STRAIGHT AND LEVEL

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by Espie "Butch" Joyce
All the weather forecasters were
predicting a huge snowstorm for our
area this past weekend. When this hap-
pens in the Piedmont of the Carolinas,
everyone starts thinking only about sur-
viving. What this entails is making a
run on the grocery stores, banks, and
storing more wood. I mean if they just
predict snow, you can rush to the
grocery store and all the milk, bread and
all other necessary items are gone.
What do these people eat when the sun
is shining?
Well, I will not allow myself to be
controlled by the weather forecasters.
The first thing I do in a situation of this
nature is to dodge all of these crazy
people on the highway while I'm en-
route to the airport. I want to make sure
that my Cub is tucked away securely so
none of those white flakes touch her.
Next day, the sun was out, blue skies
and no snow on the ground. I went back
to the airport, rolled my Cub out and
went flying. I sure don't want to be a
weatherman.
Talking about winter weather makes
me look forward to the annual Sun 'n
Fun EAA Fly-In held at Lakeland,
Florida. This year the dates for this
event are April 7-13. This is a good
time to be had by all. Billy Henderson
ramrods this fly-in with the backing of
a good board of officers and directors.
Billy also has the help of a lot of volun-
teers which is necessary.
Sun 'n Fun offers you the chance to
see a number of a new antique/classic
types. Florida has a good many retired
people and this combined with the air-
port community concept, has attracted
quite a few airplanes to this region.
Hope you can make this fly-in. I will be
there in support of the Sun 'n Fun's
efforts and representing the EAA An-
tique/Classic Division.
I have been debating for some time if
I should talk about our Mid-East situa-
tion. Having served in the U. S. Army
"Special Forces" during the 1960s, I can
appreciate the sacrifices that our ser-
vicemen and women are making for our
country now. I personally salute these
individuals for their loyalty and sense of
duty to our country.
I hope that each individual can retum
home safely and soon. I also hope that
our elected officials remain solidly be-
hind our troops, supply them with the
best weapons that we build and not tum
political on us.
Let's all pull in the same direction for
the good of aviation. Join us and have
it all..
Surprise, Butch! Here's Butch's contribu-
tion to "Members Projects". After years of
airplane work and paperwork, his Clip-
wing Cub is out and about the North
Carolina skies. Modifications from a stock
Cub include the Reed clipped wing con-
version, a full pressure cowl enclosing a
Continental C90-8, wide rear seat, and
other custom goodies. Covered with the
Razorback system, it has a color scheme
reminiscent of his favorite airplane, the
Monocoupe. Butch says it's a terrific
amount of fun to fly, and has plenty of get
up and go. look for it on the southern fly-in
circuit this coming season.
2 FEBRUARY 1991
PUBLICATION STAFF
PUBLISHER
Tom Poberezny
VICE-PRESIDENT
MARKETING &COMMUNICATIONS
Dick Matt
EDITOR
HenryG.Frautschy
February 1991 Vol. 19, No.2
MANAGINGEDITOR
GoldaCox
ART DIRECTOR
MikeDrucks
ADVERTISING
MaryJones
ASSOCIATE EDITORS
NormanPetersen DickCavin
FEAlURE WRITERS
GeorgeA.Hardie,Jr. DennisParks
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
IsabelleWiske
STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS
JimKoepnlck CarlSchuppel
MikeSteineke
EAAANTIQUE/CLASSIC
DIVISION, INC.
OFFICERS
President Vice-President
Espie " Butch" Joyce ArthurR.Morgan
604 HighwaySt. 3744 North51stBlvd.
Madison. NC 27025 Milwaukee.WI 53216
919/427-0216 414/442-3631
Secretory Treasurer
GeorgeS. York E.E." Buck" Hilbert
181 SlobodaAve. P.O. Box424
Mansfield.OH44906 Union. IL 60180
419/529-4378 815/923-4591
DIRECTORS
JohnBerendt RobertC. " Bob" Brauer
7645 EchoPointRd. 9345S. Hoyne
ConnonFalls. MN55(X)9 Chicago.IL 60620
507/263-2414 312/779-2105
GeneChase JohnS. Copeland
2159CarltonRd. 9JoonneDrive
Oshkosh,WI 54904 Westborough,MA01581
414/231-5002 508/366-7245
PhilipCoulson GeorgeDaubner
28415 SpringbrookDr. 2448LoughLone
Lawton,MI 49065 Hartford,WI 53027
616/624-6490 414/673-5885
CharlesHarris StanGomoll
3933SouthPeoria 104290thLone,NE
P.O. Box904038 Minneapolis, MN55434
Tusla,OK74105 612/784-1172
918/742-7311
DaleA.Gustafson JeannieHill
7724ShadyHill Dri ve P.O.Box328
Indianapolis,IN46278 Harvard.IL 60033
317/293-4430 815/943-7205
RobertLickteig RobertD." Bob" Lumley
1708BoyOaksDrive 1265South 124thSI.
AlbertLeo. MNW1J7 Brookfield.WI 53005
507/3732922 414/782-2633
GeneMorris Steven C.Nesse
115CSteveCourt,R.R.2 2009 HighlandAve.
Roonoke.TX 76262 AlbertLeo,MNW1J7
817/491-9110 507/373-1674
S.H."Wes"Schmid
2359LefeberAvenue
Wauwotosa,WI53213
414/771-1545
DIRECTOR EMERITUS
s.J.Wittman
7200S. E.85thLone
Ocala,FL 32672
904/245-7768
ADVISORS
John AFogerty DeanRichardson
479 Highway65 6701 ColonyDrive
Roberts, WI 54023 Madison,WI53717
715/ 425-2455 608/833- 1291
Copyright 1991 bythe EAAAntique/ClassicDivision, Inc. All right sreserved.
Contents
2 Straight & Level/by Espie "Butch" Joyce
4 Aeromail
5 A/C News/complied by H.G. Frautschy
6 Calendar
Page9
7 Vintage Literature/by Dennis Parks
11 To Oshkosh in 58 years - Part I
by Ken Morris
14 Members Projects/Vintage Seaplanes
by Nonn Petersen
16 A Sedan with One Door
Page23
by H.G, Frautschy
20 Pioneer Airport-The Lincoln PT-K
by H.G. Frautschy/Norm Petersen
24 Interesting Member-Jim Barton
by Gene Chase
29 Pass ItTo BUCk/by E.E. "Buck" Hilbert
30 Vintage Trader
Page27
34 Mystery Plane/by George Hardie Jr.
FRONT COVER . . . Over the soft green interior of Flaida, Dick
Folsom's 15AC Aeronca Sedan shows theform itusedtowin an
'Outstanding Aircraft" award atSun 'n Fun '90. (Photo by Jim
Koepni c k,PhotoplaneflownbyJimDorman).
REAR COVER ...ArtistJackBullard ofOdessa,Texas enteredhis
painting 'Ferry from Lockhaven" in tihe 1990 sport Aviation Art
Contest.Whiletihewinnershavetraditionallybeenfeaturedo ntihe
backcoverofSPORT AVIATION,tihere area numberofpaintings
thatwefeltwereworthyofsharingwitihthemembership.Wehave
a numberofpaintingsfromthe contestthatwewillbesharingwith
youduringthecomingmonths.
ThewordsEM,ULTRALIGHT, FLYWITHTHEFIRSTTEAM, SPORTAVIATlON,andIhe1"90SofEXPERIMENTALAIRCRAFTASSOCIAnONINC.,EM
INTERNATIONALCONVENTION, EMANTIOUEjCLASSIC DIVISION INC., INTERNATIONALAEROBATICCLUB INC.,WARBIRDSOF AMERICA INC..
are registered trademarl<s.THE EMSKY SHOPPE and 1"90s01 the EMAVIATION FOUNDATION INC. and EMULTRALIGHTCONVENTION are
trademarksoftheaboveassociationsand theirusebyanypersonotherthan theaboveassociationsisstrictlyprohibited.
EditorialPoficy:Readersareencoureged10submit storiesandphot"9raphs.Policyopinionsexpressedinanidesaresofetylhoseoftheauthors.ResponSibility
for accuracy in reporting rests entirely with the contributor. Material should be sent to: Editor, The VINTAGEAIRPLANE, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI
54903-3086. Phone: 414/426-4800.
TheVINTAGEAIRPLANE(SSN00916943)ispublishedandownedexclusivelybyEMAntique/ClassicDivision,Inc.01 theExperimentalAircraftAssociation,
Inc. and is published monfhly at EMAviation Cenler, P.O.Box 3086, Oshkosh,WI 54903-3086.Second Class Postage paid atOshkosh, WI 5490t and
additionalmailingoffices.MembershiprateslorEMAntique/ClassicDivision,Inc.are$20.00 forcurrent EMmembersfor f2monthpenod01 whichS t2.00
isfor the publicationofTheVINTAGE AIRPLANE.Membershipisopento all whoare interestedIn aviation.
ADVERTISING - AnnquejClassic Divisiondoes notguaranteeorendorse anyproductoHefed through our advertising.We inviteconstructivecritiCI sm and
welcomeanyreport01 inferiormerchandise obtainedthroughouradvertisingso thatcorrectivemeasurescan be laken.
POSTMASTER:Sendaddresschanges10 EAA Antique/Classic Division, Inc. P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086.
VINTAGEAIRPLANE3
CHILDHOOD MEMORIES
DearSir,
Enclosedareseveralphotos,enlarge-
mentsoftheoriginalshots. Thephotos
may be ofvalueto yourarchives. The
onephoto(2 biplanes)maybeanexcel-
lentcandidateforyour"MysteryPlane"
ofthemonth.
The Waco 10 photo was taken at
South Bend, Indiana airport in 1930.
Thisparticularcraft(C774K)wasbeing
flown by my father (I have his pilot
logbook). I believe, ifmemory serves,
thattheWacosinthephotobelongedto
HomerStockert'sFlyingServiceat the
S.B. Airport when the picture was
taken.
Sincerely,
Bill Henderson (EAA245016)
Thanks for the pictures, Bill. One of
Bill's pictures was used as last month's
Mystery Plane. Sending ill this type of
picture really does add to our collec-
tion. Whell a picture ofaviation interest
is received, I forward it 011 to the Photo
Lab here at EAA Headquarters, where
a copy negative is made. A pair of
prillts is made, one for publication and
another for the Library archives. Your
original is then returned. Ifyou do send
in pictures like this, be sure to include
as much information about the suhject
w;you can. - HGF
CLEVELAND - 1931 earlier decided was an Ireland (it was
DearGeorge(Hardie), the Great Lakes Amphihian - HGF) but
While thumbing through the Oc- thebigthree-stackpassengersteamerin
tober, 1990 issue of VINTAGE the background. Suddenly it was the
AIRPLANEsomethingcaughtmyeyein latesummerof1931,and Iwasa ladof
thetop photoofMystery Plane. It was 15 in Cleveland, Ohio, attending the
not the biplaneamphibian which I had NationalAirRaces. Myfamily,always
4 FEBRUARY 1991
supportive ofmy interest in aviation,
had allowed me to take my mother's
1930 Ford roadster and with two
friends, drive there from ourhome in
Grand Rapids, Michigan. Westayed
threenightsattheYMCAat$1.00per
night (our budget for the entire trip
was $15.00 per boy). Early the first
morning before going out to the air-
port we visited the lakefront and
watched a big Loening amphibian of
Thompson Aeronautical Corp. strug-
gleoutofthe waterontotheterminal
ramp,havingjustarrivedonaregular-
ly scheduled flight from Detroit (the
samespotasshown in yourphoto).
