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•
n
Restorer'sCorner
: lJJ/ .J.R. NIELANDER• .JR.
Your Editor has appointed three Associate Editors to
help him with the publication of your magazine. Hewould very much like to appoint at least three more. To
become an Associate Editor the writer must have sub-
mitted at least five articles which were published in THEVINTAGE AI RPLANE during the previous calendar
year. For each subsequent calendar year in which he
continues to submit at least five articles which are pub-
lished, he will continue to be appointed an Associate
Editor for the succeeding year. An Associate Editor will
receive a free membership in the Antique/Classic Divi-
sion each year that he holds the office. Further, he will
be supplied with official Division stationary for such cor-
respondence as he finds necessary in the pursuit of hisactivities as Associate Ed itor, official Division busi ness
cards imprinted with his name and title, and a Press
Card . Associate Editors' contributions will be credited to
them in the table of contents. In addition, every article
contains its author's byline at the head of the article.
Of course your Editor and his three Associate Editors
can not do the whole job by themselves, they need help
from you. Write the stories of your restoration or your
flying experiences in an antiq ue or classic aircraft and
submit them directly the the Editor, THE VINTAGE
AI RPLANE, Box 229, Hales Corners, Wisconsin 53130,
for publication in your magazine.
s;56,. latM' . '''. U . ~ ,
For those of you who are relativefy new members in
the Division we repeat excerpts from our February,
1976, Restorer 's Corner which contained our short
course in writing for publication.
Writing for publication is easy. Just tell the story in
your own words exact ly as it happened , Don't worry
about punctuation, misspelled words or grammar. Most
of the time your natural instincts in these matters will be
correct. For the few times that you may make a mistake,
your editor will make the necessary corrections.
What is most important in writing for publication is
the mechanics, not the grammar or punctuation. If youwrite for publication and do not use a typewriter, it is
best to use lined 11 x Y notebook or tablet paper and
to write only on every other line. If you do type, you
should double or triple space your lines.
Whether you type or write long hand, there are a
few more procedures which are considered standard
practice when writing for publication. First, you should
start typing or writing your story in the middle of the
first page so that the top half can be used for titling,
your byline, and for editor's notes. Use title which you
give to the story and yo ur name should be a ll that ap-
pears on the upper half of this first page. Second, youshou ld use one side of the paper only. Third, you should
number the top of each page and also restate your title
so that if your editor should happen to mix your storywith other papers on his desk, he will not have any
trouble identifying the individual pages and putting your
story back together. Fourth, at the bottom of each pageexcept the last one you should write 'more' or 'con-
tinued' to let your editor know that the page he holds is
not the last one in case they should become separated.
Fifth, at the bottom of the last page of your story you
should write 'end' to let your editor know that he has
the whole story and has not lost any pages.
The only other points of importance concerning
stories for publicat ion have to do with the submission of
photographs with th e stories. All photographs intended
to be used along with the content of the article should
preferably be black and white glossy prints. Colorphotos if they are sharp can be converted to black and
wh ite. These prints can be al most any size, but generally
editors like to get 5 x 7 or larger photographs. How-
ever, clarity and sharpness of detail are most important
and should never be sacrificed. Pictures for possible use
on the cover or for special color features should be
either color transparencies or very clear color prints. Be
sure to list the number of pictures enclosed with each
article on the top of the first page with the heading.With the completion of th is short course in maga-
zine writing yo ur editors will expect to be deluged with
stories and pictures of your experiences and your resto-
rations. Please don't let them down.
, :dt-
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ditorial
taffEditor Assistant Editor
Paul H. Poberezny AI Kelch Lois Kelch
c i a t ~ Eaito f'
H. Glenn Buffington
818 W. Crocken St. No. 201
Seattle, Washington 98119
ANTIQUE AND CLASSICDIVISION
OFFICERS
PRESIDENTJ.R. NIELANDER, JR.
P,O, BOX 2464FT. LAUDERDALE, FL 33303
VICE·PRESIDENTJACK WINTHROP
RT. 1, BOX 111
ALLEN, TX 75002
SECRETARYRICHARD WAGNER
P.O . BOX 1B1
LYONS, WI 53148
TREASURERE.E. "BUCK" HILBERT
8102 LEECH RD.UNION ,. IL 60180
Associate Editor Associate Ed i tor
Robert G. Elliott Edward D. Williams1227 Oakwood Ave. 713 Eastman Dr.
Daytona Beach , Florida 32014 Mt. Prospect, Illinois 60056
Associate Editors will be identified in the table of con·tents on articles they send in and repeated on the articleif they have written it. Associate Editorships will be
assigned to those who qualify (5 articles in any calendar
year).
Directors
Claude L. Gray. Jr . AI Kelch
9635 Sylvia Avenue 7018 W. Bonniwell Road
Northridge, California 91324 Mequon, Wisconsin 53092
James B. Horne Evander M. Britt
3840 Coronation Road Box 1525Eagan, Minnesota 55122 Lumberton. North Carolina 28358
George E. Stubbs M. C. "Kelly" Viets
Box 113 RR 1, Box 151Brownsburg, Indiana 46112 Stillwell, Kansas 66085
William J. Ehlen Morton Lester
Route 8, Box 506 P.O. Box 3747
Tampa, Florida 33618 Martinsville. Virginia 24112
Advisors
w. Brad Thomas. Jr. Dale A. Gustafson
301 Dodson Mill Road 7724 Shady Hill Drive
Pilot Mountain, North Carolina 27041 IndIanapolis. IN 46274
Robert A. White Roger J. Sherron
1207 Falcon Drive 446 -C Las Casitas
Orlando. Florida 32803 Santa Rosa. CA 95401
Maurice "Sonny" Clavel Stan Gomoll
Box 98 1042 90th Lane, N.E.
Wauchula. F L 33875 Minneapol s, MN 55434
THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE is owned exclusively by Antique Classic Aircraft, Inc. and is published monthly atHales Corners. Wisconsin 53130. Second"class Postage paid at Hales Corners Post Office Hales Corners Wisconsin53130. Membership rates for Antiqu e Classic Aircraft, Inc. at $14.00 per 12 month period of which $10.00 is for
the publication of THE VINTAGE AIRP tl ANE. Membership is open to all who are interested in aviation.
OFFICIAL MAGAZINE
ANTIQUE CLASSIC
IVISIONof
THE EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION
P.O. Box 229 Hales Corners Wis 53130
MARCH 1977 VOLUME 5 NUMBER 3
The Restorer's Corner . .. .. . . . . 1
Some thoughts on Fairchild PT Aircraft (by Ed Escallon) . 3
Cowboy Aviator (Roman Warren) (by Ray Cocking) 7
Vintage Album , . . . . . . 11A Silver Eagle Part (by Robert Elliott, Assoc. Ed.) ,13
P.A.T. (pacific air transport) (by Edward D. Williams Assoc. Ed.) .. 18
EAA ANTIQUE CLASSIC DIVISION MEMBERSHIP
o NON-EAA MEMBER - $34.00. Includes one year membership in the EAA Antique/Classic Division, 12monthly issues of THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE; one year membership in the Experimental Aircraft Association , 12 monthly issues of SPORT AVIATION and separate membership cards.
o NON-EAA MEMBER - $20.00. Includes one year membership in the EAA Antique/Classic Division, 12
monthly issues of THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE; c;ne year membership in the Experimental Aircraft Association and separate membership cards. SPORT AVIATION not included.o EAA MEMBER - $14.00. Includes one year membership in the EAA Antique/Classic Division, 12 monthly
issues of THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE and membership card . (Applicant must be current EAA member andmust give EAA membership number.
PICTURE BOXON THE COVER (hck Cover)
Dale Browders Fairchild in a Flor Tattered leather vest helmet, gog-ida setting. See article page 3. gles boots, grease smeared britches
- every inch a barnstormer. (Pilot
unknown) Photo Courtesy o BobMcDaniels,
Copyright © 1977 Antique Classic Aircraft, Inc . All Rights Reserved .
