JANUARY 2011

Happy New Year to each and every member of the Vintage Aircraft Asso-ciation. Here’s wishing you all a suc-cessful and prosperous 2011.

What will 2011 bring to us? Time will tell, but we can likely assume that there will be a mixture of more at-tempts to modify, restrict, or in some cases, even deny us the opportunity to further enjoy our rights to our avia-tion-related passions.

One example of course is the FAA’s continuing initiative to eliminate through-the-fence (TTF) operations at public-use airports. Where is the common sense? Come on, the mice running around in my hangar repre-sent a lot more risk to me than the guy with a key to a gate he can taxi his Cessna through. We have seen some movement on the federal gov-ernment’s part to continue the discus-sions and even delay implementation of its goals to lock out these users. Even though these TTF arrangements have existed for years, and to date have yet to represent any real threat to our security, these government of-fi cials do seem to be polite, but very much resolute.

Where would we be today with-out those valued congressional mem-bers of the aviation caucus, our vocal EAA/VAA membership, and the EAA’s advocacy initiatives? For certain, our access to the general aviation (GA) system would be much more lim-ited today. So where is this all going? What new initiatives will our govern-ment propose in the next 12 months? You have to wonder who in the world is really driving this truck down the

left lane of GA’s highway! What will we be talking about next January that got pushed up the pipe during 2011? What are the real goals of the FAA, and the Transportation Security Ad-ministration, regarding regulatory issues for GA? The best we can do to-day is to stay informed, continue to be engaged, and reach out to local legislators, especially when they get it right. They need to know they are supported in their efforts to defend GA. Let’s all stay the course.

I recently reread a column that was written and published in the January issue of Vintage Airplane magazine right after the events of 9/11. The guest col-umn was written by our own Tom Po-berezny, and he eloquently wrote of what the terrorists did to damage gen-eral aviation on that fateful day. Not to dismiss the tragic loss of the thou-sands of American lives that occurred on that day, but Tom did a wonderful job of describing to the membership what we needed to do next to counter-act these horrifi c circumstances.

He said, “We need to protect, pro-mote, preserve, and prepare. These are the four fundamental pillars of main-taining America’s free skies.”

I will personally never forget that day or the nagging thoughts of “What will become of our rights to pursue our personal aviation interests?”

Tom continued, “Protect our right to fly, and turn these negatives into positives by staying the course with our existing ongoing initiatives, whether it be through Young Eagles, advocacy initiatives, or communications.”

He also stated that we should “pro-

mote access to the dream of fl ight.” This is an easy one, and can be mostly accomplished by promoting mem-bership in the EAA/VAA, and by sim-ply writing that check to renew your own membership.

To accomplish Tom’s third pillar, “Preserve the heritage of flight,” just visit the EAA AirVenture Museum to see what your EAA organization rou-tinely does to preserve our aviation heritage. This is why we still operate one of the few remaining B-17s, build a Bleriot, or restore an old Waco biplane.

And finally, Tom promoted “pre-paring for the future of fl ight.” Please continue to reach out to our youth, and pave that path to a life of avia-tion, whether it’s through the spon-sorship of a young person to EAA’s Air Academy at Oshkosh or your chapter participating with a Boy Scout Troop to accomplish their aviation merit badge.

The interesting element here is that Tom’s remarks of nine years ago re-main very much relevant to the orga-nization today. Because of the events of 9/11, we need to continue to meet our challenges head on, challenges that will not always come from the FAA. We truly are an entity that makes remarkable things happen. Let’s all strive to help make a difference in this ongoing debate.

Remember, it’s time to run your checklist and buckle your seat belts, because 2011 is shaping up to be yet another exciting year for the Vintage Aircraft Association.

GEOFF ROBISONPRESIDENT, VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

STRAIGHT & LEVEL

Setting a course for 2011

IFC Straight & Level Setting a course for 2011 by Geoff Robison

2 News

4 The May Family’s Spectacular 1936 Sportster “Rearwin popularity is proof of Rearwin superiority” by Sparky Barnes Sargent

10 Type Club Listing

14 The Antiques in Winter If airplanes could talk . . ., Part II by Roger Thiel

16 My Friend Frank Rezich, Part IV The war years by Robert G. Lock

22 Light Plane Heritage The Longren Biplane by Jack McRae

24 2010 VAA Hall of Fame Inductee Morton W. Lester by Jack Cox and Morton Lester

28 The Vintage Mechanic Test fl ights by Robert G. Lock

32 The Vintage Instructor Was that a landing? Or was it a carnival ride? by Steve Krog, CFI

34 Mystery Plane by H.G. Frautschy

37 Classifi ed Ads

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 1

A I R P L A N E j a n u a r yC O N T E N T S

S T A F FEAA Publisher Rod HightowerDirector of EAA Publications Mary JonesExecutive Director/Editor H.G. FrautschyProduction/Special Project Kathleen WitmanPhotography Jim KoepnickCopy Editor Colleen WalshSenior Art Director Olivia P. TrabboldEAA Chairman of the Board Tom Poberezny

Publication Advertising:Manager/Domestic, Sue AndersonTel: 920-426-6127 Email: sanderson@eaa.orgFax: 920-426-4828

Senior Business Relations Mgr, Trevor JanzTel: 920-426-6809 Email: tjanz@eaa.org

Manager/European-Asian, Willi TackePhone: +49(0)1716980871 Email: willi@fl ying-pages.comFax: +49(0)8841 / 496012

Interim Coordinator/Classifi ed, Alicia CanzianiTel: 920-426-6860 Email: classads@eaa.org

C O V E R S

Vol. 39, No. 1 2011

FRONT COVER: The Reawin marque seems to be a popular subject for a few recently completed projects in the Antique airplane community. This is the May family’s Rearwin Sportster, originally built in the fall of 1936. Read more about it in Sparky Barnes Sargent’s article starting on page 4. Photo by Bonnie Kratz.BACK COVER: Continuing our salute to great aviation magazine covers of the past, Model Airplane News has been a fi xture within the modeling community for over 80 years, and is still going strong. This great cover, from September of 1934, created by famed illustrator Jo (Josef) Kotula depicts the Italian dual-engined seaplane racer, the Macchi-Castoldi 72 racer of 1933/34.

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Advance AirVentureAdmissions, Camping, Flights Now Available Online

Advance purchase of AirVen-ture 2011 admission and camping is now available on the AirVenture website, and this year you can pre-purchase camping at AirVenture’s Camp Scholler for all arrival dates.

With rates remaining the same as last year, EAA members and non-members can make prepurchases via a secure website, allowing ticket holders to speed through the ad-missions process. Both daily and weekly admissions are available, as is the ability to join EAA and im-mediately receive the best possible admission prices available only to EAA members. Discounts are avail-able to those who prepurchase Air-Venture tickets online before June 15, 2011, including $2 on daily adult admissions and $5 on weekly adult admissions.

Camp Scholler opens on June 24, 2011, and those who make an advance purchase for camping get the convenience of express registra-tion at the campground entrance, including specially designated lines on peak arrival dates.

Advance admission ticketing is made possible through sup-port from Jeppesen. To get your advanced admission, visit www.AirVenture.org/tickets.

Also new for 2011, attendees can pre-purchase fl ights on EAA’s 1929 Ford Tri-Motor, joining advance purchase flights of EAA’s B-17 Alu-minum Overcast.

Win a SkycatcherFrom Cessna and EAA!

Entering to win an airplane has never been easier. We’ve made it simple to enter the 2011 EAA Share the Spirit Sweepstakes. You’ll find 10 entry coupons bundled with this

issue of Sport Aviation. The coupons are filled out and ready to mail in. You can also enter online at www.AirVenture.org/sweepstakes or during AirVenture 2011—but why wait?

The grand prize is a Cessna 162 Skycatcher, along with fuel for a year courtesy of Shell Aviation. You’ll also have a chance to win a 2011 Coleman camper—factory new and loaded with features. Other great prizes include a HotSeat Flight Sim GTX Extreme PC Bundle, Bose 3·2·1 GSX Series III DVD home en-tertainment system, Canon EOS 50D camera kit with lens, and Ham-ilton Men’s Khaki Pilot watch.

EAA thanks all sweepstakes par-ticipants for helping grow avia-tion. Every donation to the EAA Sweepstakes directly supports EAA programs. These programs help members share the spirit of aviation among fellow enthusiasts and the next generation of aviators.

VAA NEWS

2 JANUARY 2011

Naval Aircraft Get Extreme MakeoversHelp celebrate naval aviation centennial at Oshkosh

EAA AirVenture 2011 is a designated Tier 1 event for the Centennial of Naval Aviation celebration this year, so get ready for a host of special appearances and activities in Oshkosh next July. While many initiatives have yet to be announced, one special treat is confi rmed and well underway: repainting several current inventory airplanes in colors from previous eras.

“It’s all part of our outreach to help celebrate the centennial of naval aviation,” said Capt. Richard Dann, director of history and outreach for the centennial. “We’re attempting to teach about the heritage, which many people may not be aware of.”

Examples include a pair of T-45 Goshawks painted in yellow-winged, pre-World War II tactical aircraft schemes; an S-3B Viking done up in the colors of naval airplanes that fought in the Battle of Midway; an MH-60S Seahawk helicopter painted like those of Helicopter Attack (Light) Squadron THREE (HAL-3) Seawolf fi re teams from the Vietnam era; and an F/A-18F with a truly unique scheme modeled after the current Navy Working Uniform.

These aircraft “in every manner of heritage paint” will take part in designated Tier 1 events—including AirVenture Oshkosh 2011, Dann said. Although he could not commit to which airplanes would be par ticipating at Oshkosh, he indicated that several of the approximately 26 aircraft will appear.

To see a photo gallery of some of the airplanes you could see at Oshkosh this summer, visit EAA’s Facebook page.

You can also learn more about Centennial of Naval Avi-ation events, including the Curtiss-Ely Pusher replica (at right) built for the celebration, on page 20 of the January issue of Sport Aviation.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3

VAA/EAA AirVenture Volunteers of the YearEach year, near the end of the annual fl y-in, the Vintage Aircraft Association honors two of its own as volun-

teers of the year. Each typifi es the amazing talents and dedication exhibited by the hundreds of VAA volunteers who contribute thousands of hours of their time so their fellow members can have an enjoyable week away from home, immersed in the glories of recreational aviation. Here are this year’s honorees:

EAA AirVenture 2010 Art Morgan Flightline Volunteer of the Year—Bradford Payne

Bradford Payne is a longtime EAA volunteer who has been com-ing to AirVenture since 1971. A professional pilot since 1994, and a current United Air Lines pilot, Brad earned his pilot certifi cate in 1986. From the beginning it was his destiny to become the avia-tion guru he is. He grew up in Dayton, Ohio, just three blocks from the Wright brothers’ house, and his uncle was Orville’s paperboy!

For many years, Brad’s entire family attended EAA’s air show as a family vacation. Each of them has volunteered at EAA at some point. Brad and his brothers were particularly interested in the VAA, where they could ride the scooters! Bradford has been a fl ight line volunteer since 1984, and for volunteers who want to learn more about our aircraft, he teaches several aircraft identifi cation classes during the fl y-in. With his experience as a member of the National

Intercollegiate Flying Association, where he competed in aircraft recognition, Bradford truly is an expert in identifying and explaining the differences among the various aircraft, and he does an impressive job teaching others how to learn to identify aircraft as well. Bradford also creates an information sheet each year for every type club aircraft we will be parking in the Vintage area as well as special identifi cation fl iers to help every vol-unteer become familiar with the aircraft in our division. Brad is one of the volunteers who can wear any hat and work any of the positions on the fl ightline—and is willing to do so! He continues to add to the VAA mem-bership. Before they married, he told Jennifer, his then future wife, “Oshkosh is a non-negotiable part of the relationship.” Jennifer has also become a vital part of our division, and by this summer, they will have added a total of two upcoming members to our organization, as they will welcome their second child! Brad loves air-planes but enjoys the company of all the other volunteers in the VAA. He feels like he fi ts right in because it is the one place his passion for aircraft is shared by so many others! He looks forward to attending every year. For him, it’s Christmas in July!

Congratulations, Bradford Payne, on receiving the annual Art Morgan Flight Line Volunteer of the Year award!

EAA AirVenture 2010 Behind-the-Scenes Volunteer of the Year—Tom Hildreth

If there ever was a volunteer who never says no to a request, that would be Tom Hildreth. Tom has been volunteering at school when he was a teacher, singing in his church, and “calling” square dances, his special love.

Over several years, Tom has done everything from electrical work (helper) to carpentry work (he recently helped put in new fl ooring in the judges’ trailers) to helping install air conditioners and many other tasks. During the most recent work parties, how-ever, he has been proven to be the Michelangelo of VAA painters. He has put a brush to almost every “metal color” building on the landscape. We all wonder how he seems to get all of the paint on the buildings and none on himself; it’s uncanny.

During AirVenture, at the Tall Pines Cafe, he is the head ca-shier, VAA breakfast greeter, offi cial head counter, and pancake

historian. He remembers hundreds of our guests and never fails to inquire about their families and fl ying buddies.Tom also has been a frequent soloist during the religious services in the EAA Fergus Chapel during AirVenture.If you ask Tom to do something, you had better get out of his way; before you know it, he’s already on the job.

Geoff Robison, Bradford Payne and George Daubner.

Geoff Robison with Tom Hildreth.

4 JANUARY 2011

T h e M a y F a m i l y ’s

S p e c t a c u l a r 1936 Sportster

BY SPARKY BARNES SARGENT

SPARKY BARNES SARGENT

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5

Dressed in a custom black-

a n d - w h i t e s c a l -loped paint scheme,

replete with gold trim and chrome accents, the May family’s Rearwin Sportster conjures a spec-tacular image of dapper 1930s black-tie formality, from its classy cowl right down to its wheel spats. It’s an aeronautical treasure that just keeps improving with age, thanks to the ef-forts of one Nebraskan family.

