Vintage Airplane - Feb 1990

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he Magazine o the EAA Antique/Classic Division February 1990


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STRAIGHT ND LEVEL

by Art Morgan, Vice-PresidentNew regulations. An aggressive en

forcement policy by one governmentagency. Another agency saying ourolder radios are now paperweights.Communities wanting to bar certaintypes of airplanes from their airportsbecause of an unfortunate incident. Anaircraft manufacturer claiming that, forsafety ' S sake , your little airplaneshould be re-manufactured every 1years , or be permanently grounded.Sounds pretty bleak, doesn't it? Prettydarn grim . What is the future of general aviation? Where are we goingfrom here?

Several weeks ago my wife and Iattended an aviation social event. Afterthe dinner and the speeches, we wereall standing arround talking and sampling the local variety of snake-bite remedy, when I was asked that veryquestion. Without any warning , one ofour more prominent lady antiquerslooked me right in the eye and asked,"Art , what is the future of the antique/classic movement, and sport aviation?Is there one ?"

Now think about that for a while."Is there one?" That question soundedplaintive and it shook me to my roots.How would you answer it?[ took this charming lady by the2 FEBRUARY 199

elbow and sat her down at one of thetables and said, yes, there is a futurefor us in little-plane aviation. In whatI hoped was a very positive, up-beatway , I told her of the growth of EAAand the Antique/Classic Division injust the past year. I told her how, because of the positive leadership of ourorganization, the herculean efforts ofcountless volunteers and the loyalty ofthe members, the movement wouldcontinue to grow into the future. Withtears in her eyes in the middle of a verylarge group of aviation enthusiasts, shethanked me for restoring her faith andfor reinforcing her beliefs in our avocation. But did I answer her questioncompletely? I don ' t think so. For thatmatter, did I answer it honestly? tbothered me for a while but I think Ihave finally come to a conclusion.

[n 1989, many of us attended theworld's largest aviation event. TheRussians were there with a Whopperof an airplane, and a couple of Whopperettes that, I swear, could go straightup. The U.S., of course , brought inseveral biggies of our own, includingthe SR-71 Blackbird. What a sightSeveral other countries were represented by their people and planes.

Overall, airplanes and people atten

dance was up over past years. In theAntique/Classic area we saw more andprettier show planes than ever before .The same for all other show planeareas.

People were everywhere and ingreater quantities than we ever imagined in 1970. We had more volunteers than ever before this year andthey came from all age groups. At theend , when everyone had gone homethe grounds were cleaner than ever.

This past year I've listened to a pairof 80-year-old twins talking about theairplanes they have flown and theairplanes they are building ow and aregoing to fly. I've listened to 15-yearolds telling of their dreams of flight.With both the young and the old, thetelling isn't so much with the words asit is with the eyes. I could look intothose eyes and see the future . I can tforget to tell you about their hands

. darting and weaving through the air,painting a picture more accurate thanany camera could capture. Dreams ofthe future.

People. People from all walks of lifedonate, for unclaculable hours, theirvaried skills, talents, energies and resources to this giant melting pot wecall EAA. What results is a stew ofpride and accomplishment the wholeworld looks at with awe. Not too badfor a bunch of tire-kickers, eh?

Is there a future for aviation? Aslong as we have people who can dreamand then turn those dreams into reality,yes . As long as there is one young person out there who turns his or her eyesskyward at the sound of a passingairplane, I believe there is a future. Aslong as there are people who will extend heart and hand to help someoneelse, you bet.

I believe that the future for aviation ,and those of us involved in it, is brighter than it's ever been. What do youthink?

Stand tall , Y'all


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PUBLICATION STAFFPUBLISHERTomPoberezny

V1CE-PRESIDENTMARKETING &Co.MMUNICATlo.NSDick Matt

EDITo.RMark PhelpsART DIRECTo.RMike DrucksADVERTISINGMary Jones

ASSo.CIATE EDITo.RSNorman Petersen Dick Cavin

FEATURE WRITERSGeorgeAHardie,Jr. DennisParksEDITo.RIAL ASSISTANT

Isabelle WiskeSTAFF PHOTo.GRAPHERSJimKoepnick CarlSchuppelJeffIsom

EM ANTIQUE/CLASSICDIVISION, INC.OFFICERSPresident Vice PresidentEspie"Butch"Joyce ArthurR. Morgan604HighwaySt. 3744North51st Blvd.

Madison,NC 27025 Milwaukee,WI 53216919/427-0216 414/442-3631Secretory Treasurer

George S. York E.E. "Buck"Hilbert181 SlobodaAve. P.o.. Box 424Mansfield,o.H 44906 Union,IL 60180419/529-4378 815/923-4591DIRECTORS

RobertC. "Bob"Brauer John S. Copeland9345S. Hoyne 9JoanneDriveChicago, IL 60620 Westborough,MA 01581312/779-2105 508/366-7245PhilipCoulson WilliamAEickhoff28415SpringbrookDr . 41515thAve. N.E.Law1on,MI49065 St. Petersburg,FL 33704616/624-6490 813/823-2339CharlesHarris StanGomoll

3933SouthPeoria 104290thLone,NEP.o.Box 904038 Minneapolis,MN 55434Tulsa,o.K74105 6121784 11729181742 7311 Robert D. "Bob"Lumley

Dale AGustafson 1265South124thSt.7724ShadyHill Drive Brookfield,WI 53005Indianapolis,IN 46278 4141782 2633317/293-4430 StevenC. NesseGene Morris 2009 Highland Ave.115C SteveCourt,R.R. 2 AlbertLea,MN 56007Roanoke,TX 76262 507/373-1674817/491-9110 5.H. OWes"SchmidDaniel Neuman 2359Lefeber Avenue1521 BerneCircle W. Wauwatosa,WI 53213Minneapolis,MN 55421 4 4m 545612/571-0893DIRECTOR EMERITUS5.J. Wittman7200S.E. 85thLaneo.cala,FL 32672904/245-7768

ADVISORSJohn Berendt Gene Chase7645EchoPointRd. 2159Carlton Rd.Cannon Falls, MN55009 o.shkosh,WI 54903507/263-2414 414/231-5002

George Daubner John AFogerty2448LoughLane RR2, Box 70Hartford,WI 53027 Roberts,WI 54023414/673-5885 715/425-2455Jeannie HillP.O.. Box 328Harvard,IL 60033815/943-7205

FEBRUARY 1990 Vol. 18, No.2Copyright 1990bytheEAAAntique/ClassicDivision,Inc.Allrightsreserved.

Contents2 Straight and Levellby Art Morgan4 A/e News/compiled by Mark Phelps6 Aerograms8 Helpful Productslby Mark Phelps Page169 Vintage Seaplaneslby Norm Petersen

10 Vintage Literaturelby Dennis Parks12 Interesting Memberslby Steve Nesse13 Members' Projectslby Norm Petersen16 Six-Month Sedanlby Dennis Kirkwood

Page2020 John Lafferty/by Norm Petersen26 Hurry Hurry lby Jim Haynes30 Pass It To Buck/by E. E. "Buck" Hilbert31 Aeron-Quixotelby Edlock Hart32 Vintage Trader35 Mystery Planelby George Hardie, Jr. Page35

FRo.NT Co.VER A1941 TaylorcraftBC12 "DeLuxe"N29654, pilotedby owner,Lowell Bokerof Effingham,Illinois.(Photoby CarlSchuppel,Photoplane flown by CarlKoeling)

REAR Co.VER .. . Another "airminded" magazine cover from theGolden Age of aviation.Donated by DickHill.

The words EM, ULTRALIGHT, FLY WITH THE FIRSTTEAM, SPORT AVIATION, and the logos 1 EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION INC., EAA INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION, EMANTIOUE/CLASSIC DIVISION INC. ,INTERNATIONAL AEROBATIC CLUB INC., WARBIRDS OF AMERICA INC., are registeredtrademar1


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Compiled by Mark Phelps

L to R Jack Cox Steven Brown Gail Lewis Jerry Walbrun Tom Poberezny Dick Matt John Baker Martin Shuey Patricia Weil PaulPoberezny and Robert Carter.

EAA, AOPA meet in OshkoshTop officials of the AOPA and EAAmet recently to discuss key issues confronting the aviation community andto set an agenda for action.The two-day session, which tookplace at EAA Headquarters in Oshkosh, January 3-4, brought togethertwo of the world's largest aviation organizations - the 300,000-memberAOPA and the I25,000-member EAA.We were very pleased to meet withAOPA President, John Baker andmembers of his staff on issues that willaffect all of us in the weeks and monthsahead, said EAA President, TomPoberezny. We exchanged information and viewpoints and developed

positions that are important to thesport- and general-aviation communities. EAA and AOPA are willingto work with elected offiecials inWashington and those who shape federal aviation policies in areas of mutualconcern so that individual citizens willbe assured reasonable and safe accessto our nation's airports and airwayssystem.1990 will be a critical year for determining the future of U.S. aviation,said AOPA President, Baker. It is important that AOPA and EAA, who rep

resent the overwhelming majority ofaviation users, work together to ensurethat aviation system modernization ishandled in a manner that takes into

consideration the priority needs of thenations' air travelers. Prioritization ofprograms and responsible funding willbe key to a healthy future for all ofU.S. aviation .

n addition to Tom Poberezny, whoserved as host of the meeting, the EAAcontingent included Paul Poberezny,EAA founder and Chairman; JerryWalbrun, Assistant the President; DickMatt, Vice President, Marketing andCommunications; and Jack Cox,Editor-in-Chief of EAA Publications .President John Baker led the AOPAdelegation. Participants also includedRobert Carter, Acting Vice President,AOPA Air Safety Foundation; PatriciaWeil, Vice President, Communica

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tions; Steven Brown, Vice President,Strategic Planning and Policy; andMartin Shuey , Vice President, Officeof Technical Analysis and Support .The group discussed the joint petition on Mode C transponders submitted by AOPA, EAA, the HelicopterAssociation International (HAl) andthe National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO). Other topicsincluded airspace reclassification ; thePrimary Aircraft proposal; the noticeof proposed rulemaking regarding Recreational Pilot licensing; drug-testingand related rules and regulations; product liability bills currently before Congress (S.640 and H.1307); FCC radiofrequency rule; zero error enforcement policies; weather station closings;loran C; and other key aviation issues.A similar meeting at AOPA Haedquarters in Frederick, Maryland will bescheduled in the near future.

