Vintage Airplane - Feb 1976

8/12/2019 Vintage Airplane - Feb 1976

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~..THE RESTORER S ORNER

' 'I'd be glad to write for The Vintage Airplane but I don't know howto use a typewriter . Sure, I'd write for the magazine, but I don't knowhow to write for publication . You don ' t want me to write for The Vin-tage Airplane; I'm not a professional writer. Have you ever heard thesestatements before? Your editors and division officers hear these andmany more similar statements all the time. For some unknown reason,a person who can sit around and tell a great aviation story amongst agroup of fellow enthusiasts, seems to get stage fright as soon as you askhim to put the story down on paper so that it can be published. Thepsychological ramifications would be interesting to determine, but theonly thing that comes to mind is that he must have hated his fifth gradeEnglish teacher .Seriously, writing for publication is easy. Just tell the story in yourown words exactly as it happened. Don' t worry about punctuation,misspelled words or grammar. Most of the time your natural instinctsin these matters will be correct. For the few times that you may make amistake, your editor will assume the role of your English teacher andmake corrections.

What is most important in writing for publication is the mechanics,not the grammar or punctuation. If you write for publication and do notuse a typewriter, it is best to use lined 8/2 x 11 notebook or tabletpaper and to write only on every other line . If you do type, you shouldset your typewriter to type 54 characters per line and double or triplespace your lines.

Whether you type or write long hand, there are a few more pro-cedures which are considered standard practice when writing for pub-lication. First, you should start typing or writing your story in the middleof the first page so that the top half can be used for titling, your byline,and for editor's notes . The title which you give to the story and yourname should be all that appears on the upper half of this first page .

y J. R. NIELANDER, JR.

Second you should use one side of the paper only. Third, you shouldnumber the top of each page and also restate your title so that if theeditor should happen to mix your story with other papers on hisdesk, he will not have any b'ouble identifying the individual pages andputting your story back together. (Editors are notorious for having largepiles of papers on their desks). Fourth, at the bottom of each page,except the last on e , you should write more or continued to let theeditor know that the page he holds is not the last one in case they havebecome separated. Fifth, at the bottom of the last page of your storyyou should write end or 30 as it is done in the newspaper world, tolet the editor know that he has the whole story and has not lost any of it.Well, that wasn't as hard as you thought it would be, was it? Justa few simple rules of mechanics and layout, and you are a professionalwri ter already.

The only other points of importance concerning stories for publica-tion have to do with the submission of photographs with the stories.All photographs intended to be used along with the context of thearticle should be black and white glossy prints . These prints can be ofalmost any size, but generally editors like to get 5 x 7 or 8 x 10photographs . However, clarity and sharpness of detail are most impor-tant and should never be sacrificed just to increase size. Color picturesshould only be submitted i you expect them to be printed in color, suchas for use on the cover, or for special color features as are found inSPORT AVIATION and in this case you should submit color trans-parencies, not color prints. For color a 35 millimeter transparency isnot too small as long as it is sharp.

Now with th e completion of this short course in magazine writing,your editors will expect to be deluged with pictures and stories of yourexperiences and your restorations. Please don't let them down.


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EDITORIALSTAFF

Publisher EditorPaul H. Poberezny AI KelchANTIQUE AND CLASSIC DIVISION OFFICERS

PRESIDENTJ. R. NIELANDER, JR.P.O. BOX 2464FT. LAUDERDALE, FLA. 33303

SECRETARYRICHARD WAGNERBOX 181LYONS, WIS. 53148

EVANDER BRITTP.O. Box 458Lumberton, N.C . 28358CLAUDE l. GRAY, JR.

9635 Sylvia Ave.Northridge, CA 91324

JIM HORNE3850 Coronation Rd.

Eagan, MN 55122

DIVISION EXECUTIVE SECRETARYDOROTHY CHASE, EAA HEADQUARTERSTHE VINTAGE AIRPLANE is owned exclusively by Antique Classic Aircraft , Inc . and is published monthlyat Hales Corners, Wisconsin 53130. Second class Postage paid at Hales Corners Post Office , a ~ e s Gor-ners, Wisconsin 53130 and Random Lake Post Office, Random Lake , Wisconsin 53075. Membership ratesfor Antique Classic aircraft, Inc. at $10.00 per 12 month period of which $7.00 is for the publication toTHE VINTAGE AIRPLANE . Membership is open to all who are interested in aviation.

Postmaster: Send Form 3579 to Antique Classic Aircraft, Inc., Box 229,Hales Corners, Wisconsin 53130

VICE PRESIDENTMORTON LESTERP.O. BOX 3747MARTINSVILLE , VA 24112

TREASURERGAR W. WILLIAMS, JR.g S 135 AERO DR. , RT . 1NAPERVILLE, ILL. 60540DIRECTORS

AL KELCH7018 W. Bonniwell Rd.Mequon, WI 53092

E.E. "BUCK" HILBERT8102 LEECH RD.UttION , IL 60180GEORGE STUBBSRR '18, Box 127

Indianapolis , IN 46234

Assistant EditorLois KelchCentributing EditorsH. N. "Dusty" RhodesEvander Britt

Jim BartonClaude GrayEd EscallonRod SpanierDale GustafsonHenry Wheeler

Morton LesterKelly Viets

KELLY VIETSRR 1, Box 151Stilwell , KS 66085JACK WINTHROP3536 Whitehall Dr.Dallas, TX 75229

OFFICIAL MAGAZINE

ANTIQUE CLASSICIVISION

ofTHE EXPERIMENT L IRCR FT SSOCI TION

FEBRUARY 976 VOLUME 4 NUMBER 2

The Restorer's Corner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . , 1Stearman Fly In '75 . , , . , . , . , .. , . . . . , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Migration Of An Eaglet . . . . . . , . . . , . . . . . , . , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . .. , . , . .. 7Vintage Album . . . . . . . . . , . , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , .. , , .. , , ., 9The Breath Of Life . . .. , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , . . . . , , . . . , 14Whistling In The Rigging . . .. . . . . . . .. .. . . . . . . . . . . , .. , . . . . , . . . , . , . . . , . . 6The U,S. Mail, .. , . , , . , . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . , . , . . . . . . .. .. . . . . , . , . , . . . . , .. , ,. 17Calendar Of Events . . . . . . . . . . , . , , , . , .. , , . . . . . , .. . . . . . . . . . . . .. , . , . . .. ,. 18

.,EDITOR S NOTE: S.o.S.Send Old Stories

PICTURE BOXFRONT COVER (Back Cover)A beautiful Stearman to go with its owner Even the driver of a mail truck was con-Charlotte Parish. See Stearman Story, sidered an adventuresome sort for hePage 3.) rubbed elbows with the IRM IL PILOT- an esteemed figure of the day.

