JUNE 2010

STRAIGHT & LEVEL

GEOFF ROBISON
PRESIDENT, VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

AirVentureThe countdown has begun!

he staff at EAA has yet again
managed to put together another truly exceptional event.
Imagine the excitement of
this venue with the band Chicago,
the Lt. Dan Band with Gary Sinise,
and all those DC-3s. Golly, where
will we ever park all of them? Be sure
to log onto www.AirVenture.org and
check it all out.
Starting Saturday morning, July 31,
at 9:30, the inaugural Spirit of Aviation Auction will take place at EAAs
Jack Mark Hangar on 20th Street in
Oshkosh, right on the north end of
the convention grounds. Its already
shaping up to be a great event, with
one of the first aircraft accepted into
the auction a classic airplane, Joel
Severinghaus Bronze Lindy-winning
Taylorcraft. Get signed up to buy or
sell at www.AirVenture.org/auction.
Even we big kids are sure to get a
charge out of the night air show with
pyrotechnics on Saturday. All week
long we will see the EAA Warbirds of
America and the Disabled American
Veterans salute to our veterans.
Again, the membership will see a
number of new facilities, programs,
and attractions throughout the Vintage area at this years event. Attendance is again looking good, as
pre-sale (discounted) tickets through
EAA are running at an all-time high.
The pre-convention VAA volunteer
team hit another home run in April
with the construction of our new
Flightline Operations facility. These
folks continue to astound me with
their dedication and hard work. In
one weekend they constructed a 24by-24 foot building with an 8-foot
front porch on the east side. This
structure is not your typical backyard
shed either. It will prove to be a very

functional facility that will provide

exceptional support to the hundreds
of volunteers we host each year in the
Vintage area.
In one weekend this team managed to get the entire facility under
roof with all the doors, windows, and
garage doors installed. The only thing
left to do is wire it for electricity and
slap on the paint. We can never fully
thank these awesome folks for a job
well done!
For all you campers planning to
attend AirVenture this year, you will
likely find our latest member services
addition to be very helpful. If you use
personal electronics like a cell phone
or even a personal computer, youll
be happy to know what we have
planned. In the small building just to
the west of the VAA Red Barn we will
be providing a secure charging station
to replenish your rechargeable batteries. This new service will be available
to all attendees of AirVenture 2010;
all we ask is that you make a donation to help fund this service. Just
stop by the old VAA Volunteer Center
building on the northwest side of the
VAA Red Barn and drop off your cell
phones, laptops, and any other electronic device that needs a recharge
and we will do the rest.
The spring meeting of the Vintage
Aircraft Association board of directors was held on April 22. During this
session the board was briefed on the
progress of the Development Committee, and one of the initiatives discussed was a membership drive that
would involve the VAA chapters.
The idea is to engage our chapters
with a challenge to engage their chapter members and enthusiasts and encourage them to join our association.
This concept would then result in the

individual chapters receiving some

type of rewards from the VAA.
My question to those of you who
provide leadership to VAA chapters is
what kind of rewards would you like
to see us develop? We have talked
about such items as VAA logo merchandise, chapter banners, etc. Drop
us a line if you think of something
that your chapter would like to receive as a reward for assisting us with
this latest membership drive. Simply
e-mail us at vintageaircraft@eaa.org.
One last item on my agenda this
month is to encourage you to chase
down a copy of the book titled Nine
Lives. This book was written by a
good friend whom I have had the
pleasure to serve with on the EAA
board of directors. Mal Gross has
managed to expertly chronicle nearly
54 years and 6,850 hours of personal
flight time. It is a book that describes
his experiences of managing the
inherent risks of flying, while telling
many stories of potentially tragic
events that he managed to survive.
The forward for this book is written
by EAAs founding father, Paul H.
Poberezny. Nine Lives should be
read by every pilot, particularly new,
and student pilots . . . Perhaps Gross
enthusiasm for flight will rub off on
the reader, and he or she will want
to join the Airmans World. This is a
self-published book, and you can get
your copy by visiting Gross website
at www.NineLivesLuckyPilot.com. The
EAA store also has copies available;
you can order one at www.ShopEAA.
org or by calling EAA Member Services
at 800-564-6322.
S e e y o u a t E A A A i r Ve n t u r e
OshkoshJuly 26-August 1, 2010.

A I R P L A N E
Vol. 38, No. 6

2010

JUNE

CONTENTS
IFC Straight & Level
AirVentureThe countdown has begun!
by Geoff Robison

News

My Friend Albert Vollmecke

Closing Memories of a Great Man: Part 6
by Robert G. Lock

10

A kaleidoscope of vintage colors and shapes

by Sparky Barnes Sargent

20

The Douglas DC-3

75 years of service: Part 2
by Henry M. Holden

28

Sun n Fun Wrap-Up

10

The Vintage Mechanic

Engine installations, Part I
by Robert G. Lock

34

The Vintage Instructor

Fearing (and Understanding) Crosswinds: Part 1
by Steve Krog, CFI

36

20

Mystery Plane
by H.G. Frautschy

38

Classified Ads

COVERS
FRONT COVER: In our continuing series of tributes to the DC-3 and the celebration of its 75th anniversar y, we present this photograph from the Radtke Collection of the EAA Archives of the immediate predecessor to the -3, the DC-2. You can really see some significant differences in the two
airplanes when you compare this photo to the shot on the back cover of last months issue. Most
notable is the shape of the fuselage and the ver tical fin. The DC-2 was the backbone upon which
the final design of the DC-3 was built.

STAFF
EAA Publisher
Director of EAA Publications
Executive Director/Editor
Production/Special Project
Photography

BACK COVER: In late May, Jack Kearbys magnificent S.E.5a reproduction was flown to EAA headquar ters, where it will remain on display at EAAs Pioneer Airpor t until it is moved to the convention site for EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. Jack was accompanied by a Cessna 175 chase plane flown
by his two buddies, Johnny Hagan and Ken Clark. There will be plenty more coverage of this terrific
World War-I fighter in Spor t Aviation and Vintage Airplane in the coming months. EAA/VAA photo by
Alden Frautschy.

Copy Editor

Tom Poberezny
Mary Jones
H.G. Frautschy
Kathleen Witman
Jim Koepnick
Bonnie Kratz
Colleen Walsh

Publication Advertising:
Manager/Domestic, Sue Anderson
Tel: 920-426-6127
Email: sanderson@eaa.org
Fax: 920-426-4828
Manager/European-Asian, Willi Tacke
Phone: +49(0)1716980871
Email: willi@flying-pages.com
Fax: +49(0)8841 / 496012

Coordinator/Classified, Lesley Poberezny

Tel: 920-426-6563
Email: classads@eaa.org

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 1

VAA NEWS
tive years for VAAs judging categories. Here they are:

Antique
An aircraft constructed by the original manufacturer, or its licensee, on or before August 31, 1945,
with the exception of certain pre-World War II aircraft
models that had only a small postwar production.
Examples: Beechcraft Staggerwing, Fairchild 24, and
Monocoupe.

Classic

AirVenture 2010
With just more than a month to go before the summertime celebration of flight that is EAA AirVenture
Oshkosh, we have a few items wed like to share with
you as you prepare to make your journey to Wittman
Field. Well have more in the July issue of Vintage Airplane. And theres even more to come in our online
newsletter, Vintage Aircraft Online. Subscribe to it by
clicking on the Subscribe button at the top of the web
page at www.EAA.org/vintageaircraft.

Type Club Information

Type club representatives who wish to have a presence at a table in the new Vintage Hangar during AirVenture 2010 should already be in contact with VAA
Director Steve Krog, the type club hangar chairman,
at sskrog@gmail.com. If youve not made your table
reservation, please be certain to contact him as soon
as possible.
A number of type clubs have chosen to combine
their annual AirVenture dinner with the VAA Picnic
dinner held in the EAA Nature Center. Tickets go fast
once the convention begins, so if your club would like
to have its group get-together as part of the VAA Picnic
on the Wednesday night of AirVenture, contact VAA
Director Jeannie Hill at 815-943-7205. Tickets are to be
purchased at the VAA Red Barn prior to the event.

VAA Awards Ceremony

Like last years inaugural event, the VAA aircraft
awards ceremony will take place in the Vintage Hangar,
just south of the VAA Red Barn. The ceremony, which
will take place after the daily air show, starting at 6:00
p.m. on Saturday, promises to be a great evening for
winners and attendees alike. After the ceremony, well
host a reception for all attendees and the winners in the
Vintage Hangar with soft drinks and snacks. Plan on being there to cheer on your friends and enjoy some vintage camaraderie before we all head home the next day.

An aircraft constructed by the original manufacturer, or its licensee, on or after September 1, 1945, up
to and including December 31, 1955.

Contemporar y
An aircraft constructed by the original manufacturer, or its licensee, on or after January 1, 1956, up to
and including December 31, 1970.

Required Equipment: EAA AirVenture NOTAM

If youre planning to
fly in to Oshkosh next
month, its imperative
that you obtain a copy
o f t h e FA As 2 0 1 0 A i r Venture Notice to Airm e n ( N O TA M ) , w h i c h
contains arrival and departure procedures for
the 58th annual fly-in
convention. These procedures are in effect from
Friday, July 23, through
Monday, August 2one
day earlier than previous
years. (The event is July
26-August 1.)
While the overall procedures are similar to past
years, you should always review each years NOTAM and be familiar with the procedures so you
dont have to fumble around in the cockpit as you
head down the railroad tracks from Fisk! You can
download a PDF version at www.AirVenture.org/flying/
2010_NOTAM.pdf, or call EAA Membership Services at 800-564-6322 and a printed booklet will be
mailed to you, free of charge. (You can also order a
booklet at https://Secure.EAA.org/airventure/notam_
request.html.)
Additional hints and tips for pilots arriving at and
departing from EAA AirVenture 2010 are also available
online at www.AirVenture.org/flying.

Sell Your Aircraft at Spirit of Aviation Auction

VAA Judging Categories
Each year we receive inquiries regarding the effec-

2 JUNE 2010

This years first Spirit of Aviation Auction, planned

for Saturday, July 31, on the AirVenture grounds, of-

fers a chance to sell an aircraft at perhaps the most

fitting place on earthOshkosh.
The auction, conducted by Auction.com in conjunction with EAA, will feature all types of consigned
aircraft, from privately owned recreational aircraft to
rare vintage and warbird airplanes, to larger general
aviation planes.
The process of registering for consignment is easy.
Visit www.AirVenture.org/auction, which will walk you

Superflite to Sponsor Aircraft-Covering

Presentations in Vintage Area
Superflite, manufacturer and developer of paint
systems for fabric-covered aircraft, will sponsor
aircraft-covering workshops at EAA AirVenture
Oshkosh 2010.
Aircraft-covering demonstrations presented by
Superflite are part of the daily workshops offered
by industry experts who help attendees learn and
build their own skills through hands-on, step-bystep lessons. These demonstrations will be held in
a special workshop tent located just north of the
new Vintage Hangar near the Vintage Aircraft Association Red Barn Headquarters.
Superflite has been committed to the aviation
community for over 60 years, and its commitment
to EAA AirVenture will enhance the experience of
everyone who participates in these fun, informative workshops, said Jeff Kaufman, EAAs director
of business development.
Were pleased to welcome Superflite to the
Vintage aircraft area, and we invite anyone interested in the fabric-covering process to stop by
their tent and learn more about aircraft covering
and finishing, added H.G. Frautschy, VAAs executive director.
Since 1949, Superflite has provided fabric-covering
and -finishing materials for a large number of experimental and certificated aircraftcontinuing
to manufacture the traditional butyrate dope in
addition to a state-of-the-art urethane system. Superflites System VI urethane topcoats have become extremely popular due to its easy application and high-gloss finish.
More information is available at http://www.
superflite.com.

through registration. Experts are standing by to assist

you at any point of the process.
The number of auction aircraft will be limited, so
sign up today to reserve your position!