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Some thtmghts on lair hildPT i r c r t:J 26
By: Ed Escallon335 Milford Dr
Merritt Island, FL 32952
The Fairchild PT Series Trainers are in a metamorphous stage between being a commonplace, unwantedairplane, and a sought-after, practical antique for generalsport flying activity. My love for them grew quicklysome five years ago, when I purchased Nl 75N at
Arlington Field in Washington State, and has reachedproportions of an inseparable friendsh ip between ven-
erable air machine, and affectionado.My first thoughts on the aircraft proved correct in
that it is a fairly complex, not too economical machine,as compared to my background in owning Taylorcrafts.
Because of its military necessities and overweight airframe, it is a rugged airplane. The control system, typical
of many Fairchilds, is a joy to manipulate, and leavesyou a friend at first flight. The aircraft was well suited
for its purpose of Primary/ Basic flight training as stu
dents could feel that the airplane was und er their control
from the onset, and consequently become more attentive to other matters, as learning the particulars of flying
the aircraft. Earning the reputation of being the Cradleof the Air Force", the Fairchilds did some fine work for
many allied nations in their training role.
This initial feeling of confidence in the airplane has
proven to be the undoing of several PTs within my briefacquaintanceship with the breed. Essentially , the prob
lem is common to many heavier aircraft with high wing
loadings and low power loadings, coupled with suchitems as slotted split flaps, and low breakout stick
forces. The pilot has either gotten the airplane on thebackside of the power required curve on approach, or
they have fancied themselves fighter pilots, and stalled
out of a pull-out, done at low altitude. Fortunately, in
all the instances I'm familiar with, the airframe has
proven rugged enough to protect the pilots with minimalinjuries. Unfortunately, in all cases, the airframe proved
beyond economical repair.
Dale Browder his wife Juanita and ''The Taintsville Air Corps
Accidents of these sorts are completely preve ntablewith proper airspeed control. As long as 80 MP IAS is
maintained on final approach all the way down to about
3 to 5 feet off the gound, there will be no surprises, evenunder the most adverse conditions. But with the light
controls, it is very easy to nudge a few MP off the ship
that require prompt, attentive action to replace. Thenose-low appearance of the cowling, and a healthy
descent rate seems to encourage pilots to start flaring 25feet off the ground. The subsequent series of bounding
(Uncredited Photos furnished y author)
hops will prove to ail observers present, that the landinggear just isn't that tall Stalls are normal and break
evenly, with little tendency to falloff on a wing. Rudder
control, from this oversized surface is excellent. Sta recovery is good, but the altitude loss, especially in awell developed stall can be considerable, especially if asecondary {or accelerated stall} follows the first. Thesecondary caused the other portion of accidents forun expecting low l eve l fighter pilots. I've been doing a
considerable amount of flight training in what Wichita
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would like to call a trainer these days,
and it is often very educational to show a
new private pilot an accelerated stall oc
curing at 120 MPH lAS out of the back
side of a loop with the airplane in a ver
tically nose-down attitude. This is no air
plane to be doing low level acrobatics in,
and this should be respected by all.
Many old wives tales arise out of the
Ranger engine. While I am by no means
the most experienced Ranger expertin
the world, I've made it a point to listen
carefully to what the old salts , and a
host of other self proclaimed experts have
had to say, and my conclusion is that the
Ranger is an exceptionally fine vintage
engine.
My first Ranger was ready for removal
at 10 hours time, despite a supposed
major overhaul. Later inspection showed
that it never belonged on an airplane in
the first place. With such faults as galled
thrust bearings, improperly installed rod
bearings, plugged oil passages and alike, it
is a testament to the engine that it held
together.
My luck wasn't much better with the
second engine, purchased from a commer
cial operator of Grumman Widgeons. Not
too long after a most enjoyable trans
continental flight, this Ranger developed
a severe case of low compression (which I
was tempted to overlook), but even
worse, a random low frequency vibration
which was finally attributed to the crank
shaft having over 1/8 endplayin
it. Ihaven't disassembled this engine yet to
find out the whole story, but I suspect it
is serious. Once again, significantly, this
engine did not give up in flight despite
major internal problems.
With this background of trouble (and
expense), I very carefully overhauled the
third Ranger myself (under A P super
vision), doing everything my Mechanical
Engineering background demanded of an
Apollo Spacecraft. Some 900 hours later
this Ranger runs like a top, with no in
ternal work, good compression, and clean
screens, despite several thousands of take
offs and landings, and an occasional over
speed at the hands of an acrobatic stu
dent.
There are a few minor items that will
help the operation of the engine. First, is
to run the 200 HP version of the engine
on 100 low lead aviation gasoline. This
engine was originally designed for 87/91
Octane fuel, and 80/87 has been knownto cause detonation under hot days,
climb-out conditions, and cylinder failure
can result. Typically, even with this
malady, enough power is available out of
the other five to get you home, with a
not too comforting trail of smoke
marking your path. The 175 P version
of the Ranger can be run acceptable on
80/87, although finding it can be a little
academic these days.
During overhaul of the engine, im
proved results can be obtained by the
simple addition of intake valve guide
seals. These are nickel-and-dime items
from local auto parts stores, sold under
Perfect Circle No. 2014. Additionally,
some individuals have added exhaust
valve seals as well, but my preference
would be otherwise, as their tendency to
d ry up this adequately clearanced
passage could result in coking the lubri
cant, and cause sticking valves. Another
highly recommended change is sealing up
the sludge plugs in some manner superior
to the chill-fit originally specified. Theseplugs are intended to centrifically sep
arate impurities in the oil, but with the
use of modern Ashless Dispersant oils,
their importance is diminished greatly.
Long term engine operation loosens these
plugs and causes excess flow from the
pressure oil pump, and proportionately
increases its consumption. Two ways of
sealing up these plugs are to Locktite
them in place upon installation, or to
send the whole lot out to Bob Yates, in
California, where he will machine an 0
PT-LHS Cutaway
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ring groove in them, and supply you with the appropriate pre-formed packings for a nominal fee.
There is a low oil consumption factory bulletin No.
116, detailing methods of reducing main bearing clear
ances and alike, but I am not personally acquainted withthe report.
One modification I would not recommend, is the useof the Cadillac Oil Control Rin gs. These were highlytouted as the cure for oil consumption a few years ago,
but our experience in Florida is that the oil scraper ring
tends to work its way out of the piston's groove, gouges
the cylinder walls, and provides unwanted parts in thecrankcase. Most who acclaim th is modification have notpersonally run a Ranger over a couple hundred hours. It
is also said the FAA frowns on Cadillac ring usage. Goahead and put a quart or two an hour in your Ranger,
and figure that's part of the 'cost of dancing'.
Many owners have become disgruntled to hear resultsof differential compression tests on apparently good run
ning Ranger engines. Ofttimes carbon particles underthe valves will cause indications of valve problems. It is
suggested that seating surface areas be kept on the smallside during valve work. For apparent valve problems
during compression checks, it is recommended that youtake the airplane up and "wring it out then re-check
the compression while the engine is hot. At the very
minimum, this will work some of your frustrations out
Quite often, the numbers will come out in your favor on
the second test. Cylinder work on Rangers is quiteexpensive due to the extent of disassembly required.
Air-frame-wise, the Fairchild is a rugged bird, with
large box spars that would look good in a DouglasDolphin. Being of partially wood construction, outdoor
storage and long periods between flights do not agree
with it. Most owners find some small work to be done
every year along trailing edges, or around fittings. Center
section drainage is not especially good and it is important that AD note No. 48-45-1 be complied with, and
that moisture not be allowed to build up thru prolonged
sitting. While the Fairchild had few wartime problems,
poorly done repairs and deterioration in th is area have
caused wings to come off. Frequent inspections, good
repairs, and flying the aircraft within the published
limitations can avert any unpleasant surprises.There have been persistant rumors of a metal center
section replacement, but the nearest th ing I ve found is
the t h e r ~ y Ag Plane, built in Hollister, California,
largely around the configuration of the PTs fuselage. Its
Above T over Tainstville FL Photo by Frank Belle
design includes a thick, constant chord aluminum
construction wing of considerable proportions. Dave
Hamilton , of Anderson, Indiana is building new woodcenter-sections to factory drawings, and this would be
my choice for any major rework of a PT.
