Vintage Airplane - Feb 2010

8/20/2019 Vintage Airplane - Feb 2010

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FEBRUARY 2010


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Vintage Aircraft Assoc iation

Chapter 37 in Auburn, Indiana, is

a truly exceptional group of indi-

viduals. Now nearly 70 members

strong, we are privileged to have a

hangar facility that consists of more

than 5,300 square feet, which also

houses an outstanding clubhouse

facility. Our clubhouse is decorated

with dozens of aviation artifacts,

antique aviation signs, photos,

and paintings. One unique, signed

photo is of the founder of the Ex-

perimental Aircraft Association. In

your chapter facility, you, too, may

have one of these highly treasured

photos, first published in the late1980s, titled “Freedom is what EAA

is all about.” Here are the words of

our founder as they appear on this

most treasured aviation artifact:

Freedom to create and build…to

dream…to fly.

Freedom is something that is oftentaken for granted…until it is lost.

Freedom is a precious gift that has

been given to us by our forefathers and

by all who served—and died—in wars

fought in its name.

Yet there are those who would chip

made a difference. 125,000 EAA

members, speaking with a strong and

unified voice, help keep the flame of

freedom burning brightly.

However, many challenges remain.

We need your help to fuel that fire…

to build stronger representation in

Government affairs, continue

vigorous activities at the local

level—through EAA’s strong Chapter

network—and further develop youth

programs so that the aviation chal-

lenges of the future can be met with

skill, talent and knowledge.

The price of Freedom is measured

not in time but in commitment.

Join us. Freedom is what EAA is allabout.

Signed: Paul H. Poberezny

Isn’t it amazing how so few of

these threats to our way of life have

my fellow aviators, remain deeply

concerned about our freedom to

fly. You have to wonder, “What’s

next?” Because of these continuous

threats, we all need to stay vigilant

and continue to engage ourselves

in the debate of all aviation issues,

local and otherwise. Be it through-

the-fence issues or airspace changes

or whatever, we need to continue

to be committed to the association

and speak with a strong and unified

voice in an effort to help keep the

flame of freedom burning brightly,

as Paul spoke about so many years

ago.

At least once every few monthswhen I catch myself walking past

this picture of Paul, I will pause

and read these words to yet again

remind myself why this organiza-

tion is so important to my way of

life. It also continuously reinforces

my personal commitment to this

wonderful group, and it keeps mefocused on the importance of these

freedoms Paul referred to. Virtually

little has changed when it relates

to the threats to these freedoms we

still hear about on nearly a daily

basis It also serves as a constant

GEOFF ROBISONPRESIDENT, VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

STRAIGHT & LEVEL

Freedom and EAA

You have to wonder,“What’s next?”


3/46

IFC Straight & Level Freedom and EAA

by Geoff Robison

2 News

4 2010 VAA Friends of the Red Barn Campaign

6 Larry Howard’s Lovely Laird ‘Te thoroughbred of the airways’

by Sparky Barnes Sargent

16 Dear Jenny . . . A fellow never forgets his rst love

by Bill Larmore

19 My Friend Albert VollmeckePart II

by Robert G. Lock

26 Light Plane Heritage Te 1923 Mummert Sportplane

by Jack McRae

28 Te Vintage Mechanic My thoughts on propeller care, Part I

by Robert G. Lock

32 Te Vintage Instructor Tat turn to nal

by Steve Krog, CFI

34 Mystery Plane

by H.G. Frautschy

36 What Our Members Are Restoring

39 Classied Ads

A I R P L A N E F E B R U A R YC O N T E N T S

S T A F FEAA Publisher Tom Poberezny

Director of EAA Publications Mary Jones

Executive Director/Editor H.G. Frautschy

Production/Special Project Kathleen Witman

Photography Jim Koepnick

Bonnie Kratz Advertising Coordinator Sue Anderson

Classied Ad Coordinator Lesley Poberezny

Copy Editor Colleen Walsh

Director of Advertising Katrina Bradshaw

Display Advertising Representatives:

Specialized Publications Co.

Vol. 38, No. 2 2010

166


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VAA NEWS

They’re coming from everywhere;

some three dozen DC-3 and C-47 air-

craft have already shown interest in

participating in “The Last Time . . .,”

the 75th anniversary celebration of

the aircraft at EAA AirVenture Osh-

kosh 2010.

The list of potential aircraft that

will be participating in the DC-3

mass arrival is still being finalized,

but many of the participants are

listed at www.TheLastTime.org , a non-

EAA website dedicated to the forma-

tion arrival coming to Oshkosh.

The registration list for the massarrival on July 26 has reached its

limit of 35 aircraft; it’s necessary be-

cause of limitations at the staging

airports. Other DC-3/C-47 operators

are welcome to participate, however,

by individually flying to AirVenture,

which will be held July 26-August

1 at Wittman Regional Airport in

Oshkosh. Those operating the aircraft

are asked to contact Adam Smith at

EAA headquarters at [email protected] .

“This is a tremendous response in

just the several weeks since the 75th

anniversary commemoration was

announced,” said Smith, EAA’s vice

president of membership. “We are

still receiving inquiries from own-ers of some very special DC-3s, and

we welcome all of them to be a part

of AirVenture 2010, whether or notthey are able to participate in the

mass arrival.”

Several of the DC-3s have been reg-

ular visitors to Oshkosh in past years,

while others have made only rare ap-

pearances or have never been here.

In all, it promises to be the largest

airborne group of DC-3s assembledsince World War II, and likely the last.

One of the details being solved

currently is parking for this many

magnificent DC-3s at Oshkosh. It’s

anticipated that AeroShell Square,

along with the Warbirds and Vin-

tage aircraft parking areas, will be

fully engaged in showcasing these

venerable airplanes.

Fewer than 100 of the aircraft re-

main airworthy in the United States,

meaning that nearly half of the cur-

rent fleet could be present at AirVen-

ture 2010. The weeklong festivities

at Oshkosh will also include histori-

cal and technical forums/presenta-

tions, fly-bys, and a special eveningprogram commemorating the DC-3

at the Theater in the Woods.

Marking Cherokee’s 50th With Mass Oshkosh Arrival

Along with a DC-3 celebration at Oshkosh this summer, enthusiasts

will honor another iconic general-aviation airplane of the past half-

century, the Piper Cherokee. A mass arrival of 50 aircraft will kick off thecelebration with other activities and programs included for Cherokee own-

ers and enthusiasts throughout the week. All Piper Cherokee clubs and

owners groups are invited to participate.

According to the “Cherokees to Oshkosh” website, the mass arrival

of Cherokees will be on Friday, July 23, which is the weekend before Air-

Venture’s opening day The Cherokees 2 Osh group has already filled its

DC-3 Celebration at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh


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To nominate someone is easy. It just takes a little time and a little reminiscing on your part.

Mail nominating materials to:

Remember, your “contemporary” may be a candidate; nominate someone today!

www.VintageAircraft.org

CALL FOR VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

NominationsBonus EAA Magazine forSome Members

Those of you who are VAA mem-

bers with a “non EAA-magazine”

membership may have noticed

that you received a January 2010

copy of the newly revamped EAA

Sport Aviation . Rest assured

your membership status hasn’t

changed, but EAA felt everyone

should get a chance to see the

new Sport Aviation , so all EAA

members received a copy. Stick-

ers explaining the courtesy copy

were placed on the back of the

poly bag in which the maga-

zine was mailed, but in case

o missed it that’s h o


6/46

Each year at EAA AirVenture

Oshkosh the largest single space for

the display of enthusiasts’ aircraft is

the Vintage parking and camping area.

For more than three decades it’s been

not only a picturesque scene of the

finest restored airplanes in this country,

but also a gathering place for aviation

people and their magnificent machines

to share knowledge and friendship.

