VA Vol 27 No 2 Feb 1999 - Member Home

STRAIGHT & LEVEL
Espie "Butch" Joyce
2 AlC NEWS
AEROMAIL
4
5 BULLETS FOR ALIGNMENT
Bud Oliver
6
GRIMES AIRPORT FLY-IN
Andrew King
8 AIRCRAFT STROBE LIGHTS
Dick Hill
10 MYSTERY PLANE
H. G. Frautschy
12 PLENTY OF GLASS TO WATCH
THE WORLD GO BY
H. G. Frautschy
17 A FLYING FLEET ON FLOATS
Norm Petersen
21 A. SCOTT BERG'S LINDBERGH
John Underwood
25 PASS IT TO BUCK
E.E. "Buck" Hilbert
27 WELCOME NEW MEMBERS
28 MEMBERSHIP INFO/CLASSIFIED ADS
32 VINTAGE MERCHANDISE
Publisher TOM POBEREZNY
Editor-in-Chief JACK COX
Editor HENRY G. FRAUTSCHY
Mallaging Editor GOLDA COX
Contributing Editor JOHN UNDERWOOD
Computer Graphic Specialists BETH BLANCK
OLIVIA L. PHILLIP
PIERRE KOTZE
Photography Staff JIM KOEPNICK
LEEANN ABRAMS
KEN LICHTENBERG
MARK SCHAIBLE
AdveriisinglEditorial Assistant ISABELLE WISKE
SEE PAGE 30 FOR FURTHER VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION INFORMATION
by ESPIE "BUTCH" JOYCE
PRESIDENT, VINTAGE AIRCRAR ASSOCIATION
The Future
When you make a decision to change something you've been do­
ing the same way for a long time, how can you be sure change is for
the best?
While thinking about this, an incident at my dad 's airport in the
late fifties came to mind. A number of good old country boys were
learning to fly in J-3s and J-5s. One new pilot named C.D. chose to
carry a passenger named Shag for his first airplane ride. A big thun­
derstorm was building off to the south. When warned about the
danger, he said it would be okay. He just wanted to fly over and take
a look at it. By the time he returned, the wind direction shifted and
was now blowing very strongly out of the opposite direction from
which he took off. Have you ever seen anyone try to land a J-3 with
a 40 knot tailwind?
Several passes were made and we could hear C.D and Shag
shouting at each other. In the meantime, my dad had taken off in the
Tri-Pacer. He circled them to get their attention, then landed into the
wind. C.D followed suit and landed safely. r later asked C.D. what
all of the shouting was about. He said Shag told him that on the next
landing attempt, ifhe ever got that close to the ground again, he was
going to jump. C.D. also told me that he told Shag it he ever got that
close again he was going to jump too!
Fortunately, C.D. never had to decide to jump, since my father
had presented him with new information, namely, the change in
wi nd direction. Using that information, he revised his initial deci­
INSIGHT FROM THE PRESIDENT OF EAA
The EAA Antique/Classic Division has represented EAA mem­
bers who love vintage airplanes for years. Your Board, staff,
volunteers and members have done a superb job of organizing ac­
tivities at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh and other fly-ins around the
country, as well as presenting this excellent monthly pUblication ...
VINTAGE AIRPLANE.
A number of years ago, you expanded your outreach to in­
clude Contemporary aircraft (January 1, 1956 through December
31 , 1960). As time has passed, more and more aircraft have be­
come part of this category, joining the group we call vintage
airplanes. These unique airplanes that we restore and fly, repre­
sent our love of flight as well as the history of aviation.
The growing cadre of enthusiasts who preserve our aviation
heritage, while keeping them flying, make it appropriate to en­
hance the scope and change the name of your organization to the
Vintage Aircraft Association. This "banner" encompasses the An­
tique, Classic and Contemporary aircraft that continue to serve
each of us.
The focus of the organization hasn't changed. Rather the name
represents the wide and varied interests that are a part of the vin­
sion to land in the same direction he departed. New information was
used to arrive at a proper decision.
Additional information is what your Board has been mulling
over for some time. Starting now, we've got a new look for the
EAA Vintage Aircraft Association. What's that, you ask? It's the
new name ofthe EAA Antique/Classic Division. Your Officers, Di­
rectors. Advisors, and the EAA staff have been working hard over
the past couple of years to create a name that better defines our
group of aircraft and the enthusiasts who enjoy vintage aircraft. You
will be proud to display the new logo on your aircraft and clothing.
It has a feel for the style and excitement of the first half of this cen­
tury. Under the umbrella ofthe "Vintage Aircraft Association," the
various judging categories we currently enjoy - Antique, Classic
and Contemporary - will be maintained.
When renewing your membership, you will receive a member­
ship card reflecting the "Vintage Aircraft Association" name and
logo. We're pleased to announce it will be a high quality "credit
card" style card, the same weight and feel as the new EAA card
which has been included in EAA membership mailings since De­
cember. We're confident you'll enjoy the new look and name . . .
one we feel more properly reflects the diverse interests of the nearly
10,000 VAA members worldwide.
Lets all pull in the same direction for the good of aviation. Re­
member we are better together. Join us and have it all!
......
tage aircraft movement, which has been reflected through the name
of your magazine for years.
The Vintage Aircraft Association, as a part ofEAA, will con­
tinue to serve members who preserve and upgrade an important
segment of the aviation community. Currently, there are 62,000
aircraft that are classified as Antiques, Classics or Contempo­
rarie s. With over 9,000 members, the Vintage Aircraft
Association represents a rela­
tively small segment of the
total group . The owners in
this group of aircraft have
expanding needs that are no
longer confined to mainte­
nance and operation, but also
include re storation and
preservation.
The name of your organi­
zation has changed, along with
the logo and identity, but the
contents and services remain
as strong as ever.
Tom Poberezny
VINTAGE AIRPLANE
1
compiled by H.G. Frautschy
VINT AGE AIRPLANE NOTES
During the work to move the Divi­
s ion 's name to one that more
completely defined the areas of interest
for the entire group , we took the op­
portunity to refine the look and feel of
Vintage Airplane.
First, you'll notice a new look for the
Contents page, w ith more photos and
bolder type to make it ea s ier to f ind
your favorite column or feature.
The information you may need to
contact the EAA Vintage Aircraft As­
sociation and its officers and directors
has been compiled on one page. It will
always be within the last four pages of
the magazine , and co nt a in s phone
numbers, E-mail addres ses an d web
site addresses for EAA and its di vi­
sion s. Need to know about the AUA/
V AA insurance program ? The phone
number is there . How about the web
site address for EAA AirVenture? It's
there as well. Being an EAA and Vi n-
FRONT COVER .. . Surrounding Randy
Briscoe is 33 square feet of plexiglass
as he sits in the aft seat of the Lus­
combe T-8F owned by him and Brice
Newberry of Kingfisher, OK. This T-8F
was originally built as a Crop Master
model , and came complete with a crop
dusting outfit and a pair of 30 gallon
wing mounted spray tanks. EAA photo
by Ken Lichtenberg, shot with a Canon
EOS1 n equipped with an 80-200mm
zoom lens. EM Cessna 210 photo plane
flown by Bruce Moore.
BACK COVER ... EAA Vintage Aircraft
Association Director Emeritus E.E.
"Buck" Hilbert banks right to pass under
the photo plane with his 1938 Fleet 10F.
Mounted on a pair of Edo 1835 floats
built in 1930, the biplane was the dar­
ling of the Otsego Lake Seaplane Fly-In
in Michigan , and then later of the EAA
AirVenture Seaplane Fly-In at the
Vette/Blust seaplane base. EAA photo
by Jim Koepnick , shot with a Canon
EOS1 n equipped with an 80-200mm
zoom lens. EAA Cessna 210 photo plane
flown by Bruce Moore.
2 FEBRUARY 1999
The EAA Aviation Foundation is seek­
ing an Air Academy Lodge Host Couple.
The Lodge Host Couple positions offer an
opportunity to share in shaping aviation's
future. In exchange for a furnished apart­
ment in the Lodge and part-time
compensation, this couple will support
EAA's Resident Youth and Education
programs by their operating and maintain­
ing the Lodge and its kitchen. Ideally, the
hosts are a traditional early or newly re­
tired couple with the abilities to work
with Academy Staff and participants
while ensuring a safe, comfortable living
environment and quality food service for
program participants and staff.
Send your resume and references to:
Experimental Aircraft Association
Human Resources - Host Couple
P.O. Box 3086 Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086 or E-mail: [email protected] tage Aircraft Assoc iation member has
by the end of 2003.
benefits that go well beyo nd the re­
More than 460,000 Young Eagles
ceipt of a magaz ine each month, and
have now been flown since July 1992,
we invite you to enjo y them all. The w hen the program was introdu ced at
Membership Services Directory on
the EAA Fly-In Convention (now
page 30 can point you to just the infor­
EAA Ai rVenture) in Oshkosh. Those
mation yo u need to en h a n ce your yo un g people have been flown by
recreational aviation experience.
more than 22,000 volunteer pilots on
We've also taken the oppOitunity to six continents. A large number of the
"loosen up" some of the page layouts,
fl ights were made in vintage aircraft
by members of the EAA Vintage Air­
mak in g them a bit easier on the eyes
by not having quite as muc h type on craft Association.
each page . We're confident you'll find
"T he past year has been the most
the c hanges helpful , and if you have
successful 12 months in the hi story of
any comments or requests, feel free to the Young Eagles Program," EAA A vi­
write the Editor at the address li sted in
ation Foundation President Tom
the Membership Ser­
Bob Lumley, EAA Vintage Aircraft Association Director (right),
vices Directo ry.
YOUNG
EAGLES
The EAA Young
Eagles Program, the
most ambitious youth
aviation pro gra m
eve r, introduc ed the
world of fli g ht to
more th a n 100 ,000
young peopl e in
1998. That is the
largest yearly total in
the s ix-ye ar hi story
of the pr ogra m ,
which is de signed to
provide free demon­
stra tion flights to one
million young people
enjoys a laugh with Paul Bellingham after flying in Bob's Aeronca
11AC Chief. Paul is one of the over 460,000 young people intro­
duced to the world of flight by the Young Eagles program since
its inception in 1992.
Poberezny said. "EAA members and
other pilots have responded to the
challenge of giving young people an
opportunity to see what aviation is all
about and the possibilities it can hold
for them. Everyone involved in
Young Eagles can be very proud of
this accomplishment and enthused
about the program's future."
In 1998, a total of 100,838 young
people were registered as Young Ea­
gles - a 5.3 percent increase from
the 1997 total. Those young people
were flown by more than 8,000 pi­
lots, which included EAA members
and other pilots from approved part­
ner organizations , including the
Canadian Owners and Pilots Associa­
tion (COPA), the Civil Air Patrol and
numerous other aviation groups.
EAA AIRVENTURE '98 VOLUNTEERS If you were one of the many fine
folks who volunteer either a little or a
lot of your time in the Antique/Clas­
sic area during the annual EAA
convention, your efforts certainly
never go unnoticed. (Heck, you even
get a nice patch, volunteer name tag,
and a hat plus a pizza party, all to say
"Thank You!")
Many of you work pretty hard, too
- On the flight line and other activi­
ties, less than half of the volunteers
work more than 3/4 of the hours. On
the flight line alone , there were 127
volunteers who worked a total of
3755 hours, of these, 53 previously
worked during the Convention in
1997,74 in 1996, and 59 in 1995.376
volunteers worked a total of 13,674
hours, an average of about 36 hours
per volunteer.
Don't be intimidated by those
numbers. Each and every hour counts,
and if you can spare a few, check in
at the Volunteer booth on the corner
outside the Red Barn during EAA
AirVenture '99, and if you're in
Florida for Sun 'n Fun this spring,
drop in the Headquarters building to
volunteer your time - your fellow
members will appreciate it!
