Vintage Airplane - Dec 2009

8/20/2019 Vintage Airplane - Dec 2009

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DECEMBER

VOL 37, No. 12

2009

CONTENTS

2

News

4 2009 VAA Hall of Fame Inductee

Stephen Pitcairn

6

One Outstanding

Stinson Flying Station Wagon .

. . . Soon to be joined by its sister ship

by Sparky Barnes Sargent

13

Peach State Aerodrome and Candler Field Museum

A tangible tapestry of time

by Sparky Barnes Sargent

2

A

Country

Boy's Dream

The story of Aircraft By Shue

by Dick Crenshaw

24 Light Plane Heritage

The Dormoy Bath Tub

by Jack McRae

6

What

Our Members

Are

Restoring

Ray Lemmon's Stinson 108

by H.G. Frautschy

28 Chapter Locator

ST FF

EAA Publisher

Tom

Poberezny

3 The Vintage Mechanic

Director of EAA Publications

Mary Jones

Fuel and oil systems

Executive

Di rector/Editor

H.G. Frautschy

by Robert G. Loc k

Production/Special Project Kathleen Witman

Photography

Jim Koepnick

Bonnie Kratz

by H.G. Fra utschy

34

Mystery Plane

Advertising Coordinator

Sue Anderson

Classified Ad Coordinator

Lesley Poberezny

Copy Editor Colleen Walsh

36

Vintage Book Reviews


4/44

heVintage Instructor Column

The Vintage Instructor

column will

be

taking

a brief break during the

winter

months

as

we revise

the

edi

torial

calendar

related

to that

fea

ture. Due

to

the pressing needs

of

his business, Doug Stewart will

no

longer be writing the column. Doug

began writing for our then-new col

umn, The Vintage Instructor in

Janu

ary of 2003. We

thank

Doug for his

efforts as the leadoff batter,

and

we wish

him

well in

the

future.

Vintage

irplane

Magaz

in

e

With

the announcement

by

EAA

of the ending of publication of

Sport Pilot

&

Light-Sport Aircraft

and

the incorporation

of

the

content

of

that magazine

into a

new EAA

Sport Aviation a few

VAA members

have

wondered

aloud

i f there are

any

similar

planned

changes

to the

division publications,

and in

par

ticular

to Vintage

Airplane. In short,

the

answer is no.

VAA and

its board of directors rec

ognize that

one

of

the

most visible

and anticipated member

benefits

is our

monthly

magazine,

and

that

its

publication

as a printed maga

zine

is

important to

each member.

While

continuing to print

Vintage

Airplane we will explore

other

tech

nologies

to

further

enhance

mem

bership, including

EAA s online

community at www.Oshkosh365.

and may it always

be

so."

Treasurer C

ha

rlesW

Harris Retires

Citing personal reasons, VAA Treasurer Charles

W.

Harris has

an-

nounced his retirement from the VAA board of directors, effective im-

mediately. Prior to making his retirement announcement, Charlie had

advised the board

he

had not felt well for several months.

On

medical

examination

he

was recently diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder

that is being treated successfully, and a full recovery is expected.

In a letter to his fellow direc-

tors, he wrote:

It has been a unique honor

and rare

privi

lege

to

have

served EAA the Vintage Aircraft

Association board, Paul, Tom ,

and

the entire

leadership and

membership

of EAA

and

VAA.

I will be

most

happy to assist

in any transitional matters with

those elected or named to suc-

ceed

me

.

My

very best

wishes to all of the officers and

directors of the Vintage

Air-

craft Association in

the

years

to come. Vintage

is the finest

such organization

in

the world,

Harris, who has also stepped down from his volunteer efforts dur-

ing EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, has been a member of the board since

being elected in

1988,

and he has served as

VAA

treasurer since

1996.

An

inductee

of

the

VAA

Hall

of

Fame, Charlie has served the

membership

on

a national and local basis for more than 35 years.

We've been in regular

contact

with Charlie over the

past

couple of

weeks; he is home and tells us

he

has had significant improvement

on

the road to recovery. We all wish him well

http://www.oshkosh365/http://www.oshkosh365/


5/44

feedback noted. Those comments

were exactly what EAA needed to take

back to its wireless partners and sup

pliers to make things better in 2010.

We'll continue to survey EAA mem

bers and AirVenture attendees to de

termine

the best way

to meet

the

demand next year. Look for updates

as

we

make progress over the winter

and use your ideas to make things

better

on

the Net next summer

Members im to Resurrect

Bugatt

Racer

Two Oklahoma EAA members

Scotty

Wilson, EAA snss and

Gregg Carlson,

EAA 101S379-are

hoping to create a true replica of the

Bugatti Model 100 racer. The sleek

machine was built by famed auto

mobile maker Ettore Bugatti and en

gineer Louis de Monge to compete

in an air race before the outbreak

of World War II, but it

wasn't

fin

ished in time.

When the

German

army marched on Paris in June

1940, the project was abandoned

before the airplane ever

flew.

Even

tually, it was brought

to

America by

car aficionado

Ray

Jones to acquire

its engines. In 1996, the aircraft was

donated to EAA, and it's on display

at EAA s AirVenture Museum.

In mid-October Wilson and Carl

son came to

EAA

to

identify the

plane's airfoil using a "Profiler," an

electronic plotter that rolls along the

wing's surface, transferring data to a

computer for analysis. Because there

is no comprehensive set of drawings

covering the entire aircraft, "the only

way to build one is to backwards en

Scotty Wilson, left, and Gregg Carlson meticulously plot the original Bu-

gatti wing in attempts to determine its NACA airfoil. EAA has the airplane

displayed in the AirVenture Museum.

the F-16 s by 40 years.

Construction

of the replica

started

in May. The fuselage shell

is finished, and Wilson expects to

complete the empennage and fuse

lage over this winter.

The replica racer is being built

to

accommodate the Bugatti SOB en

gines modified for aircraft use, turn

ing

two

metal, ground-adjustable,

contra-rotating Ratier propellers,

but the likely powerplants will

be two late-1990s/early

2000s

BMW engines.


6/44

Scouring the

nation for at

least one

example of

the Pitcairn

Mailwing

series of

biplanes was

one of

Pitcairn s

passions.

Here he pilots

the PA 8M

Super

Mailwing

(right), with

the PA 6

Super

Mailwing,

along the

shore

of

Lake

Winnebago in

1997.

S

ephen Pitcairn,

the son

of

the aviation entrepreneur

Harold Pitcairn, founder of

Pitcairn Aircraft, preserved

his father s legacy by restoring Pit

cairn aircraft

and donating

to

many

aircraft

endeavors.

He had a

deep

love for aviation

and

attained his

pilot certificate around 1940.

Because of the effects of a child

hood illness,

Stephen

Pitcairn was

rejected from military service, but

he

was able to fly with the Civil Air

Patrol along the

East

Coast of the

United

States searching for enemy

submarines. For a short time he flew

DC-3s for Eastern Air Lines. In the

1950s

he

was

denied

his

FAA

med

ical certificate. During

this time he

put

his energies toward antique cars.

When

he finally got his medical cer

tificate back

in the

1970s,

he

began

buying and restoring Pitcairn aircraft.

Stephen Pitcairn

served EAA as

a

member of the

EAA

Foundation

board of directors from 1982 through

1990. After

the

restoration

of

EAA s

Ford Tri-Motor was completed

he

made

possible the

construction of

EAA s

Pitcairn Hangar

on

Pioneer Air

port. The hangar serves

as

the perfect

place

to

tell

the

story of his father s

company Pitcairn

Aviation

and

stands

as

a grand location to display


7/44

Steve and his friend and mechanic for many of his projects, Mike

Posey left) of posey Brothers Aviation , as they assembled the

Pitcairn PCA-2 Autogiro Miss Champion before

it

was flown for the

last time

and

placed

on

display at the M AirVenture Museum.

Mike Posey and Steve with the Pitcairn PA-8M

Super Mailwing in the background.