Each day during the convention,

we get to see the widest variety

possible of airplanes, including a few

one-of-a-kind aircraft. Don’t forget the

special Type Club parking area, where

we host many examples of a particularmanufacturer’s airplane. From

replica race planes to the American

Barnstormers Tour, the amazing colors

and outlines of the golden age of

aviation are on display for all to see

each year. All of this is possible through

the efforts of the nearly 500 VAA

volunteers, the volunteer VAA board ofdirectors, and the VAA staff.

Their passion is what makes it a

great place to be throughout the week at

Oshkosh; and it’s why so many visitors

and aviation enthusiasts come back

year after year to work, relax, and enjoy

aviation’s premier event. It’s a place to

rekindle old friendships and make new

ones. A time to relax and enjoy aviation,

learn something new, and rub elbows

with our fellow aviators. As you can

imagine, it takes some fairly substantial

financial resources to underwrite such

an event, and the Vintage area at EAA

Tall Pines Café, as well as for upkeep

of many structures. There’s never a

shortage of windows that need caulking,

doors that need to be replaced, and

roofs that need to be repaired. To be

certain, almost all of the labor involved

is performed by our dedicated and

talented volunteers, but what about the

cost of supplies and hardware?

That’s where our Friends of

the Red Barn campaign comes

in—it provides all of us, who wish,

the opportunity to assist in the vital

financial support of the VAA’s activities.

We’re most appreciative of the

contributions made by hundreds ofVAAers who see the tangible benefits

of supporting their fellow VAA members

in this manner. As a critical part of the

VAA budget, the fund pays for such

diverse items as VAA awards presented

during the annual EAA aircraft awards

program, special recognition for our

many volunteers, and expensesassociated with our special displays,

forums, and educational areas such

as the VAA Workshops and Type Clubs

located in the new Vintage Hangar.

Your annual contribution made in

the first half of 2010 will directly benefit

this year’s convention activities and VAA

programs throughout the year.

Please consider actively

participating in the 2010 VAA Friends of

the Red Barn Campaign. Your donation

is tax-deductible to the extent allowed

by law, and you can enhance your

participation if you work for a matching-

2010 VAA Friends of the Red Barn CampaignThe VAA annual fundraising campaign fuels VAA action

by H.G. Frautschy

Many services are provided to vintage

aircraft enthusiasts at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh.

From parking airplanes to feeding people at the

Tal l Pin es Caf é and Red Bar n, vo lunte ers do it

all. Some may ask, “If volunteers are providing

the services, where is the expense?”Glad you asked. The scooters for the

flightline crew need repair and batteries, and

the Red Barn needs paint, new windowsills,

updated wiring, and other sundry repairs, plus

we love to care for our volunteers with special

recognition caps and a pizza party. The list

really could go on and on, but no matter how

many expenses we can point out, the need

remains constant. The Friends of the Red Barn

fund helps pay for the VAA expenses at EAA

AirVenture Oshkosh, and it’s a crucial part of

the Vintage Aircraft Association budget.

Please help the VAA and our nearly 500

dedicated volunteers make this an unforgettable

experience for our many EAA AirVenture guests.

Your contribut ion now reall y doe s mak e a

difference. There are seven le vels of gifts and

gift recognition. Thank you for whateve r you

can do.

Here are some of the many activities theFriends of the Red Barn fund underwrites:

•Red Barn Information Desk Supplies

•Participant Plaques and Supplies

• Ton i’s Red Car pet Exp ress Repair s a nd Rad ios

•Caps for VAA Volunteers


7/46

VAA Friends of the Red BarnName______________________________________________________________________EAA #___________ VAA #___________

Address______________________________________________________________________________________________________

City/State/Zip________________________________________________________________________________________________

Phone___________________________________________________E-Mail______________________________________________

Please choose your level of participation:

Please help the VAA makeEAA AirVenture Oshkosh an unforgettable

experience for our many guests.Become a Friend of the Red Barn.

____ Diamond Plus - $1,250.00 ____ Diamond Level Gift - $1,000.00

____ Silver Level Gift - $250.00 ____ Bronze Level Gift - $100.00

Diamond Plus$1250

Diamond$1000

Platinum$750

Gold$500

Silver$250

Bronze$100

Loyal Supporter$99 & Under

EAA VIP Center 2 people/Full

Week

VIP Air Show Seating 2 people/2 Days 2 people/1 Day

Close Auto Parking Full Week Full Week 2 Days

Two Tickets to VAA Picnic ★ ★ ★

Tri-Motor Certificate 2 Tickets 2 Tickets 2 Tickets 1 Ticket

Breakfast at Tall Pines Café 2 People/Fu ll Wk 2 People/Fu ll Wk 2 Peop le/Ful l Wk 1 Person/Fu ll Wk

Special FORB Cap ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Two Passes to VAA Volunteer Party ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Special Friends of the Red Barn Badge ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Access to Volunteer Center ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Donor Appreciation Certificate ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Name Listed: Vintage Airplane Magazine,Website, and Sign at Red Barn ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

✃


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‘The thoroughbredof the airways’


9/46

Larry Howard’s

Lovely Laird


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only four LC-1B-300s built by theE.M. Laird Airplane Company, and

each one was built by hand. The “C”

stands for commercial, and the “1B-

300” indicates that NC10402 was a

high-performance version, powered

by a Wright J-6-9 of 330 hp. “There

were less than 40 Laird commercial

aircraft built all together, from 1925up into the early 1930s,” explains

Larry. “Of those, there were about

three built with an OX-5 engine,

two with the Wright J-4, and most

of them had Wright J-5s. Four had

the Wright J-6-9s, of which this is

one—this airplane was built in 1930

and had a very fun life.”

The first owner, A.D. Knapp,lived in the Detroit area and soon

sold the biplane to another pilot

in the area. In May 1931, it was

purchased by Thomas Berry Colby,

vice president of Berry Brothers In-

corporated (maker of Berryloid air-

craft finishes). As with the previous

five airplanes the company owned,the Laird was christened after its

advertising slogan, “On the Wings

of Progress,” and bore the number

“VI.” “Colby flew it as an official

ship during the 1931 Ford National

Air Tour,” says Larry. “He was the

assistant timer and flew ahead of

the fleet. He took the times as the

pilots arrived at each stop.”During the mid-to-late 1930s, the

biplane was flown to its new home

in Pennsylvania, and a banner re-

lease mechanism from a PCA-2

autogiro was installed. NC10402

started towing banners—first in

Pennsylvania and then at Miami

Beach. In 1941, yet another ownerinstalled a 30-gallon smoke-oil tank

in the front cockpit, and the Laird

was used for an additional form of

aerial advertising—skywriting.

The biplane changed hands sev-

eral times during World War II and

was flown to its next home in Van

Nuys, California, in May 1945. “Un-

Aero Digest April 1928Popular Aviation January 1928 Aviation January 1928


11/46

munication with Mr. Edmiston,

who owned the Laird but didn’t

want to sell it.”

Backing up just a bit, Larr y

shares how he became interested

in aviation. “I’ve dreamed of fly-ing airplanes since I was a teen-

ager,” he recalls, smiling. “In those

days Mechanicx Illustrated had cards

you could tear out and send in to

get a brochure about Cessnas and

Beechcraft and whatnot. Eventu-

ally I bought the very aircraft that

I was dreaming about—my firstairplane was a 1957 straight-tail

Cessna 182, and then I had a V-tail

Bonanza. Thankfully, I got to know

Addison Pemberton [a neighbor-

ing antiquer] who infected me with

the old-airplane disease. And be-

fore you know it, I was trying to

explain to my wife why I needed

to buy a wrecked Great Lakes inGuatemala. I brought it back to the

United States and restored it from

the frame up.”

It was during that time that he

began talking with Dick, and in No-

vember 2001, after completing the

Great Lakes, he bought the Laird.

