Fourth Quarter (Oct - Dec) 2007

Volume 20, Number 4

The Newsletter of the War Eagles Air Museum

Editorial s subjects of in-depth articles for the newsletter of a Museum ded- A icated primarily to World War II and Korean War military “warbirds,” the two aircraft covered in this issue of Plane Talk may seem a little out of place. What do the diminutive, unarmed, easy-to-fly Piper Super Cub and Cessna 140 civilian aircraft have to do with the large, heavy, imposing, armed-to-the-teeth “warbirds” that make up most of the War Eagles Air Museum collection? The answer is, “Everything.” The histories of Piper Aircraft Corp- oration and Cessna Aircraft Company be- gan in the earliest days of American avia- tion. Aircraft that rolled off of these com- panies’ assembly lines inspired dreams of flight in countless wide-eyed boys—and, no doubt, some girls as well. Many of these nascent pilots joined the Army, Na- vy or Marines in World War II and went S The Museum’s “new” 1954 Piper PA-18 Super Cub, piloted by Terry Sunday (f) and on to become America’s fighter, bomber Featured Aircraft Chief Pilot Gene Dawson (r), flies over the and transport pilots. As you read this is- irplanes are very much like peo- New Mexico desert. Photo: Chuck Crepas. sue, keep in mind that the docile little air- Cessna 172N photo plane pilot: Carl Wright. planes that Mr. Piper and Mr. Cessna cre- ple. Each one has a distinct per- ated, while they may differ greatly from A sonality. Some are strong, intim- the wartime military trainers, fighters and idating and aggressive. Consider, for ex- bombers built by Boeing, Convair, Doug- ample, the Vought F4U Corsair. With its huge engine, massive landing gear and Contents las, Grumman, Lockheed, North Ameri- Editorial...... 1 can and other companies, nevertheless gull wings bristling with armament, it ex- udes the sinister, no-nonsense aura of a Featured Aircraft...... 1 played a very important role in the devel- From the Director...... 2 opment of American aviation. heavyweight boxer. It’s not an airplane you’d want to meet in a fight. At the oth- Clyde Cessna and the Cotton There are still a great many vintage Clipper Cutie—Part 1...... 4 Super Cubs, Cessna 140s and other simil- er end of the scale is this issue’s Featured Aircraft—the tiny, fun-loving, non-intim- Lightning—Missing in Action...... 6 ar classic civil aircraft flying in the world RV Fly-In Report...... 6 today. Yes, they may lack the panache of idating Piper PA-18 Super Cub. Like a best friend, it simply says, “Let’s go fly!” Membership Application ...... 7 big, noisy, round-engined warbirds, but Corporate Youth Sponsors ...... 7 these friendly little aircraft even now rep- resent flying in its purest form. Featured Aircraft (Continued on Page 2)