Tiedup nearby and outofcommis-
sion, a victim ofthe Depression and
competition from the automobile, lay
the huge paddle wheel passenger
steamer,SEEANDBEE. Shewasdes-
tinedto liethere for anotherten years
when, with ourentry into World War
II drawing nearer, she was reborn as
an auxiliary aircraft carri er, the USS
WOLVERINE. Thestory of the role
sheandanear-sister,theUSSSABLE,
playedin thetrainingofthousands of
fledging Navy pilots in their first car-
rier operations, is well-known, safe
from Axis submarines on Lake
Michigan.
Enclosedaretwonowpricelesssnap-
shots I took that day almost 60 years
ago.
Sincerel y,
Rowl and L. Hall
EAA 146593,A/C 12951)
Rowlands boyhood treaslIres are 0 1/
his way hack to him. Here ore the pic-
tures taken on that memorahle trip so
mallY years ago. Look closely at the
picture with the two Loellings, alld YOIl
will see what appears to be (I Sikorsky
5-39 Amphibiol/, (spelled as Igor al/d
his company preferred) . - HGF.
CompiledbyH.G.Frautschy
BUCKHILBERTAPPOINTED
TONAAPOST
Our own Buck Hilbert, master of
Hilbert'sFunnyFarmandproprietorof
hiscolumn "Passit to Buck",has been
appointedtheChairmanoftheContests
and Records Board of the National
Aeronautic Association. The NAA is
the National Aero Club ofthe United
States,and is the official United States
representative of the Federation
AeronautiqueInternationale(FAI) .The
FAIcertifiesaviationrecordsthatareset
throughout the world,andBuckwill be
responsible for overseeing record at-
tempts and competitions that are sanc-
tioned by theNAA. Aswegoto print,
Buckhasalreadytraveledtowitnessan
altitude record attempt by astronaut
"Hoot" Gibson, taking place in the
Houston, Texas area. Watch for more
information on the final outcome of
Hoot's attempt in the HOTLINEsec-
tion of the March issue of SPORT
AVIATION.
One ofthe early board members of
the NAA was Orville Wright, who
served as Chairman of the Contest
Board. We'reconfidentthat Buckwill
morethan liveup to thatreputati on. He
says it'sa"world honor". We couldn 't
agree more. Congratulations, Buck!
OMISSION
In the December issue, an article
about "Edna's Postcard" appeared.
Througha seriesofcomplicatederrors,
the byline was omitted. The postcard
andthearticleweresubmittedby mem-
ber Jim Haynes (EAA 285970, A/C
12099). Ourapologies to Jim and our
thanksforhissubmi ssion!
EAAREFERENCEGUIDE
Averyhandyreferenceguideiscom-
plied by memberJohn Bergeson (EAA
16546,A/C 207). Weuseours hereat
Headquartersall thetime. It'savailabl e
from John for $17.50 ($19.00 Canada,
25.00others),U.S.Funds. Every EAA
journal, 1953 to 1989, is covered, with
a supplement for 1990. John will also
make a copy ofany article for 30(\: per
page,witha$5 minimumorder. Hehas
all themagazines.
'91 EAASCHOLARSHIP
PROGRAM
In a recent development, Colorado
AeroTechofBroomfield,Coloradohas
joined the EAA Scholarship lineup.
Through their Colorado Aero Tech
AviationTechnicianAward,theywill
award one full tuition scholarship for
their A&P or Avionics technician
programs.
The goal of the EAA Aviati on
Scholarship program is to encourage,
recognizeandsupportexcell enceinstu-
dent s pursuing knowledge ofthe tech-
nologi esand skill sofaviati on. Annunl
scholarships provide assistance to out -
standing individuals, demonstrating a
financialneed,toaccompli shtheiravia-
tion goal s. Appli cant s should be well -
rounded individual s involved in school
and community acti viti es, as well as
aviati on. The academic records ofap-
plicants should verify their ability to
successfully compl ete the educati onal
activity forwhich thescholarship is re-
quested.
For informati on and applicati on
materi als for these scholarships (now
numbering 18 with thi srecent additi on)
ranging from $200to programsleading
to an engineering degree, cont act the
EAA Education Office at EAA Head-
quartersat414/426-4888.
OPERATION
DESERTSTORM
In response to a request from the
AOPA,the FAA is preparinga Special
FARgrantingatimeextension to fli ght
instructors who are on milit ary duty in
thePersianGulf,and toci vili ans work-
ing in on-sit e support of Operat ion
DesertStorm. Theextensionall owssix
monthsafterreleasefrom Desert Storm
activities. Afterrelease,CFIs havesix
months for certificate renewal or for
using written exam results toward cer-
tificati on.
Our best wi shes to all members in-
volved in Desert Storm, be they rela-
tives or military personnel assigned to
the Gulf- ourthought s and prayersare
withyouforaspeedyendtotheconfli ct,
with maximum results and minimum
casualties.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5
March 1-3 - San Antonio, TX In-
temational Liaison Pilot & Aircraft As-
sociation (ILPA) is hosting the first
world-wide gathering of L-Birds. Con-
tact Bill Stratton, 16518 Ledgestone,
San Antonio, TX 78232 512/490-ILPA
(4572).
April6 - Wichita, KS. 3rd Annual
Arthritis Foundation Proficiency Air
Rally, Col. James Jabara Airport. To
obtain entry/pledge collection forms
or more information, contact The
Arthritis Foundation, Kansas Chapter,
316/263-0116; in Kansas, call
1/800/362-1108.
Apri l 7-13 - Lakeland, FL - Annual
Sun 'n Fun EAA Fly-In A Tribute to
Aviation. For more information, see the
ad on pages 44-45 in the January issue
of SPORT AVIATION or call 813/644-
2431.
April 27 - Levelland, TX
Municipal Airport. EAA Chapter 19
Fly-In Breakfast, 8:00 AM. Contact
John Smith 806/793-7889. If it rains,
drive - we'll be there.
MA Y 3-5 - Burlington, NC - EAA
Antique/Classic Chapter 3 Annual
Spring Fly-In for antique and classic
aeroplanes. All types welcome.
Alamance County AIrport. Trophies, a
major speaker and vintage aviation
films. For more Information, contact
R. Bottom, Jr., 103 Powhatan Pkwy,
Hampton, VA 23661.
MAY 3-5 - Camarillo, CA - EAA
Chapter 723 Ith Annual Fly-In. Pan-
cake Breakfasts, BBQ dinner dance on
Saturday, speakers and more. Camping
and hot e l accomodations available.
Trophies given for best of each type
aircraft. For more information, call
Larry Hayes, Chairman, 805/496-3750.
May 4-5 - Winchester, V A
Regional EAA Spring Fly-In at airport.
Trophies for winning showplanes. Pan-
cake breakfast Sunday. Concessions
and exhibitors. All welcome. Contact
6 FEBRUARY 1991
George Lutz, EAA Chapter 186,
703/256-7873.
May 5 - Rockford, IL EAA Chapter
22 Annual Fly-In Breakfast. Mark
Clark's Court esy Aircraft, Greater
Rockford Airport. 7:00 AM until Noon.
ATIS 126.7. For more information, call
Wallace Hunt, 815/332-4708.
May 18-19 - Hampton, NH Air-
field . 15th Annual Aviation Flea
Market, Fly-In, Drive-In. Camping on
airfield; food available. No fees! No
rain date. Anything aviation related
OK. For info, call 603/964-6749.
May 19 - Benton Harbor, MI. EAA
Chapter 585 Fifth Annual Pancake
Breakfast. Warbirds, Classics,
Homebuilts, Car Show, Static Displays.
For information contact AI Todd,
616/429-2929.
May 24-26 - Columbia, SC Annual
Palmetto Sport Aviation Memorial Day
Fly-In. Columbia Owens Downtown
Airport . CUB. Contact Jack Hilton,
(Day) 803/699-023 3, (Evening)
803/782-0088. Housing, contact John
Gardener, 803/796-2400.
May 31-Junc 1 - Bartlesville, OK
National Biplane Association 5th An-
nual Convention and Exposition -
BIPLANE EXPO '91. Free admission
for all biplanes and current NBA mem-
bers, all others paid admission. For
more information, contact Charles W.
Harris, 918/742-7311 or Mary Jones,
918/299-2532.
June 2 - DeKalb, IL EAA Chapter
241 will serve its 27th Annual Break-
fast, 7:00 AM - Noon, Dekalb-Taylor
Municipal Airport. Contact Ed Torbett,
815/895-3888.
June 7-9 - Merced, CA Municipal
Airport. 34th Merced West Coast Anti-
que Fly-In. For information contact
Merced Pilots Association, P. O. Box
2312, Merced, CA 95344, or Mac Duff,
209/383-3975.
June 7-9 - Denton, TX Muncipal
Airport . 29th Annual Texas Antique
Airplane Association Fly-In. Registra-
tion $3.00 donation per person;
Registration and meals $20.00 donation
per person. Fly-In Chairmen: Mary
and Bert Mahon, 1803 Concord Lane,
Denton, TX 76205, 817/387-2620.
June 9 - Portsmouth, OH Airshow
'91. Warbirds, Antique, Classic
aircraft; ultralights, paraplane,
rotorcraft. Military fly over and static
display. Sky divers, hot air balloons.
Hangar party June 8th. Plus more.
Hours 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Informa-
tion, Don Hulbert, 1012 Ruhlman Ave.,
Portsmouth, OH 45662, 614/353-3574
or 820-2400.
June 27-30 - Mount Vemon, OH
32nd Annual National Waco Reunion
Fly-In. Wynkoop Airport. Make your
reservations at the Curtis Motor Hotel
1-800/828-7847 or (in Ohio) 1-
800/634-6835. For additional informa-
tion, contact the National Waco Club,
700 Hill Av., Hamilton, OH 45015 or
call 513-868-0084.
June 30-July 5 - Jennings, LA. In-
ternational Cessna 170 Association
23rd Annual Convention; Holiday Inn
on airport. P. O. Box 896, Jennings, OK
70546, 318/824-5280. Arrival Sat.,
June 30; Departure Sat., July 6. Infor-
mation, Ron Massicot (Conv. Chrm.),
318/332-4597.
July 6-7 - Emmetsburg, IA Airport.
Tail Dragger Club 3rd Annual Aeronca
Champ Fly-In. Annual Flight Breakfast
Sunday, July 7. Camping by airplane &
free breakfast to pilot & co-pilot. Con-
tact Keith Harnden, Box 285, Em-
metsburg, IA 50536,712/852-3810.
July 26-Aug. 1 - Oshkosh, WI 39th
Annual EAA Fly-In and Sport Aviation
Convention. Wittman Regional Airport.
