VP Vol 2 No 10 Oct 1974

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THE PRESIDENT'S PAGE
By E. E. "Buck" Hilbert
President, Antique-Classic Division
(Photo by Ted Kaston)
THE ETERNAL QUESTION
Most often asked by the group with the Airplane Disease is, "Where can I find an old air­
plane, or project I can restore?" There are ways, ways that require patience, search and more
patient research. And when it all comes to a head you must be in the right place at the right
time. Occasionally, a "deal" you have been fostering for years will suddenly mature, and if
you are not right there when that guy decides to sell, you are out.
Locating them, although sometimes the easy part, is less than half the problem, but it is a
problem. There are lots of leads around - you just have to unearth them. Try around home first.
Ask around. The corner gas station, the barber shop, the antique shop, some of the old timers.
It's amazing what will turn up. Right here in my home town with a population of less than 400,
I turned up a Gnome rotary - from a source so unlikely you wouldn't believe it.
One school teacher I know starts each new class by introducing himself, explaining that he
is interested in old airplanes and then asks bluntly if any of them might know where there is an
old airplane. He has turned up more than a few using this method - and met a whole bunch of
interesting people in the process.
Fellow aviators are often a good source. When you listen to some of the hangar talk, inter­
ject an occasional query in that direction. You'll get leads that are figments of imagination a
lot of times, but there will so metimes be paydirt there. I've chased rumors for days and even
weeks to locate an airplane "everybody" knew about only to find it belonged to an uncle of one
of my closest friends. He knew it was there all the time .. . I just hadn't asked him.
Once located, then the fun begins. Chances are there have been dozens ahead of you and
each one ruffled the feathers of the owner a little until his patience is mighty thin. Butter him
up and keep after him. Don't let that bird get away. Our Swallow is a prime example . .. Dario
Toffenetti worked on that one better than ten years. But we have it, and it'll fly again. Keep
your ear to the ground, you'll find one. In the meantime though , if you have any leads ...
2
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VOLUME 2
NUMBER 10
OCTOBER 1974
TABLE OF CONTENTS
i
Bellanca, The Early Years, Part II ... John Morgan .... ... ..... .......... .... ..... .... . ........
1974 Grand Champion Classic ... Bill Hodges ..... .... ..... .. . . ......... . . . .. . . . ......... . ....
La Rue Transportation Meet . .. Gar Williams ..... . ... ... .... . .. ..... ......... . .. . . ...........
Charles A. Lindbergh . . '. Bill Hodges .. . ....... . ...... . .... .. .... .... ... . . . ..................
Reminiscing With Big Nick ... Nick Rezich ... .. . . ........ ..... .. .... ...... ... ...... . . .. . .. ...
PT Paradise ... Jack Cox ......................... . ........... .... .. . . .. ...... ..... . . ... . ....
Around The Antique-Classic World ... .. . ......... . ...........................................
ON THE COVER . . . A Bellanca CH300 and
an early group of private aviation enthusiasts.
Photo Courtesy John Morgan
4
10 12 15 16 21 23 BACK COVER . .. John Parish's " Big Red".
Photo by Ted Koston
EDITORIAL STAFF
Ed itor - Jack Cox
Assistant Ed itor - Golda Cox
Publisher - Paul H. Poberezny
Assistant Ed itor - Gene Chase
ANTIQUE AND CLASSIC DIVISION OFFICERS
PRESIDENT E. E. HILBERT
8102 LEECH RD .
UNION . ILLINOIS 60180
VICE PRESIDENT
J . R. NIELANDER . JR.
P. O. BOX 2464
FT . LAUDERDALE . FLA.
SECRETARY
RICHARD WAGNER
BOX 181
L YOtJS. WIS . 53148
TREASURER
GAR W. WILLIAMS , JR.
9 S 135 AERO DR. , RT. 1
NAPERVILLE , ILL. 60540
33303
DIRECTORS
EVANDER BRITT
P. O. Box 45~
Lumberton , N. C. 28358
JIM HORNE
3850 Coronation Rd .
Eagan, Minn . 55122
MORTON LESTER
P. O. Box 3747
Martinsville, Va. 24112
KELLY VIETS
RR 1, Box 151
Stilwell , Kansas 66085
CLAUDE L GRAY, JR.
9635 Sylvia Ave.
Northridge, Calif. 91324
AL KELCH
7018 W. Bonniwell Rd.
Mequon , Wisc. 53092
GEORGE STUBBS
RR 18, Box 127
Indianapolis, Ind. 46234
JACK WINTHROP
3536 Whitehall Dr.
Dallas, Texas 75229
DIVISION EXECUTIVE SECRETARY
DOR OTHY CHASE . EAA HEADOUARTERS
THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE is owned exclusively by Antique Classic Aircraft. Inc . and is published
monthly at Hales Corners. Wisconsin 53130. Second Class Permit pendmg at Hales Corners Post
OffIce. Hales Corners. Wisconsin 53130. Membership rates for Antique Classic Airc raft. Inc. are
$10.00 per 12 month period of which $7.00 is for Ihe subscripllOn to THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE . All
Antique ClaSSIC Ai rcraft , Inc . members are required to be members of the parent organization . the
Experimental Ai rcraft Association. MemberShip is open to all who are in terested in aVI.ation.
Postmaster: Send Form 3579 to Antique Classic Aircraft, Inc., Box 229,
Hales Corners, Wisconsin 53130
Copyright
~
1974 Antique Classic Aircraft. Inc. All Rights Reserved
3
(Photo by Cosmo New York City)
G. M. Bellanca leans out of the co-pi/ot's seat to point out some features to Roger Q . Williams (in pilot's
seat) and Louis Yancy. This is believed to be the famous Pathfinder undergoing factory rebuild for Wil­
liams and Yancy's trans-Atlantic flight to Spain in July of 1929. The Pathfinder, a Bellanca J, NX-3789,
had originally been built in 1927. A number of Bellancas went through several rebuilds and renamings
for various sponsors of proposed record flights. Bellancas were by far the most often used and most
successful over-ocean machines during the period of trans-Atlantic madness following Lingbergh's
1927 flight.
Bellanca.
•
. The Early Years
PART II
By John McC . Morgan (EAA 83694) Summit Aviation, Inc. Middletown, Delaware 19709 In the April issue of The Vintage Airplane we carried the first of a series of pictorial articles on the
Bellanca Aircraft Corporation by John McChesney Morgan , Vice President and General Manager of
Summit Aviation in Middletown, Delaware. Mr. Morgan grew up in the shadow of the Bellanca plant
and his late brother was Vice President of Bellanca for a time just prior to World War II. Thus he is able
to call on his own memory and those of close friends to bring to light facts and interesting anecdotes
concerning one of the truly great names of U.S. civil aviation. Next month we will move on to the Bel­
lanc;a Flash, certainly one of the most unusual military aircraft ever built . .. and other goodies you'll
ju;;t have to wait for!
_ Jack Cox
In starting this second part of the early Bellanca days
I am indebted to and would like to express my appreciation
to A. R. (Ran) HollaJCly and Dia Islamoff. Both these indi­
viduals were associated with C. M. Bellanca during the
period 1927 through 1941. To Ilia lowe thanks for many
of the pictures and snaps which do not p.xist ,'lsewhere; to
4
Ran lowe information from the late 20's when I was too
young to know and for his verification of many facts .
(Incidentally, Ilia's brother, Jacob, was killed in the un­
successful attempt by the French Ace, Rene Fonck, to fly
a Sikorsky Tri-Motor from Roosevelt Field to Paris in Sep­
tember 1926. The grossly over-loaded biplane crashed on
take-off after failure of the landing gear.)
An effort will be made to put the photographs together
in a chronological and more or less orderly outline of
G. M. Bellanca's series of cabin airplanes and several of
the special types he built for record attempts, the military
and foreign countries.
