GEOFF ROB ISON PRESIDENT, VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

The family experience

Today, I find myself again traveling

with the EAA's B-17 bomber tour. I am currently well into week three of my travels with the tour, and we just got into Denver, Colorado, yesterday. My trip started in Seattle, Washington, and will end in Oshkosh in another week or so. Again, I have had the joy of meeting dozens upon dozens of EAA/VAA members, as well as a bunch of former B-17 bomber/World War II veterans.

We also continue to see a large number of their family members. One such fellow I met up with in Hillsboro, Oregon, was born in June 1945. His father was a tail gunner on the B-17 and was killed in action in March of that same year, presumably on a mission somewhere over Germany. We had a grand time offering this gentleman and his three sons the opportunity to actually sit in the tail gunner's position of Aluminum Overcast for an unforgettable photo opportunity to later be shared with the rest of their family members and friends. Emotions ran high when this father and his sons actually took a flight aboard the bomber for an unforgettable 30-minute experience, reliving for a brief moment what their father and grandfather, whom they never knew, had experienced some 60 years in the past. I cannot express an appropriate level of gratitude to this fine organization we all know as the EAA for having offered me an opportunity to volunteer my personal time with a program that so richly represents who we are. You can view the B-l7's tour schedule at www. B17.org. Come see for yourself what a truly great chapter outreach program the bomber tour is.

When you receive this issue of Vintage Airplane, AirVenture Oshkosh 2007 will be just a couple of weeks into the

future. It's never too late to decide to make the pilgrimage. You've read my encouragement to attend and volunteer at the world's greatest sport aviation event. To encourage you further, I'd like to share the words of VAA Director Charlie Harris, who also serves as the editor and chief writer of VAA Chapter lO's newsletter.

"We are within 60 days of the 54th EAA Convention and Exposition . .. now called AirVenture Oshkosh! This event is now widely recognized as the greatest aviation event in the entire world, greater than the Paris Air Show, greater than Farnborough, greater than any other U.S. aviation event.

"And, this event is primarily an extension ofpure grassroots aviation. Your editor knows perfectly well he is preaching to the choir, but never let us take this event for granted. This phenomenal event occurs but once a year, and that time is just around the corner. It takes a bit ofplanning to attend, travel, and arrange accommodations, etc. so the time is now. The dates are Monday, July 23 through Sunday, July 29. There is absolutely something for every aviation buff ... 700-800 Vintage airplanes parked wing tip to wing tip in the Red Barn area, probably half or even better of them highly restored, judging level airplanes; 200-300 Warbird machines representing the airplanes that flew in the military conflicts from WW-J to almost present day; hundreds ofExperimental aircraft ofevery description, Ultralights, Light Sport Aircraft, Replicas, factory aircraft and Displays, Exhibit buildings filled to capacity with aviation "stuff" . .. everything you or your airplane could ever want, and on and on! And, every afternoon and evening Air Shows that know no rival and evening enter

tainment at no additional charge that even includes musical groups such as the Beach Boys leve!! "

Many of you have heard me extol the many virtues of spending some quality time with us in the Vintage area as a volunteer during the world's largest aviation event at Oshkosh each year. As many times as I have attempted to appropriately describe to you how fulfilling and rewarding an experience this can be, no one has done a better job of describing his experiences as our valued Vintage volunteer/member Steve Glenn. To gain a true understanding of what r have referred to as the "rewards" of volunteering for EAA/Vintage, I strongly recommend that you read Steve Glenn's story of his experiences at AirVenture over the past 19 years of volunteering with us.

No one has ever described these rewards quite like Steve has done in the "Members Forum" of the June 2007 edition of EAA Sport Aviation magazine. Steve, please accept my hardy thanks for sharing what EAA and the Vintage organization has meant to you and your family for all these many years of volunteer time. We'll see you out there on the line very soon, Steve. r hope to see you there! EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007, the

World's Greatest Aviation Celebration, takes place July 23-29,2007.

VAA is about participation: Be a member! Be a volunteer! Be there!

Let's all pull in the same direction for the good of aviation.

Remember, we are better together. Join us and have it all.

u L Y

VOL. 35, No. 7 2007

CONTENTS

I Fe Straight & Level

The family experience by Geoff Robison

2 News

5 Waldron and Wooldridge's One-of-a-Kind Travel Air

From a hangar loft to flying aloft by Sparky Barnes Sargent

12 Volunteering at Oshkosh! VAA volunteers are the key to a great AirVenture by Patty "Trish" Dorlac

14 Just "Plane" Tommy The conclusion of the three-part series of the story of the Thomas-Morse Aircraft Corporation, Part III by Al Kelch

20 Getting an A&P Rating You can do it! by Kathie Ernst

24 EAA's Swallow Biplane A history lesson in our own airport 'backyard' by Fred Stadler

31 Mystery Plane by H.G. Frautschy

32 The Vintage Instructor You're slipping by Doug Stewart

36 Pass It to Buck Restoration choices by Buck Hilbert

38 Calendar 39 Classified Ads

COVERS

FRONT COVER: The only Travel Air 10-D still ftying, this Golden Age cabin monoplane was restored by Ron Waldron and Harry Wooldridge of the Rying little River Airport community in McAlpin, Rorida. See Sparky Barnes Sargent's story starting on page 5. EM photo by Jim Koepnick, photo plane flown by Bruce Moore. BACK COVER: The VAA Friends of the Red Barn Campaign has been helping VAA put on the best convention possible for the past four years. This year, we are honored to highlight the artwork of St. Louis aviation artist Ken Kotik. If you're a Diamond Plus contributor at the $1.250 level, you're entitled to one of Ken's prints, such as the one featured on our back cover, "Around the Storm" from Ken 's Aero Impressions gallery. To learn more about the Friends of the Red Barn or to make a contribution, please visit www.vintageaircraft.org and click on the Programs link. You can also contribute using the special mailing you received last month, or simply call our office at 920-426-6110 for more information,

STAFF EAA Publisher Tom Poberezny Director of EAA Publications David Hipschman Executive Director/Editor H,G, Frautschy Executive Assistant Jillian Rooker Managing Editor Kathleen Witman News Editor Ric Reynolds Photography Jim Koepnick

Bonnie Kratz Advertising Coordinator Sue Anderson Classified Ad Coordinator Daphene VanHullum Copy Editor Colleen Walsh Director of Advertising Katrina Bradshaw Display Adverti sing Representatives: "Iortheast: Allen Murray Phone 856-229-7180, FAX 856-229-7258, e-mail : all('wllflrray@mindsprillg.com Southeast: Chester Baumgartner Phone 727-532-4640, FAX 727-532-4630, . -mail: c/)(lIIm l 1 lii'tllilldsprillg.com Central: Todd Reese Phone 800-444-9932, fAX 816-74J-6458, e-mail: /()(ldl?spc-mag .com Mountain & Pacific: John Gibson Phone 9J6-784-9593, e-mail: jOllIIgibsoll@Spc-mas.colII Europe: Willi lacke Phone +498969340213, FAX +498969340214, e-mail: lVilli@(/yillg-pages.com

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

1--,') Theater\ 1) In The

West Side Woods Vintage Aircraft ~r ))

Antique

Parking

Camping ~ r)) t~v~

01:.,

1"", D Type Club &

Showers Workshop Tents ~ Type Club ()Hangar

Cafe

o VAA

Showpl~ne/~amper RegistrationD

Operations Shack

VAA PARKING -No Camping

Row 62 through Row 77

oS' (\ (\ ,/\Parking V V V Red

.,..,.. Starts at

Barn

-.--- Row 74

Past Grand Champions - parked along road~ .. . Tall Pines

-.--- Cafe - and in rows 60 & 61.

Near Ultralights

VAA Large Special DInterest

Aircraft/ Comm Center Antiques

Row 78 Rows 60 Row 50 & 61 ~ EASTSIDE

VAA CAMPING AND PARKING -------"'-----'---'--'--------------'----'----STARTS HERE,

CONTINUES TO ROW 150

To help members who fly in understand the layout of the convention area administered by VAA, we've prepared this simplified map. As you can see, camping starts at Row 74 on the east side of the main north/south road (Wittman Road), with the areas to the north of that line set up to handle display-only vintage aircraft. That's why you may see open areas as you taxi south to your camping location.

Once you arrive, you'll need to register your aircraft and/or campsite. In addition to roving registration vehicles , there is one main aircraft registration building, located just south of the Red Barn (see map). The EAA convention campgrounds are private campgrounds and are not open to non-EAA members. Each campsite must be registered by a current EAA member. If you want your aircraft to be judged by VAA volunteer judges, you need to be a current Vintage Aircraft Association member. VAA contributes a significant portion of the costs related to the EAA awards that are presented to the award winners. Another immediate benefit of VAA membership is your free VAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007 Participant Plaque , which you can pick up in the rear of the Red Barn. EAA and VAA memberships are available at both aircraft registration and at the membership booth located northeast of the Red Barn.

