THE RESTORER'S CORNER

By J. R. Nielander, Jr.
CONVENTION MANPOWER (AND WOMANPOWER)
Convention planning becomes a very real and time
comsuming part of the lives of all of your Division
convention chairmen and co-chairmen about now each
spring. They are all very busy determining what their
committees will need in the way of manpower and
equipment, as well as finalizing their operating plans
for the convention. Over the years they have been able
to improve their services with the addition of more
and better equipment, as well as with a yearly increase
in the number of you members who have volunteered
to help on the various Division convention committees.
This year the improvement in the equipment situation
will be manifested primarily in more wheels and better
communications for both your Division parking com-
mittee and your Division secur ity committee. What
both of these committees now need are more vol-
unteers to man the many positions which each com-
mittee must operate. As an example, your Division
parking committee operates four three-hour shifts
per day between 7:00 A.M. and 9:00 P.M. with a two
hour break at air show time. There are ten posts
to be manned, so this works out to 320 three-hour
shifts during the eight convention days. In addition,
the Division parking committee finds it necessary to be
set up and operating two days before the convention
starts, so this adds about 40 more three-hour shifts
making a total of 360 for the Division parking commit-
tee over a ten day period. Your Division security com-
mittee will be operating four posts during the day and
two at night resulting in a total of 24 three-hour shifts
per day, or 192 three-hour shifts during the course
of the convention. Your Division headquarters barn
requires four volunteers operating four three-hour
shifts per day , or a total of 128 shifts during the
convention.
Your Division will again this year be operating a
booth in the commercial display building, and it re-
quires two persons on duty for two three-and-one-
half-hour shifts per day, or a total of 32 shifts during
the convention. Incidently, the booth will be equipped
with a new show-and-tell picture and sound projector
which will present our Division story to all who pass
by. Graham Gates of Lakeland,Florida, has put together
this most interesting presentation .
By totaling the above shift requirements, we see that
the four largest Division committees (parking, security,
headquarters and display booth) require 712 shifts for
full operation. If each volunteer would work two of
these shifts during the convention, we would need 356
volunteers to provide the smooth and efficient service
which our members expect and deserve. Last year we
reached our all time high of convention volunteers,
and it was 170 including the chairmen and co-chairmen.
This is just a little less than half of what we need so that
each volunteer can work a little and enjoy a lot.
The above mentioned committees, while they are
the ones requiring the greatest number of volunteers
to help them to do their jobs successfully, are only a
small part of the total number of Antique/Classic Divi-
sion convention committees. Elsewhere in this issue is
printed a complete list of the Division convention
committees along with the names and addresses of
their chairmen and co-chairmen. Please pick out a com-
mittee (or committees) on which you would like to
serve and drop a note to the chairman volunteering
your services. He' ll be most happy to hear from
you , and you will find that you will really enjoy being
a " member of the team".
If you can't plan far enough in advance to be sure
that you are going to be able to attend the convention
this year, there will still be plenty of opportunities for
you to volunteer your services when you arrive. A Divi-
sion convention manpower committee under the chair-
manship of Vice-President Jack Winthrop will be in
operation at the Antique/Classic Division convention
headquarters barn. This is the little red barn with the
yellow windsock located about a half mile south of the
airport control tower. Drop by the barn and let Jack,
or one of his committeemen, sign you up to serve on
the committee of your choice. The manpower com-
mittee will be happy to help you make that choice if you
are undecided, and they will be able to assist you in
scheduling your volunteer periods so that there will be
no conflict with any forums, workshops, etc., which
you might want to attend. Your officers and chairmen
look forward to the pleasure of meeting you and work-
ing with you . Please don' t disappoint them.
CONVENTION EQUIPMENT
Your Division's forums committee is still in need
of various items of projection equipment for use in the
Division forums tent during the convention. These
items include a 40 x 40 projection screen , a 16mm sound
movie projector , an opaque projector, and a 35mm
slide projector. Your Division parking committee can
also use additonal mini-bikes, motor scooters or
trail bikes. This equipment need not be new or be the
latest models. It just must be in good working con-
dition. It can be contributed to the Air Museum Founda-
tion for use by the Division and thus qualify as a
charitable deduction. Or, with reference to the ve-
hicles, if you could lend yours to the parking com-
mittee for the convention period, this, too, would be
a great help.
MEMBERSHIP CONTEST
Our membership contest is progressing, and we
have had a few winners so far. There is still plenty of
time for every member to win a pair of goggles and a
helmet, as well as to take a crack at the big prize of a
five year free membership in the Division. You will help
your Division to better serve you by providing you
with a bigger and better magazine and by increasing
member services when you help to increase the Divi-
sion membership.
Editorial
Staff
Publisher
Paul H. Poberezny
Editor
(Dick Stouffer photo)
Don Stretch's Ercoupe 4 15-0. David Gustafson
Associate Editors:
H. Glenn Buffington, Robert G. Elliott, AI Kelch, Edward D. Williams
Readers are encouraged to submit stories and photographs. Associate Editorships are assigned
to those writers who submit five or more articles.which are published i n THE VINTAGE AIR-
PLANE during the current year. Associates receive a bound volume of THE VINTAGE AIR-
PLANE and a free one-year membership in the Di vision for their efforts. POLICY-Opinions
expressed in articles are solely those of the authors. Responsibility for accuracy in reporting
restsentirely with the contributor.
'ANTIQUE/CLASSIC
Directors
DIVISION
OFFICERS
Wi ll iam I . Ehlen
Route6Box 506
Tampa, Florida33616
AIKelch
7016W. Bonniwell Road
Mequon, Wisconsi n 53092
PRESIDENT
Claude l. Gray, I r. Mort on W. lester
J. R. NIELANDER,JR.
P.O. BOX2464
%35 Sylvia Avenue
Nort hridge, Cali fornia 91324
Box 3747
Mart i nsville, Vi rginia24112
FT. LAUDERDALE,FL 33303 Dale A. Gustafson Arthur R. Morgan
7n4 Shady Hi ll Drive 3744 N. 51st Boulevard
VICEPRESIDENT
Indianapolis, In'diana46274 Mil waukee, Wisconsin 53216
JACK WINTHROP Richard Wagner M. C. "Kelly"Viets
RT. 1, BOX 111
P.O. Box 161 RR1 Box 151
ALLEN, TX 75002
lyons, Wisconsi n 53148 St il well, Kansas 66065
SECRETARY
Advisors
W. BRAD THOMAS, JR. Ronald Fritz Stan Gomoll
301 DODSON MILLROAD
1969Wi lson, NW 1042 90th Lane, NE
PILOT MOUNTAIN, NC 27041
Grand Rapids, Michigan 49504 Min neapolis, Minnesota 55434
John R. Turgyan Robert E. Kessel
TREASURER lS30 Kuser Road 445 Oakridge Drive
E.E. "BUCK" HILBERT
Trenton, NewJersey 06619 Rochester, NewYork 14617
8102 LEECH RD.
Robert A. White
UNION, IL60180
Box 704
Zellwood, Florida 32796
THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE is owned excl usively by EAA Antique/Classic Division , Inc. , and is published
mont hly at Hales Corners. Wisconsin 53130. Second class Postage paid at Hales Corners Post Ottice,
Hales Corners, Wisconsi n 53130. and additional mailing ottices. Membership rates tor EAA Antique/
Classic Division . Inc.. are $14.00 per 12 month period ot which $10.00 is tor the publication ot THE
VINTAGE AIRPLANE.Membership is open to all whoare int erested inaviation.
TheVINTAGEAI!1PLANE
OFFICIAL MAGAZINE
EAA ANTIQUE/CLASSIC
DIVISION INC.
ofTHE EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION
P.O. Box 229, Hales Corners, WI 53130
Copyright
O
1978 EAA Antique/Classic Division.Inc., All Rights Reserved.
MAY 1978 VOLUME 6 NUMBER 5
TABLE OFCONTENTS
(Cover Photo by David Gustafson: Dick King's Sopwith Pup on the field at Old Rhinebeck.)
The Restorer' sCornerbyJ. R. Nielander, Jr. ........................... 2
210-170 ?Whazzat? by Bill lusk ........................................ 4
The MU.seum That Flies by David Gustafson ............................ 6
Vintage Album .......................................................14
BuildingThe Fuselage ofa Replica SESA byNeil M.Thomas .............16
Bill Chomo Reports: Pickling Engines . . . ... . .. . ... .. . ... . ..... . ... . ... . 19
Restoration Tips: San Diego Jenny byChri sSorensen ....... . ........ . .. 22
" Whistling In The Rigging" by David Gustafson.... .. ... ... . ....... . .... 24
EAA ANTIQUE/CLASSIC DIVISION MEMBERSHIP
o NON-EAA MEMBER - $20.00. Includes one year membership in the EAA Antique/
Classi c Divi si on, 12 monthly issues of THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE; one year mem-
bership in the Experimental Aircraft Associati on and separat e membership cards.
SPORT AVIATION magazine notincluded.
o EAA MEMBER - $14.00. Includes one year membership in the EAA.Antique/ Cl assic
Divi sion, 12 monthl y issues of THE VINTAGEAIRPLANE AND MEMBERSHIP CARD.
(Appli can.t must be current EM member and must give EAA membershi p number .)
Page 6 Page 15 Page 17
3


8 . .)):
("(1


(reprinted from THE 770 NEWS)
By Bill Lusk
Box 396
Port Arthur, Texas
(773-982-9472)
Put a Continental 10-360 in a 170? That's crazy!
210 hp with a constant speed prop? Outrageous!
It'll burn too much fuel! It's too heavy! too . ..
Well, we went ahead and did it anyway! Here are
the bumps and bruises of the story.
In the past few years, I had taken a real shine
to M. H. Smith's Lycoming conversion in his 170.
I had taken a ride several times in them and I had
gotten some Iiteratu re from a conversion shop in
Kansas . Wishful thinking? Maybe, but I knew the
old 145 would have to be replaced or overhauled
sometime soon and the increased performance made
good sense.
I was rounding up some parts for a Franklin
over at 12th Street Airpark in Moore, Oklahoma
one Saturday a little over a year ago. I was talking
to Larry Good about airplanes and engines as one
usually does at an airport, when Larry told me about
this 10-360 Continental that they had come up with.
He was talking about what a performer it would make
out of the 170. He felt that it would fit under the same
cowl and not change the looks of the 170 since the
dimensions were almost the same as the 145. Even
the dry weight was very close to that of the 145.
Well , I went on my way. I wasn' t ready to change
engines and besides, that's something other guys
do fi rst.
I couldn't get it out of my mind. 210 hp!
Finally, later that spring, I contacted Larry Good
and Terry Reddout. They are two of the partners in
the adventures of Reclyn Aircraft. I asked if they
were really serious about wanting the STC on the
210 in the 170. They were. So I asked them to put
together a guesstimate of what we were getting into.
They came back with their guess and since we knew
where there was an engine, T-41 engine mount,
McCauley prop and a governor, we decided to give
it a try, working on a relaxed time schedule.