......
VINTAGE AIRPLANE
3
BLUE NOTES
Dear H.G.:
I wanted to send the enclosed photo
(below) of Ken Falglor and myself in
front of his Flaglor High Tow, which
he converted from a Fleet 16B in 1957.
He changed from a Warner to a W-670
to tow gliders after he wrecked a Stear­
man. The FAA told Ken at the time to
make the change he needed to make it
an experimental , and the way to do that
was to make it look like something
other than a Fleet. So Ken made it
look like a Waco!
Although Ken is too humble to talk
about his flying , his friend reports that
Ken actually towed two gliders at once
with the big engine fired up . I believe
it, given how well it performs flying
around the Tetons.
This photo was taken at EAA
OSHKOSH ' 97 when Ken was reac­
quainted with the aircraft after 30
years . The aircraft is currently under­
going a complete restoration at the
Aviat Aircraft factory in Afton ,
Wyoming . We hope to have it done
for Sun ' n Fun ' 99.
The al1icle on the Steco Aeroplane
was great. I actually have Stevens'
original patent framed on my office
wall (see photo, right).
Best Wishes for a great and safe
New Year.
Brent Blue
(EAA 377214, VAA 18419)
Jackson Hole, WY
REACTION TO
"STEARMAN MAGIC"
Dear Lauran,
Thank you for my Christmas pre­
sent!
I don ' t seem to get a whole lot of
free time to read, but today I enjoyed
your story in Vintage , "Stearman
Magic." Boy, did it hit home!
Both my husband and I fly out of
Schellville with a couple of Great
Lakes and a few other planes. We ' ve
been blessed over the many years of
flying to meet some of the very same
folks you have . There really are so
many special people all across Amer­
ica in small town hangars. At the
Schellville airport we have a whole
..
~,'
...
-.,,:
'.
r
+r
~
['
family of flying friends.
Anyway , thanks for sharing your
story and please send us your book, "If
Airplanes Could Talk." Enc lo sed is
our check for $7.95.
Blue Skies and Best Regards,
Janet M. Ewertz
(EAA 42278, VAA 7005)
Sonoma, CA
Mr. Paine,
Enjoyed your article in the Decem­
ber issue of Vintage Airplane , so I
have to read your book, " If Airplanes
Could Talk." Enclosed my check for
same.
So nice to read something positive
when all the news on TV , radio and
newspapers is so negative.
Just for the love of flight,
I remain .
Bob Zilinsky
(EAA 30122, VAA 110)
Hinsdale, IL
~
-Bullets for Alignment-
By Bud Oliver
Reprinted fro m Custom Aircraf t Bu ilding Tips, Vol. 1
Many times I have shivered and cringed as I watched fel­
lows hammer bolts into strut and wing fittings as they assemble
and rig an aircraft. In many cases, the assemblers are unaware
of the proper techniques to use to avoid trouble. When you are
holding something in alignment, such as a wing-to-fuselage
root fitting, and then proceed to take the actual bolt that you are
going to secure it with and attempt to drive it into place with a
hammer, you are certain to get varying degrees of the follow­
ing results (and sometimes all of them): ruined bolt threads;
galled bolt and fittings; bent bolts; elongated fitting holes;
bent, twisted and cracked fittings; loss of paint or plating.
Two persons can assemble any plane whose component
parts they are able to lift with absolutely no damage by using
the following procedure.
Assemble the entire
plane by using bolts of
at least one size diame­
ter smaller than the bolts
you will use on the com­
p leted job. If possible,
these bolts should be in­
serted oppos ite to the
direction that the actual
FIG. 1
bolts will go in. In this
c --- --~ I
C__ _I
way, the entire plane will easily go into approximate align­
ment and the bolts will go in easily by inserting them with the
fingers (Fig. 2).
Now, make a bullet of the proper diameter and length for
the alignment of all fittings. To make the bullet, just take an
old bolt that is the same diameter that the fitting requires and
grind one end to a bullet nose shape and cut the other end off
square. Only the un threaded bolt shank is used. The head of
the bolt is cut off and the threaded end is used for the bullet
head end so that the threads are ground away (Fig. 1).
For tight places where a long bullet cannot be used, make
up a short one as shown. The bullet is given a thin coat of
Parker Thread-lube (or Lubriplate), or white lead and oil (to
stop galling of similar metals) and inserted into the fitting in
the same direction the final bolt will go in. The bullet is then
tapped in place with a soft drift and hammer until it is flush
with the face of the fitting (Fig. 3). The bolt is then tapped into
place. It will push the bullet out ofthe fitting ahead of it (Fig.
4). You may notice that I illustrated one bullet with an eye at
the point. This is the cotter pinhole of the original bolt from
which the bullet was made . Often there are places where the
bullet cannot be driven in. In these cases, you can often pull
the bullet into the hole with stainless steel safety wire inserted
through this hole (Fig. 5).
......
USE UNDERSIZE BOLT
TO INITIALLY INSTALL
COMPONENTS
c-- rm-~
~
FIG. 4
PUSH BOLT
... - - THROUGH TO
FOLLOW BULLET
PUSH UNDERSIZE BOLT
THROUGH WITH BULLET
--+------,
-
SAFETY WIRE
THROUGH HOLE
TO PULL BULLET
THROUGH FITTING
-~
FIG. 5
VINTAGE AIRPLANE
5
GRIMES
AIRPORT FLY-IN
by Andrew King
EAA 275985, VAA 10739
rimes Airport in Bethel, Pennsylva­
nia is rapidly becoming a mecca
for antique airplane nuts in the
northeast. The 2,800 foot grass strip is the
home of the Golden Age Air Museum, a
small but growing collection of 1920s and
1930s airplanes and memorabilia, and
twice a year, in July and October the Mu­
seum hosts an antique airplane fly-in. Last
year's summer event was on July II and
drew about 60 planes. The weather was al­
most perfect, sunny and clear with low
humidity, not the typical July heat and
haze. The wind was a little strong during
the day, but by lunch time the parking area
was pretty full, and the hamburger stand
was busy.
Some ofthe unusual attendees included
a Bellanca CH-400 Skyrocket, a Stinson
SR-5, a Travel Air 4000, and a Fleet Model
2 with an air starter. Several of the Mu­
seum's ships were out on the line as well,
including the E-2 Cub and the Ranger­
powered Great Lakes. In the hangar was
the one-of-a-kind Winstead Special, an
OX-5 powered biplane from the late 1920s.
The Winstead is almost ready to fly, with
only the installation of the engine and
some minor details to fmish.
Classics were the most numerous types
on the grounds, with plenty of Luscombes
and Taylorcrafts and Cessna 140s to look
at, and one really beautiful Swift.
A Stearman was busy all afternoon
barnstorming, and several others flew in,
including one that, according to a map on
the side, had flown to all of the United
States and all of the Provinces of Canada.
There were also a number of antique
cars on hand, including a couple of Model
As and a 1910 Maxwell, and as is normal
with these kind of events, a good time was
had by all. The next Golden Age Air Mu­
seum Fly-In will be a two-day affair,
October 3-4, and if last year was any exam­
ple, the fall fly-in will be even bigger than ...
the summer one. For more information on
the Museum and its activities, the phone
number is 717/933-9566, and the address is
371 Airport Rd., Bethel, PA 19507. ~
G
6 FEBRUARY 1999
GAAM-owned 1927 Winstead Special waiting for the installation of its OX-So
The Museum's Taylor E-2 Cub and Great Lakes Sport Trainer with a Model T Airport Hack
and 1910 Maxwell.
Great Lakes powered by a 200 Ranger in front of the Museum hangar.
Strobe lights were installed on Convair 340s, which were later re-engiried witb Allison
turboprops, and were designated CV-S80.
ircraft strobe lights flickering
across the darkened sky are a
common sight to us all. But how
did strobes come to be on air­
planes in the first place? And, what's a
blue duck named "Herman" got to do with
it anyway?
In the late 1950s, a gentleman named
Bill Adkins, who at that time was a first
officer for Northwest Airlines, was also a
camera buff. Stroboscopic lights were be­
coming available on the new generation of
cameras. Air traffic was becoming more
congested and the need for good illumina­
tion of aircraft at night had become more
evident.
A
8 FEBRUARY 1999
He began experiments with various
types of strobe lights and with the prob­
lems of mounting them on airplanes. When
he had developed what he thought was a
good system he realized there would be
great costs involved. He took his device to
Minneapolis Honeywell and the Maxi­
mum Safety Light was built. He then tried
to get someone to conduct an experiment
with the strobes on an airliner.
Northwest was not interested in con­
ducting experiments such as this, so he
approached some friends at North Central
Airlines. When the necessary paperwork
equaled the weight of the airplane, it be­
came possible to attach the strobe units to
one of North Central's DC-3s. Actually,
two units were necessary , one for each
wing. The strobes wer secured in a pod un­
der the wingtip and were not visible from
the cockpit.
We, the pilots, were cautioned not to
operate the strobes on the ground and only
in clear air, because the bright flashes
could be very disorienting when reflected
by objects or cloud form. They would also
be a disturbance to other pilots who were
nearby when on the ground.
Tower operators were asked if the
strobes enhanced visibility and made it
easier to spot traffic. Other pilots were
asked ifthe strobe lights were any easier to
see in flight than the conventional rotating
beacon and position lights. The responses
were very positive and our company,
North Central, decided to make them stan­
dard on our entire fleet.
The strobe lights created some interest­
ing thoughts among our passengers. One
evening, early in winter, we were cruising
northward across Wisconsin in that first
strobe equipped DC-3. Snow showers
were present and while were were flying
through one, the cockpit door opened. The
stewardess came in and said that a passen­
ger wanted to know if we were flying
through "static."
Static?
Remember we were still in the early
days of television, long before cable TV
and a channel on every spot on the dial.
"Static" was seen every time you rotated
the channel dial on your big RCA televi­
sion, and sometimes there even "snow" or
"static" when you had station tuned in!
We could only smi le, for we knew just
what the passenger was seeing. Every time
wingtip strobes would flash, it froze the
movement of the snow flakes for a split
second, and all the passenger could see out
his window was a world filled with bril­
liant dashes!
While planning to use the strobes,
North Central was starting a program to
rep lace the DC-3s with Convairs. Since
the DC-3s were to be disposed of, the
strobes were engineered for only the soon­
to-be-acquired Convairs.
North Central.
Eventually, other manu­
facturers and airlines picked
up the program, so strobe
li ghts were incorporated
into each generation of
modern aircraft. The usage
of strobes has spread to sur­
face operations, too.
Strobes can now be seen on
police vehic les, ambu­
lances, sc hool buses,
barricades and in many
other places. Instead of only
having the bright white
"lightning flash," color fil­ A North Central DC-3 on the ramp at land O'lakes, WI. Flying
ters have been added for the summer schedule, it waits for its passengers and crew.
Our thanks to Patti Barry, VP of Barry Aviation for supplying
some of these purposes.
us with this photo. A DC-3 just like this was used for the tests
When Douglas pro­ by North Central of strobe lights on aircraft.
duced the DC-1 0, they
installed strobes that were
the Mallard duck was chosen as Wiscon­
operated in a particular sequence. A you sin Central's symbol, North Central
watched one cruise across the sky, the became the airline with the "Blue Duck"
strobes winked flash - flash - pause on the tail. The duck, who we called "Her­
- flash . This made it very easy to iden­ man," was usually mis-referred to by the
tify a plane as a DC-I O. Now one seldom public as a blue goose, so most everyone
sees a DC-IO domestically, but some of else called us the "Blue goose Airline."
the other aircraft have adopted that par­
Herman the blue duck even survived
ticular pattern.
after North Central bought out Southern
Flashing strobes can be seen all over Airways and Hughes AirWest, forming
the sky when you step outside at night. the newly merged Republic Airlines.
