GEOFF ROB I SON

PRESIDENT, VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOC IATION

AirVenture planning and the

EAA Founders' Wing
oly cow! Where did the
year go? 2008 is going by
so fast it makes my head
spin. With fall weather
having completely fallen upon
us now, we are already facing the
wrath of Old Man Winter blowing
hard over the northern half of the
country. But what a year it has been!
I don't recall any recent years that
have had so many strings of great
weather days. The most memora
ble was just before and during EAA
AirVenture Oshkosh 2008. It just
doesn't get any better than that.
In the aftermath of AirVenture
2008, we learned we had annoyed
a number of members who became
quite vocal about their discontent
about this year's aircraft parking
plan. They were particularly dis
tressed about how areas set aside
for type club parking impacted the
ability for "at large" members who
arrived early to access a parking
spot that wasn't south of the Ultra
light area.
There were enough comments
that it's pretty clear there probably
are even more of you who were also
annoyed, but have not yet con
tacted us.
In the Vintage showplane park
ing area, we have always felt it was
important to provide vintage air
craft parking and camping on a
first-come, first-served basis. Not
only is this the fairest of approaches
to this issue, it also happens to be
the "easiest" plan to implement .
The only real exception to this plan
over the decades of providing this
service to our members has been

the limited amount of type club air

craft parking. Depending upon the
wingspan of the various approved
type club aircraft, we typically have
capacity for somewhere between
80 and 100 aircraft parked in this
special parking area.
A bit of quick history is in order
at this point. The 2008 conven
tion was my 25th Oshkosh event.
Thanks to the configuration of the
airport and surrounding roadways,
the real estate available for parking

. . . the "cat got out

of the bag," when

increasingly more

members became

aware of our

type club aircraft park

ing area

opportunities.

and camping in our area has not

been able to enlarge, while expecta
tions and requests for parking have
continually increased.
Six or seven years ago, the "cat
got out of the bag," when increas
ingly more members became aware
of our type club aircraft parking area
opportunities. Since then we have
experienced a growing number of
Vintage type clubs requesting per
mission to be approved to partici

pate in this popular VAA offering.

With a limited number of spaces,
we've done our best to rotate the
clubs chosen for participation, with
different clubs chosen over the
years. That way, we could "share
the wealth" with as many members
and clubs as possible. We 've been
pleased with the response both by
the participating members and the
public, who are often looking for
specific types of airplanes when
they come to the convention.
Recognizing the increasing de
mand for type club parking, we at
tempted to grow the available real
estate by dedicating additional rows
of parking and camping. That was
not at all well-accepted by many
members, and I take full responsi
bility for this misstep. Our Parking
Committee and the flightline vol
unteers were operating under my
specific directions.
This year we simply bit off more
than we could chew and ended up
annoying a fair number of you.
Even before the comments began
arriving in my e-mail and in the
mailboxes of the various leaders
at EAA and VAA, it was quite clear
that we had irritated a bunch of
folks who took the time and en
ergy to bring their aircraft to Osh
kosh. Your letters and e-mails only
reinforced this be lief. Obviously,
we stretched the rubber band a
little too tight, and we now know
we have to get back to the plan
ning board on this important is
sue. A top-to-bottom review of the
overall plan needs to commence.
continued on page 33

G
VOL. 36, No. 11

N E
2008

NOVEMBER

CONTENTS
I Fe

Straight & Level

AirVenture planning and the EAA Founders' Wing
by Geoff Robison

News

Preserving EAA's Culture

for future generations

by Gary Dikkers

AirVenture 2008

A bright spot in aviation, Part II

by H.G. Frautschy and Sparky Barnes Sargent

14

The 1928 Boeing 40C

"Sail on, silver girl .. . all your dreams are on their way"

by Sparky Barnes Sargent

22

Light Plane Heritage

Remember the Razorback Aeronca

by Bob Whittier

28

The Vintage Mechanic

Invention of the magneto

by Robert G. Lock

34

Mystery Plane
by H.G. Frautschy

36

On Stearman Wings
Where anything is possible
by Philip Handleman

39

Classified Ads

39

Calendar

COVERS
FRONT COVER: The Pemberton family restored their amazing Boeing 40C with the help of more
than 60 volunteers . Sparky Barnes Sargent fills us in on the project in her article starting on page
14, and we have a few of the details of the transcontinenta l airmail re-enactment flight in VAA
News, starting on page 2. Jim Koepnick photo; Cessna 180 photo plane flown by Bruce Moore.
BACK COVER: Member Bob Hollenbaugh , a company retiree, reminded us earlier this year that
the Aeronautical Corporation of America, better known by its contracted name, Aeronca, turns
80 years old this November. Its first offerings to the general public were the Aeronca C2 and
the two-place follow-up design, the C-3. The production of the lightweight airplane powered by
a 36-hp engine signaled the beginning of the lightplane industry in the United States. See Bob
Whittier's article on the beginnings of the company, starting on page 22. Artwork from an origi
nal black and white factory brochure ; additional watercolor wash by Theresa Books.

STAFF

EAA Publisher
Director of EAA Publications
Executive Director/Editor
Production/Special Project
News Editor
Photography
Advertising Coordinator
Classified Ad Coordinator
Copy Editor
Director of Advertising

Tom Poberezny

Mary Jones

H.G. Frautschy
Kathleen Witman
Ric Reynolds
Jim Koepnick
Bonnie Kratz
Sue Anderson

Lesley Poberezny

Colleen Walsh

Katrina Bradshaw

Display Advertising Representatives:

u.s. Eastern Time ZoneNortheast: Ken Ross

Specialized Pnblications Co.
609-8223750 Fax: 6099575650
kr4O@comcast.net

U.S. Eastern Time ZoneSoutheast: Chester Baumgartner

Specialized Pnblica tions Co.
727-532-4640 Fax: 727532-4630
(baum 111@milldspring.com

U.S. Central Time Zone: Gary Worden

Specialized Pnblications Co.
800444-9932 Fax: 816-741-6458
gary. worden@Spc-mag.com

U.S. Mountain and Pacific Time Zones: John Gibson

Specialized Pnblications Co.
916784-9593 Fax: 510-217-3796
io/mgibson@Spc.mag.com

Europe: Willi Tacke

Phone: +49(0)17 1698087 1 Fax: +49(0)884 1 / 4960 12
willi@{lyillg-pages.com

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

PEMBERTON-TOBIN-SCOTT

Transcontinental air-mail re-enactment

"I don't know how they did it day
after day," says Addison Pemberton
after the conclusion of a re
enactment of the transcontinental
air-mail flights pioneered in the
1920s. Addison was recalling the
difficulties encountered in the
previous week as he and three
friends flew across the country
on a more leisurely pace than the
schedule imposed on the early air
mail pilots. "To have done that on
a regular schedule in all types of
weather with the equipment they
had was remarkable," he tells us in
an interview after the flight.
The 2008 flight, which included
three airplanes , flew across the
country from Republic Field on
New York's Long Island to the
San Francisco Bay area . The trip,
an "official" route of the U.S. Post
Office Department (700 pieces of
mail were carried by the flight of
three), took place over an eight
day stretch, including a four-day
weather delay in Rochelle, Illinois.
It took 28 flying hours to cross the
continent. A special educational
display was planned for each
of the 15 original air-mail stops
during the flight re-enactment,
which commemorates the 90th
anniversary of air-mail service.
Pemberton flew his newly
restored 1928 Boeing Model 40 (for
more on the Boeing, see the article
starting on page 13). Accompanying
the Boeing were Larry Tobin, flying
his 1927 Stearman C3B, and Ben
Scott, flying his 1930 Stearman 4E.
Tobin, who retired from a career
as a pilot for TWA, flew his last
trip with a 767 from New York to
San Francisco. Repeating it with
his restored Stearman was a real
2

N O VEMBER 2008

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Then and now: 1928-Grant Donaldson (pilot) standing on the wheel of

5339 , shaking the hand of Bill Boeing.

2008-Addison Pemberton (pilot) standing on 5339 shaking the hand

of Bill Boeing Jr., with Boeing CEO Scott Carlson.

Upcoming

Major Fly-Ins

U.S. Sport Aviat ion Expo

Sebring Regional Ai rport (SEF), Sebring, FL
January 22-25, 2009
www.Sport-Aviation-Expo.com
Aero Frledrlchshafen
Messe Friedrichshafen, Friedrichshafen,
Germany
April 2-5, 2009
www.Aero-Friedrichshafen.com/ html/ en
Sun 'n Fun Fly-In
Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL),
Lakeland , FL
April 21-26, 2009
www.Sun-N-Fun.org

Two of the three commercial biplanes that made the transcontinen

tal air-mail re-enactment flight: Larry Tobin 's Stearman C3B and Addi
son Pemberton 's Boeing 40C. Photo by George Perks from Ben Scott's
Stearman 4E.

treat. Scott flew the same airplane

his father, William Keith Scott, had
taken delivery of when it was new
in 1930. Now splendidly restored
after having been away from the
family for decades, the 4E is, like
the other three biplanes, a design
originally intended for commercial
air-mail service.
Thanks to sponsorship of Bill
Boeing Jr., The Boeing Company,
and Jeppesen, the three modern
pilots started off from New York's
Republic Field on September 10, with
stops in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania,
and ending the day in Cleveland.
Then it was off to Bryan, Ohio, and
Lansing, Illinois. The next overnight
stop was to be Iowa City, Iowa, but a
stalled warm front filled with moist
air put a kink in that plan, and
the trio descended into Rochelle,
Illinois, for what would wind up
being a three-night stay, with a
departure as the weather began to
break on September 15.
Ducking out under the cloud
deck, a hundred miles to the west
the skies cleared up and it was on
to Iowa City and Grand Island,
Nebraska, for an overnight stop.
With clear skies and the Rockies
ahead, the gang departed at dawn
on the 16th, headed for North

Platte, Nebraska.
Then it was on to the only
state with three stops-Wyoming.
Stops were made in Cheyenne and
Rawlins, and an overnight stop was
made in Rock Springs. The next day,
September 17, the three biplanes
were in the heart of the Rockies and
on to the Sierras, with stops in Salt
Lake City, Utah, and Elko, Nevada,
before stopping for the night in
Reno. On the last day, it was over
the mountaintops; a nice downhill
run to Hayward, California; an air
mail salute as the biplanes disgorged
their cargo of special air mail; and
then a tour of the San Francisco Bay
area. Hosted by VAA Chapter 29,
the pilots had a great time before
Tobin and Addison headed home
with their mail planes, while Scott
returned to Reno . Unfortunately,
Tobin's Stearman had an engine
failure over inhospitable terrain
(both he and Addison believe it
was due to heavy carb icing) . A
forced landing in a very small field
resulted in extensive damage to
the Stearman but, thankfully, not a
scratch to the pilot.
George Perks flew with the trio
and created a beautiful photo blog
of the adventure. You can view it at
www.AirSpaceMag.com.
......

Virginia Regional Festival of flight

Suffolk Executive Airport (SFQ), Suffolk, VA
May 30-31, 2009
www. VirginiaFlyln.org
Golden West Regional Fly-In
Yuba County Airport (MYV), Marysville, CA
June 12-14, 2009
www.GoldenWestFlyln.org
Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In
Front Range Airport (FTG), Watkins, CO

TBD
www.RMRFI.org
Arlington Fly-In
Arlington MuniCipal Airport (AWO),
Arlington, WA
July 8-12, 2009
www.NWEM.org
EAA AlrVenture Oshkosh
Wittman Regional Airport (OSH ), Oshkosh, WI
July 27-August 2, 2009
www.AirVenture.org
M Id-Eastern Regional Fly-In
Grimes Field Airport (174), Urbana, OH
September 12-13,2009
www.MERFI.info
Southeast Regional Fly-In
Middleton Field Airport (GZH), Evergreen, AL
October 23-25, 2009
www.SERFI.org
Copperstate Regional Fly-In
Casa Grande Municipal Airport (CGZ),
Casa Grande, AZ
October 22-25, 2009
www.Copperstate.org

For details on EM chapter fly-ins and

other local aviation events ,
visit www.EAA.org/ events.

VI N TAGE AIR P L AN E

Preserving EAA's Culture

for future generations

GARY DIKKERS, EAA 634044

KEY: 1. EAA Legacy mezzanine gallery 2. Reconstruction of Paul and Audrey's original basement office
3. Founder's Library 4. Accessable storage space 5., 6. , and 7. Baby Ace, Waco Primary Glider and Little
Audrey 8. Education and Event space

he newest exhibit being de

veloped for the EAA AirVen
ture Museum-the Founders'
Wing-is dedicated to preserving
EAA's herita ge and culture for fu
ture generations of EAA members .
The exhibit, which is expected
to open for EAA AirVenture Osh
kosh 2009, will occupy the former
Cess na Restoration Center. The
mezzanine level exhibit will in
clude a re-creation of th e first of
fices of EAA, which were located in
the basement of Paul and Audrey
Poberezny's home in Hales Cor
ners, Wisconsin. It will also include
the Paul H. and Audrey L. Pober
ezny Founders' Library, which will
be open to visitors to peruse the

NOVEMBER 2008

volumes of books and artifacts that

Paul and Audrey have retained and
preserved over the years.
A third element of the exhibit will
be the Legacy Wall, which will high
light the initiatives that have been
keystone achievements during EAA's
history, including its emphasis on
homebuilding freedoms as its found
ing theme, as we ll as chapter and
Young Eagles programs, and more.
The main floor of the exhibit will
be a special-use area reserved for
outreach activities and events for
youth and adult aviation education.
The wa ll displays surrounding the
event space will recall the history
of EAA's annual fly-in convention
throughout the years, from its origin

in Milwaukee, through its days in

Rockford, Illinois, and on to today's
recognition as the world's greatest
aviation celebration.
This artist rendering depict the
current planned use of the exhibit
space, as construction begin s in
earnest within the next couple of
months. As Tom Poberezn y wrote
in his Position Report in the Octo
ber issue, liThe Founders' Wing will
preserve the culture and core val
ues of EAA, which are essential to
our future .... Organizations spend
millions of dollars to build their his
tory after it's too late ... EAA has not
made that mistake./I
To learn more, or to contribute,
visit www.EAA.org/FoundersWing.

