DECEMBER 2011 Thank you from the staff at AUA. We wish you happy holidays and we look forward to serving you in the new year!
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CONTENTS
3 News
5 The Waco Model ‘C’ Classy custom Cabins by Sparky Barnes Sargent 12 Going Home Again 5 At age 12, I harbored aspirations of fl ying fast, like my heroes, the Mercury astronauts . . . by Philip Handleman
16 My First Airplane by Lee Hurry 20 18 Chapter Locator
20 Light Plane Heritage Remember the Avro Avian? by Bob Whittier 28 STAFF 28 The Vintage Mechanic EAA Publisher Rod Hightower Tail Wheel Installations Director of EAA Publications J. Mac McClellan by Robert G. Lock Executive Editor Mary Jones Executive Director/Editor H.G. Frautschy 32 Production/Special Projects Kathleen Witman The Vintage Instructor Photography Jim Koepnick Short-Field Operations Part 2 Copy Editor Colleen Walsh by Steve Krog, CFI Publication Advertising: Manager/Domestic, Sue Anderson 34 Mystery Plane Tel: 920-426-6127 Email: [email protected] by H.G. Frautschy Fax: 920-426-4828 Senior Business Relations Mgr, Trevor Janz 37 Classifi eds Tel: 920-426-6809 Email: [email protected] Manager/European-Asian, Willi Tacke 38 A Little Smooth Air Phone: +49(0)1716980871 Email: willi@fl ying-pages.com by Michelle Souder Fax: +49(0)8841 / 496012 Classifi ed Advertising Coordinator, Jo Ann Cody Simons Tel: 920-426-6169 Email: [email protected] COVERS FRONT COVER: In the days before World War II, the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) For missing or replacement magazines, or and its predecessor, the Department of Commerce, Aeronautics Branch, had a stable of air- any other membership-related questions, please call craft to be used by inspectors in the fi eld. This 1939 Waco AGC-8 was one of those airplanes. EAA Member Services at 800- JOIN-EAA (564-6322). You can enjoy the story of its history and restoration in Sparky Barnes Sargent’s article start- ing on page 5. EAA photo by EAA’s chief photographer, Jim Koepnick. BACK COVER: With a nod to longtime EAA editorial contributor Bob Whittier, who reminded us of this cover, we bring you the seasonally appropriate cover artwork by Stewart Rouse of the December 1933 issue of Model Airplane News, featuring a Christmastime message stamped in the snow to greet the pilot of the “New Heath Parasol.” VINTAGE AIRPLANE 1 Merry Christmas! • Happy Holidays! • Happy New Year!
On behalf of the offi cers, directors, and the staff of the EAA Vintage Aircraft Association, we wish each of you peace, joy, and prosperity during the holiday season and throughout the new year, with many days of safe, enjoyable fl ying! Paul Poberezny Jerry Brown Jeannie Hill Rod Hightower Gene Chase Butch Joyce Geoff Robison Dave Clark Steve Krog George Daubner Jack Copeland Bob Lumley Dan Knutson Phil Coulson Gene Morris Steve Nesse Ron Fritz Wes Schmid Steve Bender Dale Gustafson John Turgyan Dave Bennett Charlie Harris H.G. Frautschy Bob Brauer Buck Hilbert Theresa Books and the entire staff of the EAA 2 DECEMBER 2011 VAA NEWS
John Underwood Inducted Into VAA Hall of Fame During ceremo- nies held the eve- ning of October 27, 2011, noted author and aviation history enthusiast John Underwood was inducted into the Vintage Aircraft As- sociation’s Hall of Fame. Other induct-
SHARPSHOOTER IMAGING ees included Jack Geoff Robison, John Underwood, and Rod Hightower. Tom Poberezny Inducted Into McCornack of Cave San Diego Hall of Fame Junction, Oregon (Ultralight Hall of Fame), the late Tony LeVier of La Congratulations to EAA Chairman Emeritus Tom Poberezny, who was Canada, California (International Aerobatic Club Hall of Fame), the inducted into the San Diego Inter- late David B. Lindsay Jr. of Sarasota, Florida (Warbirds of America national Air & Space Hall of Fame Hall of Fame), and Ed Fisher of Gilbert, South Carolina (Homebuilders on November 5. Tom was honored Hall of Fame). for his leadership of EAA, his 25-year air show career, and the creation of “Each of these fi ve individuals has made a unique contribution to EAA’s Young Eagles program. Other the world of fl ight that has benefi ted all of us,” said Rod Hightower, inductees included Apollo astronaut EAA president and CEO. “These inductees serve as an example for Walt Cunningham, Voyager pilot Dick Rutan, the U.S. Navy TOPGUN everyone involved in fl ying and represent the best that recreational school, and World War II pilot Jerry aviation has to offer. We recognize their commitment and passion for Coleman, perhaps better known as fl ying and are honored to welcome them into the EAA Sport Aviation a second baseman for the New York Yankees in the 1950s and a Hall of Hall of Fame.” Fame baseball broadcaster. Paul Po- We’ll have more on Underwood’s lifetime in aviation in the Jan- berezny had been inducted into the uary issue of Vintage Airplane. same hall of fame in 1996. man, whose expertise in aircraft every aircraft owned by the orga- maintenance kept EAA’s B-17 and nization. He also assisted air show Ford Tri-Motor fl ying on tour for performers and others who han- the past 20 years. Mosman died gared aircraft at the Kermit Weeks on October 20 after a battle with Flight Research Center during cancer. He was 57. EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. “When- Mosman, an Iowa native, ever we needed something done joined EAA in 1980 when the or- on the B-17 when it was on the ganization’s headquarters were in road, Ted was right there; he was a the Milwaukee area, then made natural mechanic,” EAA Founder EAA Mourns Death of Longtime the move to Oshkosh with EAA Paul Poberezny said. “He’d always Aircraft Technician in the early 1980s. He was an in- go along on the test flight after- EAA staff members are mourn- tegral part of EAA’s B-17 and Tri- ward and listen to make sure ev- ing the loss of co-worker Ted Mos- Motor restorations and worked on erything was right.” VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3 Louie Andrew Honored With Henry Kimberly Leadership Award
More Information on Bellanca N6561N Longtime Fond du Lac, Wiscon- As is often the case with our vin- sin, attorney Louie Andrew was tage aircraft, there’s much more to the story of an aircraft featured in awarded the Henry Kimberly Spirit our pages than meets the eye. Such of Leadership Award for his volun- is the case of Bellanca Cruisemaster N6561N, and in the caption accom- teer efforts on behalf of EAA and panying the photo of the airplane published in the October issue, we the community during the Sport Avi- should have filled in a few more ation Hall of Fame banquet Octo- blanks. Prior to being acquired by its current owner, Ron Hansen, it was ber 27 at the EAA Aviation Center owned by Al Pontious and Jere Calef. After being damaged when the left in Oshkosh. As part of the award, main gear leg collapsed on landing named for renowned Oshkosh busi- at the Columbia, California, airport during the annual Bellanca fly-in, ness leader and EAA supporter the airplane was declared to be a to- Louie Andrew tal loss by an insurance company. It Henry Kimberly, Andrew received a was disassembled and placed in stor- $1,000 prize to designate toward any of EAA’s programs. age pending its disposition. The most likely outcome was that the airplane Andrew’s advice, knowledge of the community and region, and would be sold for parts. passion for fl ight contribute to his effectiveness in his role as in- Pontious, who has owned, main- tained, and restored Bellancas for terim chairman of EAA’s board of directors. He also serves as many years and who is a well-known expert on Bellanca aircraft, did not chairman of EAA’s executive committee and a director for the In- want to see another Bellanca del- ternational Aerobatic Club. egated to the parts bin, so he and Calef purchased the pieces, brought He began fl ying at the Fond du Lac airport at age 14, soloed on them home to Mojave, and began the repair/restoration. In addition to his 16th birthday, and obtained his private pilot certifi cate at age the damage caused by the gear col- 17. Andrew, who holds single- and multi-engine land and instru- lapse, there was significant damage infl icted when the aircraft was disas- ment ratings, fl ies a Piper Aztec and an Aeronca Super Chief that sembled and transported to the stor- age facility. After a little more than are based at Fond du Lac County Airport. a year’s worth of effort, N6561N Andrew, a University of Notre Dame and Marquette University again took to the skies in the condi- tion shown in the October issue. Mr. Law School graduate, has been a practicing attorney in Fond du Hansen subsequently purchased the aircraft from the partners, who were Lac for 45 years, specializing in corporate and real estate law. He glad to see another Bellanca cruising also owns and operates Guaranty Service Group Inc., which oper- the skies. ates seven title insurance offi ces and provides services to lend- VAA Dues Per Section VI., Dues, of the VAA’s ers in the state of Wisconsin and six other Midwestern states. bylaws, the VAA board of directors Andrew and his wife, Sue, live in Fond du Lac and are parents of has voted to set the yearly dues of the association at $42 per year, effec- fi ve children. tive March 1, 2012. 4 DECEMBER 2011 WacoThe Model “C”
Classy Custom Cabins
BY SPARKY BARNES SARGENT
JIM KOEPNICK
trio of grand old Waco C-8 664. The “A” denotes its 300-hp Ja- The Luxury EGC-8 Cabin Model Cabin models gleamed mag- cobs L-6 engine. Jim Clark’s Waco Waco produced seven EGC-8s. nifi cently under the summer (NC61KS) rolled off the production The EGC-8 had seating for five, sun at EAA AirVenture 2010, line in 1939 as an AGC-8, but was with an overall wingspan of 34 A just as the vintage field be- soon converted to a model EGC-8. feet, 9 inches (lower wingspan of gan thoroughly drying out from re- The “E” denotes the 320-hp (super- 24 feet 4 inches) and a length of cord rainfalls. Like the sunshine, charged to 350-hp) Wright R760-E2. 27 feet 4 inches from nose to tail. these luxury custom Cabin Wacos Bill McCormick’s Waco (NC2279) It towered 8 feet, 7-1/2 inches were a welcome sight. Fewer than was originally manufactured under tall and had a 108-inch-wide gear 30 of these biplanes were manufac- ATC 665 as an EGC-8. Waco’s “C” tread. The EGC-8 weighed 2,447 tured, and it’s estimated that about Model was spry yet gentle, and pi- pounds empty, had a payload of half exist today, with less than a lots still appreciate it for its quick 563 pounds, and had a gross weight handful in fl yable condition. takeoffs and slow landings, in addi- of 3,800 pounds. Of the threesome, Bob and Barb tion to its other fi ne qualities. Let’s Its mighty Wright turned a Ham- Perkins’ Waco AGC-8 (N20908) was take a closer look at the septuage- ilton Standard controllable pro- manufactured in 1939 under ATC narian Wright-powered EGC-8. peller, and with 95 gallons of fuel VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5 A company brochure about the
Waco Model “C” Cabin models. SPARKY BARNES SARGENT PHOTOS NC2279 is fi nished in Henry King’s signature paint scheme.