Reclyn Aircraft was working on a Piper Brave
with STC Engineering which needed to be finished
first. These changes were to install a 1350 hp Jacobs
engine and Big Slats on the leading edges. This project
was to be ready for the FAA to fly in September, so
we figured we would start on mine in August between
the FAA testing of the Brave. I bought the parts,
engine, etc., and the engine was pulled from 77V
so the conversion could begin. The FAA took more
time than anticipated, and it was really about the
first of the year before the 170 got much attention.
The engine fit in the cowling with a little minor
modification to the cowling. This is to clear the
mount for the Big, Soft, Dynafocal mounts. This
4

First engine run - 3-6-77.
Taxiing in aft er first fl ight 4277V - 2 70 hp 10-360-0
- 4- 76-77.
modification to the cowling is very hard to see in
the finished product.
On the second ofApril, 4277V exercised herwings
for the first time with the new rubberband. The
take-off was normal to the bystanders, being held
down in order to feel for any unexpected reactions.
Power for take-off was 2200 rpm and about 20 "Hg
Manifold pressure. " The roll was about 800 ft. At
3600' MSL, with an OAT of 26 F, a 65% power run
was made for 30 minutes to stabilize the engine.
Average airspeed was 135 mph lAS. She handled like
a gentle lady. Oil cylinder head temperatures ran
cool ; a little too cool, actually. The fuel injection
system needed readjustment and the fuel pump
pressures needed trimming. She had exceeded all
expectations in level flight , cruise power operations
and Terry and Larry could hardly wait to call me in
New Orleans. That sure did make me want to be
there with them.
By May, they had 10 hours on the engine, working
out the bugs usually found in new engines, and were
trying to get ready for some serious performance
testing for the FAA. But with May came more Piper
Brave workand aslowdown on the 170.
Late in May I got a little time off and Pat and I
took off for Oklahoma City to see and play. BOY,
was that fun! Until this time I had not seen the
new engine installation, except for photos and tele-
phone conversations. On a pretty warm day, in the
high 70's, I put just over four hours on 77V, with
take-offs, landings, a little cross-country and a little
playing. It burned 27.3 gallons of 100lL. I really
don' t think itwill be much ofagas-hog afterall.
Terry took some time off to get 77V dressed for
the Denton, TexasAntiqueAirplane Fly-In, the second
weekend in June. Thi s time was spent arranging the
battery location (originally it was installed behind
the baggage compartment, but weight and balance
rechecks allowed it to remain on the firewall), cor-
rect some electrical wiring, finalize the forward fuse-
lage bracing, reinstalling the interior and repaint
the cowling. Terry was looking forward to the Fly-In
to RELAX, getawayfrom the Brave, havesomefunand
show off the 170. Well , a few problems came to the
Fly-In along with the 170. The first was a major
static system leak. Most of the day Saturday was
spent trying to find and correct the leak. It wasn' t
stopped. Itwanted to leak and it did! Second, itwas
discovered that the bum-head rivets on the static
port are essential to the calibration of the airspeed
system. These had been inadvertently replaced with
flush rivets when the static port had been removed
and replaced to install the fuselage skin bracing.
Later we found from an instrument shop, that the
airspeed indicator had begun to slip to a slower and
slowerreading.Allthisaddeduptoa20to25 mpherror
in the airspeed system, keeping us from showing the
135 to 140 mph lAS cruise to people at the Fly-In. .
Even as itwas, I was proud as punch.
Back to Oklahoma City and the Slats. Reclyn lost
most of the month of July due to shipping delays
on the new engine control cables (it has been fly-
ingon aset ofborrowed cables from a Beech - Stag,
that is), Terry' s business trip to England and various
othersupplieroriented delays .
Now, the meanest task ofall , the pilesofdrawings,
engineeri ng reports, FAA approvals and flight testing.
The months of August and September promise to be
very, very busy on the .170. The program appears to
be in the final stagesand progressingwell.
Ifyou desire any detailed information on the pro-
gram, contact Terry Reddout at REClYN AIRCRAFT,
P. O. Box 486, Newcastle, Oklahoma 73065 or phone
405-392-4424.
(Terry recently wrote The Vintage Airpl ane: As a
progress report, we are happy to be past the winter
snow and back on the road to certificat i on. Drawings
are nearly complete and ready for FAA's scrutiny.
The aircraft is 99% ready for the FAA Flight Tests .
We envision certification during the month of April
and plan to make the conversions available to Cess-
na 170 owner s. Information sheets and brochures
are in the process of composition and printing
and will be available soon foranyone interested.)
1978 Fly-In Dates and Locations For
Florida Sport Aviation Antique and
Classic Association AlC Chapter 1
May 20-21 - Zellwood, Hangar Banquet!
June 1718 - River Ranch, Banquet!
July 1516 - Venice, Beach Fireside Cook-out!
August 1920 - St. Augustine, Covered Dish Supper!
October 1415 - Thomasville, Georgia, Hangar Ban
quet!
November 1819 - Stuart, Banquet!
5
by David Gustafson, Editor
(Photos by the Author)
The old Rhinebeck Aerodrome in Rhinebeck, New
York offers visitors a double dip treat. Cole Palen,
curator of the Aerodrome, has assembled an excel-
lent collection of authentic and replica pre-1920 air-
craft. He's stacked them up in a couple of barns
and several hangars that line hi s roller coaster run-
way. That runway is another part of the treat be-
cause he now uses it on Saturdays and Sundays,
from mid-May through October, to show off his
collection. The fun begins at 2:30 on both days, when
Cole is joined by a crew of 30 ham actors/pilots
who stage a looney battle that would embarass the
Three Stooges. Anyone who's seen it would likely
agree that there's more corn on Cole's 100 acre
converted farm than in the entire State of Iowa.
For most people, the stars of the show are the
airplanes. Every performance features at least one
genuine World War One airplane, along with a
dozen replicas that feature original instruments and
engines.
The real item when I watched the show last Oc-
tober, was a Jenny IN-4H. It was the first act, and in
many ways the most exciting, especially for someone
who had never seen a Jenny in the air before. The
old plane rolled down the runway, bouncing over
stones and grass clods, and finally groaned into the
air with a cloud of burnt castor oil burbling behind
it. That cloud drifted over the audience and brought
back memories of past days with U-control models.
Cole Palen was flying the Jenny which climbed out
so slowly that it produced smiles and a bit of ten-
sion . The speed was underwhelming. Response to the
controls was obviously an unhurried affair . It was
aviation in slow motion.
Cole climbed a couple thousand feet and tossed
out a long plastic streamer (barnstormers used to
use toilet paper) which he then cut in three places
with his prop. After a few extra passes over the run-
way, Cole was on final. It set down like a Helio.
Too quickly, it seemed, the Jenny was idling on the
ground, but the thrill of having touched history in
that way lingered for hours.
Then the madness cranked up. Slowly and er-
ratically, some kind of weird plot evolves on the
ground mixing cartoon characters like Madame Fifi ,
the Black Baron , Trudy Truelove, and Sir Percy Good-
fellow. Tanks and armored cars roll across the field,
while machine guns pop con stantly. Pretty soon,
Percy Goodfellow takes to the air in an Avro 504 K.
Percy starts bombing runs with cardboard bombs that
whistle on descent , explode with a bang on impact,
and spray black powder over a six to eight foot
circle. Not long after that, he' s joined in the air by
a Sopwith Dolphin, a Pup, and a Camel. Soon a
Curtiss Fledgling is making passes, behind a Great
Lakes. Meanwhile, back at the sausage factory, the
Baron ties Trudy Truelove to a beer barrel and runs
around the field while all the kids scream with de-
light .
Finally, all eyes turn to the south as the Fokker
Triplane is propped and run-up. With a hop, skip,
and a hard bounce, it takes off to do battle with
the Pup and the Avro 504. Guess who wins? It all
ends with a flurry of fireworks and the reuniting of
the liberated (?) Trudy and the gallant Percy.
~ : r
-'-- ~
The Avro 504K powered by a 110 hp LeRhone rotary.
Originally, Cole started the shows with simple
fly-bys and narrative accounts about the history and
performance of the aircraft. These were presented
for aviation purists once a month in the early sixties,
and often there were more people flying than watch-
ing. To fill the gaps between take-offs, landings, and
passes , Cole began introducing a " ground show". It
makes Hogan' s Heroes look like Shakespeare, but it
really went over big with the kids ; hence a mass
audience developed. Of course, even today; the
people who are there strictly to see history in the air,
get a lot of opportunity to burn up film while listen-
ing to an excellent accounting of where the planes
are from and why.
Before and after the air show, it's possible to
tour the museum buildings. What you'll encounter is
not quite like anything you ' ll run into anywhere
else. Most of the planes are roped off, but the wings
and props of a number of them stick out into the
7
aisles and force detours. Scattered among the planes
are various aircraft engines, old cars, antique out-
board motors, and flea market stuff. It's a crazy
arrangement, but somehow you wind up with the feel-
ing that you've stumbled into one of those old barns
that dreams are made of ... A lot of the planes
are identified and described on plaques.
The history of the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome is
fairly simple in that it centers on the love of one man
for antiques. Cole Palen became aware of an antique
collection at Roosevelt Field in 1947. A year later he
started wheeling for a deal. There was no sale at
that time, but in 1951 he got a chance to blow the
total savings he'd accumulated as a buck Private. He
picked up six originals that the Smithsonian had
ignored and stored them in a barn and his father's
chicken coops. For four years they all sat in dark-
ness, until, in 1955, Cole pulled out the Spad XIII,
tested the fabric (it was green), and flew it. He
painted it up and started going off to air shows. That
provided him with a few extra dollars so he began
to restore another of the relic planes.
In 1958 he bought a farm that hadn't been plowed
since 1940. After paying a local bulldozer pilot a
thousand dollars for a thousand feet of rugged
runway, Cole flew in his Spad, a Fleet Finch, a C-3
and then he trucked in the Avro 504 K, a Nieuport
28, a Sopwith Snipe, a Bleriot Model 11, and a
Fokker D-VII. Since that time, he's bought, swapped
and rebuilt a lot of originals. In the last few years ,
Cole has spent his winters at Del Ray Beach, Florida
where he constructs the replicas he uses, fitting them
with antique engines and parts where he can find
them. He's up to a total of fifty airplanes now;
twelve of them are flown on Saturdays, twelve others
get airborne on Sundays. For the past two years,
Cole's Thespians have played to audiences which add
up annually to 75,000 people.
It's the kind of event that's worth a trip, even a
long one.
THE COLLECTION
A year ago, Leonard Opdycke published the first
complete annotated list of aircraft in Cole Palen's
collection at the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome. Since
there' s no guide book at the Museum, Leonard's list
would be most helpful to someone planning a visit
this summer. In any case, it's filled with some
fascinating historical footnotes, and appears here
exactly as featured in World War I Aeroplanes .
Sopwith Camel which was built by Dick Day in 1970
and is powered by an 80 LeRhone.
---...-':::
The Red Baron goes down in fl ames . . . well , almost
anyway. It 's a realisti c dogfight , compl ete with gun-
fire.
