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Apn:il
1961
VOLUME I8 NUMBER 3

STAFF
Morie Rushing Editor - Publisher
Robert Phillips Art Director Associate Editor
Sue Connolly

SPECIAL FEATURES
EDITORIAL: Aeriol Views
Electronic Equipment/Volue Vs. Borgoin Young Americo on Potrol ANI Report/VECTO Flight System ----..-From This I Leorned About Gos Cops ---17

Reporter
Fronces Gqrreti Circulation Directm

23 28 36 44

REGT]LAR FEATURES
Pilot of the Month Personoirlities The WindSock Times Skies ond Dolls --.-----Londing Potch Briefs The Flyers' Resort

REPRESENTATIVES
DAVE KUHN
Los Angeles

I
25 38
41

WILTIAM D. MADSEN
Denaer

NILS FLORMAN

Miami

CIRCULATION: Complete
age to The Auiation Indushy

coaer.

47 53

50 states, Mexi,co, Canad.a, The

Bahamas, and, South America. AV I AT ION NBW S ILLU ST RATBD Published, Monthly by AVIATION

in the

DEPARTMEI,]TS
Air Moil Speciol 4 New Products ond Services 7 Speoking of Aircroft .......... '13 Donger Signols -.--.---.......... 21
Spoce Dqtes

LA 8.3975. MAILING ,{DDRESSI P. O, Drawer 35282, Airlawn Station,

NEWS, INC. BXECUTIVE OF. FICES,: 4308 MacArthur Ave., Dallas, Texas. Phone LA 8-9935, Dallas 35, Texas. Cable Address: ANA/Dal. Price 35y' single copy. S U B SC RI P TION R/TES; United

States and Possessions, two year6 $5.00; one year $3.00. foreign rate: one year $5.00, two years $7.00,
Inc.
CONTRIBUTIONS: Contributions should bq occomponied by relurn posloge. Conlribu-

---...-. Clossified 0n the coner .

.

...........----. 49 -.-.-..... 50

Copyright 196l by Aviation News

lors ore qdvisad to reloin o copy of their mqnuscripts qnd illustrqlions. Contributions will be hondled with reqsonqble corei bvl lhe mogozine ossumes no responsibiliiy for their sofely. Any copy occepted is subiect lo whotever odoptions ond revisionr qre n6cessory to meet the requiremenls of this publicotion. Poymenl covers oll qulhor's, contribvtor's qnd conle3ionl's righti, fitle qnd inlereit in qnd fo lhe moteriol qcpled

CIVIL AIR " by Capt. PATROL . as portrayed James O. Johnson, artist, CAP Natt

. . . the activities oi

tional Headquarters. Capt.

Johnson's

ond will be mqde ol our current rqles upon qcceplon.e. All photos ond drowings will be considered qs port of the mqteriol
purchosed.

rendering was prepared expressly for ANI to commemorate the CAP'S 20th Anniversary Year. (story on page 28).

SINNIE SINCLAIR

PILOT
of th
"l'll be 73 years young on April 7th ond I iust soloed onofher sfudenf ihis morning." This cheerful slqlement ref lecls rhe yourhful qttitude of SlNNlE SINCLAIR, owner ond operotor of
qnd friendliest flying school in
Muskegon.' The colorful flying career of C.
R.

Sinclqir Flying Service, 'the oldest

"Sinnie" Sinclair began in 1909 at Circero Field, Chicago, when he took his first plane ride on an old French built biplane with a 50-horsepower engine. Of all his flights, Sinnie got the greatest thrill from partly because he rode this one it bareback! He described it to us this way "The pilot sat up front in his and I straddled the seat, (the only one) - him. There wasn't gas tank right behind and any place to fasten a safety belt falling it was all I could do to keep from off. We flew around over the field for a

few

engine started acting up . . just as we were setting'er down on the ground, she

minutes

until suddenly, the

began backfiring loud, vibrant sparks until . . (you guessed it) . . the gas and caster oil caught fire. I just did manage to roll off and join the pilot and

In 1915, after working

join the Signal Corps

around planes

a mechanic in beating out the flames".

for several years, SINCLAIR made his first solo flight. Shortly afterwards, the threat of World War I prompted him to

complete story

of his 45 year flying venture the of SINNIE SINCLAIR

This episode is only the beginning page

tor. At the end of the war he went directly into commercial flying for the
Universal Aviation Company to become one of the first and original "Company Pilots". But, because barnstorming was
AVIATION NEWS II.I.USTRATED

as a

civilian instruc-

could no doubt dim the legends of "Smiling Jack".

8

rl ]:,

^-* e#wry ^"*e*g*

'*s*M still the tonic of the era. he soon left to join five other pilots in conducting air
exhibitions. They assembled a collection of beat-up "Jennies", accumulated a "human fly" and a i 9-year-old female acrobat

MW

SINCLAIR recalls that it was during one of these aerial stints across the midwest that he met a flyer who was destined

to make world-wide news. "We

who wandered all over the wings while

the plane was stunting. On one of these barnstorming missions, he persuaded his father to make the one and only a.irplane flight of his li,fe.
APRIL, 'I96I

were doing our show in Staunton. Ill., in 1923," he recalled, "when a lanky kid flew in from St. Louis and asked if he could fly with us. We called him 'Slim' but his name was Lindberg. He was obviously broke. so I staked him to a meal. After

SiNCLAIR os o civ;lion flighi instructor in the Army oviotion progrom during World Wnr l. His ship wcs c Curtiss "Jenny", power--d by crn OX-5 Curiiss V-8 engine. A{ter tlre.rvor he flew ihese "Jennies" oround the couniry on bornstorming trips.
10