NATIONAL AERONCA ASSOCIATION

Type Club listing included in theNovember issue and the address wasnot updated. The current address is :806 Lockport Road , Box 2219, TerreHaute, Indiana 47802. The associationalso publishes a magazine rather thana newsletter.Right place, wrong name

Dick Stevens of Tucson, Arizona

pointed out that the correct name ofthe airport in Chapter Capsules in theDecember issue is Janes Field, notJames Field . Phil Janes, after whom theairport is named was an FAA inspector in the Twin Cities Region and agood friend of Mr. Stevens and manyother pilots in the area. Dick characterizes Mr. Janes as, fair and encouraging.

Meet the CrusaderNow available from Rare Birds Publishing is Sandy Roca's book,Crusader . The product of five years'research, much of it at EAA's BoeingAeronautical Library, Roca's bookchronicles the development in the1930s of this unique aircraft and itsdesigner, Thomas Shelton. The bookspans 184 pages of history, specifications, index and bibliography withscores of photos never before published , including images of AmeliaEarhart. Shelton's aircraft was an earlyflying wing design, ultimately flownin prototype form with twin tailbooms .The twin-engine aircraft was an earlyeffort at designing an efficient, safeand modem aircraft for family use . In1935, when the prototype flew despitethe ravages of the Depression, theCrusader was far ahead of its time.

The oversize (II by 16 inches),hardcover book is beautifully boundand lithographed and the limited-edition press run will include 2,000 numbered copies, all to be signed by theauthor and Mr. Shelton. A limitedoffer allows purchase for $68.50 plus$5.00 for shipping and handling (Massachusetts residents add $3.43 statesales tax). To order or to obtain moreinformation, contact Rare Birds Publishing, P.O. Box 67, South Berlin,Massachusetts 01549 .National Aeronca AssociationThe National Aeronca Associationwas misidentified as a club in our

April 8-14 - Lakeland , Florida . 16thannual Sun 'n Fun '90 EAA Fly-in .Lakeland Municipal Airport. ContactSun 'n Fun EAA Fly-in Inc., PO Box6750, Lakeland, Florida. Tel. 813/644-2431.May 4-6 Burlington, NorthCarolina. Burlington Airport. Sponsored by Antique/Classic Chapter 3.Contact Ray Bottom, c/o Antique Airways, 1 3 Powhatan Parkway,Hampton, Virginia 23661. Tel. 804/722-5056.May 5-6 - Winchester, Virginia.Winchester Regional EAA Spring Flyin . Winchester Airport. Sponsored byEAA Chapter 186. Contact GeorgeLutz, Tel. 703/256-7873.May 6 - Rockford, Illinois. EAAChapter 22 Annual Fly-in Breakfast.Mark Clark's Courtesy Aircraft,Greater Rockford Airport. 7:00 am tonoon. ATIS 126.7. Contact WallaceHunt, 815/332-4708.May 20 - Benton Harbor, Michigan .Fourth Annual EAA Chapter 585Dawn Patrol BreakfasULunch. Includes boat and classic car show. RossField, Benton Harbor, Michigan. Contact AI Todd, PO Box 61 , Stevensville,Michigan 49127. Tel. 616/429-2929.

june 1-2 - Bartlesville, Oklahoma.Biplane Expo '90, the National Biplane Association's Fourth AnnualConvention and Exposition. FrankPhillips Field, Bartlesville, Oklahoma.Free to members of NBA. For membership information, contact CharlesHarris, NBA, Hangar 5, 4 J Aviation,Jones-Riverside Airport, Tulsa, Oklahoma. Tel. 918/299-2532.june 8-10 - Middletown , Ohio. FifthNational Aeronca Convention.Aeronca factory. Includes factory tourand visit to USAF Museum. ContactAugie Wegner, National Aeronca Association, PO Box 2219, Terre Haute,Indiana 47802 . Tel. 812/232-1491.june 22-24 - Pauls Valley, Oklahoma. Greater Oklahoma City AAAChapter Fly-in. Contact Dick Darnell,100 Park Avenue Building, Suite 604,Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73102.Tel. 405/236-5635.july 27-August 2 - Oshkosh, Wisconsin. 38th Annual EAA Fly-in Convention, EAA Oshkosh '90.Wittman Regional Airport, OshkoshWisconsin. Contact EAA, EAA Aviation Center , Oshkosh, Wisconsin54903-3086. Tel. 414/426-4800.September 8 - Chico , California .Chico Antique Airshow. Chico Airport. Contact Chico Antique AirshowCommittee, 6 St. Helens Lane, Chico,California 95926. Tel 916/342-3730 .

VINTAGE AIRPLANE


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V I ~ T ~ t 3 ~ A I l V L ~ ~ ~A ~ l 2 )

ThanksDear Mark ,

Thanks to you and the editorial stafffor the extra copies of November 1989VNTAGE RPLANE. My compliments to you for the fine article youwrote. I am ex tremely pleased andproud to be the subject of your writingtalents and have heard many favorablecomments on the article. At the timeof your interview and photo mission Iwas unaware that my aircraft would receive recognition as Grand ChampionAntique. I must admit I harbored hopesthat my Staggerwing wou ld be mentioned in your publication in some future issue. In the end , reality outpaced myexpectations What a thrill. I thank yo u.Bes t wishes,Bill HalversonBloomington, Minnesota

VVorks in progressDear Mark,

Work goes slowly on my (prewar)Taylorcraft, but some good and somenot-so-good things have happened.First...the people at FAA sent me anew registration number, N 2260L.This wouldn't look right on an antiqueso I phoned them and found that foranother 10 .00 they mi ght give me N22613. That would be satisfactory because I'm not superstitious. The goodnews is that A.C. Hutson not only letme copy his collection of eight yearsof manuals, articles, etc. but he let mefly hi s 1939 model VINTAGE AIR-PLANE, Jun e 1988) What a treat Ihave now returned all hi s original material and have found even more througha few library trips. I am helping afriend re-do a groundlooped right wing

of an Aeronca 7EC Champ. It's goodexperience and a good investment intime because my friend and anotherfellow will help me rebuild my plane.They are great and careful workmen ,so we ought to be flying sooner thanif I had to do the restoration alone.Thanks again for putting me on to A.C.Hutson . .. he ' s really a great guyCome to Fernandina . ..Hughes Mann HarperFernandina Beach, Florida

Show your colorsDear Mark,

During the 1930s I visited many airports just to admire the colorfulairplanes and to get color schemes formy models. I believe the color, trimand finish used on an old airplane is amajor representation of the builder'screati vity and artistry . Closely definedco lor is often a unique part of the identity for a fabric-covered antiqueairp lane .

All airplanes in VINTAGEAIRPLANE should be in color. f colorphotography is not availab le , the caption should give the colors and anyavailable details about the finish . Ihave a tough time finding EAA mattersto criticize, but the color managementin VINTAGE AIRPLANE needs attention . Let ' s go FIRST CLASSSincerely ,Harold FieldAmarillo, Texas

Bill Halverson 6 FEBRUARY 1990


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By now Mr . Field will have receivedhis January issue with the new insidecolor pages . This will be repeatedthree more times this year in VINTAGE AIRPLANE. We are glad tohave the opportunity to show morecolor in the magazine. When this is notpossible however we will make everyeffort to describe color schemes in thetext . - Ed .

The Rhinebeck beatDear Mark ,It seems like I haven ' t done muchflying lately , but time has. I've gottenlots of positive feedback on my articles(March and July , 1989) and I'm thinking about getting more serious aboutwriting .

The Jenny from Rhinebeck didn'tmake it to EAA Oshkosh '89 as youknow, and neither did the Pietenpol Iwas helping with, but I was there alongwith my brother and parents and we allenjoyed the show. I'm not much of ajet enthusiast but the collection thatwas there was pretty impressive.

In my spare time this past year I'vebeen trying to write down all of myexperiences flying at Rhinebeck andelsewhere with the hope of eventuallycollecting them into a book. Now thatI'm out of work I'm going to hit thata little harder for the next couple ofmonths. By then I ought to be brokeenough to start looking for somethinginteresting to do again.The magazine seems to be doingwell and is always eagerly awaited.

.

Sweet PYours,Andrew KingValley Cottage , New York

Sweet PorterfieldDear Mr. Phelps,Enclosed is a photo of Sweet P.Our EAA Oshkosh '89 trip was a 10year anniversary as I had made the tripin 1979 with my then 16-year-old son,Tony. This year he made the trip as aninstructor in Mr. Bill Melamed's silverT-6, flying formation with hi s GrandChampion Harvard.

I owned Sweet P from 1955 until1958 . I rebuilt it and flew it in 1957for a little while when I got drafted andsold it. I bought it back again in 1975and spent four years rebuilding it forthe second time.I taught my son, Tony to fly - heis now a flight instructor. I also taughtdaughter Number One, Coleen to flyin it - she soloed once and evidentlythat was enought satisfaction for her.Number Two daughter, Jennifer received instruction from both Tony andme when she was 14 to 16. She tooka 30-day trip with her brother (28states, coast-to-coast).

