vintage airplane - mar 2012

8/20/2019 Vintage Airplane - Mar 2012

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MARCH 2012


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Our L-4 was based in the US During WWII from 1943 to 1945. We bought

it early this year and have enjoyed every minute of it. The stearman was built

in 1942 during WWII and we have owned it since 1975.

Owning and operating antique aircraft has been a part of our family for 3

generations going back to 1963 when my father Tom bought a Piper Tri-

pacer. Our family has owned aircraft ever since. Our aviation roots rundeep in this family, and that is why we choose AUA as our agency. They

have a long distinguished record of service with the types of aircraft we

operate, and understand our problems and concerns.

— Mark Henley

The Henley’s Mark,

Tanner, and Johnathan■ Mark is an ATP and has been

a pilot since 1976

■ Tanner is a student pilot whoflies every chance she gets

■ Jonathan is 18 and has beena private pilot for one year

a

n s A

U

!


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2 Straight and Level Cubs2Oshkosh and FAA funding by Geoff Robison

3

News6 Friends of the Red Barn

9 Travel Air: Performance and Dependability The excitement of sharing it with people by Sparky Barnes Sargent

14 Breaking Through the Clouds:

The First Women’s National Air Derby The story of grassroots aviation pioneers by a grassroots independent film producer by Sparky Barnes Sargent

16 Achtung, Baby! Prague E.114M Air Baby HB-UAF restored to flying condition by Stefan Degraef

20 Light Plane Heritage Exploring the Parasol Monoplane by Bob Whittier

28 The Vintage Mechanic Wood defects: Compression failure, shakes, checks, longitudinal cracks by Robert G. Lock

34 The Vintage Instructor A Proud Moment by Steve Krog, CFI

36 Mystery Plane by H.G. Frautschy

38 Classifieds

A I R P L A N E M A R C HC O N T E N T S

S T A F FEAA Publisher Rod Hightower

Director of EAA Publications J. Mac McClellanExecutive Director/Editor H.G. FrautschyBusiness Manager Kathleen Witman

Publication Advertising:Manager/Domestic, Sue Anderson

Tel: 920-426-6127 Email: sanderson@eaa org

Vol. 40, No. 3 2012

9

16

28


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AirVenture 2012 is now amere five months down

the road! Wow, there is so

much going on right now,

and so much to accomplish before

July sneaks up on us yet again. Ev-

ery year I tell our Vintage volun-

teer group that the goal is to always

outdo ourselves from one year to the

next. The volunteer work weekendsare already completely planned out,

and we’re ready to launch into yet

another year of accomplishment on

the grounds at EAA. It’s going to be

another great year at Oshkosh, so I

hope you will be able to join us for

another exciting event full of avia-

tion and excitement.Planning for the Cubs2Osh-

kosh event is already gaining a fair

amount of steam. This will certainly

be an event to remember. With the

exception of the wonderful yearly

Sentimental Journey fly-in that

takes place in Lock Haven, Pennsyl-

vania, I don’t believe you could ever

see a bigger field of yellow Cubs; it

will be a magnificent thing to see.

I have been really impressed with

the number of folks who have al-

ready committed to participating in

the 75th anniversary of the beloved

ers who are also planning to makethe trip. Be sure to click on the

“Cubs Location” link and check out

the map that shows where all of the

Cubs will be coming from. A num-

ber of individuals are already plan-

ning to hook up with other Cub

pilots traveling from the same gen-

eral area en route to Oshkosh.

VAA Director/CFI Steve Krog, whoowns and operates several Cubs out

of the Hartford, Wisconsin, Munic-

ipal Airport (HXF), has graciously

reached out to the community of

Hartford and has already experi-

enced a large interest from them

desiring to participate as a host com-

munity/gathering spot for the manydozens of Piper Cubs en route to

AirVenture Oshkosh. Hartford, Wis-

consin, is conveniently located 33

miles northwest of Milwaukee and

is a convenient short 60-mile flight

to Oshkosh. Hartford has a grass

strip (2,250 feet), and self-serve fuel

is available. Several other airports

around the country are also plan-ning to host our Cub pilots while

en route to Oshkosh, and that infor-

mation will be kept updated on the

forums area of the Cubs2Oshkosh

website. The parking/camping ar-

House and Senate conferees havenow managed to work out their dif-

ferences and recently finalized the

language in the bill. The U.S. Sen-

ate overwhelmingly passed the FAA

Reauthorization Bill, 75-20, on Feb-

ruary 6, so it’s now headed to the

president’s desk for signature. If the

president signs the bill, the FAA will

have its first long-term funding plansince 2007. This will finally end the

string of 23 short-term funding ex-

tensions that have kept the FAA op-

erating since 2007, and will allow

the agency to plan and implement

some of its key projects and initia-

tives. EAA and other aviation groups

have long worked hard to have lan-guage included that benefits GA in

a variety of areas, including no user

fees or aviation fuel tax increases,

funding for airport improvement

projects and the NextGen air traffic

control system, as well as progress

for vintage aircraft data and airport

through-the-fence agreements. This

effort toward a full FAA reauthoriza-tion bill was the result of GA groups

being stronger together to repre-

sent our members and all aviators.

But, it’s not all good news for our

local airports that may now experi-

Geoff Robison

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, VAA

STRAIGHT & LEVEL

Cubs2Oshkosh and FAA funding


5/44

VAA NEWS

SOME VINTAGE AIRCRAFT OWNERS got a big win in theFAA reauthorization bill signed in early February by Presi-dent Obama, as the measure included an EAA-supported

provision that authorizes the FAA to release certain typecerticate and design data for aircraft no longer supportedby a manufacturer.

Te specic element of the bill (Section 302) providesthat the FAA can release “abandoned” data that is essen-tial to safely maintain and operate vintage aircraft. Tatincludes data for aircraft such as those built by long-defunct companies whose type certificates were not ac-quired or maintained. Tree years is the initial threshold

for inactivity. It also gives the FAA the authority to de-clare that data as abandoned, or releasable to the publicif aviation safety will be enhanced by the information foraircraft, engines, propellers, and other aircraft appliances.

“Tis is great progress for those who own and restorevintage aircraft and preserve our aviation legacy,” said

ing data relating to aircraft that were certifi-cated between 1927 and 1939, and precludesthe destruction of any such airworthiness

and historically significant documentation.Te amendment also eliminates the ability oftype certificate holders from that period toforce the FAA to withhold such data under theclaims of “trade secrets.” Te amendment wasproposed by longtime EAA member Greg Her-rick, an owner and restorer of numerous vin-tage aircraft, and included in the legislation byRep. Sam Graves (R-Missouri).

“There are two initial and complementaryvictories contained in the nearly decade-longeff ort: the preservation and release of histori-cally significant documentation necessary torestore and maintain truly antique prewar air-

craft contained in the Herrick Amendment, and the EAAinitiative giving the FAA authority to release the designand airworthiness data for both pre- and post-World War

II general aviation aircraft that are no longer supported bya manufacturer,” said Doug Macnair, EAA vice presidentof government relations.

“These efforts do not give completely unfettered ac-cess to design data,” continued Macnair, “ but they do goa long way toward helping owners of antique and vintageaircraft maintain these beautiful ying pieces of history.Te EAA eff ort also seeks to protect not only owners ofaircraft that are no longer supported by a manufacturer,

but also those that may not be supported in the future,making this a long-term protection for all general avia-tion owners. We are very grateful to the FAA for theircollaboration in this effort and their willingness to in-troduce the original language into the early drafts of thereauthorization bill on behalf of EAA and all who own

Vintage Aircraft DataNewly signed FAA reauthorization bill allows for release of abandoned data


6/44

User Fees: Good News,Bad News

The possibility of GA user fees justwon’t go away, despite more than a

decade of congressional oppositionfrom both parties and overwhelmingnegative responses from the aviationcommunity. Already in early 2012 wehave heard good news and bad newson the subject.

First the good news: T he finallanguage in the first full FAA reau-

thorization bill in five years passedboth houses of Congress in earlyFebruary and was signed by Presi-dent Obama on Feb. 14. It containsno provision for user fees and no in-crease in the aviation fuel tax, whichis GA’s fair contr ibution to FAA’sfunding. The reauthorization billwas a goal of EAA’s advocacy efforts,

as it stabilizes the agency’s fundingand planning through 2015 and al-lows major initiatives such as Next-Gen and airport improvements tomove forward.

N o w f o r t h e b a d n e w s : T h eObama administration’s proposedFiscal Year 2013 budget includes a

$100-per-flight user fee for selectedGA aircraft fl ying within controlledairspace. While the budget proposalwould exempt all piston aircraft, mil-itary aircraft, public aircraft, air am-bulances, aircraft operating outsideof controlled airspace, and Canada-to-Canada flights, the plan wouldcreate additional financial burdens

for GA and require new bureaucracyto administer user fee collection. Italso opens the door to an eventualexpansion of user fees to other pri-vate aircraft and GA operations.