In attempting to identify the snapshot of the Wright
Bellanca (I had always thought the Columbia was the
Wright Bellanca), I went to Ran Holladay. (See Wright
Bellanca box) I was certain that this snap showed an
engine of some difference from the Wright J-5. I thought
it to be a J-4 - similar but earlier. I had actually had my
first airplane ride in 1928 in a Wright J-4 powered Buhl
flown by Henry Belin du Pont. Ran's information outlines
G. M. 's cooperative effort with the Wright Company, which
resulted in the beginning of a series of aircraft known for
a long period of time as "the world's most efficient."
As many will recall from reading Lindbergh's books,
he was most anxious to obtain the Columbia for his New
York to Paris flight. Because of litigation and bickering,
this was never arranged and he went with the less efficient
and slower Spirit of St. Louis. The Columbia was the first
of only a few Trans-Atlantic aircraft to make a second
successful crossing. It also flew non-stop to Bermuda and
back from Canada and set many other records prior to
burning in a storage barn at Bellanca Field, New Castle,
Delaware.
In 1931 a rash of oceanic flights and round the world
attempts cropped up . Wiley Post in the Lockheed, of
course, was successful. Clyde Pangbome made the at­
tempt in the first Pratt & Whitney long distance job built
by Bellanca. He was forced to give up the attempt as he
fell hopelessly behind Post's record. He did, however,
make the first non-stop flight from Japan to the United
States, landing at his home town of Wenatchee, Wash­
ington after some forty hours during which he had earlier
dropped his landing gear for speed and weight reducing .
Russell Boardman and John Polan do flew the bowlegged
Bellanca CH powered by a Wright J-6 300 from Floyd Ben­
nett to Istanbul, Turkey that same year. Over 5000 miles
for a world non-stop/non-refueling record . Boardman
was the first to reach a preannounced destination since
Lindbergh's successful flight four years earlier.
In 1932 Bellanca was commissioned to build probably
its longest ranged aircraft . De Pinedo, the Italian, ordered
it to set a new non-stop record to Arabia or one of the
middle east countries. It was the first to take advantage of
the new Hamilton Standard Controllable Prop; the fuse­
lage was widened and deepened with a belly tank to cram
An early Bellanca J in what is
believed to be the Staten Is­
land plant - sometime before
the move to New Castle, Dela­
ware.
fuel into. It would be the biggest, heaviest and longest
flying of the basic Bellanca model. George Haldeman was
at the factory during its development and he drooled
when he talked of how he would love to have it for a re­
cord flight. It was ill fated, as de Pinedo let it get away
from him at Floyd Bennett. He was burned to death crawl­
ing away after it hit a fence and burst into flames .
All was not lost. Engineers found that the fat, pot
bellied changes had given this latest Bellanca more speed
and load carrying than they had hoped for. After that all
the Pacemakers had this appearance. The fat belly
carried the baggage and the wings the 200 gallons of gas
which was standard. Inside six people rode in luxury of
the day. With super-charging came good speed at altitude,
although the 180 mph cruise Bellanca quoted was a bit
optimistic.
After the foregoing rash of distance flights there was
almost a total drop off in such attempts . Occasionally
someone was lost but the public followed it with little in­
terest. The Depression was in full force and the aircraft
manufacturers noticed it first of all. As a teenager I heard
all the scuttlebutt and rumors from across the airport .
(I had learned to fly at Bellanca in 1931 and spent all my
spare time there. Ran Holladay and my brother Dick ran
the local FBO and had since 1930.) G. M. held on by build­
ing an occasional Air Bus, a few exported Pacemakers ­
outgrowths of the long distance jobs and several special
experimental aircraft for the U.s. Navy. Pictures accom­
pany this article showing one with the typical Bellanca
lift struts. This aircraft was lost during spin tests and killed
Stu Chadwick, a long time Bellanca test pilot and great
gent. The other biplane seaplane never flew . They were
unable to rig the wings - they just twisted and warped
out of shape when they did - and it was way over weight.
George Haldeman, of Ruth Elder Trans-Atlantic fame,
taxied it up the Delaware River to the Naval Yard where
it was junked.
Another snapshot shows a Packard Diesel Bellanca
which early in the 1930's set a non-refueling endurance
record which we believe to still hold. The aircraft was
flown from Jacksonville or Daytona Beach and circled that
area for more than 80 hours. It was a Packard development
and publicity program and nothing more is remembered
except that it had an extra long wing on it. Bellanca wings
were of a very long span to start with , so this one was
spectacular in its appearance.
-
CONTINUED NEXT MONTH
THE WRIGHT
BELLANCA
The following letter to the author, John M. Morgan,
is from A. R. "Ran" Holladay of Rancho Santa Fe, Cali­
fornia. It represents an interesting little slice of aero­
nautical history from an eye witness . . . the kind we like
best.
Dear Johnnie Mac:
You came to the right place to find out about the
Wright Bellanca. I remember all about it and somewhere
have a picture of it in profile, which I can't find to save
my life, but I always thought it was a far better looking
airplane than the Columbia (which was the second cabin
monoplane G. M. built) as well as all the subsequent ones.
To summarize, Clarence Chamberlin went to the Wright
Aeronautical Corporation in 1924 and got them interested
in G . M. whose chief claim to fame at that time had been
to build some replacement wings for old DH's which were
used for flying the mail. They had done a hell of a job
and had raised the cruising speed from 100 mph to 115 and
lowered the landing speed from 45 to 39. Wright Aero
wanted G. M. to build a plane which would show off the
possibilities of their new 200 h.p . engine, which then was
the J-4 and is the engine shown in your snap of the
Wright Bellanca. G . M. promised 125 mph and actually
made 132.5, which was pretty damn good for those days.
The airplane was finished and test flown in the early fall
of 1925 and entered in the National Air Races held that
year at Mitchell Field. Don't know the pilot's name, bu the
spent so much time hunting for the pylons that he was
beaten, but the ship was actually faster on several laps
than anything else in the race and more than 50%
higher in efficiency. That really set off the Wright Corpora­
tion and they decided to send it up for a world's speed
record with load. It had 2200 lbs. of sand and fuel for 600
miles when they tried to fly it on a day with high, gusty
winds. The pilot tried to make a tum, but lost altitude and
tried to land in Curtiss Field - downwind . When he saw he
6
couldn't make it, he poured on the coal and tried to get
it up again and land straight ahead at Roosevelt Field, but
there was a low bluff in the way and he didn't quite clear
it. The gear collapsed and the airplane was rolled into a
very small ball which was unsalvagable; the pilot, still
unnamed, spent several months in the hospital and I have
no idea who he was. G. M. was, of course, heartbroken ,
but the Wright Corporation promptly decided to make
another airplane which was finished in 1926 and christened
"Columbia." Unfortunately, Wright made G. M. use a con­
ventionallanding gear because of the simpler construction
and greater ease of maintenance, which cut down on speed
somewhat. The reason the Wright Corporation had to give
up on their idea of producing airplanes for the trade was
because no other manufacturers could touch the efficiency
of the Bellanca design and Wright discovered that if they
got into the airplane business, the other manufacturers
wouldn't buy Wright engines from them, so they aban­
doned their plane program and announced they would not
attempt to manufacture airplanes in competition with the
very people they had as customers for their engines. That
let G . M. out, though Wright tried to get him to go with
another airplane firm which was on the "inside", but he
realized he would be just another engineer with his identity
lost in the mob. He holed up in a little place on Staten
Island - where I first went to meet him - and finally
ended up in ILG when some of those rich du Ponts got
interested in him. But he lost the Columbia, which stayed
with the Wright Corp. and in 1926 won the speed and
efficiency races held in conjunction with the PHL Sesqui­
Centennial when it was flown by Navy Lt. C. C. Champion,
who later set the altitude record when I was with Pratt
& Whitney in 1927. I remember watching him land at
Hartford one day and damn near break up his airplane
when one wheel broke through some ice on the field.
(It was the altitude airplane, with a supercharged Wasp
and called the Wright Apache.")