Manuals of repair are still available for the aircraft,
and these go into great depth in the maintenance of the
PT. However, if you don't plan on doing at least a
portion of it yourself, choose your mechan ic with care,
as wood, fabric and inverted engines are rapidly becoming unknown around the old airdrome these days.
Brakes and tail wheels give some of the more typical
day-to-day problems on the aircraft. Keep the inflation
on the tailwheel to about 60 PSI, and use a channel
tread tire to cut down on shimmy. On the Hayes
Expander Tube Brakes, use only automotive fluid, or
Lockheed No.5 Brake Fluid, and expect to occasionallycut down the pucks with some coarse sandpaper when
the brakes start bind ing up on you.
FI ightwise the old standard C I GAR C andGUM P checklists will cover all the particulars. Warm
Below T Rolling Photo by Frank Belle
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the Ranger up for a few minutes, especially in colderclimates, before you put a big load on it. Heavy weathercocking tendencies, and high apparent torque suggestthe stick "full back" for the start of the takeoff run,expecially in a left crosswind . Lots of rudder pressurecan be expected on takeof f and climb out, and it is bestto hold the tail down hard till 45 MPH lAS. Rotationcan be effected at 65 MPH lAS, with prompt acceleration following to a Best Rate of Climb of 80 MPH lAS.Other than the low speed, high power rudder pressure,the controls are all very smooth, light, well balanced andresponsive. Rolls of all sorts are just plain good funFull flap landings should be made only after consid
erable experience is gained in the airplane, as the descentrate and angle would make a Tri-pacer blush. It is veryimportant to maintain 80 MPH lAS till the ground is notfar below. At this speed the elevator response will bequite adequate to arrest the sink rate. The drag of fullflaps increases that of the basic airplane by severalhundred percent. With experience, you can make an 80MPH wheel landing and tu rnoff at the same intersectionas the Cubs, in 300' or less.With the narrow profile fuselage and underslung
power plant, visibility out the front , hole is comparableto a jet fighter. The rear seat visibility is obstructed bythe wing, but is fair looking forward because it isdesigned to be a little higher than the front. Takeoff andlanding visibility is excellent in the front, and the backseat is not indecent during landings with flaps down.
The Fairchild PT Series was designed to a specification series of nu mbers generated by the Army Air Corpsin the late 30's. Performance, limiting speeds, and otherfactors are quite comparable to its sister aircraft such asthe Stearman, Ryan, Waco and others. However, theFairchilds are placarded against certain rather wildmaneuvers, capably performed in some of the others.Comparison amongst the PTs will no doubt lead to endless controversy as to which is superior. In overall,consideration of long range, high speed cruising, excellent maneuverability, docility and tolerances to strongcrosswinds, the Fairchild would generally come out
favorably.Many have asked about how the PT 19/26 Ranger
powered version compares to the PT 23 Continental 220HP powered aircraft. From my limited experience withthe PT 23, it is probably a I ttle more of a work horse,with superior upper cylinder cooling. However, it has thegreater vibration typical of a radial, a louder exhaust
system, and the acceleration and glide performances are :markedly reduced. iMy Fairchild is equipped with a Hartzell Controllable i
Propeller, wh ich makes takeoff and cl imb performance iquite good, pulling slightly in excess of rated power i(2450 RPM) at the Best Rate of Climb. At cruise, a ipower setting of about 1700 to 2000 RPM and 20 Hg. ican be used with apparent noise reduction, smoothness, iand low oil consumption. One other minor point is that :the Hartzell goes supersonic at the tips at takeoff, and iwhile not adding measurably to thrust, it provides a igesture of contempt to those in the modern world who iWOuld try to muffle this beautiful aircraft sound . I also ..
have a Curtiss Reed Prop for the ship, for use during ..
overhaul periods on the Hartzell. With this prop, several :crankshaft resonances are apparent in the idling and ..
gl id ing RPM ranges, and takeoff performance is not as ..
While I have been intentionally brief in my remarks,Table 1 lists some good thorough references for the ..
enthusiast/owner, and I should be happy to assist inwhatever way I can personally to preserve th is breed of :F airch ild) horse. ..
The Fairchilders have a Type Club, which can be ..joined for a very nominal fee ($3/Year) by writing the ..
Editor of the Fairchild Flier, Mr. Don Coleman at 2750 ..
Broadway, Highland, IL. 62249. ..
.--------------------------------------TABLE 1
PT 19/26
CAA Aircraft Type Certification Number A-724US Army Air Corps Technical Orders No. 01-115GA-1,-2, -3,-4.
Airworth iness Directives:43-7-1 47-7-446-14-1 47-7-5 i46-14-2 47-7-647-7-2 48-45-147-7-3
Ranger Overhaul Manual Ranger Parts Manual iii
~ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ~ ..
The Scene StealersSome of the wildest, most daring, death-defying
aerial stunting ever seen took place in the moviesduring the twenties and early thirties. The stuntpilots, whose exploits were featured in such greatfilms as "Wings," "Lilac Time," "Hell's Angels,"and in hundreds of serials and adventure movies,were Barnstormers and veterans of the air circus.
These magnificent stunt pilots beat death withsplit-second coordination and precision movement.A mysterious unity of man and machine seemed to
take place during their stunting. Many of them are
now legend, Dick Grace, Frank Clarke, Dick Curwood, Ormer Locklear, Art Goebel, AI Johnson,Frank Tomick, Ivan Unger, Bobby Rose, Paul
Mantz.But aerial stunting in the cinema was a lot more
than spectacular aerobatics and dogfights. It wasrunning on the top wing of a biplane in flight. Or aman-to-man brawl on the top wing of an aircraft inflight. Midair transfers from one plane to anotherwithout a parachute
It was dropping from an aircraft onto a gallopinghorse or a speeding train. Crashing planes into theground, water, or walls. Being dragged through thesea on the end of a flying rope ladder. Midair explosions. Flying a plane off the top of a building
Aerial stunting in the cinema was a deadly,dangerous business. Many stunt pilots lost theirlives; most suffered injuries. Why did they do it?
Money? The thrill of danger? The desire to provethey were the best? There doesn't seem to be an
easy answer . But millions of Americans in thetwenties and thirties went to the movies andescaped into a world of adventure and excitementcreated by the daredevils of the sky-the StuntPilots.
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Roman
By: Ray Cocking
3468 Barnaby CtRiverside CA 92504
Photos furnished y author
uring an overcrowded bicentennial year, anunheralded 50th anniversary celebration was takingplace at Flabob airport, near Riverside, California. Theevent, on June 13, 1976, was celebrating the 50thanniversary of the Cowboy pilot, Roman Warren, who,in 1926; catapulted into international publicity over-night, by flying under the center span of the Santa AnaRiver Bridge, in Riverside, Calif. He was a little known,and slightly hungry pilot, who was trying to scratch out
a living with a small airport, giving plane rides to payingcustomers with a fare ranging from 2 .50 to 10.00.Warren explained that during those times, the northwinds blew so hard sometimes that he couldn't take off,and when he didn't fly, he didn't eat. One day in 1926the news reported on the national wire system, that aFrenchman had been killed in an unsuccessful attemptto fly his plane under the Arch of the Eiffel Tower in
Paris. The news struck Warren with an idea. While thenews was sti hot, he announced he would fly under thecenter span of the Mission Bridge, which didn't allow
Upper Left. Roman Warren flying under Mission
Bridge june 73,7926.
Below Left. Roman Warren and Ethel Berry who
later became Mrs. Warren Riverside Fairgrounds
7927 or 28.
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Warren
IRight Roman Warren on horse y his Thomas Morse
Scout
but bare feet on either side, top and bottom much less
clearance than the Eiffel Tower offered the Parisian.
Warren said that he never doubted his own ability to
make the flight, but suspected that the great crowd of
5 000 people that congregated. were there to see nothing
more than the crash. Posed under the bridge, waiting for
Warren to do his thing, was Bob Bennett with his news
camera representing Pathe, World News, a very popular
news reel company of the day. With the wires screaming
at about the same pitch as the female voices n the
crowd of 5 000 people with the Tommy Morse s LeRhone
Rotary whining, Warren made his infamous dive under
the bridge successfully, probably pulling out and doing a
salute and snap roll , as was his custom over the airport.
