vintage airplane - nov 2010

8/20/2019 Vintage Airplane - Nov 2010

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NOVEMBER 2010


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The feature piece of this month’s

column answers the age-old ques-

tion, “What does AirVenture mean

to you?” I am oftentimes enlight-

ened with the various descriptors

vocalized by the many individual

members who take the time to

truly analyze the question and re-

spond . . . sometimes quite artfully!

The following piece is one of thosemoments where I thought, “Man, I

wish I had said that.”

What AirVenture Means to Me

By Shawn Lynch

I’m at Wittman Regional Airport,

been to AirVenture may say it’s just a

bunch of planes, but to me it’s much

much more.

I keep asking myself, “What am I

going to miss?” It’s a lot like when you

were a little kid and your folks told you

“time for bed,” and you didn’t want to

go because you thought you were going

to miss something. There are so many

incredible things that happen dur-ing our weeklong celebration of flight

(in my book they’re “aviation mile-

stones!”). This year alone…the 75th

anniversary of the DC-3 and B-17, the

grandest arrival of DC-3s ever seen,

the visit of the last flying DC-2, the

chance to see the only DC-7, V-22 and

hot air balloons in action, the first Air-Venture night air show, and so much

more. Don’t get me started on the

milestones I have personally experi-

enced at past Oshkosh events (SR-71,

U-2, Concorde, A380). AirVenture is

the chance to witness history in the

making, and I never want to miss a

single moment of it.The planes are wonderful, but the

human aspect is the biggest part of

what I’m going to miss. The people of

EAA are some of the most wonderful,

welcoming, salt of the earth people in

this world. We come from every corner

be at Oshkosh and have a chance to

salute him for his courage and service!

AirVenture has long been a family af-

fair for me and mine over the 32 years.

Oshkosh is truly my Christmas in July

as well as a family reunion year after

year, but not just for my immediate fam-

ily, but for my EAA family as well, my

dear friends at the Red Barn, the Vintage

Aircraft Association volunteers!So, come the last week in July, I will

be tuned into EAA Radio over the World

Wide Web and logging into www.

AirVenture.org for the daily highlights

of the world’s greatest aviation event. As

I listen and read, I may develop a lump

in my throat and a heavy heart, because

I know I will be missing something veryvery special at AirVenture 2010.

Capt. Shawn Lynch is currently

serving our country in the United

States Air Force. He is presently as-

signed to an E-3 Squadron in the

Middle East, flying missions over

Afghanistan. Shawn, along withhis brother, Evan, and sister, Mary,

have been valued volunteers with

the Vintage Aircraft Association for

many years. Thanks for your ser-

vice, Shawn, and we all hope to see

you at AirVenture 2011.

GEOFF ROBISON

PRESIDENT, VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

STRAIGHT & LEVEL

More than just a bunch of planes


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IFC Straight & Level More than just a bunch of planes

by Geoff Robison

2 News

4 FAA Aircraft Re-registration Process Trying to Make the Registration Database Accurate by H.G. Frautschy

6 A Wonderful Prewar Waco Jack Hill’s longtime aerial conveyance

by Sparky Barnes Sargent

14 One Man’s Fleet of Floatplanes Meet the current caretaker


18 Light Plane Heritage The de Pischof Avionnette by Owen S. Billman

21 My Friend Frank Rezich, Part II by Robert G. Lock

26 The Vintage Mechanic Special inspection—Boeing Stearman by Robert G. Lock

30 The Vintage Instructor Windsocks and downwind landings—Fly in the little end and out the big end by Steve Krog, CFI

32 Mystery Plane by H.G. Frautschy

34 Classified Ads

35 Book Reviews

A I R P L A N E NOVEMBERC O N T E N T S

S T A F FEAA Publisher Rod Hightower

Director of EAA Publications Mary JonesExecutive Director/Editor H.G. FrautschyProduction/Special Project Kathleen Witman

Photography Jim KoepnickCopy Editor Colleen Walsh

Art Director Dana HeimosEAA Chairman of the Board Tom Poberezny

Vol. 38, No. 11 2010

6

21

14


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VAA NEWS

A Foot in the Slamming DoorEAA, lawmakers stand up againstFAA’s through-the-fence policy

It’s a perfect morning; the sun

is just beginning to glow in a cool

blue sky, and there is not a wisp of

wind. It’s a great day for flying, you

think, as you step out of your house

into your hangar, do your preflight,

and taxi directly to the runway.The ultimate dream for many

EAA and VAA members and other

aircraft owners is to have instant

access to their airplane and a run-

way, just as drivers do to their car

and the street. Imagine, then, if

you backed out of your driveway

one morning, turned the corner,

and found a gate smack across the

road that led to the highway outof town.

That’s the situation aircraft own-

ers who currently have or might

want future access to the nation’s

publicly owned airports could face.

The FAA’s proposed new through-

the-fence (TTF) policy would cut

off the ability to connect with the

very transportation system that en-

Phillips 66, Skiles Team Up to Support Chapters

During EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

2010, Phillips 66 Aviation awarded

three lucky EAA chapters with special

support for one of their upcoming Young

Eagles events. Three Phillips 66 Avia-

tion fixed-base operators (FBOs) hosted

the chapter events—EAA Chapter 237

(Blaine, Minnesota) at Cirrus Flight Op-

erations, EAA Chapter 579 (Aurora,

Illinois) at J.A. Air Center, and EAA Chap-

ter 810 (Payson, Arizona) at Payson

Aviation. Included in the package were

special fuel discounts, promotional sup-port, and an appearance by Young Ea-

gles co-chairman Jeff Skiles.

Each of the events enjoyed beauti-

ful weather, and Skiles was able to

fly his bright red 1935 Cabin Waco

to the Illinois and Minnesota rallies. Other EAA member volunteer pilots joined Skiles in the usual variety of aircraft

present at Young Eagles events, everything from vintage airplanes to sleek homebuilts.

“That was amazing,” exclaimed 14-year-old Clara Jordan after her flight with Skiles. The excited Minneapolis teencould barely talk as Skiles handed her a Young Eagles certificate. “I actually got to fly his plane,” she said, her smile

wide. “I, uh, uh, wow. I can’t wait to go flying again.”

Phillips 66 wanted to do something special to recognize EAA chapters and their efforts to fly Young Eagles and

promote general aviation to the public.

“We thought that bringing Jeff Skiles, an aviation hero, to Young Eagles rallies at our FBOs was a sure way to ramp

up interest for general aviation ” explained Rod Palmer manager of general aviation at ConocoPhillips

Jeff Skiles in the cockpit with Noah Berg, 13, at Cirrus Flight Operations.

MARK KLEIN


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ables the freedom of flight. The FAA

originally wanted to end all current

TTF agreements on public-use air-

ports and ban any future ones.

EAA’s advocacy staff and manymembers quickly made it known

that that was not acceptable. EAA

even created a plan that would al-

low the FAA to give local juris-

dictions the option of writing

such agreements, while maintain-

ing prudent safety and security

precautions.

The FAA then proposed to al-

low current TTF arrangements to

remain in effect until the existing

agreements came up for renewal;

then those TTF operations would

be banned, too…eventually allow-

ing the FAA to slam the door on

that ultimate dream completely.

Did the FAA hope that by quietingthe most vocal opponents it could

eventually accomplish its long-

term policy direction?

Cutting off local TTF arrange-

ments also slices the economic

opportunities available to many

airports through aviation-related

growth, not to mention the free-

dom to use the aviation infra-

structure created for all pilots. In

addition, blocking such arrange-

ments may allow non-aviation de-

velopments to encroach on localairports. Such developments often

lead to calls for airport closures or

create land-use and noise disputes.

In late September, U.S. Rep. Sam

Graves (R-Missouri), a longtime pi-

lot and EAA member, and U.S. Rep.

Tom Petri (R-Wisconsin), who repre-

sents the Oshkosh area, scheduled

a public hearing before the House

Transportation Subcommittee.

Graves directly told the FAA that a

one-size-fits-all approach to local

airport issues is not the way to go.

In addition, EAA and VAA life-

time member Dr. Brent Blue, a long-

time member of EAA’s Aeromedical

Advisory Council, testified howhis Wyoming airport benefits from

these arrangements and how avia-

tion access would be crippled by

the FAA’s new policy. EAA fortified

his testimony with written com-

ments included in the hearing’s re-

cord. For a link to EAA’s comments,

visit www.SportAviation.org .