In 1 years Sweet P has performedfor 1,000 hours with only routinemaintenance to keep it in the air. In the1940s to '50s era, Sweet P accumulated 3,700 hours - most of that during CPT days . I have only one logbooknow . All the CPT maintenance recordshave gone by the wayside. I plan tokeep operating Sweet P as long as Ican . I guess you could say it's part ofthe family .LeRoy BlumGlendora, California

Good magazine, but...Dear Mark,I have been a subscriber to V N-T GE IRPL NE since 1976. Whileit is a skinny little periodical, I enjoyit and think it is certainly worth thesubscription price . I've never had anysuggestions to make before , but sinceyou had a mis-labelling in the December 1989 issue that I wanted to callto your attention, I thought I wouldgive you a couple of comments at thesame time.First, the mis-labelling. The picturesat the top and bottom of page 29 appearto have had their captions reversed. Ihave been to both places and feel surethat they are mis-labelled .

In general, the qual ity of picturesand general format of the magazine hasimproved a lot in the last three years.However, the number of articles of historical interest has fallen quite noticibly. In today' s magazine, the 'TimeCapsule" and V intage Seaplane" features are really good , and there is anoccasional article such as the Grumman Kitten piece (August, 1989) thatis well researched and of historical interest. The overall tendency , though ,seems more toward coverage of recentfly-ins and rebuilding projects today's history instead of yeaterday ' s.

In summary, you are doing great keep up the good work , but squeeze inall the historical works you can.Best regards ,Amol SellarsTulsa, OklahomaP.S . The quality of the cover picturesis really better in the last couple ofyears

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7


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H LPFULPRODUCTS

Jerry Turner ofNostalgic Reflections a long-time E erand restorer of rare aircraft re-creates vintage name platesdata plates and instrument faces for antique automobiles motorcycles airplanes and anything else you may have in yourrestoration shop . Some samples of his work are shown below.For hard-to-find items of this type contact J erry. No job istoo small.

ETCHED Pl TESSerial P lates DecalsInstrument Faces

ill Plates

927 1~ t son

93 c \ n o c o u p ~ fLLe l ~ ~

8 FEBRUARY 199


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VINTAGE SEAPLANESy orm Petersen

Here is a photo that will stump the floatexperts Irs a 1950 Piper Super ub PA-18"105" SpeCial, N7201K SN 18-92, mountedon a set of Edo 46-1620 floats. The photowas contributed by former owner AndySchuch of Menasha, Wisconsin, who tookthe p icture on a fishing trip to Ontario. Al though never certified on these floats(from back in the 1930's), the "105" wasgranted a one-time FAA approval prior toAndy purchasing the airplane from rtNoteboom in St. Paul in the early 1960's.The Super ub was very quick off the waterdue to the shape of the floats and the helpof flaps. After several years of service, thePA-18 and floats were totalled in an acci-dent.

This photo shows N7201K on Edo 1620 floats slid ing on to Andy Schuch's ramp in Menasha, Wisconsin. With 36 gal. gas capacity, the PA-18 had excellent range for an all-electric floatplane . Note"axle" holes through step area which would accept a stub axle and wheel to roll the floatplaneon a hard surface. This photo shows a small spinner which was later replaced with a large spinnerin upper photo.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9


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I n the late 1930s an article appearedcalled "What Airplane Markings Mean ."The article stated:

"Numbers and letters on airplanes ,balloons and airships are significantand interesting, for they reveal something of the status of the craft theyidentify and, if correctly understood,may be a source of guidance, protection and entertain

ibr ao,/4-.-chivesmr-ed )r

- June, 1988 .)The first registration system was set

up in 1921 by the Underwriters Laboratory . The system was not popular andended in 1926. With the passage of theAir Commerce Act of 1926 the Bureauof Air Commerce took over the registration of aircraft.

The following is an excerpt from the

Bureau of Air Commerce CIVIL AIRREGULATIONS as amended May 31 ,1938 which gives the relevant rules forregistration markings.

Part 02. - AIRCRAFf IDENTIFICATION MARK.

02 . 1 Character. An aircraft identification mark will consist of one or moreRoman capital letters, or other symbol

or symbols herein- ment. after specified, and aBy an airplane's number.number, for instance, 02.10 Nationalityyou can tell at a symbol. The Romanglance whether or capital letter N willnot that particular appear first in theship would be al identification mark ,lowed to fly interna except that the symtionally or is con bol cross , , willfined within the bor appear first in theders of the United identification mark ofStates. The charac aircraft owned by anters will show if the alien and not regisplane is merely an tered in some foreignexperimental one, not country .licensed to carry pas 02.11 Airworthinesssengers or goods for symbol. The internahire , or if it is re tional symbol N, orstricted to special the symbol cross,use only. , will be followed"The identification in the make by thesystem, simple and Roman capital lettereasily interpreted, has C, R, or X, or by abeen devised and bar, for the purposeapplied by the De of classifying the airpartment of Com craft as to its airwormerce, and in one of thiness, or lackthe busy Washington thereof, as follows :offices, files are 02 . 110 (a) Thekept, giving records letter C will classifyof all aircraft to an aircraft as com-which numbers have plying fully with thebeen assigned." airworthiness reAircraft registration quirements of Partsfirst came about by a 1 and 04 , 05 , 06,convention on air or 07 , as the casenavigation that was may be for the pursigned as a part of pose of carrying perthe Paris Peace Con sons or property, forference at the end of or without hire.World War I. (See: 02.111 (b) The"Vintage Literature" letter R will classif10 FEBRUARY 1990


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an aircraft as complying in some limited respect with the airworthiness requirements of Parts 01 and 04 05 06or 07, as the case may be, providedeach deficiency is compensated for bymeans of suitable operation limitations.The certificate of an aircraft in thisclassification will specify the use, oruses, for which such aircraft is deemedairworthy, but such use, or uses, shallexclude passenger carrying, and shall

be for industrial purposes only.02.112 (c) The letter X will classifyan aircraft as one which has been issued an experimental certificate in accordance with 01.3. An aircraft soclassified has been found by inspectionto possess no apparent unairworthyfeatures.02.113 (d) The Bar symbol, - willclassify the aircraft as one whose airworthiness rating has not been estab

lished. An aircraft so classified is anuncertificated aircraft and one not registered as an aircraft of the UnitedStates.02.12 Number. The airworthinesssymbol will be followed in the markby a number issued for purposes offurther identification.02.2 Issuance .02.20 Assignment. The aircraftidentification mark of NC, NR or NX,

as the case may be, plus a number,will be assigned to aircraft of theUnited States at the time of issuanceof the registration and aircraft certificates, will be inserted in the body of

either thereof and issued as partthereof.02.200 Non-registered aircraft. Theaircraft identification mark of N, plusa number, will be assigned to aircraftother than aircraft of the United Statesand other than aircraft registered insome foreign country, and issued bythe Secretary, upon application of the

aircraft owner. Such identificationshall be valid only so long as the aircraft is owned by the owner makingapplication for such identification . Itshall be displayed as provided for in02.3.02.3 Location for display .02 .30 Conventional airplanes.The mark on such aircraft shall be

located on the lower surface of thelower left wing and on the upper surface of the upper right wing. If in abiplane, the lower left wing space isless than one-half that of the upper leftwing, the mark shall be located on thelower surface of the upper left wing asfar to the left as possible.

The top of the letters, symbols, andfigures shall be toward the leadingedge. The height shall be at least fourfifths of the mean chord; provided,however, that in the event four-fifthsof the mean chord is more than 30inches, the height of the letters, symbols and figures need not be more than30 inches.

If the span of either the upper left or

lower right wing does not permit usingletters and figures of at least 30 inchesin height, with the proportions as setout in 02. 40 these letters, symbolsand figures may be less than 30 inchesprovided they retain the proportionsset out in 02.40 and, provided,further , that they occupy at least fourfifths of the span.

In the case of a monoplane, the markshall be displayed on the lower surfaceof the left wing and the upper surfaceof the right wing in the manner thusdescribed.

02.40 Type. The width of the letters,symbols and figures (except the figure1 shall be at least two-thirds of theirheight. The width of each stroke shallbe at least one-sixth of the height ofthe letters, symbols and figures, whichshall be of uniform size. The space between such letters, symbols and figuresshall be not less than one-sixth of theheight.

02.41 Color. The letters, symbols,and numbers shall be painted on theaicraft in one solid color on a background of any other solid color provided there is a strong contrast, asdeemed suitable by the Secretary.02.42 Legibility. Except with theapproval of the Secretary, no other de

sign, mark, symbol or description shallbe placed upon an aircraft if such design, etc. modifies, adds to, detractsfrom, or confuses the assigned mark ordestroys its legibility . The assignedmarks shall be kept clean and clearlyvisible.

VINT GE IRPL NE


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INTERESTING MEMBERSJOHN BERENDT

by Steve Nesse, Director

It was at our Fall Board meeting during our discussion o VINTAGEAIRPLANE magazine when I raisedthe question - What became o themonthly feature "Interesting Members"? t was a feature that gave usinformation on various AIC members.It first appeared about mid-1987. Forme, and for many o our members Ifelt, it was a favorite part o themagazine. t answered many questionsabout what makes a good AIC member.After some discussion by the Boardit was decided to get the ball rollingagain. Volunteers to write these articles were needed. Guess who everyonewas looking at when the assignmentfor the first month was made So herewe go - one lover-of-old-airplanes'feeble attempt at journalism.Q. Hey, who's the big guy with thebeard who speaks fluent Fairchild?A. He is John Berendt who lovesvintage aircraft just like the rest of us.John was born and raised in LittleFalls, Minnesota. He graduated fromhigh school there and attended the University of Minnesota. He started flyingin the late 1950s. After a few yearsaway from aviation, his interest wasrenewed in 1967 when he joined EAAChapter 300. If not for this move, hecommented, his aviation interest mostprobably would have remained dormant.In 1972 with a renewed interest inaviation and now the owner of a 1946Aeronca IIAC Chief, John was againflying . The Chief was a gift to Johnfrom his lovely wife Marge.When asked how the Fairchild interest came about, he said that it beganin 1974 with a Ranger engine.

