34 AUGUST 2002

It's all about the color

any years ago I attended anantique automobile showanc* 8amecl an unexpectedinsight into aircraft of the

20s and 1930s.It was all about color.My wife, Golda, and I were in Auburn,

Indiana, for one of the famous Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg extravaganzas andwere standing shoulder to shoulder withthousands of others awaiting the start ofthe annual parade of show cars. The gold-en oldies had been lined up in chrono-logical order, so among the first to passour vantage point were the magnificentL-29 Cords, Duesenberg Model Js, and120 Auburn Speedsters—the colors of

w h i c ha b s o l u t e l y

blew me away!I had seen color photos of these cars

in books and magazines, but nothing ona flat page had prepared me for either theintellectual or visceral experience of hav-ing them motoring by in three dimen-sions. The classic styling and even thesounds of the engines were familiar—butthe colors! I couldn't believe how brightthey were—reds, oranges, yellows, greens,blues—and how sophisticated the color

combinations and trimschemes were. As a student

of the 1920s and '30s, I knewthat period was the age of Art

Deco (decorative art), when the use ofcolor reached a pinnacle of sophisticationthat makes us look drab even today. But Isuppose I'd seen too many black andwhite James Cagney gangster movies. Inthem, the bad guys' big ol' Packards,Lincolns, and Cadillacs were alwaysblack, so it took the shock of seeing thecars at Auburn as they really were whennew to shatter my historically inaccuratemind-set. I don't know what the others inthe crowd were thinking, but I probablyhad a different take on the colorful spec-tacle cruising by us. "These cars are paint-

Sport Aviation 35

ed like airplanes!" Iexclaimed. Indeedthey had the samebright colors, theyhad the same sort offlowing trim striping,and even some oftheir rear fenderswere shaped a lot likewheelpants on theearly Stinsons andWacos.

Then it hit me,and I had to laugh atmy momentary boutof aviation egocen-trism. The carsweren't painted likeairplanes; rather, theairplanes of the late1920s and early1930s were paintedlike the cars of thatera. It was the alreadyhuge auto industrythat had theresources to developnew paints and hirethe most imaginativeartists to conceive ofnew color combina-tions and trimschemes—not theother way around.

Actually, both industries bor-rowed heavily from each other inthose decades. Speed was a new con-cept in the early 20th century andwas most dramatically epitomizedby the airplane. The auto companieswent to great lengths in their adver-tising and, to some extent, in theirstyling to associate their cars withthe sleekness, speed, and excite-ment of airplanes. Hudson, forexample, went as far as naming oneof its cars the Terraplane. Similarly,the much smaller lightplane indus-try, hoping to benefit from the massappeal of the automobile, tried tomake the interiors of cabin airplanesas carlike as possible, using the samedoor handles, upholstery materials,and even bud vases as those used inautomobiles. Colors, they realized,go in and out of fashion, so the air-

Beyond basic black: automobiles atan Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg rally inIndiana show off their attention-get-ting paint schemes—and their fan-tastic color combinations.

craft manufacturers paid very closeattention to the colors and colorcombinations that were popularwith car buyers and used them ontheir aircraft. Today, when we see acombination like the orange andyellow that was standard on theCurtiss Robin of the late 1920s, wemay consider it somewhat unusual,but Curtiss chose that juxtapositionof hues because it was popular oncars in the Roaring '20s.

Today, most restorers of early vin-tage aircraft stick to solid reds, yel-lows, and blacks that were offered asstock paint schemes by the manu-

facturers, ignoringthe greens, someshades of blue, andespecially thebrowns, tans, andgrays that were quitepopular in the ArtDeco age. Not all ofthem, however.There are a few dar-ing souls who arewilling to duplicateeven the custompaint schemes thatwell-heeled cus-tomers paid extra for70 years ago.

Even if that com-bination is purpleand babv blue!

I,// oy Redman is,. one who dares.

ii lAFor the pastfew years, hisFaribault andOwatonna, Minn-esota-based RareAircraft has restoreda series of earlyWacos, several of

8 which have sported3 spectacular color

combinations that date back to thelate 1920s and early 1930s—colorcombinations you can also find onthat era's cars pictured in AutomobileQuarterly and other publications.One of the most dramatic examplesof Rare Aircraft's work is the darkpurple and light blue (with a goldpinstripe) F-2 Waco pictured here.

