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The Lone Eagle

Manufactured by The Moundsville Airplane Corporation


Allan Schanzle
aschanzle@comcast.net

The November 1928 issue of AERO DIGEST had two photos of a plane called the Lone Eagle, produced by The Moundsville Airplane Corporation in Moundsville, West Virginia. This town is located along the Ohio River, about 16 miles south of Wheeling. The text included a few dimensions, construction methods, key personnel, and a short history of the planes performance in the Transcontinental Air Race. There wasnt much information about the history of the company, nor was there a 3-view drawing, a necessity for my interest in building small-scale flying models of little-known planes from the 1920s and 30s. The Internet and the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum library provided a few specifications and a single photo, but a 3-view and information about the company did not appear to exist. Consequently, the author sent an e-mail to the Moundsville library. Ms. Catherine Feryok responded, and a meeting was scheduled with her to review the information they had dealing with the Moundsville Airplane Corporation. Sometimes you get lucky beyond all reasonable expectations. Ms. Feryok had been commissioned some time ago to make two large paintings of aircraft manufactured by the company, and was therefore familiar with the plane. Prior to the meeting, Ms. Feryok collected all their material relating to the Lone Eagle, including photos, a company brochure, a list of newspaper articles relating to the plane or company, and two publications (1,2) that gave historical accounts of the Moundsville Airplane Corporation. The Origin of Langin Field, Home of the Moundsville Airplane Corporation Shortly after the end of WW-1, pilot Billy Mitchell encouraged advancement in the use of aviation. Part of this effort was the development of a series of airfields throughout the country that could be used for refueling or emergency landings. A common flight for the Army Air Service, later to become the Army Air Corps, was
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from Bolling Field in Washington D.C. to Wright Field in Dayton, Ohio, a distance of about 400 miles. A field was therefore desirable approximately at the half-way point between these two locations, which would place it somewhere close to Wheeling, WV or Pittsburgh, PA. Due to the terrain in this part of the country, there were few unused flat areas with the exception of farm land adjacent to the Ohio River in the town of Moundsville, WV. In 1920, Lt. Jimmy Doolittle and Lt. Joseph Langin arrived in Moundsville to discuss with city authorities the possibility of building an airfield in their area. One week later, Lt. Langin died when his plane crashed near Bolling Field. In 1921, the government leased land for an airfield in Moundsville, and the field was named after Lt. Langin. Over 400 planes landed at Langin Field in the 10 months after March 1922, but Billy Mitchell made a decision that the government field should be moved from Moundsville and relocated to a hilltop near Wheeling, WV because the Ohio Valley was subject to fog and potential flooding. Radio transmission was also poor due to the field being located in a valley surrounded by hills. The transfer was completed in 1926, eliminating Langin as a government airport. The Tri-State Air Races, held in September 1931, was the last significant event held at Langin Field. At least 40 planes provided aerobatics and offered rides at a cost of one penny per pound. The 3000 foot-long grass covered airfield became a gardening facility during the depression, after which it was used as a dumping site for slate discarded from the mining of coal. An Additional Airstrip Close to Langin Field There was another airfield close to Langin that should be mentioned, and that was the Glen Dale facility. In the mid-to-late 1920s, there was an attempt to attract industry to the upper Ohio Valley. The Atlantic Aircraft Corporation was authorized to build Fokker aircraft in

this country, and they were looking for a site to manufacture the planes. Mr. Fokker made a personal visit to the upper Ohio Valley, and he agreed to the Glen Dale site, as there was sufficient land to construct an airstrip. For some unknown reason, (perhaps the depression or other financial deals made by Fokker as a result of selecting Glen Dale), he moved this facility to Baltimore in September 1931. On one occasion, Anthony Fokker suggested a few changes to the design of one of the Lone Eagle aircraft. These changes will be noted later. The Moundsville Airplane Corporation, Aircraft, and Lindberghs Visit Their

Photo 2 & 3: Lone Eagle with Chevrolet Engine. Source: AERO DIGEST, Nov. 1928, pg. 924

In the mid-1920s, a group of Moundsville residents organized a company with the intent of building a small, easy to fly, light plane. The result was the formation of the Moundsville Airplane Corporation. Charles Fassig designed the plane, and along with M. M. Douglas, the two completed the construction. The Reverend M. F. Compton was the company Vice President.

