THE RESTORER'S CORNER

By J. R. Nielander, Jr.
With Oshkosh 78 now having been inscribed in the
\innal s of aviation history, it is indeed appropriate
that we review the part played by your Division and
that we acknowledge the fine efforts put forth by all
of those who volunteered their time to make the con-
vention such a great success. Your Division officers,
directors and advisors extend to each and every vol-
unteer their sincere thanks and appreciat ion for a
great job exceptionally well done. Without this dedi-
cated group, many of whom have been working with
the Division since our first participation in the con-
vention in 1972, it would not be possible to give you
members the varied activities and the smooth opera-
tion which you have come to expect as routine . Speak-
ing of activities, the forums on antique and classic
aircraft under the direction of Bill Ehlen and AI Hen-
ninger were their usual great success, many having
been presented to audiences which overflowed the
250 seat forum tent . The "History of Flight " pageant,
presented at the Wednesday evening air show under
the direction of Ron Fritz and Phil Coulson, was a big
hit with the entire air show audience. Nowhere else
in the world is it possible to see 75 years of continuous
aviation history fly by in sequence.
This year saw the introduction of organized social
activities for the Division members. Under the direc-
tion of John Turgyan a picnic dinner was held on Tues-
day evening, and a social hour was held on Friday
evening after the awards program. Both activities took
place in Ollie' s Park, the beautiful picnic grounds lo-
cated immediately behind the Division headquarters
barn and forum tent . Judging by the size of the crowd
and the festive mood of all of those who participated,
both events were a big success, and they will continue
to be included in the planning for future years.
The management and operations committees were
all kept busy and did their usual superb jobs. The
parking committee under the direction of Art Morgan
and Bob Kesel again parked a record number of an-
tiques and classics this year . There were so many out-
standing aircraft that the judging committees under
Glaude Gray, Brad Thomas, and George York had an
exceptionally difficult time i n narrowing down the
trophy winners.
Division convention headquarters , that old red
barn under the direction of Kate Morgan and Donna
Bartlett , was its usual beehive of activity, even more
so thi s year with the manpower committee under Jack
Winthrop and Jack Copeland and the security com-
mittee under George Williams and Jim Smith sharing
space in it. The two Jacks had the job of keeping a
steady flow of volunteer workers coming to the other
committees which needed the manpower, particularly
the parking and security committees. George and Jim
along with their vcilu nteers were responsible for the
security of the antique and classic aircraft as well as
the entire Antique/Classic operating area.
Farther up the road in the commercial display
building, your Division had a promotional booth under
the direction of two lovely airline stewardesses, Jackie
House and Mary Morris. These gals, along with their
volunteers, did a great job of promoting the Division
and added many new members to our roster.
AI and Lois Kelch, along with Charlie Nelson and
his Temco Buckaroo aerial photo plane, provided the
Division press coverage. The superb results of their
efforts will be evident in this publ i cation as well as
SPORT AVIATION and others over the coming year.
The Divisi on awards program on Friday evening
under the direction of Dale Gustafson was a fitting
prelude to the social hour which followed it as the
trophy winners, celebrating their victories , were
toasted by all in attendance.
Two committees which had completed their tasks
before the convention started, but without whose ef-
forts the other committees could not have operated,
were Stan Gomoll's decorations committee and the
equipment and supply committee headed by Art Mor-
gan and John Kalas. Stan did the beautiful decorating
job on the promotional booth as well as helping to set
up the headquarters barn, while Art and John ob-
tained or repaired the equipment for the parki ng com-
mittee including overhauling the motor bikes.
Again , a great big "THANK YOU" to all of the Division
chairmen and co-chairmen and an especially big
"THANK YOU" to all of you who volunteered your
services to the Division' s convention effort. Your of-
ficers , directors and advisors hope that you enjoyed
working with them as much as they enjoyed working
with you, and they look forward to seeing you again
next year.
We are now about three quarters of the way
through our membership contest. It will terminate dt
the end of December. If you haven' t used the mem-
bership applications which you have been receiving
in the magazine, please do so soon and win yourself
a pair of antique flying goggles and a new leather fly-
ing helmet. Details of the contest are found in a dis-
play advertisement in this issue.
(Photo by David Gustafson)
Earl Long's polished Cessna 180.
Editorial
Staff
Publisher
Paul H. Poberezny
Editor
David Gustafson
Associate Editors: H. Glenn Buffington, Robert G. Elli ott, AI Kelch,
Edward D. Williams, Byron (Fred) Fredericksen
Readers are encouraged to submit stories and photographs. Associate Editorships are assigned
to those writers who submit five or more articles which are published in THE VINTAGE AIR
PLANE during the current year. Associates receive a bound volume of THE VINTAGE AIR-
PLANE and a free one-year membership in the Division for their efforts. POLICY-Opinions
expressed in articles are solely those of the authors. Responsibility for accuracy in reporting
rests entirely with the contributor.
ANTIQUE/CLASSIC
DIVISION
OFFICERS
PRESIDENT
J. R. NIELANDER,JR.
P.O. BOX 2464
FT. LAUDERDALE, FL33303
VICEPRESIDENT
JACK WINTHROP
RT. 1, BOX 111
ALLEN,TX 75002
SECRETARY
W. BRAD THOMAS,JR.
301 DODSON MILL ROAD
PILOT MOUNTAIN, NC 27041
TREASURER
E.E. " BUCK" HILBERT
8102 LEECH RD.
UNION, IL60180
THE VI NTAGE AIRPLANE is owned exclusively by EAA Antique/Classic Division, Inc.. and is published
monthly at Hales Corners, Wisconsin 53130. Second class Postage paid at Hales Corners Post Off i ce,
Hales Corners, Wisconsi n 53 130, and additional mailing offi ces. Membership rates for EAA Anti que/
Classic Division, Inc., are $1 4.00 per 12 monlh period of which $10.00 is for the publicat ion of THE
VINTAGE AIRPLANE. Membershi p is open to all whoare interested in aviation.
Directors
Wi lli am J. Ehl en
Rout e 8 Box 506
Tampa, Florida 33618
Claude l.Gray, Jr .
9635 Sylvi aAvenue
Northridge, Californi a 91324
Dale A. Gustafson
7724Shady Hill Drive
Indi anapoli s, Indiana46274
Richard Wagner
P.O. Box181
Lyons, Wi sconsin 53148
Advisors
Ronald Fritz
1989 Wil son, NW
Grand Rapids, Michigan 49504
John R.Turgyan Robert E. Kessel
1530 Kuser Road 445 Oakridge Drive
Trenton, New Jersey 08619 Rochester, New York 14617
Stan Gomoll Robert A. Whit e
104290th Lane, NE Box 704
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55434 Zellwood, Florida32798
AI Kelch
701 8 W. Bonniwell Road
Mequon, Wi sconsin 53092
Morton W. Lester
Box 3747
Martinsville, Virginia 2411 2
ArthurR. Morgan
3744 N. 51 st Bourevard
Milwaukee, Wi sconsin 53216
M . C. "Kell y" Vi ets
RR 1 Box 151
Stillwell, Kansas 66085
TheVINTAGEAIBPLANE
OFFICIAL MAGAZINE
EAA ANTIQUE/CLASSIC
DIVISION INC.
ofTHE EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION
P.O. Box 229, Hales Corners, WI 53130
Copyright" 1978 EAA Antique/Classic Division ,Inc., All Rights R e s e ~ e d
SEPTEMBER 1978 VOLUME 6 NUMBER 9
(On The Cover . ..fohn Eberle's Fokker /riplane arrives at Oshkosh. Dave Gustafson Ph%.)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Restor er ' s Cornerby J. R. Ni el ander , Jr ... . .. ........... ....... . .. . 2
Oshkosh 7 8 ..... . . . ... . .. ........., ...... . ... .. ... .... .. . . . . ... .. .. .. 4
The Winners at Oshkosh 78 ........................................... 7
" The First Cub" .. .. . ..... ... ...... . ... ... . .. . ......,.... . . .,. . . ... ... . 8
Steve Jones' Stearman Restoration Part I by St eve & Kay Jones .. . .. . ..... . 11
Help!.. . ..... .... ...... ... . ..... . .,... . ......,....... .. . . . ... . .... .. . . 13
Vintage Album ...,... . .. ... . ...... . ......,.. ..... . .,.... . .. ... .,,.... 14
Gus' Aeroplane 1913 by D. D. Peterson ..............,. .... ............. 16
Buy ing An OldAirpl ane I s Just The Beginning by Bob Barnes . ............ 21
Aviation Day At Curtiss Fi el d , 1921 by L. G. Duckert , M.D. . ..... . ...,. ... 24
EAA ANTIQUE/CLASSIC DIVISION MEMBERSHIP
o NON-EAA MEMBER - $20.00. Includes one year membership in the EAA Antique/
Cl assi c Divi si on, 12 monthly issues of THE VINTAGEAIRPLANE; one year mem-
bership in the Experiment al Aircraft Ass ociation and separate membership cards.
