The Vintage Airplane

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..THE RESTORER'S CORNER
Beginning with this issue your officers and directors are asking for
your help in inaugurating a Division membership drive. You probably
have already noticed the new member applications in the envelope with
your magazine. Please give them to your friends, acquaintences, and
EAA chapter members who are interested in antique and classic air­
craft. We all know aviation enthusiasts who are interested in a par­
ticular organization and who even borrow a copy of its publication to
read whenever they can, but just do not join because no one puts a
membership application in their hands. Here is your opportunity to con­
vert these individuals from bystander status to active status.
From now through December each of your envelopes containing The
Vintage Airplane will also contain several new member application
blanks. This means that each of you will receive a total of 18 or more new
member applications. Your officers and directors ask you to help them do
a little missionary work and distribute these applications to those whom
you know to be interested in vintage aircraft. Tell them what you think
of the Division and the magazine, and point out to them the benefits of
membership. If each member will only get three of these applications
into the hands of sincere enthusiasts who will join the Division, we shall
have the largest organization dedicated to the preservation of antique
and classic aircraft in the world, and the loudest voice in Washington
to help preserve our form of flying. We do not mean to imply that we only
want you to use three of these new member applications. On the con­
trary, we would like to see each of you get all of them into the hands of
sincere enthusiasts.
The benefits of increasing our membership by eighteen or more times
its present size would be unbelievable. For instance, we could more than
double the size of this magazine each month, and we could have many
more color photos in it. We could increase the scope of our activities at
the Oshkosh Convention. We could possibly sponsor annual regional
conventions for those who could not get to Oshkosh. The horizon is
almost limitless if we have enough members to help and enough money
with which to work. So you can see that with each of you receiving
eirhteen or more applications over the next six months and using them
where they will do the most good, your Division membership potential
is almost unlimited.
by J. R. NIELANDER, JR. This is the last issue of The Vintage Airplane before Oshkosh '76.
We would like to again take this opportunity to invite each of you to
attend "the world's greatest aviation event", and, while you are there, to
visit with us at the Antique/Classic Division Headquarters Barn which
is located about one quarter mile south of the Oshkosh airport control
tower. We would very much enjoy meeting each of you personally.
As we mentioned a couple of months ago in this column, your Divi­
sion committees all need help during the convention. Please stop by the
Division Headquarters Barn and volunteer your services for a couple of
three hour shifts on one of the committees . Your help is sorely needed
and will be very much appreciated by your officers, chairman and fellow
members.
While on the subject of Oshkosh, we would like to clarify the remarks
in the "Hot Line from Headquarters" column in the May issue of SPORT
AVIATION and Tom Poberezny's " Whistling in the Rigging" column in
the May issue of this magazine concerning antique and classic display
aircraft registration and the awarding of trophies. The EAA Board of Direc­
tors has found it necessary to limit display aircraft registration and
eligibility for championship awards and trophies to those homebuilt air­
craft which are owned by EAA members. Your Antique/Classic Division
Board of Directors, facing the same problems, are in complete agreement
with this policy. Due to the definite limitation of space in the Antique/
Classic Display Aircraft Parking Area, they have determined that only
those antique and classic aircraft owned by Antique/Classic Division mem­
bers and/or EAA members shall be eligible to register as display aircraft
and thus be eligible to be awarded championships and trophies.
This does not mean that we do not want the non-member to attend
and to bring his show-quality antique or classic aircraft. Quite the con­
trary, we cordially invite the non-member to come to Oshkosh, to join
the Antique/Classic Division and/or the EAA on his arrival, to register
his aircraft for judging, to display his show-quality antique or classic in
the Antique/Classic Display Aircraft Parking Area, and so hopefully take
home one of our coveted prizes .
SEE YOU AT OSHKOSH!
OFFICIAL MAGAZINE
EDITORIAL
STAFF ANTIQUE / CLASSIC
DIVISION
of
THE EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION
JULY 1976
Publisher
Paul H. Poberezny
Editor
AI Kelch
ANTIQUE AND CLASSIC DIVISION OFFICERS
PRESIDENT
J. R. NIELANDER, JR .
P. O. BOX 2464
FT. LAUDERDALE , FL 33303
VICE-PRESIDENT
MORTON LESTER
P. O. BOX 3747
MARTINSVILLE, VA 24112
SECRETARY
RICHARD WAGNER
P. O. BOX 181
LYONS, WI 53148
TREASURER
E. E. " BUCK " HILBERT
8102 LEECH RD.
UNION, IL 60180
Directors
Term expires August '77
Term expires August ' 76 Claude L. Gray, Jr. 9635 Sylvia Avenue Northridge , California 91324 AI Kelch 7018 W . Bonniwell Road Mequon , Wisconsin 53092 James B. Horne 3840 Coronation Road Eagan , Minnesota 55122 Evander M . Britt Box 1525 Lumberton , North Carolina 28358 George E. Stubbs Box 113 Brownsburg , Indiana 46112 M . C. " Kelly " Viets
RR 1. Box 151
Stilwell . KS 66085
William J. Ehlen Route 8, Box 506 Tampa, Florida 33618 Jack C. Winthrop
3536 Whitehall Drive
Dal13s, Texas 75229
Assistant Editor Lois Kelch Centributing Editors H. N. " Dusty" Rhodes Evander Britt Jim Barton Claude Gray Ed Escallon Rod Spanier Dale Gustafson Henry Wheeler Morton Lester Kelly Viets Bob Elliot Jack Lanning Bill Thumma Glenn Buffington ADVISORS
VOLUME 4
The Restorer's Corner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
The Flight Of The "Lone Eagle" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
Open, NASM .. ........ .. ... . . .. . ... . .... ...... . .... .... . .. . ..
Vintage Album . ....... . . . ....... .. ...........................
A Silver Eagle .... . . . . ... . . ... ............. .. ... .. . . .. . .......
AntiquelCiassic Activities Schedule, Oshkosh '76 . . .. .. .. .. ... ....
Calendar Of Events .................................... . .. . ....
Whistling In The Rigging ... . . .. .... . . .... .. ... .. . .... ... ......
The U.s. Mail ........... ....... ..................... .. ... . " ..
THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE is owned exclusively by Antique Classic Aircraft, In c. and is published monthly
at Hales Corners, Wisconsin 53130. Second class Postage paid at Hales Corners Post Office , Hales Cor­
ners , Wisconsin 53130 and Random Lake Posf Office, Random Lake , Wisconsin 53075. Membership rates
for Antique Classic aircraft, Inc. at $10.00 per 12 month period of which $7.00 is for the publication to
THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE. Membership is open to all who are interested in aviation,
Postmaster: Send Form 3579 to Antique Classic Aircraft, Inc., Box 229, Hales Corners, Wisconsin 53130 1
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EDITOR ' S NOTE:
W. Brade Thomas , Jr. 30t Dodson Mill Road Pilot Mountain . North CArolina 27041 Robert A . White 1207 Falcon Drive Qrlando , Florida 32803 NUMBER 7
S.o.S.
Send Old Stories
LET'S ALL LEND A HAND TO DIG OUT HISTORY THAT WILL
OTHERWISE BE LOST IN TIME
ON THE COVER
The Spirit of St. Louis " The Spirit
of Flight" painted by Ralph Steele.
PICTURE BOX
(Back Cover)
Matty Laird "s Bone Shaker see The
Silver Ealge page 15.
Copyright " 1976 Antique Classic Aircraft, Inc. All Right s Reserved.
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The Flight Of The "Lone Eagle" ,.-.---."--,.. ..-.-----.-.-..-.-----.-..--..-.--""""",-.-.-."--."""""--",,,,,,,,-.-..
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Between May 20 and June 29, 1927, three small planes flew the Atlantic nonstop from
New York to the European continent. No solo flight had ever done that before. The
first of them, and the only one with just one human aboard, was the "Spirit of St.
Louis" a single/engined Ryan monoplane flown by Charles A. Lindbergh, Jr.
His flight electrified the world, created an enormously favorable climate for the
primitive science of aviation, and gave humanity a genuine hero. Lindbergh's attempt to avoid the status of hero only added to the worship that was heaped upon
h'1m.
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Charles Lindbergh, "Slim" to his friends, "Lucky Lindy" to
the press, and finally "the Lone Eagl e" to the world, set out to
make the first nonstop flight from New York to Paris. Aside from
the financial help of a few friends, he had only himself to rely on .
It was one thing to get the idea that he could fly froni New
York to Paris and quite another for Lindbergh to do it.
First, he had to raise the necessary money. He wasn't rich,
he wasn't famous and he didn't have wealthy friends.
Second, he had to find a plane that could stay in the air long
enough to make the flight. That wasn't a simple matter of contact­
ing an airplane manufacturer and offering to buy his longest
range plane. There were no stock model planes with such a range.
Third, he had to get the money and the plane and take-off
before anyone else . Several other pilots with qualifications better
than Lindbergh's (at least on paper) were already raising funds
and having planes built for them.
Raising the money - $10,000 was Lindbergh's first estimate
- turned out to be the easiest of the three tasks. Lindbergh
himself had saved $2,000. He went to Major Lambert, who ran
Lambert Field in St. Louis, and got a quick promise of another
$1,000. Then, after being turned down by the St. Louis Dispatch,
Lindbergh went to Harry Knight, president of the St. Louis fly­
ing club. Knight eventually introduced him to Harold Bixby, of
the State National Bank. Bixby listened to Lindbergh, considered
the publicity value of th e flight to the city of St. Louis and to avia­
tion, and weighed the $25,000 in prize money that a successful
flight would bring . After a few days, he told Lindbergh he'd guar­
antee the rest of the money.
On Feb. 23, Lindbergh arrived by train in San Diego to see
B. F. Mahoney, president of the Ryan Company. Here he found
a friendly atmosphere. Together with Donald Hall, the firm's
chief engineer, Lindbergh figllred out how to modify an existing
Ryan design to meet his needs - larger gas tanks, bigger wings,
a set back cabin, etc. They agreed on a total price of $10,000 .
Meanwhile, his competitiors were gaining on him Rodman
Wanamaker announced he would finance a New York-Paris trip by
Lt . Commander Richard E. Byrd, to the tune of $100,000. Igor Sikor­
sky was building another plane for the Frenchman, Rene Fonck .
The American Legion made it known it would spend
$100,000 to sponsor Commander Noel Davis, who
would fly a Keystone Pathfinder biplane dubbed
th e" America n Legion".
There was competition on the other side of the
Atlantic, too. On March 26, Capt. Charles Nungesser,
one of France's top aces in WWI, announced he would
pilot the French "White Bird" across the Atlantic,
aided by Lt. Francois Coli.
But bad luck struck his competitors, one by one .
On April 16, Byrd 's plane crashed, injuring three out
of the four crew members. On April 24, the Bellanca
had a minor crackup. Two da ys later, the " American
Legion" crashed on take-off, killing Commander
Davis and his copilot.
On April 28, just two months after construction
had begun, the "Spirit of St. Louis" was finished.
On May 8, the newspapers were filled with reports
about Nungesser and Coli . On their second take-off
attempt, they lofted their 450 hp single-engined plane
into the air near Paris and headed for the United
States. But nothing was ever heard from them again.
On May 10, Lindbergh flew the "Spirit of St. Louis"
from San Diego to Lambert Field in St. Louis. Over
the Rockies the engine began to sputter. He dropped
down low, looking for an emergency field. But the
engine smoo thed out and made it to St. Louis, while
Lindbergh vowed to add a carburetor air heater when
he got to New York.
On May 12, Lindbergh and his plane left Lambert
Field, after he'd picked up his pilots license (a new
formality) and refueled. Seven hours later, he was
over New York City.
Lindbergh flew over Long Island inspecting the
three airports there - Mitchell Field, the army air­
port; Curtiss's landing strip, and Roosevelt Field. He
landed at the Curtiss strip near Mineola , a short dis­
tance from Roosevelt Field.
The night of the 19th, Dick Blythe, a Wright publicity
man, arranged for Lindbergh to go into the city and
see the hit musical comedy Rio Rita. The young aviator
never made it to the theater . While driving down
42nd St., he decided to give Doc Kimball a call. The
weather over the Atlantic was suddenly clearing, and
he resolved to fly out at dawn.
