GEOFF ROBISON PRES IDENT, VI NTAGE AI RCRAFT ASSOCIATION Winter thoughts ere's hoping everyone exciting new project for the VAA the years drove the majority of the had wonderful Christ­ area on the AirVenture grounds. changes that you'll see, which will mas and New Year's cel­ The Vintage Aircraft Association consolidate interest areas and ex­ H ebrations. The holidays board of directors voted this past hibits and create pathways that will have proven to be a busy time for fall to erect a new vintage hangar­ allow members to more directly get me. I had the pleasure of launch­ style structure in the Vintage area to the places they wish to access. ing out on the EAA B-17 Tour last of operations at Wittman Field Campground changes are also on March, and it ended up that I was in Oshkosh. The volunteers who the slate of things to do, and EAA's also privileged to end the 2008 multi-year project is quite exciting. tour during the second week of De­ For more on EAA's plans, be sure to cember, which I concluded by re­ The Vintage Aircraft read Steve Taylor's blog on the proj­ turning all of the ground support ect at http://AirVentureSiteUpdate. equipment back to Oshkosh. Association board of blogspot.com. It's both entertaining Then it got busy. The C-120 ran and informative! out of annual last September, but directors voted this One of the benefits of our project my dedicated, professional A&P will be the transformation of the mechanic decided he was going past fall to erect a VAA headquarters area. All three "down under" to Australia and New large tents directly south of the Red Zealand for a couple of months. He new vintage hangar­ Barn will be eliminated. This in­ got back during the Thanksgiving style structu re in the cludes the type club tent and the holiday, and, well ... there it sits. vintage metal shaping/workshop We'll keep pecking away on it till Vintage area of op­ tent. The food tent and the ice cream it flies again. My helpers and part­ stand have been relocated, and they ners were as distracted as I was by erations at Wittman will be replaced with a "food court" that time with everything else go­ provided by EAA. We're thrilled to ing on. My 170A, the poor thing, Field in Oshkosh. be able to make these changes for languishes in another hangar, hav­ the membership who attend Air­ ing had little exercise since its an­ Venture; for more on the project, nual was completed. have been helping get this proj­ please see H.G. Frautschy's article And then our local chapter (VAA ect off the ground have really been starting on page 4. 37) finally found its way to starting excited about this enhancement Please do us all the favor of in­ the addition to the chapter hangar to the grounds that will benefit so viting a friend to join the VAA and we have wanted to begin as soon many members. help keep us the strong association as finances became available. The This project is now underway, we have all enjoyed for so many sewer lines are in, and the asphalt and it will fit in nicely with all of years now. ramp and taxiway repairs are com­ the other upgrades EAA is currently EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2009, pleted. By the time you read this, creating on the grounds at Osh­ The World's Greatest Aviation Cel­ we hope to have the structure all kosh. The changes being made to ebration, is July 27 through August enclosed and ready for finish work. the EAA grounds are the most sig­ 2,2009. Wish us luck! nificant enhancements made to the VAA is about participation: Be a Then it got real busy! During the EAA convention site in many years. member! Be a volunteer! Be there! months following EAA AirVenture, Input from members through sur­ we've been moving forward on an veys and comments sent in over GE N E JANUARY VOL. 37, No.1 2009 co TENTS I Fe Straight & Level Winter thoughts by Geoff Robison 2 News 4 VAA Type Club Hangar A new VAA building is planned for EAA AirVenture 2009 by H.G. Frautschy 6 America The first of the great flying boats by Jim Poel and Lee Sackett 1 2 Bill Pancake VAA Hall of Fame 2008 inductee by Dave Clark 18 Light Plane Heritage The Sport Farman by Jack McRae 22 The Vintage Instructor Between a rock and a hard spot by Doug Stewart STAFF 24 VAA Type Club List EAA Publisher Tom Poberezny Director of EAA Publications Mary Jones 30 The Vintage Mechanic Executive Director/Editor H.G. Frautschy Aging Aircraft Issues, Part 1 Production/Special Project Kathleen Witman by Robert G. Lock News Editor Ric Reynolds Photography Jim Koepnick 34 Mystery Plane Bonnie Kratz by H.G. Frautschy Advertising Coordinator Sue Anderson Classified Ad Coordinator Lesley Poberezny 37 Classified Ads Copy Editor Colleen Walsh Director of Advertising Katrina Bradshaw 39 The B-nut Question Display Advertising Representatives: u.s. Eastern lime Zo ne·Northeast: Ken Ross by Joe Norris and