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GEOFF ROBISON PRES IDENT, VI NTAGE AI RC RAFT ASSOCIATION

Harold's Monocoupe pled with Doug Stewart's ex The Neumann Mono cellent piece in the January coupe lives! Well, at least half Vintage Airplane regarding the of it does. The wing is now Cory Lidle tragedy in down complete and ready for silver. town Manhattan, New York, What a magnificent struc has generated some excellent ture! This large one-piece dialogue from the member wing is a remarkable design. ship. I have recently read at By appearance alone it ex least a dozen articles in a va udes strength. The design, riety of aviation publications basic in keeping with the en on this tragiC incident, and I gineering of the era, appears have to say Doug really said beefy and uncompromising. it best. This tragedy will re When I admired the struc sult in yet another black eye ture up close, I asked myself, "What would it take to test it The proud fathers of the rebirth of the Little Mulligan wing on the face of general avia to the pOint of failure?" My are pictured here with the finished result. From left to right tion. The only question left secondary thoughts were, "I are Steve Farringer (The Iron Man), Drew Hoffman (Mr. De· unanswered is, "How bad will don't want to be in the air tam , Meredith Whillock (The Energizer Bunny), yours truly, the bruise be?" Many thanks plane when that attempt is Geoff Robison, and our faithful project leader, Phil Riter. Not to everyone who responded made, even with a parachute!/I pictured is Kent Smith, who was unable to make this most regarding these concerns. I I prefer the appearance of my recent trip. Many thanks to you all for the dedication and absolutely agree with every eyeballs just as they are, with perseverance a project of this magnitude requires. Anyone one's position on these dis out all those large red veins who may be inclined to share any Harold Neumann expe· concerting issues. We need running through them, thank riences with us, please contact our editor, H.G. Frautschy. to always be alert, be pro you very much! We know Harold was an interesting individual, but any addi feSSional, be smart, and be trained. If we can all accom You may recall that we tional insight into the man's character is always welcome. brought the fuselage of Har plish these goals, then maybe old Neumann's Little Mulligan to north significant number of leftover pieces at least the swelling on that black eye eastern Indiana in early 2006. The next lying around the hangar when we fin can be alleviated. Remember, now is the time to begin step now is to tackle the instrument ish. So, that's the phase of this restora panel, which is a monstrous undertak tion we find ourselves in at this time. planning your journey to EAA AirVen ing. In an attempt to be smart about The current goal is to have the fuselage ture. We promise you an experience this segment of the project, we have covered in time for EAA AirVenture unmatched anywhere else in aviation. all agreed that the project leader (as Oshkosh 2007. I know, that's a pretty EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007 well as our resident airframe and pow aggressive goal, but it really boils down The World's Greatest Aviation Celebra erplant mechanic), Phil Riter, will ac to how busy we get with the non-avia tion-comingJuly 23-29, 2007. complish this task solo. You know how tion side of our daily lives. VAA is about participation: Be a We will hope for the best, and member! Be a volunteer! Be there! it is with two or more guys working on anything, let alone an airplane. When time will te ll how well we meet our Let's all pull in the same direction for the good of aviation. Remember, it comes time to put it all back to July goa ls. gether, memories will still playa large we are better together. Join us and have role in a successful result. Regardless of My recent remarks about our respon how many sketches you make or pho sibilities of safely operating our flying ,,"II tos you take, we hope to not have any machines in challenging airspace, cou

TAG

RPLANE VOL. 35, No.2

FEBRUA R Y

2007

CONTENTS I Fe

Straight & Level Harold's Monocoupe by Geoff Robison

News

Aeromail

Restoration Corner

Fabrics and Finishes

and the Installation Thereof-Part 2

by W.D. "Dip" Davis

A Radial-Powered Beauty

Fred Lundeen's First Airplane

EAA AirVenture's 2006 Antique

Reserve Grand Champion

by Sparky Barnes Sargent

Bendix Model 52

A promising postwar design

by Mark Savage

The Tulsa Regional Fly-In

A golden anniversary celebration

of sport aviation

by Sparky Barnes Sargent

The Vintage Instructor

Distractions

by Doug Stewart

The "Thing" The things we did when we were young by Ev Cassagneres

Mystery Plane by H.G. Frautschy

Calendar

Classified Ads

COVERS FRONT COVER: The Howard DGA-15P has long been one of the most sought after of the aircraft built prior to World War II. Fred Lundeen restored this brightly colored example. with the help of avia tion artisans John Miller. Dick Smith , Ken Miller, and Alyn Swedberg, among others. It was selected as the Reserve Grand Champion Antique at EM AirVenture Oshkosh 2006. For more on this mas sive aircraft's restoration, see the story starting on page 8. Photo by Sparky Barnes Sargent.

BACK COVER: The Spartan 7W Executive first flew on February 15, 1937, and in honor of the Executive's 70th birthday, we present this full-color advertisement from the pages of the July 1940 issue of Aero Digest.

STAFF

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

Tom Poberezny H.G. Frautschy

Jennifer Lehl

Kathleen Witman

Ric Reynolds

Jim Koepnick

Bonnie Kratz Advertising Coordinator Sue Anderson Classified Ad Coordinator Daphene VanHullum Copy Editor Colleen Walsh Director of Advertising Katrina Bradshaw Display Advertising Representatives: Northeast: Allen Murray Phone 856-220-7180, FAX 856-229-7258, e·mail: allenlllllrray@milldsprillg.colII Southeast: Chester Baumgartner Phone 727-532-4640, FAX 727-532-4630, e-mail: cballmlll!!!'milldsprillg.com Central: Todd Reese Phone 800·444-9932, FAX 816-74 1-6458, e-mail: todd@Spc-mag.colII Mountain & Pacific: John Gibson Phone 916-784-9593, e-mail: jo}mgibsoll@".!spc-mag.com

Europe: Willi Tacke Phone +498969340213, FAX +498969340214, e-mail: willi@(lyillg·page5.com

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

EAA Comments Express Concern About ATl Class B Airspace Change EAA's Industry and Regulatory Af fairs department expressed concern about the way the FAA implemented a change to the Atlanta Class B airspace in October in comments submitted to the agency in December. EAA's con cern rests not only with the fact that the FAA excluded the general aviation industry and associations in the pro cess of writing the notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM), but also that its reason for doing so was to "prevent significant air traffic delays in the Na tional Airspace System (NAS)." "By excluding all other airspace us ers, the FAA disregarded its own guide lines for input by those who will be affected by rule changes," said Randy Hansen, EAA government relations director. "EAA welcomes open, good faith discussion of issues, but unfor tunately, situations such as what we see in Atlanta are a step backward."

Changes Announced at Three EAA Regional Fly-Ins Three of EAA's regional fly-ins re cently announced changes for their upcoming events that are not re flected on the 2007 EAA World of Flight calendar. The Golden West Fly-In is now scheduled to take place June 29-July 1 at the Yuba County Airport (MYV), Marysville, California. For more infor mation visit www.GoldenWestFlyln.org. In addition, the Mid-Eastern Re gional Fly-In (MERFI), scheduled for August 25-26, will relocate to the Mansfield Lahm Regional Airport (MFD) in North Central Ohio from Marion Municipal Airport (MNN). For more information, visit www.MERFI. i nfo/cm/news .php. The Southeast Regional Fly-In (SERFI) at Middleton Field in Ever green, Alabama, moved its event back one week, from October 5-7 to Octo ber 12-14. For more information, visit www.SERFI.org. 2

FEBRUARY 2007

Harrison Ford to Chair Young Eagles Into 2009

Harrison Ford, EAA's Young Eagles chairman and flight leader.

Actor/aviator Harrison Ford has accepted EAA's invitation to remain Young Eagles chairman at least through EAA AirVenture 2009. He informed EAA President Tom Poberezny of his desire to continue in that role during Poberezny's recent visit to California. Ford, who became Young Eagles chair man in March 2004, has built on the direction and dedication established by previous chairmen Cliff Robertson and Gen. Chuck Yeager. "He has been an outstanding leader as chairman for what has become the world's largest youth aviation program in history," Poberezny said. "We thank Harrison for his leadership and participation in the program and look forward to working with him into the future." Ford was recently honored by InStyle magazine in a special section fea turing celebrities dedicated to charitable or educational causes. The maga zine, which also made a $1,000 donation to Young Eagles, described the program and encouraged its readers to find out more about it through the website, www.YoungEagles.org. An additional quarter million Young Eagles have been added to the world 's largest logbook since Ford took the program reigns in 2004.

RMRFI Expands to Three Days The 2007 Rocky Mountain EAA Regional Fly-In (RMRFI) has been ex panded from two to three full days, from June 22-24.This will be RMRFI's fourth consecutive year at Front Range Airport and its 29th year in the Denver metro area. Saturday's air show will feature pre cision solo and formation aerobatic per formances by local and national pilots. Sunday will highlight warbirds, open ing with a special ceremony honoring the nation's veterans and leading off a

distinctive military theme planned for the fly-in's final day. Expanding the fly-in from two to three days adds a full day of activities on Friday. RMRFI has also partnered with Denver representatives of the FAA Safety Team (FAAST) to offer a wider se lection of topics than ever before. This new partnership will ensure that the fly in remains the region's leading venue for pilot education and safety seminars. For more information, visit www. FrontRangeAirShow.com. and www. RMRFI.org.

EAA B-17 Tour Set to Begin Next Month There are plenty of opportunities to see EAA's beautifully restored and maintained B-17, Aluminum Overcast, when it heads out for its spring 2007 tour beginning at the end of March. The 2007 tour kicks off at North Las Vegas Airport March 30-April I, followed by scheduled stops in Ca li fornia, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Utah, and Co lorado. A fall tour is also planned, with locations to be an nounced at a later date. See the complete tour schedule and make a reservation for an unforgetta ble flight mission at www.B17.org. Aviat donated another Husky for EAA's 2007 Aircraft Sweepstakes.

Many Entering EAA Aircraft

Sweepstakes Online Hundreds of EAAers have responded favorabl y so far to online entry in the 2007 EAA Aircraft Sweepstakes. People like the convenience of having their coupons filled out automatically for a chance to win the grand-prize Aviat Husky or several other great prizes. The Husky, donated by Aviat Aircraft Inc., sports a IS0-hp Lycoming engine and Hartzell constant-speed propeller. The airplan e is mounted on Alaskan Bushwheel 31-inch tundra tires and

also comes with C2200 Wiplin e Air Glide skis courtesy of Wipaire, allowing for landing on either plowed runway or snow. Other features include AmSafe air bag shoulder harness restraints and Or egon Aero's comfortable seat cushion system; full Garmin GPS, transponder, and communications avionics; plus XM music and weather radio. Visit www.AirVenture.orgisweepstakes and follow the link to EAA's secure site for entry instructions along with

AlRVENTlJRE SEcnON Encore! One of the most well-received new activities at EM AirVen ture Oshkosh 2006 will be back in 2007 as Ford Motor Com pany and Eclipse Aviation bring back top aviation movies at the popular " Fly-In Theater" on the convention grounds. Once again, campers at EM Camp Scholler won't have to venture too far for their evening entertainment-and the popcorn is free. The outdoor theater features a 50-foot-high screen located in a natural amphitheater just north of the campground. Each night Sunday, July 22, through Saturday, July 28 (weather permitting), the theater is free and open to all AirVenture guests. The show begins at about 8:30 p.m. with an introduction by a celebrity pre senter followed by a classic aviation film at about 9 p.m. Stay tuned to www.AirVenture.orgforthe schedule of movies and list of presenters as they are confirmed .

Where to Stay at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh? As aviation enthusiasts around the world begin planning their journeys to EM AirVenture Oshkosh 2007 , one of first things to se cure is a place to stay. Nearly 40 years of event history in Oshkosh has allowed EM to build a widespread housing network to handle the influx of hundreds of thousands of visitors to The World's Greatest Aviation Celebration, set this year for July 23-29.

sweepstakes rules and details . A mini

mum $10 donation is required for each block of 10 entry tickets entered on line. The sweepstakes is open to resi dents of the United States and Canada (excluding Quebec). Oth er donated prizes for the 2007 sweepstakes include a John Deere trac tor, a Bose Wave radio, a Canon digital camera, and a Honda ST1300 motorcy cle. The big drawing takes place on the last day of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007, Sunday, July 29.