Bennett the newsreel cameraman who stood under the
bridge with his camera posed, recalls that n order to get
the best shot of the bridge flight, he had to put himself
n mighty close proximity to the bridge opening n what
some people might have thought was a very dangerous
Right Roman Warren flying under arch at Riversideair in 7927. Note Ethel Berry standing on top
waving hat
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position, but he said he never had any doubts that
Roman would make it , and he stood his ground and got
his newsreel footage.
The event hit the National newsreel screens, and
b r 0 ugh t international fame to Riverside for first
performing such a stunt.How Warren came to be in Riverside is a story in
itself. is connections go back to 1922 when the barn-
storming pilot made a forced landing on a street in the
town of Riverside in July 1922 on a plot of ground,
which is now part of the University of California at
Riverside. The aviator spent the next two days givingplane rides to curious Riversiders, to whom aviation was
still a novelty. The ride business was so good that
Warren decided to come back to Riverside a few weeks
later. After trying several different locations around the
city, he picked a permanent base at the foot of M .
Rubidouix, famous for its Easter services, and just over
the Santa Ana River from the downtown section. e thus
established Riverside's first airport, and the beginning of
a legend.
A later newsreel coverage that added further fame to
Warren's stature was footage covering the horseback·
marriage of Warren and his bride Ethel, which took placein the Santa Ana River bottom shortly after the bridge
flight in 1926. The bride was Ethel Berry, a well known
female rodeo star. One of Warren's other accom-
plishments than flying, was being an excellent horseman,
which probably contributed to the attraction between
the two. They were actually married astride their horses,
and through this publicity, he became known as The
Cowboy Aviator .
Sunday, June 13, 1976 was officially proclaimed
Roman Warren Day, 50 years to the day from the time
he flew his little Tommy Morse Scout under the center
span of the Santa Ana River Bridge.
At a young 84, he is held in reverence by all who
Upper Left. Roman Warren racing against car at
Riverside Fairgrounds, 7927.
Lower Left. Ethel Berry and Roman Warren pose
with Thomas orse Scout, under the arch he flewunder at Riverside Fairgrounds, each day for 2 yrs.
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remember his many flying feats of the 20's and 30's.
The center of festivities for Roman Warren Day was
the Flabob Airport. The operator there, and many of his
friends, planned a long day of festivities, and the airport
restaurant even named a sandwich after him, The
Roman Warren Special . The activities for the day
included multiple runnings of both the footage of news
reel film on the Tommy Morse Scout, with its rotary
engine, skimming under the bridge, and the marriage
film. The original newsreel photographer was on hand to
show it. It is estimated th t nearly 2000 people attended
during the day, and many acquaintances were renewed.
Earlier Warren had said I wonder how many of the
people who saw the original flight will be there? . I
hope they'll all come . Many did of course. The remark
You gave me my first plane ride or I saw you fly
under the bridge was repeated time and again during
the day. Warren's quotation after the affair was th t he
never dreamed that so many old friends would come out
to greet him.
Entertainment for the event included precision flying
by Debbie Garey and Tim Lasley, plus a parachute
event. There was also a band, the Scorpions, which
played throughout the day. Mr. Warren was presentedwith 3 plaques commemorating his flight. They included
a framed proclamation th t it was Roman Warren
Day , presented by the County Supervisor, a beautiful
original photo of the bridge was presented to him by
Lois Evans, and an inscribed silver plaque depicting the
flight under the bridge, presented by Ray Cocking, the
latter on behalf of the Antique Group from the airport,
who are all Warren's close friends.
For a big finale, to finish the festive day, Roman and
his wife Ethel went for their first helicopter ride. There
is little doubt th t this was one of the biggest days in
Roman Warren's life, and the old time twinkle of Daring
Dos was prevelent on h s face throughout the day.
Inset. Roman Warren - Cowboy Aviator at 8 yrs.
standing y Ray Cockings replica Thomas Morse
Scout.
Right. Roman Warren snap rolls his Thomas Morse
Scout. Bridge he flew under is in lower right corner.
is airport is visible at left of road. Light streak ingrass worn y landings.
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VintagMen and Th
Vintage Albl.
H Glenn BU
878 W CrocJ
qrZS ing can be beautlfuZ -
Upper left. Myrtle Brown (License No. 7707), formerly ofOmaha Nebr., sister of Mrs. Guiseppe (Dorothy) Bellanca,learned to fly at the Bellanca factory field Wilmington, Del.and afterwards operated her own airport at Panters CrossRoads near Concordville, Pa. She is pictured here with an OXWaco in which she trained.
Lower left. Louise McPhetridge Thaden (License No. 7943),
preparing to leave Santa Monica the 29 Derby with her j 5Travel Air. She won the race to Cleveland that year and alsothe 36 Bendix Trophy Race in a Stagger wing Beechcraft,New York to Los Angeles ..... currently lives at High Point,N.C.
Below. josephine Wood Wallingford, left, (License No. 9729)and her sister Frances both formerly of Vernon, Texas withtheir instructor, Burdette Fuller during training at jim
Granger s operation, Clover Field Santa Monica. One of theearly-day sister-flying teams, 99-charter member josephinenow lives in the Dallas area.
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SILV R
P RTagle
LINTON E. HERBERGER
By: Robert G. Elliott (Associate Editor)7227 Oakwood Ave.
Daytona Beach Fla . 32074
(Photos Courtesy of c.£. Herberger)
(continued from january 7977 Issue)
Directing my attention back to his photograph of the
Sikorsky, Clint continued to say This was made near
the end of the picture showing some of the pilots. You
know that thing was so heavy the fuselage would lit-
erally sag in the middle while on the ground, and in the
air, the tail would drop a bit. Angle iron formed the
main fuselage framework, together with wire truss
members.
We had shot all the sequences around the plane but
they decided on an added scene showing it spinning
down from a cloud bank. None of our pilots had spun it
as we were somewhat leery of its size.
Finally AI Wilson decided he could do it. A mechanicwas to ride in the passenger compartment and operate a
smoke generator. Keep in mind now that the pilots'
cockpit was open and quite far back in the fuselage.
Well . with all camera planes in position, the
Sikorsky began to spin. Quite soon we saw one chute,
but after breathless minutes none other appeared. By
then the 'Gotha' bomber had crashed with the mechanic
inside.
AI was a particular friend of mine and because I had
known him so long, I'm convinced he would not have
bailed out intentionally leaving a crewman inside. Going
over it all later, we concluded that the Sikorsky, being so
large, whipped around quite violently, throwing AI out
before he was ready.
After a moments' silence in reflection, I askedClint, do you know of many other Hell's Angels pilots
who may be still living?
I don't really know of any, though there could be a
few he answered. Chubby Gordon, I know is gone
Frank Tomick, we knew him as Swacco may still
be around. Garland Lincoln may also still be living
because I know he quit flying. Of course, Roscoe andFrank Clark have passed on, as you know.
The succeeding years saw me as either a camera pilot
or doing stunts. Occasionally I'd have an acting part as a
pilot. Faintly reminiscent of the rugged flying in Hell'sAngels, was an incident which occurred during the filming
of 'Lilac Time'. I was hired as a camera pilot, flying a
low wing monoplane. I was rigged for photography
through the floor as one certain scene called for a
German plane to rise underneath me burst into flames
from 'gun fire' and spin down out of control and out of
camera frame.
We were flying from a small fieldin
Culver Citywhich had a dog leg layout. One day I cranked up for
takeoff, was barreling down the field, when suddenly the
plane turned. It shook me up and I thought. Maybe
I'm not as good as I think I am so later, after the
filming, I came in to land and as I slowed up WHAM 1 turned again. This went on for about two
days till one of the boys standing in front of my ship
exclaimed Good Lord, Herb Iook at those wheels
and both were chocked sideways. Someone had
landed pretty hard earlier and actually bent the axles so
both wheels pointed off to one side. That was one time
that I began to doubt my ability.