SPORT AVI ATION magazine notincluded.
oEAA MEMBER - $14.00. Includes one year membership in the EAA Antique/Classic
Divi sion, 12 monthl y issues of THE VINTAGEAIRPLANE AND MEMBERSHIP CARD.
(Appli ca nt must be current EAA member and must give EAA membershipnumber .)
Page 4 Page 8 Page 21
3
Ray Stephel? owns this Stearman YP-9 which was built in 7930.
Mr. Richard Martin flew this Meyers OTW down from Green Bay.
President Poberezny provided famed news commenta-
tor Paul Harvey with a guided tour of the Antique and
classic areas.
The view from the tower: looking over the Antique/ Classic display area.
5
Sporting a Warner Super Scarab 185, this Fairchild This 1944 Tiger Moth was flown in from Kalamazoo,
F24W belongs to Steve Thomas of Belvidere, Illinois. Michigan by John Bright.
Tim Buttles of Manawa, Wisconsin gave his /lAC Chief
one of those popular paint jobs.
This 1947 Navion belongs to Ed Hedlund of South Haven,
Michigan. Whatta way to go camping.
6
11
- ~ ; ~ :
A
Sti nson Reli ants are big! Talli e Holl and brought thi s
300 horsepower j ob from Columbus, Ohio.
Among th e many metal pl anes gli ttering in the sun
was thi s outsta nding Luscombe 8 F owned b y Larr y
Tr as kos of Bell evill e, Mi chiga n. It has a 750 horse-
power Lycomi ng!
'"
THE WINNERS AT OSHKOSH '78
ANTIQUE
Grand Champion - 1929 Curtiss Robin - joseph
Erale NR59H
Reserve Grand Champion - 1938 Rearwin Sportster
- Alfred Nagel NC20723
Golden Age - 1918-1927
Champion - 1926 Swallow - Buck Hilbert
Silver Age - 1928-1932
Champion -1929 Boeing 100 - P-1 2 - S. L. Wallick-
. N872H
Ru nner-Up -1928 Waco ASO - Dean Crites,- NC 6930
Outstanding Open Cockpit Biplane - Stearman
YP9- 1930 - Ray Stephen N788H
Contemporary Age - 1933-1945
Champion - Waco UPF-7 Richard Peterson, Wm.
Amundson - N29903
Runner-Up - 1941 Waco VKS - Vince Mariani -
N31653
Outstanding Open Cockpit Biplane - Stearman -
Roger Koerner, N61511
Outstanding Closed Cockpit Biplane - Waco VKS -
1941 - Kermit Hoffmeier, NC2309
Outstanding Open Cockpit Monoplane - 1931
American Eaglet - Gene Morri s, N548H
Outstanding Closed Cockpit Monoplane-1937 Sti n-
son SR9C - Stan Kuck N18410
Customized Aircraft
Champion - 1931 Waco QCK- Lee Parsons, NC11427
Runner-Up - 1938 Spartan Executive - j . T. Patter-
son, NC17165
Outstanding - 1940 Spartan Executi ve - Donald
Cass idy, N97DC
Replica Aircraft
Champion - 1911 Curtiss Pusher - Dale Crites -
1911D
Runner-Up - SPAD - Gerald Thornhill - N9104A
Outstanding - Flying Bathtub - Irvin Mahugh -
N131M
Homebuilt Antiques
Champion - 1932 Corben Baby Ace - Richard
Demond - N4851
Runner- Up - 1934 Pietenpol - Allen Rudolph -
N13691
CLASSiC
Grand Champion - Aeronca 7AC N85448 - Ron
Wojnar , Milwaukee, WI
Reserve Grand Champion - Rawdon T-1 N5160 -
jack Chastain, Creve Coeur, MO
Class I - Taylorcraft BC-12D, NC5020M - Ralph
Lauritsen, Boone, IA
Class II - Luscombe 8E N2424K - Gregg Bietel,
Charlotte, NC
Class III - Cessna 195 N4477C - Ray Thompson,
Houston, TX
Custom Class A - Piper j-3 N42478 - john Lamas-
cus, Pacific Grove, CA
Custom Class B - Cess na 140 N2436V - Thomas
Weaver , Kalispell, MT
Custom Class C - Bellanca 14-19 N6Rj - Ronald
joslyn, Malibu, CA
Best Workmanship - Stinson 108-1 N8509K -
Daniel Bauman, Dorr, MI
BEST OF TYPE
Aeronca Champ - 7AC NC81583 - Theo Travis,
Flushing, MI
Aeronca Chief - 11-CC N4628E - David Long,
Keyser, WV
Beech - D-18S N4477 - john Parish , Tullahoma,
TN
Bellanca 14-13-2 - N46LW - Robert Knauff, Langley
AFB, VA
Cessna 120/140 - 140 N76509 - james Schock,
Farmington Hill s, MN
Cessna 170/180 - 170A N711DR - William Lower,
Citrus Heights, CA
Cess na 1901195 - 195 N88DL - john Ankers, Boca
Raton , FL
Ercoupe - N2279H - john Wright , Springfield, IL
Luscombe - 8E N2493K - Leo Bachman, Decatur, IL
Navion - N8997H - Ben Gentile, Huntington, L.I.,
NY
Piper j -3 - NC3432N - Donald jensen, Albert Lea,
MN
Piper - Other - PA-12 N2903M - Bob Byers, Salk-
ville, WI
Stinson - 108 N389C - Boyd Walsh, Marion, IN
Swift - GC-1A N80905 - Charles Hoover, St . Paul,
MN
Taylorcraft - BC-1 2D N96818 - William Knight,
Brodhead, WI
Limited Production - Commonwealth Skyranger
185 - Ross Gresl ey, Anderson , IN
Northern Illinoi s Aero Club - Best Owner Restored
Airplane - Curti ss Robin NR59H, joseph Erale
7
Figure 1
~ ~ t h e First ~ n ~ ~
Back in the summer of 1930, things were not going
well at the Taylor Brothers aircraft factory in Bradford,
Pennsylvania. Their first aircraft, "The Chummy" ,
wasn ' t selling. Evidently the $4,000,00 price tag was
too high for the depressed economic conditions. A new
and much cheaper model was needed . Thus, from a
: desperate necessity, the first Cub was born. This is the
story of that first Cub, SI N 11, Identification 10547.
8
Taylor serial numbers started with #1, a converted
Jenney. #2 through #10 were an assortment of rebuilds
and Chummys. #11 was the first Cub, and is shown
with it's Salmson engine (Fig. 1).
The first official record relating to this plane is a
letter, (Fig. 2) to the Department of Commerce request-
ing an identification mark. Shortly thereafter a second
letter (Fig. 3) reports that the original Tiger Kitten en-
gine had been replaced by the more powerful Salmson
AD9. Note that references to the Chummy have been
deleted from the letterhead.
These documents would indicate that the E-2 had
been designed and built before August 20,1930. This
prototype E-2 reveals some of its Chummy ancestry.
The wings are the same shape, the tail has similar lines
and the fuselage bracing around the cockpit is familiar.
R
Thr....llfT'l"'. nl...".' UN I TED STATES OF AMERICA
...I.J'''' D EPARTMENT OFCO MMERCE
.VNIltAU 0"A lACOMM"ACII
UNLI CENSEDAIRCRAFT IDENTIFICATI ONMARK ASSIGNMENT 10547
DESCRiPTION OF AlRCRAFT
Mod.1 TAYLOR CU8. POLl!
