Vintage Airplane - Jan 2008

8/20/2019 Vintage Airplane - Jan 2008

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GEOFF RO ISON

PRESI DENT

V

NTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATON

V

business notes

Here's hoping you all had a wonder

ful holiday season. Merry Christmas

and

happy New

Year

to everyone

In early November your Vintage

Air

craft Association board of directors held

our

fall

board meeting in Oshkosh.

We

had

a heavy agenda before us,

and

as

we

worked our way through

it,

I paused

and reflected on the

many

positive de

velopments we were dealing with. First

of all, I am pleased to mention that the

financial status of your organization

remains strong. Our

worthy

treasurer,

Charlie Harris, continues to report a

record-setting cash position

as

well

as

an

expanding

list of assets . Our over

head is minimal and our bills are paid.

Can

we ask

fo

r

any more than

this?

This data is of course reflective of not

only the dedication of a fine staff (both

VAA

and EAA),

but

through the efforts

of a solid group of Vintage volunteers.

t

is

critically

important

to your board

of directors that we acknowledge those

among us who

may

never have

even

had the opportunity to see the marvel

we all

know as

EAA AirVenture Osh

kosh, yet continue to support

the VAA

Gene recently made the decision

to

step down from

the

board, so the board

of directors, as an acknowledgement

of his nearly three decades of service,

felt it was appropriate to award Gene

with

emeritus status. Thanks for the

We had

a

heavy

agenda

before

us

and

as we

worked

our way through it I

paused and

reflected

on

the

many

positive

developments

we

were

dealing

with

.

memories, Gene

t

has always

been

a

pleasure to work beside you. I am also

relatively certain

that

we have not seen

and

Mr.

Dan Knutson of Lodi, Wiscon

sin. Many thanks to those who sub

mitted the petitions to bring these two

fine

candidates

into the fold. Both of

these gentlemen have been engaged

in

the VAA

movement for a long time.

Jerry

is

well-known in

the

Waco com

munity

as an extremely

capable

re

storer, and Dan

and

his father, Doc, are

well-known for their absolutely amaz

ing

re

storations of

any number

of older

Piper aircraft. Both new directors have

also served many years

on the

Vintage

judging committee at AirVenture.

Wel

come

aboard, guys,

and many thanks

for

agreeing

to engage yourselves at

this new level. I know I can speak for

the entire

board

in saying that we all

look forward to working with you.

One last

item

I want

to

include in

this month's column is a short book

review. Many of you know that since

1988, I have

had the

pleasure of serv

ing

on EAA s

B-17 Bomber Tour. Since

my engagement in this

world-class

,

premier EAA program, I have taken to

reading a

great number

of books re

counting the

personal experiences

the


3/44

N E

DE E

E

VOL. 36 , No. 1

2 8

CONTENTS

IFe Straight & Level

VAA

business notes

by Geoff Robison

2

News

5 Aeromail

6

2007 Vintage Aircraft Association

Hall of Fame Honors Chet Peek, Ph.D.

1 2

In the Tradition of Testosterone

Team Wathen s

choenfeldt irecracker

reproduction

by Budd Davisson

2

Type Club List

24 Type Club Notes

The technical corner: Part II

elementary assembly a

nd

rigging

by Robert

G.

Lock

3 Pass It to Buck

The cold, naked-legged Luscombe adventure

by Elroy Hilbert

3 4 The Vintage Instructor

Night requirements

by Doug Stewart

36 Mystery Plane

by H.G. Frautschy

STAFF

EAA Publisher

Tom

Poberezny

D

ir

ector of EAA Publications

David Hipschman

Executive

Director/

Editor H.G.

Frautschy


4/44

Precision Carbs

Business

cquired

A tentative agreement was an-

nounced Monday to restart produc-

tion of Precision Airmotive's

MSA

line

of carburetors and spare parts. EAA

reported earlier this

month that

Pre-

cision had halted production of the

units November 1 because it was un-

able to obtain product liability insur-

ance. That move prompted concern

in the vintage and experimental air-

craft communities,

as

Precision was

the nation's only manufacturer of

the Marvel Schebler float carburetors

used in many type certificated aircraft

engines manufactured by Lycoming,

Continental, and Franklin.

A group led by Tim Henderson,

president of

Aero

Accessories, and

others from Tempest and Precision

Airmotive carburetors saw a signifi-

cant need for someone to continue

that

product line, said

ohn C.

Her-

man, Tempest vice president of sal

es

and marketing. This has obviously

happened very quickly because of the

circumstances of Precision announc-

ing

that

they're getting out of

that

product, Herman said.

We

had to

move pretty quickly.

While the details of the agreement

were

not

disclosed, Herman said that

the acquisition and relocation of the

production line from Seattle, Wash-

ington, to Gibsonville, North Caro-

lina, would be completed by Janu-

ary

31 2008.

The Henderson Group's

V

Hall of Fame

VAA inducts Chester L. Pee k Ph.D. , into Hall of Fame

EM

and

VM members from across the

nation welcomed

Dr.

Chester

L.

Peek and his

family to the

EM

Aviation Center for Chet's

induction into the

VAA

Hall of Fame. The

program also included the induction

of

Ha l

Shevers, founder

of

Sporty's Flight Acade

my and Pilot Shop, into the National Asso

ciati

on

of Flight Instructors Hall of Fame;

Debby Rihn-Harvey, eight-time women 's

national aerobatic champion and longest

standing member of the U.S. Unlimited Aer-

obatic

Team

into the International Aerobatic

Club Hall of Fame; Wilson Connell Connie

Edwards, longtime pilot and chief stunt pi-

lot for the movie

Battle of Britain

into the

EM Warbirds of America Hall of Fame ; Ra n-

dy

Schlitter

, founder of RANS Aircraft into

the EM Homebuilders Hall of

Fame;

and Michael Markowski, author of numer

ous ultralight books, including

Ultralight Aircraft Ultralight Technique

and

Ultra

light Airmanship into the

EM

Ultralight Hall of Fame.

Peek was visibly moved by his induction. During his acceptance speech, he

told the guests present in the Eagle Hangar, I feel so honored to be here with

all these other aviation greats and very humbled, because, as you will see, there

are really some outstanding people here. It seems like only yesterday that I sent

a dollar or two off to some fellow in Milwaukee who was starting a new club for

private aviators. He called

it

the Experimental Aircraft Association, the

EM.

Who

would have thought back there in those days, as

you

look around today, the

or-

ganization would be what it is and what it is doing.

Please see the article beginning

on

page

6

for more

on

Peek's contribution

to vintage aviat ion, and why

we're honored to have him as one of our inductees

in the VM Hall of Fame.


5/44

AI Hallett

Steve Moyer

2007 Volunteers o the

Year

Each

year at the end of

EAA

AirVenture Oshkosh, two volunteers among the

more than

5

VAA

volunteers are chosen as the volunteers

of

the year. This

year's VAA Flightline Volunteer of the Year is AI Hallett of West Chicago, Illinois.

One of our perennial volunteers

who

dedicates many hours

of

his vacation to

shepherding the many vintage aircraft that park in our area each year, AI's willing

ness to jump in wherever there is a gap is always appreciated.