EM's longstanding partnership with the Oshkosh Conven tion and Visitors Bureau also gives AirVenture guests several options. The bureau's EM Housing Hotline keeps updates on housing availability off the AirVenture grounds. That service, free to AirVenture visitors, is available Monday through Friday (8:30 a.m.-4 p.m., Central time) at 920-235-3007 or at www. OshkoshGVB.org and www.AirVenture.org. The following are popular accommodation options: AirVenture camping-Experience the culture, camaraderie, and fun of EAA's annual fly-in convention by camping next to your airplane along the flightline or in the adjacent drive-in Camp Scholler area. No reservations are needed, and it's just $19 per night to be immersed in the world's best "aviation community. " College dormitories-There are more than 3,000 dorm rooms available within 25 miles of convention grounds, and nearly all of them have shuttle-bus service to AirVenture. Private housing-The EM Housing Hotline offers these ac commodations beginning March 1. Hotels/ motels-There are thousands of hotel and motel rooms within 50 miles of Oshkosh. Other options include private campgrounds, bed-and-break fast facilities , and others. Some private firms also operate housing services, although these are not affiliated or spon sored by EM.

.......

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

primary instructor to being hope lessly lost with only 15 hours under my belt. I would be happy to share these stories with you. [See the short story following this note.-HGFJ Enclosed is my Army Air Corps pedi gree, which includes over-the-hump fly ing in the China Burma India Theater. Sincerely, Fred S. Furbee

The Blue Brute

Dear H.G., Just read, with much interest, the "Follow the Swallow" article in the November issue of Vintage. A beautiful airplane for sure, and it brought back some fond memo ries for me. Back about October 1961, I had the good fortune to know lrv Siewert of Clinton, Connecticut. lrv had been restoring his 1927-28 Swal low for some time and had just been completed, and shortly after Irv test flew the airplane, he asked if I would like to fly it. Well, what kind of ques tion is that? I could hardly wait to jump into the cockpit and "go up." It was a delight to fly. This one was N4028, with a Curtiss OX-5 engine. Yes, it did handle nicely, but was a "hunter" as far as pitch was concerned, so one had to stay ahead of the airplane pitchwise. I have no idea where that ship could be now, but last I remember Irv sold it to someone down south, perhaps in the Florida area. I wonder if anyone out there knows where it is and how it is. And are there any other Swallows in existence, and where could they be and what is their status?

Cheers, Ev Cassagneres

Hmm. A Swallow, you say, Ev? NC4028 is the registration? Well, it just so happens that it's sitting ({in our backyard." lrv's old airplane was the basis for the restoration of the Swallow we now have on the flight line at EAA's Pioneer Airport. The Swal low is all decked out in Varney Airlines air mail colors, and its restoration was spon sored in part by the United Airlines His torical Foundation, a successor to Varney Airlines. In this Jim Koepnick photograph, a retired United Airlines character, er, cap tain, Buck Hilbert, cntises down the run way at Pioneer.-HGF Dear Mr. Frautschy, After reading your excellent article about the Laird Swallow in the No vember issue of Vintage Airplane, I was motivated to send you a history of my early Laird experience. The Laird family of airplanes was responsible for the start of my flying career. During my Air Corps flight training many interesting events oc curred: from my tobacco-chewing

SEND YOUR COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS TO:

VAA,

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

P.O. Box 3086 WI 54903-3086

OSHKOSH,

OR YOU CAN E-MAIL THEM TO: vintageaircraft@eaa.org 4

FEBRUARY 2007

By Fred Furbee

A glossy dark blue fabric fuselage with silver color fabric wings was parked on the ramp. It had a stout, strong, heavy brute appearance with a powerful Wright Whirlwind radial in its nose. A speed ring circled the exposed cylinders. The name of this handsome biplane was the Laird Speed Wing. The name came from the thin airflow curve over the wind chord. Around our little grass field, this plane was called "the Blue Brute," and some old-timers said it was a killer in a spin. This Laird was owned and flown by a former major Army fighter pilot during WWI, and around our field he was referred to as the "major." Beginning in 1938 I hung out at our little Marietta, Ohio, grass strip. I washed down planes and helped in refueling. My very favorite airplane was the Blue Brute, and many times back in the han gar several local boys would lift up the tail so I could clean the weeds from the curved steel dish under the tailskid. Starting the Wright Whirlwind was an adventure. A hand crank was stowed in the cowling, and after climbing on the lower right wing and inserting the crank into an open socket, the strong arm work began. The crank turned a heavy iron disc in the engine compartment, and af ter two minutes of cranking, the iron disc would spin and hum the correct sound. I would then call out "con tact" and pull the engage lever. The prop would make two turns, and the engine would belch blue smoke and settle into a satisfying growl. On one occasion after cranking the starter, the major motioned for me to climb in the front cockpit. This won continued

011

page 20

Editor's Note: This eighth installment of the "Restoration Corner" is the second part of a two-part article by Dip Davis describing the selection and installation of fabrics and finishes.-G.R.C.

Fabrics and Finishes and the Installation Thereof Part 2

W.D. "DIP" DAVIS

EAA

If the chord of the wing you are covering is short enough to allow a 4-inch overlap at the leading edge, a spanwise cemented seam is permit ted, eliminating the need for ma chine sewing. Using this method the bottom surface of the wing is covered first. Fabric is cemented at the trailing edge, root rib and tip, brought as far forward on the leading edge as it will reach and cemented to the leading edge skin with a 1/2-inch to one-inch wide glue joint. Do not cement to the entire skin; subsequent coats will pro vide all the adhesion needed. This fabric is heat tautened before the installation of the top cover to eliminate all wrinkles from the over lapped area. If the fabric is wide enough to cover the entire leading edge skin, the line will be invisible under the upper fabric. If, however, it reaches only part way to the front spar, an unsightly ridge will be left in what may be a critical airflow region. This can be minimized by constructing a "ramp" of chafe pOint tape or even hidden completely by applying a cou ple coats of primer to the edge and carefully sanding to a smooth line. The top fabric is applied over this and subsequently a spanwise 4-inch sur face tape centered over the seam line on the underside. Heat-tautening is probably the most rewarding step in the entire cover process. (Read "most fun.") You get to see almost instant results with

55767, Ale 1804

relatively little labor input. Please don't use a heat gun for this purpose even if friends tell you they achieved good results using one; a hair dryer doesn't develop enough heat, and a commercial heat gun concentrates too much hot air on one spot and is difficult to control. It is important that every square inch of the fabric be subjected to a 400-degree treatment and this is eas ily accomplished with a household iron. If Mama uses her regular iron for ironing clothes, you should prob ably acquire one of your own. If you must buy a new iron, you may find that the newer, lightweight, relatively inexpensive units are rated at 1000 watts or less and these won't get the job done. Look for the one that draws 1100 watts or more. It need not have steam provisions, although nearly all current production models appear to have this feature. Since all the synthetic aircraft fab ric application instructions specify tautening temperatures in degrees, and all the irons I've ever seen are la beled in "fabric types," with a fairly broad range in each fabric, it will be necessary to calibrate the iron with a reasonably accurate thermometer. If you don't have access to a sophisti cated laboratory quality test unit, a candy thermometer or similar glass tube type will serve the purpose. First check the thermometer in boiling water (212 degrees F at sea level), then check your iron by set REPRINTED FROM

Vintage Airplane OCTOBER

ting it on the thermometer on a stack of paper towels. Allow the temper ature to stabilize at a medium low setting, adjust the knob to give an in dicated 250 degrees and watch to see that the thermostat sets the tempera ture within plus or minus 15 degrees. Make a reference mark on the iron at this setting and repeat the procedure for 300 and 400 degrees. Consistent performance can be expected from most irons until they are dropped or become old and tired. Proper procedure for the tauten ing process consists of ironing the entire area at the 250 degree setting, increasing the heat to 300, going over the surface once more, and finishing with a third pass at 400 degrees. Little corner wrinkles and puckers can get preferential treatment and, if abso lutely necessary, the temperature can be increased very slightly for a stub born spot. Exercise caution at this pOint, however, as the fabric will melt at 450 degrees. If it gets to the melt ing pOint and doesn't progress to an obvious hole, close inspection will reveal that the threads have melted together. You can probably punch out the melted section with finger pressure. Just do a neat job of apply ing the fabric in the first place and you'll never be tempted to crank the iron past 400 degrees. If projections such as strut fittings have been covered over, these should be cut out before the final ironing is

1986

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

done. Brush a little adhesive or first the film . Cooper's Dacproofer was primer coat on the area (depending an early solution to the penetration on the finishing process being used) problem; it is a relatively slow drying before making the cut to prevent the cellulose nitrate base product, tinted edges from fraying. After the cut has blue, so that proper penetration is been made, the localized loose area readily apparent. can be tightened up again by addi It is possible to get carried away tional application of the iron. with brushing or rubbing in of the If you plan to use an all dope sys first coat and force enough material tem on your airplane, it is not as im through the weave to permit drips portant that the entire surface be onto the back of the opposite surface. ironed at 400 degrees as the dope will Doing so will leave blisters which are exert some degree of tautening action difficult to hide in the finish coats. even though it is labeled "nontaut A home-brewed concoction of ni ening." If, however, you are finish trate dope with retarding thinner will ing with one of the newer technology serve the purpose, but starving or coating systems, and you don't .,....,.......,..,..-- - -.......

apply the final temperature to the entire surface, you may come out to the airport some chilly morning to find the fab ric gone slack. [n severe in stances, it may be unsafe to fly until the sun can warm things up again. When heat-tautening pre sewn envelopes, be sure to keep an eye on the seams as the fab ric shrinks. As the seam begins to deviate from a straight line, apply the iron to the opposite side until it is back in place. Don't concentrate your atten w. D. "Dip" Davis tion on one small area for a long period of time, but keep an eye on the big picture. overloading is hard to discern due to After all the ironing is done and the transparency of the film. loose edges are trimmed off or ce Securing the fabric to the wing ribs mented down, it's time to step back is the next step. Refer to the old cover, and admire the pretty pieces. Looks as which you stashed in the rafters, to if you could just assemble everything see how and where it was done be and fly .. . not quite yet! Stop dreaming fore. Conventional rib stitching is and start "uglying" things up . such a tedious, time-consuming oper Up to this point the procedures are ation that nearly every aircraft man pretty much the same no matter what ufacturer tried alternate methods. finishing system you plan to use, but Screws, rivets and various shapes of the next step will vary with materials. wire clips were employed with vary Using the new, all urethane finish, ing degrees of success. the tapes are next while with con The traditional method must be ventional dope finishing and many employed on all wings with wood proprietary systems, the first prime ribs. Interest in learning this skill coat is applied at this time . What draws crowds to Jeri Goetz' fab ever material is being used, it is vital ric workshop all week long at every that the liquid be forced through the EAA Oshkosh Convention. We won't weave so that it can bond with itself dwell on the proper methods of per on the backside of the fabric , thus forming this task as it's all in the book wrapping each individual thread in (AC43.13-IA). 6

FEBRUARY 2007

Surface tapes of appropriate width mostly 2-inch - are applied over each rib, seam and corner. A lot of folks like to apply a span wise tape at the leading edge for additional abrasion resistance, but this is not mandatory if you wish to maintain an uninter rupted airflow. Dacron tapes in most brands are available in straight edge or pinked edge. The straight edge is cut with a hot blade, which seals the threads and prevents unraveling. Pinked edges are cut to simulate cot ton tapes if the traditional appear ance is desired. This tape is not only more expensive; it's also generally more troublesome to apply. We have found the use of a 3-inch wide, disposable, short nap roller really expedites tape application. A swath of dope or adhesive is rolled on where the tape is to be applied, then the tape is laid down and an other coat of dope rolled on top. This squeezes the air bub bles out quite effectively and saves a lot of rubbing down with the fingers. Bias-cut tapes make neat curves on tip bows and similar shapes but, due to the fact that they are cut diagonally across a roll of fabric, a sewn joint is required at intervals and one often finds a seam at the most awk ward spot. Similar results can be obtained by using the next wider width tape, cementing the center only, abo ut a 1/2-inch wide, to the tip bow and allowing the cement to dry with the tape standing per pendicular to the surface. The iron is then applied, and since the tape is unable to shrink lengthwise, be ing cemented down, the edges will curl around a reasonably tight ra dius without the necessity of cut ting darts or notches. Adhesive can then be brushed under the tape edge or squeegeed through the top sur face. The total width will be reduced about 20 percent, which is the rea son for selecting the wider tape. Drain grommets, inspection rings and fabric doublers around protru sions are installed at this point in the