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Featured Aircraft (Continued from page 1) From the Director The Super Cub story begins with its More than just an air museum… more famous predecessor—and arguably the most important general aviation air- hen War Eagles Air Museum craft of all time—the Piper Cub. Its lin- opened in September 1989, eage goes back to 1927, and the Taylor Brothers Aircraft Corporation of Roches- W the huge new hangar—as big S The Chummy, the debut airplane of the inside as a football field—looked pretty ter, New York. C. Gilbert and Gordon A. Taylor Brothers Aircraft Corporation, was empty. It contained only 12 aircraft and Taylor had started their company to build eventually phased out in favor of what be- five automobiles. Significantly, the air- a small, two-place, high-wing monoplane came the world-renowned Cub. craft were all flyable and fully operation- they called the Chummy. In 1928, after al. They had all been flown in under their Gordon died in the crash of a Chummy “flew” on September 12, 1930. Severely own power to Doña Ana County Airport, during a barnstorming flight in Detroit, underpowered, it barely gained five feet which, at the time, was a barren, isolated, C. Gilbert and his master mechanic father of altitude before ignominiously settling nearly vacant piece of real estate with no Arthur moved to Bradford, Pennsylvania back onto the runway. Legend has it that more than a few windswept, dusty hang- and set up shop in a vacant factory with a Gilbert Hadrel, the company accountant, ars and not much else. Airport Road, the short, cinder-covered runway. took a cue from the name of the engine main artery that now connects the Airport Now enters the person whose name and said, “Why not call the airplane a with “civilization” in El Paso, was rough is as inextricably linked with general avi- Cub?” A classic airplane name was born. graded dirt. There were no signs of the ation as the name “Henry Ford” is to the Alas, finding a bigger engine for the encroaching developments that today line automobile. William T. Piper, born on Cub was difficult, and time was short. In every road leading to the Museum. January 8, 1881 in Knapps Creek, New 1931, with demand for the Chummy vir- Times have certainly changed. To- York, had a varied background. He toiled tually dead and with Cub sales stalled for day, the Museum displays 33 aircraft— in the Pennsylvania oil fields, fought in lack of a suitable engine, the debt-ridden all but seven still flyable—and 46 auto- the Spanish-American War, was a Cap- Taylor Brothers Aircraft Corporation de- mobiles, motorcycles and military vehi- tain in the Corps of Engineers in World clared bankruptcy. Piper bought the com- cles. We’ve seen a big expansion of our War I, and, in 1903, earned a Mechanical pany’s assets for $761. His was the only displays of memorabilia, photographs, Engineering degree from Harvard. An af- bid. He retained the company name and documents, scale models and other items ter-college job as a construction superin- kept founder C. Gilbert Taylor on as related to military and civil aviation his- tendent was not to his liking, so he brief- President and Chief Engineer. tory. We’re the home of the El Paso Avi- ly managed the family’s oil business in Soon afterwards, Continental Motors ation Association Hall of Fame and the Bradford. He met the Taylors in 1929 Corporation introduced their new A-40 International Bird Dog Association, and and bought $400 worth of stock in their four-cylinder, 37-horsepower engine. Al- we have an active Oral History program. company. As a prominent businessman, though it had teething problems, it was We are now so much more than an “air” he got a seat on the Board of Directors just the injection of power that the Cub museum. We hope you take the time to and quickly became Secretary-Treasurer needed. The U.S. Department of Com- enjoy all of our exhibits when you visit. of the Taylor Brothers Aircraft Corpora- merce certificated the re-engined Taylor tion. But the energetic Piper soon had E-2 Cub on July 11, 1931. Sales for that Skip Trammell some serious run-ins with C. Gilbert. year were 22 aircraft at $1,325 each. Business conditions at the time were In 1932, young Walter Jamouneau, dismal. With the nation in the depths of the 19-year-old scion of a wealthy fami- the Great Depression, there was no mark- ly, who wanted to be an aeronautical eng- Plane Talk et for the Chummy, which cost a relative- ineer despite his lack of a college degree, Published four times per year by: ly expensive $3,985. Against much oppo- took a job at Taylor Brothers. His first sition, Piper finally convinced Taylor to assignment was to “tweak” the E-2 de- War Eagles Air Museum build a lower-priced, easy-to-fly, simple- 8012 Airport Road sign. The resulting airplane was more Santa Teresa, New Mexico 88008 to-maintain airplane designed to appeal rounded than the E-2 and had a greatly (575) 589-2000 to the general public. The resulting mod- improved Continental engine. It was des- el, called the Taylor E-2, was an open- ignated the J-2—the “J” stood for “Jam- Author/Editor: Terry Sunday cockpit monoplane with a high-mounted Contributing Author: Robert Haynes ouneau.” The young designer further re- Chief Nitpicker: Frank Harrison wooden wing and an anemic, 20-horse- fined the airplane over several years. He Final Proofreader: Kathy Sunday power, two-cylinder Brownbach Tiger introduced a steel-tubing frame, fit buck- Kitten engine. It sold for about half the [email protected] cost of a Chummy. The new airplane first Featured Aircraft (Continued on page 3)