Chuckling, he reflects, “I kind ofwent to grad school in the restora-

tion game, straight from the grade

school of a Great Lakes to the Laird,

and I loved learning the skills in-

volved. I live at Sky Meadows Air-

park, and my hangar and shop is

just 100 feet from the house. I

don’t like television, so I work inmy shop every evening, and it was

a fun project. It is very rewarding

fortunately it was wrecked on its ar-rival,” says Larry, “but after it was

rebuilt, it served for the United States

Army as a coastal patrol and target

tug off the coast of California.”

In 1946, the Laird flew to Long

Beach with another owner and

was converted to a crop duster. A

hopper, venturi, and agitator wereinstalled, and “all of the controls

were taken out and BT-13 controls

were put into it,” says Larry, “along

with a BT-13 tail wheel. It served as

a duster in southern California for

several years.”

Then in 1952, the Laird was con-

verted to a sprayer. A metal tank andsprayer bars, along with a Lycom-

ing R-680-13, were installed, and

the biplane worked in the Califor-nia valley and Arizona for several

years—up through 1957. By the late

1950s, the thoroughbred “was re-

tired to a duster’s yard in Woodlake,

California,” says Larry. “It was dis-

covered as a derelict behind a han-

gar there by local Dick Edmiston. He

rescued it in 1984 and spent yearstrying to get it restored.”

Owner/RestorerEnter Larry, a dentist (now re-

tired) from Greenacres, Washing-

ton. He heard about the aircraft

from a patient. “We were talking

about airplanes, and he said, ‘Iknow a guy who has a Laird’—and

that started about a five-year com-

I

Aero Digest June 1929 Aero Digest April 1930


12/46

to see this aircraft come to life, af-

ter spending about nine years and

thousands of hours restoring it.”

Research

A good portion of those hours

C O U R T E S Y L A R R Y H O W A R D

C O U R T E S Y L A

R R Y H O W A R D

STEVE SCHULTE

(February 2004) Larry Howard works on the wings.You can also see the unusual aluminum tube fuselage

framework construction. All steel junctions were plated

with silver cadmium, and the aluminum tubing was

coated with zinc chromate.

Larry Howard with his bare Laird in July 2005.

The neatly finished baggage com-

partment, aft of the pilot’s seat.

It takes quite a few helping hands to carefully install the wings.


13/46

STEVE SCHULTE

The folding windscreen for the front cockpit can easily be installed

or removed.

The instruments were overhauled by Keystone in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania.


14/46

Larry. “It was interesting, though,

that sometimes I’d have two or

three drawings of the same part,

yet they were different, because

the airplanes were pretty much all

custom, hand-built to order; theyweren’t production line.”

LC-1B-300According to the late aviation his-

torian Joseph Juptner, this model

Laird was cleaned up aerodynami-

cally by the addition of a low-drag

cowl, and its lower wing roots wereneatly faired into the fuselage—plus

it had the advantage of 30 extra

horses. With an upper wingspan of

34 feet and a lower span of 30 feet,

this thoroughbred measures 23 feet

9 inches from tip to tail It came

FuselageThe Laird’s fuselage isn’t made

from steel, as one might think. The

tubing that composes the complex

framework is all aluminum. “The

tubing fits into steel clusters ateach station,” explains Larry, “and

the longerons slide through these

weldments—while the vertical and

horizontal tubes just nest in. There

is one bolt that bolts through the

longeron, to locate the longeron

fore and aft, but that’s the only

bolting. Then there are tie rodsat each station in all directions—

they go crosswise through the cen-

ter of the station, and the sides,

bottom, and top all have cross tie

rods in them. There are up to 12

tie rods per station with at least

interesting feature that is easily vis-

ible in the cockpit is an elevated

floorboard, which neatly conceals

the flight control connections and

cables. “Down in the belly, just

above the last station, is a plywoodfloor that goes from the firewall all

the way to the back of the aft cock-

pit,” he explains. “All of the con-

trols are underneath that plywood

floor; so the cockpit is very clean,

both front and back. You could

fill it up with marbles, and they

wouldn’t run into the belly!”Another feature—the combined

rudder/brake pedals—requires some

fancy footwork of the pilot. “There’s

a structure that suspends the brake

mechanism under the floor, and

the rudder pedals rotate inward for

MIKE STEINEKE


15/46

heat controls were located in thesidewalls of the cockpit.”

WingsSurprisingly, most of the wing

hardware, along with the original

flying and landing wires survived

for an airplane of this vintage.”

EmpennageThe tail group is of mixed con-

struction; the horizontal stabilizer

is built of wood, but the fin, rud-

der and elevators are all welded steel

The Laird’s trim system is rather

nice, with a full trimming stabi-

lizer. A Johnson bar provides gross

trim control, and a wheel directly

behind that provides a fine trim

control. “You can trim it up at anypower setting to fly straight and

level,” says Larry, “which is nice!

You can’t do that with all old air-

planes. It’s a pushrod affair that

actually works a bell crank, which

jacks the tail up and down.”

WrightSince Larry lives in Washington,where mountains loom large on

the horizon, he decided to go with

a later version of the Wright Whirl-

wind, instead of the older “snap

cap” engine. Radial mechanic

Al Holloway of California over-

hauled the Wright J-6-9 R975-11.

“This one is a sacrificial ‘oiler’ en-gine, so it has pressure lubrication

to the valves on the top half of the

engine and gravity lubrication to

the ones on the bottom. It’s a very

nice, clean-running engine—it does

not leak very much at all,” he says,

adding, “John Swander of Missouri

built the cowling ring for it.”

Finishing TouchesMeticulous with his restoration,

Larry took the time to include

several nice yet subtle finish-

ing touches for his rare Laird. For

one, he installed a brass trim plate

along the top edge of the frontcockpit, which has LAIRD neatly

engraved on its top, polished sur-

face. Brass buckles and latches fas-

ten the front cockpit and baggage

compartment (there are two) cov-

ers and a three-piece folding wind-

Larry Howard

Rubber shock cords cushion the Laird’s landings.

S P A R K

Y

B A R N E S

S A R G E N T

S P A R K Y

B A R N E S

S A R G E N T


16/46

I made my own light bases using

rubber molds and lost wax casting.

I reproduced the lights, the lenses,

and the castings [for the fixtures].”

A few modifications were also

made for safe operations in today’senvironment. They include mod-

ern avionics, such as a transponder,

encoder, GPS/comm, emergency lo-

cator transmitter, and a fuel flow me-

ter. Additionally, a Scott tail wheel

(as opposed to a tailskid) and hy-

draulic brakes have been installed.

Aloft in the Laird

NC10402’s first flight was in Sep-

tember 2008, and Larry logged about

20 hours before winter set in. This

past spring, it returned to the sky.

“We’ve put about 120 hours on the

airplane this year already,” he says.

The Laird maneuvers nicely on

the ground, thanks to its steerabletail wheel and BT-13 brakes. Acceler-

ating down the runway on its 30 x 5

wheels (made by Dick Fisher of Cali-

fornia), the biplane begins levitating

skyward at 80 mph. “It’s a very spir-

ited aircraft on takeoff,” says Larry,

smiling. “It climbs out somewhat

over 1,600 feet per minute, and thetakeoff run is very short. It’s got a

very skinny wing with a little un-

dercamber on the bottom of the

wings, and I was real concerned that

it would have a lot of adverse yaw

and be a snappy staller. Well, it is a

snappy staller, but it has very little

adverse yaw once it’s in the air. It’sa very fast airplane and cruises be-

tween 125 to 135 mph at 1950 rpm.

We’re burning between 16 and 17

gph, and it carries 74 gallons total,

with 53 in the main tank (located

in the front cockpit) and 23 in the

gear, and the way the wheels are set

up, the camber actually changes—

when it’s in flight attitude, the gear

has a neutral toe in and toe out. But

as the weight of the aircraft comes

down on the wheels, they toe inbecause of that camber. So in nor-

mal landing configuration, it’s very

docile, and it rolls out straight and

handles just fine. It much prefers a

three-point landing; it tends to dart

and weave on a wheel landing,” he

explains. “During crosswind land-

ings, you’ve got to get it going

straight, or else it’ll skip, and with

all the bungee cords in there, it’s

like a slingshot—so it can relaunch

itself pretty easily. And at that

point, it quits flying all together!