Now, admit it: If someone toldyou he was preparing to paint hisrare and quite valuable 1931 WacoQCF-2 purple and light blue, you'dwonder what the miscreant hadbeen smoking, wouldn't you? Yet,when Roy Redman landed at Sun 'nFun 2001, the airplane was aninstant sensation. Everyone I talkedwith thought it was beautiful andexpressed surprise at how compati-ble the two colors were—which, ofcourse, was a tribute to those Art

36 AUGUST 2002

Deco artists who personified an oldCole Porter song when it came tocolor selection: Anything Goes.

Deep purple and light blue werethe original colors of NC11442,Serial Number 3493, when it rolledout of the Waco factory door atTroy, Ohio, on June 13, 1931. It wasinitially registered to ace Waco sales-man Tex LaGrone, who promptlysold it to Ridelle L. Gregory ofKansas City. If you have access toRay Brandly's book, Waco, tin.'Famous "F" Series, you'll find a pic-ture of the airplane on the bottomof page 33, just after its factory roll-out. You'll also note that the F-2 wassubsequently crashed into, presum-ably, the Missouri River, and ren-dered a "total washout."

Actually, a few parts were sal-vaged and remained in storage fordecades before being purchased,along with the title to the airplane,by M.H. "Curly" Havelaar, whoowns the prototype QCF-2,NX11241. Curly, in turn, eventually !sold the remains to Roy Redmanwho intended to resurrect the F-2after retiring as a 747 captain forNorthwest Airlines in January 1992.

Roy was already well known inthe sport aviation world as the Irestorer of a 1936 Stinson SR-8C, Jwhich was Grand ChampionAntique at Sun 'n Fun and Oshkoshin 1982, and it was that renown thatultimately led to the founding ofRare Aircraft. About the time Roystarted work on his QCF-2, hereceived a commission to restore asimilar UBF-2 for Jerry Wenger. BothF-2s were worked on in parallel upthrough the completion of the basicairframes, but then Roy's was putaside while Jerry's was being coveredand made ready for flight. Then outof the blue came a commission for aWaco YMF-5 restoration, the rebuildof a Waco RNF—and almost beforehe could grasp it all, Roy wasembarked on a new career, with anew company, Rare Aircraft, andeight highly skilled employees,including his three sons, Mike,Jeremy, and Ben.

After the completion of a series ofprize-winning Waco Taperwing andF model projects, Roy was about torestart work on his F-2 when he wasapproached during Sun 'n Fun 2000by the owners of Mirabella Yachts ofFort Pierce, Florida, who wanted ashowpiece for their aviation depart-ment. The result was a commissionto complete Roy's F-2 for that com-pany. Mirabella Yachts charterslarge, luxurious sailing sloops andservices them wherever they are

with a Grumman Albatross. Theyalso crew and service J immyBuffett's Albatross.

Work began in October 2000, andwith two and often four personsassigned to the project, it was com-pleted in March 2001—just in timeto be thoroughly checked out andflown to Sun 'n Fun the followingmonth.

Rare Aircraft turns out top-notchaircraft but does not strive for 100percent authenticity. Safety consid-

gjKELLYAEROSPACE

factory Mew Units::• Kelly Aerospace Engine Driven

Positive Displacement FuelPumps (For Lycoming Engines)

Overhauled Units:Facet/Precision CarburetorsBendix Fuel ServosTCM Fuel SystemsRomec Fuel PumpsFlow Dividers

Fuel SystemsThat Perform

Under Pressure

Quality Products:• FAA Approved Replacement Parts.• OEM Approved.

Guaranteed Reliability• Highly Skilled/Trained Technicians.• Over 75 Years Combined

Experience.• Mass Airflow Testing on 100% of

Carburetors.• 100% Calibration of Fuel Pumps and

Servos.• Largest Exchange Pool in the

Industry.• Distributed "Worldwide" Through

the Leading Aviation WholesaleDistributors.

For more information on the "new" KellyAerospace or a listing of your nearest KellyAerospace Distributor, visit our website atwww.kellyaerospace.com or call (877) FLY-KELLY.

