VA Vol 9 No 9 Sept 1981

STRAIGHT AND LEVEL By Brad Thomas
President Antique/Classic Division Oshkosh '81 is now history and if all prior indications
are accurate, it will have been the largest and best
attended aviation event in our history . Looking back to
the 1980 International EAA Convention we had en­
visioned little gain for 1981, but there is no doubt
that we went forward again. For many of us a fiscal
year has been completed and we are analyzing the success
and problems of our Division during that time.
Membership in our Division has increased throughout
this time period and this increase is the result of many
contributing factors. We must be offering a desirable
oveni.ll program for this increase to be evident. The
fellowship of our members throughout the world con­
stantly grows during the Chapter meetings and fly-in
events we attend. Look at our Division's exposure at
fly-ins and other EAA events. Our new Antique/Classic
hats and jackets are becoming more popular and visible,
a fact which denotes our members' desire to be identified
with the Division.
The VINTAGE AIRPLANE is a publication that our
membership eagerly awaits each month. Devoted entirely
to antique and classic aircraft, historical data, fly-ins,
restoration projects, unique photographs and tips for
projects of restorers, our publication gives the reader
a top quality magazine that will undoubtedly become a
collector's item in years to follow. Editor Gene Chase and
our associate editors bring to you each month , valuable
and interesting antique and classic related articles.
Our EAA Aviation Museum in Franklin, Wisconsin is
filled with representative antique and classic aircraft,
from a replica of the first Wright Flyer, early and current
amateur built aircraft, warbirds, aerobatic machines,
rotary wing vehicles to ultralights. Other exhibits
include antique and modern propulsion engines, some
cut-away for visual inspection of their internal structures.
The walls contain display cases filled with instruments,
bombsights, medals and trophies representative of our
aviation historical background . Photographs by the
hundreds depict and trace the history of aviation. Dis­
play examples of our homebuilt, aerobatic, warbird and
antique/classic aircraft that have been donated , built
or restored by EAA members, grace the museum floor.
Display aircraft and related items are constantly
changed for the visitor who returns to the museum.
Under the able direction of Antique/Classic Advisor Ed
Bums and Ben Owen of the EAA Headquarters staff,
our Division has been allocated wall space to display
our Division logo and photographs of our members'
projects and restorations . Your next trip to the Mil­
waukee area should include a trip through the Museum
to enjoy the efforts of our Division.
Several years ago our Division began to establish a
uniform judging system for antique and classic aircraft.
The details of this unique system have resulted in a
standard method for judging aircraft in a uniform
manner. Established and proven during the last several
EAA International Conventions at Oshkosh, the basic
2 SEPTEMBER 1981
judging system is now recognized and applied to all
categories of judging, including custom built and war­
bird. Our reputation has been established and through
t he efforts of Claude Gray and Al Kelch, two of the
original committee members formulating the judging
rules and standards, we are fortunate in having them
appointed chairman and co-chairman of the newly formed
EAA National Judging Committee.
Through The VINTAGE AIRPLANE and our Division
chapters, we have constantly strived to assist restorers
and guide them during the many hours involved in their
projects. For the past several years about fifty percent
of the show aircraft at the EAA International Conventions
have been antique and classic aircraft. There is no finer
collection of aircraft to be seen anywhere in the world
as those displayed during these Conventions. The quality
and authenticity displayed in these restorations con­
tinually improve over the years and we feel that our
Antique/Classic Division often has played a large part in
guiding these projects. There may be fewer antique
aircraft completed over these current years, but the
quality of workmanship and expertise in the restorations
is outstanding.
Classics! Here we have seen the greatest improvement
over the past few years . There were times when we had
great numbers of classic aircraft to judge but few were
in the "high point" categories. There is no doubt that
those completing accurate restorations of classics have
spent many hours of researching and planning. We are
constantly finding that it does not take much more time
and effort to make an accurate restoration project than
just doing a "half-way" job.
Within the past few weeks, each voting member of our
Division was mailed a letter requesting the recruiting
of a new member. We are striving for an active member­
sh ip of five thousand and you can make this possible.
Each of us knows and understands what our EAA Antique/
Classic Division stands for and represents. If you have
not already done so, recruit a new member from your area
and forward his membership application to headquarters.
As a member of our Division you know what our aims and
goals are and what we represent. Please take this
opportunity to share the benefits of membership in the
Antique/Classic Division with a new member.
PUBLICATION OF THE ANTIQUE/CLASSIC DIVISION, INC.
OF THE EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION, INC.
P.O. BOX 229, HALES CORNERS, WI 53130
COPYRIGHT " 1981 EAA ANTIQUE/CLASSIC DIVISION, INC., ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
SEPTEMBER 1981
VOLUME 9
NUMBER 9
OFFICERS
Vice-President
Jack C. Winthrop
Route 1, Box 111
Allen, TX 75002
214/727-5649
President
W. Brad Thomas, Jr.
301 Dodson Mill Road
Pilot Mountain, NC 27041
919/368-2875 Home
919/368-2291 Office
Secretary
M. C. " Kelly" Viets
7745 W. 183rd St.
Stilwell , KS 66085
913/681-2303 Home
913/782-6720 Office
Treasurer
E. E. " Buck" Hilbert
P.O. Box 145
Union, IL 60180
81 5/923-4591
FRONT COVER . . . 1939 Beechcraft
F17D Staggerwing, NC50256, SI N 259
owned by Perry and Jewel Miller (EAA
82253 , AlC 698), Rt. 4, 15589 Harvest
Mile Rd ., Brighton , CO 80601 , photo­
graphed by Dick Stouffer at Tullahoma ,
TN . See story on page 6.
DIRECTORS
Ronald Fritz
15401 Sparta Avenue
Kent City , MI 49330
616/678-5012
Morton W. Lester
P.O. Box 3747
Martinsville, VA 24112
Claude L. Gray , Jr .
9635 Sylvia Avenue
Northridge , CA 91324
213/349-1338'
Arthur R. Morgan
3744 North 51st Blvd.
Milwaukee, WI 53216
Dale A. Gustafson
7724 Shady Hill Drive
Indianapolis, IN 46274
317/293-4430
John R. Turgyan
1530 Kuser Road
Trenton , NJ 08619
AI Kelch
66 W. 622 N. Madison Avenue
Cedarburg , WI 53012
S. J. Wittman
Box 2672 .
Oshkosh , WI 54901
414/377-5886
414/235-1265
Robert E. Kesel
455 Oakridge Drive
Rochester , NY.14617
Georg e S. York 181 Sloboda Ave. Mansfield , OH 44906 703 /632-4839
414 /442-3631
TABLE OF CONTENTS
609/585-2747
Stan Gomoll
1042 90th Lane, NE
Minneapolis, MN 55434
3121683-3199
Espie M. Joyce, Jr.
Box 468
Madison, NC 27025
919/427-0216
· . . by J ohn Parish .. . ... .. .... . ..... . . . . . . . . ...
6
My Mistress
· . . by Alfred E. (J ohnny) J ohnson ...... . . .. . ... 10
· . . by B . H. Pietenpol . .. . . . . . .. . . .. ... ... . . . , . . . 16
Letters . ...... . .... . . .. . .. . . . . ........... . . . .. ... . . 25
Mystery Plane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Gene Morris
27 Chandelle Drive
Hampshire, IL 60140
6121784-1172
3121298-7811
John S. Copeland
9 Joanne Drive
Westborough , MA 01581
617/366-7245
2
4
Calendar of Events ... . . .. . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 12
Type Clubs and Other Aviation Organizations . .. . ... 13
Plans for the Pietenpol Sky Scout - Part 1
ADVISORS
Ed Burns
1550 Mt. Prospect Road
Des Plaines, IL 60018
Straight and Level . . . by Brad Thomas . . . . . . . . . . . . .
AlC News .. . compiled by Gene Chase . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
1981 Staggerwing/ Travel Air Convention
Commonwealth Skyranger -
419/529-4378
716/342-3170
BACK COVER .. , Center stage of the
Air Racing Section of the EAA Air
Museum, Franklin , WI. Left to right are
the 1929 Travel Air Mystery Ship, 1931
Gee Bee Model Z, 1931 Laird Super
Solution , and the 1936 Elmendorf A-1
Jackrabbit. All are full size replicas
except the Elmendorf A-1 , which is
the original aircraft. (Photo by Lee Fray)
.
S. H. " Wes" Schmid
2359 Lefeber Road
Wauwatosa, WI 53213
414/771-1 545
PUBLICATION STAFF
PUBLISHER Paul H. Poberezny, President Experimental Aircraft Association EDITOR
Gene R. Chase
Page 6
Page 10
Page 16
ASSOC. EDITOR
George A. Hardie, Jr.
Editorial Policy: Readers are encouraged to submit stories and photographs. Policy opinions expressed in articles are solely those of the authors.
Responsibility for accuracy in reporting rests entirely with the contributor. Material should be sent to: Gene R. Chase, Editor, The VINTAGE AIR­
PLANE, P.O. Box 229, Hales Corners, WI 53130.
Associate Editorships are assigned to those writers who submit five or more articles which are published in THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE during the
current year. Associates receive a bound volume of THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE and a free one-year membership in the Division for their effort.
THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE (ISSN 0091-6943) is owned exclusively by EAA Antique/Classic Division , Inc., and is published monthly at Hales Corners,
Wisconsin 53130. Second Class Postage paid at Haies Corners Post Office, Hales Corners, Wisconsin 53130, and additional mailing offices. Mem­
bership rates for EAA Antique/Classic Division , Inc. , are $14.00 for current EAA members per 12 month period of which $10.00 is for the publication
of THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE . Membership is open to all who are interested in aviation .
ADVERTISING - Antique/Classic Division does not guarantee or endorse any product offered through our advertising . We invite constructive
criticism and welcome any report of inferior merchandise obtained through our advertising so that corrective measures can be taken .
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3
EAA AVIATION FOUNDATION CENTER DEDICATED OSHKOSH '81 ­
A TREMENDOUS SUCCESS Over 10,000 aircraft and a half million people visited
Wittman Field during the 29th Annual EAA Convention,
August 1-8. But success is not measured by quantity
alone. With record numbers of aircraft movements, safety
was the keynote of the eight-day event.
Although weather in parts of the U.S .. kept some
fliers from completing their trips to Oshkosh, the local
weather was generally good.
The antique and classic aircraft judges had a par­
ticularly difficult job this year with so many outstanding
examples in each category. When all the scores were
tallied , the Grand Champion Antique award went to a
1928 Cessna A W owned by Gar Williams of Naperville,
IL. A 1948 Piper P A-17 Vagabond owned by James L.
Jenkins, Huntington, CT received the Grand Champion
Classic trophy.
A more detailed account of the '81 Convention will
appear in the October issue of The VINTAGE AIRPLANE.
The new EAA Aviation Foundation Center to be built
at Wittman Field, Oshkosh, WI was officially dedicated
at 10:30 A.M. on August 5 during the Convention.
Following remarks by Tom Poberezny, President of the
Foundation and Paul Poberezny, Chairman of the Board,
Paul dug the first spadeful of earth, symbolically starting
construction of the facility which will become the world's
most complete aviation center.
The Center will include a museum, conference center,
administrative offices and an aircraft construction/
restoration shop. The Kermit Weeks Flight Research
Center which is also a part of the complex, is complete
and was dedicated on June 17, 1981.
This Aviation Center will be described in more detail
in future issues of The VINTAGE AIRPLANE.
COLOR PHOTOS NEEDED
More color photos (preferably 8" x 10") of members'
antique and classic aircraft are needed to grace a wall
in the EAA Aviation Museum in Franklin, WI. A large
area of wall space has been made available to the Antique/
Classic Division for this purpose, and Antique/Classic
advisor Ed Burns of Des Plains, IL has volunteered to
frame the photos and hang them.
Ed has done a fine job of arranging the photos which
have been sent, and also photos he has taken of members'
planes from the Midwest area. Photos may be sent to
Gene Chase, Editor, The Vintage Airplane Magazine,
P.O. Box 229, Hales Corners, WI 53130.
The photos will also be considered for publication
in the " Members' Projects" section of the magazine,
in addition to being displayed in the Museum. Please
include a description of the plane and the approximate
date of the photo.
(Photo by Gene Chase)
The 1981 Oshkosh Grand Champion Antique Award went to
this 1928 Cessna AW, owned and restored by Gar Williams
(EAA 1416, A/C 1416), Naperville, IL.
FLYING BOAT WORKER DISPLAYS DEDICATION (Photo by Gene Chase)
James L. Jenkins (EAA 95377, AlC 2520) of Huntington, CT
restored this 1948 Piper PA-17 Vagabond which received the
Grand Champion Classic Award at Oshkosh '81.
4 SEPTEMBER 1981
In 1946, Stan Soderberg began what was to be a
one-month stint doing trim and fabric repair of Howard
Hughes' giant wooden flying boat, the "Spruce Goose."
Now, 35 years later, Soderberg is still at it - over­
seeing repairs and maintenance aboard the Hughes
Flying Boat and providing a thread of continuity through­
out the seaplane's long and controversial history.
"I'm kind of like a major league baseball player,"
said Soderberg. "I don't change jobs. I just play with
different teams."
The current team is Wrather Corporation, which in
cooperation with the Aero Club of Southern California
rescued the world's largest aircraft from dismemberment
and plans to put it on display beside the R.M.S. Queen
Mary in Long Beach. As Wrather's foremost "flying
boat expert," 56-year-old Soderberg is delighted that the
Spruce Goose is finally coming out from under wraps.
"I think it's a sensational idea," he said. "Cutting
it up would have been total disaster. There's nothing
else like it in the world."
The same distinction applies to Soderberg. The former
navy parachute rigger and professional acrobat is the only
original crew member still working aboard the flying
boat.
"It never occurred to me when I started that I would
spend the rest of my career on this aircraft," he said.
"I used to get a lot of ridicule. People wondered what
I could possibly be doing working on a plane that was
just sitting in a hangar year after year.
"But r always knew something great would happen
with the flying boat."
Soderberg was part of the launch crew for the flying
boat's first and only flight on November 2, 1947 when
Howard Hughes lifted the aircraft 70 feet off the water
for a distance of one mile over Long Beach Harbor.
"It surprised a lot of people when Hughes flew the
plane that day. But I figured he would go for it. The
preparation was elaborate. And just prior to the flight
Hughes was down at the hangar a couple of times a
week to run the engines. The only thing he had to prove
was that it could fly ."
After the history making flight , the flying boat
returned to Terminal Island where it remained shrouded
in a climate-controlled hangar for over 30 years. During
that time, repair and upgrading continued on the aircraft.
"We installed new test equipment, dual auxillary
hydraulic system and the Pratt Whitney 4360 engines.
And every other week, we ran electrical and hydraulic
tests. There was nothing done on the plane that wasn't
okayed by Mr. Hughes," said Soderberg.
"For years we kept thinking Hughes would t.ake the
plane out again . He would call and set up specific
flying dates. We would have a 90-day lead time and
then it would get cancelled at the last minute."
When Hughes died in 1976, Soderberg got word from
the Hughes Tool Company to search for the Hughes
Will, but to no avail.
"We turned that plane inside out, but we never found
anything," he said.
For Soderberg, the years of waiting and wondering
at the fate of the Hughes Flying Boat are finally paying
off. Wrather plans to move the aircraft to its new nest
beside the Queen Mary in November where it will be the
star attraction for Southern California's newest destina­
tion resort complex - PortAdventure.
According to Soderberg, who is busy preparing the
Spruce Goose for its final move, "you just can't have too
much of a good thing."
"After all these years, I'm still amazed at this air­
craft."
The restoration of a flyable Curtiss Jenny was completed
recently for the Owls Head Transportation Museum in
Maine.
The President of Aero Meridian, Mr. Woodson K.
Woods, reports the following aircraft in the Aero
Meridian Collection:
1918 Fokker D VIII ' - Flying condition
1918 Curtiss IN-4D Jenny - Under restoration
1928 American Eagle - Under restoration
1928 Travel Air D-4000 - Under restoration
1929 Swallow TP - Under restoration
1929 Fleet 7 - Flying condition
1930 Bird - Flying condition
1930 Waco RNF - Flying condition
1931 Waco QCF-2 - Under restoration
1932 Great Lakes 2T- 1A - Flying condition
1933 Waco UBF-2 - Flying condition
1936 Ryan STA - Flying condition
1936 Bucker Jungmeister - Under restoration
1938 Stinson SR-9F - Under restoration
1939 Waco AGC-8 - Under restoration
1941 Ryan ST3KR - Flying condition
1943 Piper L-4J - Flying condition
1943 Stearman PT-17 - Flying condition
1943 Supermarine Spitfire MK IX - Flying condition
1945 Supermarine Spitfire MK XVI - Flying condi­
tion
Some of the flying aircraft on display at the Carefree Airport.
NOTABLE VINTAGE AIRCRAFT COLLECTION AT SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA Aero Meridian Productions located at Scottsdale
Industrial Airpark , 14806 North 74th Street, Scottsdale,
AZ is a small group of craftsmen who restore antique
aircraft for museums and collectors.
In addition to several antique airplane repair con­
tracts, the company is currently restoring a 1931 Waco
QCF-2 for a local Phoenix businessman, a Ryan STA for
a New Jersey airline pilot, and a Waco UBF-2 for the
newly formed Carefree Flying Museum located at
Carefree Airport about 24 miles north of Scottsdale.
Glen Styles rigging the Curtiss Jenny for the Owls Head
Transportation Museum.
(Continued on Page 24)
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5
1981 STAGGIBWING/ TB-AVIL AlB CONVINTION By J ohn Parish (EAA 43943, A le 213) p.o. Box 550 Tullahoma, TN 37388 (Photos by Dick Stouffer) The 1981 Convention was the most successful, not
necessarily in the number of Staggerwings and Travel
Airs in attendance but our membership attendance was
up significantly and many important developments took
place.
Mrs. Beech and her contingency from Beech Aircraft
Corporation were here for the Dedication of the O. A.
Beech Gallery & Chapel and it was indeed a moving
affair.
In addition, the Thaden family was here in large
numbers and presented the 1936 Bendix Trophy, for
loan, to the Foundation.
Also, of great significance was the gift of a Stagger­
wing by Steve and Diane Parker of Odessa, Texas.
These three items highlighted the activities and the
ceremonies associated with them left a lasting impres­
sion on all in attendance.
The weather did not cooperate since there were several
weather systems blocking access to the Staggerwing home
in Tullahoma, Tennessee. This resulted in cancellation
of some Staggerwing arrival plans and members, such
as Chairman Holloway and many others, arrived by
modern aircraft.