After regaining . . J

c

IS

A medical certifi

ate, Steve and his Mail .

regular attende wings. became

East and M·d es to many flY-inS

in

the

I west.


8/44I

t was a fairly short hop from

Antiquers

Aerodrome

in Del

ray Beach

to Sun 'n Fun for

Richard Preiser and

his

Stin

son, but

it

was a decades-in

started a family. Being dO-it-your

seifers

at heart, he

and

his wife,

Peggy, decided

to

go

into their

own

printing business. The sale

of

the

Corvettes

funded

that venture, and

1947

ad


9/44

after a brief conversation, he sent

Gene a deposit for

the

Stinson, sight

unseen-and

then

asked Peggy for

permission to buy it.

this manner: "New America's first

personal/cargo' plane See

the

new

Stinson

Flying

Station

Wagon.

Re-

inforced 24-cu.-ft. cargo compart

ment

in 2-tone

plywood

paneling


10/44

a

height

of 7 feet 6 inches

in

level

attitude. It weighs

1,320

pounds

empty and has a useful load of

1,080 pounds. Its maximum struc

tural cruising

speed

is 126 mph,

with

a

cruise speed

around

108

mph-just right

to

enjoy

some

fresh air from its sliding windows.

With a SO-gallon fuel

capacity

(a

25-gallon

tank

in each wing)

and

a

10-gph fuel burn, it offers a range

of around 540 miles.

If you look carefully at the Stin

son's

wings,

you'll

notice

slots

in

the leading edges, which increase

the airflow over the ailerons at high

angles of attack, thereby providing

greater stability and control. And

the slightly offset vertical stabilizer

(for the 1948 model) helps counter

act the torque of the 165-hp Franklin

engine. Slotted wing flaps

enhance

takeoff performance, and landings

were

cushioned

by the

cantilever

gear's

oleo-spring

shock absorbers.

The Model 108-3 Flying

Station

Wagon sold for $6,484 in 1948, ac

cording to aviation historian Joseph

Juptner U.S

. Civil Aircraft

Vol.

8).

Touted as

being roomy and

soundproofed, with

quick

takeoffs

and

slow landings, Consolidated

Vultee Aircraft Corporation fur

ther enticed its targeted share of

the market by advertiSing that be

ginners

can solo this spin-resistant

Stinson in only about

eight hours'

flying

time " and thereby offered

a "special flight

plan

for

business

and

professional

men

...

your

Stin

son

dealer

will teach you to fly,

free-up to

and

including solo. It

Kevin Proodian (kneeling) and

Richard Preiser these longtime

friends are both aficionados of

Stinson 108-3s.

of its first owner. Later,

while

Rich

ard was focused

on

his family and

printing

business, NC6364M was

doing touch-and-goes between var

ious owners from Nebraska to Flor

ida, and

then on to

Ohio, where it

languished for a

number

of years.

Gene

Engelskirger, who restored

the

airplane,

wrote this

about

NC6364M:

"[It had] been

around

the Cleveland

area since 1972

and

was tied down

next

to

my

first res

About a month

after I bought

64M I thought

'Wou

Id

n't

it

be

neat

to

have two

airplanes with

consecutive

serial

num

b

'

rs

.....

Richard Preiser

battery drain hose originally went

through the empty hole, and a ser

vice bulletin put it where it is now.

This was to eliminate acid on

the

gear leg paint.

• Franklins

had

red lettering on

the

rocker covers. [But]

not

in

the

later

production

years, according

to

[the late Charlie Hart], a former em

ployee of Franklin Aircooled Motors.

•

A

lot

of

Stinsons have cowling

props on both sides. [But]

per

the


11/44

Left: Stinson

he

interior

and panel of NC6364M.

Below left and above:

Close up views

of

panel.

what

is perhaps the Stinson's

gentleman in

California

who

was parting

out several Stin

sons had one

that

still

had

the

latches

on the position

lights.

Then the only

thing

we were

missing was

the

ceramic insu-

lator that goes

on

the tail,

and


12/44

he aileron hinge fairings are made

of

cast aluminum

Baggage capacity in this compartment is

1

pounds

and other

items include an Ameri

King AK-350 encoder, a Bendix/

minum

spars are riveted together,

making it hard to replace

the

spars.

the

Stinson

and fly

it

together

to

Florida . I t was a

memorable

occa


13/44

make

the

transi tion from tricycle to

tailwheel, and Kevin actually made a

pOint to go flying

on

windy days, be-

cause Antiquers has trees on one side

and a tower

on

another

side, so you

really have

to

know

how

to

handle

the airplane.

The aircraft is very forgiving, said

Kevin,

adding,

I

tell people it is like a

four-place Piper Cub-the same wing

planform, a Hershey bar with round

wingtips. The takeoff

and landing

speed is 80

mph

, and it stalls at 61.4

mph, with flaps down. It

's

a very hon

est airplane, and very affordable.

Richard's delight in flying his

Wagon is obvious,

as

well

as

his dedi

cation to keeping the airplane in top

notch

condition. Since he's

owned

it, it has been awarded the 2008

Best

Restored Classic (101-165 hp) and

2009

Outstanding

Classic Aircraft

(9/1/45-12/31/55)

at Sun 'n Fun.

ll in the Details

There are

numerous

fine details

that

make NC6364M's

restoration

an award winner-and since a casual

observer

may

not even be aware of

some of these items, Kevin shared his

knowledge about them. Everything

is

original to this airplane, minus the

Cleveland wheels and brakes, he

ex-

plained. They came from the factory

with Goodrich brakes. This airplane

has the original-type split windshield,

paint

scheme,

and

polished alumi

num

trim. The headliner is complete

with the original dome light and ele

vator/rudder trim controls. The 108-3

was

available in two colors-the Stin

son Maroon or

Blue

only, with Diana

plained

that they

are different from

most because they have two fastener

strips

on the

back

side

and four

small, raised vents

on

the

front.

Richard humbly confesses that,

af-

ter he

bought

NC6364M

and

began

thoroughly observing all of its de

tails, I told Gene

that

I didn't pay

him

enough for

all the

detailed work

that was done on

i t he is

a

super

nice

guy,

and he got a chuckle out of

that

. I paid his price,

but lowe him z

UJ

money-you know what I mean?

To

«

see the work he did, I know he didn 't

UJ

make a dollar an hour.

li

Stinson Sister Ships

n

Throughout their lives, the n

Preisers have worked hard for

what

:

they have, and they derive a

deep

-

satisfaction

from

achieving their

hands-on goals-whether

it's

run

ning a successful business, remod

eling their home, or their

latest

endeavor-restoring

an

airplane .

My wife and

I

took

a

six-room

house and

made

it

into

a gorgeous

mansion, explained

Richard,

smiling. My wife

and

I

painted

it

inside

and

out, we did all

the

wood

working

together,

and we bought

186

tons of

bricks

and made our

own driveway. That took about

six months of laying the

sand

and

shell rock foundation, and then the

brick with

our own

hands.

So

it's just

natural that

Richard

feels a bit uncomfortable accepting

compliments for NC6364M.

Now

he

's determined

to restore

its sis

ter ship with his own hands,

and

to that end, he's keeping his hand


14/44

Close up view of the inspection plates.


15/44


16/44

Photo of Stearman Model 6L Cloudboy flying,

by

Jeff Jeffares.

Patrons enjoying the cuisine

in

the Barnstormer s Grill.

A

1928

Stearman C-3B alights C-3B slowly S-turns

past

a field of

gently

on the

long grass runway

at

colorful vintage

airplanes,

sun

Peach State

Aerodrome

as a 1929

light glinting from its

polished,

Curtiss Robin s Wright )6-5 coughs

hand-spun

spinner. The stately bi

1930s-style

hangar where an

ami

able

crowd

of folks

has

gathered.

