STRAIGHT & LEVEU Espie "Butch " Joyce 2 AlC NEWS 3 WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE RESTORING/ H. C. Frautschy 4 A CLASSIC TRIP IN CLASSIC AIRPLANES/ Dip Davis 5 NAVIGATING THE CLOUDS OVER SAN DIEGO BAY Miss Ida Roschmann 8 REMEMBERING THE BIRD BOY/ Bill Truax 11 FROM THE ARCHIVES 12 PLEASANT TO FLY.. WITHOUT THE STING!! Walt Kessler 17 1938 J-3C/ H. G. Frautschy 21 MYSTERY PLANE H. G. Frautschy 23 PASS IT TO BUCK ~ , . E. E. "Buck" Hilbert .~ . ... .. '. ':. ': .. .. ,',:,:::: . ......., :.: >":-',i: 27 CALENDAR 29 WELCOME NEW MEMBERS 33 VINTAGE MERCHANDISE Publisher TOM POBEREZNY Editor-in-Chie! JACK COX Editor HENRY G. FRAUTSCHY Ma'Jaging Editor GOLDA COX COlllribming Editor JOHN UNDERWOOD Computer Graphic Specialists BETH BLANCK OLIVIA L. PHILLIP PIERRE KOTZE Photography Staff JIM KOEPNICK LEEANN ABRAMS KEN LICHTENBERG MARK SCHAIBLE AdvertisinglEditorial Assistant ISABELLE WISKE SEE PAGE 30 FOR FURTHER VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION INFORMATION ST AIGHT & LEVEL by ESPIE "BUTCH " JOYCE PRESIDENT, VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION April is here, and almost everyone has gotten out their great front porch, is hosted by Chapter I of the Vintage dust rags and polish to get their birds up to speed and Aircraft Association. During the balance of the year this ready for the flying season. building is home base for the Chapter. During the fly-in I don't want to sound like a broken record, but permit you can relax there, drink some lemonade or iced tea and me to once again say, "Let's be careful out there!" munch on some popcorn. It's also the place to go to regis­ We need to be very cautious at all times, but the during ter your aircraft. These folks also are a great source for the flight hours right after a long layoff, you should take information about almost anything you need to know extra care. It seems that the ground is involved with about about the fly-in. Just writing about Sun 'n Fun gets me 95% of the accident reports I see. You know the old say­ more excited about going to the fly-in for the week! I hope ing, "It isn 't the speed that kills, but it is the sudden stop at to see you there as well. the end." Keep thinking about it - you will live longer. It was with great interest that I read this past month ' s There will be a great many of you at Sun 'n Fun this article written by Buck. I can relate to his experience with year, and so will I. It's remarkable how this fly-in has a computer, but don't count him out because it won't be a grown over the past two and a half decades to become an year before he will be putting floats on his one-eyed box! internationally recognized gathering ofaviation individuals. Hang in there, Buck. It is a direct result of the dedication and great leadership of After Sun ' n Fun almost everyone will be enjoying the management team, Officers, Directors, and Volunteers, quite a few local fly-ins. Some of the type clubs will also past and present, that have made this success possible. be holding their fly-ins at different locations in different I have heard some people talk about the location of a areas of the U. S. You can check the dates for many of fly-in from time to time. In my humble opinion, that is of these activities by reviewing the Calendar section of a lesser concern, except from a weather standpoint. We your Vintage Airplane. can use our aircraft to go to almost any locality with ease. Joe Dickey, Vintage Aircraft Association Director and Think about it - who would have ever thought that a Type Club Chairman for your area, has written to inform town in mid-eastern Wisconsin would be visited by so me that he is stepping down as a Director and also is giv­ many, just to look at an airplane or two? Congratulations ing up the Chairmanship of the Type Club Headquarters. to the Sun 'n Fun EAA Fly-In on your 25th anniversary. If Joe was there to help you, you'll also recall that his May you continue to be successful in the years to come! wife, Julia, was right there too. They make a powerful Here are some of the things you can look forward to team and I never had to worry about any project they during your visit at the 25th Sun 'n Fun EAA Fly-In at agreed to complete! It would be completed on time and Lakeland, FL: with a high quality level. The type club headquarters lo­ • The Seaplane Splash-In on Thursday, not Friday as in cated just to the south of the V AA Red Barn on the EAA years past. AirVenture grounds is one of the