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Featured Aircraft (Continued from page 2) line at the rate of one every 20 minutes! Over et seats instead of wooden boards in the 80 per cent of Ameri- cockpit, added a steerable tail wheel and can wartime military even put brakes on the main wheels—a pilots learned to fly in rare feature in light aircraft at the time. the diminutive trainer. Engine output went up to 40, 50 and fi- Between 1939 and nally 65 horsepower, and buyers could 1947, Piper delivered choose a Continental, Franklin or Lyco- more than 14,000 mili- ming powerplant. By 1937, Jamouneau’s tary Cubs of several work culminated in the definitive version different types, all of of the light, cheap, easy-to-fly airplane them generically nick- that changed the course of general avia- named Grasshoppers. tion—the Piper J-3 Cub. They served in vital re- On March 17, 1937, a spark-ignited connaissance, transport fire in the painting room destroyed the and evacuation roles. plant and all the aircraft inside. Piper, ev- Privately owned Cubs er the optimist, saw the loss as an “op- of the Civil Air Patrol portunity” to rebuild. Having previously (CAP) flew coastal pa- bought out C. Gilbert’s interest in the en- trols in search of Ger- terprise, largely because the founder dis- man submarines. agreed with Jamouneau’s changes to the After the War end- Cub, William Piper changed the name of ed, Piper continued to the company and moved into an old silk turn out Cubs to satisfy mill next to the airport in Lock Haven, strong civilian demand Pennsylvania. The Piper Aircraft Corpor- for such light, simple ation was born. aircraft. Its price of a In 1939, Adolf Hitler’s blitzkrieg at- mere $2,195 was cal- tack on Poland plunged Europe into war. culated to be within the financial means here, but the result was that Piper started U.S. leaders realized that the nation could of returning veteran pilots. Unfortunate- producing Super Cubs in November 1949 be drawn into the conflict, so they creat- ly, within two years the boom faded, and on the assembly line at the Lock Haven ed the Civilian Pilot Training (CPT) pro- Piper ceased Cub production in favor of factory. The very first one, serial number gram, in which the Cub was the most im- more advanced models like its Vagabond 18-1, is still on the FAA registry. portant aircraft. The need for new pilots and Pacer. The Super Cub was one result Super Cubs sported five different en- led to a huge demand for Cubs. In 1940, of this shift in Piper’s priorities. As the gines and went through other major up- Piper built 3,016 of them. During the ultimate refinement of Piper’s classic de- grades over the years. The first PA-18-95 War, Cubs rolled off of Piper’s assembly sign, the Super Cub’s heritage extends in had no flaps, a single fuel tank in the left an unbroken line back to the original J-3. wing and a 90-horsepower Continental The post-war Piper that most directly C-90 engine. It sold for $5,850 in 1949. Piper PA-18 Super Cub presaged the Super Cub was the PA-11 The PA-18-105, with a Lycoming O-235, General Characteristics Cub Special, which was essentially a J-3 was the first model to have flaps. The with either a 65- or 90-horsepower Conti- Lycoming O-320 150 PA-18-125 had a more-powerful Lycom- Powerplant horsepower horizontal- nental engine under a smooth streamlined ing O-290. Two wing tanks became stan- ly opposed flat-four cowling. Many pilots consider the PA-11 dard on the PA-18-135, which entered Cruise Speed 115 miles per hour to be the ultimate “pure” Cub. production in 1952. The definitive Super Initially, the only difference between Cub, the PA-18-150, had a 150-horse- Maximum Speed 130 miles per hour the Super Cub, which carried Piper mod- power Lycoming O-320 and all the re- Service Ceiling 19,000 feet el number PA-18, and the PA-11 is that finements of the prior models. Piper pro- the wing attachments were changed. The duced the PA-18-150 from October 1954 Length 22 feet 6 inches number PA-18 was originally assigned to until November 1982, when the plant at Wingspan 35 feet 3 inches an improved Vagabond planned for intro- Lock Haven shut down. Piper resumed duction in 1949, but Piper cancelled that production in 1988 at its new factory in Range 460 miles program and used the model number for Vero Beach, Florida, but the price of a Weight (empty) 983 pounds what became the Super Cub. There were too many other complications to describe Weight (maximum) 1,750 pounds Featured Aircraft (Continued on page 8)