The party turned around and headed back toward
Long Island. They ate in a small restaurant at Queens­
boro Plaza. At a nearby drugstore, they bought five
sandwiches to go to Paris two ham, two roast beef,
one hard-boiled egg.
Lindbergh returned to the Garden City Hotel
where he was staying and tried to get some sleep.
He was awakened once by a noisy newsmen's poker
game, and again by the guard he'd posted to keep
anyone from awakering him. "Slim," the guard had
said, "what am I going to do when you're gone?"
Lindbergh managed to answer politely, but that
ended his sleep for the night.
In the morning, Lindbergh climbed into the " Spirit
of St. Louis" and revved up the engines. Just before
he started his run down Roosevelt Field, Byrd came
over to wish him farewell. Byrd's plane still wasn't
ready, though by July he and Chamberlin both had
made the crossing neither flight solo.
The tall (6'3") young Lindbergh buckled his safety
belt, pulled his goggles over his eyes, turned to the
men at the wheel chocks and nodded .
"I brace myself against the left side of the cock­
pit, sight along the edge of the runway and ease the
throttle wide open . .. The plane creeps heavily for­
ward. Several men are pushing on wing struts to help
it start, pushing so hard I'm afraid the struts will
buckle ."
The plane moved ponderously down the sod. Just
past the halfway mark, the wheels left the ground for
a moment. The next time the wheels left the ground
with a thousand feet of runway left Lindbergh kept
them up. The "Spirit of St. Louis" cleared the tangle
of telephone wires at the end of the runway by 20
feet.
Officially, the plane took-off at 7:52 on a Friday
morning, May 20th. Almost exactly 33 hours and 30
minutes later, the young American landed his plane
at Le Bourget airport in Paris, at 10:22 p.m., local
time.
Lindbergh himself has twice told the story of that
flight, first in "We," written in the months that
followed his triumphant return to the United States,
then, in more detail, in "The Spirit of St. Louis,"
published in 1955.
The flight began uneventfully, with Lindbergh
losing the last of the newspaper photo planes some­
4
where over eastern Long Island. He was almost a
tourist, admiring the "great landscaped estates of
Long Island," marvelling at "how these northeastern
states are crowded together."
As the third hour of flight began, the coastline of
the United States faded out of sight. An hour later, he
was feeling drowsy. At noon of the first day, 400 miles
from New York and averaging 102 mph, Lindbergh
sighted Nova Scotia . If fog had covered the coast, he'd
planned to turn back. But there was no fog. He
weathered a brief Nova Scotia thunderstorm with
relative ease - all the while nervously scanning the
ground below for a good landing spot. This was a habit
of all the early fliers.
As the eighth hour began, Lindbergh hit a thin
strip of fog hovering above the shore of Cape Breton
Island and Newfoundland. Now the drowsiness was
really beginning to get him.
" .. . This is only afternoon, yet I'm experiencing
symptoms I've never known in the past until dawn was
closer than midnight. If sleep weighs so heavily on me
now, how can I get through the night, to say nothing
of the dawn and another day, it's night, and possibly
even the dawn after?"
He decided to alter his course a bit to pass over
St. John's, Newfoundland, so that people would know
he'd come that far.
About 6:30 he came on it, " .. . after skimming
over the top of a creviced granite summit - flat-roofed
houses and stores, nestled at the edge of a deep har­
bor ... There's no time to circle, no fuel to waste. It
takes only a moment, stick forward, engine throttled,
to dive down over the waves (men stop their after­
supper chores to look upward) over the ships in the
harbor (a rowboat's oars lose their rhythm as I pass)
and out through the gap, that doorway to the Atlantic
. . . North America and its islands are behind. Ireland
is 2,000 miles ahead ."
In Yankee Stadium that night, two heavyweights,
Jim Maloney and Jack Sharkey, were set to fight. A
crowd of 40,000 filled the stadium . John Lardner,
the sportswriter, described the scene.
"Joe Humphreys, a little announcer with a bow
tie and a voice of brass, arose in the pool of light in
the cente r of the darkness and called for silence and
prayer. He said that Lindbergh was now 300 miles at
sea, past Newfoundland. The entire place went silent
and everybody stood with bared heads."
At sea, Lindbergh was headed for trouble. He was
moving into a gathering haze, with thick, heavy clouds
ahead. He climbed to get over them.
The fourtee nth hour found him not yet halfway to
Paris, with clouds within a few hundred fe e t of his
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wheels. "There's no doubt now that a storm area lies
ahead . I keep climbing, slowly, higher and higher ... "
It wasn't soon enough. Soon, Lindbergh was
among the clouds. In moments, he found himself fight­
ing not only his own almost overwhelming desire to
sleep, but also ice on the wings .
Fortunately, he soon located enough clear air to
stop the icing. What he couldn't find was an antidote
to his sleepiness. More and more, he was flying in a
sort of daze.
"Am I alive, or am I really dead, a spirit in a spirit
world? Am I actually in a plane boring through the air,
over the Atlantic, toward Paris, or have I crashed on
some worldly mountain and is this the afterlife?"
"I cup my hands into the slipstream, diverting
a strong current of air against my face . . . I let my
eyelids fall shut for five seconds, then raise them
against tons of weight. Protesting, they won't open
wide until I force them with my thumb."
For hours, Lindbergh went on like this. By sheer
force of will, he strove to stay awake. The clouds and
fog vanished and reappeared, as did his conscious­
ness.
Time and again, the "Spirit of St. Louis" drifted
off course. But the plane - flying at between 90 and
100 mph - was running smoothly, presenting no
mechanical difficulties whatever.
Lindbergh noted the moment when he'd been aloft
exactly 24 hours.
He discovered a small St. Christopher medal in his
pocket, put there by someone unknown.
He was almost fooled by a low patch of fog into
believing that he'd reached land - far off course.
Nearly 27 hours after he took-off, "it catches my
eye, that black speck on the water two or three miles
southeast. A boat! A small boat! Several small boats
. . . I couldn't be wider awake or more keenly aware
if the engine had stopped."