What Our

Members Are RestoringAre you nearing completion of a restoration? Or is it done and you’re busy flying

and showing it off? If so, we’d like to hear from you. Send us a 4-by-6-inch print from a

commercial source (no home printers, please—those prints just don’t scan well) or a4-by-6-inch, 300-dpi digital photo. A JPG from your

2.5-megapixel (or higher) digital camera is fine. You

can burn photos to a CD, or if you’re on a high-

speed Internet connection, you can e-mail them

along with a text-only or Word document describing

2.5-me

can b

speed

along

U.S. Sport Aviation Expo

Sebring Regional Airport (SEF),

Sebring, Florida

January 20-23, 2011

www.Sport-Aviation-Expo.com

Sun ’n Fun Fly-In

Lakeland Linder Regional Airport

(LAL), Lakeland, Florida

March 29-April 3, 2011

www.Sun-N-Fun.org

AERO Friedrichshafen

Messe Friedrichshafen,

Friedrichshafen, Germany

April 13-16, 2011

www.AERO-Friedrichshafen.com/html/

en

Virginia Regional Festival of Flight

Suffolk Executive Airport (SFQ),

Suffolk, Virginia

April 30-May 1, 2011

www.VirginiaFlyIn.org

Golden West Regional Fly-In and Air

Show

Yuba County Airport (MYV),

Marysville, California

June 10-12, 2011

www.GoldenWestFlyIn.org

Arlington Fly-In

Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO),

Arlington, Washington

July 6-10, 2011

www.ArlingtonFlyIn.org

Upcoming Major Fly- Ins

EAA Calendar of Aviation

Events Is Now OnlineEAA’s online Calendar of Events is the “go-to”

spot on the Web to list and find aviation events

in your area. The user-friendly, searchable formatmakes it the perfect web-based tool for planning

your local trips to a fly-in. We invite you to access

the EAA online Calendar of Events at http://www.

eaa.org/ calendar/


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ACCORDING TO THE FAA, about one-

third of the approximately 357,000

aircraft registered in the United

States have inaccurate records. To

clean up what it says has become

a database riddled with incorrect

addresses, aircraft that have been

destroyed, etc., the agency has

made a decision to require all

currently registered aircraft to bere-registered. Essentially it’s starting

with an empty ledger and will fill it

out in the next three years.

As spelled out in a Federal Register

notice published July 20, 2010, the

rule establishes specific registration

expiration dates over a three-year

period for all aircraft registeredbefore October 1, 2010, and requires

subsequent re-registration every

three years, according to a specific

schedule. Re-registration of aircraft

currently in the FAA database will

occur between November 1, 2010,

and December 31, 2013. The process

is intended to update the U.S. Civil

Aircraft Register, making it a more

reliable database.

I t i s i mpor ta nt tha t e a c h

aircraft you own, regardless of

its airworthiness status, be re-

registered when the notice comes

from the FAA, or its registration

could be revoked. Even if the

aircraft exists in basket-case form

(or less!), it’s important to keep it

properly registered.

There are a number of changes tothe aircraft registration system that

each owner should pay particular

attention to:

• Each aircraft initially registered

under the re-registration program

will be registered for three years,

expiring three years after the last day

of the month in which it is issued.The re-registrations will be issued in

quarterly blocks. (See the chart from

the FAA to determine when you’ll be

re-registering your aircraft.)

• T he re a f t e r , the a i r c r a f t

registration expires three years from

the expiration date of the previous

certificate.

• Re-registration and subsequent

renewals will cost $5.

There are provisions written into

the pending FAA Reauthorization Act

(H.R. 915) to dramatically increase

those costs ; VAA and EAA will

continue to monitor the progress of

the act through Congress (it’s been

delayed innumerable times).

The next aspect of the program

is especially important to note:

If you were thinking about notbothering with this re-registration

program, you should know that

the cancellation of the N-number

assigned to an aircraft will take

place approximately 90 days after

the expiration of an aircraft’s

registration. (Once canceled, the

N-number will not be available forassignment or reservation for the

next five years.) As it stands right

now, without a current registration

and N-number, an aircraft is deemed

unairworthy, regardless of its annual

inspection status.

So how will you know if your

aircraft’s registration is due for

renewal? About six months before

an aircraft’s registration expires,

FAA Aircraft

Re-registration ProcessTrying to make the Registration Database AccurateBY H.G. FRAUTSCHY

If the certificate was The certificate

The owner must apply for re-registration between

these dates—to allow delivery of a new certificate

Aircraft Re-registration Schedule


7/44

using the mailing address of record, the

FAA’s aircraft registry office will mail a

notice with instructions to the owner. The

notice will identify the expiration date

and the three-month window duringwhich application must be made to ensure

receipt of the new certificate before the old

certificate expires. Again, refer to the chart

for the timetable for initial re-registration.

The third, fourth, and fifth months

before expiration make up the timely filing

window. A code provided in the notice

allows online re-registration and payment

of the $5 fee when there are no changes

in ownership, address, or citizenship to

report. If there are changes to report, the

form can be completed online, printed,

signed, and mailed with the $5 fee. No

matter if there are no changes or there

are revisions that must be made to the

registration data, the form must be filled

out online.How should you prepare for the

upcoming re-registration? The FAA offers

these tips:

1. Look up your aircraft on the Search

Aircraft Registration Information web page

and verify that the mailing addresses and

the names of owners shown are correct.

You can also confirm the registrationcertificate issue date. Please note that the

registration issue date is not the same as

the airworthiness certificate issue date.

For newer aircraft they may be identical if

the aircraft was sold to the current owner

immediately upon its manufacture, but

for most aircraft the registration certificate

will have a different date. That’s the date

the FAA will be using when you re-register.

2. If the mailing address is wrong,

the owner should update the address

promptly.

3. If an ownership change has occurred,

the seller should report the sale to the

be consistent throughout the

time period of the re-registration.

When an aircraft owner submits

their re-registration application


8/44


9/44Poised on the past-award-winners’ row at Sun ’n Fun at Lakeland,Florida, this past spring, NC32071 was simply gleaming, despite thesprinkles from scattered rain clouds. Jack and Glinda Hill were close

by their Waco and Glinda wiped away the raindrops after each shower

A Wonderful

Prewar Waco Jack Hill’s longtime aerial conveyance



10/44

N

ow a retired United Airlines pilot, Jack had

a rather unusual introduction to the world

of aviation. He grew up in a small town—Ahoskie, North Carolina—and often traveled with

his family to visit his grandmother in nearby Rocky

Mount. Jack was always intrigued by the airport

they passed along the way, and sometimes his

father would stop and let him watch the airplanes.

The aviation bug really bit 5-year-old Jack on a

Sunday morning in 1937, when a hometown naval

aviator flew an N3N over their house at about 200

feet. “It is still a vivid memory, to this day,” he

fondly recalls.

Three years later, he found his way aloft .

“My first flight was in the Goodyear blimp,”

says Jack and laughs, reminiscing in his relaxed

yet enthusiastic tone. “Oh, it was fun! It’s an

flying during his time off, earning commercial

and flight-instructor certificates. After he left the

Navy, he enrolled in Embry-Riddle’s businesspilot and aviation administration program

through the University of Miami. “[The late] Paul

Sanderson (of Jeppesen-Sanderson fame) was my

ground school instructor, and as soon as I got my

instrument and multiengine ratings, I applied

for a job at Capital Airlines in Washington, D.C.

I started with them in March 1956 in Chicago,

flying DC-3s,” recounts Jack. “The next year I

went to New Orleans, and then I was transferred

to New York, and I spent most of my career

there. I flew a little over 36 years for the airlines,

finishing my career in 747-400s. I really enjoyed

going to work every day, and I’m sorry they had

that age limit for retirement!”

Jack has owned this graceful 1941 Waco UPF-7 since 1981.

CHRIS MILLER


11/44

NC32071 History

At least 600 Waco UPF-7s were or ig inal lymanufactured under Approved Type Certificate

642 (issued June 5, 1937); of those, 213 are listed

on the FAA Registry today. The UPF-7 was designed

as a trainer for primary through advanced flight

instruction in Civilian Pilot Training Programs. The

biplane measured 23 feet 6 inches from prop to tail,

stood 8 feet 5 inches tall, had an upper wingspan of

30 feet, and a lower wingspan of 26 feet 10 inches.

It sold for $9,500 at the factory in Troy, Ohio. For

those who may wonder what “UPF-7” means, Waco’s

designation is interpreted this way: “U” represents

the engine, in this case a Continental W670; “P”

is the Waco plan designator (wings and fuselage),

and “-7” denotes the seventh of the F series (open-

cockpit biplane).

One interesting bit of history that Jack has for his

biplane is “Sales Order No. 593C, Airplane Equipmentand History Record [for] Serial No. 5703, License

No. NC32071, UPF-7.” According to this airplane

record, the biplane was originally equipped with the

following: Continental W670-6A, Stromberg NA-R6

carburetor, Scintilla mags, Eclipse 13 starter, Hartzell

wood prop, and Eclipse 9 generator. It also had Hayes

750-by-10 wheels and brakes with Goodyear 850-by-

10 tires and Waco shock struts, and a Hayes 10-inchsmooth contour tail wheel. It was outfitted with a

Pioneer tach, altimeter, compass, airspeed indicator,

and clock. Its fuselage and fin were painted Army-

Navy blue; its wings, stabilizer, and elevators Army-

Navy yellow; and all struts were Army-Navy blue. The

license number was painted in intense black. Its extra

equipment was an Eclipse control box Model 1. The

biplane’s total weight was 1,880 pounds.

