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GEOFF ROB IS ON
PRESIDENT, VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOC IATI ON

Spring means fly-ins!

Finally, April has arrived! I re

cently read that this past winter,
those of us here in the Midwest ex
perienced the second-longest sus
tained period of low temperatures in
all recorded history. I believe every
bit of that. It was the first week in
March before I was actually able to
raise the hangar door and work com
fortably inside the hangar. That's the
best indication that spring is on its
way. I never really believed much in
that shadowy, groggy-eyed ground
hog test anyway.
Along with spring and its milder
weather, it's time again to prepare
the trusty old steed for flight. Be sure
to take a close look at the old aerial
buggy, and don't just kick it in the
tires. Give it a bath, rub its belly, and
talk sweet to it so it's in the right
mood to get you through to the next
annual. An hour or so with your fa
vorite instructor is in order if it's been
awhile since you've been aloft. Good
luck, and be safe!
Once April starts, it seems many
of us get serious about planning
which flying events we want to put
on our personal aviation events cal
endar. The efforts to plan for yet an
other great EAA AirVenture Oshkosh
in 2007 find us attempting to figure
out how we will ever top the previous
year's event. We are now only 100
plus days from opening day. Be as
sured, we are well into formulating
and developing a number of new and
interesting ideas for this year's event
in the Vintage area. One such item of
interest is our plan, in conjunction
with EAA, to host a special display of
the Beech line of aircraft. The idea is
to prominently display one example

of each pre-1968 model that Beech

has produced over all these years. As
you may know, this is also the 60th
anniversary of the classic Beech Bo
nanza. As many of you are aware, the
first Beech straight-tail actually flew
in December of 1945, but it wasn't
type certificated until March of 1947,
followed shortly thereafter by the first
Model 35 V-Tail Bonanza that same
year. The Beech Bonanza holds a re
markable record for being the longest
continuously produced aircraft model
in aviation history. The Vintage Air
craft Association Type Club Parking
Committee is also planning a special
"Iimited" camping area in the Type
Club parking area for those qualified
Bonanza attendees looking to park/
camp together in celebration of this
landmark anniversary. We hope to
see you there with your tent and your
pre-'68 Bonanza.
Later this month [ plan to attend
Sun 'n Fun Fly-In at Lakeland, Flor
ida. Although [ am not often able
to attend this event, when I do it's
very fun, filled with an abundance
of laid-back Southern hospitality.
It's a really welcome opportunity to
visit with a lot of my Oshkosh avia
tion friends, without all the hustle
and bustle of my responsibilities at
Oshkosh. These folks put on a great
event, so be sure to check them out
at www.Sun-N-FlIn.org.
Remember, it's never too early
to begin planning your next visit
to Oshkosh. Stay tuned to the ever
changing events and attractions at
EAA/VAA. Visit us regularly at www.
AirVenture.org and www. Vintage
Aircraft@.org.
AirVenture is the premier avia

tion event of the year. So keep in

mind that if you're tired of just be
ing an observer and you want to be
a part of the action in the Vintage
area at AirVenture, you can step
right up to the VAA Vol unteer Reg
istration Booth adjacent to the Vin
tage entry archway near the VAA
Red Barn. You can volunteer and be
part of the EAA experience. When
you go home this year, you won't
just say, "l was at Oshkosh, you'll
say, "I was a part of Oshkosh!"
You can even pick your pleasures as
a VAA volunteer. Whether it's parking
aircraft, flipping pancakes, or helping
out in the metal-shaping shop, I'll bet
you'll find plenty of interesting activ
ities in which to participate.
Again we remind you that the
various AirVenture Vintage Red
Barn programs are underwritten by
the VANs annual Friends of the Red
Barn program. Please give strong
consideration to supporting this
important VAA financial initiative.
Learn more about the Friends of the
Red Barn and how you can help at
www. Vi ntageA i rcraft. org/programs/
redbarn.html.
Hope to see you there!
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007,
The World's Greatest Aviation Cel
ebration, is July 23-29.
VAA is about participation: Be a
member! Be a volunteer! Be there!
Let's all pull in the same direction
for the good of aviation.
Remember, we are better together.
Join us and have it all.
II

VOL. 35, No. 4

N E
2007

APR I L

CONTENTS

IFe

Straight & Level

Spring means fly-ins!
by Geoff Robison

News

Restoration Corner
Certification Requirements, Inspection, and Run-up
by Dan Neuman

Can lJust Make Mine Experimental?

Unfortunately it's not that simple
by Joe Norris

Bringing New Horizons Into Focus

The Aeronca Kids
by Sparky Barnes Sargent

14

Dashing and Darting Through the Sky

The diminutive Culver Dart Model LCA
by Sparky Barnes Sargent

20

The Curtiss Model J

The beginning of the famous Curtiss J series
by Wesley Smith

24

EAA's Pioneer Airport Skiplane Fly-In

Finally, snow! Real snow!
by Ric Reynolds and H.G. Frautschy

26

The Vintage Instructor

"Does that seem weird to you?"
by Doug Stewart

30

Pass It to Buck
Ever wonder how the Cessna Company got into
the liaison aircraft business?
by Buck Hilbert

32

Mystery Plane
by H.G. Frautschy

38

Calendar

40

Classified Ads

COVERS

FRONT COVER: Tom Wathen's work to revitalize the Flabob Airport in Los Angeles reaches far out
side the boundaries of the airport grounds. The Wathen Foundation created a program to restore
a vintage airplane to teach youth in the surrounding neighborhoods that there were alternatives to
the poor lifestyle choices made by some of their peers. Read more about this remarkable project in
the article starting on page 9. EAA photo by Bonnie Kratz, EAA photo plane flown by Bruce Moore.
BACK COVER: I'd wager that anyone who saw a purple and cream Culver Dart go zipping by would
remember the event, and that certainly was the case for 9-year-old Mark Trimble in 1940. Sixty-five
years later, Mark can re-create that scene anytime he wants, since he 's now restored that same
Culver to just the way it was when he saw it at the Kansas City Municipal Airport. See the article
starting on page 14. Photo courtesy Kelly Trimble.

STAFF

EAA Publisher
Executive Director/Editor
Executive Assistant
Managing Editor
News Editor
Photography

Advertising Coordinator
Classified Ad Coordinator
Copy Editor
Director of Advertising

Tom Poberezny
H.G. Frautschy
Jillian Rooker
Kathleen Witman
Ric Reynolds
Jim Koepnick
Bonnie Kratz
Sue Anderson
Daphene VanHullum
Colleen Walsh
Katrina Bradshaw

Display Advertising Representatives:

Northeast: Allen Murray
Phone 856-220-7180, FAX 856-229-7258, e-mail: nilelllllurray(dJrlli/ulsprillg.colII
Southeast: Chester Baumgartner
Phone 727-532-4640, FAX 727-532-4630, e-mail: (ballllllll@milldsprillg.com
Central: Todd Reese
Phone 800-444-9932, FAX 816-741-6458, e-mail: todd@Spc-mng.com
Mountain & Pacific: John Gibson
Phone 916-784-9593, e-mail: jOllI1gibsOIr@Spc-lIlag.com
Europe: Willi Tacke
Phone +498969340213, FAX +498969340214, e-mail: willi@flyillg-pages.com

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

EAA Appeals for Release of

Abandoned Aircraft Data
Should a former airplane manufac
turer that, for all intents and purposes,
no longer exists be allowed to deny
the release of essentially abandoned
aircraft data to a private restorer for an
airplane built more that 70 years ago?
Attorneys from the EAA Legal Advi
sory Council were in Federal Appeals
Court in Washington, D.C., in early
February arguing that very pOint on
behalf of Brent Taylor (EAA 576868).
Taylor, who is executive director of
the Antique Airplane Association, is
seeking access to the original data for
a Fairchild 45, which was designed
and built in the late 1930s.
Taylor's attempt to obtain the plans
through the Freedom of Information
Act (FOIA) was denied in U.S. District
Court. EAA Legal Advisory Council
attorney Michael Pangia, arguing on
behalf of Taylor, asked the appeals
court to refer the case back to the dis
trict court for an evidentiary hearing,
which, if granted, could pave the way
for release of aircraft data needed for
the preservation of aviation heritage.
The Fairchild Corporation, formed
in 1990, claims that it is the legiti
mate owner of the type "certificate,
although its name does not appear
in any FAA records. "FAA regulations
require that transfers of aircraft type
certificates, like transfers of aircraft,
must be recorded in FAA records,"
Pangia said. However, he noted the
Fairchild Corporation appears no
where in the FAA records. The FAA
sided with the new company, taking
the pOSition in court that compliance
to the regulation by this company
does not matter, offering no legal rea
son for that position.
Pangia argued that the original
company, the Fairchild Engine and
Airplane Corporation, released the
Fairchild 45 data to the public in 1955,
but the 1990-formed Fairchild Corpo
ration contends that it withdrew that
disclosure when the recent request for
2

APRIL 2007

F45 data was made. The FAA agreed,

although no such withdrawal appears
anywhere in the FAA records pertain
ing to this type certificate.
Pangia further argued that it was
evident that this new company did
not even know of the existence of
an F45 aircraft until informed by the
FAA of Mr. Taylor's request. "To have
a trade secret, you should know you
have a trade secret," Pangia said.
Harry Riggs, EAA Legal Advisory
Council chairman, filed an amicus
curiae (friend of the court) brief on
behalf of EAA, asking the court to re
fer the case back to the U.S. District
Court for an evidentiary hearing .
"There never was such a hearing on
whether or not Fairchild had aban
doned the trade secret or confidenti
ality, which they claim exempts them
from having to give up the plans un
der the FOIA," Riggs said.
The FAA has historically refused to re
lease abandoned aircraft data when the
holder of the type certificate is known
and does not give permission to do so, a
contention where EAA disagrees.
Taylor commented, "I think it's a
far-reaching case that we would like
to see resolved so people can still get
the drawings they need to simply pre
serve aviation heritage."
A decision is expected to occur in
late spring to mid-summer.
Meanwhile, as EAA recently re
ported, the FAA has proposed legisla
tion that would allow the release of
abandoned type certificate (TC) or sup
plemental type certificate data (includ
ing blueprints) to individuals upon
request, so they can maintain the air
worthiness of their Vintage aircraft.
This would remedy the current
"catch-22" surrounding orphaned
TCs, where owners are legally re
quired to maintain and modify their
aircraft using approved data, even
though the data is unavailable be
cause the owner of the type certifi
cate cannot be found or is no longer
in existence.

We All Need to Work Together to

Defeat User Fee Proposal
If we're to be successful in the fight
against the government's user fee
proposal, general aviation (GA) has to
continue to stand together and work
through the U.S. Congress to defeat
it. And although it was reassuring to
hear broad skepticism and bipartisan
opposition to the Bush Administra
tion's plan during the initial House
Aviation Subcommittee hearing, it's
clearly going to be a tough battle.
"We're extremely pleased that sev
eral members of the aviation subcom
mittee share our opposition to the
administration's proposed new fund
ing scheme," said EAA's Earl Lawrence,
vice president of industry and regula
tory affairs. "They realize, as do EAA
and the other GA organizations, that
this proposal would be incredibly
harmful to our nation's aviation in
frastructure. We'll continue to stand
united to keep aviation affordable, less
complex, and more accessible for all."
Bipartisan comments heard from
the subcommittee members:
Chairman Jerry F. Costello (D
Illinois) cited figures showing the new
proposal would hypothetically yield
approximately $600 million less in
FY2008 than maintaining the current
tax structure and more than $900
million less from FY2009 to FY2012.
"I question the wisdom of moving
to a new financing system that will not
generate as much revenue as the cur
rent tax structure when we clearly need
to make critical investments now to
ensure that our nation's air traffic con
trol infrastructure is robust for the fu
ture," Costello said.
Rep. Robin Hayes (R-North Caro
lina) called the 300 percent tax hike
on GA fuels (from 21 to 70 cents per
gallon) "deadly" and felt there was
"no way user fees are fair, equitable,
and are going to work."
Rep. Leonard Boswell (D-Iowa)
used the terms "unfair" and "un
continued on page 4

200';'

AIHVENTUHE

OSHKOSH

AIRVENTURE NEWS

Special arrival rules apply a day earlier this year than past years.

EAA AirVenture Flight Rules Start a Day Earlier This Year

During EAA AirVenture, Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh becomes the busi
est airport in the world, requiring the FAA to use special staffing and procedures to
handle the high volume of air traffic. This year, those special arrival and departure
procedures (outlined in the annual AirVenture NOTAM) will start on Friday, July 20,
a day earlier than in the past.
Pilots arriving before July 20 should use normal airport arrival procedures. All pi
lots operating to or from the Oshkosh area from July 20-29 must have a copy of the

Visit the AirVenture Website for

Continuing Updates
Find out everything you need to
know about The World's Greatest Avi
ation Celebration at www.AirVenture.
org. Look for continual updates on
this year's special events and attrac
tions, forums and workshops, accom
modations, traveling to Oshkosh, and
more. And don 't forget to check out
the biweekly EAA AvCast, audio pre
sentations featuring aviation people,
events and issues, and EAA AirVen
ture Updates at www.EAA.org/podcast.

Join EAA at the

World's

Greatest

Aviation

Celebration

2007 AirVenture Notice to Airmen (NOTAM). We expect to have NOTAMs available

for order and download in May, but you can pre-order the printed copy now at www.
AirVenture. orgj200 7jflyingjindex.html.

Vote for the Greatest Aviation Movie of All Time

More than 750 EAA members submitted more than 140 movie titles dur
ing our recent online effort to select the top 10 aviation movies of all time.
Now you can vote to determine which one we'll show on the big screen at
the EAA Fly-In Theater, sponsored by Eclipse and Ford Motor Co., during
the week of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007.
The top 10 movies are Twelve 0' Clock High (1949); The High and the
Mighty (1954); The Spirit ofSt. Louis (1957); The Flight of the Phoenix (1965);
Those Magnificent M en in Their Flying Machines (1965); The Blue Max (1966);
Battle ofBritain (1969); The Great Waldo Pepper (1975); Top Gun (1986); and
Memphis Belle (1990).

July 2329

Visit www.AirVenture.org/movie between now and May 2, 2007, and cast

your vote!
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

wise, " calling for members to Usit to

gether and work this out."
His Michigan colleague from across
the aisle, Republican Vern Ehlers (EAA
685118), went a step further, pro
nouncing the proposal uDead on ar
rival," also advocating a need to "sit
down together and work out long
range solutions."
Rep . Peter DeFazio (D-Oregon)
noted the proposed 300 percent fuel
tax hike (56.4 cents for air traffic con
trol, 13.6 cents for the trust fund)
would udepress GA activity and at
best result in lower revenue."
And Rep. Sam Graves (R-Missouri),
EAA 619761 and an annual AirVen
ture attendee, is terribly disturbed
by this proposal. "I don't even know
where to start," he said. 'II understand
that you come in on opposite sides
and work toward the middle, but even
the middle is unacceptable. I don't see
anything but bad news with this."
What can EAA members do?
EAA has created www.EAA.org/govt/
index.html, a special section that ex
plains the issue from GA's perspec
tive and tells how you can help. The
bottom line: Write your congressman
and senators and let them know your
staunch opposition to user fees.

Poberezny, Petri Discuss

Funding Proposal

EAA President Tom Poberezny had

an opportunity to discuss the admin
istration's funding proposal with Con
gressman Tom Petri, ranking member
of the House Aviation Subcommittee,
during the congressman's recent visit
to Oshkosh. Petri (R-Wisconsin) rep
resents the state's 6th congressional
district, home to EAA headquarters.
UCongressman Petri is well aware
of EAA and general aviation's united
opposition to the administration's
proposal and the potential conse
quences it would have on aviation,"
Poberezny said. "Our pOSition is that
th e present system works. The Air
port and Airway Trust Fund is collect
ing record revenues and is projected
to continue to do so. The new system
as proposed would initially result in
less revenue collected, compromise
the much-needed growth in the gen4

APRIL 2007

eral aviation community, and result

in less congressional oversight and
more influence on the national air
space system by the airline industry."
Petri reiterated his support for gen
eral aviation and said that the future
funding needs for the national air
space system need to be determined
before deciding on a new funding
mechanism. His objective in the re
authorization bill is to ensure that
the United States remains the world
leader in aviation.

EAA Efforts Contribute

to Improve Medical
Certification Processes
EAA's ongOing efforts on airman
medical certification issues have
helped create significant improvement
in the FAA special issuance medical
certification process. It was not long
ago that a huge backlog of special is
suance medical certificate applications
meant waits of six months or more.
EAAers should be heartened to
know they've played a role in reduc
ing the average processing time for a
special issuance medical certificate to
24 days.
Your voices were heard during
Marion Blakey's Meet the Adminis
trator Q&A session at EAA AirVenture
Oshkosh 2005. The administrator
heard from several members about
long waits for special issuance medi
cal certificates, leading her to com
ment, "It's time to do an assessment.
We will be taking a look at both the
procedures and the resources."
In December 2005, the EAA Aero
medical Advisory Council submitted
a list of recommendations to the FAA.
Within three months the council was in
Washington, D.C., discussing those rec
ommendations with senior FAA staff.
While in Washington, D.C., re
cently, EAA President Tom Poberezny
and senior members of EAA's Industry
and Regulatory Affairs staff met with
Federal Air Surgeon Dr. Fred Tilton to
discuss ongOing certification issues, as
well as to follow up on those EAA Aero
medical Advisory Council recommen
dations. Tilton reviewed each of EAA's
recommendations and reported what
the FAA has been doing in response.

