Vintage Airplane - May 1990

8/12/2019 Vintage Airplane - May 1990

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The Magazine o the EAA Antique/Classic Division May 1990


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STRAIGHT ND LEVEL

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by Espie HButch Joyce

h se deadlines seem to come closereach month. It seems that no sooner amI through with one column than anotheris needed. It really makes me appreciatehow difficult it must be for our editorialstaff to put together a completemagazine every 30 days. Sometimewhen you have a spare moment youmight like to drop Mark and the gang anote of appreciation. This kind of correspondence is a great morale booster.

Sun n FunI was able to spend a few days at theEAA Sun 'n Fun fly-in this year. Theyreally had a great turn-out of people andairplanes. Antique/Classic DivisionChapter One did an outstanding job ofmanaging the lC area. This chapter isa good example of how the system canwork outside of EAA HeadquartersThere are also a number of A/C members from all around the United Stateswho volunteer to help Chapter Oneduring Sun 'n Fun,just as they do duringthe Oshkosh Convention.

EAA Oshkosh '90Along this line, I look forward towelcoming each one of you to EAAOshkosh '90. We expect to have an2 MAY 199

exceptionally good time this year.We'll have more on upcoming events innext month's issue.

White XSThe death of an airport is a subjectth at has been on my mind for some timeand I would like to relate my experienceto you. My father started flying in 1936and soon came to love both aviation andaviation people. After World War II hebought a farm outside of our smallNorth Carolina community where hebuilt a grass strip airport in 1946. Laterhe built a house on this farm and wemoved there in 1948 when I was fouryears old. I was born into aviation andgrew up the same way. A man namedCharles Bailey opened a combinationbody shop and fixed base operation onour airport around 1948.

Aviation in our community camealive during the next couple of years.Almost everyone was learning to fly . AGullwing Stinson was used for charterwork and instruction was given in J-3and J-5 Cubs.My dad opened a Studebaker dealership in 1949. We also had a tire recapping shop and a welding shop in thesame building located next to our runway Well, you can see the trend. Thetown was getting closer.

We took on a Ma ssey-Fergusondealership in 1950 (it was just Fergusonback then). That same year, CharlesBailey was killed in an airshow whileflying an airplane he had built. Hecalled it, "The Thing" and it had a 12foot wingspan.Interest in the airport hit bottom fromthat time until 1953/'54 when once

again the airport became a weekendgathering place for locals. The fieldwas never again run as a fixed basebusiness, but was more like a socia l clubwith everyone look ing after each other.We had fuel, but it was a self-servicehonor system and the arrangementworked great. My father passed awayin 1967. I was 23 years old and continued to operate the airport.Then it happened, our first accident.This accident took the life of an eightyear-old bystander off of the airportproperty. During the next several years,the lawsuits flew . Finally, the oneagainst the airport was dropped, but wehad paid a lot of money defending ourselves. Town was getting closer. Anew high school was being built on oneapproach end and a senior citi zen's center was going up on the other end. Wewere now within the city's corporatelimits. My mind was made up. I didn'twant to own this airport any longer because the liabilities were too great. Tomake a long story short, I sold theproperty to a manufacturing concernsome seven years ago. They have allowed "Mayo Airport" to remain opensince then, but the word came today.The white Xs go up next Monday. Although I am not located on this airport,I am sad that it will finally be closed. Igrew up there , I came to love aviationand aviation people there. Thememories cannot be bulldozed away .They will live with me forever.Grass Airports like this one are becoming a rarity, so let 's respect themand treat them safely. Let's all pulltogether in the same direction for thegood of aviation. Join us and have it all


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PUBLICATION STAFFPUBLISHERTom Poberezny

VICE-PRESIDENTMARKETING & COMMUNICATIONSDick Matt

EDITORMark Phelps

MANAGING EDITORGolda CoxART DIRECTORMike DrucksADVERnSINGMary Jones

ASSOCIATE EDITORSNorman Petersen Dick CavinFEATURE WRITERSGeorge A Hardie, Jr. Dennis Parks

EDITORIAl ASSISTANTIsabelle Wiske

STAFF PHO TOGRAPHERSJim Koepnlck Carl SchuppelJeff Isom

EM ANTIQUE/CLASSICDIVISION, INC .OFFICERSPresident Vice President

Espie "Butch" Joyce Arthur R. Morgan604 Highway SI. 3744 North 51st Blvd.Madison. NC 27025 M ilwaukee .WI 53216919/427 0216 414/4423631

Secretary TreasurerGeorge SYork E.E. "Buck" Hilbert181 Sloboda Ave . P.O . Box 424Mansfield. OH 44906 Union. IL 60180419/529 4378 815/923 4591

DIRECTORSRobert C "Bob " Brauer John SCopeland

9345 S. Hoyne 9 Joanne DriveChicago. IL 60620 Westborough. MA 01581

312m9 2105 508 /366 7245Philip Coulson William A Eickhoff28415 Springbrook Dr 41515th Ave .. N.E.

Lawton. MI 49065 St. Petersburg. FL 33704616/624 6490 813/823 2339Charles Harris Stan Gomoll3933 Sou th Peoria 104290th Lane. NEPO Box 904038 Minneapolis. MN 55434Tulsa. OK 74105 6121784 11729181742 7311 Robert D. "Bob " Lumley

Dale A Gustafson 1265 So uth 124th St.7724 Shady Hill Drive Brookfield. WI 53005Indianapolis. IN 46278 41417822633317/293 4430 Steven C NesseGene Morris 2009 Highland Ave.115C Steve Court. R.R. 2 Albert Lea. MN 56007Roanoke. TX 76262 507/3731674817 /491 9110

5.H. OWes" Schmid2359 Lefeber AvenueWauwatosa. WI 53213

414m11545DIRECTOR EMERITUS

SJ. Wittman7200 S.E. 85 th LaneOcala. FL 32672904 /245 7768ADVISORS

John Berendt Gene Chase7645 Echo Point Rd. 2159 Carlton Rd.Cannon Falls. MN 55009 Oshkosh.WI 54904507/263 2414 414/2315002

George Daubner John A Fogerty2448 Lough Lane 479 Highway 65Hartford. WI 53027 Roberts. WI 54023414/6735885 715/425 2455

Jeannie HillP.O. Box 328HaNard. L 60033

815/943 7205

MAY 1990 Vol 18, No.5Copyright 1990 by the EAA AntiquelClassic Division . Inc. A ll rights reserved .