Serial No. 11 nrioe SALUSON 40 HP
. . The aircraftde.crib.dabove ic an unl icensed..irenri . nd has. been usieped t be
Dumberindica ted only. Tbi.aircr-.. rt i.NOT lkenaed or reltiturod
u 'XU;;X"
SECONDi;.'(,.." .:, ., ..
DETROIT I!ICHloAN
Unles3 .wDl f ' ,utI pC1Dded or t his.usiiUDlent NOV 15 1935
- r
."" >. -
( . Au',,;", oj A', ( \.
'-" rP<
l 8 NOTl:.-AU ...ollbo Comm.oea.cw. tl..... .... _ put<I Itl.o !&nola ,,--, 10
..,;.- .. ... "I!>- 3u
Figure 2
Fi gure 4
The most obvious difference between the two planes
To.. T.\ 'f l O il CHI..\I.\ 1\ "
H . f AY1.(. k t. HU.W:.IY
isthechange from side-by-side to tandem seating.
TRAI NER
PERSONAL
. 1 .. . .. S- j.. ... :..
. ,t."f / A close examination of the photo also reveals that (.,.,.... ,.. .
TAYLOR BROTHERS AIRCRAFT
i!l24
thi s plane differsin a numberofdetails from itsthou- cc,it POll. 1> 1'10;"
'fAYLOR lIKOTHERS AIRCRAFr
sand of descendants. (See Fig. 4, a picture of SIN 12,
!S:: nia COlPOI.ATIO N
'\
\:\<' -- ->
which is thefirstproduction modeL)The mostobvious . .' ,
Br a d ( ord , P.... ltullyl\'.. nia. .
\ ' //01" /
, " 0 . 0 , iJ: 20
differences are:
Septombor '., \ /
'.
* Fabric to firewall /
_. .... ,."f,'?,:
; .-TC::
* Nodiagonal bracebehindback,insteadtwosmall
/
' V
<.$ ' f
braces De pa rtment o f ''/ .9

20. 1930.
Aa r onau tlC8 Branoh.
* Tank on top ofwing "*'---
Divlsion.
nashington. D. C.
* Back seat two inches forward
of
* Lower turtleback, especiall y at tail Gentlemen:

..;..;: r or,aut l cs a .r an ch
* No adjustable stabilizer
Wo rocoDtly Bo n t you application. for an IdBntlfi-
D. C.
*Fuselage strait one station behind strut attach.
CDt. i r aur plaD;8 ".11. Model Z2. and rece! ved the
Ce:,.t ) ,,;::,all:
Did they ori ginall y plan parallel struts like the
t h1s applica t ion \\'8 8 baa ed, on -the ir:.stallatlOll of _>:"; !u t, ;: u l'L u r CJw1. 1. h fl rJd du ? lJ(;.at. u ion for
Chummy?
a f lge r Xltl8n. Model 30 Tbla englfi8 wae in test mur k on the f irst of our model. the !al l or
*Drag cable to engine mount
f11 &ots horo recen tly. but provod to bo of lL8Uff iciont po.or, Ct,;, b .
e o we ha ve hlle: to en5inee.
* Aileron cable runs further out on wing to ClL of
'01:0.:. e: .. oo(,; t t o t a:<e t his fi).' s t jo b e llati onsJ. Air
Accordln&ly. we are encloeino herewith new applications i n pleClo ,} be iP0d ....: n IJ ut:.h to(QYir the . jderA -
aileron. Connecting cable runs on top of wing,
f or the same plane, but on t ho new motor whicb Is DOW t ii j CD. ti or. a 8 this .1 ei. t er i8 I'& e ved.
with aguide at the tank. be l r. g lus ta110J ' In tho plane . b. sood oDOugh to B that
this change is porperly recorded.
*Two small jurystruts, furtherouton mains.
We d o n o t know th&t we ha ve used the proper form iL yo ars.
* Elevator horn outside offuselage.
repo r tiLg this cher.oe. but ifana other Buit the purpo8e :l' A"'i Lv..t

Evidently no more Cubs were manufactured, until De t t er we would like to r ecei ve of them. send us
a aupply af Form ''' .. I t. .
the adoption ofthe A-40 engine in the spring of1931.
Records showthat 14 E-2' swere builtduringthe sum-
very trlly 70cra. . ..$a1e8 ..1anattor
merof1931 beforetheApprovedTypeCertificate#455 'U YL0rl
became official on the seventh of November 1931. It "

was first applied to SIN 26, NC-11674. [':.tJ'uulZRC....
. ",,/ :Ide. llanaoler . 1 /1,
What happened to thi s historic plane? The FAA eaC1l ]e tte/ b 4,<,_ 8-p'
recordsshowthatitwassoldbythefactoryin1931and

;,.;l" 41//
shortly thereafter came into the hands of two men l r /
.'\;;l<-I/' .0.>:
named Barney and Burkowski , identified as "fugitives

from justice". A 1935 registration (Fig. 5) shows it in
the Detroit area. Shortly thereafter a final entry indi-
cates the registration was cancelled "due to an acci-
dent". Very likel y thi s hi storic plane was scrapped at __._ _ _
F J N E S T PE I. S ONAL .oJ TlAINING , LAN I
AME S
thi stime, ending the story of "The First Cub". '" , R, C A ' S
R I C'A' , I N E S , . l' E ft oS 0 N " L .. .. J T . A I N I N G P LAN I
'9
STEVE JONES'
STEARMAN
RESTORATION
PART I
By Steve & Kay Jones
729 Val Verde Or. S.E.
Albuquerque, NM 87108
(Reprinted from SRA "OUTFIT")
Since 1943, when I was an Aviation Cadet at Rankin
Academy in Tulare, California, I have dreamed of ac-
quiring a Stearman. It was difficult tosee my way clear
of owning one - until five years ago when I purchased
a "basket case" from a fellow in Phoenix who had ap-
parently lost interest in his restoration project. If it
were not for my love of the Stearman, I most probably
would have fallen victim to the same disinterest.
In a conversation with Bill McCreary, who has one
of the most beautifu lIy restored stock Stearmans I
have ever seen, he commented that after being in-
volved in his restoration project for several years, he
thought to himself, "What the hell am I doing with this
airplane? I'll never finish." He did, however, and so
will I - I hope!
Bill, who until recently resided in the Phoenix area,
was fortunate in that he purchased his Stearman in-
tact, whereas mine was completely dismembered. I
made several trips to Phoenix before Bill moved, to
seek his advice and use his plane as a guide, trying to
visualize what my "basket case" would look like some-
day.
(Photo by Steve Jones)
Steve Jones and his Stearman PT-17 fuselage in his
garage in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
The first major step of my project was of course, the
purchase. My prize possession was to be hauled from
Phoenix to Albuquerque in a truck borrowed from a
local plumbing supply, but not without complications
as I was soon to discover. My purchase was a package
deal - both a duster and stock fuselage. I was not in-
terested in the duster fuselage, save for the landing
gear. The bolts which after years of being in place,
were frozen to the fuselage and gear, making it impos-
sible for me to remove them at that time. I could not
load but one fuselage on the truck, so I was forced to
leave the gear behi nd. After a short interval, a friend of
mine, Troy Elliott, who owns a local welding shop and
who worke'd at the Boeing Stearman Plant in Wichita
during the war (and a big help with my project), re-
turned to Phoenix with me in his pickup with his oxya-
cetylene gear. Using his equipment, we warmed the
landing gear in the area of the attach bolts and we were
then able to remove the bolts and gear and return to
Albuquerque.
The first several months consisted of sorting out
the bits and pieces in order to take inventory. After
much time spent at this tedious task, I found that my
pride and joy's previous owner, George Brinkoff, had
two or three rights and no lefts, or visa versa. He was
also short many of the littl e " Goodies" necessary to
make the airplane original. Most of the first year was
spent in studying the parts manual and acquiring the
hard-to-get hardware articles. I spent many hours at
a local metal finishing shop using the glass beader,
cleaning up the numerous parts in preparation for
repainting, cad plating or anodizing - whichever the
case was.