'lOur visit to Washington provided

an excellent opportunity to review
the progress the FAA has made on
medical certification issues," Pober
ezny said. liThe agency has worked
hard to address these matters, and we
applaud them for their efforts."
Along with the good news on spe
cial issuance medical certificates, Til
ton reported:
- The FAA is moving toward pro
viding certain clinics and aviation
medical examiners (AMEs) the au
thority to review special issuance cer
tificates and make recommendations
to the FAA's Aerospace Medical Certi
fication Office in Oklahoma City. The
FAA would then expedite its review
based on those recommendations.
While this falls short of EAA's "Super
AME" proposal that would allow ap
proval authority to individual AMEs,
it represents progress toward prevent
ing future backlogs.
- Implementing electronic medi
cal records has led to permanent in
tegration of regional flight surgeons
into the medical review process. The
regional flight surgeons are now part
of the Oklahoma City workflow pro
cess and can be summoned to allevi
ate backlogs. Regional flight surgeons
also now process medicals from pilots
in their regions.
- EAA also confirmed that extend
ing the duration of third- and first
class medical certificates, announced
by Blakey at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh
2006, is moving forward. A notice of
proposed rulemaking, which would
extend the duration of a third-class
medical certificate to five years for pi
lots under age 40 and one full year for
first-class medicals for pilots under
age 40, awaits her final approval.
- Medical self-certification via a
valid driver's license for recreational
pilots, a proposal that EAA first made
nearly 20 years ago and has supported
since, is unlikely to move forward
soon . EAA expects that current and
future data gathered from sport pilots
and other pilots operating under the
privileges of a sport pilot, who use a
driver's license in lieu of a medical,
will support such a system for recre
ational pilot certificates as well.

Dilamond Plus
$1250
Ken Kotik Aviation Art Print

Close Auto Parking

Full Week

Two Tickets to VAA Picnic

2lickets

2lickets

2lickets

1Person/Full Wk

2People/Full Wk

2People/Full Wk

2People/Full Wk

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Tri Motor Certificate

Breakfast at Tall Pines Cafe
Special FORB Cap
Two Passes to VAA Volunteer Party
Special FORB Badge
Access to Volunteeer Center
Donor Appreciation Certificate
Name listed: Vintage Airplane Magazine,
Website and Sign at Red Bam

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Please choose your level of participation:

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charitable contriblltions is limited to the amollnt by Wllich any money (and the value of any property other than money) col1tributed e.~ ceeds the vallie of the goods or
services provided in exchal1ge for the contribution. An appropriate receipt acknowledging your gift will be sent to you for IRS gift reporting reasol1s.

VINTA G E AIRPLA N E

Editor's Notes:
This tenth installment of the "Restoration Corner" is by Dan Neuman, A&P 16234 IA. Dan covers the all-important
Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) paperwork plus proper and legal aircraft markings, inspection of the newly com
pleted restoration and the first run-up of the engine. At EAA Oshkosh '80, his newly restored Buhl LA-l Bull Pup was
named Grand Champion Antique.
Dan, a retired Northwest Airlines captain, owns several other antique aircraft and also served on the then An
tique/Classic board of directors ... Gene R. Chase.
Written 20 years ago, much has changed with regard to the willingness of the FAA to issue experimental-exhibition
airworthiness certificates for vintage aircraft, and the past 20 years have also seen the retirement of many of the
most knowledgeable FAA inspectors, particularly those with expertise in older civilian designs. We've reviewed this
article and revised it extensively to reflect those changes, as well as the current regulations for markings on the air
craft. - H.G. Frautschy, March 2007

Certification Requirements, Inspection, and Run-up

BY DAN NEUMAN

EAA 871, Ale 325

Certification Requirements,
Standard-Normal Category
The owner/restorer of an antique
or classic aircraft who desires to ob
tain a standard airworthiness certifi
cate (assuming that it doesn't already
have a permanent airworthiness cer
tificate) for his aircraft in the nor
mal category (U.S. registered) will be
governed by Federal Air Regulations
(FAR) Part 21, Subpart H. Once is
sued, the certificate will be effective
as long as the maintenance, preven
tive maintenance, and the alterations
are performed in accordance with
Part 43 and Part 91, and the aircraft
is registered in the U.S. Your airframe
and powerplant (A&P) mechanic will
prove to be indispensable in helping
to complete the application for an
airworthiness certificate and ensure
that all required data is submitted to
your local FAA flight standards dis
trict office (FSDO).
Following a complete restoration,
an FSDO FAA inspector will inspect
your aircraft before certification to
determine that it conforms to the
type design and is in condition for
safe operation. FAR 21.183 (d) (2) (iii)

requires that an A&P mechanic will

have previously performed a 100
hour inspection on your aircraft and
found it airworthy.
Many FAA maintenance inspectors
possess extensive knowledge and ex
perience with a wide variety of aircraft.
Therefore you can often expect their
help and advice when they inspect your
aircraft and process your application for
an airworthiness certificate. It is sug
gested that you review the list of all re
quired items with your A&P mechanic
before applying to your FAA FSDO.

Certification Requirements,
Experimental Category
FAR Part 21 outlines the require
ments for obtaining an experimen
tal certificate on an aircraft. Listed are
nine different experimental purposes.
This author licensed an antique air
craft under FAR 21.191 (d), which is
the Experimental/Exhibition category.
The applicant for an experimental cer
tificate must submit a letter to his local
FAA FSDO with a request and include
pertinent information pertaining to
his aircraft and intended operation, as
outlined in FAR 21.193. The local FAA

REPRINTED FROM

APRIL 2007

Vintage Airplane

FSDO will issue the certificate after in

specting and approving the aircraft
and will establish operating limita
tions as deemed appropriate.
It should be mentioned that cur
rently (2007) the FAA does not rou
tinely issue experimental/exhibition
airworthiness certificates, and when
it does so, the aircraft often has sig
nificant operating limitations. Op
erating limitations are part of any
experimental certificates, and those
limitations must be taken into ac
count when making a determination
as to whether it makes sense to pur
sue such an airworthiness certificate.

Identification and
Registration Markings
FAR Part 4S prescribes the require
ments for identification of certifi
cated aircraft and components. This
part also prescribes the nationality
and registration marking of U.S. reg
istered aircraft.
Your antique or classic aircraft
markings will need to conform to
these requirements.
In general, all aircraft and aircraft
engines, propellers and propeller

DECEMBER 1986

Appendix A of Part 43 lists major

alterations, major repairs, and pre
ventive maintenance. Inspecting
your aircraft for conformity with air
worthiness standards and compliance
with applicable FAA regulations will
be expedited if all work is done using
approved data such as manufacturer'~
maintenance and overhaul manuals,
pertinent FAA data, etc.

Run-Up

Dan Neuman in his 1931 Buhl LA-I Bull Pup, N348Y. This aircraft was named
Grand Champion Antique at EAA Oshkosh '80.
blades and hubs, critical components
and approved modification parts must
be identified in accordance with the
methods prescribed in this section.
Nationality and registration marks
are described in FAR Part 45 Subpart
c. The location and size of registration
marks may vary according to the in
tended use and age of the aircraft.
FAR 45.21 through 45.33 describe
in detail the various requirements .
Special rules apply to exhibition, an
tique , and other aircraft. An inter
esting provision (45.22) allows the
operation of these aircraft without
displaying these marks anywhere
on the aircraft, under certain condi
tions. Another provision allows air
craft built at least 30 years ago to be
operated with the 2-inch-high reg
istration marks as described in this
section. However, the special rules do
not allow the operation of this air
craft in an air defense identification
zone, in a foreign country (unless
that country consents with the opera
tion), or in certain other operations,
such as charter, scheduled airline ser
vice, etc.

Inspection
Previous articles in "Restoration
Corner" have emphasized the need
for obtaining the assistance of an A&P
mechanic, if you're not so licensed
yourself. Your A&P mechanic can su
pervis e your work and he is autho
rized to perform certain inspections,
such as lOO-hour inspections. Annual

inspections on standard - normal cat

egory aircraft are authorized by A&P
mechanics who hold an inspection
authorization. Your local EAA chap
ter can usually refer you to a suitable
A&P mechanic if you don't already
have one available.

The location and

size of registration
marks may vary
according to the
intended use and
age of the aircraft.

FAR Part 43, which includes main

tenance, preventive maintenance,
rebuilding, and alterations, can be
used as a guide for setting up your
inspection programs. Appendix D
of Part 43 contains an itemi zed list
of all required inspections. It is es
sential that rebuilding and alteration
records can be completed, recorded,
and made use of in accordance with
FAR 43.11. FAA Form 337, Repair
and Alterations, will have to be com
pleted as appropriate.

Following a major or top engine

overhaul, a complete inspection of
the engine and installation in the
aircraft shou ld be performed. The
engine manufacturer's recommen
dations should be followed with
regard to proper engine oil, and cool
ant for liquid-cooled engines. When
necessary, reliable engine overhaul
agencies can also be consulted. Non
detergent engine oil is usually recom
mended for break-in and a specified
number of hours.
Before starting the engine, take all
necessary precautions to ensure safety.
Ensure that no one will be near the
propeller or exhaust. Engine noise may
also be a consideration. A suitable fire
extinguisher should be handy. Wheel
chocks should be in place and breaks
set, as appropriate. The tail should be
secured if there is any possibility of
a nose-over. Only properly qualified
people should be allowed to hand
prop the engine if it's not equipped
with a starter. Likewise, only a quali
fied person should be allowed to oper
ate the throttle and engine controls.
Some of the older engine overhaul
manuals contained procedures for
breaking in after overhaul. These pro
cedures involved extended ground
run time. Many present-day experts
agree that minimum time should
be spent with ground run-up before
takeoff and that for proper cooling
the initial run-in should be in flight.
Much depends on the initial start
and run-up of the engine, so pay
close attention to all recommende~
tolerances with regard to tempera
tures, pressures, rpm, etc., as listed in
FAA Engine SpeCifications, Type Cer
tificate Data Sheets, approved operat
ing manuals, etc., as applicable.
V I NTAGE AI RPLANE

Can I Just Make Mine Experimental?

Unfortunately, it's not that simple

BY JOE NORRIS

EAA AVIATION SERVICES

On a regular basis here at EAA head

quarters, members ask us if there is
any advantage to converting their air
plane to the Experimental category.
Many aircraft owners have the idea that
they will save money if they switch their
factory-built aircraft from Standard cat
egory to Experimental. This notion no
doubt stems from the fact that they see
owners of homebuilt aircraft doing their
own maintenance, repairs, and inspec
tions or using more modern auto-engine
conversions. This brings forth the idea
that if they converted their Standard
category aircraft to Experimental, they
could save money by reducing main
tenance expenses and/or taking ad
vantage of modern engine technology.
Actually, it's not that simple.
The fact is, there isn't just one Exper
imental category. Rather, there are sev
eral purposes for which the FAA might
issue an experimental airworthiness
certificate. One of those purposes is for
"operating an amateur-built aircraft."
This is the certificate under which
homebuilt aircraft are operated. There
are several other purposes for which an
experimental airworthiness certificate
can be issued. These include research
and development, crew training, exhibi
tion, air racing, market survey, and oth
ers. Each purpose has its own unique
characteristics and limitations.
In truth, there is little benefit to
changing from Standard to Experimental
category. Here's why. Since the aircraft
is factory-built and certificated in Stan
dard category, it would not be eligible
for experimental/amateur-built status.
The FAA defines amateur-built aircraft
as "aircraft in which the major portion
has been fabricated and assembled
by a person(s) who undertook the con
struction process solely for their own
education or recreation." A factory-built
aircraft does not meet this definition.
Also, amateur-built aircraft cannot
have been previously certificated in an
other category. This means that the
8

APRIL 2007

aircraft would have to have been certifi

cated within one of the other experimen
tal purposes. The least restrictive of the
available purposes would be exhibition,
but this purpose still places significant
restrictions on the use of the aircraft.
FAA Order 8130.2F outlines the pro
cedures for certificating aircraft and
related products, and it contains the
definition and limitations of various cer
tification categories. Chapter 4, section
10 covers operation of aircraft under
the experimental purpose of exhibition
and air racing. The description of this
certification purpose reads:
"A certificate for experimental exhi
bition shall only be issued when an air
craft is to be used for valid exhibition
purposes. Included in those purposes
are organized air shows, organized air
races , organized fly-in activities, or
ganized exhibitions, youth education
events, shopping maIl/school/simi
lar static displays, organized aerobatic
competition, sail plane fly-ins or com
petitive races or meets , and movie or
television productions."
You'll notice that recreational and
cross-<:ountry flying are not mentioned.
Experimental/Exhibition category is
further broken down into four groups,
identified by Roman numerals I through
IV. Aircraft that were formerly certifi
cated in Standard category fall into
Group IV. Group IV aircraft will be is
sued operating limitations that include
the following:
"The proficiency area is limited to
nonstop flight that begins and ends at
the airport where the aircraft is based,
with sufficient fuel reserve to meet the
applicable operating rules of Part 91.
An alternate airport selection is not
available for aircraft in this group. " (Ital
ics ours.)
This means you cannot fly the air
craft to any other airports unless it is
to an exhibition registered in advance
with the FAA. You need to submit a "pro
gram letter" to the FAA that lists the ex-

hibitions you wish to attend, and you

must contact the FAA in advance to fly
to an exhibition that is not listed in your
program letter. Any flight that is not to,
from, or at one of these exhibitions is
a "proficiency flight " and must be con
ducted only from your home field, and
you can land only at your home field
no $100 hamburger trips for pleasure .
"Only FAA-<:ertificated mechanics with
appropriate ratings as authorized by FAR
43.3 may perform inspections required
by these operating limitations."
Unlike the Amateur-Built category,
where the builder can apply for a repair
man certificate that authorizes him/her
to do condition inspections (basically
equivalent to an annual), you will not be
authorized to do so on your exhibition
aircraft. You would need to find a certifi
cated mechanic to do the inspections.
Further, because your aircraft previously
held a different category airworthiness
certificate, al/ of the maintenance re
quirements of FAR Part 43 still apply.
That means you must have an A&P me
chanic do the required maintenance or
supervise you while you do the mainte
nance on your aircraft, just like when it
was in Standard category.
As you can see, the Experimental/
Exhibition category places significant
restrictions on the operation of the air
craft, which in turn limits the utility of
the aircraft while offering little, if any,
opportunity for cost savings. These lim
itations also significantly reduce the
market value of the aircraft should the
owner ever want to sell it. And once an
aircraft is removed from Standard cate
gory it is difficult and expensive to move
it back. For these reasons, we do not
recommend that you change the certifi
cation category of a Standard category
aircraft unless you truly meet the re
quirements of Experimental/Exhibition
category and the purpose .
Reference: FAA Order 8130.2F, avail
able for download from the FAA at www.
faa.gov.
.....

Bringi

New

Horizons Into Focus

The Aeronca Kids
BY SPARKY BARNES SARGENT

Th eyE~:::,~~;~~:

on Saturdays and
idly spending time with friends
during the previous six years. In
stead, these young boys and girls
decided to invest their time and
energies into a special project at
Flabob Airport in Riverside, Cal
ifornia. Most of them are former
Young Eagles partiCipants, and one
by one they were presented with
the opportunity to sacrifice three
Saturdays a month in order to
breathe new life into a dilapidated,
weather-beaten Aeronca.

Aeronca Kids
The Aeronca Kids project, as it has
been affectionately dubbed, had its
genesis when the Thomas W. Wathen
Foundation purchased Flabob Airport
in 2000 to save it from development
and preserve its rich history. Subse
quently, one forlorn and abandoned
Aeronca Super Chief, which had be
come a fixture of sorts on the flight
line, was rescued as well. Retired Air
Force Col. Al Gester recognized in it
the potential for a unique sort of res
toration project, which would help
achieve the foundation's goal of "ed
ucation through aviation."
The intent of the project wasn't to

start an A&P school to train student

mechanics. It was to develop a pro
gram that would build character in
young people while promoting team
work and communication via the
technical process of aircraft restora
tion, with an additional emphasis on
citizenship and leadership.
"It was John Lyon, Tom Wathen,
and Al Gester who started the pro
gram," explains Roger Farnes, add
ing, "AI wasn't an A&P, so he asked
me to help him out. After about a
year and a half he had to move to
England and left the program in my
charge. I've been with it ever since,
and Ken Brown is our IA. Of course,
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

Roger Farnes and Travis Kingsley.

the rule was that the kids-who

ranged in ages from 14 to 18-had to
do all the work. And then their work
time counted toward a scholarship
system to help them pay for flying
lessons. They also helped with the
Young Eagles program once a month
at Flabob."

Super Chief

The teenagers built all-new ribs, stringers, and formers for the airplane.
10

APRIL 2007

As the project progressed, the teen

agers began to realize that NC33712
really would fly again, as it did for the
first time in early 1941 after it rolled
off The Aeronautical Corporation of
America's production line at the Mu
nicipal Airport in Middletown, Ohio.
The company advertised it as being
"designed with an eye to the present
and an ear to the future"-yet who
would have imagined just how far
into the future this particular prewar
Aeronca would survive? But this time
around, NC33712 would roll off a de
cidedly different type of "production
line," becoming airworthy again only
through the collective efforts of 35
teenagers and several adult volunteer
instructors whom Gester and Farnes
recruited for the program.
Andrew Blaize of Perris, California,
is one of the young recruits. He wasn't
interested in airplanes until he had
his first Young Eagles flight at Flabob.
"I t hought it was cool, and I was in
a little air academy there and I kind
of got hooked on aviation. The idea

Andrew Blaize, Hal Nemer, Anthony Ward, and Roger Farnes with the
Super Chief at AirVenture.

of bringing an airplane back to life

appealed to me because I like build
ing things . I actually teach a class at
Flabob now on how to build model
rockets," he says, and adds with de
termination, "and I'm working on
my private-I'm almost there."
Anthony Ward of Riverside, Cal
ifornia, another participant, has
already earned his private pilot cer
tificate . "I was asked by Al Gester
to join the program, and I said, 'Of
course, sign me up!' I built models,
but I didn't realize how detailed (a
real airplane) was going to be," he ex
plains with a smile, adding, "we had
an original photo of it before we re
stored it, so we did have a sense of
what it would look like."