Rearwin SportsterIt’s estimated that Rearwin Air-

planes, which was based at the Fairfax Airport in Kansas City, manufactured approximately 50 of the Model 8500s, and today, only seven are listed on the FAA Regis-try. The Model 8500 was similar to the earlier Model 7000, except it was powered by an 85-hp LeBlond 5DF engine and was endowed with a few extra features. Marketed primarily as a sportsman’s airplane, the tandem design measured 22 feet 3 inches from spinner to tailskid and had a wingspan of 35 feet. The Sportster’s gross weight was 1,460 pounds, it had a useful load of 830 pounds, and with its roomy tandem cabin, its baggage compartment carried at least 50 pounds. A 12-gallon fuel tank was in each wing, and with a 5 gph fuel burn, the Sportster could cruise 103 mph at 1900 rpm, thus offering a 480-mile range.

A 1936 advertisement for the

Sportster Model 7000 proudly an-

nounced: “Rearwin popularity is truly in-

ternational. The shipment of two Rearwin ‘Sport-sters’ now on the way to Air-taxi Company,

Lt., Cape Town, Union of South

Africa, proves inter-national endorsement of Rear-

win engineering skill, Rearwin craftsmanship and Rearwin high quality. The Modernistic lines of this marvelous plane represent streamlin-ing at its best.”

In 1937, Rearwin Airplanes’ mar-keting slogan declared: “Rearwin popularity is proof of Rearwin superi-ority.” As touted in era advertising, a Rearwin pilot’s letter to the company stated: “‘Everywhere the smart ap-pearance, effi ciency and economy of the Sportster elicited most favorable comment.’—Capt. Wm. W. Ford, Richmond, Ky.” The company also highlighted the Sportster’s capabili-ties by stating that it had the “…fast-est take-off, quickest climb, highest ceiling, [and] slowest landing in the $2000-$3500 class…[and a] roomy, luxurious cabin with unexcelled visi-bility in all directions…. And it’s easy to own a Rearwin for you need pay only one-third down.”

N16473The May family’s Model 8500,

N16473 (serial number 502), fl ew away from its birthplace in Kan-sas City in September 1936, its Le-Blond radial purring happily with a Flottorp birch propeller spinning on its nose. Landing in Hastings, Nebraska, under the care of Frank Cushing, its lustrous red factory fi nish, highlighted by a dark blue stripe and gold pinstriping was ad-mired by onlookers. The Sportster changed hands again in July 1937,

when Dr. Otto Kostal purchased it. Kostal kept it in good stead un-til April 1945, when he sold it to Ed Swan in Kearney, Nebraska. By then, the tailskid had been re-placed with a castering tail wheel. Swan, who was a good friend of Jerry May, enjoyed the airplane until he sold it to Harold Olson of Minden, Nebraska, in 1952.

Jerry, who had become well-acquainted with the Sportster, re-calls, “The aileron ribs were rotted by that point and had to be replaced. So they decided they’d switch over to metal Piper Cub ribs, since that would be easier to do than making wood ribs—but the inspector said, ‘No, you can’t change the design of the aircraft.’ They got disgusted, and fi nally they pushed the airplane outside and tied it down, where it sat for almost three years. Anyway, I asked him about the Rearwin one day, because I had known this air-craft almost all its whole life. We got together on a price fi nally, and I went ahead and bought it in June of 1954—I’ve had it ever since.”

At first, Jerry figured he might end up using the airplane for parts, but he was instead admonished by his knowledgeable father to restore it. Together, they brought it back to fl ying condition. The Rearwin was, in retrospect, the first member of Jerry’s own family, for he wouldn’t meet and marry his lovely bride, Vivian, until 1963. “I rebuilt it and flew it for 20-some years,” says Jerry, a gentle-mannered man with a pleasant, unassuming personality. “Then we decided it needed to be re-covered, because it had cotton ‘A’ on it,” he explains, “but this time, all kinds of projects of everybody else’s got in the way for all these years. I didn’t get it done as soon as I wanted to, but about three years ago, I said, ‘It’s got to get fi nished now!’ So we started in on it and put in actually about a year and a half of really serious work.”

“Rearwin popularity is proof of Rearwin superiority”

BONNIE KRAT

Z

6 JANUARY 2011

One GenerationAfter Another

The May family comes by avia-tion honestly—it’s just in their genes. Jerry’s father, Walter, learned to fl y in 1926 and barnstormed with Harold Warp [of Minden, Nebras-ka’s “Pioneer Village” fame, and the founder of Warp Brothers Plas-tics—Editor] in matching Swallow biplanes. Jerry’s eldest son, Mark, shares additional highlights of his grandfather’s aviation career: “My grandfather was an A&E, and was an excellent mechanic and welder, and also a machinist. … He was a great pilot, and was friends with

Amelia Earhart and Charles Lind-bergh. He was a [welding instruc-tor] for Swallow Aircraft. He worked with Walter Beech, Lloyd and Wa-verly Stearman, and all the won-derful people at Swallow Aircraft. He also worked for my great-uncle Glen Morton, of Morton Aircraft, in Omaha. Later, he started May’s Air-craft Service Inc. with my father in Minden, Nebraska. My grandfather was instrumental in my father buy-ing the Rearwin, and both of them restored it the fi rst time.”

When Jerry and Vivian had their own sons, Jerry happily infl uenced the youngsters by taking them

down to his shop at the airport at an early age. Vivian lent a helping hand when needed with the air-plane projects and laughs good-na-turedly when she explains, “I just go along with them, and do a lot of cooking and praying for them! And keep them happy—they have strong wills, all three of them.”

Aviating and working on air-planes naturally evolved into a way of life for the sons. Mike, the young-est son, reflects, “Since I grew up with it, I thought everybody had airplanes—then I’d go to school, and they were like, ‘What’s an air-plane?’” Mike works with the family business, May’s Aircraft Services, and is working toward his inspection authorization (IA) rating. His son, Josh, also does aircraft maintenance for the family business. Mark, who has his IA, has his own corporate maintenance facility, AOG Aircraft Services in Watkins, Colorado—and shares his love for aviation with his young daughter, Amelia.

TeamworkThe family worked together as a

team to breathe new life into their languishing Sportster. Fortunately, they didn’t have to do any extensive hunting for parts, since the airframe and engine were complete. As for pa-perwork, Jerry says, “I have all of the

JAY TOLBERT

SPA

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Three generations of the May family (L-R): Mark and daughter, Amelia; Mike; Vivian; Jerry; and Mike’s son, Josh.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7

airframe and engine logs all the way back, even the service bulletins from the factory. I had everything for the project, which is very rare, and the airplane has never been wrecked in its whole life.”

Still, wood and fabric deteriorate over time, and various parts needed repair. New wood ribs for the wings and ailerons were made by using a rib fixture based on the original rib patterns, and the original spars were stripped and inspected for cracks and dry rot. Surprisingly, they were found to be in airworthy condition and were reused, along with the original brackets, fi ttings, and drag wires. The wood turtledeck was repaired, and all of the wood components received three coats of spar varnish. New aluminum leading-edge skins were installed, new control cables were fabricated, and new tinted Lexan was used for the three-piece windshield (later models had a formed, curved one-piece windshield). Finally, Ceco-nite fabric was installed and fi nished with Air-Tech Coatings.

“The instruments are all original,” says Jerry, “and it doesn’t have an al-timeter, because it has a nonsensitive Zenith height meter—there are very few of them around. The compass was missing; somebody had put a little Airpath compass in it, so Mike found this bubble-faced one in Cali-fornia, which is the original type for the aircraft.”

During the Rearwin’s previous res-toration, it was painted green. This time, Jerry decided upon the black-and-white paint scheme. “I thought

it would be more attractive that way,” he says, adding with a gentle laugh, “and not being much for the red paint, I fi gured that would be the thing to do! That is the original kind of stripe that was on the aircraft, and the lettering on the fi n is also in the exact location and what was on it from the factory. I painted it with a stencil, and had a friend do the gold pinstripe around the stripe. Then I decided to spruce it up a little more by adding the scalloping, which I did on every fourth rib, and of course on the tail section.”

Custom TouchesIn addition to those scallops, an-

other detail that really dresses up

the Sportster is the chrome—which, Mark readily admits with a big smile, “is my fault.” He just likes chrome—and you’ll see it on the rudder pedals, the custom kick plates on the new wood fl oorboards just below the ped-als, the control sticks, the door han-dle and step—even the vented fuel caps. There are custom-made chrome cowling washers, as well, which bear the Rearwin name.

Another shiny touch is the cus-tom gold lettering on the varnished wood baggage compartment door and the wing root area surrounding the fuel gauges. Over the front seat, a skylight lights up the plush, soft gray leather upholstery and highlights the fi rst-class interior..

JAY

TOLB

ERT

The lettering on the tail is in keep-ing with the original.

The large windows, skylight, and original-type three-piece windshield provide excellent visibility.

The Sportster uses easily available 800x4 tires, thanks to a special ring that sizes the original 3-inch wheel to a 4-inch wheel.

The simple and original instrument panel includes a Zenith height meter.

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8 JANUARY 2011

Jerry thought of a nifty way to add corrosion protection to two specifi c ar-eas of the airplane. “A friend of mine applied a spray-on black coating—like you put in the bed of a pickup truck—behind the speed ring and also inside the wheelpants. It keeps it lightweight and stiffens that speed ring—it stays round when you mount it and tighten the bolts. It really makes a world of difference, and I’d recommend that—it’s the way to go!”

LeBlondThe Model 8500’s 85-hp LeBlond

5DF was manufactured by LeBlond Aircraft Engine Corporation of Cin-cinnati, Ohio. It was a fi ve-cylinder, air-cooled radial, and an Eclipse Type Y-150 starter was optional, as was a Jones Motorola fuel pump. For lu-brication, it had a dry-sump, double-gear-type pump with both scavenger and pressure gears in a single unit. It weighed 220 pounds and sold for $1,250 at the factory.

Parts availability for such an en-gine is a primary concern these days. Years ago, there were a few parts still available. “I had bought parts for a 70-hp engine that I did for another air-craft, and when I did that, I thought, ‘They’re going to become sparse.’ So I bought extra valve springs, bush-ings, pins, pistons, and those types of items,” Jerry explains, “so I had my supply. Then when I overhauled it this time, I had them available to use—but now, there are no extras left! One thing we did add this time was an Airwolf filter, because we thought it would be benefi cial.”

Flying the SportsterTo the family’s delight, the Sport-

ster returned to the Nebraska sky again in September 2007. Describing its flying characteristics, Jerry says, “It has great visibility, and it’s a very stable airplane. On takeoff, it’s pretty docile—you just push the stick all the way forward, and it picks the tail up and doesn’t run very far. It will fl y off the ground, fully loaded, at 40 mph. If you really want to climb, it will climb at about a 45-degree an-gle. During approach to landings, we

generally run about 40 to 45 mph on fi nal. It’s slow, and it lands at 35 mph. It’s very easy to fly, and we make three-point landings because we like that better anyway.”

Speaking of landings, the Model 8500 originally had Goodyear 18x8-3 tires and standard Rearwin oleo shock absorbers. “Those balloon tires are nonexistent now,” says Jerry, “but Bob Lamb in California was making rings to put over the wheels to con-vert them to 4 inches—just like a Cub

wheel. He had the approval, and I in-stalled the kit during the fi rst rebuild. So we just reused those rings and used Cub 800x4 tires. It has multi-disc me-chanical brakes—one disc is station-ary, the next moves with the wheel, and so on. When you push the heel brakes with your feet, it pulls the arm out and squeezes them together—it has excellent brakes. Those pads are nonexistent now, too, but these are still in great shape, and I think they’ll last for many years. The aircraft was built way ahead of its time, really; there are a lot of things on it you see years and years later—so Rearwin had some really great ideas.”

Describing the landing gear, Mike says, “There is a coil inside the shock on the main landing gear—it’s a hy-draulic spring shock. It has an orifi ce hole, a metal plunger, and rebound springs—and it’s the neatest, softest gear! You can bounce it hard, and it feels like you hardly touched.”

Warm MemoriesAsk any member of the May fam-

ily, and they’ll tell you that what they like most about their treasured Rearwin is that it’s a family airplane. “Mike and I remember the fuselage sitting in the garage on its landing gear,” says Mark with a smile, “and playing in it—so it’s always been part of our lives.” Josh, tickled by his un-cle’s comment, chuckles and says, “It was in that stage when we were little kids, too!” To which the entire family laughs heartily.

Reminiscing, Mark says, “Back in the old days we used to all four go in the airplane. Mike would sit on Mom’s lap, and we’d trade in fl ight—I’d go to the back and he’d go to the front. I was 5 years old the last time that I fl ew it—we had a Sears catalog underneath me, and I was making landings. I’d flare, and Dad would do the rudder pedals. So I have a lot of good memo-ries with the airplane. It was a big part of my grandfather’s life, too.”

At age 73, this Sportster Model 8500 has only 575 hours’ total time, and around 35 hours since its re-cent restoration. Jerry has logged 100 hours on it during the years he’s had it fl ying—and that number will no doubt increase as the May family enjoys creating new memories with their Rearwin. The well-deserved accolades that N16473 received contribute to those memories; it garnered the Customized Aircraft Champion - Bronze Lindy at Air-Venture 2009, and the Grand Cham-pion, Rearwin Family, and Texas Chapter awards at Blakesburg 2008.

There’s one thing for certain—when Jerry embraces a new member of his family—whether human or airplane—it’s for keeps. He’s owned the Rearwin Sportster for 55 years and his Luscombe 8A for 51 years. “I do hang on to things,” he says with a broad, contented smile, add-ing, “My wife feels safe! We’ve been married for 46 years.” To which Viv-ian quickly laughs and responds, “The older you get around him, the safer you are!” With that said, the fu-ture of the May family’s Rearwin is well-secured.

Remember, We’re Better Together!