The chrome pi ston assemblies and the knuckle and
axle combination were removed from the main part
of the gear for cleaning and inspection. I ordered and
received new chrome piston assys., as the original had
a spot of chrome worn off one cylinder, and my prob-
lem was then how to separate the knuckle and axle as-
sembly from the piston assembly. After several local
inquiries, I found, to my dismay, there was little - if
any - information available locally to assist me with
my Stearman project. I found this to be painfully true
in each search for Stearman details, which appropri-
ately led me to sign one of my many letters to Tom
Lowe, President, Stearman Restorer's Association, as
"Lonesome Jones".
The two bolts passing through the knuckle and pis-
ton assembly were removed, but this had no loosening
effect on the two members. Troy Elliott and myself de-
signed a steel fixture to separate these two pieces. It
consisted of two brackets with holes for bolts that
would mate with the holes in the knuckle assembly and
the scissor bracket on the piston assembly. Troy had a
ten ton press which we used to install this Rube Gold-
berg setup. Almost full pressure was applied when the
structural members of the press began to bend, but
there was no relative motion apparent at the separa-
tion point 'of these two units. A sudden loud explosion
shook both Troy and I and only slightly separated the
two units, but you might say, it "broke the ice"! With
additional pressure applied to the press, the two parts
separated in increments of about Va" at a time.
The male end of the knuckle assembly appeared to
be gaulded. It looked as if its apparent chrome surface
had become gaulded from being pulled apart. Being
unfimiliar with this problem and not knowing the ex-
tent of damage to the plating, I consulted with Kaehr
Metal Finishing - who incidentally has done a lot of
plating, anodizing, etc. on my project and who allowed
me the use of their glass beading machine for cleaning
the parts . Ray Kaehr, an expert on metal treatment, ad-
vised me the gaulded plating was a plating of tin which
insures a positive seal on reassembly. The male ends of
the knuckle assembly were cleaned and tin plated.
10
What a relief to know the wing fits!!
11
Upon checking the ID of the piston and the aD of
the knuckle, I fou nd there was .002"-.003" interference
fit between these mateing surfaces. Now the problem
was how to get these parts back together. In my read-
ing and inquiring, I was acquainted with the procedure
of putting the female end of the piston in boiling water
to expand, and I conjectured further that if boiling wa-
ter is beneficial, perhaps boiling oil would be even bet-
ter. I also thought of putting the male end of the knuck-
le in dry ice to shrink. We placed the female end of the
piston in the boiling oil which was kept at the flash
point (a C02 fire extinguisher was kept handy to douse
the oil flashes). The piston remained in the hot oil
and with the use of inside micrometer, we would fre-
quently check the increase in diameter. When we real-
ized the aD had increased to the limit and the male end
of the knuckle assembly had shrunk all it was going to,
we were ready for the moment of truth. The problem
at hand now was to successfully assemble these two
parts and ali,gn the two bolt holes before the two sur-
faces would sieze.
I am sure the boys at Boeing in Wichita had a better
procedure for aligning these two pieces! Our first at-
tempt was limited to eyeballing the two bolt hole pat-
terns, and I was able to get the piston on to the knuckle
assembly only halfway before the two parts siezed. It
was back to the pulling jig as mentioned before, and
then back to the tin plating on the male end of the
knuckle assembly.
Before the next try I had second thoughts about the
use of the dry ice to shrink the male end of the knuckle
assembly. The shrinkage was very slight and it was
possible the cold knuckle pin touching the piston as-
sembly was accelerating the contraction of the female
opening. So the second time around, I decided to leave
the knuckle at room temperature and expand the pis-
ton opening to the maximum with the use of boiling oil.
When the piston had reached its maximum expansion
and with the knuckle assembly held in the vice, I
socked the piston onto the knuckle and this time - I
made it. I would estimate that from the time the two
parts started to mate, there was about two seconds
available to align the holes. This procedure was done
on right and left sides of the gear and with very close
alignment. I did have to run a line reamer through the
holes after assembly to allow the bolts to pass through.
The gear was sandblasted and primed with epoxy type
aD primer. On reassembly, a new set of chevron seals
were installed.
The fuselage tubing was lineoiled, and to my sur-
prise, it took nearly seven gallons of linseed oil to fill
completely. The fuselage assembly is now complete
with all the original "goodies". I was able to locate two
sets of new instruments with original lemon-lime color
dial markings.
Upon disassembly of my Continental 220 engine for
inspection and overhaul, I noted the red oxide paint on
the interior of the engine. I wrote to Teledyne Contin-
ental Motors inquiring as to the purpose of this red ox-
ide coating. Their reply informed me that its original
purpose was to seal the pores of the casting to prevent
oil seepage. It was later discovered that this procedure
was not necessary and the paint coating was found to
create more problems that it solved, such as flaking off.
Being advised to remove the red coating, I accom-
plished this by use of paint stripper, followed by glass
beading, followed by solvent cleaning. All of the parts
of the engine have been cleaned and magnifluxed and
are ready for reassembly.
The new set of standard cylinders I acquired came
packed in wooden crates stamped EI Toro Marine Air
Base 1944. The nails and wire bands were rusty, but the
cosmolined cylinders inside were in perfect condition.
The old engine had five oversized and two standards.
The five oversized pistons have been turned down to
standard, including cutting the depth of ring grooves
the same as diameter of piston. In my quest for origi-
nality I have located two sets of original gosports, and
interestingly enough, one of the sets came from my
Rankin flight instructor, Bill Jonker, and the other from
Bill Mason, a flight instructor at Rankin. Of course, the
original Stearman only had one set of gosports, but I'd
like two-way communication now.
Another interesting bit of nostalgia surrounding my
Stearman, is the log sheet I received on this particular
sin from the Air Force Museum. Its record shows it
spent part of its active life at Rankin Field at the time I
was a cadet. I have also received from the Boeing
Wichita plant a copy of the delivery date record indi-
cating when my sin was delivered to the Army Air
Corps, 11-14-41.
I have fabricated a steel jig to build wing tip bows
and also an engine overhaul stand patterned after the
pictures in the Continental Overhaul Manual. I have
also constructed a Continental puller and crankshaft
aligning jig and a thrust nut tool. I am now in the pro-
cess of rebuilding the wings - part two of this story
that will have to wait.
This restoration is certainly a labor of love. If it
weren't, I dare say there would be a "For Sale" on it
today!
Briefly, my progress with the fabric portion of the
restoration - I purchased dacron from Aircraft Spruce
Specialty not knowing of the STC requirements for
- ' - ' ~ ' ' - - ~ . - . - - ~ - - ~ - ~ , , , , ~
~
Rear cockpit area of Steve Jones' PT- 77 undergoing
restoration .
My Stearman Ska
sembly and
~ n i n g
Standard category aircraft . My inspector said he could
not sign off the work without FAA approval. Contact
was made with the local GADa office who in turn re-
ferred me to the regional office in Fort Worth. They
were responsive to my request and after some investi-
gation and consideration gave me a one-shot approval
to use Aircraft Spruce dacron for my Stearman. I have
also built a wing overhaul stand.
With the fuselage completed including firewall, it
lacked about 2" clearing my garage door opening. I
tried letting the air out of the tires and hung 200 pounds
on the landing gear cross member in an attempt to
compress the gear - but no luck. I subsequently de-
cided on a steel cradle to support the axle, mounted on
three caster wheels. With this rig I gained 4". I guess
you could say, I have the only set of Stearman "skate
boards" in captivity!
On one of Jim Ardy' s cross-country trips, he flew his
#1 beauty to the Boeing plant in Wichita to show it off.
In the course of a conversation there, he was told about
12
some parts on the shelf left from production days. The
parts were the tail wheel post and axle assembly. Jim
bought everything on the shelf and later gave me the
opportunity to buy one. Of course, I jumped at the
chance to purchase an original part off the factory
shel f.
