VOL XXXII #1 1 August 2010 International Fleet Club NEWSLETTER Cover Photo 1940 Fleet 16B owned by Cam Harrod From the Editor Cover Story by Cam Harrod Editor / Publisher Whether I’m standing next to 615S or When Jim asked me to submit a his- Jim Catalano fielding e-mails or phone calls, the tory of my involvement with Fleet Air- 8 Westlin Lane one question that I’m asked over and planes, the dilemma was where to Cornwall NY 12518 over again is “how many Fleets are start? I guess I would have to start there and how many are actually fly- years before I was born, 1919 to be E-Mail ing?” For this edition of the Newslet- exact. That is the year my Dad, Char- [email protected] ter, I decided to answer! I took a lie, was born. He was named after a close look at the Club’s records – friend of my Grandmother, Charlie Telephone electronic and paper – and discov- Pattison, a WW II Pilot in the Royal 845 - 534 - 3947 ered, much to my surprise, that out of Naval Air Service who was killed in a 167 total Fleets of all kinds we have Sopwith Triplane crash in 1917. Grow- recorded worldwide, it looks like 82 ing up with this story, Dad naturally Fleet Web Site are flying, 43 are being restored, 11 became interested in aviation, espe- web.mac.com/fleetclub are on display, 10 are in storage and cially since there were so many avia- 21 are of unknown status. That’s tion events happening during his Fleet Net pretty impressive for such a small younger years in the 20s and 30s. By groups.yahoo.com/ group: almost half are operational! 1936, Dad was an apprentice me- group/fleetnet Club members have been the histori- chanic at the old Hamilton Aero Club ans and reporters; it’s thanks to you in Hamilton, Ontario. He worked 5 that we have as much data and as days a week and was paid in streetcar many great stories as we do in our tickets and a one hour flying lesson Designer archives. Keep ‘em comin’! per week (Remember, there was a de- Jesse Catalano pression going on. He felt very lucky to have this job!) At the club he VOL XXXII #1 2 August 2010 worked on various aircraft including early models back to original specs by providing me with eve- of the Fleet and eventually the prototype 16B. With rything from parts to advice etc. In fact we are so the advent of WW II, Dad enlisted in the RCAF and into Fleets, we pooled our resources and now have because of his background in aviation, he was so much Fleet stuff I had to buy a large shipping posted to the BCATP (British Commonwealth container to store it all! Training Plan). Serving at #9 EFTS St. Catherine’s, I have replaced many non-original items, so he flew Fleets and then Tiger Moths until 1944 far: proper mag switches and original nav lights when the war started to wind down. from the Tiger Boys; rear cockpit pocket watch Jump to 1962, the year I was born. From and holder; smooth tread tires; factory decals on day one I am pretty sure I was exposed to air- all fabric components; and from Hugo and Chris planes and was taken to airshows all over the Bartel, I’ve gotten proper flying wire spacers, new place. I think my earliest memory of airplanes is factory spec cowls and new 0-time Kinner R-55. looking at my Dad’s models hanging from the ceil- I now have over 350 hours in Fleets – and ing in his workshop. I was just dying to take them many more to come! down but was too young to reach them. My Dad took many pictures of his time in aviation, and this is where I first saw pictures of Fleet biplanes. Right MEMBERS WRITE from the start they were my favorite airplane and I dreamed about them all the time. Caps, anyone? It wasn’t until the 1980s that I actually got close to one and at the time I was an aircraft ap- TWO Fleet Club members have written to suggest prentice myself. One of our customers, Paul Soles, that Fleet-logo’d caps might be a good idea: John owned a Fleet 16B CF-GDM and brought it in Elliott ([email protected]) said he’d had every year for an annual and I would beg to work some made up and wondered if others were inter- on it. My first ride in a Fleet came in the very early ested. Buddy Wehman ([email protected]) 1990’s when I flew in Piet Bouthoorn’s Fleet Fawn wrote from the VERY HOT south to say that he and then started getting rides in both Piet’s and copied a picture from Page and Cumming's book, Tom Dietrich’s 16Bs at the Tiger Boys Airplane 'Fleet the Flying Years' and had an embroidery Works in Guelph, Ontario. company do the digitizing for the cap emblem. Tom started restoring his Fleet and his He’s happy with the results and says that if any- friend Bob Ratcliffe was doing one also. Both of one’s is interested they should contact him. these Fleets came out of Mexico through Texas, Oklahoma and then back into Canada. Bob com- Buddy had rotator cuff surgery and facing 6 pleted his Fleet (#397) in 1989 and then flew it until months of recovery, he created a tug (lawnmower losing his medical and selling to a fellow in Colum- conversion) for getting the Fleet up the incline and bus. back into his hangar. “Now I need to convince my Eventually, Fleet #397 ended up in Harris- left arm to move outboard so that I can get my burg, PA and when that owner decided to sell, I hand on the throttle and then convince the stupid bought it and imported it back to Canada. My best thing to move forward and backward. Then it will friend and mentor, Ken Gamble, taught me how to be time to fly.” do all the paperwork, etc. and we got Transport Canada approval to import. (For years Ken bought John Elliott, Arlington, VA and sold aircraft across our two borders and my Fleet was the last import he was involved with. [email protected] Ken passed soon after.) It was flown up to the bor- I have always been a fan of tail draggers and bi- der for me by a great guy named Joe Kamiskis. He planes in particular, so when I completed my pilot’s and his buddy were really instrumental in helping license in 2008, I decided that I would take tail me getting the old Fleet back to Canada (thanks wheel training and look for a biplane. As a resident again, Joe). As soon as possible, I rented a hangar of Northern Virginia, I was lucky in that we have a at Guelph Airport and joined the Tiger Boys Air- barnstorming show put on by the Flying Circus plane Works and have been flying with this group Foundation in Warrenton. The show runs all sum- now since 2004. Tom and Bob helped bring #397 mer and they use several Stearmans, a Waco and VOL XXXII #1 3 August 2010 a Fleet! The guys and gals that run the show are a sures down a bit and now pavement landings are great bunch of folks and after several rides in the no big deal (as long as I keep her STRAIGHT). I do Fleet model 7 with Brian Stewart, I knew I HAD to not fly in crosswinds of more than a few knots. have one. After months of searching the internet, I love to fly the Fleet- she is noticeably lighter asking around and combing through Trade-a- than the Stearman, but also faster. She climbs like Plane, I heard that a Fleet may be available up in a rocket with just me on board and is easy to ma- PA. I immediately followed up on that lead and I neuver on the ground with just a tail wheel bar. The wound up purchasing Fleet NC86V (SN #404) from Kinner 125 seems like a perfect power match and Jack Ballard in January 2009. has so far proved easy to start and trouble-free. I Completely restored in the 1980’s by Gar have 20 hours on her now and I am still feeling my Williams, I came to find out that this aircraft was way carefully. Thanks to all who helped me in my purchased in 1931 by Cliff Durant, an aviation pio- search and to those club members that offered neer and famous racecar driver of the 1930s. Cliff advice and shared the wisdom of their experience. was the son of William Durant, founder of Durant I feel privileged to be the current caretaker for this motors and the man responsible for putting to- amazing aircraft and I am looking forward to bring- gether General Motors. It was also owned at one ing her out to some events to meet some other time by Henry B. DuPont who was a great sup- Fleets! porter of general aviation during the golden age and was at one time a director for North American aviation. The aircraft still has all the original gauges, original engine, and everything works! I was going crazy waiting for warm weather so I could pick her up but spring finally came and in May Hugo Bartel and I flew it to his shop in Wil- liamsburg, PA where it underwent a detailed an- nual.