Clint kept passing prints from his collection and Icouldn't help but pause over one. Isn't this Clark Gable
in his younger days? to which Clint replied You
bet it is That was made when he and I were in theatre,
before he began his film career. We were playing in
'What Price Glory'. Clark was Corporal Kiper and my
role was the Red Cross man. I had particularly wanted a
role in this, as the script had some real salty lines for
those days but the producer fooled me, as my role
had the most proper language of the play. We had a lot
of fun in that show and shared a dressing room
throughout its run.
Clark Gable during his theatrical career in the role ofCorporal Kiper in What Price Glory . (Photo courtesy ofC £. Herberger)
Clinton £ Herberger in a studio portrait used to publi-cize the pilots who received credits during the filming ofSky Bride by Paramount. (Photo courtesy of c.£.
Herberger)
PART II OF A SILVER EAGLE
The Florida Chapter has honored these men with a
membership and the distinctive title to go with it.
Robert Elliott (Cont. Edit.) has put in many hours
researching and gathering these articfes, we will lookforward to more of them in the future.
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PILOTS
CHIEF PILOT - - - - FRANK CLARKE
STAFF
COL.ROSCOETURNER ROY WILSON
FRANK TOMICK EARLW.G ORDON
HARRY CRANDALL
C. ,v.Angf'i l\f H. Murphy}erty.o\ndrt'wl nilly Marlin
Bob H ai r George M.vt5E. O. 8axln K. Mcinud
Howard Batt R. C. ML rri.m
J. A Carmichael Roy MinorG.G. Cabhart H. F. MurchieH. ry C a n ~ r o f Leo Nomi,Milo Campbell L.M. OwenIkn Catlin GtoRC H. PuhrROIl Coo h 0.\,(' PO&dc
Virgil eliOt: C. K. h i l l i p ~Ray Cuwford Thor H. Pol!\QnVerll()nDorrell TOOl PenfieldC. E. fHJwling John P rJllidd8 FOiler R. A P lIIC'rs(w1
V.A. Grant C. P.fA Cr«r John H. R.nd
/J . ; . ; /..... E.H .,, Jr. ReedC C ~ t . ; 1,«Henry Louis R ~ p k e : .:r..._ i 97 ) (ffl)rltt A. H "4din&e r Geora:e D. Relm
, LPI H.ytl Robert O. Shallain:AI J o h n j:act SchneiderNdwn D,jenkils $, SWN: Morty JohnlOfl O'V( StilI\'H.J.Kebcy OoUI,:/I Schillill;H G K l<tft ErnieSmithAI L.ry Rudo lph SchadBurtonLane 80b StarkeyGarland (.il1ooln C. F. Su ll ivanR. S. M"C.lilJltr Jul i n W aesR. P. McDonald J.G. \V.ls hR. B MtGulEin Ted
A F.Mid:d
Grora;c: H.W Ui KhllffiStuart Murphy AI WibonJack Miller Dewey \Vard
iI
A page from the opening night program of Hell'sAngels, May 27, 7930, presented y Howard Hughesat Graumann's Chinese theatre in Hollywood, Cali-fornia. These were the pilots who received screencredits for their spectacular flying during the monthsof production, Clinton Herb Herberger has auto-graphed this copy. It would be interesting to have astory on others in this group. I f you know anyone
who can write such a story, encourage them to do so.(Photo y R.G. Elliott)
"Speaking of portraits" . . .Clint continued. . . "how
about this one of Frank Clark? You may not know it,
but Frank was half Indian. About the only time itshowed though, was when he had imbibed heavily. He'd
lower his head andglareatyouthrough thoseeyebrowswithan expression that almostliftedyour scalp."
Here's a photo one should appreciate,". . . Iaughed
Clint as he passed me a full figure shot of someonestanding in front of a plane. Iasked. . . "Who is that?"
. . .and he replied laughingly. . . "That's me, one of the
worst makeup jobs I eve r had fro m a studio makeupman. It was intended to make me look like a fakeOri ental,and ittrulydid."
" Now this photo, though in itse lf is not especially
outstanding, was made on the picture 'Sky Bride' by
Paramount. The significant poin t of it all was that the
producers gave screen recognition to all us pilotsfor the
spectacularaerial sequences.Screencreditsfor individual
pilots were rare indeed and credit goes to Howard
Hugh es forourearly recognition in Hell'sAngels.
"Th is last photo from the'old days'isagroup of usin the last picture Imad eas astunt pilotforthe studios.
Left to right are. . . Frank Tomick, my se lf, Lyle Talbotthe Starof the picture, FrankClark and Rinaldi. Itwas
ca ll ed, 'Murder in theClouds'and was shotnortheastof
San Bernadino.
Shortly after this I entered Sp ec ial Effects work at
Mascot Studios, which later became Republic Studios.
Republicwas independentat thetime, about 1931,but
was forced to become Union, so each of us received a
Union Card for no fee.That's abouttheeasiestwayof
joiningIknow."
"About nine years later, at Universal Studios, mySp ec ial Effectswork brought me back tominiatureplane
crackups. Thismodel".. .a photowhich Clintwasrefer-
ring to. . . "was built to crackapart in a pre-determined
place. This method, called break-a-way, provided a pos
itive result as required by thescript "andwas certainly
more safe. Techniques and materialsimprovementsover
theyearsallowed us to produceminiatureeffects whichdef ied detection from the real thing, if properly executed."
"I could go on and on tellingyou of the numerous
Special Effects creations but that's drifting away from
our prime interest in aviation. So , I'll conclude this
ph ase of mycareerwithaquickrecap .Mostmemorable,I'd say, would beminiatureanimation for Walter Lantz
on apre-historicdinosaur picture;acitywithinamoun
tain for the FlashGordon series;manufacture and useof
the Tesla Coil in the Frankenstein pictures;the church
destruction in JonHall's'Hurricane'and thetwentytwo
foot longoperating model of an oceanlinerfor 'Historyis Made at Night'."
AmongClint's various items of memorabilia, my in-
terest was drawn to a small card issued by the Federation Aeronautique Interna tionale. "That's my licensetofly, nu mber 397, issued in 1928 and signed by Orville
Frank Clark one of the film industries most flam-boyant pilots, and Chief Pilot during the filming ofHell's Angels. (Photo courtesy of C.E Herberger)
Wright. It's something Itreasureverygreatly" . .offered
Clint."To return briefly to theearly Thirties, Irecall long
ago, Clint...when we were discussing the Lockheed
Vegas, that you had an unusual experience with one"
. . . prompting Clint to continue. . . "Yes. . . 1 was flying
for an airline in Mexico known as C.A.T.whose equip
ment was primarily the wooden Vega. Well. . .one day
the owner of the line called me in and said. . . "Herb,
someonemadea hard landinganddamaged aVega...doyou think it can be fixed?". . .You won't believe this,
but there was a crack justahead of the stabilizerabout
two thirds of the way around the fuselage, on thebottom.
"We had no means whatever of repairing anything
that serious so heasked. . . "00 you thinkyoucouldfly
it to thefactory in Burbank?". .and I said. . . Yeah, IthinkIcan."
It was fueled, Igot ready and climbed in. Isetthebrakes, cranked it up, revved itup.. .lifted the tail off
the ground, taxiedto the endof thefield, turnedaroundand took off withoutever lettingthe tail down. Itwasan uneventful trip to EI Paso, my fuel stop. There, Irepeated the tail up technique in landing,taxi to ramp,
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Camera plane, ahead in foreground, with cameramanjust visible to rear o upper wing during a film se-quence in which c.£. Herberger was flying the subjectplane in the rear. (Photo courtesy o c.£. Herberger)
Above. c.£. Herberger center, during the days atUniversal Studios where he was engaged in SpecialEffect s work with miniatures. (Photo courtesy o c.£.Herberger)
Below. Last picture in which C.E. Herberger flew as astunt pilot was called Murder in The Clouds . Shownhere are left to right, ... Frank Tomick, Herberger,Lyle Talbot, Star o the picture, ... Frank Clark andRinaldi. (Photo courtesy o c.£. Herberger)
then gently letting the tail down. In the morning I flew
it on into Burbank. The Lockheed field in those dayswas near an old ceram ics plant renovated for aircraft
manufacture. When the engineers came out to inspectthe plane they were thunderstruck with the seemingly
incredible flight. It should be noted for the youngerpilots of today, that the Vega fuselage was molded of
thin sheets of veneer combined with a special glue, laid
up in a mold and cured under pressure.I wasn't able to stay around for the repairs because a
new Vega had been prepared for me to fly back toMexico.