Contact John Burton, EAA Aviation Cen-
ter, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086414/426-
4800. For housing information, contact
Housing Hotline, 414/235-3007 .
b" Uenni Va.-k
Lib.-aIT/ A.-chive
Ui.-ectu.-
Curtiss R3C-J Pulitzer Navy Racer.
Bird's eye view of the 1929 National Air Races held at Cleveland.
THE NATIONAL AIR RACES
THE GOLDEN AGE
Almost from the beginning of avia-
tion, air shows and air races became
very popular. For example, the first in-
ternational air race, the 1909 event at
Reims, France, attracted 300,000 spec-
tators. These air races not only created
great interest in flight but provided in-
centive for manufacturers to build faster
and better aircraft.
Large scale air racing got its start in the
United States in 1919 when newspaper
publishers Ralph and Joseph Pulitzer Jr.
offered a trophy to promote high speed
flight. This was done to encourage tech-
nological progress as American aircraft
had showed poorly in European competi-
tion. Though the series was open to
entrants from any nation, it was expected
that it would be dominated by American,
service-type aircraft.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7
Curtiss R-6 Army racer of Lt. Maitland - Finished 2nd in 1922 Pulitzer.
Navy Curtiss Racer was the first to fitted with newly developed streamlined brace wire.
Bert Acosta won the 1921 Pulitzer in this racer. Note the barrel shapped Lamblin-type
radiators.
Verville-Packard Racer (Converted VCP-l Pursuit) with inset of Lt. Corliss Mosely -
Winner of the First Pulitzer Trophy 1920.
B FEBRUARY 1991
THE FIRST PULITZER
The first Pulitzer Trophy Race was
held at Mitchel Fi eld, Long Island on
Thanksgiving Day, 1920. There were a
staggering 63 entri es of which 34 flew
the four laps around the 29 mile course.
The winner was U. S. Army Captain
Mosl ey flying a Verville-Packard
aircraft at an average speed of 156.5
mil es per hour.
The first race was a great success which
excited the imaginati on of American
designers and resulted in the American
public becoming enthusiastic supporters
of aviation. 11le changing attitude was
reported in the December 6, 1920 issue of
AERIAL AGE under the heading 'The
Press on the Pulit zer Race."
"Something and a good deal of the
discouragement that has been felt with
respect to aviation in this country will
be removed, partly by the brilliant
achievements of the men who flew over
the Long Island course for the Pulitzer
trophy, and partly by the size of the
crowd that devoted the holiday to
watching the contest and the enthusiasm
that was displayed.
"That other nati ons for some years
past have been giving more attention
than we to the art and practice of avia-
tion, it s present great import ance and its
illimitable potentialities - that has
been held, quite properly, something
between a humili ati on and a disgrace to
America. But now it can be hoped that
bett er times are coming - that the
United States is to take it s fitting place,
at the front, if not in the lead, in an
activity which started here and for a
while existed nowhere else."
1920 RACE SPEED
AERIAL AGE made much of the
winners speed even though it did not
break a world's record. - "Captain C.
C. Mosley, in his Vervill e Packard, did
not break the world's speed record, but
he and certain other contestants showed
that aviation is progressing steadi ly.
"Captain Mosley flew at a rate of 178
mil es an hour. Thi s is bett er than
Lacoint e's time in the recent Gordon
Bennett race. It does not equal the 193
miles an hour done by De Romanet in
France. The significance of the Mosely
record lies in the fact that it was made
over an extended course - 132 miles
- with pylons necessitating turns while
the De Romanet performance was for a
mil e over a straight-away course."
Unfortunately a U. S. Geodetic Sur-
vey of the course showed it to be only
Navy-Wright sesquiplane racer built in 1922 as test bed for new 650 hp V-12 Packard engine. The racer was forced down during the
1922 Pulitzer because of engine trouble.
116.8 miles long instead of the 132
miles. A revision of the figures put
Mosley' s speed at 156.5 miles per hour.
1921 PULITZER
Even though only six entrants par-
ticipated in the second Pulitzer race held
at Omaha, AERIAL AGE made much
of it in its editorial 'The Pulitzer Trophy
Race an American Achievement."
"Bert Acosta wrote international
aeronautic history when he drove the
Curtiss-Navy Racer to first place in the
Pulitzer Trophy Race on November 3
and established a world's speed record
of 176.9 miles per hour. It is a record
established by a 100 percent American
aeroplane, and is a timely answer to
some of our foreign critics that America
is lagging in aeronautic enterprise."
An editorial in the NEW YORK
GLOBE reported - "Yesterday's win-
ner did indicate the relative permanence
of high speed flying. At the end of the
war no machine was credited with a
consistent performance as fast as that
which took third place yesterday.
Today 160 miles an hour is as easy for
an aeroplane as 60 miles an hour was ten
years ago. High speed, like flying the
Atlantic, is inevitable and on the way
toward becoming dependable and ordi-
nary, though it is doubtful if the thrills
of either will be absent even for the
sophisticated next generation."
1924
By 1924, the events surrounding the
Pulitzer Trophy Race had grown into
ten separate events, six limited to
civilian aircraft and four restricted to
military aircraft. The two big events,
and the fastest, were the Pulitzer Trophy
Race and the Mitchell Race both featur-
ing military aircraft. The Mitchell com-
petition for pursuit ships was sponsored
by General Mitchell in honor of his
brother who had died in the World War.
HELL'S HALF ACRE
e.G. Grey, editor of JANE'S ALL
THE WORLD'S AIRCRAFT, visited
Dayton on the occasion of the air races.
Included in his report published in the
October 22, 1924 issue of THE
AEROPLANE was the following about
the civil planes that had flown in for the
event.
"Thereafter one drifted over to the
Civil Aircraft Park for visiting
aeroplanes. It is known generally as
Hell's Half Acre, presumably because
of the hard times suffered by civilian
aviators or Gypsy fliers - as joy-riders
are called in the states - in their efforts
to make a living.
"As a matter of fact there was more
pluck and ingenuity and brains dis-
played in the classic Half Acre than in
the rest of the field put together. There
were roughly a hundred machines there,
which had flown in from all parts of the
States. One sportsman, named Merrill,
had flown 1,000 miles from Dallas,
Texas on an old Thomas-Morse to
which he had fitted a Curtiss OX engine.
"The chief interest in the Half-Acre
was the cleverness with which old war
junk has been made into new aircraft
and the neatness of some of the new
designs. Mr. Laird, of Chicago, had a
couple of very neat biplanes."
NATIONAL AIR RACES
In 1925 the races held at Mitchel Field,
Long Island, became so varied the name
"National Air Races" was used for the
first time. The races drew more than 160
entries. There were six civilian and four
military events including the last Pulitzer
Trophy competition. The Pulitzer was
won by Army Lieutenant Cy Bellis in a
Curtiss R3C-l racer at a speed of 248
miles per hour setting a new world's
record for a closed course. Although the
Pulitzer was only held for six years, it saw
the winning speed increase by nearly 100
miles per hour.
1929
The 1929 National Air Races were
the first held at Cleveland. For 10 days
Cleveland was the center of the world
of flying. It was the beginning of a
decade long string of events that became
one of the most colorful periods in the
history of aviation. The first event
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9
Curtiss Navy R2C-1 racer of 1923 with Lt. Harold Brow.
Verville Racer (VCP-R) in its tina I configuration as flown in the 1922 Pulitzer by Lt. Mosley.
broke all previous attendance records
with over a half-million paid admis-
sions. There were several cross-
country races to Cleveland and 27
closed course events.
This first appearance at Cleveland
also saw the forerunners of two classic
events of air racing; the non-stop race
from Los Angeles, which became the
Bendix Race; and the closed course race
for unlimited aircraft which became the
Thompson Trophy.
THE WORLD'S GREATEST
SHOW
This was how Cy Caldwell referred
to the 1929 races in his editorial in the
October, 1929 issue of AERO
DIGEST.
"'The World's Greatest Show' was
what the late P. T. Barnum called the
Barnum and Bailey Circus, but if he
could have seen the 1929 National Air
Races he'd have had to run his circus in
second place. In the ten days of the
races 450,000 people either paid the
10 FEBRUARY 1991
$450,000 gate, or else bothered Cliff
Henderson for a pass.
"The number of hot dogs consumed,
including those that had been hot but had
cooled off, if laid end to end would reach
from Cleveland to Boston, though I don't
know why even a hot dog would want to
go to Boston. And the energy generated
by the escaping gas from 2,568,654
opened pop bottles, if collected in a bomb
and exploded in Washington, would be
enough to blow the entire U. S. Senate as
far as Atlanta, Georgia."
The prize totals for the first Cleveland
Air Races amounted to over $78,000.
The largest single prize was for the
longest of the cross-country races - the
race from Los Angeles to Cleveland -
won by Henry Brown in a Lockheed Air
Express at an average of 156 mph. Thus
nine years after the first Pulitzer race a
four passenger commercial transport
was able to match the speed of a special
built racer. This Air Express was later
sold to the Gilmore Oil Company and
became famous as Roscoe Turner's
THE GILMORE LION.
The Cleveland Races also saw the
running of the first Women's Air Derby.
In 1929 this was a cross-country race
from Santa Monica to Cleveland which
was completed by nine female pilots
and won by Louise Thaden in a
Whirlwind powered Travel Air.
To the crowds the greatest excite-
ment was the closed course pylon races
of which 26 were scheduled. Included
were races for National Guard observa-
tion planes, races for OX-5 and Liberty
engines and a race for 275 cubic inch
engines. The OX-5 race included Art
Chester and Steve Wittman, who were
to playa major role in the development
of Formula One racing almost two
decades later.
On the final day of the 1929 races the
only unlimited displacement free-for-
all race was held. This race saw civilian
entries pitted against the military. The
surprise of the event was the Travel Air
"Mystery Ship" racer flown by Doug
Davis.
There were 11 entries in the race, but
the competition was expected to lie be-
tween the two front line military pur-
suits. This was also the first time since
1925 that the two services would fly
against each other. One of the ships was
a Curtiss P-3A of Army Lieutenant R.
G. Breene and the other a Navy Hawk
flown by Lt. Commander 1. 1. Clark.
To the surprise of the spectators Doug
Davis' racer was out in front from the
beginning and completed the 50 mile
course at an average speed of 194.9
miles per hour. This speed included
having to go back and go around a pylon
he missed on the second lap. For the
first time in history a civilian machine
beat a military pursuit ship in an all out
race.
As reported in the October, 1929
AERO DIGEST: "The 'mystery'
Travel Air monoplane was undoubtedly
the most outstanding development
among racing planes. As long as the
National Air Races result in the intro-
duction of such advanced designs, they
will remain the most important event in
the aeronautical calendar. Doug Davis
easily detected everything the Army
and Navy could offer, and demonstrated
a degree of maneuverability for his craft
that does not seem to be matched by
either of the military services."
For the next ten years backyard
mechanics and their custom built
racers would dominate high speed
racing. The "Golden Age of Air
Racing" had begun .
ToOsh sh in 58 ye
Part I
Ken and the Eaglet prepare tor his adven-
This story really begins several years
by Ken Morris
ture. He says the Eaglet won't fly without
ago. Since my dad's purchase of the
leather.