proceedings. Don't spare the drain the finish color is applied if you want Sanding on the fabric surfaces can holes! Refer to the old cover and in them to be less conspiCUOUS. be a fooler if you are not familiar stall them wherever the last guy did. Build-up or filler coat application with the process. Wet-or-dry sand If there is a possibility of moisture begins after everything is stuck on. paper with a grit in the neighbor collecting on both sides of a lower Old grade A cotton enthusiasts may hood of 220 is a good place to start. structural member, stick a grommet feel that they are not doin' right if Use plenty of water to keep the paper on each side of it. After completion they don't brush on a few coats of from loading. You'll find that you can of the finish coats, the center hole clear dope before spraying anything. lean hard on the sandpaper and rub should be cut out with a fine blade If you subscribe to this school of till your arms tire in the unsupported Exacto knife or similar tool rather thought, be sure you use a highly areas between ribs and stringers, but than punching through, leaving a plasticized, nontautening dope as the one swipe over a solid structure will ridge, which would impede free flow. very process of brushing the mate remove the finish clear down to the Inspection rings are soluble in rial will accelerate the shrinking of fabric and can even cut the fabric if dope and cement solvents, so if that the fabric. The Dacproofer/SpraFill not approached with caution. is the finish you are using, care must manual calls for an all spray applicaSanding should be concentrated be taken to prevent curling on the edges of the tapes and of the ring when the finish doublers to minimize ridges. CLEVER AIRPLANE dries. One method of avoid If care was taken in the appli REBUILDERS , PARTICULARLY cation of the filler coats, very ing this is to install a fabric doubler slightly larger than little sanding will be required the inspection ring. This has THOSE WHO PLAN TO DO MORE to give a smooth surface for the added benefit of chafe the finish coat. However, THAN ONE PROJECT, protection as the inspection if the last sanding leaves a CONSTRUCT A FIXTURE THAT splotchy color no matter how plate is removed and rein stalled numerous times in smooth it feels, a final coat ALLOWS THE WING TO BE of the silver or filler should subsequent years. Precut cotton patches for be applied before the color. If ROTATED LIKE A CHICKEN this purpose are no longer the finish color is to be cream ON A ROTISSERIE. available from most suppli or yellow, a first coat of white will provide a much better fi ers. We have found a better method using Dacron fabric, which tion and all of the filler coats are of a nal appearance with less material as also lends itself to the odd shaped lightly pigmented aluminum dope. the yellow pigments generally have doublers you will need around strut A minimum of three coats is ap poor hiding properties. The urethane finishes will give in fittings, etc. Staple or tape a piece plied, and unless you are striving for of fabric over the open end of a a showplane finish, sanding between stant gratification in the gloss depart ment, while a decent shine in dope cardboard box, iron it lightly to re each coat is not necessary. It is common practice to hang finish requires much rubbing and move any wrinkles and coat it with Dacproofer or your other primer wings vertically by attach fittings and polishing. Some semblance of a gloss (thinned U-500 adhesive if you are aileron hinges. This allows both sides on pigmented dope may be obtained using Superflite System II). When this to be sprayed at one time rather than by coating with clear dope reduced is dry, you can draw the desired out having to wait for one side to dry with retarding thinner. Of course line in pencil and cut out with ordi before turning the surface over. It is you're anxious to get the pieces as nary straight bladed scissors without easy to shortchange the leading edges sembled in a shape resembling an any unraveled edges. A 2- pound cof when hanging, and this is the area, airplane again, but remember it's a fee can makes the right sized inspec which should perhaps get more fin lot easier to polish the individual sur ish than the rest of the wing. Clever faces in your shop than standing tip tion ring doubler. airplane rebuilders, particularly those toe on a shaky stepladder out at the The points at which cables exit the who plan to do more than one proj airport. The importance of a coat of fabric, such as the rudder cables in the ect, construct a fixture that allows the wax on a doped finish can't be over aft fuselage, require more beef than just a second layer of fabric. A suit wing to be rotated like a chicken on emphasized. If you've got some eager able device can be fabricated by cut a rotisserie. The fuselage may be han youngsters who would like to trade ting a teardrop shape from a scrap of dled the same way even more easily so polishing for an airplane ride, con leatherette or similar upholstery mate long as the engine is removed. Merely sider yourself lucky and put them to rial. On production J-3s, Piper applied bolt two 2 x 4s vertically and two hori work. Keep it clean, keep it waxed, these in black after the last coat of yel zontally on the engine mount. The keep it hangared and you can keep low dope. They looked like a trim ac tail post can rest on a sawhorse in ei from having to this all over again for years to come. cent. You may cement them on before ther the upright or inverted position.

.....

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

A Radial-Powered Beautyf7~~C/C/,z".L#'~FL-

g=iPJ7

EAA AirVenture's 20 0 6 Antique Reserve Grand Champion BY SPARKY BARNES SARGENT

This was the first entry in Fred Lundeen's aircraft restoration journal for his 1944 Howard DGA-15P. Sometimes, the first step of restoration may seem in significant, but the act it self signifies the beginning of an exciting-and often times challenging-project. That's especially true when it also happens to be your first airplane.

~~"~"~"~~~~----"~""""~""~T:h:e:n~,:accordingtoLundeen,

Rmn1ling Radials Lundeen was 69 years old when he made that journal entry; now, at 74, he and his wife, Suzie, are happy to share the saga of their completed restoration . His selection of a radial powered aircraft to call his own per haps had its genesis nearly 50 years ago, when he fell in love with radial engines. That was when Lundeen started his aviation career as a bush pilot for Wien Alaska Airlines. He also worked for another bush operation in Fairbanks during that time-In terior Airways-flying Curtiss C-46s for both companies all over Alaska, much of it under military contract. The C-46, with its powerful Pratt & Whitney R-2800 engines, was one of his "all-time favorite airplanes." After three years of flying behind those rumbling radials in Alaska, he began flying the smaller DC-3s in 8

FEBRUARY 2007

1962 for West Coast Air lines in Seattle, Washington. Six years later, West Coast Airlines entered into a three-way merger with Pacific Air lines in San Francisco and Bonanza Airlines in Phoenix to form Air West.

Howard Hughes bought the airline in 1971. It assumed a new name, Hughes Airwest, and adopted new flying colors-yellow and blue . Re public Airlines purchased Hughes Airwest in 1980, after Hughes passed

Lundeen begins the cleanup process after the hangar fire.

Lundeen requested the "727" in the registration number as a personal tribute to his flying career with the airlines.

away, and seven years later, North west bought the airline. Lundeen's flying career evolved throughout the

Suzie and Fred Lundeen stand under the shelter of their mighty Howard's wing.

years with these airlines as he moved from DC-3s to Boeing 727s. Reflect ing upon those days in a gentle tone, he says he "never changed jobs in all those years, but I changed company uniforms five times." As a tribute to his fulfilling ca reer, Lundeen requested a special registration number for the Howard NC727ST ("727" for the airliner and "sierra tango" in honor of his wife, Suzie, whose nickname is "Teeny") . And the Howard's yellow and blue color scheme harkens back to his fly ing days with Hughes Airwest. Buy a Project? The Lundeens ' decision to buy a Howard DGA was based partially upon the sound advice of a friend, Ron Peck, coupled with Fred Lun deen's own preferences for a relatively economical fixed-gear, radial-engined airplane. "I've always had a certain love for Howards because of their

beauty and reputation," he reflects, "so Suzie and I spent the best part of two years looking for a flying How ard and eventually realized that there wasn't one flying, and available, that I'd want to own." The primary solu tion to that dilemma, proffered by the same friend, was to buy a proj ect and restore it-that way, Lundeen could not only be sure of its airwor thiness, but also incorporate specific features that he wanted . But at first, the idea just didn 't seem viable. After all, he had never tackled an aircraft restoration, and it would also mean initially logging more hours working than flying. Yet, after some consideration, he warmed to the challenging idea, and Suzie, who was interested in avia tion and had taken some flying les sons, staunchly supported him. They looked at several projects and finally bought one from Les Sargent in Okla homa City, Oklahoma . When the VINTAGE AIRPLANE

Close-up view of the firewall accessories.

Lundeens acquired it, Sargent had already had the wings restored by Jack Swartz of Grove, Oklahoma, but there was still considerable work to be done, along with miscellaneous parts that had to be procured. Nev ertheless, the Lundeens were ecstatic as they drove the large rental truck, packed with pieces and parts, to their home in Olympia, Washington, in late October 2001. "We were just so excited; we were on top of the world," shares Suzie, with a childlike enthusiasm echoed by her husband. Laughing, he explains, "We didn't even know where we were going to put it together-but it didn't matter, because we owned a Howard!" As it turned out, a kind gentleman by 10

FEBRUARY 2007

John Miller prepares to cowl the engine.

the name of Ron Wright invited Lun deen to use a corner of his large, com mercial hangar in Olympia. Lundeen gladly accepted the gracious offer and personally commenced work on the Howard fuselage in the luxury of a heated hangar. A married couple's teamwork can facilitate the workflow of such a proj ect, even if one person doesn't have hands-on involvement. "When we decided to do it, I was totally behind him," shares Suzie, elaborating that "my time was spent fixing meals, and all of a sudden I found myself doing yardwork I hadn't done before! He'd come in pretty exhausted at night, so my part was providing emotional sup port and encouragement, rather than

actually working on the project." Lundeen shared various facets of the project with her, piquing her in terest and keeping her abreast of his progress on even the smallest details. "He would come home and show me old grungy parts," recalls Suzie with a smile, "and then proudly show them to me again when they were bead blasted and looking clean as new." And she became even more familiar with the depth and breadth of the project while faithfully typing all of his daily work-log notes.

Powerplant and AirfraIIle While Lundeen was present through every hour of the 7,000 proj ect hours spanning four and a half

The new left-side skin, held in place by Cleco fasteners.

years, he explains that" not every hour is mine, because of the wonderful mechan ics that came into my life with a lot of knowledge and interest in the project we didn't really seek them. And thank God for them and their expertise, be cause without them, we wouldn't be fly ing today." When it came time for the sheet metal work and wiring, airframe and power plant (A&P) mechanic John Miller of Tumwater, Washington, stepped into the project. He expertly formed all of the sheet metal, firewall aft, making the fuselage look brand new again with its smooth sides and deep window frames. Miller did all of the extensive electrical work and also restored the wheelpants to like-new condition.

The instrument panel, which had been cut full of holes and was pockmarked with numerous dents, was itself in dire need of a makeover. "We took that panel to Alyn Swedberg of Centralia, Washing ton, who's a magician with metal," de clares Lundeen, adding, "he straightened it out, and even did some welding on it, which is difficult on thin-wall alumi num. He also reworked all of the fairings and the engine cowling, making them as good as new." NC727ST's 4S0-hp Pratt & Whitney was overhauled by Ken Miller of Younkin The new main landing gear strut fairing is created with the landing gear mounted on a temporary stand, allowing for more com fortable working conditions. VINTAGE AIRPLANE

After cleaning, straightening, and a bit of welding on thin aluminum, the panel and its distinctive control yoke pedes tals start to come together.

The panel after fabrication, ready for the installation of the instruments and wiring.

Aviation in West Fork, Arkansas, and Lundeen comments that he is "happy beyond measure with Ken's work manship." When it finally came time to install it, Lundeen knew he needed help to complete the accessory work and plumbing. It wasn't long before Dick Smith (also of Olympia) walked into the hangar where Lundeen was working. Smith, an A&P mechanic with an inspection authorization and an experienced pilot with mul tiple ratings, was ready to help. "He's been working on round engines for 40 years, and I believe that he is so familiar with the R-985 that he could work on one blindfolded," says Lun deen, adding, "he obviously appeared out of nowhere, simply because we needed him. And in the fa ll of 2004, Smith also invited me to bring the wings, tail group, and control sur faces out to his shop, and we spent the winter using the Poly-Fiber pro cess to cover and paint everything through undercoat." Yet another individual with remark 12

FEBRUARY 2007

The front office of the Howard, including modern avionics for navigating in today's complex airspace.

able ta lents came into play when the Lundeens were ready for the uphol stery and cabin interior. "Jan Stroh of Seattle was one of the real delights during the restoration," smiles Suzie. Stroh designed and sewed the combi nation leather and fabric interior and embossed the Howard logo on the baggage compartment and rear seat. "She specializes in antique airplanes," explains Fred, "and for a short time, she did work for the late Clayton Scott, who at one time owned all five of the Howard type certificates." And there were several others who helped as well, including the project's previous owner. ilLes said he would provide some of the missing parts, or help us find parts for it, and he has done that throughout the project," ex plains Lundeen, elaborating, "he also identified certain pieces and how they fit together and gave us all the related paperwork he had accumulated."

Howard Hurdles A year and a half into the project,

the Howard fuselage and tail group was damaged by acid smoke when the hangar caught fire and smoldered one long winter night. Lundeen was disheartened when he discovered that all of the DGA's exposed metal was covered with rust or corrosion from the smoke, but it wasn't long before Tim Weston of Yelm, Wash ington, was on the scene and offering his help. Together, they completely disassembled the aircraft, and then Weston generously made room in one of his hangars for Lundeen's project, where the fastidious clean up process continued for three and a half months until the restoration was back on track at this new location. Perhaps one of the other most challenging aspects of the restoration involved the wings. Lundeen says that some work was required to allow the wings to precisely mate with the fuselage, and he also had to "create a new ho le for one of the tie-down rings due to incorrect placement of nut plates on the inside of the wing.