According to other aircraft records, NC32071’s first

flight was by Waco test pilot Walter Pate on September

17, 1941, at Waco Field in Troy, Ohio. The next day,

the biplane was delivered to Beacon Flying Service

at Cheektowaga Airport (later known as Buffalo

International Airport), New York. In March 1943, it

Rounded tail feathers complement the lines of

the Waco.SPARKY BARNES SARGENT PHOTOS


12/44

Jersey, purchased the biplane in June 1975, and the

following May, he sold it to John Bussard of Ringoes,New Jersey. NC32071’s total time was 3,750 hours,

50 minutes when it was ferried to Sky Manor Airport.

John replaced its engine in July 1977, and in March

1978, the biplane was disassembled for repairs and re-

covering and returned to service in November.

Jack , the Waco’s current owner, inadvertently

discovered a fun way to celebrate the Wright brothers’

first flight day (December 17) in 1981. A resident of

Closter, New Jersey, at the time, Jack purchased the

Waco that day and flew it to its new home base—

Wurtsboro Airport in New York. Nearly five years

later, after enjoying the Waco for 203 hours, 35

minutes, the engine’s rear bearing failed. About three

months later, the zero-time engine (overhauled by

Aero Engines of Los Angeles) was installed, and Jack

was once again logging time in the Waco. It would be

nearly 15 years until the biplane required more thanroutine maintenance.

Restoration

In 2001, Jack contacted Aircraft by Shue (a father-

and-son team specializing in Wacos) and flew

NC32071 to their location in York, Pennsylvania,

on September 26 for restoration. The 220-hp

Continental W670 was removed after 1,013 hoursof service and was overhauled by Radial Engines

Limited, of Guthrie, Oklahoma. In the meantime,

recounts Jack, “Scott Shue completely restored the

airplane; he replaced all the wood and inspected

Working on the bare-bones fuselage in October 2001.

The beautiful interior of the fuselage in January 2006.

P H O T O S

C O U R T E S Y

J A C K

A N D G

L I N D A

H I L L


13/44

all the metal parts. They found only one tube in

the whole fuselage which needed repair—and that

was where somebody had welded a battery box

into the fuselage. All of the sheet metal is new;

they have a shop nearby where they outsourced all

the compound curves. Dick Herman built all the

wing ribs—the wings are completely new. They also

removed all the instruments, inspected and repaired

be finished, and John Shue made the first flight in it.

When I went to pick it up, they had it in a fixed-base

operator’s hangar. When I got there, they opened the

door to the hangar, and the airplane was sitting there

and they had a red carpet on the floor leading up to

the wing walk!”

On April 18, 2008, Jack flew his pristine Waco to

its new home base at Warren Field (an old World

“I’ve had the airplane back from restoration not quite twoyears now and have already flown it 196 hours—I’d rather

wear it out than to let it sit there.”—Jack Hill

CHRIS MILLER

P H O T O S

C O U R T

E S Y

J A C K

A N D G

L I N D A

H I L L


14/44

Flying the Waco

Joseph Juptner, aircraft historian and author, wrote:“The UPF-7 was maneuverable, predictable, and very

capable; its flight characteristics were excellent with

good control, it was nimble enough for most aerobatics,

and like all ‘Waco’ biplanes it was a pleasure to fly.” (U.S.

Civil Aircraft , Volume 7.)

That’s a sentiment shared by many UPF-7 pilots,

including Jack. And as he likes to say, “The Waco

carries twice as many passengers as the Stearman. Of

course, they have to be two like me; two of the average

Americans today wouldn’t fit that well,” he says and

chuckles. Jack admits that he was partial to Stearmans

before he bought the Waco. Then he remembered how

much he enjoyed his first airplane ride in the Waco,

and a friend told him about NC32071 being for sale.

“So I bought the airplane from Bussard, who also had

a cabin Waco. Later that year, he and I flew together

to my first Waco fly-in, and I’ve been having a goodtime ever since I got the airplane. I’m a member of the

American Waco Club, National Waco Club, and also

the Waco Historical Society.”

Overall, Jack summarizes the Waco’s flying

characteristics by commenting: “It’s a nice-handling

airplane. It has four ailerons that are operated by

Profile view of the Waco’s nose.

S P A R K Y

B A R N E S

S A R G E N T P H

O T O S


15/44

pushrods and bell cranks, and it makes the airplane

nice and responsive. It’s a light airplane to fly; in

other words, when you come in for a landing and

you chop the power, it pretty well sits right down.

If you’re a little bit fast on the speed, it takes a little

more runway, but you get used to it. The initial climbis at 70 mph, and then once you’re clear of the trees,

about 80 mph. I try to keep the speed up in the

pattern, so I’m not holding people up, and I’ll fly the

final approach at 70 mph. It stalls around 60 mph

and cruises at 110 mph. It holds 50 gallons in two

wing tanks and burns around 12 gph—so I could fly

four hours, but I plan for three and a half, maximum.

Two to two-and-a-half hours is what we normally fly

between stops on cross-countries.”

Into the Future

Flying cross-country is something Jack really enjoys.

“When I put a new engine on the Waco in 1986, I

wanted to break it in, so my friend and I flew to Myrtle

we fly to Ocracoke Island, which is just 80 miles

away—it’s either a 45-minute flight or a two-and-a-

half-hour ferry ride! We’ll fly out there for fun, and

also to nearby Plymouth, North Carolina, where

they have a free fish fry every Wednesday—with fish,

coleslaw, and hush puppies—for anybody who fliesin. I’ve had the airplane back from restoration not

quite two years now and have already flown it 196

hours—I’d rather wear it out than to let it sit there,”

Jack continues, “We’re having a good time with it.

Glinda knows more about GPS than I do; when we

flew the cabin Waco she would always sit up there

and work the GPS, and now she programs it for me,

since we’re flying open cockpit.”

Glinda, taking a moment’s pause from wiping down

the Waco, smiles as she shares her perspective: “When

I first dated him, he took me for rides; years later when

we got back together, we’d go to fly-ins—flying was

just part of him. I can always find something to do;

I like computers and programming the GPS, and I

CHRIS MILLER


16/44

When the 1929 Hamilton

Metalplane H-47 (s/n 65)

was sold at auction in

January 2010, it landed in the hands

of an energetic gentleman who is

proud to care for such a unique

facet of aviation history. Mr. Wright

is not a collector, per se, but rather

Bearing the Northwest Airways

Inc. logo on its fuselage, N879H

is the only flying example of 29

Metalplanes manufactured. Its

restoration was completed in the

mid-1970s by the late Jack Lysdale,

and the airplane was a multiple

award winner at Oshkosh and the

FLOATPLANE PILOT

As a young boy growing up in the

Pacific Northwest, Mr. Wright loved

being a passenger in floatplanes,

so much so that it inspired him to

learn to fly. When he was in college,

he earned his private certificate just

so he could fly floatplanes. Though

Meet the current caretakerby Sparky Barnes Sargent

1929 Travel Air 6000

One Man’s

Fleet of

Floatpl n splanes

JIM OLTERSDORF


17/44

single-engine landplanes. Go do all

of that, and learn about controlled

airspace. You may never fly in

controlled airspace again, because I

know you want to fly floats, but youshould know it, and you’re going to

have to know it for the exam.’ So

I did that. I soloed in a Cessna 152

and got my license in a 152. Then

I immediately went out and got my

floatplane rating in a Cessna 172.

Then I bought a Cessna 180 on

Edo floats and flew that for several

years—then I upgraded to a 185,and went from that to a Beaver.”

In the years since he learned to fly,

he’s logged several thousand hours,

and he currently holds an airline

transport pilot certificate. His type

ratings include one that few pilots

today possess: the type VFR (visual

flight rules) rating for the Ford Tri-Motor. He recently broadened his

floatplane horizons by adding a

multiengine sea rating, as well.

He’s been fortunate enough to

have owned his Beaver for 18 years,

and it made its first appearance at

AirVenture this past summer. “It’s

the first time it’s been on wheels in

18 years,” he says and smiles. “And

Alaska, with a buddy of mine who is

a helicopter guy. He said, ‘You ought

to go down and see this floatplane

that’s on Beluga Lake—it’s a 1929

Travel Air 6000 on Edo floats.’ Sohe took us down to see it, and first

of all, that is the coolest airplane

I’d ever seen in my life! I thought,

‘Man, how cool would it be some-

day to own a plane like that!’ I

thought about having my friend say

to the owner, ‘If you ever want to

sell this airplane, I’ve got a friend

who’d be interested in talking toyou.’ But I couldn’t muster up the

courage to do that; I thought it was

a little presumptuous.”

That Travel Air resurfaced in his

mind a couple of years ago when

he received a copy of Water Flying

Magazine with a feature on that

airplane, along with the owner’sname and e-mail address. “So

I e-mailed him and introduced

myself and said, ‘I don’t mean to be

presumptuous, but would you add

my name to what I’m sure is a very

long list of wannabe owners, just in

case you should ever decide to sell

it—although I know you won’t.’