I had to rebuild the fire wall to comply with stain-
less steel and aluminum sandwich requirements. I
lucked out finding a quantity of original style rivets ,
large 00 and low profile head. In order to duplicate
the 4 dimples in the fire wall at the motor mount attach
points, I had a local machinist make a male and female
die to form this dimple. The machinist measured as
close as possible the dimensions - depth, taper, diam-
eter - the first set of dies gave a dimple too deep. On
the second try the dimple came out perfect. The two
halves were held together with a strap loop. Pressure
to form the dimples was applied with a ten ton hydrau-
lic press. The fire wall came out just like storebought.
In my never-ending search for detailed information ,
I obtained a roll of microfilm of the Boeing Stearman
Airplane drawings. Thi s film was procured from the
Dept. of Air Force, Wright Patterson AFB, Dayton, Ohio,
and required permission from the Boeing Seattle Divi-
sion for release. I had to sign a release to relieve them
of liability that might result from my use or misuse
of the drawings. '
I have built jigs to construct ribs from and have
finished two sets of ribs complete with spar opening.
In retrospect , I have learned from the old pros that the
spar openings should not be enclosed until after the
ribs are in place. The ribs should have only the forward
vertical truss in place. This would align the ribs and
the three remaining vertical trusses installed after the
ribs are in place. I haven' t assembled my first wing panel
as yet , but will start assembly as soon as I have the
spars drilled using the old spars as a pattern. I have
been advised to remove three of the vertical trusses,
but am going to try to work around this error in con-
struction. In my second installment I will report my
findings. Hindsight is always better than foresight and
this project is no exception!
I would like to express my appreciation for detail
assistance with my project to three individuals in par-
ticular: Tom Lowe and Bill Bohannan, both of SRA and
Paul Quinn of Mid-Continent in Hayti, Missouri. I would
also like to express my thanks to Charlie Dickinson for
helping disassemble and inspect my Continental
220 engine. I would like also to say how much I have
enjoyed the past two visits with Bill and Beth Mason
when they visited in our home on their cross country
trips. Bill always let me fly from the back seat, which
sure reminded me of the good old days at Rankin Acad-
emy.
As I mentioned to Tom Lowe previous to starting
this project, I had only the love of a Stearman and my
experience as an aviation cadet to get me going, but
when I get a live bird out of this project, I will have a
thorough knowledge of the Model 75 Stearman. On one
occasion when my son was checking out my progress,
he made a comment that was the greatest compliment
a son could ever give his dad. "Dad", he said, " You can
do about anything and what you can't do, you can find
out how." If I didn't have this ability to find out what I
don' t know, my Stearman project would have gone
down the tubes long ago.
My den as wing assembl y shop.
A pair of excellent Cub restorations return from a formation flight.
HELP!
The Vintage Airplane Magazine is in grave danger. The problem is lack of material.
As with SPORT AVIATION and other EAA publications we are almost totally depen-
dent on the photographic generosity and writing activity of our readership. It's up to
you to share with the other members of the Antique/Classic Division your experiences,
memories, photographs or research. Headquarters can not do it all on its own. The
supply of manuscripts is so low that unless we hear from some of you soon there may
not be a happy new year. Please get involved ... now!
Paul H. Poberezny, Publisher
David Gustafson, Editor
Piper Pacer belonging to David Vanciere, Mitchell, 50.
Guiseppe M. Bellanca designed and built his first airpl ane
in Milan, Italy, 1908-09; l earned to fly at Mineola, N .Y. in
19 12. H e master-minded the building of the record
breaking Bellancas, and organized his factory at New
Castle, Delaware in 1927.
Source of pixs and info:
Vintag
Aircraft Age
Air Travel News
Western Flying
Some BELLANC
National Glider and Airplane News
Compiled
"Man's Fight to Fly", Heinmuller (1945)
}. Wesley Smith (L) and George Haldeman (R) pictured
with the Aviation Town and Country Club Trophy (L), the
Clevel and-to-Buffalo Efficiency Race Trophy (Mid) and the
Detroi t News Air Transport Trophy (R), won by the Bel-
lanca pilots in speed and efficiency races at the 1929
Nat ional Air Races.
The "Columbia " was one of the earl y record breakers; set
a world non-refueling endurance record of 51 hrs. 11 min.,
in May of 1927 by Clarence Chamberlin and Bert Acosta.
A fortnight after Lindy's flight, Chamberlin, with Charles
Levine as passenger, flew the "Columbia" from Roose-
velt Field to Eisleben, Germany in 42 hrs. 45 min. A second
trans-Atlantic flight was made by Erroll Boyd and Harry
Connor in the fall of 1930. This 1933 picture, with ring
and logo added, was taken before Boyd, Lyon and Davis
flew from New York to Haiti and return.
Album
tory of Yesteryears
'nn Buffington
Earl y-on corporate pilot, June Quinn, (L) and Win Camp-
bell (R), nationally known baker, who used a Bellanca in
visiting his thirty plants, extending from the Rockies to
the Atlantic. Campbell-Taggart Associated Bakeries head-
quartered in Kansas City, circa 7937.
A Bellanca Skyrocket, one of the planes used by Colorado-
Utah Airways, subsidiary of U.S. Airways, over its Denver,
Grand Junction - Salt Lake City rout i ng, circa 7932.
Clyde Pangborn (L) and Hugh Herndon (R) flew the Bel-
lanca "Mi ss Veedol " around-the-world in 7931. They
completed the first non-stop trans-Pacific flight on Oct. 5,
7937 - in a 47 hr. 70 min. flight from Samushiro Beach,
Japan_to Wenatchee, WA, dropping their landing gear after
the take-off.
I Elinor Smith, teenage Long Island pilot, used Bellancas in
setting altitude and endurance records - Apr. 23-24, 7929 -
26 hrs. 27 min. non-refueling e n d u r ~ n e flight and Mar.
70, 7930 - 27, 448 ft. over Roosevelt Field in a Pacemaker.
-------
f!JLi;S)
By D. D. Peterson, Ale660
74 Doe Drive
Terre Haute, Indiana 47802
(Photos Provided by the Author)
In the decade following the Wright brothers first
powered flight, and particularly after their first public
demonstrations, a slowly growing number of new air-
craft designs appeared in the United States, their
builders hoping to establish themselves in a new in-
dustry. The 1913 issue of Jane's All the World's Air-
craft states that "there are certainly no less than two
thousand people in the U.S.A. who have built flying
machines. The greater percentage of these have been
home made copies of standard machines." It states
further that " the general public takes very slight intel-
ligent interest in aviation." Developments in this
country lagged far behind those in Europe, even be-
fore the stimulus provided by World War I.
Two original designs were built in Terre Haute,
Indiana - the Johnson Brothers monoplane (covered
in The Vintage Airplane, October, 1977) and a tractor
biplane designed and built by E. A. "Gus" Riggs, the
subject of this piece. Each of these aircraft was equiva-
lent to - and in some respects superior to - much
better known European designs.
Gus Riggs' Biplane
Terre Haute at t hat time was a typi cal small mid-
western city with a population of approximately 65,000.
It was in the center of one of the country's biggest beds
of bituminous coal, and was also a transportation cen-
ter - being served by 8 railroads and 4 interurban
lines. Terre Haute had the largest wholesale grocery
business in Indiana, the largest distillery in the U.S.
with a daily capacity of 60,000 gallons, and a great
diversity of light industry.
Eugene Augustus "Gus" Riggs was born and raised
on a farm near Farmersburg, about 15 miles south of
Terre Haute. He completed 3 years of high school
and gained his knowledge of engineering and aero-
nautics by studying college textbooks at home. He
stated in a 1958 interview that "there were no aero-
16
nautic courses available and anyone who expressed
an interest in airplanes was t hought to be nuts." The
i nformation in this article was obtained from a taped
interview of Mr. Riggs by three members of the Wa-
bash Valley Pilots Association, microfilm copies of local
newspapers, some information from the Smithsonian
Institute, and personal communication. Unfortunately
we haven' t found anyone who remembers seeing this
airplane fly, but I've talked to 2 people who hung
around the Riggs' shop during their boyhood.
Design work on the Riggs' tractor biplane apparent-
ly was started in 1911 , possibly after he had seen the
first flying exhibition ever made in Terre Haute by
Rene Simon and Captain J. J. Frisbee in June, or the
first flights of the Johnson Brothers' monoplane in
August and September, 1911. Work on this project
was postponed when he was commissioned by Dr.
