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GEOFF RO ISON
PRESIDENT VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION
Springtime
It seems
as though
for every
day
closer
to
spring we get,
the
pres
sure
is
slowly rising
to
a
crescendo
that
will
ultimately
result
in the
very
special week
we all know as
EAA
AirVenture
Oshkosh. Earlier
in March I was
in Oshkosh
for five
days of B-1?
tour training, and
I
took
the opportunity see
firsthand
the continuing development of
the AirVenture convention site.
Even
though Oshkosh
has ex
perienced
what I would categorize
as a pretty mean winter this year,
an amazing
amount
of progress
can be
seen
all
over
the
conven
tion grounds.
Just this
week we re
ceived
word
that
the
walls for
the
all-new Vintage
Hangar have been
prefabbed and are now in
the
process
of
being installed
on the
footers.
f
we
get
a
break
with
the
weather,
the
shingles
should
be
installed on
the
building by the
time
you read
this column.
This
is
an exciting time
for
both EAA and
the
Vintage Aircraft Association
(VAA), and
we sincerely hope
you
really is
only one
clear and con
cise
response to these proposed
new
rules.
In
its
response, EAA
writes: "This rule
is
a
direct
threat
to
our personal liberties
Our
very right to operate
our
personal
flying
machines whenever
we de
cide is being clearly threatened
by
these
rules."
Just
this
week we
received word that the
walls for the
all-new
Vintage
Hangar
have
been prefabbed
and
are now in the process
of being
installed
on
the
footers.
If we get
break
with the weather
work with the industry to continue to
build on the enhanced security mea
sures currently in place at airports
across this great nation .
To
impose
these onerous and overreaching reg
ulations on general aviation would
likely be a
blow
to the
industry
that
could very well be fatal. Such an out
come would be counter to the spirit
and in tent
of
[president Obama s]
re-
cent message.
As
a nation we
must
do
our bes t to encourage and sustain
our values
and
rights.
Those
ide-
als stil l light the world,
and
we
will
o t
give
them up
for
expediency s sake.
Only
recently
we have
begun
to hear of more individuals inside
the Beltway speaking out on
their attitude about these rules.
Two key
phrases seem to
be
echoed
by
these key folks
in government
who
have
chosen
to
speak
out.
1.
General aviation
has
not
been proven
to
be
any
real
threat
to
our
country's
security.
2. This
proposed
policy
is
over
bearing,
and
a clear abuse of power.
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PR
I L
VOL.
37,
No 4
2009
CONTE NTS
Fe Straight
&
Level
Springtime
by Geoff Robison
2 News
6 An
Eye
-Catching Ryan
An international delight
by Gill
es
Auliard
1 4
Airmail Days
Magical mome
nt
s of yesteryear . . . The 90th anniversary
of
sc
heduled airma
il
in th
e United States
by Sparky Barnes
Sa rge
nt
2
Light Plane Heritage
Uncle Bob's Midwing Midway
Pa rt I
by Bob Whittier
26
The Vintage Mechanic
Critical inspection items
by Robert G. Lock
3 The Vintage Instructor
Soft-field tec
hniques
by Doug Stewart
S T FF
EAA Publisher
Tom Poberezny
Director of EAA Pub
li
cations
Mary Jones
3
Mystery Plane
Executive Di rector/Edi t
or
H.G.
Fra
utschy
by H.G . Frautschy
Production/Special Project Kathleen W
i tman
Photography
Jim
Koepn
ick
34
An Ethanol Test Kit
Bonnie Kratz
Advertising Coordina tor
Sue
Anderson
Making certain your fu el isn't tainted with alcohol
Classified Ad Coord inator
Les l ey Poberezny
by Irven F Palmer Jr.
Copy
Edi tor Colleen Walsh
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LASP
The
Next Steps
Working toward a
reasonable approach
February 27, 2009, signaled
the
end to the comment
period for
the
Transportation Security Administra
tion's
(TSA s)
Large Aircraft Security
Program (LASP), but not
to the
in
dustrywide effort opposing
the
TSA
plan. More than 4,200
comments
were submitted
to the
docket.
EAA continues to work closely
with TSA and Department of Home
land Security (DHS) officials toward a
more reasonable approach to general
aviation security through the use of
a negotiated rulemaking committee.
EAA
is also meeting with members of
Congress
on the
proposal, including
an invitation to attend a roundtable
discussion in March hosted by House
Aviation Subcommittee Chairman
Rep.
Jerry Costello (D-Illinois), to
further press the issue.
Comments
to
the
docket include
letters opposing the LASP from con
gressional representatives Tom Pe-
tri (R-Wisconsin) and Sam Graves
(R-Missouri).
Petri is
the
ranking member of
the House Aviation Subcommittee
and
also represents Wisconsin's th
District, which includes Oshkosh
and EAA headquarters. In a letter
addressed to
DHS
Secretary Janet
Napolitano, he writes, ...the
TSA s
actions related to
the
proposed LASP
are extreme
and
unnecessary ... The
EAAlFAA
Summ
it
Addresse
s Is
sue
s
Throughout the year,
EAA s
advocacy team meets with government offi
cials
in
Washington, D.C.,
in
state capitals,
and in
local municipalities,
rep-
resenting EAA members interests and concerns.
They
also meet twice each
year
in
Oshkosh during AirVenture and also
in
the winter, when FAA leaders
travel to EAA headquarters for two days of face-to-face meetings to identify
issues and ensure that previous action plans, objectives, and benchmarks
are being fulfilled.
Several top FAA officials were
in
Oshkosh February 23-24. Front-and-cen
ter
issues included amateur-built aircraft and the
51
percent rule, vintage
and aging aircraft, flight safety, sport pilot/light-sport aircraft, the future of
aviation fuels, aerobatic flight, and warbirds.
Participants included EAA headquarters staff and division heads and of
ficials from the FAA s Aircraft Certification and Flight Standards offices. A
FAA/EAA
Winter Meeting report was published
on
pages 102 103 of the
April issue of fAA Sport Aviation
tion to
LASP,
it could face legal chal
lenges or congreSSional obstacles to
the program, such as a resolution of
disapproval
under the CongreSSiO-
nal Review Act.
O
r
TSA
can heed the advice in
sional representatives seeking their
support of general aviation and
opposition to LASP. Read
EAA s
of
ficial comments at www.EAA.org/
news/2009/lasp_comments.pdf
http:///reader/full/www.EAA.orghttp:///reader/full/www.EAA.org
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Like some previous user-fees pro
posals, this
one
specifies, liThe user
charges are considered discretion
ary and offset discretionary budget
authority and outlays. This means
there's no guarantee th t proceeds
from these user fees would apply
toward national airspace modern
ization, the aviation trust fund, or
other specicil aviation needs. Rath
er,
they would simply offset
the
general deficit.
EAA
has contended
th t
a user
fees system would draw dispropor
tionately from general aviation
to
fund the
FAA
nd air traffic control
operations. EAA s government
re-
lations staff has maintained a dia
logue with key members of Con
gress and their staff on the user-fees
issue. With this revelation in
the
administration's budget proposal,
EAA
is accelerating this outreach
work while continuing to forge
re-
lationships with
the
new adminis
tration, legislators,
nd
new agency
staff appOintees.
The strength of
EAA s
160,000
members
is
integral to this effort.
Your preparedness to take grassroots
action when called
upon is
'a
potent
tool in combating this threat.
F Funding Bill
Introduced in
House
A new
FAA
funding bill, nearly
identical to
the
2007 House version,
was introduced by House Commit
tee on Transportation
nd
Infra
structure Chairman James Oberstar
(D-Minnesota) nd House Aviation
Subcommittee Chairman Jerry Cos
Sun n Fun Set
to
Open the
Fly-In
Season
It s April, and the 35th Sun n Fun Fly-In, April 21-26, at Lakeland Linder
Regional Airport
in
Lakeland, Florida, is days away.