H.G. Frautschy Specialized Publications Co. 609·822·3750 Fax: 609·957·5650 [email protected] U.S. Eastern lime Zone·Southeast: Chester Baumgartner Specialized Publications Co. 727·532·4640 Fax: 727·532·4630 COVERS cball",[email protected] FRONT COVER: The replica of the Curtiss 0-4 America as constructed by a volunteer crew U.s. Central lime Zone: Gary Worden Specialized Publications Co. headed up by Art Wilder at the Glenn H. Curtiss Museum in Hammondsport, New York, flew for 800-444·9932 Fax: 816·741 ·6458 the first time in early September 2008. Piloted by Jim Poel and Lee Sackett, America performed gary. wordel/@Spc·",ag.com in front of a crowd attending the 6th Annual Seaplane Homecoming. Photo by Ed Vought. U.s. Mountain and Pacific lime Zones: John Gibson Specialized Publications Co. BACK COVER: Aviation artist Barry Ross has shared this fine watercolor of a Stinson SR·9C Gull· 916-784·9593 Fax: 510·217·3796 wing, done is the colors of the American Airlines Route Survey aircraft. The airplane, which regular jol",gibsoll@Spc·mag.com attendees of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh will recognize , is owned by Dean Del Bene, Monee, Illinois. Europe: Willi Tacke Phone: +49(0) 171698087 1 Fax: +49(0)884 1/ 496012 You can see more of Barry's artwork at www.barryrossart.com. willi@{lyillg·pages.com VINTAGE AIRPLANE Large Aircraft Security Program: vice president of government rela­ continually pushed lower by those AThreat to All! tions. "This must be borne in mind who view all aircraft as a threat." If the Large Aircraft Security Pro­ when contemplating the long-term EAA and other general aviation gram (LASP) goes through as pro­ future of TSA's proposed Large Air­ organizations have successfully mit­ posed, owners and operators of craft Security Program and the ten­ igated most proposed security mea­ aircraft 12,500 pounds or heavier dency for that weight limit to be sures post-9/11 that have threatened will be required to obtain the Trans­ portation Security Administra­ tion's (TSA) permission to operate their personal aircraft every time they carry passengers in domestic airspace. Additionally, flight crews of such aircraft will be required to undergo fingerprinting and a back­ ground check, all passengers will have to be vetted against the gov­ ernment's terrorist watch lists, and numerous security reqUirements will be imposed on airports serving I JIM KOEPNICK these "large" aircraft. Plenty of skiplanes will descend on Pioneer Airport You might be thinking, "So January 24 . if conditions are right. what? I fly a small recreational air­ craft that weighs well under 12,500 Get Your Skis On! pounds." Here is why you should On January 24, EM's Pioneer Airport wi ll open for its only winter operations, be concerned. if the weather is just right. The annual EM Skiplane Fly-In gives the snowbound In November's Advance Infor­ a reason to love winter, if only for a day. mation on Private Aircraft Arriving People come from all over to enjoy a steaming bowl of chili and endless cups and Departing the United States fi­ of cocoa, topped off with a piece of birthday cake in honor of EM's matriarch, nal rule, the U.S. Customs and Bor­ Audrey Poberezny. We'll also celebrate the 56th anniversary of the organiza­ der Protection (CBP) imposed new tion's first meeting on January 26, 1953. requirements on all private aircraft While some Wisconsinites may be pining for a January thaw, skiplane lovers regardless ofsize. CBP defines private are hoping for adequate snow cover, which will allow the unique aircraft to take aircraft as "any aircraft, other than off and land on the billowy white runway. Watch the EM website for current con­ government or military, which are ditions as well as instructions for pilots who would like to fly in . .. if the condi­ not engaged in carrying passengers tions are just right. (Navigate to www.AirVenturemuseum.org/webcamto monitor or cargo for compensation." In other the Pioneer Airport runway.) Anyone wishing to fly in to the event must contact words, there is no distinction with Sean Elliott, EM director of aircraft operations; call 920-426-4886. regard to weight or capacity. The new regulations place hot-air balloons in the same category as corporate jets! What, then, is to prevent TSA­ another division of the Department of Homeland Security-from lower­ ing the weight threshold for LASP regulations in the future or elimi­ nating them entirely? "It is evident from the CBP final rule that ultimately some agencies charged with aviation security do not have any interest in distinguish­ ing their requirements based on the size and weight of the aircraft in­ volved," said Doug Macnair, EAA's 2 JAN UARY 2009 AirVenture Site Photo Tour You can see for yourself what's being done on the convention grounds through a virtual AirVen­ ture On-Site Photo Tour map.