze Walla Walla Wash-

ington Jerry Paterson Kent

Washington Jamie Patterson Mi-

ramichi New Brunswick Canada

Bill Bishop of Mulgoa New South Wales Australia sent along this photo

of the surviving Supermarine Stranraer

David Nixon supplied us with the April Mystery Plane shot of CF-BXO

a Canadian Vickers-built Supermarine Stranraer

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3644

urday 8 am until 6 pm Early-bird

arrivals can shop on the pre-conven-

tion weekend as well during limited

hours Show your VAA membership

card (or your receipt showing you

joined VAA at the convention) and

yoursquoll receive a 10 percent discount

VAA Volunteer Opportunities

Are you an ace pancake flipperIf yoursquore not one yet we can help

The VAA Tall Pines Cafeacute is looking

for volunteers who can help provide

a hearty breakfast to all the hungry

campers on the south end of Witt-

man Field If you could lend a hand

for a morning or two wersquod appreci-

ate it If thatrsquos not your cup of tea feelfree to check with the VAA Volunteer

Center located just to the northeast

of the VAA Red Barn The volun-

teers who operate the booth will be

happy to tell you when your help is

needed each day It doesnrsquot matter if

itrsquos just for a few hours or for a few

daysmdashwersquod love to have your help-

ing hands There is no need for you

to contact us ahead of time you can

talk with us when you arrive

VAA Judging Categoriesand Awards

The VAArsquos internationally recog-

nized judging categories are

bullAntique Aircraft built prior toSeptember 1 1945

bullClassic September 1 1945 - De-

cember 31 1955

bullContemporary January 1 1956

- December 31 1970

VAA NEWScontinued frpm page 5

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3744

the award winners Judging closes at noon on Friday

July 29 The Awards Ceremony will be held Saturday

evening July 30 at 6 pm in the Vintage Hangar

just south of the VAA Red Barn

Designated Smoking Areas Near FlightlineSmoking on the flightline at EAA AirVenture is prohib-

ited because itrsquos a hazard to all aircraft There are several

designated smoking areas with butt cans along the flight-

line well away from aircraft and refueling operations

Designated smoking areas will be south of the ultra-light runway near the Hangar Cafeacute near the Warbirdsarea (northeast corner of Audrey Lane and Eide Av-

enue) the Wearhouse flag pole area the shade pavil-ion north of the control tower and near the UltralightBarn Locations will be indicated on EAArsquos free con-vention grounds map The admission wristband alsoinstructs visitors that smoking is allowed only in desig-nated smoking areas

More on the Web

Visit wwwAirVentureorg for more information onEAA AirVenture 2011

EAA AirVenture Is Almost Here Are You Ready

Just a few short weeks from now many of you will

make the annual pilgrimage to Oshkosh for EAA Air-

Venture 2011 Are you ready Here are several handy

online tools on the AirVenture website that can help

you take care of any last-minute concerns

Visit wwwAirVentureorg and find out what you

need to know about The Worldrsquos Greatest Avia-

tion Celebration

Admission Parking Hours

wwwAirVentureorgplanningadmissionhtml

Find or Share a Ride to Oshkosh

wwwAirVentureorgrideshare

Site Map

wwwAirVentureorgplanningschedules_mapshtml

Where to Stay

Yoursquore cleared to stay connected

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3844

ship services at 800-564-6322 but

given the time from when you read

this until AirVenture it may not ar-

rive in the mail in time for your de-

parture We suggest downloading

the NOTAM

The NOTAM contains the specialflight procedures in effect for Witt-

man Regional Airport and alternate

airports from 6 am CDT on Friday

July 22 to 12 pm CDT on Mon-

day August 1 2011 All pilots who

fly into the event are expected to

know the special flight procedures

prior to arrival EAA AirVenture Os-

hkosh runs from July 25 through

July 31 For additional EAA AirVen-

ture Oshkosh 2011 information

visit wwwAirVentureorg

Call for VAA Hall of

Fame Nominations

To the left is our information

for nominations for VAArsquos Hallof Fame which is presented each

year during a special dinner This

yearrsquos dinner will be held Friday

October 28 Wersquoll have more on

this yearrsquos inductee John Under-

To nominate someone is easy It just takes a little time and a little reminiscing on your part

Mail nominating materials to

Remember your ldquocontemporaryrdquo may be a candidate nominate someone today

wwwVintageAircraftorg

CALL FOR VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

Nominations

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3944

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

Wit tman Regional A i rpor t (OSH)

Oshkosh Wisconsin

July 25-31 2011

wwwAirVentureorg

Colorado Sport International Air Show

and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In

Rocky Mountain Met ropol i tan A irpor t (BJC)

Denver Colorado

August 27-28 2011

wwwCOSportAviationorg

Mid-Eastern Regional Fly-In

Gr imes F ie ld A irpor t (I74)

Urbana Ohio

September 10-11 2011

httpMERFIcom

Copperstate Fly-In

Casa Grande Munic ipal A i rpor t (CGZ)

Casa Grande Ar izona

Upcoming Major

Fly-Ins

W I N

Only 2000 ticketswill be sold1 ticket $50

3 tickets $125

Piper Tri-Pacer Airplane

Free Flying Lessons

Free Pilot License

Country Legend Roy Clarkrsquos Personal Proceeds fromthis raffle

SAVEAMERICANKIDS LIVES

wwwwingsofhoperaffleorg

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4044

MISCELLANEOUS

wwwaerolistorg Aviationsrsquo Leading

Marketplace

Rare find Lycoming 0-145 partsinventory blocks bearings rings

shafts amp much more $20000

at 1970 prices $5000 Six four

cylinder case aircraft magnetos

$300 Call for more details (FL)

VINTAGETRADER

Someth ing t o buyse l l o r t rade

Classified Word Ads $550 per 10

words 180 words maximum with boldface

lead-in on first line

Classified Display Ads One column wide

(2167 inches) by 1 2 or 3 inches high at

$20 per inch Black and white only and nofrequency discounts

Advertising Closing Dates 10th of second

month prior to desired issue date (ie

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 (classads

eaaorg ) using credit card payment (all cards

accepted) Include name on card complete

address type of card card number and

expiration date Make checks payable to EAA

Address advertising correspondence to EAA

Publications Classified Ad Manager PO Box

3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

What Our Members

Are Restoring

Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done and

yoursquore busy flying and showing it off If so wersquod like to hear from

you Send us a 4-by-6-inch print from a commercial source (no

home printers please those prints just donrsquot scan well) or a

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4144

EAAMembership in the Experimental Aircraft

Association Inc is $40 for one year includ-ing 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION Familymembership is an additional $10 annually Allmajor credit cards accepted for membership(Add $16 for International Postage)

FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPSPlease submit your remittance with a

check or draft drawn on a United Statesbank payable in United States dollars Addrequired Foreign Postage amount for eachmembership

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATIONCurrent EAA members may join the

Vintage Aircraft Association and receive

year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not included)(Add $7 for International Postage)

WARBIRDSCurrent EAA members may join the EAA

Warbirds of America Division and receiveWARBIRDS magazine for an additional$45 per year

EAA Membership WARBIRDS mag-azine and one year membership in theWarbirds Division is available for $55 per

year (SPORT OficAVIATION magazinenot included) (Add $7 for Interna-tional Postage)

IACCurrent EAA members may join the

International Aerobatic Club Inc Divi-sion and receive SPORT AEROBATICS magazine for an additional $45 per year

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

VINTAGE

AIRCRAFT

ASSOCIATION

OFFICERS

DIRECTORS

DIRECTORS

EMERITUS

PresidentGeoff Robison

1521 E MacGregor DrNew Haven IN 46774

260-493-4724chief7025aolcom

Vice-PresidentGeorge Daubner

N57W34837 Pondview LnOconomowoc WI 53066

262-560-1949 gdaubnereaaorg

Steve Bender85 Brush Hill Road

Sherborn MA 01770508-653-7557

sst10comcastnet

David Bennett375 Killdeer Ct

Lincoln CA 95648916-952-9449

antiquerinreachcom

Jerry Brown4605 Hickory Wood Row

Greenwood IN 46143317-422-9366

lbrown4906aolcom

Dave Clark635 Vestal Lane

Plainfield IN 46168317-839-4500davecpdattnet

John S Copeland1A Deacon Street

Northborough MA 01532508-393-4775

copeland1junocom

Phil Coulson28415 Springbrook Dr

Lawton MI 49065269-624-6490

rcoulson516cscom

Dale A Gustafson7724 Shady Hills Dr

Indianapolis IN 46278317-293-4430

dalefayemsncom

Jeannie HillPO Box 328

Harvard IL 60033-0328815-943-7205

Espie ldquoButchrdquo Joyce704 N Regional Rd

Greensboro NC 27409336-668-3650

windsockaolcom

Steve Krog1002 Heather Ln

Hartford WI 53027262-966-7627sskrogaolcom

Robert D ldquoBobrdquo Lumley1265 South 124th StBrookfield WI 53005

262-782-2633rlumley1wirrcom

SH ldquoWesrdquo Schmid2359 Lefeber Avenue

Wauwatosa WI 53213414-771-1545

shschmidgmailcom

Robert C Brauer9345 S Hoyne

Chicago IL 60643773-779-2105

photopilotaolcom

Gene Chase2159 Carlton Rd

Oshkosh WI 54904920-231-5002

GRCHAcharternet

Ronald C Fritz15401 Sparta Ave

Kent City MI 49330616-678-5012

rFritzpathwaynet com

Charlie HarrisPO Box 470350Tulsa OK 74147

918-622-8400cwhhvsucom

EE ldquoBuckrdquo Hilbert8102 Leech RdUnion IL 60180

815-923-4591buck7acgmailcom

Gene Morris5936 Steve Court

Roanoke TX 76262817-491-9110

genemor rischarter net

Membership Services DirectoryEnjoy the many benefits of EAA and

EAArsquos Vintage Aircraft Association

EAA Aviation Center PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086Phone (920) 426-4800 Fax (920) 426-4873Web Sites wwwvintageaircraftorg wwwairventureorg wwweaaorgmemberbenefits E-Mail vintageaircrafteaaorg

EAA and Division Membership Services (800 AMndash600 PM MondayndashFriday CST)800-564-6322 FAX 920-426-4873 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

bullNewrenew memberships bullAddress changes bullMerchandise sales bullGift memberships

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 888-322-4636 wwwairventureorg airventureeaaorg

Sport PilotLight-Sport Aircraft Hotline 877-359-1232 wwwsportpilotorg sportpiloteaaorg

Programs and Activities

Auto Fuel STCs 920-426-4843 stceaaorg EAA Air Academy 920-426-6880 wwwairacademyorg airacademyeaaorg

EAA Scholarships 920-426-6823 scholarshipseaaorg

Library ServicesResearch 920-426-4848 slurveyeaaorg

Benefits

AUA Vintage Insurance Plan 800-727-3823 wwwauaonlinecom

EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan 866-647-4322 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

EAA VISA Card 800-853-5576 ext 8884

EAA Her tz Rent-A-Car Program 800-654-2200 wwweaaorghertz membershipeaaorg

VAA EditorialExecutive Director 920-426-4825 wwwvintageaircraftorg vintageeaaorg

VAA Office 920-426-6110 tbookseaaorg

TM

EAA Members Information Line 888-EAA-INFO (322-4636)

Use this toll-free number for information about AirVenture Oshkosh aeromedical and technical aviation questions

chapters and Young Eagles Please have your membership number ready when calling

Office hours are 815 am - 500 pm (Monday - Friday CST)

SecretarySteve Nesse

2009 Highland AveAlbert Lea MN 56007

507-373-1674

stnes2009livecom

TreasurerDan Knutson

106 Tena Marie CircleLodi WI 53555608-592-7224

lodicubcharternet

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4244

If yoursquove ever watched fish in

an aquarium yoursquove probably no-

ticed how they respond differently

to their surroundings There are

those that zip around the tank in a

mad dash to nowhere Some seem

to sit and not go much of any-

where and some will swim f romone end to the other turn around

and do it again

The latter are the ones that remind

me of myself I seem to fly in a fish-

bowl I go from one end of our val-

proficient by practicing things we

know over and over or it can make

us lazy When something becomes

so ingrained that we do it from habit

only we may not be thinking about

what wersquore doing

On a night cross-country some

time ago I found out just how easyit is to forget things that I hadnrsquot

used in a while While night may be

a little more challenging it still re-

quires the basic pre-flight planning

of any cross-country and following

whether I go far or stay in the com-

fort zone I canrsquot let complacency take

over Those skills and experiences

need to be stretched from time to

time regardless of where I fly An un-

expected situation or emergency is a

bad time to find out I donrsquot remem-

ber how to do somethingComplacency also allows fear

to creep in where it doesnrsquot belong

Some fear (I think) is a natural part of

flying but it can also unnecessarily

keep us grounded because we wonrsquot

BY S MICHELLE SOUDER

Flying Outside

the Fishbowl

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4344

Itrsquos gonna be a big year at Oshk osh

B-29 Superfortress ldquoFIFIrdquo

The first visit since 1995for the worldrsquos only airworthyB-29 Superfortress

REO SpeedwagonOshkosh rocks Monday duringthe opening day concert presentedby Ford Motor Company

Tribute to Bob HooverTuesday afternoon air showfeaturing aircraft and maneuvershe made legendary

eVentureInnovation will be on displayand in the air with the ElectricFlight Prize Competition

Join us for a week-long celebration of the Centennial of Naval Aviationincluding a special air show Wednesday See the hottest naval aircraftin historic colors all week on ConocoPhillips Plaza

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4444

Page 19: Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 1944

through with considerable diffi-

culty The pilot scheduled to make

the flight hopped off from Philadel-

phia and pointed the blunt nose of

his Jennie southward toward Wash-ington The checkerboard fields and

streams sliding beneath his wings

soon became a jigsaw puzzle and

one that he couldnrsquot piece together

The flyer realized that he was hope-

lessly lost He barged around for

awhile and finally decided to come

down and ask directions

Landing on the race track atBridgeton New Jersey forty miles

off his course he became involved

with a group of curious

horses which cracked up

the ship The mail was sent

back to Philadelphia by truck and

started out in another plane with

another pilot About thirty milesout his engine began to miss and

as it was getting dark he turned and

high-tailed back to his home field

Jim Edgerton stepped forward

and offered to save the face of the

new service and take the mail on

to Washington in spite of darkness

and a bad engine Night was comingon in earnest by this time If his en-

gine should conk on the trip down

there would be no flares for him to

release and land by nor would he be

able to bail out with a parachute for

this was before the day of the Cater-

pillar Club And at Washington he

would have no floodlights to illu-

minate the Polo Grounds It would

mean coming into that narrow field

which was surrounded by tall trees

in utter darkness

But Jim was an impatient and

adventurous young man so he

cians all through his eventful flying

career He was the least perturbed of

all as he came roaring down from the

north and circled the inky pit into

which he must bring his ship at thespeed of an express train

There were about half a dozen

automobiles parked around the

field and Jim estimated his ap-

proach from their headlights Spec-

tators heard his engine stop then

the shrill scream of the wind on

his struts and wires Then they

caught sight of a ghost-like silhou-ette against the night sky coming

down in a dizzy slideslip An in-

stant later a gray phantom swept

across the field and settled down

to a perfect landing The mail had

come through

Edgerton was the first pilot who

ever flew into a thunderstorm Upto that time flyers all over the world

looked upon electrical storms as a

deadly menace and had avoided

them as they would a plague Or-

ders had been issued that no mail

pilot should take off if weather con-

ditions were unfavorable

At Philadelphia one afternoon

during the middle of July Jim had

his ship tuned up and was ready to

shove off but down towards the

southwest storm clouds were gath-

ering It was against orders to fly

under such conditions Jim fumed

possible and then as he came over

the ldquoSusquehanna River he ran

smack into it It was a violent line

squall the storm most dreaded of

all by aviators and the kind thatsent the mighty Akron and Shenan-

doah down to destruction On the

ground trees were being uprooted

and houses damaged

ldquoIt was the bumpiest ride I ever

had before or sincerdquo chuckles Jim

Edgerton today as he recalls the

vivid impression it left on him

ldquoWe were thrown all over the skyThe rain and hail were so thick that

I couldnrsquot see the wingtips The

propeller was all chewed

up and I had to throttle

down the engine Butrdquo he

adds modestly ldquoI came out right

on the courserdquo

And the mail was landed inWashington on time

That flight and the others like it

that Edgerton made probably did

more than anything else to give the

public confidence in the reliability

of the airmail Frequently he flew

through dense fog and relied en-

tirely on the crude instruments ofthose early days to keep him in the

air On one of these flights he es-

caped death by as narrow a margin

as was ever vouchsafed a pilot

He shoved off in heavy rain and

soon ran into thick weather He

barged on into it flying blind for

awhile and then climbing up on

the top of the stuff It was so thick

that even the birds had to walk Af-

ter about an hour and a half he

decided to try to find the ground

to check his course He was com-

ing down in a fast glide when sud-

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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altitude the fog was so thick

it was like being submerged

in pea soup but occasion-

ally there would be a break

and Edgerton would catcha glimpse of the ground and

know where he was

As he passed over Havre

de Grace there suddenly

loomed up dead ahead a

church steeple He was right

on it before he saw it He

banked for all he was worth

standing the old crock rightup on her ear and missed

the steeple by a miracle

But the crowning thr ill

of the day came a little later

as he passed the Army Proving

Ground at Aberdeen

ldquoWe were flying at an altitude of

about 150 feetrdquo Edgerton recallsldquoVisibility was practically nil Sud-

denly there was a terrific bump al-

most as violent as if the plane had

struck something That afternoon

Army authorities at Aberdeen

called up and said that an airplane

had flown over there and almost

collided with a shell fired from a16-inch gunrdquo

Is it any wonder that Edgertonrsquos

hair has turned slightly gray

On another occasion Jim got

caught in a vicious summer thun-

derstorm over Baltimore He was

flying his faithful old mount No

38274 The turbulent air tossed

the frail wooden Jenny about like

a ship on a rough sea One instant

her nose would be pointed straight

toward heaven and the next instant

Jim would see the ground rush-

ing up at him just over the engine

of a lead pencil were spurting out

Soon the whole forward part of the

fuselage was saturated

Jim watched the lightning play-

ing about the metal parts of the

plane and waited for the spark

that would blow him to shreds and

splatter him all over Baltimore But

Lady Luck was riding with him

again and the spark never came

He rode out the storm and brought

had broken and was dangling al-

most in the shining arc of the

propeller If it became entangled

in the prop it would shatter it to

a million splinters and probablytear the engine loose

Throttling down Jim maneu-

vered as best he could to keep

wire and prop from that fatal

embrace Below him were plenty

of flat broad fields into which

he could have glided But that

would mean delaying the mail

so the plucky youngster kept go-ing and finally sat down safely

in Washington

Altogether Edgerton made

fifty-three trips and never failed

to bring the mail through on any

of them On only one did he have

a forced landing

He was over Camp Meade Mary-land when a magneto shaft broke

There was a terrific jolt that almost

jumped the engine out of the ship

For once Jim had to come down

and come down in a hurry He

looked below him and his heart

stood still He was plunging straight

towards the heads of hundreds ofmarching men on parade

Lower and lower sank the help-

less Jenny Edgerton flattened his

glide as much as he dared and tried

to squeeze over the soldiers He was

almost knocking their hats off but

still the Yanks continued to hold

their ground

ldquoI just skimmed over their heads

and landed on the very edge of the

parade groundrdquo Jim laughingly re-

lates ldquoIt was my old outfit and they

certainly gave me a welcomerdquo

It was just a bit demoralizing to

With the mail aboard the pilot proceeds to warm

up the OX-5 which animates the Jenny

Authentic dope on the

controversial subject

ldquoWho flew the firstairmailrdquo In spite of the

many claims to priority by

various pilots we believe

that this is the real

answer to the problem

An old Jenny as usual

does the work

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AirVenture amp Ford Together Again

REO Speedwagon Concert Monday

600PM next to the Ford Hangar

Fly In Theater Nightly Sunday ndash

Saturday 830PM Camp Scholler

Cruisinrsquo Legends See Mustangs and

more Knapp Street near Warbirds

Model T Experience Tour in a Model

T ldquoCruisinrsquo Legendsrdquo

ldquoBlues Brothersrdquo Tribute Party

Saturday 630PM Ford ldquoHangar of Bluesrdquo

Free Ice Cream Nightly in the camp-

grounds ndash from the Transit Connect

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2244

My son and I spent the better part of

six years restoring an Aeronca 7BCM

Jeff was 13 years old when we started

the project and 19 when we finished

sponds quickly to my urging as I

push the throttle control forward

to begin a low-level no-radio no-

transponder flight from Charles W

time I admit to being spoiled first by

low-frequency ldquobeamsrdquo then VORs

DME RNAV LORAN and now GPS

But for this flight I left all that behind

To Follow the LineThis was the way I had learned navigation to follow the line

BY E JEFF JUSTIS

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE AUTHOR

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Down low it was fun once more

watching the small towns pass

even being able to read the names

on water towers

In north-central Mississippi

there appears a vast forest spread-

ing out beneath my wings an il-

lusory remnant of the gloriouswilderness that once extended

from the East Coast to the Great

Plains Now clear-cutting scars are

evidence of manrsquos meddling graf-

fiti on our planetrsquos face

I am surprised at the hills of

North Mississippi at higher al-

titudes they flatten into the ter-rain but here at 1000 feet above

the ground the hills are alive with

depth and color

My craft and I intruders in his

world pass a circling hawk I look

down and try to see the tiny crea-

ture I am sure he sees but where

he must perceive the slightest rus-tle of the brush I see only patterns

of green and brown and the bright

blue of reflected sky

Enough of this sightseeing I should

have crossed this highway a couple

of miles farther to the north I make a

slight correction Highways They criss-

cross this land cutting it into smaller

and smaller bits these scratches of

man meant little when there were

fewer men but now they separate deer

from deer and life from life

At the edge of a field pebbled by

round bales of hay rests a red tractor Jeff Justis was just 13 when he and his family embarked on the restoration of

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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suppose is the essence of life

Soon the forward horizon bulges

upward as I approach old tectonic

ridges aligned northeast-southwest

near Birmingham The dark greenof the forested ridges contrasts with

the lighter verdant hues of manrsquos

cultivation Ahead a sharp razor-

backed ridge prompts a climb to

3000 feet I teeter across the top and

slide down toward the broad valley

on the eastern side My first land-

ing after one hour and 45 minutes is

welcome As a no-radio aircraft I am

careful to follow the standard pat-

tern and glide down final touching

down on the much-too-long-for-

The-Champ runway of Posey AirportMost cross-country flights in

the rsquo50s were from grass strip to

grass strip A red gas pump would

be brought into service by the col-

orful operatormechanic of these

old aerodromes Aeroncas and

Luscombes were everywhere and

Cessna 195s were the elite air-

planes Now on this ramp my

Aeronca is an anachronism

A King Air is being readied for cor-

porate passengers and my little tail-

dragger is lost on the large apronFortunately we modified the 7BCM

with a starter and generator so I do

not have to find someone to help me

get started In years past almost ev-

ery lineman was proficient in hand-

propping now itrsquos almost a lost art

Soon I am on the way to my

next stop Lagrange Georgia I am

fooled by the appearance of a large

airport an old military field at 12

orsquoclock on the horizon Only when

I get close enough do I realize this is

not the field I am supposed to over-

fly and that I am 10 miles south of

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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ramp taking nearly as long as the

flight itself

The cost of this slow flight is cer-

tainly minimal with fill-ups after

two hours averaging 15 or so dol-

lars Besides the trip has been fun so

far relearning old navigation tricks

and seeing the country down low

Now I have only a few more milesto navigate to Eaglesrsquo Landing The

fly-in community strip is near Wil-

liamson Georgia and just east of a

northeast-southwest-oriented rail-

road I decide to proceed due east

find the railroad and follow it

northeast toward the destination

I cross a highway but see no rail-road A few miles further still no

railroad I must have passed it Af-

ter a 180 I find the highway again

but nohellipwait what is that That is

an abandoned rail line for sure and

it does parallel the road I continue

northeast scanning the horizon

passing pretty fields and housesI locate one airport with houses

neatly lining both sides of the single

runway but it is not Eaglesrsquo Landing

Soon I see Griffin Georgia I have

come too far I ease The Champ into

a bank to try again back down the

rail line andhellipherersquos a golf coursehellip

and yes there are two grass run-

ways meeting in a ldquoVrdquo I circle andmake a low pass over the northwest

runway watching my friends wave

from their yard ldquoWhat a nice place

to liverdquo I think as I line up on final

I glide just above the grass and

A foil tape antenna ground plane was just one of the nifty little touches added

to The Champ as the two Jeffs restored their airplane

Doesnrsquot ever yone use Champ

tail surfaces as decorative ele-

ments in their household dec-orating Mrs Justis is a very

patient woman

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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CALIFORNIAHayward CA VIN 29

Meeting 2nd Thurs 600 pm

Hayward Airport

See website for hangar info

Gary Oberti President

Phone 510-357-8600

E-mail infovaa29org

Website wwwvaa29org

CALIFORNIASacramento CA VIN 25

Meeting 2nd Sat 900 am

See chapter website for location

Robert Opdahl President

Phone 530-273-7348

E-mail bopdahlsbcglobalnet

Website wwwVin25org

CAROLINAS VIRGINIAWalnut Cove NC VIN 3

Meeting Contact President

Susan Dusenbury President

Phone 336-591-3931

E-mail sr6sueaolcom

Website wwwVAA3org

FLORIDALakeland FL VIN 1

Meeting Contact President

Bobby Capozzi President

Phone 352-475-9736

INDIANAAuburn IN VIN 37

Meeting 4th Thurs 700 pm

DeKalb County Airport (kGWB)

Hangar AmdashVAA 37 Clubhouse

Drew Hoffman President

Phone 260-515-3525

E-mail drewhoffmanvaa37org

Website wwwVAA37org

KANSASOverland Park KS VIN 16

Meeting 2nd Fri 730 pm

CAF Hangar

New Century Airport

Kevin Pratt President

Phone 913-541-1149

E-mail kprattvaa16com

Website wwwVAA16com

LOUISIANANew Iberia LA VIN 30

Meeting 1st Sun 900 am

LeMaire Memorial Airport Hangar 4

Roland Denison President

Phone 337-365-3047

E-mail vaa30coxnet

MINNESOTAAlbert Lea MN VIN 13

Meeting 2nd Thurs 700 pm

Albert Lea Airport FBO

OHIODelaware OH VIN 27

Meeting 3rd Sat 8-10AM May thru Sept

Delaware Municiple Airport (DLZ)

Terminal Building

Woody McIntire President

Phone 740-362-7228

E-mail wjmcintirecscom

Website wwwEAAdlzorg

OHIOZanesville OH VIN 22

Meeting 2nd Fri 630 pm

Perry County Airport

John Morozowsky President

Phone 740-453-6889

OKLAHOMATulsa OK VIN 10

Meeting 4th Thurs 700 PM

Hardesty South Regional Library

No meetings in July Nov amp Dec

Joe Champagne President

Phone 918-257-4688

Email skypalgroveemailcom

TEXASSpring TX VIN 2

Meeting 4th Sun 200 PM

David Wayne Hooks Airport (KDWH)

Fred Ramin President

Phone 281-255-4430

Vintage Chapter LocatorVisit the VAA chapter nearest you and get to know some great old-airplane enthusiasts You donrsquot need

to be a pilot to join in the funmdashjust have a love of the great airplanes of yesteryear

Chapter 27 of Delaware Ohio hosts a monthly pancake breakfast where attendees enjoy the camara-derie among the airplanes

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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When Albert Vollmecke joined

Arkansas Aircraft Company in Sep-tember 1927 he brought fresh ideas

from his native Germany regarding

aircraft design stability and safety

He would on occasion return to

Germany to bring back something

new for the company In 1928 Ar-

kansas Aircraft Company changed

its name to Command-Aire Incor-porated and the production run

of new ships increased in its Little

Rock Arkansas plant

After one such visit to Ger-

many Vollmecke returned with

the rights to import and sell the

PHYLAX fire-extinguisher system

patented (GB 0267542) March 10

1926 and manufactured in Berlinby Phylax Feuerlosch-Automaten-

Bau GmbH The PHYLAX fire-

extinguisher system consisted of

a tank containing the extinguish-

ing liquid From the tank which

BY ROBERT G LOCK

Early 1047297re-extinguishing system

THE Vintage

Mechanic

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2844

advertisement from AVIATION

November 1928 using the OX-5

powered model 3C3 ship to dem-

onstrate the system

The PHYLAX system consisted

of a pressurized tank of fluid with

associated lines and nozzles lead-

ing to the engine compartment of

the ship Note here that the unit

is manufactured in t he United

States by the Aero Supply Man-

ufacturing Company located in

Long Island New York The cost

of the unit is $70 in this May 1929

advertisement in an aviation mag-

azine Illustration 2 shows the

manufacturerrsquos advertisement for

the product

In a letter dated April 10 1929

Mr Wiley Wright assistant sales

director for Command-Aire Incor-

porated wrote

ldquoCommand-Aire Incorporated

acquired the exclusive franchise

rights for PHYLAX automatic fire

extinguishers in the United States

Mexico and Central America This

extinguisher is the only automatic

fire extinguisher available and is

standard equipment on many Eu-

ropean lines It is manufactured

by PHYLAX Bau of Germany and

is receiving great response in the

United States at the present timerdquo

In this factory Illustration 3

and from the files of Albert Voll-

mecke is a 110-hp Warner engine

mounted in the Command-Aire

model 3C3-A ship Note the en-

gine cowling being neatly fitted

around cylinders and associated

tubes The 3C3-A had a very longnose due to its light weight ne-

ce s s i ta t ing a longer a rm f or

weight and balance control In

this photo the PHYLAX sprinkler

heads are visible behind the mag-

netos down near the carburetor

and behind the oil inlet hoses on

the accessory case of the engineIllustration 3 is an original fac-

tory photograph of the PHYLAX

system installed in the nose of a

model 3C3-A

Illustration 4 is the same photo-

graph with some details removed

and other details added princi-

pally the identification of the PHY-LAX automatic fuse that fired the

bottle of extinguishing fluid and

the sprinkler heads These illustra-

tions taken from a Command-Aire

original factory brochure from the

files of Albert Vollmecke

Illustration 5 on page 27 is a

sketch from the PHYLAX patent

0267542 dated March 10 1926A general description of the PHY-

LAX system is contained within

the patent and states ldquoThe inven-

tion relates to a fire extinguishing

device intended for use particu-

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2944

not indicate what type of extinguishing fluid was

contained within the tank however soda-acid was

widely used in those days and carbon tetrachloridewas invented in 1912 by the Pyrene Company

In a communication from Command-Aire Pres-

ident Robert Snowden regarding the purchase of

stock options in the company he states ldquoOur ex-

clusive franchise for the sale of Phylax automatic

Illustration 3

Illustration 4

Illustration 5

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3044

homeland on a regular basis and

always brought back some new in-

vention or new ideas on design andsafety This system was certainly

ahead of its time safety-wise and a

credit to Vollmeckersquos focus on sta-

bility and safety for his designs

Above in this original factory

photograph (Illustration 6) of a

Command-Aire 3C3-T fuselage on

the assembly line at the Little Rock

plant the PHYLAX system can beseen mounted in the rear cock-

pit just behind the front seat in

the center of the photograph The

chemical bottles with two lines

tied to the side tubes run forward

Illustration 6

Pyrene 1047297re extinguishers

were made of brass and

were nicely polished

They were not high-pressure units

but required the use of a hand pump

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3144

Pyrene fire extinguishers were

made of brass and were nicely pol-

ished They were not high-pressureunits but required the use of a

hand pump to generate pressure

to expel liquid from the cylinder

These extinguishers were gener-

ally mounted in the rear cockpit

ton or linen fabric and the only

dope available was cellulose ni-

trate that burned like a torch when

lit Watching nitrate dope burn

reminded me of a Fourth of July

sparkler very intense and hot If

a nitrate-doped ship caught fire in

the air there was no extinguisher

that would put out the flames

The PHYLAX system had an auto-

matic sensor that would trigger the

bottlersquos valve open and send the

chemical into the engine compart-

ment The Pyrene extinguisher wasmore for ground use because you

could not operate the bottle and

fly the airplane at the same time

By todayrsquos standards these ex-

tinguishing systems seem ar-

chaic but for the time back in

the 1920s they were the thing to

have in your automobile boator airplane

Editorrsquos Note WARNING An-

tique carbon tetrachloride fire extin-

guishers like the Pyrene occasionally

show up either contaminated with

the original agent or worse yet with

the full charge of agent still inside

Carbon tet is treated as a hazard-

ous substance (its use was banned

in consumer products in 1970) and

should be dealt with accordingly

In fact carbon tetrachloride when

heated by a fire will create poison-

ous phosgene gas (World War Irsquos

ldquonerve gasrdquo) something that would

definitely ruin someonersquos day if the

fire hadnrsquot done so already In its

standard form this substance is verytoxic to the liver and a single signifi-

cant exposure can result in sickness

or death

L a n g l ey may have been the

f h f i i i b

last and last The instruction

l i l d f

1903 Samuel Pierpont Langleyrsquos ldquoAerodromerdquoattempts to take off from a floating platform

Have a comment or ques-

tion for Bob Lock the Vintage

Mechanic Drop us an e-mail at

vintageaircrafteaaorg or you

can mail your question to Vintage

Airplane PO Box 3086 Osh-

kosh WI 54903

Illustration 7

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Authorrsquos Note We held a small open house at the

flight school hangar this past Saturday Though the

weather was not conducive to give many rides we still

had about 60 people show up enjoy a brat or ham-

burger and talk about flying or learning to fly Interest

in flying is not dead One of my pet peeves is how we

in general aviation go about attracting individuals tolearn the pleasure of flight

Nearly every aviation publication I read carries ar-

ticles and editorials about the downward spiral of gen-

eral aviation Flight schools are having a hard time

attracting new students ldquoDoom and gloomrdquo reigns

with little positive to report on the horizon This al-

ways reminds me of the proverbial three wise mon-keys who embody the principle ldquoSee no evil hear no

evil and speak no evilrdquo We all complain about the

problem but no one ever offers solutions It seems as

though by not doing anything about the challenge it

will eventually go away and right itself

Many of the aviation organizations are wringing

their respective hands giving great lip service to the

drop in pilot numbers Some like EAA have launched

activities to attract new pilots such as the Young Ea-gles program This has been a good start but it will not

fill the ever-increasing void for more pilots

What are we all missing FUN

Four years ago I chose early retirement from a 38-

The student make-up is a real cross-section of Amer-

ica My youngest student to date began flight lessons

at age 14 and the oldest was 77 years young Irsquove men-

tioned some of my students in previous articles At

yearrsquos end 2010 while converting our student files

from paper to computer I was amazed to discover that

in the previous two years I had given instruction tomore than 200 individuals Some were new students

others were individuals in search of a tailwheel en-

dorsement and many were older individuals who had

pursued flight training early in their lives but gave it

up to raise a family Now they had the time and still re-

tained the burning desire to get back into flying What

attracted these individuals to the flight school FUN

And thefun

challenge of flying J-3 Cubs

Herersquos a small cross-section of this yearrsquos group

of students

bullA retired US Navy lieutenant who flew F-4 Phan-

toms off carriers in Vietnam He hasnrsquot done any fly-

ing in more than 10 years but hersquos been building a

Skybolt which will soon be finished and hersquos return-

ing to his lifelong lovemdashaviation He also has two

young sons who want to fly and will soon be joining

the group of student pilotsbullA young CPA from Iowa whose grandfather was a

friend of Bernie Pietenpol and who has built two Piets

The CPA used two weeks of his vacation time to learn

to fly so that he can fly the airplane(s) that his grandfa-

ther built and take his grandfather for a ride

BY Steve Krog CFI

THE Vintage

Instructor

Vintage flying is very much alive

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3344

Cubs flying every day he decided to pursue his pas-

sion for flight

bullA national chain hardware store employee who

has had a dream of flying driving nearly two hours

each way to learn to fly in a Cub

bullAn aviation writervideo producer who already has

a sport pilot certificate but desires to obtain a private

pilot certificate and do so in Cubs

bullA 30-something young family man who sells

construction equipment attachments While deer

hunting a year ago he learned one of his hunting

friends had recently learned to fly in Cubs For three

days they talked airplanes and flying rather than do-

ing much hunting Upon his return from the hunt-ing trip he drove to the airport and signed up for

lessons in the Cub

bullA professional musician from the Chicago area

who always wanted to learn to fly Although not yet

old enough to have a true ldquobucket listrdquo learning to fly

a Cub was number one on his list

With two exceptions these individuals had never

before flown or flown in tailwheel airplanes but alwayshad a dream of learning to fly in a Cubmdashjust like dad

or granddad did many years ago

Although no one in this group comes from simi-

lar backgrounds or professions there is one common

denominator among every studentmdashFUN None of

these students are learning to fly to pursue a career

in aviation (although Irsquove worked with a couple who

have done so) Rather they are learning to fly or get-

ting back into flying for the FUN and CHALLENGE of

flight They all have a true love of flight and seeing the

world from 500 feet with the door and window open

I have also worked with a number of students who

began taking flight lessons but quit after a period of

time They still had the passion for flight but gave it

up When asked why the responses fell into one of the

following four categories

bullI began taking lessons but after three or four les-sons Irsquod be assigned to a different instructor After 30

hours of dual three instructors and still not having

soloed I quit

bullThe instructor wasnrsquot teaching me anything He

was more interested in building time than teaching

Take a moment and think about how you first be-

came interested in airplanes What triggered your

pursuit of learning to fly Did you have a buddy or

maybe a family friend who encouraged you Or even

became a mentor Do you remember your first flight

lesson Do you remember the day you made your

first solo flight

Remember that passion and sense of accomplish-

ment Donrsquot hesitate to share it with anyone express-

ing an interest in learning to fly

At Cub Air Flight we sell FUN When individuals

visit the airport to inquire about learning to fly we

know they have made the commitment in their own

mind It then becomes our responsibility to makethe visit friendly A friendly environment is a FUN

environment Kids are always welcome If a prospec-

tive student has children with him or her we invite

the kids to sit in the planes At the conclusion of our

discussion we emphasize the following statement If

you learn to fly with us it will be FUN CHALLENG-

ING and SAFE

I donrsquot believe there is a shortage of pilot prospectsbut there is a shortage in how we all go about attract-

ing these people to become active participants in plea-

sure flying Remember flying is FUN Letrsquos make an

effort to help others share in that FUN

AERO CLASSICldquoCOLLECTOR SERIESrdquo

Vintage Tires New USA Production

Show off your pride and joy with afresh set of Vintage Rubber Thesenewly minted tires are FAA-TSOrsquodand speed rated to 120 MPH Some

things are better left the way theywere and in the 40rsquos and 50rsquos these tires were perfectly intune to the exciting times in aviation

Not only do these tires set your vintage plane apart fromthe rest but also look exceptional on all General Aviationaircraft Deep 832nd tread depth offers above averagetread life and UV treated rubber resists aging

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3444

We enjoy your suggestions for

Mystery Planesmdashin fact more than

half of our subjects are sent to us by

members often via e-mail Please

remember that if you want to scan

the photo for use in Mystery Plane

it must be at a resolution of 300 dpior greater You may send a lower-

resolution version to us for our re-

view but the final version has to be

at that level of detail or it will not

print properly Also please let us

craft in the photo is of Canadian civil

registry CF-BXO formerly Royal Cana-

dian Air Force (RCAF) 920 This photo-

graph would have been taken at some

time between 1962 and 1967 after an

overhaul at Abbotsford British Colum-

bia (BC) and possibly while in servicewith Stranraer Aerial Enterprises The

location strongly resembles the Fraser

River dockings at the Vancouver air-

port The aircraft had undergone a re-

spray with a bright red cheat line The

(beaching gear required) for the Royal Air

Force (RAF) in 1933 The prototype first

flew in October 1934 with two Bristol

Pegasus IIIM engines rated at 820 hp

The production aircraft were delivered to

the RAF with Pegasus engines delivering

920 hp entering service in April 1937The British-built machines of which 23

were ordered and only 17 being built

were all delivered by April 1939

In Canada Canadian Vickers Lim-

ited of Montreal Quebec produced 40

Send your answer to EAA Vin-

tage Airplane PO Box 3086 Osh-

kosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer

needs to be in no later than August

20 for inclusion in the October

2011 issue of Vintage Airplane

You can also send your response via

e-mail Send your answer to mystery

planeeaaorg Be sure to include your

name plus your city and state in the

body of your note and put ldquo(Month)

Mystery Planerdquo in the subject line

This monthrsquos Mystery Plane comes to us from Bruce Voran

MYSTERY PLANE

by HG FRAUTSCHY

A P R I L rsquo S M Y S T E RY A N S W E R

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3544

QCA began buying several examplesand was instrumental in convincing

the Canadian Department of Transport

(DOT) to issue a civilian Certificate of

Airworthiness (C of A) One of the first

aircraft so issued was CF-BYI which be-

1980 the Canadian Museum of Flightand Transportation in BC salvaged the

wreck for possible restoration As late as

April 1952 QCA still had two Stranraer

in service CF-BXO and CF-BYM Pacific

Western Airlines (PWA) also operated

Two RAF Belfast freighters were dis-

patched and the disassembled aircraft

was transported to the United Kingdomwhere the machine is currently one of the

centerpieces of the collection

The aircraft type had many names

The most familiar (and printable) were

Stranny Strainer and Flying Meccano

Set The least affectionate was the Whis-

tling Shouse as when the lid to the

throne was lifted there was direct access

to the great outdoors and there emitted a

loud whistling noise

Other correct answers were re-

ceived from Hillis Cunliffe Mill-

brook Alabama Brian Baker Sun

City Arizona Wesley R Smith

Springfield Illinois John White-

head Cheyenne Wyoming ScottChurch Cochrane Alberta Can-

ada Jay Broze Walla Walla Wash-

ington Jerry Paterson Kent

Washington Jamie Patterson Mi-

ramichi New Brunswick Canada

Bill Bishop of Mulgoa New South Wales Australia sent along this photo

of the surviving Supermarine Stranraer

David Nixon supplied us with the April Mystery Plane shot of CF-BXO

a Canadian Vickers-built Supermarine Stranraer

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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urday 8 am until 6 pm Early-bird

arrivals can shop on the pre-conven-

tion weekend as well during limited

hours Show your VAA membership

card (or your receipt showing you

joined VAA at the convention) and

yoursquoll receive a 10 percent discount

VAA Volunteer Opportunities

Are you an ace pancake flipperIf yoursquore not one yet we can help

The VAA Tall Pines Cafeacute is looking

for volunteers who can help provide

a hearty breakfast to all the hungry

campers on the south end of Witt-

man Field If you could lend a hand

for a morning or two wersquod appreci-

ate it If thatrsquos not your cup of tea feelfree to check with the VAA Volunteer

Center located just to the northeast

of the VAA Red Barn The volun-

teers who operate the booth will be

happy to tell you when your help is

needed each day It doesnrsquot matter if

itrsquos just for a few hours or for a few

daysmdashwersquod love to have your help-

ing hands There is no need for you

to contact us ahead of time you can

talk with us when you arrive

VAA Judging Categoriesand Awards

The VAArsquos internationally recog-

nized judging categories are

bullAntique Aircraft built prior toSeptember 1 1945

bullClassic September 1 1945 - De-

cember 31 1955

bullContemporary January 1 1956

- December 31 1970

VAA NEWScontinued frpm page 5

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3744

the award winners Judging closes at noon on Friday

July 29 The Awards Ceremony will be held Saturday

evening July 30 at 6 pm in the Vintage Hangar

just south of the VAA Red Barn

Designated Smoking Areas Near FlightlineSmoking on the flightline at EAA AirVenture is prohib-

ited because itrsquos a hazard to all aircraft There are several

designated smoking areas with butt cans along the flight-

line well away from aircraft and refueling operations

Designated smoking areas will be south of the ultra-light runway near the Hangar Cafeacute near the Warbirdsarea (northeast corner of Audrey Lane and Eide Av-

enue) the Wearhouse flag pole area the shade pavil-ion north of the control tower and near the UltralightBarn Locations will be indicated on EAArsquos free con-vention grounds map The admission wristband alsoinstructs visitors that smoking is allowed only in desig-nated smoking areas

More on the Web

Visit wwwAirVentureorg for more information onEAA AirVenture 2011

EAA AirVenture Is Almost Here Are You Ready

Just a few short weeks from now many of you will

make the annual pilgrimage to Oshkosh for EAA Air-

Venture 2011 Are you ready Here are several handy

online tools on the AirVenture website that can help

you take care of any last-minute concerns

Visit wwwAirVentureorg and find out what you

need to know about The Worldrsquos Greatest Avia-

tion Celebration

Admission Parking Hours

wwwAirVentureorgplanningadmissionhtml

Find or Share a Ride to Oshkosh

wwwAirVentureorgrideshare

Site Map

wwwAirVentureorgplanningschedules_mapshtml

Where to Stay

Yoursquore cleared to stay connected

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3844

ship services at 800-564-6322 but

given the time from when you read

this until AirVenture it may not ar-

rive in the mail in time for your de-

parture We suggest downloading

the NOTAM

The NOTAM contains the specialflight procedures in effect for Witt-

man Regional Airport and alternate

airports from 6 am CDT on Friday

July 22 to 12 pm CDT on Mon-

day August 1 2011 All pilots who

fly into the event are expected to

know the special flight procedures

prior to arrival EAA AirVenture Os-

hkosh runs from July 25 through

July 31 For additional EAA AirVen-

ture Oshkosh 2011 information

visit wwwAirVentureorg

Call for VAA Hall of

Fame Nominations

To the left is our information

for nominations for VAArsquos Hallof Fame which is presented each

year during a special dinner This

yearrsquos dinner will be held Friday

October 28 Wersquoll have more on

this yearrsquos inductee John Under-

To nominate someone is easy It just takes a little time and a little reminiscing on your part

Mail nominating materials to

Remember your ldquocontemporaryrdquo may be a candidate nominate someone today

wwwVintageAircraftorg

CALL FOR VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

Nominations

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3944

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

Wit tman Regional A i rpor t (OSH)

Oshkosh Wisconsin

July 25-31 2011

wwwAirVentureorg

Colorado Sport International Air Show

and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In

Rocky Mountain Met ropol i tan A irpor t (BJC)

Denver Colorado

August 27-28 2011

wwwCOSportAviationorg

Mid-Eastern Regional Fly-In

Gr imes F ie ld A irpor t (I74)

Urbana Ohio

September 10-11 2011

httpMERFIcom

Copperstate Fly-In

Casa Grande Munic ipal A i rpor t (CGZ)

Casa Grande Ar izona

Upcoming Major

Fly-Ins

W I N

Only 2000 ticketswill be sold1 ticket $50

3 tickets $125

Piper Tri-Pacer Airplane

Free Flying Lessons

Free Pilot License

Country Legend Roy Clarkrsquos Personal Proceeds fromthis raffle

SAVEAMERICANKIDS LIVES

wwwwingsofhoperaffleorg

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4044

MISCELLANEOUS

wwwaerolistorg Aviationsrsquo Leading

Marketplace

Rare find Lycoming 0-145 partsinventory blocks bearings rings

shafts amp much more $20000

at 1970 prices $5000 Six four

cylinder case aircraft magnetos

$300 Call for more details (FL)

VINTAGETRADER

Someth ing t o buyse l l o r t rade

Classified Word Ads $550 per 10

words 180 words maximum with boldface

lead-in on first line

Classified Display Ads One column wide

(2167 inches) by 1 2 or 3 inches high at

$20 per inch Black and white only and nofrequency discounts

Advertising Closing Dates 10th of second

month prior to desired issue date (ie

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 (classads

eaaorg ) using credit card payment (all cards

accepted) Include name on card complete

address type of card card number and

expiration date Make checks payable to EAA

Address advertising correspondence to EAA

Publications Classified Ad Manager PO Box

3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

What Our Members

Are Restoring

Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done and

yoursquore busy flying and showing it off If so wersquod like to hear from

you Send us a 4-by-6-inch print from a commercial source (no

home printers please those prints just donrsquot scan well) or a

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4144

EAAMembership in the Experimental Aircraft

Association Inc is $40 for one year includ-ing 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION Familymembership is an additional $10 annually Allmajor credit cards accepted for membership(Add $16 for International Postage)

FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPSPlease submit your remittance with a

check or draft drawn on a United Statesbank payable in United States dollars Addrequired Foreign Postage amount for eachmembership

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATIONCurrent EAA members may join the

Vintage Aircraft Association and receive

year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not included)(Add $7 for International Postage)

WARBIRDSCurrent EAA members may join the EAA

Warbirds of America Division and receiveWARBIRDS magazine for an additional$45 per year

EAA Membership WARBIRDS mag-azine and one year membership in theWarbirds Division is available for $55 per

year (SPORT OficAVIATION magazinenot included) (Add $7 for Interna-tional Postage)

IACCurrent EAA members may join the

International Aerobatic Club Inc Divi-sion and receive SPORT AEROBATICS magazine for an additional $45 per year

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

VINTAGE

AIRCRAFT

ASSOCIATION

OFFICERS

DIRECTORS

DIRECTORS

EMERITUS

PresidentGeoff Robison

1521 E MacGregor DrNew Haven IN 46774

260-493-4724chief7025aolcom

Vice-PresidentGeorge Daubner

N57W34837 Pondview LnOconomowoc WI 53066

262-560-1949 gdaubnereaaorg

Steve Bender85 Brush Hill Road

Sherborn MA 01770508-653-7557

sst10comcastnet

David Bennett375 Killdeer Ct

Lincoln CA 95648916-952-9449

antiquerinreachcom

Jerry Brown4605 Hickory Wood Row

Greenwood IN 46143317-422-9366

lbrown4906aolcom

Dave Clark635 Vestal Lane

Plainfield IN 46168317-839-4500davecpdattnet

John S Copeland1A Deacon Street

Northborough MA 01532508-393-4775

copeland1junocom

Phil Coulson28415 Springbrook Dr

Lawton MI 49065269-624-6490

rcoulson516cscom

Dale A Gustafson7724 Shady Hills Dr

Indianapolis IN 46278317-293-4430

dalefayemsncom

Jeannie HillPO Box 328

Harvard IL 60033-0328815-943-7205

Espie ldquoButchrdquo Joyce704 N Regional Rd

Greensboro NC 27409336-668-3650

windsockaolcom

Steve Krog1002 Heather Ln

Hartford WI 53027262-966-7627sskrogaolcom

Robert D ldquoBobrdquo Lumley1265 South 124th StBrookfield WI 53005

262-782-2633rlumley1wirrcom

SH ldquoWesrdquo Schmid2359 Lefeber Avenue

Wauwatosa WI 53213414-771-1545

shschmidgmailcom

Robert C Brauer9345 S Hoyne

Chicago IL 60643773-779-2105

photopilotaolcom

Gene Chase2159 Carlton Rd

Oshkosh WI 54904920-231-5002

GRCHAcharternet

Ronald C Fritz15401 Sparta Ave

Kent City MI 49330616-678-5012

rFritzpathwaynet com

Charlie HarrisPO Box 470350Tulsa OK 74147

918-622-8400cwhhvsucom

EE ldquoBuckrdquo Hilbert8102 Leech RdUnion IL 60180

815-923-4591buck7acgmailcom

Gene Morris5936 Steve Court

Roanoke TX 76262817-491-9110

genemor rischarter net

Membership Services DirectoryEnjoy the many benefits of EAA and

EAArsquos Vintage Aircraft Association

EAA Aviation Center PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086Phone (920) 426-4800 Fax (920) 426-4873Web Sites wwwvintageaircraftorg wwwairventureorg wwweaaorgmemberbenefits E-Mail vintageaircrafteaaorg

EAA and Division Membership Services (800 AMndash600 PM MondayndashFriday CST)800-564-6322 FAX 920-426-4873 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

bullNewrenew memberships bullAddress changes bullMerchandise sales bullGift memberships

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 888-322-4636 wwwairventureorg airventureeaaorg

Sport PilotLight-Sport Aircraft Hotline 877-359-1232 wwwsportpilotorg sportpiloteaaorg

Programs and Activities

Auto Fuel STCs 920-426-4843 stceaaorg EAA Air Academy 920-426-6880 wwwairacademyorg airacademyeaaorg

EAA Scholarships 920-426-6823 scholarshipseaaorg

Library ServicesResearch 920-426-4848 slurveyeaaorg

Benefits

AUA Vintage Insurance Plan 800-727-3823 wwwauaonlinecom

EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan 866-647-4322 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

EAA VISA Card 800-853-5576 ext 8884

EAA Her tz Rent-A-Car Program 800-654-2200 wwweaaorghertz membershipeaaorg

VAA EditorialExecutive Director 920-426-4825 wwwvintageaircraftorg vintageeaaorg

VAA Office 920-426-6110 tbookseaaorg

TM

EAA Members Information Line 888-EAA-INFO (322-4636)

Use this toll-free number for information about AirVenture Oshkosh aeromedical and technical aviation questions

chapters and Young Eagles Please have your membership number ready when calling

Office hours are 815 am - 500 pm (Monday - Friday CST)

SecretarySteve Nesse

2009 Highland AveAlbert Lea MN 56007

507-373-1674

stnes2009livecom

TreasurerDan Knutson

106 Tena Marie CircleLodi WI 53555608-592-7224

lodicubcharternet

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4244

If yoursquove ever watched fish in

an aquarium yoursquove probably no-

ticed how they respond differently

to their surroundings There are

those that zip around the tank in a

mad dash to nowhere Some seem

to sit and not go much of any-

where and some will swim f romone end to the other turn around

and do it again

The latter are the ones that remind

me of myself I seem to fly in a fish-

bowl I go from one end of our val-

proficient by practicing things we

know over and over or it can make

us lazy When something becomes

so ingrained that we do it from habit

only we may not be thinking about

what wersquore doing

On a night cross-country some

time ago I found out just how easyit is to forget things that I hadnrsquot

used in a while While night may be

a little more challenging it still re-

quires the basic pre-flight planning

of any cross-country and following

whether I go far or stay in the com-

fort zone I canrsquot let complacency take

over Those skills and experiences

need to be stretched from time to

time regardless of where I fly An un-

expected situation or emergency is a

bad time to find out I donrsquot remem-

ber how to do somethingComplacency also allows fear

to creep in where it doesnrsquot belong

Some fear (I think) is a natural part of

flying but it can also unnecessarily

keep us grounded because we wonrsquot

BY S MICHELLE SOUDER

Flying Outside

the Fishbowl

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4344

Itrsquos gonna be a big year at Oshk osh

B-29 Superfortress ldquoFIFIrdquo

The first visit since 1995for the worldrsquos only airworthyB-29 Superfortress

REO SpeedwagonOshkosh rocks Monday duringthe opening day concert presentedby Ford Motor Company

Tribute to Bob HooverTuesday afternoon air showfeaturing aircraft and maneuvershe made legendary

eVentureInnovation will be on displayand in the air with the ElectricFlight Prize Competition

Join us for a week-long celebration of the Centennial of Naval Aviationincluding a special air show Wednesday See the hottest naval aircraftin historic colors all week on ConocoPhillips Plaza

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4444

Page 20: Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2044

altitude the fog was so thick

it was like being submerged

in pea soup but occasion-

ally there would be a break

and Edgerton would catcha glimpse of the ground and

know where he was

As he passed over Havre

de Grace there suddenly

loomed up dead ahead a

church steeple He was right

on it before he saw it He

banked for all he was worth

standing the old crock rightup on her ear and missed

the steeple by a miracle

But the crowning thr ill

of the day came a little later

as he passed the Army Proving

Ground at Aberdeen

ldquoWe were flying at an altitude of

about 150 feetrdquo Edgerton recallsldquoVisibility was practically nil Sud-

denly there was a terrific bump al-

most as violent as if the plane had

struck something That afternoon

Army authorities at Aberdeen

called up and said that an airplane

had flown over there and almost

collided with a shell fired from a16-inch gunrdquo

Is it any wonder that Edgertonrsquos

hair has turned slightly gray

On another occasion Jim got

caught in a vicious summer thun-

derstorm over Baltimore He was

flying his faithful old mount No

38274 The turbulent air tossed

the frail wooden Jenny about like

a ship on a rough sea One instant

her nose would be pointed straight

toward heaven and the next instant

Jim would see the ground rush-

ing up at him just over the engine

of a lead pencil were spurting out

Soon the whole forward part of the

fuselage was saturated

Jim watched the lightning play-

ing about the metal parts of the

plane and waited for the spark

that would blow him to shreds and

splatter him all over Baltimore But

Lady Luck was riding with him

again and the spark never came

He rode out the storm and brought

had broken and was dangling al-

most in the shining arc of the

propeller If it became entangled

in the prop it would shatter it to

a million splinters and probablytear the engine loose

Throttling down Jim maneu-

vered as best he could to keep

wire and prop from that fatal

embrace Below him were plenty

of flat broad fields into which

he could have glided But that

would mean delaying the mail

so the plucky youngster kept go-ing and finally sat down safely

in Washington

Altogether Edgerton made

fifty-three trips and never failed

to bring the mail through on any

of them On only one did he have

a forced landing

He was over Camp Meade Mary-land when a magneto shaft broke

There was a terrific jolt that almost

jumped the engine out of the ship

For once Jim had to come down

and come down in a hurry He

looked below him and his heart

stood still He was plunging straight

towards the heads of hundreds ofmarching men on parade

Lower and lower sank the help-

less Jenny Edgerton flattened his

glide as much as he dared and tried

to squeeze over the soldiers He was

almost knocking their hats off but

still the Yanks continued to hold

their ground

ldquoI just skimmed over their heads

and landed on the very edge of the

parade groundrdquo Jim laughingly re-

lates ldquoIt was my old outfit and they

certainly gave me a welcomerdquo

It was just a bit demoralizing to

With the mail aboard the pilot proceeds to warm

up the OX-5 which animates the Jenny

Authentic dope on the

controversial subject

ldquoWho flew the firstairmailrdquo In spite of the

many claims to priority by

various pilots we believe

that this is the real

answer to the problem

An old Jenny as usual

does the work

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2144

AirVenture amp Ford Together Again

REO Speedwagon Concert Monday

600PM next to the Ford Hangar

Fly In Theater Nightly Sunday ndash

Saturday 830PM Camp Scholler

Cruisinrsquo Legends See Mustangs and

more Knapp Street near Warbirds

Model T Experience Tour in a Model

T ldquoCruisinrsquo Legendsrdquo

ldquoBlues Brothersrdquo Tribute Party

Saturday 630PM Ford ldquoHangar of Bluesrdquo

Free Ice Cream Nightly in the camp-

grounds ndash from the Transit Connect

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2244

My son and I spent the better part of

six years restoring an Aeronca 7BCM

Jeff was 13 years old when we started

the project and 19 when we finished

sponds quickly to my urging as I

push the throttle control forward

to begin a low-level no-radio no-

transponder flight from Charles W

time I admit to being spoiled first by

low-frequency ldquobeamsrdquo then VORs

DME RNAV LORAN and now GPS

But for this flight I left all that behind

To Follow the LineThis was the way I had learned navigation to follow the line

BY E JEFF JUSTIS

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE AUTHOR

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2344

Down low it was fun once more

watching the small towns pass

even being able to read the names

on water towers

In north-central Mississippi

there appears a vast forest spread-

ing out beneath my wings an il-

lusory remnant of the gloriouswilderness that once extended

from the East Coast to the Great

Plains Now clear-cutting scars are

evidence of manrsquos meddling graf-

fiti on our planetrsquos face

I am surprised at the hills of

North Mississippi at higher al-

titudes they flatten into the ter-rain but here at 1000 feet above

the ground the hills are alive with

depth and color

My craft and I intruders in his

world pass a circling hawk I look

down and try to see the tiny crea-

ture I am sure he sees but where

he must perceive the slightest rus-tle of the brush I see only patterns

of green and brown and the bright

blue of reflected sky

Enough of this sightseeing I should

have crossed this highway a couple

of miles farther to the north I make a

slight correction Highways They criss-

cross this land cutting it into smaller

and smaller bits these scratches of

man meant little when there were

fewer men but now they separate deer

from deer and life from life

At the edge of a field pebbled by

round bales of hay rests a red tractor Jeff Justis was just 13 when he and his family embarked on the restoration of

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2444

suppose is the essence of life

Soon the forward horizon bulges

upward as I approach old tectonic

ridges aligned northeast-southwest

near Birmingham The dark greenof the forested ridges contrasts with

the lighter verdant hues of manrsquos

cultivation Ahead a sharp razor-

backed ridge prompts a climb to

3000 feet I teeter across the top and

slide down toward the broad valley

on the eastern side My first land-

ing after one hour and 45 minutes is

welcome As a no-radio aircraft I am

careful to follow the standard pat-

tern and glide down final touching

down on the much-too-long-for-

The-Champ runway of Posey AirportMost cross-country flights in

the rsquo50s were from grass strip to

grass strip A red gas pump would

be brought into service by the col-

orful operatormechanic of these

old aerodromes Aeroncas and

Luscombes were everywhere and

Cessna 195s were the elite air-

planes Now on this ramp my

Aeronca is an anachronism

A King Air is being readied for cor-

porate passengers and my little tail-

dragger is lost on the large apronFortunately we modified the 7BCM

with a starter and generator so I do

not have to find someone to help me

get started In years past almost ev-

ery lineman was proficient in hand-

propping now itrsquos almost a lost art

Soon I am on the way to my

next stop Lagrange Georgia I am

fooled by the appearance of a large

airport an old military field at 12

orsquoclock on the horizon Only when

I get close enough do I realize this is

not the field I am supposed to over-

fly and that I am 10 miles south of

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2544

ramp taking nearly as long as the

flight itself

The cost of this slow flight is cer-

tainly minimal with fill-ups after

two hours averaging 15 or so dol-

lars Besides the trip has been fun so

far relearning old navigation tricks

and seeing the country down low

Now I have only a few more milesto navigate to Eaglesrsquo Landing The

fly-in community strip is near Wil-

liamson Georgia and just east of a

northeast-southwest-oriented rail-

road I decide to proceed due east

find the railroad and follow it

northeast toward the destination

I cross a highway but see no rail-road A few miles further still no

railroad I must have passed it Af-

ter a 180 I find the highway again

but nohellipwait what is that That is

an abandoned rail line for sure and

it does parallel the road I continue

northeast scanning the horizon

passing pretty fields and housesI locate one airport with houses

neatly lining both sides of the single

runway but it is not Eaglesrsquo Landing

Soon I see Griffin Georgia I have

come too far I ease The Champ into

a bank to try again back down the

rail line andhellipherersquos a golf coursehellip

and yes there are two grass run-

ways meeting in a ldquoVrdquo I circle andmake a low pass over the northwest

runway watching my friends wave

from their yard ldquoWhat a nice place

to liverdquo I think as I line up on final

I glide just above the grass and

A foil tape antenna ground plane was just one of the nifty little touches added

to The Champ as the two Jeffs restored their airplane

Doesnrsquot ever yone use Champ

tail surfaces as decorative ele-

ments in their household dec-orating Mrs Justis is a very

patient woman

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2644

CALIFORNIAHayward CA VIN 29

Meeting 2nd Thurs 600 pm

Hayward Airport

See website for hangar info

Gary Oberti President

Phone 510-357-8600

E-mail infovaa29org

Website wwwvaa29org

CALIFORNIASacramento CA VIN 25

Meeting 2nd Sat 900 am

See chapter website for location

Robert Opdahl President

Phone 530-273-7348

E-mail bopdahlsbcglobalnet

Website wwwVin25org

CAROLINAS VIRGINIAWalnut Cove NC VIN 3

Meeting Contact President

Susan Dusenbury President

Phone 336-591-3931

E-mail sr6sueaolcom

Website wwwVAA3org

FLORIDALakeland FL VIN 1

Meeting Contact President

Bobby Capozzi President

Phone 352-475-9736

INDIANAAuburn IN VIN 37

Meeting 4th Thurs 700 pm

DeKalb County Airport (kGWB)

Hangar AmdashVAA 37 Clubhouse

Drew Hoffman President

Phone 260-515-3525

E-mail drewhoffmanvaa37org

Website wwwVAA37org

KANSASOverland Park KS VIN 16

Meeting 2nd Fri 730 pm

CAF Hangar

New Century Airport

Kevin Pratt President

Phone 913-541-1149

E-mail kprattvaa16com

Website wwwVAA16com

LOUISIANANew Iberia LA VIN 30

Meeting 1st Sun 900 am

LeMaire Memorial Airport Hangar 4

Roland Denison President

Phone 337-365-3047

E-mail vaa30coxnet

MINNESOTAAlbert Lea MN VIN 13

Meeting 2nd Thurs 700 pm

Albert Lea Airport FBO

OHIODelaware OH VIN 27

Meeting 3rd Sat 8-10AM May thru Sept

Delaware Municiple Airport (DLZ)

Terminal Building

Woody McIntire President

Phone 740-362-7228

E-mail wjmcintirecscom

Website wwwEAAdlzorg

OHIOZanesville OH VIN 22

Meeting 2nd Fri 630 pm

Perry County Airport

John Morozowsky President

Phone 740-453-6889

OKLAHOMATulsa OK VIN 10

Meeting 4th Thurs 700 PM

Hardesty South Regional Library

No meetings in July Nov amp Dec

Joe Champagne President

Phone 918-257-4688

Email skypalgroveemailcom

TEXASSpring TX VIN 2

Meeting 4th Sun 200 PM

David Wayne Hooks Airport (KDWH)

Fred Ramin President

Phone 281-255-4430

Vintage Chapter LocatorVisit the VAA chapter nearest you and get to know some great old-airplane enthusiasts You donrsquot need

to be a pilot to join in the funmdashjust have a love of the great airplanes of yesteryear

Chapter 27 of Delaware Ohio hosts a monthly pancake breakfast where attendees enjoy the camara-derie among the airplanes

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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When Albert Vollmecke joined

Arkansas Aircraft Company in Sep-tember 1927 he brought fresh ideas

from his native Germany regarding

aircraft design stability and safety

He would on occasion return to

Germany to bring back something

new for the company In 1928 Ar-

kansas Aircraft Company changed

its name to Command-Aire Incor-porated and the production run

of new ships increased in its Little

Rock Arkansas plant

After one such visit to Ger-

many Vollmecke returned with

the rights to import and sell the

PHYLAX fire-extinguisher system

patented (GB 0267542) March 10

1926 and manufactured in Berlinby Phylax Feuerlosch-Automaten-

Bau GmbH The PHYLAX fire-

extinguisher system consisted of

a tank containing the extinguish-

ing liquid From the tank which

BY ROBERT G LOCK

Early 1047297re-extinguishing system

THE Vintage

Mechanic

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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advertisement from AVIATION

November 1928 using the OX-5

powered model 3C3 ship to dem-

onstrate the system

The PHYLAX system consisted

of a pressurized tank of fluid with

associated lines and nozzles lead-

ing to the engine compartment of

the ship Note here that the unit

is manufactured in t he United

States by the Aero Supply Man-

ufacturing Company located in

Long Island New York The cost

of the unit is $70 in this May 1929

advertisement in an aviation mag-

azine Illustration 2 shows the

manufacturerrsquos advertisement for

the product

In a letter dated April 10 1929

Mr Wiley Wright assistant sales

director for Command-Aire Incor-

porated wrote

ldquoCommand-Aire Incorporated

acquired the exclusive franchise

rights for PHYLAX automatic fire

extinguishers in the United States

Mexico and Central America This

extinguisher is the only automatic

fire extinguisher available and is

standard equipment on many Eu-

ropean lines It is manufactured

by PHYLAX Bau of Germany and

is receiving great response in the

United States at the present timerdquo

In this factory Illustration 3

and from the files of Albert Voll-

mecke is a 110-hp Warner engine

mounted in the Command-Aire

model 3C3-A ship Note the en-

gine cowling being neatly fitted

around cylinders and associated

tubes The 3C3-A had a very longnose due to its light weight ne-

ce s s i ta t ing a longer a rm f or

weight and balance control In

this photo the PHYLAX sprinkler

heads are visible behind the mag-

netos down near the carburetor

and behind the oil inlet hoses on

the accessory case of the engineIllustration 3 is an original fac-

tory photograph of the PHYLAX

system installed in the nose of a

model 3C3-A

Illustration 4 is the same photo-

graph with some details removed

and other details added princi-

pally the identification of the PHY-LAX automatic fuse that fired the

bottle of extinguishing fluid and

the sprinkler heads These illustra-

tions taken from a Command-Aire

original factory brochure from the

files of Albert Vollmecke

Illustration 5 on page 27 is a

sketch from the PHYLAX patent

0267542 dated March 10 1926A general description of the PHY-

LAX system is contained within

the patent and states ldquoThe inven-

tion relates to a fire extinguishing

device intended for use particu-

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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not indicate what type of extinguishing fluid was

contained within the tank however soda-acid was

widely used in those days and carbon tetrachloridewas invented in 1912 by the Pyrene Company