2 JULY 2007

VAA Board Expands Contemporary Judging Category

The VAA Contemporary judging category has been expanded to include aircraft built up to December 31, 1970, from December 31, 1967. This change, made by the EAA Vintage Aircraft Association's board of directors, gives EAA and VAA members who have restored many of the capable personal aircraft of the late 1960s an opportunity to participate in EAA's world-class judging program. This distinction also allows those aircraft to be insured through VAA's aircraft insurance program, administered by AUAInc.

Effective starting with this year's EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007, the VAA's internationally recognized judging categories are:

Antique : Aircraft built prior to September I, 1945

Classic : September I, 1945December 31, 1955

Contemporary: January I , 1956December 31, 1970

New Handheld Computers to Aid Aircraft Judging

This year's AirVenture aircraft judging process has received a major upgrade ... and a new technical sponsor.

EAA member John Craparo, a senior vice president with Hewlett-Packard (H-P) , mentioned his willingness to help EAA in any way possible during conversations with EAA's development department and EAA President Tom Poberezny. Craparo was able to introduce Jeff Kaufman, EAA's director of bUsiness development, to the right folks at H-P, which resulted in EAA receiving a considerable discount from H-P on the purchase of 150 of the company's iPaq handheld computers.

After volunteer Rob Reece programs the units, EAA aircraft judges will use them to enter the scores of each judged aircraft beginning this year at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh.

"Since the inception of EAA's computerized registration program, we've used handheld computers in this application with varying levels of success," said H.G. Frautschy, executive director of EAA's Vintage Aircraft As

sociation, who oversaw the processes within EAA headquarters to purchase new units. "We're very grateful for HP's generosity and their willingness to make these new units available to us. The new units will streamline the judging process and take what is already the world standard for aircraft judging to even greater heights."

H-P is also now the new technology sponsor of the EAA Aircraft Judging Program. AeroShell Flight Jacket is the official sponsor of the judging.

Flight Planning for Your EAA AirVenture Trip

As an EAA member (an important part of your VAA membership), you can use the EAA Flight Planner to chart your trip to Wittman Field for EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007. Just click on the EAA Flight Planner link on the left side of the home pages at www. eaa.org or www.vintageaircraft. org. As always, be sure you obtain the official AirVenture notice to airmen and become familiar with arrival procedures. Visit www.AirVenture. org/2007/ f/ying/ index.htmi for complete downloading information or to order a hard copy.

GRASS RUNWAYS AND FUEL Also on our VAA website, we pub

lish a list created by VAA member Kris Kortokrax.

Kris flies a variety of old biplanes that are more pleasant to fly when they are flown from grass strips, and he and his buddies from Shelbyville, Illinois, do their best to keep the old biplanes happy (and keep tire wear to a minimum) by flying crosscoun try from grass strip to grass strip . Finding fuel facilities can be a challenge these days, and Kris has distilled this airport information to be useful for like-minded grassrunway-preferring pilots. This data was current as of the beginning of the year, and we 'd suggest calling ahead to confirm fuel availability and hours of operation. If you have any changes or additions, drop us an e-mail here at vintageaircraft@ eaa.org and we'll forward it to Kris.

Our thanks to Kris for sharing his list. Let us know if you find it useful!

Breakfast and a Briefing The VAA Tall Pines Cafe will be

in operation again this year with an expanded schedule prior to convention, and fly-in-style pancake breakfasts during EAA AirVenture. Starting on Friday morning, July 20, and continuing through Sunday, July 22, the VAA Tall Pines Cafe will be open for breakfast (6:30 - 9:30 a.m.) and dinner (4:30 - 7:30 p.m.). Starting Monday, July 23, only breakfast will be served at the Tall Pines Cafe (6-9:30 a.m.). Just to the north, an FAA Flight Service Station (FSS) trailer will be located near the cafe. At the trailer, which will be north of the VAA Tall Pines Cafe, you'll be able to check the weather for your flight and obtain a full briefing from FSS specialists without having to trek up to the FAA Building near the control tower. We'll see you there each morning for "breakfast and a briefing."

Are You a Friend of the VAA Red Barn? If so, be sure to check in at the in

formation desk at the VAA Red Barn. There, we' ll issue you a special name badge. We can also point out the location for the Ford Tri-Motor rides. If you have any questions, feel free to ask for Jillian Rooker, the VAA administrative assistant. If you need to reach her in advance of your arrival, call her at EAA headquarters, 920426-6110.

Our thanks to each of you who have contributed to the VAA Friends of the Red Barn 2007 campaign. We'll have the list of contributors in next month's edition of Vintage Airplane!

VAA Message Center If you would like to leave a mes

sage for people you know who frequent the VAA Red Barn, stop by the information desk. You can write them a message in our "notebook on a string," and we'll post their name on the marker board so they'll know there's a message waiting for them . Sure, cellular phones and walkie-talkies are great, but sometimes nothing works better than a hand-scribbled note!

VINTA GE A IRPLA NE 3

VAA Picnic Tickets for the Wednesday, July 25,

annual VAA picnic held at the Nature Center will be available for sale at the VAA Red Barn. Tickets must be purchased in advance so we know how much food to order. Tickets will be on sale at the VAA Red Barn prior to the start of EAA AirVenture. The delicious meal will be served after 5:30 p .m. Trams will begin leaving the VAA Red Barn around 5 p.m. and will make return trips after the picnic. Type clubs may hold their annual banquets during the picnic. Call Jeannie Hill (815943-7205), and she will reserve seating so your type club can sit together.

Shawano Fly-Out The annual fly-out to Shawano is Sat

urday, July 28. The sign-up sheet will be at the desk at the VAA Red Bam, and the briefing will be at 7 a.m. the morning of the fly-out. The community of Shawano is a big supporter of VAA and puts forth a lot of effort to sponsor this event. It does a great job, and we hope you'll help us thank Shawano by joining us.

VAA Red Barn Store The VAA Red Bam Store, chock-full

of VAA logo merchandise and other great gear, will be open with expanded hours all week long, Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. EarJybird arrivals can shop on the previous weekend as well, during limited hours. Show your VAA membership card (or your receipt showing you joined VAA at the convention), and you'll receive a 10 percent discount.

On Friday, July 28, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., there will be a special VAA members-only sale. Bring your VAA card, and you'll receive an additional discount on specially priced merchandise. See you there!

VAA Volunteer Opportunities Are you an ace pancake flipper?

If you' re not one yet, we can help! The VAA Tall Pines Cafe is looking for volunteers who can help provide a hearty breakfast to all the hungry campers on the south end of Wittman Field. If you could lend a hand for a morning or two, we'd appreciate

JULY 2007

it. If that 's not your cup of tea , feel free to check with the VAA volunteer center, located just to the northeast of the Red Barn. The volunteers who operate the booth will be happy to tell you when your help is needed each day. It doesn't matter if it's just for a few hours or for a few days-we'd love to have your helping hands!

Designated Smoking Areas Near Flightline

Smoking on the flightline at EAA AirVenture is prohibited because it's a hazard to all aircraft. There are several deSignated smoking areas with butt cans along the flightline, well away from aircraft and refueling operations.

Designated smoking areas will be south of the ultralight runway; near the Hangar Cafe; near the Warbird area (northeast comer of Audrey Lane and Eide Avenue); the Wearhouse flag pole area; the shade pavilion north of the control tower; and near the Ultralight Barn. Locations will be indicated on EAA's free convention grounds map. The admission wristband also instructs visitors that smoking is allowed only in designated smoking areas.

WHAT OUR MEMBERS

ARE RESTORING

1948 LUSCOMBE 86

More on the Web Visit www.AirVenture.org for more

information on EAA AirVenture 2007.

-Admission and hours: www.airventure .org/2007/planning/admiss ion. html

-Find or share a ride to Oshkosh: www.airventure.org/rideshare/default. asp

-Site maps: http://www.a irventure. org/2007/planning/forms_schedules. html

- Forum schedules: www.airventure. org/2007/events/forums.html

-Accommodations: www.airventure. org/ 2007/planning/where_to_stay. html -Discounts on airfare: www.

a irven ture.org/200 7/(lying/airline_ discounts.html

-Get the NOTAM: www.airventure.org/2007/(lying/index .html -AirVenture Planning Guide :

www.airventure.org/2007/planning/ 07planning-suide.pdf

-Alternate airports and stops to and from Oshkosh: www.airventure. org/200 7/(lying/altemate_airports.html

WHAT OUR MEMB ERS AR E RESTORING Are you nearing completion of a restoration? Or is it done and you're busy

flying and showing it off? If so, we'd like to hear from you. Send us a 4-by-6-inch print from a commercial source (no home printers, please-those prints just don't scan well) or a 4-by-6-inch, 300-dpi digital photo. A JPG from your 2.5-megapixel (or higher) digital camera is fine. You can burn photos to a CD, or if you 're on a high-speed Internet connection, you can e-mail them along with a text-only or Word document describing your airplane. (If your e-mail program asks if you'd like to make the photos smaller, say no.) For more tips on creating photos we can publish, visit VAA's website at www.vintageaircraft.org. Check the News page for a hyperlink to Want To Send Us A Photograph?