Early Aircraft of the Collection:
1909
Bl eriot XI : sI n 56 on original nameplate; N60094.
Donated to Cole Palen by Bill Champlin of La-
conia, N.H. in about 1955, who had it from Pro-
fessor H. H. Coburn, who had observed this air-
plane in a junkyard as a boy, while bicycling
back and forth to work each day. He finally pro-
cured it and stored it all those years. The story
was that it had crashed at an Air Meet in Saugus,
Massachusetts. When received, the aircraft was
less engine and approximately 25% complete. New
wings, stabilizer and elevator were built. It has
original rudder, front third and rear third of
fuselage. The aircraft flew straights at Stormville
Airport in 1956 and is powered with a 35 hp
Anzani " Y" type engine. It has been doing short
grass-cutting hops ever since. Maximum altitude,
so far, is 60 feet. This is the oldest aeroplane
flying here.
Santos-Dumont Demoisell e: reproduction a/c, pre-
sently in pieces; built by Palen at the same time
as the 1910 Curtis Pusher; powered by a 72 hp
McCulloch drone engine.
Santos-Dum ont Dem oiselle: reproduction a/ c,
N6551; built by Ray Honey in 1968, built from
drawings and photos of Earl Adkisson's Demoiselle;
steel tube fuselage, ailerons instead of wing-
warping, 65 hp Continental.
Voisin: sI n 1, N38933; built at Tinek Reliable Rope
Company, Easton, Pennsylvania. Norvin Rinek
contracted with Voisin for the U. S. Manufacturing
rights for the early (no aileron) Voisin. This is the
prototype aeroplane, built by U. S. labor under the
direction of French mechanics sent over by
Voisin . The metal parts were brought from France
by these mechanics. The wood and fabric are
American. Publicity and sales efforts were con-
ducted under the names of both Rinek and Easton
aeroplane companies. None were sold because
this no aileron ship could not compete with
Wright and Curtiss. It hung in the rafters of Rinek
Reliable Rope Company in Easton for over 60
years before Palen procured it. He also acquired
one of the original 50 hp Rinek water-cooled V-8
engines that Norvin designed for it. 15 of the
engines were reputed to have flown, both in a
Pennsylvania cornfield and at Hempstead, Long
Island, it would only have been in straightaway
flight. The aircraft was restored in Florida during
the winter of 1973 and is now on display at the
Museum.
8
1910
Curtiss Pusher Model 0: This aircraft copy was
originally built in 1957 and crashed . It was re-
stored again in 1975 in Florida. It is powered
with a 45 hp Rausenberger engine. The engine
was advertised in TRADE-A-PLANE and acquired
by Cole Palen about 9 5 9 ~ It turned out to be
the first engine built by L. E. Rausenberger, a
pioneer engine manufacturer, who had a hand in
the building of many famous engines. He was 22
years old at the time he designed and built
this engine in 1910. This V-8 overhead valve
engine was installed in the Curtiss Pusher.
Hanriot: reproduction al c, si n 11, N8449. This air-
craft was built in the winter of 1974 from draw-
ings and details appearing in FLIGHT, and in books
on aeroplane construction of the period. The con-
trols are similar to the original, with right stick
controlling elevator by fore-and-aft movements,
left stick controlling wing warp by left-and-right
movements. The coupe button on the left stick can
kill the engine for speed control. Engine: 50 hp
Franklin #1250.
Short 5-29: reproduction al c , si n 2, N4275. In
1970 Cole Palen acquired from the Shuttleworth
Collection an original 60 hp ENV, Type F, Series 1,
Ser. No.4 Engine manufactured by Motor Syndi-
cate, Ltd. It was found in a coach-house tavern in
England buried at the bottom of a pile of rubbish
in 1964. The engine found its way into the hands
of an aero enthusiast, who restored it, researched it
aryd found it to be the same French-built ENV
engine that Cecil Grace had removed from his ill-
fated Short airplane. The history of this engine in-
spired Cole Palen to build a Short S-29 in which
he could reinstall this historic original engine.
After considerable research, in 1971 he started
building from Short drawings, and sketches and
photographs found in British magazines of the
period, such as Flight and Aero. Since 1973,
this aircraft has been flying in a very limited
fashion from one end of the runway to the other
at the Aerodrome.
Passat Ornithopter: reproduction al c, built at White
Waltham for MAGNIFICENT MEN with 16 hp
Douglas motorcycle engine powering rear wheels
and cranking the flapping rear wings, replaced
with industrial gas engine.
Bleriot XI: si n unknown, original a/c. Procured
from the son of Irwin Bergdoll about 1962 or
1963. The airplane was owned by Irwin Bergdoll,
one of the first purchasers of a Wright Flyer.
It had been stored in the barn adjoining the
~ ~
Another ori ginal in the collection: Cole's Jenny JN4H
.. . a piece of history that touches everyone luc ky
enough to watch it fly.
The Pup bores down the field, past the speaker's
with a steady purr and a cloud of castor smoke.
summer house on the old Bergdoll Estate in
Bromall, Pa. The wings had been laid flat in the
barn loft where they had been collecting ap-
proximately 60 years of pigeon droppings. The air-
plane was procured through the aid of the son
of the Bergdoll's family chauffeur, Seth Pancose,
who was an antique automobile enthusiast. The
aircraft was almost complete, but less engine.
It had brittle wood and rusted metal. The air-
plane was reported to have been an original
French-built machine, perhaps never flown in
this country. The ash spars were routed by chisel-
ing. It has been restored to displayable condition,
but never flown. It hung from the ceiling in the
American display at EXPO 67 World's Fair in
Canada.
1911
Breguet: This biplane, very incomplete, is the only
one of its kind left. The wings are hanging in one
of the hangars: wood ribs, tubular steel spar.
Thomas Pusher, Model B: This is the only example
extant; it is incomplete. Powered with an OX5
engine.
Bleriot XI: original al c built by the American Aero-
plane Supply House, Hempstead, L1, NY (their
catalog was reprinted in WWI AERO #57, 58, 60,
and l ists this al c as "Cross-County Type"), si n
3856, N99923. The last owner, and we think the
last pilot , was James P. McGrath of Mt. Kisco,
New York. The airplane met with a minor accident
and was stored in 1915 in a barn at his sister's
farm near Boston. The barn caught fire in 1963.
The Fire Department came to put out the fire
and on inspecting the barn found the slightly
singed Bleriot. It was acquired by the Marine
Corps Museum, Quantico, Virginia in 1964. It
was later acquired by Cole Palen through trading
the second Curtiss D (below). In the winter of
1975-76, it was restored by Old Rhinebeck Aero-
drome for their 1976 season. Stamped on the
front spar was the following:
BLERIOT MONOPLANES. SPECIAL OFFER. We
are prepared to supply during THIS MONTH
ONLY for all orders placed with us on or
before Aug. 31, 1911 THE SAME TYPE MONO-
PLANE AS USED BY WILLIE HAUPT. Complete
with 50 hp RQberts Engine, for $3,000. For full
particulars apply AMERICAN AEROPLANE SUP-
PLY HOUSE. Tel. 427 Hempstead - Hemp-
stead, N.Y.
9
The aircraft is entirely original except for six
pieces of wood spliced in and, of course, new
fabric. The airplane was entirely complete with a
1911 French electric tachometer and even the
seat cushion. The original pre-Monosupape 70
hp Gnome has , so fqr, been trouble-free. The
long range belly tank is not being used. The fuse-
lage tank has sufficient capacity for normal use.
The tail skid and rear section of the fuselage
were discolored (some char), probably caused
when the plane was stored upside down with the
skid close to the burning roof. We dated the time
the aircraft was put in storage by a wadded news-
paper, dated Nov. 1915, which was st uffed in the
hollow crankshaft of the engine to keep out
dirt, etc. In the crash of the Bleriot, the body was
broken in half just after the cockpit. Four new
sections of longerons had to be spliced in, aver-
aging 4 ft. in length each. The bottom horizontal
landing gear strut was replaced. Both wheels
were replaced but we haVE: one of the original
damaged wheels. Another original 70 hp Gnome
propeller was installed. Unfortunately, we do not
have the original nameplate which was kept by
Mr. McGrath in 1964 when he sold the aircraft
to the Marine Corps . We welcome any additional
history of the airplane. On its three hops at Ham-
mondsport, N.Y., it flew about ten minutes at
about 500 ft. altitude. It is now being flown only
in straight flights about 20 ft. in the air at Old
Rhinebeck Aerodrome to show the public it can
still fly. It is very controllable and flies like a
Piper Cub, whatever that is.
Curtiss 0 Pusher: reproduction alc, sin 1976, 168014.
It was built in Florida the winter of 1976 and is
powered with an original 80 hp Hall Scott engine.
It has the original Curtiss controls. The shoulder
yoke controls the ailerons when the pilot leans.
The wheel rotation controls the rudder. Wheel
fore and aft controls both forward and rear eleva-
tors . Right pedal is the throttle, center pedal is
One of the later airplanes in the coll ection, an original
Great Lakes which left the factory with a Cirrus Hi-
Drive Engine.
the front wheel friction brake. Left pedal is the
emergency "claw" brake. It flew in a very lim-
ited fashion all during the 1976 season at the
Aerodrome. An identical machine wa's built at
the same time to be exchanged for the American-
built Bleriot XI at the Marine Corps Museum.
The second Pusher is registered N1975MC.
1912
Thomas Pusher, Model E: original alc, sin un-
known, N4720G. The Thomas Pusher Model E was
manufactured in 1912. This airplane was found in
a barn in Central New York by Owen Billman .
It had been owned by pioneer pilot, Earl Frits.
Much of this airplane was spare parts. The wing
panels had been used by the farmer to cover
his tomato plants to protect them from the
frost, so they were pretty well used up. Owen
Billman gave the remains of the airplane to Cole
Palen as a gift, and Palen filled in the many
missing links in the restoration after visiting
with W. T. Thomas, the original designer and
builder , in Daytona Beach , Fla., in 1964. It is
powered with a Curtis OX-5 engine and over a
period of two years was flown considerably. It
was last flown in 1966 and is now retired to the
Museum.
1913
Oeperdussin: reproduction alc, sin 11, N8448. In
1974 Cole and Rita went to France, where they
spent long days photographing, measuring and
making drawings of the aircraft in the Musee
de L'Air. That winter the Deperdussin racer in the
Musee was copied, in Florida. It is a copy of the
model that held both the world land and sea-
plane speed records in 1913. With its 160 hp Gnome
rotar y, it tops about 130 mph. Slow and high
speed taxi tests have been made, but the air-
craft has not yet been flown.
1915
RAF FE8: reproduction al c, sin 300, N17501. This
aircraft was built in 1973 in accordance with
Royal Aircraft Factory drawings, powered by an
original BO hp LeRhone rotary engine, with a four-
bladed propeller. It has been flying regularly at
the Aerodrome since 1973.
1917
Albatross OVa: reproduction al c, N12156. This air-
craft was built from scratch in Florida the winter
of 1972. While visiting the Smithsonian's Storage
Facility at Silver Hill, Cole Palen saw their stripped-
down original Albatross OVa and then and there
decided this was the opportune time to build one.