(EAA 286755, Ale 11423)
Eaglet in 1975, it has flown almost daily
with the exception of a restoration in
1976 and a recover in 1984. The 35 hp
Szekely engine popped and sputtered
along without much trauma, only the
normal hammer taps and tweaks neces-
sary to everyday Eagleting.
Anyway, all those miles and hours
were finally taking their toll on old
"Zeke," and dad decided that it was time
for a change. Given the Szekely's
somewhat suspicious reputation, 14
years of semi-dependable service is
quite honorable.
So one beautiful sunset we quietly
lowered the windsock and played taps
on a piece of 4130 steel tubing as we
removed that engineering marvel from
the nose of the Eagle for overhaul.
At this point, perhaps a word about
the behind the scenes research that went
on in the Szekely "skunk works," in
Holland, Michigan would be in order.
Their first 3 cylinder radial design
had an "L" head, much like your Briggs
& Stratton lawn mower (I don't think
they copied it), but trying to stay on the
cutting edge of technology, the mid-
night oil was burning in Holland.
Before long a more efficient overhead
valve was designed. The little engine
produced a throbbing five more ponies!
It was this 35 hp engine that powered the
Eaglet trouble free (?) for those 14
years. But even the 35 hp version got
interesting on a hot day with two "well
rounded" people.
One hot day with the 35 hp engine,
my dad was letting a neighbor give him
a ride. After takeoff the neighbor asked
when it would start climbing.
"November" was the answer.
But the Szekely folks weren't satis-
fied with only five more horsepower;
someone figured out that if they shor-
tened the cylinder barrel to increase the
compression, they would increase the
horsepower even more to a blistering 45
hp.
Well, they did, and it did, but it was
asking alot of only 4 cylinder bolts and
before long it began raining cylinders
over Holland. The fix was one that old
Rube and Goldberg would have been
truly proud of. They put a cable around
the cylinders with a turnbuckle to
tighten and help relieve the pressure on
the cylinder flanges. (The deluxe ver-
sion used streamlined straps.)
Pat Packard, our retired Director of
Exhibits, and an Eaglet pilot from the
1930's, told me a different reason the
for the cable - it seems that the metal in
the cylinders would expand at different
rates, and the slI/all .\pacers that were
inserted in the valve train at the head
would then work their way out, causing
the engine to drop in RPM to just above
idle. The cahle would hold things
together just enough to keep this from
happening, and the "Zeke" would just
chug happily along. - HGF
Due to the 35 hp performance, or lack
thereof, my dad decided to upgrade to
the 45 hp model. The 45 hp engine was
built and a new propeller was added.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11
Shortly before Oshkosh '88, it was
ready.
After sufficient ground run the first
takeoff was made. First a right climbing
270, followed by a deafening silence,
followed by an uneventful landing (on
the runway), followed by the long tow
back to the drawing board. After the
problems were corrected, another
takeoff was made, followed by a climb-
ing right 270, followed by another
deafening silence, followed by a few
choice words, followed by another un-
eventful landing (again on the runway),
followed by another long to back to the
drawing board.
With Oshkosh just around the VOR
and the Eaglet's new engine somewhat
less than dependable, the second Osh-
kosh adventure was delayed until 1989.
I did fly it to Oshkosh in 1986, but that's
another story.
During the ensuing year the new old
"Zeke" redeemed itself and improved
its reputation.
Expectations were made and the
Eaglet sat quietly in its hangar waiting
for all of the excitement at Oshkosh
'89.
While all of this excitement was
going on in Ft. Worth, my wife Lor-
raine and I were in Memphis trying to
make a Cessna 140 out of lots of little
pieces, none of which resembled an
airplane. Bear with me, we're just
about to the part of the story where it
takes off, so to speak.
Finally on the 4th ofJuly, the 140 was
ferried to Ft. Worth for its annual and
the stage was set for our flight. The plan
was to fly up together - Lorraine flying
our "new" 140 and I in the Eaglet.
Keeping it in the family, Carol, my step-
mother, flew her beautiful 140, and my
dad traveled in the lap of luxury in his
53 model Bonanza, the most modern of
the convoy.
Then on July 19th, 1989, tragedy
struck when a United Airlines DC-I0
crashed at Sioux City, Iowa. In spite of
the crew's heroic efforts in conditions
that we as pilots fear most, loss of con-
trol, many of the people were killed.
Among them was a good friend.
Jerry Kennedy was an off duty United
Second Officer returning home from
DC-lO ground school. He leaves his
wife, Janice, four children, his parents
12 FEBRUARY 1991
Full "I Follow Railroads" instruments package. Where's the compass? Back in Fort
Worth. Oops!
and two sisters. We will all miss him
very much.
Because of this accident, our rout e of
flight was modified slightly to att end the
funeral services in central Illinois.
Finally on Sunday, July 23rd, I ar-
rived in Ft. Worth via airline and plan-
ning began in earnest.
Having charted this territory in 1986
with planning so meticulous that NASA
would have been speachl ess, I had a
hard time getting too involved with it.
(The first time we had WAC charts,
sectional charts, road maps, jet stream
charts, radar summery, sequence and
forecasts. We even had a tidal chart for
Galveston.)
This time I decided to "head that -a-
way" and throw a five gallon gas can in
the back seat.
Monday, July 24th dawned bright
with very little wind. That is somewhat
important in the Eaglet because it lacks
brakes. It does have a tail skid, but in
much wind at all it likes to point into it,
whether or not that is the desired direc-
tion of travel , and without brakes it
might come to a stop just after you
really needed to.
With all the necessities aboard: gas
can, grease gun (for the exposed rocker
arms), oil can (for the exposed valves),
assorted tools, a can of Marvel Mystery
Oil to mix with the gas and a set of tie
downs (hopefully not to be used until
Oshkosh), I was ready to go.
Lorraine and the 140 "just lacked
fini shing up, " so she and my son Jason
would be se ve ral hours lat er than
planned. Adding up th e hours of
daylight and the di stance to the first
night stop in Springfi eld, Mi ssouri, I
had to get going.
A couple of tactical errors were
made before the trip even began. First
of all, I remembered from the last time
that map folding was not a lot of fun in
a Szekely swept 60 mph gal e. So when
asked which charts I wanted (sectional
or WAC) , I pi cked the WAC chCl rt s
because small er print equal s less fold -
ing. It also means less detail. The
second error was forgett i ng to i nsta \I
the compass.
I guess nobody at American Eagle
ever dreamed that anyone would get
very far from their home field, because
they did not install a compass
l
We
have one that we use when a cross-
country is pl anned, but in thi s case it
was not planned very well.
Aft er greasing the rocker arms, oil ing
the va lve stems, turning on the oil and
generally getting my nerve up, it was
hi gh noon and I was ready to go.
As I taxi ed to the end of the runway,
I realized that I had not fl own the Eagl et
with it s new engine and was looking
foward to it. Aft er chec king both mngs
during the taxi (there is no carb heat ), I
appli ed full power and bcgnn the trip
that would span four days and 14 hours
of flying.
With the new engine and prop it leapt
into the air and climbed like a homesick
angel. Well, sort of. It did climb well
enough that I decided to climb up high
and take advantage of the associated
true airspeed increase and any prevail-
ing southwest wind that might be there.
(Every little bit helps). I climbed and
climbed, and climbed, and climbed, and
after half an hour, I was all the way to
5500 feet, give or take a few. The an-
tique altimeter has a single needle with
200 foot increments about an eighth of
an inch apart.
After about 30 minutes at altitude,
plus the 30 minutes to climb there, I
decided to descend for two reasons.
First, I was just on top of a very thin
scallered layer and from the shadows I
could see that I had a head wind.
Second, even though I was wearing a
jacket and long sleeves, I was freezing
my (censored). I descended until the
temperature was just right, even though
it was a little bit choppy, but my ground
speed was still a respectable 74 mph.
Even without a compass I remarkably
found my way to Durant, Oklahoma, my
first stop. After casing the airport, I saw
some gas pumps and a place to land
where I could roll right up to them,
saving wear and tear on the tail skid. It
was a neat plan; too bad it didn't work.
It was a flight school that couldn't sell
their fuel. I had to taxi to the other end
of the field (about 87 miles) to the FBO.
As I taxied up to the pumps, I could
smell hot steel from the tail skid. One
leg into the trip and the tail skid was
wearing out fast.
After fueling, I left Durant from a
more normal altitude of about 500 feet.
My wife had drawn a line on the
WAC chart for me since she was plan-
ning her route anyway, and all I had to
do was follow it, ad-libbing fuel stops
along the way. So 30 minutes or so after
leaving Durant, I pulled out the chart to
see where I was and relieve boredom, a
nice change in the Eaglet since it's sel-
dom boring.
The city of Stigler, Oklahoma got the
nod and a course correction was made.
After another hour, as if by magic,
Stigler appeared beside "Zeke's" num-
ber one cylinder. The bad news was that
..,.:....
140 Captain lorraine Morris and her father clean up about 800 miles worth of dirt and
grime in preparation for the final leg of the trip.
when I got there, I was alone. The good
news was that I had five gallons of gas
behind me. So I emptied my five gal-
lons of gas into the tank, added Marvel
Mystery Oil, oiled the valves, then con-
tinued my quest. Twenty minutes
away,just over the Robert S. Kerr reser-
voir was Sallisaw, Oklahoma.
Entering a left base and landing, I
again discovered that I was alone.
There was a sign in the window that the
FBO was out of business and that
anyone wanting fuel should call the
police. I was not a happy camper; the
afternoon was in full swing while I
waited for fuel, but it all worked out. I
filled the fuel tank and half filled the
five gallon "aux" tank. I learned on the
first leg of the trip that with all the tools
and gas in the back seat and the extra
power up front, it was a little bit tail
heavy. With no elevator trim it gets
heavy holding the stick forward . So
eliminating some weight from there
helped.
After leaving Salisaw, things began
to get interesting. Up until now all the
farmers got together and kept their
fields more or less lined up with the
section lines. (Not as good as Illinois,
but they're working on it.)
From Sallisaw to Springfield, Mis-
souri, there wasn't much to work with.
I started off with a good look at
Sallisaw's north/south runway and kept
it in view while watching the angle of
the sun. Did I say sun? As the day
grew, so did the cumulo-bumpus clouds
to block out the sun and totally confuse
the aviator. There I was over trees with
no section lines to follow, no sun to
check direction, a WAC chart that
showed a lot of green but not much else,
and no compass!
As if that wasn't enough, there were
rain showers all over the place that I had
to deviate around. After all of this I was
quite bewildered, and finding Siloam
Springs (on my next stop) took a tone of
urgency. I had plenty of gas, but some
of it required a landing to get to, and
from where I sat I needed to be a full
grown eagle to land in these trees.
Then it started to rain. At first I
thought the old Szekely might object
(not good), or refuse (worse), but it just
kept popping a long. As a matter of fact ,
the oil temperature went clown and oil
pressure went up. The windshield
worked well. The water rolled up the
screen and dropped in my lap, leaving
onlookers wondering what I'd been up
to. With visibility reduced due to rain,
the only good news was that I couldn't
see how far off course I probably was!
