VOL XXIX #2 1 July 2007 I n t e r n a t i o n a l F l e e t C l u b N E W S L E T T E R

Editor / Publisher From the Editor mailing well over 400 hard copies Jim Catalano world wide. Last issue we sent out over 200 requests for updated info to 8 Westlin Lane Wildly optimistic, I started the open those we hadn’t heard from since Cornwall NY 12518 cockpit season off on April 1 with two 1999 – and received only about 10 great flights in 60-degreee weather, responses. We have no idea whether E-Mail clear skies – then it dropped to 35 these 200 folks are receiving the [email protected] degrees and snowed on and off for 2 newsletter, or are enjoying it or weeks. I thought for about a minute couldn’t care less – but it’s almost like Telephone about putting on the old MacKenzie throwing leaflets overboard on a fly-by 845 - 534 - 3947 Airservice wooden skis, then thought and not knowing what impact we’re better of it. having. Fleet Web Site Ninety de- web.mac.com/fleetclub grees here If you’re one of this today, great Silent Half, we would for warming Fleet Net love to hear from you. up 2 gallons Don’t just sit there on groups.yahoo.com/ of oil, short- your er …ah… seat group/fleetnet ening up my pack, send news, pre-flight by several minutes so I can send photos and con- Cover Photo quickly get up in the sky and go no- sider sending a dona- Mike O’Neil’s 1930 where fast in 615S! tion of at least $10 a Model 7 Fleet - N756V year to keep us ahead Club membership now hovers around of the financial power Designer 450 strong; 5% receive the newsletter curve. At the very least, drop us a Jesse Catalano electronically only, so we are snail- post card or e-mail saying whether VOL XXIX #2 2 July 2007 you want to continue in our Fleet community. If we MEMBERS WRITE don’t hear from you by year’s end, we may ask you to step down onto the lower wing and hit the silk! John Beebe, White Stone, VA Jim Soloed Fleet February 1941 and licensed in May of that year! Have over 100 hours, in all Fleet mod- els. Would like to keep up.

CD Perrotti, Londonderry, NH I owned four Fleets, all in flying condition and TIME TO FLY flown by me and my brother: Model 16B (N39623), Model 16B (N39605 changed to N162V by me), Model 10 (N20699), Model 9 (N939V) – best flying Soon they come, the pilots, needing to get off the ground, Fleet of the lot. The following Fleets not flown, gravity oppressive, no longer disassembled: Model 8 (N49V, original number acceptable. They gather early N69V, s/n 803), Model 16B (N1238V, s/n 512), Model 1 (N685M, s/n 277). All B-5s, except N162V on this flat field, edged with which has R-55, 160 hp. trees they know mark the limits of the time they will have to stop within or rise above. John Abitz, Roanoke, TX I bought a 16B in 1950 (N39630) and found a pri- Light has overpowered darkness, vate pilot in Alaska to teach me to fly. We both lifting it off and away for the day. learned together. Years later, my Army buddy re- Two, maybe three or four congregate, stored a 16B with the R-56. We flew it lots. I now a circle of comrades, have an L-16 Aeronca - just finished rebuilding it. I to poke the earth with small talk, also repaired and assembled a Fleet 2 in my shop to share glances of the sky, a few years ago. to feel the wind replace thoughts until one says slowly, as if he had drawn the winning card, John Davis, Northampton, MA “Looks pretty good, I guess.” I’m a Fleet and antique airplane enthusiast though I don’t own an aircraft. I know Sandy Brown Then maybe a scratch behind an ear, through the Antique Airplane Club of Greater NY. a grin, a nod, a turn toward the hangar where a waits and listens. The pilot rolls open the large doors, Peter & Kate Bayer, Naperville, IL walks to his flying ship, Buck may be sorry he sold his 10F (1939, N14GN, its smells filling his soul s/n 263) - but we’re not! We’ve enjoyed many like an elixir. He stands for a moment happy hours flying around in it. Thanks, Buck! between the wings and , rests a hand on the painted fabric, its feel no longer needing Mark Laurin to be remembered. Just got the Kinner back together after a valve job. We had trouble with #1 as the head was cracked Donald Everett Axinn .Hugo got the call and is fixing the head as we From Against Gravity - Grove Press speak. He had a B-5R head he sold me, to get me Don Axinn is a pilot, writer, poet and film producer. in the air. ..Praise The Lord!! We just ran it up this Check out his website: www.donaxinn.com morning and everything seems fine, except for me VOL XXIX #2 3 July 2007 getting soaked in the rainstorm. My neighbor Bob and have been in a variety of roles in the organiza- Quick is a great mechanic and has helped me tion and know what kind of commitment and time through this whole thing. He is building a Sonerai- it takes to keep things fresh and active. The effort 2 project and belongs to EAA 486… really is appreciated by us - particularly we very new Fleet owners. Frank Delmar, Green Valley, AZ Cam Harrod I do miss what I once had – sitting behind that purring B-5! [email protected] I still! own my 1940 Fleet 16R s/n 397 RCAF #4494! Canadian reg. CF-DAF. I'm in the process Paul Siebert, Sonoma, CA of rebuilding both mags in order to be ready for the upcoming season. We have had a warm spell up [email protected] here in Canada, so hopefully we get an early sea- While Looking for a source for nails to attach Fleet son. Thanks for a great job on the newsletter.! I wing ribs to the spars, I have found 8 NOS 1 lb. really look forward to reading everyone’s Fleet sto- boxes of AN301-18-3 nails. They are described as; ries. 18 Gauge (.048" dia.), Straight Shank, Flat Head, steel nails, 3/8 inches long, !parkerized and ce- ment coated. Price is $10.00 per box FOB Oakland CA. As far as I know this is the last known stock in the US of this size of AN301 aircraft nail. If anyone is interested in some or all of these nails, contact me and I will pass on the purchasing details. The nails Fleet used were spiral shank 1/2 and 5/8 or 3/ 4 long but perhaps the 3/8 long nails would work OK with new spars.