Challenges
Technical hurdles and personal
challenges seem to be part of any
aircraft restoration, and the Aeronca
Kids and their mentors encountered
their share of them. Farnes says one
of the first challenges he had was
stepping into the project after the
Aeronca had already been disassem
bled. Some of the parts had been la
beled, but not all of them, and the
old fabric had been discarded. Farnes
quickly put his knowledge and expe
rience to good use, identifying the
myriad pieces of that Aeronca jigsaw
puzzle and evaluating the parts that
were usable or required rebuilding.

Roger Farnes discusses the Aeronca's engine in

stallation with an intrigued AirVenture attendee.

Brandishing a hearty smile, he pro

claims that one of the big personal
challenges for himself and the other
mechanics was simply "keeping our
hands in our pockets and letting
them do the work-you know how
impossible that is for an A&P, not to
work on an airplane?"
The teenagers developed their
skills, hands-on, under the close su
pervision of their mechanic men
tors, who didn't hesitate to make
them do something over if it didn't
pass inspection. Among other tech
nical tasks, they learned how to use
jigs to build ribs, stringers, and form
ers; work with sheet metal to create
a new nose; and rebuild a Continen
tal A-65. When it came time to learn
about fabric installation, Jon Gold
enbaum and Poly-Fiber were integral
to the project. Farnes explains that
"Poly-Fiber donated all the materi
als for the fabric covering, and they
also came over and gave the kids a
lesson, and the kids now are certified
for rib stitching and fabric covering
by Poly-Fiber."
Throughout the six-year project,
"the girls were just as involved as the
boys, " comments Farnes, adding, "we
had 23 boys and 12 girls in the pro
gram, and one of the girls who has
gone on to college still comes back to
visit us. One of the young ladies put
in the headliner, because it's very fine
work up in there with a needle, and

the guys couldn't have gotten up in

there and done it if they wanted to!"
Ward , reflecting on the entire ex
perience, says that rib stitching was
challenging, as was learning how
to work as part of a team. "And we
just kept on building and building
the ribs. We thought it would never
end! It took a year and a half alone
to do the ribs," he says, "but I liked
building them . Sometimes we were
questioning if the project was ever
going to get done, but the last cou
ple of years it started looking like an
airplane , and that was our motiva
tion. We knew it was going to get
done then."
Blaize agrees with Ward about the
teamwork aspect, elaborating "we
had to learn to work with each other,
and that was challenging at times,
with someone saying 'you're doing
this wrong!' My favorite part was
probably the woodwork. I thought
airplanes were all metal. And the rib
stitching was fun. That was proba
bly the best part of the project, every
body sitting over there with the wing,
sewing. If your dream is aviation, and
you want to build an airplane, this is
your chance right here. "

Aeronca Aloft
That ultimate goal of airworthi
ness was finally achieved on July 5,
2006. With its golden-yellow fuse
lage and dark-blue wings, NC33712
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

11

Side view of the restored Super Chief, as seen early one morning at AirVenture.

Close-up view of NC33712's Spartan

instrument panel.

The interior was neatly designed, and the headliner was installed by one of the
female participants in the program.

The wheelpants add a nice finishing

touch to the Super Chief.

was a handsome representative of

an Aeronca marketing slogan from
yesteryear, which praised the Super
Chief as "a beauty on wings and as
good as it looks."
Flabob's EAA Chapter One flight
advisor, Hal Nemer, happily accepted
the honorable duty of test pilot,
and shares his account of the Super
Chief's first flight after restoration:
12

APRIL 2007

"I must say the test flight went off

very smoothly. The only complaint I
had was that it was idling a little too
fast. It flew beautifully, and they just
did a fantastic job of rebuilding this
airplane. The supervision must have
been outstanding, too, because you
don 't get this kind of a product by
not supervising inexperienced people
very well."
Farnes was delighted, as were the
Aeronca Kids, to see the airplane in
the sky. "For me, the first flight is al
ways the best part of a restoration
project," he says, elaborating with a
knowing smile, "Hal did a high-speed
taxi, and he got it off the ground
and then it just started climbing."
It wasn't long before it was time
to reach for the next goal-flying the
Aeronca to EAA AirVenture. Nemer
agreed to make the flight, providing

Close-up view of NC33712's tail.

that longtime friend, experienced pi

lot, and fellow EAA flight advisor Ron
Caraway would make the journey
as well, enabling them to take turns
flying the Aeronca and the Wathen
Foundation'S Ercoupe. After a few fin
ishing touches on the Super Chief,
Nemer and Ward situated their flight
gear on the baggage shelf and climbed
aboard, while Caraway and Blaize si
multaneously readied the Ercoupe for
the first day of the adventure.
During the long cross-country,
Nemer demonstrated the finer
points of pilotage to Ward, while
Caraway taught Blaize about GPS
navigation. "At first we tried switch
ing aircraft after each flight leg, but
that entailed moving gear between
aircraft," explains Nemer, "so af
ter the first day we flew the same
aircraft all day and switched the

following day. We kept the same

'cadet' on the trip to Oshkosh and
switched for the return trip."
Support crews were also an im
portant part of the cross-country
adventure, and EAA Chapter One
Vice President Jerry Cortez provided
much-appreciated assistance along
the way. "Jerry flew his Cessna 150
along with them," says Farnes, add
ing, "of course, he was a little bit
faster, so he's the one who would
usually wind up at the airport first
and get the tiedown area, find the
fuel, and get things ready for us. We
also had a ground crew of three peo
ple, and I was part of that. We fol
lowed in an SUV with all the tools
and baggage."
According to Nemer, the flight was
"long, hot, and over some very deso
late country, and it was good to have
airplanes flying together over those
areas. But there was never any con
cern that the engine wasn't going to
work right; it's just a very strong 65
horsepower Continental."
Blaize says the 31-hour flight was
flown in five days' time, and when it
first began he felt some trepidation at
the prospect. ''It was like, are we actu
ally doing this? Are we going to fly all
the way there? But we made it, and
it was fun," he smiles, explaining, "I
got to see a lot of the United States I'd
never seen. That was interesting. I've
flown in jetliners, and you fly so high
you can't even see anything. It was
an accomplishment for me; it was
kind of overwhelming."
Ward also had a cautionary thought
about the flight, and laughs when
he recalls "when we were taking off
the first time, I had it go through my
mind, Did I build this wing rib right?
And it flew, so I guess I did it right! I
love traveling, and this was my first
official long cross-country. I enjoyed
it. It was great!"

Real Rewards
The Flabob Aeronca Kids received
the Special Achievement Award dur
ing AirVenture 2006 for their resto
ration of the 1941 Aeronca Super
Chief, but there's no doubt that the
most significant rewards of the pro

gram were the changes in the teen

agers' actions and attitudes, which
eloquently convey the Wathen Foun
dation's mission. "The kids learned a
lot, their grades improved, and their
parents say they're much better peo
ple," says Farnes.

"If I did not come to the

program, I have no idea
where I'd be right now."
-Andrew Blaize
Ward agrees wholeheartedly. "It's
true, it happened. We improved
mainly because of the communica
tion and teamwork and the bonding.
I never had an opportunity anywhere
else to do that." Blaize echoes that re
sponse, explaining, "It motivated us
to work harder in other areas. Before
this, I did not like working with any
one, so this program really taught me
how to work well with people. [ will
take that on to later in life. So it was
quite a lesson that I got. It was worth
giving up three Saturdays a month
even though at first I was, like, 'Sat
urday? It's my free day.' Then toward
the end, it was okay."
Both agree that if they hadn't been
part of the project, they would have
been sleeping in or just spending time
with friends. "If I did not come to the
program, I have no idea where I'd be
right now," reflects Blaize, adding,
"['d probably end up being a couch
potato or working at McDonald's."

New Horizons
New aspirations are often born of
such inspirational experiences, and
when those experiences are shared
with others they can become a cat
alyst for change. Step by step, the
teenagers embraced the restoration
challenge with a youthful pioneer
ing spirit, learning the intricacies of
rebuilding an airplane while building
the confidence and skills to follow
new directions in their lives.
Ward plans to earn his commer
cial certificate "and hopefully fly for
the airlines someday." Blaize has fo
cused on a different direction. After

he receives his private pilot certif

icate, he wants to "get my A&P li
cense and then try to go to Cal-Poly
and get my bachelor's in aeronauti
cal engineering."
As for the Super Chief, it will even
tually wind up in the Wathen Mu
seum, according to Farnes. But for
now, it will be flying in the skies over
Flabob, providing the teenagers with
the opportunity to learn how to fly
it (since most have been learning to
fly in nosewheel aircraft), and obtain
their tailwheel endorsements.
Farnes says he's already been con
tacted by numerous people who want
to know how they can become in
volved with the program. "So every
body's going to pitch in and see if
we can get other programs set up to
do the same thing, all over the coun
try," explains Farnes, adding, "in fact,
there's a gentleman from Canada
that wants to do the same thing in
his country-so it's growing."
For those who read success in num
bers, these should tell the story: Of 35
young people involved in the pro
gram, 27 took flying lessons, 19 have
soloed, and 10 have earned their pri
vate pilot certificates. One is now at
tending Embry-Riddle Aeronautical
University, several have gone on to
college, and another has joined the
United States Marine Corps.
Nemer beams with joy as he sums
up the success of the program, pro
claiming, "it's been a marvelous ex
perience! The part I enjoyed so much
is the first time I asked them, 'what
turned you on to aviation?' Most of
them, without hesitation, would say,
'our Young Eagles ride-that did it. ' If
a program can produce young people
like that, there are going to be young
sters to replace us older fellows."
Now that the Aeronca Kids have
succeeded in creating new horizons
for themselves and one old Super
Chief, the Stinson Kids will be fol
lowing suit as they restore a Stinson
108-3 that was donated for the pur
pose. For more information on the
continuing program, visit www.{labob.
org online or call the Thomas W. Wa
then Foundation at 951-683-2309,
ext. 104.
~
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

13

/'ing a~?orfing

KELLY TRIMBLE

The diminutive Culver Dart Model LCA

BY SPARKY BARNES SARGENT

The summer of 1940 found 9

year-old Mark Trimble at the Kansas
City Municipal Airport, watching in
boyish awe as a tiny purple airplane
streaked past the windsock. "I never
saw anything move like that," he
says, fondly describing the occasion.
"It went by like a shot, and he did a
big duster turn and put the gear down
and came in. It was like a spaceship
landed. There was a crowd of people
around that airplane."
That airplane was Culver Aircraft
Corp.'s Dart Model LCA-a dashing
new design by Al Mooney. The sight
of this sensational flying machine
did more than catch young Trim14

APRIL2007

ble's eye. It was at that moment that

he began cultivating a lifetime af
finity for Culver aircraft. The Model
LCA flew for the first time in early
December 1939, and though it was
christened a Dart, its name was soon
changed to Cadet, and it received
Approved Type Certificate No. 730
in September of 1940.
Knight Culver's company, located
in Port Columbus, Ohio, was already
known for its production of various
radial-powered Dart models when
this new Continental A-75-powered
airplane made its public debut in the
spring of 1940. Late that year, the
company moved to Wichita, Kansas,

where it flourished. By the follow

ing year, Walter Beech and Charles
"Pappy" Yankey acquired controlling
interest in the company and were ac
tively managing it, with Al Mooney
and his brother Art continuing their
impressive work there. Culver Air
craft went on to produce several more
models-including target drones for
the military-with the Culver V-2 be
ing its last in 1947.

Aheod o/tk I~fr!l

The sprightly Culver was consid
ered years ahead of the industry, not
only by Culver Aircraft, but also by
its customers. It measured 17 feet 8

inches from nose to tail, and its canti

lever, wood wings spanned nearly 27

feet. Elliptical-shaped wings and tail

gave it a chic look while its curved

doors blended right into its stream

lined fuselage. The aircraft featured

semi-monocoque construction, which

a company advertisement of the era

described as "plywood bonded to

gether with plastic resins, which form

a stressed skin shell," which was then

dipped in a chemically treated sealer

"to make it impervious to moisture."

Advertised as lithe world 's fast

z>UJ

'"
~~:;::~~----------~~
(J)

UJ

a:

~
~

a:

It
(J)

NC20949's dataplate reveals the airplane's early manufacture, while Culver Air
craft was still located in Ohio.

'
r

est light airplane for a given horse

power," the peti te Model LCA
weighed 750 pounds empty, with a

----------------.. ". --------------11

I
=

gross weight of 1,305 pounds. Pilot

and passenger sat side by side on its
~
.
bench seat and were allowed a total
I
- ~
of 50 pounds of baggage. It carried
-.;;;;;;;;=
0
0
~ ... 20 gallons of fuel and cruised at 120
iL>.-.~~
-'-1 mph when powered by a 75-hp Continental with a Freedman Burnham
Three-view from the Aircraft Yearbook
adjustable propeller, for a range of
for 1940.
500 miles. Landings were softened by

~______

air-oil shock struts and a set of steel

leaf springs mounted on the gear by
the wheel. Hydraulic brakes provided
adequate stopping power. The price
tag at the factory was $2,395, and al
though it was quite capable of aero
batic maneuvers, it was apt "to lose
its wings when suddenly pulled out
of a high-speed dive," explains Trim
ble. Therefore, the following placard
was required: "Intentional acrobatics
and instrument flight prohibited. "

~towa!l Oulver

''Ididnt realize
unfiloller I

oIreodg bought
the ~one thot
this is the some
oi~onethot

SI'Af/

in

J 940/

-Mark Trimble
Mark Trimble

Trimble became intimately ac

quainted with flying a Culver V while
attending college in the early 1950s.
In fact, it was his chosen transporta
tion between his Missouri home and
the University of Arkansas. He thor
oughly enjoyed the airplane's speed
and responsiveness.
Nearly four decades later, Trim
ble happened to be visiting the West
Plains, Missouri, airport one day in
1991, where h e discovered a partially
dismantled Cadet concealed in a di
lapidated hangar. He soon telephoned
the owner, engaging him in friendly
conversation, and then asked him if
he'd have any interest in selling the

Cadet. "After a moment's hesitation, "

recalls Trimble, "he said, 'Well, yeah,

I really should sell it. I have too many

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

15

Close-up view of the control stick (left), the pool-ball handle atop the gear lock
lever, and chrome wheel, which are used to manually retract and lower the
landing gear.

Wingspan was nearly 27 feet, and its

landing gear is retractable.

The Model LCA's cockpit. Note the clear windows in the floor panel for viewing
the gear position.

airplanes. Come over and talk to me.'

So I flew over there and we looked
the airplane over, and I wrote him a
check for it."
No sooner had the check changed
hands than the man told him that
NC20949 (s/n 102) was the oldest
known Model LCA, and that it origi
nally wore the factory colors of pur
ple and cream. Upon hearing that,
Trimble was even more delighted
with his purchase. Brandishing a boy
ish smile, he says, "I didn't realize un
til after I already bought the plane
16

APR I L2007

that this is the same airp lane that I

saw in 1940!"

R!lAwa!l
It was time to take the Culver to
its new home near Branson, Missouri.
The previous owner assured Trimble
that, once reassembled, it wou ld be
safe to fly-but he warned him not to
lift the tail immediately during take
off or he'd be sightseeing off the left
side of the paved runway. Trimble
wasn't too concerned, though, and
didn't heed the gentleman'S advice.

The tail features a fabric gap seal

between the horizontal stabilizer
and elevator.

He pushed throttle and stick forward ,

and as soon as the Culver's light
weight tail was off the ground he and
the airplane headed left for the grass.
"I pulled the power off, straightened
it out, and I realized what he said is

A close-up view of the steel leaf

springs on the main gear.

righ t. This particular airplane has

the worst P-factor of any plane I ever
flew," he says, laughing heartily. "So
there's a technique to taking off in it.
You hold the stick back until it gets so
light it's about to fly, and then you let
the tail up. The rudder is working at
that pOint, and you have control."

Power andPainf'
NC20949 started life with a 75-hp
Continental A-75-8 engine (Model
LCA), but had also been powered by

an 80-hp Franklin 4AC-176-F3 at one

time (Model LFA-both engines are
listed on Aircraft Specification No. A
730). When Trimble purchased it, it
had a C-90-12F installed. It flew fine
with 90 horses, but Trimble figured
more horsepower just might make it
even better. So, although the Culver
was airworthy, he had a few enhance
ments in mind for it. With the help
of Kenny Blalock of Conway, Arkan
sas, the Culver was soon sporting a
Continental 0-200 engine, a new fi
berglass cowling in place of the worn
aluminum cowling, and Air-Tech fab
ric and paint. He matched the pur
ple to his mind's eye from 1940, and
was helped by a picture of an early
Culver Cadet on a vintage Wings
Cigarette pack collector's card . Addi
tionally, a new panel accommodated
a few extra instruments, including
a rate-of-climb indicator and mani
fold pressure gauge. A new Cleveland
brake system was also installed.

