Vintage Feb 2012.Indd 2 1/25/12 9:34 AM AIRPLANE FEBRUARY Vol

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Vintage Feb 2012.indd 2 1/25/12 9:34 AM AIRPLANE FEBRUARY Vol. 40, No. 2 2012 CONTENTS 2 Straight and Level by Geoff Robison

3 News 5 Great-Granddad’s Airplane Eric Rearwin: When personal and aviation histories cross by Budd Davisson 5 13 The Liberating Sky Pioneering black pilots broke barriers and climbed to new heights, Part 2 by Philip Handleman

20 Light Plane Heritage Twelve Thousand Miles in an Avro Avian, Part 2 by Bob Whittier

26 The Vintage Mechanic Monocoque Structures by Robert G. Lock 13 30 The Vintage Instructor Some things you learn after getting your certifi cate by Steve Krog, CFI STAFF 32 EAA Publisher Rod Hightower Mystery Plane Director of EAA Publications J. Mac McClellan by H.G. Frautschy Executive Director/Editor H.G. Frautschy Business Manager Kathleen Witman 34 Antiques Over the Chesapeake Copy Editor Colleen Walsh by Roger Thiel Publication Advertising: Manager/Domestic, Sue Anderson 36 From the EAA Archives Tel: 920-426-6127 Email: [email protected] Steve Wittman and the Standard J-1: Fax: 920-426-4828 A barnstormers’s biplane earns its keep Senior Business Relations Mgr, Trevor Janz by H.G. Frautschy Tel: 920-426-6809 Email: [email protected] 37 Manager/European-Asian, Willi Tacke Don Winslow of the Navy Phone: +49(0)1716980871 Email: willi@fl ying-pages.com by Bob O’Hara and H.G. Frautschy Fax: +49(0)8841 / 496012 Classifi ed Advertising Coordinator, Jo Ann Cody Simons 39 Classifi eds Tel: 920-426-6169 Email: [email protected] COVERS FRONT COVER: The Rear win Speedster , one of aviation’s most r ecognizable airplanes, a fact For missing or replacement magazines, or made even mor e remarkable when you fi nd out just how few wer e made. Eric Rear win, great- any other membership-related questions, please call grandson of Rae Rear win, the founder of the fi rm, teamed up with awar d-winning restorer Tim EAA Member Services at 800- JOIN-EAA (564-6322). Talen to tur n out this exceptional example of this rar e Rear win. EAA photo by Steve Cukierski. Read all about it in Budd Davisson’s ar ticle beginning on page 5.

BACK COVER: One of aviation’s legends, Steve Wittman (left) poses with an Atwater Kent radio perched on the horizontal tail of his Standar d J-1, which was used, in this case, to adver- tise the high-end radio brand for a wester n Wisconsin dealer . For mor e on the photo, tur n to the article on page 36. VINTAGE AIRPLANE 1

Vintage Feb 2012.indd 3 1/25/12 9:36 AM STRAIGHT & LEVEL

Geoff Robison EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, VAA

Restoration and change ith the fl ying season and a great day! So, be sure to come inside help develop funding that would sig- the holidays well behind the Vintage Hangar during AirVenture nificantly impact the federal deficit.” us now, I find myself in to check out the progress on the resto- Pardon me? For the life of me I just Oshkosh helping to ac- ration of this truly historical aircraft. cannot embrace the relevance of these complishW more restoration work on two distinctly different issues when it the Harold Neumann Monocoupe User Fees comes to funding the ATC system. I project. It is currently in the VAA Last week the hot topic again be- better stop there before you all think I hangar in Oshkosh. We were able to came user fees. Here we go again! I have completely fallen off the rail. Be make some real progress on the fu- really hate to have to say it, but, I told assured that EAA remains on the front selage last summer; we installed the you so. It was just last month in this lines of battling these user fee initia- 90AW Warner engine and the fully re- column that I openly stated that the tives that could signifi cantly challenge stored engine cowl. This all-volunteer issue was likely far from over, and low our ability to exercise our right to en- initiative has been well-supported by and behold, there are those in Con- gage in recreational aviation. Now is many of the local members of VAA gress who have begun to discuss the the time for all of us to pay very close Chapter 37 based in Auburn, Indi- idea of proposing new legislation rec- attention to the details of whatever ana. The project lead volunteer is Phil ommending a $100 per fl ight user fee legislation gets proposed, and if need Riter of Defiance, Ohio. Every time on GA aircraft for certain users. be, we need to again let our collective I look at the reworked engine cowl It seems like it was just last month voices be heard inside the beltway. on this aircraft, I fi nd myself staring that we waged this battle on user fees, at it in total amazement. Before Phil but in spite of a high level of biparti- Changes got his hands on it, that cowl looked san opposition in the Congressional Lastly, I wanted to mention here like it fell off a truck going 55 mph. GA Caucus, it would appear that this that I arrived in Oshkosh the day after The result of Phil’s hard work is noth- issue is far from over. Even though EAA President/CEO Rod Hightower ing short of amazing. Good luck with the initial concept seems to exclude and the EAA Executive Committee an- those wheelpants, buddy! piston engine aircraft, we all really nounced a great number of changes This week we are working on get- need to pay close attention to the fact in the structure of EAA staffi ng. I have ting a finish coat on the wing and that the devil is usually in the details been privileged to have had the op- flight controls. We are fortunate to of a negotiated piece of legislation portunity over the past 10 days to have access to the paint booth at the that could likely have a very differ- interact on these critical issues with EAA maintenance facility in Camp ent odor to it. When I think of the the EAA board of directors and several Scholler. This makes the job so much potential results of legislation of this members of the senior staff at EAA, in- easier to complete. The 32-foot one- nature, it virtually makes me stutter. cluding Rod Hightower, our founder piece wing is so long it doesn’t fi t un- The primary issue that strikes fear Paul Poberezny, and the Executive less it’s set up diagonally to the corners in my heart is the idea that if user fees Committee. I have walked away from of the paint booth, so you can at least eventually become a reality to our seg- this experience with a great deal of walk around one end of it. As I write ment of aviation, a large segment of confidence that EAA will now be in this, we now have nearly all of the con- GA pilots will simply avoid using the a much better position to, as stated in trol surfaces in silver, and by the end system, and this will, without a doubt, one of EAA’s recent communications, of this week we will have everything compromise safety. Of course, there are to “align our resources with our priori- painted in white. Then this spring, more issues with user fees that make ties, which will allow us to more effec- during one of our Vintage work parties them ominous. To start with, the cur- tively meet the needs of our members, in Oshkosh, we will have a suffi cient rent fuel tax approach to funding the donors and aviators.” number of VAA volunteers available system is really working pretty well. to assist us with mating that large one- Then, straight from the White House piece wing to the fuselage. This will be we hear, “We all need to do our part to 2 FEBRUARY 2012

Vintage Feb 2012.indd 4 1/25/12 9:45 AM VAA NEWS

rive on-site. Daily and weekly admissions are available; discounts are available to those who prepur- chase AirVenture tickets online before June 15, 2012, including $2 off daily adult admissions and $5 off weekly adult admissions. Advance purchase camping for Camp Scholler, which opens on June 22, 2012, provides the convenience of express registration at the camp- ground entrance, including specially designated lines on peak arrival dates. Additionally, attendees can pre- purchase flights on EAA’s historic B-17 Aluminum Overcast or a vintage Ford Tri-Motor to avoid the

JIM KOEPNICK lines and get more out of their Air- Reser ving your AirVenture 2012 adventur e is only a few clicks away . Venture experience. To access the advance ticketing EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2012. The 60th annual gathering area, visit www.AirVenture.org and 2012 Advance Purchase will be held July 23-29 at Wittman click on the “Buy Tickets” link. Ad- Tickets Now Available Regional Airport. vance online purchasers can also Admission, camping, and air- Both EAA members and non- select from limited edition AirVen- craft rides members may purchase tickets in ture merchandise. Advance purchase of admission advance via a secure website, al- Advance admission ticketing tickets and camping are now avail- lowing them to speed through the is made possible through support able for EAA AirVenture Oshkosh admissions process when they ar- from Jeppesen.

Top Performers Make Early Confi rmations for AirVenture The world’s top air show per formers are confi rming for AirVenture Oshkosh 2012. Scheduled to appear ar e Chuck Aaron and the Red Bull aer obatic helicopter, the AeroShell Aerobatic Team, Matt Younkin and his Twin Beech, Bob Carlton and the Jet Sailplane, and the W arbird Spectacu- lars (including expanded shows featuring pyr otechnics on Friday and Satur day). Also appearing will be Sean T ucker and his Pitts, Gene Soucy and his Showcat, and Mike Goulian and his Extra. In addition, Gr eg Koontz and the Alabama Boys Matt Younkin will help celebrate the 75th anniversar y of the Piper Twin Beech Cub, as will the r eturn of Kyle Franklin fl ying in his PA-18 Super Cub comedy routine. Additionally, the wildly popular Night Air Show and Fir eworks will be held on Saturday, July 28, to thrill attendees with a mix of aer obatics and pyrotechnics all musically chor eographed. Final schedules will be available in the weeks prior to EAA AirV enture and will be announced on www.AirVenture.org. Daily air shows at EAA AirV enture are presented by Rockwell Collins. DEKEVIN THORNTON VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3

Vintage Feb 2012.indd 5 1/25/12 9:45 AM Chapter Websites In early summer last year, EAA officially launched the long- awaited Chapter Website program, which helps ensure that CALL FOR VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION every chapter has an online pres- ence. The websites are provided free of charge (including design and hosting) and are supported through Webs.com. The sites feature: •Easy-to-use tools (no experience required) Nominate your favoriteNominations vintage aviator for have occurred between 1950 and the pr esent •Professional design the EAA Vintage Aircraft Association H all of day. His or her contribution can be in the areas Customized content for indi- Fame. A great honor could be besto wed upon of fl ying, design, mechanical or aer odynamic • that man or woman wor king next to y ou on developments, administration, writing, some vidual EAA chapters your airplane, sitting next to you in the chapter other vital and relevant fi eld, or any combina- One of the first steps all chap- of fi aviation. Th meeting, or walking next to y ou at EAA Air- tion elds that support e person ters should take is to make sure Venture Oshkosh. Th ink about the people in you nominate must be or hav e been a mem- your circle of aviation friends: the mechanic, ber of the Vintage Aircraft Association or the your events are entered into the historian, photographer, or pilot who has shared Antique/Classic Division of EAA, and pr efer- EAA Calendar of Events. The cal- innumerable tips with you and with many oth- ence is given to those whose actions hav e con- endar software automatically feeds ers. Th ey could be the next VAA Hall of Fame tributed to the VAA in some way , perhaps as inductee—but only if they are nominated. a volunteer, a restorer who shares his expertise your chapter’s website. It is an Th e person you nominate can be a citiz en with others, a writer, a photographer, or a pilot easy way to keep your members— of any country and may be living or deceased; sharing stories, preserving aviation history, and and potential members—updated his or her involvement in vintage aviation must encouraging new pilots and enthusiasts. on your chapter’s events. Not only To nominate someone is easy. It just takes a little time and a little reminiscing on your part. will it post them automatically, it •Th ink of a person; think of his or her contributions to vintage aviation. removes them after the event is •Write those contributions in the various categories of the nomination form. •Write a simple letter highlighting these attributes and contributions. Make copies of over, so “old news” never appears newspaper or magazine articles that may substantiate your view. on your home or events pages. •If at all possible, have another individual (or more) complete a form or write a letter about this You can view a few chapter web- person, confi rming why the person is a good candidate for induction. site examples by logging on to: Th is year’s induction ceremony will be held near the end of October. We’ll have follow-up www.1246.EAAChapter.org information once the date has been fi nalized. We would like to take this opportunity to mention that if you have nominated someone for www.252.EAAChapter.org the VAA Hall of Fame; nominations for the honor are kept on fi le for 3 years, after which the EAA Online Community Man- nomination must be resubmitted. ager Hal Bryan hosted a webinar Mail nominating materials to: VAA Hall of Fame, c/o Charles W. Harris, Transportation Leasing Corp. on the chapter websites in mid- PO Box 470350 Tulsa, OK 74147 July. You can watch it online E-mail: [email protected] by logging onto http://bcove.me/ Remember, your “contemporary” may be a candidate; nominate someone today! zwmrk3xw. Bryan explains the ba- sic features of the sites and pro- Find the nomination form at www.VintageAircraft.org, or call the VAA offi ce for a copy (920-426-6110), or on your own sheet of paper, simply include the following information: vides some valuable tips to help • Date submitted. you start customizing your site. • Name of person nominated. This chapter beneﬁ t is made pos- • Address and phone number of nominee. • E-mail address of nominee. sible through the Peter Burgher • Date of birth of nominee. If deceased, date of death. Chapter Development Fund. For • Name and relationship of nominee’s closest living relative. more information on this great • Address and phone of nominee’s closest living relative. • VAA and EAA number, if known. (Nominee must have been or is a VAA member.) enhancement to our chapters pro- • Time span (dates) of the nominee’s contributions to vintage aviation. gram, you can contact the EAA (Must be between 1950 to present day.) Chapters ofﬁ ce at [email protected] • Area(s) of contributions to aviation. • Describe the event(s) or nature of activities the nominee has undertaken in aviation to or by phone at 920-426-4876. be worthy of induction into the VAA Hall of Fame. • Describe achievements the nominee has made in other related fi elds in aviation. • Has the nominee already been honored for his or her involvement in aviation and/or the contribution you are stating in this petition? If yes, please explain the nature of the honor and/or award the nominee has received. • Any additional supporting information. • Submitter’s address and phone number, plus e-mail address. • Include any supporting material with your petition.