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10 JANUARY 2011

Aeronca Aviators ClubRobert SzegoP.O. Box 66Coxsackie, NY 12051518-731-3131staff@aeronca.org, www.aeronca.orgDues: $29 1-yr, $55 2-yrs; Int’l $37 1-yr, $69 2-yrsAeronca Aviator, Qtrly

Fearless Aeronca Aviators (f-AA)John Rodkey280 Big Sur Dr.Goleta, CA 93117805-968-1274poobahster@gmail.comhttp://aeronca.westmont.eduDues: None

National Aeronca AssociationJim Thompson304 Adda StreetRoberts, IL 60962nationalaeroncaassociation@yahoo.comwww.aeroncapilots.com

Auster ClubStuart Bain31 Swain CourtLake RonkonkomaNew York, NY 1179631-285-1095memsec@austerclub.org, www.austerclub.org

Beech Aero Clubwww.beechaeroclub.org

T-34 Association, Inc.880 North County Road, 900-ETuscola, IL 61953-7560membership@T-34.com, www.t-34.com$50/yr Paper; $25 ElectronicMentor Monitor, Qtrly

Bellanca-Champion ClubRobert SzegoP.O. Box 100Coxsackie, NY 12051518-731-6800staff@bellanca-championclub.comwww.bellanca-championclub.com$38 1-yr, $72 2-yrs; Int’l $43 1-y, $81 2-yrsPublication: B-C Contact!, Qtrly

Bird Airplane ClubJeannie HillP.O. Box 328Harvard, IL 60033-0328815-943-7205Postage donation

American Bonanza SocietyJ. Whitney Hickman Exec. Dir.Mid-Continent AirportPO Box 12888Wichita, KS 67277316-945-1700absmail@bonanza.orgwww.bonanza.org$55/yr. US/CanadaABS Magazine, Monthly

National Bücker Jungmiester ClubCelesta Price300 Estelle Rice Dr.Moody, TX 76557254-853-9067

Bücker ClubNewsletter EditorGordon ClementBucker131@comcast.netWebsite EditorStephen Beaversbeaver@columbus.rr.com614-937-4189www.bucker.info

Buhl LA-1 “Bull Pup” Owners GroupWilliam R. “Bill” Goebel894 Heritage Creek Dr.Rhome, TX 76078940-627-5938goebelhome@embarqmail.com

International Bird Dog Association (L-19/O-1)Dan Kelly343 Texas Heritage Dr.LaVernia, TX 78121830-391-4120dankelly@gvec.netwww.IBDAweb.com$30/yr US; $50 Int’lE-newsletter Monthly

Cessna 150/152 ClubLori ParsonsP.O. Box 1917Atascadero, CA 93423-1917805-461-1958membership@cessna150152.comwww.cessna150152.com$35/yr Internet; $45/yr Print U.S.Int’l see websitePublication: 6/yr

Cessna Flyer AssociationJennifer Dellenbuschjen@aviationgroupltd.com, www.cessnafl yer.org$40/yr

Cessna Owner OrganizationDan Weiler, Executive DirectorN7450 Aanstad RdIola, WI 549451-888-692-3776www.cessnaowner.org$49.95/yr; or $29.95 OnlineCessna magazine: Monthly

Cessna Pilots AssociationJohn Frank, Exec. Director3940 Mitchell Rd.Santa Maria, CA 93455805-934-0493www.cessna.org$55 US, Canada, Mexico; $70 Int’lCPA Magazine, MonthlyE-ATIS Electronic Wkly

Cessna T-50 “The Flying Bobcats”Jon D. LarsonP.O. Box 566Auburn, WA 98071253-670-8218skykingjon@hotmail.comwww.angelfi re.com.mi2/bobcatContact club for dues infoPublication: Qtrly

Eastern Cessna 190/195 AssociationCliff Crabs25575 Butternut Ridge RoadNorth Olmsted, OH 44070440-777-4025ccrabs@aol.com$15 initial, then as requiredPublication: 4/yr

This aircraft type club information is listed on our website, www.vintageaircraft.org, throughout the year. We list it here for your added convenience. These groups can be a great resource for you. A Type Club can save you money, keep you from making mistakes others have already made, show you how to restore, maintain and fl y your airplane — in short, provide the equivalent of many years of hard won experience at a very low cost.

9

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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11

International Cessna 120/140 AssociationChristian Vehrs, PresidentP.O. Box 830092Richardson, TX 75083-0092770-460-6164president@cessna120-140.orgwww.cessna120-140.org$25/yr US,Canada; $35/yr Int’lPublication: 6/yr

International Cessna 170 Assoc.22 Vista View Ln.Cody, WY 82414307-587-6397headquarters@cessna170.orgwww.cessna170.org$45/yr170 News, Qtrly

International Cessna 180/185 ClubBob WarnerP.O. Box 306Van Alstyne, TX 75495903-482-1805president@skywagons.orgwww.skywagons.org$25/yrPublication: 6/yr

International Cessna 195 ClubCoyle Schwab632 N. Tyler Rd.St. Charles, IL 60174630-513-7002coyle.schwab@sbcglobal.netwww.cessna195.org$25/yrWeb area for Members Only

Corben ClubRobert TaylorP.O. Box 127Blakesburg, IA 52536641-938-2773antiqueairfi eld@sirisonline.comwww.antiqueairfi eld.com$18 for 3 magazines

Culver ClubBrent TaylorP.O. Box 127Blakesburg, IA 52536641-938-2773antiqueairfi eld@sirisonline.comwww.antiqueairfi eld.com$18 for 3 issues

de Havilland Moth & Chipmunk ClubDavid M. Harris2024 75th StKenosha, WI 53143262-652-7043mothfl yer@gmail.comPaper Tiger, Electronic

Ercoupe Owners ClubCarolyn T. CardenP.O. Box 7117Ocean Isle Beach, NC 28469910-575-2758coupecaper@aol.comwww.ercoupe.org$25/yr Electronic$30/yr Paper US; $35 Paper Int’lCoupe Capers, Monthly

Fairchild ClubMike Kelly92 N. Circle Dr.Coldwater, MI 49036517-278-7654hotfoot49@hotmail.comwww.fairchildclub.org$20/yrPublication: Qtrly

Fairchild Fan ClubRobert L. TaylorP. O. Box 127Blakesburg, IA 52536641-938-2773antiqueairfi eld@sirisonline.comwww.antiqueairfi eld.com$18 for 3 issues. Fairchild Fan

International Fleet ClubJim Catalano8 Westlin Ln.Cornwall, NY 12518845-534-3947fl eetclub@mac.comhttp://web.mac.com/fl eetclubContributionsPublication: 3-4/yr

Funk Aircraft Owners Associationwww.funkfl yers.org faoanews@yahoo.com$12/yrFunk Flyer, Monthly

Great Lakes ClubRobert L. TaylorP. O. Box 127Blakesburg, IA 52536641-938-2773antiqueairfi eld@sirisonline.comwww.antiqueairfi eld.com$18 for 3 issues

The American Yankee AssociationStewart WilsonP.O. Box 1531Cameron Park, CA 95682530-676-4292sec@aya.orgwww.aya.org$50/yr US & Int’l1st yr U.S. +$7.50; Int’l +$10American STAR, 6/yr

Canadian Harvard Aircraft Association244411 Airport RoadTillsonburg, ON N4G 3T9Canadawww.harvards.com

Hatz Biplane AssociationChuck BrownlowP.O. Box 85Wild Rose, WI 54984920-572-5954brownlowod@aol.comwww.hatzbiplane.com$20/yrPublication: Qtrly

Hatz ClubBarry TaylorP. O. Box 127Blakesburg, IA 52536antiqueairfi eld@sirisonline.comwww.antiqueairfi eld.com$18 for 3 issues, Hatz Herald

Heath Parasol ClubWilliam Schlapman6431 Paulson RoadWinneconne, WI 54986920-582-4454

Howard Club &Howard Aircraft FoundationMichael Vaughan, President6991 N CR 1200 E.Charleston, IL 61920217-549-6103mvaughan@consolidated.netwww.howardaircraft.org$30/yrPublication: Qtrly

The Arctic & Interstate LeagueSteve Dawson, 262-642-3649W626 Beech Dr.East Troy, WI 53120cadet@centurytel.netWayne Forshey, 740-472-1481W.A.Forshey@sbcglobal.netNewsletter Qtrly via email

Interstate ClubRobert L. TaylorP.O. Box 127Blakesburg, IA 52536641-938-2773antiqueairfi eld@sirisonline.comwww.antiqueairfi eld.com$18 for 3 issues, Interstate Intercom

Continental Luscombe AssociationMike Culver, President & Editor17514 NE 33rd Pl.Redmond, WI 98052425-861-8307mike@luscombe-cla.org, www.luscombe-cla.org$25/yr US; $27.50 Canada; $30 Int’l USDThe Courant, 6/yr

Luscombe AssociationSteve Krog1002 Heather LaneHartford, WI 53027262-966-7627sskrog@luscombeassoc.orgwww.luscombeassoc.org$30 US/Canada; $35 Int’l USDLuscombe Assoc. Newsletter: 6/yr

The Luscombe Endowment Inc.Doug Combs2487 S. Gilbert Rd Unit # 106Gilbert, AZ 85295480-650-0883mr.luscombe@luscombesilvaire.infowww.luscombe.orgDonations.Online and Print

Meyers Aircraft Owners AssociationDoug Eshelman1563 Timber Ridge Dr.Brentwood, TN 37027615-400-3382desh@comcast.net, www.meyersaircraftowners.orgPostage fund donationNewsletter: 3-4/yr

Monocoupe ClubFrank & Carol Kerner1218 Kingstowne PlaceSt. Charles, MO 63304636-939-3322monocoupe@sbcglobal.netwww.monocoupe.comDues: 25/yr

Western Association of Mooney MitesMichael HarmsP.O. Box 391641Mountain View, CA 94039650-966-8292MichaelHarms@comcast.netwww.mooneymite.comDues: None

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12 JANUARY 2011

N3N Owners & Restorers AssociationH. Ronald Kempka2380 Country Road #217Cheyenne, WY 82009307-638-2210wyn3n@aol.com$15/yrNewsletter: 2/yr

American Navion SocietyGary RankinPMB 335, 16420 SE McGillivray # 103Vancouver, WA 98683May - Oct: 360-833-9921Nov - April: 623-975-4052Flynavion@yahoo.com, www.navionsociety.org$60/yr US; $64 Canada; $74 Int’l USDThe Navioneer, 6/yr

Navion Pilots AssociationJon HartmanP.O. Box 6656Ventura, CA 93006805-754-0044jon@navionpilots.org, www.navionpilots.org$25/yr

Navion SkiesRaleigh MorrowP.O. Box 2678Lodi, CA 95241209-482-7754Fax: 209-367-9390navion1@clearwire.net, www.navionskies.comEmail newsletter monthly

NavionX...for the Navion Afi cionadoChris Gardner1690 Aeronca LaneFleming Field AirportSouth St Paul, MN 55075651-306-1456www.navionx.org

Parrakeet Pilot ClubBarry TaylorBox 127Blakesburg, IA 52536641-938-2773antiqueairfi eld@sirisonline.comwww.antiqueairfi eld.com$18 for 3 issuesThe Parrakeet Pilot

Brodhead Pietenpol AssociationDoc MosherP.O. Box 3501Oshkosh, WI 54903-3501BPAN@tds.net, www.pietenpols.org$16/yrPublication: Qtrly

Cub ClubSteve Krog1002 Heather LaneHartford, WI 53027262-966-7627sskrog@cubclub.org, www.cubclub.org$35 US/Canada; $40 Int’l USDCub Clues, 6/yr

International Comanche SocietyPO Box 1810Traverse City, MI 49685-1810888-300-0082ics@villagepress.com, www.comanchefl yer.com$69/yr US, Canada, MexicoMore options listed on websiteThe Comanche Flyer, Monthly

Piper Apache ClubJohn J. Lumley6778 Skyline DriveDelray Beach, FL 33446561-499-1115captainapache@aol.comwww.piperapacheclub.com$36/yr

Piper Aviation Museum Foundation1 Piper WayLock Haven, PA 17745info@pipermuseum.comwww.pipermuseum.com$20/yrThe Cub Reporter, Qtrly

Piper Flyer AssociationJennifer Dellenbuschjen@aviationgroupltd.comwww.piperfl yer.org

Piper Owner Societywww.piperowner.org$49.95/yr U.S., add $20 Int’lPublication: Monthly

Shortwingpipers.orgSteve Pierce196 Hwy. 380 EastGraham, TX 76450940-549-6415www.shortwingpipers.orgDonations: Min $25/yrOnline Discussion Forum

Short Wing Piper ClubEleanor MillsP.O. Box 10822Springfi eld, MO 65808417-883-1457membership@shortwing.orgwww.shortwing.orgDues: $40/yr USA & Canada; $50/yr Int’lPublication: 6/yrShort Wing Piper News

Supercub.orgPO Box 150 Waldron, MO 64092816-200-2827www.supercub.orgDonations: Min. $25/yrOnline Discussion Forum

Porterfi eld Airplane ClubTom Porterfi eld3350 Co Rd U; Hangar AAbernathy, TX 79311806-328-5347porterfi eldprops@sbcglobal.netwww.porterfi eldplane.ning.com

Rearwin ClubRobert L. TaylorP. O. Box 127Blakesburg, IA 52536641-938-2773antiqueairfi eld@sirisonline.comwww.antiqueairfi eld.com$18 for 3 issues

International Ryan ClubLynne OrloffP.O. Box 990Groveland, CA 95321209-962-4631ladyryanpilot@yahoo.comwww.ryanclub.org$15/yr online community

1-26 Association (Schweizer)A Division of the Soaring Society of AmericaSusan von Hellens, Sec./Treas.sec.treas@126association.orgwww.126association.org$15/yr (website has add’l options)Publication: 6/yr

Stearman Restorers Association7000 Merrill Ave., Box 90Chino AirportChino, CA 91710stearman800@yahoo.comwww.stearman.net$35/yr USThe Flying Wire, Qtrly

Stinson Historical & Restoration SocietyRobert TaylorP.O. Box 127Blakesburg, IA 52536641-938-2773antiqueairfi eld@sirisonline.comwww.antiqueairfi eld.com$24 for 3 issuesPublication: SHARS