EAA and fellow GA groups re-

To nominate someone is easy. It just takes a little time and a little reminiscing on your part.

•Tink of a person; think of his or her contributions to vintage aviation.

•Write those contributions in the various categories of the nomination form.

•Write a simple letter highlighting these attributes and contributions. Make copies of

newspaper or magazine articles that may substantiate your view.

•If at all possible, have another individual (or more) complete a form or write a letter about this

person, conrming why the person is a good candidate for induction.

Tis year’s induction ceremony will be held near the end of October. We’ll have follow-up

information once the date has been nalized.

We would like to take this opportunity to mention that if you have nominated someone for

the VAA Hall of Fame; nominations for the honor are kept on le for 3 years, after which the

nomination must be resubmitted.

Mail nominating materials to: VAA Hall of Fame, c/o Charles W. Harris, Transportation Leasing Corp. PO Box 470350 Tulsa, OK 74147 E-mail: [email protected]

Remember, your “contemporary” may be a candidate; nominate someone today!

Find the nomination form at www.VintageAircraft.org , or call the V AA offi ce for a copy(920-426-6110), or on your own sheet of paper, simply include the following information:

• Date submitted.• Name of person nominated.• Address and phone number of nominee.• E-mail address of nominee.

Nominate your favorite vintage aviator forthe EAA Vintage Aircraft Association H all ofFame. A gr eat honor could be besto wed uponthat man or woman wor king next to y ou onyour airplane, sitting next to you in the chaptermeeting, or walking next to y ou at EAA Air-Venture Oshkosh. Tink about the people inyour circle of aviation friends: the mechanic,historian, photographer, or pilot who has sharedinnumerable tips with you and with many oth-ers. Tey could be the next VAA Hall of Fameinductee—but only if they are nominated.

Te person you nominate can be a citiz enof any country and may be living or deceased;his or her involvement in vintage aviation must

have occurred between 1950 and the pr esentday. His or her contribution can be in the areasof ying, design, mechanical or aer odynamicdevelopments, administration, writing, someother vital and relevant eld, or any combina-tion of elds that support aviation. Te personyou nominate must be or hav e been a mem-ber of the Vintage Aircraft Association or the

Antique/Classic Division of EAA, and pr efer-ence is given to those whose actions have con-tributed to the VAA in some way , perhaps asa volunteer, a restorer who shares his expertise

with others, a writer, a photographer, or a pilotsharing stories, preserving aviation history, andencouraging new pilots and enthusiasts.

CALL FOR VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

Nominations


7/44

EAA Skiplane Fly-InLike so many locations here in the north-

ern half of the United States, the winter hasbeen unusually mild (yes, we consider 25

degrees F to be a mild winter!) and very dry,with little snowfall. Happily, there’s beenexactly one Saturday when the annual EAASkiplane Fly-In at Pioneer Airport couldhave accommodated skiplanes, and that wasSaturday, January 21. With just the rightamount of snow on the ground, 33 skiplanesflew in and participated, joining hundreds

of attendees on the ground. A last-minutesnowfall the day before covered Pioneer’srunway, drawing planes from three states.Te gathering was also a celebration of

Audrey Poberezny’s birthday, and attend-ees enjoyed celebratory chili, soup, andbirthday cake inside one of the Pioneer Air-port hangars.

EAA’s Sweepstakes Cub sporting new

TrickAir wheel-penetration skis was a pop-ular participant, prompting several attend-ees to enter the sweepstakes on the spot. Alist of attending skiplanes appears at www.SportAviation.org .

Right: Rick Kluver’s Piper J3C-65 painted

up as a NE-1, the Navy’s version of the

L-4. His NE-1 isn’t knock-kneed, it’s justthat the port ski has stuck with its nose

in the same position it was in while the

Cub rested on the ground. When a ski

is stuck in this way, while it’s not the

preferred way to have a ski hang up,

all is well as long as a “wheel landing”

isn’t attempted. Normally, a length of

cable and bungee cord will keep the

tips slightly up in relation to the centerline of the air-

plane, like the position of the starboard ski.

What Our Members Are RestoringAre you nearing completion of a r estoration? Or is it done

and you’re busy flying and showing it of f? If so we’d like to

EAA’s grand prize Piper Cub was on hand, complete with a new set of

TrickAir Skis. You can win this Cub this summer when it’s awarded to

some lucky EAA Sweepstakes supporter. For more information, visit the

“Win the Cub” Sweepstakes website at www.AirVenture.org/sweepstakes ,

or see the insert in the April issue of Sport Aviation.


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Friends of the Red Barn 2 12Friends of the Red Barn 2012Each year at EAA AirVenture Osh-

kosh the largest single space for the

display of enthusiasts’ aircraft is theVintage parking and camping area.For four decades it’s been not only apicturesque scene of the finest restoredairplanes in this country, but also agathering place for aviation people andtheir magnificent machines to shareknowledge and friendship.

Each day during the convention, weget to see the widest variety possible ofairplanes, including a few one-of-a-kindaircraft. Don’t forget the special TypeClub parking area, where we host manyexamples of a particular manufacturer’sairplane. From replica race planes tothe American Barnstormers Tour, theamazing colors and outlines of thegolden age of aviation are on displayfor all to see each year. All of this is pos-

sible through the efforts of the nearly500 VAA volunteers, the volunteer VAAboard of directors, and the VAA staff.

Their passion is what makes it agreat place to be throughout the weekof AirVenture, and it’s why so manyvisitors and aviation enthusiasts comeback year after year to work, relax, andenjoy aviation’s premier event. It’s a

place to rekindle old friendships andmake new ones. A time to relax andenjoy aviation, learn something new,and rub elbows with our fellow aviators.As you can imagine, it takes some fairlysubstantial financial resources to under-write such an event, and the Vintage

structures. There’s never a shortage ofwindows that need caulking, doors

that need to be replaced, and roofsthat need to be repaired. To be cer-tain, almost all of the labor involvedis performed by our dedicated andtalented volunteers, but what aboutthe cost of supplies and hardware?

That’s where our Friends of the RedBarn campaign comes in—it providesall of us, who wish, the opportunity toassist in the vital financial support ofthe VAA’s activities.

We’re most appreciative of thecontributions made by hundreds ofVAAers who see the tangible benefits ofsupporting their fellow VAA membersin this manner. As a critical part of theVAA budget, the fund pays for suchdiverse items as VAA awards presentedduring the annual EAA Vintage Aircraft

Awards program, special recognitionfor our many volunteers, and expensesassociated with our special displays, fo-rums, and educational areas such as theVAA Workshop and Type Club areas inthe Vintage Hangar.

Your annual contribution made inthe first half of 2012 will directly ben-efit this year’s convention activities and

VAA programs throughout the year.Please consider actively participat-

ing in the 2012 VAA Friends of the RedBarn Campaign. Your donation may betax-deductible to the extent allowed bylaw, and you can enhance your partici-pation if you work for a matching gift

AirVenture Oshkosh. From parkingairplanes to feeding people at the Tall

Pines Café and Red Barn, volunteersdo it all. Some may ask, “If volunteersare providing the services, where isthe expense?”

Glad you asked. The scooters for theflightline crew need repair and batter-ies, and the Red Barn needs paint, newwindowsills, updated wiring, and othersundry repairs, plus we love to care forour volunteers with special recognitioncaps and a pizza party. The list reallycould go on and on, but no matter howmany expenses we can point out, theneed remains constant. The Friends ofthe Red Barn fund helps pay for theVAA expenses at EAA AirVenture, andit’s a crucial part of the Vintage AircraftAssociation budget.

Please help the VAA and our nearly

500 dedicated volunteers make this anunforgettable experience for our manyEAA AirVenture guests.

Your contribution now really doesmake a difference. There are seven lev-els of gifts and gift recognition. Thankyou for whatever you can do.

Here are some of the many activi-ties the Friends of the Red Barn fund

underwrites:•Red Barn Information Desk Supplies•Participant Plaques and Supplies•Toni’s Red Carpet Express Van andRadio Rental

•Caps for VAA Volunteers•Pizza Party for VAA Volunteers


9/44

VAA Friends of the Red Barn

Name______________________________________________________________________EAA #___________ VAA #___________

Address______________________________________________________________________________________________________

City/State/Zip________________________________________________________________________________________________

Phone___________________________________________________E-Mail______________________________________________

Please choose your level of participation:

■ Payment Enclosed (Make checks payable to Vintage Aircraft Assoc.)

Please Charge my credit card (below)

Mail your contribution to: VAA FORB

Become a Friend of the Red Barn.

