TURKEY DAY AT IRONHEAD

TEXAS AAA
TEXAS CHAPTER • ANTIQUE AIRPLANE ASSOCIATION • NEWSLETTER • MARCH 2009
TURKEY DAY AT IRONHEAD
This was a genuine no airplane day at
Ironhead. In fact not even birds were flying. One
poor bird however was in the pot.
The February 21st, 2009 Chapter meeting at
Ironhead Airport was met by fierce and gusty
winds. Well, at least to me they were! I guess
some others thought better of it as well, because
no-one flew in. We didn’t even have a taxi-in. The
wind was well out of Alaska or at least Northwest
Canada and it was downright chilly. Most folks
gathered up in groups on the South side of Carl’s
hangar where the sun did make it bearable and it
was even warmer in the sun than in the hanger.
Oh well, so goes another day in aviation.
Carl Walchshauser, Dottie Moreau and Carl’s
Grandson Brian did an excellent job of hosting the
February meeting. Carl’s place is always so much
fun, in part because of his vast array of toys, but
mainly because of his genuine love of people and
desire that they share a good time. This time
though, Carl was beaten out by a turkey. Dottie
had brought a turkey. It was rumored the bird was
so cold and the wind so strong and gusty that it
couldn’t get up to take-off speed and Brian was
able to capture it. What do you do with a cold
turkey? Why naturally, you warm it up and there
just happened to be a big pot of boiling peanut oil
available for that very task. Dottie’s bird sure made
a bunch of happy campers out of some cold folks.
Bravo Brian and Dottie! Birds and airplanes usually don’t mix very well but as there were no airplanes around, we settled for one very tasty bird.
Lots of the 40 other members present contributed
to the feast as well, so there was an ample quantity
to go around. Someone brought an apple cobbler
and it sure was tasty. I arrived at that opinion on
the basis of a rather large sample that I had to
evaluate.
President Terry held a brief meeting. In response
to members desires, it was voted that the Chapter
should purchase another coffee pot, the present
pot not being able to provide enough for the membership on cold days such as this. The vote carried overwhelmingly. Many door prizes were provided and almost everyone got something to take
home. Dennis Price brought his folder of pictures
of planes that he has taken at our and other events
and made them available.
The next Chapter meeting is on March 21st,
2009 and we have been invited to Clark Airport
where we will be the guests of Jerry and Barbara
Pockrus. Jerry keeps saying he “ain’t no chef”, so
members are asked to bring A Main Dish and a
Salad or Desert to share. Hope to see everyone
there.
–Dick Ramsey—
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REMINDER: Our meetings are for current members and their invited guests only.
Photos continued on page 2
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Continued from page 1
The Globe
Swift One of Ft.
Worth's
Finest
by Stan Price
The Dallas/Ft. Worth area is full of aviation history and the Globe Swift is one of the great airplanes that was conceived and built in Ft. Worth.
Many of you remember the old Swift plant on Blue
Mound Road, just about one mile north of Highway
820, and may not know that the factory building
was torn down only about three years ago. In 1940
this land was part of the City of Ft. Worth (prior to
Saginaw being incorporated) so the Globe heritage
is Ft. Worth, not Saginaw. This plant was later
used by Bell Helicopter from the early 1950's until
the early 1990's.
In the late 1930's an entrepreneur named John
Kennedy saw a future in aviation manufacturing
and established the Bennett Aircraft Corporation of
Texas. Mr. Kennedy purchased a twin engine airplane called the Bennett BTC-1 along with all the
manufacturing rights with the idea of selling it to
the military or corporate world. The BTC-1 was
built almost entirely of Bakelite plywood and was
not warmly received by the military or civilian community.
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Bennett Aircraft Corp. had assembled some
tooling, built a hangar out of a horse barn, and was
now able to represent itself as an aircraft manufacturer. Although the Bennett Aircraft Corp. of Texas
was chartered in April of 1940 it went quietly out of
business in the fall of 1940 having never sold or
built a single airplane.
During the later portion of 1940 it became
apparent to Mr. Kennedy that the Bennett BTC-1
would not work out and when he was approached
by a local aviator and amateur aircraft builder
named R.S. "Pop" Johnson about building a two
place personal airplane, Mr. Kennedy took a strong
interest. Mr. Kennedy then reorganized the
Bennett Aircraft Corp. into the new Globe Aircraft
Corp. The market would be two airplanes, the
BTC-1 twin and a two place sport plane. Pop
Johnson designed and built the first Globe Swift as
a copy of a Culver Cadet which he supposedly had
possession of for a short period of time and then
returned. The first Culver look-alike Swift was designated a GC-1 and licensed by the CAA as
NX17688 (experimental). Mr. Kennedy was now an
aircraft manufacturer. Serial number 2 was eventually certified in 1942.
Prototype GC-1 (AT-10 in background)
Shortly afterwards the war effort began and all
manufacturers were needed to build military aircraft. Globe aircraft was no exception and
although they had only built two aircraft (not counting the BTC-1 which was built by other parties)
they became a manufacturer of the Beech AT-10
bomber trainer. By the end of 1942 a large plant
had been constructed and was producing the AT10. (Things really happened fast during those
times.)