Jim Record [email protected] I enjoyed the piece about Brian Coughlin and his Fleets in the latest newsletter and have an update on the 16B he sold to get his Dad's ship back. Here is a pic of my fleet at the Niagara Falls Ca- N5096L (not N410K) was purchased by my partner nada Airshow last year. She is sitting at a field Tom Daly, and will be used regularly by us (in addi- about one mile from the old Fleet Factory in Fort tion to our Great Lakes 2T-1R) at the Old Rhine- Erie where she was born. Keep ‘em Flying. beck Aerodrome Airshow. It was very well restored by Brian and still sports George Gregory's French Horn on the tail. Now, after a winter of tinkering Buddy Wehman and primping, it is ready to provide a perfect photo op to thousands of spectators of just how pretty a [email protected] Fleet in flight really is. Other Fleet owners and en- An Interesting Fleet “First” thusiasts in the Upstate/New England area should I am reading Joe Rychetnik’s book, Alaska’s Sky make plans to fly to the Aerodrome for multiple Follies, an at one point he mentions that Mary Bar- Fleet photos. row was the first woman to take all of her training and successfully pass the federal exam in Alaska. Mike O’Neal She took instruction from Steve Mills at Merrill Field, Anchorage in a FLEET. She soloed on July Mike.O’[email protected] 27, 1932. The book goes on to say, “A few weeks Thanks for keeping the newsletter vital. I'm a later, the federal inspector tested the skills of 12 member of the American Society of Aviation Artists candidates at piloting the Fleet plane She was the VOL XXIX #2 4 July 2007 only woman to take the test, and one of the only 3 part of the story all the more amazing is that Sue candidates to pass…at the age of some 90 years, does not have any warm, fuzzy feelings about she was still able to recall the great times she had small airplanes.! She gets sick when she flies (and exploring Alaska in the early days of aviation.” I don’t mean just when she flies with me).! I should have written that last sentence in past tense.! After I am still “blasting” around the skies of South several heroic attempts to Fleet-fly, we both de- Carolina in N8742 (1939 Fleet 16B). Due to cold cided that she should drive to flyins and I should weather, the time spent in the air has been limited fly.! It turns out that this is a great way to get food, lately. I have gotten some interesting results from drinks, and clothes to a Flyin site so Win-Win it is ! experimenting with ways to cut down on the wind ! effect in the back cockpit. Taking the front wind- This whole Fleet thing started in October, 1985.! I shield off cut the wind down by something like found three advertised in Trade-A-Plane and nar- 75%. Then I made a canvas cover for the front rowed the list down to the one located in Sand hole and just about cut out the last 25%. At a later Springs, Oklahoma.! One reason for this decision date, I put the front windshield back on and cov- was that Oklahoma is a damn site closer to SC ered most of the cockpit with the cover (I wasn’t than . able to snap the front snaps due to the windshield being in the way). The buffeting effect was BAD. My partner in crime, Jim Wilson, and I flew to So I’m back to no front screen except when I have Oklahoma by way of Jim Barber and his Piper passengers. Lance so I could buy this one.! On first inspection it became obvious that this was not one of your Life is good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! cream puff restorations, but with much whistling and muttering and circle walking on Mr. Jim’s part My Time Warp Machine. while I tried to make up my mind if I really wanted A Stearman it’s not. But a Fleet it is!! And that to spend my fortune on this dusty ole thing, I pays makes me happy ! the man, and we starts out for home.! Some day I ! might decide to write a detailed account of this Now to be perfectly clear, I am not knocking the trip-from-hell, but suffice it to say that it was Stearman, and I’m really not even trying to com- interesting.! At one point Jim said, “You know, pare the two aeroplanes.! I mean, it goes without some day we are going to look back on this trip saying that a Fleet can’t fly through a brick wall and laugh and say it was fun.”! I think he said this and only cause serious damage to the wall.! A after the forth ground loop.!! The first one was by Stearman can ….. at least that is what their owners the fella that gave me the intro. flight before pur- say.! But then a Fleet doesn’t sit way up in the air chase (said it needed brake fluid).! The next three on two ‘sticks’ , so it is a bunch easier to land in were due to, we finally figured out, the brakes be- crosswinds than a Stearman.! Dick King of Rhine- ing locked up (that fella that I just mentioned put beck fame wrote a note in the front of my copy of red hydraulic fluid in the system and this stuff re- his book, The Skies Over Rhinebeck, “The Fleet is acted with the natural rubber expander tubes, de- one of my favorite airplanes to fly – it’s hard not to laminating the rubber and putting things in a per- make a good landing in one.” Well ………. I have manently locked up state of affairs).! We made the proven Dick wrong on this point more than once in second half of the 958 mile/13 hour trip without my 22 years of flying my Fleet.! But I still love the brakes.! If you were doing your math while reading ole girl ! this article, you have figured out that there was ! one more ‘loop’ to go.! That one happened at In 1985 my Jungster gave way to a Fleet and my Cartersville, Georgia and, as was determined at a love affair with this wonderful piece of machinery later date, due in part to the rudder cables being began.! Once again my wife, Sue, showed me the too long (not enough throw).! No brakes and no way.! I was grousing because what I really wanted rudder make for potentially unhappy landings in a was a round engine biplane, and she, bless her tailwheel airplane.! I would like to state at this point heart, suggested that we use the money that we that if it hadn’t been for Jim’s piloting skills, my had just recently made by selling our house for the black and silver aeroplane would have been a big purpose of satisfying my itch.! What makes this pile of trash somewhere around Sallisaw, VOL XXIX #2 5 July 2007

