VA Vol 33 No 2 Feb 2005 - Member Home

R
VOL. 33, No.2
2005
CONTENT' S Straight and Level
2
4
VAA News
Reminiscing with Big Nick
The Model 18 - continued
by Nick Rezich
9
Pass It To Buck
The best of Buck from 1988
by Buck Hilbert
11
What Our Members Are Restoring
MB.308
by H.G. Fra utsch y & Alessandro Tonini
14
19
Magnificent Milkstool
An ex~ghter pilot'S interpretation of the mighty Tri-Pacer
by Budd Davisson
Why Is CMX Where It Is?
Because that's what Caesar wanted!
by Marcelaine Wininger Lewis
2S
26
Vintage Books
The Vintage Instructor
Winter Ops, Part II
by Doug Stewart
28
COVERS
FRONT COVER: The three-legged Piper PA-22
Tri·Pacer was built with a variety of factory color
schemes, including this Bahama blue and white
version . The winner of the 2003 Grand Champion
Contemporary trophy at the Sun 'n Fun Fly-In in
Lakeland, Florida, it was restored by Tim Baily. EM
photo by David Carlson of Canon USA, EM Cessna
210 photo plane flown by Bruce Moore.
BACK COVER: William Marsalko of Westlake, Ohio
was designated many years ago as an EM Master
Artist for his winning submissions to the EM
Sport Aviation Art Competition. Ever since then ,
he's been kind enough to share a new piece of
artwork. This year, the subject is the Ansaldo
S.V.A. 5. As Bill writes, " For this scout-reconnais­
sance aircraft, its climb and speed characteristics
were superior to both the S.E. 5a and the Fokker
D.VIII. Flying No.3, Captain Gino Allegri was one of
the Italian aces who took part in the Vienna raid in
August 191B."
STAFF
Publisher
Editor-in-Chief
Execu tive Director/Editor
Administrative Assistant
News Editor
Photography
Production Manager
Advertising Sales
Calendar
30
Classified Ads
31
Mystery Plane
by H.G. Frautschy
Tom Poberezny
Scott Spangler
H.G. Frautschy
Theresa Books
Ric Reynolds
Jim Koepnick
Bonnie Bartel
Julie Russo
Loy Hickman
913-268-6646
Classified Ad Manager
Copy Editor
Graphic Design
Isabelle Wiske
Colleen Walsh
Ka thleen Witman
Olivia Phillip
GEOFF ROB I SON
PRESIDENT, VINTAGE AIRC RA FT ASS OCIATI ON
What's on your calendar? ith the new year un­
derway, it's time to
look forward to the
upcoming flying sea­
son . In fact, I already attended my
first fly -in event for 2005. Nap­
panee Municipal Airport in no rth­
east Indiana has been known for
quite some time in this area as the
place to be on New Year's Day for
the season's first fly-in event. The
weather was forecast as marginal
VFR, and the radar was painting
some rain and snow showers with
a slow-moving band of ice on the
fringe. But we decided that this
ce ll was moving north about as
fast as it was going east, so we de­
cided to stick our nose in it from
the east and see if we cou ld get to
Nappanee. As it worked out, we
got only a small amount of rain
on the windshield just as we got
in the pattern at Nappanee. (Yeah,
go figure , the weatherperson was
wrong again, right?) The food was
great, and despite the weather a
large number of aircraft were pres­
ent for the festivities. We kibitzed
with friends from the Chicago
area and several neighboring EAA
Chapters in Indiana and Ohio.
But, alas, the weather started look­
ing a little worse, so we decided to
head for the barn. Nice job guys;
we'll see you again next year.
If you are anything like me, it's
now time to turn your attention
to preparing you and your aircraft
for the upcoming 2005 flying sea­
son. Are you prepared for it? Have
you even thought of what you
W
should be doing to get yourself
prepared? Again, if you're like me,
you will probably procrastinate
right up until th e last min ute be­
fore you begin the p lanning for
the fi rst cross-count ry trek of the
.. . time to turn
your attention
to preparing
you and your
aircraft for the
upcoming 2005
flying season.
season. As you are aware, there are
many checklist items to consider.
When is your biennial flight re­
view due? Are you current in the
aircraft to haul passengers? Is the
annual on the aircraft current?
Have you paid the insurance pre­
mi um? Have you practiced some
crosswind techniques ? Is your
medical current?
Remember your airplane's to­
do list? Those annoying little
squawkS with the airplane that
you have put off until the winter
downtime to address? You know
what I'm talking about. That door
handle that won't open the door
because it's stripped, and that bro­
ken window hinge that's a real
bugger to fix. Although those are
just the high points, yo u get my
drift. We need to be prepared so
each and every flight is conducted
safely and within the guidelines of
the Federal Aviation Regulations.
I alluded to the pitfalls of the
temporary flight restriction (TFR)
issue in some earlier columns. This
process has not gotten any easier
to comply with. Even though EAA
and some of the other alphabets
have done an outstanding job of
proViding specific information
regarding TFRs, they continue to
suddenly pop up in the most un ex­
pected areas. We still see the occa­
sional permanent TFR issued that
can sneak up on you if you make
a flawed assumption about it. I re­
cently read that every time a TFR
is issued in the Denver area, of­
ficials field at least two violations
before noon the first day it be­
comes effective. That's a miserable
statistic; it speaks rath er poorly of
general aviation practices in mat­
ters of compliance with TFRs . We
all need to do our best to comply
with these restrictions so we can
continue to effectively argue that
they are oftentimes unnecessar y
restrictions in the first place. Let's
launch our aircraft and ourselves
into the 2005 season prepared, in­
formed, and safe. Hope to see you
out there!
Let's all pull in the same direc­
tion for the good of aviation.
Remember, we are better to­
gether. Join us and have it all.
A~
VINTAGE AIR P LA NE
1
EAA Helps FAA Collect
Public Input on 1-34s
EAA Working With Members to Repeal Ohio Fee Hike
EAA and its affiliate organiza­
tions the Warbirds of America and
Vintage Aircraft Association assisted
the FAA in collecting important in­
formation from Beech T-34 own­
ers/operators in the wake of a fatal
December 7 accident near Mont­
gomery, Texas. FAA grounded the
type shortly after the crash, which,
like several previous ones, was at­
tributed to a critical wing failure.
FAA issued an Airworthiness Con­
cern Sheet asking for assistance in
finding a long-term airworthiness
solution for the type. FAA sought
input from industry-type club or­
ganizations, owners/operators, and
the manufacturer for all Raytheon
Aircraft Co. (Raytheon) Beech Mod­
els 45 (YT-34), A45 (T-34A, B-45),
and D45 (T-348) airplanes, as well
as T-34 AMOC holders "to help in
the long-term airworthiness solu­
tion for the safety and continued
airworthiness of these airplanes."
EAA
is working with its Ohio members to reintroduce
legislation that would repeal a new aircraft regis­
tration tax. The 2003 Ohio Legislature established
a flat $100 license tax for all aircraft, which works out to a 1,600 percent
increase for two-place aircraft.
Last year, EAA members and GA aircraft owners throughout the state
2005 EAA Aviation
Scholarships Available
worked with their local state representatives to introduce two bills (House
EAA is opening the door for avia­
tion's next generation by offering 2005
scholarships, grants, and internship
programs awards valued at more than
$250,000. Applications are being ac­
cepted through March 30,2005.
Scholarships are offered to students
studying or planning to study in vari­
ous aviation programs at accredited
post-secondary schools. Some schol­
arships are outright grants, while oth­
ers include valuable flight-time and
real-world aviation experience.
"A primary part of EAA's mission is
preparing the future of aviation," said
EAA President Tom Poberezny. "One
way to accomplish that is through
EAA's scholarship program. These
awards are made possible through the
generosity of many forward-looking
aviation enthusiasts, who have pro­
vided EAA with the resources that alcontinued
2
FEBRUARY 2005
0 11
page 27
Bill 518 and Senate Bill 230), which called for a $15 per seat registra­
tion tax, but neither bill made it to the floor during the 2004 Ohio legisla­
tive year.
When aircraft owners received $100 aircraft registration tax notices
over the holidays, a new push to reintroduce both bills gained momen­
tum. EAA is currently working with EAA members Donald Peters, EAA
Board Member Emeritus Jim Gorman, Brian Matz, Frank Castronovo, and
many EAA Chapter preSidents to get the bills reintroduced. Peters, who
owns a Piper J-3 Cub and operates from a private grass strip, wants to
mobilize plane owners and aviation enthusiasts to contact their elected
state officials and urge them to back the legislation.
"We need to get Ohio's aviation people excited and calling their leg­
iSlators," he said. "$100 for all airplanes is grossly unfair." Light-sport
aircraft also are assessed a $100 annual registration tax, he added.
According to the Ohio Office of Aviation, there are approximately
11,000 licensed aircraft in the state using 164 public and 743 privately
owned airports. General aviation's total economic impact is estimated in
excess of $2.1 billion.
CALL FOR VAA HALL OF FAME NOMINATIONS Harold Annstrong
1997 VAA Hall of Fame inductee
and retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Col.
Harold Armstrong passed away on
December 21, 2004, in Cumberland,
Maryland, at the age of 87. A lifelong
aviation enthusiast, he served as an
instructor pilot on the 8-17 and B-29
during World War II and continued a
long and distinguished military career
in the Air Force Reserves. He flew
many of the Air Force 's large mili­
tary transport aircraft during his 32
years of military service, including the
C-130 and C-141. Like a number of
other distinguished military pilots, his
career spanned the era from World
War II into the Vietnam War.
Harold's hobby interests are how
most of us know him best. His im­
peccable restorations of an Aeronca
Champ, Waco 10, Pitcairn Reetwings
II, and Schweitzer 2-33 glider were
nothing short of perfect, and they all
gathered top awards at each fly-in
to which they were flown. Bob Arm­
strong, Harold's second son, often
assisted his father in the restora­
tions, and they were inseparable dur­
ing the decades of restoration and
flying that took place near their West
Virginia home and later at their pic­
turesque High Rock airfield near Raw­
lings, West Virginia.
Harold is survived by his wife of
52 years, Martha; their son Bob; a
son and daughter from a previous
marriage, Richard Armstrong and
Bonnie Coile; plus many other family
members. After services that were
held in December in Keyser, West
Virginia, Harold's remains will be
interred with full military honors at
Arlington National Cemetery on Feb­
ruary 9 at 1:00 p.m.
Nominate your favorite aviator
for the EAA Vintage Aircraft Asso­
ciation Hall of Fame. A huge honor
could be bestowed upon that man
or woman working next to you on
your airp lan e, sitting next to you
in the Chapter meeting, or walk­
ing next to you at EAA AirVenture
Oshkosh. Think about the people in
your circle of aviation friends, that
mechanic, that photographer, that
pilot who has shared innumerable
tips with you and with many others.
They could be the next VAA Hall of
Fame inductees-but only if they
are nominated.
The person you nominate can be
a citizen of any country and may be
living or deceased, and his or her in­
volvement in vintage aviation must
have occurred between 1950 and
the present day. His or her contribu­
tion co uld be in the areas of flying;
design; mechanical or aerodynamic
developments; administration; writ­
ing; some other vital, relevant field;
or any combination of fields that
support aviation . The person you
nominate must be a member of the
Vintage Aircraft ASSOCiation, and
preference is given to those whose
actions have contributed to the VAA
in some way, perhaps as a volunteer,
a writer, a photographer, or a pilot
sharing stories, preserving aviation
history, and encouraging new pilots
and enthusiasts.
To nominate someone is easy. It
just takes a little time and a little
reminiscing on your part.
Think of a person, think of his or
her contributions.
Write those contributions in the
various categories of the form.
Write a simple letter highlighting
these attributes and contributions.
Make copies of newspaper or maga­
zine articles that may substantiate
your view.