Copyright c 1976 Antique ClassiC Aircraft, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 2


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Dick must have enjoyed his stay becauseSTEARMAN LY N 75 he also was the last Stearman to depart

he fourth annual gathering of theStearman clan convened at Galesburg,Illinois on September 5-7 975 and thelargest number of Stearmans yet were inattendance . Thirty two Stearmansspread their wings over the grass at themunicipal airport and a large contingentof antiques , classics, a few homebuilts,and many modern aircraft also were present throughout the weekend. The large

ByThomas E Lowe

turnout of Stearmans can pay homagepartly to the good weather that prevailed over most of the U.S. Galesburg did have IFR conditions early Friday , but in general the weather co operated famously . However , before theweekend was over the eastern part of thecountry experienced deterioratingweather that forestalled the arrival ofseveral more airplanes .

By Thursday the Fly In was off to agreat early start with eight Stearmansalready on the field. In fact, the firstarrival had flown in on Wednesday.Airline pilot Dick Baird flew his 300Lycoming powered MCMD Special infrom Delaware . Dick lives near Buf falo , New York but had spent the previous week with friends on the eastcoast before starting out for Galesburg.

(Photo by Dick Stouffer)National Stearman Fly In Co-Chairman , Jim Leahy, liftsoff at Galesburg, Illinois in his 942 Stearman N2S-3 .

for home , remaining for almost anotherweek . Late that afternoon all eight Stearmans launched off in a formation flighta few miles to the west to Monmouth ,Illinois to purchase supper at the airport where the local Prime Beef Festivalwas in full sway. Chuck LeMaster wasbusy barnstorming passengers in hisFord Tri-Motor and Jim Leahy jokinglytold him that the Stearman drivers wouldtake a ride in the Ford if he would offera special group rate . Chuck readilyagreed and all the Stearman pilotsclambered on board and thoroughlyenjoyed the nostalgic flight backwardsinto history. Another formation flightback to Galesburg and a couple of circles over the town concluded the firstday 's activities.

Friday dawned with a low ceiling andpoor visibility and drizzling rain whichkept the field IFR until about noon. Withthe weather gradually improving DickBaird and I obtained clearance from thenewly installed Galesburg control towerfor a two-ship formation weather reconnaissance flight around the pattern . Anyexcuse to get a little flying going Dickclimbed into Jim Leahy 's stock Stearmanand we made a formation take off andseveral circuits around the pattern toascertain i it was legally YFR. Byafternoon the sun was once again shiningand several more Stearmans made itin. Bill McBride , one of the late arrivals,was quite chagrined when upon landing he ground looped his Stearman . Billhad been gone from home for a monthon an extended flight all over the western part of the U.S. and had been inand out of all kinds of strips with narya problem . Bill's Stearman received onlyminor fabric damage on one wing andhe subsequently received one of theHard Luck Awards. e had been justlyproud during the four years of the Na tional Stearman Fly In that there hadbeen no ground loo ps whatever , but

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(Photo by Dick Stouffer)Illinois Governor, Dan Walker, talks with Walt Pierceand Jim Leahy at Galesburg during the StearmanFly In.this year saw two such happenings Regardless of itsreputation, the Stearman is no more of a ground looperthan any other tail wheel airplane when handled by acompetent and proficient pilot. However, conditionsat Galesburg, not the piloting, was the greatest contributing factor. The N/S runway had been under construction most of the summer and the normally excellent grass landing areas alongside the runway wereworse for wear and not available for use. Couple theStearman pilot's normal aversion for hard surfacedrunways with a very strong and gusty westerly crosswind that prevailed throughout the three day affairand you have the formula for problems. By mid-afternoon on Saturday the wind was such a factor that mostof the Stearman pilots decided discretion was the betterpart of valor and sat t out awhile until the wind abatedin the evening.

Saturday was the usual beehive of Stearman activity beginning early with a mass flight dawn patrol ofseventeen Stearmans and some other airplanes toMonmouth, Illinois for a group breakfast at Melling'sRestaurant. Bob Cassens, a local Galesburg pilot whousually flies my Stearman some during the Fly Ineach year, won for himself the SNAFU Award thatmorning when he could not get the engine started. Hemissed the mass take off and finally did get it goinglater when he decided it might require some prime on acool, damp morning. Coming back to Galesburg Bobalso continued in the same vein by latching on toseveral different forma tions, being out of position, andin fun generally messing up everyone's pretty groups.Monmouth was also the scene of another minor incident . Neal Lydick was landing directly behind JimLeahy in the cool, dead calm air and picked up somewake turbulence just as he was touching down andscraped a wingtip in the grass. It seems as though something always happens at Monmouth each year, so

maybe we might go looking for breakfast somewhereelse'That afternoon the sky at Galesburg was filled withStearmans participating in the flying contests as well asmuch other fun flying . The contests were hotly battledand the highlight of the day was the formation flyingcontest. Stearman pilots pride themselves on their formation flying ability and when all the passes over thefield had been completed, the judges decided that a tiewas in order and two groups of four airplanes weredeclared as Co-Champions . That evening a mass flightof twenty-seven Stearmans paraded through the skiesover Galesburg and then settled back to earth for all toenjoy the excellent steak dinner and the fun and fellowship of the awards ceremonies.

Sunrise Sunday morning also was greeted withanother dawn patrol of ten Stearmans with a subsequent return to the airport. A large gathering met inthe main hangar for a fly in breakfast and the remainderof the morning was spent in the last rounds of fun flying, buddy hops, and conversing with old and newfriends alike . That afternoon a fine professional airshow was presented featuring Walt and Sandi Pierce,Jim Leahy, Darwin McClure, Dwain Treton, and J DHill. The airshow was opened with a five Stearmanformation flight led by John Hooper and John McCormick in their N2S-S. As the group passed by the crowdDick Baird pulled his Stearman up and out of the flightcreating a "missing man formation" in honor of LloydStearman who passed away in April. Other pilots inthe flight were Allen Larson, Dick Hansen, and myself.A group of four Beech T 34 s also performed a fine formation flying routine which was appreciated by thepilots and crowd alike.Each year the National Stearman Fly In seems toimprove and gain momentum and the participantseagerly look forward to seeing the many airplanes aswell as renewing the warm bond of enthusiasm andfriendship that cements together the band of followersthat are devoted to this great old biplane. The greatsupport of the City and citizens of Galesburg, Illinoisand the continuing help from Stearman people such asBob Chambers and Hugh Wilson of Dusters SprayersSupply and Don McKinnon of Agri-Air insure its continued growth. The annual date for the Stearman FlyIn has now been firmly established as the second weekend of September and this year the dates are September 10-12, 1976. So early this fall, everyone plan topoint their machines toward Galesburg, you all arewelcome.