Contents2 Straight and Levellby Espie "Butch" Joyce4 Letters to the Editor5 AIC Newslby Mark Phelps7 Members' Projectslby Norm Petersen Page 108 Sun 'n Fun in Photoslby Mark Phelps

10 Vintage Literaturelby Dennis Parks12 Calendar13 Do You Know Me?lby B.J . Shoup16 Dutch Treatlby Walter van Tilborg

Page 1622 Rough Riverlby Ron Ferrara26 Chapter Capsuleslby Bob Brauer28 Pass It To Buck/by E.E. "Buck" Hilbert30 Vintage Trader34 Mystery Planelby George Hardie , Jr.

Page 22

FRONT COVER ... Rudy Krens' Stea rman aloft ov er the Dutch lowlands.(Photo by Ben Ullings)

REAR COVER Ken Hyde gets a prop from Charlie rgos 1 EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION INC .. EM NTERNATIONAL CONVENTION. EM ANTIOUE/CLASSIC DIVISION INC. INTERNATIONAL AEROBATIC CLUB INC . WARBIRDS OF AMERICA INC. are regist"edtrademar gos 1 1M EM AVIATION FOUNDATION INC. am EM ULTRALIGHT CONV EN TION are trademar


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Derby doDear Mark,

Yesterday, we recei ved the Marchissues you were so kind to send. Wevery much appreciate your thoughtfulness . GREAT ' I almost had a "hissyfit" I was so excited to see the finearticle Glenn Buffington wrote and thegorgeous front and back covers. Onceagain your picture displays and coverwere perfec t I know Dub, Sue , Eric.Bill and a ll the gang involved in theflight are as pleased and excited overthe recognition in your magazine asMom would be . I called Dub Yarbrough last night to share the exc itement and he hadn't received his Marchissue yet - so I described it to him .A million thanks again for remembering us.Jim and Pat (Thaden) WebbLeonardtown, Maryland

False Ford FunkGents ,It's always a pleasure to get VINTAGE AIRPLANE because just abouteverything else is junk mail, most avi

ation magazi nes included . I was veryinterested in reading about Joe Funk'sexperience with Ford conversions(Vintage Literature, January). However, I am obliged to call your attentionto the fact that the Funk airplane shownis not of the Ford B genre. It is a postwar model, I think with an 85-hp Continental.

In reference to the Northrop AvionEX-I (Mystery Plane, January): Nomention was made of the fact that the4 MAY 1990

original landing gear was retractable.It collapsed on the first landing (highspeed taxi run) at Muroc and was replaced by a rigid tripod gear. The topphoto on page 39 shows fixed , the bottom photo retractable .

I was very sorry to hear of the passing of John Hatz, with whom I spokeat Rockford and Oshkosh on numerousoccasions.

Cordially,John UnderwoodGlendale, CaliforniaAir King fling

Dear Mark,I received my VINTAGE AIRPLANEtoday and want to compliment you onthe fine re-write of the Air King material (March) . You did a superb job ofre-arranging, adding to and subtractingfrom the original manuscript. I wasglad you consulted with Jack Romkeyon the project as he knows everythingthere is to know concerning the AirKing .

There is, however, one error in thestory and looking over my originalmanuscript I can't take the responsibility for it. The Dole Air King was nota monoplane. It was basically the sameairplane except that it was fattened upto provide space for fuel tanks (notenough, evidently). Incidentally, SteveLacy did get off the ground with theDole Air King from Roosevelt Field ,Long Island in the New York toSpokane, Washington race a monthafter the Dole race . That is quite a storyin itself. Jack has all the newspaper

stories on it.Again, thanks for taking the time to

salute old Shukri. He dese rved it afterwhat happened.Sincerely,Jim HaynesBushnell. IllinoisJack Romkey has several scrapbooksfull of his father's memorabilia fromwhich w hope to have more in thefuture. Ed

Split personalityDear Mr. Phelps,

I own a Bellanca 7ACA Champion(N9165L) built in October 1971 butlater converted to a Continental A-65-8engine from an Aeronca 7AC. Doesmy plane qualify as a Classic (replica)under E C rules?Rowland L HallNorthfield , IllinoisUnfortunately not . Ask the fellow whohad 1955 wings on a 1956 Tri-Pacer.When he tried to park in the Classicarea at Oshkosh, that mean old ArtMorgan told him he could leave hiswings there , but would have to taxi thefuselage down to transient parking or so the legend goes. - Ed.

Classic appetiteDear Editor,

I'd like to renew my membership tothe AIC Division. Please find my enclosed check. Just a note of interestand observation. I'd like to see moreinput and articles on the Classic sectionof our association. Antiques are greatand I love 'e m. We have to appreciatethem and the people able to put timeand money in them to preserve them.Classics, as we term them, fit into adifferent and larger segment of aviation. There are a bunch of them Wefly them. We use them daily as theiravailability can make the differencebetween a passive aviation enthusiastand an active aviator. We need activeaviators. Classic owners need the support of others who are rebuilding andrestoring birds that just sit on airportsaround all of us . I see Cubs , Champs,Tri-Pacers, T-Crafts , Cessna120s ,140s, 170s, early model l72s andothers that look like they would like anew lease to fly. Again, I say the antiques are great. If r could afford thelUXury I would own one, but the fargreater number of Classics out there


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should tell us that these are the planesthat are part of more of our lives. Manyof us would like to see this half' ofthe AlC Division promoted more byarticles in VINTAGE AIRPLANEWhen we think back, probably themost enjoyable flight we ever madewas in a classic, because that was whatwas available.

om WadsworthRoswell, New MexicoDoor manDear Editor,Our EAA Chapter 54 is currently rebuilding an early I 940s vintageaylorcraft L-2B . We are having difficulty locating drawings to fabricate theoor and door frame assemblies . If youould help us out in this matter wewould be most appreciative. You mayontact me either by phone (614/4222202); FAX (612/422-2940); or directmail at 1543 North Oxford Street, St.Paul, Minnesota 55117 .