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moved to Enid, Okla- Cassandra Rodriguez An oft-overlooked aircraft at the Mu- homa, where Clyde An El Paso native and University of seum is the pink Cessna 140A named worked as a repairman Texas at El Paso student with a dou- Cotton Clipper Cutie that hangs from for the Overland auto- ble major in history and anthropol- the ceiling in the southeast corner. mobile dealership. He ogy, Cassandra has worked at the Here is the first of a two-part story proved to be a good Museum part-time since early 2007. about this aircraft. Part two, in the salesman as well as an An experienced photographer, avid next Plane Talk, will tell the rest of excellent mechanic— soccer player and aspiring pilot, she the story, in this tale called... he sold a record 100 plans to take flying lessons soon. cars in one year—and soon became General Manager of the dealership. Then his eer as he constantly “tweaked” his air- Clyde Cessna world changed forever when he read planes for better performance. Exhibition and the Cotton Clipper Cutie about Frenchman Louis Blériot’s daring flying, though dangerous, earned good flight across the English Channel in his money, and the Cessna family lived well. by Cassandra Rodriguez Blériot XI monoplane on July 25, 1909. But the ambitious Clyde wanted more— Bitten by the “aviation bug,” Clyde he wanted to be an aircraft manufacturer. decided that he had to have his own air- When Clyde approached some Enid hroughout history, flight was a plane. He went to New York City for a bankers for a start-up loan, they unani- dream of inventors, geniuses, en- month and worked on the assembly line mously passed up the opportunity to help T gineers and artists. The idea of at the Queen Airplane Company to learn out, so he moved to Wichita, Kansas, for flight originated in ancient Greek mytho- the fundamentals of aircraft design and the better business environment there. By logy with the story of the Athenian archi- construction. Then he bought one of the June 1911, the man whose name became tect and inventor Daedelus and his son company’s exact copies of the Blériot XI, synonymous with “aviation,” and who Icarus. In the myth, the pair escaped from shipped it to Enid and set out to teach founded the company that built more air- the clutches of King Minos on the island himself how to fly it. Twelve crashes la- planes than any other in the world, com- of Crete by flying away on wings of wax th ter, he was good enough (although he pleted a wood-and-fabric airplane of his and feathers. More practically, in the 15 never got an official pilot’s license!) to own design. Clyde realized his dream century, Leonardo da Vinci sketched in- become an exhibition pilot. His mechani- when he became the first aircraft “man- ventions such as the airscrew (propeller) cal skills served him well in his new car- ufacturer” between the Mississippi River and the parachute. In France, in 1783, the and the Rocky Mountains. By 1917, he Montgolfier brothers invented the hot-air had developed two new aircraft, a single- balloon. And, of course, aviation would seat exhibition monoplane and a two- not exist as it does today if not for the seater named the Comet. vision, skills, determination and ingenui- But “The Great War” (World War I) ty of pioneers Orville and Wilbur Wright, foiled Clyde’s plans. As conflict raged in who first flew their powered, controllable Europe, President Woodrow Wilson kept flying machine in the blustery winds over the U.S. in a state of neutrality that lasted the coastal sand dunes of Kitty Hawk, until the infamous “Zimmermann tele- North Carolina, on December 17, 1903. gram” became public. Thanks to British Likewise, aviation today would be cryptographers who deciphered the secret very different were it not for the dreams, diplomatic message from German For- perseverance and accomplishments of an- eign Minister Arthur Zimmermann to the other pioneer—an Iowa farm boy named German Minister in Mexico, Americans Clyde Cessna. learned that Germany was offering Mex- Clyde Vernon Cessna was born in ico “reconquered” U.S. territory in Ari- Hawthorn, Iowa, on December 5, 1879. zona, New Mexico and Texas in return Although his formal education ended for a military alliance. This message, with the fifth grade, young Clyde became along with escalating German submarine skilled in repairing farm machinery, and attacks on American merchant ships, he found his mechanical talents much in caused a public outcry that forced the demand by friends and neighbors. At the U.S. Congress, on April 6, 1917, to de- age of 25, Clyde married a school teacher S This drawing of young Clyde V. Cessna is clare war on Germany. named Europa Dotzour, and the couple by famed cartoonist Milton Caniff, creator of set out to farm 40 acres in southern Kan- the popular aviation-themed comic strips Clyde Cessna and the Cotton Clipper Cutie sas. That didn’t work out, so the Cessnas “Terry & the Pirates” and “Steve Canyon.” (Continued on page 5)

