The Magazine of the EAA Antique/Classic Division, May 1990 STRAIGHT AND LEVEL exceptionally good time this year. again the airport became a weekend €" We'll have more on upcoming events in gathering place for locals. The field 8o next month's issue. was never again run as a fixed base ::; business, but was more like a social club ""o ~ with everyone looking after each other. White XS We had fuel, but it was a self-service by Espie HButch" Joyce The death of an airport is a subject honor system and the arrangement that has been on my mind for some time worked great. My father passed away and I would like to relate my experience in 1967. I was 23 years old and con­ to you. My father started flying in 1936 tinued to operate the airport. These deadlines seem to come closer and soon came to love both aviation and Then it happened, our first accident. each month. It seems that no sooner am aviation people. After World War II he This accident took the life of an eight­ I through with one column than another bought a farm outside of our small year-old bystander off of the airport is needed. It really makes me appreciate North Carolina community where he property. During the next several years, how difficult it must be for our editorial built a grass strip airport in 1946. Later the lawsuits flew . Finally, the one staff to put together a complete he built a house on this farm and we against the airport was dropped, but we magazine every 30 days. Sometime moved there in 1948 when I was four had paid a lot of money defending our­ when you have a spare moment you years old. I was born into aviation and selves. Town was getting closer. A might like to drop Mark and the gang a grew up the same way. A man named new high school was being built on one note of appreciation. This kind of cor­ Charles Bailey opened a combination approach end and a senior citizen's cen­ respondence is a great morale booster. body shop and fixed base operation on ter was going up on the other end. We our airport around 1948. were now within the city's corporate Aviation in our community came limits. My mind was made up. I didn't Sun'n Fun alive during the next couple of years. want to own this airport any longer be­ I was able to spend a few days at the Almost everyone was learning to fly . A cause the liabilities were too great. To EAA Sun 'n Fun fly-in this year. They Gullwing Stinson was used for charter make a long story short, I sold the really had a great turn-out of people and work and instruction was given in J-3 property to a manufacturing concern airplanes. Antique/Classic Division and J-5 Cubs. some seven years ago. They have al­ Chapter One did an outstanding job of My dad opened a Studebaker dealer­ lowed "Mayo Airport" to remain open managing the AlC area. This chapter is ship in 1949. We also had a tire recap­ since then, but the word came today. a good example of how the system can ping shop and a welding shop in the The white Xs go up next Monday. Al­ work outside of EAA Headquarters. same building located next to our run­ though I am not located on this airport, There are also a number of A/C mem­ way. Well, you can see the trend. The I am sad that it will finally be closed. I bers from all around the United States town was getting closer. grew up there, I came to love aviation who volunteer to help Chapter One We took on a Massey-Ferguson and aviation people there. The during Sun 'n Fun,just as they do during dealership in 1950 (it was just Ferguson memories cannot be bulldozed away. the Oshkosh Convention. back then). That same year, Charles They will live with me forever. Bailey was killed in an airshow while Grass Airports like this one are be­ flying an airplane he had built. He coming a rarity, so let 's respect them EAA Oshkosh '90 called it, "The Thing" and it had a 12­ and treat them safely. Let's all pull Along this line, I look forward to foot wingspan. together in the same direction for the welcoming each one of you to EAA Interest in the airport hit bottom from good of aviation. Join us and have it all! Oshkosh '90. We expect to have an that time until 1953/'54 when once 2 MAY 1990 • PUBLICATION STAFF PUBLISHER Tom Poberezny VICE-PRESIDENT MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS Dick Matt EDITOR Mark Phelps MANAGING EDITOR Golda Cox MAY 1990 • Vol. 18, No.5 ART DIRECTOR Mike Drucks Copyright © 1990 by the EAA AntiquelClassic Division. Inc. All rights reserved. ADVERnSING Mary Jones ASSOCIATE EDITORS Norman Petersen Dick Cavin FEATURE WRITERS Contents George A