Oklahoma.! The boy is good !! But Gordon Baxter mount was installed. While on a trip to Maine to got it right when he said, “…A few hours of mind- visit relatives I dropped off the fuselage of at Hugo and muscle-battering in that open cockpit numbs Bartel’s aircraft factory and picked it up a week the delicate touch of even the best.”! Not that all of later on the way back to Missouri. He did an ex- Jim’s landings weren’t perfect. cellent job of replacing the old mount with a new ! standard mount. Now 22 years later, I can safely say that if a person So now it is up to me to press on with the rebuild. wants to develop skills (mechanical as well as fly- ing), wants to meet some great people, have some Buck Hilbert great experiences, and as John Gillespie Magee said in High Flight, reach out and touch the face of [email protected]!!! God, buy an ole biplane with a round engine.! It Yes, I do miss my fleet. I think the best one I had doesn’t matter if it is a Stearman, or a Fleet, or was the one Stan Sweiker has. 431K was my fa- something else, the enlightenment will still be the vorite. I had a great time with that airplane after I same.! But for me, I’m sticking with the Fleet. bought it from John Richardson. It was a mess, the ! rag was marginal, the engine had compression on Gordon Baxter made an interesting observation in only one cylinder. it was a haven for birds, both his story, The Day the Stearmans Came Back.! He tires were flat, and the fuel system was dry be- was talking about a Stearman Fly-in Galesburg cause the carb needle valve leaked. when he said, “It was only a bunch of silly old men ! in silly old airplanes, living in their yesterdays.”! We dragged it out of the open shed, squirted The barmaid replied, “They’re not living in yester- about!ten gallons of fuel into it, pulled that old B- day, they’re only keeping a good memory alive.” 54 thru about ten blades, turned the switch on and Here’s to making good memories. it RAN!. Those big 850 x 10 tires didn't even know they were flat as I taxied it around. I did a run-up, and then decided that I'd exercise my Mexican Ferry permit and bring it home. (For the uninitiated, a Mexican Ferry Permit is the same as no permit at all.)