4 FEBRUARY 2012

Vintage Feb 2012.indd 6 1/25/12 9:46 AM Great-Granddad’s AIRPLANE

Eric Rearwin: When personal and aviation histories cross BY BUDD DAVISSON

HEN I WAS GROWING UP,” SAYS ERIC Rearwin, “None of us kids ac- “ tually knew that much about Wwhat our great-granddad and our grandparents had done. For whatever reason, our parents just didn’t talk about it much. That chapter of family history was very hazy to me. However, when my granddad started taking me to ﬂ y-ins with him and I saw airplanes with my last name on them, it all became very real.” STEVE CUKIERSKI VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5

Vintage Feb 2012.indd 7 1/25/12 9:46 AM STEVE CUKIERSKI One of the lost r ecognizable proﬁ les in aviation, the Rear win Speedster, enjoys a r eputation that is lar ger than the relatively small pr oduction numbers would nor mally indicate. The sleek installation of the four-cylinder Menasco engine (or the Cir rus Hi-Drive in the pr ototype her e) made the airplane a favorite of model airplane enthusiasts.

The “granddad” he’s referring point in history, it’s a little hard to was simple: He thought it to be a to was Ken Rearwin, who was sales put in context. For one thing, the growing industry that would have manager for the Rearwin Aircraft year was 1929 and the economy plenty of room for a businessman Company from 1929 until it was was in the process of tanking. The with his acumen. sold to Commonwealth in 1942. stock market had “split-S’ed” into Rae hired the skills he needed, He was the son of the company’s the ground, and every economic including the designers who de- founder, Andrew “Rae” Rearwin, indicator was massively negative. signed the initial Rearwin, an open- and both he and his brother, Royce, Sound familiar? Businesses were cockpit biplane that was built in a were active in the company. failing right and left, yet young garage and named after his sons, While the name Rearwin isn’t as businessmen with names like the Ken-Royce. The year was 1929 well-known as Piper, Cessna, Beech, Cessna, Beech, and Stearman were and only a few were produced, with etc., the company was, nonethe- taking huge leaps of faith and start- reportedly only one surviving to- less, a serious player during the ing airplane companies. These were day. However, as he looked around, 1930s, producing more than 400 real American entrepreneurs in ev- he saw the need for smaller aircraft. aircraft, almost all of which are bet- ery sense of the word, and Rae Rear- In 1930-31 he had the Junior, a ter known to modelers than they win was right in the middle of the parasol, designed, and around 1932 are to the full-scale aviation com- fray with them. he commissioned the design of the munity. The modelers know them Rae was a little different than 6000 Speedster. well because two of the Rearwin many of his aviation pioneer peer Eric Rearwin says, “The 6000 variants, the Speedster and the group in three prominent ways. Speedster series were so sleek and Cloudster, have such classic lines First, he wasn’t as young as the rest good looking that they are what and are such good fliers that they and had two grown sons, Ken and many people think of when they are ready-made for free-flight and Royce. Second, he was an already hear the name Rearwin. The original radio-controlled modeling subjects. established businessman/entrepre- 1934 prototype S/N 301 had various Looking back at the birth of the neur, and third, he wasn’t a pilot. problems in gaining certification, Rearwin Aircraft factory from this What attracted him to aviation speciﬁ cally the spin recovery. It ap- 6 FEBRUARY 2012

Vintage Feb 2012.indd 8 1/25/12 9:46 AM GILLE AULLARD GILLE AULLARD PHOTOS Tim Talen restored the Speedster for Eric With a Car well bubble-faced compass anchoring the Rearwin at his Jasper , Oregon-based res- center of the panel, the Speedster has the minimum toration company, the Ragwood Refactor y. required cadre of instr uments.

pears that rather than try to ‘fix’ ing Menasco-powered Speedsters. to the oleo-spring landing gear of that airplane, they canceled the N From initial fl ight to production the Sportster, and fairing the en- number and used the fuselage re- of the 6000M (“M” for Menasco) gine in with a complete cowling. numbered as S/N 302 for all further four critical years had elapsed, al- That became the famous Cloudster, work. So, our airplane, even though lowing many other companies to one of the cutest little airplanes of numbered 302, actually is the origi- move far ahead of Rearwin, so only its day, and it was fairly successful, nal prototype and was retained by a little more than a dozen Speedsters with more than 120 rolling off the the company to be the factory dem- were built. line before World War II. [See the onstrator. The Cirrus Hi-Drive en- In typical entrepreneurial fash- October 2010 issue of Vintage Air- gine was used, but by the time the ion, since one engine wasn’t plane for an article on the Cloud- airplane was going to go into pro- working out, Rae Rearwin went ster and the January 2011 issue for duction, Cirrus was out of business. looking for others and in the pro- a story on the Speedster.—Editor] However, the 125-hp Menasco en- cess bought the LeBlond Engine In 1942 Rearwin sold the com- gine was readily available and, in Company in 1938. He quickly re- pany to Commonwealth, who pro- truth, a much better engine. Better named it the Ken-Royce Engine duced 275 of the Rearwin-designed yet, it fi t into the Speedster with al- Company, and they redesigned the Skyrangers through 1946. By that most no modifi cations.” older Junior with a cabin to take time they had settled on a more Although the economy was suf- that little fi ve-cylinder, round mo- “modern” engine, the superlative fering terribly, there was still a tor. Named the Sportster, at first, Continental C-85. The Common- market for an airplane like the the engine hung mostly out in the wealth Skyranger is still visible in Speedster, but the company didn’t wind with a narrow Townend speed the vintage aircraft arena, as quite have a Menasco-powered one to ring attempting to streamline it. a few have survived. However, the show to the public. So, many of the Then, in an effort to modernize the earlier airplanes, especially the early Speedster ads actually featured design, they completely redesigned Speedster, were rare to begin with the Cirrus-powered prototype air- the Speedster fuselage, widening it and are almost nonexistent today. plane, even though they were sell- for side-by-side seating, changing Eric Rearwin says, “My grandfa- VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7

Vintage Feb 2012.indd 9 1/25/12 9:47 AM STEVE CUKIERSKI

Tim Talen ﬂ ies the tall high-winger near the EAA Seaplane Base southeast of Oshkosh.

ther was periodically hunting down parts were missing, I’m not certain So, now Eric had bought a tan- Rearwins of different models and I would have continued with the gible link to his family’s past, but getting them placed in museums. project. Although, as driven as I it was a tired, badly deteriorated So, when I started spending time was, the airplane would have had link that was going to require a with him, I became aware of the to be a real mess to keep me from lot of TLC that Eric wasn’t capable history that each airplane repre- following through with the project. of giving. Besides not being a pi- sented. As I got older, I didn’t make The truth is, I couldn’t not do it. lot, Eric knew he had neither the a conscious decision to find Rear- “What I found, when I got there, skills nor the time to bring the air- wins, but, little by little, I guess the was a very complete airplane that plane up to the level of perfection same thing that drove my grand- had been owned by the same gen- he was looking for and which the father took root in me. Also, Bill tleman for something over 30 airplane deserved. Wright wrote a book on Rearwins years. He really loved the airplane Eric says, “I started looking about that time, and that really but had fi nally come to the conclu- around for someone to do the res- got my interest going. So, in 2004, sion that he was never going to re- toration and almost immediately when I heard about a Speedster for store it, so he sold it to me. ran across Tim Talen. Besides be- sale in Washington, I was already “When we lost my grandfather ing well-known for a wide range of thinking in that direction. When in 2001, he left me a little inheri- restorations, it turns out Tim had I learned it was a Cirrus-powered tance,” Eric says, “and that was the done a Rearwin/Commonwealth or Speedster, which made it the proto- seed money for this project. Even two and actually knew S/N 302. So, type, my interest was really piqued. though the rest of my family tried Tim took a trailer from his shop in “I took the train to Washing- to talk some sense into my head, I Jasper, Oregon, up to Washington ton,” he says, “to look at the air- couldn’t think of anything I’d rather and retrieved the airplane.” plane, knowing full well that I do with that modest sum than buy Tim’s company, The Ragwood wasn’t qualified to tell how much and restore a Rearwin. Especially Refactory (cool name, Tim!), has work the airplane actually needed. one as historic as Speedster S/N 302. done award-winning vintage/an- However, I knew enough to judge I didn’t see it as an airplane so much tique restorations ranging from how complete the airplane was. If it as a family historical artifact that the fi rst Taylor J-2 Cub to leave the had been heavily modifi ed or many needed to be preserved.” Lock Haven factory to hulking bi- 8 FEBRUARY 2012

Vintage Feb 2012.indd 10 1/25/12 9:47 AM planes of all types, so he was an old He continues, “The wings them- egant, or structural, repair. The later hand at restoring vintage aircraft selves were an interesting mess. I production ribs went to the Pratt such as the Speedster. say ‘interesting’ because besides the truss pattern that has verticals. So, Tim picks up the story and says, obvious deterioration…most of the we totally rebuilt the ribs. Plus the “When we got the airplane home wood was delaminating or rotting… spars were delaminating and some and started taking it apart, it became the ribs were ‘modified,’ and I say of the splices were letting go, so we apparent that although the airplane modiﬁ ed with quotes because what kept all the metal but replaced all didn’t appear to have been in a seri- had been done was almost comical. the wood in the wings. ous wreck in its lifetime, practically “In the first place the ribs used “All of the wood work was done every square inch, both inside and a Warren truss pattern, meaning by Kenyon Solecki, a young high- out, needed total restoration. there are no verticals in the truss, schooler I took under my wing, but “The wings, for instance,” he only diagonals, so the truss pattern he didn’t need much teaching,” says, “were not only badly dete- resembles a bunch of wide W’s side- Talen says. “He was just naturally riorated but had a few things the by-side. This leaves long sections good, and I only had to tell him later production airplanes didn’t of the rib surface unsupported, something once. have. In fact, this was true for lots and they apparently started to lose “Where the airplane sat in Wash- of parts of the airplane. It may have their curve and ﬂ atten out. At some ington for so many years,” Talen been the second one built, but it point in the old girl’s life a help- says, “it rains every day, often all was still very much a prototype. For ful mechanic decided to put verti- day, so the condition of the wood instance, the ailerons on 302 are cal members between each W. That was to be expected. We expected welded steel tube structures, while would have been fine, but he did the fuselage to be the same kind of the later ones are built-up wood. it without uncovering the wings. mess, but, all things considered, it On top of that, the later wings had Essentially, he just poked a hole in wasn’t bad at all. It was about the a slightly wider chord, so the aile- the wings everywhere he wanted to same as any other tubing fuselage, rons on 302, which were a carry- put a vertical. Then he cut a piece meaning we replaced about 8 feet of over from 301, have aluminum of rib stock to size, lathered up the bottom longerons and replaced extensions fastened to the trailing both ends with glue, and pushed a few other small pieces, but that edge to make them wider.” it through the hole. Not a very el- was it. The fuselage is wildly com- VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9

Vintage Feb 2012.indd 11 1/25/12 9:47 AM “No offense to Rearwin, but the landing gear looks as if it was designed in a bar and grill, and they never made it to the grill.”