For more information, you can also e-mail us at vintageaircraft@eaa.orgor call us at 920426-4825.

4

W hat do you get when you have two antique-airplane buddies who just can't say no to a one-of-akind restoration project? Why, if those buddies are next-door neighbors Ron Waldron and Harry Wooldridge of the Flying Little River Airport community in McAlpin, Florida, you get a Silver Age Champion, according to the judges this year at the Sun 'n Fun FlyIn at Lakeland, Florida. Their project? A handsome 1929 Travel Air Model lO-D. It 's the only one known to exist today of the few originally manufac-

BY SPARKY BARNES SARGENT

tured by the Travel Air Co., in Wichita, Kansas. And with its prominent windshield and sturdy outrigger gear, the 8-foot 8-inch tall Travel Air is a real standout on the flightline.

The Model10-D is just one of those airplanes; you know the kind. You're not really looking for another project, and then here it comes, flying headlong into your heart, your shop, and your wallet. You yield to its wishes, learn what it needs to become whole again, and begin the laborious and rewarding process of breathing new life into its old steel tubing and wood wings. And then one glorious day-

which happened to be July 25, 2006, for Waldron and Wooldridge-it graciously and gallantly rewards your efforts as you lift the mains from the sod and upward you climb together, rising upon the wings of your labor.

Bit 0' Histo.. y The Model lO-D came to Waldron

in a roundabout sort of way. The story began when Waldron, persuaded by his friend Jim Ward, went to El Cajon, California, to look at a 1929 Curtiss-Wright Robin project that Charlotte Nelson had for sale. Waldron looked it over and liked what he

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5

rv.Ol

saw, so he purchased the Robin and hauled it back to Florida. He worked diligently to restore it and get it flying again, and shared some photos of the completed Curtiss Robin with Nelson. She must have been pleased with the final result because, as Waldron shares, "She told Jim Ward, our mutual friend, to 'call Ron and tell him to come get the Travel Air 10-D.' I think the Travel Air was her husband's favorite airplane before he died, and she had been offered quite a bit of money for it previously, but

"We just have a

goodtime

if it's Dot fUD,

we dOD't do it."

-Harry Wooldridge

she didn't want to sell it (to anyone else). He bought it in 1970 and died in 1978, so the Travel Air had been hanging up in the loft in her hangar for more than 30 years."

The larger Travel Air Model 6000 preceded the Model 10-D, and in a company ad of the era, the 10-D monoplane was touted as filling "the needs of the traveling executive who wishes to fly personally, also of the mail or express line operator....The owner has at his command all the

speed of the fast sport airplane and also enjoys the driving relaxation possible in the larger and normally more stable ships." It was also advertised as having a cruising speed of 110 mph, and a high speed of 130 mph, and a landing speed of SO mph. Historian Joseph Juptner states in U.S. Civil Aircraft, Volume 3 that "from a casual comparison of the two, it is easy to see that the Model 10 laid the groundwork for the Model 15 Curtiss-Wright 'Sedan' that was developed a year or so later." So the Model lO-D, though of short production run, secured its own niche in aviation history.

According to Waldron, NC418N s/nl0-2011 was manufactured "in 1929 as far as we know; only 11 Model 10-Ds were built. I talked to Smithsonian a few times and quite a few other people, and it seems that three airplanes went to Mexico in the 1930s, three crashed and were taken off the FAA rolls, and we don't know what happened to the others."

In August 1930, the Travel Air Co. sold NC418N to Herman Carus of Illinois for the sum of $5,500. In March 1944, Julio Corsini became its owner for a short while until Albert Carstens bought it the following year. In May 1946, the airplane flew away from Illinois when Donald Briscoe of Idaho bought it. It changed hands five more times in Idaho, culminating with Dean Wilson's purchase in September 1963.

is Waldron had the opportunity to 9 talk with one of the Idaho owners

~ and says, "Apparently the guy who z ~ owned it in the 19S0s was the last ~ one to fly it. He said he used to go...

~ with his son on hunting trips to the U mountains, and he flew it out of 800foot strips with all their deer in it-so the plane can get off the ground with a load in it. The last airworthiness certificate was issued in 1955, and the paperwork with that said it had a total time of 1,050 hours. "

In 1970, NC418N left Idaho for California (via highway) when Spencer Nelson bought it and took it to El Cajon. Throughout NC418N's life, it experienced its share of wingtip, strut, and prop repairs, and in 1953 its owner removed the original 2S0-hp Wright

Whirlwind R-760 and installed a 225hp Jacobs L-4/R-7SS. Fortunately, the original Wright engine stayed with the airplane as the Model lO-D changed owners, and aside from some missing parts and pieces-such as the seats, windscreen, and instruments-it was a "pretty complete airplane when we saw it the first time in El Cajon," recalls Waldron, adding with a chuckle, "but on the way out to get it, I said to my friend, Harry Wooldridge, 'I'm not going to buy this project if it doesn't have a prop,' because I'd had such a hard time finding one for the Robin. So we got out there and they drug the prop down out of the loft! Just looking at it, it looked fantastic. We bought the airplane, loaded everything up, and hauled it back home to Florida. Then we sent the prop to the prop shop, and they found corrosion in the shank. So there I was, back in the market for an expensive Hamilton Standard ground-adjustable prop."

Resto..ation Tealft Both Waldron and Wooldridge en

joy working on old airplanes. Waldron has restored several Stearmans and built a Travel Air 4000 replica , and Wooldridge has built several replicas, including a Siemens-Schuckert and a Nieuport 28. Wooldridge says that restoring the Model 10-D was "pretty easy; it was designed in the 1920s, so everything was old technology-almost like a homebuilt airplane. It was just a matter of doing all the work that needed to be done. We just have a good time-if it's not fun, we don't do it. "

With that attitude, they make a good team, for not only are they longstanding friends and neighbors, but they each have their own areas of expertise. Wooldridge put his gaswelding skills to work on the fuselage, while Waldron started working on the spruce wing ribs and spars and wingtip bows. "The metal lead.ing edges and spars were in good shape because it was dry in California where they were stored. By the time I got the wings done, Harry was done with the fuselage, so he started covering the wings with Ceconite, and I

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7

Stylish cowling latches.

...

z w C!) 0::;;; (/) w Z 0:: a'i

~ 0::

~ (/)

~ (/)

~ :I:

1929 10-D ~ ~--------------------------------~Each wing root fuel tank holds 35 gallons. This logo is embroidered on the rear seat.

The 10-D's instrument panel. started putting new wood fairings on the fuselage and fitting plywood in the interior."

Since there weren't any seats with the 10-D project, they fabricated their own. Wooldridge welded the frames and they shipped the front seats to a company in California that installed wicker on the seat backs. To enhance cabin comfort, the twosome

JULY 2007

decided to use cushions for the seat bottoms and the bench seat in the back-which, incidentally, has some hidden storage space beneath it in addition to the compartment behind the seat, which carries 125 pounds of baggage. And they hired a local shop to upholster the entire interior in a soft two-tone gray, complete with the Travel Air logo tastefully embroidered

The 30-by-S main landing gear facilitates smooth landings. Tall wheels like these were a necessity on the grassfield airports so prevalent during the golden age of aviation. in green on the rear seat back.

Speaking of seats, Waldron confesses with a laugh that when he flew the 10-D, his "knees were up around my chin; there's not much room for a 6-foot 3-inch person up there. But it's really a neat old airplane-I wish I was a little bit younger and smaller so I could fly it more. I have a hard time getting in and out of it with bad

8

Note the adiustable horizontal stabilizer, including the exposed mechanism below the fuselage.

Here's a look inside the cowling.

knees; it's really tight." The two men made a new instru

ment panel for the airplane by using the old one as a pattern, and with the help of their friend Jerry Impellezzeri of California, they located and purchased the mag switch and instruments. The wood control wheels are original, and Waldron suspects that the wheels were complete circles to begin with, but that someone along the way cut them down to have more legroom in the front seats.

There's a little story behind the main landing gear wheels that are on the Travel Air today, according to Waldron, who recounts with a chuckle, "Jim Ward and Spencer Nelson were driving out through the desert one day, back in the 1960s, and saw an old farm wagon. They said, 'Look at that-that looks like airplane wheels on that wagon!' So they pulled into the place and looked at it. Sure enough, there were two N3N-type 30by-5 wheels on it, so Spencer says to the owner, 'You want to sell me those wheels? ' And the guy says, 'Well, I'll sell you the whole wagon for $20.' They gave him the money, took the wheels off, and went on their way."

The original Wright engine was

overhauled by Mike Connor in Georgia, according to Waldron, and in order to facilitate the fabrication and fit of the engine cowling, "Connor loaned me a dummy engine to use, and Harry and I both did the sheet metal work." Wooldridge painted the Travel Air, using his tool of choice-a high-volume, low-pressure systemto apply the Air-Tech coatings and the final Forest Green and Diana Cream topcoats.