March onA few observations and comments

on the March issue seem to be in order.In "Aero Mail" on page 4 there is aletter from Harry Gann about theNorthrop Gamma. When we have anauthority such as Mr. Gann writingabout early Douglas and Northrop history, then we'll never be in troubleabout the facts of our heritage.Then in 'Time Capsule" on page 8,the upper left hand photo captionstates, "this photo is late 1920s vintage." Sorry to be a thorn about this,but that picture was taken at the 1939National Air Races in Cleveland,Ohio . In the background there is a lineof trees . These were located in thecity's Metropolitan Park on the western boundary of the airport. In front ofthe trees is a white band at groundlevel. The band is the perimeter chainlink fence . During the races, the fencewas covered by white canvas with theSOHIO (Standard Oil of Ohio) logospaced out about every 50 to 100 feet.f my memory isn't faulty, that CurtissPusher was flown in a comedy routineby the great Canadian pilot, Dick Granere while his son Dick, Jr. flew aBleriot.Next is the Air King article (page14). You mention Claude Flagg ' s association and the part he played in thatorganization on page 15 and again on

page 19 . He was a fine gentleman andour good neighbor and friend . I amsure that his many friends applaud thefact that he is still remembered withhigh regard. Thank you!Lastly, let's look at the lower photoon page 27 (1929 Air Derby). Somereaders might like to know that Mrs.Henderson was widely recognized forher talent as silent screen star, MarionMarsh before she and Cliff were married . As she is such a refined lady,she'd never tell you that. So it's up tous to toot a hom for her. Dub Yarbrough deserves a great deal of creditfor his relentless search for that part ofaviation history and then spending thetime and money to restore the TravelAir. The crowning achievement wasthe re-creation of its moment in history. I regret missing that magic moment - seeing Susan Dusenbury inflight. Thanks to Mr. Buffington wecan at least read about the facts .I hope that you and all the goodpeople at Headquarters are well.Thanks for a very interesting issue

Cordially,Ted Businger(EAA 93833, AlC 233)Evening Shade, Arkansas

C)ewsCompiled byMark Phelps

Thank you, Dan NeumanAfter serving on the Antique/Classicof Directors for five

in aviation as a teenager workin the Stinson factory in Michigan.

of antique aircraft including ain the

of thes (now owned by Kermit Weeks)

that flew at EAA Oshkosh ' 89. EAAPresident Tom Poberezny said, Wethank Dan for his dedication and support as a Director of the Antique/Classic Division and his service as anadvisor before that. Dan will continueto be active in EAA and the division'sactivities in the future ."D.B. Cooper 727 retired

In 1971, D B. Cooper jumped intoworld-famous anonymity (an appropriate oxymoron) after commandeeringa Boeing 727 and demanded $200,000in $20 bills and four parachutes (hethreatened to force a crewmember tojump with him in one of the chutes toensure that they weren 't booby trapped) . After he baled out of the reardoor of the Boeing on a flight fromSeattle, Washington to Portland, Oregon , no trace of Cooper or the moneyhas ever been found. Now, the 727from which he jumped has been retiredand will be dismantled for parts inGreenwood, Mississippi.

MERFl's lawIn the story "Culver Cum Laude"

(January) the Mid East Regional Fly-In(MERFI) was incorrectly referred to asthe "Murfee" fly-in in Marion, Ohio.How that happened I'll never know.Ed .

Dole Air KingIn the story on Glenn Romkey ,Shukri Tannus and the "Air King"(February) it was incorrectly stated thatthe National Airways System entrantin the Dole race was a monoplane. twas in fact a biplane, a modified version of the Air King" widened to accommodate the additional fuel tanks.Thanks to Jim Haynes for writing andflagging the error.A Cat Funk?The following message came fromPhil Vogt of West St. Paul, Minnesotato the Funk Aircraft Owners Association's newsletter, the "Funk Flyer."

"Some years ago, a local Funk pilot- I seem to have forgotten his name- took off one very early morning thathad heavy patches of ground fog in cer-VINTAGE AIRPLANE


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tain areas. His gas tank was not full sohe headed for a nearby small airportthat had 80-octane fuel. As he drewnear, he found only about 100 feet ofrunway peeking out from the dense fogthat covered all else . The temptationwas just too much . With a meanchuckle, he chopped power and camearound to make a very cautious slowapproach to this open end . He toucheddown softly and immediately rolledinto the fog . Visibility ahead was only10 to 15 feet but the markers going byhis left window helped him to stay onthe runway and roll to a safe stop. Nowfor full effect , he flipped on hi s poor

little nav lights and began to fee l hi sway in a very slow taxi towards the gaspump.He stopped and shut down the engine. Stepping nonchalantly out infront of several shocked pilots whostood in the fo g with their mouthshangin g open down to about theirknees, he calmly began to pump gasinto his airplane . An o lder , highl y-skilled local pilot stepped forward andasked , ' How in the hell did you dothat?'The unknown pilot , keeping astraight face with some difficulty replied , ' You mean you 've fl own all

these years and still don' t know howto land in fog?'Travel AirThe EAA Aviation Foundation's

Trave l Air E4000 is undergo in g somework in preparation for its return toflying status. Tracy Johnson is currently adding tape to the lower wingsand the upper wings are next to be covered in Stits. The fu selage fa bric isstill punching strong and the WrightJ-6 eng ine was given a top overhaulwithin the last three years. Tracy hopesthe Travel Air will be flying some timethis summer

EAA SUN 'N FUN 1990 AWARD WINNERSAntique ClassicAJRCIWT NNUMBER OWNER(SVADDRESS AJRCIWT NNUMBER OWNER(SVADDRESS

GRAND CHAMPION Luscombe Phantom N27 l:1 Doug Combs &linda Gamble, GRAND CHAMPION C14OA N96 A JockShahan. 5353AntelopeBox 6613, Incline V1l1age, tw Lane,Stone Mountain. GA89450 30087

RESERVE GRAND CHAMPION Spartan Exec N47W No,Canaan Aviation, BEST RESTORED UP TO 100HP Aeronca7AC NC82650 Xen Motsinger, 955 Gabriel Rd.No ,Canaan,CT 06018 yceSC 27033