Early in WWII the nation's theatres featured a film
called, 'Air Force'. Clint had participated not only in the
flying sequences but also had a part in script review, all
of which prompted him to recall We had A and 'B'
model B-17's at Hendricks Field in early 1942, using
them as school planes. Having been formerly active in
the Signal Corps for Air, I had been recalled back into
active duty just prior to WWII. As it happened, the c o
received a Department of Defense request to support the
film production which was being filmed at Tampa,
Florida by sending a few planes over for the aerialsequences.
My Commander, knowing I was from Hollywood,said Herb, would you like to take the flight over?
and I replied Yes, I'd love to, there'll probably be
one or two people I might know. So we flew over,and being a big ham, we flew low over the field in'V'
formation, then we broke into single line and landed. I
had it pre-arranged that we'd all taxi to a stop in line,
wing tip to wing tip, then on signal, we'd stop engines,
get out and stand in front of our respective planes.
Down the line came the Director and Cameraman.
The Director was 'Wild Bill' Wellman for whom I had
flown numerous times. As he hesitated in front of ourplane he gave a double take and said to me . What in
hell are you doing in that uniform?
The Cameraman was another good friend, Jimmy
Wong Howe. Within minutes, I learned that all the
Special Effects people were old friends and associates.
In a day or so, Wellman called me aside and said . . .
Clinton E. Herberger made up as an Oriental
pilot during his career as an actor-pilot.
(Photo courtesy o C. E. Herberger)
Herb want you to go through this script. Well .
the writer wasn't all that familiar with airplanes, thus a
number of errors were written in, which I had to correct
technically.
Another week's extension was arranged through the
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;:::;... ... --,
It was during the filming o Glider Pickup that aCG 4 glider crashed while attempting a landing in aclearing. (Photo courtesy o Robert G. Elliott)
A set during the filming o 'bombing' runs on theisland o japan during WWII. This set, constructed ona closed stage at the former Hal Roach Studios was oextremely fine detail, and the use o the orientationfilms were considered extremely valuable in planningo aerial bombing missions from the Pacific basesduring WWII. (Photo courtesy o Robert G. Elliott)
efforts of the Base Commander and Wellman so I couldcomplete my recommendations.
With the film 'Air Force' a thing of the past, bothClint and I were to become members of the First Motion
Picture Unit, located at the Hal Roach Studios in CulverCity. The year was late 1942.
As you recall continued Clint our flight
echelon was located at Van Nuys. Here's a group shot in
front of one of our AT-11 's.The photo showed Tom Tutwiler on the left, holding
an Eyemo camera, on his left an unidentified flight of
ficer, Frank Clark in the center, Clinton Herberger andCaptain Nolta on the right. A reliable, rugged Akeleycamera, well suited for aerials, but now obsolete, topped
the tripod.
This foursome in chute harnass was made on loca
tion in Laurenburg, N.C., while filming 'Glider Pickup'
and 'Tactical Use of the CG-4 Glider ' exclaimed Clintas he produced the next photo. On my left is the British
technical advisor, whose name I have forgotten, TomTutwiler, and my co-pilot, Captain Nolta.
Those action-filled days of that location came backinto memory focus and I said Clint. . . ecall the day
the glider crashed in the clearing? Sure he re
sponded 1 was overhead flying the AT-11 in preparation of filming the landing where were YOll?
I was in a corner of the clearing tracking him with
the Mitchell as he disconnected from the tow plane onthe down wind leg. When that left turn onto the base leg
was made, the left wing went straight down and thegl ider fell sideways from over five hundred feet. The
whole thing was on film. Being a little closer to the crashthan others of the crew, I was first on the scene and
found both pilots severely injured.
Interrupting me, Clint added When I saw it fall I
called the tower for an ambulance and the site beingso far in the boondocks, I had to direct them from theair.
Later we learned that a soaking rain had filled the
wood and fabric wing sections with water. It was still
inside when flight began , and with the left wing downthe water rushed to the tip. They had no chance underthose conditions.
Of all the film projects underway at FMPU during
those war years, without a doubt the most importantwas the activity related to th e miniature set on the closed
stage. Special effects had designed and built a sectionalrelief map of important target areas of Japan.
Let me add right there interrupted Clint .'that
I was involved for two very good reasons. One .becauseof my extensive flying career for motion pictures and
the other because I had been in Japan earlier. Initially, Iflew the Special Effects crew along the entire Californiacoast, concentrating on areas that were similar to those
found in Japan. In this way the technicians could gain avivid impression of how their miniature set was to
appear.Using available maps and photography, they built six
foot square sections that were mounted on table-likestructures with casters. Contour projections were made
onto masonite, cut out, mounted to create a general land
contour, then filled with plaster, Fullers earth, sponge,fabric and finally painted. When complete, the realism
was magnificent. A regular house was about one eighth
inch square, to give one an idea of scale.An overhead crane was devised to operate on tracks
high above the set, while on a platform suspended from
this crane was mounted the camera, which could traverse
at ninety degress to the crane travel. Simulatedbombardment missions would be 'flown' as they would
appear from a B-29. The film would be rushed to all
Pacific bases for briefing. A unique feature too, was thatof creating similar damage to various areas after seeingstrike photos, providing an illusion of continuity in the
assault on Japan.The project was without a doubt one of the best kept
secrets of the War. Intelligence people related later thatby comparison of actual areas and our simulated sections, we were more than 80% accura te in the placement
of important buildings.
Clint, having been a friend of Frank Clark, was
encouraged to relate, as he knew it, circumstances
leading to that fatal accident which took Clark's life.
Frank Clark's tragic accident was really ludicrous.All that bunch of pilots were great practical jokers.
Frank Tomick, known as Swacco Frank Clark, and
a sound man from Warner Brothers, had a gold mine up
in the mountains. Tomick was up there working the
mine, when Clark and the sound man dec ided to fly up.They had a short landing strip nearby the mine, as they
were often there. Frank Clark was flying a WWII trainingplane think it may have been a BT-15
anyway. as a gag they filled a large sugar sack with
'road apples'. Their intention was to buzz the mine site
and bomb Swacco with it. The sound man was in therear cockpit with the bag and as Clark brought the plane
around into a dive, the sound man dropped the doggonebag down behind the stick. Wh en Frank went to pullout
of the dive he couldn't and they went right smack into
the ground.
Tomick phoned me right away from up there and hewas really sobbing. That's what happened to one of thegreatest stunt pilots of all time. Frank Clark could get in
a plane he had never flown . ake it up . test it out then put it through maneuvers it was never built toperform without straining the plane. I think he was
the greatest natural born pil·ot I ever knew.
Following WWII , CI int served a tour of duty in Korea
6
and later joined the staff of the Air Force Motion
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Picture studios in Orlando, Florida. While in Orlando, hewas Officer in Charge of the Special Effects department.
Outer space, Science Fiction miniatures brought alive
for camera under Clint s expert craftsmanship back in
the late thirties were now being revita li zed in conceptfor our growing Space Exploration program. Films of
fantasy had now become fil ms of fact.Most unfortunately, an accident occurred which
brought bout his entry into the life of retirement. Clint
was on a ladder, in a room painted black, hanging a
miniature spacecraft from a wire. Suddenly someoneentered and spoke to him. In quickly turning around
in this blackened void . he lost his visual reference and
tumbled off the ladder.
Several months of recuperation left him with a slight
limp. The accident had become the deciding factor for
his contemplated retirement.
So it is then, th t Lt. Colonel Clinton E. Herberger, in
his leisure, says he s more busy now than before. What
with travel, raising orchids, visiting the host of friends he
and h s wife Virgin ia see weekly, along with h s regular
coffee sessions with cronies at the Naval Base Exchange
he is indeed rounding out a colorful, unusual, fas-
cinating, one-of-a-kind career as a former Hollywoodmotion picture stunt and camera pilot and he never
owned a plane.