At its peak of production Globe Aircraft
employed 2200 individuals and built 600 AT-10 aircraft. As the war began to show signs of ending
Globe Aircraft took a look to its
future and tasked the chief engineer, Bud Knox, with redesigning the two-place
Swift as a better airplane. Mr. Knox had previously
been employed with Douglas, Spartan, and CurtisWright and the fact that the new "all metal" Swift
took on some of the lines of the Curtis P-40 was no
accident. He was also used to working with allmetal airplanes and pretty much abandoned the
earlier pre-war Swift for a totally new design.
This new airplane was certified by the CAA on
December 29, 1945 with an 85 H.P. Continental
engine and designated as a GC-1A (a totally different airplane from the pre-war GC-1.) Later the
power plant would be updated to a 125 H.P.
Continental with a designation as a GC-1B. Many
of the 85 H.P. aircraft were eventually converted to
the larger power plants.
The first 125 H.P. GC-1B
In 1946 the Swifts were selling like hot cakes with
360 dealerships and the Globe facility could not
keep up with production needs. In early 1946,
Globe contracted with the newly formed Texas
Engineering & Manufacturing Company (TEMCO)
of Grand Prairie, Texas to help them build the GC1B. 1946 was a corporate mess for Globe Aircraft
Corp. and by January of 1947 Globe Aircraft was
out of business. TEMCO eventually acquired the
assets of Globe and continued the production of
the Swift until August of 1951
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The total production numbers of the Swift are
as follows:
Globe Built GC-1A (85 H.P.)
428
Globe Built GC-1B (125 H.P.)
504
TEMCO GC-1B built for Globe
329
TEMCO GC-1B (after Globe demise) 260
Total Swifts built
1521
The Swift Type Certificate is currently owned by
the Swift Museum Foundation of Athens,
Tennessee who also operates a very nice museum,
featuring many Swifts and two TEMCO Buckaroos.
If you are ever in the Athens, Tenn. area (just north
of the Chattanooga area) this museum is worth a
stop. Many Swifts have been upgraded with larger
engines, modified canopies, and numerous other
modifications for safety and speed. She's a real
sweet bird.
JESS SHRYACk
To the Texas
Chapter of the
Antique Airplane
Association:
We cannot begin
to thank you enough for all your help
and support in making the special gathering we had for Jess so successful. In
times like these, we are reminded how
important friends truly are.
Jess had a special passion for
antique airplanes, but more importantly,
it was you the club members he so
fondly regarded over the span of his
membership. He used to say it was his
“great association with the people” that
made the club so important.
Now that he has “flown west,” his
memory and enthusiasm will carry on as
he looks down and reminds us to
“KEEP THE ANTIQUES FLYING!!!”
With Sincere Gratitude
References:
The Globe/Temco Swift Story by Stanley Thomas
Denis Arbeau Swift Web Site
www.napanet.net/~arbeau/swift
Allan Erickson - Pics
Alan Dicker - Research
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The Shryack Family
Are you looking for airport properties?
Contact Texas Chapter Member
Maybeth Nunn, Broker
The Real Team/Argyle
214-356-0383
[email protected]
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CLASSIFIED
FOR SALE - 1950 Bellanca Cruisemaster 14-19.
190 Lyc., 80 hrs.. SCMOH. 2987 tt. $27,500. Contact:
Sherman Oxford at (972)874-5050 or (214)704-1535.
2/07
FOR RENT - 2,500 sq. ft hanger on beautiful Bird
Dog Airfield full water, full electricity, stack doors, cement
floors, 3,500’ X 250’ North South runway, 1,750’X250’
East West runway. Contact: Scott Sackett (940) 3671992 Cell or email: [email protected]/06
HANGERS FOR LEASE - Lancaster, TX (KLNC)
T-Hangars, 60'x60' and 70'x70'Call George (214) 5218855
FOR SALE ---- 1958 Cessna 172 TTAF 3796 TSMOH
2057. $ 25,000.00 Or Best Offer. Contact Craig Tuggle at
(940)433-8579.
FOR SALE 1973 Cessna 150L Restored June, 2001,
Continental 0200-A, 67 hrs SMOH, new Superior cylinders, new Slick magnetos, all new windows, new paint,
new leather seats, intercom, GPS antenna, wingtip
strobes. June 2007 annual, $28,000. More information
and many photos at: www.contarsoftware.com/cessna/.
FOR SALE -1942 Stinson L-5. Restoration completed one year ago. 190 HP Lycoming, 20 SMOH. Has
been in Idaho and West Texas since release from military. Will send Email pictures on request. Asking
$59,000.William J. Nelson --1524 Rocky Bluff Drive,El
Paso, Texas 79902
[email protected] - 05-08
FOR SALE 1946 CESSENA 140 - $28,000 - Very
original airplane - 4006TT, 615 SMOH, 85hp, Completely
refurbished 1988, very nice. Located Dallas/Ft. Worth
Texas area. - Contact Mike V. Vance, Owner located
Grapevine, TX USA - Telephone:817/946/1180 -- 9/08
FOR SALE RARE 1950 8F Luscombe project.