ReI'raata6le Gear
Serial No. 102 has some quirky op
erating characteristics, which Trim
ble attributes to its being "hand-built,
and there are a lot of things on it that
really don't work as well as the later

production models." One such ex

ample entails the art of manual gear
retraction and extension, which re
quires two hands . That necessitates
gripping the control stick between
the knees, because the spirited little
airplane, being pitch sensitive with
its light stick pressure, quickly dis
plays its unstable tendency as soon
as its pilot lets go of the stick. See
through panels in the floorboard pro
vide a handy visual check to confirm
the gear position-but apparently
that's the only easy part.
"You trim the plane carefully be
fore you begin the process, but
you end up flying all over the sky
while you ' re pulling the gear up,"
laughs Trimble . "First you pull up
on the gear lock, move the wheel,
and then put the lock over to the
first notch. It's a ratchet system, and
the gear comes up one notch at a
time. You have to keep pulling the
wheel hard-it takes both hands
until you get to the last notch. Then
you have to jerk on it, but it finally
works . Now when you want to get
the gear down, you have to unload
the ratchet by pulling as hard as you
can on that wheel. At the same time
you pull up on the gear lock and put
VINTAGE A I RP L A N E

17

Rear view of Trimble's 1940 Culver Dart Model LCA, between the horizontal stabilizer and elevator.

it over to the free position. Then the

weight of the gear dropping will jerk
the wheel out of your hand, so you
have to grab the wheel again quickly
to keep them from slamming down.
Just as the gear hits bottom, you
immediately slam the gear lock to
the left and try to get the lock pins
seated . If it doesn't work, you just
keep trying until it does!"

In. Flight
While this Culver offers a chal
lenge when it comes to picking up
and lowering its "feet," its climb
and cruise rate are quite pleasing to
its owner, who indicates that it will
reach 1,000 fpm climb in a hurry. It's
not uncommon for Trimble to take
it up to 10,000 feet on a cross-country
flight. Of course, the climb rate is
hampered by a full load, but he main
tains that it's still a good performer
and was so even when it had its origi
nal 75-hp Continental.
Replace that 75 hp with 100 hp and
the tiny Culver really zips through
the sky. Trimble can easily cruise at
140 mph while burning only 5.8 gph.
He says he "normally runs around 21
1/2 or 22 inches of manifold pressure,
which is 55-60 percent power, and
it'll show 130 mph. If I move it up a
little, it'll show 140 mph."
Equally pleasing is the airplane's
18

APRIL 2007

surprisingly benign stalling charac

teristics, attributed to its leading-edge
wing slots, which facilitate airflow
over the ailerons while flying at high
angles of attack. It can also be fairly

+porentlg

N020949

exemplifiedthe
f!~ny's odverlising

slogan,

"Its Oulver

lOr OrDss-Oounfrg:'
docile when it comes to landing. Trim
ble finds that NC20949 responds bet
ter to touching down in a three-point
attitude, as opposed to a wheel land
ing. "If you fly it on and touch the
main gear, it'll jerk hard to the right,"
he says, explaining another of its idio
syncrasies. "This one's gear is canted
slightly to the right, so it'll jerk hard in
that direction, and there's no adjust
ment for toe-in. But it touches down
around 45 mph, so it's really not a hot
airplane on the ground at all."

While out flying on an afternoon

jaunt one day, Trimble discovered
NC20949's most surprising perfor
mance feature. He was flying at 4,500
feet over the scenic, forested moun
tains just a couple of miles north of
Branson when suddenly the little
Culver decelerated rapidly. "The mo
tor just died like a heart attack," says
Trimble, shaking his head as he re
lives the moment, "and I thought, uh
oh, I'm in trouble here. The airport
was on the south side of town, and
a divided road went right through
the town. I decided to head to the
airport, and if I had to, I'd take one
lane of that road. I glided all the way
across Branson, and I couldn't believe
the glide ratio that airplane had!"
Trimble, who has experienced
a total of six engine failures while
he's been pilot-in-command, re
mained calm as he and the Culver
flew silently over Branson. Amaz
ingly enough, by the time he crossed
the center of the airport, he still had
1,200 feet of altitude. "I turned left
downwind for runway 29, but that
was a little bit downwind, so I glided
on around the airport and entered
the downwind for runway 11. So I
turned into the pattern, and as I was
going downwind, another airplane
came in behind me and I said, 'Cul

An efficient design allows the Culver to slice cleanly through the air. The racy little Culver Model LCA created quite a sen
sation among pilots when it was first introduced in 1940.
ver 949 turning base with the engine
out.' I touched the numbers when I
landed and stopped in the middle of
the runway-and I'm not bragging,
because I'm not that skillful a pilot.
I was just lucky to have enough alti
tude! That other guy came in and saw
me and said, 'You weren't kidding,
were you?' I said, 'No, the engine was
out and had been for a while.' That
was an interesting ride. That was one
of the most impressive things about
the airplane to me, was how far I got
with a dead engine."

Oro.tt-Oountr!l
Apparently NC20949 exempli
fied the company's advertising slo
gan, li lt's Culver for Cross-Country,"
on at least one historic flight. Trim
ble cites newspaper accounts that
credit his Culver with a record-set
ting flight more than six decades ago,
and he's adorned the Culver's fuse
lage with a tribute to that event: "O n
June 5, 1940 this airplane was flown
from Columbus, OH to Santa Monica,
CA in the daylight hours of one day,
thereby es tablishing a cross country re
cord for light aircraft that still stands
today. Total flying time was 16:40.

Refueling stops were made at Tulsa,

OK and Winslow AZ. Total fuel cost
was $15.48."
Trimble admits that he 's ponder
ing the possibility of duplicating
that flight but remains noncommit
tal. "I'm 75 years old now; maybe
J'll wait until I' m 80," he says with
a lingering smile. Elaborating upon
the feasibility of such a flight, he
reflects that "june 5th is close to
the longest day of the year, and you
gain two hours going west from
Ohio to California. A high-pressure
system might give you tail winds
along the way. But I think (on that
record flight) the pilot must have
put a fuel tank in the passenger seat,
because he went from Columbus to
Tulsa. That's 750 miles, and beyond
its normal range. And from Tulsa to
Winslow is 800 miles."
As for the pilot who made that re
cord flight, Trimble says, "I under
stand that it was 'Pop' johnson, the
same pilot who flew this as a factory
demonstrator. After flying this air
plane as many hours as he did, he
knew where this plane fell short and
tried to correct those things in the
Swift design. So this particular air

plane was forerunner of the very first

prewar Swift (the 1941 Globe GC-1,
NX17688). just look at a Swift and
you'll see the similarities."

AIlinif!llOr Oulvers
Even with its quirky operating
characteristics-or maybe because of
them-Trimble has a fondness for Se
rial No. 102. But that's not the only
Culver he keeps in his hangar. Nes
tled between Wacos, a Fairchild 24,
a Grumman Widgeon, and various
other aircraft in his unique collection
are a 1938 Culver Dart GK and a post
war Culver V ("V" for Victory). The
most recent addition to his fleet is a
1946 Culver V, which he describes as
li the Superior Satellite, which is the
last mutation of the Culver v." (Supe
rior Aircraft Co. of Wichita, Kansas, is
the type certificate holder.)
Trimble delights in flying his air
craft on a regular basis and is rather
partial to his Culver models. So per
haps one day soon, when he 's fly
ing NC20949, there will be another
young boy who will be inspired by
the sight of a small purple Culver
dashing through the sky, just as he
was many years ago.
.......
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

19

THE CURTISS MODEL J

The beginning of the famous Curtiss] series

BY WESLEY SMITH

he Model J was actually designed

by B. Douglas Thomas, an Eng
lishman. Thomas was originally
an employee of the Avro Co. and then
of the Sopwith Aviation Co. Ltd.
Thomas' encounter with Glenn Cur
tiss during Curtiss' 1913 visit to Sop
with eventually led to his designing the
Model] in a tent set up in Thomas' yard
during the winter of 1913-14. Thomas
had apparently followed C urtis s
through the Sopwith shop during his
visit, but he was reputedly too shy to
speak to him. Conversation between
the two occurred only after a second
chance encounter with Curtiss at a Lon
don shop during a downpour on that
same day. Thomas then accompanied
Curtiss on a trip to Paris, where CurtiSS
suggested that Thomas design an air
craft after resigning from Sopwith.
Early in 1914, Thomas sent his de
sign, inclusive of a stress analysis and a
list of materials, to Curtiss at Hammond
sport (a surviving original drawing for

20

APRIL2007

the Model J is dated 12 March 1914).

Curtiss then apparently demanded that
Thomas come to America to oversee the
design by way of a terse telegram that
simply stated: "Come over."
As originally built, the Model J was
a two-bay tractor biplane with equal
span wings of a 30-foot spread and ai
lerons on both the upper and lower
wings. It was ready for testing by 12
April 1914 (it had possibly been under
construction even before Thomas' ar
rival in the United States). The exact se
quence of events is somewhat difficult
to determine, but the aircraft was ap
parently built at the Hammondsport,
New York, factory before being moved
to Lake Keuka for assembly and initial
flight testing. A photo of the Model J
with a large communal cockpit exists
that shows the aircraft fitted out as a
hydroaeroplane (that is, a seaplane or
floatplane). This same photo shows that
the original 30-foot span wings with ai
lerons in all four positions were used.

The original tailskid was also fitted; it

was a lengthy affair that gave the air
craft a rather ungainly stance.
While it's uncertain, it does seem
that the Model J was first tested as a hy
dro before removing the large central
float (and wingtip floats) and fitting a
wheeled undercarriage. The photo that
appears in Vintage Airplane may have
been taken at this juncture, before re
verting to floats for a second time (see
below). At some pOint, the side of the
fuselage was e mblazoned with the
name "CURTISS" in large lettering. By
the time the aircraft was converted to a
landplane, the large communal cockpit
had been divided into two individual
cockpits for the pilot (rear) and ob
server (front). The contention for the
Model J first being flown as a hydro is
supported by the notion that it was an
untested machine and that the landing
field at Lake Keuka was much shorter
than the lake. It would make perfect
sense to first test the machine in this

manner, gradually increasing the flight

lengths . Curtiss is known to have
tested aircraft as hydros on the lake,
or on the ice of Lake Keuka, before test
ing them as genuine land-based aircraft
(the prototype Model R, for instance,
was flown from the ice with a conven
tional-wheeled undercarriage).
At any rate, the span of the upper
wing was increased to 40 feet 2 inches
before the aircraft was converted back
into a hydroaeroplane, with a large cen
tral float and wingtip outrigger floats on
the lower wings. On the revised wings,
the ailerons were deleted from the lower
wings, and king posts were added to the
dorsal side of the upper wing, above the
outer interplane struts, to allow for brac
ing wires to reinforce the upper wing
extensions. It is somewhat curious that
the fuselage legend was now removed,
the aircraft reverting to natural fabric
with the light color extending onto the
duraluminum cowling. (If this was not
the case, then the original 30-foot span
wings must have been reinstalled before
the Model J was tested with wheels.) In
some photos, a Curtiss Model F flying
boat is seen accompanying the Model J
hydro over Lake Keuka, apparently act
ing in the role of a modern-day chase
plane. Following this, the aircraft was
eventually converted back to its land
plane configuration, retaining the re
vised wing planform. The chord of both
wings was 5 feet, the ailerons of the ex
tended upper wing Model J measuring
10 feet in overall span, by a maximum
2-foot chord (the ailerons were inversely
tapered toward the wingtips). The span
and chord of the ailerons fitted to the
30-foot wing appears to have been 7
feet by 2 feet. Length of the Model J was
26 feet 4 inches in its land plane form.
The weight was 1,075 pounds (empty)
and the maximum loaded weight was
1,345 pounds (1,635 pounds according
to one source, but this may possibly re
fer to the hydro version).
Only two Model ]'S were built.
They were both sold to the U.S. Army
Signal Corps. The first as S.c. No. 29 un
der Signal Corps Order No. 653 (dated
30 April 1914, Contract No. 627). S.c.
No. 29, apparently the rebuilt proto
type, was delivered to North Island at
San Diego, California, on 24 June 1914

for $6,500 ($6,725 f.o.b. to San Diego).

This was approximately one month
later than the planned delivery date,
and another source (Louis S. Casey in
Curtiss: The Hammondsport Era 1907

1915, pg 177) claims the delivery date

was 28 July 1914. Following its arrival,
S.c. No. 29 was assembled by Lt. Lewis
Goodier JL, and Sgt. Ocker, pending
the arrival of Curtiss pilot (and agent)
Raymond V. Morris. Sgt. Winter also
participated in the Model J's assembly,
installing the 90-hp Curtiss OX V-8 en
gine on the airframe. The OX was, of
course, an evolution of the earlier 75-hp
Curtiss Model O.

THIS CAUSED THE

AIRCRAFT TO SPIRAL
FARTHER AND
FARTHER OUT TO
SEA. TAKING HIS
CHANCE, GOODIER
THROTTLED THE
ENGINE BACK
AND TIMED HIS
"LANDING" TO
COINCIDE WITH
CROSSING
NORTH ISLAND.
By the time No. 29 was reassembled,
the airframe was conSiderably different
from its original form. The new lou
vered cowling (containing nine verti
cal louvers) extended as far back as the
firewall. Curtiss yoke-type aileron con
trols (standard Curtiss controls at this
time consisted of shoulder-yoke-oper
ated ailerons and a centralized wheel
that operated the elevators and verti
cal rudder) were now installed in both
cockpits, the cockpit cutouts were deep
ened somewhat, and the rear fuselage

decking was raised and rounded off.

A thick corduroy padding was added
to the edges of the cockpit coaming at
some point. The undercarriage was also
revised, with six struts instead of four
supporting the lengthened main land
ing gear. The wheels and tires were also
increased in size (the tires were pos
Sibly 26 inches by 5 inches), and the
rear tailskid was shortened and rein
forced with side-bracing struts. The
prominent nose-over skids attached
to the main landing gear struts were
now shortened, and the revised cowl
ing was painted a dark color that ex
tended onto the dorsal cockpit decking
as far aft as the rear cockpit.
S.c. No. 30, ordered under Signal
Corps Order No . 916 (dated 16 June
1914, Contract No . 634), was finally
shipped sometime after 27 June, arriv
ing at North Island in early August. S.c.
No. 30 differed from No. 29 in that it
had no "instrument board," but it was
otherwise nearly identical to No. 29.
However, the undercarriage of No. 30
was slightly different, with the main
wheels being moved roughly 6 inches
aft of their location on No. 29. The ad
ditional tailskid bracing used on No.
29 was deleted; however, No. 30 also
had a dark color applied to the cowling
and cockpit decking as far aft as the rear
cockpit, as did No. 29.
Shortly after arriving at North Island,
the First Aero Squadron was formed in
September 1914. At that time it con
sisted of the two Model]'s and four Bur
gess Model H tractor biplanes. At about
the same time, the Model J made its
first detailed appearance in the aero
nautical periodicals of the day. A de
tailed description (and photo) of the
prototype appeared in the 15 September
1914 issue of Aeronautics (NY. V 15 N 5.
"Curtiss Model J Tractor Biplane," pg
69). Eleven days later on 26 Septem
ber 1914, one of the Model j's appeared
on the cover of Aero and Hydro (V 8 N
26), with the caption "Bringing Amer
ica again to the fore. The splendid new
Curtiss Military Tractor Biplane, which
with 2 people up and 5 hours of fuel ,
has a speed range of 86 - 41 1/2 miles
per hOUL" An additional photo of the
Model J appeared in Flying (V 3 N 9. Oc
tober 1914, pg 266). The caption incorVINTAGE AIRPLANE

21

rectly gives the span of the upper wing

as 42 feet 2 inches but correctly lists
the lower wingspan as 30 feet. The text
goes on to mention an endurance of
four hours and gives the rate of climb
as 4,000 feet in 10.5 minutes.
Indeed, the in-depth Aeronautics ar
ticle does give somewhat different per
formance figures for the Model J, in
addition to giving data of the Model J-2
single-place tractor biplane version of
the Model J, which was never built. The
speed range given for the Model J in
the Aeronautics article is stated to be 40
90 mph. The Model OX engine horse
power is also listed as 90-100 hp. By
thi s time, Goodier had been able to
climb No. 30 in a lightly loaded condi
tion to 1,000 feet in one minute and
2,000 feet in six minutes. This was fol
lowed up by Capt. H. LeRoy Muller, who
set an American altitude record with
No. 30 on 8 October, climbing to 1,000
feet in one minute, reaching 4,000 feet
in six minutes, and continuing on to
17,441 fee t in 107 minutes (16 , 790
feet according to Aero Club of Amer
ica records) . During the record climb,
Muller was forced to reach forward from
the observer's seat and manually lean
the carburetor at 12,500 feet to prevent
a further decrease in rpm (there was no
mixture adjustment as there is on mod
ern carburetors). Muller also had to con
tend with extreme turbulence between
16,000 feet and 17,000 feet. During the
flight , Muller burned 14.5 gallons of
fuel and 7 pints of oil over a period of
two hours and 27 minutes (about 5.91
gph). A nice photo of No. 30 appears in
the pages of Aircraft (V 5 N 9. November
1914, pg 381). The caption states that it
depicts No. 30 at North Island as it ap
peared when flown by Muller during
his record-setting flight.
The gross wing area of the Model
J was about 50 square feet higher with
the 40-foot 2-inch upper wing (approx
imately 350 square feet) as opposed to
approximately 300 square feet with
the original 30-foot wings. The dimen
sions of the overbalanced vertical rud
der was 30 inches high by 36 inches
wide, or about 7.5 square feet in area.
The area of the horizontal stabilizers
is given as 30 square feet, and the el
evators are listed in the Aeronautics
22