Experimental Aircraft Association

Paul H. Poberezny
Founder

Chairman of the Board

I have been very pleased and proud of the progress that our EAA vintage
aircraft division has made over the many years of its existence. It seems like only
yesterday when, in the basement meeting room of our new EAA headquarters
in Hales Corners in the mid 1960s, I called together a small group of EAAers
whose interests were of airplanes of the "good old days." Look at the progress and
dedicated enthusiasm that the officers, directors, and members have given to this
part of EAA's story.
Some may have wondered about my personal interest in vintage airplanes or
may have felt that my heart lies with homebuilt or warbird aircraft. Not so. I care
for anything that flies and the folks who make it all possible. I was interested in
vintage airplanes long before my thoughts of founding an organization such as
yourEAA.
In high school, I was the proud owner of a 1928 long-nose OX-5- powered
American Eagle biplane (no brakes and a tailskid) that my dad and I purchased
from Dale Crites of Waukesha, Wisconsin, for $250 ($125 of which dad borrowed
from the bank!). It was a learning lesson- piloting and being a mechanic, both
learning and doing- including a few forced landings. As part of my early career,
during World War II I flew my OX-5 Waco 10 to Helena, Arkansas- 16 forced
landings- where I was a primary flight instructor in PT-23s and -19s.
Some 55 years have passed since the founding ofEAA. A lot has happened,
and thousands or maybe millions of lives have been touched by your organization.
As many of you know, Audrey and I are donating our collection of 55 years of
your organization's history to the planned Founders' Wing that will be built in the
current EAA Restoration Center in the main EAA AirVenture Museum building.
Plans have been drawn up, contractors selected, and financial contributions have
gotten the project underway. The Founders' Library dedication ceremony and
completion date is scheduled for the opening of EAA AirVenture 2009.

Sincerely,

EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

..

.........
.. - ...

/"

EAAAviation Center,

P.o. SC; 3086, Oshkosh, WI 549033086 920/4264814

FAX 920/426-6504

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

by H.G. Frautschy and Marcia "Sparky" Barnes Sargent

6

NOVEMBER 2008

With a six-cylinder inline Ranger engine under the long cowl, the Fairchild 24R has always been a favorite of free
flight scale modelers. These pretty examples belong to Terry Blaser, Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin (foreground,
NC81361), and the Grand Champion Antique of the 1974 EAA fly-in, N77661, is now owned and flown by Mike
and Barb Thern of Winona, Minnesota.

The Reserve Grand Champion Contemporary award winner is this beautiful 1963 Beech Travel Air restored by
the father-and-son team of Mark and Miles Malone of Camarillo, California. We'll have much more on this resto
ration in a later issue of Vintage Airplane.
LEFT: A gathering storm that passed to the north of the airport certainly didn't stop the Hay family and their
most welcome return to the convention grounds after a couple of years ' absence. Their decidedly flightless orni
thopter is powered by an antique one-Iunger gasoline engine. Welcome home, Hays!
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

This nice 1959 Cessna 175 on a pair of Baumann amphibious floats anchors the row of Cessna 175s set up to
commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 175.

" Hey, Dad, look at that!" says Blake Deaton as he and his fa
ther, Jeff, haul some of their camping supplies to storage. The
Deatons bring their Beech E35 Bonanza to the convention from
Morehead City, North Carolina.

There's no truth to the rumor that Sha

ron Krengel (VAA volunteer Larry's wife)
is actually spinning thread to weave new
Grade A cotton! For more than a decade,
Sharon has brought her spinning wheel
to the EAA convention, spinning alpaca
wool into yarn throughout the week.
8

NOVEMBER 2008

With the new Wittman tower rising above the trees, Gerald Bau
erle of Hammond , Louisiana, taxis out for departure on Runway
36L with his Globe GC-1B Swift.

'S Note b00 k

a
r
Y
SP k

We asked VAA member and Vintage Airplane contributing editor Marcia

"Sparky" Bar,nes Sa~gent to visit with VAAers on the flightline. Here are
some of the interesting folks she met. Phot os by Sparky Barnes Sargent

EAA and VAA member Hal Cope started

his trip to AirVenture by flying his Conti
nental IO-360-powered 1946 Temco Swift
from Spring, Texas, to Lake Elmo, Minne
sota, where a gathering of Swifts takes
place virtually every year. Eight Swifts
flew into Wittman Field together after the
gathering. Cope, whose Swift is only two
days older than he is, has been flying
N3303K into Oshkosh for 15 years now
and keeps coming back because he likes
"the camaraderie and friendship-every
body seems to reJ ax here a lot more than
they normally would . They let loose and
allow themselves to be friends with other
people. And since it is the largest fly-in in the world , you have all of the new electronics , new airplanes, and
just everything here in one spot." Cope 's Swift previously won the Preservation Award (2007) and a Lindy
Award at AirVenture , Grand Champion Custom Classic award at Sun 'n Fun (2002) , and the Grand Cham
pion award three times at the Swift Museum Foundation's Swift National Fly-In in Athens , Tennessee.

NC33587 , a Piper J-3C-65 registered to

Joel McKinzie of Lake Crystal, Minne
sota, was out enjoying a late-afternoon
flight during AirVenture. It was photo
graphed as it taxied into the EAA Sea
plane Base , in the golden glow of the
setting sun. Seaplane attendance was
good this year, as evidenced by the
planes in the background.

These two look-alike Cessnas caught the photogra

pher' s eye in the Vintage camping area. N2538D is
a 1952 145-hp Cessna 170B, registered to Larry
Schleinat of Denton , Texas. The 1950 100-hp Cessna
140A, N5313C , is registered to James Huff-also of Denton, Texas.
V I NTAGE AIRPLANE

This striking conversion of an early Cessna 150 to a taildragger belongs to Bob McBride Jr. It was the winner of
the Contemporary Class I (0-160 hp) Single Engine award .

We suspect the crew of Madonna and Merrill McMahan's

Stearman prefers camping in Audrey 's woods to staying in
a hotel.
Steve Krog (left), president of the Cub Club
and editor of the club's newsletter (and VAA di
rector/Type Club Tent chairman-phew! Good
thing he 's retired now.), was this year's hon
oree presented with the Bax Seat Trophy at
EM's Theater in the Woods. Bax was known
for his unbridled love of flight, and the Bax
Seat Trophy is presented annually by FLYING
magazine "for perpetuating the Gordon Baxter
tradition of communicating the excitement and
romance of flight." Tom Benenson (right) of
FLYING presented the award to Steve.
Departure morning, Oshkosh . The tent's rain fly is draped
to dry in the morning sun and breeze as the wings are
wiped down.
10 NOVEMBER 2008

Alan Reber's Interstate S-1A Cadet was flown in from Indianapolis.

Tony Miller's Twin Beech E18S was the winner of an Outstand ing Customized Contemporary aircraft Bronze Lindy.

John Seibold 's 1929

Curtiss-Wright Travel Air

A-6000-A, restored by

Chuck Wentworth 's An

tique Aero , was flown

to the convention along

with the Grand Canyon

Ford Tri-Motor, N414H.

The Travel Air was se

lected as the Silver Age

Runner-Up.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

11

Remember seeing this on the flightline in 1969? Stephanie Allen sure does, and now she can relive the Sixties
with her Grand Champion Contemporary Cessna 172K. Her 172 was last year's Reserve Grand Champion Con
temporary. A bit more work on a couple of items gave the Cessna a few more points to put it on top.

Long shadows from the last hour of sunlight highlight the lines of the Grand Champion Classic, this 1946 Piper
J-3C. The accomplished restoration was done by Joe Dobransky of Allen, Texas.
The last pilot and air
plane to depart the Vin

tage parking area were

Ed McLaughlin and his

Cessna 172. Ed was on

his way back to Pittsfield,

Massachusetts. Ed told

us that what 's left of the

paint is the original ap

plied by Cessna in 1956.

We'li have more coverage of the

people and planes of AirVenture in

next month's Vintage Airplane.

12 NOVEMBER 2008

Michael Norton
Rineyville, KY

Swift GC I B N78097 is
fourth plane owned

800 hours and an

instrument rating
Regular attendee of Sun-N-Fun
and Oshkosh

IIWhile some companies shy away from older aircraft, AUA

welcomes them, with great rates as well. It is obvious they are
owners and pilots as it shows in the way they do business. It is also
nice to see the p eople you talk to on the phone at Sun-N-Fun and
Oshkosh. It adds a nice personal touch to their business. I could not
be happier with the service I receive from

them.

1I

- Michael Norton

AUA is Vintage Aircraft Association approved. To become a member of VAA call 8oo84336J2.

Aviation insurance with the EAA Vintage Program oHars:

Lower premiums with payment options - Additional coverages - Flexibility on the use of your aircraft - Experienced agents
On-line quote request available - AUA is licensed in all states

BY SPARKY BARNES SARGENT

his silver Pacific Air Trans

port mailplane shines
and sparkles, rivaling
the diamonds she carried
that fateful October day
in 1928, when the mountainside
claimed her in Canyonville, Oregon.
Thanks to Addison Pemberton's per
sistent dream of owning and flying

14 NOVEMBER 2008

a Boeing 40C, NS339 exists today

as the only 40C and the oldest air
worthy Boeing.
Finding and restoring the Boeing
was partially a tribute to his father's
childhood memories of watching
the mailplanes flying the contract
air-mail (CAM) route over Iowa,
and also Pemberton's way of bring

ing history to full-fledged life. After

bartering for the biplane's remains
with the Oregon Aviation Histori
cal Society, he eventually brought a
veritable village together to accom
plish the memorable and monu
mental task of restoration.
It is quite an experience to per
sonally behold this fabulous flying

"WINTER:

THE SMELL OF HOT

CHOCOLATE AND
HOT CIDER;
THE WHINE OF
THE JOINTER,
MIXED WITH THE
BUZZ OF THE TABLE
SAW, HUM OF
THE>TIG WELDER,

ROAR OF THE
PLANISHING
HAMMER, AND

SWIRL OF THE

ENGLISH WHEEL."

AddIson Pemberton

JIM KOEPNICK

kane, Washington, to Oshkosh,

Wisconsin, for the week of EAA Air
Venture Oshkosh 2008, Pemberton
flew the 40C to Blakesburg, Iowa.
There, in the fields of summer corn
and soybeans, N5339 was one of
nine original-type air-mail planes
to actively participate in the An
tique Airplane Association and Air
Power Museum's 90th anniversary
celebration of the first scheduled
air mail in the United States. Along
with others, Pemberton was sworn
in as an air-mail pilot, signed a
contract, and flew the official U.S.
postal mail from Antique Airfield to
Ottumwa, Iowa, and return.
Soon afterward, Pemberton and
the Boeing, accompanied by Larry
Tobin in his 1927 Stearman C3B,
and Ben Scott in his 1930 Stearman
4E, flew to New York to begin their
carefully planned re-enactment
of the transcontinental air-mail
route. The "Transcon" commenced
September 10 and was successfully
completed September 18, after 29
hours' flying time. They carried of
ficial U.S. mail across the country
and stopped at each of the 15 orig
inal air-mail stops, where an edu
cational program was shared with
the public. Afterward, Pemberton
described the flight as "a trip into
a time warp," and himself as being
"a very humble pilot to have lived
history up close and personal, with
an increased respect for the air
mail pioneers."
N5339 is not only recreating air
mail history; it's making history of
its own now-but just how was it
transformed from those charred
remnants of a fiery crash in 1928
into an airworthy beauty in 2008?

A VILLAGE OF VOLUNTEERS
machine and listen as its inertia
starter whines into a crescendo,
watch the propeller slowly turn
while the engine sputters to life,
and hear the 16-foot exhaust stacks
pipe their ancient melodious tune.
This past summer and fall, numer
ous people had that opportunity.
After flying from Felts Field in Spo

A proj ect of this magnitude

wouldn't be easily accomplished
without help-and Pemberton was
pleasantly astonished by how many
volunteers showed up at his Felts
Field hangar. "They're not so much
antique people; I had stockbrokers,
doctors, all walks of life-and it
was amazing to me the talents that
some of these people had," reflects

Pemberton, adding, "There are vol

unteers that you can give a giant
task to, with minimum supervision;
there are other ones that have to be
shown how to hold a paint brush.
So the key is to pair a challenged
person with a helper."
The entire restoration process
was thoughtfully orchestrated to
best utilize everyone's time. "Be
lieve it or not, this airplane was
built on Wednesday nights over
eight years," shares Pemberton,
explaining, "and it took me five
nights to make a Wednesday night
efficient. If people show up and
they have direction, and they've
got material and know what to
do, they keep coming back. If
they stand around, they go away.
Of the 61 volunteers, there were
21 that did significant work, and
there were 10 people who virtually
didn't miss a Wednesday night.
My wife, Wendy, fed them dinner
at 6 p.m. and we worked until 2
a.m.-she fed 14 to 16 people every
Wednesday night for eight years. It
was really a hoot; it was great!"
Numbering among the volun
teers were Pemberton's own fam
ily members. "Wendy married
into this [aviation] disease, and
she appreciates aviation not just
for the airplanes, but for the peo
ple. They are usually the people
you want to have as friends, be
cause they're interesting, moti
vated, and active-and a lot of
times, successful. Our kids were
raised in this environment, and
to my wife's credit, she cooks our
dinner meal in the hangar ev
ery night. So our sons did their
homework there, while their dad's
banging away on stuff. There's a
glider club in Spokane, and when
my boys got to be 14, I towed for
them in my Stearman, and they
soloed at 14-1/2. They went right
into power, and we built a Cub
together. Ryan, my younger son,
learned to become a very accom
plished TIG welder through the
Boeing restoration. Jay is a main
tenance pilot-he's a flight in
structor, not a builder."
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

15

It was not a small feat. Describing it,

The Boeing factory with at least 16 of the model 40 fuselages await

ing completion.
Pacific Air

A shot dated 9-13-28 of 5339 when it was being used by Pacific Air Transport.