- Ran
THE COLUMBIA (Photo Courtesy Ilia Islamofl)
What appears to be a paper sign pasted on the side of
the Columbia reads , " Built 1926 Paterson (sic), N. J.,
USA by G. M. Bellanca. Holds fol/owing records: 1926 ­
Won aI/ efficiency, speed and altitude records in U. S.
Army. 1927 - First non-refueling (sic) record 54 hours
30 minutes, Bert Acosta, Clarence Chamberlin . 1927 ­
New York to Germany, Charles A. Levine, Clarence
Chamberlin. 1928 - New York to Havana , Cuba non­
stop, Wilmer Stultz, Mabel Boll. 1928 - New York to Har­
bour Grace non-stop , Arthur Argyles, Mabel Boll, O.
Le Boutellier. 1929 - New York to California , Comdr.
Jack Iseman, U.S.N.R. 1930 - First New York to Ber­
muda non-stop and return (Pilot) Capt. J. Erroll Boyd,
(Navigator) Lieut. Harry P. Connor U.S.N.R., (Pilot)
Roger Q . Williams. 1930 - Toronto , Montreal , Charlotte­
town, Harbour Grace, Scilly Isles, Croydon (London) ­
(Pilot) Capt. J. Erroll Boyd, (Navigator) Lieut. Harry P.
Connor U.S.N.R."
" 'Columbia ' now being flown by Capt. J. Erroll Boyd."
Refueling the Columbia in preparation for an attempt to
set a non-refueling endurance record of 50 hours before
attempting a trans-Atlantic Flight. Clarence Chamberlin
and Bert Acosta set the record .
(Courtesy Il ia Islamofl)
Chamberlin's Columbia sometime in the early '30s. By
this time the plane had flown the Atlantic twice. The
writing on the fuselage says " Personal Flying Service
Ltd., 92 Piccadilly, London W.I ." Columbia survived the
ocean flights only to be destroyed in a fire which leveled
the barn in which the plane was in storage.
Below - The Columbia undergoing some maintenance. It appears that new
shock cords are being installed on the right main gear.
Chamberlin and Devine - off to
Berlin .
Clarence Chamberlin scrambles down from the fuel tank stuffed cabin of the Columbia shortly before
the New York to Germany flight . Wonder how he and Levine made it across with that exhaust pipe
practically sticking in the pilot's window?
8
ROMA
(Photo Courtesy Ilia Is/amoff)
The "Roma " , built for Cesare Sabelli for the first non-stop flight between the U. S . and Italy. The 1928
flight failed when the over-burdened engine lost three cylinders only 20 minutes out from Old Orchard
Beach in Maine, a favorite take-off point for trans-Atlantic flyers of the day. The Roma was traded back
to Bellanca for a smaller highly modified Pacemaker, the Leonardo da Vinci, which was able to lift
more than three times its empty weight! In a 1934 flight fuel transfer problems prompted an unsched­
uled landing in Ireland, but Sabelli was able to affect repairs and fly the Leonardo da Vinci on to Rome.
The big Roma went through s~veral mutations for various record attempts.
(Photo Courtesy Ilia Is/amoff)
Below - The smiling gentleman in the
white shirt, bow tie and suspenders is,
of course, G. M. Bellanca. Cesare
Sabelli is to G. M. 's left. Notice the
wrinkled material used in the rear door
and sliding window by the pilot's seat
... for weight reduction?
(Photo Courtesy Ilia Is/amoff)
Another view of the Roma.
Below - This is the special long wing
Bellanca in which Lees and Brossy set
the world 's non-refueled endurance
record of 84 hours and 33 minutes in
1931 . The plane was powered with a
Packard diesel radial engine. In a
little known flight later in the year
Parker Cramer and Oliver Paquette
were lost between the Shetland Islands
and Denmark after having successfully
negotiated the Atlantic. The Packard­
Bellanca was equipped with floats for
that flight.
(Photo Courtesy Ilia Is/amoff)
CONTINUED NEXT MONTH ...
(Photo by Lee Fray)
1974 GRAND CHAMPION
CLASSIC
by Bill Hodges
This year's Os hkosh winne r of the G rand Cha mpion ­
Class ic tro phy is a ve ry d eserving 1951 Temco Swift G C-l B,
ow ned by Ed Go rn y (EAA 90037) of Li ve rmore, Ca liforni a .
Ed's interest in Swifts d a tes bac k to 1946, jus t afte r he
had gotte n his private pilot's license. He noticed a Gl obe
Swift brochure lying o n his in s tru ctor's d esk, read it and
made arra ngeme nts to bu y a new o ne . . . and jus t about
th a t quick' Ed went to Gl obe's G ra nd Prairie, Texas pl a nt
to take delive ry o f his ne w pl a ne . Afte r a 11/2 ho ur ch ecko u t
session a nd being adve nturesom e a nd used to fl yin g long
dis tances, he s ta rted for California . .. by way of Nebras ka
.. . and Rhode Is la nd .. . a nd th e n hom e' Keeping th e
Swift for local and e xte nd ed cross -country fli g hts , Ed
fin ally sold it in 1950. He th en promptl y flig ht delive red
it to its new own er . .. in Alas ka .
10
As mentioned above Ed soloed in 1946, in an Aeronca
7 AC Champion. His interest in aviation dates back to his
childhood days, in Valley Country, Nebras ka, watching the
airlines pass overhead. Entering the U.S. Navy in 1937, he
served for 9 years, getting out afte r World War II. Ed w as
in aircraft maintenance and served as a plane captain
under Lt. " Butch" O ' Hare, who was maintenance officer
for VF-3, on the USS Saratoga, crewing a Brewster F2A
Buffalo.
Later, Ed was a flight engineer on Consolidated PBY
Catalina's, flying submarine patrols out of Iceland. Ap­
parently, several of the PBY's were lost to submarin e action
in this little known phase of World War II . After being
discharged Ed continued to wo rk in the aircraft indu stry ,
and received his A&P license in 1952. In 1957 he returned
to the service, this time the U.S . Air Force, where he was
again in aircraft maintenance. He retired in 1968 after 11
years, completing his 20 years of federal service.
After eyeing his current Swift for 4 years at the local
Livermore Sky Ranch Airport, Ed was able to purchase it
when the airport was closed in 1956. It's paint was badly
worn and faded and was generally in a decrepit condition .
Powered by a stock 125 horsepower Continental, both the
airframe and engine needed a major overhaul, which was
accomplished in 21/2 years. The paint was stripped, every­
thing that could come apart was taken apart, all new bolts
and bushings were put in, etc. In other words, a thorough
job was done in its restoration. Ed and his wife, Louise
(a non-pilot, but who thinks flying is marvelous), use the
Swift to fly to all points of the compass, including near and
far fly-ins. Even though Ed has attended numerous Swift
Club fly-ins, air shows, etc. since restoration, 1974 is the
first year of real competition for N-2459B. Judges other
than those at the EAA International Convention and Fly-In
must have liked it also as it had won 14 trophies prior
to arriving at Oshkosh! While Ed and Louise are avid fly-in
followers, he felt his Swift wasn't competition material,
until it won its first trophy while parked in the itinera te
area of a west coast fly-in!
Ed says his hobby is not airplanes, however, as he en­
joys remodeling houses, and is currently building a 30
foot long motor home . Well, whatever your "thing" is, Ed,
you surely turn out beautiful airplanes! Congratulations!