N831B Temco built serial #6762, One of the last thirteen
built in Dallas. On the gear with the wings and engine
hung, flap equipped. New tires, New windshield, New
instrument panel, all new top wing skins and leading
edges, much more, 0-SPOH, TTAF-1494, SMOH-550, 2
owners the last 28 years, No Corrosion, Great project for
the beginner or expert. $20,900.00 1-918-855-8500
Tulsa, OK. Please note we also have a Pristine 1946
GC1B Swift for sale. - 10/08
FOR SALE 1936 Stinson SR8C NC17116: Airframe
time is apps. 1200 TT, engine and prop apps. 800 TT
(previous owner did not keep good log books.) The aircraft was ground looped on the left side. We have
$35,000 in the project, but would take $30,000. For
additional information, please contact me on my cell
phone Joetta Reetz @ 817-253-7295. 01/09
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CALENDAR OF EVENTS 2009
MARCH MEETING
We are invited to Jerry and Barbara Pockrus’s
hanger at Clark Airport (3T6) for our Meeting
and Lunch at Noon on March 21st, 2009. The
lunch will be pot luck, because as Jerry says “I
ain't no Chef.” Members are asked to bring a
Main Dish and a Salad or Dessert to share.
Along with your appetites it would be nice to
bring a door prize to add spice to the meeting.
CONTACT #’s (940) 390-6357 or (940) 6482286.
REMINDER: Our Meetings are open to Current
Members and their Invited Guests only.
For Fliers: 3T6 is on Sectional and Terminal
Area charts about 3 miles north of Justin, Texas.
Elev. 705ft, runway 17-35 is 1800x22 ft asphalt.
Use 122.9 to announce.
For Drivers: Halfway between Ponder and
Justin on FM156 turn West on Eakin Cemetery
Road and go 1/2mile west to the Airport. Turn
South (left) on Clark Airfield Road and follow it
to the third house (first hangar) on left.
Schedule of Texas AAA Monthly Meetings 2009
Mar 21Clark Airport (3T6)
Apr 18 Fairview Airport (7TS0)
May 23 Ranger (F23)
Jun 13 Gainesville (GLE) Texas Chapter Annual
Fly-In
Jul 18 Edgington Ranch (XA03)
Aug 15 Northwest Regional (52F)
Sep 19 Bird Dog Airfield (TE58)
Oct 17 Edgington Ranch (XA03)
Nov 21 Northwest Regional (52F)
Dec 19 Gainesville (GLE) Christmas Party
Many Thanks to Members who have offered to
host a meeting this year.
OTHER FLY-INS OF INTEREST:
Sep 2 thru 7 National AAA Fly-in Blakesburg, IA
(IA27)
Sep 18 and 19 Tulsa Fly-In Bartlesville, OK (KBVO)
Oct 23 thru 25 Flying M Ranch, Reklaw, TX (7TA7)
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Membership and Dues
OFFICERS
Membership dues for the Texas Chapter of the
Antique Airplane Association are $25.00 per year.
President
Vice President
Terry Wallace
2417 Stonegate Drive
Bedford, TX 76021
(817) 706-3173
[email protected]
Jim Dougherty
815 Blossomwood Dr.
Arlington, TX 76017
(817)468-1571
[email protected]
NOTE - YOUR MEMBERSHIP DUES EXPIRE
ON THE DATE NEXT TO YOUR NAME ON THE
MAILING LABEL OF YOUR NEWSLETTER.
Please send dues and address changes to:
Secretary/Treasurer
Georgina Edgington
10862 Gregory Road
Sanger, TX 76266
(940) 206-0426
To join the National organization a one-year
membership is $40.00. Send payment and personal information to:
Antique Airplane Association
Antique Airfield
22001 Bluegrass Road
Ottumwa, IA 52501-8569
Email: [email protected]
National AAA/APM Website:
www.antiqueairfield.com
See a color newsletter on our
website at www.txaaa.org
Treasurer
Activities Coordinator
Georgina Edgington
10862 Gregory Road
Sangor, TX 76266
(940) 206-0426
Maria Dougherty
815 Blossomwood Dr.
Arlington, TX 76017
(817)468-1571
[email protected]
Newsletter
Texas State Director
Barry Wallace
5753 Old Keebler Road
Collinsville, IL 62234
(618) 288-2722
[email protected]
E.M.Johnson
3754 Meadowdale LN
Dallas, TX 75229
(214) 351-1012
National Director
Joe and Joy Haynes
4544 Royal Lane
Dallas, TX 75229
(214) 351-5845
[email protected]
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Texas Chapter
Antique Airplane Association
2417 Stonegate Dr. N.
Bedford, TX 76021
“KEEP THE ANTIQUES FLYING”
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