Children are leaning over a wooden

picket

fence, waving

at

all the pi

lots, and

antique autos,

tractors,

and

even

a horse-drawn carriage

line the

parking

lot. Inside, melo

dious notes from

a

player piano

entwine with the hunger-stirring

aroma of freshly baked pies straight

from the

ovens

of the

Barnstorm

er s Grill, where

a

virtual smor

gasbord,

ranging

from salads and

sandwiches to seafood

and

filet mi

gnon,

is

served. Laughter

and

chat

ter resound

through

the

eatery,

spilling

out onto the

patio s locals

and

visitors alike join in

the

fun of

reliving

the era

of

early

aviation,

here in rural Williamson,

just

30

miles south of Atlanta, in

the

heart


17/44

Looking Back

Back in

1909

, a businessman

by

the

name of Asa Griggs Can

dler (who owned the Coca-Cola

Company

at

the time) opened a

new

racetrack

near

Hapeville,

Georgia. Situated in a wide-open

field, i t was also the

perfect

loca

tion

for aerial exhibitions,

which

were held

there

in 1910 and 1911.

Eventually, more attention was fo

cused on the practical aspects of

aviation, and

another gentleman

from

the

local area,

James

H. El-

liott, decided to lease the racetrack

and prep some additional acreage

for airplane use. Elliott opened

his flying business

there

in 1919

and sold

the field in 1923.

The

following

year, a couple

of local

aviators-Doug Davis and Beeler

Blevins-began

prevailing

upon

Atlanta's mayor, Bill Hartsfield, to

recognize the business value of avi

ation . Davis established his own

flying circus,

and

he and Blevins

each built

their own

hangars at

Candler Field, thereby establish

ing a base of

operations

for their

separate flying businesses. And

fi-

nally, in

1925, Mayor

Hartsfield

acknowledged that Candler Field

was indeed a good location for t-

lanta 's airport. Four years later,

the

city

purchased

the airfield, which

eventually evolved

into

today's

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Interna

tional Airport.

Candler Field Museum

Ron Alexander is

the man

be

hind Peach

State Aerodrome

and

Delta Air Lines pilot with a gentle

and easygoing personality,

he is

also a

highly driven entrepreneur.

He's established

numerous

success

ful aviation businesses (see sidebar),

yet

he

wanted

to

realize at least

one

other ambitious

dream-building

an

antique

airplane museum that

The overall objective

is for you

to

walk

into

this museum

nd

feel

like you're stepping

back

into th t

era.

e also

w nt

people to

enjoy riding in

n

old

car,

in

a horse-drawn

carriage,

nd

flying in

n

old airplane.

- Ron Alexande

would be

just a bit unusual. For

one,

he

wanted to

pay

tribute to a

particular era of aviation

and

his

tory-that being

the

late 1920s

and

early 1930s-in an er ting mu

a living

museum

was necessary to

create the

tangible tapestry of time

he

desired. With that in mind,

some of the

things

we have

are not going to be pristine

or

award-winning

airplanes

or cars,

but they're going to be functionaV'

Alexander

explained.

The over

all objective

is

for you to walk

into

this

museum

and feel like you're

stepping back

into

that era. We also

want

people

to

enjoy riding in an

old car,

in

a

horse-drawn

carriage,

and

flying in an old airplane.

J

Another key thread that adds

depth

and

texture to this tapestry

is

Alexander's belief that to make

this

kind

of museum work, you've

got to have other than aviation

people

come out

and support it.

You need to include those

who

are

involved in

antique

automobiles,

tractors,

and even vintage cloth

ing-and

just

include everything

involved in that era.

Since Atlanta is his

home

base,

he

decided that preserving its rich

local

history would

be ideal.

He

knew that Davis, a 1920s aviator,

was

from the local area and had

built the first

hangar on

Candler

Field. So I

thought

that a logical

thing

to do would

be to develop

Candler

Field as it

existed

in the

late 1920s and early 1930s/' he

said, and focus on that.

That

idea blossomed into a

mul

tifaceted project.

Alexander

re

searched the history

of

Candler

Field and found some photographs

of what

it

looked

like

in the

early

1930s. Then he

started

looking


18/44

939

DC-3A antique autos, and a Davis airplane.

Bird s-eye view of the Stearman C-3B and Curtiss

Robin.

C

andler

f

ield

- tuseum

Concept drawing

of

the Candler Field Museum complex.

physically

accommodate

a

variety

of hangars

and

buildings. Peach

State Airport, as it has

been

called,

has been

here

since 1966,

he

ex

plained,

and I

finally discovered

that the 100 acres

adjacent

to

it

was for sale

at

a fairly reasonable

price.

So I

decided to purchase

the

entire package and

develop

a por

tion

of

it as Peach State Airpark to

help pay for the runway.

We

didn't

have

an

architect put

it

together; I

just visualized it in

my mind,

and

gineer, said

Alexander.

He has

collected antique

aviation mem

orabilia

and old airplanes

, too.

He's

donated

two KR-34

biplanes,

which will be

restored, and

an

OX-S Robin,

which

is currently

undergoing restoration.

We have

a

mechanic who works with

vol

unteers to help

restore and

main

tain

the

museum airplanes.

As

a work

in

progress,

the mu

seum

will continue

to

evolve, and

the next building

slated

for con

otating

Exhibits

Just as a shuttle carries new

threads

back

and forth to weave

fabric, Alexander plans

to

breathe

vitality

into

the museum 's

tangi

ble

tapestry by continually rotat

ing the exhibits of airplanes, autos,

and tractors .

So

at any given time,

visitors will hopefully be able to see

something they haven't yet seen

and perhaps even be able to go for a

ride or flight in it. What we try to

do

is get people to put airplanes on

loan to us for a while, explained

Alexander, and rotate them

in

and

out. For

example,

we

had

a guy

with an

Aeronca

Champ

here

for

a while ,

and

the Curtiss Robin is

owned by a local pilot [Richard Ep-

ton] who flies it

on

a regular basis.

To

date,

airplanes in the rotat

ing exhibits include a 1929 Curtiss

Robin, a

1928

Waco CSO, a 1928

C-3B Stearman, a 1930

Stearman

L Cloudboy, a 1939 Douglas DC

3A, and

a 1941

Stearman

PT-17 .

Barbery's OX-S Robin will join

the

others

when

its restoration

is

com

plete,

as

will a 1918 Curtiss IN-4D,


19/44

The Stearman C 3B.

Even

though they re on display inside, each of the

antique autos are operational.

plane

in

1991. Ri

ght

now

we use it

for

training

and some promotional

work, but it doesn't fly more than

about SO hours a year or so.

Alexander acquired

the

Stear

man C-3B about 10 years ago from

antiquer

friend Jim Friedline . I

had a PT-17 that was destroyed

in

a

tornado, and

I

traded Jim my

busted-up airplane for the C-3B. I

flew it a couple

of

years,

and

at the

time, I was

one

of the

three

own

ers of Poly-Fiber Aircraft Coatings

in

California. We had a restora

tion company that we had started

out

there

at Flabob

Airport,"

re

called Alexander,

"and

a

young

man

by

the

name of Brian New

man

did

a large

bulk

of the resto

ration on the airplane.

Of the aircraft he has, Alexan

der treasures one in

particular-not

only because it handles very nicely,

but

also

because there

weren't

many

built. Smiling, he said, The

most

unique and rare airplane

I

have is my square-tail 1931 Stear

man Model 6L

Cloudboy,

with a

Lycoming 220.

It

was

designed

as

restaurant portion of the

field.

Walking trails wind

through the

airpark, and there are runway lots

as well as a few

lakefront

lots on

site. Owners design

their

homes

and hangars to be

constructed

with a Vintage-style exterior, in

keeping with

Peach

State's over

all

theme.

Yet

the aerodrome

is home to

more than just

the

museum and

airpark

residents-it 's also

head

quarters for

the

Georgia chapter

of

the Antique

Airplane Associa

tion

and EAA

Chapter

468. The

newly formed Georgia

Cub

Flyers

have

adopted

Peach State as

their

home base as well; they held

their

first

fly-in here in August 2009,

with

nearly

30

Cubs

and

more

than a hundred

Cub

aficionados

attending. Other

groups

also meet

here-including the Flying Grif

fins,

which

is a radio-controlled

model

airplane club, and

shhh

the

Quiet

Birdmen.