In a communication from Command-Aire Pres-

ident Robert Snowden regarding the purchase of

stock options in the company he states ldquoOur ex-

clusive franchise for the sale of Phylax automatic

Illustration 3

Illustration 4

Illustration 5

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3044

homeland on a regular basis and

always brought back some new in-

vention or new ideas on design andsafety This system was certainly

ahead of its time safety-wise and a

credit to Vollmeckersquos focus on sta-

bility and safety for his designs

Above in this original factory

photograph (Illustration 6) of a

Command-Aire 3C3-T fuselage on

the assembly line at the Little Rock

plant the PHYLAX system can beseen mounted in the rear cock-

pit just behind the front seat in

the center of the photograph The

chemical bottles with two lines

tied to the side tubes run forward

Illustration 6

Pyrene 1047297re extinguishers

were made of brass and

were nicely polished

They were not high-pressure units

but required the use of a hand pump

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Pyrene fire extinguishers were

made of brass and were nicely pol-

ished They were not high-pressureunits but required the use of a

hand pump to generate pressure

to expel liquid from the cylinder

These extinguishers were gener-

ally mounted in the rear cockpit

ton or linen fabric and the only

dope available was cellulose ni-

trate that burned like a torch when

lit Watching nitrate dope burn

reminded me of a Fourth of July

sparkler very intense and hot If

a nitrate-doped ship caught fire in

the air there was no extinguisher

that would put out the flames

The PHYLAX system had an auto-

matic sensor that would trigger the

bottlersquos valve open and send the

chemical into the engine compart-

ment The Pyrene extinguisher wasmore for ground use because you

could not operate the bottle and

fly the airplane at the same time

By todayrsquos standards these ex-

tinguishing systems seem ar-

chaic but for the time back in

the 1920s they were the thing to

have in your automobile boator airplane

Editorrsquos Note WARNING An-

tique carbon tetrachloride fire extin-

guishers like the Pyrene occasionally

show up either contaminated with

the original agent or worse yet with

the full charge of agent still inside

Carbon tet is treated as a hazard-

ous substance (its use was banned

in consumer products in 1970) and

should be dealt with accordingly

In fact carbon tetrachloride when

heated by a fire will create poison-

ous phosgene gas (World War Irsquos

ldquonerve gasrdquo) something that would

definitely ruin someonersquos day if the

fire hadnrsquot done so already In its

standard form this substance is verytoxic to the liver and a single signifi-

cant exposure can result in sickness

or death

L a n g l ey may have been the

f h f i i i b

last and last The instruction

l i l d f

1903 Samuel Pierpont Langleyrsquos ldquoAerodromerdquoattempts to take off from a floating platform

Have a comment or ques-

tion for Bob Lock the Vintage

Mechanic Drop us an e-mail at

vintageaircrafteaaorg or you

can mail your question to Vintage

Airplane PO Box 3086 Osh-

kosh WI 54903

Illustration 7

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Authorrsquos Note We held a small open house at the

flight school hangar this past Saturday Though the

weather was not conducive to give many rides we still

had about 60 people show up enjoy a brat or ham-

burger and talk about flying or learning to fly Interest

in flying is not dead One of my pet peeves is how we

in general aviation go about attracting individuals tolearn the pleasure of flight

Nearly every aviation publication I read carries ar-

ticles and editorials about the downward spiral of gen-

eral aviation Flight schools are having a hard time

attracting new students ldquoDoom and gloomrdquo reigns

with little positive to report on the horizon This al-

ways reminds me of the proverbial three wise mon-keys who embody the principle ldquoSee no evil hear no

evil and speak no evilrdquo We all complain about the

problem but no one ever offers solutions It seems as

though by not doing anything about the challenge it

will eventually go away and right itself

Many of the aviation organizations are wringing

their respective hands giving great lip service to the

drop in pilot numbers Some like EAA have launched

activities to attract new pilots such as the Young Ea-gles program This has been a good start but it will not

fill the ever-increasing void for more pilots

What are we all missing FUN

Four years ago I chose early retirement from a 38-

The student make-up is a real cross-section of Amer-

ica My youngest student to date began flight lessons

at age 14 and the oldest was 77 years young Irsquove men-

tioned some of my students in previous articles At

yearrsquos end 2010 while converting our student files

from paper to computer I was amazed to discover that

in the previous two years I had given instruction tomore than 200 individuals Some were new students

others were individuals in search of a tailwheel en-

dorsement and many were older individuals who had

pursued flight training early in their lives but gave it

up to raise a family Now they had the time and still re-

tained the burning desire to get back into flying What

attracted these individuals to the flight school FUN

And thefun

challenge of flying J-3 Cubs

Herersquos a small cross-section of this yearrsquos group

of students

bullA retired US Navy lieutenant who flew F-4 Phan-

toms off carriers in Vietnam He hasnrsquot done any fly-

ing in more than 10 years but hersquos been building a

Skybolt which will soon be finished and hersquos return-

ing to his lifelong lovemdashaviation He also has two

young sons who want to fly and will soon be joining

the group of student pilotsbullA young CPA from Iowa whose grandfather was a

friend of Bernie Pietenpol and who has built two Piets

The CPA used two weeks of his vacation time to learn

to fly so that he can fly the airplane(s) that his grandfa-

ther built and take his grandfather for a ride

BY Steve Krog CFI

THE Vintage

Instructor

Vintage flying is very much alive

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3344

Cubs flying every day he decided to pursue his pas-

sion for flight

bullA national chain hardware store employee who

has had a dream of flying driving nearly two hours

each way to learn to fly in a Cub

bullAn aviation writervideo producer who already has

a sport pilot certificate but desires to obtain a private

pilot certificate and do so in Cubs

bullA 30-something young family man who sells

construction equipment attachments While deer

hunting a year ago he learned one of his hunting

friends had recently learned to fly in Cubs For three

days they talked airplanes and flying rather than do-

ing much hunting Upon his return from the hunt-ing trip he drove to the airport and signed up for

lessons in the Cub

bullA professional musician from the Chicago area

who always wanted to learn to fly Although not yet

old enough to have a true ldquobucket listrdquo learning to fly

a Cub was number one on his list

With two exceptions these individuals had never

before flown or flown in tailwheel airplanes but alwayshad a dream of learning to fly in a Cubmdashjust like dad

or granddad did many years ago

Although no one in this group comes from simi-

lar backgrounds or professions there is one common

denominator among every studentmdashFUN None of

these students are learning to fly to pursue a career

in aviation (although Irsquove worked with a couple who

have done so) Rather they are learning to fly or get-

ting back into flying for the FUN and CHALLENGE of

flight They all have a true love of flight and seeing the

world from 500 feet with the door and window open

I have also worked with a number of students who

began taking flight lessons but quit after a period of

time They still had the passion for flight but gave it

up When asked why the responses fell into one of the

following four categories

bullI began taking lessons but after three or four les-sons Irsquod be assigned to a different instructor After 30

hours of dual three instructors and still not having

soloed I quit

bullThe instructor wasnrsquot teaching me anything He

was more interested in building time than teaching

Take a moment and think about how you first be-

came interested in airplanes What triggered your

pursuit of learning to fly Did you have a buddy or

maybe a family friend who encouraged you Or even

became a mentor Do you remember your first flight

lesson Do you remember the day you made your

first solo flight

Remember that passion and sense of accomplish-

ment Donrsquot hesitate to share it with anyone express-

ing an interest in learning to fly

At Cub Air Flight we sell FUN When individuals

visit the airport to inquire about learning to fly we

know they have made the commitment in their own

mind It then becomes our responsibility to makethe visit friendly A friendly environment is a FUN

environment Kids are always welcome If a prospec-

tive student has children with him or her we invite

the kids to sit in the planes At the conclusion of our

discussion we emphasize the following statement If

you learn to fly with us it will be FUN CHALLENG-

ING and SAFE

I donrsquot believe there is a shortage of pilot prospectsbut there is a shortage in how we all go about attract-

ing these people to become active participants in plea-

sure flying Remember flying is FUN Letrsquos make an

effort to help others share in that FUN

AERO CLASSICldquoCOLLECTOR SERIESrdquo

Vintage Tires New USA Production

Show off your pride and joy with afresh set of Vintage Rubber Thesenewly minted tires are FAA-TSOrsquodand speed rated to 120 MPH Some

things are better left the way theywere and in the 40rsquos and 50rsquos these tires were perfectly intune to the exciting times in aviation

Not only do these tires set your vintage plane apart fromthe rest but also look exceptional on all General Aviationaircraft Deep 832nd tread depth offers above averagetread life and UV treated rubber resists aging

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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We enjoy your suggestions for

Mystery Planesmdashin fact more than

half of our subjects are sent to us by

members often via e-mail Please

remember that if you want to scan

the photo for use in Mystery Plane

it must be at a resolution of 300 dpior greater You may send a lower-

resolution version to us for our re-

view but the final version has to be

at that level of detail or it will not

print properly Also please let us

craft in the photo is of Canadian civil

registry CF-BXO formerly Royal Cana-

dian Air Force (RCAF) 920 This photo-

graph would have been taken at some

time between 1962 and 1967 after an

overhaul at Abbotsford British Colum-

bia (BC) and possibly while in servicewith Stranraer Aerial Enterprises The

location strongly resembles the Fraser

River dockings at the Vancouver air-

port The aircraft had undergone a re-

spray with a bright red cheat line The

(beaching gear required) for the Royal Air

Force (RAF) in 1933 The prototype first

flew in October 1934 with two Bristol

Pegasus IIIM engines rated at 820 hp

The production aircraft were delivered to

the RAF with Pegasus engines delivering

920 hp entering service in April 1937The British-built machines of which 23

were ordered and only 17 being built

were all delivered by April 1939

In Canada Canadian Vickers Lim-

ited of Montreal Quebec produced 40

Send your answer to EAA Vin-

tage Airplane PO Box 3086 Osh-

kosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer

needs to be in no later than August

20 for inclusion in the October

2011 issue of Vintage Airplane

You can also send your response via

e-mail Send your answer to mystery

planeeaaorg Be sure to include your

name plus your city and state in the

body of your note and put ldquo(Month)

Mystery Planerdquo in the subject line

This monthrsquos Mystery Plane comes to us from Bruce Voran

MYSTERY PLANE

by HG FRAUTSCHY

A P R I L rsquo S M Y S T E RY A N S W E R

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3544

QCA began buying several examplesand was instrumental in convincing

the Canadian Department of Transport

(DOT) to issue a civilian Certificate of

Airworthiness (C of A) One of the first

aircraft so issued was CF-BYI which be-

1980 the Canadian Museum of Flightand Transportation in BC salvaged the

wreck for possible restoration As late as

April 1952 QCA still had two Stranraer

in service CF-BXO and CF-BYM Pacific

Western Airlines (PWA) also operated

Two RAF Belfast freighters were dis-

patched and the disassembled aircraft

was transported to the United Kingdomwhere the machine is currently one of the

centerpieces of the collection

The aircraft type had many names

The most familiar (and printable) were

Stranny Strainer and Flying Meccano

Set The least affectionate was the Whis-

tling Shouse as when the lid to the

throne was lifted there was direct access

to the great outdoors and there emitted a

loud whistling noise

Other correct answers were re-

ceived from Hillis Cunliffe Mill-

brook Alabama Brian Baker Sun

City Arizona Wesley R Smith

Springfield Illinois John White-

head Cheyenne Wyoming ScottChurch Cochrane Alberta Can-

ada Jay Broze Walla Walla Wash-

ington Jerry Paterson Kent

Washington Jamie Patterson Mi-

ramichi New Brunswick Canada

Bill Bishop of Mulgoa New South Wales Australia sent along this photo

of the surviving Supermarine Stranraer

David Nixon supplied us with the April Mystery Plane shot of CF-BXO

a Canadian Vickers-built Supermarine Stranraer

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3644

urday 8 am until 6 pm Early-bird

arrivals can shop on the pre-conven-

tion weekend as well during limited

hours Show your VAA membership

card (or your receipt showing you

joined VAA at the convention) and

yoursquoll receive a 10 percent discount

VAA Volunteer Opportunities

Are you an ace pancake flipperIf yoursquore not one yet we can help

The VAA Tall Pines Cafeacute is looking

for volunteers who can help provide

a hearty breakfast to all the hungry

campers on the south end of Witt-

man Field If you could lend a hand

for a morning or two wersquod appreci-

ate it If thatrsquos not your cup of tea feelfree to check with the VAA Volunteer

Center located just to the northeast

of the VAA Red Barn The volun-

teers who operate the booth will be

happy to tell you when your help is

needed each day It doesnrsquot matter if

itrsquos just for a few hours or for a few

daysmdashwersquod love to have your help-

ing hands There is no need for you

to contact us ahead of time you can

talk with us when you arrive

VAA Judging Categoriesand Awards

The VAArsquos internationally recog-

nized judging categories are

bullAntique Aircraft built prior toSeptember 1 1945

bullClassic September 1 1945 - De-

cember 31 1955

bullContemporary January 1 1956

- December 31 1970

VAA NEWScontinued frpm page 5

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3744

the award winners Judging closes at noon on Friday

July 29 The Awards Ceremony will be held Saturday

evening July 30 at 6 pm in the Vintage Hangar

just south of the VAA Red Barn

Designated Smoking Areas Near FlightlineSmoking on the flightline at EAA AirVenture is prohib-

ited because itrsquos a hazard to all aircraft There are several

designated smoking areas with butt cans along the flight-

line well away from aircraft and refueling operations

Designated smoking areas will be south of the ultra-light runway near the Hangar Cafeacute near the Warbirdsarea (northeast corner of Audrey Lane and Eide Av-

enue) the Wearhouse flag pole area the shade pavil-ion north of the control tower and near the UltralightBarn Locations will be indicated on EAArsquos free con-vention grounds map The admission wristband alsoinstructs visitors that smoking is allowed only in desig-nated smoking areas

More on the Web

Visit wwwAirVentureorg for more information onEAA AirVenture 2011

EAA AirVenture Is Almost Here Are You Ready

Just a few short weeks from now many of you will

make the annual pilgrimage to Oshkosh for EAA Air-

Venture 2011 Are you ready Here are several handy

online tools on the AirVenture website that can help

you take care of any last-minute concerns

Visit wwwAirVentureorg and find out what you

need to know about The Worldrsquos Greatest Avia-

tion Celebration

Admission Parking Hours

wwwAirVentureorgplanningadmissionhtml

Find or Share a Ride to Oshkosh

wwwAirVentureorgrideshare

Site Map

wwwAirVentureorgplanningschedules_mapshtml

Where to Stay

Yoursquore cleared to stay connected

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3844

ship services at 800-564-6322 but

given the time from when you read

this until AirVenture it may not ar-

rive in the mail in time for your de-

parture We suggest downloading

the NOTAM

The NOTAM contains the specialflight procedures in effect for Witt-

man Regional Airport and alternate

airports from 6 am CDT on Friday

July 22 to 12 pm CDT on Mon-

day August 1 2011 All pilots who

fly into the event are expected to

know the special flight procedures

prior to arrival EAA AirVenture Os-

hkosh runs from July 25 through

July 31 For additional EAA AirVen-

ture Oshkosh 2011 information

visit wwwAirVentureorg

Call for VAA Hall of

Fame Nominations

To the left is our information

for nominations for VAArsquos Hallof Fame which is presented each

year during a special dinner This

yearrsquos dinner will be held Friday

October 28 Wersquoll have more on

this yearrsquos inductee John Under-

To nominate someone is easy It just takes a little time and a little reminiscing on your part

Mail nominating materials to

Remember your ldquocontemporaryrdquo may be a candidate nominate someone today

wwwVintageAircraftorg

CALL FOR VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

Nominations

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3944

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

Wit tman Regional A i rpor t (OSH)

Oshkosh Wisconsin

July 25-31 2011

wwwAirVentureorg

Colorado Sport International Air Show

and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In

Rocky Mountain Met ropol i tan A irpor t (BJC)

Denver Colorado

August 27-28 2011

wwwCOSportAviationorg

Mid-Eastern Regional Fly-In

Gr imes F ie ld A irpor t (I74)

Urbana Ohio

September 10-11 2011

httpMERFIcom

Copperstate Fly-In

Casa Grande Munic ipal A i rpor t (CGZ)

Casa Grande Ar izona

Upcoming Major

Fly-Ins

W I N

Only 2000 ticketswill be sold1 ticket $50

3 tickets $125

Piper Tri-Pacer Airplane

Free Flying Lessons

Free Pilot License

Country Legend Roy Clarkrsquos Personal Proceeds fromthis raffle

SAVEAMERICANKIDS LIVES

wwwwingsofhoperaffleorg

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4044

MISCELLANEOUS

wwwaerolistorg Aviationsrsquo Leading

Marketplace

Rare find Lycoming 0-145 partsinventory blocks bearings rings

shafts amp much more $20000

at 1970 prices $5000 Six four

cylinder case aircraft magnetos

$300 Call for more details (FL)

VINTAGETRADER

Someth ing t o buyse l l o r t rade

Classified Word Ads $550 per 10

words 180 words maximum with boldface

lead-in on first line

Classified Display Ads One column wide

(2167 inches) by 1 2 or 3 inches high at

$20 per inch Black and white only and nofrequency discounts

Advertising Closing Dates 10th of second

month prior to desired issue date (ie

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 (classads

eaaorg ) using credit card payment (all cards

accepted) Include name on card complete

address type of card card number and

expiration date Make checks payable to EAA

Address advertising correspondence to EAA

Publications Classified Ad Manager PO Box

3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

What Our Members

Are Restoring

Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done and

yoursquore busy flying and showing it off If so wersquod like to hear from

you Send us a 4-by-6-inch print from a commercial source (no

home printers please those prints just donrsquot scan well) or a

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4144

EAAMembership in the Experimental Aircraft

Association Inc is $40 for one year includ-ing 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION Familymembership is an additional $10 annually Allmajor credit cards accepted for membership(Add $16 for International Postage)

FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPSPlease submit your remittance with a

check or draft drawn on a United Statesbank payable in United States dollars Addrequired Foreign Postage amount for eachmembership

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATIONCurrent EAA members may join the

Vintage Aircraft Association and receive

year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not included)(Add $7 for International Postage)

WARBIRDSCurrent EAA members may join the EAA

Warbirds of America Division and receiveWARBIRDS magazine for an additional$45 per year

EAA Membership WARBIRDS mag-azine and one year membership in theWarbirds Division is available for $55 per

year (SPORT OficAVIATION magazinenot included) (Add $7 for Interna-tional Postage)

IACCurrent EAA members may join the

International Aerobatic Club Inc Divi-sion and receive SPORT AEROBATICS magazine for an additional $45 per year

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

VINTAGE

AIRCRAFT

ASSOCIATION

OFFICERS

DIRECTORS

DIRECTORS

EMERITUS

PresidentGeoff Robison

1521 E MacGregor DrNew Haven IN 46774

260-493-4724chief7025aolcom

Vice-PresidentGeorge Daubner

N57W34837 Pondview LnOconomowoc WI 53066

262-560-1949 gdaubnereaaorg

Steve Bender85 Brush Hill Road

Sherborn MA 01770508-653-7557

sst10comcastnet

David Bennett375 Killdeer Ct

Lincoln CA 95648916-952-9449

antiquerinreachcom

Jerry Brown4605 Hickory Wood Row

Greenwood IN 46143317-422-9366

lbrown4906aolcom

Dave Clark635 Vestal Lane

Plainfield IN 46168317-839-4500davecpdattnet

John S Copeland1A Deacon Street

Northborough MA 01532508-393-4775

copeland1junocom

Phil Coulson28415 Springbrook Dr

Lawton MI 49065269-624-6490

rcoulson516cscom

Dale A Gustafson7724 Shady Hills Dr

Indianapolis IN 46278317-293-4430

dalefayemsncom

Jeannie HillPO Box 328

Harvard IL 60033-0328815-943-7205

Espie ldquoButchrdquo Joyce704 N Regional Rd

Greensboro NC 27409336-668-3650

windsockaolcom

Steve Krog1002 Heather Ln

Hartford WI 53027262-966-7627sskrogaolcom

Robert D ldquoBobrdquo Lumley1265 South 124th StBrookfield WI 53005

262-782-2633rlumley1wirrcom

SH ldquoWesrdquo Schmid2359 Lefeber Avenue

Wauwatosa WI 53213414-771-1545

shschmidgmailcom

Robert C Brauer9345 S Hoyne

Chicago IL 60643773-779-2105

photopilotaolcom

Gene Chase2159 Carlton Rd

Oshkosh WI 54904920-231-5002

GRCHAcharternet

Ronald C Fritz15401 Sparta Ave

Kent City MI 49330616-678-5012

rFritzpathwaynet com

Charlie HarrisPO Box 470350Tulsa OK 74147

918-622-8400cwhhvsucom

EE ldquoBuckrdquo Hilbert8102 Leech RdUnion IL 60180

815-923-4591buck7acgmailcom

Gene Morris5936 Steve Court

Roanoke TX 76262817-491-9110

genemor rischarter net

Membership Services DirectoryEnjoy the many benefits of EAA and

EAArsquos Vintage Aircraft Association

EAA Aviation Center PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086Phone (920) 426-4800 Fax (920) 426-4873Web Sites wwwvintageaircraftorg wwwairventureorg wwweaaorgmemberbenefits E-Mail vintageaircrafteaaorg

EAA and Division Membership Services (800 AMndash600 PM MondayndashFriday CST)800-564-6322 FAX 920-426-4873 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

bullNewrenew memberships bullAddress changes bullMerchandise sales bullGift memberships

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 888-322-4636 wwwairventureorg airventureeaaorg

Sport PilotLight-Sport Aircraft Hotline 877-359-1232 wwwsportpilotorg sportpiloteaaorg

Programs and Activities

Auto Fuel STCs 920-426-4843 stceaaorg EAA Air Academy 920-426-6880 wwwairacademyorg airacademyeaaorg

EAA Scholarships 920-426-6823 scholarshipseaaorg

Library ServicesResearch 920-426-4848 slurveyeaaorg

Benefits

AUA Vintage Insurance Plan 800-727-3823 wwwauaonlinecom

EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan 866-647-4322 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

EAA VISA Card 800-853-5576 ext 8884

EAA Her tz Rent-A-Car Program 800-654-2200 wwweaaorghertz membershipeaaorg

VAA EditorialExecutive Director 920-426-4825 wwwvintageaircraftorg vintageeaaorg

VAA Office 920-426-6110 tbookseaaorg

TM

EAA Members Information Line 888-EAA-INFO (322-4636)

Use this toll-free number for information about AirVenture Oshkosh aeromedical and technical aviation questions

chapters and Young Eagles Please have your membership number ready when calling

Office hours are 815 am - 500 pm (Monday - Friday CST)

SecretarySteve Nesse

2009 Highland AveAlbert Lea MN 56007

507-373-1674

stnes2009livecom

TreasurerDan Knutson

106 Tena Marie CircleLodi WI 53555608-592-7224

lodicubcharternet

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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If yoursquove ever watched fish in

an aquarium yoursquove probably no-

ticed how they respond differently

to their surroundings There are

those that zip around the tank in a

mad dash to nowhere Some seem

to sit and not go much of any-

where and some will swim f romone end to the other turn around

and do it again

The latter are the ones that remind

me of myself I seem to fly in a fish-

bowl I go from one end of our val-

proficient by practicing things we

know over and over or it can make

us lazy When something becomes

so ingrained that we do it from habit

only we may not be thinking about

what wersquore doing

On a night cross-country some

time ago I found out just how easyit is to forget things that I hadnrsquot

used in a while While night may be

a little more challenging it still re-

quires the basic pre-flight planning

of any cross-country and following

whether I go far or stay in the com-

fort zone I canrsquot let complacency take

over Those skills and experiences

need to be stretched from time to

time regardless of where I fly An un-

expected situation or emergency is a

bad time to find out I donrsquot remem-

ber how to do somethingComplacency also allows fear

to creep in where it doesnrsquot belong

Some fear (I think) is a natural part of

flying but it can also unnecessarily

keep us grounded because we wonrsquot

BY S MICHELLE SOUDER

Flying Outside

the Fishbowl

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Itrsquos gonna be a big year at Oshk osh

B-29 Superfortress ldquoFIFIrdquo

The first visit since 1995for the worldrsquos only airworthyB-29 Superfortress

REO SpeedwagonOshkosh rocks Monday duringthe opening day concert presentedby Ford Motor Company

Tribute to Bob HooverTuesday afternoon air showfeaturing aircraft and maneuvershe made legendary

eVentureInnovation will be on displayand in the air with the ElectricFlight Prize Competition

Join us for a week-long celebration of the Centennial of Naval Aviationincluding a special air show Wednesday See the hottest naval aircraftin historic colors all week on ConocoPhillips Plaza

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Page 21: Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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AirVenture amp Ford Together Again

REO Speedwagon Concert Monday

600PM next to the Ford Hangar

Fly In Theater Nightly Sunday ndash

Saturday 830PM Camp Scholler

Cruisinrsquo Legends See Mustangs and

more Knapp Street near Warbirds

Model T Experience Tour in a Model

T ldquoCruisinrsquo Legendsrdquo

ldquoBlues Brothersrdquo Tribute Party

Saturday 630PM Ford ldquoHangar of Bluesrdquo

Free Ice Cream Nightly in the camp-

grounds ndash from the Transit Connect

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2244

My son and I spent the better part of

six years restoring an Aeronca 7BCM

Jeff was 13 years old when we started

the project and 19 when we finished

sponds quickly to my urging as I

push the throttle control forward

to begin a low-level no-radio no-

transponder flight from Charles W

time I admit to being spoiled first by

low-frequency ldquobeamsrdquo then VORs

DME RNAV LORAN and now GPS

But for this flight I left all that behind

To Follow the LineThis was the way I had learned navigation to follow the line

BY E JEFF JUSTIS

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE AUTHOR

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Down low it was fun once more

watching the small towns pass

even being able to read the names

on water towers

In north-central Mississippi

there appears a vast forest spread-

ing out beneath my wings an il-

lusory remnant of the gloriouswilderness that once extended

from the East Coast to the Great

Plains Now clear-cutting scars are

evidence of manrsquos meddling graf-

fiti on our planetrsquos face

I am surprised at the hills of

North Mississippi at higher al-

titudes they flatten into the ter-rain but here at 1000 feet above

the ground the hills are alive with

depth and color

My craft and I intruders in his

world pass a circling hawk I look

down and try to see the tiny crea-

ture I am sure he sees but where

he must perceive the slightest rus-tle of the brush I see only patterns

of green and brown and the bright

blue of reflected sky

Enough of this sightseeing I should

have crossed this highway a couple

of miles farther to the north I make a

slight correction Highways They criss-

cross this land cutting it into smaller

and smaller bits these scratches of

man meant little when there were

fewer men but now they separate deer

from deer and life from life

At the edge of a field pebbled by

round bales of hay rests a red tractor Jeff Justis was just 13 when he and his family embarked on the restoration of

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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suppose is the essence of life

Soon the forward horizon bulges

upward as I approach old tectonic

ridges aligned northeast-southwest

near Birmingham The dark greenof the forested ridges contrasts with

the lighter verdant hues of manrsquos

cultivation Ahead a sharp razor-

backed ridge prompts a climb to

3000 feet I teeter across the top and

slide down toward the broad valley

on the eastern side My first land-

ing after one hour and 45 minutes is

welcome As a no-radio aircraft I am

careful to follow the standard pat-

tern and glide down final touching

down on the much-too-long-for-

The-Champ runway of Posey AirportMost cross-country flights in

the rsquo50s were from grass strip to

grass strip A red gas pump would

be brought into service by the col-

orful operatormechanic of these

old aerodromes Aeroncas and

Luscombes were everywhere and

Cessna 195s were the elite air-

planes Now on this ramp my

Aeronca is an anachronism

A King Air is being readied for cor-

porate passengers and my little tail-

dragger is lost on the large apronFortunately we modified the 7BCM

with a starter and generator so I do

not have to find someone to help me

get started In years past almost ev-

ery lineman was proficient in hand-

propping now itrsquos almost a lost art

Soon I am on the way to my

next stop Lagrange Georgia I am

fooled by the appearance of a large

airport an old military field at 12

orsquoclock on the horizon Only when

I get close enough do I realize this is

not the field I am supposed to over-

fly and that I am 10 miles south of

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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ramp taking nearly as long as the

flight itself

The cost of this slow flight is cer-

tainly minimal with fill-ups after

two hours averaging 15 or so dol-

lars Besides the trip has been fun so

far relearning old navigation tricks

and seeing the country down low

Now I have only a few more milesto navigate to Eaglesrsquo Landing The

fly-in community strip is near Wil-

liamson Georgia and just east of a

northeast-southwest-oriented rail-

road I decide to proceed due east

find the railroad and follow it

northeast toward the destination

I cross a highway but see no rail-road A few miles further still no

railroad I must have passed it Af-

ter a 180 I find the highway again

but nohellipwait what is that That is

an abandoned rail line for sure and

it does parallel the road I continue

northeast scanning the horizon

passing pretty fields and housesI locate one airport with houses

neatly lining both sides of the single

runway but it is not Eaglesrsquo Landing

Soon I see Griffin Georgia I have

come too far I ease The Champ into

a bank to try again back down the

rail line andhellipherersquos a golf coursehellip

and yes there are two grass run-

ways meeting in a ldquoVrdquo I circle andmake a low pass over the northwest

runway watching my friends wave

from their yard ldquoWhat a nice place

to liverdquo I think as I line up on final

I glide just above the grass and

A foil tape antenna ground plane was just one of the nifty little touches added

to The Champ as the two Jeffs restored their airplane

Doesnrsquot ever yone use Champ

tail surfaces as decorative ele-

ments in their household dec-orating Mrs Justis is a very

patient woman

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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CALIFORNIAHayward CA VIN 29

Meeting 2nd Thurs 600 pm

Hayward Airport

See website for hangar info

Gary Oberti President

Phone 510-357-8600

E-mail infovaa29org

Website wwwvaa29org

CALIFORNIASacramento CA VIN 25

Meeting 2nd Sat 900 am

See chapter website for location

Robert Opdahl President

Phone 530-273-7348

E-mail bopdahlsbcglobalnet

Website wwwVin25org

CAROLINAS VIRGINIAWalnut Cove NC VIN 3

Meeting Contact President

Susan Dusenbury President

Phone 336-591-3931

E-mail sr6sueaolcom

Website wwwVAA3org

FLORIDALakeland FL VIN 1

Meeting Contact President

Bobby Capozzi President

Phone 352-475-9736

INDIANAAuburn IN VIN 37

Meeting 4th Thurs 700 pm

DeKalb County Airport (kGWB)

Hangar AmdashVAA 37 Clubhouse

Drew Hoffman President

Phone 260-515-3525

E-mail drewhoffmanvaa37org

Website wwwVAA37org

KANSASOverland Park KS VIN 16

Meeting 2nd Fri 730 pm

CAF Hangar

New Century Airport

Kevin Pratt President

Phone 913-541-1149

E-mail kprattvaa16com

Website wwwVAA16com

LOUISIANANew Iberia LA VIN 30

Meeting 1st Sun 900 am

LeMaire Memorial Airport Hangar 4

Roland Denison President

Phone 337-365-3047

E-mail vaa30coxnet

MINNESOTAAlbert Lea MN VIN 13

Meeting 2nd Thurs 700 pm

Albert Lea Airport FBO

OHIODelaware OH VIN 27

Meeting 3rd Sat 8-10AM May thru Sept

Delaware Municiple Airport (DLZ)

Terminal Building

Woody McIntire President

Phone 740-362-7228

E-mail wjmcintirecscom

Website wwwEAAdlzorg

OHIOZanesville OH VIN 22

Meeting 2nd Fri 630 pm

Perry County Airport

John Morozowsky President

Phone 740-453-6889

OKLAHOMATulsa OK VIN 10

Meeting 4th Thurs 700 PM

Hardesty South Regional Library

No meetings in July Nov amp Dec

Joe Champagne President

Phone 918-257-4688

Email skypalgroveemailcom

TEXASSpring TX VIN 2

Meeting 4th Sun 200 PM

David Wayne Hooks Airport (KDWH)

Fred Ramin President

Phone 281-255-4430

Vintage Chapter LocatorVisit the VAA chapter nearest you and get to know some great old-airplane enthusiasts You donrsquot need

to be a pilot to join in the funmdashjust have a love of the great airplanes of yesteryear

Chapter 27 of Delaware Ohio hosts a monthly pancake breakfast where attendees enjoy the camara-derie among the airplanes

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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When Albert Vollmecke joined

Arkansas Aircraft Company in Sep-tember 1927 he brought fresh ideas

from his native Germany regarding

aircraft design stability and safety

He would on occasion return to

Germany to bring back something

new for the company In 1928 Ar-

kansas Aircraft Company changed

its name to Command-Aire Incor-porated and the production run

of new ships increased in its Little

Rock Arkansas plant

After one such visit to Ger-

many Vollmecke returned with

the rights to import and sell the

PHYLAX fire-extinguisher system

patented (GB 0267542) March 10

1926 and manufactured in Berlinby Phylax Feuerlosch-Automaten-

Bau GmbH The PHYLAX fire-

extinguisher system consisted of

a tank containing the extinguish-

ing liquid From the tank which

BY ROBERT G LOCK

Early 1047297re-extinguishing system

THE Vintage

Mechanic

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2844

advertisement from AVIATION

November 1928 using the OX-5

powered model 3C3 ship to dem-

onstrate the system

The PHYLAX system consisted

of a pressurized tank of fluid with

associated lines and nozzles lead-

ing to the engine compartment of

the ship Note here that the unit

is manufactured in t he United

States by the Aero Supply Man-

ufacturing Company located in

Long Island New York The cost

of the unit is $70 in this May 1929

advertisement in an aviation mag-

azine Illustration 2 shows the

manufacturerrsquos advertisement for

the product

In a letter dated April 10 1929

Mr Wiley Wright assistant sales

director for Command-Aire Incor-

porated wrote

ldquoCommand-Aire Incorporated

acquired the exclusive franchise

rights for PHYLAX automatic fire

extinguishers in the United States

Mexico and Central America This

extinguisher is the only automatic

fire extinguisher available and is

standard equipment on many Eu-

ropean lines It is manufactured

by PHYLAX Bau of Germany and

is receiving great response in the

United States at the present timerdquo

In this factory Illustration 3

and from the files of Albert Voll-

mecke is a 110-hp Warner engine

mounted in the Command-Aire

model 3C3-A ship Note the en-

gine cowling being neatly fitted

around cylinders and associated

tubes The 3C3-A had a very longnose due to its light weight ne-

ce s s i ta t ing a longer a rm f or

weight and balance control In

this photo the PHYLAX sprinkler

heads are visible behind the mag-

netos down near the carburetor

and behind the oil inlet hoses on

the accessory case of the engineIllustration 3 is an original fac-

tory photograph of the PHYLAX

system installed in the nose of a

model 3C3-A

Illustration 4 is the same photo-

graph with some details removed

and other details added princi-

pally the identification of the PHY-LAX automatic fuse that fired the

bottle of extinguishing fluid and

the sprinkler heads These illustra-

tions taken from a Command-Aire

original factory brochure from the

files of Albert Vollmecke

Illustration 5 on page 27 is a

sketch from the PHYLAX patent

0267542 dated March 10 1926A general description of the PHY-

LAX system is contained within

the patent and states ldquoThe inven-

tion relates to a fire extinguishing

device intended for use particu-

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2944

not indicate what type of extinguishing fluid was

contained within the tank however soda-acid was

widely used in those days and carbon tetrachloridewas invented in 1912 by the Pyrene Company

In a communication from Command-Aire Pres-

ident Robert Snowden regarding the purchase of

stock options in the company he states ldquoOur ex-

clusive franchise for the sale of Phylax automatic

Illustration 3

Illustration 4

Illustration 5

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3044

homeland on a regular basis and

always brought back some new in-

vention or new ideas on design andsafety This system was certainly

ahead of its time safety-wise and a

credit to Vollmeckersquos focus on sta-

bility and safety for his designs

Above in this original factory

photograph (Illustration 6) of a

Command-Aire 3C3-T fuselage on

the assembly line at the Little Rock

plant the PHYLAX system can beseen mounted in the rear cock-

pit just behind the front seat in

the center of the photograph The

chemical bottles with two lines

tied to the side tubes run forward

Illustration 6

Pyrene 1047297re extinguishers

were made of brass and

were nicely polished

They were not high-pressure units

but required the use of a hand pump

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Pyrene fire extinguishers were

made of brass and were nicely pol-

ished They were not high-pressureunits but required the use of a

hand pump to generate pressure

to expel liquid from the cylinder

These extinguishers were gener-

ally mounted in the rear cockpit

ton or linen fabric and the only

dope available was cellulose ni-

trate that burned like a torch when

lit Watching nitrate dope burn

reminded me of a Fourth of July

sparkler very intense and hot If

a nitrate-doped ship caught fire in

the air there was no extinguisher

that would put out the flames

The PHYLAX system had an auto-

matic sensor that would trigger the

bottlersquos valve open and send the

chemical into the engine compart-

ment The Pyrene extinguisher wasmore for ground use because you

could not operate the bottle and

fly the airplane at the same time

By todayrsquos standards these ex-

tinguishing systems seem ar-

chaic but for the time back in

the 1920s they were the thing to

have in your automobile boator airplane

Editorrsquos Note WARNING An-

tique carbon tetrachloride fire extin-

guishers like the Pyrene occasionally

show up either contaminated with

the original agent or worse yet with

the full charge of agent still inside

Carbon tet is treated as a hazard-

ous substance (its use was banned

in consumer products in 1970) and

should be dealt with accordingly

In fact carbon tetrachloride when

heated by a fire will create poison-

ous phosgene gas (World War Irsquos

ldquonerve gasrdquo) something that would

definitely ruin someonersquos day if the

fire hadnrsquot done so already In its

standard form this substance is verytoxic to the liver and a single signifi-

cant exposure can result in sickness

or death

L a n g l ey may have been the

f h f i i i b

last and last The instruction

l i l d f

1903 Samuel Pierpont Langleyrsquos ldquoAerodromerdquoattempts to take off from a floating platform

Have a comment or ques-

tion for Bob Lock the Vintage

Mechanic Drop us an e-mail at

vintageaircrafteaaorg or you

can mail your question to Vintage

Airplane PO Box 3086 Osh-

kosh WI 54903

Illustration 7

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Authorrsquos Note We held a small open house at the

flight school hangar this past Saturday Though the

weather was not conducive to give many rides we still

had about 60 people show up enjoy a brat or ham-

burger and talk about flying or learning to fly Interest

in flying is not dead One of my pet peeves is how we

in general aviation go about attracting individuals tolearn the pleasure of flight

Nearly every aviation publication I read carries ar-

ticles and editorials about the downward spiral of gen-

eral aviation Flight schools are having a hard time

attracting new students ldquoDoom and gloomrdquo reigns

with little positive to report on the horizon This al-

ways reminds me of the proverbial three wise mon-keys who embody the principle ldquoSee no evil hear no

evil and speak no evilrdquo We all complain about the

problem but no one ever offers solutions It seems as

though by not doing anything about the challenge it

will eventually go away and right itself

Many of the aviation organizations are wringing

their respective hands giving great lip service to the

drop in pilot numbers Some like EAA have launched

activities to attract new pilots such as the Young Ea-gles program This has been a good start but it will not

fill the ever-increasing void for more pilots

What are we all missing FUN

Four years ago I chose early retirement from a 38-

The student make-up is a real cross-section of Amer-

ica My youngest student to date began flight lessons

at age 14 and the oldest was 77 years young Irsquove men-

tioned some of my students in previous articles At

yearrsquos end 2010 while converting our student files

from paper to computer I was amazed to discover that

in the previous two years I had given instruction tomore than 200 individuals Some were new students

others were individuals in search of a tailwheel en-

dorsement and many were older individuals who had

pursued flight training early in their lives but gave it

up to raise a family Now they had the time and still re-

tained the burning desire to get back into flying What

attracted these individuals to the flight school FUN

And thefun

challenge of flying J-3 Cubs

Herersquos a small cross-section of this yearrsquos group

of students

bullA retired US Navy lieutenant who flew F-4 Phan-

toms off carriers in Vietnam He hasnrsquot done any fly-

ing in more than 10 years but hersquos been building a

Skybolt which will soon be finished and hersquos return-

ing to his lifelong lovemdashaviation He also has two

young sons who want to fly and will soon be joining

the group of student pilotsbullA young CPA from Iowa whose grandfather was a

friend of Bernie Pietenpol and who has built two Piets

The CPA used two weeks of his vacation time to learn

to fly so that he can fly the airplane(s) that his grandfa-

ther built and take his grandfather for a ride

BY Steve Krog CFI

THE Vintage

Instructor

Vintage flying is very much alive

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3344

Cubs flying every day he decided to pursue his pas-

sion for flight

bullA national chain hardware store employee who

has had a dream of flying driving nearly two hours

each way to learn to fly in a Cub

bullAn aviation writervideo producer who already has

a sport pilot certificate but desires to obtain a private

pilot certificate and do so in Cubs

bullA 30-something young family man who sells

construction equipment attachments While deer

hunting a year ago he learned one of his hunting

friends had recently learned to fly in Cubs For three

days they talked airplanes and flying rather than do-

ing much hunting Upon his return from the hunt-ing trip he drove to the airport and signed up for

lessons in the Cub

bullA professional musician from the Chicago area

who always wanted to learn to fly Although not yet

old enough to have a true ldquobucket listrdquo learning to fly

a Cub was number one on his list

With two exceptions these individuals had never

before flown or flown in tailwheel airplanes but alwayshad a dream of learning to fly in a Cubmdashjust like dad

or granddad did many years ago

Although no one in this group comes from simi-

lar backgrounds or professions there is one common

denominator among every studentmdashFUN None of

these students are learning to fly to pursue a career

in aviation (although Irsquove worked with a couple who

have done so) Rather they are learning to fly or get-

ting back into flying for the FUN and CHALLENGE of

flight They all have a true love of flight and seeing the

world from 500 feet with the door and window open

I have also worked with a number of students who

began taking flight lessons but quit after a period of

time They still had the passion for flight but gave it

up When asked why the responses fell into one of the

following four categories

bullI began taking lessons but after three or four les-sons Irsquod be assigned to a different instructor After 30

hours of dual three instructors and still not having

soloed I quit

bullThe instructor wasnrsquot teaching me anything He

was more interested in building time than teaching

Take a moment and think about how you first be-

came interested in airplanes What triggered your

pursuit of learning to fly Did you have a buddy or

maybe a family friend who encouraged you Or even

became a mentor Do you remember your first flight

lesson Do you remember the day you made your

first solo flight

Remember that passion and sense of accomplish-

ment Donrsquot hesitate to share it with anyone express-

ing an interest in learning to fly

At Cub Air Flight we sell FUN When individuals

visit the airport to inquire about learning to fly we

know they have made the commitment in their own

mind It then becomes our responsibility to makethe visit friendly A friendly environment is a FUN

environment Kids are always welcome If a prospec-

tive student has children with him or her we invite

the kids to sit in the planes At the conclusion of our

discussion we emphasize the following statement If

you learn to fly with us it will be FUN CHALLENG-

ING and SAFE

I donrsquot believe there is a shortage of pilot prospectsbut there is a shortage in how we all go about attract-

ing these people to become active participants in plea-

sure flying Remember flying is FUN Letrsquos make an

effort to help others share in that FUN

AERO CLASSICldquoCOLLECTOR SERIESrdquo

Vintage Tires New USA Production

Show off your pride and joy with afresh set of Vintage Rubber Thesenewly minted tires are FAA-TSOrsquodand speed rated to 120 MPH Some

things are better left the way theywere and in the 40rsquos and 50rsquos these tires were perfectly intune to the exciting times in aviation

Not only do these tires set your vintage plane apart fromthe rest but also look exceptional on all General Aviationaircraft Deep 832nd tread depth offers above averagetread life and UV treated rubber resists aging

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3444

We enjoy your suggestions for

Mystery Planesmdashin fact more than

half of our subjects are sent to us by

members often via e-mail Please

remember that if you want to scan

the photo for use in Mystery Plane

it must be at a resolution of 300 dpior greater You may send a lower-

resolution version to us for our re-

view but the final version has to be

at that level of detail or it will not

print properly Also please let us

craft in the photo is of Canadian civil

registry CF-BXO formerly Royal Cana-

dian Air Force (RCAF) 920 This photo-

graph would have been taken at some

time between 1962 and 1967 after an

overhaul at Abbotsford British Colum-

bia (BC) and possibly while in servicewith Stranraer Aerial Enterprises The

location strongly resembles the Fraser

River dockings at the Vancouver air-

port The aircraft had undergone a re-

spray with a bright red cheat line The

(beaching gear required) for the Royal Air

Force (RAF) in 1933 The prototype first

flew in October 1934 with two Bristol

Pegasus IIIM engines rated at 820 hp

The production aircraft were delivered to

the RAF with Pegasus engines delivering

920 hp entering service in April 1937The British-built machines of which 23

were ordered and only 17 being built

were all delivered by April 1939

In Canada Canadian Vickers Lim-

ited of Montreal Quebec produced 40

Send your answer to EAA Vin-

tage Airplane PO Box 3086 Osh-

kosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer

needs to be in no later than August

20 for inclusion in the October

2011 issue of Vintage Airplane

You can also send your response via

e-mail Send your answer to mystery

planeeaaorg Be sure to include your

name plus your city and state in the

body of your note and put ldquo(Month)

Mystery Planerdquo in the subject line

This monthrsquos Mystery Plane comes to us from Bruce Voran

MYSTERY PLANE

by HG FRAUTSCHY

A P R I L rsquo S M Y S T E RY A N S W E R

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3544

QCA began buying several examplesand was instrumental in convincing

the Canadian Department of Transport

(DOT) to issue a civilian Certificate of

Airworthiness (C of A) One of the first

aircraft so issued was CF-BYI which be-

1980 the Canadian Museum of Flightand Transportation in BC salvaged the

wreck for possible restoration As late as

April 1952 QCA still had two Stranraer

in service CF-BXO and CF-BYM Pacific

Western Airlines (PWA) also operated

Two RAF Belfast freighters were dis-

patched and the disassembled aircraft

was transported to the United Kingdomwhere the machine is currently one of the

centerpieces of the collection

The aircraft type had many names

The most familiar (and printable) were

Stranny Strainer and Flying Meccano

Set The least affectionate was the Whis-

tling Shouse as when the lid to the

throne was lifted there was direct access

to the great outdoors and there emitted a

loud whistling noise

Other correct answers were re-

ceived from Hillis Cunliffe Mill-

brook Alabama Brian Baker Sun

City Arizona Wesley R Smith

Springfield Illinois John White-

head Cheyenne Wyoming ScottChurch Cochrane Alberta Can-

ada Jay Broze Walla Walla Wash-

ington Jerry Paterson Kent

Washington Jamie Patterson Mi-

ramichi New Brunswick Canada

Bill Bishop of Mulgoa New South Wales Australia sent along this photo

of the surviving Supermarine Stranraer

David Nixon supplied us with the April Mystery Plane shot of CF-BXO

a Canadian Vickers-built Supermarine Stranraer

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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urday 8 am until 6 pm Early-bird

arrivals can shop on the pre-conven-

tion weekend as well during limited

hours Show your VAA membership

card (or your receipt showing you

joined VAA at the convention) and

yoursquoll receive a 10 percent discount

VAA Volunteer Opportunities

Are you an ace pancake flipperIf yoursquore not one yet we can help

The VAA Tall Pines Cafeacute is looking

for volunteers who can help provide

a hearty breakfast to all the hungry

campers on the south end of Witt-

man Field If you could lend a hand

for a morning or two wersquod appreci-

ate it If thatrsquos not your cup of tea feelfree to check with the VAA Volunteer

Center located just to the northeast

of the VAA Red Barn The volun-

teers who operate the booth will be

happy to tell you when your help is

needed each day It doesnrsquot matter if

itrsquos just for a few hours or for a few

daysmdashwersquod love to have your help-

ing hands There is no need for you

to contact us ahead of time you can

talk with us when you arrive

VAA Judging Categoriesand Awards

The VAArsquos internationally recog-

nized judging categories are

bullAntique Aircraft built prior toSeptember 1 1945

bullClassic September 1 1945 - De-

cember 31 1955

bullContemporary January 1 1956

- December 31 1970

VAA NEWScontinued frpm page 5

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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the award winners Judging closes at noon on Friday

July 29 The Awards Ceremony will be held Saturday

evening July 30 at 6 pm in the Vintage Hangar

just south of the VAA Red Barn

Designated Smoking Areas Near FlightlineSmoking on the flightline at EAA AirVenture is prohib-

ited because itrsquos a hazard to all aircraft There are several

designated smoking areas with butt cans along the flight-

line well away from aircraft and refueling operations

Designated smoking areas will be south of the ultra-light runway near the Hangar Cafeacute near the Warbirdsarea (northeast corner of Audrey Lane and Eide Av-

enue) the Wearhouse flag pole area the shade pavil-ion north of the control tower and near the UltralightBarn Locations will be indicated on EAArsquos free con-vention grounds map The admission wristband alsoinstructs visitors that smoking is allowed only in desig-nated smoking areas

More on the Web

Visit wwwAirVentureorg for more information onEAA AirVenture 2011

EAA AirVenture Is Almost Here Are You Ready

Just a few short weeks from now many of you will

make the annual pilgrimage to Oshkosh for EAA Air-

Venture 2011 Are you ready Here are several handy

online tools on the AirVenture website that can help

you take care of any last-minute concerns

Visit wwwAirVentureorg and find out what you

need to know about The Worldrsquos Greatest Avia-

tion Celebration

Admission Parking Hours

wwwAirVentureorgplanningadmissionhtml

Find or Share a Ride to Oshkosh

wwwAirVentureorgrideshare

Site Map

wwwAirVentureorgplanningschedules_mapshtml

Where to Stay

Yoursquore cleared to stay connected

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3844

ship services at 800-564-6322 but

given the time from when you read

this until AirVenture it may not ar-

rive in the mail in time for your de-

parture We suggest downloading

the NOTAM

The NOTAM contains the specialflight procedures in effect for Witt-

man Regional Airport and alternate

airports from 6 am CDT on Friday

July 22 to 12 pm CDT on Mon-

day August 1 2011 All pilots who

fly into the event are expected to

know the special flight procedures

prior to arrival EAA AirVenture Os-

hkosh runs from July 25 through

July 31 For additional EAA AirVen-

ture Oshkosh 2011 information

visit wwwAirVentureorg

Call for VAA Hall of

Fame Nominations

To the left is our information

for nominations for VAArsquos Hallof Fame which is presented each

year during a special dinner This

yearrsquos dinner will be held Friday

October 28 Wersquoll have more on

this yearrsquos inductee John Under-

To nominate someone is easy It just takes a little time and a little reminiscing on your part

Mail nominating materials to

Remember your ldquocontemporaryrdquo may be a candidate nominate someone today

wwwVintageAircraftorg

CALL FOR VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

Nominations

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3944

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

Wit tman Regional A i rpor t (OSH)

Oshkosh Wisconsin

July 25-31 2011

wwwAirVentureorg

Colorado Sport International Air Show

and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In

Rocky Mountain Met ropol i tan A irpor t (BJC)

Denver Colorado

August 27-28 2011

wwwCOSportAviationorg

Mid-Eastern Regional Fly-In

Gr imes F ie ld A irpor t (I74)

Urbana Ohio

September 10-11 2011

httpMERFIcom

Copperstate Fly-In

Casa Grande Munic ipal A i rpor t (CGZ)

Casa Grande Ar izona

Upcoming Major

Fly-Ins

W I N

Only 2000 ticketswill be sold1 ticket $50

3 tickets $125

Piper Tri-Pacer Airplane

Free Flying Lessons

Free Pilot License

Country Legend Roy Clarkrsquos Personal Proceeds fromthis raffle

SAVEAMERICANKIDS LIVES

wwwwingsofhoperaffleorg

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4044

MISCELLANEOUS

wwwaerolistorg Aviationsrsquo Leading

Marketplace

Rare find Lycoming 0-145 partsinventory blocks bearings rings

shafts amp much more $20000

at 1970 prices $5000 Six four

cylinder case aircraft magnetos

$300 Call for more details (FL)

VINTAGETRADER

Someth ing t o buyse l l o r t rade

Classified Word Ads $550 per 10

words 180 words maximum with boldface

lead-in on first line

Classified Display Ads One column wide

(2167 inches) by 1 2 or 3 inches high at

$20 per inch Black and white only and nofrequency discounts

Advertising Closing Dates 10th of second

month prior to desired issue date (ie

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 (classads

eaaorg ) using credit card payment (all cards

accepted) Include name on card complete

address type of card card number and

expiration date Make checks payable to EAA

Address advertising correspondence to EAA

Publications Classified Ad Manager PO Box

3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

What Our Members

Are Restoring

Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done and

yoursquore busy flying and showing it off If so wersquod like to hear from

you Send us a 4-by-6-inch print from a commercial source (no

home printers please those prints just donrsquot scan well) or a

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4144

EAAMembership in the Experimental Aircraft

Association Inc is $40 for one year includ-ing 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION Familymembership is an additional $10 annually Allmajor credit cards accepted for membership(Add $16 for International Postage)

FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPSPlease submit your remittance with a

check or draft drawn on a United Statesbank payable in United States dollars Addrequired Foreign Postage amount for eachmembership

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATIONCurrent EAA members may join the

Vintage Aircraft Association and receive

year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not included)(Add $7 for International Postage)

WARBIRDSCurrent EAA members may join the EAA

Warbirds of America Division and receiveWARBIRDS magazine for an additional$45 per year

EAA Membership WARBIRDS mag-azine and one year membership in theWarbirds Division is available for $55 per

year (SPORT OficAVIATION magazinenot included) (Add $7 for Interna-tional Postage)

IACCurrent EAA members may join the

International Aerobatic Club Inc Divi-sion and receive SPORT AEROBATICS magazine for an additional $45 per year

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

VINTAGE

AIRCRAFT

ASSOCIATION

OFFICERS

DIRECTORS

DIRECTORS

EMERITUS

PresidentGeoff Robison

1521 E MacGregor DrNew Haven IN 46774

260-493-4724chief7025aolcom

Vice-PresidentGeorge Daubner

N57W34837 Pondview LnOconomowoc WI 53066

262-560-1949 gdaubnereaaorg

Steve Bender85 Brush Hill Road

Sherborn MA 01770508-653-7557

sst10comcastnet

David Bennett375 Killdeer Ct

Lincoln CA 95648916-952-9449

antiquerinreachcom

Jerry Brown4605 Hickory Wood Row

Greenwood IN 46143317-422-9366

lbrown4906aolcom

Dave Clark635 Vestal Lane

Plainfield IN 46168317-839-4500davecpdattnet

John S Copeland1A Deacon Street

Northborough MA 01532508-393-4775

copeland1junocom

Phil Coulson28415 Springbrook Dr

Lawton MI 49065269-624-6490

rcoulson516cscom

Dale A Gustafson7724 Shady Hills Dr

Indianapolis IN 46278317-293-4430

dalefayemsncom

Jeannie HillPO Box 328

Harvard IL 60033-0328815-943-7205

Espie ldquoButchrdquo Joyce704 N Regional Rd

Greensboro NC 27409336-668-3650

windsockaolcom

Steve Krog1002 Heather Ln

Hartford WI 53027262-966-7627sskrogaolcom

Robert D ldquoBobrdquo Lumley1265 South 124th StBrookfield WI 53005

262-782-2633rlumley1wirrcom

SH ldquoWesrdquo Schmid2359 Lefeber Avenue

Wauwatosa WI 53213414-771-1545

shschmidgmailcom

Robert C Brauer9345 S Hoyne

Chicago IL 60643773-779-2105

photopilotaolcom

Gene Chase2159 Carlton Rd

Oshkosh WI 54904920-231-5002

GRCHAcharternet

Ronald C Fritz15401 Sparta Ave

Kent City MI 49330616-678-5012

rFritzpathwaynet com

Charlie HarrisPO Box 470350Tulsa OK 74147

918-622-8400cwhhvsucom

EE ldquoBuckrdquo Hilbert8102 Leech RdUnion IL 60180

815-923-4591buck7acgmailcom

Gene Morris5936 Steve Court

Roanoke TX 76262817-491-9110

genemor rischarter net

Membership Services DirectoryEnjoy the many benefits of EAA and

EAArsquos Vintage Aircraft Association

EAA Aviation Center PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086Phone (920) 426-4800 Fax (920) 426-4873Web Sites wwwvintageaircraftorg wwwairventureorg wwweaaorgmemberbenefits E-Mail vintageaircrafteaaorg

EAA and Division Membership Services (800 AMndash600 PM MondayndashFriday CST)800-564-6322 FAX 920-426-4873 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

bullNewrenew memberships bullAddress changes bullMerchandise sales bullGift memberships

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 888-322-4636 wwwairventureorg airventureeaaorg

Sport PilotLight-Sport Aircraft Hotline 877-359-1232 wwwsportpilotorg sportpiloteaaorg

Programs and Activities

Auto Fuel STCs 920-426-4843 stceaaorg EAA Air Academy 920-426-6880 wwwairacademyorg airacademyeaaorg

EAA Scholarships 920-426-6823 scholarshipseaaorg

Library ServicesResearch 920-426-4848 slurveyeaaorg

Benefits

AUA Vintage Insurance Plan 800-727-3823 wwwauaonlinecom

EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan 866-647-4322 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

EAA VISA Card 800-853-5576 ext 8884

EAA Her tz Rent-A-Car Program 800-654-2200 wwweaaorghertz membershipeaaorg

VAA EditorialExecutive Director 920-426-4825 wwwvintageaircraftorg vintageeaaorg

VAA Office 920-426-6110 tbookseaaorg

TM

EAA Members Information Line 888-EAA-INFO (322-4636)

Use this toll-free number for information about AirVenture Oshkosh aeromedical and technical aviation questions

chapters and Young Eagles Please have your membership number ready when calling

Office hours are 815 am - 500 pm (Monday - Friday CST)

SecretarySteve Nesse

2009 Highland AveAlbert Lea MN 56007

507-373-1674

stnes2009livecom

TreasurerDan Knutson

106 Tena Marie CircleLodi WI 53555608-592-7224

lodicubcharternet

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4244

If yoursquove ever watched fish in

an aquarium yoursquove probably no-

ticed how they respond differently

to their surroundings There are

those that zip around the tank in a

mad dash to nowhere Some seem

to sit and not go much of any-

where and some will swim f romone end to the other turn around

and do it again

The latter are the ones that remind

me of myself I seem to fly in a fish-

bowl I go from one end of our val-

proficient by practicing things we

know over and over or it can make

us lazy When something becomes

so ingrained that we do it from habit

only we may not be thinking about

what wersquore doing

On a night cross-country some

time ago I found out just how easyit is to forget things that I hadnrsquot

used in a while While night may be

a little more challenging it still re-

quires the basic pre-flight planning

of any cross-country and following

whether I go far or stay in the com-

fort zone I canrsquot let complacency take

over Those skills and experiences

need to be stretched from time to

time regardless of where I fly An un-

expected situation or emergency is a

bad time to find out I donrsquot remem-

ber how to do somethingComplacency also allows fear

to creep in where it doesnrsquot belong

Some fear (I think) is a natural part of

flying but it can also unnecessarily

keep us grounded because we wonrsquot

BY S MICHELLE SOUDER

Flying Outside

the Fishbowl

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4344

Itrsquos gonna be a big year at Oshk osh

B-29 Superfortress ldquoFIFIrdquo

The first visit since 1995for the worldrsquos only airworthyB-29 Superfortress

REO SpeedwagonOshkosh rocks Monday duringthe opening day concert presentedby Ford Motor Company

Tribute to Bob HooverTuesday afternoon air showfeaturing aircraft and maneuvershe made legendary

eVentureInnovation will be on displayand in the air with the ElectricFlight Prize Competition

Join us for a week-long celebration of the Centennial of Naval Aviationincluding a special air show Wednesday See the hottest naval aircraftin historic colors all week on ConocoPhillips Plaza

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Page 22: Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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My son and I spent the better part of

six years restoring an Aeronca 7BCM

Jeff was 13 years old when we started

the project and 19 when we finished

sponds quickly to my urging as I

push the throttle control forward

to begin a low-level no-radio no-

transponder flight from Charles W

time I admit to being spoiled first by

low-frequency ldquobeamsrdquo then VORs

DME RNAV LORAN and now GPS

But for this flight I left all that behind

To Follow the LineThis was the way I had learned navigation to follow the line

BY E JEFF JUSTIS

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE AUTHOR

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Down low it was fun once more

watching the small towns pass

even being able to read the names

on water towers

In north-central Mississippi

there appears a vast forest spread-

ing out beneath my wings an il-

lusory remnant of the gloriouswilderness that once extended

from the East Coast to the Great

Plains Now clear-cutting scars are

evidence of manrsquos meddling graf-

fiti on our planetrsquos face

I am surprised at the hills of

North Mississippi at higher al-

titudes they flatten into the ter-rain but here at 1000 feet above

the ground the hills are alive with

depth and color

My craft and I intruders in his

world pass a circling hawk I look

down and try to see the tiny crea-

ture I am sure he sees but where

he must perceive the slightest rus-tle of the brush I see only patterns

of green and brown and the bright

blue of reflected sky

Enough of this sightseeing I should

have crossed this highway a couple

of miles farther to the north I make a

slight correction Highways They criss-

cross this land cutting it into smaller

and smaller bits these scratches of

man meant little when there were

fewer men but now they separate deer

from deer and life from life

At the edge of a field pebbled by

round bales of hay rests a red tractor Jeff Justis was just 13 when he and his family embarked on the restoration of

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2444

suppose is the essence of life

Soon the forward horizon bulges

upward as I approach old tectonic

ridges aligned northeast-southwest

near Birmingham The dark greenof the forested ridges contrasts with

the lighter verdant hues of manrsquos

cultivation Ahead a sharp razor-

backed ridge prompts a climb to

3000 feet I teeter across the top and

slide down toward the broad valley

on the eastern side My first land-

ing after one hour and 45 minutes is

welcome As a no-radio aircraft I am

careful to follow the standard pat-

tern and glide down final touching

down on the much-too-long-for-

The-Champ runway of Posey AirportMost cross-country flights in

the rsquo50s were from grass strip to

grass strip A red gas pump would

be brought into service by the col-

orful operatormechanic of these

old aerodromes Aeroncas and

Luscombes were everywhere and

Cessna 195s were the elite air-

planes Now on this ramp my

Aeronca is an anachronism

A King Air is being readied for cor-

porate passengers and my little tail-

dragger is lost on the large apronFortunately we modified the 7BCM

with a starter and generator so I do

not have to find someone to help me

get started In years past almost ev-

ery lineman was proficient in hand-

propping now itrsquos almost a lost art

Soon I am on the way to my

next stop Lagrange Georgia I am

fooled by the appearance of a large

airport an old military field at 12

orsquoclock on the horizon Only when

I get close enough do I realize this is

not the field I am supposed to over-

fly and that I am 10 miles south of

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2544

ramp taking nearly as long as the

flight itself

The cost of this slow flight is cer-

tainly minimal with fill-ups after

two hours averaging 15 or so dol-

lars Besides the trip has been fun so

far relearning old navigation tricks

and seeing the country down low

Now I have only a few more milesto navigate to Eaglesrsquo Landing The

fly-in community strip is near Wil-

liamson Georgia and just east of a

northeast-southwest-oriented rail-

road I decide to proceed due east

find the railroad and follow it

northeast toward the destination

I cross a highway but see no rail-road A few miles further still no

railroad I must have passed it Af-

ter a 180 I find the highway again

but nohellipwait what is that That is

an abandoned rail line for sure and

it does parallel the road I continue

northeast scanning the horizon

passing pretty fields and housesI locate one airport with houses

neatly lining both sides of the single

runway but it is not Eaglesrsquo Landing

Soon I see Griffin Georgia I have

come too far I ease The Champ into

a bank to try again back down the

rail line andhellipherersquos a golf coursehellip

and yes there are two grass run-

ways meeting in a ldquoVrdquo I circle andmake a low pass over the northwest

runway watching my friends wave

from their yard ldquoWhat a nice place

to liverdquo I think as I line up on final

I glide just above the grass and

A foil tape antenna ground plane was just one of the nifty little touches added

to The Champ as the two Jeffs restored their airplane

Doesnrsquot ever yone use Champ

tail surfaces as decorative ele-

ments in their household dec-orating Mrs Justis is a very

patient woman

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2644

CALIFORNIAHayward CA VIN 29

Meeting 2nd Thurs 600 pm

Hayward Airport

See website for hangar info

Gary Oberti President

Phone 510-357-8600

E-mail infovaa29org

Website wwwvaa29org

CALIFORNIASacramento CA VIN 25

Meeting 2nd Sat 900 am

See chapter website for location

Robert Opdahl President

Phone 530-273-7348

E-mail bopdahlsbcglobalnet

Website wwwVin25org

CAROLINAS VIRGINIAWalnut Cove NC VIN 3

Meeting Contact President

Susan Dusenbury President

Phone 336-591-3931

E-mail sr6sueaolcom

Website wwwVAA3org

FLORIDALakeland FL VIN 1

Meeting Contact President

Bobby Capozzi President

Phone 352-475-9736

INDIANAAuburn IN VIN 37

Meeting 4th Thurs 700 pm

DeKalb County Airport (kGWB)

Hangar AmdashVAA 37 Clubhouse

Drew Hoffman President

Phone 260-515-3525

E-mail drewhoffmanvaa37org

Website wwwVAA37org

KANSASOverland Park KS VIN 16

Meeting 2nd Fri 730 pm

CAF Hangar

New Century Airport

Kevin Pratt President

Phone 913-541-1149

E-mail kprattvaa16com

Website wwwVAA16com

LOUISIANANew Iberia LA VIN 30

Meeting 1st Sun 900 am

LeMaire Memorial Airport Hangar 4

Roland Denison President

Phone 337-365-3047

E-mail vaa30coxnet

MINNESOTAAlbert Lea MN VIN 13

Meeting 2nd Thurs 700 pm

Albert Lea Airport FBO

OHIODelaware OH VIN 27

Meeting 3rd Sat 8-10AM May thru Sept

Delaware Municiple Airport (DLZ)

Terminal Building

Woody McIntire President

Phone 740-362-7228

E-mail wjmcintirecscom

Website wwwEAAdlzorg

OHIOZanesville OH VIN 22

Meeting 2nd Fri 630 pm

Perry County Airport

John Morozowsky President

Phone 740-453-6889

OKLAHOMATulsa OK VIN 10

Meeting 4th Thurs 700 PM

Hardesty South Regional Library

No meetings in July Nov amp Dec

Joe Champagne President

Phone 918-257-4688

Email skypalgroveemailcom

TEXASSpring TX VIN 2

Meeting 4th Sun 200 PM

David Wayne Hooks Airport (KDWH)

Fred Ramin President

Phone 281-255-4430

Vintage Chapter LocatorVisit the VAA chapter nearest you and get to know some great old-airplane enthusiasts You donrsquot need

to be a pilot to join in the funmdashjust have a love of the great airplanes of yesteryear

Chapter 27 of Delaware Ohio hosts a monthly pancake breakfast where attendees enjoy the camara-derie among the airplanes

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2744

When Albert Vollmecke joined

Arkansas Aircraft Company in Sep-tember 1927 he brought fresh ideas

from his native Germany regarding

aircraft design stability and safety

He would on occasion return to

Germany to bring back something

new for the company In 1928 Ar-

kansas Aircraft Company changed

its name to Command-Aire Incor-porated and the production run

of new ships increased in its Little

Rock Arkansas plant

After one such visit to Ger-

many Vollmecke returned with

the rights to import and sell the

PHYLAX fire-extinguisher system

patented (GB 0267542) March 10

1926 and manufactured in Berlinby Phylax Feuerlosch-Automaten-

Bau GmbH The PHYLAX fire-

extinguisher system consisted of

a tank containing the extinguish-

ing liquid From the tank which

BY ROBERT G LOCK

Early 1047297re-extinguishing system

THE Vintage

Mechanic

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2844

advertisement from AVIATION

November 1928 using the OX-5

powered model 3C3 ship to dem-

onstrate the system

The PHYLAX system consisted

of a pressurized tank of fluid with

associated lines and nozzles lead-

ing to the engine compartment of

the ship Note here that the unit

is manufactured in t he United

States by the Aero Supply Man-

ufacturing Company located in

Long Island New York The cost

of the unit is $70 in this May 1929

advertisement in an aviation mag-

azine Illustration 2 shows the

manufacturerrsquos advertisement for

the product

In a letter dated April 10 1929

Mr Wiley Wright assistant sales

director for Command-Aire Incor-

porated wrote

ldquoCommand-Aire Incorporated

acquired the exclusive franchise

rights for PHYLAX automatic fire

extinguishers in the United States

Mexico and Central America This

extinguisher is the only automatic

fire extinguisher available and is

standard equipment on many Eu-

ropean lines It is manufactured

by PHYLAX Bau of Germany and

is receiving great response in the

United States at the present timerdquo

In this factory Illustration 3

and from the files of Albert Voll-

mecke is a 110-hp Warner engine

mounted in the Command-Aire

model 3C3-A ship Note the en-

gine cowling being neatly fitted

around cylinders and associated

tubes The 3C3-A had a very longnose due to its light weight ne-

ce s s i ta t ing a longer a rm f or

weight and balance control In

this photo the PHYLAX sprinkler

heads are visible behind the mag-

netos down near the carburetor

and behind the oil inlet hoses on

the accessory case of the engineIllustration 3 is an original fac-

tory photograph of the PHYLAX

system installed in the nose of a

model 3C3-A

Illustration 4 is the same photo-

graph with some details removed

and other details added princi-

pally the identification of the PHY-LAX automatic fuse that fired the

bottle of extinguishing fluid and

the sprinkler heads These illustra-

tions taken from a Command-Aire

original factory brochure from the

files of Albert Vollmecke

Illustration 5 on page 27 is a

sketch from the PHYLAX patent

0267542 dated March 10 1926A general description of the PHY-

LAX system is contained within

the patent and states ldquoThe inven-

tion relates to a fire extinguishing

device intended for use particu-

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2944

not indicate what type of extinguishing fluid was

contained within the tank however soda-acid was

widely used in those days and carbon tetrachloridewas invented in 1912 by the Pyrene Company