140 and move him up from there. "

Nuggets of Knowledge With a knowing smile born of re cent hands-on experience and newly acquired knowledge, Lundeen con fesses that "when I started this proj ect, 1 really didn't know that I didn't have the ability to do it." Perhaps par tially because of that realization, both he and Suzie are quick to affirm that the entire project was "worth it, with out question . The rewards have been enormous, ever since we showed it for the first time at the warbird fly-in at Olympia-we've been overwhelmed with compliments." But there have been other rewards § as well-those that have come from ~ struggle, perseverance, and the kind ~ ness of others. Lundeen emphasizes z !:i that "no matter what problem you CD ~ may run into, the answer is there-if a: ~ you just exercise patience and per sistence. A problem can seem so in This Howard carries 151 gallons of fuel and burns around 24 gph while cruising tense, but we found that when you at 170 mph true airspeed. Lundeen has been crazy about radials since he first stick with it, do your due diligence, began flying as a bush pilot. make phone calls, and search the The retractable landing lights also re Whelen strobe lights. Especially note Web, then without exception, the an quired a great deal of time to make worthy are two other features, which swer always came for us." And in that them work correctly-things like that involve the DGA's flight controls. way the Howard project taught them really slowed me down ." Lundeen installed servo-actuated rud patience and resourcefulness and, der trim , which this Howard didn 't they say, even changed their lives by Modifications originally have. "It can be difficult to enabling them to meet people whose These days, it isn't uncommon to obtain FAA approval for the modifi kindnesses they otherwise would find modifications to antique aircraft cation of control surfaces," reflects never have known. that have been made with safety in Lundeen, "but fortunately there were mind. To that end, you'll find mod other Howard owners who had done Tabng Flight ern avionics and instrumentation in this before me, so [ was able to use The 62-year-old Howard DGA NC727ST's instrument panel, includ their Form 337 as a basis for approval. lSP's bright yellow wings were just ing a Garmin GNS 430 GPS/comm/ That was a great help, but [ still had as brilliant as sunshine in the cool, nav with glides lope, a GTX320A tran to rewrite the form three times before clear air over the airport in Olympia, sponder, an ICOM ICA200 trans receiving approval!" Washington, on February 24, 2006, ceiver, and a JPI FS4S0 electronic fuel The second feature is a rare one for and the sight of them warmed Suzie's computer. Additionally, Lundeen had Howard DGAs-although others may heart beyond words. It was NC727ST's a Jasco SO amp alternator and Airwolf wish they had it. "I installed a brake initial test flight, and Lundeen's son, oil filter kit and air/oil separator in system on the right-hand side, pri Chris, was also among the expectant stalled on the R-98S. marily so I could teach my son to fly crowd that had gathered to witness Miscellaneous modifications for pi it," smiles Lundeen, gently elaborat the flight. They watched intently as lot and passenger convenience include ing with a father's pride, "there won't NC727ST took to the sky with Dick a glove box in the panel, cup holders be many people, if any, that I'm go Smith in the left seat and Lundeen for those long flights, BAS inertial-reel ing to check out in our Howard, but who felt a mixture of excitement and shoulder harnesses and armrests for he'll be one. He was the yo ungest apprehension since it was also the the front seats, and the installation of Lear captain in the world at one time Howard 's first flight in 54 years-in and is now flying for Aloha Airlines. the right seat. an external power receptacle. Lundeen wanted Smith, who had Airframe enhancements include He doesn 't have any tailwheel time, Cleveland wheels and brakes and though, so ['11 start him in a Cessna experience test flying, to be at the con <J)

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

Note the hand-sewn leather protectors that wrap around the rear strut, neatly protecting the paint and providing a resting place for the Howard's cabin door. The large polished chromed steel step is standard equipment on all of Benny Howard's massive high-wing cabin airplane designs.

Even the baggage compartment has been neatly carpeted and its door upholstered.

trois so he could easily detect any de tails that might need to be addressed. Lundeen carried a notebook along, jotting down noteworthy observa tions . His work log reflects that the air work during the 40-minute flight included "slow flight, steep turns and stalls in various configurations. En gine temps and pressures were nor mal throughout test flight with these few exceptions: 1) left wing needs wash adjustment; 2) oil temp erratic; 3) suction indicates low; 4) fuel psi high; 5) air noise around roll up win dows, and interior side panels full of air; 6) flap motor failed on last land ing; 7) after landing, discovered oil 14

FEBRUARY 2007

Suzie Lundeen's special touch- a string of knotted pearls, a pair of gloves, and long-stemmed roses-con jures the romance of the era when this Howard was manufactured. Also note the embossed Howard logos on the seat back and baggage compartment.

leak in oil cooler; 8) also discovered small leak in air/oil separator." Nearly four months after that ini tial flight, those squawks were re solved, and NC727ST was ready to fly well beyond its home base. Fully fueled, it carries 151 gallons, and its 4SO-hp Pratt & Whitney burns about 24 gph while cruiSing at 170 mph true airspeed. The Lundeens lost no time allowing the Howard to stretch its wings and have already been on several interesting long flights, hap pily watching the terrain change from mountains to plains below their wings. Together, they have flown to fly-ins including the North west EAA Regional Fly-in at Arling ton, Washington, EAA AirVenture, and the Howard Aircraft

The brown leather cabin walls complete with a rosebud vase blend nicely with the neatly painted window frames.

Foundation gatherings in Hayward, Wisconsin, and Yellowstone, Wyo ming, logging 72 hours on NC727ST by October 2006. "Once in a while, flying along," says Lundeen, blue eyes sparkling as he laughs softly, "I'll look over at Suzie, and say, 'I just love this airplane!' It's very reminiscent of my heavy taildrag ger days, because it demands a lot of attention to trim and power. As I gain time in this airplane, I progressively recognize that I need to give it what it needs before it actually needs it." If you ever have the opportunity to meet Lundeen at a fly-in, you'll notice that he can't help but sport a rather spontaneous smile when he's talking about the Howard. After all, he simply delights in flying his first airplane-an experience no doubt made sweeter by Suzie's enthusiastic support and his own intensive labor throughout the restoration. .......

BENDIX MODEL 52

A promising postwar design

BY MARK SAVAGE

The Model 52 with propeller hub extension.

Two yea rs ago, while visiting my fa ther and stepmother in Florida, I m et a man named Vern Biasell, an aero nautical engineer who had worked on some of history's most enduring and interesting aircraft. Last March I went back to Florida and spent the better part of an evening talking with Mr. Biasell about some of the famous air planes he'd worked on. However, one airplane he worked on never got past the prototype stage. This attractive and innovative bird captured my at tention: It was the Bendix Model 52. Mr. Biasell had begun aircraft de sign and engineering for the Stinson Aircraft Company in 1937, working for Mr. Athanas Oack) Fontaine. Mr. Fontaine was chief engineer at Stin son at the time and had been respon sible for the Voyager series. Mr. Biasell was project engineer on the Reliant and later the L-5, and as we talked, Biasell took a moment to reminisce

about the Sentinel. According to Mr. Biasell, in 1940 the Army was in the market for an observation plane. It had written specs and was starting tests on several prototypes supplied by competing aircraft companies: Stinson's entry was the 0-49, later known as the L-l. However, some engineers at Stinson believed the Army was asking for an airplane that was too large and ex pensive for its intended purpose. As a result, a request was made to top management for expenditure of com pany funds to demonstrate their en gineering concept. Authorization was given, and with Vern Biasell as project manager, a demonstration prototype was built and flown just 28 days later. It was highly successful and shown to the Army during the 0-49 flight tri als. Army interest was aroused in this " flying jeep" version of an observa tion plane, which became the famous REPRINTED FROM

FEBRUARY 2007

Vintage Airplane AUGUST

1986

L-5, and production began. Mr. Biasell was involved in other in teresting projects during the war, but as the conflict drew to an end, man y companies a nd aircraft designers looked forward to the postwar period. At the end of World War II, market surveys indicated that a two-place, all metal retractable aircraft would sell briskly in the anticipated postwar avi ation boom. The Bendix Corporation, like many other businesses, made plans to build and market general aviation aircraft to fill the proposed needs of the many military pilots who were soon to return to civilian life. Mr. Jack Fontaine was hired from Consoli dated-Vultee to head the new Bendix Aircraft venture along with Mr. Biasell, who was then at the General Motors Research Laboratories. Designed in July 1945, the Bendix Model 52 prototypes were engineered by Mr. Biasell and built in 1945-46 at

the Bendix Experimental Engineering Department at 261 McDougal St. in Detroit, Michigan. The Model 52 was a low-wing, all-metal airplane with side by-side seating and retractable tricy cle landing gear. Wingspan measured 33 feet 3 inches, length 22 feet, with an empty weight of just 1,043 pounds. Target price was $3,900, and the means by which Bendix and Biasell intended to meet that price is intriguing. What should make the Model 52 interesting both to homebuilders and those interested in vintage/antiqu e airplanes is that Mr. Biasell design ed the Model 52 to use automotive-styl e high-production techniques. These techniques not only lent themselves to economic mass production but also kept the weight low without sac rificing structural integrity.

Figure 1 illustrates the difference in design between the Biasell/Bendix Model 52 (top) tail feathers and those of a conventional aircraft. Note that both horizontal stabilizers and the vertical fin are identi cal; one pi ece can serve as either stabilizer or fin . And, not including the skin, each unit totaled just 12 parts! The fuse lage was designed along the sa me lines (Figure 2) and used rolled skin to form the stringers. But perhaps the most interes ting part of the design was that of the wing. As shown in Figure 3, the wing consisted of two spars, seven ribs set at 45-degree angles to each other, end cap, aileron and flap assembly, and lea ding edge for a total of 19 parts per wing, not including skin or land ing gear/retracting m ec hanism. The

wings used a modified Goettingen section, up-swept at the trailing edge to flatten the stall curve. According to Mr. Biasell, the airplane was virtu ally spin-proof. Moreover, it had very gentle stall characteristics and main tained aileron control throughout the stall. The Mod el 52 could be flown at very high angles of attack without dropping a wing or surprising its pi lot with an abrupt stall. An article on the Bendix Model 52 in the Septem ber 1971 issue of The Great Lakes Flyer notes that the 52 had "full length ai lerons (that) could be 'drooped' to serve as landing flaps which reduced the stall speed ... from the 53 mph to 47 mph," a highly imaginative design feature for a general aviation produc tion aircraft. Figure 4 illustrates the method of production that had been proposed . The rear fuselage, wings, engine cover, and cockpit areas were to be built as separate units, then joined to the "keel" at the end of the assembly line. The cab was to be lowered onto the assembly just as automobile bod ies were lowered onto frames in auto mobile assembly plants. The other picture shows the clean lines of the Model 52, long wing, and outward retracting gear. It was pow ered by a 100-hp Franklin and, accord ing to Biasell, had a maximum speed of 154 mph. It cruised at 140 and climbed at 900 fpm. The original de sign called for a 6-inch propeller hub extension shaft, which gave the plane a more streamlined appearance. But later, to reduce manufacturing costs, the extension shaft was eliminated and the nose of the Model 52 took on a more conventional appearance. The shorter nose also reduced the maxi mum airspeed to 148 mph, which was the maximum speed indicated by The Great Lakes Flyer article. The first Model 52, NX-341l0, was flown by Bendix chief test pilot Al Schramm in December 1945, just five months after the first design sketches were laid down. The prototype had been trucked across the Detroit River to Windsor Airport in Canada for the flight. Mr. Biasell noted that the Wind sor Airport was chosen because it was VINTAGE AIRPLANE

BENDIX EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT DEPARTMENT (Left to right): Bob Horstman (engineer), AI Schramm (chief test pilot), unidentified (comptroller), Fred Ross (chief aerody namicist), Carroll Caldwell (weights engineer), Bob Fredricks (engineer), Bill Fredricks (head stress analyst), O.G. Blocher (engineer), A.P. "Jack" Fontaine (president and general manager), Vern Biasell (chief engineer, Model 52), Charley Lim ouze (engineer), Maurice Mills (chief engineer, model 51), Earl Lowe (head tool design), OJ. Lutz (tool designer), Charley Loomis (shop manager), Bill Lothrop (engineer), Bill Mara (vice president and public relations), unidentified (salesman). Photo taken on the morning the department was notified of closing.

close by and offered a degree of secu rity against the press and competitors. By September 1946, two other proto types were built and the Model 52 had completed all but the final flight tests for an approved type certificate. Sev eral hundred toolmakers were working on production tooling when Bendix's new top management abandoned the personal aircraft field. The new management worried that a successful Model 52 would make Bendix Corporation a competi tor of other airframe manufacturers that were customers of Bendix's other divisions. Accordingly, management decided that situation might hurt sales in those other departments, and so in September the board of direc tors announced that the Aviation De partment had to be disbanded. The prototypes were stored for six years and then donated to the University of Michigan, Wayne State University, and the Detroit Metro Aero Mechan ics High School. The aviation community obvi ously lost out on an innovative and interesting airplane when Bendix's top management decided to aban don the Model 52; it was an attrac tive machine and offered a high level 18

FEBRUARY 2007

of performance for its time. However, in light of the postwar general avia tion fizzle, abandoning light aircraft manufacturing was probably a wise business decision. But just looking at these pictures and talking with Mr. Biasell about the design features and production techniques of the Bendix Model 52 made me wonder if these ideas aren't worth a second look. It would be a shame to forget this inter esting machine ... and the innovative and futuristic production techniques inherent in the design. During the time the two Bendix Model 52s were undergoing flight tests, two four-place aircraft were be ing designed and built. Known as the Model 51 and 51A, they were all metal, twin-boom pushers with re tractable tricycle landing gear. Maurice Mills, 12th from the left in the photo of the Bendix Aviation Department, was chief engineer for these planes. Mr. Mills had worked with Bill Stout, the designer for the Ford Tri-Motor. Later he worked at Stinson and after the war, of course, went to Bendix. Construction of the pushers was similar to the Model 52: the wings were of diagonal rib design and em-

Vern Biasell in1986.

ployed the same modified Goet tingen airfoil (Bendix 416 airfoi I) section. And like the Model 52, auto mobile-type assembly line techniques were to be used to build the planes. This would make it possible to eco nomically build either a landplane or amphibian from the same basic air frame: the upper fuselage could be joined to either type of lower fuse lage during assembly because except for the lower fuselage, wingtip floats, and longer landing gear of the am phibian, the major assemblies for the two aircraft were identical.