He spent th ree days there taking all measurements,
making sketches and templates and taking pic-
tures . He also gathered whatever drawings, data
and photos the Smithsonian had available. As
soon as he arrived in Florida that year the Alba-
tross was started. Since no 160-1BO hp Mercedes
engine was available, a 120 hp Mercedes was in-
stalled, with provisions for the engine mount to
take the proper engine, should one turn up. It
was finished in the spring of 1975, and after much
testing, flew a total of about 5 hours in October
of that year before our season ended. We planned
to fly it every Sunday during the 1976 season, but
in checking out the aircraft for our first show
found the Mercedes had a broken crankshaft. It
was an airworthy aircraft shot down all season.
Avro 504K: reproduction alc, si n HAC 1, N2939:
Built by Hampshire Aeroplane Company, Camber-
ley, Surrey, UK. The Avro arrived at Old Rhine-
beck Aerodrome on June 6, 1971. It had been
built in 1966 under the supervision of Vivian
Bellamy for Mirisch Productions, Inc. to be used in
a film entitled THE BELLS OF HELL GO TING-A-
LING, DEATH WHERE IS THY STING-A-L1NG-A-
LING? The movie was never made. Cole bought
the aircraft and shipped it to the US. The ship-
ping crate is now a building in the show set at
the Aerodrome. The plane has been flying regu-
larly at Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome since May 15,
1972. It is powered with an original 110 hp Le-
Rhone rotary engine; the fuselage is all wood
with glued ply gussets.
Fokker Dr.l: reproduction alc, sin 322, N3221.
This aircraft was built in 1967 using Redfern
drawings and drawings made by the British from
a captured Dr.1 in 191B. It is powered with a
100 hp Gnome engine. It has been flying every
Sunday in our air shows during the season since
it was completed in 1967.
Fokker Dr.I: \ reproduction al c N ? Built by
Norman Hortman and flown and crashed several
times by him, before being sold to Palen. Lightly
built; 125 hp Kinner engine. Presently being re-
built.
Sopwith Dolphin: reproduction al e. It was begun
by Andy Keith in May 1976, from Hawker-Sidde-
ley drawings. It will be powered with an Hispano-
Suiza engine, and is being built exactly like the
original.
Nieuport 28: original alc, sin 195BE, N4123A.
Acquired by US Navy, then appeared in the
Balboa junkyard, then acquired and rebuilt by
Paramount Studios, then by Paul Mantz in 1940,
then by Palen on 24 February 195B. When Palen
swapped a Jen ny for it, it had "Paramount #6"
painted on the 160 Gnome crankcase. (Paramount
had had 6 N2B's) . It has the Navy modification of
steel tube horizontal tail. It flew at Old Rhinebeck
and in some movies between 1960-1969:
Fokker D.VII original alc, N1040B. This started out
as a Fokker built C.I, powered by a BMW. A
brand stamp on the wing spar i ndicates it was
built in Schwerin, Germany. It must have been
one of the 60 C.ls Anthony Fokker smuggled out.
Apparently, Fairchild Aerial Surveys owned the
plane at some time. Bert Acosta came into oos-
The Fokker Or.1 reproduction has a 100 hp Gnome
Engine.
session of it. A repair on the upper wing car-
ries the signature of Bert and his son, Bertrand.
Acosta used the planes in air shows. Ronald
Obmeyer, of Hempstead, LI bought the plane and
flew it in 1931. He stored it in a friend's old
general store in Massachusetts. Sometime during
the ensuing years the fuselage was rolled to the
junkyard, but the wings, hanging overhead, were
perfectly preserved and ignored. Cole Palen
bought the wings, struts, tail group, ailerons and
other loose parts in 1957. He built a new
D.VII fuselage and modified the wings to D.VII
dimensions. He installed an original Mercedes C3
engine (160-180 hpj. The plane flew air shows
and exhibitions for 11 consecutive years before it
was retired because of deteriorating fabric. It now
is on static display in the Museum, awaiting an
overhaul.
Aeromarine 398: original alc from Roosevelt Field,
acquired in excellent condition. Burned up by an
accidentally-thrown cigarette while being trucked
to the site for the photographing of a cigarette
advertisement, in 1966.
Pigeon-Fraser Albree Scout: original alc. This is
the first Pursuit aircraft contracted for by the
U. S. Three were built , one for static test to
destruction.The second hammerheaded on its first
take-off, burned and killed the pilot. Onescorched
wing from number 2 was installed on number 3,
which is the one at Old Rhinebeck. This airframe
was retained by the manufacturer, the Pigeon
HollowSpar Company, when the governmentcan-
celled the contract. It hung in the factory rafters
until procured by Cole on November 15, 1961.
This plane has no movable elevators: the
fuselage is hinged aft of the cockpit to only go
up. With its aft CG of no down elevator it can-
not fly. The aircraft has been overhauled to like-
new condition and is on static display in the
Museum.
1918
SPAD 13: original alc, si n 1924-E, N2030A. This
airplane was flown into Roosevelt Field in 1930
by Col. Benjamin Kelsey. He never returned for
the plane, and communications from Roosevelt
Field to him returned unanswered with no hint
as to his whereabouts. After a period of time,
Roosevelt Field took the plane over for hangar
rent due, and it was then placed in the Roose-
velt Field Museum. The only military marking on
the plane at any time during its known history
is the inscription "Lt. Strickland" on the left side
12
An origin al Bl eriot XI with a 70 hp Gnome; it 's dis-
creetl y limited to straight fli ghts down the runway.
of the cockpit cowl. From very obvious clues the
plane was force-landed at Roosevelt Field or
ferried there for repairs which were never com-
pleted. At the time Roosevelt Field acquired the
plane, some parts were mi ssing, such as the
radiator, cowls, exhaust stacks and propeller. It
is obvious that it had been taken apart for engine
change or repairs , and the above mentioned parts
had been lost or stored elsewhere. In 1955, it was
decided that a minimum of time and expense
could put it into operable condition, and res-
toration was commenced.The long-awaited engine
repairs were made, missing part s were either
made or obtained and in October 1956 the plane,
basically in the same condition as it had been
when last flown in 1930, again took to the air .
It is powered with a 180 hp Hispano-Suiza, Model
Eengine; onlythe cowl is notauthentic.
Curtiss ,N4H: original alc, si n 3919, N3918. On
January 30, 1957, Cole Palen received by rail 19
pieces of a wrecked airplane from C. W. Adams,
Jr. , Winter Haven, Florida. The aircraft had been
advertised as a Standard J-l but turned out to
be an engine-less Hisso Jenny IN-4H. There is no
previous history of this aircraft. Over the years ,
some ofthe missing original parts (wings , radiator ,
etc.) turned up, along with a 150 hp Hispano-
Suiza Model A engine which was purchased from
the Franklin Institute of Philadelphia, Pa. Res-
toration began in 1967, and the aircraft was built
up from original parts and sections of several
Jenny aircraft. It has been fl ying regularly at the
Aerodrome since 1969.
Siemens-Schuckert D.III: reproduction alc, N1918G.
This copy of one of Germany' s last and fastest
WWI fighters was built in Florida during the
winter of 1969: No geared Siemens-Halske rotary
was available, so a 16 hp Gnome was installed.
The aircraft has been taxied, but not flown. It
is presentlyon static display in the Museum.
Thomas-Morse S48: original alc, the only-B extant,
sin 153, N74W. This aircraft was test-flown in
Ithaca, New York by Tex Marshall, who has also
seen it fly at Old Rhinebeck. It was acquire{j
by Rolland Jack in Hortonville, Wisconsin , and
then sold to Dwight Woodard in October 1952
for $500 (the stab came from Ray Watkins in
Bellefontaine, Ohio). It was loaned to the Wright-
Patterson AFB Museum for about 8 years, then
acquired from the Woodard estate by Palen in
May 1973 , who refurbished it and its engine,
and has been flying itever since.
Sopwith Snipe 7FI: original alc, si n unknown,
N8737R. Early in 1927 Reginald Denny, film
actor and ex-RAF pilot, bought thi s Snipe as one
of a group of three. These were to be imported
to the US for a flying film. The three machines
were flown to Hamble where AVRO disassembled
and crated them. No details are known until
Jimmy Romberger bou ght hi s from Clarence
Chamberlin . In 1930, he soloed this $75 Snipe
after four hours of instruction in a Waco 9. It
was in the Roosevelt Field collection from 1932-
1951, when Cole Palen acquired the aircraft in the
Roosevelt Field bid in good, unrestored con-
dition. It had, it is believed, its original fabric.
A complete overhaul was made. An engine-start-
ing problem was resolved when the castor oil and
fuel lines were interchanged to their correct fit-
tings on the engine. It flew in the Old Rhinebeck
show from 1962 through 1966 with a 130 hp
Clergot engine. The aircraft was crashed, and
later rebuilt by Gordon Bainbridge. It is currentl y
in new condition , on display in the Museum, with
a230 hpBR-2 Bentley rotary engine.
Standard '-1: original alc, exi sts onlyin pieces .
Early Aircraft based at the Aerodrome, not belonging
to it:
Sopwith Camel: reproduction ale, sIn DS200,
N8343. Built by Dick Day in 1970, it is his second
Camel. The first had a 160 Gnome, this one an
80 LeRhone. It flies regularly in the show.
Sopwith Pup: reproduction ale, N5139. Built by
Dick King i n December 1968; steel tube fuselage,
80 hp LeRhone. It flies regularly in the show.
RAF BE2c: reproduction ale, fuselage only (steel
tube), Hisso engine, building by Dick King.
Later Aircraft of the Collection:
..
..."
DH Puss Moth
Aeromarine Klemm
Bird CK
Fairchild 24
Raabkatzenstein Pri mary Glider
Aeronca C-3
Curtiss-Wright Jr.
Fleet Model16B
Great Lakes
Monocoupe 1929
Monocoupe 1932
Piper J2
Spartan C3
Waco 10
Davis D1-W
Curtiss Fledgling
Dickson Primary Glider (reproduction)
(Photos by Cole Palen)
Photos of the Sopwith Dolphin under construct ion in
Florida, 1976- 1977.
13
(Chris Sorensen Photo)
As time and donations permit, this Jen-
ny is being restored to flight line con-
dition.
(Dick Stouffer Photo)
This Curtiss Robin started with South-
ern Air Transport (now American Air-
lines) in 1929 and saw additional .serv-
ice as an executive aircraft and a
trainer.
/-
(Chris Sorensen Photo)
Detail shot of the Sf5A, on loan from
the National Air and Space Museum of
the Smithsonian Inst itute.
Vintag
*The EAA
A look at some of the airplanes in your EAA Museum.
Bob Puryear donated this DeHavilland Rapide, which is c
Front view of 1912 Bates Monoplane restored by
fAA. A three cylinder Szekley engine is temporaril
14
(Chris Sorensen Photo)
The Luscombe Phantom, beautiful to
look at, but horrible to l and (short
Album
coupled). That's a Monocoupe 90 on
the left.
ion Museum*
re a lot more, by the way . . . have you seen them all yet?
y being restored at the Flight Research Center in Burlington.