Dont Forget Your EAA Passport This Summer

The EAA Museum Passport Program, in partnership with the Association of Science-Technology
Museums (ASTC), was launched Saturday, May 1,
providing free admission to more than 300 participating museums around the world.
To use this benefit, you need to display the ASTC
logo on the back of your membership card. A special
insert in Mays EAA Sport Aviation included stickers
for your current card, and EAAs membership services will begin sending cards with the logo already
imprinted later this month. When you renew your
membership, the new cards will have the logo conveniently printed on the back.
Your EAA Passport will grant free admission to
you and your immediate family into most participating museums on the listas long as it is more
than 90 miles from your home. (Additional restrictions apply in Wisconsin.) See the complete list at
www.EAA.org/passport for the exact policy the museum of interest enforces.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3

2010 VAA Friends of the Red Barn Campaign

The VAA annual fundraising campaign fuels VAA action
Dont wait for a mailing from VAA HQ before you send in your contribution
to keep our administration costs as low as possible, were not sending out a mailing
to each VAA member. Please send your donation today, while its fresh in your mind!
Please help the VAA and our nearly 500 dedicated volunteers make this an unforgettable experience for our many EAA AirVenture guests.
Your contribution now really does make a difference. There are seven levels of gifts and gift recognition. Thank you for whatever you can do.
Here are some of the many activities the Friends of the Red Barn fund underwrites:
Red Barn Information Desk Supplies
Flightline Parking Scooters and Supplies
Breakfast for Past Grand Champions
Participant Plaques and Supplies
Volunteer Booth Administrative Supplies
Signs Throughout the Vintage Area
Tonis Red Carpet Express Van and Radios
Red Barn and Other Building Maintenance
And More!
Caps
for
VAA
Volunteers
Tall
Pines
Caf
Dining
Tent

Please help the VAA make EAA AirVenture Oshkosh an unforgettable

experience for our many guests. Become a Friend of the Red Barn.
Contribution Levels Diamond Plus

Diamond
$1,000

$1,250

EAA VIP Center

Platinum
$750

Gold
$500

Silver
$250

Bronze
$100

Loyal Supporter
$99 & Under

2 people/Full Week
2 people/2 Days

2 people/1 Day

Full Week

Full Week

2 Tickets

2 Tickets

2 Tickets

1 Ticket

2 People/Full Wk

2 People/Full Wk

2 People/Full Wk

1 Person/Full Wk

Donor Appreciation Certificate

Name Listed: Vintage Airplane Magazine,

Website, and Sign at Red Barn

VIP Air Show Seating

Close Auto Parking
Two Tickets to VAA Picnic
Tri-Motor Certificate
Breakfast at Tall Pines Caf
Special FORB Cap
Two Passes to VAA Volunteer Party
Special Friends of the Red Barn Badge
Access to VAA Volunteer Center

2 Days

VAA Friends of the Red Barn

Name______________________________________________________________________EAA #___________ VAA #___________

(Please print your name the way you would like it to appear on your badge.)
Address______________________________________________________________________________________________________
City/State/ZIP________________________________________________________________________________________________
Phone___________________________________________________E-Mail______________________________________________
Please choose your level of participation:
____ Diamond Plus - $1,250.00
____ Diamond Level Gift - $1,000.00
____ Platinum Level Gift - $750.00

____ Gold Level Gift - $500.00

____ Silver Level Gift - $250.00
____ Bronze Level Gift - $100.00

____ Loyal Supporter Gift - ($99.00 or under)

Your Support $_______

Payment enclosed (Make checks payable to Vintage Aircraft Assoc.)

Please charge my credit card (below)

Mail your contribution to:

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PO
Box 3086
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Signature_________________________________________

*Do you or your spouse work for a matching-gift company? If so, this gift may qualify for
a matching donation. Please ask your human resources department for the appropriate form.

Name of Company __________________________________________________________

or donate online at:

www.vintageaircraft.org/
programs/redbarn.html

The Vintage Aircraft Association is a nonprofit educational organization under IRS 501c3 rules. Under federal law, the deduction from federal income tax for charitable contributions is limited to the amount by which any money (and the value of any property other than money) contributed exceeds the value of the goods or
services provided in exchange for the contribution. An appropriate receipt acknowledging your gift will be sent to you for IRS gift reporting reasons.

4 JUNE 2010

My Friend

Albert Vollmecke
Closing memories of a great man
Part 6
BY

he conclusion of this sixpart column will focus on

a few more special stories
that keep flooding my
mind as I think back on the times
Albert Vollmecke and I spent together, the letters we exchanged,
and the phone call conversations we
shared over the years. There are just
so many memories I have of this
great man, and I wonder how many
people actually know about his life.
Here are a few more stories for your
entertainment and education.
Our first photo is probably the
first public announcement of the
new 1928 model airplane manufactured by the Arkansas Aircraft Company. It appeared in The Arkansas
Democrat newspaper on December
30, 1927, and January 1, 1928. The

ROBERT G. LOCK

I asked Mack
what happened.
He said, Aw
heck, I filled
the tank full,
told them to get
the heck out of
here and get
to St. Louis
before dark.

prototype ship had been licensed

experimental December 23, 1927,
and may have been designated CX3, but there is no use of that designation shown in the paperwork
for X-3790. Albert Vollmecke had
no hand in the design of this ship
because he had not been hired at
this point in time. Application for license was made December 26, 1927,
and it was described as a Biplane
for two passengers and pilot At first
will be equipped with OX-5 motor
but will likely have air cooled motor installed later. Will be completed

Above: A rare glimpse inside the

Arkansas Aircraft Company factory
building showing a fuselage frame
with an OX-5 engine mount welded
in place.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5

The prototype Arkansas Aircraft Company Command-Aire OX-5-powered

biplane.

The first public announcement of

the new Arkansas Aircraft Company ship.
by December 15, 1927. A new job
throughout. Experimental later to
be put into production. The model
3C3 did not appear until September
24, 1928. There are some great stories about this particular ship, but
there is not enough space here to go
into detail. However, it is this poor
flying ship that Albert Vollmecke inherited when he joined the corporation in September 1927, and the
one he would completely redesign
into the model 3C3.
ATC 53 was issued to CommandAire Incorporated in the spring of
1928, and Model 3C3 ships began rolling off the assembly line.
I asked Al how long it took to secure ATC 53, and he said two weeks
(10 working days)! He and a small
entourage traveled to Washington,
D.C., and took a suite in the Roosevelt Hotel. It had a large dining
room table that Al used for a drawing board. He submitted his drawings to the Aeronautics Branch of
the Department of Commerce, and
then hed receive them back in a
couple of days. He would make corrections or additions and resubmit
them. This process was completed

6 JUNE 2010

The special fuselage fixture designed by Albert Vollmecke.

The new model BS-16 as designed by Albert Vollmecke.

Alberts rare 3-view sketch of the model BS-16.

in 10 days, and they all left with a
new approved type certificate (ATC)
in their pocket; much different
than obtaining a type certificate today with the FAA! Of course, things
were much simpler then. Incidentally, it is those original ATC drawings that the Aeronautics Branch
copied and affixed its official stamp
to that are the focus of some his-

torians and restoration specialists

because these first-copy drawings
have been stored there for the past
80 years. The Aeronautics Branch
kept the first copy for its files, and
the originals went with the manufacturer for the factorys files.
I asked Al about the configuration
of biplanes in the early days of ATC
designs. It seemed that most all bi-

planes looked essentially the same.

They were about the same size, had
the same size engines, had the same
instrumentation, etc. He said they
all copied each other in those early
days. And they helped each other
to obtain an ATC. He said he had
helped Clyde Cessna get an early
ATC for one of his ships.
Al had designed a special fuselage
fabrication fixture capable of having
all the tubing laid up in the welding
position rather than use wood forms.
Advertising indicated that the chief
designer of the Arkansas Aircraft
Company had patented the device.
I asked Al if he had indeed patented his invention, and he said no.
He did say that some officials from
Curtiss-Wright came down to look at
his invention and copied it to build
its Travel Air ships in Wichita, Kansas. This device is a credit to the ingenuity brought over from Germany.
In the illustration you can see how
all longerons, cross and diagonal
tubes, and stations are completely
assembled and require just gas welding, thus saving time and labor. He
said that all fuselages were welded
in this fixture, and when they were
removed from the jig, they had the
engine mount for a particular type of
engine welded on later. In the photograph shown in this article, an OX-5
engine mount has been welded to
the fuselage, which required another
special fixture to keep it aligned and
in the proper location. You can see
the large tanks of oxygen and acetylene gas for gas welding of the structure. There are many interesting
points in this picture; in particular,
the fuselage fixture shown above is
located center right, while the horizontal and vertical stabilizer and
aileron fixtures can be seen in the
background. This rare glimpse inside
the factory was provided by Al from
his personal files.
I asked Al which one of his designs during his many years of aircraft design at Command-Aire was
his favorite, since he flew them all.
He said his model BS-16, which was
not a complete surprise to me. The
BS-16 was a very handsome ship,

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7

modified from his successful 5C3. It

featured an outrigger landing gear,
a pneumatic tail wheel, and an elevated rear seat for better visibility.
There is no doubt in my mind that
this would have been a big seller
for the company if it had not gone
bankrupt and ceased to exist.
To my knowledge the three-view
shown in this article is a neverbefore-published sketch of the
Vollmecke BS-16 design. The handwriting is Als and is probably the

only drawing of this particular airplane anywhere. He said the wing

and tail cellule were basically from
the model 5C3; however, there is a
slight change in the shape of the vertical stabilizer and rudder. The ship
was powered by a new Lycoming
R-680 nine-cylinder air-cooled radial
engine producing 210 hp. In 1930 its
price new at the factory was $5,675.
Only one ship was produced with a
manufacture date of January 1930.
The serial number was W-140, and

The model BS-14.

The Walter radial engine designed by J. Walter Spohl, of Prague,

Czechoslovakia.
8 JUNE 2010

its license number was X-337V. The

ship was designed for a sport trainer
capable of doing acrobatics. I asked
Al what the BS represented, and
he replied, Biplane sport. The ship
was sold and went to Texas, where it
was converted to crop-dusting and
was destroyed in a fiery crash.
Al also designed the model BS-14,
serial number W-139, with a license
number of X-286V. It was powered
by a Warner radial engine developing 125 hp. It, too, featured some advanced design work. The wing and
empennage cellule were the same as
the model 5C3, but the rudder was
shaped differently. Note the use of
bayonet stacks on the Warner engine
and Standard steel propeller. The landing gear was rigid with shock absorbers connecting axles to landing gear.
Only one aircraft was constructed under Group 2 Approval 2-204.
Al would, on occasion, travel back
to his native Germany looking for
new ideas. On one particular trip he
was looking for a radial engine that
pumped out about 120 hp. He had
designed the model 4C3 in November 1928 and needed a new engine
for it. He came back to Little Rock
with a Walter nine-cylinder radial
engine manufactured by J. Walter A.
Spohl, Prague, Czechoslovakia. The
model 4C3 was not a modified 3C3
but a new design that would eventually evolve into the model 5C3. The
model 4C3 received license number
X-70E on November 10, 1928, but
according to Al the engine would
not operate properly in the United
States because the fuel octane was
too low and detonation would occur. The 4C3 was abandoned in favor of the model 5C3. No ATC was
ever issued for this ship.
Ive also included a photo of the
only model 4C3 constructed. It was
the forerunner to the model 5C3, as
it was adapted over to the Wright
Challenger radial engine and received ATC 184.
I want to conclude this column
about my friend Albert Vollmecke
with a funny story told by former Command-Aire Vice President
Charles Taylor. It deals with a flight

A Command-Aire model 4C3 with the Walter 120-hp radial engine.