Challenges If you ask Waldron what challenges

he and Wooldridge encountered during the restoration, he responds without a moment's hesitation. "Money!" he says with a good-natured laugh. And along with that were practical, mechanical challenges, such as making the control system work. "It's got pulleys and cables that you can't imagine on it," says Waldron, elaborating, "It has kind of a unique control wheel system that's run by a chain drive between the two wheels, and then it 's got cables going down from that to pulleys; it really is elaborate . Travel Air used two cables for up and for down elevator, so we had to run double cables there and then we

had to run two cables back to the rudder and fasten them with bell cranks. While we were at it, we made the swiveling tail wheel into a steerable tail wheel."

The Travel Air's trim system had its own intricacies to be worked out. Waldron describes it as having "an overhead crank in the cabin connected to a long shaft that travels the length of the fuselage-with four universal joints on it-to the front of the stabilizer where a gear turns the trim wheel that's attached to the stabilizer. The whole stabilizer and the front bottom brace rods travel up and down. It's a pretty interesting arrangement. Those brace rods actually stick down below the fuselage, kind of hanging out in the breeze. But back then, they weren't worried about streamlining."

The Model 10-D's wingspan is 43 feet 6 inches, and the wing installation process posed another challenge. They were quite heavy, due to the allwood construction and the large fuel tank (35-ga llon capacity) inside each wing root, along with the fabric covering and coatings. So Waldron and Wooldridge devised their own installation system by "having four guys

VINTAGE A IRPLANE 9

JJI!~~~E1~~ ~ Landings are a pleasure, too, since t:!....~~-......;;;..:2:.....i::J 1E the Model lO-D has oleo-spring shock

Ron Waldron and Harry Wooldridge with their Travel Air Modell0-D. struts in its outrigger gear and tail wheel. Wooldridge observed that when he was flying solo, it felt very light on the tail during a three-point landing.

"It felt that way because when I touched the brakes, they'd catch suddenly and it felt like the tail was coming up, but I think the strut was just extending a little bit and it wasn't actually coming up," explains Wooldridge, adding, "The first time I ever had anybody in the back seat, I could tell that a little more weight back there helped. But I can hardly make a bad landing with that big gear; it just settles right down and stays there."

hoist the wings up and put them on landing with it, and we must have had T .. easu.. e f .. olD top of some scaffolding. That way, we 50 people standing out by the runway Yeste..yea.. could roll it right up to the airplane, watching that day." After languishing quietly for deand that helped." Wooldridge also had the honor cades in a hangar loft, NC418N is

of flying it down to Sun 'n Fun this proudly flying through the skies once Flying Cha..acte..istics year and describes it as an honest more, its striking silhouette stark

When it came time to test those airplane, with no surprises in either against a crystal-blue sky. Yes , the Travel Air wings, it was Wooldridge ground handling or in flight: "When Travel Air Model 10-D is just one of who stepped through the wide door I first flew it, I expected it to fly like those airplanes-the kind that finds a way and settled into the pilot's seat, an old airplane-heavy on the aile way to beguile two longtime aviation while Waldron stayed by the side of the rons, because you don't have any le buddies to bring it back to life. And grass runway. "Harry's a little shorter verage on the wheel and they don't those at Sun 'n Fun could walk up than I am-he's 5 feet 8 inches-and respond real quickly. The elevator is close to it as it basked on the flighthe could fit in it better than me. I let easy enough to handle, and during line in the warm Florida sun, listen to him fly my Robin for an hour that takeoffs and landings, it tracks down its Wright cough and growl, and feel morning to get used to that type air the runway with no problem at all. the wind rip through their hair from plane, and so when we got back, he got I think by the time I look at the air its prop blast as it taxied into position in the Travel Air. He didn't do any taxi speed while taking off, I'm probably for takeoff. Waldron and Wooldridge's testing at all-just went to the end of showing around 60 mph and I'm air Model 10-0 is a cherished aeronautithe field and took off. He made a great borne at that time . The visibility is cal treasure from yesteryear. ...... 10 JULY 2007

>- The 10-D's z

~ actually very good. I was surprised

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VAA volunteers are the key to a great AirVenture

Have you been looking for a way to become more involved at Oshkosh? I know it seems ridiculous, but have you already looked at the planes three times and are having a hard time explaining to friends and family that you truly need to be at Oshkosh for the entire week?

I have a great solution-one they will accept handily and which will provide you with more opportunities to see even more airplanes! If you have volunteered at Oshkosh, you are nodding in agreement at this wellkept secret. If you have yet to volunteer, what are you waiting for? 12 JULY 2007

BY PArry "TRISH" DORLAC

I am partial to both volunteering and volunteers because my husband and I have been a part of the Vintage family of volunteers for almost two decades! We are raising our children to volunteer at AirVenture, along with several other families who have also made this a family tradition . What a great way to prepare the next generation and help them to maintain the passion and love for the experience we all have enjoyed at the world's greatest fly-in!

In the Vintage area, I have found volunteering to be a way to completely round out my Oshkosh expe

rience. I have worked with all sorts of amazing folks from different countries and all around the United States. I work with incredible people from all walks of life who bring amazing talents and great stories with them. The volunteers I have worked with each year have become my friends and extended family!

There are people who fly in, drive in, and trailer in just to work at AirVenture. It is hard to believe at first, but join us and I think you will soon find out why they do this. Love for aviation brings us to Oshkosh each year, and becoming involved keeps us

there. Paul Poberezny says it best: "It's the airplanes that bring us together, but it 's the people that keep us coming back."

Anna Osborn operates our volunteer booth on the corner, right in front of the VAA Red Barn. If you would like to do something extra special this year, go see Anna. She and her awesome crew of volunteers will help you to sign up to volunteer in the Vintage division . There are countless opportunities for everyone. These include flightline work (walking involved) , crowd control, aircraft parking, and various general operations. No experi

ence is necessary, and training is provided. The Vintage area is a great place to be near airplanes, and to enjoy both the sights and sounds of aviation.

Back to my opening statements . If you need to explain to someone why Oshkosh takes up so much of your time, volunteer. I will warn you, though. Volunteering can become addictive. You wi ll meet people who spend additi onal vacation time at Oshkosh getting the place ready for the fly-in. There are folks who spend hundreds of hours each year volunteering and can share countless stories about why they keep coming back.

PHOTOS H.G. FRAUTSCHY AND STEVE MAYER

Still debating the idea? If you are worried about commitment, no problem. There are no timecards, schedules, or paychecks to worry about. Spend as little as a few hours helping out, or dedicate as much time as you want. We appreciate that you are willing to share your hard-earned time off with us and are grateful for any time you spend in our area. Give it a try! As our VAA president, Geoff Robison, says, "VAA is about participation . Let's all pull in the same direction for the good of aviation. Remember, we are better together. Join us and have it all. "

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13

The conclusion of the three-part story

of the Thomas-Morse Aircraft Corporation

Part III

BY AL KELCH

PHOTOS FROM THE WILLIAM T. THOMAS, JR. COLLECTION VIA ROBERT G. ELLIOTT

Preface two-part story in two 1960 issues of American Airman, ex1982-The following three-part article on the Thomas tensively researched by Frank Strand with a great deal oforigi

Morse Aircraft Corp., although extensively edited and further nal contact with William Thomas Sr. researched by me, should be credited to Robert G. Elliott of Frank had permission to use all ofthe material he had gathDaytona Beach, Florida, who sought out William T. Thomas ered to put together one more article specially tailored for VinJr., still living in Daytona Beach. Mr. Thomas generously tage Airplane magazine on the Tommy-Morse Scout of World shared pictures and recollections of his father plus some ma War I fame. For the real Tommy buffs, it would pay to seek Ollt terial from the personal collections of Paul D. Wilson, one of his extensive two-part story in the American Airman for June the three original test pilots. Robert submitted to me fresh ma and July 1960. Frank also did Profile No. 68 published by Proterial on the earlier portions of the Thomas airplane venture. file Publications Ltd., P.O. Box 26, 1A North St., Leatherhead, On researching several older articles, I zeroed in on a wonderful Surrey, England.

REPRINTED FROM Vintage Airplane SEPTEMBER 1982 14 JULY 2007

ThomasMorse S4C fuselage final assembly before cover Wing assembly and storage area in ThomasMorse plant.

ing. Early models had lOOhp Gnome engines; however, later

ones had 80hp Le Rhones.

ThomasMorse machine shop area. Note how all machines Wing fabrication section in Brindley Street plant, Ithaca,

are powered by the one overhead shaft. The U.S. flag on wall New York.

has 48 stars.

The S4 had been designed prior to the merger of the Thomas companies and the Morse Chain Co. and was the prototype of the famous Tommy. The 100-hp Gnome rotary was being built in the United States by The General Vehicle Co. of Long Island City, New York, and was the choice of powerplants for the new S4. After successful test flights for the Army, an order was placed for 100 planes. Thus was born a series of fighters that very much resembled those being produced in Model S4B seaplane on the quiet waters of Lake Cayuga.