EM
will be there, with
special offerings at the
EAA
Welcome Center, admission discounts, forum
presentations, and more.
If you re planning to attend, please note one major change from past
years at the main admissions gate: There will not
be
a separate EM area.
Instead, EAA members may enter at the main gate and receive their weekly
or daily member discount by showing a membership card.
Several
EAA
members and staff will present a variety
of
forums and work
shops. Subjects include aircraft insurance, sport pilot/light-sport aircraft,
homebuilding (featuring
EAA s Joe
Norris, EM homebuilders community
manager), and more. (See a complete forums schedule at www.Sun N Fun.
arg. A special
EM
chapter event will
be
announced soon.
See you in Lakeland
(and
don t forget to bring
your
EM membership card).
nd
$1.35 billion for Research, En
gineering, nd Development.
The House bill was introduced
on
the same day
th t
a letter signed by
associations representing virtually
the entire aviation
community
was
sent to key members of Congress,
stressing the importance of passing
as
the starting pOint from which to
expand. The same is true for
the
comprehensive, multi-year project
to upgrade the EAA
AirVenture Osh
kosh grounds
nd
facilities. Much
of the work accomplished since last
fall has focused on essential under
pinnings: site design
nd
configura
http://www.sun-n-fun/http://www.sun-n-fun/
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19 9 Wright
Model
B Replica to Fly
at
Oshkosh
A replica of the Wright brothers ' 19 9 Wright B
Flyer
will make its North
American public flying debut during AirVenture 2009.
The
replica, dubbed the
Silver Bird for its silver-painted frame and white fabric, was built
by
Dayton ,
Ohio-based Wright B Flyer Inc. It was the Wrights' first production airplane
and helped ignite the air-racing era 1 years
ago.
The
aircraft is scheduled to begin flight testing
in
the coming months and
may participate
in
aviation festivities this summer
in
Europe before coming
to Oshkosh.
One
tentative event
in
Reims, France, would commemorate the
100th anniversary of the Gordon Bennett Cup often regarded as the first
major air race in history.
It will truly
be
a global ambassador for Dayton, says Amanda Wright
Lane, the Wright brothers' great-grandniece and a trustee of Wright B Flyer
Inc. There is not a single art ifact
you
can hold, or place
you
can visit, or
document
you
can read that equals seeing a Wright
Flyer in
the air.
Other activities commemorating 1 years of air racing will
be
held during
EAA
AirVenture 2009. These and additional details of the Wright B Flyer's
appearance will
be
announced as they are finalized.
For
more information
on
the Wright B Flyer replica, visit
www.Wright 8-
Flyer.org.
infrastructure changes will be ac
required an extension of the main
complished, several new amenities aircraft display taxiway and a course
will be introduced, and site naviga diversion of Forest Home Drive.
tion, wayfinding, and transporta
From
the
main gate, two new
through the
grounds. This year,
that same trek will be a 1/4-mile
straight shot.
One major part of this thorough
fare project incorporated storm wa
ter drains so
the
grounds dry prop
erly. Storing drainage water on
airport grounds is a safety issue be
cause lakes, ponds,
and
reservoirs
attract waterfowl. Consequently,
site deSigners
and
engineers looked
underground-turning to state-of
the-art green
technology-to
create geogrids/geoblocks
to
ab
sorb and treat runoff water. This
underground
reservoir naturally
drains into the groundwater sys
tem, eventually making its way
to
Lake Winnebago.
The commitment to environ
mentally
friendly practices also
included the use
of
recycled as
phalt and recycled roofing shin
gles to create the porous asphalt
that covers the new thorough
fares and allows for underground
water drainage.
The retention of trees was also
prioritized.
As
new construction
called for clearing, the site crews
transplanted 61 mature trees into
new shade and rest areas
that
will be a feature of the reconfig
ured grounds.
While the new thoroughfares,
trees, and relocations of some
buildings
and
facilities will be con
spicuous, other major elements of
the
infrastructure work will not.
Just as
the
cutting-edge new wa
ter treatment and drainage system
is
invisible, so too are all
the
new
http://www.wright-8/http://www.wright-8/http://www.wright-8/http:///reader/full/Flyer.orghttp://www.wright-8/http:///reader/full/Flyer.org
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Please help the VAA
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In
1939, Ryan sold an
almost stock model
desig
nated
ST-A-l,
which
the Army called the XPT-16
sin
39-717),
and
after initial
evaluation they ordered
15
more
for service tests
as YPT-16.
The success of YPT-16
trials led
to the
order of 40 of a very similar model des
ignated PT-20,
the main
difference being a larger cock-
Ryan ST-A Special used by NACA
at
its Langley
Me-
morial Aeronautical Laboratory for research
on
flaps
slats and internally balanced ailerons. Later
it
was
used for pilot familiarization. Still later
it
was desig
nated NACA
25
and used in the Loads ab
at
Langley.
Taking off for the first
time
on June 8, 1934, from
San Diego s Lindbergh Field, the Ryan ST was a low
wing
monoplane with external wire bracing to the
top of the fuselage
and
to
the main
undercarriage legs.
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pit
with
external stiffening in
the
cockpit area. Both models proved
to be troublesome
and
were rapidly
removed from service.
During 1941,
the
Menasco
en
gine powering
the YPT-16s
and
PT
20s was discarded by the Army in
favor of the Kinner R-440 radial.
The installation of the new engine
in a streamlined nose fairing
with
exposed cylinder heads led to the
new military designation of
PT
-21,
of which 100 were ordered in 1941.
The advent of the Army-Navy
trainer standardization program co
incided with the
development
of a
more powerful variant, the
ST-3, with
a 160-hp Kinner R-S40-l. Orders for
this model, designated PT-22 Re
cruit,
all placed
in 1941, totaled
1,023. The
PT-22s
went into service
at Civilian Pilot Training Program
schools across the country. Produc
tion ended in 1942.
But the in - line engine variant
of the PT series wasn t dead.
Other
countries
showed a deep
interest
in
the
STM,
and
the plane sold rea
sonably well in South America and
China. Ryan s biggest export cus
tomer
was
the
Dutch government.
In
1940, the
Dutch
ordered 108
Ryan STMs, 24 of them equipped
with floats . Sixty of them were ear
marked for the Militaire Luchtvaart
van het Koninkliijk Nederlands In
dishe Leger ML-KNIL, Royal Neth
erlands East Indies Army
Air
Force),
to be operated from their main base
at
Bandoeng,
in Java.
Ordered
in
two batches, serial numbered
RO
W to RO-49 (STM-2 c/n 407-446)
and RO-SO to RO-69 (STM-S2 c/n
49S-S14), the planes were delivered
starting November 18, 1940.
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All
of
these aircraft were de
stroyed by enemy action or captured
intact when the
Japanese
overran
the
Netherlands East Indies NEI)
in
late winter/early spring 1942.
The other 48 were operated by
the
to A50-34.
By
late
1944,
most of
the airframes were
in
storage at Ev
ans Head, New South Wales (NSW),
home of
the
Royal Australian Air
Force 1st Air Observer School and
1st Bombing and Gunnery School.
One
prime example
is
still flying in
the
hands
of Gary Kozak, of Down
ers Grove, Illinois, its
catchy
MLD
markings
reminding
the onlooker
of this
little-known
theater of op
erations of World War
II.
Ryan STM-S2 N8146
(c/n
457)
was
ordered by
the Dutch govern
ment on
June
25, 1940, as part of
a
batch of
12
(S-l1
to S-22) ear
marked for the MLD.
The
12, plus
12
sets of floats, left Los Angeles
aboard
SS
Hoegh Silver
Dawn on
November 18, 1940, bound for the
NEI. Assigned serial S-21 , it arrived
in
Java on January 3, 1941, and i t
flew training missions from the
main MLD Base at
Morokremban
gan, starting on February 26, 1941.
