June1998 Vol. 26, No.

6
CONTENTS
1 Str aight & LeveIlEspie "Butch" Joyce
2 MC News
4 Sun 'n Fun Awards List
5 Aeromail
6 MC Safety/Roger Gomoll
8 Type Club NoteslNonn Petersen
9 Pass it to Buck/Buck Hilbert
10 Preparing a Swift (Part 11)/
Jim Montague
13 Sun 'n Fun '98/H.G. Frautschy
19 1998 Sun 'n Fun Spash-In/
Nonn Petersen
21 What Our Members Are
RestoringlNOIm Petersen
22 Mystery PlanelH.G. Frautschy
28 Membership Information/
Classified Ads
29 Welcome New Members
30 Calendar
Page21
FRONTCOVER...Twin Wacos...JohnCollierandEd ByarsofSeneca,SCboth
restoreda pairofWacoYKS-6s in identicalcolorschemes,andhavea great
timegiving people"doublevision" whentheyflyintoairportsaroundthe
southeasternU.S.EAAphotobyJim Koepnick,shotwitha CanonEOS-ln
equippedwithan80-200mmlens. 1/500 @ f7.5 on 100ASAt ransparencyf ilm.
EAACessna 210photoplaneflownbyBruceMoore.
BACKCOVER..."The BabyRuth Ai rplane"nostalgicallyrecallsa timewhen
aerialadvertisingwassometimemuchmorethana skywritten message.
Paintedin watercolors, theartwork, anHonorableMentionribbonwinnerin
the 1997SportAviationArtCompetitionwascreat edbyTerranceGeerof
Tampa, FL. Fora bitmoreinformation,pleaseseeAI C News.
EAr,)
Copyright 1998bythefAAAntique/ClassicDivision Inc.All rightsreserved.
VINTAGEAIRPLANE (ISSN 0091-6943) is published and owned exclusively by the EMAntique/Classic Division, Inc.of the Experimental
Aircraft Association and ispublished monthlyat EMAviation Center.3000 Poberezny Rd., P.O. Box 3086. Oshkosh, Wisconsin 549033086.
PeriodicalsPostagepaidatOshkosh,Wisconsin54901 and atadditionalmailingoffices. ThemembershiprateforEMAntique/ClassicDivision,
Inc.is$27.00forcurrentEMmembersfor12monthperiodofwhich$18.00isforthepublicationofVINTAGEAIRPlANE. Membershipisopen
toall whoareinterestedinaviation.
POSTMASTER:Send address changes toEMAntique/Classic Division,Inc.,P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 549033086. FOREIGN ANDAPO
ADDRESSES- Pleaseallowatleasttwo monthsfordeliveryofVINTAGEAIRPLANEtoforeignandAPOaddressesviasurtacemail.
ADVERTISING - Antique/Classic Division doesnotguarantee orendorse any productoffered through the advertising. We inviteconstructive
criticismandwelcomeanyreportofinferiormerchandiseobtainedthroughouradvertisingsothatcorrectivemeasurescanbetaken.
EDITORIALPOUCY:Readersareencouragedtosubmitstoriesand photographs. Policyopinionsexpressedinarticlesaresolelythoseofthe
authors. Responsibilityforaccuracyinreporting restsentirelywiththecontributor.Norenumerationis made.
Materialshould besentto: Editor,VINTAGEAIRPLANE,P.O.Box3086,Oshkosh,WI54903-3086. Phone920/426-4800.
The words EM,ULTRAUGHT,FLY WITH THE FIRSTTEAM, SPORT AVIATION, FOR THE LOVE OF FLYING and the logosofEM,EM
INTERNATIONALCONVENTION,EAAANTIQUE/CLASSICDMSION,INTERNATIONALAEROBATICCLUB,WARBIRDSOFAMERICAare
registered trademarks. THE EAA SKY SHOPPE and logos ofthe EAA AVIATION FOUNDATION,EAA ULTRALIGHT CONVENTION and
EAAAirVenturearetrademarksoftheaboveassociationsandtheirusebyanypersonotherthantheaboveassociationisstrictlyprohibited.
EDITORIALSTAFF
Publisher
TomPoberezny
Editor-in-Chiel
JackCox
Editor
HenryG.Frautschy
ManagingEditor
Golda Cox
Director01 PrintProduction
MikeDrucks
ComputerGraphicSpecialists
NancyHanson OliviaL. Phillip
PierreKotze
AssociateEditor
NormPetersen
StaffPhotographers
JimKoepnick LeeAnnAbrams
KenLichtenberg
Advertising/EditorialAssistant
IsabelleWiske
EAAANTIQUE/CLASSICDIVISION,INC.
OFFICERS
President
Vice-President
Espie"Butch"Joyce GeorgeDoubner
P.O.Box35584 2448LoughLone
Greensboro,NC27425 Hart1ord. WI 53027
910/393-0344 414/6735885
Secretory Treasurer
SteveNesse CharlesHarns
2009HighlondAve. 7215East46thSI.
AlbertLeo,MNsu:JJ7 Tulsa,OK 74145
507/373-1674 918/622-8400
DIRECTORS
JohnBerendt GeneMorris
7645EchoPointRd. 5936SteveCourt
CannonFalls, MN55009 Roanoke,TX 76262
507/263-2414 817/491-9110
Phil Coulson RobertC."Bob"Brauer
28415SpringbrookDr. 9345S.Hoyne
Law1on, MI49065
ChiCOW'IL 60620
616/624-6490 312/ 79-2105
JoeDickey
JohnS.Copeland
SSOakeyAv.
1 ADeaconStreet
Lowrenceburg, IN 47025 Northborout,MA01532
812/5379354
508/3 34775
DaleA.Gustafson
StanGomoll
7724ShodyHill Dr.
104290thLone,NE
Indianapolis,IN 46278

317/293-4430
RobertuCkfeig
JeannieHill
1708BayOoks r. P.O.Box328
AlbertLea,MNsu:JJ7 Harvard, IL60033
507/373-2922 815/943-7205
DeanRichardson RobertD. "Bob" Lumley
6701 ColonyDr. 1265South 124thSt.
Madison,WI 53717 Brookfeld,WI53005
608/833- 1291 414/7822633
S.H.'Wes' Schmid Gao" Robison
2359LefeberAvenue 1521 E.MacGregorDr.
Wauwatosa,WI 53213 NewHaven,IN 46774
414/771-1545 219/493-4724
GeorgeYork
181 SlobodaAv.
Monsfield,OH44906
419/529-4378
DIRECTORS EMERITUS
GeneChase E.E."Buck"Hilbert
2159CarltonRd. P.O. Box424
Oshkosh, WI 54904 Union, IL60180
920/231-5002 815/923-4591
ADVISORS
SieveKrog RogerGomoll
1002HeatherLn. 321-1/2S.Broadway
Hart1ord,WI 53027 Apt.3
414/966-7627 Rochester,MN55904
507288-2810
AlanShocklelon DavidBenne"
P.O. Box656 403TonnerCt.
SugorGrove, IL60554-0656 Roseville, CA95678
630-466-4931 916-782-7025
STRAIGHT&LEVEL
byESPIE"BUTCH" JOYCE
H
ereit is June onceagain and
EAA AirVentureOshkoshis
notthatfaraway.Thereare a
lot ofEAAstaffandagoodnumberof
volunteersalreadyonthe Convention
site...hardatworkgettingthe area
readyforyourenjoyment. Beingavol-
unteerfora good manyyears(over
20), it has beenmy pleasureto have
madefriends withanumberofpeople
whom Iwould nothave known ifit
hadnotbeen for aviation. Mostof
themI seeonlyoncea yearwhile at
/ Oshkosh. Ifyou have nottriedvolun-
teeringwhileattendingtheConvention,
you shouldtryit onceto see ifitis as
rewardingto youas it is forme. You
might like it, and we coulduse the
help! Here'sa listoftheAntique/Clas-
sic chairmen- give them a call if
you'dlike to knowmore:
AeroGram DataProcessing
Bill Marcy JanetBennett
303-798-6086 916-782-7025
AntiqueAwards
FlightLine
DeanRichardson
Safety
608-257-8801
PhilCoulson
616-624-6490
ClassicA wards
GeorgeYork
SafeFlying
419-529-4378
SteveKrog
414-966-7627
Const.andMaint.
StanGomoll
Fly-Out
612-784-1172
BobLumley
Contemporary 414-784-2633
Awards
Forums
DanKnutson
608-592-3712
JohnBerendt
507-263-2414
ComputerOper-
ations HaU ofFame
EarlNicholas DeanRichardson
708-382-5424 608-257-8801
HeadQuarters Photo
RuthCoulson JackMcCarthy
616-624-6490 317-371-1290
InterviewCircle
AlC Picnic
CharlieHarris
JeannieHill
918-622-8400
815-943-7205
ManPower
AnnaOsborn
AlC Media-PR
210-896-4614
JeannieHill
815-943-7205
Membership/
Chapter
Security
BobBrauer
GeoffRobison
312-779-2105
219-493-4724
OX-SPioneers
BobWallace
TourTram
410-686-3279
JamesLeFever
MetalForming
414-434-1656
Workshop
SteveNesse
TypeClubHQ
507-373-1674
JoeDickey
812-537-9354
Parking&
Safety
VolunteerHost.
GeorgeDaubner
JudyWyrembeck
414-673-5885
414-231-4487
Participant
Plaque WorkShop
JackCopeland GeorgeMeade
508-842-7867 414-926-2428
Everyyearpeoplecall to askme
howtheycanparkin theAntique/Clas-
sicarea.It'ssimple- youshouldhave
aVintageAircraftthatfits withinoneof
ourthreejudgingcategories: Antique-
up to Dec.31, 1945; Classic- Jan. I,
1946 throughDec.31, 1955; and Con-
temporary- Jan. 1, 1956throughDec.
31, 1960. Byfollowing the flag people
andansweringtheirquestions, youwill
bedirectedtotheVintageAircraftarea
for parking.
Theparkingvolunteerswill only
needto know ifyou will be camping
with youraircraftornot. To speed up
the process, make up a sign thatsays
A/C PARKINGorA/C CAMPING,
whichever is appropriate for your
needs. Oneotherhelpful signwould
stateRETURNINGGRANDCHAM-
PIONsoyouwillbeparkedin aspecial
placeofhonor.
Thisyear,throughtheeffortsofthe
EAAand NBAAyouwill beableto
seehowcivilianaviationhasplayedan
importantpartinthe developmentof
corporateAmerica. Manyoftheair-
planes included in the display,which
will be locatedonthe WestRampjust
north ofthe AlC Red Bam,are vintage
airplanesbroughtto EAAAirVenture
Oshkosh byfellow Antique/ Classic
members who were invitedto do so by
the EAA.
Ifyouhave missedseeingaparticu-
larGrandChampion, manyofthese
airplaneswill beondisplay, parkedfac-
ingwestalongthe pavedNorth-South
road in frontoftheRedBam. We will
againhave somehistoricnoteworthy
aircrafton displayin theareadirectlyin
frontoftheRedBam.
InsidetheMaintenancetentbeside
the Red Bamwill be avery interesting
displayand a "how-to"session on
metal forming byexpertsin thisfield.
SteveNesseis thechairmanofthis ac-
tivityand will have more details for
younextmonth.TheveryactiveType
ClubHeadquarters is alsojustsouthof
the Barn.Youcanmeeta lotofyour
friends in this area, andfind outmore
aboutthatparticularplaneyou'vebeen
thinkingaboutbuying.
Afterwritingaboutsomeofthese
activitiesIam startingto getexcited
about going to EAA AirVenture
Oshkosh. Don'tmiss it- it'sgoingto
beoneofthebestever!
Pleasebecareful outthere- hand
prop yourbrain before yourplane; we
don'twantto see anyonegethurt!
Let'sall pull in the samedirection for
the good ofaviation. Rememberwe
are bettertogether. Join us andhave
itall!!
Butch
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 1
AD (ADD No. 97-CE-79-AD) pro- for longitudinal cracks through bold,
posed at the end of last year. Since that nail and spacer holes. Inspect the but
A/C NEWS
time, an alternate means of compliance end of both spars for cracks. Additional
has been created. Published by Ameri- inspection holes should be added as
compiled by H.G. Frautschy
ABOUTTHEBACKCOVER...
Terrance Geer, 2813 Kimberly Ln.,
Tampa, FL 33618 is the artist responsi-
ble for "The Baby Ruth Airplane"
featured on our back cover. Terrance
has been, at one point in time, a ma-
chinist, draftsman, illustrator, Air Corps
radioman and he's worked in aerospace
administration and management. For
him, drawing and painting have always
been a hobby, with aircraft just one of
his many favorite subjects among peo-
ple and buildings.
"The Baby Ruth Airplane" is a water-
color. As explained by Terrance, "What
two things could have generated more
interest for youngsters of the early thir-
ties . The Baby Ruth promotion was
carried out in many metropolitan areas
throughout the u.s. Contractor pilots per-
formed the parachute run in Travel Airs,
Stearmans, Curtiss Robins, Kinners and
Wacos. All were there during a couple
of summers around 1930. Regulations
prohibiting low flying brought this
memorable aviation classic to a close."
NEWLAYOUTFOR
NEW MEMBERS
Starting this month, acting on a sug-
gestion from a member, we have
redesigned the "Welcome New Mem-
bers" page to make it easier for you to
spot any new members who are in your
local area. The first section lists each of
the international new members, and
then the North American entries are
listed in alphabetical order by state and
by name. Now, if you're looking for
someone in, for example, Nebraska, just
run down the right edge of the column
until you see "NE," then check the
names listed. We hope this proves to
make it easier for New Members and
current members to get together!
ALTERNATEMETHODOF
AERONCASPARINSPECTION
COMPLIANCE
The FAA has not, as of May 18,
1998, issued a final rule regarding the
American Champion spar inspection
2 JUNE 1998
can Champion Aircraft Corp. as Service
Letter406RevisionA, the entire text
of the Service bulletin reads as follows:
Date: May 6, 1998
Title: Wood Spar Inspection
ApplicableModels: All Model 7's, 8's
and 11 's with wood spar wings
Description: There have been re-
ports of cracks developing in wood
spars, both front and rear. There are
many possible causes to the cracking
including: high flight time, wing dam-
age history , high acrobatic time,
over-stress history, or having been ex-
posed to changes in humidity over
several years . Compression cracks
have been found emanating from the
upper and lower surfaces of the front
and rear wing spars at both ends of the
reinforcement plate for the lift strut at-
tachment. Longitudinal cracks have
been reported in all areas of both front
and rear spars including through the
wing root. See Figure 1 for example
locations of spar cracks.
Approval: Revision A to this ser-
vice letter is approved by the FAA,
Manager, Chicago Aircraft Certifica-
tion Office, ACE-l 15C, by letter dated
May 6, 1998, as an alternative method
of compliance with AD 98-05-04, para-
graphs (a)(l), a(2), (a)(4) and (f), only.
Compliance: American Champion
Aircraft recommends that the inspection
presented herein be accomplished be-
fore acrobatic flight, within the next 30
days, or 10 hours of flight and at each
100 hour/annual inspection, thereafter.
Also, immediate inspection is manda-
tory if the aircraft is involved in an over
stress condition, tip ground strike, or
nose over.
The inspection procedures described
herein are not intended to be a substitute
for a properly performed 100 hour.an-
nual inspection. Refer to Advisory
Circular (AC) 43.13-1A: Acceptable
Methods, Techniques and practices; Air-
craft Inspection and Repair.
Inspection: Remove all wing in-
spection covers and wing root gap
cover. Using traditional methods, (such
as flashlight and mirror) inspect full
span along the front and rear wing spars
necessary to do a thorough inspection
and check all areas of concern. Service
letter 417, Revision C, may be used as a
guide for installing additional inspec-
tion holes.
Inspect for loose or missing rib nails
per Service Letter C-13 9. Ifloose or
missing nails are found, inspect spar by
the rib for damage resulting from the
rib rubbing against the spar. If the fric-
tion between the rib and spar has
broken the wood grain completely
across the spar and more than 1116"
deep, this is cause for rejection. Also
inspect for nail hole elongation. Rejec-
tion must also occur if the nail holes
have been elongated such that wood
grains are broken more than 1/16".
Page 2
Inspection: The only area it is possi-
ble to possible to positively identify a
compression crack is on the top and
bottom surfaces of the spar. Both front
and rear spars need to be inspected. The
key areas to be concerned with are
shown in Figure 1. Additional inspec-
tion holes may be necessary to do a
thorough inspection. Service letter 417,
Revision C, may be used as a guide for
installing additional inspection holes.
Warning: Compression failures are
often difficult to detect with the unaided
eye. Do not expect an open crack or
gap. Compression failures start as
barely visible, minute, jagged series of
lines running cross grain on the top or
bottom of the spar.
Important: the initial inspection de-
scribed below does not guarantee
adequate access to compression failure
experience. Also, this method is inade-
quate for aircraft with wing damage
history since last spar inspection.
For initial inspection of the spar top, a
high intensity flexible light (for example:
'Bend-A-Light') and small inspection
mirror can be used in conjunction with
a small wooden wedge. First temporar-
ily push the leading edge skin away
from the front spar cap gently with the
wooden wedge. After closely illuminat-
ing the area of concern with the
'Bend-A-Light,' inspect, as closely as
possible, with the small inspection mir-
ror. Thismethodis usefulattheendsof
thedoublerplatesontopofthe front
spar. Thisis consideredaninitialinspec-
tiononly.Ifthereareanyquestionable
fmdings, furtherinspectionthroughad-
ditional inspectionholesisrequired.
Forinitial inspectionofthesparbot-
tom, ahigh intensityflexible lightand
two mirrorscanbe used. Afterresting
onemirroronthefabric underthearea
ofconcernandplacingthe"Bend-A-
Light"adjacentto the area,inspectwith
the othermirror, usingthereflectionof
lightoffoftheformermirror. Again,
this is consideredan initial inspection
only. Ifthereareanyquestionablefmd-
ings, further inspection through
additional inspectionholesis required.
Note: Itmaybehelpful duringcom-
pressionfailure inspectiontoapply
upwardordownwardforce atthewing
tip.Alternatively,thetop andbottomof
the front and rearsparmay me in-
spectedthrough inspection holeson the
bottomofthe wingusinga flexible
probeboroscope.