(Dick Stouffer Photo)
Dale Crites' 1911 Curtiss Pusher. Note
the shoulderbars for aileron control .
That's a Velie Monocoupe in the back- '\ ...
ground. . - _ _ ._11
(Lee Fray Photo)
eft several years ago and recently acquired by the
led unlil a more appropriate engine may be found.
(Chris Sorensen Photo)
Activity in the Foundation's Res-
toration Facility currently includes
this Waco UPF-7 (left) and serial
number 1 Travel Air 1000 (which
has been converted to a 2000).
15
BUILDING THE
FUSELAGE OF
A REPLICA SE5A
By Neil M. Thomas
2512 Arthur Kill Road
Staten Island, New York 10309
(Photos by Ray Pignato)
Having mastered the art of aeroplane "driving"
some years ago (does one ever?), I looked to more
involvement in aeroplanes than the usual hangar
flying and tall tales. Time and money did not per-
mit me the luxury of searching out new distance
destinations to which I could fly. I realized a cer-
tain ennui was setting in.
So instead of "hangar flying" in the pilot's lounge,
I drifted to the repair shop at the local airport and
watchedas planes werebeingrecovered and repaired.
Construction interested me as much as flying and as
I came to learn more and heard of EAA, I felt that
this was the real direction of enduring challenge for
me. No offense meant to those extraordinary pilots
who can go through 100 miles of zero weather and
hit the runway head-on , first time, everytime.
That proficiency escapes me and I envy and respect
their perfection.
I like many of the old things in this world, yet
recognize the convenience and comfort of much that
is new.The"new"worldofflyingis, forme,enhanced
in the "old" of the fundamental panel, the basic
aeroplane. As I watched each plane being repaired,
my interest in them kept going more to the older
types. I was about back to the early twenties -
interest-wise that is - when I first encountered the
16
EAA. Having been a model builder of World War I
pursuit planes, an avid reader of "G-8 and His Bat-
tle Aces", "The Eagle and The Hawk" , "Dawn Pa-
trol ", etc., I knew then that I wanted to build a full
size World War I aeroplane. I started immediately
and dreamed of flying it in a year or two. Well,
that was in 1965 and now, twelve years later, I am
writing an article on the difficulties of building a
replica fuselage of an SE5A. I can't tell you how to
build the rest ; I haven't done ityet!
Whyan SE5A? Because:
1. I did not know how to weld, so I thought the
steel -tubed Fokker DVII was too difficult and
wood framed SE5A easier.
2. Original motors were readily available and, at
the time, relatively inexpensive. (Six cylinder
Mercedes were neither available nor inexpen-
sive.)
3. The pronounced dihedral of the SE5A assured
stability.
4. It is the only plane of World War I (that I
knowof)withinflighttailplaneadjustmentfortrim.
5. It could out-drive a Fokker and not come
apart (though I never intend to prove this
premise).
6. It shared with the Fokker DVII the best reason
of all to build a replica; it was, and is a good-
looking aeroplane.
Had I known the inordinate length oftime itwould
take to make the countless fittings in a SE5A fuse-
lage (over eight dozen in the lower forward half
alone), I would have devoted one-third the amount
of time to the fuselage of a DVII and become an
expertaircraftwelder in the bargain.
If you're going to build a true replica of an
SESA - DO THE FUSELAGE FIRST. If you can get
through that, the rest is a snap - I think???
At the time I was building the forward lower half
of the fuselage (t he part with the 8 dozen fittings),
I was also working two jobs, refurbishing a large
colonial house, and rebuilding a two story 20' x 30'
barn-hangar-workshop. Hence, I spent approximately
5 to 6 years on the forward section alone. Yet, from
March '75 to April '76, I finished the rear half of the
fuselage, the tailplane adjusting gear and housing,
added the turtle deck; made, fitted and installed the
adapted instruments to the instrument panel, com-
pleted the carlins (s keletal 'ribs') for the cockpit
area, and aligned the fuselage from the engine mount
to tail post. That's a pretty good comparative idea of
the work involved in the forward section of the
fuselage as compared to the rear half.
Like everyone else, I enjoy assembling parts and
" building" the aeroplane. I don' t like the drudgeryof
hacksawing and hammering pieces to shape. But, like
Christmas dinner, days are spent in the preparatory
drudgery, and the assembly, like Christmas dinner,
is over in an hour. Now, at this point, I'm glad
I "hung-in-there" but I would not want to do it
again. If you want to play, you can build tailskids,
fins, rudders, and even wings. If, however, you can't
see it through with the fuselage you' ve spent a great
deal of time, however enjoyable, making things that
won'tgetyou into theair.
But it is in this area that I stumbled and was
obliged to make a very basic decision. Was I going
Detail of the landing gear cross brace fitting. That wood
ought to be mounted over a fireplace.
. ~
...,
The landing gear's in place, and you can get some idea
of the years it took to get there.
The in strum ent panel looks
old enough to be new.
17
to manufacture the plane I wanted to build or was I
going to assemble it? The law requires that we
construct at least 51% of the aeroplane. It readily
recognizes that we need not cast our own engine
parts, or make altimeters, wheels, control cable or
"draw" high tensile flying wires. Yet, the wanting to
fly my own creation impatiently pushes me to sub-
let certain jobs, as the law allows, so as to finish
this rather extraordinary project sooner. Contravening
this "wanting" is the knowledge that I could then no
longer say "1 build the entire aeroplane". No one
expects the homebuilder to design and manufacture
his own engine, wheels, instruments, radios, etc., but
wings, fuselages, landing gears and the like are sup-
posed to be within the realm of our abilities. It
is the difference between saying "1 had the aero-
plane built" and "1 built the aeroplane"; the latter
position being diminished by that percentage of the
aeroplane one has had built elsewhere. I have dimin-
ished my own project some small percentage by
having the gas tank built by another because I
don't want to make it of fiber-glass and I do not
have the machinery to form metal to the required
smooth curves and folds of an SE5A tank. Trying,
however wrong, to hold to the total construction
position, has undoubtedly caused my project to be
extended by years. If you will permit yourself to
accept the help and skills of others you can get an
exact replica SE5A project down to 2 to 4 years.
Each homebuilder must decide for himself where he
will draw the line short of the 51%. No one can
decide for him. Nor can one fault him for the posi-
tion he takes since a homebuilt aeroplane, even at
the minimum of 51%, makes him an unusual and
accomplished person.
As all restorers and builders know, one must view
his (or her) project as a series of little jobs, each
one a challenge and accomplishment in itself. To
view each part only as a miniscule part of the whole
would probably make many of us give up at the
magnitude of our undertaking.
Some instruments are vintage American and are
shrouded and/or bezeled to resemble British pieces.
The tachometer, altimeter, hand pump, and compass
are originals; the airspeed indicator is American
antique. I could not find "petrol" or air selector
valves so I was obliged to make them. While some
photos available show another compass of British
manufacture, there are pictures in Cross and
Cockade, Aero Publishers, Inc., etc., showing the type
I have i nstalled in use during World War I in
SE5A's. The panel is complete but for the reversed
18
bubble (not ball) type inclinometer which I have yet
to make.
I've tried to be as historically accu rate as possible-
to create a museum piece - but I am not a total purist.
I won't use castor oil in the engine (too expensive);
nor cover the aeroplane with cotton (doesn't last);
nor use mild steel for fittings and "hammer the bolt
ends over as shown" (too risky). And, I shall not
carry the Lewis or Vickers guns when I fly, for
safety'S sake, as well as anti-theft - if I come down
unexpectedly and must leave the plane. I realize that
such changes reduce the value of an exhibit in a
museum because some minor construction techniques
are not "the way it was". On the other hand, to see
a World War I aeroplane that "actually flew" within
the years of the viewer's lifetime has an offsetting
advantage that I feel outweighs minor technical
errors.
The number 5348 is an accurate number for 22 hp
French geared Hispano-Suiza powered SE5A's. This
lot of SE's was built by Martinsyde in Woking, Eng-
land. Here I took another liberty. The back cover of
Aero Publishers shows a name plate on the panel
of an SE5A but since Martinsyde did design and build
their own aircraft, I thought someone might say,
" Oh, it's a Martinsyde". For this reason, the name
plate reads instead "Royal Aircraft Estab., Farn-
borough, Hants., England Ser. No. N5348." While
"N" is not a correct letter for SE5A's, it appears to
be in vogue with FAA; in fact, they;re quite sticky
and insistent about our using it. Nieuport builders do
luck-out.
I am in the business of repairing automobile ra-
diators and manufacture one-of-a-kind specialty items
for aeroplanes and autos. It only follows then that
I'll manufacture my own SE5A radiator - unless
someone out there has one in his hip pocket that
he's forgotten all about! That project should be very
interesting and, I'm afraid, lengthy and expensive.
Do not think of a replica as a cheap way to get
into the air; it most certainly is not! A conventional
homebuilt design may be cheaper than a commercial
type aircraft and it certainly gives the builder that
extra sense of pride and accomplishment that does
not come from a store bought airplane. Replicas,
however, have the additional financial curse of re-
quiring rebuilt antique motors, the outright manu-
fact ure of parts no longer available, and the collection
of historical and/or authentic items where possible.
The latter is great fun but can be expensive.
With that in mind, I plan to make this SE5A
representative of the type rather than follow one
particular aircraft. It will probably be marked with
the white band of the 56th Squadron, RAF.
While cockpit identification is not historically ac-
curate, one side will be lettered with the name of
Major James Thomas Byford McCudden; perhaps not
the highest scoring British ace but certainly one of
the most sensitive, mature, and philosophical. On the
other side will be lettered Lt. George A. Vaughn, Jr.,
formerly of the 84th Squadron, RAF, who is the
third-ranking American ace of World War I; a real
gentleman and pleasure to meet. I. am happy to say
that he is alive and well on Staten Island, New York.
Both men were great pilots of SE5A's.
How much longer? Well, there are wings, tail
surfaces, radiator, oil and gas tanks, center section
with water and gas tanks in the leading edge, flooring
and controls in the cockpit area, cowlings and baf-
fles - golly, I' m afraid to estimate. Five years if
I'm lucky. On the whole, I' m glad I selected the
SE5A but equally happy that what's behind me is
done. I could not have come even this far without the
constant encouragement of many friends who urged me
on when many times I wanted to give up. Not the
least of these are, of course, Wg. CMDR. N. H. F.
Unwin (RAF, Ret'd) and Col. George A Vaughn
(USAF, Ret ' d .)
The SE5A offers a lengthy experience in playing around
with fittings, wire and wood.
An Interview With Bill Choma,
f AA Director ofMa intenance and Restoration
VINTAGE AIRPLANE: When does an engine need to be
pickled?
BILL CHOMO: An engine needs to be pickled if it i s
going to be out of service for a period longer than 60
days. Thi s, of course, isn' t a hard fact, but if you
can' t run the engine or pull it through by hand ,
two months is about maximum that you would want
an engine to sit. You' d find that there is probably
light pitting and ru st at 60 days.