available, it burned 18 gph while enjoying a cruising speed of 147 mph (up to 159 mph at optimum altitude) and a range of 713 miles (with 15 percent reserve). The stan- dard color for the “C” Model’s hand-rubbed, lustrous finish was Gunmetal Gray, but customers could also choose from the optional Waco Vermilion (which added 33 pounds to the empty weight), Insig- nia Blue (which added 7 pounds), or Silver. NC2279’s instrument panel. A company brochure touted the Waco Model “C” as representing the fi nest in air travel, since its “re- fi ned streamlining was responsible for faster airspeed, and a lengthened fuselage with an effi cient fl ap design provided better control at slow land- ing speeds.” Designed for pilot and passenger comfort alike, this model featured elegant interiors that could also accommodate a variety of cargo, since the biplane was “…of- fered with a freighter interior and may also be equipped as an aerial ambulance. When so equipped, the stretcher is concealed when not in use and the usual passenger interior remains unimpaired.” One especially interesting fea- ture were the split flaps: “At any time prior to landing if unexpected obstructions appear, the throttle A peek inside NC2279’s exquisitely detailed cabin. may be opened fully and the fl aps 6 DECEMBER 2011 will close themselves automatically 1920s and ’30s. His achievements King owned NC2279 until 1940, and slowly without further loss of included directing more than 100 when he traded it in. Waco then altitude and without effort on the movies, receiving the first Golden sold the biplane to Eastern Coal pilot’s part. When the emergency Globe Award in 1944, and being one Corporation of Bluefi eld, West Vir- has passed the pilot may close the of the founders of the Academy of ginia. The government bought it in fl ap control valve until ready to use Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 1942, and three years later, it landed it again.” in the hands of a citizen in San Di- With fresh air supplied to the ego, California—at that time, its reg- cabin (from intakes in the wings), istration number had been changed ashtrays for those who smoked, to NC50610. This Waco flew from and a comfortable back seat where “It’s one thing owner to owner through the years, passengers could relax into “aerial but then languished from the early naps,” the Model “C” was designed to have 1960s for several decades. Eventu- to please. Special design consider- ally it wound up in Vancouver, Brit- ation was also given to mechanics an antique ish Columbia, as a project. In 2004, who would maintain these flying Bill McCormick of Clarkston, Michi- machines: “It is a delightful experi- gan, purchased it. The airframe had ence for a mechanic to study this airplane that is a total time of 3,115:45 hours, and WACO and see the care that has McCormick decided to have it dis- been taken to make the entire air- beautiful to look assembled and trucked to Rare Air- plane readily accessible for service craft for reassembly. That’s when it attention with a minimum of time at, but an an- became apparent that the old bi- and effort.” plane needed a substantial amount Speaking of maintenance and tique airplane of work, and an 18-month restora- more, each of the EGC-8s that tion ensued. Jeremy Redman of Rare fl ew in to AirVenture (NC2279 and that fl ies as Aircraft explains: NC61KS) were recently restored to “The airplane came to us covered virtually authentic configurations friendly as this and painted, and we started getting and have their own bit of notewor- ready to put stuff together, when thy history to share. we saw corrosion on the fuselage. airplane—it’s a We started punch testing a couple The ‘King’ Waco of tubes and found a rotten cluster. NC2279, a 1938 Waco EGC-8, is real joy!” And then we were inspecting the owned and flown by Bill McCor- wings and found a couple of cracked mick of Clarkston, Michigan. It —Jim Clark spars. Also, there was rot back in the was restored by Rare Aircraft Ltd. of stabilizer ,and we thought, ‘Man, Faribault, Minnesota, and received we have to do something here!’ Bill the Bronze Age (1937-1941) Out- agreed, and it essentially turned into standing Closed Cockpit Biplane— darn near a full restoration. We built Small Plaque during AirVenture. Throughout his career, he re- four new wings; interestingly, one No doubt its original owner, Henry mained an avid aviator, and a upper wing assembly on this custom King, were he alive today, would sportsman pilot—his personalized Cabin Waco consumes more labor be quite proud that the biplane private aircraft insignia appears in than the entire wing set on a UPF- is not only an award winner, but The Amateur Air Pilots Register as 7. We also rebuilt the tail feathers. that it looks just like it did when he early as 1934. In September 1938, There were some compression fail- owned it. King took delivery of NC2279 ures where the steel fittings bolted Henry King was a movie director, (s/n 5064). It was the fourth of on to the stabilizer and the airframe, and perhaps best known by avia- five Wacos he owned. Each one and this model has a cantilever sta- tion enthusiasts for Twelve O’Clock was fi nished in his signature color bilizer, so it’s very important that High and A Yank in the RAF. Born scheme—vermilion with black and the integrity of the wood is good.” in January 1886, he fi rst started di- gold trim. Notably, his passion for Additionally, Rare Aircraft re- recting movies three years before flying led him to become one of paired the fuselage and engine earning his pilot’s license in 1918. the founding fathers of the Civil mount, rebuilt the ailerons, re- He built an impressive career as he Air Patrol (CAP) during World War placed fairings and leading edges, continued directing for nearly half II. King served as the deputy com- and fabricated new wing flaps. a century and was one of the top mander of the CAP Coastal Patrol While they were at it, they also fab- directors in Hollywood during the Base in Brownsville, Texas. ricated a new aluminum bulkhead VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7 and brakes were installed. “We did a conversion on this one, and did JIM KOEPNICK articulating toe brake pedals and removed the original pedals,” de- scribes Jeremy, “and it really trans- forms the handling of the airplane. If you just put a toe brake pedal on top of the rudder pedal, when you have full left rudder in, it’s like you can’t push the brake pedal. It gets really precarious, and in these big heavy taildraggers like this, you need some brake when you’re on the last part of the roll out, because your control surfaces aren’t going to overtake the mass of the airplane if it starts to divert. “The owner, Bill, has a dog that jumps up on the hat shelf and goes with him when he flies this,” Jer- SPARKY BARNES SARGENT PHOTOS SPARKY The instrument panel in NC61KS. emy says with a smile, adding, “he’s a business executive, so you might for the panel and a stainless fire- say that the biplane is doing the wall. They restored the cowling and same thing in 2010 that it did in dishpan, rebuilt the landing gear, 1938—transporting executives. Bill re-bushed the tail wheel support has always had airplanes, and he’s assembly, and fabricated new fuel active with his local EAA chapter.” and oil tanks. To facilitate flying and communicating in today’s air- The ‘CAA’ Waco space, a VHF transceiver, transpon- Jim Clark of Chapman, Kansas, der, encoder, intercom, and Whelen flew NC61KS (s/n 5072), his 1939 strobe system were installed. Waco EGC-8, to AirVenture this While the airframe work was summer. He arrived in good com- transpiring, the engine was being pany, with his grandson Brody overhauled as well. “Mike Connor Clark, who is already a veteran Air- overhauled the Wright R760-E2 en- Venture attendee at age 12, and gine,” says Jeremy, declaring, “He’s young friend Patrick McElligott, the Wright guru. I dare say, I don’t who is a mentor in their local EAA know if there’s anybody out there Chapter 1364’s Wing Nuts youth who could do a Wright as well as program. They taxied in to the Vin- The original Switlik parachute seats he could.” tage area, drawing admirers even were modifi ed so they now have a In the interest of safe ground before they tied down and set up roomy pocket for stowing items. maneuvering, Cleveland wheels their camping tent. This black and 8 DECEMBER 2011 orange Cabin Waco is unmistak- able, with its large Civil Aeronau- tics Authority (CAA) logo carefully painted on the broad fuselage. Jim also flew the biplane to the AAA/ Jim Clark brought some good company with him to AirVenture—his grand- APM Fly-in in Blakesburg, Iowa, son, Brody, and Brody’s young friend, Patrick. where it received the Sweepstakes Classic (1936 to 1941) award. “Three or four years ago, I started looking for a Cabin Waco,” says Jim with a smile, “because I wanted a big fl ying SUV that could carry all my stuff! So I started go- ing all over the country look- ing and could not find one that I wanted to buy or restore. This air- plane was located only 15 miles from my home, and its longtime owner, EAA member Chuck Hall, was a friend of mine. I bought it in September 2007, and even though it hadn’t fl own for about 18 years, it had been stored properly.”
Jim became intrigued by the his- BARNES SARGENT PHOTOS SPARKY tory of his “new” Waco, and his re- Jeremy Redman of Rare Aircraft Ltd. demonstrates NC2279’s split fl ap. search revealed that NC61KS was one of eight model AGC-8s that completed by the Spartan School ferry fl ight from Manhattan to its were originally ordered by the CAA. of Aeronautics, and it listed the shop in Junction City. “The en- His Waco’s fi rst bill of sale was from ‘removal of Jacobs L6MB and in- gine had been pickled properly, so Waco Aircraft to the CAA and was stallation of Wright R760E-2 as per we could bring that back to life,” dated August 17, 1939. Registered form 337.’ Then in December 1945, recounts Jim, “but the brake lines as NC-61, it was delivered to the Air NC-61 was declared surplus and were corroded into solid rods— Safety Board and was based in Gar- had registration number NC69607 so we ran new brake lines and den City, Long Island, New York. when it was released [from govern- had the master cylinders rebuilt. Just a few years later, the CAA or- ment service in the mid 1940s]. Af- I learned through the National dered an engine change. ter Chuck bought the airplane in Waco Club online forum that the “The CAA had all those Wacos 1970, he got the registration num- Cleveland wheels and brakes for converted to the supercharged 350- ber back as close as he could to NC- the late-model Cessna 310 also fi t hp Wright R760-E2 and changed 61, by adding ‘KS’ for Kansas.” a 1939 Cabin Waco EGC-8. So I the model number from AGC-8 to Before Raven Aero Service could ordered a set, and we jacked the EGC-8. The aircraft records show begin restoring NC61KS, it sent airplane up and bolted the brakes that a CAA Repair and Alteration a couple of its technicians to go on—without having to make a Form dated June 18, 1941, was over it and get it ready for a short single modifi cation. I’m a member VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9 SPARKY BARNES SARGENT NC61KS in the Vintage area at EAA AirVenture 2010. of both the National Waco Club ticed when I was at his hangar in and the American Waco Club, Spokane that he hung the coolers and both are great groups. Na- underneath all his aircraft. So he tional has a very active [online] sent me some pictures and helped forum, with a tremendous wealth “...interestingly, us out. We reformed the cooler of knowledge.” and belly-hung it—and it has just The ferry flight took only 40 worked excellently!” minutes—and Jim made sure that one upper wing Additionally, and similarly to Chuck was in the right seat. The NC2279, Jim’s Waco received new restoration started in November navigation and communication 2007, and was completed in July assembly on this equipment. “We went with Becker 2010. The biplane, covered and in-panel radios, transponder, and finished with Superflite, was bril- custom Cabin comm,” shares Jim, “and I do have liant in its CAA black and orange weather on a Garmin 496, but it’s livery—a far cry from its previous covered by the original ‘coffee pale green and red scheme—and Waco consumes grinder crank’ radio face.” the pleasing scent of new leather It takes a discerning eye to ob- permeated the spacious cabin. serve several unique features of Once again, Chuck was in the more labor than NC61KS. Perhaps the most obvi- right seat when Jim made the fi rst ous is the second rear door. Less fl ight after restoration. obvious is the fact that the doors Just a few modifications were the entire wing have a jettison lever—and yes, made during the restoration—the that feature is still functional. An first being the new wheels and “Emergency - Do Not Touch” sign brakes. Another change involved set on a warns the rear-seat passengers relocating the oil cooler to solve an not to turn the handle. A cursory overheating problem. “The origi- glance at the pilot and passenger nal oil cooler was behind the dish UPF-7.” seat backs reveals deep, wide pock- pan and almost against the fire- ets for stowing items—a clever use wall,” explains Jim, “so airfl ow was —Jeremy Redman of space made available when the nonexistent. I became acquainted original Switlik parachute seats with Addison Pemberton—a great were modified. Also, the small guy and aircraft restorer—and I no- baggage compartment aft of the 10 DECEMBER 2011 JIM KOEPNICK rear seat was neatly converted to Flying the EGC-8 EGC-8 driver in my Pacer and ex- Waco’s freighter configuration Jim has about 700 hours’ tail- pect him to do okay. This is just for extra cargo space. One more wheel time, and fl ies a Piper Pacer a big, friendly, predictable, nice- item is the original wood rack for and Cub regularly. He was pleas- handling biplane, so I’m thrilled holding emergency flares, which antly surprised by the EGC-8’s with my choice. She is just a sweet- is mounted inside the fuselage, in gentle fl ying characteristics—with heart to fl y. It’s one thing to have the cargo area. Jim doesn’t have one exception. “On takeoff, I let an antique airplane that is beauti- the actual fl ares, but he dummied it come off the ground about 60 ful to look at, but an antique air- the location on the side of the fu- mph, then climb out at 80 mph plane that flies as friendly as this selage by using inspection rings for the fi rst 100 feet. Then I go to airplane—it’s a real joy!” and fabric patches. 90 mph and get a nice climb rate Smiling as he reflects about One significant challenge that out of it. Cruise climb is about these classy custom Cabins, he Jim encountered was locating the 100 mph, and I get about 500 shares, “the C-8s have gotten proper CAA emblem for the fu- fpm climb at that. I don’t push it; more attention from the restora- selage. “In 1939, the CAA used I watch the cylinder head temps tion crowd lately. They fly great, a five-point compass rose with closely. She cruises about 130 mph. land easy, and with the gear ‘down their name in it, and wings and Then on downwind and base, I fl y and welded,’ they’re not nearly a shield that had the Wright about 100 mph, and I don’t cross as complex as the antique retract- Flyer on it. But in 1940 they the fence under 80 mph—below ables—and they’re strong enough were under the Department of that is a danger zone, because to handle bumpy grass strips with Commerce, so they changed the when you start fl aring with those nary a shrug.” emblem to an office building and big flaps down, you lose 20 mph So with a tip o’ the hat to history, a shock of wheat. We researched and she’s on the runway; there is it’s rather pleasant to imagine the extensively, but didn’t find a no fl oat. I think you’d better have nostalgic reactions that Henry King complete photo of the 1939 em- the runway made when you de- and the CAA pilots who fl ew NC-61 blem. We had a picture of the ploy the fl aps,” he says and laughs might have, if they ambled through CAA airplanes in a hangar, so we heartily, then adds, “but when the vintage field. They’d likely de- went by that as much as possi- you’re on final, and you’re sure clare in quite the surprised tone, ble. Also, the CAA did not use the you’re high and fast, you’re just “Hey, I recognize that Waco! I can’t color trim around the windows, right—drop those flaps and wow, believe it’s still flying!” To which so the fuselage stripe was posi- you hit the numbers! But this is the owners might nod affi rmatively tioned higher than on the other not a challenging airplane in my and respond, “Want to take her up Cabin Wacos.” opinion. In fact, I wouldn’t put an around the patch?” VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11 Going Home Again At age 12, I harbored aspirations of fl ying high and fast, like my heroes, the Mercury astronauts…