Europe, such as the Sopwith and Nie

uport . A new design, the S4B, with a

shorter fuselage, was designed simul

taneously with America entering the

war, and an order for 100 Scouts using

the 100-hp Gnome engine was deliv

ered in November 1917 . This plane

had a top speed of 9S mph, climbed

to 7,500 feet in 10 minutes, and had

a ceiling of 16,000 feet.

Model S4B powered with a lOO-hp

Gnome rotary engine.

Model S4C has straight trailing edge on top wing. Standard 80-hp Le Rhone engine. GFM machine guns were geared to fire through the propeller arc. Cam action and Conastanesco interruptor gear made this possible.

Rotary Le Rhone on S4C. Triangular-shaped metal section on fuselage side was a means of fairing the round motor to the flat fuselage side. 16 JULY 2007

The Navy was not to be overlooked, and an identical version with twin floats, designated the S5, was produced but, due to the additional drag, the Navy fighter had a lesser rate of climb and a lower top speed. An order was placed by the Navy for six airplanes. A further improvement of the S4B to the S4C and the immediate need for additional advanced training planes moved the War Department to order 400 planes of the new design . The major change was the elimination of cable aileron controls in favor of the superior torque tube system. Smaller ailerons and elevators, a change to the 80-hp Le Rhone engine, and provisions for carrying one machine gun were also incorporated.

The change in the engine was prompted by the troublesome habit of the Gnome spewing gasoline into the cowling and catching fire in flight. It was also reported to be more temperamental in starting than the Le Rhone. The Le Rhone was manufactured by the Union Switch & Signal Co. of Swissvale, Pennsylvania. By May 1918 the Tommy was found to be in service on nearly every Army Airfield in the country. Additional orders followed in rapid succession, including an order for 150 planes placed in August, and another for 400. These aircraft were not produced, due to contract cancellation in late 1918, after half of the parts were made.

Somewhere between 600 and 650 S4B and S4C planes were delivered with enough spare parts to make 200 more. Quality control during this period was far from today's standards, with only one out of every 10 Tommys being flown by a company test pilot. The best-looking Tommy, the S4E was the last of the single-seaters and featured tapered wings and a completely new set of tail surfaces. Only one was built in late 1918, and it was converted after the war for use as a racing plane and was seen on the National Air Race circuit.

This signaled the end of the singleseat Scout, which is certainly the best known of all the Thomas-Morse air

Cowl detail on Thomas-Morse S4C. Note the smooth metal Two-place Model TM-23 Alert Pursuit flipped over by test work with beaded edges. pilot Paul Wilson.

side-by-side two-seat trainer constructed modified Scout with extended wing panels and widened fuselage. It was completed from drawing board to flight in 29 days! Shown flying over Lake Cayuga, it was the only design of B.D. Thomas.

Thomas-Morse Model S4E with tapered top and bottom wings. The forward section of the fuselage was rounded to eliminate the triangular metal fairing.

First Boeing-built Thomas-Morse MB-3A used for tests at McCook Field (later Wright Field), Dayton, Ohio. McCook Field number P-259, military serial number A.S. 68237, and the engine was a 300-hp Wright. Boeing underbid Thomas and thus took away the successful design that could have saved Thomas!

planes and the one that will keep the one of the company's better designs, memory of the company alive. Many having better performance than the other airplanes designed during this single-seat airplanes on the same 80period did not reach production but hp Le Rhone engine. were attempts to widen their scope The 57 was also a two-place with of manufacture. The 56 was a tandem side-by-side seating, and the 59 was two-seat trainer that was said to be a beefed-up version of the 56, with a

wider fuselage and the Wright radial engine. Their engineering was getting better, but the orders were not forthcoming.

Another similar effort to widen Thomas-Morse's scope was the attempt at production of a series of pursuit p lanes . The MB-1 using the heavy 400-hp Liberty engine was a h igh-wing monoplane with unusual design, having lifting surfaces between the two sets of lift struts and an extremely stubby nose to get the proper center of balance.

The second attempt was a biplane with a 44S-hp geared Liberty engine. The third attempt in this ser ies, the MB3, reverted back to a single-seat fighter powered with a 300-hp Hispano-5uiza built by Wright-Martin. First flown in February 1919, the MB3 had a top speed of 163 mph and climbed to 10,000 feet in four minutes, S2 seconds. It

VI N TAGE AIRPLAN E 17

Thomas-Morse MB-S racer built for the 1921 National Air Races in Omaha. It was not a winner.

Thomas-Morse MB-7 racer with a 400-hp Wrigflt H-3 engine. The aircraft was entered in the 1921 National Air Races with poor results.

Thomas-Morse Model MB-24 Observation plane. With odd

appearing shorter wing on top, it flew with splendid perfor

mance and was easily handled, according to test pilots.

Thomas-Morse XP-13A Viper with 525-hp Pratt &

Whitney R-1340-9 Wasp engine. This last pursuit type built by Thomas-Morse was

attempted around 1930.

18 JULY 2 007

was so much better than competitors ' that the Air Service ordered SO airplanes. Procurement systems having changed , a bid was let for 200 planes, with the bids going out to all the industry. The order to build the MB3A was granted to the Boeing Airplane Company of Seattle, Washington, due to its having the lowest bid . This was a critical blow to the Thomas-Morse Aircraft Company, which never fully recovered. This order was also the establishment of the Boeing Company in the aircraft manufacturing business, and the Boeing-Morse MB3A became the standard pursuit ship of the 1920s, a stroke of fate that in hindsight seems grossly unfair.

In the continuing struggle to survive, the company designed a twinengine airmail plane called the MB4, powered by Hisso engines of 300 hp and a double fuselage. This plane was a complete failure. A continued effort brought out two racing planes, a biplane called the MB6, and the MB7, a high-wing parasol. These planes saw action in the 1922 Pulitzer Race in Detroit, but did not win.

The company then turned its efforts to developing a new version of an all-metal airplane. The MB9 and MB10 were two-seat trainers with in

verted gull-wings and corrugated skin, similar to the Junkers and called Flying Washboards. The TM33 racer, the TM23 pursuit plane, and an observation plane called the TM24 continued the effort. The TM24 was nearly a success but, in another quirk of fate, it failed because of the airflow being diverted from the rudder by the gunner standing up in the rear cockpit. This dealt the plane its death blow.

Once more struggling to its feet, the company produced the OX6, an all-metal observation plane powered by a 400-hp Pratt & Whitney engine. Six airplanes were delivered to the Air Corps for testing and the

One of the survivors. This is the 54 Scout restored by Ernie Freeman (left), and re-restored and maintained today by his son, Roger Freeman (right). The photo was taken at the Aerodrome '92 event in Guntersville, Alabama.

company continued improving the model, with the final result being the XO-6B pursuit, carrying a 424hp Pratt & Whitney Wasp C engine. It was a huge success and the final designation was 0-19. This was the last plane produced at Ithaca prior to the sale of the company in August 1929 to the Consolidated Aircraft Co. of Buffalo, New York.

Success was reaped by Consolidation, which moved the division to Buffalo and produced more than 170 of the 0-19 observation planes. By this time W.T. Thomas, the original founder, had left and Larry Bell became vice president of the corporation. When Consolidated decided to move to California in 1934, the Thomas-Morse Division was abolished and many of the people went to work for Bell Aircraft, formed by Larry Bell.

The final bell had sounded, and all that was left was the memory of a very valiant fight by a spirited group of people who created a mark in history best remembered by the Tommy-Morse Scout itself. Several examples are in the hands of private owners, including Jim Nissen from California; "Skeeter" Carlson of Spo

kane, Washington; and, last but not least, the one that was flown every Sunday for years in the Rhinebeck Aerodrome show, usually by the inimitable Cole Palen himself.

The image of the Tommy is further etched in history by its appearances in innumerable movies, such as:

A Romance of the Air (1918) Wings The Lost Squadron Dawn Patrol Hell's Angels Sky Devils Cock of the Air Heartbreak The Eagle and the Hawk Panama Flo Story of Vernon and Irene Castle Suzy Capt. Eddie Men With Wings Lafayette Escadrille The Great Waldo Pepper The Amazing Howard Hughes (1978

TV movie) So from the 1918 film A Romance

of the Air to the 1978 TV film The Amazing Howard Hughes, Tommys have been flying in the movies for more than 60 years, probably longer than any other aircraft. .......

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19

Getting an

A&P Rating

You can do it!