APRIL 2007

article as having an area of 16 square

feet. The Aeronautics text also gives a
fuselage maximum width of 26 inches
with a maximum height of 35 inches.
The laminated ash and spruce engine
mounts (support beams) for the OX
engine are stated to measure 2 inches
by 3 inches, and the firewall is stated
to have been made of 3/32-inch steel.
A contradictory climb figure of 400
fpm and a speed range of 45-75 mph
is also given. The price, f.o.b., is listed
as $7,500, conSiderably more ($775)
than the U.S. Army paid for its two ma
chines, unless this is a misprint.
By an odd coincidence, the publica
tion of the issue of Aero and Hydro that
sported the Model J on its cover was
dated as the same day (26 September)
that Goodier had a rather unfortunate
experience with No. 29. Taking off
alone from North Island, a turnbuckle
that had not been safetied unscrewed
itself, which then jammed the control
wheel and forced the vertical rudder
into a "hard over" position. This caused
the aircraft to spiral farther and farther
out to sea. Taking his chance, Goodier
throttled the engine back and timed
his "landing" to coincide with cross
ing North Island. Luckily, Goodier was
not injured in the resultant nose-over
landing, only the undercarriage and
propeller suffered damage . However,
the tribulations of the Model J were
only just beginning.
On 21 December 1914, both Model
j's, the Burgess Model H's, and a Mar
tin IT of the First Aero Squadron be
gan their flights to compete for the
Mackay Trophy, intending to fly from
North Island to Los Angeles. Unfor
tunately, conditions were not terribly
good for cross-country flying, and only
one Burgess Model H completed the
planned flight. Flying No . 30, Lts. Car
berry and Christie were forced down
with a broken fuel line at Pacific Beach.
It was repaired , but the aircraft was
forced down again with an engine mal
function at Oceanside, covering only
about 40 miles before being forced to
give up. No. 29, flown by Muller and Lt.
Frederick J. Gerstner, proceeded along
the same route but encountered severe
turbulence near Encinitas. An uncon
trolled sideslip cost them 300 feet of

altitude, and another gust forced the

aircraft into an uncontrollable vertical
dive, from which Muller was able to re
cover, but not before the aircraft sharply
stalled and lost another 1,000 feet.
Muller recovered again, but was unable
to avoid a partial loop. By this time, No.
29 had suffered damage to the eleva
tor control cables, some of which had
snapped. The throttle had also become
stuck, and following two more semi
controlled loops, which brought them
perilously close to the ocean, Muller
was able to cut the ignition (after kick
ing the throttle quadrant loose) and ex
ecute a crash-landing, causing relatively
little damage to the aircraft.
After the off-shore emergency land
ing, Muller was able to pull Gerst
ner from the front cockpit, which was
now underwater. The beach being
about Vz mile away, Gerstner attempted
to swim for help but returned at Mull
er's urging. On a second attempt, Ger
stner became entangled in a growth of
kelp and drowned. Lts. Milling and Pat
terson , having been forced down ear
lier in their Burgess Model H (S.c. No.
24), witnessed the ordeal of No. 29 and
sprung into action. Patterson was able
to hitch a ride to San Onofre, and two
boats were sent to rescue Muller, suc
cessfully completing the task an hour
and quarter later. One boat attempted
to salvage No. 29 but was unsuccessful.
By this time, the torpedo boat destroyer
USS Truxtun had been dispatched to
rescue No. 29 and the pilots. When it
arrived, the Truxtun attempted to save
No. 29, but it was unable to do more
than save the engine, the rest of the air
craft being a write-off after six hours in
heavy seas.
Following the loss of No . 29, No .
30 continued to be flown through
out 1915. On 8 February Lt. Thomas S.
Bowen severely damaged No. 30 in an
accident in which he lost control and
the aircraft completely turned over.
Bowen was apparently unharmed, and
No. 30 was repaired . Later in the year,
Lt. B.Q. Jones began using the Model
J for aerobatic experiments, and on 8
June, Lt. Morrow flew No. 30 over the
Panama-Pacific International Expo
sition at night. An additional $2,790
worth of spares was purchased for No.

3D, and on 1 July the aircraft was re

turned to service in fully refurbished
condition. Late in its service, No. 30's
undercarriage was again modified, the
nose-over skids being removed from the
main landing gear struts.
No. 30's career came to an end
on 11 October 1915 when Lt. W.R.
Taliaferro fatally wrecked the aircraft
following a half-loop from which
the machine nosed into a vertical dive
and crashed into San Diego Bay. Talia
ferro's body was recovered, and dur
ing World War I a training field was
named after him in Texas. It was the
end of the line for the Model J, but
not for the subsequent Curtiss aircraft
designs on which it was based.
Curtiss pursued the Model J design,
which evolved into the Model N-8
and, finally, the ModelJN-2, which was
used in quantity (eight total) by the
First Aero Squadron in Mexico. Cur
tiss IN-3s and R-2s were also used as
part of Gen. John]. Pershing's Mexican
Expeditionary Force, (MEF) in the at
tempt to rout Pancho Villa's raids into
the United States. The design evolved
into the IN-2, through the IN-3, the
IN-4/6 series UN-4/ A/B/C/Can./D/H/
HB/HG-l/2/D/6H/6-HG-l/2/D-2, and
Twin IN), the beloved Jenny, and the
OX series of engines (OX/OX-2/3/s
and OXX-6) . The successor designs of
the Model J flew on for many years,
with some still flying today. The U.S.
Navy and U.S. Marine Corps were also
not strangers to the IN series, operating
the IN-4/B/H/6H/HG-l series (postwar
as the JNS-l) and the N-9/H series of
floatplanes that were strongly based
on the Jenny. The U.S. Navy also op
erated two Twin JNs as floatplanes as
AH-64 (later, A-93) and A-198. A U.S.
National Archives listing of early U.S.
Navy types supplied by the noted na
val aviation historian Hal Andrews
confirms this fact.
There is debate as to whether aJN-1,
IN-1S, or IN-l W existed or not. My re
search indicates there could have been
such an animal, apparently intended
for sale to Spain. However, the evi
dence for this is anecdotal, at best. To
my knowledge, no extant company re
cords, or other official records, mention
a Model IN or IN-l. That said, photo

graphs do exist of the Model J hydro,

or IN type, which show a three-blade
propeller and other slight differences
compared to the known Model J hy
dro photos. Further evidence can be
found in the pages of Aerial Age Weekly
(V 1 N 2. March 29, 1915. "Foreign
Aeronautical News:" Spain, pg 41). In
the weekly column, written by Robert
Pkyum and Ladislas d'Orcy, mention
is made of negotiations for the possi
ble purchase of 12 Curtiss machines
with OX engines, six being fitted with
wheeled undercarriages and six with
floats. Other uses of the designation
IN-l, particularly those with reference
to use by the U.S. Navy, and U.S. Army,
are apocryphal. Early IN-4s operated
by the U.S. Navy were serialed A-ls7
to A-1s9 UN-4B, OXX engine) and A
388 to A-389 UN-4, OX-2 engine); all
five aircraft entered service in 1917.
Incidentally, my late father, Jack
Smith, learned to fly in a IN-4D during
the mid-1930s. It is, perhaps, a bit hum
bling to think that it all began in late
1913 with a somewhat introverted Eng

lish aircraft designer and an extroverted

American businessman.
Serious students of the Jenny, and
other early Curtiss aircraft, are referred
to the excellent series of books (seven
total volumes) written by Robert B.
Casari, titled Encyclopedia of u.s. Mili
tary Aircraft 1908 to April 6, 1917, (four
volumes). And, Encyclopedia of u.s.
Military Aircraft: The World War 1 Pro
duction Program (three volumes). Un
fortunately, these titles are long out of
print; nevertheless, a great deal of the
information in this article is derived
from volume three of the first series
(Subtitled: Curtiss I, N, IN-2, IN-3, and
N-8). Other quality books that contain
information about the Curtiss Model J
(and subsequent Curtiss types) are Cur
tiss Aircraft 1907-1947, by the late, great
Peter M. Bowers, and Curtiss: The Ham
mondsport Era 1907-1915, by Louis S.
Casey, a former curator at the National
Air and Space Museum . The Bowers'
book, inCidentally, also contains a nice
three-view drawing of the Model J, in
its late 1914 incarnation.
.......

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

23

y-

ip:I,"an'ft

I ....

Finally, snow! Real snow!,

.~

H:G.

F RAUTSCHY

'

r.\".\" /'
. ;

-.:><.
, to, .... ' .,

More than 200 people braved th e wintry W.isconsin

"
"~ '.
'
weather for EAA's Skiplane Fly-In Saturday, Jan4ar,Y. 27, af
Pioneer Airport in Oshkosh. Cl~e to!tWOf(n e~' il'irp'lanes,
ranging from Cubs and ces s Fla s\.r~~~k~Wior~"a'nd
Kitfox, arrived from throughou~lhe~i;f~Dd '
away as Michigan and Illinois ,"
snow" skiplane fl y-in dates , ~we
of crystal1ine dry sn0Wto ,slide
Several wheeled aircr~ft flew ;.N~"""Ml*~m-,:;

~.

'1:,/ .

01

BY R IC R EYNOLDS AND

~n
.

,/

::' ,,/

/,', ;: ../ ' ~

. ~/J,;

.' ..~:;:./~.

In one of EAA's Pioneer Airport h'a n~ars, Joh'gtt)ut fast- -::.:.'.

moving lirtes formed for piI?iri1t,hot ch!li a~( horr;einad~'::c ~
chicken sou.p. ,.F9 r dess erf).. y o~ ~ ould have a pi.\(e . oj-~f
birthday ~ aJ.e)it honor of ~ d'i~y Poberezny, who~'wa s
,
celeb~.ti ~g <1"fl Qther 1/3 9th "' 9\t~h\tay; 1/39 and l1 old1'n g,"
.
. .~~ ~
~\
.}~
'"
-~- .
she saitl, ;: ';':( .
\ , \:.,
~ijot
Ri~l<~'
Kluver, lon!diin
~~A~edrom Belvidei~"
~::/, \ '

'-\
. " W~.' "
~
with his Ces~a\ {~ t~-al,on . warmer day~~
"
'~ ith floats. I/If I'~-d)-~~l~~V~:h~ri:twater or 'so~'

\ \

'i:" \.

. J.... .

-"", . '"
-

,ry

I an cC ~O-,::

to the west prevented

but not the ground
the ramp in fro~t of Pionp~'r '
Lodge lots, with othe J;S
access road past Fergus

Above: Bill Weber's LycomingoO-320-powered 1

70CB Is seen regularly at the annual skjpla!le event. Bill hails from
Rockford, Illinois.
rt~.,;:

Audrey Poberezny's birthday falls within a couple it'Clays of ...

skiplane fly-in, so it's a handy excuse for a winter party.

Above: An 9verview of the parking area shows a nice mix of

Cessnas, Aeroncas, Pipers, and at least one homebuilt (it's
AV~---'!::Io"":. ,the yelloW,. Super,Cuby) among the nearly two dozen airplanes
flown in t~ EM's'Skiplanfi-Fly-ln:
.

',I' I.,..~
' / /r,

~ /~

I ,.
I

Gary Conger flew his Lycoming

powered Aeronca Sedan down
from Green Bay. The airplane was
restored in Connecticut by Mike
Milligan, and Gary's addition of
the retractable wheel skis hcMI:.:
proven handy.

H.G. FRAUTSCHY

BY DOUG STEWART

"Does that seem weird to you?"

In last month 's article, I commented on the crash of

Comair Flight 5191 at the Lexington, Kentucky, Blue
Grass Airport, on August 27, 2006. I discussed a couple
of things that we could learn from this accident, and
showed how to apply those things to the flying we do in
our vintage aircraft. But there are some things to discuss
other than completing a "HAT" check (or similar check)
prior to takeoff and maintaining a "sterile cockpit" when
in an airport environment-things that can hopefully
lead to our being safer pilots.
In the transcripts and tapes released
by th e NTSB in its investigation of
the crash, which killed 49 of the 50
people onboard, the cockpit voice
recorder showed that the copilot,
James Polehinke, who was the lone
survivor, noted that the runway lights
were off as the jet sped down th e
wrong runway. "That is weird with
no lights," he said, and Capt. Jeffrey
Clay responded, "yeah." Seconds
later, Clay said "whoa," and then the
impact was heard.
I couldn't help but wonder as I read
the transcripts what the two pilots
were thinking as they continued their
takeoff roll. Didn't the fact that things
were "weird" make them think about
aborting the takeoff? I know from my
observations of pilots over the years that for some it's as
if there were sirens singing their alluring song from the
sky tempting them to go flying.
I know that I have written before of the "kick the
tires, light the fires " kind of pilot who rushes through
a preflight inspection and engine run-up and gets into
troubl e shortly thereafter. In fact, I actually once flew
with a pilot who announced , "scan the glass and grab
your assumptions" (well, actually the last word of the

phrase was a little abbreviated) as we transitioned from

taxi to takeoff with nary a pre-takeoff check. It was only
a short time later that oil started to cover the windshield
of th e Cess na 175 Skylark we were fl ying as it leaked
from the propeller gearbox. I am confident that had we
taken the time to conduct an engine ground check prior
to our takeoff, we might very well have noticed that
there were problems lurking.
Too often pilots launch into the air even though there
are obvious indications that they will
encounter problems. For instance, the
pilot who finds his engine running
ro ugh and backfiring during the run
up may think, "Oh, it's probably a
fouled plug" and try to "burn" it clean
by adding power and aggressiv e ly
leaning. Even when that fails to yield
a smooth-running engine, with rpm
drops within acceptable limits, he will
stil l take off thinking that once he 's
airborne he'll be able to "clean it out."
The only problem is, what's causing
the backfiring and engine roughness is
not a fo uled spark plug but a plugged
injector, and now he's forced to suck
up his seat with a major pucker factor
as he limps around the pattern (if he's
lucky enough to be able to) and tries
to land without parking his airplane
in the weeds.
I think we are all familiar with the saying lilt's much
better to be down here, wishing we were up there, than
up there, wishing we were down here," yet too often I see
pilots setting themselves up for just that scenario. They
take off without ever checking that they have oil pressure
and that the airspeed indicator is alive. More than once I
have had to coach a pilot back to the ground when shortly
after departure he announces over the UNICOM that his

... I expect
to hear them
call out
"we have oil
pressureairspeed alive"
prior to rotation.

26

APRIL 2007

airspeed indicator isn't working. As he taxis in ] usuaJly

see the pitot cover hanging from the pitot tube . Not only
did he miss seeing that the cover was still in place as he
conducted his preflight inspection, he also never noticed
that his airspeed indicator wasn't working on the takeoff
roll. If he had noticed an inoperative AI I would like to
think that he would have aborted the takeoff. But as I
said before, the lure of the sky and the mentality of "we're
going flying" takes over and, whether the anoma ly is
noticed or not, the pilot continues the takeoff roll.
A favorite training scenario that I use when working
with clients on my PC-based simulator is to "fail" the oil
pressure prior to takeoff. We'll be taking off into a 200
foot overcast ceiling, with the tops well above 10,000
feet. Very, very few of my clients notice that they have
no oil pressure as they start their takeoff roll. And yet
not once has a client aborted the takeoff, even if he did
notice the lack of oil pressure. Needless to say, the engine
seizes prior to reaching our assigned altitude.
This scenario has yet to fail to teach the necessity of
making sure all is well before launching into the air. All
of my clients know that I expect to hear them ca Jl out
"we have oil pressure-airspeed alive" prior to rotation,
or the takeoff is aborted. They also know that I fully
expect them to really check the gauges and not just make
the call out robotically.
Last year a friend of mine noticed that his airplane was
not climbing out of the pattern as well as it normally did.
At first he attributed it to the higher-than-normal density
altitude. But then he checked his oil pressure gauge and saw
the needle sitting on zero. A quick turn back to the airport
got him there before his engine seized. An oil line had
come loose, as evidenced by a puddle of oil where he had
conducted his run-up. But though he had gone through
the motions of an engine ground check, and had made the
call "oil pressure-okay," he had never really checked the
gauge until realizing his problem once airborne.
Being diligent in our preflight inspections and engine
ground checks is essential to our safety, but be aware that
anything that happens outside the realm of the expected
should be considered as cause to abort the takeoff.
I remember once when I was preparing to depart Islip,
Long Island, with two clients on one of my instrument
training trips. It was raining quite heavily and the
ceilings were hovering around 300 feet, with the winds
relatively light. As a Southwest 737 landed in front of
us we were given a position and hold clearance. Once
the 737 cleared the runway we were cleared for takeoff.
My client flying from the left seat applied takeoff power
and soon after called out the requisite oil and airspeed
mantra. But prior to rotation all three of us smelled the
unmistakable odor of burning rubber. Without a second's
hesitation my client pulled the throttle to idle, aborting
the takeoff.
We announced to the tower that we were aborting the
takeoff as we smelled smoke in the cockpit, and cleared
the runway at the next taxiway. Within what seemed

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like a few short moments there was a

giant yellow firetruck rushing toward
us. The smell of burning wires was
no longer present in the cockpit
and I rather sheepishly realized
that the smell of burning rubber
had come from the tires of the 737
as it touched down on the runway.
Without any wind present, the
smoke had lingered over the runway
and had come into our cockpit as we
accelerated for takeoff.
It took about 20 minutes to
complete all the paperwork that
we had to fill out as a result of
the firetrucks scrambling, but
throughout the process I kept
thinking that even though we
hadn't had a fire, what if we had
been complacent, rationalizing the
smell of rubber burning, and taken
off into the clag? What if there had
indeed been a fire and we had taken
off? Finding ourselves surrounded
by thick clouds and heavy rain,
what would we have done?
I'll say it again. Much better to be
down here, wishing I was up there,
even when having to fill out reams
of paperwork before a chuckling
fireman, than being up there, in the
wet, rain-laden clouds, wishing I was
down here.
Almost everyone of us pilots is
easy prey to the siren song of the
sky. It is difficult to resist the allure
of flight, especially when you are
already rolling down the runway.
But we need to lash ourselves to
the mast of good aeronautical
decision-making. Please, if things
seem "weird," consider aborting the
takeoff if there is sufficient runway
remaining. Please don't ignore
or rationalize away all the many
indications that might be shouting
at you to stay on the ground-even
when there are blue skies and tail
winds calling you skyward.
Doug Stewart is the 2004 National
CFT of the Year, a NAFT Master
In structor, and a designated pilot
examiner. He operates DSFI Inc. (www.
DSFlight.com) based at the Columbia
County Airport (lEl) near Hudson ,
New York.
.......

