VA-Vol-11-No-3-March-1983

STRAIGHT AND LEVEL

The computer was named by Time Magazine as The Man of the Year for 1982 This was a first since all such previous honors had been awarded to individuals from various parts of the world Computer use is widespread and can be noted in practically every facet of our lives today EAA Headquarters effectively uses computer technology as a cost-saving factor and a method of imshymediate access to important data The publication and distribution of The VINTAGE AIRPLANE is supported through the use of computers

With reference to aircraft of today every significant item is recorded and processed through government comshyputers Airworthiness certificates radio licenses radio operators permits our individual airmans certificates and medical information are all computer controlled Modshyern aircraft electronics have been computerized and the latest auto engines are computer controlled to provide economy in the operational aspects of engine efficiency

We could continue on and on with describing the many uses of computer technology but by this time you are wondering what in the world has the computer got to do with antique and classic aircraft Firstly electronic data processing as we know it today was not in existence when our vintage aircraft were first built but for those of us who love these planes regardless of what our involvement with them might be can use them to escape the mad scramble of todays business world

Why do we restore antique and classic aircraft Think about this for a few minutes Is it for pride monetary gain historical preservation or is it just a hobby The dictionary describes pride as a proper esteem for ones own qualities and achievement Who is not proud of their accomplishshyments in the restoration of an aircraft Such projects can only be completed through many hours of hard and endurshying work We dont know the percentage of aircraft owners who have restored their own aircraft but we know that most of those who have take much pride in their work

There are some without the time andor the mechanical aptitude or ability to restore an aircraft and they have two basic choices to purchase an aircraft ready to fly or to hire others to do the work for them Either method justifies the pride an owner feels for his or her plane whether restored by himself or others

A gain in monetary value is a natural goal whether it be that of an auto dealer used car salesman aircraft

By Brad Thorn as President

AntiqueClassic Division

manufacturer or whoever Compared with the total number of aircraft registered in the US today antique and classic aircraft represent only a very small portion Their value is usually considerably more than the original cost when new The dedicated restorer who earns his living in a restoration business is a rarity these days and many of us owe them a debt of gratitude for their knowledge and expertise in producing aircraft which permits so many of us to own and fly vintage aircraft or replicas of same

Historical preservation is something all restorers hope to achieve The many superb museums throughout the world obtain their display aircraft in several ways shydonated for static display or purchased to be restored by commercial or volunteer groups Some aircraft donated to museums are in airworthy condition licensed and can be flown Our EAA Aviation Foundation is fortunate to own many historical aircraft that fall in this category and several are flown for others to enjoy during major aviation events

Replicas of several early flying machines have been constructed by various institutions andor individuals These are often built from only the barest of plans and old photographs The flying of these replicas some of which represent one-of-a-kind historical aircraft give us the only opportunity to see such rare types in the air

In conclusion most of us do restore our antique and classic aircraft as a hobby and we ljre proud of our machines The aircraft do retain monetary value exemplify historical preservation for others to enjoy and they represent a sense of accomplishment that only an owner or restorer can feel When we climb into our vintage aircraft and fly into an environment of relaxation and total freedom we leave behind the hustle and bustle of today Frequently our thoughts turn to the aviators of the past and we wonder how they might have managed similar problems as we dust the clouds and roll with the breezes Nostalgia You bet it is

2 MARCH 1983

PUBLICATION STAFF

PUBLISHER Paul H Poberezny

EDITOR Gene R Chase

MANAGING EDITOR Pat Etter

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Norman Petersen

FEATURE WRlnER George A Hardie Jr

EAA ANTIQUECLASSIC DIVISION INC

OFFICERS

President Vice President W Bred Thomas Jr Jack C Winthrop 301 Dodson Mill Road Route 1 Box 111

Pilot Mountain NC 27041 Allen TX 75002 919368-2875 Home 2141727-5649 919-368-2291 Office

Secretary Treasurer M_ C Kelly Viets E E Buck Hilbert Route 2 Box 128 PO Box 145

Lyndon KS 66451 Union IL 60180 913828-3518 8159234591

DIRECTORS

Ronald Fritz Claude L Gray Jr 15401 Sparta Avenue 9635 Sylvia Avenue Kent City MI 49330 Northridge CA 91324

6161678-5012 213349-1338

Dale A Gustafson AI Kelch 7724 Shady Hill Drive 66 W 622 N Madison Ave Indianapolis IN 46274 Cedarburg WI 53012

3171293-4430 414377-5886

Robert E Kesel Morton W Lester 455 Oakridge Drive PO Box 3747

Rochester NY 14617 Martinsville VA 24112 716342-3170 7031632-4839

Arthur R Morgan John R Turgyan 3744 North 51 st Blvd 1530 Kuser Road Milwaukee WI 53216 Trenton NJ 08619

4141442-3631 609585-2747

S J Wittman George S York Box 2672 181 Sloboda Ave

Oshkosh WI 54901 Mansfield OH 44906 414235-1265 419529-4378

ADVISORS

John S Copeland Stan Gomoll 9 Joanne Drive 1042 90th Lane NE

Westborough MA 01581 Minneapolis MN 55434 617366-7245 6121784-1172

R~rt G Herman Esple M Joyce Jr W 164 N9530 Water Street Box 468

Menomonee Falls WI 53051 Madison NC 27025 414251-9253 919427-0216

G_Morris Daniel Neuman 27 ChaOltjelie Drive 1521 Berne Circle W

Hampshire IL 60140 Minneapolis MN 55421 3121683-3199 6121571 -0893

Roy Redman S H Wes Schmid At 1 Box 39 2359 Lefeber Road

Kilkenny MN 56052 Wauwatosa WI 53213 5071334-5922 414m1-1545

MARCH 1983 bull Vol 11 No3 COPYRIGHT c 1983 EAA ANTIQUECLASSIC DIVISION INC bull ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Contents

2 Straight and Level by Brad Thomas

4 AlC News by Gene Chase

5 AntiqueClassic Division Chapter Directory Update

6 AC_ Charlie Miller - Pilot and Master Craftsman Part I

by Ted Businger 12 The J Garbrick Lark

by Archie DiFante 14 Golden Oldie

by Norman Petersen 15 A Business Executive Flies 16 Aero Meridian - The Master Rebuilders

by Norm Petersen 17 Oshkosh 82 Antique and Classic Judges 18 Members Projects 19 Mystery Plane

by George Hardie 20 Letters to the Editor 21 Calendar of Events 22 50th Anniversary of the Gerle 13 Flight

Page 6

3

Page 15

FRONT COVER Laird LC-B Commercial built by E M Matty Laird for Standard Oil Company (Indiana) See interesting sidelight on page 15 Artwork by Uwe Feist (EAA 153815 AlC 6238) Bellingham WA is from the collection of John P Koral Orcas Island WA Photo prints may be obtained by writing to PO Box 592 Eastsound WA 98425

BACK COVER With its sparkling new red and black paint job shining in the Arizona sun Aero Meridians latest restoration a Waco UBF-2 NC13074 SIN 3691 pulls in close for a portrait

(Photo courtesy of Aero Meridian)

Editorial Policy Readers are encouraged to submit stories and photographs Policy opinions expressed in articles are solely those of the authors Responsibility for accuracy in reporting rests entirely with the contributor Material should be sent to Gene R Chase Editor The VINTAGE AIRPLANE PO Box 229 Hales Corners WI 53130

THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE (ISSN 0091-6943) is published and owned exclusively by EAA AntiqueClassic Division Inc of the Experimental Aircraft Association Inc and is published monthly at 11311 W Forest Home Ave Franklin Wisconsin 53132 PO Box 229 Hales Corners Wisconsin 53130 Second Class Postage paid at Hales Corners Post Office Hales Corners Wisconsin 53130 and additional mailing offices Membership rates for EAA AntiqueClassic Division Inc are $1800 for current EAA members for 12 month period of which $1200 is for the publication of The VINTAGE AIRPLANE Membership is open to all who are interested in aviation

ADVERTISING - AntiqueClassic Division does not guarantee or endorse any product offered through our advertising We invite constructive criticism and welcome any report of inferior merchandise obtained through our advertising so that corrective measures can be taken

Postmaster Send address changes to EAA AntiqueClassic Division Inc PO box 229 Hales Corners W153130 bull VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3

WILBUR WRIGHT BIRTHDAY COMMEMORATION

The First Flight Society of Kill Devil Hills North Carolina has requested the assistance ofEAA Chapter 339 of Norfolk Virginia in putting on a fly-in to commemorate the birthday of Wilbur Wright at the scene of the first powered flight The major purpose is to gain more recognishytion for the museum and monument at Kill Devil Hills

This Wilbur Wright Fly-In is scheduled for April 15-17 1983 at the Wright Brothers Memorial and First Flight Airstrip Kill Devil Hills North Carolina The theme of the event is History of Flight and the group hopes to get good participation by ownersoperators of all types of sport aircraft

On Friday night there will be an Early Bird Gathering at the Holiday Inn A dinner and the awards will be held there on Saturday night

Housing is available at the Holiday Inn 919441-6333 for reservations or camping at Colington Park Campshyground Inc 919441-6128 Transportation is available by courtesy car from both of these facilities

Fuel is available at Manteo Airport Bring your own tie downs andor anchors For more information contact Outer Banks Chamber of Commerce at 919261-2626

NORTHWEST STINSON GROUP SPONSORS MEMBERSHIP DRIVE

Newly elected president W S (Jerry) Wallin urges all Stinson owners in the Washington Oregon British Columshybia area to participate in forthcoming local fly-ins The Northwest Stinson Club was founded at Harvey Field Snohomish Washington in 1976 and is affiliated with the National Stinson Club For further information contact W S (Jerry) Wallin 29804 179th Place SE Kent WA 98031 or phone 206631-9644

AMA MOVES INTO NEW QUARTERS

The Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) moved into their new facility and were open for normal business on February 15 1983 They are now located at 1810 Samuel Morse Drive Reston V A 22090 Telephone 703435-0750

The Academy was formerly located at 815 15th Street NW Washington DC and had been in rented quarters since they were formed in 1936

MODEL AVIATION Magazines staff is also housed in AMAs new building Their address is the same as above but their phone number is 703435-0760 EAA members who are also members of AMA will be interested in knowshying that MODEL A VIA TION Magazine is printed by Times Publishing in Random Lake WI All of EAAs monthly publications including The VINTAGE AIRPLANE have been printed by Times Publishing for many years

THINK BURLINGTON

Officials of the Northeast EAA Fly-In have announced that the 14th annual edition of their event will be held August 26-28 at the Skagit RegionalBay View Airport in Burlington W A rather than at its previous site at Arlington W A Bay View is located approximately 25 miles NW of Arlington According to officials the new site was chosen in the interest of safety availability of volunshyteer help economics and to preserve the overall quality of the fly-in

The 1983 fly-in and campout will focus on providing a casual atmosphere conducive to EAA fellowship and sharshying of experiences and ideas There will not be any schedshyuled air show activities

Awards will be made for aircraft of all EAA types wishing to be judged Meals will be available at the site all three days and plans are being made for a Texas-style barbeque for Saturday night followed by awards and fesshytivities around the campfire

For further information contact Northwest EAA FlyshyIn 4515 145th Pl SE Bellevue WA 98006 or Dave Woodshycock at 2061747-2748