Instructions: Ifanydamage was
found in above inspections, it re-
quiresthatthesparbe repairedor
replaced. Minorchafingandsmall in-
dentationsare notcause ofrejection.
Sparrepairshall beaccomplished in
accordancewithAC43.13-IAAc-
ceptableMethods,Techniquesand
PracticesorotherFederalAviation
Administrationapproveddata.
(Editor's Note: we strongly suggest
you obtain a copy ofthis Service letter
from American Champion Aircraft
Corp., Rochester, WI 53167. Due to
space constraints, we're unable to re-
produce the line art that accompanies
this Service Letter, which will aid you
or your mechanic during the perfor-
mance of this inspection. We will
continue to monitor the progress ofthe
proposed AD and advise you as soon
as we receive word as to its disposi-
tion. A more detailed method is also
listed on the Citabria Owners Group
web site at: www.citabria.com
We'd like to acknowledge the work
done by Carl Petersen and the
Citabria Owners Group for their
work on this issue. - HGF)
AirVenture'98Waypoints
Oshkosh, WI- BrennandAirport
(79C),located 10 milesonthe357ra-
dialfrom WittmanRegional Airport,
isanalternatelandingsiteforthisyear's
EAA ConventionatOshkosh, with
room for between75 and 100airplanes
available.Theairporthasanewasphalt
runway20' wide and2,460ft . long.
100LLand auto gas are available.Ser-
vicesincludetiedowns, cabandbus
service(pleasecall). Forinformation,
call Aviation Servicesat920/836-2020
orPlaneFlyingat920/836-3081.
TRAVELAIRFUELSELECTOR
ViaEmail, BryanJensenaskedus to
spreadthe wordhe is lookingfor afuel
selectorfor a 1929Travel Air. The
model he has is amilitarysurplus"FI"
type, and he is lookingforeithera
completenew unitorasetorcoreparts
to rebuild theone he has. You can
reach Bryan at 612/ 447-8207 or
70263. 16@compuserve.com
OLDMANUALS
Also viaEmail,NialMcCabe letus
knowaboutanoutfitthathasanumber
ofcopiesofold manualsavailable.
CountryAireAviation, P.O.Box 28,
lanl
NEW MEMBER
CAMPAIGN
SPONSOR NAME NEW MEMBER
EdGelvin
Borman,M.B.
Bibber,Eugene
WilliamEddy
Britton,R ArchieAnderson
Budahl,Lee JoeFrigo
Conoley,D.R. DonGilbert
Copeland,John RobertLebewol
Coulson,Phil MelvinPamment
Hare,William RogerBond
Jaeger,Robert JudithBurke
Joyce,Butch TimothyBoland
Krog,Steven GlenaParinger
Uckteig,Robert JamesHanson
Loewenhardt,Hugh RobertHiggins
Lumley,Robert SeanPGonia
Melbye,Thomas JonProctor
O' Hara,Bob JimHowe
Pace,Lanny JohnUpcraft
Perrotti,Carmen JamesPerrotti
Simon,Robert BruceSmith
TaJen,Tim RonEnglund
Eney,JohnA. MarthaM.Eney
Hardinsburg,IN47125 wasrecom-
mendedbyNial.Theyhavea small
catalogavailablebywritingandasking
forone,andtheyhaveavarietyofman-
ualsforAeroncas,Ercoupes,Stinsons
andothers.Dropthema lineifyou're
in theneedforalittledocumentation.
WESHALLREMEMBER. . .
Michael Langer(EAA 32251),Ro-
seville, MN died April 28, 1998.A
lifelongaviation enthusiast,he mostre-
centlyfoundedthe AmericanWings
AviationMuseumofthe veryactive
AnokaCountyAirport in Blane,MN.
Oneofthreecollectionsofvintageair-
craftonthefield, thenewmuseumhas
justrecentlyoccupiedanewmuseum
buildingthanksto the longtermefforts
ofMike. Carol,Mike'swife, andhis
family askthatmemorialsbemadeto
the museum- 612/482-7606.
CharlesE.Smith(EAA282681,NC
22910) Roswell,GApassedawaythis
pastfall. Afan ofaviationall his life, in
his earlyprofessionalcareerhe worked
atAeroncain thesalesdepartment. ....
Congratulations to our sponsoring
members who have been active in
the Antique/Classic 10n1 cam-
paign, and to our new members,
welcome to the EAA Antique/
Classic Division!
NEW MEMBER NEW MEMBER
MaryBethSchwaegel
EgonGrothe
ScottUckteig LawrenceOlson
WilliamBarr
DennisEls
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3
ANTIQUE
(1945 and Earlier)
GRAND CHAMPION
Stearman PT -17, N4401 B
David Gay
Orlando, FL
RESERVE GRAND
CHAMPION
Spartan Executive, N 17667
Kent and Sandy Blankenburg
Groveland, CA
CUSTOM CHAMPION
ANTIQUE
Beech D 17S, N 17985
Steve Johnson
Bloomington, IN
BEST SILVER AGE
OX-5 American Eagle, N3738
Bud and Larry Skinner
Miami, FL
BEST II ERA
PT-17 Stearman, N1420M
Dennis and Janeen Kochan
Winter Haven, FL
CONTEMPORARYAGE
Waco ASO, N768K
Tom Collier
Jonesboro, GA
BEST CABIN
Fairchild 24H, N 16902
Lou Frejlach
LaGrange, IL
BEST MONOPLANE
Stinson lOA, N34697
Debbie Snavely
Lake Placid, FL
BEST BIPLANE
Waco YKS-6, NI6580
John Collier
Seneca, SC
BESTANTIQUECUSTOM AMPHIBIAN
Grumman Widgeon, N13122
Jim Magoffin
Fairbanks, AK
4 JUNE 1998
OUTSTANDING ANTIQUE
Piper J5A Cub Cruiser, N38243
Dale Dolby
Ft. Wayne, IN
CLASSIC
( 1946-1955)
GRAND CHAMPION
Cessna 195, N 2197C
James Sayers
Edison,OH
BEST RESTORED
CLASSIC (0-100HP)
Aeronca Chief, N85805
E. Barnhill and G. Davis
Seneca, SC
BEST RESTORED
CLASSIC (101-165HP)
Piper PA-12 Super Crusier, N7770C
Paul Merritt
Pensacola, FL
BEST RESTORED
CLASSIC (OVER 165HP)
Cessna 195, N2158C
Valerie and James Slocum
Moscow, TN
BESTCUSTOM
CLASSIC (0-100HP)
Luscombe 8A, N45504
Jim Zazas
Carthage, NC
BEST CUSTOM
CLASSIC (100-165HP)
Piper PA-12 Super Crusier, N103BS
Mal Hogan
Jacksonville, AR
BEST CUSTOM
CLASSIC (OVER 165HP)
Navion, N5372K
James Kelly
Watumpka, AL
OUTSTANDINGCLASSICS
Piper PA-20 Pacer, N7403K
William Cumberland
Woodbine, MD
Funk B-85C, N 1625N
Alan and Jackie Sowell
Evergreen, CO
Aeronca 7 AC, N8360T
Chuck Berthe
Williamson, GA
Taylorcraft BC-12D, N94953
James Zangger
Cedar Rapids, IA
CONTEMPORARY
( 1956-1960)
BEST CONTEMPORARY
Piper Comanche, N5239P
Robert and David Wall,
Ocala, FL
BEST CUSTOM
Beech M35 Bonanza, N688V
Buz Rich
Williamsburg, V A
BEST TWIN
Beech E-18S, N57PF
Pat Foley
Middletown, DE
OUTSTANDING IN TYPE
Cessna 172, N8384B
Michael Willcox
Knightstown, IN
Cessna 180, N7505
Robert Snowden
Irving, TX
Beech Bonanza, N87DG
Don Gaynor
Englewood, FL
Piper PA-22120 Pacer, N431 OA
Wayne Mather
Apopka, FL
OUTSTANDI NG AIRCRAFT
Beech Bonanza, N 5478D
Larry Van Dam
Riverside, CA
Champion 7FC, N7577B
Cliff Harkins
Houston, TX
Piper PA-22 Tri-Pacer, N43l3A
Eric Rikansrud
St. Petersburg, FL
VINTAGE
AeroMail
FLIGHTINSTRUCTION RESEARCH
Greetings,
I am currently doing a PhD in aviation
here at the University of Newcastle, Aus-
tralia. As background to my research on
flight instruction, I am conducting a survey
of how pilots have been instructed to make
visual approaches in fIXed wing (powered)
aircraft, both civil and military. This entails
consulting both archival documents on
flight instruction and personal memoirs.
Essentially I am seeking evidence of what
type of "patter" the flight instructors have
used when instructing the approach, in
both current and historical flight instruc-
tion, i.e. "Keep your speed up," "Maintain
that nose attitude" etc.
Unfortunately, visual flight instruction
seems to be a subject which has not been
well represented in aviation archives. I am
hoping that some of your members might
be willing to contact me with personal
training experiences of copies of training
notes. I would be very grateful for any
help you could give me.
Thank you,
Lisa Duff
Department of Aviation and Technology
The University of Newcastle
University Drive
Callaghan
New South Wales
Australia 2308
FAX: 61-249-218742
email : avld@CC.newcastle.edu.au
PITCH SENSITIVE AERONCA
Just a quick note on a perplexing prob-
lem solved and worth passing on . . .
I just recently purchased a real nice
1946 Aeronca IIAC and was totally en-
joying it except for one thing - it was
terribly sensitive to pitch upset and diffi-
cult to trim at cruise. Also it would hunt in
pitch while flying in turbulence. When set
for 85 mph and upset in the nose down di-
rection, it would tuck under and dive to
red line before the nose would come back
up. Then it would almost stall before the
nose came back down!
Well after a complete alignment check,
actually weighing the aircraft and calculat-
ing the Empty Weight Center of Gravity
(EWCG) and a million other checks, it
turns out the horizontal stab was rigged
with the tips about 5 degrees down in ref-
erence to the tail post. Rerigging the tail
brace wires to set the stab to zero solved
the problem! It seems that the 5 degrees
droop was binding the elevator just
enough that you couldn't feel it but the
trim tab wouldn' t overpower the binding
as the elevator came through neutral.
Anyway, I thought it worth passing on in
case anyone else has a hard time getting
their machine to trim properly! The best
part now it cruises at 92 mph indicated
and slow flight at 38 mph is a hoot!
Cheers,
Larry West
Tacoma, WA
AlC 18848
EAA Tech Counselor 3738
A HARD LESSON LEARNED
On March 27 r called our insurance
agent to place full coverage on our new
Ryan PT-22. It was coming out of winter
storage and my partner and I were looking
forward to a great second year of flying.
Sunday morning, April 5, at 8:00 a.m. ,
the sky was blue and a slight cross wind
was blowing at the farm on which I live.
Being alone, r pushed the 22 out of the
hangar, tied the tail down, and preflighted
the airplane. Gas on, mags off, brakes set.
We had found the best way to start this
airplane was to pump the throttle and pull
the prop through four or five times. This is
the procedure I used that morning. Then r
walked back around the plane, looked in,
put the mag on LEFT, checked the tail rope
and propped her. She fired up and I set the
mags to BOTH, adjusted the rpm untied
the tail and went flying. Thirty minutes
later, I was back at the hangar. r decided 1
would leave the 22 outside so that when
company came, 1 would give rides. As the
day went on, the cross wind increased, can-
celing my plans to take anyone for a ride.
At 5:00 p.m., I decided it was time to put
the plane back in the hangar.
I announced the rides were canceled,
but I needed some help to restart the
plane. Two 20-year-old men said they
would help. As we left the house, one
said he wanted to tape the starting of the
plane with his camcorder. Paul said he
would run the camcorder and Jacob of-
fered to help start the engine. All went
well. I set the mags on off, went around
and pulled the prop, returning to put the
left mag on. I explained that when it
started, Jake should give the engine a
little gas if needed put the mags on
BOTH and continue to hold the brakes.
He said "Fine!" and I walked back to
the front of the airplane. I tested the
brakes, propped it and it started but did
not keep running.
1 called back to Jacob to put the mags
to OFF and r would pull the prop while
he pumped the throttle as we had done
before. Jacob said, "OK! "
I pulled it three times and on the
fourth pull, the engine STARTED!
The prop struck the back of my hand,
breaking two fingers and nicking the
wrist. If the prop had hit the palm of my
hand instead, it would have traveled up
and taken my arm and shoulder. Six
weeks in a cast, not being able to button
my own shirt or tie a shoe because I was
! You fill in the blank! I have called
myself every name possible at this point.
Jacob had put the mag on LEFT instead
of OFF, and I did not check it, my fault ,
NOT his.
All of this is recorded on videotape
and we have watched it over and over.
Each time I cringe as I watch the prop
strike me. I learned how to fly and pur-
chased my first airplane when I was 22
years old. That plane was also a starter-
less PT -22. In 1955 I paid a mere $900.
The price has grown considerably in
43 years.
This is the first time an airplane ever
hurt me. Thank God, all I got was a bro-
ken hand. It can happen!
Ken Kresmery
Elgin,IL
AlC 466567 ....
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5
-
VintageAirplaneSafety
Proppin' Revisited
by ROGER GOMOLL, Ale ADVISOR
Hand Propping (def): To start or
attempt to start an aircraft by plac-
ing the hands on the propeller and
spinning the propeller manually.
Known by most pilots as a rarely
practiced or even lost art.
Accident reports still indicate that hand
propping is a significant threat to life and
limb and loss of aircraft in our Antique
Classic Division. Since some Antique and
Classic aircraft were built without starters,
hand propping is an important issue for the
safety of our members. Here are some tips
for a safe and successful start.
1. SECURE THE AIRCRAFT. Al-
though you may consider hand-propping a
routine way to start your aircraft, each time
that you do it you are faced with monumental
risk. The force that is sent to the propeller by
even the least powerful aircraft engine is
enough to cause major physical damage.
Treat each start as a life-threatening event
for you and your passengers. To be fully
safe, your aircraft should be tied down and
chocked. A quick tiedown at the tail of your
aircraft is cheap insurance, and may save
your life, or keep you from losing body parts.
Hemmingway Starter: (aeronauti-
cal slang) Hand propping an aircraft.
Derives from the Ernest Hemming-
way novel " Farewell to Arms".
2. DO A COMPLETE PREF LI GHT
AND COCKPIT CHECK. Aircraft prop-
ping accidents sometimes come about when
the aircraft engine controls are left in the in-
correct position when the propeller is being
turned. Before touching a propeller, be
completely sure that the mag switches are
off, and that the throttle is closed. If the
mags are hot, there may be enough fuel left
in the engine to start the aircraft when you
tum over the engine by hand.
Armstrong Starter: (aeronautical
slang) Hand propping an aircraft.
Derives from the strength needed in
t he arms to spin the propeller with
enough force to start the engine.
3. HAVE A COMPETENT PILOT AT
THE CONTROLS. It is important that
there be a hand on the controls- and it must
be a person who is properly trained in the op-
eration of your aircraft. Propping an aircraft
is best practiced by two people, who can both
be responsible for the safe starting of the air-
craft. The person at the controls must know
the operation of the ignition switch and the
throttle, and be fully versed in operating the
brakes. Your life may be resting in this per-
son's abi li ty to control the aircraft. The
person at the controls and the person at the
propeller should both know the appropriate
calls and responses for the starting procedure.
Pratt and Whitney Haircut: (aero-
nautical slang) Having one's head
come perilously close to a spinning
propeller, usually after having incor-
rectly hand propped an engine. Also
known as a "Continental Haircut"
4. USE PROPER STARTI NG PRO-
CEDURES. Although there are a couple of
methods of safely propping an engine, com-
mon to all is an unwavering respect for the
power of the engine. Another completely
inarguable rule is to always consider the en-
gine "hot". Magnetos operate when they are
not grounded - and if the "P" lead or
grounding wire comes loose or is broken,
the ignition system will operate even if the
switch is in the "OFF" position. Another
rule that must not be ignored is to prop the
aircraft in such a way that your body's mo-
tion naturally moves you away from the
engine as you move the prop. You must at
all times maintain your balance.
Knuckle Rapping: (aeronautical
slang) Having one's fingers hit by a
quickly moving propeller, caused by
not propping an aircraft correctly.
5. NEVER ATTEMPT TO HAND
PROP AN AI RCRAFT WITHO UT
PROPER TRAINING. To learn this skill,
find someone who knows how to safely
hand-prop an aircraft. This is an art which
should be learned from a person who knows
how to hand start an aircraft. By learning to
correctly hand-start your aircraft, you'll
greatly enhance the probability you will end
your flying career at a very old age.
DUMB
"Don't think that just because you 're an
experienced pilot that you can't do some-
thing dumb. "
George Moffat spoke those words at a
lecture he gave thi s past winter at the Min-
nesota Sport Aviation Conference. George is
a silver haired retired professor, well known
to sailplane pilots as a former National soar-
ing champ. He served as the coach to the US
Soaring team in last year's World Soaring
Championships in France. He still competes
regularly and is considered among the best
American soaring pilots.
Doing something dumb in the cockpit is
not always perilous. It's rarely fatal. It can be
something as innocuous as flying in the wrong
direction for a few miles. It can be something
as life threatening as running out of fuel.
We've all had the occasion of doing
something dumb in the cockpit. We may
have gotten ourselves into jams that were
hard to get out of, or that resulted in close
calls. Some of these dumb moves may have
resulted in an aircraft incident or accident.
For all of us, this reminder from one of
the most experienced of our colleagues
gives comfort, and gives warning. If the best
of the best, flying many hours each year in a
competitive setting are concerned about
making mistakes, those of us who fly at a
much more leisurely pace should be even
more concerned. And since the most experi-
enced pilots admit to doing dumb things in
the air, it is easy to conclude that our future
as pilots will include at least one event that
will fall into this category. As safe pilots, we
need to be constantly alert to situations that
will put us into a position to make an error
in judgement, and to recognize these errors
before they happen.
In its Advisory Circular on Aeronautical
Decision Making, (AC60-22) the FAA has
developed a list of ways that even the most
experienced pilots can get into trouble. Here
are some of those areas.
Peer Pressure. We are pressured into
situations because we think that others ex-
pect us to be able to handle them , or to
complete the task successfully. For exam-
ple: If others are flying on a day when the
crosswinds are strong and you don't feel up
to tackling those winds, peer pressure might
entice you to fly when you shouldn't. Good
judgement will keep you on the ground until
you feel comfortable with those conditions.