BENDIX

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IDENTICAL 12 PAl<TS

BENDIX

NOT INCLUDING SKIN.

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Figure One

Figure Three

#I 3 BULKHEAD

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"'2 BULKHEAD BLANKED OuT OF THIS AREA '足

.~ ROLLED SKIN FORMS

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Figure Two Figure Four

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

The Model 52 with the extension removed. Only one of each type was built. The land plane was flown for approxi mately 25 to 30 hours (Biasell's esti mate) at the Willow Run Airport at Ypsilanti, Michigan . The amphibian was never flown; only preliminary taxi tests were conducted. The hull was developed and the hydrodynamic characteristic tests conducted, using models at the Experimental Towing Tank, Stevens Institute of Technol ogy, in Michigan. Both the land plane and amphib ian were powered by a six-cylinder Franklin engine that developed 220 hp at 2600 rpm. The design statistics

are as follows : Landplane (Model 51) Design max speed. . . . . . . . 168 Design cruise speed. . . . . . . 157 Design stall speed .. . . ..... 53 Wingspan ...... . . . ... 40 feet Wing area ..... 218 square feet Length ........ 28 feet 2 inches Empty weight ... 1,550 pounds Gross weight .... 2,550 pounds Seaplane (Model 51A) Design max speed. . . . . . . . 149 Design cruise speed . . .. . . . 138 Design stall speed ..... . .. 54.5 Wingspan ...... . . . .. . 40 feet

Wing area .... . 218 square feet Length . ... .. . . 28 feet 2 inches Empty weight ... 1,700 pounds Gross weight . .. . 2,700 pounds As Mr. Biasell put it in his note to me, "(this) is a little of the very meager information available. Basic tests were so preliminary (when the decision was made to cancel the aircraft program) that no decisions on the future of these designs had ever been formulated ." Like the three Model 52s, after pro longed storage (six years) both air planes were given to universities for student instruction purposes. ......

continued derful flight lasted half an hour as we circled my hometown and did two gen tle wingovers. After that memorable day, I was forever hooked on flying. Later on I took flying instructions, and on my 16th birthday I soloed a )-3 Cub. While I was in college I enlisted as an aviation cadet in the Army Air Corps, and after 11 months of flying and the constant terror of being washed out, I finally graduated in 1944 and went on to flying C-47s over-the-h ump and in the China Burma India Theater. The flying bug bit me thanks to Matty Laird and has never let go dur ing all these past 68 years. The EAA has kept the golden age of flying alive with their great articles about the greatest designed early airplanes. ...... 20

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V I NTAGE AIRPLANE

The Tulsa

Regional Flv-In

A golden anniversary celebration of sport aviation ARTICLE AND PHOTOS BY SPARKY BARNES SARGENT

here's nothing like a mile stone anniversary to get the folks around liT-Town" revved up . Even in the early stages of planning for the 50th an niversary of the Tulsa Regional Fly in , Senior Co-chairman Charlie Harris observed that lithe harmony and spirit of cooperation that is pres ent within the planning committee is exceptional and a joy to behold!" Those plans evolved into success ful fruition on Friday, September 22, 2006, when the golden anniversary celebration of sport aviation com menced for the first day of its two-day fly-in. All manner of aircraft winged their way over the Great Plains to alight at Frank Phillips Field (BVO) in Bartlesville, Oklahoma.

Verilable Showcase Bartlesville is well-known for its annual ear ly-summer Biplane Expo, and some of those biplanes returned in September, enhancing the colorful array of antique, classic, experimental, contemporary, and light-sport aircraft that filled the grassy t ie-down area. Additionally, EAA Warbird Squadron 10 commanded an impressive pres ence-both on the ramp and per forming fly-bys-with three AT-6s, a Harvard, a Yak, an L-39 Albatross, and even the B-25 bomber Martha Jean. The FAA's eye-catching Douglas DC-3, which was built in Oklahoma City in 1945, was on the field , and walk-through visitors were welcome 22

F EB RU A R Y 2007

to climb aboard. For many years, N34 was part of the FAA's flight inspec tion fleet, and it was listed for pres ervation in the Nationa l Register of Historic Places in 1997. Painted in the brightly colored Civil Aeronautics Authority (CAA) orange and white scheme, this airplane was restored

URV-ins are as line an opponunilV as we could possiblv have to pass on the knowledge that all 01 us have to the oncoming aviation generations." -Charlie Harris by FAA employees who volunteered their time and expertise to keep the grand old DC-3 airborne. There were many other historic and interesting aircraft on the field, and fly-in announcer Bill Hare pro vided expert commentary on these as he strolled up and down the tlight line, microphone in hand. In particu lar, a small grouping of monoplanes,

parked adjacent to the taxiway, was an especially rare Sight-and perhaps marked the first time that these par ticular airplanes have been on dis play, side-by-side. These aircraft represen ted a tim e line of the talents and craftsmanship of Jim Younkin of Springdale, Arkan sas, beginning with the replica low wing, open-cockpit 1929 Travel Air Model R Mystery Ship racer, which he built in 1979. N482N was on display at the Arkansas Air Museum for many years, until Younkin returned it to flying status recently so his grandson, Matt Younkin, could begin flying it during air shows. Next came the rep lica of Benny Howard 's 1934 Mister Mulligan, which Younkin debuted in 1982. He built the replica as a tribute to the magnificent winning perfor mances of the original Mister Mulligan in the 1935 National Air Races. That high-wing, four-place cabin airplane won both the Bendix and Thomp son trophies in 1935. It was destroyed when it crashed during the 1936 Ben dix Transcontinental Trophy Race; hence Younkin's replica helps keep this facet of air-racing history alive. The third example of Younkin 's work was N274Y, the Mullicoupe he designed and the late Bud Dake of Creve Coeur, Missouri, completed in 1997. Owned today by Mark Hol liday of Lake Elmo, Minnesota, the Mullicoupe features the 450-hp Pratt & Whitney engine and scaled-down wings of a Howard DGA, artfully COffi

bined with the scaled-up fuselage and tail of a Monocoupe, creating a high performance, two-place rocket ship. Most recent on this virtual timeline was Younkin's singular orange Howard DGA-ll, which started life as a ]acobs powered DGA-9 and was converted to a DGA-ll with a Pratt & Whitney R-985 back in 1946. Younkin recently replicated a true DGA-ll tapered-style cowling for it, giving this Howard a sleek, original appearance. Speaking of timelines, there was a remarkable reminder of the early days of aviation on the ramp, in the form of an OX-5 powered Parker Curtiss pusher biplane. It's uncom mon to see a 92-year-old homebuilt at fly-ins these days, and Lanny Seals, project manager for the Phillips Pe troleum Company Museum (sched uled to open in Bartlesville in May 2007), was eager to share information about it. "Billy Parker built about 10 planes in Colorado between 1910 and 1916, and this is his design, based on the Curtiss plans. He strengthened the structure, and he could loop and roll this airplane," says Seals, elaborating, "in 1927, he became the first manager of the Phillips Petroleum Company's aviation department. It's covered in Irish linen, and the wings were re stored in the 1950s-but everything else is original, including the tires that were made by Phillips 66. It went on display in the Oklahoma City Airport in 1965 and was later moved to the Oklahoma Air and Space Museum. It will be on permanent display in our new museum here next year." Parker flew N66U (the number represents Phillips 66) at air shows from the 1940s up to 1960 as a novel way to promote Phillips' aviation products. According to Seals, the plane would be dismantled, packed in crates, and hauled via truck to the next airport, where it was reassem bled and flown. The presence of this 1914 Parker-Curtiss pusher plane was a welcome addition to the in triguing showcase of aviation his tory-from "antiquity" to modern day-that was displayed at the 50th Tulsa Regional Fly-in.

ExhibhS, Forums, and AcUvilies This well-organized grassroots-style fly-in attracted a wide variety of out standing aircraft, but there were also classic automobiles and well-known aviation personalities to be found

amongst the friendly crowd . Friends of fly-in volunteers rolled out their classic collection of military jeeps and antique cars next to the exhibit hangar. Inside the hangar, vendors were manning their booths of avia

Here's a rare lineup-(L-R) Jim Younkin's Howard DGA-9/11, Travel Air Mystery Ship replica, Mark Holliday's Mullicoupe, and Jim Younkin's Mister Mulligan replica.

Charlie Hanis, Mark Holliday, Jim Moss, and Jim Younkin gather next to Younkin's Mister Mulligan replica.

Tex Hill, a World War II triple ace and original member of ChennauH's Flying Ti gers, stayed busy signing autographs while his wife, Mazie, greeted visitors. VINTAGE A I RPLANE

N66U was built by Billy Parker in 1914 and will be on per manent display in the Phillips Petroleum Company Museum in Bartlesville beginning May 2007.

Chuck Gantzer (R) of Wichita, Kansas, talks Pietenpols with noted aviation author and historian Chet Peek of Nor man, Oklahoma.

Antique and classic cars are a welcome addition to the annual Tulsa fly-in.

Lanny Seals of ConocoPhillips Com pany had the original Curtiss OX-5 powered 1914 Parker-Curtiss pusher on display. tion-related items, such as hardware, books, and clothing. Ensconced in the midst of these vendors was Brig. Gen. David Lee "Tex" Hill, renowned World War II triple ace, original member of Chen nault's Flying Tigers, and retired commanding officer of the Texas Air National Guard, along with his wife, Mazie. They stayed busy cheerfully greeting pilots and fly-in visitors and signing copies of his autobiography. OutSide, there were manufacturer displays of several new aircraft, includ ing Cessna's new glass-panel 172 and turbo 182; Quartz Mountain Aero space's 185-hp nosewheel Luscombe (based on the Luscombe Sedan); two new Cirrus SR22s; and two new 260 hp Micco SP26 aircraft (based on the 24

FEBRUARY 2007

Jim Wiebe of Wichita, Kansas, flew the Travel Air Mystery Ship replica, which was awarded Best Antique. Meyers 145), which are soon to be manufactured at Frank Phillips Field. And for those interested in light-sport aircraft, the Flight Design CT model was shown and flown. An informal dinner was held on the field Friday evening, and free ground transportation for pilots was provided to lodging in town and back to the field the next morning, for those who elected not to camp by their aircraft. On Saturday, a wide variety of pre sentations were held, ranging from World War I replicas and sport pilot

to aviation fuel and medical matters. Type club forums included Cessna, Luscombe, RV, Piper Cub, Short Wing Piper, Aeronca, and Swift. Yet another forum, "An Hour With Jim Younkin," offered attend ees the opportunity to learn more about Younkin's numerous aviation endeavors-most recently, his suc cessful autopilot bUSiness, TruTrak Flight Systems. Younkin, who spent his time building model airplanes as a child, learned to fly at the age of 25, in a 1946 J-3 Cub that he bought

The FAA's DC-3 was a popular "walk through" at the fly-in.