TRACE-IT STENCILS

Wag-Aero introduces a complete set of traceable stenshycils Perfect for paint shops antique and classic restorers this kit consists ofthree separate stencils - 24 for antiques and classics 12 for general aviation and 3 for homebuilts and tail numbers TRACE-IT allows for stenciling ofevery number and letter using just one mask and is made of long-lasting Dow plastic for repeated use Units are fully pliable to form to wing and fuselage curvatures Simple instructions are included Wag-Aero claims that use of TRACE-IT saves many dollars over the use of individual masks Set of three sells for $1695 Contact Wag-Aero at PO Box 181 Lyons WI 53148 or call 4141763-9586

4 MARCH 1983

NEW AVIATION STATIONERY AVAILABLE

Univair now has a line of classic aircraft stationery called Plane Paper Drawings of aircraft include Aeronca 7 AC Cessna 120140 Ercoupe Luscombe 8A Piper J-3 Cub PA-12 Super Cruiser PA-18 Super Cub PA-22 Tri-Pacer Stinson 108-2 and 108-3 and Taylorcraft Stationery sets include one particular aircraft or a mixed assortment of all those listed

Each set consists of 20 printed sheets 20 blank sheets and 20 envelopes that have a printed hangar design selling for $495 each For further information contact Univair Aircraft Corp Rt 3 Box 59 Aurora CO 80011 Phone 303364-7661

BELLANCAmiddotCHAMPION CARBURETOR AIR BOX

In response to demand for FAA-PMA approved parts for Bellanca-Champion aircraft Univair has announced that it has received approval for the CitabrialDecathlon and Scout carburetor air boxes Part number l-U3-1546-00 is the air box for Citabria Models 7ECA 7GCAA 7CBC and 8KCAB Decathlon It sells for $16900x The 8GCBC Scout carburetor air box is part number l-U3-1546-01 and sells for $17900x Both air boxes are in stock and ready for immediate shipment For further information contact Univair Aircraft Corporation Rt 3 Box 59 Aurora CO 80011 Phone 303364-7661

FLEET CLUB CHAIRMAN

George C Gregory (EAA 47962 AC 5995) 4880 Duguid Road Manlius NY 13104 telephone 315682-6783 has been named chairman of the Fleet Club Interested persons who are not on his mailing list are invited to contact George

MUSEUM NEEDS Several months ago William J Schlapman (EAA

133433 AC 4799) of Winneconne WI volunteered to reshystore one of the Foundations engines a basket case WWI 160 Gnome Rotary He has completed the project except for several missing parts which are badly needed

To make a completed engine we need the following prop hub face plate combination oil and fuel pump ignishytion distributor drive tach drive assembly machine gun synchronizer two magnetos the magneto ignition block fingers (2 ) rear crankshaft flange and spanner nut air intake elbow and pipe

If anyone can assist in locating any of the above please contact Ralph Bufano Executive Director EAA Aviation Foundation Inc PO Box 469 Hales Corners WI 53130 Tel 414425-4860

ANTIQUECLASSIC DIVISION CHAPTER DIRECTORY UPDATE

FLORIDA OKLAHOMA 1 LAKELAND 10 TULSA

Billy G Spikes George E Goodhead Jr Mid Florida at Eustis 6326 E 4th Street 430 W Seminole Ave Tulsa OK 74112 Eustis FL 32726 TELEPHONE (918) 838-8388 TELEPHONE (904) 357-0625 MEETING 2nd Thursday 730 pm MEETING Contact President Iliff Aircraft Hangar 17 Tulsa

MICHIGAN International Airport 8 WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA

Philip L Coulson 5 YORK Rt 2 Box 39B Paul L Schiding Lawton MI 49065 Colonial Crafts Shoppe TELEPHONE (616) 624-6490 401 West Market Street MEETING Contact President York PA 17404

MINNESOTA TELEPHONE (717) 741-1086 4 Minneapolis MEETING 4th Thursday 800 pm

Stan Gomoll Shiloh Branch York Bank 1042 90th Lane N E TEXAS Minneapolis MN 55434 2 HOUSTON TELEPHONE (612) 784-1172 J J Paul MEETING Contact President 14418 Skinner Rd

NEW JERSEY Cypress TX 77429 7 FLANDERS TELEPHONE (713) 373-0418

Anne M Fennimore MEETING 4th Sunday 200 pm 4 Ridge Road Dry Creek Airport Cypress Succasunna NJ 07876 WASHINGTON TELEPHONE (201) 584-4154 9 SEATILE MEETING 4th Sunday 1000 am Peter M Bowers

Flanders Valley Airport 10458 16 Ave S NEW YORK Seattle WA 98168 6 ROCHESTER TELEPHONE (206) 242-2582

Richard Lilley MEETING Contact President 36 Parkway WISCONSIN Rochester NY 14608 11 PEWAUKEE TELEPHONE (716) 458-2403 John J Kalas MEETING 2nd Tuesday 800 pm 2603 S Superior St

Spencerport Air Park Milwaukee WI 53207 NORTH CAROLINA TELEPHONE (414) 481-7085 3 CHARLOTIE MEETING 1st Monday 730 pm

Espie Joyce Jr Capitol Airport 21500 West PO Box 468 Gumina Road Madison NC 27025 TELEPHONE (919) 427-0374 MEETING Contact President

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5

A C Charlie Miller circa 1942 when he was General Superinshytendent at the Douglas Company

INTRODUCTION

Seldom are we privileged to gain an insight into the actual thought and construction methods - the nuts and bolts - of building the early aircraft Charlie Miller began his aviation activities several years before Charles Lindbergh made his historic flight an era of great interest to most antiquers

His indoctrination included both building and flying planes of those early years As builders were more successshyful than pilots at eating regularly and keeping their bills paid Charlie gradually moved in that direction He soon learned that his experiences as a pilot and having firsthand knowledge of their problems was a definitie asset This also proved to be frustrating when confronted by non-flying designers and others in positions of authority

Charlie who rose to the position of General Superintenshydent at Douglas Aircraft is justifiably proud ofhis achieveshyments but he is also a very humble person witness the fact he requested his name not be used in this account

Due to this authors lack of ability to render acceptable drawings many of Charlies explanatory sketches have been regrettably omitted The sketches which are included are used where descriptive words alone are not sufficient Possibly some current restorers or replica builders will find these ideas to be useful

In order to present this as closely as possible in Charlies words it seems advisable to add supplemental data labeled Historical Notes at the end of each account The reader should know that these notes are not Charlies words 6 MARCH 1983

AlIIl PILOT AND MASTER CRAFTSMAN

Part I By Ted Businger

(EAA 93833 Ale 2333) Rt 2 Box 280

Willow Springs MO 65793

(Photos from the authors collection except as noted)

EARLY YEARS

Charlie was born in Switzerland on May 5 1904 the son of a construction company owner His earliest memories are of his father building what would be deshyscribed today as low income housing During WWI the company built a form of pre-fabricated barracks for the French government As a young boy Charlie remembers watching the air battles over Verdun

In 1919 Charlie left Basel to enroll in a collegework program in Chatigny After college he spent a year in central Switzerland in a workstudy program on an experishymental farm

In 1923 he decided to migrate to the US where he would join an older brother His father agreed but insisted that he first serve the compulsory tour of military duty in his home country Charlie describes that period in his life thusly In ten weeks you were a soldier or you were dead

Arriving in the United States he first settled in Salt Lake City Utah He then moved to Junction City Kansas then back to Salt Lake City working at any available job All this time he was becoming increasingly aware offlight

One ad in a popular flying magazine of the day was to change the course of his life It started Learn to fly with Ryan in San Diego for $200 Saving this amount as rapidly as possible he travelled to San Diego California in October 1924 He signed on as a student with the Ryan Flying Company which at the time was located in the Dutch Flats area of the city From that point on he would devote his working life to aviation

Dick Bowman and Hawley Bowlus were the instructors at Ryan Charlies pilot permit was issued by the Board of Air control for the City ofSan Diego on December 311925 This was followed by a city council resolution dated January 11 1926 instructing the auditor to issue the license His FAI certificate was issued on April 20 1926

RYAN Charlie reminisced During training flights usually in

a Curtiss JN4-D whenever clouds were present near the 3000 foot level we climbed into them and tried to maintain level flight This was impossible with only the rudimentary instruments on board

When the engine would slow down and the controls would get sloppy we would push the stick forward and wait for a pretty good scream from the flying wires At this point we know we were headed down Next wed pull the stick back into our gut and kick full rudder putting us into a spin When we exited the cloud layer there was 3000 feet of clear space to recover in and very little air traffic in those days

About 1925 Claude Ryan had an arrangement that would bring the local sight-seeing busses to Dutch Flats for a scheduled stop Dick Bowman and Ryan could then attempt to cajole these folks into taking a 15-minute plane ride for $5

One day Ryan and Bowman had just finished their spiel when I came in side-slipping a Jenny Unfortunately I kicked her out a little too late and bounced about 30 feet back into the air so I gave her the gun and went around again This time I made a very gentle landing but Mr Ryan had some very unkind words for my earlier demonshystration in front of prospective paying customers

About this same time a Hisso-Standard came in from the Imperial Valley which is across the mountains from San Diego It was the first time Id seen a 2 x 4 and baling wire repair job This had been applied to mend a cracked front spar on one of the lower wings

The transient aviators only wanted gas to allow them to finish their flight to Los Angeles At first we refused their request due to the condition of the plane but we relented after they pointed out that they had already safely covered the most hazardous part of the journey After we gassed them up we watched the flying wires gradually tighten as they made their take-off run Guarshydian angels were protecting those fellows

The plane which later was to become the flagship of the Los Angeles-San Diego Air Line Inc was the Douglas Cloudster The Cloudster was a terrific airplane and the first to carry the Douglas name Later the Cloudster evolved into the US Armys World Cruiser aircraft The first time J J Red Harrigan one of Ryans pilots flew the Cloudster I was along He had never flown a plane with a super high lift wing like this and on landing it had a great tendency to float He aborted several approaches before he figured out what was going on Red was highly capable and rated to fly anything the Navy had at that time including dirigibles

On one trip Harrigan was flying a Hisso-Standard carrying a lady passenger into San Diego It was a Stanshydard which we had reworked into a cabin ship On touchdown the axle broke in two near the center A broken piece dug into the sand and flipped the Standard onto its back The lady in the cabin had no seat belt and was unceremoniously chucked out onto the wing Fortunately no one was hurt but the lady was understandably very indignant over this arrival method

Getting back to the Cloudster the ship as received from Douglas had three open cockpits with a 3-3-2 seating arrangement with the pilot being in the left rear position Later we modified the plane by moving the pilot and

BOARD OF AIR CONTROL CITY OF SAN DIEGO CALIFORNIA

To T hr HODonbl CouDcil

City of $10 DifKO California

Sin This d (oari ify chat ~t)rnQ14 Cbar) _ _~ - bull

Add _-=~lt1_JltiHv_fl middot=~~~~-----= ft~ iikmiddot~ =1 has mtind this day a TEMPORARY PERMIT u~rOrd~aDuNoI00)~ for ~~~gt~

day ~~=~J~~ ~~~rin~~um R r ~ ~ j r _-~ 2 ~~

- ---- - ---- ---_ - ----shy

bull bulldby - ~a ---~~~ml__-~~

v I i ol~Amiddotr COlloI

I lta 10 Ciry Couca Filft I to Soard of Air Coauol I 10 AppliuDt

Copy of the document which issued a Temporary Private Pilot License to Charlie Miller by the City of San Diego CA on 1231 1 25