Photo 4: Lone Eagle with Chevrolet Engine. Source: Smithsonian Air and Space Library, archives number 00073958

Photo 1: Chevrolet engine. Source: AERO DIGEST, Nov. 1928, pg. 924

Specifications for the first aircraft are given in Table 1. The motor, a 60 HP engine shown in Photo 1, was designed and built by Louis Chevrolet(4), co-founder of the Chevrolet Motor Car Company, and his brother, Arthur(3). The first plane, completed in 1927, had the registration X6770, and is shown in Photos 2, 3, and 4. A second plane of the same design was apparently built, but there is no specific information about this second one except for a notice on the Internet(5) that the registration might be X4186. Extensive efforts were put forth to insure completion of the first plane prior to August 4th, 1927. That was the date that Lindbergh was scheduled to visit Wheeling as part of his 1927 tour, and his plans were to land his plane at Langin Field in Moundsville and travel by car to Wheeling.

Lindberghs arrival was quite an event for the residents of this little town, and it was certainly the highlight in the history of Langin Field. Extensive plans were made in preparation for the landing of the Spirit, including excavation of a dirt bank so more people could see Americas Boy. As Lindbergh approached Langin Field in his plane, he made several passes over the airstrip and then landed in front of an estimated 12,000 to 14,000 people who had gathered to observe the event. He was swiftly put in a car and driven through Moundsville to Wheeling at a speed of 40 mph. Residents of Moundsville had lined the streets to see the hero, but at 40 mph, they barely got a glimpse of him. This insensitive treatment of the Moundsville population by the Wheeling delegation resulted in the following scathing article (with mistakes in the mathematics, or typographical errors, found in paragraph 4, lines 7 and 8) in the next days (August 5th) afternoon issue of the Moundsville Journal.

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Forty Miles an Hour No other young man ever held the place in the hearts of so many people as Charles A. Lindbergh. He is Americas Boy, yet he was whisked through Moundsville yesterday at forty miles an hour. Old people and little children who for days had doted on seeing this boy The Lone Eagle, Americas Boy, caught a glimpse of a speeding automobile, in which was seated, if we are correctly informed, the gentlemen who at the committee meeting in Wheeling, not knowing that Moundsville men were present said: To h---- with Moundsville, this is Wheelings party. Yes, this was Wheelings party, from the start to the finish. Big Wheeling, Big Boy, Hard Boiled; and yet, we venture the assertion that more of the common every day people of Wheeling had an opportunity of seeing Lindbergh and The Spirit of St. Louis at Moundsville, than at Wheeling. Forty miles an hour! The Generalissimo of The Wheeling party, clothed with a brief authority, went through Moundsville at forty miles an hour. The distance covered was about one mile, which would take 90 seconds at 40 miles an hour. Covering the same distance at 15 miles an hour would have taken 240 seconds, so that the time saved was 160 seconds, or two minutes and 6 seconds [sic]. The hopes of the crowd along the streets, the old people and little children, were sacrificed for the passing glory of those who say: To h--- with Moundsville, this is Wheelings party. We feel sure that Lindy would have had it otherwise. Every act and word of his since he boarded the Spirit of St. Louis at the Roosevelt field and said Lets go, and landed at Lebourget field, Paris, and said: Here we are, has been that of a young man of finest spirit and finest sensibility. Lindys place in the heart of the world is secure for all time. He belongs to the world, to history, but especially to America, and, yet to gratify the spirit of a few men puffed with transient glory, a spirit that it is hard to understand, he was whisked through Moundsville at forty miles an hour. Lindbergh spent the night of August 4th in Wheeling and returned to Langin Field in Moundsville the next day at 10:00 AM to make preparations for his departure, which had been advertised to be at 12:00 noon. He checked his Spirit aircraft and then made a thorough examination of the first plane manufactured by the Moundsville Airplane Corporation (Photo 5). He then departed at approximately 10:30 AM. An extensive review of Lindberghs visit is provided in Reference 6.
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Since the Moundsville Journal was an afternoon paper, in addition to the Forty Miles an Hour article, there appeared an additional article describing Lindbergs comments about the new plane. The following is a small portion of the text in the second article, but it provides an explanation for the name of the new plane.