HIGHLIGHTS OF
THE PROCESS
The cold Spokane winters were
especially productive at Felts Field,
and Pemberton poetically describes
those long seasons when he states,
"Winter: The smell of hot choco
late and hot cider; the whine of the
jointer, mixed with the buzz of the
table saw, hum of the TIG welder,
roar of the planishing hammer, and
swirl of the English wheel. "
The volunteers were armed with
appropriate tools, materials, and 800
original Boeing drawings. Painstak
ing care was exercised to fabricate
new parts, and old parts were used
16

NOVEMBER 2008

where possible. "We consider the

airplane a restoration," emphasizes
Pemberton, explaining, "The data
plate in there is the original one,
and there are 70 components that
we moved over from the wreck, in
cluding the footsteps and handle,
the throttle quadrant bracket and
fuel selector assembly, the landing
gear forgings , the top cap for the
oleos, and one wing fitting."
By late April 2007, the wood
wings were installed on the fuselage
for a check fit prior to covering, and
Pemberton happily announced that
N5339 could finally hold up her own
wings, for the first time in 79 years.

he gave "thanks to my son Ryan for

all the wonderful compound sheet
metal work, and to Andy Bradford
for many late hours on the mill
ing machine and file work to make
all the compound angles work out
perfect on all the wing struts. These
struts are not adjustable and are made
to pin center with a .060-inch toler
ance. The airplane has a total of 20
struts and 30 flying, landing, inci
dence, and tail wires. We were able
to rig the airplane closer than I could
have imagined, and that's a tribute to
Art Swenson and the squareness of
the wings, and the perfection of the
fuselage work that Matt Burroughs
did seven years ago. The airplane is
in rig within 1/4-inch in span (44
lIZ-inch) and 3/8-inch from the
outer wing struts to the tail post.
The one surprising discovery is the
firmness of the aileron control sys
tem and the heaviness of the eleva
tor-which brings new meaning to a
quote by Les Towers, the Boeing test
pilot: 'The controls are effective but
feel as if they are cast in concrete.'"
The wing trailing edges have a
distinguished scalloped appearance,
formed by stranded and soldered
copper wire, which required careful
attention during fabric installation.
Wendy used a template to keep the
scallops symmetrical while shrinking
the Ceconite fabric, and rib-stitched
with flat cord, taking care to ensure
that the stitches weren't twisted on
top of the ribs. "Wendy did all the
covering, taping, and brushing Ran
dolph nitrates on the fabric," shares
Pemberton, "and that's when I took
it over, except she didn't allow me
to touch sandpaper to the fabric!
She had 1,000 hours putting fabric
on, and we put another 1,000 hours
in the paint booth."
The painting process was going
strong during the late summer of
2007, and copious amounts of dope
were applied on the massive wings
with a high-volume, low-pressure
(HVLP) system. Each of the 17 coats
per wing required 47 trips up and
down the paint booth . "One of
my friends, Randy Ingraham, vol

unteered to help me in the paint

booth," chuckles Pemberton, "so he
was going to be the grunt and mix
the paint and hand me hoses. Then
he wanted to try it, so he gets the

gun, and he 's like a robot! I asked

him, 'What are you not telling me?'
He told me he worked in a body
shop for 12 years. So I said, 'Okay
now I'm the grunt, and you're the

ill
::;:

~
z

g
~
iii

~::>

;;;
~

shooter!' So Randy did all the final

finishes, and I did all the buildup."
By January 2008, the Boeing was
nearly complete. Its S2S-hp Pratt &
Whitney (overhauled by Covington
Aircraft Engines Inc.) was hung, and
with the installation of the impres
sive 16-foot-Iong polished exhaust
stacks (fabricated by Acorn Weld
ing LTD of Canada), it was time to
hear the Boeing come to life. Pem
berton says that on February II, his
son Ryan climbed into the cockpit
and "engaged the inertia starter for
the first time in 80 years. He ran it
through six blades, hit the mags,
and the 1340 Pratt lit 0 ff strong and
smooth, before he could even get to
the booster coil on the first try."

J:

Q.

While the wings are built up using wood spars and ribs, there 's plenty of
metal used in the structure. Here are the metal parts ready for final fab
rication and installation.

One of the four wing panels built for the Boeing.

Wendy Pemberton was in charge of covering the massive airframe. She also
took on the task of feeding the regular Wednesday night volunteer corps.

FLIGHT PREP
After NS339 received its standard
airworthiness certificate and the snow
had melted from the runway, it was
time for the test flight. Pemberton had
previously taken steps to make sure
that he was personally ready to fly
it. Having accumulated 10,000 hours
of flying "mostly the old stuff," he
was especially grateful for an oppor
tunity that was generously bestowed
upon him in August 2007. His friend
Glenn Peck kindly arranged a visit
to Creve Coeur, Missouri, where
Pemberton was invited to solo Al
Stix's Liberty-powered 1919 de Havil
land DH4-M2 mailplane. "The vision
of looking down that long DH nose
at Lambert Field from 1,000 feet over
St. Louis is burned into my brain for
the rest of my life," says Pemberton,
adding, "I had 'flashbacks' to lind
berg, Jack Knight, Dean Smith, and
'Wild' Bill Hopson flying these air
craft cross-county on daily mail runs.
I do not think that any other aircraft
could have prepared me better for my
pending Boeing 40C test flight."
Additionally, having logged 1,000
hours in an AT-6, he was able to bor
row one from a friend and flew it
from the back seat, with the seat
lowered almost to the floorboard so
that his head was below the instru
ment panel-and then he shot land
ing after landing . Later, knowing
how well that had prepared him for
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

17

Addison works on the massive landing gear. All of the

parts of this biplane are big!

Addison's son Ryan was a integral part of the restora

tion team. Like his brother Jay, they literally grew up
around the project.

The wingtip's hand grip is neat ly trimmed with cord to reduce wear and
give a ground handler a good grip.

Pemberton's attention to detail is

visible even on the wheel covers.
The wheels were built up by Don
McMakin.

the lack of visibility during Boeing

landings, he had his son Jay practice
the same routine before letting him
solo the big biplane.

FLYING THE 40C

The scent of aviation res tora
tion productivity is such a sweet
fragrance-nearly inebriating in
and of itself, and overwhelming in
18

NOVEMBER 2008

Close-up view of the flare tubes.

its heady final test, when airplane

and pilot burst into the sky, home
at long last. That final test took
place on February 17, 2008, when
the Boeing flew for the first time
in 80 years . Pemberton's sons flew
chase in the family 's Cessna 185,
with camera and video to record the
20-minute flight. They were as pleas
antly surprised as Pemberton him
self to discover just how stable the
Boeing was . Afterward, Pemberto n
shared that he "had the fee ling

The Boeing's fuel gauges are lo

cated on the inboard section of
each wing.

that I cou ld have crawled out of

the cockpit and walked around the
wings for a while if I had wanted
to-then retu rned to the cockpit
when it was time to land!"
Th e Boeing's powerful perfor
mance was also notable-and is ev
ident even to those who watch it
eagerly th rust itself from the run
way into the air. "The acceleration
is pretty impressive, I mean better
than an AT-6-when you give the
thing the needle, it sinks you in the
sea t . It came off on the very first
flight in under 10 seconds, which
I wasn't ready for. And it's just a
pretty flat, levitating feeling-then
you pull the nose up and the thing
climbs over 1,000 fpm. Within a
minute of flight, I was ab le to fly
hands-off, so th at was really amaz
in g. The ailerons are heavy, but
very powerful-the biggest sur
prise was that the rudder forces are
en ormous . On t akeoff, you've got
50 to 70 pounds of rudder force ,
b ut once yo u' re in cruise, it loves
to go straigh t. The control forces

Specifications
Empty Weight

4,080 pounds

Gross Weight

6,075 pounds

Length

34 feet

Height

13 feet

WingSpan

44-1/2 feet

Wing loading

10 pounds/squ re feet

Power loading

10 pounds/horsepower

Cruise

115 mph with fuel burn of 28 gph

Fuel Capacity

120 gallons In three tanks

The airframe is nearly complete. Addison refers to the

Boeing construction as "hobbyist" in the sense that
since it uses few cast ings or forgings , the airplane
can be hand built. Given Its size, that means there
were a lot of hands! Sixty-one volunteers were logged
by the Pembertons, 10 of whom hardly ever missed a
Wednesday night restoration session.

are about three times that of a PT

Stearman with half of its control reo
sponse. In smooth air, it's a joy and
very relaxing to fly; in turbulence,
it's a workout!"
It didn't take long for Pemberton
to learn that slipping approaches
to landing are, quite simply, are
quirement. He'll slip it to within 5
feet of the ground before kicking it
out; otherwise, he completely loses
sight of the runway. The oleo gear
has nearly a foot of travel, which,
Pemberton says, make touchdowns
"imperceptible at times. It's a real
weird feeling-you just feel you
must be on the ground , because
you're going slow. I wheeled it in
the beginning to learn where the
wheels were, and now I'll three
point it, because it just does the
Cub thing and settles on." Once
on the ground, the Boeing tracks

This 40C is powered by a 525-hp Pratt & Whitney 1340.

as straight as an arrow, with excel

lent control responsiveness, even
in healthy crosswinds.
Only one minor change was reo

q uired after the first flight; they

moved the vertical fin over one hole
to alleviate rudder force. Pemberton
continued testing the flight charac

VI NTAGE A IR P LA N E

19

The luxuriously detailed cabin interior, with brown leather seats comple

menting natural wood and an engraved Boeing logo on the forward bulk

head. The cabin interior is handsomely detailed, right down to the cabin

phone, which allows a passenger to communicate with the pilot in the

The original t hrottle quadrant.

rear open cockpit.

The neatly laid-out instrument

panel and cockpit-note the
Boeing logo on the rudder pedals.

The Boeing's voluminous mail pit and the leather straps securing it.

teristics and experienced an interest

ing tendency. "We put the airplane
into a 75 percent power climb at al
titude and lowered the left wing 20
degrees and tried to pick the wing up
with rudder. But with the wing held
down, it will rudder lock-the rudder
just snaps over and locks. You can
put both feet on the opposite rud
der, and you still can't move it," ex

plains Pemberton, "but you can raise

the wing, and the rudder pops back.
We also determined that at about 34
percent mean aerodynamic chord,
it started to lose its longitudinal sta
bility-so we've reduced the CG en
velope to about 32 percent max. We
fly it between 28 and 32 percent, and
the airplane's wonderful. To safely
carry four passengers, we have to

20

NOVEMBER 2008

throw 200 pounds in the mail pit,

and it does fine."

BIT 0 ' HISTORY

Through the project, Pemberton
became well-acquainted with Bill
Boeing Jr., and gained a special ap
preciation of the early air-mail indus
try from him. "Prior to 1926, all the
air mail in this country was carried

by post office-employed pilots flying

DH-4s. In 1925, the post office went
to several aircraft manufacturers for
a r~placement for the de Havilland
DH-4. So Douglas submitted an air
plane, as did Boeing, Curtiss, and
a couple of others. Boeing lost that
first bid; they had built a wooden
fuselage Liberty-powered Boeing 40
that was not very successful," Pem
berton recounts, adding, "A year
later, Congress decided to let con
tractors haul the mail, which meant
they had to come up with their own
airplane. Bill Boeing came back with
a concept in January of 1927, and
by July, he had to build 25 airplanes,
train 50 pilots, place them from Chi
cago to San Francisco, and have an
operating airline. And he did that.
Even in today's terms, that's pretty
overwhelming. That's when he came
up with the steel-tube Pratt & Whit
ney-powered version of the Boeing
40 that was successful. The other part
of that whole story was when Pratt
& Whitney came out with their en
gines in May of that year, they didn't
see any assembled airplanes yet! Boe

ing assured them that in six weeks,

the airplanes would be assembled.
They assembled them outside, test
flew them, and then logistically
placed them on the CAM 18 San
Francisco to Chicago 1,200-mile air
mail route and began making money
right away. So with that, Bill Boeing
shares the feeling that this is the first
successful airliner in the U.S. and is
as historically significant as a tri-mo
tor, a DC-3, and a 707."

