APRIL 2003

VOL. 31 , No. 4

VAA NEWS /H.G. Frau tsch y and Ric Reyno lds

FRIENDS OF THE RED BARN

MORE ON RADIO AND ANTENNA INSTALLATIONS

GETTING THE MESSAGE OUTl/ Pau l Gould

6 PENNY' S PASPED

THE ONE-OF-A-KIND PASPED SKYLARK/Bu dd Davisson

10 JOHN MI L LER RECALLS

THE POPPY DROP OF 1928/Joh n M iller
12 THE VINTAGE INSTRUCTOR
GO AROUND, TO FLARE, OR NOT TO FLARE?
Dou g St ew art
14 TAKING OFF
THERE IS NO PAINT LIKE THE AIR/Lon ni Su e Jo hnson
20

PASS IT TO BUCK
TAIL WHEELS/Bu ck H ilbert

23

CALENDAR

24

MYSTERY PLANE

27

NEW MEMBERS

28

CLASSIFIED ADS

30

VAA MERCHANDISE

EAA PU

14

CATIONS

Publisher
Editor-in-Ch ief
Executive Ed itor
News Editor
Photography Staff

Advertising Coordinator
Advertising/Ed itorial Assistant
Copy Editing

TOM POBEREZNY
scon SPANGLER
MIKE DI FRISCO
RIC REYNOLDS
JIM KOEPNICK
LEEANN ABRAMS
TRISHA LUNDQUIST
JULIE RUSSO
ISABELLE WISKE
COLLEEN WALSH
KATHLEEN WITMAN

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

Executive Director, Editor

VAA Administrative Assistant
Contributin g Editors
Graphic Designer

HENRY G. FRAUTSCHY
THERESA BOOKS
JOHN UNDERWOOD
BUDD DAVISSON
OLIVIA l. PHILLIP

FRONT COVER:

Chugging along in the one-of-a-kind Pasped Skylark are the owner,

Buzz Penny and restorer Tom Brown . Years of use had taken its toll on the Pasped,
but Brown has restored it to its original factory configuration . It was presented with
t he Antique-Bronze Age Champion trophy at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2002 . EAA
photo by Jim Koepnick, Cessna 210 photo plane flown by Bruce Moore.

BACK COVER:

One of our international artists in the 2002 Sport Aviation Art

Competition was Michael Short, of Pflugerville, Texas. " Bob's Hornet" is the title of
his oil painting of Bob Lee 's DeHaviliand DH 87B Hornet Moth, which is based just
out side Bristol, England. The painting was awarded an Honorable Mention ribbon
by the j ury. Michael also qualified as one of the Master Artists of the annual art
competition . Artists who have had their paintings presented with Par Excellence rib
bons th ree different years are so designated .

ST

BY ESPIE "BUTCH" JOYCE

PRESIDENT, VINTAGE ASSOCIATION

Serving members
This issue of Vintage Airplane will
be out during Sun 'n Fun in sunny
Lakeland, Florida. I will be visiting
with a number of you, and despite
a little sunburn and dirt from the
sandy, dusty soil, I'll be having a
great time! One of the neatest
things about attending fly-ins is
seeing the wide variety of airplanes
the Vintage Aircraft Association
(VAA) recognizes in the three differ
ent judging categories.
Occasionally, we hear concerns
that we placed a Cessna 172 or sim
ilar "modern" airplane on the cover
of your Vintage Airplane magazine.
Our approach to vintage air
planes has always been broader
than antique airplanes. We 've
been reaching out to airplanes
that are already acknowledged as
vintage airplanes, whether they
predate World War II or were built
in the decade following the war.
In the early 1990s we added the
contemporary category for judg
ing after being petitioned by you
for an expanded postwar category.
Recognizing that airplanes pro
duced after 1955 were a "different
breed of cat," we chose to add a
third category rather than expand
the classic section.
A number of yo u related to me
that our expansion of the Contem
porary category is reminiscent of
the time, early in the 1970s, when
we added the classic category in
1971. There was a similar "hue and
cry" about all owing Piper Cubs to
park in the same area as the an
tique airplanes. At that time, the
Cubs were only 25 years old or so,
and many felt that Cubs, Champs
and their ilk were not worthy of
the new judging stat u s. As those

airplanes aged and became treas

ured airplanes, that sentiment was
replaced with recognition of the
excellent work being done to re
store the postwar airp lan es. And
enthusiasm for the ant iqu e air
plane never waned; it continues to
be a strong, integral part of our
overall organization.
A 172 built in 1966 ha s been
maintained for over 35 years now,
and many of you who petitioned us
to create this judging category, plus
the VAA board, feel it's appropriate
to encourage the maintenance and
restoration of airplanes from this
era . When you read Vintage Airplane
you will not find the pages filled
with how to fly to a grill and buy a
$100 hamburger because you can
find that type of article in ten other
aviation publications. We are about
supporting members from a techni
cal standpoint, setting judging
standards that wi ll encourage peo
ple to restore and maintain th e ir
aircraft, and having programs that
are tailored to o ur class of aircraft
for the membership.
That 1966 172 wi ll soon be 40
years old. The FAA has generally
said that from their standpoint, an
airplane that is 30 years old is con
sidered an antique. As you would
expect, we've found that individu
a ls tend to be fond of the aircraft
that was most popular when they
became serio u s abo ut flying and
aviation activities.
On the other hand , th ere are
those aviation enthusiasts of a ll
ages who love the antiq u es and
others who prefer the classics. I can
totally understand why they fee l
that way.
We do o ur best to balance our

editorial coverage to include all

areas of our judging categories,
weighted towards those areas with
the strongest following. In 2002,
for instance , out of the 12 cover
subjects for the year, 6 were an
tiques (including Andrew King's
Ryan M-l restoration and Buzz
Kaplan's Sikorsky 5-38 reproduc
tion) and 6 were classics. None
were contemporary airplanes. As
it happens, there have been a pair
in the first part of 2003, the 172
you saw, and the Geronimo on
this month's cover.
A few folks have wondered why
we do not advance our judging cat
egory each year. Our experience
does not indicate a need for it at
this time. However, we review this
matter each year, so the rules are
not set in stone.
I hope that I have helped you
understand how the Vintage Air
craft Association views the world of
older aircraft. We are always open
to your opinions regarding any
matters that affect your Associa
tion. We're also open to yo ur
articles and thoughts on technical
issues. Fee l free to contact your
magazine's editor, H.G. Frautschy, if
you have a technical article you'd
like to submit.
As a member you can help the
VAA by asking a friend to join up
with us . Let's all pull in the same
direction for the good of aviation.
Remember we are better together.
Join us and have it all!
.......
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

COMPILED BY H .G . FRAUTSCHY AND RIC REYNOLDS

VAA Picnic and Type Club Din

ners
The VAA Picnic during AirVen
ture Oshkosh 2003 will be held the
evening of Wednesday, July 30, at
the EAA Nature Center Pavilion.
Because it is so early in the week,
plan to purchase your tickets right
after you arrive at Oshkosh. Tickets
have "sold out" the last two years.
Type clubs are again invited to
hold their dinners at the VAA Pic
nic. We will gladly reserve tables
for your group so you can all sit to
gether. To make plans for your
type club, contact Theresa Books
in the VAA office at 920-426-6110
or via e-mail at tbooks@eaa.org.

Fire Destroys Poly-Fiber Office,

Warehouse Manufacturing
Operation Saved
The office and warehouse
building of Poly-Fiber Inc., a lead
ing manufacturer of fabric
covering materials for the avia
tion industry, was destroyed by
fire on Friday morning, February
21, at its location on the Flabob
Airport, Riverside, California.
Thankfully, there were no injuries
caused by the blaze, which oc
curred before work hours.
Poly-Fiber employs 15 people.
Firefighters prevented the blaze
from spreading to Poly-Fiber's
other building, which houses all
manufacturing operations and
additional warehouse space.
General Manager Jon Golden
baum writes that they are moving
into their intact production facil
ity, and that all is going well. They
expect to be fully up and running
by the time this issue goes to
press. Distributors have ample
stocks, so customers can expect
little to no delay.
"We still have full production
capabilities, and we will continue
to manufacture our products," he
2

APRIL 2003

added. "We ask our customers to

please be patient and under
standing if they encounter any
delays in receiving products."
Since distributors have a decent
supply of inventory, and they
can mix their own color topcoats
in-house, the overall impact on
the end-user should be minimal,
Goldenbaum said.
Officials suspect the cause of the
fire was electrical, but no determi
nation has been made. The
company is open for business and
is available for technical questions
as usual. For more information,
visit www.polyfiber.com.

Operation POP Readies for

Third EAA AirVenture
Operation Protect Our Planes
(POP) is actively seeking individ
uals (or families) to volunteer at
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2003.
POP volunteers are highly visible,
energetic convention volunteers
whose main responsibilities are
to thank owners for flying their
aircraft to EAA AirVenture, and to
remind EAA AirVenture attendees
about the Oshkosh rules regard
ing flight line etiquette and
activities around the airplanes.
Created at EAA AirVenture
2001, Operation POP seeks vol
unteers of all fitness levels and
abilities for walking patrols and
stationary assignments. At EAA
AirVenture 2003, volunteers can
cover the entire flight line, an
aircraft community like home
builts or warbirds, or focus on a
specific aircraft, like the visiting
Airbus Beluga or EAA's The Sprit
of St. Louis.
Volunteers between the ages of 14
and 17 must have written parental
support. For more information, or to
volunteer, contact Teresa Lauten
schlager at tlautenschlager@eaa.org or
call 920-426-6131.

Continental Piston STC Issued

Olde Thyme Aviation Inc. (OTA), known
for the vintage aircraft collection they fly
at the Museum of Flight at Boeing Field
in Seattle, has been granted an STC for
replacement pistons for the Continental
radial engines W-670-6A and -6N often
affectionately known as the venerable
Continental 220's (220 hpj. Ken Hor
witz, president of OTA, said that the STC
project was an "effort of love" and
couldn't possibly justify the $100,000
cost of engineering, engine, block run,
fuel, labor, and consulting required to
gain the STC approval.
"I can see what prevents the enthusi
ast from attempting this, and I'm
doubtful that I would have pursued it if I
truly knew how expensive it was going to
be," says Horwitz, "But we fly six aircraft
at the Museum of Flight that have this
famous engine, and I didn't want to
change from the original authenticity be
cause the country was out of pistons.
Also, had it not been for a collaboration
of other individuals, we never would
have gotten this done. Pete Jones from
Air Repair Inc. contributed his entire file
on his earlier efforts to have the pistons
made as far back as 1987. Larry Lujan
of Gold Coast Aviation was instrumental
in providing consulting with the FAA and
personally performed the stringent block
run requirement."
The STC pistons are re-engineered
using the same alloy that is used on the
P&W 985 radial engines and on locomo
tive engine pistons. Although we had to
engineer for a different thermal coeffi
cient, we are confident we have a much
stronger piston than the original using
modern alloys." Says Horwitz, adding
that, "After the very grueling FAA re
quired bl ock run, we only had slightly
less than a single thousandths of an
inch of wear on one single ring land on
the entire seven pistons. I've never seen
anything like that before!"
Pistons will have a retail price of
$395 and are available through Air Re
pair Inc. in Cleveland, Mississippi, who
will PMA certify them. Horwitz also
wants to thank the numerous Stearman
and Waco owners who encouraged Olde
Thyme to go ahead with this project at
Galesburg and other vintage aircraft fly
ins during the 1999 and 2000 season.
U

VAA's "Friends of The Red Barn"

VAA 2003 Convention Fund Raising Program

The Vintage Aircraft Association is a major partici
pant in the World's Largest Annual Sport Aviation
Event - EAA AirVenture Oshkosh! The Vintage Divi
sion hosts and parks over 2,000 vintage airplanes each
year from the Red Barn area of Wittman Field south to
the perimeter of the airport.
The financial support for the various activities in
connection with the weeklong event in the VAA Red
Barn area has been principally derived from the Vin
tage Aircraft Association's general income fund.
Starting in 2002, the Vintage Board elected to more
properly underwrite the annual Vintage Red Barn area
Convention activities from a yearly special conven
tion support fund. This effort is the VAA's "Friends of
the Red Barn" program.
This fundraising program is an annual affair, begin
ning each year on July 1 and ending June 30 of the
following year. This year's campaign is well underway,
with contributions already arriving here at VAA HQ.
Our thanks to those of you who have already sent in
your 2003 contributions.
You can join in as well. There will be three levels of
gifts and gift recognition:
Vintage Gold Level - $600.00 and above gift
Vintage Silver Level - $300.00 gift
Vintage Bronze Level - $100.00 gift
Each contribution at one of these levels entitles
you to a Certificate of Appreciation from the Division.
Your name will be listed as a contributor in Vintage

Airplane magazine, and on a special display at the VAA

Red Barn. You will also be presented with a special

name badge recognizing your level of participation.
During AirVenture, you'll have access to the Red Barn
Volunteer Center, a nice place to cool off.
Gold Level contributors will also receive a pair of
certificates each good for a flight on their choice of
EAA's Ford Trimotor or New Standard Biplane, re
deemable during AirVenture or during the summer
flying season at Pioneer Airport. Silver Level contribu
tors will receive one certificate for a flight on their
choice of one of the two planes.
This is a grand opportunity for all Vintage members
to join together as key financial supporters of the Vin
tage Division . It will be a truly rewarding experience
for each of us as individuals to be part of supporting
the finest gathering of Antique, Classic, and Contem
porary airplanes in the world.
Won't you please join those of us who recognize the
tremendously valuable key role the Vintage Aircraft Asso
ciation has played in preserving the great grass roots and
general aviation airplanes of the last 100 years? Your
partiCipation in EAA's Vintage Aircraft Association
Friends of the VAA Red Barn will help insure the very
finest in AirVenture Oshkosh Vintage Red Barn programs.
For those of you who wish to contribute, we've
included a copy of the contribution form . Feel free
to copy it and mail it to VAA headquarters with
your donation. Thank you.