BY KATHIE ERNST

Editor's Note: This is the first in a three-part series on earning your FAA airframe and powerplant mechanic's certificates. There are actually a couple of different methods one can use to earn the ratings, and VAA member Kathie Ernst gets us started by highlighting the process she used.-HGF

Getting an A&P Rating Since I started flying a little over

a decade ago, I've had a strong desire to get an A&P (airframe and powerplant) rating. I enjoyed flying so much that I felt it was important for me to get my mechanic's certificate as well. Like many of you, I was working, so I couldn 't attend a full-time mechan ic's school operating under FAR Part 147. The only option left for me was to get the required knowledge by "practical experience" (FAR Part 6S, Subpart D) and then get the FAA's approval to take the written exams and the oral and practical examinations that comprise the A&P rating. FAR 6S.77 states that:

"Each applicant for a mechanic certificate or rating must present either an appropriate graduation certificate or certificate of completion from a certified aviation maintenance technician school or documentary evidence, satisfactory to the Administration, or

(a) At least 18 months of practical experience with the procedures, practices, materials, tools, and equipment generally used in constructing, maintaining, or altering airframes, or powerplants ap20 JULY 2007

propriate to the rating sought; or (b) At least 30 months of practical

experience concurrently performing the duties to both the airframe and powerplant ratings.

It is important

to note that you

can work with

more than one

mechanic. I highly

recommend doing

so because

you'll acquire a

broader base

of experience.

Now this might seem like a daunting task, considering the regulation requires 30 months of practical experience, but with a little planning and persistence it can be accomplished. And it will definitely be worth the effort!

Here are a few suggestions to make the process a little easier:

Find a rated mechanic to mentor you through this process . You may know someone whose skills you ad-

mire-perhaps someone who is a friend or an acquaintance. Most importantly, find someone who has the interest and time to get you through your A&P. If at all possible, find someone who has a good working relationship with FAA maintenance inspectors in your area (this is important, because you need a Signature from an FAA maintenance inspector before you can apply to take the rating exams). It is important to note that you

can work with more than one mechanic. I highly recommend doing so because you'll acquire a broader base of experience. Again, I can't stress enough how important it is to find A&PIIA (inspection authorization) mechanics who totally support you in your effort to get your rating. It's a lot of hard work, and you don't need anyone thwarting your efforts. Unfortunately, you may run into some people who will not encourage you to pursue your ratings in this way. Don't let them discourage you. Continue to search out the positive people out there who will help you succeed.

The first thing I'd recommend is to get a notebook and start logging your maintenance experience. You don 't need a special logbook; a college notebook will suffice. You just need something to keep track of your maintenance activities. Every time you work with a mechanic, write down the date, type of aircraft you worked on, the maintenance

you helped perform, and the time spent on the project . Ask them to "sign off" the work and put down their A&P number (this will add legitimacy to your effort). Carry this notebook with you anytime you're at an airport, as you never know when you might have the opportunity to add to your experience.

In addition, if you've worked on aircraft in the past, try to log that in some format. All that time counts toward your 30 months' experience requirement. It can be challenging to compile that list in an understandable format; I'd suggest listing the experience by aircraft type, in chronological order. Again, be sure to document the aircraft N-number and mechanic's name and A&P number.

As soon as possible after you've made your decision to broaden your aviation knowledge and earn your A&P, make an effort to meet with an FAA maintenance inspector from your local FAA flight standards district office (FSDO). Ask your mechanic mentor for a referral, and take the time to seek them out. A great place to meet them is at an aircraft maintenancejlA renewal seminar in your area. These are generally put on by your local FSDO and are listed on the FAA website. More often than not, they're held during the winter months in the Midwest and in the northern United States.

Some of the FAA maintenance people are required to attend these events, and this is a great opportunity to meet them. If one won't be held anytime soon, and if you're comfortable doing so, pick up the phone and call the inspector at the FSDO. Whether in person or over the phone, introduce yourself and tell them you're working toward your A&P. Explain that you're doing so using the practical experience requirements as detailed in FAR 65.77, and then ask them what they would like to see in an A&P candidate.

For instance, do they want to see a detailed logbook of maintenance activities, or will a letter of recommendation from an A&PjIA suffice? Every FSDO is a little different, so find out

Mentors who have a positive attitude about helping you earn your mechanic's certificates are critical to achieving your goal. EAA member A&P j lA Mike Rohlman was a great help in providing Kathie Ernst the knowledge and experience she needed to fulfill the FAA's requirement for 30 months of experience before she could apply to take the mechanic's exams.

what the specific requirements are in your area. Remember, you'll need the signature of an inspector on FAA Form 8610-2 before you can take the oral and practical tests, so why not ask beforehand what's expected?

Start a personal library of books and articles dealing with maintenance issues . A couple of "must haves" include a current copy of FAA Advisory Circular 41.13, and a copy of the latest version of the Federal Aviation Regulations for aviation maintenance technicians . ASA Publications publishes a handy set titled FAR AMT 2007 (or whatever year is current). It includes all the FARs that pertain to work done by A&P mechanics, plus pertinent advisory circulars. Make yourself familiar with the pertinent regulations regarding work as an A&P.

Ask your mechanic mentor to recommend reading material. There are numerous textbooks, tapes, and magazines to help you acquire the basic knowledge required of an A&P. You can find these on the Internet or at your local pilot shop . One publication I found particularly helpful in understanding piston engines was Light Plane Maintenance, published by Bel

voir Publications, 800-424-7887, or at www.LightPlane-Maintenance.com.

When your logbook shows you've met the 30-month requirement, make an appointment to meet with an FAA maintenance inspector. Take your maintenance logbook, letter(s) of recommendation from the A&P/ IA mechanics with whom you 've worked, and three copies of the application for the maintenance license (FAA Form 8610-2).

After reviewing your paperwork, the maintenance inspector might sign your forms and you'll be on your way. The inspector may, however, ask you questions to verify your experience level. Don't worry! Just relax and answer the questions to the best of your knowledge. Remember, you're not expected to know everything. If the inspector finds you're not ready to take the exams, he or she will suggest that you come back with a stronger understanding of those areas where you ' re weakest. At this pOint, you haven't failed anything; the inspector is simply helping you learn the material you need know to qualify to take FAA exams.

Once you have your inspector's VINTAGE AIRPLANE 2 1

What's in a Name? The A&P rating

BY H.G. FRAUTSCHY

one or the other; you don't have to earn both ratings after passing the Mechanic General Test.

Typically, that happens most often with mechanics for large maintenance operations, such as an airline or large aircraft overhaul facility. Often, mechanics who work for these operations may choose to earn a mechanic's certificate with an airframe or powerplant rating, since they rarely, if ever, cross over to other mechanic's duties. That's similar to the military's set of MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) codes, where each area of maintenance has specific training requirements. By the way, if you were an aviation maintenance mechanic in the military, a portion of your military service could count toward earning your mechanic's certificate. Not all military MOS classifications

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Within aviation, we throw around the term "A&P rating" when it's really more than a single rating-it is two ratings , added to an airman's certificate. The actual certificate issued by the FAA is a mechanic's certificate, with airframe and powerplant ratings. In fact, you can earn

are recognized by the FAA. A current list of FAA-accepted MOS ratings may be obtained through your local FAA FSDO. For more information, see the FAA website listed in the resources box.

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approval signature on the 8610-2, you can think about taking you r exam. The approval does not expire, so you can take the A&P whenever it's convenient. You' ll be required to pass separate tests for airframe and powerplant mechanic certificates, as well as a general test. If you have the resources, I wou ld recommend going to a prep course. For many of us, a course like this gives us the final push to finish the rating. Think of it as a way to learn a bit more of the material you'll need to know for the tests, which you'll take at the end of the prep course. They're administered by FAA-designated mechanic examiners. I attended the Baker's School of Aeronautics in Nashville and found it an efficient way to cap off the 30 months of work and earn the rating. Check Trade-A -Plane or the Internet for listings of other A&P prep schools.

Getting an A&P rating is certainly not easy. But if you stick with it, I think you'll find it an especially rewarding experience. I know I did! .......

Getting Your A&P Resource Guide Here are just two of the many schools listed when entering "A&P Mechanic's Prep School" into Google:

Baker's School of Aeronautics 164S-M Murfreesboro Road Nashville, TN 37217 www.BakersSchool.com Phone: 615-361-6787 or 800-264-1787

American Ainnan Ground School Inc. MacArUtur Plaza, Suite 260 E 4250 Veterans Memorial Highway Holbrook, NY 11741 Phone: 6311585-5179 or SOO/4-AlRMAN (424-7626) E-mail: Info@amerlcanalrman.com www.AmerlcanAlrman.com

The FAA has a page devoted to earning one's A&P at: www.FAA.gov/mechanlcs/become

TAiLWt-lL5 ~ we. 5vOVlM

r------------------------------------------------------------

VI N TAGE A IRPLA N E 23

EAA's

Swallow Biplane

A history lesson in our own airport 'backyard'

Swallow NC4028 History The 1928 factory price for each of

three brand-new OX-5 powered Swallow biplanes, crated and loaded in a railroad boxcar in Wichita, Kansas: $2,311.55. Their buyer was L&H Aircraft, an airplane dealer in Hartford, Connecticut. One of the three Swallows cost an extra $50, because it had a "booster magneto." That Swallow, serial number 899, was destined to 24 JULY 2007

BY FRED STADLER

fly 79 years later at EAA's Pioneer Airport. But before then, it was to have many adventures.