GOLDEN AGE 1927 Eortler WacoGXE N4453Y John Stilley,PO,Box 1808, BEST RESTORED 101165HP Be lkmco NC27284 Bill Scott,5650 Stiga ll Rd.Cape Canavera l. fL32920 KernefSllille,NC 27284SILVER AGE 1928-1932 New Standard D25 NC930V John E Thomson,604 Camellia BEST CUSTOM 101165HP ~ n s a n 108 N9 8K Mike Meyers 3806 TowandaAve . Ellenton, fL34222 Rd. Alexandria. VA 22303CONTEMPORARYAGE fairchild 24R NC77695 JomesCoolbaugh, 205 N BEST CUSTOM OVER 165HP Swift N80555 Scott Anderson 2781 NE 7tIh S.19331945 Sheridan Ave. Deland fl32720 Pompona,fLBEST CUSTOM 8oeingA75 N302DR Homer Mobile,AI. BEST OF TYPE C195 N195MV Joseph Rowe Jr. 776 NortolkBESTlW{lt ERA Cessna T50 AT178 N69072 Jomes Kramer,11275 Mngfoot Pine Ln.VeroBeac h. fL32963

Dr. BoyntonBeach. fL33437 BEST OF TYPE C17OA N1773D Bob Inscoe,2031 SantaBEST B1PlANE WacoQCf2 N11440 John p,Mortin &Jmmy Ray, Rd.Or landa,fl 32806

6719 KingsmoorWay,Mami BEST OF TYPE Luscombe8A N45504 JamesB RI,3,Box 389fL 33014 Cartihage,NC 28327BEST MONOPlANE Howard DGA 15P NC22423 fred J,Kirk. 2888 NE 26th St lADtES CHOICE C170 N2592D Warner Sweet. p,O, Box 307ft.Lauderclale,fl33305 Wakefield. Rt 02880BEST OPEN COCKPIT Ryan PT22 N59418 Larry W.Lee,3036 Wallace OUTSTANDINGAJRCIWT Aeronca 15AC N1459H Richard folsom 635 Cora l Dr .Crcle,Affanta,GA 30339 Nokomis. fl34275BEST CABIN HowordDGA N66294 florida Airmoffve Inc. 2633 OUTSTANDING AJRCIWT Pper J.3 N3244N Joan Peters. 2336Ookleaf Ln.

Lantana RdLantana,fl3346 2 Kissimmee ,fl34744OUTSTANDING AJRCIWT WacoUPf7 N32158 Tom flock p,O,Box 166,US 41 N OUTSTANDING AJRCIWT PperJ.3 N87881 Mheeier, 4410 Camino

Rockvi lle, N 47872 Real Sarasota, fL34433OUTSTANDING AJRCIWT WacoUPf 7 N29328 Steve Brown. 6050 Clinton Rd OUTSTANDING AJRCIWT Stinson N389C Butch Walsh, RR1 Box 306ATerre Haute, N 7805 Arrington. VA 22922OUTSTANDING AJRCIWT WacoUPf7 N29943 Dole Cunningham. RR 1 OUTSTANDING AJRCIWT Super Cub NC1038A Dawson Ransome,8m Sf

Box 489,Rockville, N 7872 72nd Ave . Leeward AirRanch,OUTSTANDING AJRCIWT ~ n s o n N8471 Bob Hedgecock, RI,3,Box 324 , Ocola. fl32671Bomesvi lle,GA 30204OUTSTANDING AJRCIWT Stearman N5592L Jerry Stadtmiller,5500 NW

21 Terr,20H, ft. Lau dercla le,fl33309

Sun 'n Fun Grand hampion Antique. Sun 'n Fun Grand hampion Classic.6 MAY 1990


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MEMBERS' PROJECTSby Norm Petersen

his deHaviliand Tiger Moth, PH-III SN l917 was built by the Morris Motor Company in England in 1943, being placed inan RAF training squadron. In 1948, it sawservice at RAF Cranwell, using numbersFAF-K and FEI-D. Placed on the civilianmarket in 1954 it sold for 81 pounds In955, it was sold to a priest in Germany who used it to cover his remote parishioners under the registration of D-EDEM. In the 1960s,it pulled gliders at Golnhauser along with advertising signs. By the 1970s it fell into disuse and was stored until 1978 when it was soldin Holland. The second Dutch owner lovingly restored the old biplane by 1983 and flew it some 50 hours over the next six years.On December 16, 1989 a young Dutch pilot named Marien van Schie bought the Tiger Moth and is now in the process of learningo fly a biplane taildragger. On the first flight, the engine quit at 200 feet However, Mar ien reports, "The plane feels fantastic, it isaerobatic, but is hard to land or start with a strong cross wind. However, flying in the air towards the sunset with the exciting soundof the engine, is an experience hard to forget. I cannot imagine that I will ever sell the plane."

of his deHaviliand Tiger Moth, PH-III, based at lelystad,VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7


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90ocos yark Phelps

When Don Luscombe designed the Model 8 he m de the firewall round in casethose new flat engines didn't work out. John Korlovich decided to see how theairplane ould have looked with a Ken Royce engine.

Ed Sweeney nd his Aerocar in their natural habitat - surrounded by admirers.8 MAY 1990


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Larry Lee nd sonDarius pply elbowgrease to their blind-ing PT-22

Not all the beauties were on the flight line This shiny Luscombe turned up in thec mping reVINTAGE AIRPLANE 9


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CURTIS PUBLISHING COMPANYAVIATION STUDY 1930

The Curtis Publishing Company hadgiven editorial support to aviation in thepages of its magazines since 1920. Its mainpublication, SATURDAY EVENING POSThad presented more than 66 articles andstories about aviation between 1920 and1930. Authors for these articles includedWilliam B. Stout, 'Five Falacies of Aviation ; Brig. General William Mitchell ,Aircraft Dominate Seacraft ; and Juan de

la Cierva, A New Way to Fly. Curtispublishing also covered aviation in its otherpublications, LADIES HOME JOURNALand THE COUNTRY GENTLEMAN.

The advertising department of CurtisPublishing Company did a survey of aviation in 1929. The department decided thatcollecting current statistics would be futilebecause of the rapid change in the industry.It seemed clear to them that whatever contribution they might be able to make to aviation would need to take the form of a studyof the underlying trends and the special requirements of the industry.