International Stinson ClubLogan Boles210 Blackfi eld Dr.Tiburon, CA 94920415-383-3262loganboles@gmail.comwww.stinsonclub.org$30/yrPublication: Monthly

National Stinson ClubAll Pre-War Models, 10,105, & V-77Charlie Gay, President25 Runway RoadTunkhannock, PA 18657skyhaven@ptd.net570-836-3473 voice$20 US & Canada; $25 Int’lStinson Plane Talk, 4/yr

Sentinel Owner & Pilots Association(Stinson L-5)James H. Gray1951 W. Coolbrook Ave.Phoenix, AZ 85023602-795-0413akdhc2pilot@yahoo.com, www.sentinelclub.org$22 Electronic$30 US/Canada Print$40 Int’l PrintNewsletter: 2/yr

West Coast Swift WingGerry or Carol Hampton3195 Bonanza DrCameron Park, CA 95682530-676-7755 voice & faxav8rgnh@sbcglobal.net$15/yr paper; $5/yr emailPublication: Monthly

Taylorcraft Foundation, Inc.Forrest Barber, President13820 Union Ave. NEAlliance, OH 44601330-823-1168taylorcraft@neo.rr.com Presidenttcraft@taylorcraft.org, www.taylorcraft.org$20/yr

Taylorcraft Owners ClubSteve Krog1002 Heather LaneHartford, WI 53027262-966-7627sskrog@taylorcraftoc.comwww.taylorcraft.org$35/yr US,Canada; $40 Int’l USDTaylorcraft News: Qtrly

Travel Air ClubRobert L. TaylorP. O. Box 127Blakesburg, IA 52536641-938-2773antiqueairfi eld@sirisonline.com$18 for 3 issuesTravel Air Talks

Travel Air Restorers AssociationJerry Impellezzeri4925 Wilma WaySan Jose, CA 95124408-356-3407clear_prop2003@yahoo.com, www.travelair.org$15/yr US; $20 Int’lTravel Air Log, Qtrly

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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13

American Waco Club, Inc.Phil Coulson28415 Springbrook Dr.Lawton, MI 49065269-624-6490rcoulson516@cs.comwww.americanwacoclub.com$35 US; $45 Int’lWaco World News, 6/yr

National Waco ClubAndy Heins50 La Belle St.Dayton, OH 45403937-313-5931 wacoaso@aol.comwww.nationalwacoclub.com$25/yr US; $30 Int’lWaco Pilot, 6/yr

Western Waco Associationwww.westernwaco.com$10/yr Electronic; $20 PrintPublication: Qtrly

Other Aviation OrganizationsAircraft Engine Historical Society4608 Charles Dr. NWHuntsville, AL 35816256-683-1458information@enginehistory.orgwww.enginehistory.org

American Aviation Historical Society2333 Otis StreetSanta Ana, CA 92704714-549-4818;Wed.10-4www.aahs-online.org$39.50/yr USPublication: Qtrly

Beechcraft Heritage MuseumP.O. Box 550570 Old Shelbyville HwyTullahoma, TN 37388931-455-1974info@beechcraftheritagemuseum.orgwww.beechcraftheritagemuseum.org$50/yr; $60 Int’l USD

Cross & CockadeBob Sheldon, Secretary14329 S. Calhoun Ave.Burnham, IL 60633708-862-1014 $15/yrPublication: 6/yr

Deaf Pilots AssociationP.O. Box 364Jeffersonville, IN 47131contact@deafpilots.org, www.deafpilots.org

Reno Air Racing Association14501 Mt. Anderson St.Reno, NV 89506775-972-6663www.airrace.org

Florida Antique Biplane AssociationLarry Robinson10906 Denoeu RoadBoynton Beach, FL 33472561-732-3250 BeyeView@aol.com$48/yrThe Flying Wire, Monthly

Florida Cub Flyers, Inc.Larry Robinson10906 Denoeu RoadBoynton Beach, FL 33472561-732-3250 BeyeView@aol.com$48/yrCub Tales, Monthly

Glenn H. Curtiss Museum8419 State Route 54Hammondsport, NY 14840www.glennhcurtissmuseum.org

International Fellowship of Flying Rotarians Lynn Miller, Secretary-TreasurerP.O. Box 479Seabrook, TX 77586281-474-4260secretary@iffr.org, ww w.iffr.org$40/yr US

International Flying FarmersP.O. Box 309Mansfi eld, IL 61854217-489-9300www.fl yingfarmers.org$70/yrPublication: 6/yr

Int’l Liaison Pilot& Aircraft Association (ILPA)Bill Stratton16518 LedgestoneSan Antonio, TX 78232210-490-4572 voice & faxwww.centercomp.com/ILPA/index.html$29/yr; $35 Int’lLiaison Spoken Here

Int’l Wheelchair AviatorsP.O. Box 279Kemah, TX 77565281-703-7450IWAviators@aol.com, www.wheelchairaviators.org$10/yr

Lake Amphibian Flyers ClubMarc Rodstein15695 Boeing CourtWellington, FL 33414561-948-1262contact@lakefl yers.com, www.lakefl yers.com$62, $72 Int’lLake Flyer newsletter

National Air Racing GroupBetty Sherman1932 Mahan AvenueRichland, WA 99354509-946-5690 betty.sherman@verizon.net$15 for fi rst member in household$3 for each additionalProfessional Airracing, 4-13/yr

National Association ofPriest Pilots (NAPP)Rev. Mel Hemann127 Kaspend PlCedar Falls, IA 50613319-266-3889n298mh@cfu.net, www.priestpilots.org$25/yr

The Ninety-Nines, Inc., Women Pilots Organization4300 Amelia Earhart Rd.Oklahoma City, OK 73159800-994-1929hq@ninety-nines.org, www.ninety-nines.org$65/yrPublication: 4/yr

North American Trainer Association(T6, T28, NA64, NA50, P51, B25)Kathy & Stoney Stonich25801 NE Hinness Rd.Brush Prairie, WA 98606360-256-0066NATrainer@aol.com, www.NorthAmericanTrainer.org$50 US/Canada; $60 Int’l USDNATA Skylines, Qtrly

OX5 Aviation PioneersR.R. “Duke” Iden, Treasurer3015 Homeworth Rd.Alliance, OH 44601330-525-7920ox5news@yahoo.comDues: $20/yrOX5 News, Monthly

Seaplane Pilots Association3859 Laird Blvd.Lakeland, FL 33811863-701-7979 spa@seaplanes.org, www.seaplanes.org$45/yr US; $55/yr Int’lWater Flying, 6/yr

Sentimental Journey to Cub HavenKim Garlick/Carmen Banfi llP.O. Box J-3Lock Haven, PA 17745-0496570-893-4200j3cub@kcnet.orgwww.sentimentaljourneyfl y-in.com$12/yr Individual, $17 FamilyPublication: 2/yr

Silver Wings FraternityJerry Riesz3288 Cherryview Ct.North Bend, OH 45052513-941-8108www.silverwings.org$25/yrSlipstream, 6/yr

Society of Air Racing HistoriansHerman Schaub168 Marion LaneBerea, OH 44017440-234-2301www.airrace.com$20/yr US; $23 Int’lGolden Pylons, 6/yr

Swift Museum FoundationCharlie NelsonP. O. Box 644Athens, TN 37371-0644Headquarters: 423-745-9547Charlie: swiftlychs@aol.comSecretary: swiftlypam@aol.comwww.swiftmuseumfoundation.orgwww.SaginawWings.com$35/yrPublication: Monthly

United Flying OctogenariansBart Bratko, sec’y/treas.19 Bay State RdNatick, MA 10760508-651-8287bart_bratko@hotmail.comwww.unitedfl yingoctogenarians.org$20yrUFO newsletter, 4/yr

Vintage Sailplane Association31757 Honey Locust RoadJonesburg, MO 63351-3195www.vintagesailplane.org$30/yr; $40 Int’lBungee Cord, Qtrly

Waco Historical SocietyWaco Aircraft MuseumDon Willis, Exec. Dir.1865 South County Rd. 25ATroy, OH 45373937-335-9226; noon-5 Sat-Sunadmin@wacoairmuseum.orgwww.wacoairmuseum.org$30/yrWACO Word, 4/yr

Women in Aviation, International3647 State Route 503 SouthWest Alexandria, OH 45381937-839-4647www.wai.org$39/yr; $29 studentsAviation for Women, 6/yr

WWI Aeroplanes, Inc.PO Box 730Red Hook, NY 12571-0730845-835-8121ww1aero@gmail.com, www.ww1aeroinc.orgSkyways and WWI Aero

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14 JANUARY 2011

This is the second installment of a story, wherein a large commu-nal lightplane hangar in the pres-ent-day American Midwest during winter, six antique airplanes come to life and tell their tales of De-pression-era survival to the newer airplanes, who are worried about recent national economic issues.

The Taylorcraft L-2’s StoryA gruff voice spoke up, as if an

older officer in well-deserved re-tirement at a veteran’s center:

“Complain, complain, com-plain! In a democracy, in what is a peacetime home front, undergoing what for most of the world would be a routine economic adjustment which they have weathered many times before, I am dismayed with

what I hear.“I’d rather not undergo this oc-

casional inactivity, but it’s not com-parable to how I lived the fi rst years of my life—as an observer/liaison airplane in World War II.

“Compare today’s stateside situ-ation to being shot at—hard, fast, early, and often! Compare it to not having my pilot know whether he and I would return from each of our assigned observation missions during the war.

“I was among the very lightest and smallest of the warplanes, and it was up to my pilot—and me—to fly into combat in my fabric-covered, unarmed frame, with extra reserves of strength and spirit.

“To kill my pilot and, not inci-dentally, me was worth a great deal

to the enemy. In a scoring system, they gave two points for downing an escorted twin engine bomber, one point for a fighter, but two points for downing an Allied liai-son aircraft. The rifles of ground troops were all but useless against a fi ghter or bomber, but not against me, and I was often the only thing for them to aim at. A German in-fantryman who brought down an Allied L-bird like me was rewarded with a 15-day leave! My ‘eyes in the sky’ were considered that valuable.

“And this happened when I was brand new. It was the existence for which I was made!

“Several bullets hit me, and all but one of the strikes were quickly identified and repaired. The field mechanic who fi xed me in 1944 in

Part II

The Antiques in WinterIf airplanes could talk . . .

BY ROGER THIEL

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15

Italy, working on his third day with-out sleep, saw that one hit to my tubing was only a crease and that it was okay. That crease has since been regarded by 22 civilian mechanics as a minor factory fl uke. It is perfectly safe, but only I know the truth of that scary day when my frame de-flected the bullet that would have otherwise killed my pilot.

“For decades no one knew what I had been through. It would be 30-some years after the war that en-thusiasts and restorers depicted the L-bird experience and accorded us a historic dignity.

“And so in those years right after the war, I never complained about hard student landings and of various other neglects and pilot mistakes.

“But look at me now! In only the past few years, because of my weight, I have become eligible for something called ‘light sport,’ which enables some pilots to fly me all over again with a new en-ergy. And this is yet another breath of goodness to my life, a life that could have ended so easily so many, many times.

“Squeak if you must, but only when you really, really need grease. These times, by the standards of most of the world, are still quite grand.

“A salute to you all. And now, I’m going to sleep.”

The Piper J-3 Cub’s Story“My line of aircraft came from

poverty, from the low ebb of the early 1930s and from a hard-hit ar-ea—rural central Pennsylvania.

“Nothing from this situation suggested success for our line, and yet this is where we found it, when a reluctant oil man essentially in-herited my aircraft factory as a bad debt. In an unlikely startup, he sim-ply became determined that he was going to ‘make the best’ of it all.

“The aerodynamics of the Piper line were made as if in reaction to poverty, with the most elemental design possible: a slow, fl at-bottom wing that wrought every shred of lift it could from its modest power-plant. Lift, lift, lift—it turned any-thing it could find into an asset, clinging tenaciously to the winds themselves as if to say, ‘Give me a dime of forward, and I’ll give you back a dollar of up.’

“Popular as I became, in the be-ginning, times were tight. There were days at the factory when a customer came to pick up one of my ances-tors and it would have no engine in-stalled. It was at the town’s railroad depot waiting for a check. Some Piper

personnel would take the buyer to an orchestrated lunch while others took the payment check, presented it at the railroad, claimed my engine, and took it to the factory and installed and fl ight-tested it—all without the buyer even knowing!

“My Cub yellow paint was not originally the beautiful pigment you see now, but was colored with a more drab, sulfur powder the fac-tory could get for almost nothing from the Pennsylvania hills.

“Elements of my design have taken on a cute and emblematic identity—my ‘clamshell’ doors that I am soloed from the rear seat, and the cork-and-wire fuel gauge from my simplistic gravity-feed fuel tank. But all of this im-age is incidental; these features were each built into me for a gritty, must-do purpose.

“My small engine was, in fact, a bold new design, made at a time when aircraft engines were large, round, and expensive. It would probably not have been a success except for the harsh times. My en-gine enhanced frontal view, mak-ing my more modest cabin design workable. All of these designs hap-pened together, and they collected a host of brilliant personnel—all of whom somehow made their biggest steps in the hardest of times.

“There are so many Ameri -can manufacturers who started in the early 1930s and who have endured. From that pit, from that low ebb, they—including my mak-ers—found a grain of survival and created what would become a long-lasting success.

“By 1940, the year in which I was made, Piper’s numbers had swelled so large that it could advertise to ‘outsell all other light aircraft com-bined.’ No other American factory has been able to make that claim before or since.

“And with the decades, my name went on to become an emblematic name for what a lightplane is.

“I am evidence of the saying of architect Frank Lloyd Wright that ‘humanity built most nobly in time of scarcity, when so much more was needed to build anything at all.’ And so, my makers, by the gritty nature of what was thrust on them and by ferocity of effort, proved that the worst of times can be made into the best.”

“Give me a dime of forward, and I’ll give you back a dollar of up.”