My friend Ralph Redmer following in our Cherokee 180 we made it the 125 miles to Elgin, to where we could get it filled with fuel. While there I decided to air up the tires. ! Big Mistake. I put about thirty pounds in those 850s and suddenly 431K became an unmanage- able wild stallion. I could not taxi. It kept swapping ends, The taxi out to the runway was a series of 360s and 180s. I got out, let the air out of the tires, John Cox, Bona, MO down to about ten pounds, and He was halter [email protected] broke. Now I could handle it again. I flew it home. and the fix up began. I have started working on my fleet 2, NC236H which I wrecked at the Merced flyin, back in 1975. ! I got copies of the FAA documentation from the Before I go further, 431K was a "He" not a "She".! FAA last year and discovered that it was born a This S.O.B. was a handful and had a definite mind model 1. It was at the Art Goebel Flying School of it's own, and every time!it tried to do an excur- sion somewhere other than where I wanted it to and was wrecked at the Kansas City Airport in 1930 and rebuilt as a model 2. I will probably go go, it was a cantankerous male! with a R-55. ! In rebuilding the aircraft a non-standard engine We pulled the cylinders, the leaking fuel tank, evicted all the birds nests, sent the instruments out VOL XXIX #2 6 July 2007 to be overhauled and or replaced., The only one !mostly because The "Fun" was gone! that worked was the oil pressure gage, replaced ! the Scott 600 x 2 tail wheel bearings, and went !I wanted to fly in the "Parade of Flight" and taxied over everything we could think of. The valves were out to do just that only to have the Feds turn me wrought iron corroded from the additives to away because I didn't have a briefing ticket. I was 100!LL, and the oil we sold to the Rock Road so!angry I flew it back down the taxiway to parking company for paving tar. We replaced the fuel lines, and was chased by a car I thought was an FAA also badly corroded, and after re-ringing and re- man. I was so mad I leaped out of the cockpit placing the valves, re-installed the cylinders, put ready to "deck" the guy and all the steam!evapo- the repaired fuel tank back in, slobbered some fab- rated. The man in the car was Frank Tallman! ric over it and we were ready to fly. ! ! Frank was enamored with the Fleet and wanted It looked so ragged and was so patchy we just de- only to talk about it and maybe fly it. Unfortunately, cided to fly it like it was. The first real outing was he had an artificial leg and couldn't manipulate the to Chicago's Lake front Meigs Field where we par- brakes, so he!never got to fly it. We also miscon- ticipated in a warm up flight to publicize the Du- nected after the convention was over, and he left Page Airshow put on by the Chicago Area Antique for California. Airplane Association, Inc. ! I had written a couple articles for our A & C maga- I came up with! the idea of having everyone who zine and this caught the attention of one Richard flew in the airplane autograph the tail feathers with Bach. It's another story, but Richard pressured me a big Felt tip Pen. By the time we finally rebuilt the so much the only way I could get rid of him was to airplane four years later, There must have been two sell him the airplane. I cried all the way to the bank hundred signatures and messages written all over after he left the Funny Farm, here, and the only the airplane. along with oversized bandaids, fake thought was, he'll sell it back to me when he's fin- wooden splices on the struts, and Tri-Town Airlines ished fooling with it. That never happened. written on the sides. !! ! ! !Many times, I wished I had "Him" back. It was the We had a ball, flying "Him", Only three of us were most responsive and best performing airplane I allowed to fly. Curt Taylor and Ralph Redmer and ever had. I never flew an airplane that had too Myself. After