Help the VAA make EAA AirVenture Oshkoshan unforgettable experience for our many guests.

____ Diamond Plus $1,500.00

____ Diamond Level Gift - $1,000.00

____ Platinum Level Gift - $750.00

____ Gold Level Gift - $500.00

____ Silver Level Gift - $250.00

____ Bronze Level Gift - $100.00

____ Loyal Supporter Gift - ($99.00 or under) $_______ Amount

Diamond Plus$1500

Diamond$1000

Platinum$750

Gold$500

Silver$250

Bronze$100

Loyal Supporter$99 & Under

EAA VIP Center 2 People/Full Wk

VIP Airshow Seating 2 People/2 Days 2 People/1 Day

Close Auto Parking Full Week Full Week 2 Days

Two Tickets to VAA Picnic

Tri Motor Certificate 2 Tickets 2 Tickets 2 Tickets 1 Ticket

Breakfast at Tall Pines Cafe 2 People/Full Wk 2 People/Full Wk 2 People/Full Wk 1 Person/Full Wk

Special FORB Cap

Two Passes to VAA Volunteer Party

Special FORB Badge

Access to Volunteer Center

Donor Appreciation Certificate

Name Listed: Vintage Airplane Magazine, Website and Sign at Red Barn

✃

This star represents qualifying tribute for level of participation.


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11/44

T r a v e l A i r :Performance and

Dependabilityby Sparky B arnes Sargent


12/44

A gleaming new Travel Air Model 3000 (C-5427,

s/n 516) climbed aloft in the summer skies

above Wichita, Kansas, for its first flight in

1928. Powered by a water-cooled, 8e-cylinder

Hispano-Suiza “Hisso” Model E 180-hp engine,its wings embraced the sky as its “elephant-ear”

ailerons created a distinctive silhouette on the tips of its 34-

foot, 8-inch wingspan (lower span 28 feet 8 inches). The new

three-place biplane measured 24 feet, 3 inches from its wood

prop to tailskid. It carried 42 gallons of fuel and could cruise at

100 mph with a range of more than 400 miles.

A perusal of this Travel Air’s records is a glance back into

familiar aviation history. The first document in its airworthi-ness file is the manufacturer’s affidavit, which states that the

airplane was manufactured on June 7, 1928, in conformity to

ATC No. 31 and was signed by Walter H. Beech and notarized

by Olive Mellor of Travel Air Manufacturing Co. Inc.

The Travel Air Manufacturing Company of Wichita, Kansas,

touted its new biplane as “typical of the proverbial brilliant

performance with dependability that characterizes all Travel Air

Biplanes” ( Aero Digest, April 1928). Two years later, the Travel Air

Company Division of Curtiss-Wright advertised the Travel Air as:“A Plane for Every Purpose—Sportsmen Penetrate the Wilds

in Their Travel Airs. In commercial flying, Travel Airs daily

ply their way over mail, transport, and business corporation

routes. They constitute a major proportion of all commercial

planes in service in the United States. And in distance and

Wing to fuselage fit, rear view.

Aft cockpit seat.

Empennage.

The 1928 Travel Air was flown for re-creation scenes for the film.

COURTESY JOE SANTANA

C O U R T E S Y

J O E

S A N T A N A

C O U R T E S Y

J O E

S A N

T A N A

COURTESY HEATHER TAYLOR


13/44

ren – Northern California Distribu-

tor for Travel-Air” on the fuselage.

Current Caretaker

Joe Santana grew up in Sac-ramento, California, where his

neighbor first introduced him to

aviation. “He had a homebuilt Stits

Playboy at the airport, and he used

to let me sit in it,” shares Joe. “After

I soloed at 17 and earned my pri-

vate that summer, he also took me

to my first EAA meeting.”

Joe also spent a lot of time hang-

ing around a duster strip just south of

Sacramento. That’s where he started

learning about the joys of old bi-

planes and the pilots who flew them.

“Back in the early 1970s, my first air-

plane was a Luscombe, and I flew off

a strip at Clarksburg. There was a per-

son who restored dusters there, andthey were using N3N Stearmans and

Travel Airs for dusting. I used to sit

around with those guys at the shop,

and the old duster pilots used to tell

me that a 220-hp Travel Air could

outfly a 450-hp Stearman,” recollects

Joe, adding, “I really wanted to get an

old biplane, and I decided I wanted aTravel Air, because it cruises fast, flies

real well, and hauls a good load.”

Finding that Travel Air would

take a few decades, though. In the

meantime, he tried college after

high school, but just didn’t take to

scholastic bookwork very well. So

he obtained his A&P and CFI and

taught flying for a while. He workedfor a Piper dealer in Sacramento and

then started flying DC-3 freight-

ers—and even flew as a fish and

game warden pilot, using a Beech

18 to plant fish in the high Sierras.

(C-5427) was sold to D.C. Warren

Company at Oakland Airport in

San Francisco. In April 1929, the

biplane was sold to W.J. Browne

of Stockton, California, and it re-mained in the Golden State for

years. In January 1943, the biplane

landed in the hands of Harry New-

ell of Phoenix, Arizona. It stayed in

The Grand Canyon state for nearly

three decades.

In 1945, the biplane was con-

verted for use in crop dusting and

seeding. A hopper, agitator, and

gearbox were installed. The elevator

controls were modified, and a cen-

ter section fuel tank was installed.

The Hisso was removed, and a

9-cylinder, 220-hp Wright Whirl-

wind J-5A was installed (changing

the biplane to a Model 4000).

In 1947, owners Wayne J. Kem-painen and James A. Strand of

Farm Aero Service in Phoenix had

the Wright J-5A and motor mount

removed, and a Lycoming motor

mount and Lycoming R680-9 in-

stalled, along with a Stearman oil

tank and modified exhaust stack

that extended over the top wing.In February 1970, NC5427 landed

in the hands of PSA Captain Spen-

cer Nelson of San Diego. “Spence

was very well-known in the Travel

Air world as a restorer,” explains

Joe, “and he and PSA mechanics

Jim Ward and Harry Somers worked

with him to rebuild the biplane.”

After Spence died in a PSA midaircollision in September 1978, Jim and

Harry continued with their Travel

Air West restoration company. They

sold NC5427 to Leland Jones of An-

chorage [in 1983], with the agree-

strument panel of laminated birch

plywood and a new aft cockpit

panel of laminated birch and rose-

wood, as well as installing new seat

belts and a shoulder harness in theaft cockpit.

They replaced all of the wood-

work on the fuselage, and fabri-

cated new stainless steel control

cables. The biplane was finished

with Stits Aerothane in an elegant

combination of dark green on the

fuselage and cream-colored wings.

Joe took note of this handsome

Travel Air during his PSA overnights

in San Diego, and discovered that it

had already been flown 105 hours

since its restoration. He bought the

biplane from then-registered owner

Carolyn Jones of Alaska in Au-

gust 2004. “Then I flew it home to

Waynesboro,” says Joe, smiling, “andhave had the airplane ever since. I’ve

probably put 220 hours on it, flying

it mostly during the summers.”

Flight TransitionDespite his fairly extensive fly-

ing time in 2004—including 3,500

hours of tailwheel time—the insur-ance company wanted Joe to log five

hours of time with a flight instructor

in the Travel Air in order to insure it.

“It really worked out great,”

shares Joe enthusiastically, elabo-

rating, “Captain Dick Doll, who

was No. 1 on the PSA seniority list,

did some of the flying on the air-

plane when it was first restored.Dick started out flying in dusters

and raced P-51s at Reno, and I was

never senior enough to fly with

him on PSA—so I asked him if he’d

check me out. He said, ‘Yeah, sure!’


14/44

of landings. That was a real treat,

because he’s such a great guy.”

Exceptionally pleased with his

Travel Air, Joe says, “It flies great! It

lifts off around 55 mph, climbs right

out, and cruises about 95-97 mph

indicated, at low altitude. I fly final

around 55-60 mph, and it’s pretty

straightforward in a crosswind. It

originally had a skid, but now it hasa tail wheel. The 12-inch mechani-

cal brakes are original for that air-

plane and work great. They’re ‘good

enough,’ and that’s what you want

on that airplane. It burns 12 gph at

cruise and holds 68 gallons of fuel,

with 26 in the center section and 42

in the main tank. The longest leg I’ve

flown is 4 hours and 45 minutes, and

it burned about 52 gallons before I

landed—and it had 16 gallons left.”

Joe hasn’t had any maintenance

challenges with the Travel Air—but

it has had a few repairs. Incidents can

happen to any pilot, and Joe unabash-

edly admits that he “ground looped

it at Oshkosh two years ago, so TedDavis in Wisconsin repaired the lower

left wing. That was a good opportu-

nity to do some other work, so we had

the engine overhauled by Al Holloway

in California. We also discovered that

built for three” across the

country and sharing the

experience with others.