SPECIFICATIONS (Temco GC-1B, Type Certificate Numbe r TC766) Wing Span ........... .. ...... .. . . .. ........ 29 ft. 4 in. Length ......... .. . ... ... ..... . ...... . . ..20 ft. 10% in. Height ................ . ...... ... .......... . .6 ft. 1 in. Wing Area .. .. ........... ........... . . . ...131.6 sq. ft . Power Loading ............. .... . ... .... .... .13.7 lb/hp Wing Loading ........... . . . .... . .. . ........ 13 lb/sq. ft. Empty Weight .......... . .............. ... ... 1,185 lbs. Useful Load ..................... . .. ........... 525 lbs . G ross Weight ... . . .. . . . ... .. . . .. . ... .. . ..... .1,710 lbs. Fuel . . .. ...... ..... . .. . ... .. .... ... .... . . ... 27.5 gals. Oil ................ . . .. .... ... . .. . ...... . .. . . .. 2 gals . Maximum Speed ... . . . . ..... .. ... ... .. ....... 150 mph Cruising Speed .............. . . .... .130 mph at 7,500 ft. Landing Speed .... . .. . . .. . .................... 65 mph Service Ceiling .. . .. . . . .. . ...... . . . . ... . . . ... .16,000 ft. Rate of Climb ....... . . . . . .. . .. . . .. . . . . ...... 600 ftlm in. Cr uisin g Range ...... .. . . . . . . . . . . ..... . ..... .425 miles Cost, Deluxe, F.A.F .. . . . .. .... . .. ...... ... .... $5,150.00 (Photo by Dick Stouffer)
Right - The Gorny Grand Champion Swift.
(Photo by Lee Fray)
Below - The Big Moment . .. presentation of
the 1974 EAA Grand Champion Classic
Award. Left to right , Evander Britt, Chief
Judge for Antique Aircraft, EAA President
Paul Poberezny, Ed Gorny, Louise Gorny
and Antique/Classic President Buck Hilbert.
11
By Gar Williams 9 S 135 Aero Dr. Rt. 1 Naperville, Illinois 60540 (Photos by the Author)
Those of us who enjoy"Antiqueing" as related to air­
planes most likely enjoy other old things as well. How often
have you seen a Model T or Model A parked under a wing
or in the corner of your antiquer friend's hangar? Many
of the antiquers in this area have such things as old
muskets hanging over their fireplace alongside of pictures
of steam farm tractors and railroad locomotives.
For those of us who have antique interests beyond
aviation there is a one of a kind event held annually in
the hills of central Wisconsin. Just a few miles west of
Baraboo, Wisconsin is the very small rural town of La Rue.
La Rue has the privilege of being the site of the Antique
Transportation Meet - billed as the only event of its kind
in the world. Here in La Rue for two days in July (6 and
7) you will find a concentration of antique vehicles - from
baby carriages through motorcycles to airplanes - that
rivals any museum collection. The real flavor of this
collection is that the static displays are at a minimum.
This is not an event that passes out trophies for the nicest
or most unique restorations - here trophies are given for
how well the contestants can operate the equipment. If
you think you know how to fly, try the spot landing contest.
You say your Model A engine is well tuned? Try the Model
A slow drive contest or the hill climb. This old time
transportation meet is certainly a refreshing change from
the typical weekend fly-in.
12
For this one weekend, the Antique Transportation Meet
Committee - sponsors of the event - have arranged to
literally block off the roads into La Rue for just antique
vehicles. The La Rue International Airport is restricted to
antique aircraft - land in a modern 'spam can' and you'll
politely be asked to fly to Reedsburg or Baraboo where you
can tie down. Arrangements then can be made to bring
you back to the show - most likely in an antique car or
airplane. The reason for this is obvious when you see the
airport - there is very limited parking available and
modern equipment frankly detracts from the scenery.
Due to the remoteness of the site, motel accommoda­
tions are just not available, although there is more than
adequate space for camping. Sauk City, Reedsburg, Bara­
boo and the Wisconsin Dells resort area offer motels for
those not interested in roughing if for the weekend. All
are within just a few minutes by air of La Rue.
The registration fee includes entry in any or all of the
events, camping privileges, as well as a round trip ride on
a live steam train . The fee this year was attainable by all­
only $2.50! Considering the current inflation problems this
must be the bargain of the century.
The events were scheduled throughout the day to allow
the spectators ample time to commute by hay wagon
between locations . Since the entire area was basically
closed to all cars except antiques, the Meet sponsors pro­
vided hay wagons pulled by tractors to carry the contes­
tants and public between event sites.
Morning events included a hill climb, a Model A slow
drive contest, stationary engine starting contests as well
as a musket shoot. The Meet site was very well chosen
to accommodate all these events. The hill climb utilizes
a county road which had a nice straightaway leading into
a fairly steep hill with several good climbing curves.
The curves were well banked with hay bales for the over
zealous participant and the steepness prevented any exces­
sive speed. The musket shoot was held in the quarry that
marked the end of the railroad spur line - stray shots
were well contained. Each event had a predetermined time
slot and all were well managed. The crowd was easily
able to follow the events .
The antique bike races were scheduled for two-thirty in
the afternoon . The race started at the headquarters tent
near the train station and ran nearly a mile to the finish
line at the International Airport. Seeing the guys mount
these big old bikes is a spectacle in itself - the starting
gun fired and off they went - led by an old Harley­
Davidson motorcycle with what appeared to be a Keystone
Kop driving. The speed attained on the final straightaway
was surprising although the effort required by the cyclists
was apparent in watching their leg muscles. Spectators had
been spread out along the route and some began walking
to the airport after the racers passed.
Just prior to the start of the air games - short field
takeoff, flour bomb dropping and spot landing - all parti­
cipating aviators were requested to display their skills in
the Great Paper Airplane Race. Sheets of notebook paper
were carefully folded by each aerodynamistlpilot and
gracefully heaved into the mercy of the hot dry southwest
wind. Many of the launchers didn't take the high density
altitude into account and that coupled with a downwind
takeoff spelled instant disaster for the paper airplane.
Some overcame these problems with sheer power and
made creditable distances .
By the time the air games were ready to start a fairly
large crowd had assembled brought in by the hay wagons,
Model A's and various other means of antique transpor­
tation . With the appropriate air show verbage supplied by
George "Bald Eagle" Williams, flights of five airplanes
were dispatched to do their trick. These events were real
crowd pleasers for to the layman and occasional air show
visitor, it's a rare chance to see antiques in a rural,
barnstormer type environment.
The last scheduled event for the day on Saturday was
a run against the stopwatch by teams of four people
pumping furiously on an antique railroad handcar. After
the tracks had been cleared of people, wild animals and the
live steamers, this demanding event was started. The ob­
jective was to run against the clock from a standing start
to a point nearly a 4uarter mile down the track where a
box of tissue was n .{iled on a tree - a tissue was to be
retrieved and the tealn then pumped their way back to the
startlfinish line. Th ~ interesting thing about this contest
was a simple matter of physics called traction . The crowd
roared when four big brutes got set and just spun steel
when the starter shouted GO! Up steps four ladies for the
next run - they struggle with the hand bars and take
off like a shot - the winning crew of four guys matched
their energy to the available friction and made the round
trip in record time.
The western boundary of the meet site is defined by a
railroad spur line running from an abandoned quarry into
the town of North Freedom where the tracks meet the
Chicago and Northwestern tracks. The spur line is now
used by the Mid Continent Railroad Museum, a group
formed by railroad buffs interested in preserving the
artifacts from turn-of-the-century railroading . Summer
weekends, including during the Antique Transportation
Meets, are when steam is brought up on the four
operating engines and runs made back and forth on the
spur line. The sight and sound of those steamers really
adds to the atmosphere for the weekend.
Although rides are available on the trains throughout
the weekend, the contestants were given a special ride
early Sunday morning. Several honored people including
many children boarded the train for the free round trip ride
from La Rue to North Freedom. The train steamed south
Yonder come the trains!
A 1934 Harley Davidson . .. the " hawgs " haven't
changed that much in 40 years, have they?
A slick Meyers OTW owned by Dave Lau of Oconomo­
woc, Wisconsin .
to the old quarry where, lacking a turntable, the engine
was switched to the rear of the train and then began back­
ing its way past La Rue to North Freedom. Several miles
short of North Freedom the train unexpectedly jerked to
a halt. Almost in unison, all the kids leaning out the
window shouted, "We're being held up!". Sure enough­
with six guns blazing, five or six masked bandits on horses
had stopped the train and left us in the dust as they made
off with the Railroad Express strongbox. Shades of Jesse
James!