“Incidentally, almost every piece of wood for the fuselage was there, but virtually none of it was usable. All of the plywood in the airplane,

GILLES AULIARD which includes the fuselage formers, had given up and was coming apart. Gilles Auliard captures the narrow fuselage pr ofi le and beautifully fair ed “It took us forever to get the air- landing gear in this action shot. frame ready for cover,” Tim says, “and when we did, we used Poly- plicated in terms of the number From the outside, with the fairings Fiber and Poly-Tone with Aero-Thane of tubing pieces in it, and if it had on it, it looks as if it’s a single-strut clear top coat, all the way through.” been as deteriorated as the wings, it unit, but inside those fairings is a One of the major attractions to would have been a nightmare. ton of tubing. Each leg is a V with the Speedster series is the shape of “The same thing was true of the another piece of tube in the middle the nose. The nose fits the name, landing gear, thank goodness. It that hooks into bungees. It is one of Speedster, or vice versa, because was in decent condition,” Tim says the most unique landing gears I’ve it just screams speed. Besides its and laughs. “No offense to Rear- ever seen, and now that I’ve fl own looks, one reason the modelers love win, but the landing gear looks as it, I’d also say it’s one of the bounci- it is because the nose shape is so if it was designed in a bar and grill, est. If I’m not right on my game, I’ll easy to fi t almost any model engine and they never made it to the grill. get a bounce without even trying. into and keep total scale appear- 10 FEBRUARY 2012

Vintage Feb 2012.indd 12 1/25/12 9:48 AM Cirrus, and of all the question marks in the airplane, the engine was certainly the biggest one. And still is. Only a small number of aircraft contemporary to the Speed- ster used the Cirrus in any form, the Great Lakes probably being the most common. But the so-called Hi-Drive Cirrus, meaning it was in- verted with the crankshaft on top, saw very little use partially because its reliability was so poor. Tim says, “Right from the beginning, we knew we had to pay special attention to the engine, since we expected to be ﬂ ying the airplane a fair amount. When you know you GILLES AULIARD GILLES have to cross the Cascades or Rock- The wing tanks of the Rear win can also feed fuel to the Cir rus from both at ies—we can go up the gorge and the same time. avoid the Cascades—to get almost anywhere, especially to Oshkosh, you tend to be more serious about your engines. Curiously, the engine that was in the Speedster when we retrieved it, S/N 2062, is the actual engine that was in it when the airplane was built. For an airplane that old, that is almost unheard of. And, even after all those years in the Pa- ciﬁ c Northwest’s weather, it wasn’t a rusty chunk of iron. This was because the Cirrus is well known to be a ‘leaker’ so it was totally covered in oily grime, and it couldn’t have rusted if it wanted to. All we had to

GILLES AULIARD GILLES do was figure out ways around its Like most of the airplanes of the 1930s and 1940s, the occasional car trim weak points to make it into a reli- part is used in the constr uction of this antique airplane. This automotive able engine, relatively speaking. window crank handle becomes the elevator trim handle for the Rear win. “Most Cirrus problems are cen- tered around its top end, which is actually the bottom end on an in- ance. Unfortunately, as magical as its lifetime. So, while we had an en- verted engine because the cylinders the Rearwin Speedster schnoz may tire cowling, there wasn’t a single point down. Everything having to be, it is another nightmare, as Talen piece of it that didn’t need welding, do with the valve train on the en- says, to restore. massaging, reshaping, or all three. gine is frustratingly fragile or poorly “The good news,” he says, “is Making it a lot worse was that the designed. So, we did our best to work that we had the entire cowling. All cowling is where your eye goes the around the known trouble spots.” of it. The bad news is that it was second you see the airplane. So, we Al Holloway in Quincy, Califor- a patchwork quilt of patches with had to get it right. The only way nia, an antique engine specialist, new patches patching old patches. to do that and avoid using tons of was entrusted with building the en- If that’s hard to say, it’s even harder Bondo was to throw time and el- gine, which included chrome cylin- to repair. First, the cowling is made bow grease at it. And to not get in ders and bringing all the specs up to entirely of SO aluminum, mean- a hurry. The slower you work, the new standards. When he was done, ing it is dead soft. So, you can bend smaller your mistakes are, and you he bolted it to the test stand and it with your fingers. Also, it loves don’t want to be constantly correct- put ﬁ ve hours on it before shipping to crack, which it appears to have ing your corrections.” it to Tim, at which point the gotta- done at every opportunity during The cowling was shaped to the get-it-done-for-Oshkosh frenzy, VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11

Vintage Feb 2012.indd 13 1/25/12 9:48 AM STEVE CUKIERSKI

which seems so common in sport of the 7,000-foot runway, and once airplane. We had a lot of good con- aviation, kicked into high gear. it got off the ground, I had the op- versations with people about it. At “We were working right down portunity to closely inspect the lo- Reno, it was out of its element. The to the wire, literally,” he remem- cal sagebrush, as I tried to coax the majority of people came to see the bers. “When we left for Oshkosh, airplane into gaining altitude.” big iron, so it was understandable we had exactly an hour and a half Tim says that based on his own that they didn’t know the airplane.” on the airplane in two hops, and experience with the Cirrus, he’s Eric Rearwin says, “I didn’t know away we went.” convinced the engine’s reputation what to expect, but I was really grat- Flying nearly halfway across the is based on old wives’ tales com- iﬁ ed at the reception we received at country behind a Cirrus is an ad- ing out of experiences pilots had Oshkosh and Blakesburg. It made it venture many people wouldn’t in the ’50s and ’60s, when a lot of all worth it. I can take none of the want to be involved in, but Tim the engines were just cobbled to- credit for the restoration, but I’m says, “We did a round robin that gether. He says that most of the proud to see my great-granddad’s included Oshkosh, Blakesburg the pilots who flew them when they airplane out there again. next month, and Reno after that were new in the ’30s had the same “From this point on, I’m hoping a without the Cirrus missing a lick. experience he had. museum will buy it and put it on dis- And I have to say that landing at He says, “I think it’s probably play. Maybe ﬂ y it from time to time. Rawlins, Wyoming, with the den- only a 200-400 hour engine, but Regardless, I accomplished what I set sity altitude at 9,000-10,000 feet if it is rebuilt correctly and main- out to do, and we put a historic old was wild! The sagebrush on final tained right, it’s as reliable as any Rearwin back into the air.” was just a blur as it flashed past. engine from that period of time.” Those of us who had never seen a On departure headed home, it was Summing up the trip, Tim says, Speedster want to thank Tim and Eric just the reverse: Although it was an “At Oshkosh and Blakesburg, peo- for their efforts. It’s wonderful to see early-morning launch, I used a lot ple really appreciated seeing the an icon back in its element. 12 FEBRUARY 2012

Vintage Feb 2012.indd 14 1/25/12 11:04 AM The Liberating Sky Pioneering black pilots broke barriers and climbed to new heights PART 2

BY PHILIP HANDLEMAN

Last month’s column provided an overview of the great strides made by the earliest African American aviators. The inspiring story of the succeeding generation of black pilots in pursuit of lofty dreams despite the enormous barriers that threatened to block the way is told in this second and concluding installment. These men and women of the air followed in the exemplary tradi- tion of those who had come before, and they upheld it for those who came next.

Proving Profi ciency and Sowing the Dream: Cross-Country Adventurers During the Golden Age of Flight, three two-man teams of African American fliers made headlines in the black press because of their precedent-setting long-distance fl ights. The fi rst of these was undertaken by pilot James Herman Ban- ning and mechanic Thomas Cox Allen. In September and October 1932, the twosome became the fi rst blacks to make a transcontinental James Herman Banning barnstormed in the Midwest. He named his bi- fl ight. It was a harrowing trek that plane Miss Ames, refl ecting his student years at Iowa State College in had hinged upon the men’s ability Ames, Iowa. The diffi culties in making a livelihood as a barnstormer to mine the depths of their charac- eventually caused him to join William J. Powell’s all-black air shows in ter for every ounce of perseverance. Los Angeles. In September and October 1932, he and mechanic Thomas Growing up, Banning dreamed Cox Allen became the fi rst blacks to fl y across the United States. of becoming a pilot. However, when he set out to obtain fl ight in- He fl ew a biplane emblazoned with memory of Coleman. He dazzled struction in Chicago in the early the name Miss Ames, which re- audiences at the all-black air shows 1920s he was rejected at every air- fl ected his years at Iowa State Col- that Powell staged in southern Cali- port in the city that he visited in a lege in Ames. As romantic as the fornia. By 1932, momentum had repeat of the unfortunate snubbing life of a vagabond of the air may be built for a fl ight across the country suffered by Bessie Coleman. Ban- in the abstract, fl ying the Midwest- to showcase the aeronautical acu- ning’s break came when an Army ern circuit proved diffi cult in terms men of black fl iers and thereby at- aviator in Des Moines, Iowa, agreed of making ends meet. tract more blacks to the world of to give him lessons. In 1931, Banning was persuaded aviation. The idea fi t Powell’s objec- Once certificated, Banning em- to join William J. Powell’s Los An- tives exactly, and Banning was the barked on a barnstorming career. geles-based fl ying circus named in perfect pilot to pull it off. VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13

Vintage Feb 2012.indd 15 1/25/12 10:21 AM three weeks of braving faulty equipment, storms, penuriousness, and assorted other adversities, the adventurers were welcomed as the toast of the town. Black newspapers hailed the achievement, and New York Mayor Jimmy Walker presented the fliers with the key to the city. Their glory was short-lived, though, for the Ea- glerock was destroyed during the return fl ight. Banning died the next year as a passenger in a plane crash. Allen, the luckier of the duo, lived to a ripe old age, happily immersed in aviation. It’s said that records are made to be broken. If that adage is true, then surely one of its proofs is the round-trip transcontinental flight by C. Alfred Anderson and Albert E. Forsythe in 1933. This was the first time black pilots flew across the country and back again. Forsythe was an affl uent medical doctor in Atlantic City, New Jersey. In July 1933, C. Alfred “Chief” Anderson, left, and Dr. Albert E. Forsythe Unlike most blacks who dreamed teamed up for the fi rst successful round-trip transcontinental fl ight by of fl ying during the Depression, he black pilots. The next year they organized a goodwill fl ight to islands in had the financial resources to pay the Caribbean. for instruction. In the early 1930s, he was among only ten African The most serious impediment wings in a solid truss arrangement. Americans to hold a pilot’s license. to staging the flight was a lack of The engine was temperamental and Well before William Powell’s book funds. Allen, a transplanted Okla- forced multiple emergency land- was published, Forsythe believed fer- homan, was chosen to ride along, ings during the cross-country fl ight. vently in aviation as a means to a bet- for he brought two vital elements, One of those episodes occurred ter future for the black community. expertise as a mechanic and a little while Banning and Allen neared St. He envisioned a fl ight across America extra cash. In fact, by the time Ban- Louis. On the ground, the two fl iers to dramatize the point. When Ban- ning and Allen took off from Dy- were virtually helpless to make the ning and Allen beat him to it, he rea- cer Field in Los Angeles on the fi rst repairs, for they lacked the neces- soned that a round-trip attempt, if leg of their cross-country jaunt, Al- sary parts and tools. Their historic successful, would constitute the next len’s monetary contribution had odyssey was at risk of being aborted. logical milestone in the evolving an- been largely expended on prepa- Only a helping hand from local resi- nals of black aviation. ratory aspects of the flight. At the dents could restore the biplane to Sharing Forsythe’s enthusiasm launch, the fl iers’ wallets reportedly airworthy status so the high-minded for such an ambitious undertaking contained a combined total of only mission might resume. was Anderson, the African Ameri- $25. They were committed to beg, In a remarkable gesture of good- can pilot who had accumulated the borrow, and cajole along the way to will, white students at a vocational most fl ight hours up to that point complete the fl ight. It isn’t without school in proximity to the disabled and the only one at the time to cause that they called themselves aircraft pitched in to get the airmen possess a transport pilot’s license. the “Flying Hobos.” back into the sky. The incident was Anderson had been so determined A black businessman lent the emblematic of a slowly emerging to fly that when no flight school two fl iers his Alexander Eaglerock, universality, attendant to the fly- would take him as a student, he a diminutive biplane noted for its ing milieu much as the pioneering bought an airplane with his hard- long and slender fuselage. A ma- pilots had dreamed. The trip con- earned savings and hired an in- trix of thick struts and crisscrossing tinued all the way to Long Island, structor for one-on-one lessons. bracing wires connected the two New York, where after more than In the years to come, Anderson 14 FEBRUARY 2012

