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MENTOR MONITORPublished by the T-34 Association, Inc. December 2015, number 136, $9.95

Ramblings f�om the editorTerry Brennan

MENTOR MONITOR

T-34 Association Board of Directors

Charlie Nogle, Chairman of the board Illinois, (217) 356-3063

Billy Smith, President ’17 Maryland, (443) 286-7068 [email protected]

Dan Blackwell Jr., VP, ’17 Pennsylvania, (724) 379-8628, [email protected]

Todd McCutchan, Secretary, ‘18 Arizona, (260) 402-1740 [email protected]

Joe Enzminger, ’16 Texas, (512) 970-0873, [email protected]

Jud Nogle, Treasurer, ’18 Illinois, (217) 253-4342, [email protected]

Bill Cherwin, ’17 Illinois, (815) 356-9041,

[email protected]

Julie Clark, ’16 California, (530) 677-0634

[email protected]

Curtis Boulware, ‘16 Florida, (386) 427-2921 [email protected]

Terry Brennan ‘18 California (253) 509-4662 [email protected]

Tim Kolp (at large) ‘16 Tennessee

[email protected]

Steve Smith (at large) ‘16 Maryland [email protected]

December 2015 MENTOR MONITOR page 2

December 2015

During the first couple weeks ofNovember, I had written several notesto the membership on the chat listasking, pleading, begging, for editorialcontributions for the December“Mentor Monitor.”

A few of you, most who often do, stepped up and contributed agood deal of what you will find in this issue. I understand that not allof our members are gifted writers or photographers but, we are notlooking for perfection in the publication sense but rather a collection ofinteresting stories, photos, experiences and other tidbits that deal withthe T-34 aircraft and our many good friends who fly them. There isnothing in that category that will bore anyone who is a dues payingmember, I can assure you.

And, if you read my notes and said to yourself that someone elsewill step up and send something in, that no one will miss myparticipation. It isn’t so. If everyone felt that way we would be readingre-runs from twenty-five years ago.

Don’t own an airplane and feel you have nothing to offer? Writeme a letter and tell all of us why you paid your dues to join this club.We’d all like to know why. Tell us what you are looking for in futureissues and we will work to make it happen. This is your associationand your magazine. Please help to make it better by contributing.Everyone has something to say and we look forward to hearing fromyou for your March 2016, input.

It is amazing and extremely gratifying to see the recent outpouringof patriotism surrounding the sunset of an era that nowadays supportsonly a relative handful of WWII vets. Many of our members, andcertainly many others from the warbird community nationwide,participated in memorial flights, missing man ceremonies, and paradesacross the county over the Veteran’s Day holiday in honor of thosebrave men from the “greatest generation.” They served their countryproudly and with the greatest of humility, asking for nothing in return,It is then, often surprising to them that they find themselves in thespotlight at the these events, more likely to be embarrassed by thanexpectant of the adulation.

I have a favorite story that I tell of one such hero. His name wasJerry Coleman. Old time baseball fans may recognize the name as thatbelonging to the gifted second baseman who played during the NewYork Yankees golden years between 1949 and the Korean War. Jerrywas good. He won the series MVP award in 1950 and helped his

(Cover photo) Lou Fischer’s T-34strikes a beautiful contrast with abackground of muddy grey earth. Lou’sairplane is for sale. Check out thedetails in the Mentor marketplacE ad onpage 34. Photo courtesy of Lou Fischer.

(Continued on page 6)

mailto:[email protected]
















The President’s Message


In This IssueRamblings Terry Brennan..…………………………2

Presindentss Message Billy Smith…….….….….………………3

Should Four Join on Three Billy Smith………………………………4

Mentors West Michael Maloco………………………..5

Tech Notes Dan Blackwell………………………….7

Mountain Mayhem Michael Maloco………………………..8

The Danger of CO in the Pit Dan Blackwell………………………….9

Canopy Care Mark Banovetz……………………… 12

Hooligan Summer Tom Hibiskie…………………………..14When Pigs Fly South Skip Aldous…………………………….17

The General Came to Texas Rob Parrish……………………………20

Honor Flight Service Paul Walter……………………………22

Missing Man discussion Brennan, Cherwind, Walter…………23

The Charlies are Coming Dan Blackwell, Kevin Clark…………27

Worth Repeating Terry Brennan…………………………32

Billy “Smitty” Smith

Season’s Greetings and Happy Holidays to everyone!

By now, those of us in the colder climates are anxiouslylooking for those days when the temps are warm enough tobrave the elements to go flying. Of course, those living whereit’s warm year round are sticking their tongues out at the restof us. Whether you fly during this time of year or not, thereare other ways to keep your aviation “bag-of-tricks” full. One of the things I do during my off-season is to re-readthe entire Flight Manual for my T-34. I have a “B” model, sothis means the USN NATOPS is my bible. I start at the frontcover and go through every section. A lot can be discountedas I do not have the original engine or avionics. This reviewalso includes the FAA Approved Flight Manual, whichconsists of just a few pages. I am always amazed at how muchI forget about the plane each year. Some years, when I amreally ambitious, I will read the “A” model Dash – 1 too.While the systems are essentially the same, the USAF andUSN had different limits applied for some components. Don’tforget to review the different operating guidance for yourspecific STCs as well. Once I have that bit of studying done, I move on to areview of ALL the different sources we have for formationflying. I begin with the FAST guidance, as they set thestandard. Next I review the T-34 Formation Flying Manual.Once satisfied I have a grip on those documents, I willconduct a review of the Formation Pilot’s Knowledge Guide(FKG). Some of you are members of additional FASTSignatories and a review of their documents is also warranted.While the physics of flying airplanes in formation doesn’tchange with different types, the rules set out by each FASTSignatory might be different. Now, if I am still looking for things to read about T-34’s, Iwill find some system and learn as much as I can about themaintenance of that system. I have a couple of old militarymaintenance manuals from the USAF/USN and they are fullof great info about how the military worked on these planes. So, if you are able to fly all year, enjoy the weather andyour planes. If you are “grounded” by the season, don’t let therust build up on you as well. Stay sharp!


















At a fly-in recently, I had theopportunity to get in a littleformation flying as a Wingman.During a straight ahead rejoinwith me as Number Three, myGIB tells me that “Four hasjoined on us”. The timing wasnot good…I was just beginningto reduce power (drastically) tokill the overtake, as I had beenpretty aggressive with myairspeed. The result was forcingNumber Four into a slightovershoot situation, which hehandled well.

I’m not sure where this concept originated…there isnothing in any basic formation flying document I can finddescribing this maneuver (civilian or military). With theexception of the Military Demonstration Teams (USAFThunderbirds and the Navy Blue Angels), neither theUSAF nor the USN conduct basic formation Rejoins in thismanner. It is important from a safety standpoint for each airplaneto be free to conduct his own Rejoin without having to beconcerned with another plane joining on them at the sametime. The slight exception is for a rejoin afteraccomplishing a formation take-off, but then Number Fouris already joined…and not rejoining. So, why is this unsafe? For starters, the highest potentialfor a mid-air collision exists within a formation,particularly during Rejoins. The military has proven thistime and time again, unfortunately. Each pilot must be ableto take whatever action is required to maneuver his aircraftinto a position to complete the Rejoin. If a Wingman joinson the preceding aircraft prior to that aircraft joining on theFlight, some of that latitude for maneuvering is now takenaway. Additionally, once Number Four has joined onThree, Four is now focused with stationkeeping on anairplane that could be maneuvering pretty aggressively.

This is potentially unsafe for Number Four too. If Four isclosing fast on Three and Three suddenly banks into Fourto arrest a closure problem…well now, Four has a face fullof T-34 and not a lot “outs”. Now some of you will say, “I simply announce “Four’sjoined on Three” and then it’s Ok.” Here’s why it is not“Ok”. The main focus of the Rejoin is to get the Flight backtogether expeditiously. Let’s say Number Three is doingpretty good job on his Rejoin, but is beginning to get acute.Just as he’s about to make an adjustment to correct this, hehears “Four’s joined on Three”. Not only is this anunwanted distraction, but now Number Three is handcuffedwith how much maneuvering he can do to fix the Rejoinissue. He may well end up in an Overshoot because he’sunsure of his maneuvering envelope. Does this make theRejoin more… or less expeditious? Each pilot should bededicating almost all of his attention to working the anglesof his Rejoin and not focusing on whether or not anotherWingman is going to join early. Now, there are several situations where Four would bein a position to “catch” Number Three during a Rejoin.These range from Number Three being slow to get on theLine, slow to close, or geometry. Four might simply becloser to Lead once maneuvering ceases (Extended Trail).The fix?...Four just has to be patient and let the Flight’sRejoin develop. The debrief is the place to address bettertechniques for conducting an expeditious Rejoin. Here is what the Formation Pilot’s Knowledge Guidesays about Four-Ship Rejoins. This mirrors the guidancefound in military publications.

“Turning Rejoin: If you have closed with number 3during the approach to the lead element, remain 2-4 shipwidths (loose route) away, and follow three as he/she“takes you aboard”. This may require you to reduce speedslightly as you are flying a slightly smaller turn circlethan number 3.”

Billy Smith

“Straight Ahead Rejoin: Always join to the side oppositeof number 2, on number 3’s wing, and maintain aminimum of two to four ship-widths clearance on number3 until number 3 is stabilized in route.”

Bottom line – There is no sound reason for the Rejoin tofollow any other progression than for each member of theFlight to join up independently. This keeps itexpeditious…and SAFE!

Billy Smith

Should Four Join on Three?


I’m going to break this article downinto five parts. I hope I won’t bore youbut there were many facets to thisweekend. So hold tight, here we go.

Mentors West.

Putting on one of these events doesn’thappen overnight, it takes months ofmeetings, planning and many hours ofwork by those people trying to put anevent together.

Such was the case with MentorsWest. Back in June I sent out a feeler to see ifthere was enough interest to even goahead with the planning.Right off the bat we received 16 E-mailssaying, yes I’ll be there. Wow, that’sincredible. But alas after all the hard work ofmainly two people, Mike “Donut” Hohls& Werner” Mule” Holderied when theday came, besides the two T-34’s that arebased at KCMA, we had two aircraft. Letme say that again, we had two aircraft.Terry Norbraten, came in from Monterey,and Rich Martindell came in fromwhat used to be March AFB.

Friday morning, undeterred by thepoor attendance, we set about going outand flying. The winds that morning were5 to 10 degrees off the nose, 18 gusting to25, so we decided to head off shore andsure enough over the ocean we had air assmooth as glass, which allowed us to dosome needed formation work.

Coming back into the airport and againover land we had the “you know what”kicked out of us. Winds had picked upeven more but luckily they were now

directly down the runway.With the winds that

bad the afternoon flyingwas cancelled.Ron Alldredge and TerryBrennan now joined ourlittle group.Now some of you may beasking why Red Stars wasnot invited. Goodquestion, we wanted to getsome of the kinks workedout, before we open it upto a larger group. I can tellyou we’ve already

committed that Red Stars will be invitednext year.