He called me, and said, ‘It’s been

said, ‘Let’s take this to Oshkosh for

the show in 2009.’ I said, ‘I’ll make

you a deal; if you get it there, I’ll fly

it back home.’ And so we did that;

2009 was my first time at Oshkosh,and it was with a 1929 Travel Air

6000B on wheels.”

Before he purchased NC9084 (s/n

865), it was owned by Kachemak

Bay Flying Service Inc. It bought it

in 1969 and flew it extensively as a

bushplane in Alaska for years—on

wheels and Edo 4650 floats. In 2002,

the airplane underwent a thorough

restoration—from the bare frame all

the way up through its wicker seats,

roll-down windows, and lavatory.

Sporting a bold paint scheme of

orange wings and a two-toned bright

and dark blue fuselage, this Wright

“What piqued my interest in [the

Metalplane] was that it had been onfloats with the Ontario governmentfor several decades.”—Mr. Wright

SPARKY BARNES SARGENT

Mr. Wright


18/44

Kansas, and just a few months later,

it was owned by Wichita Air Service.

In August 1930, pilot Charles

Lander, along with Roger Rudd,made two attempts to set a new

endurance record in the airplane

(dubbed the City of Wichita)—but

their longest time aloft was just

under 14 hours. Shortly thereafter,

another endurance attempt was

made in NC9084 (by then known

as the Century of Oklahoma) by pilots

Bennett Griffin and Roy Hunt,but a dust storm cut their flight

short after 13 days. The Travel Air

was later owned by several flying

service companies and was used

for charter and aerial photography

and eventually for hauling smoke

jumpers for the U.S. Forest Service.

Today, this Travel Air’s currentcaretaker thoroughly enjoys flying

it for pleasure and maintaining it in

top condition.

HAMILTON METALPLANE

T h e n t o w a r d t h e e n d o f

2009, Mr. Wright took note of

yet another intriguing antiqueai rcraf t—the 1929 Hamil ton

Metalplane H-47. Since he wasn’t

familiar with the Metalplane, he

did some research on its history,

prior to its auction in January2010. “What piqued my interest

in it,” he shares with a smile, “was

that it had been on floats with the

Ontario government for several

decades. So again, it all goes back

to floats. I put in a bid and ended

up being the purchaser. I talked to

the seller, and they said they had

never owned floats with it, butthey knew it had been on floats.

They knew the floats were up in

Alaska, and they gave me a contact

number. So I called Cliff Everts,

who’s a longtime aviation pioneer

up in Fairbanks, and he said, ‘Yes,

I think they’re out back under a

snowbank. Call me in the spring!’So I did, and we determined that

they were the Edo YC-6400 floats

off the Metalplane, with the

matching serial numbers from

1929. I ended up purchasing them,

and they were in good enough

shape to be rebuilt. So they’re on

their way to Seattle now, wherewe’ll rebuild them.”

He p lans to be f l y ing the

Metalplane on f loats by the

summer of 2011. Smiling from ear-

to-ear and sounding as happy as ayoung boy with a pile of birthday

presents in front of him, he says,

“Then I’ll have two 1929 airplanes,

each with their original set of Edo

floats! That’s pretty cool!”

Commenting about the flying

characteristics of the Metalplane

during AirVenture 2010, Mr.

Wright shares that the airplane had“only flown two and a half days in

the past 35 years,” and that he had

flown it for just a couple of hours.

He says, “It’s a little bit heavy;

I liken the Travel Air to flying a

really friendly waterbed, and the

Metalplane is much heavier; it

sinks like a stone if you pull thepower back. So we’re just learning;

we’ll have many more learning

experiences ahead of us! I really

believe that I’m just the temporary

caretaker for this wonderful piece

of aviation heritage. Of all its past,

present, and future caretakers, I’m

just proud and happy to be thepresent caretaker.”


19/44


20/44

Light Plane Heritage

published in EAA Experimenter October 1990

THE DE PISCHOF AVIONNETTE BY OWEN S. BILLMAN

Early in the year 1921, Monsieur de Pischof, a

schoolteacher in Paris, set a lot of hearts throb-bing among those Frenchmen harboring a desire

to learn to fly. There was an air show in progress at

Buc, a suburb of Paris, and it was there that he was able to

display and fly one of the smallest practical airplanes since

Santos Dumont’s Demoiselle had captured their hearts in

a similar manner several years earlier. De Pischof’s airplane

was dubbed the Avionnette, or Baby Airplane.

The small aircraft, advertised as a 12-foot biplane, ar-rived at the airport in the van of a small truck. In front of

a battery of newsreel cameras, it was set up, cranked up,

and flown up into the blue carrying its 140-pound pilot,

seemingly without effort. Competing with many much

larger aircraft, it was the hit of the show. Every person who

watched no doubt imagined himself speeding through the

skies to keep all manner of rendezvous, at a price even he

could afford. The plane was powered with a 16-hp, two-cylinder, horizontally opposed engine that consumed fuel

in very economical sips that made maintenance and fuel

costs quite within the range of most pocketbooks.

Understandably, M. de Pischof was besieged with inqui-

ries and many copies were built in France and around the

world. The success (or lack of it) depended then, as today,

on how closely the builder adhered to the plans, the pow-

erplant used, and the builder’s personal weight. It seems

remarkable how many designers of these very light aircraft

were men who appeared on the verge of starvation. For

example: Ed Heath of Heath Parasol fame never weighed

more than 120 pounds; Jack Irwin of the Irwin Meteor-

plane weighed about the same amount most of his life. Are

thin people apt to be more creative? . . . more avid fliers?

top longeron, of which there were just two, one over the

other, separated by vertical members, all braced with diag-

onal wires. The small tail assembly was mounted, too, on

the top longeron, braced to the bottom one with a strut.

The assembly of this little plane, as well as its disas-


21/44

locked by inserting a pin, the bracing wires automatically

became taut and the wings were again in proper rig. Voilà!

A fully rigged, ready-to-fly airplane, about as easy to do as

making instant coffee these days!

The Avionnette’s landing gear was one of its more novelfeatures: It had no shock absorbers at all; its axle, which

was also the carry-through of the wing spars, was at-

tached to the bottom longerons. The wing spars were

made of round aluminum tubing (shades of Jim Bede!).

Ground clearance was minimal, perhaps 8 inches, pro-

viding considerable ground effect, which aided in reliev-

ing landing shock, to a degree.

Tail surfaces were small considering the fact that the

flow of air aft of the pilot must have been burbling consid-erably. (Later versions of this plane exhibited a faired fuse-

lage—unfortunately destroying its unusual character—as

well as enlarged tail surfaces).

M. de Pischof was not a newcomer to aeronautics, hav-

ing collaborated in 1909 with a man name Koechlin on a

monoplane of much larger size (gross weight: 771 pounds;

wingspan: 26 feet). It is not reported how well it performed

with its 32-hp engine.In the construction of Avionnette no wood was used ex-

cept for the propeller. The craft was made entirely of steel

and aluminum, covered with doped fabric. It was designed

to a safety factor of 9.

Visibility was about as good as it is possible to be. The

pilot was exposed to the elements, it is true, but it must be

remembered that this machine was designed strictly for

fun and not for either high speeds or altitude. One simplydressed for the occasion and returned to Earth and the

comfort of a bit of stimulant in the country club when

one had had enough.

Gasoline was carried in a center section tank just aft of

the engine; capacity: 3.7 U.S. gallons.

Instruments consisted of a tachometer together with

an oil pulsometer and ignition switch. The throttle was

attached to the joystick and connected to the Zenith car-

buretor by a Bowden cable.

The plane that M. de Pischof flew at the 1921 Paris

Air Show at Buc was registered F-ABGD. Unfortunately,

he was killed in an air crash soon after and so was un-

able to continue development of this promising design.

One wonders what other innovations in aero design

The original had been built in 1921, and no plans wereavailable, so he began drawing them by eyeballing the

only drawing he knew to exist, that eye-catching one

drawn by Douglas Rolfe for the Alexis Dawydoff book Air-

planes of the World , published in 1962 by Simon & Schus-

ter, New York City.

The students in his industrial arts class were anxious

to get to work on this project, which had become intrigu-

ing to them, as well as to Lane, so they were soon at workbuilding wing ribs from his drawings. He had followed

as closely as reasonably possible the shape of the airfoil,

which was obvious in Rolfe’s sketch. While the young peo-

ple were busy with the ribs, he worked on the additional

drawings in his spare time. His then-recent experiences in

Author Owen Billman taxies the de Pischof Avionnette replica

built by the Auburn High School industrial arts class.