~.

55 ~rt~~~ition

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LINCOLN

MERCURY

JAGUAR

BY BUCK HILBERT

Ever wonder how the Cessna

Company got into the liaison
aircraft business?
I've come across a Cessna inter
office memo , dated 22 September
1955, where a company historian,
J.H. Gertieis, answers questions in a
general way from a Dario Politella. He
was apparently assigned to write Mr.
Ploitella.
Here are some of the facts I thought
the Cessna 170-1S0 people would
find interesting.
The L-19 was the first airplane
Cessna ever presented to the Army.
There had been previous discussions
with the Army about the possibility of
using the 140 or 170, with no success.
Now to digress here a bit. This is
Army aviation. Prior to the formation
of Army aviation there was the United
States Army Air Force and, later, the
United States Air Force , but after
a long debate the Armywas finally
able to get the specific mission-type
aircraft the it needed . The war-time
Cessna Bobcat, or UC-7S, or AT-19,
was a World War II product and
used for training long before Army
aviation was born.
In August of 1949 the Army laid
down specifications that called for
an airplane with an empty weight
of 1,200 pounds and the ability
to operate from a 600-foot strip
or smaller. The specs pretty well
described a small airplane.
Cessna didn't think it could design
anything that light, with the thinking
30

APRIL 2007

In olive drab garb, this is a Cessna L-19A-CE, AF Serial No. 51-4829G. This
aircraft was the third one built on August 6, 1951, at the Cessna Pawnee plant
and was soon shipped off to Korea.
that it should be all metal so it would
be more durable.
Cessna sent engineers and designers
to consult with the Army and see
exactly what it had in mind. The
original specifications were a bit vague.
It became obvious that the Army
wanted an airplane that could carry a
reasonable amount of radio equipment,
was relatively fool-proof to maintain,
and would have outstanding take-off
and landing characteristics.
Starting September S, the Cessna
IS-man engineering department
accepted the challenge and began
with the components on hand. It

laid out a new fuselage to go with the

existing Cessna 170 wings and 195
tail surfaces, and immediately began
searching for a suitable power plant.
The choice here was the Continental
0-470-13, which was specifically
designed and tailored to meet the
need. Just three months later, the
prototype came out the door on
December S, 1949.
A brief flight test was made, and
then it was flown to Wright Field
for evaluation . The total cost for the
prototype was approximately 2,500
hours. The usual preproduction
mechanical bugs were eliminated, and

Two views of the original Cessna model 305, later designated the L-19 by the
U.S. Army. With the wings from the 170 design, and the tail surfaces from the
195, the prototype for what would become one of the most successful liaison
plane designs ever built shows off its distinctive swayback fuselage.

there were no basic flight problems.

The biggest problem was the rather
high sink rate with 60 degrees of
flap. A three-point landing required
an exceptional amount of judgment.
The flare didn 't always stop the sink
rate in time , resulting in a bounce
and with such force that the spring
landing gear (Steve Wittman's design)
would flex to the point of letting
the prop strike the ground and even
catching grass shards on the belly.
There were never any landing gear
failures, but they did have to replace
several props! This was really the
only serious problem until the proper
landing technique was developed
for landing over a 50-foot obstacle

Want to learn more about the Bird Dog?

Contact the type club

that knows all about them:

Cessna International Bird Dog Association

(L-19/0-1)

Larry Flinn

9618 Jason Bend

Helotes, TX 78023

210-695-1944

Fax: 210-695-1284

E-mail: C24712@aol.com

Website: www.l-19bowwow.com

Dues: $30/year U.S.; $35 Canada; $45

International

Newsletter: Quarterly magazine, monthly

e-mail newsletter

and within the 500-foot limit.

The airplane was then sent to Ft.
Bragg for further evaluation. Ten
pilots put five hours each on the
four aircraft: a Piper, Luscombe ,
Taylorcraft, and the L-19. There is no
reference as to how the evaluation by
the various pilots went , but Cessna
received a verbal notification of an
intended contract.
The initial order for 418 aircraft
started a real scramble at Cessna,
since the prototype had been built
from parts on hand and now all the
production engineering had to be
accomplished. Some 25 engineers
began work on the project.
Then came July of 1950 and
the Korean War. This changed
everyone's p lans; the Army asked
for accelerated production. A second
prototype was constructed and the
certification process was begun, along
with changes to the original design
requested by the military.
The resultant production was more
than 3,000 airplanes. ThePrimary
customers were the U.S. Army; the
National Guard got some; the French
got 50 of them; and the U.S. Marine
Corps was immediately issued 37 of
them, which, while identical to the L
19, were designated as 01-Es. Cessna
licensed the Japanese to build some
as late as 1958.
The L-19 and its genre were
deployed to military units all over
the world. And the civilian model,
designated the Cessna 305, found
markets as fish spotters, cattle ranch
hands, and various civilian roles.
Many of the L-19s came into civilian
life after being surplused out, and
quite a few were used as glider tugs
and for towing banners.
That's the short story of the
development of the L-19. Born from
the loins of the Cessna 170 and 195,
it went on to become one of the most
versatile and loved military airplanes
of the century.
And with that, and as an old Bird
Dog driver, it's
Over to you,
((

V I NTAGE AIRPLANE

3 1

BY H.G. FRAUTSCHY

THIS MONTH'S MYSTERY PLANE COMES TO US FROM

THE COLLECTION OF

VAA

MEMBER WESLEY SMITH.

Send yo ur answer to
EAA, Vintage Airplane, P.O.
Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI
54903-3086. Your answer
needs to be in no later
than May 10 for inclusion
in the]uly 2007 issue of

Vintage Airplane.
You can also send
your response via e-mail.
Send your answer to
mysteryplane@eaa.org. Be
sure to include your name,
city, and state in the body
of your not e, and put
"(Month) Mystery Plane"
in the subj ect line.

JANUA RY ' S MYSTERY ANSWER

Joe Stamm of Or
ange Village, Ohio, was
the first to e-mail in his
correct response:
The January 2007
Mystery Plane is a
1918 Curtiss-Kirkham
18-T-2 Straight Wings.
The same picture of
the plane is shown in
The Speed Seekers by
Thomas G. Foxworth,
who also provides
a detailed history of
the aircraft on pages
187-192 of his inter
esting book.
Thomas H. Lym
burn, Minneapolis,
Minnesota, sent in this
response:
32

APRIL 2007

For January 2007's Mystery Plane one might ask, "How

many wings, what wing span, wheels or floats, and how
many records?" The aircraft is the Curtiss 18-T "Wasp" tri
plane, known as "Whistling Benny." It was also known as
the Curtiss-Kirkham after designer Charles B. Kirkham, who
worked out the 400-hp K-12 engine that was lighter and
smaller than the Liberty. This engine was later developed into
the Curtiss 0-12 and the larger Conqueror. The Wasp (named
after the sound the engine made) was a two-seater with two
forward-firing Marlin machine guns, two Lewis guns on a
Scarff ring, and another Lewis in a ventral slot.
The aircraft had been ordered for the Navy on March 30,
1918. The Army borrowed the prototype for tests in August
1918. It was claimed to have top speed of 163 mph, a world
record. Later, the Army ordered two triplanes (delivered in
January and February 1919) and two Model 18-B "Hornet"
biplanes (delivered inJune 1919).
An 18-T-2 was used to set an American altitude record on
September 19, 1919, when Roland Rohlfs reached 34,610
feet. Because of its speed, it became a racer, but the Navy's
attempt to use a pair of Wasps in the 1920 Pulitzer Trophy
Race at Mitchell Field fell through due to cooling problems.
They tried again in 1922, with float versions, in the Curtiss
Marine Trophy Race. In 1923, the Navy's A332S and A3326
were flown at the National Air Races in St. Louis, but were
lost in crashes.
Aerofiles.com shows your photo as the prototype (serial
A332S) on loan from the Navy to the Army (possible serial
number AS4006S). One 18-T was built for civilian use, but
sold to Bolivia in 1920. Although a promising design, no pro
duction occurred due to the Armistice. It was an aircraft with
potential that came out at the wrong time.
Wesley Smith of Springfield, Illinois, has really out
done himself again with a complete history of the Curtiss
Kirkham. Enjoy:
The January 2007 Mystery Plane is the prototype 1918
Curtiss-Kirkham 18-T triplane (U.S.N. A332S), as origi
nally built with relatively unswept (actually 0.5 degree
sweep) wings.
Also known as the Wasp, the 18-T is sometimes called
"Whistling Rufus" or "Whistling Benny" (depending on
which source one chooses to believe.) The aircraft went
through a number of modifications and was specifically de
signed to take full advantage of the Kirkham K-12 engine also
designed by Charles B. Kirkham. Later postwar versions of the
Wasp are the Model 18-T-1 (single-bay, with 5 degrees of wing
sweep) and the Model 18-T-2 with longer two-bay wings.
There was also a biplane version of the Model 18 known as
the Model 18-B (biplane), or Hornet. Many years later, Cur
tiss retroactively redesignated the Model 18-T variants as the
Model 15 and the Model 18-B became the ModellSA.
Well before the Great War, Kirkham had a long association
with Glenn H. Curtiss, going back to Kirkham's design for a
two-cylinder motorcycle engine in 1902, which he supplied
to Curtiss until October of 1905, when Curtiss began to man
ufacture his own engines at Hammondsport, New York. Prior

to this, Kirkham had worked with his brothers Clarence and

Percy and relocated the company to Bath, New York. During
1904, Kirkham had begun the production of a four-cylinder
automobile engine, which was followed by a six-cylinder en
gine built for the Pullman Car Co. from 1906-10 (actually, the
York, Pennsylvania, company was named Broomell, Schmidt
&. Steacy, 1903-05; the York Motor Car Co., 1905-09; and fi
nally, the Pullman Motor Car Co., 1909-17). Interestingly, the
first A.P. Broomell automobile was an impractical six-wheel
affair named after the famous Pullman railroad cars. In 1905,
the model name of the company auto was changed to York,
and a conventional four-wheel chassis was adopted.
The first Kirkham engines to be used in an airplane were
those that were sold to The Canadian Aerodrome Co., which
was an outgrowth of Dr. Alexander Graham Bell's Aerial Ex
periment Association (A.E.A.). Both the Baddeck No.1 and
Baddeck No.2 used Six-cylinder, 40-hp Kirkham engines, as
did the Hubbard "Mike" Monoplane, built by the Canadian
Aerodrome Co. in the winter of 1910 for prominent Boston
architect Gardiner Greene Hubbard II. The "Mike" made sev
eral short flights, and was displayed at the Boston Aero Show
later that year. I have an account (Parkin, J.H. Bell and Bald
win, pp. 278-282), which appears to indicate that the A.E.A.
Silver Dart was temporarily fitted with the Kirkham engine
intended for Baddeck No.1 when it made the first two-place
aircraft flight in Canada at Petawawa a short time after 5
a.m. on August 2, 1909. The Silver Dart was destroyed during
these flights as the result of a landing accident, however the
engine, the pilot, John A. Douglas O.A.D.) McCurdy, and his
passenger, Frederick W. "Casey" Baldwin, escaped relatively
unscathed by the incident. (The poor Silver Dart, however,
was destroyed .) After the accident, the Kirkham engine was
then installed in the Baddeck No. 1.
At any rate, Charles B. Kirkham began the manufacture of
aircraft engines at Savona, New York, in 1910. His first engine
to go into an American aircraft was one of his modified 22-hp
automobile engines sold to William T. Thomas. In November
of 1909, Thomas began construction of his pusher biplane at
Hammondsport, New York, but it did not fly until the spring
of 1910 at Page Farm, Hornell, New York, with Bert Chambers
acting as pilot. W.T. Thomas was born of English parentage
in Rosario, Argentina, during his father's foreign service and
was schooled in England before coming to the United States
to work as a draftsman for the original Herring-Curtiss Co.
His brother Oliver soon joined him, and in 1912 the Thomas
brothers opened the Thomas School of Aviation.
In fact, from the original 1910 pusher biplane through the
1911 Model TA pusher biplane, 1912 Model TA tractor bi
plane, the 1913 "nacelle pusher biplane," and the 1913 Model
E pusher biplane, Thomas exclusively used Kirkham engines
(the sole exception being the 1913 tractor monoplane, which
used a Maximotor engine). In 1913, the Thomas Brothers
Aeroplane Co. Inc. was officially formed at Bath, New York.
The following year, the company was relocated to Ithaca,
New York, occupying the vacant E.G. Wyckoff factory. The
English aircraft designer Benjamin Douglas (B.D.) Thomas
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

33

(no relation) was associated with the Thomas brothers by this

time. When Thomas received their first order from the Brit
ish government in 1914, it was for 24 T-2 tractor biplanes,
designed by B.D. Thomas. The T-2 was broadly based on B.D.
Thomas' earlier design of the Curtiss Model j (December 2006
Mystery Plane).
At Ithaca, New York, a peach orchard near Cayuga Lake
served as the flying grounds for the Thomas Brothers Aero
plane Co. This gradually evolved into what is today the mu
nicipal airport at Ithaca. In 1915, Frank 1. Morse of the Morse
Chain Co. became president of the new Thomas Aeromotor
Corp., with W.T. Thomas as vice president. The new com
pany was named The Thomas-Morse Aircraft Co. in 1917,
with B.D. Thomas continuing to design aircraft for the
company. With its demise, Thomas-Morse eventually merged
into what became General Dynamics, the remaining assets
of Thomas-Morse being sold to Consolidated on August 5,
1929. Yet despite its greatly diminished importance, Thomas
Morse continued to exist until around 1935 as part of the
Consolidated Corp. B.D. Thomas, who was responsible for all
Thomas-Morse designs except the S-7, retired to La jolla, Cali
fornia, in 1933 after last working on the unsuccessful Con
solidated XB2Y-1 experimental dive bomber.
Kirkham's early aircraft engine designs included the B-4,
a four-cylinder, water-cooled inline of 40.4 hp. This was fol
lowed by the six-cylinder B-6 (54.5 hp at 1,300 rpm) and
the B-G-6, a six-cylinder, water-cooled, geared vertical in
line of 70 hp (1,680 rpm, reduced to 960 rpm at the output
shaft). He also introduced an interesting tractor biplane early
in 1912 ("The New Kirkham Tractor," Aeronautics, volume
10, No. I, january 1912, pp. 15-16; "The Kirkham Tractor
Biplane," Aircraft, volume 2, No. II, january 1912, p. 391),
which had a conventional fuselage, horizontal stabilizer and
elevator, but also incorporated a monoplane canard ahead of
the tractor propeller. This biplane was offered with either the
B-6 or B-G-6. Kirkham is reputed to have been the first engine
manufacturer to use adjustable valve tappets. His aero en
gines used a unique concentric valve arrangement, with the
airflow past the outer intake valve being used to cool the in
ner exhaust valve.
By August of 1914, Kirkham's business was drawing its last
breath and for a short time he joined the Aeromarine Plane
and Motor Co. of Keyport, New jersey, as chief engineer. At
about this same time, Curtiss was having difficulty with his
OX series of engines, which the British government refused to
accept due to their unreliable nature. Curtiss sought Kirkham
out to solve the weaknesses of that engine and what soon
emerged was the OX-2, which with some further modifica
tions became the OX-5 engine used in the Curtiss "jenny." By
this time, World War I had grown to epic proportions, with
Curtiss obtaining large aircraft orders from the UK, Russia,
and eventually the United States. With America's entry into
the war, aircraft production and technology was given a high
priority, and as a response to production of the Wright
Martin Hispano-Suiza, Curtiss established an experimental
engine department at Garden City, New York, in early 1917.
By April, the new Kirkham V-12, known as the AB, was
34

APRIL 2007

ready for testing. With some modification, the engine be

came the K-12. Kirkham insisted that the new engine de
served an airframe worthy of his new creation and thus the
design of the Curtiss-Kirkham Model 18 was begun. (The K
12 may have not been Kirkham's first foray into V-12 design
territory. According to the late Thomas G. Foxworth's excel
lent book The Speed Seekers [po 188], Kirkham also designed a
120-hp V-12 during the time he was building aircraft engines
on his own. I cannot confirm this). A complete description
of the K-12 appeared in Aerial Age Weekly (volume 8, No. 25,
March 3, 1919, p. 1244). According to the text, the construc
tion of the K-12, and its six-cylinder variant, the K-6, allowed
for a lighter weight, and therefore an improved horsepower
per-pound rating than other engine types. In fact, the new
400-hp (397 hp at 2,250 rpm) engine was considerably lighter
(dry weight, 678.5 pounds) than the comparable Liberty 12-A
(dry weight, 844 pounds), being 165.5 pounds lighter (with
out coolant, which weighed an additional 38.25 pounds).
The K-12 used a six-throw crankshaft (supported by five plain
bearings), which was also used in the 150-hp K-6. The block
of the K-12 was aluminum. The cylinder heads were fitted
with six steel cylinder barrels and combustion chambers ma
chined from steel forgings and screwed into each aluminum
cylinder head block. The displacement was 1145.09 cubic
inches, also far less than the Liberty's 1,648.92 cubic inches.
The K-12 had its cylinders arranged in a 60-degree V arrange
ment and the K-6 was an inline vertical.
Two Ball and Ball duplex carburetors supplied the fuel to
each bank of six cylinders, with the dual half of each carbu
retor supplying an intake manifold for three cylinders. Dual
ignition was supplied by two high-tension Berling 0-66 mag
netos . The internally ribbed aluminum pistons were con
nected to "H" section articulated connecting rods, with the
linked rod forked at each crankpin. Fuel consumption was re
ported to be 0.499 pounds per hp-hour (36.7 gph) and the oil
consumption was 0.053 pounds per hp-hour. Ample cooling
for the K-12 was supplied by two "box" radiators mounted
to either side of the fuselage between the middle and lower
wing (there was already a long history of side-mounted radia
tors in Germany, and in the U.S.). The length of the K-12 was
only about 60 inches from the starting crank on the magneto
to the end of the propeller hub. It was 40.125 inches high by
27.875 inches wide. Completing the engine's design, the pro
peller shaft was driven at 60 percent of the crankshaft rpm
through a "herringbone tooth" gear reduction. Thus the
K-12 packed a lot of power (and torque) into a fairly small,
and relatively low-weight, power plant.
With the K-12 complete, Kirkham turned his attention to
the Model 18 and used the latest technology, designing the fu
selage to be a laminated three-ply monocoque structure that
was formed over a mold. Pfalz, in Germany, had begun using
this technology, and in the United States, Lowe, Willard and
Fowler (L.W.F. used a play on its company acronym to ac
centuate the virtues of their new construction technique, by
referring to the use of a "laminated wood fuselage"; both the
L.W.F. Model V and G used this type of construction), Berck
mans ("Speed Scout"), Pomilio (an Italian designer who built

Jack Kearbey
Tulsa, OK

First flight in England (1951)

while serving in USAF
Hired by Oklahoma Air National
Guard in 1956 to run their .
instrument and autopilot shop
Qualified in 1980 as an ATP;
also obtained A&P license

Currently building his fourth full

scale aircraft-a Sopwith Pup

"I have been a customer of AUA, beginning in July 1993.