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Clyde Cessna and the Cotton Clipper Cutie the Great Depression. Then, with many side), tailwheel (“conventional gear”) (Continued from page 4) years of poor sales, Cessna built 300 pri- 140 stickered out at $3,245. It was made mary gliders to stay solvent. The Depres- all of aluminum except for its fabric-cov- The Great War saw the first wide- sion finally caught up with Clyde, and he ered wings, and featured an 85-horse- spread battlefield use of airplanes, at first closed the doors of Cessna Aircraft Com- power, air-cooled Continental C-85-12F mostly for reconnaissance of the enemy’s pany in 1931. He re-opened in 1934 and flat-four engine. The 140 saw Cessna’s trench lines. Later, after Dutchman Anth- started turning out the new, exceptionally first use of its patented “Spring Steel” ony Fokker perfected an “interrupter” de- clean, upgraded C-34 monoplane, which landing gear design, which consisted of a vice, which synchronized the firing of fu- earned the title of “World’s Most Effi- single piece of strong steel bolted to the selage-mounted machine guns with the cient Airplane.” lower fuselage to which the main wheels rotation of the engine and thus prevented attached. The steel flexed on landing, a pilot from shooting off his own propel- providing a smoother contact. The gear ler, air-to-air battles became common. was also very forgiving of the types of At 38, Clyde was too old for military touchdown misalignments that, with the service, but he offered the War Depart- slightest pilot inattention, tended to make ment the two aircraft he had developed. ordinary tailwheel airplanes veer off to- The military turned him down, preferring ward the weeds at the side of the runway. instead to fly French-built airplanes like In 1949, Cessna upgraded the basic the Nieuport and Spad. His flying cur- 140 design with modern, all-aluminum, tailed by wartime fuel restrictions, Clyde stressed-skin wings and a 90-horsepower temporarily went back to farming. After Continental engine, and called the new the War ended on November 11, 1918, version the 140A. It was only in produc- many of America’s ex-military pilots re- S Cessna’s wartime twin-engine T-50 train- tion until February 1951, when military turned home filled with enthusiasm for er was officially named the Bobcat, but was contracts for the Korean War nudged aviation and looking to buy airplanes. perhaps better known by its derogatory nick- Cessna’s civilian aircraft production into name “Bamboo Bomber.” Clyde saw the demand, set himself up to the background after 525 140As had been provide a supply of aircraft to satisfy it, With World War II came the virtual made. One of these aircraft, a bright pink and never looked back. stagnation of the global civil aviation in- 140A that left Cessna’s assembly line in In 1924, Clyde joined with fellow pi- dustry. Cessna survived by selling thou- 1950, occupies a special place of honor at lots and aviation entrepreneurs Lloyd C. sands of training aircraft to the American War Eagles Air Museum. Stearman and Walter H. Beech to start and Canadian air forces. The T-50 Bob- the Travel Air Manufacturing Company, cat, Cessna’s first twin-engine design, al- which began building airplanes in a small so bore the slightly derogatory nickname Read the next issue of Plane Talk for rented facility in Wichita. Within a year, Bamboo Bomber because its U.S. pilots the rest of the story of “Clyde Cessna the firm was successfully marketing the preferred “modern” all-metal airplanes to and the Cotton Clipper Cutie.” Travel Air #1, a three-place, open cock- the wood-winged T-50, pit, fabric-covered biplane powered by a which wasn’t a bomber 90-horsepower Curtiss OX-5 engine. But and contained no bam- before long, Clyde and his partners had a boo. After the end of dispute over Travel Air’s products. Clyde World War II, just as thought (correctly, as it turned out) that at the end of World the future of aviation lay in monoplanes, War I, the U.S. econo- but Stearman and Beech wanted to keep my surged and demand building biplanes. So Clyde left Travel for civil aircraft went Air and, in December 1927, founded the through the roof. Cessna Aircraft Company, where he built Cessna was ready. the airplanes that made him famous. Cessna’s first Cessna’s first aircraft, which initiat- post-War models were ed a line of highly successful single-en- the 120 and the 140, gine, high-wing monoplanes that lives on which fit perfectly into to this day, was the two-place Phantom. the burgeoning market Other models quickly followed—the six- for small, relatively in- place CW-6, the four-place C-34/37/38 expensive, easy-to-fly S Cessna’s beautiful little 140 was the perfect airplane for the series and the four-place C-145/165 Air- private aircraft. The post-World-War-II American general aviation boom, offering style, master series. Business was brisk up to two-place (side-by- performance, safety and reliability for a reasonable price.