22/44

designing and successfully building

an experimental auto, and then an

equally successful one-man subma-

rine, were of great value to him. He

was able to keep just a bit ahead of his

enthusiastic devotees.He assumed (incorrectly as it

turned out), that M. de Pischof had

built his components along the usual

lines, i.e., welded steel fuselage, with

wings of wood, covered with doped

fabric. The students applied for, and

soon received, their certificate of reg-

istration from the FAA on June 7,

1973; first flight was on July 5, 1975.

For the sake of expediency as well as

insurance, the new plane was regis-

tered in their teacher’s name.Power was supplied by a Volkswa-

gen engine, Model 0-1192, rated the-

oretically at 26 hp, although it did not

rev up properly from the start; modi-

fications to the carburetor, as well as

to the method of its air intake, finally

resulted in 150 more revs . . . reason-

ably potent for takeoff and climb-out.

Their pilot’s seat might have been

taken from a John Deere cultivator,

but on close inspection one can see

it was handmade and beaten into the

desired shape from an aluminum slab.

When the plane was ready, most

of Dick’s students were able to get to

the airport to watch the taxi tests and

finally the ultimate liftoff. It is easy

to visualize the response of all those

young people when they saw the re-

sult of all those months of work taketo the skies.

Unfortunately, it was quite obvious

to Lane that to fly with the (reported)

wingspan of 12 feet was to risk life and

limb. There was simply not enough

lift for safety. Subsequent investiga-

tion revealed that the 12-foot span re-

ported to be used in 1921 was an error;the true span was 17 feet, meaning the

wing area was greater by a comforting

percentage. In addition, the flow of air

around the pilot (listed as 140 pounds

in the original plane) caused a serious

burbling of the airflow over the tail as-

sembly, especially since Lane’s weight

and bulk was noticeably greater thanhad been de Pischof’s.

So it was “back to the drawing

board!” The span was increased to 17

feet, the fuselage was lengthened 18

inches, ailerons were extended an-

other 9 inches outboard, the top wing

incidence was increased 5-1/2 degrees,

but the lower wing incidence was left

as it had been…at 1-1/2 degrees. The

new empty weight was 338 pounds,

and gross weight was 558 pounds.

Back to the airstrip! Dick again felt

his way gradually to ensure that he

and his faithfuls were on the right

Specifications

Span, upper: 17 feet 1/4 inches

Span, lower: 14 feet 11 inches

Chord, upper: 2 feet 11 inches

Chord, lower: 2 feet 3-5/8 inches

Aspect ratio, upper: 5.8

Aspect ratio, lower: 6.5

Height, ground to top wing: 3 feet 3 inches

Overall length: 11 feet 7 1/4 inches

Dihedral, upper: 0 degrees

Dihedral, lower: 4 degrees

Angle of incidence, upper: 5 degrees

Angle of incidence, lower: 3 degrees

Decalage: 2 degrees

Powerplant

Engine: 2-cylinder horizontally opposed

air-cooled Clerget-Blin

Power: 16 hp

Bore: 3 3/8 inches

Stroke: 3-15/16 inches

Rpm: 2100

Weight: 55 pounds

Propeller

Diameter: 4 feet 11 inches

Pitch: 2 feet 1-½ inches

Weights

Weight, empty: 224 pounds

W ight f f l 21 d

De Pischof Avionnette

The Avionnette , built by de Pischof, first appeared in 1921 and featured all-

metal construction. It was easily disassembled for storage or transport. Power

was a 45-hp Anzani engine.


23/44

My Friend Frank Rezich, Part IIBY ROBERT G. LOCKPHOTOS COURTESY OF REZICH FAMILY COLLECTION

By 1941 the Rezich boys,

Mike, Nick, and Frank,

had quite a collection of

airplanes, and the Navy

was in need of aircraft for training

mechanics. Frank had just begun

to change the OX-5 engine in the

first Travel Air 2000, NC661H, at

the family shop located one block

from Chicago Municipal Airport.

Early in 1942, Mike Rezich

Another of his projects was

a small Porterfield Zephyr ship

owned by a friend at the Harlem

Airport. Frank re-covered it in the

family shop.

Harlem Airport was located

about 5 miles southwest of Chicago

Municipal Airport. There was

actually no runway—it was just a

large grass circle that allowed one

to always land into the wind.

An intriguing photograph in the

Rezich collection is a shot of a one-

of-a-kind Travel Air D2000 racer

powered by a Curtiss OX-5 engine

and built especially for Art Gobel.

NX6473 was a highly modified

Model 2000 built specifically for air

racing at the Travel Air factory in

Wichita. Take a look at the photo

and you can see the extended

nose to reduce the frontal area,


24/44

aircraft; his answer was no, but the

photograph is so rare that it had to

be included here in his story.

Quite a bit was happening in the

1940s for the Rezich boys as they

continued in the field of aviation.

Mike bought another D4000 Travel

Air, NC8115. The late 1930s and1940s were prime opportunities

to pick up great old airplanes at

bargain prices because they had

been flying for 10 years or longer

and the cotton fabric was becoming

unairworthy. Besides, two aircraft,

the Travel Air 2000 and the Pitcairn

PA-7M, had been sold and a

replacement was needed. NC8115

was nicely cowled with 30-by-5

wheels with wheel fairings and was

powered by a Wright J-5 engine.

N C 8 1 1 5 ( t h e b o y s c a l l e di t “e ighty -one f i f teen”) was

disassembled as part of the War Act

and remained disassembled until it

was restored in 1977. Restoration

work was primarily accomplished

by Nick, with welding assistance

from Frank and general work

by Nick’s son J im. Nick a l so

had assistance from the co-pilot

mechanic Gary Beck, who helped

with sheet metal. He covered the

landing-gear legs with aluminum

and did the engine cowling andfront seat and seat-door hinging. Of

course, Nick bankrolled the project.

A dark color is not the best for

long-term life of cotton fabric on an

airplane. When Nick and son Jim

ABOVE: Frank’s overhaul of a small Porterfield Zephyr fully assembled and readyto fly. The ship was flown into the alley behind the house on a Sunday morning

by brother Nick. He and Frank got the wings off and the whole airplane into the

shop before the police came looking for the airplane that had “crashed.” Frank

said, “The owner allowed us boys to fly it anytime we wanted.”

LEFT: Frank Rezich standing in the cockpit of NC661H just after he soloed in

1938 at age 14.

This beautiful

Travel Air B9-4000,

NC9917, powered by

a Wright J-6-9 engine


25/44

rebuilt the ship it came out white

with red trim, perhaps the most

handsome Travel Air D4000 I have

ever seen. It was stunning to see the

Wright J-6-7 engine tightly cowled

and the landing gear covered with

aluminum and low-pressure wheels

with wheel fairings retained.F r a n k a n d N i c k , w h i l e

maintaining paying jobs, continued

to work in their family shop under

the name “Rezich Aircraft,” at the

home just one block from Chicago

Municipal Airport. They continued

to taxi or tow aircraft through the

50-foot open gate on 63rd Street

to their property. It was the best of

all worlds, as there was no hangar

rent or airport fees to be paid, and

they continued to hangar Mike’s

airplane col lection at nearbyairports, where rent was cheaper.

Work in the family shop continued

from 1936 through 1950.

I t was Mike who col lected

marvelous pictures of the airplanes

of the era. His scrapbooks are a

history of aviation from the early

days. As each brother grew older

and eventually passed on, the

collection of historical material

and the airplanes were passed

down. All the memorabilia and

the two remaining Travel Airs,NC9946H and NC606K, are still

in the possession of the last Rezich

son, Frank.

Living so close to a very active

Chicago Municipal Airport (later

A one-of-a-kind Travel Air D2000 racer, built for Art Gobel. It was powered by an OX-5.


26/44

Chicago Midway), accidents in the

early days were common, as one of

the photographs in the collectionshows.

About a block away from the

Rezich home on La Porte and 64th

streets, an Aeronca Chief stalled

and spun on takeoff, coming to

was very little money. They traded

maintenance and overhaul for flying

time. One day Frank went to thefield to go up in a Fleet biplane.

He planned on doing some

stalls and maybe a spin or two,

so he donned a parachute and

hopped into the rear cockpit.

continued to spin, so I tried it

again. No luck. By this time I had

lost about half my altitude, so Iguess I’d better jump. I climbed

out of the rear cockpit and stood

on the lower wing, when all of a

sudden the ship started to recover.

So I climbed into the front cockpit,

LEFT: There were other times and activities when the boys had to discard their flying and mechanic garb for a full-blown

dress day. Here they are on Frank’s wedding day. Mike is in the center, flanked by brothers Nick (L) and Frank (R) for the

happy occasion. RIGHT: After its 1977 restoration, NC8115 was displayed at Oshkosh in 1980.

A Continental A-40 Piper J-2 Cub,

NC16398, in the Rezich backyard

after a re-cover job in 1938. The ship

was owned by Mearle Buck at the

time, and no doubt Frank did most of

the work. The garage with the propel-

ler above the entry door was used for

storage.