(2)Saturday morning once again gave us

weather that was clear and a million, butagain the winds were blowing. Thismorning however we had a TOT of10:30, over the Santa Barbara CityCollege, where they had the finish line forthe S.B. Veterans half marathon. Wewere to give them 3 passes ending withthe Missing Man.

So we were able to go out do someair work, do the finish line, reconfigurethe flight, get a little more air work doneand head back for lunch.The early afternoon flight had 4 aircraftout doing all the usual maneuvers led byDonut. This flight was short as some ofus had to get on the ground and up toSanta Barbara to get ready for theVeterans Ball.

Veterans Ball:

This event has been offered to thepilots flying the Veterans Parade Flight.The fee for this event is $150.00 perperson, the Pierre Claeyssens VeteransFoundation absorbs this cost for our pilotsand guest. For the past 4 years, thosewho have attended always come back,

except one who told me his wife was nothappy they didn’t attend this year. Guessthat means he won’t decline next year?What seems to turn pilots off is they wantto show up in their flight suits. Sorry, thisis not a function back in Thailand, whereyou’ve just flown a mission now it’s timeto get drunk, tear up the bar and get readyto fly next day.

This is where we honor our veteransof yesterday, today and tomorrow.This year our guest speaker was SammyL. Davis, who won the CongressionalMedal of Honor as a private in Vietnam.Some of you may remember the movieForrest Gump. The movie was looselyfashioned after Sgt. Davis. The scenes inthe movie where he was in the fight wereactually taken from his conflict with theenemy. Also the scene where he wasgiven the Medal at the White House wasactually him, where they superimposedTom Hanks face over Sgt. Davis’s. Irecommend you Google him.

Also at the ball was the family ofJonathan J. Golden. This young man wasborn and raised in Camarillo, Calif. Hejoined the Air Force as an enlisted man,attended college while enlisted, thenapplied for OCS where he was accepted.Then he applied for Pilot training andcame out a pilot of a C-130J.Oct 2 of this year Capt. Golden was killedshortly after takeoff from JalalabadAirfield in Afghanistan. All eleven onboard were killed.

(3)

Veterans Parade Fly-Over

Sunday morning started very early.The night before we had Jim Ostrich andJohn Flipper come up from San Diego tojoin us. So now we have 7, T-34’s.We had a 7:30 briefing and went out on abeautiful California day with 3 knotwinds. We headed out of KCMA towardsthe ocean to form up then we turned backin over the land to give an early morning

Mentors West

(Continued on page 24, column 3)

Michael “Viper” Maloco


January 29-31 2016 T-34 Fly-in

(Our good friend Gene Ramirez, offersthe following to T-34 pilots across thecountry. This event is held at thefabulous Palm Springs Air Museumand, while there will be plenty of time toshow off your formation flying skills, itis not necessary to be patched or toeven fly it you choose not to do so. Justcome and enjoy the friends and fun).

Guys, here's the deal: Friday, Jan. 29,Pizza and Beer party to welcome pilotsat the Air Museum after 5:PM;$150. expense check for all pilots;Buffet lunch on Saturday,1/30 andSunday 1/31;Van available for your transportationHospitality room on Sat. 1/30, withsnacks and adult beverages at the hotel;Best of Show contest with trophy.Free access to tour the Air Museum forpilots and back seaters;Souvenir photo of you in a cock-pit ofa fighter aircraft (Sat.1/30 only);New Hotel this year! The Monroe,located in downtown Palm Springs. Youmust call ASAP to reserve your room,this is a very busy time of year in P.S.,so don't miss out. The rate is $89. forsingle and $99. for a double. Call: 760-322-3757, mention you are with the T-34 Fly-in to get this rate.If you have not confirmed yourattendance, please contact me,Gene Ramirez. [email protected]

(Continued from page 2)

Yankees win four of the six series in which he played. He went on to fame as theplay by play announcer for the San Diego Padres for forty seasons. But his realstrength wasn’t in his bat or his glove, it was in his character.

Jerry joined the Navy/Maring Corp on his eighteenth birthday and entered theaviation cadet program. Before he was twenty, he was engaged in combat flyingDauntless dive bombers in the Pacific where he completed 57 missions beforereturning home. Rejoining the Yankees his baseball career flourished until he wascalled up during the Korean conflict to once again go to war, completing 63 moremissions, this time in AU-1 Corsairs.

Was he disappointed, was he bitter that his promising baseball career was sorudely interrupted? Nope! He often said the no award in the world would ever meanmore to him than earning his wings of gold-that the proudest day of his life was theday they were pinned to his chest. Clearly, here was guy with lots to crow about but,did I mention humble?

At a Rockies/Padres game in Denver a while back, the Jumbotron lit up askingthe crowd if they could name the only major league baseball player to have seenaerial combat in two wars? Up came the names of three other players, including TedWilliams. The fourth was Jerry Coleman. The man who never really never ever tookhimself too seriously, poked his broadcast partner Ted Leitner and said, “Hey Ted,whadda they got my name up there for?” I’m not sure he ever knew, or recognizedhis unique accomplishment. That wasn’t his style.

Ever the character, who used to tease and tell people that Mickey Mantle was hisroommate “I think,” normally spent his off time, when he wasn’t in the broadcastbooth, walking the halls and visiting the wounded at the Navy hospital in San Diego.He didn’t feel special on those days and in fact he really never did. He was my kindof hero, but you never called him a hero to his face.

I am certain that all who are reading this can share similar stories of those intheir own communities who are not much different from Jerry, proud, patriotic,humble, and well worth the tribute we, as members of a group who can, choose tobestow upon them.

Among those who flew Veteran’s Day events, chronicled elsewhere in this issue,are the Hooligans, based in southwest Michigan (except for Russ McDonald, RussBorstelman, and the other guy), Michael Maloco and the Camarillo CA based group,and the LIMA LIMA team, long time association ambassadors, as well as severalother troops, quietly saluting the “greatest generation.” Thanks to you all and let’sdo it again next year.

Like something new? Michael Maloco, long time member, sent us a lengthydescription of an event this past month that simulates military operations thatincludes virtually any type of military based aircraft that want to participate. “DesertThunder” now “Mountain Mayhem has been around for a few years at this point.Originally conceived and hosted by the Red Star folks, this idea may be exclusive tothe west coast area for now but, there is no reason why this fun, that includes alltypes, cannot be shared by warbird fans across the country.

In addition to the Veteran’s Day activities around the country and theirdescriptions herein, you will also get sage formation advice as usual from the “Boss”Billy Smith, and yours truly, technical talk on exhaust systems, uplock cablemaintenance, and Dukes fuel pumps by Dan Blackwell.

Check out our update on the T-34C restoration going on by Kevin Clark, who isnearing first flight, as well as pictures and a bit of story on the remaining two fromGabon being brought back to life by Weaver Aircraft in Carson City, NV.

I want to mention one more time, the upcoming T-34 Palm Springs Fly-in to beheld on the last weekend in January. If the weather where you are at that time of theyear is less than desirable, you may want to fire up the airplane and join us at thewinter home of the movie stars. Check the notice by Gene Ramirez on this page forthe pertinent information and get on board. You will have a good time, I promise.



Service Instruction No. 0736-211The Beechcraft factory will on occasion release a ServiceInstruction (SI) bulletin when a minor change or adjustment isrequired to prolong the life of a part or make its operationmore reliable. Typically the factory will be alerted toanomalies found on aircraft in the field by service centers andmechanics through a service difficulty report. When enoughreports come in pertaining to the same problem the factorymay elect to write a Service Bulletin (SB) or a ServiceInstruction. In some cases when the problem involves a safetyof flight issue the Service Bulletin can become an AD. In mostcases the SI will pertain to maintenance practices that helpprovide part longevity and better reliability. Unfortunately ourA-45, B-45 and D-45 aircraft are rarely called out in SI or SB’sthat may affect them because of the lack of factory support onthese models. However, because we share many of the samecomponents and operational characteristics with the Bonanzaand Baron fleet we can use these SI’s and SB’s to bettermaintain our T-34 fleet.Recently I was performing SI No.0736-211 which was writtenfor 33, 35,36,55 and 58 models but may pertain to various T-34 models out there. Basically the SI details how to increasethe service life of the up-lock cable in the main landing gearwheel wells. It removes some material from the up-lockbracket in order for the clevis end of the up-lock cable to movemore freely. This decreases the bending of the up-lock cableand prevents it from fraying in that area. While the T-34’swere originally delivered with a different dash number up-lockbracket on both sides, many have been replaced over the years

with the same brackets called out in the SI. So it would be agood idea to add this to the annual check list. By the way ifyou are interested you can look at the complete list at theBeechcraft SI Master Index by going to this web page;http://www.beechcraft.com/customer_support/technical_publications/docs/nontechnical/b_simi.pdf

T-34B Dukes Fuel boost pump modification.We are reaching a point where there is no support for overhaulof the Pesco submerged boost pumps used in the T-34Bs.There just aren’t any parts left out there for overhaul facilitiesto do anything more than a reseal and inspection. The fewpumps that are remaining need to be used in a T-34B with theoriginal 225 Hp engines. The 520/550 powered T-34s need thehigh pressure Dukes pumps for safety reasons. This has been atopic of discussion many times in the last year on the chat list.We have put together and sent out kits for modification of theT-34B fuel system to eliminate the Pesco submerged fuel boostpump and install an in-line Dukes 2-speed boost pump. Thismodification is completed using the 337 field approvalprocess. We have sent out supporting paperwork with the kitsthat provide the installing agency to go to the local FSDO andget the approval. To the best of my knowledge no one hasbeen turned down yet and the FAA recognizes the flight safetyaspect of this modification. The supporting documents includea copy of a letter from the NY ACO that approved theinstallation on an earlier T-34B. If your annual is coming thiswinter, you should consider this modification during the downtime.

Tech NotesDan Blaakwell

(The Arizona ‘34 continget, KevinCarson, rear, and ToddMcCutchan)


First of all you’ll notice a change inthe name of the gathering from DesertThunder to Mountain Mayhem.. This wasbecause we had a change of territory.This year instead of staging out ofThermal (KTRM), the event was movedto Paso Robles (KPRB).

This was due to last year at the lastminute the Thermal airport managementdecided they would hold their airshow thesame weekend, as was planned for our

event. This caused many problems for thecrew who had organized all the ancillarythings like hotels, rental cars etc.

The other reason was that those pilotswho had attended this event many timesbefore knew exactly what was coming.This was not going to be the case ifDarrell “CONDOR” Gary, Mike “BEAV”Carter and all the other involved hadsomething to say about it.In deciding to move the event so far awaywas not an easy one, and many other

locations were alsotaken intoconsideration. Howeverwith all that Paso had tooffer it was decided thatthe move was worth therisk of low attendance.This however was notthe case.

At Paso were stagedout of the EstrellaWarbird Museum, this

gave us notonly awonderfullylarge briefing room, but we wereallowed full access to themuseum.Parking was set so that the BlueForce (Good Guys) would parkour planes at the South West sideof the airport, while the Redforce (BadGuys), get topark theiraircraft right on

the ramp next to themuseum. They claimthis was to help expeditetheir being able to getout to the flight areaahead of the Blue Force.