The summation of this two day Antique Transportation
event is easy. A unique fun and games weekend that
entertains the entire family. Plan now for next years
event! Watch the Sport Aviation and Vintage Airplane
calendars for the exact July 1975 dates .
Dick Wagner's Waco UPF-7.
Below - Bob Adamec of Maywood, Illinois has full up
elevator fed in as he attempts to win the spot landing
contest in his Luscombe BE, N-1970K.
)
Well, at least they don't have to pay FAA a $25 users fee
every year!
The handcar race - Heave! . . . grunt! ... hot
CHARLES A. LINDBERGH IN MEMORIAM By Bill Hodges Assistant Director EAA Aviation Museum A giant has left us. Charles A. "Slim" Lindbergh, th e
" Lon e Eagle," has passed from this life.
"Charlie," as he was known to his fri e nd s at th e old
Ry an Airlines Company, was just 25 when he e lectrified
th e world by flying solo ac ross th e Atlantic Ocean, New
York (Roosevelt Field) to Paris (La Bourget Field), on May
20-21, 1927, takin g 33 hours a nd 30 minutes, for a dis tance
of 3,625 miles.
Charles A. Lindbergh, an unkn ow n airmail pilot, be­
came the nati o n 's hero, a rol e that h e did not e nj oy.
Pressed into th e lim elig ht, Lindbe rg h felt o ut of pla ce.
Th e ea rly news paper accounts of his trip, a nd especially
the festi vities followin g, a rc full of re ferenc es to his bas h­
fullness and retiring attitude. Quotin g from an ea rl y
accou n t, " ... he was rese rve d, he was com peten t, he was
modes t." This characteristic re main ed with him, even in
death.
He turned down additional fame a nd fortun e, s imply
becaus e h e didn ' t want to commercialize on his history­
making trip. Lindbergh went on to make two goodwill
fli ghts , one touching the 48 United States, and th e other
to the countries of Central Am e rica and South America.
Lindbe rg h and his wife Anne met tragedy fac e to face
in 1932 wh en their first child, Charles, J r., was kidnapped
and murd e red. But th ey arose from this tragedy and con­
tinued th e ir service to mankind.
Charl es and Anne blaze d new trans port routes across
the Atlantic Ocea n; he was Technical Advisor for Pan
American Airways, and was also invo lve d with TWA for
several yea rs as a TechnicaJ Advisor. For his hatred of wa r
a nd love of peace and the United Sta tes, he was called
an isolationist and pro-Na zi, for recomme ndin g that th e
U.S. stay out of th e European War. Late r, durin g WWII ,
he was a civilian "observer" flying Corsairs and P-38's
in the South Pacific, where it is said that he s ho t down
a t least two enemy a ircraft.
Whil e he was a note d and av id fly e r, he was a lso deepl y
involved in conse rva tion , anthropology, a rcha eology, and
biomechanics. As indica ted above, he did not like to be in
th e public eye, a nd thus, qui e tl y but firmly turn ed down
a White Hou se reques t that he a ttend th e 1967 Paris Air­
s how, honoring th e 40th anni ve rsary of hi s flig ht.
The crossing, you recall, was made in the "Spirit of St.
Louis," a plane es pecially built for th e trip by Rya n Air­
lin es, lnc. , of San Diego, California. Lindbergh nev er
failed, when a conversation ca m e up concerning th e
"Spirit," to give credit to its design e r, Donald E. Hall ,
and build e r Hawl ey Bowlus.
Lindbe rgh bou ght his firs t airplan e, a Curtiss "Jenny"
in April 1923, in which he ma de his firs t solo. On March
15, 1924, he e ntered the Army Air Corps as a fl yin g cadet,
and in November 1925 was commissioned a First Lieuten­
a nt in th e Missouri
a tion a l Guard. H e made his firs t
flight as an airmail pilot on April 15, 1926, inaugurating
th e Chicago -St. Loui s Run for Robertson Aircraft Corpora­
tion.
Mrs. Thelma (B e nnett) Ha ught, Milwaukee, reca ll s
mee ting th e Lindbergh family in the early 30's. Mrs. Haug ht
was in th e e mploy of Mrs. Lindbergh' s uncle, Mr. Frank
Morrow, of Kings Creek, Wes t Virginia. She sta ted that
s h e was very n e rv o u s pri o r to th e m ee tin g, but th a t
" th ey were real peo pl e" and th a t " Mr. Lindbergh was a
ve ry nice ma n."
Many words could be written concerning Lindbe rgh ,
a nd have been , a nd will be. Suffice it to say, th at he was
a n unpre te ntious individual that history caught up with.
"S lim" wrote his own eulogy, in kee ping with his ideas
of simplicity: " We commit th e body of General Charl es A.
Lindb e rg h to its final restin g place, but his s pirit we
commend to Almi ght y God, knowing th a t death is but a
ne w adve nture in ex istence and rememb e ring how Jesu s
sa id upon th e cross, ' Fath e r, into th y h ands I commend
my s pirit'. "
We of the flyin g frate rnity sa lute you, Charles Augustus
Lindbe rgh; February 4, 1902 - August 26, 1974.
REMINISCING WITH BIG NICK
Nick Rezich
4213 Centerville Rd.
Rockford, III. 61102
Fish Hassell, Aviation Pioneer
This past September 16 a group of Rockford, lllinois
OX-5ers and QBs flew over the grave site of Bert R. J.
"Fish" Hassell and dipped their wings in a final salute to
one of America's aviation pioneers . . . and a friend of
EAA.
Earlier in the year, July to be exact, another group of
EAAers, OX-5ers and QBs flew the same mission over
Cedar Falls, Iowas in recognition of another great aviation
pioneer and friend of EAA, John H. Livingston.
My most prized possession is the memories I have
of knowing these two great aviators. Johnny and Fish
were beacons of light in the embryonic age of flight. Be­
cause of their pioneering efforts we today enjoy the
speed, comfort and safety of our flying machines.
Johnny was a man of speed; Fish was a long distance
explorer. Johnny and Fish both were mechanically in­
clined which contributed greatly to their success in avia­
tion. Johnny went from motorcycles to airplanes and
Fish from the Cole Automobile Company to the Glenn
H. Curtiss School of Aviation.
Fish was sent to Hammondsport, New York to repair
the Cole car belonging to Glenn Curtiss. When Fish fin­
ished the repairs on the auto, he and Curtiss went for a
test spin, whereupon Curtiss persuaded Fish to tum his
talents to airplanes .
At age 20 Fish began his flying lessons and on June 15,
1914 he soloed. Later with pilot license number 20 in
hand he went on to become a fancier of seaplanes - and
to acquiring his nickname. He was a man of spirit and
challenge. In 1915 he was flying a Curtiss flying boat from
Chicago to Lake Forest amid choppy Lake Michigan
waves when he decided to show his friends at the hangar
some precision flying .
In Fish's own words: "As I passed them, a huge wave
broke under me, kissed my tail section and forced my
nose into the lake. The next thing I saw was more Lake
Michigan herring than the local fishermen at Waukegan
ever knew there was in the lake!" That incident and
16
numerous others that ended up with both he and his
flying boats in the drink gave him the nickname "Fish."
Fish was best known, however, for his pioneering
of the Great Circle Route. He had visions of today's air
routes long before they became the standard lanes for
commercial aircraft . In 1926 he wrote, "Flying the Atlan­
tic is still a stunt." Fish urged the U.5. to look at both
the commercial and military advantages of using the
Circle Route over the north to Europe.
The small network of airlines that existed at that time
and the military were not ready to exploit Fish's ideas
and route ... so the pioneering was left to Fish himself.
The scheme eventually decided upon was a flight from
Rockford, lllinois to Stockholm, Sweden. Fish mustered
a group of Rockford business men to co-sponsor the
flight. He then went to his friend Eddie Stinson in De­
troit and asked him to build a ship that would carry a
crew of 2 and 700 gallons of fuel (4,200 pounds!!).