all, we were flying "nude", no insur- much power, but that airplane came as close to ance, so we figured if we broke it, we three could being a perfect match of performance and power fix it. The thought of liability never entered our as any I ever flew. The 10F, which had the 145 minds. Warner, and was actually the prototype of the 16B, ! was a military airplane built for and exported to Curt moved away, Ralph died, and I!got real busy Nicaragua in 1938. It was much heavier than the with being President of EAA's Antique and Classic Model 2. The Warner just didn't have the pulling Division. I procrastinated for quite some time power of the B-54. It flew fine, but just didn't have about restoring the airplane. I really didn't have the that oomph! On Floats, I considered replacing the time, and when Bill Haselton!of South Bend, Indi- 145 with a 165, but that never happened. The lo- ana, offered to do the restoration, I let him have it. gistics of a new engine mount, new exhaust, new ! cowling and fighting the Feds,!dissuaded me. One word here, about that restoration. When "He" ! came back with his new threads, all painted up like ! a real Fleet, and resplendent!with his new 650 x 10 Jim Uber shoes and hub caps, "He was beautiful. So beauti- ful I hated to fly it because I was afraid I'd get it [email protected] dirty. Even the engine was spotless with its new Yes, we're getting close on the NC8600. The wings Overhaul and refinished prop and mini-spinner. I are back where they belong, and I've attempted took it to Oshkosh, and because I was Chaiman of the "level/plumb bob/ yardstick" thing (last week). the Antique & Classic part of the fly-in, I didn't It seemed to be quite close, as it should be, as we have time to fly it. It just sat. I was busy but it was didn't disturb any of the struts when we dis- VOL XXIX #2 7 July 2007 assembled it in the field. Refactory in Springfield, OR. I'm certain there will be a few more details that I Jerry Terman, Sonoma, CA haven't discovered yet. Has anyone ever seen a C/G range pub- I hope to complete restoration of 1929 Model 2 lished anywhere?? The type-certificate (122) is (NC608M, s/n 184) this year – and will send pho- really vague, and doesn't discuss C/G at all. I have tos. copies of numerous empty C/G calculations, which vary enough to have me wonder if this is even the same airplane. (Actually, many of them were done Paul Poberezny, with faulty assumptions). I am fairly confident that EAA Founder and Chairman of the Board the last weighing and C/G are valid. The empty C/ G comes in at +0.1" (with oil) and 1298 lbs. Any Wrote to say he enjoyed the Fleet Newsletter and light you might be able to shed would be appreci- related this: “I always did like the Fleet; I never ated. I looked at TC 2-566. Is the 16B a shorter had the opportunity to fly one but as a young lad, I bird? I noticed the tail-wheel is at +175 (ours is at used to look over the fence at Milwaukee County +197), and the mains are at -12.5 (ours at -13). The Airport at the beautiful Fleet. Midwest Airways "erection and maintenance" manual that I have in- here (an FBO) was one of the distributors for them dicates that the model 1, 2, 7, F5, F10, and F11 . In fact, I built a beautiful 24” model of a Fleet share the same wings, length, and height. The that I gave to my wife (she was my girlfriend then length is listed at 21'!for all of them. The 16B ap- in high school). ..[thanks for] keeping our early day pears to be a bit different. I suspect that if we stay history going and bringing together a communica- within the numbers for the 16B, we shouldn't be tion system for those who love a particular type of too far off (but this is nothing to hang your hat on). airplane, especially from our good old days.” Robert Jacobson, Troy, MO Members may have noticed Robert’s 1929 Model 2 (N613M, s/n 189) in the 2006 Trade-A-Plane Cal- endar. What a beauty!