With the gas gauge bouncing near the
bottom, I looked around in the back seat
to see my "aux" tank with fuel in it, and
was reminded about the old WWII story
of the two fighters trying to get back to
their carrier deck. With one plane nea r-
ly out of gas and voicing his concerns to
his wing man, the wing man said, "Stick
with me; I've got plenty." I had plenty
too.
Continued next month.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13
by Norm Petersen
With everything carefully loaded, Piper
3-4A Cub Coupe, NC24681, SIN 4-683,
gets ready for the 102 mile trip to its new
home in Marshallville, Ohio. Last flown in
1966, the Continental 65 hp powered J-4A
had been owned for 49 years by one
owner prior to being purchased by John
Airulla (EAA 356591, AIC 15587) of Mar-
shallville, Ohio. John reports Ihe 1939 Cub
Coupe was last covered in 1948 by the
Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics for $412.
It was purchased with skis, nav lites and
original " up-exhaust".
Sporting a blue fuselage and silver
wings is this very nicely restored 1948
Stampe SV-4B, registered OY-DBC, SIN
1204, being taxied by its owner, Povl Toft
of Ringkobing, Denmark. Powered with
a 130 hp DeHaviliand Gypsy Major en-
gine, the Stampe was one of a group
buill for the Belgian Air Force as trainer
aircraft. Povl Toft, who comes from an
enlire family of pilots and rebuilders
headed by his father Jens Toft (Toft Air
Force) of Lem, Denmark, stands by his
pride and joy. Note the detailed
workmanship on this (pretty much)
wooden biplane which has fine
aerobatic capabilities.
14 FEBRUARY 1991
by Norm Petersen
With its P& W R-985 engines at full till, Beech 0-18-S, C-FCSN, SIN CA-16, mounted on Edo 56-7850 floats, lifts off the waler in Brilish
Columbia. Note cabin slairway on left floal and large ventral fin used with floals 10 increase fin area.
Typical of the beautiful scenery in British Columbia where Vancouver Island Air lid. does ils flying. One of Iheir OeHavilland Beavers
flying in loose formation with one of Iheir Cessna 185 Skywagons on CAP 3000 floals.
From the beautiful coastal area of
British Columbia come these photos of
working seaplanes sent in by Larry
Langford, General Manager of Van-
couver Island Air Ltd., Campbell River,
B.C. This company operates three
Cessna 185, three DeHavilland Beaver
and a twin Beech D-18-S, all on floats
and serving 200 coastal locations in
British Columbia.
Larry went on to explain how the firm
spent seven months restoring their
Beech D-18-S and are well pleased with
the result. Registered C-FCSN, the twin
Beech was built in 1953 and served with
the Canadian Air Force until sold in
1967 and put on floats CEdo 56-7850) by
a tourist operator in Ontario.
Over 450 lbs. was removed during the
extensive overhaul ending up with an
empty weight on floats of 6,080 lbs.,
giving a useful load of 2,645 lbs. at 8725
Ibs. gross. To Larry's knowledge, this is
the only 10-place Beech on fl oats in
operation to date. Besides getting off the
water as fast as their best Beaver, the twin
Beech will cruise at 155 mph at gross.
The only aircraft with comparable
performance is a Cessna Caravan on
floats and its operating cost is much
higher as well as initial price -
$1,000,000 for the Caravan versus
$175,000 for a totally restored Beech.
As Larry says, "We think we have a
good deal - in spite of using 1930's
technology! "
Present plans call for converting
another twin Beech to floats this winter
so the second twin can be put on the line
next spring. As one observer of Van-
couver Island Air remarked, "You are
not in the ai rline business, you are in the
ANTIQUE ai rcraft restora tion busi-
ness!"
Our thanks go out to Vancouver Is-
land Air Ltd. and Larry Langford for
being kind enough to send us the beauti-
ful photos featured in this column .
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15
By H.G. Frautschy
The post war civilian boom had al-
ready gone bust when the word came
down to the engineering staff at
Aeronca in Middletown, Ohio. Seek-
ing to broaden their marketing base
in a quickly shrinking market,
management was looking for some-
thing to help them ride out the
economic storm that post-war civilian
aviation had become. The mandate
given to the staff sounded something
like this . . .
"Design a four-place that we can
put into production quickly, with lots
of room inside and with good perfor-
mance. Oh, and one more thing. You
can only use the raw materials we
already have on hand for the bulk of
the airplane. I don't want you to go
out and buy anything like tubing,
sheet metal and the like."
Photos by Jim Kocpnick
the basic layout and design, Vince
Berinati the stress and aerodynamics,
and Harry Zeisloft engineered the
powerplant installation. They designed
a four-place fuselage made out of steel
tube, steel tube tai l surfaces, and all
metal wings braced with a single
aluminum strut. All of the materials
possible came from the stock on hand,
right down to the glovebox covers from
the Chief. When each Sedan, as the new
craft was called, was rolled out into the
Ohio sunshine only a few of the parts
had to be bought from outside sources
before the plane could be delivered.
Most notable among these were the en-
gine, a Continental C- 145, and the Con-
solidair wheel pants . Even the
instrument package was gleaned as
much as possible from shelf stock.
What the engineers didn't know was
that their creati on would someday be-
many pilots in the past, and Dick Fol-
som of Nokomis, Florida is no excep-
tion. Bitten early by the Aeronca bug,
Dick learned to fl y in a Champ on fl oats
on Moosehead Lake in Maine, and
would then transfer to skis when winter
arrived and the water became "stiff' . In
1952 he enlisted in the service as an
infantryman. He then reenli sted as a
Warrant Officer, assigned to heli cop-
ters. Dick wasn't too fond of the chop-
pers, though, and along with two others
from his class he was allowed to transi-
tion to Liaison aircraft. He spent the
remainder of his military career as a
senior instructor, flying L-20s and L-
19s.
While he was in the service, Dick
earned a degree in geology. After the
service, he returned to the Moosehead
Lake area, and went to work as practicing
geologist. On the weekends he would fly
This wouldn't be the first four-place come one the favorite mounts for bush as a bush pilot in the Maine wilderness.
that the crew at Aeronca had designed, pilots and sportsmen alike. Its roomy He moved a couple of times within the
but the Model 14 Chum, a low wing cabin and load carrying capabi lity have northeast. He sold his marine construction
design drawn up at the end of the war made it handy for hauling hunters, business and "reti red" 10 Florida, where
had not reached the production stage. fishermen or fami li es for almost 45 he now has his second marine construc-
With notes on the contents of the raw years. tion business. Over the years he was ac-
materials bin, the engineers sat down at The ot her airplane with a forward tively flying, Dick had owned three
their drafting boards. George Owl did swept fin has captured the fancy of Champs, a Chief and a Super Cub.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17
In keeping with the "keep it
simple" school of thought, the
fuel gauges for the wing-
mounted tanks are graduated
tubes.
Dick has always been interested in
older airplanes, and after having been
away from flying for a number of years,
he decided he needed a diversion. He
had already owned each of the post-war
Aeroncas, so he went looking for an
Aeronca Sedan, the last airplane type
produced by the Middletown, Ohio
manufacturer. His search lasted two
years, until he talked to a man in
Topeka, Kansas. After talking with the
gentleman a couple of times on the
phone, Dick bought the Sedan sight un-
seen in July, 1980.
November of that year saw Dick
picking up his prize and winging his
way back east. All those hours spent
navigating by pilotage over the Maine
wilderness helped him bring the Sedan
Advertised in Aeronca sales brochures as "a full size four place airplane engineered for everyday people", the
Sedan has a large comfortable cabin, with access thru a large door on the right side. Dick's Sedan features an
original color scheme, and, for added safety, he has added shoulder harnesses.
Carefully restored to almost original configuration, the cockpit
of the Sedan shows off its spacious cabin width, and the great
visibility out the large windshield. The only major difference
between 1950's and now? The 6" radio stack on the lett side of
the panel.
home through low weather in the St.
Louis area, with no radios and a com-
pass that was balky. Thanksgiving din-
ner that year consisted of a candy bar
somewhere over New York State, with
his final stop that night at his home in
New Hampshire.
With the fabric so bad that he knew it
would never pass another annual, Dick
disassembled the four-placer and stored
it in his shop. For the next three years he
couldn't get near his project, so he
began to look for someone to restore the
project. After a few fits and starts, the
Sedan was passed along to Joe Hindall
and his crew in Englewood, Florida.
They started on the project in October,
1989, and completed it in April, just
prior to Sun'n Fun '90. The Sedan's
maiden flight was to the fly-in! A last
minute oil leak was fixed at the begin-
ning of the week, and then it was off to
Lakeland for the Aeronca Sedan and its
proud new owner.
The airplane is finished with the Stits
process, in the original factory color
scheme. During the time spent before
and during the actual restoration, many
details about the plane were researched,
including the replacement of the "hogs-
hair" floor mat. Phone call after phone
call were made in an effort to find the
original manufacturer. They finally
found out that the original maker had
passed away, but one of hi s relatives
also had a textile business, and that they
both used to supply Aeronca. They were
then able to come very close to match-
ing the original. The interior still has
that warm, spacious feeling that the
Sedan was famous for when it was being
touted as the "family four-seater". The
results speak for itself.
Many of the lessons learned while
producing the Champ and the Chief
A happy Dick Folsom with his latest Aeronca. The forward leon of
the rudder hinge line has always been a distinctive trademark of
the Sedan.
were put into practice when the en-
gineers sat down to the drawing board.
The Champ had always enjoyed great
visibility from inside the cabin, and the
Sedan featured the same general layout,
with the added bonus of a windshi eld
that went clear back to the front spar
carry-thru. Many planes, including the
J-3 Cub, have similar arrangements, but
the Sedan's spar is set so far back, it
al most gives the appearance of a
skylight above your head'
Dick gives Joe Hindall all of the credit
for getting his Sedan as close to original
as he could. Joe did all the research on the
project and put a lot of time in ferreting
out the details. Dick al so wanted a safe
airplane, and to that end you will see the
shoulder harnesses he has added. He also
installed modem electronics, including a
loran, transponder with encoder and a
nav/com.
Di ck's Sedan garnered an "Outstand-
ing Aircraft" award at Sun 'n Fun '90,
and it's easy to see why - the nice res-
toration by Joe Hindall and his crew
along with the pleasing lines of the
Sedan combined to make it easy on the
judge's eye. The folks at Middl etown
would be proud! .
As clean as the rest of the restoration, the installation of the C-14S
Continental speaks of the work done by Joe Hindall and his crew.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19
Call her the Lincoln or
Lincoln-Page, by either
name she was known as a
well balanced trainer
suitable for both primary
and secondary stages of
flight instruction. By the
time the PT-K (the "PT' rio'
stood for "Page Trainer")
was produced, the
"Page" in Lincoln-Page
had been dropped from
the company name, but
the aviation community
was much slower in accommodating the
name change. Most people still called
the company's product a Lincoln-Page,
a habit for some that still persists to this
day. The Lincoln PT-K model was the
next development of the Lincoln-Page
PT, designed specifically as a flight
training or low cost sport flying
airplane. "Low cost" came at what must
have been a pretty penny in 1929, for the
airplanes list price at the factory field,
according to Joseph Juptner 's "U.S.