Facing the advance of the Japa
nese invaders, S-21 was crated along
with
33 other Ryans and evacuated
aboard the MS Tijnegara, which
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n the markings of the Dutch East Indies MLD
5 21
flew from the base at Morokrembangan Java du ring 1941.
of s n 463, as s n 457 was either
improperly crated
or damaged
dur
ing
transit. Assigned serial A50-30,
it served
with
the RAAF until Feb
ruary 12,
1945,
at which date it
was put in storage at Evans Head.
Damaged
again
during the storm
that
hit
this RAAF
station
on
April
4, 1945, it was rebuilt and sold to
Brown
and
Dureau
Ltd.
on
April
19, 1947. Acquired by the Newcas
tle, NSW, Aero Club on July 7 of
the same year,
it
became VH-BBJ
on the
Australian register.
After a lapse in registration, it was
sold to G. Harle, of Newcastle, NSW,
on June
9,
1957, who obtained the
new
VH-BXN
identity for
the
Ryan.
John Swanson, of Mareeba, North
Queensland,
one of the following
owners, had to
resort
to a forced
landing in November of 1964. Dam
age to the plane warranted it to be
nal
MLD markings. The first post
restoration test flight
took
place
on
July 10, 1970, revealing
only
a mi
nor need to adjust
the rigging of
the airplane.
This accomplished, the Ryan was
presented at EAA
Oshkosh 1970
and the Antique Airplane Associa
tion convention, where it was voted
Best
Open
Cockpit Ryan
and
Best
Original Ryan by
the
public.
Sold in
June
1971 to Robert
Bob Friedman of Highland Park,
Illinois, the Ryan was substantially
damaged-again-in
a
ground
col
lision
with
another airplane
in
Bel
videre, Illinois,
on June 21
, 1975.
Returning it to
flying
status,
Bob
Friedman enjoyed the airplane until
his untimely death in an unrelated
airplane accident.
As
the
executor
of his estate, Pat, his wife, became
the owner of the ST, and she flew it
challenges that go with antique air
plane ownership. Then, during
a
flight on
June
13, 2003,
things got
very interesting:
The engine started running
very
rough and
could
barely
pro
duce enough power
to hold
alti
tude. There was belching smoke and
blowing oil all over the plane. This
led
to
a partial
dismantling
and
in
spection of the engine. The culprit
was a
blown
supercharger seal that
allowed large quantities of oil to be
ingested by
the
engine.
I talked to Brad Ball , in Cali
fornia-the guru of Menasco en
gines-who told me that, in order
to
get
to the
seal, I
would
have
to
dismantle a large
portion
of the en
gine, including
the
accessory case
and gears. Since the C4
was
ap
proaching
overhaul time, and that
he
also mentioned he was build
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new
engine and
required
a
new
induction
system
to
be designed
and fabricated.
liThe
337 form was
13
pages
long
with diagrams I spent several
months drawing up,
as
I am
not
ex-
actlya
draftsman.
The modification was finally
approved:
Now, the engine has nice, fil-
tered air, and even if it is only rated
at
134
hp instead of the
original
150, I get good performance.
Gary takes us through a
flight
around
the
patch:
After a normal preflight,
it
is im-
portant
to
remember
to
turn
the
oil
on
and
pull a few blades
to
get it cir-
culating through the engine.
t
does
have a starter,
but
it is just a battery
Beech Bonanza, so there is
plenty
of brake power
to
keep the airplane
stopped at
full power.
When all the parameters are
nominal,
I
taxi out and line up
on
the runway. Once
in
position,
I
normally apply
full
power
before
releasing
the
brakes, so I can do
one
last check inside
the
cockpit. When
it
starts
rolling, all my attention
has to be outside. My feet are never
still, constantly adjusting for the
trajectory of the airplane. Push the
stick forward,
and hold it
until the
tail comes up.
You
pretty
much
can
feel it
when the plane
is ready to fly.
In a crosswind, you have plenty of
rudder authority, but you still have
to make sure to keep it straight to
avoid a ground loop.
power back gradually, to bleed air-
speed
and to
be
at
idle
abeam the
touchdown
point. Flaps
down,
al-
most straight to
full 45
degrees.
I
usually make
a pretty
high ap
proach in case of engine malfunc
tion in the
pattern;
this
helps keep
the nose
down to
better see ahead.
I slip
it
in on final to create high
drag, to lose
altitude
fast, and
try
to keep the runway in
sight
until
reaching
the
numbers.
liThe
plane
is fully aerobatic,
but
I have not tried much
yet,
other
than
the
occasional
falling leaf,
as the airplane is 68 years old. I t
was originally stressed to 9Gs, but I
do not think I would like
to
push
it
that far. Nevertheless, I
am
sure
the
Ryan is perfectly safe for all
the
ba-
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ichael elvin
Concord
NC
• 450 flight hours
• Work as
an A P
at u
Airways
in
Char/otte,
NC - heavy ma
intenance
work
on
7 7s some 757s and
some
Airb
u
ses
• Presently own
three
planes :
Cessna 170
, under
restorat
i
on
;
Ercoupe
415 -D; Light mini
ature
Aircraft
LM
-I,
3/ 4 cub
rep
lic
a
"I had a plane crash on August 9, 2001 , while flying an Avid
Mark IV
The
aileron control rod was broken and I had no
control at all. I was insured with
U
and had no hassles of
any kind. It was a very pleasant end to a nasty situation."
Michael Melvin
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Magical moments
of
yesteryear T
h
90th anniversary
of scheduled airmail in the United States
ARTICLE AND PHOTOS BY SPARKY
BARNES
SARGENT
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A nice example of
a vintage postal
cover
which
was
flown
on
uly
17
1928 First
Flight Kalama
zoo
Michigan. Herr
7 •
Ide
Cllnll
1
'ltew;.r t •
Chioago. I G ~
Days
theme
came to re ~ ~ : ~ ~ ~
~ I r .
.
splendent life, with
the
sound of ra cial
postal
dial engines reverberating overhead swearing-in ceremony
and the sights of rare airplanes fly- of airmail pilots and crews
every
ingthrough the gorgeous blue sky in morning .
They
were required to
southern Iowa. I t was magnificent sign an airmail contract
just
like
living history-magical moments the one Lindbergh signed in 1926,
of yesteryear, alive in the present- and afterward they were given a
beginning with the offi set of gold wings. The mail was
~ ~ ~ ~ §
~
=
t h e n
loaded
and
the
impressive
' departure and arrivals of an -
que biplanes
and
monoplanes
commenced at Antique Airfield
(Blakesburg), Ottumwa, and Iowa
~ ~ ~ i ~ i ~ ~ : : ~ ~ = =
: : : : : : : : ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ J ty
(which was an original stop
n the transcontinental airmail
route).
A
limited
number
of
souve
ni r
, commemorative postal cov
ers were designed for the event
Postal cover with the Pitcairn ca
chet flown on August 28.
cover with the de Havilland DH-4
cachet flown on August 30 .
Postal cover with the Boeing 40C cachet flown
on August 29.
Postal cover with the Jenny cachet flown
on
August
27.
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Greg Herrick
of
Minneapolis Minnesota flew
the
airmail in his
1927
Ford 4 AT B from Antique Airfield to Ottumwa and Iowa
City
and back
on August
29.
The Ford received the 2008 AAAjAPM Fly-in Ken Love
Memorial award for the Best Wright-Powered Aircraft.
Rich Hornbeck
of
Bowdoinham Maine flew
the
mail in Inset: Ben
Scott
in his 1930 Stearman 4E; his father
his
1929
Waco
ASO
from Antique Airfield to Ottumwa carried mail in
the biplane
during
National
Airmail
and Iowa City and back on August 29 and
30.
Week in 1938.