But

that's

not all. Since Alex

ander's

vision

encompasses

more

than

antique

airplanes,

the

local

neighbors.

We 've

had

a

couple

of aviation events,

but

we've also

had a chorale, chamber of com

merce

meetings,

and it's mostly

general events like that. The lo

cal

community,

including the

county

commissioners, has really

embraced

this

museum.

They're

very

pleased

to

have

us here,

and

this is

the

very first

museum

in

Pike County. They think it's great,

and we get real

good

support from

them. Ninety percent of the peo

ple

who

visit here are non-aviation

people." That means that more

people are

becoming

familiar with

grass

strips and airplanes, which

helps foster a positive public per

ception of general aviation.

You re Invited

A variety of special events are

held throughout

the

year at

the

museum,

and aviators

as well as

the general public are warmly wel

comed. A first-time vintage week

end was

held

in September 2009,

complete with

visitors in

period

costume, music

provided by a


20/44

n Alexander

just can t

imagine life

without flying. When

he

was a

cadet

in

the Civil Air Patrol at age 14, he took a

ide

in

a C 119 Flying Box

car

and

knew

he was meant

to

be a pilot. He soon soloed an

Aeronca

Champ

near his home in

Bloomington,

Indiana, and

earned

his flight instructor

rating

.

By

the time he entered

the

Air Force

in 1964, he

had

already logged

800 hours

. His five

years

in

the

Air Force

included

one tour in

Vietnam,

flying

the C 7 Caribou.

In 1969,

he

started flying for Delta Air Lines

Ron Alexander and his Stearman

C-3B, inside Candler

Field

Museum.

Aeroplane Company

out of our

hangar at Cedar Ridge. I also

bought a Stits distributorship

from a local person, because Ray

Stits wasn t sure he wanted me to

be a distributor. Then

in 1992

, I

bought Stits-I owned it outright

myself for a few years. Then I

had

a partner-Jon Goldenbaum,

who still manages Poly-Fiber

and

we ended up merging

Ceconite into it, so

there

were

three of

us that owned

it

.

He also started a technical

center

in

Griffin, Georgia,

during

that

time. "

When

I owned Alexander Aeroplane, I discovered that

the best way

to

sell products was to teach people

how to use

them

. So we

started

a workshop

program, formally teaching people

how to

do fabric

covering, composite

and

sheet metal work, welding,

and so forth. Ultimately it became the SportAir

Workshops,

and I sold

it to

EAA. And in 1996, I sold

Alexander Aeroplane to Aircraft Spruce."

His

recent

endeavors include his composite

repair company, Atlanta Aerospace Composites,


21/44

I guess my

thing

in life,' if I have to

have 'a thing,' is

to

start something,

and

then

once I

get

it up

and

running,

let somebody else

have it." Reflecting

for a

moment,

he laughed again

and

commented,

"Sometimes it's

not

all successful

I enjoy taking

risks; it's

partly

the

challenge, and

it's also because

I enjoy creating

something

from nothing.

What

makes

it

possible is

the

people who work for

me. I hire my people based entirely on

their

atti tudes-not their

resumes at

all. I

want to know them, spend some

time with them,

and

I

want

them

to

have good, positive attitudes.

We

do

build every single business based on

customer service."

Alexander's primary passion, above

all else, is simply flying. Smiling

and

laughing wholeheartedly, he

declared,

"It's my life You know, I don t

know

what I'd do

if

I

couldn t

fly. o me,

there s nothing

better

than taking

one

of

these biplanes out and flying


22/44

The story

o

ircraft By Shue

BY

DICK

CRENSHAW

and

his dual-instruction

lessons

with

his

brother

Charlie

and

other


23/44

Left: Prior to being covered, this is the completed

structure of AI Shimer s UMF 5.

The interest

in

Waco airplanes be

gan in 1964 when John

purchased

his UPF-7

basket

case. He was still

working at AMP at this time, and

the

restoration became a seven-year,

part-time weekends

and

nights proj

ect. In May

of

1971, the

plane

flew

for the first time since 1946.

Grand Champion at the National

Biplane Association Expo in 2007

and

Reserve

Grand

Champion

in

2003, 2005, and 2006.

I t

was Best

In Class-Waco open cockpit at the

National Fly-In in Blakesburg,

Iowa, in 2004,2005, and 2007. Also

listed were five other awards re

John s UPF-7 was the first of five EAA Oshkosh award winners. The five

airplanes so

honored at the annual

EAA

fly-in are:

ear

Model N Number

Owner

1972

UPF 7

NC3016S

John Shue

1986

UPF 7

NC32183 Dr. Criss Kidder

2000

UPF 7 NC32084

Loel Crawford

2000

UPF 7

NC29303

Dick

Ash

2008 UPF-7

NC32071

Jack Hill

The awards were

not

limited to Os-

hkosh; Jack Hill s

UPF 7

won best

in

show at

the

Burlington, North Caro

lina, fly-in and

was

also Grand Cham

pion at the 2009 Sun

n

Fun Fly-In.

All of the above aircraft were based

on

the East Coast at

the time

they

were displayed at

the

EAA

Fly-In in

Oshkosh. That

had me

wondering if

there were

any

Shue-restored Wacos

west of

the

Mississippi River receiv

ing recognition. I contacted Gary

Pe-

tersen

in

Walton, Nebraska,

and

got

quite a surprising response.

Gary s UPF-7, NC39743,

won

ceived in

the

Nebraska area.

To

date the

Shues have restored

10 Wacos, and many

of these

air

craft have

been

winners at regional

air

shows

and fly-ins. It is hard

to

keep track

of the

awards since

many

of these planes

are not

located in

the

Pennsylvania area.

Scott learned the aircraft restora

tion

trade by working

with his fa

ther.

By

the

time they

reached Loel

Crawford s UPF-7 (NC32084),

he

was pretty

much

the lead man. Scott

has restored

and

completed

the

last

three winning aircraft on his

own

Aircraft,

and

Kreider Riesner was a

subsidiary of Fairchild. Charlie was

also heavily involved

in

recovering

one of the more unique

airplanes

to come through the Shue shop. I t

One of only four built, and the last one to survive, this is a 1935 8-17E

8eechcraft Staggerwing, serial number 49 John Shue spent a consider

able amount of time restoring the cabin biplane.


24/44

One of the many UPF-7 restorations done by the Shues, this is NC29996,

a UPF-7 owned by Sion Bass of Georgia.

John Shue s UPF-7 the one that started him on the path to becoming

an

acknowledged expert on the aircraft, was first restored in 1972

The

father-and-son team is now restoring it for the second time.

with technical advice

and

final as

sembly

help

from his father. Scott

is known

as Mr.

Detail.

Wings,

in addition to complete restoration

projects, are his particular specialty.

aircraft .

To

keep

the

FAA

happy,

the

emergency locator transmitter

is

there

,

but not in plain view-an

other

effort

to

keep

the

airplane's

appearance

as

original

as

possible.

John retired from

his electric l

engineer

position

with AMP

Incorporated in

1987. His

son

Scott

left the

comp ny

in 1990; however

t

his

young

ge

it w s a

c reer

ch nge rather

than a retirement.

Award

and

PAAS

Antique Grand

Champion

award. Since originally

writing this article,

EAA

AirVenture

2009

has come

and

gone. Joe

and

his

RNF

won

the

Vintage Aircraft

As


25/44

Jack Hill s Waco UPF 7 serves as the backdrop for John (left) and Scott

Shue, the father-and-son duo responsible for some of the most beautiful

Waco restoration in recent memory.

Scott Shue has a special affinity for building wings. These are

just

a few

of the wings he s buil t for

Waco

restorations.

exhaust system.

He is

also restoring

the

two cockpit interiors, including

the rebuilt engine

and

flight instru

cludes

any

individual piece or com

plete assemblies such

as

wings,

vertical fins,

center

sections, fuse

ing today, this aircraft

is

powered by

a W-760-2

Wright

engine,

not the

R 985

Pratt Whitney. This aircraft

passed through a series of owners who

had hoped

to restore it,

but

for

the

most part it remained in storage until

it came to the Shue shop in 1986.