In a communication from Command-Aire Pres-

ident Robert Snowden regarding the purchase of

stock options in the company he states ldquoOur ex-

clusive franchise for the sale of Phylax automatic

Illustration 3

Illustration 4

Illustration 5

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3044

homeland on a regular basis and

always brought back some new in-

vention or new ideas on design andsafety This system was certainly

ahead of its time safety-wise and a

credit to Vollmeckersquos focus on sta-

bility and safety for his designs

Above in this original factory

photograph (Illustration 6) of a

Command-Aire 3C3-T fuselage on

the assembly line at the Little Rock

plant the PHYLAX system can beseen mounted in the rear cock-

pit just behind the front seat in

the center of the photograph The

chemical bottles with two lines

tied to the side tubes run forward

Illustration 6

Pyrene 1047297re extinguishers

were made of brass and

were nicely polished

They were not high-pressure units

but required the use of a hand pump

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3144

Pyrene fire extinguishers were

made of brass and were nicely pol-

ished They were not high-pressureunits but required the use of a

hand pump to generate pressure

to expel liquid from the cylinder

These extinguishers were gener-

ally mounted in the rear cockpit

ton or linen fabric and the only

dope available was cellulose ni-

trate that burned like a torch when

lit Watching nitrate dope burn

reminded me of a Fourth of July

sparkler very intense and hot If

a nitrate-doped ship caught fire in

the air there was no extinguisher

that would put out the flames

The PHYLAX system had an auto-

matic sensor that would trigger the

bottlersquos valve open and send the

chemical into the engine compart-

ment The Pyrene extinguisher wasmore for ground use because you

could not operate the bottle and

fly the airplane at the same time

By todayrsquos standards these ex-

tinguishing systems seem ar-

chaic but for the time back in

the 1920s they were the thing to

have in your automobile boator airplane

Editorrsquos Note WARNING An-

tique carbon tetrachloride fire extin-

guishers like the Pyrene occasionally

show up either contaminated with

the original agent or worse yet with

the full charge of agent still inside

Carbon tet is treated as a hazard-

ous substance (its use was banned

in consumer products in 1970) and

should be dealt with accordingly

In fact carbon tetrachloride when

heated by a fire will create poison-

ous phosgene gas (World War Irsquos

ldquonerve gasrdquo) something that would

definitely ruin someonersquos day if the

fire hadnrsquot done so already In its

standard form this substance is verytoxic to the liver and a single signifi-

cant exposure can result in sickness

or death

L a n g l ey may have been the

f h f i i i b

last and last The instruction

l i l d f

1903 Samuel Pierpont Langleyrsquos ldquoAerodromerdquoattempts to take off from a floating platform

Have a comment or ques-

tion for Bob Lock the Vintage

Mechanic Drop us an e-mail at

vintageaircrafteaaorg or you

can mail your question to Vintage

Airplane PO Box 3086 Osh-

kosh WI 54903

Illustration 7

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Authorrsquos Note We held a small open house at the

flight school hangar this past Saturday Though the

weather was not conducive to give many rides we still

had about 60 people show up enjoy a brat or ham-

burger and talk about flying or learning to fly Interest

in flying is not dead One of my pet peeves is how we

in general aviation go about attracting individuals tolearn the pleasure of flight

Nearly every aviation publication I read carries ar-

ticles and editorials about the downward spiral of gen-

eral aviation Flight schools are having a hard time

attracting new students ldquoDoom and gloomrdquo reigns

with little positive to report on the horizon This al-

ways reminds me of the proverbial three wise mon-keys who embody the principle ldquoSee no evil hear no

evil and speak no evilrdquo We all complain about the

problem but no one ever offers solutions It seems as

though by not doing anything about the challenge it

will eventually go away and right itself

Many of the aviation organizations are wringing

their respective hands giving great lip service to the

drop in pilot numbers Some like EAA have launched

activities to attract new pilots such as the Young Ea-gles program This has been a good start but it will not

fill the ever-increasing void for more pilots

What are we all missing FUN

Four years ago I chose early retirement from a 38-

The student make-up is a real cross-section of Amer-

ica My youngest student to date began flight lessons

at age 14 and the oldest was 77 years young Irsquove men-

tioned some of my students in previous articles At

yearrsquos end 2010 while converting our student files

from paper to computer I was amazed to discover that

in the previous two years I had given instruction tomore than 200 individuals Some were new students

others were individuals in search of a tailwheel en-

dorsement and many were older individuals who had

pursued flight training early in their lives but gave it

up to raise a family Now they had the time and still re-

tained the burning desire to get back into flying What

attracted these individuals to the flight school FUN

And thefun

challenge of flying J-3 Cubs

Herersquos a small cross-section of this yearrsquos group

of students

bullA retired US Navy lieutenant who flew F-4 Phan-

toms off carriers in Vietnam He hasnrsquot done any fly-

ing in more than 10 years but hersquos been building a

Skybolt which will soon be finished and hersquos return-

ing to his lifelong lovemdashaviation He also has two

young sons who want to fly and will soon be joining

the group of student pilotsbullA young CPA from Iowa whose grandfather was a

friend of Bernie Pietenpol and who has built two Piets

The CPA used two weeks of his vacation time to learn

to fly so that he can fly the airplane(s) that his grandfa-

ther built and take his grandfather for a ride

BY Steve Krog CFI

THE Vintage

Instructor

Vintage flying is very much alive

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Cubs flying every day he decided to pursue his pas-

sion for flight

bullA national chain hardware store employee who

has had a dream of flying driving nearly two hours

each way to learn to fly in a Cub

bullAn aviation writervideo producer who already has

a sport pilot certificate but desires to obtain a private

pilot certificate and do so in Cubs

bullA 30-something young family man who sells

construction equipment attachments While deer

hunting a year ago he learned one of his hunting

friends had recently learned to fly in Cubs For three

days they talked airplanes and flying rather than do-

ing much hunting Upon his return from the hunt-ing trip he drove to the airport and signed up for

lessons in the Cub

bullA professional musician from the Chicago area

who always wanted to learn to fly Although not yet

old enough to have a true ldquobucket listrdquo learning to fly

a Cub was number one on his list

With two exceptions these individuals had never

before flown or flown in tailwheel airplanes but alwayshad a dream of learning to fly in a Cubmdashjust like dad

or granddad did many years ago

Although no one in this group comes from simi-

lar backgrounds or professions there is one common

denominator among every studentmdashFUN None of

these students are learning to fly to pursue a career

in aviation (although Irsquove worked with a couple who

have done so) Rather they are learning to fly or get-

ting back into flying for the FUN and CHALLENGE of

flight They all have a true love of flight and seeing the

world from 500 feet with the door and window open

I have also worked with a number of students who

began taking flight lessons but quit after a period of

time They still had the passion for flight but gave it

up When asked why the responses fell into one of the

following four categories

bullI began taking lessons but after three or four les-sons Irsquod be assigned to a different instructor After 30

hours of dual three instructors and still not having

soloed I quit

bullThe instructor wasnrsquot teaching me anything He

was more interested in building time than teaching

Take a moment and think about how you first be-

came interested in airplanes What triggered your

pursuit of learning to fly Did you have a buddy or

maybe a family friend who encouraged you Or even

became a mentor Do you remember your first flight

lesson Do you remember the day you made your

first solo flight

Remember that passion and sense of accomplish-

ment Donrsquot hesitate to share it with anyone express-

ing an interest in learning to fly

At Cub Air Flight we sell FUN When individuals

visit the airport to inquire about learning to fly we

know they have made the commitment in their own

mind It then becomes our responsibility to makethe visit friendly A friendly environment is a FUN

environment Kids are always welcome If a prospec-

tive student has children with him or her we invite

the kids to sit in the planes At the conclusion of our

discussion we emphasize the following statement If

you learn to fly with us it will be FUN CHALLENG-

ING and SAFE

I donrsquot believe there is a shortage of pilot prospectsbut there is a shortage in how we all go about attract-

ing these people to become active participants in plea-

sure flying Remember flying is FUN Letrsquos make an

effort to help others share in that FUN

AERO CLASSICldquoCOLLECTOR SERIESrdquo

Vintage Tires New USA Production

Show off your pride and joy with afresh set of Vintage Rubber Thesenewly minted tires are FAA-TSOrsquodand speed rated to 120 MPH Some

things are better left the way theywere and in the 40rsquos and 50rsquos these tires were perfectly intune to the exciting times in aviation

Not only do these tires set your vintage plane apart fromthe rest but also look exceptional on all General Aviationaircraft Deep 832nd tread depth offers above averagetread life and UV treated rubber resists aging

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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We enjoy your suggestions for

Mystery Planesmdashin fact more than

half of our subjects are sent to us by

members often via e-mail Please

remember that if you want to scan

the photo for use in Mystery Plane

it must be at a resolution of 300 dpior greater You may send a lower-

resolution version to us for our re-

view but the final version has to be

at that level of detail or it will not

print properly Also please let us

craft in the photo is of Canadian civil

registry CF-BXO formerly Royal Cana-

dian Air Force (RCAF) 920 This photo-

graph would have been taken at some

time between 1962 and 1967 after an

overhaul at Abbotsford British Colum-

bia (BC) and possibly while in servicewith Stranraer Aerial Enterprises The

location strongly resembles the Fraser

River dockings at the Vancouver air-

port The aircraft had undergone a re-

spray with a bright red cheat line The

(beaching gear required) for the Royal Air

Force (RAF) in 1933 The prototype first

flew in October 1934 with two Bristol

Pegasus IIIM engines rated at 820 hp

The production aircraft were delivered to

the RAF with Pegasus engines delivering

920 hp entering service in April 1937The British-built machines of which 23

were ordered and only 17 being built

were all delivered by April 1939

In Canada Canadian Vickers Lim-

ited of Montreal Quebec produced 40

Send your answer to EAA Vin-

tage Airplane PO Box 3086 Osh-

kosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer

needs to be in no later than August

20 for inclusion in the October

2011 issue of Vintage Airplane

You can also send your response via

e-mail Send your answer to mystery

planeeaaorg Be sure to include your

name plus your city and state in the

body of your note and put ldquo(Month)

Mystery Planerdquo in the subject line

This monthrsquos Mystery Plane comes to us from Bruce Voran

MYSTERY PLANE

by HG FRAUTSCHY

A P R I L rsquo S M Y S T E RY A N S W E R

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3544

QCA began buying several examplesand was instrumental in convincing

the Canadian Department of Transport

(DOT) to issue a civilian Certificate of

Airworthiness (C of A) One of the first

aircraft so issued was CF-BYI which be-

1980 the Canadian Museum of Flightand Transportation in BC salvaged the

wreck for possible restoration As late as

April 1952 QCA still had two Stranraer

in service CF-BXO and CF-BYM Pacific

Western Airlines (PWA) also operated

Two RAF Belfast freighters were dis-

patched and the disassembled aircraft

was transported to the United Kingdomwhere the machine is currently one of the

centerpieces of the collection

The aircraft type had many names

The most familiar (and printable) were

Stranny Strainer and Flying Meccano

Set The least affectionate was the Whis-

tling Shouse as when the lid to the

throne was lifted there was direct access

to the great outdoors and there emitted a

loud whistling noise

Other correct answers were re-

ceived from Hillis Cunliffe Mill-

brook Alabama Brian Baker Sun

City Arizona Wesley R Smith

Springfield Illinois John White-

head Cheyenne Wyoming ScottChurch Cochrane Alberta Can-

ada Jay Broze Walla Walla Wash-

ington Jerry Paterson Kent

Washington Jamie Patterson Mi-

ramichi New Brunswick Canada

Bill Bishop of Mulgoa New South Wales Australia sent along this photo

of the surviving Supermarine Stranraer

David Nixon supplied us with the April Mystery Plane shot of CF-BXO

a Canadian Vickers-built Supermarine Stranraer

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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urday 8 am until 6 pm Early-bird

arrivals can shop on the pre-conven-

tion weekend as well during limited

hours Show your VAA membership

card (or your receipt showing you

joined VAA at the convention) and

yoursquoll receive a 10 percent discount

VAA Volunteer Opportunities

Are you an ace pancake flipperIf yoursquore not one yet we can help

The VAA Tall Pines Cafeacute is looking

for volunteers who can help provide

a hearty breakfast to all the hungry

campers on the south end of Witt-

man Field If you could lend a hand

for a morning or two wersquod appreci-

ate it If thatrsquos not your cup of tea feelfree to check with the VAA Volunteer

Center located just to the northeast

of the VAA Red Barn The volun-

teers who operate the booth will be

happy to tell you when your help is

needed each day It doesnrsquot matter if

itrsquos just for a few hours or for a few

daysmdashwersquod love to have your help-

ing hands There is no need for you

to contact us ahead of time you can

talk with us when you arrive

VAA Judging Categoriesand Awards

The VAArsquos internationally recog-

nized judging categories are

bullAntique Aircraft built prior toSeptember 1 1945

bullClassic September 1 1945 - De-

cember 31 1955

bullContemporary January 1 1956

- December 31 1970

VAA NEWScontinued frpm page 5

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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the award winners Judging closes at noon on Friday

July 29 The Awards Ceremony will be held Saturday

evening July 30 at 6 pm in the Vintage Hangar

just south of the VAA Red Barn

Designated Smoking Areas Near FlightlineSmoking on the flightline at EAA AirVenture is prohib-

ited because itrsquos a hazard to all aircraft There are several

designated smoking areas with butt cans along the flight-

line well away from aircraft and refueling operations

Designated smoking areas will be south of the ultra-light runway near the Hangar Cafeacute near the Warbirdsarea (northeast corner of Audrey Lane and Eide Av-

enue) the Wearhouse flag pole area the shade pavil-ion north of the control tower and near the UltralightBarn Locations will be indicated on EAArsquos free con-vention grounds map The admission wristband alsoinstructs visitors that smoking is allowed only in desig-nated smoking areas

More on the Web

Visit wwwAirVentureorg for more information onEAA AirVenture 2011

EAA AirVenture Is Almost Here Are You Ready

Just a few short weeks from now many of you will

make the annual pilgrimage to Oshkosh for EAA Air-

Venture 2011 Are you ready Here are several handy

online tools on the AirVenture website that can help

you take care of any last-minute concerns

Visit wwwAirVentureorg and find out what you

need to know about The Worldrsquos Greatest Avia-

tion Celebration

Admission Parking Hours

wwwAirVentureorgplanningadmissionhtml

Find or Share a Ride to Oshkosh

wwwAirVentureorgrideshare

Site Map

wwwAirVentureorgplanningschedules_mapshtml

Where to Stay

Yoursquore cleared to stay connected

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3844

ship services at 800-564-6322 but

given the time from when you read

this until AirVenture it may not ar-

rive in the mail in time for your de-

parture We suggest downloading

the NOTAM

The NOTAM contains the specialflight procedures in effect for Witt-

man Regional Airport and alternate

airports from 6 am CDT on Friday

July 22 to 12 pm CDT on Mon-

day August 1 2011 All pilots who

fly into the event are expected to

know the special flight procedures

prior to arrival EAA AirVenture Os-

hkosh runs from July 25 through

July 31 For additional EAA AirVen-

ture Oshkosh 2011 information

visit wwwAirVentureorg

Call for VAA Hall of

Fame Nominations

To the left is our information

for nominations for VAArsquos Hallof Fame which is presented each

year during a special dinner This

yearrsquos dinner will be held Friday

October 28 Wersquoll have more on

this yearrsquos inductee John Under-

To nominate someone is easy It just takes a little time and a little reminiscing on your part

Mail nominating materials to

Remember your ldquocontemporaryrdquo may be a candidate nominate someone today

wwwVintageAircraftorg

CALL FOR VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

Nominations

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3944

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

Wit tman Regional A i rpor t (OSH)

Oshkosh Wisconsin

July 25-31 2011

wwwAirVentureorg

Colorado Sport International Air Show

and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In

Rocky Mountain Met ropol i tan A irpor t (BJC)

Denver Colorado

August 27-28 2011

wwwCOSportAviationorg

Mid-Eastern Regional Fly-In

Gr imes F ie ld A irpor t (I74)

Urbana Ohio

September 10-11 2011

httpMERFIcom

Copperstate Fly-In

Casa Grande Munic ipal A i rpor t (CGZ)

Casa Grande Ar izona

Upcoming Major

Fly-Ins

W I N

Only 2000 ticketswill be sold1 ticket $50

3 tickets $125

Piper Tri-Pacer Airplane

Free Flying Lessons

Free Pilot License

Country Legend Roy Clarkrsquos Personal Proceeds fromthis raffle

SAVEAMERICANKIDS LIVES

wwwwingsofhoperaffleorg

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4044

MISCELLANEOUS

wwwaerolistorg Aviationsrsquo Leading

Marketplace

Rare find Lycoming 0-145 partsinventory blocks bearings rings

shafts amp much more $20000

at 1970 prices $5000 Six four

cylinder case aircraft magnetos

$300 Call for more details (FL)

VINTAGETRADER

Someth ing t o buyse l l o r t rade

Classified Word Ads $550 per 10

words 180 words maximum with boldface

lead-in on first line

Classified Display Ads One column wide

(2167 inches) by 1 2 or 3 inches high at

$20 per inch Black and white only and nofrequency discounts

Advertising Closing Dates 10th of second

month prior to desired issue date (ie

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 (classads

eaaorg ) using credit card payment (all cards

accepted) Include name on card complete

address type of card card number and

expiration date Make checks payable to EAA

Address advertising correspondence to EAA

Publications Classified Ad Manager PO Box

3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

What Our Members

Are Restoring

Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done and

yoursquore busy flying and showing it off If so wersquod like to hear from

you Send us a 4-by-6-inch print from a commercial source (no

home printers please those prints just donrsquot scan well) or a

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4144

EAAMembership in the Experimental Aircraft

Association Inc is $40 for one year includ-ing 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION Familymembership is an additional $10 annually Allmajor credit cards accepted for membership(Add $16 for International Postage)

FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPSPlease submit your remittance with a

check or draft drawn on a United Statesbank payable in United States dollars Addrequired Foreign Postage amount for eachmembership

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATIONCurrent EAA members may join the

Vintage Aircraft Association and receive

year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not included)(Add $7 for International Postage)

WARBIRDSCurrent EAA members may join the EAA

Warbirds of America Division and receiveWARBIRDS magazine for an additional$45 per year

EAA Membership WARBIRDS mag-azine and one year membership in theWarbirds Division is available for $55 per

year (SPORT OficAVIATION magazinenot included) (Add $7 for Interna-tional Postage)

IACCurrent EAA members may join the

International Aerobatic Club Inc Divi-sion and receive SPORT AEROBATICS magazine for an additional $45 per year

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

VINTAGE

AIRCRAFT

ASSOCIATION

OFFICERS

DIRECTORS

DIRECTORS

EMERITUS

PresidentGeoff Robison

1521 E MacGregor DrNew Haven IN 46774

260-493-4724chief7025aolcom

Vice-PresidentGeorge Daubner

N57W34837 Pondview LnOconomowoc WI 53066

262-560-1949 gdaubnereaaorg

Steve Bender85 Brush Hill Road

Sherborn MA 01770508-653-7557

sst10comcastnet

David Bennett375 Killdeer Ct

Lincoln CA 95648916-952-9449

antiquerinreachcom

Jerry Brown4605 Hickory Wood Row

Greenwood IN 46143317-422-9366

lbrown4906aolcom

Dave Clark635 Vestal Lane

Plainfield IN 46168317-839-4500davecpdattnet

John S Copeland1A Deacon Street

Northborough MA 01532508-393-4775

copeland1junocom

Phil Coulson28415 Springbrook Dr

Lawton MI 49065269-624-6490

rcoulson516cscom

Dale A Gustafson7724 Shady Hills Dr

Indianapolis IN 46278317-293-4430

dalefayemsncom

Jeannie HillPO Box 328

Harvard IL 60033-0328815-943-7205

Espie ldquoButchrdquo Joyce704 N Regional Rd

Greensboro NC 27409336-668-3650

windsockaolcom

Steve Krog1002 Heather Ln

Hartford WI 53027262-966-7627sskrogaolcom

Robert D ldquoBobrdquo Lumley1265 South 124th StBrookfield WI 53005

262-782-2633rlumley1wirrcom

SH ldquoWesrdquo Schmid2359 Lefeber Avenue

Wauwatosa WI 53213414-771-1545

shschmidgmailcom

Robert C Brauer9345 S Hoyne

Chicago IL 60643773-779-2105

photopilotaolcom

Gene Chase2159 Carlton Rd

Oshkosh WI 54904920-231-5002

GRCHAcharternet

Ronald C Fritz15401 Sparta Ave

Kent City MI 49330616-678-5012

rFritzpathwaynet com

Charlie HarrisPO Box 470350Tulsa OK 74147

918-622-8400cwhhvsucom

EE ldquoBuckrdquo Hilbert8102 Leech RdUnion IL 60180

815-923-4591buck7acgmailcom

Gene Morris5936 Steve Court

Roanoke TX 76262817-491-9110

genemor rischarter net

Membership Services DirectoryEnjoy the many benefits of EAA and

EAArsquos Vintage Aircraft Association

EAA Aviation Center PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086Phone (920) 426-4800 Fax (920) 426-4873Web Sites wwwvintageaircraftorg wwwairventureorg wwweaaorgmemberbenefits E-Mail vintageaircrafteaaorg

EAA and Division Membership Services (800 AMndash600 PM MondayndashFriday CST)800-564-6322 FAX 920-426-4873 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

bullNewrenew memberships bullAddress changes bullMerchandise sales bullGift memberships

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 888-322-4636 wwwairventureorg airventureeaaorg

Sport PilotLight-Sport Aircraft Hotline 877-359-1232 wwwsportpilotorg sportpiloteaaorg

Programs and Activities

Auto Fuel STCs 920-426-4843 stceaaorg EAA Air Academy 920-426-6880 wwwairacademyorg airacademyeaaorg

EAA Scholarships 920-426-6823 scholarshipseaaorg

Library ServicesResearch 920-426-4848 slurveyeaaorg

Benefits

AUA Vintage Insurance Plan 800-727-3823 wwwauaonlinecom

EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan 866-647-4322 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

EAA VISA Card 800-853-5576 ext 8884

EAA Her tz Rent-A-Car Program 800-654-2200 wwweaaorghertz membershipeaaorg

VAA EditorialExecutive Director 920-426-4825 wwwvintageaircraftorg vintageeaaorg

VAA Office 920-426-6110 tbookseaaorg

TM

EAA Members Information Line 888-EAA-INFO (322-4636)

Use this toll-free number for information about AirVenture Oshkosh aeromedical and technical aviation questions

chapters and Young Eagles Please have your membership number ready when calling

Office hours are 815 am - 500 pm (Monday - Friday CST)

SecretarySteve Nesse

2009 Highland AveAlbert Lea MN 56007

507-373-1674

stnes2009livecom

TreasurerDan Knutson

106 Tena Marie CircleLodi WI 53555608-592-7224

lodicubcharternet

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4244

If yoursquove ever watched fish in

an aquarium yoursquove probably no-

ticed how they respond differently

to their surroundings There are

those that zip around the tank in a

mad dash to nowhere Some seem

to sit and not go much of any-

where and some will swim f romone end to the other turn around

and do it again

The latter are the ones that remind

me of myself I seem to fly in a fish-

bowl I go from one end of our val-

proficient by practicing things we

know over and over or it can make

us lazy When something becomes

so ingrained that we do it from habit

only we may not be thinking about

what wersquore doing

On a night cross-country some

time ago I found out just how easyit is to forget things that I hadnrsquot

used in a while While night may be

a little more challenging it still re-

quires the basic pre-flight planning

of any cross-country and following

whether I go far or stay in the com-

fort zone I canrsquot let complacency take

over Those skills and experiences

need to be stretched from time to

time regardless of where I fly An un-

expected situation or emergency is a

bad time to find out I donrsquot remem-

ber how to do somethingComplacency also allows fear

to creep in where it doesnrsquot belong

Some fear (I think) is a natural part of

flying but it can also unnecessarily

keep us grounded because we wonrsquot

BY S MICHELLE SOUDER

Flying Outside

the Fishbowl

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4344

Itrsquos gonna be a big year at Oshk osh

B-29 Superfortress ldquoFIFIrdquo

The first visit since 1995for the worldrsquos only airworthyB-29 Superfortress

REO SpeedwagonOshkosh rocks Monday duringthe opening day concert presentedby Ford Motor Company

Tribute to Bob HooverTuesday afternoon air showfeaturing aircraft and maneuvershe made legendary

eVentureInnovation will be on displayand in the air with the ElectricFlight Prize Competition

Join us for a week-long celebration of the Centennial of Naval Aviationincluding a special air show Wednesday See the hottest naval aircraftin historic colors all week on ConocoPhillips Plaza

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Page 23: Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2344

Down low it was fun once more

watching the small towns pass

even being able to read the names

on water towers

In north-central Mississippi

there appears a vast forest spread-

ing out beneath my wings an il-

lusory remnant of the gloriouswilderness that once extended

from the East Coast to the Great

Plains Now clear-cutting scars are

evidence of manrsquos meddling graf-

fiti on our planetrsquos face

I am surprised at the hills of

North Mississippi at higher al-

titudes they flatten into the ter-rain but here at 1000 feet above

the ground the hills are alive with

depth and color

My craft and I intruders in his

world pass a circling hawk I look

down and try to see the tiny crea-

ture I am sure he sees but where

he must perceive the slightest rus-tle of the brush I see only patterns

of green and brown and the bright

blue of reflected sky

Enough of this sightseeing I should

have crossed this highway a couple

of miles farther to the north I make a

slight correction Highways They criss-

cross this land cutting it into smaller

and smaller bits these scratches of

man meant little when there were

fewer men but now they separate deer

from deer and life from life

At the edge of a field pebbled by

round bales of hay rests a red tractor Jeff Justis was just 13 when he and his family embarked on the restoration of

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2444

suppose is the essence of life

Soon the forward horizon bulges

upward as I approach old tectonic

ridges aligned northeast-southwest

near Birmingham The dark greenof the forested ridges contrasts with

the lighter verdant hues of manrsquos

cultivation Ahead a sharp razor-

backed ridge prompts a climb to

3000 feet I teeter across the top and

slide down toward the broad valley

on the eastern side My first land-

ing after one hour and 45 minutes is

welcome As a no-radio aircraft I am

careful to follow the standard pat-

tern and glide down final touching

down on the much-too-long-for-

The-Champ runway of Posey AirportMost cross-country flights in

the rsquo50s were from grass strip to

grass strip A red gas pump would

be brought into service by the col-

orful operatormechanic of these

old aerodromes Aeroncas and

Luscombes were everywhere and

Cessna 195s were the elite air-

planes Now on this ramp my

Aeronca is an anachronism

A King Air is being readied for cor-

porate passengers and my little tail-

dragger is lost on the large apronFortunately we modified the 7BCM

with a starter and generator so I do

not have to find someone to help me

get started In years past almost ev-

ery lineman was proficient in hand-

propping now itrsquos almost a lost art

Soon I am on the way to my

next stop Lagrange Georgia I am

fooled by the appearance of a large

airport an old military field at 12

orsquoclock on the horizon Only when

I get close enough do I realize this is

not the field I am supposed to over-

fly and that I am 10 miles south of

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ramp taking nearly as long as the

flight itself

The cost of this slow flight is cer-

tainly minimal with fill-ups after

two hours averaging 15 or so dol-

lars Besides the trip has been fun so

far relearning old navigation tricks

and seeing the country down low

Now I have only a few more milesto navigate to Eaglesrsquo Landing The

fly-in community strip is near Wil-

liamson Georgia and just east of a

northeast-southwest-oriented rail-

road I decide to proceed due east

find the railroad and follow it

northeast toward the destination

I cross a highway but see no rail-road A few miles further still no

railroad I must have passed it Af-

ter a 180 I find the highway again

but nohellipwait what is that That is

an abandoned rail line for sure and

it does parallel the road I continue

northeast scanning the horizon

passing pretty fields and housesI locate one airport with houses

neatly lining both sides of the single

runway but it is not Eaglesrsquo Landing

Soon I see Griffin Georgia I have

come too far I ease The Champ into

a bank to try again back down the

rail line andhellipherersquos a golf coursehellip

and yes there are two grass run-

ways meeting in a ldquoVrdquo I circle andmake a low pass over the northwest

runway watching my friends wave

from their yard ldquoWhat a nice place

to liverdquo I think as I line up on final

I glide just above the grass and

A foil tape antenna ground plane was just one of the nifty little touches added

to The Champ as the two Jeffs restored their airplane

Doesnrsquot ever yone use Champ

tail surfaces as decorative ele-

ments in their household dec-orating Mrs Justis is a very

patient woman

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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CALIFORNIAHayward CA VIN 29

Meeting 2nd Thurs 600 pm

Hayward Airport

See website for hangar info

Gary Oberti President

Phone 510-357-8600

E-mail infovaa29org

Website wwwvaa29org

CALIFORNIASacramento CA VIN 25

Meeting 2nd Sat 900 am

See chapter website for location

Robert Opdahl President

Phone 530-273-7348

E-mail bopdahlsbcglobalnet

Website wwwVin25org

CAROLINAS VIRGINIAWalnut Cove NC VIN 3

Meeting Contact President

Susan Dusenbury President

Phone 336-591-3931

E-mail sr6sueaolcom

Website wwwVAA3org

FLORIDALakeland FL VIN 1

Meeting Contact President

Bobby Capozzi President

Phone 352-475-9736

INDIANAAuburn IN VIN 37

Meeting 4th Thurs 700 pm

DeKalb County Airport (kGWB)

Hangar AmdashVAA 37 Clubhouse

Drew Hoffman President

Phone 260-515-3525

E-mail drewhoffmanvaa37org

Website wwwVAA37org

KANSASOverland Park KS VIN 16

Meeting 2nd Fri 730 pm

CAF Hangar

New Century Airport

Kevin Pratt President

Phone 913-541-1149

E-mail kprattvaa16com

Website wwwVAA16com

LOUISIANANew Iberia LA VIN 30

Meeting 1st Sun 900 am

LeMaire Memorial Airport Hangar 4

Roland Denison President

Phone 337-365-3047

E-mail vaa30coxnet

MINNESOTAAlbert Lea MN VIN 13

Meeting 2nd Thurs 700 pm

Albert Lea Airport FBO

OHIODelaware OH VIN 27

Meeting 3rd Sat 8-10AM May thru Sept

Delaware Municiple Airport (DLZ)

Terminal Building

Woody McIntire President

Phone 740-362-7228

E-mail wjmcintirecscom

Website wwwEAAdlzorg

OHIOZanesville OH VIN 22

Meeting 2nd Fri 630 pm

Perry County Airport

John Morozowsky President

Phone 740-453-6889

OKLAHOMATulsa OK VIN 10

Meeting 4th Thurs 700 PM

Hardesty South Regional Library

No meetings in July Nov amp Dec

Joe Champagne President

Phone 918-257-4688

Email skypalgroveemailcom

TEXASSpring TX VIN 2

Meeting 4th Sun 200 PM

David Wayne Hooks Airport (KDWH)

Fred Ramin President

Phone 281-255-4430

Vintage Chapter LocatorVisit the VAA chapter nearest you and get to know some great old-airplane enthusiasts You donrsquot need

to be a pilot to join in the funmdashjust have a love of the great airplanes of yesteryear

Chapter 27 of Delaware Ohio hosts a monthly pancake breakfast where attendees enjoy the camara-derie among the airplanes

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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When Albert Vollmecke joined

Arkansas Aircraft Company in Sep-tember 1927 he brought fresh ideas

from his native Germany regarding

aircraft design stability and safety

He would on occasion return to

Germany to bring back something

new for the company In 1928 Ar-

kansas Aircraft Company changed

its name to Command-Aire Incor-porated and the production run

of new ships increased in its Little

Rock Arkansas plant

After one such visit to Ger-

many Vollmecke returned with

the rights to import and sell the

PHYLAX fire-extinguisher system

patented (GB 0267542) March 10

1926 and manufactured in Berlinby Phylax Feuerlosch-Automaten-

Bau GmbH The PHYLAX fire-

extinguisher system consisted of

a tank containing the extinguish-

ing liquid From the tank which

BY ROBERT G LOCK

Early 1047297re-extinguishing system

THE Vintage

Mechanic

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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advertisement from AVIATION

November 1928 using the OX-5

powered model 3C3 ship to dem-

onstrate the system

The PHYLAX system consisted

of a pressurized tank of fluid with

associated lines and nozzles lead-

ing to the engine compartment of

the ship Note here that the unit

is manufactured in t he United

States by the Aero Supply Man-

ufacturing Company located in

Long Island New York The cost

of the unit is $70 in this May 1929

advertisement in an aviation mag-

azine Illustration 2 shows the

manufacturerrsquos advertisement for

the product

In a letter dated April 10 1929

Mr Wiley Wright assistant sales

director for Command-Aire Incor-

porated wrote

ldquoCommand-Aire Incorporated

acquired the exclusive franchise

rights for PHYLAX automatic fire

extinguishers in the United States

Mexico and Central America This

extinguisher is the only automatic

fire extinguisher available and is

standard equipment on many Eu-

ropean lines It is manufactured

by PHYLAX Bau of Germany and

is receiving great response in the

United States at the present timerdquo

In this factory Illustration 3

and from the files of Albert Voll-

mecke is a 110-hp Warner engine

mounted in the Command-Aire

model 3C3-A ship Note the en-

gine cowling being neatly fitted

around cylinders and associated

tubes The 3C3-A had a very longnose due to its light weight ne-

ce s s i ta t ing a longer a rm f or

weight and balance control In

this photo the PHYLAX sprinkler

heads are visible behind the mag-

netos down near the carburetor

and behind the oil inlet hoses on

the accessory case of the engineIllustration 3 is an original fac-

tory photograph of the PHYLAX

system installed in the nose of a

model 3C3-A

Illustration 4 is the same photo-

graph with some details removed

and other details added princi-

pally the identification of the PHY-LAX automatic fuse that fired the

bottle of extinguishing fluid and

the sprinkler heads These illustra-

tions taken from a Command-Aire

original factory brochure from the

files of Albert Vollmecke

Illustration 5 on page 27 is a

sketch from the PHYLAX patent

0267542 dated March 10 1926A general description of the PHY-

LAX system is contained within

the patent and states ldquoThe inven-

tion relates to a fire extinguishing

device intended for use particu-

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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not indicate what type of extinguishing fluid was

contained within the tank however soda-acid was

widely used in those days and carbon tetrachloridewas invented in 1912 by the Pyrene Company

In a communication from Command-Aire Pres-

ident Robert Snowden regarding the purchase of

stock options in the company he states ldquoOur ex-

clusive franchise for the sale of Phylax automatic

Illustration 3

Illustration 4

Illustration 5

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3044

homeland on a regular basis and

always brought back some new in-

vention or new ideas on design andsafety This system was certainly

ahead of its time safety-wise and a

credit to Vollmeckersquos focus on sta-

bility and safety for his designs

Above in this original factory

photograph (Illustration 6) of a

Command-Aire 3C3-T fuselage on

the assembly line at the Little Rock

plant the PHYLAX system can beseen mounted in the rear cock-

pit just behind the front seat in

the center of the photograph The

chemical bottles with two lines

tied to the side tubes run forward

Illustration 6

Pyrene 1047297re extinguishers

were made of brass and

were nicely polished

They were not high-pressure units

but required the use of a hand pump

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Pyrene fire extinguishers were

made of brass and were nicely pol-

ished They were not high-pressureunits but required the use of a

hand pump to generate pressure

to expel liquid from the cylinder

These extinguishers were gener-

ally mounted in the rear cockpit

ton or linen fabric and the only

dope available was cellulose ni-

trate that burned like a torch when

lit Watching nitrate dope burn

reminded me of a Fourth of July

sparkler very intense and hot If

a nitrate-doped ship caught fire in

the air there was no extinguisher

that would put out the flames

The PHYLAX system had an auto-

matic sensor that would trigger the

bottlersquos valve open and send the

chemical into the engine compart-

ment The Pyrene extinguisher wasmore for ground use because you

could not operate the bottle and

fly the airplane at the same time

By todayrsquos standards these ex-

tinguishing systems seem ar-

chaic but for the time back in

the 1920s they were the thing to

have in your automobile boator airplane

Editorrsquos Note WARNING An-

tique carbon tetrachloride fire extin-

guishers like the Pyrene occasionally

show up either contaminated with

the original agent or worse yet with

the full charge of agent still inside

Carbon tet is treated as a hazard-

ous substance (its use was banned

in consumer products in 1970) and

should be dealt with accordingly

In fact carbon tetrachloride when

heated by a fire will create poison-

ous phosgene gas (World War Irsquos

ldquonerve gasrdquo) something that would

definitely ruin someonersquos day if the

fire hadnrsquot done so already In its

standard form this substance is verytoxic to the liver and a single signifi-

cant exposure can result in sickness

or death

L a n g l ey may have been the

f h f i i i b

last and last The instruction

l i l d f

1903 Samuel Pierpont Langleyrsquos ldquoAerodromerdquoattempts to take off from a floating platform

Have a comment or ques-

tion for Bob Lock the Vintage

Mechanic Drop us an e-mail at

vintageaircrafteaaorg or you

can mail your question to Vintage

Airplane PO Box 3086 Osh-

kosh WI 54903

Illustration 7

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Authorrsquos Note We held a small open house at the

flight school hangar this past Saturday Though the

weather was not conducive to give many rides we still

had about 60 people show up enjoy a brat or ham-

burger and talk about flying or learning to fly Interest

in flying is not dead One of my pet peeves is how we

in general aviation go about attracting individuals tolearn the pleasure of flight

Nearly every aviation publication I read carries ar-

ticles and editorials about the downward spiral of gen-

eral aviation Flight schools are having a hard time

attracting new students ldquoDoom and gloomrdquo reigns

with little positive to report on the horizon This al-

ways reminds me of the proverbial three wise mon-keys who embody the principle ldquoSee no evil hear no

evil and speak no evilrdquo We all complain about the

problem but no one ever offers solutions It seems as

though by not doing anything about the challenge it

will eventually go away and right itself

Many of the aviation organizations are wringing

their respective hands giving great lip service to the

drop in pilot numbers Some like EAA have launched

activities to attract new pilots such as the Young Ea-gles program This has been a good start but it will not

fill the ever-increasing void for more pilots

What are we all missing FUN

Four years ago I chose early retirement from a 38-

The student make-up is a real cross-section of Amer-

ica My youngest student to date began flight lessons

at age 14 and the oldest was 77 years young Irsquove men-

tioned some of my students in previous articles At

yearrsquos end 2010 while converting our student files

from paper to computer I was amazed to discover that

in the previous two years I had given instruction tomore than 200 individuals Some were new students

others were individuals in search of a tailwheel en-

dorsement and many were older individuals who had

pursued flight training early in their lives but gave it

up to raise a family Now they had the time and still re-

tained the burning desire to get back into flying What

attracted these individuals to the flight school FUN

And thefun

challenge of flying J-3 Cubs

Herersquos a small cross-section of this yearrsquos group

of students

bullA retired US Navy lieutenant who flew F-4 Phan-

toms off carriers in Vietnam He hasnrsquot done any fly-

ing in more than 10 years but hersquos been building a

Skybolt which will soon be finished and hersquos return-

ing to his lifelong lovemdashaviation He also has two

young sons who want to fly and will soon be joining

the group of student pilotsbullA young CPA from Iowa whose grandfather was a

friend of Bernie Pietenpol and who has built two Piets

The CPA used two weeks of his vacation time to learn

to fly so that he can fly the airplane(s) that his grandfa-

ther built and take his grandfather for a ride

BY Steve Krog CFI

THE Vintage

Instructor

Vintage flying is very much alive

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Cubs flying every day he decided to pursue his pas-

sion for flight

bullA national chain hardware store employee who

has had a dream of flying driving nearly two hours

each way to learn to fly in a Cub

bullAn aviation writervideo producer who already has

a sport pilot certificate but desires to obtain a private

pilot certificate and do so in Cubs

bullA 30-something young family man who sells

construction equipment attachments While deer

hunting a year ago he learned one of his hunting

friends had recently learned to fly in Cubs For three

days they talked airplanes and flying rather than do-

ing much hunting Upon his return from the hunt-ing trip he drove to the airport and signed up for

lessons in the Cub

bullA professional musician from the Chicago area

who always wanted to learn to fly Although not yet

old enough to have a true ldquobucket listrdquo learning to fly

a Cub was number one on his list

With two exceptions these individuals had never

before flown or flown in tailwheel airplanes but alwayshad a dream of learning to fly in a Cubmdashjust like dad

or granddad did many years ago

Although no one in this group comes from simi-

lar backgrounds or professions there is one common

denominator among every studentmdashFUN None of

these students are learning to fly to pursue a career

in aviation (although Irsquove worked with a couple who

have done so) Rather they are learning to fly or get-

ting back into flying for the FUN and CHALLENGE of

flight They all have a true love of flight and seeing the

world from 500 feet with the door and window open

I have also worked with a number of students who

began taking flight lessons but quit after a period of

time They still had the passion for flight but gave it

up When asked why the responses fell into one of the

following four categories

bullI began taking lessons but after three or four les-sons Irsquod be assigned to a different instructor After 30

hours of dual three instructors and still not having

soloed I quit

bullThe instructor wasnrsquot teaching me anything He

was more interested in building time than teaching

Take a moment and think about how you first be-

came interested in airplanes What triggered your

pursuit of learning to fly Did you have a buddy or

maybe a family friend who encouraged you Or even

became a mentor Do you remember your first flight

lesson Do you remember the day you made your

first solo flight

Remember that passion and sense of accomplish-

ment Donrsquot hesitate to share it with anyone express-

ing an interest in learning to fly

At Cub Air Flight we sell FUN When individuals

visit the airport to inquire about learning to fly we

know they have made the commitment in their own

mind It then becomes our responsibility to makethe visit friendly A friendly environment is a FUN

environment Kids are always welcome If a prospec-

tive student has children with him or her we invite

the kids to sit in the planes At the conclusion of our

discussion we emphasize the following statement If

you learn to fly with us it will be FUN CHALLENG-

ING and SAFE

I donrsquot believe there is a shortage of pilot prospectsbut there is a shortage in how we all go about attract-

ing these people to become active participants in plea-

sure flying Remember flying is FUN Letrsquos make an

effort to help others share in that FUN

AERO CLASSICldquoCOLLECTOR SERIESrdquo

Vintage Tires New USA Production

Show off your pride and joy with afresh set of Vintage Rubber Thesenewly minted tires are FAA-TSOrsquodand speed rated to 120 MPH Some

things are better left the way theywere and in the 40rsquos and 50rsquos these tires were perfectly intune to the exciting times in aviation

Not only do these tires set your vintage plane apart fromthe rest but also look exceptional on all General Aviationaircraft Deep 832nd tread depth offers above averagetread life and UV treated rubber resists aging

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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We enjoy your suggestions for

Mystery Planesmdashin fact more than

half of our subjects are sent to us by

members often via e-mail Please

remember that if you want to scan

the photo for use in Mystery Plane

it must be at a resolution of 300 dpior greater You may send a lower-

resolution version to us for our re-

view but the final version has to be

at that level of detail or it will not

print properly Also please let us

craft in the photo is of Canadian civil

registry CF-BXO formerly Royal Cana-

dian Air Force (RCAF) 920 This photo-

graph would have been taken at some

time between 1962 and 1967 after an

overhaul at Abbotsford British Colum-

bia (BC) and possibly while in servicewith Stranraer Aerial Enterprises The

location strongly resembles the Fraser

River dockings at the Vancouver air-

port The aircraft had undergone a re-

spray with a bright red cheat line The

(beaching gear required) for the Royal Air

Force (RAF) in 1933 The prototype first

flew in October 1934 with two Bristol

Pegasus IIIM engines rated at 820 hp

The production aircraft were delivered to

the RAF with Pegasus engines delivering

920 hp entering service in April 1937The British-built machines of which 23

were ordered and only 17 being built

were all delivered by April 1939

In Canada Canadian Vickers Lim-

ited of Montreal Quebec produced 40

Send your answer to EAA Vin-

tage Airplane PO Box 3086 Osh-

kosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer

needs to be in no later than August

20 for inclusion in the October

2011 issue of Vintage Airplane

You can also send your response via

e-mail Send your answer to mystery

planeeaaorg Be sure to include your

name plus your city and state in the

body of your note and put ldquo(Month)

Mystery Planerdquo in the subject line

This monthrsquos Mystery Plane comes to us from Bruce Voran

MYSTERY PLANE

by HG FRAUTSCHY

A P R I L rsquo S M Y S T E RY A N S W E R

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3544

QCA began buying several examplesand was instrumental in convincing

the Canadian Department of Transport

(DOT) to issue a civilian Certificate of

Airworthiness (C of A) One of the first

aircraft so issued was CF-BYI which be-

1980 the Canadian Museum of Flightand Transportation in BC salvaged the

wreck for possible restoration As late as

April 1952 QCA still had two Stranraer

in service CF-BXO and CF-BYM Pacific

Western Airlines (PWA) also operated

Two RAF Belfast freighters were dis-

patched and the disassembled aircraft

was transported to the United Kingdomwhere the machine is currently one of the

centerpieces of the collection

The aircraft type had many names

The most familiar (and printable) were

Stranny Strainer and Flying Meccano

Set The least affectionate was the Whis-

tling Shouse as when the lid to the

throne was lifted there was direct access

to the great outdoors and there emitted a

loud whistling noise

Other correct answers were re-

ceived from Hillis Cunliffe Mill-

brook Alabama Brian Baker Sun

City Arizona Wesley R Smith

Springfield Illinois John White-

head Cheyenne Wyoming ScottChurch Cochrane Alberta Can-

ada Jay Broze Walla Walla Wash-

ington Jerry Paterson Kent

Washington Jamie Patterson Mi-

ramichi New Brunswick Canada

Bill Bishop of Mulgoa New South Wales Australia sent along this photo

of the surviving Supermarine Stranraer

David Nixon supplied us with the April Mystery Plane shot of CF-BXO

a Canadian Vickers-built Supermarine Stranraer

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3644

urday 8 am until 6 pm Early-bird

arrivals can shop on the pre-conven-

tion weekend as well during limited

hours Show your VAA membership

card (or your receipt showing you

joined VAA at the convention) and

yoursquoll receive a 10 percent discount

VAA Volunteer Opportunities

Are you an ace pancake flipperIf yoursquore not one yet we can help

The VAA Tall Pines Cafeacute is looking

for volunteers who can help provide

a hearty breakfast to all the hungry

campers on the south end of Witt-

man Field If you could lend a hand

for a morning or two wersquod appreci-

ate it If thatrsquos not your cup of tea feelfree to check with the VAA Volunteer

Center located just to the northeast

of the VAA Red Barn The volun-

teers who operate the booth will be

happy to tell you when your help is

needed each day It doesnrsquot matter if

itrsquos just for a few hours or for a few

daysmdashwersquod love to have your help-

ing hands There is no need for you

to contact us ahead of time you can

talk with us when you arrive

VAA Judging Categoriesand Awards

The VAArsquos internationally recog-

nized judging categories are

bullAntique Aircraft built prior toSeptember 1 1945

bullClassic September 1 1945 - De-

cember 31 1955

bullContemporary January 1 1956

- December 31 1970

VAA NEWScontinued frpm page 5

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3744

the award winners Judging closes at noon on Friday

July 29 The Awards Ceremony will be held Saturday

evening July 30 at 6 pm in the Vintage Hangar

just south of the VAA Red Barn

Designated Smoking Areas Near FlightlineSmoking on the flightline at EAA AirVenture is prohib-

ited because itrsquos a hazard to all aircraft There are several

designated smoking areas with butt cans along the flight-

line well away from aircraft and refueling operations

Designated smoking areas will be south of the ultra-light runway near the Hangar Cafeacute near the Warbirdsarea (northeast corner of Audrey Lane and Eide Av-

enue) the Wearhouse flag pole area the shade pavil-ion north of the control tower and near the UltralightBarn Locations will be indicated on EAArsquos free con-vention grounds map The admission wristband alsoinstructs visitors that smoking is allowed only in desig-nated smoking areas

More on the Web

Visit wwwAirVentureorg for more information onEAA AirVenture 2011

EAA AirVenture Is Almost Here Are You Ready

Just a few short weeks from now many of you will

make the annual pilgrimage to Oshkosh for EAA Air-

Venture 2011 Are you ready Here are several handy

online tools on the AirVenture website that can help

you take care of any last-minute concerns

Visit wwwAirVentureorg and find out what you

need to know about The Worldrsquos Greatest Avia-

tion Celebration

Admission Parking Hours

wwwAirVentureorgplanningadmissionhtml

Find or Share a Ride to Oshkosh

wwwAirVentureorgrideshare

Site Map

wwwAirVentureorgplanningschedules_mapshtml

Where to Stay

Yoursquore cleared to stay connected

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3844

ship services at 800-564-6322 but

given the time from when you read

this until AirVenture it may not ar-

rive in the mail in time for your de-

parture We suggest downloading

the NOTAM

The NOTAM contains the specialflight procedures in effect for Witt-

man Regional Airport and alternate

airports from 6 am CDT on Friday

July 22 to 12 pm CDT on Mon-

day August 1 2011 All pilots who

fly into the event are expected to

know the special flight procedures

prior to arrival EAA AirVenture Os-

hkosh runs from July 25 through

July 31 For additional EAA AirVen-

ture Oshkosh 2011 information

visit wwwAirVentureorg

Call for VAA Hall of

Fame Nominations

To the left is our information

for nominations for VAArsquos Hallof Fame which is presented each

year during a special dinner This

yearrsquos dinner will be held Friday

October 28 Wersquoll have more on

this yearrsquos inductee John Under-

To nominate someone is easy It just takes a little time and a little reminiscing on your part

Mail nominating materials to

Remember your ldquocontemporaryrdquo may be a candidate nominate someone today

wwwVintageAircraftorg

CALL FOR VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

Nominations

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3944

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

Wit tman Regional A i rpor t (OSH)

Oshkosh Wisconsin

July 25-31 2011

wwwAirVentureorg

Colorado Sport International Air Show

and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In

Rocky Mountain Met ropol i tan A irpor t (BJC)

Denver Colorado

August 27-28 2011

wwwCOSportAviationorg

Mid-Eastern Regional Fly-In

Gr imes F ie ld A irpor t (I74)

Urbana Ohio

September 10-11 2011

httpMERFIcom

Copperstate Fly-In

Casa Grande Munic ipal A i rpor t (CGZ)

Casa Grande Ar izona

Upcoming Major

Fly-Ins

W I N

Only 2000 ticketswill be sold1 ticket $50

3 tickets $125

Piper Tri-Pacer Airplane

Free Flying Lessons

Free Pilot License

Country Legend Roy Clarkrsquos Personal Proceeds fromthis raffle

SAVEAMERICANKIDS LIVES

wwwwingsofhoperaffleorg

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4044

MISCELLANEOUS

wwwaerolistorg Aviationsrsquo Leading

Marketplace

Rare find Lycoming 0-145 partsinventory blocks bearings rings

shafts amp much more $20000

at 1970 prices $5000 Six four

cylinder case aircraft magnetos

$300 Call for more details (FL)

VINTAGETRADER

Someth ing t o buyse l l o r t rade

Classified Word Ads $550 per 10

words 180 words maximum with boldface

lead-in on first line

Classified Display Ads One column wide

(2167 inches) by 1 2 or 3 inches high at

$20 per inch Black and white only and nofrequency discounts

Advertising Closing Dates 10th of second

month prior to desired issue date (ie

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 (classads

eaaorg ) using credit card payment (all cards

accepted) Include name on card complete

address type of card card number and

expiration date Make checks payable to EAA

Address advertising correspondence to EAA

Publications Classified Ad Manager PO Box

3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

What Our Members

Are Restoring

Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done and

yoursquore busy flying and showing it off If so wersquod like to hear from

you Send us a 4-by-6-inch print from a commercial source (no

home printers please those prints just donrsquot scan well) or a

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4144

EAAMembership in the Experimental Aircraft

Association Inc is $40 for one year includ-ing 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION Familymembership is an additional $10 annually Allmajor credit cards accepted for membership(Add $16 for International Postage)

FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPSPlease submit your remittance with a

check or draft drawn on a United Statesbank payable in United States dollars Addrequired Foreign Postage amount for eachmembership

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATIONCurrent EAA members may join the

Vintage Aircraft Association and receive

year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not included)(Add $7 for International Postage)

WARBIRDSCurrent EAA members may join the EAA

Warbirds of America Division and receiveWARBIRDS magazine for an additional$45 per year

EAA Membership WARBIRDS mag-azine and one year membership in theWarbirds Division is available for $55 per

year (SPORT OficAVIATION magazinenot included) (Add $7 for Interna-tional Postage)

IACCurrent EAA members may join the

International Aerobatic Club Inc Divi-sion and receive SPORT AEROBATICS magazine for an additional $45 per year

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

VINTAGE

AIRCRAFT

ASSOCIATION

OFFICERS

DIRECTORS

DIRECTORS

EMERITUS

PresidentGeoff Robison

1521 E MacGregor DrNew Haven IN 46774

260-493-4724chief7025aolcom

Vice-PresidentGeorge Daubner

N57W34837 Pondview LnOconomowoc WI 53066

262-560-1949 gdaubnereaaorg

Steve Bender85 Brush Hill Road

Sherborn MA 01770508-653-7557

sst10comcastnet

David Bennett375 Killdeer Ct

Lincoln CA 95648916-952-9449

antiquerinreachcom

Jerry Brown4605 Hickory Wood Row

Greenwood IN 46143317-422-9366

lbrown4906aolcom

Dave Clark635 Vestal Lane

Plainfield IN 46168317-839-4500davecpdattnet

John S Copeland1A Deacon Street

Northborough MA 01532508-393-4775

copeland1junocom

Phil Coulson28415 Springbrook Dr

Lawton MI 49065269-624-6490

rcoulson516cscom

Dale A Gustafson7724 Shady Hills Dr

Indianapolis IN 46278317-293-4430

dalefayemsncom

Jeannie HillPO Box 328

Harvard IL 60033-0328815-943-7205

Espie ldquoButchrdquo Joyce704 N Regional Rd

Greensboro NC 27409336-668-3650

windsockaolcom

Steve Krog1002 Heather Ln

Hartford WI 53027262-966-7627sskrogaolcom

Robert D ldquoBobrdquo Lumley1265 South 124th StBrookfield WI 53005

262-782-2633rlumley1wirrcom

SH ldquoWesrdquo Schmid2359 Lefeber Avenue

Wauwatosa WI 53213414-771-1545

shschmidgmailcom

Robert C Brauer9345 S Hoyne

Chicago IL 60643773-779-2105

photopilotaolcom

Gene Chase2159 Carlton Rd

Oshkosh WI 54904920-231-5002

GRCHAcharternet

Ronald C Fritz15401 Sparta Ave

Kent City MI 49330616-678-5012

rFritzpathwaynet com

Charlie HarrisPO Box 470350Tulsa OK 74147

918-622-8400cwhhvsucom

EE ldquoBuckrdquo Hilbert8102 Leech RdUnion IL 60180

815-923-4591buck7acgmailcom

Gene Morris5936 Steve Court

Roanoke TX 76262817-491-9110

genemor rischarter net

Membership Services DirectoryEnjoy the many benefits of EAA and

EAArsquos Vintage Aircraft Association

EAA Aviation Center PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086Phone (920) 426-4800 Fax (920) 426-4873Web Sites wwwvintageaircraftorg wwwairventureorg wwweaaorgmemberbenefits E-Mail vintageaircrafteaaorg

EAA and Division Membership Services (800 AMndash600 PM MondayndashFriday CST)800-564-6322 FAX 920-426-4873 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

bullNewrenew memberships bullAddress changes bullMerchandise sales bullGift memberships

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 888-322-4636 wwwairventureorg airventureeaaorg

Sport PilotLight-Sport Aircraft Hotline 877-359-1232 wwwsportpilotorg sportpiloteaaorg

Programs and Activities

Auto Fuel STCs 920-426-4843 stceaaorg EAA Air Academy 920-426-6880 wwwairacademyorg airacademyeaaorg

EAA Scholarships 920-426-6823 scholarshipseaaorg

Library ServicesResearch 920-426-4848 slurveyeaaorg

Benefits

AUA Vintage Insurance Plan 800-727-3823 wwwauaonlinecom

EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan 866-647-4322 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

EAA VISA Card 800-853-5576 ext 8884

EAA Her tz Rent-A-Car Program 800-654-2200 wwweaaorghertz membershipeaaorg

VAA EditorialExecutive Director 920-426-4825 wwwvintageaircraftorg vintageeaaorg

VAA Office 920-426-6110 tbookseaaorg

TM

EAA Members Information Line 888-EAA-INFO (322-4636)

Use this toll-free number for information about AirVenture Oshkosh aeromedical and technical aviation questions

chapters and Young Eagles Please have your membership number ready when calling

Office hours are 815 am - 500 pm (Monday - Friday CST)

SecretarySteve Nesse

2009 Highland AveAlbert Lea MN 56007

507-373-1674

stnes2009livecom

TreasurerDan Knutson

106 Tena Marie CircleLodi WI 53555608-592-7224

lodicubcharternet

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4244

If yoursquove ever watched fish in

an aquarium yoursquove probably no-

ticed how they respond differently

to their surroundings There are

those that zip around the tank in a

mad dash to nowhere Some seem

to sit and not go much of any-

where and some will swim f romone end to the other turn around

and do it again

The latter are the ones that remind

me of myself I seem to fly in a fish-

bowl I go from one end of our val-

proficient by practicing things we

know over and over or it can make

us lazy When something becomes

so ingrained that we do it from habit

only we may not be thinking about

what wersquore doing

On a night cross-country some

time ago I found out just how easyit is to forget things that I hadnrsquot

used in a while While night may be

a little more challenging it still re-

quires the basic pre-flight planning

of any cross-country and following

whether I go far or stay in the com-

fort zone I canrsquot let complacency take

over Those skills and experiences

need to be stretched from time to

time regardless of where I fly An un-

expected situation or emergency is a

bad time to find out I donrsquot remem-

ber how to do somethingComplacency also allows fear

to creep in where it doesnrsquot belong

Some fear (I think) is a natural part of

flying but it can also unnecessarily

keep us grounded because we wonrsquot

BY S MICHELLE SOUDER

Flying Outside

the Fishbowl

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4344

Itrsquos gonna be a big year at Oshk osh

B-29 Superfortress ldquoFIFIrdquo

The first visit since 1995for the worldrsquos only airworthyB-29 Superfortress

REO SpeedwagonOshkosh rocks Monday duringthe opening day concert presentedby Ford Motor Company

Tribute to Bob HooverTuesday afternoon air showfeaturing aircraft and maneuvershe made legendary

eVentureInnovation will be on displayand in the air with the ElectricFlight Prize Competition

Join us for a week-long celebration of the Centennial of Naval Aviationincluding a special air show Wednesday See the hottest naval aircraftin historic colors all week on ConocoPhillips Plaza

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Page 24: Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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suppose is the essence of life

Soon the forward horizon bulges

upward as I approach old tectonic

ridges aligned northeast-southwest

near Birmingham The dark greenof the forested ridges contrasts with

the lighter verdant hues of manrsquos

cultivation Ahead a sharp razor-

backed ridge prompts a climb to

3000 feet I teeter across the top and

slide down toward the broad valley

on the eastern side My first land-

ing after one hour and 45 minutes is

welcome As a no-radio aircraft I am

careful to follow the standard pat-

tern and glide down final touching

down on the much-too-long-for-

The-Champ runway of Posey AirportMost cross-country flights in

the rsquo50s were from grass strip to

grass strip A red gas pump would

be brought into service by the col-

orful operatormechanic of these

old aerodromes Aeroncas and

Luscombes were everywhere and

Cessna 195s were the elite air-

planes Now on this ramp my

Aeronca is an anachronism

A King Air is being readied for cor-

porate passengers and my little tail-

dragger is lost on the large apronFortunately we modified the 7BCM

with a starter and generator so I do

not have to find someone to help me

get started In years past almost ev-

ery lineman was proficient in hand-

propping now itrsquos almost a lost art

Soon I am on the way to my

next stop Lagrange Georgia I am

fooled by the appearance of a large

airport an old military field at 12

orsquoclock on the horizon Only when

I get close enough do I realize this is

not the field I am supposed to over-

fly and that I am 10 miles south of

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2544

ramp taking nearly as long as the

flight itself

The cost of this slow flight is cer-

tainly minimal with fill-ups after

two hours averaging 15 or so dol-

lars Besides the trip has been fun so

far relearning old navigation tricks

and seeing the country down low

Now I have only a few more milesto navigate to Eaglesrsquo Landing The

fly-in community strip is near Wil-

liamson Georgia and just east of a

northeast-southwest-oriented rail-

road I decide to proceed due east

find the railroad and follow it

northeast toward the destination

I cross a highway but see no rail-road A few miles further still no

railroad I must have passed it Af-

ter a 180 I find the highway again

but nohellipwait what is that That is

an abandoned rail line for sure and

it does parallel the road I continue

northeast scanning the horizon

passing pretty fields and housesI locate one airport with houses

neatly lining both sides of the single

runway but it is not Eaglesrsquo Landing

Soon I see Griffin Georgia I have

come too far I ease The Champ into

a bank to try again back down the

rail line andhellipherersquos a golf coursehellip

and yes there are two grass run-

ways meeting in a ldquoVrdquo I circle andmake a low pass over the northwest

runway watching my friends wave

from their yard ldquoWhat a nice place

to liverdquo I think as I line up on final

I glide just above the grass and

A foil tape antenna ground plane was just one of the nifty little touches added

to The Champ as the two Jeffs restored their airplane

Doesnrsquot ever yone use Champ

tail surfaces as decorative ele-

ments in their household dec-orating Mrs Justis is a very

patient woman

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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CALIFORNIAHayward CA VIN 29

Meeting 2nd Thurs 600 pm

Hayward Airport

See website for hangar info

Gary Oberti President

Phone 510-357-8600

E-mail infovaa29org

Website wwwvaa29org

CALIFORNIASacramento CA VIN 25

Meeting 2nd Sat 900 am

See chapter website for location

Robert Opdahl President

Phone 530-273-7348

E-mail bopdahlsbcglobalnet

Website wwwVin25org

CAROLINAS VIRGINIAWalnut Cove NC VIN 3

Meeting Contact President

Susan Dusenbury President

Phone 336-591-3931

E-mail sr6sueaolcom

Website wwwVAA3org

FLORIDALakeland FL VIN 1

Meeting Contact President

Bobby Capozzi President

Phone 352-475-9736

INDIANAAuburn IN VIN 37

Meeting 4th Thurs 700 pm

DeKalb County Airport (kGWB)

Hangar AmdashVAA 37 Clubhouse

Drew Hoffman President

Phone 260-515-3525

E-mail drewhoffmanvaa37org

Website wwwVAA37org

KANSASOverland Park KS VIN 16

Meeting 2nd Fri 730 pm

CAF Hangar

New Century Airport

Kevin Pratt President

Phone 913-541-1149

E-mail kprattvaa16com

Website wwwVAA16com

LOUISIANANew Iberia LA VIN 30

Meeting 1st Sun 900 am

LeMaire Memorial Airport Hangar 4

Roland Denison President

Phone 337-365-3047

E-mail vaa30coxnet

MINNESOTAAlbert Lea MN VIN 13

Meeting 2nd Thurs 700 pm

Albert Lea Airport FBO

OHIODelaware OH VIN 27

Meeting 3rd Sat 8-10AM May thru Sept

Delaware Municiple Airport (DLZ)

Terminal Building

Woody McIntire President

Phone 740-362-7228

E-mail wjmcintirecscom

Website wwwEAAdlzorg

OHIOZanesville OH VIN 22

Meeting 2nd Fri 630 pm

Perry County Airport

John Morozowsky President

Phone 740-453-6889

OKLAHOMATulsa OK VIN 10

Meeting 4th Thurs 700 PM

Hardesty South Regional Library

No meetings in July Nov amp Dec

Joe Champagne President

Phone 918-257-4688

Email skypalgroveemailcom

TEXASSpring TX VIN 2

Meeting 4th Sun 200 PM

David Wayne Hooks Airport (KDWH)

Fred Ramin President

Phone 281-255-4430

Vintage Chapter LocatorVisit the VAA chapter nearest you and get to know some great old-airplane enthusiasts You donrsquot need

to be a pilot to join in the funmdashjust have a love of the great airplanes of yesteryear

Chapter 27 of Delaware Ohio hosts a monthly pancake breakfast where attendees enjoy the camara-derie among the airplanes

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2744

When Albert Vollmecke joined

Arkansas Aircraft Company in Sep-tember 1927 he brought fresh ideas

from his native Germany regarding

aircraft design stability and safety

He would on occasion return to

Germany to bring back something

new for the company In 1928 Ar-

kansas Aircraft Company changed

its name to Command-Aire Incor-porated and the production run

of new ships increased in its Little

Rock Arkansas plant

After one such visit to Ger-

many Vollmecke returned with

the rights to import and sell the

PHYLAX fire-extinguisher system

patented (GB 0267542) March 10

1926 and manufactured in Berlinby Phylax Feuerlosch-Automaten-

Bau GmbH The PHYLAX fire-

extinguisher system consisted of

a tank containing the extinguish-

ing liquid From the tank which

BY ROBERT G LOCK

Early 1047297re-extinguishing system

THE Vintage

Mechanic

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2844

advertisement from AVIATION

November 1928 using the OX-5

powered model 3C3 ship to dem-

onstrate the system

The PHYLAX system consisted

of a pressurized tank of fluid with

associated lines and nozzles lead-

ing to the engine compartment of

the ship Note here that the unit

is manufactured in t he United

States by the Aero Supply Man-

ufacturing Company located in

Long Island New York The cost

of the unit is $70 in this May 1929

advertisement in an aviation mag-

azine Illustration 2 shows the

manufacturerrsquos advertisement for

the product

In a letter dated April 10 1929

Mr Wiley Wright assistant sales

director for Command-Aire Incor-

porated wrote

ldquoCommand-Aire Incorporated

acquired the exclusive franchise

rights for PHYLAX automatic fire

extinguishers in the United States

Mexico and Central America This

extinguisher is the only automatic

fire extinguisher available and is

standard equipment on many Eu-

ropean lines It is manufactured

by PHYLAX Bau of Germany and

is receiving great response in the

United States at the present timerdquo

In this factory Illustration 3

and from the files of Albert Voll-

mecke is a 110-hp Warner engine

mounted in the Command-Aire

model 3C3-A ship Note the en-

gine cowling being neatly fitted

around cylinders and associated

tubes The 3C3-A had a very longnose due to its light weight ne-

ce s s i ta t ing a longer a rm f or

weight and balance control In

this photo the PHYLAX sprinkler

heads are visible behind the mag-

netos down near the carburetor

and behind the oil inlet hoses on

the accessory case of the engineIllustration 3 is an original fac-

tory photograph of the PHYLAX

system installed in the nose of a

model 3C3-A

Illustration 4 is the same photo-

graph with some details removed

and other details added princi-

pally the identification of the PHY-LAX automatic fuse that fired the

bottle of extinguishing fluid and

the sprinkler heads These illustra-

tions taken from a Command-Aire

original factory brochure from the

files of Albert Vollmecke

Illustration 5 on page 27 is a

sketch from the PHYLAX patent

0267542 dated March 10 1926A general description of the PHY-

LAX system is contained within

the patent and states ldquoThe inven-

tion relates to a fire extinguishing

device intended for use particu-

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2944

not indicate what type of extinguishing fluid was

contained within the tank however soda-acid was

widely used in those days and carbon tetrachloridewas invented in 1912 by the Pyrene Company