SHINING SUCCESS
The following lyrics seem some
how appropriate when describing
the newly restored Boeing 40C,
though it's likely that Paul Simon
wasn't thinking about an antique bi
plane when he wrote them: "Sail on,
silver girl; sail on by; your time has
come to shine; all your dreams are
on their way." Indeed, it's time for
this Boeing to shine once more, sun
light glinting from her silver wings
to the delight of not only those who
witness her sailing by in the sky, but
for pilot and passengers as well. A
few fortunate people were invited

to fly back into time as passengers

in the comfortable and handsomely
outfitted enclosed cabin, where
they were able to communicate via
phone with Pemberton, who was pi
loting from the rear open cockpit. It
was truly a treasured experience for
this author, who gazed out the Boe
ing's window into the living past to
behold the de Havilland DH-4 and
Stearman 4DM mailplanes snuggled
alongside the 40C as the late eve
ning sun cast a peach-colored glow
over velvety green fields.
N5339's 2008 debut has been virtu
ally as authentic as her precision resto
ration, for she proudly carried the mail
just as gracefully as she did so many
years ago. And this queenly "silver
girl" is making dreams come true for
Pemberton and his "village of volun
teers." The Boeing 40C was awarded
Antique Grand Champion Gold Lindy
at AirVenture, and the 2008 AAA/
APM Fly-In's People's Choice and Jack
Knight award-Best Air-Mail Carrier.
Surely the spirit of air-mail pio
neer Jack Knight has been cheering
Pemberton on along the way. ......
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

21

Light Plane Heritage

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN

EAA Experimenter AU GUST

1993

Remember the

Razorback Aeronca

BY BOB WHITTIER

The Aeronca C-2 of 1930. The first one had the Wright-Morehouse engine which was de
veloped into the Aeronca E-107 design.

Editor's Note: November will mark the 80th anniver-

airplanes, along with military liaison and training air

sary of the founding of the Aeronautical Corporation

planes. Aeronca carries on to this day, currently engaged

of America, better known by its trade name, Aeronca.

in the production of sophisticated metal structures, in

Created without a product or a factory in which to pro-

eluding its pioneering work in brazed metal structures,

duce it, the directors were given a demonstration of Jean

such as the outer skin of the Apollo Command Module,

Roche's lightplane, powered by a small two-cylinder en-

and its newest contract for the heat shield of the next

gine. They took a chance and created an entirely new

generation of NASA spacecraft, the Orion. Bob Whittier

segment of American aviation. When Aeronca ceased

details the determined work done by Jean Roche and the

production of aircraft in 1951, Aeronca had been one

company that would eventually put his dream lightplane

of the preeminent manufacturers of sport and training

into production.-HGF

Editor's Note: Longtime aviation enthusiasts will recognize the byline of Bob Whittier. Bob has been a regular con
tributor to EAA publications since the founding of the organization, as well as a knowledgeable author for other aVIa
tion and boating magazines. Bob's Light Plane Heritage series in EAA's Experimenter magazine often touched on aircraft
and concepts related to vintage aircraft and their history. Since many of our members have not had the opportunity to
read this series, we plan on publishing those LPH articles that would be of interest to VAA members. Enjoy!-HGF
22 NOVEMBER 2008

he early Razorback
Aeronca lightplanes are
surely a convincing exam
ple of how the passage of
time can alter people's perceptions
of things. When the first model C-2
appeared on the aviation scene in
1930, it immediately drew hoots of
derision from the leather-booted,
cavalry-jacketed pilots still numer
ous at that time.
But today when one of those
early lightplanes shows up at an
aviation gathering, it immediately
becomes the subject of much nos
talgic reminiscing on the part of
the old-timers present, and curious
staring and questioning on the part
of those whose birthday cakes sport
less than, say, 50 candles. The dis
tinctive and, to some, grotesque ap
pearance of these birds makes them
stand out clearly and memorably
from all other small planes.
The term "razorback/' as it applies
to these planes, puzzles everyone
upon first encountering it. It derived
long ago from the ridgepole-like
shape of the top of early Aeronca
fuselages, imparted by the single up
per longeron of the three-Iongeron
welded steel-tube fuselage structure.
And the somewhat unusual name
Aeronca was created by shortening
the manufacturer's long-winded of
ficial name of Aeronautical Corpo
ration of America. Since postwar
models of Aeronca airplanes are still
widely used by private pilots, obvi
ously they have been proven to be a
good and durable one.
The Aeronca story begins in 1906
when 12-year-old Jean A. Roche
came with his parents to New York
City from France. InCidentally,
this name is pronounced Rowshay,
and Aeronca is sometimes mis
pronounced Aeronica. By around
1910 young Jean had become an
avid model airplane builder and
frequented the early and very fas
cinating airfields that had sprung
up'on the flat fields of Long Island.
Upon graduating from high school
he entered Columbia University
and graduated with a degree in
mechanical engineering.

Like so many others, Jean A. Roche

dreamed of creating a simple, inex
pensive plane that ordinary people
could afford. His experiments start
ing in 1923 led to t he Aeronca C-2 .

By 1915 he was well enough

versed in the art-science of airplane
design to find employment with
the small Huntington lightplane
company on Long Island, and later
at the larger Aeromarine factory
at Keyport, New Jersey. When the
United States entered World War I,
Jean was sufficiently proficient at
aeronautical engineering to qualify
for an engineering position at the
Army's aviation research and devel
opment center at McCook Field in
Dayton, Ohio, now Wright Field.
Aviation jobs being scarce af
ter the war was over, Roche pru
dently held onto his job at McCook
and in his spare time pursued his
interest in light aircraft for recre
ational flying. In 1923 the finan
cially strapped Army decided to
investigate the possibility of using
gliders for economical pilot train
ing. Roche was put in charge of the
project because of his familiarity
with lighter aircraft.
Because the project was very
much an experiment, it was im
perative to keep its cost to a mini
mum, consistent with producing
something useful. So the top wing
from a surplus Curtiss IN-4 trainer

became the basis of the new glider.

This wing had a span of 43 feet 7
inches, and the rather thin airfoil
used for its ribs resulted in quite
shallow and flexible spars. To make
it rigid enough to carry even a glid
er's modest air loads, many sup
porting cables were reqUired.
Designing this glider thus gave
Roche practical experience with
long, slim, wire-braced wings. He
came to realize that they could be
designed to be quite light in weight,
moderate in cost, and of good aero
dynamic efficiency-at least for
slower aircraft.
McCook Field in those days was
a wonderful place for any enthu
siastic young airplane designer to
work. Being at a major center for
aircraft development work, Roche
was free to associate daily with top
rate engineers and pilots, and had
access to the latest and best in aero
nautical literature. And this at a
time when most flying enthusiasts
were hustling to scrounge livings
by barnstorming in war-surplus
Jennies and Standards. The Curtiss
OX-5 and Hispano-Suiza, or Hisso,
engines that powered them were
large V-8 mills designed for 50-hour
service lives. They required constant
maintenance and gobbled gasoline
as if it were as cheap as water.
Roche realized that while war
surplus ships could be purchased
cheaply, they then cost a lot to op
erate. Depending on which old
timer you listen to, an OX-5 burned
around 6 to 7 gallons of gas per
hour. Many yards of fabric and tins
of dope indeed were required to re
cover their big wings. The many
bracing cables, turnbuckles, and fit
tings were a chore to keep properly
adjusted and maintained. Pilots who
found ways to operate Jennies com
mercially could figure maintenance
costs into the rates they charged,
but many private owners took scar
ily long chances on the airworthi
ness of weather-beaten ships.
It was obvious to Roche that this
state of affairs could not continue
for long, and so he believed that
there would eventually be a market
V I NTAGE AIRPLA N E

23

AIRPLANES OF THE WORLO, DOUGLAS ROLFE

Because Aeronca designer Jean A.Roche was a native of France, the 1909
Demoiselle, above, could have given him ideas. Note the three-Iongeron,
deep-chested fuselage, staight-axle landing gear, and flat-twin engine.
Right: Reproduction from a 1933 Aeronca ad. This drawing conveys the
sense of freedom and adventure that comes of exploring the countryside
in an open-cockpit puddlejumper. 70-mph at 1,000 feet seems faster
than 170 at 10,000 feet.

for small planes that would be easier

and less costly for private owners to
keep in good condition, Although
the Army glider he designed used a
Jenny wing, when designing its fuse
lage and tail he had an opportunity
to try some of his ideas about simple
and economical construction.
In 1923 and 1924 he used this
experience to design, on his own
time, a new Single-seat lightplane.
He and a fellow McCook employee
named John Dohse built it in their
spare time . Among other things,
its wing used the then very new
Clark Y airfoil, which represented
a considerable improvement in the
lift-to-drag ratio over World War I
types. Its thickness allowed the use
of deeper spars, so the number of
external brace wires was substan
tially reduced compared to older
ships . It was possible to make the
wing of good span but narrow
chord-such as to give it a 9-to-l as
pect ratio, which helped the rate of
climb with low-powered engines
and have a surprisingly good glid
ing range when the engine was
throttled back or quit.
For lack of anything better, it was
powered first by a straight-4 Hen
derson motorcycle engine and then
by a V-2 Indian. Both produced
around 18 hp, which proved to be
inadequate, and suffered serious vi
24

NOVEMBER 2008

brations and reliability problems.

Unknown to Roche and Dohse,
another McCook engineer by the
name of Harold Morehouse had de
veloped a small, horizontally op
posed, air-cooled engine to drive
the impellers used to blow air into
the ballonets of Army blimps, then
used for slow-speed observation
work. A ballonet is a sort of limp
diaphragm built into the lower por
tion of a blimp's envelope for the
purpose of maintaining gas pres
sure and thus envelope rigidity.
This well-designed engine came
to Roche's attention and it fasci
nated him. However, as it devel
oped only 15 hp and had a vertical
crankshaft, it was obviously unsuit
able for his little airplane. After talk
ing things over thoroughly, Roche,
Dohse, and Morehouse pooled their
limited resources and went to work
on a similar but larger engine suited
for airplane installation.
Completed in the summer of
1925, it produced 29 hp and flew
the Roche-Dohse plane very well
indeed. In fact, the shop became
the pet of McCook Field pilots, and
in their skilled hands it received a
thorough and professional testing.
In 1926 Morehouse left McCook
to take a job with the growing
Wright aircraft engine company in
Paterson, New Jersey, and later on

Dohse left for Seattle to take a job

with Boeing. And then the Roche
plane was involved in a crash that
damaged the Morehouse engine be
yond repair. The ship, however, was
repaired and put back into service
with a series of small engines, none
of which proved satisfactory.
Then Roche persuaded two other
McCook engineers, Roy Poole and
Robert Galloway, to design a new
engine. It was basically like the
Morehouse but incorporated some
modifications. At first it had over
head valves operated by exposed
push rods and rocker arms, but be
fore long was redesigned again quite
extensively. The top and front of
the crankcase was reshaped to blend
neatly into the plane's nose cowling,
and side-valve, flat-head cylinders
replaced the overhead-valve ones.
This arrangement had advantages.
The cost and weight of the overhead
va lve opera tin g mechanism was
eliminated. Width and thus fron
tal area were reduced. Because the
valve operated directly off of the tap
pets located within the crankcase,
wear was less and the engine could
be run longer before tappet clear
ances needed checking. Cylinder and
cylinder-head patternmaking, cast
ing, and machining were simplified,
which helped keep the cost down.
For a direct-drive engine turning its

Top: FJat-head Aeronca E-107, producing 26/ 30 hp, was the ultimate in

simplicity. Plug location made fouling by crankcase oil so unlikely that sin

gle ignition was feasible.

Below: Overhead vale E-113 grew from 36 to an ultimate 45 hp. Fins cast

in crankcase helped cool the oil.

propeller at an efficient peak speed

of 2500 rpm, intake and exhaust gas
flow were not impaired to an objec
tionable degree. This redesigned en
gine eventually became the Aeronca
E-107, this designation being derived
from the fact that it had a displace
ment of 107 cubic inches. Upon ex
amining one of these 26- to 30-hp
engines in a museum, a modern ul
tralight airplane enthusiast cannot
help but be very impressed with its
clean, functional simplicity.
In 1927 Roche worked out an
agreement with the Govro-Nelson

Company in Detroit to build these

engines for him. It was already
making the 110-hp, seven-cylinder
Warner engines and understood aero
nautical requirements. But since his
plane itself was not in production, no
engines were built at that time.
The previously mentioned Aero
nautical Corporation of America
was organized in 1928 by a group
of investors in Cincinnati, Ohio.
They had an option on factory
space at the new Lunken Airport
there, but had no airplane design
that they felt had market possibil

ities. One member of this group

knew Roche and suggested that a
delegation travel to McCook Field
45 miles to the north to see Roche
and his lightplane.
By that time, Roche held the im
pressive title of senior aeronautical
engineer. An Army major had given
the plane a thorough series of test
flights and wrote a very favorable
report on it. A capable civilian pilot
hired to do demonstration flights for
the Aeronca people did so very well.
The delegation from Cincinnati
went home thoroughly impressed,
and by the middle of 1929 an agree
ment was on paper to manufacture
the plane.
Roche and some others involved
with the plane moved to that city, the
plane was redesigned in certain areas
to better suit the needs of mass-pro
duction techniques, and during the
winter of 1929-30 the new Aeronca
C-2 was displayed at aircraft shows in
various parts of the country.
The idea of being able to buy a
new airplane for just under $1,500
and flying it on 2 gallons of gas per
hour appealed to enough people to
make the new plane a sales success,
even though the stock market crash
of 1929 was sending the county into
a deepening depression. By year's
end 90 ships had been sold. A num
ber of long-distance and altitude re
cord flights in C-2s brought much
valuable publicity to the plane.
There's a saying that even bad pub
licity is good publicity. The curious,
pot-bellied, and low-slung appear
ance of the Aeronca's fuselage quickly
inspired more less-than-complimen
tary nicknames for the ship than have
perhaps been applied to any other
airplane. The Flying Bathtub, The Pout
ing Pigeon, The Dowager, The Banana,
The Bellydragger, and The Buffalo are
examples. Such colorful monikers, of
course, attracted attention.
The more people read, heard,
and saw of the new Aeronca, the
more accustomed to its appear
ance they became . Sales figures
thus began to improve, at a time
when many aircraft firms were go
ing bankrupt.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

25

Having a fully enclosed cabin, faired-out fuselage top, and cantilever land
ing gear, the 1935-36 model was the last of the C-3 line. Some C-3s and
engines were built under license in England.