Inducted in the Army Air Forces (AAF) and assigned to Air Transport Command —Ferry Command, the AAF recognized Frank’s experi-

ence, even as a young man of 20 years. For large aircraft such as bombers and transports, radial en-gines ruled, and Frank had plenty of experience maintaining and operating them. A position as a copilot/mechanic/fl ight engineer was the right place for his talents. And that is where he went; he eventually became one of the fa-mous AAF “Flying Sergeants.”

Frank told us, “Ford was produc-ing a B-24 every eight hours in those days. If it was to become a ‘Hump’ airplane, it went to Memphis. If it was a bomber, it went to another lo-cation to be reassigned. We picked up all of ours at Memphis.”

Frank talked about going to Memphis, Tennessee, to pick up new B-24s that had been con-verted to tanker ships by instal-lation of special fuel tanks for

long-range flights and to carry fuel from India into China. These aircraft were designated C-109s—they were essentially Consolidated B-24 ships constructed under con-tract by Ford, but stripped of all

armament, bomb racks, etc. Some of these ships had their plastic nose and tail gun turrets faired in with sheet metal to make a smooth rounded nose and tail. In Memphis these aircraft were fit-

ted with welded aluminum fuel tanks in the nose and in the bomb bay areas. These tanks could carry an additional 2,900 U.S. gallons of fuel, and the aircraft’s fuel sys-tem could be plumbed into the tanks to provide extra-long range to ferry them from Miami, Flor-ida, to India. These aircraft were developed specifically to supply the fuel needs of the B-29s oper-ating out of China to bomb Ja-pan. Frank indicated that the Laird Company manufactured the aluminum fuel tanks, while the Glenn L. Martin Company fitted collapsible Mareng fuel cells in the last of the modifi ed aircraft.

Some of the C-109s were fer-ried directly from Memphis to the Azores, then on to North Af-rica, and eventually Burma/India. Other ships were ferried to Pan Am Field in Miami or Dinner Key in south Florida, then across the Atlantic to the Azores and North Africa, landing at Libya or Trip-oli. Frank indicated he made a

16 JANUARY 2011

My FriendFrank Rezich

Part IVThe war years

BY ROBERT G. LOCK

PHOTOS COURTESY OF REZICH FAMILY COLLECTIONFrank with his trademark unlit cigar in his mouth, standing next to a Consolidated C-109.

“I gotsent through

basic school and wound up in the

Air Transport Command—

Ferry Division.”

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17

couple of fl ights across the Atlan-tic Ocean. In a telling statement Frank said, “I made a couple of mistakes. I should have stayed with Pan Am.”

In the first photo in this arti-cle you can see Pan Am Field in Miami, Florida, as it appeared in 1945. The terminal and hangar complex and parking ramp are to the left of the photograph. Dinner Key was located nearby and was designed for amphibian and sea-plane operation only. All Pan Am seaplane operations began and ended at this base. It was from this Pan Am Field that Frank fer-ried British aircraft to North Af-rica prior to his induction into the military in 1943.

Frank recalled his induction and service in the military. “I got sent through basic school and wound up in the Air Transport Command – Ferry Division. I took two C-46s and a C-47 to India. Whether you flew right seat or not depended on whom you had for a CO [com-manding officer]. They used to

take the crew chief and make him the copilot. On the B-24s you would have a three- or four-man crew. A lot of the time we would get some of those green copilots, and the old man would say, ‘Frank you go.’ I can remember delivering four or fi ve C-46s and some Vega Venturas, but I don’t remember ever going to the Boeing factory. I remember going to the Douglas factory and to the Curtiss factory in Buffalo and also to St. Louis. I remember going to the Douglas facility at Daggett, on the Mojave Desert, to pick up some A-20s in 1945 to ferry over to Europe.”

The C-109s were used to ferry fuel to B-29 bombers stationed in China, which were to be used to bomb Japan. There were many frightful moments flying a fully loaded C-109 across the Hima-layan Mountains, the famous “Hump.” Frank fl ew as a fl ight en-gineer on a fuel-laden C-109. His rank was sergeant.

Frank was eventually based in the Assam Valley region in India.

U.S. bases were in Shamshan Agra and Teagon, India. Missions carry-ing fuel to China were across the Himalayan Mountains in the area that featured the highest moun-tain in the world, Mount Everest; after cresting the mountains, the flight path took them into Kun-ming, China. Occasional fuel stops had to be made in Burma on the return trip.

There are several stories that emanated from his time in the service, and a couple will be docu-mented here.

“I have some pictures some-where where we lost the entire nose case and propeller of the out-board engine while in fl ight. I re-call the same situation when I was a flight engineer on C-54s near the end of the war.”

Speaking about maintenance on the C-109s, Frank recalled, “Engine overhauls were done by a company in Calcutta called Indian Aviation. We were lucky to get 500 or 600 hours out of the engines. We used to have to take off down the As-

Pan Am base in Miami, Florida.

18 JANUARY 2011

sam Valley. One day we took off and about 100 feet the fi rst engine craps out—blows up.

It blows a piston and all the s—t comes out. We get it feathered, but

not too far down the road, the second engine on the same wing fails. Both guys [pilots] were standing on op-posite rudder with both feet. We went maybe 30–40 miles down the valley and finally got it turned around and landed it. We dumped all the fuel we could to make the airplane lighter, but even so the airplane was still very heavy. I think I still have some of the pieces at home somewhere in a cigar box. Everybody had failures—that was our biggest risk, an engine failure on takeoff.”

T h e r e w e r e h u m o r -ous moments that Frank recalled. “One day I was cl imbing on board the C-109, and there was a young copilot who de-manded I discard my ci-gar. I told him it wasn’t lit, but he insisted I throw it away before the fl ight.” Frank educated him im-mediately. “Follow me, sonny, and let me show you something.” Frank took the young man be-

hind the f l ight engineer’s aft bulkhead and pointed to a device attached to the structure. “See that? It’s an auxiliary hydraulic pump. Now you stand there and watch it carefully while I throw the electrical switch.” When the electrically driven motor started there were sparks emitting from the unit, which was located less than a foot from a fuel tank loaded with 115/145 fuel. Frank came back and said, “See that, sonny? My unlit cigar won’t ignite that fuel tank, but that thing sure as hell will. Nothing more was said!”

Near the end of the war, as the Allies continued to gain ground moving toward Japan, the B-29s based in China were moved to Guam and Saipan in the Mari-ana Islands. Long-range bombing would dispatch from these new bases, and the China bases were eventually abandoned. When fl y-ing the Hump to China was no longer required, Frank went back to ferrying aircraft wherever they were needed.

Frank was released from mili-tary service after the war ended in 1945. Frank remembered what happened in December 1946: “I came home. No job. Just a little bit of discharge pay in my pocket.

thsa[ppWdgl

Frank served as a crewmember on the C-109, the aerial gas truck used to supply bases in the China/Burma/India (CBI) theater of operations. The airplane had to gain an altitude of at least 19,000 feet to clear the mountainous terrain between India and China.

Perhaps taken when the end of the war was in sight, a young Frank Rezich, who so honor-ably served his country and became a mem-ber of the “greatest generation.” No cigar, but is that the neck of a bottle that obscures his necktie? He sure looks happy!

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19

Mike came home first. What the heck, I fi nd Mike is running a beer business for the southwest side of Chicago. Mike said come to work for me, driving a beer truck de-livering Blatz beer. I tried it for a couple weeks, but things didn’t work out.”

So Frank went back to doing what he did before the war. The fi rst airplane that Frank purchased after his discharge was a Civilian Pilot Training Program (CPTP) Waco UPF-7 that had been ground looped. It was disassembled and hauled on a trailer to the fam-

ily house for rebuild. The family shop was in the house basement and storage was in the converted two-car garage. Frank completed repairs to the fuselage by replac-ing the right landing gear and the damaged tubing structure around the gear attach area. He found a

Frank’s fi rst airplane he purchased in 1942: a CPTP Waco UPF-7.

Frank’s nicely restored Waco UPF-7, NC32087.

20 JANUARY 2011

set of good lower wings, re-covered and assembled the airplane, test flying it and storing it at Willie Howell’s Airfi eld south of the Chi-cago Municipal because of the mu-nicipal airport’s expanded size and higher traffi c density.

Frank’s UPF-7 was only the sec-ond airplane owned by other than brother Mike. Up until this time, Mike owned all the family air-planes. Nick bought a Culver Ca-det new from the factory in 1942, before Frank bought his Waco. The Culver was the only new air-plane the family purchased. This same Culver has been returned to the family, as Nick’s son Jim now owns it. (We’ll have more on it in Part 7.)

Thanks to the 50-foot gate near the Rezich home on La-Porte Street, Nick bought a sur-plus Vultee BT-13 ship to use as a “commuter” when he briefly worked for Stinson Aircraft in De-troit after the war. The airplane was taxied to the family shop, where it was converted to civil-ian status and received a CAA li-cense complete with registration number NC9535H. Nick’s son Jim

remembered, “They tried a spe-cial clear coat on the polished sur-faces, but it didn’t work, so the airplane ended up getting painted a sand/tan topcoat color.” Frank painted a red stripe on the fuse-lage side and around the nose of the engine cowling. He would also have to paint the civilian registra-tion number on the rudder. The airplane was later modified as a skywriter, and Nick had a contract to write “Muntz TV” over Chicago one summer. He got some help from one of his friends, but had problems when he wrote the ‘Z’ in Muntz backward!” We’ve in-cluded a shot from Frank’s col-lection of the BT-13 behind the Rezich home. Note the wood wings standing against the build-ing, on the right side of photo. Jim remembered, “The wooden wings in the background are most likely from Gordon Israel’s ‘Red-head’ racer. One day Mike decided to clean up and threw them in the burn pile.”

Ready to proceed with his life, it was time to move away from home. Frank recalled, “I looked around the airport , but there

wasn’t much happening, so I checked with United Air Lines. Well, United said come work for us as a junior fl ight engineer. But that is a bus driver’s job, so you can get laid off every six months. I thought, ‘I can do better than that.’ So I stayed home and started calling around and found a hangar just west of Chicago, a little ways on an airport that has a quarry on it—Stinson Airport. Okay, I can go over there and work as an A&E. There were guys buying up these surplus airplanes. Aha, we want to convert them for civilian use. So I opened the hangar—Rezich Aircraft—and the fi rst and biggest jobs I had were Howard airplanes. So I worked that shop because it was right up my alley. Then Nick talked me into building a racer. I started that in 1946.”

Next month, in Part 5, Frank de-signs the Rezich brothers racer for the Cleveland Air Races and is re-quested to join the Ford Motor Company as a technical representa-tive on the Pratt & Whitney R-4360 radial engine, which was being built by Ford under a licensing agreement with Pratt & Whitney.

Mike Rezich bought this BT-13 for a commuter airplane to run back and forth from Stinson Aircraft outside of Detroit and the south side of Chicago.

22 JANUARY 2011

Light Plane Heritagepublished in EAA Experimenter December 1990

Editor’s Note: The Light Plane Heritage series in EAA’s Experimenter magazine often touched on aircraft and concepts related to vintage aircraft and their history. Since many of our members have not had the opportunity to read this se-ries, we plan on publishing those LPH articles that would be of interest to VAA members. Enjoy!—HGF

THE LONGREN BIPLANEBY JACK MCRAE

Albin K. Longren was a self-taught pilot from Topeka, Kansas, who started building and fl ying his own airplanes in 1910. In 1919 he formed the Longren Aircraft Cor-

poration of Topeka and in 1920 de-signed and built the New Longren, a side-by-side two-seat biplane that featured a well-streamlined, semi-monocoque fuselage of molded fi -

ber. The wing panels, which were braced by a Warren truss system of struts, could be folded back against the fuselage, giving an overall width of 9 feet. The engine was originally a three-cylinder, 60-hp Lawrance, but later models used the six-cylin-der Anzani engine.

The molded fi ber fuselage was said to have a strength-to-weight ratio double that of plywood, and to be highly resistant to splintering. The combustion point of 650°F made it relatively fireproof. Ash longerons and frames were used for reinforce-ment. The cockpit was entered through a door that was designed to retain the strength of the fuselage.

The wings used a modifi ed U.S.A. No. 2 airfoil. The spars were built up “I” sections of spruce. The wing ribs had a plywood web and ash cap

strips. Ailerons were used on the up-per wing only and were interchange-able, with control by torque tube. Swivel fi ttings allowed the wings to be folded without affecting the con-trols. When folded, the wings were braced to the fuselage to allow tow-ing to the airport by car.

The tail surfaces were of a thick section for rigidity, with rudder and elevators operated by torque tubes. The elevator controls were entirely enclosed in the fuselage, and the rudder had only a short length of control cable exposed.

The landing gear was of the cross axle type supported by streamlined V-struts on each side and used rub-ber cord for shock absorbers.

The New Longren was intended to be a business and pleasure air-plane of moderate price ($2,465) for the individual owner. The low cost of maintenance and small storage space required were big advantages.

The U.S. Navy was experiment-ing with small airplanes in the early 1920s and purchased three of the New Longrens “to test the servicing performance of molded fiber con-struction; a potential answer to faster and cheaper construction.” After sev-eral years of testing, the Navy decided to buy additional airplanes from Lon-gren, but by that time the company was no longer in existence. It had been unable to compete with the low prices of the World War I surplus air-planes that were then available.

The New Longren reportedly fl ew and handled well, and at a flying meet in Kansas City in November 1921, it won the looping contest with 38 loops. The takeoff distance was 125 feet, and the landing run was 75 feet. It was reported that a total of six were built.