Chief pilot Wright Ike Vermilya

rides atop a model 3C to demonstrate the aircrafts stability.
Command-Aire seized the unique
photograph for its advertising campaign. This scan is from the December 1928 issue of Air Transportation.

from Little Rock to St. Louis in 1930.

It seems Al and his colleague P.Y.
Tien (a mathematic genius from
China) were flying the new BS-16 to
the International Aircraft Exposition,
where the corporation had floor
space to display its aircraft currently
under production. The story from
Charles Taylor goes, I remember the
1930 St. Louis Air Show. We had to
take several planes up there to display and to demonstrate. Vollmecke
and his Chinese assistant engineer
P.Y. Tienyou see they were an international outfitvolunteered to
fly one of the planes to St. Louis. I
heard about the trip later from Mack

West, who operated the airport at

Paragould. He said this CommandAire landed for gas, but he couldnt
find out how much gas they wanted.
He said he didnt understand German or Chinese, and he wasnt sure
they understood each other, but they
had two slide rules smoking, apparently computing miles already flown
from Little Rock, miles still to fly to
St. Louis, the amount of gas already
consumed, and the amount of gas
required for the balance of the trip at
various throttle settings and rpm. I
asked Mack what happened. He said,
Aw heck, I filled the tank full, told
them to get the heck out of here and
get to St. Louis before dark.
Als designs always focused on

safety and specifically stability

in flight.
The last photo we have to share
with you is a scan of a famous ad
campaign featuring factory chief
pilot Wright Ike Vermilya with
NC7249. This was the airplane that
began to put Arkansas Aircraft Company and its Command-Aire ships
on the map. Vermilya would exit
the rear cockpit while the airplane
was in flight and straddle the fuselage, perching on the headrest of the
rear cockpit. This feat was shown nationwide on film by the Pathe News
Agency, proving the safety and stability of the Vollmecke design. The
stunt was also publicized in the Chicago Herald newspaper and by the
international news services. This attention-getter was later perfected into
a three-ship formation with all three
pilots flying astraddle the fuselage.
And with that story I will end my
dissertation and introduction (or
is it reintroduction?) of my friend
Albert Vollmecke to the aviation
community. He was priceless, and a
great gift to aviation and humanity.
Ill see you again someday, Al.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9

Sun n Fun Wrap-Up

A kaleidoscope of vintage
PHOTOS AND STORY BY

S PARKY B ARNES S ARGENT

cool, bracing wind greeted aviators as they landed at Lakeland

this spring. Mother Natures welcome to the 36th annual Sun n
Fun Fly-In served as a reminder of winters strong but transient
grasp, which yielded a few days later to the pervasive and pleasant Florida climate. The spring sun warmed our backs as we wandered the vintage aircraft camping area, while our hearts were warmed by

10 JUNE 2010

salutations from friends old and new, combined with the promise of spring
and summer flying. There were aviators and airplanes who arrived and
stayed all week, and others who came just for a day or two. Yet regardless of
the length of their visit, each of them contributed to the continual kaleidoscope of changing shapes and colors in the vintage aircraft camping area.
The decade of the 1930s was brought to life by aircraft such as the

e colors and shapes

Sikorsky S-39C, Spirit of Igor, with its spotted-giraffe paint scheme; the
glossy scarlet Pitcairn PA-18 Autogiro; the Consolidated YPT-6A Fleet biplane with its olive drab fuselage and golden wings; and the gorgeous lines
of the polished-aluminum and fabric-covered Ryan SCW. There were plenty
of airplanes to symbolize the 1940s, including four handsomely restored
Howard DGA-15Ps; a variety of Swifts, Ercoupes, Pipers, Aeroncas, Navions,

Stearmans, Wacos, Stinsons, and Cessnas; a Culver Cadet; and two eyecatching and brightly painted Johnson Rockets. Airplanes from the 1950s
and 1960s included an outstanding Luscombe 8F, the unique Anderson
Greenwood AG-14, Piper Comanches, Beechcraft Bonanzas, and many more
landplanes and seaplanes. This year, we bring to our readers a snapshot
sampling of the aviators and airplanes in attendance.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11

ick Jackson of Rochester, New Hampshire, brought NC50V, a 1931 Sikorsky S-39C, to Lakeland this year.
There, this antique amphibian was an eye-catcher in the sky, on the ground, and in the water. The Spirit of
Igor was named as a tribute to designer Igor Sikorsky and adventurers/explorers Martin and Osa Johnson.
NC50V was awarded Reserve Grand Champion Antique.

ichard and Kathy Arnold of Eustis, Florida, were busy

setting up their camping gear beside their 1946 Taylorcraft BC-12D. Their visit to Sun n Fun provided a
relaxing escape from their daily business of wooden boat
restoration. Richard, who will soon be joining the Vintage
Aircraft Association (VAA), was attracted to NC95059, as
he says, because Ive loved them my whole life! For me,
it was the forerunner of the more popular Piper Cub, and
I just think the Taylorcraft has it all, hands-down, over a
Piper. The Taylorcraft has per formance, fuel economy,
simplicity, safety, and good looks. This plane is all original, with its 65-hp Continental. I started flying in 1972 and
soloed in a Cherokee 140, and spent several years flying
biplanes and aerobatics in a Pitts Special. We havent had
the Taylorcraft that long, he shares with a smile. In fact,
I hadnt flown in 18 years and just recently got my currency again. Kathy drove and brought all the gear for a trial
run of camping all week.

12 JUNE 2010

member Ed Boyd of Springfield, Illinois,

has owned N5835A, a 1956 Cessna
172, for nearly three decades. After buying the airplane in 1971, he soon put his airframe and
powerplant mechanic skills to work and completed its
restoration in 1981. He doesnt recall any real challenges with the project and smiles as he explains, I
like it allfrom replacing the firewall to doing the sheet
metal work. Most of all, I enjoy the flying. Ive probably
logged 1,700 hours in it. This is my 16th year coming
to Sun n Fun, and this airplane has come with me every time. The flight down here took me something less
than 10 hours, and I spent the night along the way.

EAA

member Stephen Jake Jacobson, accompanied by Peggy Fairchild, flew his 1950 Cessna
170A from Meacham Field in For t Wor th,
Texas, to Florida just to celebrate the annual spring break
for pilots. They took a somewhat leisurely pace with their
three-day cross-countr y, following behind a weather front
that was sweeping from the Plains to the East Coast. Jake
bought N5752C in 1985 as a basket case, and this sparkling Cessna, with its immaculate interior, fills a special
niche in his life. The airplane had been a pipeline patrol
airplane for 11 years after it went out of the factory, until
1961, when my father and his partners bought it. It was in
good shape; it was high time, it wasnt pretty, but it was a
solid airplane. He bought out the other par tners as they
lost interest in it, and he flew it for about 10 years. I was
a teenager then, and he taught me how to fly in it, Jake
shares, smiling. I soloed it and also took my checkride
in it. My father sold it, and it went through more owners,
and Id actually followed the ownership of it. It ended up in
Fort Lauderdale, where it sat out in the open for about four
yearsit had a leak in the upper par t of the windshield,
which ran down into the door post, gearbox, and down into
the belly of the airplane, so it rotted out the gearbox. Then
the owner moved to Arizona, and I bought it from him out
at Falcon Field. Before my ferry permit expired, I flew the
plane to Harry Dellickers Del-Air in Porterville, California.
They took it apart and stored it in their hangar. It was rebuilt
one component at a time by Del-Airs restoration wizards,
John Garrett, Paul Lodas, and Chris Shaw, over a period of
22 years. I did the unskilled stuff like parts cleaning, parts
shopping, and technical researchmost of the other work
was way beyond my capabilities. Chris Shaw did the instrument panel, wiring, and final assembly.
The most challenging aspect of the restoration was
completing the interior. Theres just no information or
old pictures of the interiors for the A models and the
ragwings, explains Jake. Thankfully, Ron Par tridge,
customer ser vice manager, Cessna Propeller Division,
provided the engineering drawings for the interior with
the blessing of Cessna CEO Jack Pelton, a longtime supporter of vintage aircraft restoration projects. The interior
was done stitch by stitch at Ronnie Broadheads shop in
Porter ville. The Narco VTR-1 Omnigator is identical to the
one it used to have, and it still worksI use it. N5752C
was awarded Best Restored Classic (101-165 hp) this
year. N5752C was featured in the July 2009 issue of
this magazine

VAA

ack and Kate Tiffany and the Leading Edge Aircraft crew from Spring Valley, Ohio, brought their
award-winning 1932 Pitcairn PA-18 Autogiro to
Florida this spring, following its debut at EAA AirVenture last summer. As soon as the wind calmed down
during the week, Andrew King flew the Autogiro over
to Lakeland from Punta Gorda, where it had been on
display at another air show. NC1267Bs restoration saga was featured in the November 2009
issue of this magazine. The Autogiro was awarded
Grand Champion Antique at Sun n Fun.

rad Larson has owned NC18912, a 1938 Ryan

SCW, for 55 years. He personally completed its
restoration in 1962, when he was 47 years old.
Brad painstakingly hand-polished the Ryan before
he and his son, Glenn, brought it over to Sun n Fun
from Sarasota. The airplane is powered by a 165hp Warner Super Scarab, and the Larsons (EAA/
VAA members) were presented with the Bronze Age
Preser vation Award for their effor ts in maintaining
and flying the airplane all these years. (Watch for an
upcoming feature on this airplane.)