So we tend to make approaches

at about 80 mph and start to flare

at 75, and once you get to 55, it’s

done flying all together. You haveto be very near the ground or it will

land, because the thin airfoil does

not allow it to float. Yet the aircraft

glides surprisingly well; compared

to something like a PT Stearman,

it will glide 50 percent better at the

same speed. It’s taken most people

who have flown it a while to getused to that—you have to fly a lit-

tle bit bigger approach because it

doesn’t like to come down.”

One of the most rewarding as-

pects of this restoration is that, af-

ter all those long years of work,

Larry has discovered that he really

does like flying the Laird. “It’s anice-flying airplane, and it is pretty

much as Matty Laird advertised it—

the thoroughbred of the airways. It

has a beautiful combination of per-

formance and looks. The fact that

it’s the one and only is certainly

fly-in. “We’re flying it extensively

this year, and then the future is

uncertain for the airplane,” relates

Larry. “I hope it lives a long life,

and I’m hoping that I can move on

S P A R K Y

B A R N E S

S A R G E N T P H O T O S

S T E V E

S C H U L T E


17/46

Despite being a foreigner, spending money on Airport-Property in the US was the easy part. Finding somegood insurance for my experimental planes was a bitmore of a challenge. But then somebody recommendedthe friendly folks at AUA and it became an easyand flawless cooperation instantly. Thanks.

— Bernhard Rouschal

Bernhard Rouschal,ATP, Lufthansa German Airlines

■ 15.000+ hours in more than70 different types of planesfrom J3-Cubs to the A340-600


18/46

O

ne bright, sunny July

day in 1929, I was a

12-year-old Iowa farm

kid out at the OttumwaAirport for a Saturday

afternoon air show. The air was rich

with engine sounds, sweet with the

wonderful aroma of hot oil, inline

and radial engines playing sweet

music to my ears and there were

known by all us flight buffs as a

Jenny). It was squatting off to itself

over near the gas trucks, like an old

crow that had flapped down to restin a cornfield. I was to find out a bit

later that those good old birds were

usually World War I vintage. In

fact, that particular craft probably

looked like it had been through the

entire conflict But on that momen-

show, but also for the entire Satur-

day. That included a double-feature

Western later that afternoon in the

old Rialto (Rathole) theater in Ot-tumwa; Bob Steele in one show,

Col. Tim McCoy in the other one,

followed by a great serial segment

of “Don Winslow of the Navy.” I

was to give up all of that, plus a

huge hamburger at the Canteen

Dear Jenny…A fellow never forgets his first love

BY BILL LARMORE


19/46

had slept under the wing in his out-

fit while sobering up from a lively

night before at the Twinkle Inn. Be

that as it may, at that special mo-

ment, to me, he was a movie star.

I was ushered into the Jenny’sfront cockpit by the pilot while be-

ing grimly ordered not to step on the

already-tattered wing root, and was

belted into an apple-crate-style seat

behind a yellowed, badly scratched

windscreen. I was left to observe the

instrument panel while the pilot

staggered around to the propeller. Inow recall seeing an old Sperry com-

pass, an engine oil-pressure gauge,

a tachometer, an ammeter, a large

off/on switch, and a couple of rusty-

looking snap switches for added

wingtip running lights That’s all I

feeling like I had just been awarded

the Congressional Medal of Honor!

The pilot snapped the prop

through, and the engine started. It

shook as if it were setting loose in

the bedplates. But instead of flee-ing for his life, he yanked the wheel

chocks himself, ducked under the

wing as the plane began to creep

forward, and leaped into the rear

cockpit. The next miraculous mo-

ment we were shaking, rattling, and

rolling out onto the old graveled

east-west runway, with rocks flyingout from under the metal tailskid.

Then the tail was off the ground. A

kick of the rudder to line up with

the runway, an asthmatic burst from

the old engine, an ever-increasing

duck-waddle and we were in the

arms was loose and flailing around

like a blacksmith’s hammer!

We are going to die! I had that

interesting thought as the seat of

my pants started to be in definitely

damp danger. We will crash in themuddy, murky old Des Moines river

below, and our bodies will never be

recovered, and I’ll never ever have

a real date with Donna . . . or with

Helen . . . or with Evi . . . or even

with that one with the buck teeth

. . . but the pilot, hero that he was,

proved to be fearless and even un-concerned. He grinned like a hungry

hedgehog, made a daring thumbs-up

gesture, and we completed the en-

tire 10-minute flight. Later I was to

discover that such an adventure was,

for him and his noble equipment

Above: 12-year-old Bill Larmore with his parents in 1929.

Left: Until federal air regulations came into effect, war-surplus Curtiss Jenny biplanes and similar air-

planes were used by barnstorming pilots to eke out a meager living. Bill Larmore’s experience with abarnstormer and his tired Jenny would keep him enthralled with aviation for a lifetime.


20/46

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21/46

My Friend

Albert Vollmecke Part 2

BY ROBERT G. LOCK

A

n o t h e r i d e a

that Albert Voll-

mecke broughtto Command-

Aire from Ger-

many was the

formation here in the United

States of glider clubs to teach

young boys how to fly an air-

plane. The program had been so

successful in Germany that Albertreasoned, why not here? He un-

dertook a project to design a small

primary glider that Command-

Aire could market to glider clubs

that would spring up across the

United States

clubs, the same as in Germany,

and to individuals who wished to

have a small plane for experimen-tal purposes. “Will be completed

January 1st, 1928 at our factory,

Lit tle Rock, Arkansas.” In the ap-

plication a description of the air-

plane appears , “Biplane Glider for

motorless flying. Steel tube fuselage

and wooden wings. Controls same

as conventional airplane. Designedby our engineer Mr. Albert Voell-

mecke, formerly of the Ernst Heinkel

Airplane Works, Germany.”

Because of the pressures of de-

signing and producing powered

biplanes the glider idea never

cation numbers at the proper time.

Enclosed, find the metal identifica-

tion plate for the glider. The recordsof the company were recently moved

from the factory to an uptown of-

fice, and the license itself has ap-

parently been lost as we cannot

find it.” W.S. Shannon, on behalf

of Arkansas Aircraft Company,

signed the communication. Four

North Little Rock boys spent twoyears completing a glider. First

flights of the glider were made

by Albert Vollmecke, chief engi-

neer at Command-Aire Incorpo-

rated, who furnished plans and

sketches of the glider However


22/46

night. At the top, the glider is shown

in flight with Albert Voellmecke,chief engineer at Command-Aire,

Inc., at the controls. He made two

flights of about 75 yards each, at-

taining an altitude of about 25 feet.

The four glider builders are shown

below. From left to right they are:

Hubert MacDonald, Elmo Bachus,

Buddy Py le s and Weldon Clark.”(See Figure 2)

At the completion of the test

flights Mr. Vollmecke stated,

“Glider training is good for prelimi-

nary training of an airplane pilot.”

He himself was a glider pilot

repairs can be made easily and

without much expense.” Vollmeckefurther stated, “Gliding should be-

come popular in the United States

since Colonel Lindbergh demon-

strated its safety. Training should

begin on a primary type, after which

a sailplane can be flown. The Ozark

mountains should furnish excellent

opportunities for a sailplane pilot tomake a new long-distance record in

a motorless plane.”

One of Vollmecke’s crown-

ing achievements while at Com-

mand-Aire was the design and

construction of a small racing

of a long-since-departed com-

pany. 1930 was also the year ofthe final chapter for Command-

Aire Incorporated, as it fell into

bankruptcy and quickly ceased

to exist.