FpoundDpoundRATlON ApoundRONA~~QUi INnRNATIONALE

l ATioNAI AERO N ~ iJ TI C~ ASSOCIATION OF U_ S_A I INC

Cerli6cate Npound39_5__ The above named Association recognized

the Federabon A~ronutiQ lle Jnlernbullbull a the l overnini authori ty for the Scalel 01 Amertca CClbhel that

Charlie Millers FAI Aviator Pilot license issued to him on 42026

co-pilot forward to just behind the engine and closing in the aft portion of the fuselage resulting in a fairly elegant cabin for ten people I flew the Cloudster in both configurashytions

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7

On one short flight from Rockwell Field we crammed fourteen sailors into the cabin George Allen was the pilot and I was co-pi lot The stabilizer trim was adjusted by an automobile hand brake lever working in a notched quadshyrant George had me push the lever full forward during the initial take-off roll easing it back gradually as the tail came up We started out okay but then the lever jumped a notch and we bounced once before I could recover and get it back to where it belonged George then climed out made a vertical bank over the dirigible hangar a nd headed back over the bay to Dutch Flats I dont recall ever hearing of so many people being transported in that cabin again

One particular flight to Los Angeles was scheduled to enable a VIP Englishman and his butler to meet the night train departing for San Francisco where they were booked on a steamship the following day The problem was compounded by 27 pieces of large heavy luggage

Hawley Bowlus engineered the conversion of the Standard J-1s from open cockpit to this cabin configuration for Ryan Four passengers rode in the cabin while the pilot flew from the open cockpit aft The Hall-Scott engines were replaced by the more dependable 150 hp Hispano-Suizos 8 MARCH 1983

(Ryan photo via Wm Wagner) Claude Ryan made the first test flight of his new Hisso-powered Ryan M-1 on 21426

George Allen was to fly the cabin version of the Cloudsshyter which would hold the two men plus mechanic John van der Linde and most of the cumbersome luggage One steamer trunk was securely lashed to the lower right wing but George steadfastly refused to permit the other trunk to be carried in similar fashion on the left wing

In order to carry the remaining piece of luggage it was necessary to press one of the cabin Hisso-Standards into service First the cabin top deck (normal access to this area ) was removed Then the brace wires were temporarily removed so the other trunk could be put into the aircraft It rode on top of the seat backs which of course blocked the pi lots forward vision as the monstrosity extended well above the windshield

I was the lucky pilot of the Standard and this was my first fl ight to Los Angeles Even as heavily loaded as the Cloudster was it would still run off and leave the Standard so I told George If you lose me Im going to have to land at the first available field I can find On take-off I held the plane down and built up as much speed as possible before pulling it off at the end of the strip

George made a slow sweeping circle over Oceanside California which allowed me to catch up with the Cloudsshyter He had to throttle back considerably so I could keep in sight (or should I say trying to get a peek at him around that trunk)

We fina lly arrived at Ryans landing site at 99th and Western in Los Angeles George landed first while watched and when he was clear I came side-slipping in all the way in order to see the runway With a few bursts of power I straightened the ship at touch-down and made a nice smooth landing which was a big relief Our English fr iend t ipped George and me $15 apiece which was a fabu lous sum then The baggage was transferred from the planes to the waiting Railway Express trucks and the entourage was whisked away on schedule

Some time later Red Harrigan with John van der Linde as co-pilot took off on what was to be the final flight of the Cloudster Their passengers were a Chinese

I

businessman and seven of his friends who wanted to go to Ensenada Mexico Neither Red nor John had landed there before but they were told they could land on the beach It was dark when they arrived a nd they could not distinshyguish between sand and water Touching down in the surf and soft sand the Cloudster flipped over fortunately with no serious injury to passengers or crew Before they could rescue her the rising surf had destroyed the plane and all they manged to save was the engine and a few odds and ends

Historical Note The Cloudster was built by Donald Douglas in partnership with David Davis (of Davis wing famel and its maiden flight was on February 24 1921 at March Field Riverside California Mr Davis main inshyterest in the plane was as a vehicle in which he would be the first man to fly non-stop coast-to-coast

In June 1921 Douglas chief pilot Eric Springer and Davis started out on this mission getting as far as EI Paso Texas where a timing gear failed forcing them to land By the time repairs were made Army lieutenants John Macready and Oakley Kelly had successfully made the trip in a Fokker T-2

The Cloudster was then sold to two Venice California businessmen who converted it into the triple open cockpit version for sight seeing purposes Mr Miller refers to this as the as received condition for the plane as Ryan bought it

In 1926 when we were building Ryan M-l s for Vern Gorsts Pacific Air Transport (now part of United Air Lines) I was working and directing the covering and doping operations Whenever the passenger business got too heavy Hawley Bowlus would bring my helmet goggles and jacket and away Id go to ha ul a few loads ofpassengers in a Hisso-Standard then back to the more prosaic job on the M-ls Man I was being paid $16 a week and allowed to sleep in the hangar as a watch dog

Later on Ed Morrow also bunked at the hangar One

Liberty-powered Douglas Cloudster with three open cockpits shymodified by Thornton McKinney and Ben Brodsky for sightshyseeing

Sunday morning Mr Ryan called to say A guy is coming out who wants to go to Los Ange les The fee is $35 Get the money before you take om

The weather that morning was a combination of low overcast with good sized patches of fog This didnt instill confidence that the journey would be a pleasant one I asked if Ed Morrow could go with me because an extra pa ir of eyes would be helpful (and his presence would help to a llay my qualms) Ryan okayed this request

We warmed up the Hisso-Standard and in due time our passenger arrived and paid the $35 We took off with considerable concern for the low ceiling and headed up Rose Canyon only to find the top covered We then headed for Torrey Pines but conditions were no better there so we dropped down to the beach where we found a 25 to 50 foot ceiling Needing more space as a safety measure I tried for just a little more altitude This wasnt successful as I was right back into the fog ba nk I counted to four and when not out of it made a one-eighty and got down on the beach again

Ryan modified 1924 Douglas Clouster to this closed cabin conshyfiguration for use by his Los Angeles-San Diego Air Line

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9

Lindberghs NYP Spirit of St Louis

It went that way up to Laguna where we could do a little better At Long Beach the ceiling was about 1500 feet We hunted around until we found Western Avenue then headed east to Ryans Angeles Mesa Field After dropping off the passenger we refueled and headed back It was clear weather all the way which was a nice change

On one other flight to Los Angeles I was told to watch the water temperature and oil pressure gages (apparently this engine was about to give up ) In case of trouble I was to get the crate down in any open field available as smoothly as possible All the way north every bean field was duly noted Everything went along smoothly though and another pilot flew it back reasonably assured that the engine would continue to run

Our Rissos were overhauled by military personnel from Rockwell Field who were moonlighting at Ryan after their normal workday was done Those fellows did a heck of a good job at keeping us operating

The standard set of instruments in use then were tachometer water temperature and oil pressure gages There was no compass as we were expected to know where we were going

Historical Note T Claude Ryan originated passenger sershyvice between San Diego and Los Angeles on March 1 1925 This airline appropriately named Los Angeles-San Diego Air Line was discontinued in March 1926 This airline set a rare example in that it operated at a profit and never accepted any form of government subsidy The fleet of planes consisted of the Cloudster and several re-worked Standards

Authors Note At this time during my interview with Charlie Miller he insisted that his longtime friend Ed Morrow describe the days with Ryan when the Ryan NYP (New York to Parisi was being built for Charles Lindbergh Ed was a multi-talented employee who worked as a draftsman-designer as well as mechanic Ed is also one of the very few persons sing ularly honored by being named in Lindbergh s book The Spirit of St Louis

Ed Morrow recalls Charli e Miller and his brother Walter returned from an extended vacation which had taken them as far as Canada By this time we were already into the building of the Spirit Everyone at Ryan knew of Charl ies abilities and he was immediately put to work covering and doping the wing lift struts and tail surfaces

Meanwhile as head of metal fittings I was completing 10 MARCH 1983

the manufacture and installation of all the fittings on the ship Once these were all bolted or welded in place we joined the rest of the crew to help in any area having problems in meeting the extremely tight delivery schedule

After things were pretty well wrapped up we had to move that enormous (for us) wing out of the second floor loft in the plant where it was built Next we had to move the fuselage out of the first floor shop through a narrow door We had the choice of removing the landing gear on one side or knocking out a three foot section of brick wall We took the gear apart

The Spirit was then moved from the shop to Dutch Flats airport where it was to be flown All who were there assisted with final assembly My last involvement with the ship was holding the fire extinguisher at the ready in case of a back fire during run-up of the engine

Following Lindbergh s first test flight of the new plane Charlies brother Walter (who had hauled us to Dutch Flats that morning) said OK Lets eat This is the reason neither Charlie nor I are in the famous picture of the builders of the Spirit of St Louis as we were having lunch Walter was driving a delivery van for Mrs Conkshylings Pies and he treated us to a lunch of pies I ate a whole blackberry pie and a lthough I survived I swore that if I ever ate a piece of pie again it would be after lunch

Shortly afterward Charlie Walter and I made a deal to rent a house and split the costs After a few weeks Walter located a two story place in Mission Rills overlookshying the bay The lower floor had three bedrooms a front room kitchen and bath which we rented for $35 per month The owner and his wife lived on the upper floor Walter Charlie Bob Barrows and I moved in A few days later Steve Varroci joined us as he was rehired at RyanshyMahoney after being laid off at Douglas We called the place Bachelors Roost

When we heard ofLindberghs successful flight to Paris we put on white coveralls with Ryan on them then piled into a Studebaker and paraded around San Diego

Historical Note Alphabetical listing of the 47 RyanshyMahoney employees during the construction of the NYP Spirit of St Louis Andy Anderson William Bodie Wm Hawley Bowlus (Foreman) Gordon Boyd L Boyd Dapper Dan Burnett

Jessie Cooper (Mrs Locke) Doug Wrong Way Corrigan W B Crawford Albert C Crygier Peggy De Witt Pat Davenport June Eddy A J Edwards (Sales Mgr) Gus Eoff H A Erickson Vern Friedman Don Hall (Engineer) George F Hammond J J Red Harrigan (Test Pilot) Charles Hansen Henry Hunold B Jones Doug Kelly Ruth Kennedy (Mrs Clemens) Ed Kravscyk (later Crosby) John Lester Walter Locke Fred Magula B F Mahoney (Owner) Georgia Mathias (Mrs Borthwick) O R McNeal Shirley Morrison Ed Morrow (Fittings and Dwgs) A C (Charlie) Miller L Muehleisen Dale Powers Clair Rand A C Randolph (Periscope) Fred Rohr (Rohr Corp) Frank Say John Stoner Burt Tindale Helen Thorpe (Mrs Hendrix) Bill Van Den Akker John van der Linde Lon Wheeler

(Photo from Ryan via Wm Wagner) Frank Hawks is on the left next to A J Edwards Ryan sales manager Patch on Edwards forehead covers injury from a plane crash The Pride of San Diego is Hawks plane It is the first Ryan Brougham initially named Gold Bug

Charlie Miller continues Before building Lindberghs Spirit of St Louis we had started the construction of the first B-1 Brougham called the Gold Bug This plane was completed after the Spirit left the factory Basically it was a Ryan M-1 with a closed cabin and a larger wing