Civil Aircraft", was $4175, later
lowered to $3865.
The PT-K was considered a well
designed airplane from an aerodynamic
standpoint in 1929, taking into account
the mannerisms of a student pilot. The
20 FEBRUARY 1991
by H.G. Frautschy
excessive speed to bring
it around." The gross
weight change refers to
~ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2 ~ 7 ~ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ~
the PT-K's predecessor,
the Lincoln-Page PT,
which had a gross weight
of 1968 pounds com-
pared to the PT-K' s
grossing out at 1767.
fuselage has a long moment arm for the
tail surfaces, meant to desensitize the
pitching and bucking of a nervous stu-
dent pilot as he worked his way through
the curriculum. In Joseph Juptner's
description in Volume 3 of his seri es
"U.S. Civil Aircraft", he writes " ... the
amiable and gentle PT-K was a stable
craft and was quite forgiving in nature.
In other words, the Lincoln PT-K was
not too fussy and wouldn't get all upset
due to a little pilot error. Performance
with the added power and lowered gross
weight was somewhat improved over
the earlier PT and it was no exceptional
trick for the PT-K to perform a well-
rounded loop from level flight ; there
was really no need to dive and gain
The PT-K also boasted
10 additional hors e-
power with its 100 hp
Kinner K5, instead of
the PT's 90 hp Curtiss
OX-5. On that 100 hp, the PT-K could
do 104 mph as a maximum speed, but
normally cruised at 85 mph.
The structure of the PT series proved
to be quite rugged, and some later
models of the trainer had a different
landing gear configuration than the
original design, a split axle with shock-
absorbing bungee cord. The later
design featured a stiff-legged rigid gear,
coupled with low pressure airwheels.
The low pressure airwheels had more
than enough "give" in the sidewall so
that no further shock absorption was
needed.
The PT-K was available with a few
options, including a metal propeller, a
lightl y framed fully enclosed canopy for
cold weather flying, navigation lights,
and engine starter. One other item
available as an option were Bloxham
"Safety Sticks". This option all owed
the instructorto disengagethestudents
control stick, in case he "froze". Joe
Juptnersaid it best in his description -
"Backintheold' Jenny'days,akonkon
the head with a fire extinguisher bottle
accomplishedthesamepurpose,butthis
was frowned upon and considered a
rather primitive method at this par-
ticulartime."Wehaveverylittleinfor-
mation on the Bloxham Aero Supply
Company,exceptforthissmall ad that
ranin a 1929issueofAeroDigest.
Bloxham Aero Supply Co.
Manufacturers of
BLOXHAM
SAFETY STICXS, HELMETS, SAFETY BELTS
Df-fliers, diptributorlt. l\' rlte for cntalog of these
reol money makeflJ,
3011SouthWabash Aveaue
Cblcago
The normal colorschemefor the PT-
K was a medium blue fuselage with an
orangestripe,andorangeororange-yel-
low wings . EAA's PT-K sports a
medium blue fuselage, wi th a silver
stripeandsilverwingsandtailsurfaces.
Flyi ngtheLincolnPT-K
by NormPetersen
Therearefewitemsinthisworldthat
will deflate your ego faster than a
botched landing in front ofa crowd -
you know the kind - two, threeorfour
bounceswithafew wildcareensthrown
in. In like manner, a perfect, greased
landing on all three points can make
yourday. Fortunatelyforme,theEAA
Foundation's Lincoln PT-K, NC275N,
SIN 602, powered with a 100 hp five-
cylinderKinnerK5of372cubicinches,
hassomefinecharacteristicstohelpthe
novicemakethe"greasers".
When seated in the rear cockpit
(whereallsoloworkisflownfrom),one
soonnoticesthe ratherlargeamount of
room with ample sized controls. The
brakesareoperatedby heel application
and are very effective. A large rudder
at the end ofa long fuselage gives all
kinds of directional control. Soft
airwheels, in connection with bungee
cord landing gear struts, gives a nice,
firm rideon thegroundwith littleorno
wallow. Themainpointtorememberis
the"flat"attitudeoftheLincolnon the
ground. Onehastoconcentrateonland-
ingin a"flat"attitude,lestthetailwheel
arriveon deckfirst, followed by avery
pronounced "thump" as the mains hit
hard.
With EAA Convention photographer Donna Bushman in the front cockpit, Norm Petersen
climbs out to the southeast in the linc oln PT-K. the Kinner K5 at full bore.
In typical radial engine style, one
soon leams to operate at much slower
rpm's than a typical opposed engine.
Flat out on takeoff and climb is 1800
rpm while normal cruise is 1500 rpm.
TheKinnerhasagood,solid,vibratory
feel asitchugsalong,albeitwithlotsof
racket. Thosesinglestraightpipesreal-
ly cackle from each cylinder and ear
plugs are a necessity if you want to
converse with anyone the next day!
One gets the feeling from the cockpit
duringrun-upthattheengineisn'tgoing
fast er- only louder!
Perhaps the most unusual difference
isthethrottle,whichtravelsinanunder-
handed arc, being pivoted at the top.
The knob is over 2 inches in diameter
and makes a noticeable low swing
duringitstravel- theonlythrottleIhave
operated that didn't arc over the top,
exceptpossiblya Pietenpolortwo.
Featuring 297 square feet of wing
area, the Lincoln flies like a lightly
loaded airplane allowing slow landing
speeds. The Goettingen 436 airfoil is
quite forgiving and transmits a feel
through the airframe. One can easily
_/
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tell the airspeed without looking ~ t the
instrument panel - it telegraphs the
speed - so essential to "seat-of-the-
pants"flying. Onceyougetusedtothe
larger stick movements required to fly
theairplane,especiallyatlowairspeeds,
you soon realize the original designers
knewwhat they weredoing.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21
Photo of N275N taken in 1962 at OHumwa, Iowa at the AAA Fly-In. Ironically, the Spartan
C-3 next to the Lincoln flew formation with us at Pioneer Airport all summer (1990) in the
capable hands of its owner, Ed Wegner, Plymouth, WI.
An enthusiast from the word "Go", the late
Norm Sten (EAA 7735), who restored and
donated Lincoln PT-K, N275N to the EAA
Aviation Foundation.
One advantage I i"--------------.3.l'j.--------------1"1 world." In another
have is seni o rity. paragraph, Norm
The Li ncol n PT-K I - : : = = = = : ; : : : ; ; = = = = = = ~ ; : : : ; ~ = : ; ; ~ = = = = = = = ; ~ = = = : : : : : ; says, "I am happy in
was built in Novem- C the fact that others
ber of 1930, while I will have the
was bom in July of pl eas ure of fIying
1930! That gives me the airplane, for it
four months of Icertainly does give
seniority - which .2' one the sensation of
de mands a little having 'slipped the
respect. (I do wish I surly bonds' ."
were in as good Following in such
shape as the Lincoln famous footsteps
after all these years.) makes one humble
I am not a stranger to the machine. In occasions, the sound of the Kinner K5 indeed, and makes the opportunity to fly
my personal coll ection of slides are bringing music to the ears. the Lincoln PT-K at Pioneer Airport a
photos of thi s very airplane taken in Norm Sten enjoyed open cockpit rare treat. Besides, after three summers
1962 at Ottumwa, Iowa during the AAA flying and you can be sure the restoration of rounding the pattem at Pioneer, the
Fly-In. In the mid-sixties, it was a treat of NC275N came from the heart. In one "old girl" and I have kind of an under-
to see Norm Sten bring the Lincoln into of his letters to Paul Poberezny, prior to standing - we will take care of each
a Minnesota fly-in breakfast on several donating the Lincoln, he said, "It is soon other to the best of our abilities,
that time of year There are only eight Lincoln PT
when the weather aircraft remaining on the U.S. Register,
smells just right for of which only two are Kinner powered,
open cockpit soEAA's Lincoln PT-K is one rare bird.
flying. I have flown To hear the staccato bark of a K5 Kinner
open jobs when and see the graceful Lincoln take to the
temperatures were air, better plan on a weekend at Pioneer
below zero, and on Airport in Oshkosh this summer.
days when the Pioneer Airport at the EAA Air Ad-
vegetation wilted vellture Museum begins operation on
in the hea t , but the 1st weekend in May and continues
these early days of (weather permitting, of course!)
spring always through the summer a ndfall, withflying
seemed to have an ending on the 1st weekend in October.
extra measure of Full size aircraft flying is suspended
satisfaction. On during two contests at that time - a Kite
these days, one flying contest the weekend of May 4th,
could fly, sniff the and a Giant Scale RIC model contest the
air and feel that all weekend ofSeptember 22. We lookfor-
was right with the ward to seeing you there!.
22 FEBRUARY 1991
N
e
7
5
N
, Braced wittLMre_amltned_-'tYires, the large tail surfaces of the
lincoln are sturdy and effective.
Having just passed Its 60th birthday in November
1990, Uncoln PJ-K, N275N, enjoys the splendor of
EM's Pioneer Airport as a fitting reminder to its - - _ ~
restorer, Norm sten of Osseo, Minnesota.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23
The nose cowl features five openings that can be shuttered
down from the cockpit in cold weather. Note the ground
adjustable metal prop.


by Gene Chase (EAA 10522, AIC 300)
JAMES W. "JIM"BARTON
Jim Barton is one of those quiet-kind-
of-men whose manner belies the fact
that he has a long and colorful aviation
career. Jim's experiences could easily
fill a book and the few highlighted here
will be only the proverbial "tip of the
iceberg."
Jim was born in 1920 in Danville,
Illinois and grew up in that area. His
father, James E. Barton, had natural
mechanical abilities and in 1911 at age
13 was working in an auto electrical
24 FEBRUARY 1991
shop which manufactured batteries and
was a dealership for Baker electric
autos. He became well-schooled in
auto electrics and when World War I
broke out he joined the Army and was
assigned to the Air Service. His
mechanical aptitude was soon recog-
nized and he was sent to Ray's Auto
School in Kansas City where he went
through an aircraft engine mechanics
course. From there he was sent to the
Army's mechanics school at Kelly Field
in San Antonio, Texas where he got
more experience and at 18 was made an
instructor.
After his stint in the Army Air Ser-
vice, Mr. Barton returned to Danville
where he opened his own auto electrical
shop. He also put his mechanical genius
to work installing and fine tuning auto
and aircraft engines in high speed racing
(left) 1941 - A young Jim Barton pauses for
a moment next to a Fairchild PT-19 at the
Parks Air College facility in Sikeston, MO.
boats owned by wealthy local
businessmen.
Those were exciting times for Mr.
Barton's young son, Jim, who when not
in school was at his father's side observ-
ing and learning. Jim still recalls the
penetrating sound of one of the big boats
running 60 mph with the 300 hp Hisso
engine running many rpm's over the
normal rate of 1750.
Jim's first encounter with aircraft was
when he was allowed to sit in the cock-
pits of a Dehavilland DH-4, Spad,
Thomas Morse Scout and Curtiss Jenny
which were sitting behind the Allith-
Prouty Foundry in Danville. He was
only four years old and couldn't see out
of the cockpits but he vividly recalls the
experience.