If you can, have another person
complete a form or write a letter
about this person, also confirming
why the person is a good candidate
for induction.
Mail the form to:
Charles W. Harris
VAA Hall of Fame
P.O. Box 470350 Tulsa, OK 74147-0350 Remember, your "contemporary"
may be a candidate-nominate some­
one today!
Call the VAA office for a form
(920-426-6110), find it at www.
vintageaircraft.org, or on your own
sheet of paper, simply include the
following information:
• Date submitted.
• Name of person nominated.
• Address and phone of nominee.
• Date of birth of nominee. If de­
ceased, date of death.
• Name and relationship of nomi­
nee's closest living relative.
• Address and phone of nominee's
closest living relative.
• E-mail address of nominee.
• Time span (dates) of the nominee's
contributions to aviation . (Must
be between 1950 to present day.)
• Area(s) of contributions to avia­
tion.
• Describe the event(s) or nature of
activities the nominee has under­
taken in aviation to be worthy
of induction into the VAA Hall
of Fame.
• Describe achievements the nom­
inee has made in other related
fields in aviation.
• Has the nominee already been
honored for his/her involvement
in aviation and/or the contribu­
tion you are stating in this pe­
tition? If yes, please explain the
nature of the honor and/or award
the nominee has received.
• Any additional supporting infor­
mation.
• Name of person submitting peti­
tion.
• Submitter's address and phone
number, plus e-mail address.
• Include any supporting material
with your petition.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE
3
REMINISCING WITH BIG NICK
THE MODEL 18
Reprinted from Vintage Airplane August 1974
Nick Rezich
AU Photos Courtesy the Nick Rezich Collection
The air show and the 18 develops
a bad case of the spin shakes
Continued from last month.
Summer had arrived in Chicago,
and the annual Howard Aircraft
picnic was scheduled to be held in
the Dan Ryan Woods Park located
at 87th and Western Avenue. This
park is in the city and surrounded
by homes on all four sides. Part of
the planned entertainment called
for Walt Daiber to put on an aero­
batic show over the picnic grounds
in one of the I8s.
Walt showed up at about 3:00
p.m. and at 3,000 feet proceeded
to loop, roll, and snap-roll the
18 for about 20 minutes before
returning to Chicago Municipal
(now Midway) airport. As he was
leaving the area, little Don Dres­
selle, who is now an aviation ex­
ecutive on the West Coast, came
4
FEBRUARY 2005
up to me and said, "That was a
terrible show. You couldn't see
or hear him . You can do better
than that ... why don't I drive you
out to Willie Howell's and get
your Travel Air and put on a real
show!" I agreed it was terrible, so
we headed off to Howell airport
where I rolled out NC-8115, a
red and white sunburst Travel Air
Speedwing that belonged to my
brother Mike ... and headed for
the picnic!
I was in my prime then, and
I gave them one heck of a good
show. I capped it off with a simu­
lated ribbon pickup using a base­
ball diamond backstop for the
target. I went back to the airport
for some more tricks before put­
ting 8115 in the hangar. Don and
I headed back to the picnic where
all but two were buzzing about
the flying: the late George Vest,
chief of t he Chicago CAA, and
"Fritz" Long, our resident CAA in­
spector. George didn't ask me if I
was flying that airplane; he knew!
He walked me over to a tree and
said, "I should hang you here!" He
then proceeded to read the riot act
to me in no uncert ain terms. He
made one sta t ement t hat I shall
never forget, which was, "I don't
give a damn if you kill yourself,
but you have no right to kill any­
one on the ground." He ended his
speech by telling me the airplane
and I were grou nded and I was to
be in his office Mon day promptly
at 9:00 a.m.
Now, don't get any goofy ideas
here. Sure, it was a picniC with beer,
hot dogs, etc., but in those days I
didn't drink beer or booze. I was just
a hotshot show-off who thought
he could fly better than t he next
guy. Well, that session in Mr. Vest's
office cooled me down for a long
time afterward. And that wasn't the
end of the burro chewing either;
my brother got in on the act since it
was his airplane. We went through
the whole scene again. Oh well,
it was a good show! InCidentally,
I now own NC-8115 and will be
back on the air show circuit with
it in 1975. NC-606K belongs to my
brother Mike, and his son is now
flying it. (Editor's Note, 2005: Nick's
His exact words were, "One broken
back is enough!"
For the next six months How­
ard Aircraft, the 18, and the CAA
went through hell. We modified,
we changed, and the more we spun
the 18, the more it shook. Again we
were back to working all night and
all day designing, building, and as­
sembling new fixes . About the time
we thought we had the problem
licked, the CAA would fly it and
brother Frank is now the registered
say, "No, it's still there."
owner of the family Travel Air.)
We shifted the shake from the
Enough ego priming . .. back to
fourth turn to the fifth turn, and
that shaking Kinner. The Kinner
this was not acceptable ... it was six
installation opened a whole new
turns and no shake or no certificate.
can of worms that worsened by
Gordon took over the job as test
the day. Everything went fine un­
pilot just so he could get firsthand
til we started the spin tests . The
information. Ted Linnert spun it
spin test for certification called
to get firsthand information. Ted
for a six-turn spin with a hands­
had earlier bailed out of a Waco 10
off recovery within a turn and a
while running spin tests after con­
half. Walt had been running the "had the cure" for shaking tails . verting the Waco from an OX-5 to
tests and found that after three He started the spin tests with the a Tank engine, so he was current on
turns the tail would shake, but this usual caution: one turn, two turns, spins. Still no fix.
did not affect the recovery. Satis­ etc. When he started the four-turn
After an all-night session at the
fied that it met the requirements, tests and that tail got to shaking, drawing board, Gordon suggested
Walt turned the machine over to he brought everything to a grind­ we mount a camera on the ship
the CAA for acceptance. The CAA ing halt and instructed us to fix it. and photograph the tail during
the spins . We found that
we could not mount the
camera on the ship and
still photograph the tail
and aU the tufts. Gordon,
however, would not ac­
cept defeat. He told us
to remove the rear con­
trols and seat so that he
could stand up in the rear
cockpit and photograph
the tail while holding the
camera in his hands! Ev­
eryone thought he was
crazy. Nevertheless, they
rigged up a safety belt to
fit around his midsection,
and all the while Walt
kept shaking his head
and saying, "I'Ulose him,
sure as hell!" With cam­
era in hand and standing
in the cockpit facing the
rear, Gordon and Walt
The Howard experimental crew during the development of the Model 18. Left to right: Frank roared off. About a half­
Rezich, assistant foreman, assembly; Mike Molberg, foreman, assembly; Gordon Israel, chief en- hour later they returned
gineer, Eli Newberger, engineer; Ted Linnert, engineer, and Walter French, engineer.
with Gordon and his caminspector who was going to do the
flying had just recovered from a
broken back that he received while
doing spin tests at the Waco fac­
tory. I don't remember his name,
but he was a nice fellow ... and
I ROLLED
OUT NC-8115, A RED AND WHITE SUNBURST TRAVEL AIR SPEEDWING .. . VINTA GE AIRPLANE
5
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This is Ne-SUS, the Travel Air Speedwing in which I almost ended my air show career before it
really started. It belonged to my brother Mike. I purchased it last year and am in the process of
rebuilding it. It is about 9S percent complete at this writing. But for storms that damaged my house
and property recently, I would have had it flying for Oshkosh. I should have it completed by Septem­
ber. The name "Earl Sting" is on the cowl. This was a pilot who worked for Mike Murphy and who
owned the airplane before Mike bought it.
era still in the back seat and Walt
still shaking his head! It must have
been a wild ride, because when
they lifted Gordon out of the cock­
pit, he could not stand by himself
for about 10 minutes. Well, Gordon
got his pictures and a ride he will
never forget!
By now 01' B.D. DeWeese was im­
possible to live with. B.D. kept push­
ing Gordon until he quit and went
to work for Grumman Aircraft. To
replace Gordon as chief engineer,
B.D. hired Bill Peerfield from Stin­
son. Bill knew B.D. from his Stin­
son days and could get along with
him. He walked into a real mess,
however, and by the time he got
all the loose ends tied together and
sifted out what had been done and
what had to be finished, another
month had slipped by.
After reviewing all the data and
motion pictures, it was decided
that the airplane needed a larger
stabilizer flipper and fin. Also, the
tail had to be raised to keep it out
of the wing's downwash. A new tail
group was built, and a new fuse­
lage from the rear cockpit aft was
built. Believe-you-me, the rest of
this is true as well: The new tail was
covered and painted in the factory.
6
FEBRUARY 2005
The bare aft fuselage was primed,
and all was trucked to the airport
for the switch. At 7:00 a.m. Mike
Babco cut the old fuselage off at
the cockpit and welded the new
section in place, using sawhorses
for a jig. By 9:00 a.m. I squirted the
welds with zinc chromate, and my
brother Frank and Sludge Doyle
started hanging stringers, cables,
etc., in place.
Now, B.D. was on the scene all
the while as well as Bill Peerfield.
B.D. kept handing the tail wheel
to Sludge and kept telling him to
install it. After about the fifth at­
tempt, Sludge went over and got
a big chunk of wood and set it on
end . He then grabbed B.D. by the
lapels and sat him on it and told
him to keep his hands off the parts
and sit there and be quiet until
the work was finished! You could
have heard a pin drop! Work now
proceeded on the new fuselage,
and by 3:00 p.m. I was slipping
the cover on, and while I was dop­
ing it, the others hung the tail
group. I put the fuselage through
silver, and we were ready to roll it
out for test flight when B.D. said
his first words since Sludge sat
him on the wood. He asked that
we paint the fuselage in color so
it wouldn't look like a repair job.
Rather than argue, I sprayed two
cross coats of blue dope on it, and
we pushed it out at 6:00 p .m.
They cranked it up, and Walt
was in the air 20 minutes later. He
landed at dark, taxied in slowly,
parked, and just sat in the cock­
pit. We didn't have to ask .. .we all
knew the new tail had not solved
the problem.
By now everybody had become an
expert in tail shake theory, includ­
ing yours truly. I remembered read­
ing a paper published by Lockheed
about wing-to-fuselage junctures
and thought maybe I had some­
thing. It was a Sunday morning
when I called Walt and explained
my theory and asked him to fly
the airplane. I went out to the air­
port and removed the two wing "
walks, which consisted of 1/4 inch
thick rough cork runners about 12
inches wide. This improved the
stall considerably and eliminated
the buffet in steep turns, but it did
not stop the shake. We then re­
placed the cork wing walks on the
production airplanes with smooth
Carborundum walks . B.D. didn't
like this because the cork had
been his idea.
I can't recall who it was, but some­
one suggested running the spin tests
with the engine stopped. We tried it,
and it worked-eureka! Now we had
to figure out a way to make it work
with the engine running.
Howard Aircraft was an airplane
factory that employed many tal­
ented men other than airframe and
engine (A&E) mechanics. Some of
this outside talent was in the form
of race car builders and mechanics.
Sludge Doyle hired a whole slew of
race mechanics to work for him in
the machine shop. After hours and
on weekends, they built steel tube
race car chassis long before Frank
Kurtis ever thought of it. I saw a lot
of fancy Offies come out of Howard
Aircraft. That's how I got involved
in AAA racing.
Let me break away from the 18 to
tell you a story about Sludge Doyle.