N NUMBERN44JP

N4429N

N61559N52533N60562

N60238N59448N9078H

N55626

N66740N66417

N52143N22JHN64993

N53040

N54601N49999

N53422N55809N51062

N61496

Nl 4LN59737

N79535NX450EEN58233N6 VN9914HN61WN4079N58095N50091

STEARMANS AT THE FLY INPILOT

Charlotte Parish & Bob Graves,Tullahoma . TennesseePatrick Kelley & Jim Heinz,Hazelwood & 51 Louis. MissouriR. F. Johansson St. Charles. MissouriRon Jewell. Manchester. MissouriJohn Hooper & John McCormick,New Orleans. LouisianaBob Hood. Carthage , MissouriDick Hansen, Batavia. IllinoisF R & Jeannie GriffinMinnetonka Beach . MinnesotaByron Fredericksen & Charles AndreasNeenah. WisconsinDick Baird . Williamsville, New YorkTom Lowe. Crystal Lake, IllinoisBill HUll . Alexandria, VirginiaJim Harris, Carthage , MissouriPeter Spear & Bill Johnson,Morton Grove & Oak Brook , IllinoisFranklin Flying Field ,Franklin, IndianaWes Todd , Oconomowoc, WisconsinTom Gordon & Dave LillieUniversity of Illinois, Savoy, IllinoisJarvis Knight , Leland, IllinoisMichael Hall , Palatine , IllinoisBill Hutchinson & Mel McGeeSt. Clair Shores. MichIganEdward Brockman , Farmington Hills,MichiganChristine Winzer, Elgin, IllinoisJohn Travios & Dick Schlegel,Ottumwa, IowaJohn Ruhlin, Jr. , Akron, OhioWalt Pierce, Avon Park , FloridaBill McBride, Birmingham, MichiganNeal Lydick, Louisville, KentuckyJim Leahy . Galesburg , lIinoisAllen Larson Capron, IllinoisJerry Carter, Charleston IllinoisLarry Posey, Bryn Athyn. PennsylvaniaLoma Beaty. Fort Payne, Atabama


6/20

Photo by Kenneth O Wilson)Two Stearman PT-17 s fly formationover the Illinois farmlands at Galesburg.

Photo by Kenneth O. Wilson)Charlotte Parish and Larry Posey flyformation in their Navy marked Stearmans during the 4th National StearmanFly In.

Photo by Kenneth 0 Wilson)SRA members and Stearman pilots pose withByron Fredericksen s newly rebuilt N2S-3.

AWARDSEARLY BIRD AWARDStearman A75, N66740, Dick BairdTIRED BUTT AWARDStearman N2S-5, N60562, John McCormick &

John HooperBEST HANGAR PILOTLarry Palmer-Ball, Jr.MOST CONGENIALStearman N2S-5, N9078H , F. R. Griff &Jeannie GriffinHARD LUCK AWARDJack Stamer

SNAFU AWARDBob CassensHERO AWARDStearman A75, N61559, R.F. Slim JohanssonCOWARD AWARDStearman PT-17 , N58233, Bill McBrideOLDEST PILOT AWARDStearman A75, N54601 , Wes ToddYOUNGEST PILOT AWARDDan GableSALVO BOMBING CONTESTStear man A75, N61559, R.F. Slim JohanssonSHORT FIELD TAKE-OFF CONTESTStearman A75, N79535, John Ruhlin, Jr.SLIP TO A CIRCLE CONTESTStearman PT-17, N58095, Larry PoseyAAA AWARD - OLDEST STEARMANStearman PT-17, N22JH , Jim HarrisFORMATION FLYING CONTEST (tie)N9914H, Jim Leahy N9078H, F. R. GriffinN66417, Tom Lowe N61559, R. F. JohanssonN61W, AI Larson N79535, John Ruhlin Jr.N60562, John Hooper & N50091 , Loma BeattyN60562, John McCormickDUSTERS SPRAYERS SUPPLY W RDSGRAND CHAMPION STEARMANStearman N2S-5, N9078H , F.R. & Jeannie GriffinBEST RESTORED STEARMANStearman N2S-3, N9914H, Jim LeahyHARD LUCK AWARDStearman N2S-1, N61 V Neal Lydick

AGRI AIR W RDS$25 MERCHANDISE CERTIFICATESStearman N2S-1 , N61V, Neal LydickStearman PT-17 , N58233, Bill McBrideStearman N2S-5, N60562 , John McCormick &John Hooper

STEARMAN RESTORERS SSOCI TION W RDSBILL ADAMS MEMORIAL AWARDRay McGraw, Galesburg, IllinoisBEST STEARMAN PTStearman PT-17, N58233, Bill McBrideBEST STEARMAN N2SStearman N2S-3, N55626, Byr on Fredericksen &Charles AndreasBEST CUSTOM STEARMANStearman, N79535, John Ruhlin, Jr.BEST CIVILIAN STOCK STEARMANStearman A75, N61559 , R.F. JohanssonBLOOD, SWEAT, & TEARSStearman N2S-5, N44JP, Charlotte ParishSRA SPECIAL SERVICE AWARDJohn E. Peters, Kulm, North Dakota5


7/20

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(Photo by Kenneth D. Wilson)R F " Slim " Johansson poses with his beautifulstock Stearman.

(Photo by Kenneth D Wilson)Line up of part of the Stearmans at Galesburgduring the 4th National Stearman Fly In.

(Photo by Kenneth D. Wilson)300 Lycoming powered MCMo Special Stear-man owned by Christine Winzer, a FAA FlightInspector at ouPage Co. Airport.

(Photo by Kenneth D Wilson)John Travios and Dick Schlegel, N59737, andBill McBride run up in the grass at Monmouth,Illinois.

(Photo by Kenneth D Wilson)SRA President, Tom Lowe , presents the BillAdams Memorial Award to Ray McGraw.


8/20

First stop Cambenton , MO with Bonanza s Chase Plane .

j tigration 1 an GagletByKen MorrisIt see ms th at every a nti quer h as in his d rea ms a ba rn ;not just a ny ba rn ; no t full of tractors, corn and soybean s; for thi s is a drea m barn ; a ba rn tha t no farm ercould rea lly love. It is the on e w ith th e barely leg ibleNo Trespassing sig n at the mouth of th e road lead ing

up th e hill. The road itse lf, choked with wee d s andbrush de fies en try, but to t)ur drea me r, eve n trave rs ingth e Ho Chi Mein Tra il would be wo rth th e stru gg le.