In a communication from Command-Aire Pres-

ident Robert Snowden regarding the purchase of

stock options in the company he states ldquoOur ex-

clusive franchise for the sale of Phylax automatic

Illustration 3

Illustration 4

Illustration 5

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3044

homeland on a regular basis and

always brought back some new in-

vention or new ideas on design andsafety This system was certainly

ahead of its time safety-wise and a

credit to Vollmeckersquos focus on sta-

bility and safety for his designs

Above in this original factory

photograph (Illustration 6) of a

Command-Aire 3C3-T fuselage on

the assembly line at the Little Rock

plant the PHYLAX system can beseen mounted in the rear cock-

pit just behind the front seat in

the center of the photograph The

chemical bottles with two lines

tied to the side tubes run forward

Illustration 6

Pyrene 1047297re extinguishers

were made of brass and

were nicely polished

They were not high-pressure units

but required the use of a hand pump

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3144

Pyrene fire extinguishers were

made of brass and were nicely pol-

ished They were not high-pressureunits but required the use of a

hand pump to generate pressure

to expel liquid from the cylinder

These extinguishers were gener-

ally mounted in the rear cockpit

ton or linen fabric and the only

dope available was cellulose ni-

trate that burned like a torch when

lit Watching nitrate dope burn

reminded me of a Fourth of July

sparkler very intense and hot If

a nitrate-doped ship caught fire in

the air there was no extinguisher

that would put out the flames

The PHYLAX system had an auto-

matic sensor that would trigger the

bottlersquos valve open and send the

chemical into the engine compart-

ment The Pyrene extinguisher wasmore for ground use because you

could not operate the bottle and

fly the airplane at the same time

By todayrsquos standards these ex-

tinguishing systems seem ar-

chaic but for the time back in

the 1920s they were the thing to

have in your automobile boator airplane

Editorrsquos Note WARNING An-

tique carbon tetrachloride fire extin-

guishers like the Pyrene occasionally

show up either contaminated with

the original agent or worse yet with

the full charge of agent still inside

Carbon tet is treated as a hazard-

ous substance (its use was banned

in consumer products in 1970) and

should be dealt with accordingly

In fact carbon tetrachloride when

heated by a fire will create poison-

ous phosgene gas (World War Irsquos

ldquonerve gasrdquo) something that would

definitely ruin someonersquos day if the

fire hadnrsquot done so already In its

standard form this substance is verytoxic to the liver and a single signifi-

cant exposure can result in sickness

or death

L a n g l ey may have been the

f h f i i i b

last and last The instruction

l i l d f

1903 Samuel Pierpont Langleyrsquos ldquoAerodromerdquoattempts to take off from a floating platform

Have a comment or ques-

tion for Bob Lock the Vintage

Mechanic Drop us an e-mail at

vintageaircrafteaaorg or you

can mail your question to Vintage

Airplane PO Box 3086 Osh-

kosh WI 54903

Illustration 7

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3244

Authorrsquos Note We held a small open house at the

flight school hangar this past Saturday Though the

weather was not conducive to give many rides we still

had about 60 people show up enjoy a brat or ham-

burger and talk about flying or learning to fly Interest

in flying is not dead One of my pet peeves is how we

in general aviation go about attracting individuals tolearn the pleasure of flight

Nearly every aviation publication I read carries ar-

ticles and editorials about the downward spiral of gen-

eral aviation Flight schools are having a hard time

attracting new students ldquoDoom and gloomrdquo reigns

with little positive to report on the horizon This al-

ways reminds me of the proverbial three wise mon-keys who embody the principle ldquoSee no evil hear no

evil and speak no evilrdquo We all complain about the

problem but no one ever offers solutions It seems as

though by not doing anything about the challenge it

will eventually go away and right itself

Many of the aviation organizations are wringing

their respective hands giving great lip service to the

drop in pilot numbers Some like EAA have launched

activities to attract new pilots such as the Young Ea-gles program This has been a good start but it will not

fill the ever-increasing void for more pilots

What are we all missing FUN

Four years ago I chose early retirement from a 38-

The student make-up is a real cross-section of Amer-

ica My youngest student to date began flight lessons

at age 14 and the oldest was 77 years young Irsquove men-

tioned some of my students in previous articles At

yearrsquos end 2010 while converting our student files

from paper to computer I was amazed to discover that

in the previous two years I had given instruction tomore than 200 individuals Some were new students

others were individuals in search of a tailwheel en-

dorsement and many were older individuals who had

pursued flight training early in their lives but gave it

up to raise a family Now they had the time and still re-

tained the burning desire to get back into flying What

attracted these individuals to the flight school FUN

And thefun

challenge of flying J-3 Cubs

Herersquos a small cross-section of this yearrsquos group

of students

bullA retired US Navy lieutenant who flew F-4 Phan-

toms off carriers in Vietnam He hasnrsquot done any fly-

ing in more than 10 years but hersquos been building a

Skybolt which will soon be finished and hersquos return-

ing to his lifelong lovemdashaviation He also has two

young sons who want to fly and will soon be joining

the group of student pilotsbullA young CPA from Iowa whose grandfather was a

friend of Bernie Pietenpol and who has built two Piets

The CPA used two weeks of his vacation time to learn

to fly so that he can fly the airplane(s) that his grandfa-

ther built and take his grandfather for a ride

BY Steve Krog CFI

THE Vintage

Instructor

Vintage flying is very much alive

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3344

Cubs flying every day he decided to pursue his pas-

sion for flight

bullA national chain hardware store employee who

has had a dream of flying driving nearly two hours

each way to learn to fly in a Cub

bullAn aviation writervideo producer who already has

a sport pilot certificate but desires to obtain a private

pilot certificate and do so in Cubs

bullA 30-something young family man who sells

construction equipment attachments While deer

hunting a year ago he learned one of his hunting

friends had recently learned to fly in Cubs For three

days they talked airplanes and flying rather than do-

ing much hunting Upon his return from the hunt-ing trip he drove to the airport and signed up for

lessons in the Cub

bullA professional musician from the Chicago area

who always wanted to learn to fly Although not yet

old enough to have a true ldquobucket listrdquo learning to fly

a Cub was number one on his list

With two exceptions these individuals had never

before flown or flown in tailwheel airplanes but alwayshad a dream of learning to fly in a Cubmdashjust like dad

or granddad did many years ago

Although no one in this group comes from simi-

lar backgrounds or professions there is one common

denominator among every studentmdashFUN None of

these students are learning to fly to pursue a career

in aviation (although Irsquove worked with a couple who

have done so) Rather they are learning to fly or get-

ting back into flying for the FUN and CHALLENGE of

flight They all have a true love of flight and seeing the

world from 500 feet with the door and window open

I have also worked with a number of students who

began taking flight lessons but quit after a period of

time They still had the passion for flight but gave it

up When asked why the responses fell into one of the

following four categories

bullI began taking lessons but after three or four les-sons Irsquod be assigned to a different instructor After 30

hours of dual three instructors and still not having

soloed I quit

bullThe instructor wasnrsquot teaching me anything He

was more interested in building time than teaching

Take a moment and think about how you first be-

came interested in airplanes What triggered your

pursuit of learning to fly Did you have a buddy or

maybe a family friend who encouraged you Or even

became a mentor Do you remember your first flight

lesson Do you remember the day you made your

first solo flight

Remember that passion and sense of accomplish-

ment Donrsquot hesitate to share it with anyone express-

ing an interest in learning to fly

At Cub Air Flight we sell FUN When individuals

visit the airport to inquire about learning to fly we

know they have made the commitment in their own

mind It then becomes our responsibility to makethe visit friendly A friendly environment is a FUN

environment Kids are always welcome If a prospec-

tive student has children with him or her we invite

the kids to sit in the planes At the conclusion of our

discussion we emphasize the following statement If

you learn to fly with us it will be FUN CHALLENG-

ING and SAFE

I donrsquot believe there is a shortage of pilot prospectsbut there is a shortage in how we all go about attract-

ing these people to become active participants in plea-

sure flying Remember flying is FUN Letrsquos make an

effort to help others share in that FUN

AERO CLASSICldquoCOLLECTOR SERIESrdquo

Vintage Tires New USA Production

Show off your pride and joy with afresh set of Vintage Rubber Thesenewly minted tires are FAA-TSOrsquodand speed rated to 120 MPH Some

things are better left the way theywere and in the 40rsquos and 50rsquos these tires were perfectly intune to the exciting times in aviation

Not only do these tires set your vintage plane apart fromthe rest but also look exceptional on all General Aviationaircraft Deep 832nd tread depth offers above averagetread life and UV treated rubber resists aging

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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We enjoy your suggestions for

Mystery Planesmdashin fact more than

half of our subjects are sent to us by

members often via e-mail Please

remember that if you want to scan

the photo for use in Mystery Plane

it must be at a resolution of 300 dpior greater You may send a lower-

resolution version to us for our re-

view but the final version has to be

at that level of detail or it will not

print properly Also please let us

craft in the photo is of Canadian civil

registry CF-BXO formerly Royal Cana-

dian Air Force (RCAF) 920 This photo-

graph would have been taken at some

time between 1962 and 1967 after an

overhaul at Abbotsford British Colum-

bia (BC) and possibly while in servicewith Stranraer Aerial Enterprises The

location strongly resembles the Fraser

River dockings at the Vancouver air-

port The aircraft had undergone a re-

spray with a bright red cheat line The

(beaching gear required) for the Royal Air

Force (RAF) in 1933 The prototype first

flew in October 1934 with two Bristol

Pegasus IIIM engines rated at 820 hp

The production aircraft were delivered to

the RAF with Pegasus engines delivering

920 hp entering service in April 1937The British-built machines of which 23

were ordered and only 17 being built

were all delivered by April 1939

In Canada Canadian Vickers Lim-

ited of Montreal Quebec produced 40

Send your answer to EAA Vin-

tage Airplane PO Box 3086 Osh-

kosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer

needs to be in no later than August

20 for inclusion in the October

2011 issue of Vintage Airplane

You can also send your response via

e-mail Send your answer to mystery

planeeaaorg Be sure to include your

name plus your city and state in the

body of your note and put ldquo(Month)

Mystery Planerdquo in the subject line

This monthrsquos Mystery Plane comes to us from Bruce Voran

MYSTERY PLANE

by HG FRAUTSCHY

A P R I L rsquo S M Y S T E RY A N S W E R

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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QCA began buying several examplesand was instrumental in convincing

the Canadian Department of Transport

(DOT) to issue a civilian Certificate of

Airworthiness (C of A) One of the first

aircraft so issued was CF-BYI which be-

1980 the Canadian Museum of Flightand Transportation in BC salvaged the

wreck for possible restoration As late as

April 1952 QCA still had two Stranraer

in service CF-BXO and CF-BYM Pacific

Western Airlines (PWA) also operated

Two RAF Belfast freighters were dis-

patched and the disassembled aircraft

was transported to the United Kingdomwhere the machine is currently one of the

centerpieces of the collection

The aircraft type had many names

The most familiar (and printable) were

Stranny Strainer and Flying Meccano

Set The least affectionate was the Whis-

tling Shouse as when the lid to the

throne was lifted there was direct access

to the great outdoors and there emitted a

loud whistling noise

Other correct answers were re-

ceived from Hillis Cunliffe Mill-

brook Alabama Brian Baker Sun

City Arizona Wesley R Smith

Springfield Illinois John White-

head Cheyenne Wyoming ScottChurch Cochrane Alberta Can-

ada Jay Broze Walla Walla Wash-

ington Jerry Paterson Kent

Washington Jamie Patterson Mi-

ramichi New Brunswick Canada

Bill Bishop of Mulgoa New South Wales Australia sent along this photo

of the surviving Supermarine Stranraer

David Nixon supplied us with the April Mystery Plane shot of CF-BXO

a Canadian Vickers-built Supermarine Stranraer

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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urday 8 am until 6 pm Early-bird

arrivals can shop on the pre-conven-

tion weekend as well during limited

hours Show your VAA membership

card (or your receipt showing you

joined VAA at the convention) and

yoursquoll receive a 10 percent discount

VAA Volunteer Opportunities

Are you an ace pancake flipperIf yoursquore not one yet we can help

The VAA Tall Pines Cafeacute is looking

for volunteers who can help provide

a hearty breakfast to all the hungry

campers on the south end of Witt-

man Field If you could lend a hand

for a morning or two wersquod appreci-

ate it If thatrsquos not your cup of tea feelfree to check with the VAA Volunteer

Center located just to the northeast

of the VAA Red Barn The volun-

teers who operate the booth will be

happy to tell you when your help is

needed each day It doesnrsquot matter if

itrsquos just for a few hours or for a few

daysmdashwersquod love to have your help-

ing hands There is no need for you

to contact us ahead of time you can

talk with us when you arrive

VAA Judging Categoriesand Awards

The VAArsquos internationally recog-

nized judging categories are

bullAntique Aircraft built prior toSeptember 1 1945

bullClassic September 1 1945 - De-

cember 31 1955

bullContemporary January 1 1956

- December 31 1970

VAA NEWScontinued frpm page 5

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the award winners Judging closes at noon on Friday

July 29 The Awards Ceremony will be held Saturday

evening July 30 at 6 pm in the Vintage Hangar

just south of the VAA Red Barn

Designated Smoking Areas Near FlightlineSmoking on the flightline at EAA AirVenture is prohib-

ited because itrsquos a hazard to all aircraft There are several

designated smoking areas with butt cans along the flight-

line well away from aircraft and refueling operations

Designated smoking areas will be south of the ultra-light runway near the Hangar Cafeacute near the Warbirdsarea (northeast corner of Audrey Lane and Eide Av-

enue) the Wearhouse flag pole area the shade pavil-ion north of the control tower and near the UltralightBarn Locations will be indicated on EAArsquos free con-vention grounds map The admission wristband alsoinstructs visitors that smoking is allowed only in desig-nated smoking areas

More on the Web

Visit wwwAirVentureorg for more information onEAA AirVenture 2011

EAA AirVenture Is Almost Here Are You Ready

Just a few short weeks from now many of you will

make the annual pilgrimage to Oshkosh for EAA Air-

Venture 2011 Are you ready Here are several handy

online tools on the AirVenture website that can help

you take care of any last-minute concerns

Visit wwwAirVentureorg and find out what you

need to know about The Worldrsquos Greatest Avia-

tion Celebration

Admission Parking Hours

wwwAirVentureorgplanningadmissionhtml

Find or Share a Ride to Oshkosh

wwwAirVentureorgrideshare

Site Map

wwwAirVentureorgplanningschedules_mapshtml

Where to Stay

Yoursquore cleared to stay connected

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3844

ship services at 800-564-6322 but

given the time from when you read

this until AirVenture it may not ar-

rive in the mail in time for your de-

parture We suggest downloading

the NOTAM

The NOTAM contains the specialflight procedures in effect for Witt-

man Regional Airport and alternate

airports from 6 am CDT on Friday

July 22 to 12 pm CDT on Mon-

day August 1 2011 All pilots who

fly into the event are expected to

know the special flight procedures

prior to arrival EAA AirVenture Os-

hkosh runs from July 25 through

July 31 For additional EAA AirVen-

ture Oshkosh 2011 information

visit wwwAirVentureorg

Call for VAA Hall of

Fame Nominations

To the left is our information

for nominations for VAArsquos Hallof Fame which is presented each

year during a special dinner This

yearrsquos dinner will be held Friday

October 28 Wersquoll have more on

this yearrsquos inductee John Under-

To nominate someone is easy It just takes a little time and a little reminiscing on your part

Mail nominating materials to

Remember your ldquocontemporaryrdquo may be a candidate nominate someone today

wwwVintageAircraftorg

CALL FOR VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

Nominations

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3944

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

Wit tman Regional A i rpor t (OSH)

Oshkosh Wisconsin

July 25-31 2011

wwwAirVentureorg

Colorado Sport International Air Show

and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In

Rocky Mountain Met ropol i tan A irpor t (BJC)

Denver Colorado

August 27-28 2011

wwwCOSportAviationorg

Mid-Eastern Regional Fly-In

Gr imes F ie ld A irpor t (I74)

Urbana Ohio

September 10-11 2011

httpMERFIcom

Copperstate Fly-In

Casa Grande Munic ipal A i rpor t (CGZ)

Casa Grande Ar izona

Upcoming Major

Fly-Ins

W I N

Only 2000 ticketswill be sold1 ticket $50

3 tickets $125

Piper Tri-Pacer Airplane

Free Flying Lessons

Free Pilot License

Country Legend Roy Clarkrsquos Personal Proceeds fromthis raffle

SAVEAMERICANKIDS LIVES

wwwwingsofhoperaffleorg

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4044

MISCELLANEOUS

wwwaerolistorg Aviationsrsquo Leading

Marketplace

Rare find Lycoming 0-145 partsinventory blocks bearings rings

shafts amp much more $20000

at 1970 prices $5000 Six four

cylinder case aircraft magnetos

$300 Call for more details (FL)

VINTAGETRADER

Someth ing t o buyse l l o r t rade

Classified Word Ads $550 per 10

words 180 words maximum with boldface

lead-in on first line

Classified Display Ads One column wide

(2167 inches) by 1 2 or 3 inches high at

$20 per inch Black and white only and nofrequency discounts

Advertising Closing Dates 10th of second

month prior to desired issue date (ie

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 (classads

eaaorg ) using credit card payment (all cards

accepted) Include name on card complete

address type of card card number and

expiration date Make checks payable to EAA

Address advertising correspondence to EAA

Publications Classified Ad Manager PO Box

3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

What Our Members

Are Restoring

Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done and

yoursquore busy flying and showing it off If so wersquod like to hear from

you Send us a 4-by-6-inch print from a commercial source (no

home printers please those prints just donrsquot scan well) or a

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4144

EAAMembership in the Experimental Aircraft

Association Inc is $40 for one year includ-ing 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION Familymembership is an additional $10 annually Allmajor credit cards accepted for membership(Add $16 for International Postage)

FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPSPlease submit your remittance with a

check or draft drawn on a United Statesbank payable in United States dollars Addrequired Foreign Postage amount for eachmembership

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATIONCurrent EAA members may join the

Vintage Aircraft Association and receive

year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not included)(Add $7 for International Postage)

WARBIRDSCurrent EAA members may join the EAA

Warbirds of America Division and receiveWARBIRDS magazine for an additional$45 per year

EAA Membership WARBIRDS mag-azine and one year membership in theWarbirds Division is available for $55 per

year (SPORT OficAVIATION magazinenot included) (Add $7 for Interna-tional Postage)

IACCurrent EAA members may join the

International Aerobatic Club Inc Divi-sion and receive SPORT AEROBATICS magazine for an additional $45 per year

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

VINTAGE

AIRCRAFT

ASSOCIATION

OFFICERS

DIRECTORS

DIRECTORS

EMERITUS

PresidentGeoff Robison

1521 E MacGregor DrNew Haven IN 46774

260-493-4724chief7025aolcom

Vice-PresidentGeorge Daubner

N57W34837 Pondview LnOconomowoc WI 53066

262-560-1949 gdaubnereaaorg

Steve Bender85 Brush Hill Road

Sherborn MA 01770508-653-7557

sst10comcastnet

David Bennett375 Killdeer Ct

Lincoln CA 95648916-952-9449

antiquerinreachcom

Jerry Brown4605 Hickory Wood Row

Greenwood IN 46143317-422-9366

lbrown4906aolcom

Dave Clark635 Vestal Lane

Plainfield IN 46168317-839-4500davecpdattnet

John S Copeland1A Deacon Street

Northborough MA 01532508-393-4775

copeland1junocom

Phil Coulson28415 Springbrook Dr

Lawton MI 49065269-624-6490

rcoulson516cscom

Dale A Gustafson7724 Shady Hills Dr

Indianapolis IN 46278317-293-4430

dalefayemsncom

Jeannie HillPO Box 328

Harvard IL 60033-0328815-943-7205

Espie ldquoButchrdquo Joyce704 N Regional Rd

Greensboro NC 27409336-668-3650

windsockaolcom

Steve Krog1002 Heather Ln

Hartford WI 53027262-966-7627sskrogaolcom

Robert D ldquoBobrdquo Lumley1265 South 124th StBrookfield WI 53005

262-782-2633rlumley1wirrcom

SH ldquoWesrdquo Schmid2359 Lefeber Avenue

Wauwatosa WI 53213414-771-1545

shschmidgmailcom

Robert C Brauer9345 S Hoyne

Chicago IL 60643773-779-2105

photopilotaolcom

Gene Chase2159 Carlton Rd

Oshkosh WI 54904920-231-5002

GRCHAcharternet

Ronald C Fritz15401 Sparta Ave

Kent City MI 49330616-678-5012

rFritzpathwaynet com

Charlie HarrisPO Box 470350Tulsa OK 74147

918-622-8400cwhhvsucom

EE ldquoBuckrdquo Hilbert8102 Leech RdUnion IL 60180

815-923-4591buck7acgmailcom

Gene Morris5936 Steve Court

Roanoke TX 76262817-491-9110

genemor rischarter net

Membership Services DirectoryEnjoy the many benefits of EAA and

EAArsquos Vintage Aircraft Association

EAA Aviation Center PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086Phone (920) 426-4800 Fax (920) 426-4873Web Sites wwwvintageaircraftorg wwwairventureorg wwweaaorgmemberbenefits E-Mail vintageaircrafteaaorg

EAA and Division Membership Services (800 AMndash600 PM MondayndashFriday CST)800-564-6322 FAX 920-426-4873 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

bullNewrenew memberships bullAddress changes bullMerchandise sales bullGift memberships

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 888-322-4636 wwwairventureorg airventureeaaorg

Sport PilotLight-Sport Aircraft Hotline 877-359-1232 wwwsportpilotorg sportpiloteaaorg

Programs and Activities

Auto Fuel STCs 920-426-4843 stceaaorg EAA Air Academy 920-426-6880 wwwairacademyorg airacademyeaaorg

EAA Scholarships 920-426-6823 scholarshipseaaorg

Library ServicesResearch 920-426-4848 slurveyeaaorg

Benefits

AUA Vintage Insurance Plan 800-727-3823 wwwauaonlinecom

EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan 866-647-4322 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

EAA VISA Card 800-853-5576 ext 8884

EAA Her tz Rent-A-Car Program 800-654-2200 wwweaaorghertz membershipeaaorg

VAA EditorialExecutive Director 920-426-4825 wwwvintageaircraftorg vintageeaaorg

VAA Office 920-426-6110 tbookseaaorg

TM

EAA Members Information Line 888-EAA-INFO (322-4636)

Use this toll-free number for information about AirVenture Oshkosh aeromedical and technical aviation questions

chapters and Young Eagles Please have your membership number ready when calling

Office hours are 815 am - 500 pm (Monday - Friday CST)

SecretarySteve Nesse

2009 Highland AveAlbert Lea MN 56007

507-373-1674

stnes2009livecom

TreasurerDan Knutson

106 Tena Marie CircleLodi WI 53555608-592-7224

lodicubcharternet

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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If yoursquove ever watched fish in

an aquarium yoursquove probably no-

ticed how they respond differently

to their surroundings There are

those that zip around the tank in a

mad dash to nowhere Some seem

to sit and not go much of any-

where and some will swim f romone end to the other turn around

and do it again

The latter are the ones that remind

me of myself I seem to fly in a fish-

bowl I go from one end of our val-

proficient by practicing things we

know over and over or it can make

us lazy When something becomes

so ingrained that we do it from habit

only we may not be thinking about

what wersquore doing

On a night cross-country some

time ago I found out just how easyit is to forget things that I hadnrsquot

used in a while While night may be

a little more challenging it still re-

quires the basic pre-flight planning

of any cross-country and following

whether I go far or stay in the com-

fort zone I canrsquot let complacency take

over Those skills and experiences

need to be stretched from time to

time regardless of where I fly An un-

expected situation or emergency is a

bad time to find out I donrsquot remem-

ber how to do somethingComplacency also allows fear

to creep in where it doesnrsquot belong

Some fear (I think) is a natural part of

flying but it can also unnecessarily

keep us grounded because we wonrsquot

BY S MICHELLE SOUDER

Flying Outside

the Fishbowl

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4344

Itrsquos gonna be a big year at Oshk osh

B-29 Superfortress ldquoFIFIrdquo

The first visit since 1995for the worldrsquos only airworthyB-29 Superfortress

REO SpeedwagonOshkosh rocks Monday duringthe opening day concert presentedby Ford Motor Company

Tribute to Bob HooverTuesday afternoon air showfeaturing aircraft and maneuvershe made legendary

eVentureInnovation will be on displayand in the air with the ElectricFlight Prize Competition

Join us for a week-long celebration of the Centennial of Naval Aviationincluding a special air show Wednesday See the hottest naval aircraftin historic colors all week on ConocoPhillips Plaza

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Page 25: Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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ramp taking nearly as long as the

flight itself

The cost of this slow flight is cer-

tainly minimal with fill-ups after

two hours averaging 15 or so dol-

lars Besides the trip has been fun so

far relearning old navigation tricks

and seeing the country down low

Now I have only a few more milesto navigate to Eaglesrsquo Landing The

fly-in community strip is near Wil-

liamson Georgia and just east of a

northeast-southwest-oriented rail-

road I decide to proceed due east

find the railroad and follow it

northeast toward the destination

I cross a highway but see no rail-road A few miles further still no

railroad I must have passed it Af-

ter a 180 I find the highway again

but nohellipwait what is that That is

an abandoned rail line for sure and

it does parallel the road I continue

northeast scanning the horizon

passing pretty fields and housesI locate one airport with houses

neatly lining both sides of the single

runway but it is not Eaglesrsquo Landing

Soon I see Griffin Georgia I have

come too far I ease The Champ into

a bank to try again back down the

rail line andhellipherersquos a golf coursehellip

and yes there are two grass run-

ways meeting in a ldquoVrdquo I circle andmake a low pass over the northwest

runway watching my friends wave

from their yard ldquoWhat a nice place

to liverdquo I think as I line up on final

I glide just above the grass and

A foil tape antenna ground plane was just one of the nifty little touches added

to The Champ as the two Jeffs restored their airplane

Doesnrsquot ever yone use Champ

tail surfaces as decorative ele-

ments in their household dec-orating Mrs Justis is a very

patient woman

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2644

CALIFORNIAHayward CA VIN 29

Meeting 2nd Thurs 600 pm

Hayward Airport

See website for hangar info

Gary Oberti President

Phone 510-357-8600

E-mail infovaa29org

Website wwwvaa29org

CALIFORNIASacramento CA VIN 25

Meeting 2nd Sat 900 am

See chapter website for location

Robert Opdahl President

Phone 530-273-7348

E-mail bopdahlsbcglobalnet

Website wwwVin25org

CAROLINAS VIRGINIAWalnut Cove NC VIN 3

Meeting Contact President

Susan Dusenbury President

Phone 336-591-3931

E-mail sr6sueaolcom

Website wwwVAA3org

FLORIDALakeland FL VIN 1

Meeting Contact President

Bobby Capozzi President

Phone 352-475-9736

INDIANAAuburn IN VIN 37

Meeting 4th Thurs 700 pm

DeKalb County Airport (kGWB)

Hangar AmdashVAA 37 Clubhouse

Drew Hoffman President

Phone 260-515-3525

E-mail drewhoffmanvaa37org

Website wwwVAA37org

KANSASOverland Park KS VIN 16

Meeting 2nd Fri 730 pm

CAF Hangar

New Century Airport

Kevin Pratt President

Phone 913-541-1149

E-mail kprattvaa16com

Website wwwVAA16com

LOUISIANANew Iberia LA VIN 30

Meeting 1st Sun 900 am

LeMaire Memorial Airport Hangar 4

Roland Denison President

Phone 337-365-3047

E-mail vaa30coxnet

MINNESOTAAlbert Lea MN VIN 13

Meeting 2nd Thurs 700 pm

Albert Lea Airport FBO

OHIODelaware OH VIN 27

Meeting 3rd Sat 8-10AM May thru Sept

Delaware Municiple Airport (DLZ)

Terminal Building

Woody McIntire President

Phone 740-362-7228

E-mail wjmcintirecscom

Website wwwEAAdlzorg

OHIOZanesville OH VIN 22

Meeting 2nd Fri 630 pm

Perry County Airport

John Morozowsky President

Phone 740-453-6889

OKLAHOMATulsa OK VIN 10

Meeting 4th Thurs 700 PM

Hardesty South Regional Library

No meetings in July Nov amp Dec

Joe Champagne President

Phone 918-257-4688

Email skypalgroveemailcom

TEXASSpring TX VIN 2

Meeting 4th Sun 200 PM

David Wayne Hooks Airport (KDWH)

Fred Ramin President

Phone 281-255-4430

Vintage Chapter LocatorVisit the VAA chapter nearest you and get to know some great old-airplane enthusiasts You donrsquot need

to be a pilot to join in the funmdashjust have a love of the great airplanes of yesteryear

Chapter 27 of Delaware Ohio hosts a monthly pancake breakfast where attendees enjoy the camara-derie among the airplanes

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2744

When Albert Vollmecke joined

Arkansas Aircraft Company in Sep-tember 1927 he brought fresh ideas

from his native Germany regarding

aircraft design stability and safety

He would on occasion return to

Germany to bring back something

new for the company In 1928 Ar-

kansas Aircraft Company changed

its name to Command-Aire Incor-porated and the production run

of new ships increased in its Little

Rock Arkansas plant

After one such visit to Ger-

many Vollmecke returned with

the rights to import and sell the

PHYLAX fire-extinguisher system

patented (GB 0267542) March 10

1926 and manufactured in Berlinby Phylax Feuerlosch-Automaten-

Bau GmbH The PHYLAX fire-

extinguisher system consisted of

a tank containing the extinguish-

ing liquid From the tank which

BY ROBERT G LOCK

Early 1047297re-extinguishing system

THE Vintage

Mechanic

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2844

advertisement from AVIATION

November 1928 using the OX-5

powered model 3C3 ship to dem-

onstrate the system

The PHYLAX system consisted

of a pressurized tank of fluid with

associated lines and nozzles lead-

ing to the engine compartment of

the ship Note here that the unit

is manufactured in t he United

States by the Aero Supply Man-

ufacturing Company located in

Long Island New York The cost

of the unit is $70 in this May 1929

advertisement in an aviation mag-

azine Illustration 2 shows the

manufacturerrsquos advertisement for

the product

In a letter dated April 10 1929

Mr Wiley Wright assistant sales

director for Command-Aire Incor-

porated wrote

ldquoCommand-Aire Incorporated

acquired the exclusive franchise

rights for PHYLAX automatic fire

extinguishers in the United States

Mexico and Central America This

extinguisher is the only automatic

fire extinguisher available and is

standard equipment on many Eu-

ropean lines It is manufactured

by PHYLAX Bau of Germany and

is receiving great response in the

United States at the present timerdquo

In this factory Illustration 3

and from the files of Albert Voll-

mecke is a 110-hp Warner engine

mounted in the Command-Aire

model 3C3-A ship Note the en-

gine cowling being neatly fitted

around cylinders and associated

tubes The 3C3-A had a very longnose due to its light weight ne-

ce s s i ta t ing a longer a rm f or

weight and balance control In

this photo the PHYLAX sprinkler

heads are visible behind the mag-

netos down near the carburetor

and behind the oil inlet hoses on

the accessory case of the engineIllustration 3 is an original fac-

tory photograph of the PHYLAX

system installed in the nose of a

model 3C3-A

Illustration 4 is the same photo-

graph with some details removed

and other details added princi-

pally the identification of the PHY-LAX automatic fuse that fired the

bottle of extinguishing fluid and

the sprinkler heads These illustra-

tions taken from a Command-Aire

original factory brochure from the

files of Albert Vollmecke

Illustration 5 on page 27 is a

sketch from the PHYLAX patent

0267542 dated March 10 1926A general description of the PHY-

LAX system is contained within

the patent and states ldquoThe inven-

tion relates to a fire extinguishing

device intended for use particu-

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2944

not indicate what type of extinguishing fluid was

contained within the tank however soda-acid was

widely used in those days and carbon tetrachloridewas invented in 1912 by the Pyrene Company

In a communication from Command-Aire Pres-

ident Robert Snowden regarding the purchase of

stock options in the company he states ldquoOur ex-

clusive franchise for the sale of Phylax automatic

Illustration 3

Illustration 4

Illustration 5

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3044

homeland on a regular basis and

always brought back some new in-

vention or new ideas on design andsafety This system was certainly

ahead of its time safety-wise and a

credit to Vollmeckersquos focus on sta-

bility and safety for his designs

Above in this original factory

photograph (Illustration 6) of a

Command-Aire 3C3-T fuselage on

the assembly line at the Little Rock

plant the PHYLAX system can beseen mounted in the rear cock-

pit just behind the front seat in

the center of the photograph The

chemical bottles with two lines

tied to the side tubes run forward

Illustration 6

Pyrene 1047297re extinguishers

were made of brass and

were nicely polished

They were not high-pressure units

but required the use of a hand pump

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3144

Pyrene fire extinguishers were

made of brass and were nicely pol-

ished They were not high-pressureunits but required the use of a

hand pump to generate pressure

to expel liquid from the cylinder

These extinguishers were gener-

ally mounted in the rear cockpit

ton or linen fabric and the only

dope available was cellulose ni-

trate that burned like a torch when

lit Watching nitrate dope burn

reminded me of a Fourth of July

sparkler very intense and hot If

a nitrate-doped ship caught fire in

the air there was no extinguisher

that would put out the flames

The PHYLAX system had an auto-

matic sensor that would trigger the

bottlersquos valve open and send the

chemical into the engine compart-

ment The Pyrene extinguisher wasmore for ground use because you

could not operate the bottle and

fly the airplane at the same time

By todayrsquos standards these ex-

tinguishing systems seem ar-

chaic but for the time back in

the 1920s they were the thing to

have in your automobile boator airplane

Editorrsquos Note WARNING An-

tique carbon tetrachloride fire extin-

guishers like the Pyrene occasionally

show up either contaminated with

the original agent or worse yet with

the full charge of agent still inside

Carbon tet is treated as a hazard-

ous substance (its use was banned

in consumer products in 1970) and

should be dealt with accordingly

In fact carbon tetrachloride when

heated by a fire will create poison-

ous phosgene gas (World War Irsquos

ldquonerve gasrdquo) something that would

definitely ruin someonersquos day if the

fire hadnrsquot done so already In its

standard form this substance is verytoxic to the liver and a single signifi-

cant exposure can result in sickness

or death

L a n g l ey may have been the

f h f i i i b

last and last The instruction

l i l d f

1903 Samuel Pierpont Langleyrsquos ldquoAerodromerdquoattempts to take off from a floating platform

Have a comment or ques-

tion for Bob Lock the Vintage

Mechanic Drop us an e-mail at

vintageaircrafteaaorg or you

can mail your question to Vintage

Airplane PO Box 3086 Osh-

kosh WI 54903

Illustration 7

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Authorrsquos Note We held a small open house at the

flight school hangar this past Saturday Though the

weather was not conducive to give many rides we still

had about 60 people show up enjoy a brat or ham-

burger and talk about flying or learning to fly Interest

in flying is not dead One of my pet peeves is how we

in general aviation go about attracting individuals tolearn the pleasure of flight

Nearly every aviation publication I read carries ar-

ticles and editorials about the downward spiral of gen-

eral aviation Flight schools are having a hard time

attracting new students ldquoDoom and gloomrdquo reigns

with little positive to report on the horizon This al-

ways reminds me of the proverbial three wise mon-keys who embody the principle ldquoSee no evil hear no

evil and speak no evilrdquo We all complain about the

problem but no one ever offers solutions It seems as

though by not doing anything about the challenge it

will eventually go away and right itself

Many of the aviation organizations are wringing

their respective hands giving great lip service to the

drop in pilot numbers Some like EAA have launched

activities to attract new pilots such as the Young Ea-gles program This has been a good start but it will not

fill the ever-increasing void for more pilots

What are we all missing FUN

Four years ago I chose early retirement from a 38-

The student make-up is a real cross-section of Amer-

ica My youngest student to date began flight lessons

at age 14 and the oldest was 77 years young Irsquove men-

tioned some of my students in previous articles At

yearrsquos end 2010 while converting our student files

from paper to computer I was amazed to discover that

in the previous two years I had given instruction tomore than 200 individuals Some were new students

others were individuals in search of a tailwheel en-

dorsement and many were older individuals who had

pursued flight training early in their lives but gave it

up to raise a family Now they had the time and still re-

tained the burning desire to get back into flying What

attracted these individuals to the flight school FUN

And thefun

challenge of flying J-3 Cubs

Herersquos a small cross-section of this yearrsquos group

of students

bullA retired US Navy lieutenant who flew F-4 Phan-

toms off carriers in Vietnam He hasnrsquot done any fly-

ing in more than 10 years but hersquos been building a

Skybolt which will soon be finished and hersquos return-

ing to his lifelong lovemdashaviation He also has two

young sons who want to fly and will soon be joining

the group of student pilotsbullA young CPA from Iowa whose grandfather was a

friend of Bernie Pietenpol and who has built two Piets

The CPA used two weeks of his vacation time to learn

to fly so that he can fly the airplane(s) that his grandfa-

ther built and take his grandfather for a ride

BY Steve Krog CFI

THE Vintage

Instructor

Vintage flying is very much alive

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Cubs flying every day he decided to pursue his pas-

sion for flight

bullA national chain hardware store employee who

has had a dream of flying driving nearly two hours

each way to learn to fly in a Cub

bullAn aviation writervideo producer who already has

a sport pilot certificate but desires to obtain a private

pilot certificate and do so in Cubs

bullA 30-something young family man who sells

construction equipment attachments While deer

hunting a year ago he learned one of his hunting

friends had recently learned to fly in Cubs For three

days they talked airplanes and flying rather than do-

ing much hunting Upon his return from the hunt-ing trip he drove to the airport and signed up for

lessons in the Cub

bullA professional musician from the Chicago area

who always wanted to learn to fly Although not yet

old enough to have a true ldquobucket listrdquo learning to fly

a Cub was number one on his list

With two exceptions these individuals had never

before flown or flown in tailwheel airplanes but alwayshad a dream of learning to fly in a Cubmdashjust like dad

or granddad did many years ago

Although no one in this group comes from simi-

lar backgrounds or professions there is one common

denominator among every studentmdashFUN None of

these students are learning to fly to pursue a career

in aviation (although Irsquove worked with a couple who

have done so) Rather they are learning to fly or get-

ting back into flying for the FUN and CHALLENGE of

flight They all have a true love of flight and seeing the

world from 500 feet with the door and window open

I have also worked with a number of students who

began taking flight lessons but quit after a period of

time They still had the passion for flight but gave it

up When asked why the responses fell into one of the

following four categories

bullI began taking lessons but after three or four les-sons Irsquod be assigned to a different instructor After 30

hours of dual three instructors and still not having

soloed I quit

bullThe instructor wasnrsquot teaching me anything He

was more interested in building time than teaching

Take a moment and think about how you first be-

came interested in airplanes What triggered your

pursuit of learning to fly Did you have a buddy or

maybe a family friend who encouraged you Or even

became a mentor Do you remember your first flight

lesson Do you remember the day you made your

first solo flight

Remember that passion and sense of accomplish-

ment Donrsquot hesitate to share it with anyone express-

ing an interest in learning to fly

At Cub Air Flight we sell FUN When individuals

visit the airport to inquire about learning to fly we

know they have made the commitment in their own

mind It then becomes our responsibility to makethe visit friendly A friendly environment is a FUN

environment Kids are always welcome If a prospec-

tive student has children with him or her we invite

the kids to sit in the planes At the conclusion of our

discussion we emphasize the following statement If

you learn to fly with us it will be FUN CHALLENG-

ING and SAFE

I donrsquot believe there is a shortage of pilot prospectsbut there is a shortage in how we all go about attract-

ing these people to become active participants in plea-

sure flying Remember flying is FUN Letrsquos make an

effort to help others share in that FUN

AERO CLASSICldquoCOLLECTOR SERIESrdquo

Vintage Tires New USA Production

Show off your pride and joy with afresh set of Vintage Rubber Thesenewly minted tires are FAA-TSOrsquodand speed rated to 120 MPH Some

things are better left the way theywere and in the 40rsquos and 50rsquos these tires were perfectly intune to the exciting times in aviation

Not only do these tires set your vintage plane apart fromthe rest but also look exceptional on all General Aviationaircraft Deep 832nd tread depth offers above averagetread life and UV treated rubber resists aging

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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We enjoy your suggestions for

Mystery Planesmdashin fact more than

half of our subjects are sent to us by

members often via e-mail Please

remember that if you want to scan

the photo for use in Mystery Plane

it must be at a resolution of 300 dpior greater You may send a lower-

resolution version to us for our re-

view but the final version has to be

at that level of detail or it will not

print properly Also please let us

craft in the photo is of Canadian civil

registry CF-BXO formerly Royal Cana-

dian Air Force (RCAF) 920 This photo-

graph would have been taken at some

time between 1962 and 1967 after an

overhaul at Abbotsford British Colum-

bia (BC) and possibly while in servicewith Stranraer Aerial Enterprises The

location strongly resembles the Fraser

River dockings at the Vancouver air-

port The aircraft had undergone a re-

spray with a bright red cheat line The

(beaching gear required) for the Royal Air

Force (RAF) in 1933 The prototype first

flew in October 1934 with two Bristol

Pegasus IIIM engines rated at 820 hp

The production aircraft were delivered to

the RAF with Pegasus engines delivering

920 hp entering service in April 1937The British-built machines of which 23

were ordered and only 17 being built

were all delivered by April 1939

In Canada Canadian Vickers Lim-

ited of Montreal Quebec produced 40

Send your answer to EAA Vin-

tage Airplane PO Box 3086 Osh-

kosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer

needs to be in no later than August

20 for inclusion in the October

2011 issue of Vintage Airplane

You can also send your response via

e-mail Send your answer to mystery

planeeaaorg Be sure to include your

name plus your city and state in the

body of your note and put ldquo(Month)

Mystery Planerdquo in the subject line

This monthrsquos Mystery Plane comes to us from Bruce Voran

MYSTERY PLANE

by HG FRAUTSCHY

A P R I L rsquo S M Y S T E RY A N S W E R

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3544

QCA began buying several examplesand was instrumental in convincing

the Canadian Department of Transport

(DOT) to issue a civilian Certificate of

Airworthiness (C of A) One of the first

aircraft so issued was CF-BYI which be-

1980 the Canadian Museum of Flightand Transportation in BC salvaged the

wreck for possible restoration As late as

April 1952 QCA still had two Stranraer

in service CF-BXO and CF-BYM Pacific

Western Airlines (PWA) also operated

Two RAF Belfast freighters were dis-

patched and the disassembled aircraft

was transported to the United Kingdomwhere the machine is currently one of the

centerpieces of the collection

The aircraft type had many names

The most familiar (and printable) were

Stranny Strainer and Flying Meccano

Set The least affectionate was the Whis-

tling Shouse as when the lid to the

throne was lifted there was direct access

to the great outdoors and there emitted a

loud whistling noise

Other correct answers were re-

ceived from Hillis Cunliffe Mill-

brook Alabama Brian Baker Sun

City Arizona Wesley R Smith

Springfield Illinois John White-

head Cheyenne Wyoming ScottChurch Cochrane Alberta Can-

ada Jay Broze Walla Walla Wash-

ington Jerry Paterson Kent

Washington Jamie Patterson Mi-

ramichi New Brunswick Canada

Bill Bishop of Mulgoa New South Wales Australia sent along this photo

of the surviving Supermarine Stranraer

David Nixon supplied us with the April Mystery Plane shot of CF-BXO

a Canadian Vickers-built Supermarine Stranraer

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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urday 8 am until 6 pm Early-bird

arrivals can shop on the pre-conven-

tion weekend as well during limited

hours Show your VAA membership

card (or your receipt showing you

joined VAA at the convention) and

yoursquoll receive a 10 percent discount

VAA Volunteer Opportunities

Are you an ace pancake flipperIf yoursquore not one yet we can help

The VAA Tall Pines Cafeacute is looking

for volunteers who can help provide

a hearty breakfast to all the hungry

campers on the south end of Witt-

man Field If you could lend a hand

for a morning or two wersquod appreci-

ate it If thatrsquos not your cup of tea feelfree to check with the VAA Volunteer

Center located just to the northeast

of the VAA Red Barn The volun-

teers who operate the booth will be

happy to tell you when your help is

needed each day It doesnrsquot matter if

itrsquos just for a few hours or for a few

daysmdashwersquod love to have your help-

ing hands There is no need for you

to contact us ahead of time you can

talk with us when you arrive

VAA Judging Categoriesand Awards

The VAArsquos internationally recog-

nized judging categories are

bullAntique Aircraft built prior toSeptember 1 1945

bullClassic September 1 1945 - De-

cember 31 1955

bullContemporary January 1 1956

- December 31 1970

VAA NEWScontinued frpm page 5

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the award winners Judging closes at noon on Friday

July 29 The Awards Ceremony will be held Saturday

evening July 30 at 6 pm in the Vintage Hangar

just south of the VAA Red Barn

Designated Smoking Areas Near FlightlineSmoking on the flightline at EAA AirVenture is prohib-

ited because itrsquos a hazard to all aircraft There are several

designated smoking areas with butt cans along the flight-

line well away from aircraft and refueling operations

Designated smoking areas will be south of the ultra-light runway near the Hangar Cafeacute near the Warbirdsarea (northeast corner of Audrey Lane and Eide Av-

enue) the Wearhouse flag pole area the shade pavil-ion north of the control tower and near the UltralightBarn Locations will be indicated on EAArsquos free con-vention grounds map The admission wristband alsoinstructs visitors that smoking is allowed only in desig-nated smoking areas

More on the Web

Visit wwwAirVentureorg for more information onEAA AirVenture 2011

EAA AirVenture Is Almost Here Are You Ready

Just a few short weeks from now many of you will

make the annual pilgrimage to Oshkosh for EAA Air-

Venture 2011 Are you ready Here are several handy

online tools on the AirVenture website that can help

you take care of any last-minute concerns

Visit wwwAirVentureorg and find out what you

need to know about The Worldrsquos Greatest Avia-

tion Celebration

Admission Parking Hours

wwwAirVentureorgplanningadmissionhtml

Find or Share a Ride to Oshkosh

wwwAirVentureorgrideshare

Site Map

wwwAirVentureorgplanningschedules_mapshtml

Where to Stay

Yoursquore cleared to stay connected

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3844

ship services at 800-564-6322 but

given the time from when you read

this until AirVenture it may not ar-

rive in the mail in time for your de-

parture We suggest downloading

the NOTAM

The NOTAM contains the specialflight procedures in effect for Witt-

man Regional Airport and alternate

airports from 6 am CDT on Friday

July 22 to 12 pm CDT on Mon-

day August 1 2011 All pilots who

fly into the event are expected to

know the special flight procedures

prior to arrival EAA AirVenture Os-

hkosh runs from July 25 through

July 31 For additional EAA AirVen-

ture Oshkosh 2011 information

visit wwwAirVentureorg

Call for VAA Hall of

Fame Nominations

To the left is our information

for nominations for VAArsquos Hallof Fame which is presented each

year during a special dinner This

yearrsquos dinner will be held Friday

October 28 Wersquoll have more on

this yearrsquos inductee John Under-

To nominate someone is easy It just takes a little time and a little reminiscing on your part

Mail nominating materials to

Remember your ldquocontemporaryrdquo may be a candidate nominate someone today

wwwVintageAircraftorg

CALL FOR VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

Nominations

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3944

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

Wit tman Regional A i rpor t (OSH)

Oshkosh Wisconsin

July 25-31 2011

wwwAirVentureorg

Colorado Sport International Air Show

and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In

Rocky Mountain Met ropol i tan A irpor t (BJC)

Denver Colorado

August 27-28 2011

wwwCOSportAviationorg

Mid-Eastern Regional Fly-In

Gr imes F ie ld A irpor t (I74)

Urbana Ohio

September 10-11 2011

httpMERFIcom

Copperstate Fly-In

Casa Grande Munic ipal A i rpor t (CGZ)

Casa Grande Ar izona

Upcoming Major

Fly-Ins

W I N

Only 2000 ticketswill be sold1 ticket $50

3 tickets $125

Piper Tri-Pacer Airplane

Free Flying Lessons

Free Pilot License

Country Legend Roy Clarkrsquos Personal Proceeds fromthis raffle

SAVEAMERICANKIDS LIVES

wwwwingsofhoperaffleorg

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4044

MISCELLANEOUS

wwwaerolistorg Aviationsrsquo Leading

Marketplace

Rare find Lycoming 0-145 partsinventory blocks bearings rings

shafts amp much more $20000

at 1970 prices $5000 Six four

cylinder case aircraft magnetos

$300 Call for more details (FL)

VINTAGETRADER

Someth ing t o buyse l l o r t rade

Classified Word Ads $550 per 10

words 180 words maximum with boldface

lead-in on first line

Classified Display Ads One column wide

(2167 inches) by 1 2 or 3 inches high at

$20 per inch Black and white only and nofrequency discounts

Advertising Closing Dates 10th of second

month prior to desired issue date (ie

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 (classads

eaaorg ) using credit card payment (all cards

accepted) Include name on card complete

address type of card card number and

expiration date Make checks payable to EAA

Address advertising correspondence to EAA

Publications Classified Ad Manager PO Box

3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

What Our Members

Are Restoring

Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done and

yoursquore busy flying and showing it off If so wersquod like to hear from

you Send us a 4-by-6-inch print from a commercial source (no

home printers please those prints just donrsquot scan well) or a

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4144

EAAMembership in the Experimental Aircraft

Association Inc is $40 for one year includ-ing 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION Familymembership is an additional $10 annually Allmajor credit cards accepted for membership(Add $16 for International Postage)

FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPSPlease submit your remittance with a

check or draft drawn on a United Statesbank payable in United States dollars Addrequired Foreign Postage amount for eachmembership

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATIONCurrent EAA members may join the

Vintage Aircraft Association and receive

year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not included)(Add $7 for International Postage)

WARBIRDSCurrent EAA members may join the EAA

Warbirds of America Division and receiveWARBIRDS magazine for an additional$45 per year

EAA Membership WARBIRDS mag-azine and one year membership in theWarbirds Division is available for $55 per

year (SPORT OficAVIATION magazinenot included) (Add $7 for Interna-tional Postage)

IACCurrent EAA members may join the

International Aerobatic Club Inc Divi-sion and receive SPORT AEROBATICS magazine for an additional $45 per year

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

VINTAGE

AIRCRAFT

ASSOCIATION

OFFICERS

DIRECTORS

DIRECTORS

EMERITUS

PresidentGeoff Robison

1521 E MacGregor DrNew Haven IN 46774

260-493-4724chief7025aolcom

Vice-PresidentGeorge Daubner

N57W34837 Pondview LnOconomowoc WI 53066

262-560-1949 gdaubnereaaorg

Steve Bender85 Brush Hill Road

Sherborn MA 01770508-653-7557

sst10comcastnet

David Bennett375 Killdeer Ct

Lincoln CA 95648916-952-9449

antiquerinreachcom

Jerry Brown4605 Hickory Wood Row

Greenwood IN 46143317-422-9366

lbrown4906aolcom

Dave Clark635 Vestal Lane

Plainfield IN 46168317-839-4500davecpdattnet

John S Copeland1A Deacon Street

Northborough MA 01532508-393-4775

copeland1junocom

Phil Coulson28415 Springbrook Dr

Lawton MI 49065269-624-6490

rcoulson516cscom

Dale A Gustafson7724 Shady Hills Dr

Indianapolis IN 46278317-293-4430

dalefayemsncom

Jeannie HillPO Box 328

Harvard IL 60033-0328815-943-7205

Espie ldquoButchrdquo Joyce704 N Regional Rd

Greensboro NC 27409336-668-3650

windsockaolcom

Steve Krog1002 Heather Ln

Hartford WI 53027262-966-7627sskrogaolcom

Robert D ldquoBobrdquo Lumley1265 South 124th StBrookfield WI 53005

262-782-2633rlumley1wirrcom

SH ldquoWesrdquo Schmid2359 Lefeber Avenue

Wauwatosa WI 53213414-771-1545

shschmidgmailcom

Robert C Brauer9345 S Hoyne

Chicago IL 60643773-779-2105

photopilotaolcom

Gene Chase2159 Carlton Rd

Oshkosh WI 54904920-231-5002

GRCHAcharternet

Ronald C Fritz15401 Sparta Ave

Kent City MI 49330616-678-5012

rFritzpathwaynet com

Charlie HarrisPO Box 470350Tulsa OK 74147

918-622-8400cwhhvsucom

EE ldquoBuckrdquo Hilbert8102 Leech RdUnion IL 60180

815-923-4591buck7acgmailcom

Gene Morris5936 Steve Court

Roanoke TX 76262817-491-9110

genemor rischarter net

Membership Services DirectoryEnjoy the many benefits of EAA and

EAArsquos Vintage Aircraft Association

EAA Aviation Center PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086Phone (920) 426-4800 Fax (920) 426-4873Web Sites wwwvintageaircraftorg wwwairventureorg wwweaaorgmemberbenefits E-Mail vintageaircrafteaaorg

EAA and Division Membership Services (800 AMndash600 PM MondayndashFriday CST)800-564-6322 FAX 920-426-4873 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

bullNewrenew memberships bullAddress changes bullMerchandise sales bullGift memberships

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 888-322-4636 wwwairventureorg airventureeaaorg

Sport PilotLight-Sport Aircraft Hotline 877-359-1232 wwwsportpilotorg sportpiloteaaorg

Programs and Activities

Auto Fuel STCs 920-426-4843 stceaaorg EAA Air Academy 920-426-6880 wwwairacademyorg airacademyeaaorg

EAA Scholarships 920-426-6823 scholarshipseaaorg

Library ServicesResearch 920-426-4848 slurveyeaaorg

Benefits

AUA Vintage Insurance Plan 800-727-3823 wwwauaonlinecom

EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan 866-647-4322 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

EAA VISA Card 800-853-5576 ext 8884

EAA Her tz Rent-A-Car Program 800-654-2200 wwweaaorghertz membershipeaaorg

VAA EditorialExecutive Director 920-426-4825 wwwvintageaircraftorg vintageeaaorg

VAA Office 920-426-6110 tbookseaaorg

TM

EAA Members Information Line 888-EAA-INFO (322-4636)

Use this toll-free number for information about AirVenture Oshkosh aeromedical and technical aviation questions

chapters and Young Eagles Please have your membership number ready when calling

Office hours are 815 am - 500 pm (Monday - Friday CST)

SecretarySteve Nesse

2009 Highland AveAlbert Lea MN 56007

507-373-1674

stnes2009livecom

TreasurerDan Knutson

106 Tena Marie CircleLodi WI 53555608-592-7224

lodicubcharternet

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4244

If yoursquove ever watched fish in

an aquarium yoursquove probably no-

ticed how they respond differently

to their surroundings There are

those that zip around the tank in a

mad dash to nowhere Some seem

to sit and not go much of any-

where and some will swim f romone end to the other turn around

and do it again

The latter are the ones that remind

me of myself I seem to fly in a fish-

bowl I go from one end of our val-

proficient by practicing things we

know over and over or it can make

us lazy When something becomes

so ingrained that we do it from habit

only we may not be thinking about

what wersquore doing

On a night cross-country some

time ago I found out just how easyit is to forget things that I hadnrsquot

used in a while While night may be

a little more challenging it still re-

quires the basic pre-flight planning

of any cross-country and following

whether I go far or stay in the com-

fort zone I canrsquot let complacency take

over Those skills and experiences

need to be stretched from time to

time regardless of where I fly An un-

expected situation or emergency is a

bad time to find out I donrsquot remem-

ber how to do somethingComplacency also allows fear

to creep in where it doesnrsquot belong

Some fear (I think) is a natural part of

flying but it can also unnecessarily

keep us grounded because we wonrsquot

BY S MICHELLE SOUDER

Flying Outside

the Fishbowl

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4344

Itrsquos gonna be a big year at Oshk osh

B-29 Superfortress ldquoFIFIrdquo

The first visit since 1995for the worldrsquos only airworthyB-29 Superfortress

REO SpeedwagonOshkosh rocks Monday duringthe opening day concert presentedby Ford Motor Company

Tribute to Bob HooverTuesday afternoon air showfeaturing aircraft and maneuvershe made legendary

eVentureInnovation will be on displayand in the air with the ElectricFlight Prize Competition

Join us for a week-long celebration of the Centennial of Naval Aviationincluding a special air show Wednesday See the hottest naval aircraftin historic colors all week on ConocoPhillips Plaza

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Page 26: Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2644

CALIFORNIAHayward CA VIN 29

Meeting 2nd Thurs 600 pm

Hayward Airport

See website for hangar info

Gary Oberti President

Phone 510-357-8600

E-mail infovaa29org

Website wwwvaa29org

CALIFORNIASacramento CA VIN 25

Meeting 2nd Sat 900 am

See chapter website for location

Robert Opdahl President

Phone 530-273-7348

E-mail bopdahlsbcglobalnet

Website wwwVin25org

CAROLINAS VIRGINIAWalnut Cove NC VIN 3

Meeting Contact President

Susan Dusenbury President

Phone 336-591-3931

E-mail sr6sueaolcom

Website wwwVAA3org

FLORIDALakeland FL VIN 1

Meeting Contact President

Bobby Capozzi President

Phone 352-475-9736

INDIANAAuburn IN VIN 37

Meeting 4th Thurs 700 pm

DeKalb County Airport (kGWB)

Hangar AmdashVAA 37 Clubhouse

Drew Hoffman President

Phone 260-515-3525

E-mail drewhoffmanvaa37org

Website wwwVAA37org

KANSASOverland Park KS VIN 16

Meeting 2nd Fri 730 pm

CAF Hangar

New Century Airport

Kevin Pratt President

Phone 913-541-1149

E-mail kprattvaa16com

Website wwwVAA16com

LOUISIANANew Iberia LA VIN 30

Meeting 1st Sun 900 am

LeMaire Memorial Airport Hangar 4

Roland Denison President

Phone 337-365-3047

E-mail vaa30coxnet

MINNESOTAAlbert Lea MN VIN 13

Meeting 2nd Thurs 700 pm

Albert Lea Airport FBO

OHIODelaware OH VIN 27

Meeting 3rd Sat 8-10AM May thru Sept

Delaware Municiple Airport (DLZ)

Terminal Building

Woody McIntire President

Phone 740-362-7228

E-mail wjmcintirecscom

Website wwwEAAdlzorg

OHIOZanesville OH VIN 22

Meeting 2nd Fri 630 pm

Perry County Airport

John Morozowsky President

Phone 740-453-6889

OKLAHOMATulsa OK VIN 10

Meeting 4th Thurs 700 PM

Hardesty South Regional Library

No meetings in July Nov amp Dec

Joe Champagne President

Phone 918-257-4688

Email skypalgroveemailcom

TEXASSpring TX VIN 2

Meeting 4th Sun 200 PM

David Wayne Hooks Airport (KDWH)

Fred Ramin President

Phone 281-255-4430

Vintage Chapter LocatorVisit the VAA chapter nearest you and get to know some great old-airplane enthusiasts You donrsquot need

to be a pilot to join in the funmdashjust have a love of the great airplanes of yesteryear

Chapter 27 of Delaware Ohio hosts a monthly pancake breakfast where attendees enjoy the camara-derie among the airplanes

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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When Albert Vollmecke joined

Arkansas Aircraft Company in Sep-tember 1927 he brought fresh ideas

from his native Germany regarding

aircraft design stability and safety

He would on occasion return to

Germany to bring back something

new for the company In 1928 Ar-

kansas Aircraft Company changed

its name to Command-Aire Incor-porated and the production run

of new ships increased in its Little

Rock Arkansas plant

After one such visit to Ger-

many Vollmecke returned with

the rights to import and sell the

PHYLAX fire-extinguisher system

patented (GB 0267542) March 10

1926 and manufactured in Berlinby Phylax Feuerlosch-Automaten-

Bau GmbH The PHYLAX fire-

extinguisher system consisted of

a tank containing the extinguish-

ing liquid From the tank which

BY ROBERT G LOCK

Early 1047297re-extinguishing system

THE Vintage

Mechanic

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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advertisement from AVIATION

November 1928 using the OX-5

powered model 3C3 ship to dem-

onstrate the system

The PHYLAX system consisted

of a pressurized tank of fluid with

associated lines and nozzles lead-

ing to the engine compartment of

the ship Note here that the unit

is manufactured in t he United

States by the Aero Supply Man-

ufacturing Company located in

Long Island New York The cost

of the unit is $70 in this May 1929

advertisement in an aviation mag-

azine Illustration 2 shows the

manufacturerrsquos advertisement for

the product

In a letter dated April 10 1929

Mr Wiley Wright assistant sales

director for Command-Aire Incor-

porated wrote

ldquoCommand-Aire Incorporated

acquired the exclusive franchise

rights for PHYLAX automatic fire

extinguishers in the United States

Mexico and Central America This

extinguisher is the only automatic

fire extinguisher available and is

standard equipment on many Eu-

ropean lines It is manufactured

by PHYLAX Bau of Germany and

is receiving great response in the

United States at the present timerdquo

In this factory Illustration 3

and from the files of Albert Voll-

mecke is a 110-hp Warner engine

mounted in the Command-Aire

model 3C3-A ship Note the en-

gine cowling being neatly fitted

around cylinders and associated

tubes The 3C3-A had a very longnose due to its light weight ne-

ce s s i ta t ing a longer a rm f or

weight and balance control In

this photo the PHYLAX sprinkler

heads are visible behind the mag-

netos down near the carburetor

and behind the oil inlet hoses on

the accessory case of the engineIllustration 3 is an original fac-

tory photograph of the PHYLAX

system installed in the nose of a

model 3C3-A

Illustration 4 is the same photo-

graph with some details removed

and other details added princi-

pally the identification of the PHY-LAX automatic fuse that fired the

bottle of extinguishing fluid and

the sprinkler heads These illustra-

tions taken from a Command-Aire

original factory brochure from the

files of Albert Vollmecke

Illustration 5 on page 27 is a

sketch from the PHYLAX patent

0267542 dated March 10 1926A general description of the PHY-

LAX system is contained within

the patent and states ldquoThe inven-

tion relates to a fire extinguishing

device intended for use particu-

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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not indicate what type of extinguishing fluid was

contained within the tank however soda-acid was

widely used in those days and carbon tetrachloridewas invented in 1912 by the Pyrene Company

In a communication from Command-Aire Pres-

ident Robert Snowden regarding the purchase of

stock options in the company he states ldquoOur ex-

clusive franchise for the sale of Phylax automatic

Illustration 3

Illustration 4

Illustration 5

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3044

homeland on a regular basis and

always brought back some new in-

vention or new ideas on design andsafety This system was certainly

ahead of its time safety-wise and a

credit to Vollmeckersquos focus on sta-

bility and safety for his designs

Above in this original factory

photograph (Illustration 6) of a

Command-Aire 3C3-T fuselage on

the assembly line at the Little Rock

plant the PHYLAX system can beseen mounted in the rear cock-

pit just behind the front seat in

the center of the photograph The

chemical bottles with two lines

tied to the side tubes run forward

Illustration 6

Pyrene 1047297re extinguishers

were made of brass and

were nicely polished

They were not high-pressure units

but required the use of a hand pump

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Pyrene fire extinguishers were

made of brass and were nicely pol-

ished They were not high-pressureunits but required the use of a

hand pump to generate pressure

to expel liquid from the cylinder

These extinguishers were gener-

ally mounted in the rear cockpit

ton or linen fabric and the only

dope available was cellulose ni-

trate that burned like a torch when

lit Watching nitrate dope burn

reminded me of a Fourth of July

sparkler very intense and hot If

a nitrate-doped ship caught fire in

the air there was no extinguisher

that would put out the flames

The PHYLAX system had an auto-

matic sensor that would trigger the

bottlersquos valve open and send the

chemical into the engine compart-

ment The Pyrene extinguisher wasmore for ground use because you

could not operate the bottle and

fly the airplane at the same time

By todayrsquos standards these ex-

tinguishing systems seem ar-

chaic but for the time back in

the 1920s they were the thing to

have in your automobile boator airplane

Editorrsquos Note WARNING An-

tique carbon tetrachloride fire extin-

guishers like the Pyrene occasionally

show up either contaminated with

the original agent or worse yet with

the full charge of agent still inside

Carbon tet is treated as a hazard-

ous substance (its use was banned

in consumer products in 1970) and

should be dealt with accordingly

In fact carbon tetrachloride when

heated by a fire will create poison-

ous phosgene gas (World War Irsquos

ldquonerve gasrdquo) something that would

definitely ruin someonersquos day if the

fire hadnrsquot done so already In its

standard form this substance is verytoxic to the liver and a single signifi-

cant exposure can result in sickness

or death

L a n g l ey may have been the

f h f i i i b

last and last The instruction

l i l d f

1903 Samuel Pierpont Langleyrsquos ldquoAerodromerdquoattempts to take off from a floating platform

Have a comment or ques-

tion for Bob Lock the Vintage

Mechanic Drop us an e-mail at

vintageaircrafteaaorg or you

can mail your question to Vintage

Airplane PO Box 3086 Osh-

kosh WI 54903

Illustration 7

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Authorrsquos Note We held a small open house at the

flight school hangar this past Saturday Though the

weather was not conducive to give many rides we still

had about 60 people show up enjoy a brat or ham-

burger and talk about flying or learning to fly Interest

in flying is not dead One of my pet peeves is how we

in general aviation go about attracting individuals tolearn the pleasure of flight

Nearly every aviation publication I read carries ar-

ticles and editorials about the downward spiral of gen-

eral aviation Flight schools are having a hard time

attracting new students ldquoDoom and gloomrdquo reigns

with little positive to report on the horizon This al-

ways reminds me of the proverbial three wise mon-keys who embody the principle ldquoSee no evil hear no

evil and speak no evilrdquo We all complain about the

problem but no one ever offers solutions It seems as

though by not doing anything about the challenge it

will eventually go away and right itself

Many of the aviation organizations are wringing

their respective hands giving great lip service to the

drop in pilot numbers Some like EAA have launched

activities to attract new pilots such as the Young Ea-gles program This has been a good start but it will not

fill the ever-increasing void for more pilots

What are we all missing FUN

Four years ago I chose early retirement from a 38-

The student make-up is a real cross-section of Amer-

ica My youngest student to date began flight lessons

at age 14 and the oldest was 77 years young Irsquove men-

tioned some of my students in previous articles At

yearrsquos end 2010 while converting our student files

from paper to computer I was amazed to discover that

in the previous two years I had given instruction tomore than 200 individuals Some were new students

others were individuals in search of a tailwheel en-

dorsement and many were older individuals who had

pursued flight training early in their lives but gave it

up to raise a family Now they had the time and still re-

tained the burning desire to get back into flying What

attracted these individuals to the flight school FUN

And thefun

challenge of flying J-3 Cubs

Herersquos a small cross-section of this yearrsquos group

of students

bullA retired US Navy lieutenant who flew F-4 Phan-

toms off carriers in Vietnam He hasnrsquot done any fly-

ing in more than 10 years but hersquos been building a

Skybolt which will soon be finished and hersquos return-

ing to his lifelong lovemdashaviation He also has two

young sons who want to fly and will soon be joining

the group of student pilotsbullA young CPA from Iowa whose grandfather was a

friend of Bernie Pietenpol and who has built two Piets

The CPA used two weeks of his vacation time to learn

to fly so that he can fly the airplane(s) that his grandfa-

ther built and take his grandfather for a ride

BY Steve Krog CFI

THE Vintage

Instructor

Vintage flying is very much alive

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Cubs flying every day he decided to pursue his pas-

sion for flight

bullA national chain hardware store employee who

has had a dream of flying driving nearly two hours

each way to learn to fly in a Cub

bullAn aviation writervideo producer who already has

a sport pilot certificate but desires to obtain a private

pilot certificate and do so in Cubs

bullA 30-something young family man who sells

construction equipment attachments While deer

hunting a year ago he learned one of his hunting

friends had recently learned to fly in Cubs For three

days they talked airplanes and flying rather than do-

ing much hunting Upon his return from the hunt-ing trip he drove to the airport and signed up for

lessons in the Cub

bullA professional musician from the Chicago area

who always wanted to learn to fly Although not yet

old enough to have a true ldquobucket listrdquo learning to fly

a Cub was number one on his list

With two exceptions these individuals had never

before flown or flown in tailwheel airplanes but alwayshad a dream of learning to fly in a Cubmdashjust like dad

or granddad did many years ago

Although no one in this group comes from simi-

lar backgrounds or professions there is one common

denominator among every studentmdashFUN None of

these students are learning to fly to pursue a career

in aviation (although Irsquove worked with a couple who

have done so) Rather they are learning to fly or get-

ting back into flying for the FUN and CHALLENGE of

flight They all have a true love of flight and seeing the

world from 500 feet with the door and window open

I have also worked with a number of students who

began taking flight lessons but quit after a period of

time They still had the passion for flight but gave it

up When asked why the responses fell into one of the

following four categories

bullI began taking lessons but after three or four les-sons Irsquod be assigned to a different instructor After 30

hours of dual three instructors and still not having

soloed I quit

bullThe instructor wasnrsquot teaching me anything He

was more interested in building time than teaching

Take a moment and think about how you first be-

came interested in airplanes What triggered your

pursuit of learning to fly Did you have a buddy or

maybe a family friend who encouraged you Or even

became a mentor Do you remember your first flight

lesson Do you remember the day you made your

first solo flight

Remember that passion and sense of accomplish-

ment Donrsquot hesitate to share it with anyone express-

ing an interest in learning to fly

At Cub Air Flight we sell FUN When individuals

visit the airport to inquire about learning to fly we

know they have made the commitment in their own

mind It then becomes our responsibility to makethe visit friendly A friendly environment is a FUN

environment Kids are always welcome If a prospec-

tive student has children with him or her we invite

the kids to sit in the planes At the conclusion of our

discussion we emphasize the following statement If

you learn to fly with us it will be FUN CHALLENG-

ING and SAFE

I donrsquot believe there is a shortage of pilot prospectsbut there is a shortage in how we all go about attract-

ing these people to become active participants in plea-

sure flying Remember flying is FUN Letrsquos make an

effort to help others share in that FUN

AERO CLASSICldquoCOLLECTOR SERIESrdquo

Vintage Tires New USA Production

Show off your pride and joy with afresh set of Vintage Rubber Thesenewly minted tires are FAA-TSOrsquodand speed rated to 120 MPH Some

things are better left the way theywere and in the 40rsquos and 50rsquos these tires were perfectly intune to the exciting times in aviation