27/44


28/44

BY ROBERT G. LOCK

Special inspection—Boeing Stearman

THE

VintageMechanic

Experience is a valuable commodity, and in these

past columns I have tried to pass along my knowledge

gained over the past 50-plus years as a mechanic. There

is always something new to be learned when working

as a mechanic, especially on vintage or “orphaned”

aircraft. This column focuses on special inspections on

a particular aircraft—the Boeing Stearman. Checkingthe Continental W-670 oil sump for large fragments

of crankshaft main bearing cage failure is one special

inspection I already brought to light. Here is a recent

e-mail from an owner who found these fragments in

his oil sump.

Hi Bob,

Just wanted to give you some feedback regarding your

Vintage [Airplane] article earlier this year. You reported on

crankshaft bearing failures in the W-670 engine—which Ihave on my Stearman.

Well, I kept your article and at annual this month

checked the oil sump, and “ouch,” we found metal parts

from the cage. We have 375 hours on the engine. Last year,

one of our friends here at C77 had the same problem, but

FIGURE 1


29/44

Exhibition category. Aircraft certificated in the

Experimental category do not have annual inspections;

rather they are given an “airworthiness” inspection

(which actually is the same as an annual inspection).

I became aware of an accident in South Africa

involving an R-985 powered aircraft. The pilot was

practicing aerobatics the day prior to an air show.

The loads imposed on the engine mount caused the

attachment bolts from the mount to the airframe

to fail in flight. The whole firewall-forward engine

installation departed the airplane, and it crashed near

the airport with fatal results. The accident report is

online and is very detailed, having been investigated

by the CAA (the Civil Aviation Authority) in SouthAfrica. After reading the accident report, I decided to

make a close inspection of the hardware attaching

the engine mount to the fuselage structure, since it

appeared to be the same type of engine mount. You

can read the accident report by visiting www.Sunzeri.

com/Stearman/mount_concerns.htm.

The engine was attached to the fuselage structure

with four NAS148DH24 bolts. These are high-strengthsteel bolts, heat-treated to 160,000 psi with much

greater tensile strength when compared to common

AN 2330 nickel steel bolts that are heat-treated to

125,000 psi. FAA Advisory Circular (AC) 43.13-1B

states, “Internal wrenching bolts, NAS144-158 and

NAS172-NAS176. These are high-strength bolts used

primarily in tension applications. Use a special heat-

treated washer (NAS143C) under the head to prevent

the large radius of the shank from contacting only

the sharp edge of the hole. Use a special heat-treated

washer (NAS143) under the nut.”

And therein lies the problem. These NAS148 bolts

were assembled using common AN 960-8 washers.

The NAS143C washer designation indicates that the

washer was heat-treated to high strength and has a

small countersink (chamfer) to accommodate the

radius from the bolt head to the shank. If there was no

countersunk area around the inside of the washer, then

all the torque applied will be absorbed by the small

area where the washer contacts the inside radius in thearea where the shank transitions to the head. Not only

does this deform the washer, but under heavy loads

the AN washer can crush, thus lowering or eliminating

the torque applied to the fastener.

Figure 1 is a vibrodamp engine mount produced

under a supplemental type certificate (STC) to convert

a Boeing Stearman biplane to either 450 or 600 hp. It

is beautifully engineered. Large Lord-type vibrationisolators can be seen at four locations around the

mount ring, while attachment to the fuselage structure

is rigid. The mount is fabricated from 4130 steel tubing.

Figure 2 shows the NAS148DH24 internal

wrenching high-strength bolt in place, with head

safetied to the mount. If the bolt fails, the safety wire


30/44

keeps the fastener in place, making

its failure difficult to see.

The original airframe had heat-

treated studs installed to connect

the mount to the fuselage, but the

STC calls out these high-strength

NAS (Nat iona l Aeronaut i ca l

Standards) bolts..

I n F i g u r e 3 , the b o l t i s

partly out, showing the washer

installation. This is a standard AN960-8 washer and is not authorized.

It could lead to failure of the bolt if

the ship were used for aerobatics,

because it may crush under loads,

lowering or eliminating the torque

applied to the fastener. It takes

a heavy load to cause a 1/2-inch-

diameter high-strength bolt to fail,but the upper right bolt failed first

on the South African Stearman. It

apparently went undetected—one

usually does not remove engine

mount to fuselage bolts during

an inspection. The right lower

bolt failed, and the entire engine

package rotated left, failing boththe left upper and lower bolts on

the left side of the mount.

The stock engine mount for either

Continental or Lycoming engines

attaches to the fuselage structure

via four threaded studs 7/16-inch

diameter by 3-1/2 inches long. The

factory also produced 0.004-inch

oversized studs. If a conversion to alarger engine was desired, studs not

produced by the original factory

were 7/16-inch diameter by 2-1/2

inches long.

When we converted aircraft

FIGURE 4

FIGURE 5


31/44

OK, we’re not saying that reallyhappened or that it would have

changed history... but it makesyou wonder. On the other hand,you never have to wonderwhether you’ll get a beautifullong-lasting covering job usingPoly-Fiber. We’ve made theinstructions very clear and

BTs used. The threaded bushings

welded into the four longerons

were drilled oversized and tapped

to 1/2-inch by 20 NF threads to

fit the studs. Such is the case on

these modified 450-/600-hp STC

mounts—the attaching hardware is

½-inch-20, thus the NAS148DH24.

Figure 4 shows a Stearman

converted to 450 hp in the late

1950. It was owned by my uncle,George H. Baldrick. This is where

I both started f lying and being a

mechanic helper.

Figure 5 is a Boeing factory

sketch for a bushing repair to

the engine mount stud. Note

the original threaded bushing is

inserted into the longeron andthen welded into place.

As previously stated, NAS148 bolt

and NAS143 washers (superseded

by MS20002C-8) are stronger in

tensile strength than a regular AN

bolt. They also have an internal

hex head rather than external.

Figure 6 shows the configurationof an NAS148 drilled head, internal

wrenching bolt.

The NAS148 bolt is steel and

heat-treated to 160,000-180,000 psi

tensile strength and is plated with

cadmium for corrosion protection.

The arrows point to an area where

the head fairs into the shank—a

generous radius is provided, sincethis bolt is used principally in

tension loads. Thus the need for a

countersunk (chamfered) washer as

shown in Figure 7.

T h e N A S 1 4 3 w a s h e r w a s

Torque charts in AC

4 3 . 1 3 -1 B , pa g e 7 - 9 ,

show a range of 480-

690 inch-pounds for a

1/2-inch-20 AN365 nut.

If no torque value can

be located, torque the

NAS148 bolt to the upper

l imits , which i s 690

inch-pounds. I torqued

this bolt installation to60 foot-pounds, or 720

inch-pounds.

All owners of Boeing

S t e a r m a n a i r c r a f t

modified with any type of engine

mount other than stock parts

should inspect for attaching

hardware type. In particular,those mounts that are STC’d with

NAS148 attachment bolts should

be inspected prior to further flight

to ascertain the bolt condition,

proper washer usage, and correct

torque. If the wrong washers are

installed or if the bolt shank shows

signs of grooving or movement

of the engine mount, investigatefurther and replace the hardware.

Further, when the proper hardware

is installed, check the bolt torque at

every annual inspection.

FIGURE 7


32/44

BY Steve Krog, CFI

THE VintageInstructor

Windsocks and downwind landings

Fly in the little end and out the big end

The airport at which I am based, Miles Field, Hartford,

Wisconsin (HXF), is a nontowered airport with bothhard-surface and turf runways. It is surrounded by ahalf-dozen “improved” airports with long runwaysand, in some cases, control towers . . . all no more than15 or 20 minutes away. It is an easy airport to fly toand from, and flight instructors from the surroundingairports like to bring students to HXF to practice short-and soft-field takeoffs and landings.

Hartford also has a 24-hour self-service fuelfacility. So, in addition to the student flight activity,a number of area pilots like to fly into HXF for fuel,as it is usually less expensive than at the surroundingairports. We have no fixed-base operator on the field,so the UNICOM is not monitored continuouslyduring daylight hours. But we do have the old originalstandby for determining surface winds—a large orangewindsock—located at the midpoint of the hard-surface

runway, about 300 feet south of the centerline.On a daily basis we observe a number of airplanes

arriving at the Hartford airport with the intention oflanding. Dutifully, they announce their intentions:“Hartford traffic, this is Cessna 12345 entering leftdownwind for landing on Runway 11, Hartford.”

A quick glance at the windsock from my hangar

airplane it is landing downwind.” Or should I listen to

the little “devil” sitting on my left shoulder telling me,“No, don’t tell them anything. Besides, when they’reall done there might be some salvage parts we canuse!” I decide to listen to the devil today, because thearriving aircraft appears to be a student and instructorfrom a nearby tower-controlled airport.

The first attempt at landing is a confirmed go-around as the airplane is still at 500 feet above ground

level when crossing the runway numbers. You canalmost hear the conversation taking place between thestudent and the certificated flight instructor (CFI):

Student: What did I do wrong? I was really high onthat approach.