BY PHILIP HANDLEMAN
prominent man of let- for the remainder of our lives. morning they drove me to a grass ters famously wrote, Somehow it seems we ought to be airstrip nestled in an outlying sub- “You can’t go home able to reach back and capture past urb of Cleveland. again.” The proposition felicity. And even if impassable bar- The fi eld was strewn with airwor- has been debated ever riers block our way physically, who thy Piper Cubs, the classic all-yellow since.A Some interpret the familiar is so presumptuous to assert that re- J-3 models with feisty four-cylinder, maxim to mean we are unable to kindling moments of endearment 65-hp engines. High-time Cubs, repeat a cherished experience be- in the surroundings we currently identifiable by their oil-splattered cause reunions, anniversaries, inhabit constitutes a bridge too far? fuselages, were for sale at the bar- homecomings, and the like sim- It was an early spring day in gain price of $600. Less-worn Cubs, ply lack the spontaneity that capti- 1963. The breaking dawn bared a whose fabric retained the factory- vated us initially. dew-moistened landscape under a fresh mustardy sheen, were offered But I’m not so sure that the clarion sky. Seizing the fortuity, my for the princely sum of a $1,000. magic and wonder of fi rst encoun- parents granted my longstanding The telltale smell of butyrate ters are necessarily out of our grasp wish for an airplane ride. That brisk dope and burnt fuel, the sweet 12 DECEMBER 2011 aroma unique to airports, wafted in forays into the new frontier had peared to be devoid of the conceits the air. Every once in a while, one begun just two years earlier. Cape and affectations I had experienced of the high-wing taildraggers taxied Canaveral was their portal to the elsewhere. Instead, they projected a into position, and when the engine heavens, but for at least a couple sense of high purpose, a desire to do revved up from a gentle putt-putt of the original seven space travel- something grand—not for material to a high-pitched raspy buzz, the ers, the genesis of their remarkable reward, but for the satisfaction that plane sped down the emerald car- journeys was a small airfield near came from the doing itself. And pet of freshly sprouted grass and their childhood homes. My nascent as such, these otherwise common rose skyward. The transition from aerial odyssey began similarly, at men were, in my eyes, noblemen. ground to air manifested what the charming, if unadorned, Cha- The miracle of the Piper Cub was seemed to be the singular response grin Falls Airport. that it made the sky accessible to to an irresistible summons. Like the The grass was green, the sky was whoever had a desire to flirt with gazelles that run wild on the vast blue, and every direction I turned the clouds. In a way, the remark- stretches of the Serengeti, the ma- there were agile yellow ships ready able airplane’s evolution started in chines were evidently drawn into to sail on voyages of discovery. The 1911 when an adolescent named the domain that beckoned their airport’s verdant landscape and Clarence Gilbert Taylor saw Cal- occupants with expectations of re- tinny hangars evoked the perfect braith Perry Rodgers amble by in a lease from earthly burdens. aura for my maiden flight. Every- garishly decorated Wright B biplane At age 12, I harbored aspirations one on the fi eld, from the mechan- dubbed the Vin Fiz. The fl imsy and of fl ying high and fast, like my he- ics in grease-stained coveralls to mishap-prone crate was participat- roes, the Mercury astronauts, whose my uniformed instructor pilot, ap- ing in a flight contest to cross the country in fewer than 30 days. From that day forward, the teen- ager later known as C.G. Taylor was intent on building his own planes. By 1927, he was designing lightplanes with his brother Gor- don in their hometown of Roches- ter, New York. The fi rst design was a two-place, high-wing confi guration called the Chummy because of its snug side-by-side seating. In 1929, city development offi- cials and private investors lured the brothers to Bradford, Pennsylvania, where they formed Taylor Broth- ers Aircraft Co. Among their fi nan- cial backers was William T. Piper, a member of a local farm family. Mr. Piper had served in the Army dur- ing World War I, and subsequently earned a mechanical engineering degree from Harvard. He had in- terests in oil and real estate, but no background in aviation. The brothers’ timing could hardly have been worse. The stock mar- ket crashed that autumn, signaling the onset of the Great Depression. In 1931, overhead costs in the face of declining sales made bankruptcy unavoidable. The only buyer for the assets was Mr. Piper, who paid $761 to become the sole owner. He short- ened the company name to Taylor Aircraft Company. VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13 Hopes for the struggling business The company decided on J-2, which Susquehanna River made the Lock rode on C.G. Taylor’s latest design, many believe was a way for the cor- Haven plant readily accessible by con- the E-2. This was a refi nement of prior porate executives to recognize the ventional means. Importantly, the designs that sought to appeal to fl y- young engineer, whose surname be- city had offered to construct a 2,000- ing schools as a light and economical gan with the letter J. More likely, the foot hard-surface runway as an incen- tandem-seat trainer. The E-2 was for- company simply stuck with its exist- tive for the company’s relocation. mally named the Cub, and the mod- ing designation system, which had Despite the company’s many els that rolled out of the factory had already reached the letter H. Propo- challenges, Mr. Jamouneau was the name emblazoned on the fi n. nents of this theory believe the com- charged with further improving the Confl icting accounts continue to pany skipped over the letter I to avoid Cub. He replaced the tailskid with muddle the story of how the name confusing it with the number 1. a tail wheel, fl ight instruments were “Cub” was adopted and who con- added to the panel, a higher grade ceived it. It is certainly true that of steel tubing was used to accom- success has a thousand fathers, for modate larger engines, and seat there were at least several com- Regardless of cushions were installed for in- pany employees, an advertising creased comfort. This variant of executive, and an airport manager the Cub was designated the J-3. who claimed paternity. Regard- its provenance, The fi rst of these iconic models less of its provenance, the name was rolled out in the autumn of took on legendary status. It even- 1937. It sported what became the tually encompassed not just the the name took familiar all-yellow paint scheme more than 30,000 single-engine highlighted by black stripes along lightplanes of similar configura- the sides of the fuselage, as well tion built by Taylor/Piper in suc- on legendary as the teddy bear emblem on the ceeding years, but virtually every fin. As Carroll V. Glines points plane subsequently produced that out in his superb history of the bore a resemblance to the Taylor status. Cub, the shade of yellow bright- design. Cub became synonymous ened after World War II, when with lightplanes, as Lear did with butyrate dope instead of nitrate corporate jets. The J-2 received certification on was used for fi nishing. The little plane was dreadfully un- February 14, 1936, and was marketed In November that same year, the derpowered, but that changed when as the New Cub. However, not all had company opted to change its name Continental Motors developed the been going smoothly in the executive to avoid confusion with C.G. Tay- A-40 four-cylinder, horizontally op- echelon. Mr. Taylor couldn’t stand to lor’s new fi rm. William Piper had la- posed engine. This light 37-hp en- see his design tinkered with. More- bored to make ends meet through the gine had been the missing link, and over, he fundamentally disagreed hard times, even foregoing a salary once incorporated into the Cub it with Mr. Piper over the business plan, for part of the troubled decade. It was changed the company’s fortunes and which called for selling a higher vol- only logical that the company’s name the course of history. To be sure, early ume of planes at lower prices. The should be Piper Aircraft Corporation. problems plagued the new engine, discord reached an impasse, and Mr. By the end of 1940, with war but once the wrinkles were ironed Taylor left the company in December clouds on the horizon, Cubs were out, the airplane sold like hotcakes. 1935. He moved to Alliance, Ohio, churned out of the expanded Lock In 1933, a newly graduated engi- where he made highly regarded side- Haven factory at a rate of 125 a week. neer from Rutgers University showed by-side two-seaters under the Taylor- During the global confl ict, Piper Cubs up looking for work. Walter Corey Ja- craft banner. played meaningful roles, notably as mouneau was originally hired as an The Bradford factory had served Army liaison airplanes with the des- unpaid engineer, and was the only the company well, but it was rife ignation L-4. Among various duties, person on the factory fl oor with a col- with fire hazards. It erupted into they served as aerial ambulances, ar- lege degree. He proved to be a jack-of- fl ames late on March 16, 1937, and tillery spotters, and VIP transports. all-trades, excelling at manufacturing, was left a smoldering hulk. Luckily, Moreover, Piper boasted that four of sales, and design. Four months after no one was injured, and 15 airplanes every fi ve U.S. military pilots during starting with no salary, he was being were moved to safety. the war had received their introduc- paid $15 a week. With Mr. Piper’s en- By summer, operations and person- tory fl ight instruction in the compa- couragement, he significantly rede- nel began moving to an abandoned ny’s airplanes. signed the Taylor E-2. 100,000-square-foot silk mill in Lock After the war, surplus Cubs fl ooded Because of the extensive changes, a Haven, Pennsylvania, 85 miles from the market. Also, tricycle-gear de- new model designation was required. Bradford. Roads, rail lines, and the signs were catching on as the pre- 14 DECEMBER 2011 ferred configuration. Production of with my right hand, motioning as he independence and ride the wind in the ubiquitous Cub ceased in 1947, spoke, and to place my feet over the whatever direction my heart deemed though a considerably beefed-up rudder pedals. I would follow his in- desirable. I had discovered the dream look-alike, known as the PA-18 Super puts on the controls. of fl ight, which is the dream that any- Cub, was introduced in 1949 for util- Through the Cub’s side window, I thing is possible. ity-type operations. caught a glimpse of Mom and Dad. The quaint airport where I was The Cub had had an amazing run. I waved, but my attention quickly initiated into the milieu of fl iers has Records indicate that 22,206 civil vari- shifted back to the airplane. The long since given way to the vagaries ants and 8,197 military variants were Cub taxied far more bumpily than of real estate development. Where built. The most numerous model was I had imagined. This was it, though, once Piper Cubs gathered momen- the J-3 with a total of 9,782 com- the nonpareil event, the lissome tum in dashes for the sky, homes now pleted. The Cub was unquestionably ship about to lift its eager passenger predominate in the archetypical grid the Model T of the air. on its high-spread wings into its ex- work of late-20th century American In the hopeful aftermath of World alted realm. subdivisions. According to a database War II, Mr. Piper penned an autobi- We taxied a long way to be able search, the faithful airplane, good old ographical book that talked up the to take off into the wind. The wad- N98029, was eventually stricken from business of general aviation. America dling S-turns across the fi eld enabled the federal registry, its assorted parts was back to work and at peace. The a slow-motion survey of the whole perhaps languishing forgotten and future seemed limitless. airstrip, a chance to absorb the scene forlorn in someone’s barn, awaiting The book’s concluding paragraph from the privileged vantage point re- either the brusque consignment of embodied that optimistic outlook served only for those in an airplane’s the junkman or the affectionate reju- as Mr. Piper laid out his deep con- cockpit. I was in sync with the re- venation of the restorer. victions about lightplane fl ying and splendent and invigorating gateway Notwithstanding the Cub’s re- the people who do it. He stated, “A to my dreams. This was the most ported disposition, the fl ight in that healthy personal plane industry is of magical place in the world. unassuming ship lives on where it great material and social value to the The noise was louder inside the matters most. In the precious minutes United States. The private pilot serves Cub than out as we clattered down that I sailed on its mustard wings, as one of the most effective instru- that rough-hewn runway, throttle full the kingdom of the sky was revealed ments of goodwill.” Amen. open. Before I knew it, we were air- and it touched my soul. So, no mat- The Cub that would provide my borne and climbing. We leveled off ter what airplane has been handy ride had taxied up. I shook hands soon because it didn’t make sense to since, I feel that I have gone home with the pilot, M.R. Smith, and bid go high during a 15-minute orienta- again and still do each time I rum- a temporary adieu to my parents. tion fl ight. ble down a grass strip, raise the tail It must have been a