Fly-in announcer Bill Hare in action, microphone in hand as he strolls past the historical FAA DC-3. for $360 at the Springdale, Arkansas, airport. He combined his aviation in terest with his career many years ago, and he has been inducted into both the Arkansas and VAA Halls of Fame. Younkin first came to the fly-in when it was held at Harvey Young Airport. "To the best of my recollec tion, I think I've been to every Tulsa fly-in since then; I don't think I've missed one," shares Younkin, "so I've seen it change, since a lot of myoid friends who used to come here are not with us any more. Flying is a lit tle different for me today than it was then, but this is still a very interesting fly-in. I seem to be doing a forum ev ery year-in the old days it was about building Staggerwings, then it was metal forming, and then they got me on autopilots." Lunch was available on the field during the day on Saturday, and the fly-in festivities and forums con cluded Saturday evening with a re ception and dinner at Bartlesville's Hillcrest Country Club . When the numbers were tallied, there were 225 aircraft in attendance to help celebrate the Tulsa Regional Fly-in's golden anniversary. VAA Director Bob Lumley, who represented EAA Founder and Chairman Paul Pober ezny (who was grounded by inclem ent weather and unable to personally attend), presented the attendee balloted Grand Champion Aircraft Award winners, which are as follows:

Asnazzy 1946 Taylorcraft BC12-D, registered to Michael Wannan of Joplin, Missouri.

Brian Launder's sharp-looking 1957 Beech El85 on the flightline. Best Antique-Younkin's replica Travel Air Mystery Ship; Best Classic Marty Lochman's 1946 Cessna 140; Best Contemporary-Stephen Law lor's 1956 Cessna 172; Best Exper imental-Tim Crowell's RV-4; Best Warbird-Janet McCullough's Vultee BT-13; and Chairman's Choice-Hol Iiday's 1997 Mullicoupe. Bronze me dallions were given to invited guests Tex Hill and Poberezny, in recogni tion of their lifelong service to avia tion and the nation.

FlY-in Genesis The Tulsa Regional Fly-in, as we know it today, is a self-contained en tity and is sponsored by Tulsa's EAA Chapter 10, EAA Vintage Aircraft Chapter 10, EAA lAC Chapter 10, and EAA Ultralight/Light Aircraft Chap ter 10, along with considerable flying support from EAA Warbird Squadron 10. Harris, whom you may already know as EAA VAA treasurer and chair

man of the Executive Committee or perhaps as co-founder of the National Biplane Association and Chairman of the Biplane Expo, has fulfilled the role of senior co-chairman of the Tulsa fly-in for 26 years now. Harris is also a 2006 inductee of the EAA Sport Avia tion Hall of Fame and a lifelong avia tion enthusiast who learned to fly a 60-hp J-3F Cub in high school. He be gan attending the Tulsa fly-in during the late 1950s and is well-acquainted with its genesis and evolution. "The fly-in was initiated in a very informal way in 1957 by some ladies in Tulsa who wanted to have an avia tion gathering," Harris describes, elab orating, "it was quite successful, so in 1958 the men joined in the program and brought more airplane owners into it. That was all done at Harvey Young Airport in Tu lsa . Then in order to attract more aviation supporters, they held it in Okm u lgee one year, Bartlesville the next, then Riverside V INTA G E AIRPLAN E

John Hudec of Collinsville, Oklahoma, takes a passenger for a flight in the Waco UMF·5 replica that he buiH from scratch.

Mark Holliday of Fort Lupton, Colorado, lands his Pratt & Whitney powered Mullicoupe, which was awarded Chair· man's Choice. It was originally buiH by the late Bud Dake.

John Moss' 1944 Boeing PT·17 on takeoff. Airport. They were really interested in the versatility of it and encouraged different groups and personalities to attend. In the early to mid-1960s, Harvey Young Airport became home to the Tulsa fly-in, where it stayed for about 10 years. In 1972, it was moved to Tahlequah, and it really blossomed there; by the mid-1980s we were hav ing more than 500 airplanes attend, which was frankly beyond the capac ity of the airport and local hotels. We were invited by the Bartlesville Chamber of Commerce to relocate at Frank Phillips Field, where we had already started the Biplane Expo in 1987. It was a perfect fit for us, and 26

FEBRUARY 2007

From Lawton, Oklahoma, Bill Carrion's 1947 Stinson 108·3 departs Frank Phillips Field.

Wayne Boyd of Leavenworth, Kansas, co·owner of this pretty Cessna 180, takes to the skies over Bartlesville.

This pair of sharp Champs are registered to William Clark of Easton, Mis souri (left, an 85-hp 7BCM), and Melinda Hopper of St. Joseph, Missouri, who flies a 65-hp 7AC. All told, there were 225 aircraft attending.

we've been here for 13 years now." His enthusiasm for the fly-in is eas ily contagious, and his love for the event hasn't wavered in decades, be cause he realizes that it provides a "huge opportunity to expose sport aviation to the public, and especially to the kids." Harris elaborates that he and EAA Chapter 10 members have worked diligently to bring "a lot of fi nancial and accounting structure to the fly-in. Since 1977, when I got in volved, we've never had a single year when the fly-in did not at least break even. Part of the reason for that is that we try to pull upon the best talents that we have in all of those chapters

and involve their specialties in the fly in-whether it be airplane parking, driving tractors, bringing in guests, or accounting. And we have some very disciplined financial people, who are professionally employed as CPAs, or top business administrators."

Volunteers Speaking of those volunteers, you might be surprised to learn there are between 250 and 300 devoted vol unteers who keep things running smoothly throughout the event. Har ris explains, "Everyone of those peo ple have a positive attitude, which is a plus for sport aviation and will

William Kendrick climbs out after taking off in his 1949 Piper PA-16 Clipper. hopefully enlist other people to come into this movement." "When we advertise the fly-in , our key point is that families and children can walk right up to th e airplanes and have them explained to them," says Harris, adding, "for example, this morning when the B-25 arrived, we took a remote microphone and wa lked aro und it, explaini ng what the a ir plane is. We interviewed the pilot and encouraged everybody to walk up and look in the bomb bay and the nacelles [wheel wells]. We're just trying to pro mote grassroots and sport aviation to the best of our ability. We don't go out and solicit major sponsors for our fly in; so far, we've tried to avoid giving it a commercial appearance. We admit the public by donation, but if they feel they can't make a donation, they get to come anyway."

Christopher Hiatt of Ponca City, Oklahoma, now owns this customized Aeronca 7AC.

a really good fly-in-we've made a lot of friends in Tulsa whom we didn't know in the Oklahoma City area." Perhaps 91-year-old Tex Hill of San AntoniO, Texas, best described the atmosphere at Frank Phillips Field. He commented with out hesitati on , "I was fortunate enough to be asked back h ere thi s year. I was h e re last year, and I'll tell yo u one of the great est things about the Tulsa fly-in . It's the camaraderie-it 's different from any other air show I've ever been to, and I've been to a lot of them. That's because the guys are kindred soul s;

they are people who have a real inter est in restoring historic airplanes. It's just a different deal h ere-I've never been to another one like this. " If you'd like to experience this grassroots fly -in firsthand, then you 're warm ly welcomed to become part of the 51st annual Tulsa Re giona l Fly-in this coming Septem ber, wh e ther as a volunteer or as a participant flying your a irplane (note th ere is a grass runway paral lel to the paved runway). Visit www. TuLsaF Lyln. com or call 918-622-8400 for more information . .......

Camaraderie Harris' favorite part of the fly-in, a sentiment echoed by others, is "t he people. The sport aviation people who come to these events and bring such magnificent airplanes to share with ev eryone-they are such special people. And fly-ins are as fine an opportunity as we could pOSSib ly have to pass on the knowledge that all of us have to the oncoming aviation generations." Chet Peek of Norman, Oklahoma, an aviation author and member of the Oklahoma Avia ti on and Space Hall of Fame, has been attending the fly-in since 1966, when it was h eld at Harvey Young Airport. He says that he and his wife, Marian, "have always enjoyed it, and we enjoy the people. Years ago, we flew up here when I had a Taylorcraft F-1 9. It's just VIN TA G E AIRPLANE

BY DOUG STEWART

Distractions A few weeks ago I had to fly with a client in his Panther Navajo from my home base at the Columbia County Airport, just south of Alb any, New York, to his winter home base of St. Augustine, Florida. This is a trip we fly frequently, and the entire trip, including a half-hour drive at each end of the trip, as well as the time to conduct a thorough preflight inspec tion, rarely takes more than a total of seven hours. Knowing that my client is typi cally very eager to be on the way as soon as he arrives at the airport, I al ways arrive early enough to have suf ficient time to conduct the preflight inspection. I learned early on in my flying career of the dangers of rush ing through a preflight. With some embarrassment I will admit to hav ing missed something important on a preflight inspection because of being in a hurry. I have learned my lesson, so I always arrive at the airport suffi ciently ahead of my client to be sure I am not rushed into missing anything during the inspection. This particular day the total door to-door time was just under six hours, thanks to some healthy tail winds for the first two-thirds of the trip. The trip home, however, courtesy of a national airline that shall remain nameless, was to take quite a bit longer. In fact it took just a tad under eight hours for the door-to-door excursion to return to my humble abode. But the fact that it took almost 2S percent more time to fly the same trip courtesy of the air 28 FEBRUARY 2007

lines than it did in a private general aviation airplane was overshadowed by some of the things I witnessed and experienced on that trip home.

.. .it seemed to command

so much of her attention

trying to hear on that

miracle of modern

communication that

she hardly ever glanced

at the airplane.

It all began with the absurdity of the mentality I had to face as I went through the security check. All I had with me was a large flight bag. Inside of the bag were all the publications that I might have needed on the trip down to Florida. This included ap proach plates for the eastern third of the United States, as well as en route charts, sectional charts, and airport/ facility directory (AFD) for any pos sible eventuality or diversion. Then in one pocket was an assortment of flashlights, in another my elec tronic E6B, and in a third my 396 GPS receiver, along with its assort ment of tangled wires for antennas and power.

Also stashed inside the main com partment was my laptop computer that, sad to say, has become virtu ally indispensable to me. (To think that not too many years ago I was of a mentality that a pencil and paper as well as two tin cans and some string were all that I would ever need to ful fill my communication requirements. Little did I know ...) Other commu nication devices in the bag included my cell phone and its charger, a cou ple of extra pens and highligh ters , and an old CD that I keep for use as a signal mirror. In the two pockets remaining at either end of the bag were my headset in one and my dirty clothes from the day before stuffed in the other. Needless to say [ am always a wee bit anxious as to how those bastions of aviation security, the Transporta tion Security Administration (TSA) checkpoint inspectors, will react to this baggage. If I intended to use an airline airplane for my own pur poses, I certainly had the tools to do so. In fact on a previous airline excursion, the TSA found one of those tools unacceptable and con fiscated my Leatherman, despite my vehement albeit fruitless pro tests . So I will admit that I was not that surprised to have them pull me aside, on the far side of the baggage screening device, asking me if that big flight bag was mine. I had visions of having to repack everything so carefully so as to en sure that it would all fit inside, as

the inspector started her ardent root ing in my bag. My greatest fear was that she would have a problem with my GPS. My protests of her trying to confiscate that, should she chose to, would be more than vehement. However she passed right by it, as well as all the other things that I had thought might present a problem. This lady inspector was on a mission to find something even more threat ening to the security of flight. And then, exclaiming "Aha," she held up a little stuff sack I forgot to mention in my description of the contents of the bag. Wedged into a crevice of the main compartment was a small nylon stuff sack. Inside of that sack was the ob ject of her search. The stuff sack con tained a toothbrush, a comb, and ... a small tube of toothpaste. "Is this yours?" she asked, taking the tube of toothpaste out of the sack, as if it might belong to someone else? "Yes" was my simple reply. "Well you can't take that on an airplane," she said, as if the tube contained explosives rather than some minty, alkaline, and mildly abrasive paste. "You can only take that on the airplane if it is inside a I-quart Ziploc clear plastic bag," she said. Hmm, try as hard as I might, I couldn't seem to visualize or conjure up how a Ziploc bag would provide the requisite protection from the po tential explosive qualities that might reside in the baking powder ingredi ent of my toothpaste. "I think you had better confiscate that tube then," I said to the lady. "My flight is already boarding, and I would hate to miss it for lack of a I-quart Ziploc bag." With a smug acknowledgement that her mission had been successfully accomplished, she allowed me to continue to my boarding gate. I was hoping my flight would leave on time so I wouldn't miss my con nection at the midpoint changeover stop. On the last flight with this air line we had sat at the gate for over an hour because one of the four lava tories on board the aircraft was not functioning as it should. I guess only three out of four lavatories function