On top of th e hill is th a t wo rn out dil apidated Go ldMin e . First glance revea ls nothing m ore ominous th ansparrow nes ts in th e rusted doo r tracks. Th e n he notices th a t th e doo rs a re s lig htl y large r th an wo uld beusef ul for a tractor (unl ess it had wings). It is a lsoequipped with a ru sty pole extending up wa rd from th eroof, spor tin g ta tte red remn ants of cl oth .Hea rtb ea t quicke ns a nd a smile broa d ens as hebrushes th e weeds and trash awav from th e un m ow napro n as he a pp roaches th e door. O nce the door is opened however, we seem to havea difference of op inion of w ha t shoul d or w ill be in thebarn . It could be anythi ng fro m a Model A to a Tri motor, b ut I do no t thin k th ere wo uld be too man y co m

plain ts abo ut th e fra mework of a Jenn y, comp le te witha du s ty OX-5 hanging on its nose. A C urtis Robin or anAri s tocra t wo uld be nice. Or m aybeI kn ow wh ere th ere is a ba rn with ju st such a tr eas ur e.

It is a rea l barn with a real treasure . Gr anted , so me ofthe excitem ent of th e Ho Chi Mein Tra il may be lackin g . An Inters tat e highway runs o ne half mile southand you do not even need a ma chine to ge t to th e doo r;yo u can drive right up . On ce in sid e, try ing to decidewh e th er to go over or under th e tra ctor is probably th emo s t exciting part of th e trip.On ce pas t th e trac to r, airplane pa r ts a re clea rlyvisible and fully cloth ed . A se t of ch ro me ye llow wi ngsspan o ne entire sec tion as in cons picuous, as n ylonss trun g arou nd th e ba th roo m . The fuse lage is s uspendedfrolll the tru sses, im ita tin g a hamm ock. Mi sce llaneousta il fea th ers complete th e decor.Thi s is th e Am erican Eag le t; America n Eag le Corpo ration's answe r to fly ing th rough the depressionfo r a do llar an hour. (Assuming its th ree cy linde rSzeke ly engine wo ul d ru n conti nu ously for tha tamount of tim e.) The Eaglet so mehow seems more a t

home here for th e win ter amo ng th e trac tors , co rn ,a nd soybea n s o n a d ir ty woo d en floor, tha n in a hea tedhan ga r stu ck be hin d a Ba rron w here it ca nn ot eve nleak o il without fee lin g guilty .The Eaglet was moved to its wi nt er home in No ve mb er; o ne of th ose long und erwear, it does not wa ntto start days.My dad ha s known of this part icular Eagle t forseveral years, ow n ed by Earnie Se iler of Marsh fie ld ,Missouri . Occas ional vis its no ted th e s low progress,

as Ea rni e ably res to red it ov er ano th er severa l yea rs,finishing it in August, 1970. Sin ce that tim e th e littleEagle t sa t in its open hanga r, hav ing flow n onl y fiveor six tim es .In Apr il , 1975, a fr iend and I were enroute to th eNIFA Air M ee t in Sa nta Fe, N ew Mexico in our Cess na140A . O ur first ni ght sto p Wi S Sp rin g field , Misso uriand des pi te o ur disgu stin g gro und speed we we rea hea d of schedul e. So , I d ecid ed to find Erni e's airs tripa nd show Je ff Wa lter a nea t old airpl a ne .Finding Erni e's is a p roverbia l need le. After findingFairg rove, Missouri, fly eas t down county EE and turnleft on th e large r highway. Wh e n yo u ge t to th e ch urchon th e northeas t co rn er of an int e rsec tion, turn right ,fly abo ut five m iles a nd pres to, sim ple . While talkin gto Erni e th a t a ftern oo n, he hinted a t se lling the Eaglet an d w hile talkin g to my d ad late r, I casua llymenti oned Erni e's th o ught s. A very str ange look cam eover hi s face; similar to th a t of a ca t caught swa llow in ga canary. Upon th a t, trying to be noncha la nt , p en immedia tely me t p a per in le tte r for m . O h , I'm sure th a t h ewas fully aware tha t it wo uld be, to say the leas t, anexpensive toy. I kn ew th a t he was actin g irra tionaland Mary was not he lping things a bit , sinc e she ha djust seen The Gr ea t Waldo Pepp er . But w ho am I tocriti cize; bes ides , I was co nte nt to sit back w ith tha tpre- di scussed loo k on my face a nd drea m abo utWaldo . (I 've seen it six tim es).After to taling nea rly a d ollars wo rth of p os tage th eyfina lly se ttled on a p rice and in a wea k mome nt da dth rew in hs se t of six U.S. Civil i r raft by Juptn e r.These have la ter bee n rep lace d , but at a mu ch h igherpri ce th an o rigina lly paid .Somew here in th e middl e o f th e pos tage sw ap pin g,Dad and I flew dow n to Erni e's to k ick tires and hopefully fly th e Eaglet. (Tha t makes tw ice in successionth a t I've fo un d that Airs tri p .) Re lucta ntl y a nd lov ing lyErni e un w rap ped th e S zeke ly and le t us cra nk it u p .Afte r blowi ng oil a ll ov er Erni e's new cove ra lls Szekse ttled down to the mos t bea utiful racket [ havL ever

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9/20

Mary 's Eaglet Lesson No . 4 No false eye lashes.hea rd. As th e Eaglet sat th ere po pping and choking,dad ye lled in my ear that the sound of tha t e nginewas more than worth th e trip.

Plans imm ed iate ly bega n takin g place for mov ingth e Eagle t from Marshfield, Missouri to a privates trip jus t south of Marengo , Illin ois. The masterplan consisted of flying th e o ld bird that 420 miles,usin g th e Bonanza as a ch ase plane ca rry ing tools,spa re parts, etc..

Erni e was aga in st flying th e a irplane home a nd sugges ted tru cking it. He is one of th e nicest guys around ;a real hones t an ti quer that knows his st uff. Anyonew ho knows Ern ie and hi s wife, Eli zabeth, will ve rifythat a vis itor is made welcome immediate ly. The old erth e airp lan e you y in, and th e m ore fabric and wingsit ha s, the speedier th e welcome, and as many hour s ofgo lde n age chit-chat that eac h of you can spare. Anyone who knows Erni e wi ll swear that he wi ll li ve forever, eve n thoug h lis tenin g to him wo uld give you th eimpress ion th at forever is tomorrow.Defy ing a ll rationality and despite Ernie's protes ts,Dad , Mary , my se lf, and a very hea lth y too l box boardedth e Bonanza to renavigate our way to Marshfield.