The airplane Stinson built was a J-5 SM-l Detroiter,
which was named the "Greater Rockford." For co-pilot
and navigator Fish chose Parker "Shorty" Cramer. The
date for take-off was set for July 26, 1928. Fred Mach­
esney, the owner and operator of the airport north of
Rockford which was the jump-off point, pulled up the
fence posts at the ends of his runway so it would be long
enough for the fuel laden Stinson.
The following is Bert Hassell's own story of the suc­
cessful take-off in 1928 to prove the trans-Atlantic air
route using the Great Circle Route.
"With my co-pilot, Shorty Cramer, we took off from
Rockford and stuck our nose due north to find Cochrane,
Ontario. The flying over Quebec was in the daylight
hours, but at night our attention was only on instruments,
which made the night seem much longer. As daylight
came we found ourselves over a very familiar area Burrwell, near Chidley. With daylight and a definite
check of our location, we started across the Davis Strait.
We rode for hour after hour - between cloud layers ­
looking for the Greenland shore to appear. The old J-5
purred along, which was music to our ears."
"Suddenly, the weather started to break and we
could see a faint shore line and the sun shining on the
Greenland ice cap. We were both stiff and tired (in the
air for 20 hours) when we began to look for the fjord
which would lead us to our refueling base." But high
winds slowed them so it .. . "seemed like we were stand­
ing still." The fuel supply was running dangerously low .
"A careful check by Cramer and myself showed we had
fuel for less than an hour."
Hassell reasoned that he did not have enough power
... "to go looking for a small landing strip on the side
of a mountain and so we stuck our nose due east, away
from those hideous ice crevasses to where it would be
only a matter of minutes before it would give up its long
struggle to get two pilots to our Greenland base. With
power on and off, we were ready to land."
"To our great surprise, we landed safely on centuries­
old ice with about 2 inches of hoar frost on it. We had
reeled up the lead radio antenna and sat there like two
tired old barnstormers and rested. We had been in the
air 24 hours and 12 minutes . .. and that's a long time
sitting, even in a chair at home ."
"We tied our lead antenna to an aileron tip and
pounded out like made : 'Landed safe on ice cap' - But
I guess no one was near enough to read this message. I
shut off this piece of equipment and we got ready to go.
We put on our heavy boots, parka, took a rifle and some
pemmican and started to walk to our base on the Strom­
fjord. To make it short, it took us 14 days to walk to Dr.
Hobbs' camp, all tired from this healthy walk over the
ice cap. We realized then that we two barnstormers
should have remained at home."
. Th~ flight never reached Stockholm, but Fish proved
hiS pomt. Today, commercial jet airliners are using that
very same route ... thanks to pioneer Bert R. J. "Fish"
Hassell.
. You would have had to have known Fish to fully appre­
aate that short story. He was a man of will, determination
and faith in his fellow man. I'll never forget the story he
told me about the pig and chicken farm he had in Goose
Bay Labrador - during his service in World War II! It
goes something like this : "You see, we had about 1500
GIs and officers stationed on the base and most of them
were farm boys from the midwest. Then, we had all those
crews coming in daily on their ways overseas - or
coming back from a tour of duty . Having powdered eggs
and Spam for breakfast was not much of a morale builder
so I requested a couple dozen hens and roosters and
some pigs ."
When the brass in D.C. heard about the request, they
figured 01' Fish had flipped! The first request was ignored
but when they received the second one - which was
worded in the typical Fish Hassell vernacular - wheels
starte.d to tum. A team of brass flew to Goose Bay to find
out first hand what was behind this odd request. They
were met by Col. Hassell and the first thing he greeted
them with was, "Where are my pigs and how much booze
is on board?"
When the brass regained their composure, Fish ex­
plained his reason for the pigs and chickens. To make a
long story longer, he got his pigs and chickens and a
guaranteed ration of booze for his men . His farm boys
built a hen house and a pig pen - not only did this make­
shift farm provide fresh ham and eggs for breakfast, but
it turned out to be the main attraction at the base for in­
coming crews and solved the garbage problem. It also
gained worldwide fame and publicity for Fish. Like he
said, " I was the only Air Force commander that gained
popularity through chicken - - - - - ! " Besides that,
(Photo Courtesy Nick Rezich)
Fish Hassell receiving one of many awards garnered dur­
ing his long career. Left to right, Ralph Hartwig, Fish
Hassell, Steve Wittman and Nick Rezich .
the pigs gave the base a homey smell.
There are many more interesting and humorous
stories about Fish that you can read first hand by picking
up a copy of his book, "The Hiking Viking" - over 400
pages of aviation history and hundreds of never before
published photos.
The famous Stinson "Greater Rockford", NX-5408,
was recovered from the ice cap 40 years later by Fish's
two sons, Vic and John, and Robert Carlin, district mana­
ger of National Airlines in Houston, Texas, an antique
aviation buff and a native of Rockford .
A Sikorsky helicopter operated by, I believe, Green­
land Air picked the Stinson off the ice and a Hemisphere
Aircraft Leasing Corporation C-46 flew it back to Rock­
ford where thousands of people lined the fence to cheer
the return of the "Greater Rockford." I was one of the
privileged persons who helped unload the Stinson from
the C-46. BELIEVE-YOU-ME, it was an honor and a thrill
to grab that Hamilton Standard prop and guide that fam­
ous bird out of the doorway of the C-46. It is also ironic
that the Stinson was flown home in a Curtiss product.
After all the ceremonies were over, Pop (as the family
called him) asked me to remove a spark plug from the J-5
just to see if it would come out. Much to our surprise,
the number one cylinder plug came out with no strain
using a regular plug wrench. I then depressed the Alemite
fitting and, believe it or not, yellow grease oozed out!
The aluminum tanks looked like new with no traces of
corrosion at all and the wicker seats were in equally good
shape. The yellow life raft was inflated and it held air with
no leaks. The "Rockford to Stockholm" sign on the cowl
was like new. The only fabric left after 40 years of winds
17
and snow was located on the rudder - with the "NX­
5408" still very brigh t.
The airplane was later trucked to Machesney Aircraft
and placed in the hangar from which it left 40 years be­
fore. That was in 1968 and since then the steel parts have
rusted badly and some additional damage has resulted
from all the moving around from display to display.
Attempts were made to raise money to restore the
"Greater Rockford" but none of them panned out. Fish
had hoped to have the aircraft made a memorial to his
son Peter who lost his life flying an F-100 while in the
Air Force. Eventually, the aircraft ws sold to the new SST
Museum located near Kissimmee, Florida where it was
put on display awaiting restoration.
On May 5, 1971 Bert "Fish" Hassell and John H. Living­
ston were enshrined into the OX-5 Aviation Pioneers
Hall of Fame at Hammondsport, New York. I had the
honor and privilege of giving Fish his last airplane ride.
John Tasso, chief pilot for Hartzog Aviation and myself
flew Fish and his family to the Hall of Fame ceremonies
at Hammondsport.
A fond farewell to Fish Hassell, a great aviation pio­
neer.
Addendum from Big Nick ­
For you eagle-eyed readers, refer to the caption for
the middle photo on page 11 of the August issue of The
Vintage Airplane. The 3rd man from the left is not Gor­
don Israel as stated. Also, change "Walter French" to
Walter Frech, who is now with the FAA in Los Angeles. I
only had the negative available when I listed the men in
the photo and had to put it up to the light and guess at the
figures. Also, change "Earl Sting" to Earl Stine.
- Big Nick
(Photo Courtesy Nick Rezich)
Fish Hassell, left, and Shorty Cramer shortly before
their take-off for Stockholm.
(Photo Courtesy Nick Rezich)
The Greater Rockford at Machesney Air­
port in August of 1928.
18
With the tail section of the "Greater Rockford" are,
from left, Vic Hassell, Robert Carlin, formerly of Rock­
ford and now of Houston, Tex., Bert R. J. (Fish) Has­
sell, and John Hassell. (Photos by the Rockford Mornin
and Register-Republic.)