In the late 1920s some of the boat
owners joined with other well-to-do
businessmen and purchased an OX-5
powered Waco 10, NC5864, and
formed a flying club. It was only
natural they would enlist the elder Bar-
ton to maintain the club plane with his
compensation being free membership
and flying time. Now young Jim was
really in "hog heaven" (his term) with
his great interest in everything mechani-
cal, especially flying machines. He
spent every waking moment at the air-
port when not in school or at home
building model planes.
In 1929 after the infamous stock
market crash the club members could no
longer afford the luxury of aircraft
ownership and the group disbanded.
Because Mr. Barton had been too busy
making a living for his family, he hadn't
flown all the time due him, so the 15
club members gave him the plane in
payment of the debt. Overnight Mr.
Barton found himself not only the sole
owner of the Waco 10 but also the han-
gar, the corporate books and shares of
stock (Jim now has these), a pot-bellied
stove, a spare propeller and the respon-
sibility of running the airport.
The following years were lean ones
for nearly everyone, especially those
trying to earn a Jiving in aviation. One
day in 1931 the local newspaper had
something positive to write about when
they ran a photo of a brand new Ryan B-1,
C7206, SIN 153 and proclaimed that busi-
ness was booming at the airport now that
two planes were based at the FBO.
In 1932 Mr. Barton built extensions
to the rudder bar in the Waco and began
teaching his 12-year old son to fly.
Jim's dad was a stickler for adhering to
regulations and even though young Jim
was ready to solo long before his 16th
birthday, his dad made him wait until he
was legal.
In the meantime Jim accumulated
dual time in the Waco and a Taylor E-2
Cub, NC15392. Mr. Barton was a Cub
dealer and this plane was his
demonstrator. Jim soloed the Cub in
1936 and at the time was heralded as the
"youngest pilot in Illinois." By the time
he got his private certificate in 1937 he
had also logged time in a Davis V-3,
NC641 N, and an A vro Avian, NC525K.
Jim's flying ability was recogni zed
by other pilots in the area and they fre-
quently made their planes avail abl e for
him to fly, including an OX-5 Curtiss
Robin, OX-5 Command-A ire , J-5
Travel Air, Meyers OTW, Buhl "Bull
Pup," Waco RNF, etc. But Jim never
accepted these kind offers until after his
dad gave him a proper checkout in each
A young boys dream! After his father colected him from school and said the words that
all boys like to hear - .. I want to show you something", 9 year old Jim gets to stand on
the left wing of a brand new Curtiss P1 D of the White Owl Squad rom based at Selfridge
Field, II was being ferried by family friend, George Slater. Also on the field that day were
a Waco 10 (center) and J-5 Monocoach (right) built by Monocoupe.
new type. This was at the insistance of
Mr. Barton, a strict disciplinari an for
whom Jim had the utmost respect.
During the twenti es and thirties many
barnstorme rs and aviation not abl es
stopped at the Danville Airport , and the
Barton home was always a welcome
place to get a bite to eat and spend the
night. Young Jim enjoyed li stening in
on many hangar flying sessions involv-
ing his dad, Harold Johnson, Ken
Hunter, Sy Gates, Freddy Lund, Mike
Murphy, Jim and Mary Hai zlip ,
Clarence Chamberlain, Jimmy Doolit-
tie, to name a few. In additi on to hosting
the barnstomers, Jim' s mother, Dolly,
was involved in numerous "rib-stit ch-
ing bees". The sewing machine has
been donated by Jim to the EAA Air
Adventure Museum, and is on di spl ay
in one of the Homebuilder's exhibit s.
Among the more impressive pl anes
temporarily based at the Danville Air-
port whil e being barnstormed in the area
during the mid- 1930s were two Curtiss
Condors, a Stinson Model U, Ford
Trimot or and a Keystone Patri cian.
One of the Condors, NC726K, SIN G-4
1934 - The elder Mr. James E. Barton in 1934 with his OX-5 powered Waco 10 at Danville Airport.
VI NTAGE AI RPLANE 25
owned by Clarence Chamberlain, was
used for nighttime passenger hops and
Jim recalls watching it take off with
both of the 600 hp Curtiss Conqueror
engines at full power burning auto fuel
and leaving a trail of glowing carbon
embers looking like a super-bright
Milky Way.
The Keystone Patrician, NC 1 ON, SIN
206 was a huge 20-place fabric covered
trimotor with an 88' 6" wingspan owned
by Ken Hunter and Sy Gates. These two
men were good friends of the Bartons
and they stayed in the Barton home for
30 days while barnstorming in the area.
They invited their host to become a
parter in the Patrician venture but Mr.
Barton declined, realizing that the big
trimotor would have to be re-covered
before it could be re-licensed. But
before Hunter and Gates moved on, Jim
was allowed to get some "stick time" in
the Patrician.
Obviously Jim was not the typical
"airport kid." There aren't many pilots
today who can show flight time in their
logbooks in such a variety of planes
while still a teenager. While finishing
high-school Jim helped his dad at the
airport, then after graduation he worked
for the Currey Flying Service at Gales-
burg, Illinois where he received his
commercial and flight instructor ratings
in the CPT Program.
Jim will never forget the final
maneuver he and other students of in-
structor Joe Call had to perform before
being recommended for their "secon-
dary" rating check ride. They rolled the
Waco UPF-7 inverted over the field at
26 FEBRUARY 1991
AIR p.9.RT
........
Danville Airport in 1929. The Ford Trimotor belonged to Grey Goose Airlines, with
service to Chicago. If you look carefully, behind the Ford you will see the unmistakable
profile of one of Goodyear's "Pony" blimps.
1,500' agl, execut ed a 360 degree tum
with a half roll on final to a landing.
After successful completion of the CPT
program Jim was hired as a flight in-
struct or in 1941 and instructed CPT stu-
dents in Aeronca TLs and Chiefs,
UPF-7s, Meyers OTWs and a Waco
INF.
One day he learned of a Parks Air
College operation at Sikeston, Missouri
where Army Air Corps cadets were
learning to fl y. The minimum require-
ments for a flight instructor' s job at
Sikeston were 21 years of age and 250
hours in aircraft of more than 200 hp.
On June 29, 1941, his 21st birthday, Jim
was qualifi ed. He promptly submi tt ed
an application ancl was hired six clays
later after passing a check ride with
Harvey Glass. Jim later learned that in
On the day before attaining his Private licence at age 17, Jim poses with the
Continental Special. When he got his license, Jim became the youngest licensed pilot
in the state of Illinois.
1936 - Well in advance of Jim's work on the auto fuel STC, Clarence Chamberlain's
Curtiss Condor was barnstorming the midwest and running his Conqueror engines on
auto fuel.
1951 - At the Galesburg,ll airport, Jim and his lovely wife Doris stand by their Crosley airport car and Stearman PT-17, with a Rawdon
canopy. Jim says the Stearman would cruise about 7 mph faster with the canopy. For summer flying, the side windows slide down
into the fuselage.
1927 Glass was the first flight instructor
hired by Parks Air College. Jim in-
structed there in Steannan PT-18s and
later in Fairchild PT-19s.
Sikeston was a small town of 7,000
population in southeast Missouri with
limited hotel and motel accomodations.
The friendly townfolk willingly opened
their homes for many of the primary
training base personnel. Jim owned a
brand new 1941 Chevrolet convertible
and the family in whose home he was
staying tore down their single car garage
and built a 2-car garage to share with
Jim. That's true midwestern
hospitality!
It was in Sikeston where Jim met and
courted a pretty young girl who worked
for a doctor and who also served as
mayor of the town. On their first date
Jim forgot his billfold and Doris had to
finance the evening. Despite this rocky
start they were married and spent a
weekend honeymoon in Memphis, Ten-
nessee. In time they became the parents
of two daughters.
When Jim's seniority number
reached 16 of the 160 flight instructors
at Sikeston he was given instrument
training and received his rating in a
Rearwin Model 8135T "Cloudster." In
those days instrument navigation and
approaches were on the low frequency
radio facilities and the airwork included
a 2-turn precision spin.
In late 1944 when the U. S. military's
need for pilots became less critical
during World War II, all primary train-
ing bases began closing and Parks in-
structors who could qualify for the
airlines could be released. As a result of
this policy, Slim Payne, a representative
of American Airlines from Memphis
conducted interviews with 110 of the
instructors at Sikeston. Jim was one of
13 who were hired in October, 1944.
Two months later he was sent to New
York City where American's flight
training school was located in their han-
gar at La Guardia Field. During class
breaks the budding airline pilots stood
outside the hangar and watched the Pan
American Airways Boeing 314 Clip-
pers land on Flushing Bay. Jim recalls
that after touchdown it took about 40
minutes for the pilots of the big flying
boats to taxi and dock at the pier.
After successful completion to
American's, school Jim was sent to
Chicago where he flew the line for three
years before being furloughed in
December 1947. By that time Mr. Bar-
ton had moved his FBO to Galesburg,
Illinois so Jim and Doris moved there to
run the business. Mr. Barton's health
was failing fast and he passed away in
January 1948 at age 50.
Jim and Doris stayed in Galesburg for
five years operating the FBO. While
Jim was busy instructing, flying chart er
trips, and selling airplanes, Doris was
running the business. She managed the
office, did the bookeeping, scheduled
the aircraft and knew which pilots were
qualified to go solo. She also gassed
planes when the full time mechanic
wasn't on hand for that chore.
In 1953 , Jim was re-hired by
American and was based in Chicago
where he flew for the next 27 years,
retiring in 1980. During his long and
accident-free career with American Jim
flew the DC-3, DC-6/7, Convair 240 in
which he obtained his ATP, Lockheed
Electra (he also instructed in these), B-
727 and DC-I0.
As a long-time dedicated EAA mem-
ber Jim has given much support to the
organization's programs since the
"Rockford days." In 1977 when EAA
commemorated the 50th anniversary of
Lindbergh's solo crossing of the Atlan-
tic and subsequent tour of the U. S., Jim
was among the first to volunteer his
services. A replica of the Ryan NYP
"Spirit of SI. Louis" was constructed in
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
the EAA Museum's shop and flown by
volunteer pilots on a four month tour of
the U. S. following Lindbergh's original
route. Lindbergh was escorted by a
Fairchild FC-2 support plane and
likewise EAA's "Spirit" was accom-
panied by a Stinson SM-8A. Jim was
one of the Stinson pilots and flew the
major part of the U. S. tour in 1977 and
all of the Canadian tours in 1978 and
1979.
Jim also played a major role in the
EAA Auto Fuel Test program during the
1980s when he, with the assistance of
volunteer pilot Howie Mattes, flew
most of the hours of the flight tests: 7 SO
hours in a Cessna ISO, SSO hours in a
Cessna 182 and SlO hours in a Piper
PA-28-140.
Jim started attending the EAA Na-
tional conventions at Rockford, Illinois
in the 1960s and soon realized that it
took a great number of volunteers to
stage the event. He became a volunteer
and spent many hours picking up rocks
and parking cars. For the past several
years he has been co-chairman of the
vital Flight Line Operations Committee.