1400 East South Blvd. • Montgomery, AL 36116(877) FLY-KELLY • (214) 390-1121 Faxhttp://www.kellyaerospac6.comCertified Repair Station 8FUXR511K

vsi: S=O=lT AVIAIIUN r

Spcrt Aviation 39

Put some POWERin your Panel

The NAV122D is a self-contained, 200 ChannelNAV Receiver. 40 Channel Glideslope Receiver,plus a VOR. Localizerand GlideslopeIndicator/Converters; designed to fit in a 3 inchinstrument hole. The NAV122D/GPS allowsyou to interface the NAV122D with your GPSand serve as the required extermal CD1 forIFR-Approved GPS Installations.(Also replaces Narco NAV12 or NAV122)

Give us a call or visit our Web site, and ask about:The New

NARCO FACTORYEXCHANGE PROGRAM

Broken Radio got you down?The new Narco Factory ExchangeProgram will allow you to be backin the air tomorrow! For a great price,we'll ship you a new or reconditionedunit that day (subject to availability).Then simply return your repairableradio to Narco for your core credit.Models Available for Exchange include:AT50A or AT150 TransponderCOM11/111orCOM120CommsCOM810orCOM811 CommsDME890MK12DorMK12D+Nav/CommNAVI 2 or NAVI 22

Trade in your 20+ year old AT150 for aFactory-Reconditioned AT150.Price after Exchange: only SS90 includingan extended warranty of 2 years!

Don't want to trade it in just yet?We can Repair it!The world's foremost experts onNarco radios are right here at theFactory in Fort Washington, PA!Plus all repairs come with a fullFactory Warranty!

America's Oldest Manufacturer aj Avionics

NARCOAVIONICS

(800) 786-5197www.narcoavionics.com

For more information, vis t SPORT AVIATIONon the Web at vwAv.RnH.org

erations come first, and today'sintensely electronic flight environ-ment requires some avionics thatwere undreamed of in 1931. Withso little remaining of the originalaircraft, most of NC11442 had to bebuilt from scratch using the 1931factory drawings, including newwings, which was Mike Redman'sspecialty.

QCF-2s built in 1931 were pow-ered by 165-hp Continental A70 radi-al engines, but the following year'smodel, the UBF-2, was upgraded to a210-hp Continental R-670. Thatengine would evolve into the 220-hpW670 used on Stearmans and otheraircraft during World Wrar II. CurlyHavelaar's QCF-2 was refitted with a

40 AUGUST 2002

W670, and that approval was used toequip NC11442 with a newly rebuiltW670-6N, turning a 102-inchHamilton Standard 5131/5B1 pro-peller. A Bendix 397-13-B electricstarter replaced the Heywood pneu-matic starter used on the A70s in1931, and a Jasco alternator wasinstalled to power today's requiredavionics. A Stearman exhaust systemwas used, with minor modification tomake it fit on the F-2. The engine wasenclosed in a polished ring cowl thatwas spun by...wrho else...JimYounkin a few years earlier.Amazingly, the QCF-2s were builtwith aluminum firewalls, but RareAircraft replaced that risky anachro-nism with one of stainless steel.

Rare Aircraft has the tooling andexpertise to mold windshields andfabricate almost all the Waco sheetmetal in-house, which in this proj-ect included new fuel and oil tanks,all the fuselage panels (includinglouvers), and fairings.

The original QCF-2 AircraftProducts wheels and cable-actuatedbrakes were replaced by new 7:50-by-10 Cleveland wheels, with theinside halves machined to permit 6-inch Cleveland disc brakes to fitinside. The QCF-2s were built in1931 with a really unusual brakingmechanism. The hand throttlemoved fore and aft in a conven-tional manner to increase anddecrease power, but it also pivotedin toward the center of the cockpitfor braking! If the rudder pedalswere centered, both wheels wouldbe braked simultaneously, but whena pedal was depressed, brakingwould occur on that side's wheelonly. This action was similar to thatof the Johnson bar system com-monly used in the 1930s, but itmust have been challenging tooperate off the throttle. RareAircraft switched to heel brake ped-als on NI 1442, and a tailwheel lock-ing mechanism was installed.

The F-2 Waco has always beenadmired for its pugnacious, bulldog-like stance on the ground—with itspug-nosed, brawny front end andsmall aft end. Accentuating thislook are the wide gear legs and themodel's unique "polliwog" shapedwheelpants, as Roy Redman likes tocall them. Original pants are longgone, but, fortunately, F-2 ownerBarry Branin has had molds madeso fiberglass copies can be laid up inthem. Roy obtained a set forNC11442.

The F-2s were three-place air-planes, with the pilot in the rearcockpit and two passengers side-by-side in the front cockpit—twosmall, skinny passengers. Therewere no instruments in the frontcockpit, just a small door in thepanel that opened to a compart-ment placarded for 15 pounds of

personal items. To retain an originalappearance and still be able tocheck out pilots in the airplane,Rare Aircraft concealed an airspeedindicator and altimeter in the com-partment, where they are accessibleby simply opening the door. Five-point safety harnesses were installedin both cockpits, but no practicalway was found to have two shoul-der harnesses for the front seat.