Local musicians provided "Tennessee Country Music".
6 SEPTEMBER 1981
We had a record early turnout with some nine Stagger­
wings at the Convention site the day before the event
started. Holding the distinction of the "First Arrival in
1981" were Bob and Jean Kreutzer from San Diego
in their beautifully restored E17B. They arrived on
Monday, June 8, chauffeuring "CQ" Stephenson from
Albuquerque . They were followed on Wednesday by the
"Santa Paula bunch" which included Clayton Graves
in his newly refinished D17S with Bob Van Ausdell
as his " First Officer." Accompanying Clayton was
Bryce Hunt in his Howard and Don Dickenson in his
Spartan. The Santa Paula team members have been
tremendous supporters and it is a particular pleasure
to have this group come so far on a regular basis.
Another early arrival was Tom and Lucy Cocks from
Hong Kong who picked up their F17 in Seattle to make
the long trek. Other early arrivals were Perry, Jewel ,
and Dick Miller from Boulder, Colorado, and, of course,
Glen McNabb from Jasper, Tennessee. Also, Chris and
Swanson Poer came over from Greensboro , North
Carolina, to license his F17D which is on loan to the
Museum .
The first day of the Convention was rather dismal ,
thanks to the weather, and there was only one arrival.
However, Thursday, the activitiy picked up with the
arrival of the Gehrings, the Parkers, and the Chicago
crew of Perry and Hansen.
Inclement weather does not dampen the spirits of
Staggerwingers and all activities went on as normal. The
Foundation property was beautiful and the O. A. Beech
Gallery & Chapel lent itself to the many activities
and meetings that took place the early part of the
Convention. Nearly all activities were held on the
Foundation grounds. The usual Officers, Trustees and
Club and Museum Membership Meetings were held on
Thursday and Friday. In addition , both the Safety
Seminar and Repair, Rebuilding, Maintenance and Servic­
ing Seminars were excellent, thanks to Dick Perry and
John Womack's leadership.
The Convention was really "kicked off' with the 4:15
P.M. arrival of the Beech contingency on Friday. Mrs.
Beech and her group arrived in three King Airs to the
delight of all. Mrs. Beech has the distinction of being
recognized as "The First Lady of Aviation" and the love
The beautiful new Olive Ann Beech
Gallery and Chapel.
and affection of Staggerwingers for this great lady was
expressed openly and warmly. Throughout the next two
days, it was also our pleasure to have many members
of her family , including both daughters, Tom and Suzanne
Warner from Pala, California, and Mary Lynn Oliver
and her four children from Wichita, also Dena and Bill
Huntley and Brian Snart from Wichita. It was especially
great having the longtime friends of all Staggerwingers,
Leddy and Norma Greever. Others from Beech included
Letha and Homer Brunk and our congratulations to
Letha for being the recipient of the 1980 Merit Award.
This was a most deserving honor to a lady who has contri­
buted significantly to the Foundation program.
The usual social activities were well attended in­
cluding the cocktail parties, cookouts, fly-out to Parish
Patch, Bluegrass entertainment, and the 1981 Paper
Airplane and Flying Saucer Contests under the able
direction of Field Judge "Lindey" Lindemer.
'The real highlight of this year's Convention was the
Dedication of the O. A. Beech Gallery & Chapel on Satur­
day, followed by a picnic lunch honoring Mrs. Beech.
This was followed by the presentation of the Bendix
Trophy and the Staggerwing presentation. This was truly
a memorable day for the Foundation. The Dedication
ceremony of the O. A. Beech Gallery & Chapel began
at 11:00 A.M. with a program in the Chapel, culminated
Mrs. Beech awarded the prizes to
these smiling participants in the
paper plane contest.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7
W. C. "Dub" Yarbrough, President of the
Staggerwing Museum Foundation has
just unveiled the plaque with Mrs. Olive
Ann Beech looking on.
Mrs. Beech, center, visits with Steve and Diane Parker about the Beech D17S shown here which the Parkers donated
to the Staggerwing Museum Foundation,
Inc.
by the unveiling of the plaque superbly timed with a
four Staggerwing formation fly-by, again under inclement
weather - low ceilings and visibility. The formation
team consisted of Dick Perry, Jim Gorman, John Womack
and Dick Hansen and was an example of true precision
flying . The concluding "bomb-burst" was a sight to
behold. It is difficult to describe the beauty, excitement,
and exhilaration of this maneuver.
Dick Stouffer of Hawthorn Woods, Illinois, handled
the religious aspects of the Dedication ceremonies
superbly and quite appropriately. Dick is a Trustee
of the EAA Aviation Foundation, Inc., a 727 Captain,
and recently received his Master of Divinity from Mc­
Cormick Theological Seminary in Chicago. He gave
the invocation on Saturday during the Dedication cere­
monies and conducted the Church Services on Sunday.
The O. A. Beech Gallery & Chapel Dedication cere­
mony was followed by a picnic lunch in the Museum
and at 1:00 P.M. Bill Thaden and Pat Thaden Frost
presented the 1936 Bendix Trophy won by their mother,
Louise Thaden. In this presentation, they paid their
respect to Mrs. Beech who was a dear and close friend
of Louise.
Two Beechs peel off after a pass over the Staggerwing.
Museum.
8 SEPTEMBER 1981
Dub Yarbrough, center, on behalf of the
Foundation, receives the title to the
Beech Staggerwing donated by Steve
and Diane Parker of Odessa, TX.
Diane and Steve Parker, Odessa, Texas, presented
their Staggerwing D17S, as a gift to the Museum in mem­
ory of Steve's father, Alvin H. Parker, a world-renowned
soaring pilot who was the first to fly a lOOO-kilometer
glider (1964).
The Saturday Night Banquet program was very
superbly conducted by Museum and Club Presidents,
"Dub" Yarbrough and Jim Forman. Plaques were pre­
sented to aircraft owners in attendance and the setting
for this year's banquet was in the Museum. The weather
really cooperated and it was indeed a festive and enjoyable
affair.
Sunday saw the usual departures and this year it
was a pleasure to have an unusually large contingency
stay over until Monday. The Tullahoma group especially
(L - R): Two guests from the Beechcraft plant in Wichita, KS
confer with H.H. "Red" Holloway, Jr., Chairman of the Founda­
tion Board of Trustees and John L. Parish, Executive Vice
President of the Foundation. Red's home is in Baton Rouge,
LA and John lives in Tullahoma.
enjoy the "wind-down" and among those staying over
were the Millers, the Cocks, Wiggins, McNabbs, Spriggs,
Stouffers, Lindemers, Seagos, and John Turgyan.
This year's Convention was truly "International"
with Tony and M. R. Torr here from Johannesburg ,
South Africa, Tom and Lucy Cocks from Hong Kong,
Moe Servos and his contingency from Ontario, Canada,
and Debby LeMay Hauser from Alberta, Canada.
The United States were well represented from Alaska
to Florida, Maine to California, and the in-between states
of Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut,
Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana , Kansas, Louisiana,
Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan , Minnesota, Mis­
souri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico,
New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsyl­
vania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin, 33
states in all.
It is hoped the ensuing pictures will more adequately
tell the story of this year's Convention.
The 1982 Convention will be held at the Beech factory
in Wichita but we will again return home to Tullahoma
in 1983. Also in 1983 there will be a Winter Meeting
and Staggerwing Fly-in at Santa Paula in March. Stagger­
wing Club members should start making their plans for
these future activities.
As a final comment, I personally want to thank each
and every Staggerwinger for making this year's event
truly successful and enjoyable.
Bill Thaden and Pat Thaden Frost presented to the Museum,
the Bendix Trophy won in 1936 by their famous mother,
Louise Thaden. Louise flew a Staggerwing from New York
to Los Angeles to capture first place in the Bendix cross country
race that year.
The beautiful 1940 Beech D17S, N20753, SIN 395 donated to the Museum by Steve and Diane Parker.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9
COMMONWEALTH SKYRANGER ­
By Alfred E . (Jo hnny) Johnson Colonel, USAF Retired S. 2915 Howard Street Spokane, WA 99203 (Photos Courtesy of the Author) Jack Johnson (EAA 133528) is my brother, and I admit
that he is a little "off." But, everyone who is truthful
has a relative who is somewhat untypical.
I suppose he couldn't help it. He's been nuts about
airplanes as far back as I can remember. When he was
10 and I was 12 years old, we lived in the small town
of Oroville, Washington , just south of the Canadian
border. If we heard an aircraft overhead, as we in­
frequently did because of the remoteness of our location,
we would jump on our bicycles and ride like hell the two
miles or so to the airport. The idea was to be first on the
scene to greet the pilot. Rarely did a flyer fail to remain
overnight so we would hit him with the proposition that
we would spend the night guarding his plane in return
for a hop the next day. I can't remember ever being re­
fused , particularly after we guaranteed not to permit
cows to scratch themselves on the bird - whether cows
were present or not. (The bovine species were considered
a universal hazard whether on the runway or during a
nocturnal visit to a parked aircraft where a gentle
rub could break a wing rib or wipe out a rudder.) Many
a hop was thus enjoyed without spending a dime, which
we didn't have anyway.
At the ripe old age of seventeen Jack soloed and soon
thereafter came into possession of a 1928 model OX-5
Swallow. With this bird he acquired an important lesson
- learning that water won't substitute for gasoline.
A careless mechanic failed to chamois the condensation
from fuel stored in a drum while repairs were in progress
on the aircraft. Scratch one aircraft and delay one
flying career.