special day for The hum of the engine subsided as wheel, ease back on the stick, and re- them, too, a culmination of sorts. the rush of air became aurally domi- enter the Cub’s rarefi ed and everlast- My mother grew up on the pe- nant. The horizon defi ned our rela- ing domain. riphery of the Cleveland Municipal tionship to the globe, which wended Airport (now Hopkins International) beneath us at a crawl. We were one Further Reading during the golden age of fl ight. She with the sky, like a vessel floating Piper Cubs by Peter M. Bowers. TAB scaled the fence Labor Day week- on gentle ocean currents, more skiff Books, 1993. ends throughout the 1930s and than speedboat. Mr. Piper and His Cubs by Devon beheld the National Air Races, argu- My nervousness was more than Francis. Iowa State University ably the greatest aviation spectacles balanced by the sense of adventure. Press, 1973. of all time. She later went to work Mr. Smith turned his head to check Those Legendary Piper Cubs: Their as a ticket agent at that very airport on me. He saw a 12-year-old trans- Role in War and Peace by Car- and met my father there shortly after fi xed by the sight-picture and beam- roll V. Glines. Schiffer Publishing World War II, as he re-acclimated to ing with joy. Ltd., 2005. civilian life following three years in With a steady hand, Mr. Smith per- Piper: A Legend Aloft by Edward H. the Army Air Forces as a desk-bound formed gentle turns left and right. He sergeant at a couple of air bases. The told me to coordinate stick and rud- Phillips. Flying Books Interna- two of them knew that extraordinary der, to feel the airplane. Yes, it was ru- tional, 1993. things can happen at airports. dimentary, the fi rst building block of Private Flying: Today and Tomorrow I buckled into the back seat of airmanship, but I was fl ying. by William T. Piper. Pitman Pub- N98029. Without fanfare, Mr. Smith The world wasn’t so big anymore; lishing Company, 1949. switched on the Cub’s engine. He it could be tamed. I was, briefl y, the The Piper Cub Story by James M. hollered to me over the cacophony master of my fate, an individualist Triggs. TAB Books, 1978. to cup, not grip, the control stick empowered to exercise a newfound VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15 My First Airplane BY LEE HURRY VAA 1473, MEMBER SINCE 1974
oward the end of World The owner wouldn’t budge on always said he was going to use them War II, in 1944, a limited his $200 asking price, but after hag- on an original-design ultralight, but amount of civilian flying gling a bit he finally offered to in- he never did. resumed after being mostly clude another plane he had in his The early J-2s had tailskids, but Tbanned since the beginning of the war hangar. This was a dismantled but since Rochester now had a surfaced for the United States. With no civilian complete and virtually identical runway, the airplane had been con- airplane production authorized, we 1936 Taylor Cub, which needed a verted to a tailwheel. Mankato was were using the old prewar Cubs and total rebuild. That clinched the deal, still sod, so to do a full-throttle run- Aeroncas with 50- and 65-hp Frank- as we knew we could profi tably part up to ensure the single mag was lins, Lycomings, and Continentals— it out. I won the coin toss to fl y the okay, the trick was to get one wheel many of them from the now defunct in-license Cub home to Mankato, behind a lump of grass. That held the Civilian Pilot Training (CPT) program. with my partner driving back. Then airplane briefly before the airplane With a disability pension from the Air we returned with a trailer to haul launched you on your takeoff roll in Corps, I was back home in Minnesota, the other one home. We sold the this no-brakes machine. and with those extra funds, and by fuselage and engine, which ended When taxiing, one watched the swapping a few of my guns, I was able up being modifi ed into a snow ma- wind and approached the gas pump to make a deal to get my private cer- chine; this was fairly common in from the downwind side, cutting the tificate from a local instructor/A&P those days before snowmobiles. mag at the appropriate spot; it is kind mechanic in his personal J-3 Cub. By I reworked the complete empen- of like learning to “sail” a floatplane. then I had progressed from crutches nage into the J-3 confi guration, and Maybe that’s why I got my float rat- to a cane, which we were able to stash along with the wing struts, I used ing with only one hour of instruction. in the Cub. them on a Piper L-4, which I was It differed a bit from the later Cubs in Later we heard about a fellow over building up for our Civil Air Patrol that the throttle was a metal-rod af- at Rochester, Minnesota, who had an squadron. The wings ended up with fair and the stabilizer trim consisted old Cub for sale. He was fl ight test- Norm Sten, which were to be used of a cotton rope around a pulley (yes, ing his freshly constructed Pieten- with a fl oat-equipped fuselage he had sometimes it, too, slipped, just like pol, and he needed the money. My acquired. He never did get that proj- J-3s). The panel was Vee’d in, and it had fl ying buddy and I looked the Cub ect completed, and the wings ended the minimum required instruments: over. It was flying and in license, up in Dick Christianson’s hangar a tachometer, a nonsensitive altime- a 1937 Piper J-2 with the little 40- behind the hangars of Arden Mag- ter, oil pressure gauge, and an oil tem- horse Continental. Since this engine nuson’s Tailwind and Dick Harden’s perature gauge, but it didn’t have any had only a single mag, it actually Cessna 140 at Flying Cloud Airport cabin heat, no carb heat, and it didn’t only made 37 hp; the later models in St. Paul, Minnesota. These were have a compass. It did have a 9-gal- with dual mags put out 40 hp. all EAA Chapter 25 members. Dick lon fuel tank. The rudder had no aero- 16 DECEMBER 2011 dynamic counter-balance, so it was 1936 Fairchild 24 with Ranger power revising the rudder/fin configura- quicker to move, and overcontrolling had the same omission, but its en- tion, the cabin windows, and bird- was common until one got used to gine took carb air from inside the cage, and bolting on a J-3 nose with it. It handled like a 65-hp Cub with cowl, which was previously heated the 65 Continental engine. The re- two aboard when you were flying it by the cylinders. Since the seller had sult was a slightly lighter airframe solo, and like a brick when you were confessed that there were forced with a lower gross weight, but it fl ying with another person aboard. It landings in its history, one of my fi rst made a better-performing legal J-3, cruised around at about 60 mph. (of many) alterations was to devise similar to ’46 J-3s that were modifi ed When I took off from Rochester and install a carb air system, which into PA-11 models with the -11 nose, I lost my bearings (remember, no did provide the legal required air with the substitution of a 90-hp en- compass) and went north instead of temp rise. I even got it STC’d. gine and the addition of a wing tank. west. Since I had planned to go IFR (I We flew that little Cub all over After awhile the slow 60-mph cruise Follow Roads) back to Mankato, and speed got to us, so we decided to get the highway wasn’t where it was sup- was able to something faster, like a J-3! We found posed to be, after 10 minutes into the a wind-twisted fuselage for $35 and a fl ight I concluded I must be lost. Ac- make a deal to crashed ’46 fuselage with papers. We cordingly I checked the horizon and get my private made one airplane out of the two and headed for the nearest water tower, in about a year ended up with a ’46 which wasn’t much lower than I was. certifi cate metal spar J-3 with an electrical sys- With the town identifi ed and located from a local tem, a 65 Continental, and a metal on my chart (that’s what we called I prop. It indicated a solid 85-plus mph, the road maps), I turned 90 degrees instructor/A&P until I had the Maxwell prop shop onto the approximate course, which check the prop, and Mr. Maxwell re- took me right over a turkey farm! mechanic in his pitched it fl atter as it was supposed to At that time there were a lot of personal J-3 Cub. be; then it would barely make 80! these in southern Minnesota, and We sold the J-2 to a fellow at Fair- we had all been warned to stay away Minnesota to fl y-ins, fl ight breakfasts, mont who subsequently made a hard from them, since the birds would run etc. With two aboard, it was pretty (very hard) landing and broke the away from the overhead ship and “loggy” on climb, but there was a two lower longerons at the tail-wheel- pile up in a fence corner and suffo- row of metal grain storage bins near mount bolt. Since most planes were cate. A couple 0f area pilots lost law- the airport, so we would go back and tied down instead of hangared and suits over this! I hauled my bird up forth over them, using the heat lift were taildraggers, the snow and rain into a turn as steep as I dared, so the till we got a couple hundred feet of that found their way inside the fuse- farmer couldn’t get a good look at the altitude to go fl ying around the area. lage fl owed downhill to the back end big numbers under my wing. It ap- Glider pilots can appreciate this. and rusted the tubes. Some new tub- parently was a successful maneuver, In cooler weather it would even ing welded in made it like-new again. because I didn’t stall out and never carry three—myself, my wife, and I well remember having to dig snow got arrested. I even managed to fi nd our baby daughter. We would fl y out out of the rear of the L-4s, which the correct highway (it was the only to Marshall to visit family friends. weren’t sealed off behind the back one going into the sun, i.e., west). The J-2 had four straight stacks, no seat like J-3 Cubs are. That is, after It was a fun little plane. We usu- muffl er, and no cabin heat, and even we had dug the plane itself out of the ally fl ew it solo using less than 3 gal- with only 37 horses, with the unmuf- snow drifts! Cubs were fun on skis. lons per hour. We didn’t like the fact fl ed Continental, it got pretty noisy. We’d land on the lakes by the ice fi sh- that it was built without carb heat. I To this day my daughter complains ermen. I even managed to get stuck think the carb bolted to the oil sump that is why she has hearing problems in the snow at Le Sueur, Minnesota, like a Lycoming and assume that the (so do I). Fortunately this ship had when the wind blew me sideways and hot oil was supposed to prevent carb the optional side window kit. J-2s the skis cut in. My buddy had to get ice. At any rate, we modifi ed a carb were built as an open parasol mono- out and push, and I circled back to heat system from a 65 Continental, plane with only a windshield. The pick him up on the roll (slide?). wrapping a pair of stacks as a muff, top of the rear fuselage met the wing Our continuing search for more and thinking we now were better trailing edge and had a vertical ta- speed next led us to a pristine han- equipped, we were happier. pered front edge behind the back seat gar queen ’46 Super Cruiser with its Forced landings were not uncom- to streamline it. In later years it was big 100-hp Lycoming engine, but mon, and we were trained to pick common to modify J-2s into J-3s by that was my third or fourth, so I bet- appropriate fields; making actual cutting off the short brakeless axles, ter quit. Flying holds for us so many landings on the occasional farm fi eld replacing them with J-3 units. great adventures, and then so many was expected. Many years later my Further required changes included wonderful memories! VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17 Vintage Chapter Locator Visit the VAA chapter nearest you and get to know some great old-airplane enthusiasts! You don’t need to be a pilot to join in the fun—just have a love of the great airplanes of yesteryear.
TM
Chapter 3, Roxboro, North Carolina Fly-In Chapter 16, Overland Park, Kansas CALIFORNIA FLORIDA KANSAS Hayward, CA, VIN 29 Lakeland, FL, VIN 1 Overland Park, KS, VIN 16 Meeting: 2nd Thurs., 6:00 p.m. Meeting: Contact President Meeting: 2nd Fri., 7:30 p.m. Hayward Airport (HWD) Bobby Capozzi, President CAF Hangar, See website for hangar info. Phone: 352-475-9736 New Century Airport (K34) Gary Oberti, President E-mail: [email protected] Kevin Pratt, President Phone: 510-357-8600 Website: www.FSAACA.com Phone: 913-541-1149 E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.vaa29.org ILLINOIS Website: www.VAA16.com Lansing, IL, VIN 26 CALIFORNIA Meeting: Contact President LOUISIANA Sacramento, CA, VIN 25 Peter Bayer, President New Iberia, LA, VIN 30 Meeting: 2nd Sat., 9:00 a.m. Phone: 630-922-3387 Meeting: 1st Sun., 9:00 a.m. See chapter website for E-mail: [email protected] LeMaire Memorial Airport (2R1) location. Hangar 4 Robert Opdahl, President INDIANA Roland Denison, President Phone: 530-273-7348 Auburn, IN, VIN 37 Phone: 337-365-3047 E-mail: [email protected] Meeting: 4th Thurs., 7:00 p.m. E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.vaa25.eaachapter.org DeKalb County Airport (kGWB) Hangar A—VAA 37 Clubhouse MINNESOTA CAROLINAS, VIRGINIA Drew Hoffman, President Albert Lea, MN, VIN 13 Walnut Cove, NC, VIN 3 Phone: 260-515-3525 Meeting: 4th Thurs., 7:00 p.m. Meeting: Contact President E-mail: [email protected] Albert Lea Airport FBO (AEL) Susan Dusenbury, President Website: www.VAA37.org Steve Nesse, President Phone: 336-591-3931 Phone: 507-373-1674 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.VAA3.org 18 DECEMBER 2011 NEW HAMPSHIRE North Hampton, NH, VIN 15 Meeting: 2nd Sat., 11:00 a.m. Hampton Airfi eld (7B3) Robert Drake, President Phone: 603-942-9242 E-mail: fl [email protected]
OHIO Delaware, OH, VIN 27 Meeting: 3rd Sat., 9:00 a.m. Delaware Municipal Airport (DLZ) Chapter 25, Sacramento, California, GeeBee Racer Terminal Building Woody McIntire, President Phone: 740-362-7228 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.EAAdlz.org
OHIO Zanesville, OH, VIN 22 Meeting: 2nd Fri.; 6:30 p.m. Perry County Airport (I86) John Morozowsky, President Phone: 740-453-6889
OKLAHOMA Tulsa, OK, VIN 10 Meeting: 4th Thurs., 7:00 PM Hardesty South Regional Library No meetings in July, Nov. & Dec. Joe Champagne, President Chapter 25, Sacramento, California, at Alta Sierra. Phone: 918-257-4688 Email: [email protected]
TEXAS Want to Start a VAA Chapter? Spring, TX, VIN 2 It’s easy to start a VAA Meeting: 4th Sun., 2:00 PM chapter. All you need to David Wayne Hooks Airport get started is fi ve vintage (KDWH) enthusiasts. Then contact Fred Ramin, President the EAA Chapter Offi ce at Phone: 281-255-4430 920-426-6867 or chapters@ Email: [email protected] eaa.org to obtain an EAA Chapter Starter Kit. EAA WISCONSIN has tools to help you get Brookfi eld, WI, VIN 11 in touch with all your local Meeting: 1st Mon., 7:30 PM Vintage members, and Capitol Drive Airport Offi ce Chapter 29, Hayward, California they’ll walk you through Donald Hyra, President and Young Eagles in January the process of starting a Phone: 262-251-1778 2011. new chapter. Email: [email protected] VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19 Light Plane Heritage
published in EAA Experimenter January 1993
REMEMBER THE AVRO AVIAN?