The Gold Bug was ordered orginally by hotel owner

Richard Robinson but when completed was delivered to pilot Frank Hawks As Ryan had sold his company to B F Mahoney prior to building the Spirit the Gold Bug was delivered as a Mahoney aircraft

In this particular plane the pilots seat was located so his head was just in front of the main wing spar When we were ready for the engine installation we hoisted the Wright Whirlwind to the front of the fuselage Hawley Bowlus (later well known for his gliders) was shop foreshyman and this tall man with especially long legs wanted the cockpit configuration to allow people his size to fly it comfortably With the engine in the location as designed Hawley didnt have enough leg room so he literally pushed the engine forward until there was enough room The motor mount was then fabricated to fit this newly arrived at dimension

It really was a very attractive airplane and Red Harri shygan was on hand to make the first test flight With all that power it went up like the proverbial homesick angel Everything was going just fine until Red leveled off and found that the nose would only stay up at full power with the stick back against his belly He had a big problem how do you land anything that flies like this

After exercising a variety of options he finally decided on a maneuver similar to vol planing as used by earlier flyers Vol planing is placing the craft into a shallow dive then applying power to pull the nose up After the plane stalls it enters another shallow dive etc

Red practiced this maneuver until he felt assured he could accomplish it with this plane He finally got it back on the ground by the grace of God and help from the aeronautical angels After Red regained his composure he told Hawley that if he had been wearing a chute he would have jumped and let that damned plane go to hell

I bolted lead pigs into the tail to remedy the situation thus we advanced in the science of aeronautics

Frank Hawks received the Gold Bug renamed it The Pride of San Diego then with his wife sped to the East Coast in time to greet Lindbergh on his triumphal return from Europe

This ship was later renamed Port of Houston and was destroyed in Texas date unknown

(Continued next month)

Ed Morrow (L) and Walt Ballard at Brown Field San Diego 1979 VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11

the

J Garbrick Lark

By Archie DiFante (EAA 167030 AIC 6191)

P O Box 14233 Pittsburgh PA 15239

(Photos courtesy of the author)

Editors Note Archmiddotie DiFante wrote this story in 1974-75 while a jourshynalism student at Penn State He is now an aviation historian and an ofshyficer in the EAA Greater Pittsburgh Chapter 45 Archie is also trying to find out what happened to Lester Garshybricks aircraft - see note at end of story GRG

The 1920s were considered the golshyden age of aviation Those were the years ofbarnstorming penny-a-pound airplane rides and Ford Tri-Motors A viators were still considered daring fanatics who flew wood and fabric cofshyfins It was a time when all one needed to fly were guts a little money and touch of insanity

That era is long gone Most of the daring pilots are in their seventies or eighties or else dead The Curtiss Jenshynies the Standards and the Thomas Morse Scouts have disappeared There are a few preserved specimens in museums and some are still flying in the hands of antique airplane buffs but for the most part they were reshyduced to kindling a long time ago

Even so stories appear every so often of someone who finds an old classhysic in a barn somewhere in a state of decay Well it wasnt a barn but an old hangar converted into a barn where I found this particular classic It was decaying alright There were large rips in the fabric and it was covered by a blanket of greasy dirt

It took up most of themiddot space in the far right corner along with a tractor and other farming equipment The tail was propped up on an old wooden box but other than that the biplane was prett~ much neglected The 12 MARCH 1983

windshields for the two tandem cockpits were covered with oil and there was a gas can on the pilots seat Faded letters on the fuselage idenshytified it as the J Garbrick Lark

This airplane was the first of two airplanes designed and built by Lester Garbrick a farmer from Centre Hall Pennsylvania After World War I Garbrick still in his teens decided he wanted his own airplane At first he tried to buy one of the thousands of surplus military planes flooding the country but he was short on cash The only practical solution of course was to build his own

In 1921 he bought an Anzani radial hoping to use it for his new airplane The Anzani proved to be a lemon but he was able to find another engine a 60 hp Roberts inline in Sandusky Ohio In 1923 he bought some airplane parts from another man who was also trying to build an airplane He got the works for $400

By working the night shift at a silk mill in nearby Spring Mills he was able to work on his airplane during the day He started construction in 1925 and three years later the airplane was ready to fly Garbrick carved the first propeller for the airplane for a solid piece of oak

The airplane was of his own design reflecting what he had learned from reading any magazine or book he could find on the subject As it first appeared in 1928 the single-bay equal span biplane was about 23 feet long with a 28-foot 4-inch wingspan The fuselage was constructed of ash strips covered by doped muslin

Performance estimates for the airplane with the Roberts engine arent available but an educated guess would give it a cruise speed of about 60 mph It was light about 1000 pounds fully loaded It took off and landed with no problem from the small grass strips in the area

It was registered officially as the

Garbrick Experimental Biplane and given the experimental aircraft number 529 Garbrick called it the Lark

Although the plane was finished in late 1928 Garbrick didnt solo until after one 20-minute flight lesson in 1929 He then began to fly his airplane across the valley to visit Edna Cumshymings who later became Mrs Garshybrick

A short time later the first and only incident with the plane occurred when the Roberts blew up whilemiddot being revved for take-off The plane was unshydamaged but for the third time Garshybrick had to go shopping for an engine for his airplane He found a neighbor who had cracked up his Thomas Morse S-4 and was willing to sell Garbrick its 80 hp LeRhone 9J rotary

Garbrick shortened the nose about a foot by installing the rotary and the 20 extra horses raised his cruise to about 70 mph He never had any probshylem with the plane from that time on although the new engine did make the plane tail-heavy

Garbrick built a hangar in town for his new airplane and shortly aftershywards he bought a wrecked Alexander Eaglerock which he rebuilt and sold That was only the first airplane to share hangar space with the Lark

His first son Lester Jr rode in his fathers airplane on his mothers lap shortly after he was born In 1941 when the younger Lester was eight his father decided to let him taste the beauty of flying firsthand by building him his own airplane The midget airplane resembled a Waco 10 biplane scaled down to fit an eight-year-old It was powered by a 1918 Indian Scout motorcycle engine and had full conshytrols including stick rudder pedals throttle and primer It was built in about a year at an estimated total cost of $50

As with the Lark dimensions and performance had to be estimated Lesshy

ter Garbrick died in 1971 and his plans and drawings were lost Two stories in a local paper the Centre Dai ly Times one in 1959 and the other in 1968 provided some background on Garbrick and his airplane

A letter written by Guyer Kelley of Milesburg Pennsylvania and printed

in the October 1949 issue of FLYING Magazine did provide some backshyground on the Garbrick midget bishyplane

According to the letter the plane weighed 90 pounds and had a cruising speed of 50 mph The letter also claims that Lester Jr had flown it

Lark

Lester Jr said the Indian powshyerplant was very temperamental and had a tendency to lose rpms There was just enough power to taxi the plane to about 20 mph but not enough to get the plane to fly Besides Lester Sr had a rope tied to the airplane which he held onto running behind

Detail of the pilots cockpit Note the control stick The object Detail of the Larks undercarriage on the right side of the dashboard is the magneto the white knob on the left is the starter

The original L Garbrick Lark with the Roberts engine shortly after completion in the early 1930s Lester Garbrick and the Lark in the late 1960s His Piper Cub

and the hangar are in the background

Garbricks sons Lester Jr and Dennis and the mini-biplane The Garbrick mini-biplane as it appeared in the hangar rafters early 1940s Dennis head is peeking out from the cockpit in 1974

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13

his overgrown model airplane with its eight-year-old pilot Against a stiff breeze however the biplane would sometimes lift off the ground for a few seconds

After Lester Jr grew out of the plane his younger brother Dennis played with it By the 1950s both brothers had outgrown the midget bipshylane and moved onto larger planes

In 1942 Lester Garbrick moved his biplanes to the farm and built a hanshygar and an airstrip for them In 1948 Garbrick added a 1946 Piper J-3 Cub to his collection

In 1950 Lester Jr soloed at the age of 17 and bought himself a 1946 Cub also Other local aviators began to store their airplanes at the Garbricks private airstrip and by the early 1950s the airstrip housed a small air force In 1953 Garbrick bought an Army-surplus Taylorcraft L-2 obsershyvation plane to add to his fleet

Dennis soloed at the age of 13 in 1956 Mrs Garbrick was the only member of the family of four who wasnt a pilot

Lester Jr sold his Piper and moved to New York in the middle 50s In 1957 he bought the remains of a cracked-up Waco UPF-7 biplane and returned to his fathers farm with them The two of them rebuilt the Waco and added it to the group

The small airport was kept busy well into the 60s However FAA regshyulations began to catch up with the Garbricks The Lark by this time alshymost 40 years old and still with the original fabric was grounded except for occasional circuits around the field

Garbrick although in his late 60s was still active He was a member of the Flying Farmers and the EAA and was well known to other aviators in the area Before he died in 1971 he had begun construction of a glider and was helping his two sons build a scale model of a K-6 locomotive a sixshywheeled engine used by the Pennsylshyvania Railroad His total flying hours are not known but by 1960 he had flown over 1500 hours After his death his sons sold all the airplanes and closed the airstrip

When asked why Lester Jr explained that the restrictions put out by the FAA had made it impossible to just fly around the field The cost of upkeep had gotten too high and with the death of their father the brothers simply lost interest

Theyre both married now and run their fathers potato farm The Garshybrick Lark and the midget biplane share the hangar with the potatoes the midget is suspended from the cross-beams to save space

What will happen to them Both brothers refuse to sell the planes but 14 MARCH 1983

they mentioned that the EAA once approached them with the idea of reshystoring the planes and putting them in the museum at Oshkosh The brothers havent heard from them since In the meantime the two airplanes sit in the hangar and attract questions from curious people who come to buy potatoes Usually one of the brothers will stop and tell them the story of their father and his planes back in the days ofthe barnstormers

Authors Note In the summer ofI977 the Lark was sold by Garbricks widow to someone in New Jersey In the early 1980s the Garbrick farm was sold and all his personal artifacts have disappeared

With this story I hope to pick up the trail Would anyone having any inforshymation on Lester Garbrick the Lark or its present whereabouts please drop me a line

GOLDEN OLDIE Capt Keen Taylor (EAA 6650) PO Box 367 Seaford Delaware 19973 and his Ryan ST photographed in 1948 at Bader Field Atlantic City New Jersey The large round roofed building in the background is Convention Hall Ryan ST NC62127 is in fact Ryan PT-20B CIN 324 SIN 40-2388 one of two sold surplus in 1945 The second PT-20 built on January 15 1940 had been converted from a Kinner powered PT-20A to a Menasco C4S (125 hp) powered PT-20B

Capt Taylor reports that the Ryan was a little tricky on landing but once you learned to handle that part it was a delightful flying airplane After two years of enjoyable flyshying he delivered the airplane to Miami Florida and sold it with a tear in his eye

Front quarter view of Capt Keen Taylor and his Ryan The wheelpants show results of flying off the gravel runways at Atlantic City Note turnover pylon in front windshyshield and external longerons under cockpits typical of PT series This particular Ryan is presently being rebuilt to flying condition in North Carolina Keens Captain title comes from serving many years as a shrimpboat captain

A BUSINESS EXECUTIVE FLIES A Laird Airplane Wings a Standard Oil Executive Over More Than Half a Million Square Miles of Territory