Manuals Available Hugo and Chris Bartel sent in a listing of all of the manuals, catalogs and letters they have available, in response to numerous Fleet and Kinner informa- tion requests. Contact them to purchase, and check their complete listing in the “Resources” section of the website. Email: [email protected]; Phone or Fax: (814) 832- 2694 in Williamsburg, PA. Aircraft Erection and Maintenance Manuals for Fleet Mo- Factory photo from John Sommerfeld. Jack Bal- dels 1, 2, 7, F5, F10, F11. lard’s model 7D - shown on the cover of last is- " 42 page, $22 sue. Limited – Report #111 Detail Specifi- cation for Model 16R " 10 pages, $6 Randy Stout, Springfield, OR Erection and Maintenance for Fleet Aeroplanes Model 16B (Kinner B-5) Sold my 1929 Model 2/7 (N618M, s/n 194) with an R-55 to Richard Ray, Battleground, WA in 2003. " 23 pages, $13 Presenting the Consolidated Husky Junior (Com- This was restored by Tim Talen of The Ragwood pany sales brochure for Model 1) VOL XXIX #2 8 July 2007

" 16 pages, $9 Fleet Model 16B Parts Index (Not Illustrated) " 23 pages, $13 Fleet Model 7 Master Drawing/Parts Index (Not Illustrated) " 44 pages, $23 National Research Laboratories Report #LM-67, Report on Ground-Looping of Aircraft Fleet Finch II and Model 16Bs at Canadian Elementary Flying Training Schools " 10 pages, $6 Pilot’s Notes for Fleet Finch II Trainer by Canadian MUSEUM NEWS Elementary Flying Training Schools " 10 pages, $6 Daily, 30 Hour and 180 Hour Inspection of Fleet Wings of History Air Museum Finch II (and Model 16B) Canadian Forces P.O. Box 495 (12777 Murphy Ave.), San Martin, CA " 60 pages, $30 95046 Fleet Trainer (Aircraft Manufactured in Canada) by Telephone: (408) 683-2290 A.J. Short – Aviation Space Division, National Mu- www.wingsofhistory.org seum of Science, Technology and History, Ottawa, Norm Zimmerman, Librarian Canada 1981. Has Serial Numbers and locations We wish we had a Fleet! of all Model 16BS " 41 pages, $22 Fleet Aeroplanes – Erection, Maintenance and Pearson Air Museum Operation of Finch II (Model 16R) (www.pearsonairmuseum.org, " 23 pages, $12 Kyle Kihs, Director The Fleet as an Acrobatic Trainer by G.E. Moounce [email protected] to Maj. Reuben Fleet (1936) Prominently on display in the main hangar of the " Illlustrated, 29 pages,, $20 Pearson Air Museum in Vancouver, , is Engines an orange and white 1931 Fleet, N794V, s/n 375. Kinner B-5 All Models Parts/Price List (Sept. 1940) This Fleet, which had first been delivered to Pear- " 30 pages, $16 son Field the year it was manufactured, returned in Kinner R-540-1 (R-55) Handbook of Operating Ins- 2001 when it was purchased by the tructions (Nov. 1941) Historical Society and placed on permanent dis- " 7 pages, $5 play in the museum. Kinner R-540-1 (R-55) Handbook of Service Ins- # The Fleet was originally purchased in 1931 tructions (Dec. 1941) by the Chinese Benevolent Association to train pi- " 34 pages, $18 lots in response to the Japanese invasion of Man- Kinner Parts Price List fo K-5 and B-5 Engines churia. The following year a young Portland " 56 pages, $29 woman named Leah Hing enrolled in the famous Instructions for Overhaul – Kinner Model R-52, R- Tex Rankin Flying School at Pearson Field, becom- 53, R-55 Engines ing the first Chinese-American woman to begin " 37 pages, $20 flight training; she soon purchased the Fleet and Kinner Model R-540-1 (R-55) Parts Catalog (Mar. used it extensively as a performer in Tex Rankin’s 1942) Air Circuses. " 20 pages, $11 # In the late 1930s a Stearman, piloted by Kinner Instructions for Operation and Maintenance Lacy Murrow and his brother Edward R. Murrow for B-5, B-5R, B-54 Engines (soon to become a famous journalist) struck the (Apr. 1943) parked Fleet, causing extensive damage. The Mur- " 35 pages, $20 rows purchased the plane, made repairs, and then sold it to the Northwest Air Service at Seattle’s VOL XXIX #2 9 July 2007