L&H Aircraft had a customer for this Swallow even before it was un loaded from the train . Mrs. Lou Coles Edgar, of Schenectady, New York, liked fast cars, and in March 1928 she became t he first woman in New York state to own her own airplane. She had her name painted on the Swallow's

tail, and the name Schenectady Rambler applied to its fuse lage. A photograph (above) of Edgar posing in front of the airplane was quite a surprise to her husband, Ellis Edgar, who felt aviation was too risky for a woman and didn't know his wife had bought an airplane! No records have been found of Lou Edgar's flights in the Swallow, nor even confirmation that she had a pilot certificate. She is presumed to be

Their tillling was fortuitous; a weel~ after the pieces were rellloved, the barn unexpectedly collapsed!

among the earliest recreational pilots and made advertising flights for Old Gold cigarettes.

A year later, Lou Edgar sold her Swallow to Chester A. Jordan and George Wachtel]r., and the plane was moved to Troy, New York. Less than two months after the Swallow changed hands, it had a tragic accident. Wachtel was taking instruction from 34-year-old lieutenant Ellsworth G. Hayner, described in a newspaper account as a "World War flyer and chief pilot and instructor for the Troy Airport." The engine failed and the plane crashed, receiving extensive damage. Wachtel crawled away from the wreckage without assistance, but Hayner had been mortally injured. A newspaper reported that "Lieutenant Hayner just before he died at the hospital regained sufficient strength to cry out the words, 'George, George, give me that stick.' He kept repeating these words until death came."

A May 1929 letter from the Department of Commerce cancelled the Swallow's registration, stating that it had been "washed out." The damaged pieces were moved to a barn. Almost 30 years later, Donald A. Brewster of Poughkeepsie, New York, found them and decided to attempt a restoration. Cole Palen was also involved in the project and helped move it from the dilapidated barn. Their timing was fortuitous; a week after the pieces were

Lou Edgar casually leans against the fuselage of a Waco 10.

removed, the barn unexpectedly collapsed!

The Swallow restoration project was apparently too much for Brewster. In June of 1961 he sold the pieces to Irving Siewert Jr., a Clinton, Connecticut, building contractor who loved airplane projects. The parts were moved to Griswold Airport in Madison, Connecticut, where Sherman Griswold helped with the recovering, and his father, John Griswold, repaired the Curtiss OX-5 engine. To replace missing or damaged landing gear parts, Siewert welded on N3N axles found in a scrap pile and added 6.50 x 20 truck tires. He made the first test flight on Sept 2, 1961, and 18 more flights in the local area over the following year. VAA mem

A Douglas M-l mailplane serves as ber Ev Cassagneres also flew drop as Lou Edgar rests on one of the massivethe Swallow there. Siewert enwheels. The small cylinder just behind the stepjoyed flying the Swallow, but on the cowling is a Pyrene fire extinguisher.loved restoring aircraft even

more. He had his eye on a cabin Waco cialized in Pratt & Whitney engines and to rebuild and sold the Swallow for also maintained an aviation museum. $2,200, which gave him the money to Colonel Earl G. Adams flew the Swalbuy the Waco. low from Connecticut to Miami during

The Swallow was bought in Septem a more than 1,200-mile weeklong trip ber 1962 by Air Carrier Engine Services with a total flying time of 24 hours, 35 (ACES) Inc. of Miami, Florida. ACES spe- minutes. The plane arrived in time for

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 2 5

Cole Palen helps move one of the Swallow's wing panels when Donald Brewster of Poughkeepsie purchased the remains of the airplane.

left: Irving Siewert Jr., the Connecticut building contractor who loved to restore old aircraft. Siewert acquired the project in 1961, and, with the help of John and Sherman Griswold, he restored it at the well-known Griswold airport on the Connecticut coast.

an OX-S Club convention, which was held in Miami on October 18-21, 1962. Fourteen rides were given in the Swallow on the last day of the convention.

ACES dissolved at some later time, and the airplane became the property of Mr. John H. McGeary Jr., although no bill of sale was filed with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). In December 1976 McGeary donated 37 items to EAA. The Swallow, disassembled again and listed in error as a Laird Swallow, was among the donated items, which were transported in a large semi-trailer from Florida to EAA in Burlington, Wisconsin. The tail of the Swallow fuselage wasn't properly secured, and during the trip it hit the top of the trailer and was damaged . That damage was repaired before the parts were put in storage.

Prompted by EAA Founder Paul Poberezny, a restoration effort was begun at EAA. Some felt that the original OX-S engine should be used, but since the aircraft was intended for a flight to EAA's Pioneer Airport, more reliable components were selected to meet current standards for flying passengers. A 220-hp Continental engine was donated by Clay Lacy to replace the 90-hp OX-So The United Airlines Historical Foundation provided support for the restoration, and support was given by Stits Poly-Fiber and other companies. Although this Swallow never carried mail, it was painted to resemble the Swallows used by Varney Airlines on the difficult mail route between Pasco, Washington, and Elko, Nevada. Varney later merged with other carriers to form United Airlines.

EAA's extensive restoration was completed in the fall of 2004 under the direc-

Don Brewster in the cockpit of the Swallow. That same instrument panel was still with the project when EAA was given the airplane in late 1976.

26 JULY 2007

tion of master mechanic Gary Buettner. Buck Hilbert, a retired United Airlines captain and prior owner of a Varney Airlines Swallow, performed the required 25 hours of test flights . The Swallow is again delighting passengers, now at EAA's Pioneer Airport, a part of EAA's AirVenture Museum in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Among its passengers this spring were Lou Edgar's two granddaughters, who are delighted that "Grandmother's airplane" is still in the air.

ACurious Notation A printed "his" crossed out and re

placed with a handwritten "her" on a notary's statement more than 75 years ago-that's what sparked my quest to Two views of the Swallow after the Siewert/Griswold restoration in the early 19605. learn about the history of EAA's Swallow. I've been honored to be a pilot for Pioneer Airport for a number of years, and since I had been flying passengers in the Swallow at Pioneer Airport I became curious about the airplane's history. Since the plane's early logbooks were long gone, I started with the FAA's CD copy of the plane's records. They listed the Swallow's first owner in 1928 as Lou Edgar of Schenectady, New York. But Lou's notarized signature had that curious strikeout mark with the additional "her" notation. Was the airplane's first owner in 1928 a woman?

I tried the usual information sources. I did Internet searches of FAA pilot records and of the name and address, but I quickly realized local help in Schenectady was needed. EAA is blessed with the widest possible social net why did she buy an airplane? Responding to a Vintage Airplane work-EAA's extensive network of lo Genealogical research located Lou magazine article last fall about another cal chapters-put together long before Edgar's granddaughters, who were Swallow, Cassagneres mentioned that the Internet. So I called the president amazed to learn that their grandmoth he had flown a Swallow, NC4028, in of the EAA chapter there, Bill Mischler, er's airplane was still flying. They pro Connecticut. Cassagnares' letter was asking if someone might be interested vided many colorful details of the first printed in the February 2007 Vintage in researching an old airplane. By co owner's life. Airplane along with H.G. Frautschy's incidence, Mischler had already been But the Swallow had more secrets observation that the same Swallow working with the Empire State Aero to reveal. A cryptic entry in the FAA was still flying at Pioneer Airport. Cassciences Museum on the 75th anni records indicated a serious accident sagneres graciously sent me personal versary of Schenectady Airport and in Wynantskill, New York. A detailed photographs of the airplane as it apremembered seeing a photograph of an newspaper account of the 1929 acci peared in 1962, along with some inunidentified woman standing in front dent was found by a helpful librarian formation about Irving Siewert, who of an airplane. Mischler found the pho in nearby Troy, New York. FAA records had done the restoration. Cassagneres tograph, and the registration number described the airplane as "washed out." had sharp memories of the airplane, of the airplane matched EM's airplane! They also showed the airplane's return but had lost touch with Siewert, who Now we had a photograph of the Swal to airworthy status 30 years later at Gris had moved to Colorado. low as it looked in 1928, along with its wold Airport in Connecticut, but with More Internet searches found that owner. But who was Lou Edgar, and out detail of how repairs were made. Irving Siewert had died in 1993. On

VI NTAGE AIRPLANE 27

a chance, I called a woman in Colorado who might be a relative. She turned out to be Siewert's widow and was pleased to hear the airplane was still flying. She had come close to discarding her husband's records and photographs of the Swallow restoration, but had saved them just in case someone might need them someday! She was glad to finally reconnect the records with the airplane. The photographs added faces to the names in the FAA records.

Another important resource has been the United Airlines Historical Foundation, which helped return the Swallow to flight status. Don Jiskra of that group has been active in researching the background of this particular Swallow.

Rediscovering the history of NC4028 is an ongOing project involving EAA members across the country. Every newly discovered detail fills in more of the Swallow's story, but many questions remain. Little is known about the airplane's owner in 1962, Air Carrier Engine Services of Miami, and its later owner, McGeary, who donated it to EAA. It is hoped that other EAAers can add detail to this part of the story. Stay tuned!