6 JUNE 1998
Mind Set. We all anticipate how situa-
tions will proceed. If those situations
unfold differently than we expect, we tend
not to recognize the changes. For example:
At the end of the runway, your engine runs
rough on one mag. Since your mindset was
that of a quick and painless checklist, there
is a tendency to dismiss the problem and
proceed as if the mags were operating cor-
rectly. Good judgement allows for mUltiple
outcomes to any event, and prepares to
make unpopular decisions when necessary.
Get-There-His. As pilots, we tend to
fixate on the ultimate goal - which is in
some cases the successful completion of a
trip. It is easy to ignore signs of equipment
trouble or decreasing weather conditions
by focusing on how short the remainder of
the trip is, or by convincing ourselves that
there is better weather ahead. Good judge-
ment provides for a landing short of the
goal, and accepts the possibility of delays
for safer weather or repaired equipment.
Getting Behind the Aircraft. The con-
tinuing problem of landing and takeoff
accidents is a great testament to the contin-
uing problem of allowing events or
situations to control the pilot, rather than
the pilot controlling the situation. A good
pilot's skills are always in training. A good
pilot knows the limits of their aircraft and
of themselves and admits that skills de-
crease with lack of use.
Stress. Emotional stress from home or
work detracts from your ability to make
good judgements. Physical stress can come
from short or long term health problems,
from medications or alcohol, or from a lack
of food or water during an extended flight.
One of the symptoms of dehydration is
confusion and inability to make decisions.
Well known to sailplane pilots, dehydra-
tion's effects are virtually ignored by
power pilots.
Making a bad decision in the cockpit is
something that can be in everyone's future.
Our challenge is to recognize those bad de-
cisions as they are happening and to make
the safe decision instead.
SOUNDSOFSILENCE
The Continental A65 in the Cub that I
fly just turned 52 . The R760-E2 in the
Waco I fly just turned 62. The engines in
our aircraft are by any definition, very old
technology. Especially in the antiques and
classics that populate our Division, that
means that if you fly long enough, you too
will someday have to deal with an engine
stoppage in flight. The causes are many-
fuel starvation, fuel mismanagement, mi-
nor engine problems such as ignition or
carburetion, or possibly even catastrophic
engine failure due to the age of these
machines. But the final result is the same-
instant quiet in what was a very noi sy
environment.
The more quickly and methodically that
you react to your problem in flight , the
greater chance you will have to keep you,
your passengers , and your aircraft in
one piece.
If you've been flying for any length of
time, you've probably run a tank out of
fuel. When that first bit of silence occurs, it
is absolutely astounding how quickly your
hand finds its way to the fuel selector and
the boost pump switch (if installed). That
seemingly instantaneous reaction usually
fixes the problem of getting the engine
back online again, and subsequently re-
starting your fear-stopped heartbeat.
But sometimes it doesn't. And you
should prepare yourself for that eventuality.
When it happens, the first thing that oc-
curs is a feeling of disbelief- and then
maybe fear. Very human, very understand-
able reactions. But now is when you need
to be coolest, calmest, and most in control.
And believe it or not, you are still in total
control of an aircraft - albeit a glider.
Since you're now a glider, you need to
get your airspeed to best glide speed. You
need to find that speed ahead of time for
your aircraft - either from the aircraft
handbook, or from a few minutes of experi-
mentation ahead of time.
If your aircraft's best glide speed is not
published, you need to find it out for your-
self. To do this for your ai rcraft, all you
need is a day with stable air, an altimeter,
and a watch. Beginning at a safe and pru-
dent altitude, clear the area, check carburetor
heat, and throttle the engine to idle. Stabi-
lize the aircraft at a speed that is somewhat
above your normal landing approach speed,
say 90 mph, and using your watch and the
altimeter, find out how much altitude you
lose in one minute. That is your descent
rate at that speed. After clearing the engine
with a little throttle, repeat the process at
5mph increments below that speed, and
chart the results. You'll quickly see which
speed gives you the lowest rate of descent.
That's your best glide speed.
So now you're a glider, and you're at
the aircraft's best glide speed. If you're at
three thousand feet AGL and your best
glide rate is 10 feet of altitude loss per sec-
ond (600 ftlmin), you now have roughly
five minutes before you touch down. If you
fly too fast or too slow, you decrease the
amount of time you have before landing,
decreasing your options.
As soon as you have gotten your best
glide speed established, it is time to find a
landing field. A hayfield is the best option,
if you can find one. Cow pastures are a sec-
ond choice, but since these pastures are
rarely cultivated, they are most likely
strewn with rock or have uneven surfaces
in them. Fields with short crops have the
advantage of being prepared - but they
might be very soft early in the season or af-
ter rains, giving the possibility of a
noseover. Far down on my personal list are
roads and freeways . Although the asphalt
looks inviting, most roads have steel sign-
posts lining them and have very frequent
power line crossings over them. Besides.
Roads have cars on them, and you're likely
to overtake and maybe even hit one if you
land on a road. Pick a good field if you
can- and use a road only if you absolutely
have to. And besides, aren't the only forced
landings that you see on your local news
ones that have landed on roads? I've known
pilots who have passed up perfectly good
sod farms to land on roads - a choice that I
most likely would not have recommended.
If you can't find a suitable field right
away, you might turn downwind, giving
yourself the most distance for time. You're
likely to find something soon. Select a field
as soon as possible, and definitely have one
picked out before yo u descend below
I500AGL.
Once you've gotten a field picked out
and you have some time to spare, then
work on getting the aircraft flying again.
Fuel. Fuel pump. Mixture. Carb heat. Mag
switches. If you have them extended, raise
flaps and landing gear to increase your
glide ratio. Try everything you can to get
the aircraft started again. When it is obvi-
ous that you are going to land-and to me
that is below l500AGL, prepare for and
execute the landing in the field that you
have chosen. Don 't make the mistake of
trying to restart the engine all the way to
the ground. A safe landing in a good field
is a favorable outcome to your emergency.
An unsafe landing by a pilot that is still try-
ing to figure out the problem is not.
Practice makes perfect- but in forced
landings, practice must be done with an in-
structor. Find one you are comfortable with
and turn your aircraft into a glider. Then
when you hear the sounds ofsi lence at some-
time in the future, you'll be prepared. ...
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7
companypresentercommentedthat their
proposed towerwas "outthere nowhere
neartheairwaysand presented no real
hazard to flying". Really! Iforgot the dis-
tance but accordingto them the guywire
anchorswere to coveracirclewhose di-
ameterwas to be the height ofthe tower.
(I still rememberDickDeMars losing a
wonderful son to contactwith aguywire
while scudrunningin aPitts.)
Buck, each time Vintage Airplanear-
rives, yourcolumn is the first thingr read.
Keep up the good work.
Clearskies...
WendellL. "Doc"Roy
FortCollins,CO, AlC 19307
Hey Buck,
You'veaskedfor informationon the
planeshownon page 22 ofthe March
Vintage Airplane. Maybe r cansupply a
scraportwoofinfo from myoIdalbum.
No Idon'tsurelyknowwhatthe plane
is (below, left).1had always thought it was
aStandardJIwhich had several mods.1
has gotto havestartedoutas aJI. Ifound
it in a field about2mileswestofFt.
Collins,CO.He was barnstorming, in
competitionwith an OX-5 combination
wing Eaglerock, during what was known
as "TheUP meetingof1928!"(I think it
had somethingto do witharailroad.)
Iam enclosingacopyofoneofmy
pictures. It'snot so verygood- Idid my
own photo finishing at thattime.But,it
has averyimportantscrapofinfo. There
is the the registration number- 2535.
Very likely identificationcould be
made through reference to NASM
records.Thiswassuccessfulforthe
Allen biplane. See the VintageAir-
plane article in the January 1993
edition. Ihope ithelps.
Wishyou couldthumb throughmy
old album. It'smostly showing the
passingparade ofthat time; Wacos,
Eaglerocks ,TravelAirs .But some-
times there's an odd ball. Maybe
somedayI'llpass though EAA terri-
tory and rememberto bringit along.
R.H.Osborne
ColoradoSprings,CO,AlC 18063
f( 3ck.4'
8 JUNE 1998
by E.E. "Buck" Hilbert
EM#21 Ale#5
P.O. Box 424, Union, IL 60180
We'vegotareal collectionofletters
and thoughts from abunchofyou- keep
them coming!
DearBuck,
Iso enjoy VintageAirplaneand your
"PassIt To Buck"column. Ihave been
restoringanearlyGullwingStinson 1936
SR7. Thefourteenth bentwingStinson
produced,it was ownednew by Lymon
GustovBloomingdaleofdepartmentstore
fame. Ihave apersonal letter from Mr.
Bloomingdaletellingofhow he used the
aircraftin 1938 and 1939 to fly from his
home in Long Islandto Manhattan for his
dailybusinessaffairs.
Ihave been workingon my SR7 for 10
years and outofnecessity, have had tore-
buildthe factory tooling(wing ribjigsand
an extrusionmachineto make the 5/16"
hollow tubing for the wing ribs) before I
couldrebuild theaircraft.
PaSSitto
Buel{
Thearticleon forward facing wind-
shieldswas interesting.But, nobodygot
the mostobviousanswer. The reason the
windshieldsoftodayslopebackis because
ofan invention.theelectricstoragebattery!
(What?) Yes,forward slopingwindscreens
are fordownward visibility. Rememberthe
aircraftofthe dayhad handcrankstarters.
To seeyourgroundpersonnel, you had to
lean forward and look down. Thesewin-
dowsarestillpopularonhelicoptersliaison
and observationaircraftyet today,though
now it'son the sideoftheaircraft.
Please take my all-knowingattitude
with agrainofsalt,as rhave beenaccused
ofshootingfrom the hipon occasion!
Obnoxiously,
TimothyLiewer
Hershey,NE, AlC9987
DearBuck,
Ijustgotthe April 1998 VintageAir-
planeandwas interestedinyourcomments
onthetowers. Alas! Thehappytimesofjust
cruisingacrossthe countrysideto Oshkosh
enjoyingthe sceneryare overbecause of
the many newtowers.Somethingofinter-
esthere is thatthe greatestproliferationof
towers is takingplaceespeciallynearor
beside the Interstateandmajorhighways.
Justanotherreason why the old"IFR,"I
Follow Roadsnavigation is to beavoided.
At ahearingon the proposal ofanew,
very high tower,the companywanting to
add the towerproducedan aerial instru-
ment map showing the airways. The
Type Club
NOTES
by NORM PETERSEN
Compiledfrom various type club
publications & newsletters
Cub Club Clues-
The Newsletter of the Cub Club
10hn Bergeson,
editor, 517-561-2393
Standard Cub Airfoils: Mark
Erickson of Dakota Cub in Valley
Springs, SD, phone: 605-757-6628,
writes the first ofa series ofarticles on
the various wing differen ces in the
Piper Cub line.
Many people are interested in
which airfoil section was used on the
Cubs, and there is always some de-
bate on what people think they have
on their Cubs. I have been asked many
times what was used and, according
to the Piper drawings I have come
across over the past few years, I can
narrow this down to basically two
versions of the same airfoil. Here is
what I have found :
There is a slight difference in the
airfoils used on the very early Cubs
(early 1943 and prior) and those manu-
factured after mid-1943. Piper changed
the airfoil, which started out as the
USA35B section, to what is now
known as the USA35B-Modified. The
modification thickened the airfoil by
increasing the limits of the upper con-
tour just a bit, although the chord
remained at 63 inches for both sec-
tions. If you are in the process of
rebuilding a project and are trying to
use ribs from a wing and you don't
know the approximate manufacturing
date, you may notice a thickness variance
between ribs. This would not produce
any undesired flight characteristics if
only a few ribs were incorporated in
the rebuild, but it would not be desir-
able to have one wing with the
modified airfoil and one without. T
should also mention that this could
only happen on the wood spar 1-3 or
possibly a 1-4. The wood spar 1-5A
was made after the changeover date
and all "metal spar" wings incorpo-
rated the USA35B-Modified airfoil.
Wi ng Differences: Here
are the basic wing differences
for each model. They should
help you determine or verify
which wing you are dealing
with. I will begin with the 1-3.
J -3: This model used both
wood and metal spars. Both
types are fully interchangeable
with one another, but it is rec-
ommended that wings not be
mixed (wood on one side,
metal on the other) . The front
The wood spar wing utilized 12 ribs
per wing with a nose or false rib lo-
cated forward of the front spar and
between each standard rib. The ribs
were covered at the leading edge with
a 3/4 wrap (see Fig. 1) of .016" 3S12H
aluminum sheet. The 3/ 4 wrap ex-
tended from the bottom of the rib
midway between the front spar and rib
- Continued on page 24-
o
000
o o 00
spars carry through to a single
center cabin attach point whi le
the rear spars had their attach
point spaced at the outermost
rear corners of the cabin. The
front spar measures approxi-
mately 7/ 8" thick by 5-5/ 8"
high while the rear spar mea-
sures approximately 15116"
thick by 4" high. These dimen-
sions vary to some extent but
most that I have had the op-
portunity to measure have
been close to these numbers.
3/ 4 WRAP LEADING EDGE
000
o
o o 0 0
FUll WRAP LEADING EDGE
VI NTAGE AIRPLANE 9
PreparingASwiftForAerobaticsl
OrJustGoodPerformance- PartII
a treati se by Jim Montague (A/C 1310)
BIGENGINES, ETC.
As long as I mentioned big engines I
might as well elaborate. The Swift has had
almost every engine from 85 hp to 210 hp
installed. Plus the 220 Franklin and even
several 250 Turbo-Franklins!
Others may disagree with some of my
opinions, but here they are: A GC-I A with a
C-85 or C-90, for those who want an origi-
nal CG-IA. The C-90 will outperform an 85
to a greater extent than 5 hp might suggest.
The C-90 peaks at 98 hp on the power chart.
The C-90 is actually an 0-200, with a slightly
different cam. The 0-200 has been installed
in a few Swifts, but is not a good engine for
this application. The Lord mounts position
the engine forward an inch or so, and the en-
gine does not fit perfectly in the cowl. The
C-90 actually may have more effective
horsepower than the 100 hp 0-200, due to The 0-300A is the STC'd engine for the taining. 0-320- This was the first "big" en-
the cam profile . Avoid a C-90 without Swift Association STC. The 0-300C is not gine STC'd for the Swift. It uses a fairly
through studs. C-90-12 engines made before desirab le. It uses the old pull type starter, heavy (59 pound) Hartzell HC-82XL prop,
about 1960 don't have through studs. The does not provide a vacuum pump, and has same as an early Mooney. This is s nice con-
through studs can be identified by a "center" the wrong crankshaft flange. version, but no ball of fire . The advantage
on the end of the two center studs in the en- The 0-300D has several good features. It over a C-145 is all the constant speed prop.
gine (two forward studs on #2 cylinder and uses a key or push button starter. It does pro- The engine actually weighs about the same.
two aft studs on #3 cylinder). All C-90-16 vide a vacuum pump pad. It has the wrong Several 145s were faster than my 0-320
engines have through studs. The C-90-14 crankshaft flange. McCauley EM series props Swift. No longer feasible, it's just as much
mounts like an 0-200, and has through studs. have been field approved or Sensenich DC work and expense to install as an 0-360. It's
C-125 - lfyou want a really original series. The Sensenich is found on the Beech okay if you buy a converted airplane at the
GC-I B, or a really economical (cheap) en- Musketeer with the IA-346 engine. Conti- right price.
gine, stick with the C-125. It is a smooth nental has an engineering variance to install 0-360 - the regular 0-360 of 180 hp
running but not gutsy power plant that doesn't an "A" crankshaft in the "D" engine. This makes a nice conversion. The approvals are
burn much gas. Be sure it has the "heavy" allows use of the "good" eight bolt props. many and varied, as also are the props and
case. This can be readily seen by the three The book lists an 0-300E, but I don't other details, such as cowlings, engine
through studs in the area of the fuel pump. think they ever made any, I've never seen mounts, etc. Many have a 125 hp power re-
With an Aeromatic prop, don't count on one. The 10-360 Continental is the way to striction. Most 0-360 powered Swifts have
more than 120 mph . With a Sensenich go if you want super performance, and are an empty weight of over 1,300 pounds. Due
M74DR- 1156, maybe 130 mph. willing to pay for it. Remember the prop to the vast array of mods on these airplanes
C-145-2, C-145-2H- These can be used alone lists for $7,500.00. performance varies considerably.
same as an 0-300A, a C-145-2H can accom- [ forgot the 10-346? Forget it. And any- 10-360- the fuel injected 200 hp engine
modate a hydraulic controllable prop. The thing bigger than the IA-360 is too big. The can make the Swift into a real hot rod, capa-
only two props that are available are rare 0-470 and 0-520 are just too much iron. ble of exceeding red line airspeed. The STC
and not very good. The Hi-Cruise Aero- is held by Merlyn Products, and uses current
matic is not too bad but rare, and expensive. LYCOMINGS technology props etc. A variable conversion,
McCauley made a prop for Cessna 170 Sea- 0- 235 - too small. even though the empty weight is on the high
planes, commonly called a "baby" McCauley. 0- 290- no longer feasible, but several side, Merlyn has a gross weight increase
It's a 60 pound prop and not approved for were done years ago and are still around. A available. I personally don't like such an out-
the Swift. They have been field approved, very early 0-290 had the accessories (starter, put from a 4-cylinder engine, but this makes
but the results aren't worth it. generator) at the rear of the engine, and fit a fantastic performer. 0-540 or any six
0-300B, same application as C-145-2H. an 85 cowl. One of these might be worth re- cylinder Lycoming - no. Too much iron.
10 JUNE 1998
FRANKLINS
6A-350, 220 hp, a smooth powerful en-
gine. If the new engines coming into this
country from Poland turn out to be good, and
lower priced than TCM or Lycoming, this
may be the engine of the future. Merlyn has
the STC. The only negative I noted in sev-
eral flights with several 220 hp airplanes was
that they were heavy. The flew great, went
fast, were very smooth, but landed fast and
left no doubt these were heavy airplanes.
6A-350 Turbo - 250 hp - Several of
these were flying, at least one was STC'd
for one airplane only. Unbelievable perfor-
mance, considering the empty weight of the
aircraft. The one airplane eventually actu-
ally had the firewall moved aft several
inches to help the weight and balance. This
is not a casual modification! It's strictly for
the person who wants ultimate Swift perfor-
mance, and is willing to pay for it. Another
similar Swift, with a stock appearing air-
frame, but highly modified structurally, and
operating in the experimental category, suf-
fered a structural failure and crashed.