The frame-up

restoration

was

accomplished using new wood

throughout the

aircraft.

One

of

the

Shues hard and

fast rules is

that

they

never use

or

repair old wood;

it has to be

new.

A new

mohair

interior has been installed, along

with

a

complete panel

of restored

instruments

from that time period.

The

instrument

panel is a

thing

of

beauty

unto

itself. All

aluminum

sheet

metal parts have

been

newly

fabricated using

the

original pieces,

when

available,

as

patterns.

Presently

John

is

again restor

ing his personal

UPF 7

, the aircraft

that started t

all

back in

1964. It

has

been

close

to

40 years since its

original restoration was completed,

and

John felt it was time.

In addition to his Waco project

he is restoring a J-3

Cub

for

an

old

friend, Bob Bittner.

If

this was

not

enough, there is a second]-3,

John s

personal plane, which is about half

way

to

completion.

John also

spends

a great deal of

time on

the

telephone helping

out

fellow Waco owners with techni

cal

information

and

personal

ad

vice based

on

his experience in

the

restoration business. He is always

ready

to help anyone with

aircraft

problems or questions.

For

those of you who do

not


26/44

Light Plane Heritage

PUBLISHED IN E Experimenter FEBRUARY 95 7 MAY

989

THE

DORMOY

BATH

TUB

The Dormoy Bath Tub was one

of

the

simplest

and

probably

least

expensive successful

lightplanes

ever

built.

This airplane was de

signed

and built

by Mr.

Etienne

Dormo

y,

then

of

the Engineering

Division

of

the Air Service at Mc

Cook Field

near

Dayton Ohio. I t

was flown in the

lightplane events

at

th

e 1924

and

1925

National

Air

Races by Mr. Dormoy in competi

tion with

the

Driggs Dart , Powell

Racer, and Mummert Sportplane.

The

m a

in

purpose of

the

design

YJ ACK M cR E

EAA

93

tube longerons with

diagonal

wire the windsh ield . The nacelle was

bracing. The

cockpit

space

was

of

steel-tube

three

-

Iongeron con

very small,

and

for the 1924 Races

struction with sheet aluminum

the tachometer was mounted in covering . The tail surfaces were of


27/44

This Is

the

Dormoy Bath Tub in its original form when

It was Introduced y Etienne Dormoy

in

1924 Power

was a Henderson four cycle motorcycle engine.

EM RCHIVES

steel tubing covered with fabric.

The

wing was of conventional

two-spar wood and fabric construc

tion. The wing bracing was unusual

in that the lift truss consisted of a

single steel

tube

on each side

with

two additional flying wires per side

to resist

the

torsional loads. The

lift struts and center-section struts

were round tubes with balsa fair

ing. The fuel tank was mounted in

the

wing section. The aileron con

trol system was

unconventional

in

that the aileron balance

cable

went forward from the aileron

horn to the

top of

the

wing where

it entered a small curved

tube

that

guided the cable

outside

the

wing

to

the

leading edge of

the

wing.

The cable

then

continued

inboard

along the

outside of the leading

edge through several fair leads to

a turnbuckle located at the center

line of

the

airplane.

The landing

gear

consisted of

a

hinged-axle member

and

a

com

pression strut

on

each

side

with

rubber-cord shock absorbers. Drag

loads were

taken

by

two struts

on

each side

running

fore

and

aft from

the

axle to the single lower longe

ron of the nacelle.

The engine was a converted four

cylinder Henderson

motorcycle

engine

that

developed

about 20

hp

at 2300 rpm.

An air

scoop

was

mounted on the left-hand side

to

provide better cooling of

the

cyl

inder

heads. This engine installa

tion proved

to be

very

reliable at

the

1924 National Air Races where

the Bath Tub competed in all three

lightplane

races

and won the Rick-

en backer Trophy Race of 140 miles

at an average speed of 70

mph

and

with a

fuel

consumption of 40

miles per gallon. The ship finished

second and third respectively in

the other

two

lightplane races.

The Bath Tub had a gross weight

of 425 pounds and a wing area of 85

square feet. The light wing loading

of 5

pounds

per square foot made

the

little ship difficult to fly

in

rough

air. The wing span was 24 feet and

the

length was 13 feet 5 inches.

After

the

success

at

the

1924

National

Races

Mr Dormoy

rede

signed

the fuselage for better per

formance at the 1925 Races. The

tail

booms

were done away

with


28/44

ayLemmon s tinson

108

O

or

back cover photo and

the photos

you see

on

these pages were

sent

to

us by

member

Ray Lem

mon

E 42686

,

V 717946

of

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

Ray

is

a longtime

E er and

re

tired

United

Airlines

captain with

a

number

of

airplane projects to

his credit, including a Piper Super

Cruiser, which

he rebuilt in

1973

74,

and

a

Beechcraft D-17 Stag

BY

H.G. FR UTSCHY

Above: A quick run down

the

snow-covered runway

shows

the Stinson

is ready for flight when

the

weather breaks.


29/44

The post-World

War II pe

riod was a time of great op

timism

in

general aviation,

and the advertising

of

the

day often showed dapper

owners/pilots using their

new aerial station

wag

ons to further their busi

ness interests. It was

no

coincidence

that

names

such as the Sedan, Sta

tion Wagon, Super Cruiser,

and other automotive-style names were added to airplanes

of

the

day. The

expectation that the airplane was expected to replace

the car for many businessmen, combined with the marketing

that

flying

was nearly as easy as driving a car, made great fodder for the advertis

ing industry.

restoration was

com-

pleted

in

2004, a

tragic

accident

that resulted

in Coates later passing

away due to his injuries.

Ray

Lemmon

bought

the airplane

and be-

gan

work.

The

dam-

age to the airplane was

confined mostly to

the

front of the fuselage, re-

quiring weld repairs

to

the

fuselage, a

new

fire-

wall, and a

new

engine

mount for the

Franklin

engine, plus all

of

the

sheet metal

forward

of

the baggage door. The

right

wing

also required

repairs, as

did

the land-

ing

gear.

When the welding

repairs were done and

it came t ime to

start

A close-up view of the repaired section

of the fuselage, including the back

of the instrument

panel

and

cockpit

controls. The box on the left is the

glove/map

box

while

on

the right the

box has

been converted to serve

as

a position for the

radio. The two

verti

cal channels

in

the foreground

are

the

mounts for the battery holder.

Once the 108-3 was moved to Old

School Aviation at

Van

Sant Airport,

covering work could

be

completed.

Here the tapes are having the

edges set on the lower fuselage

prior to final silver and finish coats.


30/44

Chapter Locator and Info

Visit the VAA

chapter

nearest

you and

get to

know some

great

old-airplane enthusiasts

You

don t

need to

be a pilot

to

join

in the fun, just have

a

love

of the

great airplanes

of yesteryear.

CALIFORNIA

Hayward, CA V 29

Meeting: 2nd Thurs., 6:00

p.m.

Hayward Airport Executive Hangar

William

Field, President

Phone:

925-463-0589

E-mail: [email protected]

CALIFORNIA

Sacramento,

CA

V 25

Meeting:

2nd

Sat.,

9:00

a.m

.

See

chapter website for location.

David

Magaw, President

Phone: 916-488-0455

E-mail:

pittsjlyers1s@yahoo

com

www.Vin25.org

CAROLINAS

VIRGINIA

Walnut Cove, NC

V

3

Meeting: Contact

President

ILLINOIS

Lansing,

IL, V

26

Meeting: Contact

President

Peter

Bayer,

President

Phone:

630

-

922-3387

E- rna iI: [email protected]

INDIANA

Auburn, IN,

V 37

Meeting: 4th

Wed., 7:00

p.m.

Auburn

Airport

Chapter

Hangar

Drew Hoffman,

President

Phone: 260-693-9747

E-mail: drewhof [email protected]

Website: www.VAA37.org

KANSAS

Overland Park, KS V 16

Meeting: 2nd Fri., 7:30 p.m.