BY BOB WHITTIER EAA 1235
oday’s typical aviation enthusiast has en- In its time the Avro Avian two-seat, open-cockpit countered the name Avro many times in the training and sport biplane was quite well-known and Tcourse of his reading. Literature on World played an interesting role in British civil aviation ac- War I aviation makes frequent mention of tivities. Because more of them were built, more re- the Avro 504 general-purpose and training biplane, stored antique examples exist today, and more plans and literature on World War II has much to say about for model airplanes of the type have been published, the Avro Lancaster, Lancastrian, and Lincoln four-en- though the very similar-appearing de Havilland Gipsy gine bombers used by the RAF. Moth today is much better known. Nevertheless, the After World War II there were the Avro York and Tu- Avro Avian deserves to be remembered. dor airliners, and the Vulcan military jet. The name “Avro” was derived from the name of an But mention an Avro model called the Avian today and more often than not you’ll get a “What’s that?” Above: A Cirrus-engined Avro Avian taking off. Note response. Only an occasional antique airplane enthu- ripples in the thin plywood covering on the fuse- siast will show a glimmer of recognition, but it would lage side. The letter G on the rudder stands for be more realistic to say that his face will probably Great Britain and is the outcome of security-con- light up as much as yours does upon encountering a scious European bureaucrats insisting on plaster- good friend! ing nationality identifi cations all over airplanes.
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 se- ries, we plan on publishing those LPH articles that would be of interest to VAA members. Enjoy!—HGF
20 DECEMBER 2011 English aviation pioneer, Alliott Ver- don Roe. The name of the eventu- ally large and famous fi rm, which he founded, was A.V. Roe & Co. Ltd., and Avro was the obvious contrac- tion. As time went on and his aero- nautical accomplishments mounted, Roe was knighted, so his name in lit- erature on aviation history appears as Sir Alliott Verdon Roe. While still a young man, Roe was an officer in the British Merchant Marine and had ample opportu- nity to observe and marvel at the graceful soaring of the albatrosses, which followed the ship on which he served. The more he watched them, the more his interest in hu- man flight grew. He obtained and The young A.V. Roe displays his prize-winning rubber-powered model of eagerly read the literature on air- 8-foot wingspan. craft design and construction, which was becoming increasingly available in the wings rather than stabilizers, and so we’re tempted to fi rst decade of this century. call it a “sextuplane.” It was powered by a J.A.P. mo- Roe’s steadily growing knowledge of the principles torcycle engine delivering a pathetic 9 hp. The en- of mechanical fl ight led him to enter a rubber-powered gine’s name is derived from the initials of its maker, model airplane in a contest held in March of 1907 by J.A. Prestwich. the prominent Daily Mail newspaper of London. A ca- To fl y with such feeble power, Roe went to extremes nard (tail-fi rst) biplane of 8-foot wingspan, it managed to save weight, and even covered the wings with com- to fl y the then-creditable distance of a little more than mon brown paper. He was an intelligent and persistent 100 feet. That was good enough to win the fi rst prize of man, and in 1913 demonstrated his well-designed and 75 pounds sterling. able model 504 biplane to British military offi cials. It Roe used this money to construct a full-size, man- was a fairly large but light and capable aircraft that was carrying airplane patterned after that model. Unable to docile and easy to fl y. Orders were soon coming in to afford the high price of a real aero engine, he rented a the Roe establishment. French-built Antoinette engine and installed it in this The 504 was used for many purposes, including com- creation. In July of 1908 he managed to make a fl ight munications, reconnaissance, light bombing, and even of sorts at the aerodrome, which by then existed inside as a fi ghter. More than 7,000 of them were built between the circuit of the famous Brooklands auto race track in 1913 and 1931, and a variety of engines were fi tted. Surrey to the south of London. This vast production effort taught the Avro people A score of years later the Royal Aero Club appointed much about aircraft design and mass production. A.V. a committee to decide once and for all who offi cially Roe was different from many high-ranking aircraft in- made the fi rst powered airplane fl ight in Britain. They dustry executives in that he retained a keen interest decided that the uncertain skips and hops that char- in small, economical airplanes suitable for training acterized the Roe machine’s performance could not be and sport fl ying. He had his people design and enter considered as proper sustained and controlled fl ight, various small planes in the lightplane trials held at so he lost out on that great honor. the southern England town of Lympne (pronounced Most of the early European aviation pioneers were “Limm”) from 1923 onward. men of means, which Roe defi nitely was not. His un- Early Lympne competitions were for very light air- derfi nanced messing about with fl ying machines did planes powered by fuel-stingy little engines of from 750 not make him particularly welcome at the elite Brook- to 1100 cc displacement. Nobody was manufacturing lands’ drome, so he transferred his activities to some real aircraft engines of such small size, so various mo- open space at a place called Lea Marshes. In July of torcycle engine conversions were used instead. A motor- 1909 he did manage to win fame as the fi rst person in cycle able to reach 80 mph on a suitable track or open his country to fl y an all-British aircraft. road actually spends most of its service life doing 30 to The machine he built was what we today might call 40 mph on average roads, so it is seldom highly stressed. a “contraption.” While generally called a triplane, its But to get even very light aircraft off the ground and triple-tail surfaces were so large as to look more like up to cruising altitude, the motorcycle engines used at VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21 Alliott Verdon Roe, born April 26, An Avro 504 of World War I vintage in fl ight. 1877, died January 4, 1958.
Lympne had to be run at full throt- tle most of the time. So it worked out that many an otherwise well-engineered light- plane entered in these contests turned out to be little more than an excellent forced-landing trainer. By 1926 officials came to realize that although low fuel consump- tion might be highly desirable in theory, in practice the small en- gines that were available were sim- ply not able to serve dependably in the noses of lightplanes. After much discussion, contest The two-seat version of the Avro Baby, circa 1920. offi cials decided that for the 1926 meeting, the rules should state that any engine weigh- wish he had spent just a little more for a two-seater, ing less than 170 pounds complete could be used. They so he could introduce his friends to the great adven- realized that while they might use more fuel, larger ture of fl ying. You can attach a sidecar to a motorcycle, engines running at conservative rotational speeds but if anyone has ever attached one to an airplane, we would be a lot more reliable. By that time government- have certainly never heard about it! subsidized fl ying clubs aimed at creating a base for fu- So Avro contrived a two-seater version of the Baby. ture military air power were growing in number, and Two people sat one behind the other in an elongated what they needed above all else was engine reliability. open cockpit. But the extra weight and drag was more Shortly after World War I the Avro Company de- than a 35-hp engine could handle acceptably well. signed and built a simple single-seat biplane intended Work with the Baby and the low-powered Lympne for sport and touring use—“touring” being the British entries, however, gave the Avro design team a good term equivalent to our “cross-country fl ying.” Called background in lightplane design. When rules for the the Avro Baby, the prototype was powered by a 1910 1926 competition were announced, a new and good four-cylinder, water-cooled Green engine of 35 hp, small airplane engine had fi nally appeared on the mar- which had been overhauled for use in this ship be- ket. It was the five-cylinder, radial, air-cooled Arm- cause no better small engine of good reliability was strong-Siddeley Genet, which produced a useful 60 hp then available. Along with this engine, Avro obtained and fell within the 170-pound weight limit. production plans and anticipated building more of The contest rules were too involved to describe here, these engines if the demand should arise. But that but had the effect of forcing designers to use much never happened. mathematical calculation and ingenuity to come up Although the Baby fl ew well, there was a problem. with aircraft having a chance to win. To keep weight to Anyone able to afford a new single-seater would soon a very minimum, some Lympne designs had each and 22 DECEMBER 2011 The new Avian did not deliver at Lympne for a couple of madden- ingly trivial reasons. The weight- saving welded aluminum gas tank sprang a leak that could not be re- paired in the fi eld at Lympne, and so required the plane to be flown with a reduced fuel supply. Then, the aluminum magneto drive shaft failed, and as it could not be re- placed in time, this put the Avian out of competition. A stronger steel The Genet-engined Avian built for the 1926 Lympne lightplane competition. shaft would have weighed but a few ounces more. These are good examples of the kind of bugs that every part so thoroughly engineered to save all possible have to be worked out of every new airplane. weight that the resulting planes would obviously be too But all of Avro’s effort did leave them with what was expensive to manufacture. Some entries even appeared basically a good new airplane design, and they eventually with two sets of wings, a small set for the speed events got something worthwhile out of it. The fuselage was of and a large set for climbing and altitude events. A few simple fl at-sided, all-wood construction with spruce lon- were even convertible from monoplanes to biplanes. gerons and cross-members tied together with a covering Now obviously, while enabling certain planes to of three-layer plywood. This did away with the numer- score well in various Lympne events, these extra wings ous, fussy, and expensive truss wires, turnbuckles, and fi t- would add unacceptably to the cost and complication tings typical of earlier wood fuselage framing. of everyday airplane ownership and use. That is a good Because Avro hoped the Avian would go into pro- example of the pitfalls that can lurk in competition duction, a construction and assembly method was rules supposedly drawn up to produce whatever results worked out to keep labor costs to a minimum while sponsors might have in mind. still not getting themselves involved with the great ex- The 1926 rules called for two-seaters able to carry pense of heavy mass-production machinery. The fuse- a minimum load of 340 pounds for occupants and lage was put together from right, left, top, and bottom fuel. So, a designer could elect to use a very small en- subassemblies. A fi fth subassembly formed the cockpit gine having a modest fuel supply or a larger engine fl oor and control system mounting base. requiring more fuel tankage but also able to carry a Fuselages of this basic type have been much used in larger load, or anything in between. Avro’s chief engi- Europe for both amateur and factory-built airplanes. neer, Roy Chadwick, felt that the new 60-hp Genet was The work can be done with ordinary hand tools and clearly the wisest choice for reliability, realistic touring common woodworking machines. A disadvantage is baggage allowance, and reserve power for coping with poor occupant protection in serious crashes, for they turbulent air. tend to shatter and splinter rather than bend and ab- The airplane he conceived to go with this engine sorb energy like metal structures. was engineered to be light in weight, but this goal was The Avian’s fuselage was fl at-sided, but the radial- to be achieved by wise overall design rather than ex- type Genet engine had a more or less round shape. pensive ounce-saving tricks in the many small parts Fuel and oil tanks were thus shaped to fit on top of involved. While not what one would call a sleek air- and onto each side of the front of the fuselage, and the plane, the design he worked out did have a light and conical form of the side tanks did a simple but effective airy look about it. This was in notable contrast to some job of fairing the engine’s roundness into the fl at sur- British airplanes, which looked as heavy and graceful faces of the fuselage. This also put the tanks into good as a threshing machine. view for ease of inspection. It was given the lilting and easily remembered name The Avian followed 504 and Baby practice, in that it of Avro Avian. We can appreciate the engineering skill had no vertical tail fi n but only a balanced rudder. This that went into its design by noting that while the empty was perhaps done for weight and cost savings. In the weight was 695 pounds, weight with a full load aboard years we have been reading books on airplane design, not was 1,600 pounds. Wingspan was 32 feet, and the bi- once have we found a useful discussion of the pros and plane confi guration gave a total wing area of 295 square cons of rudder-only tail design. Many early planes used feet. This large area in turn gave the quite low wing- this design, too. From what we can put together from loading of 5.3 pounds per square foot to help the ship to the few brief mentions we have encountered, it appears score well in the takeoff and obstruction-clearing tests. that rudder-only tails offer light, quick, and powerful re- But luck plays a large part in every competition. sponse, which is good for aerobatic and fi ghting aircraft. VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23 Note carefully the stub wing on this Avian III of 1928. Wheels moved aft as wings were folded to compensate for aft shift of center of gravity. Thin wing airfoil prompted use of thicker auto fuel tank mounted in center section.