As the sign says 10 SEPTEMBER 1981
Then came a stint with the Army Air Corps and the
Air Force lasting 22 years, with one break during which
he got his commercial and instructor ratings. He was in
hog heaven instructing and flying every day until the
company went belly-up and left him holding the bag
for substantial wages. Delay number two. However,
this experience defined one flying ambition by exposing
him to the Commonwealth Skyranger in which he in­
structed. "Flying is flying" he has been heard to say.
But the desire to own his own Skyranger persisted
through the years.
A year and a half ago, long on time and short on
funds, Jack began an active search for a Skyranger he
could rebuild. Local inquiries were to no avail but an
ad in the Northwest Flyer did the trick, bringing two
replies. The first he ruled out as being too expensive
considering time and condition, but the second, from
Stanford White in Escondido, California seemed inter­
esting. Mr. White had a 1947 model 185, serial number
1810 in his back yard with wings and tail feathers re­
moved. Price? Fifteen hundred dollars. This got Jack's
attention and soon he was southbound with pickup and
trailer. The plane had been accurately described by the
owner who said the upholstery was shot and the tires
checked badly but everything else basically sound.
Hauling it back to Spokane was less a task than antici­
pated but attracted considerable attention from other
motorists and, on a couple of occasions, low flying air­
craft circled for a second look.
Space available for reconstruction consisted of a one
car garage , necessitating the storage of wings in the
New interior.
neighbor's garage while work on the fuselage was· in
progress. The first order of business was a complete
examination so that required parts could be ordered to
be on hand when needed. The McCauley prop had a fair
amount of corrosion, probably induced by salt air. It
was sent for repair and returned looking like new.
A compression check proved three of the four cylinders
nearly perfect but a leaky exhaust valve was found in
the fourth. The valve seat was reground and valve
replaced because of erosion between the tulip and the
portion which rides in the valve guide. A new compression
check showed all four within tolerance and well balanced.
Inspection of the generator and starter showed all
bearjngs to be in good shape but the armatures were
turned and new brushes installed.
The single most expensive task was magneto replace­
ment. They were in poor shape with outstanding AD's
so were exchanged for rebuilts at nearly $200 per
copy. To a neophyte this is where the cost of aircraft
parts becomes a reality!
The condition of all wiring was a matter of concern
and a decision was made to replace all cockpit and
engine compartment conductors. Control wires received
the same attention but only one aileron cable and the
elevator trim cable needed replacement. During this
phase an aileron bell crank was found frozen and was
freed.
While all this was going on and more to follow, a
lady known for her expertise in upholstery redid the
entire cabin. Horsehair cushions were exchanged for
foam and a new seat sling was installed. The new
upholstery is fire resistant and dark red in color.
Headliner and panels are Airtex Duraliner and camel
color. New seat belts completed the cabin portion.
Though the paint was faded, the Ceconite fabric
was in good shape despite thirteen years exposure to
the elements. Tires and tubes were unsafe and therefore
As found in the previous owners backyard in Escondido.
On the way back to Spokane from Escondido.
New owner and rebuilder, Jack Johnson just after take-off.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11
replaced. Some rust was evident on fuselage members
which were sanded out, treated , and primed. Half the
windshield and both side windows were replaced with new
as were landing light covers. The instrument panel was
removed, stripped and refinished in a coordinated color.
All flight instruments were replaced and even the control
sticks were rechromed.
When the two twelve-gallon fuel tanks were removed
for inspection a good look at both main spars was possible.
They were found to be perfect; not so with the tanks.
Corrosion had caused some pin hole leaks so the tanks
were cleaned, welded, and sealant applied internally.
As the six-month task of rebuilding wore on and flying
weather improved Jack become increasingly "antsy." No
one who really enjoys flying likes to be grounded due to
aircraft condition. He really worked to finish the final
phase : making it beautiful. Polytone finish in dark
red and ivory was the choice.
The "final final" and unanticipated chore: Jack's
wife, Margaret, insisted such a noble bird should have an
apt name. Shortly "My Mistress" was scripted on either
side of the cowling, acknowledging he had spent more
time with the Skyranger than with Margaret.
Advice , technical assistance and inspection were
provided by "Skeet" Carlson, nationally known EAA
Designee and FAA A & P. When Skeet put his final OK
on the now beautiful plane Jack asked , "Who's first, you
or me?" Skeet didn't answer, he just climbed in and took
off. The grin on his face as he taxied in was stronger
approval than his signature on the inspection.
I have flown "My Mistress" and can confirm what a
sweet, forgiving craft it is. No great power, just a dam
good, simple, dependable, personal two-place airplane.
And Jack? I can confirm also that he is a little less
nutty now than before and hasn't had a tranquilizer
since the inspection and successful test flight.
This is the interior as I found it.
SPECIFICATIONS
Engine: Continental C-85-12F
Fuel: 24 gal. in two 12-gal. tanks which feed together
Basic weight: 910 lbs.
Gross weight: 14501bs.
Wing span: 33' 8"
Wing area: 164 sq. ft.
Cruising speed: 95 mph
Rate of climb: 550 ft. per min.
Stall speed: 45 mph
Never exceed speed 155 mph
a
CALENDAR OF EVENTS AUGUST 30 - SEPTEMBER 3 - LAS VEGAS , NEVADA - American
Bonanza Society convention and industry exhibit , MGM Grand
Hotel. Contact ABS , Read ing Muni cipal Airport , P.O. Box 3749 ,
Reading , PA.
SEPTEMBER 3-6 - OnUMWA, IOWA - 8th Annual Antique Airmen
Fly-In Reunion at Ottumwa Industrial Airport . All antiques , classics,
warbirds , homebuilts, etc. welcome. For further information contact :
Gene AldriCh , 515/ 684-4774 or Andy Norton, 515/ 563-2187 .
SEPTEMBER 5-6 - TULARE , CALIFORNIA - 6th Annual EAA Fly-In
and Air Show. Contact Vin ce Muett, 633 W. Iris St., Visal ia, CA
93277. 209/ 688-0669.
SEPTEMBER 9-13 - GALESBURG, ILLINOIS - Tenth Annual Stear­
man Fly-In at the Galesburg Muni cipal Airport . Contact Ted McCul­
lough, 43 Indiana Ave .. Galesburg , IL 61401 . 309/ 342-2298 .
SEPTEMBER 11-13 - MARION , OHIO - 16th Annual Marion Merf i
EAA Fly-In , Marion Muni cipal Airport. Contact Louis Lendeman ,
3840 Cloverdale Road , Medway, OH 45341 . 513/ 849-9455.
SEPTEMBER 12-13 - GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN - Fly-In sponsored
by EAA Chapter 651 . Plainview Airport. Overnight camping . Free
meal to pilots arriving in homebuilts or antiques. Contact Dave
Frisbee, 414/ 336-3257.
SEPTEMBER 12-13 - LOVELAND-FT. COLLINS , COLORADO - 3rd
Annual Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In at Loveland-Ft. Collins
Airport. Sponsored by EAA Chapters 43, 72 , 301 , 648, 660, 720, lAC
Chapters 5, 12, 16 and the Antique Airplane Assn . of Colorado .
Contact Bill March, 303/ 986-4398.
SEPTEMBER 13 - BOLIVAR, TENNESSEE - Airshow and Tennessee
Forest Festival sponsored by Hardeman County Chamber of Com­
merce. Trophies awarded for homebuilts, antiques, warbirds and
ultralights. Airshow features Duane and Marion Cole and Ben
Morphew. Conta ct Billy Whitehurst , P.O. Box 376 , Bolivar, TN
38008. 1-800-238-6871 .
SEPTEMBER 15-20 - RENO , NEVADA - National Championship air
races. Contact Floyd Edsall , air race and air show director, P.O.
Box 1429, Reno , NV 89505.
SEPTEMBER 17-19 - CHARLOnE , NORTH CAROLINA - Silver Wings
convention. Contact Haskell Deaton , Box 1822, Charlotte , NC 28218
or National Headquarters, Box 1221 , Harrisburg , PA 17108.
12 SEPTEMBER 1981
SEPTEMBER 18-19 - LOUISVILLE , KENTUCKY - Bowman Fi eld
Old-Timers Reunion . Anyone active at Bowman Field prior to 1940
please contact Ed Peck , Reuni o n Coordinator, 214 Lynnwo od
Drive, Jeffersonville, IN 47130. 812/ 944-1028.
SEPTEMBER 18-20 - KERRVILLE , TEXAS - 17th Annual Southwest
Regional Fly-In. Friday night hangar party. Saturday night banqu et.
Sponsored by Texas EAA Chapters .
SEPTEMBER 19-20 - BROOKHAVEN, LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK ­
Antique Airplane Club 19th Annual Fly-In . Contact Terry Ferris,
15 Bru ce Lane , Farmingdale , NY 11735.
SEPTEMBER 19-20 - BALTIMORE , MARYLAND - EAA East Coast
Regional fly-in . Forums , flea markets, c ommerCial displays ,
experimental aircraft displays. awards , Saturday night party .
Contact Gene Brown , 9028 Hickory Hi li Avenu e, Lanham , MD.
301 / 577-3070.
SEPTEMBER 25-27 - TAHLEQUAH , OKLAHOMA - 24th Annual Tulsa
Fly-In . Antique and experimental aircraft from ali over the midwest.
Contact J. C. Treager, Rt. 1, Box 406 , Sand Springs, OK 74063 . 918/
245-6910.