- -~------ - ---- - - -- -- -- -- - - - - ---- -- - -- ---- ----- --- - --------------- - --- - --- - -- --------------------- - --------- .

2003 VAA Friends of the Red Barn

Name_____________________________________________ EAA#_______________VAA# ______________

Address___________________________________________________________________________________

City/State/Zip______________________________________________________________________________

Phone_____________________________________E-Mail___________________________________________

Please choose your level of participation :

_

Vintage Gold Level Friend - $600.00

Mail your contribution to:

_
_

Vintage Silver Level Friend - $300.00

Vintage Bronze Level Friend - $100.00

EM

o Payment Enclosed

o Please C harge my credit card (be low)

Credit Card Numbe r _____________________ Expiratio n Date ___________

Signature____________________________

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOC.

PO Box 3086
OSHKOSH , WI 54903-3086

*00 you or your spouse work for a matching gift compan y? If so, thi s gift may qu alify fo r a matching donati on. Please ask your Human Re

sources department for the appropriate form .

Name of Company _________________________

The Vintage Aircraft Association is a non-profit ed ucational orga ni zation under Jl{S SOl c3 rules. Under Federal Law, the deduction from Federal In

come tax for charitable co ntributions is limited to the amount by which any money (a nd the value of any property oth er than money) contributed

exceeds the value of the goods or services provided in exc hange for the co ntributi on. An appropriate receipt acknowledging your gift will be sent to

you for IRS gift reporting reasons.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

MoM-~DIO

AND ANTENNA

INSTALLATIONS

Getting the message out!

PAUL GOULD

Editor's Note: Paul Gould of Sar

dinia, Ohio, fli es his award-winning
A eronca Chi ef all over th e eastern
United States, and he often u ses a
handheld radio to communicate. Here
are his thoug hts on radio and an
tenna installations.

to match ground planes to the an

tenna on fabric-covered airplanes.
When used in the airplane, the lit
tl e "rubber ducky" antenna
supplied with handheld radios
works well when you are close to
airport traffic.
These two photos show
the AAE antenna
mounted just aft of the
fabric baggage compart
ment in Paul Gould's
llAC Chief. Keeping the
antenna far away from
the fuselage tubing
helps keep the radiation
pattern from being too
adversely affected.

I'd like to add to the article by

Ev an McCo mbs regarding in
stalling handheld nav/comm
radios in vintage airplan es (tube
a nd fabri c) . Here's m y two cents
worth on antenna types, and how
4

APRIL 2003

Using an outside antenna con

Siderably increases the reception
and transmission distances. The lo
cations for the antenna are the
biggest problem . Regular antennas
mounted on the outside of the air
plane either detract from the
original appearance or wind up in
awkward-looking locations. Want
ing to avoid either of those
situations brings me to the instal
lation of the dipole antenna that
was developed for airplanes built
with composite materials. Ad
vanced Aircraft Electronics builds
these antennas, which were origi
nally intended to be installed in
layers of composite materials of
the airplane. One communications
antenna is to be installed vertically
in the tail fin of composite aircraft.
Th e navigation antenna was in
stalled horizontally in the fuselage
in the layers of composite mate
rial, and they were buried forever
in the composite materials. In

oth er app lications th e navigation

antenna was installed along the
wing spar.
Installing th e dipole antenna in
tube and fabric airplanes is not an
easy ta sk . Dipole antennas don't
work well when placed near metals,
such as the airframe tubing. That's a
no-no. To even think about putting
a dipole antenna in fabric airplanes
wi ll req uir e a lo t of thought and
planning. You ' ve got t o pull out
seats and the baggage compartment
just to get inside the fuselage, where
you'll probably find there is no suit
ab le place to in st all the dipole
antenna. The supplier recommends
vertical installation, with the opti
mum ang le at 90 degrees to any
metal structure. However, it can be
mounted up t o a 45-degree angle
away from the metal.
If you do so, the antenna's radia
tion pattern suffers. It becomes more
directional if installed at 45 degrees.
Still, I was able to fit a dipole into
my llAC Chi ef, as the fuselage is
la rge enough to permit installation
of the 40-inch-long ante nna . The
cost of a dipole is approx im ately
$150, plus fabricating wood mount
ing members. I used a piece of
1/4-in ch by P/4-inch by 46-inch
sp ru ce in my l1A C. The locati on
was really the only place I could in
sta ll it, so it went there, but I did
have some doubt as to how good the
installation would radiate transmis
sion and reception. I didn't want to
spoi l the original factory lo ok of
restoration and lose points when the
airplane was jud ged. The ga mbl e
paid off, however, and I have a very
good reception and transmission us
ing a battery-powered Icom A-22
handheld transceiver. I have coupled

to this a little cheap Pilot II inter

com, which works very well.
I made sure that if the dipole in
stallation had not gotten the good
results, that I was able to remove
the wood member the antenna was
glued to by removing one 3/4-inch
5/5 No.6 P.K. screw. It was worth
the gamble, as my installation works
better than I expected. I can receive
the ATIS and AWOS transmissions
at 20 to 30 miles out, even better on
some days. I've transmitted and re
ceived on frequencies that are not
often used, 123.45, as far as 90 to
100 miles. Ask Ray Johnson how far
away we've talked air to air. Ray has
his stainless steel whip antenna lo
cated on the left wing root fairing.
The dipole technician told me
that any large metal objects must be
at least 12 inches away from the an
tenna. The 11AC auxiliary gas tank
was my main concern. I was able to
install my dipole 78 degrees from
vertical, staying 12 inches from the
gas tank.
Note that the emergency locator
transmitter (ELT) is installed on
fuselage tubing using Adel clamps.
The masking tape was used as a tem
porary measure until I was sure I
was going to be pleased with the lo
cation of the antenna. I later glued
the dipole to wood with aircraft
glue used for cowl seal material. The
seat of the 11AC must be moved
forward as far as it will go to inspect
the installation and test the ELT.
Plus, every two years I have to pull
it to change the battery during the
airplane's annual inspection.
The supplier said I could return
the antenna if it was not damaged,
which was a plus if I was unable to
install it. I'm very happy I made the
choice for the dipole. It's out of the
way, not seen, and no one can
tamper with it like the antennas in
stalled on the outside of the airplane.
You can reach Advanced Aircraft
Electronics at www.advancedaircraft.com
or write to it at P.O. Box 28, Ellwood
City, PA 16117. Their telephone num
ber is 800-758-8632.

ANOTHER AA E
ANTENNA IN STALLATION
AAE antennas have been used by a number of restorers who were look
ing for a hidden antenna installation. The location in Paul's Chief has a
lot of good points. First, while not super
convenient, access can be gained by re
moving the seat and flipping up the
fabric baggage compartment. The ends
of the antenna are a good distance away
from the fuselage tubing. We've seen
installations in]-3 Cubs where the an
tenna was installed vertically just aft of
the windows, laid right on top of the
stringers and secured in place before the
fabric was applied.
In a ~imilar installation in the
Aeronca Sedan I fly, an ME antenna was
also installed just aft of the baggage
compartment, with the ends of the
40-inch-long antenna curving with the
interior of the fuselage. (See photos .)
There are a couple of important differ
ences between my installation and the
one in Paul's Chief. First off, the baggage
compartment of the Sedan has a pair of
metal bulkheads, with the lower portion
a section of sheet aluminum. Because of
its relatively close proximity to the an
tenna, that one difference has a major
impact on the radiation pattern of the
antenna.
Since it was installed on the left side
of the airplane (reasoning that most of
the transmissions at airports would be
made to the left of the airplane, since
we fly a left-hand pattern more often),
transmission and reception to stations
located off the right front of the air
plane are negatively impacted, sometimes so much that a change in
heading is needed. The rest of the receive/transmit pattern seems to be
quite acceptable, even while using a relatively weak transmitter such as a
handheld comm. I'd imagine it would be much improved with a stan
dard panel-mount radio, or even a hard-wired, 12-volt RF amplifier.
The great folks at ME pointed out that some fiddling with the exact
location of the antenna might be needed to get an acceptable pattern, so
we're planning on mounting the antenna with an orientation similar to
Paul's installation. The beauty of this antenna is that it is extremely effi
cient in terms of its consumption of transmitter power-very little is
wasted once it leaves the radio. Plus, since no holes had to be drilled in
the airframe to install it, you can fiddle to your heart's content with the
location to see if you can get it to work even better.
Obviously, mounting the ME dipole antenna in an all-metal airframe
won't work, but if you've got a fabric-covered airplane, I'd certainly con
sider installing a dipOle antenna using the procedures outlined in the
ME literature. -H.G. Frautschy
.......
VI NTAGE A IRPLAN E

The one-of-a-kind Pasped Skylark

BUDD DAVISSON

his thing is so big that

I had to build scaffold
ing to work on it,"
Tom Brown, noted air
craft restorer, says.
He's talking about Robert "Buzz"
Penny's Pasped Skylark, one of the
lesser-known antiques to grace EAA
AirVenture 2002. Actually, it's one of
the lesser-known antiques in gen
eral, and as crowds moved past it,
the most common comment heard
was, "It's kinda neat, but what is it?"
The Pasped is one of those mid
1930s contradictions that clearly
shows that even though the country
was in the depths of a depression,
people refused to let that dampen
their enthusiasm for aviation.
In 1935 Skylark Industries of
Glendale, Ca lifornia, decided it
would design and build an airplane
6

APRIL 2003

and offer it to the military as a

trainer and general-use airplane .
The fact that its only aviation expe
rience had been in manufacturing
small parts for a variety of indus
tries didn't slow Skylark down. In
fact, it appears it didn't even ask
the military if it was looking for an
airplane because when the airplane
was finished, the military had no
interest in it at all. By that time the
military was receiving far more so
phisticated project proposals from
established airframe manufacturers.
Aviation was changing quickly, but
Messrs. Pastorius and Pederson of
Skylark apparently didn't notice
that. Incidentally, the employees
came up with the name Pasped
(Pastorius/Pederson, get it?).
The closest the Skylark came to
fulfilling its designers' dreams of

military service was when it wore an

Army paint scheme of "stars and
bars" while being used in the film
ing of the 1930s film Without Orders,
starring Robert Armstrong. The air
plane did, however, receive a Group
Two type certificate (#2-546, issued
October 31,1937), an indication of
how serious Skylark Industries was
about the project.
Buzz Penny says, "Only one air
plane was built, and it's a miracle
that it survived all those years. Most
of the credit for that, however,
should go to Bob Greenhoe, who
owned the airplane for more than
30 years beginning in 1960 and kept
it flying. In fact, from day one, the
airplilne was never allowed to go
derelict. It was always flying. Also,
Bob was heavy into the history of
the airplane and collected a lot of

information about it./I

Buzz's own enthusiasm for the
airplane stems from a rather unusual
aviation background that led him to
the Skylark via a circuitous route
where most pilots begin in Cubs or
C-150s, Buzz started in hot-air bal
loons.
A manufacturer and cattle
rancher from Versailles, Missouri,
Buzz says, "My dad flew B-17s dur
ing World War II, but he left aviation
behind as soon as the war was over. I
had some interest in it, but I didn't
do anything about it until around
1970, when I was driving north of
Chicago and saw a hot-air balloon. I
tracked it down to Fox River Grove
airport and asked them how you
learn to fly one of those.
"I started taking lessons and even
tually got my commercial ticket in
them. The checkride in those days
consisted of an examiner coming
out and standing on the ground
while I took off and landed.
"Ed Yost, one of the true hot-air
pioneers, was my instructor, and I
got pretty serious about it. By '75 I
was competing in long-distance
races and duration events that lasted
as long as two or three days. Then,
in 1980, I decided I had to get into
something faster and started work
ing on my fixed-wing license.
"I bought a )-3, and Max Weaver,
a retired airline pilot, started teach
ing me. I never did have any interest
in anything but vintage airplanes, so
I never got into anything modern. I
bought a Stearman from Air Repair
around 1984 and still have it today.
I had a Cessna 195 for a while, but it
was too modern and too fast for me.
"I first learned about the Pasped
when Greenhoe had an ad for it in
Trade-a-Plane. The pictures of the air
plane made it look small. Or at least
normal size. When I went down to
visit him, however, its sheer size
overwhelmed me.
"It had been progressively main
tained over the years and had also
been progressively modified. Each of
the original six owners had changed
this and that until, when I decided

to do a ground-up restoration, it was

going to take a lot of work to correct
the changes. Besides the deteriora
tion that needed fixing, the
turtledeck and windshield had been
changed, and the instrument panel
wasn't anything like the original. I
decided to take the airplane all the
way back to the way it looked when
it left the factory. The only modifi
cation I would keep was the 165-hp
Warner Super Scarab engine that
was installed in 1955 to replace the
original 125-hp Warner./I
Tom Brown, from Unity, Wiscon
sin, entered the picture after the

airplane had already spent some

time in another shop, so it was to
tally disassembled when he received
it.
Tom says, "O ne of the hardest
things about putting the airplane
back together was that I didn't know
exactly what went where. All of the
stuff was in bags, which were tagged,
but there was no key telling me
where the bag's contents went on
the airplane. Plus there were several
mechanical systems, like the trim,
that were unique to this airplane,
and it took a lot of head scratching
to figure out./I

Tom Brown and the Pasped Skylark 's owner and pilot, Buzz Penny.