(Rockford Morning Star and Register-Republic)
Below. The Greater Rockford arrives back in Rockford via C-46 after 40 years on the Greenland ice cap.
(Photo by Frank S. Be/e)
Dale Browder in his beautifully restored Fairchild PT-19. Number 42 in the background belongs to
Dr. King Merritt.
PT PARADISE
By Jack Cox
If you are planning to be in Florida on vacation in early
November, the weekend of the 9 and 10 to be exact, you
will want to attend the 2nd Annual Snowbird Fly-In at
the Flying Seminole Ranch just northeast of Orlando.
The festivities are sponsored hy EAA Chapter 74. In addi­
tion to the flying that will go on from the crack of dawn
until the sun slips down in the Gulf of Mexico, there
will be a banquet at the local Ramada Inn East. For reser­
vations, call 305-273-1500. For further information on
the goings on, call Dale :'lrowder at 305-365-3987. The
Flying Seminole Ranch airport is 4100 feet of pool table
flat Florida grass, so if you have escaped the early snows
in Yankee land in your sjJam ran, you can easily get in
and out. If you do df'cide to attend, please get in touch
with Dale Browder so the banquet can be planned to ac­
commodate your party.
Even if you can't make the November 9-10 Fly-In,
the Flying Seminole Ranch should be marked down in
your little black book as a "must stop" .. . particularly
if you are a fan of the Fairchild PT series. All sorts of PT
activities go on here from complete restoration and
maintenance to formation flying by the "Taintsville Air
Corps" . There are currently 9 Fairchild primary trainers
based at Flying Seminole - 3 PT-19s and 6 PT-26s . Can
any other airport top that?
Most of the activity centers around EAAer Dale Brow­
der and his Daleair, Incorporated which caters to an­
tiquers, warbirds and homebuilders - sport flying types
will find the welcome mat out on a permanent basis.
20
Dale and Bob Riggs of Winter Park own what they
believe to be the oldest PT-19 flying. Dale located the
old bird near Charleston, S. C. - in sad shape - and
managed to patch it up sufficiently to limp down the
coastline back to Florida on a ferry permit. With help
from the Taintsville Air Corps, he pitched in and com­
pletely restored the 1939 Fairchild in roughly a year's
time, including a major on the Ranger. He has become so
proficient at Fairchild restoration, that a second one has
now been done in even less time than the first and a dili­
gent scouring of the countryside is going on right now
to locate all the PT-19/26 and Ranger parts that are still
at large. If anyone reading thi~ knows of such parts or
aircraft for sale, contact Dale at the phone number above .
You will be helping put another fin ,' old airplane back in
the air rather than having it rust and fflt away forever.
The Taintsville Air Corps presently consists of Brow­
der, Riggs, Dr. Donald Chubb of Winter rark, Dr. Wayne
Todd of Maitland, Truman Carr of La!..e Mary, Dr. Ed
King of Chuluota and Ed Escallon of Cape Cw.'veral who,
incidentally, had his PT-26 at Oshkosh this year - the yel­
low one with the vicious shark mouth, for thpse of you
who were there. You will see a color picture of it in the
November issue of SPORT AVIATION .
Oh yes, about that name . .. "Taintsville (when' the
Flying Seminole Ranch is located) is so-called locally
because 'taint in Oviedo and 'taint in Chuluota. It's be­
tween both.
You Yankees can understand that ... can't you?
(Photo by Ted Koston)
Ed Escallon 's PT-26A at Oshkosh '74.
(Photo by Dale Browder)
This cockpit cover was especially designed by Dale
Browder for the PT-19. It even has provision for the turn­
over structure. Notice the EAA, Antique-Classic, War­
birds of America and Taintsville Air Corps patches . ..
now there's a real EAAer! Dale is Commander of the
Taintsville Air Corps.
(Photo by John Fitzgerald)
Would you believe that four days after this picture was
taken , this PT was flying! These guys don't fool around
when it comes to restoring airplanes.
(Photo by Frank S. Bele)
Pine trees, soft grassy runways, Spanish moss, a beautifully restored PT-19, open cockpits and warm
Florida breezes . . . take a look at this about mid-January, fellow Yankeelanders, and eat your hearts
out!!
by Frank Tallman .
•
D Ryan Broughams and
~
z
~ Here
a book of pure enjoy­
111 ment. Tales of flying those great
Z aircraft of all eras from the
Their Builders,
by William Wagner.
The story of the most famous
airplane ever built, the Spirit of
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aircraft built after Lindbergh's
Atlantic crossing. 100 pages,
160 photos, Paul Matt three­
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cockpit view- point. The nar­
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world's greatest living pilots,
Frank Tallman. Great· photo­
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Spad, Jenny, Ford Trimotor,
P·12, B-25 and many more.
111 Colorful documentary of the 78
I- days in 1934 when the Army
~
a:
111
I-
~
~
~
0>
o
o
o
"III~
T
1I~'()ln
.":tIl('S
I , ""
,,'" ,
•
-.
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Mitch Mayborn and Bob Pickett
Complete like predecessor Stearman Guidebook.
Contains photos of every single engine model
built through the Airmaster series and WWll
Bobcat, three view drawings of the most signific­
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who has ever flown or admired Cessna will want
this one.
6.95
U.S. Civil Aircraft
by Joseph Juptner
The antiquers bible. Ency­
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photo coverage. Colorful narra­
tives arewoveri throughout tell­
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300 + photos & 300 pages.
D Vol. 1, ATC #1 thru #100,1927-29 . .. 9.95
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323 photos.
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15.95
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The 24 pages of John Weal's
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9.95
ference shelf.
D Log of the Liberators
by Steve Birdsal
The story of the B-24
Liberator bomber. Here are
the stories of the famous
"Lady Be Good", the Ploesti
raid, D-Day and Iwo Jima set
in a background of hundreds
of unbelievable photos, color
side views, production tables
and expert text.
12.95
D The Curtiss Hawks, Shamburger & Christy,
complete history from P-l to Kittyhawks 24.95
D American Combat Planes, Wagner, com­
plete history with over 1,000 photos ... 14.95
D F-51 D Handbook, Accurate reprint .... 6.95
D The P-51 Mustang, Len Morgan ...... 2.95
D Stearman GUidebook, 160 photos .... 6.95
D Flying Fortress, Jablonski .......... 12.95
D United States Army & Air Force Fighters'
1916-1961, Brown & Heyn. Heavily illus.12.95
D Carrier Fighters . . .
. ... 5.50
D D[ve & Torpedo Bombers ........... 5.50
D Messerschmitt 109, Nowarra........ 11.75
D Messerschmitt 09 Gallery, Hitchcock 15.00
o Knights of The Black Cross, Mizrahi.
First· person accounts of the Aces of the
Luftwaffe .......................... 12.95
o Spitfire. A Harley10rd book.
. ... 11 .95
D SDitfi,re. Aero Series .. .. . . . ..
. ... 3.00
D Boeing P-12, F-4B, Aero
.. . . 3.00
D Boeing P-26 "Pea-Shooter", Aero ... 3.95
D The 9th Air Force in World War II, Rust 11.95
Grover Loening
flew the U.S. mail. Amid cor­
ruption and controversy, the
Army battled extra severe
weather and all the inade­
quacies of obsolete equipment in this' heroic
and often tragic story. Sometimes the odds were
too much, which prompted one Congressman to
ask " If the Army finds it so difficult to carry
mail, how could they be expected to carry
bombs?"
5.95
D The Great Planes,
by James Gilbert.
Indulge yourself in this fantastic
photo essay. The author has
the right idea ... a book filled
with bigger-than-life photos in 'f
both black and white and color. ­ !I
You 'll enjoy the next too if you H....,..-oOii@~1
can take your eyes off the pic- '
tures. This book is definitely
14.95 class.
The Ford Air Tours 1925-1931
by Leslie Forden
A complete story in text and
photos of the seven cross­
' j"!'i ! :,;
country " Reliability Tours" Pro­
fusely illustrated, incorporating
much collateral material and an
interesting "whatever hap­
pened to ... ?" section in the
back relating capsule histories
of Tour participants. A must for
the enthusiasts reference lib­
11.00
rary. 8V2X 11.