Boeing Field. They later sold the Fleet to the Ta- WANTED coma [WA] Flying Service. In 1941 the Fleet un- derwent an extensive overhaul, including replace- ment of the Kinner K-5 with a Kinner B-5, larger 16B project/wreck. rudder and fin, “and all alterations necessary to Stuart Bain – [email protected] convert from model 2 to model 7 Fleet.” This is the aircraft’s current configuration. Prop for 16B, 125 hp for Kinner SAE #1 taper " The Fleet changed hands again in the early Ken Moir - [email protected] 1980s and returned to the Portland area until its recent purchase and return to the Museum. The Looking for Warner Bridle Assembly P/N FA-58 or plane is now on exhibit and can be seen Wednes- equivalent bridle for lifting Warner 145 engine. day through Saturday, 10am to 5pm. Any leads would be appreciated. Paul Seibert, Sonoma, CA Reynolds-Alberta Museum - [email protected]

P.O. Box 6360 Fleet-2 owner looking to buy up to three full-scale Wetaskiwin, Alberta, CA T9A 2G1 replica WWI airplanes. AND We would certainly like Telephone; (780) 631-1351, ext. 229 to trade, not sell, our Fleet (It was formerly owned www.machinemuseum.net by and can be seen at Noel Ratch, Head, Curatorial Services http://www.fighterfactory.com/aircraft-for-sale/fors [email protected] alefleet2.html) for another similar airplane or earlier We have a 1939 Finch Model 1 (16R), s/n 243, reg- aircraft engine of some sort. We might even consi- istration #CFAAE, and a 1936 Fleet 21M with a der paying someone to restore the plane back to Pratt & Whitney Wasp Jr. engine. its original flight condition if we could find the right craftsman working out of his home garage or han- gar. Leroy Cox was one of the former owners of our airplane and his wife wrote me a letter about EVENTS where he had shown her the names and signatures of and Charles Lindbergh in the log books when they had flown this airplane, but un- The Geneseo (NY) Airshow, now called “The fortunately, I did not get the logbook with the air- Greatest Show on Turf”, is in July! plane. Wonder if anyone in the club might have Frank Schaufler, Warbird & Biplane Rally Coordina- seen these logbooks anywhere. tor, wrote to encourage Fleet Club members to fly Gerald Yagen – [email protected] in and participate. The Biplane Rally (and Chili Aviation Institute of Maintenance Cook Off) part of the show started in 2000, and is Phone: (757) 490-3157 Fax: (757) 497-8083 now big enough to stand on its own as an individ- ual event. It will now begin the week before the Looking for a pair of Goodyear Air Wheel tires for Airshow and continue through it, July 7-15. IFC our 1929 Fleet Model 1 with Warner 110 (s/n 98). member Mark Laurin is a regular at the show, sev- Size is 22 x 10 x 4. Aircraft was stored for about eral Canadians are expected, including IFC mem- 50 years. Also need Consolidated airspeed indica- ber Cam Harrod, and Bob McClusky is planning to tor. come in his 1935 Kinner Speedster. For more in- Robert Miller, South Beloit, IL formation, contact Frank by telephone (585 392- [email protected] 4 8 5 9 , o r 5 8 5 7 6 6 - 9 4 7 4 ) o r e - m a i l Telephone: (815) 389-1761 ([email protected]) Looking for another Fleet! Gary Thompson, Chico, CA [email protected] Telephone: (530) 342-0651 VOL XXIX #2 10 July 2007