The Little Rocket racer was a

single-seat low-wing monoplane

constructed most ly of wood

and powered by a 110-hp super-charged American Cirrus four-

cylinder, inline, upright, air-

cooled engine. With pilot Lee

Gehlbach at the controls, it won

the Cirrus Derby with an average

speed of 127 11 miles per hour

Figure 1

Figure 2


23/46presented all the difficulties of

speed of 200 miles per hour.

A number of private investors

from the Little Rock area put up

approximately $10,000 to have

the ship designed and built. I t

was built for the Little Rock Rac-

ing Association Incorporated.

Gilbert Leigh was president, R.B.Snowden Jr. was vice president,

and Charles E. Shoemaker Jr. was

secretary treasurer. The aircraft

was constructed July 7, 1930,

and issued registration number

X-10403. Manufacturer’s serial

number was R-1, and the model

number was MR-1. Command-Aire vice president Charles M.

Taylor stated , “The Little Rocket,

Command-Aire, Little Rock, and

the state of Arkansas got national

publicity as the Little Rocket, flown

by Lee Gehlbach won most of the

When Gehlbach returned to

Little Rock with the racer, he was

treated as an air hero. The Arkan-

sas Gazette reported, “ Lit tle Rock

got its first glimpse of its ‘air hero’

as he trailed behind a formation offive National Guard planes as they

circled the city shortly before noon

Wednesday. Immediately upon ar-

rival at the Municipal Airport the

tiny monoplane was loaded on a

truck and the procession through

the business district started, headed

by Gehlbach, state, county and mu-

nicipal officials. Gehlbach, smiling

and still wearing the grimy pilot’s

uniform, was seated on the top of

a large touring car, which had been

lowered. The event recalled the re-

ception given for Lindbergh shortly

after his epochal Atlantic flight.”

Following the small ship were

cars with state and local officials,including Albert Vollmecke, de-

signer of the plane; officials of

the Little Rock Racing Associa-

tion, which sponsored the plane;

officials of Command-Aire Incor-

porated, which built the plane;

and members of the city council.

After the celebration was over,the plane was offered for sale by

the racing association (see Fig-

ure 4). It was sold to Mr. Jack

Walker of Little Rock, Arkansas,

for the sum of $750. Included in

the sale was the following: one

Little Rocket racing airplane, one

second-hand 28-foot Irving back-pack parachute, one extra blade

for the propeller of Little Rocket,

and one small lot of parts for the

engine. This was not the end of

the story of the Little Rocket by

any means The plane would race

Figure 3

Figure 4


24/46

Depression that gripped the coun-

try starting with the stock market

crash in 1929 was about to take its

toll on many small airplane-man-

ufacturing companies. In Albert

Vollmecke’s brief four-plus years

with Command-Aire, the com-

pany received 14 approved type

certificates (ATC) that resulted in

the construction of 116 aircraftpowered by the Curtiss OX-5 en-

gines. The company built approx-

imately 184 aircraft of all types;

a respectable record for only four

years of operation.

Vollmecke detailed to me the

story of his design of a larger and

more powerful Little Rocket—type aircraft that featured a re-

tractable landing gear. The design

was for a pursuit-type ship for the

U.S. government, and his compi-

lation of sketches was presented

for review. However, the com-

pany ceased operations before

any negotiations could be com-pleted for a prototype ship.

In one interview with Albert

Vollmecke I asked what it was

like in the last few weeks of

Command-Aire as an employee

and well-known designer First

located in the factory building.

Then, he and others turned out

the lights, walked out the front

door, and locked it. The days ofCommand-Aire had ended.

When asked who was Neil

Romich, Vollmecke answered,

“ Romich joined Command-Aire in

1930, just before the company went

into receivership. He was in charge

of production, replacing a fellow by

the name of Fielding. Romich and Bob Snowden moved small parts ,

including wings, fuselages, em-

pennage, etc. to a National Guard

building on the municipal airport.

They planned to build more air-

planes later when money was more

plentiful, but they never did.”

Now unemployed and with

the country on hard times, Voll-

mecke had to find work to sup-

port his wife, Maja, and their two

sons, Walter and Albert Jr. He

found a job with the Civil Works

Administration program for air-

Figure 5

Figure 6

“In several

countries, before a

person is permitted

to train to fl y an

airplane he must

be a glider pilot.

Flying a glider is

much safer for the

beginner than fl ying

an airplane, as theglider very rarely

gets over 25 feet


25/46

Bureau of Aeronautics in 1933.

He was not the only talented per-

son with aircraft experience to

In the April 1980 issue of OX-5

News, “ Moving over to th e CAA/

FAA in 1933 and for the next 30

mendous savings in money and en-

gineering manpower during WWII.”

Vollmecke joined the govern-

ment to help regulate the grow-

ing field of aviation in 1933. The

Aeronautics Branch of the De-partment of Commerce would

be reorganized and renamed in

1934, becoming the Bureau of

Air Commerce; it was still within

the Department of Commerce.

In 1938, Congress created the

Civil Aeronautics Agency, which

would be known as the CAA. A

change from “agency” to “ad-

ministration” came a short time

later, and Vollmecke, with all his

talent, began to climb the ladder

toward the top.

As civilian aviation contin-

ued to grow in the 1930s and

1940s, Vollmecke was assigned

the formidable task to develop amanual for the repair of aircraft.

This was to be a document for

mechanics to make “approved”

repairs on wood and steel tube

aircraft. Prior to this publication,

each repair had to be inspected

a nd a pprove d b y a gove rn -

ment official, which was a time-consuming task and caused great

delays and frustration to me-

chanics and owners since ideas

on correct procedure for repairs

varied among mechanics.

Vollmecke assembled a small

group of design engineers in

Washington, D.C., and set out

to create the document. He de-

signed splices for wood and steel

tube structures that still appear

today in the FAA’s Advisory Cir-

cular (AC) 43.13-1B.

When asked how he and his

Figure 7

Figure 8


26/46

nautics Bulletin No. 7-H (see Fig-

ure 5), signed by Daniel C. Roper,

Secretary of Commerce, on Sep-

tember 23, 1935. The document

became effective January 1, 1936.

In this document there appearseveral drawings of steel tube re-

pairs and of splices to wood wing

spars and ribs. It is most likely in

Aeronautics Bulletin No. 7-H that

Vollmecke and his committee de-

signed the repairs. The drawings

are very similar to those found

in Civil Aeronautics Manual (CAM)

18 and FAA Advisory Circular

43.13-1B.

Aeronaut ic s bu l le t ins ap-

peared in 1927 beginning with

No. 7, Airworthiness Requirements

for Aircraft . This document was

needed to comply with gov-ernment regulations regarding

ATCs. Aeronautics Bulletin 7 was

amended to AB-7A September 1,

1934. Aeronautics Bulletin No. 7-H

is significant because it was the

first document to address altera-

tions and repairs to certificated

aircraft. Prior to AB-7H there was

no documented repair procedure

if an aircraft was damaged.

Figure 6 shows a sketch of a

structural tube splice using an

inside sleeve (as originally pub-

lished in AB-7H it is Figure 5).

Vollmecke led the committeewho designed and tested these

types of repairs for both 1025 and

4130 alloy steel tubing. All ships

with ATCs used either this type

of steel tubing for fabrication of

the structure. Figure 7 (Figure 9

in AB-7H) is the method of splic-

ing solid or laminated rectangular

wing spars. This basic design is

still used to this day. If properly

cut, finished, glued, clamped, and

cured, the splice is as strong as the

wood itself. It is called a “scarf”

splice, the angle being 10 times

the thickness of the spar. This

type splice puts the glue in shear

and gives grain continuation.Figure 8 (Figure 17 in AB-7H) is

a typical rib splice at a spar. While

similar to the splice shown in the

current AC43.13-1B, it is not the

same. There is good reason to

believe that Vollmecke either de-

signed or had a hand in the design

of these major repairs to primaryaircraft structural components.