They Call Me Mr. Airshow
by Bill Sweet
THEY CALL ME
More than an autobiography of
"
MRAI'tSHOW
Mr. Sweet, this book is a lively
account of Bill Sweet's associa­
tion with the greats of the air
show circuit from the 20's on.
The book is exciting, informa­
tive and in places riotously
humorous. Once you start read­
ing you won't be able to put it
9.95
down.
I
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~
D Hang Gliding, the Basic
Handbook of Skysurfing,
by Dan Poynter.
The history of Hang Gliding, the
building of the machine and an
explana- tion of the materials
needed. Here also the theory
and tech- niques of hang gliding
as well as a directory of availa­
ble plan sets. Federal regs too.
All in a single volume.
'I. .
<
Complete history of the " flying
shoehorns." Photos so good,
text so detailed and the book a
work of art. You'll have to have it
for your library. 10" x 10", 250
photos.
14.95
D Water Flying,
by Franklin T. Kurt.
== If you own a float plane or are
w just interested in water flying
Z you will want this book. It's the
first all-inclusive book about fly­
ing boats, float planes, and am­
phibians. Covers operating
techniques and history of sea­
planes. It is masterfully written
by a former Grumman engineer
from a life-time of testing, de­
signing and instructing in water
8.95
craft. 100 photos, 15 drawings.
D Weather Flying, Robert Buck
6.95
D Instrument Flying, Taylor, NEW
6.95
D Private Pilot's Guide, Reithmaier.
Award winning manual used by many
flight schools ...... .. .
7.95
D Fair Weather Flying, Taylor. Practical
ways to improve you VFR flying skills
by the author of the best selling
book, Instrument Flying. . . . .
7.95
D Mr. Piper & His Cubs .............. 7.95 o The Stinsons, Underwood. Hist. Stinson
NC . 230 photos .
. . . . . . . . . . . .. 5.95
D The Piper Cub Story ...........
2.95
D Single Engine Beechcrafts
2.95
D Single Engine Cessnas . . . . . . . . . . .. 2.95
D Of Monocoupes & Men, Underwood
4.95
D The Plane That Changed The World,
Ingells. DC-3 hist. from design &
developmentthrough airline use.
5.95
D This Was Air Travel, Palmer ...
6.95
D Tin Goose, Douglas Ingells ..
3.95
D Ford Trimotor Pilots Manual ....... 3.95
D 747 Boeing Super Jet, Ingells ... . . . 12.95
D L1011 Tri-Star & Lockheed Story,
Ingells. Hist. of Lockheed
& TriStar . .. .
. ...... 12.95
D More Than Meets The Sky, Mills Pictorial
hist. Northwest Airlines ............. 12.95
D The Barnstormers, Don Dwiggins . .. 4.95
D Boyhood On The Upper Mississippi,
by Lindbergh .....
5.00
Racing Planes and Air Races
Complete story of Air Racing, its planes and
pilots by Reed Kinert. Each volume has rare
photos, fine scale drawings and complete specs. ,
combined with text that captures all the color
and excitement of each race.
D Vol. 1,1909-1923 ........ .. . 3.00
D Vol. 2, 1924-1931 .. . . . ..
3.00
D Vol. 3, 1932-1939.. ... .. .... 3.00
D V.oI. 4,1946-1967..... . .
3.00
D Vol. 5,1969 Annual (1968)
3.95
D Vol. 6, 1970 Annual (1969)
3.95
D Vol. 7,1971 Annual (1970)
3.95
D Vol. 8, 1972 Annual (1971)
3.95
D Vol. 9,1973 Annual (1972)
3.95
D Vol. 10, 1974 Annual (1973)
3.95
D Hardbound, Vol. 1-4 ................14.95
D Hardbound, Vol. 5-8 ................16.95
D The Skyracers, Hood .............. 4.95
D THE GOLDEN AGE OF AIR RACING -- pre
1940 by EM. Histories of the racers. stones
about their pilots and deSigners with race results
and 3 views . Hundreds of pictures make this a
must volume for the racin enthusiast.
4 .00
Jff
_.....
D Ryan, the Aviator
by William Wagner
The adventures and ventures of pioneer aviator
and businessman , T. Claude Ryan. Highly
illustrated and remarkably interesting. $19.95
OUT-OF-PRINT WHILE SUPPLY LASTS
HISTORIC AVIATION
•
1 11111
prints and books for the collector
3850-8 Coro nation Rd . Eagan, Minn . 55122
Ene. $ _ _ _ _ __
(Minn . res. add 4 % tax)
Name _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ____
Address _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ___
City _ _ _ _ _ _---'_ _ _ _ _ _ __
State
Zip _ _ _ _ __
Postpaid 14 day Money·back Guarantee
75¢ Handling on Orders Under $10.00
•
Mail in plain wrapper.
(/)
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Around The Antique/Classic World we::: ..
-.
BELLANCA INFO NEEDED
D. W . Dean of RR 3, Box 3079, Juneau, Alaska 99801
is rebuilding a 194714-13 Bellanca (N-74409) and is in need
of knowledge and techniques used to make wing root
splices on all four spars.
JOH NS ON AIR SPEED INDI CATORS
For sale. New manufacture. Exact copy of original.
$49.95. Bill Haselton, 1238 Cath erwoo d, South Bend,
Indiana 46614 .
MEYERS FOR SALE
t .
Anyone interested in a Meye rs OTW, 145 or 200 should
contact Gid Miller, R. D. No.1, Tinsman Road , French­
town, New Jersey 08825 . Phone 201-996-2730.
BAMBOO BOMBER NEEDS
Thomas P. Rowe, 832 Douglas Ave., Elgin, Ill. 60120
and two fellow EAAers are rebuilding a Cessna T -50 (UC­
78B) to like-new condition. Th e proj ec t involves the
compl ete rebuilding of the all-wood wing, rebuilding of
sub-assemblies and fus elage, recove rin g and finishing
to military configuration of the ex terior and overhaul of
th e en gin es. Needed are good, useable ailerons, left
outboard flap attach fitting, engine control cables. Write
Tom or call at 312-697-1470 or 312-377-1451 (hangar).
PITCAIRN PROJECT
The accompanying photo shows the current project
of Jack Rose (EAA 55976, AIC 1441), Rt. 1, Box 131, Spang­
ler, Was hington 99031 - a 1931 Pitcairn PA-8 Super Mail­
wing. It is powered by a Wright J69. NC-I0753 is Pitcairn
Serial Number 164.
Calendar Of Events
JANUARY 24-26, 1975 - LAKELAND, FLORIDA - Sun and Fun Midwinter
Fly-In. For an informational mailing, contact: Martin Jones, 1061 New
Tampa Highway, Lakeland, Florida 33802.
JULY 29 - AUGUST 4,1 975- OSHKOSH , WISCONSIN - 23rd Annual EAA
Fly-In Convention. Sport aviation world's greatest event. It's not too
early to make plans and reservations!
FLORIDA SPORT AVIATION ACTIVITIES - The very active Florida Sport
Aviation Antique and Oassie Association has a fly-in somewhere in the
state almost every month . The decision on the location of the next fly­
in is usually made on too short notice for inclusion in The Vintage Air­
plane , so we recommend to all planning a Florida vacation that they
contact FSAACA President Ed Escallon, Box 12731, SI. Petersburg, Florida
33733 for fly-in details. Join the fun!
Back Issues Of The Vintage Airplane
Limited numbers o f back issu es of THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE are available at .50c each. Copies still on
hand at EAA Headquarters a re:
1973 - MARCH, APRIL, MAY, JUNE, JULY, AUGUST, SEPTEMBER, OCTOBER, NOVEMBER,
DECEMBER
1974 - JANUARY, FEBRUARY, MARCH, APRIL, MAY, JUNE, JULY, AUGUST, SEPTEMBER
23
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