Vintage Feb 2012.indd 16 1/25/12 1:01 PM gained a special place in the pantheon It followed that a pilot’s pigmenta- Spirit of Booker T. Washington. of black pilots. When the renowned tion was extraneous. At stops on the Pan American Tuskegee Institute in Alabama sought The Anderson-Forsythe flight Goodwill Flight, Anderson and to hire a chief fl ight instructor for its also showcased the rapidly advanc- Forsythe received friendly greet- new civilian fl ight training program ing technical progress in aeronau- ings from government offi cials and in the late 1930s, it was Anderson tics. Flying was transitioning from ordinary people. The black press who got the job. Because of his posi- a daring silk-scarf exertion to a pre- cheered the long leaps to foreign tion, he was often called “Chief” and dictable workaday affair. The dif- territories. Here were a couple of the nickname stuck. ference in equipment and even fi ne men using aviation to engen- In March 1941, during a visit to clothing used in their fl ight versus der warm relations with America’s the institute by Eleanor Roosevelt, what was used in the Banning- neighbors offshore and well to the Anderson was tapped to give the fi rst Allen flight of just a year before south. The U.S. State Department lady a scenic fl ight over the local area refl ected this fact. saw the value in such a mission and in one of the school’s Piper Cubs. A Anderson and Forsythe made gave its full support. picture of a smiling Mrs. Roosevelt in their flight in the highly regarded The adventure, which had ac- the backseat, wearing one of her sig- Fairchild 24, a high-wing design complished most of its goals, came nature fl owered hats and with Chief with an enclosed cabin. Old-style to an abrupt end on the return leg at the controls up front, was taken open-cockpit barnstorming was re- when the airplane incurred dam- of the amazing scene. Shortly after- placed by a modern businessman’s age taking off from an improvised ward, the Army Air Corps started its way of fl ying. Suits and ties substi- runway. In the booklet accompany- historic flight training program for tuted for goggles and leather jack- ing the authoritative Black Wings blacks at the institute. ets. Moreover, while their flight exhibit, the National Air and Space Throughout World War II, An- in the Pride of Atlantic City—as Museum’s curators summarized derson oversaw the primary flight Forsythe had christened the Fair- the flight’s impact by noting that instruction for the aspiring pilots child—was essentially a grassroots it had “attracted worldwide atten- who later became known as the effort, it enjoyed the blessings of tion.” They concluded, “At home, Tuskegee Airmen. But that was organizations like the National Ur- the fl ight provided the black com- in the future. For now, Anderson ban League, a leading civil rights munity with a sense of pride. Both served as the lead pilot for the group concerned with jobs and eco- Anderson and Forsythe hoped the round-trip transcontinental fl ight, nomic well-being. long-distance flight would inspire and Forsythe, while assisting in In the fall of 1934, Anderson and black youth to see in aviation a new flying duties, more importantly Forsythe set out on an even more avenue for advancement.” provided the platform, a newly ac- ambitious fl ight. To highlight their Within a half-dozen years fol- quired cabin monoplane. message of interracial harmony, lowing Coleman’s untimely death, Departing Atlantic City on July they plotted a course to no less than devotees of the daredevil exhibition 17, 1933, the pair of aviators en- ten islands in the Caribbean from pilot were transforming Chicago countered dense fog early in the Nassau to Trinidad. It was a bold into a center of black flying. One flight. After a brief delay, they re- gambit, involving long stretches of of the leaders in the movement was sumed their journey without fur- overwater fl ight at a time when nav- Cornelius R. Coffey, a studious and ther setbacks. They spread their igational devices were still relatively enterprising individual who had message of aviation’s possibilities primitive. Hazards included a leg of an aptitude for mechanical work. at refueling stops along the way. their trip that ran into the darkness In 1931, he and his friend John C. Upon reaching their destination of of night and some landing sites that Robinson graduated in the fi rst class Los Angeles, they were rushed at were nothing more than dirt strips. to accept blacks at the city’s Curtiss- the airport by an adoring crowd. For this island-hopping ex- Wright Aeronautical School. Coffey Powell was one of the well-wishers. cursion they selected a Lambert ranked at the top of his class and Celebrations followed and dignitar- Monocoupe. It had a similar con- Robinson placed second. ies praised the two aviators. figuration to the Fairchild, which Around this time the one Chi- On the return leg, Anderson and involved side-by-side seating, but cago area airport that had permit- Forsythe retraced the outbound it featured a more streamlined fu- ted blacks to fly was closed for route to their starting point on the selage and was outfi tted with wheel good. In response, Coffey and Rob- East Coast. They landed 11 days fairings. At an elegant outdoor cer- inson led a handful of black pilots after they had set out to establish emony attended by the Tuskegee and supporters in the formation of the new record for black pilots. In Institute’s second president, Robert the Challenger Air Pilots Associa- doing so, they had reinforced the R. Moton, they commemorated the tion. The new group bought prop- point that aviation was a field in memory of the institute’s famous erty for an airport on the outskirts which people of color could excel. founder by naming the airplane the of the city. Sadly the fl edgling air- VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15

Vintage Feb 2012.indd 17 1/25/12 10:21 AM chosen for this high-profile flight could hardly have been more dis- parate. Dale Lawrence White was a quiet and serious man who ex- uded a Rock of Gibraltar steadiness, whereas Chauncey Edward Spencer was an effervescent charmer, gush- ing enthusiasm and favored with movie-star charisma. Given the association’s inade- quate finances, funding the flight was a real chore. By one account, Spencer raised $1,000 from the Jones brothers, prosperous black businessmen in Chicago whose var- ied interests were reputed to include a hand in the city’s numbers racket. Reportedly, only after Spencer broke out in tears over the prospect of not being able to fl y to Washington because of a lack of money did he suc- ceed in persuading the Joneses to make the donation. A symbolic gesture by First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt had the substantive On a crisp morning in May eff ect of jump-starting the Army fl ight training program for blacks at 1939, a rented and nearly worn-out the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. While on a visit to the institute in crimson-and-cream Lincoln-Page March 1941, she went for a local scenic fl ight in a Piper Cub with C. Alfred biplane took off from one of Har- “Chief” Anderson at the controls. Never before had a member of any fi rst family been taken aloft by an African American pilot. lem Airport’s grass runways, headed east in the direction of the nation’s port in the black township of Rob- in the United States, and she served capital. The fragile, decade-old ship bins southwest of Chicago was as a powerful booster of flying in was propitiously yet incongruously irretrievably damaged a year later the black community. Harold Hurd, nicknamed Old Faithful. Spencer when a severe storm blew down the a fellow graduate of the Curtiss- and White were on their way, carry- hangar and wrecked the few light- Wright school, had a distinguished ing the hopes and dreams not only planes stored on the premises. aviation career that included a stint of their Chicago colleagues but of Rather than give up, the group at Tuskegee during the war. African Americans nationwide who secured flying privileges from the In the late 1930s, the possibility followed riveting accounts of the enlightened operator of Harlem of global conflict intensified as the fl ight in the black press. Airport situated a short distance Axis powers increasingly fl exed their Before the day was over, the to the north. Coffey formed his muscles. In recognition of the threat, weary Lincoln-Page had precipi- own fl ight school at the new loca- the Roosevelt administration aimed tated three forced landings, the tion. He hoped to make it easier for to create a program that would pro- last being the most serious. The blacks to learn to fly and thereby duce thousands of new civilian pi- engine’s crankshaft had broken at fulfi ll Coleman’s unfi nished dream lots eligible to serve in the nation’s cruise, which turned the heavily of fostering more African American military air arm. Black fl ying enthu- laden ship into a faltering glider. pilots. Some extraordinary person- siasts, like those in Chicago, along White was the more accomplished alities came within Coffey’s orb. with leading civil rights advocates, pilot, so he was on the controls. He His friend Robinson left for Ethi- didn’t want blacks left behind. masterfully guided the stricken air- opia in 1936 to advise Emperor The Chicago group reconstituted craft onto a farmer’s fi eld, narrowly Hailie Selassie on aviation matters itself as the National Airmen’s As- averting collision with a barn. during the African country’s struggle sociation, and one of the first or- The downed pilots were gripped to repel the invading forces of Ital- ders of business was deciding to by concern over how they would be ian dictator Benito Mussolini. Willa send a couple of their members received as black men dropping un- Brown, endowed with a spunky de- on a flight to Washington for the announced into a small Ohio farm meanor and striking good looks, purposes of lobbying Congress and community. As they dismounted became the first African American rallying public support for the in- from their disabled biplane, they female to be certificated as a pilot clusion of blacks. The two pilots felt heightened trepidation over the 16 FEBRUARY 2012

Vintage Feb 2012.indd 18 1/25/12 10:21 AM prospect of meeting the farmer and Congress by Edgar G. Brown—a senator from Missouri came upon his neighbors. If the community into civil rights activist and representa- them and recognized Brown. They which they had descended by a quirk tive of government employees— talked, and the senator, Harry Tru- of fate proved to be hostile, it might who knew his way around Capitol man, agreed to meet with Spencer mean the end of the fl ight or worse. Hill. Among the Congressmen to and White at the airport across the Fortuitously the farmer harbored whom the fliers were introduced Potomac where they had parked no racial prejudice. Edward Miller, was the silken-voiced Everett Dirk- Old Faithful. a lifelong farmer whose German sen, Republican of Illinois. Spencer At the airport, the future president ancestors settled in the area many was particularly put off by this en- showed a genuine interest. Spencer years before, heartily welcomed the counter because it seemed to him and White offered him a ride, which two unexpected visitors who had that Dirksen was interested only in he promptly declined. Instead, he quite literally fallen from the sky. the photo op. peppered them with questions. In fact, Miller arranged meals and It’s entirely possible that Dirksen For their part, Spencer and White lodging for the fatigued pilots at a was motivated by expediency, but pleaded for equal treatment in avi- tavern in town. Meanwhile Spencer he did sponsor a nondiscrimina- ation. This was their moment and and White sent word of the needed tion clause in civil aeronautics leg- they played it to the hilt. Beyond the repair to Coffey back in Chicago. islation. Even more momentous, a civilian fl ight training being planned Two days later, after raising $54 generation later as Senate minority at the time, they asked that the Army for the needed parts, Coffey arrived leader he threw his weight behind Air Corps be opened to blacks. by car to start work on the engine the landmark civil rights legislation For years to come, Spencer de- and get Old Faithful back into the air. masterminded by his political nem- lighted in relating the answer. The townspeople hadn’t had excite- esis President Lyndon Johnson. Truman, who had scrutinized the ment like this at any time in mem- The highlight of the lobby- ragged-looking Lincoln-Page, re- ory. As word spread, they came to see ing effort came inadvertently. As sponded, “If you had guts enough the biplane and lent a helping hand the fl iers and their escort were be- to fly that thing I see there, that with every opportunity. They also tween Congressional visits, walk- plane, I got guts enough to fi ght to picked up the tab for the fl iers’ stay. ing down a stairwell, a little-known get you into the Air Corps.” Miller’s children didn’t want the fliers to leave. Spencer and White looked so gallant in their custom khaki flight outfits; they brought a previously unseen panache into the life of the sleepy farmstead. The ex- troverted Spencer especially evoked the swashbuckler’s persona. Indeed, more than a half-century later, one of those children said, “The experience with Chauncey is the most wondrous thing that happened to me in my whole life. It gives you a good heart.” The fl iers were thankful for their re- prieve and resumed the fl ight as soon as the engine fi red back up. In his au- tobiography published 36 years later, Spencer wrote of his hosts: “They were a gracious group of people . . .” During subsequent stops, not ev- A High-gloss Wet-look Covering System eryone was so kind. At an airport in West Virginia, the two pilots ★I t ’s B RA ND NEW! ★I t ’s G L O S SY ! Give us a jingle and weren’t permitted to stay over- ★ ★ night; they were shooed away. In I t ’s FAST & EA SY! It WO R K S ! get the full story on Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, they STAR GLOSS. had a run-in with authorities who threatened to ground them. 8 0 0 - 3 6 2 - 3 4 9 0 At their main destination of www.conaircraft.com Washington, Spencer and White Consolidated Airc raft Coatings were escorted through the halls of VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17