Perhaps this indicates the upper limit for
Swift modifications.
STRUCTURAL MODIFICATIONS
There are several desirable modifications
for a Swift that is to be flown in aerobatics.
The vertical stabilizer can have two nicely
formed doublers installed at the rear attach
point. These pick up the four each 1/4" at-
tach bolts. These doublers were designed by
the late Carl Weddle and were intended to
be STC'd, but due to his unfortunate death
the process was never completed. I have
gotten a field approval on this.
The horizontal stabilizer center area, un-
der the fairings which is normally unskinned,
can be skinned using .025" or.032" alu-
minum. This only adds a few ounces, but
increases the strength greatly. Not STC'd,
there are various approval methods.
Outer wing panel attach fittings- Merlyn
holds an STC for a gross weight increase to
170 pounds for the big engined airplanes. It
seems logical that the additional fitting
would increase the margin of any acrobatic
Swift. This actually has not been a problem
area, and the only failures I know of were
far above normal speeds and "G" loads.
Some owners have installed the 3554 fitting
originally intended for converting a GC-I A
to a GC-I B at the lower attach point.
Several Swifts have been dropped in ex-
tremely hard on bad landings, and have
actually split at the lap joint rivet row below
the aft corner of the windshield. I am not
aware of any in flight failures of this point.
To my knowledge, the failures have all been
in a few serial numbers of 1000 and above,
no more than ten or so (N80600 up). Yes, r
know, there were five GC- IBs previous to
N80600. My solution to this, and I'm not the
only one who's done it, is to skin a piece of
.032" from the firewall back to the sta. 62.5.
This can be signed offas a repair, rather
than an alteration, and can be approved by
your LA. according to AC 43.13-IA. Some
have used .040" skin, which is stiffer, but
harder to cut, and is going up on the gage of
metal, which may technically be an alter-
ation. This would require a field approval. I
talked to the FAA on this, and they have not
given me any grief using .032". The weight
difference in either case is negligible.
If the engine mount is in good serviceable
condition it is okay for any reasonable aero-
batics. The original mounts are now 50 years
old. A.D. 64-05-06 details inspection and
also repair procedures. It might be a good
idea to reinforce the upper aft cluster or
weld in a new tube per the A.D. procedure.
Anytime the engine is removed, the engine
mount should also be removed from the fire-
wall and shaken. If there is internal rust it
will sound like sand is inside the tubing.
SPEED MODS
Owners have been trying to increase the
speed of their Swifts ever since 1946. Per-
haps no other production airplane has had as
many STCs, field approvals or quasi-legal
modifications performed on it.
Back the 1940s, I'm told (hey, I'm not
THAT old) the hot trick was to rig the flaps
so the trailing edge was up about 1/2" above
wing chord plane. Then the Aeromatic prop
was overweighted so it operated in higher
pitch. I don't think either item did any good.
Reflexing the flaps might be okay on a
big engine airplane. I talked to an aircraft
engineer, who ran the numbers, and deter-
mined he could gain 12 mph by changing
the angle of incidence of the wing by raising
the rear center section attach point, or lower-
ing the front, I forget which. He did, and got
it approved. In a later conversation, he told
me, "Wide open, it did go 12 mph faster, in
cruise it didn't make much difference." I
flew in a Swift that had the wings re-skinned
in ajig. While they were at it the wings were
washed out several degrees at the tips. This
was also approved. [t worked out okay and
stalled nice, but ruined the "on the step" feel
of the Swift in normal cruise flight. It felt
like it was mushing through the air. One
nice thing, it landed three point, at speeds
where my Swift is just taxiing fast!
About 30 years ago, r was flying along in
my CG-LA Swift. It was a hot day, I was
over gross, and about at the service ceiling
of the aircraft (like 5,000 feet, that day).
Turning off the flap circuit breaker, I put the
flap selector "down" then bumped the cir-
cuit breaker until the trailing edge of the
flaps was down an inch or so. The airplane
then flew a little nose down, tail up. I could
find a "sweet spot" where the airspeed in-
creased three mph. Please understand all
these conditions. My point is, reflexing the
flaps doesn' t always work.
The Aeromatic prop developed a bad
reputation from guys who put too much
counterweight on them. They would install a
few extra washers thinking with more pitch
they would go faster. Apparently years ago
they didn't consider manifold pressure. They
also used to run low rpm, like 2,350 for a 125.
A 125 won't go very fast at that rpm unless
you're pulling 26 inches of manifold pressure.
Then, when takeoff power as needed, the rpm
wouldn't increase enough for a go around.
Toward 1960 the Corben-Fette mods
started appearing. I used to have an old
brochure with all the mods Corben-Fette of-
fered. They had modified wing tips, "lift
tips" and dummy wing tip tanks. They of-
fered two types of dorsal fms, for the vertical
stabilizer, and a modified hatch entry. First,
they had a downdraft cowl and cooling baf-
fle setup for the 1251145, then the 150
Lycoming conversion. Later, they sold nine
gallon auxiliary fuel tanks that fit in the belly
area, and a 180 Lycoming Dynafocal engine
mount. I never knew "Ace" Corben, but I
got to know Vince Fette quite well. Vince,
God bless his soul, worked on Swifts up till
1994, when his eyesight failed. He was a
fine mechanic, not too big on paperwork or
engineering. He died in November of '94.
Before 1970 the Swift mods were the
Corben-Fette STCs, the Bubble windshield,
the various 145 hp STCs, the Bonanza wing
tips, and a few others. The fact is, NONE
made the airplane any faster than a stock
clean 145 with a good Sensenich prop.
rremember in 1966 there was a Swift with
a 180 Lycoming on the front cover of Private
Pilot Magazine. I saw the airplane at the
Reno races that year. Wow! 180 hp! [drooled
over that airplane. It had a big modified rud-
der that I thought was really neat. Now, r
think its semi-ugly. It had extended wings
and must have rolled like a truck. I apologize
to Thaddeus Zimney ifhe still owns it, but
the "Polomar Thunderbird" was a 1960s cre-
ation and not my idea of a Swift today.
About this time I converted my CG-l A
to a Lycoming. I really wanted a 180 but
there weren't any STCs yet, and after a talk
with the "Friendly Airplane Association"
about the requirements for a STC I decided
not to go that route. What made my decision
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11
for me was, while discussing the subject
with the FAA, the inspector excused himself
for a moment, then returned with a very
thick file for an airplane that had been ap-
proved at the Minneapolis GADO with an
0-290 (125 hp) Lycoming. What a lot of
work for a zero gain from a 125 Continen-
tal! That airplane, N80796, resides in my
bam today while being rebuilt. Bob and Deb
Bailey saved it from oblivion. After flying
the 150 Lycoming Swift a year or so [got
the urge for more speed. [ made up a list of
things I wanted to do and again talked to the
FAA. They suggested [ license it in the exper-
imental category, research and development,
and try out all the mods I had in mind. They
agreed to approve whatever [ would sign
for. At that time there was a saying, "A
Swift is as swift as a Swift will be." In other
words, it won't go any faster.
The Private Pilot Magazine article told
the airflow from the aft wing fairings was
vertical. A local Swift owner told me the
"break" in the fuselage at sta. 62.5 presented
tremendous drag. [ was determined to find
out the truth, and applied yam tufts all over
the airframe. [ wish now I had taken a lot
more photographs , I think [ have a few
around somewhere. The airflow at sta. 62.5
was actually quite good, [ thought, and the
aft wing fairings weren't too bad either. I
taped the slots closed, and could not detect
any speed increase. The stall seemed about
the same also, with good aileron control into
the stall. It seemed to fly a little slower be-
fore the break, but speed is what I was after.
Several things must be remembered at this
point: this was not done in a real scientific
mode, and [ was a fairly low time pilot at the
time I was doing this. [ had made up some
gap seals between the flaps and wing trail-
ing edge , and the ai lerons and the wing
trailing edge. These don't do any good, but 1
left them on, because it would have been too
much work to remove them. [ also made up
some trailing edge fairings similar to today's
"frog fairings ." The FAA would have ap-
proved them, but any advantage seemed to
be on the low end, not in the speed gain .
Everyone seemed to think the Swift wing
tips were no good, because that's one of the
most common changes to the airplane. [
think it's just done because it's easy!
When I purchased this Swift it already
had the standard tips replaced with spill
plates. I always wondered if they were any
good, so [ resolved to find out in a positive
manner. I retained the left spill plate and in-
stalled a standard tip on the right. Below 80
mph lAS, almost full aileron deflection was
required to hold the wings level. Even wide
open, the ailerons were deflected about one
12 JUNE 1998
inch. Releasing the controls initiated a slow
roll toward the spill plate side. I had yam tufts
taped to both tips and the spill plate's airflow
was simply awful, while the standard tip was
amazingly laminar and smooth. Needless to
say, I installed a pair of standard wing tips.
The rate of climb increased and I could ap-
proach slower. After all this I relicensed the
airplane in the standard category, with a 337
approval for the mods I retained. Net speed
gain? "Zero!" I didn' t gain a mile an hour.
After five years of ownership [ had
changed the engine from 90 hp to 150 hp
and increased the speed from 120 to 140
miles an hour. Soon J developed a want for a
polished Swift, and purchased, sight unseen,
a GC-I A from Vince Fette, which he hadn' t
seen either! The airplane was in St. Louis,
MO and retrieving it on a ferry permit was
an adventure which could take pages to tell!
Vince had force landed N2373B in the Ever-
glades, and was not in position to go after
another airplane just yet. After an adventur-
ous flight home, [ removed the C-85 engine
and installed an 0-3000 and 74x61 prop.
The speed of my now GC-I B was about the
same as my previous 150 hp airplane. At a
fly-in that fall I had the opportunity to run
side by side with some of the faster Swifts
and to my chagrin, realized they were faster
than [ was. I had computed the weight and
balance, and thought it was neat that this air-
plane didn' t require any weight in the tail to
stay in the C.G. envelope. I know now why
it was always hard to land that airplane, and
why it wouldn't "go." It needed at least 9.5
pounds oflead in the tail and a shorter prop.
Eventually I bought N2344B, a com-
pletely stock 125 Swift. A year or two later [
installed an 0-300A which had been given a
good top overhaul. Then [ got a Sensenich
M74-DR-I-62 propeller from Charlie Nel-
son which had been shaved down by a noted
racing pilot. I was finally getting some
speed! This airplane, with a completely
stock airframe, would indicate 165 mph at
full throttle and usually make 150 mph over
the ground cross-country. The first 23 other
airplanes [ raced against, [ beat. This in-
cluded several downdraft cowling, fiberglass
cowl Swifts. When the 0-300 got a little
tired at 1,700 hours, Charlie Nelson, Porter
Houston and Mark Holliday convinced me I
needed to retire from Swift racing, or over-
haul the engine (they beat me).
If you've heard of August Rasput, you
know he wrote an engineering paper in the
late 1940s in which he determined the cool-
ing drag of three common airplanes of that
period was one-third of the total parasite
drag. This included the Navion, the Culver,
and the Swift. These airplanes all had up-
draft cooling. Perhaps his figures were inac-
curate, or the Corben cowl wasn't as efficient
as it should have been, but I did manage to
get by quite a few of them.
I conducted an interesting experiment. I
had accumulated a collection of five props:
an Aeromatic, two McCauley DM7359s and
two Sensenich 74DR props. On a Saturday
morning, changing the props in quick suc-
cession, I tested them by simply running
wide open at 2,000 feet msl. My favorite
Sensenich indicated 167 mph at 2,900 rpm.
The best McCauley, narrowed to the service
limit, with rounded tips, and a sharp trailing
edge (so sharp you couldn't hand prop it
without gloves), indicated 164 mph at about
the same rpm. The Aeromatic indicated 135
mph at 2,700 rpm. The "full dimension"
Sensenich indicated 155 mph at 2,650 rpm.
The other McCauley, simply cut down from
a 76 inch diameter blade with very wide
tips, indicated 145 mph at 2,650 rpm.
I found this very interesting. It indicated
for speed, the prop tips should be narrowed
in chord to the repair limit. [n later years, [
found a Sensenich M74DR-I-59, and a Mc-
Cauley I A 170DM7359 are approximately
equals, if the tip chord is equal. Props vary
from one to another, even with the same
numbers. The McCauley might have a slight
edge in climb, and the Sensenich a slightly
higher speed. A fixed pitch wood prop is not
worth any consideration for speed. The rare
Beech-Roby for a C-125-1 (spline shaft) en-
gine? Ditto. So does that cover all the fixed
pitch props? Not quite. For an 0-3000 the
best prop is a Sensenich 740C series. [t must
be field approved. McCauley EM props are
also used on 0-300Ds but are not known to
be good performers. A prop which is not ap-
proved on the Swift, is the McCauley "Jet
Flow" 76 inch diameter, 51 inch pitch. This
prop could be used on an "airshow and exhi-
bition" airplane and might offer climb
performance comparable to the 150 hp air-
planes with constant speed props. Many
people think a constant speed propeller will
out perform a fixed pitch all the way. Actu-
ally, the fixed pitch prop can be optimized to
do one thing really well, and the constant
speed is a compromise for all flight regimes.
The thing I like best about my fixed pitch
prop is low cost and NO moving parts.
When it comes to constant speed props
for the big engines, you are limited to what
the STC for your conversion calls out. Some
owners, working in conjunction with the pro-
peller manufacturer, have gotten approvals
on many different models. Here are some ex-
amples: A lightweight Hartzell for the 150
hp Lycoming, another more modern and
lightweight Hartzell for the 180 Lycoming, a
- Continued on page 26-
by H.G. Frautschy
(Left) With only a few regis-
tered, it's not too often you see
a pair of Spartan Executives
parked side-by-side at a fly-in.
In the foreground is the Exec
belonging to Tom and Betty
Horne (EAA 519880) of
Savannah, GA and the Spartan
to its left (and inset photo) is
Kent and Sandy Blankenburg's
(EAA 147057, AlC 5145), from
Groveland, CA. The Blankenburg's
Spartan was judged the
Reserve Grand Champion.
(Below) This sharp looking Piper
PA-20 Pacer was flown to the
Fly-In by owner/pilot William
Cumberland (EAA 28345),
Woodbine, MD. It was picked as
one of the Classic Outstanding
Aircraft trophy winners.
(Below) There's nothing like the front porch of the
headquarters building for watching the afternoon air-
show, or just to pause and enjoy a cool lemonade or
snack, as sold by the volunteers of EAA AlC Chapter 1.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13
(Above) Mike Stanko (EAA 238405, NC 8909) and the crew of
Gemco Aviation Services in Youngstown, OH finished the restoration
of Steve Johnson' s (EAA 103304, A/C 2858) Beech D-17S
Staggerwing. Steve's confidence in Mike was vindicated in the pre-
sentation of a Best Antique Custom trophy for the Staggerwing.
Accompanying Steve in the cockpit during the photo shoot was for-
mer owner Doug Koeppen (EAA 15600, NC 753) of Sanger, TX.
Steve was tickled to have Doug surprise him at the Ry-In and was
honored to have him accompany him on the flight. Doug owned the
airplane from 1973 until January 1984.
(Above) The Best Restored Classic over 165
hp of Sun 'n Fun '98 was this Cessna 195
flown in by Valerie (EAA 427167, NC 20388)
and James Slocum, Moscow, TN.
(Below) From Sarasota, FL, Charlie Strumpf
(EAA 183427) and his son Herk brought
their brightly painted Stinson 108-2.
(Left) The "Anteater" American Eagle with the Kinner K-5 engine is
certainly one of the more unusual antiques flying today. The long
nose, necessary since the Kinner is so much lighter than the OX-5 it
replaced, gives the Eagle its distinctive feature. This example is
owned by Brown's Seaplane Base of Winter Haven, FL.
(Left and below) A pleasant surprise was the arrival
of Joe Funk, one of the Funk brothers. Joe spent
the day with Alan (EAA 348610, NC 18247) and
Jackie Sowell and their beautiful Funk B-85-C. (Not
to mention Michael, shown here, and his little sis-
ter Rebecca.) Joe was also interviewed by EAA
videographers Jon Sheehy and Peg Lupica (at the
camera) for Mure use in EAA's programming shown
on Speedvision. The Sowell 's Funk was awarded an
Outstanding Classic Aircraft trophy.
14 JUNE 1998
(Above) Jim Kimball (EM 49344, NC 8908)
of Zellwood, FL and Herb Clark (EAA
513686), Leesburg, FL put their heads
and hands together to make a change to
the look and performance of this Waco
UPF-7. Can you make out the change?
The engine is a 360 hp (!) Vedneyev 9
cylinder radial and its corresponding prop.
Easily converted back to a 220 hp
Continental, the UPF is described as hav-
ing a short and exciting takeoff run, with
amazing vertical and climb performance.
(Above) John Johnson (EAA 530519) of
St. Petersburg, FL has displayed this
Warner Scarab powered Rearwin
Cloudster during the past couple of years.
With only 600 hours total time, it's cer-
tainly a low time antique.
(Above right and below) Jeff Ellingham (EM 265479), Dayton, TN flies this 450 Stearman,
registered with the appropriate N450HP. As you can imagine, it really pumps out the smoke!
The Swift line is always well represented
in the Vintage airplane parking area. The
Temco Buckaroo leads off the row facing
north as a few of the pilots begin to make
preparations for their departure.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15
(Right) Lou Frejlach (EAA 13463, A/C 7558),
laGrange, IL realized a dream of owning a Fairchild
24H with the recent completion of this spectacular
example. The restoration was started by the late
Norbert Binski, and completed by Geo "Joe" Hindall
(EAA 216658, NC 14532) of Englewood, FL. Winner
of the Best Cabin award at Sun 'n Fun, the plane is
being flown in the photo by retired airplane pilot Jim
Bohlander (EAA 423435, NC 20017), a long time
friend of Lou's.
(Above) Right next to the headquarters
building is the type club tent, where
members and other interested folks
can stop and chat about their favorite
airplane. These folks are the experts
for their aircraft- if you've ever
thought about buying or restoring an
airplane, join the type club for that air-
plane before you buy!
(Left) Winner of the Best Silver Age Antique at Sun
'n Fun was this OX-5 powered American Eagle, lov-
ingly maintained by Bud and Larry Skinner of Miami , FL.