At the urging of EAA Founder and Chainnan of the Board Paul Poberemy, retired EAA master mechanic Gary Buettner did the bulk of the restoration work on the Swallow. Thanks to the support of the United Airtines Histori cal Foundation, and with a 220hp Continental donated by Clay Lacy, the Swallow now graces the skies of Oshkosh, painted in the colors of

z ~ Varney Airtines, a predecessor of United. ;: z ::0

~ r-------------------------------,If you have informat ion we can add to

the Swallow's story, please contact us here at EM Headquarters. You can e-mail us at vintageaircraft@eaa.org, or write to us at Vintage Airplane, EM, P.O . Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086.

28 JULY 2007

NC4028

Family Reunion

Lou Edgar's two granddaughters, Debra Kalodikis of Syracuse, NY, and Carol Ashbee of Toronto, Quebec Canada and Carol's daughter Kelly during their visit to the EAA AirVenture Museum.

30 JULY 2007

by Fred Stadler

When Lou Edgar's granddaughters learned that her Swallow was still flying, they decided they had to see it. After a year of planning, their trip from Toronto to Oshkosh led not only to a wonderful airplane, but also to a Wisconsin branch of their family they hadn't known existed.

Sisters Debra Kalodikis of Syracuse, New York, and Carol Ashbee of Toronto were joined by Carol's husband, Greg, and their adult daughter, Kelly, on the 700-mile drive to Oshkosh. On June 1 they participated in a program at Pioneer Airport about

the Swallow's history, and each took a ride in the airplane. Many of the volunteers who helped restore the 1927 biplane were on hand, as were Lisa Edgar and her brother, Bruce Edgar, a private pilot from Milwaukee. Pioneer Airport volunteer John Edgar had located Lisa and Bruce. Research on the Swallow's history had discovered that Lisa, Bruce, and John were direct relatives of Lou Edgar's husband, Ellis.

Before their visit to Oshkosh, Lou Edgar's granddaughters and greatgranddaughter didn't have a particular interest in aviation, but they greatly enjoyed their visit to the EAA AirVenture Museum and now are eager to learn more about their ancestor. Lou Edgar would be proud! ~

BY H.G. FRAUTSCHY

THIS MONTH'S MYSTERY PLANE COMES TO US FROM THE EAA ARCHIVES.

Send your answer to

EAA, Vintage Airplane, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903 -3086 . Your answer needs to be in no later than August 10 for inclusion in the October 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.

APR I L ' S MYSTERY ANSW ER

of the photo, Wes Smith, nor I have any solid clues as to its identity. The twin fins are certainly a distinguishing feature, as are the four ailerons, with a slave strut between each wing's control surfaces. Beyond those two

As regular readers of this clues and the numeral 7 on the fin, it column know, on occasion we run a looks like one of the many copies of a true Mystery Plane, that is to say, one Curtiss "headless" pusher built during whose identity we've been unable to the latter end of the pioneer era of confirm. Our April subject was one aviation. If anyone has any further such mystery, as neither the supplier information, please pass it along.

V I NTA GE AIRP L A NE 31

"You're slipping, Doug," my best friend told me, as I confessed that I had totally missed the deadline for sending an article to be published in last month's issue of Vintage Airplane. And sure enough, if I go by a couple of definitions I found in the dictionary, the term "slipping" would certainly apply. The dictionary defined slipping as "pass or change to a lower, worse or different condition, typically in a gradual or imperceptible way." It also included this definition: "Behaving in a way that is not up to one's usual level of performance." I must confess to exemplifying both definitions.

But the dictionary also had this definition of slipping: "A sideways movement of an aircraft in flight ... ," and it was relative to that definition that I received the following e-mail from a reader:

"I have a question on forward slips to lose altitude for landing (no flaps) . I was taught many years ago to slip 'low wing into the wind,' and I have done so for a long time. Recently, though, I have seen where that could cause some trouble, so here is the scenario. We are landing on Runway 36, winds are 330 at 8. We could put the left wing down into the wind with the nose headed about 030 degrees and land left main wheel first. Wind gusts play havoc on all that wing area pointed into the wind, and a go-around would be tough in underpowered planes (the reader flies a Taylor E-2), as we are low and trying to climb in a crosswind to the runway heading or to the left upwind leg.

"All can be done safely, but not without some careful stick and rudder. The alternative is to point the nose into the wind (heading 330 degrees) and slip with the right wing down . Now, transition to landing on the left main 32 JULY 2007

BY DOUG STEWART

You're slipping!

wheel is a little tougher, but wind gusts have almost no effect on the plane during approach, as the area into the wind is greatly reduced and go-around is easy by leveling the wings and climbing into the wind to join the crosswind leg of the pattern."

This reader had indeed shown a great understanding of the dynamics of a forward slip, when the wind is blowing. He had obviously thought the situation through and then flew his scenarios to confirm his beliefs. Reading between the lines I could also assume that this reader had some good stick-and-rudder skills!

But before I get to my answer to this reader, let's define not only a forward slip, but a sideslip as well. Over the years I have found that confusion about the two (forward slip versus sideslip) exists in more pilots than I might have thought. Understanding the difference between them is crucial to answering this question.

A forward slip is a maneuver that is used to lose altitude. In aircraft without flaps it is used regularly to keep an airplane on the glide slope as it descends down final approach for landing. (It is also used regularly in aircraft with a tandem configuration, when flown from the back seat, so as to afford a view of the runway when on final approach.) In a forward slip the longitudinal axis of the aircraft is pointed away from the direction of flight while the wing pointing in the forward direction of the airplane is lowered. Whereas this maneuver can be used in curving flight (as in the turn from base leg to final in the traffic pattern), it is most typically used on final.

In that situation the nose is turned away from the extended centerline of

the runway, using rudder to achieve this, while simultaneously the wing toward the runway is lowered using aileron. This configuration produces a great amount of drag, as the fuselage is now facing into the relative wind and the airplane increases its descent rate without accelerating. Exactly what we need if we find ourselves above the glide slope on final.

This maneuver is not limited to aircraft without flaps. In fact, the practical test standards for every certificate from sport pilot through commercial pilot include the forward slip as a maneuver to be tested. Indeed, proficiency with the maneuver is integral in a situation when you find yourself in an airplane whose engine has ceased to function and your only landing area is a small one surrounded by high obstacles. This would not be the time to find out that the first two definitions of slipping used in this article apply.

Let us now define a Sideslip. The sideslip is a maneuver that is used in landing in a crosswind. It allows us to maintain the longitudinal axis of the aircraft with the direction of travel (ideally right down the centerline of the runway) without drifting. If the airplane were to be viewed without any form of ground reference it would appear to be drifting (slipping) in the direction of the lowered wing. When we add a ground reference (the centerline of a runway) the airplane is still slipping to the side, but the blowing wind counters this sideways motion over the ground, and the airplane remains centered over the runway centerline.

In a sideslip, if you find that you are drifting away from the centerline, into the wind, raise your lowered wing

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slightly and reduce the amount of opposite rudder you have been holding. (As in the forward slip, the rudder is controlling the longitudinal axis [heading], and the ailerons, the bank.) Conversely, if you are drifting away from the runway centerline and away from the wind, lower the windward wing some more and add more opposite rudder to maintain heading with the runway centerline.

Let's hope all of this has made sense to you. If not, it is possible that my verbal skills might be slipping, but that's another story. Again, understanding the difference between a forward slip and a Sideslip is important in my answer to the reader's question about forward slips. My answer now follows.

For what it is worth, I teach the first technique you describe, "low wing into the wind." That's because for the vast majority of pilots it is much easier to transition into the correct, winglow Sideslip required for the landing. Let's take your scenario. If you were descending in a forward slip with your right wing low, the airplane would be less susceptible to gusts in that heading.

However, in order to land, you would still need to swap everything around and get the left wing low (not as low as in the forward slip) with the nose pointing in the direction of your travel (ideally aligned with the runway heading), thus converting a right-wing-low forward slip to a left-wing-low sideslip. If the wind is gusting, and there are any obstacles to create orographic turbulence, this could be a very challenging maneuver.

By forward slipping with the wing into the wind as the low one, the transition to the sideslip required for a crosswind landing is much simpler, with much less risk. If the need to go around arises, I do not find the transition to the crab into the wind that would then be required to be that difficult.

You certainly display a great understanding of the dynamics of both situations, and also don't seem bothered about putting either wing low. You seem to understand the pros and cons of either way of doing it, and I would assume you are also comfortable in either configuration. So I would suggest that you do what works best for you. If you have the dexterity of hand, foot, and eye

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to transition from one side to the other, then it shouldn't be a problem.

The bottom line is that you need to end up with the proper wing low to counter the crosswind in the sideslip for landing.

As an aside, I have flown with many pilots who, until I point out the problem, will only slip in one direction, regardless of what the wind might be doing. It's kind of like ice skating or skiing, where it is much easier to "cross one leg over" or turn in one direction than it is in the other. Many pilots, especially those flying airplanes with side-by-side seating, are only comfortable slipp