At the beginning of the 28th hour of his flight,
Lindbergh spotted Ireland . "I can hardly believe it's
true. I'm almost exactly on my route, closer than I had
hoped to come in my wildest dreams .. . "
Now, the young aviator was only 600 miles from
Paris, no more than a round trip on his mail route . The
rest of the trip was downhill. Lindbergh was fully
awake now, convinced that every major obstacle was
behind him.
The "Spirit of St. Louis" flew over Ireland, over
England, across the English Channel, over Normandy,
toward Paris.
"Judging from my nose tank, I have enough fuel
to reach Rome . How surprised people back home would
be if I ca ble them from Rome instead of Paris."
Throughout the flight, he was convinced that he'd
have to notify his friends of his ultimate landing!
As the 32nd hour began, Lindbergh hit the coast
of France, Cape de la Hague. He reached Cherbourg
as the sun set, exultantly aware that he'd made the
first nonstop airplane flight between the continents
of America and Europe.
For a time his attention turned to what lay ahead
of him in Paris. He planned first to cable news of his
success to the United States, to make arrangements for
his plane, meet with the press, buy a new suit and
a toothbrush, then tour the city.
He flew over Deauville. "People come running out
as I skim low over their houses - blue-jeaned peasants,
white-aproned wives, children scrambling between
them." He ate the first of his drugstore sandwiches,
part of another. He never touched the last three, for
suddenly he spotted what must be Paris on the hori­
zon . "Gradually, avenues, parks and buildings take
outline form; and there, far below, a little offset from
the center, is a column of lights, pointing upward,
changing angles as I fly - the Eiffel Tower. I circle
once above it and turn northeastward toward Le
Bourget."
For a few moments, Lindbergh wasn't sure he'd
found the airport. There were no great beacon lights
(few airports had them in that day), but there were
many smaller lights bunched up around what ap­
peared to be runways. He decided it must be Le Bourget
(while telling himself any Parisian airport would be
fine).
He dropped down for a landing on the small corner
of the field that was lighted.
Carefully, Lindbergh touched down in the lighted
area. He swung the plane around and started to taxi
back toward the floodlights and hangars. "But the
entire field ahead is covered with running figures ."
"I had barely cut the engine switch when the first
people reached my cockpit. Within seconds my open
windows were blocked with faces. My name was
called out over and over again . . . I opened the door
and started to put my foot down onto the ground, but
dozens of hands took hold of me - my legs, my arms,
my body."
"After the lapse of minutes whose number I can­
not judge, I felt my helmet jerked from my head.
Firmer hands gripped my body. I heard my name
more clearly spoken . And suddenly, I was standing
on my feet, on European ground at last."
Despite the publicity he'd had in New York, Lind­
bergh hardly thought of himself as famous . Even in
those final minutes of his flight, as he'd circled over
the Eiffel Tower, he was, in his own, mind at least,
a tourist - a n d one witho u t a visa, at
that. He had letters of introduction with
him, and a bank check for $500 to cover
his expenses. He was tota lly unaware
that the eyes of the w h ole world were
riveted on him.
His notion that he needed in troduc­
tions or that he must wire news of
arrival was wholly superfluous. He was
spotted, as he had hoped, over St. John's.
He was almost immediately identified
when he hit the coast of Ireland. Once
again, as he passed over England, he
was recognized from the ground. He
was seen as he flew over Deauville and
Cherbourg. And, on each occasion,
newspapers the world over reported
his progress in bigger and blacker
headlines, while radio announcers
cried the word in countless languages
to a tuned-in earth .
A lot happened to Lindbergh after
tha t fa mous flight. He met his future
wife An ne Morrow, daughter of Dwight
Morrow, U.S . Ambassador to Mexico,
when Lindbergh visited Mexico, with
the "Spirit of St. Louis" . They lost a son
in the most famous kidnapping of all
time. As a result, kidnapping was
made a federal offense in the "Lind­
bergh Law". He got involved in isola­
tion politics as WWII approached, just
as his father had during anoth er war.
Yet he also served in th e Pacific during
the war, flying combat missions in
P-38 fighters with the 475th Fighter
Group, in New Guinea and elsewhere.
In the Pacific th eater he proved that
it was possible to greatly reduce a
plane's fuel consumption by throttling
back at altitude, increasing manifold
pressure and propeller bi te. These
techniques allowed the P-38's to fly
cover for bombing missions hundreds
of miles farther than th e Japa n ese ex­
pected.
Lindbergh 's flig h t stirred the world
more than Colu mb u s' voyage had s tirred
it in 1492. A lone man, guid ed almost
entirely by faith in himself and h is ship,
had opened up o ne of the last fro n tiers
on earth - th e air frontier.
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There have been greater ach ievements since Lindbergh 's flight, but his may have been the
last great solo adventure of mankind. The moon-landing astronauts, for al/ their skill and
courage, were mainly daring passengers on missions backed by thousands of experts and
the resources of the world's richest nation. When one says " the Lone Eagle," anyone who
was alive in 1927 knows that there was only one - Charles A. Lindbergh.
6
When one thinks of the new National Air and Space
Museum in Washington, D.C., the picture that comes
to mind is one of a large collection of space vehicles,
rockets, jets, modern commercial jets and warbirds,
helicopters, balloons and airships, but that is not
the full story. General aviation also is well represented,
and antique and classical aircraft are anything but
forgotten.
The new three-block-long museum of the Smith­
sonian Institution on the Mall opened to the public
July 1, and the collection of aviation and space exhibits
is almost breathtaking. Former astronaut Michael
Collins, who rode to the moon on Apollo 11 and who
now is NASM director, estimates that 50,000 people
a day will visit the museum and, he said, they won't
be able to see it all in just one day.
Members of the Experimental Aircraft Association
can take pride in the fact that the EAA and a number
of its members had a direct part in some of the exhibits
of 65 historic aircraft. Remember the beautifully re­
stored Al Williams' "Gulfhawk II" that was one
exhibit at the EAA's Air Education Museum at Frank­
lin, Wisconsin? Well, it's hanging now in a prominent
place in the new NASM. The Grumman G-22 "Gulf­
hawk II" had been on temporary loan to EAA while
the $40 million NASM was being built.