What could be more thoroughly satisfying on a hot August day than an

open cockkpit Aeronca seaplane?

However, little if anything has

been written about the reason for
the odd fuselage shape. After think
ing about it for years, I have formed
a theory. I can't prove it, but you
can decide for yourself whether or
not it is sound. As a native of France,
Roche no doubt kept himself well
informed on aviation developments
in that country and knew all about
the little Demoiselle monoplane de
signed in 1909 by aviation pioneer
Alberto Santos-Dumont.
In an accompanying illustration
of this machine, you will notice the
three-Iongeron fuselage structure;
the low-set pilot's seat; the straight
through, one-piece landing gear axle;
and the flat -twin engine. You can
see these same things in the Aeronca
C-2 . So it is not unreasonable to
think that this very early lightplane
influenced Roche's thinking.
This layout had its advantages.
The low-set bottom longerons af
forded a place to attach struts or fly
ing wires so as to create a favorable
bracing angle when long, slim wings
were used. The low-set fuselage
26

N O VEMB ER 2008

avoided the weight and air resistance

of long landing gear struts. Most of
the one-piece, straight-tube axle and
all of its rubber shock cord wrapping
were inside the fuselage and thus out
of the airstream. The cockpit was so
close to the ground that stepping in
and out of it was easy-once one had
figured out how to get past the four
flying wires on each side! A usefu l
benefit of the deep-bellied fuselage
was that it afforded generous, com
fortable leg and foot room.
The engine had to be set rather
high to obtain adeq uate propeller
ground clearance. In order to get
the wing angle of incidence re
quired for three-poin t landings,
the tail of t he fuselage had to be
set high to position the tail skid. As
owner experience with the C-2 ac
cumulated, it was realized that the
rather narrow landing gear often
allowed ships to tilt up and drag a
wing tip in crosswind landings, so a
wider tripod gear was adopted.
A baggage space located behind
the single pilot seat proved large
enough for people of slight build

to wriggle into to enjoy short but

memorable around-the-fie ld hops.
However, the Bureau of Air Com
merce (predecessor of the Federal
Aviation Administration) refused
t o certify the C-2 as a two-seater
for such reasons, as they feared
crammed-in passengers might in
terfere with the pilot's controls.
But the C-2's ability to carry two
people on the power of the little
E-107 engine, combined with the
shi p's growing popularity among
people who loved to fly purely for
the not inconsiderable pleasure and
sa ti sfaction of mastering t he air,
sp urred the Aeronca management
into giving deep thought to a certi
fiable two-seater. In everyday life we
see too m uch of the world's more
tawdry aspects, but it looks much
neater and better organized when
we look down on it from 1,000 feet.
Aft er even a short hop we come
down feeling better about things.
Small airplanes are thus more ben
eficial to people's menta l health
than is generally acknowledged.
But more power would be needed
for a decent two-seater Aeronca.
Govro-Nelson showed Aeronca engi
neers how the overhead-valve cylin
der heads of the Warner radial engine
and related parts could be adapted to
the E-107 crankcase. The outcome of
this was a new 36-hp Aeronca engine,
deSignated the E-1l3 from its cylin
der displacement in cubic inches.
Introd uced in 1931, the C-3 at
once benefitted from the C-2's reputa
tion as a good little fun-flyer. The ex
tra seat, of course, was a very big sales
feature. At first Aeronca had thought
of redesigning the C-2's cockpit area
for tandem seating, but gave this up
for side-by-side seating. This arrange
ment greatly facilitated communica
tion between pilot and passenger in
a drafty open cockpit, and avoided
a cen t er-of-gravity change when
switching between one and two oc
cupants. The basic C-2 fuselage struc
ture was widened in the cockpit area,
and the new 36-hp engine compen
sated for added weight and drag.
Airports hit hard by the depres
sion that followed the stock market

An evening cruise in a "Razorback" Aeronca C-3 was a grand way to relax

and gain a sense of perspective after a hectic day.

Removeable winter enclosure made it feasible to operate C-3's all year.

John Dohse, Jean Roche and Harold Morehouse with the predesser to the
C2, the Roche lightplane with Morehouse M-80 engine.

crash of October 1929 disposed of

their 100-hp trainers and replaced
them with Aeronca C-3s. Now able
to offer instruction at well under $10
per hour, they were able to stay in
business. The high school at Teaneck
in northeastern New Jersey gained
wide-spread publicity when it started
a flight-training program using a C-3.
As had been true of the C-2, the C-3
could be fitted with floats, and these

low-cost rigs introduced many to the

pleasure and utility of seaplanes. A
simple, rem ovable winter cockpit
enclosure was offered, making cold
weather flying somewhat more fea
sible than it had hitherto been.
Flying in a C-3 was a unique ex
perience. The exposed rocker arms
of the Warner cylinder heads al
lowed drops of lubricating grease to
fly back into the cockpit area. But,

when taxiing, one could look ahead

under the high-set cylinder on your
side of the cockpit to get a great
view of the runway ahead.
The exhaust fed into a V-shaped
manifo ld, which blended the two
cylinders' noise into a single outlet.
Despite having only two cylinders,
this created a low-pitched, reassur
ing, and even pleasant sou nd that
told people on the ground that An
Aeronca is coming!" Aeronca even
tually took over engine manufacture
and redesigned the heads to better
enclose the valve rockers.
Since both seats were off of the
centerline, the high nose did not
block forward visibility too badly. To
both sides and the rear, visibility was
panoramiC. If you leaned outboard a
little, you could look straight down
and perhaps get the same feeling of
vertigo you do when looking down
from a tall building. If one stream
lined flying wire was a bit loose or
out of alignment with the airflow, it
could start fluttering up and down.
Then, tightening it might set an
other wire to doing the same!
Around airports, the absence of a
scratched-up plastic enclosure made
for a clear view of other planes in
the traffic pattern when the sun was
low in the sky. C-3 pilots had to be
wary about operating out of farm
fields covered with the stubble left
from harvested crops- it was com
mon for mechanics to fin d rips in
the belly fabric when insp ecting
Aeronca Bellydraggers.
By 1935 Aeronca was feeling
competition from th e new Taylor
Cub, which although havi ng only
40 hp seemed to many people to
look more like an airplane. Because
damage to streamlined tie rods on
one side of an Aeronca could loosen
those on the other side, the feds in
Washington came out with new reg
ulations that prompted Aeronca to
look into strut-braced wings. The re
sult was that the C-3, which had lots
and lots of character, was replaced
by the new strut-braced model K,
which led to the Chief. Nice enough
airplanes, those-but somehow not
as m uch fun as a Razorback! ....".
/I

V I NTA G E AIRPLANE

27

BY ROBERT GLOCK

Invention of the magneto

y good pal Frank Rezich

asked me to pen a col
umn on the Bosch mag
neto that was used on
the Navy Wright R-760-8 engines.
Since I am familiar with the Bosch
SB9RU magneto that was installed
on the Pratt & Whitney R-985 en
gines, I thought it might be inter
esting to delve into history a little
to find out just who Robert Bosch
was and from where he came. So
here it is-enjoy.
Bosch was born in Albeck, a vil
lage in southern Germany. He was
the 11th of 12 children; his par
ents were from a class of well-suited
farmers from the region. From 1868
to 1876 Bosch attended the Re
alschule, the secondary-technical

school in the city of Ulm; then he

took an apprenticeship as a preci
sion mechanic. After his school and
practical education, Bosch spent
an additional seven years working
at diverse companies in Germany
and England, where he worked for
Siemens Industries. While in the
United States, Bosch worked at the
lab of Thomas Edison.
On November 15, 1886, he
opened his own Workshop for Pre
cision Mechanics and Electrical En
gineering in Stuttgart, Germany. A
year later he made a decisive im
provement to an unpatented mag
neto ignition device made by the
engine manufacturer Deutz.
Nicolaus Otto (1832-1891) had
invented the four-cycle internal

Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach, two brilliant engineers who

refined the Otto four-stroke internal combustion engine. Their re
fined engine used a Bosch ignition system, complete with magneto
and spark plug. (Figure 2)
28 NOVEMBER 2008

combustion engine in 1848, and

with his partner Eugen Langden,
Otto set up shop to market his in
vention. Otto's technical advisor
was a familiar name in the engine
business, none other than Gottlieb
Daimler. Daimler's assistant was an
other talented inventor, Wilhelm
Maybach. While Daimler wanted
to utilize the newly invented four
stroke engine in an automobile,
Otto was more interested in the
manufacture of stationary engines.
Daimler left the company in 1890,
taking Maybach with him to form
the Daimler Motoren-Gesellschaft
to manufacture his designs (Figure
2). Eleven years later, Maybach de
signed the Mercedes automobile. A
few years after that, Maybach left

Robert Bosch at the age of 27 years.

Daimler to set up his own factory

to manufacture engines for Zeppe
lin airships.
Otto's internal combustion en
gine invention used a crude device
to cause a spark that ignited a fuel!
air charge inside the cylinder. It was
this device that Bosch modified and
perfected; work that would make
him famous. The magneto refine
ment of Bosch and spark plug in
vention of Gottlob Honold made
Otto's internal combustion engine
a product that would change the
world. This gave Bosch his first
business success. The purpose of
the magneto device was to generate
an electrical spark needed to cause
the fuel!air mixture in a stationary
combustion engine to explode. And
in 1897 Bosch was the first person to
adapt such a magneto ignition de
vice to a motor vehicle engine. But
only the invention of the first com
mercially viable high-voltage spark
plug by Bosch's engineer, Honold,
in 1902 made possible the develop
ment of the internal combustion
engine. With the invention of the
high-tension spark plug, the Bosch
magneto-spark plug combination
became the standard for the auto
motive industry and was quickly
adapted to the aviation world.
Even before the 19th century
came to an end , Bosch had ex
panded his operations beyond

Germany's borders . The company

established a sales office in the
United Kingdom in 1898, and other
European countries soon followed.
The first sales office and the first
factory in the United States were
opened in 1906 and 1910, respec
tively. By 1913, the company had
branch operations in the Americas,
Asia, Africa, and Australia, and was
generating 88 percent of its sales
outside of Germany. In the 1920s
the global economic crisis caused
Bosch to begin a rigorous program
of modernization and diversifica
tion in his company. In only a few
years' time he succeeded in turn
ing his company from a small au
tomotive supplier founded on the
skilled trades into a multinational
electronics group. The face on the
poster in Figure 3 became a Bosch
regular, known as "Fritz the Flyer."

Bosch opened a factory in the

United States and manufactured
magnetos under the name Ameri
can Bosch (Figure 4). By 1920, the

Figure 5

AMERICAN BOSCH MAGNETO CORPORATION

Magneto Instructions

(81)

Type FO Ma,nelo.

T)'pe F B MattAtlo.

T y pe 1(; 100 I lIIpu.lsc C..,up1inll' i. lII ade lOT ue on .mall notch

l i aKIIClQIi of T)'~s FO, }O"X. Z.: 41\.1 MA. With thi. !;Ollplin,. it
it n",;afr to l1l~lo:e tin: 51 " 11 ....t:ill: h l Ix-fo rc ua n in)!: t he IIm line.
[t aulom", tic.lly thro ws 01.1 1 U .......11 ;u t he c:n" im:' .. ' . r....

T r je H;200 impulse CouplwJI L. m;ldc: f()f usc on brtter Iypa

0.1 t b DOlch l.l acnelo, I\K' b at AT, Dl,; a.nd ll~. h II rDlirdy
aulo nu.lic in it. action.
To tuuc II 1n;1"1I ~ l o cqu l j'pc'd with In impu16e couplinc. .e l
~o. I cy linder ill t(lra df';uJ center pnsil ion of lhe comprt'llion
81rQKc:. lind f"Glve t he armature until the l':QuplinK i. rd.:...:,1 fr om
the arrcltcr pl,att: whtu this OCCUr!, rotate Iht annat u re ~ ckw. rd
ulltil the imcTfupter Ienr ."..i.n Cfuno !he: cum 1I1ll1 Ihe: f1'Qi "ts I re
ju.t clo.ll\&' or, when rOlated in Ih.e p~ dirCCI~)II. Ihe: pointt arc:
jlllt 09Cniol. W ith the a bove M u lna I n.aiGed, prO(ee.1 ill tin: Unte
mannct ... yo u ..ould wi th .. malneto not ~uippcd with an impul~

cOQpll.l!.a.
NOTE: If Ihe m~to i. equ ipped wi t h a BOlch AdjU5foL Ic
I mpulu Couplin" Ibi, a)Uplinr .houtd be uk-en ar~1IrI ~nJ clun.:'J
at It DOlen Serrice Sl alLQn Ollce :a r~ar. fl o not oil or fj: ru .. Ih"
coupllna. I i n ot N oleclcLi by an ('l1w ine bood. k1l it co ~rlt'd .

T)'~I~ Ci~:u~t)~::;,~~:~III '

'r)'tOtl~,f~;OOw it~J'A~tI;I1,:~I,e
E u"lIIllcnlcnt.