Vintage Feb 2012.indd 19 1/25/12 11:07 AM his paradigm-changing decision. At the very least, the impassioned plea of the pilots of Old Faithful was a wave in the mounting riptide that eventually tipped the balance. Spencer and White were integral to the succession of dreamers who passed the torch from one to the next until the sky’s artifi cial barriers were removed. Each fl ight that nav- igated on the course to freedom, no matter how humble or faded in memory by the passage of time, In May 1939, Chauncey E. Spencer and Dale L. White fl ew from Chicago contributed in some measure to the to Washington, D.C., in a Lincoln-Page biplane nicknamed Old Faithful. resulting benefi cence. Shown here being congratulated on their return, White is in the center shaking hands with Cornelius R. Coff ey, a leader of African American avi- Until he died in 2002 at the age ation in Chicago. Spencer is second from right. of 95, Spencer remained spry and continued to believe that his en- Passing the Torch: race-related malevolence and stated counter with the future president Flights to Freedom that he would rather lose the elec- had made the difference. Be that Nine years after chatting with tion than not initiate the measure as it may, a few months after he the pilots of Old Faithful, Harry to end segregation in the military. and White fi nished their epic Chi- Truman signed Executive Order Of course, the undeniable air cago-to-Washington flight in Old 9981, which in one fell swoop in- combat success during World War Faithful, they returned to the farm tegrated the armed forces and pro- II of the Tuskegee Airmen, the Ar- community in Ohio that had ac- duced a salutary ripple effect that my’s first black pilots, must have corded them such warmth and continues to run through society. been a contributing determinant. friendship. For a day they gave the Historians have pointed out that Additionally civil rights groups townspeople plane rides. Sharing Truman’s memoirs don’t men- kept the pressure on. In the mix of the province in which their every tion the meeting with Spencer and factors impacting the process, it’s breath savored freedom in its pur- White, nor do any of the exhaus- hard to imagine that the discus- est form was the ultimate expres- tive biographies on the president. sion Truman had with Spencer and sion of their respect and gratitude In truth, there were various fac- White, despite its historical obscu- for fellow citizens who had hon- tors bearing on Truman’s decision, rity, didn’t fi gure to some degree in ored their dream. which was perhaps his most courageous in public offi ce. It was made ACKNOWLEDGMENT The author is grateful for the assistance of the Tuskegee Airmen Na- in an election year that started out tional Historical Museum in Detroit, Michigan. as an uphill proposition for the in- cumbent. Moreover, opinion polls SOURCES AND FURTHER READING showed the electorate overwhelm- Hardesty, Von; Pisano, Dominick. Black Wings: The American Black in Aviation. ingly opposed to integration. Washington, D.C.: National Air and Space Museum/Smithsonian Institution, 1983. According to the historical con- Hardesty, Von. Black Wings: Courageous Stories of African Americans in Avia- sensus, the main factor that in- tion and Space History. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution/Harper Collins fluenced Truman to compel the Publishers, 2008. integration of the armed forces was Hardesty, Von. Great Aviators and Epic Flights. Fairfi eld, Connecticut: Hugh his revulsion over the violence that Lauter Levin Associates, 2002. had been directed at some black Lambertson, Giles. “The other Harlem: at a small airfi eld in 1930s Chicago, blacks found the fi rst schools that would teach them to fl y.” Air & Space/Smith- veterans. As a veteran himself, Tru- sonian, February/March 2010. man had a visceral distaste for the Laris, Michael. “Fr eedom fl ight: Chauncey Spencer and Dale White risked life abusive way these former service and limb to fl y a rickety, rented biplane from Chicago to Washington. But their real members were treated. Years af- destination was the futur e.” The Washington Post, February 16, 2003. ter his decision, a previously un- Powell, William J. Black Aviator: The Story of William J. Powell (reissue of known letter, written to a friend in Black Wings. 1934). W ashington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Pr ess, 1994. the heat of the integration contro- Rich, Doris L. Queen Bess: Daredevil Aviator. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian versy, was discovered. In the letter, Institution Pr ess, 1993. Truman referred to examples where Spencer, Chauncey E. Who Is Chauncey Spencer? Detroit, Michigan: Br oad- black veterans had been affected by side Pr ess, 1975. 18 FEBRUARY 2012

Vintage Feb 2012.indd 20 1/25/12 10:22 AM This year’s forecast: yellow skies and black lightning

The Oshkosh sky will become a sea of yellow this year as hundreds of Piper Cubs migrate to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2012. It’s all part of the week-long celebration of the iconic aircraft’s 75th anniversary. The pioneering light aircraft will be honored throughout the week with special features and attractions, including two unforgettable air show acts. You don’t want to miss it.

Cub owners who wish to participate in the mass arrival can register at www.Cubs2Oshkosh.org July 23-29 | AirVenture.org/tickets

Vintage Feb 2012.indd 21 1/25/12 10:23 AM Light Plane Heritage

published in EAA Experimenter February 1993

TWELVE THOUSAND MILES IN AN AVRO AVIAN Part 2

BY BOB WHITTIER EAA 1235

he weather was now cold miles short of that city. He infl ated Basra, 1,000 miles away over the vast but clear, and it was a the rubber boat, overturned it, and Syrian Desert. He sailed over the Dead Tsimple matter to follow found that it made a reasonably Sea and then began to climb to clear a the coastline south. The comfortable bed. 5,000-foot-high mountain range. The volcanoes Vesuvius and Stromboli When morning came, local peo- air was very hot, the engine was noisy, provided unmistakable landmarks. ple pulled many bushes from the and sitting in one position for hours Along the eastern shoreline of Sic- sand to clear a suitable takeoff path. on end led to cramps. Then out over ily he flew and then headed out And then at Tobruk, he learned that the lonely desert. Whatever cross- over the Mediterranean toward the the Egyptian government now re- winds might do to his navigation, he island of Malta. This was a 60-mile quired 15 days’ notice before over- knew that sooner or later his heading overwater fl ight. Presumably by the fl ying or landing in that country. So would lead him to the broad valley of time he began to lose sight of Sicily from Tobruk he flew out over the the Euphrates River, which he could astern, altitude made it possible for Mediterranean far enough to give follow downstream to Basra. His spir- him to sight Malta ahead. Egypt a wide berth. Eight hours later its leaped when at last he caught sight People at the R.A.F. field there he decided to set down in the des- of green foliage far ahead. gave him a grand welcome and ert in a part of Palestine then un- At Basra he was informed that he much help. It rained all night, and der British rule and possibly what is was five days ahead of the Smiths’ in the morning the field was soggy. now called the Gaza Strip. 1919 time. Thus encouraged, he went The Avian had old-style slim, high- Again locals helped him. He got over the Cirrus engine carefully be- pressure tires that cut into the soft airborne and followed the coast- fore going to bed. He did these checks ground and resulted in an apprehen- line north to land at the R.A.F. field just as often as he could, and they no sively long takeoff run. at Ramleh, a dozen miles southeast doubt played a large part in the suc- Ahead of Hinkler lay a 400-mile of Tel Aviv, where he ran into more cess of his fl ight. fl ight over open water to Benghazi problems with offi cialdom. There was He took off at dawn for Jask on the in Libya. At least he’d be heading for a diphtheria scare in the region, and shore of the Persian Gulf. That was a broad coastline that he could, if Hinkler had no health papers with a tiny, bleak settlement maintained need be, follow one way or the other him. This required a trip into town to by the India-to-Europe telegraph to find that destination. Six hours get medical clearance. Then bureau- company. Because it had a primitive later he touched down on North Af- crats insisted that he must fill out a landing fi eld a few miles out of town, rican soil, refueled, and headed east sheaf of customs papers. This wasted and had telegraph facilities and a few along the coastline for Tobruk. The a whole day. British telegraph people in residence, approach of darkness obliged him The following morning he took off it was a valuable stopping place for to set down in the desert about 40 and headed a bit southeast toward pioneer fl iers traveling the England-

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

20 FEBRUARY 2012

Vintage Feb 2012.indd 22 1/25/12 10:25 AM Eight hours later he decided to set down in the desert in a part of Palestine then under British rule and possibly what is now called the Gaza Strip. AUSTRALIAN NEWS AND INFORMA TION BUREAU In addition to being an experienced pilot, Hinkler was a superb mechanic. Car e- ful inspection and ser vicing of the engine befor e each leg of his long jour ney contributed much to its success.

India-Australia route. While refueling the next morn- nerve-wracking seven hours aloft, The day was very hot and hazy, ing, Hinkler was distressed to notice he landed with a sigh of relief at the the fl ying monotonous, and the en- that the large fuel tank had started R.A.F. field in Karachi. This meant gine noise incessant. The Cirrus had to leak. He counted the drops to cal- that he was now halfway to Austra- a short exhaust stack that ended sev- culate the rate of fuel loss, and it ap- lia. For the rest of the day and on past eral feet ahead of the cockpit, and peared that he could with luck reach midnight he and R.A.F. mechanics its exposed valve rocker arms emit- the next stop, Karachi, on the west worked to fi nd and fi x the fuel leak. ted a steady clatter to add to the mis- coast of India. Someone passed along to Hinkler ery. Hinkler fought off hallucinations. So he took off, and as hour after the welcome news that he had set a Jask looked like paradise when the hour passed it began to appear that new lightplane record from England weary fl ier fi nally landed. he’d reach his destination. After a to India. He was also strongly advised VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21

Vintage Feb 2012.indd 23 1/25/12 10:25 AM Pilots of the 1920s did incr edible things with slow biplanes intended for training and having no avionics. On this map of Hinkler’s r oute by EAAer R.E. LaFollette, the distance fr om Por t Dar win to Bundaber g is 1,600 miles over jungle and deser t. Based on par ts from the war surplus RAF V-8 engine, the Cir rus that power ed Hinkler’s A vian had an over-str ength and ther efore very durable crankshaft, which gave r eliability on long ﬂ ights. Incorporating lessons learned from biplanes, the 1929 de Havilland Puss Moth monoplane was powered by an impr oved 100-hp Cir rus. This inver ted engine gr eatly impr oved forward visibility for navigation by landmarks. Cabin shielded pilots fr om buf fet- ing slipstr eam, cold, rain and tr opical sun, and did away with vital maps being blown overboar d. Clean monoplane design boosted speed. Fat tir es wer e better for poor airﬁ elds.

that his thin pilot’s helmet would cer- after midnight by the light of a fl ash- ter refueling the Avian’s tires sank so tainly not protect him from the blaz- light, which attracted very unwel- deep into the turf that Hinkler had to ing Indian sun, and he’d likely suffer come insects. In the morning he took ask bystanders to push on the plane sunstroke. So he obtained a topee, the off for Rangoon in Burma. to start it rolling. Indian word for a pith helmet. The course he plotted took him Again he followed the coastline By now, newspapers had begun 150 miles diagonally across the Bay of and islands, using the large one of to notice what was going on and got Bengal to pick up the Burmese coast Banka as a checkpoint. Another go- excited. Some of them came up with near Akyab. Haze and smoke from rilla of a thunderstorm forced a two- such unfortunate phrases as “Hus- forest fi res caused very poor visibility. hour detour, and Hinkler was happy tling Hinkler” and “Hinkle, Hinkle, Going by compass, he flew inland, indeed to glide into the Dutch Fly- Little Star!” a sad play on his name crossed a mountain range, coped with ing School fi eld about 50 miles east and shortness. Things like that made various kinds of clouds, and landed of Bandung, in what was then Java him cringe. on the racetrack at Rangoon. but is now Indonesia. He crossed the northern part of In- The next day he flew 600 miles Pressing along the length of this dia with a halfway stop at Cawnpore. down the west coast of the Malay island country the next day, he While the topee warded off sunstroke, Peninsula to a very small town called climbed to 10,000 feet to fi nd cool it left his ears completely unprotected Victoria Point. The “airport” there air and incidentally viewed with from engine noise and he was totally was a small clearing in the jungle. He awe a vast panorama of tropic and deaf upon reaching that city. But in- overnighted in a rubber planter’s bun- ocean scenery. He landed at a small side his head he could still hear the galow and pressed on for Singapore. town called Bima on the island of engine’s clatter. A terrific thunderstorm obliged Sumbawa. There he spent a sleep- Departing Cawnpore at sunrise, him to make a 50-mile detour, and less, mosquito-plagued night. he fl ew over a mixture of jungle and the ground at the Singapore race- The morning of February 22 was green cropland, picked up the Gan- course was so soft the Avian almost a critical one, for if all went well ges River, and followed it to Calcutta. nosed over as it landed. It was still he’d end that day’s flight at Dar- There he worked on the engine until raining the next morning, and af- win in northern Australia. Ahead 22 FEBRUARY 2012

Vintage Feb 2012.indd 24 1/25/12 10:25 AM bodies of water he had looked down upon. What civil aviation needed, he reasoned, was a good little amphibian. Making good use of his many con- tacts in the British aero industry, he created what he named the Ibis amphibian, a light, neat-looking two- seater powered by a pair of Salmson 40-hp radial engines made in France. They were mounted in tractor-pusher fashion in a nacelle above the wing’s center section. It was a good, practical aircraft, but by 1930 the Great Depression that followed the Wall Street stock mar- AUSTRALIAN NEWS AND INFORMA TION BUREAU ket crash of 1929 had all but killed Following his r emarkable 1928 fl ight, Ber t Hinkler’s A vro Avian was put on dis- off the manufacture of small planes. play in the Queensland Museum in Brisbane. It can still be seen ther e. Hinkler went to the United States and Canada in 1931 hoping to fi nd back- of him lay a 900-mile hop over the Avian became a prized display at the ers, on the theory that the vastness of Timor Sea. The islands of Sumba Queensland Museum in Brisbane. the North American continent might and Timor provided welcome check- (The Avian is on display in the same provide a market. But business was points. Then for fi ve very tense and gallery as the Sopwith Baby.) going from bad to worse. lonely hours there was nothing but Hinkler was struck by the many In Canada Hinkler bought a three- empty ocean below. Hinkler’s spirits very poor airfields he landed on in seat, 115-hp version of the de Havil- leaped like a kangaroo when at last the course of his long fl ights, and at land Puss Moth cabin monoplane he made out Bathurst Island on Aus- the same time by the vast number of and set up a charter service catering tralia’s northern coast. Around midday a large crown began to gather at Darwin’s airfield. They waited and waited. Around 5 p.m. many began to drift away in dis- appointment. Then, shortly before 6, a man with a telescope shouted, “There he is!” When the Avian’s tailskid kicked up a plume of Australian dust, Hin- kler knew that at last he had made his 10-year dream come true. He had cut the Smiths’ time in half. He was hailed mightily by the people of Dar- 1903: Samuel Pierpont Langley’s “Aerodrome” win. It did not take him long to re- attempts to take off from a floating platform. alize that he was to Australia what L a n g l ey may have been the last and last. The instruction Lindbergh was to the United States. father of carrier aviation, but manual is very clear and fun Then he flew 1,600 miles over jungle and desert to at long last ar- even Poly-Fiber fabric couldn’t to read. It’s easier than falling rive at good old Bundaberg. There h ave made this work. Good off a... well, you know. followed a tour of the country, ideas tend to stick aro u n d , with the modest Hinkler squirming polyfiber.com though. Hey! We named our [email protected] through many a ceremony and re- first carrier after him. 800-362-3490 ception where dignitaries tried to outdo one another with flowery Poly-Fiber has stuck around, prose. He received so many business too, about forty years worth. proposals that it boggled his mind. But in the end he decided to re- With Poly-Fiber you’ll get a turn to England, where he hoped to beautiful covering job that’ll realize another dream. The faithful VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

Vintage Feb 2012.indd 25 1/25/12 10:25 AM Aviation people greeted him as a celebrity, but the business community in 1932 had about as much enthusiasm for light aircraft ventures as for a scheme to build bridges out of balsa wood.