A lot of research and scrounging went into restoring the instrument panel
and cockpit as close as possible to the original 1935.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

During Bob Greenhoe's three

decades of ownership, he amassed a
huge amount of material, including
a lot of factory blu ep rints , all of
which were put to good use.
According to Brown, liThe blue
prints were great, but they didn't
include many details. We could use
them on the major assemblies, but
the tiny stuff wasn't there. What re
ally saved us, however, were the 100
snapshots the previous shop took of
the airplane as they disassembled it."
Because the airplane had always
been flying and hangared, Brown
says the fuselage steel was in good
condition.
liThe fuselage is standard steel
welded tubing with an attached cen
ter section which spans over 9 feet.
The center section is made of a cou
ple of really big tubes running
parallel to each other and separated,
and connected, with smaller tubes
in a web. When we repaired it, the
fuselage was cut in half, with heav
ier tubing tacked in place, and a lot
of the webbing was cut out of the
center section and replaced. All of
8

APRIL 2003

the fuselage formers that the

stringers attach to were in pretty sad
shape or missing, so all were made
new. Once repairs were made to the
forward part of the fuselage, the old
original aft section was reattached as
it was in very good shape.
liThe little side door is interesting,"
Brown says, "because it cuts into the
fuselage truss and is surrounded by
lots of steel. The doors are aluminum,
and they were missing, so we built
new ones from pictures. The only alu
minum we saved on the entire
airplane was the compound pieces at
the bottom and the front of the wheel
spats and the wing root fairings aft of
the front spar. All of the aluminum
we saved required lots of work on the
English wheel to iron out 60-plus
years of lumps.
"We had really good pictures of
the instrument panel, but finding
all of the right instruments turned
out to be one of the harder parts of
the project. Among other things,
both the flap and gas gauge were 6
volt electric units, and they were
hard to match. We fabricated a new

panel that was exact to the photos,

and when we finally found all the
right instruments, we shipped them
out to Kansas City Instruments and
had them refinished and rebuilt.
They are as exact as we could possi
bly get them.
"I did the interior myself and,
here again, matched the material
and stitching patterns in the photos
as much as possible.
liThe original drum brakes were a
guaranteed-to-fail design , and since
Buzz planned on flying the airplane
quite a bit, we thought it was a good
idea to replace them with some
thing a little more modern that
wouldn't give him any problems.
We went with lO-inch wheels off a
Cessna 310 and used Cessna 210
calipers. We saved all of the original
parts and restored them, so they can

be put back on the airplane at any

time to make it totally original.
liThe original bubble-type wind
shield had been changed to a flat
wrap, but we found we could dupli
cate the original by cutting down an
Ercoupe unit. At the same time we
built a new turtledeck structure to
bring it back down to the original
lines. You sit pretty low in the air
plane, and a previous owner had
raised the turtledeck in an apparent
effort at increasing the visibility.
"When we got ready to work on
the trim system, we realized we did
n ' t know exactly how it went
together. It has two tabs and is com
pletely cable operated with cables
coming in through both stabilizers
Looking like a pampered
pooch anxiously waiting
for a treat from its mas
ter, the Pasped 's
extensive metal work
meant a lot of time was
spent at the English
wheel , eliminating dents
and dings from the com
z
~ pound curved surfaces.
C<:

J:
tZ

:<:
U.J

to a mixer in the fuselage. Every

thing had been taken apart, and the
blueprints didn 't show much, but,
again, we got enough ideas about
how it worked from the photos that
we eventually figured it out. It's
amazing how much harder it is to
put something together that you
didn't take apart."
Some work had been done on the
airplane prior to Brown receiving it
into his shop, including part of the
woodwork for the wings.
Tom says, "New spars had been
cut and new ribs built, so I took all
of the wing parts over to my brother,
Steve, who has a wing shop about 3
miles from my place. He routed the
spars and assembled the pile of parts
into wings. He specializes in aircraft
wing work, and he does all of mine.
We trade labor back and forth and
are constantly helping each other

A 165-hp Warner seems to be just the right amount of power for the Sky
lark, giving it reasonable performance for an antique airplane. Although it
looks similar to an Aeronca Le , it 's a much bigger airplane-looking at the
photo of Tom and Buzz, you can see the tops of their heads only reach t o
the middle of the cowl!

on our respective projects. The ribs

were in good shape for the most
part , and it took him about two
months to finish the wings, which is
pretty good considering how big the
wings are.
"He had to build new ailerons,
which use box spars. The blueprints
were a little help, but we had one
aileron to use as a pattern, so that
wasn't terribly difficult, but it did
take time."
From the day it was originally
built, the airplane had been pho
tographed quite a number of times,
as it passed through various owners'
hands. Those photos would pop up
in magazines, and in each it is
painted a dark red, which Tom says
wasn't the original color.
lilt came out of the factory
painted white with black trim. A
short time later, however, it was
painted red, and that's the way it
stayed for the next 50 years. Buzz
wanted it original, so we went back
to the factory colors."
Tom worked on the airplane
full time for two years, getting it
ready for its first flight on July 8,
2002, with the goal of making
Oshkosh barely two weeks later.
Tom made the first flights and
says it was no problem.
liOn that first one I was a little
worried because we didn't really
know much about how the airplane
flew, and I was taking off from my
brother's little 900-foot farm strip,
but there was no problem at all. The

airplane accelerated really well, and

with all of that wing area, it sort of
levitated into the air. The stall speed
is well under 40 miles per hour, so it
doesn't take long to get it in the air.
"W hen it 's light, it climbs at
about 800 feet per minute, and it
usually cruises at about 110 mph,
depending on how hard you want
to push it.
"In general, you might say it feels
'slow' because of those big wings.
The ailerons are actually pretty nice,
however. They have just the right
amount of differential. There isn't
enough elevator or rudder, however,
and it takes a long time for the trim
to have effect.
liThe center section flap is over 9
feet long and 2 feet wide, so it really
works. You come over the fence at
about 45 mph and touch down at
something under 40 mph.
liT he landing gear is really soft
and forgiving, and it's pretty hard to
get in trouble when you're moving
that slow as long as you are on grass.
It changes personality entirely, how
ever, when you put it on pavement."
So, now that it's finished, was it
worth all the work?
Buzz Penny sums it up: "I wanted
something unique that I could take
to fly-ins and feel confident in it,
and the Skylark is exactly that. It's
comfortable and has great visibility.
Plus, I'm absolutely guaranteed that
I'm not going to find another one
tied down next to m e no matter
where we go, and I like that." .......
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

In 1928 I was flying two World

War I airplanes at the old Poughkeep
sie Airport, later replaced by the
present Dutchess County Airport,
where I still fly in 2003. The two air
planes were a]N-4 "]enny" and a]-1
Standard. The latter, involved in the
following event, was powered by a
220-hp Hispano-Suiza water-cooled
V-8 engine from a SPAD, made in
France in WW 1. It was a good engine
for its day, but, well, just read 'n, see.
On May 29, 1928, the day before
Memorial Day, a group of American
Legions came to the grass field,
hangarless airport and asked a favor.
A bronze plaque was to be dedicated
in memory of Poughkeepsie men
who had lost their lives in the Euro
pean War, 1917-1918. The ceremony
was to be held on Memorial Day, in
stead of as originally planned for the
November 11 Armistice Day, which
would have been the 10th anniver
sary of the signing of the armistice
ending the war. The plaque had al
ready been installed on the old City
Hall on Main Street but covered by a
shroud to be dropped during the cer
emony, sponsored by the Legion.
The men asked me to participate in
the dedication by dropping from the
air over the assemblage a large num
ber of the little artificial poppies. The
Legionnaires sold these flowers all
over the United States to raise funds
(poppies from In Flanders Fields). I was
happy to do so. The men said that a
very large crowd was expected to as
semble in front of the City Hall at
Main and Washington streets for the
ceremony, including one or two Army
generals, politicians, of course, and
many veterans and the relatives of
men lost in the war.
There were to be several buglers who
10

APRIL 2003

would be standing in front of the

plaque to play taps just before the
shroud was dropped. As you who are
old enough to remember the European
War, later named World War I, the
armistice was signed, according to leg
end, at the 11th minute of the 11 th
hour of the 11th day of the 11th month
of 1918. Therefore it was planned to
have the buglers sound taps and finish
just at 11:11 a.m. They wanted the pop
pies to start falling just as the 11th
minute approached (at the 10th), as the
last notes of taps were sounding. That
required precise timing. I agreed to try,
and since one of the men who worked
for the railroad had an accurate Hamil
ton watch, I synchronized my Waltham
wristwatch with it. They then left a
large box of the poppies. .
The direct line distance from the
field to the target was 4-1/2 miles,
which would take just that number of
minutes at the 65-70 mph cruising
speed of the biplane against an ex
pected 5 mph wind. However, I
planned to take off early and try to
time the pass exactly over the target.
The plane had no airspeed indicator,
and I had only the one opportunity
to hit the target on time, so I had to
time it accurately over landmarks,
guessing the airspeed of the plane.
Main Street and the course to the
target were almost parallel, but con
verged. The street was level to the
target but then dropped downhill for
a little more than half a mile to the
1/2-mile wide Hudson River. The
Main Street trolley car tracks, with
their overhead 600-volt wires, also
led right down to the dock at the
river. Remember that. The big iron
railroad bridge is about 3/8-mile
north of that point.
My plan was to charge along Main

Street, descending toward the target

in a silent power-off glide. This way I
could get an accurate drop directly
over the crowd at low altitude with
out noise, which might drown out
the sounding of taps.
Of course that would bend the new
air regulations, but they did not want
the poppies spread all over the city,
just the assemblage. It was to be a
complete surprise event. After the
drop, I planned to silently glide down
the grade of Main Street for about a
block or two, then resume power grad
ually and flyaway over the river. That
afternoon I made a practice flight at
higher altitude to test the timing.
Memorial Day turned out to be
perfect weather, clear and cool with a
light NW breeze. I had the plane out
and ready for warm-up and was ex
pecting another pilot friend to sit in
the cockpit while I cranked the big 9
foot, 2-inch left-hand Hamilton wood
propeller (I still have it). I was 6 foot,
2-1/2 inches tall and 175 pounds and
did not allow anyone else to crank it.
It was not only bigger than most pro
peliers, but left-hand propellers were
rare and unsafe for an inexperienced
person. All aircraft engines were
started by hand-cranking the pro
peliers in those days, a perilous art.
I had another friend, non pilot, who
was ready to ride in the front cockpit to
dump the poppies overboard on my
signal. In those open airplanes, the pi
lot sat in the rear cockpit. The time
came to warm up the engine, but the
other pilot did not. Ample time was
needed to warm up the big water-cooled
engine, and I was getting desperate.
Someone should be in the rear cockpit