Sludge was the master mechanic on
about five different race cars, and he
would be in the pits at Soldier Field,
the amphitheater, or Raceway Park
setting up the engines for the driv­
ers every race night that he wasn't
working at Howard. 01' Sludge
liked his libation ... and I mean re­
ally liked it. He would get the cars
running, then walk across the track
to the bar, fill up, walk back, and sit
on a hay bale listening to the en­
gines as they ran. When he would
hear a sick alto, he would give 'em
two fingers up or one finger down,
then head for that bar across the
track. Well, the first couple of trips
across, he would look for traffic,
but after that he would just walk
right through the traffic! One night
at Raceway Park, he was sitting on a
bale of hay in the first corner when
the whole bunch came charging
through, missing Sludge and the
bale by inches. Going down the
backstretch, Wally Zale and Tony
"Flipper" Bettenhausen shortened
the track in the number three turn
by knocking the bales over, and as
they came down into the number
one turn, Sludge got off the bale
just as Wally sawed off Flipper, who
went through the bale! As they all
passed, Sludge walked across the
track again and into the bar. This
guy used to do this all the time and
never received a scratch . He was a
legend around the Chicago tracks.
BY NOW EVERYBODY HAD BECOME AN EXPERT IN TAIL SHAKE THEORY, INCLUDING YOURS TRULY. My boss, George Lyons, was also
a car builder. In fact, they called him
"I build 'em Lyons." He suggested
we use the same kind of vibration
damper for the Kinner installation
on the 18 as used on the Offies.
Sludge, George, and Bill Burns built
a mount with an Offy damper, and
we hung the Kinner in it and tried
it. It worked! The new 18 passed the
spin tests with flying colors and re­
ceived its CAA certificate.
I don't recall how many we built
before the war broke out, but it
wasn't many. When the war came
along, the Army and Navy didn't
want the airplane, so we shut down
the production of the 18 and built
the Fairchild PT-23 on subcontract.
The Model 18 was a good sport
aircraft, but a poor aerobatic air­
plane. It had bunches of dihedral,
which made it almost impossible to
slow roll, and for a low winger, the
18 was very stable. Snap rolls turned
out to be snatch roUs. All the 18s
were painted with blue fuselages
and yellow wings. I think it would
have been a great airplane with a
220 Continental and a flatter wing.
Structurally it was the best in the
industry. It was truly a D.G.A.
I don't know of any 18s left fly­
ing today. Don Gardner of the EAA
Aviation Museum staff has the only
one still carried on the FAA registra­
tion list-a DGA-18K, N39672, Se­
rial Number 672. It will be restored
and flying one of these days. There
is rumor that an FAA inspector in
Georgia or northern Florida also
has one. [Editor's Note, 2005: The
FAA shows 11 DGA-18 or DGA-18Ks
registered, with one (sin 672) regis­
tered just this past May. Nick's son,
James Rezich, also owns a DGA-18.}
Benny Howard designed two air­
planes that were never built under
the Howard name. Benny was 20
years ahead of the industry in ideas
and design.
Benny designed a freighter with
a swing tail, aft-loading door, and
front-loading door that was never
built. He also designed a freighter
with a detachable pod much the
same as a semi. His idea was to build
hundreds of pods (trailers) and a
few pod carriers. The scheme was
to fly in with a loaded pod, drop
it off, pick up a new, loaded one,
and continue the flight ... much as
the trucking industry operates. No
one would finance such a "wild"
venture then, but later some of the
designs were stolen or copied, and
Benny's freighters never got off the
ground, which is too bad because
the airfreight business is still 20
years behind.
Till next month, watch that bot­
tom rudder in the turn. It will kill
you. It's better to bank and yank
than to stomp and yank.
Big Nick
~
VINTAGE AIRPLANE
7
The 200S Friends of the Red Barn Campaign Many services are provided to vintage aircraft en­
thusiasts at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. From parking
airplanes to feeding people at the Tall Pines Cafe and
Red Barn, more than 400 volunteers do it all. Some
may ask, "If volunteers are providing the services,
where is the expense?"
Glad you asked. The scooters for the flightline crew
need repair and batteries, and the Red Barn needs
paint, new windowsills, updated wiring, and other
sundry repairs, plus we love to care for our volunteers
with special recognition caps and a pizza party. The
list really could go on and on, but no matter how
many expenses we can point out, the need remains
constant. The Friends of the Red Barn fund helps pay
for the VAA expenses at EAA AirVenture, and is a cru­
cial part of the Vintage Aircraft Association budget.
Please help the VAA and our 400-plus dedicated
volunteers make this an unforgettable experience for
our many EAA AirVenture guests. We've made it even
more fun to give this year, with more giving levels to
fit each person's budget, and more interesting activi­
ties for donors to be a part of.
Thank-You Items
by Level
Access to
Volunteer
Center
Your contribution now really does make a differ­
ence. There are six levels of gifts and gift recognition.
Thank you for whatever you can do.
Here are some of the many activities t he Friends of
the Red Barn fund underwrites:
• Red Barn Information Desk Supplies
• Participant Plaques and Supplies
.Toni's Red Carpet Express Repairs and Radios
• Caps for VAA Volunteers
• Pizza Party for VAA Volunteers
• Flightline Parking Scooters and Supplies
• Breakfast for Past Grand Champions
• Volunteer Booth Administrative Supplies
• Membership Booth Administrative Supplies
• Signs Throughout the Vintage Area
• Red Barn and Other Buildings' Maintenance
• And More!
Name Listed:
Vintage, Web
& Sign at
Red Barn
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8
FEBRUARY 2005
E.E. "BUCK" HILBERT
The best of Buck from 1988 Reprinted from articles published in 1988
shkosh '88. We survived
and saw one of the great­
est conventions yet! It
was a safe one, and the or­
ganization, the volunteers, and the
people were great. Despite the many
changes we had in parking and
crowd control, and the more-than­
expected increase in attendance, all
went smoothly.
My only regret is that I didn't get
as much time to stand around and
yak as much as I'd like. Every time I
went rushing past the Antique/Clas­
sic Barn, I'd hardly have time to say
hello to a few people before I was off
on another photo mission. I did get
down there right after the big storm,
and therein lies my reason for writ­
ing this.
Along about Thursday when the
convention was starting to swing
I noticed a Taylor J-2 Cub painted
yellow with a For Sale sign on it. I'm
always looking, and this time I took
a good look. I didn't get the guy's
name, but it was a pretty Cub at a
good price. I made a note that I'd get
in touch with him later in the week
when things slowed down. Well, as
things happen at Oshkosh, I was too
busy to follow through. Then after
the storm I saw this neat little ma­
chine sitting cattywampus down by
the Red Barn. Seems the tiedowns
the man put in the sod were only
little tent stakes! Talk about doing
something dumb! Here a guy spends
all kinds of money on a pristine little
airplane and then doesn't take the
time and effort to protect it. What a
tough way to learn.
Reams of articles, FAA circulars,
O
and military tech orders have been
written on the proper methods of
securing airplanes. Even DC-3s and
B-17s are tied down, and some of
those were taxpayers airplanes that
the average guy thinks don ' t cost
anything. And they're made of iron,
so how can they blow away! Well
they do. I just saw some pictures of
the Condor DC-3 that blew away in
Sherman, Texas, so what chance did
this little high-lift Cub have in SS
mph winds? Here's my point: take
the time, effort, and the little bit of
money necessary to assure yourself
that you'll have an airplane to come
back to if the wind blows a little.
Also, if you're tied down in a row, as
at Oshkosh or any other airport in
the world, other airplanes are close
by. If not properly secured, your air­
plane could wind up crashing into
the airplane next to it or on top of
the ones behind it. Make sure your
airplane is secure. And, please, with
tandem-seat stick airplanes, don't tie
the stick back. Tie the rear stick for­
ward against the front seat with the
seat belt. If you've got an airplane
with control wheels, get a bungee
and lash the two wheels together to
secure the ailerons and then some­
how jam the wheels forward so the
wind doesn't get under the tail.
While I'm here I've got another
point I can touch on. You taildrag­
ger pilots with years of experience
cover your ears because I'll just be
singing to the choir. It's you neo­
phytes I'm aiming at. I looked at a
brand new Christen Eagle at Osh­
kosh. The guy had just flown it in.
I walked around it, and it was beau­
tiful. I had no doubt this was a la­
bor of love. We talked a bit, and as I
was looking at the tail wheel, I saw
the tire was loose on the rim. It was
a Scott 6-incher, and it must have
been an "old-new" stock tire that
had been lying around quite a while.
It was hard as bakeolite (you know,
the stuff from which old telephones
used to be made). Anyway, the tire
was so loose on the rim that I was
afra id it was going to roll off and
jam between the arm and the wheel
and cause a loss of control. I called
his attention to it and expressed my
fears, but the guy just shrugged it off
and went on his way.
All I could think of was how fool­
ish this seemed . Here is a guy who
has a tremendous investment in just
the kits without mentioning all of his
labor, and he wouldn't take the time
and a few bucks to maintain control
of the situation. That little 6-incher
constitutes one-third of his landing
gear and almost all of his control on
the ground. Goof that little wheel
up and you chance losing the whole
ballgame. A word to the wise.
Heck, as long as I've got the type­
writer warmed up, I have one more
caution for you. This one is about
those blue poly tarps that are such a
bargain from some of the local sup­
ply houses. This is one we learned
the hard way. Number one-and-a­
half son had a Luscombe and blew
the engine . He parked it here at
the Funny Farm, took the engine
off, and then decided to cover the
whole airp lane cabin with one of
those blue poly tarps. I thought it
was a good idea.
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10
FEBRUARY 2005
Several months later we uncov­
ered it, and all the Plexiglas had
turned brown and was fuzzier than
a foggy morning. I couldn't believe
it, but it happened. I called a friend
of mine in the plastics business for
an explanation. The polymers put
in the tarps to keep them flexible are
the culprits. They keep the plastic
pliable, but they gradually evapo­
rate over the years. Meanwhile
th ey' re hell on Plexiglas. Lesson:
don't cover your airplane with one
of those plastic tarps. It' ll destroy
the Plexiglas.
Mark and I are still waiting for
comments and questions from you.
(Nearly 20 years later, it's still an issue
for Buck and I - Editor.) Some of you
must be tongue-tied , but you can
write, can't you? Or maybe you can
get someone else to tell you his or
her story and write it down. Just get
it to us, and we'll get it in print.
For example, a recent visit to the
nation's capital included a visit with
Roger Theil (Ryan SeW). Roger has
had his machine for several years
now, and has a job on his hands
trying to undo the mods that the
enterprising former owner installed
either for convenience or whimsi­
cal reasons. I must admit that some
of them were neat and functional,
but they are not in keeping with the
originality that Roger wants. Pay at­
tention, now, because this is really
cool; Roger wanted to remove the
engine and firewall so he could get
at the fuel tank and th e wiring and
the back of the instrument panel as
well as the brake system and every­
thing else down by the floorboards.
Roger, like most of us, was a little
afraid of the maze of wires, tubes,
lines, and cables . If you've seen a
wiring diagram all at once, it looks
complicated and not at all invit­
ing. Know what this guy did? He
constructed a mock-up of the fire­
wall, attached a broomstick engine
mount, and then mocked up all the
wires, cables, and controls on the
model in the same positions as the
original he was dismantling. How
about that?
I don't advocate this for every­
one. If you are patient and did this
to teach yourself, like Roger, that's
fine, but a camera will preserve a lot
of this stuff for future reference, and
sketches and notes will do the same.
But it's a great idea. And Roger has
a working model right there he can
refer to anytime he has doubts.
VFR direct. Does anyone fly that
way anymore? You know, draw a
line on a sectional, measure it off in
30-mile segments, and then mark
prominent landmarks, hazardous
towers, and big towns?
I do! I do it all the time, even
when I have an airplane with radios
and navigation equipment. Flying
down around 1,200 to 1,500 feet
above ground level is anything but
boring. The time seems to flit by as
you see and learn more about this
great country we live in. Interstates,
railroads, rivers, coastlines-they're
all great NAVAIDs. It's fascinating to
watch golfers, fishermen, and wa­
ter-skiers; sailboats and cruisers; and
semis on the freeway and the state
cops lurking in unusual places try­
ing to trap motorists.