With his partner Jim Hiner, John rebuilt a PT-19 which reached flyingstatus in 1980. The next year theypicked up a Fairchild 24 and are stillworking on this one. John added that2 FEBRUARY 199

their projects are not basket cases.They are resurrect ions.In 1985 he obtained his hangar. twas a 32' x 172' structure which waslocated at Southport, a few miles southof Minneapolis, Minnesota. One catch- the hangar had to be dismantled andmoved about 25 miles south . With thistask completed his hangar is now located at the Faribault Municipal Airport.A love of Fairchilds has John deeplyinvolved with this type club. In addition to being president since 1984, healso publishes its newsletter, TheFairchild Flyer. Every year he attendsthe Fairchild Reunion at Coldwater,Michigan. Along with his many dutiesat EAA Oshkosh each year, he alsospends a few hours a day at the Fairchild corner of the type-club tent.In addition to being a chartermember of AIC Chapter 13, he has alsobeen a volunteer at our Oshkosh Conventions since 1975. The 28 AIC

forums are his main responsibility,being co-chairman in 1987 and chairman in 1988 and '89. He also workswith Ed Wegner doing the Fairchildforum each year.At the May 1989 AIC Board meeting, John was named to the position ofAdvisor - a position for which he iswell qualified.In closing I ask myself What elsewould they like to know about an Interesting Member? Two things cometo mind.Q. What is his occupation?A. John is a warehousing and distribution supervisor for a large grocerychain.Q. Does he have a long string ofratings on his pilot's license?A. No, not really. It's like many ofthe rest of us. He holds a private certificate - with the O.A.L. endorsement.Q. What is the O.A.L?A. Old Airplane Lover of course .


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MEMBERS PROJECfSby Nonn Petersen

Rolled out in the Texas sunshine after installing a new set of tires is Aeronca ChampN84715 SN 7AC -3422, owned by long time EMer John Lahmon EM 28748) of Corsicanna, TX. The color scheme is tan with brown wings, struts, landing gear and stripe.

This pretty red & white Ercoupe,CF-LUN, is the proud possession of Debby Keeler EM 345330) of Ontar io, Canada.On the advice of her father, Debby purchased the 85-hp all-metal Ercoupe from Ernie Colbert - sight unseen Aprevious owner had spent 10 years rebuilding the cra ft following windstorm damage. Once Debby overcame thefear of no rudder pedals or flaps, she soon learned to fly the airplane and make crosswind landings goingsideways. Since July, 1989, she has flown it some 65 delightful hours and is looking forward to spring when the(winter-stored) 'coupe will once again help her to get a nice tan . How about bringing the pretty Ercoupe toOshkosh '90?

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13


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MEMBERS' PROJECTS

Here is the paint scheme that will be usedon the PA 7 Sport Mailwing yellow wingsand tail group with black fuselage. ThisPA 6 was used on the Washington to Atlanta run which is signified by the CAM19 - Contract Air Mail route number 19.

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Standing in front of his latest project, a 1930 Pitcairn PA-7Sport Mailwing, NC95W, SN 147, is Steve Pitcaim (EAA109260, AlC 4080) of Bryn Athyn, PA This is Steve's thirdMailwing restoration and as can e seen in the photo, aside-by-side front seat is installed as per the Sport version.A front cockpit cover with a removable windshield will beused with the yellow wing/black fuselage paint scheme ofa PA-6 Mailwing adorned with U.S Mail , CAM 19.Steve reports the PA-7 was sold new on June 7, 1930 toWalter Hoffman of New Haven, CT. Later it moved to California until 1944, when it was converted to a crop duster andput to work in Florida. In 1953, Paul Mantz Air Service ac-quired the Mailwing and had it ferried back to California.In 1961, the registration was transferred to Tallmantz Aviation Inc. During the per iod between 1953 to probably 1955,it was used in various movies, including Blaze of Noonwith William Bendix. William Holden and Anne Baxter. Itwas last flown in 1955 by Gene Brown for an Eastern Airlinespromotion. A Wright J-6 7 cylinder engine will e installedin the PA-7 during the restoration, exactly as it had whenleaving the Pitcairn factory. Steve reports the PA-7 had aWright J-5 9 cylinder engine when Gene Brown last flewthe airplane in 1955 and that engine was still on theairplane when he purchased it. In an odd note, there isnothing in the logs or other documents that show the J-5being installed.

Pitcairn PA-7, NC95W, is shown about 1955with Gene Brown at the controls. Note theLockheed Constellation landing in thebackground.Gene was a Captain for Eastern Air Lines and also had the distinctionof flying Pitcairn Mailwings in the earlymail service for Pitcairn Aviation, EasternAir Transport and Eastern Airlines duringthe period 1928 to 1935.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15


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SIX--MONTH SEDANI was flying a IOO hp Chief on floatsand thought I would like to upgrade tosomething larger. In the fall of 1987 afriend of mine found N141 OH storedin a barn just outside of Toledo, Ohio .The previous owner had disassembledthe aircraft for reconditioning andpainting 17 years prior, and never completed the project.The interior was a disaster, all eatenand shredded by nesting mice; it didn tsmell too good either. The Sedan,which had been out of service for thepast J7 years was structurally sound .Tubing was great, fabric (Ceconite)was in excellent condition except forsome ringworm and cracks in the dopedue to age. The wings were in nearperfect condition except for someheavy-duty hangar rash on the wingtips and a cat that had taken up residence where the fuel cell normallygoes.16 FEBRUARY 199

by ENNISKIRKWOODThe engine was anybody's guess.

The previous owner said he had turnedit over on a regular basis while it wasin storage . I didn t pull any jugs butlooked into the cylinders with aflashlight and indications were favorable . With the assumption I was lookingat a six-month winter project , I purchased the plane and moved it back toMichigan. We left the cat back inOhio.Since my Sedan was destined to bea f1oatplane, at this time I began whatturned out to be a relentless search fora good tight set of used EDO 2000swith Sedan fittings - more on the sagaof the floats later.With the plane back in Michigan,restoration began by stripping out whatwas left of the interior and a cursoryinspection under the cowling. This was

done in order to get a good look at thestructural integrity of the fuselage andto generate a list of what would beneeded over the next few months .The list began to grow and my pocketbook began to shrink . Major itemsneeded were: new upholstry, headliner, carpeting and metal-to-metal seatbelts from Airtex; new tires, tubes,brake parts, lord mounts , airbox kit ,battery and windshields from Univair;new mags and harness from Slick.Along with these necessities I orderedtwo STCs from Dick Welsh , one forhis seaplane door and the other for hi smetal tanks.At this point it was quite obvious Iwas involved with much more than asix-month project with total budgetalready exceeded . Well, on with thework.The engine was removed so themount could be inspected and painted.


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All exposed fuse- spent.lage tubing wasreprimed withzinc chromate all cables wereinspected andreplaced if necessary and theseaplane door in-stalled The wingswere cleaned andinspected for corrosion and themetal tanks wereinstalled. Oncethe seat frameswere painted andreinstalled thenew interior wentinto place andthe Sedan startedto look like thebeginning of areal plane .

All sheet metwas removed

from the fuselage refinishedand reinstalledwith new hardware. The project was outsidenow susceptibleto the weatherso the new windshield halves wereinstalled. This ofcourse was aftera minor setback;one of the windshields was crackedwhen the cratewas opened. Witha lot of scramHauling the prize of the day home to Michigan, we are greeted by the large sign. Note thedimples in the Aeronca nosebowl that had to be removed and the sorry looking headliner. bling a little

At this point I was about 10 monthsinto the project with half of the 1988float season behind me. If I wanted toget the Sedan in the air this year it wastime to get serious about floats . It always seems those good deals are neveraround when you are in the market.Decent 2000s had all but dried up andriggings for the Sedan were next to impossible to find. After 10 months ofchasing ads in the US, Canada andeven Alaska I was confronted withtwo options; I could complete the restoration as awheel plane orpop for newfloats. I contacted J Frey atEDO who saidhe could fill myorder includinga new set ofSedan riggingsin about 30 daysif I wanted totake the plunge.I will not repeatwhat the pricewas; althoughI had to sell myChief to coverthe bill.

I drove to theT-Craft plantin Pennsylvaniawhere the floats

to save on freight charges. It wasn't abad drive from Michigan and with atour of the T-Craf t plant it turned outto be quite an enjoyable field trip.Being a stickler for details andsafety I decided to replace all ANhardware that was old corroded or inquestion . This exercise equated to over

300 in miscellaneous nuts & bolts a complete understanding/knowledgeof the total mechanical aspects of thecraft and a tremendous personal satisfaction that the job was done right. Inother words time and money well

luck and a littlemore money I had a new one in aboutfive days.During the five-day waiting periodthe refinished tail feathers were installed and I was now ready for theengine and mount. I still had graveconcerns over the engine that had beenout of service for over 17 years . I installed the mount and engine with newlord mounts. The carb was removed tofree up a frozen accelerator pump andcomplete an old AD for a metal float- it is amazing that a part so smalland light could cost so much. Next

came new magsharness plugsexhaust gasketsand all newSCAT tubing .

Since the wingswere not on asyet all that wasneeded was atemporary fueltank so the engine could bestarted and tested.What a welcomesurprise; six revolutions of theprop and theold girl firedup. After about45 seconds toone minute theoil pressure startedto build and theWith the Sedan fuselage suspended from a tree after major rebuilding, the brand new Edowere assembled engine settled2000 floats are carefully fitted to their attach pOints. The trick is to get everything square asat that time and to a 550-rpmyou tighten up the steam ine wires between the floats and the airplane. Note the removedpicked them up. landing gear by the tree. Extreme care must be used to not damage the (highly) expensive idle. I ran theThis was done floots. engine several

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Once assembled nd in the water, the Sedan looks like a real seaplane. Large, 200 sq . ft. wing all-metal) has excel lent liftingcapability. Note dual water rudders, a real asset in water handling qualities.times over the next few days and it wastime to check compression . I washappy; 4 cylinders at 70 pounds , oneat 65 pounds and number six at 52pounds.