W@aK:f~r

even a choke. There

brass primer cups with
valves on the intake manifold. After
putting about a thimbleful of gaso
line in each cup, the valves were
opened to drain the gas down into
the manifold and then closed. To do
all that, it was necessary to stand on
one of the wheels to reach them
first one side of the plane, then the
other. The propeller was then pulled
about two revolutions to take the
prime into the cylinders. The priming
charge would then be repeated to
provide fuel for the starting engine.
The person pulling the propeller
would get one blade into the proper
position and call "switch on" to the
person in the cockpit, who would
turn the magneto switch on and an
swer, "switch on." The propeller
would then be pulled through th e
first compression briskly, and the en
gine should start.
Well , th a t did happen, but not
every time by any means. If not, then
the person in the cockpit ca ll ed
"switch off," and it was then necessary
to get the propeller into the proper po
si ti on for another pull. If not
successful after two or three times, it
was necessary to go through the entire
priming and starting process again.
This procedure continued until a suc
cessful start was achieved. It could be
rather strenuous work for even a husky
person on the propeller. I had devel
oped good propeller-pulling muscles,
for it took a lot of strength .
With my nonpilot friend at the pi
lot's cockpit to work the switch, I
started the above procedure about 30
minutes before the scheduled poppy
drop, not too much time. So, I cranked
that prop and cranked it again and
again, priming in between . My heart

and it was now 11 :04 a.m. I

had to get into the air by 11:05 a.m. to
make the drop on schedule. In desper
ation I gave it another swing, then
another, and suddenly the engine
came to life. I dove behind the revolv
ing propeller on hands and knees and
pulled the two chocks from the
wheels. They were tied together by a
rope, so a single pull did it. The plane
rolled forward and I rolled on my back
as the lower wing passed over me .
Then I jumped for the rear cockpit as
my friend scrambled to get into the
front cockpit. No time for any cere
mony, seat belt, warm-up, magneto
check, just go!
With the engine and its gallons of
cooling water stone cold, you can imag
ine how reluctant it was to respond to
the open throttle. Accelerating pumps
had not been invented . The engine
burped, snorted, backfired, and popped
as the plane slowly accelerated, lifted
off, and barely got up over the trees
with the help of "pucker factor."
A gentle turn toward Poughkeepsie
and a bare climb with the weak engine
put us on our way just over the tree
tops. The engine gave intermittent
bursts of power between noisy pops
and bangs. I had a naked sensat ion
without my safety belt, but there was
no time to let go of the controls to fas
ten it. I just had to keep the engine
running until it warmed and gained
some precious altitude. I intercepted
Main Street at about 400 feet and fol
lowed it. With the target about a mile
and a half ahead I finally reached
about 700 feet altitude. About a mile
from the target I had the engine going
well but then had to start my fast glide
to the target. So I throttled it to id le
for the silent approach. I knew that I
was late but was too busy to look at
my wristwatch while judging the steep

almost closed, and proceeded down

the grade of Main Street toward the
river. About a block past the target, I
dared to start using power. But the en
gine was cold again and started
backfiring. With the windmilling pro
peller turning, it gave precious little
power. I was descending steeper than
Main Street and getting closer to those
deadly 600-volt trolley wires, trying to
coax some power out of the engine.
Of course the carburetor had iced
up, and there was no carburetor heat
on those engines. The only way to get
rid of it was to pump the throttle and
cause the backfiring to blow the ice
out of the carb venturi. I was just able
to keep above the wires . As the en
gine banged and snorted down to the
river, I tried to figure how to get be
yond the wires and over the dock to
dunk my plane into the water.
It looked like I would barely clear
the dock in a stall and then get wet. I
could see th e spot wh ere we would
hit. We cleared the wires by a few feet
and then down to the water, still with
intermittent power. I held the plane
barely above the surface in ground ef
fect. Wo nd erful ! Good o ld ground
effect! We floated out over the water,
only about four feet above it, farther
and farthe r away from shore still try
ing to coax more power o ut of the
engine. I was determined to save my
beautiful airplane, which had cost me
six months of hard work rebuilding it
from the wreck I had bought. I
seemed to have no th oug ht of the
probability of drowning.
Suddenly, all eight cylinders started
firing! I made a slight right turn into the
light northwest breeze, passed under the
railroad bridge, then made a shallow
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

11

JOHN MILLER CONTINUED

climb to a few hundred feet over the

water, and finally turned back to the
airport. On the way I got myself calmed
down a little but was shivering from ex
citement. I was elated at saving the
airplane but disappointed at fouling up
the poppy drop timing.
An hour or so after landing, as I ex
pected, I saw the big, open touring car
with the group of legionnaires come
speeding toward the airport to berate me
for fouling up their carefully made plan.
The car slid to a stop in a cloud of dust.
All four doors swung open, and the six
or eight legionnaires burst out and ran
toward me. I braced myself for their as
sault. They jumped all over me, shaking
both of my hands and all talking to me
at once, enthusiastically thanking me for
such a perfectly timed "bombing./I
They said that as the buglers were
playing taps, they did not hear me com
ing and were disappointed that all of
their precise plans and timing were
wasted. Then, just as the final notes of
taps sounded, the poppies silently
rained over the crowd as a complete
surprise. They had not heard the
whistling wires of the biplane over the
sounding of taps. And since they were
looking at the buglers and standing at
attention, they did not see the plane
pass overhead. I had flown it slightly to
the right of Main Street, slightly behind
them, to allow the NW breeze to drift
the poppies to the crowd. They could
not thank me enough nor understand
how I could have timed the drop so
well and silently.
Little did they know nor did I tell
them of my "professional secret. They
said that the notes of taps and the pop
pies silently snowing down from the
sky was so impressive that thousands of
people had tears in their eyes, the emo
tion was so intense. Yes, little did they
know! I wish I could have been there
much more than where I was. I can still
plainly see those deadly 600-volt wires
under the wheels, the tails kid barely
clearing the dock, and the wheels al
most rolling on the water!
Did I ever learn from that expe
rience!
That same J-1 Standard still ex
ists in 2003 .
........
II

12

APRIL 2003

T
Go Around
To flare , or not to flare?
DOUG STEWART
NAFI MASTER INSTRUCTOR

The storm had been intense, weather conditions, one could

tracking up the stationary front easily see the way the wind was
along the East Coast, but now it caused (I didn't say cussed, al
was being chased out into the though it often was) to rotor as it
North Atlantic by a strong high blew over these trees. The powder
that was building into New Eng- snow that had been dumped in
land. With the high pressure the trees during the storm could
came blue skies that are normally be seen as it first blew up, and
saved for the desert southwest, then rolled rapidly down, in the
and visibilities that are rarely vortices that the trees created.
matched here in
But it was sumMassachusetts, To ADD TO THE MIX mer now, and if a
especially now, in
'pilot was not
the summer.
A ROW OF PINE
well versed in
But the isobars
reading the ter
were jam-packed TREES LINES THE rain, it was easy
together, and the
to get lured into
wind was howlAPPROACH TO
a low approach
ing. The winds
to the runway. To
THE NORTH OF
some pilots the
were gusting more
than 35 knots,
2,600 feet of runcoming across the
way seemed very
THE EXTENDED
runway at a 70- to
short, and thus
85-degree angle.
they could be
CENTERLINE OF
It was not the
fooled into trying
kind of day to be
a low approach in
RUNWAY 29
landing here un
an attempt to
less you had your
"put it on the
crosswind landing techniques numbers./I This type of approach
mastered. In the pattern, an in rarely worked because the low
structor was teaching those level wind shear created severe
techniques to a student. We prefer turbulence on a low approach.
to teach a sideslip approach in The best approach in these con
crosswind conditions to fledgling di tions was a high slipping
students. That way they do not approach, with an aim point
have to deal with the transition about 500 feet down the run
from a crab to a slip as they also way. This way a pilot could stay
try to figure out how and when to out of most of the turbulence,
commence their flare.
and although the slip could lead
To add to the mix, a row of pine a pilot to think that the cross
trees lines the approach to the wind capabilities had been
north of the extended centerline exceeded, it was rare that this
of Runway 29-the runway in use would continue all the way to
this day. In the winter, in similar the runway. As an aircraft got

past the trees and close to the

ground, surface friction usually
slowed the wind enough to al
Iowa pilot to straighten things
out and land without incident.
Also coming from the west,
along with the high pressure, was
a small homebuilt hot rod. it was
a tandem taildragger, with short
stubby wings and large empen
nage and rudder. In the rear seat
was the owner, who had yet to
obtain his tail wheel endorsement,
and thus had been along for the
ride all the way from the West
Coast. Sitting at the controls in
front was the pilot in command.
His tailwheel time had been
grandfathered, as years ago he
had flown as a commercial pilot
in a Beech 18. But before flying
this aircraft, he had never flown a
small, single-engine, tailwheel air
plane. It was also rare that he ever
landed "three point," usually
"wheeling on" the twin Beech.
They arrived just as the wind was
at its peak.
Making their downwind an
nouncement over the UNICOM,
the voice on the other end of the
UNICOM warned them to be on
their toes. Their approach was not
too high, and not too low, but a
little too fast. As they tried to
bleed off speed the turbulence was
bouncing them all over the place.
They decided to go around.
The second approach was
higher, but this time too high,
and it was obvious that a go
around would be needed again.
The voice from the UNICOM op
erator admonished them yet again

to be careful. They knew that

many eyes were on them. On their
third approach they decided to
come in low ... and fast. Ap
proach speed for this aircraft is
about 80 knots. They were doing
at least 100 knots. As they flew
through the turbulence the little
aircraft was bounced around like a
cork in rapids.
The plane floated and floated
down the runway, bleeding off all
the excessive speed. It finally
touched down with less than 600
feet of runway remaining. It was
still too fast. I know that a little
extra speed is sometimes used in a
wheel landing, but this was ab
surd. As the end of the runway
loomed, the plane drifted off the
right side of the runway, tail still
up in a level attitude. If braking
had been poor on the pavement,
it was going to be worse in the
gravel the wheels were now on.
The runway ends in a steep
drop-off of about 20 feet. To the
right of the runway, at the top of
the drop-off, were two poplar
trees. One of them had about a
10-inch diameter, the other was
approximately 6 inches. As the
leading edge of the wing hit these
trees, they were snapped as if a
karate master were demonstrating
his skill. The airplane spun 540
degrees and crashed into the hol
low going backward. Coming to a
stop upright, the two souls aboard
scrambled out of the plane, with
the pilot collapsing only a few
steps from the wreckage, his back
badly broken.
J've often told my students that
any landing you can walk away
from is a good landing. If you can
use the plane again, it's a great
landing. This one was only going
to count as a good landing. And
just barely, at that.
To this day a question remains
unanswered in my mind. Why
did they not go around a third
time? Why didn't they fly to an
airport less than 16 miles to the
west that had a runway aligned

almost directly with the wind,

and that was also twice as long
and twice as wide? Get-there-itis?
Pride? Only the pilot in com
mand that day can answer those
questions.
My mentor, and friend, Safety
Program Manager Bob Martens,
has often said that the go-around
is the most neglected maneuver
in flying. How right he is! I have
personally witnessed several acci
dents, that miraculously were
not fatal, that were the direct re
sult of go-arounds gone bad. In
more than one instance get
there-itis or prid e played a large
role. Why do we get the mental
ity that we "have to land at this
airport"? I remember one blus
tery New Year's Day when I went
to four different airports before
finding a runway where I didn't
run out of crosswind capability,
in a T-tailed Arrow.
Pilots do some pretty dumb
things when they think their
peers are observing them. One of
them is trying to force a landing
gone bad, thinking that they will
be thought of as less than com
petent if they have to go around .
But the opposite is true. It shows
cautious good sense. I have fre
quently told students just
learning to land that they should
not be reluctant to go around,
thinking that I will think poorly
of them. I tell them , quite hon
estly, that I won't remember how
many times they might have to
go around, but I will never forget
the one time they fail to go
around, and crash!
So next time you're flying, why
not practice some go-arounds? Re
member, it's power first. Full
power, smoothly and steadily, not
slammed in. Then clean up the
configuration as necessary as you
transition to best angle climb
speed. If you have the good sense
to go around, when necessary,
and the skill to do it properly, you
will be more than a good pilot ...
you'll be a great pilot.
......
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

13

Taldn Off

There is no paint like the air

sit by the east window watch
ing the clouds made red and
blue by the sun that sets be
hind me, with a cup of Earl
Grey tea, warm and gold with
local honey. I smell it sweetly min
gling with the scent of avgas and
engine oil, which drifts up from my
blue jeans, as I think of where I've
just been. Mostly I am bent over a
computer or my watercolor table
painting, rushing under the weight
of deadlines, absorbed in the small
world of color on a flat piece of
French paper, with hands stressed
from the tension of working tiny
brushes. There is little room for error
with watercolors.

I
14

APRIL 2003

But if I stop painting to look up

and out, the yellow nose of an air
plane is right there, poking out of
the long metal machine shed
hangar, right there to remind me of
the larger picture.

LONNI SUE JOHNSON

So when I can take a break, if the

weather is good for it, we go flying.
The 1946 Piper J-3 Cub is perfect
for an escape. Simple and old-fash
ioned, it goes even slower than the
little aluminum Cessna I learned to
fly in. Its small tail wheel gives it an
eager, nose-high stance. It is the
color of school buses with an ele
gant black lightning bolt from nose
to tail. With the wings overhead it
makes good shade for a lawn chair
and is a big yellow umbrella when
it's raining. Best of all, in the air
there is nothing to block the view of
the earth.
It's light for an airplane. Even
with its 35-foot, 8-inch wings, wider

than a New York City brownstone,

and Continental 90 horse engine, it
weighs only 884 pounds with both
tanks full. Its angular steel armature
is stretched drum-like with shiny
fabric resilient to the touch-almost
like a big 3-D canvas primed yellow
and ready to go.
But this is no painterly illusion.
And it's not that light.
I can lift the tail wheel up for a
few seconds if necessary, but I
mostly move it around by rolling
large slow semicircles.
I savor the preflight inspection
and let it take a long time. Partly be
cause even with lots of exercise,
carrying firewood and piling bales of
hay, and eating as much ice cream as
possible, I am still not as tall or strong
as most of my male pilot friends.
To check the wing tank and wash
the windshield, I need a ladder, and
I have to slow down to position it
without scraping the landing gear
or, in winter, the newly painted yel
low skis. Climbing down I press my

hands against the cowling, warm

from the engine heat er, to limber
them for reaching inside to unplug
its long orange extension cord.
Looking up I can examine the
aileron cables and pulleys while un
tying the wings. I love the feel of
ropes and knots and remember the
old-timer who showed me the spe
ciallore and cleverness of their
invention.

without me.
Standing in front of the right
wheel, I get set to start the engine by
flipping the propeller. Some of my
taller friends can wedge their left
foot under the front of the tire and
reach up to grasp the back edge of
the prop, but being smaller, I don't
have the same wingspan they do, so
I use two rubber chocks strung to
gether with ropes.