Upon his ar rival in England after the 1932 ﬂ ight from Brazil, Hinkler was given a r ousing welcome by aviation people, but the public paid little attention due to being preoccupied with a ver y depressed economy .

to businessmen. This, too, was a dis- siasm for light aircraft ventures as a Florence cemetery. There was talk appointment. Some people began to for a scheme to build bridges out of of reinterring him in Australia, but say Hinkler was never offered a job balsa wood. About all the very frus- nothing came of it. worthy of his ability. But the Depres- trated Hinkler could think of was to A waste of talent? Undoubt- sion was hard on many, many other try to get the useful Ibis into pro- edly. Yet, other gallant airmen met people, too. duction in his vast homeland of their ends while striving mightily In October of 1931 he gave up on Australia. Perhaps he was driven by for achievement in the fi eld they so North America and undertook what desperation, as were so many oth- loved. Other fliers in small planes some felt was a last, rash effort. He ers in those grim Depression years. made remarkable long-distance flew the Puss Moth from New York Delayed by bad weather, he did not flights in the 1920s and into the to Jamaica in the Caribbean and get off from Feltham aerodrome un- 1930s. Call them stunts if you wish; pressed on to Natal on the Brazilian til 3 in the afternoon of February 7, the fact is they taught many lessons coast. There, telling people little of 1933. He crossed France and headed and highlighted the great need for his plans, he sent a cryptic telegraph down the Italian peninsula. better airfields, radios, instruments, message to Nancy in London. It read, After surmounting the Alps he and planes. “Here’s hoping!” must have been chilled numb. A high The slow biplanes having shown Then he took off. Twenty-two wind was blowing, there were clouds what could be done, designers went hours later Nancy received an- and snow, and darkness had fallen. to work on faster monoplanes. To- other telegram. It read, “Landed at Not knowing where he was, Hinkler day, small planes make long fl ights Bathurst, Gambia. O.K. Bert.” He crashed into an Appenine mountain- as a matter of course. We owe pio- fl ew up the coast of Africa, crossed side. Snow covered the wrecked plane neers like Hinkler much respect and Spain and France, and landed at and dead pilot, and it was not until gratitude. What they did led to to- Hanworth Airpark in Middlesex. late April that local mountain men day’s growing use of aircraft to bring Aviation people greeted him as a ce- came upon the scene. together people from all over the lebrity, but the business community Sympathetic Italians gave Hinkler world in a spirit of friendship and in 1932 had about as much enthu- a military funeral and buried him in mutual understanding. 24 FEBRUARY 2012

Vintage Feb 2012.indd 26 1/25/12 10:27 AM Drive one. 2012 Ford Explorer

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Vintage Feb 2012.indd 27 1/25/12 10:27 AM THE Vintage Mechanic

BY ROBERT G. LOCK

Monocoque Structures

Monocoque (pronounced mon-o-cock) is a French In 1918 in the United States, a young designer word meaning “single shell.” The first wood shell named John Northrop developed a new method to monocoque structure was developed by the Swiss construct a monocoque fuselage for the Loughead S-1 designer Ruchonnet and applied to a Deperdussin biplane. Northrop and Anthony “Tony” Stadlman, monoplane raced by Louis Béchereau in 1912. In the Loughead superintendent of construction, began de- monocoque design, the skin carries all fl ight loads, re- signing and building a “dream plane” for returning sulting in a more streamlined airplane. Just look at this WWI pilots. During the months after the war, they fab- beautiful ship shown in Illustration 1. ricated a mold from concrete in which two plywood half shells could be fabricated in a ILLUSTRATION 1 relatively short period of time. The Deperdussin technique required that many small strips of plywood be glued over a form, a very lengthy process. Rather Northrop used three plies of spruce strips soaked with The fi rst plane to break the glue and laid in a semicircular 124-mph barrier, and the fi rst Schneider Tro- concrete mold. A release paper was phy winner, was Armand Deperdussin’s mono- laid over the spruce strips, and a rub- plane. It fl ew as the speed phenomenon of the ber bag was placed over the wood. Then a lid years before the First World War. The plane was was bolted over the mold, and the rubber bag developed early in 1912 by Louis Béchereau, the infl ated to press the plywood against the mold. designer for the Socie’te pour les Appareils Deper- Twenty-four hours later, after the glue cured, the bag dussin. Béchereau worked from an idea by Swedish engineer Ruchonnet and developed a streamlined ILLUSTRATION 2 monocoque plywood fuselage with a large spinner. To The 1912 version of the Deper dussin-Bécher eau Model achieve maximum power, two Gnome rotaries were D. Sitting in fr ont are four of its pilots, Guillaume Bus- mounted on a common crankshaft. The first note- son, René Vidar t, Jules V edrines, and Maurice Pr evost. worthy achievement of this plane was the 1912 Gor- don Bennett Cup, which it won with a speed of 108.1 mph. The plane won the cup again the following year on September 29, 1913, in Reims, France. Maurice Prévost achieved an average of 124.6 mph. During this race the plane beat the world speed record three times, and its maximum speed was 126.7 mph—an amazing feat almost ten years after the Wright Broth- ers fi rst fl ew a heavier-than-air ship in 1903. Powering the ship were two Gnome seven-cylinder air-cooled rotary motors mounted to a common crankshaft. One wonders how they did that! Illustration 2 is photograph of this beautiful ship. 26 FEBRUARY 2012

Vintage Feb 2012.indd 28 1/25/12 10:27 AM was deﬂ ated and the lid removed to expose a smooth half-shell. Illustrations 3 and 4 depict the molds that produced left and right side shells, which reduced the time needed to produce skins from days to just 20 minutes, not including cure time. The two half shells were less than a quarter-inch thick. Left, in this Lockheed archives photo, we get a peek inside the small factory building in 1919. In Illustration 3, workmen have just removed a fuselage skin from the mold. The lid can be seen hoisted above the heavy mold. This early process is very similar to modern composite fabrication using a mold; however, today’s molds aren’t made from con- ILLUSTRATION 5 crete. For composite fabrication, composite molds are used. In 1927, Northrop designed the famous Lockheed Vega based on his experience with the S-1. In Illustration 6 is a shot of Lockheed Vega serial number 1. The design phi- losophy of the fuselage and empennage carried over to the Vega from the S-1. Note the similarity of vertical ﬁ n and rudder planform. Northrop, Stadlman, and the Lougheads, Allen and Malcom, devised and patented a process to make molded plywood monocoque fuselage shells (U.S. Patent #1,425,113, August 8, 1922).

ILLUSTRATION 3 ILLUSTRATION 6

The ﬁ rst plane to break the 124-mph barrier, and the

ILLUSTRATION 4 ﬁ rst Schneider In Illustration 4, two workmen hold the fuselage with one hand to demonstrate its Trophy winner, lightweight construction. One-half of the outer shell has been glued in place to form a background to show the bulkheads. There was Armand are no stringers or other structural components in the fuselage. Illustration 5 shows the Loughead S-1 Deperdussin’s folding wing biplane, constructed in 1919 by designer John Northrop. This molding process would be perfected and used later monoplane. to produce the famous Lockheed Vega. VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27

Vintage Feb 2012.indd 29 1/25/12 10:27 AM ILLUSTRATION 7

ILLUSTRATION 8

Illustration 7 shows the Lockheed factory located In Illustration 8, bulkheads are assembled on keel, in Burbank, California, with Vega aircraft under con- ready to receive plywood skins in this Lockheed as- struction. Cantilever wing is in foreground with aile- sembly line photograph. Note there are no stringers in ron clamped to apply pressure to the glue. Fuselage the structure to aid in carrying ﬂ ight loads. The stress bulkheads can be seen hanging from rafters with three skin carries all the loads. Bulkheads are fabricated from ships under construction. To the right is a spar assem- laminated spruce. bly ready for fabrication of another wing panel. 28 FEBRUARY 2012

Vintage Feb 2012.indd 30 1/25/12 10:28 AM ILLUSTRATION 9 To the wealthy guy goes all the toys! Here’s Los An- geles tycoon car dealer Earle C. Anthony, his 1920 Packard model 6-26 Runabout, and his Lockheed Vega. His dealership sold Packard cars to many Hollywood stars of the era. Anthony also owned clear channel AM radio station KFI. The Vega became synonymous with speed and was the first airplane to fly nonstop coast to coast in both directions. Vega aircraft were later equipped with NACA speed cowls, which added dra- matically to their speed.

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Vintage Feb 2012.indd 31 1/25/12 10:28 AM THE Vintage Instructor

BY Steve Krog, CFI

Some things you learn after getting your certiﬁ cate

uick, what will be the takeoff distance of getting longer, and some of the awaiting passengers your airplane at gross on a 90ºF day? How were rather stout. I pointed one individual out and much crosswind can your airplane handle? mentioned to my wife, Sharon, that the stout cousin Detailed performance charts were never should be placed in line so that he received his ride Qprovided for many of the under 100- to when the fuel tank was near empty. Unfortunately, he 150-hp vintage airplanes we fl y today. Consequently, was nowhere to be found at that point, so I gave an- determining takeoff or landing distances, crosswind other ride and shut down to add fuel. components, and other performance fi gures for these While adding fuel and getting a drink of water, the airplanes becomes a guessing game or a “gut feel,” de- stout fellow reappeared and hopped into the front pending upon how much time one has accumulated seat. Realizing what had happened, I suggested he in the plane. might want to wait, but it was his turn and he was Some years ago I participated in a 100th anniversary adamant about getting his ride. I didn’t want to cause family reunion. The gathering was held in early August a problem, so I reluctantly started up and taxied into on a southwestern Minnesota farm. My cousin, who position for a takeoff, all the while thinking that if I’m owned the farm, asked that I fl y my J-3 and offer rides. not airborne at my marker, I’ll shut it down. Everyone could then take photos of the horse-drawn The poor Cub began rolling, and sure enough, we wagons, bundle pitching, and threshing that was tak- were off the ground just at midpoint. After climbing ing place. I agreed, and we cut a short runway in the to about 15 feet, I couldn’t coax another inch of alti- hayfi eld adjoining the farm. tude out of the laboring J-3. With the power lines ap- Not having ever done anything like this previously, proaching and no room to go under them, I decided a I truly didn’t know what I didn’t know. However, I “gentle” skidding turn to the right was in order, as it did pace off the runway while checking for holes and was open unobstructed fl atland for several miles. After other obstructions that might hamper a smooth take- completing the turn and continuing in a northern di- off or landing. There were trees at the east end and rection at 15 feet, my cousin asked why he was getting low-hanging power lines at the west end of the freshly a ride different from the others. With palms sweating carved 1,400-foot runway. and knees shaking, I didn’t want to tell him what re- The next morning I arrived in the 65-hp J-3 Cub. By ally just happened. I responded, “I thought you might midmorning the temperature hovered around 85ºF and want to try something different.” Several more miles the humidity was high. On a normal day in this part of later, we had reached 200 feet and turned back for his the country the wind is usually westerly at about 15 to photo pass followed by the landing. 20 mph, but not today; it was nearly calm. I thought I shut down the engine and climbed out, explain- to myself that the trusty Cub was surely going to get a ing to Sharon that I needed a break for a few minutes. tough workout hauling passengers under these condi- After regaining my composure, the rides continued un- tions. To my benefi t, though, I could take off to the west eventfully for the remainder of the day. and land to the east, saving a lot of taxi time. I’ve thought about that incident many times since Before hopping the fi rst ride, I paced the runway and then and vowed that I would never let myself get placed a visible marker at the halfway point, thinking talked into a similar situation ever again. Additionally, that if I wasn’t airborne by the marker, I had adequate I also vowed that I would get to know the Cub perfor- runway to shut down and stop. mance much better. The result is an accumulation of When the threshing machine fi red up, I began hop- several rules of thumb. These rules will apply to most ping rides. The fi rst dozen or so were uneventful. After all of the low-horsepower vintage airplanes we fl y. every exchange of passengers, I noticed the ride line A 10 percent increase in aircraft takeoff weight will 30 FEBRUARY 2012