AVIATICN NEWS IIi"USIRATED

e*-"X

Among his mony llying credits he holds in lhe Mvskegon Civil Air Po|rol.

moior's commission ond is commond pilol

a while, he came up to me he was 'would you kind of bashful and asked, fellows mind if

while you're changing acts? I could sure use the money.' Sure, go ahead, I told

I-took up a few passengers

him. That will keep the crowd entertained while we're working here. It worked out fine and the next time I saw 'Slim' was -after he had made that flight across

or gave up flying he Sinnie never got- his fill. In 1935, formed his own company, Sinclair Flying Service a business which he still very actively operates today. And all the just as his past while, his future - a colorful reel of new continues to unfold
either cracked up

the Atlantic."

of

After a few years, Sinnie dropped out barnstorming and took a job flying contract mail in single engine ships be-

adventures such as delivering the delicate and valuable cargo of a Miss America, Miss Michigan or Miss Dawn Patrol to the many festivals and events in and around Michigan.
flying

tween Detroit and Chicago. When Ameri-

In the

truest

traditi

as

real

can Airways was organized he went to Cleveland to become their assistant operations officer and reserve pilot. While there, he held a rating on every plane the company flew. Unlike many of the "early birds" who
APRIL, I96I

pioneer pilot and fine fellow . . . SIA/NIE S/ATCLAIR stands out . ever ready to extend a helping hand to those who need his services always offering glowing encouragement to young flying
aspirants.

il

SPACE DATES
Aptil
Associotion

27-29

College.

- Nolionol lntercollegiote Flying - l3th Annuol Air Meet - Texos A&M - Airport
Operoiors Council lo

meet qt Miomi Beoch, ot Corillon Hotel.

Moy

8-12

Moy l2-13-14 - Mid.Americon Air Foir Municipol Airport, Wichito, Konsos (Disploys, Clinics,
ond Entertoinmeni).

Moy 13, l95l

Donce

wilh Curotor of the

-SKYDUSTERS Annuql Dinner Smithsonion lnstilute

AIRBOAT qnd SNOW StElcH

PROPEttERS

2-blqde ond 4-blode \7e manufacture all types of Rotor

Blades, Test Clubs, Experimental and Antique Propellers.

Aviotion Deporimeni os highlighting speoker will be held ot the Bloomsburg Moose Home, Bloomsburg. Po. Moy 28, l96l -Columbio Aircroft will sponsor on Air Show ot the Bloomsburg Municipol Airport, Bloomsburg. Po,

June 2-3: l2th Notionol Moinlenqnce & Operolions Mlg., Reading Avialion Service,
Municipol Airport, Reading, Po,

{bWW-.&W{{39KA,

ww6&www-w-ww.

BOX 457,sHAWNEE, OKLA.

Deoler lnquiries lnvited

c{3.

June 10, 196l -Holmon Air Derby to be held ot St, Poul's Holmon Field. St. Poul, Minnesoto. June 18, l96l - Bill Sweei's Notionol Air Show (sponsored by CAP) Sincloir Flying Service
Muskegon, Michigon,

Jvly 4, l96l -Air Show. Angelino County Airport, lufkin. Texos. I0 o.m. to 5 p.m.

din g etg
ts

aaa

Williru',lSltue w_

"Keep your eyes open, lhere s falk ol a lanlaslic escape being plannedl;'

^1.

:_

lu.

APRIL,

I96I

49

From the Desh of the Editor . .

The complete story of the CMI AIR PATROIT could never be presented within the compact pages of this publication . .

but we have devoted considerable space to it in this issue. We do so with full knowLedge that some aspects of this organization, as in any voluntary organization, are controversial. A.N.I. is not so naive that it does not recognize ureaknesses in the structure of the CAP, but we are far-sighted enough to reaLize that its merits reduce its demerits to insignificance.
Infurtherance, we feel that those who have a negative attitude toward the are basing their opinions upon personal contacts wlth some individuals, who, though they may wear a CAP uniforn, do not exempllfy the neritorious aims of the organization. Still others nay possess some caustic inference as to some unqualifying effort on the part of the CAP. To those of you who uray feel thusly, or those who have no particular corcmital, we urge you to take a good ]ook at the rBig CAP Picturei, especially its youth program. Then re-evaluate your own concepts, and notives reLative to the past, present, and future of grass roots aviation.
CAP

Abandoned and negLected

are mute testinony

the populated areas, as we1I, are not without need. If a youngster ls so i.nclined tourard aviation, the mission of the CAP leaders ls to educate 'and assist in channeLing his natural i.nterest. Proper and ear),y education in aviation implenentation is just as important to this countryrs wel,fare as exercise is to the health of the bodyl Statistlcal comparison of our annual crop of Aeronautical Engineers versus the harvest yielded in the Soviet Union, indicates a lack of notlvation in our youth that even the blind should see. The CAP's voluntary youth progran is a commendable answer to oUr ever increaSing need for aero/Space education

and towns these areas. In many of these smaller pl.aces where avlation does not have the natural acceleratlon as in our nore favored industrial arsas, lies the perpetual need to inspire CAPis rAccent on Youthn Progran. And, even so,

airports at many of our snaller clties to the waning interest in private flying in

in

America.

of the impetus of a couple of hot uars and a continuing cold one, we have a barnyard full of aviation nrinded chickens, but unless we are careful with the incubation of our eggs, we wiLl wake up some day to discover that all of our chicks have lFlown the Coop. r AVIATION NEWS ILIJUSTRATED is proud to salute the CIVIL AIR PATR0IJ on thls lts zoth ANNMRSARY. We wholeheartedLy support its ains and objectlves, and wish the CAP every success in their uLtinate achievement'
Because

AVIATION NEWS'II.USTRATED