I live well into the country, where

keeping mice in their place and not
in my stuff is a constant battle. I re
trieve the old pair of pantyhose, toes
heavy with mothballs, which hang
down inside the tail. Then I pull off
the quilted cowl cover and the mice
hunting cat or two who sleep there.
On wheels, it is just possible by
rocking the Cub a bit to get it to roll
out of the hanga r almost by itself.
Then with a rope and the banner
tow release, I loop the tail to the
doorpost, so it doesn't go flying

From painting, there are no rings

on my right hand, and no untucked
scarves or baggy sleeves to get caught.
I pull the propeller through from the
back, my left hand in the cockpit by
the mixture control. Five times. Then
I switch on the magnetos and give
one more sharp pull to start it.
With the satisfying clicking of the
engine at idle, with its wind in my
face, I get in.
Every time I sit in that Cub I
start to grin, and can't stop until I
get out again.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

15

A fat red folding cushion on the

back seat lets me reach the rudders
and heel brakes. Underneath is a
piece of nonskid carpet pad that
keeps it from wobbling. Careful not
to hit the throttle, I bend over the
front seat to release the tow lever,
fish the chocks inside, and poke
them into the back to nestle with
my purse and the extra quart of oil.
People offer their help, and I have
met many nice men, but I need to
be able to do everything myself even
if it takes more time, because here

16

APRIL 2003

there is usually no one else around.

The hilltop runway is a roller
coaster, wide but short, with an
average elevation of 1,993 feet.
When it is too windy to fly, or the
clouds scrape by too low, the ter
rain has become familiar with
walks and mowing.
When my Cub and I finally taxi
out, run up, and depart upward over
the edge of the hill to the north, Ot
sego Lake shows suddenly below off
the left wing.
Writer James Fenimore Cooper

called it a glimmer glass. It is a long

sliver of shimmering mirror reflect
ing up versions of the hills and
clouds and the little yellow Cub
above. And when completely frozen,
it's an endless new runway.
Henry David Thoreau wrote, A
lake is the landscape's most beauti
ful and expressive feature. It is
earth's eye; looking into which the
beholder measures the depth of his
own nature."
I long for this escape from the
close-up perspective of life at the
computer and the
drawing table, and
for the humility of
becoming tiny in a
big space. The view
of the lake makes
the transformation
complete.
It also provides
points for practicing
maneuvers. Wings
line up against its
serene length to
measure 360-degree
turns and a series of
lazy-eights. The blue
ignition harnesses
quiver against the
yellow cowling as
the cylinders' black
heads brush along
the wide peaceful
circle of horizon.
1/

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

17

I like going so slowly too, as air

planes go. Only a dive can get us
going more than 80 mph.
Looking down, the farm melts
into the undulating grid of fields
and hedgerows. Especially in the
evenings with the cool lattice of
shadows stretching. With each sea
son a fresh pattern is woven in
appropriate threads of color.
The freedom is complete. Just by
working the stick and rudder I can
go up, down, left, or right-any
where. I am not attached to

18

APRIL 2003

anything but the Cub. I am always

amazed to see my own shadow
surfing across the fields beneath
me.
I like being an aerial spy. I watch
tiny tractors drawing stripes in
deep brown fields, and boats
pulling triangular white wakes. I
discover new destinations for
walks: traces of old roads through
the woods, green-gray boulders
dropped by the glacier in its re
treat. I see weather coming, and
feel it as the wind changes against
the thin fabric of the fuselage. I
notice where the cows have grazed
paths, and who drives up to see me
while I'm gone.
Coming back, I watch the lime
green flag at mid-field, and a
bright orange windsock at the
north end. Sometimes there is no
clear best landing direction. The
wind often swirls from both ways
at once. To the east are more
hints: wood smoke from the
house or milk room studio, or the
pond with its surface scum un
ruffled or pleated up at one
end or the other.
On the downwind leg the
field always looks way too
short, tilted and windy to use.
When I first moved here from
Connecticut, where th e run

ways are mostly long, flat, and

paved, I could not imagine that I
would ever be able to land here
in one piece. The local Cub pilots
teased relentlessly. All the second
spring I was here, I practiced
shortening landings on longer
runways until I felt ready. Finally
when I did come home solo, it
was almost easy, and I wondered
what had taken me so long.
Now I relish the short, slow ap
proach at 55-60 miles an hour,
watching for deer and turkeys.
It's a quiet idling glide in sum
mer, but with power in the winter
to keep the exposed cylinders
warm enough to go around if
necessary. Each touchdown is ex
hilarating.
Back down the lumpy lane, we
go, the Cub and I-plump tires
bouncing me in the red seat, door
open if it's warm enough, wings
just missing the leaning hops barn
and the bright gas tanks, past the
milk house and its grand old hay

barn with three silos, and sending

cats running every which way.
In his journal in September of
1851, Thoreau wrote, "I wish to
see the earth through the medium
of much air or heaven, for there is
no paint like the air."
How could he have known?
It's uphill into the hangar. If I
shut down as close as possible fac
ing the entrance, I can walk the
tail around in perfect alignment
for the winch. It's a manual one
with a long cable.
To pull the Cub in it takes turn
ing the crank forever. If I were
strong enough to pick up the tail
and lift it all of the way in, it'd be
done in half a minute. Instead
the winch winds up as the sun
slips down the western ridge. The
barn is illuminated in a red satu
rated moment. I begin to think
again of the pain tings on my
table. The clicking resounds out
into the hay fields to the ends of
the silos' blue shadow.
Each time I put the Cub
away, I think of the time I've
spent. Next time, I'll take even
longer!
Lonni Sue Johnson, watercolorist
and cat wrangler, aLso serves as the
secretary of EAA Chapter 1070 in
Cooperstown, New York.
......
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

19

~ss

BY E.E. " BUCK" HILBERT, EAA #21 VAA #5

P.O. Box 424, UNION, IL 60180

Tail wheels

No mistake, taildraggers are here

to stay. Builders like American
Champion, Maule Air, and Waco
Classic are still building new air
planes, and there are a number of
the old Champs, Luscombes, T-Carts,
Cessnas, and others, still out there
being restored and flown by both
old and new generation pilots.
Despite Phil Boyer's (AOPA) expe
rience in learning to handle a
taildragger, they can still be a lot of
fun. There is no doubt they require
a certain amount of finesse and
knowledge of basic airplane han
dling that isn't required of the
tri-gear installation . The tri-gear
takes a lot of the sweat out of opera
tions. It eliminates the uphill climb
into a seat on the modern airliner,
puts better visibility over the nose,
helps in a maximum braking situa
tion, and gives the pilot something
to put on the yellow taxi line.
The nose over tendency of early
airplanes put skids up front, so if they
did get the tail high, the skid would
help to prevent damage to the pro
peller. Witness the wing tip skids on
Curtiss JNs and DHs, in the event of a
ground loop. Look at the accident and
mishap pictures some of the old mag
azines publish, and you'll see the
reason for these skids.
The taildragger does have an in
nate tendency to ground loop. Just try
shoving a tricycle backwards and
watch how quickly it ground loops.
On the other hand, going forward is a
little more stable and predictable.
Since we are talking tail wheels, let's
get back to them.
Look at that little wheel back
there. It doesn't look like much, but
it is one third of your landing gear,
yet it does 90 percent of the work at
low speeds in controlling the air
20

APRIL 2003

plane on the ground. As insignifi

cant as it looks, it drags through the
mud and dust, snow and water, on
pavement or dirt; it does its job. It
keeps you in control, provided you
make sure it's connected and func
tional with the steering cables and
springs attached, properly inflated,
lubricated, and equipped with rea
sonably decent tread on the tire.
The first thing that tells you it's
working right is the wear on the tail
wheel tire. If your main gear is out of
whack and the airplane dogtrots or
crabs while running on the ground,
uneven wear will show in the tail
wheel tire quickly. Especially in one of
the 6-by-2-inch hard rubber tires .
Also, if the tread is down to where
you see a crack along the center, get a
new tire. In side that rubber molded
tire is a cable ring that re-enforces the
tire . If you see a crack, there is a good
chance that tire is about to come apart
and jam itself between the wheel and
the yoke, and you'll lose control. The
money spent on a new tire is a mini
percentage of what it will cost to re
pair your airplane and overcome the
embarrassment that goes with break
ing an airplane.
Don't let the phrase "taildragger"
intimidate you. Learning to use it and
use it properly is just another phase of
flight . Literally millions of words have
been written about how to use the tail
wheel, and I'm not about to reiterate
any or all of them. I'm just going to ex
plain how they work, what they are
made of, and how to take care of them.
As with most man-made contrap
tions, there are many varied ideas in
how to produce them and how effec
tive they are. Back in the "Jenny" days
there were skids, some fixed and some
partially steerable. The technique in
those days was to shove the stick for

ward to take the weight off the skid

and fly the tail around using a combi
nation of power and rudder alone.
The rigid skid didn't give much and it
imposed side loads on the structure.
With no brakes, the biplane reqUired
a pretty large turning radius.
The next dev elopment was a
bungee shock absorber that also
swiveled some fifteen degrees. This
gave some leeway and made the turn
ing radius a little smaller. The side
forces and drag were still there.
Then someone put a wheel in place
of the skid plate. Now they could
move the airplane a lot easier, but
that complicated things because the
drag of the skid was all they had for
braking. With the slick steel plate,
that friction was gone. So some kind
of brakes had to be installed on the
main gear. Next that little wheel on
the end of the skid had to swivel so
we could really turn short.
Various deSigners came out with
designs. Heath Airplane Company
came out with one of the first steer
able tail wheels. Other manufacturers
followed suit, and that function cou
pled with individual brakes made
ground handling much, much easier.
Experiments followed with various
types of installations, including a trail
ing spring similar to automotive
design, which was secured to the tail
longerons. It is common on Cessnas,
Aeroncas, Taylorcrafts, and Pipers. The
telescoping tail post type like the instal
lation on the Aeronca K, Fleet, and
others, and the articulated and hinged
installations all came about and all
worked with varying degrees of success.
A lot depended on the weight and
support the little tail wheel had to

carry. Look at the DC-3 and the B-17.

On these heavier aircraft, the tail
wheel design had to follow the re
quirements. North American had
their own design, so did Stinson and
Fairchild. They all had their unique
problems and solved them. Some
were successful, others with some
what less than pleasant results.
I used to think that the old time pi
lots, like Amelia, and Post, and some
of those other early record-setting pio
neers were lousy pilots because they
ground looped on occasion. In reality,
they did a terrific job considering the
equipment they had to work with .
Their mishaps were the proof needed
to improve the design and function of
this little wheel in the back.
The steerable was soon improved
even further by adding a full swivel
feature . Now we could really turn
around in a tight radius. Furthermore,
the airplane could now be pushed
backwards without lifting the tail off
the ground or disconnecting the steer
ing cables. This free wheeling feature
could also be a trap if the operator
wasn't aware of it.
How does it work? Good question.
All the designs have common con
trols, usually an arm or steering tiller
that transfers the rudder input to the
tail wheel assembly. Done either with
solid arms or cables and usually incor
porating some sort of shock absorbing
device, such as springs, it gives it a lit
tle slack so as not to overpower the
rudder action.
Pushing rudder will direct the steer
ing in the direction you want to go.
Once headed that way, you neutralize
the rudder input until you want to
change direction. Neutralizing or cen
tering the control will then allow the
tail wheel to trail and you'll proceed
in a straight line.
The swivel feature allows the wheel
to trail and has some free movement
on either side of neutral. This soaks
up little variations in the runway or
sod surface, and still allows you con
trol if your input asks for more.
To prevent the unit from going
into full swivel, a monkey-motion
cam arrangement in all the designs

kicks in if you reach the extreme limit

of the steerable travel. Once this limit
releases that cam, you have a full
swiveling wheel. To put it back in the
steerable mode, the wheel must again
trail, which releases the cam action
and centers itself.
This sounds confusing, but in real
ity it's like there is a notch in the trail
position; jump out of that notch and
you 're freewheeling. To get back into
the notch, roll straight ahead a little
ways and it'll snap back in. To get out
of that notch, you need a full rudder
application and a side load.
Some airplanes have a manual tail
wheel lock. The Boeing Kaydet, com
monly known as the Stearman, which
the Navy used for primary training,
had a reputation for belittling pilots.
It was a real ground looper, so they in
stalled a manual tail wheel lock. This
would not allow the tail wheel to go
into the full swivel position. The 15
or 20-degree steering input was still
there, but the full swivel was locked
out. Some of the Waco aircraft also
have this feature. It works, but the
one caveat is don't forget to unlock it
to make a sharp turn at the taxiway.
The locking mechanism will break
and then enhance the mechanic's job
security. Ask any DC-3 , B-17 or T-6
maintenance technician.
Routine preflight of the tail wheel
assembly should take real precedence
while doing your walk around. Again,
this is your primary control! Are the
cables attached? Are the clips that
hold the springs to the steering arms
worn? Does the tire look good? Infla
tion? Unusual wear? Wiggle the
rudder; do the cables actually steer the
wheel? Push a little to impose a side
load; make sure the attach paints are
tight. No excess movement. Does it
lean or show signs of sloppiness? Does
it look right? From the side, is the
pivot line perpendicular to the
ground; does everything look right? Is
the spring sagging? One can't be too
picky preflighting this little monster.
It can spell disaster if it isn't control
lable, and we don't want that!
So now we finish the preflight and
count the wings and wheel. The cock

pit check is complete and we have the

engine running. If it 's clear ahead,
open the throttle and move off the
tied own, using rudder in the direction
you want to turn. Once the turn is es
tablished, neutralize the rudder. Now
you can test the brakes and see that
they are working and then forget
them. A good steerable tail wheel will
respond without braking.
Now we get to the basics of how to
handle the controls. If you are a sea
plane pilot, you've already mastered
this business of flying the controls. If
you have a headwind, you hold back
pressure on the stick to keep the tail
wheelan the ground. In a tail wind,
forward pressure, again to keep the
tail wheelan the ground. In a direct
crosswind, neutralize the elevator and
aileron into the wind. For a quarter
ing headwind, aileron into the wind
and place back pressure on the eleva
tor. For a quartering tail wind, stick
AWAY from the wind and place for
ward pressure on the elevator.
All this is to keep that tail wheel
firmly in contact with the ground to
assure control. Flying the ailerons in a
crosswind keeps pressure on the down
aileron and keeps the upwind wing
down. Taxiing crosswind and in a
crosswind takeoff, aileron into the
wind and opposite rudder to keep it
going straight.
Practice this . Taxi around on the
ground until you get the feel of how
effective the rudder and the tail wheel
steering is. Be a little aggressive and
experiment a little, preferably on a
wide grass runway where a little slip
page can give you a margin for error.
If visibility over the nose presents a
problem, then 1/5" turn. 1/5" right,
look left down your route of taxi. 1/5"
left and look out the right side. If you
see it's clear, then no need to make an
1/5" of yourself over and over again.
Only when you want to be sure noth
ing is in front of you.
Place the centerline markings of the
taxiway and the runway between your
feet and keep them there. There is a
parallax error and if the line is between
your feet, then you are on center and
you are assured of wing tip clearance.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