Our

2007 Behind the Scenes Volunteer

of

the Year is Steve Moyer

of

Lansdale,

Pennsylvania. Steve seems to be everywhere during the AirVenture-helping out

in the VAA data processing area, shooting photos for the volunteers and for Vin-

tage Airplane , helping plan the annual

VAA

Volunteer Picnic, and generally lending

a hand wherever it is needed.

Our congratulations to

AI

and Steve,

and

our thanks to them

and

to all VAA volun

teers who help our association during the annual fly in and throughout the year

EPA

Seeks Comments Regarding

Lead Emissions

Petition

The

Environmental

Protection

Agency

EPA)

has published a no-

tice

in the

ederal

egister

seeking

comments on

a

petition

from

the

environmental

group

Friends of the

Earth

to

limit lead emissions from

piston

general aviation aircraft that

use 100LL fuel. EAA, a leader

in

alter-

native fuel research since 1964, does

not

see this

as

an

immediate threat to

the

supply

and

availability of

lOOLL,

but other

economic

pressures could

affect availability.

The petition seeks

one

of two out-

comes:

1)

Have

the EPA

make a finding

that lead emissions from GA aircraft

endanger public

health and

welfare

and issue a proposed emissions stan-

dard for lead from

GA

aircraft under

the

Clean

Air Act;

or

2)

Have

the EPA

administrator order a study on

the

health

and

environmental impacts of

GA aircraft lead emissions

and

report

on

the

study's findings.

In 2005, the

EPA

stated there is in-

sufficient information

to

determine

that

aircraft lead emissions endan-

ger public

health and

welfare. The

agency also stressed that because a

suitable, safe, unleaded aviation fuel

has

not

been developed, regulating

leaded aviation fuel would ground all

general aviation aircraft, resulting

in

severe economic repercussions

to

GA

businesses

and

operators.

Earl Lawrence,

EAA

vice president

of industry

and

regulatory affairs

and

secretary of the ASTM Internation-

al

Aviation Gasoline Committee, re-

cently

met with

EPA officials. The


6/44

who provide a ready resource of pro

gramming for monthly EAA chapter

meetings and events. The bureau

is

composed entirely of volunteers rep

resenting

the

aviation industry,

Air-

Venture workshop

and

forum pre

senters,

EAA

technical counselors and

flight advisors, and other knowledge

able aviation enthusiasts.

Since announced at

EAA

AirVen

ture Oshkosh 2007, interest in

the

Speakers Bureau has been outstand

ing, says Brenda Anderson,

EAA

chap

ter administrator. We're extremely

pleased by

the

response from the EAA

community, she said. The bureau

speaks to

EAA s

volunteer spirit

that

defines

the

organization. This unique

collection of talent and expertise will

prove

an

invaluable resource for our

local chapters.

And the list keeps growing ... new

registrations are still coming in,

and

others are welcome. Chapters can re-

fer

speakers from past meetings and

events to the online registration

form located at

http://Speakers.EAA.

org/speakersbureau bin/public/register.

Or simply download and complete

the form and mail it to EAA Chapter

Office, P.O.

Box

3086, Oshkosh,

WI

54903-3086.

To book a speaker, visit www.EAA.

org/chapters/speakers. There you can

search

the

bureau database by name,

topic, and state,

as

well

as

get tips

and guidelines for working with and

scheduling a speaker.

For more information, questions,

or comments, e-mail speakersbureau@

eaa.org or call EAA at 888-322-4636

ext. 4876.

Annual Skiplane Fly-In January 26 2008

The

annual

EM

Skiplane

Fly-In

is slated for Saturday, January 26,

2008-snow

or

no snow-at

the

EM

AirVenture Museum s Pioneer Airport. If there is enough

snow, expect

an

impressive array of skiplanes to participate. Wheel airplanes are

welcome to land at Wittman Regional Airport OSH), with shuttles available through

out the day to

and

from Orion and Basler fixed base operators. Complimentary chili

and

cake will

be

served to celebrate the birthday

of EM s

matriarch, Audrey

Po

berezny,

beginning at

11

a.m. All are welcome to this

free-of.


7/44

SEND YOUR COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS TO:

VAA LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

P.O. Box 3086

OSHKOSH,

WI

54903-3086

OR YOU C N E-MAIL THEM TO: [email protected]

More

on

Waco UE NC12472

Hello H.G.

It

was a great pleasure to find on the

flightline at AirVenture 2007 the Waco

UEC, NC12472, that was most gra

ciously donated to

EAA

on

the closing

day of the convention by

Kate

Meredith

in memory of her husband.

I thought you would be interested

in a small slice

of

the Waco s history

when it was based back here in West

Virginia.

t

the end

of

WWII my fa-

ther, Harold Armstrong, was hired as

a flight instructor by

Mr.

Dave Baker

to start up a flight school at Baker Air

Park

in Burlington

West

Virginia.

Dave was

an

Aeronca dealer and had

three

new 7AC

Champs

for

the

pro

gram. My father was the only full-time

employee,

and

his tasks included in

structing, passenger

hop

flights

and

occasional

charter work during the

day, and

running the

movie projector

at Dave s drive-in theater at night. Dad

worked here for four years until his

re-

serve

unit

in Pittsburgh gave

him

the

opportunity

to finish his military ca

reer at the start of the Korean War.

Dave owned NC12472 for a number

of years, and I literally grew up hear

ing Dad s stories of this fine airplane

and

the adventures

he

had in it. They

used her for towing banners over the tri

towns area, advertising local business

establishments, but most of the flights

were with

full

loads of first-time passen

gers over the Patterson Creek Valley.

It was during this time that Dad met

his future wife, Martha Thrush, and in

1947 he flew her in the UEC to Cleve-

Ahappy fellow Clement Harold Ann-

strong

and

the

Waco

UEC in

1947

the

year he flew the young

lady

who would

become

his

wife

Martha

Thrush to

the

National Air Races in this very

UEC.

land to

attend

the National

Air

Races.

My mother recalls

that

trip fondly and

is still eager to go each summer to Osh

kosh for the big fly-in .

I

have

sent

some

photos of

those

days

and

a copy of

one

page

out of

my

father s

many

logbooks. These log en

tries best show what we would

now

consider a

nostalgic

week at a little

airfield

now

gone. The Sparrowhawk

(NC191M) was also based at Burling

ton,

and

Dad flew a parts mission in it

to Springfield, Massachusetts,

on

May

17, 1947, to help get

the

Waco going

again . Lastly, I have included a

photo

of

1 4 inch

models

that

Dad scratch

built of

these

two

airplanes many

years ago. These are two models in a

collection of 25 that were made of air

planes that

touched

my father s early

days

in

aviation-and I treasure every

one

of them.

Blue skies,

Robert K. Armstrong

VAA

717819

mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


8/44

2 7 VINTAGE

AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

HALL OF FAME

HONORS

Chet Peek Ph.D.

W

rld War

II

veteran. Thir

ty-one airplanes owned,

many

of

them

restored

with

the

help of his wife.

Author

of

six aviation history books.

Engineering professor. Father

of two

boys and husband of Marian.

Five short

sentence

fragments,

but

it s

the

gaps between the words

ing lessons

in

a Taylorcraft

A.