-....:.=.. Ahh, laying in the grass, flying the : = : ; = = ~ I ~ : :
while laying under the wing of a beatlltlfUlIY
170 on a sunny Florida day ... what c:ouId be bettal'than

16 JUNE 1998
(Right and Below) This handsome Stinson
lOA was restored by Debbie Snavely,
Lake Placid, FL. It was judged the Best
Monoplane in the Antique category.
Debbie and her husband Bill (EAA 97158,
AlC 14544) run the National Stinson
Club (lOB Section), and are very familiar
with the type. A long term restoration,
this was entirely Deb's project, while Bill
was roped in for flipping wings, etc., and
lending his support while she put her
then-new A&P skills to work.
(Below) The Contemporary judging category's Best Twin was this
sleek looking Beech E-1BS owned and flown by Pat Foley (EAA
413436) of Middletown, DE.
(Right) A pretty Tri-Pacer can be
a real beauty, such as this fine
example kept by the Nystrom
family of Coral Springs, FL. Even
the engine compartment was
beautifully restored, including
meticulous fabrication of a new
set of baffles, not to mention the
excellent fit and finish of each of
the mechanical systems, etc. A
great job, Mark and family!
(Above) It may look like a Taylorcraft, but
it's really a Swick T, a Taylorcraft modified
for aerobatics. It is a single place airplane,
and is powered by a 160 hp fuel injected
Lycoming engine. It belongs to Hedges
Aviation, New York, NY and was built up
by Mike Sharp.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17
(Below) Eric Barnhill (EAA 513694, NC 25648) and Greg Davis
(EAA 232968, NC 22264) Seneca, SC were fortunate to find a very
original Aeronca 11AC Chief with which to start their restoration,
A/C27520). Their new General Manager, he's
proudly standing beside their YMF-5 mounted on a
set of PeeKay 3500 floats. PK's representative,
John Bent (EAA 188753), of DeVore Aviation is
resting on the float. A smooth landing on wet
grass facilitated the arrival of the biplane, and
Willie Ropp's takeoff dolly was used to get the air-
plane out of Lakeland Under airport.
Larry Van Dam
(EAA 211807,
NC 26860) is
in the cockpit
of his 1957
Beech H35
Bonanza, win-
ner of an
Contemporary
Outstanding
Aircraft award.
Oshkosh.
Larry is from Riverside, CA, and his aircraft has
won awards at both the 1995 and '96 editions
of the annual EAA Fly-In and Convention in
All the way from Cedar Rapids, lA, James Zangger (EAA 476891, NC 23221) flew
(Below) The newest employee of Classic Waco in
his BC-12D TayIorcraft to Sun 'n Fun '98, where it won an Outstanding Classic
Lansing, MI is Pat Horgan (EAA 235560,
Aircraft trophy to go along with the Best of Type award he won at EAA Oshkosh '98.
which culminated in a Best Restored Classic (0-100 hpj trophy.
(Below) After a complete refinishing and
rebuild of the firewall forward area of his
Bonanza, Don Gaynor (EAA 334906)
was presented with a Contemporary
Outstanding in Type trophy for his slick
looking personal airplane.
Bright blue sky, with just a few
wispy clouds, greeted the hard-working
crew at Sun 'n Fun' s annual Seaplane
Spash-In at Lake Parker in Lakeland,
FL, on Friday, April 24th. Seaplanes
converged from all directions on the
northeast portion of Lakeland to drop
into the blue waters of Lake Parker
while the crowds on the shore watched
in anticipation.
The city fathers of Lakeland have
been extremely busy the past few years
making some much-needed improve-
ments to the park area where the
Splash-In is held. New hard-surface
walking paths have been built along
the shore for several blocks. Metal
bleachers have been installed for folks
to sit and watch the sea-
planes as they land and
take off, taxi quietly by or
make impressive high
speed passes in front of Basking in the moming sun is this Hello Super Courier, N100AB,
SI N 1478, mounted on a set of PK 3500A amphibious floats and
the crowd. For some rea-
flown in by John McGinnis of Ft. Lauderdale, Fl. An outstanding per-
son or another, people are
former on floats, the hlgh-lift wing makes for a quick takeoff and
absolutely fascinated by the absence of struts makes moving along the floats a real breeze.
Note the leading edge wing slats are In the open position. This
seaplanes and will watch
model H-295 Hello is powered with a Lycoming G0480 engine of
them for hours at a time.
295 hp swinging a big three-bladed prop.
Florida seems to be the
"home of the amphibian"
as the temperate climate is most con- lined up the entrants for the seaplane
ducive to being able to land on water or fly-by over at nearby Lakeland' s Lin-
hard surface- all year around. A large der Regional Airport where Sun 'n Fun
percentage of the seaplanes were am- was in full swing. The trick is to get
phibious, from the smallest li ghtweight each seaplane in its proper speed group
to the large twin-engine Grummans and so there is some rhyme and reason to
Twin-Bee. And who can the fly-by and proper spacing is main-
resist a really fme seaplane tained. Once complete instructions are
fly-in to start the year at given to the group, each pilot has to
Sun 'n Fun? The overall "carry the ball" so to speak, so that the
turnout of seaplanes and fly-by looks attractive to the crowd
people was most impres- and no one is exposed to any danger
sive and the organizers from poor piloting technique. A really
were quite enthused. good fly-by is a thing of beauty and I
Veteran announcer , am proud to say the '98 Sun 'n Fun
George "Joe" Hindall , Seaplane Fly-By was a dandy. Some
Running off with the Best Amphibian Award at Sun ' n Fun ' 98, was this immaculate
1944 Grumman G-44 Widgeon, N4617N, SIN 1364, flown in by Grover Burgan of
Jacksonville, Fl. This is a McKinnon conversion using Lycoming G0-435 engines of 260
hp and swinging Hartzell CIS propellers. The workmanship and finish on this airplane
was outstanding.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19
sixteen seaplanes took part and all ar-
rived back at Lake Parker in fme shape.
Meanwhile, a couple of large floating
yellow innertubes were anchored in
front of the crowd in preparation for
the bomb drop contest. The idea was to
fly by at 100 feet above the water and
drop a grapefruit as close to the yellow
"target" as possible. Numerous pi lots
gave it their best shot, but the winner
was Robin Dyck of Canada flying a
Murphy Elite, C-FWSF, mounted on a
set of Murphy amphibious floats .
Robin's grapefruit landed within 10
feet of the target.
The spot landing contest was won
by Ray Szinkey of Orlando, FL with
his Luscombe 8F on Edo 1400 floats .
Hi s mark was just 30 feet past the line.
The short takeoff contest produced
three winners in the three classes. Bruce
Rivard won the CLass A (Over 200 hp)
event with hi s Lake Amphibian 2S0.
The Class B (100 to 199 hp) event was
won by Ron Bull of Jupiter, FL, in his
Piper Super Cub, NISOEP, mounted on
a set of Baumann BF-2100 floats. With
a ISO Lycoming pulling a Borer 82 X
42 prop, Ron was able to lift off at 29-
30 kts., just ahead of Robin Dyck with
hi s 180 hp Murphy Elite on Murphy
amphib floats. The winner of the Class group of mothers from a local grade
C (Under 100 hp) event was Henry school. Their offerings at extremely
Clews of Hanover, NH, with his Quick- reasonable prices went like the prover-
silver Sprint II, NlIS4Z, mounted on a bial hotcakes. (Coffee at SO, hotdogs
set of Full Lotus amphib floats. at $1.S0)
Needless to say, the crowd thor- All in all, the seaplane fly-in was a
oughly enjoyed the competition and huge success and the evening banquet
got a kick out of the "wi ld aim" of in the nearby screened-in hall drew
some of the bombadiers! It 's a good about 130 seaplaners who enjoyed a
thing we didn 't have to depend on wonderful evening after feasting on
these folks in World War If - we huge Texas Catt le Company steaks.
would have lost the war! Nobody went hungry.
A very neat food concession stand See you all next year and remember -
was operated at the fly-in site by a bring a friend. ....
(left) Awarded the Best Metal Aoatplane plaque at Sun 'n Fun '98 was this
very nice Cessna 180, N180PR, SI N 30214, mounted on a set of Aqua 3190
floats and flown In by Jack Sellett of Winter Haven, FL. Note the STOL kit
"fences" on the top side of the wing to help the low speed performance.
(Below) Carefully parked by the shore Is Super Seabee, N565CB, SI N 946,
flown by Henry Ruzakowskl of Tavemler, FL. Immediately above the Seabee Is a
Grumman Widgeon with a Twin Bee off to the left and a lightweight SeaRey
amphibian is starting a takeoff run.
20 JUNE 1998
WHATOUR.MEMBERSARERESTORING
-----------------------------byNormPetersen
Philip Geiger's Piper J-3 Cub
Following a beautiful restoration job by Tom Flock and Dale
Cummings of Rockville, IN, this 1946 J-3 Cub, NC88386, SIN
16004, poses for its portrait in the late afternoon sun. Owned for
over 25 years by the late Philip Geiger (EAA 252977) of Shel-
byville, IN, the J-3 project (18 years in storage) was traded for a
flyable Cessna 140 to Dale Cummings and Tom Flock. After
repairing some right wing damage and working on the gear, the
entrie Cub was covered with 102 Ceconite and finished off with
Airtech urethane. The 65 Continental was overhauled and new
Slick mags were installed. Complete with a metal prop and new
struts, the pretty Cub came in at 700 Ibs. empty. Tom reports the
Cub flies as good as it looks. The photo was submitted by Pete
O'Keefe of Rockville, IN.
Ron Bailey's Cessna 140
From Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, comes these two photos
ofa pretty white and red 1946 Cessna 140, C-FKCT, that is the
pride andjoy of74-year-old Ron Bailey (EAA 408304, AlC
18979) who is standing next to the 140. Ron flew the brightly
colored Cessna from Edmonton to Oshkosh '92 and had a
lovely trip, as described in the February 1993, Vintage Air-
plane. His letter also says that he especially enjoyed the
mention of the Alberta Aviation Museum .--_____-.lill:::====-___
and the restoration ofNoorduyn Norseman,
CF-EIH, as pictured in the March, 1998,
Vintage Airplane magazine. Ron has noted
th at he is coming home with more and
more awards for being the oldest pilot at-
tending the various fly-ins! (Ed. Note: We
concur with you, Ron! It is tough, but it
surely beats the alternative! All the best for
many more good years.)
Villi Seemann's Auster Mark V and Lisbeth Seemann (EAA 354748) of hours of endurance at 75 kts. cruise. This
These photos of a 1945 British-built Hedehusene, Denmark. Powered with a particular Auster served in Burma and In-
Auster Mark V, registered OY-EFI, SIN Lycoming 0-290-3 engine of 125 hp, the dia as TW 477 and has also been north of
1815, were contributed by owners, Villi Auster features a Hoffman propeller of the Polar Circle in Sweden. It was restored
179X112cm. in Denmark in 1969 and was owned by a
(that's 70.5" X German Count who kept it in the Canary
51" to us), room Islands. Villi and Lisbeth are both busy
for three people learning the art of flying a taildragger and
and nearly SIX having a grand time with the "British Tay-
lorcraft." Lisbeth
is chapter treasurer
for EAA Chapter
655 in Denmark
and both are active
in the KZ & Vet-
eranfly Klubben
(KZ & Antique
Airplane Club).
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21
room, my boss showed me a box ofscrap
steel. I pulled out a piece with the com-
ment, 'this looks like part ofa welding
j igfor something. ,
"' You're right, ' he said, and then he
went on to explain it was the leftovers of
afuselagejig that had been stored there
many years before. He related as to how
a guy who was trying to build a certified,
production aircraft down in Southern
California had run into serious financial
woes, and in the dark ofnight had removed
his factory and the prototype to Chico. The
plane eventually flew away, but much of
March Mystery Plane
First off, a litt le unfini shed business.
Last month I told you we only had one
answer to the February Mystery Plane,
the Crawford Tri-Motor. WeII , it turns
out that just isn't so. We did, in fact, get
a number of correct responses from our
members. Those who got it ri ght are:
Richard AII en, Lewiston, ID; Robert
Evans, All entown, P A; Kaz Grevera,
Sunnyvale, CA; Marty Eisenmann, Sr.,
Upland, CA and Ted Businger, Horseshoe
Bend,AR.
This month ' s Mystery
Plane is sprightly looking
little cabin job. To be in-
cluded in the September
issue of Vintage Airplane,
your answer needs to be in
to EAA HQ no later than
July 25, 1998.
by H.G. Frautschy
Now onto the March Mystery Plane.
It was certai nly not an unknown air-
plane, but not too many were built. We
had plenty of answers, including thi s one
from Tim Talen:
"The Mystery Airplanefor March is
the Hockaday 'Comet,' and I'd like to
add my story about the airplane.
"It starts about 25 years ago when I
was trying to be an apprentice A&P me-
chanic at Chico Aviation in Chico, CA.
The FBO was located in one ofthe large
WW If hangars and one day, while learn-
ing all the do's and don'ts of the air
compressor which was located in a back
the tubing and jigs stayed on; eventually
it was down to a box scrap steel. My cu-
riosity was thoroughly aroused.
'What was the airplane called?'
I asked.
'A Comet,' was the reply.
"I kept that jig piece and determined
to learn more about the Comet. Another
local old-timer confirmed the story and
added the designer was Noel Hockaday.
I read what literature I could find about
Hoc kaday's career - mostly with the
Porterfieldl Rearwin years - but little
else and almost nothing about the
Comet. It has always bothered me that
the Comet flew away from Chico, but to
where? Could it still be in some shed or
warehouse or someone 's hangar some-
where? This Comet had certainly passed
by and then departed the scene!
"The next chapter to this tale began
about five years ago when I was cleaning
out the hangar ofa departed friend and
flier, Bill Rodenberg ofBrownsville, CA.
I was loading up some miscellaneous
tail swfaces when out came a fin, rudder,
stabilizer and elevator that didn 't fit any
ofthe known shapes with which I was
acquainted. Back at home I hung them
up with a sign 'mystery tail surfaces.' I
22 JUNE 1998
got lots ofguesses, but none would hold
up. I finally was down to paging my way
through Juptner's [U.s. Civil Aircraft}
nine volumes hoping to make .a match.
No luck. I thought homebuilt for a while
but these surfaces were built like a pro-
duction aircraft: ball-bearing hinges,
very nice welding like on many pre-war
aircraft, etc., and still no match. It wasn't
until last fall while cleaning out some old
file folders that a magazine clipping ofan
airplane fluttered to the ground. It was
the Hockaday Comet! Suddenly, the lights
flashed on in my brain - the mystery tail
feathers were offthe Comet! Everything
was a perfect match to the picture. Cor-
rect number of ribs, proper attach
points, even the reversed steering horn
at the bottom ofthe rudder to steer the
post style tail wheel. The genealogy was
very clear- the hinges are almost iden-
tical to my Rearwin 'Cloudster' hinges,
and the tail braces attach in exactly the
same way as my Porterfield! It allfit.
"In looking back at this turn ofevents
it also became obvious that the reason
these surfaces had gotten into Bill Ro-
denberg 's collection was that Bill had
lived in Burbank, CA for a number of
years during and after the war and that
was where the postwar home ofthe Hock-
aday Comet had been until its
clandestine move to Chico. I'm sure the
prototype Comet had returned to Bur-
bank, but with no finances and a
shrinking market for postwar aircraft,
the project must have languished and
eventually the Comet was relegated to
the scrap heap. One can only wonder -
since the tail surfaces have survived that
possibly the fuselage and wings are still
to be found? Lets hope so. I guess it can
truthfully be said this tail ofthe Comet
was indeed the tail ofthe Comet!"
From Roy Cagle, who was kind
enoughtosuggestthisMysteryPlane:
" ...This aircraft was designed by
Noel Hockaday, who was formerly with
well known aircraft companies such as
Porterfield and Rearwin. Seemingly, the
new Hockaday Comet was way ahead of
most 2-place aircraft offered at the end
ofthe big war.
New Continental C-125at 125hp,
cruising speed listed as 120 mph, with a
range ofover 500 miles. Fuselage half
metal and halffabric covering, ball
bearing controls, full cantilever type
landing gear.
"The Comet was featured in most all
aviation publications for awhile, right
before and after the war, and then just
vanished overnight. I have wondered
what happened to this perky and spirited
looking new aircraft. There may have
been at least two Comets, as two different
N-numbers have appeared in photos. "
JohnUnderwood,Glendale,CAadds
thislittletidbit:
" ...It [the Hockaday Comet} belonged
to a welder at Lockheed and its similar-
ity to the Porterfield is no accident. Noel
Hockaday designed the original Porter-
field in 1934. It didn't make him rich and
it only gave him an off-and-on job, so he
conceived the Hockaday Comet in 1939-
40, hoping to capture a share of the
mass market. Alas, the war came along
and he went to work for Lockheed as a
welder. The Comet was designed around
the 150 hp Menasco, but ended up as the
CF-J30 with a 130 hp Franklin. It was
built at Burbank in 1944-45and seems
to have had an experimental engine of
unknown make and hp in 1946."
Andfrom Karl Bergey,Norman,OK
weread:
Noel Hockaday had been a draftsman
for Stan Wallace on the Touroplane,
was later associated with American Ea-
gle and designed the Wyandotte Pup
that was the basis for the Porterfield
Aircraft. At Rearwin, he designed the
handsome model 6000 Speedster, a fa-
vorite ofmodel airplane builders in the
mid-to-late 1930s. "
Othercorrectanswerswerereceived
from BrainBaker, Farmington,NM;
Time Talen, Springfield, OR displays the tail sur-
faces of the Hockaday Comet, and in his hand
(right) he shows one of the pieces of the fuselage
jig he acquired 25 years ago while he was an
apprentice A&P mechanic in Chico, CA.
DipDavis,Marengo,IL;LarryKnech-
tel, Seattle, WA; Robert Bushby,
Minooka,IL; KazGrevera, Sunnyvale,
CA; WayneVanValkenburgh,Jasper,
GA;RonJudy,Gate,OK;NickHrum,
Spring Valley, OH; Robert Baier,
Brownsville,WI; LowellV. Curtiss,
DesMoines,IL;HarryO.Barker,Jr.,
WestMilford, NJ; RalphK. Roberts,
Saginaw,MI;RemoGaleazzi,Petaluma,
CA; Archie Bloeb,Cozad,NE; Bob
Nelson,Bismark,ND;C.H. Armstrong,
Rawlings , MD; Glenn C. Humann,
Everett,WA; FranklinWomack,Los
Gatos, CA;Paul Smoker,Intercourse,
PA; SkeeterCarlson, Spokane, WA; Pe-
terHavriluk,Granby, CT; MikeCollins,
Bakersfield,CA;TimothyP. Wood,St.