Photo 5: Lindbergh Examining the Lone Eagle. Source: IMAGES OF AMERICA, MOUNDSVILLE

LINDBERGH IN APPROVAL OF LONE EAGLE COLONEL PUTS STAMP OF APPROVAL ON FIRST PLANE BY NEW CORPORATION The tiny ship was dedicated to Colonel Lindbergh this morning by Lt. James Doolittle who smashed a bottle of water over the nose of the plane after a brief talk. The

Lone Eagle is appropriately named said Doolittle. For as Lindbergh was alone in his great achievement, so this plane is alone in a new field of commercial airplane construction. A little known fact about Doolittle is that he earned a degree of Dr. of Science from none other than the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The August 11th issue of the Moundsville Journal noted that the initial flight would be made the following week, and that Col. Jack Hunt, a commercial pilot, had been selected to fly the plane. The August 17th copy of the paper gave a complete report of the first flight. The title of the article was Maiden Flight of New Plane Called Success Despite Forced Landing. The forced landing occurred after 15 minutes of flight time and was a result of an over-heated engine, which was caused by the use of different levels of octane fuel when the engine was tested at the Chevrolet plant and the fuel that was used at the Moundsville facility. Pilot Hunt praised the Lone Eagle, noting that it was a very easy plane to fly. The August 22nd issue of the Moundsville Journal notes that Louis Chevrolet personally made minor adjustments to the engine and that three very successful test flights had been made the previous Saturday. The Lone Eagle was entered in the class A 1928 Transcontinental Air Race with Col. Hunt in the pilots seat. Take off was from Roosevelt Field and the plane was flown to Columbus, Ohio for the first overnights stop. At that point, he was in 18th place. The next day it was raining very hard, and since the engine had never been fully cowled (Photos 3 and 5), ice formed over the carburetor and intake manifold. This reduced the engine rpm by 400, making it necessary to land at Hoosier Airport in Indianapolis. At that point he dropped out of the race, but stayed in Indianapolis, giving rides and demonstrating the planes capabilities. He then returned home, stopping at Dayton and Columbus. By the middle of October, the plane had over 100 hours of flying time and covered about 10,000 miles. Two aircraft with several different design features were built in 1929. These were also called Lone Eagles, but the Chevrolet engine used in the previous design was replaced by an inverted inline 4-cylinder Michigan Rover with 55 HP. The first of these two planes had the registration X-570E (Photos 6 and 7) and the second one X-571E.

Photo 6: Lone Eagle with Rover Engine. Brochure.

Source:

Company

Photo 7: Lone Eagle with Rover Engine. Source: IMAGES OF AMERICA, MOUNDSVILLE

The records at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum library indicate that the Moundsville Airplane Corp. manufactured a total of four aircraft. Furthermore, the records indicate that the company informed the CAA that on May 23, 1929, X-570E had the engine replaced with a Kinner, serial number 345, and the CAA cancelled the experimental license upon the expiration date of May 22, 1930. The plane bearing registration X571E also had its engine replaced with a Kinner on April 1, 1930. The Smithsonian data, in addition to other published material(2), suggest that X-570E was probably the only plane sold of the four that had been manufactured. As previously mentioned, Anthony Fokker inspected one of the planes (probably X570E) and suggested that the tail was not right (Reference 2, pg 54, caption for top photo). It appears that the shape of the rudder in Photo 8 is close to what is shown in Photo 6 if it is simply turned up-side down. Changes to the elevator were also made, and perhaps these were similar to that for the rudder.

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Photo 8, which shows X-570E with the Kinner engine, also indicates other configuration changes to the aircraft from when it was originally powered by the Rover. 1. Upper aileron removed. 2. Cutout of top wing over cockpit. 3. Elimination of external stabilizer adjustment. 4. Elimination of strut on bottom of stabilizer.

on his application that he had made .design and rigging changes with intention of increasing speed. ??? 1931 CONJECTURE BY AUTHOR: Owner is denied permission to fly his plane. Aug. 1, 1931 Owners attorney writes to CAA on his behalf protesting that the owner could not be cleared to fly his aircraft and stated that he had, as of that time, already flown some 100 hours in it successfully. Aug. 3, 1931 Identification Mark 570E issued to owner. May 13, 1932 570E is involved in an accident at Yorkville, Ohio. May 24, 1932 CAA revokes Identification Mark and plane is declared as washed out. Note the use of CAA in the Smithsonians data. Reference 7 indicates this is historically inappropriate, as the acronym CAA was not used for any of the organizations overseeing aviation regulations until 1938, when The Civil Aeronautics Act was passed. Reference 7 presents the following evolution leading up to the Civil Aeronautics Administration and the current FAA. 1926: Passage of the Air Commercial Act, which gave the Secretary of Commerce responsibility for overseeing much of aviation. A new Aeronautics Branch within the Department of Commerce was created. 1934: The Department of Commerce renamed the Aeronautics Branch the Bureau of Air Commerce. 1938: The Civil Aeronautics Act was passed. The legislation established the independent Civil Aeronautics Authority (CAA). 1940: President Roosevelt split the CAA into two agencies, the Civil Aeronautics Administration, which went back to the Department of Commerce, and the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB). 1958: The President signed the Federal Aviation Act, which transferred the Civil Aeronautics Authority's functions to a new independent Federal Aviation Agency (FAA). 1966: Congress authorized the creation of a cabinet department that would combine major Federal transportation responsibilities. This new Department of Transportation (DOT) began full operations on April l, 1967. On that day, the Federal Aviation Agency became one of several modal organizations within DOT and received a new name, the Federal Aviation Administration. At the same time, Civil Aeronautics Board's accident investigation function was transferred to the new National Transportation Safety Board.