And the next time you visit the Air Education
Museum, take special notice of the Bell P-39Q still
there. That plane is on loan from the Smithsonian
and someday in the future will take its place with
other aircraft in the NASM .
Collins said that the 6S aircraft in the NASM do
not constitute the entire national collection by any
means. Two hundred more, like the P-39Q, are either
on temporary exhibit in other museums in the country
or are in storage at the NASM's facility at Silver Hill,
Maryland . Also at the EAA museum, for example,
are NASM's Helio HeJioplane No . 1, Laird Super
Solution, Nakajima " Oscar", North American XP-51
prototype, Phalz D. XII, Stits SA-2, and S.E. SA.
Collins said that all aircraft, except those "firsts"
in the main Milestones of Flight Gallery, will be
rotated anywhere from six months to a year or every
four or five years because the NASM has so many more
aircraft deserving of public view.
The untouchables in the main gallery range from
space vehicles to antiques and include the Apollo 11
command module which brought man to the moon,
John Glenn's Friendship 7 in which he became the
first American to orbit the earth, the Bell X-I, first
aircraft to fly faster than the speed of sound, and the
North American X-IS, first aircraft to fly at four, five
and six times the speed of sound.
Tail of inverted Spad VII in view above Fokker. Antiques and Classics are well represented. But if the old planes are what give your spine a
chill, along with those sophisticated space and super­
sonic vehicles are Samuel P. Langley's Model 5, his
1896 pilotless aircraft, the Wright Brothers 1903 Kitty
Hawk Flyer and Charles A. Lindbergh's "Spirit of
St. Louis" .
Orville and Wilbur Wright and the Flyer started
it all at Kill Devil Hill in North Carolina on Dec. 17,
1903, and Lindbergh gave aviation a tremendous
boost when he flew the "Spirit" from New York to
Paris on May 20, 1927, to become the first man to
fly solo, nonstop across the Atlantic Ocean. Antique
airplane buffs can be proud of that fact that Collins
said that the small Ryan NYP easily will be the most
popular aircraft in the museum.
In the Gallery of Air Transportation, devoted to
airline development, the old planes again get the stop­
light, and in two of them the EAA figured prominently.
The hall contains a 1927 Pitcairn Mailwing PA-S from
Eastern Air Lines, a 1929 Fairchild FC-2 from Panagra,
8
Above left: Lindbergh's Ryan NYP
proudly hangs in its New Home. One
of the most historic planes in any
museum .
Left: Backer Jungmeister , " Bevo "
Howard's familiar plane. Many of us
have fond memories of the old pro and
his mount. Bevo favored this plane to
his last ride.
a 1937 Douglas DC-3 from Eastern ,Air­
lines, a 1929 Ford 5-AT-B Trimotor from
American Airlines, a 1930 Northrop
Alpha from TWA and a 1934 Boeing
247D from United Airlines.
The EAA participated in the eventual
exhibition of the Northrop Alpha in
the NASM.
Records show that the Northrop,
NCll Y, the third Alpha built, was first
delivered to National Air Transport, a
predecessor company of United Air­
lines, in late 1930 as an Alpha 2. United
on Nov. 30, 1931, sold it to TWA in
Kansas City and TWA in 1932 converted
it to an Alpha 4-A, cargo only version.
It was sold by TWA in 1935. Alpha
','
J
Above : Army Air Service nonstop coast
to coast is still faintly visable on the
side. Note the three unusual windows.
(Fokker T-2 to the right and Curtiss
R3C-2 racer on floats in background.)
NCll Y operated on the East Coast for
a while and then was returned to Kan­
sas City, Kansas. Then it vanished.
Foster Hannaford, Jr. of Winnetka,
Illinois, acquired NCll Y and another
Alpha in the late '40s or early '50s with
the intention of restoring them and
stored them on his farm. He died in 1971,
and his will stipulated that they go to
EAA. The two planes, in poor condition,
were stored at the EAA's Burlington,
Wisconsin, facility.
When the Smithsonian in 1973 learned
of the existence of the Alphas, it asked
the EAA if it could restore one for the
NASM. But, since it didn ' t have the
facilities for the job, it was turned over
Above: Turner RT-14 Racer. Turner 's
trade mark the lion was forever with
him . One of his racers had a painting of
the lion on the wheel pants.
Above right : Lindberghs ' Lockheed
Sirius. The plane the Lindberghs flew
to the Orient. He pioneered the air route
now used.
Right: Grumman G-22 " Gulfhawk /I".
This was on loan to the EAA during
construction of NASM.
to TWA fo r a volunteer re stora ti o n
pro je ct a t TW A's Techni cal S e rvices
C e nt e r a t Ka n sas City Int e rn a ti o n a l
Airport.
The Unite d 247D is in th e NAS M be­
cau se o f th e p e r s ua s ive qualiti es of
E. E. "B u ck" Hilbert, form e r preside nt
of th e Antique and Classic Divi sio n of
EAA . Hilb e rt, of Union, Illin o is, a
Unite d Airlin es DC-8 captain, h ea d ed
a committee of a ntique exp e rt s, in­
cludin g Micha el X. Drabik of Chicago,
which insp ected the re mains of the 247D
a t Silv e r Hill a yea r and a h a lf ago.
Based o n a s trong recommenda tio n by
Hilbe rt , Unite d officia ls mad e a g ra nt
of $27, 000 fo r th e old plane's resto ratio n .
The Smithsonian ha d wa nted it for
th e NA SM b eca u se th e 247 was th e
wo rld 's fir s t m o d e rn a irlin e r, but the
S mithsonian did not have the fund s for
its res to rati o n. (See The Vintage Air­
plane, April , 1975.)
One would exp ect the NAS M's w a r­
bird s - Curti ss P-40 E, S up e rm a rin e
Spitfire, North Am e rica n P-51D, Mes­
se rs chmitt Bf. 109, Mits ubi s hi A5M-6
Z e ro , Dougla s SBD , G rumman FM-1
Wildcat, and Macchi C. 202 Folgore ­
to dra w con s id e ra ble inte res t, but the
ve ry old warbirds a re th e re, too. In a
World War I diora ma ca n be seen Billy
Mitchell 's Spad XVI as w ell as a Spad
\
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Above left: Douglas World Cruiser
"Chicago". Flying under the colors
of Air Service USA made the first world
flight.