Vintage Feb 2012.indd 32 1/25/12 10:28 AM result in a 20 percent increase in takeoff distance. taxied past my hangar, he waved and asked if I’d ride Density altitude increases the takeoff distance by along while he did a few landings. I had a little time on about 120 feet for each 10ºC above the standard tem- my hands, so I decided to join him. What could it hurt? perature (15ºC [59ºF]). The wind was fairly strong from the north, but rather

For each knot above VREF (recommended approach than taxiing to favored Runway 36, he continued on speed), the touchdown point will be 100 feet farther to Runway 29. I thought that a bit odd, but maybe he down the runway. wanted to work on his crosswinds. As he aligned himself On another occasion I learned another valuable les- with the runway centerline, I sat back to enjoy the ride. son. An old aviator friend from out of town had stopped After applying full power we instantly found ourselves in by the airport. During our short visit he mentioned that a 90-degree turn to the right. I sat up and hit the left rud- he hadn’t fl own a Cub in more than 30 years and would der, realigning with the centerline. A half-second later we like to make a short fl ight. I agreed, and he hopped in entered a 90-degree turn to the left and headed for the the front seat. I didn’t have an intercom in the Cub, so drainage ditch. I hit the right rudder hard, again align- I mentioned that I would make the takeoff and then ing with the centerline. Then he hit the right rudder. The shake the stick, indicating that it was his airplane. I tires were squealing, the tail was now in the air, and we would hold my hands up for him to see, so that he were headed for the swamp on the right side of the run- could visually confi rm that I was not on the controls. way. I instantly pulled the throttle to idle, switched the After takeoff I shook the stick followed by hold- mags off, and steered the airplane off the runway into the ing up my hands. He took control and began flying tall grass. I felt the airplane would go over on its nose, so around the area. It was early afternoon, so we were I forced it into a ground loop. When we fi nally came to a experiencing the normal thermal and bump activity. stop my friend asked, “What just happened?” I anticipated that he would fl y for a few minutes and After giving the incident some thought, I came to a then return the controls to me by shaking the stick and conclusion: I should have spoken up when we didn’t holding his hands up. Minutes passed, and he contin- use the best runway. He was so excited about flying ued to fl y . . . or so I thought. again that he was oblivious to the wind. I learned an- My old aviator friend made a few turns and then sup- other valuable lesson! When two pilots are at the con- posedly shook the stick. However, I just assumed that it trols, always confirm who is pilot in command and was the turbulence moving the stick and continued to what is expected of the accompanying pilot! let him fly. He never did hold his hands in the air. Fif- teen minutes later we were still fl ying, but it was mostly straight and level with a slow descent. When we got down $LUFUDIW)LQLVKLQJ3URGXFWV to about 100 feet, I decided to take the stick, leveled the 67&·GIRU&HUWLILHG$LUFUDIW airplane, and returned to the airport. After landing, I asked him if he knew the owner of the farm he was intending to buzz. With a look of 6DIHIRU

Vintage Feb 2012.indd 33 1/25/12 10:29 AM by H.G. FRAUTSCHY MYSTERY PLANE

This month’s Mystery Plane came to our attention through Wes Smith of Springﬁ eld, Illinois.

Send your answer to EAA, Vintage Airplane, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Your answer needs to be in no later than March 10 for inclusion in the May 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.

NOVEMBER’S MYSTERY ANSWER

he November Mystery TPlane came to us from the Norman Collection of the EAA Library. Here’s our ﬁ rst letter: The November 2011 Mystery Plane is a Stout amphibian built in 1927 by William B. Stout, the designer of the Ford Tri-Motor. This twin-engine tandem-wing amphibian was powered by a pair of 32-hp Bristol Cherub engines. Robert F. Pauley’s book, Michigan Aircraft Manufacturers, says the test pilot, Leonard Flo, could not coax the plane into the air, and it was damaged in a high-speed taxiing accident. The plane was scrapped. Robert Ross Pigeon, Michigan

And this from Lynn Towns of Holt, Michigan: The November Mystery Plane is the Stout Dragonﬂ y. After Ford took over the design and production of the Tri-Motor, William B. 32 FEBRUARY 2012

Vintage Feb 2012.indd 34 1/25/12 10:29 AM THE “STROMBERG SPECIALIST” R.E. “Bob” Kachergius A&P/IA

Does your Stromberg NA-S3 carburetor Drip - Leak - Perform poorly ? ? ?

Have it Overhauled & Restored to “Grand Cham- pion” standards and quality by us…

WE: Dismantle & Inspect – Clean & Glass Bead Blast – Aluma-Etch & Alodine – Custom Lap mating surfaces – Re- assemble using all new AN hardware, gaskets, Stainless steel or Delrin needle & seat – proper metering Lynn Towns shared this photo showing off the interesting layout of the jets & venturis… Float level Ford-Stout Dragonfl y. is set “wet” to 13/32” – Stromberg service letter procedure installed to raise float bowl vent position eliminating fuel drip – prepare a log book entry sheet… Stout was given free rein to de- We enjoy your suggestions for Mys- All for $850.00 sign and build his own airplanes tery Plane—in fact, more than half of + $25.00 freight & handling using the Ford facilities. His sec- our subjects are sent to us by mem- ond attempt at a new design was bers, often via e-mail. Please remem- UNI-TECH AIR MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS, INC. the 1927 Dragonfly. This two- ber that if you want to scan the photo Call: 708-267-7111 place open-cockpit monoplane for use in Mystery Plane, it must be at Mail: 13221 WINDWARD TRAIL ORLAND PARK, IL. 60462 was an amphibian with two tan- a resolution of 300 dpi or greater. You E-Mail: [email protected] dem wings. Today, we would call may send a lower-resolution version it a canard design, but I don’t to us for our review, but the fi nal ver- know whether that term existed sion has to be at that level of detail or at that time. It was powered by it will not print properly. Also, please two pylon-mounted 32-hp Bris- let us know where the photo came tol Cherub engines. In keep- from; we don’t want to willfully vio- ing with his recent designs, the late someone’s copyright. Dragonfly used all-metal corru- gated construction. The aircraft never flew. Leon- ard Flo was the test pilot, but he wasn’t able to get the Dragonfl y airborne. The plane was damaged in a high-speed taxi accident and scrapped. Correct answers were also received from Jack Erickson, State College, Pennsylvania, and from Thomas Lymburn, Princeton, Minnesota, who noted that the “. . . Bristol Cherub engines were built from 1923 and used for a series of ‘ultra-light’ aircraft in the United Kingdom. They developed between 25 and 36 hp and weighed a bit over 90 pounds. Some were imported into the United States and were used to power the Heath Baby Bullet and the Powell Racer.” VINTAGE AIRPLANE 33

Vintage Feb 2012.indd 35 1/25/12 10:29 AM Antiques Over the Chesapeake BY ROGER THIEL

hese two themes—well known throughout Maryland’s eastern shore near Cambridge. Now part of the antique airplane interest—come together the University of Maryland, the Horn Point Aerodrome in a profound regional way each spring at has, for decades, annually received up to 120 antique, T Maryland’s Horn Point fl y-in. classic, and display aircraft for a major mid-Atlantic In the 1930s the DuPont family, prominent then as May fl y-in. now in area aviation, built a huge private grass fi eld on Whizzing everywhere in golf carts, fl y-in volunteers/ hosts of the Potomac Antique Aero Squadron (PAAS) You come for the airplanes; place display aircraft in a main central category. Mod- erns are politely parked on a side runway, and special you stay for the people; aircraft, often pre-World War II, have the highlighted The journey can be as show area at the front. The huge grass runways are unique and have bases important as the destination. of hundreds of tons of gravel. It rained for five days prior to the event this year, and the runways were dry for the fl y-in. You come for the airplanes: This year’s attending aircraft included a rare Flitfi re Cub, Luscombe T8F Observer, Woody Pusher homebuilt, two Cessna 195s, and two

2011 Horn Point Award Winners

ANTIQUE GRAND CHAMPION N68431, 1943 Howard DGA- 15P Edward R. Moor e, 2023 Cor nell Place, Por t Orange, FL 32128

Piper J-3 Flitﬁ re was paid for by U.S. citizens to aid ANTIQUE SWEEPSTAKES N33821, 1941 Aeronca Chief 650A England in 1941. Paul D. Br unks, 4950 Bonniewood Drive, Shady side, MD 20764

CLASSIC GRAND CHAMPION N8502, 1947 Stinson 108-1 Mike Roe, P .O. Box 292, Ophelia, V A 22530

CLASSIC SWEEPSTAKES N2185C, 1954 Cessna 195 Rusty Richar ds, 3641 High View W ay, Columbus, IN 47203

CONTEMPORARY GRAND CHAMPION N7258A, 1956 Cessna 172 Mike Meyers, 255 E. Chesapeake Beech Rd., Owings, MD 20736

CONTEMPORARY SWEEPSTAKES No Award Made

MILITARY GRAND CHAMPION N4408N, 1942 Boeing Stearman B75N1 Brian McCay, 1015 Earlysville For est Dr., Earlysville, V A 22936

MILTARY SWEEPSTAKES & N75NM, 1944 Boeing Stearman E-75 - N2S-5 EXCEPTIONAL NAVY - 100th ANNIV. AWARD Nick Mirales, 605 Patuxent Beach Dr ., Prince Fr ederick, MD 20670

BEST CUSTOMIZED N2315P, 1955 Piper PA-22-20 Richard Miller, 237 Leader ton Dr., Dallastown, P A 17313

BEST CUSTOM BUILT N812RS, RV-8 Richard Sears, 8779 Unionville Rd., Easton, MD 21601

PAAS PRESIDENT’S CHOICE N25VV, 1949 Luscombe T8F Observer Davidson Smith, 104 W ynﬁ eld Lane, New Hope, P A 18938

A.A.A. HEADQUARTERS AWARD N8502, 1947 Stinson 108-1 Mike Roe, P .O. Box 292, Ophelia, V A 22530

34 FEBRUARY 2012

Vintage Feb 2012.indd 36 1/25/12 10:30 AM Howard DGA-15Ps, arriving from different parts of the coves (de facto crab factories) with postcard-pretty country and using Horn Point as their rendezvous. A good bridges. Think: a regional version of the great Ameri- showing of Stearmans, Cubs, Aeroncas, and many other can Midwest, alongside the stunning tidewater scenery. marquees highlighted the unique waterside location. The social networking on the fi eld streaks by, and But you stay for the people: Horn Point’s rural loca- props are turned under afternoon sun with regret. tion is both rare and welcome for the East coast, but As fl iers depart, though, they know they are about does not feature a permanent facility. The obvious pas- to re-experience the area’s visual wonder and most, time is visiting, and a huge annual social ritual erupts, understandably, resolve to return the next year to common to all fl y-ins but especially focused here. The this same destination. (Pilots have steered, though, laid-back nature of the surroundings is infectious, an to avoid the edge of the Washington-Baltimore air de- antidote to the way-too-cerebral East. fense identifi cation zone (ADIZ)—since 2003, an ex- Food is provided by civic groups and everything else treme challenge for area antiquers.) is brought in by PAAS members, most of whom assume Fly-in director Art Kudner, who also owns and oper- long-established fl y-in duties. PAAS members also of- ates a residential fl y-in community nearby, sums up: fer rides to lodging in town, and some guests take “Historic airplanes on a historic airfi eld in a part of the advantage of car trips to the area’s bedrock-genuine country with a heritage of centuries. You know, this is seafood restaurants. Attendees return annually from as one place where I don’t mind feeling my age—and I’ll far away as the Midwest, New England, Long Island, bet the airplanes feel the same way.” and Florida. The Journey: Upon arrival, participants have just fl own over the region’s stunning aerial landscape. The relentlessly fl at Del-Mar-Va peninsula stretches out in A Woody Pusher homebuilt gives the look—and endless green curves alongside the Chesapeake Bay, ride—of classic Curtiss Junior! called “the crown jewel of the world’s estuaries.” From vintage wings, the fl iers have just seen a cu- rious and breathtaking mix of affl uent waterfront es- tates alongside canning factories, truck farms, poultry houses, huge wildlife and waterfowl preserves, and oyster shell roads still in use. Beautiful sailboats ply sun-sparkled waters alongside industrial fi shing fl eets. Tall grass marshes border salt water rivers, creeks, and

This Cessna 195 is kept at the private bay- side strip of PAAS stalwarts Stan and Sandi Sweikar.