Belden, a local dentist , to build a copy of a Wright Bi-
hlane. Riggs went to St. Louis and was allowed to
make detailed measurements and sketches of the
Wright Model B owned by Mr . Lambert . He returned
to Terre Haute and built a reasonable facsimile of a
Wright biplane powered by a Fox 2 cycle engine.
The plane stalled and crashed on its initial flight in
1912, while being pi loted by a man named Piceller ,
FAI #116.
Riggs then got back to work on his origi nal design
and final assembly was compl eted late in May, 1913.
In the 1958 interview Riggs claims that there were, at
that time, only 3 other designers in t he United States
building tractor biplanes, and that he preferred this
arrangement because t here was less danger to t he pil ot
in t he event of a mi shap if the pil ot was behind t he
motor.
The fr amework, of spruce an d ash , wi th wi r e
braci ng, was described as a " work of art" and accord-
i ng to Elling O . Weeks, who was t o be its fi rst pilot ,
it was t he li ghtest machine he had ever seen . It had a
wing span of 32 f eet. The pl an f orm of t he wings and
the wing warping system were qui te similar to a Wri ght
biplane. The fuselage was enclosed back to the cock-
pit, the verti cal tail surface and probably the horizon-
tal tail were full y moveable. The control system was the
same as that used on the Deperdussin with which Ve-
drines won the 1912 Gorden Bennett race, a wheel
controlled the wing warping and horizontal tail , and
a rudder bar was connected to the vertical tail. Power
was supplied by a 60 or 80 hp Hall-Scott, V-8, water-
cooled engine that had been obtained from a wreck
Kearney had off the California coast on an attempted
f l ight from Los Angeles to San Francisco. The propeller
was 8 feet 3 inches in diameter and had been carved
from laminated spruce and walnut by Lloyd Where,
who was then a student at Rose Pol ytechnic Institute.
The Terre Haute Tribune articles in the summer of
1913 referred to the craft as the Riggs Tractor No. 13,
supposedl y because the young men thought the name
would bring them luck - as they were using a motor
which had been owned by a dead aviator . Work on
the machine was started on the 13th of the month and
was completed in 1913. They claimed the airframe was
made out of the wood of a casket. In the 1958 inter-
view Mr. Riggs simpl y referred to it as his tractor
Gus Riggs' biplane is airborne.
biplane. The three men were certainl y young - Riggs,
the designer and builder, was either 20 or 21, E. O .
Weeks, the pilot, was soon to have hi s 23rd bi rthday,
and Lloyd Wehr was probably 19:
Elling O . Weeks joined Riggs in early 1913 as an
experienced aviator. He was a native of Iowa, had been
i nvolved in auto racing around Chicago, and had
learned to fly a plane he had built in 1911 . He was later
associated with O. H. Williams in building and f lying
17
an airplane in Scranton , Pennsylvania. After making
some record flights in Scranton and Wilkes-Barre he
took some further instruction on a Thomas Brothers'
school plane in Bath, New York, and was awarded FAI
license No. 214 on March 12, 1913.
Riggs had apparently done his homework well be-
cause Weeks had no significant problems on the first
flights which were made from a field on the south edge
of Terre Haute, very near where the johnson mono-
plane was being flown by Ross Smith. A newspaper
article on june 17th reports that he had made at least
40 flights - most of them of at least 10 minutes dura-
tion, and a june 19th article gives details of a 28 minute
flight over the city. There had been one forced landing
because of an engine malfunction. Flights continued
quite regularly and an article on july 18 reported that
the craft was being modified to allow carrying a pas-
senger. This must not have been a very big job because
on july 21 Weeks took Ross Smith, the pilot of the John-
son monoplane, Lloyd Wehr and Billy Burke for short
rides in somewhat gusty weather . We have no pictures
of the plane carrying two people, but presume the pas-
senger was seated in front of the pilot. An article later
in July reported that Riggs was starting to take flying
lessons from Weeks.
Undoubtedly this lack of "teething problems" was
the result of several factors ; Gus had used a conven-
tional design with a proven control system, the engine
was a standard type as reliable as most at that time,
and the flying was done by an experienced and com-
petent pilot, E. O . Weeks . There was apparently some
friendly competition between the johnson and Riggs
Gus' Aeroplane
camps, both a 10 mile race and some other trials were
planned, as well as joint exhibitions. There were also '
plans for other projects such as taking aerial motion
pictures of the business destrict, the waterfront and
the portion of the city devastated by the March tornado
and flood.
About August 1 the airplane was shipped from Terre
Haute to Holland, Michigan where Weeks made daily
flights at a fair and later a round trip flight from Hol-
land to Saugatuck. In the following weeks they ap-
peared at many fairs in several mid-western and upper
plains States, getting as far west as Denver. The craft
was apparently wrecked in a crash at Fort Collins,
Colorado and was not rebuilt.
. Riggs returned to Terre Haute and set to work on
an improved , design which was larger, had a slightly
more powerful Hall-Scott engine, had ailerons for
lateral control, and other refinements, Weeks had
found some financial backing in Eagle Grove, Iowa,
so Riggs joined him there in 1914 to build the new
design.
Those who knew him say Gus Riggs was quite in-
dependent, an avid reader with a fantastic memory,
and a meticulous craftsman who "built no junk", He'd
work very long and hard on a project that had his
interest, but there were other periods when he, did
little or! nothing. He served in Europe as a technical
19
advisor for the Air Service in World War I, and built a
couple of airplanes and some custom automobiles
in Terre Haute in 1919and the early 20's. He left Terre
Haute in 1928 and worked with Walter Beech at Travel
Air in Wichita for a while before joining his friend Billy
Parker in the Star company in Oklahoma, where he
20
Acknowledgf2ment: Photos and the taped Riggs inter-
view used in preparing thi s article were provided by
John Blouch EAA 75223, Ale 1657. He's too young to
remember the 7913 airplane, but spent many boyhood
hours in the decade following WWI loafing in Gus' shop,
which was less than a block from the Blouch home. John
probably knew Gus Riggs as well as anyone in Terre
Haute knew him, and our conversations have given me a
good idea of what kind of man Riggs was .
was chief designer of the Star Cavalier. He was back
in western Indiana in the depression years, where he
was involved in a variety of activities, but apparently
was never again active in any phase of aviation .
So, like the Johnson monoplane, the second ori-
ginal airplane built in Terre Haute, which also had a
Johnson Bros. Monoplane - Art Smith Pilot .
promising beginning and potential for future develop-
ment , never led to any great success for its designer
and builder . But it' s interesting to speculate about
what might have been .
Buying an old Airplane

IS just the beginning
' .
By Bob Barnes
2942 Verle
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48704
Everyone knows an old airplane is always in need
of a little fixin', but just how much can you expect
when you buy a 30 year old flyin' machine? I suppose
some are better than others, but I strongly suspect
the difference really isn't great.
I thought perhaps sharing my experience with my
Aeronca Chief would give those of you who are enter-
taining thoughts about picking up a little old some-
thing to fly a better idea of just what to expect. Please
don't get discouraged by the length of my li st of "things
to do" . I am not the type who can just hop in and go.
I want to fly with the satisfaction of knowing all is well
and I'm willing to go to a great deal of trouble to put
things in shape.
My ship had been in basket condition for some
time, the tai l surfaces having been recovered by one
owner and the wings by another since its last sojourn
into the blue. I entered the scene just as the wings were
being refitted to the airframe. I volunteered to help,
peeking around as best I could during the reassembly
to see how she looked inside. I couldn't see any signs
of the ship having been badly damaged at any time and
outside of being very old and bit dirty, it looked fairly
respectable. I made an offer and was on my way to
learning all about old 'airplanes.
Let me take it more or less in order from back to
front. The rudder horn for the steerable tailwheel had
been misplaced. I welded a strap of mild steel to a
short length of 3/ 4 " conduit. This part is not structural,
and conduit works OK here only. The tail brace wires
were slightly rusted and paint was shot, so I sanded
them caref ully and gave them one coat of zinc chro-
mate and one coat of aluminum enamel. Some more
rust was sanded f rom tubing in t he fin where water
got in around the inspection plates. Chromate was ap-
plied here too.