A year

later,

he

was selected to be one of the

10 students in t he second CPT pro

gram

sponsored by Iowa

State Uni

versity, and by

May

of 1941, Chet

was thrilled to be the holder

of

a lim

ited commercial pilot certificate, with

more than 100 hours in his logbook.

Close to graduation from mechan-

cer for the 8th Air Force, 95th Bomb

Group, and would serve in that ca

pacity

until

the war

in

Europe ended

in the

spring

of

1945.

Reunited for the first time in

two

and a half years, Chet and Marian

started life in

the

Midwest,

where

Chet began his career as an

engineer

with a Frigidaire distributor, design

ing commercial

refrigeration

plants

and

air

conditioning

systems

. Like

so many of their peers,

they

started

their

family,

with

sons Stan and Tom

arriving in

1947

and 1951. Later,

Chet s career would take him into ev

er-higher positions

within

the

com

mercial trailer

production

business.

t

age

SO

Chet went

back

to

college

to earn a doctorate in industrial engi


9/44

neering.

f

ter graduation,

he

worked

in

academia, serving as

the head of

the Oklahoma City University's MB

Program, retiring in 1989 as

an

in-

st ru

ctor in Oklahoma Universi

ty's

College of Business.

When

het

sent in the photos

and

biographical information

we

requested for the Hall of Fame pro

gram, he

neat

ly organized a series of

envelopes for

the

various periods in

his life. One

envelope

was appropri-

194O-Some

of his

training

in

the

CPT program was done in

this

Luscombe SA.

ately marked

1

Antique Airplane d-

diction. Not surprisingly, it was

the

thickest of them all, liberally sprin

kled with shots of his family and air

planes

and

of

the

many

projects he's

enjoyed

working on throughout the

years,

which have

served as

the

sub

ject of his

aviation books, including

The

Pietenpol

Story

The

Spartan Story

The Taylorcraft

Story

Flying with 40

Horses Resurrection of a Jenny and

The

Heath Story. He's currently work-

Reunited with

his

bride

after

two

and

a haH years. Chet and Marian on July

29 1945.

Chet

and

Marian graduated from Iowa

State in

the spring of

1942.

After graduation from the Anny Air

Corps

Engineering

Cadet

School Chet

was ready to go overseas in

April

1943.


10/44

One

of his earliest restorations Chet s E-2 Cub, N14330

was

part of the family

for

4S

years, until completely

destroyed by an

FS tornado.

Chet

seemed

to e addicted to the

CaliAir.

Here s one of his restorations a

One of a series of Taylorcrafts owned by

CaliAir

A-3

Cabin.

Chet and

Marian, this is their

BL-GS.


11/44

A couple of the 10 CaliAirs owned by Chet at one time

or

another. Here are his res

torations of a pair of Cabin CaliAirs, an A-3, N2909V, and an A-2, NC33356.

Below:

Chet s

first

brand new airplane,

a Taylorcraft F-19. Chet loves rare airplanes. This is his restoration of Driggs Skylark NU301.


12/44

Chet

and his

restored

Jenny

were

one

of the five Curtiss IN ·

4s featured in

1989's

Jennys to

Jets feature

at

EAA

Oshko

sh

that year.

ing on a history of

the

Standard J-l.

For more information on his books,

you can visit his book website, www

ThreePeaksPub com

Throughout the years of engineer

ing work, restorations, and writing,

Chet's wife, Marian, has been busy

as

well, earning a master's degree, sewing

fabric,

hauling wings, and enduring in

numerable retrieval trips to haul home

a dilapidated airplane project.

Chet

was thrilled to have Marian and their

sons, Stan and Tom, along with their

grandchildren and friends, join them

in Oshkosh to celebrate Chet's induc

tion into the VAA Hall of Fame. In his

acceptance speech, Chet said,

I feel so

honored to be here with all these other

aviation greats and very humbled, be

cause,

as

you will see, there are really

some outstanding people here, Peek

said.

lilt

seems like only yesterday that

I sent a dollar or two off to some fellow

in Milwaukee who was starting a new

club for private aviators. He called

i t

the Experimental Aircraft Association,

the

EAA. Who

would have thought

back there

in

those days,

as

you look

around today, the organization would

be what it

is

and what it

is

doing.

We're free to fly in this country,

and

it's something we should appre

ciate, and the EAA

is

very much re

sponsible for a very large

portion

of

that

freedom. It's been a great jour

ney, these last SO years at the EAA,

and

I m

happy to

say it's

not

over.

I've got a Pietenpol

almost

done in

my garage.

http:///reader/full/ThreePeaksPub.comhttp:///reader/full/ThreePeaksPub.com


13/44

Thank y u from the sta at U I

Back row from left: Laura Cora Jori Tammy Pat Phil Pam Mac

and

Jeanette

Front row from left: Rob Norma Butch and lisa


14/44


15/44

.

]


16/44

omWathen

om

Wathen: A iation Enthusiast

EHtraordinaire

If you want

to have a fun

experi ence,

sit

down

at

a picnic

table at Oshkosh with

Tom

Wathen

and

start talking airplanes.

You don

't

have to know anything about him to

quickly realize that this

is

a gentleman

who

takes

airplanes (though

not

necessarily himself) seriously. Self

effacing is the term usually used to

describe him, but it s a description

that

includes liberal sprinklings

of

humor and raw enthusiasm.

Yes, Wathen is

wealthy.

However, to say

that

is to trivialize

not only how he got

that

way , but to

ignore

that he

was an aviation nut

long before he had the money to

indulge his passion at the level

he

does today.

Tom made his mark on business by paying attention

to

the basics : He

recognized a need (security services)

and

came up with a way to provide it at a

profit. That's marketing

101.

But it doesn t work if

you

don't throw yourself into

it, and Tom did just that

in

1988, heading one of the largest security entities on

Earth.

Does

the name Pinkerton mean anything to

you?

Long before his career climb began, Wathen owned,

and

was into, airplanes.

Ai rplanes of all sorts . Immediately after getting out of the Air Force in the early

'50s , for instance,

he

bought

an

Aeronca

L-3

and

partially restored it.

Then

there

was a long line

of

normal airplanes from 182 RGs to cabin-class twins, but

there were always the interesting airplanes.

He hung out at Flabob airport , which means he had

no

choice but to fall

under the spell

of

one

of

aviation 's most interesting characters , the late Bill

Turner. Turner was cranking out replica racers as fast as he

could find sponsors,

and Tom Wathen became involved in backing some of t he most ambitious

replication projects in history, including the twin-engine

de

Havilland Comet

and

the hulking, otherworldly Turner-Laird (this Turner was Roscoe, not Bill) Meteor.

Beyond the recently completed Firecracker project, Wathen and his team of

enthus i

astic

aeronuts are working on a Caudron 460, and he 's eyeing the

Fo

lkerts series

of

racers .