Not only do these tires set your vintage plane apart fromthe rest but also look exceptional on all General Aviationaircraft Deep 832nd tread depth offers above averagetread life and UV treated rubber resists aging

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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We enjoy your suggestions for

Mystery Planesmdashin fact more than

half of our subjects are sent to us by

members often via e-mail Please

remember that if you want to scan

the photo for use in Mystery Plane

it must be at a resolution of 300 dpior greater You may send a lower-

resolution version to us for our re-

view but the final version has to be

at that level of detail or it will not

print properly Also please let us

craft in the photo is of Canadian civil

registry CF-BXO formerly Royal Cana-

dian Air Force (RCAF) 920 This photo-

graph would have been taken at some

time between 1962 and 1967 after an

overhaul at Abbotsford British Colum-

bia (BC) and possibly while in servicewith Stranraer Aerial Enterprises The

location strongly resembles the Fraser

River dockings at the Vancouver air-

port The aircraft had undergone a re-

spray with a bright red cheat line The

(beaching gear required) for the Royal Air

Force (RAF) in 1933 The prototype first

flew in October 1934 with two Bristol

Pegasus IIIM engines rated at 820 hp

The production aircraft were delivered to

the RAF with Pegasus engines delivering

920 hp entering service in April 1937The British-built machines of which 23

were ordered and only 17 being built

were all delivered by April 1939

In Canada Canadian Vickers Lim-

ited of Montreal Quebec produced 40

Send your answer to EAA Vin-

tage Airplane PO Box 3086 Osh-

kosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer

needs to be in no later than August

20 for inclusion in the October

2011 issue of Vintage Airplane

You can also send your response via

e-mail Send your answer to mystery

planeeaaorg Be sure to include your

name plus your city and state in the

body of your note and put ldquo(Month)

Mystery Planerdquo in the subject line

This monthrsquos Mystery Plane comes to us from Bruce Voran

MYSTERY PLANE

by HG FRAUTSCHY

A P R I L rsquo S M Y S T E RY A N S W E R

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3544

QCA began buying several examplesand was instrumental in convincing

the Canadian Department of Transport

(DOT) to issue a civilian Certificate of

Airworthiness (C of A) One of the first

aircraft so issued was CF-BYI which be-

1980 the Canadian Museum of Flightand Transportation in BC salvaged the

wreck for possible restoration As late as

April 1952 QCA still had two Stranraer

in service CF-BXO and CF-BYM Pacific

Western Airlines (PWA) also operated

Two RAF Belfast freighters were dis-

patched and the disassembled aircraft

was transported to the United Kingdomwhere the machine is currently one of the

centerpieces of the collection

The aircraft type had many names

The most familiar (and printable) were

Stranny Strainer and Flying Meccano

Set The least affectionate was the Whis-

tling Shouse as when the lid to the

throne was lifted there was direct access

to the great outdoors and there emitted a

loud whistling noise

Other correct answers were re-

ceived from Hillis Cunliffe Mill-

brook Alabama Brian Baker Sun

City Arizona Wesley R Smith

Springfield Illinois John White-

head Cheyenne Wyoming ScottChurch Cochrane Alberta Can-

ada Jay Broze Walla Walla Wash-

ington Jerry Paterson Kent

Washington Jamie Patterson Mi-

ramichi New Brunswick Canada

Bill Bishop of Mulgoa New South Wales Australia sent along this photo

of the surviving Supermarine Stranraer

David Nixon supplied us with the April Mystery Plane shot of CF-BXO

a Canadian Vickers-built Supermarine Stranraer

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3644

urday 8 am until 6 pm Early-bird

arrivals can shop on the pre-conven-

tion weekend as well during limited

hours Show your VAA membership

card (or your receipt showing you

joined VAA at the convention) and

yoursquoll receive a 10 percent discount

VAA Volunteer Opportunities

Are you an ace pancake flipperIf yoursquore not one yet we can help

The VAA Tall Pines Cafeacute is looking

for volunteers who can help provide

a hearty breakfast to all the hungry

campers on the south end of Witt-

man Field If you could lend a hand

for a morning or two wersquod appreci-

ate it If thatrsquos not your cup of tea feelfree to check with the VAA Volunteer

Center located just to the northeast

of the VAA Red Barn The volun-

teers who operate the booth will be

happy to tell you when your help is

needed each day It doesnrsquot matter if

itrsquos just for a few hours or for a few

daysmdashwersquod love to have your help-

ing hands There is no need for you

to contact us ahead of time you can

talk with us when you arrive

VAA Judging Categoriesand Awards

The VAArsquos internationally recog-

nized judging categories are

bullAntique Aircraft built prior toSeptember 1 1945

bullClassic September 1 1945 - De-

cember 31 1955

bullContemporary January 1 1956

- December 31 1970

VAA NEWScontinued frpm page 5

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3744

the award winners Judging closes at noon on Friday

July 29 The Awards Ceremony will be held Saturday

evening July 30 at 6 pm in the Vintage Hangar

just south of the VAA Red Barn

Designated Smoking Areas Near FlightlineSmoking on the flightline at EAA AirVenture is prohib-

ited because itrsquos a hazard to all aircraft There are several

designated smoking areas with butt cans along the flight-

line well away from aircraft and refueling operations

Designated smoking areas will be south of the ultra-light runway near the Hangar Cafeacute near the Warbirdsarea (northeast corner of Audrey Lane and Eide Av-

enue) the Wearhouse flag pole area the shade pavil-ion north of the control tower and near the UltralightBarn Locations will be indicated on EAArsquos free con-vention grounds map The admission wristband alsoinstructs visitors that smoking is allowed only in desig-nated smoking areas

More on the Web

Visit wwwAirVentureorg for more information onEAA AirVenture 2011

EAA AirVenture Is Almost Here Are You Ready

Just a few short weeks from now many of you will

make the annual pilgrimage to Oshkosh for EAA Air-

Venture 2011 Are you ready Here are several handy

online tools on the AirVenture website that can help

you take care of any last-minute concerns

Visit wwwAirVentureorg and find out what you

need to know about The Worldrsquos Greatest Avia-

tion Celebration

Admission Parking Hours

wwwAirVentureorgplanningadmissionhtml

Find or Share a Ride to Oshkosh

wwwAirVentureorgrideshare

Site Map

wwwAirVentureorgplanningschedules_mapshtml

Where to Stay

Yoursquore cleared to stay connected

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3844

ship services at 800-564-6322 but

given the time from when you read

this until AirVenture it may not ar-

rive in the mail in time for your de-

parture We suggest downloading

the NOTAM

The NOTAM contains the specialflight procedures in effect for Witt-

man Regional Airport and alternate

airports from 6 am CDT on Friday

July 22 to 12 pm CDT on Mon-

day August 1 2011 All pilots who

fly into the event are expected to

know the special flight procedures

prior to arrival EAA AirVenture Os-

hkosh runs from July 25 through

July 31 For additional EAA AirVen-

ture Oshkosh 2011 information

visit wwwAirVentureorg

Call for VAA Hall of

Fame Nominations

To the left is our information

for nominations for VAArsquos Hallof Fame which is presented each

year during a special dinner This

yearrsquos dinner will be held Friday

October 28 Wersquoll have more on

this yearrsquos inductee John Under-

To nominate someone is easy It just takes a little time and a little reminiscing on your part

Mail nominating materials to

Remember your ldquocontemporaryrdquo may be a candidate nominate someone today

wwwVintageAircraftorg

CALL FOR VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

Nominations

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3944

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

Wit tman Regional A i rpor t (OSH)

Oshkosh Wisconsin

July 25-31 2011

wwwAirVentureorg

Colorado Sport International Air Show

and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In

Rocky Mountain Met ropol i tan A irpor t (BJC)

Denver Colorado

August 27-28 2011

wwwCOSportAviationorg

Mid-Eastern Regional Fly-In

Gr imes F ie ld A irpor t (I74)

Urbana Ohio

September 10-11 2011

httpMERFIcom

Copperstate Fly-In

Casa Grande Munic ipal A i rpor t (CGZ)

Casa Grande Ar izona

Upcoming Major

Fly-Ins

W I N

Only 2000 ticketswill be sold1 ticket $50

3 tickets $125

Piper Tri-Pacer Airplane

Free Flying Lessons

Free Pilot License

Country Legend Roy Clarkrsquos Personal Proceeds fromthis raffle

SAVEAMERICANKIDS LIVES

wwwwingsofhoperaffleorg

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4044

MISCELLANEOUS

wwwaerolistorg Aviationsrsquo Leading

Marketplace

Rare find Lycoming 0-145 partsinventory blocks bearings rings

shafts amp much more $20000

at 1970 prices $5000 Six four

cylinder case aircraft magnetos

$300 Call for more details (FL)

VINTAGETRADER

Someth ing t o buyse l l o r t rade

Classified Word Ads $550 per 10

words 180 words maximum with boldface

lead-in on first line

Classified Display Ads One column wide

(2167 inches) by 1 2 or 3 inches high at

$20 per inch Black and white only and nofrequency discounts

Advertising Closing Dates 10th of second

month prior to desired issue date (ie

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 (classads

eaaorg ) using credit card payment (all cards

accepted) Include name on card complete

address type of card card number and

expiration date Make checks payable to EAA

Address advertising correspondence to EAA

Publications Classified Ad Manager PO Box

3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

What Our Members

Are Restoring

Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done and

yoursquore busy flying and showing it off If so wersquod like to hear from

you Send us a 4-by-6-inch print from a commercial source (no

home printers please those prints just donrsquot scan well) or a

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4144

EAAMembership in the Experimental Aircraft

Association Inc is $40 for one year includ-ing 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION Familymembership is an additional $10 annually Allmajor credit cards accepted for membership(Add $16 for International Postage)

FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPSPlease submit your remittance with a

check or draft drawn on a United Statesbank payable in United States dollars Addrequired Foreign Postage amount for eachmembership

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATIONCurrent EAA members may join the

Vintage Aircraft Association and receive

year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not included)(Add $7 for International Postage)

WARBIRDSCurrent EAA members may join the EAA

Warbirds of America Division and receiveWARBIRDS magazine for an additional$45 per year

EAA Membership WARBIRDS mag-azine and one year membership in theWarbirds Division is available for $55 per

year (SPORT OficAVIATION magazinenot included) (Add $7 for Interna-tional Postage)

IACCurrent EAA members may join the

International Aerobatic Club Inc Divi-sion and receive SPORT AEROBATICS magazine for an additional $45 per year

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

VINTAGE

AIRCRAFT

ASSOCIATION

OFFICERS

DIRECTORS

DIRECTORS

EMERITUS

PresidentGeoff Robison

1521 E MacGregor DrNew Haven IN 46774

260-493-4724chief7025aolcom

Vice-PresidentGeorge Daubner

N57W34837 Pondview LnOconomowoc WI 53066

262-560-1949 gdaubnereaaorg

Steve Bender85 Brush Hill Road

Sherborn MA 01770508-653-7557

sst10comcastnet

David Bennett375 Killdeer Ct

Lincoln CA 95648916-952-9449

antiquerinreachcom

Jerry Brown4605 Hickory Wood Row

Greenwood IN 46143317-422-9366

lbrown4906aolcom

Dave Clark635 Vestal Lane

Plainfield IN 46168317-839-4500davecpdattnet

John S Copeland1A Deacon Street

Northborough MA 01532508-393-4775

copeland1junocom

Phil Coulson28415 Springbrook Dr

Lawton MI 49065269-624-6490

rcoulson516cscom

Dale A Gustafson7724 Shady Hills Dr

Indianapolis IN 46278317-293-4430

dalefayemsncom

Jeannie HillPO Box 328

Harvard IL 60033-0328815-943-7205

Espie ldquoButchrdquo Joyce704 N Regional Rd

Greensboro NC 27409336-668-3650

windsockaolcom

Steve Krog1002 Heather Ln

Hartford WI 53027262-966-7627sskrogaolcom

Robert D ldquoBobrdquo Lumley1265 South 124th StBrookfield WI 53005

262-782-2633rlumley1wirrcom

SH ldquoWesrdquo Schmid2359 Lefeber Avenue

Wauwatosa WI 53213414-771-1545

shschmidgmailcom

Robert C Brauer9345 S Hoyne

Chicago IL 60643773-779-2105

photopilotaolcom

Gene Chase2159 Carlton Rd

Oshkosh WI 54904920-231-5002

GRCHAcharternet

Ronald C Fritz15401 Sparta Ave

Kent City MI 49330616-678-5012

rFritzpathwaynet com

Charlie HarrisPO Box 470350Tulsa OK 74147

918-622-8400cwhhvsucom

EE ldquoBuckrdquo Hilbert8102 Leech RdUnion IL 60180

815-923-4591buck7acgmailcom

Gene Morris5936 Steve Court

Roanoke TX 76262817-491-9110

genemor rischarter net

Membership Services DirectoryEnjoy the many benefits of EAA and

EAArsquos Vintage Aircraft Association

EAA Aviation Center PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086Phone (920) 426-4800 Fax (920) 426-4873Web Sites wwwvintageaircraftorg wwwairventureorg wwweaaorgmemberbenefits E-Mail vintageaircrafteaaorg

EAA and Division Membership Services (800 AMndash600 PM MondayndashFriday CST)800-564-6322 FAX 920-426-4873 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

bullNewrenew memberships bullAddress changes bullMerchandise sales bullGift memberships

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 888-322-4636 wwwairventureorg airventureeaaorg

Sport PilotLight-Sport Aircraft Hotline 877-359-1232 wwwsportpilotorg sportpiloteaaorg

Programs and Activities

Auto Fuel STCs 920-426-4843 stceaaorg EAA Air Academy 920-426-6880 wwwairacademyorg airacademyeaaorg

EAA Scholarships 920-426-6823 scholarshipseaaorg

Library ServicesResearch 920-426-4848 slurveyeaaorg

Benefits

AUA Vintage Insurance Plan 800-727-3823 wwwauaonlinecom

EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan 866-647-4322 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

EAA VISA Card 800-853-5576 ext 8884

EAA Her tz Rent-A-Car Program 800-654-2200 wwweaaorghertz membershipeaaorg

VAA EditorialExecutive Director 920-426-4825 wwwvintageaircraftorg vintageeaaorg

VAA Office 920-426-6110 tbookseaaorg

TM

EAA Members Information Line 888-EAA-INFO (322-4636)

Use this toll-free number for information about AirVenture Oshkosh aeromedical and technical aviation questions

chapters and Young Eagles Please have your membership number ready when calling

Office hours are 815 am - 500 pm (Monday - Friday CST)

SecretarySteve Nesse

2009 Highland AveAlbert Lea MN 56007

507-373-1674

stnes2009livecom

TreasurerDan Knutson

106 Tena Marie CircleLodi WI 53555608-592-7224

lodicubcharternet

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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If yoursquove ever watched fish in

an aquarium yoursquove probably no-

ticed how they respond differently

to their surroundings There are

those that zip around the tank in a

mad dash to nowhere Some seem

to sit and not go much of any-

where and some will swim f romone end to the other turn around

and do it again

The latter are the ones that remind

me of myself I seem to fly in a fish-

bowl I go from one end of our val-

proficient by practicing things we

know over and over or it can make

us lazy When something becomes

so ingrained that we do it from habit

only we may not be thinking about

what wersquore doing

On a night cross-country some

time ago I found out just how easyit is to forget things that I hadnrsquot

used in a while While night may be

a little more challenging it still re-

quires the basic pre-flight planning

of any cross-country and following

whether I go far or stay in the com-

fort zone I canrsquot let complacency take

over Those skills and experiences

need to be stretched from time to

time regardless of where I fly An un-

expected situation or emergency is a

bad time to find out I donrsquot remem-

ber how to do somethingComplacency also allows fear

to creep in where it doesnrsquot belong

Some fear (I think) is a natural part of

flying but it can also unnecessarily

keep us grounded because we wonrsquot

BY S MICHELLE SOUDER

Flying Outside

the Fishbowl

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Itrsquos gonna be a big year at Oshk osh

B-29 Superfortress ldquoFIFIrdquo

The first visit since 1995for the worldrsquos only airworthyB-29 Superfortress

REO SpeedwagonOshkosh rocks Monday duringthe opening day concert presentedby Ford Motor Company

Tribute to Bob HooverTuesday afternoon air showfeaturing aircraft and maneuvershe made legendary

eVentureInnovation will be on displayand in the air with the ElectricFlight Prize Competition

Join us for a week-long celebration of the Centennial of Naval Aviationincluding a special air show Wednesday See the hottest naval aircraftin historic colors all week on ConocoPhillips Plaza

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Page 27: Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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When Albert Vollmecke joined

Arkansas Aircraft Company in Sep-tember 1927 he brought fresh ideas

from his native Germany regarding

aircraft design stability and safety

He would on occasion return to

Germany to bring back something

new for the company In 1928 Ar-

kansas Aircraft Company changed

its name to Command-Aire Incor-porated and the production run

of new ships increased in its Little

Rock Arkansas plant

After one such visit to Ger-

many Vollmecke returned with

the rights to import and sell the

PHYLAX fire-extinguisher system

patented (GB 0267542) March 10

1926 and manufactured in Berlinby Phylax Feuerlosch-Automaten-

Bau GmbH The PHYLAX fire-

extinguisher system consisted of

a tank containing the extinguish-

ing liquid From the tank which

BY ROBERT G LOCK

Early 1047297re-extinguishing system

THE Vintage

Mechanic

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advertisement from AVIATION

November 1928 using the OX-5

powered model 3C3 ship to dem-

onstrate the system

The PHYLAX system consisted

of a pressurized tank of fluid with

associated lines and nozzles lead-

ing to the engine compartment of

the ship Note here that the unit

is manufactured in t he United

States by the Aero Supply Man-

ufacturing Company located in

Long Island New York The cost

of the unit is $70 in this May 1929

advertisement in an aviation mag-

azine Illustration 2 shows the

manufacturerrsquos advertisement for

the product

In a letter dated April 10 1929

Mr Wiley Wright assistant sales

director for Command-Aire Incor-

porated wrote

ldquoCommand-Aire Incorporated

acquired the exclusive franchise

rights for PHYLAX automatic fire

extinguishers in the United States

Mexico and Central America This

extinguisher is the only automatic

fire extinguisher available and is

standard equipment on many Eu-

ropean lines It is manufactured

by PHYLAX Bau of Germany and

is receiving great response in the

United States at the present timerdquo

In this factory Illustration 3

and from the files of Albert Voll-

mecke is a 110-hp Warner engine

mounted in the Command-Aire

model 3C3-A ship Note the en-

gine cowling being neatly fitted

around cylinders and associated

tubes The 3C3-A had a very longnose due to its light weight ne-

ce s s i ta t ing a longer a rm f or

weight and balance control In

this photo the PHYLAX sprinkler

heads are visible behind the mag-

netos down near the carburetor

and behind the oil inlet hoses on

the accessory case of the engineIllustration 3 is an original fac-

tory photograph of the PHYLAX

system installed in the nose of a

model 3C3-A

Illustration 4 is the same photo-

graph with some details removed

and other details added princi-

pally the identification of the PHY-LAX automatic fuse that fired the

bottle of extinguishing fluid and

the sprinkler heads These illustra-

tions taken from a Command-Aire

original factory brochure from the

files of Albert Vollmecke

Illustration 5 on page 27 is a

sketch from the PHYLAX patent

0267542 dated March 10 1926A general description of the PHY-

LAX system is contained within

the patent and states ldquoThe inven-

tion relates to a fire extinguishing

device intended for use particu-

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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not indicate what type of extinguishing fluid was

contained within the tank however soda-acid was

widely used in those days and carbon tetrachloridewas invented in 1912 by the Pyrene Company

In a communication from Command-Aire Pres-

ident Robert Snowden regarding the purchase of

stock options in the company he states ldquoOur ex-

clusive franchise for the sale of Phylax automatic

Illustration 3

Illustration 4

Illustration 5

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homeland on a regular basis and

always brought back some new in-

vention or new ideas on design andsafety This system was certainly

ahead of its time safety-wise and a

credit to Vollmeckersquos focus on sta-

bility and safety for his designs

Above in this original factory

photograph (Illustration 6) of a

Command-Aire 3C3-T fuselage on

the assembly line at the Little Rock

plant the PHYLAX system can beseen mounted in the rear cock-

pit just behind the front seat in

the center of the photograph The

chemical bottles with two lines

tied to the side tubes run forward

Illustration 6

Pyrene 1047297re extinguishers

were made of brass and

were nicely polished

They were not high-pressure units

but required the use of a hand pump

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Pyrene fire extinguishers were

made of brass and were nicely pol-

ished They were not high-pressureunits but required the use of a

hand pump to generate pressure

to expel liquid from the cylinder

These extinguishers were gener-

ally mounted in the rear cockpit

ton or linen fabric and the only

dope available was cellulose ni-

trate that burned like a torch when

lit Watching nitrate dope burn

reminded me of a Fourth of July

sparkler very intense and hot If

a nitrate-doped ship caught fire in

the air there was no extinguisher

that would put out the flames

The PHYLAX system had an auto-

matic sensor that would trigger the

bottlersquos valve open and send the

chemical into the engine compart-

ment The Pyrene extinguisher wasmore for ground use because you

could not operate the bottle and

fly the airplane at the same time

By todayrsquos standards these ex-

tinguishing systems seem ar-

chaic but for the time back in

the 1920s they were the thing to

have in your automobile boator airplane

Editorrsquos Note WARNING An-

tique carbon tetrachloride fire extin-

guishers like the Pyrene occasionally

show up either contaminated with

the original agent or worse yet with

the full charge of agent still inside

Carbon tet is treated as a hazard-

ous substance (its use was banned

in consumer products in 1970) and

should be dealt with accordingly

In fact carbon tetrachloride when

heated by a fire will create poison-

ous phosgene gas (World War Irsquos

ldquonerve gasrdquo) something that would

definitely ruin someonersquos day if the

fire hadnrsquot done so already In its

standard form this substance is verytoxic to the liver and a single signifi-

cant exposure can result in sickness

or death

L a n g l ey may have been the

f h f i i i b

last and last The instruction

l i l d f

1903 Samuel Pierpont Langleyrsquos ldquoAerodromerdquoattempts to take off from a floating platform

Have a comment or ques-

tion for Bob Lock the Vintage

Mechanic Drop us an e-mail at

vintageaircrafteaaorg or you

can mail your question to Vintage

Airplane PO Box 3086 Osh-

kosh WI 54903

Illustration 7

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Authorrsquos Note We held a small open house at the

flight school hangar this past Saturday Though the

weather was not conducive to give many rides we still

had about 60 people show up enjoy a brat or ham-

burger and talk about flying or learning to fly Interest

in flying is not dead One of my pet peeves is how we

in general aviation go about attracting individuals tolearn the pleasure of flight

Nearly every aviation publication I read carries ar-

ticles and editorials about the downward spiral of gen-

eral aviation Flight schools are having a hard time

attracting new students ldquoDoom and gloomrdquo reigns

with little positive to report on the horizon This al-

ways reminds me of the proverbial three wise mon-keys who embody the principle ldquoSee no evil hear no

evil and speak no evilrdquo We all complain about the

problem but no one ever offers solutions It seems as

though by not doing anything about the challenge it

will eventually go away and right itself

Many of the aviation organizations are wringing

their respective hands giving great lip service to the

drop in pilot numbers Some like EAA have launched

activities to attract new pilots such as the Young Ea-gles program This has been a good start but it will not

fill the ever-increasing void for more pilots

What are we all missing FUN

Four years ago I chose early retirement from a 38-

The student make-up is a real cross-section of Amer-

ica My youngest student to date began flight lessons

at age 14 and the oldest was 77 years young Irsquove men-

tioned some of my students in previous articles At

yearrsquos end 2010 while converting our student files

from paper to computer I was amazed to discover that

in the previous two years I had given instruction tomore than 200 individuals Some were new students

others were individuals in search of a tailwheel en-

dorsement and many were older individuals who had

pursued flight training early in their lives but gave it

up to raise a family Now they had the time and still re-

tained the burning desire to get back into flying What

attracted these individuals to the flight school FUN

And thefun

challenge of flying J-3 Cubs

Herersquos a small cross-section of this yearrsquos group

of students

bullA retired US Navy lieutenant who flew F-4 Phan-

toms off carriers in Vietnam He hasnrsquot done any fly-

ing in more than 10 years but hersquos been building a

Skybolt which will soon be finished and hersquos return-

ing to his lifelong lovemdashaviation He also has two

young sons who want to fly and will soon be joining

the group of student pilotsbullA young CPA from Iowa whose grandfather was a

friend of Bernie Pietenpol and who has built two Piets

The CPA used two weeks of his vacation time to learn

to fly so that he can fly the airplane(s) that his grandfa-

ther built and take his grandfather for a ride

BY Steve Krog CFI

THE Vintage

Instructor

Vintage flying is very much alive

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Cubs flying every day he decided to pursue his pas-

sion for flight

bullA national chain hardware store employee who

has had a dream of flying driving nearly two hours

each way to learn to fly in a Cub

bullAn aviation writervideo producer who already has

a sport pilot certificate but desires to obtain a private

pilot certificate and do so in Cubs

bullA 30-something young family man who sells

construction equipment attachments While deer

hunting a year ago he learned one of his hunting

friends had recently learned to fly in Cubs For three

days they talked airplanes and flying rather than do-

ing much hunting Upon his return from the hunt-ing trip he drove to the airport and signed up for

lessons in the Cub

bullA professional musician from the Chicago area

who always wanted to learn to fly Although not yet

old enough to have a true ldquobucket listrdquo learning to fly

a Cub was number one on his list

With two exceptions these individuals had never

before flown or flown in tailwheel airplanes but alwayshad a dream of learning to fly in a Cubmdashjust like dad

or granddad did many years ago

Although no one in this group comes from simi-

lar backgrounds or professions there is one common

denominator among every studentmdashFUN None of

these students are learning to fly to pursue a career

in aviation (although Irsquove worked with a couple who

have done so) Rather they are learning to fly or get-

ting back into flying for the FUN and CHALLENGE of

flight They all have a true love of flight and seeing the

world from 500 feet with the door and window open

I have also worked with a number of students who

began taking flight lessons but quit after a period of

time They still had the passion for flight but gave it

up When asked why the responses fell into one of the

following four categories

bullI began taking lessons but after three or four les-sons Irsquod be assigned to a different instructor After 30

hours of dual three instructors and still not having

soloed I quit

bullThe instructor wasnrsquot teaching me anything He

was more interested in building time than teaching

Take a moment and think about how you first be-

came interested in airplanes What triggered your

pursuit of learning to fly Did you have a buddy or

maybe a family friend who encouraged you Or even

became a mentor Do you remember your first flight

lesson Do you remember the day you made your

first solo flight

Remember that passion and sense of accomplish-

ment Donrsquot hesitate to share it with anyone express-

ing an interest in learning to fly

At Cub Air Flight we sell FUN When individuals

visit the airport to inquire about learning to fly we

know they have made the commitment in their own

mind It then becomes our responsibility to makethe visit friendly A friendly environment is a FUN

environment Kids are always welcome If a prospec-

tive student has children with him or her we invite

the kids to sit in the planes At the conclusion of our

discussion we emphasize the following statement If

you learn to fly with us it will be FUN CHALLENG-

ING and SAFE

I donrsquot believe there is a shortage of pilot prospectsbut there is a shortage in how we all go about attract-

ing these people to become active participants in plea-

sure flying Remember flying is FUN Letrsquos make an

effort to help others share in that FUN

AERO CLASSICldquoCOLLECTOR SERIESrdquo

Vintage Tires New USA Production

Show off your pride and joy with afresh set of Vintage Rubber Thesenewly minted tires are FAA-TSOrsquodand speed rated to 120 MPH Some

things are better left the way theywere and in the 40rsquos and 50rsquos these tires were perfectly intune to the exciting times in aviation

Not only do these tires set your vintage plane apart fromthe rest but also look exceptional on all General Aviationaircraft Deep 832nd tread depth offers above averagetread life and UV treated rubber resists aging

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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We enjoy your suggestions for

Mystery Planesmdashin fact more than

half of our subjects are sent to us by

members often via e-mail Please

remember that if you want to scan

the photo for use in Mystery Plane

it must be at a resolution of 300 dpior greater You may send a lower-

resolution version to us for our re-

view but the final version has to be

at that level of detail or it will not

print properly Also please let us

craft in the photo is of Canadian civil

registry CF-BXO formerly Royal Cana-

dian Air Force (RCAF) 920 This photo-

graph would have been taken at some

time between 1962 and 1967 after an

overhaul at Abbotsford British Colum-

bia (BC) and possibly while in servicewith Stranraer Aerial Enterprises The

location strongly resembles the Fraser

River dockings at the Vancouver air-

port The aircraft had undergone a re-

spray with a bright red cheat line The

(beaching gear required) for the Royal Air

Force (RAF) in 1933 The prototype first

flew in October 1934 with two Bristol

Pegasus IIIM engines rated at 820 hp

The production aircraft were delivered to

the RAF with Pegasus engines delivering

920 hp entering service in April 1937The British-built machines of which 23

were ordered and only 17 being built

were all delivered by April 1939

In Canada Canadian Vickers Lim-

ited of Montreal Quebec produced 40

Send your answer to EAA Vin-

tage Airplane PO Box 3086 Osh-

kosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer

needs to be in no later than August

20 for inclusion in the October

2011 issue of Vintage Airplane

You can also send your response via

e-mail Send your answer to mystery

planeeaaorg Be sure to include your

name plus your city and state in the

body of your note and put ldquo(Month)

Mystery Planerdquo in the subject line

This monthrsquos Mystery Plane comes to us from Bruce Voran

MYSTERY PLANE

by HG FRAUTSCHY

A P R I L rsquo S M Y S T E RY A N S W E R

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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QCA began buying several examplesand was instrumental in convincing

the Canadian Department of Transport

(DOT) to issue a civilian Certificate of

Airworthiness (C of A) One of the first

aircraft so issued was CF-BYI which be-

1980 the Canadian Museum of Flightand Transportation in BC salvaged the

wreck for possible restoration As late as

April 1952 QCA still had two Stranraer

in service CF-BXO and CF-BYM Pacific

Western Airlines (PWA) also operated

Two RAF Belfast freighters were dis-

patched and the disassembled aircraft

was transported to the United Kingdomwhere the machine is currently one of the

centerpieces of the collection

The aircraft type had many names

The most familiar (and printable) were

Stranny Strainer and Flying Meccano

Set The least affectionate was the Whis-

tling Shouse as when the lid to the

throne was lifted there was direct access

to the great outdoors and there emitted a

loud whistling noise

Other correct answers were re-

ceived from Hillis Cunliffe Mill-

brook Alabama Brian Baker Sun

City Arizona Wesley R Smith

Springfield Illinois John White-

head Cheyenne Wyoming ScottChurch Cochrane Alberta Can-

ada Jay Broze Walla Walla Wash-

ington Jerry Paterson Kent

Washington Jamie Patterson Mi-

ramichi New Brunswick Canada

Bill Bishop of Mulgoa New South Wales Australia sent along this photo

of the surviving Supermarine Stranraer

David Nixon supplied us with the April Mystery Plane shot of CF-BXO

a Canadian Vickers-built Supermarine Stranraer

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3644

urday 8 am until 6 pm Early-bird

arrivals can shop on the pre-conven-

tion weekend as well during limited

hours Show your VAA membership

card (or your receipt showing you

joined VAA at the convention) and

yoursquoll receive a 10 percent discount

VAA Volunteer Opportunities

Are you an ace pancake flipperIf yoursquore not one yet we can help

The VAA Tall Pines Cafeacute is looking

for volunteers who can help provide

a hearty breakfast to all the hungry

campers on the south end of Witt-

man Field If you could lend a hand

for a morning or two wersquod appreci-

ate it If thatrsquos not your cup of tea feelfree to check with the VAA Volunteer

Center located just to the northeast

of the VAA Red Barn The volun-

teers who operate the booth will be

happy to tell you when your help is

needed each day It doesnrsquot matter if

itrsquos just for a few hours or for a few

daysmdashwersquod love to have your help-

ing hands There is no need for you

to contact us ahead of time you can

talk with us when you arrive

VAA Judging Categoriesand Awards

The VAArsquos internationally recog-

nized judging categories are

bullAntique Aircraft built prior toSeptember 1 1945

bullClassic September 1 1945 - De-

cember 31 1955

bullContemporary January 1 1956

- December 31 1970

VAA NEWScontinued frpm page 5

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3744

the award winners Judging closes at noon on Friday

July 29 The Awards Ceremony will be held Saturday

evening July 30 at 6 pm in the Vintage Hangar

just south of the VAA Red Barn

Designated Smoking Areas Near FlightlineSmoking on the flightline at EAA AirVenture is prohib-

ited because itrsquos a hazard to all aircraft There are several

designated smoking areas with butt cans along the flight-

line well away from aircraft and refueling operations

Designated smoking areas will be south of the ultra-light runway near the Hangar Cafeacute near the Warbirdsarea (northeast corner of Audrey Lane and Eide Av-

enue) the Wearhouse flag pole area the shade pavil-ion north of the control tower and near the UltralightBarn Locations will be indicated on EAArsquos free con-vention grounds map The admission wristband alsoinstructs visitors that smoking is allowed only in desig-nated smoking areas

More on the Web

Visit wwwAirVentureorg for more information onEAA AirVenture 2011

EAA AirVenture Is Almost Here Are You Ready

Just a few short weeks from now many of you will

make the annual pilgrimage to Oshkosh for EAA Air-

Venture 2011 Are you ready Here are several handy

online tools on the AirVenture website that can help

you take care of any last-minute concerns

Visit wwwAirVentureorg and find out what you

need to know about The Worldrsquos Greatest Avia-

tion Celebration

Admission Parking Hours

wwwAirVentureorgplanningadmissionhtml

Find or Share a Ride to Oshkosh

wwwAirVentureorgrideshare

Site Map

wwwAirVentureorgplanningschedules_mapshtml

Where to Stay

Yoursquore cleared to stay connected

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3844

ship services at 800-564-6322 but

given the time from when you read

this until AirVenture it may not ar-

rive in the mail in time for your de-

parture We suggest downloading

the NOTAM

The NOTAM contains the specialflight procedures in effect for Witt-

man Regional Airport and alternate

airports from 6 am CDT on Friday

July 22 to 12 pm CDT on Mon-

day August 1 2011 All pilots who

fly into the event are expected to

know the special flight procedures

prior to arrival EAA AirVenture Os-

hkosh runs from July 25 through

July 31 For additional EAA AirVen-

ture Oshkosh 2011 information

visit wwwAirVentureorg

Call for VAA Hall of

Fame Nominations

To the left is our information

for nominations for VAArsquos Hallof Fame which is presented each

year during a special dinner This

yearrsquos dinner will be held Friday

October 28 Wersquoll have more on

this yearrsquos inductee John Under-

To nominate someone is easy It just takes a little time and a little reminiscing on your part

Mail nominating materials to

Remember your ldquocontemporaryrdquo may be a candidate nominate someone today

wwwVintageAircraftorg

CALL FOR VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

Nominations

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3944

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

Wit tman Regional A i rpor t (OSH)

Oshkosh Wisconsin

July 25-31 2011

wwwAirVentureorg

Colorado Sport International Air Show

and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In

Rocky Mountain Met ropol i tan A irpor t (BJC)

Denver Colorado

August 27-28 2011

wwwCOSportAviationorg

Mid-Eastern Regional Fly-In

Gr imes F ie ld A irpor t (I74)

Urbana Ohio

September 10-11 2011

httpMERFIcom

Copperstate Fly-In

Casa Grande Munic ipal A i rpor t (CGZ)

Casa Grande Ar izona

Upcoming Major

Fly-Ins

W I N

Only 2000 ticketswill be sold1 ticket $50

3 tickets $125

Piper Tri-Pacer Airplane

Free Flying Lessons

Free Pilot License

Country Legend Roy Clarkrsquos Personal Proceeds fromthis raffle

SAVEAMERICANKIDS LIVES

wwwwingsofhoperaffleorg

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4044

MISCELLANEOUS

wwwaerolistorg Aviationsrsquo Leading

Marketplace

Rare find Lycoming 0-145 partsinventory blocks bearings rings

shafts amp much more $20000

at 1970 prices $5000 Six four

cylinder case aircraft magnetos

$300 Call for more details (FL)

VINTAGETRADER

Someth ing t o buyse l l o r t rade

Classified Word Ads $550 per 10

words 180 words maximum with boldface

lead-in on first line

Classified Display Ads One column wide

(2167 inches) by 1 2 or 3 inches high at

$20 per inch Black and white only and nofrequency discounts

Advertising Closing Dates 10th of second

month prior to desired issue date (ie

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 (classads

eaaorg ) using credit card payment (all cards

accepted) Include name on card complete

address type of card card number and

expiration date Make checks payable to EAA

Address advertising correspondence to EAA

Publications Classified Ad Manager PO Box

3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

What Our Members

Are Restoring

Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done and

yoursquore busy flying and showing it off If so wersquod like to hear from

you Send us a 4-by-6-inch print from a commercial source (no

home printers please those prints just donrsquot scan well) or a

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4144

EAAMembership in the Experimental Aircraft

Association Inc is $40 for one year includ-ing 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION Familymembership is an additional $10 annually Allmajor credit cards accepted for membership(Add $16 for International Postage)

FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPSPlease submit your remittance with a

check or draft drawn on a United Statesbank payable in United States dollars Addrequired Foreign Postage amount for eachmembership

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATIONCurrent EAA members may join the

Vintage Aircraft Association and receive

year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not included)(Add $7 for International Postage)

WARBIRDSCurrent EAA members may join the EAA

Warbirds of America Division and receiveWARBIRDS magazine for an additional$45 per year

EAA Membership WARBIRDS mag-azine and one year membership in theWarbirds Division is available for $55 per

year (SPORT OficAVIATION magazinenot included) (Add $7 for Interna-tional Postage)

IACCurrent EAA members may join the

International Aerobatic Club Inc Divi-sion and receive SPORT AEROBATICS magazine for an additional $45 per year

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

VINTAGE

AIRCRAFT

ASSOCIATION

OFFICERS

DIRECTORS

DIRECTORS

EMERITUS

PresidentGeoff Robison

1521 E MacGregor DrNew Haven IN 46774

260-493-4724chief7025aolcom

Vice-PresidentGeorge Daubner

N57W34837 Pondview LnOconomowoc WI 53066

262-560-1949 gdaubnereaaorg

Steve Bender85 Brush Hill Road

Sherborn MA 01770508-653-7557

sst10comcastnet

David Bennett375 Killdeer Ct

Lincoln CA 95648916-952-9449

antiquerinreachcom

Jerry Brown4605 Hickory Wood Row

Greenwood IN 46143317-422-9366

lbrown4906aolcom

Dave Clark635 Vestal Lane

Plainfield IN 46168317-839-4500davecpdattnet

John S Copeland1A Deacon Street

Northborough MA 01532508-393-4775

copeland1junocom

Phil Coulson28415 Springbrook Dr

Lawton MI 49065269-624-6490

rcoulson516cscom

Dale A Gustafson7724 Shady Hills Dr

Indianapolis IN 46278317-293-4430

dalefayemsncom

Jeannie HillPO Box 328

Harvard IL 60033-0328815-943-7205

Espie ldquoButchrdquo Joyce704 N Regional Rd

Greensboro NC 27409336-668-3650

windsockaolcom

Steve Krog1002 Heather Ln

Hartford WI 53027262-966-7627sskrogaolcom

Robert D ldquoBobrdquo Lumley1265 South 124th StBrookfield WI 53005

262-782-2633rlumley1wirrcom

SH ldquoWesrdquo Schmid2359 Lefeber Avenue

Wauwatosa WI 53213414-771-1545

shschmidgmailcom

Robert C Brauer9345 S Hoyne

Chicago IL 60643773-779-2105

photopilotaolcom

Gene Chase2159 Carlton Rd

Oshkosh WI 54904920-231-5002

GRCHAcharternet

Ronald C Fritz15401 Sparta Ave

Kent City MI 49330616-678-5012

rFritzpathwaynet com

Charlie HarrisPO Box 470350Tulsa OK 74147

918-622-8400cwhhvsucom

EE ldquoBuckrdquo Hilbert8102 Leech RdUnion IL 60180

815-923-4591buck7acgmailcom

Gene Morris5936 Steve Court

Roanoke TX 76262817-491-9110

genemor rischarter net

Membership Services DirectoryEnjoy the many benefits of EAA and

EAArsquos Vintage Aircraft Association

EAA Aviation Center PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086Phone (920) 426-4800 Fax (920) 426-4873Web Sites wwwvintageaircraftorg wwwairventureorg wwweaaorgmemberbenefits E-Mail vintageaircrafteaaorg

EAA and Division Membership Services (800 AMndash600 PM MondayndashFriday CST)800-564-6322 FAX 920-426-4873 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

bullNewrenew memberships bullAddress changes bullMerchandise sales bullGift memberships

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 888-322-4636 wwwairventureorg airventureeaaorg

Sport PilotLight-Sport Aircraft Hotline 877-359-1232 wwwsportpilotorg sportpiloteaaorg

Programs and Activities

Auto Fuel STCs 920-426-4843 stceaaorg EAA Air Academy 920-426-6880 wwwairacademyorg airacademyeaaorg

EAA Scholarships 920-426-6823 scholarshipseaaorg

Library ServicesResearch 920-426-4848 slurveyeaaorg

Benefits

AUA Vintage Insurance Plan 800-727-3823 wwwauaonlinecom

EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan 866-647-4322 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

EAA VISA Card 800-853-5576 ext 8884

EAA Her tz Rent-A-Car Program 800-654-2200 wwweaaorghertz membershipeaaorg

VAA EditorialExecutive Director 920-426-4825 wwwvintageaircraftorg vintageeaaorg

VAA Office 920-426-6110 tbookseaaorg

TM

EAA Members Information Line 888-EAA-INFO (322-4636)

Use this toll-free number for information about AirVenture Oshkosh aeromedical and technical aviation questions

chapters and Young Eagles Please have your membership number ready when calling

Office hours are 815 am - 500 pm (Monday - Friday CST)

SecretarySteve Nesse

2009 Highland AveAlbert Lea MN 56007

507-373-1674

stnes2009livecom

TreasurerDan Knutson

106 Tena Marie CircleLodi WI 53555608-592-7224

lodicubcharternet

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4244

If yoursquove ever watched fish in

an aquarium yoursquove probably no-

ticed how they respond differently

to their surroundings There are

those that zip around the tank in a

mad dash to nowhere Some seem

to sit and not go much of any-

where and some will swim f romone end to the other turn around

and do it again

The latter are the ones that remind

me of myself I seem to fly in a fish-

bowl I go from one end of our val-

proficient by practicing things we

know over and over or it can make

us lazy When something becomes

so ingrained that we do it from habit

only we may not be thinking about

what wersquore doing

On a night cross-country some

time ago I found out just how easyit is to forget things that I hadnrsquot

used in a while While night may be

a little more challenging it still re-

quires the basic pre-flight planning

of any cross-country and following

whether I go far or stay in the com-

fort zone I canrsquot let complacency take

over Those skills and experiences

need to be stretched from time to

time regardless of where I fly An un-

expected situation or emergency is a

bad time to find out I donrsquot remem-

ber how to do somethingComplacency also allows fear

to creep in where it doesnrsquot belong

Some fear (I think) is a natural part of

flying but it can also unnecessarily

keep us grounded because we wonrsquot

BY S MICHELLE SOUDER

Flying Outside

the Fishbowl

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Itrsquos gonna be a big year at Oshk osh

B-29 Superfortress ldquoFIFIrdquo

The first visit since 1995for the worldrsquos only airworthyB-29 Superfortress

REO SpeedwagonOshkosh rocks Monday duringthe opening day concert presentedby Ford Motor Company

Tribute to Bob HooverTuesday afternoon air showfeaturing aircraft and maneuvershe made legendary

eVentureInnovation will be on displayand in the air with the ElectricFlight Prize Competition

Join us for a week-long celebration of the Centennial of Naval Aviationincluding a special air show Wednesday See the hottest naval aircraftin historic colors all week on ConocoPhillips Plaza

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Page 28: Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2844

advertisement from AVIATION

November 1928 using the OX-5

powered model 3C3 ship to dem-

onstrate the system

The PHYLAX system consisted

of a pressurized tank of fluid with

associated lines and nozzles lead-

ing to the engine compartment of

the ship Note here that the unit

is manufactured in t he United

States by the Aero Supply Man-

ufacturing Company located in

Long Island New York The cost

of the unit is $70 in this May 1929

advertisement in an aviation mag-

azine Illustration 2 shows the

manufacturerrsquos advertisement for

the product

In a letter dated April 10 1929

Mr Wiley Wright assistant sales

director for Command-Aire Incor-

porated wrote

ldquoCommand-Aire Incorporated

acquired the exclusive franchise

rights for PHYLAX automatic fire

extinguishers in the United States

Mexico and Central America This

extinguisher is the only automatic

fire extinguisher available and is

standard equipment on many Eu-

ropean lines It is manufactured

by PHYLAX Bau of Germany and

is receiving great response in the

United States at the present timerdquo

In this factory Illustration 3

and from the files of Albert Voll-

mecke is a 110-hp Warner engine

mounted in the Command-Aire

model 3C3-A ship Note the en-

gine cowling being neatly fitted

around cylinders and associated

tubes The 3C3-A had a very longnose due to its light weight ne-

ce s s i ta t ing a longer a rm f or

weight and balance control In

this photo the PHYLAX sprinkler

heads are visible behind the mag-

netos down near the carburetor

and behind the oil inlet hoses on

the accessory case of the engineIllustration 3 is an original fac-

tory photograph of the PHYLAX

system installed in the nose of a

model 3C3-A

Illustration 4 is the same photo-

graph with some details removed

and other details added princi-

pally the identification of the PHY-LAX automatic fuse that fired the

bottle of extinguishing fluid and

the sprinkler heads These illustra-

tions taken from a Command-Aire

original factory brochure from the

files of Albert Vollmecke

Illustration 5 on page 27 is a

sketch from the PHYLAX patent

0267542 dated March 10 1926A general description of the PHY-

LAX system is contained within

the patent and states ldquoThe inven-

tion relates to a fire extinguishing

device intended for use particu-

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 2944

not indicate what type of extinguishing fluid was

contained within the tank however soda-acid was

widely used in those days and carbon tetrachloridewas invented in 1912 by the Pyrene Company

In a communication from Command-Aire Pres-

ident Robert Snowden regarding the purchase of

stock options in the company he states ldquoOur ex-

clusive franchise for the sale of Phylax automatic

Illustration 3

Illustration 4

Illustration 5

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3044

homeland on a regular basis and

always brought back some new in-

vention or new ideas on design andsafety This system was certainly

ahead of its time safety-wise and a

credit to Vollmeckersquos focus on sta-

bility and safety for his designs

Above in this original factory

photograph (Illustration 6) of a

Command-Aire 3C3-T fuselage on

the assembly line at the Little Rock

plant the PHYLAX system can beseen mounted in the rear cock-

pit just behind the front seat in

the center of the photograph The

chemical bottles with two lines

tied to the side tubes run forward

Illustration 6

Pyrene 1047297re extinguishers

were made of brass and

were nicely polished

They were not high-pressure units

but required the use of a hand pump

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Pyrene fire extinguishers were

made of brass and were nicely pol-

ished They were not high-pressureunits but required the use of a

hand pump to generate pressure

to expel liquid from the cylinder

These extinguishers were gener-

ally mounted in the rear cockpit

ton or linen fabric and the only

dope available was cellulose ni-

trate that burned like a torch when

lit Watching nitrate dope burn

reminded me of a Fourth of July

sparkler very intense and hot If

a nitrate-doped ship caught fire in

the air there was no extinguisher

that would put out the flames

The PHYLAX system had an auto-

matic sensor that would trigger the

bottlersquos valve open and send the

chemical into the engine compart-

ment The Pyrene extinguisher wasmore for ground use because you

could not operate the bottle and

fly the airplane at the same time

By todayrsquos standards these ex-

tinguishing systems seem ar-

chaic but for the time back in

the 1920s they were the thing to

have in your automobile boator airplane

Editorrsquos Note WARNING An-

tique carbon tetrachloride fire extin-

guishers like the Pyrene occasionally

show up either contaminated with

the original agent or worse yet with

the full charge of agent still inside

Carbon tet is treated as a hazard-

ous substance (its use was banned

in consumer products in 1970) and

should be dealt with accordingly

In fact carbon tetrachloride when

heated by a fire will create poison-

ous phosgene gas (World War Irsquos

ldquonerve gasrdquo) something that would

definitely ruin someonersquos day if the

fire hadnrsquot done so already In its

standard form this substance is verytoxic to the liver and a single signifi-

cant exposure can result in sickness

or death

L a n g l ey may have been the

f h f i i i b

last and last The instruction

l i l d f

1903 Samuel Pierpont Langleyrsquos ldquoAerodromerdquoattempts to take off from a floating platform

Have a comment or ques-

tion for Bob Lock the Vintage

Mechanic Drop us an e-mail at

vintageaircrafteaaorg or you

can mail your question to Vintage

Airplane PO Box 3086 Osh-

kosh WI 54903

Illustration 7

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Authorrsquos Note We held a small open house at the

flight school hangar this past Saturday Though the

weather was not conducive to give many rides we still

had about 60 people show up enjoy a brat or ham-

burger and talk about flying or learning to fly Interest

in flying is not dead One of my pet peeves is how we

in general aviation go about attracting individuals tolearn the pleasure of flight

Nearly every aviation publication I read carries ar-

ticles and editorials about the downward spiral of gen-

eral aviation Flight schools are having a hard time

attracting new students ldquoDoom and gloomrdquo reigns

with little positive to report on the horizon This al-

ways reminds me of the proverbial three wise mon-keys who embody the principle ldquoSee no evil hear no

evil and speak no evilrdquo We all complain about the

problem but no one ever offers solutions It seems as

though by not doing anything about the challenge it

will eventually go away and right itself

Many of the aviation organizations are wringing

their respective hands giving great lip service to the

drop in pilot numbers Some like EAA have launched

activities to attract new pilots such as the Young Ea-gles program This has been a good start but it will not

fill the ever-increasing void for more pilots

What are we all missing FUN

Four years ago I chose early retirement from a 38-

The student make-up is a real cross-section of Amer-

ica My youngest student to date began flight lessons

at age 14 and the oldest was 77 years young Irsquove men-

tioned some of my students in previous articles At

yearrsquos end 2010 while converting our student files

from paper to computer I was amazed to discover that

in the previous two years I had given instruction tomore than 200 individuals Some were new students

others were individuals in search of a tailwheel en-

dorsement and many were older individuals who had

pursued flight training early in their lives but gave it

up to raise a family Now they had the time and still re-

tained the burning desire to get back into flying What

attracted these individuals to the flight school FUN

And thefun

challenge of flying J-3 Cubs

Herersquos a small cross-section of this yearrsquos group

of students

bullA retired US Navy lieutenant who flew F-4 Phan-

toms off carriers in Vietnam He hasnrsquot done any fly-

ing in more than 10 years but hersquos been building a

Skybolt which will soon be finished and hersquos return-

ing to his lifelong lovemdashaviation He also has two

young sons who want to fly and will soon be joining

the group of student pilotsbullA young CPA from Iowa whose grandfather was a

friend of Bernie Pietenpol and who has built two Piets

The CPA used two weeks of his vacation time to learn

to fly so that he can fly the airplane(s) that his grandfa-

ther built and take his grandfather for a ride

BY Steve Krog CFI

THE Vintage

Instructor

Vintage flying is very much alive

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Cubs flying every day he decided to pursue his pas-

sion for flight

bullA national chain hardware store employee who

has had a dream of flying driving nearly two hours

each way to learn to fly in a Cub

bullAn aviation writervideo producer who already has

a sport pilot certificate but desires to obtain a private

pilot certificate and do so in Cubs

bullA 30-something young family man who sells

construction equipment attachments While deer

hunting a year ago he learned one of his hunting

friends had recently learned to fly in Cubs For three

days they talked airplanes and flying rather than do-

ing much hunting Upon his return from the hunt-ing trip he drove to the airport and signed up for

lessons in the Cub

bullA professional musician from the Chicago area

who always wanted to learn to fly Although not yet

old enough to have a true ldquobucket listrdquo learning to fly

a Cub was number one on his list

With two exceptions these individuals had never

before flown or flown in tailwheel airplanes but alwayshad a dream of learning to fly in a Cubmdashjust like dad

or granddad did many years ago

Although no one in this group comes from simi-

lar backgrounds or professions there is one common

denominator among every studentmdashFUN None of

these students are learning to fly to pursue a career

in aviation (although Irsquove worked with a couple who

have done so) Rather they are learning to fly or get-

ting back into flying for the FUN and CHALLENGE of

flight They all have a true love of flight and seeing the

world from 500 feet with the door and window open

I have also worked with a number of students who

began taking flight lessons but quit after a period of

time They still had the passion for flight but gave it

up When asked why the responses fell into one of the

following four categories

bullI began taking lessons but after three or four les-sons Irsquod be assigned to a different instructor After 30

hours of dual three instructors and still not having

soloed I quit

bullThe instructor wasnrsquot teaching me anything He

was more interested in building time than teaching

Take a moment and think about how you first be-

came interested in airplanes What triggered your

pursuit of learning to fly Did you have a buddy or

maybe a family friend who encouraged you Or even

became a mentor Do you remember your first flight

lesson Do you remember the day you made your

first solo flight

Remember that passion and sense of accomplish-

ment Donrsquot hesitate to share it with anyone express-

ing an interest in learning to fly

At Cub Air Flight we sell FUN When individuals

visit the airport to inquire about learning to fly we

know they have made the commitment in their own

mind It then becomes our responsibility to makethe visit friendly A friendly environment is a FUN

environment Kids are always welcome If a prospec-

tive student has children with him or her we invite

the kids to sit in the planes At the conclusion of our

discussion we emphasize the following statement If

you learn to fly with us it will be FUN CHALLENG-

ING and SAFE

I donrsquot believe there is a shortage of pilot prospectsbut there is a shortage in how we all go about attract-

ing these people to become active participants in plea-

sure flying Remember flying is FUN Letrsquos make an

effort to help others share in that FUN

AERO CLASSICldquoCOLLECTOR SERIESrdquo

Vintage Tires New USA Production

Show off your pride and joy with afresh set of Vintage Rubber Thesenewly minted tires are FAA-TSOrsquodand speed rated to 120 MPH Some

things are better left the way theywere and in the 40rsquos and 50rsquos these tires were perfectly intune to the exciting times in aviation

Not only do these tires set your vintage plane apart fromthe rest but also look exceptional on all General Aviationaircraft Deep 832nd tread depth offers above averagetread life and UV treated rubber resists aging

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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We enjoy your suggestions for

Mystery Planesmdashin fact more than

half of our subjects are sent to us by

members often via e-mail Please

remember that if you want to scan

the photo for use in Mystery Plane

it must be at a resolution of 300 dpior greater You may send a lower-

resolution version to us for our re-

view but the final version has to be

at that level of detail or it will not

print properly Also please let us

craft in the photo is of Canadian civil

registry CF-BXO formerly Royal Cana-

dian Air Force (RCAF) 920 This photo-

graph would have been taken at some

time between 1962 and 1967 after an

overhaul at Abbotsford British Colum-

bia (BC) and possibly while in servicewith Stranraer Aerial Enterprises The

location strongly resembles the Fraser

River dockings at the Vancouver air-

port The aircraft had undergone a re-

spray with a bright red cheat line The

(beaching gear required) for the Royal Air

Force (RAF) in 1933 The prototype first

flew in October 1934 with two Bristol

Pegasus IIIM engines rated at 820 hp

The production aircraft were delivered to

the RAF with Pegasus engines delivering

920 hp entering service in April 1937The British-built machines of which 23

were ordered and only 17 being built

were all delivered by April 1939

In Canada Canadian Vickers Lim-

ited of Montreal Quebec produced 40

Send your answer to EAA Vin-

tage Airplane PO Box 3086 Osh-

kosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer

needs to be in no later than August

20 for inclusion in the October

2011 issue of Vintage Airplane

You can also send your response via

e-mail Send your answer to mystery

planeeaaorg Be sure to include your

name plus your city and state in the

body of your note and put ldquo(Month)

Mystery Planerdquo in the subject line

This monthrsquos Mystery Plane comes to us from Bruce Voran

MYSTERY PLANE

by HG FRAUTSCHY

A P R I L rsquo S M Y S T E RY A N S W E R

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3544

QCA began buying several examplesand was instrumental in convincing

the Canadian Department of Transport

(DOT) to issue a civilian Certificate of

Airworthiness (C of A) One of the first

aircraft so issued was CF-BYI which be-

1980 the Canadian Museum of Flightand Transportation in BC salvaged the

wreck for possible restoration As late as

April 1952 QCA still had two Stranraer

in service CF-BXO and CF-BYM Pacific

Western Airlines (PWA) also operated

Two RAF Belfast freighters were dis-

patched and the disassembled aircraft

was transported to the United Kingdomwhere the machine is currently one of the

centerpieces of the collection

The aircraft type had many names

The most familiar (and printable) were

Stranny Strainer and Flying Meccano

Set The least affectionate was the Whis-

tling Shouse as when the lid to the

throne was lifted there was direct access

to the great outdoors and there emitted a

loud whistling noise

Other correct answers were re-

ceived from Hillis Cunliffe Mill-

brook Alabama Brian Baker Sun

City Arizona Wesley R Smith

Springfield Illinois John White-

head Cheyenne Wyoming ScottChurch Cochrane Alberta Can-

ada Jay Broze Walla Walla Wash-

ington Jerry Paterson Kent

Washington Jamie Patterson Mi-

ramichi New Brunswick Canada

Bill Bishop of Mulgoa New South Wales Australia sent along this photo

of the surviving Supermarine Stranraer

David Nixon supplied us with the April Mystery Plane shot of CF-BXO

a Canadian Vickers-built Supermarine Stranraer

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3644

urday 8 am until 6 pm Early-bird

arrivals can shop on the pre-conven-

tion weekend as well during limited

hours Show your VAA membership

card (or your receipt showing you

joined VAA at the convention) and

yoursquoll receive a 10 percent discount

VAA Volunteer Opportunities

Are you an ace pancake flipperIf yoursquore not one yet we can help

The VAA Tall Pines Cafeacute is looking

for volunteers who can help provide

a hearty breakfast to all the hungry

campers on the south end of Witt-

man Field If you could lend a hand

for a morning or two wersquod appreci-

ate it If thatrsquos not your cup of tea feelfree to check with the VAA Volunteer

Center located just to the northeast

of the VAA Red Barn The volun-

teers who operate the booth will be

happy to tell you when your help is

needed each day It doesnrsquot matter if

itrsquos just for a few hours or for a few

daysmdashwersquod love to have your help-

ing hands There is no need for you

to contact us ahead of time you can

talk with us when you arrive

VAA Judging Categoriesand Awards

The VAArsquos internationally recog-

nized judging categories are

bullAntique Aircraft built prior toSeptember 1 1945

bullClassic September 1 1945 - De-

cember 31 1955

bullContemporary January 1 1956

- December 31 1970

VAA NEWScontinued frpm page 5

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3744

the award winners Judging closes at noon on Friday

July 29 The Awards Ceremony will be held Saturday

evening July 30 at 6 pm in the Vintage Hangar

just south of the VAA Red Barn

Designated Smoking Areas Near FlightlineSmoking on the flightline at EAA AirVenture is prohib-

ited because itrsquos a hazard to all aircraft There are several

designated smoking areas with butt cans along the flight-

line well away from aircraft and refueling operations

Designated smoking areas will be south of the ultra-light runway near the Hangar Cafeacute near the Warbirdsarea (northeast corner of Audrey Lane and Eide Av-

enue) the Wearhouse flag pole area the shade pavil-ion north of the control tower and near the UltralightBarn Locations will be indicated on EAArsquos free con-vention grounds map The admission wristband alsoinstructs visitors that smoking is allowed only in desig-nated smoking areas

More on the Web

Visit wwwAirVentureorg for more information onEAA AirVenture 2011

EAA AirVenture Is Almost Here Are You Ready

Just a few short weeks from now many of you will

make the annual pilgrimage to Oshkosh for EAA Air-

Venture 2011 Are you ready Here are several handy

online tools on the AirVenture website that can help

you take care of any last-minute concerns

Visit wwwAirVentureorg and find out what you

need to know about The Worldrsquos Greatest Avia-

tion Celebration

Admission Parking Hours

wwwAirVentureorgplanningadmissionhtml

Find or Share a Ride to Oshkosh

wwwAirVentureorgrideshare

Site Map

wwwAirVentureorgplanningschedules_mapshtml

Where to Stay

Yoursquore cleared to stay connected

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3844

ship services at 800-564-6322 but

given the time from when you read

this until AirVenture it may not ar-

rive in the mail in time for your de-

parture We suggest downloading

the NOTAM

The NOTAM contains the specialflight procedures in effect for Witt-

man Regional Airport and alternate

airports from 6 am CDT on Friday

July 22 to 12 pm CDT on Mon-

day August 1 2011 All pilots who

fly into the event are expected to

know the special flight procedures

prior to arrival EAA AirVenture Os-

hkosh runs from July 25 through

July 31 For additional EAA AirVen-

ture Oshkosh 2011 information

visit wwwAirVentureorg

Call for VAA Hall of

Fame Nominations

To the left is our information

for nominations for VAArsquos Hallof Fame which is presented each

year during a special dinner This

yearrsquos dinner will be held Friday

October 28 Wersquoll have more on

this yearrsquos inductee John Under-

To nominate someone is easy It just takes a little time and a little reminiscing on your part

Mail nominating materials to

Remember your ldquocontemporaryrdquo may be a candidate nominate someone today

wwwVintageAircraftorg

CALL FOR VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

Nominations

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3944

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

Wit tman Regional A i rpor t (OSH)

Oshkosh Wisconsin

July 25-31 2011

wwwAirVentureorg

Colorado Sport International Air Show

and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In

Rocky Mountain Met ropol i tan A irpor t (BJC)

Denver Colorado

August 27-28 2011

wwwCOSportAviationorg

Mid-Eastern Regional Fly-In

Gr imes F ie ld A irpor t (I74)

Urbana Ohio

September 10-11 2011

httpMERFIcom

Copperstate Fly-In

Casa Grande Munic ipal A i rpor t (CGZ)

Casa Grande Ar izona

Upcoming Major

Fly-Ins

W I N

Only 2000 ticketswill be sold1 ticket $50

3 tickets $125

Piper Tri-Pacer Airplane

Free Flying Lessons

Free Pilot License

Country Legend Roy Clarkrsquos Personal Proceeds fromthis raffle

SAVEAMERICANKIDS LIVES

wwwwingsofhoperaffleorg

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4044

MISCELLANEOUS

wwwaerolistorg Aviationsrsquo Leading

Marketplace

Rare find Lycoming 0-145 partsinventory blocks bearings rings

shafts amp much more $20000

at 1970 prices $5000 Six four

cylinder case aircraft magnetos

$300 Call for more details (FL)

VINTAGETRADER

Someth ing t o buyse l l o r t rade

Classified Word Ads $550 per 10

words 180 words maximum with boldface

lead-in on first line

Classified Display Ads One column wide

(2167 inches) by 1 2 or 3 inches high at

$20 per inch Black and white only and nofrequency discounts

Advertising Closing Dates 10th of second

month prior to desired issue date (ie

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 (classads

eaaorg ) using credit card payment (all cards

accepted) Include name on card complete

address type of card card number and

expiration date Make checks payable to EAA

Address advertising correspondence to EAA

Publications Classified Ad Manager PO Box

3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

What Our Members

Are Restoring

Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done and

yoursquore busy flying and showing it off If so wersquod like to hear from

you Send us a 4-by-6-inch print from a commercial source (no

home printers please those prints just donrsquot scan well) or a

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4144

EAAMembership in the Experimental Aircraft

Association Inc is $40 for one year includ-ing 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION Familymembership is an additional $10 annually Allmajor credit cards accepted for membership(Add $16 for International Postage)

FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPSPlease submit your remittance with a

check or draft drawn on a United Statesbank payable in United States dollars Addrequired Foreign Postage amount for eachmembership

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATIONCurrent EAA members may join the

Vintage Aircraft Association and receive

year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not included)(Add $7 for International Postage)

WARBIRDSCurrent EAA members may join the EAA

Warbirds of America Division and receiveWARBIRDS magazine for an additional$45 per year

EAA Membership WARBIRDS mag-azine and one year membership in theWarbirds Division is available for $55 per

year (SPORT OficAVIATION magazinenot included) (Add $7 for Interna-tional Postage)

IACCurrent EAA members may join the

International Aerobatic Club Inc Divi-sion and receive SPORT AEROBATICS magazine for an additional $45 per year

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

VINTAGE

AIRCRAFT

ASSOCIATION

OFFICERS

DIRECTORS

DIRECTORS

EMERITUS

PresidentGeoff Robison

1521 E MacGregor DrNew Haven IN 46774

260-493-4724chief7025aolcom

Vice-PresidentGeorge Daubner

N57W34837 Pondview LnOconomowoc WI 53066

262-560-1949 gdaubnereaaorg

Steve Bender85 Brush Hill Road

Sherborn MA 01770508-653-7557

sst10comcastnet

David Bennett375 Killdeer Ct

Lincoln CA 95648916-952-9449

antiquerinreachcom

Jerry Brown4605 Hickory Wood Row

Greenwood IN 46143317-422-9366

lbrown4906aolcom

Dave Clark635 Vestal Lane

Plainfield IN 46168317-839-4500davecpdattnet

John S Copeland1A Deacon Street

Northborough MA 01532508-393-4775

copeland1junocom

Phil Coulson28415 Springbrook Dr

Lawton MI 49065269-624-6490

rcoulson516cscom

Dale A Gustafson7724 Shady Hills Dr

Indianapolis IN 46278317-293-4430

dalefayemsncom

Jeannie HillPO Box 328

Harvard IL 60033-0328815-943-7205

Espie ldquoButchrdquo Joyce704 N Regional Rd

Greensboro NC 27409336-668-3650

windsockaolcom

Steve Krog1002 Heather Ln

Hartford WI 53027262-966-7627sskrogaolcom

Robert D ldquoBobrdquo Lumley1265 South 124th StBrookfield WI 53005

262-782-2633rlumley1wirrcom

SH ldquoWesrdquo Schmid2359 Lefeber Avenue

Wauwatosa WI 53213414-771-1545

shschmidgmailcom

Robert C Brauer9345 S Hoyne

Chicago IL 60643773-779-2105

photopilotaolcom

Gene Chase2159 Carlton Rd

Oshkosh WI 54904920-231-5002

GRCHAcharternet

Ronald C Fritz15401 Sparta Ave

Kent City MI 49330616-678-5012

rFritzpathwaynet com

Charlie HarrisPO Box 470350Tulsa OK 74147

918-622-8400cwhhvsucom

EE ldquoBuckrdquo Hilbert8102 Leech RdUnion IL 60180

815-923-4591buck7acgmailcom

Gene Morris5936 Steve Court

Roanoke TX 76262817-491-9110

genemor rischarter net

Membership Services DirectoryEnjoy the many benefits of EAA and

EAArsquos Vintage Aircraft Association

EAA Aviation Center PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086Phone (920) 426-4800 Fax (920) 426-4873Web Sites wwwvintageaircraftorg wwwairventureorg wwweaaorgmemberbenefits E-Mail vintageaircrafteaaorg

EAA and Division Membership Services (800 AMndash600 PM MondayndashFriday CST)800-564-6322 FAX 920-426-4873 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

bullNewrenew memberships bullAddress changes bullMerchandise sales bullGift memberships

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 888-322-4636 wwwairventureorg airventureeaaorg

Sport PilotLight-Sport Aircraft Hotline 877-359-1232 wwwsportpilotorg sportpiloteaaorg

Programs and Activities

Auto Fuel STCs 920-426-4843 stceaaorg EAA Air Academy 920-426-6880 wwwairacademyorg airacademyeaaorg

EAA Scholarships 920-426-6823 scholarshipseaaorg

Library ServicesResearch 920-426-4848 slurveyeaaorg

Benefits

AUA Vintage Insurance Plan 800-727-3823 wwwauaonlinecom

EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan 866-647-4322 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

EAA VISA Card 800-853-5576 ext 8884

EAA Her tz Rent-A-Car Program 800-654-2200 wwweaaorghertz membershipeaaorg

VAA EditorialExecutive Director 920-426-4825 wwwvintageaircraftorg vintageeaaorg

VAA Office 920-426-6110 tbookseaaorg

TM

EAA Members Information Line 888-EAA-INFO (322-4636)

Use this toll-free number for information about AirVenture Oshkosh aeromedical and technical aviation questions

chapters and Young Eagles Please have your membership number ready when calling

Office hours are 815 am - 500 pm (Monday - Friday CST)