The scenery is ever changing and
much more fun than looking at your
needles on the instrument panel. Com­
pare what you see on that five-dollar
sectional with what is on the ground.
Wow, look at all the new mega buck
homes being built down there!
Look for suitable emergency land­
ing fields like the open-cockpit guys
used to do when engine reliability
was always a question. How would I
make my approach to that one down
there if my engine went out to lunch?
Look for animals, not just horses and
cows, but deer and fox, and maybe
badgers. Don't forget to look for peo­
ple, too. They're there, and this is the
only time in your life when you can
look down on people and not offend
them one bit. Hey, it's fun!
Don't cage the gyros and shut
down the VORs and the LORAN.
Use them for insurance, but look
out the window and enjoy!
Over to you,
- mail is a wonderful
thing-or the worst thing
that ever happened. Some
days I can't decide which
way to lean on that issue,
but today I'm bowing to­
ward wonderful.
When it comes to communicat­
ing with our international mem­
bers (a little less than 10 percent of
VAAers live outside of North Amer­
ica), it's truly a great invention.
During this past EAA AirVenture
Oshkosh, while I was out on the
convention grounds, one useful e­
mail fell in amongst the crowded
pile of junk messages promising
everything from instant riches to
cheap access to new pharmaceuti­
cals. Thankfully, in the hectic "re­
organize the computer messages"
activity that follows each conven­
tion, I found it and was pleased
to hear from one of our Italian
members, Alessandro Tonini, who
wanted to tell us about a restora­
tion being completed by his boss at
GT-Propellers, which is located in
the Adriatic seaside resort town of
Riccione, Italy. I've edited his note
to us, and in Alessandro's words,
here is his description of the proj­
ect:
Our boss, Mr. Gian Carlo Tonini,
has just finished a three-year res­
toration project of the all-wooden
Aermacchi MB-308 , designed
by professor Bazzocchi, the well­
known military jet designer of such
models as the MB-326 and MB-339
currently in service with several air
forces and the Frecce Tricolori. Aer­
macchi built Tonini's MB-308 in
1947 with serial number N.18. It
served as a basic air force train er
(powered by a Continental C-85) .
It was designed between 1937 and
1939, just before the beginning of
World War II. In the early 1950s,
Aermacchi sold Tonini's example
to the Italian Aero Club. It was reg­
istered as I-LAGA and was based at
the Aero Club of Pescara. Tonini's
plane, I-LAGA, was in service until
Paul Nann, whose web site,
www.paulnann.com. contains a
variety of military aircraft photo­
graphs, took this nice snapshot of the
MB-308 when it was displayed in 2004
in the Museo Storico dell'Aeronautica
Militare, Vigna di Valle, Lazio, Italy.
1972. Then it was dismantled . For­
tunately, all hardware, instruments,
and the engine were kept in various
buildings, and never left exposed
outside in bad weather.
In December 2001, Mr. Tonini
found it dismantled in the hangars
of the Ferrara Gliding Club. The
wings were in one hangar and the
fuselage in another. The follow­
ing weekend he borrowed a glider
trailer and towed it from Ferrara to
Riccione where the GT-Propeller
Co. is based. He made the journey
in the cold early-morning hours to
avoid traffic jams. At last the aircraft
found itself in a warm and friendly
environment where all Tonini staff
members had the opportunity to
VINTAGE AI RPLANE
11
The young lady on the right is Maria Teresa Cassini, a well-known Italian avia­
trix who flew an Aennacchi 308 supplied by the factory on a series of air tour
events. Rosa Fiorentino (left) served as her navigator. The globe on the side of
the airplane shows the route flown by the crew during an African sojourn.
The MB-308 as it appeared in 1952, in the Italian military color scheme. The
young man's identity is unknown.
This MB-308 is serial number 18 and was built in 1947. Don't let the silver fool
you; the airplane is built completely out of wood.
12
FEBRUARY 2005
The basic VFR
panel of the
MB-308 hints
at its purpose.
It served as a
basic trainer for
a few air forces,
including the
Italian air force.
Gian Carlo
Tonini works
on the finish­
ing touches to
the cabin area
on the MB­
308. Professor
Bazzocchi de­
signed the 308
just prior to
the outbreak of
WWII.
The original
C-8S engine
was replaced
with the more
powerful 100­
hp Continental
0-200, and a
new GT propel­
ler is mounted
on the engine.
Out of a production run of 200 aircraft, about 10 examples still exist
in France, Italy, Germany, Argentina, Australia, and New Zealand.
SPEC SHEET
Wingspan: . . .... ... .... . . .. ...... . ...... . ... .. . . 10 meters
length: .................................... . . 6,527 meters
Height: ....... . ........ . ................. . .. . 2,175 meters
Wing area: ........ . .................... 13,72 square meters
Empty weight: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 415 kilograms
Max speed with original C-85: 190 kilometers/hour
(max speed with 0-200: 230 kilometers/hour)
Never exceed speed (VNd: .................. 290 kilometers/hour
Cruise speed with original C-85: 150 kilometers/hour (cruise speed with
0-200 at 2200 rpm: . . . ................... . 180 kilometers/hour)
Stall speed:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 68 kilometers/hour
Takeoff distance with original C-85: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130 meters
(takeoff distance with 0-200: 100 meters)
landing distance: ....•.....•••..• •, • . . . . • . . . . • . . . • 60 meters
Climb rate with original c-85: 213 meters/minute
(climb rate with 0-200: 335 metels/paInute)
take a close look and make their
contributions of help and advice.
After three years of loving res­
toration work, mainly by Tonini
himself but assisted by keen help­
ers, the Macchino, as it has always
been known in Italy, was reas­
sembled with all original approved
hardware, similar instruments, and
an upgraded Continenta l 0 -200
instead of the C-8S. The company
made a Vintage-style prop, type GT­
2 182-113, with the latest airfoils
availab le. The final plane paint­
ing replicates the original military
paint scheme, silver with some blue
clouds on the fuselage sides with tri­
color roundels on the rear fuselage.
Mr. Tonini said that with the
new engine and the same empty
weight, the takeoff distance will be
reduced and the cruise speed in­
creased. The flying tests will start
soon after the last ENAC (Ente Na­
zionale per I' Aviazione Civile-the
Italian Civil Aviation Authority)
inspection.
Some 200 MB -308s were built
in Italy. About 180 examples were
licensed and ma n ufactured in Ar­
gentina and used as primary train­
ers in service with t he Argentine
air force.
At present no more than 10 re­
stored examples are offiCially fly­
ing worldwide in Italy, France,
Germany, Argentina, Australia, and
New Zealand.
During the restoration Mr. Tonini
remarked that the smell of the
wood, the fabric, and the lacquer
reminded him of his 1969 days as
a student pilot on the MB-308 at
Rimini International Airport . ......
VINTAGE AIRPLAN E
13
A flying airplane is a
flying airplane, and unless it is pur­
chased with the intent of rebuild­
ing it, there's always a resistance to
take of out of the air because it's a
well-known law that an airplane
taken in the garage for a month's
worth of work won't be seen again
for several years.
"I was just trying to keep this
thing flying. Its paint was peeling, the
carpets smelled like a wet dog. Every­
thing had dents, rust, or both. It was
not an airplane you could be proud
of. It was just an airplane. In fact, it
wasn't a lot of fun to take to fly-ins
because one of my friends would al­
ways make some comment like, 'Are
you sure that thing will fly?'"
Still Tim soldiered on, deter­
mined to keep it flying.
"I flew it like that for about three
long years, and it kept getting pro­
gressively worse. I knew I'd have
to either get rid of it or rebuilt it
sooner or later, but I was hoping it
would be later."
Fate often has a way of sneaking
up and tweaking a pilot's nose, forc­
ing the inevitable, and that's what
happened to the Baily Tripe.
"One day the right main tank
fuel line split and dumped over ten
gallons of gas into the cockpit. The
carpet was soaked. The seats were
soaked. Everything was ruined. It
was a terrific mess! Then a friend
walked up and said, 'Where 's a
match when you really need one?'
" That was it. I had reached my
limit and was tired of constantly
working on it. I was putting in two
16
FEBRUARY 2005
hours of work
for every hour in
the air. So, I took
the wings off right
then and towed it to a friend's place
where, in my frustration, I made a
huge tactical error.
"I was in a frenzy and wanted
to get this project underway, and
the way you start rebuilding an
airplane is to take it apart. Major
mistake! Big mistake! In less than a
week I had this thing stark naked.
I took it apart down to the last nut
and bolt, but not once did I give a
thought to putting it back together.
I was just ripping stuff off and gave
no thought to the future, when I'd
have to know what went where.
"I made a lot of mistakes on this
airplane, but not proceeding slowly
and bagging and tagging parts was
by far the biggest. It cost me a solid
year of head scratching and parts
chasing. Dumb! Really dumb. To­
day, I could do the same airplane in
a third of the time, and most of the
time saved would be in the disas­
sembly process."
It was some time before he real­
ized his error because he was busy
trying to determine exactly how
much damage existed in the air­
frame and how much repair work
had to be done before he could start
refinishing it.
"I had set a goal to have a com­
pletely reliable airplane that I'd
never have to work on again. This
meant I'd research every single fac­
tory Service Bulletin and AD and
make sure they'd
all been complied
with. I wasn't going
to cut any corners, and
anything that has proven to
increase the airplane's reliabil­
ity and utility was going to be
done. Someday my
son is going to
be flying this air­
plane, and I kept
him in my mind
throughout the en­
tire process.
liThe good news
was that my ratty old
airplane was really fairly
sound underneath. If it
had been the same on the
inside that it was on the out­
side, this would have been a much
longer project. The fuselage, for
instance, was really in great shape
with very little rust. I didn't have to
do any structural welding at all.
"I borrowed a sand blaster from a
body shop and did the fuselage my­
self, which was a messy but strangely
satisfying job. Then I used military
epoxy primer and paint on it."
Any airplane of that age that has
been allowed to deteriorate even a lit­
tle has inevitably accumulated more
than its share of dents and scraps,
and this airplane was no exception.
"Virtually none of the sheet metal
was useable for anything more than
patterns. The sheet metal took a fair
amount of trimming and tweaking
to get it right, but, with the excep­
tion of the back door, it all worked
out. I messed with that door forever,
and it became obvious I wasn't go­
ing to make it, so I took it to a pro.
It took him all of four hours to pro­
duce a perfect job. I love fabric work,
but I hate sheet metal."
The airplane was intended for lots
of cross-country cruising, and that
meant taking care of the amenities.
"The insulation was gas soaked
and mildewed so I replaced all of
that, being careful to make every­
thing tight. The interior that was
in the airplane wh en I got it was
the remnants of the original factory
interior so I used that as a pattern
and duplicated it. I had bought an
interior kit that ostensibly was for
a Tri-Pacer, but you couldn't prove
that by me. I don't know what it
was for, but it wasn't a Tri-Pacer, so
I cut material to my own patterns
and had a friend stitch it.
"When it came time to put the
headliner in I sat and looked at it for
a long time because as projects go, it
was pretty scary. I was actually afraid
to make the first cut. But, by mov­
ing slowly, a lesson I had learned by
that time, it came out okay."
Although Tim had grown up
watching fabric airplanes being re­
covered, he hadn't done any him­
self in something like 20 years and
still had some lessons to be learned.
"In reality, I covered the airplane
twice-partially because of holes
in my own skill and partially be­
cause of some bad luck while doing
the wings. The wings were really in
good shape, and all I had to do was
replace the bu tt ribs, the strut at­
tach points and the tip bows. I used
Airtech and covered them at an A &
P school, which included shooting
my own paint.
"I had a wing painted and hang­
ing on the ceiling when the ceiling
gave away and dropped the wing. I
got under it and was holding up a
wet wing, but it had already beat up
the leading edge and a rib or two.