RESOURCES hear from you about it. No data between the slashes means there is no record of you owning an aircraft. Also note regardless of how many aircraft The Resources section – a listing of professionals you own, there is only space on the label to note and providers of Fleet expertise and parts – has one. The label information is provided because we remained fairly stable for many years. In order to really need your help in updating the whereabouts have space for other items of interest, it will not be of all the Fleets. printed with every Newsletter. Instead, we will post and update the Resources section on our website, Recent Donations and will print it occasionally when space allows and/or substantial changes are needed. If you Many thanks to the following members who made need a printed list, contact the Editor. Vendors, donations to the newsletter fund since February please review your listing, and send any correc- 2007: tions or editions to the editor at [email protected] John W. Abitz John Henrich Hugo & Chris Bartel Dave Howie Peter D. Bayer Mark Laurin CLUB INFORMATION Carlton D. Baxter Robert Miller John Beebe Frank S. Pavliga Phil Bragg Carmen Perrotti Electronic or Paper Editions of the News- Gerald Catalano James T. Record David Cooper-Maguire Robert A. Stoinoff, Jr. letter Gary M. Cross Randy Stout John N. Davis Eric Teder With the increasing cost of paper and postage, Francis L. Delmar Jerry Terman and concerns about the environment, we want to Wayne Edsall Buddy Wehman (2nd " make sure that we’re not wasting resources. If you Rich Giannotti " donation!) would prefer NOT to receive the paper version of Judi Gould and Frank " Susan Fleet Welsch the newsletter by US Post Office mail, and would " Huttle Gerald Yagen prefer to read it on the website and view photos in Bruce E. Graham James B. Zazas living color, please let us know ASAP via e-mail: Dick Gregerson (Dick’s [email protected]. # Aviation)

Your Photos for the Newsletter/Website thanks for the tow! We love including your photographs in the news- letter and on the website. If at all possible, digital photographs are ideal. We can also scan good quality photographic prints and will return them if you indicate that’s your preference. Generally, pho- tocopies of photographs don’t reproduce well enough to include.

How to Read Your Mailing Label There are 5 pieces of information on the first line, each separated by a slash [/]: Model # / Serial # / Registration # / Status of Air- craft / year of your last donation to the newsletter. If there is a question mark [?] instead of a year, we have no donation record. If you see two slashes together, that data is missing and we would like to VOL XXIX #2 11 July 2007

Making Donations Archives There are no dues required for Fleet Club mem- Do you have any photos, ads, data that we can bership. Donations of any size are welcome and add to the Fleet Club archives? Please send a co- most appreciated, however, to support the pro- py or scan and send electronically to help enrich duction and mailing of the newsletter and website. our historical materials. PLEASE make checks payable to Jim Catalano; it is no longer possible to open a separate bank ac- count for the club without a lot more paperwork, Membership Information Form tax ID#s, etc., given new banking security regula- tions initiated since 2001. I now have a simple Use this form to become a member of the club new account in my name, dedicated to newsletter and become part of our database, or to change activities, but in order to deposit checks, they any information in your existing file (e.g. change of must be addressed to me. To facilitate internatio- address or telephone number), or to report the nal donations, members can wire funds directly to purchase or sale of a Fleet. the account; please e-mail Editor for instructions.

Members’ Information Form

Last Name First Name Today’s Date

Street Address

City/Town State Zip Code Country

E-mail address Telephone #

[ ]" New Member" " " " " " [ ]" Discontinue Print Newsletter, [ ]" Continuing Member" " " " " " Electronic Newletter only [ ]" Change Information" " " " " [ ]" Donation Enclosed. $ ______

Year Fleet Model Engine

Serial # Registration #

Aircraft Status " [ ] Flying" " [ ] Restoring" " [ ] Storage" " [ ] Display

Comments

NEWSLETTER RESPONSIBILITY AND LIABILITY DISCLAIMER The International Fleet Club Newsletter is a hobby type, recreational, sport flying publication and is an amateur production intended only for the edification and entertainment of its subscribers. If you have questions about ideas or suggestions from the newsletter, it is suggested that you cross check the information prior to its use. The social events and fly-ins reported in the newsletter are only suggestions, and because of location, type of airport, surrounding terrain, etc., all events reported may not be suitable for attendance by all members. Prior to attendance of any event reported in the newsletter, each member should review the proposed site of the event and in light of that, and in the light of the flying experience e of the pilot/subscriber, assess the capability of the pilot to successfully and safely attend the events. The International Fleet Club Newsletter as- sumes no responsibility or liability for the contents of the newsletter, or for damages resulting from attendance at events reported in the newsletter.

VOL XXIX #2 12 July 2007

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I n t e r n a t i o n a l F l e e t C l u b N E W S L E T T E R

J i m C a t a l a n o 8 W e s t l i n L a n e Cornwall NY, 12518

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