But these qualities also appear to make keeping make long-distance fl ights, tails were quickly changed a steady course in long cross-country flights an at- to the fi n-and-rudder confi guration. With the passage tention-demanding and therefore tiring proposition. of time, wind tunnel testing and mathematical analy- Wing dihedral and vertical tail work together to pro- sis gave designers tools for calculating the interaction vide whatever directional stability a particular plane between dihedral and vertical fi n while a new plane is might or might not have. still on the drawing board. Visualize a plane fl ying in turbulent air, and suppose When evaluating any particular airplane, we have to that a gust comes toward the plane from the right. Di- try to put ourselves into its designer’s circumstances. hedral on that side thus tries to raise the right wing, so, Avro wanted large wing area for the Lympne Avian of course, the left one goes down and the plane then but at the same time very much wanted the plane to wants to turn to the left. But the same gust also presses be as slight as reasonably possible. Obviously no plane on the right side of the vertical tail and pushes the tail to docile enough for training use and powered with a the left. That, of course, will tend to turn the nose to the 60-hp engine could go fast enough to make the drag right, thus countering the plane’s turning to the left. of biplane wings a serious matter. But the very effi cient A plane with rudder only must wait for the pilot to bracing trusswork possible with the biplane confi gura- sense what is happening to the plane and then feed tion would permit them to design wings of large area corrective pressure into the controls. but light weight. A vertical fin of any useful size will, on the other Spruce used by European airplane builders had to hand, come into automatic and immediate action to come to them from the very distant Pacifi c Northwest. do the same thing. As soon as Avro Avians begin to Although the Avian’s upper and lower wings would re-
This is a Whittelsey Avian manufactured in 1929 at Bridgeport, Connecticut. American models did not have the wing-folding feature, so straight landing gear shock struts passed through holes built into wings. Handley Page automatic slots are clearly seen on top wing. 24 DECEMBER 2011 Top left - wings were made to easily fold back for storage; dashed line indicates folded position. Lower left - note generous gap between lower and upper wings. Upper right - easily built subassemblies went together to form fuselage. Lower right - dotted line shows aft movement of landing wheels that took place automatically as the wings were folded. quire a total of eight spars, compared to the four required for a pair of monoplane wings, each one could be made from raw stock of modest and therefore easily obtained and economical dimensions. So again the biplane confi g- $LUFUDIW)LQLVKLQJ3URGXFWV uration made sense. Although homely looking to mod- 67&·GIRU&HUWLILHG$LUFUDIW ern eyes, the squared-off wingtips of the original Avian also made production sense, since they avoided the need to make special tip rubs and four wingtip bows. And it 6DIHIRU America’s Most Fuel-Efficient Full-Size SUV The Privilege of Partnership The Ford Explorer, the vehicle that defined an entire segment, delivers EAA members are eligible for special pricing on Ford Motor Company best-in-class fuel efficiency with the standard V6 and new 2.0L Eco- vehicles through Ford’s Partner Recognition Program. To learn more Boost® engines *. Voted the 2011 North American truck of the year for its on this exclusive opportunity for EAA members to save on a new on-road dynamics, safety, technology, design and craftsmanship, the Ford vehicle, please visit www.eaa.org/ford. three-row, seven-passenger SUV is once again at the head of the class. *20/city; 28/highway VEHICLE PURCHASE PLAN THE Vintage Mechanic BY ROBERT G. LOCK Tail Wheel Installations ILLUSTRATION 1 n the beginning of civil avia- Guggenheim Safe Aircraft Compe- time, and there was no need to tion in the United States, most tition was announced that same change to a tail wheel. aircraft were equipped with year. A requirement of the compe- A side-view sketch from the Aircraft a tailskid, with no brakes on tition was called “stick” and “un- Yearbook of the Command-Aire 5C3 Ithe main landing gear. That was stick.” The “stick” portion required showing a typical tailskid is shown in an adequate arrangement for the that an aircraft approach to land Illustration 1. This type of aircraft was airports of the era, because there over a 50-foot obstacle and stop in entered in the Safe Aircraft Compe- were no hard surfaces on which the shortest distance possible. This tition and scored the highest of any to take off and land. In 1927, me- required brakes to be installed, and stock-configured ship. It was flown chanical brakes, which worked in- most were mechanically operated by J. Carroll Cone and featured me- dividually from the cockpit, were by a cable from the cockpit. The chanical brakes installed at the fac- beginning to appear when the tailskid was still in wide use at the tory in Little Rock, Arkansas. 28 DECEMBER 2011 In this aircraft the tailskid was sim- ways began to appear, thus making aircraft of the day, from Aeronca to ply a steel leaf spring, hardened by the tailskid useless. Some types of Taylorcraft. The most popular was the heat-treating and attached to a cross wheel arrangements had to be adapted steerable and full-swivel tail wheels, member of the aft fuselage. On the in place of the “shoe” arrangement. which required a steering arm that was end of the skid a “shoe” was attached Enter the tail wheel, which comes in attached to the rudderpost. Illustration that had a rib welded fore and aft many sizes and shapes. 3 shows three typical steering arms for through the middle to aid in keeping Illustrations 2 and 3 are extracted light aircraft. I’m sure you’ll wish for the aircraft in the desired direction from a 1946 Air Associates aviation the 1946 prices for these parts. Some on the runway. This arrangement was supply catalog. Number 19 shows an arms were made of aluminum, and widely used until hard-surface run- array of tail wheel installations for light some were made of cast steel. ILLUSTRATION 2 (above) ILLUSTRATION 3 (left) VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29 ilar gross weights were adapted. That’s been done for a number of years with FAA fi eld approval. For any steerable tail wheel, it must follow the rudder movement in a positive motion. To check for this, raise the aft fuselage and place it on a stand so the tail wheel clears the fl oor. Streamline the rudder by moving the rudder pedals to the neutral position in the cockpit, and then check for rudder neutral po- sition in line with the vertical fin. The tail wheel should be tracking straight; if not, adjust it. Move the rudder left and right and observe if the tail wheel follows. Since the tail wheel is attached to the rudder via a pair of chains and springs, they can be adjusted to increase tension on the steering horns on the tail wheel. ILLUSTRATION 4 Tension just needs to be snug; don’t over- or undertension. When the rudder is at full left or right travel, With the evolution of tail wheels larly true with this tail wheel. apply some side pressure against the there became a need for brakes. The In Illustration 5, the steering tail wheel in the opposite direction; fi rst systems were of the mechanical arm (8) mounts to the fork (11), there should be resistance to move- drum type, similar to the automo- and when the assem- tive brakes of the era. Hydraulic sys- bly is attached to the tems were later used to actuate the spring, the steering shoes into contact with the wheel arm must be parallel drums. Illustration 4 shows typical to the ground when wheels and brakes of the era. the aircraft is loaded. Perhaps one of the most popu- If it is not parallel, lar steerable tail wheels is the Scott poor steering and an 3200 pneumatic steerable and full- unwanted shimmy swivel assembly. These units were will result. Illustration installed by the Cessna factory on 4 is a diagram show- 180 and 185 models and are large ing proper mounting enough to carry the heavier tail of the tail wheel to loads on higher gross-weight ships. the airplane’s spring. In the early days of the Civil Aero- Beside the Scott nautics Administration (CAA), tail and Maule pneu- wheel installations could be eas- matic tail wheels, ily field-approved, and many kits other types were were sold that would fi t particular adapted for use on aircraft. The pneumatic Scott 3200 certain aircraft that and 3400 tail wheels are very rug- either had a tailskid ged and reliable. Cessna used the or a very early wheel model 3200 on its L-19 Bird Dog, installation. Tail which operated in and out of some wheels from such very rough airstrips. production aircraft When adapting a tail wheel to an as the Cessna UC-78, aircraft, care must be taken to en- Boeing Stearman PT- sure that the installation is done in 13/-17, Ryan PT-22, accordance with the manufacturer’s Fairchild PT-19, and recommendations. This is particu- other types with sim- ILLUSTRATION 5 30 DECEMBER 2011 ILLUSTRATION 6 critical to good performance. The Scott installation on my Command-Aire is shown in detail in Illustration 7. It is extremely important that, with the aircraft at gross weight, the tail wheel assembly is mounted so the steer- ing arm is parallel to the ground. Modifi cation of the tail wheel assembly requires a FAA Form 337 asa fi eld approval of a major alteration. Owners and restorers need to pay close attention to the tail wheel to make sure it is installed and operates correctly. If it doesn’t work properly, the results can be catastrophic. ILLUSTRATION 7 ment because of spring pressure. Some aircraft use cables or an adjustable push-pull rod for steering. The check is the same to make sure the tail wheel follows the rudder’s movement. Tail wheels are made from solid rubber or are pneu- matic. Because there is a certain amount of “give” to it, the pneumatic assembly is more forgiving on rough sur- faces. However, if air pressure is allowed to get too low, the tire can spin on the wheel, shearing off the inner tube valve stem. Maintaining proper pressure is a must when it comes to the pneumatic tail wheel. Illustration 6 shows the early restoration stage of my Command-Aire 5C3. The tail wheel installation was made using a Scott 3200 assembly as found on the Cessna L-19 Bird Dog. Steering should always be accomplished by using a rudder arm attached to the lower portion of the rudder. Never attach steering cables to the rudder horns. Most tail wheels incorporate springs, so the sensitivity of steering can be adjusted. The more pull on the springs, the more sensitive the steering as the pilot moves the rudder pedals. Steering should be adjusted to be posi- CONTACT US TODAY! tive but not overpowering. With the Scott system, this TOLL FREE: TEL: FAX: adjustment is easy. SALES: VDOHV#VXSHUIOLWHFRPWEB: ZZZVXSHUIOLWHFRP The Scott 3200 tail wheel should be installed in ac- Scan this QR code with your smartphone or tablet device to view our complete line cordance with data supplied by the factory. The angle RIIDEULFVWDSHVDQG¿QLVKHV at which the assembly is mounted to the leaf spring is VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31 THE Vintage Instructor BY Steve Krog, CFI Short-Field Operations, Part 2 n part 1 on our series con- When either teaching this landing Inability to Judge Height cerning short-field landings, or asking for it to be demonstrated All pilots—young or old, expe- we discussed two methods for during a fl ight review, I’ve identifi ed rienced or inexperienced—look to making safe short-field land- three common weaknesses: the sky as soon as stepping out- Iings. Now let’s add one more factor Inability to judge height. doors. We learned early in our • to the equation and look at making •Inability to establish and/or training how to identify types of a short-field landing—over a 50- maintain airspeed. clouds and weather associated with foot obstacle! •Lack of familiarity with the air- each. We also learned, with a little Unless you fl y from a private strip plane (i.e., comfort level). practice, to generally judge cloud with obstacles at one or both ends, heights. How many times have you you may not have even attempted walked from your car or truck in a short-fi eld landing over a 50-foot your workplace parking lot, looked obstacle since your sport, private, How many up, and mumbled, “This would be a or commercial checkride eons ago. good day to fl y!” Can you recall the last time you ac- times have you Why is it then that when looking tually tried one? up we can judge cloud bases within a The short-field obstacle land- few feet, but when asked to demon- ing is not diffi cult, but it does take read an NTSB strate a 50-foot obstacle landing, we some practice to perform this land- have no clue as to what 50 feet looks ing safely and skillfully. Practic- like when looking downward toward ing these landings and increasing accident report the approach end of the runway? your proficiency may be the dif- Over the years of my acquired ference between a safe uneventful stating that experience providing primary landing and a bent and broken air- fl ight instruction, I’ve developed a plane when attempting a landing method for teaching 50-foot obsta- at someone’s private strip someday. while fl ying cle short-fi eld landings. How many times have you read an After