They are tributes to a forward thinking pi­
However, sometime later, during the
lot who was a camera buff, and to an change to a new paint scheme for the
airline that was willing to take a chance.
Boeing 757, the duck was dropped from
If you happen to see an old Convair the tail and dispatched to the land of lost
580 parked at an airport. Look closely, be­ logos. Now that Republic has merged
cause if it has wingtip strobes, it probably into Northwest, Herman, North Central's
belonged to North Central.
blue duck, is unfortunately, more ofa
mSTORICAL NOTES
Within a short while , we had nearly
forty Convairs, each with a set of strobes
on the wing tips. The units consisted of
three lights, one flashing forward at 180
cycles per minute, one flashing to the side
at 80 cycles, and a third pointed to the rear
flashing at 40 cyc les . Eac h li ght was
shielded so that the flashes did not enter
the cockpit. In the late 1960s, North Cen­
tral converted the stro be eq uipp ed
Convairs to use Allison turboprop engines
and they were designated the CV-580.
For quite some time, there was no doubt
whose plane it was winging its way across
th e night sky. If it had strobe s, it was
-Bill Adkins went on to complete a ca­
reer as a Captain for Northwest, retiring at
age 60. Not happy with retirement, he sl id
back to the engi neer position for twelve
more years. Now, in his seventies, he con­
ducts demo nstratio n fl ights in the big
simulators that are normally used to train
the airline's pilots.
-Fifty one years ago, in February 1948,
an airline called Wisconsin Central came
into being. Th ey cho se a blue mall ard
duck with a circle around it as their logo.
The mall ard was known for its hi ghl y
adaptable pattern of short, efficient flights,
as well as for its strength and endurance in
long flights. The circle symbolized the sun
by day and the moon my night.
Later, to better the refl ect the airlines
expanding area of operation, the name was
changed to North Central Airlines. Since
dead duck.
So now , neither Wisconsin Central,
Nort h Centra l, Republic nor the Blue
Duck exists. But, there are those of us who
wi ll always remember when there was a
strong and forward thinking little airline
named North Central and a blue duck
named Herman who win ged hi s way
across the night sky sporting the very first
aircraft strobe lights.
Thanks, North Central.
Thanks, Helman.
Here's a trivia question I'll
bet many or you can answer:
Who invented the
strobe light?
The answer is published on page 28.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE
9
Our Mystery Airplane
for February is fairly
well known, but surprisingly we've never featured it in the column.
Have at it, and be sure
to have your answer in
to the Vintage Airplane
office no later than
March 25, 1999.
February .Mjrst~ PIJlil1J~
by H.G. Frautschy
November Mystery Plane
Still ~ Mystery...
10 FEBRUARY 1999
Not surpri s in gly, the November
Mystery Plane remains just that, a
one-of-a-kind li ghtpl ane that is lost
in the dusty fi le drawers of aviation
hi story. No one dared send in a response . There's a rotary engine
install ed, and you can just see what
appears to be a n engine contro l in
th e ca bin as yo u look through th e
pyralin windows.
There is a passing resemblance to
t he small er Alco Sportplane featured in the 1930 Flying and Glider
manual , but only wit h extens ive
changes could it even be related to the A lco. Like man y
of its pre-CAA contemporarie s, it 's most like ly a
homebuilt project built up with
war surp lu s parts, and was not
destined for production.
Here 's a note related to the
September Mystery Plane picture, from Don Toppen:
" ... Th e thing that r ea lly
caught my attention [in th e
photo} was the Gee Bee model
Y. In 1933, 1 worked atthe Air
Race as a "gopher, " along with
about five other Eagle Scouts
in th e press box. 1 wa tc h e d
Florence Klingensmith buy the
farm flying the modified "Y. "
She came around the hom e
py lon and lost what appeared
to be th e major portion of the
fabric from the top ofthe right wing.
She straightened it out and flew level
on an ESE direction toward Glen­
view. She got it across Lake Avenue,
the E- W road south ofthe airport and
across the Milwaukee Railroad
tracks. At that point she lost it; it
went from level flight to a straight
nose-dive into the ground.
This Air Race was in conjunction
with the Chicago World's Fair of
1933, held at Curtiss Reynolds Field.
During WW II, it became NAS Glen­
view. I went by there before
AirVenture '98, and they are pulling
out all the runways, now that the air­
port is closed.
This airport holds fond memories
for me, as it was here I had my first
airplane ride. It was in a Ford Tri­
Motor, the fee being a penny a pound!
Whenever we could, my friend Bill
Crawford and I would play hooky
and ride our bikes to Curtiss
Reynolds. Bill became a meteorolo­
gist, they taught him to fly , and he
para-dropped equipment along the
"Hump" route. The engineers built
th e airstrips, he set up the W/X sta­ Race Program my employee badge,
tions, and kept them going until the and red identification card for the
war ended.
Race to the EAA Boeing Library. I
On these visits, we would watch know D enn is Parks has it stashed
"Gray Goose Airline" Fords come away not 50 feet from your desk.
There are many more stories lurk­
and go. That's when I decided I was
going to darn well be an airline pilot! ing in the back ofthe old noggin, and
While working at the Air Race I met it is fun reminiscing with others from
such pilots as Major Ernst Udet. I the same era, but as for a stand alone
took his picture for one ofthe writers. article, there is not much ofgeneral
Hi s specialty was a handkerchief interest.
pickup with the wingtip of his plane.
Enjoy your magazine, H. G.!
Another was Roscoe Turner. A t a
Sincerely,
later date after Gene Tritt and I
Don Toppen
founded the United Pilot's Speakers
(EAA 109869, VAA 7836)
Panel, I wo rked a convention with
Sun City West, AZ
Roscoe down in French Lick, Indiana.
Well, there were many more. I'll
never forget the squadrons
ofP-6s and P-12s the Army
Gee Bee ..J '
Air Force had on site. The
fellows flew them around
the pylons too. In those
days, everything was a race
horse start. Impressive!
A number ofyears ago,
as we movedfrom Illinois
to Wisconsin I gave the
I
Keystone K-78 Patrician VINTAGE MAGAZINE 11
ON THE COVER
Luscombe'sT-8F
Plenty of Class
to Watch the World
CoDy
I
f you were a salesman who repre-
sented a company that made
aluminum and plastic polishes,
then you'd want to know Brice Newberry
(EAA 587092, VAA 29373) of Kingfisher, OK.
Brice and his wife Vicki "have a thing" for the
Luscombe line of airplanes, and in particular, he
really loves the T-8, Luscombe's utility airplane
that came about during Luscombe ' s bid to procure a military contract.
The T-8F features plenty of plexiglass to keep
clean (33 sq. ft. i), and quite a few square feet of
aluminum sheet to keep polished. Maybe that's
why one of his T-8F's is bare metal with red
trim , and the other flying T -8F in his stable is
painted in a military green!
Brice's work with the T-8F series began with
a mention by one of his best buddies, Randy
Briscoe. He indicated he was ready for a special
airplane restoration project, one that was "different. " He ' d owned a variety of airplanes in the
past, inc luding Cessnas, Stearmans, Citabrias
and a Bellanca Viking, but he wanted something special. Brice knew what Randy needed a Luscombe!
Randy and his wife Jamie started to research
Luscombes, after he and Brice decided to look
for a T-8F. Compiling a list of all the owners, letters were sent out inquiring if anyone was
interested in selling their airplanes. Some never
came back, and many came with notes that effectively said "we'll never sell!"
Fortunately, there were a few who said they 'd
be interested in selling. In March of 1997, Randy
located N2202B in Death Va lley, CA. Brice flew
commercially to Reno, NV and was met by the
T-8F's owner, John Mulvey. With an annual
good until the following October, Brice flew it
home to Oklahoma, where he and Randy enjoyed
By H.G. Frautschy
12
FEBRUARY 1999
~he
unusual lines of the Luscombe T-SF came about when Luscombe was vying for a military
liaison plane contract. They didn't win, but the airplane was certified by the CAA and has
developed quite a following for the 30 remaining out of lOS built.
it for the summer. When annual inspec­
tion time came up, they decided to install
an electrical system in the airplane.
Well, one thing led to another, and you
all know what that can lead to .. .
The Luscombe T -SF started out
purely as the speculative answer to an
Air Force question. Looking for a new
light liaison airplane for the Army to use
in the post-war era, the Air Force (who
was doing the evaluation for the Army)
made it clear they wanted an off-the­
shelf airplane that would meet their
specifications. In order to keep the cost
to the military down, the airplanes had to
be CAA Type Certificated. For Lus­
combe, the basic 8F airframe contributed
about 90 percent of the the parts for the
new model , but there was one important
difference in the specification that re­
quired Luscombe's engineers to spend
some drafting table time. The Air Force
wanted an airplane with tandem seating,
and Luscombe didn't make any airplanes
with that seating arrangement. In order
to make that work, when they moved the
passenger aft, they got an added bonus.
The plastic bubble added to the top half
of the aft cockpit gave the observer in
the back spectacular views. Now, it did
nothing for the airplane's lines, and in
fact the revised fuselage shape required
the addition of a dorsal fin to the verti­
cal tail to give some added stability. But
the added side windows in the doors
and to the left and right of the aft seat
gave the T -SF superb visibility. The late
Max Karant wrote about the view out
The T-SF cockpit differs from its cousin, the SF. The throttle is located on the left side of the
cockpit, at the forward edge of the door, and the stick is now in the center of the floor. The
aft passenger does have a set of rudder pedals and a stick. The red handle on the upper left
of the photo is the flap handle.
14 FEBRUARY 1999
the T-SF:
"Maneuverability in the air is quite
satisfactory, and somewhat startling if
you happen to look around through the
various windows. A steep turn, for in­
stance, looks a lot more dramatic in
the airplane; you can look back and
see the world cocked at an angle, and
nearly all ofthe Observer's tail unit is
visible. And even in level flight it's
somewhat startling to look down ; the
whole ofboth sides ofthe airplane are
window, enabling pilot and passenger
to see clear under the plane. " (From
Flying, September, 1945.)
For ventilation, the upper door win­
dows open, as do the aft side windows .
With all that overhead clear plexi­
glasss, on a warm summer day you
might need all the windows open, and
don't forget the sunscreen and a hat!
The first of the military Luscombes
was the T -8E, which was powered, per
the Air Force spec., by the Continental
C-S5 engine. After tests at Fort Bragg,
SC, during which the Luscombe, Tay­
lorcraft and Aeronca airplanes were
tested and found satisfactory, the con­
tract was awarded based on the bid
price. Aeronca won with a bid of
$1,649 per airplane for the 439 7BCs it
was to deliver.
After being shipped home to Dallas,
Luscombe continued work to have the
T -SE certificated. It was hoped the mil­
itary would be interested in the airplane
during a later 'off-the-shelf' buy. As
The aft seat can be a great place to get a
tan - don't forget the sunscreen and a hat!
the program progressed, it was decided
to equip the airplane with the C-90
Continental, a decision made easier
with the concurrent certification of the
Luscombe 8F. In fact, the T-8F and 8F
were certified on the same day by the
CAA, and T-8Fs were soon being de­
livered to customers. The first model
available, the Observer, was issued
with two levels of equipment. The Spe­
cial and Deluxe. The Special lacked the
electrical system, landing lights and
starter the Deluxe was given. Plans
were also being made to put the T-8F
in another market - crop dusting.
The T-8F duster was dubbed the
Crop Master. Installed in the wings
were a pair of 30 gallon spray tanks ,
and mounted on the struts and fuselage
was a spray rig built by the Indepen­
dent Cropdusters company of Campell,
CA. By midwinter of 1948-49, the de­
sign was ready, and approved in the
Standard and Restricted categories by
the CAA in February. Also included in
the Crop Master T -8F was the new
Luscombe wing flap design which had
just been given production approval by
theCAA.