It was late October now and againstEDO s recommendation , who thinksthat all floats should be gray , the floatsand rigging were painted to match theairplane . I installed the floats and decided to move the plane to the water sedge prior to installing the wings. Letme tell you, with a 12-foot horizontalstabilizer , a 20-foot fuselage and a lotof trees, this was not an easy job . Onceon the water s edge, the wings, strutsand ailerons were installed and theplane took shape again after 8 yearsof being in pieces.

The major work was done now, withthe exception of re-installing thegauges that had been removed and sentto Century Instrument for testing anddial work. All that was le ft at this pointwas a lot of paperwork, another lookat the weak cylinder and a completeannual. The cylinder proved to be lowon compression due to a worn pistonalong with a bad wrist pin . The jugwas removed and fitted with a new piston, rings, wrist pin, valves and seats8 FEBRUARY 1990

and the gauges were installed.After about an hour of running timewhich included several high speed

taxis across the lake and a few compression checks , I called for the annualinspection . With no surprise the oldgirl passed and I was confronted with

the ultimate challenge - the testflight. When I say ULTIMATECHALLENGE that is exactly what Imean. Those of you who have built anairplane from a blueprint or rebuilt onefrom boxes of parts and then proceededto climb in and fly it, know that I

The ll metal wing allows a single strut for the wing that requires no jury strut. Althoughonly one door is provided on the right side, this Sedan has a second seaplane door onthe left side for docking on either side. All in all, you must dmit, this is one beautifulseaplane.


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From the front. the first class restoration work is plainly visible along with the flat-pitched seap lane propeller on the Continental 145.The paint scheme is well designed and compliments the lines of the airplane. especially with the painted floats. Better enjoy thepretty white float bottoms - they may not stay that pretty for long!

mean. For those of you who have not- words cannot describe this experience . This would be my third time asa test pilot of my own creation andbelieve me, the anxiety does not diminish with repetition.After waiting for what seemed likemonths (actually about four days) forthe ideal test flight conditions , I was

willing to accept anything short of galeforce winds. t was about 30 minutesbefore dusk, winds were calm and itwas time for the flight. I even had thegood fortune of a volunteer copilot,Tim ishop , a close friend of minewho had helped me quite a bit with theproject. The gallery consisted of myunderstanding wife, a few close friendsand a multitude of people around thelake who had followed the project forthe past year. Preflight complete, runup complete, controls full movement,oil pressure good, cylinder head tempabove 200, two high-speed taxis acrossthe lake and all looked good. I wedgedthe Sedan back into the comer of themile-long lake , raised the water rudders (something all good seaplanepilots must remember to do) and easedon the power. The Sedan was on step

in about six seconds and we were airborne with about three-quarters of thelake to go. Once airborne, I held herlevel to build some speed and theneased back on the stick to gain somealtitude . As we approached the end ofthe lake and started a somewhat tight

THE WINGSAND TAILFEATHERSWERE STILLINTACT.

tum , I remember us both saying, o ldengine, don't fail me now . We continued to circle the lake with slow precise movements of the control surfacesgaining as much altitude as possiblewhile ensuring room for a deadstick

landing - something I believe is usually much easier on a lake than at anairport. All instruments were withinoperating limits, the wings and tailfeathers were still intact and then ithappened; an extremely loud screeching sound caused both of us to leaveour seats. We looked around frantically and then my copilot shoutedIt's the tach cable; didn't you oil it?Thank god that s all it was, and aftera few minutes the screeching soundsettled to a bothersome noise . The bal

ance of the test flight was exciting andthankfully, uneventful.I have flown 1410H now for abouta year, including a trip across the pondto EAA Oshkosh '89. Other than thetach cable and a few loose nuts andbolts, no problems . I would like to extend a special thanks to Clayton Elliott,Tim Bishop and Dick Welsh for theirassistance and knowledge of AeroncaSedans and to George Regan for hisexcellence in painting and the hours hespent helping me. I would like to extend an extra special thanks to my wifeLinda who I believe understands meand continues to put up with my multiyear airplane projects .

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19


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JOHN LAFFERTY,n e of the annual thrills at the bigEAA Convention in Oshkosh , Wisconsin is watching the neophytes try theirhand at welding aircraft steel tubing inthe open workshops. Timid handsbring the flame into position s a smallshower of sparks signals the onlookers

that molten metal is being fused. Theinstructor, a man of generous proportions with a large grey beard, leans forward to carefully coach the student onadding just enough welding rod to formthe proper bead. The tiny pool ofmelted steel is slowly chased acrossthe steel joint until an excited studentsuddenly realizes he has welded a near

by orm etersenPhotos Courtesy of ohn Lafferty

perfect bead. His hands are no longertimid. He has grasped the makings ofa new skill that will last him a lifetime.The instructor's pay is a tinge of selfsatisfaction in seeing another studentaccept his knowledge.Having volunteered as a welding instructor for over 20 years, our subjectrocks back on his welding stool andpushes the welding goggles up on hisforehead. A bit of sweat glistens on hischeekbones. His smile and deep voice

are a trademark. The EAA nametag onhis shirt reads, John Lafferty.Few people in this world are suchdyed-in-the-wool EAA types as JohnLafferty (EAA 35501, N 8308) ofAustin, Minnesota. To fully understand this multi-talented man, we haveto examine the many events in his life- nearly all connected to his aviationbent.Born in Peoria, Illinois, in 1913,John moved to Austin with his parentswhen he was just a baby. Although hisfather died when John was only nineyears old, he managed to keep busywith a St. Paul Dispatch paper route

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when he wasn't inschool. One dayat age 14, Johnrode his bicycleout to a field eastof town where abarnstormer wasselling rides in agreen and silverWaco biplane. Johnand a friend boughta two-dollar rideand they savoredthe joys of flightfor the first time.The die had beencast

Taking a mechanics course inAustin High School,John was soonable to learn thefine art of acetylene welding, askill that wouldserve him for thenext 50 years plus .Following school , John went to workin the local Ford garage as a mechanicfor 12 dollars a week. Weekends werealways spent hanging around the Austin airport, which in those days was abare field with maybe one or twoairplanes . One of the local barkeeps ,"Lefty" Saunders, had a strong aviation interest and loaned a young pilotnamed Marcellus King, who had movedto Austin from Boone, Iowa, enoughmoney to buy a Taylor J-2 Cub - 40horses and all. To this very day, theEAA chapter in Austin is named the"Marcellus King" EAA Chapter 386.

Carefully spacing his two-dollar, 15 minute lessons , the youngLafferty started fly-ing instruction withMarcellus King in1936. On the 4thof July, 1937,after some fourhours of instruction John Laffertysoloed the J-2Cub, NC17566. Itwas the greatestday in his life upto that time.

The City of Austin had hauled anold voting boothout to the airportto serve as an ad-

Lafferty tells howthey dug the 40horse Continentalout of the groundand sent it back toLock Haven, Pennsylvania, home ofPiper (nee Taylor) .The factory installed it in abrand new J-2Cub which wasflown back toAustin. When itarrived, John remembers lookingclosely at the newairplane, only todiscover the engine still had mudbetween the cooling fins

Building up fly-ing time at everyMarcellus King, Austin airport manager and John Laffertys instructor, poses by the J-2 opportunity, Johnub that John soloed in 1937 In later years, Marcellus became a well-known racingand aerobatic pilot, for whom the EM Chapter 386 is named.

ministration building. The only structure on the entire field , it had a largeoak table in the center that took upmuch of the room The table served asa workbench when the engines neededoverhaul and as a gathering spot forthe flyers when it wasn ' t full of greasyparts.Before long , one of the localsbought a Warner Monocoupe which together with the two J-2 Cubs , made fora busy airport . As fate would haveit , the Monocoupe and one of the Cubshad a mid-air collision over the field ,killing all three people involved . John

The partiCipants in flight instructors school line up for their portrait at Cinncinati s LunkenAirport in 1939 John Lafferty is number five from the left in the front row and Johnny of experience heVasey is sixth from the right - front row. had ever had InVINTAGE AIRPLANE 21

soon had the required 35 hours

for a private license . The CAA Inspector, named R. F. Fender , arrived onthe scene for flight tests. The localsquickly dubbed him "Right Front "Fender. John taxied out for his testwith Right Front in the rear seat, doorand window open . Plowing throughseveral large mud puddles, the rear seatoccupant was completely doused withmuck This is not the best way to treatan inspector, however , John passed hisflight test.

In 1938, John bought a J-3 Cub witha 50-hp Franklin and earned his "LimitedCommercial license, which allowed

him to charge forrides within 50miles of home.Barnstorming inthe area , Johnsoon logged the200 hours requiredfor a full commercial license.The CAA Inspector was not satisfied with John'sflying ability during the flightcheck so he gaveJohn an hour ofdual instruction,which John readily admits was thebest hour's worth


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30 days, the inspector returned, knowing that John hadbeen flying almostevery day - on hisorders . This timeJohn passed andthe inspector said,"You finally learnedhow to fly an airplane "With war cloudsgathering on thehorizon, the flighttraining programswere gathering speedand the demand forflight instructors wassevere. John Lafferty and his closefriend Johnny Vaseyalso from Austin,traveled to Cincinnati's Lunken Air-

John Lafferty's class of 12 students pose in front of the Waco UPF-7 at Pancho Barnes'training school in Antelope Valley, California. John would especially enjoy hearingfrom any of these 12 men. Write John Lafferty at 100612th Ave.NW Austin, MN 55912.

was used for solowork. This very airplane is now beingrestored by veteranEAAer Ed Marquartin Riverside, California. Lafferty'sclass of 12 studentswas eventually completed with all students passing .In late 1940,John Lafferty joinedhis friend, JohnnyVasey at the TexRankin AeronauticalAcademy in Tulare,California where bothwould instruct forthe next three years.The Academy wasa civilian schoolunder contract to

port to earn their instructors' ratings .The aircraft used for instruction wereLuscombe 8As with no brakes on therighthand side. John says the ruddersgot a real workout on some of thecrosswind landings.