Friday morning wewere greeted by lowlevel fog, which hungaround till 10:00. Butafter that it was time toman our aircraft and go

fly the practice round to get us ready forthe big day Saturday.Things started out okay, we were tolaunch in 10 minute intervals, howeverwhen the first flight out had problemsfinding the correct target area which tookover the 10 minutes now you have flightsstacking up on each other.

One of the things that happens at thisevent is that you’re given so muchinformation in such a relatively shortwindow of time, that for those who havenot been in the military or have notattended these events before you can getwhat’s called helmet fire. Short versionyour brain goes to mush.

As Mike “DONUT” Hohls told me,you have to be able to think out of the

box. In Combat things rarely go asplanned, you’ve got to adapt. For mewhen I approached our check-in point tocall the FAC, I had maintained my 4,500ingress altitude but was unable to reachthe FAC, so Todd “JUDY” McCutchinwas kind enough to try and relay

Mountain Mayhem

Michael “Viper” MalocoPhotos by Rob Turchick


With winter upon us many flights are using thecockpit heat in our Mentors. For those that are notaware of what happens when you push the T-handle thatsays “Cockpit Heat Push On” I will give a briefexplanation.

That T-handle is connected to two valves mountedlow on the firewall that open a left and right flappervalve that permits the flow of warm air into the cockpitvents. The heated air is a product of ram air rushing intothe nose bowl grill and ducted around the hot exhauststacks to the flapper valve. If there is any breach in theleft or right exhaust collector then the ram air becomesmixed with exhaust gases containing carbon monoxideCO. In a severe casesuch as a split or largecrack in the heat transferarea of the exhaustcollector the cockpitoccupants wouldimmediately feel theaffect of the exhaustgasses because of thehigh concentration in thewarm air. This wouldtend to make your eyesburn and you can smellthe acrid exhaust.

This has happened to me and we found a 2 inch splitin the heat transfer area. In this case you most likelyhave time to shut off the heat and return to the hangarfor an inspection. In a much more dangerous scenariowhere the leak is small and you don’t smell the exhaustyour exposure to the CO can be deadly, especially on alonger flight. CO poisoning can be slow and insidiouseventually rendering you unconscious.

Fortunately our Mentors are drafty due to the leakingair around the canopies and air entering from other areasthat help mitigate the effects of a possible CO leak. Thekey here is properly maintaining the exhaust system toprevent CO poisoning. The exhaust system shouldnever be reused when an engine has reached TBO and anew engine is installed. Typically that means the currentexhaust has been running the duration of the last enginewhich in many cases is 1,500 to 1,800 hours.

Exhaust should be treated just like engine mountsthat get replaced at each engine change. The exhaustsystem wears out and eventually fails. The exhaust ismade from a stainless alloy that holds up to the intense

heat fairly well but it is thin so as not to weigh much. Thehigh velocity hot exhaust gases erode the insides of therisers and collectors making them even thinner over time. Eventually developing small cracks at weld locationsand where heat transfer stubs are installed. The photoshows a new T-34 exhaust collector with the heat shroudor heat muff as many people call it just below. The 2piece heat shroud clamps over the exhaust in the locationof the heat transfer stubs. The air ducts are then clampedto each end of the shroud to pick-up the heat and send itinto the cockpit.

When completely assembled it is difficult to examinethe area inside the shroud where many of the cracks can

occur. During annualinspection we can shine abright light up into the tailpipe and look for damage.Removal of the air ductsprovides some access toview the collector aroundthe heat stubs.

If your exhaust stacksare really old and have notbeen replaced at the lastengine change, you shouldexamine them verycarefully and consider

replacement. There are a number of exhaust repairfacilities that are FAA certified in repair and rebuilding ofour exhaust. We use Dawley Aviation in WI for exhaustwork. They will take the old exhaust and basically makeeverything new. When the risers and collectors comeback they are a heavier gauge metal than the originals.There are still a fair number of original new exhaustcomponents out there and they are good to use as well.

This is an area not to play around with, if there is anyquestion about the condition of the exhaust collectorreplace it. CO is a killer and many times you are notaware that you are being poisoned.If cockpit heat is required, I recommend flying the T-34with the cold fresh air completely on and then using asmuch of the heat as needed to be comfortable.

In this way if there is a small leak you are diluting thehot air as much as possible with the cold fresh air. Thereare a variety of CO detectors on the market that can bemounted in the cockpit to identify a leak in the exhaust.Don’t take chances.

Dan Blackwell


Wings OverHouston 2015

The 2015 Wings Over Houston Airshowwas held on October 17 and 18 at EllingtonField (EFD). Ellington Field is a former AirForce Base and is home to NASA as well asthe Coast Guard. Over the years manyastronauts have maintained their flight statusby flying NASA T-38 trainers at Ellingtonfield.

This annual event is sponsored by theCommemorative Air Force (CAF) HoustonWing, Tora Tora Tora Wing, and the GulfCoast Wing. The weather was excellent withwinds out of the northeast and temperaturesin the mid-seventies, and large crowdswitnessed the event. The airboss was RalphRoyce and the event was highlighted by theUS Air Force Thunderbirds.

Other acts who performed included: theBreitling Jet Team, an F-18 Hornetdemonstration, the Tora Tora Tora Group, aswell as many warbirds including those fromthe Texas Flying Legends Museum, CollingsFoundation-Houston, Vietnam War FlightMuseum, and the Lone Star Flight Museum.The Lone Star Flight Museum is breakingground on a new hangar to move theircollection from Galveston to Ellington Field.

The trainer parade was well representedwith a T-28 followed by four T-6s at the toplevel (1000 ft.). The second level (600 ft.)was led by two T-34s, two O-2s, twoNavions, and a BT-13. The lowest level (250ft.) included an N-3N and three Stearmanbiplanes. The trainer parade was led by RobParrish who also led the T-34 flight withDave Guggemos as wingman.

The flights generally took off on Runway4 due to northeast winds and flew the showfrom north to south, making tight circuits toavoid the NASA Moonpool. We’re not surewhat all is located in the Moonpool, but theydidn’t want us to fly over it. Landinginvolved making a duster turn on the finalpass and landing back on Runway 4. Eachlevel was cleared on down to 250 ft. as thepreceding level was vacated. T-34 takeoffsand landings were in section. It was a longtaxi to get back to parking, but it was wellworth it.

Dave Guggemos


It is easy to take for granted theproper operation and functionality of thesliding canopies on the T-34A Mentor. Itis likely that most owners give littlethought to the canopy assembly during anannual or condition inspection. However,the canopy assembly is a key part of theT-34 airframe, and it serves an importantsafety function in the event of anemergency which requires a timely bailout and jettisoning of the canopy.Therefore, care and attention should begiven to the

figure 1

proper adjustment and operation of thecanopy and canopy rail assemblies.Indications that a canopy requiresadjustment include wear marks on thefuselage (Figure 1) or resistance to sliding

figure 2

when the canopy is opened or closed.Wear on the fuselage is an indication that

the canopy is sitting too low. Difficultyin moving the canopy on its track can bean indication that the canopy rollers arefrozen or worn. Resist the temptation touse oil or grease in the canopy tracks as ameans improving canopy movement. Inmost cases, lubrication is not the issue,and adjustment or cleaning of the rollersis necessary.Information on the installation andadjustment of the canopy assemblies canbe found at Section 2-19 of the USAFT-34A technical manual.

In addition to adjustment and properoperation of the canopy in the rail tracks,care must be taken to assure the properoperation of the canopy release system.On the T-34A, the canopy can bejettisoned in the air or on the ground in anemergency through the use of the releasehandles located along the right canopysupport rail in each cockpit. Anadditional release handle is located on theoutside of the fuselage on right side of theaircraft. (Figure 2).

The canopy consists of three panels –manually sliding panels over each cockpitand a fixed panel between cockpits.When the emergency release handle ispulled in either cockpit, both handlesopen together (i.e. they are linked). Therelease system actually releases thecanopy rails – not the canopiesthemselves. When the release handle ispulled, a system of hooks and rollersreleases the rails. The canopy and railsare thus jettisoned as a unit.

To remove either canopy, bothcanopies must be released. To removethe canopies, remove the screw whichholds the emergency release guard inplace. Make sure you do this in bothcockpits. Otherwise, when you pull onerelease handle, the other handle will alsoopen and it will bend and destroy therelease guard for that handle. It isimportant to have several sets of handsready to help stabilize both canopieswhile the release handle is pulled and thehooks release the canopy rails. If onlyone canopy is removed, the remainingcanopy should be re-secured by closing

the release handle and re-engaging thehooks and rollers. Failure to do this mayresult in the remaining canopy beingbumped and sliding off the fuselage.

After removing the canopy and railassembly, place the assembly on a stablesurface and slide the canopy out of therails. Inspect each roller to be sure thatthey turn freely and check for flat spots.A worn roller wheel (flat spot) can resultfrom years of sliding in the rail while theroller is frozen. (Figure 3)

figure 3

If the rollers are frozen, you will needto remove them. If there are flat spots,they must be replaced. Attempting to useoil will be a temporary repair and will notresolve the issue. To remove the rollers,you will need a large phillips screwdriverfor the screw on the outside of the canopyframe. You will need to fabricate aslotted tool that will fit in the bushingsinto which the screw is set. (See Figure 3,above). An example of a home-madebushing tool can be seen in Figure 4.The screws (NAS222-10 if no shimwasher is used; NAS222-11 if a shimwasher is used; MS27039-4-10 and -1-11) are staked at the ends to prevent thescrews from backing out of the bushings.If you do not grind off the last couple ofthreads, the screws will damage thethreads in the bushings when you backthte screws out.

After removing the bushings, rollers,screws and washers, clean these parts in aparts washer, using brushes, abrasivepads and pipe cleaners to remove dirt andcorrosion. The rims of the bushings mustbe smooth because they ride inside the

Canopy CareMark Banovetz


beveled edge of the rollers – if they are chewed up ordamaged (Figure 5) they must be replaced. If thethreads in the bushing are mildly damaged byremoving the staked screws, they may be repairedusing a ¼-28 tap.

figure 4

It will be noted that there are two sets of rollers ineach corner of each canopy. In each corner, one rolleris fixed in a hole and is not adjustable, while the otheris attached in a slot, which allows adjustment up anddown. This allows one to increase or decrease thedistance between the two rollers, which dictates howtight the wheel set will sit in the rail.

figure 5

It is imperative that the rollers, bushings andwashers are cleaned back to their original, newappearance. (Figure 6) The tolerances are tight, andany corrosion or built up dirt will prevent the rollerfrom turning freely. Oil is not the solution, as oil willsimply attract dirt.