Longren remained in the airplane business, however, and in the early 1930s built a very attractive two-place, all-metal biplane in Kansas City, using the Martin 120-hp engine. He subsequently worked for the Spar-tan Aircraft Company in Tulsa and then moved to California, where he manufactured hydraulically operated metal-forming machinery.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

Specifi cations of New Longren BiplaneWeight Empty 550 poundsUseful Load 500 poundsGross Weight 1,050 poundsWing Area 189 square feetWing Loading 5.55 pounds/square footPower Loading 17.5 pounds/square footMaximum Speed 96 mphRange 250 miles

Reference:Aviation magazine, September 19, 1921Aerial Age Weekly, September 26, 1921Flight magazine, June 8, 1922Aircraft Yearbook, 1923

24 JANUARY 2011

Born into an aviation fam-ily—his father was a pilot, aircraft owner, and owner of Martinsville’s fi rst air-port—Morton literally

grew up in and around airplanes and was fl ying long before reaching the legal age. (He soloed at age 10.) After college and military service with the Army Signal Corps (Korea), he em-barked on what would become a suc-cessful business career, which allowed him to become the owner of a long succession of aircraft, ranging from modern types such as Bonanzas, Co-manches, and Meyers 200s to vintage Wacos, Travel Airs, Howards, Mono-coupes, and many, many more.

Of special signifi cance were a num-ber of prototypes and racing aircraft that Morton searched out, restored, and preserved for posterity by donat-ing them to aviation museums. In-cluded were the following:

The Crosby CR-4 that competed in the Greve and Thompson Trophy air races in the late 1930s. Morton dis-covered the racer on a farm in North Carolina just days before it was to be hauled away to a dump. He had it re-

stored and donated it to the EAA Air-Venture Museum at Oshkosh.

The Keith Rider Jackrabbit that competed in Greve Trophy races in the late 1930s. It ended up as a sign on a California restaurant—until

Morton purchased it, had it restored, and donated it to the EAA AirVenture Museum in Oshkosh.

The prototype Ryan SCW was lan-guishing somewhere in Mexico until Morton was able to locate it, bring it

2010 VAA Hall of Fame Inductee

Morton W. LesterEAA 55178, VAA 14

BY JACK COX AND MORTON LESTER

Lester Airport was a Piper dealer, and this pre-WWII photo shows their fi rst J-5 Cruiser. Morton and his father are standing by the ship with Morton’s younger brother perched on the engine.

Will Rogers and Morton share a similar philosophy when Rogers said, “I never met a man I didn’t like.” Well, Morton never met a plane he didn’t like. Whis-tlin’ Dixie was his Twin Beech. It began life as an Navy SNB. When people would ask what that stood for, Morton simply replied, “Secret Navy Bomber.” Today this ship is in Tullahoma, Tennessee, after Morton donated it to the Beechcraft Heritage Museum.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25

The Monocoupe had such a rich heritage that it is in a class by itself. This is Morton and his clipped-wing Mono-coupe 110 Special. He says, “It was a fun airplane, and each fl ight was a thrilling and exhilarating experience.”

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back to the United States, restore it to fl ying condition, and donate it to the EAA AirVenture Museum in Oshkosh.

Morton purchased a derelict air-craft that at the time was believed to be the prototype Johnson Rocket, saving it from being junked. He sub-sequently sold it to Leonard McGinty, who had it restored. After Leonard’s death, the airplane was purchased by the Swift Museum Foundation. Sub-sequent research has revealed that the airplane was initially the Swift prototype and, later, after some mod-ifi cations, was re-designated as the Johnson Rocket prototype. It will be displayed in the Swift Museum.

Several other vintage aircraft,

among them a Travel Air 6000 and a Beech 18 military version, have been placed on loan by Morton to other aviation museums.

In addition to owning and restor-ing vintage aircraft, Morton has been active for decades in the activities of various aviation organizations. He was instrumental in the creation of the Virginia Aviation Museum in Richmond. He served 10 years on the Virginia Aviation Board, having been appointed by three Virginia governors. Morton served 35 years as a board member of the Blue Ridge Airport Authority, with 23 years as chairman. He also served as a direc-tor of the Sun ’n Fun Fly-In Lake-

land, Florida, for many years.Morton was an early member of

EAA/VAA Chapter 3 and served as its president several times over the years. He served as a member of the board of directors of what is now the Vintage Aircraft Association, being instrumental in the organization at its start. He was the division’s vice president and authored many arti-cles for Vintage Airplane. Morton also served on the EAA Aviation Founda-tion board for 30 years, including co-chairmanship of the building committee during the move from Hales Corners to Oshkosh and 20 years serving on the executive com-mittee. His lifelong collection of aviation-related audiovisual materi-als formed a signifi cant part of the nucleus of the collection of EAA’s audiovisual department when it was established in Oshkosh.

Note: Morton has always been a generous soul with both his time and his resources, and to honor his time contributing to Vintage Airplane, we thought it only proper to present a selection of the photos lent to us with the captions in his own words. More of his photos are posted in a slideshow that you can access from our website at www.VintageAircraft.org/programs/hof.html.

The Antique/Classic judges pause for a photo in 1972. Morton is the third one from the left, standing in the back.

This is my 1929 Travel Air Model 6000. It was truly a joy to fl y. As a foot-note, it fl ew much better fully loaded than it did when fl ying solo.

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BY ROBERT G. LOCK

Test fl ights

THE Vintage Mechanic

This month’s discussion is on a subject that can cause stress, both emotional and physical. It is the test fl ight.

In previous publications we have discussed various subjects dealing with aircraft restoration, but now is a good time to talk about the “dreaded” test flight. Perhaps you have spent several years restoring your airplane to pristine condition and finally it’s time to see how well it fl ies. Here are some of my thoughts on the test flight, and hopefully, ideas that will make that fi rst fl ight safe, successful, and enjoyable.

When I was instructing A&P mechanics at Reedley College in central California, my airframe classes focused on restoring an aircraft to f lyable condit ion. These aircraft were quite sim-ple, mostly Aeronca 7AC and 11AC/11CC, Cessna 140, and Taylorcraft-type airplanes.

My classes numbered 20 to 50 students who all took part in the “live” airplane work. I would have half of the class working in the lab, so I supervised 10-25 students, all involved with return-to-service aircraft. Needless to say I spent many hours after stu-dents left our facility closely inspecting their work. In the end, I was the fortunate soul to fi re up and test fl y the airplane.

My duty as test pilot was also put to use in my own shop, as I completed restoration of antique air-craft. Having been in the seat for the fi rst fl ight many times, I developed some guidelines that have worked well for me.

First, test fl ights should be conducted in the early morning hours when the air is calm and cool. Select a day when there are no crosswinds to deal with so that demon won’t enter into the picture.

The mental state of the test pilot is as important as the ability to fl y an airplane. You must be ready and

up to the task at hand, with no distractions. I always fl ew a similar type of aircraft around the local area to scout out possible off-airport landing sites, which I hoped would never be needed. I never jumped into the airplane and took to the sky unprepared!

My test flights were conducted when I was ready, not when the airplane was ready. There were times

when the test fl ight took place one to four days after the airplane was ready for fl ight.

These days leading up to the test fl ight were used to focus on the task at hand. I mentally conducted the fl ight hundreds of times, and usu-ally didn’t get my normal sleep on the days leading up to the fl ight.

I calculated the center of gravity (CG) location for the test fl ight us-ing my actual body weight instead of the 170 pounds suggested by the FAA. I knew exactly how much fuel

was in the tank; I never test flew with full fuel but would have enough fuel for at least two hours of fl ight. Knowing exactly where the CG was located gave an indication of where to set the trim, which I usually set in the center of travel (not necessarily neutral).

When I had a good mental picture of the fl ight, I would transfer the mental picture to reality by fl ying the traffi c pattern and local area to spot and memo-rize my off-airport landing sites, if needed. I knew when I was ready and I knew when the airplane was ready. Most of my fi rst fl ights lasted 20-30 minutes. A landing was made and the aircraft and engine closely inspected for anything unusual. If everything was normal, I would get back into the air for another 45 minutes to an hour.

Noted test pilot Chuck Yeager has always said, “There ain’t nothin’ dull about a test fl ight . . . you never know the outcome until you’re back safely on the ground.” To which I say, Amen. I still remember nearly all of my test flights—and they were all suc-

. . . makethat fi rst

fl ight safe, successful,

andenjoyable.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29

cessful—I got back with no injury.There is less stress if you can minimize how many

sets of eyes are watching the event. Ground crew is essential, but I never liked inviting throngs of people to witness my test fl ight. There were a couple of times, however, when it seemed that the whole darned town was there to watch. Such was the case when I test flew a Stearman biplane. But it turned out well, despite the crowd.

There are different approaches to engine break-in; I suppose I’ve done most of them. I recall test fl ying a Fairchild PT-26 with a newly overhauled Ranger 200-hp engine and an Aeromatic propeller installed. Since the Ranger tended to overheat on the ground with prolonged run-up, I preheated the oil to about 175 de-grees Fahrenheit, poured it into the oil tank, did only enough ground run to assure the engine was ready, then took off and fl ew. All the other test fl ights were conducted by running the engine on the ground until there was a rise in oil temperature. This would require several short runs to avoid glazing the cylinder walls.

Before takeoff, always check that control surface de-fl ection is in the proper direction, especially ailerons, elevators, and longitudinal trim.

I always use full power on takeoff and into the ini-tial climb. Horizontally opposed engines don’t mind being operated at full power for prolonged periods. Radial and inline engines, however, don’t like the full power for long periods. I would pull off some power, but not too much.

Recent test fl ights behind the Wright R-760 radial engine were conducted by running the engine at full power for no more than three minutes, then backing off the power to 1800 rpm and leaving it there until it was time to descend and land. The Wright is placarded to operate from 1650-1800 rpm, so I ran it at 1800 rpm during break-in.

Closely monitor all engine instruments for abnor-malities, especially the oil pressure gauge. The oil pres-sure gauge is the most important instrument in the cockpit. If all other instruments fail, you can look out-side the cockpit, fl y the airplane, and land it safely.

I normally climb to an altitude of 2,500 feet or above, and I stay over the airport in case of an emer-gency. If the fi eld is tower controlled, tell the tower folks that you are conducting a test fl ight and wish to stay above the airport for the next 20 minutes. Usually a shallow left turn is good because it’s in the direction of torque.

Normally a newly overhauled engine will run hot for the fi rst few hours, so cylinder head and oil tem-perature indicators may read above normal. Next a test of fl ight controls, any unusual fl ight conditions should be noted immediately. If the airplane is as-sembled and rigged properly there should be no great surprises. If things aren’t going well, however, get the airplane back on the ground, but do it safely.

I like to do a small amount of slow fl ight, conduct-ing a sample landing pattern starting at 2,500 feet above the ground. But while conducting any maneu-vers it is important to keep the engine cool. The air-plane should be trimmed for all flight attitudes and airspeeds. If the center of gravity is properly placed, this will happen. If the airplane is either nose- or tail-heavy you will run out of trim travel before control stick pressure neutralizes. After 20-30 minutes I land to check the airplane and engine over before continuing.

Takeoffs on a test fl ight can be fun, but the fi rst land-ing is always a memorable event. Here are a couple of ideas to ponder.

First, a good landing is always accompanied with a good approach. A lousy approach will usually result in a lousy landing. Biplanes have very poor visibil-ity over the nose. They also come down fast if you pull the power off. With this in mind, make your approach to landing by holding some power all the way to the fl are. At airfi elds where I can dictate the pattern (uncontrolled), I shoot the downwind at 800 feet AGL, turn base at 600 feet AGL, and turn fi nal at 400 feet AGL.

Keep pulling the power off; it’s a game to play on landing and keeps you from getting too bored. The game is to continue reducing power but not adding power to make the runway. To this day my approaches are a little high to allow me to see the runway over the engine. I will never shoot a low fi nal and add substan-tial power to make the runway. You cannot see any-thing in front of you, so don’t do it!

Another idea for the fi nal approach is to use a little “slip” so you can see the runway. This trick worked well when I was flying a Pitts S2C with Sean Tucker and Ralph Riddel at Salinas. You could set up a cross control slip and when you crossed, the numbers just set the airplane down the runway—it was already fl ared to the three-point attitude. Hold it there until all three wheels touched down. Squeak and you’re down. Oh, it was fun!

The second fl ight can be a more in-depth investiga-

Short fi nal for 15.

30 JANUARY 2011

tion of stability and control. Have a clipboard handy so you can record what the airplane does as you con-duct the tests.

First, the airplane should fl y straight and level when trimmed. Fixed-wing aircraft have a tendency to roll to the left as a result of pro-peller rotation (P-factor) and torque. On aircraft powered by most American-built engines, the prop turns clockwise when viewed from the cockpit, so the airplane wants to turn counter-clockwise. This can be corrected by washing out the right wing or washing in the left wing, or adjusting both settings. These adjustments are made until the wings remain level with the ho-rizon in level fl ight.

Wash-out is removing a small amount of the angle of inci-dence at wing tip, and wash-in is increasing incidence at the tip. This adjustment is done in small increments until the airplane fl ies wings-level at cruise power in level fl ight. The chances are good that the left wing will be washed in, so the slight increase in angle of incidence at the tip will cause a slight increase in drag on the left wing. This causes the nose to yaw to the left. This condition can be adjusted by adding a small ground-adjustable tab to the rudder and bending it to the left, which will cause the rudder to move to the right. Bend the tab until the yaw is removed. After these adjustments are completed, check the airplane in a power off stall; the wings should remain level through the stall.

To stability test the airplane, begin at a safe altitude, at least 3,000 feet AGL. Set the power to cruise rpm and trim the airplane for level “hands off” fl ight. Now apply a small amount of back pressure on the stick to cause the nose to rise above the horizon. Observe if the nose oscil-lates below the horizon, and tends to return to level fl ight

equilibrium. If this happens and in a short time period, the airplane demonstrates good static and dynamic stabil-ity. If the nose tends to stay in the displaced attitude, the airplane demonstrates neutral stability. And if the nose tends to increase its oscillations above and below the ho-

rizon the airplane demonstrates negative stability. Most old air-planes should demonstrate posi-tive or neutral stability.

Flight control deflection should be capable of good control of the airplane at all airspeeds. Don’t try any spec-tacular maneuvers at this time; you just want to check stability and control response.