If the engine i s pulled for overhaul , the proper
process would then be to run the engine with pick-
ling oil i n it ; after shutdown spray the top cylinders
before it i s removed from the aircraft. Once it' s off
the aircraft , unless you can put it on a test stand ,
you can' t really protect the bottom portion of the
engi ne. The way to get the preservative oil com-
pletely di stributed throughout the engine is to run
it and get it hot (up to operating temperature) .
Many times this i s not possible. If you buy an en-
gine that has been off for a considerable period of
time and i t' s still in operatin g condition , in other
words, it i sn' t a run-out engine, you ' re probably
going to have to do some type of preventative or
restoration maintenance on it .
VA: So, if you ' re in the process of rebuilding an
airplane, and you ' re not able to have a regular
program of pulling the engine through, then you
should give serious thought to pickling that engine.
BC: Most definitely.
VA: What types of materials do you need to pickle
an engine?
19
Be: There are various engi ne storage oil s available.
They all have to conform to a military spec number.
The reference mil itary spec number i s MIL-L21260.
This type which comes under a variety of brand
names is usable on all engines. They have to be
within very close tolerance to what military calls
out for formulation in order to have a military spec
number.
VA: Is this the only kind of material that you would
need to pickle an engine?
Be: This is the only thing you use, other than me-
chanical plugs to plug off ports where air and moi s-
ture can get in .
VA: What is the process of using thi s c ,l?
Be: For maximum protection , the standard engine oil
is drained and you replace it with thi s engine storage
oil in sufficient quantity to be able to run the engine.
The amount varies with the engi ne. It would be what-
ever is the safe operating level of oil.
VA: So, if you normally run with 4 quarts of oil,
you would drain that and insert 4 quarts of engine
storage oil.
Be: Yes . You'd start the engine, run at low RPM for
about 10 mi:lutes to bring the engine up to operat-
ing temperature. Then, just before you shut the en-
gine down you inject a half-pint of the oil through
the carburetor intake. This can be accompli shed by
using a pressure pump type oil can. Squirt it right
into the intake while the engine is running. Shut the
engine down, remove the spark plugs and inject a
half-pint , perferably sprayed, into the top of each
cylinder through the spark plug hole. Drain the gas
from the carburetor and squirt another dose of pickle
sauce right into the carburetor . (Gasoline will
form a jelly-like substance if it's left in the carburetor
over an extended period of time. Thi s oil , of course,
will not.) You then plug all port s to the engine.
This includes intake. If the carburetor i s going to
stay on the engine, put a plate over the carburetor
and secure the exhaust stacks (either plug them or
pull them off and put plates over the exhaust port s).
VA: What' s a good way to plug exhaust stacks?
Be: The best way, of course, i s to go to Jhe engine
manufacturer and get storage plates. They are nylon
plates with o-rings on them and they completely
seal the engine off.
You can make your own plates out of aluminum.
Another way that we use here at the Museum
i s to insert polyethylene film between the exhaust
stack flange and the cylinder head, also between
the carburetor and the intake. We additionally plug
the breather along with any ports in the engine that
are open such as accessory case holes. We fill any
pipe fittings that are on the accessories.
After the engine is completely plugged up, we
normally install desiccator spark plugs . These are
plastic spark plugs that contain a crystal which
readily absorbs moisture. These are available through
many sources. They are a must in engine storage.
They absorb moisture and change color at the same
time. They are also available for the accessory section
with its various pipe threads.
There' s another method if the engine cannot be
run. It is not anywhere near as effective as running
the engine, but it is better than doing nothing at all.
You simply drain all of the fuel and oil from the
engine and, preferably with a pressure type sprayer,
coat the inside through the accessory case opening,
the oil drain hole, and into each spark plug hole.
The oil would have to be heated first . We set it in a
pan of hot water. Then, you would follow the same
procedure on plugging all of the holes and putting
the moi sture absorbent spark plugs and crank case
plugs in .
VA: Is it a good idea to use thi s process with an an-
tique engine where you don't know what condition
the engine is in when you buy it? It might be run-
out , but it might be some time before you can tear
it down .
Be: Definitely. Probabl y more damage happen s
internally to engines from corrosion and rust than any
other problem .
VA: Will this process stop rust?
Be: It will inhibit it and prevent further f ormulation
of it.
VA: If you weren' t going to use an engine storage oil
and you were going to try and turn the prop through
on the engine during the process of rebuilding your
airplane - how often should you be pulling the prop
th rough?
Be: Minimum: once per week . There i s a new fl yer
that has just come out from Lycoming which says that
it i s much better to pull the propeller through by
hand, than it i s to do ground runs on an engine on an
aircraft that is not being flown . They claim that with
short ground runs , you can never get the engine prop-
erly warmed as you can in flight. The engine oil has
to be warmed above 165 degrees F. in order to drive
out the moisture that has accumulated in the case.
If you let the engine run on the ground long enough,
you' re going to do more damage from hot spot s in
the cylinders than the corrosion is doing. So, they say
that you are better off , if the aircraft isn' t being
flown often enough or if it isn' t being flown at all,
to pull it through by hand and to change oil much
more often than normal.
VA: In other words, if you put an airplane in a garage
for the winter and you don' t have access to it to turn
it over at least once a week, you should give seri-
ous consideration to pickling the engine?
Be: Definitely.
VA: Would this process of applying engine storage
oil vary with the age of an engine or with a type of
an engine?
Be: Same process in all cases. It is basically the
process used by engine manufacturers with new
engines. They are put on the test stand for a test
run-up and the very last thing that they do before
they ship you a brand new engine is run in the
pickling oil. Then they put all of the plugs in it and
put it in a box. The only thing that they do extra is
that they enclose the engine in a polyethylene bag,
which i s an added way of keeping moisture from
getting at the engine.
VA: Is there any special step that needs to be taken
in pickling accessori es?
Be: Not really. The only things that might be a real
problem are the carburetor and fuel pump. It i s a
good idea with a fuel pump to spray a small quantity
of storage oil in. Gasoline in a fuel pump will evap-
orate and the parts will be absolutely clean and dry.
There again, they are subject to corrosion like the en-
gine. Inject a small amount and it will be fine. Later ,
when it' s time, the first little slug of gas through there
will mix with the oil and it will be cleaned back out.
Same thing with the carburetor.
VA: How do you un-pickle an engine?
Be: Un-pickling an engine is a lot simpler than pick-
ling it! I normally pull the spark plugs and drain any
excess to prevent a hydraulic lock. If you have a
large enough quantity of oil on top of the. pi ston,
your pi ston cannot compress that liquid and you could
do serious damage to the engine. The spark plugs
must be pulled and the engine pulled through to
make sure that any excess oil would be drained out .
The spark plugs, of course, must be cleaned in gas-
oline because they won ' t fire with that much oil
on them. After you re-install the spark plugs, start the
20
engine and run it for the 10 minute period, shut it
down and drain the pickling oil. I do recommend a
veryshorttimetothenextoil change, however. Some-
thing close to 20 hours, because you will have some
picklingoil mixed in.
VA: When you start it up after it has been pickled
with this oil, can you expecta lotofsmoke?
BC: Yes, you definitelywill have a lotofsmoke.
VA: Are there any special problems that might occur
in pickling or un-pickling that you should look out
for?
BC: Nothing other than the engine storage oil being
too thick to spray. Some manufacturers recommend
mixing the engine storage oil with 10-weight regular
automotive oil. I would prefer to heat the material
up so that it' s easy to spray in, rather than mixing
it. With mixing, it ' s a little thin then and tends
to run off quite easily. So if the engine sits upright
or inverted for any period of time, certain areas will
justdrain away. Then, you mightbe lookingagain at a
corrosion problem. I preferto use itfull strength.
~ n engine
!display to get the p
lin thi s month's Repo rt.
Mercedesfrom the Museum's
AVCO LYCOMING "FL YER"
FREQUENCY OF FLIGHT AND
ITS EFFECT ON THE ENGINE
We have firm evidence that engines not flown fre-
quently may not achieve the normal expected over-
haul life. Engines flown only occasionally deteriorate
much more rapidly than those which fly consistently.
In view ofthis, Lycoming accompanies its listed over-
haul life in Service Instruction No. 1009 for all models
with the statement that the engines must be flown
at least 15 hours per month. Pilots have asked -
What really happens to an engine when it's flown
only one or two times per month? An aircraft en-
gine flown this infrequently tends to accumulate
rust and corrosion internally. Some operators are
running the engines on the ground in an attempt
to prevent rust between infrequent flights. This may
harm rather than help the engine if the oil tem-
perature is not brought up to approximately 165F,
because water and acids from combustion will ac-
cumulate in the engine oil. The one best way to
get oil temperature to 165F is fly the aircraft, for
during flight the oil gets hot enough to vaporize the
water and most of the acids and eliminate them from
the oil. Ifthe engine is merely ground run, the water
accumulated in the oil will gradually turn to acid,
which is also undesirable. Prolonged ground running
in an attempt to bring oil temperature up is not
recommended because ~ ir:'adequate cooling which
Thi s is th e back side
may result in hot spots in the cylinders, Qr ' baked
and deteriorated ignition harness, and brittle oil seals
.causing oil leaks. If the engine can't be flown , then
merely pull it through by hand, or briefly turn'the
engine with the starter to coat the critical parts
with oil. If the engine is flown infrequently, the oil
should be changed at least every 25 hours to elim-
inate thewaterand acids.
ENGINE STARTING SUGGESTIONS
Extra precautions should be taken when starting
high performance engines in cold weather, after
changing oil, or after the engine has not flown with-
in a week. On the initial start, CLOSELY observe
engine oil pressure. If oil pressure does not rise to
minimum idling range within 30 seconds after start,
shuttheengine down and investigate.
1. Damage to crankshaft bearings is possible if
oil pressure is not within minimums as des-
cribed above, and potential engine failure can
result.
2. Cold, fast starts also result in badly scuffed
piston skirts and rings and scored cylinderwalls
with ultimately broken piston rings and mal-
functioning engines.
3. Complete engine preheating is required at am-
bient temperatures of plus 10F and below, be-
cause belowthis temperature oil is liketar.
4. After start, do not exceed 1200 RPM in the
idle range initially until oil pressure is defi-
nitelywithin minimums.
(Photo by DickStouffer)
of th e Gnome rotar y. The fl at
disc mounts ri gi dl y to the fuselage all owing the case,
cylindersand prop to spin freel y.
I
21
Restoration Tips:
SAN DIEGO JENNY
A Photo Essay By
Chris Sorensen
208 E. 32nd Street
New York City 70076
Walter Ballard, 82, is Supervisor of Restoration for the
San Diego Aero-Space Museum. Mr. Ballard stands in
front of a World War I Jenny. He and several other volun-
teer workers completed restoration of the machine only
four months before it was destroyed in the San Diego
Aero-Space Museum fire. The fire occurred approxi-
mately six hours after this photo was taken. Mr. Bal-
lard is holding one of two pairs of leaf springs from a
a truck which he used to make the louvers on the en-
gine cowling. He would first clamp a pair of springs on
each side of the louver area. Then he carefully chisled
the long cut in the sheet metal, using the aftmost set
of springs as a guide. Using a contoured block of wood
and a mallet, he then pounded out the louver form.