Owners of two Howard DGA-15s chose Horn Point for a spring rendezvous.

Luscombe T8F: Customized Luscombe T8F Observer is one of very few made.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 35

Vintage Feb 2012.indd 37 1/25/12 10:30 AM FROM THE EAA ARCHIVES Steve Wittman and the Standard J-1: A barnstormer’s biplane earns its keep

BY H.G. FRAUTSCHY

something that was once transparent, mounted just forward of the front cockpit. A look at the area just forward of the aft cockpit shows a small circular window, which at first glance seems to be an odd place for such a little porthole. As it happens, they are placed there for an exceptionally practical reason. Since the instrument panel is set well under the sheet metal surrounding the cockpit, the windows serve as portholes, allowing sunlight to shine on the instruments. The advertising banner features some interesting lettering, most of which doesn’t seem to match. We’d be interested to hear from anyone who can help us understand how something like this was produced. It’s obviously EAA ARCHIVE hand-lettered on some sort of paper or cloth, which is pasted to the side of the fuselage, as there are no cords or other obvious fasteners for the banner. W It looks as though the top of the forward section of e ran a copy of this photo in Vintage Airplane the banner has been damaged by pilots entering and a long time ago, and since then, the advent of the exiting the cockpit, and it is peeling away. modern digital scanner has allowed us to look even The vertical fi n, like much of the rest of the airframe, deeper at this terrifi c photo of a young Steve Wittman shows plenty of evidence that operating an OX-5 was (left) and a Standard J-1 he fl ew in the mid-1920s. not a clean job; there’s plenty of dirt and grease on it, The Standard J-1, with its fl at sides, looks to be the and the lower fuselage shows some torn fabric hanging perfect aerial advertising mount for a pair of banners from the bottom, just behind the tailskid. Operating pasted to the sides letting everyone know that you from unimproved fields was standard procedure, so could purchase an Atwater Kent radio set at the that’s no surprise! Anderson Garage in Hamilton, Wisconsin. (Hamilton And fi nally we come to the radio set from Atwater is in far western Wisconsin, near La Crosse.) Steve Kent, an early manufacturer of high-end radios. The learned to fl y in a Standard J-1; it could very well be radio appears to be one of the fi rst models manufactured this aircraft, but I don’t have absolute proof of that in by Kent, a model 35, which featured a single knob for any of our documentation. tuning, a new innovation they introduced in 1926. It’s A few interesting details emerge from this photo. stamped-metal cabinet enhanced AM radio reception, Starting on the right, this Standard is powered by a and allowed Atwater Kent to keep the cost down. Curtiss OX-5 motor, a common version when sold as It was remarkably popular, especially considering it surplus by the government in 1924 for the handsome sold for $70. The speaker is one of its model H horn sum of $1,500. A dent creases the nose bowl and speakers, which would set you back another $21. The cowling, chipping the paint as it extends diagonally company was active until Mr. Kent chose to close the toward the open engine cowl’s sheet metal. In this Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, factory in 1936, when winter season, it was hard to keep the engine warm pressures from the market to produce a cheap radio enough to operate well, so a piece of oily cloth is would mean producing a lesser product, something wrapped around the lower third of the radiator. Kent was unwilling to do. The sweepback of the wings of the Standard is Having earned his pilot’s certifi cate in a J-1 in 1924, readily apparent in this shot, a distinct difference to this photo from our archives gives us an early glimpse of observe when comparing the J-1 to the more common one of aviation’s most accomplished builders and pilots, Curtiss JN-4 Jenny. only a decade before his name would be mentioned in It’s also interesting to note there is only one the same breath with Roscoe Turner, Rudy Kling, Art windshield on the biplane, a grungy looking sliver of Chester, and other famous racing pilots. 36 FEBRUARY 2012

Vintage Feb 2012.indd 38 1/25/12 10:31 AM Here’s one last look back to honor the 100th anniversary of Naval Aviation in the United States. Illustrator and artist Bob O’Hara sent us this neat pen and ink illustration of a U.S. Navy Martin PM-1. Bob did it as an homage to one of the favorites of his childhood, “Don Winslow of the Navy,” which was, at various times during the 1930s through the 1950s, a radio program, Universal movie serial, and comic book series.

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Florida keys Tavernaero Airpark 2/2 up and 1/1 down. CBS Construction, Central Air, screened pool, marina, air pad. $750,000 owner/agent 305-304-8393 SERVICES Always Flying Aircraft Restoration, LLC: Annual Inspections, Airframe recovering, fabric repairs and complete restorations. Wayne A. Forshey A&P & I.A. 740-472- 1481 Ohio and bordering states. Fleece Flyer Hat Detail Restoration, fabric, paint, fabrications, Sherpa-lined front and earfl aps with paperwork. With 53 completed projects, Waco’s, Moth’s, Champs, Lakes, Pitts etc. adjustable elastic locking chin strap. Brave any weahter challenge with warmth. Test fl ights and delivery. Indiana 480-209- , Size 7 1/2. (One size fi ts most.) 2680 [email protected] www. 5266461600000 $17.99* wildcataviation.com WANTED www.shopeaa.com/vaa Wanted for Warner 165 installation. One control Box Type 318 for Eclipse 15V 15A Telephone Orders: 800-843-3612 Generator Model 1, Type 308. Contact From US and Canada (All Others Call 920-426-5912) [email protected] or 902- *Shipping and handling NOT included. 584-3511 Major credit cards accepted. WI residents add 5% sales tax. VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39

Vintage Feb 2012.indd 41 1/25/12 10:32 AM VINTAGE Membership Services Directory AIRCRAFT Enjoy the many benefi ts of EAA and EAA’s Vintage Aircraft Association ASSOCIATION TM EAA Aviation Center, PO Box 3086, Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Phone (920) 426-4800 Fax (920) 426-4873 OFFICERS Web Sites: www.vintageaircraft.org, www.airventure.org, www.eaa.org/memberbenefi ts E-Mail: [email protected] President Vice-President Geoff Robison George Daubner 1521 E. MacGregor Dr. N57W34837 Pondview Ln EAA and Division Membership Services (8:00 AM–6:00 PM Monday–Friday CST) New Haven, IN 46774 Oconomowoc, WI 53066 800-564-6322 F AX 920-426-4873 www.eaa.org/memberbenefi ts [email protected] 260-493-4724 262-560-1949 [email protected] [email protected] •New/renew memberships •Addr ess changes •Mer chandise sales •Gift memberships

Secretary Treasurer EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 888-322-4636 www.airventure.org [email protected] Steve Nesse Dan Knutson www.sportpilot.org [email protected] 2009 Highland Ave. 106 Tena Marie Circle Spor t Pilot/Light-Spor t Aircraft Hotline 877-359-1232 Albert Lea, MN 56007 Lodi, WI 53555 Programs and Activities 507-373-1674 608-592-7224 [email protected] [email protected] Auto Fuel STCs 920-426-4843 [email protected] DIRECTORS EAA Air Academy 920-426-6880 www.airacademy.org [email protected] EAA Scholarships 920-426-6823 [email protected] Steve Bender Dale A. Gustafson 85 Brush Hill Road 7724 Shady Hills Dr. Library Ser vices/Resear ch 920-426-4848 slur [email protected] g Sherborn, MA 01770 Indianapolis, IN 46278 Benefi ts 508-653-7557 317-293-4430 [email protected] [email protected] AUA Vintage Insurance Plan 800-727-3823 www.auaonline.com David Bennett Jeannie Hill EAA Air craft Insurance Plan 866-647-4322 www.eaa.org/memberbenefi ts [email protected] 375 Killdeer Ct P.O. Box 328 Lincoln, CA 95648 Harvard, IL 60033-0328 EAA VISA Car d 800-853-5576 ext. 8884 916-952-9449 920-426-6110 www.eaa.org/hertz [email protected] [email protected] EAA Her tz Rent-A-Car Pr ogram 800-654-2200 Espie “Butch” Joyce VAA Editorial/Executive Dir ector 920-426-4825 www.vintageaircraft.org [email protected] Jerry Brown 704 N. Regional Rd. 4605 Hickory Wood Row Greensboro, NC 27409 VAA Offi ce 920-426-6110 [email protected] Greenwood, IN 46143 336-668-3650 317-422-9366 [email protected] [email protected] Steve Krog EAA Members Information Line 888-EAA-INFO (322-4636) Dave Clark 1002 Heather Ln. 635 Vestal Lane Hartford, WI 53027 Use this toll-fr ee number for: infor mation about AirV enture Oshkosh; aer omedical and technical aviation questions; Plainfi eld, IN 46168 262-966-7627 317-839-4500 [email protected] chapters; and Y oung Eagles. Please have your membership number r eady when calling. [email protected] Robert D. “Bob” Lumley Offi ce hours are 8:15 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (Monday - Friday , CST) John S. Copeland 1265 South 124th St. 1A Deacon Street Brookfi eld, WI 53005 Northborough, MA 01532 262-782-2633 508-393-4775 [email protected] [email protected] MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION S.H. “Wes” Schmid year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not included). Phil Coulson 2359 Lefeber Avenue EAA 28415 Springbrook Dr. Wauwatosa, WI 53213 Membership in the Experimental Aircraft (Add $7 for International Postage.) Lawton, MI 49065 414-771-1545 269-624-6490 [email protected] Association, Inc. is $40 for one year, includ- [email protected] ing 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION. Family WARBIRDS DIRECTORS membership is an additional $10 annually. All Current EAA members may join the EAA major credit cards accepted for membership. Warbirds of America Division and receive EMERITUS (Add $16 for International Postage.) WARBIRDS magazine for an additional $45 per year. Robert C. Brauer Charlie Harris EAA Membership, WARBIRDS mag- 9345 S. Hoyne PO Box 470350 FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPS Chicago, IL 60643 Tulsa, OK 74147 azine and one year membership in the Please submit your remittance with a 773-779-2105 918-622-8400 Warbirds Division is available for $55 per [email protected] [email protected] check or draft drawn on a United States year (SPOR AVIATION magazine not bank payable in United States dollars. Add Gene Chase E.E. “Buck” Hilbert included). (Add $7 for International 2159 Carlton Rd. 8102 Leech Rd. required Foreign Postage amount for each Oshkosh, WI 54904 Union, IL 60180 Postage.) 920-231-5002 815-923-4591 membership. [email protected] [email protected] IAC Current EAA members may join the Ronald C. Fritz Gene Morris 15401 Sparta Ave. 5936 Steve Court VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION International Aerobatic Club, Inc. Divi- Kent City, MI 49330 Roanoke, TX 76262 Current EAA members may join the 616-678-5012 817-491-9110 sion and receive SPORT AEROBATICS [email protected] [email protected] Vintage Aircraft Association and receive magazine for an additional $45 per year. VINTAGE AIRPLANE magazine for an John Turgyan EAA Membership, SPORT AEROBAT- PO Box 219 additional $36 per year. ICS magazine and one year membership New Egypt, NJ 08533 609-752-1944 EAA Membership, VINTAGE AIRPLANE in the IAC Division is available for $55 per [email protected] magazine and one year membership in the EAA year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not in- Vintage Aircraft Association is available for $46 per cluded). (Add $15 for Foreign Postage.)

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

Copyright ©2012 by the EAA Vintage Aircraft Association, All rights reserved. VINTAGE AIRPLANE (USPS 062-750; ISSN 0091-6943) is published and owned exclusively by the EAA Vintage Aircraft Association of the Experimental Aircraft Association and is published monthly at EAA Avia- tion Center, 3000 Poberezny Rd., PO Box 3086, Oshkosh, Wisconsin 549023-3086, e-mail: [email protected]. Membership to Vintage Aircraft Association, which includes 12 issues of Vintage Airplane magazine, is $36 per year for EAA members and $46 for non-EAA members. Periodicals Postage paid at Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54902 and at additional mailing ofﬁ ces. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Vintage Airplane, PO Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. CPC #40612608. FOREIGN AND APO ADDRESSES—Please allow at least two months for delivery of VINTAGE AIRPLANE to foreign and APO addresses via surface mail. ADVERTISING — Vintage Aircraft Association does not guarantee or endorse any product offered through the advertising. We invite constructive criticism and welcome any report of inferior merchandise obtained through our advertising so that corrective measures can be taken. EDITORIAL POLICY: Members are encouraged to submit stories and photographs. Policy opinions expressed in articles are solely those of the authors. Responsibility for accuracy in reporting rests entirely with the contributor. No remuneration is made. Material should be sent to: Editor, VINTAGE AIRPLANE, PO Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Phone 920-426-4800. EAA® and EAA SPORT AVIATION®, the EAA Logo® and Aeronautica™ are registered trademarks, trademarks, and service marks of the Experimental Aircraft Association, Inc. The use of these trademarks and service marks without the permission of the Experimental Aircraft Association, Inc. is strictly prohibited. 40 FEBRUARY 2012

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