Louis, MO; OliverDredger,Jr., St.
Marys,KS;MartinRobb,Placentia,CA;
AlwinSupensky,Solvay,NY; DomCa-
passo,Haddonfield,NJ.
Send your Mystery Plane correspon-
dence to:
VintageMysteryPlane
EAA
P.O. Box3086
Oshkosh,WI54903-3086 .....
VINTAGE AIRPlANE 23
TypeClub Notes
-Continuedfrom page 8-
noseup overthetop, endingjustahead
ofthefront spar.
There were five full ribs,followed
byfive aileron ribs, then an outboard
ai leron rib which was slightlyshorter
(approximately2-112") and the tip
rib- which was alsoshorterandthin-
nerto blendinto the wooden tip bow.
The compressionstruts were made of
1025 mild steel tubing with a bell
shapedfitting in eachend thatcon-
nected with the brace wires. The
aileron hangers were also madefrom
tubingandwereofweldedconstruc-
tion. Theaileron balancecablewas
routed lowinthe wingjustbehindthe
frontsparandconnectedjustabovethe
pilot'shead in thecabinarea.
Themetal sparJ-3 wingsparsare
significantlydifferentthan the wood
spar. The metal front sparmeasures
13/16" thickby 5-11/16" wide, and the
rearsparwasalso 13116" thickby4"
wide.This wingutilized 13 ribs per
wing, again withanoseorfalse rib lo-
cated forward ofthe front sparand
betweeneachstandardrib.
Theribswerecoveredatthe leading
Backlightstayson until you turn it off
PAYS FOR ITSELF AS YOU USE IT
Pick up ATIS and get clearance
before the Hobbs storts running!
NEW! BUILTIN SIDE TONE
Includes headsetinterface & PTT jock
LOUD, CRISP AUDIO
A22 audio cuts through high cabin noise
SIMPLE TO OPERATE
ICOM'ssingle knob tuning - instant
frequency selection even in turbulent conditions
50 user-programmable memorychannels
Instantaccess to 121.5MHz
RUGGED ERGONOMIC DESIGN
One-piece die-cost aluminum chassis
with asuper-tough polycarbonate casing
ALL AT AVERY REASONABLE PRICE!
Ni -Cd battery,charger, headset
and case included
edgewith a3/4 wrap ofthesoft .016"
materialon the outboardmostskin
only. Theinboardskinswerestill.016"
aluminumbutwere now fully wrapped
(seeFig.2)from top to bottomattach-
ingto the rearfaces ofthe sparcaps.
Therewerefive full ribs herealso,but
six ribs wereused in the aileron bay
area. The outboard aileronrib was
again slightlyshorter, butthebiggest
rib difference is the tip rib. It has
moved farther outboard (approxi-
matelyhalfthedistancebetweenthe
outboardaileronandtip bow)which
made it shorterin overall length.At
thisspacing,thetip ribprovidesbet-
tersupportfor the tipbow.
Theinternal componentsaredif-
ferentalso. Thecompressionordrag
strutsare madefrom aluminum,and
the connectingdragwires areat-
tached to awire pull that is attached
to theendofthecompressionstrut
andup againstthe spar. Becauseof
thischange,thedragwiresarenotin-
terchangeablebetweenthewoodand
metalsparmodels. Theaileronhang-
ersare constructeddifferentlyand
are formed intoa"U" channel with
an aluminumbearingblock riveted
to theends. Thi s was desirable in
thatthe blockcan be changedoutif
thebearingholebecomestoo large.
The liftstrutattach fittings and
butt hinge fittings are also con-
structed differ ently and are not
interchangeablewiththe wood spar
types. When inspectingaJ-3 Cub,
the easiestwayto differentiate be-
tween woodandmetal sparwings
(when wingsare coveredandin-
stalled)is to eithercountthe ribs
(12-vs-13) orlookat the aileron
hangers.Thewoodsparhas around
tubularhanger,and the metal spar
wingutilizedthe morecommon U-
channel hangerwith the aluminum
bearingblockonthe aftend.
Therewas no fuel storedin either
woodormetal wingsalthough many
after-marketmanufacturershave
producedwingstorage tanks for
thismodel.
International180/185 Club-
Newsletter#137
Johnny Miller, president,
CameronPark,CA,
24 JUNE 1998
phone 916-672-2620
EDITORIAL- JUDGMENT DAYS
Every day you fly you're making decisions and judg-
ments that wi ll affect the outcome of your flight. Thank
goodness for the experience we've acquired. Because it's
usually enough to get us out of a situation when we make a
bad judgment.
Pilot error is still and will always be the biggest factor in
aviation accidents because we' re all human and subject to
stress. The judgments we make, like whether to land or not
on a short runway or with strong crosswinds, or to proceed
through weather when maybe we shouldn't are decisions we
are always confronted with.
These situations cause stress, and it's this stress that
leads us to make bad or poor judgments. If you can elimi-
nate most of the stress, you' ll eliminate a lot of your poor or
bad judgments. Examples of situations that raise your stress
level would be:
1. Time Constraints. You have to be somewhere by a
certain time or day. We've all been there. A fly-in, a meet-
ing, to work, or back home. This will increase your stress
resulting in extra pressure to a "Go" or "No Go" decision.
2. Your Ego. Don't allow it to put you in a difficult situ-
ation or to compromise your better judgment. Just because
your friend did it, doesn't mean that you should. Every one
of us are at different proficiency levels with our 1801185's.
And that level changes daily due to the amount we fly, or
how alert we are on any given day.
3. Invulnerable. The "I've flown for many years or have
thousands of hours and have never dinged an airp lane"
thinking could make you into being complacent or over con-
fident. You may have gotten away with a close call, but .. .
You might not the next time!
Never, never take anything regarding flying your beauti-
ful Cessna 1801185 for granted from preflight to roll out.
Always, always, always operate on the conservative side
and within your limits.
- Bill White
/\IRVENTURE.
OSHKOSH-1998

EAA:!
JULY 29-AUGUST 4
TheWest's PremierEAA Event
I.
HOMEBUILTS ANTIQUES
ULTRALIGHTS
CLASSICS HELICOPTERS
WARBIRDS
AIRCRAFT FLYBYS &AIRSHOW
ARLINGT
EVERYDAY
EXHIBITS - FORUMS
FLY MARKET
AIRCRAFT
JUDGING &
AWARDS
FAMILY ACTIVITIES-
CAMPING
OUTDOOR RUNWAY THEATER
EACH EVENING
HOT AIR BALLOON RALLY
HOME BUILDERS WORKSHOP
PreparlngASWift For Aerobadcs
- Continuedfrom page 12-
3-bladed Hartzell for the 200 hp Lycoming,
and even a counter-rotating prop for a 160
hp Swift with a twin Comanche engine!
Quasi-legal modifications. After 50 years
hardly any Swift is factory stock original.
Many early "improvements" improved the
airplane only when they were removed! Little
things, like a heat sink for oil cooling can
help - they're light, weigh less than a
pound, and according to my FAA inspector,
are a minor alteration.
Gear indicators - I once was ramp
checked by two FAA inspectors. One asked
if the little wires on the gear doors were fac-
tory equipment. I replied, "No, but I wouldn't
consider the airplane safe to fly without
them." He didn't push the subject any further.
Elevator trim tab - I now trim for land-
ing so this wouldn't work for me, but some
guys tape their tabs with flexible tape, elimi-
nating a possible source of flutter, and
increasing the speed by about .00 I mph.
Tail wheel fairing - The center of the
cutout for the tail wheel can be faired in
with a piece of .020 aluminum. This also in-
creases the speed about .001 mph. I don't
think a retractable tail wheel is worth the ef-
fort, but it has been done.
Small main gear tires- The 15:600:6
have been approved, and with some metal
work in the wheel well area, they actually
do increase the speed slightly. I tried the
small tires once, and didn't like them. It was
like landing with the tires full of concrete. If
you make perfect smooth landings 100 out
of 100 attempts, well okay, go ahead.
Vertical fin offset-This has been par-
tially removed by some, the justification
being the later airplanes were built that way.
If you are using a Serv-Aero engine mount it
probably works out okay because the thrust
is offset to the right. With a standard engine
mount you're kidding yourself. Those old
boys in 1946 knew what they were doing.
Horizontal stabilizer incidence - This
can be changed to the same amount of inci-
dence as the last series of Swifts built (sin
3600- 3700). This allows cruise flight with
no elevator or tab deflection. The e.G. should
be near the aft limit for best cruise speed.
Aileron and flap rigging- I have previ-
ously mentioned reflexing the flaps. The
ailerons have somewhat different character-
istics; if rigged slightly up the speed may
increase slightly, if rigged down, the roll rate
may increase. Up may also tame the stall some-
what. Down may make the airplane approach
and land nicer. Don't tension the cables over
the recommended 20 pounds. Don't rig any-
thing out of book recommendations.
Gear motors - The stock 1946 gear mo-
tor is not much good. The 35 amp is not
26 JUNE 1998
much better (it just has slightly ider
brushes). Just about any modern mo\or is
better. The mistake people make, and t re-
ally doesn't hurt anything, is they use 00
large (and heavy) a motor. Various HOl!da
motorcycle and Mercury outboard motor
starters have been used. Of course, the best is
the STC'd Bosch motor that Merlyn offers.
In the past, I heard of using Navion gears
in the hydraulic pump. I feel this is nonsen-
sical because the woodruff keys in the gear
actuators are marginal anyway. And if hard-
ened keys are used, the keyway can be
damaged with higher than normal pressure.
Pitot tubes - The stock pitot tube may
not be esthetically the most pleasing but it
does work pretty well. Piper and other pitot
tubes have been used with success. A pitot
tube extending forward from the wing lead-
ing edge should not be used. If there is a
problem, it's with the static port location. If
relocated, the static port should be located at
fuselage station 122, slightly above the cen- _
ter line of the fuselage, with arbalance-tu5e
to a similar port on the QPPoslte-si e.
Tape-A clear bu .t e eas peed
secret is to tape unde e gap strips, and
over the Ltg tening holes in the flap coves
and aHead of the ailerons. Harder, but also
effeetive is 0 tape up the lightening holes in
the rear spars of the horizontal and vertical
stabilizers. This must be removed at least
annually for inspection.
Cooling Drag- Much improvement can
be obtained by sealing up leaks, for both
better cooling and more speed. The oil
cooler may "rob" #2 cylinder of some cool-
ing air and cause it to run hot. #2 and #5
tend to run hottest due to unequal fuel distri-
bution. Hanlon-Wilson mufflers are not
ideal for the updraft cooling system. Make
sure you have a dump tube on your carb air
box, otherwise you're dumping hot air from
the right side heat muff inside the cowling
whenever you're not using carb heat. Some
"improvements" in this area actually in-
crease cylinder head temperatures. Make
sure you have adequate instrumentation be-
fore you change anything.
Bonanza wing tips - The reason I in-
clude them under quasi-legal mods is very
few actually are installed strictly by the
STe. The STC limits the aft e.G. of the air-
plane. This may be just a technicality,
because it eliminated some spin tests for the
granting of the STC. These tips increase roll
rate. That's it. The airplane will lose rate of
climb, lose speed when loaded heavy, and
approach faster and use more runway.
Stall strip removal - The entire stall
strip should never be removed.
Various approvals have been attained for
removing the outboard or inboard half, or
installing a section of extruded aluminum
about half the length of the original. The con-
"-;ensus seems to be, the inboard 112 should
be removed. I heard the CAA test pilot from
1945 talk once, and he thought the factory
should have experimented with shortening
the stall strips. The only Swift I ever flew
which I considered dangerous, had Buckaroo
wing tips, closed slotS, amino stall strips.
Closed slots-This is another modifica-
tion which is eldom done per the STC.
Most slot c10s res are done in aIDa er
which exceeds tlie sh etmetal proGe<iures of
the STC, but details' s c s a stall warne
are ignored. This m ~ oilly De a technicah
since the airplane doesn ne d on but it's
still part ofthe STC. I have 't seen the STC
for years but I seem to recall it called for
partia ~ l i strip removal also. To my mind,
the airplane stalls okay with the slots closed
but I-hav investigated s,Pin,character'is-
ti , etc, li e the FAA would do.
n . hatch-The entry Iia ch has been
odified in many, sometimes bizarre ways.
If the wind6w still slides up and down as it
dia originally, a piano hinged top section may
be easier to exit than a stock tip up hatch.
Canopies are the neatest! But expensive!
Dangerous airplanes? Some years ago
the Swift developed a bad reputation. We
now know that most problems are pilot re-
lated, not the airplane. But the Swift is not
for everyone. If flown within its limitations,
it is a fine sport aircraft. The 85 hp Swift
GC-LA started the bad reputation. Admit-
tedly, it is an underpowered airplane, but so
is everything else up to the F-16. The gross
weight of any airplane should not be ex-
ceeded. The gross weight of a GC-I A is
1,570 pounds. Some airplanes can handle
operations over gross weight better than oth-
ers. The GC-IA is a low powered airplane,
with a sturdy structure and corresponding
empty weight, and not a great deal of wing
area. The airplane was originally approved
with just two props, both variable pitch. The
Aeromatic and its characteristics have been
mentioned previously. The Beech-Roby
prop also has limitations, and must be oper-
ated accordingly. The GC-I A is often
converted with a C-90 engine and a fixed
pitch prop. The fixed pitch prop gives trouble
free service, and the C-90 will give accept-
able takeoff and climb performance and
cruise about 125 mph. At Oshkosh, I remem-
ber lying under the wing of my Swift and
having a spectator approach. "What engine
you got in that Swift?" they would ask, a typ-
ical question. I would answer, "A 145." This
was always followed by a solenm shaking of
heads and the comment, "Well, that's okay
but that 85 will hardly get off the ground." I
usually didn't mention the five GC-LA
Swifts I'd owned at one time or another.
FAA mandated dangerous conditions -
The only items I feel which are dangerous
are so because of FAA mandated condi-
tions. The static rpm conditions for both the
125 and the 145 hp engines are too low. The
rpm limits are from 1,950 to 2,250
ous fixed pitch props on a 125. At-these
rpms the engine will barely develop 100 hp
for takeoff. The 145 STC r . static rpm to
not over 2,130, not If flown in-
telligently, the S >fflcan operate within
these limits sa e y, but experience and his-
torical fa ave shown that short field
takeo and departure accidents have hap-
pen <\many times over the years, and while
decreasing, will probably happen again.
When tile C-125 was certified, it was at 2,550
rpm T ose props are intended to keep from
exceeding that limit. With most of these en-
gines converted to the "heavy" case they are
near "bullet proof' and can operate at 2,700
rpm and even higher safety. The Swift Mu-
seum Foundation STC for the 0-300A as
previously mentioned, actually limits the
engine to 125 hp of output. I believe Merlyn
Products has an STC which allows full
power for the 145. Interesting, that the 200,
210 and 220 hp engines are certified for
continuous full power output.
The McCauley prop D2A34C67/76-2
that is used on the 10-360 Continental has a
built-in booby trap in Swift applications.
This prop was originally intended for a
slower airplane, such as a Maule. It has a
high pitch stop ring installed. When operat-
ing at altitude, the prop effectively is a fixed
pitch propeller because the stop limits the
blades from twisting any further, thus the
rpm goes up. Ordinarily, this only limits the
speed and/or manifold pressure that can be
attained without excessive rpm and fuel con-
sumption. Where the safety problem comes
in, and we know that buzzing is Illegal, is
when a Swift pilot drops the nose and applies
full throttle, the rpm will easily climb to
3,200 and the airspeed will indicate in ex-
cess of 235 mph. I don't think I need mention
these figures are over red line. Add a "show"
paint job with heavy glossy ailerons and dis-
aster is imminent. At 29 inches and 3,200
rpm an 10-360 probably is producing over
230 hp. Some owners have removed the
pitch stop, I don' t know if that's FAA legal
or not, but I think it's a very good idea.
Perhaps you've noticed I've not men-
tioned much about routine maintenance.
That subject is covered quite well in a book
available from the Swift Association so I'll
not elaborate on what they cover.
I have started to receive some feedback
from Swift owners on what I have written.
Some expressed surprise at my recommen-
dation the ilerons not be painted. After all,
there are arlot of painted Swifts, and no one
knew rany problems. This started out with
tht}'i ea of preparing a Swift for doing aero-
atics. The red line airspeed of a Swift is
185 mph lAS. The design speed is 210 mph.
The ailerons are balanced 100 percent at the
hinge line, so it stands to reason any paint at
all will adversely affect the balance, i.e.
make them tail heavy. If the red line is never
exceeded, there is enough margin whereby a
painted aileron will never be a problem.
When performing aerobatics, a blown ma-
neuver can result in an inadvertent
overspeed. Or some owners have deliber-
ately used higher than red line airspeeds for
entry into vertical maneuvers. With the ad-
vent of the big engined Swift, many are
cruising near red line. An acrobatic maneu-
ver or simply dropping the nose can result in
exceeding red line. Read the previous sub-
ject on pitch stops on 210 Swifts. I can tell
you from experience the airspeed gets out of
hand in a hurry. My idea of aerobatics in the
Swift is 3.4 gs and entry speeds for loops
etc. not exceeding 175 mph. I had a Swift
that would not loop at 3.5 gs; checking re-
vealed the "g" meter read "5" at that number.
For years it seemed aerobatics were only
to be done in biplanes. Biplanes have a
unique safety factor. No matter how steeply
they dive, they won't go very fast. Some of
the "Ace" biplane pilots might have problems
doing acro in the Swift, then say the airplane
was no good. I talked to the late Art Scholl at
Oshkosh while Mark Holliday was perform-
ing, and he made the statement the Swift was
the most responsive production u.S. built
airplane ever. He actually started his airshow
career in a Swift. His complaints with the
airplane were 1) lack of power, 2) he was
concerned about the tail structure. Today,
we agree, but we can do something about
both items. However we can never recom-
mend a snap-snap high "g" performance
such as Art Scholl might have performed. If
you are at an airshow and see a performance
in a Swift, be reminded the pilot is maybe
just a cut above the average Pitts pilot.