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THEY WERE
REOUIRED
TO SIGN N
AIRMAIL CONTRACT JUST LIKE
THE
ONE
LINDBERGH SIGNED
IN 192 ,
AND AnERWARD,
THEY
WERE
GIVEN
Dick Jackson flew
the
mail
in
his
1931
SET
OF GOLD
WINGS.
Sikorsky S 39-, Spirit o Igor from An-
t ique Airfield to Ottumwa
and
Iowa City
and back on August 29 .
based
upon the
size and appearance
of
1920s
and 30s
ai r
m
ail
enve
lopes. And a custom 42-cent stamp,
which closely resembled
the
origi
nal
1918
airmail
stamp, adorned
the
upper
right corner,
along
with
an
outgoing
cancellation stamp
that replicated those used on the
original
contract
airmail routes. A
different
cachet was
featured on
the
postal cover for each of
the
four
days
during
the fly-in-the Jenny,
Pitcairn, Boeing 40C, and de Havil
land DH-4.
liT
he
Jenny was the key
histor
ical aircraft to tie the 90th anni
versary flights back
in
time to
the
original 1918 flights, explains Tay
lor, since
the
U.S. mail service or
dered Hisso-powered Jennys for
use
in
the original flights
of
1918.
Frank Schelling
brought
his Jenny
here from California, and it is one
of
only
two Hisso-powered
Jennys
Eric Preston flew the airmail
in
Frank Schelling's
1918
Curtiss IN-4H
Jenny from Antique Airfield to Ottumwa and back on August 27 , 29 , and
30 Schelling is from Pleasant Hill, California, and his Jenny received the
2008 AAA/APM
Fly
-
in
Antique -
Grand
Champion award.
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Quite the lineup for takeoff on
the grass runway: A
1928
Cur
tiss
Wright
Travel Air 4000
waits behind the
1931
Sikorsky
S-39, which
is
behind the
1941
New Standard D-25, just behind
the
1929
Texaco Waco ASO.
Larry
Tobin
of Spokane, Washington, flew the airmail
Ted Davis of Brodhead, Wisconsin, flew mail and
in
his newly restored
1927
Stearman C3B from
An-
postal officials from Antique Airfield to Ottumwa
and
tique Airfield to Ottumwa and back
on
August 29 and Iowa City and back on August 30 in his 1941 New
30
. The Stearman received the
2008
Lyle Hoselton
Standard D-25 (the biplane
is
dedicated to the mem
Memorial award for Best Workmanship by
Owner. ory
of Denny Trone).
17 airplanes to carry
the
mail dur
ing the fly-in. And in addition to
the aircraft pictured here (so as not
to leave
anyone
out), two
other
air
planes also flew the mail: Tom Lowe
of Crystal Lake, Illinois, flew the
mail from
Antique
Airfield
to
Ot
tumwa
and
return on August 28 in
his 1942 Stearman N2S, and
Dino
Vlahakis of Lebanon, New Hamp-
shire, flew the mail from Antique
Airfield
to
Ottumwa and return
The elegantly restored DH-4
and Jenny
taxi over to the fuel truck
at
An-
on August 30
in
his 1941
Stear-
tique Airfield.
man N2S. These were historically
significant as well, since Ottumwa
reward for the long, laborious hours th ink all realized they were partic
was originally a Naval Air
Station
of orchestrating
th
is year's fly-in, ipating in a historic
moment that
dur ing World War , where several
Taylor
thoughtfu
lly sh ares that it's wo n t
soon
be repeated,
and
that s
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Indecisive? Not even Icom
s
A24 NavCom and A6 Com are
the
only
handhelds
that
offer FliP FloP
Plus+
multi-channel recall. It's
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to toggle between frequencies.
all up
your
last
10
frequencies,
or
pre-program
in
up
to 10 channels
for
your
next
trip.
FliP FloP
Plus+
is one
of the many pilot
friendly
features you'll
find that s
unique
to Icom.
Then
it's
settled
.
Pick up your A24
or
A6
today
www
.
icomamerica.com
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-
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Light Plane Heritage
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED
N E
Experimenter JULY
994
This drawing of the Fokker Eindecker clearly shows why
th midwing type was well-suited to the many cables re
quired to brace the very thin monoplane wings of that time.
Eindecker means one decker,
r
one-winger.
Uncle Bob's
Midwing
Midway
art
I
BY BOB WHITIIER
The odd title of this article obviously needs ex
plaining Well, you see, a glance at the calendar made
us realize
that
the circus and carnival season is in full
swing.
That
caused
the
happy thought
to
occur
to
us
that
it would be fun to present our readers with a
sort of aeronautical midway.
So
here it is Be assured,
you'll find it
to
be every bit as juicy as
an
expertly
grilled Wisconsin bratwurst.
Airplanes of
what
are
commonly
referred
to
as
the
midwing type have been with us since
the
early days
of flying,
and
they
are still being built. But with the
exception of certain military types, none have been
built in significant quantities. How often do you see
one at general-aviation airports?
there's also
the
term
shoulder-wing. By
studying
the illustrations accompanying this article and
the
se
quel that will appear next
month,
you can decide for
yourself which one to apply to a particular design.
We should also mention that in
the
early 1930s
the
Heath lightplane firm applied the
term
"center-wing"
to a model that was neither a parasol
nor
a low-wing.
We don't really know why, but we have a hunch.
Many early aviation entrepreneurs
had
a keen grasp of
good public relations techniques and frequently used
it
to
their advantage. It's possible that Heath's pro
motion
people felt that "center-wing" might be more
meaningful than
"midwing" to the aviation newcom
ers toward whom
their
advertising was slanted.
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The upper ship is a 1920s Farman
osquito built
in
France. The lower one
is an American uhl Bull Pup of 1931. A
deep fuselage provided a much cleaner
attachment place for lower ends of the
streamlined flying wires than the Fok
ker s inverted cabane-strut arrangement.
The advent of thicker airfoils
in
the 1920s permitted the use of
deeper, stronger wing spars
and
a significant reduction
in the
number of drag producing
stranded cables. Overhead
struts gave pilots protection
in
nose-overs and offered conve
nient handholds for getting in
and out of seats.
that
aeroplane
wings should be as thin in cross sec
tion as the wings of birds. Because these early airfoils
were so
thin
, wing spar
depth
was slight
and
therefore
so weak
in
bending that many
external
brace wires
were necessary
to
stiffen them acceptably.
Better-educated pioneers made use of simple stress
calculation and truss-work
methods
that
had
been de
veloped for
the
masts
and
rigging of sailing ships and
the
truss
work
of bridges. But they, of course, were
under
much
more pressure
to
achieve structural light
ness.
Many
therefore saw it as being logical
to
adopt
the
biplane type because it was so well-adapted to
li
ght
but
strong trussing.
planes will
enab
le
you to
grasp this.
When fuselages were of sha llow depth acceptable
bracing angles could no t be achieved.
o
builders re
sor ted,
in some
cases, to
attac
h
ing
the
inboard ends
of wing lift wires to the lower portions of the l
anding
gears on some planes
and
in
others
to
V-struts or king
posts affixed to
the
undersides of fuselages. A few de
signers made their fuse lages deep
eno
u
gh
to give good
bracing angles to wires attached
to
lower longerons.
But
the thought
doubt less ly
oc
curred to some that
they had
never seen
a biplane bird
If
na
ture
in
her great wis
dom chose
to give
birds monoplane
wings
why then
they should there
This diagram shows how wing truss
loads increase as we go from para
sol to high-wing to midwing config
urations. This was less of a problem
in
short-span racers than
in
low
powered, long-span Iightplanes.