There was no alternative but to start
over. So, out came the razor blades."
Tim said he covered the fuselage
in Stits, twice!
"I had the fuselage completely
covered and taped, but there was
some looseness in the fabric around
the base of the fin. I'd walk in the
shop to work on the airplane and
would find myself continually
glancing at that loose fabric. Plus
the fact that I hadn't glued the
envelope seam to a longeron kept
driving me nuts. Every single time I
looked at the fuselage all I saw was
the slightly loose fabric and that
seam. Finally, I was standing there
and suddenly found my hand rac­
ing down the fuselage, holding my
pocket knife. At least I don't have
to keep looking at that loose fabric
anymore."
As he closed in on the final de­
tails he began to believe that the
light he was seeing at the end of
the tunnel actually wasn't a train
coming. He really was getting the
airplane finished.
"Fitting the windshield was a
pain, and if I had it to do again, I
wouldn't use 3/16" . It's too hard to
flex into position and requires too
much grinding.
"I did the instrument panel in
black crinkle paint because that's
the way my dad always did it. I gave
some thought to putting in new in­
struments or refinishing these, but
decided against it because I kind of
like the 'lived in' look of the old
ones, although I did have to replace
the airspeed. I tried to do it 100%
original and didn't do like so many
others do and put in toe brakes. It
still has the original central handle.
"I also went through the com­
plete control system and replaced
eighty percent of the pulleys and
VINTAGE AIRPLANE
17
DAVID CARLSON
replaced all the cables with new
stainless steel ones."
The engine in the airplane was run­
ning fine when he purchased it, but
had 2,500 hours total time and 1,000
since overhaul. A year after doing the
airframe, Tim tackled the engine.
lilt had a cracked cylinder when
I bought the airplane, so I topped
it at that time and welded the bad
cylinder. This time, however, we did
it right and replaced them all with
ECI jugs. The cam was also replaced
because as soon as I could see it, it
was obvious the back lobe was bad,
18
FEBRUARY 2005
but the bad news didn't stop there.
When I sent the crank in, they said
it was cracked, which fortunately
turned out to be a bad diagnosis,
but it had me going for a while.
"Now that I'm flying it, I' m
pleased with how smooth it runs,
but I wish I'd had it balanced while
I was doing it."
Now that he's finished with the
airplane, is he enjoying it?
"I've p ut 600 hours on it since
buying it originally and 260 since
rebuilding it, and the last hours
have been so much more enjoyable
because I don't have to worry that
something's going to finally break
or wear out. The peace of mind
is tremendous. Plus, the airplane
smells a lot better.
"Now, I'm proud to take people
flying, and instead of people pok­
ing fun at it, they compliment me
on it, which is really a change."
The airplane has won Grand
Champion awards at the Sun 'n Fun,
Darlington and Thomasville fly-ins,
so, as Tim put it, "WOW, I guess four
years of work has really paid off."
We certainly think so.
....... \
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Because that's what Caesar wanted! MARCELAINE WININGER LEWIS
Every story has a beginning. This
story began one Sunday afternoon
in the Upper Peninsu la as I was
driving my pickup truck by the old
Isle Royal Sands Airport in Hough­
ton, Michigan . Recently, the once
barren stamp sand along the Por­
tage Canal shores from the turn­
of-the-last-century copper mines
had been developed into a water­
front marina with lovely homes.
My mind wandered, as it has a ten­
dency to do more frequently these
days, to Houghton native Nancy
Harkness Love. Despite being a sky
chick myself, I had never heard
of her until I was standing at the
catalog order pickup counter at the
Copper Country Mall J.e. Penny.
I was wearing one of my Women
Fly T-shirts. It features a sepia-tone
photo of an angel-faced aviatrix in
an open cockpit staring into the
camera lens with doe eyes.
The clerk at Penny's said, "Thatphoto
is on my mother's piano ... that's Nancy
Harkness. My mom was their maid. She
knew Nancy when she was learning to
fly offthe Isle Royal Sands. "
Isle Royal Sands .. .Isle Royal Sands
... Isle Royal Sands. My friend Nancy
Klingbeil, the Houghton High school
librarian . .. her dad-Leo Lucchesi­
was a cool old dude . .. still handsome
. . . still a flirt . .. a pilot. He always
gave me an "a tta girl" whenever I
clawed my way through a new rating.
I looked at the big, expensive homes on
the shoreline and wondered if he had
ever flown from the Isle Royal Sands. I
wondered if he knew Nancy Harkness.
Later, I asked Nancy to ask him for
me, just out of curiosity.
I was surprised at the answer to
that question . . . and to other ques­
tions that I hadn't asked. Later that
week, [ arranged to meet with Leo after
one of my flight lessons.
V I N TAGE AIRPLANE
19
Caesar's son, Leo, who followed his fa­
ther into the skies. After WWII, he of­
ten flew clients from Michigan's Upper
Peninsula to Meigs Field in Chicago.
Leo as he appeared in 1939, on a trip
to Key West, Florida.
When I entered the Lucchesi
porch, the fragrance of garlic and Ital­
ian herbs made my nose smile. Mary's
(Federighe) Italian cooking wafted
through the open doorway. She had
been married to Leo for 61 years.
The Lucchesis are an affectionate,
noisy, enthusiastic, passion-filled fam­
ily. Multi-generations of them were
present for my interview with Leo.
Grandson Chuck Klingbeil, retired
Miami Dolphins nose tackle, was yell­
ing about light bulbs over the kitchen
table that he was changing for his
grandparents. Was he yelling, or was
everyone just deaf? Or were they
deaf from all the yelling? Somebody
poured coffee for me. It was strong
enough for a tow bar to stand upright
in. I was a little over-stimulated by all
the energy in the house.
Nancy and Mary greeted me. There
was loud laughter. Teasing. Chuck
and his wife, Doreen, excused them­
selves and left. Three little white Mal­
tese dogs-Pete, Lou, and Jake-were
jumping up and down, walking on
hind legs, and vying for my attention.
Somehow, amidst all the exuberance,
86-year-young Leo told his story...
with his loved ones chiming in, inter­
rupting him, arguing with him, and
reminding him of parts of the Lucchesi
oral tradition that he omitted. Nancy
and Mary supplemented his saga with
family albums and keepsakes.
Leo sometimes had trouble remem­
bering the types of airplanes that he
flew for his dad more than half a cen­
tury ago. But many of us have trouble
remembering what we flew a half­
decade ago! Nevertheless, Houghton
Since these interviews were conducted in May 2003, the author was able
to assist Leo in having his lost airman certificate reissued. The FAA also sent
him a copy of his complete airman file that included photos of him as a swash­
buckling young airman. Special thanks must be offered to Oklahoma City FAA
staffers, who despite being short-handed (a number of FAA employees who
are reservists have been called up for active duty to serve in Operation Iraqi
Freedom), made the time to honor my request to assist the ageing airman. They
searched their archives and found Leo's file that had been lost for half a cen­
tury. Leo was touched and proud to receive his records shortly before he made
his home flight in August 2003. Blue skies, tailwinds, and soft landings to you,
leo. Thanks for sharing your stories.
Leo Lucchesi May 18, 1917-August 18, 2003
20
FEBRUARY 2005
County pilot Leo Lucchesi vividly re­
called his first solo.
Years earlier, in 1921, Caesar (pro­
nounced Che-zah-ray), a visionary
interested in transportation, recog­
nized that air travel would one day
replace livery, and automobiles. So
he obtained permission from the Isle
Royal Mining Co. to fly off the Isle
Royal Sands where he had built two
airplane hangars.
According to Leo, "I worked at the
Sands when I was 10-12 years old, pol­
ishing airplanes or painting hangars.
Dad had me drive a truck dragging a
railroad rail to smooth the sands for
the runway."
But Caesar loved the sky, and he
often took young Leo on aerial ad­
ventures over the scenic Keweenaw
Peninsula.
Leo continued, "As we'd fly, he'd
say, 'Leo take the stick or wheel.' He'd
say, 'Stick back or stick forward. When
you turn, use the rudder.'
"One day we were flying the Cub
Coupe (Caesar's fourth airplane). Af­
ter he landed, he said, 'Pull over next
to the hangar. Get into my seat. Take
off. Circle and land.' My heart was in
my mouth . When I took off...1 was
singing; I was so happy. I flew toward
Dollar Bay. I flew circles. Then I lev­
eled off at 600 feet on the east side of
the Sands. I cut the engine, came in
and landed, and taxied to the hangar
and shut the motor off."
But even on a special day, like the
day of a first solo flight, Caesar was a
father who demanded a strong work
ethic from his children, "My dad said,
'You know what to do. Fuel. Wipe off
the oil. Wipe down the plane."'
Leo was 16 years old in the mid­
1930s, and he had about 500 hours'
flying around the Upper Peninsula
wilderness with his dad, Caesar Luc­
chesi. The plane was a Cub Coupe­
two-place, side -by-side. Leo had
worked hard as a youngster growing
up around the family business, South
Range Oil and Gas Co. Perhaps he
had to work even harder to earn his
wings than many of us have.
Leo continued with his story of
his early days as a student pilot: "My
Caesar also owned a Monocoupe, which must have been plenty of fun to land in
the crosswinds blasting across the runway at Isle Royal Sands Airport on the Ke­
weenaw Peninsula of Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
dad let me use the planes anytime I
wanted with his permission. But so­
loing is not a license. I took ground
school at Michigan Tech (at that time
it was known as the Michigan Col­
lege of Engineering) and passed the
knowledge exam. But I had to fly a
cross-country solo to Escanaba for the
practical test with a federal examiner.
IINo radios were reqUired at that
time. To navigate, I followed the lakeshore to L'Anse and used a highway
map to find my way to Escanaba.
IIFor my practical test, the federal
man put me through a series of ma­
neuvers. I passed the test and flew
home all in one day. I got my license
from the federal government. It was
about 1937-38."
With sadness Leo added, III had
about 4,000 hours when my logbook
and license disappeared. I believe it
was in 1951, when I was recalled to
active duty. My airman materials dis­
appeared then." (See the accompany­
ing box.)
I asked Leo to explain to me how his
dad, an Italian immigrant with little
formal education, was able to become
a pilot and own eight airplanes at a
time in America when most Americans
did not even own a car.
He responded, IIIn Italy, the Luc­
chesis had lived in the mountains.
They were loggers. Caesar had come
to America in 1899 to work in the
Quincy Mine. There he became a
foreman and went to work in the Bal­
tic Mine."
Leo's parents, Caesar and Gel­
somina Oenny) Andreini, married in
1904. He had 50 cents; she had $5.
She was about 15 years old. They
took a streetcar and honeymooned in
Calumet. Jenny had come to America
from Italy to help her brother who
had been hurt in the Baltic Mine. Her
brother had written to his family, ask­
ing her to come and do laundry and
take in miners. Caesar met her there.
Caesar was an enterprising man. He
was deputized as a sheriff in 1906. He
maintained his deputy sheriff status
until he died. He and Jenny opened
a store in Hancock. Then they moved
to South Range and opened a livery
stable for horses.
In 1917, Caesar bought a bus for
$6,000 from the White Motor Co. in
Minneapolis. He paid in cash and sacks
of half-dollars that he and Jenny had
saved from the livery. Another cus­
tomer bought a bus that same day. Cae­
sar named his bus line Range Bus Line;
the other customer named his bus line
Greyhound. And so he began a bus ser­
vice, but the hostile Upper Peninsula
winters threatened to close the bus line
in the winter. Nevertheless, that didn't
stop him. At his own expense, as a ser­
vice to the citizens, he hired 50 people
to shovel the road from Painesdale to
the bridge in Houghton, and he kept
the buses running.