One last item on exceeding red line. Due
to the wing slots, the Swift does not stabilize
at a relatively low airspeed in a spin. In a
fully developed spin, after the nose tucks
under it is virtually impossible to recover
without pulling excess "g" or airspeed. Case
example? My own Swift. Do I practice what
I preach? First of all, I don't do aerobatics,
unless you count an occasional roll. My
physical condition makes "g" loads very
uncomfortable. A lot of guys have spent
$100,000 on a Christen Eagle and then
found out they really didn' t like doing aero-
batics. I do feel my Swift performs well.
Did I make the figure of 1,200 pounds
empty? Well , not quite. My Swift weighs
1,224 pounds. It's not painted, but has the
belly auxiliary tanks. They were installed
when I bought the airplane, and I'm not go-
ing to remove them unless they leak, or
present some other problem. I did remove
the "boat anchor" radio and installed a three
pound 760 channel comm. The "full gyro
panel" was removed, and an electric turn
and bank installed. I also removed the ven-
turis and plumbing, and a lot of wire
installed by previous owners. I have Bendix
S6LN-21 magnetos and a 25 amp. generator.
I don't have any landing lights or rotating
beacon . I do have Cleveland wheels and
brakes, which is the only thing I've added to
the airplane which is heavier than what was
removed. I'm not running an oil cooler, but I
may be forced to install one, because it does
run hot on hot days. The only real weight
savings I could realize (further) is to install a
lighter interior. Mine is a generic "not quite
original" of unknown weight (the seats are
fairly light) and a lighter 0-30OA with the
B&C starter. And some of the little ounce
things I talked about early on.
I keep a file on the airplanes I've done a
weight and balance check on, and I only
find two GC-I Bs lighter than my N2431 B
and they both have C-125 engines. I believe
Porter Houston's N78171 is lighter, but I
can't find it in my records. Sorry, Porter but
I accidentally erased my computer file.
There may be lighter 145s out there, but I
haven't weighed them.
By now it should be clear I believe in the
lightest Swift possible. The airplane is built
strong in most areas (and heavy) with a few
spots that could use improvement. Also, in
my opinion, if you want to go fast, you need
220+hp. I feel all the 200+hp airplanes need
the gross weight increase. These are cross-
country airplanes by the time they have 56
gallons of fuel and full panels with fancy
navigation equipment installed. Even by to-
day's standards, these are fast airplanes. But
they are fast semi-aerobatic airplanes. It ' s
kind of ironic that when a big enough en-
gine is installed, the weight of the Swift is
such that acrobatics are somewhat limited.
That is a compliment to the Swift Magic
Aerobatic Team. They do a good job with
their big engined airplanes. In years past,
Chuck Lischer did nice airshows in his 150
hp Swift at a gross of about 1600 pounds.
Maybe, that was the most compromise of
weight and power. ...
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
VINTAGETRADER
Somethingtobuy,
sellortrade?

88.
All inexpensiveadill the Vintage Tradermay bejust
theanswer10 obtainingthatelusivepari ..50per
word,$8.00minimllmcharge. Sendyouradandpay-
ment to: Vintage Trader,E AA A viation Center,
P. O. Box3086, Oshkosh, WI54903-3086.orfax
youradalld y ollrcreditcardIIlImber to 920/ 426-
4828.Adsmustbereceivedbythe20th ofthemonth
forinsertionin theissuethesecondmOll th/ollowing
(e.g. .October20thf ortheDecemberissue.)
MISCEllANEOUS
BABBITT BEARING SERVICE- rod bearings,
mai n beari ngs, camshaft bearings, master rods,
valves. Call us Toll Free 1/ 800/233-6934. e-mail
ramremfg@aol .com htt p:// members.aol.com/
ramremfg/home/sales. html VINTAGE ENGINE
MACHINE WORKS, N. 604 FREYA ST., SPOKANE,
WA99202.
FREE CATALOG: Aviation books and vi deos.
How to, bui lding and restoration tips, historic, fiying
and entertainment titles. Call for a free catalog.
EAA,1-800-843-3612.
National Aircraft Finance Company. We finance
most types of ai rcraft including experi mental s.
No ai rcraft age limit. Call 1-800- 999-371 2,
Fax 941-646-1671 . Emai l-nafco@ai rloans.com
Homepage http://www.ai rshow.neVnafco
CASTINGS: Stock and custom manufactured,
exhaust manifolds, heads, water pumps. pulleys,
air intakes, brackets, cyli nder sleeves, blocks.
Wax investment, plaster and dry sand molding.
Compl ete tooling and machining. MOTOR
FOUNDRY & TOOLING, INC., 1217 Kessler Dr. ,
EI Paso, TX 79907 USA, Ph. No. 915/595-1277,
Fax 915/595-3167. ATTN: Valor D. Blazer.
AIRCRAFf INSURANCE
Insure itas youfffitOre it!
Thil featherstonosegear,
welovevintage aircraft!
US and Canada
800-276-5207
www.avemoo.oom
NotB\ruJabIebJBe rod Quebec
EeCliCii
CAVEMCO
INSURANCE COMPANY
28 JUNE 1998
ServicesDirecto!y
EnjoythemanybenefitsofBAAandthe
BAAAntique/ClassicDivision
c
EAA/
EAAAviationCenter,POBox3086,OshkoshWI54903-3086
Phone(920)426-4800 Fax(920)426-4873
WebSite:hUp:II.eaa.organdhUp://www.jlyin.org E-Mail:Vintage@eaa.org
EAAandDivisionMembershipServices
800-843-3612 . . . . . .. . . FAX 920-426-6761
(8: 00 AM -7:00 PM Monday- Friday CST)
New/renew memberships: EAA, Divisions
(Antique/Classic, lAC, Warbirds), National
Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI)
Address changes
Merchandi se sales
Gift memberships
ProgramsandActivities
EAAAi rVenture Fax-an-Demand Directory
........... .. .. .. ............. 732-885-6711
Auto Fuel STCs .. .. ..... . ...... 920-426-4843
Build/ restore information ...... 920-426-4821
Chapters: locating/organizing . . 920-426-4876
Educat ion.. . . . .. . . . .. . .... . ... 920-426-6815
EAA Air Academy
EAA Schol arships
EAA Young Eagl es Camps
Flight Advisors information ..... 920-426-6522
Flight Instructor informati on . . . 920-426-6801
Flyi ng Start Program .. . 920-426-6847
Library Services/ Research . ... . . 920-426-4848
Medical Questions ..... . . .. .. . . 920-426-4821
Technical Counselors .. .... . ... 920-426-4821
Young Eagles . . . .... . . . .. , ... . . 920-426-4831
Benefi ts
Aircraft Financing (Green Tree) . . 800-851-1367
AVEMCO ......... . .... . .. . ... 800-638-8440
AUA ........... . .. . ... . ...... 800-727-3823
Editorial
Submi tting article/ photo; advertising infonnation
920-426-4825 . . . .. .. . FAX 920-426-4828
EAAAviation Foundation
Artifact Donations .... ..... . . . . 920-426-4877
Financial Support ... .... . . . . . . 800-236-1025
MEMBERSHIPINFORMATION
EAA
Membership in the Experimental Aircraft Associ-
ation, Inc. is $40 for one year, including 12
issues of SPORTAVIATION.Family member-
ship is available for an additional $10 annually.
Junior Membership (under 19 years of age)
is available at $23 annually. All major credit
cards accepted for membership. (Add$16for
ForeignPostage.)
ANTIQUE/CLASSIC
Current EAA members may join the Antique/
Classic Division and receive VINTAGEAIR-
PLANEmagazine for an additional $27 per year.
EAA Membership, VINTAGEAIRPLANEmag-
azine and one year membership in the EAA
Antique/Classic Division is available for $37 per
year (SPORTAVIATIONmagazine not included).
(Add$7 forForeignPostage.)
lAC
Current EAA members may join the International
Aerobatic Club, Inc. Division and receive SPORT
AEROBATICSmagazine for an additional $40
per year.
EAA Membership, SPORTAEROBATICSmaga-
zi ne and one year membership in the l AC
Division is available for $50 per year (SPORT
AVIATIONmagazine not included). (Add$10for
ForeignPostage,)
WARBIRDS
Current EAA members may join t he EAA War-
birds of America Division and receive WARBIRDS
magazine for an additional $35per year.
EAA Membership, WARBIRDS magazine and
one year membership in the Warbirds Division
is available for $45 per year (SPORTAVIATION
magazine not included). (Add$7 forForeign
Postage.)
EAA EXPERIMENTER
Current EAA members may receive EAA
EXPERIMENTERmagazine for an additi onal
$20 per year.
EAA Membership and EAA EXPERIMENTER
magazine is available for $30 per year (SPORT
AVIATIONmagazine not included).(Add$8 f or
ForeignPostage.)
FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPS
Please submit your remittance with a check or
draft drawn on a United States bank payable in
United States dollars. Add required Foreign
Postage amount for each membership.
Membership dues to EAA and its divisions are not tax deductible as charitable contributions.
CarlosL. Reynoso..SanMartin,Argentina
BruceD. Eckersley
............Gosnells, W A, Australia
Robert1. Little
.......Lloydminster,Alberta,Canada
BrentL. Ombum..Hussar,Alberta,Canada
DouglasG. Potter
...Clementsvale,NovaScotia,Canada
AlainDecadenet..London,GreatBritain
AndrewC. West ...Essex,GreatBritain
JinichiMiyamoto .....Baragiken,Japan
Ron H. Hoogeueen Dronten,Netherlands
RoderikAlfredSteenwinkel
...............TerAar,Netherlands
Kai Lyche .........Drammen,Norway
M. F.Henderson
..........Rabaul, Papua New Guinea
JohnM. W. Sayers
...Honeydew, RepublicofSouthAfrica
Michael Minsch ..........Willow,AK
GeoffreyWhittington....Enterprise,AL
BobW.Benoit. .......Hot Springs,AR
PhilipG. Dickson .....HotSprings,AR
StevenHuff.....Lake HavasuCity,AZ
John M. Marek ...........Tucson,AZ
Bill Archibald .......Hillsborough,CA
Fred Bongard .....RedondoBeach,CA
RandyCox .............Carlsbad,CA
ThomasGafford...........Gilroy,CA
John1. Goodman,Jr. ......Rocklin,CA
DennisR. Irwin........San Diego, CA
RandyJohnson ...........Colusa,CA
DavidM. Meeks .........Sonoma,CA
PaulK. Miller ........ChulaVista,CA
Ron Nixon...............Orinda, CA
DouglasPowell.......LongBeach,CA
EricD.Vanoni ............Somis, CA
DaleT.Lankford..........Peyton,CO
RobertM. Michael. .......Boulder,CO
LeslieA. Haley........OldMystic,CT
DouglasE.Brown .......St. Cloud,FL
Bill D. Clifford...........Orlando,FL
SteveB.Croskrey......Hollywood, FL
ThomasEngoren ..........Tampa,FL
EarlE.Francis.............Miami, FL
LloydD. Gross........Brooksville,FL
Donald P. Guth....... ....Orlando,FL
StephenA. Hoffmann ......Tampa, FL
Keith Kewley .......St. Petersburg,FL
Jane Kimball ...........Zellwood,FL
Daniel J.Konst ........Zephyrhills,FL
RobertMast...........Clearwater,FL
John Matthews ......St. Petersburg,FL
Donald E.Murray....Coral Springs,FL
D. K. Neal...............Trenton, FL
RobertM.Rigby.......CapeCoral,FL
Manuel B. Sousa ......GulfBreeze,FL
Pete Steele............Wellington, FL
ThomasN. Tucker .....Tallahassee,FL
Philip1. Ulrich........PuntaGorda, FL
GeorgeH.White........Pensacola,FL
ScottBedenbaugh.........Austell, GA
DavidA. Branch .........Forsyth, GA
Donn R. Jacobs ........Villa Rica, GA
Max D. Tyler .......LocustGrove,GA
Michael A. King ........Oskaloosa,IA
John Siembieda........DesMoines,IA
JosephHess ..............Stanley,ID
TerenceA. Bolger..ElkGrove Village,IL
ChristopherP. Kelly........Bartlett,IL
GaryG. Miest. .............Byron,IL
MarkPetersen.....Hoffman Estates,IL
Jim A. Shupe.........Bloomington,IL
Bill A. Weber ...........Rockford, IL
Duane Devore Anderson ..Plainfield,TN
StevenW. Bailey......Burlingame,KS
Richie Davidson........Louisville, KY
EdwardG.Maxwell.....Louisville, KY
RobertN. Flagg.........Medfield, MA
Russell A.Holt......Turners Falls, MA
JohnR.Horahan ....North Adams, MA
MarthaM. Eney... ...... ..Lusby, MD
ArthurMark! .........Henderson, MD
Gerald D.Buzzell ......Twin Lake, MI
JerryLugten..... ...... ....Leslie, MI
Harry Maxwell .........Ortonville,MI
LewisWebster. ..........Saginaw, MI
Donald B.Macor . .... . . . .Duluth,MN
Margie M.Dewitt....Warrensburg, MO
MarkLeuthauser. .....Manchester,MO
DJ.Short ..........Warreasburg,MO
Craig P. Roberts.....Diamondhead,MS
Louis Young .........Hattiesburg,MS
CliffBond ........WinstonSalem,NC
DeweyJenkins .....BessemerCity, NC
Dickey1. Johnson. ......Crumpled,NC
Michael M. Mars......Greensboro, NC
Nancy B.Normark........Raleigh, NC
OrdErcoupeClub........ ....Ord,NE
RobertClarke............Nashua,NH
Berlow,Inc......Hasbrook Heights,NJ
Lloyd N.Dennis .........Velarde,NM
Annette Enedy .........Rochester,NY
Thomas P.Fletcher.......Oswego,NY
MiltonPalmer. .......W. Winfield,NY
MikeTaglich .........SagHarbor,NY
Bill Boone ................Tulsa,OK
LarryR. Trusty ..........Owasso, OK
RaymondT. Buker.......Parkdale,OR
RonaldL. Coleman......Troutdale,OR
Ron Englund..........Springfield,OR
ElisabethGumm ........Hillsboro,OR
Lynn F. Wood ......WillowGrove,PA
Thomas Balk...........Columbia, SC
Nicky H. Buchanan......Rock Hill, SC
Cecil H. McLeod......Mt. Pleasant, SC
SusanC. Scouten..........Sumter, SC
JohnT. BaughIII .......Nashville,TN
DanielR. King.........Sevierville,TN
Jim Simmons...........Nashville,TN
David S.Dufreche..........Hurst,TX
LeslieB. Hock.... .......Webster,TX
Andrew P. Houghton . ....Houston,TX
Paul Moore........Horseshoe Bay,TX
JohnnyNimmons ........Houston,TX
BennyWatson..... ... ....Odessa,TX
Otto B.Puhlmann..........Logan, UT
Randall Hamilton...Fairfax Station,V A
P.Simmons...............Hardy,V A
PeterB. Aden ............Seattle,W A
JoAnne E. George.........Hudson,WI
Amanda1. George ........Hudson,WI
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
F1y-In Calendar
The jollo wing list ojcoming events is jur-
nished to our readers as a matter oj
injormation only and does not constitute
approval, sponsorship, involvement, control
or direction ojany event (fly-in, seminars,
fly market, etc.) listed. Please send the
injormation to EAA, At!: Golda Cox, P.O.
Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Injor-
mation should be received jour months
prior to the event date.
JUNE 12-14 - MATTOON, IL - Luscombe Fly-In. Coles
County Memorial Airport (MTO) 217/234-7120.
JUNE 13 - INTERNA TIONA L YOUNG EAGLES
DA Y. Contact the EAA Young Eagles office,
920/426-4831.
JUNE 13 - TRENTON, NJ - Chapter 176 Young Ea-
gles Fly-In, rain date 6/14. Call 609/895-0234 for
location.
JUNE 13 - ANDOVER, NJ - Andover-Aerojlex Air-
port, 12N. Olde fashioned jly-in sponsored by EAA
A/C Chapter 7. Old birds, Young Eagles, Flying
Start, Penny-a-pollndjlights, good eats. 9731786-
5682,973-361-0875. Rain date 6/14.
JUNE 13-14 - FREDERICK, MD - EAA SportAir
Workshop. 800/967-5746.
JUNE 13-14 - GAINESVILLE, TX - 36th Annual
Texas AAA Chapter Fly-in. Info: 940/668-4564.
web site: http://www.coke.net/-airport
JUNE 14 - FULTON, NY - Oswego County Airport
(FlY) EAA Chapter 486 Pancake Breakfast featur-
ing biplanes. A ward for Best Biplane. Info: Ken
Graves 315/466-6928.
JUNE 18-21 - CREVE COEUR, MO - Creve Coeur air-
port. American Waco Club Fly-ln. Info: Phil Coulson:
616/624-6490 or Jerry Brown: 3171535-8882.
JUNE 19-21 - MIDDLETOWN, OH. Hook Field. Ninth
National Aeronca Convention. Fri. Steak Fry, Sat.
Banquet, Camping, Aeroncafactory tours. Info:
write Jim Thompson, P.O. Box 102, Roberts, IL
60962-0102.
JUNE 20-21 - LACROSSE, WI - AirFest '98 two day
airshow. Info: 6081781-5271. Check NOTAMSfor
field closure.
JUNE 20 - HUNTSVILLE, AL - Moontown Airport.
EAA Chapter 190 Fly-In sausage, egg and pancake
Eat 'Em Up Breakfast. 205-852-978/.
JUNE 20 - COOPERSTOWN, NY (NY54) - EAA Ch.
1070 Fly-In B 'Fast. 607/ 547-2526. Rain: 6/21.
JUNE 20 - LAGRANGE, OH - EAA Ch. 255 Fly-In
Breakfast. 440/355-649/.
JUNE 20 - MOOSE LAKE, MN - Lake Air Flying
Club Annual Fly-In breakfast. 7:30 - I I a.m. Info:
Larry Peterson 2/8/485-4441.
JUNE 20 - GAYLORD, MI - Otsego County Airport
(GLR). EAA Chapter 1095 Pancake Breakfast Fly-
In. 7 a.m.-noon. Rain date: 6121. Info: Tom
Lesinski, 517/786-4908, Phil Curtiss, 517/939-
8715, pcurtiss@bigfoot.com
JUNE 20-21 - RUTLAND, VT - EAA Ch. 968 "Tail-
dragger Rendezvous" Pancake B fast.