To this end, in July, 1929 , Curtis boughta new Ford 4-AT Tri-Motorwith which to tour the UnitedStates and gather data. ThisFord, serial number 62, registered as NC-8400, was poweredby three 300-hp Wright J-6 engines. The plane was fitted asa flying office and the companyhired Lieutenant A . W. JakeGorton of the US Navy as thepilot. Jake Gorton was a threeyear veteran of the Navy's racing team and was the first pilotto hook a Vought UO-I on theairship LOS ANGELES.

THE TOURFrom July , 1929 to January 15, 1930, with representa

tives of the Commercial Research Division, the Curtis Fordflew 207 hours and coveredabout 20 ,387 miles. During thetour the representatives of Curtis interviewed leading manufacturers, distributors, airportmanagers and other leaders inaviation. Also, in order to ascertain the attitudes of ownersand prospective owners of airplanes, they sent out two mailquestionnaires. One questionnaire was sent to all listed owners of aircraft and the second tostudents enrolled in aviationschools.

At the time of the study therewere 12,363 civil aircraft in the1 MAY 199

LIb. a / v m.-ed ).-United States and 9,973 pilots . During1929 the aircraft industry produced 3,542civil aircraft.

The results of the study were presentedin a book called: THE AVIATION INDUSTRY, A STUDY OF UNDERLYINGTRENDS which was published in 1930.Comments from the book follow.

POTENTIAL MARKETWe have confidence that the aviation

industry will develop into a large and soundindustry . This confidence is based on twofacts. First, the idea of air travel is sound.Air travel is certainly the quickest, we believe can be made the most comfortableand, ultimately , we think probably will bethe least expensive method of long-distancetravel.

Second, the industry in all its phases ismanned by young men with enthusiasm andwith faith in the future of the industry. En

thusiastic service appears to be more trueof aviation than of any other form of transportation .

We believe a day will come when overthe main airways connecting large cities,frequent planes with capacity for 20 ormore passengers will pass on regularschedules well loaded with passengers,mail and express.

They also stated that the smaller citieswill be serviced with smaller planes actingas feeders for the larger lines.

PRI VATEL Y OWNED PLANESThe editors believed that the number of

individuals using privately owned planesfor sport and for business would steadilyincrease. Many men find a joy and exhilaration in flying. Those who own planesfind much possible in week-end trips forpleasure and in quick trips to distant pointsfor business appointments which otherwisewould not be practicable.

We believe that even under present conditions there will be a steady growth of themarket for individually owned planes, butso long as the price of planes remains near

the 1929 level and the cost oflearning to tly is severalhundred dollars , the market forindividually owned planes forpleasure purposes is limited.

CRAS H OF 1929The book stated that 1930

would prove to be a crucial yearfor aviation. Before the stockmarket crash, the thrill the public received from Lindbergh 'stlight had been converted intoan enthusiastic woting for aviation . Cities had appropriatedlarge sums for airports, thepublic had invested in aircraftcompany stocks, people gatheredat airports for holiday after

20 381 MILES FLOWN IN 2 1 HOURS

noons and paid admission to airROUTE OF THE CURTIS PLANE IN AVIATION STUDY meets.JULY n 1929 JANUARY 15 1930 After the crash, when thewinter season of 1929-1930came on, production sloweddown and it looked like fewmanufacturers or transport companies could show profits . Theeditors asked How real is theaviation industry'1

They answered: We are notdisturbed by winter gloom. Inever year of the earlier periodof the automobile industrycame despondency at times approaching despair. But as thedays began to lengthen , hopesbegan to rise and by spring theindustry was once more in full


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PREFERENCE OF OWNERSCOMMERCI L ND N O ~ C O ~ D t E R C I A L COMBINED

NUMBER OF PLACES OBIN OR OPEN

TYPE OF PLANE TYPE OF WINGS

HOI/ Many Hour] UJtd AnnuallyA majority usc the plane less than 300 hours annually.

Nonommercial puot ommercia l pu] SO hours or less . 202 37.6 80 12 .3151- 300 hours 221 41.2 252 388

301 - 500 hOllrs 64 11.9 177 27 .3501 - 800 hours 30 56 93 14 .4801 - 1200 hours . 19 3 5 32 49Over 1200 hours I .2 15 2.3

Total 537 100.0 649 100.0Owners in the lower income group usc their planes less than those in rhe

higher income group.In What Year Did You u rn to Fly

A substantial majority of non commercial owners and more than 45 percent of commercial owners h ve learned to ly in the past three years.

p pNoo Commcrcia l un ommercial un1927-1929 . 321 57 .0 233 45 .51924- 1926 . 95 16.9 108 21.11920-1923 . 52 9.2 69 13 51914- 1919 . 82 14 .6 96 18 .7Before 1914 13 2.3 6 1.2Total 563 ]00.0 512 100.0

swing. A similar period of gloom is likelyto be an annual affair in the aviation industry and th e present gloom in no way dis courages us . There is, however , one di squieting thought. Public enthusiasm has notbeen convened into personal flyin g. Tomaintain popular interest we believe thismust be done. Hence , 1930 seems to us acrucial year, for we doubt whether popularinterest in aviation - willingness to paytaxes for airpons and to forego dividendson investment - ca n be long continuedunless it is shown that the general publicwill take to flying .

RACINGThe authors of the book felt that though

air racing and stunt flying was imponant inthe initial stages of the aviation industry toshow what the product could do , it wasnow a time when such activities would render diminishing returns.

People know what airplanes are like,they know that they can cross the continentin hours instead of in days, they know thatthe ocean has been crossed by a plane , theyhave pretty well exhausted their thrill outof watching dare-devil feats; they will stillpay admission to see more dare-devil feats ,but these do about as much good to aviationas the crash of railroad engines at the fairgrounds did for rai I passenger t raffic.

QUESTIONNAIRESThe results of the questionnaires thatwere sent out to the aircraft owners andaviation students were presented in thebook's appendices. The first question reponed was What would you consider idealfor your purpose if you could have a planebuilt just to suit you?

The average plane from the answerswould be a three or four place cabin landplane , monoplane , with dual controls anda single 150 to 300 horsepower engine,having a cruise speed of 95 to 100 milesper hour.