After all parts are cleaned, test the rollers on thebushings to be sure that they turn freely. If they do notturn freely before you re-install them, they will notturn at all once installed. They should be cleaned untilthey turn freely. When reinstalling the rollers on the canopy, usemedium threadlock on the threads, taking care not to



Thanks To Tom Hibiske for sending alongthese photos of the Hooligans in actionperforming at the “Talons Out HonorFlight” fundraiser. The southwestMichigan event supported the efforts to flyWorld War II veterans to Washington DCto visit the WWII Memorial free ofcharge.

Hooligan members Russ McDonald, JohnWorkman, Russ Borstelman, OrlanWichman, Chuck Stauffer, Rick Crepasand Tom Hibiskie

(Chuck Stauffer’s new T-34)


This past summer the HooliganFlight Team participated in an eventknown as “Lest We Forget,” a regionaltribute held in Southwest Michigan formilitary personnel and veterans of alleras.

Staged at Benton Harbor, on theshores of Lake Michigan, it includes re-enactors, distinguished guest speakers,and military displays of all types.Highlights this year included asymposium with four Medal of Honorrecipients, patriotic displays, formationdemonstrations by the Hooligans and aWW II D-Day reenactment with fullbeach landing.

In addition to show performances, theHooligans provided beachhead “aircover” for the landing force of over 700re-enactors along with vintage landingcraft and vehicles.

Hooligan members included RussMcDonald, John Workman, RussBorstelman, Orlan Wichman, ChuckStauffer, Rick Crepas and Tom Hibiske. Sunny skies helped to provide anoutstanding tribute to each branch of ourArmed Forces and a fitting salute to ourveterans.

(Three Hooligan aircraftRuss McDonald, TomHibiske and JohnWorkman) overfly theBenton Harbor Pier whileLVT and DUKWamphibious vehicles of the“invasion force” circlebelow) Photo by AlHartline

Tom Hibiske

(The gathering providedlots of opportunity foraspiring pilots to talk to theaircrews and check out theaircraft.)

Photo by Rich Moore

(The re-enactors at the“Lest we Forget” includedthese lovely ladies dressed inperiod costume. We canalmost hear the Andrewssisters in the background.)

Photo by Tom Hibiske

The grayest of the“Gray HairedHooligans,” RussMcDonald, climbs outwith Tom Hibiske on hiswing.)

Photo by Al Hartline


I have written about it before, but a refresher is inorder. Flying in tight formation is not the time to takeyour eyes off your leader for any reason whatsoever.Let me say it again, this time in capital letters, “DO NOTTAKE YOUR EYES OFF YOUR LEADER FOR ANYREASON WHATSOEVER.” There!!!! I’ve made mypoint.

The most frightening moments in my formationhistory have not occurred when I was instructing anewcomer to the discipline. Nor have I palpitatedexcessively over missed hand signals that might havesent two aircraft directly toward each other on a cross-under. In these cases the pilots have always beenheads up with their eyes open at all times. Thelikelihood of a crash, under the particularcircumstances, was never great.

When is a formation mostfraught with danger? That wouldbe when one of the participantsfeels competent enough to diverthis gaze away from the leader tothe opposite side of his aircraft,or to duck his head inside thecockpit for whatever reason.

I will relate an incident that occurred a number ofyears ago now, that illustrates my point emphatically.While in a two ship formation with a friend, who was avery good stick, I asked him on the radio if he couldtell me the time without looking into the cockpit (I hadunplugged my battery sometime before and wanted toreset mine to the proper time).

“Sure” came the reply. And as I watched, heducked his head to look at his panel, searching for theclock. Immediately he began drifting toward me to theextent that I definitely felt threatened, to say the least.

I grabbed the stick and yanked on it instantly to govertical and avoid the threat. The next thing I heard on

the radio illustrates my point perfectly. “Hey TB,where did you go? I assumed he would look at hiswrist watch and not the one on his panel. Could havebeen a very serious assumption on my part if I wasn’twatching what my wingman was doing.

Did I say, “Never take your eyes off the leader?”I did. And I was serious. The dumbest thing anyformation pilot can do is to take his eyes off his lead.

But isn’t it necessary to raise the gear or set theprop or extend the flaps? Yes it is. Is it necessary toput your head down to do so? No it isn’t. No one,repeat NO ONE, should attempt to fly in a paradeformation if he must look into his cockpit to performthe chores associated with airshow formation passes.

The essence of this entire column is to emphasizethe importance of knowing exactly where everyknob, button, switch, gauge, and lever is, from oneside of the pilot’s seat to the other. Only when youhave an accurate mental image in your mind of allthese placements, can you perform up to snuff on anyformation flight.

The act of raising the gear, or lowering the gear,or raising the flaps, or lowering the flaps, must play adistant second fiddle in the attention spectrum,behind the act of maintaining station. Smoke armed,lights on and radio flip flop devices are a few more ofthe control items whose locations must be thoroughlymemorized.

If you cannot comfortably reach and find everycontrol and switch without looking, take the time tosit in the ‘pit and study. Sure you will look silly justsitting there, but believe me, this will be time wellspent. If you plan on flying someone else’s airplanein a parade, the same drill would be in order. Whilethey may have all been the same when they rolled outof the factory, very few warbirds have not undergonemodifications in the restoration process mandating afamiliarization session before the formation event.

Your flight will go smoother, your playmateswill be safer, and will once again cheat the payingpublic out of witnessing a disaster, if we rememberand practice Cardinal Rule Number One, “Never takeyour eyes off your leader.”

Timeless Formation Tips for NewcomersTerry Brennan


November 6, 2015, saw Patti and Iloading our T-34, flying to Lakeland,FL to attend a weekend event hostedjointly by EAA Warbird Squadron 24and the folks from Sun ‘N Fun. Thiswas my first time to attend this event, asit doesn’t seem to be very welladvertised, unless you are on websitesand looking for things to do with yourT-34. We had been personally invitedby “Zack” Olzacki,President/Commander of the FloridaSquadron and a Director of Warbirds ofAmerica, as well as a T-34 Associationmember.

“Zack” and the Florida EAASquadron, in the past, had hosted thisevent in Punta Gorda, FL to raise fundsfor veterans programs. In 2014, thesquadron partnered with Sun ‘N Funwho was hosting an event to raise fundsfor SNF’s Aerospace Center forExcellence. A common eventperformed by like minded individuals toimprove the status of our veterans andallow young people to explore a worldof aviation.

Having no idea what to expect, weboth were very surprised to see the SNFproperties attended by volunteers whotreated us just like we were arriving forthe real thing to be held on April 5-10,2016. We taxied behind the “Follow-Me” cart to a parking spot next toZack’s Navy recruiter T-34, which wasthe only other T-34 in attendance. But,on the ramp, I was pleased to see fiveCJ-6’s from Red Star, three T-6’s fromNorth American, one T-28, the OV-1DMohawk and a P-51 flown by MarkHenley of the AeroShell AerobaticTeam. There were some otherwarbirds, a Stearman and Piper Cubs.

We unloaded, secured the airplaneand were taken to the Cessna Buildingfor registration, water, beer and T-shirtsemblazoned with the logo for the event.Then we realized that this was a free

event for all warbird attendees: hotelrooms, a VIP banquet and silent auctionon Friday evening, lunch on Saturdayand supper at the home of John “Lites”Leenhouts, CEO for SNF. The folks ofSNF had really rolled out the red carpetand we did feel welcome. When wehad a full van we were taken to theFairfield Inn for our rooms and to getready for the banquet, which had aWorld War II theme honoring veterans.

Again, we were very pleasantlysurprised as we arrived back at HangarA on the SNF properties and wereintroduced to a massive gathering ofcivilians dressed in their finest, whohad purchased tickets in support of theevent, a steak dinner with all thetrimmings (grilled outside to yourrequest), entertainment by “Lettersfrom Home,” (a ladies duet whosemission statement is: “To travel thecountry honoring our nation’s veterans,active military heroes and their familiesby reviving patriotism through music.”There were also many items on displayfor a silent auction. The only moneyrequested was for the bar and a $25ticket got you unlimited drinks for theevening. Let me tell you, I ran into a“whiskey front” by about 11:00 PM andhad to conduct a wing approach andlanding back at the hotel. If you everget a chance to hear the girls from“Letters from Home” make sure youtake it as they are very good andentertaining.

Saturday morning there was a flightbriefing held in the Warbird Buildingfor those who wanted to fly, run bySNF’s Director of Operations, GregGibson. We broke up into similaraircraft groups and the T-34’s flew withthe CJ’s as a seven ship. In addition,those who wanted to volunteer backseats for passengers who were attendingthe flight school. Most of the kids had

a bit of flying time, but no warbird orformation experience. Professionallyand safely briefed, we all knew ourpositions and what was to be expected.The Lakeland tower allowed us to flyover the SNF properties, south of the9/27 runway and we had roughly 20minutes to show our “stuff.” Followingour flight, the T-6’s and fighters flew.

At registration we were all given$10 in “Pig Bucks” which was to beused to buy BBQ from the variousvendors on site for Saturday’s lunchand there were plenty to choose from.Apparently vendor fees also were to beused for the fundraising. Most of ushung around Saturday after flying tolook at the many cars entered into a“car and bike show.” The place justhad that airshow atmosphere.

Saturday evening we were allinvited for dinner at the Leenhouts’home with the many volunteers we hadmet during the day. All I can say isPatti and I will attend next year as thiswas a fun weekend to spend withfriends and fellow aviators. Put it onyour calendars for 2016, probably theweekend prior to Veteran’s Day and Ipromise you will have fun. Our onlyexpense was fuel and that wasdiscounted for SNF. Well, except forthe shopping Patti did. I believe Zack’swife, Lynn, put a pretty good sized dentin his credit card also.

Y’all come to “When Pigs Fly South”for 2016.

Skip Aldous

September 2015 MENTOR MONITOR page 18

September 2015 MENTOR MONITOR page 19

(Paul Walter over a coolWisconsin scene. Photo byHenning Henningson

December 2015 MENTOR MONITOR page 20.

Rob ParrishThe General came in his T-34 Photos by Kevin BaileyTo the Lone Star State and more...Flying to do and places to goFormation flying in an air showTo commemorate those who gave it allAnd those who were confined for answering the call.Flights completed and the compulsory feastHe packed 273CB and headed East.He landed in Columbus, Texas that is,For Bar-B-Que and shooting and drinks with no fiz,Not to confuse, like adult beverages I meanAnd I assure you the fun was all clean.We then packed our two birds for a rather short flight,And off to Galveston for a Lone Star delight.We toured the Museum and the Collection,And compared our trainers to the bomber section.The B-17 had fuel and the weather was fair,So we decided its time to get in the air.The engines, all four, rumbled and groanedAnd down the run way we rolled with flying skills honed.She flies like a truck, a big one at that,We took the controls, on the right seat we sat.We each took our turns flying this way and there,Imagined long hours with bombs in the air.Traffic is called at 6, 5. 4. then 3 o'clock,A fast moving Me-262, what a shock.The Me-262 peeled high and awayRarely seen from a B-17 on any day.The landing was smooth by pilot Tim Hahn,We thanked him and staff, then lunch and we're gone.Back to Columbus and he left the next day,Back to the Capitol after a really short stay.