ing becomes a no-go item. Thank God the potty chair residing in the seventh seat of the Navajo I had just flown was not on my inspection list. We might have never gotten airborne if it had been. This time my flight miraculously departed on time, and I arrived in Philadelphia with more than ample time to make my connection. Thus I was able to observe the crew for that flight arrive and board the air plane. From my seat in the terminal I was also able to observe the first officer as she walked down the out side stairway of the Jetway and com mence her walk-around inspection of the airplane. I did not expect to see her conduct a thorough preflight inspection of the aircraft. After all, it had just arrived at the gate a short while ago, and I was sure that if there had been any major squawks (like a non-functioning lavatory), the crew leaving the airplane would have writ ten them up. However, I was not pre pared for what I did see. This young lady, quite possibly a recent graduate of one of the numer ous flight academies that now prom ise "a job with the regionals," started walking around the airplane. She had stuck a finger of her left hand in her left ear and to her right ear she held a cell phone. It must have been aw fully hard to hear anything on that cell phone as she walked around the airplane, what with the auxiliary power unit of the regional jet run ning, as well as numerous other air planes taxiing by. In fact it seemed to command so much of her atten tion trying to hear on that miracle of modern communication that she hardly ever glanced at the airplane. r was shocked! r have certainly seen a wide variety of attitudes exhibited by pilots rela tive to inspecting an airplane. There are some pilots who seem to adopt the attitude that "kick the tires ... ligh t the fires" is sufficient, even on the first flight of the day. Then there are the pilots that will conduct an in spection as thorough as the first pre flight of the day, even when they have just landed and only shut down

long enough to use the lavatory that they might have wished they had on board their aircraft. Certainly prior to our first flight of the day, it behooves each and ev ery one of us to conduct a thorough preflight inspection. We all have to guard against distractions and being in a hurry as we do this. If you are bringing passengers along or a fellow pilot who might be sharing the flight with you, be sure they do not keep you from paying complete attention to your inspection. All it takes is one small distraction, or being in a hurry, to miss something that might make a big difference. [My kids have known since they were little that when dad needs to do his preflight, no interrup tions are allowed. The same holds from the beginning of the run-up until after takeoff, once we're outside of the traffic area, and before I make my first call to the tower once we're inbound. A simple "It's time to be quiet now" and then "It's okay to talk now" does the trick.-HGFJ I can't help but wonder how many times a pitot cover was left on or cowl plugs left in or even, worse yet, gust locks left in place because of a ques tion or comment spoken to the in specting pilot in the midst of the preflight inspection, or because the pilot was in a rush. Just one small oversight has the potential to lead to catastrophic results. r have seen more than one airplane rolled up in a ball, because for whatever reason a gust lock had been left in place. We all know how complacency has the potential to lead to disaster, and this is just as important when we inspect our airplanes as it is in every other aspect of aviation, whether it be a thorough preflight inspection or just a walk-around after a "pit stop." So please take the ti me to be thor ough in your preflight inspections . .. even when blue skies and tail winds are beckoning. Doug Stewart is the 2004 National CFI of the Year, a NAFI Master Instruc tor, and a designated pilot examiner. He operates DSFI Inc. (www.DSFlight. com), based at the Columbia County Ailport (1Bl). .... VINTAGE AIRPLANE

The "Thing"

The things we did when we were young BY

aving done my fair share of flying o ld airplanes throughout t he New England area for the past 60 years, I can recall a rather inter足 esting flight I did, with a couple of passengers (for hire) in myoId 1936 Ryan ST, back in the 1960s. On this particular occasion I zipped up to an antique airplane fly-in, a weekend affair, at Orange, Massachusetts. On the flight up, a formation flight at that, was Bill Post in his DAR and another fellow in his Meyers OTW. We all pitched tents under our wings and had a wonder足 fu l time, par for the course naturally.

FEBR U ARY 2007

CASSAGNERES

.. .Up we went, and just as the airplane reversed itself and headed down, I heard a . . pIercIng scream from the front cockpit ...

Also par for the course was that I was a bit low on funds, and needed such things in order to purchase fue l (cheap back then) and food . Sensing that many people there had never flown in an open-cockpit airplane, I advertised rides in the Ryan at 5 bucks a head per hop over the beautiful countryside . Mother Nature did cooperate that weekend , and we had severe clear with a little wind. My first customer was an Air Force F-86 pilot, who said he had never been in an open-cockpit air足 plane and would also like to try his hand on the "stick." So up we went.

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Another passenger about the same time was this New York fashion model, with an obvious sense of humor.

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Ev shown here with his 1936 Ryan ST, NC14985, in his au· thentic traditional helmet and goggles (AN6530).

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No radio or even an intercom in those days , so the plan of action was to wigg le the stick when I wo uld give it to him and he'd do th e sa m e to return the air plane to me. Once we got airborne, I decided to demonstrate th e wonderful flying capabilities of the Ryan to thi s pilot with a few steep turns and a stall or two. After I let him handle the ST for a few minutes, I got it back and pro ceeded to demonstrate my favorite maneuver, the name

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VINTAGE AIRPLANE

Turning to her now open-mouthed

boyfriend,

I ventured,

"You never know,

do you?"

Typical aviator garb not only from the 1930s, but also from just a few years ago when a radio was seldom used and pilots wore dashing white helmets, which were quite practical.

of which I did not know at the time and even today wonder about. Here is how it goes (kids, don't try this at home!)-straight and level, cruise power, stick neutral. Then gradually coming back on the stick and likewise on the throttle. When the ST pitched up at a 60-degree an gle, and at a near zero airspeed, I would cut the throttle entirely, kick hard-left rudder, whereupon the Ryan, probably in protest, would do a 180, hang inverted for an instant at zero airspeed, and then slide nose-first in the reverse direction. Wow, what a ride. After I landed, the F-866 pilot handed me an extra 5 bucks and said-"Please, when you take my girlfriend up, you just gotta do that 'thing' maneuver for her." Well, his girlfriend was this great looking, vivacious red-headed Pan-Am stewardess. Both of them were at Or ange to take sky-diving lessons from the local jump school. 32

FEBRUARY 2007

I told the F-86 guy that I would do that "thing" only with another pilot, so he slipped me another five spot. With that I said, "Okay" (yes, I was a bit hungry), and up we went. She wore a large white hard hat (for jumping), so I could not see her facial expressions even when she turned left or right in the front cockpit. So I first flew over the pretty countryside with gradual turns etc., and at one point she did do a thumbs-up to indicate she was en joying the ride. So, I figured what the heck, it's time for the "thing." Up we went, and just as the airplane reversed itself and headed down, I heard a piercing scream from the front cock pit, and I said to myself, "She will never fly in a small airplane again." Not only did I hear the scream, but also on the way down I no ticed one of her arms and hand go up into the slipstream in what I thought was protest. "Cripes,

I've really had it now!" So all the way back to the field I did shallow turns and a real smooth landing on the grass. After landing, parking, and switching off the Menasco en gine, this "Miss Luscious" immedi ately climbed out on the wing and turned toward me. I was expecting a big slap on the face, or doing me in some other way, so I cringed and awaited the onslaught. What happened? She threw her arms around me, thoroughly hugged me, adding several out-of this-world kisses and exclaimed, "That was the most wonderful airplane ride of my life!" I could hardly believe it. I never got their names or where they were from, but I shall nev er forget it. I decided then and there that the "thing" was well worth it. Turning to her now open-mouthed boyfriend, I ventured, "You never know, do you?" ~

Frank Nocera Winder, GA 30680

• Started flying in the 1960s • Former Angle Flight pilot

• Has owned several airplanes • The two airplanes picured 1959 Cessna 150 (at left) and 1956 Cessna 182 - are the first of their generation

"Why have I done business with AUA for over 15 years? Because they have always been so helpful, as well as their ability to get me the most insurance coverage for the lowest price."

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AUA is Vintage Aircraft Association approved. To become a member of VAA call 8oo·843·36J2.

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BY H.G . FRAUTSCHY

THIS MONTH'S MYSTERY PLANE COMES TO US FROM THE COLLECTION OF THE

EAA BOEING AERONAUTICAL LIBRARY ARCHIVES. THIS MYSTERY PLANE IS OF FOREIGN ORIGIN.

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

You can also send your response via e-mail. Send your answer to mysteryplane@eaa.org. Be sure to include your name, city, and state in the body of your note, and put "(Month) Mystery Plane in the subject line. II

NOV E MB ER 'S MY STERY AN S W E R

Wesley Smith of Springfield, Illi nois, really outdid himself with his answer for the November 2006 Mys tery Plane. Here's his contribution: 34

FEBR U ARY 2007

"The November 2006 Mystery Plane is a 1912 Bristol Coanda Im proved Military Monoplane (a lso known as the Improved Military

Coanda) designed by Henri Coanda, a noted Romanian-born engineer, sci entist (and apparently gifted artist) in 1912. Six original Bristol Coandas were constructed during 1912 by the British and Colonial Aeroplane Com pany Ltd. (Bristol) at Filton, Bristol, England. The first aircraft were given the works numbers 77, 132, 185, 186, 188, and 189. The photograph in Vin tage Airplane is identical to that which appears on page 130 of Peter Lewis' British Aircraft 1809-1914. A special version of the original machines, with side-by-side seating, was given the Bristol works number 80. "The original Bristol Coandas were fitted with sO-hp air-cooled Gnome

'Omega' rotary radials. In mid-1912, a further two machines were built for the August 1912 British military trials. These aircraft had a reduced span (40 feet versus the original 41 feet 3 inches), an increased length (28 feet versus the original 27 feet), and the weight increased by 230 pounds (1,000 pounds empty versus the original 770 pounds). The decrease in wingspan reduced the wing area from 275 square feet to 242 square feet. Another significant change was the installation of an 80-hp Gnome 'Lambda' rotary radial in place of the original 50-hp unit. Given Bristol works numbers 105 and 106 (mili tary trials numbers 14 and IS, respec tively), the machines were flown by Bristol pilots Harry Busteed and James Valentine. Unfortunately, Val entine wrecked No. 105 (14) on the first day of the trials. The machine was then rebuilt with a fixed verti cal fin placed ahead of the vertical rudder and continued to be flown by C.H. Pixton. Prior to the trials, sev eral vertical rudders had been tested. In modified form with the fixed ven tral fin, the 'all-moving' rudder was moved forward of its original loca tion. As such, both aircraft were ac cepted by the RFC and assigned to No.3 Squadron. "Unfortunately, success was short lived. On 10 September 1912, a Bristol Coanda crashed near Wolvercote, Ox ford, killing Lts. C.A. Bettington and E. Hotchkiss (Military Wing, Royal Flying Corps) . This accident followed a spate of other accidents which re sulted in an unfortunate decision by the British War Office to ban the use of monoplanes. The Admiralty, how ever, continued to use monoplanes, although none were Bristol Coandas. Ex-military trials No. 15 continued to soldier on as RFC serial no. 262 with No.3 Squadron, although it is be lieved to have flown no more than 15 minutes in RFC hands before being sent to the Royal Aircraft Factory on 20 February 1913 and finally struck off on 1 September. Unlike No. 14, which had been involved in the fatal crash, No. 15 was fitted with a vertical rudder of revised form that was used

on all subsequent Bristol Coandas. No. 14, also assigned to No.3 Squad ron prior to the 10 September 1912 crash, was assigned the RFC number 263 (Britain 's First Warplanes. Jack M. Bruce, pp 96-97). "In any case, Bristol continued to produce Coanda monoplanes, ex porting them to Bulgaria, Germany, Italy, and Romania (works numbers 110, 164, 165, 166, 176, and 177). Romanian and Italian versions had

With the demise

of the monoplane in

RFC service, such was

not the end of

the Bristol Coanda.

a stronger Grandsiegne steel undercar riage skids and were apparently the same as the side-by-side machine, No. 80. In italy, the two imported Bristol Coandas were entered by the Caproni e Faccanoni Company in the April 1913 Italian military aircraft trails. Given competition numbers 11 and 13, the aircraft were flown by British pilots Sidney Sippe and Collyns Pizey. In earlier days, Gianni Caproni was a classmate of Coanda's in Belgium (Science University at Liege). The pur chase of two British-built machines, and a license to build Bristol Coan das, was due to the uncertainty of any Caproni machines being ready in time for the trials. Given the Italian War Ministry prize of 10,000 lire, and a potential order for IS machines (10 for first place, five for second place), this was not a trifling matter. Unfor tunately, neither machine was admit ted to the final trials; however, the fuselage of works No. 174 was appar ently used successfully in a static load test at Mirafiori on 17 April.