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named her after the Museum’s all-black Lockheed P-38L. What a great name for RV Fly-In Report a cat! She was fast, sweet, maneuverable, Lightning: or the third consecutive year, War pilot-friendly and very deadly to our mu- tual enemy—rodents. What a gal! Eagles Air Museum hosted the Missing In Action She was by far the friendliest cat F Land of Enchantment RV Fly-In, I’ve ever seen. “I don’t like cats, but I the nation’s largest gathering of the small by Dan Taylor like her,” was a comment we often heard. home-built “kitplanes” designed and sold Skip Trammell, Museum Director, once by Van’s Aircraft, Inc., of Aurora, Ore- here’s sad news to report. “Light- said, “She’s the hardest worker in the gon. Unlike previous years, the weather ning,” War Eagles Air Museum’s shop.” It’s true; she was on the job 24x7. cooperated this time, with clear condi- maintenance shop cat and unoffi- tions, light winds and pleasant tempera- T tures. A record 139 RVs, plus 11 other cial mascot, failed to report for duty on October 8. An extensive search of our fa- aircraft, showed up during the weekend cilities and the Doña Ana County Airport of October 6−7. The Saturday evening has shed no light on her whereabouts. barbecue fed over 360 people. The best I still remember when the cat we news is that two local charities, the Las would name “Lightning” first appeared. It was in the Fall of 1995 when I noticed strange things in the shop hangar. For ex- ample, I saw spots of blood on the floor in several places. I thought someone had cut himself, but everyone was okay—no injuries to report. This went on for a few days. Then one day I saw a shadow move under the Vultee BT-13B Valiant that we were working on. It was black, but I S Lightning never met a lap she didn’t like. couldn’t make out what it was. I thought Johnny Williams, volunteer Museum pilot, of the skunk that had recently made its called her his “girl friend” and always visit- S Although a little hard to make out here, home in the shop restroom and that we ed with her whenever he flew in from Marfa. the War Eagles Air Museum ramp is filled had run off by squirting it with water. I with RVs in this photo by Blue Feather Aero hoped this wasn’t another skunk. In addition to keeping the hangar flight instructor Dave Harman. I was able to sneak up on it and saw rodent-free, much of her life focused on a that the mysterious dark shadow was ac- search for the perfect lap. Every time we Cruces Community of Hope and El Pa- tually a tiny, wild black kitten. sat down for a break, here she’d come to so’s Lee and Beulah Moor Children’s She had been catching mice for us, see whose lap was best! She’d try them Home, each received donations of nearly which explains the blood on the floor. I all, going around the circle of sitters in $7,000, thanks to the generosity of RVers set out a little food and water for her. She her endless, endearing quest. If you were who enthusiastically bought raffle tick- would eat it and immediately run away. at work in an airplane, she’d find a way ets. We appreciate the efforts of all who Eventually I was able to get closer to her to get inside with you, investigating what helped out to make it a great event. as she ate, and finally she let me pet her. you were doing and lying down on your That was it; now we had a friend for life. hands or in front of you. If you were on She had many names at first. While your back, she’d curl up on your chest working on our Globe GC-1B Swift rest- and contentedly take a nap. She made oration project, Bill Whitney called her friends with everyone who met her, espe- “the chief inspector.” And he was right. cially children. She was a true people-cat. When we brought an aircraft or a car into I guess it’s only fitting that her exit the shop, there she’d be, inspecting it for came as it did. When she showed up, we stowaway mice or other desert creatures. didn’t know where she had come from. Our good friend the late Emmet Cook Now we don’t know where she’s gone. called her “Ol’ Blackie.” Carl Wright But we do know this—we’ll miss her simply called her “Hey cat!” But since I friendliness, unconditional affection and was the one who took her to the vet, I companionship as we look back fondly S The four-seat RV-10 is becoming increas- had the honor of officially naming her, on many years of great memories. ingly popular with RV kit builders, setting and “Lightning” was my choice. Yes, I Thanks, Lightning, and good-bye. new standards for style, comfort and perfor- mance. Photo by Manny Papadakis.

