VOL. 32, No. 1 JANUARY 2004 2 VAA NEWS/H.G. Fra utschy 4 AEROMAIL 5 MYSTERY PLANE/H. G. Frautschy 6 2003 VINTAGE HALL OF FAME ALFRED KELCH/H. G. Frautsch y 8 PASS IT TO BUCK/Buck Hilbert 9 JOHN MILLER RECALLS TWO CLOSE ONES/Joh n M. Miller 10 THE MICHIGAN AIR TOUR BOYHOOD DREAMS NEVER TRULY DIE Bruce H. Carmichael 12 THE ALLEN 'S ASO WACO WHAT TO DO WHEN THE BASKET IS MOSTLY EMPTY /Budd Davisson 16 THE 2003 NATIONAL AIR TOUR THE CHANCE OF A LIFETIME John Coussens and H.G. Fra utschy 21 THE 47TH ANNUAL TULSA REGIONAL FLY-IN SEPTEMBER 19-20, 2003, BARTLESVILLE , OKLAHOMA Charles W. Harris 24 THE VINTAGE INSTRUCTOR GPS GLITCHES BETWEEN THE EARS/Doug Stewart 27 NEW MEMBERS 28 CLASSIFIED ADS ~1FA~W EAA PUBLIC:ATIONS Publisher TOM POBEREZNY Editor·in·Chief scon SPANGLER Executive Editor MIKE DIFRISCO Front Cover: Jeanne and Dave Allen cruise past the EAA camera ship in the News Editor RIC REYNOLDS newly restored Waco ASO they rebuilt and then flew on the 2003 National Air Photography Staff JIM KOEPNICK LEEANN ABRAMS Tou r. For more on the Allen's restoration, see the article starting on page 12, TRISHA LUNDQUIST then flip to page 16 for more on the NAT. EAA photo by chief photographer Jim Advertising Coordinator JULIE RUSSO Advertising Sales LOY HICKMAN Koepnick. EAA Cessna 210 photo plane flown by Bruce Moore. 913-268-6646 Adve rtising/ Editorial Ass istant ISABELLE WISKE Back Cover: In a scene that hasn't been captured on film since the documen­ Copy Editing COLLEEN WALSH tary days of Martin and Osa Johnson , Thomas Schrade 's Sikorsky S-38, "The KATHLEEN WITMAN Spirit of Osa ," flown by Waldo Anderson, is fl anked by Dick and Patsy Jackson 's VINTAGE AIRPLANE Sikorsky 5-39, "The Spirit of Igor" as they fly north. Our thanks to photographer Executive Director, Editor HENRY G. FRAUTSCHY Gil les Auliard of I.A.P.A. in Newington, Connecticut for many of the images, VAA Administrative Assistant THERESA BOOKS Contributing Editors JOHN UNDERWOOD including this one that helped us fi ll out the NAT coverage. You can reach Gilles BUDD DAVISSON at [email protected]. STRAIGHT Be LEVEL ESPIE "BUTCH" JOYCE PRESIDENT, VINTAGE ASSOCIATION Kicking off 2004 'm putting my thoughts down takes me half a day to put together on paper just before Norma and 600 words for this column! His I depart for Kill Devil Hills, prodigious and well-written output I North Carolina, the site of the is quite an inspiration! plane. The magazine is a great bene­ Wright Brothers National Memorial. As we start 2004, the state of the fit to you as a member. It's the only The weather looks good, the Flyer Vintage Aircraft Association is good. publication devoted to vintage air­ built by The Wright Experience for This condition is a combination of all craft that is published 12 times a EAA is set to lift off the launching of the hard work and dedication of year for your information and enter­ rail, and 35,000 people are expected EAA's staff, VAA's own H.G. Frautschy tainment. Sure, you can read "feel to be there for the celebration. I'm and Theresa Books, the officers and good" articles in other magazines, sure there will be plenty of coverage directors, volunteers, and those very but how many of these large publi­ of the event, and we'll have an arti­ kind and dedicated individuals who cations really get down to the cle here in the pages of Vintage help VAA by contributing to the nitty-gritty, such as the recent article Airplane in the February issue. "Friends of the Red Barn" fund. Our on "How to keep your Tailwheel Writing for publication is one of membership has remained solid, but from Shimmying," or how to fly a the skills I've had to work on while has not increased as the staff and I tail wheel airplane. In 1991, your serving as your president. To some, had hoped this year. Vintage Aircraft Association had the like the late Winston Churchill, it Besides the downturn in the econ­ vision to put together an aviation comes easily. Recently, I was reading omy, one of the reasons that has insurance program with the help of an article about Churchill's writing contributed to us remaining steady AUA Inc. For the past 13 years, AUA and speaking abilities. He gave his in our total membership numbers is has guided this program through a first speech at age 13, and his last in the simple fact that we have an older number of different companies that 1963, two years before his death at membership base than other avia­ are no longer in business because of age 