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13

ow this was a rare sight: A pair

of 1946 Johnson Rocket 185s
taxied into the vintage area and
parked one afternoon. NC90200
(s/n 7) is owned by Jim Ferretti,
who divides his time between Boston, Massachusetts, and the Spruce
Creek Fly-in (Daytona, Florida), where
he keeps his newly restored brightorange Rocket. My neighbor, Orval, who has the red Rocket, has been
ver y helpful getting ever ything right on this airplane, explains Jim, expressing his gratitude. It probably would never have flown without him. I
really love it; its the first classic airplane Ive ever owned. Its a phenomenal little airplane, and I plan to keep it forever!
NC90204 (s/n 11) has been owned by Or val Fairbairn, also of the
Spruce Creek Fly-in, for more than four decades. I bought mine in
a basket in 1963, and I fi rst fl ew it in 1971. I did all the work on it
myselfit has wood wings, with fabric covering over it, and all the
control sur faces are wood and fabric. The steel tube fuselage has a
plywood tur tledeck. There were only 17 built, and these two Rockets
are the only ones flying; theres a third one that was grand champion
both here and at Oshkosh, but it isnt flying right now.
Sharing a brief history of the airplane, Orval summarizes, Rumor
has it that Pop Johnson took a Culver Cadet home with him, took it
apart, measured up some things, and made the wooden GC-1 Swift.
That one is up in the Swift Museum [Athens, Tennessee] now. Then he
lost control of the Swift project to Bud Knox and later came up with the
Rocket 125, which was a taildragger with a 125-hp Lycomingits a totally different airplane. Then he designed the [two-place] Rocket 185,
with a 190-hp O-435 Lycoming. Jims owned s/n 7 for three years. Its
previous owner was Willy Desruisseaux, who owned it for probably 40
yearshe passed away, and the plane became available. NC90200
actually has all the paperwork going back to day one.

members Mar y Wood and Mark White of

Vero Beach are an enthusiastic and hardworking husband-and-wife restoration team.
Theyre devoted to por traying histor y as accurately as
possible, as exemplified by N1P, their 1930 Consolidated
YPT-6A Fleet. They bought the project in Ohio and hauled
it home to Indian River Aerodrome. When they began restoring it, they were quite surprised to discover that they
had a historic treasure on their hands. The biplane is one
of 16 built by Consolidated for the Army Air Corps (an additional six were built for the Navy), and it was originally
based at Brooks Field, Texas. Finished in its original colors and markings, the biplane was a novelty in the vintage area this spring. We found what turned out to be a
military serial number stamped in the airframe of the airplane, Mary explains, and then we started doing research. We were able to get the records from the Air Force; they
were very helpful with all the informationand we found a historical photograph of the airplane in a book.
There are only four of these aircraft left, and this is the only one flying. It originally had a 100-hp Kinner, but
now it has a 160 horsebut it has the same look. It had a tailskid and 24-inch air wheels, when the Army Air
Corps used it as a trainer, shares Mark, smiling and adding, its been a labor of love for seven years; we completed it last May. Throughout the week, Mark and Mary always seemed to have an inquisitive crowd gathered
around their biplane, and the couple was happy to answer questions. The judges took note of N1P and awarded it
Outstanding Open Cockpit Biplane Antique. (Watch for an upcoming feature on this airplane.)

VAA

14 JUNE 2010

Jack Thompson
Montgomery, Alabama
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in Indochina (Vietnam)

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for the state of Alabama flying

for Governors Wallace and Brewer

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years and received the Wright Brothers Master Pilot
Award for 50 years of accident-free flying.
I have been doing business with AUA for many
years. It has been a most pleasant relationship with
Norma and my agent Rob.
Jack Thompson
AUA is Vintage Aircraft Association approved. To become a member of VAA call 800-843-3612.

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ack and Glinda Hill were happy to fly N32071

to Sun n Fun again. Jack has owned the 1941
Waco UPF-7 since 1981; it was recently restored
to award-winning status by Scott Shue of York, Pennsylvania. Jack is a retired airline pilot with 35,000
hours total, and about 11,000 of those hours are in
lightplanes. The Hills are VAA members and keep their
Waco in Washington, North Carolina. (Watch for an upcoming feature on this airplane.)

resley and Jo
Melton of Nor th
Little Rock, Arkansas, own this distinctively elegant 1943
Howard DGA-15P, which
arrived at Lakeland just
after receiving the finishing touches on its restoration. NC9125H was
awarded Champion
Custom Antique. (Watch
for an upcoming feature
on this airplane.)

ongtime VAA and Ninety-Nines

member Kate Macario was cheerfully talking with passersby as
they admired N3026B, the 1952 Jacobs-powered Cessna 195B that shes
owned for 19 years. These days, she
travels with one of her sons, Michael,
and his wife, Bunny. The threesome
are frequent visitors to Sun n Fun,
and 85-year-old Kate is quite the energetic and enthusiastic suppor ter of
all things aviation. When I was in high
school I always wanted to fly, and when
I was a sophomore, I went down to the
shore and went for a plane ride on the
beach. My mother wanted me to be a
schoolteacher, and I wanted to get a job and fly. So I went from my house
on public transportationa trolley car, a bus, anything to get to the airport
and get a half-hour in the Cub. I got my license in 1946. I had applied to
be a flight attendant but didnt get hired. My husband and I ran Macario Airport for a while; Ive flown Stearmans and Cessna 150s, and we restored
airplanes like a Pitcairn Mailwing and others. We had seven children; the
boys fly, and the girls are teachers. I have a wonderful family and am very
proud of them. Im not an active pilot right now; Im not sharp enough to fly
that airplane by myself now, so Michael flies it, and he maintains it, too.
Kate is active with her local Ninety-Nines Eastern Pennsylvania chapter
and thinks EAA is just wonder ful. You asked me, What is the best thing
about being involved in aviation? I dont think theres anything else! I dont
play bingo, I dont sew aviation has just been my life, and I enjoy it so
much, and I always will.

16 JUNE 2010

hese look-alikes were tied down

one behind the other in the
vintage area and turned several heads during the week. A quick
glance reveals the primar y dif ference between the two: one has the
small wheel under the nose, and the
other has it beneath the tail. N7543E
is a 1958 Champion Aeronca 7FC
Tri-Traveler, and it belongs to James
Bunner of Belleville, West Virginia.
N7586E is a 1958 Champion 7EC,
and its owned by Larr y Smith of
Davenport, Floridait was awarded
Best Restored Contemporary.

oe Colonna of Lake City, Florida, was relaxing with a

book beneath the wing of his 1957 Piper PA-18 Super Cub in the vintage field. Hes owned N7881D for
12 years and did his own hands-on, complete restoration
two years ago, using the Poly-Fiber process with Aerothane as a topcoat. When I was working, I dreamt that
when I retired, Id have a Super Cub and fly all around
the country, and thats what I do. I flew it for seven years
before I restored it. It finally got to the point where I was
ashamed of it, he explains, chuckling and adding, it
took me eight months and seven days to restore it. I live
in an airpark, and my hangar is attached to the house
I was out there at 7 in the morning and worked until 9
oclock at night. It wasnt my intention to make a show-

plane; I just wanted something I wouldnt be ashamed of,

and I wanted to fly it again. Ive landed in 49 states with
it and have flown into Barrow, Alaska, 330 miles north
of the Arctic Circle. I logged 252 hours last year, and Ive
logged as much as 409 in a year. One year I thought Id
like to do 365 hours, so almost every day I flew back and
forth to get ice cream at Crystal River and put two hours
in the logbookI logged 409 hours that year.
Joe has developed his own handy reference system
for his long cross-countries, which usually consist of
about 210-mile legs. I put every leg of my cross-country
on a 3-by-5 inch card, and I have all the per tinent information and distance on the front, and on the back I
have all the phone numbers at the destinationhotels,
etc. I select stops at places that either have a courtesy
car or hotel or motel close by, in case I have to spend
time there. And I just work my way across the country,
hop to hop, landing wherever it looks like a good place
to stop. Im going to take this to Oshkosh this summer,
and Id like to go back out west. Thats really neat country to fly in, and Utah is probably the most picturesque
state we have. We had [the late] Gordon Baxter talk at
the Mooney convention, and he said when somebody
asked him about the expense of flying airplanes, he
told them Im buying memories. So thats what Im doing, and theyre priceless.

and VAA member Lee Hussey of Martinsville, Virginia, was busy one morning wiping the dew from N8455P, his 1964 Piper
PA-24 Comanche 400 (s/n 120). He bought it in December 2007 and says its been a labor of love, but its
something I always wanted. I had a 250 Comanche since
1988, and Id been trying to make it go faster with speed
mods and tricks of the trade, but my mechanic kept telling me, Lee, the only way youre going to make a Comanche go faster is to get more horsepower! So finally my
opportunity presented itself, and I found a nice 400 Comanche. I was 24 years old back in 1978, when I got my
license, and its the greatest thing Ive ever done, it really
is. Ive had more enjoyment with flying, he says, adding
with a friendly smile, my trip to Lakeland was very nice;

I flew at 10,500 feet straight down, and it took me about

3 hours, 10 minutes. I get an honest 195 knots out of
it, and again, Im trying to learn a few tricks to get a little
more speed. I like Sun n Fun because it has hospitality
beyond my expectations. The biggest thing is that everyone is so kind and nice to usI come down first, and my
family comes a little later in the week. Its truly a fun place
to be, not to mention all the aircraft that I can walk to and
learn about. And then there are the different ridesI took
a helicopter ride last year and a P-51 Mustang rideIve
done some things Ive always wanted to do, but you cant
do it where Im fromyouve got to come to a place like
this. Its been quite enjoyable, and its truly Sun n FUN.
Lees well-kept Comanche received the Sun n Fun Grand
Champion Custom Contemporary award.

EAA

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17

Chester Lawson of Daytona Beach,

Florida, is listed as the owner of
N86638, a 1946 Grumman G-44A.

N67867, a 1943 Continental-powered Grumman G-44, is registered

to JMQ Inc. of Gulf Breeze, Florida.

N1947P, a perky 1955 Piper PA-22-150,

is owned by Ron Spence of Germantown, Tennessee.

This 1946 Fairchild 24R-46, N81234, is registered to Hangar Rentals Inc. of Wilmington, Delaware. At least one other
Fairchild, a 24W-46 model, adorned the flightline late in the week; it is owned by Eddie Hoffman of Tarpon Springs, Florida.

NC859V, an award-winning 1930

Waco RNF, was restored by John
and Scott Shue. Joe Kaminskas of
Biglerville, Pennsylvania, has owned
the antique for more than a decade.
It was awarded Best Silver Age Antique at Sun n Fun this year.

N815B, a ver y neatly restored 1950 Luscombe 8F, at- N888LW, a 1948 Navion A nicknamed Woody Bird, is
tracted numerous appre ciative onlookers during the owned by Larr y Woodfin of Lake City, Florida. The airweek. It is owned by James Strong of Williamsville, New plane has been part of his family for nearly two decades.
York, and was awarded Outstanding Classic Aircraft.
continued on page 39
18 JUNE 2010

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The

Douglas
DC-3

75 years of service: Part 2

by Henry M. Holden
World War II
In September 1939, war broke
out in Europe. The Douglas Aircraft
Company was suddenly swamped
with orders for the C-47, which
was still on the drawing board. As
a stopgap measure, Douglas engineers modified the DC-2. They assembled a DC-2 fuselage to a DC-3
tail, added more powerful engines,

20 JUNE 2010

and called it the C-39. The Army

ordered 35 of them, and it became
the nucleus for the Armys first air
transport group.
By December 7, 1941, the Army
Air Corps had ordered 957 C-47s.
The orders flooded the Santa Monica plant, and Douglas opened a
plant in Long Beach, California.
Before war production ended,

Douglas opened plants in Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Oklahoma.

In 1942, massive wartime orders
began to pour into the Douglas
plants. By December 1942, Douglas received orders for 5,500 C-47s
and its variants.
Orders kept coming in, but the
next massive order came in February
1944, when the Army asked Doug-

The British called it

the Dak and the
acronym based on
DACoTA, which
stood for Douglas
Aircraft Company

AUTHORS COLLECTION

Dakota, a clever

Left: As a stopgap measure, until the C-47 was available, Douglas engineers modified the DC-2. They attached a DC-2 fuselage to a DC-3 tail,
added more powerful engines, and called it the C-39.