CFI: You should have brought the power back a littlesooner and maybe added some flaps.

The next attempt at landing is not much better, andanother go-around is initiated.

Student: I was still too high even after adding 20 degreesof flaps. What am I doing wrong?

CFI: Well, it appears to me that you still need to get the power reduced sooner, and this time use full flaps. And yourairspeed is too fast.

The student is becoming quite confused at thispoint He (or she) has been doing everything


33/44

Student: I think I’m still too high.CFI: Add full flaps.Student: I added full flaps but I’m still

too high. What should I do?CFI: I’ll take it from here.

From the ground it is clearly visible,even to the novice, when the CFI hastaken the controls. The wings rockfrom side to side with the landing gearin search of the runway, and then thenose is pushed over into a dive attitude.Finally the wheels are in contact withthe runway, and tires begin to squeal.After using approximately 2,900 of

the 3,000 feet of runway, the airplaneis now under control, and the CFI hasthe student take the controls for theremaining 100 feet of taxi.

The “angel” on my right shoulder is now telling me,“Do something. Don’t let them try it again.”

At this point I’ll usually pick up the mic and state:“Cessna 12345, we’ve undergone a wind switch in thelast hour. You might want to use Runway 29 for your

departure.” The student pilot didn’t pick up on thecryptic phrase “in the last hour,” but I’m sure the CFIdid. The CFI will usually reply:“Uh, thanks. Cessna 12345 willdepart Runway 29 and leave thepattern.” The CFI’s credibilityhas been saved, and the student’squestion about what went wrong

has been answered. The approachand landing were made with atail wind.

All of the gyrations experiencedin the example could have beenavoided had both student andCFI simply looked at the windsock and determined what it wastelling them.

I remember vividly a learningexperience I had very early in myflight training. I was having a hard time determiningthe wind direction by looking at the windsock. Myinstructor picked up on my confusion and in one shortstatement gave me advice that I use and share withevery student He said “Look at the windsock and fly into

wind tee as an airplane. The way it’s heading is intothe wind. And when seeing a tetrahedron, think of itas an arrowhead pointing the way for you to take offor land.

Included in the flight-training course I provideare downwind landings, a part of the emergency-

landing segment of training. To make the downwindlanding a true learning experience, first I have the

student make a normal takeoffand landing on a day when wehave an approximate 10-knothead wind. We’ll note both thetakeoff and landing distance.Then I’ll have the student repeatthe normal takeoff and landing,

but this time with the 10-knotwind on our tail. The studentsare quite amazed, not only inthe feel of the aircraft but also inthe extended distances required.On final approach with a tailwind, it will sometimes feel as ifthe airplane is climbing and/orjust won’t come down.

H e r e ’ s a n e x a m p l e f o rcalculating how a 10-knot tail

wind will affect your landing distance:At 70 knots, the airplane is traveling at 118 feet

per second (fps); at 60 knots, at 101 fps. Let’s say theapproach speed is 60 knots and groundspeed is 70

At this point the local

hangar fliers begin

placing bets on the spot

of touchdown. Loser buys

the next round of coffee.


34/44

This month’s Mystery Plane comes from a batch of old photos sent to

us by Duffy Thompson of Lakeland, Florida. Duffy’s friend

Don O.W. Emerson gave them to Duffy years ago. The “O.W.” in

Emerson’s name stood for Orville and Wilbur. Don’s father was very

involved in the U.S. Air Mail Service and knew the Wrights, according

to Duffy, hence the “O.W.” We’ve run photos in Mystery Plane from the

collection of Don’s brother, Emy Emerson.

This is a foreign design, but the photo was taken on the eastern seaboard.

MYSTERY PLANE

by H.G. FRAUTSCHY


35/44

The August Mystery Plane

came to us from the EAA

archives, and Wes Smith

of Springfield, Illinois,

was the only one to hazard a guess:

Well, you really had me chasing

my tail on this one! I considered a

number of possibilities, including

the Siddeley Puma powered modi-

fied Bristol F.2B built by Peter Ail-

linio in 1928.

The giveaway is the shadow on the

ground, which indicates that it was

a 12-cylinder engine, and carbure-tor intake, indicative of a Liberty . At

first I thought it might be a Puma,

because of the shape of the exhaust

stacks. Then I looked more closely.

Also, there’s the Hall-Scott radiators,

plane, with the pilot sitting in a rear

open cockpit (obscured by the wing).

It was registered as 2235.

No other answers were received.

A U GU S T ’S M Y S T E RY A N S W E R


36/44

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VINTAGETRADER

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Classified Word Ads: $5.50 per 10 words, 180

words maximum, with boldface lead-in on first line.

Classified Display Ads: One column wide (2.167

inches) by 1, 2, or 3 inches high at $20 per inch.

Black and white only, and no frequency discounts.

Advertising Closing Dates: 10th of second

month prior to desired issue date (i.e., January

10 is the closing date for the March issue). VAAreserves the right to reject any advertising in

conflict with its policies. Rates cover one insertion

per issue. Classified ads are not accepted via

phone. Payment must accompany order. Word

ads may be sent via fax (920-426-4828) or e-mail

([email protected] ) using credit card payment (all

cards accepted). Include name on card, complete

address, type of card, card number, and expiration

date. Make checks payable to EAA. Address

advertising correspondence to EAA Publications

Classified Ad Manager, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh,WI 54903-3086.

The narrow chord of the wing means that the view of other traffic is superior.Nearly all his flying was done at full throttle; throttling back meant an im-

mediate loss of altitude. Even while dropping off altitude to enter traffic, Dick

says he would ease off on the throttle only slightly. With an idle power setting,

his rate of descent was breathtaking. Thus he would make his glide at near

cruising power and fly it to a wheel landing every time.

Light Plane Heritage continued from page 20


37/44

Aviation historian, pilot, and VAA Hall of Famemember Chet Peek of Norman, Oklahoma, at 89 yearsyoung, has just published his eighth book, The Forgotten Barnstormer—The Story of the Standard J-1 in War and in Peace. Peek’s inspiration to write the book was twofold:The Standard J-1 has so often been mistaken for theubiquitous Jenny, and it has long been neglected in the

annals of aviation history. Additionally, Peek had workedon his own Standard restoration for decades and wasjust about ready to hang a Hall-Scott A7a engine on theairframe for a test run when an F5 tornado destroyedhis efforts. Peek, being intimately acquainted withthe construction details of the Standard J-1, used thisexperiential knowledge as a springboard to launch hisextensive research for the book. He and his wife, Marian,invested much time and energy investigating the history

of the Standard, including personal visits to pore throughmuseum archives in Texas and Missouri. Additionally,countless communications with knowledgeableindividuals yielded invaluable material. Peek carefullycategorized this information into easy-to-read chapters,which convey the significance of the Standard in aviationhistory, while highlighting intriguing and heretoforeobscure details.

The first part of the book traces the evolution of theSloane Company into the Standard Aero Corporation,the use of the ill-fated Hall-Scott A7a, and the Standard’sservice in World War I. Readers soon discover that asmany as 1,600 Standard J-1s were built as primarytrainers for World War I, but they were eventually takenout of service due to the unreliable Hall-Scott engine.An interesting side note during this era is that StandardAero received a special order in May 1918 for six mail

planes (Model Number JR-1B), which were duly built anddelivered to the Postal Department.Part II guides the reader through postwar surplus

sales—nearly a thousand Standard J-1s and twice asmany Hall-Scott A7a engines were stored in Houston—and the burgeoning popularity of the Standard whenit was remanufactured with the more reliable OX-5 or

Peace fills its own distinguishedniche. Peek has unearthed anintriguing facet of aviationhistory for the rest of us toenjoy—all the way from theStandard’s tenuous beginningsthrough contemporary restorations. This book is a must-

have not only for aviation history buffs and those whoare intrigued by the early barnstorming era, but also forthose unfamiliar with the Standard, the engines thatpowered it, and the pilots who flew them way backwhen—along with those who still seek to restore and flyStandard biplanes.

Published by Three Peaks Publishing in Norman,Oklahoma,The Forgotten Barnstormer will soon be availablefrom major aviation-related booksellers. This softcover

book is 148 pages, with a plethora of black and whitephotographs. It is identified as ISBN 978-1-866196-07-0and costs $29.95 plus shipping. (Peek’s previous aviationhistory books are The Taylorcraft Story, The Spartan Story, Resurrection of a Jenny, The First Cub, Flying with 40 Horses,The Heath Story , and The Pietenpol Story .)

The Forgotten Barnstormer—

The Story of the Standard J-1 in War and in Peace

By Sparky Barnes Sargent

VINTAGE BOOK REVIEWS

AERO CLASSIC“COLLECTOR SERIES”

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Show off your pride and joy with afresh set of Vintage Rubber. Thesenewly minted tires are FAA-TSO’dand speed rated to 120 MPH. Some

things are better left the way theywere, and in the 40’s and 50’s, these tires were perfectly intune to the exciting times in aviation.