(And he’s currently trea-

surer of the Travel AirRestorers Association.) Of

course, sharing starts at

home; he’s enjoyed tak-

ing his two sons up for

early-evening flights in

the Shenandoah Valley.

(His youngest son, Peter,

has just earned an instrument rating,

and his older son, Paul, is a Black-

hawk pilot with the National Guard

in Iraq.) “The Travel Air is a great air-

plane, and we have a lot of fun with

it,” shares Joe.

His biplane was featured during

the Vintage Aircraft Association’s

centennial celebration of the first

air mail flight in the United States,which was held during EAA AirVen-

ture 2011. Though NC5427 was not

owned by Pacific Air Transport, it was

selected as an example of the type

that flew the mail. “Andrew King of

Virginia called me to see if I was in-

terested in bringing the Travel Air for

the air mail display at Oshkosh,” ex-

plains Joe, “and he was familiar with

Pacific Air Transport—their planes

were green and cream, and they did

have a Travel Air. So my airplane was

a good representation of that. We

got some original pictures of a Travel

Air 4000 that were taken at Pearson

Field, which was one of their termi-

nals in Vancouver. That’s how wereplicated the Pacific Air Transport

Air Mail graphics for the fuselage,

which we put on just for Oshkosh.”

NC5427 also enjoyed a bit of

“movie star status” during AirVenture,

about the First Women’s Transcon-

tinental Air Derby of 1929. Andrew

was aerial coordinator for the film,

and Joe was happy to participate,

along with several other antique air-plane owners.

The photo planes were a Breezy

and a J-3 Cub. Describing the experi-

ence and the film itself, Joe explains,

“Heather worked on this film, on her

own, for 13 years. She gathered un-

believable amounts of archival foot-

age about the women and the Air

Derby, and includes that in the film.

She filmed our airplanes because they

were similar to ones that flew in the

Air Derby, and that way she could in-

clude current color footage to bring

the airplanes to life for the audience.

We filmed for a couple of days, and

we each flew about three hours.”

Built for Sharing Joe has been depositing numerous

experiences in his memory bank offavorite Travel Air flights since 2004.

Though he’s enjoyed them all, there

is one particular “annual deposit”

that registers at the top of his account.

“Probably the greatest thing we do

with this airplane is taking it to the

Dirksen’s family farm in Winchester,

Indiana. The year before last, I took

three people up—and they were in

their 30s, but they had never been

in an airplane before in their life. We

go to the Dirksen’s, and their kids are

so excited to have us come, and they

treat us so well! “We get to land in their hayfield,

and the whole town comes out, and

we give rides. I mean, that’s what it’s

all about,” shares Joe exuberantly,

“and to fly with Ted Davis, Andrew


15/44

unusual friendship formed be-

tween a farming family and

aviators who first landed in

their hay field in 1999. www. BarnstormingMovie.com]

He also flies the Travel Air to

Hagerstown, Indiana, for an-

other fun gathering—the “Hag-

erstown Or Bust” Ford Model T

and vintage airplane fly-in. “Lit-

erally hundreds of Model T’s

from across the country show

up there on the fairgrounds,

and they have a nice grass field

for the airplanes,” adds Joe,

smiling, “We do a balloon bust

there, a flour bomb drop, and

Ted gives rides in the New Stan-

dard. We’ll also fly to Brodhead,

Wisconsin, and Blakesburg,

Iowa, for those fly-ins.”One thing is certain—when

the Travel Air landed in Joe’s

hands in 2004, it found a very

good home, indeed. It flies reg-

ularly, and continues bringing

joy not only to its caretaker, but

to many others across the coun-

try. And it’s still pleasing to thediscerning eyes of aircraft judges

at fly-ins. That’s quite under-

standable, since NC5427 still

looks like it’s fresh out of resto-

ration—even though it’s been

20 years. This handsome bi-

plane received two awards to its

credit this past year: the Silver

Age (1928-1936) Champion—

Bronze Lindy at EAA AirVenture

Oshkosh, and the Travel Air

Type Club Award at the Antique

Airplane Association’s annual

invitational fly-in. Joe readily

credits these awards to the resto-

ration efforts of Travel Air West

and recently affixed a tastefulbrass plaque to the aft portion

of the fuselage, as a way of pay-

ing homage to Jim Ward and

Harry Somers.

Engine assembly.

Fabrication of turtledeck.

Applying Poly-Brush.

The sun rises and lights up Joe Santana’s Travel Air on the flight line at AAA’s

fly-in at Blakesburg, Iowa. C O U R T E S Y

J O

E

S A N T A N A

C O U R T E S Y

J O E

S A N T A N A

C O U R T E S Y

J O E

S A N

T A N A

BONNIE KRATZ


16/44

Breaking Through the Clouds:

The First Women’sNational Air DerbyT f i i i


17/44

ily, and her direct inspiration to create

the documentary arose during a con-

versation with the legendary Evelyn

Bryan Johnson in Morristown, Tennes-

see. Known as “Mama Bird,” Evelyn haslogged 57,635.4 hours of flight time.

Heather had the opportunity to meet

Evelyn, and recalls asking her a few

questions about the races and how they

began. “As she talked,” says Heather,

“something just clicked inside of my

gut, and I knew this was the story I had

been looking for.” Heather embraced

her own challenge and resigned from

her position with Discovery Communi-

cations in mid-2007, in order to devote

her full-time energy to the task.

Filmmaking can be a tedious un-

dertaking. In Heather’s case, it was

similar to a first-time aircraft restorer

tackling a ground-up restoration.

Heather shares that the most sig-nificant challenge she encountered

while creating this film was likely her

own confidence—or lack thereof.

“I had been in the industry over

a decade, had a master’s in produc-

ing film and video, but I had never

produced my own film,” she admits,

adding, “The other significant chal-

lenge was finding the right people

to help work on the film. But in the

end, I met some incredibly talented

and gifted people and am grateful for

what they brought to the project.”

Though there were times when

Heather really didn’t know how she

was going to achieve her goal, that

wasn’t a deterrent—in fact, it turnedher personal resolve into tangible ac-

tion. “I’d never written a script…and

[eventually realized that] I had to be

the one to write the film. [Another

challenge] that took years to work

lected by Aerial Coordinator Andrew

King as representative of the types

flown in the 1929 Air Derby: 1928

Travel Air 4000 (Joe Santana), 1929

Speedwing Travel Air B9-4000 (BillPlecenik), 1930 Monocoupe 90 (Bob

Coolbaugh), 1928 Monocoupe 70

and 1929 Waco GXE (Paul Dough-

erty), and 1930 Fleet 7 (Mike O’Neal).

Ever attentive to detail, Heather

ensured that when the audience sees

archival footage of Louise Thaden’s

Travel Air flying, they hear a Wright

J-5 engine and not some other en-

gine—and she did this as closely as

possible with each aircraft.

Watching this documentary makesit easy for viewers to feel as thoughthey have been personally intro-duced to each of the featured women

pilots. The transitional graphics weretastefully done, the clips of the origi-nal pilot licenses added even morehistorical detail, and the personal in-

terviews (especially with Pat ThadenWebb, Margaret Whitman Blair, andElinor Smith Sullivan) added greatdepth to the documentary.

Heather offers a bit more insight to

the film, and her own personal phi-

been given talents and gifts, and it is

our responsibility, in my opinion, to

nurture, develop, and explore those

interests, no matter how irrational

it may be. To do so means givingback to the world and making it a

better place. The women in 1929 did

this with gusto. I can only hope that

by exploring my interest in these

women and bringing their story for-

ward, it will inspire others to take a

risk of their own and contribute to

the world in their own unique way.”

Most any project comes bear-ing not only cloudy challenges, butthe proverbial silver linings, as well.Heather thoughtfully reflects, “Oneperspective I gained in researchingall about these women is that ratherthan seeing them as icons or legendsper se, I realized they were just people

too, doing something they felt calledto do, and they went and did it. In theend, I love…learning from those whohave overcome their own personalobstacles to achieve something.”

Heather eloquently sums up her

unique mission in creating her film

company, Archetypal Images, with the

following statement: “…to produce

films that explore and harness that

light in the eyes of people who have

found their calling in life, and share

that sparkle with others who are still

searching to find their own passion.”It is clear that Heather has discov-

ered her own calling in life, and her

passion for accuracy and authen-

tic detail was the catalyst for herto achieve excellence in her work.