Transport Aircraft.
Above: This C-47 is launching a Waco CG-4 behind it in a practice flight
leading up to D-Day. Notice both the C-47 and the glider are wearing invasion stripes.

NATIONAL ARCHIVES

las to manufacture an additional

2,000 C-47s. June saw another order
for 1,100 C-47s. The last order, for
1,469 C-47s and its variants, came
in July 1944, but not all of this order
was completed.
Douglas delivered 2,000 C-47s by
April 1944, in time for the D-Day
invasion. By that time, the Oklahoma City plant was turning out
a record 1.8 C-47s an hour, besides
the other aircraft it was producing.
In May 1944, two plants, Oklahoma
City and Long Beach, produced 573

completed C-47s. During that 31day period the production output

was equivalent to 18.5 planes a day.
In May 1945, the Long Beach plant
alone produced more than 415 C47s, in addition to 120 Boeing B-17
bombers in the same month.
Based on the same engineering
design, from outward appearances,
the C-47 was almost the twin sister of the DC-3; the astrodome and
the barn door on the left side of
the aft cabin were the most obvious
differences. Beneath the looks, the
C-47 production presented many
design challenges for Douglas.
The C-47 wasnt a very hard airplane to sell; it was just a question
of putting the right type of door on
it, said Arthur Raymond, Douglas
assistant chief engineer.

The Army wanted a large cargoloading door, and that was a challenge. Douglas engineers realized that
to cut the door opening they would
need to reinforce the airframe or the
tail would fall off. With the new door
opening, the Army could roll a Jeep
or small artillery piece into the airplane, but the floor would not support the weight. Reinforcing the floor
added even more weight to the airplane. Weight-and-balance engineers
trimmed and changed the shape of
the rudder and stabilizer slightly until they got the desired results.
Although the C-47 was a universal transport, the constant military
modifications resulted in an assortment of models and designations.
It became difficult to track them. In
all, there were 69 variants, all having

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21

AUTHORS COLLECTION

Paratroopers are waiting to board a C-47 for a practice

jump. By December 7, 1941, the Army Air Corps had
ordered 957 C-47s. One year into the war, Douglas had
received orders for 5,500 C-47s and its variants.

AUTHORS COLLECTION

The U.S. Air Force used the C-47 as an ambulance

ship as did its predecessor, the Army Air Forces. The
C-47 ambulance reduced the time it took to get the
wounded to surgery, and it saved many lives.

VIA COERT MUNK

22 JUNE 2010

AUTHORS COLLECTION

Air Force C-47s are seen here unloading tons of supplies to the beleaguered city of Berlin. In the first
three months of the blockade, C-47s made more than
12,000 round trips between West Germany and Berlin.

AUTHORS COLLECTION

The DC-3/C-47 adapted to almost every role into

which it was placed. One variant of the C-47 that was
unsuccessful was the XC-47 on floats. The XC-47C
was equipped with two Edo Model 78 floats. The XC47C was limited and could operate only on smooth
water. One hundred sets of floats were ordered from
Edo, and the C-47C saw limited service in New Guinea
and Alaska.

This Soviet Unionbuilt C-47 was designated Lisunov

Li-2 after aeronautical engineer Boris Pavlovich Lisunov,
who had spent two years at the Douglas plant. Originally designated the PS-84, it had flown with Aeroflot
primarily as a passenger transport before World War II.
It was redesignated the Li-2 when the war broke out,
and NATOs code name for it was Cab.

AUTHORS COLLECTION

The C-47 truly saw service in every theater of World War II.
Here one is seen flying over part of Egypt. At the end of the
war, many C-47s were released to their host countries via
lend-lease agreements. One C-47 was converted back to
passenger operations and was used to start Saudi Airlines.
their roots in the DC-2 and DC-3.
The C-47 had a major influence
on the outcome of the war. During
the first airdrop of the Sicilian Campaign, called Operation Ladbroke, on
June 9, 1943, 147 aircraft, including
112 C-47s towing 137 Waco CG-4
and eight Horsa gliders, carried 1,600
British troops. It was the most successful aerial assault. The glider missions that followed were disasters.
Operation Husky 1 involved 226
C-47s and 3,400 paratroopers from
the 82nd Airborne Division. Eight
C-47s were lost to enemy action.
Operation Husky 2 was nearly a
complete disaster. After 144 C-47s
dropped 2,000 troops to reinforce

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

This C-47 was flown into Berlin to commemorate the

end of the Berlin Airlift. C-47s supplied the barricaded
city for months, flying around the clock, in every type
of weather. Later the Air Force standardized the airlift
operations, using the Douglas C-54 Skymaster.

the 82nd Airborne, 23 C-47s were

lost, and more than 60 were badly
damaged. Operation Fustian, on
July 13, involved 132 C-47s. Of
those, 14 C-47s were lost and 50
badly damaged; 27 returned without completing their drops. After that, the U.S. Army Air Forces
(USAAF) used special invasion
stripes for all Allied aircraft.
On June 6, 1944, D-Day, the
ground invasion of Europe by Allied forces began. Part of this contingent was the largest airborne
armada ever assembled to that
point. The first wave of transports
included 821 C-47s. In the first 24
hours, there were at least 1,674 sor-

ties by C-47s, towing 513 gliders,

from more than 20 bases in England. At the height of the invasion
one C-47 took off every 11 seconds,
with an average of 20 paratroopers
aboard each aircraft. They flew in
waves of four abreast and stretched
more than 200 miles from the
southern coast of England to the
Cherbourg Peninsula.
The steady stream of transports
kept coming and coming in an endless sky train, CBS correspondent
Charles Collingwood reported.
The awe of it stopped the fighting
in some sectors as men looked skyward with unbelieving eyes.
By the end of the war, the C-47

HENRY M. HOLDEN
COURTESY VIC FOUCHE, DAKOTA ASSOC. OF SOUTH AFRICA

This South African Air Force C-47 had most of its rudder and elevator blown away by a surface-to-air missile
in 1987. The pilot brought the plane in for a safe landing, claiming the damage made little difference to the
planes handling.

To honor Vietnam veteran Sgt. John L. Levitow, the

lowest-ranking Air Force member ever to earn the
Medal of Honor, the American Flight Museum, in Topeka, Kansas, purchased a C-47 airframe (USAAF,
c/n 43-16369), registered N2805J, and converted
it to a replica of Levitows AC-47 gunship.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

had carried 22 million tons of

goods and flown 67 million passenger miles. The C-47s under the Air
Transport Command logged on average 15 to 19 hours a day in the air.
For every use found for the C-47,
someone created a new nickname.
Americans called it the Gooney Bird,
Doug, Dumbo, Old Fatso, Charlie
47, Skytrain, Skytrooper, and Tabby.
The British called it the Dak and
the Dakota, a clever acronym
based on DACoTA, which stood for
Douglas Aircraft Company Transport Aircraft.
The Royal Canadian Air Force
called one squadron of Dakotas The
Flying Elephants. The Russians

COURTESY PBA, AUTHORS COLLECTION

The all-time high-timer: Provincetown-Boston Airlines N136PB, c/n 1997,

started out on October 27, 1937, as ship 341 with Eastern Air Lines as
N18121. It went to the USAAF on June 8, 1942, as a C-49G, registered 4256631, and back to Eastern near the end of the war on July 22, 1944, with
its old N number. In December 1978, PBA registered it as N136PB. The
ship had 82,873 hours and had flown the equivalent of 12,438,735 miles.
The last reported time was 91,400.02 in August 1993.

COURTESY AMERICAN AIRLINES

American Airlines flagship NC21798, c/n2202, is seen

here on its way to the C.R. Smith Museum in Dallas,
Texas, in 1992. Today it is on display inside the museum.
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

This flight of four U.S. Marine Corps C-117D (Super DC-3), redesignated from R4D-8, illustrates the
changes to the wings and empennage made for the
Super DC-3. In 1949 the Super DC-3 was an effort
by Douglas to catch up to an airline market that had
outgrown the DC-3. The Super DC-3 was unsuccessful in landing any more substantial airline orders;
the Navy bought the 102 copies that Douglas had
remanufactured from DC-3 airframes.

AUTHORS COLLECTION

This is a Navy R4D-5, the Navy version of the C-47, BuNo.

17274, c/n 14332/25777. It was USAAF 43-48516
delivered August 28, 1944. It participated in Operation
Deep Freeze, a series of missions to Antarctica. Eventually it was used as a taxi with its outer wings removed
until it was lost on an ice floe in the Ross Sea in 1962.

AUTHORS COLLECTION

24 JUNE 2010

C/n 3283, DC-3-343A, NC28379 was delivered on

March 21, 1941, as United Airlines Mainliner Washington/Klamath Falls. It was registered as N144D when it
was sold to Ozark Air Lines in 1954.

75th Anniversary of DC-3s:

50 plus DC-3s will be ocking to join
the AirVenture birthday bash

Opening day concert by Chicago

Monday, July 26, presented by
Ford Motor Company

More than 800 Exhibitors

Its the worlds largest
aviation shopping mall!

The Worlds Greatest Aviation Celebration | July 26 August 1 | www.airventure.org

Salute to Veterans
a week-long celebration featuring Collection of World War I
ying replicas
special Vietnam-era Air Show and
on display & taking to the sky
the 75th anniversary of the B-17

More than 500

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Night Air Show

Saturday night FIRST EVER!

formed fly-by-night operations.

But the war had spurred massive aviation advances, and the DC-3 would
find itself slowly pushed aside as the
larger, faster four-engine airliners
such as the DC-4, DC-6, and DC-7
came on the scene.

Berlin Airlift

HENRY M. HOLDEN

Delta Air Lines NC28341 is the former N29PR. After more than three and
a half years of refurbishing the old freight dog, Deltas ship 41 received
its airworthiness certificate from the FAA on October 26, 1999. It was
photographed at Oshkosh, Wisconsin, in 2000.
called it the PS-84 and the Li-2.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization gave the Russian Li-2 the code
name CAB. The French Navy called
it The Beast. It even enjoyed the
fleeting nickname Biscuit Bomber,
after dropping 5,000 cases of rations
to Gen. Pattons troops in France.
Civilian pilots called it The
Three, Old Methuselah, The
Placid Plodder, The Dowager
Dutchess, The Flying Vagrant,
and The Dizzy Three. In Vietnam,
it earned the sobriquets Puff the
Magic Dragon, Puff, Spooky,
and The Dragon Ship.