Contact president for

location.

mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:///reader/full/www.Vin25.orgmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:///reader/full/www.VAA37.orgmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:///reader/full/www.Vin25.orgmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:///reader/full/www.VAA37.org


31/44

Albert

Lea, MN, VAA

13

Meeting:

2nd

Thurs., 7:00

p.m.

Albert

Lea Airport FBO

Paul Stieler, President

Phone: 507-377-2291

E-mail: pstieler@smig net

NEBRASKA

Plattsmouth, NE VAA 31

Meeting:

1st

Sat.,

10:30

a.m.

Plattsmouth

Airport Term Bldg.

William Kroeger,

President

Phone: 402-331-3887

E-mail:

pilotwill@cox net

NEW HAMPSHIRE

North

Hampton,

NH, VAA 15

Meeting: 2nd Sat.,

11:00

a.m.

Hampton Airfield

John Maloney, President

Phone: 603-580-2590

E-mail: ejjmik@comcast net

NEW JERSEY

Andover, NJ

VAA

7

OHIO

Columbus,

OH

VAA

38

Meeting: 2nd Sun., 1:00 p.m.

Contact

president for location.

Perry

Chappano, President

Phone:

614-496-3423

E-mail:

polestar@ameritech net

OHIO

Delaware,

OH

VAA 27

Meeting: 3rd

Sat.,

9:00 a.m.

Delaware Municipal Airport

Terminal

Building

Martin

Mcintire,

President

Phone: 740-362-7228

E-mail: wjmcintire@cs com

Website: www EAAdlz org

OHIO

Troy, OH

VAA 36

Meeting:

Contact President

Richard Amrhein, President

Phone: 937-335-1444

E-mail: dickandpatti@aol com

OKLAHOMA

Tulsa,

OK

VAA

10

Meeting: 4th Thurs., 7:00

p.m.

Hardesty

South Regional Library

Joe Champagne, President

Phone: 918-257-4688

E-mail: skypal@groveemail com

TEXAS

Spring,

TX

VAA 2

Meeting: 4th Sun.,

2:00

p.m.

Dry

Creek

Airport

Fred Ramin, President

Phone: 281-444-5309

E-mail:

lredramin@sbcglobal net

WISCONSIN

Brookfield, WI,

VAA

11

Meeting:

1st Mon., 7:30 p.m.

Capitol Drive

Airport

Office

James Brown,

President

Phone:

262-895-6282

E-mail: jb191o@wi rr com

mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:///reader/full/www.EAAdlz.orgmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:///reader/full/www.EAAdlz.orgmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


32/44

BY RO ERT G LOCK

uel

and

oil

systems

Our subject for this issue is fuel

and

oil systems.

So

systems

are

similar

to

gravity

feed

but operate at

a

let s get started with some basics. There are two types

higher carburetor

fuel

inlet

pressure. This pressure is

of fuel systems-I gravity feed and pressure feed (both boosted

by

an engine-driven, vane-type fuel pump .

can

be carbureted),

and

2

injected

(always pressure The

pump

pressure

is

adjustable; I usually set

the

pres

feed). Unless modified, all older aircraft used a carbu sure to

the

middle of

the

range of operat ion. Most sys

reted system. There are two types of oil systems-wet tems of this type operate at 3-5 psi, so I set

the

pressure

sump

and

dry sump. Most older aircraft used dry

sump at

4 psi . There

must

be

an emergency

backup

pump,

systems because

they

were powered by radial engines.

which may

be

hand-operated

(wobble) or electrically

Dry sump systems carry

the

oil

in

driven. When the

pump

is op

an external tank, while wet

sump

erated

it

should

not

raise

fuel

systems carry

the

oil in the

main

pressure above the

maximum

al

crankcase of

the

engine. lowed. There will be a

bourdon

Gravity

feed

type

fuel gauge

to indicate

fuel

GRAVITY

FEE

D FUEL SYS-

flow

pressure . Gauge pressure

carburetors

will not work

TEMS: Gravity feed fuel systems

should be taken at the inlet to

are the most common among

the

carburetor.

older aircraft. They are simple in

on pressure

Now, let s start at

the top

of

the

operation

and

require no engine

system

and

work down.

driven or auxiliary

fuel

pump.

feed

systems,

Gravity

feed systems

operate at

FUEL TAN

K:

Originally made

a very low

carburetor

inlet pres

from Terneplate

and

soft-soldered

and

pressure

feed

sure,

generally 0.5-1.0

psi.

The

together, these tanks were heavy

pressure depends on

the

height

when

compared

with aluminum

.

carbs won t work on

of the fuel tank above the car

Terneplate

is thin

steel

sheet

the

rear cockpit) ,

the

gascolatorlstrainer will remove

diameters for radial engines up to 225 hp

are

3/8

inch,


33/44

sediment

before it

enters the

carburetor.

There is

a

means to drain

water

condensation

from

the unit.

It

mayor may not be

the

lowest

point

in

the

system. The

correct nomenclature for this

unit

is gascolator.

SHUT OFF/SELECTOR VALVE: Located on the

aft side of

the

firewall,

the

fuel valve directs

and

shuts

off fuel to

the

carburetor. The valve

shou

ld be plainly

marked

to show

fuel quantity

in each tank,

and the

pointer should show

from which tank the

engine

is

drawing. The valve

must

positively

shut

off

the

fuel.

There must be positive detents in

the

valve so

the

valve

feels as

though

it "snaps"

into

place. Remove

the

fuel

line

to

the

carburetor

and

ensure there

is

no

flow

of

fuel

with the

valve

in the

"off" pOSition. I f

automo

tive fuel

is

used, check

the

inside diameter of

the

flex

ible hose from the gascolator

to

the carburetor; I use

a

3/8 inch

or

l/2-inch

wood

dowel

rounded

on

one

end to accomplish this task. Because of additives to

the

gasoline, automotive fuel can cause swelling of flexible

lines. This check should be done at each annual inspec

tion. Swelling of the inner-tube diameter can cause fuel

starvation to the engine, with disastrous results.

CARBURETOR:

Often overlooked

during

restora

tion is the

type of

carburetor to

be installed. Gravity

systems use a

carburetor

capable of

operation

at low

fuel pressures. Gravity systems often work at fuel pres

sures up

to

1.0 psi. The

carburetor overhaul manual

will tell

you

which part-numbered carburetors are

gravity feed and

which

are pressure feed . As the fuel

enters

the carburetor, it is again

strained.

At

the

fuel

inlet there is

another small screen that sho

uld be

periodically

inspected, particularly

during the

an

nual inspection.

ENGINE DRIVEN FUEL PUMPS:

Pumps are usu

ally a vane-type pump, the sliding

vanes

producing

a low positive pressure. A

means to adjust

pressure

is

included on

the pump.

The drive

shaft

has a "shear"

section to protect

the

engine in case of

pump

seizure.

and

for engines to 450 hp,

1/2

inch. I use

the

Boeing

Stearman as an example

when

there

is

no factory data

on

fuel line size. The Stearman used fuel lines

that

are

1/2

inch

in diameter.

TROUBLESHOOTING: Other

than checking

screens

and

looking for leaks, there isn't

much

to look

for. Always check lines for chafing; chafing

can

even

tually cause a

hole

to be

rubbed into

the line. Sump

drains may continually leak

as

seals wear or debris col

lects

in the

drain seat area. Pressure systems should be

monitored

on the pressure gauge for

any

changes in

operating

pressure. A

lowering

of the

pressure could

indicate

pump

wear.

OIL SYSTEMS:

All

radial

engines

were

equipped

with

dry

sump

oil systems. Dry sump systems

had

an

external oil tank, while wet

sump

systems

had

the

oil

contained

within the

engine

case. Now, let's look

at

the

system

components

in detail.