The General Came to Texas

((Is that an Me-262 off our wing?)


use too much. If threadlock gets on the roller or bushing, itwill interfere with operation of the rollers. Tighten thescrews for the set rollers, but leave the screws for theadjustable rollers loose. Next, slide the rails on the rollersand get an idea of where the adjustable rollers will need tobe secured in the slots to get a proper fit. Remove the railsand tighten the adjustable rollers only modestly tight. Then,retest the fit of the rails. They should slide on the rollerseasily, and there should be no up-and-down play. If there is

play, the canopy willrattle. Once a good fit isachieved, finishtightening the adjustablerollers. Ideally, thescrew ends are staked toavoid any chance of thescrews backing out.

figure 6

While the rails are off of the aircraft, check thecondition of the rail hook fitting welds. In the case of theauthor’s inspection, one of the fittings had actually come offthe rail, and remained stuck to the fuselage when the railwas removed. This is a reminder that these welds are allthat holds the canopy to the aircraft – it is worth a carefulinspection. You may need to remove neoprene or othercushion/seal material around the fittings. (Figure 7).

If the fittings on therails are loose or havecracked welds, theyshould be removed,cleaned and welded backto the rails using aproper braising method.(Figures 8-9).

figure 7

When rollers arere-installed and tight,check the freeoperation of all rollers,and verify that the railsslide freely with littleor no up-and-

figure 8

down play. Next, check to be sure that the seals andextrusions identified in the parts manual are affixed to theinside edges of the canopy structure. (Figure 10). The felt-like seals provide a soft seal along the bottomof the canopy. They may be missing. It is imperative thatthe parts manual be consulted to see where the felt-like sealsare supposed to be. (Figure 11).

When the canopy and rails are removed from the aircraft,you will note that there is a seal material between the rail hook

fittings and the fuselage.The seal material servestwo functions. First, itdiscourages water anddebris from getting downinto the canopy releasemechanisms in thefuselage. Second, itprevents vibration

figrure 9

between the canopy rails and the fuselage. This is an importantelement of your canopy project. In the case of the author’saircraft, the material used for this seal had deteriorated and hadbecome sticky. Thus, when the canopy release levers werepulled, the canopy remained stuck to the aircraft and required

considerable effort toremove. This isobviously not ideal, asthe entire point of thissystem is to allow forrelease of the canopy inan emergency. Thus,the choice of a sealingmaterial does not

figure 10

include such things as silicone calk. The parts manual for the aircraft lists the canopy rail seal

material as Part No. 45-410300-13. Informal research suggeststhat the seals are made from a neoprene material, and that theyare a life limited part due to the fact that the material breaksdown. A number of T-34 owners have suggested that a betteralternative is simple rubber, as one would obtain from a used

innertube.Canopy railseals can be fabricatedfrom rubber. A seal isrequired for both therail (around the fitting)and the fuselage.(Figures 12 and 13).The two seals thenmate with each otherwhen the rails are

figure 11installed.The rubber seals can be affixed to the fuselage and the railfittings using simple rubber cement. However, be careful toavoid getting any rubber cement on the top side of the rubbersurfaces. The two rubber surfaces should be clean and will matetogether to form a seal when the canopy hooks are re-engaged.



Everyone has heard of Honor Flight,where they load a group of WWII (nowKorean) Veterans into a 747 and treatthem to a day touring the War Memorialsin Washington DC. Have you helped onone yet? Why not? A call was made tothe local Honor Flight Committeemembers offering to help.

Their response, “Well sure, couldyou station your Warbirds along thesides of the 747 as honor sentinels andwhat else can you do?” Well we couldalso greet and thank the veterans whenthey board. Then taxi escort themthrough the fire trucks’ water salute tothe end of the runway.

“That wouldbe great, afterthat when youtake off couldyou comeback and do alow formationpass alongside of the 747as it gets readyto roll ontakeoff?”Sure.

Now, howdo we getTSA, ATCand a Delta747 Captain togo along withthis plan? Afew calls later,no problem, itis for theveterans. Sothat becamethe routineevery couplemonths forHonor flightsout ofMilwaukee’sMitchel field.Then oneflight, the onlyother Warbirdplane pilotwilling to getup at 5:00 amon a Saturdayto do the

Honor Flight flew a PT-26, top speed 93mph. Could a Mentor fly safe formationthat slow? After some experimenting, Idecided it best to leave the gear downfor the drag on the T-34; there was noway the PT would ever exceed 120 MPHin level flight (well below our top gearspeed). It worked well. Wish there weremore Formation T-34’s around; but it isgood to know, with a little planning theMentor can safely fly formation onanything from a P-51 to an “L” bird.

PS Three days after the PT-26 Honorflight I was going to board a commercialflight to the Reno Air Races. I placedmy small bag on the conveyor belt to beX-rayed and proceeded to disrobe,shoes, belt, hat, jacket etc. All thesudden I was greeted by several TSAagents and a couple local sheriffs. Whathad I done? A TSA agent reached into apocket in my bag and there, unknown tome, was a single 22 caliber shell leftthere from an outing months before.They were talking big fines and lots ofnasty stuff. I sincerely apologized butthat was not enough to get me out of thisjamb. Then I pulled out my IPhone toshow them I was not a terrorist andshowed the photos of a just a few daysearlier I had done the honor flight. Thatworked. “Take your bag and have agood flight!” Karma.

Paul Walter


(Seems as though there as many opinionson how a Missing Man formation shouldbe flown as there are pilots who leadthem. My friend Paul Walter offers thefollowing suggestion for just how itshould be done and he deserves a listen.I call him my friend because I do notwant to feel I am being contrary but Idisagree with his thinking. FollowingPaul’s thoughts, I am going to printthose of Bill Cherwin’s, who I mostlyagree with. Weigh both before you flyyour next memorial and choose foryourself. Thanks Paul for yourthoughts.)

The Missing Man Formation wasperformed by military aircraft duringtimes of war. The two accepted ways toperform it are with a missing aircrafthole in the formation during theoverflight (perhaps the best option ifonly three aircraft are available) or anaircraft pulling up and out of theformation (the missing man) that ideallyturns 90 degrees after slowly pulling upout of the formation and heads west.

The question arises, how shouldcivilian warbirds that have smokesystems and bright lighting, perform theMissing Man Formation flight? Somesay leave the lights and smoke off, sincethat is the way the first Missing ManFormations were first performed duringtimes of war.

So for flights over military funeralsperhaps maintaining that tradition is thefirst option. But when the flight is doneas part of an airshow or a remembrancecelebration the use or lights and smoke isusually preferred and is consideredappropriate. That leads to a multitude ofoptions of who in the formation smokesand when, who has lights on and when.

As long as the flight is done: 1. withrespect, 2. in a dignified manner and 3.in consideration of the viewers; there isreally no wrong answer. It is up to flightlead to make the final call, but it appearsthe various warbird groups are adopting

the following standard procedure moreoften than not.

Consider the factors that mostviewers prefer the flight be made asvisible as it can be and after the pull,focus attention on the single MissingMan pull out of the formation and hisflight path west.

MUSIC: The normal music thatproceeds a Missing Man Formationflight is TAPs. The non-echo version ofTaps runs 47 seconds to 55 seconds.The Echo-Taps version adds aboutanother 10 seconds.

TIMING: The objective should be forthe remaining flight to fly over theviewers after the end of taps. (So planon arriving about 65 to 75 seconds, or1:05 – 1:15 after Taps starts).The Usual Standard Procedure is:

FORMATION: Four ship in finger-tipformation is the norm…with #3 doingthe pull for the missing man then a 90degree turn…ideally to the west.

HOLD: Hold so your inbound turn apexis about 2 minutes from the viewers.(You will have to coordinate withsomeone on the ground with a handheldor use your cell phone for an agreedupon time. Even with use of a groundcontrol handheld an agreed upon time isa good back up plan in case the handheldfails.)(Some recommend holding in a diamondformation if the hold is very long as it iseasier for some than a finger-tipformation for some pilots. #4 can slipout to finger-tip position during inboundturn.)

LIGHTS: All on in the formationinbound- when missing man pulls,missing man turn his lights off,(remainder of formation leaves lightson).

SMOKE: All on inbound – whenmissing man pulls, remainder offormation turns smoke off, (missing manleaves smoke on).

DISCUSSION:The Missing Man should be a slow pullup leaving the formation (this symbolizesthe missing man wants to stay with theflight but can no longer do so and climbsinto the heavens) then a normal 90 degreeturn. Some suggest a power up by themissing man (#3) so he will not fallquickly behind the formation as missingman climbs is a good practice.

LIGHTS: (that can be turned on duringnormal cruise) makes the formation mucheasier to see, especially on a cloudcovered day. This allows viewers toeasily see the formation for somedistance as the flight is coming in. Thepull signifies the Missing Man has goneto heaven; so his light is turned off hereon earth. The rest of the flight continueson as normal, to fly another day, withtheir lights remaining on.

SMOKE: Smoke on coming in makesthe Formation easy to spot and leavesnice parallel flight lines. There isconsiderable debate if it is better for themissing man or the remainder of theformation to turn off their smoke or leaveit on after the pull. Overall, the viewers’eyes should be focused on the MissingMan aircraft, so Missing Man needs tocontinue to smoke. The Missing Man’ssmoke trail marks a majestic flight pathas it slowly climbs away from theformation, but then climbs and turns. Bythe remainder of the formation turningoff their smoke at that time markssomething has dramatically changed.However there is also logic, but not ascommon practice, since those in theremaining formation are continuing on tofly another day, so they should leave

(Conitnued on page 29)

Missing Man, Take Your PickPaul Walter, Bill Cherwin, Terry Brennan


messages, which in turn messed with hisown flight parameters.

Now we’ve got 2 & 3 flights startingto stack up on each other, things weregetting questionable so some of the flightleads called a “Knock it off” and headedback to home plate.Friday afternoon there was majordiscussions about what happened in themorning and adjustments were made tomake sure that the Saturday missionswould be better and safer.

If you’ve never attended one of theseevents it’s very difficult to explain whatexactly happens. Yes I’m writing about ithere but it doesn’t even begin to give youthe depth of involvement that this eventproduces.

Saturday morning arrived, the skieswere clear and the excitement in thebriefing room was contagious. We werebriefed that this year we have some newthings.

At these events there are severalthings that you get graded on. This yearit went like this. We are asked to departas a flight of two. Why not a flight offour? Everything about this event is donewith safety in mind.

As a result it was decided a long timeago that there would only be two aircraftin each flight .

Now remember this event is meant toreplicate combat. After takeoff we wereto go rendezvous with our tanker andrefuel before heading into bad land.Our tanker this year was flown byMichael “PIPES” Lipaz, and his CopilotGil “NAFOD” Lipaz. Here we weregraded on using the proper verbiage toget into a holding pattern, tell the tankerwe were ready to take on fuel, get clearedfor our pre-contact position, cleared tocontact. This is where we had to fly closetrail for 60 seconds.