more important areas of • 451 Antique, Classic and Contemporary aircraft service to your membership that we offer, and they helped parked in the Vintage Aircraft area last year - will bring it up to the next level of participation and organiza­ yours be one of them this year? tion. On behalf of the membership and the Officers, • Check the forums schedule, too - how about Henry Directors, and Advisors of the VAA, I'd like to say: Holden's "The Fabulous Ford Trimotor" (Sunday, I "Joe and Julia, thank you for giving your time and talents p.m., Tent 8) or Robert Czego's "Bellanca-Champion to be of service to the membership. You have been a great Club" Forum (Sunday at 11 a.m ., Tent 7). There's help to me personally, and I thank you for that time and plenty more to take in. Check your program when you friendship. Best wishes in your future endeavors!" arrive and register. Ask your friends to join up with the Vintage Airplane Be sure and visit with the folks at the Vintage Aircraft Association. Let's all pull in the same direction for the Headquarters building, located in the northeast corner of good of aviation. Remember we are better together. Join the Vintage Aircraft area. This building, complete with a us and have it all! ....... I PI F A FEW QUESTIONS . VAANEWS Our eastern sage, Bob Whittier, compiled by H.G. Frautschy P.O. Box T, Duxbury, MA 02331 has a few items he'd like to know more about, and I'm certain there are a few of you who can help. First, Can anyone accurately 1999 BIPLANE EXPO explain why the Stinson 108 se­ ries have very different vertical The 1999 Biplane Expo, June tail surfaces? Bartlesville, OK has announced that Where can he find useful read­ Brigadier General Paul W. Tibbets, Jr. , ing on the characteristics of these famed pilot of the legendary B-29 THE GASTRONOMICAL two different forms of tai l surfaces: Enola Gay has accepted the invitation m STORY OF AVIATION of the National Biplane Association to by Nicholas Frirsz, EAA Chapter 1070 be their honored guest. General Tib­ Newsletter "Leatherstocking Flyers" Editor bets, one the nation's great heroes of WW-Il will join a select list offamous The history of aviation is closely tied to aviators who have been honored by the that of the pancake breakfast. We are all fa­ NBA for their contributions to aviation miliar with the events leading up to that and to the USA. December afternoon when the Wright Broth­ General Tibbets organized, com­ ers took to the air for the first time. However, manded and piloted the most significant few realize that their attempts were based on single mission in the history of military their intense drive to reach the pancake house aviation. The mission on August 6, on the other side of Kill Devil Hills. 1945 to Hiroshima, Japan to drop the So, with maple syrup in hand, young first atomic bomb effectively ended Orville bravely set out to where no man had WW-Il, saving an estimated one million gone before - the first fly-in breakfast! Why were the magnetos lives of allied forces who were gearing News of this great development spread fast mounted on the front of the Wright up for the planned invasion of Japan. across the continents. A few years later a fel­ J-5 engine? The Biplane Expo is the largest gather­ low named Louis Bleriot, tired of crepes What is usually done to make ing of biplane in the world, annually suzette and with a longing to make a name for the upright members of wooden attracting 400-500 aircraft, of which himself in the annals of breakfast food, took ribs fit the spars properly in swept­ 130-\50 are of the classic biplane con­ to the air, crossed the English Channel in his back wings? figuration. frail craft, and in what has become a mile­ For information, call the Biplane stone in aviation history, discovered the Expo Information office at 9181 bottomless cup ofcoffee. 622-8400. I '\ In 1927, Lindbergh added his name to the list of greats. His transatlantic crossing cre­ ated an instant media sensation by becoming f11[S2111t the most expensive breakfast hop in history. THE COVERS Lindbergh also set up the three golden rules of the fly-in breakfast: I) the best pancakes are always the fur­ FRONT COVER .. Cubin ', 1938 style thest away; with John Meyer's 1938 J-3C Cub Sport. It RYAN DRAGONFLY 2) they will always be in was restored to the original configuration by Our good friend Dr. Harvey the shortest field; and John , Clyde Smith , Jr. , and John's cousin, Pastel, 802 Bolton Rd, Vernon 3) they will always be Sam Beach.