(82)

(83)

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 6
V I NTAGE AIRPLANE

29

Bosch Company had sold more

than a million magnetos. Bosch's
U.S . operation was taken over by
the U.S. government's Alien Prop
erty Custodian in 1918 as a conse
quence of the U. S. government's
declaration of war against Germany.
After the war, Bosch re-entered the
U.S. market under his own name
and a 10-year legal battle en
sued. In 1930 Bosch entered into
an agreement with the U.S. Bosch
Company, which would market
the products of the German Bosch
Company in the United States.
The Bosch magneto was manu
factured for aircraft use in two dis
tinct types-base-mounted, as used
on the Pratt & Whitney engine,
and flange-mounted, as used on the
Wright engine. They were also pro
duced in unshielded and shielded
versions. Although heavy when
compared to other Bendix and Scin
tilla magnetos, the Bosch product
was very stout and quite reliable.
The Bosch SB9RU magneto as
used on Pratt & Whitney R-985 ra
dial engines is shown in Figure 5.
The series of photos in Figure 6,
taken from a Pratt & Whitney over
haul manual, show the method of
setting E-gap for the magneto (81).
The center photo shows the method
used to couple a magneto to an en
gine-a rubber disc with serrations
that engage into drive on an acces
sory case (82). This type of magneto
is base-mounted and requires some
expertise to install. First the E-gap
is set up by using a straight edge
across the shaft to align with scribe
marks on the case. It will be neces
sary to hold the shaft in this posi
tion so the E-gap will not change.
Next the magneto is placed next
to the engine drive, and the rubber
coupler is moved until it lines up
perfectly with the drive.
The magneto is then placed on
the mounting pad, and a large drift
is placed through one of the screw
holes. An aft pull is exerted to com
press the rubber drive and allow the
magneto to slide down over dowel
pins in the base. When this is com
pleted, rotate the engine and check
30 NOVEMBER 2008

Typical VMN7DF Typo Magneto

Figure 8

Figure 7

the point opening with piston loca

tion on the No.1 cylinder. When
the point opening coincides with
the piston at 25 degrees BTC (before
top center), insert the cap screws
through the base and into the mag
neto. Complete the job by safety
wiring the 3-screws together (83).
The sketches in Figure 7 show,
using a Time Rite instrument, the
proper method of setting the pis
ton position in the No.1 cylinder
on compression stroke. The prop
is turned in the direction of rota
tion until the beginning of com
pression is felt coming from the
spark plug hole. Insert a Time Rite
in the front spark plug hole (84).
Align the cap of the indicator so
that the slide slot lines up with
the vertical axis of the cylinder.
Push the slide pOinter up close to
the pivot arm (85). Turn the prop
shaft in the direction of rotation
until the pivot arm pushes the
slide pointer to its farthest point
(86). Turn the prop shaft about
90 degrees in the opposite direc
tion. This will return the pivot
arm to the top of the slot. Adjust
the proper engine scale (the scale
numbered for R-985/R-1340) so
that the O-degree mark on the card

Magneto Type SF7RN-l

Figure 9

aligns with the reference mark on

the pointer (87).
Move the slide pointer up to
align with the 25-degree mark on
the card (88). Turn the prop shaft
in the direction of rotation until
the pivot arm just contacts the slide
(89). At this point the piston in the
No.1 cylinder is now positioned
25 degrees before top center, and
the magneto can be engaged to the
drive on the accessory case. The two
magnetos must synchronize; that
is, both sets of points must open
simultaneously so that the timing
of the two magnetos is identical. A
timing light must be used to assure
proper synchronized timing of the
magnetos to the engine.
The Time Rite instrument is a
very handy device for setting the

piston position in the No.1 cylin

der. I have used this device for my
entire career as a mechanic.
During World War I, a group of
engineers in Switzerland devel
oped an outstanding magneto. Af
ter the war, a Chicago promoter,
Laurence R. Wilder, obtained the
American agency and brought the
magneto to the United States in
1921. Scintilla was located in New
York City at the time. Meanwhile,
Sidney, New York, had recently
lost its big manufacturer, the Hat
field Automobile Company, as it
just couldn't compete with De
troit. A former Hatfield official,
Winfield Sherwood, volunteered
without pay to search for a new
industry for the village. Sherwood
hit pay dirt in 1924, as he invited
Scintilla officials to Sidney, con
vincing them to bring this superb
magneto manufacturing line to
the Tri-Towns. In 1925 the Scin
tilla Magneto Company bought the
old Hatfield building and began
manufacturing magnetos. By 1928,
Scintilla had a much better factory
and was purchased a year later by
Bendix Aviation Corporation. Some
how, the company survived the
Great Depression, and by 1939, it
was filling orders for airplane mag
netos for the Allies in Europe.
Scintilla produced magnetos
for aircraft use, their coding being
VMN, in both base- and flange
mount configurations. The mag
netos were both unshielded and
shielded. These magnetos were pro
duced for many five- and sevenREFERENCES:
http://www.OldEngine.org/
members/diesel/Magnetos/Bo
schManMenu.htm
Overhaul Manual, Pratt & Whit
ney Wasp Jr. (R-985) and Wasp
(R-1340)
Overhaul Manual, Bendix-Scin
tilla Aircraft Magnetos, Type
SF7RN-l
Overhaul Manual, Bendix-Scin
tilla Aircraft Magnetos, Types
VMN7DF and DFA

. . IN

1897

BOSCH WAS
THE FIRST
PERSON TO
ADAPT SUCH
A MAGNETO
IGNITION
DEVICE TO
A MOTOR
VEHICLE
ENGINE.

cylinder single-row radial engines .

VMN-7D was a base-mounted unit,
while the VMN7DF was a flange

mounted unit (Figure 8) . Scintilla

also produced a VMN7DFA mag

neto that had an automatic ad

vance feature for easier starting. All

magnetos of this series were driven

at 7/8-engine crankshaft speed.
The VMN7DF magneto was pop

ular for installation on Continental

W-670 and R-670 engines produc

ing 220-hp. In 1929 the Bendix

Aviation Corporation bought Scin

tilla Magneto Company, which be

came Scintilla Magneto Division,

the manufacturing facility being re

tained in Sidney, New York. All sub

sequent magnetos were known as

Bendix-Scintilla products.
Vincent Bendix (1881-1945) was
an industrialist and inventor, and
founder of the Bendix Corporation
of Chicago in 1907 with the intent
of manufacturing automobiles he
called Bendix Buggies. After pro
ducing only 7,000 automobiles, the

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VINTAGE AIRPLANE

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NOVEMBER 2008

company failed in 1909, but Ben

dix went on to invent and patent
the Bendix drive, a motor-driven
gear that could engage an engine's
ring gear at low rotational speed
and then fly back to disengage au
tomatically at a higher speed. This
drive made it possible for the in
stallation of an electric starter on
internal combustion engines for au
tomobiles, aircraft, and other mo
torized vehicles. The Bendix drive
is still in widespread use, so much
so that mechanics often refer to the
mechanism simply as a Bendix. Ben
dix founded the Bendix Brake Com
pany in 1923 and started the Bendix
Aviation Corporation in 1929. In
1930 Bendix invented the pressure
carburetor. The corporation spon
sored the Transcontinental Bendix
Air Race in 1931. Bendix Aviation
and Bendix Brake would later be re
named the Bendix Corporation.
The Bendix Corporation manu
factured a competing magneto to
the VMN model, known as the SF?
(Figure 9) . It, too, was approved for
several small radial engines but par
ticularly was popular on the Conti
nental W-6?0 and R-6?0 series. The
SF? was a flange-mounted unit and
had the same tapered shaft dimen
sions as the VMN series. In order
to fit the magnetos to different en
gines it was necessary to change the
drive coupling.
The Bosch, Scintilla, and Bendix
magnetos could be made to rotate ei
ther right-hand (clockwise) or left
hand (counter clockwise) simply by
internal timing. The direction of rota
tion of magneto drives is determined
by the engine manufacturer and is
based on rotational direction of mag
neto drive gears in the accessory case.
Drive direction of a magneto is deter
m ined by holding the magneto so as
to view it from the drive end. If the
drive turns to the right, it is clock
wise, and if the drive turns to the left,
it is counterclockwise.
Both the Bendix and Scintilla mag
netos adapted to shielded and un
shielded harness assemblies. All the
early installations were unshielded har
ness and spark plugs.
......

continued from page IFe

We will keep you posted on how the parking plan

review works out.
It's also important to note here that even though
we knew before the fly-in ended that we had to deal
with this problem, we truly appreciated your voice
in this important issue. I am personally thankful to
everyone who took the time to write and comment
in person as they shared their concerns with us, all
in a very courteous and professional manner.
Please do not hesitate to write if you have any fur
ther thoughts or suggestions concerning this critically
important issue.
In this issue of Vintage Airplane, we have important
information about an ongoing fund-raising effort at
EAA. The EAA AirVenture Museum is now officially 25
years old, and since its construction in Oshkosh, EAA
members have continued to support the enhance
ments of this world-class facility. It's time now for
what many of us believe is one of the most significant
additions to the museum-the Founders' Wing.
The Founders' Wing will encapsulate the "story"
of the early days of EAA, and it will include the many
interesting artifacts and treasures of early EAA. Over
the SO-plus years of EAA history, Paul and Audrey Po
berezny meticulously cataloged and savored the many
documents that tell the story of EAA. They've spent
the time and effort to save our history; now it's time
to create a special place for all members to learn about
the legacy, history, and culture of one of the most
amazing movements in aviation-EAA.
I've been lucky; I'm one of hundreds of individu
als who have had the unique opportunity to see the
inner sanctum of this archive that currently exists
in the many cubbyholes of Paul's home, shop, and
offices. An existing section of the EAA AirVenture
Museum will be reworked to become the Founders'
Wing, with the planned dedication of the wing at
AirVenture 2009.
No one individual mentors to the soul of the EAA
member more effectively than Paul Howard Pober
ezny, now in his 87th year of a wonderful life in avia
tion. To learn more about how you, too, can be a part
of supporting this truly important new addition to
the EAA AirVenture Museum, please visit the official
website at www.EAA.orglfounderswing.
See you at AirVenture 2009!
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2009, The World's Great
est Aviation Celebration, is July 27 through August
2,2009.

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VINTAGE AIRPLANE

33

BY H.G. FRAU TSCHY

LIKE OUR OCTOBER MYSTERY PLANE, THIS MONTH'S MYSTERY SHIP COMES TO US FROM

STEVE MOYER, ONE OF OUR VOLUNTEER EAA AIRVENTURE OSHKOSH CHAIRMEN .

WE'RE SORRY THE PHOTO DOESN'T SHOW THE ENTIRE AIRPLANE, BUT ITS LINEAGE IS

PRETTY OBVIOUS. THE REAL QUESTION IS, "WHICH VERSION IS IT?"

Send your answer to EAA,

Vintage Airplane, P.O. Box 3086,
Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Your
answer needs to be in no later
than December 10 for inclusion
in the February 2008 issue of
Vintage Airplane.
You can also send your
response via e-mail. Send your
answer to MysteryPlane@eaa.org.
Be sure to include your name
plus your city and state in the
body of your note and put
"(Month) Mystery Plane" in the
subject line.

AUGUST'S

MY STE RY ANSWE R
The August Mystery Plane came
to us from the collection of Ted
Businger, Salem, Arkansas. The Roy
Russell photo is one of many sent
to us by Ted.

Here's our first answer:

The August Mystery Plane, the Naval Aircraft Factory (Curtiss) TS-l .
34

NOVEMBER 2008

The August Mystery Plane is

a 1921 Navy-designed fighter for
use on the then-new aircraft carrier
USS Langley. Several examples were
built and tested at the Naval Air
craft Factory (NAF) . Subsequently,
Curtiss was awarded an order for
34 examples. It was the first pro
duction U.S. fighter to use an air
cooled radial engine, the Lawrence
J-l of 200 hp. Maximum speed of

the TS-l was 131 mph (121 mph for

the seaplane version).
Reference: Curtiss Aircraft 1907
1947 by Peter Bowers
Jim Stubner, Mercer Island,
Washington
And another note on the Mys
tery Plane:
The August Mystery Plane is
the Naval Aircraft Factory (Cur
tiss) TS-l, the first American fighter
designed specifically for carrier op
erations. Although designed by the
Naval Aircraft Factory under the di
rection of Rex Beisel, later famous
for the F4U Corsair, 34 aircraft were
built by Curtiss Aeroplane and Mo
tor Company. The NAF later built
another five.
The TS-l (for Tractor, Single-seat)
was powered by a nine-cylinder,
230-hp Lawrence J-l, the predeces
sor of the Wright Whirlwind. First
flight took place at Anacostia on
May 9, 1922. One of its unique fea
tures was the gap between the bot
tom of the fuselage and the bottom
wing. Later in 1922 it began service
aboard the USS Langley with CF-1,
replacing the Vought VE-7. (Your
photo shows an aircraft of VF-l.)
In addition to carrier service,
the TS-l (later FC-l) was fitted
with twin floats. In this form, be
ginning in 1922, it served aboard
battleships, cruisers, and destroyers
with YO-I. No catapult was used;
the little TS (wingspan was only 25
feet) was hoisted over the side by a

crane. VF-l also served aboard bat

tleships in 1925-1926. The TS-2 re
mained in the inventory until late
in 1927 when most were conSigned
to storage. The last was stricken
from inventory in May 1930. One
(serial number A6446) managed to
survive with the National Air and
Space Museum.
Tom Lymburn, Princeton, Min
nesota, and Doug Rounds of Ze
bulon, Georgia, fill us in on more
details:
In 1921 the U.S. Navy designed
an all-wood fighter specifically for
operation from its soon-to-be com
missioned aircraft carrier the Lang
ley. Bids for production were invited
from the industry, and Curtiss won
the order for 34 airplanes. To keep
cost down, the Naval Aircraft Fac
tory built five TS-ls, plus experi
mental versions.
The TS-l had several odd fea
tures: the fuselage was raised
above the lower wing, the lower
wing has a longer span and they
used diagonal struts to eliminate
wing rigging wires, and a droppa
ble SO-gallon fuel tank was built
into the lower wing center sec
tion, which could be jettisoned if
necessary. The TS-l was the first
production U.S. fighter to use an
air-cooled radial engine. The en
gine was the Lawrance J-l and
only had 200 hp, which was low
by fighter standards. The cost,
less the government furnished

engine, was $ 9, 5 69 for the first

11 and $9,975 for the remainder.
The airplane was delivered on
wheels, but wooden floats were
also an option .
It was designed for carrier op
erations, but wooden floats were
available. Other engines were ex
perimented with, namely a 240-hp
Aeromarine U-8-D engine and 180
hp Wright-Hispano E-2 engine.
Specifications for the Land Plane
Wingspan: 25 feet
Length: 22 feet, 1-3/16 inches
Empty weight: 1,239 pounds
Gross weight: 1,927.5 pounds
Max speed: 131 mph
Cruise speed: 104.8 mph
Rate of climb: 1,280 feet/minute
Service ceiling: 14,400 feet
Range: 468 miles
Armament: Two 30-inch ma
chine guns
Serial numbers: Navy A6300/6304,
Curtiss A6248/6270
Other correct answers were re
ceived from Tom Ramsey, Mt. Juliet,
Tennessee; Mark Mendes, Logan
ville, Georgia; Harvey Alley, Grand
Rapids, Michigan; Frederick Beseler,
La Crosse, Wisconsin; Jack Erick
son, State College, Pennsylvania;
Wesley R. Smith, Springfield, Illi
nois; Larry Knechtel, Seattle, Wash
ington; John Aken, Castroville,
Texas; and Toby Gursanscky, a long
time VAA member who hails from
Sydney, Australia.
........

STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT, AND CIRCULATION (Required by 39 U.S.C. 3685). 1. Title of Publication: Vintage Airplane 2. Publication No.:062-750. 3.
Rling Date:9/ 26/ 08. 4. Issue Frequency: Monthly. 5. No. of Issues Published Annually: 12. 6. Annual Subscription Price: $36.00 in U.S. 7. Known Office of Publication:
EAA, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3806. Contact Person : Kathleen Witman , Telephone : 920-426-6156. 8. Headquarters or General Business Office of the
Publisher: Same as above. 9. Publisher: Tom Poberezny. EAA, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3806. Editor: H.G. Frautschy, EAA, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903
3806. Managing Editor: Kathleen L. Witman , P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3806. 10. Owner: Experimental Aircraft Association , P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903
3806. 11. Known bondholders, mortgagees, and other security holders owning or holding 1 percent or more of total amounts of bonds, mortgages or other securities:
None. 12. Tax Status: Has Not Changed During Preceding 12 Months. 13. Publication Title: Vintage Airplane. 14. Issue date for circulation data below: September 2008.
15. Extent and Nature of Circulation (Average No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months/ No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Rling Date): a. Total
No. of Copies Printed (8,728/8,086) b. Paid Circulation (By Mail and Outside the Mail): 1. Mailed Outside-County Paid Subscriptions Stated on PS Form 3541 (Include
paid distribution above nominal rate, advertiser's proof copies, and exchange copies) (7,000/6,854). 2. Mailed In-County Paid Subscriptions Stated on PS Form 3541
(Include paid distribution above nominal rate, advertiser's proof copies, and exchange copies) (0/0). 3. Paid Distribution Outside the Mails Including Sales Through Dealers
and Carriers, Street Vendors, Counter Sales, and Other Paid Distribution Outside USPS (396/393). 4. Paid Distribution by Other Classes of Mail Through the USPS (e.g.,
Rrst-Class Mail) (156/156). c. Total Paid Distribution (Sum of 15b (1), (2), (3), and (4)) (7,552/7 ,403). d. Free or Nominal Rate Distribution (By Mail and Outside the Mail):
1. Free or Nominal Rate Outside-County Copies Included on PS Form 3541 (0/0). 2. Free or Nominal Rate In-County Copies Included on PS Form 3541 (0/0). 3. Free or
Nominal Rate Copies Mailed at Other Classes Through the USPS (e.g. Rrst-Class Mail) (53/ 50). 4. Free or Nominal Rate Distribution Outside the Mail (Carriers or other
means) (602/109). e. Total Free or Nominal Rate Distribution (Sum of 15d (1), (2), (3), and (4) (655/ 159). f. Total Distribution (Sum of 15c and 15e) (8,207/7,562).
g. Copies not Distributed (See Instructions to Publishers #4 (page #3))(227/259). h. Total (Sum of 15f and g) (8,434/ 7,821). i. Percent Paid (15c divided by 15f times
100) (92.02%/97.90%). 16. Publication of Statement Ownership: Publication required. Will be printed in the October 2008 issue of this publication . 17. I certify that
all information furnished on this form is true and complete. I understand that anyone who furnishes false or misleading information on this form or who omits material
or information requested on the form may be subject to criminal sanctions (including fines and imprisonment) and/or civil sanctions (including civil penalties). Executive
Director/ Editor: H.G. Frautschy, 9/26/08.
PS Form 3526, September 2007

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

35

On Stearman Wings

Where anything is possible

BY PHILIP HANDLEMAN

It still happens at air

ports-an unassuming
yet wondrous experi
ence, a throwback to the
good old days of flying
that rekindles the mo
tivation of humans to
tread into the air. At once
charming and invigorat
ing, a polished relic from
aviation's bygone era is rolled quietly but purposefully out
of its hangar and readied to roam aloft.
The helmeted and goggled pilot shouts out a laconic
admonition that rings from the open cockpit across
the flightline.
"Clear!"
The magnetos are switched on and the starter kicks in.
All eyes on the ramp dart instinctively toward the fabric
covered biplane as the incipient stirrings of its monstrous
round engine cause a throaty gnarl. The heavy wooden
propeller cranks, tentatively at first but then wrenches the
whole ship. There is a palpable stutter, then a guttural bel
low as though the machine has woken suddenly from a
deep slumber.
A puff of white smoke belches from the starboard
mounted exhaust stack, substantiating that the myriad in
animate parts-the gears and rocker arms, the pistons and
valves-have sprung to life. A crackling radiates from the
cylinders. Then, in labored defiance of the morning chill,
there is a cough, followed by another and still another. It
is the initiation of the interplay among the umpteen intri
cate components of an ingenious mechanical apparatus
a liturgy of the antique engine, kind of like Old Faithful's
tremor before its discharge.
With mastery of mixture and throttle, reflecting the del
icate art of compensating for ambient temperature, field
elevation, and moisture in the air, the engine's tentative
barking settles into a steady hum. The pilot tucks his head
low, berieath the squared Plexiglas windscreen, to avoid as
much of the prop wash as pOSSible, for at the first blush of
dawn, it carries a glacial bite. Mixed with the propeller's
artificial wind is a familiar aroma: a blend of effluents that
connotes to the veteran airman that the engine is burning
the right synthesis of fuel, air, and oil.
The intrepid flier presses the balls of his feet firmly
against the "toe" brakes so the stately biplane, an archetype
of mechanical practicality and aesthetic design, remains
36 NOVEMBER 2008

impassive except for the

propeller, which keeps
loping over. This ritual
persists until the oil tem
perature comes into the
green. As the dew-soaked
wings glisten in the
warm glow of sunrise,
the wait is worth every
bone-shilling minute. A
seemingly infinite crystalline dome is revealed overhead,
and the ocean of air remains serene as if, collectively, the in
tegral fragments of the aviator's milieu beckon the ship and
its occupant into the guileless province of the empyrean.
Not an eye on the ramp has changed focus as the dou
ble-decker convulses momentarily to break its standstill.
The lurch transmutes into a deliberate rhythmic swaying
to and fro as the airplane begins taxiing curlicue style. At
the country airport you never know when there might be
a deer, or another airplane, crossing the taxiway ahead of
you unless you swing wide right, then left, and back again.
No matter that the biplane stands nose-high on its dimin
utive tail wheel since now the pilot's field of view opens up
with each gentle S-turn.
Nearly astride the runway, the last checks are performed.
With the brakes activated again, the throttle is pushed
slowly, yet resolutely, to a detent on the quadrant, and for
the first time the engine previews the extent of its brawn.
The whole aircraft shakes as if a New York subway train is
rumbling past.
Working down the list-oil pressure, carb heat, mags
the anticipation grows. For good measure, the pilot glances
once more at the needle in the pressure gauge; without the
engine the rest is just a pretty shell, a hollow museum
piece. The onlookers, watching from afar, then see the
control surfaces deflect to the stops, full-throw left and
right as well as up and down, like bam doors waggling in
isolated zephyrs.
The pilot scans in every direction as though his head is
on a swivel, an instinctive impulse as much as a learned
habit. The runway is unobstructed and the traffic pattern
vacant. Aligning with the runway's centerline, the pilot
lets his ship crawl several yards coming out of the tum to
allow the tail wheel to straighten for the takeoff roll. Never
really stopping the biplane'S transit, he again inches the
throttle forward. This time, though, he advances it as far as
it will go and the lion roars.

Instructors and students, the usual airport coterie, observe from the terminal fence and, manifestly cognizant of
the heavy hand of gravity and drag, barely discern movement. To them it is as if the sprint down the pavement in
pursuance of that indispensable phenomenon of lift is
happening in slow motion.
But to the pilot ensconced
in the middle of the ship,
head and neck protruding
into the building slipstream,
the vantage is wholly different. Acceleration is palpable
and the noise is deafening as
the ragging engine thunders
and the rippling air whines.
Positive inertia mounts
and the pilot feels thrust
overtaking drag. The sight picture to
either side blurs into an impressionistic palette of greens and browns. This
improbable, over-engineered contraption from an all but forgotten time,
weighing a beefy ton and a half with
wooden ribs and spars, fabric sewn
over wide camber wings, and steel
bracing wires holding the individual
assemblies together, lumbers faithfully

ahead. The pilot relaxes the control

stick, and the tail, unfailingly obedient to the laws of physics, rises perceptibly. More right rudder now to correct for the effects of increased torque.
Almost nothing more to do except stay pOinted in a
beeline, poised for the forces of nature to work their miracle on a headlong biplane scarcely hugging the ground.
With just a little coaxing-a touch of back pressure on the
stick-the old leviathan ascends ever so gracefully into
the cool air, returning triumphal to its realm. Once the
wires and trees at the airport's perimeter are cleared, the
pilot pegs the climb out at 7S miles per hour and the ship
steadies in the crisp morning sky.
Daybreak fills the pilot's sphere with calm. These precious moments, when the day is still young, represent the
best time to fly. The sun's powerful rays have not had a
chance to heat the planet'S surface and cause the convection that roils the low-level air. The big-barreled biplane,
hardly an object of delicacy, slices through the air as if
skating on ice. Only the steadfast vibration of the engine
and the undulating tapestry below attest that the ship is
in motion.
Farmlands, cast in the soft splendor of the near horizontal light, stretch for as far as the eye can see. The scent of
fresh crops ready for harvest wafts up to engulf the biplane.
It is still too early for the church bells to have chimed from
the picturesque steeple. Soon enough the town will come
alive. For now, the scene, in its enduring effulgence, belongs exclusively to the pilot suspended above, steering

his ship. And the cold gives way to exhilaration.

In the sky's multidimensional framework there is no
tether, no umbilical cord, no connection to our earthly
pedigree. Only the lift under the rigid wings, in accord with
Bernoulli's principle, keeps
the ship soaring in avian
company. And like the birds
sailing on invisible currents
in the emanCipating preserve
that encircles our planet, the
pilot, as captain of his ship,
may mimic the lissome crea
tures, perhaps even revel in
the autonomy of their un
bounded confines.
There is nothing quite
like the ride in an open
cockpit at dawn, the onrushing wind caressing your face
as the fist glimmers of light lift the
veil of night. Just then one's connec
tion to the world, the convergence
with the myriad elements, mechani
cal and human, reaches the apex of
harmony. How lucky for the aviators'

earthbound brethren that on any

fair-weather day from early spring
through late autumn there is a distinct possibility that the resonant
drone of a radial engine and the sweet
symmetrical thrum of a charmed time may enliven sleepy
hamlets punctuating the landscape.
Vast expanses of the sky remain virtually unencum
be red for those who yearn to fly for the sake of flying, to
aim toward the heavens, to feel the immutable magic of
soaring on wings, and to glory in the domain of limitless
potentialities. Since the inception of powered flight, the
attendant captivation has remained fundamentally undi
minished because the sojourns of today's Stearman pilots
are imbued with the idyllic vision and romantic aura that
rode with those who ventured skyward in the time when
Wilbur and Orville Wright unleashed humankind from
the shackles of gravity.
Upon return to the airport, the opportunity exists to
delight in the company of fellow aviators and air-minded
friends. At a table in the airport cafe, over an orange soda
on the terminal's porch, or simply milling around the
open maintenance hangar, fliers and enthusiasts may en
joy the camaraderie that comes from the mutual knowl
edge of what it means to touch the sky. They share the
bond threaded through the universal language of flying
that transcends the ordinary and the superfluous. Stear
man pilots, operating from America's unheralded little
waypoints, continue to modestly but determinedly fulfill
the age-old dream of flight, which is the dream that any
thing is pOSSible, including the notion that humanity can
rise above itself and reach ennobling heights.
.......

the control surfaces

deflect to the stops, fullthrow left and right as
well as up and down,
lIke barn doors wagglIng
I d
h
In ISO ate zep yrS.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

37

VAA MERCHANDISE '08

Mens'Sweater
This stylish Men's sweater will keep
you looking great with it's zipper
and stripe. State size
when ordering.
Vl17190ak
(assorted sizes}
Vl1718 Black (dark
(assorted sizes)
Vl1734 Chestnut
(assorted sizes)

embroidered with a silver

VAA logo looks smart
with the front slimming
V12756SM
V12757 MD
V12758 LG

Flight
Stay warm in this black or sage flight jacket.
Beautifully lined in orange. Sporting the VAA
logo and it has plenty of pockets..
Black
Sage
Vl1894 MD
Vl1782 LG
Vl1895 LG
Vl1783 XL Vl1896 XL
Vl1896 2X
Vl1784 2X

To see more great VAA merchandise,

go to our website listed below.