Above Right. A part of he flight echelon of he FirstMotion Picture Unit during WWII days. Left to rightare; Tom Tutwiler, an unidentified officer, FrankClark, Herberger, and Capt. Nolta. They are standingin front of a Beech A T-7 7 converted for motion pic-ture use. (Photo courtesy of C.E. Herberger)
Center Right. The production crew from First MotionPicture Unit, AF while on location at LaurenburgA FB, in North Carolina during 7944. Extreme left isR. G. Elliott, ... fifth from left, in trench is CaptainTed McCord, who later won world acclaim for hisphotography of 'Sound of Music . (Photo courtesy ofRobert G. Elliott)Below Right. On 'location' at Laurenburg A FB,North Carolina during the filming of 'Glider Pickup'Left to right are; Herberger, Chief Pilot for the pic-ture, the British technical advisor, Tom Tutwiler, andCapt. Nolta. (Photo courtesy of c £ Herberger)
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9 ~ Ry: Edward D. Williams, (Associate Editor)
EAA No 5 7070, 77 Eastman Dr
Mt Prospect, III 60056Photos courtesy of United Airlines
The year 1976 was a big one in aviation as it markedthe 50th anniversaries of a number of airli ne com
panies.One of the lesser known early pioneers was Pacific
Air Transport, established by a bus lines operator andwhich inaugurated the first scheduled air service alongthe West Coast on Sept. 15, 1926.
On that date, a 90-mile-an-hour Ryan M-1 coveredthe 1,000 miles between Los Angeles and Seattle in 14hours - - and six stops. Other cities on that first routewere Bakersfield, Fresno, San Francisco, Medford (Ore.)and Portland.
In contrast, airline jets today cruise at 550 miles an
hour nonstop between Los Angeles and Seattle in just
over two hours. But 50 years ago such schedules werenot even in anyone's wildest dreams.acific Air Transport had 12 aircraft and 75
employees in 1926, and in the first six months of operation carried only a handful of passengers and cargo totaling only 34,000 pounds. The few passengers, whowere not afraid to fly in an open cockpit plane, sat onmail sacks on flights between Los Angeles and Seattleand paid 132 for the privilege. Coach fares todaybetween the two cities is only 93, in super comfortab e
jets.The original PAT fleet consisted of seven Ryan M-1s
one Swallow, two Travel Airs, one Waco and one de
Havilland DH-4 and the 1926 schedule called for oneround trip daily between Seattle and Los Angeles or atotal of 2,198 miles of flying daily.
Right. PA T ROUTE SUR VEYORS: Groundwork for the
first Pacific Coast air transportation service 50 years agowas laid by Vern C Gorst, (left), president of Pacific Air
Transport, and T Claude Ryan, president of the firmbearing his name. They are shown here on arrival March78 7926, at Sand Point Field near Seattle after a surveyflight from San Francisco. PA T's Los Angeles-Seattlemail run began September 75 7926, thus opening scheduled service along the Pacific Coast.
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pacf J=fc afr<Lr<aospor<LAids to flying such as are standard today were vir-
tually unknown 50 years ago . There were no suitablelanding fields, and beacon lights, installed over portions
of the route which were to be flown at night, consistedof second-hand automobile headlights mounted in
clusters on revolving bases. Airway weathermenconsisted of farmers, railroad station agents, roadhouseproprietors or almost anyone else who would answer apilot's telephone call for weather information.
Vern C Gorst, pioneer operator of an Oregon stageline and other bus lines, was the prime mover in establish ing Pacific Coast air service in 1927. In 1928, PacificAir Transport was acquired by the Boeing interests of
Seattle which had started flying the San FranciscoChicago route in 1927. With this change in ownership, afleet of Boeing 40-B-4's replaced the route's originalplanes. In 1930, San Diego was added to the run and in
1931, Ford tri-motored transports were placed in serv-
ice. In the latter year also, PAT became a part of UnitedAirlines' nation-wide system.
As with most aviation pioneers, Vern C Gorst gotinto aviation early. In 1915, he bought a Martin sea-
plane, saying that Flying sort of got me then. He anda partner in the bus lines business got Glenn L Martin,who was located in Los Angeles at the time, to buildthem a seaplane with pontoons. They brought it up toCoos Bay and did a lot of flying, but they finallycracked it up.
The partners were struggling to develop their littlebus lines on a shoestring, so for the next ten years theywere not able to afford the luxury of a plane, but Gorstsaid that he read everything in the magazines on aviationth t he could find. Just before the post office advertisedfor bids on the air mail carrying contracts in 1925, agroup of pioneer business men held a meeting in whichthey were discussing highway problems. Gorst tossedthem a new idea, saying, They will soon be flying rightover your heads, carrying mail and passengers. He askedhow many of them we re interested in the new methodof transportation, and all but one put up their hands.
Gorst proposed forming a company to investigate thepossibilities of air transport and to determine whether ornot they should bid on the air mail contracts. The
money trickled in from the bus line owners and alsofrom other investors.
Vern Gorst went to San Francisco, where he rented aplane and employed a pilot named Pat Patterson of
Santa Cru z to fly a survey trip of the proposed PacificCoast route and to determine whether or not it was
feasible to fly planes on schedule over the rugged mountainous count ry. Gorst and Patterson picked out anumber of possible landing fields between Los Angelesand Seattle, although the only established air strips t
the time were in Los Angeles, Bakersfield, Fresno andChrissy Field t San Francisco.
Gorst got together about $250,000 cash for PacificAir Transport, but the government wanted him to raise a
half million within a year. Gorst's own investment was
about $50,000. Raising this sum forced him to sell hisinterests in all but one of his bus lines. For a time the
post office hesitated about turning the contract over tohim because of PAT's limited cash capital, but since no
one else wanted to fly the line, they gave it to him.
Below: November, 7926. No 7 of the Ryan series purchased by Pat. This was the second plane in this seriesbuilt by Ryan, his first mass production venture . At left:unknown mechanic. Center: unknown passenger. Right:pilot George Allen. Picture taken at Angelus Mesa field.Schedule out of this field by PA T called for all nightflights, leaving at 72:07 a.m. providing planes were inshape). Incidentally, the first night-scheduled flights inthe country were made by PA T. Note landing light onwingtip. This was battery-powered, as were navigation
lights. Bowman says these would fade out after one landing as would the landing light.
; ; ..
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rain at 11:4 a.m . The plane finally touched down at
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Above. FIELD CONFERENCE: This 7926 view of the original Los Angeles airport Angelus
esa Field shows a Ryan monoplane of Pacific Air Transport and from left) an unidentified
official of he pioneer airline Pilot Art Starbuck and j immy Mushett P.A. T field manager.
PAT started out with whatever planes could bepicked up, but settled on Ryans. Claude Ryan flewGorst on a demonstration trip from Los Angeles toSeattle and back, and among Gorst's treasures is an oldSeattle paper with their pictures on the front page, thephotograph having been taken when they arrived in
Seattle after their trip.
Looking for the ideal mail plane, Gorst talked toHenry Ford and William B. Stout about the tri·motoredFord . He also saw Igor Sikorsky, but was finally persuad·
ed that the Ryan, outfitted with the new Wright Whirl·wind JAs, was the plane to do the job. Gorst ordered tenof them and got the first seven of the new model thatClaude Ryan built. Walter T. Varney of Varney AirLines had had forty·two forced landings with his plane's,so Gorst loaned him the first four Wright Whirlwindpowered Ryans to get started again. The Wright Com·pany ran an ad when Gorst ordered them, announcing itas the biggest order they had received. Gorst got the firstten Whirlwinds, Lindbergh got No. 16 for his Spirit ofSt. Louis, the plane that flew the Atlantic in 1927. Thatput the engine over. Lindbergh once told Gorst that the
successful use of the planes with this engine by PAT waswhat persuaded him to order the Spirit of St. Louis fromRyan.
In the Seattle Times of March 10, 1926, was a photoof the survey plane of Pacific Air Transport with Vern C.