Editors Note This bold headline appears on a page in an early E M Laird Airplane Company catalog describing one of the first corporate uses ofan aircraft The following is quoted directly from the catalog G R C

Typical of thousands of businessmen throughout the country is the Aviation Department Manager of the Stanshydard Oil Company (Indiana)

642904 square miles - that is the area of the ten mid-western states which are served and serviced by this company Within this huge territory thousands of pilots have learned to expect Stanolind aviation fuels and lubricshyants wherever they drop to earth The Aviation Departshyment must make Stanolind available

A new motor presents a knotty lubricating problem The Aviation Department must come to the rescue

The aeronautical laboratory of a university requires expert judgment or wants someone to address a group of students They call on the manager of Standard Oils Avshyiation Department

And so this man leads a busy life His duties involve long jumps from Chicago headquarters into the far corners of his large domain

A Laird airplane provides the solution to his transporshytation problems It cruises at three or four times the speed of express trains It travels as the crow flies - its right of way does not wind in and out around rivers valleys and cities and its schedule is as flexible as the pilots will

The Laird airplane of the Standard Oil Co was purchshyased not as a publicity stunt not for advertising purposes but purely as a most efficient means of transportation

To quote the manager of the Aviation Department We have now operated our ship for more than two

years with over 300 hours in the air It has become an important link in our organization On a typical trip we leave in the morning for Evansville Indiana more than 250 miles distant We arrive in 212 hours make our stop and return to Chicago the same day with two or three

stops en route Such trips are made twice or three times weekly summer and winter

Our experience points to the airplane as a tremendshyously useful new tool of Big Business And we heartily endorse the Laird ship as thoroughly suited to the purposes of the flying business executive

TO BUSINESS EXECUTIVES The airplane is becomshying an essen tial factor in the quickened tempo ofcommerce The Standard Oil Company of Indiana were pioneers in adopting the airplane for the use ofexecutives But they are not alone

To YOUR company ifyou are considering the purchase ofan airplane our staffcan give material assistance Call on us for definite figures on operation costs Let us help you determine FACTUALLY whether an airplane is adaptable to your particular requirements

This 1947 Boeing YL-15 Scout N4770C SIN 47-432 was photoshygraphed in Alaska by Ivan Lammers (EAA 138494) 1823 Buchaneer Place Anchorage AK 99501 It is currently registered to Norman E Brunquist PO Box 279 Spenard AK The YL-15 is powered with a Lycoming 0-290 125hp it carries 21 gallons of fuel Wingspan is 40 and it can be equipped with wheels floats or skis It is not known when this aircraft last flew The rudders are missing perhaps it is being restored

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15

AERO MERIDIAN THE MASTER REBUILDERS

By Norm Petersen EAA Editorial Assistant

Photos Courtesy ofAero Meridian

Nestled among the many large buildings in the Scottsdale Industrial Airpark at the Scottsdale Arizona airport is the neat well kept home of Aero Meridian Proshyductions This long one story building tastefully done in earth tone colors houses the operation of a complete airshycraft rebuilding company headed by Woodson K Woods (EAA 76209 AIC 535) a most ardent aviation buff and entrepreneur

Besides rebuilding aircraft Aero Meridian Productions is involved in motion pictures and still photography utilizing the talents of Christopher Woods son of Woodson K Woods and likewise a commercial pilot A stunning 1983 aircraft calendar called Wings of Dreams and Flying Machines featuring photos of the beautiful restoration done at Aero Meridian is available from them at Carefree Airport PO Box 2222 Carefree AZ 85377 for $695

Glen Stiles master woodworker whose title is Restoration Enshygineer sights along a stringer of a new turtle deck being built for a Waco aCF-2

AI Christopher prepares two elevators for covering with Stits process Sharp-eyed readers will recognize them as Travel Air 0-4000 Workmanship is outstanding

16 MARCH 1983

Perhaps the best known restoration completed by this talented group of people was the Curtiss JN4-D Jenny that was restored for display in the Owls Head Museum in Maine Glen Stiles the master woodworker of the group was heavily involved in this project as the majority of work in a Jenny involves wood Besides using old parts for patterns Glen had a full set of blueprints to work from in order to make each part exactly like the original Looking into the future he had presence of mind to make a duplishycate of each wooden piece as he went along One fine day the a via tion world will see another Jenny take to the air in absolutely new condition The old V-8 engine referred to as an OX-5 has been overhauled by none other than Charlie Klessig of Standard fame (from North Dakota to Arizona) It is faithfully pickled and enjoying the dry Arizona air which is known worldwide for its inhibition of corrosion

For airplanes of genuine antique flavor it is hard to beat the old Waco biplanes and Aero Meridian is heavily involved in the restoration of these beautiful machines Recently completed was a Waco UBF-2 done in a sparkling red and black paint job using gold trim Right down to its four-piece windshields and close fitting wheelpants this UBF has to be one of the prettiest antiques in the air The quality of workmanship both inside and outside has to be seen to be believed This editor was priviliged to examine a set of RNF wings that Glen Stiles was finishing for another rebuild Glens woodworking is a sight to behold All glue joints are tight with their properly cut angles Glen uses T88 epoxy on all wing parts except wing-tip bows These are laminated with Hughes FPL epoxy glue which gives an extremely strong bow All metal fittings are cadmium plated before final assembly which is comshypleted with new AN hardware throughout

Another section of Aero Meridians plant is devoted to metalwork of all kinds Much of the lost art of metal shaping has been brought back by these artisans in order to form the intricate compound curve parts that are a part of these old airplanes Especially impressive was the work done in stainless steel when forming a new dishpan for the nose of a radial engine airplane They are equally proficient in making aluminum cowlings and panels of all shapes The installation of latches locks and quick release fasteners of all kinds is expertly done which will make an owner happy for years to come

All fabric covering is done at the extreme rear of the building This department uses Stits coverings to gain strength durability and neatness Again the expert touch is evident The seams are arrow straight The tapes run in absolute straight lines and all edges are neatly finished without loose threads hanging out With final finishes done in two-part Aerothane the airplane takes on that famous wet-look that has become a trademark of Aero Meridian remanufactured aircraft

Once the various parts of the airplane are completed final assembly begins and the entire airplane begins to take shape Again the masters touch comes into playas skilled craftsmen mate each part to the frame and dilishy

Completely rebuilt set of upper wings for a Waco aCF-2 receives a coating of varnish from AI Christopher finishing expert Note square opening in center section for fuel tank

gently see to it that each fit is perfect New instrument panels and trim are installed along with new controls and control wires The wings tail group control surfaces etc are rigged for proper geometry Details of all kinds are handled one by one such as wing walks and broom handshyles Fuel systems are installed and checked

Finally a big round engine be it a Warner Continenshy

tal Jacobs or Lycoming is bolted to the nose and all connections are made to the airframe With a shiny Curshytiss-Reed propeller added the new Waco is ready to take to the air again after months of rebuilding

Aero Meridian is present ly finishing three Waco F models which will be followed by a big AGC-8 Cabin Waco The sheer size of this latter machine should keep the Aero Meridian crew busy for quite a while Waiting in the back hangar is a Bucker Jungmeister which is due for a total rebuild And dont forget the possibility of another Jenny In short we expect to hear a great deal from Mr Woods and his Aero Meridian Productions in the future

1982 Classic Judges - (L-R) Standing Tim Bowers Marvin Hopshypenworth George LeMay Oliver Holmes Jim Mankins Terry Ladage Peter Hawks Kevin Stephenson Butch Joyce Sitting Deb Hauser George York Dale Wolford Norma Baldwin

1982 Antique Judges - (L-R) Standing Pete Covington Bob Kesel Gene Morris Dale Gustafson Don Coleman Sitting Ken Will iams Fred Pritchard Missing are Claude Gray National Chairman of the Judging Committee and Dick Martin

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17

MI~MIII~IS~ ImiddotRfJI~(JTS This section of The VINTAGE AIRPLANE is dedicated

to members and their aircraft projects We welcome photos along with descriptions and the projects can be either completed or underway Send material to the editor at the address shown on page 3 of this issue

Dear Gene I have most of the old log books on our 1931 standard

110 Monocoupe NC10730 SIN 5W92 dating back to the test hop at Moline Illinois on February 27 1931

All the flying on the Monocoupe was done in the central and eastern part of the United States until November of 1968 The airplane was based at Baton Rouge Louisiana for awhile as well as Greensburg Pennsylvania and varishyous other places in that part of the country

It was apparently used mostly for pleasure flying with some airshow work logged by owner Joseph F Reedy in the Pennsylvania area in 1947

The log books show at least three engine changes startshying out with a 110 hp Warner in 1931 The engine now installed is a 125 hp Warner model 50 Scarab SIN 1240A The propeller is a Hamilton Standard ground adjustable type

Before being flown to the West Coast by Shirley Wardle of Santa Paula California the airplane was based at Delaware Ohio and was owned by Arthur E Ten Eyck Sometime during the period that Mr Ten Eyck owned the airplane he acquired the NC number 273Y which is the original Mr Mulligan NC number In the meantime Bob Reichardt of Santa Paula California spent several years building a beautiful replica of Mr Mulligan and was anxshyious to obtain the original number for his airplane My wife and I were in the process of restoring the Monocoupe at this time so we were glad to go back to the original NC10730 for our airplane

The Monocoupe was moved from Santa Paula to Jerome Idaho where we were able to purchase it and fly the ship back to Torrance California where it is based at the present time

Since our arrival in Torrance in November of 1972 we have had a major overhaul put on the engine - then in November of 1975 we decided the airplane was about due for a complete restoration With my wife Corenes help we spent the next four and one half years on the project and we are very happy with the results

The old Monocoupe is a lot of fun to fly and the engine with 5320 hours since major has run great - no problems

Sincerely Max O Green (EAA 109807 AIC 2549) 5647 Marialinda St Torrance CA 90503

(Photo by Bob Bass) Max and Corene Greens 1931 Monocoupe 110 at Torrance CA in June 1980 Aircraft was being rigged and the fairings around the fin and stabilizer were not yet installed 18 MARCH 1983

Dear Gene Im happy to tell you that Waco UPF-7 N32134 SIN

5766 Data Plate No 39643 has been restored and is flying again it is powered with a 220 hp Continental with a Sensenich wood prop I acquired the plane in July 1976 and the restoration occurred over a six-year peri~d The Waco is covered with Stits 103 dacron and finished with acrylic lacquer (R-M) yellow with blue trim The cowling is from a Cessna UC-78 and the wheel pants are fiberglass

The permanent airworthiness certificate was received from Mr Jess Larsen of the Minneapolis FAA GADO After completing the restoration B J Tony Blackstone (EAA 33749) Burns Flat OK made the initial test hop on 81482 more than 25 years after the crafts last previous flight

This UPF-7 was rolled out of the Waco plant at Troy Ohio November 18 1941 most likely in the standard blue and yellow scheme at the time By late February of 1942 the aircraft was busily doing what it was designed to do train new pilots in the Civilian Pilot Training Program Ensuing years saw the aircraft on duty at Pittsburg Kanshysas Fort Collins and Denver Colorado and Alliance Nebshyraska Following World War Two N32134 went to Greeley Colorado then Eaton then to Denver again where it was equipped with a Wright R-975 and served some 75 hours as a glider tug In September 1954 conversion work was begun which resulted in the aircraft becoming an agriculshytural sprayer Some 137 hours were accumulated in that category