.
Above: Ford 5-AT-B Trimotor (Ameri­
can), Douglas DC-3 (Eastern), Boeing 2470 (United), Northrop Alpha 4-A (TWA). Left: Cessna 180, Schweizer J-22,
Beechcraft Bonanza, Fulton Airphi­
bian (car section only).
VII and a Fokker 0- VII, and there also
are a 1933 Boeing P-26, a 1932 Boeing
F4B-4, and a very, very old "warbird",
the 1909 Wright Military Flyer.
In the gallery devoted to air traffic
control is Amelia Earhart's 1932 Lock­
heed 5B Vega in which she became the
first woman to make a nonstop solo
flight across the Atlantic, and, in the
flight testing gallery is Wiley Post's
Lockheed 5C Vega "Winnie Mae,"
which completed two around-the-world
record flights.
But not all the "name" airplanes are
in exotic galleries. The "little guy" in
aviation will get particular pleasure out
of the general aviation gallery, which
features a Beechcraft Bonanza, a Piper
PA-12, a Cessna 180 and a Schweizer
2-22 with names of their> own.
The Model 35 Bonanza, "Waikiki
Beach", was piloted by Bill Odom on
two record-breaking flights, including
the 1949 Honolulu to Teterboro, New
Jersey, flight in 36 hours and one
minute. The PA-12 "City of Washington"
was flown around the world in four
months in 1947 by two Air Force reserve
officers, Major Clifford V. Evans and
Major George Truman. And the Cessna
180, "Spirit of Columbus", was the
plane flown by Mrs. Geradine "Jerry"
Mock when she became the first woman
to pilot an aircraft around the world in
1964.
And there are other names familiar
to general aviation enthusiasts. The
Schweizer 2-22 was made famous by
Above : Douglas DC-3, Fairchild FC-2
(partly hidden), Boeing 2470, Northrop
Alpha 4-A.
Above right: Pitts Special. As an ex­
ample of the wide spread of coverage.
This is some kind of first and an honor
to sport flyers al/.
Right: Schweizer 2-22. The old familiar
Schweizer Tanor looks like it is moving.
Note the realistic pilot. A Bonanza is
rehearsing a near miss.
the late Scotty McCray, who flew it in
aerobatic demonstrations . The NASM's
Bucker 133 Jungmeister was willed to
the Smithsonian by the late Bevo Ho­
ward, and J. Dawson Ransome do­
nated his Pitts Special to the museum .
Igor Bensen presented his Gyro-copter
to the Smithsonian in 1969.
Racers are well represented, the
most beautiful being Howard Hughes'
1935 H-1 , and the most unusual is
Jimmy Doolittle's 1925 Curtiss R3C-2
on floats. But there, in the exhibition
flight gallery, is Steve Wittman's "Chief
Oshkosh"/Buster! Wittman's plane had
the longest and most successful career
in air racing history from 1931 until its
retirement in 1964. It was also flown by
Bill Brennand and Bob Porter.
Other historical antiques worth
viewing are the 1931 Lockheed Sinus
"Tingmissartoq" flown by Charles and
Anne Morrow Lindbergh, the 1924
Douglas World Crui s er " Chicago"
which flew around the world, the 1924
Army Fokker T-2 which flew the first
nonstop transcontinental flight in the
U .S. and the 1911 Wright EX "Vin Fiz"
which was the first airplane to go
coast-to-coast between Sept. 17, to
Dec. 10, 1911.
And there are still the jets, rockets,
space vehicles and other modern hard­
ware to be seen in the National Air and
Space Museum, but if it weren' t for the
early aviation development exemplified
by the antiques, there would have been
no jets or space vehicles in the first
place.
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Photos By
Jack Rose designer
has contributed these I
from WWI Era. T,
photos previou :
When the last flight is over And my altimeter tells me th I'll swing her nose for the s I'll open her up and let her
And the great God of flying
As I stow my crate in the ha
Then I'll look upon his face
Whose wingspread covers t
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unpublished.
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the happy landing past
crack-up's come at last
nd I'll give my crate the gun
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IELD 1918 History
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A
'.
,I LVER E "Bgle
A BIOGRAPHY OF E. M. 'MATTY' LAIRD
By Robert G. Elliott
Ed Escal/on
1227 Oakwood Ave.
&
335 Milford Dr.
Daytona Beach, FL 32014
Merritt Island, FL 32952
In September of 1910, a fourteen year old lad of
Scottish desent stood with a crowd of other curious
spectators overlooking the Grant Park area of Chicago.
Soon, Walter Brookins, an early Wright Brothers­
trained civilian pilot took to the air in a Wright Flyer
giving the 'Windy City' its very first aeroplane de­
monstration. Intently watching the flight, Emil Mat­
thew 'Matty' Laird tried to take in every motion and
sensation of the biplane as it roared slowly across
the city's skyline.
The flight ended, but its impact would profoundly
affect Chicago. From the early pioneering develop­
ments of its local citizens through both historic air
Above: Matty Laird
sat for Robert Elliott
in his home at Boca Raton,
Florida on March 20, 1976. He had been
sorting through files making a selection of
his photographs to be used in the illustration of this
article. Behind, on a mobile stand, is his old engine from
the Baby Biplane. Left: Young Matty Laird's mind was forming
the shape of things to come while watching a Wright Flyer Model B
give Chicago its first look at man in the air.
15
meets and aircraft that were buit there, Chicago be­
came a hub for the growing airline industry of this
nation.
Among those who would bring lasting contribu­
tions to the aviation industry was young Matty Laird,
.. . who decided on that September day to follow in
the footsteps of the Wright Brothers and Mr. Brookins .
For someone of his age, background and resources,
it wasn't an easy path to follow . Matty's father had
passed away in 1909, and to support his mother, two
younger brothers and a sister, Matty had gone to work
in the First National Bank of Chicago as an office boy.
Consequently his formal education had terminated
with the eighth grade.