1949 was not going to be a great
year for the Luscombe company, and
the production life of the T -8F sprayer
was short lived - from March until June
of that year. Only 35 of the Crop Mas­
ter sprayers were built and delivered
before Luscombe Aircraft Co. was
forced into bankruptcy.
The T -8F about to be annualed by
Brice and Randy was originally built in
Brice Newberry and his friend, Randy Brisco have to squint just a bit because of their polish
job on the T-SF.
the second batch of airplanes , com­
pleted April 30, 1949 . In May, C.L.
Butler and Sons of Pine Bluff, WY
bought the Crop Master for use on their
ranch, and continued to own and fly it
until 1991 when it was sold to Mr.
Mulvey. Their only changes to the air­
plane were the installation of a
Lycoming 0-320 of 150 hp , and the
mounting of a pair of 850x6 tires to
handle their ranch strip.
When October arrived and the an­
nual was due , the work was begun .
Vicki Newberry describes the next part
ofNC2202B's history:
"We ordered the parts we needed to
install the electrical system and this is
where things sort of got carried away.
33 square feet of plexiglass surround the pilot and observer in the T-SF. Both the upper side
windows on the doors and the windows just below the aft bubble can be opened in flight.
We decided to remove the wings to do
the inspection for inner granular cor­
rosion and we ' dju st take the spray
tanks out then. We were very pleased
at the condition the wings were in and
decided to incorporate the wing tanks
and the spray tanks to give us a bit
more fuel range . We thought now
would be the time to install landing
lights and why not just go ahead and
install strobes too. We installed the
starter, prop extension, alternator and
to maintain the original Luscombe
cowling look we lengthened the rear
of the cowl (upper and lower) approx­
imately six inches.
"Brice fabricated the new cowling
doors to allow clearance for the spark
plugs and valve covers, this is the only
skin that is not original from the fac­
tory. He also installed a new prop
spinner, he fabricated the battery box,
baggage compartment and installed
them. Th e tail was removed and the
horizonta l stabilizer fitting was re­
placed with part # 1000, furnished by
the DLHF, new ball bearing pulleys
and new cables were installed. The
paint was stripped. Control sticks,
rudder pedals and door latches and
throttle quadrant were sent offand
chromed. The instrument panel was
removed, cleaned and repainted two
tone silver/red with a tiny black pin­
stripe and has wood grain accents .
New instruments were installed but he
maintained the original panel look.
The exterior was painted with Air
Tech's Firestorm Red and pinstriped
with 1/16 " black pinstripe, thefactory
installed original skins were polished
VINTAGE AIRPLANE
15
Here's the entire brood, all five of the T-8F's now at Brice's airstrip, White airport.
Each will have the latest mods available for the Luscombe, including the DLAHF
PMA'd horizontal tail fitting, and the BAS tail pull handle mounted on the aft fuse­
lage. The second aircraft on the right, in the dark green color scheme, was restored in
recent years by the Don Luscombe Aviation History Foundation, long after it had
been damaged back in 1961.
space anything we needed.) "
Like the potato chip commercial
where "nobody can eat just one," the
Newberrys now have five T-8F's located
at their private airstrip, White Airport .
Two are currently flying (NC2123B and
2202B) and the others are undergoing
restoration , one of them (N 1589B) by
Willy Luber, manager of the Kingfisher
airport. N220 I B is being restored for
Randy Briscoe, Brice's friend and King­
fisher businessman. The engine will be a
Lycoming 0290-02 (135 hp), a full
compliment ofVFR instruments and a
red and silver color scheme. Randy and
Brice' s eyes just sparkled when they
were talking about the new restoration,
and you could tell it will be something
special. We look forward to seeing it.
The other project is N 1583B. All of the
airplanes have the horizontal tail fitting
replaced with the new PMA'd fitting
manufactured by the Don Luscombe
Aviation History Foundation (DLAHF).
They also have the BAS tail pull handle
installed, used to move the airplane
around on the ground, instead of pushing
and pulling on the tail surfaces.
Brice is plenty busy in his life as a
cropduster, and he also enjoys ropin'
and making horse saddles , but Vicki
says the top of his recreation list has the
heading "Luscombe ." With the way
N2202B looks, what will he and Randy
have for us to see in the future?
~
until they looked like new.
the Classic Division Award at the EAA
" The interior was painted with Air Fly-in in Eldorado, Kansas. (By the
Tech 's Nevada Silver and we decided to way, they are a great group ofpeople,
try to design som e typ e ofinterior, we th ey helped us get a motel room and
chose salt and p epper, red and black were friendly and extra eager to help
carp et and th e side pan el are red with transportation , finding hangar
tuck/roll inserts with silver. New g lass was installed. This particular example is powered by a Lycoming 0-320 of 150 hp. The "high country" stance of this T-8 F is We received a one time field emphasized by the 850x6 tires. approval from the FAA.
"This "annual" took in
ex cess of 1300 hours of
Brice's time, he worked in
excess of 12 hour days and
many se ven days a week.
Willy Lub er of Okarch e,
Oklahoma sp ent many
long hours working side
by side Bri ce . Very few
visitors at th e hangar es­
cap ed without holding a
sc rewdriv er o r wrench .
For quite some tim e I was
co nvinced this wasn't a
proj ect it was turning out
to be a career!
" We we re honored to
have received the Classic
Division Award and the
Grand Champi on Award
at th e A ntiqu e Airplan e
Fly-in at Pauls Valley, Ok­
lah oma, and we received
16 JANUARY 1999
Buck Hilbert's 1938 Fleet Model lOF on Pontoons nusual airplanes de­
mand unusual people.
E. E. " Buck" Hilbert
(EAA 21, A I C 5) of
Union, IL, is one of
those people - and his Fleet Model
10F is one of those airplanes! Not
only is it a " rare" model , but most
unusual is the fact that it was never
certificated in the United States prior
to Buck's ownership. Therein lies a
problem that was tough to sunnount,
as we shall see.
The original Fleet Model I wa s
designed and sold in 1929 with a
Warner 110 engine and many early
pilots received their initial training
in them. This model begat the
U
Model 2, the Model 7, the Model 8,
and the Model 9, which were pow­
ered with Kinner engines of 100 to
125 hp. By the time the mid thirties
came along, Fleet Aircraft was busy
selling airplanes to foreign coun­
tries, especially those in Central and
South America.
Buck' s Fleet Model 10F was built
in June of 1938 and in June, 1939, it
was shipped from Canada to
Nicaragua as a "fighter" complete
with aux . fuel tanks, bomb racks and
a .30 caliber machine gun that fired
through the propeller. The serial
number on the airplane is 263, which
many experts suspect was the proto­
type Model 10 to be exported, as the
export numbers run from 263 to 411,
all exported as military aircraft.
The F leet served in the
Nicaraguan military from 1939 until
1955, when it was surplused to the
civilian market and eventually was
collected as a "basket case" by
Danny Martinez (EAA 72116) of
San Antonio , TX. Danny is a long­
time EAAer and has an avid interest
in antique airplanes, including Fleet
biplanes. He labored away on the
Fleet Modell 0 for nearly 16 years,
doing a tremendous amount of work
on the airframe and overhauling the
original Warner 145 engine. When
the time came to install the ailerons
on the wings , the eight-foot-Iong
By Norm Petersen hinge pins would not go in! It was
maddening, to say the least.
Enter one Buck Hilbert. The time
was 1989 and Danny was at his wits
end. Buck figured there must be a way
to mount the ailerons, so he bought the
Fleet and hauled it to his home in Illi­
nois. The fun began.
With no previous certification, the
entire Fleet biplane had to be closely
inspected for conformity to Standard
Certification. Using hard-to-get draw­
ings , it was possible for the FAA
inspectors to put their stamp of ap­
proval on everything up to the fuewall.
However, there was no record of a
Fleet Modell 0 ever using a Warner
145 engine and the inspectors were
stopped cold. It would take another
three years before Buck Hilbert was
able to have a heart-to-heart talk with
Admiral Busey, the FAA Administra­
tor at the time. Once the "word" came
down, things started to move forward
and the airplane was certified in the
Standard Category as a "Hilbert Fleet
ModeIIOF."
18 FEBRUARY 1999
Early in the morning, Buck Hilbert (closest to the camera) readies the Fleet for the EAA televi­
sion crew to take some video footage of the seaplane. Standing on the wing is Scott
Guyette and walking by the tail is Robb McAllister, both of the EAA video crew.
The old gray iron streamlined fly­
ing wires were replaced by a complete
set of stainless wires from Nick d' A­
puzzo, who commented that the
measurements were identical to a set
of Fleet 16 wires. Sadly, this would
be the last set of wires that Nick sold
before his passing.
The airplane was flown on wheels
for about 16 hours when the engine be­
gan showing signs of ill health. Buck
and Charlie Smith overhauled the
Warner and found two pistons that
were bad and some of the valve train
needed help before it once again ran
well. By now the concept of a gen­
uine biplane on floats was starting to
haunt Buck, so he began looking. The
idea just wouldn ' t go away! One day
in Trade-A-Plane, he spotted a set of
Edo 1835 floats for sale, complete
with Fleet rigging! The owner turned
out to be Sandy Brown, the present
newsletter editor of the International
Fleet Club based in Marlborough, CT.
Once the set of floats, built in May,
1930, were purchased, they were
hauled to Brian Van Wagnen' s place in
Michigan. The Fleet was flown from
Illinois to Michigan for the installation.
Every part of the float installation fit
very well and the only additions needed
were a couple of sets of float wires to
complete the truss work between the
floats and the airplane.
A metal Hamilton/Standard ground
adjustable propeller was installed for
float work as wooden props are se­
verely eaten away by water spray.
With a setting that allows the big 500
cubic inch Warner to crank up to 2100
(Top) Buck Hilbert departs the seaplane base to make the Seaplane Fly-By at Wittman Field.
His was one of nearly forty seaplanes that took part.
(Middle) With this author in the front cockpit, Buck taxies the Fleet at idle speed as he lines
up for the takeoff run . The Fleet is very stable in the water and the Edo 1835 floats do an
excellent job. The 145 Warner accelerates with complete authority on the takeoff run and
climbs out with gusto.
(Below) Pictured from the rear quarter, we get a good look at the float installation with its
myriad of wires. The dual water rudders are in the "up" position, being raised by pulling a
handle in the rear cockpit. You can plainly see the noticeable dihedral in the lower wings of
the Fleet, a trademark of the biplane.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE
19
RPM , the big metal propeller really
gets with the program on takeoff. The
Fleet gets off the water very nicely and
climbs out smartly . Normal cruise is
75 to 80 mph on floats, which is about
5 mph slower than wheels.
The Fleet was flown to the Otsego
Lake Seaplane Fly-In in Michigan in
early June where it drew rave notices
among the crowd. From there, it was
flown up to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario,
Canada for the Canadian Bushplane
Heritage gathering. Again, the pretty
blue and yellow Fleet was the hit of
the show.
After resting in Canada for a few
weeks, the Fleet was flown to Oshkosh
for the big seaplane fly-in where our
photographers caught up with the
unique floatplane .
Believe me when I say the many
thousands of Vet tel Blust Seaplane
Base visitors during AirVenture '98 re­
ally enjoyed watching the Fleet come
and go as it chugged by with the
Warner at idle, doing a slow taxi , or at
full bore on a takeoff run across the
outer bay. The exciting part was when
Buck would cut the power for landing
and the Fleet would come down like a
proverbial stone - its glide ratio, with
all the drag of a biplane and float rig­
ging, is hard to imagine - and the Fleet
would s lide onto the water right in
20 FEBRUARY 1999
front of the crowd.