Most people remember Gooney

Bird. Some say the name came from
the South Pacific, where small atolls
were the home of the wandering
albatross, the giant seagull-like bird
noted for its powers of flight and
sometimes unflattering but safe
landings. Some GIs said the C-47
looked like the bird, with a heavy
body and long wings, and mimicked the bird in its struggle to get
off the rain-soaked dirt fields.
After the war, the DC-3 went back
into civilian use with the major airlines. Hundreds more were sold as
surplus to entrepreneurs who often

AUTHORS COLLECTION

This photo shows hundreds of C-47s and CG-4 gliders staging for an
aerial invasion. Operation Fustian, on July 13, 1943, involved 132 C-47s.
Of those, 14 C-47s were lost and 50 badly damaged; 27 returned without
completing their drops. After that, the USAAF used special invasion
stripes for all Allied aircraft. Note the absence of invasion stripes on
these aircraft.
26 JUNE 2010

On June 24, 1948, the Russians

blockaded the land routes into the
Allied sector of Berlin. The USAF
and the Royal Air Force used C-47s
(and C-54s) as the leading edge of a
15-month airlift of food, medicine,
and fuel that neared the total tonnage moved during World War II.
At first, C-47s comprised 85 percent of the total aircraft flown. Many
flew with 8,000-pound payloads,
again greatly exceeding the Douglas
specifications. Through an error in an
invoice, one C-47 flew 13,500 pounds
of pierced steel planking (PSP) instead of the intended payload of PAP,
pierced aluminum planking, more
than twice the weight recommended.
Of course, the plane protested and
was reluctant to fly, but it did anyway. When it landed, tail wheel first,
the weight blew both main tires.
The full extent of the C-47s help
may never be known, but it is known
that in the first three months of the
blockade, C-47s made more than
12,000 round trips between West Germany and Berlin. One C-47 flew continuously for 327 hours, 27 minutes.
The C-47s supplied the barricaded city
for months, hauling food, coal, and
everything else needed to run a city,
by flying around the clock, in every
type of weather. Later the Air Force
standardized the airlift operations using the Douglas C-54 Skymaster.
On September 23, 1949, 321
days after the Russians blockaded
the city, the last C-47 flew into Berlin. Stenciled on the side were the
words, Positively the last load from
Lbeck. Beneath this was written,
For they intended evil against thee;
they imagined a mischievous device,
which they were not able to perform.
Psalm 21: Verse 11. The C-47/Dakota had kept West Berlin alive, and
the world out of another war.

THE SPIRIT OF AVIATION

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Vintage
Mechanic

THE

BY ROBERT G. LOCK

Engine installations: Part I

ve been asked some questions
recently regarding engine installations on various antique
aircraft, so I thought it would
make a good topic for this issue. Engine installations can be classified as
original factory or modified. Many
older aircraft require modification
of the airplanes engine installation
because the engine is unreliable or
there is a scarcity of parts to keep it
airworthy. Safety is the prime motivator for me when considering engine installations. Many Travel Air
aircraft have been modified from
their original Wright J-5 engines to
a more reliable Continental W-670.
Or perhaps one wants to install
the original engine, but update the
means of shock mounting. The photograph on this page shows a 1929
Command-Aire 5C3 with an original Curtiss Challenger engine installation. The only shock mount
provided was a leather washer between the engine and mount. A lot
of vibration passed into the airframe
with this installation.
When I installed a Wright R-760
in my Command-Aire, I fabricated an engine mount ring from
scratch using engine shock mounts
from the Boeing Stearman biplane.
Gas welding all those mounts to a
newly formed ring was a challenging job. I didnt know at the time
that if one took a mount ring from
a Stearman PT-13D and removed
and relocated the two lower shock
mounts, it would fit the Wright. So,
on aircraft that have incorporated

28 JUNE 2010

The only shock mount provided on the Command-Aire was a leather

washer between the engine and mount. Quite a bit of vibration was
transmitted to the airframe.

mount rings from Boeing Stearman

aircraft, how does one adapt the
shock mount bushings and washer?
Take a look at Figure 1.
The sketch on the page 30 comes
from the Handbook of Service Instructions for PT-13/PT-17/PT-18 airplanes, published September 25,
1940. Figure 1 shows the rubber
bushings and washers, along with
the aluminum washers and spacer
that can be purchased from Dusters
& Sprayers Supply Inc. in Chickasha, Oklahoma.
The next question is, What is
the torque of the nut on the bolt?
While it is difficult to locate a torque
value in my reference data, it would
appear that the drawing speaks
volumes. One must compress the
rubber until the two large area aluminum washers contact the center
bushing. Then line up the cotter pin
hole and safety the bolt. Figure 2 is

an assembly view of a Boeing PT13D engine shock mount.

Next, if you mount a Wright
R-760 engine in a modified Boeing
PT-13 Lycoming mount ring, it will
be necessary to cut down the lower
aluminum washers because the engine case is in close proximity to the
mount. I even had to grind a little
off the lug on the right side of the
engine, just behind the No. 5 cylinder. Here it would be advantageous
to fit the mount to the engine before installing it on the airframe.
Proper venting of both the engine and oil tank is an important
issue to be considered. The oil tank
must be vented to prevent pressure
build-up. Oil tanks are constructed
to withstand an internal pressure of
5 psi. Pressure build-up will cause
oil to blow out of the weakest link
in the oil systemor cause the tank
to rupture. In some installations

Here are the mount rings from a Boeing Stearman aircraft.

the engine is vented to the tank,

and then the tank is vented overboard. Thus the tank acts as a large
air/oil separator. In some installations the oil tank is vented to the
engine accessory case, and then the
case is vented overboard.
Crankcase pressures are caused by
what is called blowby, which is combustion chamber pressure bypassing
around piston rings during the compression stroke. The more worn the
piston rings, the more crankcase pressure. Case pressure is vented overboard by the crankcase vent. After
flight when the airplane is secure, if
a large puddle of oil and water pools
under the crankcase vent line, this
indicates significant piston ring wear.
Figure 3 is from a Boeing PT-17
Continental R-670 oil system showing the oil tank and crankcase vent
lines. When interpreting this drawing, assume the firewall is on the
right next to the oil tank and the
engine accessory case is on the left
where the fittings are shown.
In most cases the engine manufacturer recommends engine installation details, and the airframe
manufacturer actually designs the
installation. For engine OEM (original equipment manufacturer) requirements, consult the overhaul
manual. In most cases there will be
details of how the engine and systems should be installed. A few of
the old engines may not have this
section, but I know that Wright,
Continental, and Lycoming all
have a dedicated section.
M o s t s m a l l , s i n g l e - r o w, a i r cooled radial engines vent through
the accessory case. However, the
Wright R-760 also breathes through
the forward crankshaft, nose section, power case, and accessory
case! The Wright R-760 in my Command-Aire breathes from the oil
tank to the carburetor air scoop.
Some oil systems breathe directly
from the accessory case of the engine into the slipstream below the
engine cowling. This usually results
in a mess on the belly of the ship.
The installation of an accessory
firewall can help keep engine heat

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29

from impacting the area between

the engine and firewall, which is
normally where the oil tank is located. Typically the Wright R-760
engines had heat problems, mostly

high oil-operating temperatures.

Wood Propeller Installation

All wood propellers will have
high-strength steel hubs. The en-

gine crankshaft will have a master

spline that should line up on the
top dead center on the compression
stroke of the No. 1 cylinder. Some
propellers are indexed at 90 degrees

FIGURE 1
(Boeing PT-13/-17/-18 Handbook)

30 JUNE 2010

FIGURE 2
(Boeing PT-13D Parts Manual)

to the crank throw. That means the

master spline will be pointed toward the No. 1 cylinder centerline.
The wood prop should be installed

at 90 degrees to the master spline,

or in other words, the prop centerline would be in the horizontal
position. However, if OEM instruc-

tions are available, always follow

them. With the through bolts and
front plate installed, thread the
nuts over a washer and snug the
nuts. Tighten the attaching bolts in
small increments using a calibrated
torque wrench using a sequence
that tightens bolts or nuts 180 degrees across from each other. Never
torque in a circle. If one views a
clock, the torquing process should
be started at the 12 oclock position, then the 6 position, then the
3 position, then the 9 position, etc.
A check of the Sensenich propeller website at www.Sensenich.
com shows a torque chart (Figure
4) for installation of wood propellers. Use the OEM instructions such
as those provided on the Sensenich
websiteweve touched on just a
portion of the instructions here,
pointing out a few items we think
are worth highlighting.
It is a good idea to check the
track of the prop blade frequently
while tightening the bolts. Check

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31

FIGURE 3
(Boeing Handbook of Service Instructions)
the track of the blade tips by rotating the tips past some fixed object
on the floor. (See the illustration
on the page 33.) The tips must
track within 1/8 inch of each other
when the installation is complete.
When torquing is complete, safety
the bolts using 0.040-inch stainless steel wire. Wire the attaching
bolts in pairs; do not use continuous wire. In the case where wood
props have hub attachments using

large AN8 bolts with AN310 castle nuts, torque gently until reaching the value shown in the chart.
Safety the castle nuts using cotter
pins and bend as shown in Figure 5.

Torquing a Metal Propeller

Torque metal propellers by referring to the illustration and the OEM
instructions, if available. Torque
should be 625 to 750 foot-pounds.
For example, if the prop bar is 4 feet

long, a weight of 160 to 190 pounds

should be applied by means of the
bar. While the weight is on the bar,
the bar should be struck near the
nut with a hammer weighing not
more than 2-1/2 pounds.
After the nut has been properly
tightened, it should be locked by
inserting a clevis pin through the
holes provided in the end of the
crankshaft and in the retaining nut.
The head of the clevis pin should
point toward the inside, or center, of
the crankshaft, as when it is installed
in this manner, centrifugal force
tends to hold the pin in place. The
clevis pin is locked with a cotter pin.
It should be noted that the pin should
be slightly loose, and on each preflight inspection the pilot can move
the pin. A tight clevis pin indicates
the propeller torque has loosened.

Recommended Spark Plugs

FIGURE 4
32 JUNE 2010

Consult the appropriate aircraft

engine specification sheet for approved spark plugs. I can offer that
spark plugs approved for most lowcompression air-cooled single-row

FIGURE 5
(Aircraft Engine Maintenance, by Brimm & Bogess, 1939)
radial engines are all similar.
The two major spark plug
manufacturers are Champion and Unison (Autolite).
Most single-row radial
engines use short-reach
18-mm spark plugs. Differences include the harness-to-plug attachment
nutsome could be 5/8
inch-24 thread, and others could be 3/4 inch-20
thread. Most plugs are
shielded and require a
shielded harness assemb l y. T h e r e i s o n l y o n e
plug available that is not
shielded. There are masFIGURE 6
sive electrode and fine(Aircraft Engine Maintenance, by Brimm &
wire plugs. The fine-wire
Bogess, 1939)
plugs were previously
identified as platinum
plugs, but now they are iridium.
designators. Example: URHM-40E.
Spark plug manufacturers iden- Both Unison and Champion manutify types of plugs approved for vari- als can be downloaded from their
ous engines. Most ignition harnesses respective websites.
As a sidelight, I have been runhave the 3/4 inch-20 threads and
are short reach. You can access the ning Autolite SH-20A massive threeChampion website at www.Champion prong electrode spark plugs in my
Aerospace.com, and the Unison web- engines for years, with very good service life. When I was in Army avisite at www.AutoliteAnnie.com.
Here are a few common engines ation we used these spark plugs in
and approved spark plugs from
Champion:
Continental W-670 RHM40E, M40E (unshielded), and
RHM-38S
Wright R-760Same as above.
WarnerSame as above.
RangerSame as above.
Jacobs R-755 (L-4) Same
as above except no M40E
(unshielded).
Lycoming R-680Same as above.
Spark plugs from Unison (Autolite) have similar designators except
for a U in front of the Champion

Tracking a propeller tip

during installation.
(Aircraft Engine Maintenance, by
Brimm & Bogess, 1939)
all Continental O-470 and Pratt &
Whitney R-985 engines. The plugs
were replaced on the even periodic inspections, thus they had 200 or fewer
hours of operation. Instead of throwing them away, I threw them into my
toolbox, and they somehow wound
up in Reedley! The final point on
spark plugs is to use the plugs recommended by the engine OEM.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 33