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Above-Built
by
students at Curtiss
Wright aviation
school in Glendale,
California,
in
1936 , the 36-hp
Aeronca-powered Bunting
had a jaunty look. Th e
shoulder-wing design,
similar to the Longster
on
page
21
, positioned the wings higher
to the benefit of the bracing angle .
t was fairly standard practice
to attach
the inboard
ends of wing
spars
directly to fuselage upper lon
gerons. This procedure was simple, light, and strong.
The
sturdy
fuselage crossmember took the compres
sion
loads that wing lift
acting
on the lift wires cre
ated. s the thin airfoils often had
to
be
installed at
appreciable
angles of
incidence,
for the sake of lift,
the rear spars were positioned too low to attach to
top longerons. In such cases, suitable
supplementary
crosspieces at an appropriate distance below the lon
gerons were used.
This
layout
worked
well. In
1913,
only 10
years
after the Wrights first flew, the
French Deperdussin
midwing
monoplane powered
by
a
160-hp
twin-row
Gnome
rotary engine
attained
the speed of 130 mph.
Based on Parasol components, the
Heath Center Wing of 1932 below,
had a 27-foot span
instead
of the
feet. It
was
faster and
rode
better
in choppy air. The 40
hp
Continental was the
powerplant. Note the rather shal
low strut angle. The ship is de
scribed
in U S Civil ircraft by
Juptner, Vol. 5.
In the autumn of 1914 Bleriot, Morane,
and
Taube
midwings
were among the first aircraft
to
go to war.
They crossed battle lines
to
observe and report on en
emy
movements, the location
of
supply
depots, and
before long,
on
the accuracy of arti llery fire.
The
poor downward visibility that s characteristic
of the midwing configuration soon prompted mili
tary aviation people to ask airplane makers
to
develop
parasol
monoplanes.
Then observation plane
pilots
began shooting
at
one
another s
airplanes
with
pistols
and
rifles. t wasn t
long before forward -
firing
machine guns
were
be
ing
installed and dogfighting appeared on the scene.
The French hit on the idea of attaching steel deflector
plates to the rear sides of propeller blades to keep bul-
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Left-
The low
aspect ratio
of
the
1919
Huntington gave a
wing chord of
54
inches
and
put the front
and
rear spars
fa
r enough apart to give an ample cockpit opening. Be-
low
right The
Heath Baby Bullet of
1928
used the thin
St.
Cyr
airfoil
for
speed.
The
rear
spa
r
had
to
be
well
for-
ward of the trailing edge to get the needed depth,
so
its
spars were only 17 inches apart. The cockpit was thus
positioned aft of the rear spar At 5 feet 2 inches
and 110
pounds
, the slight
Ed
Heath balanced the 95-pound
Bris-
tol Cherub
in
the nose. If a larger person tried to fly it , it
would probably have been tail heavy. Reproductions of
early race planes are not
for
unskilled pilots
lets from "sawing" the blades off . The
Germans
cap
tured
one
of these planes; Tony Fokker studied it and
came up
with
a mechanical
interrupter
gear to do
the
job more effectively.
The Eindecker did not have ailerons but relied on
somewhat sluggish wing
warping.
But its ability to
shoot down
Allied aircraft
prompted
the Allies to de
velop pusher-type fighters
with
steady-firing
machine
guns
in
their noses. They
had
ailerons
and
rolled faster
than
the Eindecker. So the Germans replaced it with
the
aileron-equipped Albatros and
other
biplanes.
When an
airplane
is
subjected
to violent maneu
vering, aileron loads can apply great stresses to wing
structures. This is
what prompted fighter
construc
tors on both sides to adopt the biplane
configura
tion. But it should
be mentioned that
as
the
war
progressed, the British
developed the midwing
Bris
tol Bullet, a monoplane that
could
attain
130
mph
on
the 110-hp
LeRhone
engine. So
wary
were
the
British
aviation
people of
monoplanes, however,
that
they shipped
these
admirable midwings to
the
Middle East for use
in observation
and communica
tion work rather than in dogfighting.
monoplane.
As it first flew in August of 1918, it never
reached
the
front. But its performance made mili
tary people really take notice. The
monoplane
design
called for significantly fewer parts, was lighter,
had
less drag, and did a very respectable 143 mph
with
a
300-hp Hispano-Suiza
in
the nose.
The
pilot had a good
forward
view
between the
banks
of
the
V 8 engine.
Large
openings
in
the
fuse
lage sides just below the wings afforded him a better
view below
than he
could get
in
a biplane. Cutouts
in
the
wing trailing
edges
at
the roots gave the
gunner
good
downward
vision.
And here's an important point. Pilots don t vary
in
height
all that
much when standing
up,
and
even less
when sitting
down.
In a
plane of
the Loening M-8's
size it was easy to seat occupants so that only their
heads
projected
above the cockpit rims. But when a
pilot of
average size gets
into
the
cockpit of
a small
sportplane having a normally
shallow
fuselage, not
only his head but also his
shoulders,
arms,
and
up
per
body
will stick
up into
the airstream. He'll be cold
on a chilly day, and his form will add significantly
to
his low-powered ship's air resistance. When doodling
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The English Short Satellite of
1924
had
an
aluminum monocoque fuselage of oval cross-section. Its midwing
design gave a clean juncture of wing roots to fuselage. To get a fair takeoff and climb on the 32-hp Bristol
Cherub, a 34-foot span wing was used. A small propeller led
to
a short landing gear. If this had been a low
wing, the wingtips would have scraped the ground often. Downward visibility from the front cockpit obvi
ously was good.
Built at Defiance, Ohio, the Simplex Red Arrow, left, seated two side-by-side. From Downey, California, the
Emsco B-7, right, seated two in tandem. One sometimes has
to
do a lot of thinking
to
figure out what advan
tages some designers saw in the midwing configuration. Looking at the relationship between the cockpit
openings and wing roots of these two ships, one can wonder how each fared as regards turbulence and tail
surface buffeting. Simplex is described
on
page
3 7
of the
1929
edition of Jane s All the World s Aircraft,
and
Emsco on page
274
of the 193 edition. See also volumes 3 and 5 of Juptner s U.S. Civil Aircraft. m-
sco wheel p nts were made of welded steel tube frames covered with fabric. They were quick and easy to
make, but water splashing into the pants rusted the frames.
airfoils were more
efficient
than the
old thin ones.
Their thickness meant that deeper spars could now be
used,
which in
turn led to a reduction
in
the amount
of
external bracing and parasite drag.
Another aspect of the relationship between pilot
and aircraft size is the matter
of
cockpit size in mid
wings. An accompanying drawing
shows
the Heath
Baby Bullet of 1928. In a
typical
midwing the front
ual. (Call 1-800-564-6322 or
visit
the E store at
http://Shap.EAA .arg.
Fortunately,
in
larger and more typical sportplanes
the distance between front and
rear
spars tends to
be around 25 to
30
inches. That provides cockpits
of
more acceptable, safer, and more
comfortable
front
to-back
length.
Sight should not be lost
of
the fact that tapered
http://shap.eaa/http://shap.eaa/http://shap.eaa/http://shap.eaa/
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Drive one.
Drive Qua
ity.
2010
Mustang: Redefining Thrill
Ride
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BY ROBERT G. LOCK
Critical
inspection
items
I sent
out
e-mails to various Travel
Air Restorers
Association (TARA)
members asking for input
into
what
they
felt
were
critical inspection
items. Thus far I have received three
responses. I
am
looking for
com
mon
threads
that
may
run
through
the
lists. My task was to
compile
a
list of 10 critical items, publish
that
list in TARA s newsletter,
and
then
add to the list as
other
concerns ap
pear. These additional concerns can
be added at a later date,
but
I
want
to get things going.
We
will only be
helping ourselves by getting informa
tion
like this out to members now.
By publishing these critical inspec
tion
items and proactively address
ing them during maintenance, there
should be little or
no
need for future
airworthiness directives (AD) notes on
these old airplanes. In
other
words,
the Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA)
is allowing us to police our
own airplanes for critical airworthi
ness issues. I think that is much better
than
facing possible future AD notes.