During the Convention, Buck esti­
mates nearly 100 rides were given (this
author was one of the lucky ones) in
some 25 hours of float flying. The
sixty-year-old Fleet never missed a beat
and the folks were extremely happy
with the performance. Even Sue
Sanders of the Seaplane Pilots Associa­
tion (SPA) enjoyed her ride so much
that she wrote an article in the SPA
magazine about her beautiful ride in
Buck Hilbert's Waco on floats . (Can't
win 'em all.)
Since the summer has passed, the
floats have been removed form the
Fleet and Buck has been busy doing a
few updates and improvements. He re­
cently installed a brand new exhaust
system made of highly polished type
321 stainless steel that is a remarkable
piece of work. In addition, he is
presently busy building a set of new
windshie ld s for the pretty biplane.
One thing about Buck Hilbert, he never
quits, he just keeps making things bet­
ter. Special congratulations to Buck &
Dorothy Hilbert for making our sea­
plane fly-in so much more interesting.
"Yah done good!"
.....
A happy twosome, the author and Buck return to the Vette/Blust Seaplane Base after a dandy
ride in the Fleet on floats . Check out the thick airfoil (Clark Y) on the wings.
o o
e v
e w
Whats in a name? Would it have held up to the test oftime if the
headlines ofMay 22,1927 had read CHARLES MANSON LANDS IN
PARIS? That was the family name until Ola Mannson arrived in
Minnesota in 1859 with Charles A. Lindberghs father, then an infant.
Comments on A. Scott Berg's LINDBERGH
la, a former member of the Swedish parliament, had become entang led in scandal.
He was accused of embezzlement and was
supporting a mistress on the side who bore
him a son, later to be Congressman C. A. Lindbergh,
Sr. Mannson, or Manson as CAL, Jr. spe lled it, had
been stripped of his civil rights and might well have
landed in jail had he not fled Sweden . He made
changing the fami ly name the first order of business
upon settling in the New World. The Lindberg surname was rare in Sweden, but spelled with an "h" it
was all but unknown.
Scott Berg spent nine years writing "LIND BERGH," the latest biography of one ofthis century's
most controversial figures. It is also the only authorized biography . Berg had the blessing of the
Lindbergh family who unsealed all the archives, apparently with no strings attached. This is a compelling
volume for anyone who has a serious interest in the
subject. Alas, Berg is not an airplane man and much
of what one might wish for is e ith er ignored or
glossed over.
Berg traces Lindbergh's early impressions of aviation back to the day in Little Fa lls, Minnesota, while
playing alone upstairs, he heard the spluttering of an
engine overhead. It was an exhibition biplane, his
O
mother explained, a very dangerous affair. In the context of Berg's account this happened circa 1907, but
there was no flying in the area until September 191 1
when Tom Mc Goey performed under contract to the
loca l farmers co-op in a homebuilt Curtiss type
pusher. Lindbergh was then nine.
In June 19 12, whi le domiciled in Washington ,
DC where the elder Lindbergh was serving a term
in Congress, CAL had an opportunity to see the
Army's fledgling air fo rce in action at Fort Myer,
Virginia. The outing had been arranged for by his
parents . CAL's recollection of the occasion was
highlighted by a race between one of the aviators
and an automob il e.
On the who le, Berg seems to have a good grasp
of the facts , though there are some errors- a few of
which may be typographical. He refers to Juan
Trippe as the founder of Eastern Airlines and promotes Maj. A. B. Lambert, a "Spirit of St. Louis"
backer and founder of Lambert-St. Louis Airport,
to Ge neral. He a lso refers to Marvin Northrup,
proprietor of a Minneapol is aerona uti ca l suppl y
house, as a manufacturer, perhaps confusing him
with Jack Northrop. Berg also describes the trimotored Ju 52 as the standard bombardment plane
in Hitler ' s new Luftwaffe.
By John Underwood, EAA 1989
VINTAGE AIRPLANE
21
Charles Lindbergh seldom posed for testimonials. This was an exception.
All of this does not really weigh too
heavily against Berg's prose and pur­
pose- namely, to reveal the Lindbergh
the American public has long sought to
understand. He has undoubtedly come
as close to the definitive treatment as
anyone ever will, which includes the
Lindberghs themselves. CAL's grand­
children will probably find this book as
absorbing as this reviewer, all 600-odd
pages of it, for the "Lone Eagle" was
as much a mystery to his own children
as he was to a public that both idolized
and reviled him.
The Lindbergh baby's kidnapping is,
of course, recounted in detail. The facts
are both moving and appalling. One
can readily understand CAL's loathing
for the press. The trial itself was a me­
dia circus, but no more so than the O. J.
affair of more recent memory. Haupt­
mann had to be guilty , although not
necessarily of murder. Anyone who
subscribes to the crackpot theories that
have been advanced in the interim
should read and weep over what hap­
pened to the Lindberghs. Reeve
Lindbergh's insightful " UNDER A
22 FEBRUARY 1999
WING" is also highly recommended.
Members of the Jewish faith have
long held that Lindbergh was an anti­
Semite. Berg, who is Jewish himself,
explores the reasons for this and con­
cludes that he was not. Lindbergh, in
his America First speeches, struck out
at Jewish influence which he per­
ceived to be among the elements
committed to engaging the U . S. in a
war with Germany. Such a war he be­
lieved would result in the destruction
of westem civilization.
The fact is that Lindbergh was a pa­
triotic American and would-be
peacemaker, albeit somewhat naive in
his conceptions. Although he felt com­
pelled to leave the U. S. for a period of
time for his family ' s sake, he never at
any point considered for a moment giv­
ing up his citizenship. Indeed, he
became a key element in keeping the
War Department abreast of what was
happening in European aviation. More­
over, he was eager to serve. Berg points
out that CAL applied for reappointment
as an Air Corps reserve officer while in
self-imposed exile. By then he had al­
ready been labeled a Nazi by such syn­
dicated smut-peddlers as Walter
Winchell.
It's interesting to note that the Amer­
ican Air Attache in Berlin wanted
Lindbergh to meet with Hitler. That
meeting never came about, although he
did meet twice with Goering and once
with Rudolf Hess, Hitler's deputy .
Hess, an enthusiastic airman since 1918,
was a great admirer of Lindbergh. He,
too, had dreamed of undertaking a long­
distance flight. As it transpired, Hess
did complete a long and perilous flight
when he surreptitiously piloted a
Messerschmitt 110 to Scotland in May
of 1941, hoping to make peace with
England.
The Lindbergh's were fascinated by
what was happening in Germany , as
was everyone else at the time, and they
nearly spent the winter of 1938 in
Berlin. This was in part at the behest of
Ambassador Wilson and the Air At­
tache, Truman Smith , who hoped it
would avail CAL of further opportuni­
ties to study German aviation. Indeed,
Lindbergh got to see things that no for­
eigner had seen, such as the
Ju 88. He also got to fly a
number of new aircraft, such
as the Me 109 and Fieseler
Storch.
Berg, in recounting Lind­
bergh's association with
Messerschmitt, declares that
the latter never recovered
emotionally or financially
from WW- TI. This implies a
degree of impoverishment
which is misleading, to say
the least. Messerschmitt was
not long in getting back to
manufacturing aircraft, first
in Spain and later in Ger­
many. Messerschmitt & Co.
helped build the F -104 for
the new Luftwaffe and the
designer lived to provide Air­
bus recommendations.
Berg only devotes a few
pages to CAL's test-flying, which is worth a book in itself. With Chance Vought,
Tom Mc Goey in his homemade Curtiss type pusher. He over flew the Lindbergh home in Little Falls in 1911, finished the season and quit the flying game. for example, he had much to
do with service testing the
F4U Corsair. He made several demon­
stration tours as well, familiarizing the
Navy and Marines with new develop­
ments . Berg makes no mention of a
shavetaillieutenant at El Centro who
brashly asked CAL if he could try his
Corsair, which had the new bubble
canopy instead of the "jailhouse" hatch.
Lindbergh was glad to oblige. The 22year-old lieutenant was John Glenn, an
icon in the making . They were both
destined for combat in the Pacific.
Lindbergh, at the relatively old age
of 42, would be called upon to demon­
strate his skills as a fighter pilot, albeit
unofficially and unavoidably. He was
detailed as a civilian to the South Pa­
cific as a tech rep and observer, first
CAL and AML on arrival at Prague, 2 September 1938. The worried look no doubt reflects their feelings toward the mob approaching. A
moment later he gunned the engine and taxied to the far side while police contained the crowd .
VINTAGE AIRPLANE
23
with USMA Corsair units, later with
the AAF in P-38s. His mission was to
observe from the periphery, mostly,
avoidi ng actual combat with enemy
aircraft, which by them were seldom
seen. Altogether he flew 50 missions,
logging nearly 200 hours time in four
and a half months.
Berg gets carried away in implying
that CAL was prepared to meet his
maker and "comme nded hi s sou l to
God" when a Zero jumped him on 1
August 1944. That quotation could
hardly have been Lindbergh's. It was a
momentary encounter and stressfu l to
be sure, but the Zero broke off the at­
tack before the pilot could bring
effective fire to bear on CAL's P-38.
Only once did CAL himself fire on
an enemy aircraft. That engagement
lasted but a few seconds and involved a
single, head-on pass between his P-38
and a Mitsubishi Ki-51 attack aircraft
code named "Sonia." The Japanese pi­
lot, outgunned and outnumbered, had
who rolled over and dived into the sea.
Berg claims Lindbergh prayed for the
pilot's soul for many years thereafter.
President Roosevelt, who never for­
gave CAL for challenging the wisdom of
his sending the Army out to fly the mail
and for his antiwar activism in 1941,
barred him from military service. The
ban was enforced even after FDR's
death. Berg credits Gen. Bob ("GOD IS
MY COPILOT") Scott with Lindbergh's
reinstement as an Air Force officer.
Scott, then a colonel running the Air
Force's Office of Information Services,
told his boss, Harold Talbott, that mak­
ing CAL a general would be a shrewd
move. President Eisenhower apparently
concurred. Lindbergh was placed on the
active reserve list as a brigadier general
in April 1954.
Lindbergh felt that the U. S. was on
a collision course with the Soviet
Union, says Berg . He got involved
with bolstering the defense posture,
most notably as a SAC advisor, and be­
pearances disconcerting. CAL, with his
many eccentricities, was a strict disci­
plinarian and his frequent absences
were both painful on the one hand and
welcome respites on the other.
Reeve Lindbergh, who inherited her
parents' artistic talent, reveals in "UN­
DER A WING" what it was like to be
offspring of the "Lone Eagle." With
the exception of Jon who earned his
Private Pilot's License before taking up
a career as a deep-sea diver, none of
them really took to flying. That was
fine with Lindbergh who never lost his
love of the art. For him all that mat­
tered was doing something challenging
and worthwhile , and doing it well.
- 101m Underwood.
Editor's Note: I can't help but add my
two cents worth to John's comments.
First off, if you're contemplating reading
this book, you should know that it is not
an "aviation book" in the sense that
many of us might have expected. Berg is
not an aviator, and it shows in his writ-
The fact is that Lindbergh was a patriotic American and would-be peacemaker, albeit
somewhat narve in his conceptions. Although he felt compelled to leave the U. S. for
a period of time for his family's sake, he never at any point considered for a moment
giving up his citizenship. Indeed, he became a key element in keeping the War De­
partment abreast of what was happening in European aviation.
"made monkeys" out of the attacking
Americans, but he was smoking from a
hit and survival depended on shaking
off several P-38s. In a bid to escape, he
banked sharply in CAL's direction and
held a collision course.
The Japanese were now facing an op­
ponent on more equal terms. They were
closing at something like 600 mph, one­
on-one, firing at targets that grew larger
with each passing second. There was still
a chance the Japanese might score a vic­
tory and, indeed, elude the P-38s, by then
short of ammunition and low on fuel. He
was over his home base and there was
heavy ground fire from anti-aircraft in­
stallations.