At the present time both of my aircraft are insured by AUA.
My 1993 Piel Emraude and the SE5, a full-scale WW I
aircraft. This has been a very pleasant business relationship
and I highly recommend AUA."

- Jack Kearbey

AUA is Vintage Aircraft Association approved. To become a member of VAA call 800-843-3612.

AUA's Exclusive EAA Vintage Aircraft Association Insurance Program

lower liability and hull premiums - Medical payments included - Fleet discounts for multiple aircraft carrying all risk coverages
No component parts endorsements

the FVL-S fighter in the U.S.), Heinrich ("Victor" advanced

trainer), and Le Pere (a French designer, also working in the
U.S.) had either been experimenting with a similar concept or
had already built aircraft using that technique.
The empennage surfaces of the Model lS-T were cov
ered in cedar, and the wings were built up of seven spars, with
numerous "cap strip-like" wing ribs in place of conventional
wing ribs. This resulted in a wing that was very strong, light,
and thin. Like the K-12, the Model IS was first described in
the pages of Aerial Age Weekly (liThe Curtiss Model IS-T Tri
plane," volume 9, No.3, March 31, 1919, pp. 154-155). As
originally built, the ModellS-T had three equal-span wings of
31 feet, 11 inches span and 42 inches chord. The gap between
the upper and middle wing was also 42 inches, but the gap
between the middle and lower wing was reduced to 35-9/16
inches. The incidence of the wings was 2-1/2 degrees, and
the wings were swept 0.5 of a degree aft.
The airfoil was derived from a Sloane
profile, and the wing area totaled 309
square feet. There was no dihedral. The
14.3-square-foot horizontal stabilizer
of the Model IS-T was built with a 0.5,
degree incidence, and the elevators totaled 13.02 square feet of surface area.
The vertical stabilizer consisted of a triangular surface of 5.2 square feet and
the vertical rudder had an area of S.66
square feet. Overall, the ModellS-T had
a length of 23 feet, 3-3/16 inches and a
height of 9 feet, 1O-3/S inches.
The fuel capacity of the Model IS-T
was 67 gallons (listed as 400 pounds,
it would actually be 402 pounds) and
the oil capacity of the K-12's crank
case 6 gallons (45 pounds). The pilot and observer weight was
given as 331 pounds, with an additional 301 pounds useful
load. Government-furnished equipment (GFE) of the Model
IS-T included two forward-firing .30-caliber Marlin machine
guns. One source states that the observer was to be supplied
with three .30-caliber Lewis guns (two seems far more likely).
As such, the total useful load was 1,076 pounds. Combined
with the I,S25 pounds empty weight of the aircraft, the gross
weight was 2,901 pounds. The wing loading was 9.4 pounds
per square foot.
With a price of $55,400 (less Government-furnished equip
ment [GFEJ) and with the end of World War I at hand, orders
for the Model IS-T were sparse. The first two aircraft were
ordered by the U.S.N. (A3325, the prototype, and A3326, or
dered under contract 37372, dated March 30, 1915). The U.S.
Army also ordered two Model IS-T triplanes and two Model
IS-B biplanes in August of 1915 (all four under contract
CS-152) . The Army triplanes were issued serials S.c. 40065
and S.c. 40066, however only 40065 was actually delivered
as a static-test aircraft to McCook Field in February of 1919.
The Model IS-Bs (S.c. 40054 and S.c. 4005S) were eventu
ally delivered in June of 1919. Also known as the "Experi
mental 510," or the Hornet, the Model IS-B biplane differed

considerably from its triplane brethren. The equal-span bi

plane wings had a span of 37 feet, 5-3/4 inches, and a gross
wing area 322.5 square feet. The weight of the Model IS-B
was also higher than the Model IS-T, being 3,001 pounds.
Otherwise, the ModellS-B had the identical engine, em pen
nage, fuselage, and GFE of the Model IS-T. Of the two Model
IS-Bs, only S.c. 4005S was assembled and flown, S.c. 40054
being the static-test article. S.c. 4005S was also assigned the
McCook Field project number: "P 36." It crashed soon after
beginning flight testing and the eventual disposition of the
remaining Army Wasp and Hornet is unknown to this writer.
In contrast to the fate of the Army Model ISs , the
U.S.N. machines fared far better. As originally built, the pro
totype Model IS-T incorporated a four-blade propeller, but
this was soon replaced by a conventional two-blade propel
ler. Delivered only three months after the signing of the con
tract, Curtiss test pilot Roland Rohlfs
took A3325 on its initial flight on July
5, 1915. With a climb rate of over 2,000
fpm, the Model IS-T demonstrated a
spectacular rate of climb performance
but it suffered from tail-heaviness as
the result of the center of gravity be
ing too far aft. This was subsequently

rectified by sweeping the wings aft by

5 full degrees. In this form, the postwar

Model IS-T became known as the Model

IS-T-l (the "-I" indicating single-bay

wings). In its new form, the Model 1S

T-I possibly had a slightly greater span,
increasing by 1 inch to an even 32 feet.
The height was also possibly some
what greater, being increased to 10 feet,
2 inches. (This increase in height may
actually apply to the later seaplane version of the Model
IS-T-l.) The wing area was apparently about the same, being
around 2SS square feet (without ailerons). Like the Model
IS-T, ailerons were fitted to all three wings. The empty weight
of the Model IS-T-l was now 1,9S0 pounds and the gross
weight was increased to 3,050 pounds. The climb rate of the
Model IS-T-1 was 12,500 feet in 10 minutes, with a service
ceiling of 23,000 feet and an endurance of 5.9 hours.
Now fully ready for trials, the Model 1S-T set an unoffi
cial world speed record of 163 mph on August 19, 1915. The
high-pitched whine of the wings gave the Wasp the unofficial
nickname of "Whistling Benny" or "Whistling Rufus" (source
information varies on this point) . More was yet to come in
1919. Fitted with new longer-span, two-bay wings (40 feet,
7-1/2 inches, 400-square-foot wing area), the Model 1S-T was
designated the Model IS-T-2.
With the wing modifications complete, Rohlfs now took
full advantage of the phenomenal climb rate to establish
the full altitude potential of the Model 1S-T and the K-12
engine. Beginning in March of 1919, Rohlfs burned out
three K-12 engines during climb trails because the oil sys
tem did not function well at the steep climb angle of
the Model IS-T-2. In addition to the oiling dilemma, Rohlfs

With the wing

modifications
complete Rohlfs now
took full advantage

of the phenomenal

climb rate to establish

the full altitude
potential of the
Model 18-T and
the K-12 engine.

36 APRIL 2007

suffered from hypoxia during one trial and barely escaped

after a lO,OOO-foot dive. However, by the summer of 1919
things were going well, and on July 25 he was able to coax
the triplane to 30,100 feet. This was followed by a second suc
cessful climb to an unofficial world altitude record of 34,610
feet. On all of his high-altitude flights, the aircraft was fitted
with a K-12. Reaching such extreme altitudes with an engine
that lacked a supercharger was no simple feat, and that part
of Rohlfs' record altitude flights stood for some years.
The high-altitude flights had not escaped international no
tice and in late 1919, Bolivia ordered a Model 18-T-2. Specula
tion has it that the aircraft was actually the undelivered U.S.
Army triplane. Regardless of its origin, Donald Hudson was
soon demonstrating the aircraft in Bolivia, successfully taking
off from El Alto field at La Paz (13,500 feet altitude). Hudson
was soon showered with the laurels of the Bolivian govern
ment and on May 19,1920 successfully crossed the Andes, pass
ing over the 21,185-foot peak of Mount Illimani at an altitude
of over 30,000 feet, setting a South American altitude record. A
crash the following day ended Hudson's welcome, and for a
time ended Bolivia's ambitions for an air arm. Whatever the
truth about the origins of the Bolivian Model 18-T-2, it appears
as though four or five Model18s were built during 1918-19.
In 1920, Curtiss tested A3325 as a seaplane, with a single
main float and wingtip outrigger floats of a Curtiss N-9. In this
form, Rohlfs flew the Model 18-T-2 to a speed of 138 mph at
Rockaway Beach in April (climb rate of the Model 18-T-2 was
recorded as 10,400 feet in 10 minutes on this occasion). In
this configuration, the seaplane Wasp may have had an empty
weight of 2,417 pounds and a gross weight of 3,572 pounds. It
is unclear if these weights apply to the seaplane or land plane
form of the Model 18-T-2, but the stated height of 12 feet al
most certainly applies to the seaplane variant of the Wasp. In
any case, due to the main float projecting well beyond the fu
selage, the overall length of the Model 18-T-2 seaplane variant
increased to 28 feet, 3-7/8 inches.
Converted back to land plane form with Model 18-T-1 sin
gle-bay wings, both A3325 and A3326 soldiered on as racers
in the 1920 Pulitzer and were piloted by Lt. Cmdr. Willis B.
Haviland (U.S.N.) and 2nd. Lt. W.D. Cuthbertson (U.S. Ma
rine Corps), respectively. Unfortunately, both aircraft suffered
engine malfunctions that prevented them from complet
ing the race. By now, Kirkham had left Curtiss and develop
ment of the K-12 continued as the new Curtiss C-12 under
the direction of Finlay R. Porter. A year later in 1921, Clem
ent M. Keys developed the geared C-12 into the direct-drive
CD-12. Refitted with a four-blade Charvay propeller and CD
12 engines, both Model 18-T-1s were returned to service as
seaplanes, with a new set of floats specifically designed for
the aircraft. With the new main float, the overall length of
the Model 18-T-1s approximated that of the float-equipped
Model 18-T-2. A further modification was the addition of a
new ventral fin and rudder for added stability and control.
Fitted with the new floats, and entered in the Curtiss Ma
rine Trophy Race in the summer of 1922, the Wasps found
themselves in the midst of an event that was plagued by
high winds and rain. Unfortunately, A3325 (painted green

and given the race number "5"), flown by Rutledge Irvine,

was damaged in an out-of-control takeoff and rough bounce,
which tore the left wingtip float loose. Rutledge flew on, on
the verge of losing control, until he crash-landed in a pile
of coal near the Detroit Edison power plant. Fortunately,
he was unhurt, but A3325 was demolished. A3326 (painted
yellow and assigned the race number "4"), flown by U.S.
Marine Corps pilot Lawson H. Sanderson, did much better,
taking the lead near the end of the race. However, fate once
again cheated the Model 18s, as on the final lap Sanderson
ran out of fuel with the finish line in sight.
The end of the Model 18-T-1 came during the 1923 Liberty
Engine Builders' race. Now painted orange overall and given the
race number "3," A3326 was flown by Ensign D.C. Allen, with
Chief Machinist's Mate 1.G. Hughes occupying the observer's seat
as mechanic. Flown at Lambert Field in St. Louis, the crankshaft
of the CD-12 fractured near the end of the first lap. Allen made an
emergency landing on a nearby muddy field but the Wasp flipped
over on its back. Both men were again uninjured, but the A3326
was completely wrecked, thus closing the story on a forgotten but
nevertheless interesting, and Significant, airplane.
Charles B. Kirkham went on to other things after leaving
Curtiss (reputedly, he was not on good terms with Curtiss at
the time of his departure). He briefly opened an aviation con
sulting concern in New York City before going to Germany in
1920, where he oversaw the completion of all 20 Junkers-Larsen
JL-6 Ounkers F 13) all-metal monoplanes that were imported to
the United States. He then founded Kirkham Products at the
old James V. Martin facility at Garden City, New York, where
he undertook the subcontracting and manufacture of various
machining projects. With Harry 1. Booth and Michael Thur
ston, Kirkham produced several unique aircraft for such notable
people as pioneer aviator Leonard W. Bonney (creator of the
unique 1927 Bonney Gull). Kirkham moved his business to the
Fairchild plant in Farmingdale, New York, and then to the site
of the old Fulton Motor Co. in 1934. During 1938, Kirkham
went into partnership with Robert Simon, forming the Liberty
Products Corp., but left the company in 1940 to do consulting
work. He continued to live in Montgomery, New York, until he
passed away at the age of 88 on New Year's Eve 1969.
Roland Rohlfs, who had flown the Model 18-T so bril
liantly in 1918 and 1919, went on to become operations
manager of Aeromarine Airways in the early 1920s before
forming Aerial Advertising, flying neon light-equipped air
craft at night that displayed various messages. The Great De
pression killed Rohlfs' business venture but he continued to
fly on the East Coast before joining the CAA in 1938 and fi
nally retiring in 1953. Rohlfs nevertheless remained active in
aviation for many years before passing away.
Other correct answers were received from Rob Waring,
Dumfries, Virginia; Ralph Riedesel, Paton, Iowa; Jack Erick
son, State College, Pennsylvania; Charles F. Schultz, Louis
ville, Kentucky; Wayne Van Valkenburgh, Jasper, Georgia;
and C.E. Hesser, St. Augustine, Florida.
Also, while we missed mentioning it in the March issue,
Wayne Van Val ken burgh correctly answered the December
Mystery Plane.
....
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

37

2007 MAJOR
The following list of coming events is furnisfl ed to
our readers as a matter of information only and does
not constitute approval, sponsorship, involvement,
control, or direction of any event (fly-in, seminars,
fly market, etc.) listed. To submit an event, send
the information via mail to: Vintage Airplane, PO.
Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Or e-mail
tfle information to: vintageaircraft@eaa .org. In
formation shollid be received four months prior to
the eVel1t date.
APRIL 27-28-Waco, TX-Texas State Technical
College(TSTC). 5th Texas Aviation EXPO 2007
presented by The Texas Aviation Association .
Rve acres of ramp static display. A robust
agenda of 60 hours of safety seminars, vast
assortments of vendors showcasing their
products and services, anticipating 700 to
1000 attendees, speakers George D. "Pinky"
Nelson, former NASA Astronaut and J.w.
"Corkey" FornoL movie stunt aviation character.
COME SHARE THE ADVENTURE! www.txaa.org
MAY 4-6-Burlington , NC-Alamance County
Airport (KBUY). VAA Chapter 3 Spring
Fly-In. All classes welcome . BBQ on field
Fri. Evening, EAA judging all classes Sat.,
Banquet Sat. Nite. Info: Jim Wilson 843
753-7138 or eiwilson@homexpressway.net
MAY 6-Lock Haven, PA-William T. Piper
Memorial Airport (LHV) Pancake Breakfast
Fly-In to Benefit Sentimental Journey Fly-In
8 am-12 pm. All you care to eat pancake
breakfast $5 Adults, $3 chi ldren under
age 10. Piper Aviation Museum open for
tours. Call 570-893-4200 or 748-5123 for
more information. j3cub@kcnet.org www.

sentimentaljourneyfly-in .com
MAY 19-5an Martin CA-Annual Wings of
History Aircraft Museum and South County
Airport Fly-in and Open House . Food, old
time tractors, airplanes, EAA Chapter 62
Young Eagles flights and free museum
tours . 8am-4pm . Peggy Jones, Event
Director, Wings of History Air Museum

plj4peggy@aol.com 831-663-6935
MAY 20-Warwick, NY(N72)-EAA Chapter
501 Annual Fly-In, 10:00 AM- 4:00 PM, all
classes welcome, Registration for judging
closes @1:00 PM, food & beverages
available, for info:973-838-7485, 201
444-1524, or e-rnail flyin07@eaa501 .org
MAY 3l-JUNE 2-Bartlesville, OK-Frank
Phillips Field (BVO). 21st Annual Biplane
Expo. Info: Charlie Harris 918-622-8400

www.biplaneexpo.com
JUNE SolO-Union, IL-Poplar Grove Airport
Army Wings and Wheels . Info Vintage
Wings & Wheels Museum 815-547-3115
Tom Murray hiwheel@sbcgloba/.net
JUNE l4-17-St. Louis, MO-Dauster Flying
Field Creve Coeur Airport (lHO). American
Waco Club Fly-In . Info: Phil Coulson 269
624-6490 or rcoulson516@cs .com www.