It wasn't long before Tri-State College at Angola, Indiana, called for thetwo Johns to report for instructor dutyand they flew up there in a J-5 CubCruiser. John Lafferty's first class of10 students included two from PuertoRico. A new Waco UPF-7 was broughtin from Troy, Ohio for advanced training and John beganhis first aerobatictraining. He admitsit was fun and theWaco proved to bea rugged trainer.With the completion of class training, the opportunity arose to moveon to California orOklahoma for secondary Civil PilotTraining instructionalwork. The two Johnsflipped a coin andit came up "heads"for California. Theydrove home to Austin for a brief visitand then headed forCalifornia. Johnny

run by Sammy Mason . John Laffertywent out to the famous (or infamous)Happy Bottom Riding Club run by

Pancho Barnes at Antelope Valley, outin the California desert.

The job was a tough one. It was sohot in the middle of the day that flyingbecame unbearable. John would starthis students at daybreak and fly untillate forenoon, ceasing operations during the heat of the day . After an earlysupper at 4:30, the flying would continue until dark. The UPF-7 was usedfor dual and a Waco INF, NC11267,

the military andwas run by a military nucleus. The instructors were enlisted in the Army Reserve and all training was in StearmanPT-17 biplanes. Normal complementon the field was 250 to 300 Stearmansat all times and the sky was extremelybusy with the yellow and blue biplanes.The weather allowed flight training allyear 'round, so an average class woulduse 90 days for each student to gain100 hours of flight training .As John Lafferty says, Sure it washard work, but being right in the middle of history-in-the-making was quitean honor. We flew

thousands of hoursin open-cockpit Stearmans, training hundreds of new pilots .Such a unique situation will neverhappen again Itwas our day toshine ."Quite remarkably,John only recallsone mid-air duringthe entire three-yearstint. Remember,there were 250 airplanes, all VFR, noradio, flying withina 25-mile circle .The main and auxiliary fields were

... square and you landedinto the wind at allasey began instruct With his first class of four students at Tex Rankin's cademy of Flight in Tulare, Johning at Van Nuys for times . There wereLafferty poses with his scarf leather jacket. Note many Stearmans in the back-the Tex Rankin many groundloopsground, the average population being 200 to 300 aircraft at all times. John taughtSchool, which was here for three years along with Johnny Vasey. and scraped wings,22 FEBRUARY 1990


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Waco INF NC 11267 S N 3446, used by John Lafferty for student solo work t Pancho Barnes' Antelope Valley fl ight school. This Wacois presently being restored by Ed Marquart. The large U.S. on the fuselage was required in coastal zones prior to World War II.

but that was considered part of the costof training.In 1943, the two Johns were assigned to the Army Air Corps as brandnew second lieutenants and transferedto Taft, California for Vultee BT-13instructing. Their Air Force wings hadan "S" in them for Service Pilot, whichmeant that you had earned them onyour own. Both men instructed in BT13's for the next 8 months.From there they moved throughLuke Army Air Force Base for AT-6training where they were awardedpilot's wings - not bad, consideringthey now had nearly 8,000 hours eachThe next move for the two Johns wasunusual in that both men were postedto B-29 flight engineer positions ascommissioned officers, whereas thenormal B-29 flight engineer was an enlisted position. The idea was to gainthe advantage of having three qualifiedpilots on board the huge aircraft. JohnLafferty had made the rounds of largeaircraft bases in the U.S. by the timethe war ended. Johnny Vasey finishedthe war flying B-29s from Tinian Island in the Pacific.Once separated from service, JohnLafferty bought a surplus Stearman for

$250 and flew it home to Austin whereit was used for rental purposes in theGI flight training program in 1947, , 48and 49. John often wishes he hadbought more at that priceBeside his flying in the spare moments, John took up with the automo

"JOHNBOUGHT ASURPLUSSTEARMANFOR $250.

tive business once again and he and hislovely wife, Grace, began raising afamily . On the weekends, John wouldgo aerial fox hunting with his friend,Paul Hull, as "gunner." In those days,fox were plentiful and the countieswould pay a bounty of four to eightdollars for each fox brought in. Shooting "varmits" from the air was per

fectly legal in those days and waslooked upon with favor. John and Paulwould roam the fields of southern Minnesota and eastern South Dakota withthe J-3 Cub on wheels and skis, looking for Mr. Fox. Swooping down justabove the running animal, the gunnerwould aim behind the fox (remember,the plane was going faster than the fox)with small-size shot from a 12-gaugeshotgun. On a good day, it was possible to earn quite a few extra dollars the best being 22 fox in one forenoon .And you always turned them in to thecounty that paid the highest bounty regardless of where they were actuallytaken. The pelts would bring an additional two to five dollars. Althoughsome fox hunters reported holes shotin their wing struts, tires and propellers, John and Paul worked well together. The only thing John remembersis pellets hitting the prop on occasion,the sharp "ping" easily heard above theroar of the engineThe real danger involved the pilotnot watching where he was flying Inall the excitement, the pilot wouldsometimes keep watching the fox instead of the airplane's attitude - oftenwith fatal results. There is a maneuver

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named the "foxhunter's sta " whichmy instructor dem-onstrated to me in1956 . It is a fullycross controlled tumthat resu lts in avicious snap rolland, at 50 feet ofaltitude - almostcertain death . Itclaimed many vic-tims before aerialhunting was outlawed.Meanwhile , John-ny Vasey wasbu sy combiningthe 450-hp engineo a BT-13 withthe airframe of aStearman and ascould be expected,John Lafferty wasin the thick o theaction. The ideawa s to make anairshow mount that

John lafferty on the right with his gunner, Paul Hull, pose in front of the 65 hp ub withthe pelts of many red foxes that were taken over a winter. Back in the forties, the peltswere worth several dollars, however, a bounty of 4 to 8 was paid by county govern-ments. This type of hunting is no longer permitted.would thrill the crowds with its noise in the supercharger that would allow open. Falling clear,

the front seat provided the airshowsmoke. With JohnnyVasey at the controls, it was a genuine crowd pleaser.(Today, the 450Stearman is thestandard o the"smoke noise"airshow act.) Oneday in April 1947 ,John Lafferty tookthe Stearman upto practice 111-verted spins. Hekicked the Stearman over and forgot to turn on theinverted system.The inverted spinwent flat and without power, the airplane refused tocome out Johnsaw the groundapproaching andsnapped the beltJohn pulled theand power. An inverted fuel system the engine to run wide open upside ripcord and the parachute worked fine,was made by installing a nozzle orifice down. A pressurized smoke oil tank in but the Stearman was destroyed. John

With the smoke valve wide open and the 450 Pratt e Whitney flat out, aerobatic pilot Johnny Vasey makes a low inverted pass overthe Austin airport with his airshow Stearman.24 FEBRUARY 1990


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Lafferty ended up acharter member ofthe Caterpillar Club.Unfortunately, anairshow had beenbooked just ninedays away Immediately, Johnny Vaseybought another BT 13and a Stearman andthe crew went towork building anew aerobatic airplane. With bothJohns working theclock around andothers pitching in,the new Stearmanwas somehow finished in time andthe airshow was

can only be donewhen it comes fromthe heart . It has tobe a labor of love.In all the 50-plusyears in aviation, Iasked John and Graceif there were anyclose calls in theirlife, knowing fullwell there wereprobably many insuch an occupationand avocation. Theyadmitted the closestcall came one warmAugust day whenthey returned homefrom the EAA Oshkosh Convention.They drove intoflown as scheduled. Piper PA 18S 125 Super Cub on Edo 2000 floats flown by Paul Hull and John Lafferty their driveway and

since 1951. This airplane has covered most of southern Ontario over the past 38 yearsThe only part used John went up to unfrom the wreckedStearman was the nozzle orifice in thesupercharger. The plane was alwaysrefered to as, "The Nine-Day Wonder."John Lafferty'S next project was thetotal restoration of a Taylor J-2 Cub ,NC 19565, which captured the Minnesota AAA Best Restored Antiqueaward in 1960. This beautiful restoration has since been owned by veteranantiquers, Jack Lysdale and Johan Lar

sen, and is now in the San DiegoMuseum of Aviation .Another object of John Lafferty's attention has been a 1946 TaylorcraftBC-12D, NC95866, which was purchased for $525 in Wisconsin and totally restored to new condition. It too,has won numerous awards and is stillowned by John and flown by his son.The T-Craft has had only six previousowners, all in the Wausau-Merrill,Wisconsin area .The past 30 years have also involveda couple of fishermen who love to flyfloatplanes John Lafferty and PaulHull (his gunner from the fox huntingdays) have owned a Piper PA-18 SuperCub on Edo floats and have flown theentire area of southern Ontario lookingfor the "big fi sh." John humbly admitsto landing a 22-pound lake trout on onetrip. The 125-hp Super Cub on floats

is flown off a wheeled dolly in thespring and slid onto the grass at theairport in the fall. In 30 years, everthing has worked fine with this system.However, during those same years , thehazards of floatplane operations caughtup with the pair on several occasions.