ENGINE DRIVEN OIL PUMP: These

pumps

were

gear type and had two functions: 1) to provide positive

oil pressure

to the

engine, and 2) to scavenge oil from

the

engine sumps and

return it

to

the

tank. Therefore

the

scavenge side of

the pump had

twice

the

capacity

as the

pressure side. The engine-driven

pump

contains

a suction inlet check valve,

the

purpose of which

is

to

block oil from

entering the pump when the

engine

is

not

running.

However, i t seems that

i f the

oil

tank

is

mounted

above

the pump

inlet, oil will seep around the

check valve

and

flow

into

the

lower cylinders, creating

the

dreaded

hydraulic

lock Always

turn the

prop at

least 14 blades before starting. I f

in

doubt, remove

one

spark plug from

the

lower cylinders, start

and

run

the

engine with

the

plugs out,

then shut

down

and

reinstall

the

plugs. Then clean

the

engine

and

fuselage of all the

oil that was blown

out

of the lower cylinders

OIL TANK: Most small, single-row radial engines

carried from 4

to

8 gallons

of

oil.

The amount

of oil

cool the oil before it re-enters the engine. Oil coolers are

ing some type of failure. J've heard stories of metal con


34/44

equipped with a thermostat valve

that

directs oil through

the cooler

when

a certain temperature is reached. Oil

coolers are best repaired by sending them

out

to a repair

shop for overhaul

and

test. Coolers were made of brass

and soft-soldered together during assembly.

LINES FITTINGS : HOSE: Since

they

carry lit

tle or no pressure, oil lines are

made

from 3003 alu

minum tubing

usually 1

inch in

diameter.

The ends

are

beaded to accept hose

and

clamps. The fittings

are brass or

aluminum and

are coded AN840, AN842,

and AN844. Hose is Mil-H-6000, which is fuel- and

oil-resistant. Clamps

are

stain

less-steel

worm-type

clamps.

Worm-type clamps

tend

to stay

round when tightened, while

the older clamps will move

to

The

chafing

pressure, one

should

investigate

an

out-of-round

condition

when

and

locate

the

real problem. This

over-tightened.

Note: Use only

of oil lines

can

could be easier said than done,

as

enough torque on

the clamps

to

some

disassembly

of

the

engine

stop

seepage

,

and no more

. Do may be required.

cause

failure

not over-tighten clamps. Normal

torque for clamps is a mere 20-25

C

HOOS ING OIL

: The

fol

with disastrous

results.

nch-pounds. When assembling

lowing represents

my opinion

the aluminum

tubing,

the

tubing

There will be

other

opinions,

and

should

not touch and the maxi

Check ll lines

one

should choose

what

he or she

mum separation should

be

one thinks

best for

the

engine. J have

tube diameter.

for

security,

chafing,

always

broken in

a

newly

over

hauled engine

with

pure mineral

INSTRUMENTATION: Pres oil, either SO or 60 weight, what

and leaks.

sure

and temperature

gauges are

provided in the cockpit to

mon

itor

oil.

These

gauges are

bour

don-tube type,

the

pressure gauge

being connected to a pressure port on

the

engine case by

a flex line

to the

firewall,

then

to the instrument by alu

minum

tubing. The temperature gauge has a shielded

line filled with a liquid, which vaporizes and expands

as

the oil temperature increases; this

is

what

is

known

as

a

vapor-pressure indicator. Methyl chloride is a

common

fluid used in

the

sensing bulb. The sensing bulb at

the

tamination in

a newly

overhauled

engine,

only to

be

found that it came from

the tank

or cooler

and not

the

newly overhauled engine. A flexible line should always

be installed from

the

engine

to the

firewall to sense oil

pressure. A synthetic rubber hose

is

recommended.

TROUBLESHOOTING: Once

the

pressure has been

set

at the

pressure

pump,

it

should only

vary in pres

sure

due to temperature.

The oil system in

an

engine

is complex,

and on

Single-row radials,

only one pump

is used

to

pressure

and

scavenge

the

oil. Oil will seek

the path

of least resistance, so if a clearance between

two

parts

increases,

the

oil will

be

pushed through at

this

point.

This will cause a drop in oil pres

sure.

Rather than adjusting the

ever

the

overhaul manual recom

mends. Assuming

the

engine had

some test-stand time, I generally

run

the

new engine long

enough

to

check for

operation and

leaks.

Then

test flight

at

a

high

power setting for

one

hour;

then

check all screens

for

contamination.

At

10 hours of time I drain

and

re-

place

the

oil, check

the

screens,

and do

a cylinder leak

age check of the

engine

and also a close inspection of

the engine and

controls. The

next

oil

change

is

done

at 25 hours of time. The oil is drained, cylinder leakage


35/44

Jim Ostrich

a

Mesa,

o

• Pilot

since

1980

• Also has a Beech T 34 ,

North

American T 28C,

L 29

Delfin

Jet

and

a

North American built

L 17

A

Norma and

the folks at U Insurance are

friendly, helpful, and most importantly they

get the BEST RATES out there for antique /

taildragger insurance. They worked with me

to get a check pilot in the local area to where

I purchased the aircraft, to get me safe and

competent in the aircraft Beech 18) and have

been great ever since. I have owned the

C-45 (BE-1 8) for two years

and

love flying

it.

- Jim Ostrich

ky

.

l nd

Airport

in the

S

18) t Catalina 5 fo his 0


36/44

BY H.G. FRAUTSCHY

THIS MON

TH'S MYSTERY PLANE COMES

TO

US

ROM GORDON LACOMBE OF KENOSHA, WIS ONSIN .

Send

your answer

t o EAA,

Vintage Airplane P.O . Box 3086,

Oshkosh,

WI 54903-3086. Your

answer needs to be in

n o l

ater

t han January 15 for inclu sion

in

the

March 2010

iss u e of

Vintage A i rplane.

Yo

u

can

also

send your

re

sponse via e-mail.

Send

your

answer

to

[email protected].

Be sure

to

inclu de you r

name

p lu s

yo

ur city

and

state

in

the

bo

d y of your

no

t e and

put

(Month) Mystery Plane in the

sub j

ect

line.

SEPTEMBER'S

MYSTERY ANS

WER

Mexico, before attend

ing

St.

Peter's College at

Jersey City, New Jersey,

where

he

studied engi

neering for three years.

Radical

is,

per

haps, the

best

word

that describes

the

1921

Remington-Burnelli

RB-1 T.

T.

Remington

the concept of blended wing-bod

ies dates

at

least

as far

back

as

1909,

when

Dr.

Hugo Junkers proposed the

notion. In any case, the

RB-1

(built by

the Remington-Burnelli Aircraft Corp.

at Amityville, Long Island, New

York)

was powered by two 420-hp Liberty

V-12s

buried inside the fuselage. The

biplane wings spanned 74 feet, and

the

14-foot wide (at

the

front) fuse

Harvey was

the official historian for

countered

trouble over Rhode

Is

lin took

up where

Burnelli left off,

mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


37/44

United Aircra{t/United Technologies

for

many years.-Ed.

Burnelli

did

not quit

with

the

destruction of the

RB-l,

although

Remington

had

enough

by 1924

and

pulled out of

their

partnership

early in

the

construction of

the

RB

2. Burnelli's second lifting

body,

the

RB-2

(the September

2009

Mys-

tery Plane),

was

an incremental

im

provement over

Burnelli's

original

design. The fuselage, now covered

with corrugated

duralumin,

had

a

volumetric capacity of 14 feet by 15

feet

by

6 feet 6

inches.

The

rectan

gular

construction

of the Burnelli

fuselage was also

considered

to

be

an advantage in case of a crash, due

to

the added structural

strength.

Relocating to Hartford, Connecti

cut, Burnelli

now

joined forces

with

Thomas Garvan, of the Garvan

Pa

per Company. Designed as a

cargo

aircraft,

and dubbed The

Fl

ying Show-

room

by flying with a Ford Model T

the RB-2 now

a product of

the

Gar

larger than the

RB-l. With a span

of 80 feet, a

length

of 46 feet,

and

a

height of 19 feet 6 inches, the

RB-2

weighed 9,800 pounds empty and

16,500

pounds loaded.