Ri cha rd Bach , in one of hi s books, talks abo ut tha tbig briefing in th e sky ; (th e one we missed) where itis exp lain ed th a t Am e ri can Eagle t's ju s t do not like toy 420 mil es w ithout so much as an irregul ar pop orchoke once in aw hile.The Am erican Eag le t was built in Kansas Ci ty, Kan

sas with a ll its mighty horses built o ne a t a tim e inHo lland , Michi ga n by Szekely. Together, th ey we re th efirs t two place ultraligh ts to receive a n A.T .e. from th eCiv il Aeronautics Adminis tra tion. (No. 380 onNov. 18, 1931) O ur Eag let ro lled ou t of th e Am erica n

Earnest Lindy and Lizzy Seiler, just past owners .Eag le factory in Kan sas City weighing 450 pounds . Withits 30 hor se Sze kely turning 1600 rpm, it would cruisea t 55 mil es an hour.

Upon findin g Erni e's and takin g away the chickenw ire fence that g uarded th e Eaglet's nes t, we im media tely began to un wra p a nd un s trap the littl e bird. It wasli ke un wra pping a gift without trying to save anypaper.Aft er adding Marvel Mystery oil to th e gas, oil, andgreas ing th e rocker arms and oiling th e valve s tems ,th e Eaglet was popping off like it was th e fourth of Julya nd ready to fl y.Dad clambered in to th e fro nt sea t so lo and off hewent VI . . . VR . Within approximately 100 fee t th eEag let had accelerat ed to a neck str etchin g 30 miles anho ur and was scra tching for a ltitude.

The Eag let mod el 230, such as thi s one, o rigina llyspor ted 30 horse power, but thi s one was factory upd a ted to 35 horse powe r giving it five spare horses.Afte r ha lf an hour of disrupting th e air ove r Erni e'ssh'i p, he ca m e down wea ring splotch es of grease allove r hi s face and a big br oad sm ile to ma tch.Th en having more co nfidence in hi s son , than hisso n did , it was m y turn for a pri va te checkout. Thru s tingmy jaw forward and dawning on my imaginary lea th erjacket, gloves, helm et and goggles I pr epa red to meetthe no brakes a nd tails kid challenge for the first tim e,eve n tho ugh I was alrea d y fa miliar w ith th em, havingse en Wa ldo Pepper so many tim es.Taxiing to th e runway I gave the old Bosc h magsa check, hopin g th ey were s till young a t hea rt; withth a t and check ing my seat belt, the check lis t was comple te, and th e mighty Szek bl a tted to li fe. I feel tha tso mething should be s a id here abo ut imag inary density

altitude. That is, when you think it will fly, but itwould rather play see-saw. Aft er hopping and bouncing dow n th e strip I lea rned . (Am erican Eaglet Lesso n Number 1).After Dad , Mar y, and I all had our thrill for the da y,we se ttled down for a goo d nights sleep anticipa tingth e following morning, as vi s ions of Szekelys dancedin our heads.

Th e next mornin g dawned bright and sunny. Witheveryone bustling with excitement, an added touch wasriding out to Erni e's in my Grandad's 1939 LaSalle.That go t us in the spirit of antiquing.

Within an hour my dad was off for Camdenton,Missouri, the first leg of the long ferry flight. As hetook off and flew by us, he must have sensed that hehad taken a long time friend away from the Seilers.Within minutes Mary and I completed the loading of th eBonanza, including spare propeller and grease gun andtook off in pursuit.

Dad and I traded off legs of about an ho ur eachwhile th e o ther res ted in the Bonanza as Mar y flew usto th e next s top.As tim e and pos ter ior s wore on, it b ecam e a pparentthat we were going to have to hustle to get to Marengobefore dark . I go t to Prin ceton, Illinois, th e last s topsouth , in la te afternoon, as shadows were beg inningto exaggera te de tail.I e lec ted to go for the las t leg a nd try to ma ke it h omewhil e Dad and Mary we nt on to Elgin , and home, tog uard th e phone.We had noticed that th e expos ed valve lifte r cleara nce grew progressively wider as th e da y and theSzekely wore on . Finally ten miles north of Princetonth e cl eara nce beca me overwhelming and one of thespacers between th e lifter and valve d eparted , leavingbehind a mad lifte r and a closed valve. The Sze k manages to pull this littl e ul tra- lite very well indee d, butit doe s nee d eac h and every cylinder to maintain itsstea dy racket and altitude. All of thi s ha pp ened rightover th e little tow n of La Moille, Illinois. The only la ndin g place tha t I could see was a small but adequate hayfi eld on th e e d ge of tow n. Having just p asse d it I circl edback squ eez ing 1100 rpm out o f it, and wondering whatI'm go ing to do without any too ls. (American EagletLesso n Number 2 Once the fi eld was made I pulledth e power a nd Sze k bega n making its usual wild gy rati ons of popping, chok in g, wheez ing and spitting.Befo re r eve n came to a s top, wha t see med like thewho le town was s tampeed ing through a soybean field

Continued on Page 188


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int ge n and Thei

~ : ; ~ --- . . . . . . ~ ~1: Air Mail Delivery Minneapolis 1929.2: 1934 Fairchild with L 320 Wright Gipsy engine3: English Avro Avian taken 1929.4: N w A arriving over Minneapolis


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Album ~ ~ -ntage Machines , . ........ . . . R I ' ~ ' .,...v ~ - . . ~ . . . . , t ; V -. . .- .Hisso IN 4 with pilot rt Golbe and AI Johnson one bicycleP 1 , OX5, at Parks irport East St. Louis, Illinois.)

:J29 Parks .


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FOKKER F-32 1930)SIKORSKY S-38A MPHIBI N 1929)

IR EXPRESS .,._ , . :: _ ~ > r L

FOKKER SUPER-UN IVERSAL 1 932)

W l ~ tSubmitted y laude Gray

Wes tern Air Lines, is the only survivor of a handful ofairlines that pioneered commercial air transportation in th eU.s. n th e mid-twenties.

Western was incorporated on July 13, 1925, withheadquarters in Los Angeles .The first flight took place on April 17, 1926, leaving LosAngeles for Salt Lake City via Las Vegas. Western,

which was th en called "Wes te rn Air Express", us ed opencoc kpit Douglas M-2 aircraft, powered by a singleLiberty engine .KEYSTO NE-LOENI NG C2H MPHIBI N 1 929)


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Tha t firs t rou te gave Los Angeles itsfirst transcontinental air service, andput Southern California on the air mailmap.

Aviation was in its infancy in thoseday s and th e re was a certain amount of

r ~ v d attached to facing the elements in the open-cockpit planes.Standard equipment for passengers wasa flying suit, goggles, gloves, parachute and lots of courage.Much to everyone's surprise, when1926 came to a close, Western had a net

profit of $28,674.19. And by October1927, Western became the first airlinein hi s tory to pay a cash dividend to itss tockholders.In 1928, th e Guggenheim Foundation

chose Western to se t up a mo del airway betw ee n Los Angeles and SanFrancisco (then served through the airport a t Oakland). It was to incorporateth e la test in technical p erfec tion andpassenger safety and comfort.