Miscellaneous facts concerning airplaneowners from the survey showed that 79 percent of the non-commercial pilots ownedtheir own plane . As for hours flown bynon-commercial pilots , 37 .6 percent flewless than 150 hours per yea r but 41.2 percent flew from 151 to 300 hours. Over 87percent of the commercial pilots flew over151 hours per year.Most of the pilots answering the questionnaire were recent pilots, with 45.5 percent having learned to fly between 1927and 1929. From 1920 to 1926 ,34.6 percentof the pilots had learned to fly and 18 .7percent had learned to fly during WorldWar I Of the non-commercial pilots, 42 .7percent used planes for pleasure only and10.2 percent for business only. Of the commercial pilots 49.9 percent used planesonly for commercial use.

FUTURE OF THE INDUSTRYThe book concluded, Many difficulties

have been encountered, but out of thesedifficulties there will emerge a great andpowerful industry, sound and stable, efficient in manufacturing, and with its merchandising methods safely founded on thefirm rock of national advertising. (Remember the book was written by the advertising department of a large magazine publishing company.)

FORD 4-AT-62 NC S400Thi s Curtis Ford was not only active on

the company's tour but after leaving servicewith Curtis it went through eight differentowners before being destroyed in 1953.According to FAA records compiled byRichard Allen, the Ford was sold in July1931 to Arthur Kunder of New York City.The title changed hands to the DispatchCorporation, also of New York City , inJuly 1933. (Mr. Kunder was listed as Secretary-Treasurer of the company.)The next owner was a Mr. C. M. Ewan ,

also of New York City, who received titlein February 1936. Four months later it wassold to Manitowoc Air Service of Manitowoc, Wisconsin. In October it went toHolland Bryan of Paducah, Kentucky .

In 1937 it was owned first by Keith Cantine of Detroit , and the next year by MaryCantine of Akron, Ohio. t was sold to itslast owner, the Johnson Flying Service ofMissoula, Montana , in March of 1941 . Theplane was not licensed until June of 1946and was active after that till it crashed inAugust of 1953. According to WilliamT . Larkins in his book THE FORDSTORY , the Ford was being used by theJohnson Flying Service for Spruce Budworm spray work near Boulder, Coloradowhen it ran into a static cable strung abovea powerline . The cable broke and a pieceof it was caught in the tail surfaces. As theplane was coming in for an emergencylanding, the cable caught on a powerlinepole, tearing the tail surfaces from theFord , bringing it in on its nose, completelydestroying the plane and killing the crew.

It appears that this Ford had to be oneof the most active of those produced, starting out its career with over 20,000 milesin 1929-30 and continuing in service, except for the war, till J953

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May 4-6 - Burlington, North Carolina.Burlington Airport. Sponsored by Antique/Classic Chapter 3. Contact Ray Bottom,c/o Antique Airways, 103 Powhatan Parkway, Hampton, Virginia 23661. Tel. 804/722-5056.May 5-6 - Winchester, Virginia. Winches ter Regional EAA Spring Fly-in. Winchester Airport . Sponsored by EAA Chapter IR6 Contact George Lutz, Tel. 703/2 5 6 n nMay 6 - Rockford, Illinois. EAA Chapter22 Annual Fly-in Breakfast. Mark Clark'sCourtesy Aircraft. Greater Rockford Airport. 7:00 am to noon. ATIS 126.7. Contact Wall ace Hunt. 815/332-4708.May 12-13 - Reading , Pennsylvania.Readi ng Aerofest at Reading Reg ional Airport. Contact Paul R Doelp, R.D. 9, Box94 16, Read ing, Pennsylvania 19605-9606.Tel 215/372-4666.May 19-20 - Hampton, New Hampshire.Fourteenth Annual Avia tion Flea Market.Hampton Airfie ld , Hampton, New Hampshire. Anything aviation related okay. Nofees' Camping on airfield. Co ntact MikeHart , Hampton Airfield , Route US I .N0I1h Hampton, New Hampshire. Te l603/964-6749.May 20 - Benton Harbor, Michigan.Fourth Annual EAA Chapter 585 DawnPatrol Breakfast/Lunch. Includes boat andclassic car show. Ross Field, Benton Harbor. Michigan. Contact AI Todd, PO Box61, Stevensville, Michigan 49127 . Tel.616/429-2929.May 25-27 - Atchinson Kansas. KansasCity Area Chapter. AAA Fly- in at AmeliaEarhart Memorial Airport. Contact LynnWendL 7509 Conser, Overland Park, Kansas 66204. Tel. 913/642-5906.May 26-27 - Vidalia, Louisiana. FerridayFly-in sponsored by EAA Chapter 912.Concordia Parish Airport. Contact JerryStallings, Rte . I , Box 19D, Ferriday,Louisiana 71334-9709.3181757-2103.May 25-27 - Watsonville, California.26th Annual Antique Fly-In. Te l 408/4969559.May 25-27 - Carlsbad, California (nearSan Diego). 4th Annual Twin Bonanza Association Convention, Olympic ResortHotel Spa. Contact Twin Bonanza Assoc iation , 19684 Lakeshore Drive, ThreeRi vers , M149093; Phone or FAX 616/2792540.June 1-2 - Bartlesville, Oklahoma. Biplane Expo '90, th e National Biplane Association' s Fourth Annual Convention andExposition . Frank Phillips Field, Bartlesville, Oklahoma. Free to members ofNBA.For members hip information, contactCharles Harr is, NBA, Hangar 5 , 4-J Aviation , Jones- Riverside Airport, Tul sa, Ok 2 MAY 1990