Reduce power to check for slow fl ight-handling of the air-plane as you prepare for land-ing. You can do this on the descent portion of your fl ight. I usually make an imaginary traf-fi c pattern: crosswind, 90-degree

downwind slightly reducing speed, 90-degree turn to base reducing speed, 90-degree turn to final, further reducing speed. You can do this in your descent to get a feel of how the airplane will control in the traffic pattern, particularly if there are no recommended air-speed numbers written anywhere.

Enter the pattern for landing and make a good cock-pit check. One important check during this phase of the fl ight is the pilot. Make up your mind what type of landing you will make: three-point or wheel.

For me, the fi rst is usually a wheel landing; it’s just easier to fl y the airplane onto the runway, and I will always have good rudder control due to the higher airspeed. This is especially true if it’s the fi rst time I’ve flown this particular type of airplane. In all the air-planes I’ve fl own I prefer the three-point landing once I get used to the ship. If the tail wheel is the steerable or locking type, three-point landings work well for me.

Flight control and stability check. Landing at the end of the test fl ight.

To stability test the

airplane, begin at a safe

altitude, at least 3,000 feet AGL.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31

Airspeed control on fi nal is critical to making good three-point landings. I have fl own the Command-Aire since 1989 and have many takeoffs and landings in all types of wind conditions, so I have the three-point at-titude memorized. I fl are the airplane out to that three-point attitude and hold it until a full-stall landing occurs at minimum airspeed. I even three-point land the airplane in crosswinds.

The important point to remember is, the test fl ight is a check of systems, stability, and control. Make notes carefully so adjustments can be made in a controlled fashion. The airplane must be slowly “tweaked” until it fl ies just right. The photo above shows the New Stan-dard completing a fl y-by at low altitude for all those in attendance to see this beautiful airplane close up. Note that ailerons and elevator are streamlined, giving a clue that the rigging of the airplane is really close.

Now go out and have some fun with that great bi-plane! Good luck and happy fl ying!

Editor’s Note: EAA’s Flight Advisor program isn’t just for homebuilders; it’s for any pilot who is preparing to test fl y his newly constructed or restored aircraft. You can learn more about the program on the Web at www.eaa.org/fl ightadvisors. To fi nd a Flight Advisor, log in to EAA’s online community at www.Oshkosh365.org and click on the EAA Members Only tab in the bar; on the left side you’ll see a listing for the program under the Flying head-ing. We urge anyone contemplating a fi rst fl ight to take advantage of this important member benefi t! —HGF

There is nothing more exciting than a test fl ight in a strange airplane. When I fi rst fl ew the Command-Aire from the Lakeland, Florida, airport in 1989, however, it felt like I had fl own it before, perhaps in another life. It was sweet! After 11 long years of restoration, my pride and joy fi nally took to the air. This photograph shows the Command-Aire taxiing back to the Sun ’n Fun museum hangar after the successful test fl ight.

32 JANUARY 2011

BY Steve Krog, CFI

THE Vintage Instructor

Was that a landing? Or wasit a carnival ride?

Seldom is an incident or an accident the result of a single major mistake or system failure. Rather, it

is the combination of a series of lit-tle mistakes that compound as the fl ight continues. This is the story of one of those incidents that demon-strates how little mistakes do accu-mulate. The result was painless and inexpensive, but it could have been much worse.

While doing pattern work with a student, we landed, completed our back taxi, announced our intentions on the radio, and began taxiing into position for a takeoff on Runway 29. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed an airplane that appeared to be entering the traffi c pattern for a landing on Runway 11. Neither the student nor I recognized the air-plane other than it was a tailwheel aircraft. My student immediately demonstrated good common sense and stated, “I’m not sure what he’s up to,” and taxied off the runway until he could determine what the new arrival was going to do.

The arriving airplane turned fi-nal and appeared to be aligned with the turf immediately adjoining the hard-surface runway. We both noted that this “could be interesting,” as the wind was blowing about 10-12 mph from the northwest, creating a downwind landing situation.

After turning final the airplane continued drifting southward to-ward the hard-surface runway. Be-

fore touching down (the fi rst time), he was nearly off the runway, with his right wing overhanging the runway lights. The touchdown was hard, the aircraft bounced quite high, and it appeared that a lot of left rudder was being applied as the nose swung to the left. The second touchdown caused the plane to veer hard to the left, and the “carnival ride” began. He exited the runway to the left and rolled into a shallow drainage ditch, which launched the aircraft a third time. While airborne the nose began a swing to the right. On the final touchdown, the air-plane executed a full ground loop to the left.

I shouted to my student, “Watch the wingtips!” but the arriving pi-lot was quite lucky. While riding out a full 360-degree ground loop, the wingtips never touched the ground, nor did the tail ever come off the ground. Once stopped, the airplane was pointing northwest into the wind.

The pilot who rode out this “spectacular” arrival was quite shaken and remained in the air-plane for quite some time before getting his courage up to exit and look at the airplane.

Some time later I had an oppor-tunity to speak with the pilot. Still quite shaken, he began explaining what he thought had happened. After allowing time for him to vent and start to relax, we reviewed what had happened step-by-step. Here’s

how the scenario played out.It all began on a sunny fall af-

ternoon. While driving home from work, Dick* decided it would be a good day to do a little fl ying. Arriv-ing at the airport he met John, his friend from the next hangar, who also planned to do some flying. John had already completed his preflight and was ready to depart causing Dick to hurry his prefl ight, so that they could depart together. Small problem No. 1.

Dick hurriedly entered the cock-pit and sat down hard in the seat. He thought he heard a sound like metal cracking but decided to ig-nore it, as everything seemed nor-mal. The engine was started, and Dick began taxiing toward the runway following his friend John. While taxiing, Dick thought the seat felt different but chose to ig-nore it. After all, he had never had a previous problem with the seat. Small problem No. 2.

Once in the air the two friends decided to fly to a nearby airport and get a little fuel. Dick fell a mile or so behind John, because he seemed to be having a bit of a prob-lem with the rudder pedals. The air-plane wanted to yaw to one side. It was easily controlled, so Dick didn’t think it was much of a prob-lem. Small problem No. 3.

Dick didn’t see John enter the traffi c pattern and land, but he did observe that John was already at the gas island. Not wanting to hold

John up, Dick decided to enter the traffi c pattern and land as quickly as possible. After all, the surface winds when they departed were light and variable. He entered on a left down-wind for landing on Runway 11. The wind was blowing from the northwest at 10-12 mph, favoring Runway 29. Small problem No. 4.

Turning final, Dick noticed that it was hard to keep the airplane aligned with the runway, and things seemed to be happening a bit faster than normal. The rudder pedals felt uneven, and every time he relaxed the right rudder the airplane rapidly drifted to the left, causing him to overapply the right rudder, making the airplane drift to the right. Small problem No. 5.

Rather than opting to go around and land on a 200-foot-wide turf runway, Dick continued his ap-proach to 11, hoping he could pre-vent the airplane from running off the runway. Small problem No. 6.

The touchdown was hard, and he bounced fairly high. While in the bounce, the plane wanted to veer hard to the left. Continuing with the landing, Dick tried to re-position his right foot on the right brake. But this caused him to relax on the right rudder, allowing the airplane to yaw even more to the left. Small problem No. 7.

The second touchdown was also quite hard, rapidly causing a second bounce and allowing little or no braking action. A sec-ond metal crunch was heard, and the seat slid back and down. Small problem No. 8.

Heading for the left side of the runway, Dick was now just along for the ride. All he could do was hang on and keep the stick back. The plane exited the runway, rolled into the drainage ditch, and again bounced back into the air. When it touched down the final time, it proceeded to complete a full 360-degree ground loop be-fore fi nally coming to rest, point-ing in the direction from which it came. No contact was made with runway lights, and the wingtip

never touched the ground.Upon close examination of the

airplane, we found the seat was broken in two places. The initial break probably occurred when Dick fi rst entered the airplane. The second happened on the second bounce while he was trying to jam the brake pedal to the fl oor, causing him to lose control of the airplane.

Further, we found one tail spring and clip missing. It probably hap-pened on takeoff, causing the rud-der directional control problems encountered during the fl ight and especially on landing. This would cause uneven pressure on one rud-der pedal while in flight and the tail wheel to be cocked to one side when touching down.

Could this spectacular arrival have been prevented? The sound of metal cracking upon fi rst getting seated in the airplane should have caused a red fl ag to be raised. Even though it felt okay, something just wasn’t right. Secondly, a more thor-

ough preflight may have found the tail wheel spring in need of at-tention. Finally, being in a hurry and somewhat preoccupied with-the rudder problem, Dick failed to check the windsock for surface winds and most favorable runway, leading to a downwind landing.

The combination of a broken seat, missing tail wheel spring, and downwind landing caused quite a ride for Dick. Thankfully the only thing broken was the seat frame; no other damage was done other than Dick’s bruised ego.

The airplane has already been repaired, and new tail wheel con-trol springs have been properly in-stalled. Once the weather improves, Dick and I have scheduled some dual fl ights to repair his bruised ego!

*As you can imagine, we’ve changed the names to avoid need-lessly embarrassing a fellow pilot. We can all imagine how it would be to fl y in his moccasins!

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 33

34 JANUARY 2011

We enjoy your suggestions for Mystery Planes—in fact, more than half of our subjects are sent to us by members, often via e-mail. Please remember that if you want to scan the photo for use in Mys-tery Plane, it must be at a resolu-tion of 300 dpi or greater. You may send a lower-resolution version to us for our review, but the fi nal ver-sion has to be at that level of detail or it will not print properly. Also, please let us know where the photo

came from; we don’t want to will-fully violate someone’s copyright.

October’s Mystery Plane came to us from Duffy Thompson of Lake-land, Florida, who was given a book of aircraft photos that belonged to the late Don O.W. Emerson.

Our fi rst mailed response came to us from Tom Lymburn of Princ-eton, Minnesota:

The October Mystery Plane is the Curtiss XPW-8 (Model 33) first pro-totype. It was given serial number

23-1201 after purchase by the Army on 27 April 1923. It had flown in January, with the rather cumber-some moniker of “Curtiss Pursuit Air-plane, Experimental Type I.” Given the Wright Field test number P-295, it was converted at one point as a fake two-seater to be entered in the 1923 Pulitzer race as the CO-X, but was dis-qualifi ed. It was fi nally “surveyed” at McCook Field on 21 February 1925.

Curtiss began development in Sep-tember 1922 around its 440-hp D-12

Send your answer to EAA, Vintage Airplane, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Your answer needs to be in no later than February 15 for inclusion

in the Apr i l 2011 i s sue o f Vintage Airplane.

You can also send your re-sponse via e-mail. Send your answer to mysteryplane@eaa.org.

Be sure to include your name plus your city and state in the body of your note and put “(Month) Mystery Plane” in the subject line.

This month’s Mystery Plane comes to us via Wes Smith. It is a twin of foreign manufacture and registration.

MYSTERY PLANEby H.G. FRAUTSCHY

O C T O B E R ’ S M Y S T E RY A N S W E R

engine, featuring flush-top wing ra-diators. Parts of the design were infl u-enced by Curtiss’ R-6 and R2C/E3C racers. These fl ush-mounted wing ra-diators were meant to reduce drag but tended to leak, dumping hot water on the pilot. They would also have been very vulnerable in combat! Eventu-ally, three XPW-8 prototypes were constructed (23-1202 to 23-1203) and 25 PW-8 (PW = pursuit, water-cooled) production aircraft (24-201 to 24-225) were ordered on 14 Septem-ber 1923. They were delivered from June to August 1924. Armed with a pair of .30-caliber Marlin machine guns, the PW-8 had a top speed of 165 mph at sea level, a range of 440 miles, and a ceiling of 23,300 feet. The PW-8 led to the more famous P-1 Hawk series of Curtiss fi ghters.

PW-8s were assigned to the 1st Pursuit Group at Selfridge Field, some even fl ying on skis. Lt. Russell Maughan flew PW-8 (24-204) from Long Island, New York, to San Fran-cisco on 23 June 1924, in a famous “dawn to dusk” fl ight that lasted 23 hours and 48 minutes with fi ve refu-eling stops. It covered 2,607 miles. Maughan had previously attempted two such flights in the prototype, 23-1201.

A similar photo of 23-1201 in the snow, but with a pilot in the cockpit, appears in Wagner’s American Com-

bat Planes of the 20th Centuryand Dean and Hagedorn’s Curtiss Fighter Aircraft: A photographic History 1917-1948.

And some additional informa-tion from Wes Smith of Spring-fi eld, Illinois:

While Peter M. Bowers refers to the PW-8 in Curtiss Aircraft 1907-1947 as the Model 33 (company des-ignation L-18-1), I side with Dean and Hagedorn as they quote from the original report written by D.C. Maier, and the photo clearly does de-pict the prototype, which was some-what different; the report goes on to state that the prototype only was the L-18-1, not production PW-8s, which were based on the second pro-totype. It should be mentioned that the U.S. Air Service (USAS) “type”

designations were a postwar system of categorizing aircraft by their func-tion and powerplant and ran from the “Type I” through the “Type XV.” The Type I (Roman numeral for “one”) re-ferred to “pursuit, water-cooled” types (PW-1 to PW-9).

Des i gn o f the p ro to type ma-chine was announced to the USAS in September of 1922, and the prototype was fl own on January 23, 1923. The new aircraft used the Curtiss D-12 engine, a development of the wartime Curtiss-Kirkham K-12 (by way of the intermediate CD-12, “Curtiss, Direct Drive,” later simplified to “D-12”) designed by Charles B. Kirkham. By April of 1923, the USAS had shown an interest in the aircraft and sent Maier from McCook Field to the Cur-tiss factory in order to test-fl y and ex-

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 35

36 JANUARY 2011

amine the machine. Impressed, the USAS appears to have purchased the aircraft as the XPW-8 (A.S. 23-1201; McCook Field Project Number P-295 was added in May 1923). After its acquisition, on April 27, 1923, it was redesignated as a “Curtiss Pursuit Type I - PW-8,” the first aircraft in the U.S. Army to be designed solely as a pursuit airplane. Bowers states that the application of the “X” prefi x was actually not used until it was adopted in March 1924.