802/492-3647.
JUNE 20-21 - BARABOO, WI - Baraboo-Dells Airport
Times. Breakfast served by the Optimist Club from
7:30am to 12pm, RA IN OR SHINE! $4.50, Chil-
dren 6-10 $3,5 & under free. Info: Joe Canepa,
608/356-6822 (W), 608/356-0429 (H), 608/356-
7558 (FAX) or email atjcanepa@midplains.net
JUNE 21- SCHAUMB URG, IL - Schaumbu rg Re-
gional Airport (6C) - EAA Chapter 153 Pancake
breakfast, 8 a.m.-noon. Info: 630/830-0559.
JUNE 25-28 - MT. VERNON, OH - Wynkoop Airport.
39th Annual National Waco Club Reunion. Info:
Andy Heins, 937/866-6692 or email at waco-
club@aol.com
JUNE 27-28 - COLDWATER, MI - Fairchild Fly-In.
Info: Mike Kelly, 517/278-7654.
30 JUNE 1998
JUNE 27-28 - DEN VER, CO - EAA SportAir Work-
shop (Covering/Composites). 800/ 967-5746.
JUNE 27-28 -PETERSBURG, VA (PDA) - VA State
EAA Fly-In, 8041358-4333,
JUNE 27-28 -LONGMONT, CO - 20th Annual Rocky
Moulltain EAA Fly-III, 3031798-6086,
JUNE 28 - ANDERSON, IN - EAA Chapter 226 Fly-
In breakfast.
JUNE 28-JULY 3 - LAKELAND, FL - 30th Annual
International Cessna 170 Assoc. convention. Info:
Dale or Marty Faux: 9411646-4588.
JULY 3-5 - CRE VE COEUR, MO - Creve Coeur air-
port (IHO). Great War Fly-It!. Info: Don Parsons,
314/397-5719, PlsurFlyin@aol.comorTimAdcock,
314/861-0183 ADFEST@aol.com
JULY 4 - FREDRlCKSB URG, TX - Gillespie County
airport (T82) EAA Chapter 1088 4th of July
pa rade. Info: Stan Shannon 830-997-8802 or
shannons@jbg.net
JULY 8-12 -ARLINGTON, WA - Northwest EAA Fly-
In, 3601435-5857, Web site: www,mveaa. org!nweaal
JULY 10-12 - LOMPOC, CA - 14th annual West Coast
Piper Cub Fly-In. Info: Bruce Fall, 805/733- 1914.
JULY 10-12 - ALLIANCE, OH - Alliance-Barber Air-
port (2Dl) . Tay lorcraft Owners Club and
Taylorcraft Old-Timer's 26th Annual Reunion.
Info: 330/823-9748, 823-1168 or email at
tcraft@alliancelink.com
JULY 10-12 - PITTSFIELD, IL - Pittsfield Penstone
Airport - July 10- 12. Gathering of Eagles. Fly-In
breakfast on Sunday. Camping on field, motels and
transportation available. Info: 217/285-4756.
JULY 11- FREDRlCKSBURG, TX - Sh annon ranch
jly-in. Info: Stan Shannon 830-997-8802 or shan-
nons@jbgnet
JULY II-PUNTA GORDA, FL - EAA Ch. 565 Bfast.
y. Eagles. 941/575-6360
JULY 11-12 - ATLANTA, GA - EAA SportAir Work-
shop. 800/967-5746.
JULY 12 - RENSSELAER, IN - EAA Ch. 828 Fly-In/
Drive-In Lunch. 219/866-5587.
JULY 12 - NAPLES, FL - EAA Ch. 1067 Pancake
Breakfast. 9411261-5701.
JULY 12-13 - GAINESVILLE, GA - EAA Chapter 611
30th annual Cracker Fly-1n at Lee Gilmore airport
(G-VL). lnfo: Mick Hudson, 770/531-029/.
JULY 13-16 - MIDDLETOWN, OH - Sho rt Wing
Piper Club Convention Fly-In. 513/398-2656.
JULY 18 - OGDEN, UT - Ogden-Hinkley Airport. Pio-
neer days Fly-In/Open House Pancake Breakfast.
Competitions. Free Shuttle to Hill Aerospace Mu-
seum. Info: Jerry Taylor, 801-629-8251.
JULY 18 - HUNTSVILLE, AL - Moo ntown Airport.
EAA Chapter 190 Fly-In sausage, egg and pancake
Eat 'Em Up Breakfast. 205-852-9781.
JULY 18 - COOPERSTOWN, NY (NY54) - EAA Ch.
1070 Fly-In B'Fast. 607/ 547-2526. Rain: 7/19.
JULY 19-23 - OACAC Oregon Air Tour 1998 - starts
7/19 at Cottage Grove, OR. Info: Hal Skinner, 541-
746-3387.
JULY 24 - COFFEYVILLE, KS - Funk Aircraft Own-
ers Assoc. Reunion. Info: 302/674-5350.
JULY 24-26 - MERRILL, WI - Hatz CB-1 Anniversary
Reunion. 715/536-3197.
JULY 26 - BURLINGTON, WI - 6th annual group Er-
co upe jly-in to Oshkosh. Wheels up at 1 p.m.
Everyone welcome to join. Info: Syd Cohen,
715/842-7814.
JULY 29-Aug. 4 - OSHKOSH, WI - 46th
Annual EAA Fly-In and Sport Aviation
Convention. Wittman RegIOnal Airport.
Contact EAA, PO Box 3086, Oshkosh,
WI 54903-3086, 920/426-4800.
AUG, 1- ELLLSWORTH, KS - (9K7) - EAA Chapter
11 27 Fly- In Breakfast (Oshkosh stop-over) and
Cowtown Days. Info: Larry Adamek, 785-472-3665.
AUGUST 9 - QUEEN CITY, MO - Applegate Airport
l It h annual Fly- In. Everyone welcome.
660/766-2644.
AUGUST 9 - MENDOTA, IL - Grandpa's Airport.
EAA Chapter 263 Fly-In breakfast, plus trans-
portation to the Sweet Corn Festival that afternoon.
Info: 815/539-6815 or -5378.
AUGUST 9 - LAPEER, MI - Dupont-Lapeer Airport.
Yankee Air Force, Mid Michigan Div. Fly-In/Drive-
In Pancake Breakfast. Warbirds/Classics on display.
Info: Dave Hingst at 810-664-6966.
AUGUST 15-16 - KA NSAS CITY, KS - Downtown
Kansas City Airport (MKC). Kansas City Expo '98.
Young Eagles rally.
AUGUST 16 - BROOKFIELD, WI - Capitol Airport-
J5th Annual Vintage Aircraft Display and lee Cream
Social. Noon - 6 p.m. Info: Capitol Airport at
414/350-5512 or George Meade at 414/962-2428.
AUGUST 22 - SPEARFISH, SD - Black Hills Air-
port/Clyde lee Field. EAA Chapter 806 15th Annual
Fly-In. Camping, earlybird "Cream Can Dinner"
Friday night. Info: Black Hills Aero 605/642-0277
(days) or Bob Golay, 605/642-2311 (evenings).
SEPT, 4-5 - HAYWARD, CA - Hayward Air Terminal.
Hayward Air Fair '98. Info: Bud Field, EAA A/C
Chapter 29 president, 510/455-2300.
SEPT, 5 - MARlON, IN - 8th Annual Fly-In/Cruise-In
breakfast sponsored by Marion High School Band
Boosters. Classic Cars also welcome. Info: Ray
Johnson, 765/664-2588.
SEPT, 6 - NAPPANEE, IN - Fly-In/Drive-In Ice
Cream Social.J-4 p.m. Info: Fast Eddie Milleman,
219/773-2866.
SEPT. 11-/3 - TRUCKEE, CA - Truckee Tahoe Airport
Old and New Fly-In featuring the Beech
Staggerwing and Lancair. Info: Jerry Short:
jshort@Sunset.net
SEPT, 12 - TRENTON, NJ - Chapter 176 Young Ea-
gles Fly-In, rain date 9/13. Call 609/895-0234 for
location. Sept. 12- 13 - MARION, OH - Mid-East-
ern EAA Fly-In (MERFI). 513/849- 9455.
Sept 12-13 - MARlON, OH - Mid-Eastern EAA Fly-In
(MERF/), 5131849- 9455,
SEPT, 12-13 - HAGARSTOWN, lL - EAA Chapter 373
Fly-In. Cook out and camping Sat. aft.levening, break-
fas t Sun a.m. Info: Marvin Stohler, 765/489-4292.
SEPT, 18-20 - JACKSONVILLE, IL - Stinson Fly-In.
Info: Sue Selig, 630-904-6964.NOTE - THERE
WILL BE A REVISION TO THIS ITEM IN 4-5 days.
SEPT 19 - ASHEBORO, NC - Smith Airfield (25NC).
Old Fashioned Grass Field Fly-In and Pig Pick-In.
Antique, Classic Sport and Warbirds welcome. 1nfo:
JeffSmith 336/879-2830.
SEPT, 19-20 - STERLING, IL - Sterling-Rock Falls
Whiteside Co. Airport (SQI). NCEAA Old Fash-
ioned Fly-In. Info: Dolores Neunteufel ,
630-543-6743.
SEPT 24-2 7 - CHINO, CA - 23rd Annual Cessna
120/140 Assoc. Fly-In. HQ hotel: Ontario Airport
Hilton, 909/980-0400. Hosts: Eloise and John Wes-
tra, and Glen Porter 909/947-4456.
SEPT, 25-2 7 - ATWATER, CA - Castle Airport (for-
merly Castle Air Force Base) Golden West EAA
Regional Fly In, Info: Lela Edson, 5301626-8265
or email: edson@joothilLnet
SEPT, 26 - OLATHE, KS - Olathe Executive Airport
(OJC). Annual EAA/FAA Partnership Fly-In and
Young Eagle Rally.
OCT, 4 - TOMAH, WI - EAA Chapter 935 11th An-
nual Fly-In Breakfast. Static displays,food, jlea
market, much more. 7 a.m. - 4 p.m. Bloyer Field.
608/372-3125.
Oct, 8-1 I - MESA, AZ - Copperstate EAA Fly-In,
520/228-5480,
Oct, 9-11 - EVERGREEN, AL - SOlltheast EAA Fly-
In, 3341765-9109,
Oct, IO-II - WILMINGTON, DE - East Coast EAA
Fly-In. 3021738-8883.
OCT, 17 - ADA, OK - 2nd Annual Plane Fly Fly-In,
sponsored by EAA Chapter 1005. Freefoodfor jly-
in pilots. All aircraft we/come. Info: Terry Hall,
580/436-8190.
Evan is pictured with a Cub NC70J2 and a group 01 "fresh" Young Eagles ~
recruitecllrom his church.
H. Evan Zeiger, Sr.
Pell City AL
Owner and President of
HElCA, Inc. -aviation
management and
consulting company
5500 hour pilot
Holds ATP, CFlI, A&P
and IA certificates
AUAis
approved.
Tobecomean
EAAAntique&
Classic Division
Membetcall
800-843-3612
"HEZCA, Inc. owns and operates five
aircraft,all ofwhich are insured with
AUA. Iam grateful to AUAfor theircare-
ful attention and skilled handling ofour
insurance needs.Their prompt, personal
and professional service is unexcelled,
and Iunhesitatinglyrecommend them to
my fellowpilots and aircraftowners."
- Evan Zeiger
PS: HEZCA aircraft are fam iliar sights on the BHM ramp
of Raytheon Aircraft Services, where "Mr. Z"says they
thoroughly enioy "A Higher Plane of Service &Support."
The best is affordable.
GiveAUAa call- it's FREE!
800-727-3823
Fly with the pros... fly with AUA Inc.
U ~ Exclusive EAA
Antique & Classic Division
Insurance Program
Lower liabilityand hull premiums
M ical payments included
FI tdiscounts formultipleaircraft
carrying all riskcoverages
Nohand-propping exclusion
Noagepenalty
Nocomponentpartsendorsements
Discounts forclai m-free renewals
carrying all risk coverages
Remember,
We're Better Together!
A VlAnON UNUMITED AGENCY
THE NEW
CITATION HVlP
COMBO SYSTEM
WAS ABIG HIT AT
OSHKOSH!!
IfyouhappenedtostopbytheAntique/ Classic
Builders Workshop at the convention you
probablysawournewrespirator/paintsprayer
system atwork. Manyofyou stoppedbythe
Fastech booth to get a closer look at this
uniquesystem.
Becauseofthe
tremendous
interestin the
productwe
havedecided
to extendthe
showpricefor
alimitedtime.
Ifyoudidn'tgetachancetoseeit,theCITATION
systemcombinesafresh airrespiratorand
HVLPpaintsprayerin onecabinettoofferthe
utmostinsafety,convenienceandspraying
technologyataverycompetitiveprice!
Totalsystempricedatjust$799.00
(foralimitedtime only)
CALLFASTECHCORPORATIONAT1-800-462-2471
Spirnl-Botmd
Classrootn.
Ournew manual i sn' t It' ll
just areference- it's a show
coveringcourse in a you
book.It's the clearest, just
mostthorough,and howeasy itisto
most fun-to-read coveran airplane
step-by-step withPoly-Fiber,
bookofits and howmuch
kind.Itwill fun itcanbe. It
guideyou al l includes ourentire
the way catalogoftools,
throughtheentire products, and other
Poly-Fiberprocess in goodi es,too. All you
plain easy language needto makeithappen
and withadeli ghtful isournewmanual...
sense ofhumor. and adream.
Order Yours!Just $10.00!
PlusShipping It Handling
800-362-3490

E-maU:inf"o@polyObe r.com
Aircraft Coatings FAX: 909- 684-0518
-
32 JUNE 1998

electro latin in miniature
lies
TripleChrome- Nickel- Copper - BlackOxide -Anodizing- Brass- Silver&Gold
Zinc&Chromating- Brush PlatingKits- CopyCad"Cadmium"- CopyChrome
ElectrolessNickel
PlatingKits
SoSimple- JustUkeBoilingAnEgg!
1LiterKit $49.00
4LiterKit $155.00
12112 LiterKit $255.00
TheIdealWayToPlateSmallParts- Easi ly- Economically- Quickly
NoBatteries,RectifiersorOtherPowerSourcesRequired
PlatesManyMetals- All Steels,Irons,Copper,Brass,Bronze.
Titanium,Lead Free Solders&NickelAlloys
Even&UniformLayer,InsideTubes,Cornersetc.- NoAnodeShadow!
NoBathMaintenance- Simply Use&MakeUpNew
NoDisposalProblems- Drain SafeAfterTreatment(included)
FREE Catalog The Complete Pl ating Manual $25
Instantlyreceiveourfaxedliterature
Use yourfax phonetocall315-597-1457andfollowinst ructions
4336Rt.31,Dept.VIN,Palmyra,NY 14522
' Phone 315-597-5140or315-597-6378
WeShIp IA -
Worldwide Faxphone315-597-1457
EMail :
WebPage:http://www.caswellplating.com ::-_0-
Flyhighwitha
qualityClassicinterior
CompleteinteriorassembliesfordO-it-yourselfinstallation.
Customqualityateconomicalprices.
Cushionupholsterysets
Wallpanelsets
Headl iners
Carpetsets
Baggagecompartmentsets
Firewallcovers
Seatsl ings
Recoverenvelopesanddopes
Freecatalogofcompleteproductline.
Fabric Selection Guide showing actual sample colors and
stylesofmaterials:$3.00.
INC_
259LowerMorrisvill eRd.,Dept. VA
Fallsington,PA19054 (215)295-4115
Sharethe
ExcitementofBANs
Antique/Classic
Divisionwith
afriend!
Ifyoulovetheairplanesof yester-
year,chancesareyouknowother
peoplewholovethemtoo.Help
theAntique/ClassicDivisiongrow
byrecruitingnewmembers.
TheEAAAntique/ClassicDivisionis
aperson'sbestresourceforinfor-
mationandstoriesaboutAntique,
ClassicandContemporaryaircraft
andthepeoplewhoflythem.
Asamember,youalreadyknow
whatbeinganAntique/Classic
memberisallabout,ordoyou?As
amember,youreceive:
12color-filledissuesofVINTAGE
AIRPlANE, theofficialmagazine
oftheAntique/ClassicDivision.
Theexclusive"membersonly"
Antique/Classicaircraftinsur-
anceprogramadministeredby
AUA,Inc.
DuringEAAOSHKOSH,educa-
tionalworkshopsandseminars
offeredbyfellowmemberswho
areexpertsintheirfield.
Theopportunitytonetwork
withothermemberswithsimi-
larintereststhroughthevarious
TypeClubsinthe
Antique/Classiccommunity.
"KeepThem Flying"
NewTappelBodiesNowAvailable ForA-65'sIe-85's
C-85 STC'd To Use New
0-200Crankshaft, Rods And Pistons
At Aircraft SpecialtiesServiceswe believe
sport-pleasureflying is justasvitalto aviation as
businessflying. We make it apointto tryand
supplytheneeds ofoursportaviation users.
When C-B5 crankshafts gotscarce,we engi-
neereda PMA to produce 20 underbearingsfor
the A-65/C-B5. We also haveavailablean STC
to replace C-B5 crankshaftswith new0-200
crankshaft ,rods,and pistonsfor lessthan the
price of aserviceable C-B5 crankshaft. And
when A-65/C-B5 tappetbodies became scarce,
we found away to produce them ...andfor a
reasonable price. Keeping ouraviation heritage
alive and flying isan importantpartof keeping
U.S.aviation alive and well.
Whateveryouraircraftengine reconditioning
needscrankshafts,counterweights,from A-65
toTS10-550 or0-235toTSI0-540,call usfor
qualityworkatareasonable price. We also
stockafull line oftopqualitypartsforyourcon-
venience. Give AircraftSpecialties Servicesa
call today,well keepyou flying.
CALL: 1-800-826-9252
2860N.Sheridan Road,Tul sa, OK74115Phone:918-836-6872 Fax:918-836-4419
RecruitNew
MembersandWin
SomeGreatAwards
EAA ANTIQUE/CLASSICDIVISION
HELP YOUR DIVISION GROWl
liThe Baby Ruth Airplane"