Photo 8: Lone Eagle with Kinner Engine. Source: IMAGES OF AMERICA, MOUNDSVILLE

The depression of 1929 took its toll on the Moundsville Airplane Corporation, and in November 1929, the Zenith Airplane Company in Pittsburgh purchased the Moundsville Airplane Corporation(2). One plane (probably X-571E) was flown to Pittsburgh, and two other planes (most likely the two powered by the Chevrolet engines) were disassembled and trucked to the Zenith facilities. Known History of X-570E The following, taken from the Smithsonian files, is the known history of X-570E. The information leaves at least one gap in its history. The author has added a conjectured event. March 2, 1929 Date Manufactured May 23, 1929 Manufacturer advised the CAA that the plane had been re-engined with a Kinner, serial number 345. May 22, 1930 CAA cancelled experimental license upon expiration. Oct. 28, 1930 J. W. Hunt purchases the plane at a sheriffs sale. Dec. 2, 1930 Hunt sells plane to Walter Lovejoy, of Shady Side, Ohio with Kinner K-5 engine serial number 617. Jan. 27, 1931 Re-approval of Mark Number X-570E. ??? 1931 Owner writes to CAA requesting approval of Identification Mark 570E (not X-570E). Owner states
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Development of the 3-View Table 1 gives the published specifications and their sources for the original Chevrolet engine version of the Lone Eagle. The Rover powered version was selected as the most appropriate for development of a 3-view because there are two reasonably good side-views (Photos 6 and 7) and a substantial amount of data provided by a company brochure, a copy of which is included at the end of this article. There are several outline, structural, and cosmetic features that are not documented or shown in the photos, such as the shape of the horizontal tail surfaces (although areas are provided in the brochure), a front view showing the cowling, the width of the fuselage (a very common omission), spanwise location of the wing struts, location of stringers on the bottom of the fuselage, and the size and location of the registration on the wings. The strut locations were determined by counting the number of wing ribs visible in Photos 7 and 8. Then, knowing the wingspan and assuming an equal spacing, it was calculated that the ribs are approximately 10.5 inches apart. The cabane struts must be vertical (not canted outward) because corresponding struts are parallel in Photos 6, 7, and 8. This implies the width between the cabane struts (and consequently, the upper longerons), is approximately 31.5 inches. This agrees quite well with a value measured by the author of 32.25 inches between the longerons of a restored tandem two-seat Command Aire. The shape of the front of the cowl was determined by using Photo 9, which shows the first production Fairchild 22 powered by a Rover engine.

elevator chord to the maximum rudder chord produces the somewhat surprising result that the two are essentially the same. The brochure specifies the area of the rudder as one-half of the area of the elevator, which suggests the possibility that the rudder and one side of the elevator have the same shape. A former chief engineer at the Luscombe Aircraft Corporation once commented to the author that this concept had indeed been used in the past, but was not common. Making this assumption, the height of the rudder dictates the width of one of the elevators. With these two parameters, and Photo 6 indicating the leading edge of the stabilizer slanting rearward, a process of trial and error was used to produce a shape for the stabilizer that equals the scaledup area noted in the brochure. Rigging has not been shown, but a chart on page 2 of the drawing defines the end-points of all wires. The location of the stringers on the bottom of the fuselage was determined by using similar proportions to those measured on the Command-Aire. There are several cosmetic uncertainties. The location and size of the registrations on the wings are not shown in Photos 6, 7, or 8, but has been taken to be similar to that shown in Photo 2 for the Chevrolet powered version. The interior of the circle in the logo is somewhat questionable. Clearly, there is an eagle flying over water, but it is unclear whether the background is a hillside or a group of clouds. Clouds were incorporated, as they seemed to be the most appropriate. Finally, page 4 of the brochure notes Colors Optional, Any of Sherwin-Williams colors. Photo 7 suggests either two or three different colors, perhaps dark red, (or black) for the cowling, white, and blue. Acknowledgement This investigation would not have been possible without the assistance of Ms. Catherine Feryok, who gave many hours of her time collecting publications and making copies from microfilm of newspaper articles. Her enthusiasm has made this history of the Moundsville Aircraft Corporation possible, and the author is immensely grateful to her and the authors of References 1 and 2.
References 1.IMAGES OF AMERICA, MOUNDSVILLE, by Robert W. Schramm, Arcadia Publishing, 2004. 2.From the Outhouse to the Poor House to the State House, and Marshall County History of the Twentieth Century, by Joseph D. Parriott. 3.AERO DIGEST, November 1928, page 924. 4.The Moundsville Journal, August 17th, 1927 5.http://www.aerofiles.com_mi.html 6.http://www.charleslindbergh.com/history/moundsville.asp 7.http://www.faa.gov/about/history/brief_history/