OCTOBER 9-11 - ANDERSON , INDIANA - Annual Convention and Fly­
In sponsored by the International Cessna 120/ 140 Association , In c.
For further information , please contact : Frank Hancock, 3941 West
Cross Street. Anderson , IN 46011 . 317/ 643- 1593.
OCTOBER 16-18 - CAMDEN , SOUTH CAROLINA - Fly-In . Antiqu es,
Classics , Homebuilts, Ultralights, and Warbirds invited . Awards
and banquet Saturday night. For further information , conta c t
Geneva McKiernan , 5301 Finsbury Place, Charlotte, NC 28211 .
OCTOBER 17-18 - MARANA, ARIZONA - 10th Annual Copper State
EAA Fly-In.
OCTOBER 31 - NOVEMBER 1 - RAMONA AIRPORT , CALIFORNIA ­
EAA Ramona Fly-In . Sponsored by EAA Chapter 14 and San Diego
Chapter of the Ant ique Aircraft Assoc. Rain dat e November 7-8 .
Contact Ben W. Hunsaker, 714/ 276-5121 .
NOVEMBER 21-22 - MIAMI , FLORIDA - Antique , Classic , and Cus­
tom Built Exhibit and Fly-In at sixth annual Harvest sponsored by
Historical Association of Southern Florida. Located at Tamiami
Fairgrounds , Coral Way at 112th Avenue in Miami . Contact Eliza­
beth Bookout, 305/ 557-5530 or Genie Card , 305/ 253-3776.
TYPE CLUBS AND OTHER ·AVIATION ORGANIZATIONS Aeronca Sedan Club
Richard Welsh
2311 East Lake Sammamish Place, S.E.
Issaquah , WA 98027
Newsletter: 3 per year
Dues: $2.50 per year
Cessna Airmaster Club
Gar Williams
Nine South 125 Aero Drive
Naperville, IL 60540
Newsletter: None
Dues: None
Air Force Historical Foundation
Col. James L. Cannell, USAF (Ret. ) - Exec. Dir.
Building 361
Bolling Air Force Base, DC 20032
Newsletter: Aerospace Historian
Dues: $25.00 per year.
International Cessna 120/ 140 Association
Glenn Usher
Box 92
Richardson , TX 75080
Newsletter: Monthly
Dues: U.S. - $10.00 per year
Foreign - $15.00 per year
American Aviation Historical Society
Tom Britton, President
P.O. Box 99
Garden Grove, CA 92642
Contact Society for further information
Antique Airplane Association, Inc.
Robert L. Taylor, President
Rt. 2, Box 172
Ottumwa, IA 52501
Newsletter: AAA News, AAA Digest, A.P.M. Bulletin
Dues: Family Membership - $30.00 per year
Associate - $15.00 per year
Aviation Maintenance Foundation
Richard S. Kost, Executive Director
P.O. Box 739
Basin, WY 82410
Dues: $30.00 per year
$20.00 per year - Student Membership
Airplane Safety Foundation (Society)
American Bonanza Society
Reading Municipal Airport
P.O. Box 3749
Reading, P A 19605
Newsletters: Monthly (except month following annual
convention)
Dues: U.S. and Canada - $15.00 per year
Foreign - $10.00 per year
Bucker Club
John Bergeson, Secretary/ Treasurer
615 West May Street
Mt. Pleasant, MI 48858
Newsletter: Every other month
Dues: U.S. - $7.50 per year
Foreign - $10.00 per year
West Coast Cessna 120/140 Club
Dan Thompson, President
P.O. Box 891
Menlo Park, CA 94025
Newsletter: 6 per year
Dues: $10.00 per year
Cessna 150/ 152 Club
Skip Carden, Executive Director
P .O. Box 15388
Durham, :--rC 27704
Newsletter: Monthly
Dues: $15.00 per year
International Cessna 170 Association, Inc.
Velvet Fackeldey, Executive Secretary
Route 2, Box 274
Hartville , MO 65667
Newsletter: Flypaper (11 per year)
The 170 News (Quarterly)
Dues: $15.00 per year
International 180/185 Club, Inc. (Cessna)
180-185 Owners Only
Charles Bombardier, President
4539 N. 49th Avenue
Phoenix , AZ 85031
Newsletter: 9 or 10 per year
Dues: $10.00 per year
Eastern Cessna 190/ 195 Association
Cliff Crabs
25575 Butternut Ridge Road
North Olmsted, OH 44070
Newsletter: One per year
Dues: $5.00 per year
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13
Culver Club
Larry Low, Chairman
60 Skywood Way
Woodside, CA 94062
Newsletter: None
Dues: None
Dart Club
Lloyd Washburn
3958 Washburn Drive
Pt. Clinton, OH 43452
Newsletter: Now and then
Dues: None
D. H. Moth Club
Gerry Schwam
1021 Serpentine Lane
Wyncote , PA 19095
Newsletter: Quarterly
Dues: U.S. and Canada - $7.00 per year
Foreign - $8.50 per year
Ercoupe Owners Club
Skip Carden, Executive Director
Box 15058
Durham, NC 27704
Newsletter: Monthly, with Special Editions
Dues: $15.00 per year
Fairchild Club
P.O. Box 127 Blakesburg, IA 52536
,
Newsletter: Fairchild "Fan" (Quarterly) Dues: $5.00 per year Howard Club
Jack Hogan
P.O. Box 291
Santa Paula , CA 93060
Contact Club for further information
Little Round Engine Flyers
Ken Williams, Chairman
331 East Franklin Street
Portage, WI 53901
Contact Williams for further information
Continental Luscombe Association
Loren Bump, President
5736 Esmar Road
Ceres, CA 95307
Newsletter: 6 per year
Dues: $10.00 per year
National Flying Club
A. R. Cardono, Chairman of the Board
Municipal Airport
Box 1175
Banning, CA 92220
International Pietenpol Association
Robert L. Taylor, Editor
P.O. Box 127
Blakesburg, IA 52536
Newsletter: Quarterly
Dues: $7.50 per year
Porterfield Airplane Club
Chuck Lebrecht
3121 E. Lake Shore Drive
Wonder Lake, IL 60097
Newsletter: Included in dues
Dues: $5.00 per year (owners)
Rearwin Club
Gary Van Farowe
1460 Ottawa Beach Road
Holland , MI 49423
Newsletter: Occasionally
Dues: None
Air Replicas International
Robert L. Taylor
P .O. Box 127
Blakesburg, IA 52536
Newsletter: ARI Journal (Quarterly)
Dues: $15.00 per year
Replica Fighters Association
Frank Weatherly
2789 Mohawk Lane
Rochester, MI 49063
Contact Association for further information
National Ryan Club
Bill Hodges
811 Lydia
Stephenville, TX 76401
Dues: Ryan owners - None
Non-Ryan owners - $5.00 per year
Vintage Sailplane Association Pat Storck, Secretary 3103 Tudor Road Waldorf, MD 20601 Newsletters: Bungee Cord Dues: Individual - $8.00 Family - $10.00
Luscombe Association
John B. Bergeson
615 W. May Street
Mt. Pleasant, MI 48858
Newsletter: 6 per year
Dues: $7.50 per year
Seaplane Pilots Association
Jan Scott, President
Rt. 1, Box 239
Lovettsville, LA 22088
Newsletter: Quarterly
Dues: Individual - $8.00 per year
Family - $10.00 per year
Clubs and/ or businesses - $15.00 per year
Monocoupe Club
Mr. and Mrs. Bud Dake
8318 Fa irbanks
Berkeley, MO 63134
Newsletter: Quarterly
Dues: $3.00 (For Quarterly)
Silver Wings Fraternity "Aviation Pathfinders"
.
Russ Brinkley, President
Box 1228
Harrisburg, PA 17108
Newsletter: Slipstream
Dues: $5.00 , Emblem - $5.00
14 SEPTEMBER 1981
Staggerwing Club
Jim Gorman, President
1885 Millsboro Road
Mansfield, OH 44906
Newsletter: Quarterly
Dues: $10.00 per year
International Swift Association
Charlie Nelson
McMinn Co. Airport
P.O. Box 644
Athens, TX 37303
Newsletter: Monthly
Dues: Individual - $15.00
Family - $22.50
Stampe Club
Carl Carlsen, President
1173 Los Robles Drive
Santa Paula, CA 93060
Newsletter: Occasionally
Dues: $10.00
International Taylorcraft Owner's Club
Bruce M. Bixler II, President
12809 Greenbower Road
Alliance, OH 44601
Newsletter: 6 per year
Dues: $5.00 per year
Stearman's Restorer's Association
Tom Lowe
823 Kingston Lane
Crystal Lake, IL 60014
Newsletter: 4-6 per year
Dues: $10.00 per year
"The Uncommon Cub"
For Cub Aircraft, 1941 and earlier;
Engine - 60 hp or less (except for 65 - 85 hp Canadian
Prospector Cub)
20 Brimwood Boulevard
Unit 78
Agincourt, Ontario M1 V 1B7
Canada
Newsletter: Occasional
Dues: None
National Stinson Club
(All models except 108's)
Jonsey Paul, Chairman
14418 Skinner Road
Cypress, TX 77429
Newsletter: Quarterly
Dues: $6.00
National Waco Club
Ray H. Brandly
700 Hill Avenue
Hamilton , OH 45015
Newsletter: Every other month
Dues: $15.00 per year
National Stinson Club, 108 Section
(For 108 Series only)
Mike & Janice Emerson, Editors
708 West 16th Street
Big Spring, TX 79720
Newsletter: Quarterly
Dues: $6.00
Wheelchair Pilots Association
Howard L. Treadwell, President
1108-102 Avenue N.