With a loa n from th e Foundation,Weste rn purchased th re e Fokker F-10trimotor aircraft. This per mitt ed passengers to si t in co m fortable wickerchairs insid e the cabin and be serve dmeals by a stewa rd (the f ir st flightattendants in U.S. dom es tic service).No longer did they have to bear the

burden of a sack of mail in th ei r lapsor have to worry about not being allowed aboard because there was too muchmail , which took priority over passengers.A series of weather stations was setup along th e route , the first tim e anyairline had eve r done so.

Because commercial aviation was anew industry, much of th e improvementin th e state of th e art was up to theairlines th e mselv es . Western was aleader. t contributed many firsts to theindustry - some of them technologicaldevelopmentc; soon adopted as standardby other airlines and the government.

Under the guidance of H e rbertHoover ]r. , so n of the president , Western developed th e first air-to-groundradio, in cooperation with Thorpe Hiscock of Boeing. That was in 1929.A year later, Western introduced theFokker F-32 aircraft to commercial airlin e opera tions . It was a four-enginedplane capable of carrying 32 passengers- by far th e largest airliner in the worldat that tim e. Though the plane didn'tprove economical and was soon re placed, it did give th e public a g limpseof things to come.A yo ung Wes tern cargo clerk with ayen for weather forecasting joined the

company. His nam e was Irving Krick.He d eveloped the air mass analysissys tem of weather foreca s ting whichproved re markably accurate. SoonWestern was known as The AirlineWith Perpetual Tailwinds .

During the first five years of the airline 's existence, it grew steadily. Aseries of mergers finitlly made it theworld's largest airline in 1930, withroutes stretching 5 ,832 miles.

One of the most important contributions Western made to commercial aviation was the use of the directional radiocompass for air navigation. This instru

ment became the prime navigationinstrument for nearly 30 years and isstili used today.But the ai r line had its ups anddowns . In 1934, the Post Office Department cancelled all airmail contracts.Many airlines went out of business .Western, which in 1930 had consolidated all but its first route (Los AngelesLas Vegas-Sa lt Lake City with a SanDiego spur added) managed to keepgoing. The other ha lf of the consolidation went on to become today's TWA .

Slowly, things got better. The DC-3aircraft came on the scene and pas-

NORT ROP ALPHA (1930)

FOKKER F-14 (1930)

LOCKHEED VEGA (1930)

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http:///reader/full/28,674.19http:///reader/full/28,674.19


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Nes -"

STEARMAN MODEL 04 (1927)

BOEING MODEL 40-B-4 (1930)se nge rs replaced ma il and freight as th e prime so urceof revenu e. To reflect this change, Wes te rn change dits n ame from Express to Air Lines in 1941.World War II stripped th e comp any d ow n to th reeDC-3s and a couple o f Lockhe ed Lodes tars . But Wes te rnwas given two important war miss ions: to train pilotsfor th e military, and to fly m en and mate ria l to Al askain th e fam ous So urd ough Op era tion .In 1944, a merge r with Inland Air Lines expa nd edWes tern in th e Rockies a nd into South Dakota.

It was also th e yea r Wes te rn ju st applied fo r ne w

DO U GLAS M-2 (1926)GENERAL DESCRIPTIONBuilt in 1925Passenger Capacity . .. Pilot plus one ortwo passengersCargo Capacity . 1,000 Ibs.Fuel load . . . . . . 180 U.S. gals .Cruising speed . . . .. 115 mphEngine . .. .. .. .415 hp Liberty (one)Cruising range . . . .. . 600 milesCeiling . . . . . 15,000 ft .Cost . . . . 11 ,500Western Airlines ' first passenger aboard theDouglas M-2 was Ben Redman who flew toLos Angeles from Salt Lake City via LasVegas on May 23, 1926.First woman passenger: Maude Campbell.Fi rst WAL pi lots : Fred W. Kelly . AI DeGarmo, Jimmy James and Maurice Graham .

routes to Hawa ii , to comp ete w ith Pa n Ame rica n.O n Ja nuary 1, 1947, Te rrell C. Drinkwat er beca m epres ident of Wes te rn . A lawye r fro m Co lorado, Dr in kwa te r was a lso edu ca ted in H awa ii a nd hoped th a t hi sairlin e would secur e right s to th e Island s .But th e company was in fin a ncial difficulty . Drink-wa ter accept ed th e cha lle nge and bega n a po licy o fco ns tructive co ntrac tio n . At o ne stage, th e co mpa nyhad to se ll aircra ft tires to mee t th e payro ll It wo rkeda nd soo n th e airline in che d backed into th e black.

Th e ea rl y Fifti es saw th e int rod uctio n of th e Do ug-

BOEING MODEL 95 (1928),

WACO EQC-6 (1937)las DC-6B. Wes tern event ually bo ught 31 of th em . Th eco mp a ny's ro ut es s t re tch e d al on g th e e ntir e W es tCoas t a nd in 1957 we re ex tend ed to Mexico Cit y. Theywe nt as fa r east as Minnea po lis/S t Pa ul.In 1960, Wes te rn e nt er ed th e Je t Ag e w ith th eleasin g of two Boein g 707s . It was also the yea r th a t aWhite H o use d ec is io n to d e lay in te rn a tio na l ro ut eawa rd s in th e Pac ific prev ented Wes tern from ope ra ting new do mes tic routes to Hawa ii tha t th e co mp anyhad bee n awa rd ed by th e C iv il Ae ronauti cs Boa rd inth e firs t Tra nspac ific Rout e case. (Continued on Page 16)

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The Breath of LifeBy Dick Wagner

Through the dedicated efforts ofmany , the EAA s Northrop Alpha,NC11 Yhas been given a new lease onlife . A group of TWA craftsmen haveundertaken the painstaking restora-tion of a last remaining NorthropAlpha. The aircraft is being prepared

for presentation to the SmithsonianNational Air and Space Museum ,where it will be displayed in theirtransporation exhibit, for millions toview.The aircraft was originally deliveredto the assistant secretary of commerce

Alpha Project technical coordinator Dan McGrogan ,right, leads TWA volunteers in extricating N Y fromthe barn in Burlington, Wis., last March for the ridehome by truck to Kansas City.