He has also served many years on the
EAA Aviation Foundation' s Board of
Directors.
When the EAA National Head-
quarters and Museum moved from the
Milwaukee area to Oshkosh, Jim and
Doris purchased a home on the west
boundary of Wittman Field and moved
from their Chicago suburb home to be
closer to EAA.
Throughout the summer Jim can be
found at the Museum's Pioneer Airport
helping to keep the antique planes ready
for flight and on weekends standing by
with other volunteer pilots to fly them
for the enjoyment of Museum visitors.
During the winter he frequently makes
himself useful at EAA's Kermit Weeks
Flight Research Center.
In his well-equipped shop next to his
home is an outstanding example of a
. Starduster Too which Jim has been
building over the years. It could easily
be flying by now if he spent as much
time in his shop as he does volunteering
for EAA. Incidentally the FAA
registration number on the Starduster is
NS864, the same as on his dad's early
Waco 10 and the one in which he took
his first flying lesson.
Jim was not the typical airport kid nor
is he the typical EAA volunteer. Scarce-
ly a day goes by when he can't be found
doing something for the good of the
organization.
28 FEBRUARY 1991
1941 - Jim's friend Earl Allen and a 1967 - 26 years later, Earl gave Jim his
Franklin Sport. check ride for his 727 type rating.
Standing next to the Stinson SM-8A that he flew during the late 1970's for the lindbergh
Commemorative tour, Captain Jim Barton exemplifies the slogan painted under the
cockpit window of the Stinson - He's always there when we need him!
PASS II 10
--1]
An information exchange column with input from readers.
by Buck Hilbert
(EAA 21, Ale5)
P,O, Box 424
Union, IL 60180
KINNERHELP
DearBuck,
Thankyouverymuchfor publishing
myLeRhoneneedsletterintheDecem-
ber 1990 VINTAGE AIRPLANE. It
brought results and helped my engine
restoration projectgreatly.
IreceivedapostalcardfromanEAA
memberin MarylandwhoofferedaLe-
Rhone carburetor, oil pump and mag-
neto- andadeal wasquickly made.
Includinga LeRhonedrawing in the
December issue helps to keep up the
interest in thesefine oldengines.
The gentleman in Maryland is Joe
Fichera, 302 Kentmorr Road,
Stevensville,Maryland21666. Heflies
an OX-5 Birdandis restoringa Kinner
Birdthat wasownedbyAnnLindbergh
in 1946. Joe's Kinner B-5 needs a
crankshaft and I promised to help him
find one.
Again,thanksforyourhelp- it was
truly great.
Bestregards,
RobertE.Higgins
(EAA 150696,AlC 5423)
This is what it's all about guys and
gals- cananybodyhelpoutJoeFichera?
VARGAFAN
DearBuck,
I noticed in the June issue of
VINTAGE AIRPLANE on page28,you
mentionreceivingyourVargaNewslet-
ter.
TI1e Varga is one of my favorite
lightplanes and I would like to have
theirmailingaddress.Also,sinceVarga
soldout,whonowownsthecompany?
WarrenE. Wood
(EAA 1760,A/C167)
And in a similar vein . ..
DearBuck,
During a recent hangar discussion,
someofuswerewonderingwhynoone
ever produced an all metal two place
tandem closed cabin monopl ane. We
recalledtheErcoupeandtheLuscombe
Silvaire,but theyhadsideby sideseat-
ing. The Ryan ST-3, PT22 had a two
placetandemmetalfuselagewithfabric
wings but was open. TheGl obeSwift
was an all metal monoplane but again
had side by side seating. The Cessna
120-140 was a cabin monoplane of
metal butwasalsosidebyside.
Istheresomereasonatwoplacetan-
dem arrangement is not desirable in a
closedairplane?
Sincerely,
TyldenW. Streett
(EAA 32423,AIC 15948)
DearTylden,
You'vereally opened up a real point
forconjectureand debatewith yourlet-
ter. Asidefrom military trainerdesign,
there havebeen literally NO two place
tandem all metal monoplane designs
produced commercially, except the
Varga 2150/2180.
My feelings are that it boilsdown to
the commercial acceptance of the
product. The almighty dollar is what
determineswhatgetsbuilt. Ifyoucan't
sell it, you can't afford to build it. So
you buildwhatwill sell.
Swift was never able to convince
anyone they wanteda Buckaroo. Mor-
riseycouldn'tsellthe2100andsoldthe
design to Shinn. They, in tum,sold to
Vargaandafterafewyearstheybecame
history. Rightnowthatdesi gnisunder-
goingmodernizationandis plannedfor
re-introduction in the near future by a
group name ofMontanairin Kali spell ,
Montana.
The Varga 2150 is coming into its
own as a sport trainer now, after the
manufacturer went out of business in
1982. Montanaircoulddoagoodbusi-
nessin replacementpartsiftheyhadthe
PMA and would get into it. The
friendlies, though, have blocked their
attempts to support the aircraft already
outthere.
I'm going to throw this out to our
readersandseewhattheyhavetosayan
the subject. How about it, guys; can
anyoneoutthereshedsomelightonthis
onefor TyldenStreett?
Overto you,andyou,and YOU!.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
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VINTAGEAIRPLANE31
THE ARCHIVES
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
MYSTERYPLANE
This "bare bones" view of a prototype
of a famous biplane of the 1930s reveals
some interesting details. A necessary
modification resulted in a very popular
airplane. The photo is from the EAA
archives. Answers will be published in
the May, 1991 issue of VINTAGE
AIRPLANE. Deadline for that issue is
AprilS.
The November Mystery plane is a
DeHavilland DH-80A Puss Moth. John
Underwood of Glendale, California
writes: "It appears to be Roger Wolf
Kahn's DH-80A Puss Moth, possibly
with a new paint job and minus wheel
pants. Anyway, Roger brought it back
from England in 1931 or thereabouts,
along with a Comper Swift, which he
intended to race. The Swift went back
to England but the Puss Moth stayed in
Roger's stable for several years.
"Roger was a very diverse individual.
He composed music and had a popular
dance band. He was also prominent in
ByGeorgeHardie
the management of the air races at
Cleveland, Miami and elsewhere, both
as a performer (aerobatics) and timer.
He was also a test pilot for Burnelli,
Bellanca and Grumman, in whose ser-
vices he remained throughout the 1940s
and '50s. He was the son of banker Otto
Kahn."
Charley Hayes of Park Forest, Illinois
adds this: "The plane pictured is the
DeHavilland Puss Moth DH-80A plus.
It's been modified with static balances
on the ailerons and jury struts on the
forward wing struts. These mods were
to forestall recurrence of several fatal
accidents attributed to flutter and sub-
sequent failure. Another unique feature
was the pivoting fairing around the main
landing gear legs. When turned 90
degrees to the relative wind, this drag
acted as a glide steepener'. Activation
was by cable and hand crank.
"This type was flown in many long-
distance flights in the 1930s, including
a 4 and a half day round-trip, England
to Capetown, South Africa, and two
transatlantic flights by Jim and Amy
Mollison. Some 230 were built. The
last one I saw in the U.S. wasat Oshkosh
about four years ago. It belonged to
Skeeter Carlson from the West Coast
(N223EC)."
Finally, Andrew King of Miami,
Florida writes to clarify the current
whereabouts of the Puss Moth:
"I am currently at my parents' house
for Christmas and think 1 will have the
lead in answering November's Mystery
Plane as it currently sits in pieces in the
garage just a few feet from where I now
sit. It is, of course, a DeHavilland
DH.80A 'Puss Moth,' the registration
number is NC770N, and serial number
is 2140. A brief history of the airplane
is as follows:
"It was built in England at the begin-
ning of 1931 and registered as G-ABIH
on 2-23-31. Sometime during that year,
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 33
Long Island industrialist and pilot
Roger Kahn was in England, flew the
Puss Moth and liked it so much he
bought it and shipped it (I assume) back
to the U.S. in November of 1931. On
December 16 the airplane was awarded
a Group 2 Approved Type Certificate
#2-393 (see page 170 of Volume 9 of
Juptner's 'U.S. Civil Aircraft') and by
this time the American registration
number NC770N had been assigned.
"Kahn flew the airplane for several
years and then sold it to friend and
mechanic Rudy Proschack, also of Long
Island. Proschack (I'm not sure of the
spelling of that) eventually sold the Puss
Moth and sometime later bought it back
in dilapidated shape for a paltry few
hundred dollars.
"Long Islander Don Wolf, known to
EAAers for his Boredom Fighter
homebuilt biplane, was involved in
the story during this time as he helped
to rebuild the airplane and flew it
many times from the late 1930s on-
ward.
"During World War II, 770N was
dismantled as per CAA regs, although it
was put together one summer for a vaca-
tion trip to Massachusetts. After the
war ownership passed to three partners
and once again Don Wolf helped in a
rebuild that included replacing the
original 105 hp Gipsy III engine with a
145 hp Gipsy Major lC and this is when
Owen Billman's photo must've been
taken. Note that the number on the rud-
34 FEBRUARY 1991
DH-80A Puss Moth
der has no C in it,just N770N, and also
note the new hole in the right side cowl-
ing for the Gipsy Major air intake; the
Gipsy III used the small scoop further
back. The colors are red fuselage with
a light blue stripe and silver wings,
horizontal tail, and pinstripe around the
stripe.
"Cole Palen became interested in the
Puss Moth in the 1960s and flew it
several times before it became unair-
worthy again. He managed to purchase
it in a disassembled state and until
recently it was stored in a hangar at his
Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome.
"Our family has had a long associa-
tion with Cole and the Aerodrome, and
dad has owned one Tiger Moth or
another since 1967. In fact he tried to
buy the Puss Moth way back before
Cole finally did. Dad has always kept
an interest in 770N and now that he's
retired has taken on the task of restoring
it, which brings us to here and now.
Extensive work is underway with no
estimated date for completion.
"The only other Puss Moth in the U.S.
belongs to Skeeter Carlson in Washington
state; there are a couple in Canada and
Australia, and several in England, so it is
a very rare aircraft with several unique
features such as folding wings, a rear seat
that slides over so that a third person can
be accommodated on a fold-up jump seat,
and the ability to rotate the long landing
gear shock struts 90 degrees to act as air
brakes for landing.
'The airplane really isn't much big-
ger than a Cub, something to think about
when you consider that Jim Mollison
made the first solo east-to-west crossing
of the Atlantic Ocean in the most
famous Puss Moth, 'The Heart's Con-
tent. '
"Any other info or pictures anybody
out there can supply would be greatly
appreciated. "
According to the Putnam book on
DeHavillands, 25 were built in Canada.
As of 1976, four were registered in the
U.S. Juptner lists British Serial No.
2140 as being granted Group 2 Ap-
proval No. 393 on December 16, 1931
(probably Roger Kahn's airplane). A
close look at the photo shows what ap-
pears to be 770N on the rudder. Correct
answers were received by V.N. Smith of
Great Britain (who was quite pleased
that we gave him something a bit closer
to home for him to identify), Frank Pav-
liga and Bette Bach-Fineman. Steven
McNicoll also correctly identified the
Puss Moth.
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