One

of

Wathen 's more noteworthy achievements and one that is going to

prove to

be of

long-lasting benefit to aviation is the saving

of

what should

be

partially to honor

those

high-speed

pioneers

but

also to taste just a little

of the adrenaline themselves. One of

these is Tom Wathen, who has cap

tained (from

the

wings, so to speak) a

loosely knit team of what

many

would

consider

eccentric (it sounds bet

ter

than nut

case ) pilots

and

build

ers who included the likes of the late

Bill Turner and Ed Marquardt, both

legendary

builders, as well

as

many

others. From

that

small group of hy

perenthusiasts,

most of

whom were

based

out

of SoCal's Flabob Airport in

Riverside, a steady stream of golden

age replicas have taken to the sky to

delight audiences

and

often

as not

to

terrify pilots-though in a good way.

The

most recent of

the breed

is

the

Rackleff/Halloran/McCombs/Wathen

(we'll explain all of that in a second)

reproduction

of the Schoenfeldt Fire-

cracker

one

of

the best-known

and

most successful rocket ships of its day.

The Firecracker was originally the

Keith Rider R 4

but

was bought by Bill

Schoenfeldt, a wealthy sportsman,

shortly after it was built

in

1936. He

immediately

had

the original Mena

sco Buccaneer six-cylinder (489 cubic

inches) replaced by a supercharged

version,

the 545-cubic-inch Super

Buccaneer,

which cranked

out

as

much as 350 hp when tweaked by the

racers. This was 350

hp

on a tiny 900

pound,

retractable-gear airframe

the

size of a Pitts Special

(I8-foot

span)

with

the

drag of a knitting needle.

The airplane

consistently

took

home gold with lap speeds above 250

mph and straightaway dashes report

edly over 300

mph.

I t

took

a special


17/44

described

as

evil, coupled with 100

mph

over-the-fence speeds and zero

visibility. He flew it exactly

once

be

fore he started running the pylons

in

it and won two of

the

first three

races. Only a few years later he was to

become the legendary Lockheed test

pilot we all know so well,

but the first

time he took to the

air

in the Fire-

cracker he

was, like

most

race pilots

of the time, inexperienced to a truly

frightening degree.

Now flash ahead to the 1970s.

Golden Age racing fever

had

in

fected a small but enthusiastic group

of builders. Flabob Airport was see

ing a wide range of golden age racer

replicas popping out of the hangars,


18/44

Sitting

in

the

flattened

grass in

front

of the

Red

Barn,

you

ca

n

see how much

foot

traffic

the diminutive replica

racer

created . The small tail surfaces and short moment arm aft of the

CG

contribute to both

its

quickness and lack of stability.

All that surface

area

forward

of

the CG

doesn't

help

tion, so

he

never got to see

the

com

pleted project.

The airplane sat derelict in one of

Flabob's less frequented hangars

un-

til Tom Wathen, Flabob's savior (lit-

eralJy: see

sidebar)

, saw

the pieces

and recognized it

as

an airplane

that

should be finished. Wathen had been

the

money

and much

of the spirit be

hind a number of Bill Turner's

more

son,

the

tiny

irecracker

looked almost

like a weekend project, something he

laughs about today

because

it took

nearly 10

years

to finish. But he

didn t know that's

what

it would take

and

neither did his friend

and

Comet

demonstration

pilot Air Force Maj .

Gen. Pat Halloran, a retired fighter pi

lot (100 missions in Korea, 600 hours

of

SR 71

time),

when Wathen

asked

him to

take over

the

responsibility of

getting the ir

e

cracker finished.

Halloran says, In 1998, I arranged

to

haul two

big

loads of irecracker

pieces along with at least three old,

partially complete Ranger engines to

my place

on

Meadow Lake Airport in

Colorado Springs.


19/44

Pat Halloran 's

solution for

a long nose

A crowd of AirVenture admirers milled

around this met iculously crafted replica

of

the Firecracker, asking

questions

of

Thomas W. Wathen, entrepreneur, former

Air Force officer, private pilot, and owner

of historic Flabob Airport near Riverside,

California. Accompanying Wathen was

retired

Air Force

Maj.

Gen.

Patrick J.

Hal

loran, primary pilot of the Rrecracker with

more than

60

logged hours. According

to

Maj

. Gen. Halloran, "That's probably more

time than anyone else." He's also logged

more than 600 hours in the SR-71.

I wanted

to

get closer and take some

° photos, but the curious people surround

ing this gem mOde

it

impossible. Eventu

ally I got

my

chance for a close inspection.

What a beauty That long nose contains

an inverted 440-cubic-inch, six-cylinder

Ranger "that runs like a sewing machine

and looks like a crown jewe l," says Ha l

loran. The tail end is

just

the opposit

tiny and with very little rudder. The cockpit

is snug. I thought I could fi t nicely.

The Rrecracker is a 1930s replica, but

well-appointed to navigate in today 's air

space. One thing that made me curious

was a small 4-by-6-inch video screen

in

the center of the glare shield obstruct

ing any forward vision,

if there

is any.

Halloran explained that, no,

it

wasn't a

GPS

or weather radar, but a video moni

tor connected to a tiny " lipstick" camera

in a fairing under the nose to provide bet

ter forward vision. What a neat gadget, I

thought, without considering the signifi

BY

S

TEVE

M

OYER

pointy end forward was a full-time

task, and keeping the ball in the

middle? Forget it. "

Firecracker

can't

be slipped

and visibility on takeoffs and land

ings is nonexistent . "You never

see a landing area from the cock

pit until the plane is

just

inches

from the ground," he adds.

Gen. Halloran first saw a cam

era system installed in James L.

Wright's Howard Hughes H-1 re

production at AirVenture 2004.

Wright thought it was useless, but

only because it wasn't installed to

give him a proper field of vision .

Rrecracker s

system was install

ed

at Flabob

Airport

by

mechan

c

Mike McCue. The

components

were acquired at a local electron

ics warehouse for less than $400.

The 170 weatherproof CCD se

curity camera was available in var

ious focal lengths, and they found

one

to

meet

their

vision require

ments . The LCD monitor is ful l

color and bright enough

to

see in

all but direct sunlight. The 12-volt

system, connected to the primary

battery, could be powered by a

lighter type connection.

Now on final there really is a

runway and a center line . When

The little camera is mounted unobtrusively

taxiing, the need for S-turns is el iminated.

The system doesn't replace normal visual

indications but greatly enhances your situ

on the

bottom

of

t

he

cowl.

The small cockpit of

the

irecracker man-

dates its

position,

which doesn't really hinder

forward visibility

down

the centerline,

since

even without the camera there

isn't

any

a system for backing up, sold by an RV

supply company. Most RV systems seem

to

range from less than 500

to

several


20/44

ing to hug the engine's outline . The

Ranger's crankcase is deeper and forces

the slightly modified lines.

When seehlng someone to build the

airplane, Halloran found two sets of tal

ented hands right

on

his own airport.

"I

persuaded

the father-and-son

team of Bruce and Evan McCombs to

take on the project. It was slow work,

as

some partially completed structures

eight years, I'd been like an expectant

father watching this project come to

fruition. I'd been dreaming of making

this first flight, but it was not to be.

"A few days before it was to happen,

I had a pain

in my

chest followed

by

a very

inconvenient

heart bypass. So

a good friend of mine, Les Tugaw, did

the first flights while I sucked on oxy

gen and watched. Bummer "

der to be coordinated. That's an un

comfortable control input. The reason?