Attempts at restoration were begun in about 1961 by an owner in Dumas Arkansas Subsequent owners were at Dyersburg Tennessee Oakland and Fremont Califorshynia and finally via Reno and Orovado Nevada to myself owner number nineteen

After six years several thousand dollars and several thousand hours of very hard but very rewarding and enjoyshyable work N32134 is beautiful a delight to fly a Waco UPF-7 that is a straightforward airplane that flies hands off

Thanks for your interest Richard L Dick Steely (EAA 74766 AIC 1140) 8710 E San Esteban Dr Scottsdale AZ 85258

This eight-year restoration project is nearing compleshytion and should be flying by May of this year Its a Travel Air 6000 NC452N SIN 6B-2040 being restored by Doug Rounds (EAA 78381 A C 532 ) Rt 1 Box 200-A Zebulon GA 30295 Doug is finishing the plane in the colors of Truman Wadlows 1930 Ford Air Tour aircraft

Bob Moore (EAA 113726 A C 3808) 916 So 12th St Nederland TX 77627 has restored 32 aircraft since 1967 including this Stearman N72AA SIN 75-5867 This one

was completed in 1977 for Willard Duke (EAA 110578) of New Orleans LA

It was in Bobs shop for 26 months and was made up from parts of three aircraft Its covered with cotton and finished with 27 coats of butyrate dope with every other coat hand-rubbed After the final coat had dried for six weeks it was sanded with 600 grit paper using Lux dishshywashing soap and water Finally the finish was polished with rubbing compound then waxed with mold release wax

Since this picture was taken Bob has painted the wheel pants in checkerboard to match the fin and rudder and installed a cowling finished in like manner

Willard Duke owns American Aviation Inc at New Orleans Lakefront Airport and undoubtedly this flashy biplane is based there

By George Hardie MYSTERY PLANE Heres another mystery from the

collection of George Goodhead of Tulsa Oklahoma The airplane is evishydently a one-off cabin job of the preshyWorld War II period Maybe some of our readers can come forward with more complete information Answers will be published in the Mystery Plane column in the May 1983 issue of The VINTAGE AIRPLANE

The Silver Star Mystery Plane shown in the January 1983 issue was a product of the Stinson Airplane Co John Underwood in his excellent book The Stinsons writes Built mainly as an exercise in all-metal techniques it flew briefly in 1934-35 Power 400 hp Wright Whirlwind The real mystery is the significance of the name Silver Star M H Eisenmann who submitshyted the photo writes The photo was

Dear Genetaken in front ofthe Luscombe hangar The January 83 Mystery Plane isat Mercer Airport in 1937 a transhy

the Stinson Model M with a Wrightsient in for repair builder unknown engine On 9334 it carried registrashymaybe Stinson tion number NR12123 when I photoshyBy press time the following readers graphed it duringmiddot the 1934 Nationalcorrectly identified the all-metal StinshyAir Races at Cleveland Ohio son Emil Strasser Hawthorne CA

It would be interesting to know ifTed Businger Willow Springs MO Jack Northrop had any part in theDick Gleason Austin MN Mike Rezshydesign of this airplane or if he didntich Chicago IL Doug Rounds Zebushywhat he might have said if he everlon GA George Tinker Bangor ME knew of it Don Fyock Johnstown PA

SincerelyEmil Strassers letter was the first Emil Strasserto arrive (EAA 1069 AC 3289)

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19

(Ed Phillips photo via Beech Aircraft) Photo No1 - Hawks Model R SIN R-2004 NR1313 in original delivery configuration with elevated fuselage spine July 51930

Dear Gene I just received my issue of The VINTAGE AIRPLANE

for January 1983 and want to commend you for another fine issue and to thank you for publishing the Travel Air Ford Tour article

I saw the Model R photo on the back cover and read the question concerning the hump of the fuselage spine Id like to answer that question now ror the benefit of our readers During my research for the book on Travel Air much time was spent digging up facts on the Hawks Mysshytery Ship

When originally delivered to Hawks on July 5 1930 the fuselage spine was modified from the earlier three Model Rs This was necessary as Hawks desired to have the sliding overhead cockpit enclosure installed on R-2004

In the original delivery configuration shown in photo 1 notice that immediately aft of the sliding cover the fuselage spine mates very nicely with the enclosure itself permitting a low drag surface joint and probably making the cockpit a little bit more draft-free

From the joint area the spine then rose to a curving peak and gradually tapered off in form to the empennage After accepting the ship and putting a few test flights on NR1313 high oil temperature problems with the 300 hp Wright J-6-9 radial caused Hawks much concern and Travel Air too On July 11 Hawks was up flying the ship when the engine failed and the attempted forced landing at Travel Air Field resulted in a crash with Hawks knocked unconscious but not seriously hurt

The airplane received damage to the landing gear cowling and propeller with minor airframe damage to the fuselage During rebuild at the factory over the next two weeks the fuselage spine was reshaped to the configurashytion shown in photo 2 with the lower profile of the spine quite noticeable Also the cockpit enclosure no longer had the nice fit to the fuselage spine as in the original configshyuration However in the rush to get the airplane rebuilt for Hawks this change was made

I hope this bit of data will help explain the long-standshying question of the hump in Frank Hawks Model R It might be interesting for our readers to learn that a 465 hp Wright with special modifications was installed during this rebuild period The new paint scheme shows up in photo 2 Hawks flew NR1313 to Pittsburgh Pennsylvania on July 23 1930 to have a special propeller installed

Keep up the great job on The VINTAGE AIRPLANE and I would be most happy to correspond with other memshybers or readers interested in any facet of the great Travel Air Company

Sincerely Ed Phillips (EAA 124038 AIC 7505) 1125 S 160th E Wichita KS 67230

20 MARCH 1983

(Ed Phillips photo via Beech Aircraft) Photo No2- Texaco Model R SIN R-2004 NR1313July 1930

Dear Mr Chase I am writing regarding the 1930 Cunningham-Hall

PT-6 pictured on page 8 of the January 1983 issue of The VINTAGE AIRPLANE Magazine This could be the same Cunningham-Hall in which I took my flight test to qualify for my 0 to 495 horsepower rating The aero-inspector was Paul N Flannery The date was August 27 1941 and the flight test was flown out of Hillsboro Oregon The a irplane was number NC692W powered by a Wright J6-9-330 horsepower Several weeks thereafter I barnstormed with this airplane in western Oregon

The owner of this Cunningham-Hall was Harry MacshyFarlane He had just restored this airplane at the Eugene Vocational School in Eugene Oregon where he was an instructor in the Aviation Department Harry was also a pilot Since he had an artifical limb the old CAA would not certify him past a private license A short time after Pearl Harbor Wien Airlines in Alaska offered to pull strings in Washington to get him a commercial license if he would fly the airplane to Alaska and work for them

Harry MacFarlane is now retired and lives in southern Oregon If you would care to write to him to see whether the Cunningham-Hall on skis might be the same Cunninshygham-Hall NC692W his address is P O Box 386 Grants Pass OR 97526

I too shall write to him to see if he can throw some light on the mystery

Sincerely Jerry Coigny (EAA 115709 NC 3459) 46360 Todd Eymann Rd Miramonte CA 93641

1930 Cunningham-Hall PT-6 cabin biplane on skis

Dear Sir How many people can claim they own an airplane that

was manufactured the same day they were born My son Richard J Beeler of Ft Collins Colorado is

one of the people who can make this claim He was looking for an airplane to own in order to have

something to fly while he was working on another aircraft project He didnt have any particular make or model in mind and after looking at several he decided on an Aeronca Chief which was located in Iowa

After the usual checking oflog books other paperwork running the engine kicking tires and everything else that happens when you purchase a used airplane it was while he was checking the identification plate that everything came to light The idenitification plate shows Aeronca 11AC Serial No 227 Date of manufacture 7-19-46

Since July 19 1946 is his birthdate you can draw your own conflusion as to the care that this Aeronca suddenly started getting

Yours truly R G Beeler (EAA 10668 AIC 5561 ) 101 2nd Street East Hampton SC 29924

Dear Sir I am presently gathering information with a view to

writing a book on one of the unsung series of aircraft of WWII namely the L-2 L-3 and L-4 known as the Grassshyhoppers

To further my research I would very much like to contact anyone who operated these aircraft

We have in this country a number of L-4 Cubs that have been restored to their former military markings the numbers are as follows

43 29601 43 30540 43 1145 44 80752 44 80133 44805944479865 454537 4329417 and 42 36414 Should any reader recognize any of the above numbers

I would be most pleased to hear from them Yours faithfully Bob Lomas Bacons Cottage Dragons Green Coolham Horsham Sussex RH13 7JF ENGLAND

CALENDAR OF EVENTS We would like to list your aviation event in our calendar Please send information to the Editor The VINTAGE AIRPLANE PO Box 229 Hales Corners WI 53130 Information must be received at least two months in advance of the issue in which it will appear

MARCH 13-19 -LAKELAND FLORIDA - 9th Annual Sun n Fun EAA Fly-In Plans and site improvements being made to make 83 an even greater success than 1982 Contact Sun n Fun Flymiddotln Box 2246 Lakeland FL 33803 or Ann McKee 8131688-8214 or 668-6280

APRIL 15-17 - KILL DEVIL HILLS NORTH CAROLINA - Wilbur Wright Birthday Fly-In at Wright Brothers Memorial and First Flight Airstrip Sponshysored by First Flight Society National Park Service and EAA Chapter 339 Camping nearby bring own tie downs Dinner and awards presentation Saturday night Contact Outer Banks Chamber of Commerce at 9191261shy2626

APRIL 29 - MAY 1 - ROANOKE RAPIDS NORTH CAROLINA - EAA AntiquelClassic Chapter 3 Fly-In Antiques Classics and Homebuilts welshycome Contact Geneva McKiernan 5301 Finsbury Place Charlotte NC 27211

APRIL 30 - MAY 1 - BOLIVAR TENNESSEE - EAA Chapter 763 Annual Spring Fly-In and Air Show Contact Billy Whitehurst Hardeman County Airport Bolivar TN 38008 901 1658-6282

MAY 1 - ROCKFORD ILLINOIS - EAA Chapter 22 Annual Fly-In Breakfast Eastern Aviation Greater Rockford Airport 7 am til noon For information call 8151332-4708

MAY 7 - FRANKLIN WISCONSIN - Midwest Aero Historians Spring Meetshying EAA Aviation Museum 11311 W Forest Home Ave Registration at 830 am program at 1 00 pm Clete Ahler Crew chief on Convair B-36 Reuben Kaiser B-24 pilot in the 15th Air Force in Italy and John Kmet Wisconsin Squadron Confederate Air Force Contact Ken Borkowitz 707 W Maplewood Ct Milwaukee WI 53221 414482-0696

MAY 13-15 - HAYWARD CALIFORNIA - Hayward to Las Vegas Proficiency Air Race Private Pilots License required Awards and trophies cash prize Kits $300 from Hayward Air Race Committee 20301 Skywest Drive Hayward CA 94541 For information call Lou Chianese at 4151581-2345 ext 5285

MAY 20-22 - COLUMBIA CALIFORNIA - Seventh Annual Luscombe Fly-In For information contact Continental Luscombe Assn 5736 Esmar Road Ceres CA 95307 209537-9934