The seats were built per Wacofactory prints, but they were fitted

with fine leather cushions. JeremyRedman is Rare Aircraft's uphol-stery expert and was responsiblefor the seats, cockpit coaming,headrest, and side panels. The orig-inal kidney-shaped instrumentcluster was used in the rear cockpit,with refurbished early 1930sinstruments, plus a voltmeter andcylinder head temperature gauge.The modern world came into playin the form of a Garmin CNC250XL GPS/comm, GTX 327

THe Lightest, MostPowerful Starter

MtgiuFlite

• Lycoming selected, customer preferred. Own the lightweightstarter selected by the factory.

• Weighs 7.7 Ibs... the lightest in the Industry.• Easiest to install with no engine/cowling modifications required.• FAA/PMA approved for most Lycoming Engines.• 65% more cranking power than conventional starters.• Unmatched "No Hassle" Warranty.• Designed exclusively for the aircraft engine applications

utilizing the latest in permanent magnet technology.• Excellent "Hot Start" Performance.• Performance and reliability.. .MagnaFlite.

For more information on the "new" Kelly Aerospace or a listing of yournearest Kelly Aerospace Distributor, visit our website atwww.kelfyaerospace.com or call (877) FLY-KELLY.

Airport Complex, P.O. Box 273 • Fort Deposit, AL 36032(877) FLY-KELLY • (214) 390-1121 Faxhttp://www.kellyaerospace.com • Certified Repair Station #UT2R226L

Sport Aviation 41

transponder, Transcal encoder,ACK ELT, PM 1000II intercom, anda JPI fuel monitor. The originalthrottle/brake lever units werereplaced by World War Il-typethrottle/mixture quadrants, withmixture in the rear cockpit only.

As originally built for Ridel le L.Gregory in 1931, NC11442 had sil-ver wings and horizontal tail sur-faces, and the fuselage, vertical tail,and landing gear legs were purpleand blue. Rare Aircraft covered theentire airframe with Ceconite 102,but it went in two different direc-tions with the finish. To retain anoriginal appearance, the silverwings and horizontal tail surfaceswere finished in nitrate andbutyrate dope, but the fuselage, ver-tical tail, gear legs, and wheelpantswere painted with PPG Ditzler

polyurethane.Roy says his wife, Judie, and son,

Jeremy, are the artists in the familyand were responsible for selectingthe correct shades of purple andblue. In 1931 the airplane was fin-ished in Berry Brothers pigmenteddope, and, interestingly enough,the company cautioned against theuse of purple and light blue statingin its catalog that they "...do nothide well, and often change colorunder sunlight." That, of course, isnot a problem with modernpolyurethane paints. It may comeas a surprise to many to learn thatthe purple originally used onNC 11442 was Berrychrome, whichwas a metallic or "metalflake" dope,created by the inclusion of pow-dered bronze. Rare Aircraft used ametallic polyurethane to duplicate

the original look.And then there was the matter of

the N-number, which some of youhave probably been wonderingabout. Throughout this article, theF-2 has been referred to asNC 11442, but the number on theairplane today is NC 11424.NC11442 was the original number,but after the airplane crashed in theearly 1930s, that number was can-celed and years later was acquiredby Cessna for a new 150. RoyRedman tried for nearly 10 years toget the number for the K-2, evenoffering to buy the 150, but to noavail. Ultimately, he had to settle forthe closest number available fromthe FAA: 11424. The airplane doesretain its original serial number,3493, however.

NC11424 ended up with anempty weight of 1,638 pounds. Thecertificated gross weight is 2,300pounds. Roy says the airplane willindicate about 115 mph, but itclimbs at a "dramatically steep"angle at 60 to 65 mph with its longpropeller. Handling, he says, is pret-ty well coordinated, with a goodcrisp response from the fourailerons—"not as crisp as aTaperwing, but better than anRNF." With 2 degrees of dihedral inthe top and bottom wings, the F-2is very stable in cruise, he says, andwas quite pleasant to fly the 12hours it took him to deliver the air-plane to Florida last year. Groundhandling? "It's a taildragger."Fnough said.

Most of us, of course, will neverhave the opportunity to fly an air-plane as rare as a QCF-2 Waco. Only37 were built, and, amazinglyenough, 30 of these 70-year-old air-craft remain on the FAA's bookstoday. There are a number of them,however, that are projects awaitingrestoration. When they are restored,1 hope we will see more examples ofthe marvelous Art Deco paintschemes that were in vogue in theearly 1930s. If we can't fly them, atleast we can admire them as worksof art. zaa.

42 AUGUST 2002