Photo 9: Fairchild 22 with Rover Engine. FLYING, Feb. 1968, Vol. 2, No. 2.

Source:

SPORT

Estimating the shape of the horizontal tail surfaces is more complex, but Photo 6 provides a starting point. The root chord of the stabilizer can be measured and scaled from this picture. The elevator, drooped in the down position, can also be seen, and provides an estimate for the maximum chord of the elevator. Using dividers to compare what appears to be the maximum

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Table 1: COMPILATION OF DATA FOR THE MOUNDSVILLE LONE EAGLE AIRCRAFT Chevrolet Engine Version (First Design) Item Source and/or Comment Value or Comment Span, upper wing Span, lower wing Length Height AERO DIGEST*, Nov., 1928, pg. 924 AERO DIGEST*, Nov., 1928, pg. 924 AERO DIGEST*, Nov., 1928, pg. 924 AERO DIGEST*, Nov., 1928, pg. 924 WESTERN FLYING Chord, both wings AERO DIGEST*, Nov., 1928, pg. 924 Dihedral, lower wing only AERO DIGEST, Nov., 1928, pg. 924 Stagger AERO DIGEST, Nov., 1928, pg. 924 Incidence, both wings AERO DIGEST, Nov., 1928, pg. 924 Upper wing area (including WESTERN FLYING aileron) Lower wing area (including WESTERN FLYING aileron) Aileron area WESTERN FLYING Wing area AERO DIGEST*, Nov., 1928, pg. 924 Stabilizer area AERO DIGEST*, Nov., 1928, pg. 924 Elevator area AERO DIGEST, Nov., 1928, pg. 924 WESTERN FLYING Rudder area AERO DIGEST, Nov., 1928, pg. 924 WESTERN FLYING Fin area AERO DIGEST, Nov., 1928, pg. 924 Weight, empty AERO DIGEST, Nov., 1928, pg. 924 Disposable load AERO DIGEST, Nov., 1928, pg. 924 Weight, loaded AERO DIGEST, Nov., 1928, pg. 924 Fuel capacity AERO DIGEST, Nov., 1928, pg. 924 WESTERN FLYING Oil capacity AERO DIGEST, Nov., 1928, pg. 924 Airfoil Wheels Standard color Top speed Landing speed Cruising speed Climb (at sea level) Service ceiling Cruising range AERO DIGEST, Nov., 1928, pg. 924 AERO DIGEST, Nov., 1928, pg. 924 AERO DIGEST, Nov., 1928, pg. 924 WESTERN FLYING WESTERN FLYING WESTERN FLYING WESTERN FLYING WESTERN FLYING WESTERN FLYING * Confirmed in Western Flying, date unknown. Source: Smithsonian Air and Space Museum 26 feet, 9 inches 26 feet, 3 inches 20 feet, 8 inches 7 feet, 8 inches 7 feet, 6 inches 44 inches 2 degrees 14 inches 2 degrees 97 square feet 88 square feet 14.64 square feet 185.0 square feet 13.5 square feet 11.0 square feet 10.0 square feet 6.50 square feet 6.33 square feet 3.0 square feet 780 pounds 500 pounds 1,280 pounds 20 gallons 15 gallons 3.0 gallons 2 gallons Aeromarine 2 20 x 4 inch tires Silver 115 mph 30 mph 85 mph 750 feet/minute 16,000 feet 4 hours

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