Jay Jay Jeys

Larger die cast toys:

V09786 Tracy
V09787 Old Oscar
V09788 Big Jake

Order Online: www.vintageaircraft.org

Telephone Orders: 800-843-3612 From US and Canada (All Others Call 920-426-5912l

Or send to: EAA Mail Orders,P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086

Limited supplies avai lable . 'Shipping and handling NOTincluded. Major credit cards accepted. WI residents edd 5% sales tax.

$4.99

of tho se post ed on t he newest page on

the EAA website. To submit an event , or
to view the most up to date list, pl ea se
visit the EAA website at www.eaa.orgj
calendar. During 2008, we' ll publish t his
calendar as we transition to a n al l-web
based calendar for 2009. This list does
not constitute approval, s ponsors h ip ,
involvement, control or direct ion of any
fly-in, seminar, fly market or oth er event.
November 2 - Santa Paula, CA 2 - First
Sunday Open House. Aviation Museum
Of Santa Paula (SZP). Aviatio n Museum
of Santa Paula/ SZP Airport Open House
Display Day. Fly in, display you r aircraft
for tax credit; come to gift booth for sign
off. Museum and private hangars open
to amaze you with collections inside.
You never know what you might see at
SZP! Start Time: 10 am-3 pm Contact:
Judy, Phone: 805-525-1109, Email:

amszp@Verizon.net
December 7 - SANTA PAU LA, CA2
(SZP). First Sunday Open House. Aviation
Museum Of Santa Paula Fly in; display
your aircraft, come to gift booth for sign
off. Museum and private hangars open
to amaze you with collections inside. You
never know what you might see at SZP!
Restaurant on field. 10am--3pm Contact:
Judy, Phone: 805-525-1109, Email:

amszp@Verizon.net
December 20 - Oshkosh, WI2 - Wright
Brothers Memorial Banquet. EAA
Airventure Museum. Secure on
line reservation form - Honor the
creators of powered flight t hrough
this special presentation. St art Time:
6 :30 - 9:30pm, Info: 920-426-6880,
Email: museum@eaa.org

Get Connected

Stay Informed

E-mail is the easiest way

for you to get connected.
Changed your mail?
Let us know.

www.eaa.org/emai/

Something to buy,
sell, or trade?
Classified Word Ads: $5.50 per 10 words,
180 words maximum , with boldface lead-in
on first line.
Classified Display Ads: One column wide
(2.167 inches) by 1 , 2, or 3 inches high at
$20 per inch . Black and white only, and no
frequency discounts.
Advertising Closing Dates: 10th of second
month prior to desired issue date (i. e. ,
January 10 is the closing date for the March
issue). VAA rese rves the right to reject any
advertising in conflict with its policies. Rates
cover one insertion per issue. Classified ads
are not accepted via phone. Payment must
accompany order. Word ads may be sent via
fax (920-426-6845 ) or e-mail (classads@
eaa.of{tJ using credit card payment (all cards
accepted). Include name on card, complete
address , type of card, card number, and
expiration date. Make checks payable to EM.
Address advertising correspondencae to EM
Publications Classified Ad Manager, P.O. Box
3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086.

AIRCRAFT
Stinson Reliant Gullwing V-77 - 1942, 1100
TT, 20 SMOH, 20 SPOH, Poly Fiber,
300 HP, Lycoming R-6S0. Hangared in
Livermore, CA, LVK Call Larry 925-890
3555 or 925-862-0172. $35,000.

MISCELLANEOUS
Flying wires available. 1994 pricing. Visit www.
flyingwires.com or call 800-517 -927S.

SERVICES
Always Flying Aircraft Restoration, LLC

A&P I.A.: Annual, 100 hr. inspections.

Wayne Forshey 740-472-1481

Ohio - statewide.

Flight Comes
~ALIVE!~

Members get in FREE!

www.airventuremuseum.org
Phone: (920) 426-4818

/\1 RVENTURE
~~~
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

39

Membershi~ Services
VINTAGE

AIRCRAFT

ENJOY THE MANY BENEFITS OF EAA AND

ASSOCIATION
EAA's VINTAGE A IRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

OFFICERS
Presiden t
Geo ff Robi son
152 1 E. M aCG regor Dr.

Vice-President
George Daubner

260-493-4724

2448 Lough La n e
Hartford, WI 53027
262-673 -5885

chie(7025@aol.com

gdallb" er@eaa.org

New Have n, IN 4677 4

Secreta ry

Steve Nesse
2009 Highland Ave.
Albert Lea, M N 56007
507 -373- 1674

stnes@deskmedia.com

Treasurer
Charles W. Harri s
72 I 5 East 46th 5t .

Tu lsa, OK 7414 7

9 18-622-8400

cwh@hv5u .com

DIRECTORS
Steve Bender

Da le A. G usta fso n

85 Brush Hill Road

Sh erborn , M A 0 1770
508-653-7557
sst 1O@comcast.nel

7724 Shad y Hills Dr.

Indianapolis, IN 46278
3 17-293-44 30

David Bennett
375 Killdeer Ct
linco ln, CA 95648
9 16-645 -8370
a"tiquer@;tl reach.com

Joh n Berendt
7645 Echo Point Rd .
Ca nnon Falls, MN 55009
507-263-24 I 4

fc hld@bevcomm .net

Jerry Brown
4605 Hickory Wood Row

G ree n wood, IN 46 143

3 I 7-422-9366

II)fown4906@aol .com

Dave Cla rk
635 Vesta l Lan e
Pl ai n field, IN 46 168
3 I 7-839-4500

davecpd@att.net
joh n S. Copelan d

l A Deacon Street
North borough , MA 01 532
508-393-4775
copeJand1 @jllllo.com

daie faye@msn .com

Jeannie Hill
P.O. Box 328

Harvard , IL 60033-0328

8 15-943-7205

dinghao@owc.net
Esp ie "Butch" j oyce
704 N. Regiona l Rd.
G reen sboro, NC 27409
336-668-3650
windsock@aol .com

Dan Knutson

106 Tena Marie Circle

Lodi, W I 53555
608-592-7224

/od icub@charter.net
Steve Krog

1002 Hea ther Ln.

Hartford, WI 53027

262-966-7627

sskrog@aol.com
Robert D . "Bob" Lumley
1265 South 124th Sl.
Brookfield, WI 53005
262-782-2633

/ump er@execpc.com

284 15 Sp ringbrook Dr.

Lawton, MI 49065

269-624-6490

S. H . " Wes Schmid

2359 Lefeber Ave nue
Wau wa tosa, WI 532 I 3
4 14-77 1-1 545

rcouisonS 16@Cs.com

shscllmid@gmaiJ.com

Phil Coulson

DIRECTORS

EMERITUS

Robert C. Brauer
9345 S. Hoyne
Chicago, IL 60643
805-782-9713

E.E. " Buck " Hilbert

8 102 Leech Rd.

Uni on, IL 60 180

8 15-923-4591

photopilot@aoJ.com

buck7ac@gma il .com

Gen e Chase
2 159 Ca rlto n Rd.
Os hkosh, WI 54904
920-23 1-5002

Gen e Morr is

5936 Steve Cou rt

Roa n o ke, TX 76262

8 17-49 1-9 11 0

GRCHA@Cizarter.llet

ge" emorris@Clrarter.net

Ro n ald C. Fritz
1540 1 Sparta Ave.
Kent C ity, M I 49330
6 16-678-50 12

Jo hn Turgyan
PO Box 2 19
New Egypt, Nj 08533
609-758-29 10

Directory

EAA Aviation Center, PO Box 3086, Osh kosh WI 54903-3086

Phone (920) 426-4800

Fax (920) 426-4873

Web Sites: www.vintageaircraft.arg, www.airventure.arg, www.eaa. arg/memberbene{i ts

E-Mail : vintageaircraft@eaa.arg
EAA and Division Mem bership Services
800-843-3612 .. . . .... ..... FAX 920-426-6761
(8:00 AM-7:00 PM
Monday-Friday
- New/renew memberships: EAA, Divisions
(Vintage Aircraft Association, lAC, Warbirds),
National Association of Flight Instructors
(NAFI)
-Address changes
- Merchandise sales
- Gift memberships
Programs and Activities
Auto Fuel STCs ..... ........... 920-426-4843
Build/restore information ........ 920-426-4821
Chapters: locating/organizing .. . . 920-426-4876
Education . ..... . ... . ...... . .. . 888-322-3229
EAA Air Academy

CSn

- EAA Scholarships

Flight Instructor information ..... 920-426-6801

Library Services/Research . ...... . 920-426-4848
Medical Questions . . . .. . ... . . .. . 920-426-611 2
Technical Counselors .. . _. _. ... . 920-426-6864
Young Eagles .. .. .. ... ... ,_ ... . 877-806-8902
Benefits
AUA Vintage Insurance Plan .. .. . 800-727-3823
EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan _.... 866-647-4322
Term Life and Accidental . .. ... . . 800-241-6103
Death Insurance (Harvey Watt & Company)
.... ...... .... . ... . ........ 1-800-JOIN-EAA
EAA Platinum VlSA Card . . 800-853-5576 ext. 8884
EAA Aircraft Financing Plan .... 866-808-6040
EAA Enterprise Rent-A-Car Program
...... ... . . . . .. . .. ..... . .. 877-GA1-ERAC
Editorial. .. . . . .... ... . .. .. . .. . 920-426-4825
VAA Office .. ... .. ... . ..... FAX 920-426-6579

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

EAA
Membership in the Experimental Aircraft
Association, Inc. is $40 for on e year, includ
in g 12 issu es of SPORT AVIATION. Family
m embership is an additio n al $10 annu ally.
Junio r Membership (under 19 yea rs of age)
is ava ilable at $23 annually. All maj or credit
cards accepted for membership. (Add $16 for
Foreign Postage_)

EAA SPORT PILOT

C urre nt EAA m e mb e rs ma y add EAA
SPORT PIL OT magazine fo r an additional
$20 per year.
EAA M e mber s hip a nd EAA SPO R T
PILOT maga zine is av ailable fo r $40 p er
year (SPOR T AVIATION m agaZin e not in
cluded). (Add $16 fo r Foreign Postage.)

VINTAGE AIRCRAFf ASSOCIATION

C urre nt EAA m e mb e rs m ay jo in th e
Vintage Aircra ft Assoc iation a nd rece ive
VINTAGE A IRPLANE m agazine for an ad
ditio n al $36 per year.
EAA Membership, VINTAGE AIRPLANE
magazine and one year membership in the EAA
Vintage Aircraft Association is available for $46
per year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not in
cluded). (Add $7 for Foreign Pastage_)

lAC

C urre nt EAA m e mb ers may join the

Interna ti o nal Aeroba tic C lub, In c. Div i
sion a nd rece ive SPOR T AER OBATICS
magaZine fo r a n additio n a l $45 p er yea r.
EAA M embership, SPOR T AER OBAT
ICS m agazine a nd one year membership
in th e lAC Div isio n is available fo r $55
p e r yea r (SPOR T AVIATION ma gazine
not includ e d ). (Add $18 fo r Fo reign
Postage.)

WARBIRDS
Current EAA members may join the EAA
Warbirds o f America Division and receive
WARBIRDS magaZine for an additional $45
per year.
EAA M e mbe rship, WA RBIRDS ma ga
z in e a nd o n e yea r m e mb e r ship in th e
Warbirds Div isio n is ava il abl e for $55 p er
yea r (SPORT AVIATION magazine n o t in
cluded). (Add $7 fo r Foreign Postage_)

FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPS
Pl ease submit yo u r remitta n ce w ith a
c h eck o r dr aft drawn o n a United States
bank payable in United States dollars . Add
required Fo reign Postage amount fo r each
membership.

Membership dues to EAA and its divisions are not tax deductible as charitable contributions
Copyright 1:12008 by the EAA Vintage Aircraft Association, All rights reserved .
VI NTAGE AIRPLANE (USPS 062-750; ISSN 0091-j)943) is published and owned exclusively by the EAA Vintage Aircraft Association of the Experimental Aircraft Association and is published monthly at EAA
Aviation Center, 3000 Poberezny Rd., PO Box 3086, Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54903-3086, e-mail : vintageaircraft@eaa.org. Membership to Vintage Aircraft Association, which includes 12 issues of Vintage Airplane
magazine, is S36 per year for EAA members and $46 for non-EAA members. Periodicals Postage paid at Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54901 and at additional mailing offICes. POSTMASTER: Send address changes
to Vintage Airplane, PO Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. PM 40063731 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to Pitney Bowes IMS, Station A, PO Box 54, Windsor, ON N9A 6J5. FOREIGN AND APe
ADDRESSES - Please allow at least two months for delivery 01VINTAGE AIRPLANE to foreign and APO addresses via surface mail. ADVERTISING - Vintage Aircraft Association does not guarantee or endorse
any product offered through the advertising. We invite constructive criticism and welcome any report of inferior merchandise obtained through our advertising so that corrective measures can be taken.
EDITORIAL POLICY: Members are encouraged to submij stories and photographs. Policy opinions expressed in articles are solely those of the authors. Responsibility for accuracy in reporfing rests entirely
with the contributor. No remuneration is made. Material should be sent to: Edijor, VINTAGE AIRPLAN E, PO Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Phone 920-426-4800.
EAA and EAA SPORT AVIATION, the EAA Logo and Aeronautica ,. are registered trademart<s, trademarl<s, and service mar1<s of the Experimental Aircraft Association, Inc. The use of these trademarl<s
and service mar1<s wijhout the pennission of the Experimental Aircraft Association, Inc. is strictly prohiMed.

40

NOVEMBE R 2008

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