21

To turn around on a narrow strip,

plan your turn so the wind will help
you. Taxi along the downwind edge
ofthe strip and make your 180 into
the wind. The weathervane effect on
your airplane will help to initiate the
turn. Ease up a little on the back
pressure as you start into the turn,
and this will make the tail come
around more easily.
You are working that tail wheel to
your advantage. Keep that in mind
and visualize the forces your control
input is accomplishing. Use the
brakes sparingly, and only as an aid if
you aren 't turning as sharp as you
like, or to avoid a problem.
After a sharp turn and the tail
wheel has fully swiveled, roll straight
ahead for a bit to get it back in the
notch or steerable position. Feel the
resistance in the rudder pedals when
it's in the steerable position. The rud
der will feel loose and ineffective if
it's swiveling. The roll straight ahead
and a neutral rudder will again en
gage that centering device.
Practice those "S" turns and the
180s on th e runway and the strip.
Play the elevator and the ailerons,
and again visualize and practice the
effect you're looking for. Half an hour
of taxi time practice won't hurt a bit.
Once those feet wake up to the fact
that THEY control the airplane on the
ground, your flying will come easy.
Don't go out and try this on a day
when the wind is blowing up a
frenzy. Not until you've had enough
practice at light crosswinds and tail
winds. Moderate to heavy winds can
really play tricks. For example, taxi
ing downwind in a heavy wind can
have a reverse effect on the controls.
You poke in left rudder, the rudder
swings in that direction, the wind
pushes against it, and you get a re
verse effect. Your ailerons also have a
reverse effect going downwind.
Sometimes it's absolutely necessary
to have a wing walker on the upwind
side to hold that wing down. I don't
advocate operations in winds strong
enough to lift a wing. Wait until con
ditions improve and then go fly. K
Over to you

lr

22

APRIL 2003

-;Bt/...cJ"

A l r e r _ 1t Co_ tl ng _

www.polyfiber.com

www.aircraflspruce.com

Workshop Schedule
April 26-27. 2003 Watsonville. CA
SHEET METAL
COMPOSITE CONSTRUCT.
FABRIC COVERING
ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS
& AVIONICS
May 16-18. 2003 Oshkosh. WI
RVASSEMBLY
May 16-18. 2003 Griffin (Atlanta). GA
TIG WELDING
June 6-8. 2003 Corona. CA
RVASSEMBLY
June 21-22.2003 Frederick. MD
SHEET METAL
COMPOSITE CONSTRUCT.
1-800-WORKSHOP

FABRIC COVERING
ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS
1-800-967-5746

& AVIONICS
sportair@eaa.org

GAS WELDING
June 27-29. 2003 Griffin (Atlanta). GA
Visit www.sportair.com

RVASSEMBLY
TIG WELDING
for a complete listing of workshops.

FLY-IN CALENDAR

The following list ofcoming events is fllrnished to

our readers as a matter ofinformation only and does
not constitllte approval, sponsorship, involvement,
control or direction ofany event (fly-in, seminars, fly
market, etc.) listed. To submit an event, please log
on to www.eaa.org/events/events.asp. Only if Inter
net access is unavailable should you send the
information via mail to:, Att: Vintage Airplane,

P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Informa

tion should be received fOllr months prior to the
event date.
APRIL I9-Fort Pierce, FL-EAA Ch. 908
Fly-In Pancake Breakfast, Ft. Pierce Int'I
Airport. Info: Paul, 772-464-0538 or 772
461-7175.
APRIL 27-HalfMoon Bay, CA_13 th Annual
Pacific Coast Dream Machines Show, Half
Moon Bay Airport. 10am-4pm. Admission
$15 adults, $5 (age 5-14 & 65+), free for
kids age 4 and under. Parking included in
price of admission. Info: 650-726-2328,

www.miramarevents.com.
APRIL 2-8--Lakeland, FL-Sun 'n Fun EAA
Fly-In. Info: 863-644-2431, www.sun-n-fim.org.
MAY 2-4-Burlington, NC-VAA Ch . 3
Annual Spring Fly-In, Alamance Cty
Airport. All welcome. Info: 843-753-7138.
MAY 4-Dayton, OH-EAA Ch. 48 40 th An
nual Fly-In, Moraine Air Park (1-73). Info:
Dennis 937-878-264 7 or Mike 937-859

8967, wwweaa48.org.
MAY 4-Rockford, LL-EAA Ch. 22 Fly-In Drive-In
Breakfast, Greater Rfd. Airport, Courtesy Aircraft
Hanger. Info: 815-397-4995.
MAY IO-Kennewick, WA-EAA Ch. 391
Fly-In Breakfast at Vista Field. Info: 509
735-1664.
MAY I6-I8--Kewanee, IL-Midwest Aeronca
Fest (and old fashioned taildragger) Fly-In,
Kewanee Municipal Airport KEll. Info: 309
852-2594, e-mail: jodydeb@inw.net.
MAY I7-Sla ton, TX-South Plains
Airshow, Texas Air Museum, Cap rock
Chapter. Info: 806-632-0063 or www.tex

asairmllseum.net

EAA's Countdown to
Kitty Hawk Touring
Pavilion presented by
a;a~'?kn/'fln,,;

Ford Motor Company

Key Venues in 2003

April 2-8 - Sun 'n Fun EM Fly-In,
Lakeland, FL
June 13-16 - Ford Motor Company's l00th
Anniversary Celebration, Dearborn, MI
July 4-20 - Inventing Flight Celebration,
Dayton,OH
July 29-Aug. 4 - EM AirVenture Oshkosh,
Oshkosh, WI
August 23-September 2 - Museum of
Flight, Seattle, WA
December 13-17 - First Flight Centennial
Celebration, Kitty Hawk, NC

MAY I8--Romeoville, IL-EAA Ch. 15 32 nd

Annual Fly-In Breakfast, Lewis University
Airport (LOT), 7am-Noon. Info: George
630-243-8213 .
MAY I 8--Troy. OH-VAA Ch. 36 Old Fash
ioned Barbeque Fly-In, WACO Field
(1 WF), 11am-4pm, Young Eagle Flights.
(Rain date for Young Eagle flights , june 22,
Ipm-4pm) Info: 937-335-1444, e-mail:
dickandpatti@aol.com, or 937-294-1107
e-mail navion@gemair.com.
'
MAY I6-26-Fayetteville, NC-Festival of
Flight 2003. Info www.festivalofflight.org.
MAY 24-Fort Pierce, FL-EAA Ch. 908 Fly
In Pancake Breakfast, Ft. Pierce Int'I
Airport. Info: Paul, 772-464-05 38 or AI,
772-461-7175 .
MAY 30-June I -Columbia, CA-Bellan ca
Champion Club West Coast Fly-In. BBQ
Friday, steak dinner/ mtg Saturday.
Advance registration strongly encour
aged. Info: 518-731-6800 or

www.bellanca-championclub.com.

AUGUST I-Oshkosh, WI-Bellanca

Champion Club Banquet, 6 pm at
Hilton Gardens. Tickets available
in late April, $27 including dinner.
Info: 518-731-6800 or

www.bellanca-championclub.com.
AUGUST 30-Prosser, WA-EAA Ch. 391
20 th Annua l Labor Day Weekend Prosser
Fly-In. Info: 509-735-1664.
AUGUST 30-SEPTEMBER I -Cleveland
OH-Cleveland Nat'l Air Show. Info: 216
781-0747 or www.clevelandairshow.com.
AUGUST 29-3I-Saranac Lake, NY
Centennial of Flight Celebration Air Show.

www.saranaclake.com/airport.shtrnl.
SEPTEMBER I9-20-Bartlesville, OK
47th Annual Tulsa Regional Fly-In . Info:
Charlie Harris 918-665-0755, Fax 918

665-0039, www.tlIlsafiyin.com.
SEPTEMBER 26-28--Pottstown PA
Bellanca-Champion Club East'Coast Fly
In at Pottstown Municipal Airport
(N47). Info: 518-731-6800 or

www.bellanca-championclub.com.

JUNE I -Tunkhannock, PA-Pancake

Breakfast, Skyhaven Airport, 8am-1pm.
Info 570-836-3884 or skyhaven@epix.net.
JUNE 6-7-Bartlesville, OK-17th Annual
Biplane Expo. Info: Charlie Harris 918
665-0755, Fax 918-665 -0039,

SEPTEMBER 27-28--Midland, TX-Fina

CAF AIRSHO 2003, Midland Int'l Airport.
Info: 915-563-1000, www.airsho.org.

EAA FLY-IN SCHEDULE 2003

www.biplaneexpo.com.
JUNE 6-8--Alliance, OH-Mid-Eastern FUNK
Aircraft O.A. Fly-In, Alliance-Barber
Airport, 2D1. Info: 216-382-4821.
JUNE I4-I 5-Toledo, OH-EAA Ch. 582 Fly
In, Metcalf Field (TDZ). Pull-A-Plane
contest, Young Eagles, food, aircraft and
auto displays. 9am-5pm. Info: john 419
666-0503 or www.eaa582.org.
JUNE I8-2I-Lock Haven, PA
Sentimental journey '03, William T.
Piper Memorial -Airport.
Info: 570-893-4200 or

www.sentimentaljourneyfiy-in .com.

www.goldenwestflyin.org
EAA Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In

June 28-29, Longmont, CO (2V2)

www.rmrfiorg
NortItwest EAA Fly-In

July 9-13, Arlington, WA (AWO)

www.nweaa.org
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

www.airventure.org
August 22-24, Marion, OH (MNN)

440-352-1781
'

JULY I7-20-Dayton, OH-Vectren

Dayton Air Show, Dayton Int'I airport.
Info: 937-898-5901 or

www.swrfiorg
Golden West EAA Regional FIy-ln

June 20-22, Marysville, CA (MYV)

EAA Mid-Eastern Fly-In

JUNE 28--Prosser, WA-EAA Ch. 391 fly-In

Breakfast. Info: 509-735-1664
JUNE 28--Quincy, CA_6 th Ann ual
Antique Wings & Wheels, Pre 1950 air
craft & automobiles, 8am-3pm, Gansner
Field (201) . Info: 530-283-4312 or

alhansen@jps.net.

May 16-17, New Braunfels, TX (KBAZ)

July 29-August 4, Oshkosh, WI (OSH)

JUNE 2I-22-Howell, MI-4th Annual

Great Lakes Fly-In, liVingston County
Airport (OXW). Hands-on workshops,
seminars, and more. Info: 517-223-3233

greatlakesflyin.org.

EAA Southwest Regional FIy-ln

Virginia State EAA FIy-ln

September 20-21, Petersburg, VA (PTB)

www.vaeaa.org
EAA East Coast Fly-In

September 13-14, Toughkenamon, PA (NS?)

www.eastcoastflyin.org
EAA Southeast Regional Fly-In

October 3-5, Evergreen, AL (GZH)

www.serfiorg
Coppentate EAA FIy-ln

October 9-12, Phoenix, AZ (A39)

www.coppersmte.org

www.daytonairshow.com.