90. His collected speeches fill tion associations. None of us like to the consolidation of aviation insur­ eight volumes. He was said to have admit it, but we're all mortal, and ance companies. By holding this spent an hour preparing each some of our stalwart members have program together during this hard­ minute of a speech. He once wrote aged out this past year. ening of the insurance market, about his enjoyment of writing: To keep our membership num­ vintage aircraft can still be insured "Writing is an adventure," he bers solid, and avoid a downturn, in this insurance program. said. "To begin with, it is a toy and our membership committee has When it comes to aging aircraft amusement. Then it becomes a mis­ made a great effort in gaining new issues with the FAA, your VAA is tress, then it becomes a master, members this past year. So you can there, working closely with EAA, then it becomes a tyrant. The last see that maybe just a suggestion to a talking for all of the vintage aircraft. phase is that just as you are about friend that has a vintage aircraft to We look forward to continued to be reconciled to your servitude, join up with us as a member would progress in this area. you kill the monster and fling him be a great benefit to your Vintage You can see there is a need for the to the public." Aircraft Association. Vintage Aircraft Association to be He could really knock out the If we had each of our 8,700 mem­ around for the good of all of us who words in quick fashion, too. One of bers help us gain new members love older aircraft, and we can help the stories highlighted in the article during this next 12-month period, to keep them flying. Ask a friend to I read illustrated his enjoyment of our membership would grow a great join; it will be good for you, too! the task. One evening after dinner, deal. Increased membership num­ Let's all pull in the same direction he realized he had not finished an bers means a great base of people for the good of aviation. Remember, article. He went off by himself for from which to draw expertise and we are better together. Join us and two hours and composed 3,000 guidance, and we'd be able to add have it all. words. I was in awe! Sometimes it more to your magazine, Vintage Air­ Butch VINTAGE AIRPLANE VAA NEWS EAA Sport Pilot & Light­ GOOGLE SEARCHES Sport Aircraft Magazine VAA MEMBERS SITE Debuts in April Thanks to the staff in EAA's web depart­ For half a century EAA has dedi­ ment, we continue to add design features cated itself to making recreational and capabilities to www.vintageaircra(t.org. aviation more affordable to the av­ Now you can "Google" your way around .. .... erage person, and it's launching its the site with the world's most popular ._---"':':!.."':!.-­_,------_ sixth decade in this effort with a search engine. Or expand your search to new magazine, EAA Sport Pilot & the World Wide Web by clicking on Ii.iiiij;"~~___"" Light-Sport Aircraft. Serving its "Search WWW" on the same page. This namesake audience, the 64-page handy search engine is also a part of the members-only section of all-color magazine begins its pub­ www.eaa.org. lishing life with its April 2004 issue. Starting early next year, VAA members will have access to a members­ "The sport pilot and light-sport only section of the VAA website, which will include a variety of archived aircraft rules will offer a great op­ articles from the pages of Vintage Airplane magazine. portunity to revitalize personal recreational flying," said EAA Pres­ Nominations for EAA Directors ident Tom Poberezny. "SP/LSA will Pursuant to the Experimental Aircraft Association Inc. bylaws, the presi­ remove the barriers of time and dent has appointed six members in good standing to act as the Nominating money that have prevented many Committee to receive nominations for Class III directors (three-year terms) people from earning a pilot certifi­ to replace those whose terms expire during 2004, and for a Class IV direc­ cate or continuing their flying tor (three-year term) to replace the director whose term expires during activities. The new LSA category 2004. Such nominations shall be sent to Committee Chairman Ron Scott will offer enthusiasts the opportu­ at N8708 Sky Lane, Rt. I, East Troy, WI 53120. nity to purchase more-affordable The terms of five Class III directors and one Class IV director as listed be­ ready-to-fly aircraft and aircraft low will expire at the 2004 annual business meeting held in Oshkosh, kits.