While this list is specific to the Travel
further information,
contact
the
Travel Air Restorers Association.
The
following is
quoted from
Phil Wyels.
There are
no airworthiness di
rectives listed in FAR
Part
39 ap
plicable
to the
Travel Air
or
Curtiss
Wright
Travel Air.
There were
the
equivalent of today's
AD
notes
is
sued by the CAA . These were titled
airworthiness
maintenance bulle
tins. The three
of which
the writer
has a copy are:
Bulletin 8 dated 4-11-39. Subject:
Wing
to
center section spar fitting;
early
model
2000, 3000, and 4000
with single vertical bolt.
Bulletin
30
dated 7-13-40. Sub
ject:
Axle inspection and rein
forcement; B series with outrigger
landing gear.
Bulletin Sl dated 6-10-41. Sub
ject: Rear safety belt
attachment;
applies
to
all Travel Air aircraft.
The
CAA
also issued a
document
titled Changes in Aircraft Specifi
cation which in later issues were
of the
opinion
that
these
should
be
treated the same
as
a recurring AD.
MODEL
ATC
SPECIAL NOTES
0-4-0 2-178
11
6-8
352 2
10-0 278 12
12-K 406
10,19,21
12-Q 401
10 , 12 , 19,21
12-W 407 10,12,19,21
A-14-0 442 12
15-C
426 22
16-E 463
10,17,19, 21
16-K
411 10,19,21
16-W 429 10,19,21
2000 30 11,20,23
2000 2-42
11,20,23
SC-2000 111
11,20
, 23
2000-T
2-368
9, 11, 20, 23
3000 31 9, 11 , 23
4000
32
9, 11 , 20 , 23
A-4000
148
11,20
, 23
8-4000 146
11,13,20,23
89-4000 2-381
11 , 13 , 20 , 23
C-4000 149
9,11 , 20 , 23
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Periodic
(Annual)
Inspection
Required for the Following Notes:
SPECIAL NOTE 2:
November
5,
1930 . Open fabric
under
fuselage
or remove
floorboard and check
for failure
of dual
control column
socket.
SPECIAL NOTE 9:
February
18,
1938. On airplanes
equipped
with
Bendix 30-by-5 inch wheels, de
termine
that the hub
cap bolt ex
tends through
outboard wheel
adapter
and
axle proper;
or
in
case
axle tube is short and hub cap
bolt goes through
wheel
adapter
only, make sure that the
adapter
is
welded to
the
axle proper
around
the entire
circumference
instead
of by
only
a few spot welds, as
found
in
the field.
SPECIAL NOTE 10:
October
20,
1938. Inspect U-shaped
center
sec
tion diagonal wire fitting at upper
front
spar for cracks
at
the base
of
the flange. Faulty fittings must
be
replaced and defects reported on
the
usual form.
SPECIAL NOTE 11:
October
20,
1938, revised March 6, 1939, and
June
15, 1940. Ascertain
that
in
spection
has
been made
and
en
try has been made in logbook
in
accordance with
Airworthi
ness Maintenance
Bulletin No.8.
(Model
0-4-0 added September
10, 1940).
• Inspect the stabilizer connect
ing
tube forward through the bolt
attachment for off-center location
these
wheels
with
the
weight
re
moved for side play wobble.
• Check the stabilizer adjust
ment lever for positive seating of
the pin
in
the quadrant slot when
plunger
is
released
.
This
check
should be performed
under
simu
lated air loads
on
stabilizer.
SPECIAL NOTE 12: January 7
1939. Ascertain that the inspec
tion and safetying
of
the shock
absorbers has been accomplished
in accordance
with Maintenance
Bulletin
No.4.
A copy of this bul
letin
has been forwarded to
all
owners and inspectors.
SPECIAL NOTE 13 : March 23,
1939 . Inspect the aileron hinge
bracket
on
the
wing for cracks
in
the
vicinity
of hinge pin
lugs.
The
ailerons
should be removed to
fa
cilitate
this inspection.
In case de
fects are found,
brackets
must
be
replaced with stiffer
ones,
prefer
ably made from 0.065-inch thick
X4130 steel.
SPECIAL
NOTE 17:
July
31,
1940. Ascertain
that
the shock ab
sorbers
piston head
and packing
gland
nut of the cylinder
are safe
tied
in a
positive
manner.
In
this
connection,
Airworthiness
Main
tenance
Bulletin
No.4 should be
considered as also
applying to
the
Model 16-E.
SPECIAL NOTE 18: July 31,
1940. Ascertain that the
logbook
carries
a record of inspection or
SPECIAL NOTE 20:
November
22,
1940.
On airplanes with de
tachable
engine mounts,
inspect
the engine mount members for
cracks
in the vicinity of
the at
tachment
fitting
to the
fuselage. In
case defects are found,
the
entire
end fitting should be replaced.
SPECIAL NOTE 21: February 3,
1941. Inspect the stabilizer front
spar for cracks in the
vicinity
of
the
root
ribs. If defects are found,
repair
and
reinforce with out
side sleeve (1-1/4 by 0 .049 inch
X4130).
SPECIAL NOTE 22 : May 2,
1941. Ascertain that portions of
the
exhaust
collector
rings
inside
of
the
cowling are shielded from
the
engine
accessories compart
ment
by
means
of
baffles
extend
ing
from
the
engine ring to the
inside periphery
of
the cowling.
Such baffles
were originally in
stalled
by the
manufacturer,
and
their removal is prohibited. The
original engine
mount
ring is
provided with
drilled holes
for
the insertion of such baffles, and
the engine cowling is provided
with exits
for the
cooling air,
which impinges
against the re
quired baffles.
SPECIAL NOTE 23:
July
7 1941.
Ascertain that the rear safety
belt
installation is revised
in
accor
dance with Airworthiness Mainte
nance Bulletin
No.5
1.
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internally. Check the lower por
tion of the tail post, both lon
gerons in the last bay, and the
elevator
torque
tube. These have
been
areas
where
moisture
accu
mulates.
Punch
test
the
tube at
I-inch intervals using
a
Maule
fabric
tester
or
an
ice pick.
f
your Travel Air
has pulleys
installed in
a control
system, in
spect the pulleys
for
wear in the
groove and the cable
for broken
strands where
i t rides on
the
pul
ley. (AN
type pulleys
presently
may not
be used
in
a control sys
tem
where
the bend
in control
ca
ble is
more
than
30
degrees. Prior
to 1941, a 2-7/8-inch
pulley could
be used.)
I f
your Travel Air still
has
return springs attached to the
rudder
pedals,
they should
be
in
spected for
grooving at the
attach
points
and for rust corrosion.
And
now a
list
as prepared by
Bob Lock:
Critical Inspection
Items for
Travel Air Airplanes:
•
Structural Considerations:
All
major
attachment
points
for
security and
cracks. Streamline
wires for
correct
tension (loose
ness could
indicate
possible in
ternal s tructural problems) .
Wood deterioration, particularly
lower
wings at Wing-walk trailing
edge . Any suspicious wrinkles
in
fabric
at any
location
could
mean
possible
internal prob
lems.
Landing
gear
attach points
for
wear/cracks. Shock cords
for
condition
(replace cords before
cessive looseness (slop) from cock
pit control to
surface.
Push/pull
tubes
and
cables for
wear/damage
(always set/check
cable tensions
with
surface
in
neutral
position).
Lube all
hinge points
.
• Fuel System: Evidence
of
leaks
and chafing
of fuel lines. Positive
movement of selector/shut-off
valve.
No
fuel flow
with
valve(s)
in
OFF
position.
• Oil System: Leaks and
chafing
of lines.
Tank hold-down
straps
for
security and
cracks. Hoses
for cracking/deterioration and
clamps tight.