lahoma. Tel. 918/299-2532.June 1-3 - Merced, California. 33rdMerced West Coast Antique Fly-in.Merced Municipal Airport. ContactMerced Pilots Association, PO Box 2312 ,Merced, California 95344 or call Dick Esco la at 209/358-6707.June 3 - Tunkhannock, Pennsy lv aniaSkyhaven Airport. Fly-In Brea kfast.8:00am-2 :00pm. Contact Steve Gay,Skyhaven Airport, Tel. 717/836-4800 or717/836-3884.June 8-10 - Middletown, Ohio . Fifth National Aeronca Convention. Aeronca factory. Includes factory tour and visit toUSAF Museum. Contact Jim Thompson,President, National Aeronca Association,PO Box 2219, Terre Haute , Indiana 47802.Tel. 812/232-1491.June 9 - Newport News, Virginia. 18thAnnual Colonial Fly-in. Sponsored byEAA Chapter 156 at the Patrick Henry Airport. Contact Chet Sprague , 8 SinclairRoad , Ham pton , Virginia 23669. Tel 804/723-3904.June 10 - Aurora, Illinois Municipa l Airport. EAA Chapter 579 Fly-In /Drive-InBreakfast Airport/FBO Open House:7:30am-Noon . Contact Alan Shackleto,Tel. 708/466-4193 or Bob Rieser , AirportManager. Tel. 708/466-7000.June 16-17 - Coldwater, Michigan SixthAnnual Fairchild Reunion , Branch CountyMemorial Field . Contact Mike Kelly, 22Coldwater Drive , Coldwater, Michigan49036. Tel. 517/278-7654.June 22-24 - Pauls Valley , Oklahoma.Greater Oklahoma City AAA Chapter Flyin. Contact Dick Darnell, 100 Park AvenueBuilding, Suite 604, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73102. Tel. 405/236-5635.June 23-24 - Orange , Massachusetts .14th Annual New England EAA Fly-in .Orange Airport. Contact James O 'Connellat 413 /498-2266.June 23-24 - Longview , Texas GreggCounty Airport. Wings Over East TexasAnnual Air Show. Contact Robert Perry ,Rt. 2 , Box 159BA, Kilgore , TX 75662.Tel. 214/984-7521.June 28 - July I - Mount Vernon, Ohio.31 st Annual Waco Reunion . Wynkoop Airport. Contact National Waco Club, 700Hill Avenue, Hamilton , Ohio 45015. Tel513/868-0084.July 7-8 - Emmetsburg, Iowa. SecondAnnual Aeronca Champ Fly-in and fly-inbreakfast. Emmetsburg Airport . ContactKeith Harnden , Box 285, Emmetsburg,Iowa 50536. Tel 712/852-3810.July 13-15 - Simsbury Connecticut. 2ndAnnual Northeast Stearman Fly-in atSimsbury Airport . Contact Jim Kippen, II

Crestwood Street, Simsbury, Connecticut06070 . Tel. 203/651-0328.July 14-15 - lola, Wisconsin. Airportbreakfast and Old Car Show. CentralCounty Airport, lola, Wisconsin. Call 414/596-3530.July 14-15 - Delaware, Ohio Airport , justnorth of Columbus ARSA . 9th annual EAAChapter 9 Fly-In. Food, camping & more.Contact Art TenEyk , 6141363 6443 or AlanHarding 614/442-0024.July 20-21 - Collingwood, Ontario. Second Annual Gathering of Classic Aircraftsponsored by Collingwood Classic AircraftFoundation. Collingwood Airport (NY3).Contact Doug Murray, 5 Plater Street.R.R. No.3 , Collingwood, Ontario, CanadaL9Y 3Z2. Tel. 705/445-5433.July 20-21 - Coffeyville, Kansas . FunkAircraft Owners Association Reunion.Contact Ray Pahls , 454 S. Summitlawn,Wichita. Kansas 67209. Tel. 316/9436920.July 27-August 2 - Oshkosh, Wisconsin.38th Annual EAA Fly-in Convention ,"EAA Oshkosh '90 ." Wittman RegionalAirport, Oshkosh Wisconsin. ContactEAA, EAA Aviation Center, Oshkosh,Wisconsin 54903-3086. Tel. 414/4264800.August 19 - Brookfield, Wisconsin. 5thAnnual Ice Cream Social sponsored byEAA Antique/Classic Chapter 11 at CapitolDrive Airport. Contact George Meade ,5514 N. Navajo Avenue, Glendale, Wisconsin 53217. Tel. 414/962-2428.August 24-26 - Sussex, New Jersey . 18thAnnual Sussex Air Show. Sussex Airport.Call 20 I 875-7337 or 702-9719.September 8 - Chico, California . ChicoAntique Airshow. Chico Airport. ContactChico Antique Airshow Committee, 6 St.Helens Lane , Chico, California 95926. Tel916/342-3730.September 15-16 - Rock Falls, Illinois.Fourth Annual North Central EAA "OldFashioned" Fly-in. Pancake breakfast Sunday. Contact Dave Christansen at 815/6256556 .October 6-7 - Sussex, New Jersey Airport. Fly-In sponsored by EAA A/C Chapter 7 and EAA Chapters 238, 73 and 891.Info: Bill Tuchler , 2011797-3835; KonradKundig, 201 /361-8789 /FAX 2011361-5760 ; or Paul Steiger, Sussex Airport, 2 11702-9719.October 3 4 Hickory, North CarolinaMunicipal Airport. EAA Chapter 731 5thAnnual Fly-In. Contact Norman Rainwater , 1415 Linwood Place, Lenoir, NC28645 ; evenings 704/578-1919, or LynnCrowell, 113 Auld Farm Road, Lenoir , NC28645, 7041754-2723.


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DO YOUKNO ME?Resurrection o a Piper / 4 ub oupe

y Piper NC24829with help typing from I am a 1-4 Cub Coupe, serial No.B J Shoup 4-742. My birth date August 31,

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3


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1939. For a few years after that I flewwith the birds. I performed well ,everyone said, until that fateful daywhen the wind blew a terrific gale andturned me on my back. My wings weredamaged and so my lonesome daysbegan. I sa t in a series of hangars, garages and barns. Sometimes parts of mewere left out in the elements. I wa ssold four times in less than 20 years.Ron Shoup located me in Llano.Texas. bought me and returned to one

of the airfields where I had sat for several years with no one wanting me .Ron started to study my problems andanalyze my need s. The project seemedimpossible, but Ron's friend, Jim, an A-I agreed to work with him to restore me .First I had some ribs that could notbe repaired, but the men found enoughserviceable ones elsewhere. Sandblasting the metal parts came next. Then allthe metal was treated with a rust retardant and primed with epoxy .Scouring and scavenging, Ron located an unused, original J-4 bootcowl. After a quick phone call it wason its way to Texas. I began to thinkRon was serious about getting me intothe air. He talked some strange modernlanguage including words such asloran. intercom, transponder, CHT,EGT, and others. A radio in an