Powered

by

two British Galloway Engineering

Atlantic engines of 500 hp, the

RB-2

had

a V

MAX

of 102

mph.

A subsidiary

of Beardmore,

the

Galloway Atlantic

was a V-12

based

on

BHP

cylinders

and

a twin Puma block. It first

ran in

October of 1917 and was built in the

dozens for

the

de Havilland D.H . 15

and

Handley Page V

1500.

In fact,

land when it ran out of

fuel

and

crash-landed in a

swamp

. The wicker

cha

ir s, mounted

only temporar

ily, created

havoc during the land

ing

when

passengers

where

tossed

about the cabin.

Luckily,

they only

suffered

minor

injuries. After repair

at

the

Broad Street location,

the

air

craft was

returned to

Brainard Field.

Photos taken

of the interior

appear

to show

that

at

l

east one

Ford

auto

was carried

by

the

RB-2. Another

source states

that

the

aircraft

toured

the

United States carrying

an

Essex

coupe and eight

passengers. In 1964,

the

sign of

the

Garvan-Burnel li Air

craft Corp. was

found on the prop

erty. Unfor

tunat

ely, the fate of

the

RB-2 is unknown to

this author.

After

the RB-2

Burnelli

continued

to

refine

his

concept

and

built

sev

era l more

lifting

fuselage designs

through

the

end of

World War II.

Burnelli died

on

22

June

1964

at the

age of 69,

on

Long Isl

and,

New York.

For

many

years Chalmers

H. Good

complete with conspiracy

theories

on who

was

trying to

kill Burnelli's

work. In

more

recent years, aI/12th

scale

flying model of the RB-2

has

been

successful ly flown,

and

plans

for a radio-controlled model

of the

RB-2 are being offered for around

$25.

Perhaps

not

the bonanza

Bur

nelli

had hoped for but

still

an

inter

esting model airplane.

Regards,

Wesley

R.

Smith

Springfield, Illinois

Other correct answers

were re

ceived from Toby Gursanscky, Syd

ney, Australia;

Glenn Robinson,

Lagro, Indiana; Wayne Muxlow,

Minneapolis, Minnesota;

Alan Bu

chner,

Pine

Mountain

Lake, Cali

fornia; Joe Stamm,

Chagrin

Falls,

Ohio; Russ Brown, Lyndhurst, Ohio;

Wayne Van

Valkenburgh,

Jasper,

Georgia;

Tom Lymburn, Princeton,

Minnesota;

and Ev Cassagneres,

Cheshire,

Connecticut.

van-Burnelli Aircraft Corp., was even

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ -

Well, for fabric-covered

airplanes, anyway .. we

got

the

idea from Ponce.

It's called rejuvenation, and it works great with re l

dope

finishes.

Spray our

rejuvenator

overaged dope;


38/44

Hunger for

the

Sky

By

Sparky Barnes Sargent

A Hunger for the Sky

recounts the

paths of nine women from age 28 to

98 who,

through

desire and passion,

found their

own

unique way into the

world of aviation. Each story begins

at childhood and finishes with what

the

women aviators are doing today.

Sparky Barnes Sargent takes you on a

journey through their trials

and

tri

umphs

to reaching their goals. You'll

find yourself connecting with and

rooting for each woman.

This book explores the different

aviation careers each

woman

chose,

the path

she took,

and

in some

cases, the

path

she paved . Some

found aviation

early

on,

but oth

ers discovered it late in life. You'll

get to

know

Evelyn Bryan Johnson,

beyond aviation. These women have

been there, they've done it,

and

you

get to hear it in their

own

words.

One lesson that rings loud

and

clear

throughout

this book is

that

with

hard

work, determination,

and

commitment, you can

do

anything

you set your sights on.-Kristy Hemp

(Editor s Note: I en joyed reading

Sparky s book as well, as [ do all her

articles,

but

one biography really

got

my

attention. The story

of

Vi Blowers

was delightful. She

is

a la _ from Ohio

whom [

first

met

over a decade ago

at

Oshkosh when she displayed the KR-21

she owned with her friend Brown Dil

lard.

t

was as fun to read as

it

is

to

sit

and chat with

Vi in

p

ersonf-HGF

Harold

F

Pitcairn-

and his son,

Stephen.

Thanks

to

his

dedication to

the

history of

early American aviation on the

East Coast of the

United

States,

and

to

the story of

Pitcairn in

particular, he

was

asked

by

the

Pitcairn

family to

thoroughly

re

search the

records of Pitcairn's avi

ation

companies,

beginning with

the

fixed

base operator

founded

by

Harold,

all the way

through

the arduous patent litigation that

finally ended years after Harold

Pitcairn's untimely passing.

The book,

comprised

of

729

pages, is an

in-depth

review of the

correspondence by Harold and his

contemporaries

in

the

industry,

both as an operator of a

pioneer

ing airmail line and as

he

founded

the

Autogiro business

in

the United

States.

In

reading the correspon

dence it's clear that Harold Pitcairn

was a man

dedicated

to

the

prom

ise of safety the Autogiro seemed to

possess,

and

that

despite

financial

and legal hurdles

that often

would

have stopped

others

cold, he kept

at

it until his

end.

Harold

F Pitcairn-Aviator,

Inven

tor

and Deve loper

of

the Autogiro

isn't

a quick read, and it isn't intended

to be so; it's a deep historical refer

ence

that

is

quite readable thanks

to

Gunther's smooth

transitional

text

and

the

conversational style

of

Pit

cairn's letter writing, with a gener

ous sprinkling of sharp photographs


39/44

Drive one.

WE SPEAK

CAR.

And People Like What We're

Saying.

2010

Ford

Fusion

America's most fuel efficient mid-size sedan

each

tate

continued from page

7

EM calendar of

Aviation

vents Is

Now

Online

EAA's online Calendar of Events

is

the go-to


40/44

the Easter Bunny, various air

plane

gatherings

(Aeronca,

Cub,

70

mph fly-in), and

a Veterans

Day fly-in. Alexander

himself

is a

Vietnam

veteran

who

received the

Distinguished Flying Cross for a

resupply mission

he flew for Spe

cial Forces.

SO that s

a real pas

sion

for me,

he emphasized.

lilt's

real

important

that

the

veterans

be

recognized

from World War

II

on

up.

That s

the main

event

we

have here, as far as

I m concerned.

And

we

get

a

big

response

from

locals with

that, and that s

what

we re

looking for.

We re

here for

everybody,

and that s the

crux

of

i t -we

are

not exclusive to avia

tion people.

Captivated by

the

intrigue

of a

bygone era,

visitors both young

and young-in-spirit find themselves

drawn

to

Peach State Aerodrome,

home of Candler Field

Museum.

Once there,

they

each

contribute

their own

richly

textured threads

to this tangible tapestry of

t ime

whether their

interests are

antique

wings

or

wheels

or

just

old-time

family fun.

Rides are available

(by

prior arrangement)

in a Waco

YMF-5

on

the

weekends from

June

through September, and for

those

who crave just a bit

more time

in

the air, Tim Preston offers

on-site

tailwheel instruction

in

his J-3 Cub

and

Stearman

. All are welcome

to

visit

and

fly

through the

Georgia

skies,

or simply

relax

and let the

southern

breezes caress their coun

To

start

receiving

e-Hotllne

thiS

week,

VISit

www.EAA.org/newsletters

,

.

_

.

spot on the Web

to

list

and

find

aviation

events

in your area,

The

user·friendly

,

searchable format

makes it the

perfect web-based

tool for

planning

your local

trips

to

a

fly·in.

In

EAA

's

online Calendar

of

Events,

you

can

search

for events at

any

given

time within

a

certain

radius of

any airport by

entering

the identifier

or

a

ZIP code,

and

you can further

define

your search to

look

for

just the types

of events

you'd

like

to

attend.

We

invite

you

to access

the

EAA online

Calendar

of Events

at

Vintage Airplane - Dec 2009

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Transcript of Vintage Airplane - Dec 2009