SecretarySteve Nesse

2009 Highland AveAlbert Lea MN 56007

507-373-1674

stnes2009livecom

TreasurerDan Knutson

106 Tena Marie CircleLodi WI 53555608-592-7224

lodicubcharternet

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4244

If yoursquove ever watched fish in

an aquarium yoursquove probably no-

ticed how they respond differently

to their surroundings There are

those that zip around the tank in a

mad dash to nowhere Some seem

to sit and not go much of any-

where and some will swim f romone end to the other turn around

and do it again

The latter are the ones that remind

me of myself I seem to fly in a fish-

bowl I go from one end of our val-

proficient by practicing things we

know over and over or it can make

us lazy When something becomes

so ingrained that we do it from habit

only we may not be thinking about

what wersquore doing

On a night cross-country some

time ago I found out just how easyit is to forget things that I hadnrsquot

used in a while While night may be

a little more challenging it still re-

quires the basic pre-flight planning

of any cross-country and following

whether I go far or stay in the com-

fort zone I canrsquot let complacency take

over Those skills and experiences

need to be stretched from time to

time regardless of where I fly An un-

expected situation or emergency is a

bad time to find out I donrsquot remem-

ber how to do somethingComplacency also allows fear

to creep in where it doesnrsquot belong

Some fear (I think) is a natural part of

flying but it can also unnecessarily

keep us grounded because we wonrsquot

BY S MICHELLE SOUDER

Flying Outside

the Fishbowl

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Itrsquos gonna be a big year at Oshk osh

B-29 Superfortress ldquoFIFIrdquo

The first visit since 1995for the worldrsquos only airworthyB-29 Superfortress

REO SpeedwagonOshkosh rocks Monday duringthe opening day concert presentedby Ford Motor Company

Tribute to Bob HooverTuesday afternoon air showfeaturing aircraft and maneuvershe made legendary

eVentureInnovation will be on displayand in the air with the ElectricFlight Prize Competition

Join us for a week-long celebration of the Centennial of Naval Aviationincluding a special air show Wednesday See the hottest naval aircraftin historic colors all week on ConocoPhillips Plaza

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Page 29: Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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not indicate what type of extinguishing fluid was

contained within the tank however soda-acid was

widely used in those days and carbon tetrachloridewas invented in 1912 by the Pyrene Company

In a communication from Command-Aire Pres-

ident Robert Snowden regarding the purchase of

stock options in the company he states ldquoOur ex-

clusive franchise for the sale of Phylax automatic

Illustration 3

Illustration 4

Illustration 5

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3044

homeland on a regular basis and

always brought back some new in-

vention or new ideas on design andsafety This system was certainly

ahead of its time safety-wise and a

credit to Vollmeckersquos focus on sta-

bility and safety for his designs

Above in this original factory

photograph (Illustration 6) of a

Command-Aire 3C3-T fuselage on

the assembly line at the Little Rock

plant the PHYLAX system can beseen mounted in the rear cock-

pit just behind the front seat in

the center of the photograph The

chemical bottles with two lines

tied to the side tubes run forward

Illustration 6

Pyrene 1047297re extinguishers

were made of brass and

were nicely polished

They were not high-pressure units

but required the use of a hand pump

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Pyrene fire extinguishers were

made of brass and were nicely pol-

ished They were not high-pressureunits but required the use of a

hand pump to generate pressure

to expel liquid from the cylinder

These extinguishers were gener-

ally mounted in the rear cockpit

ton or linen fabric and the only

dope available was cellulose ni-

trate that burned like a torch when

lit Watching nitrate dope burn

reminded me of a Fourth of July

sparkler very intense and hot If

a nitrate-doped ship caught fire in

the air there was no extinguisher

that would put out the flames

The PHYLAX system had an auto-

matic sensor that would trigger the

bottlersquos valve open and send the

chemical into the engine compart-

ment The Pyrene extinguisher wasmore for ground use because you

could not operate the bottle and

fly the airplane at the same time

By todayrsquos standards these ex-

tinguishing systems seem ar-

chaic but for the time back in

the 1920s they were the thing to

have in your automobile boator airplane

Editorrsquos Note WARNING An-

tique carbon tetrachloride fire extin-

guishers like the Pyrene occasionally

show up either contaminated with

the original agent or worse yet with

the full charge of agent still inside

Carbon tet is treated as a hazard-

ous substance (its use was banned

in consumer products in 1970) and

should be dealt with accordingly

In fact carbon tetrachloride when

heated by a fire will create poison-

ous phosgene gas (World War Irsquos

ldquonerve gasrdquo) something that would

definitely ruin someonersquos day if the

fire hadnrsquot done so already In its

standard form this substance is verytoxic to the liver and a single signifi-

cant exposure can result in sickness

or death

L a n g l ey may have been the

f h f i i i b

last and last The instruction

l i l d f

1903 Samuel Pierpont Langleyrsquos ldquoAerodromerdquoattempts to take off from a floating platform

Have a comment or ques-

tion for Bob Lock the Vintage

Mechanic Drop us an e-mail at

vintageaircrafteaaorg or you

can mail your question to Vintage

Airplane PO Box 3086 Osh-

kosh WI 54903

Illustration 7

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Authorrsquos Note We held a small open house at the

flight school hangar this past Saturday Though the

weather was not conducive to give many rides we still

had about 60 people show up enjoy a brat or ham-

burger and talk about flying or learning to fly Interest

in flying is not dead One of my pet peeves is how we

in general aviation go about attracting individuals tolearn the pleasure of flight

Nearly every aviation publication I read carries ar-

ticles and editorials about the downward spiral of gen-

eral aviation Flight schools are having a hard time

attracting new students ldquoDoom and gloomrdquo reigns

with little positive to report on the horizon This al-

ways reminds me of the proverbial three wise mon-keys who embody the principle ldquoSee no evil hear no

evil and speak no evilrdquo We all complain about the

problem but no one ever offers solutions It seems as

though by not doing anything about the challenge it

will eventually go away and right itself

Many of the aviation organizations are wringing

their respective hands giving great lip service to the

drop in pilot numbers Some like EAA have launched

activities to attract new pilots such as the Young Ea-gles program This has been a good start but it will not

fill the ever-increasing void for more pilots

What are we all missing FUN

Four years ago I chose early retirement from a 38-

The student make-up is a real cross-section of Amer-

ica My youngest student to date began flight lessons

at age 14 and the oldest was 77 years young Irsquove men-

tioned some of my students in previous articles At

yearrsquos end 2010 while converting our student files

from paper to computer I was amazed to discover that

in the previous two years I had given instruction tomore than 200 individuals Some were new students

others were individuals in search of a tailwheel en-

dorsement and many were older individuals who had

pursued flight training early in their lives but gave it

up to raise a family Now they had the time and still re-

tained the burning desire to get back into flying What

attracted these individuals to the flight school FUN

And thefun

challenge of flying J-3 Cubs

Herersquos a small cross-section of this yearrsquos group

of students

bullA retired US Navy lieutenant who flew F-4 Phan-

toms off carriers in Vietnam He hasnrsquot done any fly-

ing in more than 10 years but hersquos been building a

Skybolt which will soon be finished and hersquos return-

ing to his lifelong lovemdashaviation He also has two

young sons who want to fly and will soon be joining

the group of student pilotsbullA young CPA from Iowa whose grandfather was a

friend of Bernie Pietenpol and who has built two Piets

The CPA used two weeks of his vacation time to learn

to fly so that he can fly the airplane(s) that his grandfa-

ther built and take his grandfather for a ride

BY Steve Krog CFI

THE Vintage

Instructor

Vintage flying is very much alive

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Cubs flying every day he decided to pursue his pas-

sion for flight

bullA national chain hardware store employee who

has had a dream of flying driving nearly two hours

each way to learn to fly in a Cub

bullAn aviation writervideo producer who already has

a sport pilot certificate but desires to obtain a private

pilot certificate and do so in Cubs

bullA 30-something young family man who sells

construction equipment attachments While deer

hunting a year ago he learned one of his hunting

friends had recently learned to fly in Cubs For three

days they talked airplanes and flying rather than do-

ing much hunting Upon his return from the hunt-ing trip he drove to the airport and signed up for

lessons in the Cub

bullA professional musician from the Chicago area

who always wanted to learn to fly Although not yet

old enough to have a true ldquobucket listrdquo learning to fly

a Cub was number one on his list

With two exceptions these individuals had never

before flown or flown in tailwheel airplanes but alwayshad a dream of learning to fly in a Cubmdashjust like dad

or granddad did many years ago

Although no one in this group comes from simi-

lar backgrounds or professions there is one common

denominator among every studentmdashFUN None of

these students are learning to fly to pursue a career

in aviation (although Irsquove worked with a couple who

have done so) Rather they are learning to fly or get-

ting back into flying for the FUN and CHALLENGE of

flight They all have a true love of flight and seeing the

world from 500 feet with the door and window open

I have also worked with a number of students who

began taking flight lessons but quit after a period of

time They still had the passion for flight but gave it

up When asked why the responses fell into one of the

following four categories

bullI began taking lessons but after three or four les-sons Irsquod be assigned to a different instructor After 30

hours of dual three instructors and still not having

soloed I quit

bullThe instructor wasnrsquot teaching me anything He

was more interested in building time than teaching

Take a moment and think about how you first be-

came interested in airplanes What triggered your

pursuit of learning to fly Did you have a buddy or

maybe a family friend who encouraged you Or even

became a mentor Do you remember your first flight

lesson Do you remember the day you made your

first solo flight

Remember that passion and sense of accomplish-

ment Donrsquot hesitate to share it with anyone express-

ing an interest in learning to fly

At Cub Air Flight we sell FUN When individuals

visit the airport to inquire about learning to fly we

know they have made the commitment in their own

mind It then becomes our responsibility to makethe visit friendly A friendly environment is a FUN

environment Kids are always welcome If a prospec-

tive student has children with him or her we invite

the kids to sit in the planes At the conclusion of our

discussion we emphasize the following statement If

you learn to fly with us it will be FUN CHALLENG-

ING and SAFE

I donrsquot believe there is a shortage of pilot prospectsbut there is a shortage in how we all go about attract-

ing these people to become active participants in plea-

sure flying Remember flying is FUN Letrsquos make an

effort to help others share in that FUN

AERO CLASSICldquoCOLLECTOR SERIESrdquo

Vintage Tires New USA Production

Show off your pride and joy with afresh set of Vintage Rubber Thesenewly minted tires are FAA-TSOrsquodand speed rated to 120 MPH Some

things are better left the way theywere and in the 40rsquos and 50rsquos these tires were perfectly intune to the exciting times in aviation

Not only do these tires set your vintage plane apart fromthe rest but also look exceptional on all General Aviationaircraft Deep 832nd tread depth offers above averagetread life and UV treated rubber resists aging

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3444

We enjoy your suggestions for

Mystery Planesmdashin fact more than

half of our subjects are sent to us by

members often via e-mail Please

remember that if you want to scan

the photo for use in Mystery Plane

it must be at a resolution of 300 dpior greater You may send a lower-

resolution version to us for our re-

view but the final version has to be

at that level of detail or it will not

print properly Also please let us

craft in the photo is of Canadian civil

registry CF-BXO formerly Royal Cana-

dian Air Force (RCAF) 920 This photo-

graph would have been taken at some

time between 1962 and 1967 after an

overhaul at Abbotsford British Colum-

bia (BC) and possibly while in servicewith Stranraer Aerial Enterprises The

location strongly resembles the Fraser

River dockings at the Vancouver air-

port The aircraft had undergone a re-

spray with a bright red cheat line The

(beaching gear required) for the Royal Air

Force (RAF) in 1933 The prototype first

flew in October 1934 with two Bristol

Pegasus IIIM engines rated at 820 hp

The production aircraft were delivered to

the RAF with Pegasus engines delivering

920 hp entering service in April 1937The British-built machines of which 23

were ordered and only 17 being built

were all delivered by April 1939

In Canada Canadian Vickers Lim-

ited of Montreal Quebec produced 40

Send your answer to EAA Vin-

tage Airplane PO Box 3086 Osh-

kosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer

needs to be in no later than August

20 for inclusion in the October

2011 issue of Vintage Airplane

You can also send your response via

e-mail Send your answer to mystery

planeeaaorg Be sure to include your

name plus your city and state in the

body of your note and put ldquo(Month)

Mystery Planerdquo in the subject line

This monthrsquos Mystery Plane comes to us from Bruce Voran

MYSTERY PLANE

by HG FRAUTSCHY

A P R I L rsquo S M Y S T E RY A N S W E R

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3544

QCA began buying several examplesand was instrumental in convincing

the Canadian Department of Transport

(DOT) to issue a civilian Certificate of

Airworthiness (C of A) One of the first

aircraft so issued was CF-BYI which be-

1980 the Canadian Museum of Flightand Transportation in BC salvaged the

wreck for possible restoration As late as

April 1952 QCA still had two Stranraer

in service CF-BXO and CF-BYM Pacific

Western Airlines (PWA) also operated

Two RAF Belfast freighters were dis-

patched and the disassembled aircraft

was transported to the United Kingdomwhere the machine is currently one of the

centerpieces of the collection

The aircraft type had many names

The most familiar (and printable) were

Stranny Strainer and Flying Meccano

Set The least affectionate was the Whis-

tling Shouse as when the lid to the

throne was lifted there was direct access

to the great outdoors and there emitted a

loud whistling noise

Other correct answers were re-

ceived from Hillis Cunliffe Mill-

brook Alabama Brian Baker Sun

City Arizona Wesley R Smith

Springfield Illinois John White-

head Cheyenne Wyoming ScottChurch Cochrane Alberta Can-

ada Jay Broze Walla Walla Wash-

ington Jerry Paterson Kent

Washington Jamie Patterson Mi-

ramichi New Brunswick Canada

Bill Bishop of Mulgoa New South Wales Australia sent along this photo

of the surviving Supermarine Stranraer

David Nixon supplied us with the April Mystery Plane shot of CF-BXO

a Canadian Vickers-built Supermarine Stranraer

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3644

urday 8 am until 6 pm Early-bird

arrivals can shop on the pre-conven-

tion weekend as well during limited

hours Show your VAA membership

card (or your receipt showing you

joined VAA at the convention) and

yoursquoll receive a 10 percent discount

VAA Volunteer Opportunities

Are you an ace pancake flipperIf yoursquore not one yet we can help

The VAA Tall Pines Cafeacute is looking

for volunteers who can help provide

a hearty breakfast to all the hungry

campers on the south end of Witt-

man Field If you could lend a hand

for a morning or two wersquod appreci-

ate it If thatrsquos not your cup of tea feelfree to check with the VAA Volunteer

Center located just to the northeast

of the VAA Red Barn The volun-

teers who operate the booth will be

happy to tell you when your help is

needed each day It doesnrsquot matter if

itrsquos just for a few hours or for a few

daysmdashwersquod love to have your help-

ing hands There is no need for you

to contact us ahead of time you can

talk with us when you arrive

VAA Judging Categoriesand Awards

The VAArsquos internationally recog-

nized judging categories are

bullAntique Aircraft built prior toSeptember 1 1945

bullClassic September 1 1945 - De-

cember 31 1955

bullContemporary January 1 1956

- December 31 1970

VAA NEWScontinued frpm page 5

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3744

the award winners Judging closes at noon on Friday

July 29 The Awards Ceremony will be held Saturday

evening July 30 at 6 pm in the Vintage Hangar

just south of the VAA Red Barn

Designated Smoking Areas Near FlightlineSmoking on the flightline at EAA AirVenture is prohib-

ited because itrsquos a hazard to all aircraft There are several

designated smoking areas with butt cans along the flight-

line well away from aircraft and refueling operations

Designated smoking areas will be south of the ultra-light runway near the Hangar Cafeacute near the Warbirdsarea (northeast corner of Audrey Lane and Eide Av-

enue) the Wearhouse flag pole area the shade pavil-ion north of the control tower and near the UltralightBarn Locations will be indicated on EAArsquos free con-vention grounds map The admission wristband alsoinstructs visitors that smoking is allowed only in desig-nated smoking areas

More on the Web

Visit wwwAirVentureorg for more information onEAA AirVenture 2011

EAA AirVenture Is Almost Here Are You Ready

Just a few short weeks from now many of you will

make the annual pilgrimage to Oshkosh for EAA Air-

Venture 2011 Are you ready Here are several handy

online tools on the AirVenture website that can help

you take care of any last-minute concerns

Visit wwwAirVentureorg and find out what you

need to know about The Worldrsquos Greatest Avia-

tion Celebration

Admission Parking Hours

wwwAirVentureorgplanningadmissionhtml

Find or Share a Ride to Oshkosh

wwwAirVentureorgrideshare

Site Map

wwwAirVentureorgplanningschedules_mapshtml

Where to Stay

Yoursquore cleared to stay connected

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3844

ship services at 800-564-6322 but

given the time from when you read

this until AirVenture it may not ar-

rive in the mail in time for your de-

parture We suggest downloading

the NOTAM

The NOTAM contains the specialflight procedures in effect for Witt-

man Regional Airport and alternate

airports from 6 am CDT on Friday

July 22 to 12 pm CDT on Mon-

day August 1 2011 All pilots who

fly into the event are expected to

know the special flight procedures

prior to arrival EAA AirVenture Os-

hkosh runs from July 25 through

July 31 For additional EAA AirVen-

ture Oshkosh 2011 information

visit wwwAirVentureorg

Call for VAA Hall of

Fame Nominations

To the left is our information

for nominations for VAArsquos Hallof Fame which is presented each

year during a special dinner This

yearrsquos dinner will be held Friday

October 28 Wersquoll have more on

this yearrsquos inductee John Under-

To nominate someone is easy It just takes a little time and a little reminiscing on your part

Mail nominating materials to

Remember your ldquocontemporaryrdquo may be a candidate nominate someone today

wwwVintageAircraftorg

CALL FOR VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

Nominations

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3944

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

Wit tman Regional A i rpor t (OSH)

Oshkosh Wisconsin

July 25-31 2011

wwwAirVentureorg

Colorado Sport International Air Show

and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In

Rocky Mountain Met ropol i tan A irpor t (BJC)

Denver Colorado

August 27-28 2011

wwwCOSportAviationorg

Mid-Eastern Regional Fly-In

Gr imes F ie ld A irpor t (I74)

Urbana Ohio

September 10-11 2011

httpMERFIcom

Copperstate Fly-In

Casa Grande Munic ipal A i rpor t (CGZ)

Casa Grande Ar izona

Upcoming Major

Fly-Ins

W I N

Only 2000 ticketswill be sold1 ticket $50

3 tickets $125

Piper Tri-Pacer Airplane

Free Flying Lessons

Free Pilot License

Country Legend Roy Clarkrsquos Personal Proceeds fromthis raffle

SAVEAMERICANKIDS LIVES

wwwwingsofhoperaffleorg

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4044

MISCELLANEOUS

wwwaerolistorg Aviationsrsquo Leading

Marketplace

Rare find Lycoming 0-145 partsinventory blocks bearings rings

shafts amp much more $20000

at 1970 prices $5000 Six four

cylinder case aircraft magnetos

$300 Call for more details (FL)

VINTAGETRADER

Someth ing t o buyse l l o r t rade

Classified Word Ads $550 per 10

words 180 words maximum with boldface

lead-in on first line

Classified Display Ads One column wide

(2167 inches) by 1 2 or 3 inches high at

$20 per inch Black and white only and nofrequency discounts

Advertising Closing Dates 10th of second

month prior to desired issue date (ie

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 (classads

eaaorg ) using credit card payment (all cards

accepted) Include name on card complete

address type of card card number and

expiration date Make checks payable to EAA

Address advertising correspondence to EAA

Publications Classified Ad Manager PO Box

3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

What Our Members

Are Restoring

Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done and

yoursquore busy flying and showing it off If so wersquod like to hear from

you Send us a 4-by-6-inch print from a commercial source (no

home printers please those prints just donrsquot scan well) or a

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4144

EAAMembership in the Experimental Aircraft

Association Inc is $40 for one year includ-ing 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION Familymembership is an additional $10 annually Allmajor credit cards accepted for membership(Add $16 for International Postage)

FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPSPlease submit your remittance with a

check or draft drawn on a United Statesbank payable in United States dollars Addrequired Foreign Postage amount for eachmembership

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATIONCurrent EAA members may join the

Vintage Aircraft Association and receive

year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not included)(Add $7 for International Postage)

WARBIRDSCurrent EAA members may join the EAA

Warbirds of America Division and receiveWARBIRDS magazine for an additional$45 per year

EAA Membership WARBIRDS mag-azine and one year membership in theWarbirds Division is available for $55 per

year (SPORT OficAVIATION magazinenot included) (Add $7 for Interna-tional Postage)

IACCurrent EAA members may join the

International Aerobatic Club Inc Divi-sion and receive SPORT AEROBATICS magazine for an additional $45 per year

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

VINTAGE

AIRCRAFT

ASSOCIATION

OFFICERS

DIRECTORS

DIRECTORS

EMERITUS

PresidentGeoff Robison

1521 E MacGregor DrNew Haven IN 46774

260-493-4724chief7025aolcom

Vice-PresidentGeorge Daubner

N57W34837 Pondview LnOconomowoc WI 53066

262-560-1949 gdaubnereaaorg

Steve Bender85 Brush Hill Road

Sherborn MA 01770508-653-7557

sst10comcastnet

David Bennett375 Killdeer Ct

Lincoln CA 95648916-952-9449

antiquerinreachcom

Jerry Brown4605 Hickory Wood Row

Greenwood IN 46143317-422-9366

lbrown4906aolcom

Dave Clark635 Vestal Lane

Plainfield IN 46168317-839-4500davecpdattnet

John S Copeland1A Deacon Street

Northborough MA 01532508-393-4775

copeland1junocom

Phil Coulson28415 Springbrook Dr

Lawton MI 49065269-624-6490

rcoulson516cscom

Dale A Gustafson7724 Shady Hills Dr

Indianapolis IN 46278317-293-4430

dalefayemsncom

Jeannie HillPO Box 328

Harvard IL 60033-0328815-943-7205

Espie ldquoButchrdquo Joyce704 N Regional Rd

Greensboro NC 27409336-668-3650

windsockaolcom

Steve Krog1002 Heather Ln

Hartford WI 53027262-966-7627sskrogaolcom

Robert D ldquoBobrdquo Lumley1265 South 124th StBrookfield WI 53005

262-782-2633rlumley1wirrcom

SH ldquoWesrdquo Schmid2359 Lefeber Avenue

Wauwatosa WI 53213414-771-1545

shschmidgmailcom

Robert C Brauer9345 S Hoyne

Chicago IL 60643773-779-2105

photopilotaolcom

Gene Chase2159 Carlton Rd

Oshkosh WI 54904920-231-5002

GRCHAcharternet

Ronald C Fritz15401 Sparta Ave

Kent City MI 49330616-678-5012

rFritzpathwaynet com

Charlie HarrisPO Box 470350Tulsa OK 74147

918-622-8400cwhhvsucom

EE ldquoBuckrdquo Hilbert8102 Leech RdUnion IL 60180

815-923-4591buck7acgmailcom

Gene Morris5936 Steve Court

Roanoke TX 76262817-491-9110

genemor rischarter net

Membership Services DirectoryEnjoy the many benefits of EAA and

EAArsquos Vintage Aircraft Association

EAA Aviation Center PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086Phone (920) 426-4800 Fax (920) 426-4873Web Sites wwwvintageaircraftorg wwwairventureorg wwweaaorgmemberbenefits E-Mail vintageaircrafteaaorg

EAA and Division Membership Services (800 AMndash600 PM MondayndashFriday CST)800-564-6322 FAX 920-426-4873 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

bullNewrenew memberships bullAddress changes bullMerchandise sales bullGift memberships

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 888-322-4636 wwwairventureorg airventureeaaorg

Sport PilotLight-Sport Aircraft Hotline 877-359-1232 wwwsportpilotorg sportpiloteaaorg

Programs and Activities

Auto Fuel STCs 920-426-4843 stceaaorg EAA Air Academy 920-426-6880 wwwairacademyorg airacademyeaaorg

EAA Scholarships 920-426-6823 scholarshipseaaorg

Library ServicesResearch 920-426-4848 slurveyeaaorg

Benefits

AUA Vintage Insurance Plan 800-727-3823 wwwauaonlinecom

EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan 866-647-4322 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

EAA VISA Card 800-853-5576 ext 8884

EAA Her tz Rent-A-Car Program 800-654-2200 wwweaaorghertz membershipeaaorg

VAA EditorialExecutive Director 920-426-4825 wwwvintageaircraftorg vintageeaaorg

VAA Office 920-426-6110 tbookseaaorg

TM

EAA Members Information Line 888-EAA-INFO (322-4636)

Use this toll-free number for information about AirVenture Oshkosh aeromedical and technical aviation questions

chapters and Young Eagles Please have your membership number ready when calling

Office hours are 815 am - 500 pm (Monday - Friday CST)

SecretarySteve Nesse

2009 Highland AveAlbert Lea MN 56007

507-373-1674

stnes2009livecom

TreasurerDan Knutson

106 Tena Marie CircleLodi WI 53555608-592-7224

lodicubcharternet

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4244

If yoursquove ever watched fish in

an aquarium yoursquove probably no-

ticed how they respond differently

to their surroundings There are

those that zip around the tank in a

mad dash to nowhere Some seem

to sit and not go much of any-

where and some will swim f romone end to the other turn around

and do it again

The latter are the ones that remind

me of myself I seem to fly in a fish-

bowl I go from one end of our val-

proficient by practicing things we

know over and over or it can make

us lazy When something becomes

so ingrained that we do it from habit

only we may not be thinking about

what wersquore doing

On a night cross-country some

time ago I found out just how easyit is to forget things that I hadnrsquot

used in a while While night may be

a little more challenging it still re-

quires the basic pre-flight planning

of any cross-country and following

whether I go far or stay in the com-

fort zone I canrsquot let complacency take

over Those skills and experiences

need to be stretched from time to

time regardless of where I fly An un-

expected situation or emergency is a

bad time to find out I donrsquot remem-

ber how to do somethingComplacency also allows fear

to creep in where it doesnrsquot belong

Some fear (I think) is a natural part of

flying but it can also unnecessarily

keep us grounded because we wonrsquot

BY S MICHELLE SOUDER

Flying Outside

the Fishbowl

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Itrsquos gonna be a big year at Oshk osh

B-29 Superfortress ldquoFIFIrdquo

The first visit since 1995for the worldrsquos only airworthyB-29 Superfortress

REO SpeedwagonOshkosh rocks Monday duringthe opening day concert presentedby Ford Motor Company

Tribute to Bob HooverTuesday afternoon air showfeaturing aircraft and maneuvershe made legendary

eVentureInnovation will be on displayand in the air with the ElectricFlight Prize Competition

Join us for a week-long celebration of the Centennial of Naval Aviationincluding a special air show Wednesday See the hottest naval aircraftin historic colors all week on ConocoPhillips Plaza

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Page 30: Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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homeland on a regular basis and

always brought back some new in-

vention or new ideas on design andsafety This system was certainly

ahead of its time safety-wise and a

credit to Vollmeckersquos focus on sta-

bility and safety for his designs

Above in this original factory

photograph (Illustration 6) of a

Command-Aire 3C3-T fuselage on

the assembly line at the Little Rock

plant the PHYLAX system can beseen mounted in the rear cock-

pit just behind the front seat in

the center of the photograph The

chemical bottles with two lines

tied to the side tubes run forward

Illustration 6

Pyrene 1047297re extinguishers

were made of brass and

were nicely polished

They were not high-pressure units

but required the use of a hand pump

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Pyrene fire extinguishers were

made of brass and were nicely pol-

ished They were not high-pressureunits but required the use of a

hand pump to generate pressure

to expel liquid from the cylinder

These extinguishers were gener-

ally mounted in the rear cockpit

ton or linen fabric and the only

dope available was cellulose ni-

trate that burned like a torch when

lit Watching nitrate dope burn

reminded me of a Fourth of July

sparkler very intense and hot If

a nitrate-doped ship caught fire in

the air there was no extinguisher

that would put out the flames

The PHYLAX system had an auto-

matic sensor that would trigger the

bottlersquos valve open and send the

chemical into the engine compart-

ment The Pyrene extinguisher wasmore for ground use because you

could not operate the bottle and

fly the airplane at the same time

By todayrsquos standards these ex-

tinguishing systems seem ar-

chaic but for the time back in

the 1920s they were the thing to

have in your automobile boator airplane

Editorrsquos Note WARNING An-

tique carbon tetrachloride fire extin-

guishers like the Pyrene occasionally

show up either contaminated with

the original agent or worse yet with

the full charge of agent still inside

Carbon tet is treated as a hazard-

ous substance (its use was banned

in consumer products in 1970) and

should be dealt with accordingly

In fact carbon tetrachloride when

heated by a fire will create poison-

ous phosgene gas (World War Irsquos

ldquonerve gasrdquo) something that would

definitely ruin someonersquos day if the

fire hadnrsquot done so already In its

standard form this substance is verytoxic to the liver and a single signifi-

cant exposure can result in sickness

or death

L a n g l ey may have been the

f h f i i i b

last and last The instruction

l i l d f

1903 Samuel Pierpont Langleyrsquos ldquoAerodromerdquoattempts to take off from a floating platform

Have a comment or ques-

tion for Bob Lock the Vintage

Mechanic Drop us an e-mail at

vintageaircrafteaaorg or you

can mail your question to Vintage

Airplane PO Box 3086 Osh-

kosh WI 54903

Illustration 7

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Authorrsquos Note We held a small open house at the

flight school hangar this past Saturday Though the

weather was not conducive to give many rides we still

had about 60 people show up enjoy a brat or ham-

burger and talk about flying or learning to fly Interest

in flying is not dead One of my pet peeves is how we

in general aviation go about attracting individuals tolearn the pleasure of flight

Nearly every aviation publication I read carries ar-

ticles and editorials about the downward spiral of gen-

eral aviation Flight schools are having a hard time

attracting new students ldquoDoom and gloomrdquo reigns

with little positive to report on the horizon This al-

ways reminds me of the proverbial three wise mon-keys who embody the principle ldquoSee no evil hear no

evil and speak no evilrdquo We all complain about the

problem but no one ever offers solutions It seems as

though by not doing anything about the challenge it

will eventually go away and right itself

Many of the aviation organizations are wringing

their respective hands giving great lip service to the

drop in pilot numbers Some like EAA have launched

activities to attract new pilots such as the Young Ea-gles program This has been a good start but it will not

fill the ever-increasing void for more pilots

What are we all missing FUN

Four years ago I chose early retirement from a 38-

The student make-up is a real cross-section of Amer-

ica My youngest student to date began flight lessons

at age 14 and the oldest was 77 years young Irsquove men-

tioned some of my students in previous articles At

yearrsquos end 2010 while converting our student files

from paper to computer I was amazed to discover that

in the previous two years I had given instruction tomore than 200 individuals Some were new students

others were individuals in search of a tailwheel en-

dorsement and many were older individuals who had

pursued flight training early in their lives but gave it

up to raise a family Now they had the time and still re-

tained the burning desire to get back into flying What

attracted these individuals to the flight school FUN

And thefun

challenge of flying J-3 Cubs

Herersquos a small cross-section of this yearrsquos group

of students

bullA retired US Navy lieutenant who flew F-4 Phan-

toms off carriers in Vietnam He hasnrsquot done any fly-

ing in more than 10 years but hersquos been building a

Skybolt which will soon be finished and hersquos return-

ing to his lifelong lovemdashaviation He also has two

young sons who want to fly and will soon be joining

the group of student pilotsbullA young CPA from Iowa whose grandfather was a

friend of Bernie Pietenpol and who has built two Piets

The CPA used two weeks of his vacation time to learn

to fly so that he can fly the airplane(s) that his grandfa-

ther built and take his grandfather for a ride

BY Steve Krog CFI

THE Vintage

Instructor

Vintage flying is very much alive

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Cubs flying every day he decided to pursue his pas-

sion for flight

bullA national chain hardware store employee who

has had a dream of flying driving nearly two hours

each way to learn to fly in a Cub

bullAn aviation writervideo producer who already has

a sport pilot certificate but desires to obtain a private

pilot certificate and do so in Cubs

bullA 30-something young family man who sells

construction equipment attachments While deer

hunting a year ago he learned one of his hunting

friends had recently learned to fly in Cubs For three

days they talked airplanes and flying rather than do-

ing much hunting Upon his return from the hunt-ing trip he drove to the airport and signed up for

lessons in the Cub

bullA professional musician from the Chicago area

who always wanted to learn to fly Although not yet

old enough to have a true ldquobucket listrdquo learning to fly

a Cub was number one on his list

With two exceptions these individuals had never

before flown or flown in tailwheel airplanes but alwayshad a dream of learning to fly in a Cubmdashjust like dad

or granddad did many years ago

Although no one in this group comes from simi-

lar backgrounds or professions there is one common

denominator among every studentmdashFUN None of

these students are learning to fly to pursue a career

in aviation (although Irsquove worked with a couple who

have done so) Rather they are learning to fly or get-

ting back into flying for the FUN and CHALLENGE of

flight They all have a true love of flight and seeing the

world from 500 feet with the door and window open

I have also worked with a number of students who

began taking flight lessons but quit after a period of

time They still had the passion for flight but gave it

up When asked why the responses fell into one of the

following four categories

bullI began taking lessons but after three or four les-sons Irsquod be assigned to a different instructor After 30

hours of dual three instructors and still not having

soloed I quit

bullThe instructor wasnrsquot teaching me anything He

was more interested in building time than teaching

Take a moment and think about how you first be-

came interested in airplanes What triggered your

pursuit of learning to fly Did you have a buddy or

maybe a family friend who encouraged you Or even

became a mentor Do you remember your first flight

lesson Do you remember the day you made your

first solo flight

Remember that passion and sense of accomplish-

ment Donrsquot hesitate to share it with anyone express-

ing an interest in learning to fly

At Cub Air Flight we sell FUN When individuals

visit the airport to inquire about learning to fly we

know they have made the commitment in their own

mind It then becomes our responsibility to makethe visit friendly A friendly environment is a FUN

environment Kids are always welcome If a prospec-

tive student has children with him or her we invite

the kids to sit in the planes At the conclusion of our

discussion we emphasize the following statement If

you learn to fly with us it will be FUN CHALLENG-

ING and SAFE

I donrsquot believe there is a shortage of pilot prospectsbut there is a shortage in how we all go about attract-

ing these people to become active participants in plea-

sure flying Remember flying is FUN Letrsquos make an

effort to help others share in that FUN

AERO CLASSICldquoCOLLECTOR SERIESrdquo

Vintage Tires New USA Production

Show off your pride and joy with afresh set of Vintage Rubber Thesenewly minted tires are FAA-TSOrsquodand speed rated to 120 MPH Some

things are better left the way theywere and in the 40rsquos and 50rsquos these tires were perfectly intune to the exciting times in aviation

Not only do these tires set your vintage plane apart fromthe rest but also look exceptional on all General Aviationaircraft Deep 832nd tread depth offers above averagetread life and UV treated rubber resists aging

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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We enjoy your suggestions for

Mystery Planesmdashin fact more than

half of our subjects are sent to us by

members often via e-mail Please

remember that if you want to scan

the photo for use in Mystery Plane

it must be at a resolution of 300 dpior greater You may send a lower-

resolution version to us for our re-

view but the final version has to be

at that level of detail or it will not

print properly Also please let us

craft in the photo is of Canadian civil

registry CF-BXO formerly Royal Cana-

dian Air Force (RCAF) 920 This photo-

graph would have been taken at some

time between 1962 and 1967 after an

overhaul at Abbotsford British Colum-

bia (BC) and possibly while in servicewith Stranraer Aerial Enterprises The

location strongly resembles the Fraser

River dockings at the Vancouver air-

port The aircraft had undergone a re-

spray with a bright red cheat line The

(beaching gear required) for the Royal Air

Force (RAF) in 1933 The prototype first

flew in October 1934 with two Bristol

Pegasus IIIM engines rated at 820 hp

The production aircraft were delivered to

the RAF with Pegasus engines delivering

920 hp entering service in April 1937The British-built machines of which 23

were ordered and only 17 being built

were all delivered by April 1939

In Canada Canadian Vickers Lim-

ited of Montreal Quebec produced 40

Send your answer to EAA Vin-

tage Airplane PO Box 3086 Osh-

kosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer

needs to be in no later than August

20 for inclusion in the October

2011 issue of Vintage Airplane

You can also send your response via

e-mail Send your answer to mystery

planeeaaorg Be sure to include your

name plus your city and state in the

body of your note and put ldquo(Month)

Mystery Planerdquo in the subject line

This monthrsquos Mystery Plane comes to us from Bruce Voran

MYSTERY PLANE

by HG FRAUTSCHY

A P R I L rsquo S M Y S T E RY A N S W E R

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3544

QCA began buying several examplesand was instrumental in convincing

the Canadian Department of Transport

(DOT) to issue a civilian Certificate of

Airworthiness (C of A) One of the first

aircraft so issued was CF-BYI which be-

1980 the Canadian Museum of Flightand Transportation in BC salvaged the

wreck for possible restoration As late as

April 1952 QCA still had two Stranraer

in service CF-BXO and CF-BYM Pacific

Western Airlines (PWA) also operated

Two RAF Belfast freighters were dis-

patched and the disassembled aircraft

was transported to the United Kingdomwhere the machine is currently one of the

centerpieces of the collection

The aircraft type had many names

The most familiar (and printable) were

Stranny Strainer and Flying Meccano

Set The least affectionate was the Whis-

tling Shouse as when the lid to the

throne was lifted there was direct access

to the great outdoors and there emitted a

loud whistling noise

Other correct answers were re-

ceived from Hillis Cunliffe Mill-

brook Alabama Brian Baker Sun

City Arizona Wesley R Smith

Springfield Illinois John White-

head Cheyenne Wyoming ScottChurch Cochrane Alberta Can-

ada Jay Broze Walla Walla Wash-

ington Jerry Paterson Kent

Washington Jamie Patterson Mi-

ramichi New Brunswick Canada

Bill Bishop of Mulgoa New South Wales Australia sent along this photo

of the surviving Supermarine Stranraer

David Nixon supplied us with the April Mystery Plane shot of CF-BXO

a Canadian Vickers-built Supermarine Stranraer

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3644

urday 8 am until 6 pm Early-bird

arrivals can shop on the pre-conven-

tion weekend as well during limited

hours Show your VAA membership

card (or your receipt showing you

joined VAA at the convention) and

yoursquoll receive a 10 percent discount

VAA Volunteer Opportunities

Are you an ace pancake flipperIf yoursquore not one yet we can help

The VAA Tall Pines Cafeacute is looking

for volunteers who can help provide

a hearty breakfast to all the hungry

campers on the south end of Witt-

man Field If you could lend a hand

for a morning or two wersquod appreci-

ate it If thatrsquos not your cup of tea feelfree to check with the VAA Volunteer

Center located just to the northeast

of the VAA Red Barn The volun-

teers who operate the booth will be

happy to tell you when your help is

needed each day It doesnrsquot matter if

itrsquos just for a few hours or for a few

daysmdashwersquod love to have your help-

ing hands There is no need for you

to contact us ahead of time you can

talk with us when you arrive

VAA Judging Categoriesand Awards

The VAArsquos internationally recog-

nized judging categories are

bullAntique Aircraft built prior toSeptember 1 1945

bullClassic September 1 1945 - De-

cember 31 1955

bullContemporary January 1 1956

- December 31 1970

VAA NEWScontinued frpm page 5

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3744

the award winners Judging closes at noon on Friday

July 29 The Awards Ceremony will be held Saturday

evening July 30 at 6 pm in the Vintage Hangar

just south of the VAA Red Barn

Designated Smoking Areas Near FlightlineSmoking on the flightline at EAA AirVenture is prohib-

ited because itrsquos a hazard to all aircraft There are several

designated smoking areas with butt cans along the flight-

line well away from aircraft and refueling operations

Designated smoking areas will be south of the ultra-light runway near the Hangar Cafeacute near the Warbirdsarea (northeast corner of Audrey Lane and Eide Av-

enue) the Wearhouse flag pole area the shade pavil-ion north of the control tower and near the UltralightBarn Locations will be indicated on EAArsquos free con-vention grounds map The admission wristband alsoinstructs visitors that smoking is allowed only in desig-nated smoking areas

More on the Web

Visit wwwAirVentureorg for more information onEAA AirVenture 2011

EAA AirVenture Is Almost Here Are You Ready

Just a few short weeks from now many of you will

make the annual pilgrimage to Oshkosh for EAA Air-

Venture 2011 Are you ready Here are several handy

online tools on the AirVenture website that can help

you take care of any last-minute concerns

Visit wwwAirVentureorg and find out what you

need to know about The Worldrsquos Greatest Avia-

tion Celebration

Admission Parking Hours

wwwAirVentureorgplanningadmissionhtml

Find or Share a Ride to Oshkosh

wwwAirVentureorgrideshare

Site Map

wwwAirVentureorgplanningschedules_mapshtml

Where to Stay

Yoursquore cleared to stay connected

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3844

ship services at 800-564-6322 but

given the time from when you read

this until AirVenture it may not ar-

rive in the mail in time for your de-

parture We suggest downloading

the NOTAM

The NOTAM contains the specialflight procedures in effect for Witt-

man Regional Airport and alternate

airports from 6 am CDT on Friday

July 22 to 12 pm CDT on Mon-

day August 1 2011 All pilots who

fly into the event are expected to

know the special flight procedures

prior to arrival EAA AirVenture Os-

hkosh runs from July 25 through

July 31 For additional EAA AirVen-

ture Oshkosh 2011 information

visit wwwAirVentureorg

Call for VAA Hall of

Fame Nominations

To the left is our information

for nominations for VAArsquos Hallof Fame which is presented each

year during a special dinner This

yearrsquos dinner will be held Friday

October 28 Wersquoll have more on

this yearrsquos inductee John Under-

To nominate someone is easy It just takes a little time and a little reminiscing on your part

Mail nominating materials to

Remember your ldquocontemporaryrdquo may be a candidate nominate someone today

wwwVintageAircraftorg

CALL FOR VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

Nominations

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3944

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

Wit tman Regional A i rpor t (OSH)

Oshkosh Wisconsin

July 25-31 2011

wwwAirVentureorg

Colorado Sport International Air Show

and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In

Rocky Mountain Met ropol i tan A irpor t (BJC)

Denver Colorado

August 27-28 2011

wwwCOSportAviationorg

Mid-Eastern Regional Fly-In

Gr imes F ie ld A irpor t (I74)

Urbana Ohio

September 10-11 2011

httpMERFIcom

Copperstate Fly-In

Casa Grande Munic ipal A i rpor t (CGZ)

Casa Grande Ar izona

Upcoming Major

Fly-Ins

W I N

Only 2000 ticketswill be sold1 ticket $50

3 tickets $125

Piper Tri-Pacer Airplane

Free Flying Lessons

Free Pilot License

Country Legend Roy Clarkrsquos Personal Proceeds fromthis raffle

SAVEAMERICANKIDS LIVES

wwwwingsofhoperaffleorg

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4044

MISCELLANEOUS

wwwaerolistorg Aviationsrsquo Leading

Marketplace

Rare find Lycoming 0-145 partsinventory blocks bearings rings

shafts amp much more $20000

at 1970 prices $5000 Six four

cylinder case aircraft magnetos

$300 Call for more details (FL)

VINTAGETRADER

Someth ing t o buyse l l o r t rade

Classified Word Ads $550 per 10

words 180 words maximum with boldface

lead-in on first line

Classified Display Ads One column wide

(2167 inches) by 1 2 or 3 inches high at

$20 per inch Black and white only and nofrequency discounts

Advertising Closing Dates 10th of second

month prior to desired issue date (ie

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 (classads

eaaorg ) using credit card payment (all cards

accepted) Include name on card complete

address type of card card number and

expiration date Make checks payable to EAA

Address advertising correspondence to EAA

Publications Classified Ad Manager PO Box

3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

What Our Members

Are Restoring

Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done and

yoursquore busy flying and showing it off If so wersquod like to hear from

you Send us a 4-by-6-inch print from a commercial source (no

home printers please those prints just donrsquot scan well) or a

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4144

EAAMembership in the Experimental Aircraft

Association Inc is $40 for one year includ-ing 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION Familymembership is an additional $10 annually Allmajor credit cards accepted for membership(Add $16 for International Postage)

FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPSPlease submit your remittance with a

check or draft drawn on a United Statesbank payable in United States dollars Addrequired Foreign Postage amount for eachmembership

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATIONCurrent EAA members may join the

Vintage Aircraft Association and receive

year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not included)(Add $7 for International Postage)

WARBIRDSCurrent EAA members may join the EAA

Warbirds of America Division and receiveWARBIRDS magazine for an additional$45 per year

EAA Membership WARBIRDS mag-azine and one year membership in theWarbirds Division is available for $55 per

year (SPORT OficAVIATION magazinenot included) (Add $7 for Interna-tional Postage)

IACCurrent EAA members may join the

International Aerobatic Club Inc Divi-sion and receive SPORT AEROBATICS magazine for an additional $45 per year

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

VINTAGE

AIRCRAFT

ASSOCIATION

OFFICERS

DIRECTORS

DIRECTORS

EMERITUS

PresidentGeoff Robison

1521 E MacGregor DrNew Haven IN 46774

260-493-4724chief7025aolcom

Vice-PresidentGeorge Daubner

N57W34837 Pondview LnOconomowoc WI 53066

262-560-1949 gdaubnereaaorg

Steve Bender85 Brush Hill Road

Sherborn MA 01770508-653-7557

sst10comcastnet

David Bennett375 Killdeer Ct

Lincoln CA 95648916-952-9449

antiquerinreachcom

Jerry Brown4605 Hickory Wood Row

Greenwood IN 46143317-422-9366

lbrown4906aolcom

Dave Clark635 Vestal Lane

Plainfield IN 46168317-839-4500davecpdattnet

John S Copeland1A Deacon Street

Northborough MA 01532508-393-4775

copeland1junocom

Phil Coulson28415 Springbrook Dr

Lawton MI 49065269-624-6490

rcoulson516cscom

Dale A Gustafson7724 Shady Hills Dr

Indianapolis IN 46278317-293-4430

dalefayemsncom

Jeannie HillPO Box 328

Harvard IL 60033-0328815-943-7205

Espie ldquoButchrdquo Joyce704 N Regional Rd

Greensboro NC 27409336-668-3650

windsockaolcom

Steve Krog1002 Heather Ln

Hartford WI 53027262-966-7627sskrogaolcom

Robert D ldquoBobrdquo Lumley1265 South 124th StBrookfield WI 53005

262-782-2633rlumley1wirrcom

SH ldquoWesrdquo Schmid2359 Lefeber Avenue

Wauwatosa WI 53213414-771-1545

shschmidgmailcom

Robert C Brauer9345 S Hoyne

Chicago IL 60643773-779-2105

photopilotaolcom

Gene Chase2159 Carlton Rd

Oshkosh WI 54904920-231-5002

GRCHAcharternet

Ronald C Fritz15401 Sparta Ave

Kent City MI 49330616-678-5012

rFritzpathwaynet com

Charlie HarrisPO Box 470350Tulsa OK 74147

918-622-8400cwhhvsucom

EE ldquoBuckrdquo Hilbert8102 Leech RdUnion IL 60180

815-923-4591buck7acgmailcom

Gene Morris5936 Steve Court

Roanoke TX 76262817-491-9110

genemor rischarter net

Membership Services DirectoryEnjoy the many benefits of EAA and

EAArsquos Vintage Aircraft Association

EAA Aviation Center PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086Phone (920) 426-4800 Fax (920) 426-4873Web Sites wwwvintageaircraftorg wwwairventureorg wwweaaorgmemberbenefits E-Mail vintageaircrafteaaorg

EAA and Division Membership Services (800 AMndash600 PM MondayndashFriday CST)800-564-6322 FAX 920-426-4873 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

bullNewrenew memberships bullAddress changes bullMerchandise sales bullGift memberships

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 888-322-4636 wwwairventureorg airventureeaaorg

Sport PilotLight-Sport Aircraft Hotline 877-359-1232 wwwsportpilotorg sportpiloteaaorg

Programs and Activities

Auto Fuel STCs 920-426-4843 stceaaorg EAA Air Academy 920-426-6880 wwwairacademyorg airacademyeaaorg

EAA Scholarships 920-426-6823 scholarshipseaaorg

Library ServicesResearch 920-426-4848 slurveyeaaorg

Benefits

AUA Vintage Insurance Plan 800-727-3823 wwwauaonlinecom

EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan 866-647-4322 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

EAA VISA Card 800-853-5576 ext 8884

EAA Her tz Rent-A-Car Program 800-654-2200 wwweaaorghertz membershipeaaorg

VAA EditorialExecutive Director 920-426-4825 wwwvintageaircraftorg vintageeaaorg

VAA Office 920-426-6110 tbookseaaorg

TM

EAA Members Information Line 888-EAA-INFO (322-4636)

Use this toll-free number for information about AirVenture Oshkosh aeromedical and technical aviation questions

chapters and Young Eagles Please have your membership number ready when calling

Office hours are 815 am - 500 pm (Monday - Friday CST)

SecretarySteve Nesse

2009 Highland AveAlbert Lea MN 56007

507-373-1674

stnes2009livecom

TreasurerDan Knutson

106 Tena Marie CircleLodi WI 53555608-592-7224

lodicubcharternet

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4244

If yoursquove ever watched fish in

an aquarium yoursquove probably no-

ticed how they respond differently

to their surroundings There are

those that zip around the tank in a

mad dash to nowhere Some seem

to sit and not go much of any-

where and some will swim f romone end to the other turn around

and do it again

The latter are the ones that remind

me of myself I seem to fly in a fish-

bowl I go from one end of our val-

proficient by practicing things we

know over and over or it can make

us lazy When something becomes

so ingrained that we do it from habit

only we may not be thinking about

what wersquore doing

On a night cross-country some

time ago I found out just how easyit is to forget things that I hadnrsquot

used in a while While night may be

a little more challenging it still re-

quires the basic pre-flight planning

of any cross-country and following

whether I go far or stay in the com-

fort zone I canrsquot let complacency take

over Those skills and experiences

need to be stretched from time to

time regardless of where I fly An un-

expected situation or emergency is a

bad time to find out I donrsquot remem-

ber how to do somethingComplacency also allows fear

to creep in where it doesnrsquot belong

Some fear (I think) is a natural part of

flying but it can also unnecessarily

keep us grounded because we wonrsquot

BY S MICHELLE SOUDER

Flying Outside

the Fishbowl

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Itrsquos gonna be a big year at Oshk osh

B-29 Superfortress ldquoFIFIrdquo

The first visit since 1995for the worldrsquos only airworthyB-29 Superfortress

REO SpeedwagonOshkosh rocks Monday duringthe opening day concert presentedby Ford Motor Company

Tribute to Bob HooverTuesday afternoon air showfeaturing aircraft and maneuvershe made legendary

eVentureInnovation will be on displayand in the air with the ElectricFlight Prize Competition

Join us for a week-long celebration of the Centennial of Naval Aviationincluding a special air show Wednesday See the hottest naval aircraftin historic colors all week on ConocoPhillips Plaza

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Page 31: Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Pyrene fire extinguishers were

made of brass and were nicely pol-

ished They were not high-pressureunits but required the use of a

hand pump to generate pressure

to expel liquid from the cylinder

These extinguishers were gener-

ally mounted in the rear cockpit

ton or linen fabric and the only

dope available was cellulose ni-

trate that burned like a torch when

lit Watching nitrate dope burn

reminded me of a Fourth of July

sparkler very intense and hot If

a nitrate-doped ship caught fire in

the air there was no extinguisher

that would put out the flames

The PHYLAX system had an auto-

matic sensor that would trigger the

bottlersquos valve open and send the

chemical into the engine compart-

ment The Pyrene extinguisher wasmore for ground use because you

could not operate the bottle and

fly the airplane at the same time

By todayrsquos standards these ex-

tinguishing systems seem ar-

chaic but for the time back in

the 1920s they were the thing to

have in your automobile boator airplane

Editorrsquos Note WARNING An-

tique carbon tetrachloride fire extin-

guishers like the Pyrene occasionally

show up either contaminated with

the original agent or worse yet with

the full charge of agent still inside

Carbon tet is treated as a hazard-

ous substance (its use was banned

in consumer products in 1970) and

should be dealt with accordingly

In fact carbon tetrachloride when

heated by a fire will create poison-

ous phosgene gas (World War Irsquos

ldquonerve gasrdquo) something that would

definitely ruin someonersquos day if the

fire hadnrsquot done so already In its

standard form this substance is verytoxic to the liver and a single signifi-

cant exposure can result in sickness

or death

L a n g l ey may have been the

f h f i i i b

last and last The instruction

l i l d f

1903 Samuel Pierpont Langleyrsquos ldquoAerodromerdquoattempts to take off from a floating platform

Have a comment or ques-

tion for Bob Lock the Vintage

Mechanic Drop us an e-mail at

vintageaircrafteaaorg or you

can mail your question to Vintage

Airplane PO Box 3086 Osh-

kosh WI 54903

Illustration 7

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Authorrsquos Note We held a small open house at the

flight school hangar this past Saturday Though the

weather was not conducive to give many rides we still

had about 60 people show up enjoy a brat or ham-

burger and talk about flying or learning to fly Interest

in flying is not dead One of my pet peeves is how we

in general aviation go about attracting individuals tolearn the pleasure of flight

Nearly every aviation publication I read carries ar-

ticles and editorials about the downward spiral of gen-

eral aviation Flight schools are having a hard time

attracting new students ldquoDoom and gloomrdquo reigns

with little positive to report on the horizon This al-

ways reminds me of the proverbial three wise mon-keys who embody the principle ldquoSee no evil hear no

evil and speak no evilrdquo We all complain about the

problem but no one ever offers solutions It seems as

though by not doing anything about the challenge it

will eventually go away and right itself

Many of the aviation organizations are wringing

their respective hands giving great lip service to the

drop in pilot numbers Some like EAA have launched

activities to attract new pilots such as the Young Ea-gles program This has been a good start but it will not

fill the ever-increasing void for more pilots

What are we all missing FUN

Four years ago I chose early retirement from a 38-

The student make-up is a real cross-section of Amer-

ica My youngest student to date began flight lessons

at age 14 and the oldest was 77 years young Irsquove men-

tioned some of my students in previous articles At

yearrsquos end 2010 while converting our student files

from paper to computer I was amazed to discover that

in the previous two years I had given instruction tomore than 200 individuals Some were new students

others were individuals in search of a tailwheel en-

dorsement and many were older individuals who had

pursued flight training early in their lives but gave it

up to raise a family Now they had the time and still re-

tained the burning desire to get back into flying What

attracted these individuals to the flight school FUN

And thefun

challenge of flying J-3 Cubs

Herersquos a small cross-section of this yearrsquos group

of students

bullA retired US Navy lieutenant who flew F-4 Phan-

toms off carriers in Vietnam He hasnrsquot done any fly-

ing in more than 10 years but hersquos been building a

Skybolt which will soon be finished and hersquos return-

ing to his lifelong lovemdashaviation He also has two

young sons who want to fly and will soon be joining

the group of student pilotsbullA young CPA from Iowa whose grandfather was a

friend of Bernie Pietenpol and who has built two Piets

The CPA used two weeks of his vacation time to learn

to fly so that he can fly the airplane(s) that his grandfa-

ther built and take his grandfather for a ride

BY Steve Krog CFI

THE Vintage

Instructor

Vintage flying is very much alive

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Cubs flying every day he decided to pursue his pas-

sion for flight

bullA national chain hardware store employee who

has had a dream of flying driving nearly two hours

each way to learn to fly in a Cub

bullAn aviation writervideo producer who already has

a sport pilot certificate but desires to obtain a private

pilot certificate and do so in Cubs

bullA 30-something young family man who sells

construction equipment attachments While deer

hunting a year ago he learned one of his hunting

friends had recently learned to fly in Cubs For three

days they talked airplanes and flying rather than do-

ing much hunting Upon his return from the hunt-ing trip he drove to the airport and signed up for

lessons in the Cub

bullA professional musician from the Chicago area

who always wanted to learn to fly Although not yet

old enough to have a true ldquobucket listrdquo learning to fly

a Cub was number one on his list

With two exceptions these individuals had never

before flown or flown in tailwheel airplanes but alwayshad a dream of learning to fly in a Cubmdashjust like dad

or granddad did many years ago

Although no one in this group comes from simi-

lar backgrounds or professions there is one common

denominator among every studentmdashFUN None of

these students are learning to fly to pursue a career

in aviation (although Irsquove worked with a couple who

have done so) Rather they are learning to fly or get-

ting back into flying for the FUN and CHALLENGE of

flight They all have a true love of flight and seeing the

world from 500 feet with the door and window open

I have also worked with a number of students who

began taking flight lessons but quit after a period of

time They still had the passion for flight but gave it

up When asked why the responses fell into one of the

following four categories

bullI began taking lessons but after three or four les-sons Irsquod be assigned to a different instructor After 30

hours of dual three instructors and still not having

soloed I quit

bullThe instructor wasnrsquot teaching me anything He

was more interested in building time than teaching

Take a moment and think about how you first be-

came interested in airplanes What triggered your

pursuit of learning to fly Did you have a buddy or

maybe a family friend who encouraged you Or even

became a mentor Do you remember your first flight

lesson Do you remember the day you made your

first solo flight

Remember that passion and sense of accomplish-

ment Donrsquot hesitate to share it with anyone express-

ing an interest in learning to fly

At Cub Air Flight we sell FUN When individuals

visit the airport to inquire about learning to fly we

know they have made the commitment in their own

mind It then becomes our responsibility to makethe visit friendly A friendly environment is a FUN

environment Kids are always welcome If a prospec-

tive student has children with him or her we invite

the kids to sit in the planes At the conclusion of our

discussion we emphasize the following statement If

you learn to fly with us it will be FUN CHALLENG-

ING and SAFE

I donrsquot believe there is a shortage of pilot prospectsbut there is a shortage in how we all go about attract-

ing these people to become active participants in plea-

sure flying Remember flying is FUN Letrsquos make an

effort to help others share in that FUN

AERO CLASSICldquoCOLLECTOR SERIESrdquo

Vintage Tires New USA Production

Show off your pride and joy with afresh set of Vintage Rubber Thesenewly minted tires are FAA-TSOrsquodand speed rated to 120 MPH Some

things are better left the way theywere and in the 40rsquos and 50rsquos these tires were perfectly intune to the exciting times in aviation

Not only do these tires set your vintage plane apart fromthe rest but also look exceptional on all General Aviationaircraft Deep 832nd tread depth offers above averagetread life and UV treated rubber resists aging

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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We enjoy your suggestions for

Mystery Planesmdashin fact more than

half of our subjects are sent to us by

members often via e-mail Please

remember that if you want to scan

the photo for use in Mystery Plane

it must be at a resolution of 300 dpior greater You may send a lower-

resolution version to us for our re-

view but the final version has to be

at that level of detail or it will not

print properly Also please let us

craft in the photo is of Canadian civil

registry CF-BXO formerly Royal Cana-

dian Air Force (RCAF) 920 This photo-

graph would have been taken at some

time between 1962 and 1967 after an

overhaul at Abbotsford British Colum-

bia (BC) and possibly while in servicewith Stranraer Aerial Enterprises The

location strongly resembles the Fraser

River dockings at the Vancouver air-

port The aircraft had undergone a re-

spray with a bright red cheat line The

(beaching gear required) for the Royal Air

Force (RAF) in 1933 The prototype first

flew in October 1934 with two Bristol

Pegasus IIIM engines rated at 820 hp

The production aircraft were delivered to

the RAF with Pegasus engines delivering

920 hp entering service in April 1937The British-built machines of which 23

were ordered and only 17 being built

were all delivered by April 1939

In Canada Canadian Vickers Lim-

ited of Montreal Quebec produced 40

Send your answer to EAA Vin-

tage Airplane PO Box 3086 Osh-

kosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer

needs to be in no later than August

20 for inclusion in the October

2011 issue of Vintage Airplane

You can also send your response via

e-mail Send your answer to mystery

planeeaaorg Be sure to include your

name plus your city and state in the

body of your note and put ldquo(Month)

Mystery Planerdquo in the subject line

This monthrsquos Mystery Plane comes to us from Bruce Voran

MYSTERY PLANE

by HG FRAUTSCHY

A P R I L rsquo S M Y S T E RY A N S W E R

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3544

QCA began buying several examplesand was instrumental in convincing

the Canadian Department of Transport

(DOT) to issue a civilian Certificate of

Airworthiness (C of A) One of the first

aircraft so issued was CF-BYI which be-

1980 the Canadian Museum of Flightand Transportation in BC salvaged the

wreck for possible restoration As late as

April 1952 QCA still had two Stranraer

in service CF-BXO and CF-BYM Pacific

Western Airlines (PWA) also operated

Two RAF Belfast freighters were dis-

patched and the disassembled aircraft

was transported to the United Kingdomwhere the machine is currently one of the

centerpieces of the collection

The aircraft type had many names

The most familiar (and printable) were

Stranny Strainer and Flying Meccano

Set The least affectionate was the Whis-

tling Shouse as when the lid to the

throne was lifted there was direct access

to the great outdoors and there emitted a

loud whistling noise

Other correct answers were re-

ceived from Hillis Cunliffe Mill-

brook Alabama Brian Baker Sun

City Arizona Wesley R Smith

Springfield Illinois John White-

head Cheyenne Wyoming ScottChurch Cochrane Alberta Can-

ada Jay Broze Walla Walla Wash-

ington Jerry Paterson Kent

Washington Jamie Patterson Mi-

ramichi New Brunswick Canada

Bill Bishop of Mulgoa New South Wales Australia sent along this photo

of the surviving Supermarine Stranraer

David Nixon supplied us with the April Mystery Plane shot of CF-BXO

a Canadian Vickers-built Supermarine Stranraer

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3644

urday 8 am until 6 pm Early-bird

arrivals can shop on the pre-conven-

tion weekend as well during limited

hours Show your VAA membership

card (or your receipt showing you

joined VAA at the convention) and

yoursquoll receive a 10 percent discount

VAA Volunteer Opportunities

Are you an ace pancake flipperIf yoursquore not one yet we can help

The VAA Tall Pines Cafeacute is looking

for volunteers who can help provide

a hearty breakfast to all the hungry

campers on the south end of Witt-

man Field If you could lend a hand

for a morning or two wersquod appreci-

ate it If thatrsquos not your cup of tea feelfree to check with the VAA Volunteer

Center located just to the northeast

of the VAA Red Barn The volun-

teers who operate the booth will be

happy to tell you when your help is

needed each day It doesnrsquot matter if

itrsquos just for a few hours or for a few

daysmdashwersquod love to have your help-

ing hands There is no need for you

to contact us ahead of time you can

talk with us when you arrive

VAA Judging Categoriesand Awards

The VAArsquos internationally recog-

nized judging categories are

bullAntique Aircraft built prior toSeptember 1 1945

bullClassic September 1 1945 - De-

cember 31 1955

bullContemporary January 1 1956

- December 31 1970

VAA NEWScontinued frpm page 5

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3744

the award winners Judging closes at noon on Friday

July 29 The Awards Ceremony will be held Saturday

evening July 30 at 6 pm in the Vintage Hangar

just south of the VAA Red Barn

Designated Smoking Areas Near FlightlineSmoking on the flightline at EAA AirVenture is prohib-

ited because itrsquos a hazard to all aircraft There are several

designated smoking areas with butt cans along the flight-

line well away from aircraft and refueling operations

Designated smoking areas will be south of the ultra-light runway near the Hangar Cafeacute near the Warbirdsarea (northeast corner of Audrey Lane and Eide Av-

enue) the Wearhouse flag pole area the shade pavil-ion north of the control tower and near the UltralightBarn Locations will be indicated on EAArsquos free con-vention grounds map The admission wristband alsoinstructs visitors that smoking is allowed only in desig-nated smoking areas

More on the Web

Visit wwwAirVentureorg for more information onEAA AirVenture 2011

EAA AirVenture Is Almost Here Are You Ready

Just a few short weeks from now many of you will

make the annual pilgrimage to Oshkosh for EAA Air-

Venture 2011 Are you ready Here are several handy

online tools on the AirVenture website that can help

you take care of any last-minute concerns

Visit wwwAirVentureorg and find out what you

need to know about The Worldrsquos Greatest Avia-

tion Celebration

Admission Parking Hours

wwwAirVentureorgplanningadmissionhtml

Find or Share a Ride to Oshkosh

wwwAirVentureorgrideshare

Site Map

wwwAirVentureorgplanningschedules_mapshtml

Where to Stay

Yoursquore cleared to stay connected

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3844

ship services at 800-564-6322 but

given the time from when you read

this until AirVenture it may not ar-

rive in the mail in time for your de-

parture We suggest downloading

the NOTAM

The NOTAM contains the specialflight procedures in effect for Witt-

man Regional Airport and alternate

airports from 6 am CDT on Friday

July 22 to 12 pm CDT on Mon-

day August 1 2011 All pilots who

fly into the event are expected to

know the special flight procedures

prior to arrival EAA AirVenture Os-

hkosh runs from July 25 through

July 31 For additional EAA AirVen-

ture Oshkosh 2011 information

visit wwwAirVentureorg

Call for VAA Hall of

Fame Nominations

To the left is our information

for nominations for VAArsquos Hallof Fame which is presented each

year during a special dinner This

yearrsquos dinner will be held Friday

October 28 Wersquoll have more on

this yearrsquos inductee John Under-

To nominate someone is easy It just takes a little time and a little reminiscing on your part

Mail nominating materials to

Remember your ldquocontemporaryrdquo may be a candidate nominate someone today

wwwVintageAircraftorg

CALL FOR VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

Nominations

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3944

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

Wit tman Regional A i rpor t (OSH)

Oshkosh Wisconsin

July 25-31 2011

wwwAirVentureorg

Colorado Sport International Air Show

and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In

Rocky Mountain Met ropol i tan A irpor t (BJC)

Denver Colorado

August 27-28 2011

wwwCOSportAviationorg

Mid-Eastern Regional Fly-In

Gr imes F ie ld A irpor t (I74)

Urbana Ohio

September 10-11 2011

httpMERFIcom

Copperstate Fly-In

Casa Grande Munic ipal A i rpor t (CGZ)

Casa Grande Ar izona

Upcoming Major

Fly-Ins

W I N

Only 2000 ticketswill be sold1 ticket $50

3 tickets $125

Piper Tri-Pacer Airplane

Free Flying Lessons

Free Pilot License

Country Legend Roy Clarkrsquos Personal Proceeds fromthis raffle

SAVEAMERICANKIDS LIVES

wwwwingsofhoperaffleorg

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4044

MISCELLANEOUS

wwwaerolistorg Aviationsrsquo Leading

Marketplace

Rare find Lycoming 0-145 partsinventory blocks bearings rings

shafts amp much more $20000

at 1970 prices $5000 Six four

cylinder case aircraft magnetos

$300 Call for more details (FL)

VINTAGETRADER

Someth ing t o buyse l l o r t rade

Classified Word Ads $550 per 10

words 180 words maximum with boldface

lead-in on first line

Classified Display Ads One column wide

(2167 inches) by 1 2 or 3 inches high at

$20 per inch Black and white only and nofrequency discounts

Advertising Closing Dates 10th of second

month prior to desired issue date (ie

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 (classads

eaaorg ) using credit card payment (all cards

accepted) Include name on card complete

address type of card card number and

expiration date Make checks payable to EAA

Address advertising correspondence to EAA

Publications Classified Ad Manager PO Box

3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

What Our Members

Are Restoring

Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done and

yoursquore busy flying and showing it off If so wersquod like to hear from

you Send us a 4-by-6-inch print from a commercial source (no

home printers please those prints just donrsquot scan well) or a

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4144

EAAMembership in the Experimental Aircraft

Association Inc is $40 for one year includ-ing 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION Familymembership is an additional $10 annually Allmajor credit cards accepted for membership(Add $16 for International Postage)

FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPSPlease submit your remittance with a

check or draft drawn on a United Statesbank payable in United States dollars Addrequired Foreign Postage amount for eachmembership

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATIONCurrent EAA members may join the

Vintage Aircraft Association and receive

year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not included)(Add $7 for International Postage)

WARBIRDSCurrent EAA members may join the EAA

Warbirds of America Division and receiveWARBIRDS magazine for an additional$45 per year

EAA Membership WARBIRDS mag-azine and one year membership in theWarbirds Division is available for $55 per

year (SPORT OficAVIATION magazinenot included) (Add $7 for Interna-tional Postage)

IACCurrent EAA members may join the

International Aerobatic Club Inc Divi-sion and receive SPORT AEROBATICS magazine for an additional $45 per year