• Engine Controls: Full
range of
travel
and spring
back
on
cock
pit control
when
stop is
reached.
Condition
of
control
ends
. Elimi
nate any
excess movement.
Carb
heat
for
proper operation and
condition
of
air filter.
•
Main
wheels: Closely inspect
Bendix
30-by-S
wheels
for cracks
or loose rivets . It will be necessary
to jack
aircraft,
deflate
tire, and
break bead . Move
the
tire bead
in
to
inspect
rivet heads around
rim. It's a
pain to do this
but
well
worth
the
effort
i f
loose rivets or
cracks are
found.
Also check inner
and outer
spinnings
for
dents
or
other damage.
•
Tail Wheel
, Steering/Lock
ing: Tire for
correct
inflation and
check
wear
pattern.
Steerable
as
sembly:
Check
for positive
move
ment with rudder, springs snug,
positive locking
in
trail posi
tion.
Locking assembly:
Check
for
positive lock/unlock, shock strut
condition.
• Hydraulic: Leaks,
correct
fluid
type used
for
servicing
,
return springs,
lubrication
of moving parts,
condition
of lining
and
drums
(check
for
out-of-round; if
they're
out-of-round,
the
brakes
may
grab ).
This
commences
our listing
of
the most
critical
inspection items
on
Travel Air
and Curtiss-Wright
Travel
Air
aircraft
.
The list
will
expand with time, and we
will
continue to publish the data
as
it
is received
and compiled. My
thanks go to
Phil
Wyels for
his
in
put into
this column. Any owner/
operators, mechanics, or
inspec
tors are encouraged to file your
list of critical
inspection
items
for Travel Air
airplanes.
You may
send
the
lists to
the
association,
and
the
lists will find their way
to
me.
Thanks
in
advance for all
your
help in
keeping
owners,
pi
lots,
and our
aircraft
safe. I f you
have a task
that
you feel is a criti
cal
inspection item
on
a
different
type of
aircraft,
and you
think it's
generic
to most other
vintage
air
planes,
send it
along.
Also
included
in this
article
is
an
example
of an old CAA airwor
thiness maintenance inspection
notes
dated
November
6, 1942. It
concerns Command-Aire
Model
C aircraft and is signed
by
the
ship's original
deSigner, Albert
A.
Vollmecke.
Note
that
Albert was
division chief of the CAA (later
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8/20/2019 Vintage Airplane - Apr 2009
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aSH
1
The recommended speed for maximum aviation enjoyment.
2
Optimum dream lift off speed.
3
The designated speed for
stress retraction.
4
The speed at which Oshkosh comes each
year. See also: www airventure org
http:///reader/full/www.airventure.orghttp:///reader/full/www.airventure.org
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BY DOUG
STEW RT
Soft-field
techniques
For
most pilots the arrival of spring
is
a joyous occasion. By the time the
temperatures start
to
moderate, the
burdens of winter operations have,
at
least for folks like me, who are
in their vint ge years, become very
old. Unless you reside
in
places like
Florida, Arizona, or Southern Cali
fornia, by
the
time spring beckons,
you are most likely tired of having
to bundle up to
the point
of immo
bility
to
be comfortable while you
preflight your airplane. You are prob
ably weary of having to preheat
not
only the engine but
also
the
cock
pit of your airplane. Perhaps you' re
ready to scream if you have to de-ice
your airplane
one
more time before
you can go flying.
With
the
advent
of spring,
you
no
longer notice the lack of warmth
that the
primitive heating system of
your pride
and
joy failed to deliver.
Now that you no longer have to wear
those felt-pac boots, your feet can fi-
nally renew their acquaintance with
the
rudder pedals that for the past
But now, as
the
temperatures
start
to
warm
up and
the frost goes out
of
the
ground, that runway can
turn
into a quagmire.
It
is quite possible that there might
potentially be a week or two when
the
runway
will
become unusable
,
spring
does
present a few
challenges
especially
if your
airport is located in
a
northern clime.
because it
is
so soft that even taxi
the
moment you begin to taxi until
you apply full takeoff power and be
gin your takeoff roll. When dealing
with those conditions it would be
best if you have completed your run
up and before-takeoff checks prior to
starting your taxi.
If
you are not sure of
the
proper
soft-field takeoff
configuration
for
your airplane, refer to
the
pilot's op
erating handbook (if
one
indeed ex
ists for your airplane) to find out. For
most airplanes with flaps it
is
typical
to have anywhere from 10 to
S
de
grees of flaps deployed,
which
will
aid you in getting airborne as quickly
as
possible.
Regardless of whether you are
fly-
ing a tricycle-gear or a tailwheel air
plane, you will need to maintain full
back-pressure on the stick
or
yoke
all the time you are taxiing. In the
case of
the
nosedragger, you are en
deavoring
to keep the nose
wheel
as light as possible,
thus
keeping
it from sucking
into the
muck
and
bringing you to a stop.
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33/44
ping. Don't ever re lax pressure on the
stick
as
you smoothly apply
full
take
off power. Remember,
our
purpose
here is to get
into
the air as quickly
as
possible. No matter where
the
lit
tle wheel
is
, either front or back, we
have
to
keep the stick all the way
back as we start the takeoff roll.
In
the
case of
the
tricycle-geared
airplan
e, we want
to
get the nose
wheel out of the muck
and
mire as
quickly as possible. As we accelerate,
we
will need to slowly relax the back
pressure once
the
nose wheel starts
to lift, and then
maintain the
same
pitch attitude that
keeps the nose
wheel just off
the
ground, until we
lift off.
Once we lift off, we
now
have to
level off and accelerate while we are
still in ground effect. I f we don t re
lax pressure
on the
yoke, reducing
the angle of attack, the possibility is
high you will climb out of
ground
effect, stall,
and
find yourself back
in the mire. Once
Vx (if obstacles are
present) or
Vy
speed
is
achieved,
the
rest of the climb-out is the same as
for any other takeoff.
But as
the
old saying goes:
what
goes up must come down, and so
we
now have to deal with landing back
on
this sodden piece of terra not-so
firma. As l
ong as
we use the proper
techniques, there is no need for terror
of the un-firma. The important thing
to
remember here is
that
it is neces
sary to keep the approach speed slow,
no
faster than 1.3 times V
o and
to
touch down
as
lightly
as
possible.
It
might be necessary to
fly
a steep
approach if obstacles are present.
Even if
there
are no obstacles, it
is
easier
to
fly a slow, steep
approach
than it is
to
drag it in slowly on a
low approach.
Either
way,
just
be
sure
to
be lion target
on
speed.
Many pilots will add just a
touch
of
power
as
they
break
the
glide
and
dissipate
the energy. Keeping
the
nose high, they cut the power just
as
the
main
wheels
touch
down. This
allows
them
the soft touchdown
that
is needed. (In many ways this
is
very
similar to
the
glassy water landing
of a seaplane.)
But it
ain t
over 'til it's over,
as
Yogi Berra used to say, and the fat
lady
hasn t
even cleared
her throat
yet. Unless you want to be clearing
the
throat of your airplane, it is im
perative
that
you keep the stick all
the
way back, keeping the nose wheel
out
of the mud (or
the
airplane from
nosing over, if the little wheel is
in
the back) for as long as possible. It
might very well be possible
that
you
will need to add some power to keep
the
taxi roll going.
So
there are
the
techniques for a
soft-field takeoff and
landing
. But
then
I have to ask how many of
you are ever going to operate into
or
out
of an
airport that
is
really
that soft? How many of you are ea
ger to coat your beautiful bird with
a layer of slime and goo? In fact
i t
is
quite possible
that the
only time you
will use these techniques is during a
flight review, or practical test. Unfor
continued on page 9
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8/20/2019 Vintage Airplane - Apr 2009
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BY
H.G. FRAUTSCHY
THIS MONTH'S MYSTERY PLANE COMES
TO
US FROM A SUGGESTION
Y W S
SMITH.