In attempting to hook up the elevator trim tab, the
cabl e broke. A new cabl e was installed after a search
for a place with swaging equipment. The new cable
left the trim tab range badly off-center . Investigation
reveal ed it had been that way for some time. A link
was made to correct the off-center condition because
I don't like controls whi ch don' t work the way they're
supposed to. I put new bolts in the tailwheel assembly
because they take quite a beating with a heavy tailed
ship. Grease was liberally applied to force out the old
dirty stuff from the wheel bearings and the pivot.
The stop-bolts were mi ssing from the elevator, so
new ones were installed and adjusted. No further
probl ems were found in the tail until flight testing dis-
closed the need for heavy right rudder pressure and
very touchy ground handling on Hyne's rJarrow run-
21
I
way. The rudder pressure was alleviated by installa-
tion of a 12 square inch trim tab (bent aluminum plate
screwed to the trailing edge). The tricky steering was
attributed to an unskilled pilot for a while but re-
drilling the new steering horn to reduce steering
leverage made a pussycat out of the wild beast and
re-established competence in the pilot.
Moving forward now, let' s stop at the reverse tank
located behind the baggage compartment. No drain-
cock could be found , but an inspection plate dis-
closed a pipe tee with a cap. A radiator drain valve was
secured from an automotive supply house and in-
stalled with a short hose which was routed through a
slot cut in the inspection plate. The tank was flushed
and though clean, the fuel was discarded (I discarded
it into my VW tank) . There were no leaks, so we moved
on to the baggage compartment . It had been pulled
out and simply required reinstallation and a couple of
new snap-fasteners from the tent repair shop. The
header was tougher. A zipper ran clear across the cabin
for access to aileron cables. It had bee{l left unzipped
too long and had shrunk so it lacked 112" for closure.
I installed two rows of eyelets and laced the thing
together.
The recovered wings had pulled in the root ribs
so the gap fairings couldn' t be reassembled with the
original screwholes. Several new holes were needed.
An old antenna was secured to the left fairing and a
new length of coax was prepared and run down to a
BNC connector installed on the panel. A pair of rotating
air vents were located in the nose fairings on either
side of the windshield and they were loose as a goose
and rusted there. New ones were made and fitted with
spring washers and thick cork gaskets in case I wanted
to fly in the winter. Flight testing revealed treacherous
wing dropping in a stall , so rigging was checked and
1V2 degrees of wash-i n was found in the wings. With
rerigging to 0 degrees the ship picked up 3 mph and
now stalls right straight ahead as it should.
Windows were filthy and appeared in poor condi-
tions. Careful washing with lots of water followed by a
coat of automotive turtle wax made them all shine like
brand new. Caught in time! The door catches were
badly worn, but so far I haven' t found any good way to
repair them so I use them with care. A square of WD-40
made a lot of difference in the way they work. Rusty
aircraft bolts with no nuts had been jammed in to
serve as door hinges. The work involved in fitting
new clevi s pins and cotter keys made me realize why
a less ambitious owner had taken the easy way out. I
did it the right way, nevertheless.
Wiring for navigation lights had been installed in
the wings during recover and the ends were hanging
out in the breeze. I i nstalled seaplane grommets an
inch from the exit points and shoved the wire ends
back inside the wing through the grommets. Looks
fine. In transporting the wings to. the airport on cartop
carriers the trailing edge of the left wing had been
crushed forward very slightly and the fabric had
wrinkles at each rib juncture. A little work with a
travel-iron heating through a scrap of cloth corrected
the wrinkles without damaging the finish.
The E.L.T. was attached to the left door at a point
where it presented neither hazard not inconvenience
(except in its cost) . This permitted the antenna to l i e
near the window without interference with metal ob-
jects which would reduce its effectiveness. A defective
plastic ventilator in the right side of the boot-cowl
was replaced by a metal cap attached with a wingnut
in case it becomes advisable to reinstall a vent next
summer .
The engine cowling had 3 dzus fasteners which had
pulled clear through the aluminum cowl. Patches were
riveted in place and the fasteners carefully located
and reinstalled. New fasteners were put in where the
slots had been butchered by improperly equipped
pilots. At this time a couple of dzus keys were made
and became a permanent addition to my key rings.
A fuel drain bottle was made up with a slotted neck
to reach up from the bottom of the cowl and engage
the quick-drain lugs .
Wheel bearings were repacked and the shock
struts were refilled . A strut safety cable was missing
on the left side so a new cable and mounting clamp
were made up and insta.lled. Brakes were adjusted.
New bolts were installed in the landing gear struts
and in the wing struts . The front fuel tank was thor-
oughly flushed and the gauge checked for accuracy
below Y4 tank. Primer lines were removed for anneal -
ing and new fittings were installed when incorrect
fittings were discovered on the lines. A leak check
proved OK. The altimeter had been removed and pre-
sented a real hassle getting it back in place. The oil-
pressure gauge line was Y4" copper tubing with about
a pound of fittings on either end. After about 8 trips to
the automotive supply house, a proper Va" line was
installed with correct end fittings instead of tirepump
clamps, etc.
All lines under the panel were strapped or taped
together and the fuel lines separated from electrical
wiring. Several grommets were replaced in the fire-
wall and a new engine groundstrap was made up and
installed. The th rottle cable and carbu retor-head
cable were rerouted into smooth curves and clamps
made to hold them from slipping endwise.
A compression check showed a very soft jug. Pulling
the cylinder revealed a slightly wobbly rod . Pulling
the rod di sclosed a heavily worn bearing. At this point
the purchase price dropped $200 and the top overhaul
became all my responsibility. I pulled all jugs and
rods. A good tugging verified no unusal wear on the
mains and everything inside looked up to snuff.
borrowed a set of good micrometers and checked out
the crank throws, pistons, cylinders, and piston pins.
The crank was within limits and not even undersize.
Same for the cylinders, but they had noticeable ridges.
I bought a cylinder hone and went to it. They cleaned
up nicely. I used an axial wire brush in a portable
electric drill wrapped in rags to clean carbon from the
heads so I could inspect what looked like a crack be-
tween valve seats. This proved to be just a casting
mark but I looked everything over under 100 watt light
stuck right inside the jugs. All OK.
I ground and lapped in all the valves using a simple
tool I made at the old Hartung Airport in 1943. After
I finished they all refused to leak a drop of gasoline
in 10 minutes. Number 2 jug had a bad exhaust valve
guide so I lost an evening making a guide driving
punch. Next weekend I drove over to see Del Hickox
near Benton Harbor and came back with a valve guide,
a set of rings, new rod bearings, intake hoses, a couple
spare valves, and a set of gaskets.
While I had the engine down I decided to correctly
safety the carburetor on which one screw was not in-
cluded in the safety loop. Just to get at that one screw
was a chore and I couldn' t get the wire to go through it .
I decided the wire had been sheared off by tightening
the nut with safety wire in place. To remove the nut I
had to pull off the mixture control. Inside the mix-
ture control I found red powder. Also, the valve disc
was frozen in place. I decided the carburetor would
go home with me. Pulling off the carburetor heat
assembly, I discovered the cable had been improperly
fitted and there was no way the carburetor heat could
have been turned on full. Having once explained to
the Brighton Troopers why I had parked an airplane
on US 23 with carburetor heat halfway on, I decided a
Iittle rework was in order. I redesigned the cable at-
tachment so the flapper actually makes a slapping
sound when it's operated so I would KNOW it was
fully on or off.
I had to make a special screwdriver with a 4" lever
arm to break loose the mixture control disc. It was
really glued shut. A lot more red dust came out of the
jets as I flushed out the guts. I lapped the mixture con-
trol disc against a garage window with valve lapping
compound and reassembled a very clean carburetor .
My only experience with a dead engine on take-off
22
from Hyne was from a plugged carburetor and I'm leery
of them noW, you see?