When the result was to his sati sfaction, he detached
the aft set of springs and moved it forward leaving
enough space for the next louver between the two pairs
of springs, and repeated the chiseling and metal framing
process .
Mr. Ballard's career in aviation spans practically its
entire history. He barnstormed in Jennys, flew for TWA
when it was Transcontinental and Western Air, and
American Airlines when it was American Airways, flew
Trimotors in the South American bush, flew Liberators
for the U.S. Navy in the South Pacific, and has generally
had a most colorful life as a pilot.
The day after the blaze destroyed the San Diego
Aero-Space Museum and the Jenny, Ballard's reaction was
one of sadness mixed with a tough stoicism. Distraught,
he said he felt as though he's lost " his right leg,"
but later concluded with, "well, I'm going fishing."
On the bottom of the turtledeck under Mr. Ballard's
wrist and on portions of the engine cowling are ridges
called " beading". The beading was made in the metal by
Mr. Ballard in the following manner. He first took a small
block of hardwood and drilled a hole through its length.
This hole was the diameter of a rod from an engine. He
then sawed the block lengthwise and glued the rod into
one of the channels. A nail pounded into each end and
bent around allowed the block with the rod in it to be held
firmly in a vise. The sheet metal was laid over the rod,
and the other block with the channel laid over that. The
top block was then struck with a mallet and the metal
guided through the two blocks to form the beading. Not
shown is an additional piece of wood that was nailed to the
side of the block with the rod in it and used as a stop when
the metal was slipped over the rod. (This is the Jenny
Ballard and his colleagues restored for the San Diego
Aero-Space Museum.)
,!
~ ~
22
tying another button on the oooosite side as he
The seat cushion on the jenny is identical on both sides.
progressed. Naturally, the second button could only go
In order to make the buttons draw the upholstery down
down as far as the second square knot, and since each
evenly on each side, Mr. Ballard did the following.
pair of knots was evenly spaced, the result was even
First he took a length of string about six inches long
spacing all across the cushion.
and secured a button to the middle with a square knot.
Then he tied a second square knot about an inch away
from the first, as shown in the photo. He did exactly
the same thing to fourteen buttons, the number used on
one side of the cushion. Next, he inserted the string
through the upholstery with a needle in the proper posi-
Following a tradition of improvisation established by the
barnstormers of yore, Walt Ballard fashioned this safety
belt for the jenny from an old U.S. Mail bag.
The windscreen on the jenny was originally fitted to the
fuselage with a piece of sheet metal formed at an angle
and running all around the bottom edge of the screen.
In lieu of this metal piece, which is not easy to form,
Ballard elected to use the small metal tabs shown here.
Here Mr. Ballard demonstrates how he formed the pad-
ding around the rim of the cockpits. The foundation of
the padding is made of washer drain hose slit along its
length. The hose is surrounded by foam, its edges tucked
into the slit in the hose. This in turn is covered by
naugahyde upholstry which has its edges folded under
and glued to provide a double thickness for the stitching
of rawhide that secures the padding to the fuselage. The
original item was formed in a more tedious manner. It was
alternatel y stuffed with horsehair and sewn to the cock-
pit edge a few inches at a time.
23
"WhistlingIn The Rigging"
By
DavidGustafson, Editor
It's time to respond to all the warm welcomes and
offers of help that came with my new job: THANKS.
Giving up a college teaching position in a theatre
department to assu me editorial and executive res-
ponsibilities at EAA Headquarters is a bit of a shock,
but it's the kind that creates a permanent smile. Jump-
shifting careers like this, in the middle of one's life, is
almost as rare as it is exciting. AI Kelch did an excel-
lent job as editor of this publication and he has left
a high standard to live up to.
Naturally, whenever the guard changes, things
aren' t quite the same anymore. So, Th e Vintage Air-
plane, which had become a refined hi storical journal
is easing into a more varied format with hopes of
presenting more articles on fly-ins , restoration pro-
jects, how-to-do-it tips, and classics. Alas, AI ' s prob-
lem i s now mine: the editor' s files are loaded with
stories on vintage pilots, deSigners and builders, but
nary a story about classic airplanes. Surely someone
out there has rebuilt or refurbished a classic, has
had some unique fun flying one that they' d be will-
ing to share with us?
SAVE OUR HISTORY
Several months ago, I was researching a story on
the Crouch Bolas Dragonfly (whi ch will appear soon)
and wound up talking to the widow of a man who had
been one of the chief deSigners on the project . As
we talked I asked about photographs, notebooks and
blueprints. The woman generously consented to loan
her scrapbooks and then went on to say: "if you' d
only come three months earlier, I went through
Karl's stuff, all his notes and blueprints for the
plane (several complete sets with all the mods and
the reasons for those mods) . . . I had no use for
them ... I bu rned them . .. " That hu rts. And it' s
painful to think about how often it' s happened. Once
gone, those pieces of hi story are forever out of our
reach. Flames are terminal.
Perhaps the members of our Antique/Classic Divi-
sion can help. A lot of times widows or children or
the junk man inherit the books, notes, pictures and
plans that document our achievements in aviation. Can
you prevent it from being torched? Your EAA Museum
is eager to collect and preserve nearly all kinds of
aviation records. They maintain a library that has
room to grow, and it's a library that i s used. Make
plans to preserve your collection of aviation papers
and books and snapshots. Please don' t throw any-
thing away by converting it to gas and ash . And if
you can prevent someone else who doesn' t know or
under stand the value of paper hi story, we' ll all
profit .
By the way, if you want to add to your Museum's
library or aircraft collection in your li fetime, your
gifts are tax deductible. Write Gene Chase at Head-
quarters for a copy of " Charitable Givi ng".
You ' re the one who can assi st us. This is one
time every litter bit helps.
(Photoby ChrisSorensen)
San Diego Museum: As far as was known on the day
after the fi re, not a si ngl e aircraft or art i fact survi ved,
with the sol e exception of a small sample of moon rock
stored in a fire-proofsafe (Sa n Diego Aerospace Museum,
February 23, 7978).
CONVENTION COMMITTEES AND CHAIRMEN
ANTIQUE/CLASSIC DIVISION
WanttohelpatOshkosh'781Thesearethepeopletocontact.
ANTIQUE/CLASSIC CONVENTION MANAGEMENT
Convention Chairman - J. R. Niel ander , Jr ., Box 2464, Fo rt
Lauderdale, Florida33303
Convention Co-Chairman - Robert A. Whit e, Box 704, Zell -
wood, Florida 32796
ANTIQUE/CLASSIC FORUMS
Forums Chairman - William J. Ehlen , Route 6, Box 506, Tampa,
Florida33616
Forums Co-Chairman - Allen D. Henninger, 936 McKell ar Drive,
Tullahoma, Tennessee37386
ANTIQUE/CLASSIC PARKING & FLIGHT LINE SAFETY
Parking Chairman - Arthur- R. Mo rgan, 3744 Nort h 51st Boul e-
vard, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53216
Parking Co-Chairman - Robert E. Kesel, 455 Oakridge Dri ve,
Rochester, NewYork 14617
ANTIQUE/CLASSIC JUDGING & AWARDS.
Antique Awards Chairman & Chief Judge - Claude l. Gray, Jr.,
9635 Sylvia Avenue , Northridge, Cal iforni a 91 324
Classic Awards Chairman & Chief Judge - W. Brad Thomas, Jr.,
301 Dodson Mill Road, Pilot Mountain, North Carolina 27041
Clas.lc Awards Co-Chairman & Co-Chief Judge - George 5.
York, 161 Sloboda Ave nue, Mansfield , Ohio44906
ANTIQUE/CLASSIC MANPOWER
Manpower Chairman - Jack C. Winthrop, Route 1, Box 111 ,
Allen,Texas75002
Manpower Co-Chairman - John S. Copeland , 9 Joanne Drive,
Westborough, Massachusetts 01561
ANTIQUE/CLASSIC FLY-BY SCHEDULE COORDINATION
Fly-By Schedule Chairman - Rona ld Fritz, 1969 Wil son, NW,
Grand Rapids, Michi gan49504
Fly-By Schedule Co-Chairman - Phili p l. Coulson, Rout e 2,
Box39B, Lawton , Michi gan 49065
ANTIQUE/CLASSIC HEADQUARTERS STAFF
Headquarters Staff Chairman - Kate Morgan, 3744 No rth 51st
Boulevard, Mi lwaukee, Wisconsin 53216
Headquarters Staff Co-Chairman - Donna Bartlett , Box 5156,
Lake land, Florida 33603
ANTIQUE/CLASSIC DISPLAY BOOTH
Display Booth Chairman - Ali cia Smi th, 7930 Biscayne Point
Circle, Miami Beach, Florida 33141
Display Booth Co-Chairman - Mary Morris, 27 Chandell e Drive,
Hampshire, Illinois 60140
Display Booth Co-Chairman - Jackie House , 3622 One Way Ci r-
cle, Apt. 394, Dallas ,Texas75234
ANTIQUE/CLASSIC PAVILION PROGRAM
Pavilion Program Chairman - Dale A. Gustafson , 7724 Shady
Hill Drive, Indianapoli s, Indiana 46274
ANTIQUE/CLASSIC SECURITY
Security Chairman - George T. Will iams , 115 Pauquette Street.
Portage, Wisconsin 53901
Security Co-Chairman - James H. Smit h, 7930 Biscayne Point
Ci rcle, Miami Beach, Fl orida 33141
ANTIQUE/CLASSIC PRESS COVERAGE
Press Chairman - AI H. Kelch , 7018 West Bonniwe ll Road ,
Mequon, Wisconsin 53092
Press Co-Chairman - Lois Kelch, 7016 West Bonniwell Road ,
Mequon,Wisconsi n 53092
Photo Airplane Pilot - Charl es E. Nelson, Box 644, At he ns,
Tennessee37303
ANTIQUE/CLASSIC PICNIC & PARTY
Picnic & Party Chairman - John R. Turgyan, 1530 Ku ser Road,
Trent on, NewJersey 06619
ANTIQUE/CLASSIC BOOTH & BARN DECORATIONS
Decoration Chairman - St an Gomoll , 1042 90th Lane , N. E. ,
Minneapoli s, Minnesot a 55434
ANTIQUE/CLASSIC EQUIPMENT & SUPPLY
Equipment & Supply Chairman - Arthur R. Morga n, 3744 North
51st Boulevard, Milwaukee,Wisconsi n 53216
Equipment & Supply Co-Chairman - John J. Kalas , 2603 South
Superior Street, Milwa ukee, Wi sconsin 53207
24
Taylorcraft Clearing House
EAA ANTIQUE/CLASSIC
DIVISION
MEMBERSHIP DRIVE

*
A pair ofAntiqueGoggles
.bypersuading5peopleto
JOin.
erA Leather Flying Helmet
whenyouget10peopleto
sign up.