americanwacoclub.com
JUNE 20-23--Lock Haven, PA-William T.
Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Sentirnental
Journey Fly-In. Family oriented fly-in
featuring antique and classic aircraft of
all makes and models, especially PIPERS!
Seminars, vendors, food, camping, and
entertainment daily. Come for the day
or the week! Call 570-893-4200 or 748
5123 for more information . j3cub@kcnet.

org www.sentimentaljourneyfly-in.com
JUNE 2l-24-Mt Vernon Ohio-Wynkoop
38

APR I L 2007

FLy-INS

For details on EM Chapter fly-ins and other local aviation events, visit www.eaa.orgjevents
Sun 'n Fun Fly-In
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh
Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL),
Wittman Regional Airport (OSH), Oshkosh , WI
Lakeland, FL
July 23-29, 2007
April 17-23, 2007
www.AirVenture.org

www.Sun-N-Fun.org
EAA Southwest Regional-The Texas Fly-In
Hondo Municipal Airport (HDO), Hondo, TX
June 1-2, 2007

www.SWRFI.org
Golden West EAA Regional Fly-In
Yuba County Airport (MYV), Marysville, CA
June 29-July 1, 2007

www.GoldenWestRyln.org
Rocky Mountain EAA Regional Fly-In
Front Range Airport (FTG), Watkins, CO
June 23-24, 2007

www.RMRFI.org
Arlington EAA Fly-In
Arlington Municipal Airport (AWOl. Arlington, WA
July 11-15, 2007

EAA Mid-Eastern Regional Fly-In

Mansfield Lahm Airport, Mansfield, OH
August 25-26, 2007

http://MERR.info
Virginia Regional EAA Fly-In
Dinwiddie County Airport (PTB), Petersburg, VA
October 6-7, 2007

www.VAEAA.org
EAA Southeast Regional Fly-In
Middleton Reid Airport (GZH), Evergreen, AL
October 12-14, 2007

www.SERFI.org
Copperstate Regional EAA Fly-In
Casa Grande (Arizona) Municipal Airport (CGZ)
October 25-28, 2007

www.copperstate.org

www.NWEAA.org
Airport (6G4) 48th Annual National
Waco Club Reunion . Check www.
nationalwacoclub.com for more
information and contact information. Or
email/call Andy Heins, 937 313 5931

wacoaso@aol.com
JUNE 30-Chetek, WI-The Chetek WI (Y23)
9AM car show, craft fair and show, a
professional horse pull and a water ski
show. Plenty of food and drink available
throughout the day. For more info contact
Chuck Harrison 715-456-8415 fixdent@
chibardun.net or Tim Knutson 715-237

2477 n3nknut@citizens-tel.net
JULY 6-S-Alliance, Oh (2Dl)-Taylorcraft
and Ohio Aeronca Aviator's Fly-In. See the
airplanes built in Alliance, OH & Middletown,
OH and the people that built them. Camping,
motels, food all day. fbarber@alliancelink.com

330823-1168 bwmatzllac@yahoo.com
216337-5643 http://www.oaafly-in.com.
see www.barberaircraft.com for airport
diagrams. Breakfast served Sat & Sun 7AM
to 11AM by EAA Chapter # 82
AUGUST 5-Queen City, MO-Applegate Airport
(15MO). 20th Annual Watermelon Ry-In &
BBQ. 2pm 'til dark. Come and see grass roots
aviation at it's best. Info: 660-766-2644
AUGUST 5-Chetek, WI-Southworth
Municipal airport (Y23). BBQ Fly-In .
10:30am Warbird displays, antique and
unique airplanes, antique & collector car
displays, and raffles for airplane rides.
Procedes will be given to local charities .
Info: Chuck Harrison - Office 715-924
4501, Cell 715-456-8415, fixdent@
chibardun.net; Tim Knutson - Home
715-237-2477, Cell 651-308-2839,

n3nknut@citizens-tel.net
AUGUST IS-Forest Lake, MN-(25D)-Airport
Fly-in and Open House lOam - 4pm. 24
hour gas and 24-hour grass: 3000-foot
31/13. Forest Lake Lions serve brats,
corn-on-the-cob and ice cream . 100LL is
available John Schmidt EAA 250021 St.
Paul , Minnesota 651 776 1717
AUGUST 17-l9--McMinnville, OR-25th Annual
West Coast Travel Air Reunion Come Celebrate
the Rebirth of the Travel Air. Expected to be

the largest gathering of Vintage Travel Airs

in recent times. Held in conjunction with the
Northwest Antique Airplane Club Event. Info:
Bruce McElhoe 559-638-3746
AUGUST 19-Brookfield, WI-Capitol Ai rport
(02C). Ice Cream Social and vintage
Aircraft Display, VAA Chapter 11. Dean
London, 262-442-4622
SEPTEMBER I -Marion , IN-Marion
Municipal Airport (MZZ). 17th Annual
Fly-In Cruise-In. 7:00am until 2:00pm .
This annual event features antique ,
classic , homebuilt, ultralight and warbird
aircraft as well as vintage cars, trucks ,
motorcycles, and tractors. An all-you-can
eat Pancake Breakfast is served , with
all proceeds going to the local Marion
High Schoo l March ing Band . www.
FlylnCruiseln .com Info: Ray Johnson
(765) 664-2588 or rjohnson@indy.rr.com
SEPTEMBER 2-Mondovi, WI-21st Annual
Log Cabin Airport Ry-In. Doug Ward , Owner/
Operator, 715-287-4205. Lunch @ noon.
SEPTEMBER 8-Newark, Ohio-Newark
Heath Airport (VTA) Annual Fly-In/Drive-In
Breakfast "Pancakes and More, " Young
Eagles Flights, Vintage Airplanes, Classic
Cars, Tom McFadden 740-587-2312 ;
email : EAA402@adelphia.net
SEPTEMBER 2l-22-Bartlesville, OK-Frank
Phillips Field (BVO). 51st Annual Tulsa
Regional Fly-In . Antiques, Classics, Light
Sport, Warbirds, Forum , Type Clubs.
Info: Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 www.

tulsaflyin.com
OCTOBER 5-7-Camden, SC-Kershaw
County Airport (KC DN) . VAA Chapter 3
Fall Fly-In . All classes welcome . BBQ
on field Fri. Evening. EAA judging all
classes Sat. Banquet Sat. Nite. Info:
Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilson@

homexpressway. net
October 5-7-St. Louis, MO-Creve Coeur
Airport (lHO) The Monocoupe Club Fly-In &
Reunion www.monocoupe.com
October lO-l4-Tuliahoma, TN-"Beech
Birthday Party 2007" Staggerwing,
Twin Beech 18, Bonanza, Baron, Beech
owners& enthusiasts. Info 931-455-1974

Membershi~ Services
VINTAGE

AIRCRAFT

ENJOY THE MANY BENEFITS OF EAA AND

ASSOCIATION
EAA's VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION
OFFICERS
President
Geoff Robison
1521 E. MacGregor Dr.
New Haven, IN 46774
2604934724
cllie(7025@aol.cOlll
Sec retary

Steve Nesse
2009 Highland Ave.
Albert Lea, M N 56007
5073731674
stll('s(g'deskmeaia.co11l

Vice President

George Daubner

2448 Lough Lane

Hartford, WI 53027

2626735885
vaa(lyboyCiVrnsn.coln

Treasurer
Charles W. Harri s
7215 East 46th Sl.

Tu lsa, OK 7414 7

9186228400

cwh@hvsu.com

DIRECTORS
Steve Bender
85 Brush Hill Road
Sherborn, MA 01770
5086537557

Jeannie Hill
P.O. Box 328
Harva rd, IL 600]30]28
8159437205

sstlO@Comca st.llet

dingJwo@o wc,lIel

David Bennett
375 Killeleer Ct
Lincoln, CA 95648
9 166458370

Espie " Butch" Joyce

704 N. Regional Rd.
Greensboro, NC 27409
3366683650

antiqllcr@';I,reacll .com

w;t1dsock(tiaol.com

John Berendt

Steve Krog
1002 Heather Ln.
Hartford, WI 53027
2629667627

7645 Echo Point Rd.

Cannon Falls, MN 55009
5072632414
mjbfchfd@TcOl" ,ect. coll1

Directory

EAA Aviation Center, PO Box 3086, Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

Phone (920) 426-4800

Fax (920) 426-4873

Web Sites: www.vintageaircraft.org, www.airventure,org, www.eaa.org/memberbenefits

E-Mail: vintageaircraft@eaa.org

EAA and Division Membership Services

Flying Start Program ............ 920-426-6847

800-8433612 ............. FAX 920426-6761

Library Services/Research ........ 920-426-4848

(8:00 AM-7:00 PM
Medical Questions .............. 920-426-6112

Monday-Friday CSn
Technical Counselors ........... 920-426-6864

-New!renew memberships: EAA, Divisions

Young Eagles ...... ..... .... ... 877-8068902

(Vintage Aircraft Association, lAC, Warbirds),

ational Association of Flight Instructors
Benefits
(NA FJ)

AUA Vintage Insurance Plan ..... 800-727-3823

-Address changes

EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan ..... 866-647-4322

-Merchandise sales

Term Life and Accidental ... . .... 800-241-6103

-Gift memberships

Death Insurance (Harvey Watt & Company)

EAA Platinum VISA Card .. 800-853-5576 ext. 8884
Programs and Activities
EAA Aircraft Financing Plan .... 866-808-6040
EAA AirVenture Fax-On-Demand Directory
EAA Enterprise Rent-ACar Program
............................. 732-885-6711

..................... ..... 877-GA1-ERAC

Auto Fuel STCs . .............. . 920-426-4843

Editorial ........... .. ......... 920-426-4825

Build/restore information ........ 920-4264821

VM Office .... ........... .FAX 920-426-6865

Chapters: locating/organizing .... 920-426-4876

Education..................... 888-322-3229

- EAA Air Academy

EAA Aviation Foundation
- EAA Scholarships
Artifact Donations ..... ..... ... 920-426-48 77
Flight Advisors infonnation ...... 920-426-6864
Financial Support. . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-236-1025
Flight Instructor infonnation ..... 920-426-6801

sskrug@au[,(oltl

Dave Clark
635 Vestal Lan e
Plainfi eld, IN 46168
3178394500

Robert D. "Bob" Lumley

1265 South 124th 51.
Brookfield, WI 53005
2627822633

davccpd@iqllest.lld

lllmper@execpc. com

John S. Copeland
1A Deacon Street
Northborough , MA 0 I 532
5083934775

Gene Morris
5936 Steve Cou rt
Roanoke, TX 76262
8 174919 110

copt'land l @lj ullo.com

gem: morris@Clw rter.net

Phil Coulson
28415 Springbroo k Dr.
Lawton, M I 49065
2696246490
rco II{sol,516@cs.(om

Dean Richardson
1429 Kings Lynn Rd
Stoughton, WI 53589
6088778485

Dale A. Gustafson
7724 Shady Hills Dr.
Indianapolis, IN 46278
3 172934430
dalefay('(tPmsll .cum

S.H. "Wes" Schmid

2359 Lefeber Avenue
Wauwatosa, WI 53213
41477 1 1545

dllr(tf!aprilaire.col1l

shs(/Imid@milwpc.com

DIRECTORS

EMERITUS

Gene Ch ase
2 159 Carlton Hd.
Oshkosh, WI 54904
92023 15002

LE. " Buck " Hilbert

GRCHA@.'thartt'f.IJet

bllck7ac@dls.t1et

8102 Leech Rd.

Union, IL 60 180
8159234591

Ronald C. Fritz

15401 Sparta Ave.

Kent City, MI 49330

6166785012

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION
EAA
Membership in the Experimental Aircraft
ASSOCiation, Inc. is $40 for one year, includ
ing 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION. Family
membership is an additional $10 annually.
Junior Membership (under 19 years of age)
is available at $23 annually. All major credit
cards accepted for membership. (Add $16 for

Foreign Postage,)

EAA SPORT PILOT

Current EAA members may add EAA
SPORT PILOT magazine for an additiona l
$20 per year.
EAA Membership and EAA SPORT
PILOT magazine is available for $40 per
year (SPORT AVIATION magaZine not in
cluded). (Add $16 for Foreign Postage,)

VINTAGE AIRCRAfT ASSOCIATION

C urrent EAA members may join the
Vintage Aircraft Association and receive
VINTAGE AIRPLANE magazine for an ad
ditional $36 per year.
EAA Membership, VINTAGE AIRPLANE
magazine and one year membership in the EAA
Vintage Aircraft Association is available for $46
per year (SPORT AVIATION magaZine not in
cluded). (Add $7 for Foreign Postage,)

lAC

Current EAA members may join the

International Aerobatic Club, Inc. Divi
sion and receive SPORT AEROBATICS
magazine for an additional $45 per year,
EAA Membership, SPORT AEROBAT
I CS magaZine and one year membership
in the lAC Division is available for S55
per year (SPORT AVIATION magazine
not included). (Add $18 for Foreign

Postage)

WARBIRDS
Current EAA m embers may join the EAA
Warbirds of America Division and receive
WARBIRDS magazine for an additional $45
per year.
EAA Membership, WARBIRDS maga
zine and one year membership in the
Warbirds Division is available for $55 per
year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not in
cluded). (Add $7 for Foreign Postage_)

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.

rFritz(t]lpathwaYllef,cum

Membership dues to EAA and its divisions are not tax deductible as charitable contributions
Copyright 2007 by the EAA Vintage Aircra~ Association, All rights reserved.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE (USPS 062750; ISSN 00916943) is published and owned exclusively by the EAA Vinlage Aircra~ Association of the EXperimental Aircra~ Association and is published monthly al EAA Avia
lion Center, 3000 Poberezny Rd. , PO Box 3086, Oshkosh, Wisconsin 549033086, email: vintageaircraft@eaa.org. Membership to Vintage Aircraft Association, which includes 12 issues of Vintage Airplane magazine,
is $36 per year lor EAA members and $46 for nonEAA members. Periodicals Postage paid at Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54901 and at addilional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Vintage Airplane.
PO Box 3086, Oshkosh. WI 549033086. PM 40032445 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to World Distribution Services, Station A, PO Box 54, Windsor, ON N9A 6J5, email: cpcrelurns@Wdsmail.com. FOR
EIGN AND APO ADDRESSES - Please allow at least !WO monlhs lor delivery 01 VINTAGE AIRPLANE to foreign and APO addresses via surlace mail. ADVERTISING - Vintage Aircraft Association does not guarantee
or endorse any product offered through the advertising. We invite constructive criticism and welcome any report of inferior merchandise obtained through our advertising so that corrective measures can be taken.
EDITORIAL POLICY: Members are encouraged to submit stories and photographs. Policy opinions expressed in articles are solely those of the authors. Responsibility for accuracy in reporting rests entirety with
the contributor. No remuneralion is made. Material should be sent to: Editor, VINTAGE AIRPLANE, PO Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 549033086. Phone 9204264800.
EM and EM SPORT AVIATION, the EM Logo and Aeronautica are registered trademarks , trademarks, and service marks of the Experimental Aircraft Association, Inc. The use of these trademarks and
service marks without the permission of the Experimental Aircraft Association, Inc. is strictly prohibited.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

39

Imported for Skat Blast, this

economical cabinet assembles
in 2-3 hours. Connect air hose
from your compressor and add
Glass Beads or other abrasive.
Aim trigger power gun (in
cluded) at part and remove
rust and paint FAST!
22"d, 33'12'w, 22"h work area.
12" x 24" lens. Requires 7-20
cfm @ 80 psi and shop vac.

Your One STOP Quality Shop

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Members get in FREE!
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Phone: (920) 426-4818

/\1 RVENTURE
~~~

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1-800-645-7739
Flying wires available. 1994 pricing.
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A Website with the Pilot in Mind
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A&P I.A.: Annual, 100 hr. inspections.

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Ohio - statewide.

www.aircraftnotes.com: Aircraft
review! Research and Contribute
knowledge about aircraft. What kind
of experiences have been had by
others with a specific aircraft? Add
your comments on aircraft here
40

APRIL 2007

or trade?

Classified Word Ads: $5.50 per 10 words, 180 words maximum, with boldface
lead-in on first line.
Classified Display Ads: One column wide (2.167 inches) by 1 , 2, or 3 inches
high at $20 per inch. Black and white only, and no frequency discounts .
Advertising Closing Dates: 10th of second month prior to desired issue date
(i.e., January 10 is the closing date for the March issue). VAA reserves the right
to reject any advertising in conflict with its pOlicies. Rates cover one insertion per
issue. Classified ads are not accepted via phone. Payment must accompany order.
Word ads may be sent via fax (920-426-4828) or e-mail (c/assads@eaa.orm using
credit card payment (all cards accepted). Include name on card, complete address ,
type of card, card number, and expiration date. Make checks payable to EAA.
Address advertising correspondence to EAA Publications Classified Ad Manager,
P.O. Box 3086 , Oshkosh , WI 54903-3086.
LET BRENCO HELP YOU GET YOUR IA
CERTIFICATE-Brenco has a 25 year
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