Eventually the engine was back together with all
bolts carefully torqued to book values. I used all new
brass exhaust nuts so I won't have to swear next time
I pull the pipes. The cooling baffles looked like doilies
so I stripped them off and went home and got out the
tin snips and made a whole new set, using the old ones
for patterns. I used leather strips from a billfold on
the edges, attaching the leather with pop rivets and
back-up washers. A new set costs either $86 or an
evening or two. I had more evenings than $86 bills.
The little aluminum baffle plates that fit between the
jugs on the bottom were all cut up from vibrating
against the fins on the cylinders, so I made new ones
and supported them with springs and short lengths of
welding rod like the original aircraft manufacturer
used. I broke one cigarette (internal spark plug insula-
tor) and John Bennett found one in his collection of
goodies. All the plugs were new, since one of the
previous owners works for AC. That saved me a bundle.
I made a timing disc from an old 24 hour clock dial
and made up a mag timer from a circuit in an EAA
how-to book. Both mags were set precisely together.
I cleaned the oil screen and dumped in 4 quarts of
NON-detergent oil. After 20 hours the screen was
again cleaned (after inspection for particles) and de-
tergent (not really detergent; aircraft oil is ash-dis-
persant, not detergent) oil was used. Ash dispersant
oil keeps oil so clean an engine takes 100 hours to
break in. The cheap stuff lets just enough grit circulate
to set the rings in 20 hours. Then it's time to get it
out of there. After 20 hours a compression check
showed the worst cylinder was better than the best
one before the overhaul.
About the only other work was fitting some short
lengths of aluminum tubing inside the heater ducting
to give the clamps something to grip. Without the
inner rings they can collapse, shutting off carburetor
air without explanation.
I have flown the Chief to 14,500 feet; dove her to
redline; looped, rolled, and spun her; even learned
how to land her fairly well in a 20 mph crosswind, and
so far I' m thoroughly pleased with my investment. It
was 5 weeks from the day I bought her until I had the
pleasure of flying her around the patch, but I feel I
now have a ship I can trust.
23
AVIATION DAY AT
CURTISS FIELD, 1921
L. C. Duckert, M.D.
104 16th Avenue North
Hopki ns, Minnesota 55343
Waldemar lell
5024 Xerxes AvenueSouth
Mi nneapolis, Minnesota 55455
(Photographs W. lell)
FIGURE 1
Curtiss "pusher" Model E.
The aircraft is a center stage attraction at the exhibi-
tion consistent with its general popularity. The Fok-
ker F-3 is airborne in the background.
An early aero exhibition at Curtiss Field, Mineola,
Long Island on Sunday, October 16, 1921 provided the
avi ation enthusiast a first hand look at pioneer ai r-
craft. Many of the featured aircraft demonstrated early
attempts t o provide comfortable economical passenger
service. The photographs capture both the uniqueness
of the ai rcraft and the enthusiasm of the crowd. It is
grat ifying that thi s fervor has persisted through the
year s and can still be witnessed at the annual Osh-
kosh convention and ot her aviation meet s.
FIGURE 2
Fokker F-3
This six place aircraft was manufactured in Holland
and was the first commercial Fokker demonstrated
in the United States. The pilot's cockpit was exposed
to both the discomfort of the elements and the engine.
A three passenger Farmen is in the background.
FI G URE 3
Remington-Burnelli Airliner
Manufactured in Hartford, Connecticut, the fuselage
was shaped like an airfoil to create additional lift.
FIGURE 5
Verville R-l
This 1920 Pulitzer racer was powered by a 638 hp
Packard V-12 engine. The pilot is unidentified. The
J-L 6 is seen in the background.
FIGURE 4
Junkers J-L 6
The early all metal aluminum passenger plane carried
seven passengers and pilot. The plane was sold in
America by the Junkers-Larson Company and estab-
listed a speed record for six passengers between At-
lantic City and Philadelphia and return in a little over
59 minutes. The vertical stabilizer of a Sperry modi-
fied Curtiss J.N. is seen at the left.
CalendarofEvents
SEPTEMBER 8-10 - MARION, OHIO - Original MERFI , 13th Annual
EAA Mid-Eastern Regional Fly-In . MunicipalAirport , Marion, Ohio.
Air Show, Awards for Homebui lt , Antique, Classic, and Warbi rds.
Forums on Airport Camping, Stat i c Displays, etc. For more in-
formation, contact Myrna Lewis, 241 Bassett Drive, Spring-
fie ld, Ohio45506. Phone: 1-513/323-2424.
SEPTEMBER 9' 10 - HERMISTON, OREGON - Annual Watermelon
Fly- In, EAA Chapter 219: Saturday night dinner. Sunday morning
breakfast. Contact Ed Betts, P. O. Box 1348, Umatilla, Oregon
97882.
OCTOBER 5-8 - HARLINGEN, TEXAS - Confederate Air Force Air
Show '78. Contact CAF Public Affai rs, Box 2443, Harlingen, Texas.
5121428-4596.
OCTOBER 7-8 - REDDING, CALIFORNIA - Oktoberfest at Redding
Sky Ranch, sponsored by EAA Chapter 157. Contact Curly Medina
916/241-7737.
OCTOBER 21-22 - MARANA, ARIZONA - Seventh annual Copper-
state EAA Fly- I n at Marana Air Park. Awards for homebuilts,
antiques, classics and warbirds.Contact Fred Feemster, Box 12307,
Tucson, Arizona 85732. 6021299-2723.
NOVEMBER18-19- MIAMI, FLORIDA- Anti que, ClassicandCustom
BuiltFl y-I n at t hethi rdannual Harvest- ACountryFair,sponsored
by t he Historical Association of Southern Fl orida, at the Dade
County Yout h Fai rground, Coral Way at 112th Avenue. Awards
given for antique, classic and custombuilt ai rcraft. Contact Capt.
Ken Ul land01 t he Civil Air Patrol , office (305) 552-3106, homeafter
6:00 p.m. (305) 251-5927, or Mary Dodd Russell, Harvest Co-
ordinator, at the Historical Museum, 3280 S. MiamiAvenue, Bui ld-
ing B., Miami, FL33129:
Do you know ofa Beechcraft Staggerwing that i s fl ying,
beingrestored, or in a basket? If so then get in touch with
Tom Lempicke ofRoute 1, Box 5190, St. Cloud, Florida
32769. Under the direction of the Staggerwing Museum
Foundation he is revising the book STAGGERWING,and
would like to have ANY information on ANY Stagger-
wing, ANYwhere. The book should be published in 1979
and will feature information on ownership, condition and
location ofeach aircraftbuilt.
CLASSIFIED ADS
1940 )-3, l-65, 3900 hrs. T.T. 440 SMOH, Ceconiteon fusel age
1973, Wings linen 1969, Metal prop, Battery transceiver , orig-
i nal paint, Fresh annual. $6500. Connecticut, 203-349-8267.
WANTED: Back issues of aviation magazines; SPORT AVIA-
TION, Vintage Airplane, Model Aviation, etc. D. Ni elsen, 4561
Adobe Rd., 29 Pal ms , CA92277.
EAA ANTIQUE/CLASSIC
DIVISION
MEMBERSHIP DRIVE
WIN
*
A pair ofAntiqueGoggles
by persuading5peopleto
join.
er A Leather Flying Helmet
whenyouget10peopleto
sign up.
- then startoverand win again -
A free five year member-
shipintheAntique/Classic
Divisionif yousponsorthe
most new members in
1978.
ToQualify: Write your name and member-
shipnumberon the backofthe member-
shipblankswe've been provi ding inTHE
VINTAGE AI RPLANE. Headquart ers wi ll
keep score.
FOR THE COMPLETE
AVIATION LIBRARY
THE
FLYING AND GLIDER MANUAL
FOR: 1929
1930
1931
1932
1933
1929-1933 MISCELLANY
$2.50 Each Post Paid
ORDER FIVE
AND GETTHE
SIXTH ONE
FREE
Total Cost ForAll Six
$12.50
Order From:
EAA AIR MUSEUM FOUNDATION
BOX 469
HALESCORNERS, WI 53130
26
Are you restoring a Classic?

dJ.Lt,

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DEPT. "R", LOWER MORRISVILLE ROAD
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(215) 295-4115
27