Lindbergh could easily have joined
the ranks ofKIAs, but his gunnery ex­
pertise and instinct for survival
prevailed. The Japanese, perhaps
wounded, undershot his target and Lind­
bergh cleared the "Sonia," avoiding a
collision by a scant ten feet or less. It
was all over for the Emperor's airman
24 FEBRUARY 1999
gan flying the latest jets. He also
designed and built his own bomb shel­
ter and directed his family to head for
the Maine woods in the event of a nu­
clear attack.
It was widely supposed that the Lind­
berghs were well matched in their
marriage. Not so, according to Berg. Anne
Morrow Lindbergh, who loved her hus­
band deeply, found her domestic situation
intolerable by the late 1950s. CAL had be­
come a compulsive wanderer of the world.
At home one day, gone the next to who­
knows-where. Oft times it was on
gratuitous Air Force business, such as help­
ing select a site for the Air Force academy.
In later years these sojoums had more to do
with ecological considerations. Lindbergh,
the humanitarian, was constantly on a cru­
sade of one sort or another. For Anne
Morrow Lindbergh these protracted ab­
sences proved devastating.
The five surviving Lindbergh chil­
dren, too, found their father's
jack-in-the-box appearances and disap­
ing. That's not necessarily a negative,
since his perspective on Lindbergh is not
tainted by the myths that have built
around the Lindbergh story among avia­
tion history buffs. But it does mean that
aviation is not the main focus of this
book. It is a biography ofLindbergh the
man, not just his aviator persona. It paints
a somewhat dark portrait about a man
who was at times unwielding in his opin­
ions, sometimes at the expense of his
personal relationships. But that's only
onefacet ofwhat was and still continues
to be one ofthe great enigmatic personal­
ities ofthe 20th century. There's far more
to his personality make up than that, and
Berg 's nine years of work detail it well.
You may not like everything you read
about Lindbergh, but for that you can 't
fault the messenger. For most ofus, there
still remains to be written the definitive
aeronautical history of Charles lind­
bergh, including a review ofhis logbooks.
We have more to look forward to!­
H.G. Frautschy.
......
PASS IT TO BUCK by E.E. "Buck" Hilbert
EAA #21 VAA #5
P.O. Box 424, Union, IL 60180
Odds and ends and a new
way to hone cylinders...
CHAPTER NEWSLETTERS
Builder's tips often turn up infor­
mation that is applicable to all of our
airplanes, not just homebuilders. The
Technical Counselor staff, in my
book, comes off as one of the best
sources for practical maintenance.
Their exposure to a myriad of prob­
lems and their solutions provides
experience that benefits all of us.
Every chapter newsletter I'm privi­
leged to receive contains useful
information. Chapters maintain li­
braries, tool inventories, listings for
part sources, and, best of all, cama­
raderie. Where else can you talk
airp lanes but with the guys and girls
who want the same things you do?
The "Been there, done that" passed on
to your buddy gives both of you a
boost. You get to expound a little, he
gets the benefit of your experience,
and in the long run we all gain.
Gary Hunter, "Pushy Galore's" en­
gineer, is possibly one of the best
efficiency experts I have ever met.
Sure, he's a homebuilder, but he comes
up with solutions to common problems
that are simple and practical, almost as
a matter of course. I call him an "engi­
neer" and that's what he is. He typifies
the airplane mechanic of "old." Able to
fix anything. He can be a jeweler, he
can be a blacksmith ; I'll bet he could
even shoe horses! He flies his VariEze,
too, so he appreciates the pilot point of
Gary Hunter (llpushy
Galore" engineer) is
possibly one of the
best efficiency experts
I have ever met... he
comes up with
solutions to common
problems... he typifies
the airplane
mechanic of old.
view as well.
But I ' m getting away from why I
started to write this . Gary had con­
tributed a short blurb to the January
Quad Cities Chapter 75 Newsletter.
His subject was spinner wobble and its
easy cure.
"A ll of us have seen a beautiful air­
plane and at one time or another
watched in awe as the spinner wobbled
all over the place when the engine
started. We've all read or seen or
even experienced spinner cracks, and
sometimes even shed one in flight."
Gary says "truing" the spinner is a
simple and easy thing to do. Balanc­
ing isn ' t the issue; that comes later.
"Basically , you start by making
sure your bulkheads are true. They
are the basis you hang the spinner on
and they'd better be true to start with.
That assured you get on with it.
"You're going to be rotating the
prop whi le you're doing this, so pull
the spark plugs to make rotation easier.
"Position the airplane so it can't in­
advertently move and position a stable
reference ju st under the tip of the
spinner (a stepladder, chair, tool box,
anything that will remain stable).
"Rotate the prop and watch the spin­
ner tip. It will be obvious which way
it's out of whack. Simply loosen the
screws around the spinner bulkheads
and adjust accordingly. Elongate any
holes that require it. Keep working
until you get it nice and true. Once you
have established that it is true, retighten
all the sc rews the way you normally
do."
"Now comes the simple part. " (If
you had only thought ofthis back when
our Ryan STA was ALWAYS cracking
and shedding spinners!) "Using a small
diameter drill (I/16th), drill three align­
ment holes around the periphery of the
spinner into the rear bulkhead. One
VINTAGE AIRPLANE
25
alignment hole will suffice in the front
bulkhead. Now, whenever you rein­
sta ll the spinner, insert pins into these
alignment holes before tightening the
sc rews. Your spinner will be auto­
matically'trued' ."
Gary's la st comment, " Whenever
you remove the prop/s pinn er, mark
eve rything so it a ll goes back to­
ge ther in th e sa me relation s hip to
each other."
See what T mea n about thi s guy?
H e's kept Bru ce Bohannon and
"Pushy Galore" in the record books
for years. Next time you visit the Air
Adventure Museum up in Os hko sh,
take a look at " Pushy" and give credit
where credit is due.
Dear Buck,
Here is a story that yo ur rea de rs
might find interesting. However, I will
not mention any names for obvious
reasons, and I would like as well to re­
ma in anonymous, as if my name
appears, anybody who knows me could
identify the operator involved.
INVENTOR DEVELOPS NEW WAY TO HONE CYLINDERS (without removing them from the engine).
A friend of mine operates a fine
antique aeroplane with a Continental
W-670. He is very meticulou s about
the maintena nce, changes oil every
25 hours or less, and cleans the plugs
at that time. He spends mo st of his
spare time poli shing and waxing, and
touching up the finish when needed .
He ne ver allows a fingerprint to re­
main on the big shiny HSGA prop
overnight. Now thi s is not a museum
piece or s ho w plane; it is a work­
horse, flying a lmo s t d a il y on
sightseeing rides and photo work.
The engin e is approaching 1,000
hours since overhaul , and some of the
paint on th e cy linder heads had
burned or worn off, so he decided to
bead blast a few corroded spots and
prime and paint them. When he fin­
ished he had the engine looking better
than new, with a ll black cy lind ers,
silver rocker box covers and ex haust
elbows. And the stain less heat muff
was so shiny you cou ld look in it to
see if you needed a shave.
But when he started it up , it didn't
seem to be running quite right, so he
shut it down and the prop stopped
abruptly without bouncing back and
forth between compression strokes as
26
FEBRUARY 1999
an engine do es when the rings are
properly sealed. He got out and
turned the prop by hand; it was drag­
ging. Upon removing the spark plugs,
he found evidence of glass beads on
th e inside s of th e m . Some of th e
g la ss beads had gotten into th e "air
maze" filter and had been sucked into
the engine.
So it is now due for a major over­
haul. I told him to look at the bright
side. New rings can be fitted without
having to deglaze the cylinders. The
inventor of thi s system does not wish
to be given credit for it.
Be s t regard s, and have a happy
holiday.
Your anonymous friend.
Ouch!
Over To You, whoever you are,
ff
:B«ck. "
day , and I feel that it makes very little
difference as long as I'm in the left
seat; that is, until I got into Skeeter' s
Thomas Morse "Scout" with the LeR­
hone rotary; then I don ' t care w ho
you are or where you sit, you're still
one hand short!
Anyw a y, we were all "Johnny
come late ly" when we first started ,
and all I can say is never tum down an
opportunity to fl y something differ­
ent. Try it, you'll like it! I remember
getting to fly an 1124 " Westwind"
from Burbank, California to Santa
Barbara for lunch. J was half finish ed
with m y sa ndwich before I finally
caught up with the airplane! So much
for that. Over to you.
Gene Soper
EAA 27385, AC 360
Thanks for the note, Gene! How
about the rest ofyou ?
Hey , Dorothy and I will be trave l­
ing all over the southwest this month,
so if you don't get a reply back from a
phone me ss age or note , you'll know
we're still out having fun! Talk to you
when we get back!
Over to you,
Dear Buck,
In the December VTNTAGE AIR­
PLANE there was a comment on R
stick, L throttle, vs. L stick, R throttle
and you suggested input. Here is my
two quarts worth .
Having flown since 1946, Want to keep your spinner running true? Read what Gary
and being a flying buddy of Hunter does! (Kent and Sandy Blankenburg's Spartan
"S keeter " Carlson since Executive.)
1965 , I've be en exposed to
quite a variety of flying ma­
chinery. In my first logbook,
totaling some 220 hours, I
had flown 46 differe nt air­
planes and 23 different kinds.
Over the years I have flown
Aeronca "Champ," "Chief,"
"Sedan ," Piper J-3, J-4, J-5;
and most of the PAs; Ryan C­
I, PT-22, Navion, Luscombe,
Fairchild 24, PT-19, PT-23 ,
PT-26; Taylorcraft BC-12, L­
2; Cessna 120, 140, 170, A W,
plus all the ones with the train­
in g wheel up front. I even
fl ew th e te s t flights on a
Pi etenpol "Aircamper" with
two throttles, one on each side
no less ! I still own and fly my
Duncan "Sport" (2POLB) that
I bou ght from Bill a nd Lo­
raine Duncan in 1971 . I
owned and flew o ur 15AC
"Sedan," and (38 Dart "G,"
al ternate ly for severa l years.