Then we call a disconnect, and moveto the right wing of the tanker so # 2could do the same thing.From the tanker we had to go to checkpoint two, which would be the start of ourgoing into bad land. Here we had a TOTfor the start point of the route.Consequently, had to count backwardsallowing enough time to get off theground, find the tanker then go throughall the required procedures, and be at ourstart point on time.


flyover above several of the citiessurrounding Camarillo.

Cleared with the tower before wetook off, we now came back to do a lowlevel pass, a thrill for all the early risers atthe Waypoint Café.

Now aircraft had to be fueled andreadied for the large formation over theSanta Barbara Veterans parade. With ourbriefing to be held at 10:00, aircraftstarted coming in from differentlocations.

What we ended up with was: 2 HueyIroquois’ helicopters, a P-51, Hellcat,7 T-34’s, 7 Red Star CJ-6’s from TigerSquadron, and a B-25 known as HeavenlyBody. Our photo ships consisted of MarcRussell flying his A-36 Bonanza and aT-6, from the California CAF.Over Santa Barbara we made 7 passesthen headed back to Home Plate for anice lunch and some good comraderie.

The praises and adulation received fromnot only the people watching the paradeand flyover but also from the TV anchors,on the news that evening was nice to seeand hear.

Now I get a couple of days off flying,but there’s no rest for the weary. It’s timeto sit down and try writing this article,and soliciting the aid of my wife Ginnywho is my editor.

Now, along the route, Red Force iswaiting for us. There are points forseeing and turning into the threat. Thisyear again, thanks to Doug Matthews,we were facing his P-51 as well as a F4FWildcat. Then, of course, we had Beavin a supped up CJ-6 and Frito in asupped up Yak to contend with.

While you’re looking out for the RedForce, there’s points on the ground youhave to fly over and, at some of thesepoints, you have to report once back onthe ground what was observed. Morepoints to be awarded for correct answers.Once we were at check point six wewere finished with Red Air and, then itwas time to check in with the FAC. Hegave us a nine line. This told us thingslike where we were to hold, then fromthe hold we were given a TOT to wherethe FAC was, and where the bad guyswere relative to his position, how manythere were, etc.

This year was more exciting, as ourtarget was a moving vehicle, no kidding.Any of you who have ever participatedin a flour bomb drop competition, knowthe safest place to be is on the target.This year was no different, we had closebut no direct hits.

After the bombs went out, two each,we had to find and direct a Jolly,(helicopter) and pass the 9 line over tothem, and fly top cover, while they wentin to recover the FAC.

As we were doing this, the Jollycomes under (Pretend) fire and had to sitdown. Now, it was in for two strafingpasses. When your # 2 was an Air ForceA-10 Jock, this is where the fangs startto come out There’s heavy breathingand salivating, that starts to form aroundthe mouth.

These passes look very impressivefrom my aircraft. However, the guy inthe rear pit of number two started outwith jet black hair and when he was atlast on the ground, he had turned aswhite as mine. With our passes done, itwas time to call Winchester and head forhome plate.. For those that won the AIR to AIR,Todd McCutchin and Kevin Carson,congratulations. Absolutely the BESTEVER, Desert Thunder / MountainMayhem.

(Continued from page 5))


This is why the dang thing makessome sense. What, you thought it wasme?They say behind every great man stands awomen. I’m smarter than that, I haveGinny by my side.

(4)Veterans Day:

November 11 gave us another perfectflying day, 3 to 5 knots of wind and againclear in a million. Today I had 3, T-34’s

Marc Russell, Chas Robertson andmyself, and 2 of the Tiger Flight CJ-6’sout of Torrance, Craig “Zeus” Eckbergand Guido “Rolex” Rietdyk.


Enjoy the account of member PaulWalter elsewhere in this issue as hedescribes his own small, yet extremelygratifying experience with an “HonorFlight.” making the trip to Washingtonfor a plane load of WWII veterans evenmore special.

Almost everyone of us who hasowned and/or restored a ‘34, has foughtthe canopy roller problems that almostinvariably plagued the process. MemberMark Banovetz has contributed anextremely detailed article on the repairprocess, dealing with the “A” model,that should help anyone attempting tomake those sticky canopies open andclose like the day they did when theyrolled out of the factory doors.

LIMA LIMA lead, Skip Aldous sentalong a delightful account of a flyingopportunity that took place not far fromhis home in Florida, that proved to be amost enjoyable and gratifyingexperience called “When Pigs FlySouth.“

This was another ofthe, thankfully, moreand more eventsstaged across thecountry these days tobenefit the nationsveterans.More fun stuff in this issue of yourMentor Monitor. Please enjoy it andremember we need your help. You cansend anything to me at anytime beforenext February 15th for publication in theMarch issue. I look forward to hearingfrom you and,

Merry Christmas from all on theboard of directors.

(Mentor pilots Maloco, Alldredge,Russell, Ostrich, Flippen andNorbraten)

(All photos by ArashAfshari)

Today we have twoflyovers. The first is at theSanta Barbara cemetery withan 11:00 TOT, with our secondTOT, 11:45 at the BirnamWood Golf Club, inMontecito, where they areholding a tournament to raisemoney to help our veterans. What is truly wonderfulabout this fund raiser is thatthe funds would be funneledthrough the Pierre Claeyssens

Veterans Organization; however,100% of the money will go to theveterans in need. So we have fourveterans who are having financialproblems going through UCSB.. Withover $100,000.00 raised, this will helpour veterans on their road to a collegeeducation.

I had allowed enough time for ourbriefing and getting up to Santa Barbara,but did not allow for slow line staff. After

leaving the briefing only oneof the two aircraft needingfuel had been taken care of.This would cause us to be 6minutes late for our firstflyover.With over 30 minutes tospare before our next TOT,we had time to go out and dosome close and extended trailbefore we had to rejoin andprepare for our next flyover.

Our downwind patternfor the next passes would

take us over what’s called the UpperVillage of Montecito.

I was told that in the village, peoplewere coming out of the shops; peoplewere stopping their cars in the streets, and

getting out and watching ourpasses.

What an honor to be ableto do these flyovers for ourVeterans. What an honor tobe able to share this withpeople who are willing to flytheir aircraft, to help ourcountry remember.FREEDOM IS NOT FREE.

God Bless our Men andWomen who serve as well astheir families. And GodBless America.


Warbird. Formation.

Life insurance for pilots,by pilots.

Products offered through Crump are issued by various insurance companies and may not be available in all states. Policy terms, conditions andlimitations will apply. Not all applicants will qualify for coverage.

Many life insurance companiesunderwriting pilots who do

the type of flying we do chargehigher premium rates or

(The following photos depict thepreparations and the fly-over of anotherVeteran’s Day event by the LIMA LIMAteam, sort of. This time on board two ofthe team aircraft were the sons of MarkBanovetz who would take part in theVeterans Day celebration in HammondIndiana, not far from Chicago. Moregratitude for the “Greatest generation.”Photos were taken at the home of theLIMA LIMA team in Naperville, IL.)


Best T-34 at OSH

Dan Blackwell and Kevin Clark

Like most of you, I find it wonderfullyexciting that there will soon be at leastthree T-34C’s joining the existing fleetof “A’s” and “B’s.” For those of youwho may not have followed thedevelopment and deployment of the“Charlie,” in a nut-shell, the airplane isa direct descendant of the original, andshares a number of parts with its oldersiblings.

However, while the fuselage andwings may look similar they aredistinctively different beneath the skin,beefed up dramatically to handle therelatively enormous torque that the PrattPT-6 puts out, even though it limited to afactor much less than the engine iscapable of producing. The YT-34C wasfirst built on a T-34B platform confirmingthe facts as stated above, leading to theenhanced development that became theCharlie.

First put into service in 1976, theaircraft successfully trained Navy cadetsfor nearly thirty five years before themajority of them were consigned to theboneyard at Davis Monthan AFB inTucson AZ. History has proven that it isonly a remote possibility that any willevery escape the desert moth-balling but,in fact as you have seen in the previousfew issues of the Mentor Monitor, one ofthree, retrieved from Gabon in Africa isvery nearly ready to fly.

We have been communicating with itsowner, Kevin Clark for nearly a year now(see the latest from Kevin next). He ishoping to fly the airplane this month, andwith a little luck I may be in Puget Soundarea on the eventful day, sometimearound Christmas.

The remainder of the article comesfrom Kevin Clark, who gives us an updateon his project and a small piece from DanBlackwell on the progress being made byWeaver Aircraft on the other twoCharlies returned from Gabon.

These three T-34C-1’s were delivered toGabon Africa in the 80’s. These are thebest T-34C’s built by Beech. They wereonly made for export and never used bythe Navy. They were basically attackversions of the T-34C trainers used by theNavy They incorporated reinforcedwings with hard points for gun packs orbombs. The PT6 engines were a differentdash number and were rated at a higherhorsepower. The Gabon governmentonly used them as escort aircraft for thepresident and not as trainers or attackaircraft. These 3 planes are very lowtime, most likely the lowest time T-34C-1’s in the world. After Gabon could nolonger support the planes they basicallysat for many years. The French whoprovide equipment and support to Gaboneventually disassembled the planes a fewyears ago and found Davis Aviation herein the U.S. to buy the lot. The mostcomplete and lowest time engine aircraftwas sold to Kevin Carson in Washington.That is the T-34C we have been followingfor the last year in the Mentor Monitor.Kevin is about to finally fly the plane aftera lengthy reassembly and checkout. Theother two aircraft are at Weaver Aircraftin Carson City NV. Each of these aircraftare in the process of an extensiverestoration by Neil and crew. Hopefullywe will have more information as timegoes on. (All the following photoscourtesy of Weaver Aircraft)



(Update from Kevin Clark ) Kevin sentalong a couple of progress notes on hisrestoration project. We share them here.

The photo and videos are from 09/24and if we get a decent day and some freetime will do some high speed taxi tests toburn in the brakes, etc, and anything elsewe can do short of flying and will try tovideo it. When you saw the airplane latelast December it was bolted together butnothing was functional.

Now, near as we can tell, everythingworks. We’ve been in contact with theFAA and they are wanting to defer theAirworthiness Certificate to a local DAR,who we have contacted and seems realpositive on helping us get back in the air.I’ve got some turnbuckles to lock wireand landing gear rigging to fine tune, butthat’s about it. I wish I knew when wewere going to fly, but I just don’t.

Overall the project has gone well.Early fears of finding unobtainablemissing parts just did not materialize. I’dsay on a war bird project that the potentialof missing parts that are too complicatedto make yourself are the biggest concern.I don’t know if I’ll have it flight tested,painted, and ready for Oshkosh by nextsummer, but will try.

I’m really going out of my way to makesure everything on this airplane conformsto the original type certificate and thatevery part is 100% legal. I was down inDenver Tuesday before last looking atCarlo Guagagni’s stunning YT34C.

We were going to fly, but we had a28 knot 90’ crosswind and very unstableair, so we scrubbed the flight but did pullit outside and start the engine. I wasreally amazed how vibration free theengine was and how quiet it is insidecompared to my T-34A. I was in theback seat last Thursday videoing the rearpit engine instruments and found anequally quiet and vibration freeenvironment.