airplane What will they think of next?Then BJ, the Mrs. put in a request, "Iwant a starter I don't want to prop theplane ."Wings were fit and new cables weremade. Rudder and elevator cables werefit and all were swaged with Jim 'sNicopress tool. The trim line was madewith two pulleys and the line doubledforward and back. After much sweatand a few words, the crank on the roofof the cockpit turned perfectly.I now have a new red headliner withtwo zippers installed. One is to accessthe trim-tab crank and the other is lo-cated over the storage deck for accessto the rear fuselage.My stabilizers and elevators are ofstainless steel. That makes me specialRon says. He even found some stainless steel exhaust pipes and a mufflerfor me and my C-85 engine. While trying to locate a tailwheel for a J-4, Rontalked to Andy Palmer in Mississippiwho had another J-4 . Ron and BJ madea trip to 01' Mi ss and a few days laterhere came the other J-4. Andy and hisMrs. delivered the J-4A-l 083 on a triaxle, 20-foot trailer.Stits envelopes, Poly Brush andtapes had been purchased by one ofmy previous owners so the next sixmonths were spent in covering. This

included hours of tying , taping, spraying, sanding, fussing and fuming. TheStits process became very expensive.A friend calls Poly Brush "bubblegum" and that is just how it acts. Iteven looks like it - pink There werea few of those words spoken again.My landing gear was in good condition but brakes were difficult to comeby as heel brakes are not common. BJwanted toe brakes but Ron said, "NONO I want it as original as I can makeit , and you got your starter." f courseJim agrees with Ron.One of my doors had broken in twopieces and the other was badlycrunched. They had to be welded andnew aluminum was used to replace theold bent up cover. Both sliding windows were replaced.My seats. hard and heavy, were replaced with comfortable uphol stery.My floorboards, cracked and rotten.were replaced with mil-spec aircraftmahogany plywood then covered withred carpet. Windows were installed inthe baggage deck area.Original instruments were anotherconcern but 1 now have a Cub oil pressure and temperature gauge and a tachthat operates clockwise to go with myC 8S. They are both cream-coloredand, would you believe it , they came

4 MAY 1990


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of an old box stored in aT-hangara few feet away When Ron saw, he started jumping up and downif he had struck gold. He laughedabout cried at the same time .

was almost afraid to ask the price .en came th e best part - FREEother instruments are standard .

is a loran on the lower right sidemy panel, a radio and intercom oneft with push-to-talk switches onof both sticks.The cost of the restoration has been

on B1's computer. Every nutbolt has been tallied. Perhaps morespent than was necessary but howdo you find a "new" boot cowls 50 years old?On August 12, 1989 my new engineits first run up. Everything wasso back to the hangar we wentthe mounting of my wings. My firsts the Sunday before my birthJim flew th ; test flight, then took. Ron kept his promise and had

in the sky before I turned 50. Ron 'sto check out and fly, Texas Fly-in for1989 . Well I was in the first row wherecould see me. WE MADE

T

There seem t be several Coupes ofmy vintage around. Ron joined the CubClub and gets frequent news reports.One day he read that a re search person

I FTER THREEOR FOUR C LLSHE LOCATEDTHE CUB INPORT LAVACA

was looking for a particular plane inTexas that was built in 1939 and, according to records, was owned by thesame person all of its lifetime. Ron was

into the phone network , pronto . Afterthree or four calls he located the Cubin Port Lavaca . Richard Tanner hadbought J-4A , 4-735 as it came off theassembly line 50 years ago and it isstill flying . We are just seven serialnumbers apart, so we were beingfinished the same week in Lock Haven ,Pennsylvania. J-4 , 4-735 was used asa camera platform for a whoopingcrane research program in south Texas.Another fellow also has a J-4 based onthe same landing strip. Just as Ronbegan to work on me he read aboutanother J-4 in Ozona , Texas and madea trip to see it. Joe Boy Pierce and hiswife, Sammy, have two J-4s . They usethem to fly fences on their ranch.There's a J-4 from Bangs, Texas thatis coming to Austin to be restored andone in the Fort Worth area. There isanother being restored in Rockdale,just a few miles away. At the Kerrvillefly-in we located two more , a J-4E inHarlingen, Texas and J-4A in Houston , both flying. That's seven ofknown to be flying in central, northand south Texas. That 's a great representation for a small family totaling1,250 originals .WHO ELSE IS OUT THERE? ? ?

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5


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Field Elevation, 13 feet.

Rudy Krensat EAA Sun n un 89

16 MAY 199


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N ear the city of Lelystad Holland adiverse group of pilots fly some uniqueairplanes starting at 3 feet below sea level.

yWalter van TilborgEDITOR S NOTE ... We are indebled

1 Rudy Krens EAA 334248 for en-couraging his good friend, Walter vanTilborg EAA 92129 to submit this ar-ticle on t e very active group ofantiqueairplane enthusiasts based at lys tadirport in Holland Norm Petersen,ssociate Editor

L elystad airport is located some 30nautical miles north eas t ofAmsterdam s Schipol Airport and southof the city of Lelystad , Holland. Theairport is built in the Flevopolder whichis one of several polders claimed fromthe Ijsselmeer (formerly Zuiderzee) .The airport is the fastest growinggeneral aviation field in Holland withnearly 100,000 aircraft movements an-nually. This is not too bad for an airportwithout runway or approach lights , thuslimiting operations to su nrise throughsunset. Present plans call for lightinginstallations to be mad e by 1991.The airport is home base for a varietyof commerc ial co mpanies and non-profit organizations. Ag pl anes operatefrom the same runway as student pilots

in training with the three flying schoolson the airpor t Ultralight aircraft havetheir own grass strip and g liders occupythe grass st rip ju st north of the mainrunway. This makes Lelystad the onlyfield in Holland with so many categoriesof users. Good pilot dis cipline is thesecret as the fie ld is totally uncontrolled.(This is equivalent to some 12,000sma ller airports in the U S Ed.

Non-profi t organizations at Lelystadinclude th e NVAV, which is the DutchAmateur Aircraft Builders Association(EAA Chapter 664 ; the Early BirdsAssociation, a group of proud ow ners ofsuch aircraft as a Tiger Moth, a GipsyMoth, a 1929 Fleet Moclel 2, a BuckerJungmeister and Jungmann , two FokkerTriplanes under restoration ancl many

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111::; ....... ....:... _____- - . . . - ___-- ---.. ...... .... ....--------------N1858 Plentenpol Alrcamper :I:

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Documents

Vintage Airplane - May 1990