Breaking Through the Clouds: The First

Women’s National Air Derby has re-

ceived the National Aviation Hall

of Fame’s 9th Annual Combs Gates

“I can only hopethat . . . it will inspire

others to take a risk of

their own and contribute

to the world in their own

unique way.”—Heather Taylor


18/44Th e T h u n e r s e e , a

12,000 acre lake lo-

cated in the Swiss

Berner Oberland re-

gion, dominates one

registered HB-UAF for more than

four decades, is the sole remaining

flying specimen of its kind and a very

welcome member of Switzerland’s

vintage aircraft community.

end. During this period, ending in

1948, 110 E.114D (with a 75-hp en-

gine) and M models (powered by

the Walter Micron III 65-hp engine)

were produced. The Walter Mik-

Praga E.114M Air Baby

HB-UAF restored

to flying status

BY STEFAN DEGRAEF/PICTURES EDWIN BORREMANS

Achtung, Baby!


19/44

The Czech-built Praga E.114M

Air Baby c/n 119 was constructed

in 1947 and was immediately ex-

ported to southern France. After ar-

rival at Cannes in November 1947,

dismantled and stored, predestined

to be lost for eternity. In 1982 the

remains were purchased by Fritz

Moser, who stored the wings of the

aircraft in a barn at Suderen, lo-

Overall assessment by Max Brug-

ger, constructor of a Colibri MB

lightweight-built aircraft, proved to

be positive and started the lengthy

process of overhauling and restor-


20/44

Walter Mikron III engine was sent for

overhaul and revision to Parma Tech-

nic in the Czech Republic. In 1999

this Czech engine company received

official approval from the Czech avia-

tion authorities to overhaul and re-

pair these types of engines. Some

of the parts of the aircraft includ-

ing the brakes were rebuilt by Andre

Moser. Additional overhaul was per-

formed by the well-known Airla vin-

tage aircraft restoration company at

Langenthal-Bleienbach aerodrome

in northwestern Switzerland, the

work performed by Max Brugger. To

comply with Swiss general aviation

regulations, some modern avionicsincluding a radio, transponder, and

an ELT were installed in the wooden

dashboard in the cockpit.

With all parts overhauled and re-

installed, the aircraft was transported

by car to Langenthal for its first

flight and airworthiness validation

by Gerhard Staude, owner of Airla,

and officially licensed by the Swiss

Bundesamt fur Zivilluftfahrtl (BAZL)

(i.e., Civil Aviation Authority) to de-

liver the much desired certificate of

airworthiness. Pending its first flight

since its restoration, various taxi tests

and aborted takeoff runs were made

to check the various characteristics

and performances of the engine. Fi-nally on September 9, 2009, Praga

E.114M Air Baby HB-UAF made its

second very successful and emo-

tional maiden flight. With no flying

manuals available, operating this Air

Praga E.114 M

General characteristics

Crew 2

Length 7.05 meters (23.12 feet)

Wingspan 11 meters (36 feet)

Wing area 16.20 square meters (174.375 square feet)


21/44

The All New 2013 Ford Escape

Drive one.

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2013 F d E bi t l k ith i t lli t ti lit

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hi l th h F d’ P t R iti P T l


22/44

At any gathering of sport planes,

one is likely to see at least a few

monoplanes of the “parasol” type.

Old-timers will have seen so many

of them that they’re likely to take

them quite for granted. And new-comers often have such scant

knowledge of aviation’s long and in-

volved history that to them a Loehle

Parasol or Baby Ace is likely to be

just another of a thoroughly bewil-

War II. The many informative books

and magazines published between

around 1920 and 1940 are becoming

increasingly hard for them to locate

because both public and technical

school libraries tend to discard orstore away older literature to make

room for new acquisitions. But since

the older literature deals with air-

craft in the performance range to-

day associated with sport flying,

“Historic” link in the menu at the top

of the web page.—HGF]

My own collection of literature

goes back to the 1930s, and I refer

to it often when writing. Also, I live

within an hour’s drive of the aero-nautics library at MIT in Cambridge,

Massachusetts. When starting work

on this article I spent hours there

leafing through such books as Jane’s

All the World’s Aircraft going back

Light Plane Heritage

published in EAA Experimenter March 1993

EXPLORING THE PARASOL MONOPLANEBY BOB WHITTIER

EAA 1235


23/44

ries by Joseph P. Juptner, and the

Aircraft Yearbooks by the Aeronauti-

cal Chamber of Commerce. I wasquite surprised at the large number

of parasol types I found pictured

and described in these old books.

While many were obscure types, all

were interesting to study with the

question in mind, “Why did the de-

signer do what he did?”

A parasol monoplane is one on

which the wing is mounted above

and more or less clear of the fuse-

lage. The word is derived from the

Italian parare, meaning “to ward

off,” and sole, meaning “sun.” A

lady’s parasol wards off the sun.

Because a wing above the fuselage

wards off the sun, the French seem

to have been the first to apply theword “parasol” to airplanes. Fig. 1

shows a parasol monoplane built

by Henri Farman in 1910. He was

famous for his biplanes—perhaps

he cobbled up this parasol to learn

wing configurations were popular

because these arrangements lent

themselves to effectively arrangingthe many rigging wires needed to

achieve structural rigidity.

quent crashes of those days, pusher

engines could tear loose and fly for-

ward onto unfortunate airmen.

Parasol monoplanes provided

the answer. Fig. 2 shows a German-designed, Austrian-built Albatros of

1914. The good downward visibility

is obvious. Note also the many brace

wires. Bleriot and Morane Saulnier

in France brought out similar-looking

designs, and two-seaters from the

latter company were used by the

French throughout that war.

As the outcome of several inci-dents of the wings of wire-braced

monoplanes collapsing under the

strain of combat flight, other coun-

tries such as Britain stayed with the

more rigidly trussed biplanes. Seek-

ing more speed from available en-

gines, late in the war the Germans

developed monoplane fighters suchas the Junkers and Fokker Triplanes.

The latter had its cantilever wing

mounted parasol-fashion above the

fuselage to put it out of the way of

aiming forward-firing machine guns.

As the result of aerodynamic re-

search begun during that war and

carried on into the 1920s, thicker

airfoils came into general use. These

allowed the use of deeper wing spars,

so multiple brace wires below and

above parasol wings gave way to

simpler, cleaner wing struts running

from fuselage lower longerons out to

fittings on the undersides of wings.

Strut-braced low-wing mono-

planes were also built but had dis-advantages. Struts running from top

longerons to fittings on the upper

surfaces of wings disturbed airflow

and hurt wings’ lifting qualities.

Some low wings had struts running

Figure 2—As shown by this Albatr os of 1914, militar y men quickly r eal-

ized their superior downwar d visibility made parasol monoplanes ideal for

reconnaissance work. Rotar y engines belched a cloud of castor oil smoke

upon being star ted.

While many were

obscure types,

all wereinteresting to

study with

the question

in mind,

“Why did the

designer do


24/44

facturer built military observation

and fighter planes of this type be-

cause of good visibility and simple,sturdy construction. When twin

machine guns were mounted in fu-

selages, it was necessary to use in-

terrupter mechanisms to halt their

firing when propeller blades passed

in front of the guns. Some 1920s

parasol fighters moved the guns

outboard to where struts met the

undersides of their wings. Fairings

enclosed the guns and at the same

time cleaned up the airflow where

struts met the wings. This allowed

uninterrupted and therefore more

deadly gun firing.

The more designers studied para-

sols, the more advantages they dis-

covered. As originally produced,the sleek 1927 Lockheed Vega, Fig.

3, was a high-wing cabin mono-

plane. Western Air Express liked

its speed but found things to com-

plain about. The cantilever wing’s

headroom. Because of its shape,

the single pilot’s seat up forward

intruded into cargo space at the for-ward end of the cabin. Pilots felt

it would be hard to get out of the

enclosed cabin should they have to

take to their parachutes. In a crash,

the cargo would come flying for-

ward onto them.

Lockheed engineers realized the

Vega’s wooden wing and fuselage

could easily enough be revised to

create the parasol Air Express. Rais-

ing the wing clear of the fuselage

got its deep spars out of the cabin

headspace. Cargo area was increased

at the front end of the cabin. Prob-

ably lift was increased by separating

the underside of the wing’s central

portion from the fuselage, thus in-creasing the amount of working

wing area. Accustomed to open-

cockpit biplanes, pilots had no trou-

ble with poor forward visibility in

the rearward-located open cockpit.

ier and faster. Their weight so far aft

balanced the extra 200 pounds of

the 425-hp Pratt & Whitney enginethat replaced the original Vega’s

220-hp Wright Whirlwind. When a

mixed load was to be carried, cargo

could be loaded into the front of

the cabin with passengers behind

it, affording them the best possible

safety in a crash.

This mention of the Air Express

brings out the point that the para-

sol configuration lends itself to the

simple and clean installation of

one-piece wings, either strut-braced

as in the Pietenpol, Fig. 7, or can-

tilever as on the Potez 60, Fig. 19.

Such long wings can be awkward

in a homebuilder’s basement shop,

but in factory-built planes save theweight and cost of center section

fittings. Cutouts in the top or bot-

tom of a fuselage are not needed.