Largo, FL 33540
Newsletter: None
Dues: $10.00 per year
Southwest Stinson Club
Tom Roach, President
2804 Holloway Lane
Carmichael, CA 95608
Newsletter: Every other month
Dues: $6.00 per year
World War I Aeroplanes
L. E . Opdycke
15 Crescent Road
Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
Newsletter: 5 per year ($3.00)
Dues: Voluntary contributions
.
(Claude Gray Collection)
Menasco display of the "Super Buccaneer" aircra ft engine at th e Pacific Aircraft and Boat Show in Los Angeles April 2-10, 1938.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15
Editor's Note: The plans for the Pietenpol Sky Scout as presented here, appeared in the EAA reprint
of the 1933 FLYING MANUAL. The article was written 48 years ago by the designer of the plane, B. H.
"Bernie" Pietenpol (EAA 2334), Spring Valley, MN 55975. This is Part I of a three part series. See page
27 of this magazine for available copies of the FLYING and FLYING AND GLIDER MANUALS.
PART 1
Plans for the Pietenpol SKY SCOUT Since plans for the Pietenpol Air Camper were published just
a year ago, several hundred sets of blueprints have been pur­
chased, and those who followed the plans closely were, with­
out exception, successful in building a safe and economical
airplane. Owing to the insistent demand of lightplane fans
for a similar ship powered with a Model T motor, the origi­
nator of the Air Camper has designed the Pietenpol Sky
Scout especially for readers of the 1933 Flying Manual.
By B. H. Pietenpol Designer of the Pietenpol Air Camper No sooner had my article on building the Air
air. While I started flying with not over four hours
Camper appeared in Modern Mechanix and Inven­
and twelve landings, and soloed and test-flew a
ship at the same time , I surely advise you against
tions than the readers began flooding both myself
that method . But where could you find a school in
and Andy with queries as to whether the ship could
be powered with a Model T motor.
1920?
I then went in for higher powered jobs, but
Unfortunately I had to tell the fans that the
always believed that the Model T motor could be
Model T was hardly powerful enough for a two­
place job. And then the fun began ! Letters started
made to fly successfully.
pouring in, asking for plans for a one-place job
About in 1928 when the new Ford came out I
decided that the Model A was the engine I wanted,
that could use the main-spring of an old Henry.
so I bought all the sample parts from the Ford
Well, here we are!
dealer and assembled a motor, although I had not
But, before going into the actual construction
seen the inside of the new Ford . The ship flew and
of the Sky Scout I wish to say a few things about
was a success from the start.
the ship, how it happened to be, what it will do ,
and what not to expect of it.
Model A Gets All Credit
Back to the Model T
I have been experimenting and building light­
planes since 1920 and my first ship was a biplane
powered with a Model T Ford motor. The ship was
very light, but not very strong, compared with the
Sky Scout. However, I did with that first plane
what a lot of you who build your first ship will try
to do. I mean teach yourself to fly.
The plane was fully able to fly as I had it in
the air about 20 times, but as I didn't know how
to land, I busted something every time I had it up.
The last time I tried it in a 25-mile wind and
there was not enough left of the crate to fix it up
after that.
Learn to Fly First
So my first bit of advice is, by all means learn
to fly before you try to take your own ship into. the
16 SEPTEMBER 1981
There was only one thing I did not like about
this - the motor got all the credit, and the ship got
' none. So when the editors of M. M. told me that
they could use a similar ship that would fly good
on a Model T motor, I built the Sky Scout to prove
to myself that I could build a ship powered with
that motor which would be practical, and also to
prove that the Model A engine was not the only
automobile motor that would fly successfully.
The Model A is a wonderful motor for the
small plane, and may be used in this ship, and ad­
vise its use if you have not a Model T all rebuilt
for aircraft use. There must be hundreds of them
built up.
The only change needed if the Model A motor
is used is to move the wing about one inch ahead
and put on a little larger radiator, as the ship is
PIETE~POL
~ORO
ONE SEATER
MODEL " T" MOTOR
The Air Camper and Sky Scout compared.
The same sturdy construction is evident in
every line of the Scout as was fo·und in its
bigger and higher-powered brother.
The Pietenpol Sky Scout taking off
from the Wold·Chamberlain air­
port at Minneapolis, Minn., for a
cross·country hop.
plenty strong for this engine, a,nd cowling and all
will fit.
Now a few words on what the Sky Scout is :
First, the ship was designed to be as easy to
fly as it is possible to 'make it. I have never flown
a plane that handled better. It is also almost im­
possible to hurt it landing.
I have watched two fellows make their first
solo on this ship, and if ever a plane had a reason
to crack up, it did when it landed about 20 ft. up
and pancaked down.
I have watched students fly into the ground
with the tail skid two feet in the air, and have also
watched the tail skid strike the ground when the
wheels were two feet in the air on a stall landing.
The ship now has about 100 hours of this sort
of time. The only thing that has been hurt is one
vee on the landing gear that was bent a little on a
forced landing made down wind when one wheel
went into a sharp ditch (it did not nose over).
I also saw this ship land on a plowed field
O.K., although it was necessary to pull it on to a
solid field to take off as it could not move an inch
on its own power -- the field was too soft.
Now do not think I advise you to do . these
things, as I certainly do not. But it's comforting to
know that your plane can stand this kind of abuse
without cracking up.
The Sky Scout has a climb of at least 200 fpm,
although it has been climbed at around 500 several
times. It has a top speed of about 62 mph, a landing
speed of under 35 mph , a take-off run of 150 ft .
on a good field , and about 250 ft. landing run .
We let the motor turn a 6 ft. propeller wfth a
42 in. pitch, 1740 maximum revolutions per min- .
ute on the ground, and cruise the motor at between
1500 and 1600 in the air. The throttle is about one­
third open a.t cruising speed so you see you have
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17
STRE ...MLINE ·
THE COWLING
WITH ZZ C....
... LUMINUM
SEE DET...ILS
L...NDING +-+-t-ttt----t-l':.T
GE ... R ""S'eLY
or
THE SIDE VIEW
OF THE COMPLETE PLANE
~~'----.
NOTE : SEE FUSEL ... CE
DR"'WINGS FOR THE
COMPLETE DIMENSIONS
----.----.----
--- .---- - -----t---.+---'-!'-"--,..n..>'-"-'-''''--''''''_'J''--~
~--36"--~r_-----------140f------------_.~4~---------OVERALL LENGT'1 OF
PLANE IS 18FT. : ! > I N , - - - - - - - - - - - - - l - ;
IN INCHES
Outboard and front elevations of the Sky Scout_ Details of the instrument board, axle collar, and horizontal stabilizer
some reserve power. The motor will turn as high
as 1800 in the air.
Blueprints Correct
The editors showed me a set of blueprints that
they made from the shop drawings that I used in
building the ship, and let me say for the plans that
they are exactly like this plane is built, and the
most beautifully drawn up and easy to understand
that I have ever seen .
There are a lot of improvements in these prints
that will also be a great help to you if you are build­
ing the Air Camper.
Again I wish to say that these plans are ex­
actly as the ship was built, and if we build any more
of this model, they will be exactly like this one, as
after flying the whole season of 1931 we have not
found one improvement we would wish to make,
and the plane is far better than we dared hope for .
So please do not write to have the design
changed, as I advise that the ship be built as it is.
There are so much of the instructions printed
right on the plans that it does not seem necessary
to write a treatise on how to build it, but I will try
to give a few pointers that will be of help to you.
18 SEPTEMBER 1981
Designed for Easy Building
The Sky Scout was designed to be as easy as
possible to build; but unless you know you are cap­
able of building a plane, or have someone to help
you that is capable, please do not try to build any
airplane.
I believe this is the easiest ship to build there
is. However, I wish to have only safely built and
good flying planes in the air, and if I knew that any
unsafe ships were built from these plans I would
prefer that you had never seen them .
I believe that this is the safest plane for the be­
ginner that has ever been built. It is for the fellow
who is going to build his own ship that these plans
were made . All of us who are interested in aviation
have to make a start some time and I think that
building your own lightplane is the best way to get
started.
The Fuselage
We will now take up the construction of the
fuselage. This is very plainly drawn up and I do not
think you will have any trouble with it. It is made
from 7/8 in. by 7/8 in. spruce, for longerons and
struts, while the sides and front are covered with
48
3/32 in. mahogany plywood. The floor is made of
% in. 5-ply haskelite. All gusset plates of % in .
material. Remember, all plywood must be regular
aircraft grade and waterproof.
Use a good glue. We use Rodgers semi-water­
proof and give it two good coats of varnish. You
may use regular casein glue, but be sure you know
how to handle it. It won't keep long (12 hours).
Make Jig for Fuselage
You will need a large bench on which to draw
out and build your jig. We use the same jig for both
sides.
Each strut is held in place by blocks which
are left nailed down until both sides are finished .
Also leave the longerons a little long, and wrap
some wire from the top to bottom longerons, twist­
ing it tight with a nail until you have the plywood
nailed and glued on each side. When the glue is
dry you may saw off the longerons in front.
First layout one side in the jig, putting in all
struts and braces. When you make one strut, make
another just like it to be used on the other side so
the two will be exactly alike . Be sure to use a miter
box for this work.