- then startoverand win again
--+- A free five year member-
shipintheAntique/Classic
Divisionifyousponsorthe
most new members in
1978.
ToQualify: Write your name and member-
shipnumberonthebackofthemember-
shipblanks we'vebeen providingin THE
VINTAGE AIRPLANE. Headquarters will
keep score.
Don Smith, EAA Designee, announces that he is
setti ng himself up as the Taylorcraft Owner's Clubof-
fical source of information on DC, DCO and L-2
series aircraft.
If you drop a line listing wants, trades, or sales,
Don will try to put you in touch with the right
person. You can write Don at Route 1, Box 636,
West Helena, Arkansas 72390.
1..
Mr. Gustafson,
The publication, The Vintage Airplane, sounds good
to us . Howcan we getit?
Here is more information on our"baby".
1950 PA 18 105 Special, Serial #18-107
We have the original weightand balance statement
dated 3-30-50 signed by a Mr. Muckle (spelling may
be wrong).
Baby has the original Lycoming 0235-C1 engine
and is a dream come true. While it's true many
publications write about the Super Cub, they talk
about newones.
Love to hear from you,
Ron McDonald
2707 South 15th
Tacoma, Washington 98405
206-272-8953
Clamming at Copalis State Beach Airport Washington
State that is. Note the cla ss ic profile. Now that's
a Super Cub!
Here we are at home - Spanaway Airport - Tacoma,
Washington . We may be at home but notice we are
outand getting ready to go.
QO;W'
de YELLOW J3 CUB
CIUJIU.P'tUI'T
12)4..........
'1.$1 """:a-__ MY"IOW,", a0
.PLANE CHECKS
A NEWWAYTO IDENTIFYWITH "YOUR THING"
Regular bankcheckSemblazonedwith a flying yellow J.JCub'
Complete the order form, and write out your check. f',;ow, get a
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changes or other notations as you wish it toappear on the checks.
(These twodocumentswill furnishusall thedata we need tomake
your checks compatible with your bank's computer, and Amer.
Bank Ass'n specs.) On gift orders, send your check and mark his
check VOID. Please allow3 weeks fordelivery.
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IdentityCheckCo. Box 1490 Park Ridge. III. 60068
"Activate"myorder forPlane Checks, startingNo. ___
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25
Calendar of Events
MAY 19'21 - HORN POINT, MARYLAND - Potomac Antique
Aero Squadron Fly- In. Aerodrome built by Francis du Pont 2
miles west of Cambridge on Maryland's Eastern Shore. For in-
formation contact Bernie Funk, Office 301-952-4770.
MAY 19'21 - HARVARD, ILLINOIS - 8th Annual Dacy Chapter Fly-
In of the Antique Airplane Association, Dacy Airport . Everyone
is welcome. Friday night cookout for early arrivals. Saturday
night banquet , Sunday afternoon air show. For more informa-
tion call 815/943-7518.
MAY 26-28 - WATSONVILLE, CALIFORNIA - 14th Annual West
Coast Antique Aircraft Fly-In and Air Show at Watsonville Air-
port . Co-sponsored by the Northern California Chapter, Antique
Airplane Association and the Watsonville Chamber of Commerce.
For information, contact: Earl W. Swaney, Publicity Director, 525
Saratoga Ave., No.3, Santa Clara, California 95050. 415/645-3709
(days); 408/296-5632 (evenings) .
MAY 26-29 - HARVARD, ILLINOIS - Monocoupe Fly-In. Dacy Air-
port . Held in connection with Ryan Fly-In. Contact Willard Bene-
dict, 129 Cedar Street, Wayland, Michigan 49348.
MAY 28 - TOUGHKENAMON, PENNSYLVANIA A gathering of
Moths, Garden Flying Field . Unicom 122.8, 80 octane. 215/268-
8988.
JUNE 2-4 - ATCHISON, KANSAS - The Annual Fly-In of the Greater
Kansas City Chapter, Antique Airplane Association will be held
at Amelia Earhart Memorial Airport. Contact Dick Shane, 8315
Floyd, Overland Park, Kansas 66212. 913/648-3139 or Kermit Hoff-
meier, 103 N.W. 64th Terrace, Gladstone, Missouri 64118. 81 61
436-3459.
JUNE 3-4 - GENERAL MOTORS WILDCAT TEST PILOT and Ground
Crew reunion . Contact Dick Foote , P.O. Box 57, Willimantic,
Connecticut 06226 - 203/423-2584 or Dan Hanrahan, 470 Elmore
Avenue, Elizabeth, New Jersey 07208 - 2011254-4481. Names and
addresses appreciated.
JUNE 9'11 - SPRINGFIELD, OHIO - 2nd Annual Spring EAA Mid-
Eastern Regional Fly- In (MERFI). Air Show, awards, on airport
camping, static displays, etc. Please check NOTAMS. Contact
Myrna Lewi s, 241 Bassett Drive, Springfield, Ohio 44506. 5131
323-2424.
JUNE 17-18 - FREDERICKSBURG, VIRGINIA - Antique Aircraft Fly-
In, Shannon Airport. Air Show attractions : Bob Hoover, Bob Ru s-
sell and Duane Cole.
Don J. Rhode of Saddle Brook, New Jersey sent in this
picture of a beautifully restored 1946 J- 3C Cub.
JUNE 21-26 - TULLAHOMA, TENNESSEE - Annual Staggerwingl
Travel Air International Convention. Forums, formation flying
and fun. Contact John Parish, cl o Lannom Mfg. Co. , Tullahoma,
Tennessee 38388. 615/455-0691.
JULY 1-2 - GAINESVillE, GEORGIA - 11th Annual Cracker Fly-In
at Lee-Gilmer Airport . Awards will be presented in all categories.
Our banquet will be at the Gainesville Holiday Inn Saturday night ,
July 2. Len Povey has accepted an invitation to be guest speaker.
Accommodations - Gainesville Holiday Inn and other local motels.
Information : Jim Ealy, 3535 Childers Road, Roswell, Georgia 30075,
404/993-4568.
JULY 1-9 - BLAKESBURG, IOWA - Wright Brothers 75th Anniver-
sary Fly-In at the Antique Airfield. Includes World War II PT and
liaison Plane Fly-In, July 1-3, Fairchild Club Fly-In and Unique Air-
plane Fly-In July 8-9.
JULY 9 - EASTON, PENNSYLVANIA - 2nd Annual Aeronca Fly-
In, Easton Airport. 10 AM to 2: 30 PM, open to all types of
Aeroncas. Rain date, Jul y 16. Contact Jim Polles, 215/759-3713
nights and weekends.
JULY 14-16 - MINDEN, NEBRASKA - Second Annual National Stin-
son Club Fly-In. Pioneer Field near Harold Warp' s Pioneer Vil-
lage. BBQ Friday night for early arrivals. Saturday night banquet
and awards. Scheduled events. Fly-In Chairman Bob Near, 2702
Butterfoot Lane, Hastings, Nebraska 68901. 402/463-9309.
JULY 15-16 - LOCKPORT, IlliNOIS - Chapter 15 and 86 of the
Chicago area EAA are now formulating plans for their 18th
Annual Fly- In and Air Show to be held at Lewi s University. In-
formation : Janice P. Fish, P.O. 411, Lemont, Illinois 60439:
JULY 16 - DUNKIRK, NEW YORK - Annual Fly-In Breakfast
sponsored by EAA Chapter 46 and Dunkirk Rotary. Free break-
fast to homebuilders, antique and warbird pilots. Trophies in
all EAA classes. Spot landing CO)1test on arrival. Contact Charles
Gallagher, 19 Shelby Drive, Buffalo, New York 14225.
JULY 21-23 - COFFEYVILLE, KANSAS - Funk Fly-In. Funk owners
pilots and friends invited. Fly-bys, factory and museum tours,
banquet. Contact G. Dale Beach, 1621 Dreher Street, Sacramento,
California 95814 or Joe c. Funk, 2409 Edgevale Drive, Coffey-
ville, Kansas 67337.
JULY 29 - AUGUST 5 - OSHKOSH, WISCONSIN - 26t h Annual
EAA Fly-In. Plan now - it 's the greatest show on eart h.
SEPTEMBER 22-24 - CAMDEN, SOUTH CAROLINA - Fall Fly-In
sponsored by Antiquel Classic Chapter 3.
CLASSIFIED ADS
ADVERTISING CLOSING ,DATE: 10th OF THE MONTH PRIOR
TO PUBLICATION DATE. (THAT MARCH 10th IS CLOSING
DATE FOR MAY ISSUE)
'CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING RATE: - Regular type per word
35c. Bold face type: per word 40c. ALL CAPS: per word 45c.
(Minimum charge $5.00). (Rate covers one insertion one issue).
FAIRCHILD 24R46A ANTIQUE. Airframe 1000 hours. Two
Ranger 6-440-C engines. 190 and Zero hours. Dacron, Paint,
Upholstery, Airframe and Engines completely restored, C of A
included. Similar Aircraft featured in SPORT AVIATION 1974.
Write to: Dr. F. Laygonie, PO Box 3913 , Durban, South
Africa. Telephone: 64646 (Bus) 60010 (Res).
COMMONWEALTH SKYRANGER. FLY AN ANTIQUE ON 6
gph. ONLY ABOUT 400 BUILT. 2 pI. SBS cruise 90 on C-85.
See Nov. 1977 SA for photo. "Second best one at Oshkosh
77" . Call 217-546-1162 after 5 PM for details. No collect.
WHEEL PANTS for Piper J-3, PA-11 , PA-12. Exact copy of
original. $60.00 pro Craig Elg, PO Box 715, Rhinelander,
WI 54501. 715-369-3131.
"SPENCE-AIR" - Complete antique restoration or custom
building. Expert welding by A&P. Woodwork by Ruth; 25
yrs. experience. Specialists in dope & fabric. AM #1271;
EAA #14457. PH . 916-243-3922. (no collect) 7890 Hwy 99 No.,
Anderson, CA 96007.
ANTIQUE AERONAUTICAL MEMORABILIA FOR SALE! ORIG-
INAL 1915/1945 AIRPLANE AND PilOT ITEMS. FORTY PAGE
LIST WITH YEAR'S REVISIONS AIR MAilED, $5.00. JON ALD-
RICH, POB 2123, NEWPORT BEACH, CA 92663.
WANTED: Any information concerning the lincoln Sport
Biplane produced in ' lincoln, Nebraska in the 1920's (partial
plans shown in the 1930 Flying and Glider Manual). Mr.
Harry R. Owen, Box 304, Isanti, MN 55040.
Continental 85-12, 132 SMOH, removed in running con-
dition for higher hp. $1750, FOB. after 5:00.
Wisconsin .
26
Are you restoring a Classic?
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RE-COVER ENVELOPES
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Fabrics Selection Guide
Jnc.
DEPT "R", LOWER MORRISVILLE ROAD
FALLSINGTON, PA. 19054
(215) 295-411 5
27