Because the weight of the fuse-

lage, engine, occupants, and land-

Figure 3—Ther e are many variations on the parasol theme. High-wing Lockheed V ega, lower left, was r evised to

parasol, upper left, to suit an airline’s needs. Exter nally the English Comper Swift, above, looked like a high-wing

but str ucturally was a parasol. Its layout facilitated cockpit access. Small engine on long nose balanced pilot’s

weight aft of the wing.


25/44

wing, what is called “pendulum sta-

bility” is good. Looking at a parasol

monoplane from ahead or behind,

it’s easy to visualize how all this

weight below the wing will act torestore an upset plane to level at-

titude. But it’s easy to place more

importance on this than is justified.

If it has been well-designed and its

pilot is normally alert, a low-wing

plane will not suddenly roll over

upside-down.

However, it’s not as well-known

as it deserves to be that parasols arevery good in regard to longitudinal

stability. That is valuable in respect

to behavior in steep climbs, stalls,

and turbulent air. In Fig. 4A, note

the relationship between the cen-

ter of gravity (CG) and the center

of lift (CL) in this parasol in level

flight. It is standard practice to po-sition the center of gravity ahead

of the center of lift and to balance

a plane with a download on the

stabilizer. An appreciable nosing

down-force, D, is then present.

When the engine is throttled or

quits, the plane will automatically

nose down and begin to glide. In

this drawing, the center of gravity’sforward position has been exagger-

ated in the interests of clarity.

As this parasol noses up, Fig. 4B,

the wing sort of “rotates” backward.

This shifts the center of lift back-

ward, too, and the force D becomes

stronger. More backward stick force

is needed to hold the nose up,which is a desirable characteristic.

In level flight, a low-wing as in

Fig. 4C has about the same force

arrangement. But when it noses

up, due to its lower position the

Figure 5—Parasols can be ver y handsome, as shown by this Menasco-

powered Fairchild 22 of the early 1930s.

Figure 6—The Ross parasol was not handsome! High-set wing and low-set

fuselage facilitated cockpit entr y and exit.


26/44

puzzlingly tail-heavy as to make it

rotate backward into inverted posi-

tion. This was called “catastrophic

instability.” When this appeared

while flying at low altitude, the re-sult was indeed catastrophic.

Because of this lessened nosing-

down tendency with increasing

angle of attack, low-wings can be

sensitive to load distribution, how

fuel happens to slosh back in tanks

when climbing steeply, airfoil cen-

ter of lift travel, amount of wing

dihedral (which affects the verti-cal location of the center of lift),

position and weight of the landing

gear, and so on. Ride or “feel” in

turbulent air can be “jiggly.” In-

creasing lightness of rearward stick

force when approaching the stall

can be a warning that a low-wing

is approaching catastrophic insta-bility. Now you understand clearly

why we have aeronautical engi-

neers and test pilots.

After World War I, some designers

looked for ways to improve the per-

formance of cheap, surplus Curtiss

Jennys. It’s often easy to rebuild a bi-

plane into a parasol monoplane. The

center section cabane strut fittingsare already in place, and fittings

where lower wing spars attached

to the fuselage can be reworked

if necessary to accept parasol lift

strut ends. Thick-airfoil monoplane

wings installed on Jenny fuselages

resulted in worthwhile performance

improvement and called the parasoldesign to the attention of the Amer-

ican aviation community.

While surplus Jennys were cheap

to buy, they were large and com-

plicated airplanes and thus costly

Figure 7—Fr ont pits of some ships such as the Pietenpol r equire a step-

by-step cockpit entr y/exit technique.

Figure 8—This 1934 Czechoslovakian Letov solved the entr y problem by

putting the fr ont cockpit ahead of the wing.


27/44

ers brought out neat parasols such

as the Davis, Fig. 9, and the Inland

Sport, Fig. 10. Open cockpits were

then still much in favor, and many

designers were still wary of low-wings. These monoplanes needed

substantially fewer wing spars/wing-

tip bows and ribs than did biplanes.

The depression that followed

the stock market crash of 1929

increased designers’ interest in

monoplanes, including parasols.

Some outcomes of this were the

very handsome Fairchild 22, Fig.5, for affluent buyers and the low-

priced American Eaglet, Fig. 13,

Taylor Cub, Fig. 14, and others for

less well-heeled customers.

To coax acceptable climb from

low-powered airplanes, it’s impor-

tant to reduce drag. Open-cockpit

parasols like the Eaglet and Cubcould be fitted with detachable

cockpit enclosures, which helped.

And, by making cold-weather fly-

ing more bearable, these accessories

boosted small airports’ income by

encouraging wintertime instruc-

tion and rentals. Merely by raising

the light superstructure atop fu-

selages, some of these ships couldeasily be changed into high-wing

cabin jobs.

In some cases it’s possible to

argue at length as to whether a

particular ship is a parasol or high-

wing cabin plane. The English

Comper Swift, Fig. 3, and Corben

Super Ace, Fig. 15, are examples.In some planes such as the Ford-

engined Pietenpol, Fig. 7, and the

Cirrus-engined Westland Widgeon,

Fig. 11, the carburetors were posi-

tioned so high that in order to ob-

Figure 10—Smaller radial engines of 33-36 inch diameter led to wide fuse-

lage, side-by-side seating in 1929 Inland Spor t.

Figure 11—Parasols, such as this 1929 English W estland Widgeon, ar e

adaptable to folding wings.


28/44

Figure 13—Open American Eaglet could be winterized

with detachable, transpar ent side and r ear panels.

Figure 15—Cowling to fi t Ford A engine on Corben

Super Ace was extended aft to enclose str uts that sup-

ported center of wing.

Figure 17—Sweptback wing of 1960s Kaminskas

aerobatic of fered cockpit access and r etained proper

center of lift location.

Figure 14—Open Cub E-2 and F-2 (shown) could be en-

closed same way. Raising the fuselage top fairing cr eated

cabin J-2 and J-3.

Figure 16—Ger man school-built A.B. 4 car ried wing on

a pylon. V-bottom wood fuselage had fi ve longerons;

20-hp Mercedes power ed the air craft.

Figure 18—Polish S-4 Kania; 125-hp radial engine had

great rearview mirror visibility for glider towing.


29/44

carrying angles for the various

struts. In some parasols such as the

smallish Pietenpol, the vertical space

between fuselage top and the lower

surface of the wing was just scant

enough to make front cockpit entry

and exit a problem. Pilots instructed

passengers in a well-thought-out en-

try and exit procedure. Glued wood-

to-wood joints are not as strong as

are welded ones in steel tubing, and

a fuselage is basically a beam that

carries engine weight in the front

and elevator up-and-down loads atthe rear end. To avoid discontinuity

in a wooden top longeron caused by

a cockpit door cutout, designer B.H.

Pietenpol did not incorporate a door

in his Air Camper’s fuselage. Large

people or ones having arthritic

knees sometimes could not get into

a Piet. But the welded steel tube con-struction popular in the fuselages

of factory-made parasols made the

incorporation of door openings a

simple matter.

Some parasols had their wings

mounted as high as their designers

dared, such as on the Ross RS-1, Fig.

6, to facilitate entry and exit. But

this could bring on a tendency totip easily in crosswind landings. In

those days flying was often done

out of farm fields, which allowed

taking off and landing into the

wind all the time. But the high-

winged, narrow-geared Ross could

be a problem on a modern airstrip

during crosswind conditions.The Czech Letov, Fig. 8, had an-

other approach to front cockpit

access—this cockpit was located

ahead of the wing. It worked, but

put pilot and passenger unhap-

few Pietenpols had hinged flaps in

the trailing edges of their wings.

These helped cockpit access yet

retained unbroken trailing edge

shape in flight.

The 1929 Davis had a double-

tapered wing employing box spars

that were deepest at the point of

wing V-strut attachment and ta-

pered both toward the tips and the

center section as yet another way

of improving cockpit access. This

design also kept the struts short so

as to make them stiff and compara-tively light, and also to reduce drag.

Yet another cockpit access solu-

tion was to use swept-back wings

as in the Kaminskas aerobatic para-

sol, Fig. 17. This puts the center

section ahead of the cockpit, while

the sweepback positions the wing’s

center of lift where it has to be forproper aircraft balance in flight.

Many military parasols used this

configuration to keep the center sec-

tion ahead of tandem cockpits to fa-

cilitate quick exit should it become

necessary to take to parachutes.

French air show pilots favored

Morane Saulnier and Dewoitine

parasols for yet another reason.

When going upward at the begin-

ning of a loop, one sees only empty

sky in front of the plane’s nose.

Then as one goes over the top and

starts down, the center section of a

parasol (or biplane) facilitates judg-

ing attitude in relation to the up-

side-down horizon.