I've gotten out of a Stin son
"Tri -m otor" a nd into a
Fokker "Trip lane" the same
Wayne Milburn .... ...................... ........ ................ ..... .Jacksonville Beach, FL George F. Johnson .. .. .Wolfeboro, NH ...... ....... Toowoomba, QLD, Australia Joshua Knerr.. ...... ..... ...... Sanford, FL Angelo A. Carnevale .... Hopewell, NJ Patrick P. Cloudier .. ........................... E. P. RosenthaI... ... ...... ...... Miami, FL Bill K. Laskar .... ...Albuquerque, NM ......... ... ....... ..... Pincourt, PQ, Canada C. Mitchell Smith .. .... ... Lakeland, FL Jim Catalano ..... ... ........Cornwall, NY Grumier Willy ........Chatillon, France Gary L. Johnson ....... Bainbridge, GA Joseph DiStefano ........Fort Plain, NY Nowell W. Izard ..................... ............ John Stiles ............... Stockbridge, GA Hugh Weidinger.. ..... Great Neck, NY ....................Masterton, New Zealand Keith Beem ........................ .Ipan, GU Benjamin Gleason ...... Vermilion, OH Charles A. Birdsall... ............Apo, AE Eugene Honigford............ ............ ... .. . Gail R. Bailey ....... .......... ...Tulsa, OK Klaus E. Marx .. .. ............ .Juneau, AK ..... ....... .. ......... .. ..Machesney Park, IL Reymold Watt ............ West Lynn, OR Richard Binderim .......Enterprise, AL Mike Linden ............ .. .. .. Rockford, IL Marc S. Ludtke ............ ..Franklin, PA Larry K. Tillery .... ....... Trussville, AL Barry L. Schroeder .... B1oomington, IN Alan L. Moyer ................ Perkasie, PA Gary Moseley ..... .. ........Chandler, AZ Harry Bartel ............... EI Dorado, KS Elford S. Wyatt .........West Union, SC T. W. Aronson ........ ....Rosamond, CA Bobbie Bradford ............. Topeka, KS Derek Amos ...... .Harker Heights, TX Raymond J. Barak ..................... ......... Jamie Smith ........ ..... .....Shawnee, KS Charles M. Baynard ..........Dallas, TX .............. ........Huntington Beach, CA Nathan T. Rider .. ............ Groton, MA Thomas E. Eanes ........ .Granbury, TX Keith Charles Carnahan ................... .. Alexander J. Van Wert...... ...... ....... ..... Michael Halle ................ Humble, TX ......... ... ..... ................Costa Mesa, CA ........ ............................Marlboro, MA Robert Heath ...... ....... ....... Austin, TX Tom Lambrick ........Morgan Hill, CA Rod Teel ........... ....Silver Spring, MD W. W. Hill ....... ..... ........ ..Houston, TX Douglas L. Maxwell ....Riverside, CA James C. Walker ..... ...Baltimore, MD Justin Layton ...... ...........Houston, TX Dr. R. Richmond .. San Francisco, CA David Stainton .... ................. .............. Eldon W. Moore ..... ....Texas City, TX Anthony R. Rivera ..Nevada City, CA ........ ........... .... .Cranberry Island, ME
Nick Berg ................ ........ .... Lehi, UT Charles Spurrell...... ................. .......... Alexander M. Allan, Sr...Au Gres, MI
Richard Cole ........ ............Fairfax, VA .................. .Palos Verdes Estates, CA Michael J. Damone ............................
Peter Hays ............ .. ..... Arlington, VA Howard Thompson ....Fort Bragg, CA ... .......................... w. Bloomfield, MI
Joseph Schoofs ......... ... .Leesburg, VA Thomas R. Weeks ......San Diego, CA Trent H. Steinbach ....... .. ......... .. ... ... ...
John A. Cahoon ..............Hudson, WI Raymie Raymie ...... ..... .Littleton, CO ........ ......... .. ...International Falls, MN
Dennis J. Dalka ........ Rhinelander, WI James T. Broady ..... .....Weirsdale, FL Jack Dilliard ........... Washington, MO
Keegan Ray ................ .Janesville, WI Allen E. Kaluzniak ................ .. .......... Douglas D. Derscheid ... ...O'Neil, NE
Gary B. Green ................ Beaver, WV VINTAGE AIRPLANE
27
Region Family Fly- In. Safety Conferen ce
and Trade Show at the Holiday In n Confer­
ence Ce nte r. Spons o red by local EAA
Chapters and the FAA Flight Standards Dis­
trict Offic e. Kit plan e exhibitors and
seminars. Contact: Jim Cooney. FAA FSDO,
1-800/457-991 7. wwwfaa.govlfsdolhln.
J,MNEWMAN
:.r­
J UL Y 28-AUGUST 3 - OSHKOSH, WI- 47th
A llllllal EAA Air Veil til re Oshkosh ' 99.
Wittl1l{lII Regional Airport. COlltact Johll
Bllrtoll, EA A, RO.Box 3086, WI 54903-3086
or see the web site at: II'wlI'.airvelltllre.org
Fly- In Calendar SEPTEMBER 4 - STEAMBOAT SPRINGS,
CO - EAA Chapter 649 Vintage Fly- In.
The following list ofcoming events isfurnished to our readers as a mailer ofinformation only and
does not constitute approval, sponsorship, involvement, control or direction ofany event (fly-in,
seminars, fly market, etc.) listed. Please send the information to EAA , All: Golda Cox, Po. Box
3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Information should be receivedfour months prior to the event date.
SEPTEMBER 11-12 - MA RION, OHIO­
MERFI Mid-Eastern Regional Fly-In. Con­
tact: Lou Lindeman. 9371849-9455.
FEBRUARY 13-14 - MINNEAPOLIS, MN ­
Minnesota Sport Aviation Conference.. Min­
neapolis Convention Center. Info: Way ne
Petersen . 1-80 01657-3922 or web sit e at
www.flightexpo.com
FEBRUA RY 20 - HUN TSVILLE, A L - EAA
Chapter 190 Fly-In Breakfast at Moontown
Airport. 2561852-9781.
MAY 7-9 - PlNEHURSTISOUTHERN
PINES, NC - Moore County Ai/port (SOP).
EAA Chap ter 3 Spring Fly-ln. Trop hies.
EAA fellowsh ip. Friday golf tournam ent.
Sat. banquetlguest speakel; Sunday poker
run, YE. jlights. vintage aviationjilms, HQ:
Holiday Inn, Southern Pines. 9101692-3212.
Info : 9101947-6896, - 1853 (Fax) o r the
web: WWW.southern-aviator. comlac3/
FEBRUARY 24-25 - ROMEOVILLE, ILLI­
N OIS
25th
annual Aviation
Ma intenance/Exhibit Seminar at Lewis Uni­
versity. Contact: Don Cramer, 2 17/785­
5798, or Mike Streit. 8 151836-5431.
MAY 16 - ROMEOVILLE, IL - Le wis
Romeoville airport (LOT). EAA Chapter 15
Fly- In breakfast. 7 a.m.-Noon. Contact:
Frank Goebel, 8 151436-6153.
FEBRUARY 25-27 - BUTTE, MT - Montana
Aviation Conference. Ramada Copper King
Inn . Workshops, seminars. nationally recog­
nize d sp eakers. trade show. Info: MT
Ae ronauti cs Div.. Box 5 178. lielna, MT
50694, 4061444-2506.
J UNE 26-27 - WALWORTH, WI- Bigfoot Field
(WI05). Pan cake breakfast/brun ch. Aero­
batic demo at 10 a.m. , Stearman rides and
displays of vintage aircraji. warbirds and
experimentals. 7 a.m.-l p.m. Info: John An­
derson. 4141248-8 748.
FEBRUARY 27 - SPR INGF I ELD, ILLI­
N OIS - lliin ois State Safety Seminar at
lliinois State Fairgrounds. Springfield. flli­
l1Ois. Contact: Lee Creviel; 815/939-0976.
J ULY 5-8 - DENVER, CO - Centennial Air­
port . Short Wing Piper Club annua l
co nve ntion. This year's theme: "Rocky
Mountain Rendezvous." Info: Kent 0 'Kelly,
3031979-3012. (Headwinds@msn. com) or
vis it the SWPC web site at hllp:www.short­
wing. com
FEBRUARY 27-28 - RIVERSIDE, CALIFOR­
N IA - EAA Chapt e r I Op en House at
Flabob Airport. Contact: 909/689-9213.
MARCH 5- 7 - CASA GRANDE,AZ - 41st An­
nual Ca ctus Fly- In. sponsored by the
Arizona Antique Aircraft Association. Info:
www.americanpilot. orgkactus or call Jon
Engle at 602/89 1-6012. days only.
MARCH 6 - WISCONS IN RA PIDS, WIS­
CONSIN - Wisconsin State Safety Seminar
at the Mead Inn . COlllact: Harold Benisch.
9201623-4457.
MA R CH 20 - H UN TSVILLE , AL - EAA
Chapter 190 Fly-In Breakfast at Moontown
Ai/port. 256/852-978 1.
A PRIL 11-1 7 - LAKELAND, FL - 25th Annual
Sun 'n Fun EAA Fly-In and Convention.
Info: 941/644-243 1. Web site: www.sun -n­
fun.o rg
A PRIL 17 - H UN TSVILLE, AL - EAA
Chapter 190 Fly-In Breakfast at Moontown
Airport. 2561852-978 1
APRIL 25 - HALF MOON BAY, CA LIFOR­
N IA - 9th ann ual Pacific Coast Dream
Machinesjly-in at HalfMoon Bay Airport,
10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Antiques, classics, warbirds.
vintage autos. trucks. Contact: 6501726-2328.
28 FEBRUARY 1999
JULY 7- 11 -ARLINGTON, WA - n. w. EAA Fly­
In and Sport Aviation Convention. 30th
anniversary event. FOl'llms, seminars, work­
shops. eve ning programs, spec ial nig ht
airshow Sat. evening. Info: 360/435-5857,
or on the web at: http:// www.nweaa.org
J UNE 11-13 - MATTOON, IL - 3rd Annual
MTO Luscombe Fly- In. Luscombejudging
and awards.forullls and banquet. $50 cash
to Luscombe that jlies the fartest to attend.
Contacts: Jerry Cox. 2171234-8720 or Shan­
non Yoakim . 217/234-7120.
JUNE 26-27 - P ETE RSB URG-DINWID­
DIE, VIRGINIA - 3rd Annual State EAA
Fly-ln. Contact: Ron VanSickle, 832/932­
4709, www.vaeaa.org.
J UNE 26-27 - LONGMONT, COLORADO
- 21st Annual Rocky Mountain EAA Fly ­
In. Contact: Bill Marcy, 3031798-6086.
J UL Y 7-11 -A RLING TON, WASHINGTON
- Northwest EAA Regional Fly-in at Ar­
lin g ton Airport. Co nta ct: Barbara
Lawre nce-Tolbe rt, 3601435-5 8 57. or
www.nweaa.OIglnweaal
J ULY 16-18 WEST YELLOWSTONE, MON­
TANA - 13th annual Northwest Mountain
SEPTEMBER 10-12 -A TWATER, CALI­
FORNIA - Goldell West EAA Fly- In at
Castle Airport. Contact: www.gwjly-in.olg.
OCTOBER 7-IO - MESA,ARlZONA - Cop­
perstate EAA Regional Fly-In at Williams
Gate way Airport. Con tac t: Bob Ha sso n.
5201228-5480. or 5201298-3522.
OCTOBER 8- 10 - EVE R GR EEN, A L­
ABAMA - S o uth eas t EAA Reg ional
Fly-In. Con tact: Harold "Bubba" Hamitel;
3341765-9109 or 3341743-39 16.
OCTOB ER 8-10
WILMINGTON,
DELAWARE - East Coast Regional Fly­
In. COli tact: Andy Alvarez, 3021738-8883.
OCTOBER 14-/7 -A BILENE, TEXAS ­
Southwest EAA Regional Fly-in at Abilene
Regional Airport. Contact: Stan Shannon
8301997-8802
STROBE LIGHT TRIVIA QUESTION ANSWER (From page 9.)
Harold E. "Doc" Edgerton
(1903-1990), a professor at MIT,
invented the gas discharge strobe
light during work in the MIT
labs during 1926 through 1931.
Originally developed as a elec­
tronic stroboscope, the strobe
light was quickly adapted for
photographic uses, including pi­
oneering high speed, slow motion
photography. His work with the
strobe extended to aircraft, but
not for position identification ­
during WW-II he experimented
with a large strobe light ring,
used to illuminate the ground for
nighttime aerial photography.
VINTAGE TRADER PROPEL YOUR PROSE ONTO THE PAGES OF VINTAGE AIRPLANE • Want to be famous?
• Want to see your plane or pearls of wisdom in print?
Something to buy,
sell or trade?
WRITE AN ARTICLE FOR VINTAGE AIRPLANE!
We're always looking for technical articles and photos ofyour
An inexpensive ad in the Vintage Trader may be just the answer to obtain­
latest restoration. We can't offer you money, but we can make
ing that elusive part. .50¢ per word, $8.00 minimum charge. Send your ad
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and payment to: Vintage Trader, EAA Aviation Center, P.O. Box 3086,
Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086, or fax your ad and your credit card number to
Send your submissions to: 920/426-4828. Ads mllst be received by the 20th ofthe month for insertion
Editor, Vintage Airplane, P_O. Box 3086,Oshkosh, WI 54904 in the issue the second month following (e.g., October 20th for the Decem­
ber issue.)