.
Based on a few pictures available and his vivid
memory of that flight he had witnessed, he made a
model of Brookins Wright Flyer. Through a slow series
of methodical progressions, he was able to achieve a
stable flight from a hand launch with a smooth glide
to a landing.
Fortunately for aspiring enthusiasts, Chicago soon
blossomed with aviation activity. Businessmen such
as Charles Dickinson of Dickinson Seed Company
and Harold McCormick of farm implement fame,
backed the formation of the Aero Club of Illinois.
The Aero Club served to concentrate interest and
efforts in developing flying machines . Octave Chanute
became its first President. The enthusiastic Secre­
tary, Harold Robbins, secured the services of Bill
Stout (later of Ford Tri-Motor fame), to father the
Illinois Model Aero Club. Here, young people like
Matty were encouraged to learn and compete in aero­
nautical endeavors.
One of the Aero Club activities was sponsorship
of the Great Chicago Air Meet of 1911. Aviators were
attracted from throughout the United States and
Europe to compete for over one hundred thousand
dollars in prizes. The Meet was a great success, with
several world's records established and well over two
hundred hours of total air time logged.
The Meet also served to highlight the successes
that early pilots were having with their aeroplanes .
Young Matty was among those viewers of this activity
during every moment possible, trying to learn every­
thing he could from the participating aviators and their
aeroplanes.
Chicago' s first airport, Cicero Field, was also spon­
sored by the Aero Club. Cicero included a core of
people who would later become leaders in the industry,
including: Lincoln Beachey, Glenn Martin, Max Lillie,
DeUoyd Thompson, Katherine Stinson (the first of
the Stinson family to learn to fly), Chance Vought,
(Photo Courtesy E. M. ' Matty' Laird)
A mockup of his first monoplane was assembled in the street in front of Matty's home
with the help of friends. Matty's sister made the photo with her last exposure of film.
Ole Flottrop (the propeller manufacturer), Charles
Day, Matty Laird and his model Aero Club friends
Buck Weaver, Charles Arens and later arrivals Otto
Timm and Eddie Stinson, as well as many others.
Consequently, with activity everywhere on the
field, as well as competitive events such as the Air
Meet of 1911, a challenging environment developed,
which proved to be most perfect for the course Matty
had chosen to follow.
Not all the creations coming out of Cicero were
successful. Some were monstrosities, . . . like the
Umbrella Plane, which hopped about like a kangaroo,
attempting to become airborne. Then too; there was
Pop Keller's Multiplane, nicknamed "The Golden
Stairs to Heaven", which structurally collapsed early
in its attempted take-off run, leaving venetian blind­
like sections strewn about. In this early stage of avia­
tion development however, credit is due all who
stuck with it. Their efforts enriched the base from
which successful ideas could be drawn .
Through model work and knowledge gained from
his contemporaries, Matty's aeronautical knowledge
16
(Photo Courtesy E. M. 'Matty' Laird)
Matty Laird on the left prepares to launch a rubber­
band powered model airplane while his friend looks on.
progressed rapidly . In short order his efforts began
to show real promise, as he began to win the model
competitions. Even in the Bank, his designs didn't go
unnoticed . An embarrassing incident of a rise-off-the­
ground model airplane launched in the lobby, landed
upstairs near one of the Corporate Officers. This
model flight netted him cash orders for twenty more,
to be used as Christmas presents, rather than dis­
ciplinary action.
When Matty felt he'd gathered sufficient knowledge
from his models to know what was involved in manned
flight, he set about building a glider to be mounted
about his bicycle. Using a ramp for the launch, it wasn't
long before he was making brief flights down the
Chicago streets . .. much to the distress of the nearby
school principal . . . who couldn't get his students
back into class following these demonstrations.
17
By late 1912, Matty had begun construction of a
powered monoplane . He located a 12 hp Franklin
automobile engine which had been converted for
aircraft service by Al Hofer. (AI later became one of
Chance Vought's expert assistants.) With very little
to offer AI, except the promise of an aspiring young
man, Matty negotiated the purchase of the engine,
without the assistance previously offered by Charles
Dickinson.
The cost of a flying lesson was out of the question,
so Matty set out to teach himself to fly in the diminu­
tive monoplane. His first lessons involved the use of
the rudder control. Previous experience in bobsledding
had taught him reverse reactions to what was required
in a normally rigged flying machine . After a series of
ground runs, Matty finally decided that the time had
come for a flight. He released the blip switch on the
engine and the small craft accelerated smartly. When
things began to feel right, Matty, having little idea of
the sensitivity required ... hauled back on the wheel
abruptly and was surprised when the little mono­
plane leaped into the air. With the end of the field,
and power lines coming up fast, he wisely avoided
attempting a turn, but his subsequent overcontrol
on touchdown ended the flight somewhat uncere­
moniously as the flying machine went over on its back.
In later flights Matty taught himself the basics of
controlling the aircraft by its attitude and the use­
duration of the engine blip switch.
Towards the end of the season Matty lent the
monoplane to a friend, who made the same mistake
with the rudder control as Matty had initially. Sub­
stantial damage was caused by the ground loop which
ended this last flight, and the winter months follow­
ing found Matty and his friends rebuilding the salvaged
parts into a new aeroplane called the 'Baby Biplane',
a slab sided simple looking craft, whose lines belied
its excellent efficiency.
Those more experienced fliers who had been very
doubtful as to the 12 hp monoplanes' ability to fly,
were quite surprised when the performance of the
'Baby Biplane' exceeded many of their own aero­
planes with three times the power. As a mark
ex­
cellence even by today's standards, this craft's weight,
when empty, was only 375 pounds. Its outstanding
performance was a foreteller of things to come with
the later Laird 'Baby Biplanes' .. . named 'Solution
and Super Solution'!
Matty flew the Baby Biplane in Chicago Meets,
and his aeronautical capabilities attracted enough
acclaim to draw him into the field of exhibition fly­
ing. Lincoln Beachey's booking agent set him up for
his first engagement at Sebring, Ohio on September 6,
1915. This exhibition was to pay him more than he
would make in the First National Bank by working
several months, so he took a leave to make the flying
date.