a brief prefl ight discussion NTSB accident report stating that describing the procedures for mak- while flying in VMC, the pilot at- in VMC, the ing this type of landing, we’ll go out tempted to land on a friend’s private and put these procedures into prac- airstrip? After realizing the landing pilot attempted tice. I’ll fi rst have the student dem- was too long, the pilot attempted onstrate what he or she believes to to “plant” the airplane and apply be the correct way for making this heavy brake action, only to find to land on a landing. Without fail, we will cross himself or herself upside down! I’ve the runway threshold (where our read a number of these accident re- simulated 50-foot obstacle is lo- ports over the years, and with re- friend’s private cated) and be anywhere from 250 gard as to how and why it happens, to 500 feet above the runway. As we it doesn’t seem to make any differ- airstrip? initiate a go-around, I’ll ask the stu- ence in the amount of flight time dent to call out our altitude. Let’s the pilot has accumulated. say, for the sake of example, the 32 DECEMBER 2011 student calls out 1,450 feet. is pitched upward and some power that you never need to look at your While climbing out and flying is added. More often than not, the airspeed. Try this maneuver several the pattern, I’ll ask what the field power added is enough to easily times. The trim system can be a pi- elevation is at our airport, and the clear the obstacle, but we’re hov- lot’s best friend, sometimes espe- response is always 1,070 feet. Now ering dangerously close to either cially when landing. Use it to help add 50 feet and what do you get? a stall or, at the very least, a rapid stabilize the desired attitude. Unless the student is quite young descent to the runway. In this sce- Next, do the same exercise over and is still attending school where nario the power is then chopped, the road, but this time experiment math is no longer taught, the an- the obstacle is cleared, the landing by first adding and then reducing swer will be 1,120 feet. That is the is very short, but the airplane may power. How much can you slow altitude we need to clear then. Now not be usable again without fi rst re- your rate of descent down when add an additional 50 feet to that pairing the landing gear. adding 200 rpm while still main- amount for instrument lag, 1,170 The more correct method is to taining a constant airspeed plus 5 feet, and that is the altitude to strive stabilize the approach speed and mph? This maneuver is especially toward on the next approach. rate of descent. Then after turning good for developing the skills Additionally, for the next three final, pick an aim point 300-500 needed to make consistently safe or four landings, I will verbally call feet beyond the approach end of short-fi eld obstacle landings. out our altitude above the obsta- the runway. Continue the stabi- Judging altitude, controlling air- cle as we descend on base and fi- lized approach and add or reduce speed, and knowing your airplane nal legs. This method seems to help power as needed to compensate for are essential to being able to per- the student better grasp how high the effect of the wind. Once you form short-field obstacle landings he or she is at any given point. You can see that the 50-foot obstacle safely. The next time you decide to might try this method yourself if can be cleared, slowly reduce power, go fl ying for fun and pleasure, chal- you haven’t practiced an obstacle which will slightly increase the rate lenge yourself and try the exercises landing in a while. of descent. Level off and begin your I’ve mentioned. flare. While doing so, simultane- With a little practice, you’ll be Inability to Establish and/or ously reduce your power to idle. able to turn onto final, maintain Maintain Airspeed Upon touching down, continue to a constant airspeed, and be in full Up to this point most student pi- hold the yoke or control stick in control of your rate of descent. If lots, as well as established pilots, the full aft position and gently ap- needed, a forward slip can be estab- have developed a skill level for es- ply even brake action. A few more lished for a couple of seconds dissi- tablishing correct airspeeds for the practice landings, and you’ll soon pating the remaining altitude, then approach and landing in their par- have the short-fi eld obstacle land- aligning the airplane with the cen- ticular airplane. For the sake of dis- ing safely and skillfully mastered. terline, establishing the flare, and cussion, let’s say the airplane we’re smoothly touching down while re- fl ying uses the following speeds: 80 Lack of Familiarity With Your ducing whatever power remains. mph after reducing power on down- Airplane (i.e., Comfort Level) Most of the classic airplanes we wind, 70 mph on base leg, 65 mph When first practicing obsta- fly today need little more than after turning fi nal, and 60 mph on cle landings, one of the fears that 500-800 feet to land. Allowing for short fi nal. If a student, or seasoned students express is getting the air- obstacle clearance, a distance of pilot, understands and practices speed too slow and approaching a 1,000-1,200 feet is about average “attitude fl ying,” these speeds will near stall. It’s a common fear, but it for an obstacle landing with little be common on every approach to can easily be overcome by getting or no help from the wind. land without ever having to look at more familiar with the airplane be- the airspeed indicator. ing fl own. Take the Challenge However, throw in the 50-foot In part 1 of Short-Field Opera- A pilot striving to be a better, obstacle, and airspeed control tions, I suggested several exercises more skilled pilot becomes a safer wildly fl uctuates. If it appears to the that a pilot might do to develop a pilot. And isn’t that a goal for all of pilot that we’re too high, oftentimes confi dent, safe feel for the airplane us who enjoy general-aviation plea- the nose is pitched downward and being fl own. First, at a safe altitude, sure fl ying? our airspeed is reading 90 mph and align your aircraft with a road (our Next time you decide to make increasing. The obstacle is cleared, simulated runway). Reduce the a pleasure flight after work or but now it will take 2,500 feet of power to idle while maintaining on Saturday morning, challenge runway to get on the ground and the desired constant airspeed that yourself and try a couple of simu- stopped—1,500 feet more than we you should normally use on final lated obstacle landings. They are allowed for this maneuver. Or, if it approach to land. Burn the nose at- both skill-enhancing as well as appears that we’re too low, the nose titude image fi rmly in your brain so self-satisfying! VINTAGE AIRPLANE 33 by H.G. FRAUTSCHY MYSTERY PLANE This month’s Mystery Plane comes to us courtesy of Wes Smith. It is of North American origin. Send your answer to EAA, Vintage Airplane, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Your answer needs to be in no later than January 10 for inclusion in the March 2012 issue of Vintage Airplane. You can also send your re- sponse via e-mail. Send your answer to mysteryplane@eaa. org. Be sure to include your name plus your city and state in the body of your note and put “(Month) Mys- tery Plane” in the subject line. SEPTEMBER’S MYSTERY ANSWER ur September Mystery OPlane came to us from W. Duffy Thompson of Lakeland, Florida. It was of for- eign manufacture, but the photo was taken on the East Coast of the United States. Here’s our fi rst an- swer, from Wes Smith of Spring- fi eld, Illinois: What an interesting photo of one of my favorites—the Aeroplanes Hanriot et Cie HD.1 (“HD” standing for “Hanriot Dupont.” The manu- facturer being Rene Hanriot, a pre- World War I Darracq racecar driver, pilot and aircraft builder, and the designer, Pierre Dupont). I strongly suspect that the Vintage Air- plane HD.1 is the imported aircraft that Charles Nungesser Dr. Davilla and Arthur Soltan wrote French Aircraft of the used on his 1924-25 American tour (see below). I fi rst heard First World War. Jack Bruce did Windsock Datafi le No. 12: of the HD.1 way back in late 1968, when I bought a copy of Hanriot HD.1 in 1988, and Gregory Alegi did another on the Kenneth Munson’s book Fighters 1914-18. Three years later HD.1/2 (Datafi le No. 92) in 2002. I would be remiss if I also I got a copy of Willy Coppens’ autobiography Flying in Flan- didn’t mention Jon Guttman’s Balloon-Busting Aces of World ders, and in 1972, Jack Bruce’s Warplanes of the First World War 1, published just a few years ago. War: Fighters, Volume 5 was published. That had to do until Aside from Belgium, the United States, and Italy (where 831 34 DECEMBER 2011 HD.1s were built under license by Societa Nieuport-Macchi, hydravion was 300 kilometers, while the HD.1 had an endur- during the war, and 70 were delivered in 1919, Hanriot built ance of 2.5 hours (cruise speeds unknown). only 100 HD.1s), it was also used by Paraguay (3), and Swit- Page 98 of Lucien Morareau’s Les Aeronefs de l’Aviation zerland (16), through the ’20s. In addition to the 26 HD.2s Maritime 1910-1942 has a photo of an HD.2 landplane (ter- purchased by the U.S. Navy, the HD.2 fl oatplane (hydravion) restre) of l’ecole de chasse de Frejuis, taken at St. Raphel in variant was also used by the French aviation maritime (30) 1926, which has a modified vertical fin and rudder (or an and was fl own off turret-launching platforms from the Cour- HD.1 replacement). Page 22 of Bruce’s Windsock has a photo bet class battleship Paris. This was accomplished by LV Gui- of Francis Lombardi’s Italian HD.1, fi tted with a Fiat A.50 ra- erre off Toulon on 26 October 1918. The same thing was done dial (I-PASO). It was fl own as late as 1944. The caption goes by the U.S. Navy, which fl ew them off turret platforms fi tted to on to state that the design evolved into the CANSA (Costruzi- the battleship USS Texas (BB-35) at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, oni Aeronautiche Novaresi S.A.) FL.5 (later, C.5) trainer. There in the spring of 1919 (also the cruiser USS Mississippi). The is an HD.1 in the Royal Air Force Museum at Hendon. It was first American turret-launched flight took place in a Sopwith flown to England from Belgium by Richard Shuttleworth in F.1 Camel fl own by the legendary U.S. Navy World War I ace 1937 and was fully restored by Marvin Hand in the United David S. Ingalls; fl ying off the No. 2 turret platform of the USS States. Several other HD.1s survive. Two examples exist in the Texas on 10 March 1919. Of course, the British Royal Naval United States, one at the National Naval Aviation Museum Air Service was the fi rst to use this method of launching aircraft at Pensacola, Florida. Other HD.1s survive in Belgium, Italy, at sea. During World War I, the U.S. Navy HD.2s were fl own Switzerland, and Ecuador. from Dunkerque Naval Air Station as escort fi ghters for Donnet- Nungesser’s HD.1 was brought to the United States in 1924 Denhaut fl ying boats. Postwar, the HD.2s were used as armed and was registered as N5934. He fl ew it in the 1925 fi lm The fi ghter trainers. The fl oats were removed, and experiments were Sky Raider. In 1927 it was fl own in Wings by James Granger conducted with skids (French), hydrovanes, and fl oatation bags. (Nungesser had since disappeared during his trans-Atlantic According to French Aircraft of the First World War (p fl ight attempt). It was used again in Hell’s Angels in 1930. In 275), after the undercarriages were fi tted to l’aviation mari- 1951 it was rediscovered by Ed Maloney at Clover Field, Santa time HD.2s, heavier tail skids were also retrofi tted, and the rud- Monica, California, where it had been stored. Currently, it re- ders were modifi ed à la the HD.1. On HD.2s, a 130 hp Clerget sides at the Planes of Fame Museum and is painted with Nun- 9b replaced the 110-120 hp Le Rhone 9Jb of the HD.1 (Italian continued on page 37 machines list the hp at 10 hp less than the French). Postwar, the French Hanriots replaced the Clerget with a 130 hp Salmson radial. French HD.2s fi tted with undercarriages may have been AERO CLASSIC designated as the HD.2C. Italian-built HD.1s had a slightly “COLLECTOR SERIES” shorter span set of wings and a slightly greater height. The lower power of Le Rhones on Italian HD.1s contributed to a lower Vintage Tires performance. When fi tted with the original larger rudder of the New USA Production HD.2 fl oatplane, the length of the landplane went from 5.85 Show off your pride and joy with a meters to 5.94 meters. The span remained the same at 8.7 me- fresh set of Vintage Rubber. These ters, but the height of the HD.2 landplane was slightly increased newly minted tires are FAA-TSO’d to 2.59 meters (2.94 meters for the HD.1 and 2.5 meters for the and speed rated to 120 MPH. Some Nieuport-Macchi-built airframes). The wing area of the HD.2 things are better left the way they were, and in the 40’s and 50’s, these tires were perfectly in was slightly increased to 18.9 square meters over 18.2 square tune to the exciting times in aviation. meters for the HD.1 (17.5 square meters for Italian HD.1s). The Not only do these tires set your vintage plane apart from speed of the HD.2 landplane was 180 km/hour, roughly compa- the rest, but also look exceptional on all General Aviation rable to the 186 km/hour maximum of French HD.1s, and 183 aircraft. Deep 8/32nd tread depth offers above average km/hour for Italian airframes. The empty weight of the HD.2 tread life and UV treated rubber resists aging. was 410 kilograms (400 kilograms French, 410 kilograms Ital- First impressions last a lifetime, so put these jewels on and ian). The loaded weight was signifi cantly higher at 710 kilo- bring back the good times..