We could say many more things

and print twice as many photos, ifspace permitted. But what we’ve

been able to cram into the avail-

able space should be enough to

help you to learn how to under-

stand and evaluate parasol mono-

planes. The type is very old, but

will be with us for a long time to

come because of its versatility andadaptability to various sport flying

requirements. Why, when rain-

storms disrupt activities at fly-ins,

people even scurry to get under the

wings of parasol monoplanes!

L a n g l ey may have been the

father of carrier aviation but

last and last. The instruction

manual is very clear and fun

1903: Samuel Pierpont Langley’s “Aerodrome”attempts to take off from a floating platform.


30/44

Defects in wood structures are critical, and inspec-

tion techniques must be developed to locate and iden-

tify these structural problems. This data is important to

new mechanics who may not be familiar with inspect-

ing wood structures, particularly wood wing spars.

This is important when inspecting wood spars inAeronca, Bellanca, and Champion aircraft. FAA Air-

worthiness Directive 2000-25-02 R1 in particular re-

quires close inspection of wood wing spars installed in

Aeronca 7 and 11 series aircraft and Bellanca Citabria

acrobatic aircraft.

One would think that a 65-hp Aeronca Champ or

Chief would not experience compression failures in

wing spars, but I have seen this defect and feel it is im-

portant to expand on the airworthiness directive be-cause compression failures are difficult to locate, and

in the case of the Champ and Chief, are often mostly

hidden because they will form under a wing rib that is

nailed to the spar at a critical location.

American Champion Service Bulletin 406 Revision

A gives detailed information on the subject. These

compression failures can happen if the aircraft ground

loops and the wingtip strikes the ground, or they canbe caused by over-stressing the spar when pulling

some g ’s performing spins or other semi-aerobatic or

aerobatic maneuvers.

A compression failure is defined as a break across

grain lines of the wood caused by very high compressive

dent occurred. This type damage may have happened

when the tree was cut and it fell across another tree or

a large rock, which fractured the entire log. In-service

compression failures will normally appear on the top

flange of the spar, and in the case of Aeronca and Bel-

lanca spars, directly adjacent to a plywood plate in-stalled at the front and rear strut attachment point.

Read on . . .

BY ROBERT G. LOCK

Wood defects: Compression failure,

shakes, checks, longitudinal cracks

THE Vintage

Mechanic


31/44

spar flange carries a tension load. Therefore, any crack

across the grain lines can be dangerous, and if not de-

tected, it can lead to complete failure.

Illustrations 2-4 are three photos that show a com-

pression failure I found on a Bellanca 7ACA. Illustra-

tion 2 is the back side of the front spar. The bright

wood to the left of the photo is where a plywood rein-

forcement plate was glued to add strength where the

front lift strut attaches. To the right of the photo is out-

board of the plate and the typical spot where a com-

pression failure will form.

The lines are made with a pen to highlight the de-

fect. There are some interesting items to observe here.

First the crack goes into the upper nail hole that holdsthe aluminum rib to the spar. The failure is under the

wing rib and therefore impossible to visually locate.

The failure is about 25-30 percent of the spar width.

That is almost a total failure of the upper spar flange.

Illustration 2: Bellanca 7ACA, back side of the front spar.

Illustration 3 shows the view looking down on the

top of the spar; the crack is clearly visible. This is the

only location to spot a compression failure at this loca-tion on the Aeronca and Bellanca series airplanes. The

American Champion Company states that an opening

should be cut into the fabric to inspect this area to fa-

cilitate complete inspection.

It will be necessary to remove a small segment of

aluminum leading edge to gain complete access to this

area. In this view it is very evident as to the defini-

tion of a compression failure—a jagged crack across the

grain fibers.

Illustration 4 shows the compression failure on

the front side of the spar that has progressed to 15-

20 percent of spar width. I took these photos after

the spar was removed from the wing in preparation

to installing a newly fabricated front wing spar. The

bright wood to the right was where a plywood plate

was glued to support loads at the front lift strut

attach point. To the left of the photo is outboard

to the wingtip. There are two parallel pencil linesto allow proper positioning of the wing rib before

nailing to the spar. Again, note that the failure is

under the rib.

Illustration 4: Compression failure on the front side of the spar.

Illustration 5 shows two inspection openings on the

top of the front spar of my Champ wings covered in

Poly-Fiber through silver. These openings comply withthe recommendations in SB 406, Revision A. When the

wings are finished, aluminum covers will be screwed in

place and sealed with a soft rubber gasket so moisture

will not penetrate this critical area.


32/44

When re-covering a set of Bellanca 7ECA wings, Ifound a compression failure in the rear spar at the in-

board aileron attach point. Unfortunately I do not

have a photo of that failure.

Shakes and checks are also on the critical inspec-

tion list. Shakes are identified as cracks. Shakes and

checks normally can be found at spar ends and are

due to moisture entering the wood and causing it to

swell. Spar ends are susceptible if the grain is not com-pletely filled with varnish—filling the end grain nor-

mally takes additional coats of varnish because the

varnish will penetrate the grain structure and be drawn

into the wood fibers.

Shakes are defined as a longitudinal crack along

jor fittings such as lift struts and streamline wire at-

tachment points. There are times when a shake that

begins at the end of a spar will progress outboard and

will exit the plywood doubler and form itself into a

longitudinal crack. AC43.13-1B states that most lon-

gitudinal cracks can be repaired by gluing on plywood

plates on both sides of the spar; however, to adequately

inspect the spar and glue on such plates, the wing has

to be uncovered, and most mechanics will opt to re-

place the entire spar or splice in a new section through

the damaged area.

This final illustration is interesting from the stand-

point of visually inspecting damage. Look closely at

the photo in Illustration 7 and you will see two distinctfailure modes in wood. First, half of the thickness of

the spar has failed due to compressive forces, while the

other half has failed due to tension forces. How could

this happen, except in an accident? Well, back in 1970,

that is what happened to the pilot of a CallAir A-9 agri-

cultural airplane. While spraying next to his house, he

decided to make a pass over the home to wave at his

wife. In a steep left turn, he put the wing into a largetree in his front yard and tore off the outer 6 feet of the

front wing spar. He was able to fly back to his strip and

land safely, and I was called to make a repair without

removing the wing from the airplane.

Illustration 6: Typical wood defects.


33/44


34/44

This photo shows the view looking directly into the

fracture of the front spar—there is a bolt-hole where a

compression member was attached, and half of the hole

is plainly visible. Note that the left side of the wood ap-

A compression failure

is defined as a break

Illustration 8: CallAir A-9 spar damage due to an accident.


35/44

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T E V t e


36/44

Today was a great day for this old tail-

wheel flight instructor. One of my stu-

dents took and passed her checkride and

is now a bona fide pilot. Now, that isn’t a

big deal nor different from most anyone

else receiving a pilot’s license. But this

one was special to me.

About 18 months ago she and her husband came

to me. He was already a pi-

lot, and up until this day she

was a very good navigator/

passenger. But on this day

she wanted to begin taking

flight lessons. I thought this

wasn’t anything unusual;

over the years I’ve workedwith a number of spouses

who wanted to learn to fly.

In this case , however ,

the situation was a bit more

challenging. This couple had

previously restored an air-

plane together, he doing the

structural work and she do-ing the fabric. Together they

flew it all around the area,

proudly showing the plane.

Then together they began

another aircraft restoration.

uncomfortable with whatever we were doing, she

was to tell me so.

The first lesson began with a 30-minute session

taxiing a tailwheel airplane around the ramp area

and then out to the runway, learning the S-turn

method of taxiing while doing so. Quite tentative at

first, she soon acquired the feel for the airplane, at

least on the ground, and relaxed somewhat.

The first step of confidence-

building now accomplished,

we aligned the airplane with

the turf runway in preparation

for the takeoff. While explain-

ing the control stick position

and movement, I could feel

her tension building. Her gripon the Cub’s control stick was

like a vise. To break the ten-

sion I told her I could take her

pulse simply by placing a fin-

ger on top of my control stick.

She laughed and relaxed, but

only just a bit.

Throughout the late summerand early fall we flew weekly.

Each new maneuver was a

challenge, not because it was

difficult for her to master but

rather because of her anxiety.

BY Steve Krog, CFI

THE VintageInstructor

A Proud Moment

She had always

been a good

passenger but

was near petrified

whenever asked to

take the controls.

F l I ld k h d t h d l th h k id f th f ll i S t d


37/44

For example, I would ask her to demonstrate a

steep 360-degree turn to the right or left keeping

the altitude within plus or minus 200 feet. Once

that was accomplished we would tighten the pa-

rameters to 100 feet, then 50 feet, and finally 20

feet. Using this method, she learned to relax a bit

more, yet she strived for perfection with less self-

induced pressure.