Vintage
Instructor
THE

BY Steve Krog, CFI

Fearing (and Understanding)

Crosswinds: Part 1
Mention the term crosswind landing to any group
of hangar flying pilots and each will have a tale to tell. In
candid one-on-one conversations, many pilots will tell
you crosswind landings are the single most uncomfortable (feared) maneuver they have to perform in generalaviation (GA) pleasure flying. Ask them why and they will
tell you they lack crosswind landing confidence, received
minimal crosswind training, and rarely (if ever) practice
crosswind landings.
Unfortunately, the lack of crosswind training, lack of ongoing practice, and thus a lack of confidence deny many of
us the opportunity to enjoy the pleasures of flight on beautiful, albeit breezy, visual flight rules (VFR) days. Be honest
with yourself; how many times have you gone to the airport
on a blue-sky day intending to fly to a pancake breakfast
and then, after a thorough preflight, decided against the
flight because the wind seems to be picking up and Ill have
to make a crosswind landing at the breakfast destination?
Why is that? And what can we, as GA pilots, do to alleviate the fear of the crosswind?
For discussion purposes, lets define a crosswind as a
wind that is 10 degrees or greater off the runway centerline on which the landing is intended and the wind velocity is measureable, usually 10 mph or greater.
We need to determine the approximate crosswind
component, which is the component of the wind vector that is trying to push the airplane sideways (see the
Figure 1). In Figure A the 30-knot wind approximately 20

degrees from the left gives us a crosswind component of

only 10 knots. In Figure B the 90-degree, 12-knot wind
gives us a crosswind component of 12 knots.
There are two methods for calculating the crosswind
component: The first is the crosswind component
chart. The crosswind component chart is simple and
easy to use and takes but a minute or two to become
familiar with.

FIGURE 2

FIGURE 1
34 JUNE 2010

This is an example of the standard Civil Air Patrol

(CAP) Crosswind Chart. Using the example of a 30knot wind that is 30 degrees off the runway centerline,
we can determine that we have a 15-knot crosswind
component. First select the wind velocity on the vertical scale at left; then follow the 30-knot arc around to
the point where it intersects the 30-degree diagonal
line. At the point of intersection follow the vertical
line down to the horizontal scale indicating the crosswind component, which is 15 knots.

For those of you who like to play on the computer,

do a Google search for Crosswind Component Chart
and youll find pages of charts. (If youre a smart phone
user, yeah, theres an app for that.HGF)
If a crosswind component chart is not handy, there
are some general rules of thumb that you might want
to keep in mind:
If the crosswind is 20 degrees off the runway centerline, the crosswind component is 25 percent of the
wind velocity.
If the wind is 40 degrees off the runway centerline, the
crosswind component is 50 percent of the wind velocity.
If the wind is 60 degrees or more off the runway
centerline, the crosswind component is 75 percent of
the wind velocity.
If the wind is 90 degrees off the runway centerline, the
crosswind component is 100 percent of the wind velocity.
Now that weve determined how to calculate the
crosswind componenteither by computer, graph,
or the crosswind general rules of thumbwe need
to determine what the crosswind capabilities are of
the aircraft being flown. Many airplanes that fall into
the vintage category do not have a pilot operators
handbook, nor do they have any published information about crosswind components. When many of
these airplanes were designed, airports consisted of a
quarter-section of turf, and everyone always landed
into the wind. However, when runways replaced the
turf fields, dealing with crosswinds became an issue.
Due to a lack of published information from the
various airplane manufacturers, the FAA developed
standards for addressing crosswinds.
Before an airplane is type certificated by the FAA,
it must be demonstrated in flight to be satisfactorily
controllable with no exceptional degree of pilot skill
or alertness in 90-degree crosswinds up to a velocity equal to 0.2 VSO. This means a wind speed of twotenths of the airplanes stalling speed with power off
and landing gear/flaps down. Regulations require that
the demonstrated crosswind velocity be included on a
placard in airplanes certificated after May 3, 1962.
Using an example of a 1929 Travel Air 4000 powered
by a Continental 220-hp radial engine and a stall speed of
approximately 55 mph, the crosswind component is 11
mph. For a Piper J-3 Cub with a 65-hp Continental and a
stall speed of 38 mph, the crosswind component is about
8 mph. Having flown both of these airplanes, I know they
will handle significantly more than this formula indicates. Remember, these are FAA standards, which are general in nature in order for the aircraft to be certificated.
Surface winds at the airport of destination are oftentimes gusting. For example: surface winds 240 degrees
at 10 mph and gusting to 20 mph. How does one understand and plan for dealing with gusts?
Again, there is a general rule of thumb for handling
gusty wind conditions; it recommends adding onehalf of the gust amount to the aircraft approach speed.

Using the J-3 Cub as an example, which recommends

a 60-mph approach speed, based on the stated winds
above, there is a 10-mph gust amount. Add 5 mph to
the normal approach speed and fly the final approach
at 65 mph. The added airspeed is insurance for sudden
wind changes close to the ground by providing more
responsive control authority while compensating for
the wind variations. However, there is also a downside
to the added airspeed, as it will result in a longer landing distance.
Now that weve come to an understanding of crosswinds, how to interpret them, and what your airplane
is generally capable of doing, the final part of the crosswind equation is you, the pilot:
What is your current skill and comfort level?
Do you get a pit in your stomach every time you
have to deal with a crosswind?
How often have you denied yourself the opportunity to enjoy a great pleasure flight because the wind
seems a bit too strong?
How often do you practice crosswind landings?
In the next issue well take a look at different methods for making crosswind landings, along with offering some tips to raise your comfort level and expand
your personal flight envelope.
There is an old saying that definitely applies to pilots: Confidence comes from practice; caution comes
from knowing your limits.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 35

by H.G. FRAUTSCHY

MYSTERY PLANE
This months Mystery Plane comes to us from Louis King of
Houston, Texas. A word of cautionits not what you may think
when you first look at it!

Send your answer to EAA,

Vintage Airplane, P.O. Box 3086,
Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Your
answer needs to be in no later
than July 15 for inclusion in

the September 2010 issue of

Vintage Airplane.
You can also send your response via e-mail. Send your
answer to mysteryplane@eaa.org.

Be sure to include your name

plus your city and state in the
body of your note and put
(Month) Mystery Plane in the
subject line.

MARCHS MYSTERY ANSWER

ur March 2010 Mystery Plane came to
us from Jack Austin of Florence, South
Carolina. Our first answer came from
one of our first 100 members, Lynn
Towns of Holt, Michigan:
The March Mystery Plane is a Sullivan K-3 Crested
Harpy. The Sullivan K-3 was a very clean and modernlooking design for 1929.
The Sullivan K-3 was a three-place plane that was
built in 1929 by the Sullivan Aircraft Manufacturing

36 JUNE 2010

Company. William P. Sullivan was president of the

Sullivan Aircraft Manufacturing Company, which was
located at 630 East Gilbert Street in Wichita, Kansas.
The plane in the photo is identification number
X370M, serial number 1. As shown in the photo, the
plane is powered by a 100-hp Kinner K-5 engine, but
registration records indicate that when this plane was
initially registered, it was powered by an Anzani engine.
The two other production planes were apparently powered with 100-hp Kinner K-5 engines as in the picture.

The plane had a 36-foot wingspan and a 24-footlength. The only performance figures I could find were
that the airplane had a payload of 766 pounds, and
the speeds were 126 mph top speed, 105 mph cruising
speed, and 44 mph stall speed.
Reports indicate that Jake Mollendick, who had
been the president of the Swallow Airplane Manufacturing Company (which had previously gone out
of business), might have had some involvement with
this company.
Identification numbers for the Sullivan K-3 (as
gleaned from www.Aerofiles.com) include:
X370M, serial number 1
484N, serial number 2
127V, serial number 3
James M. (Jim) Stothers adds that William
P. Sullivan (3/20/189010/24/1971) was associated with American Fokker, Clarence Chamberlain, and Burnelli before the Crested Harpy, and
later he was with Hughes Aircraft, from which he
retired after 16 years of service. He survived the
1906 San Francisco earthquake and served in the
U.S. Navy, during which he fl ew shore patrol out
of Pensacola in both fixed-wings and blimps.
Other correct answers were received from Walt
House, Wichita, Kansas; Wayne Muxlow, Minneapolis, Minnesota; and Wes Smith of Springfield,
Illinois.

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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 37

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

MISCELLANEOUS
Flying wires available. 1994 pricing. Visit www.flyingwires.
com or call 800-517-9278.
AIRPLANE T-SHIRTS 150 different airplanes available. WE
PROBABLY HAVE YOUR AIRPLANE! www.airplanetshirts.
com or call 1-800-645-7739. We also do Custom T-shirts and
Caps for Clubs.
www.aerolist.org, Aviations Leading Marketplace.
Are you tired of hauling to EAA every year? Storage units
available for rent as low as $50/month less than 1 mile from
EAA grounds. Call Todd @ (920)850-0502.

SERVICES
Always Flying Aircraft Restoration, LLC: Annual Inspections,
Airframe recovering, fabric repairs and complete restorations.
Wayne A. Forshey A&P & I.A. 740-472-1481 Ohio and
bordering states.
Biplane Builder Ltd. Restoration, fabric, paint, fabrications,
paperwork with 53 completed projects, Wacos, Moths, Champs,
Pitts etc. Test flights and delivery. Indiana 812-343-8879 mike@
biplanebuilder.com, www.biplanebuilder.com.

TM

38 JUNE 2010

EAA Calendar of Aviation Events Is Now Online

EAAs online Calendar of Events is the go-to spot on
the Web to list and find aviation events in your area. The
user-friendly, searchable format makes it the perfect webbased tool for planning your local trips to a fly-in.
In EAAs online Calendar of Events, you can search
for events at any given time within a certain radius of any
airport by entering the identifier or a ZIP code, and you
can further define your search to look for just the types of
events youd like to attend.
We invite you to access the EAA online Calendar of
Events at http://www.eaa.org/calendar/

Upcom ing M ajor F l y - I ns

Golden West Regional Fly-In and Air Show
Yuba County Airport (MYV)
Marysville, California
June 11-13, 2010
www.GoldenWestFlyIn.org
Arlington Fly-In
Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO)
Arlington, Washington
July 7-11, 2010
www.ArlingtonFlyIn.org
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh
Wittman Regional Airport (OSH)
Oshkosh, Wisconsin
July 26-August 1, 2010
www.AirVenture.org
Colorado Sport International Air Show and
Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In
Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (BJC)
Denver, Colorado
August 28-29 2010
www.COSportAviation.org
Mid-Eastern Regional Fly-In
Grimes Field Airport (I74), Urbana, Ohio
September 11-12, 2010
www.MERFI.info
Copperstate Fly-In
Casa Grande Municipal Airport (CGZ)
Casa Grande, Arizona
October 21-23, 2010
www.COPPERSTATE.org
Southeast Regional Fly-In
Middleton Field Airport (GZH)
Evergreen, Alabama
October 22-24, 2010
www.SERFI.org
Fo r d e t a i l s o n h u n d re d s o f u p co m i n g av i at i o n
happenings, including EAA chapter fly-ins, Young Eagles
rallies, and other local aviation events, visit the EAA
Calendar of Events located at www.eaa.org/calendar.