lilt is unclear as to how many Bris tol Coandas were eventually built by Caproni. According to British Aircraft Before the Great War (Michael H. Good hall and Albert E. Tagg, Schiffer, pp 60-61), Caproni built only one Bristol Coanda. However, Aeroplani Caproni: Gianni Caproni and His Aircraft, 1910 1983 (Museo Caproni, Trento, p 29) states: ' ... Caproni eventually supplied several Bristols to the Army, the mili tary flying field at Somma Lombardo, near Malpensa, becoming the seat of the Bristol Caproni monoplane school with Tenente (i.e., Lt.) Renato De Riso as instructor. .. .' Nevertheless, the fuselage of the imported No. 174 survives in the Caproni Museum, the sole remaining Bristol Coanda arti fact. What is clear is that Caproni was entrusted with the maintenance of the Bristol Coandas. Some are reputed to have been fitted with stabilators in place of the original horizontal sta bilizer/elevators of the original ma chines. Others were fitted with wheel brakes. A few of the aircraft were ap parently sent to Bristol at some pOint, but they appear to have remained in use as trainers in Italy throughout the whole of 1914. "In addition to Italy, three Bristol Coandas were supplied to Romania. The purported use of Bristol Coan das by Bulgaria and Germany remain elusive . However, Lewis states that the 1912 Improved Military Coan das were fitted with a revised rudder and increased wingspan of 42 feet 9 inches (as depicted in the Vintage Air plane photo). The Military Coandas were given the Bristol works numbers 118, 121, 122, 123, 131, and 142-154. All such aircraft were fitted with 80 hp Gnomes, with the exception of No. Ill, which was fitted with the inline, water-cooled 70-hp Daimler engine taken from Gordon England's Bristol G.E. 2 (i.e., 'Gordon England 2') . Flown as No. 13 during the 1912 British military trials, No. 111 also had a lengthened fuselage 30 feet 9 inches in length, a reduced span of 39 feet 4 inches, with a wing area of 260 square feet, and a four-blade pro peller. The Military Coandas had a fuselage length of 29 feet 2 inches, VINTAGE AIRPLANE

a wing area of 280 square feet, an empty weight of 1,050 pounds, with a gross weight of 1,775 pounds. The first Improved Military Coanda (No. 118) had a maximum speed of 71 mph and cost 1,400 pounds. "With the demise of the mono plane in RFC service, such was not the end of the Bristol Coanda. "Following the crash of No. 14, Bristol constructed seven B.R. 7 bi planes with 70-hp Renault or 90 hp Daimler engines. Five were to go to Spain but were not accepted. Nev ertheless, the Admiralty had been im pressed enough to order what was essentially a biplane version of the Improved Military Coanda, similar to the B.R. 7, but known as the Bris tol TB. 8 (TB., standing for 'tractor biplane'), using the fuselage of Bris tol Coanda monoplane No. 121. Six converted Bristol Coanda Improved Military monoplanes, fitted with a rotary bomb carrier (holding 12 10 pound bombs) designed by Coanda, were sold to Romania. Converted No. 143 was sold to R.P. Creagh in July of 1914, and it was soon impressed for service in the RFC following the out break of hostilities in August. Several others on order were impressed in ad dition to Creagh's machine and were assigned RFC serials numbers 634 (Creagh), 614, 615, and 620. At least No. 615 was apparently fitted with an 80-hp Clerget rotary radial in place of the usual 80-hp Gnome. Number 634 was tested at Farnborough in mid-August but was rejected as un safe by the RFC along with Nos. 614 and 620. However, the RNAS (Royal Naval Air Service) was still quite in terested and accepted Nos. 614 and 620 as RNAS Nos. 948 and 917, serv ing at Eastchurch and Dunkerque by October 1914. "A further dozen T.B. 8s were mod ified by Frank BarnwelC who had suc ceeded Coanda at Bristol, and were accepted by the War Office. These T.B. 8s were fitted with ailerons in place of the original wing warping, had stag gered wings and a revised cowling. Fuel capacity was also increased to 25 gallons. Assigned RFC serials 691-702, the first was delivered to Farnbor 36 FEBRUARY 2007

ough on 26 September 1914, with six more delivered by 17 October. None, however, were taken on charge by the RFC. All were reassigned to the RNAS and renumbered as Nos. 1216-27. Some of these saw limited use in the early phases of the Great War, serving at various RNAS stations. However, RNAS General Memorandum No. 21 warned of the type's basic unsuitabil ity, stating in part: ' ... (the TB. 8s, auth.) are machines which were pur chased for use as practice machines for advanced pupils. They are not suitable for flying loaded full up with petrol and passenger and must not be used thus loaded, except under exceptional circumstances by skilled pilots who understand that the ma chines are in an overloaded condi tion ... ' (for further details, please see, Jack M. Bruce's excellent book Aero planes of the Royal Flying Corps (Mili tary Wing, pp 156-158». "The TB. 8 had a span of 37 feet 8 inches, a length of 29 feet 3 inches, and a wing area of 450 square feet. The weight was 970 pounds (empty), with a loaded weight of 1,665 pounds. The maximum speed was 75 mph, 4 mph faster than a Bristol Coanda Improved Military Monoplane, and could climb to 3,000 feet in 11 min utes. Duration was five hours. "Born on 7 June 1886, Coanda first studied at the Technische Hoch schule at Chariottenburg in 1905. This was followed by study at the Liege Science University. In 1907 08, he constructed a glider while liv ing in Belgium (World War One Aero, No. 97. September 1983. Coanda, pp 17-23). He graduated from the Su perior School of Aeronautics (ecoLe superieur de L'ae ronautiq/le) at Paris during 1909. Prior to his association with Bristol, Coanda had designed several other powered aircra ft, no tably a unique biplane powered by a hybrid turbine engine (the com pressor was actually driven by a 50 hp Clerget reCiprocating engine). Whether this machine actually flew is a matter for conjecture; neverthe less, it was displayed at the 1910 sa 1011 de L'aeronautique at Paris and is the aircraft for which he is usually

remembered. Coanda next designed a unique twin-engined high-wing monoplane, which also proved to be unsuccessful. Two of these ma chines were apparently built and were possibly intended to serve as bombers. Both machines were pow ered by twin 50-hp Gnome engines, mounted on either side of the fuse lage, driving a single four-blade trac tor propeller through a transverse gearbox and extension shaft. "After the 1912 Bristol Coanda series of monoplanes, Coanda de signed the B.C. 2 seaplane, which was not built. This was followed by two seaplanes fitted with a central main float, numbered 120 and 121 by Bris tol. Harry Busteed nearly drowned in the crash of No. 120. The second machine, No . 121, was rebuilt from one of the Bristol Coandas. With a new fuselage, it was delivered to the Admiralty on 2 January 1914, with works No. 205 (naval aircraft No. IS), and is sometimes known as the TB. 8H (the 'H' standing for 'hydro' or 'hydroaeroplane,' a contemporane ous term for 'seaplane') . "The Bristol Coanda G.B. 75 (the designation possibly standing for 'Gnome Bristol,' the '75' referring to the horsepower of the Gnome Monosoupape engine) was built for Romanian Crown Prince Can tacuzene and was displayed at the Olympia Aero Show in March 1914. Like the T B. 8, it was acquired for RFC service but disappears from available records early in the war. The Bristol Coanda P.B. 8 (possibly 'Pusher Bi plane 8'), completed in 1914 (works No. 99), was completed but not flown, its engine being requisitioned for use by the British War Office. A further deSign, known as the R.B ., was a second aircraft designed for Prince Cantacuzene by Coanda that was apparently never built. "Returning to France, Coanda de signed the Delaunay-Belleville bi plane bomber in 1916, one of three aircraft types he designed for that company (they were primarily an au tomobile manufacturer). A year later in 1917, Coanda designed the BN 2 for the French S.I.A. company. This

was a large night bomber (bombarda ment nuit), resembling the Handley Page 0/400, and was powered by two American 400-hp Liberty engines. Still under construction at the time of the Armistice in 1918, the aircraft used a large amount of duralumin in its construction and was given a fa vorable test flight report after the end of the war. "Following the end of World War I, Coanda engaged in a lengthy study of fluid dynamics, which led to the design of a device for which he was granted a patent during 1934. In fact, this discovery became known as the 'Coanda effect,' from about 1937. In 1935, Coanda apparently designed a circular planform aircraft which he called an ' Aerodine Len ticulara.' He returned to Romania in 1970 and joined the Bucharest Poly technic Institute, before passing away on 25 November 1972. "Ironically, the 'monoplane ban' was not lifted until relatively late in the Great War (late 1916) when Bris tol introduced the M.1 (there were three variants, the M.1A/B/C), an advanced monoplane fighter pow ered by a 110-hp Clerget rotary ra dial (and capable of a maximum speed of 128 mph at 5,400 feet), that saw only limited wartime use; it is noted for being the first aircraft to fly over the Andes Mountains in South America, when an example given to the Chilean government by the Brit ish was flown across by Us. Godey and Cortinez on 4 April 1919. The six M.1s given to Chile in 1917 were partial payment made by the U.K. in exchange for two warships comman deered by the Royal Navy at the start of the war that were being built for Chile at dockyards in England." Wesley R. Smith Springfield, Illinois

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FLy-INS

For details on EM Chapter flY'ins and other local aviation events, visit www.eaa.orglevents

Th e (o l/owing li s t o( coming eve nts is (urnished to our readers as a matter o( in(or mation only and does not constitute approval, sponsorship, in volvement, control, or direc tion o( any event (fly-in, seminars, fly market, etc.) listed. To sllbmit an event, send the in (ormation via mail to: Vintage Airplane, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903 -3086 . Or e-mail the in(ormation to: vintageaircraft@ eaa .org. Information should be received (0111' months prior to the event date.

APRIL 27-28-Waco , TX-Texas State Technical College(TSTC). 5th Texas Aviation EXPO 2007 presented by The Texas Aviation Association. Five acres of ramp static display. A robust agenda of 60 hours of safety seminars, vast assortments of vendors showcasing their products and services , anticipating 700 to 1000 attendees, speakers George D. "Pinky" Nelson, former NASA Astronaut and J.w. "Corkey" Fornof, movie stunt aviation character. COME SHARE TH E ADVENTURE! www.txaa .org MAY 4-6-Burlington, NC-Alamance County Airport (KBUY) . VAA Chapter 3 Spring Fly-In. All classes welcome. BBQ on field Fri. Evening, EAA judging all classes Sat., Banquet Sat. Nite. Info: Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilson@homexpressway.net MAY 31·JUNE 2-Bartlesville, OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO). 21st Annual Biplane Expo. Info: Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 www.biplaneexpo.com AUGUST S-Queen City, MO-Applegate Airport (15MO). 20th Annual Watermelon Ry-In & BBQ. 2pm 'til dark. Come and see grass roots aviation at it's best. Info: 660-766-2644 August S-Chetek, WI-Southworth Municipal airport (Y23). BBQ Fly-In. 10:30am Warbird displays , antique 38

FEBRUAR Y 2007

Sun 'n Fun Fly-In

Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL).

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April 17-23, 2007

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June 1-2, 2007

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June 29-July 1, 2007

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EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH ), Oshkosh, WI July 23-29, 2007 www.AirVenture.org EAA Mid-Eastern Regional Fly-In Marion Municipal Airport (MNN), Marion, OH August 25-26, 2007 http://MERR.info Virginia Regional EAA Fly-In Dinwiddie County Airport (PTB), Petersburg, VA October 6-7 , 2007 www.VAEAA.org

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Arlington EAA Fly-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO), Arlington, WA July 11-15, 2007 www.NWEAA.org

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

and unique airplanes, antique & collector car displays, and raffles for airplane rides . Procedes will be given to local charities. Info: Chuck Harrison - Office 715-924 4501, Cell 715-456-8415, fixdent@ chibardun .net; Tim Knutson - Home 715-237-2477, Cell 651-308-2839, n3nknut@citizens-tel.net SEPTEMBER I - Marion , IN-Marion Municipal Airport (MZZ) . 17th Annual Fly-In Cruise-In. 7:00am until 2:00pm. This annual event features antique, classic , homebuilt, ultralight and warbird aircraft as well as vintage cars , trucks, motorcycles, and tractors. An all-you-can-eat Pancake Breakfast is served , with all proceeds going to the local

Marion High School Marching Band . www.FlylnCruiseln.comlnfo : Ray Johnson (765) 664-2588 or rjohnson@indy.rr.com SEPTEMBER 21·22- Bartlesville , OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO). 51st Annual Tulsa Regional Fly-In. Antiques, Classics, Light Sport, Warbirds, Forum, Type Clubs . Info: Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 www. tulsaflyin .com OCTOBER 5·7-Camden, SC-Kershaw County Airport (KCDN). VAA Chapter 3 Fall Fly-In . All classes welcome. BBQ on field Fri . Evening. EAA judging all classes Sat. Banquet Sat. Nite. Info: Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilson@ homexpressway.net

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