Nevertheless, after the procure-ment of the fi rst three prototype air-craft (A.S. 1201-1203), a contract for 25 aircraft (A.S. 24-201–24-225; MSN 10503-10528) followed in September 1923, and Curtiss ap-plied the L-18-2/PW-8 company des-ignation to production aircraft. The second prototype was dimensionally somewhat larger than the L-18-1/PW-8, and the radiator area was in-creased. The chord of the upper wing was extended, ailerons were added to the lower wings, and the vertical fi n had an increased area. The rudder size and shape was altered, and the interplane gap was increased some-what, increasing the height. An aero-dynamic balance area was added to the vertical rudder, and the overall length was slightly increased. The span remained the same, but the air-foil was changed to the Curtiss C-62, and the positive load factor was in-creased from a maximum of 8 to 12. The L-18-2 had a Curtiss EX29048 wooden prop and a low-compression D-12 fitted. An additional aircraft, not a true PW-8, was also exported to Japan in 1930. The production PW-8s were delivered from June 14 to Au-gust 14, 1924.

The prototype aircraft can be iden-tified by the slightly indented cowl-ing between the cylinder banks and complex split-axle undercarriage, which was probably the first to use rubber discs in compression. This was simplified on the L-18-2 and all subsequent aircraft. The PW-8 series is remembered for the unique surface evaporative cooling system, adopted from the earlier R-6 racers. In this system, the water from the en-

gine flowed into twin header tanks on the dorsal side of the upper wing, ran across corrugated cores and back to the engine. The unique compart-mentalized construction of the wings utilized multiple spars in place of the more traditional two-spar system. Lt. Russell Lowell Maughan, a combat veteran of the 139th Aero Squadron during World War I, twice attempted (unsuccessfully) to make the so-called “dusk to dawn” transcontinen-

tal flight in July of 1923, using the prototype machine. He accomplished this feat the following year on June 24, 1924, using the fourth produc-tion PW-8 (A.S. 24-204) modified with additional fuel tanks (75-gallon main, 47-gallon rear, and 45-gallon drop tank; McCook P-361). The fi rst several PW-8s were used as test air-craft. A.S. 24-202 (P-358) was fi tted with an external supercharger. The third prototype (L-18-3) was com-

pleted as the PW-8A. In addition to modified wings, it was later fitted with the chin-mounted tunnel radia-tor, which became standard on the Curtiss P-1 series.

PW-8s we re ope ra t ed by the 1st Pursuit Squadron at Selfridge Field, Michigan, and were fi tted with skis for winter operations. In service, PW-8s were retrofi tted with Curtiss-Reed forged duraluminum propellers for higher speeds. On July 11, 1923, the L-18-1 was authorized by the chief of the USAS to be modifi ed into a two-place aircraft in order to com-pete in the third event of the 1923 Pulitzer Race, which was to be held at Lambert Field, St. Louis. In addi-tion to the rear observer’s cockpit, the original Curtiss X-9048 was initially replaced with a Curtiss EX29048-A wooden propeller. This in turn was replaced with a new Curtiss-Reed. A high-compression D-12 was also fi t-ted, and on September 24, 1923, the aircraft was redesignated as the CO-X (corps observation, experimental). However, the U.S. Navy protested, based on the fact that this was not a true operational observation type, and hence, the St. Louis Air Board was forced to disqualify the aircraft. Sadly, the aircraft ended its days at McCook Field, being disposed of on February 25, 1925.

The continued evolution of the pro-totype aircraft through the PW-8 se-ries is a complex one, in which many modifications were made along the way. The eloquent and definitive history of this aircraft is given in the aforementioned Dean/Hagedorn book, and I refer one and all to that worthy tome for a detailed history. Additionally, two drawings of the PW-8 have been made over the years. The fi rst, a William Wylam drawing, and the second, by Paul R. Matt. A great description of the PW-8 can also be found in Peter Bowers’ book Curtiss Aircraft 1907-1947, and in Aviation, July 14, 1924 (V.17 N.2. “The Curtiss PW-8 Pursuit Plane Described: Story of the Develop-ment of This Plane From Racing Experience and Its Chief Construc-tional Features,” pp 746-748).

The second

prototype was

dimensionally

somewhat larger

than the L-18-1/

PW-8, and the

radiator area

was increased.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 37

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It’s gonna be a big day. All week long.This year we’ve packed each day (and evening) of AirVenture with special events and attractions you’ll want to plan around.

Monday, July 25Opening Day Concert

Tuesday, July 26Tribute to Bob Hoover

Wednesday, July 27Navy Day

Thursday, July 28 Tribute to Burt Rutan

Friday, July 29 Salute to Veterans

Saturday, July 30 Night Air Show Returns

Sunday, July 31Big Finale, the Military Scramble

Join us for a big celebration of the 100th Anniversary of NavalAviation. See it all, from the Curtiss Pusher replica to the Navy’s hottesthardware. All week long.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39

Copyright ©2011 by the EAA Vintage Aircraft Association, All rights reserved.VINTAGE AIRPLANE (USPS 062-750; ISSN 0091-6943) is published and owned exclusively by the EAA Vintage Aircraft Association of the Experimental Aircraft Association and is published monthly at EAA Avia-

tion Center, 3000 Poberezny Rd., PO Box 3086, Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54903-3086, e-mail: vintageaircraft@eaa.org. Membership to Vintage Aircraft Association, which includes 12 issues of Vintage Airplane magazine, is $36 per year for EAA members and $46 for non-EAA members. Periodicals Postage paid at Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54901 and at additional mailing offi ces. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Vintage Airplane, PO Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. PM 40063731 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to Pitney Bowes IMS, Station A, PO Box 54, Windsor, ON N9A 6J5. FOREIGN AND APO ADDRESSES — Please allow at least two months for delivery of VINTAGE AIRPLANE to foreign and APO addresses via surface mail. ADVERTISING — Vintage Aircraft Association does not guarantee or endorse any product offered through the advertising. We invite constructive criticism and welcome any report of inferior merchandise obtained through our advertising so that corrective measures can be taken.

EDITORIAL POLICY: Members are encouraged to submit stories and photographs. Policy opinions expressed in articles are solely those of the authors. Responsibility for accuracy in reporting rests entirely with the contributor. No remuneration is made. Material should be sent to: Editor, VINTAGE AIRPLANE, PO Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Phone 920-426-4800.

EAA® and EAA SPORT AVIATION®, the EAA Logo® and Aeronautica™ are registered trademarks, trademarks, and service marks of the Experimental Aircraft Association, Inc. The use of these trademarks and service marks without the permission of the Experimental Aircraft Association, Inc. is strictly prohibited.

EAAMembership in the Experimental Aircraft

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

FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPSPlease submit your remittance with a

check or draft drawn on a United States bank payable in United States dollars. Add required Foreign Postage amount for each membership.

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATIONCurrent EAA members may join the

Vintage Aircraft Association and receive VINTAGE AIRPLANE magazine for an additional $36 per year.

EAA Membership, VINTAGE AIRPLANE magazine and one year membership in the EAA Vintage Aircraft Association is available for $46 per

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

WARBIRDSCurrent EAA members may join the EAA

Warbirds of America Division and receive WARBIRDS magazine for an additional $45 per year.

EAA Membership, WARBIRDS mag-azine and one year membership in the Warbirds Division is available for $55 per year (SPORT OficAVIATION magazine not included). (Add $7 for International Postage.)

IACCurrent EAA members may join the

International Aerobatic Club, Inc. Divi-sion and receive SPORT AEROBATICS magazine for an additional $45 per year.EAA Membership, SPORT AEROBAT-ICS magazine and one year membership in the IAC Division is available for $55 per year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not in-cluded). (Add $15 for Foreign Postage.)

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

VINTAGEAIRCRAFT

ASSOCIATION OFFICERS

DIRECTORS

DIRECTORSEMERITUS

PresidentGeoff Robison

1521 E. MacGregor Dr.New Haven, IN 46774

260-493-4724chief7025@aol.com

Vice-PresidentGeorge Daubner

N57W34837 Pondview LnOconomowoc, WI 53066

262-560-1949gdaubner@eaa.org

Steve Bender85 Brush Hill Road

Sherborn, MA 01770508-653-7557

sst10@comcast.net

David Bennett375 Killdeer Ct

Lincoln, CA 95648916-952-9449

antiquer@inreach.com

Jerry Brown4605 Hickory Wood Row

Greenwood, IN 46143317-422-9366

lbrown4906@aol.com

Dave Clark635 Vestal Lane

Plainfi eld, IN 46168317-839-4500

davecpd@att.net

John S. Copeland1A Deacon Street

Northborough, MA 01532508-393-4775

copeland1@juno.com

Phil Coulson28415 Springbrook Dr.

Lawton, MI 49065269-624-6490

rcoulson516@cs.com

Dale A. Gustafson7724 Shady Hills Dr.

Indianapolis, IN 46278317-293-4430

dalefaye@msn.com

Jeannie HillP.O. Box 328

Harvard, IL 60033-0328815-943-7205

Espie “Butch” Joyce704 N. Regional Rd.

Greensboro, NC 27409336-668-3650

windsock@aol.com

Steve Krog1002 Heather Ln.

Hartford, WI 53027262-966-7627

sskrog@aol.com

Robert D. “Bob” Lumley1265 South 124th St.Brookfi eld, WI 53005

262-782-2633lumper@execpc.com

S.H. “Wes” Schmid2359 Lefeber Avenue

Wauwatosa, WI 53213414-771-1545

shschmid@gmail.com

Robert C. Brauer9345 S. Hoyne

Chicago, IL 60643773-779-2105

photopilot@aol.com

Gene Chase2159 Carlton Rd.

Oshkosh, WI 54904920-231-5002

GRCHA@charter.net

Ronald C. Fritz15401 Sparta Ave.

Kent City, MI 49330616-678-5012

rFritz@pathwaynet.com

Charlie HarrisPO Box 470350Tulsa, OK 74147

918-622-8400cwh@hvsu.com

E.E. “Buck” Hilbert8102 Leech Rd.Union, IL 60180

815-923-4591buck7ac@gmail.com

Gene Morris5936 Steve Court

Roanoke, TX 76262817-491-9110

genemorris@charter.net

Membership Services DirectoryEnjoy the many benefi ts of EAA andEAA’s Vintage Aircraft Association

EAA Aviation Center, PO Box 3086, Oshkosh WI 54903-3086Phone (920) 426-4800 Fax (920) 426-4873

Web Sites: www.vintageaircraft.org, www.airventure.org, www.eaa.org/memberbenefi ts E-Mail: vintageaircraft@eaa.org

EAA and Division Membership Services (8:00 AM–6:00 PM Monday–Friday CST)800-564-6322 FAX 920-426-4873 www.eaa.org/memberbenefi ts membership@eaa.org

•New/renew memberships •Address changes •Merchandise sales •Gift memberships

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 888-322-4636 www.airventure.org airventure@eaa.orgSport Pilot/Light-Sport Aircraft Hotline 877-359-1232 www.sportpilot.org sportpilot@eaa.org

Programs and ActivitiesAuto Fuel STCs 920-426-4843 dwalker@eaa.orEAA Air Academy 920-426-6880 www.airacademy.org airacademy@eaa.orgEAA Scholarships 920-426-6823 scholarships@eaa.orgLibrary Services/Research 920-426-4848 slurvey@eaa.org

Benefi tsAUA Vintage Insurance Plan 800-727-3823 www.auaonline.comEAA Aircraft Insurance Plan 866-647-4322 www.eaa.org/memberbenefi ts membership@eaa.orgEAA VISA Card 800-853-5576 ext. 8884EAA Hertz Rent-A-Car Program 800-654-2200 www.eaa.org/hertz membership@eaa.orgVAA Editorial/Executive Director 920-426-4825 www.vintageaircraft.org vintage@eaa.orgVAA Offi ce 920-426-6110 tbooks@eaa.org

Membership dues to EAA and its divisions are not tax deductible as charitable contributions

TM

TM

EAA Members Information Line 888-EAA-INFO (322-4636)Use this toll-free number for: information about AirVenture Oshkosh; aeromedical and technical aviation questions;

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

Offi ce hours are 8:15 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (Monday - Friday, CST)

SecretarySteve Nesse

2009 Highland Ave.Albert Lea, MN 56007

507-373-1674stnes2009@live.com

TreasurerDan Knutson

106 Tena Marie CircleLodi, WI 53555608-592-7224

lodicub@charter.net

John TurgyanPO Box 219

New Egypt, NJ 08533609-758-2910

jrturgyan4@aol.com

40 JANUARY 2011

Leather BriefcasePatched leather with lasered VAAlogo has many compartments.Approx: 11hx16wx4d. 5265032300000

Vintage B-15A Bomber JacketThis jacket is a replica of the 1946 issue. Quilted lining with strategic air command print. 100% cotton shell, zipper sleeve pocket knit waist and cuff . Imitation fur collar is removable. Men’s sizing.5265697302082 SM5265697303082 MD5265697304082 LG5265697305082 XL5265697306082 2XL

Brown Carry ToteLarge tote that is perfect for those short trips where an overnight bag is needed. Has soft tan faux leather with a lasered VAA logo. 5265855800000

Black Carry ToteThis roomy leather tote is equi-ped with all the essentials for an over night trip. 5265032500000

Canvas Flight Cap5265341503053 MD Sage5265341504053 LG Sage5265341503084 MD Tobacco5265341504084 LG Tobacco

Leather Flight CapIn the cockpit or out in the elements, this hat is perfect for warmth. 5265821003083 MD Brown 5265821004083 LG Brown

*$57.99— *$61.99

*$25.95

*$48.95

$34.99

$36.95

$19.95

www.shopeaa.com/vaaTelephone Orders: 800-843-3612

From US and Canada (All Others Call 920-426-5912)*Shipping and handling NOT included. Major credit cards accepted.

WI residents add 5% sales tax.

SAGE

TOBACCO

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