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for aeronautics , Colonel Clarence M.Young , as NS-1 , in November , 1930.Subsequently, the aircraft was ownedby the Ford Motor Company , ofDearborn , Michigan , and later wassold to National Air Transport of Chi cago , where it received its currentregistration NC11 Y. It jo ined TWAAirlines on November 27 1931 whenNational Air Transport sold her toTrans Continental and Western Ai r ,Inc . NC11 Y performed able serviceuntil February, 1932 when she went toWichita for conversion to a Model 4A.She flew the l ine evidently as a 4Auntil April 26 1935 when Mr . Frederick B Lee, of New York, acquired her .By this t ime the majority of the 13original Alphas had been retired. Itwas Mr. Lee s desire to fly NC11 Yaround the world and have her outfitted with floats as a seaplane. Thefeat was never accomplished and theaircraft was again resold to a Mr . HarrySpalding of New York , who convertedit back to a land aircraft . Some pointlate in 1937 the aircraft was sold againto a Mr . Connoley , of Richfield, Connecticut . From that point until theacquisition by Mr . Foster Hannaford ,Jr . of Winnetka , Illinois in 1946 norecords exist. It was Mr . Hannaford sdream to preserve at least the last remaining example of the NorthropAlpha ; however, this dream was notrealized by his untimely death.

Mr. Hannaford , Sr ., donated the

Upper Left: N11 Y awaits installationof engine . Mid-December, 1975.

Lower Left: N11 Y sits on the ramp atWichita in 1932 following conversionto Model 4A for TWA. The Alpha willbe in this configuration when deliveredto the Smithsonian February 2 1976.

Alpha and the additional material tothe Experimental Aircraft Assoc iationwhere it was moved and stored in 1972at their site of the future proposedworld aeronautical center, adjacent tothe Burlington Municipal Airport ,Burlington , Wisconsin . It was here thatrepresentatives of the Smithsonianand the TWA volunteers came andviewed the remains after 39 years .Headed by Dan McCorgan , the inspect ion team determined the feasibilityof restoration and the aircraft wasmoved from its resting site to the TWAoverhaul facilit ies at Kansas City . Ittook several months just to dismantlefor cleaning and inspection , but inJuly of 975 the corner was turnedand the aircraft began to regain muchof its former stature . There are manyinteresting stories regarding the operation of the Alphas while they servedTWA. It s alleged that the Alphas holdthe all-time record for number ofground loops per model of aircraft.

In future issues we hope to coversome of the pilot comments , and otherinteresting anecdotes of the operationand history of the Northrop Alphas intheir operating career .

The EAA and their members can bequite proud of the contribution theyare making through their efforts andthe efforts of the dedicated crew ofTWA , in preserving a piece of aviationhistory.

EXPERIMEN T LIRCRAFT SSN

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November 4, 1975Hi Nick!I thought that you may like some information on the airplane shown on page23 of Vintage Airplane Sept.-Oct. 1975.It was a homebuilt, 3-place Swallowthat was put together by BruceRaymond in 1930. A Hisso was the powerplant and the airplane serial numberwas 1-RThe wings were built in the old SilverPlate factory in Elgin by Bruce,which was also the same building thatthe TA-Ho-MA was built. At thattime, Bruce worked for A.S.&T. at MidwayAirport and he built the fuselagein the back of their hanger. The maidenfl ight was on Nov. 1B, 1930.This aircraft was still registered to Brucein 1936, with the registrationexpiring on April 1, 1936. He couldhave owned it for some time after this , buthe later sold it to a Smoky Balser ofSacramento.Bob Baker1040 Valewood Rd .

Bartlett, IL 60103Jan uary 7, 1 976

Dear Sirs:I would like to join the Antique &Classic Division of the EAA.I saw your advertisement in the August1975 issue.For the past 5 years I have beenbui Id ing an exact replica (as near aspossible) of a Nieuport 2B. I have a Gnome9'er which I have overhauled and had ina test stand. (Runs beautifully).

Thanking you,A. R QuinneyRR1Ladysmith , B.C.Canada VOR 2EO

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January 4, 1976Dear Sirs:Enclosed is my check to join the EAAAntique & Classic Division. This issomething I should have donelong ago but just never did.My interest and participation goesback to the early 50's when theplanes were junkers and not antiques.The first was a YKS-6 Waco which I rebuiltand then traded for a RNF Waco. TheRNF was later traded for a 200Warner engine cowling and prop which I putin my 0-145 Monocoupe. It hasbeen seen around the country as BigRed - N11733. I flew it up herein 195B. Tried to give it to theEM Museum about 1964, it was apart ina garage in Raleigh , NC at thattime but could not get anyone to getit to the museum . It is now in VA or NC.In 1957 I flew a UIC Waco up throughCanada and into Alaska.

Over the years I have owned 5Wacos and about 4 Monocoupes,a Dart, a Staggerwing, Airmaster, L-13 and a few odd nonantiques.At this time there is a L-5 on wheels,skis and floats presently flyingand an old J-3 and PA-12 to restore.There are still a few bitsand pieces of Airmaster and Monocoupesaround the storage area.Am looking forward to receivingyour magazine.Best regards,Syd Stealey (EM 164)937 Bth Ave.Fairbanks, AK 99701

Gentlemen:In Re Yackey Sport .The Yackey Sport was a conversionof the Thomas Morse Scout originallyequipped with a nome orLeRhone rotary moror manufactured for a purlluit planeduring WWI for the U.S.The conversion was to install an OX5power plant instead of therotary - some "people" in making theconversion used 4 upper wingsbecause of the added OX5 weight.Though the T-M could bebought new and complete for atoken amount, none of the configurationsoffered much in flying qualities.Best Regards,

Jack N. RoseP.O. Box 32Ingleside , IL 60041

February 2, 1976Gentlemen:Please enter my subscription/membership to EAA Antique/ClassicDivision.I would appreciate a listingof back issues of The Vintage Airplaneif such is possible. I presentlyown a DeHaviliand Tiger MothDHB2A Serial Number 734B N-B2GS. Thisaircraft has been completelyrestored and is presently based atMontgomeryville, PA Airport .

Thank you for your corporation.Gerald F. Schwam1021 Serpentine LaneWyncote, PA 19095EDITOR S NOTE: List is published on insideback cover.

February 4, 1976Dear Sirs:Enclosed you will find a check to coverthe fee to join the Antique andClassic Division of the EAA. It isour hope that we can be of somehelp to this group since repeated attemptsto be of assistance within thehomebuilt and museum groups here inMilwaukee have failed .We have not returned our registrationcards concerning our aircraftbefore since we were not building ahomebuilt. Now, I would feel it wouldbe fair to state we are restoring a C-37Cessna Airmaster c/n3B4NC1B599. In addition to this weown a Cessna 120, N19B5V, and partinterest in a J-3 and a Corben Jr Ace.(All of which we have restoredor helped restore).Thank you for your time and keep up thegood work for the 'little guy ' .Sincerely,Paul Walter (EM 90997)

107 Concord PI Apt. 5Thiensville, WI 53092

EDITOR S NOTE: We need help. A list ofchairmen will be published later. Call or writethe one of your choice.