When the cold weather and snow finally arrived, we

decided to put further training on hold until spring.

Spring 2011 arrived, and we resumed our flight

training. It was now time to work in the traffic pat-

tern in preparation for solo. Lack of self-confidence

again surfaced, but with encouragement and regularreminders to relax, progress was made. Finally, it

was time for me to get out of the Cub and turn her

loose for three takeoffs and landings. She argued at

first that she wasn’t ready, but I convinced her that

she was. Each of the three takeoffs and landings were

near perfect.

When she taxied back to the hangar following

that first solo, the grin on her face was spectacular!

She had transformed from someone afraid of touch-

ing the controls to being able to safely and confi-

dently fly the airplane solo! What a milestone. After

the traditional cutting of the shirttail, I asked how

she felt, and she responded by telling me that her

butt cheeks were so tight, she thought the seat cush-

ion was still there!

Crosswind takeoffs and landings were next on

the agenda, and these came to her almost naturally.Within two hours she had mastered the technique

and was ready for the dual and solo cross-country

phase. At this point I strongly pushed for getting

her written test taken. She had been procrastinating,

thinking that she wasn’t ready to take and pass the

exam. I set a deadline of the next Friday. If she didn’t

have the test taken by then, we would postpone the

planned dual and solo cross-country flights.Pressure now dutifully applied, she accepted the

challenge. I’ve found over the years that setting

deadlines helps students move forward. She called

me on that Friday afternoon and in an excited voice

explained that she had achieved a 90 percent on the

to schedule the checkride for the following Saturday.

I spoke with her several times during the week

preceding the flight test. Each time it was to bolster

her courage and confidence. Nervous, yes, but she

was prepared. Finally, checkride day was here, and

I think she arrived at the hangar at 5 a.m. for the 9

a.m. appointment. For several hours she paced the

hangar, reviewing everything in her mind. The per-

fectionist in her rose to the surface once again.

Once the designated examiner arrived and the

oral portion of the checkride began, she relaxed a

bit. The examiner quite understood and helped put

her at ease. The remainder of the checkride went

without a flaw, and the examiner commented so.Finally, with the new piece of paper in hand

proclaiming she was a real pilot, she finally be-gan to unwind, but not without a lot of kiddingand congratulations.

I’ve been providing flight instruction for 40 years

and have worked with a number of students, but this

student and her accomplishments were very special

to me. With great pleasure I watched her transform

from a position of timidity and anxiety to one of

self-confidence and achievement.

It proves that anyone with a real desire can over-

come most any obstacle, learn to fly, and enjoy the

pleasure of flying!


38/44

Our December Mystery Plane cameto us from Wes Smith, Springeld, Illi-nois. It was of North American origin.Here’s our rst answer:

Send your answer to EAA, Vintage Airplane, P.O. Box

3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Your answer needs to

be in no later than April 10 for inclusion in the June

2012 issue of Vintage Airplane.

You can also send your response via e-mail.

Send your answer to [email protected] .

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 from the EAA archives;

it’s part of our Cedric Galloway collection.

MYSTERY PLANE

by H.G. FRAUTSCHY

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


39/44

try was gradually replacing wooden-spoked wheels with pr essed-steelwheels. In order to sur vive, HayesWheels and Forgings needed to de-

velop new products.It so happens that both the c om-

pany’s general manager and chief en-gineer, William Kistler and Norman A.Thompson, were aviation enthusiasts.Kistler, who seemingly never soloeddespite many hours of training, ownedan airplane, an Arrow A-2 Sport two-

seat light biplane. Tompson, who hadflown with the Royal Flying Corps andRoyal Air Force during the Great War,owned a Lincoln Page LP-3 light biplaneas well as a private airfield and hangarnear Chatham. One day, the LP-3 wasseriously damaged in a crash causedby a frozen fuel line. Eager to y again,Thompson took the welded steel tubefuselage to a local automobile mechanicand talented welder, Philip Alexander.Putting the Lincoln Page back into yingcondition proved relatively easy, whichgot both men thinking. If money couldbe found, it should not be too compli-cated to design and build an airplanefrom scratch. Kistler readily agreed to -

nance the project. Here, he thought, wasa new type of product that could restorethe fortunes of Hayes Wheels and Forg-ings. Te airplane would be produced bya subsidiary, a manufacturer of woodenwheel hubs and spokes, W. & O. McVeanof Dresden, Ontario.(Te McVean family had arrived in

Dresden around 1870, and it domi-nated the local business communityfor almost half a century. Its patriarch,

Alexander McVean, was a close friendof Canada’s first prime minister, SirJohn A. MacDonald. Two of his sons,

somewhat heavier than planned, the Valkyr V-2 proved remarkably suc-cessful and easy to fly. Sadly, no oneshowed much interest in the new de-

sign. Airplanes like the de HavillandMoth, the Avro Avian, and the Curtiss-Reid Rambler were already flying inCanada in some numbers. Registeredwith some difficulty as CF-AKP onMay 14, 1930, by O. & W. McVean, the Valkyr V-2 was sold to Alexander inOctober 1933. Its pilot throughout the

1930s was Ernest H. Taylor, a youngaviation enthusiast who had drawnmany of the ttings and componentsof the airplane. Grounded followingthe outbreak of the Second World War,CF-AKP was destroyed by a hangar rein 1940 (some sources say 1946).

Design of another airplane begansoon after the rst ight of the Valkyr

V-2. Larger, heavier, more powerful,and better equipped than its predeces-sor, the Valkyr V-3 was a three-seater(two side-by-side seats at the frontand a single seat further back). Thisconguration had proven very popular

nated the project. Convinced that thenew airplane had potential, Thomp-son, Taylor, and Alexander asked thatthe uncompleted airframe be turned

over to them. Tis was soon done, andconstruction started anew at Tomp-son’s aireld, near Chatham.Te Valkyr V-3 was registered as CF-

AQA on February 19, 1931, again withsome difficulty, by O. & W. McVean.Thompson test flew the orange andbrown biplane around Easter. He quickly

realized that the airplane’s flying char-acteristics were not as good as those ofits predecessor. Enlarging the rudderhelped, but did not solve everything.Rumor has it that the Valkyr V-3 wouldgo into a steep dive after being stalled.Worse still, control could only be re-gained after a considerable loss of height.

In September 1931, both Valkyrstook part in a 450-mile air rally, theTip Top Aerial Derby, sponsored byTip Top Tailors of Toronto, Ontario.More than 20 airplanes, includingboth Valkyrs, completed this race. Te Valkyr V-2 actually came in third.

As the economic depression deep-ened, Hayes Wheels and Forgings’

Putting the LincolnPage back into flying

condition proved

relatively easy, which

got both men

thinking. If money

could be found, it

should not be toocomplicated to design

and build an airplane

from scratch.

THE “STROMBERG SPECIALIST”

R.E. “Bob” Kachergius A&P/IA

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pion” standards and quality by us…

WE: Dismantle & Inspect –

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surfaces – Re-assemble using all

new AN hardware

situation grew worse and worse It On November 6 1939 the Valkyr

VINTAGE


40/44

situation grew worse and worse. Iteventually closed down all operations.In May 1936, G.B. Stewart and C.W.Burgess of Dixie, Ontario, submittedbut did not complete an application to

certify the airplane. M.J. Wilson of Cha-tham bought CF-AQA later that yearbut did not complete the certificationprocedure. Frank H. Armitage of Ham-ilton, Ontario, bought the Valkyr V-3at a public auction in August 1936. Tefollowing year, the 165-hp Continen-tal A-70 engine suffered a midair fail-

ure. Armitage chose to replace it witha 200/220-hp Wright J-5 engine. TomSenior of Brantford, Ontario, boughtCF-AQA, possibly in late 1937, and cer-tied the airplane in January 1938. Be-fore long, he realized the Valkyr V-3 wasin rather poor shape and decided to dis-pose of it. Over the next few months,Senior apparently sold the airplane twoor three times, but the buyers soon re-turned it—and presumably asked fortheir money back.

Senior finally sold CF-AQA to R.M. Armstrong who certied the airplane inJuly 1939. Tis young miner and inex-perienced pilot from the Levack minesnear Sudbury, Ontario, soon contacted

another pilot and experienced amateurairplane builder by the name of L.A.Hottie. Armstrong wanted to know ifHottie could make the Valkyr V-3 air-worthy again. He could indeed.

On November 6, 1939, the Valkyr V-3 stal led while performing somelow-level aerobatics near Larchwood,Ontario. It spun into the ground. Arm-strong and his passengers, G. Lennox

and F. Church, were killed instantly.It is worth noting that Ernest H.

Taylor later worked for Victory Air-craft at Malton, near Toronto, duringthe Second World War;

vintage airplane - mar 2012

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