They didn't bother to design a respect

able-sized tail for conventional flying,

as the racing crowd is only concerned

with

'go fast, turn left.' Less stability

margin means more speed (to a point)

and more agility around the pylons. It's

a real handful to fly, but a very satisfy

ing challenge.


21/44

I installed a tiny 'lipstick' video camera in a fairing under the

nose and a small 4

-b

y-6-inch video screen on the glare shield

in front of me. Eureka There was a runway out there It was

great for taxiing, but on final approach was where it really

paid

off.

The comfort factor went way up. Now I thought I

was

ready

for

that 50-footer at Flabob."

Gen. Halloran missed ferrying the airplane to Oshkosh be

AII·Urethane Recovering

Handbook

ERO

CL SSIC

COLLECTOR SERIES

Vintage ires

New USA Production

Show off your pride and joy with a

fresh set of Vintage Rubber. These

newly minted tires

are

FAA-TSO'd

and speed rated to 120 MPH. Some

things are better left the way they

cause of some medical tests, so famed race pilot Skip Holm

was

called on to make the fight. (The general did get to fly the

irecrack er for

the photos you

see on

these pages.) The airplane

were, and in the 40's and 50's, these tires were perfectly in

tune to the exciting times in aviation.

Not only do these tires set your vintage plane apart from


22/44

TYP CLUB LISTING

eronca

Aeronca Aviators

Club

Robert

Szego

P.O. Box

66

Coxsackie, NY

12051

USA

518-731-3131

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.aeronca.org

Dues:

$29/yr, $55/2-yrs; $37/yr, $55/2-yrs

Canada and Foreign

Publication:

Quarterly,

Aeronca

Aviator

eronca

Fearless

Aeronca

Aviators (f-M)

John Rodkey

280

Big Sur

Dr.

Goleta,

CA 93117 USA

805-968-1274


Website: http://aeronca. westmont.edu

Dues:

Donations

accepted for server maintenance

Publication:

email

list http://mail.westmont.edu/

mailman/listinfo/aeronca

eronca

National Aeronca Assoc.

Jim

Thompson

304

Adda

St

Roberts, IL 60962 USA

217-395-2400

Email:

[email protected]

Website: www.aeroncapilots.com

Dues: $25/yr.

$35 Canada, $45

Int'.

Publication: Quarterly

eech

Beech Aero Club

Cloyd

Van

Hook

10022

Idlewood Place

River Ridge, L 70123 USA

504-619-2379

Email:

[email protected]

Website:

www.beechaeroclub.org

Dues: $50/yr.

Publication:

BAC

Talk

eech

Staggerwing Museum Foundation

P.O. Box 550

Tullahoma,

TN

37388 USA

931455-1974

eech

Twin

Beech

18

Society

Rand

Siegfried

PO.

Box 550

Tullahoma,

TN

37388

USA

931455-1974

Fax: 931445-1994


Website: www.staggerwing.com

Dues:

$50/yr.

US; $60 Foreign


Bellanca

Bellanc&Champion Club

Robert Szego

P.O.

Box 100

Coxsackie,

NY 12051 USA

518-731-6800


Website: www.bellanca-championclub.com

Dues: $38/1-yr,$72/2-yrs;

Foreign

$43/1-yr, $81/2-yrs

Publication:Quarterly, B-C Contact

Bird

Bird Airplane Club

Jeannie Hill

PO.

Box

328

Harvard,

IL 60033-0328 USA

815-943-7205

Dues:

Postage

Donation

onanza

American Bonanza Society

Thomas P Turner

Mid-Continent Airport,

PO

Box

12888

Wichita,

KS

67277 USA

316-945-1700

Fax: 316-945-1710


Website: http://www.bonanza.org

Dues:

US:

$55/yr.

Publication:

ABS Magazine

-Monthly

onanza

Twin

Bonanza Association

Richard Ward

19684

Lakeshore

Drive

Three

Rivers,

MI

49093

USA

269-279-2540

Fax: 269-279-2540


Website:

http://www.twinbonanza.com

Dues: $35/yr US; $45/yr foreign

uhl

Buhl

LA l

Bull

Pup

'

Owners

Group

Technical

Coordinator-William

R. "Bill'

Goebel

894

Heritage Creek Dr.

Rhome, TX

76078 USA

940-627-5938

Cessna

Cessna International Bird Dog Association (L-19/0-1)

Larry

Rinn

9618

Jason

Bend

Helotes, TX

78023

USA

210-695-1944

Email:

[email protected]

Website: http://www.L 19Bowwow.com

Dues:

$30/yr

US;

$35/yr

Canada;

$45/yr

Int'

Publication: Quarterly Magazine;

Monthly

Email

Newsletter

Cessna

Cessna 150

/152 Club

Lori

Colunga, Membership Coordinator

P.O.

Box

1917

Atascadero, CA

93423

USA

805-461-1958

Fax: 805-461-1035

Email: membership@cessna150 152.com

Website: http://www.cessna150 152.com

Dues:

$35/yr

internet

only

or

$45/yr postal

subscription

Pub lica

tion

: Bi-monthly

Cessna

Cessna

Airmaster

Club

Gar

Williams

9S135

Aero Drive

Naperville, IL

60564

USA

Phone:

630-904-6416


Dues:

No Dues. Membership is

restricted

to those that

own, or would like to

own,

aCessna Airmaster.

Cessna

Cessna Ryer

Association

Trevor Janz

Waupaca

Municipal Airport,

The Blue Hangar,

P.O.

Box

381

Waupaca,

WI

54981

USA

920-867-2800

Fax: 920-867-2805


mailto:[email protected]:///reader/full/www.aeronca.orgmailto:[email protected]://aeronca/http:///reader/full/westmont.eduhttp:///reader/full/http://mail.westmont.edumailto:[email protected]:///reader/full/www.aeroncapilots.commailto:[email protected]:///reader/full/www.beechaeroclub.orgmailto:[email protected]:///reader/full/www.staggerwing.commailto:[email protected]:///reader/full/www.bellanca-championclub.commailto:[email protected]:///reader/full/http://www.bonanza.orgmailto:[email protected]:///reader/full/http://www.twinbonanza.commailto:[email protected]:///reader/full/http://www.L-19Bowwow.commailto:[email protected]:///reader/full/http://www.cessna150-152.commailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:///reader/full/www.cessnaflyer.orgmailto:[email protected]:///reader/full/www.aeronca.orgmailto:[email protected]://aeronca/http:///reader/full/westmont.eduhttp:///reader/full/http://mail.westmont.edumailto:[email protected]:///reader/full/www.aeroncapilots.commailto:[email protected]:///reader/full/www.beechaeroclub.orgmailto:[email protected]:///reader/full/www.staggerwing.commailto:[email protected]:///reader/full/www.bellanca-championclub.commailto:[email protected]:///reader/full/http://www.bonanza.orgmailto:[email protected]:///reader/full/http://www.twinbonanza.commailto:[email protected]:///reader/full/http://www.L-19Bowwow.commailto:[email protected]:///reader/full/http://www.cessna150-152.commailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:///reader/full/www.cessnaflyer.org


23/44

essna

Cessna Pilots Association

John Frank, Executive

Director

3940 Mitchell Rd ,

Santa Maria, CA 93456

USA

805-934-0493

Fax:

805-934-0547


Website: http://www.cessna.org

Dues:

$55/US,

Canada,

Mexico,

$70 International

Publication: E-ATIS

electronic weekly/

CPA

Magazine

monthly

essna

Cessna

T-50 Bamboo

Bomber

Jim Anderson

Box 269

Sunwood

Marine

St.