Meanwhile, he went away to Chi­
cago and Minneapolis to learn to fly in
1917-1918. In 1921, he bought his first
airplane, a biplane. Leo emphasized,
liMy dad was very interested in trans­
portation. He knew that in the long
run, airplanes would be a big thing."
Then, in 1921 he read that the
Army had a tractor with a plow blade
for clearing snow-he hired the
foundry in Ripley to cast blades all
summer, and he made a snow plow.
Leo's brother, Geno, became an
FAA-certificated flight instructor and
opened a flight school. In 1930 a 16­
year-old native Houghton daughter,
the child of a wealthy local phYSiCian,
started carving out her niche in avia­
tion history with her first solo flight
in one of Caesar's planes off his little
Isle Royal Sands Airport, where the
runway was kept smooth by drag­
ging a railroad tie across the surface.
Within a month, she had earned her
pilot certificate and then went on
to become an early member of the
Ninety-Nines, the International Orga­
nization of Women Pilots. Ten years
later she would write to Col. Robert
Olds to tell him that she knew 49
women pilots-maybe even another
IS-who could ferry aircraft for the
war effort. The wing of female fliers
would become the WAFS: Women's
Auxiliary Ferry Squadron. That teen­
age girl was Nancy Harkness (Love).
Caesar Lucchesi's little airstrip in the
geographically remote forests of the
Upper Peninsula launched into the
sky a kid who helped win a war and
change the free world forever.
But what became of the bus line?
IIMr. Bill Schot, superintendent of
the Painesdale Mine, came to our home
once in a while." He asked Leo's dad,
Caesar, how much he had invested in
the bus line. At that time, the line had
grown to about 10 buses.
IISchot put a 'spotter' on the bus
line. He observed, at one pOint, 72
passengers on a 12-passenger bus from
Painesdale to Houghton. He arranged
for the State Highway Commission
to prohibit Caesar from plowing the
VINTAGE AIRPLANE
2 1
A Stinson 105 was also one of the airplanes owned by Caesar owned eight airplanes during his lifetime, including this
Caesar.
Cessna UC-78 Bobcat.
roads and pressured him into selling
his business for the price that he had
quoted as his original investment."
Caesar was upset, but he negoti­
ated with the mines and got them
to agree to buy fuel only from him.
Because of his bus lines, he had al­
ready established filling stations in
Painesdale, Laurium, Houghton,
Hancock, Lake Linden, Calumet,
Baraga, Pequaming, Toivola, Copper
Harbor, and Mohawk.
To promote his filling stations,
big red Texaco Johnson Wings were
painted on the cotton skins of his air­
planes. He became a charter member
of the Civilian Air Patrol.
"He had a wholesale company in
South Range and Ripley. The train
brought in tankers-made big money
for him. From 1927-1940 the bus line
had prospered. He sold the tractors
and plow for more than he paid for
them. It was good. Buses soon went
out of business."
Caesar's flying adventures per­
Sisted, but not without mishap. "Dad
crashed a Stinson in Iron Mountain
because of fuel starvation. He called
me and said, 'Come and get Ma and
me. Ma has a broken leg. Come and
get us.'" Leo refused, encouraging his
dad instead to hire an ambulance for
his mother's comfort. It was ironic
that a pilot who accumulated his
wealth through fuel sales would run
out of gas. But wait, there's more.
Frequently his dad would have
young Leo fly business associates
from Houghton to Meigs Field in Chi­
cago for lunch.
For instruments he had only a
compass, ball and bank indicator,
tach, and gas gauge. Leo used a road
map and followed the Lake Superior
22
FEBRUARY 2005
shoreline to L'Anse, U.S. Highway 41
to Green Bay, and the Lake Michigan
shoreline to Meigs. A man met them
there with a Chevy station wagon
to take them to and from The Berg­
hoff, a downtown German restau­
rant. Most of the time, however, Leo
would fly Caesar's business associates
to Land O'Lakes, Wisconsin, so that
they could gamble.
Leo recalled the challenges of cross­
wind landings on his dad's Isle Royal
Sands Airport; there was only an east/
west runway, and no radio communi­
cation was required.
Despite his success, Caesar was re­
markably generous in sharing his love
of flying, and he gave everybody air­
plane rides for free . In his lifetime he
had an astonishing eight airplanes.
Because of the interest that Caesar's
aviation entrepreneurship on the Isle
Royal Sands had generated, Hough­
ton County decided to build a county
public-use airport. It was placed in
Laurium. Caesar hangared a plane
there, a Stinson lOS. In addition,
Caesar had the FBO at the Houghton
County Memorial Airport (CMX),
where he sold 80-octane fuel.
Caesar needed an airframe and
powerplant (A&P) mechanic, so he
sent his son Fred to A&P school to
learn the trade.
One cold winter day, Leo pulled
one of his dad's planes out of the
brick hangar at the Laurium airport
and took off to enjoy the crisp Cop­
per Country sky. Because of the cold,
dense air, the engine performance
was excellent that day. But suddenly,
something wasn't right. The engine
would idle, but wouldn't run. Finally
it quit altogether. There was no sound
except the quiet swish of the wind-
milling prop. Fortunately, the air­
plane was on skis, and Leo was able
to barely clear a fence and safely land
the plane in a clearing. Shaken, but
okay, Leo again examined the sight­
glass fuel gauges to check for fuel
contamination. No dirt or water, and
plenty of fuel. It turned out that the
hangar roof had been leaking. Ice col­
lected and froze in the gas cap vent.
With no vent to the atmosphere, the
fuel flow dribbled to nearly zero, and
the engine quit.
Now, every pilot who has ever
stood on the CMX ramp-gazing at the
sky, or circled overhead in a holding
pattern, waiting for the Lake Superior
generated weather to clear, has won­
dered, "Why in the world did they
build the airport here?" We are keenly
aware that 90 percent of the time the
sky is clear a short 30 miles south of
Houghton in the L'Anse-Baraga area.
Wonder no longer.
Harry Co hod as, the owner of a
prominent Upper Peninsula whole­
sale produce supply business, was a
huge fuel customer of Caesar's be­
cause of all the produce trucks that he
had on the road. Through the years
they became good friends.
Now, this is how business was con­
ducted back in those days-in a time
where a handshake sealed a deal and
airports were not positioned by en­
gineers or feasibility studies; instead
they were positioned by friends: a
Catholic and a Jew who trusted each
other and conducted business with
each other.
Leo was at the airport with his dad
that fateful day, the day that would
affect future generations of pilots and
passengers. He recalled, "Two men
traveled to the Laurium Houghton
TAKE SOME OF THE EXPERIMENTING
County airport to meet with my dad
and ask him how he felt about the
Canadians financing a project to
build an emergency airport for the
Canadians on the Baraga Plains about
30 miles southeast of Houghton.
"Caesar suggested, instead, that
they build it at its present location
in Oneco, halfway between Laurium
and Hancock. He arranged for them
to get together with his friend Harry
Cohodas, who donated most of the
land for the project."
The Canadians invested
$IS,OOO,OOO in the construction of
a 6,000-foot concrete runway. After
the CMX construction was complete,
Caesar built the first hangar there and
moved his FBO and airplanes to the
Houghton County/Oneco Airport. He
installed a SOO-gallon tank and sold
avgas. He flew around in the north
country skies until the age of 76.
I asked Leo, "Why did your dad
want the airport at its present loca­
tion in Oneco rather than on the
Baraga Plains?"
He looked at me with genuine sur­
prise at my lack of insight into the
obvious answer to my silly question.
Nevertheless, Leo, always the perfect
gentleman, politely answered: "Well,
Marcelaine, it was only a five-minute
drive from my dad's house to his air­
planes at Oneco. It would have been
over a half-hour for him to drive to
his planes if they had been in Baraga.
The Houghton County airport was
built at its present location because
that's what Caesar wanted."
OUT OF HOMEBUILDING Feb. 26-27
March 5-6
Dallas,TX
March 19-20
Watsonville, CA
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Introduction to Aircraft Building
Sheet Metal Basics • Fabric Covering
Composite Construction
Electrical Systems and Avionics
Introduction to Aircraft Building
Sheet Metal Basics • Fabric Covering
Composite Construction
Electrical Systems and Avionics
Gas Welding
Introduction to Aircraft Building
Sheet Metal Basics • Fabric Covering
Electrical Systems and Avionics
TIG Welding
• Composite Construction
• Sheet Metal Basics • Fabric Covering
• Gas Welding
1-800-WORKSHOP 1-800-967-5746 YOU CAN BUILD IT! LET EAA TEACH YOU HOW.
24
FEBRUARY 2005
Although author Marcelaine Win­
inger Lewis has been designated a
Master Instructor by the National
Association of Flight Instructors ,
she refers to herself as a "student
pilot" with commercial, instrument,
and flight and ground instructor
instrument (land and sea) certifi­
cates. She is also a sky diver and
holds USPA master license number
D-24581. She's a teacher of at-risk
youth in the Upper Peni nsula, and
every day she gets an education
from her students on the ground
......
and in the sky.
H's been an active fall and winter for avia­
tion-related book and video production, and
here are a few selections from those that
have anived at EAA headquarters.
First, a review by member Bill
Schlapman, who also runs the
Heath Club:
Chet Peeks' newest book, Th e
Heath Story, to my knowledge is the
first and only book available on the
life of Ed Heath, the pioneer de­
veloper of homebuilt airplane kits.
Thousands of his kits were bought,
many of which were built and flown
during the late 1920s and on into
the 1930s. In those early years it was
not unusual for the builder to be­
come a self-taught pilot-one of the
motivating incentives of building
your own aircraft. Such an achieve­
ment is chronicled in the book.
The first Heath Parasol, a single­
place, parasol wing very lightplane,
was conceived by Ed Heath using
surplus lower wing panels from the
World War I Thomas Morse fighter
and a converted motorcycle engine.
Another appealing innovation was
an all-steel-tubing fuselage-no weld­
ing required-that could be easily
fabricated at home. Developments
and improvements were readily in­
corporated, thereby stimulating ac­
ceptance and growth of the market.
Lindbergh's famous Atlantic flight in
1927 was another major stimulation.
Conversion instructions and key
components were offered to facil­
itate rebuilding used Henderson
four-cylinder motorcycle engines
into propeller-turning airplane
engines. The concept matured
quickly, developing into the offer­
ing of a complete factory-produced
Heath (Henderson) engine.
In the early 1930s, with rapid de­
velopment of the airplane and the
engine, in addition to planes, com­
ponents, kits, and subassemblies,
complete flyaway airplanes were of­
fered. Ed Heath catered to the air­
plane and flying dreams of young
America at the time. Near the end of
the period certificated Parasols and
mid-wing models were also offered.
To earn prize money and for pub­
lic relations value, Ed Heath was
active in airplane racing. It was a
successful endeavor fully recognized
in the book. These endeavors also
invited competition, and one of
Heath's most significant competi­
tors, Jim Church and his Church
Mid-Wing, are included in a full
chapter. Jim Church and Ed Heath
were friends and collaborators as
well as competitors in this period of
American aviation history.
The certificated Heaths offered a
choice of the Heath B-4 engine or
the new Continental A-40 engine.
The A-40, with its higher horsepower
rating and relatively reliable opera­
tion, became the starting pOint of
the flat-opposed fours, which came
to dominate the lightplane engine
industry. It is covered beautifully
in an earlier Chet Peek book, Flying
With Forty Horses, which is delightful
reading for any lIantiquer."
The Heath book includes a recent
IItest flight report," offering a contem­
porary rating of the parasol's flying
characteristics and reviews of recent
restorations by active antiquers. One
Heath Parasol restoration just com­
pleted became an award winner at
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2003.