Rocky shorelines are a floatplane'sworst enemy, especially when coupledwith a strong wind. Between suchsojourns and a tree falling across theSuper Cub, the pretty red & whiteairplane has been rebuilt three times- once with a factory-new fuselage .In later years, Paul Hull has assumedthe operation of the Super Cub andJohn Lafferty has gone on to other pursuits.Besides lending a hand to manyother EAA folks and teaching aircraftwelding whenever called upon, Johnhas been busy building a l80-hp PittsSpecial. The workmanship in this proj-

John Lafferty's 180-hp Pitts S 1S project receives a little sunshine in the driveway.Note the dynafocal engine mount and theimmacula te workmanship.ect is a sight to behold f ever the term"perfect in every detail" were applied- it would be here. John s patience withmaking small parts, his exacting woodwork and metalwork, his ultra-smoothfabric work, all stand out when thePitts is closely examined . Such work

lock the front doorof the house. As he grasped the doorknob to tum it, he discovered it wasextremely hot - almost burning hishand Opening the door , he was greetedby a blast of 125-degree air. Apparentlythe thermostat had jammed and the furnace had been running wide open forseveral days Candles all over the househad melted, wooden furniture had splitand the house plants had burned to acrisp Just why the house didn t catchfire, no one knows . As John and Graceagree, it was a very close callOn the walls of the Lafferty home,there are any number of plaques attesting to John s achievements , includingan '81 Oshkosh Service Award, an 82EAA Achievement Award, an 82 EAARecognition A ward plus many, manymore aircraft award plaques and trophies. The Marcellus King EAA Chapter 386 has bestowed numerous awardson this couple for all their help andcontributions over the many years. However, the real beneficiaries of John stalent are the many would-be airplanebuilders who are fortunate enough to havewelded their fIrst bead under the watchful eye of John Lafferty, a pilot 's pilot.On December 28, 1989, John andGrace Lafferty celebrated their Golder:Wedding, having been married for 50years . This gifted couple, John, a pilotand instructor of over fifty years experience , and Grace, a school teacherfor many, many years, have donemuch more than their share of helpingothers. They are the cement that holdsthis old world together. For this, wemust all be eternally grateful..

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25


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HURRYHURRYCatch the action under

the ype ClubHeadquarters

big top.

story and photosby im aynes

6 FE BRUARY 199


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neof the most rewarding andpleasant experiences a volunteer canhave at the EAA Oshkosh Conventionis to volunteer time in the Antique/Classic Type Club Headquarters tent.The November 1989 issue of V -T GE IRPL NE listed 9 differentclubs and associations most of whichfall under the category of Antique andClassic. The Type Club Headquarterstent had only represented in 1989.

This is too bad since the tent existsfor the benefit of the clubs themselvesespecially those that do not have a na-tional convention. It serves as a gather-ing place for members to make contact

with others in their organization.Last summer I volunteered to repre-sent the Curtiss Robin owners and re-storers. I asked them to send me photos

of their Robins and many respondedeven those who were still in the processVINTAGE AIRPLANE 7


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o restoration. With these and otherdata on the Robin I was in business.It was one o the most rewarding yearsI have had at the Convention . I metmany fine people and several Robinowners stopped by looking for some-one. I was able to pass on the informa-tion so they could get together.Joe and Julie Dickey 5 TerraceLake Road Columbus Indiana 47201are the chairpersons who volunteer tooperate the Type Club Headquarters. Iwould encourage those who belong toa type club to urge their leadership tobe represented in this activity thenvolunteer to put in a few hours at thebooth some time during the Conven-tion. t will be a rewarding experience .

8 FEBRUARY 199


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TH RCHIVES~ ~ tp t ~ ~


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P SS T T1]An information exchange column with input from readers

by Buck HilbertEAA 21. le 5)PO. Box 424Union IL 60180

From the Pilot's Handbook ofAeronautical Knowledge EA-AC 61238Refueling procedures: Static electricity formed by the friction of airpassing over the surfaces of anairplane in flight and by the flow offuel through the hose and nozzle,creates a fire hazard during refueling .To guard against the possibility of aspark igniting fuel fumes. a groundwire should be attached to the aircraftbefore the cap is removed from thetank. Th e refueling nozzle should begrounded to the aircraft before refueling is begun and throughout the fuelingprocess. The fuel truck should also be

grounded to the aircraft and theground.If fueling from drums or cans isnecessary. proper bonding andgrounding connections are extremelyimportant. since there is an ever present danger ofstatic discharge andfuelvapor explosion. Nylon. Dacron. orWool clothing are especially prone toaccumulate and discharge static electricity from the person to the funnel ornozz le. Drums should be placed neargrounding posts and the followingsequence of connections observed:J Drum to ground2. Ground to aircraft

3. Drum to aircraft4. Nozzle to aircraft before tankcover is opened5. Wh en disconnecting reverse theorder-4 . 3 . 2 I .

The passage of fuel through achamois increases the charge of staticelectricity and the danger of sparks.The aircraft must be properlygrounded and the nozzle chamois filter . and funnel bonded to the aircraft.If a can is used. it should be connectedto either the grounding post or the funnel. Under no circumstances should aplastic bucket or similar non-conductive container be used in this operation.

The above excerpt from the book ofAeronautical Knowledge and a sheafof other excerpts came from one of myCivil Air Patrol pilots just a couple ofdays ago . He was concerned, andrightfully so, at the refueling methodswe used on a Varga last week afterwe d laboriously scraped the deteriorated sloshing compound from thetanks, cleaned out the finger screensand purged the tanks with MEK to remove the loose gooey stuff cloggingthe drains and getting into the screens.This is common to the Varga airplanesthat were manufactured in the late1970s and the only way to handle it isthe way we are doing it. It seems thatthe additives in 100-LL are softeningup the sloshing compound. After playing with this laborious process forabout three and a half hours it was fi-nally time to refuel the aircraft.

No problem We just took the sixgallon red plastic cans I had drainedthe fuel into , shoved a metal funnelwith a 100-to-one screen reinforcedwith some scraps of nylon hose as anadded filter into the filler hole , andstarted pouring. About half waythrough the process I hollered for Jimto get the other can ready. Jim wasway outside about 100 feet awaywatching from that distant vantagepoint. He very reluctantly came backand got the second can ready to pour.Dummy me, I never really noticed howreticent he was or how edgy heseemed . t was he who mailed me thebulletins, excerpts and the sheaf of information. I must admire him for histact. He just didn t come right out and

30 FEBRUARY 1990


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suggest that Lt. Col. "Buckie" wasbeing a jerk. He waited and let meknow by mail.The safety circulars and the information he sent on the proper handling offuel hit me sort of hard . t leaves a lotof questions in my mind too. I knowall about static discharges and grounding the airframe when fueling, butwhat was I using for brains when werefueled the Varga? f plastic gas cansare such a hazard why are they markedUL approved?" They even have Spec.numbers on them and a MassachusettsApproval number. There are warnings

embossed in the side about keeping outof reach of children; not to breathe thefumes ; not to siphon by mouth; notstoring in a vehicle or in a living area;that vapors can be ignited; to keepaway from flame; pilot lights and electric motors; and to keep the containerclosed. There is also a larger warningabout the fact that gasoline can explodeand that it can be fatal if swallowed,to call a physician if you do swallow,etc.There are no messages aboutgrounding There is no logical place toground it unless you use a metal funnel

and ground that. What if you have oneof the funnels that stops water andother contaminants and is made ofplastic? Are we safe then, in just having the airplane grounded?I have a lot of questions on this andI'm asking for some comments fromyou readers out there in the field . Theremust be a couple or more of you outthere who've the background and experience to clue us all in on this. I'mthrowing it out to hang. C'mon guysand gals, let's have your comments onthis one.Over to you

FURTH R VENTURES OF:

The following yarn unraveled on atrip t Reno. The trip is about a weekold. I m about two weeks older. Makethat three. The yarn was the fun part .The rest was adventure, at times tingedwith terror. Lenticular clouds arebeautiful. Rotor clouds aren t. - Ed-lock .

by Edlock Harthe Champ purred along like a songthrough sky as high as 6,000 feet. TheMojave desert slid slowly by below because we were headed for Tehachapi,and any other way would be lessstraightforward than the way that thisway was. Going straightforward became difficult when invisible potholesand bumps began swapping places .The RampTramp didn't much care.

In fact, we LIKE bumpy air becauseboredom won't mix with it.While we were bouncing along, alarge lenticular cloud appeared over

California City, where Doug Froniusflew his beautiful L-K sailplane to28,000 ft. Imagine the joy of makinga Diamond C flight in a 46-year-oldclassic, PERSONALLY restored likenew . Such a flight in a modem glassslipper would be wonderful, of course,but Doug's flight doubles the wonderment.

When Willow Springs was behind,but the Tehachapi Mountains weren't,HUNDREDS of wildly wavingwindmills bristled along the mile-longridge that slopes slightly toward theonly gap it's got. The road fromMojave gets to Tehachapi through thisgap, allowing the path of least resistance to help pave the way. Throttledback and descending at 100 mph, theChamp was set up for its usual entryinto Fantasy Haven Gliderport.

Well above and before the ridge, asurprise surprose us. The prevailingdowndraft was so strong it reached upand shoved us down eyeball-to-eyeballwith the highest windmills, despite fullthrottle and nose up to 60 lAS . Almost

hovering, we crept forward blade-toblade at LESS than 10 mphgroundspeed. This strange steady stateallowed the Champ to tilt with thosemonster blades until close to collision .They packed so much more wallopthan our six-foot Flottorp; thus, theChamp chose to crab to the right, sliding over to the next one with nearly noforward speed.

While facing off we started to sink- into the blades below us A rapidtum reduced the sink enough to comeback and tackle the next one. Tum tailand run? That's no fun - we enjoyedplaying Aeron-Quixote joust enoughnot to quit. We continued to thrust,parry, and crab all the way to the gap,where easy entry into the valley endedthe tournament.

Who won? Aeron-Quixote, ofcourse, without a single scar. On second thought, the equally unscarredwindmills could say THEY won. Let' scall it a draw and hope the windmillswon't forget the feisty little Champ


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32 FEBRUARY 1990


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MAJORCREDIT CARDSACCEPTED

S

OF AMERICA'S MOST FAMOUSAND BELOVED AIRPLANES

I am interested in additional informationon the items checked below:o EAA ir Adventure Video Clubo Free video catalogo Experimental Aircraft Associationmembershipo EAA Oshkosh Conventiono EAA Aviation Foundation

enclosed for videotapes of "It's Gotta e aJenny".(Send money order or include credit card number).NAME ______________________________________ __ADDRESS ____________________________________ __CITY _ STATE _______________ZIP _________ EAA VIDEO NO. ___________________SIGNATURE __________________________________ __

Here's the videoyou've beenwaiting for!Precious memories .. and the rebirth ofAmerica'slegendary "leading lady, the Curtiss Jenny. Thishigh quality video contains 30 minutes of aviationmagic including rare footage from the Jenny'searliest d ys as a miljtary trainer to its later roleas the airplane of choice for America's barnstormers. You'll also see amazing footage ofwingwalkers and plane to plane transfers. In addition,you'll witness Ken Hyde's 16 year, award-winningJenny restoration and the unprecedented gathering of six Jennies at the 1989 EAA Fly-in Convention. You may never see these priceless treasurestogether again as they take to the air. Hear theirpilots talk about the Jenny's unique handlingcharacteristics and their thoughts on flying anairplane from the pages of aviation history. Getyour copy today.