Croix, MN 55047 USA

612-433-3024

Fax: 612-433-5691


Website: http://www.cessnat50.org

Dues: Call Club for Info


essna

Eastern Cessna 190

/195

Association

Cliff

Crabs

25575 Butternut Ridge Road

North Olmsted, OH 44070

USA

440-777-4025


Dues: $15

Publication:

4/yr.

essna

International

Cessna

120/140 Association

Ken

&

Lorraine

Morris, President

2900

Howard St

Poplar Grove

, IL

61065

USA

815-547-3991

Email: president@cessna120 140.org

Website: www.cessna120 140.org

Dues:

$25/yr.

Publication: 7 ssues

per

year, included in

membership

essna

International Cessna 170

ASSOCiation Inc.

Jan

Billeb, Executive

Secretary

22 Vista View Ln.

Cody

WY 82414 USA

307-587-6397

Fax: 307-587-4297


Website: http://www.cessna170.org

Dues: $45

USD/yr

or $130

USD /3

yrs

Publication: Rypaper-monthly;

T

he 170 News-quarterly

essna

International Cessna 180/185

Club

(ownership required)

orben

Corben Club

Robert

Taylor

P.O.

Box 127

Blakesburg, IA 52536

USA

515-938-2773

Fax:

515-938-2093


Website:

www.aaa apm.org

Dues: $15/yr.

Publication: -3

ulver

Culver

Club

Brent Taylor

P.O.

Box 127

Blakesburg

,

IA 52536

USA

515-938-2773

Fax:

515-938-2093


Website: www.aaa apm.org

Dues: $15/yr.

Publication:

(3) 16

pg.

Ercoupe

Ercoupe

Owners Club

Carolyn

T.

Carden

P.O. Box 7117

Ocean Isle

Beach,

NC 28469 USA

910-575-2758

Email:

[email protected]

Website: www.ercoupe.org

Dues: $30/yr.

US; $35

Foreign

Publication:

Monthly,

Coupe Capers

Fairchild

Fairchild

Club

John W. Berendt, President

7645 Echo Point R

oad

Cannon Falls, MN 55009

USA

507-263-2414

Email

:

[email protected]

Website: http://www.fairchildc/ub.com

Dues: $20/yr.

Publication:

Quarterly

Fairchild

Fairchild Fan Club

Robert L.

Taylor

P O. Box 127

Blakesburg, IA 52536 USA

515-938-2773

Fax

: 515-938-2093



Dues:

$15

Publication:

(3) 16

pg.

Fleet

International

Reet Club

Great Lakes

Great Lakes

Club

Brent L.

Taylor Editor

P. O. Box 127


USA

515-938-2773

Fax:

515-938-2093


Website:

www.aaa apm.org

Dues: $15

Publication:

(3)

16 pg. Newsletter

Grumman

The American Yankee

Association

Stewart Wilson

P.O. Box 1531

Cameron

Park, CA 95682

USA

530-676-4292

Email:

[email protected]

Website:

http://

www.aya.org

Dues:

$40/yr.

Publication: The American

STAR

-Bi-monthly

Harvard

Canadian

Harvard

Aircraft Association

Ray Whittemore, President

P.O.

Box

175

Tillsonburg,

ON N4G

3T9 Canada

519-842-9922

Fax:

519-842-3292

Email:

[email protected]

Website:

www.harvards.com

Dues:

$50/yr.

Publication:

Quarterly The ROAR of

the Harvard

Hatz

Hatz

Biplane Association

Lyman Hatz

PO.

Box

10

Weyauwega

,

WI

54983

USA

715-536-1069


Website: http

www.weebeastie com/ hatzcbl/

Dues:

$20

/yr.

Publication:

Quarterly

Hatz

Hatz Club

Robert L.

Taylor

P. O. Box 127

Blakesburg, IA

52536 USA

515-938-2773

Fax: 515-938-2093

Email:

[email protected]


Dues:

$15

/ yr.

Publication: (3) Hatz Herald

mailto:[email protected]:///reader/full/http://www.cessna.orgmailto:[email protected]:///reader/full/http://www.cessnat50.orgmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:///reader/full/www.cessna120-140.orgmailto:[email protected]:///reader/full/http://www.cessna170.orgmailto:[email protected]:///reader/full/www.aaa-apm.orgmailto:[email protected]:///reader/full/www.aaa-apm.orgmailto:[email protected]:///reader/full/www.ercoupe.orgmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:///reader/full/http://www.fairchildc/ub.commailto:[email protected]:///reader/full/www.aaa-apm.orgmailto:[email protected]:///reader/full/www.aaa-apm.orgmailto:[email protected]:///reader/full/www.aya.orghttp:///reader/full/www.aya.orgmailto:[email protected]:///reader/full/www.harvards.commailto:[email protected]:///reader/full/http://www.weebeastie.comhttp:///reader/full/http://www.weebeastie.comhttp:///reader/full/http://www.weebeastie.comhttp:///reader/full/http://www.weebeastie.comhttp:///reader/full/http://www.weebeastie.commailto:[email protected]:///reader/full/www.aaa-apm.orgmailto:[email protected]:///reader/full/http://www.cessna.orgmailto:[email protected]:///reader/full/http://www.cessnat50.orgmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:///reader/full/www.cessna120-140.orgmailto:[email protected]:///reader/full/http://www.cessna170.orgmailto:[email protected]:///reader/full/www.aaa-apm.orgmailto:[email protected]:///reader/full/www.aaa-apm.orgmailto:[email protected]:///reader/full/www.ercoupe.orgmailto:[email protected]:///reader/full/http://www.fairchildc/ub.commailto:[email protected]:///reader/full/www.aaa-apm.orgmailto:[email protected]:///reader/full/www.aaa-apm.orgmailto:[email protected]:///reader/full/www.aya.orgmailto:[email protected]:///reader/full/www.harvards.commailto:[email protected]:///reader/full/http://www.weebeastie.commailto:[email protected]:///reader/full/www.aaa-apm.org


24/44

nterstate

Interstate

Club

Brent

Taylor

P

O. Box

127

Blakesburg,

IA 52536

USA

515-938-2773

Fax: 515-938-2093

Email:

[email protected]

Website:

ww w

.

aaa-apm.org

Dues:

$15 /yr.

Publication:

(3)

Interstate Intercom

Luscombe

Continental Luscombe Association

Ellie Madison, President,

Patti Sani

, Membership

10251

E. Central Ave.

Del

Rey, CA 93616 USA

559-888-2745

Email: cla jim [email protected]

Website: luscombeda.org

Dues: $24

US,

$30 Canada,

$36

Foreign

. US

Funds

Publication:

The Courant (bi-monthly)

Luscombe

Luscombe Association

Steve

Krog

1002

Heather

Lane

Hartford, WI 53027 USA

262-966-7627

Fax:

262-966-9627


Website: www.luscombeassoc.org

Dues:

$25 USD -US &

Canada

,

$30 Foreign

Publication:

Luscombe

Association Newsletter 6/ yr

Luscombe

The Luscombe Endowment Inc.