Hardie, Jr. Dennis Parks EDITORIAl ASSISTANT 2 Straight and Levellby Espie "Butch" Joyce Isabelle Wiske STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS Letters to the Editor Jim Koepnlck Carl Schuppel 4 Jeff Isom 5 AIC Newslby Mark Phelps EM ANTIQUE/CLASSIC DIVISION, INC. OFFICERS 7 Members' Projectslby Norm Petersen Page 10 President Vice President Espie "Butch" Joyce Arthur R. Morgan 8 Sun 'n Fun in Photoslby Mark Phelps 604 Highway SI. 3744 North 51st Blvd. Madison. NC 27025 M ilwaukee.WI 53216 919/427-0216 414/442-3631 10 Vintage Literaturelby Dennis Parks Secretary Treasurer George S. York E.E. "Buck" Hilbert 12 Calendar 181 Sloboda Ave. P.O. Box 424 Mansfield. OH 44906 Union. IL 60180 419/529-4378 815/923-4591 13 Do You Know Me?lby B.J . Shoup DIRECTORS Robert C "Bob" Brauer John S. Copeland 16 Dutch Treatlby Walter van Tilborg 9345 S. Hoyne 9 Joanne Drive Page 16 Chicago. IL 60620 Westborough. MA 01581 22 Rough Riverlby Ron Ferrara 312m9-2105 508/366-7245 Philip Coulson William A Eickhoff 28415 Springbrook Dr 41515th Ave.. N.E. 26 Chapter Capsuleslby Bob Brauer Lawton. MI 49065 St. Petersburg. FL 33704 616/624-6490 813/823-2339 28 Pass It To Buck/by E.E. "Buck" Hilbert Charles Harris Stan Gomoll 3933 South Peoria 104290th Lane. NE PO Box 904038 Minneapolis. MN 55434 30 Vintage Trader Tulsa. OK 74105 6121784 -1172 9181742-7311 Robert D. "Bob" Lumley 34 Mystery Planelby George Hardie, Jr. Dale A Gustafson 1265 South 124th St. 7724 Shady Hill Drive Brookfield. WI 53005 Page 22 Indianapolis. IN 46278 4141782-2633 317/293-4430 Steven C Nesse Gene Morris 2009 Highland Ave. 115C Steve Court. R.R. 2 Albert Lea. MN 56007 Roanoke. TX 76262 507/373-1674 817/491-9110 FRONT COVER ... Rudy Krens' Stea rman aloft over the Dutch lowlands. 5.H. OWes" Schmid (Photo by Ben Ullings) 2359 Lefeber Avenue Wauwatosa. WI 53213 414m1-1545 REAR COVER ... Ken Hyde gets a prop from Charlie r<ulp. DIRECTOR EMERITUS (Photo by Jim Koepnick) S.J. Wittman 7200 S.E. 85th Lane Ocala. FL 32672 904/245-7768 ADVISORS John Berendt Gene Chase The words EM. ULTRALIGHT. FLY WITH THE FIRST TEAM. SPORT AVIATION.am 1M k>gos 01 EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION INC.. EM INTERNA· 7645 Echo Point Rd. 2159 Carlton Rd . TIONAL CONVENTION. EM ANTIOUE/CLASSIC DIVISION INC. INTERNATIONAL AEROBATIC CLUB INC . WARBIRDS OF AMERICA INC.. are regist"ed Cannon Falls. MN 55009 Oshkosh. WI 54904 trademar1<s. THE EM SKY SHOPPE am k>gos 01 1M EM AVIATION FOUNDATION INC. am EM ULTRALIGHT CONVENTION are trademar1<s 01 1M above 507/263-2414 414/231-5002 associations am !heir use by atrf person olhei than 1M above associations is stfdIy lXohiJited. E<ilorial Policy: Readers are encouraged 10 submit slories am JlI'OO!1ap/lS. Policy opirjons expressed in ar1icIes are solely !hose of 1M au1hors. Responsilility for George Daubner John A Fogerty aroJr8CI n~ res1S enti'eIy with 1M_or. Material should be sent 10: E<ilor. The VINTAGE AIRPLANE. WIttmM Regional Airport 3000 Poberezny Ad.. 2448 Lough Lane 479 Highway 65 cm<osh. WI 54903-3086. Phone: 41 41426-4800. Hartford. WI 53027 Roberts. WI 54023 The VINTAGE AIRPlANE (ISSN 0091-6943) ~ published am owned exdusive~ by EM Antique/Classic Division. Inc. 01 1M Experimental Aircrah Association. Inc. am 414/673-5885 715/425-2455 is published monlh~ at WrtIman Rogional Airport. 3000 Poberezny Ad .. Oshkosh. WI 54903-3086. Second C~ Poslage pa~ al Oshkosh. WI 54901 am addrtional mai l ~ offices. Merrbership rales lor EM AntiqueJClassic Division. nco are $18.00 lor currenl EM merrbers lor 12 monIh period of which $12.00 is lor 1M publication Jeannie Hill 01 The VINTAGE AIRPlANE. Membership is open 10 all who are ~I"es!ed in aviation. P.O. Box 328 ADVERTISING - AntiqueiCIassic Divisoo does rot guarantee or endorse any lXodt.d off"ed IhrOl.9h our advertisil'9. We invrte constructive criticism am welcome HaNard. IL 60033 atrf report of inferior merchandise obtained IhrOl.9h our advertisil'9 so Ihal corrective measures can be laken. 815/943-7205 POSTMASTER : Send address changes 10 EM AntiqueiClass~ o;v~ion . Inc.• P.O. Box 3086. Oshkosh. WI 54903-3086. stories on it. Again, thanks for taking the time to salute old Shukri. He deserved it after what happened. Sincerely, Jim Haynes Bushnell. Illinois Ja ck Romkey has several scrapbooks full of his father's memorabilia from which we hope to have more in th e future.- Ed Split personality Dear Mr. Phelps, I own a Bellanca 7 ACA Champion (N9165L) built in October 1971 but later converted to a Continental A-65-8 engine from an Aeronca 7 AC.