Sun n Fun Wrap-Up continued from page 18

N2032V, a 1947 Cessna 120, is

registered to Allen Vehrs of Fayetteville, Georgia.

This color ful 1960 de Havilland

DHC-2 Beaver, N416WY, is registered to Beaver Air Express LLC of
Tampa, Florida.

N6041, a 1942 Boeing A75, is registered to Donald Marteney of Sarasota, Florida.

Vaughn Grasso of Oak Hill, Florida,

is listed as the owner of NC41630,
a 1941 Culver LFA Cadet. Its diminutive size was accentuated by its
flightline neighbor, a towering Howard DGA-15P.

Lars de Jounge of Vero Beach is a frequent visitor to Sun n Fun. He set up camp by his 1941
de Havilland Tiger Moth.

Fly in to our 23rd Annual

Sh
a

Among the Swifts present at Sun n Fun this spring was

this colorful 1946 Globe GC-1B (N80762), registered to
Austin Breining of Vero Beach, Florida. Note the originalstyle hatch and roll-down windows.

no Community
a
w

2010

FLY OUT
ring Classic

u
Feat

Wings & Wheels

AY

This 1946 Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser (NC92587) is owned

by David Merriwether of Miramar Beach, Florida. It was
awarded Best Custom Classic (101-160 hp) this year.

D ST
SATUYR3
1
JU L

Shawano
Airport (EZS)
CTAF: 122.8 AWOS: 118.650
N5468 N. Airport Rd., Shawano, WI

8 a.m. - 2 p.m.

James Andem of Navarre, Florida, is listed as the owner

of N9597K, a 1947 Universal Stinson 108-2. Fondly
nicknamed Joy Ride, this Flying Station Wagon has a
Sensenich wooden prop.

*Airplanes arrive / depart

between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m.

Pi
Recleoits
ve
F
BreaRkEE
& Gifftast
!
Runways:
11/29-3900 ft. paved
17/35-2225 ft. paved
All runways left traffic

Contact us to register your plane or for more information...

800/235-8528 tourism@shawano.com
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39

VINTAGE
AIRCRAFT
ASSOCIATION
OFFICERS
President
Geoff Robison
1521 E. MacGregor Dr.
New Haven, IN 46774
260-493-4724
chief7025@aol.com

Vice-President
George Daubner
N57W34837 Pondview Ln
Oconomowoc, WI 53066
262-560-1949
gdaubner@eaa.org

Secretary
Steve Nesse
2009 Highland Ave.
Albert Lea, MN 56007
507-373-1674
stnes2009@live.com

DIRECTORS

Steve Bender
85 Brush Hill Road
Sherborn, MA 01770
508-653-7557
sst10@comcast.net

Jeannie Hill
P.O. Box 328
Harvard, IL 60033-0328
815-943-7205

David Bennett
375 Killdeer Ct
Lincoln, CA 95648
916-645-8370
antiquer@inreach.com

Espie Butch Joyce

704 N. Regional Rd.
Greensboro, NC 27409
336-668-3650
windsock@aol.com

Jerry Brown
4605 Hickory Wood Row
Greenwood, IN 46143
317-422-9366
lbrown4906@aol.com

Dan Knutson
106 Tena Marie Circle
Lodi, WI 53555
608-592-7224
lodicub@charter.net

Dave Clark
635 Vestal Lane
Plainfield, IN 46168
317-839-4500
davecpd@att.net

Steve Krog
1002 Heather Ln.
Hartford, WI 53027
262-966-7627
sskrog@aol.com

John S. Copeland
1A Deacon Street
Northborough, MA 01532
508-393-4775
copeland1@juno.com

Robert D. Bob Lumley

1265 South 124th St.
Brookfield, WI 53005
262-782-2633
lumper@execpc.com

Phil Coulson
28415 Springbrook Dr.
Lawton, MI 49065
269-624-6490
rcoulson516@cs.com

S.H. Wes Schmid

2359 Lefeber Avenue
Wauwatosa, WI 53213
414-771-1545
shschmid@gmail.com

Dale A. Gustafson
7724 Shady Hills Dr.
Indianapolis, IN 46278
317-293-4430
dalefaye@msn.com

Membership Services Directory

Enjoy the many benefits of EAA and
EAAs Vintage Aircraft Association
Phone (920) 426-4800

Robert C. Brauer
9345 S. Hoyne
Chicago, IL 60643
773-779-2105
photopilot@aol.com

E.E. Buck Hilbert

8102 Leech Rd.
Union, IL 60180
815-923-4591
buck7ac@gmail.com

Gene Chase
2159 Carlton Rd.
Oshkosh, WI 54904
920-231-5002
GRCHA@charter.net

Gene Morris
5936 Steve Court
Roanoke, TX 76262
817-491-9110
genemorris@charter.net

Ronald C. Fritz
15401 Sparta Ave.
Kent City, MI 49330
616-678-5012
rFritz@pathwaynet.com

John Turgyan
PO Box 219
New Egypt, NJ 08533
609-758-2910
jrturgyan4@aol.com

TM

Fax (920) 426-4873

Web Sites: www.vintageaircraft.org, www.airventure.org, www.eaa.org/memberbenefits E-Mail: vintageaircraft@eaa.org

EAA and Division Membership Services (8:00 AM6:00 PM

MondayFriday CST)
membership@eaa.org
800-564-6322
FAX 920-426-4873
www.eaa.org/memberbenefits
New/renew memberships Address changes Merchandise sales Gift memberships
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh
888-322-4636
www.airventure.org
Sport Pilot/Light-Sport Aircraft Hotline 877-359-1232
www.sportpilot.org
Programs and Activities
Auto Fuel STCs
920-426-4843
EAA Air Academy
920-426-6880
www.airacademy.org
EAA Scholarships
920-426-6823
Flight Instructor information
920-426-6801
www.eaa.org/nafi
Library Services/Research
920-426-4848
Benefits
AUA Vintage Insurance Plan
800-727-3823
www.auaonline.com
EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan
866-647-4322
www.eaa.org/memberbenefits
EAA VISA Card
800-853-5576 ext. 8884
EAA Hertz Rent-A-Car Program
800-654-2200
www.eaa.org/hertz
Editorial
920-426-4825
www.vintageaircraft.org
VAA Office
FAX 920-426-6579

airventure@eaa.org
sportpilot@eaa.org
dwalker@eaa.or
airacademy@eaa.org
scholarships@eaa.org
tdeimer@eaa.org
slurvey@eaa.org

membership@eaa.org
membership@eaa.org
vintage@eaa.org
tbooks@eaa.org

EAA Members Information Line

888-EAA-INFO (322-4636)
Use this toll-free number for: information about AirVenture Oshkosh; aeromedical and technical aviation questions;
chapters; and Young Eagles. Please have your membership number ready when calling.
Office hours are 8:15 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (Monday - Friday, CST)

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION
EAA

WARBIRDS

Membership in the Experimental Aircraft Association, Inc. is $40 for one year, including 12 issues
of SPORT AVIATION. Family membership is an additional $10 annually. All major credit cards accepted
for membership. (Add $16 for International Postage.)

Current EAA members may join the EAA Warbirds of America Division and receive WARBIRDS
magazine for an additional $45 per year.
EAA Membership, WARBIRDS magazine and
one year membership in the Warbirds Division
is available for $55 per year (SPORT AVIATION
magazine not included). (Add $7 for International
Postage.)

FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPS

DIRECTORS
EMERITUS

TM

EAA Aviation Center, PO Box 3086, Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

Please submit your remittance with a check

or draft drawn on a United States bank payable in
United States dollars. Add required Foreign Postage amount for each membership.

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

Current EAA members may join the Vintage
Aircraft Association and receive VINTAGE AIRPLANE magazine for an additional $36 per year.
EAA Membership, VINTAGE AIRPLANE magazine
and one year membership in the EAA Vintage Aircraft Association is available for $46 per year (SPORT
AVIATION magazine not included). (Add $7 for International Postage.)

IAC
Current EAA members may join the International Aerobatic Club, Inc. Division and
receive SPORT AEROBATICS magazine for an
additional $45 per year.
EAA Membership, SPORT AEROBATICS
magazine and one year membership in the
IAC Division is available for $55 per year
(SPORT AVIATION magazine not included).
(Add $15 for Foreign Postage.)

Membership dues to EAA and its divisions are not tax deductible as charitable contributions

Copyright 2010 by the EAA Vintage Aircraft Association, All rights reserved.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE (USPS 062-750; ISSN 0091-6943) is published and owned exclusively by the EAA Vintage Aircraft Association of the Experimental Aircraft Association and is published monthly at EAA
Aviation Center, 3000 Poberezny Rd., PO Box 3086, Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54903-3086, e-mail: vintageaircraft@eaa.org. Membership to Vintage Aircraft Association, which includes 12 issues of Vintage Airplane
magazine, is $36 per year for EAA members and $46 for non-EAA members. Periodicals Postage paid at Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54901 and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes
to Vintage Airplane, PO Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. PM 40063731 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to Pitney Bowes IMS, Station A, PO Box 54, Windsor, ON N9A 6J5. FOREIGN AND APO
ADDRESSES Please allow at least two months for delivery of VINTAGE AIRPLANE to foreign and APO addresses via surface mail. ADVERTISING Vintage Aircraft Association does not guarantee or endorse
any product offered through the advertising. We invite constructive criticism and welcome any report of inferior merchandise obtained through our advertising so that corrective measures can be taken.
EDITORIAL POLICY: Members are encouraged to submit stories and photographs. Policy opinions expressed in articles are solely those of the authors. Responsibility for accuracy in reporting rests entirely
with the contributor. No remuneration is made. Material should be sent to: Editor, VINTAGE AIRPLANE, PO Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Phone 920-426-4800.
EAA and EAA SPORT AVIATION, the EAA Logo and Aeronautica are registered trademarks, trademarks, and service marks of the Experimental Aircraft Association, Inc. The use of these trademarks
and service marks without the permission of the Experimental Aircraft Association, Inc. is strictly prohibited.

40 JUNE 2010

Proud Partners with EAA

Why would anyone buy anything else?

Enjoy the privilege of partnership

Ford has always been part of our family. When I was in the market
for a new car, I wanted mini-van interior space & seating, great
handling and sporty styling. The best choice was the Ford Flex. The
Flex complements my all-Ford eet with a F-250 Super Duty and
Crown Victoria already in the garage. No matter whether Im ying
or driving, comfort and style are critical. With the second and third
row seats down, the Flex provides me with plenty of space to
transport my large radio controlled models and other large items.
The second row seating has more room than any other vehicle in
its class, hands down.

EAA Members who are considering the purchase or lease

of a new Ford Motor Company vehicle should be sure to
take advantage of the opportunity to save with the Ford
Partner Recognition Program.

And, because of the Partnership program offered by Ford and the

EAA, I was able to make the deal even sweeter by upgrading the
package to include the Vista Roof. My sales representative from
Pioneer Ford in Goodyear, Arizona, Don Stich, went out of his way
to make the deal quick and easy. If you are in the market for a new
vehicle, take advantage of this great program. Thanks EAA and Ford!

Get your personal identication number (PIN) and learn

about the great value of Partner Recognition/X-Plan
at www.fordpartner.com
Certain restrictions apply. Available at participating dealers.
Please refer to www.eaa.org.

Darwin B. EAA #689466

Chandler, AZ

VEHICLE PURCHASE PLAN