Doug Combs

2487

S.

Gilbert

Rd Unit

106,

PMB

113

Gilbert, Al 85295

USA

48M50-0883

Fax:

484-762-6711

Ema il:

mr

luscombe@luscombe

org

Website

:

luscombe.org

Dues

:

None

Required, Donations

Requested

, WIN

ME Raffle support

Publicati

on

: Combined written

and on

line at

www.luscombe.org

Meyers

Meyers Aircraft Owners Association

Doug Eshelman

1563

Timber

Ridge

Dr.

Brentwood ,

TN

37027

USA

615-400-3382

Fax:

615-371-8231


Dues:

Postage Fund

Donation

Publication:

newsletter

3 4 times yearly

Naval ircraft

N3N Owners and Restorers

Association

H.

Ronald

Kempka

2380

Country

Road

217

Cheyenne, WY

82009

USA

Phone:

307-638-2210


Dues:

$15/ yr.

Publication:

On Yahoo.

com

Navion

American Navion Society

Gary

Rankin

PMB

335,

16420

SE McGill i

vray 103

Vancouver,

WA

98683

USA

May -

Oct:

360-833-9921 ;

Nov

-April:623-975-4052

Fax:

May

-

Oct:

360-833-9921;

Nov

-

April:

623-975-4062


Website: www.navionsociety.org

Dues:

US

$60

/

yr.;

Canada

$64

/

yr.;

Fore ign $74/ yr.

Publication: The Navioneer Bi-monthly)

Navion

Nav ion

Pilots

Association

Jon Hartman

P.O.

Box 6656

Ventura

, CA

93006

USA

805-320-3924

Fax:

805-672-

2424

Email

:

jon

navionpilots org

Webs

i

te:

www

navionpilots

org

Dues: $25 /yr.

Publication:

News via

web

Navion

Navion Skies

Raleigh Morrow

P.O.

Box 2678

Lodi

, CA

95241 USA

209-482-

7754

Fax:

209-367-9390

Webs

i

te:

http navionskies.com

Dues:

$45/

yr.

Publication: Navion Skies/American

Navioneer

Parrakeet

Parrakeet Pilot Club

Barry Taylor

Bo

x127

B

akesburg

, IA 52536 USA

515-938-2773

Fax: 515-938-2093

Email

:

[email protected]

Website:

www.aaa apm.org

Dues: $15

Publication: (

3)

The Parrakeet Pilot

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26/44

FROM

THE

TRAVEL AIR RESTORER'S ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER

The technical corner: elementary assembly and rigging

Y

RO ERT

G.

LOCK

In the previous edition

we

discussed

assembly and rigging

of

major

airframe structural

components

This article will complete my

thoughts on elementary assembly

and rigging techniques, focusing

on

control surfaces and post-flight rig

ging changes. Hopefully, I can pass

along a few secrets that will make

the job easier and still give the

desired results.

Part

Flight

ontrol

Details

Some

aircraft

are designed

with

aileron

differential. That is, the

UP travel is more than the DOWN

travel. This

is

done to

correct

for

adverse yaw, a phenomenon caused

by an increase or decrease in drag

at

the wingtips when the ailerons

are

moved UP

or DOWN.

An

ex

by the DOWN-moving aileron. This

is aileron

differential.

You

can

tell i f aileron differen

tial is used

in your

aircraft by look-

ing closely

at the

bell crank.

I f

the throw is the same in both the

UP

and

DOWN

direction, the

ai

leron will

move

the

same

amount

in either directi

on.

My

Command

Aire ailerons move 25

degrees

UP

and 25 degrees

DOWN.

With

ab

slotted aileron because

i t

pro

vided very good low-speed

lateral

control.

Originally conceived by

the Englishman

L.G.

Friese

(the

aileron type is

commonly

spelled

frieze and pronounced freeze )

and the

German

Dr.

Gustav

V

Lachmann at

about

the

same

time

in history,

i t

featured a generous

slot

between

the

wing and aileron

leading

edge that

allowed air to

flow

over

the top

of

the

aileron at

high angles of attack as the wing

approached the stalling angle.

However, its drawback was a drag

penalty

at

cruise speed.

The

aileron

was hinged

at

the main

spar, and

as the aileron moved UP-the lead-

ing

edge dropped below the bot

tom

wing

surface.

This feature

was

to add some drag to the UP-moving

aileron to counteract adverse yaw.

Look

at

all

the early low-powered

monoplanes

such as Piper Cub,

Aeronca Champ,

Taylorcraft,

Bel-

lanca

Citabria, etc.

They

all use the

Friese slotted aileron.

The

New

Standard

D-25

I

cur

rently

fly uses a large

aileron

on the

upper wing that is 9 feet in length

and has a chord of 16 inches at

its

widest paint.

I t is hinged

at

its


27/44

the airplane is slow in turbulent air,

aileron response is terrible. With a

4S-foot

upper

wingspan, it takes a

large amount of

aileron

force to re

move

the airplane

from

a roll cre

ated by turbulence, plus you

need

to add a generous amount of rud

der input.

Elevator

travel usually exhibits

more UP travel than DOWN travel

because the aircraft is

slightly

nose

heavy in

its design of

the

center of

gravity position

and

doesn't need a

large

amount

of

DOWN travel.

Rudder travel is usually the

same

amount

both LEFT

and

RIGHT.

The

rudder

should

be rigged with the

full

amount

of travel, as

it

is

the

rudder that stops rotation during a

spin. I f

your airplane

does

not have

published control-system

travel

data

,

look

at the

Stearman rigging

manual.

Under no

circumstances

should the

rudder,

when

deflected

full

LEFT or RIGHT,

contact the

elevator. Rudder travel is usually

around S degrees left

and

right.

I should point

out

that aircraft

designed in

accordance

with ro-

nautics ulletin 7

(the original

issue)

were

not

required to

have

control

stops on ailerons and elevators.

El-

evator stops were

essentially the

control

stick

contacting

the

back

of the front

seat

(down stop) and

the

front

of

the

back

seat

(up stop).

Aileron stops were

the

stick con

tacting

the

pilot's knees.

There

was

a limiting movement stop

on

rud

der

because it

would

contact the el

evator, which

wasn't

a good

thing.

Look at old

photos

of airplanes of

control stick

in

the rear

cockpi t

by

measuring

from

side

to side. Clamp

the stick

in

position so it

cannot move. f the

sys

tem

is

cable-controlled,

start

by assembling

the

cables symmetrically. To

do so,

either count

the

number of turns

on

each

turnbuckle or snug the ca

ble turnbuckles until

the

threads of

the

cable ends

just

disappear inside

the

turnbuckle barrel. Control

surface

rigging,

especially

the ailerons, requires that

bell cranks be positioned

accurately, so symmetri

cal

assembly

of cables will

give you a good start to the

rigging

process.

In

a

cable

control system there

is a

left and

right aileron

ca

ble

and

a

balance or

carry

through cable. Once cable

tension

has been

snugged, observe

the position of the aileron

trailing

edge

to

wing

trailing edge. That is

your

reference

point

to

start.