Gorst and Claude Ryan standing beside it. On thissurvey, Gorst and Ryan flew an alternate route via CoosBay . They started flying on November 21 and completedthe survey on December 10.
The 12 planes and motors PAT started with cost
$73,097. Another motor was borrowed. Another costitem was the purchase of parachutes for $3,665.Hangars were constructed at Los Angeles, Seattle,Vancouver, Wash. and Medford at a total cost of $7,408
in the beginning. Airway lights and beacons cost$19,235. Two Ford delivery trucks and three Ford road·sters were purchased for a total of $2,349.44. Pacific AirTransport was ready to go.
At 12:01 a.m. September 15, 1926, the first north·bound plane left Los Angeles. Stops were made at
Bakersfield, Fresno, San Francisco, Medford andPortland, where the plane arrived on time in a driving
Seattle at 1 30 p.m. and everyone hailed the achieve·ment of delivery of mail from Los Angeles to Seattle inone day.
The first south·bound plane left Portland at 5:45a.m., made all of its required stops and arrived at LosAngeles at 5 p.m., on time.
The Seattle POST·INTELLIGENCER the followingday, Sept. 16, 1926, reported:
Eleven minutes ahead of schedule, the first consign·
ment of mail over the new postal air route between' LosAngeles and Seattle arrived here (Seattle) yesterdayafternoon (Sept. 15, 1926) in a plane piloted by GroverTyler, superintendent of the Pacific Air TransportCompany.
The significance of this newest contract air mail
route, officially known as No.8, was df'monstratedwhen the six large pouches containing 12,000 letters andother matter landed in Seattle just 13 hours and 49minutes after the first plane had left Los Angeles, 1,009miles to the south.
All of the mail going to addresses within the citylimits was delivered yesterday afternoon.
In a special delivery pouch was a package sent to thePost·1 ntell igencer from Los Angeles by InternationalNews Reel containing photographs covering the latedevelopments in the Aimee Semple McPherson investi·gation.
Fifteen years later, Grover Tyler, who died in 1966,recalled the early days of PAT.
Pacific Air Transport was awarded the contract earlyin the summer of 1926, he said. The contrac t calledfor us to start operations on September 15 of that year,giving us a few short months to start from scratch. Thecompany had the actual cash on hand to pay for just one
of the five airplanes on order. We had to have funds, sotwo or three enterprising employees pounded pavementsup and down the coast, rang doorbells, and urged peopleto buy one or more shares in a financial propositionwhich, even to its sellers, looked doubtful.
The planes we started with· . barely enough to keepthe schedules· . were of different makes, mostly second·hand, all under-powered, with speeds ranging from 75mph to 100 mph. They were in a dilapidated conditionto begin with, and continued so for lack of cash withwh ich to maintain repairs.
There were no suitable landing fields and no emer·
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gency fie lds whatsoever. t w s necessary for the
personnel to scout around, this time for field sites. The
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property for terminal fields w s promoted from
municipalities, but due to lack of appropriations, these
were mostly makesh ifts. Many delays were occasioned
by ships getting stuck in the mud of these fields, and
many times it w s necessary for a pilot to roust a farmer
from his bed in the middle of the night to borrow a team
of mules or horses to pu the ship out of the mud before
he could continue his flight. Emergency fields were
simply pastures or farms, consent to land in emergency
having been secured from property owners, Tylerrecalled.
To comply with the requirements of the m il con-
tract, suitable beacon lights had to be installed over
Right. EARL Y DA Y IR PASSENGERS: Speeds of
about 700 miles an hour were reached by the Boeing40-B-4. The plane with the pilot in an open cockpit
carried only four passengers.
Below. Fokker Universal used briefly in 7927 by
P.A. T. Taken at P.A. T. s Field in Seattle in 7927
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Upper left. PACIFIC COAST AIR PIONEER: The original single-engine open cockpit
Ryan monoplane, "Old No.7, used in 7926 on the pioneer Los Angeles-Seattle route ofPacific Air Transport.
Upper right; AIR MAIL BIRTH: Fresno, where this picture was taken, was along the
original route of Pacific Air Transport, which pioneered Pacific Coast air mail service with
a 74-hour flight from Los Angeles to Seattle on September 75 7926. Shown (from left)
are Richard Downs, Chamber of Commerce manager of publicity; Postmaster Turner;Vance Breese, pilot of P T second pilot and man on right unknown.
portions of the route that were to be flown by night. ahead of the informing telegraph. We then tried the telePAT bought some second-hand automobile headl ights, phone, with what was then known as the phone codemounted them on a revolving base in clusters of three system, and this, from an operating standpoint, was
and set up a revolving mechanism. more successful, but the cost was prohibitive.In addition to financial troubles, PAT had the weath- Gorst recalled events of his career in an interview in
er hazard to put up with. There were no government- 1950.operated bureaus with personnel trained to give accurate One of his recollections was that when he was in
and frequent weather reports. It was entirely up to the Washington, right after getting his contract, he was takenpilot's then unscientific weather knowledge, gained from over to see President Calvin Coolidge. I never met acocking his weather eye to the sky and noting the dif- more common man to talk with, recalled Gorst.ferent types of clouds, to make his decision as to wheth- One of Gorst's unusual deals was the hiring of Ralpher or not he could get through with any degree of safety. Virden of Grass Valley. Virden had a DH Liberty plane,As a further aid to the pilot's judgment, a system of so Gorst had to make a special deal, hiring both Virdenweather reporting was established with farmers, inn- and the plane. He recalled that most of the pilots got akeepers, roadhouse proprietors, and others along the dollar an hour for flying time and averaged about $250 aroute at strategic points. month. Part of this was in cash and part in stock.
A typical weather report for visibility would be that Another of Gorst's innovations was buying a par-
the observer could see the roof of the barn or the turn of achute developed by a California inventor. This was athe road (previously determined upon) and for ceiling, parachute for the plane rather than for the pilot. It wasthe white rock on a prominent hill 200, 300 or 400 feet designed to dro p the plane easily in case of enginein altitude above the location of the weather reporter. failure. Gorst hooked it onto an old Jenny, then cut the
At the time we commenced operations, Tyler engine and pulled the cord. The drop broke only arecalled, communication was carried on in several dif- propeller and a landing strut. He was able to patch upferent ways. Our financial condition would not permit the plane and flyaway the next day. The parachute costus to install a radio station-to-station code system. There $2000, but Gorst got it,as usual, at a bargain price of
was no voice radio established for plane work at that $400. He wasn't able to sell the idea to his pilots, andtime. We first used the telegraph system, but found this finally sold the entire parachute, made of silk, to a shirtto be very unsatisfactory due to doubtful delivery serv- maker for shirts.
4ce, as often-times a plane would reach its destination During the fifteen months that he ran PAT, Gorst and
USEIRM ILm :GINNING
SEPT 5 976
his ten pilots, whom he picked from 200 barnstormerson a list, with Tyler as chief pilot, put up beacons upand down the air lane, most of them big auto lights,bought planes, and got the service well established. By
the time Gorst soldout
to Boeing, he hadput
up$19,000 worth of beacons. At the time the Richfield Oil
Company was putting up beacons up and down thecoast, but unfortunately, said Gorst, they put up thebeacons where they could sell gasoline to motorists andnot where the airmen needed the beacons. Gorstpersuaded Standard Oil Company to paint the names of
towns on their buildings. But even with this help thepilots sometimes had to buzz railroad stations in orderto find out where they were.
The death of so many of his associates finallypersuaded Gorst to get out of the business, and whenBill Boeing came down from Portland with a check for
$98,000, just about double what Gorst had in the airline, he took it. That was a pretty nice looking check,he said. Gorst said that he spent all of the moneypioneering an air line from Bremerton, Washington, toJuneau, Alaska, wh ich was about the same distance as
the Los Angeles-Seattle run. He offered to carry mail forthe government for $450 a trip, but for some reasoncouldn't get the contract and later folded up the Alaskaline, but continued to operate a flying service for sportsmen. He died in 1953 at the age of 77, but his belovedairline, as part of the present-day United Airlines system,lives on.
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