SKYWARD

31905 West 175, Gardner, KS (K-34)

913 -856 -7851; www.skywardpi/otshop.com

Pilot supplies-Tr<lining Aids-Airu<lft P<lrts-Avi<ltion run Stuff

Located in the "Heart of America" for fast nationwide delivery

Avcom Mcrarlane Aviation Products Corrosion X-ReJex Compaq

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

23

BY H . G . FRAUTSCHY

Since we missed having a January

Mystery Plane, I've got an extra tidbit of
information concerning a previous Mys
tery Plane. Pete Bowers was kind enough
to send these additional shots of the Ey
erly Lee 7D Comet monoplane, two of
which were taken at Boeing Field. The
airplane was active in the mid-to-Iate
1930s, and even flew out of state. The
Eyerly Lee was first built with an OX-S
as the powerplant and then a Kinner
was installed, with the final engine a
130-hp Comet.
(Above) The Eyerly Lee as it appeared equipped
with an elongated nose to offset the lighter
weight of the five-cylinder Kinner, which re
placed an OX-5. The top of the cabin section is
covered with corrugated aluminum , all the way
back to the pilot's open cockpit. Just behind
the tail you can see the blurred image of a wa
ter-cooled biplane fighter on its takeoff roll.
In this shot, the rather grubby-looking Eyerly
Lee has a Comet engine bolted to a much
shorter engine mount. The 130-hp Comet ,
readily identifiable by the overhead rocker
arms for valve actuation, was the final engine
used in the high-winger.

THIS MONTH ' S MYSTERY PLANE COMES FROM

THE COLLECTION OF LYNN SHEREN.

SEND YOUR ANSWER TO: EAA , VINTAGE A IRPLANE, P.O. Box

3086,

OSHKOSH,

WI 54 903-3086 . YOUR ANSWER NEEDS TO BE IN NO LATER

THAN MAY

15, 2003,

FOR INCLUSION IN THE J ULY

2003

ISSUE OF VIN

TAGE A IRPLANE.
You CAN ALSO SEND YOUR RESPONSE VIA E-MAIL. SEND YOUR AN
SWER TO vintage@eaa.org .
B E SURE TO INCLUDE BOTH YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS (ESPECIALLY
YOUR CITY AND STATE!) IN THE BODY OF YOUR NOTE AND PUT "(MONTH)
MYSTERY PLANE" IN THE SUBJECT LINE.

24

APRIL 2003

Tim. Tony and Chris Manzo

Gainesville, GA

Tim Manzo: American Airlines MD-80

captain; ATP-EM8110, DC-3, 8727,

8757, 8767, DC-9
Tony Manzo: Retired Delta Airlines
8-777 captain
Chris Manzo : USAirways A8-320
captain; ATP-8737, 8757, 8767,
DC-9, A8320

"Since we have owned our

Stearman, AUA has consis
tently offered the best value
for our insurance needs.
There is not a better choice
than AUA for vintage aircraft
owners. "

- Chris Manzo

The best is affordable. Give AUA a call - it's FREE!

800-727-3823
Fly with the pros... fly with AUA Inc.

AVIATION UNLlMlrED AGENCY

www.auaonline.com

The Golden Age of Aviation Series

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Bellanca 's Golden Age ($24.95) available Dec. 2002

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Rave Reviews:
Skyways: A hit of the first order!
Smithsonian 's National Air & Space: Archival
photos and technical drawings abound.

Dozens of other highly-acclaimed titles (books &

CDs) , including The Legacy of the DC-3

Over 225 3-view drawings

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PO . Box 511, Brawley, CA 92227

Phone: 800-952-7007 Fax: 888-289-7086

E-mail: books@windcanyon.com

website: www.windcanyonbooks.com

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e-mail: mike@mikeshangar.com

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e-mail: info@polyfiber.com
Aircraff: CoaHngs

26

APRIL 2003

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Fabric Selection Guide showing actual sample colors and
styles of materials: $3.00.

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website : www.airtexinteriors.com
Fax: 800/394-1247

NEW MEMBERS

Danny Carroll .. . ................. Newcastle NSW, Australia

Scott A Stamp ..................... North Delta, BC, Canada

John B Bakker ..... .. .. ........... Sebringville, ON. Canada

Joseph Terry O'Dacre ......... Rocky Mountain House, ON, Canada

Denis Lussier .............. . . .. ....... Prevost, Po, Canada

Derek Doyle ..... .. ... ......... . .... Lucan, Dublin, Ireland

Khaled Alzeedi .... ......... ..... . Casablanca-Anfa, Morocco

Enold Johnsen ............................ Askim, Norway

Calixto Fortes ... ................ Sta. Cruz De Tenerife, Spain

Claudio Marin Garcia . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. Ontigola Toledo, Spain

Ian Pentz ............. . ....... Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Bruce Ray ....... ...... . .................. Enterprise, AL

James 0 Atkinson .......... . ... ................ Mena, AR

Homer GEllis .... . ............... .. ....... Fort Smith, AR

Jack Cole .... .. ....... ... . .... . ........ Sun City West, AZ

Mark Hawkins ..... .. .. .......... . ... .... Queen Creek, AZ

Shy Bourgeois .. ...... . .... . ....... .. ..... Santa Ynez, CA

Birch N Entriken ........ .. ................... Truckee, CA

Jerry 0 Finney ... ... ......... .... .......... Riverside, CA

Jerry 0 Finney ............................. Riverside, CA

Jaye L Matthews ..... ... .................... Ramona, CA

Richard McKay ... ..... .. .......... Rancho Palos Verdes, CA

Darrell Meeks ........ .. .................... Modesto, CA

Robert W Preiss ....... . . ... ....... .. .... Palm Springs, CA

Stan Rutiz ..................... .. ........ Templeton, CA

James S Spitzley ............ .. ............... Cambria, CA

James E Hocut ........................ Powder Springs, GA

Jay McClure .... . ......... ..... ......... .... Atlanta, GA

John Neely ...... .. ......... .. .. ... . .. .... Savannah, GA

Richard Van Iderstyne .. ................... Jekyll Island, GA

Jack Else ....................... . ... .... Cedar Rapids, IA

Dale E Standley ............... . . ........ Council Bluffs, IA

Don M Simmonds .................... ... .. Sand Point, ID

Ron Cates ... . . ...... . . .. ........ . .. ......... Tallula, IL

Bruce S Fine ............ .. ................ Northbrook, IL

James M Wissemes .... . .. .. ............... Carol Stream, IL

John Anderson III ...... . .. ..... ............... Olathe, KS

Linda M Hanna .. ....... ... .. ... .. ........... Gardner, KS

Ken Balch ......... .. ...................... Ashland, MA

Michael Kramer ... . ........ .. .... . ....... .... Olney, MD

John Ness ...................... . .. .... White Marsh, MD

Robert A Parrack ................ .. ... .. ...... . Elkton MD

o Dale Hey ....... . ....................... .. Stanton, MI

Kenneth E Davey ...... ......... .. .. ..... Lake Crystal, MN

Lenny Wollitz . ........ ........ . .. ... .. ..... Bemidji, MN

Lynn Larry Pitts ......... .. ............... Webb City, MO

Cecil Austin ........ . ............ ... ........ Winona, MS

Roy Griffin ...... ...... ... ...... . .......... McComb, MS

David Heath...... . ................ . ........ Winona, MS

Mike Spalding ...... . ... ........ ....... ...... Ahoski, NC

Alan Larter ... .... . ...... ..... ........ .. ... Franklin, NH

George F Bigge ........ .... .. . ......... . ....... Elmer, NJ

Michael Harris . .. . ... . . .... .......... ......... Hazlet, NJ

Ken J House ................. . ........... . .. Cranford, NJ

Robert A Kite ......... . .... . ... ... .. . ... Lawrenceville, NJ

Matthew Miller .. . .... . ... .. .. . . ...... . .... . Manville, NJ

Jack Effron ....... ... ..... .............. Poughkeepsie, NY

Eugene T Leavy ......... ... . . . ...... ... East Northport, NY

Frank AVan Skiver ........................ Gloversvi lle, NY

Clyde C Fox .............................. Mansfield, OH

Ralph Goodman .... .. ................. Cuyahoga Falls, OH

Thomas Inglin ..... .. .. ......... . .... ..... Hamilton, OH

William Mack ................... . .. . ..... . Hamilton, OH

Dolivio Cetrangolo ........................... . .. Ada, OK

Brad Mendenhall .................. . ....... Woodburn, OR

Terence J Connor ............... .... ..... West Chester, PA

James R Dugan ....................... . ...... Lansdale, PA

Gary G Hartle ......... ...... .... .. .. ... . . Greencastle, PA

Frank Lipovsek ....... . .................... South Park, PA

Joseph L Campbell ......... . .. .... . ............. Dale, TX

Ray LEnder........ .... .. .. . . ............ San Marcos, TX

Dewey Magee ... ......... . ................. Portland, TX

Scott Sackett ....... . ..... . .................... Krum, TX

Robert Daniels ....... ... ............... .. .... Oakton, VA

Jimmy Mcwhorter. .......... . ................. Louisa, VA

Kristian Ljungkvist ......................... Burlington, VT

Gerald P Mahoney . ..... .. . . ..... . ........... Sequim, WA

Todd A Mason ............................. Centralia, WA

Alfred L Schulz .................. . ........ . . Spokane, WA

Richard E Studebaker ........ .. .... . ........ . .... Bow, WA

Michael Zyskowski ... ... . .......... . ....... Redmond, WA

Tom G Holz ..... . .......... .. ............ West Bend, WI

Mark L Langenfeld ..... . . .... .. .. .... .. .. ... Madison, WI

Gene Seprish .. . .... ... ... ........ .. ...... . Waukesha, WI

Patrick R Walsh ...... . .. ..... . ..... .... . ... Brookfield, WI

Jerry Nelsen . ....... .. ... ... .... .. . ......... Dayton, WY

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

27

VINTAGE

TRADER

Relive tIle
Golden Age
of Air Racing!
n.e Omalla AIr Races
19311934

Something to buy, sell or trade?

1he use of Dacron or similar modern moleriak os a substitute for coHan is a

It was a 5-mile
course with eight to
L~~~~~ ten home-built
planes-----speeds up to 200 mph flying
only 100 feet off the ground! Each
pilot had to race around the pylons-
the tall poles that marked the course
in Omaha, Nebraska.
Rediscover the era of this
popular American pastime in

PYLON! by Wallace Peterson.

dead 9iv..... y10 Ihe knowing eye. They \imp~ do nOllook righl on vinloge
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Museum, in his book Resloring Museum McraN.

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For Sale - 1939 Spartan Executive, 3500TT,

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Write an article for

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

Editor,
Vintage Airplane

P.O. Box 3086

Oshkosh, WI 54904

vintage@eaa.org
For pointers on fonnat and content feel free
to call 920426-4825

28

APRIL

2003

For sale, reluctantly: Warner 145 & 165 engines. 1

each, new OH and low time. No tire kickers, please.
Two Curtiss Reed props to go with above engines.
1966 Helton Lark 95, Serial #S. Very rare, PO-S
certified Target Drone derivative. Tri-gear Culver
Cadet. See Juptner's Vol. S-170. Total time A&E
845 hrs. I just have too many toys and I'm not get
ting any younger. Find my name in the Officers &
Directors listing of Vintage and e-mail or call
evenings. E. E. "Buck" Hilbert

Aviation Art favorites: WW-I, Golden Age, WW-II

to present. www.MotorArtWorks.com

FOR MORE INFO_

Send your submissions to:

Airplane T-Shirts

150 Different Airplanes Available

WE PROBABLY HAVE YOUR AIRPLANE!

www.airplanetshirts.com
1-800-645-7739

Flying wires available.

1994 pricing. Visit

www.f/yingwires.com or call 800-517-9278.

CALL JULIE AT EAA HQ

We're always looking for technical

articles and photos of your latest
restoration . We can 't offer you money,
but we can make you a hero among fel
low Vintage Aircraft enthusiasts!

BABBITT BEARING SERVICE - rod bearings,

main bearings, bushings, master roos, valves, pis
ton rings Call us Toll Free 1-800-233-6934, e-mail
ramremfg@aof.com Web site www.ramengine.com
VINTAGE ENGINE MACHINE WORKS, N. 604
FREYA ST., SPOKANE, WA 99202.

THERE'S JUST NOTHING LIKE IT

ON THE WEB!!

www.aviation-giftshop_com
A Web Site With The Pilot In Mind
(and those who love airplanes)

PRIME

$20 PER INCH/PER MONTH

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 sec on d
month prior to desired issue date (Le., 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 (classads@eaa.org) us
ing 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 corre
spondence to EAA Publications Classified Ad
Manager, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086.

Every

Ohio Aircraft Interior

is a future piece of

aviation history.