… grams, an increase of 105 kilograms more than French HD.1s, New General Aviation Sizes Available: and 110 kilograms heavier than Italian HD.1s. Float-equipped 500 x 5, 600 x 6, 700 x 8 HD.2s were naturally longer and higher (7.0 meters and 3.10 Desser has the largest stock and meters, respectively) and were heavier (425 kilograms empty, selection of Vintage and Warbird 723 kilograms loaded). Curiously, the wing area was less at 18.2 square meters. The speed was approximately the same at tires in the world. Contact us 182 km/hour. The ceiling was about 1,000 meters less than the with your requirements. Telephone: 800-247-8473 or HD.1, being 4,800 meters (the HD.2 landplane was only 5,000 323-721-4900 FAX: 323-721-7888 meters), but the climb to 2,000 meters was about the same at 6 6900 Acco St., Montebello, CA 90640 minutes 30 seconds (6 minutes 3 seconds for French HD.1s and 3400 Chelsea Ave, Memphis, TN 38106 www.desser.com 6 minutes 40 seconds for Italian). Range of the HD.2 avion and In Support Of Aviation Since 1920…. VINTAGE AIRPLANE 35 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 FAX 920-426-4873 www.eaa.org/memberbenefi ts [email protected] 260-493-4724 262-560-1949 [email protected] [email protected] •New/renew memberships •Address changes •Merchandise sales •Gift memberships Secretary Treasurer EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 888-322-4636 www.airventure.org [email protected] Steve Nesse Dan Knutson Sport Pilot/Light-Sport Aircraft Hotline 877-359-1232 www.sportpilot.org [email protected] 2009 Highland Ave. 106 Tena Marie Circle 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 Services/Research 920-426-4848 [email protected] 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 Aircraft 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 Card 800-853-5576 ext. 8884 916-952-9449 920-426-6110 EAA Hertz Rent-A-Car Program 800-654-2200 www.eaa.org/hertz [email protected] [email protected] Espie “Butch” Joyce VAA Editorial/Executive Director 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-free number for: information about AirVenture Oshkosh; aeromedical and technical aviation questions; Plainfi eld, IN 46168 262-966-7627 317-839-4500 [email protected] chapters; and Young Eagles. Please have your membership number ready 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 ©2011 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 54903-3086, 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 54901 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. 36 DECEMBER 2011 continued from page 35 Dupont, the last name of the designing en- VINTAGE gesser’s distinctive “skull, candles and gineer that contributed to the rebirth of the coffi n” personal insignia, which it wore company from 1916. Bibliography refers TRADER during his display tour—and was used to 1,200 of them built with many fi nding during his days as a pilot in World War their way after the war into civilian use in Something to buy, I. The serial number of this aircraft is not Europe, North America, and South Amer- sell, or trade? known, but it is interesting that the per- ica; only six genuine survive today. Classifi ed Word Ads: $5.50 per 10 words, 180 words maximum, with boldface lead-in sonal insignia has yet to be applied to the A number of HD.2 versions were built on fi rst line. aircraft as depicted in the Vintage Air- for the French and U.S. Navy primarily Classifi ed Display Ads: One column wide (2.167 inches) by 1, 2, or 3 inches high at plane photo. as hydroplanes, but they were often ret- $20 per inch. Black and white only, and no United States Navy and Marine rofitted to wheels; their engine, a Cler- frequency discounts. Advertising Closing Dates: 10th of second Corps Fighters 1918-1962 (Paul R. get 130 hp rotary instead of a Le Rhone month prior to desired issue date (i.e., Matt and Bruce Robertson. Harleyford 9J of 110 hp, a different machine gun January 10 is the closing date for the March issue). VAA reserves the right to reject any Pub.) and Peter M. Bowers’ United arrangement, and different cowling advertising in confl ict with its policies. Rates States Navy Aircraft Since 1911 (Put- face were the main external difference cover one insertion per issue. Classifi ed ads are not accepted via phone. Payment must nam) have additional photos of U.S. between the HD.1 and HD.2; unfortu- accompany order. Word ads may be sent via Navy Hanriot Duponts. nately, the Mystery Plane picture does fax (920-426-4828) or e-mail (classads@ eaa.org) using credit card payment (all cards Gregory Alegi’s Windsock Datafile not show these details. For instance the accepted). Include name on card, complete has a highly interesting photo of an HD.1 Hanriot preserved at Planes of Fame in address, type of card, card number, and expiration date. Make checks payable to EAA. (I-EBBO) taking off from the uncompleted Chino, California, is a HD.2 model. Address advertising correspondence to EAA CNA hangar at Rome’s Littorio airport in Other correct answers were received Publications Classifi ed Ad Manager, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. 1928. It is shown just outside the han- from Wayne Muxlow, Minneapolis, BOOKS gar, already fl ying, taking off from a ramp Minnesota; Jim Gevay, Circle Pines, Spitfire Wingman—Col. Jim Haun’s Life in Love that runs back into the hangar! According Minnesota; Roger Baker, Carlsbad, Cal- with Flight. $14.95 + S & H. 1-87-SQUADRON. to Alegi, the pilot, Giangiacomo Chiesi, ifornia; and Renald Fortier, Ottawa, www.spitfi rewingman.com often liked to carry a gun in his Hanriot— Ontario, Canada, who reminded us Iowa Takes to the Air Volumes I, II, III in order to shoot ducks while fl ying. As as- that another photo and a brief his- [email protected] tonishing as this seems, this practice was tory of the HD-2 for use by the Navy is MISCELLANEOUS not unique. Hubert Latham et. al. did the shown on the website www.NavSource. www.aerolist.org, Aviations’ Leading same thing long before World War I. org/archives/01/57k3.htm. Marketplace. An excerpt from the letter sent by Tom Lymburn, of Princeton, Minne- REALESTATE sota, adds: THE “STROMBERG SPECIALIST” Green Lake, WI! 100 feet of Lake Frontage for sale on beautiful Green Lake. Great fi shing Although comparing favorably with R.E. “Bob” Kachergius A&P/IA and swimming. 30 miles from EAA grounds. the Sopwith Pup for maneuverability, the Call Dan 608 212 9556 HD.1 was not ordered in quantity by the Does your Stromberg NA-S3 carburetor Florida keys Tavernaero Airpark 2/2 up and French Aviation Militaire. It was under- Drip - Leak - Perform poorly ? ? ? 1/1 down. CBS Construction, Central Air, gunned with only one Vickers, so it did Have it Overhauled & Restored to “Grand Cham- screened pool, marina, air pad. $750,000 not have the hitting power of the Spad pion” standards and quality by us… owner/agent 305-304-8393 XIII. Powered by Le Rhone or Clerget ro- WE: Dismantle & Inspect – SERVICES tary engines, the HD.1 had a top speed Clean & Glass Bead Blast – Aluma-Etch & Alodine – Always Flying Aircraft Restoration, LLC: of 115 mph and a ceiling of more than Custom Lap mating Annual Inspections, Airframe recovering, 20,000 feet. If it had been capable of car- surfaces – Re- fabric repairs and complete restorations. rying two Vickers guns without the weight assemble using all Wayne A. Forshey A&P & I.A. 740-472- new AN hardware, penalty, it probably would have been gaskets, Stainless 1481 Ohio and bordering states. steel or Delrin needle built in greater numbers. & seat – proper metering Restoration, fabric, paint, fabrications, And a wonderful surprise from jets & venturis… Float level paperwork. is set “wet” to 13/32” – Stromberg service letter With 53 completed projects, member Eric Pinion of Hialeah Gar- Waco’s, Moth’s, Champs, Lakes, Pitts etc. procedure installed to raise float bowl vent position dens, Florida: eliminating fuel drip – prepare a log book entry Test fl ights and delivery. Indiana 480-209- sheet… 2680 [email protected], www. I guess I am a bit late to reply, but I All for $850.00 wildcataviation.com have a good excuse: I was busy building + $25.00 freight & handling WANTED an airplane that looks just like this one! The picture is of a Hanriot HD.1, a Wanted for Warner 165 installation. One UNI-TECH AIR MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS, INC. control Box Type 318 for Eclipse 15V 15A WWI single-seat fi ghter that would have Call: 708-267-7111 Generator Model 1, Type 308. Contact been built in Boulogne-Billancourt, France, Mail: 13221 WINDWARD TRAIL [email protected] or 902- ORLAND PARK, IL. 60462 by Hanriot or by Nieuport-Macchi in Italy. E-Mail: [email protected] 584-3511 The D in the HD designation stands for VINTAGE AIRPLANE 37 A Little Smooth Air by S. Michelle Souder recious and few are the weighs around 900 pounds. Its short, ditions, plane and pilot blend to- moments we two can fat wings seem to locate all the un- gether as if one entity in flight. “ share . . . .” Those words stable air easily. At this point in my Each control input is true. The air- from a popular song on life I fl y for fun. I can opt out of gusty craft response is honest. No com- the Pcharts in 1972 pretty much sum or marginal VFR days if I choose. Be- pensation is needed to counter the up my fl ying this time of year. sides, the airplane is 62 years old. It unseen weather forces. At last— The days are short now. No steal- deserves to be flown with respect, just pure, unadulterated flight— ing a quick fl ight before dark on the not needlessly thrashed. and for a few moments the feeling way home anymore. Night fl ight is On the silver-lining side, how- of total satisfaction. cold and carries the threat of deer ever, early winter does provide Winter will bring its unpleasant- on the runway. That’s a chance more chances to ride some still air. ness soon enough. Cold, wet misery meeting I prefer to avoid. When the windsock is motionless, will show its snowy face and pre- For the next few months I am left and the clouds are not moving, it’s vent time aloft—again. For now I with weekends for flying, and pray just got to be good. will dress warmly. I will revel in the that the weather is good. Our part of Like young animals that become fi ery pinks and oranges on my wing the east has had a frustrating amount playful in cool temperatures, the struts as they shine in the sunset. I of marginal weather for little air- airplane responds readily when it will marvel at the long shadows as planes this year…except on week- breathes in the denser air. You can I watch the farmland pass beneath days when I’m at work. Of course. almost hear it say, “Let’s go!” The me. I will take in the peacefulness I suppose I can be called a wimp on sluggish summer performance is and let it soothe my soul. occasion. The much-loved airplane abated for a few months. I will oh-so enjoy the smooth that has my name on the registration In the rare gift of no-wind con- air. 38 DECEMBER 2011 Proud Partners with EAA Performance Nonparallel The Privilege of Partnership “Whether I’m performing a loop above thousands at an air show, EAA members are eligible for special pricing on Ford Motor Company or driving up the coast at sunset…I love the adrenalin rush I get vehicles through Ford’s Partner Recognition Program. To learn more when I fly my helicopter…and when I drive my Ford Mustang. It’s on this exclusive opportunity for EAA members to save on a new an unmatched feeling I would highly recommend.” Ford vehicle, please visit www.eaa.org/ford. Chuck Aaron EAA #1038596 Pilot – Red Bull Helicopter VEHICLE PURCHASE PLAN VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39 Wooden Puzzles Three delightfully designed puzzles to build with the family for an enjoyable, fun activity. Can be decorated with paint, stickers or any imaginative idea that strikes you. For ages fi ve and up, instructions included. Bi-Plane 5260377300000 Triplane 5260377500000 $4.99 ea* Spirit of St Louis 5260377000000 Socks for Children $4.99* Biplanes are depicted on a brown background inspiring young people to lift their feet off the ground. 2-4 yrs 5266332827083 3-7 yrs 5266332828083 7-10 yrs 5266332829083 $10.99* Socks for Adults Comfortable socks depicting aviation will keep your feet warm and aviation dressed right down to your feet. See sizes and color choice below. Blue-Adult size 9-11 5266140703061 Black-Adult size 9-11 5266140703093 Blue-Adult size 10-13 5266140704061 Black-Adult size 10-13 5266140704093 Grey-Adult size 9-11 5266140703091 Lavender-Adult size 9-11 5266140703070 Grey -Adult size 10-13 5266140704091 Lavender -Adult size 10-13 5266140704070 40 DECEMBER 2011 MA1 Flight Jacket $42.95* With Vintage logo on front, this jacket is warm and comfortable during the winter season. 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Sm Sage 5265341502053 Md Sage 5265341503053 $5.95* Lg Sage 5265341504053 Sm Brown 5265341502084 Md Brown 5265341503084 Lg Brown 5265341504084 This hat, scarf, and mitten set is the softest winter wear your child can have to keep warm while enjoying the outdoors. Black color is perfect for wearing with any colored coat. Sized for youths 2 to 5 years of age. www.shopeaa.com/vaa Telephone Orders: 800-843-3612 From US and Canada (All Others Call 920-426-5912) *Shipping and handling NOT included. Major credit cards accepted. WI residents add 5% sales tax.