I’ve spent quite a bit of time gettingto where I am, but have done 99% of thework myself and when you can onlydevote a couple hours after work per daythings drag out. I could do a second onein half the time. Once flying andsquawk free I plan on doing a showquality exterior refinish. I’m thinking I’llprobably strip and polish the canopyframes and return to the original soft greypaint scheme in which it was delivered toGabon in 1983.

(This nicely flown wedge included the“Boss,” Dan Blackwell, Chuck Boyd,Chas Robertson, Bill Beitler, and AdamHulse. The occasion was the Navy/SMUfootball game played on November 15th

at Navy/Marine Memorial Stadiumduring the National Anthem. The photowas taken by Hartley Postelthwaite.)

(Carlo Guagagni’s stable including aYT-34 based on a “B” model)

(Rob Parrish sent along this great shot ofhis airplane taken by Luigini Caliaroafter the Wings over Houston airshow.)

their smoke on if it does not detract fromthe Missing Man aircraft.

Regardless how you perform it,those on the ground will be touched.Don’t be surprised if you get lots ofrequests to perform Missing ManFormation Flights to mark specialoccasions.

(Okay, now to Bill’s thoughts. Thepoints with which I disagree will appearin parenthesis. I will say that I never feelthat the aircraft that pulls should evershow smoke. We do not want him to looklike he was shot down, which the smoketrail would suggest.)

I have observed many Missing Manformations and have flown maybe twohundred or more. It is a very solemn andrespectful display that is intended tohonor one or more people who havedeparted this earth for, presumably abetter place. It should be presentedaccordingly.

Frequently, it ends up otherwise. Ihave seen occasions where the crowdhad not been prepared for pass, and werechatting or running around gettingrefreshments. I have seen the missingman pull three or more Gs, and head forthe moon. Let me describe my concept ofthe proper way to present a Missing Manfly-over:

First, someone, perhaps theannouncer, priest, or whoever ispresiding over the occasion, should givea brief announcement to set the scene,and prepare the audience for the pass.

(See the script the San Diego Saluteused to set the scene perfectly for eachflight we performed**)

Lima Lima uses a full one and onehalf minutes to prepare the crowd for thepass, which includes the dedication tothe individual or individuals beinghonored. The direction of the approach isalso very important. Ideally, everyone isnow aware of the pass, and where it is


(Continued from page 22) coming from. The timing and executionhas been carefully pre-briefed betweenthe announcer, the bugler, and the flightlead.

It is very important to utilize themost unobstructed view for the approach.Local geography or airspace restrictionsmay preclude using the clearest viewapproach, but I am describing the idealsituation. The set up, or introductorycomments, should end when theformation is about three miles from thetarget site (Assuming 140 knot speed, theflight should be over the site in about aminute and a half.). The lead should haveall aircraft with their landing lights on,point the flight at the site to maximizethe effect, and call for all to turn on theirsmoke. Taps usually lasts about 55seconds, so it should start shortly insidethe three mile point.

At about two miles the Lead calls forthe missing man to turn off his lights,and three seconds later to turn off hissmoke. After another three seconds, theLead calls for the Missing Man to“depart now.” At this point (near the onemile distance) the Missing Manreluctantly departs the formation byadding full power and climbingvertically out of the formation.

(At a mile or somewhat less, wewould give the command to the pullingaircraft to go “lights and smoke offnow,” followed by the pull at nor morethan a half mile from the crowd.)

When above the formation he thenslowly banks away (ideally to the west)and continues his climb towards Heaven.The “Missing Man Formation” continuesoverhead with the missing man out ofimmediate view, and Taps ideally endingten seconds or so prior to beingoverhead.

The most dramatic part, in my view,is the missing man departing theformation as it approaches. The gap inthe formation also makes an impressiveand poignant impact as it passesoverhead. The entire set-up has been topresent this overhead Missing Man gap.Spectacular airmanship displays have no

part in this respectful and soberpresentation.

It can be flown traditionally with afour ship fingertip, a five ship vic, or asix ship wedge. In all cases it is the #3aircraft that departs. If you only havethree aircraft, the entire pass can be madein fingertip with the #3 plane missing.An option would be to fly in a three shipechelon and have the #2 aircraft depart.Again, the important factors are a goodverbal set-up, a clear view of theapproach, and a deliberate “reluctant”departure (not too slow) of the missingman. Careful timing, with goodcommunications with a groundcoordinator, is also highly desirable. It isalmost impossible to coordinate amissing man fly-over using your wristwatch only.

Here is the script that our group used onall occasions where there was a propernarrator on the ground. **

“In just a moment the “insert the name ofyour group” Formation Team will(re)appear overhead to perform the timehonored Missing Man Formation.Rooted in military history, dating back toWorld War I, this ceremonial Fly-Byhonors those military personnel whohave gone before us, many of whomgave their lives in the line of duty toprotect our country and preserve the veryfreedoms we all take for granted. Todaythis ceremonial event, widely believed tohave been performed for the first time bya flight of British aces at the funeral ofthe famous Red Baron, is symbolic of therespect we offer all who have served thisgreat country in war time and in peace.As the team approaches you will notethat the lights of the number threeaircraft are shut down as the pilot gentlypulls upward from the formation whileturning west, signifying the reluctantdeparture from Earth of another bravewarrior and the return of his soul toGod’s gift of eternal peace in heaven.

test, and proclaimed the aircraftairworthy. Complete repairs, which willinclude a new gear door and skin

replacement ofthe right lowernose section,would beaccomplished isa couple ofweeks whenparts could beobtained.Large birds likeGeese andturkey buzzardscan usually beseen andavoided, butthere is littleone can do tosee and avoid

relatively small birds. Another reason towear a helmet and visor when flying. Note: the photo does not show thedamage too well, unless it is enlarged,but this is all I have to accompany thearticle. Blow up the photo on yourcomputer and see what you think.


There must be no adhesive on the mating surfaces – otherwise,the canopy may notrelease properly.

The canopy andrails should be togetherbefore the assembly isreinstalled on theaircraft. Once theassembly is positionedon the aircraft, it isadvisable to have two

figure 12assistants push down on the canopy while the release latch ispushed in. This will slightly compress the rubber seals whilethe hooks are re-engaged with the rollers on the canopy attachfitting rollers. Once the canopy is secured, check for the properoperation of the canopy and make sure that the canopy rides

above, and does not rub against, the fuselage. (Figure 14).There are inspection windows for each rail hook – inspect ateach location to be sure that the hooks are engaged on each railfitting.`Once the canopy release handles are back in place, and allattach points on the rails are verified to be re-attached, therelease handle guards can be re installed. If the canopyassembly remains loose after the release handles are engaged,then the canopy hooks may need adjustment. Refer to theaircraft manual. Adjustment and rigging of the canopy iscovered Section 2-25, 26 of the USAF T-34A technical manual.

Canopy maintenance is a worthwhile investment of yourtime. Make a point to schedule your canopy inspection andmaintenance for the next annual inspection. You will feel betterknowing that the canopies roll freely – and that they willproperly separate from the aircraft in the event of an emergency.

On November first of this year, threeLima Lima aircraft were hired to fly aVeteran's Day Parade at Utica, IL. Wehave flown this venuemany times in the past, andenjoy contributing to theirevent. I was leading in MarkBanovets' T34 (formerlyGene Martin's), with BrianMc Cann on the right wing,and Mark Miller on theleft. We had made a coupleof passes, which hadincluded steep"Whifferdills," and werepassing overheadnorthbound at about 1200feet, doing 150+ knots orso, when I saw whatappeared to be a smallhawk pass by my right side. I askedBrian if he had seen it, and he respondedthat it had hit his aircraft. He asked Markand I if we could see any damage.Neither of us saw anything unusual onhis airplane. We finished our part of the display,and some T6s and a TBM took over.

Back at the airport we looked for anydamage and saw the impact point of thatbird. In addition to the dented skin, bent

nose gear door, and bent drain tubes,there was some very minor damageinternally to a small bulkhead, butotherwise the plane appeared to beflyable to the shop at Du Page Airport. There, a mechanic inspected thedamage, straighten out the bend in theright nose gear door, did a gear retract

Birds, They are Out There Bill Cherwin


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Order from Carolyn [email protected]

1. Men’s long sleeve fleece pullover Navy only M,L,XL $502. Women’s short sleeve jewel neck “T” Lt blue only S,M,L,X $303. Women’s sleeveless polo Pink only S,M,L,X $304. Men’s denim ss shirt $30, m/w long sleeve M,L,X $355. M/W twill button down long sleeve, M/Red, French Blue, W/Red M,L,X $356. Men’s twill button down ss shirt, Navy, Hunter, Blue, Black, Stone S,M,L,X $267. Men/Women miracle fabric OSH T-34 pilot T” L,XL $358. Soft T-34 Mentor cap (OSFA) Black, Navy, Pink, Burgundy $189. Sewing sample10. T-34 woven iron on or sew on patch $811.T-34 decal outside only $112. T-34 challenge coin $2013. Formation Flying Manual and DVD $72.9514.-15. T-34 Wingman and Leader patch $916. T-34 Signal Pub. By Lou Drendel $5017. T-34 Formation Manual, (non-members $12.50) Member price $9.50


(The following column was written morethan ten years ago following theOshkosh formation passes. The problemthan is one we still see today as thosewingmen toward the front of the flightdo not maintain the proper stepdown,setting a bad example for the followingelements.)

Let’s just say that not all the flying Iobserved at OSH this year was whatcould fairly be called standard andabove. Among the most flagrantformation transgressions had to be theoveruse of step-down both in the clinicportion of the event and in the actualairshow environment. While with manycommodities like money, real estate, orfame for example, if a little bit is good,then a lot must surely be better, a lot ofstep down does not fit the same vein oflogical reasoning. Some is necessary-too much can be disastrous. How muchis enough and how much is too much?Let us research the T-34 AssociationFormation Manual for the answers.

Aha! Just as we all knew. Theproper amount of step-down is achievedwhen the pilot of Alpha Two, and AlphaThree, can see only the rear-most cowllatch on Alpha One’s aircraft, when thedepth of his or her wing, as viewed fromthe wingman position, is split in half bythe trailing edge of the wing itself, orwhen the full circumference of bothaugmenter tubes just comes in to view.All three of these benchmarks work. Pickthe one you like the best. For the slotpilot, assuming there is one, maintainingthe sight picture on two or three, willestablish the element as a model lead. “What’s the big deal,” you may say,“if I as a wingman am just a little belowthese standards?” Not too big a deal atall, in truth, unless you are part of a largerflight of say three or four or fiveadditional elements, or even if you are theslot man in a diamond. Then it is serious.Imagine if you will four diamonds strungout in trail. If the step-down of sloppyAlpha Two is matched, as is proper, byAlpha Three, the entire flight of 16

becomes excessively and permanentlydragged along at an angle reminiscent of alimp windsock hanging from a mast. The proper step-down in any flight(see illustration #2) is such that everyaircraft in the entire flight could look upto the leader and split the chord of his orher wing just as his or her own wingmanshould. Not only does this make for abetter looking formation, but it takes theguesswork out of exactly what referenceeach pilot must use when attempting tostay in position. Sloppy station keepingup front has an unfortunate trickle downaffect on the rest of the flight. Many of us fly in only two or threeship formations for most of the year andallow ourselves to become lax in stationkeeping discipline. For those occasionswhen the entire flight can be countedbefore you get to your thumb, it may notbe a visual disaster, but before coming toOSH next year, make sure that you polishthose skills to the satisfaction of allinvolved in the airshow flights. We willall look better as a result.