Vollmecke’s main concern in

aircraft design was always safety,

and the designs for major repairs

to aircraft primary structure re-

flect this vision. To design a repair

that, when properly completed,

is as strong as the structure itself

is noteworthy. He was indeed a

genius, a person with immense

talent. Former Command-Aire

Vice President Charles M. Taylor,

in his presentation of November

11 1983 stated “The National

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The second of the Mummert homebuilt

lightplanes, which appeared at Roosevelt Field

in 1923, was intended to be a low-powered,

inexpensive airplane with a good cruising

range and low operating cost. It was an all-wood

midwing monoplane of very clean design, powered with

a 74-cubic-inch Harley-Davidson V-twin motorcycle

engine, rated at 18 hp. It was designed and built in his

spare time by the Curtiss engineer Harvey C. Mummert.

The fuselage was of monocoque construction using

A steel tube landing gear was used, with shock

absorbers mounted inside the fuselage. The propeller

was a miniature Curtiss Reed-type of twisted aluminum.

It was 52 inches in diameter and had a maximum rpm

of 2800. A propeller spinner and cowling added to the

neat appearance.

The cantilever one-piece wing was fabric-covered and

had two spruce spars of box beam design. The spars were

continuous across the fuselage, and they were fastened to

the top longerons with pins that could be easily removed

Light Plane Heritage

published in EAA Experimenter October1989

THE 1923

MUMMERT SPORTPLANE J MREAA


29/46

for small stick displacement at low speeds.

The tail surfaces were of wood construction withplywood covering and well-faired into the fuselage.

The wingspan was 20 feet and the length 14 feet

1 inch. The empty weight was 286 pounds. Cruising

speed was estimated to be 75 mph.

Test flying was done by the Curtiss pilot Jack

Pierson. The plane was apparently successful until,

during a demonstration of short-field landings, the

wheels hooked on some electric wires at the edge of

the field, which resulted in the loss of the airplane, but

without injury to the pilot.

It was reported that Mummert corresponded with

the Polish lightplane builders Pawel and Jan Gabriel

of Bydgoszcz, Poland, concerning lightplane design.

In 1924-25 the Gabriel brothers designed and built

the L-7 ultralight airplane, which was very similar

to the Mummert Sportplane and was powered with

a 24-hp Indian motorcycle engine. A photo of thisairplane appears in the 1970 German book Das Buch

der Deutschen Luftfahrttechnik, by Bruno Lange.

References: Aviation Magazine , August 13, 1923;

interviews with Curtiss engineers of the 1920-30 era.

Photos are from the collection of Charlie Geignetter,

former Curtiss engineer.

Note: In th is Light Plane Heri tage se ri es , we have

endeavored to present the many outstanding light airplanes

of the past to illustrate the longtime interest in the

purely personal airplane. Fortunately, we have enlisted

the assistance of two very knowledgeable colleagues to

contribute articles on these many forgotten airplanes.

Jack McRae (EAA 93) of Huntington Station, New York, is

well-known for his interest in early homebuilts. Owen Billman

(EAA 648) of Mayfield, New York, also is well-known to EAAers.We hope you will share our enjoyment as we review the

development of the purely personal sport airplanes in future

articles. Send us your favorites to be included in the series.

If you have photos, lend them, and we’ll get them copied.

And let us know if you enjoy the series.— George A. Hardie

Jr., EAA Historian Emeritus

2010 Editor’s Note: The late George Hardie Jr.’s notefrom 20 years ago is still valid today—we’re always open to

articles on vintage lightplanes. All we ask is that you share

your sources with the editor here at EAA so we can properly

credit them within the article. Feel free to contact us via

e-mail at [email protected] , or at the address shown

in the back of the magazine in our Membership Services

Directory.—HGF

Harvey Mummert, in front of the

Mummert Sportplane, circa 1923.


30/46

This article will cover some thoughts on the care

and maintenance of propellers, specifically ground-

adjustable props. For the antique aircraft, there are

three types of materials from which propellers can be

both spanwise and chordwise. So care must be taken

not to disturb the balance by adding excessive finishes.

It is possible to finely balance a propeller with paint

or varnish; however, a propeller maintenance shop isusually the only source for prop balance. FAA Advisory

Circular 43.13-1B is a good guide for care and mainte-

nance of aircraft propellers.

Perhaps a quick discussion of engine crankshaft

sizing would be in order at this time. Crankshafts

were sized according to SAE standards. These sizes

were No. 1 and No. 2 tapered and No. 20, No. 30,

No. 40, No. 50, and No. 60 splined. Older engines,such as the Wright J-5 and Curtiss OX-5 had tapered

crankshafts. Other small single-row radial engines,

such as Continental W-670, Lycoming R-680, Ja-

cobs R-755 series, and Warner had crankshafts that

were SAE No. 20 spline, while the Wright J-6-5, J-6-7,

J-6-9 and Pratt & Whitney R-985 series engines were

No. 30 spline. Propeller hubs, whether they were for

wood or metal props, were manufactured according

BY ROBERT G. LOCK

My thoughts on propeller care, Part I

THE VintageMechanic

Figure 1

Wire pointer shown fastened to No. 5 rocker box on

Wright R-760 engine. It’s a quick and simple way to verify

prop pitch.


31/46

to an approved type certificate (ATC) to match en-

gine propeller shaft sizes.

WOOD PROPELLERS: Inspect wood props to assure

continued airworthiness. The inspection should in-

clude visually looking for cracks, dents, warpage, gluefailure, and delaminations between the wood lami-

nates. Also, the hub bolt torque should be checked.

Loose hub bolts can cause elongation of the holes in

the prop hub. Wood propellers are manufactured from

yellow birch, and the laminations are bonded with

Resorcinol glue. Wood prop leading edges are pro-

tected by brass tipping fastened to the wood by copper

rivets and steel screws. After attachment, the screw and

rivet heads are secured in place by soft solder. Check

for loose screws and/or rivets by observing the condi-

tion of the solder. Thin cracks in the solder around the

outer edge of the fastener (which is covered by the sol-

der) indicate the fastener is working in the hole, and it

and the tipping are becoming loose.

If the hub bolts are loose, check for possible elonga-

tion of the holes and for wear between the steel hub

and wood propeller. All varnish should be in goodcondition. If the varnish is faulty, showing cracks, or

checking (where the varnish is failing with a web of

fine cracks all over the surface), carefully sand and re-

coat both blades with a good grade exterior spar or ep-

oxy varnish. Remember, balance is critical to smooth

engine operation. Typical critical data on a wood prop

that operates at 2100 rpm shows that the tips will

travel at roughly 612 mph, or Mach 0.80. Wood doesnot fatigue like metal; therefore, a good visual inspec-

tion of the prop and its attaching hardware should be

conducted at regular intervals. Avoid operating the

propeller in the rain as it will effectively remove the

varnish coating.

ALUMINUM ALLOY GROUND-ADJUSTABLE PROPELLERS:

I recently came across a Hamilton Standard Propeller

Corporation brochure dated 1930. It details two- and

three-blade ground-adjustable models and contains

some interesting data regarding care and maintenance.

Hamilton Standard manufactured two hubs that fit

most small single-row radial engines that used either

the SAE No 20 or No 30 crankshafts These hubs were:

Like engine crankshaft sizes, hub sizes were also

based on an SAE numbering system. The SAE No. 0 size

hub is used for engines up to 125 hp, including the

Warner, Kinner, OX-5, LeBlond, G\ipsy, etc. The SAE

No. 1 size hub can be used on engines with either SAE

No. 20 or No. 30 crankshafts. On larger engines, suchas the Pratt & Whitney Hornet and Wright Cyclone,

the SAE No. 1-1/2 size is used for two-blade propellers.

The SAE No. 2 size is used for geared engines requiring

propellers of a large diameter.

I’m going to extract this Hamilton Standard data

and list some of it here in this column. The quotes are

directly from this manual.