Next glue and nail on all the VB in . gusset
plates, wire the front longerons together so they
will not spring apart and break the gusset plates .
Now remove the side from jig, put the longer­
ons struts and braces for the other side into the
jig,' and put the gusset plates , starting from tail
and working up to where the 3/ 32 in. sides start.
Now take the side you have just finished from
jig, lay it in on a piece of 3/32 in . plywood, and
mark out all longerons , struts , and braces by run­
ning a pencil around them, then cut the plywood
the size of fuselage. Make two of these - one for
the right and one for the left side.
. The side of the plywood bearing the pencil
marks goes on the outside, and gives you good
marks to keep your nails between.
Glue and Nail Gusset Plates
Now put a good layer of glue on longerons ,
struts, and braces as far back as the plywood goes ;
lay on your plywood and get busy nailing it down
with 'Y-t in. by 18 gauge cement coated nails . All
other gusset plates are also put on with this size
nail.
When you have this done, wire front of long­
erons together and remove from jig. Now remove
all blocks from the bench so that it is smooth.
Turn the side of the fuselage over and put gusset
on that side; then do the same with first side you
started.
Now take the two sides and clamp them to­
gether. Saw off ends of the longerons exactly the
same length. Take a tri-square and mark off all
strut stations, the place for the instrument boards ,
and a few extra marks that will come in handy to
measure from .
.
Now make the seat back and the front bulk­
head. (These must be perfect, as the whole job de-
This excellent view shows the installation of the Ford
Model T eng·ine in the Sky Scout. Note location of the
radiator and individual exhaust stacks.
pends on them ) and nail and glue them in place.
You may now put in the ~~." by 5-plywood floor ,
nailing it in with 1 in . 17 gauge nails . Next co mes
the top of the fuselage .
Now pull the tail end of longerons together,
make this joint fit good , glue and nail it good , ~nd
put in all the rest of the strut~ and ?races, uSI~g
the center line method to get It straight. That IS,
make a line in the center of eac h strut and make
a tight string or wire pass over this line. when
drawn from center of front to center of tall post.
The struts are next set on the gusset plates of
the sides. Then put on turtle back, instrument
board, cowling, and support and the woodwork is
finished except for seat, which yo u should have
no trouble with.
I can get the fuselage built up for you if this
sounds like too much work, and then you will have
a perfect job around which to build the rest of the
ship.
The Wing
The fittings are so clear on the plans that it
would be a waste of time to say any thing about
them. They are all made of regular 1025 aircraft
steel and are more than strong enough .
The wing on the Sky Scout is mu ch too strong
and could be lightened a little . It weighs about 90
SPECIFICATIONS OF THE PIETENPOL SKY SCOUT
High Speed
Cruising Speed
Landing Speed
Take-off Run
Landing Run
Initial Climb
Span
Chord
Length
62 mph 55 mph 35 mph 150 ft. ,.
250 ft . Minimum, 200 fpm 27 ft. 3 in . 5 ft . 16 ft. 3 in. VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19
TO BE RAISED
E ENTER INC; SH I P
'--~~~~~~~~~------~-+--------------------183~'
~
GA . SHEET STEEL
STRU"T Of" SPRlJCE
Ii PLywnnn-~
30· X IOf PIECE Of"
NAILED TO 80T"TDM Of"
BEAMS AND STRU"TS
TO BRACE THE CENTER
METHOD OF ATTACHING TH"E
GASOLINE TANK TO WING
THE SCALE IN INCHES
6
,'2
J4
38
~DETAILS
OF WING ASSEMBLY-=­
Details of wing assembly are given on this working drawing. The method of installing sheet steel tank in the center sec­
tion of wing is clearly shown here. Another interesting innovation is the flap at the trailing edge of the center section.
lbs. complete. It was only built this heavy because
all the regular parts to build the Air Camper wing
were used .
I wish to call your attention to the brace right
back of the rear beam . This was changed from the
plans of the Air Camper. and I advise all of you
who have no. built up your wing ribs to build
them this way .
After your ribs are finished , make your beams
(if you have trouble doing this, we will be able to
make them for you) and splice them in the center.
Now mark off all places where the ribs will come,
having the two beams clamped together.
A good way to do this is to mark off the places
on half of the spars, then reverse one beam and
mark the other half from the first marks . You will
then know that it is right.
Next glue in the piece of 3/32 in. or II Il in.
plywood that is set beneath the gas tank, and be
sure you have this in the center and perfectly
square , as the whole wing is lined from this center.
Now put on all the ribs and glue and nail them
with two 1 in. by 17 gauge nails at each joint. On
the top it will be found necessary to put in small
spruce blocks to fill up the gap. These must be
20 SEPTEMBER 1981
glued on both sides.
Next put on all wing fittings and brace wires
(we use 3/32 in. cable as it is easier to handle, al­
though No . 12 hard wire is O.K.), and line the
wing up with the wires. Do not make them too
Don Finke demonstrates the utility of the flap, which is
necessary for easy ·entrance and egress. Photo also gives
you an idea of the plane's visibility.
Details of the wing rib construction. The airfoil shown here is original with the designer, and is exactly the same as that
of the Model A Air Camper. Construction is a trifle heavy, but the ship has been designed for safety rather than speed.
tight until you get in your compression struts and
wing tips.
Now put on leading edge, trailing edge, aileron
beams, flop beams, and wing tips in order named .
Line the wing up so that it is perfectly straight and
put in all braces in wing (wood) and also put the
Ij ;,! in . by ~~ in. braces on the ailerons and put all
filler strips on the aileron hinges (which are only
small strap hinges with a new pin put in which has
a cotter pin hole in its.end) .
Now place the control horns, and you are ready
to cut the ailerons and center flop from the wing.
By leaving all the ribs full length and cutting the
ailerons and flop free when finished you are sure
to get a better and straighter wing. After you have
all the parts finished and sanded you may give the
whole thing a coat of varnish.
This wing is as strong as I know how to make
a wing without having a lot of needless weight. We
experimented a lot with wings on the good old Air
Camper, which still is the best ship today for the
model A Ford motor. We looked at planes with a
lot more load per running foot of spar length and a
lot more load per square foot of wing, and made
our spars and ribs to conform. We found only one
flaw in years of flying the A jobs and that was the
trailing edge of the wing was a little weak for stunt­
ing. Don came sailing into the field with his job
one day in a steep side slip - so steep I thought
he'd hook a wing and flip over. Boy, he was going,
and he yanked her out to see what would happen .
Due to the fact that the little cross members in the
trailing edge were in the wrong direction, a portion
of the trailing edge folded up, but it didn't seem
to hurt things any, and he flew the rest of the day
before we started to fix it. That shows the extreme
confidence we have in the ruggedness of our ships
and I hope my telling this will convince you of our
candor in perfecting the little things. We went
through our analysis again, and found it would
make the rear edge of the rib a little stronger to
run the piece the other direction, taking the load
in compression instead of in tension, and we have
done so in this Sky Scout design. I'm still sticking
to our home brew wing section and I will until I
can find something that will work better - so far
I haven't found it.
For the benefit of those of you who have not
read of how we constructed the Ford A job (which
article appeared in the last issue of the FLYING
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21
--------------1533" (12-9il0VERALL L E N G T H - - - - - - - - - - - - t o - i
2e"
-+-t---25"
26"--+--­
BELL CRA
THE INSIDE VIEW
f
SUPPORTS
I" X
f
TURTLE BACK RIBBING
TAIL 5KID
FITTING
FILL BETWEEN GUSSET PLATE
AND f'lTTlNGS WITH
STRIPS ON CORNERS
.f xi
.: -: ...... ,
THE OUTSIDE VIEW OF FUSELAGE
~. PLYWOOD TOP
f-oIf-- ---f-
----153f
(lz'-9f) OVERALL
LENGTH
-_f-oI>---28"
------------..-1
26"-_-+-_-
_-+~-20·
.".,
t::
SEAT BRACES
( I f x 2" ENGINE SUPPORT
FITTING AROUND FRONT STRUTS
AND SUPPORTS
THE TOP VIEW OF FUSELAGE
I" X
~. 5PRUCE
NOTE: ALL STRUTS. BRACES.
AND LONGERONS ARE
fx r SPRUCE
26r----I~_----51"-----_+_--
Dimensioned drawings of
the Sky Scout wooden fu·
selage. It has been the ex·
perience of the designer
that de;'Havilland type of
wood construction is sim·
pier to build and will stand
up under the hardest
usage. This job is a mar·
vel of strength.
6" WHITE ASH
WEDGE TO SUPPORT
THE TAIL SKID
------f-oI~-----------lo2f----------.~
f - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1 5 3 f ~2 - 9~·) OVERALL L E N G T H - - - - - - - - - - - - - i
f
PLYWOOD FLOOR
THE SCALE
THE BOTTOM VIEW OF FUSELAGE
--THE MEASUREMENTS AND--­
,,"fZ~---""'''''''''----;;;i;\1 ·-THE ASSEMBLY OF THE FUSELAGE-­
o
12
24
36
IN INCHES
MANUAL) I'll retell the history of this wing curve
of ours .
I've been building airplanes for the last 12
year, you see, and the first one I started was
a biplane which was powered with a Ford T.