MAY 27-29 - ATCHISON KANSAS - Greater Kansas City Area Chapter Antique Airplane Association Annual Fly-In at Amelia Earhart Airport Early arrivals will be served supper Friday evening with awards banquet on Saturday night Dormitory accommodations are available and camping is allowed 80 and 100 octane gas is available Contact Bill Hare 6207 Riggs Mission KS 66202 or George HeHlinger 3510 North 99th Street Kansas City KS 66109

MAY 28-30 - WATSONVILLE CALIFORNIA - Watsonville Antique Airshow sponsored by the Northern California Chapter of the Antique Airplane Association and the Watsonville Chamber of Commerce Contact Richard Borg 6515 San Ignacio Ave San Jose CA 951284081226-3603

JUNE 3-5 - MERCED CALIFORNIA - 26th Annual Merced West Coast Antique Fly-In at Merced Municipal Airport For information contact Dee Humann Registration Chairman Merced West Coast Antique Fly-In PO Box 2312 Merced CA 953442091358-3487

JUNE 5 - DE KALB ILLINOIS - EAA Chapter 241 Annual Fly-In Drive-In Breakfast 7 am middottil noon at DeKalb Municipal Airport Contact Marlin Crown 159 Thomas Street Sycamore IL 60178 8151895-6856

JUNE 5 - ARLINGTON TEXAS - Benefit Air Show sponsored by EAA Chapter 34 to raise funds for World Aerobatic Commpetition At Arlington Municipal Airport 2 miles south of 120 on S Collins From 200 to 400 pm

JUNE 10-12 - DENTON TEXAS - Texas Chapter Antique Airplane Associshyation Fly-In For information contact Bob Landrum Rt 4 Box 14Q Roanoke TX 76262 8171430-3387 (after 6 pm) or Jack Winthrop Rt 1 Box 111 Allen TX 75002 2141727-5649

JUNE 10-12 - MIDDLETOWN OHIO - Aeronca Fly-In including tours of the Aeronca factory and USAF Museum Banquet on Saturday night with speaker and aircraft judging awards For more information contact Jim Thompson Box 102 Roberts IL 60962 2171395-2522

JUNE 12 - REDDING CALIFORNIA - 10th Annual Fly-In breakfst and air show at Muni Airport Trophies door prizes 916222-5225

JUNE 18 - TOMS RIVER NEW JERSEY -7th Annual Antique amp Homebuilt Fly-In at R J Miller Airport Berekely Twsp Trophies flour bombing contest plane rides refreshments Admission free Rain date June 19 Contact Tom or Vivian Tedrow Box 451 Three Brooks Rd Freehold NJ 07728 Phone 2011780-0765

JUNE 21 - JULY 11 - HOBBS NEW MEXICO - 18th World Soaring Championships For information contact Soaring Society of America Box 66071 Los Angeles CA 90066 2131390-4447

JUNE 24-26 - HAMILTON OHIO - 24th Annual National Waco Reunion Fly-In Sponsored by the National Waco Club For information contact Ray Brandly 700 Hill Avenue Hamilton OH 45015

JUNE 24-26 - PAULS VALLEY OKLAHOMA - Pauls Valley Oklahoma Fly-In sponsored by Greater Oklahoma City Chapter AAA Contact Bob Akin Flying A Ranch Route 1 Box 133-0 Washington OK 73093 4051 288-6161

JUNE 25-26 - ORANGE MASSACHUSETIS - 7th Annual New England Regional Fly-In Sponsored by EAA Chapter 726 Restricted parking aviashytion flea market commercial exhibitors seminars overnight camping food and fuel available Contact Paul Dexter 15 Sunset Dr Orange MA 01364 Tel 6171544-6412 evenings only

JULY 2-4 - BLAKESBURG IOWA - Second Annual Aeronca Fly-In at Antique Airfield Aircraft judging awards forums and meetings of several type clubs For further information contact Aeronca Club 1432 28th Ct Kenosha WI 53140 4141522-9014 or Antique Airplane Association Rt 2 Box 172 Ottumwa IA 52501 5151938-2773

JULY 16-17 - HOLLISTER CALIFORNIA - The Friendly Fly-In sponsored by EAA Chapter 62 Contact Edward Shaules 3910 Paladin Drive San Jose CA 95124 4081264-5714

JULY 16-17 - NIAGARA FALLS NEW YORK 2nd Annual Fly-In and Intershynational Airshow Classics warbirds and fly-bys Two full days of aviation Contact Joseph Koch 188 Schoelles Road No Tonawanda NY 14120 7161689-9392

JULY 29-31 - COFFEYVILLE KANSAS - 6th Annual Funk Fly-In Antiques classics homebuilts invited Contests trophies dinner Contact Ray Pahls 454 Summitlawn Wichita KS 672093161943-6920

JULY 30 - AUGUST 6 - OSHKOSH WISCONSIN - 31st Annual Fly-In Convention Start making your plans now to attend the World s Greatest Aviation Event Contact EAA PO Box 229 Hales Corners WI 53130

AUGUST 21 - WEEDSPORT NEW YORK - Antique Classic and Homebuilt Fly-In sponsored by EAA Chapter 486 at Whitfords Airport Pancake breakfast and air show Contact Herb Livingston 1257 Gallagher Rd - B Baldwinsville NY 13027

OCTOBER 14-16 - CAMDEN SOUTH CAROLINA - EAA AntiquelClassic Chapter 3 Fly-In Antiques Classics and Homebuilts welcome Contact Geneva McKiernan 5301 Finsbury Place Charlotte NC 27211

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21

~~LIV~ tRe (3()L()~~ ~~A 01 AVIATI()~

Jcket - unlined tan poplin with gold and white braid trim Knit waist and cuffs zipper front and slash pockets Antique Classic logo patch on chest Sizes - XS through XL $2895 ppd

Cp - pale gold mesh with contrasting blue bill trimmed with gold braid Antique Classic logo patch on crown of cap Sizes - M and t (adjustable rear band) $ 625 ppd

AntlqueCc Ptches Large - 4Vi across $ 175 ppd Small - 3 across $ 175 ppd

AntlqueClc Decls -4 across (shown left) $ 75 ppd

AvlIble Back IHue of The VINTAGE AIRPLANE 1973 shy March through December 1974 shy All are available 1975 shy All are available 1976 shy February through April August through December 1977 shy January through June August through December 1978 shy January through March August October through December 1979 shy All are available 1980 shy January March through July September through December 1981 - All are available 1982 - February May through December 1983 - January February Per Issue $1 25 ppd Lindbergh Commemorative Issue (July 1977) $ 150 ppd

Send check to EM AntiqueCIbullbullaIe Division Inc

PO Box 229 Hale Comers WI 53130 Allow 4-6 Weeks for Delivery

Wisconsin Residents Include 5 Sales Tax

Antal Banhidis touringshyplane Gerle 13 (1933)

50th ANNIVERSARY OFTHE GERLE 13 FLIGHT

Varga Bela (EAA 164715) Budapest VIII Levai Oszkav 38 1084 Hungary sent the accompanying t~o pictures The nice artists rendition of the Armstrollg Sldshydeley Genet Major (100 hpj powered Gerle 13 blp~ane depicts it flying over Egypt during its 7661 mIle flIght around the Mediterranean Sea This flight was made from February 19 to March 24 1933 by two Hungarian pilots Antal Banhidi and Capt Bisets The aircraft was bUllt by pupils of the Polytechnic School at Budapest 22 MARCH 1983

Varga Bela admires a 1958 Polish neo-classic PZL-1 01 A Gawron (Rook) This aircraft was developed from the Yak-12M and carshyries Hungarian registration HA-SBN Wing span is 41 ft 42 in on this general utility aircraft which can be adapted for passhysenger freight or agricultural duties

Classic owners Interior looking shabby

~

THE JOURNAL OF THE EARLY AEROPLANE

Finish it right with an airtex interior SlMPLE ISSUE $4

Complete interior assemblies for dO-it-yourself installation 15 CRESCENT RD POUGHKEEPSIE NY 12601

Custom Quality at economical prices

bull Cushion upholstery sets bull Wall panel sets bull Headliners bull Carpet sets bull Baggage compartment sets bull Firewall covers bull Seat Slings bull Recover envelopes and dopes

Free Catalog of complete product line Fabric Selection Guide showing actual sample colors and styles of materials $300

~ i VIS4 Iairtex products i~

259 Lower Morrisville Rd Dept VA Fallsington PA 19054 (215) 295-4115 bull l

FLYING AND GLIDER MANUALS

1929 1930 1931 1932 1933

250 ea SEND CHECK OR MONEY ORDER TO

EAA Aviation Foundation Inc Box 469 Hales Corners WI 53130

Allow 4-6 Weeks For Delivery Wisconsin Residen ts Include 5 Sales Tax

CLASSIFIED ADS Regular type 45c per word Bold Face 50c per word ALL CAPS 55c per word Rate covers one insertion one issue minimum charge $700 Classified ads payable in advance cash with order Send ad with payment to Advertising Department The VINTAGE AIRshyPLANE PO Box 229 Hales Comers WI 53130

ACRO SPORT - Single place biplane capable of unshylimited aerobatics 23 sheets of clear easy to follow plans includes nearly 100 isometrical drawings photos and exploded views Complete parts and materials list Full size wing drawings P lans plus 88 page Builders Manual - $6000 Info Pack - $400 Super Aero Sport Wing Drawing - $1500 Send check or money order to ACRO SPORT INC Box 462 Hales Corners WI 53130 4141 425-4860

ACRO II - The new 2-place aerobatic trainer and sport biplane 20 pages of easy to follow detailed plans Comshyplete with isometric drawings photos exploded views Plans - $8500 Info Pack - $4 00 Send check or 1110ney order to ACRO SPORT INC PO Box 462 Hales Corshyners WI 53130414425-4860

POBER PIXIE - VW powered parasol - unlimited in low cost pleasu re flying Big roomy cockpit for the over six foot pilot VW power insures hard to beat 3Y2 gph at cruise setting 15 large instruction sheets Plans - $4500 Info Pack - $400 Send check or money order to ACRO SPORT INC Box 462 Hales Corners WI 53130 4141 425-4860 BOOMEFlANGS Sporting mildly eccentric good exercise J ust plain fun Price list from Ben Ruhe Box 7324-(V Al Washington DC 20044

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION bull Membership in the Experimental Aircraft Association Inc is $2500 for one year $4800 for 2 years

and $6900 for 3 years All include 12 issues of Sport Aviation per year Junior Membership (under 19fAA years of age) is available at $1500 annually Family Membership is availab le for an additional $1000 annually

bull EAA Member - $1800 Includes one year membership in EAA Antique-Classic Division 12 monthly issues of The Vintage Airplane and membership card Applicant must be a current EAA member and must give EAA membership number

ANTIQUfshybull Non-EAA Member - $2800 Includes one year membership in the EAA Antique-Classic Division 12CLASSIC monthly issues of The Vintage Ai rplane one year membership in the EAA and separate membership

cards Sport Aviation not includedlAC bull Membership in the International Aerobatic Club Inc is $2000 annually which includes 12 issues of Sport Aerobatics All lAC members are required to be members of EAA

bull Membership in the Warbirds of America Inc is $2000 per year which includes a subscription toWARBIRDS Warbirds Newsletter Warbird members are required to be members of EAA bull Membership in the EAA Ultralight Assn is $2500 per year which includes the Ultralight publication