If

you

reach inside

the wing and

pull

on

anyone of those three cabl es, the

aileron

trailing

edge will move e i-

ther up

or down .

The balance

cable

will

move both trailing edges ei

ther

UP or DOWN

depending on

which side of

th

e bell

crank

it is

attached. Once

you

see

which

ca

ble moves the aileron in which di

rection,

you

can proceed

without

chasing yourself round and round.

Remember, when rigging

ailerons

it

F

igur

e

Fig

ure 2

tighter than the

other.

That's

be

cause

of

the

weight

of

the aileron

aft

of

the

hinge line.

In flight and

when the

ailerons neutralize,

the

tension should be

the

same.

I f the control is a push-pull rod,

start by making each

rod

the

same

length. This is always the best place

to

start.

Use

the

same

procedure

for setting droop

in

ailerons.

When

finished rigging, the push-pull rods

should

be

the

same length.

Rigging Elevators: Rigging el

evators

can pose a small problem

because

many older

aircraft had

movable

horizontal stabilizers used


28/44

it

reads the

correct amount.

I f

no

data are available, look at biplanes

where the data s available. You can

adjust travel

by

altering

the

length

of

the

UP and DOWN cable, which

will

alter

the neutral position

of

the control

stick.

When

deflec

tion is correct, tension

both

cables

equally

and

safety. Figure 2 shows

the

aircraft

leveled longitudinally

and laterally.

Rigging Elevator

Trim

Tabs:

f

the

aircraft

is

equipped with

ele

vator trim tabs, assemble the ca

bles symmetrically

and snug. Make

sure

the t bs

move in

the

proper di-

rection Don't rig them backward.

Tab

UP moves

the

elevator

DOWN.

Tab DOWN moves the elevator UP.

Once the cables are snugged, you

may need

to

adjust

the length

of

ca

bles to get the travel

to

the correct

amount. Once travel is correct, ten

sion each cable symmetrically

and

safety. Here, a single-wrap safety is

used because the cable diameter is

usually

1/16

or

3/32

inches.

Rigging Rudder:

On

some

aircraft

the vertical fin is offset to the left

to counteract the effects of engine

torque. The rudder should be rigged

neutral to the vertical fin

even

if it

is offset.

Clamp

the rudder pedals

in neutral;

symmetrically

assem

ble the left and right cables. Many

older aircraft

just

used springs

to

hold the rudder pedals forward; the

tension on the rudder

cables

was

provided

by the

pilot's

feet.

So

you

cannot

rig much

tension

in

the

ca

until the

system

is

tensioned.

A

cable tensiometer can

be used

to

determine actual cable tension .

However,

most older aircraft did

not

use a high

amount

of tension

just

enough

to transfer

movement

from

the control source to

the sur

face. Somewhere around 20 pounds

was

common.

f the

tension

is

too

loose there will be slop in the

control.

f

tens io n is

too tight the

control

will

feel heavy when

moved. Seek

a

tension between

tight and

loose.

Cable

tension

will

depend on wha t type of pulleys are

installed

in the system. Old pulleys

had

only a

bronze bushing

in

the

center, while

newer

pulleys use a

sealed bearing. The sealed

bearing

type pulley can

withstand

higher

tensions. For

this

type of pulley 40

to

50

pounds might

be

the norm.

NEVER attempt to

clean

threads

using

a

thread die.

All aircraft threads

are rolled type and

a

thread

die

WILL

NOT WORK

but

that's just my choice.

Figure

7-24 shows

the correct

safety pro

cedure. Note that there should be

four turns minimum on the

wrap.

Pay

particular

attention

to

Table

7-8 for

approved

wire

diameter

and

type.

Note

that

.040-inch

diameter

wire is approved for cables

1/16

inch

to 5/32-inch

diameters, and

that brass,

annealed stainless

steel,

monel, and

K-monel

wire

can

be used.

Push-Pull

Rod

Safetying:

Push

pull rods have adjustable ends

that

feature rolled threads

inserted

in

side a

threaded

barrel welded

to the

tube.

There will be a hole drilled

through the barrel, called

a

wit

ness hole.

The

hole

is there so a

piece of safety wire can be inserted

to

check

if

the

adjustable

rod

end

is threaded

far

enough

into

the

barrel. f the wire contacts the ad

justable

end,

hold the end with

a

wrench

and tighten

the jam

nut

snug.

Some push-pull

rods

may

have female threads

and some

may

have threads

on the

end. Whatever

type,

a

witness

hole

is

provided

so

one can

determine

proper thread

engagement. NEVER

attempt to

clean threads using a

thread

die.

All aircraft threads are rolled type,

and a

thread

die WILL NOT WORK.

You can purchase a

set

of

thread

cleaners

or

use a thread file to

touch

up slightly damaged

threads

i f the need arises. Aircraft threads

are special-don't mess

with

the

threads They are all rolled,

not

cut.

Thread dies

will not

work.

Don ' t


29/44


30/44

trimmed

for level flight?

Where

is

the

trim

handle or control in

level

flight? These are

just

a few ques

tions that need

answers .

Post-Rigging

Adjustments:

f-

ter the

aircraft

has been

test-flown,

there may

be

further rigging ad

justments that

need

to be made.

Assuming that both wingtips were

washed-out the same amount,

the

aircraft may be

lef t-wing

heavy.

Let's

explore washout and

wing heaviness

before progressing.

I t

is

customary

to wash out both

wingtips so that

the

ailerons are

somewhat

effective into the stall.

Washout is the

twisting

of

wingtips

UP Washout

is

usually

1

to

2

de

grees. Let's say

that the

fixed

angle

of

incidence

of the

lower wing is

plus-2

degrees-that

is,

the

chord

line

is 2 degrees

up

from

the

longi

tudinal axis of the aircraft . So if you

set the wingtips at minus-2 degrees,

the result

is

that the tips would

read 0 degrees. The

New

Standard

has 4 degrees of washout in the up

per

wings;

the aileron trailing

edge

is

curved

up

to meet

the

tip

of

the

wing. You don't need to level the

airplane again to adjust washout.

Next,

let's

explore

why an air

craft would exhibit left-wing heavi

ness

(the aircraft

rolls to

the

left) .

The airplane tends to react to

pro

peller torque opposite the direction

of prop

rotation.

I f

the

prop

ro

tates clockwise when

viewed

from

the rear, the airplane will tend to

rotate

counterclockwise,

which

is

a

left-rolling motion.

You

should

But

what

happens when you

slightly increase the

lift on

the

left

side

of the

airplane? You also

in

crease the drag because

lift

and

drag are

closely

associated. Now

the

airplane

flies

wings

level

but

yaws slightly to the

left.

If

the

air

plane

has

an

adjustable

vertical fin,

But what

happens

when

you

slightly

increase

the

lift

on the left side

of

the airplane?

move the leading edge to the left

until the

airplane flies straight and

the

ball is centered. If the fin can

not be adjusted it will be necessary

to

add or adjust

a

ground-adjustable

trim tab

on the

rudder

trailing edge.

Bend the tab to the left to force rud

d

Vintage Airplane - Jan 2008

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Transcript of Vintage Airplane - Jan 2008