Terry Brennan

(Recently an email exchange betweenBill Cherwin and Mark Banovetz, basedupon a photo submitted by Billy Smith,resulted in the following explanation ofsmoke volume and more. Of the videoMark opined quizzed no one inparticular. Said Mark……………)

Very cool video! I was wondering -I sometimes notice that smoke trails aredifferent shades - some whiter and someless white. Is this a result of differentsmoke oil being used in the variousairplanes?(From Bill came..………….)

The difference in smoke trails isusually a difference in flow rate, and/ornozzle location and aiming. The rightrear corner (#5 on Lima Lima) has avery weak trail, and you can notice thepulsing trail after they pass by. I think

the flow rate was low, and perhaps eventhe nozzle location might be too farforward. The ideal place for the nozzleson a T-34 is just aft of the heat muffs,and aimed forward against the exhaustflow. The flow rate should be 1/6gallon per hour from each nozzle, for atotal of 1/3 gallon per minute total. Thisshould yield a decent trail density andreasonable endurance.Mounting the nozzles anywhere above(upstream of) the muffs will result in apuffy smoke trail. Dirty smoke oilfilters and clogged nozzles can alsoaffect the trail. To further qualify the1/6 GPH flow rate per nozzle,thepressure ideally should be in the 25 PSIrange, to get a good velocity streamblasting up the exhaust stack. Twoholes drilled into the stainless steelnozzles with a #68 (.031) drill, should

yield the desired flow rate, producing adecent smoke trail. Higher flow rateswill certainly produce a stronger smoketrail, but endurance will becompromised.

As a side light, I include a lowsmoke pressure warning light that ispowered when the pump is powered. Inthe circuit to the light, I install an oilpressure switch, that is "normallyclosed," and opens when the pressuredevelops (a split second). So If youever see a steady light, you know thatthe pump is running, and there is nopressure! I all probability, you are outof smoke oil. An occasional orintermittent light would indicate aclogged oil filter to the pump. The"push to test" feature on the lightshould be wired to only work if thesystem is on and ready to work whenthe smoke switch is activated.

Smoke Talk Bill Cherwin and Mark Banovetz


T-34A G-717 N134CDOrange & white Navy TrainingCommand paint schemeParks built ‘96550 motorFull IFRAll mods and full complianceSpar strapAlways hangared @ DALChutes$275,000Herb Story, 214-720-0400,[email protected], Former navalAviator (‘66-’72 in F-8’s and flightinstructor In T-34 @ Sauffley Field

T-34B BG-242 N134YPrecision IFRGarmin 430WAspen Pro Stec-20 EDM 730 engineanalyzer digital fuel quantity/ flowPS7000 audio with marker beaconsAll ADs complied with doublerplate/Alec/ current annualRecent Navy Recruiting CommandpaintTTAF 6500Engine IO-470TSMO 884.9Prop TSMOH 265.2Annual Aug 2010More info at:www.n134y.piczo.com,Trade-A-Plane$160,000.00

www.mcfarlaneaviation.com/T34

McFarlane Aviation Products696 East 1700 Road, Baldwin City, KS 66006Phone: 785.594.2741 Fax: [email protected]

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T-34 Flight Control CablesAileron, Elevator and Rudder Cables• Pre-stretched and proof loaded• Same superior corrosion protection as original

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MENTOR MARKETPLACE

T-34B JS-611 N4984Airframe Total Time: 9383 hoursEngine: O-470-4Engine Total Time: 593 hoursTotal ground-up restoration 1985Oshkosh and Sun 'n Fun winnerHas won 12 EAA eventsNavy yellowKing Gold Crown radios, GarminGPS $150,000Jay Sarver, (215) 795-0959,[email protected]

December 2015, MENTOR MONITOR page 34

Due to age and an uncooperativeinsurance company, I am offering forsale a great T-34A, s/n G-774, deliveredto the Air Force in February 1956. Thisairplane looks, feels and flies like a brandnew airplane. All ADs are current, the

T-34B (BG53) Project.Fuselage is ready to go in primer. 2 setsof wings. extra canopies and more.Missing engine & prop, nose gear, someinstruments rear control surfaces.New augmentor tubes, cowling, batterybox, baggage door and more.$27,500.00

1982 Cap-10B wing rebuilt ready tofinish up and go flying $35,000.00

L-19D engine, nos engine mount @ nos(4 lever) throttle quadrant $2,500. Bruce Lamont541-465-8174 days & 541-942-1173evenings

USAF T-34A Beechcraft Mentor(A-45; Serial # G-154; N6CL)(Turnkey Package)USAF Delivery Date: March 1955(Manufactured by Beechcraft,Wichita, KS)Acrobatic Category (+6/-3 G’s)2002 Oshkosh “Judges Choice”winner (trophy goes to buyer)2009 Palm Springs Air Museum T-34 winner (March Mentor Monitor)T-34 Spar Corp – Doubler plate,Station 66(All AD’s Completed) complete andcenter section ALEC installedAirframe and engine logs, AD’sinspectionsManuals: Engine ; parts,maintenance/operating, etc.(lots)manuals, HistoricT-34 Aerobatic videos in CD/VHS

Engine: O-470-13A “10” HoursSMOH (all logs)Prop: B-278 “10” Hours SMOH(all logs)Spare Engine O-470-13A, 1250Hours SMOH (all logs) plus extraoverhauled fuel pump, other spares, etc.Annual: Sept 30, 2013Canopy coverLeather Seats front and rear3 parachutes: 1 Strong seat pack ; 2back packs2 Dave Clark headsets; pilot positionnoise attenuator & helmetSmoke system (4 gallon tank)24 volt Schauer charger, Strobes, 2Gas powered PowerTow tug (model40 EZ, 5 hp)Manual tow bar, 406 MHz EPIRBPortable Garmin 296 GPS mountedon stick; Dave Clark headset/noiseattenuator and Dave Clark helmet.High efficiency air filter system(reusable); canopy locks,Manuals:-Beechcraft MentorModel B-45Notebook re: N6CLEngine manual for O-470-13AAircraft History Logs/CertifiedWeight and BalanceAirframe Logs (2 engines)Engine Logs (installed engine andalso spare engine/rebuilt)Propeller Logs, and much more.Call for more details.$189,000Brett Austin (949) 500-4966

annual was completed February 2015and she is in excellent condition.Airframe: 5,988 TTEngine: IO-550B – 550 hoursSMOHProp: McCauley D3A32C409,overhauled 2014 – 88 hours SPOHExterior: 9+Interior: 10+ - new panels, circuitbreakers, switches in 2013Glass: 9+Extras: SmokePrice: $295,000Located in Ridgeland, SCFor more specs and info, pleasecontact:Lou Fischer843/[email protected] can be seen at:https://www.facebook.com/N34LF/photos_stream

mailto:membership@t-34.


MENTOR MARKETPLACE

pParts for Sale

T-34B Seats $800. ea. (3 available)T-34A Seat $3,500.New Battery tray $175.Military overhaul rear throttle quadrant$750. Bruce Lamont 541-465-8174 days 541-942-1173 evenings

Fly-In Property for T-34We have some property on a beautifulfly-in community that we areinterested in trading for a T-34. MarkClark currently has it listed on hiswebsite. Click here. ConnieBowlin,[email protected] EdBowlin, [email protected]

T-34A and T-34B partsOne (1) set of T-34A air scoop andvent engine port covers. Red in colorwith red remove for flight streamers.These are USAF issue Beechcraftparts from the 1950s in new condition.Price: $400.00 plusshipping. Complete set of T34Bflight manuals, original in the blueplastic binder, dated 01MAY67,change notice T-34B change 1 dated01DEC78 wrapped in plastic, neveropened. Original Pilot PocketChecklist, T-34B Aircraft, dated15NOV73. All original not reprints.Price: $150.00 plus shipping. CliffYarbrough 501-776-5770,

Gently Used Alternators1 ea. Hartzell Engine Technologies.Model ALT 9522R. 1 ea. SkytronicsJasco Model ALT 7565-T. NewHartzell cost $ 619, New Skytronicscost $1150. Both worked whenremoved from engines. No reasonableoffer refused.

T-34 Engine and CanopiesI belong to a group at MilwaukeeTimmerman airport (MWC) calledYouth & Aviation (Y&A). It is a501-3c that was/is part of theMilwaukee (CAP) CompositeSquadron at MWC. Until about 10years ago, Y&A was the proudoperator of T-34 Mentor G-155,N2969C, which is now owned byPlanes of History, Inc, in DentonTX. As a result we have a T-34engine and canopies for sale.Continental O-470-13A, serial# T-105703. It has 1228.2 hours on itsince overhaul. Canopies, front andrear, glass in frames.

How to Join the Association

Want to become a member ofthe T-34 Association?Go to the T-34 Association Website, www.t-34.com, and click onthe “Become a Member” link atthe top center of the page. Selectthe type of membership you wantand pay via PayPal. If youwould rather pay by check, remitpayment to:

T-34 Association, Inc.Jud Nogle, Membership Direc-torPO Box 945Champaign, IL 61824-0945

Any contact information youprovide will be entered into ourmember database which is ac-cessible only to T-34 Associationmembers. If you have any ques-tions about membership send anemail to:[email protected]

Remember, you do not need toown or fly a T-34 to join.Membership is open to anyone.

GET ON BOARD NOW

T-34A 53-4132 N342RBIBelow is a link to a site with details andpictures. I would appreciate if any of youor any of your friends have an interest toplease contact me.Pictures andcomplete description on this page:http://www.t34forsale.com/Ron Blash,[email protected]

T-34B BG-148 N4986186 hours on Nogle & Black IO-520 with 3-bladed prop10,446 Total TimeCollins radios Garmin GPSNavy red & white paint in 1985Hangared for last 20 years $139,000Laurie Ermentrout, (215) 453-9164,[email protected] Sarver, (215) 795-0959,[email protected]

mailto:membership@t-34.

Jud NogleT-34 Association Inc704 N. Neil St.Champaign, IL 61820

Panel Pics

The ‘34 formerly owned by Ashley Anderson shows a very tastefully updated panel including electronic engine monitoring andGarmin GPS 530 (at least that’s what it looks like) HSI and autopilot among other toys.

monitor december 1215 - t-34 association€¦ · december 2015 mentor monitor page 2 december 2015...

Documents