“Dynamic Balance of the Propeller: The running or

dynamic balance of the propeller is ordinarily roughly

checked by testing the ‘track’ of the propeller. The

propeller is mounted on the engine or on a suitable

mandrel, and the blades are swung through an arc of

180 degrees. Both blades should pass through exactly

the same path, and the amount by which they fail to

do so is the ‘error in track.’ For this reason Hamilton

Standard Propellers are set very accurately at the fac-

tory, the two opposite blades being set to correspondto within 1/10 of 1 degree. It is not always possible to

set these blades accurately in the field, but it is recom-

mended that an effort be made to keep the angle of the

two blades alike within 2/10 of 1 degree.”

Here, a side note from the author may be helpful. A

certain prop shop recently overhauled and returned to

service two 5406AR-4350F Hamilton Standard props

for a pair of Wright-powered biplanes. Both engineshad vibration modes around 1400-1550 rpm; they

were so bad that we didn’t run the engines in that

range, only to accelerate or decelerate. After they had

been overhauled at the shop and reinstalled on the air-

planes, I checked the blade angles and found that both

props had a deviation in blade angle greater than spec-

ified above. One blade had 0.090 inches more pitch

than the other. I reset the blade pitch, and now both

engines operate smoothly. Figures 1 and 2 show the

“special tool” I used to check/reset the pitch.

According to the Hamilton Standard manual,

“When it is desired to change the rpm of the engine at

full throttle by adjusting the pitch of the propeller, the

following general rule may be applied The engine will


32/46

be necessary to remove so much material that the pro-

peller becomes unbalanced. This condition must be

watched for and be corrected.”

(Editor’s Note: Be careful when choosing abrasive cloth.

Sometimes the term “crocus cloth” is used generically when

referring to abrasive cloth, but it originally was an ironoxide product. Crocus cloth made

using iron oxide is appropriate for

use only on steel propeller blades

and should not be used on alumi-

num blades. The iron oxide abra-

sive particles used to create crocus

cloth will induce dissimilar metal

corrosion if used on aluminum.

If it ’s necessary to use abrasive

cloth when dressing out a pit on

an aluminum blade, use mineral-

based abrasives such as emery

cloth.—HGF)

“Vibration: The question of

vibration in the powerplant,

propeller and mounting is a

very important one. There are,of course, a number of possi-

ble causes of vibration. One of

the most obvious causes is the

static unbalance of the propel-

ler and that can be controlled

by inspection. The dynamic

unbalance of the propeller

can be controlled within fairlyclose limits by checking the

face alignment or ‘track’ of the

blades at a number of stations.

“An aerodynamic unbalance

of the propeller may be caused,

as is well known, by unequal

angle setting of the two blades.

It may also be caused by im-

proper template fit of the two blades, resulting in dif-

ferent characteristics for the airfoil, and this feature

is carefully controlled by inspection at the Hamilton

Standard plant.”

Hamilton Standard’s book continues: “Unequal

amount of stiffness in the two blades may also cause vi-

speeds. This is often the result of the period of vibra-

tion of some of the parts coinciding with the rate of

engine impulses or with the rate of revolution. It can

sometimes be eliminated by changes in the mounting

of the engine or by changes in propeller design.”

Climb and/or cruise performance of the airplaneis in direct relationship to pro-

peller pitch. There are “climb”

props and “cruise” props.

Climb props allow the engine

to develop maximum rpm at

full throttle, thus achieving

maximum rate-of-climb. Quot-

ing from the manual, “For ex-

ample, it may be desired to get

out of a small field even at the

expense of the speed of the air-

plane. In this case the propel-

ler should be set at a low pitch,

allowing the engine to turn-up

fast on take-off. The plane will

then get off the ground in a

short distance.“On the other hand, it may

be desirable to economize

on fuel. For this, the pitch of

the propeller should be set at

a high angle and the engine

held down to a low rpm at full

throttle. This setting will give

the greatest economy of fuel,or, in other words, the most

miles per gallon.”

The Hamilton Standard

manual further states, “Adjust-

ment of Pitch for High Speed:

For racing or any other type of

flying in which high speed is

important, an intermediate set-

ting between these two will be found the most desir-

able. In determining the best setting (or the prop) for

speed, the pilot should try several pitch settings, flying

level and at full throttle with each setting. A reading of

the airspeed meter should be taken during each test.

The setting which gives the greatest speed is of course

The propeller is

mounted on the

engine or on a

suitable mandrel,

and the blades are

swung through an arc of

180 degrees.Both blades should

pass through exactly

the same path,and the amount by

which they fail to do so

is the ‘error in track.’


33/46

STEEL PROPELLERS: My only ex-

perience with steel propellers is on

the McCauley installed on stock

Stearman aircraft. These props

have been around for a long time,

and there is an airworthiness di-rective (AD) on the prop requir-

ing disassembly and inspection

every 100 hours’ time in service,

which makes this prop expensive

to operate. The McCauley has steel

blades with a steel hub, making it

heavy. The AD requires disassem-

bly, magnafluxing, and a visual

inspection of hub and shank end

of blades for pitting corrosion. If

corrosion pits or any evidence of

cracks are found, the component is

“red tagged” and scrapped. I have

four McCauley props in my shop

that have been scrapped by prop

shops. Many owners have decided

that the prop is too expensive tooperate and have opted to replace

it with a wood prop or a Hamilton

Standard with 5404 or 5406 part-

numbered hubs. Finding a 5404,

20-spline prop hub can be diffi-

cult and expensive. My experience

shows that the 5406, 30-spline

hub is more prevalent.Again, propeller pitch is set by the

manufacturer or the propeller repair

shop. Prop pitch is generally set at

the 42-inch station (42 inches mea-

sured from hub center line) for many

props. Smaller props may use the 36-

inch station; the manufacturer deter-

mines the exact station location.

FIXED-PITCH METAL PROPS: Most

220-hp Continental-powered Waco

aircraft left the factory with Curtiss

Reed aluminum alloy propellers.

Curtiss Reed propellers f eatured

I hope this information will be

useful for both owners and me-

chanics. Let me stress again that

the owner cannot make any re-

pairs to the propeller; A&P me-

chanics are very limited in whatthey can legally perform. If there

are questions regarding the pro-

peller, especially the older props,

contact a propeller repair facility.

Make sure it is familiar with the

type of prop you have; some shops

won’t deal with the older ground-

adjustable props. Good luck and

happy flying.

Sources for Technical Data:

FAA AC43.13-1B, Chapter 8, Section 4

Hamilton Standard Propeller manual

dated 1930

“Good Wood,” Smithsonian Air &

Space magazine, dated June/July

2003FAA propeller listing for Hamilton Stan-

dard blades and hubs

FAA engine listing for various radial

engines

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34/46














inspection of hub and shank end

of blades for pitting corrosion. If








































happy flying.




dated 1930






engines

A Unique Supplementto Support Eye Health*

MacuHealth™ with LMZ3 contains

ALL three carotenoids found in theretina to help maintain eye healththroughout our later years.*

Tis formula combines powerfulantioxidants that help protect tissuesagainst the potentially damaging effectsof harmful blue light and is designed

Ma i n ta i n i ng Yo u r V is io n is S t i l l

t h e Bes t Wa y to K ee p F l y i n

g. Des p i te A d va nces i n Tec h no log

y,


35/46














inspection of hub and shank endof blades for pitting corrosion. If








































happy flying.




dated 1930






engines


36/46

Many of you reading

t h i s a r t i c l e a r e

experienced pi lots

and have excellent

f l i g h t s a f e t y r e c o rd s , w h i l e

others a re re l a t ive ly new to

the world of Classic, Antique,and Contemporary tai lwheel

flying. However, both groups are

probably thinking, “Who is this

guy and what does he know about

flying old airplanes?”

I have had the pleasure of flying

airplanes and providing flight

instruction for more than 40 years.