Ch et Peek-college professor,
engineer, multiple airplane restorer
(including an original World War I
Curtiss Jenny that was displayed in
the EAA AirVenture Museum for sev­
eral years), pilot, and now airplane
builder (a Pietenpol)-is uniquely
qualified and successful as an au­
thor. In addition to The Heath Story
and Flying With Forty Horses, his
other books include The First Cub,
Resurrection ofa Jenny, The Taylorcraft
Story, and The Spartan Story. All are
available at EAA and from aviation
booksellers such as Historic Aviation
and Zenith Books. Chet Peek's books
are entertaining, reference quality,
historically educational, and well
worth having. Order them!
The Heath Story (ISBN 1-886196­
03-6), 150 pages with photos, retails
for $19.95 and is published by Wind
Canyon Books.
William Schlapman
Heath Club
Alaska's Bush Plan es by Ned
Rozell is a beautifully rendered,
hardbound, mini coffee table book
that presents a full-color history of
the wide variety of airplanes that
have been used in Alaska since
aviation's golden age . Outstand­
ing pictures by photographers such
as Jim Oltersdorf, Jeff Schultz, and
Eberhard Brunner, among many
other accomplished shooters, fill
each page of the book, with well­
written introductions to each
chapter and captions provided by
Rozell. Alaska's Bush Planes (ISBN
0-88240-586-1) contains 80 pages,
retails for $14.95, and is published
by Alaska Northwest Books.
H.G. Frautschy
VINTAGE AIRPLANE
25
DOU G STEWART
Winter Ops, Part II In last month's article I addressed
some special considerations for
those of us pilots who choose to
remain in cold climates. (What do
I mean choose? I wasn't aware of
the fact that I had a choice!) So let
me rephrase that: For those of us
pilots who find ourselves in cold cli­
mates and choose to continue flying
throughout the year, we have special
considerations that pilots in warmer
climes do not have to deal with.
I discussed the issues of airframe
contamination from ice, snow, and
frost. I also talked about the need
for preheating our airplanes. I ended
the article by promising to write
about the issues of engine starting
in the wintertime in this article, so
here goes.
Another problem with winter
operations is that of getting the en­
gine started. If the engine has been
sufficiently preheated, starting
should rarely, if ever, be a problem.
But there will be times when a pre­
heat might not be possible. I know
that I have a hard time getting go­
ing when I am cold and stiff, and
the engines and instruments in our
airplanes are no different.
The technology of our aircraft
ignition and induction systems is
certainly a vintage technology. It
often seems that it takes a certain
combination of magic, metaphysics,
and luck to get a reluctant airplane
engine running. (And this is prob­
ably just as true when it is hot as it
is when cold.) It sure is satisfying
when one can find a technique that
works. I am well aware that there are
numerous techniques out there for
26
FEBRUARY 2005
getting a cold engine running. The
one I'd like to describe has worked
for me virtually all the time.
As a flight instructor at the Great
Barrington Airport in southwest
Massachusetts, we taught the fol­
lowing technique for cold-weather
starting of the entire line of Piper
Cherokees that we flew. We would
use this technique in temperatures
as low as 8°F without preheating.
Below 8° we would preheat prior
to using this technique. (I person­
ally recommend preheating any­
time the temperature is below 28°F,
but these were not my airplanes
and that's the way the owner of
the FBO wanted it!) With one pilot
in the aircraft, to ensure that the
brake was set and that the ignition
was ofe with the key out of the
switch, another person would pull
the prop through (anywhere from
10-16 blades) while the pilot in­
side the aircraft stroked the primer
anywhere from six to 10 times .
The primer was left in the full out
pOSition. Then the carburetor was
primed with the accelerator pump
about four times, with the throttle
left open about 1/4-inch. After en­
suring that the prop was "clear" the
engine was started. As the engine
fired, the primer was then pushed
all the way in and then locked. It
never failed!
There are, however, some cau­
tions. 1. Anytime you are going
to touch a propeller, treat it as if
the magnetos were on. There is al­
ways the possibility that a p-lead
might be broken and thus the en­
gine could fire . If you are doing
this alone (priming, then pulling
the prop, then priming some more,
then pulling the prop some more)
b e abs olutely s u re that th e
brake is set! And even then, treat
the prop as if the mags were hot.
Remember that you will have an in­
duction system filled with fueC and
if a mag is "hot" due to a broken
p-Iead or switch left on, then some­
one could get very seriously injured
... or worse. 2. If you do not push
the primer in when the engine
"fires/' but leave it out, the engine
will be running way too rich, as it
sucks fuel through the primer sys­
tem. It will typically quit, and if it
is cold enough, you will probably
"frost" a spark plug. If that happens,
you're done with the start attempt,
and you'll have to pull the frosted
plug. 3. (And this applies any time
you are priming with the primer
system.) If you prime too much,
the excess fuel will be "washing"
the cylinder walls with fuel. There
might not be sufficient lubrication
left on the cylinder wall as the en­
gine fires, and it will cause prema­
ture wear on rings and cylinders.
4. If you overprime the carburetor
with the accelerator pump, you run
a great risk of an induction-system
fire . Most of the engine fires I have
witnessed were in the wintertime
and a direct result of overpriming
the carburetor.
How will you know that you have
a fire? You probably won't, unless
you notice people running across the
ramp, wildly waving their arms and
shouting. If you are good at lipread­
ing, you might understand that they
are shouting "FIRE!" Some might be survive. There have been cases of
pointing at the front of the cowling. pilots who did a fantastic job of
There might even be someone run­ landing an airplane in a forced
ning with a fire extinguisher in his or landing, where no one was signifi­
her hands. If you suspect a fire, then cantly injured in the landing, but
continue to crank the engine with then did not survive the walk out of
the hope of sucking the fire into the the woods or the wait in the wilder­
induction system; however, be pre­ ness for help to arrive because they
pared to exit the aircraft in a hurry. did not have the proper clothing to
protect them.
(As testament to
the fact that you
Now I am not
Be aware that
might not know
saying that one has
of a fire, I didn't there are probably to wear enough
realize I had had
clothes so that he
a fire in my PA-12
or she is confused
about as many
with the "Michelin
until the postflight
inspection when
Man ." I'm not say­
techniques to
I noticed that the
ing that you neces­
sarily have to wear
foam pre-cleaner
engine starting,
knee-high felt boots
element was toast.
I had been oblivi­
(unless of course
hot or cold,
you're in the back
ous to the fire that
had occurred on
as there are pilots. seat of my Super
start-up.)
Cruiser) while sit­
Be aware that there are probably ting at the controls of your airplane.
about as many techniques to en­ But I am saying that you should
gine starting, hot or cold, as there have the proper types of clothing on­
are pilots. What works for one board the aircraft. Then if the worst­
might not work for another. One case scenario does happen, you will
thing that has to work for all of us be prepared.
is the recognition of the inherent
As we can see, winter flying cer­
safety issues involved. So whatever tainly does have its special consid­
technique you find works for you, erations. For some pilots the effort
is too great, and they sadly put
be sure it is safe!
The last thing I'd like to discuss their pride and joy away in winter
about winter operations is how we hibernation, not to come out until
dress for winter flight. I see many the sounds of geese flying north is
pilots who show up at an FBO to heard. Other pilots head south with
go flying dressed in not much more those same geese when they are
than what is required for a cursory seen in their southerly migration.
And then there are those of us
walk around the airplane. They
have come from a warm home to a who choose to deal with the extra
prestarted car that has warmed up work and effort of flying in a cold
its interior. At the airport the pre­ northern climate. We are aware
flight is conducted (sometimes in of the joys and exhilaration that
a heated hangar) in a rather quick come from the increased perfor­
fashion, and then just as quickly mance gained in the frigid air; we
they get in the cockpit, fire up the are astounded by the breathtaking
engine, and begin to warm up the vistas that are now seen, no lon­
ger hidden by the summer's haze.
cockpit as the engine warms up.
The clothes they have on are We just have to be cognizant of the
sufficient for everything that they increased risk of winter flight, and
have done so far. And if the flight with that awareness we are able to
is uneventful their clothing is still safely fly throughout the winter.
adequate. But in the worst-case Wherever you may be, whether in
scenario of a forced landing in in­ a warm or a cold climate, may your
......
hospitable terrain, they might not winter be GREAT!
continued from page 2
low us to assist future leaders of the
aviation community."
Complete information, includ­
ing online registration, for the EAA
scholarship program is available at
www.eaa.org/education/schoiarships.
There is no charge to apply. Scholar­
ships are open to all EAA members or
students recommended by a current
EAA member.
EAA also welcomes additional
support for its scholarship program,
which has made a difference in the
lives of hundreds of young people
over the past 20 years. Contact EAA's
Development Office at 800-236-1025
for more information.
Order Your 2005
Sun 'n Fun Tickets Online
Are you ready for Sun 'n Fun 2005?
Now you can conveniently purchase
your tickets online at the Sun 'n Fun
website, www.sun-n-fun.orgltickets.
As always, EAA and Florida Air Mu­
seum members get the best discount
on registration fees. Non-members and
the general public can also order online
for this great April event in Lakeland,
Florida. For more information, send an
e-mail to [email protected].
'SportAir' Returns to
Canada in 2005
Building on the tremendous suc­
cess from the first EAA SportAir Work­
shop conducted in Canada last year,
EAA SportAir Workshops will offer a
full session of aircraft-building classes
in Calgary, Alberta, on April 2 and 3.
Jack Dueck, member of the EAA
Canadian and EAA Homebuilt Aircraft
councils, will host the workshop. Jack
is an EAA SportAir instructor and will
teach the sheet metal course. Other
courses offered include composites,
fabric covering, and gas welding.
We had to turn away some folks
last year, so if you're interested in
attending this workshop, visit the
SportAir Workshops website, www.
sportair.org, or call 800-967-5746 to
reserve your spot today.
......
VINTAGE AIRPLANE
27
APRIL 24-Haif Moon Bay, CA-15 th Annual Pacific Coast
Dream Machines Show. 10 am - 4 pm. Hundreds of
aviation wonders will be on display. Fly-ins welcome.
Spectator admission: Adults $15; 5-14 yrs and 65+
$5; Kids 4 and under free. Info: 650-726-2328 or
www.miramarevents.com.
MAY 6-S-Burlington, NC-Aiamance County Airport (BUY).
The following list of coming events is furnished to our readers
as a matter of information only and does not constitute ap­
proval, sponsorship, involvement, control or direction of any
event (fly-in, seminars, fly market, etc.) listed. To submit an
event, send the information via mail to: Vintage Airplane, P.O.
Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Or e-mail the information
to: [email protected]. Information should be received four months
prior to the event date.
FEBRUARY 5-Brodhead, WI-Ground Hog/Chili Fly-In,
11-2pm. Note that they do not plow their runways.
You are welcome to land on wheels, but if there
is measurable snowfall, your may have much diffi­
culty! "Rain / Snow" date: 2/6/05. Info: 262-374-0465,
[email protected].
Carolinas-Virginia VAA Chapter 3 Spring Fly-In. BB! On
the field Friday Evening, judging in all classes Saturday.
Awards Banquet Sat. Night. Everyone welcome. Info:
843-753-7138 or [email protected].
JULY 22-25-Waupaca, WI-Waupaca Airport (PCl). 2005
Annual Cessna and Piper Owner Convention & Fly-In.
Info: 8?8-692-3776 ext. 118 or www.cessnaowner.org
or www.piperowner.org.
AUGUST 6-7-Santa Paula, CA-(SlP) Santa Paula 75 th An­
niversary Air Fair. Exhibits, vintage and experimen­
tal aircraft displays, flybys, hangar displays, vendor
booths, dinner-dance, and other community activi­
ties . Info: 805-642-3315.
SEPTEMBER 3-Marion, IN-(Mll) Fly/In Cruise/In. Info:
www.FlyInCruiseIn.com.
REGIONAL FLY-IN SCHEDULE ••,,,..