Award Winning Vintage Interiors

Paul Workman

OHIO AIRCRAFT INTERIORS

Parr Airport (421)

Zanesville , Ohio 43701

800.794.6560

UC-1 Republic Twin Sea Bee , Serial No. 020,

Approval No. A6EA. Reported details: Ly
coming 10-360-BID engines - total time since
new 726.6 hrs. (each) . Hartzell HC-C2YK
2RBF propellers. Total airframe time - 605.0
hrs. The aircraft is reported to be functional ,
however, the certificate of airworthiness is not
in force (since June 17, 2001). Purchaser to
verify condition of aircraft and documenta
tion . TO BE SOLD BY SEALED BIDS. (The
highest bid may not necessarily be accepted.)
For further details and viewing by appoint
ment, contact Ian H. Clement
Solicitor to the Personal Representative
#1 -105 Rainbow Road
Salt Spring Island, BC
Canada V8K 2V5
Phone: 250 537 5505
Fax: 250 537 5099
Email: iclement@island.net

Membership Services
VINTAGE

AIRCRAFT
ENJOY THE MANY BENEFITS OF EAA AND
THE EAA VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION
ASSOCIATION

Directory'

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

OFFICERS
President
Espie ' Butch' Joyce
P.O. Box 35584
Greensboro, NC 27425
336-668-3650

windsock@aol.com
Secretary

Steve Nesse
2009 Highland Ave.
Albert Lea, MN 56007
507-373-1674

stnes@deskmedia.com

Vice-President
George Daubner
2448 Lough Lane
Hartford, WI 53027
262-673-5885
vaaflyboy@msn_com

Treasurer
Charles W. Harris
7215 East 46th St.
Tulsa, OK 7414 7
918-622-8400

cwh@hv5u.com

DIRECTORS
Steve Bender
815 Airport Road

Roanoke, TX 76262

817-491-4700

Dale A. Gustafson
7724 Shady Hilis Dr.
Indianapolis, IN 46278
317-293-4430

sst I ()()@worldnet.att.net

dalefaye@msn.com

David Bennett

Jeannie Hill

P.O. Box 328

Harvard, IL 60033

815-943-7205

dinghao@owc.net

P.O. Box 1188

Roseville, CA 95678
916-645-6926

antiquer@inreach.com
John Berendt

7645 Echo Point Rd_

Cannon Falls, MN 55009

507-263-2414

fchld@!connect.com

Steve Krog

1002 Heather Ln.

Hartford, WI 5302 7

262-966-7627

sskrog@aol.com

Robert C. ~ Bob n Brauer

9345 S. Hoyne
Chicago, IL 60620
773-779-2105

Robert 0_ "Bob" LumJey

1265 South 124th 51.
Brookfield, WI 53005
262-782-2633

photopilot@aol.com

lumper@execpc.com

Dave Clark

Gene Morri.s

635 Vestal Lane

Plainfield, IN 46168
317-839-4500
davecpd@iquesl.net

5936 Steve Court

Roanoke, TX 76262
817-49 1-9 110
n03capt@flash.net

John 5. Copeland
l A Deacon Street
Northborough, MA 0 I 532
508-393-4 775

Dean Richardson
1429 Kings Lynn Rd

Stoughton, WI 53589

608-877-8485

dar@aprHaire.com

copeiandl@juno,com

rcouison516@cs.com

Geoff Robison

1521 E. MacGregor Dr_

New Haven, IN 46774

260-493-4724

chief7025@aol.com

Roger Gomoll

8891 Airport Rd, Box C2

Blaine, MN 55449

763-786-3342

pledgedrive@msncom

S.H. "Wes" Schmid

2359 Lefeber Avenue
Wauwatosa, WI 53213
414-771-1545
shschmld@milwpc.com

Phil Coulson
28415 Springbrook Dr.
Llwton, MI 49065
616-624-6490

DIRECTORS

EMERITUS

Gene Chase
2159 Carlton Rd.
Oshkosh, WI 54904
920-231-5002

E_E_ ' Buck" Hilbert

P.O. Box 424
Union, 1L 60180
81S-923-4591
buck7ac@mc_net

ADVISOR
AJan Shackleton
P.O. Box 656

Sugar Grove, IL 60554-0656

630-466-4 193

103346.1772@compuserve.com

Phone (920) 426-4800 Fax (920) 426-4873

Web Site: http://www.eaa,org and http://www,airventure.org
[ Mail: vintage

EAA and Division Membership Services

800-843-3612 ............ FAX 920-426-6761
(8:00 AM-7:00 PM
Monday-Friday CSn
New/renew memberships: EM, Divisions
(Vintage Aircraft Association, lAC, Warbirds),
National Association of Flight Instructors
(NAFI)

Address changes
Merchandise sales
Gift memberships

Programs and Activities

EM AirVenture FaxOnDemand Directory
......... ................. 732-885-6711
Auto Fuel STCs . ........... .. 920-426-4843
Build/ restore information ... .. 920-426-4821
Chapters: locating/ organizing .. 920-426-4876
Education ... . ..... ... ...... 920-426-6815
EM Air Academy
EM Scholarships

eaa.org

Flight Advisors information ... . 920-426-6522

Flight Instructor information ... 920-426-6801
Flying Start Program ... .. ..... 920-426-6847
Library Services/ Research . . . .. . 920-426-4848
Medical Questions ........... . 920-426-4821
Technical Counselors . .... . ... 920-426-4821
Young Eagles ................ 920-426-4831
Benefits
AUA ..... ... .............. 800-727-3823
EM Aircraft Insurance Plan ... 866-647-4322
Term Life and Accidental ...... 800-241-6103
Death Insurance (Harvey Watt & Company)
Editorial ..... ........ . ..... 920-426-4825
...... ... ............. . FAX 920-426-4828
Submitting article/ photo
Advertising information
EM Aviation Foundation
Artifact Donations ........... 920-426-4877
Financial Support ... .. ...... 800-236-1025

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

EAA
Membership in the Experimental Aircraft Associ
ation, Inc. is $40 for one year, including 12 issues of
SPORT AVIATION. Family membership is available
for an additional $10 annually. Junior Membership
(under 19 years of age) is available at $23 annually.
All major credit ca rds accep ted for membership.
(Add $16 for Foreign Postage.)

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

Current EAA members may join the Vintage
Aircraft Associaton and receive VINTAGE AIR
PLANE magazine for an additional $36 per year.
EAA Membership, VINTAGE AIRPLANE
magazine and one year membership in the EAA
Vintage Aircraft Association is available for $46
per yea r (SPORT AVIATION magaZin e not in
cluded). (Add $7 for Foreign Postage.)

lAC
Current EM members may join the Interna
tional Aerobatic Club, Inc. Division and receive
SPORT AEROBATICS magaZine fo r an addi
tional $45 per year.
EAA Membership, SPORT AEROBATICS
magaZin e and one year membership in the lAC
Division is available for $55 per year (SPORT

AVIATION maga zine not included). (A dd $15

for Foreign Postage,)

WARBIRDS
Current EM members may join the EM War
birds of America Division and receive WARBlRDS
magazine for an additional $40 per year.
EAA Membership, WARBIRDS magazine
and one year membership in the Warbirds Divi
sion is available for $50 per year (SPORT
AVIATION magazine not included). (A dd $7 for
Foreign Postage.)

EAA EXPERIMENTER
Current EAA members may receive EAA
EXPERIMENTER magazine for an additional
$20 per year.
EM Membership and EM EXPERIMENTER
magaZine is available for $30 per year (SPORT
AVIATION magazine not included). (A dd $8 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.

Membership dues to EAA and its divisions are not tax deductible as charitable contributions,

Copyright 2003 by the EM Vintage Aircraft Association

All rights reserved.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE (ISSN 0091-6943) IPM 40032445 is published and owned exclusively by the EM Vintage Aircraft Association of the Experimental Aircraft Association and is published monthly at EM Aviation
Center. 3000 Poberezny Rd.. PO. Box 3088. Oshkosh. Wisconsin 54903-3086. Periodicals Postage paid at Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54901 and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to EM
Vintage Aircraft Association. PO. Box 3086. Oshkosh. WI 54903-3086. Return Canadian issues to Station A. PO Box 54. Windsor, ON N9A 6J5. FOREIGN AND APO ADDRESSES - Please allow at least two montha
for delivery of VINTAGE AIRPlANE to foreign and APO addresses via suriace 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: Readers are encouraged to submit stories and photographs. Policy opinions expressed in articles are solely those of the authors. Responsibility for accuracy in reporting rests entirely with the
oontributor. No renumeration is made. Material should be sent to: Editor. VINTAGE AIRPlANE. PO. Box 3086. Oshkosh, WI 54903-3088. Phone 920/426-4800.
EAA~ and SPORT AVIATION<!', the EM Log~ and Aeronautical" are registered trademarks, trademarks, and service marks of the Experimental Aircraft Association . Inc. The use of these trademar1<s and service
marl<s WIThout the pennission of the Experimental Aircraft Association, Inc. is strictly prohibited.
The EM AVIATION FOUNDATION Logo is a trademark of the EM Aviation Foundation. Inc. The use of this trademark WIThout the pennission of the EM Aviation Foundation. Inc. is strictly prohibited.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

29

VAA Merchan
This medium-blue
shirt has the VAA
on the back yoke.
SM
MD
LG
XL

Vl1183
V11184
V11185
V11186

totes are embossed

on one side with airplanes and
the VAA logo. Washable.
SM
LG

VOO250
V00249

ORDER ONLINE:

$17.95
$18.95

http://shop.eaa.org

Ladies and Men's Stonewashed Denim Shirt

A classic for any season, this denim shirt is
great for all aviation activities.
LADIES'
$31.95
SM V11147
MD Vl1148
LG
V11149
XL
V11160

Ladies' Navy
Polo Shirt
$32.95
This ladies' polo shirt
made of 100% cotton can
be machine washed and
dried. It sports an all-navy
VAA logo and white stripe
collar and cuffs.
MD V11165
LG V11166
XL Vl1167

$18.95

This 100% cotton golf

shirt sports the VAA logo
on the sleeve.
SM
MD

Vl0134
Vl 0135

$18.95
Ladies' Yellow Golf Shirt
This comfortable golf shirt is 100% cot
ton, machine washable. Tone on tone
VAA logo on front.
SM
MD

30

V10130
Vl0131

APRIL 2003

LG
XL

V10132
Vl0133

LG
XL

MEN's
$32.95
MD V11161
LG
V11162
XL
V11163
2X Vl1164

Denim Golf Shirt

This short sleeve shirt is a
classic for warm weather.
MD
LG

Vl1135
Vll136

XL
2X

Vl1137
Vlll38

V10136
Vl0137

Men's Burgundy Golf

This golf shirt is 100% cotton with tone
on tone VAA logo on chest. It sports a
three color collar.
MD
LG
XL

V10151 $34.95
V10153
V11133

2X V11134 $36.95

$68.95
USA Fleece Jacket
This plush jacket will show your USA
and VAA pride. Made of 100% acrylic
it washes easily.
MD
LG

VOO913
VOO916

XL
2X

VOO917
VOO929

TELEPHONE ORDER: 800-843-3612

FROM US AND CANADA (ALL OTHERS 920-426-5912)

MAIL ORDER: VINTAGE MERCHANDISE

PO BOX 3086
OSHKOSH, WI 54903-3086
ORDER ONLINE:

http://shop.eaa.org

Hooded Jersey Shirt

~ong-sleeved shirt features a
tone-on-tone VAA logo. Grey or Perfect
Blue.
Perfect Blue
Grey
SM

MD
LG

XL

Flag Jacket
$66.95
This jacket is a winner! 0 better
way to show your American Pride.
MD VOO877
XL VOO879

V11177
V11179
V11180
V11181

V11173
V11174
V11175
V11176

LG

VOO878

2X

VOO88O

$11.99

This cast metal pin is about 3" wide.

A great way to show your VAA pride.

Travel Mug
VOO342 $12.95
Classic stainless steel mug with plastic
handle and cap. Standard base fits most
car cup holders.

Mini FanIFlashlight

V40242

This set of 4 clear glasses with etched

design is a classic way to display the
VAA logo.

SALE $4.95
This clever gadget features both a fan
and a flashlight. Batteries included.

VAA Logo Decal

Shiny metallic VAA logo decals are
great in showing your VAA pride.
The image is printed on both sides
so you can stick the decal on the
inside or outside of your window.

Small VAA Logo Pin

VOO258 $3.99
This small metal pin can be displayed
on your clothes, then easily removed.
(Tie tack style pin.)

Flat VAA Patch

V00257 $1.99
This VAA logo patch can be
ironed on your shirts, coats or
other accessories.

Blue/Gold Marbled Mug V40240 $5.95

Enjoy your morning coffee with this
marbled coffee mug.

3-D VAA Patch

$3.99
This 3-dimensional patch is well tailored and will
look great on your clothing and accessories.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

31

VAA Mercha
ORDER ONLINE:

http://shop.eaa.org

$64.95
Ladies' Stone Micro Fiber Jacket
This classy jacket for women is soft to the touch, water
repellent, and light weight with inside zipper pocket.
SM V11168
MD V11169

lG
Xl

V11171
VI1172

lG VI0006

Xl VI0007

$71.95
$72.95

This classy navy jacket is soft to the touch, water

repellent, and light weight with inside zippered
pocket. Machine wash, gentle cycle.
32

APRIL 2003

V00933

Gold

TELEPHONE ORDER:

VOll04

Burgundy

8008433612

FROM US AND CANADA (All OTHERS 9204265912)

Men's Navy Micro Fiber Jacket

MD VI0005
2X VI0009

Sweatshirt Blankets
These blankets are extra soft, S4 in. x 84 in .,
and machine washable.

MAIL ORDER: VINTAGE MERCHANDISE

PO BOX 3086

OSHKOSH, WI 549033086

390 horsepower can be very intimidating.

Best say something nice.

"The powertrain and suspension refinements are

so good that you ... need to look at the speedometer
to gauge your.. .speed."

"The S-TYPE R asserts itself between

[the competition] with authority-and a measure
of elegance [the others] lack."
~

- Automobile Magazine

Motor Trend

"Yet it also has tremendous reserves of

performance--enough to give you an ear-to-ear
grin when you drive it hard. "
. Sports Car International

fl$d~C&~

Vehicle Discount