$24.95* add $3 postage and handling(WI residents add 5% sales tax)

CALL TOLL-FREE1 8 0 0 8 4 ~ ~ 6 1 2In Wisconsin call 1-800-236-4800Outside USA call 414-426-4800

EAA AVIATION FOUNDATION EAA Aviation Center Oshkosh, WI 54903-3065


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Where The Sellers and Buyers Meet. ..25 per word, 5.00 minimum charge. Send your d toThe Vintage Trader, EAA Aviation CenterOshkosh, WI 54903-2591.

AIRCRAFT:Replica 213 scale Jenny - 2 place, 4130. Outperforms the original. Inexpensive and fast to build flown to Oshkosh twice. Plans - $75.00 , video $25.00, info - $1.00. Wiley, P.O. Box 6366,Longmont, CO 80502. (12-3)(2) C-3 Aeronca Razorbacks - 1931 and 1934.Package includes extra engine and spares. Fuselage, wing spars and extra props. Museum quality!$30,000 firm! No tire kickers, collect calls or penpals, please! E.E. "Buck" Hilbert, P.O. Box 424,Union, IL 60180-0424.Bellanca 1946 14-13-2 Cruisair - 1100 TTAF,670 TT, Franklin 150 hp, 45 STOH, runs great! 7.5gph, 140 mph, always hangared, new wheels andbrakes, pictures available, will deliver. 11 ,000obo, Jim 517/773-3852. (2-2)

PLANS:POBER PIXIE - VW powered parasol- unlimitedin low-cost pleasure flying. Big, roomy cockpit forthe over six foot pilot. VW power insures hard tobeat 3 '/2 gph at cruise setting . 15 large instructionsheets. Plans - $60.00. Info Pack - $5.00. Sendcheck or money order to: ACRO SPORT, INC.,Box 462, Hales Corners, WI 53130. 414/529-2609.ACRO SPORT - Single place biplane capable ofunlimited aerobatics. 23 sheets of clear, easy tofollow plans includes nearly 100 isometrical drawings, photos and exploded views. Complete partsand materials list. Full size wing drawings. Plansplus 139 page Builder's Manual - $60.00 . InfoPack - $5.00. Super Acro Sport Wing Drawing $15.00. The Technique of Aircraft Building $12.00 plus 2 .50 postage. Send check or moneyorder to: ACRO SPORT, INC., Box 462, HalesCorners, WI 53130. 414/529-2609.

MISCELLANEOUS:Super Cub PA 18 fuselages repaired or rebuilt- in precision master fixtures. All makes of tubeassemblies or fuselages repaired or fabricatednew. J. E Soares Inc., 7093 Dry Creek Road, Belgrade, Montana 59714, 406/388-6069 , Repair Station D65-21 . (c/4-90)1910-1950 Original aviation items for sale - instruments, wood propellers, helmets, goggles ,34 FEBRUARY 1990

manuals, 44-page catalog airmailed, $5.00. Jon Al drich, Box 706, Airport, Groveland, CA 95321 , 209/962-6121. (c-2/90)Will Share my treasure of aircraft parts! - 24year collection with continuous additions andstill buying . . . for all types of aircraft. Tell me whatyou need! Air Salvage of Arkansas, Rt. 1, Box8020, Mena, Arkansas 71953, phone 501 /3941022 anytime. (c-3/90)JN4-D Memorabilia - "Jenny Mail" collectorcachets, actually flown in Jenny to Day and Osh,along with T-shirts, pins, posters, etc. Send SASEfor catalog/pricing. Virginia Aviation Co. , R.D. 5,Box 294, Warrenton , VA 22186. (c-5/90)Let the government finance your small business.Grants/loans to $500,000. Free recorded message: 707/449-8600. (HP7) (2-2)J-3 Left Landing Gear - $75.00. Piper aluminumwheel pants, $600.00 . Tip lights and brackets,$40.00. Five Taylorcraft tailsurfaces, $250.00. Marvel Schebler MA -3 carburetor, 65 hp, $300.00. Twoinch wind up clock, $50.00 Lycoming generator andbracket, $60.00. 315/363-4915. (2-1)Sixty Inch Grade "A" Fabric - $5.00 per yard.Two and three inch pinked tape . $20.00 per 100yard roll. 205/347-2887. (2 -1)NEW EAA REFERENCE GUIDE - Now in onevolume! Covering all EAA journals 1953 through1989. Newly organized, easier to read. MUCH REDUCED PRICE! Past purchasers: $7.50 USD plus$1.50 UPS/postage, 3 .00 Canadian, $7.00 other.New purchasers: $15 USD plus $1.50 UPS/postage, $3.00 Canadian, 7 .00 other. VISA/MASTERCARD accepted. John B. Bergeson , 6438 W.Millbrcok Road, Remus, MI 49340. 517/561-2393.Note: Have all journals. Will make copy of any article(s) from any issue at 25rt per page. ($3.00minimum).

WANTED:Wanted: Continental 670 parts needed. Motormount ring , wood prop hub, nut and cone. Stearman exhaust system and heat muff and shields.These are for a homebuilt. 6091783-5466 after 5:00p.m. EST. (2-2)Help! Need manuals, diagrams, specs, photos, advice to rebuild two Aeronca C-3s; a Razorback anda Collegian. Roy Johnsen, P.O. Box 214, Wells,NY 12190, 518/924-3280. (2-1)

MEMBERSHIPINFORMATIONEAAMembership in the ExperimentalAircraft Association, Inc. is $30.00for one year, including 12 issues of

Sport A viation. Junior Membership(under 19 years of age) is availableat $18.00 annually. Family Membership is available for an additional$10.00 annually.

ANTIQUE/CLASSICSEAA Member - $18.00. Includesone year membership in EAA Antique-Classic Division, 12 monthlyissues of The Vintage Airplane andmembership card. Applicant mustbe a current EAA member and mustgive EAA membership number.Non-EAA Member - $28.00. In-cludes one year membership in theEAA Antique-Classic Division, 12monthly issues of The Vintage Air-plane, one year membership in theEAA and separate membershipcards. Sport Aviation not included.

lACMembership in the InternationalAerobatic Club, Inc. is $25.00 annually which includes 12 issues ofSport Aerobatics. All lAC membersare required to be members of EAA.

WARBIRDSMembership in the Warbirds ofAmerica, Inc. is $25.00 per year,which includes a subscription toWarbirds. Warbird members arerequired to be members of EAA.

EAA EXPERIMENTEREAA membership and EAA EXPERIMENTER magazine is available for$28.00 per year (Sport Aviation notincluded). Current EAA membersmay receive EAA EXPERIMENTERfor 18.00 per year.

FOREIGNMEMBERSHIPSPlease submit your remittance witha check or draft drawn on a UnitedStates bank payable in UnitedStates dollars.Make checks payable to EAA or thedivision in ir t membership isdesired. Adc " .;s all letters to EAAor the particular division at the fol-lowing address:

EAA A VIA TION CENTEROSHKOSH, WI 54903-3086PHONE (414) 426-4800OFFICE HOURS:8:15-5:00 MON.-FRI.


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by Ceorge Hardie Jr.

i t t le airplanes have always held acertain fascination for pilots and enthusiasts alike. This one was an earlyattempt to produce a sport type for thepersonal pilot. The photo is from theEAA archives, date and location notgiven Answers will be published inthe May , 1990 issue of VINTAGEAIRPLANE. Deadline for that issue isMarch 10, 1990.

The Mystery Plane in the November1989 issue drew very few re sponses.Again, Ted Businger of EveningShade, Arkansas was first. He writes:

"The airplane was the offspring ofthe MO-I designed by FrankMcGreery and engineered by BurtRaines . The common title for it wasthe Rohr 'Guppy. ' The project wassupervised by ' Dapper Dan ' Burnett, aling-time co-worker of mine. He .statedthat it flew well enough , nothing spectacular, although it was a little too cozywith its side-by-side seating. Its largestfault was coming into existence at thewrong time, 194711948, just in timefor the collapse of the post-World WarII light plane 'boom ' (should be'bust ' ).

"Just so nobody forgets, ' DapperDan' and our boss Fred Rohr were bothpart of the Ryan crew that built the'Spirit of St. Louis .' Dan 's sister wasa friend of Ed Morrow's wife VIN-TAGE AIRPLANE, JUNE, JULY1985 . A few of us are trying to convince Ed to come to Oshkosh nextsummer."Steve McNicoll of Geneva , Illinoisadds more:

"The airplane is a development ofthe Rohr MO-I, shown in the March1947 issue of AVIATION Magazine ,describing the Rohr MO-I. The components of the Rohr are very similar tothe Mystery Plane. Evidently the Rohrwas a failure in its initial carnard,pusher layout, and a re-arrangement ofits component assemblies would resultin an aircraft remarkably similar to theMystery Plane."

Nathan A. Rounds of Zebulon , Georgia writes:

'The Rohr Corporation designedand built the plane in 1946. It was atwo-seat design with a ' tadpol e ' fuse lage and a 'buttertly ' tail. The airplanewas flown and then they designed a

tail-first plane with many features ofthe earlier 1946 design. During thewar , Rohr built powcrplant assembliesfor Consolidated-Vultee and later. engine nacelles for the Lockheed Constellat ion. They also made exhaust assemblies for many aircraft. Now theyare located in San Diego , California.

Rohr u y

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 35


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all l lwy 193 Ten ents

Vintage Airplane - Feb 1990

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