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Membership Application War Eagles Air Museum

The War Eagles Air Museum collects, restores and displays historic aircraft, mainly from the World War II and Korean War time periods, to encourage awareness and appreciation of military aviation history through exhibits, educational programs and special events. The Museum is a nonprofit organization as defined by the United States Internal Revenue Code. Operated by staff and volunteers, the Museum is supported by funds obtained from admissions, memberships and contributions. All dues and contributions are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law.

War Eagles Air Museum memberships are available in six categories. All memberships include the following privileges:

Free admission to the Museum and all exhibits. Free admission to all special events. 10% general admission discounts for all guests of a current Member. 10% discount on all Member purchases in the Gift Shop.

In addition, a Family Membership includes free admission for spouses and all children under 18 living at home.

To become a Member of the War Eagles Air Museum, please fill in the information requested below and note the category of mem- bership you desire. Mail this form, along with a check payable to “War Eagles Air Museum” for the annual fee shown, to:

War Eagles Air Museum 8012 Airport Road Santa Teresa, NM 88008 Membership Categories

Individual $15

NAME (Please print)______ Family $25

Participating $50 STREET ______ Supporting $100 CITY ______STATE _____ ZIP ______—______ Benefactor $1,000 TELEPHONE (Optional) _____—_____—______ Life $5,000 E-MAIL ADDRESS (Optional) ______Will be kept private and used only for War Eagles Air Museum mailings.

ar Eagles Air Muse- War Eagles Air Museum Corporate Youth Sponsors um sincerely thanks W the following indivi- Bronze Silver Gold Platinum Diamond duals and organizations for their ($50−$249) ($250−$499) ($500−$999) ($1,000−$2,499) ($2,500 or more) donations to the 2007 Corporate Alamo Industries, El Paso Electric El Paso Community El Paso Aero, Inc. Jonathan Rogers Youth Sponsors Program. This Inc. Company Foundation program educates local student Frank and Susan William H. Jon T. Hansen groups about the contributions Borman Gardner, III of military aviation to Ameri- Coronado ca’s history. For many students, Cleaners visits to the Museum funded by C. F. Jordan, L.P. these generous donors kindle an interest in aviation and related SWIFCO, Inc. technical career fields.

7 www.war-eagles-air-museum.com War Eagles Air Museum Doña Ana County Airport at Santa Teresa (5T6) 8012 Airport Road Santa Teresa, New Mexico 88008

Featured Aircraft can military and other countries under the (Continued from page 3) Mutual Defense Aid Pact. All but 44 came from Lock Haven. The most made Super Cub at that time was an eye-pop- in any year was 1,043 in 1953. ping $45,000. The last Piper-built Super War Eagles’ “new” PA-18 Super Cub came off the line in December 1994. Cub is serial number 18-3751 and is reg- Piper produced a total of 10,326 Su- istered N1588P. It was built in Lock Ha- per Cubs, including 1,493 for the Ameri- ven in 1954. Its first owner was William A. Springer, Jr., who picked it up at the factory and flew it cross-country to Lub- bock, Texas, on September 25 and 26, 1954. It remained in West Texas for the next 53 years. James C. Wright of Odes- S The Super Cub’s simple, straightforward sa, Texas, purchased it from Mr. Springer and intimate “cockpit” has everything a pilot needs to have fun flying, and nothing extra. in August 1965, and then sold it to Gene G. West of Marfa in July 1967. War Ea- gles Air Museum purchased it in May crafters to this day manufacture brand- 2007 after Mr. West’s death. Meticulous- new versions of Piper’s classic, timeless ly and lovingly maintained throughout, it taildragger. These Super Cubs will still is an excellent example of the type, with be flying 50 years from now—a tribute to upgraded instruments, a recent fabric re- the design excellence, performance and S Ed Murray, Carl Wright and Johnny Wil- covering and a virtually new engine with utility of Piper’s venerable J-3 Cub and liams (l. to r.) pose with the Super Cub after less than 10 hours of run time on it. the follow-on aircraft that it spawned. Johnny delivered it from Marfa on May 30, 2007. This is one of the last known photos of The Super Cub did not die when Pi- Lightning, the Museum’s hangar cat, here per ceased production. Small entrepren- For more Museum information, visit: seen busily inspecting the floor at far left. eurial companies such as Aviat and Cub- www.war-eagles-air-museum.com

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