January 1B , 1976Gentlemen :Please find attached an extra dollarfor which I will appreciate yousending me a sample copy ofThe Vintage Airplane. I have been flying since192B and flew OX5 Wacos, Robins,Krieder-Reisner Challengers,

Stinson 5MB-A's, LeBlondPowered Arrow Sports, etc .Thank you for the extra troubleof sending me the single copy of themagazine. I was a World War IIGlider Pilot but never crossedpaths with Paul P.Yours truly,A. T. McDonough9 Lennon PI.Whitesboro, NY 13492

January B, 1976Dear Sirs :Enclosed please find cheque forTwenty Dollars ($20.00) to cover membership for the year 1976, for thefollowing new members:Tom Dietrich633 Krug StreetKitchener, OntarioCanada, N2B 1L9 andFrank D. Evans100 Kenora DriveKitchener, OntarioCanada, N2A 2BBWe are members of the EAA andwish to join the Antique/Classic Division.Please start ou r subscriptions toThe Vintage Airplane with the January,1976 issue.As a matter of interest mycurrent project is rebuilding andrestoring a Thruxton Jackaroo, whichis a modified DH-B2A to make itinto a four-place aircraft.Thanks for this opportunity to joinwith others of similar interests.

Yours very truly,Frank D. Evans1()() Kenora DriveKitchener OntarioCanada, N2A 2BB

MEMBERSHIPDRIVE

One for one for one f each mem-ber would take it upon himself toget one new member ye r e chyear th e compounded effect wouldresult in a ve ry successful organi-zation Take pride in your activit y- make it grow .


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alelldar ofEventsMay 12 - Corona, California SouthernCa lifornia Regional EAA Flyln sponsored byEAA Chapters 1, 7, 11 , 92, 96, 448a nd 494. For information contact TerryDavis, 13905 Envoy Ave ., Corona, Ca. 91720,

Phone (714) 7358639.May 28, 29, 30 - Wat so nville, Ca liforn i 12th Annual Antiquer Fly-In Air ShowJu ne 46 - Merced, Ca liforn ia - Merced Wes tCoas t Antiqu e Fly-In. For informationcontac t Jim Morr , Director, Box 2312,Mer ced , CA 95340, or ca ll (209) 723-0929.Jun e 13 - Weedsport, New York - Fly InPancake Breakfast 8:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M.Spon sored by Chapte r 486, WhitfordsAirp ort, Weedsport , NY.July 34 - Gai nesv ille, Georg ia - 9thAnnual Cracker Fly-In. Sponso red by Nor thGeorgia Chapte r of AAA, Antiques,Classics, Home builts and Warbirds w elcome.Co nta ct Bill Davis, 2202 Willivee Place,Decatur, GA 30033. July 31 . August 8 - Os hkos h, Wisconsin 24th Annual EAA Int erna tional Fly-InCo nv enti on. Start ma king yo ur plans NOWAugust 22 - Weedsport, NY - 3rd Antique-C lassic and Homebuilt Flv In.Pancake breakfas t - trophi es - Air Show1:00 P.M. Sponsored by Chapter 486,Whitfords Airport. Co nta ct Dick Forger,204 Woods pa th Rd ., Liverpo ol, NY 13088Aug ust30 September Fond du Lac, Wi scon sin 11th An nual E /I C Int e rna tiona l AerobaticChampionships. Sponsored by In ternationalAerobatic Club . Florida Spo rt Aviation Activities - Th e veryactive Florida Sport Aviation An tiqu eand Classic Asso ciation has a fly-in almosteve ry mon th . So we recomm end to a llplanning a Florida vacation th at th eycontact FSAACA Pre sident Ed Esca llon,335 Milford Drive, Merritt Island, Florida32925 for fly-in details.

MIGRATIO N OF AN EAGLET . . .ont in ued from Page 8

to see this s trange machin e. The peo ple of that tow nwere grea t; I was offered eve rything from help, to aplace to stay the night. I settled for a 7 6 wrench anda screw driver. Within ha lf an hour I was on a take-offroll escorted by th e to wn s peo ple who were runningalong both sides. Kicking th e Eaglet around I mad e alow pass, trying to rock my wings in goodby and thanks,but s ucceeded mor e in bruisin g my kne es with thes tick.With th e forced landing I los t half an hour , and mychances of m aking it home before dark dimmed , as didmy precious sunlight. I d ec ided DeKalb wo uld haveto be my destination and corrected course accordingly.It was nea r dark a t DeKalb, but w ho needs na viga tionlights with thr ee very healthy blue exha ust flames andan occass ional spark from the tailsked on the concrete.We let the Eaglet rcst that nigh t, re turning to DeKalb early in the mornin g to comp le te the 15 mile trip .After completing the usual grcase and oil routine ,Dad decided to do the honors and complete th e trip .After all what could hap pen in 15 miles? Well, num-

ber one, A&P so n saw to it that dear, old Dad wouldhave so me excitement beca us e I inadv ertantly leftth e va lve lifter jamnuts loose after adju stin g them.(American Eaglet Lesson Number 3).Shortly after becoming airborne in the Bonanza,fly in g behind the Eaglet , I watched as my Dad set up ana pproach to a yo ung soy bea n fi eld. He was about toexecute his first forced landing in 31 years of flying . Iw ill not go int o how I happ ened to arrive in the samefield with th e tools, but after the repairs it was decidedthat my 25 pounds less weight might be beneficial incultiva tin g as few bea ns as poss ible. The res t of the tripwas about as un eve ntful as could be expected flyingthis type of airplane.So, after 420 low altitude miles, 8 hours flying without a much needed elevator trim and eight stops , including tw o forced landings, the Eaglet was hom e. Thisbegan an era of flying for me that I had only been ableto dr eam about in the pa s t. It's too bad that so much ofthe joy of fly ing is smo thered by tod ay s speed andcomplexity.

MORE LESSONS TO FOLLOW -

Back Issues Of The Vintage AirplaneLimited numbers of back issues of THE VINT AGE AIRPLANE are available at 1 .00 each. Copies stillon hand at EAA Headquarters are:1973 - MARCH, APRIL, MAY , JUNE, JULY, AUGUST, SEPTEMBER, OCTOBER, NOVEMBER,DECEMBER ,1974 - JANUARY, FEBRUARY, MARCH, APRIL, MAY, JUNE, JULY, AUGUST, SEPTEMBER, OCTO-BER , NOVEMBER, DECEMBER1975 - JANUARY, FEBRUARY, MARCH, APRIL, MAY, JUNE, JULY-AUGUST, SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER, NOVEMBER-DECEMBER1976 - JANUARY

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Vintage Airplane - Feb 1976

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