Send your answer to
EAA
Vintage
Airplane
P.O.
Box
You
can also send your response via.e-mail. Send your
3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Your answer needs
answer to [email protected] . Be sure to include your
to be in no later th n May 15 for inclusion in the July name plus your city and state in the body of your note
2009 issue of Vintage
Airplane.
and put (Month) Mystery Plane in the subject line.
JANUARY'S MYSTERY
ANSWER
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8/20/2019 Vintage Airplane - Apr 2009
35/44
We didn t get a
single
correct
answer
for the January
Mystery
Plane.
A
few folks
wondered
i f
it was a Ryan Brougham, but it s
not.
I t is the 19Z8
Neilsen
Steel
Aircraft
Company s Golden
Bear,
X883E, which www Aerofiles
om
also refers
to as the NC-l,
or Coach. On
the Aerofiles site,
there 's a
photo
of
the NC-l
cred
ited to
William
T
Larkins. There's
also an intriguing entry attrib
uted
to Richard Korman:
"Destroyed
by
an
angry crowd
at
a
thrill
show
at
Oakland
Speedway
in
August 1939
after
its
performance failed to
meet
their
expectations
. A
second one, with
300-hp WrightJ-6,
was
reportedly
under construction
at
the
time,
but
its history is
unknown
. Fac
tory was at
Berkeley
's
then-new
airport by
San Francisco Bay."
Destroyed
by an angry
crowd?
Wow By
then
the
airplane,
a
smaller Ryan Brougham
look
alike, was
10
years
old.
I
wonder
what they
expected?
I f any of our
West Coast members can add to
this
story,
we d love to share it
with the rest of the membership.
Powered by the 130-hp Comet
D seven-cylinder radial, the 37
l iZ foot wingspan carried a useful
load of 800
pounds.
The
Comet
engine was built in a plant next
to the
Gisholt
Machine Company
in Madison , Wisconsin, after the
Comet Engine Corporation
was
GET THE SKILLS
TO GET
IT
BUILT
GET YOUR HOMEBUILDING PROJEa OFF THE GROUND
BY
SIGNING
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FOR
EAA'S SPORTAIR
WORKSHOPS
BEGINS DURATION
COURSE DESCRIPTION
LOCATION
April4-S
2
days
Composite Construdion
,
Eledri(al
Systems
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Your
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May
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2
days
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-
8/20/2019 Vintage Airplane - Apr 2009
36/44
An Ethanol Test
Kit
Making certain your fuel isn't tainted with alcohol
Recently, here
in
the northwest
ern United States, I paid
$5.53
a
gallon for 100LL avgas for
my
air
plane.
Years ago I had obtained a
supplemental type certificate (STC)
for
using
auto fuel
in my airplane
engine. My engine is a
Continental
0-300A
and
was
designed
to
run
on 80/87 avgas,
which
is
no
longer
available. During 35 years of flying
in
the
Alaskan bush,
self-fueling
was a way of life for me because i f
you
don't
self-fuel,
you
won't
get
far from
your
local airstrip
Several
knowledgeable
sources
recommend using a mixture
of
widely available
100LL
and
auto
fuel for
these older
engines ow
ing to
the
problem of
spark
plug
fouling or lead
deposits from
the
high
lead
content
in
lOOLL. Earl
Lawrence,
EAA's
vice
president
of industry and
regulatory
affairs
and an
engineer
who has
been
in
volved
in EAA s fuel STC program
for
many
years, tells us
that
a
75
percent
autogas/25
percent
100LL
mix approximates
the
maximum
lead level allowed
in the
old 80/87
avgas
(when using
the
tetraethyl
lead
levels as
specified in ASTM
specification D9lO).
BY IRVEN
F
PALMER JR.
The present
administration's
en
ergy poliCies require
the
increased
production
of ethanol from
corn .
Even with EAA s
constant
push
to
keep
at
least
one
grade of
auto
fuel
ethanol-free, ethanol
will find its
way in
increasing
amounts into
our
auto gasoline
supply.
Since
the
regulations
can
also be locally
driven, across the
United States
the requirements for use vary from
optional to
must have in
all
grades. In
the distant
past, etha
nol
had
been mixed with
gasoline
during the winter months
to
help
improve air
quality.
With
the in
creased price of a barrel of oil, we
will see an increased use of ethanol
in
our
auto fuel supplies all year
long and, unfortunately, in some
states,
in
all
auto
fuels. Given
the
current trend in fuel
production,
the
price
of
both autogas
and
av
gas is probably only going to get
worse over the
long
run.
Chemically,
ethyl alcohol, the
main
ingredient in ethanol
, is
completely miscible with water;
that
means it
is
capable of
being
mixed
in
all
proportions with
wa
ter, and it does
this
almost imme
diately
when the two liquids are
brought together.
The other
prop
erty of
ethanol
that is of
most
con
cern to us
it
that
it degrades or
corrodes
airplane
fuel
lines,
fuel
injectors,
and
carburetors.
The
problem
for us aviators is
that
in its
normal state, you can
not visually detect if
any ethanol
is
in the
auto
fuel.
f
you
plan to
use
unleaded auto
fuel in
your
supple
mental type certificated airplane,
or are considering getting an STC
owing to
high
avgas fuel prices,
you
must check
the
fuel to be cer
tain
it does
not contain ethanol.
That
brings
us to the
little
eth
anol-in-fuel test kit . I
know many
of you have
seen
the label
on
the
fuel pump, but are
you willing
to
trust
your airplane and your per
sonal well
being to
a 10-cent label
on a
pump at
Joe's Mini-Mart? Test
your
auto fuel, and be sure it's not
modified
with
ethanol
The Test it
Here's what you do. Buy some ol
ives or pickles or some
other
prod
uct that
comes
in
a small, tall glass
bottle. Empty the
contents.
Rinse
out
the
jar
and dry
it. Take a per
manent ink
marker
or black
paint
lt
to
ClJ. o f tlta
9J9 oVa tlona / c1El C d { p . C a ~
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lf you see labels such as these on
auto
fuel pumps, do
NOT
use
that
gasoline in your airplane.
and
carefully
mark
a
line
around
the bottle about
a
quarter
or
third
of the
way
up
from the bottom.
An ultra-fine-point Sharpie marker
works great for
this. You
are now
ready to tell if
any
of your
auto
fuel
has ethanol. First, of course, you'll
need
a
water
source, so get your
self
some of
the
ubiquitous sma
ll
water bottles that are available ev
erywhere,
and
buy
a small syringe .
Now go
to your
favorite auto fuel
station that does not have an eth
a
nol label (of course) and buy
your
auto fuel.
I
use self-venting
5
gallon
containers to
fuel my auto
fuel STC'd Cessna 170.
The Test
Carefully pour
water into
your
marked bottle until the
water
just
touches
the
marked line. Now us
ing a bulb syringe, or basting bulb,
transfer
enough
gasoline from your
S-gallon
auto
fuel
container into
your marked bottle. Put
on the
cap
and shake well. Then let
the
fluid
settle. I f there is no ethanol
in
the
gasoline,
the water in
your
little
The
only in-depth
DVD
Story
of
the
1939
National
Air
Races
available
• A90 min., in-depth , narrated story
•
Includes
45
min . of outstanding COLOR film
• Also , 300 archival
photos
Military
aerial maneuvers
• Thompson , Greve, and
Bendix
Races
Aerobatic acts,
it's all
here
0 .
Only 52 8 .95
+
5&R
~ o
l-888-NAR-8886
ww.NationaIAirRaces.net
gerou
s.
There are a few precautions
you should take i f you
intend
to
fuel your
own
airplane. A few safety
steps are
as
follows:
• First check with
your
local air
port
officials
to
see if self-fueling
is
allowed.
• Use a