UL TRALIGHT ($15Dl additionalor Sport Aviation magazine) For current EAA members only $1500 which includes UltralIght publIcatIon

e FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPS Please submit your remittance with a check or draft drawn on a United States bank payable in United States dollars or an international postal money order similarly drawn

MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO EAA OR THE DIVISION IN WHICH MEMBERSHIP IS DESIRED ADDRESS ALL LETTERS TO EAA OR THE PARTICULAR DIVISION AT THE FOLLOWING ADDRESS

PO BOX 229 - HALES CORNERS WI 53130 - PHONE (414) 425-4860 OFFICE HOURS 830 - 500 MONDAY-FRIDAY

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

PUBLICATION STAFF

PUBLISHER Paul H Poberezny

EDITOR Gene R Chase

MANAGING EDITOR Pat Etter

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Norman Petersen

FEATURE WRlnER George A Hardie Jr

EAA ANTIQUECLASSIC DIVISION INC

OFFICERS

President Vice President W Bred Thomas Jr Jack C Winthrop 301 Dodson Mill Road Route 1 Box 111

Pilot Mountain NC 27041 Allen TX 75002 919368-2875 Home 2141727-5649 919-368-2291 Office

Secretary Treasurer M_ C Kelly Viets E E Buck Hilbert Route 2 Box 128 PO Box 145

Lyndon KS 66451 Union IL 60180 913828-3518 8159234591

DIRECTORS

Ronald Fritz Claude L Gray Jr 15401 Sparta Avenue 9635 Sylvia Avenue Kent City MI 49330 Northridge CA 91324

6161678-5012 213349-1338

Dale A Gustafson AI Kelch 7724 Shady Hill Drive 66 W 622 N Madison Ave Indianapolis IN 46274 Cedarburg WI 53012

3171293-4430 414377-5886

Robert E Kesel Morton W Lester 455 Oakridge Drive PO Box 3747

Rochester NY 14617 Martinsville VA 24112 716342-3170 7031632-4839

Arthur R Morgan John R Turgyan 3744 North 51 st Blvd 1530 Kuser Road Milwaukee WI 53216 Trenton NJ 08619

4141442-3631 609585-2747

S J Wittman George S York Box 2672 181 Sloboda Ave

Oshkosh WI 54901 Mansfield OH 44906 414235-1265 419529-4378

ADVISORS

John S Copeland Stan Gomoll 9 Joanne Drive 1042 90th Lane NE

Westborough MA 01581 Minneapolis MN 55434 617366-7245 6121784-1172

R~rt G Herman Esple M Joyce Jr W 164 N9530 Water Street Box 468

Menomonee Falls WI 53051 Madison NC 27025 414251-9253 919427-0216

G_Morris Daniel Neuman 27 ChaOltjelie Drive 1521 Berne Circle W

Hampshire IL 60140 Minneapolis MN 55421 3121683-3199 6121571 -0893

Roy Redman S H Wes Schmid At 1 Box 39 2359 Lefeber Road

Kilkenny MN 56052 Wauwatosa WI 53213 5071334-5922 414m1-1545

MARCH 1983 bull Vol 11 No3 COPYRIGHT c 1983 EAA ANTIQUECLASSIC DIVISION INC bull ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Contents

2 Straight and Level by Brad Thomas

4 AlC News by Gene Chase

5 AntiqueClassic Division Chapter Directory Update

6 AC_ Charlie Miller - Pilot and Master Craftsman Part I

by Ted Businger 12 The J Garbrick Lark

by Archie DiFante 14 Golden Oldie

by Norman Petersen 15 A Business Executive Flies 16 Aero Meridian - The Master Rebuilders

by Norm Petersen 17 Oshkosh 82 Antique and Classic Judges 18 Members Projects 19 Mystery Plane

by George Hardie 20 Letters to the Editor 21 Calendar of Events 22 50th Anniversary of the Gerle 13 Flight

Page 6

Page 13

Page 15

FRONT COVER Laird LC-B Commercial built by E M Matty Laird for Standard Oil Company (Indiana) See interesting sidelight on page 15 Artwork by Uwe Feist (EAA 153815 AlC 6238) Bellingham WA is from the collection of John P Koral Orcas Island WA Photo prints may be obtained by writing to PO Box 592 Eastsound WA 98425

BACK COVER With its sparkling new red and black paint job shining in the Arizona sun Aero Meridians latest restoration a Waco UBF-2 NC13074 SIN 3691 pulls in close for a portrait

(Photo courtesy of Aero Meridian)

Editorial Policy Readers are encouraged to submit stories and photographs Policy opinions expressed in articles are solely those of the authors Responsibility for accuracy in reporting rests entirely with the contributor Material should be sent to Gene R Chase Editor The VINTAGE AIRPLANE PO Box 229 Hales Corners WI 53130

THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE (ISSN 0091-6943) is published and owned exclusively by EAA AntiqueClassic Division Inc of the Experimental Aircraft Association Inc and is published monthly at 11311 W Forest Home Ave Franklin Wisconsin 53132 PO Box 229 Hales Corners Wisconsin 53130 Second Class Postage paid at Hales Corners Post Office Hales Corners Wisconsin 53130 and additional mailing offices Membership rates for EAA AntiqueClassic Division Inc are $1800 for current EAA members for 12 month period of which $1200 is for the publication of The VINTAGE AIRPLANE Membership is open to all who are interested in aviation

ADVERTISING - AntiqueClassic Division does not guarantee or endorse any product offered through our advertising We invite constructive criticism and welcome any report of inferior merchandise obtained through our advertising so that corrective measures can be taken

Postmaster Send address changes to EAA AntiqueClassic Division Inc PO box 229 Hales Corners W153130 bull VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3













THINK BURLINGTON





TRACE-IT STENCILS


4 MARCH 1983






FLEET CLUB CHAIRMAN



















VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5


INTRODUCTION








(EAA 93833 Ale 2333) Rt 2 Box 280



EARLY YEARS






















day ~~=~J~~ ~~~rin~~um R r ~ ~ j r _-~ 2 ~~

- ---- - ---- ---_ - ----shy











VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7











I












VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9































the

J Garbrick Lark



























Lark






VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13


































VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15








16 MARCH 1983













VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17


































VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19












20 MARCH 1983



















































VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21

~~LIV~ tRe (3()L()~~ ~~A 01 AVIATI()~














~










1929 1930 1931 1932 1933


















VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23













THINK BURLINGTON





TRACE-IT STENCILS


4 MARCH 1983






FLEET CLUB CHAIRMAN



















VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5


INTRODUCTION








(EAA 93833 Ale 2333) Rt 2 Box 280



EARLY YEARS






















day ~~=~J~~ ~~~rin~~um R r ~ ~ j r _-~ 2 ~~

- ---- - ---- ---_ - ----shy











VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7











I












VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9































the

J Garbrick Lark



























Lark






VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13


































VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15








16 MARCH 1983













VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17


































VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19












20 MARCH 1983



















































VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21

~~LIV~ tRe (3()L()~~ ~~A 01 AVIATI()~














~










1929 1930 1931 1932 1933


















VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23






FLEET CLUB CHAIRMAN



















VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5


INTRODUCTION








(EAA 93833 Ale 2333) Rt 2 Box 280



EARLY YEARS






















day ~~=~J~~ ~~~rin~~um R r ~ ~ j r _-~ 2 ~~

- ---- - ---- ---_ - ----shy











VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7











I












VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9































the

J Garbrick Lark



























Lark






VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13


































VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15








16 MARCH 1983













VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17


































VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19












20 MARCH 1983



















































VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21

~~LIV~ tRe (3()L()~~ ~~A 01 AVIATI()~














~










1929 1930 1931 1932 1933


















VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23


INTRODUCTION








(EAA 93833 Ale 2333) Rt 2 Box 280



EARLY YEARS






















day ~~=~J~~ ~~~rin~~um R r ~ ~ j r _-~ 2 ~~

- ---- - ---- ---_ - ----shy











VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7











I












VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9































the

J Garbrick Lark



























Lark






VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13


































VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15








16 MARCH 1983













VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17


































VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19












20 MARCH 1983



















































VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21

~~LIV~ tRe (3()L()~~ ~~A 01 AVIATI()~














~










1929 1930 1931 1932 1933


















VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

















day ~~=~J~~ ~~~rin~~um R r ~ ~ j r _-~ 2 ~~

- ---- - ---- ---_ - ----shy











VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7











I












VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9































the

J Garbrick Lark



























Lark






VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13


































VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15








16 MARCH 1983













VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17


































VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19












20 MARCH 1983



















































VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21

~~LIV~ tRe (3()L()~~ ~~A 01 AVIATI()~














~










1929 1930 1931 1932 1933


















VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23











I












VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9































the

J Garbrick Lark



























Lark






VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13


































VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15








16 MARCH 1983













VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17


































VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19












20 MARCH 1983



















































VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21

~~LIV~ tRe (3()L()~~ ~~A 01 AVIATI()~














~










1929 1930 1931 1932 1933


















VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23












VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9































the

J Garbrick Lark



























Lark






VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13


































VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15








16 MARCH 1983













VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17


































VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19












20 MARCH 1983



















































VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21

~~LIV~ tRe (3()L()~~ ~~A 01 AVIATI()~














~










1929 1930 1931 1932 1933


















VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23































the

J Garbrick Lark



























Lark






VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13


































VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15








16 MARCH 1983













VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17


































VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19












20 MARCH 1983



















































VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21

~~LIV~ tRe (3()L()~~ ~~A 01 AVIATI()~














~










1929 1930 1931 1932 1933


















VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23





Lark






VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13


































VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15








16 MARCH 1983













VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17


































VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19












20 MARCH 1983



















































VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21

~~LIV~ tRe (3()L()~~ ~~A 01 AVIATI()~














~










1929 1930 1931 1932 1933


















VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23


































VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15








16 MARCH 1983













VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17


































VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19












20 MARCH 1983



















































VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21

~~LIV~ tRe (3()L()~~ ~~A 01 AVIATI()~














~










1929 1930 1931 1932 1933


















VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23








16 MARCH 1983













VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17


































VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19












20 MARCH 1983



















































VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21

~~LIV~ tRe (3()L()~~ ~~A 01 AVIATI()~














~










1929 1930 1931 1932 1933


















VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23








VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17


































VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19












20 MARCH 1983



















































VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21

~~LIV~ tRe (3()L()~~ ~~A 01 AVIATI()~














~










1929 1930 1931 1932 1933


















VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23


































VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19












20 MARCH 1983



















































VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21

~~LIV~ tRe (3()L()~~ ~~A 01 AVIATI()~














~










1929 1930 1931 1932 1933


















VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23












20 MARCH 1983



















































VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21

~~LIV~ tRe (3()L()~~ ~~A 01 AVIATI()~














~










1929 1930 1931 1932 1933


















VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23









































VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21

~~LIV~ tRe (3()L()~~ ~~A 01 AVIATI()~














~










1929 1930 1931 1932 1933


















VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

~~LIV~ tRe (3()L()~~ ~~A 01 AVIATI()~














~










1929 1930 1931 1932 1933


















VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23


~










1929 1930 1931 1932 1933


















VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

VA-Vol-11-No-3-March-1983

Documents

Transcript of VA-Vol-11-No-3-March-1983