For pointers on format and content, feel free to call 920/426-4825, or E-mail at: [email protected] MISCElLANEOUS
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ENGINE MACHINE WORKS, N. 604 FREYA ST., SPOKANE, WA 99202.
FREE CATALOG: Aviation books and videos. How to, building and restoration
tips, historic, flying and entertainment titles. Call for a free catalog. EAA, 1-800­
843-3612.
Newsletters for Arctic/lnterstate (6 Back issues/$9.00), Beaver/Otter (3/$5.00),
Norseman (16/$21.00). $16.50/4 issues. Free sample: write, call, fax. ALL
credit cards accepted. Dave Neumeister, Publisher, 5630 South Washington,
Lansing, MI 48911-4999. 800/594-4634,517/882-8433. Fax: 800/596-8341 ,
517/882-8341 .
REPAIR OF WOOD AIRCRAFT STRUCTURES. (AN-01-1A-7). 1944. 96
pages. Profuse drawings/photos. A unique guide: $30.00 postpaid. JOHN
ROBY, 3703Y Nassau, San Diego, Califomia 92115.
pROCEDURE
For the latest news and happenings on EAA's
Vintage Aircraft, plug into www.eaa.org
The site includesthe homepage for EAA's largest Division,
the Vintage Aircraft Association. Access it directly at
www.vintageaircraft.org.
Check out the most up-to-date Type Club list,
Judging Guidelines, and a tribute to J'iU volunteers,
as well as plenty ofother information geared towards
people who love the "Golden Age ofAviation. "
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259 Lower Morrisville Rd. , Dept. VA
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I ~ I
VINTAGE AIRPLANE
29
VINTAGE AIRCRAFT
ASSOCIATION
OFFICERS
President
Esple 'Butch' Joyce
P.O. Box 35584
Greensboro. NC 27425
91O/393-ID44
e-mail: [email protected]
Vice-President George Daubner 2448 Lough Lane Hartford. WI = 7 414/673-5885
e-mail: [email protected]
Secretary
Steve Nesse
2009 Highland Ave.
Albert Lea. MN 5WJ7
flJ7/373- 1674
Chanes Harns
7215 East 46th St.
Tulsa. OK 74145
918/622-8400
Treasurer
DIRECTORS
John Berendt
7645 Echo Point Rd.
Cannon Falls. MN fHrfI
flJ7/263-2414
Phil Coulson 28415 Springbrook Dr.
Lawton. MI 49065
616/624-6490 Joe Dickey
55 OokeyAv.
Lawrenceburg. IN 47025 812/537-9354
e-mail: [email protected]
Dale A. Gustafson
7724 Shady Hill Dr.
Indianapolis, IN 46278 317/293-4430
Gene Morris 5936 steve Court Roanoke, TX 76262 817/491-9110 e-mail: n03capt@flash .net Robert C. "Bob' Brauer 9345 S. Hoyne
C'!?~~9~~~20
e-mcil: [email protected] John S. Copeland 1A Deacon Street
Northm~~~~-4m 01532
&mail: [email protected] Jeannie Hill
P.O. Box 328 Harvard. IL 60033 815/943-7205
1 ::e~U~t~i%r.
Albert Lea. MN 5WJ7 flJ7/373-2922
Dean Richardson
M~~~~~~ri7
608/833-1291
S.H. "Wes" Schmid
2359 Lefeber Avenue
Wauwatosa, WI 53213
414/771 -1545
Robert D. ' Bob' Lumley
1265 South I 24th St.
Broaldield. WI 53005 414/782-2633 e-mail: [email protected]
Geoff Roibison
~~~EH~~~~~gWJ
219/493-4724
e-mail: [email protected]
DIRECTORS EMERITUS
Gene Chase
George York 2159 Carlton Rd.
181 Sloboda Av. Oshkosh, WI 54904
Mansfield. OH 44906 920/231-= E.E. "Buck" Hilbert 419/529-4378 P.O. Box 424 Union. IL 60180 8151923-4591
e-mail: [email protected]
ADVISORS
Steve Krog
1002 Heather Ln.
Hartford, WI = 7
414/966-7627
e-mail: [email protected]
RagerGamall
321-1/2 S. Broadway Apt. 3 Rochester. MN 55904
5107288-2810
Alan Shockleton
P.O. Box 656
Sugar Grove, IL 60554-0656
630-466-4193
David Bennen
403 Tanner Ct.
Roseville. CA 95678 916-782-7025
Copyright I;i 1999 by the EAA Vintage Aircraft Association
All rights reseNed.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE (ISSN 0091-6943) is published and owned exclu­
sively by the EM Vintage Aircraft Association 01 the Experimental
Aircraft Association and is published monthly at EM Aviation Center,
3000 Poberezny Rd.. PO. Box 3086. Oshkosh. WISConsin 54903-3086.
Periodicals Postage paid at Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54901 and at addi­
tional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to EAA
Antique/Classic Division, Inc., P.O. Box 3086. Oshkosh. WI 54903­
3086. FOREIGN AND APO ADDRESSES - Please allow at least two
months for delivery 01 VINTAGE AIRPLANE to foreign and APO
addresses via surface mail. ADVERTISING - Vintage Aircraft
Association does not guarantee or endorse any product offered
through the advertising. We invite constructive criticism and welcome
any report of inferior merchandise obtained through our advertising so
that corrective measures can be taken. EDITORIAL POLICY: Readers
are encouraged to submit stories and photographs. Policy opinions
expressed in articles are solely those of the autrors. Respoosibility for
accuracy in reporting rests entirely with the contributor. No renumeration
is made. Material should be sent to: Ednor, VINTAGE AIRPLANE, PO.
Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-30B6. Phone 92014264800.
The words EAA ULTRALIGHT, FLY WITH THE FIRST TEAM, SPORT
AVIATION, FOR THE LOVE OF FLYING and the logos of EAA EAA
INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION, EAA VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSO­
CIATION, INTERNATIONAL AEROBATIC CLUB, WARBIRDS OF
AMERICA are ® regislered trademarl<s. THE EAA SKY SHOPPE and
logos 01 the EAA AVIATION FOUNDATION, EAA ULTRALIGHT CON­
VENTION and EAA Air Venture are trademarks of the above associa­
tions and their use by any person other than the above association is
strictly prohibited.
30 FEBRUARY 1999
Membershi~ Services Directo~
Enjoy the many benefits ofBAA and the
BAA Vintage Aircraft Association
c~
EA
TM
EAA Aviation Center, PO Box 3086, Oshkosh WI 54903-3086
Phone (920) 426-4800 Fax (920) 426-4873
Web Site: http;ll_eaa.org and http;//www.airventure.org E-Mail: Vintage @eaa.org
EAA and Division Membership Services
800-843-3612 _....• _••. _. • FAX 920-426-6761
(8:00 AM -7:00 PM
Monday- Friday CST)
• Newlrenew memberships: EAA, Divisions
(Vintage Aircraft Association, lAC, Warbirdsl.
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(NAPI)
• Address changes
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Programs and Activities
EAAAirVenture Fax-On-Demand Directory
.............................. 732-885-6711
Auto Fuel STCs ................ 920-426-4843
Build / restore information ...... 920-426-4821 Chapters: locating/organizing .. 920-426-4876
Education . ......... . . . . . ...... 920-426-6815
• EAA Air Academy
• EAA Schol arships
• EAA Young Eagles Camps
Flight Advisors information ..... 920-426-6522
Flight Instructor inform ation ... 920-426-6801
Flying Start Program. _. _. _...•. 920-426-6847
Library Services/ Research . ... . . 920-426-4848
Medical Questions . . ...... . .... 920-426-4821
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Aircraft Financing (Green Tree) ... 800-851-1367
AVA ............. . ............ 800-727-3823
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Death Insurance (Harvey Watt & Company)
Editorial
Submitting article/ photo; advertising infonnation
920-426-4825 •.• _. _.. _• _. _FAX 920-426-4828
EAA Aviation Foundation Artifact Donations ... .. ........ 920-426-4877 Financial Support .. .. . .. . . . . . . 800-236-1025 MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION
EAA
Membership in the Experimental Aircraft Associ­
ation, Inc . is $40 for one year, including 12
issues of SPORT AVIATION. Family membership is available for an additional $10 annually. Ju­
nior Membership (under 19 years of age)
is available at $23 annually. All major cred it
cards accepted for membership. (Add $16 for
Foreign Postage_)
VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION
Current EAA members may join the Vintage Air­
craft Associaton and receive VINTAGE AIR-PLANE
magazine for an additional $27 per year.
EAA Membership, VINTAGE AIRPLANE mag­
azine and one year membersh ip in the EAA
Vintage Aircraft Association is available for $37
per year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not in­
cluded). (Add $7 for Foreign Postage_)
lAC
Current EAA members may join the International
Aerobatic Club, Inc. Division and receive SPORT
AEROBATICS magazine for an additional $40
per year.
EAA Membership, SPORT AEROBATICS maga­
zine and one year membership in the lAC
Division is available for $50 per year (SPORT
AVIATION magazine not included). (Add $10 for
Foreign Postage.)
WARBIRDS
CUlTent EAA members may join the EAA Warbirds
of America Division and receive WARBIRDS
magazine for an additional $35 per year.
EAA Membership, WARBIRDS magazine and
one year membership in the Warbirds Division
is available for $45 per year (SPORT AVIATION
magazine not included). (Add $ 7 for Foreign
Postage.)
EAA EXPERIMENTER
Current EAA members may receive EAA
EXPERIMENTER magazine for an additional
$20 per year.
EAA Membership and EAA EXPERIMENTER
magazine is available for $30 per year (SPORT
AVIATION magazine not included). (Add $8 for
Foreign Postage_)
FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPS
Please submit your remittance with a check or
draft drawn on a United States bank payable in
United States dollars. Add required Foreign
Postage amount for each membership.
Membership dues to EAA and its divisions are not tax deductible as charitable contributions.
• EAA Vintage Aircraft Association
Approved Insurance Program
• We write all types of general
aviation insurance for aircraft,
hangars, airports, corporate
jets, helicopters and
aerial applicators
The best is affordable. Give AUA a call - it's FREE! 800- 727- 38~
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VINTAGE
ERCHANDISE
NEW STYLES! ALL CLOTHING FEATURES NEW THREE-COLOR EMBROIDERED VINTAGE LOGO.
Denim Short-sleeved Shirts with Button-down collar by
Three Rivers. Features button-closure on pocket. Double stitching on
sleeves for durability. 100% cotton.
SM-XL
V41263 $36.99 *
2X
V41267 $39.99 *
Denim Long-sleeved Shirts with Button-down Collar.
Similar to above shirt but in long-sleeved design. The shirts feature twobutton adjustable cuffs. Available in light-blue denim or natural colors.
Natural
MD-XL
V41268
$39.99 *
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$43.99 *
Light Blue
MD-XL
V41272
$39.99 *
2X
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$43.99 *
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White
V41260
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Navy
V41262
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$10.99*
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High quality jackets feature two-button adjustable cuffs, elastic waistband, inside coat hook loop, inside pocket with velcro closure and more!
Contrasting color trim pieces and adjustable lanyard cord on collar make
this jacket very distinctive. Shell and lining are both 100% nylon.
Natural/Navy Trim
SM-XL V41250 $63.99 *
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White
SM-XL V41294 $32.99 *
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100% combed cotton. Knit collar and cuffs with beige trim . Fivebutton placket. Drop tail with side vents.
Wine MD-XL
V41281 $34.99*
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Navy MD-XL
V41285 $34.99 *
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V41288 $37.99 *
Black MD-XL
V41277 $34.99*
2X
V41280 $37.99 *
32 FEBRUARY 1999