For the past 25 years I’ve focusedalmost exclusively on tailwheel

(conventional gear) instruction,

providing me an opportunity to

fly with a lot of individuals in a lot

of different tailwheel airplanes.

I o f f e r pr imary ins t ruc t ion,

tai lwheel instruction leading

to a ta i lwheel endorsement,FAA WINGS instruction, and

numerous FAA-required flight

reviews. Most of the flying time

has been uneventful, but some

has proven to be quite interesting!

reduction to landing, especially

the turn from base leg to final.

Why should that be so hard? It’s

not! But executing that portion

of the flight smoothly, safely, and

comfortably can be a challenge

when additional factors are addedto the equation.

Let’s take a close look at a

typical scenario that you may face

when flying into a nontowered

airport. The wind is from 260

degrees at 10-12 knots, and the

active runway at our destination

is Runway 29. The airplane you

are flying could be any one ofa dozen di f f erent models , as

many have similar approach and

landing speeds. In this case you’re

slowing to 90 mph after applying

carburetor heat and making the

initial power reduction. Your

f inal approach speed wi l l be

70 mph. The traffic pattern isthe traditional left-hand with a

published traffic pattern altitude

of 1,000 feet AGL.

What’s so unusual about this?

You deal with this scenario all the

he’s in a hurry!

Entering the traffic pattern using

the normal 45-degree approach,

you turn to 110 degrees, apply

carburetor heat at the runway

midpoint , make your ini t ia l

power reduction to 1200 rpm,and establish your 90-mph glide

attitude. While completing the

pre-landing checklist assuring the

fuel selector is on the proper tank,

making trim adjustments, and

securing maps and other loose items

lying on the seat, you momentarily

lose sight of the slower airplane in

front of you. It takes a few seconds,but the airplane is finally located.

“Man, he sure is taking his time,”

you think! You’ll need to extend

your downwind leg just a bit to give

him more time for his approach.

Now where is that twin behind you?

Finally, the slow airplane is on

final approach. You’re wingtip towingtip, he on final and you on

downwind, so the turn to base can

be initiated. As you establish your

bank angle for the turn, things don’t

seem quite right. But no problem.

BY Steve Krog, CFI

That turn to final

THE VintageInstructor

t it th l i l i itti t th t l f i l k th b l t h


37/46

eternity, the slower airplane is

finally on the ground and rolling

out. You can begin your turn to

final. Just as you start your turn

the twin behind you radios that

he is on base leg and beginning his

turn to final. You think to yourself,what’s he doing? Doesn’t he know

I’m here? Doesn’t he see me? While

your neck is straining to look

behind you, your beautiful bird is

still flying the base leg heading.

As you initiate your turn to final

you realize that you’ve overshot

the runway by a little and you’re a

little too high. You need to realignyourself with the centerline and

reduce the power.

Without realizing it, while in

the turn to final, you’ve added a

little bottom rudder to speed up

the turn and to help get realigned.

The bank angle seems a little

steep, and you apply oppositeaileron to keep the bank at a

comfortable 30 degrees. Straining

in your seat you take a quick

look over your left and right

shoulder trying to locate that

fast-approaching twin supposedly

on your tail, and unknowingly,

you have applied some back-pressure. Wow. What started out

to be a normal pleasure flight has

caused some stress. Small beads

of perspiration form just below

the bill of your flying cap. You

can’t find the airplane behind

you, your airplane is too high and

not aligned with the runway, and

without realizing it, you’ve added

even more bottom rudder to help

with the alignment. This is a

classic stall/spin predicament, the

most common cause of accidents

in general aviation

sitting at the controls of a nicely

restored airplane. You’ve put your

heart, soul, and a fair amount of

money into the beautiful old bird.

Why risk your $30,000 - $150,000

investment trying to salvage a

landing for the cost of a couple ofbucks worth of avgas?

Now, let’s go back to the point of

the pattern entry and look at what

could have been done differently.

First, you had an approximate

15-mph q uarte r ing t a i lw ind

can make the base leg turn when

wingtip to wingtip with the

traffic ahead of you, which will

usually provide adequate spacing

when the airplanes have similar

performance parameters.

The turn to base also requiresa slight crab angle to the left to

compensate for t he wind that

is now pushing you away from

the runway. Upon completing

the base leg turn, you should

have approximately 500 feet of

altitude (assuming you’re not

on a 2-mile final!). Due to the

now left-quartering tailwind,the turn to final will need to be

initiated a few seconds earlier

than normal. Doing so should

e l i mi na te ov e r sho ot i ng the

runway and prevent the desire to

apply additional bottom rudder

pressure. From this point the

approach and landing can beconducted normally and safely.

As a longtime flight instructor in

these old airplanes, I like to have

students begin the turn to final

with a shallow (15-degree) angle of

bank. This provides the flexibility

to either safely increase or decrease

the angle of bank to align theairplane with the centerline of

the runway and never exceed a

30-degree bank angle.

Addi t iona l ly , i t i s a good

practice to review slow flight in

your airplane from time to time.

Know your airplane and what it

is safely capable of before finding

out the hard way in the traffic

pattern and under pressure.

Steve Krog

Steve learned to fly in 1968 and

has been flight instructing since

What’s so

unusual about

this? You deal

with this scenarioall the time at

your own airport.

How can this be

a problem?


38/46

Send your answer to EAA,Vintage Airplane, P.O. Box 3086,

Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Youranswer needs to be in no laterthan March 20 for inclusion in

the May 2010 issue of Vintage Airplane .

You can also send your re-sponse via e-mail. Send youranswer to [email protected] .

Be sure to include your nameplus your city and state in the

body of your note and put“(Month) Mystery Plane” in the subject line.

by H.G. FRAUTSCHY

MYSTERY PLANE

This month’s Mystery Plane comes to us via Wes Smith

of Springfield, Illinois.

NOVEMBER ’ S MYSTERY ANSWER


39/46

The November Mystery Plane is the 1934 Potez

56 prototype, first flown on June 18, 1934, later

shown at the Paris Aeronautical Salon and regis-

tered F-ANSU. The same photo appears in John

Stroud’s European Transport Aircraft Since 1910 (Put-

nam, 1966). Designed by Louis Coroller as an ex-ecutive transport, the Potez 56 was said to have

good flight characteristics and was quite stable.

A clean all-wood aircraft with retractable landing

gear, it was powered by a pair of 185-hp Potez 9Ab

nine-cylinder air-cooled radials in NACA cowlings.

The Model 56 accommodated six passengers in ad-

dition to the pilot and copilot and had a mail com-

partment in the nose. Variable pitch props are said

to have improved takeoff qualities. Cleaned-upcowlings and refined cockpit lines were also retro-

fitted to standard Model 56 (also called Model 560)

production aircraft. Some sources compare the Po-

tez 56 to the British Airspeed Envoy/Oxford.

The prototype entered service on May 15, 1935,

on Ste Potez Aero Service’s Bordeaux-Toulouse-Mar-

seilles-Nice-Bastia route. Six examples served LAN-

Chile, at least 11 flew with SARTA (later LARES) inRomania from 1935 until World War II, and Regie

Air Afrique in North Africa used two (F-ANMZ and

F-AOCB). The standard transport had a top speed

of 168 mph, a ceiling of 19,600 feet, and a range of

over 400 miles.

Further models followed, including the 1936 Po-

tez 56E with an arrester hook for operation off the

aircraft carrier Bearn; three armed Potez 566’s with240-hp Potez radials had a top speed of 193 mph.

In 1937, 22 Potez 567s were built for the French

navy with provisions for target towing, and 26 Po-

tez 568 multiengine trainers, with the instructor

sitting behind the pilot, were built for the l’Armee

de l’Air . These also saw use as liaison, day/night re-

connaissance, and unit hacks. Total civil and mili-

tary production is believed to be 72, with the last

examples delivered at the time of French surrender

Vintage Airplane - Feb 2010

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