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

VINTAGE

AIRCRAFT

ASSOCIATION

OFFICERS

DIRECTORS

DIRECTORS

EMERITUS

PresidentGeoff Robison

1521 E MacGregor DrNew Haven IN 46774

260-493-4724chief7025aolcom

Vice-PresidentGeorge Daubner

N57W34837 Pondview LnOconomowoc WI 53066

262-560-1949 gdaubnereaaorg

Steve Bender85 Brush Hill Road

Sherborn MA 01770508-653-7557

sst10comcastnet

David Bennett375 Killdeer Ct

Lincoln CA 95648916-952-9449

antiquerinreachcom

Jerry Brown4605 Hickory Wood Row

Greenwood IN 46143317-422-9366

lbrown4906aolcom

Dave Clark635 Vestal Lane

Plainfield IN 46168317-839-4500davecpdattnet

John S Copeland1A Deacon Street

Northborough MA 01532508-393-4775

copeland1junocom

Phil Coulson28415 Springbrook Dr

Lawton MI 49065269-624-6490

rcoulson516cscom

Dale A Gustafson7724 Shady Hills Dr

Indianapolis IN 46278317-293-4430

dalefayemsncom

Jeannie HillPO Box 328

Harvard IL 60033-0328815-943-7205

Espie ldquoButchrdquo Joyce704 N Regional Rd

Greensboro NC 27409336-668-3650

windsockaolcom

Steve Krog1002 Heather Ln

Hartford WI 53027262-966-7627sskrogaolcom

Robert D ldquoBobrdquo Lumley1265 South 124th StBrookfield WI 53005

262-782-2633rlumley1wirrcom

SH ldquoWesrdquo Schmid2359 Lefeber Avenue

Wauwatosa WI 53213414-771-1545

shschmidgmailcom

Robert C Brauer9345 S Hoyne

Chicago IL 60643773-779-2105

photopilotaolcom

Gene Chase2159 Carlton Rd

Oshkosh WI 54904920-231-5002

GRCHAcharternet

Ronald C Fritz15401 Sparta Ave

Kent City MI 49330616-678-5012

rFritzpathwaynet com

Charlie HarrisPO Box 470350Tulsa OK 74147

918-622-8400cwhhvsucom

EE ldquoBuckrdquo Hilbert8102 Leech RdUnion IL 60180

815-923-4591buck7acgmailcom

Gene Morris5936 Steve Court

Roanoke TX 76262817-491-9110

genemor rischarter net

Membership Services DirectoryEnjoy the many benefits of EAA and

EAArsquos Vintage Aircraft Association

EAA Aviation Center PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086Phone (920) 426-4800 Fax (920) 426-4873Web Sites wwwvintageaircraftorg wwwairventureorg wwweaaorgmemberbenefits E-Mail vintageaircrafteaaorg

EAA and Division Membership Services (800 AMndash600 PM MondayndashFriday CST)800-564-6322 FAX 920-426-4873 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

bullNewrenew memberships bullAddress changes bullMerchandise sales bullGift memberships

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 888-322-4636 wwwairventureorg airventureeaaorg

Sport PilotLight-Sport Aircraft Hotline 877-359-1232 wwwsportpilotorg sportpiloteaaorg

Programs and Activities

Auto Fuel STCs 920-426-4843 stceaaorg EAA Air Academy 920-426-6880 wwwairacademyorg airacademyeaaorg

EAA Scholarships 920-426-6823 scholarshipseaaorg

Library ServicesResearch 920-426-4848 slurveyeaaorg

Benefits

AUA Vintage Insurance Plan 800-727-3823 wwwauaonlinecom

EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan 866-647-4322 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

EAA VISA Card 800-853-5576 ext 8884

EAA Her tz Rent-A-Car Program 800-654-2200 wwweaaorghertz membershipeaaorg

VAA EditorialExecutive Director 920-426-4825 wwwvintageaircraftorg vintageeaaorg

VAA Office 920-426-6110 tbookseaaorg

TM

EAA Members Information Line 888-EAA-INFO (322-4636)

Use this toll-free number for information about AirVenture Oshkosh aeromedical and technical aviation questions

chapters and Young Eagles Please have your membership number ready when calling

Office hours are 815 am - 500 pm (Monday - Friday CST)

SecretarySteve Nesse

2009 Highland AveAlbert Lea MN 56007

507-373-1674

stnes2009livecom

TreasurerDan Knutson

106 Tena Marie CircleLodi WI 53555608-592-7224

lodicubcharternet

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4244

If yoursquove ever watched fish in

an aquarium yoursquove probably no-

ticed how they respond differently

to their surroundings There are

those that zip around the tank in a

mad dash to nowhere Some seem

to sit and not go much of any-

where and some will swim f romone end to the other turn around

and do it again

The latter are the ones that remind

me of myself I seem to fly in a fish-

bowl I go from one end of our val-

proficient by practicing things we

know over and over or it can make

us lazy When something becomes

so ingrained that we do it from habit

only we may not be thinking about

what wersquore doing

On a night cross-country some

time ago I found out just how easyit is to forget things that I hadnrsquot

used in a while While night may be

a little more challenging it still re-

quires the basic pre-flight planning

of any cross-country and following

whether I go far or stay in the com-

fort zone I canrsquot let complacency take

over Those skills and experiences

need to be stretched from time to

time regardless of where I fly An un-

expected situation or emergency is a

bad time to find out I donrsquot remem-

ber how to do somethingComplacency also allows fear

to creep in where it doesnrsquot belong

Some fear (I think) is a natural part of

flying but it can also unnecessarily

keep us grounded because we wonrsquot

BY S MICHELLE SOUDER

Flying Outside

the Fishbowl

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Itrsquos gonna be a big year at Oshk osh

B-29 Superfortress ldquoFIFIrdquo

The first visit since 1995for the worldrsquos only airworthyB-29 Superfortress

REO SpeedwagonOshkosh rocks Monday duringthe opening day concert presentedby Ford Motor Company

Tribute to Bob HooverTuesday afternoon air showfeaturing aircraft and maneuvershe made legendary

eVentureInnovation will be on displayand in the air with the ElectricFlight Prize Competition

Join us for a week-long celebration of the Centennial of Naval Aviationincluding a special air show Wednesday See the hottest naval aircraftin historic colors all week on ConocoPhillips Plaza

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Page 32: Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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Authorrsquos Note We held a small open house at the

flight school hangar this past Saturday Though the

weather was not conducive to give many rides we still

had about 60 people show up enjoy a brat or ham-

burger and talk about flying or learning to fly Interest

in flying is not dead One of my pet peeves is how we

in general aviation go about attracting individuals tolearn the pleasure of flight

Nearly every aviation publication I read carries ar-

ticles and editorials about the downward spiral of gen-

eral aviation Flight schools are having a hard time

attracting new students ldquoDoom and gloomrdquo reigns

with little positive to report on the horizon This al-

ways reminds me of the proverbial three wise mon-keys who embody the principle ldquoSee no evil hear no

evil and speak no evilrdquo We all complain about the

problem but no one ever offers solutions It seems as

though by not doing anything about the challenge it

will eventually go away and right itself

Many of the aviation organizations are wringing

their respective hands giving great lip service to the

drop in pilot numbers Some like EAA have launched

activities to attract new pilots such as the Young Ea-gles program This has been a good start but it will not

fill the ever-increasing void for more pilots

What are we all missing FUN

Four years ago I chose early retirement from a 38-

The student make-up is a real cross-section of Amer-

ica My youngest student to date began flight lessons

at age 14 and the oldest was 77 years young Irsquove men-

tioned some of my students in previous articles At

yearrsquos end 2010 while converting our student files

from paper to computer I was amazed to discover that

in the previous two years I had given instruction tomore than 200 individuals Some were new students

others were individuals in search of a tailwheel en-

dorsement and many were older individuals who had

pursued flight training early in their lives but gave it

up to raise a family Now they had the time and still re-

tained the burning desire to get back into flying What

attracted these individuals to the flight school FUN

And thefun

challenge of flying J-3 Cubs

Herersquos a small cross-section of this yearrsquos group

of students

bullA retired US Navy lieutenant who flew F-4 Phan-

toms off carriers in Vietnam He hasnrsquot done any fly-

ing in more than 10 years but hersquos been building a

Skybolt which will soon be finished and hersquos return-

ing to his lifelong lovemdashaviation He also has two

young sons who want to fly and will soon be joining

the group of student pilotsbullA young CPA from Iowa whose grandfather was a

friend of Bernie Pietenpol and who has built two Piets

The CPA used two weeks of his vacation time to learn

to fly so that he can fly the airplane(s) that his grandfa-

ther built and take his grandfather for a ride

BY Steve Krog CFI

THE Vintage

Instructor

Vintage flying is very much alive

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3344

Cubs flying every day he decided to pursue his pas-

sion for flight

bullA national chain hardware store employee who

has had a dream of flying driving nearly two hours

each way to learn to fly in a Cub

bullAn aviation writervideo producer who already has

a sport pilot certificate but desires to obtain a private

pilot certificate and do so in Cubs

bullA 30-something young family man who sells

construction equipment attachments While deer

hunting a year ago he learned one of his hunting

friends had recently learned to fly in Cubs For three

days they talked airplanes and flying rather than do-

ing much hunting Upon his return from the hunt-ing trip he drove to the airport and signed up for

lessons in the Cub

bullA professional musician from the Chicago area

who always wanted to learn to fly Although not yet

old enough to have a true ldquobucket listrdquo learning to fly

a Cub was number one on his list

With two exceptions these individuals had never

before flown or flown in tailwheel airplanes but alwayshad a dream of learning to fly in a Cubmdashjust like dad

or granddad did many years ago

Although no one in this group comes from simi-

lar backgrounds or professions there is one common

denominator among every studentmdashFUN None of

these students are learning to fly to pursue a career

in aviation (although Irsquove worked with a couple who

have done so) Rather they are learning to fly or get-

ting back into flying for the FUN and CHALLENGE of

flight They all have a true love of flight and seeing the

world from 500 feet with the door and window open

I have also worked with a number of students who

began taking flight lessons but quit after a period of

time They still had the passion for flight but gave it

up When asked why the responses fell into one of the

following four categories

bullI began taking lessons but after three or four les-sons Irsquod be assigned to a different instructor After 30

hours of dual three instructors and still not having

soloed I quit

bullThe instructor wasnrsquot teaching me anything He

was more interested in building time than teaching

Take a moment and think about how you first be-

came interested in airplanes What triggered your

pursuit of learning to fly Did you have a buddy or

maybe a family friend who encouraged you Or even

became a mentor Do you remember your first flight

lesson Do you remember the day you made your

first solo flight

Remember that passion and sense of accomplish-

ment Donrsquot hesitate to share it with anyone express-

ing an interest in learning to fly

At Cub Air Flight we sell FUN When individuals

visit the airport to inquire about learning to fly we

know they have made the commitment in their own

mind It then becomes our responsibility to makethe visit friendly A friendly environment is a FUN

environment Kids are always welcome If a prospec-

tive student has children with him or her we invite

the kids to sit in the planes At the conclusion of our

discussion we emphasize the following statement If

you learn to fly with us it will be FUN CHALLENG-

ING and SAFE

I donrsquot believe there is a shortage of pilot prospectsbut there is a shortage in how we all go about attract-

ing these people to become active participants in plea-

sure flying Remember flying is FUN Letrsquos make an

effort to help others share in that FUN

AERO CLASSICldquoCOLLECTOR SERIESrdquo

Vintage Tires New USA Production

Show off your pride and joy with afresh set of Vintage Rubber Thesenewly minted tires are FAA-TSOrsquodand speed rated to 120 MPH Some

things are better left the way theywere and in the 40rsquos and 50rsquos these tires were perfectly intune to the exciting times in aviation

Not only do these tires set your vintage plane apart fromthe rest but also look exceptional on all General Aviationaircraft Deep 832nd tread depth offers above averagetread life and UV treated rubber resists aging

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

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We enjoy your suggestions for

Mystery Planesmdashin fact more than

half of our subjects are sent to us by

members often via e-mail Please

remember that if you want to scan

the photo for use in Mystery Plane

it must be at a resolution of 300 dpior greater You may send a lower-

resolution version to us for our re-

view but the final version has to be

at that level of detail or it will not

print properly Also please let us

craft in the photo is of Canadian civil

registry CF-BXO formerly Royal Cana-

dian Air Force (RCAF) 920 This photo-

graph would have been taken at some

time between 1962 and 1967 after an

overhaul at Abbotsford British Colum-

bia (BC) and possibly while in servicewith Stranraer Aerial Enterprises The

location strongly resembles the Fraser

River dockings at the Vancouver air-

port The aircraft had undergone a re-

spray with a bright red cheat line The

(beaching gear required) for the Royal Air

Force (RAF) in 1933 The prototype first

flew in October 1934 with two Bristol

Pegasus IIIM engines rated at 820 hp

The production aircraft were delivered to

the RAF with Pegasus engines delivering

920 hp entering service in April 1937The British-built machines of which 23

were ordered and only 17 being built

were all delivered by April 1939

In Canada Canadian Vickers Lim-

ited of Montreal Quebec produced 40

Send your answer to EAA Vin-

tage Airplane PO Box 3086 Osh-

kosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer

needs to be in no later than August

20 for inclusion in the October

2011 issue of Vintage Airplane

You can also send your response via

e-mail Send your answer to mystery

planeeaaorg Be sure to include your

name plus your city and state in the

body of your note and put ldquo(Month)

Mystery Planerdquo in the subject line

This monthrsquos Mystery Plane comes to us from Bruce Voran

MYSTERY PLANE

by HG FRAUTSCHY

A P R I L rsquo S M Y S T E RY A N S W E R

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3544

QCA began buying several examplesand was instrumental in convincing

the Canadian Department of Transport

(DOT) to issue a civilian Certificate of

Airworthiness (C of A) One of the first

aircraft so issued was CF-BYI which be-

1980 the Canadian Museum of Flightand Transportation in BC salvaged the

wreck for possible restoration As late as

April 1952 QCA still had two Stranraer

in service CF-BXO and CF-BYM Pacific

Western Airlines (PWA) also operated

Two RAF Belfast freighters were dis-

patched and the disassembled aircraft

was transported to the United Kingdomwhere the machine is currently one of the

centerpieces of the collection

The aircraft type had many names

The most familiar (and printable) were

Stranny Strainer and Flying Meccano

Set The least affectionate was the Whis-

tling Shouse as when the lid to the

throne was lifted there was direct access

to the great outdoors and there emitted a

loud whistling noise

Other correct answers were re-

ceived from Hillis Cunliffe Mill-

brook Alabama Brian Baker Sun

City Arizona Wesley R Smith

Springfield Illinois John White-

head Cheyenne Wyoming ScottChurch Cochrane Alberta Can-

ada Jay Broze Walla Walla Wash-

ington Jerry Paterson Kent

Washington Jamie Patterson Mi-

ramichi New Brunswick Canada

Bill Bishop of Mulgoa New South Wales Australia sent along this photo

of the surviving Supermarine Stranraer

David Nixon supplied us with the April Mystery Plane shot of CF-BXO

a Canadian Vickers-built Supermarine Stranraer

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3644

urday 8 am until 6 pm Early-bird

arrivals can shop on the pre-conven-

tion weekend as well during limited

hours Show your VAA membership

card (or your receipt showing you

joined VAA at the convention) and

yoursquoll receive a 10 percent discount

VAA Volunteer Opportunities

Are you an ace pancake flipperIf yoursquore not one yet we can help

The VAA Tall Pines Cafeacute is looking

for volunteers who can help provide

a hearty breakfast to all the hungry

campers on the south end of Witt-

man Field If you could lend a hand

for a morning or two wersquod appreci-

ate it If thatrsquos not your cup of tea feelfree to check with the VAA Volunteer

Center located just to the northeast

of the VAA Red Barn The volun-

teers who operate the booth will be

happy to tell you when your help is

needed each day It doesnrsquot matter if

itrsquos just for a few hours or for a few

daysmdashwersquod love to have your help-

ing hands There is no need for you

to contact us ahead of time you can

talk with us when you arrive

VAA Judging Categoriesand Awards

The VAArsquos internationally recog-

nized judging categories are

bullAntique Aircraft built prior toSeptember 1 1945

bullClassic September 1 1945 - De-

cember 31 1955

bullContemporary January 1 1956

- December 31 1970

VAA NEWScontinued frpm page 5

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3744

the award winners Judging closes at noon on Friday

July 29 The Awards Ceremony will be held Saturday

evening July 30 at 6 pm in the Vintage Hangar

just south of the VAA Red Barn

Designated Smoking Areas Near FlightlineSmoking on the flightline at EAA AirVenture is prohib-

ited because itrsquos a hazard to all aircraft There are several

designated smoking areas with butt cans along the flight-

line well away from aircraft and refueling operations

Designated smoking areas will be south of the ultra-light runway near the Hangar Cafeacute near the Warbirdsarea (northeast corner of Audrey Lane and Eide Av-

enue) the Wearhouse flag pole area the shade pavil-ion north of the control tower and near the UltralightBarn Locations will be indicated on EAArsquos free con-vention grounds map The admission wristband alsoinstructs visitors that smoking is allowed only in desig-nated smoking areas

More on the Web

Visit wwwAirVentureorg for more information onEAA AirVenture 2011

EAA AirVenture Is Almost Here Are You Ready

Just a few short weeks from now many of you will

make the annual pilgrimage to Oshkosh for EAA Air-

Venture 2011 Are you ready Here are several handy

online tools on the AirVenture website that can help

you take care of any last-minute concerns

Visit wwwAirVentureorg and find out what you

need to know about The Worldrsquos Greatest Avia-

tion Celebration

Admission Parking Hours

wwwAirVentureorgplanningadmissionhtml

Find or Share a Ride to Oshkosh

wwwAirVentureorgrideshare

Site Map

wwwAirVentureorgplanningschedules_mapshtml

Where to Stay

Yoursquore cleared to stay connected

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3844

ship services at 800-564-6322 but

given the time from when you read

this until AirVenture it may not ar-

rive in the mail in time for your de-

parture We suggest downloading

the NOTAM

The NOTAM contains the specialflight procedures in effect for Witt-

man Regional Airport and alternate

airports from 6 am CDT on Friday

July 22 to 12 pm CDT on Mon-

day August 1 2011 All pilots who

fly into the event are expected to

know the special flight procedures

prior to arrival EAA AirVenture Os-

hkosh runs from July 25 through

July 31 For additional EAA AirVen-

ture Oshkosh 2011 information

visit wwwAirVentureorg

Call for VAA Hall of

Fame Nominations

To the left is our information

for nominations for VAArsquos Hallof Fame which is presented each

year during a special dinner This

yearrsquos dinner will be held Friday

October 28 Wersquoll have more on

this yearrsquos inductee John Under-

To nominate someone is easy It just takes a little time and a little reminiscing on your part

Mail nominating materials to

Remember your ldquocontemporaryrdquo may be a candidate nominate someone today

wwwVintageAircraftorg

CALL FOR VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

Nominations

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3944

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

Wit tman Regional A i rpor t (OSH)

Oshkosh Wisconsin

July 25-31 2011

wwwAirVentureorg

Colorado Sport International Air Show

and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In

Rocky Mountain Met ropol i tan A irpor t (BJC)

Denver Colorado

August 27-28 2011

wwwCOSportAviationorg

Mid-Eastern Regional Fly-In

Gr imes F ie ld A irpor t (I74)

Urbana Ohio

September 10-11 2011

httpMERFIcom

Copperstate Fly-In

Casa Grande Munic ipal A i rpor t (CGZ)

Casa Grande Ar izona

Upcoming Major

Fly-Ins

W I N

Only 2000 ticketswill be sold1 ticket $50

3 tickets $125

Piper Tri-Pacer Airplane

Free Flying Lessons

Free Pilot License

Country Legend Roy Clarkrsquos Personal Proceeds fromthis raffle

SAVEAMERICANKIDS LIVES

wwwwingsofhoperaffleorg

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4044

MISCELLANEOUS

wwwaerolistorg Aviationsrsquo Leading

Marketplace

Rare find Lycoming 0-145 partsinventory blocks bearings rings

shafts amp much more $20000

at 1970 prices $5000 Six four

cylinder case aircraft magnetos

$300 Call for more details (FL)

VINTAGETRADER

Someth ing t o buyse l l o r t rade

Classified Word Ads $550 per 10

words 180 words maximum with boldface

lead-in on first line

Classified Display Ads One column wide

(2167 inches) by 1 2 or 3 inches high at

$20 per inch Black and white only and nofrequency discounts

Advertising Closing Dates 10th of second

month prior to desired issue date (ie

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 (classads

eaaorg ) using credit card payment (all cards

accepted) Include name on card complete

address type of card card number and

expiration date Make checks payable to EAA

Address advertising correspondence to EAA

Publications Classified Ad Manager PO Box

3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

What Our Members

Are Restoring

Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done and

yoursquore busy flying and showing it off If so wersquod like to hear from

you Send us a 4-by-6-inch print from a commercial source (no

home printers please those prints just donrsquot scan well) or a

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4144

EAAMembership in the Experimental Aircraft

Association Inc is $40 for one year includ-ing 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION Familymembership is an additional $10 annually Allmajor credit cards accepted for membership(Add $16 for International Postage)

FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPSPlease submit your remittance with a

check or draft drawn on a United Statesbank payable in United States dollars Addrequired Foreign Postage amount for eachmembership

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATIONCurrent EAA members may join the

Vintage Aircraft Association and receive

year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not included)(Add $7 for International Postage)

WARBIRDSCurrent EAA members may join the EAA

Warbirds of America Division and receiveWARBIRDS magazine for an additional$45 per year

EAA Membership WARBIRDS mag-azine and one year membership in theWarbirds Division is available for $55 per

year (SPORT OficAVIATION magazinenot included) (Add $7 for Interna-tional Postage)

IACCurrent EAA members may join the

International Aerobatic Club Inc Divi-sion and receive SPORT AEROBATICS magazine for an additional $45 per year

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

VINTAGE

AIRCRAFT

ASSOCIATION

OFFICERS

DIRECTORS

DIRECTORS

EMERITUS

PresidentGeoff Robison

1521 E MacGregor DrNew Haven IN 46774

260-493-4724chief7025aolcom

Vice-PresidentGeorge Daubner

N57W34837 Pondview LnOconomowoc WI 53066

262-560-1949 gdaubnereaaorg

Steve Bender85 Brush Hill Road

Sherborn MA 01770508-653-7557

sst10comcastnet

David Bennett375 Killdeer Ct

Lincoln CA 95648916-952-9449

antiquerinreachcom

Jerry Brown4605 Hickory Wood Row

Greenwood IN 46143317-422-9366

lbrown4906aolcom

Dave Clark635 Vestal Lane

Plainfield IN 46168317-839-4500davecpdattnet

John S Copeland1A Deacon Street

Northborough MA 01532508-393-4775

copeland1junocom

Phil Coulson28415 Springbrook Dr

Lawton MI 49065269-624-6490

rcoulson516cscom

Dale A Gustafson7724 Shady Hills Dr

Indianapolis IN 46278317-293-4430

dalefayemsncom

Jeannie HillPO Box 328

Harvard IL 60033-0328815-943-7205

Espie ldquoButchrdquo Joyce704 N Regional Rd

Greensboro NC 27409336-668-3650

windsockaolcom

Steve Krog1002 Heather Ln

Hartford WI 53027262-966-7627sskrogaolcom

Robert D ldquoBobrdquo Lumley1265 South 124th StBrookfield WI 53005

262-782-2633rlumley1wirrcom

SH ldquoWesrdquo Schmid2359 Lefeber Avenue

Wauwatosa WI 53213414-771-1545

shschmidgmailcom

Robert C Brauer9345 S Hoyne

Chicago IL 60643773-779-2105

photopilotaolcom

Gene Chase2159 Carlton Rd

Oshkosh WI 54904920-231-5002

GRCHAcharternet

Ronald C Fritz15401 Sparta Ave

Kent City MI 49330616-678-5012

rFritzpathwaynet com

Charlie HarrisPO Box 470350Tulsa OK 74147

918-622-8400cwhhvsucom

EE ldquoBuckrdquo Hilbert8102 Leech RdUnion IL 60180

815-923-4591buck7acgmailcom

Gene Morris5936 Steve Court

Roanoke TX 76262817-491-9110

genemor rischarter net

Membership Services DirectoryEnjoy the many benefits of EAA and

EAArsquos Vintage Aircraft Association

EAA Aviation Center PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086Phone (920) 426-4800 Fax (920) 426-4873Web Sites wwwvintageaircraftorg wwwairventureorg wwweaaorgmemberbenefits E-Mail vintageaircrafteaaorg

EAA and Division Membership Services (800 AMndash600 PM MondayndashFriday CST)800-564-6322 FAX 920-426-4873 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

bullNewrenew memberships bullAddress changes bullMerchandise sales bullGift memberships

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 888-322-4636 wwwairventureorg airventureeaaorg

Sport PilotLight-Sport Aircraft Hotline 877-359-1232 wwwsportpilotorg sportpiloteaaorg

Programs and Activities

Auto Fuel STCs 920-426-4843 stceaaorg EAA Air Academy 920-426-6880 wwwairacademyorg airacademyeaaorg

EAA Scholarships 920-426-6823 scholarshipseaaorg

Library ServicesResearch 920-426-4848 slurveyeaaorg

Benefits

AUA Vintage Insurance Plan 800-727-3823 wwwauaonlinecom

EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan 866-647-4322 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

EAA VISA Card 800-853-5576 ext 8884

EAA Her tz Rent-A-Car Program 800-654-2200 wwweaaorghertz membershipeaaorg

VAA EditorialExecutive Director 920-426-4825 wwwvintageaircraftorg vintageeaaorg

VAA Office 920-426-6110 tbookseaaorg

TM

EAA Members Information Line 888-EAA-INFO (322-4636)

Use this toll-free number for information about AirVenture Oshkosh aeromedical and technical aviation questions

chapters and Young Eagles Please have your membership number ready when calling

Office hours are 815 am - 500 pm (Monday - Friday CST)

SecretarySteve Nesse

2009 Highland AveAlbert Lea MN 56007

507-373-1674

stnes2009livecom

TreasurerDan Knutson

106 Tena Marie CircleLodi WI 53555608-592-7224

lodicubcharternet

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4244

If yoursquove ever watched fish in

an aquarium yoursquove probably no-

ticed how they respond differently

to their surroundings There are

those that zip around the tank in a

mad dash to nowhere Some seem

to sit and not go much of any-

where and some will swim f romone end to the other turn around

and do it again

The latter are the ones that remind

me of myself I seem to fly in a fish-

bowl I go from one end of our val-

proficient by practicing things we

know over and over or it can make

us lazy When something becomes

so ingrained that we do it from habit

only we may not be thinking about

what wersquore doing

On a night cross-country some

time ago I found out just how easyit is to forget things that I hadnrsquot

used in a while While night may be

a little more challenging it still re-

quires the basic pre-flight planning

of any cross-country and following

whether I go far or stay in the com-

fort zone I canrsquot let complacency take

over Those skills and experiences

need to be stretched from time to

time regardless of where I fly An un-

expected situation or emergency is a

bad time to find out I donrsquot remem-

ber how to do somethingComplacency also allows fear

to creep in where it doesnrsquot belong

Some fear (I think) is a natural part of

flying but it can also unnecessarily

keep us grounded because we wonrsquot

BY S MICHELLE SOUDER

Flying Outside

the Fishbowl

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4344

Itrsquos gonna be a big year at Oshk osh

B-29 Superfortress ldquoFIFIrdquo

The first visit since 1995for the worldrsquos only airworthyB-29 Superfortress

REO SpeedwagonOshkosh rocks Monday duringthe opening day concert presentedby Ford Motor Company

Tribute to Bob HooverTuesday afternoon air showfeaturing aircraft and maneuvershe made legendary

eVentureInnovation will be on displayand in the air with the ElectricFlight Prize Competition

Join us for a week-long celebration of the Centennial of Naval Aviationincluding a special air show Wednesday See the hottest naval aircraftin historic colors all week on ConocoPhillips Plaza

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4444

Page 33: Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3344

Cubs flying every day he decided to pursue his pas-

sion for flight

bullA national chain hardware store employee who

has had a dream of flying driving nearly two hours

each way to learn to fly in a Cub

bullAn aviation writervideo producer who already has

a sport pilot certificate but desires to obtain a private

pilot certificate and do so in Cubs

bullA 30-something young family man who sells

construction equipment attachments While deer

hunting a year ago he learned one of his hunting

friends had recently learned to fly in Cubs For three

days they talked airplanes and flying rather than do-

ing much hunting Upon his return from the hunt-ing trip he drove to the airport and signed up for

lessons in the Cub

bullA professional musician from the Chicago area

who always wanted to learn to fly Although not yet

old enough to have a true ldquobucket listrdquo learning to fly

a Cub was number one on his list

With two exceptions these individuals had never

before flown or flown in tailwheel airplanes but alwayshad a dream of learning to fly in a Cubmdashjust like dad

or granddad did many years ago

Although no one in this group comes from simi-

lar backgrounds or professions there is one common

denominator among every studentmdashFUN None of

these students are learning to fly to pursue a career

in aviation (although Irsquove worked with a couple who

have done so) Rather they are learning to fly or get-

ting back into flying for the FUN and CHALLENGE of

flight They all have a true love of flight and seeing the

world from 500 feet with the door and window open

I have also worked with a number of students who

began taking flight lessons but quit after a period of

time They still had the passion for flight but gave it

up When asked why the responses fell into one of the

following four categories

bullI began taking lessons but after three or four les-sons Irsquod be assigned to a different instructor After 30

hours of dual three instructors and still not having

soloed I quit

bullThe instructor wasnrsquot teaching me anything He

was more interested in building time than teaching

Take a moment and think about how you first be-

came interested in airplanes What triggered your

pursuit of learning to fly Did you have a buddy or

maybe a family friend who encouraged you Or even

became a mentor Do you remember your first flight

lesson Do you remember the day you made your

first solo flight

Remember that passion and sense of accomplish-

ment Donrsquot hesitate to share it with anyone express-

ing an interest in learning to fly

At Cub Air Flight we sell FUN When individuals

visit the airport to inquire about learning to fly we

know they have made the commitment in their own

mind It then becomes our responsibility to makethe visit friendly A friendly environment is a FUN

environment Kids are always welcome If a prospec-

tive student has children with him or her we invite

the kids to sit in the planes At the conclusion of our

discussion we emphasize the following statement If

you learn to fly with us it will be FUN CHALLENG-

ING and SAFE

I donrsquot believe there is a shortage of pilot prospectsbut there is a shortage in how we all go about attract-

ing these people to become active participants in plea-

sure flying Remember flying is FUN Letrsquos make an

effort to help others share in that FUN

AERO CLASSICldquoCOLLECTOR SERIESrdquo

Vintage Tires New USA Production

Show off your pride and joy with afresh set of Vintage Rubber Thesenewly minted tires are FAA-TSOrsquodand speed rated to 120 MPH Some

things are better left the way theywere and in the 40rsquos and 50rsquos these tires were perfectly intune to the exciting times in aviation

Not only do these tires set your vintage plane apart fromthe rest but also look exceptional on all General Aviationaircraft Deep 832nd tread depth offers above averagetread life and UV treated rubber resists aging

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3444

We enjoy your suggestions for

Mystery Planesmdashin fact more than

half of our subjects are sent to us by

members often via e-mail Please

remember that if you want to scan

the photo for use in Mystery Plane

it must be at a resolution of 300 dpior greater You may send a lower-

resolution version to us for our re-

view but the final version has to be

at that level of detail or it will not

print properly Also please let us

craft in the photo is of Canadian civil

registry CF-BXO formerly Royal Cana-

dian Air Force (RCAF) 920 This photo-

graph would have been taken at some

time between 1962 and 1967 after an

overhaul at Abbotsford British Colum-

bia (BC) and possibly while in servicewith Stranraer Aerial Enterprises The

location strongly resembles the Fraser

River dockings at the Vancouver air-

port The aircraft had undergone a re-

spray with a bright red cheat line The

(beaching gear required) for the Royal Air

Force (RAF) in 1933 The prototype first

flew in October 1934 with two Bristol

Pegasus IIIM engines rated at 820 hp

The production aircraft were delivered to

the RAF with Pegasus engines delivering

920 hp entering service in April 1937The British-built machines of which 23

were ordered and only 17 being built

were all delivered by April 1939

In Canada Canadian Vickers Lim-

ited of Montreal Quebec produced 40

Send your answer to EAA Vin-

tage Airplane PO Box 3086 Osh-

kosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer

needs to be in no later than August

20 for inclusion in the October

2011 issue of Vintage Airplane

You can also send your response via

e-mail Send your answer to mystery

planeeaaorg Be sure to include your

name plus your city and state in the

body of your note and put ldquo(Month)

Mystery Planerdquo in the subject line

This monthrsquos Mystery Plane comes to us from Bruce Voran

MYSTERY PLANE

by HG FRAUTSCHY

A P R I L rsquo S M Y S T E RY A N S W E R

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3544

QCA began buying several examplesand was instrumental in convincing

the Canadian Department of Transport

(DOT) to issue a civilian Certificate of

Airworthiness (C of A) One of the first

aircraft so issued was CF-BYI which be-

1980 the Canadian Museum of Flightand Transportation in BC salvaged the

wreck for possible restoration As late as

April 1952 QCA still had two Stranraer

in service CF-BXO and CF-BYM Pacific

Western Airlines (PWA) also operated

Two RAF Belfast freighters were dis-

patched and the disassembled aircraft

was transported to the United Kingdomwhere the machine is currently one of the

centerpieces of the collection

The aircraft type had many names

The most familiar (and printable) were

Stranny Strainer and Flying Meccano

Set The least affectionate was the Whis-

tling Shouse as when the lid to the

throne was lifted there was direct access

to the great outdoors and there emitted a

loud whistling noise

Other correct answers were re-

ceived from Hillis Cunliffe Mill-

brook Alabama Brian Baker Sun

City Arizona Wesley R Smith

Springfield Illinois John White-

head Cheyenne Wyoming ScottChurch Cochrane Alberta Can-

ada Jay Broze Walla Walla Wash-

ington Jerry Paterson Kent

Washington Jamie Patterson Mi-

ramichi New Brunswick Canada

Bill Bishop of Mulgoa New South Wales Australia sent along this photo

of the surviving Supermarine Stranraer

David Nixon supplied us with the April Mystery Plane shot of CF-BXO

a Canadian Vickers-built Supermarine Stranraer

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3644

urday 8 am until 6 pm Early-bird

arrivals can shop on the pre-conven-

tion weekend as well during limited

hours Show your VAA membership

card (or your receipt showing you

joined VAA at the convention) and

yoursquoll receive a 10 percent discount

VAA Volunteer Opportunities

Are you an ace pancake flipperIf yoursquore not one yet we can help

The VAA Tall Pines Cafeacute is looking

for volunteers who can help provide

a hearty breakfast to all the hungry

campers on the south end of Witt-

man Field If you could lend a hand

for a morning or two wersquod appreci-

ate it If thatrsquos not your cup of tea feelfree to check with the VAA Volunteer

Center located just to the northeast

of the VAA Red Barn The volun-

teers who operate the booth will be

happy to tell you when your help is

needed each day It doesnrsquot matter if

itrsquos just for a few hours or for a few

daysmdashwersquod love to have your help-

ing hands There is no need for you

to contact us ahead of time you can

talk with us when you arrive

VAA Judging Categoriesand Awards

The VAArsquos internationally recog-

nized judging categories are

bullAntique Aircraft built prior toSeptember 1 1945

bullClassic September 1 1945 - De-

cember 31 1955

bullContemporary January 1 1956

- December 31 1970

VAA NEWScontinued frpm page 5

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3744

the award winners Judging closes at noon on Friday

July 29 The Awards Ceremony will be held Saturday

evening July 30 at 6 pm in the Vintage Hangar

just south of the VAA Red Barn

Designated Smoking Areas Near FlightlineSmoking on the flightline at EAA AirVenture is prohib-

ited because itrsquos a hazard to all aircraft There are several

designated smoking areas with butt cans along the flight-

line well away from aircraft and refueling operations

Designated smoking areas will be south of the ultra-light runway near the Hangar Cafeacute near the Warbirdsarea (northeast corner of Audrey Lane and Eide Av-

enue) the Wearhouse flag pole area the shade pavil-ion north of the control tower and near the UltralightBarn Locations will be indicated on EAArsquos free con-vention grounds map The admission wristband alsoinstructs visitors that smoking is allowed only in desig-nated smoking areas

More on the Web

Visit wwwAirVentureorg for more information onEAA AirVenture 2011

EAA AirVenture Is Almost Here Are You Ready

Just a few short weeks from now many of you will

make the annual pilgrimage to Oshkosh for EAA Air-

Venture 2011 Are you ready Here are several handy

online tools on the AirVenture website that can help

you take care of any last-minute concerns

Visit wwwAirVentureorg and find out what you

need to know about The Worldrsquos Greatest Avia-

tion Celebration

Admission Parking Hours

wwwAirVentureorgplanningadmissionhtml

Find or Share a Ride to Oshkosh

wwwAirVentureorgrideshare

Site Map

wwwAirVentureorgplanningschedules_mapshtml

Where to Stay

Yoursquore cleared to stay connected

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3844

ship services at 800-564-6322 but

given the time from when you read

this until AirVenture it may not ar-

rive in the mail in time for your de-

parture We suggest downloading

the NOTAM

The NOTAM contains the specialflight procedures in effect for Witt-

man Regional Airport and alternate

airports from 6 am CDT on Friday

July 22 to 12 pm CDT on Mon-

day August 1 2011 All pilots who

fly into the event are expected to

know the special flight procedures

prior to arrival EAA AirVenture Os-

hkosh runs from July 25 through

July 31 For additional EAA AirVen-

ture Oshkosh 2011 information

visit wwwAirVentureorg

Call for VAA Hall of

Fame Nominations

To the left is our information

for nominations for VAArsquos Hallof Fame which is presented each

year during a special dinner This

yearrsquos dinner will be held Friday

October 28 Wersquoll have more on

this yearrsquos inductee John Under-

To nominate someone is easy It just takes a little time and a little reminiscing on your part

Mail nominating materials to

Remember your ldquocontemporaryrdquo may be a candidate nominate someone today

wwwVintageAircraftorg

CALL FOR VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

Nominations

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3944

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

Wit tman Regional A i rpor t (OSH)

Oshkosh Wisconsin

July 25-31 2011

wwwAirVentureorg

Colorado Sport International Air Show

and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In

Rocky Mountain Met ropol i tan A irpor t (BJC)

Denver Colorado

August 27-28 2011

wwwCOSportAviationorg

Mid-Eastern Regional Fly-In

Gr imes F ie ld A irpor t (I74)

Urbana Ohio

September 10-11 2011

httpMERFIcom

Copperstate Fly-In

Casa Grande Munic ipal A i rpor t (CGZ)

Casa Grande Ar izona

Upcoming Major

Fly-Ins

W I N

Only 2000 ticketswill be sold1 ticket $50

3 tickets $125

Piper Tri-Pacer Airplane

Free Flying Lessons

Free Pilot License

Country Legend Roy Clarkrsquos Personal Proceeds fromthis raffle

SAVEAMERICANKIDS LIVES

wwwwingsofhoperaffleorg

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4044

MISCELLANEOUS

wwwaerolistorg Aviationsrsquo Leading

Marketplace

Rare find Lycoming 0-145 partsinventory blocks bearings rings

shafts amp much more $20000

at 1970 prices $5000 Six four

cylinder case aircraft magnetos

$300 Call for more details (FL)

VINTAGETRADER

Someth ing t o buyse l l o r t rade

Classified Word Ads $550 per 10

words 180 words maximum with boldface

lead-in on first line

Classified Display Ads One column wide

(2167 inches) by 1 2 or 3 inches high at

$20 per inch Black and white only and nofrequency discounts

Advertising Closing Dates 10th of second

month prior to desired issue date (ie

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 (classads

eaaorg ) using credit card payment (all cards

accepted) Include name on card complete

address type of card card number and

expiration date Make checks payable to EAA

Address advertising correspondence to EAA

Publications Classified Ad Manager PO Box

3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

What Our Members

Are Restoring

Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done and

yoursquore busy flying and showing it off If so wersquod like to hear from

you Send us a 4-by-6-inch print from a commercial source (no

home printers please those prints just donrsquot scan well) or a

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4144

EAAMembership in the Experimental Aircraft

Association Inc is $40 for one year includ-ing 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION Familymembership is an additional $10 annually Allmajor credit cards accepted for membership(Add $16 for International Postage)

FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPSPlease submit your remittance with a

check or draft drawn on a United Statesbank payable in United States dollars Addrequired Foreign Postage amount for eachmembership

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATIONCurrent EAA members may join the

Vintage Aircraft Association and receive

year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not included)(Add $7 for International Postage)

WARBIRDSCurrent EAA members may join the EAA

Warbirds of America Division and receiveWARBIRDS magazine for an additional$45 per year

EAA Membership WARBIRDS mag-azine and one year membership in theWarbirds Division is available for $55 per

year (SPORT OficAVIATION magazinenot included) (Add $7 for Interna-tional Postage)

IACCurrent EAA members may join the

International Aerobatic Club Inc Divi-sion and receive SPORT AEROBATICS magazine for an additional $45 per year

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

VINTAGE

AIRCRAFT

ASSOCIATION

OFFICERS

DIRECTORS

DIRECTORS

EMERITUS

PresidentGeoff Robison

1521 E MacGregor DrNew Haven IN 46774

260-493-4724chief7025aolcom

Vice-PresidentGeorge Daubner

N57W34837 Pondview LnOconomowoc WI 53066

262-560-1949 gdaubnereaaorg

Steve Bender85 Brush Hill Road

Sherborn MA 01770508-653-7557

sst10comcastnet

David Bennett375 Killdeer Ct

Lincoln CA 95648916-952-9449

antiquerinreachcom

Jerry Brown4605 Hickory Wood Row

Greenwood IN 46143317-422-9366

lbrown4906aolcom

Dave Clark635 Vestal Lane

Plainfield IN 46168317-839-4500davecpdattnet

John S Copeland1A Deacon Street

Northborough MA 01532508-393-4775

copeland1junocom

Phil Coulson28415 Springbrook Dr

Lawton MI 49065269-624-6490

rcoulson516cscom

Dale A Gustafson7724 Shady Hills Dr

Indianapolis IN 46278317-293-4430

dalefayemsncom

Jeannie HillPO Box 328

Harvard IL 60033-0328815-943-7205

Espie ldquoButchrdquo Joyce704 N Regional Rd

Greensboro NC 27409336-668-3650

windsockaolcom

Steve Krog1002 Heather Ln

Hartford WI 53027262-966-7627sskrogaolcom

Robert D ldquoBobrdquo Lumley1265 South 124th StBrookfield WI 53005

262-782-2633rlumley1wirrcom

SH ldquoWesrdquo Schmid2359 Lefeber Avenue

Wauwatosa WI 53213414-771-1545

shschmidgmailcom

Robert C Brauer9345 S Hoyne

Chicago IL 60643773-779-2105

photopilotaolcom

Gene Chase2159 Carlton Rd

Oshkosh WI 54904920-231-5002

GRCHAcharternet

Ronald C Fritz15401 Sparta Ave

Kent City MI 49330616-678-5012

rFritzpathwaynet com

Charlie HarrisPO Box 470350Tulsa OK 74147

918-622-8400cwhhvsucom

EE ldquoBuckrdquo Hilbert8102 Leech RdUnion IL 60180

815-923-4591buck7acgmailcom

Gene Morris5936 Steve Court

Roanoke TX 76262817-491-9110

genemor rischarter net

Membership Services DirectoryEnjoy the many benefits of EAA and

EAArsquos Vintage Aircraft Association

EAA Aviation Center PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086Phone (920) 426-4800 Fax (920) 426-4873Web Sites wwwvintageaircraftorg wwwairventureorg wwweaaorgmemberbenefits E-Mail vintageaircrafteaaorg

EAA and Division Membership Services (800 AMndash600 PM MondayndashFriday CST)800-564-6322 FAX 920-426-4873 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

bullNewrenew memberships bullAddress changes bullMerchandise sales bullGift memberships

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 888-322-4636 wwwairventureorg airventureeaaorg

Sport PilotLight-Sport Aircraft Hotline 877-359-1232 wwwsportpilotorg sportpiloteaaorg

Programs and Activities

Auto Fuel STCs 920-426-4843 stceaaorg EAA Air Academy 920-426-6880 wwwairacademyorg airacademyeaaorg

EAA Scholarships 920-426-6823 scholarshipseaaorg

Library ServicesResearch 920-426-4848 slurveyeaaorg

Benefits

AUA Vintage Insurance Plan 800-727-3823 wwwauaonlinecom

EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan 866-647-4322 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

EAA VISA Card 800-853-5576 ext 8884

EAA Her tz Rent-A-Car Program 800-654-2200 wwweaaorghertz membershipeaaorg

VAA EditorialExecutive Director 920-426-4825 wwwvintageaircraftorg vintageeaaorg

VAA Office 920-426-6110 tbookseaaorg

TM

EAA Members Information Line 888-EAA-INFO (322-4636)

Use this toll-free number for information about AirVenture Oshkosh aeromedical and technical aviation questions

chapters and Young Eagles Please have your membership number ready when calling

Office hours are 815 am - 500 pm (Monday - Friday CST)

SecretarySteve Nesse

2009 Highland AveAlbert Lea MN 56007

507-373-1674

stnes2009livecom

TreasurerDan Knutson

106 Tena Marie CircleLodi WI 53555608-592-7224

lodicubcharternet

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4244

If yoursquove ever watched fish in

an aquarium yoursquove probably no-

ticed how they respond differently

to their surroundings There are

those that zip around the tank in a

mad dash to nowhere Some seem

to sit and not go much of any-

where and some will swim f romone end to the other turn around

and do it again

The latter are the ones that remind

me of myself I seem to fly in a fish-

bowl I go from one end of our val-

proficient by practicing things we

know over and over or it can make

us lazy When something becomes

so ingrained that we do it from habit

only we may not be thinking about

what wersquore doing

On a night cross-country some

time ago I found out just how easyit is to forget things that I hadnrsquot

used in a while While night may be

a little more challenging it still re-

quires the basic pre-flight planning

of any cross-country and following

whether I go far or stay in the com-

fort zone I canrsquot let complacency take

over Those skills and experiences

need to be stretched from time to

time regardless of where I fly An un-

expected situation or emergency is a

bad time to find out I donrsquot remem-

ber how to do somethingComplacency also allows fear

to creep in where it doesnrsquot belong

Some fear (I think) is a natural part of

flying but it can also unnecessarily

keep us grounded because we wonrsquot

BY S MICHELLE SOUDER

Flying Outside

the Fishbowl

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4344

Itrsquos gonna be a big year at Oshk osh

B-29 Superfortress ldquoFIFIrdquo

The first visit since 1995for the worldrsquos only airworthyB-29 Superfortress

REO SpeedwagonOshkosh rocks Monday duringthe opening day concert presentedby Ford Motor Company

Tribute to Bob HooverTuesday afternoon air showfeaturing aircraft and maneuvershe made legendary

eVentureInnovation will be on displayand in the air with the ElectricFlight Prize Competition

Join us for a week-long celebration of the Centennial of Naval Aviationincluding a special air show Wednesday See the hottest naval aircraftin historic colors all week on ConocoPhillips Plaza

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4444

Page 34: Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3444

We enjoy your suggestions for

Mystery Planesmdashin fact more than

half of our subjects are sent to us by

members often via e-mail Please

remember that if you want to scan

the photo for use in Mystery Plane

it must be at a resolution of 300 dpior greater You may send a lower-

resolution version to us for our re-

view but the final version has to be

at that level of detail or it will not

print properly Also please let us

craft in the photo is of Canadian civil

registry CF-BXO formerly Royal Cana-

dian Air Force (RCAF) 920 This photo-

graph would have been taken at some

time between 1962 and 1967 after an

overhaul at Abbotsford British Colum-

bia (BC) and possibly while in servicewith Stranraer Aerial Enterprises The

location strongly resembles the Fraser

River dockings at the Vancouver air-

port The aircraft had undergone a re-

spray with a bright red cheat line The

(beaching gear required) for the Royal Air

Force (RAF) in 1933 The prototype first

flew in October 1934 with two Bristol

Pegasus IIIM engines rated at 820 hp

The production aircraft were delivered to

the RAF with Pegasus engines delivering

920 hp entering service in April 1937The British-built machines of which 23

were ordered and only 17 being built

were all delivered by April 1939

In Canada Canadian Vickers Lim-

ited of Montreal Quebec produced 40

Send your answer to EAA Vin-

tage Airplane PO Box 3086 Osh-

kosh WI 54903-3086 Your answer

needs to be in no later than August

20 for inclusion in the October

2011 issue of Vintage Airplane

You can also send your response via

e-mail Send your answer to mystery

planeeaaorg Be sure to include your

name plus your city and state in the

body of your note and put ldquo(Month)

Mystery Planerdquo in the subject line

This monthrsquos Mystery Plane comes to us from Bruce Voran

MYSTERY PLANE

by HG FRAUTSCHY

A P R I L rsquo S M Y S T E RY A N S W E R

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3544

QCA began buying several examplesand was instrumental in convincing

the Canadian Department of Transport

(DOT) to issue a civilian Certificate of

Airworthiness (C of A) One of the first

aircraft so issued was CF-BYI which be-

1980 the Canadian Museum of Flightand Transportation in BC salvaged the

wreck for possible restoration As late as

April 1952 QCA still had two Stranraer

in service CF-BXO and CF-BYM Pacific

Western Airlines (PWA) also operated

Two RAF Belfast freighters were dis-

patched and the disassembled aircraft

was transported to the United Kingdomwhere the machine is currently one of the

centerpieces of the collection

The aircraft type had many names

The most familiar (and printable) were

Stranny Strainer and Flying Meccano

Set The least affectionate was the Whis-

tling Shouse as when the lid to the

throne was lifted there was direct access

to the great outdoors and there emitted a

loud whistling noise

Other correct answers were re-

ceived from Hillis Cunliffe Mill-

brook Alabama Brian Baker Sun

City Arizona Wesley R Smith

Springfield Illinois John White-

head Cheyenne Wyoming ScottChurch Cochrane Alberta Can-

ada Jay Broze Walla Walla Wash-

ington Jerry Paterson Kent

Washington Jamie Patterson Mi-

ramichi New Brunswick Canada

Bill Bishop of Mulgoa New South Wales Australia sent along this photo

of the surviving Supermarine Stranraer

David Nixon supplied us with the April Mystery Plane shot of CF-BXO

a Canadian Vickers-built Supermarine Stranraer

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3644

urday 8 am until 6 pm Early-bird

arrivals can shop on the pre-conven-

tion weekend as well during limited

hours Show your VAA membership

card (or your receipt showing you

joined VAA at the convention) and

yoursquoll receive a 10 percent discount

VAA Volunteer Opportunities

Are you an ace pancake flipperIf yoursquore not one yet we can help

The VAA Tall Pines Cafeacute is looking

for volunteers who can help provide

a hearty breakfast to all the hungry

campers on the south end of Witt-

man Field If you could lend a hand

for a morning or two wersquod appreci-

ate it If thatrsquos not your cup of tea feelfree to check with the VAA Volunteer

Center located just to the northeast

of the VAA Red Barn The volun-

teers who operate the booth will be

happy to tell you when your help is

needed each day It doesnrsquot matter if

itrsquos just for a few hours or for a few

daysmdashwersquod love to have your help-

ing hands There is no need for you

to contact us ahead of time you can

talk with us when you arrive

VAA Judging Categoriesand Awards

The VAArsquos internationally recog-

nized judging categories are

bullAntique Aircraft built prior toSeptember 1 1945

bullClassic September 1 1945 - De-

cember 31 1955

bullContemporary January 1 1956

- December 31 1970

VAA NEWScontinued frpm page 5

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3744

the award winners Judging closes at noon on Friday

July 29 The Awards Ceremony will be held Saturday

evening July 30 at 6 pm in the Vintage Hangar

just south of the VAA Red Barn

Designated Smoking Areas Near FlightlineSmoking on the flightline at EAA AirVenture is prohib-

ited because itrsquos a hazard to all aircraft There are several

designated smoking areas with butt cans along the flight-

line well away from aircraft and refueling operations

Designated smoking areas will be south of the ultra-light runway near the Hangar Cafeacute near the Warbirdsarea (northeast corner of Audrey Lane and Eide Av-

enue) the Wearhouse flag pole area the shade pavil-ion north of the control tower and near the UltralightBarn Locations will be indicated on EAArsquos free con-vention grounds map The admission wristband alsoinstructs visitors that smoking is allowed only in desig-nated smoking areas

More on the Web

Visit wwwAirVentureorg for more information onEAA AirVenture 2011

EAA AirVenture Is Almost Here Are You Ready

Just a few short weeks from now many of you will

make the annual pilgrimage to Oshkosh for EAA Air-

Venture 2011 Are you ready Here are several handy

online tools on the AirVenture website that can help

you take care of any last-minute concerns

Visit wwwAirVentureorg and find out what you

need to know about The Worldrsquos Greatest Avia-

tion Celebration

Admission Parking Hours

wwwAirVentureorgplanningadmissionhtml

Find or Share a Ride to Oshkosh

wwwAirVentureorgrideshare

Site Map

wwwAirVentureorgplanningschedules_mapshtml

Where to Stay

Yoursquore cleared to stay connected

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3844

ship services at 800-564-6322 but

given the time from when you read

this until AirVenture it may not ar-

rive in the mail in time for your de-

parture We suggest downloading

the NOTAM

The NOTAM contains the specialflight procedures in effect for Witt-

man Regional Airport and alternate

airports from 6 am CDT on Friday

July 22 to 12 pm CDT on Mon-

day August 1 2011 All pilots who

fly into the event are expected to

know the special flight procedures

prior to arrival EAA AirVenture Os-

hkosh runs from July 25 through

July 31 For additional EAA AirVen-

ture Oshkosh 2011 information

visit wwwAirVentureorg

Call for VAA Hall of

Fame Nominations

To the left is our information

for nominations for VAArsquos Hallof Fame which is presented each

year during a special dinner This

yearrsquos dinner will be held Friday

October 28 Wersquoll have more on

this yearrsquos inductee John Under-

To nominate someone is easy It just takes a little time and a little reminiscing on your part

Mail nominating materials to

Remember your ldquocontemporaryrdquo may be a candidate nominate someone today

wwwVintageAircraftorg

CALL FOR VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

Nominations

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3944

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

Wit tman Regional A i rpor t (OSH)

Oshkosh Wisconsin

July 25-31 2011

wwwAirVentureorg

Colorado Sport International Air Show

and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In

Rocky Mountain Met ropol i tan A irpor t (BJC)

Denver Colorado

August 27-28 2011

wwwCOSportAviationorg

Mid-Eastern Regional Fly-In

Gr imes F ie ld A irpor t (I74)

Urbana Ohio

September 10-11 2011

httpMERFIcom

Copperstate Fly-In

Casa Grande Munic ipal A i rpor t (CGZ)

Casa Grande Ar izona

Upcoming Major

Fly-Ins

W I N

Only 2000 ticketswill be sold1 ticket $50

3 tickets $125

Piper Tri-Pacer Airplane

Free Flying Lessons

Free Pilot License

Country Legend Roy Clarkrsquos Personal Proceeds fromthis raffle

SAVEAMERICANKIDS LIVES

wwwwingsofhoperaffleorg

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4044

MISCELLANEOUS

wwwaerolistorg Aviationsrsquo Leading

Marketplace

Rare find Lycoming 0-145 partsinventory blocks bearings rings

shafts amp much more $20000

at 1970 prices $5000 Six four

cylinder case aircraft magnetos

$300 Call for more details (FL)

VINTAGETRADER

Someth ing t o buyse l l o r t rade

Classified Word Ads $550 per 10

words 180 words maximum with boldface

lead-in on first line

Classified Display Ads One column wide

(2167 inches) by 1 2 or 3 inches high at

$20 per inch Black and white only and nofrequency discounts

Advertising Closing Dates 10th of second

month prior to desired issue date (ie

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 (classads

eaaorg ) using credit card payment (all cards

accepted) Include name on card complete

address type of card card number and

expiration date Make checks payable to EAA

Address advertising correspondence to EAA

Publications Classified Ad Manager PO Box

3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

What Our Members

Are Restoring

Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done and

yoursquore busy flying and showing it off If so wersquod like to hear from

you Send us a 4-by-6-inch print from a commercial source (no

home printers please those prints just donrsquot scan well) or a

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4144

EAAMembership in the Experimental Aircraft

Association Inc is $40 for one year includ-ing 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION Familymembership is an additional $10 annually Allmajor credit cards accepted for membership(Add $16 for International Postage)

FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPSPlease submit your remittance with a

check or draft drawn on a United Statesbank payable in United States dollars Addrequired Foreign Postage amount for eachmembership

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATIONCurrent EAA members may join the

Vintage Aircraft Association and receive

year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not included)(Add $7 for International Postage)

WARBIRDSCurrent EAA members may join the EAA

Warbirds of America Division and receiveWARBIRDS magazine for an additional$45 per year

EAA Membership WARBIRDS mag-azine and one year membership in theWarbirds Division is available for $55 per

year (SPORT OficAVIATION magazinenot included) (Add $7 for Interna-tional Postage)

IACCurrent EAA members may join the

International Aerobatic Club Inc Divi-sion and receive SPORT AEROBATICS magazine for an additional $45 per year

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

VINTAGE

AIRCRAFT

ASSOCIATION

OFFICERS

DIRECTORS

DIRECTORS

EMERITUS

PresidentGeoff Robison

1521 E MacGregor DrNew Haven IN 46774

260-493-4724chief7025aolcom

Vice-PresidentGeorge Daubner

N57W34837 Pondview LnOconomowoc WI 53066

262-560-1949 gdaubnereaaorg

Steve Bender85 Brush Hill Road

Sherborn MA 01770508-653-7557

sst10comcastnet

David Bennett375 Killdeer Ct

Lincoln CA 95648916-952-9449

antiquerinreachcom

Jerry Brown4605 Hickory Wood Row

Greenwood IN 46143317-422-9366

lbrown4906aolcom

Dave Clark635 Vestal Lane

Plainfield IN 46168317-839-4500davecpdattnet

John S Copeland1A Deacon Street

Northborough MA 01532508-393-4775

copeland1junocom

Phil Coulson28415 Springbrook Dr

Lawton MI 49065269-624-6490

rcoulson516cscom

Dale A Gustafson7724 Shady Hills Dr

Indianapolis IN 46278317-293-4430

dalefayemsncom

Jeannie HillPO Box 328

Harvard IL 60033-0328815-943-7205

Espie ldquoButchrdquo Joyce704 N Regional Rd

Greensboro NC 27409336-668-3650

windsockaolcom

Steve Krog1002 Heather Ln

Hartford WI 53027262-966-7627sskrogaolcom

Robert D ldquoBobrdquo Lumley1265 South 124th StBrookfield WI 53005

262-782-2633rlumley1wirrcom

SH ldquoWesrdquo Schmid2359 Lefeber Avenue

Wauwatosa WI 53213414-771-1545

shschmidgmailcom

Robert C Brauer9345 S Hoyne

Chicago IL 60643773-779-2105

photopilotaolcom

Gene Chase2159 Carlton Rd

Oshkosh WI 54904920-231-5002

GRCHAcharternet

Ronald C Fritz15401 Sparta Ave

Kent City MI 49330616-678-5012

rFritzpathwaynet com

Charlie HarrisPO Box 470350Tulsa OK 74147

918-622-8400cwhhvsucom

EE ldquoBuckrdquo Hilbert8102 Leech RdUnion IL 60180

815-923-4591buck7acgmailcom

Gene Morris5936 Steve Court

Roanoke TX 76262817-491-9110

genemor rischarter net

Membership Services DirectoryEnjoy the many benefits of EAA and

EAArsquos Vintage Aircraft Association

EAA Aviation Center PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086Phone (920) 426-4800 Fax (920) 426-4873Web Sites wwwvintageaircraftorg wwwairventureorg wwweaaorgmemberbenefits E-Mail vintageaircrafteaaorg

EAA and Division Membership Services (800 AMndash600 PM MondayndashFriday CST)800-564-6322 FAX 920-426-4873 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

bullNewrenew memberships bullAddress changes bullMerchandise sales bullGift memberships

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 888-322-4636 wwwairventureorg airventureeaaorg

Sport PilotLight-Sport Aircraft Hotline 877-359-1232 wwwsportpilotorg sportpiloteaaorg

Programs and Activities

Auto Fuel STCs 920-426-4843 stceaaorg EAA Air Academy 920-426-6880 wwwairacademyorg airacademyeaaorg

EAA Scholarships 920-426-6823 scholarshipseaaorg

Library ServicesResearch 920-426-4848 slurveyeaaorg

Benefits

AUA Vintage Insurance Plan 800-727-3823 wwwauaonlinecom

EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan 866-647-4322 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

EAA VISA Card 800-853-5576 ext 8884

EAA Her tz Rent-A-Car Program 800-654-2200 wwweaaorghertz membershipeaaorg

VAA EditorialExecutive Director 920-426-4825 wwwvintageaircraftorg vintageeaaorg

VAA Office 920-426-6110 tbookseaaorg

TM

EAA Members Information Line 888-EAA-INFO (322-4636)

Use this toll-free number for information about AirVenture Oshkosh aeromedical and technical aviation questions

chapters and Young Eagles Please have your membership number ready when calling

Office hours are 815 am - 500 pm (Monday - Friday CST)

SecretarySteve Nesse

2009 Highland AveAlbert Lea MN 56007

507-373-1674

stnes2009livecom

TreasurerDan Knutson

106 Tena Marie CircleLodi WI 53555608-592-7224

lodicubcharternet

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4244

If yoursquove ever watched fish in

an aquarium yoursquove probably no-

ticed how they respond differently

to their surroundings There are

those that zip around the tank in a

mad dash to nowhere Some seem

to sit and not go much of any-

where and some will swim f romone end to the other turn around

and do it again

The latter are the ones that remind

me of myself I seem to fly in a fish-

bowl I go from one end of our val-

proficient by practicing things we

know over and over or it can make

us lazy When something becomes

so ingrained that we do it from habit

only we may not be thinking about

what wersquore doing

On a night cross-country some

time ago I found out just how easyit is to forget things that I hadnrsquot

used in a while While night may be

a little more challenging it still re-

quires the basic pre-flight planning

of any cross-country and following

whether I go far or stay in the com-

fort zone I canrsquot let complacency take

over Those skills and experiences

need to be stretched from time to

time regardless of where I fly An un-

expected situation or emergency is a

bad time to find out I donrsquot remem-

ber how to do somethingComplacency also allows fear

to creep in where it doesnrsquot belong

Some fear (I think) is a natural part of

flying but it can also unnecessarily

keep us grounded because we wonrsquot

BY S MICHELLE SOUDER

Flying Outside

the Fishbowl

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4344

Itrsquos gonna be a big year at Oshk osh

B-29 Superfortress ldquoFIFIrdquo

The first visit since 1995for the worldrsquos only airworthyB-29 Superfortress

REO SpeedwagonOshkosh rocks Monday duringthe opening day concert presentedby Ford Motor Company

Tribute to Bob HooverTuesday afternoon air showfeaturing aircraft and maneuvershe made legendary

eVentureInnovation will be on displayand in the air with the ElectricFlight Prize Competition

Join us for a week-long celebration of the Centennial of Naval Aviationincluding a special air show Wednesday See the hottest naval aircraftin historic colors all week on ConocoPhillips Plaza

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4444

Page 35: Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3544

QCA began buying several examplesand was instrumental in convincing

the Canadian Department of Transport

(DOT) to issue a civilian Certificate of

Airworthiness (C of A) One of the first

aircraft so issued was CF-BYI which be-

1980 the Canadian Museum of Flightand Transportation in BC salvaged the

wreck for possible restoration As late as

April 1952 QCA still had two Stranraer

in service CF-BXO and CF-BYM Pacific

Western Airlines (PWA) also operated

Two RAF Belfast freighters were dis-

patched and the disassembled aircraft

was transported to the United Kingdomwhere the machine is currently one of the

centerpieces of the collection

The aircraft type had many names

The most familiar (and printable) were

Stranny Strainer and Flying Meccano

Set The least affectionate was the Whis-

tling Shouse as when the lid to the

throne was lifted there was direct access

to the great outdoors and there emitted a

loud whistling noise

Other correct answers were re-

ceived from Hillis Cunliffe Mill-

brook Alabama Brian Baker Sun

City Arizona Wesley R Smith

Springfield Illinois John White-

head Cheyenne Wyoming ScottChurch Cochrane Alberta Can-

ada Jay Broze Walla Walla Wash-

ington Jerry Paterson Kent

Washington Jamie Patterson Mi-

ramichi New Brunswick Canada

Bill Bishop of Mulgoa New South Wales Australia sent along this photo

of the surviving Supermarine Stranraer

David Nixon supplied us with the April Mystery Plane shot of CF-BXO

a Canadian Vickers-built Supermarine Stranraer

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3644

urday 8 am until 6 pm Early-bird

arrivals can shop on the pre-conven-

tion weekend as well during limited

hours Show your VAA membership

card (or your receipt showing you

joined VAA at the convention) and

yoursquoll receive a 10 percent discount

VAA Volunteer Opportunities

Are you an ace pancake flipperIf yoursquore not one yet we can help

The VAA Tall Pines Cafeacute is looking

for volunteers who can help provide

a hearty breakfast to all the hungry

campers on the south end of Witt-

man Field If you could lend a hand

for a morning or two wersquod appreci-

ate it If thatrsquos not your cup of tea feelfree to check with the VAA Volunteer

Center located just to the northeast

of the VAA Red Barn The volun-

teers who operate the booth will be

happy to tell you when your help is

needed each day It doesnrsquot matter if

itrsquos just for a few hours or for a few

daysmdashwersquod love to have your help-

ing hands There is no need for you

to contact us ahead of time you can

talk with us when you arrive

VAA Judging Categoriesand Awards

The VAArsquos internationally recog-

nized judging categories are

bullAntique Aircraft built prior toSeptember 1 1945

bullClassic September 1 1945 - De-

cember 31 1955

bullContemporary January 1 1956

- December 31 1970

VAA NEWScontinued frpm page 5

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3744

the award winners Judging closes at noon on Friday

July 29 The Awards Ceremony will be held Saturday

evening July 30 at 6 pm in the Vintage Hangar

just south of the VAA Red Barn

Designated Smoking Areas Near FlightlineSmoking on the flightline at EAA AirVenture is prohib-

ited because itrsquos a hazard to all aircraft There are several

designated smoking areas with butt cans along the flight-

line well away from aircraft and refueling operations

Designated smoking areas will be south of the ultra-light runway near the Hangar Cafeacute near the Warbirdsarea (northeast corner of Audrey Lane and Eide Av-

enue) the Wearhouse flag pole area the shade pavil-ion north of the control tower and near the UltralightBarn Locations will be indicated on EAArsquos free con-vention grounds map The admission wristband alsoinstructs visitors that smoking is allowed only in desig-nated smoking areas

More on the Web

Visit wwwAirVentureorg for more information onEAA AirVenture 2011

EAA AirVenture Is Almost Here Are You Ready

Just a few short weeks from now many of you will

make the annual pilgrimage to Oshkosh for EAA Air-

Venture 2011 Are you ready Here are several handy

online tools on the AirVenture website that can help

you take care of any last-minute concerns

Visit wwwAirVentureorg and find out what you

need to know about The Worldrsquos Greatest Avia-

tion Celebration

Admission Parking Hours

wwwAirVentureorgplanningadmissionhtml

Find or Share a Ride to Oshkosh

wwwAirVentureorgrideshare

Site Map

wwwAirVentureorgplanningschedules_mapshtml

Where to Stay

Yoursquore cleared to stay connected

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3844

ship services at 800-564-6322 but

given the time from when you read

this until AirVenture it may not ar-

rive in the mail in time for your de-

parture We suggest downloading

the NOTAM

The NOTAM contains the specialflight procedures in effect for Witt-

man Regional Airport and alternate

airports from 6 am CDT on Friday

July 22 to 12 pm CDT on Mon-

day August 1 2011 All pilots who

fly into the event are expected to

know the special flight procedures

prior to arrival EAA AirVenture Os-

hkosh runs from July 25 through

July 31 For additional EAA AirVen-

ture Oshkosh 2011 information

visit wwwAirVentureorg

Call for VAA Hall of

Fame Nominations

To the left is our information

for nominations for VAArsquos Hallof Fame which is presented each

year during a special dinner This

yearrsquos dinner will be held Friday

October 28 Wersquoll have more on

this yearrsquos inductee John Under-

To nominate someone is easy It just takes a little time and a little reminiscing on your part

Mail nominating materials to

Remember your ldquocontemporaryrdquo may be a candidate nominate someone today

wwwVintageAircraftorg

CALL FOR VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

Nominations

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3944

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

Wit tman Regional A i rpor t (OSH)

Oshkosh Wisconsin

July 25-31 2011

wwwAirVentureorg

Colorado Sport International Air Show

and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In

Rocky Mountain Met ropol i tan A irpor t (BJC)

Denver Colorado

August 27-28 2011

wwwCOSportAviationorg

Mid-Eastern Regional Fly-In

Gr imes F ie ld A irpor t (I74)

Urbana Ohio

September 10-11 2011

httpMERFIcom

Copperstate Fly-In

Casa Grande Munic ipal A i rpor t (CGZ)

Casa Grande Ar izona

Upcoming Major

Fly-Ins

W I N

Only 2000 ticketswill be sold1 ticket $50

3 tickets $125

Piper Tri-Pacer Airplane

Free Flying Lessons

Free Pilot License

Country Legend Roy Clarkrsquos Personal Proceeds fromthis raffle

SAVEAMERICANKIDS LIVES

wwwwingsofhoperaffleorg

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4044

MISCELLANEOUS

wwwaerolistorg Aviationsrsquo Leading

Marketplace

Rare find Lycoming 0-145 partsinventory blocks bearings rings

shafts amp much more $20000

at 1970 prices $5000 Six four

cylinder case aircraft magnetos

$300 Call for more details (FL)

VINTAGETRADER

Someth ing t o buyse l l o r t rade

Classified Word Ads $550 per 10

words 180 words maximum with boldface

lead-in on first line

Classified Display Ads One column wide

(2167 inches) by 1 2 or 3 inches high at

$20 per inch Black and white only and nofrequency discounts

Advertising Closing Dates 10th of second

month prior to desired issue date (ie

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 (classads

eaaorg ) using credit card payment (all cards

accepted) Include name on card complete

address type of card card number and

expiration date Make checks payable to EAA

Address advertising correspondence to EAA

Publications Classified Ad Manager PO Box

3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

What Our Members

Are Restoring

Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done and

yoursquore busy flying and showing it off If so wersquod like to hear from

you Send us a 4-by-6-inch print from a commercial source (no

home printers please those prints just donrsquot scan well) or a

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4144

EAAMembership in the Experimental Aircraft

Association Inc is $40 for one year includ-ing 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION Familymembership is an additional $10 annually Allmajor credit cards accepted for membership(Add $16 for International Postage)

FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPSPlease submit your remittance with a

check or draft drawn on a United Statesbank payable in United States dollars Addrequired Foreign Postage amount for eachmembership

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATIONCurrent EAA members may join the

Vintage Aircraft Association and receive

year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not included)(Add $7 for International Postage)

WARBIRDSCurrent EAA members may join the EAA

Warbirds of America Division and receiveWARBIRDS magazine for an additional$45 per year

EAA Membership WARBIRDS mag-azine and one year membership in theWarbirds Division is available for $55 per

year (SPORT OficAVIATION magazinenot included) (Add $7 for Interna-tional Postage)

IACCurrent EAA members may join the

International Aerobatic Club Inc Divi-sion and receive SPORT AEROBATICS magazine for an additional $45 per year

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

VINTAGE

AIRCRAFT

ASSOCIATION

OFFICERS

DIRECTORS

DIRECTORS

EMERITUS

PresidentGeoff Robison

1521 E MacGregor DrNew Haven IN 46774

260-493-4724chief7025aolcom

Vice-PresidentGeorge Daubner

N57W34837 Pondview LnOconomowoc WI 53066

262-560-1949 gdaubnereaaorg

Steve Bender85 Brush Hill Road

Sherborn MA 01770508-653-7557

sst10comcastnet

David Bennett375 Killdeer Ct

Lincoln CA 95648916-952-9449

antiquerinreachcom

Jerry Brown4605 Hickory Wood Row

Greenwood IN 46143317-422-9366

lbrown4906aolcom

Dave Clark635 Vestal Lane

Plainfield IN 46168317-839-4500davecpdattnet

John S Copeland1A Deacon Street

Northborough MA 01532508-393-4775

copeland1junocom

Phil Coulson28415 Springbrook Dr

Lawton MI 49065269-624-6490

rcoulson516cscom

Dale A Gustafson7724 Shady Hills Dr

Indianapolis IN 46278317-293-4430

dalefayemsncom

Jeannie HillPO Box 328

Harvard IL 60033-0328815-943-7205

Espie ldquoButchrdquo Joyce704 N Regional Rd

Greensboro NC 27409336-668-3650

windsockaolcom

Steve Krog1002 Heather Ln

Hartford WI 53027262-966-7627sskrogaolcom

Robert D ldquoBobrdquo Lumley1265 South 124th StBrookfield WI 53005

262-782-2633rlumley1wirrcom

SH ldquoWesrdquo Schmid2359 Lefeber Avenue

Wauwatosa WI 53213414-771-1545

shschmidgmailcom

Robert C Brauer9345 S Hoyne

Chicago IL 60643773-779-2105

photopilotaolcom

Gene Chase2159 Carlton Rd

Oshkosh WI 54904920-231-5002

GRCHAcharternet

Ronald C Fritz15401 Sparta Ave

Kent City MI 49330616-678-5012

rFritzpathwaynet com

Charlie HarrisPO Box 470350Tulsa OK 74147

918-622-8400cwhhvsucom

EE ldquoBuckrdquo Hilbert8102 Leech RdUnion IL 60180

815-923-4591buck7acgmailcom

Gene Morris5936 Steve Court

Roanoke TX 76262817-491-9110

genemor rischarter net

Membership Services DirectoryEnjoy the many benefits of EAA and

EAArsquos Vintage Aircraft Association

EAA Aviation Center PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086Phone (920) 426-4800 Fax (920) 426-4873Web Sites wwwvintageaircraftorg wwwairventureorg wwweaaorgmemberbenefits E-Mail vintageaircrafteaaorg

EAA and Division Membership Services (800 AMndash600 PM MondayndashFriday CST)800-564-6322 FAX 920-426-4873 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

bullNewrenew memberships bullAddress changes bullMerchandise sales bullGift memberships

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 888-322-4636 wwwairventureorg airventureeaaorg

Sport PilotLight-Sport Aircraft Hotline 877-359-1232 wwwsportpilotorg sportpiloteaaorg

Programs and Activities

Auto Fuel STCs 920-426-4843 stceaaorg EAA Air Academy 920-426-6880 wwwairacademyorg airacademyeaaorg

EAA Scholarships 920-426-6823 scholarshipseaaorg

Library ServicesResearch 920-426-4848 slurveyeaaorg

Benefits

AUA Vintage Insurance Plan 800-727-3823 wwwauaonlinecom

EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan 866-647-4322 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

EAA VISA Card 800-853-5576 ext 8884

EAA Her tz Rent-A-Car Program 800-654-2200 wwweaaorghertz membershipeaaorg

VAA EditorialExecutive Director 920-426-4825 wwwvintageaircraftorg vintageeaaorg

VAA Office 920-426-6110 tbookseaaorg

TM

EAA Members Information Line 888-EAA-INFO (322-4636)

Use this toll-free number for information about AirVenture Oshkosh aeromedical and technical aviation questions

chapters and Young Eagles Please have your membership number ready when calling

Office hours are 815 am - 500 pm (Monday - Friday CST)

SecretarySteve Nesse

2009 Highland AveAlbert Lea MN 56007

507-373-1674

stnes2009livecom

TreasurerDan Knutson

106 Tena Marie CircleLodi WI 53555608-592-7224

lodicubcharternet

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4244

If yoursquove ever watched fish in

an aquarium yoursquove probably no-

ticed how they respond differently

to their surroundings There are

those that zip around the tank in a

mad dash to nowhere Some seem

to sit and not go much of any-

where and some will swim f romone end to the other turn around

and do it again

The latter are the ones that remind

me of myself I seem to fly in a fish-

bowl I go from one end of our val-

proficient by practicing things we

know over and over or it can make

us lazy When something becomes

so ingrained that we do it from habit

only we may not be thinking about

what wersquore doing

On a night cross-country some

time ago I found out just how easyit is to forget things that I hadnrsquot

used in a while While night may be

a little more challenging it still re-

quires the basic pre-flight planning

of any cross-country and following

whether I go far or stay in the com-

fort zone I canrsquot let complacency take

over Those skills and experiences

need to be stretched from time to

time regardless of where I fly An un-

expected situation or emergency is a

bad time to find out I donrsquot remem-

ber how to do somethingComplacency also allows fear

to creep in where it doesnrsquot belong

Some fear (I think) is a natural part of

flying but it can also unnecessarily

keep us grounded because we wonrsquot

BY S MICHELLE SOUDER

Flying Outside

the Fishbowl

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4344

Itrsquos gonna be a big year at Oshk osh

B-29 Superfortress ldquoFIFIrdquo

The first visit since 1995for the worldrsquos only airworthyB-29 Superfortress

REO SpeedwagonOshkosh rocks Monday duringthe opening day concert presentedby Ford Motor Company

Tribute to Bob HooverTuesday afternoon air showfeaturing aircraft and maneuvershe made legendary

eVentureInnovation will be on displayand in the air with the ElectricFlight Prize Competition

Join us for a week-long celebration of the Centennial of Naval Aviationincluding a special air show Wednesday See the hottest naval aircraftin historic colors all week on ConocoPhillips Plaza

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4444

Page 36: Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3644

urday 8 am until 6 pm Early-bird

arrivals can shop on the pre-conven-

tion weekend as well during limited

hours Show your VAA membership

card (or your receipt showing you

joined VAA at the convention) and

yoursquoll receive a 10 percent discount

VAA Volunteer Opportunities

Are you an ace pancake flipperIf yoursquore not one yet we can help

The VAA Tall Pines Cafeacute is looking

for volunteers who can help provide

a hearty breakfast to all the hungry

campers on the south end of Witt-

man Field If you could lend a hand

for a morning or two wersquod appreci-

ate it If thatrsquos not your cup of tea feelfree to check with the VAA Volunteer

Center located just to the northeast

of the VAA Red Barn The volun-

teers who operate the booth will be

happy to tell you when your help is

needed each day It doesnrsquot matter if

itrsquos just for a few hours or for a few

daysmdashwersquod love to have your help-

ing hands There is no need for you

to contact us ahead of time you can

talk with us when you arrive

VAA Judging Categoriesand Awards

The VAArsquos internationally recog-

nized judging categories are

bullAntique Aircraft built prior toSeptember 1 1945

bullClassic September 1 1945 - De-

cember 31 1955

bullContemporary January 1 1956

- December 31 1970

VAA NEWScontinued frpm page 5

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3744

the award winners Judging closes at noon on Friday

July 29 The Awards Ceremony will be held Saturday

evening July 30 at 6 pm in the Vintage Hangar

just south of the VAA Red Barn

Designated Smoking Areas Near FlightlineSmoking on the flightline at EAA AirVenture is prohib-

ited because itrsquos a hazard to all aircraft There are several

designated smoking areas with butt cans along the flight-

line well away from aircraft and refueling operations

Designated smoking areas will be south of the ultra-light runway near the Hangar Cafeacute near the Warbirdsarea (northeast corner of Audrey Lane and Eide Av-

enue) the Wearhouse flag pole area the shade pavil-ion north of the control tower and near the UltralightBarn Locations will be indicated on EAArsquos free con-vention grounds map The admission wristband alsoinstructs visitors that smoking is allowed only in desig-nated smoking areas

More on the Web

Visit wwwAirVentureorg for more information onEAA AirVenture 2011

EAA AirVenture Is Almost Here Are You Ready

Just a few short weeks from now many of you will

make the annual pilgrimage to Oshkosh for EAA Air-

Venture 2011 Are you ready Here are several handy

online tools on the AirVenture website that can help

you take care of any last-minute concerns

Visit wwwAirVentureorg and find out what you

need to know about The Worldrsquos Greatest Avia-

tion Celebration

Admission Parking Hours

wwwAirVentureorgplanningadmissionhtml

Find or Share a Ride to Oshkosh

wwwAirVentureorgrideshare

Site Map

wwwAirVentureorgplanningschedules_mapshtml

Where to Stay

Yoursquore cleared to stay connected

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3844

ship services at 800-564-6322 but

given the time from when you read

this until AirVenture it may not ar-

rive in the mail in time for your de-

parture We suggest downloading

the NOTAM

The NOTAM contains the specialflight procedures in effect for Witt-

man Regional Airport and alternate

airports from 6 am CDT on Friday

July 22 to 12 pm CDT on Mon-

day August 1 2011 All pilots who

fly into the event are expected to

know the special flight procedures

prior to arrival EAA AirVenture Os-

hkosh runs from July 25 through

July 31 For additional EAA AirVen-

ture Oshkosh 2011 information

visit wwwAirVentureorg

Call for VAA Hall of

Fame Nominations

To the left is our information

for nominations for VAArsquos Hallof Fame which is presented each

year during a special dinner This

yearrsquos dinner will be held Friday

October 28 Wersquoll have more on

this yearrsquos inductee John Under-

To nominate someone is easy It just takes a little time and a little reminiscing on your part

Mail nominating materials to

Remember your ldquocontemporaryrdquo may be a candidate nominate someone today

wwwVintageAircraftorg

CALL FOR VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

Nominations

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3944

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

Wit tman Regional A i rpor t (OSH)

Oshkosh Wisconsin

July 25-31 2011

wwwAirVentureorg

Colorado Sport International Air Show

and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In

Rocky Mountain Met ropol i tan A irpor t (BJC)

Denver Colorado

August 27-28 2011

wwwCOSportAviationorg

Mid-Eastern Regional Fly-In

Gr imes F ie ld A irpor t (I74)

Urbana Ohio

September 10-11 2011

httpMERFIcom

Copperstate Fly-In

Casa Grande Munic ipal A i rpor t (CGZ)

Casa Grande Ar izona

Upcoming Major

Fly-Ins

W I N

Only 2000 ticketswill be sold1 ticket $50

3 tickets $125

Piper Tri-Pacer Airplane

Free Flying Lessons

Free Pilot License

Country Legend Roy Clarkrsquos Personal Proceeds fromthis raffle

SAVEAMERICANKIDS LIVES

wwwwingsofhoperaffleorg

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4044

MISCELLANEOUS

wwwaerolistorg Aviationsrsquo Leading

Marketplace

Rare find Lycoming 0-145 partsinventory blocks bearings rings

shafts amp much more $20000

at 1970 prices $5000 Six four

cylinder case aircraft magnetos

$300 Call for more details (FL)

VINTAGETRADER

Someth ing t o buyse l l o r t rade

Classified Word Ads $550 per 10

words 180 words maximum with boldface

lead-in on first line

Classified Display Ads One column wide

(2167 inches) by 1 2 or 3 inches high at

$20 per inch Black and white only and nofrequency discounts

Advertising Closing Dates 10th of second

month prior to desired issue date (ie

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 (classads

eaaorg ) using credit card payment (all cards

accepted) Include name on card complete

address type of card card number and

expiration date Make checks payable to EAA

Address advertising correspondence to EAA

Publications Classified Ad Manager PO Box

3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

What Our Members

Are Restoring

Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done and

yoursquore busy flying and showing it off If so wersquod like to hear from

you Send us a 4-by-6-inch print from a commercial source (no

home printers please those prints just donrsquot scan well) or a

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4144

EAAMembership in the Experimental Aircraft

Association Inc is $40 for one year includ-ing 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION Familymembership is an additional $10 annually Allmajor credit cards accepted for membership(Add $16 for International Postage)

FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPSPlease submit your remittance with a

check or draft drawn on a United Statesbank payable in United States dollars Addrequired Foreign Postage amount for eachmembership

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATIONCurrent EAA members may join the

Vintage Aircraft Association and receive

year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not included)(Add $7 for International Postage)

WARBIRDSCurrent EAA members may join the EAA

Warbirds of America Division and receiveWARBIRDS magazine for an additional$45 per year

EAA Membership WARBIRDS mag-azine and one year membership in theWarbirds Division is available for $55 per

year (SPORT OficAVIATION magazinenot included) (Add $7 for Interna-tional Postage)

IACCurrent EAA members may join the

International Aerobatic Club Inc Divi-sion and receive SPORT AEROBATICS magazine for an additional $45 per year

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

VINTAGE

AIRCRAFT

ASSOCIATION

OFFICERS

DIRECTORS

DIRECTORS

EMERITUS

PresidentGeoff Robison

1521 E MacGregor DrNew Haven IN 46774

260-493-4724chief7025aolcom

Vice-PresidentGeorge Daubner

N57W34837 Pondview LnOconomowoc WI 53066

262-560-1949 gdaubnereaaorg

Steve Bender85 Brush Hill Road

Sherborn MA 01770508-653-7557

sst10comcastnet

David Bennett375 Killdeer Ct

Lincoln CA 95648916-952-9449

antiquerinreachcom

Jerry Brown4605 Hickory Wood Row

Greenwood IN 46143317-422-9366

lbrown4906aolcom

Dave Clark635 Vestal Lane

Plainfield IN 46168317-839-4500davecpdattnet

John S Copeland1A Deacon Street

Northborough MA 01532508-393-4775

copeland1junocom

Phil Coulson28415 Springbrook Dr

Lawton MI 49065269-624-6490

rcoulson516cscom

Dale A Gustafson7724 Shady Hills Dr

Indianapolis IN 46278317-293-4430

dalefayemsncom

Jeannie HillPO Box 328

Harvard IL 60033-0328815-943-7205

Espie ldquoButchrdquo Joyce704 N Regional Rd

Greensboro NC 27409336-668-3650

windsockaolcom

Steve Krog1002 Heather Ln

Hartford WI 53027262-966-7627sskrogaolcom

Robert D ldquoBobrdquo Lumley1265 South 124th StBrookfield WI 53005

262-782-2633rlumley1wirrcom

SH ldquoWesrdquo Schmid2359 Lefeber Avenue

Wauwatosa WI 53213414-771-1545

shschmidgmailcom

Robert C Brauer9345 S Hoyne

Chicago IL 60643773-779-2105

photopilotaolcom

Gene Chase2159 Carlton Rd

Oshkosh WI 54904920-231-5002

GRCHAcharternet

Ronald C Fritz15401 Sparta Ave

Kent City MI 49330616-678-5012

rFritzpathwaynet com

Charlie HarrisPO Box 470350Tulsa OK 74147

918-622-8400cwhhvsucom

EE ldquoBuckrdquo Hilbert8102 Leech RdUnion IL 60180

815-923-4591buck7acgmailcom

Gene Morris5936 Steve Court

Roanoke TX 76262817-491-9110

genemor rischarter net

Membership Services DirectoryEnjoy the many benefits of EAA and

EAArsquos Vintage Aircraft Association

EAA Aviation Center PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086Phone (920) 426-4800 Fax (920) 426-4873Web Sites wwwvintageaircraftorg wwwairventureorg wwweaaorgmemberbenefits E-Mail vintageaircrafteaaorg

EAA and Division Membership Services (800 AMndash600 PM MondayndashFriday CST)800-564-6322 FAX 920-426-4873 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

bullNewrenew memberships bullAddress changes bullMerchandise sales bullGift memberships

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 888-322-4636 wwwairventureorg airventureeaaorg

Sport PilotLight-Sport Aircraft Hotline 877-359-1232 wwwsportpilotorg sportpiloteaaorg

Programs and Activities

Auto Fuel STCs 920-426-4843 stceaaorg EAA Air Academy 920-426-6880 wwwairacademyorg airacademyeaaorg

EAA Scholarships 920-426-6823 scholarshipseaaorg

Library ServicesResearch 920-426-4848 slurveyeaaorg

Benefits

AUA Vintage Insurance Plan 800-727-3823 wwwauaonlinecom

EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan 866-647-4322 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

EAA VISA Card 800-853-5576 ext 8884

EAA Her tz Rent-A-Car Program 800-654-2200 wwweaaorghertz membershipeaaorg

VAA EditorialExecutive Director 920-426-4825 wwwvintageaircraftorg vintageeaaorg

VAA Office 920-426-6110 tbookseaaorg

TM

EAA Members Information Line 888-EAA-INFO (322-4636)

Use this toll-free number for information about AirVenture Oshkosh aeromedical and technical aviation questions

chapters and Young Eagles Please have your membership number ready when calling

Office hours are 815 am - 500 pm (Monday - Friday CST)

SecretarySteve Nesse

2009 Highland AveAlbert Lea MN 56007

507-373-1674

stnes2009livecom

TreasurerDan Knutson

106 Tena Marie CircleLodi WI 53555608-592-7224

lodicubcharternet

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4244

If yoursquove ever watched fish in

an aquarium yoursquove probably no-

ticed how they respond differently

to their surroundings There are

those that zip around the tank in a

mad dash to nowhere Some seem

to sit and not go much of any-

where and some will swim f romone end to the other turn around

and do it again

The latter are the ones that remind

me of myself I seem to fly in a fish-

bowl I go from one end of our val-

proficient by practicing things we

know over and over or it can make

us lazy When something becomes

so ingrained that we do it from habit

only we may not be thinking about

what wersquore doing

On a night cross-country some

time ago I found out just how easyit is to forget things that I hadnrsquot

used in a while While night may be

a little more challenging it still re-

quires the basic pre-flight planning

of any cross-country and following

whether I go far or stay in the com-

fort zone I canrsquot let complacency take

over Those skills and experiences

need to be stretched from time to

time regardless of where I fly An un-

expected situation or emergency is a

bad time to find out I donrsquot remem-

ber how to do somethingComplacency also allows fear

to creep in where it doesnrsquot belong

Some fear (I think) is a natural part of

flying but it can also unnecessarily

keep us grounded because we wonrsquot

BY S MICHELLE SOUDER

Flying Outside

the Fishbowl

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4344

Itrsquos gonna be a big year at Oshk osh

B-29 Superfortress ldquoFIFIrdquo

The first visit since 1995for the worldrsquos only airworthyB-29 Superfortress

REO SpeedwagonOshkosh rocks Monday duringthe opening day concert presentedby Ford Motor Company

Tribute to Bob HooverTuesday afternoon air showfeaturing aircraft and maneuvershe made legendary

eVentureInnovation will be on displayand in the air with the ElectricFlight Prize Competition

Join us for a week-long celebration of the Centennial of Naval Aviationincluding a special air show Wednesday See the hottest naval aircraftin historic colors all week on ConocoPhillips Plaza

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4444

Page 37: Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3744

the award winners Judging closes at noon on Friday

July 29 The Awards Ceremony will be held Saturday

evening July 30 at 6 pm in the Vintage Hangar

just south of the VAA Red Barn

Designated Smoking Areas Near FlightlineSmoking on the flightline at EAA AirVenture is prohib-

ited because itrsquos a hazard to all aircraft There are several

designated smoking areas with butt cans along the flight-

line well away from aircraft and refueling operations

Designated smoking areas will be south of the ultra-light runway near the Hangar Cafeacute near the Warbirdsarea (northeast corner of Audrey Lane and Eide Av-

enue) the Wearhouse flag pole area the shade pavil-ion north of the control tower and near the UltralightBarn Locations will be indicated on EAArsquos free con-vention grounds map The admission wristband alsoinstructs visitors that smoking is allowed only in desig-nated smoking areas

More on the Web

Visit wwwAirVentureorg for more information onEAA AirVenture 2011

EAA AirVenture Is Almost Here Are You Ready

Just a few short weeks from now many of you will

make the annual pilgrimage to Oshkosh for EAA Air-

Venture 2011 Are you ready Here are several handy

online tools on the AirVenture website that can help

you take care of any last-minute concerns

Visit wwwAirVentureorg and find out what you

need to know about The Worldrsquos Greatest Avia-

tion Celebration

Admission Parking Hours

wwwAirVentureorgplanningadmissionhtml

Find or Share a Ride to Oshkosh

wwwAirVentureorgrideshare

Site Map

wwwAirVentureorgplanningschedules_mapshtml

Where to Stay

Yoursquore cleared to stay connected

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3844

ship services at 800-564-6322 but

given the time from when you read

this until AirVenture it may not ar-

rive in the mail in time for your de-

parture We suggest downloading

the NOTAM

The NOTAM contains the specialflight procedures in effect for Witt-

man Regional Airport and alternate

airports from 6 am CDT on Friday

July 22 to 12 pm CDT on Mon-

day August 1 2011 All pilots who

fly into the event are expected to

know the special flight procedures

prior to arrival EAA AirVenture Os-

hkosh runs from July 25 through

July 31 For additional EAA AirVen-

ture Oshkosh 2011 information

visit wwwAirVentureorg

Call for VAA Hall of

Fame Nominations

To the left is our information

for nominations for VAArsquos Hallof Fame which is presented each

year during a special dinner This

yearrsquos dinner will be held Friday

October 28 Wersquoll have more on

this yearrsquos inductee John Under-

To nominate someone is easy It just takes a little time and a little reminiscing on your part

Mail nominating materials to

Remember your ldquocontemporaryrdquo may be a candidate nominate someone today

wwwVintageAircraftorg

CALL FOR VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

Nominations

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3944

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

Wit tman Regional A i rpor t (OSH)

Oshkosh Wisconsin

July 25-31 2011

wwwAirVentureorg

Colorado Sport International Air Show

and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In

Rocky Mountain Met ropol i tan A irpor t (BJC)

Denver Colorado

August 27-28 2011

wwwCOSportAviationorg

Mid-Eastern Regional Fly-In

Gr imes F ie ld A irpor t (I74)

Urbana Ohio

September 10-11 2011

httpMERFIcom

Copperstate Fly-In

Casa Grande Munic ipal A i rpor t (CGZ)

Casa Grande Ar izona

Upcoming Major

Fly-Ins

W I N

Only 2000 ticketswill be sold1 ticket $50

3 tickets $125

Piper Tri-Pacer Airplane

Free Flying Lessons

Free Pilot License

Country Legend Roy Clarkrsquos Personal Proceeds fromthis raffle

SAVEAMERICANKIDS LIVES

wwwwingsofhoperaffleorg

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4044

MISCELLANEOUS

wwwaerolistorg Aviationsrsquo Leading

Marketplace

Rare find Lycoming 0-145 partsinventory blocks bearings rings

shafts amp much more $20000

at 1970 prices $5000 Six four

cylinder case aircraft magnetos

$300 Call for more details (FL)

VINTAGETRADER

Someth ing t o buyse l l o r t rade

Classified Word Ads $550 per 10

words 180 words maximum with boldface

lead-in on first line

Classified Display Ads One column wide

(2167 inches) by 1 2 or 3 inches high at

$20 per inch Black and white only and nofrequency discounts

Advertising Closing Dates 10th of second

month prior to desired issue date (ie

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 (classads

eaaorg ) using credit card payment (all cards

accepted) Include name on card complete

address type of card card number and

expiration date Make checks payable to EAA

Address advertising correspondence to EAA

Publications Classified Ad Manager PO Box

3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

What Our Members

Are Restoring

Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done and

yoursquore busy flying and showing it off If so wersquod like to hear from

you Send us a 4-by-6-inch print from a commercial source (no

home printers please those prints just donrsquot scan well) or a

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4144

EAAMembership in the Experimental Aircraft

Association Inc is $40 for one year includ-ing 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION Familymembership is an additional $10 annually Allmajor credit cards accepted for membership(Add $16 for International Postage)

FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPSPlease submit your remittance with a

check or draft drawn on a United Statesbank payable in United States dollars Addrequired Foreign Postage amount for eachmembership

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATIONCurrent EAA members may join the

Vintage Aircraft Association and receive

year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not included)(Add $7 for International Postage)

WARBIRDSCurrent EAA members may join the EAA

Warbirds of America Division and receiveWARBIRDS magazine for an additional$45 per year

EAA Membership WARBIRDS mag-azine and one year membership in theWarbirds Division is available for $55 per

year (SPORT OficAVIATION magazinenot included) (Add $7 for Interna-tional Postage)

IACCurrent EAA members may join the

International Aerobatic Club Inc Divi-sion and receive SPORT AEROBATICS magazine for an additional $45 per year

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

VINTAGE

AIRCRAFT

ASSOCIATION

OFFICERS

DIRECTORS

DIRECTORS

EMERITUS

PresidentGeoff Robison

1521 E MacGregor DrNew Haven IN 46774

260-493-4724chief7025aolcom

Vice-PresidentGeorge Daubner

N57W34837 Pondview LnOconomowoc WI 53066

262-560-1949 gdaubnereaaorg

Steve Bender85 Brush Hill Road

Sherborn MA 01770508-653-7557

sst10comcastnet

David Bennett375 Killdeer Ct

Lincoln CA 95648916-952-9449

antiquerinreachcom

Jerry Brown4605 Hickory Wood Row

Greenwood IN 46143317-422-9366

lbrown4906aolcom

Dave Clark635 Vestal Lane

Plainfield IN 46168317-839-4500davecpdattnet

John S Copeland1A Deacon Street

Northborough MA 01532508-393-4775

copeland1junocom

Phil Coulson28415 Springbrook Dr

Lawton MI 49065269-624-6490

rcoulson516cscom

Dale A Gustafson7724 Shady Hills Dr

Indianapolis IN 46278317-293-4430

dalefayemsncom

Jeannie HillPO Box 328

Harvard IL 60033-0328815-943-7205

Espie ldquoButchrdquo Joyce704 N Regional Rd

Greensboro NC 27409336-668-3650

windsockaolcom

Steve Krog1002 Heather Ln

Hartford WI 53027262-966-7627sskrogaolcom

Robert D ldquoBobrdquo Lumley1265 South 124th StBrookfield WI 53005

262-782-2633rlumley1wirrcom

SH ldquoWesrdquo Schmid2359 Lefeber Avenue

Wauwatosa WI 53213414-771-1545

shschmidgmailcom

Robert C Brauer9345 S Hoyne

Chicago IL 60643773-779-2105

photopilotaolcom

Gene Chase2159 Carlton Rd

Oshkosh WI 54904920-231-5002

GRCHAcharternet

Ronald C Fritz15401 Sparta Ave

Kent City MI 49330616-678-5012

rFritzpathwaynet com

Charlie HarrisPO Box 470350Tulsa OK 74147

918-622-8400cwhhvsucom

EE ldquoBuckrdquo Hilbert8102 Leech RdUnion IL 60180

815-923-4591buck7acgmailcom

Gene Morris5936 Steve Court

Roanoke TX 76262817-491-9110

genemor rischarter net

Membership Services DirectoryEnjoy the many benefits of EAA and

EAArsquos Vintage Aircraft Association

EAA Aviation Center PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086Phone (920) 426-4800 Fax (920) 426-4873Web Sites wwwvintageaircraftorg wwwairventureorg wwweaaorgmemberbenefits E-Mail vintageaircrafteaaorg

EAA and Division Membership Services (800 AMndash600 PM MondayndashFriday CST)800-564-6322 FAX 920-426-4873 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

bullNewrenew memberships bullAddress changes bullMerchandise sales bullGift memberships

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 888-322-4636 wwwairventureorg airventureeaaorg

Sport PilotLight-Sport Aircraft Hotline 877-359-1232 wwwsportpilotorg sportpiloteaaorg

Programs and Activities

Auto Fuel STCs 920-426-4843 stceaaorg EAA Air Academy 920-426-6880 wwwairacademyorg airacademyeaaorg

EAA Scholarships 920-426-6823 scholarshipseaaorg

Library ServicesResearch 920-426-4848 slurveyeaaorg

Benefits

AUA Vintage Insurance Plan 800-727-3823 wwwauaonlinecom

EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan 866-647-4322 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

EAA VISA Card 800-853-5576 ext 8884

EAA Her tz Rent-A-Car Program 800-654-2200 wwweaaorghertz membershipeaaorg

VAA EditorialExecutive Director 920-426-4825 wwwvintageaircraftorg vintageeaaorg

VAA Office 920-426-6110 tbookseaaorg

TM

EAA Members Information Line 888-EAA-INFO (322-4636)

Use this toll-free number for information about AirVenture Oshkosh aeromedical and technical aviation questions

chapters and Young Eagles Please have your membership number ready when calling

Office hours are 815 am - 500 pm (Monday - Friday CST)

SecretarySteve Nesse

2009 Highland AveAlbert Lea MN 56007

507-373-1674

stnes2009livecom

TreasurerDan Knutson

106 Tena Marie CircleLodi WI 53555608-592-7224

lodicubcharternet

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4244

If yoursquove ever watched fish in

an aquarium yoursquove probably no-

ticed how they respond differently

to their surroundings There are

those that zip around the tank in a

mad dash to nowhere Some seem

to sit and not go much of any-

where and some will swim f romone end to the other turn around

and do it again

The latter are the ones that remind

me of myself I seem to fly in a fish-

bowl I go from one end of our val-

proficient by practicing things we

know over and over or it can make

us lazy When something becomes

so ingrained that we do it from habit

only we may not be thinking about

what wersquore doing

On a night cross-country some

time ago I found out just how easyit is to forget things that I hadnrsquot

used in a while While night may be

a little more challenging it still re-

quires the basic pre-flight planning

of any cross-country and following

whether I go far or stay in the com-

fort zone I canrsquot let complacency take

over Those skills and experiences

need to be stretched from time to

time regardless of where I fly An un-

expected situation or emergency is a

bad time to find out I donrsquot remem-

ber how to do somethingComplacency also allows fear

to creep in where it doesnrsquot belong

Some fear (I think) is a natural part of

flying but it can also unnecessarily

keep us grounded because we wonrsquot

BY S MICHELLE SOUDER

Flying Outside

the Fishbowl

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4344

Itrsquos gonna be a big year at Oshk osh

B-29 Superfortress ldquoFIFIrdquo

The first visit since 1995for the worldrsquos only airworthyB-29 Superfortress

REO SpeedwagonOshkosh rocks Monday duringthe opening day concert presentedby Ford Motor Company

Tribute to Bob HooverTuesday afternoon air showfeaturing aircraft and maneuvershe made legendary

eVentureInnovation will be on displayand in the air with the ElectricFlight Prize Competition

Join us for a week-long celebration of the Centennial of Naval Aviationincluding a special air show Wednesday See the hottest naval aircraftin historic colors all week on ConocoPhillips Plaza

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4444

Page 38: Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3844

ship services at 800-564-6322 but

given the time from when you read

this until AirVenture it may not ar-

rive in the mail in time for your de-

parture We suggest downloading

the NOTAM

The NOTAM contains the specialflight procedures in effect for Witt-

man Regional Airport and alternate

airports from 6 am CDT on Friday

July 22 to 12 pm CDT on Mon-

day August 1 2011 All pilots who

fly into the event are expected to

know the special flight procedures

prior to arrival EAA AirVenture Os-

hkosh runs from July 25 through

July 31 For additional EAA AirVen-

ture Oshkosh 2011 information

visit wwwAirVentureorg

Call for VAA Hall of

Fame Nominations

To the left is our information

for nominations for VAArsquos Hallof Fame which is presented each

year during a special dinner This

yearrsquos dinner will be held Friday

October 28 Wersquoll have more on

this yearrsquos inductee John Under-

To nominate someone is easy It just takes a little time and a little reminiscing on your part

Mail nominating materials to

Remember your ldquocontemporaryrdquo may be a candidate nominate someone today

wwwVintageAircraftorg

CALL FOR VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

Nominations

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3944

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

Wit tman Regional A i rpor t (OSH)

Oshkosh Wisconsin

July 25-31 2011

wwwAirVentureorg

Colorado Sport International Air Show

and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In

Rocky Mountain Met ropol i tan A irpor t (BJC)

Denver Colorado

August 27-28 2011

wwwCOSportAviationorg

Mid-Eastern Regional Fly-In

Gr imes F ie ld A irpor t (I74)

Urbana Ohio

September 10-11 2011

httpMERFIcom

Copperstate Fly-In

Casa Grande Munic ipal A i rpor t (CGZ)

Casa Grande Ar izona

Upcoming Major

Fly-Ins

W I N

Only 2000 ticketswill be sold1 ticket $50

3 tickets $125

Piper Tri-Pacer Airplane

Free Flying Lessons

Free Pilot License

Country Legend Roy Clarkrsquos Personal Proceeds fromthis raffle

SAVEAMERICANKIDS LIVES

wwwwingsofhoperaffleorg

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4044

MISCELLANEOUS

wwwaerolistorg Aviationsrsquo Leading

Marketplace

Rare find Lycoming 0-145 partsinventory blocks bearings rings

shafts amp much more $20000

at 1970 prices $5000 Six four

cylinder case aircraft magnetos

$300 Call for more details (FL)

VINTAGETRADER

Someth ing t o buyse l l o r t rade

Classified Word Ads $550 per 10

words 180 words maximum with boldface

lead-in on first line

Classified Display Ads One column wide

(2167 inches) by 1 2 or 3 inches high at

$20 per inch Black and white only and nofrequency discounts

Advertising Closing Dates 10th of second

month prior to desired issue date (ie

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 (classads

eaaorg ) using credit card payment (all cards

accepted) Include name on card complete

address type of card card number and

expiration date Make checks payable to EAA

Address advertising correspondence to EAA

Publications Classified Ad Manager PO Box

3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

What Our Members

Are Restoring

Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done and

yoursquore busy flying and showing it off If so wersquod like to hear from

you Send us a 4-by-6-inch print from a commercial source (no

home printers please those prints just donrsquot scan well) or a

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4144

EAAMembership in the Experimental Aircraft

Association Inc is $40 for one year includ-ing 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION Familymembership is an additional $10 annually Allmajor credit cards accepted for membership(Add $16 for International Postage)

FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPSPlease submit your remittance with a

check or draft drawn on a United Statesbank payable in United States dollars Addrequired Foreign Postage amount for eachmembership

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATIONCurrent EAA members may join the

Vintage Aircraft Association and receive

year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not included)(Add $7 for International Postage)

WARBIRDSCurrent EAA members may join the EAA

Warbirds of America Division and receiveWARBIRDS magazine for an additional$45 per year

EAA Membership WARBIRDS mag-azine and one year membership in theWarbirds Division is available for $55 per

year (SPORT OficAVIATION magazinenot included) (Add $7 for Interna-tional Postage)

IACCurrent EAA members may join the

International Aerobatic Club Inc Divi-sion and receive SPORT AEROBATICS magazine for an additional $45 per year

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

VINTAGE

AIRCRAFT

ASSOCIATION

OFFICERS

DIRECTORS

DIRECTORS

EMERITUS

PresidentGeoff Robison

1521 E MacGregor DrNew Haven IN 46774

260-493-4724chief7025aolcom

Vice-PresidentGeorge Daubner

N57W34837 Pondview LnOconomowoc WI 53066

262-560-1949 gdaubnereaaorg

Steve Bender85 Brush Hill Road

Sherborn MA 01770508-653-7557

sst10comcastnet

David Bennett375 Killdeer Ct

Lincoln CA 95648916-952-9449

antiquerinreachcom

Jerry Brown4605 Hickory Wood Row

Greenwood IN 46143317-422-9366

lbrown4906aolcom

Dave Clark635 Vestal Lane

Plainfield IN 46168317-839-4500davecpdattnet

John S Copeland1A Deacon Street

Northborough MA 01532508-393-4775

copeland1junocom

Phil Coulson28415 Springbrook Dr

Lawton MI 49065269-624-6490

rcoulson516cscom

Dale A Gustafson7724 Shady Hills Dr

Indianapolis IN 46278317-293-4430

dalefayemsncom

Jeannie HillPO Box 328

Harvard IL 60033-0328815-943-7205

Espie ldquoButchrdquo Joyce704 N Regional Rd

Greensboro NC 27409336-668-3650

windsockaolcom

Steve Krog1002 Heather Ln

Hartford WI 53027262-966-7627sskrogaolcom

Robert D ldquoBobrdquo Lumley1265 South 124th StBrookfield WI 53005

262-782-2633rlumley1wirrcom

SH ldquoWesrdquo Schmid2359 Lefeber Avenue

Wauwatosa WI 53213414-771-1545

shschmidgmailcom

Robert C Brauer9345 S Hoyne

Chicago IL 60643773-779-2105

photopilotaolcom

Gene Chase2159 Carlton Rd

Oshkosh WI 54904920-231-5002

GRCHAcharternet

Ronald C Fritz15401 Sparta Ave

Kent City MI 49330616-678-5012

rFritzpathwaynet com

Charlie HarrisPO Box 470350Tulsa OK 74147

918-622-8400cwhhvsucom

EE ldquoBuckrdquo Hilbert8102 Leech RdUnion IL 60180

815-923-4591buck7acgmailcom

Gene Morris5936 Steve Court

Roanoke TX 76262817-491-9110

genemor rischarter net

Membership Services DirectoryEnjoy the many benefits of EAA and

EAArsquos Vintage Aircraft Association

EAA Aviation Center PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086Phone (920) 426-4800 Fax (920) 426-4873Web Sites wwwvintageaircraftorg wwwairventureorg wwweaaorgmemberbenefits E-Mail vintageaircrafteaaorg

EAA and Division Membership Services (800 AMndash600 PM MondayndashFriday CST)800-564-6322 FAX 920-426-4873 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

bullNewrenew memberships bullAddress changes bullMerchandise sales bullGift memberships

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 888-322-4636 wwwairventureorg airventureeaaorg

Sport PilotLight-Sport Aircraft Hotline 877-359-1232 wwwsportpilotorg sportpiloteaaorg

Programs and Activities

Auto Fuel STCs 920-426-4843 stceaaorg EAA Air Academy 920-426-6880 wwwairacademyorg airacademyeaaorg

EAA Scholarships 920-426-6823 scholarshipseaaorg

Library ServicesResearch 920-426-4848 slurveyeaaorg

Benefits

AUA Vintage Insurance Plan 800-727-3823 wwwauaonlinecom

EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan 866-647-4322 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

EAA VISA Card 800-853-5576 ext 8884

EAA Her tz Rent-A-Car Program 800-654-2200 wwweaaorghertz membershipeaaorg

VAA EditorialExecutive Director 920-426-4825 wwwvintageaircraftorg vintageeaaorg

VAA Office 920-426-6110 tbookseaaorg

TM

EAA Members Information Line 888-EAA-INFO (322-4636)

Use this toll-free number for information about AirVenture Oshkosh aeromedical and technical aviation questions

chapters and Young Eagles Please have your membership number ready when calling

Office hours are 815 am - 500 pm (Monday - Friday CST)

SecretarySteve Nesse

2009 Highland AveAlbert Lea MN 56007

507-373-1674

stnes2009livecom

TreasurerDan Knutson

106 Tena Marie CircleLodi WI 53555608-592-7224

lodicubcharternet

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4244

If yoursquove ever watched fish in

an aquarium yoursquove probably no-

ticed how they respond differently

to their surroundings There are

those that zip around the tank in a

mad dash to nowhere Some seem

to sit and not go much of any-

where and some will swim f romone end to the other turn around

and do it again

The latter are the ones that remind

me of myself I seem to fly in a fish-

bowl I go from one end of our val-

proficient by practicing things we

know over and over or it can make

us lazy When something becomes

so ingrained that we do it from habit

only we may not be thinking about

what wersquore doing

On a night cross-country some

time ago I found out just how easyit is to forget things that I hadnrsquot

used in a while While night may be

a little more challenging it still re-

quires the basic pre-flight planning

of any cross-country and following

whether I go far or stay in the com-

fort zone I canrsquot let complacency take

over Those skills and experiences

need to be stretched from time to

time regardless of where I fly An un-

expected situation or emergency is a

bad time to find out I donrsquot remem-

ber how to do somethingComplacency also allows fear

to creep in where it doesnrsquot belong

Some fear (I think) is a natural part of

flying but it can also unnecessarily

keep us grounded because we wonrsquot

BY S MICHELLE SOUDER

Flying Outside

the Fishbowl

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4344

Itrsquos gonna be a big year at Oshk osh

B-29 Superfortress ldquoFIFIrdquo

The first visit since 1995for the worldrsquos only airworthyB-29 Superfortress

REO SpeedwagonOshkosh rocks Monday duringthe opening day concert presentedby Ford Motor Company

Tribute to Bob HooverTuesday afternoon air showfeaturing aircraft and maneuvershe made legendary

eVentureInnovation will be on displayand in the air with the ElectricFlight Prize Competition

Join us for a week-long celebration of the Centennial of Naval Aviationincluding a special air show Wednesday See the hottest naval aircraftin historic colors all week on ConocoPhillips Plaza

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4444

Page 39: Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 3944

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

Wit tman Regional A i rpor t (OSH)

Oshkosh Wisconsin

July 25-31 2011

wwwAirVentureorg

Colorado Sport International Air Show

and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In

Rocky Mountain Met ropol i tan A irpor t (BJC)

Denver Colorado

August 27-28 2011

wwwCOSportAviationorg

Mid-Eastern Regional Fly-In

Gr imes F ie ld A irpor t (I74)

Urbana Ohio

September 10-11 2011

httpMERFIcom

Copperstate Fly-In

Casa Grande Munic ipal A i rpor t (CGZ)

Casa Grande Ar izona

Upcoming Major

Fly-Ins

W I N

Only 2000 ticketswill be sold1 ticket $50

3 tickets $125

Piper Tri-Pacer Airplane

Free Flying Lessons

Free Pilot License

Country Legend Roy Clarkrsquos Personal Proceeds fromthis raffle

SAVEAMERICANKIDS LIVES

wwwwingsofhoperaffleorg

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4044

MISCELLANEOUS

wwwaerolistorg Aviationsrsquo Leading

Marketplace

Rare find Lycoming 0-145 partsinventory blocks bearings rings

shafts amp much more $20000

at 1970 prices $5000 Six four

cylinder case aircraft magnetos

$300 Call for more details (FL)

VINTAGETRADER

Someth ing t o buyse l l o r t rade

Classified Word Ads $550 per 10

words 180 words maximum with boldface

lead-in on first line

Classified Display Ads One column wide

(2167 inches) by 1 2 or 3 inches high at

$20 per inch Black and white only and nofrequency discounts

Advertising Closing Dates 10th of second

month prior to desired issue date (ie

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 (classads

eaaorg ) using credit card payment (all cards

accepted) Include name on card complete

address type of card card number and

expiration date Make checks payable to EAA

Address advertising correspondence to EAA

Publications Classified Ad Manager PO Box

3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

What Our Members

Are Restoring

Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done and

yoursquore busy flying and showing it off If so wersquod like to hear from

you Send us a 4-by-6-inch print from a commercial source (no

home printers please those prints just donrsquot scan well) or a

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4144

EAAMembership in the Experimental Aircraft

Association Inc is $40 for one year includ-ing 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION Familymembership is an additional $10 annually Allmajor credit cards accepted for membership(Add $16 for International Postage)

FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPSPlease submit your remittance with a

check or draft drawn on a United Statesbank payable in United States dollars Addrequired Foreign Postage amount for eachmembership

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATIONCurrent EAA members may join the

Vintage Aircraft Association and receive

year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not included)(Add $7 for International Postage)

WARBIRDSCurrent EAA members may join the EAA

Warbirds of America Division and receiveWARBIRDS magazine for an additional$45 per year

EAA Membership WARBIRDS mag-azine and one year membership in theWarbirds Division is available for $55 per

year (SPORT OficAVIATION magazinenot included) (Add $7 for Interna-tional Postage)

IACCurrent EAA members may join the

International Aerobatic Club Inc Divi-sion and receive SPORT AEROBATICS magazine for an additional $45 per year

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

VINTAGE

AIRCRAFT

ASSOCIATION

OFFICERS

DIRECTORS

DIRECTORS

EMERITUS

PresidentGeoff Robison

1521 E MacGregor DrNew Haven IN 46774

260-493-4724chief7025aolcom

Vice-PresidentGeorge Daubner

N57W34837 Pondview LnOconomowoc WI 53066

262-560-1949 gdaubnereaaorg

Steve Bender85 Brush Hill Road

Sherborn MA 01770508-653-7557

sst10comcastnet

David Bennett375 Killdeer Ct

Lincoln CA 95648916-952-9449

antiquerinreachcom

Jerry Brown4605 Hickory Wood Row

Greenwood IN 46143317-422-9366

lbrown4906aolcom

Dave Clark635 Vestal Lane

Plainfield IN 46168317-839-4500davecpdattnet

John S Copeland1A Deacon Street

Northborough MA 01532508-393-4775

copeland1junocom

Phil Coulson28415 Springbrook Dr

Lawton MI 49065269-624-6490

rcoulson516cscom

Dale A Gustafson7724 Shady Hills Dr

Indianapolis IN 46278317-293-4430

dalefayemsncom

Jeannie HillPO Box 328

Harvard IL 60033-0328815-943-7205

Espie ldquoButchrdquo Joyce704 N Regional Rd

Greensboro NC 27409336-668-3650

windsockaolcom

Steve Krog1002 Heather Ln

Hartford WI 53027262-966-7627sskrogaolcom

Robert D ldquoBobrdquo Lumley1265 South 124th StBrookfield WI 53005

262-782-2633rlumley1wirrcom

SH ldquoWesrdquo Schmid2359 Lefeber Avenue

Wauwatosa WI 53213414-771-1545

shschmidgmailcom

Robert C Brauer9345 S Hoyne

Chicago IL 60643773-779-2105

photopilotaolcom

Gene Chase2159 Carlton Rd

Oshkosh WI 54904920-231-5002

GRCHAcharternet

Ronald C Fritz15401 Sparta Ave

Kent City MI 49330616-678-5012

rFritzpathwaynet com

Charlie HarrisPO Box 470350Tulsa OK 74147

918-622-8400cwhhvsucom

EE ldquoBuckrdquo Hilbert8102 Leech RdUnion IL 60180

815-923-4591buck7acgmailcom

Gene Morris5936 Steve Court

Roanoke TX 76262817-491-9110

genemor rischarter net

Membership Services DirectoryEnjoy the many benefits of EAA and

EAArsquos Vintage Aircraft Association

EAA Aviation Center PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086Phone (920) 426-4800 Fax (920) 426-4873Web Sites wwwvintageaircraftorg wwwairventureorg wwweaaorgmemberbenefits E-Mail vintageaircrafteaaorg

EAA and Division Membership Services (800 AMndash600 PM MondayndashFriday CST)800-564-6322 FAX 920-426-4873 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

bullNewrenew memberships bullAddress changes bullMerchandise sales bullGift memberships

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 888-322-4636 wwwairventureorg airventureeaaorg

Sport PilotLight-Sport Aircraft Hotline 877-359-1232 wwwsportpilotorg sportpiloteaaorg

Programs and Activities

Auto Fuel STCs 920-426-4843 stceaaorg EAA Air Academy 920-426-6880 wwwairacademyorg airacademyeaaorg

EAA Scholarships 920-426-6823 scholarshipseaaorg

Library ServicesResearch 920-426-4848 slurveyeaaorg

Benefits

AUA Vintage Insurance Plan 800-727-3823 wwwauaonlinecom

EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan 866-647-4322 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

EAA VISA Card 800-853-5576 ext 8884

EAA Her tz Rent-A-Car Program 800-654-2200 wwweaaorghertz membershipeaaorg

VAA EditorialExecutive Director 920-426-4825 wwwvintageaircraftorg vintageeaaorg

VAA Office 920-426-6110 tbookseaaorg

TM

EAA Members Information Line 888-EAA-INFO (322-4636)

Use this toll-free number for information about AirVenture Oshkosh aeromedical and technical aviation questions

chapters and Young Eagles Please have your membership number ready when calling

Office hours are 815 am - 500 pm (Monday - Friday CST)

SecretarySteve Nesse

2009 Highland AveAlbert Lea MN 56007

507-373-1674

stnes2009livecom

TreasurerDan Knutson

106 Tena Marie CircleLodi WI 53555608-592-7224

lodicubcharternet

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4244

If yoursquove ever watched fish in

an aquarium yoursquove probably no-

ticed how they respond differently

to their surroundings There are

those that zip around the tank in a

mad dash to nowhere Some seem

to sit and not go much of any-

where and some will swim f romone end to the other turn around

and do it again

The latter are the ones that remind

me of myself I seem to fly in a fish-

bowl I go from one end of our val-

proficient by practicing things we

know over and over or it can make

us lazy When something becomes

so ingrained that we do it from habit

only we may not be thinking about

what wersquore doing

On a night cross-country some

time ago I found out just how easyit is to forget things that I hadnrsquot

used in a while While night may be

a little more challenging it still re-

quires the basic pre-flight planning

of any cross-country and following

whether I go far or stay in the com-

fort zone I canrsquot let complacency take

over Those skills and experiences

need to be stretched from time to

time regardless of where I fly An un-

expected situation or emergency is a

bad time to find out I donrsquot remem-

ber how to do somethingComplacency also allows fear

to creep in where it doesnrsquot belong

Some fear (I think) is a natural part of

flying but it can also unnecessarily

keep us grounded because we wonrsquot

BY S MICHELLE SOUDER

Flying Outside

the Fishbowl

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4344

Itrsquos gonna be a big year at Oshk osh

B-29 Superfortress ldquoFIFIrdquo

The first visit since 1995for the worldrsquos only airworthyB-29 Superfortress

REO SpeedwagonOshkosh rocks Monday duringthe opening day concert presentedby Ford Motor Company

Tribute to Bob HooverTuesday afternoon air showfeaturing aircraft and maneuvershe made legendary

eVentureInnovation will be on displayand in the air with the ElectricFlight Prize Competition

Join us for a week-long celebration of the Centennial of Naval Aviationincluding a special air show Wednesday See the hottest naval aircraftin historic colors all week on ConocoPhillips Plaza

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4444

Page 40: Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4044

MISCELLANEOUS

wwwaerolistorg Aviationsrsquo Leading

Marketplace

Rare find Lycoming 0-145 partsinventory blocks bearings rings

shafts amp much more $20000

at 1970 prices $5000 Six four

cylinder case aircraft magnetos

$300 Call for more details (FL)

VINTAGETRADER

Someth ing t o buyse l l o r t rade

Classified Word Ads $550 per 10

words 180 words maximum with boldface

lead-in on first line

Classified Display Ads One column wide

(2167 inches) by 1 2 or 3 inches high at

$20 per inch Black and white only and nofrequency discounts

Advertising Closing Dates 10th of second

month prior to desired issue date (ie

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 (classads

eaaorg ) using credit card payment (all cards

accepted) Include name on card complete

address type of card card number and

expiration date Make checks payable to EAA

Address advertising correspondence to EAA

Publications Classified Ad Manager PO Box

3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

What Our Members

Are Restoring

Are you nearing completion of a restoration Or is it done and

yoursquore busy flying and showing it off If so wersquod like to hear from

you Send us a 4-by-6-inch print from a commercial source (no

home printers please those prints just donrsquot scan well) or a

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4144

EAAMembership in the Experimental Aircraft

Association Inc is $40 for one year includ-ing 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION Familymembership is an additional $10 annually Allmajor credit cards accepted for membership(Add $16 for International Postage)

FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPSPlease submit your remittance with a

check or draft drawn on a United Statesbank payable in United States dollars Addrequired Foreign Postage amount for eachmembership

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATIONCurrent EAA members may join the

Vintage Aircraft Association and receive

year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not included)(Add $7 for International Postage)

WARBIRDSCurrent EAA members may join the EAA

Warbirds of America Division and receiveWARBIRDS magazine for an additional$45 per year

EAA Membership WARBIRDS mag-azine and one year membership in theWarbirds Division is available for $55 per

year (SPORT OficAVIATION magazinenot included) (Add $7 for Interna-tional Postage)

IACCurrent EAA members may join the

International Aerobatic Club Inc Divi-sion and receive SPORT AEROBATICS magazine for an additional $45 per year

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

VINTAGE

AIRCRAFT

ASSOCIATION

OFFICERS

DIRECTORS

DIRECTORS

EMERITUS

PresidentGeoff Robison

1521 E MacGregor DrNew Haven IN 46774

260-493-4724chief7025aolcom

Vice-PresidentGeorge Daubner

N57W34837 Pondview LnOconomowoc WI 53066

262-560-1949 gdaubnereaaorg

Steve Bender85 Brush Hill Road

Sherborn MA 01770508-653-7557

sst10comcastnet

David Bennett375 Killdeer Ct

Lincoln CA 95648916-952-9449

antiquerinreachcom

Jerry Brown4605 Hickory Wood Row

Greenwood IN 46143317-422-9366

lbrown4906aolcom

Dave Clark635 Vestal Lane

Plainfield IN 46168317-839-4500davecpdattnet

John S Copeland1A Deacon Street

Northborough MA 01532508-393-4775

copeland1junocom

Phil Coulson28415 Springbrook Dr

Lawton MI 49065269-624-6490

rcoulson516cscom

Dale A Gustafson7724 Shady Hills Dr

Indianapolis IN 46278317-293-4430

dalefayemsncom

Jeannie HillPO Box 328

Harvard IL 60033-0328815-943-7205

Espie ldquoButchrdquo Joyce704 N Regional Rd

Greensboro NC 27409336-668-3650

windsockaolcom

Steve Krog1002 Heather Ln

Hartford WI 53027262-966-7627sskrogaolcom

Robert D ldquoBobrdquo Lumley1265 South 124th StBrookfield WI 53005

262-782-2633rlumley1wirrcom

SH ldquoWesrdquo Schmid2359 Lefeber Avenue

Wauwatosa WI 53213414-771-1545

shschmidgmailcom

Robert C Brauer9345 S Hoyne

Chicago IL 60643773-779-2105

photopilotaolcom

Gene Chase2159 Carlton Rd

Oshkosh WI 54904920-231-5002

GRCHAcharternet

Ronald C Fritz15401 Sparta Ave

Kent City MI 49330616-678-5012

rFritzpathwaynet com

Charlie HarrisPO Box 470350Tulsa OK 74147

918-622-8400cwhhvsucom

EE ldquoBuckrdquo Hilbert8102 Leech RdUnion IL 60180

815-923-4591buck7acgmailcom

Gene Morris5936 Steve Court

Roanoke TX 76262817-491-9110

genemor rischarter net

Membership Services DirectoryEnjoy the many benefits of EAA and

EAArsquos Vintage Aircraft Association

EAA Aviation Center PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086Phone (920) 426-4800 Fax (920) 426-4873Web Sites wwwvintageaircraftorg wwwairventureorg wwweaaorgmemberbenefits E-Mail vintageaircrafteaaorg

EAA and Division Membership Services (800 AMndash600 PM MondayndashFriday CST)800-564-6322 FAX 920-426-4873 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

bullNewrenew memberships bullAddress changes bullMerchandise sales bullGift memberships

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 888-322-4636 wwwairventureorg airventureeaaorg

Sport PilotLight-Sport Aircraft Hotline 877-359-1232 wwwsportpilotorg sportpiloteaaorg

Programs and Activities

Auto Fuel STCs 920-426-4843 stceaaorg EAA Air Academy 920-426-6880 wwwairacademyorg airacademyeaaorg

EAA Scholarships 920-426-6823 scholarshipseaaorg

Library ServicesResearch 920-426-4848 slurveyeaaorg

Benefits

AUA Vintage Insurance Plan 800-727-3823 wwwauaonlinecom

EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan 866-647-4322 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

EAA VISA Card 800-853-5576 ext 8884

EAA Her tz Rent-A-Car Program 800-654-2200 wwweaaorghertz membershipeaaorg

VAA EditorialExecutive Director 920-426-4825 wwwvintageaircraftorg vintageeaaorg

VAA Office 920-426-6110 tbookseaaorg

TM

EAA Members Information Line 888-EAA-INFO (322-4636)

Use this toll-free number for information about AirVenture Oshkosh aeromedical and technical aviation questions

chapters and Young Eagles Please have your membership number ready when calling

Office hours are 815 am - 500 pm (Monday - Friday CST)

SecretarySteve Nesse

2009 Highland AveAlbert Lea MN 56007

507-373-1674

stnes2009livecom

TreasurerDan Knutson

106 Tena Marie CircleLodi WI 53555608-592-7224

lodicubcharternet

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4244

If yoursquove ever watched fish in

an aquarium yoursquove probably no-

ticed how they respond differently

to their surroundings There are

those that zip around the tank in a

mad dash to nowhere Some seem

to sit and not go much of any-

where and some will swim f romone end to the other turn around

and do it again

The latter are the ones that remind

me of myself I seem to fly in a fish-

bowl I go from one end of our val-

proficient by practicing things we

know over and over or it can make

us lazy When something becomes

so ingrained that we do it from habit

only we may not be thinking about

what wersquore doing

On a night cross-country some

time ago I found out just how easyit is to forget things that I hadnrsquot

used in a while While night may be

a little more challenging it still re-

quires the basic pre-flight planning

of any cross-country and following

whether I go far or stay in the com-

fort zone I canrsquot let complacency take

over Those skills and experiences

need to be stretched from time to

time regardless of where I fly An un-

expected situation or emergency is a

bad time to find out I donrsquot remem-

ber how to do somethingComplacency also allows fear

to creep in where it doesnrsquot belong

Some fear (I think) is a natural part of

flying but it can also unnecessarily

keep us grounded because we wonrsquot

BY S MICHELLE SOUDER

Flying Outside

the Fishbowl

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4344

Itrsquos gonna be a big year at Oshk osh

B-29 Superfortress ldquoFIFIrdquo

The first visit since 1995for the worldrsquos only airworthyB-29 Superfortress

REO SpeedwagonOshkosh rocks Monday duringthe opening day concert presentedby Ford Motor Company

Tribute to Bob HooverTuesday afternoon air showfeaturing aircraft and maneuvershe made legendary

eVentureInnovation will be on displayand in the air with the ElectricFlight Prize Competition

Join us for a week-long celebration of the Centennial of Naval Aviationincluding a special air show Wednesday See the hottest naval aircraftin historic colors all week on ConocoPhillips Plaza

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4444

Page 41: Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4144

EAAMembership in the Experimental Aircraft

Association Inc is $40 for one year includ-ing 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION Familymembership is an additional $10 annually Allmajor credit cards accepted for membership(Add $16 for International Postage)

FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPSPlease submit your remittance with a

check or draft drawn on a United Statesbank payable in United States dollars Addrequired Foreign Postage amount for eachmembership

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATIONCurrent EAA members may join the

Vintage Aircraft Association and receive

year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not included)(Add $7 for International Postage)

WARBIRDSCurrent EAA members may join the EAA

Warbirds of America Division and receiveWARBIRDS magazine for an additional$45 per year

EAA Membership WARBIRDS mag-azine and one year membership in theWarbirds Division is available for $55 per

year (SPORT OficAVIATION magazinenot included) (Add $7 for Interna-tional Postage)

IACCurrent EAA members may join the

International Aerobatic Club Inc Divi-sion and receive SPORT AEROBATICS magazine for an additional $45 per year

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

VINTAGE

AIRCRAFT

ASSOCIATION

OFFICERS

DIRECTORS

DIRECTORS

EMERITUS

PresidentGeoff Robison

1521 E MacGregor DrNew Haven IN 46774

260-493-4724chief7025aolcom

Vice-PresidentGeorge Daubner

N57W34837 Pondview LnOconomowoc WI 53066

262-560-1949 gdaubnereaaorg

Steve Bender85 Brush Hill Road

Sherborn MA 01770508-653-7557

sst10comcastnet

David Bennett375 Killdeer Ct

Lincoln CA 95648916-952-9449

antiquerinreachcom

Jerry Brown4605 Hickory Wood Row

Greenwood IN 46143317-422-9366

lbrown4906aolcom

Dave Clark635 Vestal Lane

Plainfield IN 46168317-839-4500davecpdattnet

John S Copeland1A Deacon Street

Northborough MA 01532508-393-4775

copeland1junocom

Phil Coulson28415 Springbrook Dr

Lawton MI 49065269-624-6490

rcoulson516cscom

Dale A Gustafson7724 Shady Hills Dr

Indianapolis IN 46278317-293-4430

dalefayemsncom

Jeannie HillPO Box 328

Harvard IL 60033-0328815-943-7205

Espie ldquoButchrdquo Joyce704 N Regional Rd

Greensboro NC 27409336-668-3650

windsockaolcom

Steve Krog1002 Heather Ln

Hartford WI 53027262-966-7627sskrogaolcom

Robert D ldquoBobrdquo Lumley1265 South 124th StBrookfield WI 53005

262-782-2633rlumley1wirrcom

SH ldquoWesrdquo Schmid2359 Lefeber Avenue

Wauwatosa WI 53213414-771-1545

shschmidgmailcom

Robert C Brauer9345 S Hoyne

Chicago IL 60643773-779-2105

photopilotaolcom

Gene Chase2159 Carlton Rd

Oshkosh WI 54904920-231-5002

GRCHAcharternet

Ronald C Fritz15401 Sparta Ave

Kent City MI 49330616-678-5012

rFritzpathwaynet com

Charlie HarrisPO Box 470350Tulsa OK 74147

918-622-8400cwhhvsucom

EE ldquoBuckrdquo Hilbert8102 Leech RdUnion IL 60180

815-923-4591buck7acgmailcom

Gene Morris5936 Steve Court

Roanoke TX 76262817-491-9110

genemor rischarter net

Membership Services DirectoryEnjoy the many benefits of EAA and

EAArsquos Vintage Aircraft Association

EAA Aviation Center PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086Phone (920) 426-4800 Fax (920) 426-4873Web Sites wwwvintageaircraftorg wwwairventureorg wwweaaorgmemberbenefits E-Mail vintageaircrafteaaorg

EAA and Division Membership Services (800 AMndash600 PM MondayndashFriday CST)800-564-6322 FAX 920-426-4873 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

bullNewrenew memberships bullAddress changes bullMerchandise sales bullGift memberships

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 888-322-4636 wwwairventureorg airventureeaaorg

Sport PilotLight-Sport Aircraft Hotline 877-359-1232 wwwsportpilotorg sportpiloteaaorg

Programs and Activities

Auto Fuel STCs 920-426-4843 stceaaorg EAA Air Academy 920-426-6880 wwwairacademyorg airacademyeaaorg

EAA Scholarships 920-426-6823 scholarshipseaaorg

Library ServicesResearch 920-426-4848 slurveyeaaorg

Benefits

AUA Vintage Insurance Plan 800-727-3823 wwwauaonlinecom

EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan 866-647-4322 wwweaaorgmemberbenefits membershipeaaorg

EAA VISA Card 800-853-5576 ext 8884

EAA Her tz Rent-A-Car Program 800-654-2200 wwweaaorghertz membershipeaaorg

VAA EditorialExecutive Director 920-426-4825 wwwvintageaircraftorg vintageeaaorg

VAA Office 920-426-6110 tbookseaaorg

TM

EAA Members Information Line 888-EAA-INFO (322-4636)

Use this toll-free number for information about AirVenture Oshkosh aeromedical and technical aviation questions

chapters and Young Eagles Please have your membership number ready when calling

Office hours are 815 am - 500 pm (Monday - Friday CST)

SecretarySteve Nesse

2009 Highland AveAlbert Lea MN 56007

507-373-1674

stnes2009livecom

TreasurerDan Knutson

106 Tena Marie CircleLodi WI 53555608-592-7224

lodicubcharternet

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4244

If yoursquove ever watched fish in

an aquarium yoursquove probably no-

ticed how they respond differently

to their surroundings There are

those that zip around the tank in a

mad dash to nowhere Some seem

to sit and not go much of any-

where and some will swim f romone end to the other turn around

and do it again

The latter are the ones that remind

me of myself I seem to fly in a fish-

bowl I go from one end of our val-

proficient by practicing things we

know over and over or it can make

us lazy When something becomes

so ingrained that we do it from habit

only we may not be thinking about

what wersquore doing

On a night cross-country some

time ago I found out just how easyit is to forget things that I hadnrsquot

used in a while While night may be

a little more challenging it still re-

quires the basic pre-flight planning

of any cross-country and following

whether I go far or stay in the com-

fort zone I canrsquot let complacency take

over Those skills and experiences

need to be stretched from time to

time regardless of where I fly An un-

expected situation or emergency is a

bad time to find out I donrsquot remem-

ber how to do somethingComplacency also allows fear

to creep in where it doesnrsquot belong

Some fear (I think) is a natural part of

flying but it can also unnecessarily

keep us grounded because we wonrsquot

BY S MICHELLE SOUDER

Flying Outside

the Fishbowl

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4344

Itrsquos gonna be a big year at Oshk osh

B-29 Superfortress ldquoFIFIrdquo

The first visit since 1995for the worldrsquos only airworthyB-29 Superfortress

REO SpeedwagonOshkosh rocks Monday duringthe opening day concert presentedby Ford Motor Company

Tribute to Bob HooverTuesday afternoon air showfeaturing aircraft and maneuvershe made legendary

eVentureInnovation will be on displayand in the air with the ElectricFlight Prize Competition

Join us for a week-long celebration of the Centennial of Naval Aviationincluding a special air show Wednesday See the hottest naval aircraftin historic colors all week on ConocoPhillips Plaza

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4444

Page 42: Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4244

If yoursquove ever watched fish in

an aquarium yoursquove probably no-

ticed how they respond differently

to their surroundings There are

those that zip around the tank in a

mad dash to nowhere Some seem

to sit and not go much of any-

where and some will swim f romone end to the other turn around

and do it again

The latter are the ones that remind

me of myself I seem to fly in a fish-

bowl I go from one end of our val-

proficient by practicing things we

know over and over or it can make

us lazy When something becomes

so ingrained that we do it from habit

only we may not be thinking about

what wersquore doing

On a night cross-country some

time ago I found out just how easyit is to forget things that I hadnrsquot

used in a while While night may be

a little more challenging it still re-

quires the basic pre-flight planning

of any cross-country and following

whether I go far or stay in the com-

fort zone I canrsquot let complacency take

over Those skills and experiences

need to be stretched from time to

time regardless of where I fly An un-

expected situation or emergency is a

bad time to find out I donrsquot remem-

ber how to do somethingComplacency also allows fear

to creep in where it doesnrsquot belong

Some fear (I think) is a natural part of

flying but it can also unnecessarily

keep us grounded because we wonrsquot

BY S MICHELLE SOUDER

Flying Outside

the Fishbowl

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4344

Itrsquos gonna be a big year at Oshk osh

B-29 Superfortress ldquoFIFIrdquo

The first visit since 1995for the worldrsquos only airworthyB-29 Superfortress

REO SpeedwagonOshkosh rocks Monday duringthe opening day concert presentedby Ford Motor Company

Tribute to Bob HooverTuesday afternoon air showfeaturing aircraft and maneuvershe made legendary

eVentureInnovation will be on displayand in the air with the ElectricFlight Prize Competition

Join us for a week-long celebration of the Centennial of Naval Aviationincluding a special air show Wednesday See the hottest naval aircraftin historic colors all week on ConocoPhillips Plaza

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4444

Page 43: Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4344

Itrsquos gonna be a big year at Oshk osh

B-29 Superfortress ldquoFIFIrdquo

The first visit since 1995for the worldrsquos only airworthyB-29 Superfortress

REO SpeedwagonOshkosh rocks Monday duringthe opening day concert presentedby Ford Motor Company

Tribute to Bob HooverTuesday afternoon air showfeaturing aircraft and maneuvershe made legendary

eVentureInnovation will be on displayand in the air with the ElectricFlight Prize Competition

Join us for a week-long celebration of the Centennial of Naval Aviationincluding a special air show Wednesday See the hottest naval aircraftin historic colors all week on ConocoPhillips Plaza

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4444

Page 44: Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

8202019 Vintage Airplane - Jul 2011

httpslidepdfcomreaderfullvintage-airplane-jul-2011 4444