Not only do these tires set your vintage plane apart fromthe rest, but also look exceptional on all General Aviationaircraft. Deep 8/32nd tread depth offers above averagetread life and UV treated rubber resists aging.


38/44

EAAMembership in the Experimental Aircraft

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

FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPSPlease submit your remittance with a

check or draft drawn on a United Statesbank payable in United States dollars. Addrequired Foreign Postage amount for eachmembership.

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATIONCurrent EAA members may join the

Vintage Aircraft Association and receive

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

WARBIRDSCurrent EAA members may join the EAA

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

EAA Membership, WARBIRDS mag-azine and one year membership in theWarbirds Division is available for $55 per

year (SPORT OficAVIATION magazinenot included). (Add $7 for InternationalPostage.)

IACCurrent EAA members may join the

International Aerobatic Club, Inc. Divi-sion and receive SPORT AEROBATICS magazine for an additional $45 per year

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

VINTAGE

AIRCRAFT

ASSOCIATION

OFFICERS

DIRECTORS

DIRECTORS

EMERITUS

PresidentGeoff Robison

1521 E. MacGregor Dr.New Haven, IN 46774

[email protected]

Vice-PresidentGeorge Daubner

N57W34837 Pondview LnOconomowoc, WI 53066

262-560-1949 [email protected]

Steve Bender85 Brush Hill Road

Sherborn, MA 01770508-653-7557

[email protected]

David Bennett375 Killdeer Ct

Lincoln, CA 95648916-952-9449

[email protected]

Jerry Brown4605 Hickory Wood RowGreenwood, IN 46143

[email protected]

Dave Clark635 Vestal Lane

Plainfield, IN [email protected]

John S. Copeland1A Deacon Street

Northborough, MA 01532508-393-4775

[email protected]

Phil Coulson28415 Springbrook Dr.

Lawton, MI 49065269-624-6490

[email protected]

Dale A. Gustafson7724 Shady Hills Dr.

Indianapolis, IN 46278317-293-4430

[email protected]

Jeannie HillP.O. Box 328

Harvard, IL 60033-0328815-943-7205

Espie “Butch” Joyce

704 N. Regional Rd.Greensboro, NC 27409336-668-3650

[email protected]

Steve Krog1002 Heather Ln.

Hartford, WI [email protected]

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

[email protected]

S.H. “Wes” Schmid2359 Lefeber Avenue

Wauwatosa, WI 53213414-771-1545

[email protected]

Robert C. Brauer9345 S. Hoyne

Chicago, IL 60643773-779-2105

[email protected]

Gene Chase2159 Carlton Rd.

Oshkosh, WI 54904920-231-5002

[email protected]

Ronald C. Fritz15401 Sparta Ave.

Kent City, MI 49330616-678-5012

rFritz@pathwaynet com

Charlie HarrisPO Box 470350Tulsa, OK 74147

[email protected]

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

[email protected]

Gene Morris5936 Steve Court

Roanoke, TX 76262817-491-9110

genemorr is@charter net

Membership Services DirectoryEnjoy the many benefits of EAA and

EAA’s Vintage Aircraft Association

EAA Aviation Center, PO Box 3086, Oshkosh WI 54903-3086Phone (920) 426-4800 Fax (920) 426-4873Web Sites: www.vintageaircraft.org, www.airventure.org, www.eaa.org/memberbenefits E-Mail: [email protected]

EAA and Division Membership Services (8:00 AM–6:00 PM Monday–Friday CST)800-564-6322 FAX 920-426-4873 www.eaa.org/memberbenefits [email protected]

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

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 888-322-4636 www.airventure.org [email protected]

Sport Pilot/Light-Sport Aircraft Hotline 877-359-1232 www.sportpilot.org [email protected]

Programs and Activities

Auto Fuel STCs 920-426-4843 [email protected] EAA Air Academy 920-426-6880 www.airacademy.org [email protected]

EAA Scholarships 920-426-6823 [email protected]

Library Services/Research 920-426-4848 [email protected]

Benefits

AUA Vintage Insurance Plan 800-727-3823 www.auaonline.com

EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan 866-647-4322 www.eaa.org/memberbenefits [email protected]

EAA VISA Card 800-853-5576 ext. 8884

EAA Her tz Rent-A-Car Program 800-654-2200 www.eaa.org/hertz [email protected]

Editorial 920-426-4825 www.vintageaircraft.org [email protected]

VAA Office 920-426-6110 [email protected]

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.

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

SecretarySteve Nesse

2009 Highland Ave.Albert Lea, MN 56007

507-373-1674

[email protected]

TreasurerDan Knutson

106 Tena Marie CircleLodi, WI 53555608-592-7224

[email protected]


39/44

Lady’s Quilted Black Vest

VAA logo on left chest.

5265804203093 MD5265804204093 LG5265804205093 XL

Sweatshirt/ JacketHaving side pockets and

being extra soft inside,

this top is cozyduring chilly days.

Comes in teal or pink.

5265803103064 Teal MDl G

(shown above)5265697303082 MD5265697304082 LG5265697305082 XL5265697306082 2X

Baron Flight Cap (shown left)Canvas with fleece lining for men,women, and children.5265341503053 MD Sage5265341502053 SM Sage

5265341503084 MD Tobacco5265341502084 SM Tobacco

Bomber JacketVintage B-15A Bomber jacket is a

replica of a 1946 issue.

Quilted lining with Strategic Air

Command Print.100% Cotton Shell.

Zippered sleeve pocket,

knit waist and cuffs.

Inside zippered

pocket, zipper front,

2 front slash pockets

w/ snap closure.

Imitation fur collar

is removable.

*$24.95

*$36.95

*$57.99- 61.99

SAGE

TOBACCO


40/44

Ladies Jacket (below)Ladies’ light-weight nylon jacket with mesh lining

has small biplane design on sleeve. Side pockets.

100% Polyester. Machine washable.

Ladies Hooded White Sweatshirt

Red detailing accents this white sweatshirt

creating an attractive casual statement.

*$32.95*$19.95

www.shopeaa.com/vaa Telephone Orders: 800-843-3612

From US and Canada

(All Others Call 920-426-5912)

Or send to: EAA Mail Orders,P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086

Limited supplies available.

*Shipping and handling NOT included.

Major credit cards accepted. WI residents add 5% sales tax.

PINK

BLUE

5265801502061 SM

5265801503061 MD

5265801504061 LG

5265801505061 XL

5265801506061 2X

RED

5265801502020 SM

5265801503020 MD

5265801504020 LG

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5265815904100 LG

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PINK

5265801502011 SM

5265801503011 MD

5265801504011 LG

5265801505011 XL


41/44

1/4-Zip SweatshirtA biplane embroidered design.

For pullover comfort this

sweatshirt is a versatile

wardrobe essential.

5265770903011 Salmon MD5265770904011 Salmon LG5265770905011 Salmon XL

5265770903061 Indigo MD5265770904061 Indigo LG5265770905061 Indigo XL

(runs small)

Corduroy ShirtClassy, casual and comfortable

this corduroy long sleeve shirt

has snap closures, with twofront pockets. Vintage Logo is

tone on tone.

5265800404083 LG5265800405083 XL5265800406083 2X

Men’s Casual Long Sleeve Shirt (below)

This light-weight, extra soft 100% cotton shirt

looks great on its own, or layered under another

shirt. White shirt has navy VAA logo and detail

stitiching. Black has white logo and stitching.

5265799104093 Black LG5265799105093 Black XL5265799106093 Black 2X

5265799103100 White MD5265799104100 White LG

5265799105100 White XL5265799106100 White 2X

*$41.99

*$19.99

*$24.95


42/44

Snoopy Flying Ace MugSnoopy on the front; Woodstock on the back in-

dicating “Curse these early morning hours.” 14 oz.

ceramic mug. Microwave and dishwasher safe.

5264863600000

Wooden Toy Planes

Cherry Wood Triplane (see price by photo) 5265657300000

Handmade in Wisconsin, the sturdy plane has wood that ages to

a deep red. Wing span is approximately 12-1/2 inches.

Propeller spins. Pilot can be removed from the cockpit.

Maple & Walnut Monoplane (see price by photo) 5265657400000

Also made in Wisconsin, the monoplane has a wingspan of 12 inches.

Pilot can be removed from plane for playing.

Canvas Bag & Matching HatBiplane embroidered cap and tote are 100% Cotton.

Metal buckle at the back of cap adjusts for size. Choose

bluegrass teal or chili red.

Coaster SetSet of six tin coasters each with

a unique design. Cork backed.

Approx. 3-1/2 inches across.

Storage tin included.

*$12.95

*$31.95

Tote

*$21.95

Cap

*$14.99

www.shopeaa.com/vaa

Telephone 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.

Teal Cap 52656873140160

Red Cap 5265687314020

Teal Tote 5265687014060

Red Tote 5265687014020

vintage airplane - nov 2010

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