She flew nicely, but in those days we hadn't
heard of modern high-lift wing sections, and the
underside of everything flying was as curved as a
shoe horn, and not a lot more efficient, either. I
think the wing curve I used on that first ship was
a U.S.A . No.4, which was supposed to be the hot­
22 SEPTEMBER 1981
test pepper out at the time . Then I used other
wing sections on other ships, and found ~ut a lot
of rule of thumb things about them which any ham
mechanic knows.
That is, that within limitations the center of
pressure of almost all wings varies from about a
third of the chord from the leading edge to about
40 percent at the very high angles of incidence . I
know there are wing sections with negative angles
of incidence, but they are mostly freaks - I am
talking about normal wings. The center of pressure
i'FOR
TO BE ALLOWED
JOINT
'1@
I
SEAT BOTTOM
4·
[X"RA~RCH
sUPPO ,.
.
.
.
!.fN
12·
NOSE DISC
tit
. """'' ;::'' s{pi
COWLING SUPPORT
7
CONE IS
OF 22 GA ,
IN
ATTACH CONE AFTER
COWLING IS COMPLETE
'TURTLEBACK
r
LAP
Right- Dimensioned draw·
ings for miscellaneous fu·
selage fittings .
BULKHEAD
AT SECOND
STATION AfT
OF SEAT BKK
DETAIL OF
FRAMING THE SEAT
NOTE : SEE THE
FUSELAGE PLANS
IINSTRUMENT BD,
Left - Detailed drawings
of the seat and bulkhead
construction.
L.,.
DETAILED DIMENSIONS"
lI! OF BULKHEADS AND
MIDSUPPORT FO SUPPORTS
TURTLEBACK .H>
was about the same with all wings, and traveled
back about the same amount for increased ang,es
of incidence.
But while all the graphs of wing curves which
I secured from the N.A.C .A. at Washington looked
about alike, and had about the same characteristics
on paper, there was a lot of difference in the way
they handled . Slight differences in lift and drag
characteristics on these graphs, which wouldn't
seem to mean a thing, would mean a whole lot
when put onto a ship.
You know monoplanes of the high-wing type
are the strongest and safest from the aerodynamical
point of view. Yet they handle differently than any
type of airplane like a biplane . There is a sort of
pendulum effect that makes it rock back and forth ,
and a wing section that doesn 't have a minimum
travel of the center of pressure will be bucky on
the controls. That is all taken out Of the Sky Scout
through the use of our wing , but I often wondered
why nobody had taken a crack at the subject. I
know the M-6 wing section has no travel pressure,
but it isn 't so hot in the air alongside our section.
And so that is that.
•••
Up she goes! Don Finke taking off at the Wold-Chamberl ain airport for a cross country hop.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23
Ale NEWS ...
(Continued from Page 5)
MUSEUM NEEDS
The following items are needed to carryon the program
of the EAA Aviation Foundation. If you can help, please
contact EAA Headquarters , telephone 414/425-4860.
Donations to the Museum are tax deductible.
• Planer (wood)
• Wing fittings for Curtiss JN4D
• Miscellaneous aviation mechanic hand tools
• Tools for V-1650 Merlin engines
• Complete engine or parts, Merlin V-1650
• Semi-tractor, double or single axle
• Modem NA V ICOM radios for B-25 and Lockheed 12
aircraft
• Hydraulic Mule
• Hydraulic Maintenance Stands
• 220 to 28 volt rectifier - 100 amp
• Lawn mower blade balancer
• Overhaul Manual and Parts List for Me . 109
(Spanish built)
• 3 prop hubs (30 spline), Part #5406-AL and 6
Hamilton Standard Ground Adjustable prop blades,
Part #3792X 8'9" for P & W R-985 Ford Trimotor
engines
• N3N wheels and brakes
• P & W R-1830-75, R-1830-94 and R-2000 engines
• Tank Model 63 or 73 engine or parts
• Towing tractor for medium to large aircraft
• Small ice-cube maker
• Air Hammer
• Portable sandblaster with hood
• Funk (Ford Model B) aircraft engine - two needed
(Photo by Marian Cavadlas)
Wayne C. "Pappy" Brubaker (EAA 12260), 172 S. Gov.
Boulevard, Capital Park, Dover DE 19901 donated an elevator
for the EAA Air Museum's DC-3. He and his wife, Helen,
delivered it to the Museum on their way to Oshkosh '81. They
always arrive at the Convention site early and stay late to
work as volunteers.
(Claude Gray Collection)
Skeleton detail of the framework of a Stinson "Gullwing." Please note the main spar built like a bridge truss. This is a very complex
wing!
24 SEPTEMBER 1981
LETTERS Dear Jack Cox:
Remember the Lawrence 5 cylinder radial engine?
It was used in an A.P.U . and as I recall, developed 37
hp at 4,000 rpm. Cute as the devil it was, and about 13
or 14 years ago the late Ralph Thenhaus built a Heath
Parasol from EAA plans and stuck the little Lawrence in
it. Up to that time people only talked about building
an airplane around that engine, but it took 01' Ralph
to do it.
I had previously test flown Ralph's T-18 (number
three I think) and he thrilled the britches off me by
asking me to fly the Heath for the first time. Well my
gosh! Sure, Ralph, I'd really be glad to!
The big event transpired on El Mirage dry lake out by
Edwards Air Force Base, California, in the middle of
summer. Alas, the heat proved too much. Although the
engine ran the smoothest of anything I've ever heard,
she would only turn about 3600. I got that much by
opening the throttle and as the Heath accelerated, to
manually lean the engine by a model airplane "tweak"
valve that Ralph had rigged up. It did fly , but only about
12 or 15 feet above the lake bed. (We had eight miles of
runway, and it took about two to get airborne.) I was
afraid to make a turn so all flights consisted of straight
and level.
Well , to make a long story short, Ralph took the
Lawrence out, put a Continental A-65 in and made a
positively wonderful fun machine out of it. Not too much
later he became terminally ill and passed on, but not
before he soloed the Heath. I wanted very much to have
the little radial for a keepsake mantle piece but never
thought it appropriate to ask. Do you think any of your
readers would know of the whereabouts of this particular
Lawrence? Does anyone know if anyone else has ever
flown one before?
If you should decide to publish this, perhaps Norm
Ginn or Oby Tolman would know something. They were
both there and helped Ralph quite a lot putting the Heath
together.
Yours truly,
Bill Warwick
(EAA 3775)
5726 Clearsite
Torrance, CA 90505
Dear Gene:
Under editorial policy in The VINTAGE AIRPLANE
is the statement: "Responsibility for accuracy in report­
ing rests entirely with the contributor." It is apparent
that I am responsible for a breach of accuracy in the
story "Claude Flagg, Pilot/Engineer" in the May 1980
issue. It says "In the mid-1950's Bruce Raymond was
flying this ship": meaning the Flagg-Raymond F-13
"Bug." Actually Bruce had bought the ship much earlier,
apparently in poor repair.
Bruce states, "I bought the Bug from a gentleman
in Fort Dodge, Iowa in the summer of 1935 and had it
shipped to Chicago by truck. I had to wait on the AB16
being transferred before I could fly the Flagg.
"The first hop in it was a short one of approximately
five minutes , as it was getting dark. The next day (Dec.
12, 1935) I hopped it again and began to find things out.
It had a 65 hp Velie that had been taken out of a wreck.
The crankshaft had been welded and was approximately
.040" out of alignment. Later we got it to within .020".
After approximately four hours time it was cracking
the nose section. Luckily I had a friend that was a
good welder on aluminum . At that date it was under­
powered and tail heavy, a hell of a poor combination. In
1940 I found out where the C.G. was supposed to be and
moved the Velie forward Pis". Then I had a good flying
airplane.
"I test hopped it Dec. 30, 1940 and really had some
fun, complete oscillation stalls - no problem. Spins, but
you had to kick it in them. Now it was an honest air­
plane! I flew it a few more times and then stored it,
an<! went to England flying for A.T.A.
"After the war I installed a 145 hp Warner, and later
a 185 hp Warner (Rated nearer 200 hp @ 2475 rpm). It
is one good airplane now and will do anything you want
it to do." (End of Bruce Raymond's Comments)
In the interest of accuracy and aviation history it is
better to correct the error now. I do regret the goof and
hope it has not created an undue problem for anyone.
Mr. Raymond still had this plane.
Sincerely,.
Ted Businger (EAA 93833)
Rt. 2, Box 280
Willow Springs, MO 65793
MYSTERY PLANE
This month's Mystery Plane photo
is from George Hardie's collection.
Only a few of the craft were built
so it is somewhat rare. It represented
a new approach to the OX-5 powered
aircraft which carried three people.
One competed in the 1928 ·Trans­
continental Air Derby, finished in
15th place. The answer will appear
in next month's issue of Th e
VINTAGE AIRPLANE.
Last month's Mystery Plane was a
1927 Pitcairn PA-4 "Fleetwing 2,"
powered with an OX-5 engine. Only
about five were built and this basic
configuration was used for the proto­
type of the "Mail wing" series. (See
J u ptner's "U.S. Civil Aircraft"
Volume· I, page 59 for more details.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25
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CLASSIFIED ADS
ACRO SPORT - Single place biplane capable of un­
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includes nearly 100 isometrical drawings, photos and
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POBER PIXIE - VW powered parasol - unlimited in
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WANTED: For my Curtiss Wright Junior restoration,
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26 SEPTEMBER 1981
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Box 229
Hales Corners, WI 53130
Allow 4-6 Weeks For Delivery Wisconsin Residents Include 4% Sales Tax VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27