WI''II
~• •
___D
hese are the first tools you need
to buy when you re~cover your
airplane. Anyone who has used them
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T
Sun 'n Fun Fly·ln
April 12-18, 2005
Lakeland, FL (LAL)
www.sun-n-fun.org
EAA Southwest
Regional Fly·ln
The EAA TEXAS Fly-In
May 13-15, 2005
NEW LOCATION!
Hondo, TX (H OO)
www.swrfi.org
Golden West EAA
Regional Fly·ln
June 3-5, 2005
Marysville, CA (MYV)
www.go/denwestf/yin.org
Rocky Mountain EAA
Regional Fly·ln
June 25-26, 2005
Watkins, CO (FTG)
www.rmrfi.org
www.polyfiber.com
e-mail: [email protected]
Aircraft; Coatings
28
FEBRUARY 2005
800-362-3490
Northwest EAA Fly-In
July 6-10, 2005
Arlington, WA (AWO)
www.nweaa.org
EAA AirVenture
Oshkosh 2005
July 25-31, 2005
Oshkosh, WI (OSH)
www.airventure.org
EAA Mid·Eastern FIy·ln
August 26-28, 2005
Marion , OH (MNN)
Virginia State EAA Fly·ln
September 17-18, 2005
Petersburg, VA (PTB)
www.vaeaa.org
EAA Southeast
Regional Fly·ln
October 7-9, 2004
Evergreen, AL (GZH )
www.serfi.org
Copperstate Regional
EAA Fly·ln
October 6-9, 2005
Phoenix, AZ (A39)
www.copperstate.org
1944: Joe bought a
Monocoupe and got his
private license
1947: Joe receives commercial
license
1975: Rostrons purchase 1947
Cessna 120
1985: Frances learns to fly
atage 60
At age 88, after 3,540 hours,
Joe still flies the C-120
"AUA has insured our C-120 for over 14 years and we have
always found them to be reliable, courteous and economical.
As a senior citizen, I appreciate their no age penalty policy./I
- Joe Rostron
Ii
.J§"'V,
~
AUA is Vintage Aircrah Association approved. To become a member of VAA call 800·843·36 J2.
, '
AUA's Exclusive EAA Vintage Aircrah Association Insurance Program Lower liability and hull premiums
Medical payments included
Fleet discounts for multiple a ircraft carrying all risk coverages
No component parts endorsements
No hand-propping exclusion
Discounts for claim-free renewals carrying all risk coverages
The best is affordable. Give AUA a call ­ it's FREE!
800-727-3823
Fly with the pros... fly with AUA Inc.
www ntlC10nlioA c.nm
Something to
buy,
sell or trade?
Classified Word Ads: $5.50 per 10 words, 180 words maximum, with boldface lead-in
on first line.
Classified Display Ads: One column wide (2.167 inches) by 1, 2, or 3 inches high at $20
per inch. Black and white only, and no frequency discounts.
Advertising Closing Dates: 10th of second month prior to desired issue date (Le. , January
10 is the closing date for the March issue). VM reserves the right to reject any advertising in
c?nflict with its policies. Rates cover one insertion per issue. Classified ads are not accepted
via phone. Payment must accompany order. Word ads may be sent via fax (920-426-4828)
or e-mail ([email protected]) using credit card payment (all cards accepted). Include name
on card, complete address, type of card, card number, and expiration date. Make checks
payable to EM. Address advertising correspondence to EM Publications Classified Ad
Manager, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086
BABBITT BEARING SERVICE - rod
bearings, main bearings, bushings,
master rods, valves, piston rings.
Call us Toll Free 1-800-233-6934,
e-mail [email protected] Website
www.ramengine.com VI NTAG E
ENGINE MACHINE WORKS, N. 604
FREYA ST., SPOKANE, WA 99202
A&P I.A.: Annual, 100 hr. inspections.
Wayne Forshey 614-476-9150
Ohio - statewide.
Warner engines. Two 165s, one fresh
O .H., one low time on Fairchild 24
mount with all accessories . Also
Helton Lark and Aeronca C-3 project.
Find my name and address in the
Officers and Directors listing and call
evenings. E. E. " Buck" Hilbert.
Wanted - Ampmeter for 1941 Culver Cadet
- Will consider other original instruments
or parts. Jim Fiala 708-243-9368,
[email protected]
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were, and in the 40's and 50's, these tires were perfectly in
tune to the exciting times in aviation.
Not only do these tires set your vintage plane apart from
the rest, but also look exceptional on all General Aviation
aircraft. Deep 8/32nd tread depth offers above average
tread life and UV treated rubber resists aging.
First impressions last a lifetime, so put these
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~
I{j
FEBRUARY 2005
,
TelePhone: 800-247-8473 or
323-72 1-4900 FAX: 323-721-7888
6900 Acco St. , Montebello, CA 90640
3400 Chelsea Ave, Memphis, TN 38106
www.desser.com
Airplane T-Shirts 150 Different Airplanes Available WE PROBABLY HAVE YOUR AIRPLANE! www.airplanetshirts.com
1-800-645-7739
THERE'S JUST NOTHING LIKE IT ON THE WEB!! www.aviation-giftshop.com
A Website with the Pilot in M ind
(and those who love airplanes)
Flying wires available. 1994 pricing. Visit
www.flyingwires.com or call 800­
517-9278.
For Sale - 1939 Spartan Executive,
3500TT, 10 SMOH. 214-354-6418.
Crank handle for Hummer Starter to
complete J4 restoration. Contact
Jim Kjeldgaard at 403-721-4520 w or
[email protected] (NE)
BY H.G. FRAUTSCHY
THIS MONTH'S MYSTERY PLANE COMES TO US
FROM THE EAA BOEING AERONAUTICAL LIBRARY ARCHIVES.
It closely resembles a well-known manufacturer's product of that era,
but it's not what you may think!
Send your answer to EAA, Vintage Airplane, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh,
WI 54903-3086. Your answer needs to be in no later than March 10 for
inclusion in the May 2005 issue of Vintage Airplane.
You can also send your response via e-mail. Send your answer to
[email protected]. Be sure to include your name, city, and state
in the body of your note, and put "(Month ) Mystery Plane" in the
subj ect line.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _- l
NOVEMBER'S MYSTERY ANSWER I recently fielded a
complaint from a mem­
ber who was annoyed
at the small amount
of information that
had recently been pub­
lished about a previous
Mystery Plane. Unfor­
tunately, the name of
the airplane was all that
was provided to us, and
unless there happens
to be additional uncataloged infor­
mation buried in the EAA library
archives (a distinct possibility),
we don't always have more infor­
mation than th e data submitted
by those who answer the Mystery
Plane. While we do our best to add
to it, our resources are not limitless.
Please keep that in mind when you
respond, and please do not assume
that we have the same informa­
tion that you may have uncovered
in your research . Obvious sources
such as the U.S. Civil Aircraft 9-vol­
ume series and other standard ref­
erences excepted, there still exists
a few gaps in our collected works
kept in the extensive EAA archives.
Our thanks to those members who
have vo lunteered in the EAA li­
brary in the past and to those who
submit additional materials to the
EAA library.
Anna Pennington's photograph
from her early aviation days elicited a
number of responses from members.
Here's Thomas Lymburn's response:
The November Mystery Plane is
the Davis (Vulcan) V-3 of 1929. The
V-3, which appeared in early 1929,
was derived from the Vulcan Amer­
ican Moth. This later became the
Davis monoplane. A single-place,
open-cockpit job, it was powered
by a 60-hp LeBlond 5D and turned
in a credible 95 mph with a range
of 400 miles. According to Aerofiles.
com, its early purchase price was
$2,695, later climbing to $3,285.
A picture of No. 380 also appears
on Aerofiles .com. Thanks for leav­
ing the number in the photo. (The
photo was not a great reproduction,
so we decided to leave the number
intact.-Editor) The Davis V-3 was
awarded Group 2 certificate num­
ber 2-119 on September 6, 1929.
Walter C. Davis based his com­
pany in Richmond, Indiana. Along
the way, he acquired both Vulcan
Aircraft and Doyle Aircraft. Volume
9 of u.s. Civil Aircraft by Joseph
Juptner has details of the Davis V-3 .
Vol um e 3 has details of the Davis
V-I (ATC 256).
Other correct answers were received
from Roy Cagle, Prescott, Arkansas;
Russ Brown, Lyndhurst, Ohio; Wayne
Van Valkenburgh, Jasper, Georgia; and
via e-mail from Jack Erickson, State
College, Pennsylvania.
~
VINTAGE AIRPLANE
31
Membershi~ Services
VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ENJOY TH E MANY BENEFITS OF EAA AND
THE
EAA V INTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION
ASSOCIATION OFFICERS
President
Geoff Robison
Vice· President George Daubner 1521 E. MacGregor Dr.
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cllie(702S@aoi. com
vaa{[email protected]
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Treasurer
Steve Nesse
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dinghao@owc. net
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Espie "Bulch" Joyce
704 N. Regional Rd.
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336-668-3650
7645 Echo Point Rd.
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507-263-2414
mjb{chld@rcol1nect. col1l
Robert C. "Bob" Brauer
c~~c~i;, 1~°to;;~O
773-779-2105
w;[email protected]
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414-771-1545
s/[email protected]
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b7ac@mc. nel
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920-231-5002
P.O. Box 424
Union, lL 60180
815-923-4591
Ronald C. Fritz
1540 1Sparta Ave.
Kent City, MI 49330
616-678-5012
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ssk [email protected]
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Current EAA members may add EAA
SPORT PILOT magazine for an additional
$20 per year.
EAA Membership and BA A SPORT
PILOT m agaZine is ava il ab le for $40 per
year (SPORT AVIATION magazine n ot in­
cluded). (Add $16 for Foreign Postage_)
VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION
C urrent EAA m em b e rs may joi n th e
Vintage Aircraft Associa t ion and receive
VINTAGE AIRPLANE m agazine for an ad ­
dition al $36 per year.
EAA Membe rsh ip, VINTAGE AIRPLANE
magazine and one year membership in the EAA
Vintage Aircraft Associa tion is available for $46
per year (SPORT AVIATION magaZine not in­
cluded). (Add $7 for Foreign Postage.)
lAC
C u rren t EAA mem b ers may joi n t h e
In t ern a tio n al Aerobati c C lub, In c . Divi­
sio n and receive SPORT AEROBATICS
magazine for an additiona l $45 per year_
EAA Membe rship, SPORT AEROBAT­
I CS m agazin e and o n e year m em bersh ip
in t h e l AC D iv isio n is ava ila ble fo r $55
per yea r (SPORT AVIATION m agazine
n ot incl ud e d ). (A dd $1 5 for Fore ig n
Postage_)
WARBIRDS
Current EAA members may join the EAA
Wa rbi rds of America Division an d receive
WARBIRDS magazin e for an addition al $40
per year.
EAA Membership, WARBIRDS maga­
z i ne an d one year membership in the
Warb irds Division is available for $50 per
year (SPORT AVIATION magazin e not in­
cluded). (A dd $7 for Foreign Postage.)
FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPS
Please submit yo u r rem ittance with a
ch eck or draft drawn on a Un it ed St ates
ban k payable in United States dollars. Add
requ ired Foreign Postage amoun t for each
mem bership.
[email protected]
Membership dues to EAA and its divisions are not tax deductible as charitable contributions
Copyright ©2005 by the EM Vintage Aircraft Association
All rights reserved.
VINTAGE AIRPlANE (ISSN0091-6943) IPM 40032445 is published and owned exclusively by the EM Vintage Aircraft Association of 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 additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER:Send address changes to EM
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constructive criticism and welcome any report of inferior merchandise obtained through our advertising so that corrective measures can be taken.
EDITORIAL POUCY: Readers are encouraged to submitstories and photographs. Policy opinions expressed in articles are solely those of the authors. Responsibility for accuracy in reporting rests entirely with
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F EB RUAR Y 2005