Matty has been on that leave of absence until this
very day.
Flying engagements soon took Matty and his
friend-mechanic Buck Weaver all over the Central
and Rocky Mountain states. Aerial photography,
night flying with flares on the aeroplane, loop-the-Ioops
... all soon became a standard part of his repertoire.
The Baby Biplane was modified three times in
successive years, with small improvements added
to the wing design and engine's systems. Interestingly,
this ship was built to be dissassembled into sections
which could be packed into shipping crates for rail­
road shipment between exhibition sites. This design
was among the first to be offered in plans for home­
builders through Popular Mechanics Magazine and
others . . . making Matty one of the very early people
to pick up the EAA theme. Basic information packages,
followed by more detailed plans were sold . . . just
as many of today's designs are marketed.
In 1916, the Baby Biplane was succeeded by a
larger two-place biplane design called the 'Bone­
shaker', intended primarily for exhibition acrobatics.
A noteable feature was the automatic massage that
occupants received from the Anzani radial engine.
Performance was outstanding however, and it was in
this craft that Matty instructed the first loop-the-Ioop
in the United States.
Matty loaned the 'Boneshaker' to Katherine Stin­
son for the first tour of an aeroplane in Japan and
China, and his creation became an International
Thriller overnight.
Success followed young Mr. Laird from one engage­
ot
(Photo Courtesy E. M. 'Matty' Laird)
The Baby Biplane lifts off the ground with Matty at the
controls. This was his first version of this Baby Bi­
plane, with the squared off wing tips.
Above : Matty seated proudly in the cockpit of his Baby
Biplane. Note the oil tank he mounted directly above
the engine, allowing controlled amounts of oil to be
fed into the engine, thus helping to prevent exces­
sive oil from flooding the upper cylinder areas and
fouling the spark plugs.
ment to another, as his fame as a youthful aviator
was broadcast by the newspapers of the day . Head­
lines featured him as "The Fearless Scotch Aviator" .
Tragedy struck in San Antonio, Texas during March
of 1917. Matty was test flying a tractor biplane
Walter Brock had designed for Katherine Stinson . The
aircraft went into a spin that became flat. Spin re­
covery techniques were just being developed at the
time, and flat spins are not within the normal con­
trollability of aircraft. Matty was unable to regain
control and the plane spun down to a crash, seriously
injuring him .
Upon his release from the hospital at San Antonio
some months later, Matty filled a few exhibition dates
with the 'Boneshaker' which had just returned from
the Orient following Katherine Stinson's tour. Soon
after these flights the government placed a ban on all
civilian flying due to the United State's involvement
in World War I. Matty returned then, to Chicago, to
enter St. Luke's Hospital for further corrective sur­
gery to correct deficiencies resulting from the San
Antonio crash.
Below: The third version of the Baby Biplane. Outer
wing tips and stabilizer surfaces were now curved. In
addition, near where his hand is resting was the bolt­
ed coupling which allowed the fuselage to be divided
for shipment in crates to various exhibition sites.
Interior of early construction area showing
Matty's shipping crates for the Baby Bi­
plane stacked in the right corner.
After this release from this second hospitalization,
Matty concentrated his efforts to build the Model "S"
Sport Plane he had designed in 1916 after the close of
his exhibition tour. He sold several of them, including
one to Bill Burke, a Buick-Franklin dealer from Okla­
homa . Bill was so pleased with the aeroplane that he
talked his friend Jake Mollendick, an oil man from
Wichita, Kansas, into offering a financial arrange­
ment in order to establish manufacturing facilities in
Wichita.
The offer was attractive to Matty, so he packed up
and moved, bringing h~ Y0l!nger brother Charley and
Matty flies his 'Boneshaker' at- the Cham­
paign, Illinois meet in 1916.
18
1·I , Above: Walter Beech photographed in a relaxed mo­
ment beside a Laird Swallow.
Left: The famous Anzani-powered 'Boneshaker' . This
early exhibition plane proved most successful and
permitted Matty to build a respected name for himself
through his exhibition flights.
Below: The Laird Swallow which was flown by Shorty
Schroeder on a nation-wide tour for the Underwriters
Laboratories in 1921 to promote the registration of
aircraft. This Laird was the first registered aircraft
in the U.S.A.
Walter Weber with him. Both Charley and Walter were
employed in production of the Model "S".
At Wichita, Matty set up the first aircraft manu­
facturing concern in the United States devoted solely
to non-military production. He began fabrication of
the first three-place design introduced in this country
. . . the Laird Swallow. The E. M. Laird Company's
efforts literally opened the door for the huge aircraft
manufacturing complex that later developed at Wich­
ita.
lt is difficult to place in proper perspective the
obstacles encountered in the Swallow's production.
Specialized aircraft material was not available in that
locality and aircraft building talents were hardly com­
monplace among the local citizens.
Matty's new factory was described as being the
largest west of Buffalo, New York. His initial facility
consisted of space obtained within both a grain grader
and a wheat show building. To highlight the new com­
pany, a Model'S' was placed on display in the Forum
Municipal Building during the annual Wheat Show.
During this initial growth period there were several
personnel transitions . Bill Burke returned to Oklahoma
to take charge of his automobile agency. Buck Weaver
was hired as a demonstration pilot. Then, during the
19
A Laird Model'S' was displayed in the lobby of the wheat forum in Chicago,
to call attention to the aircraft manufacturing activity of the Laird Company.
summer of 1921 when Matty and Buck had taken a
couple of Swallows out to the West Coast on a pro­
motional tour, Walter Beech was engaged as a demon­
stration pilot. Additionally, Lloyd and Waverly Stear­
man became employed in the Swallow production.
Business had become a little slow in 1921 due to
the post-war recession, but the E. M. Laird Company
continued to keep their fine product in front of the
public. This was accomplished with the help of the
enthusiastic and cooperative newspapers in that
region, and such projects as the nation-wide tour
Shorty Schroeder completed for the Underwriters
Laboratories, flying a Laird Swallow. This particular
ship had been marked with the registration letters
N-ABCB, to promote the idea of registering aircraft.
Thus the Laird Swallow became the first registered
airplane in the country.
Many interesting historical developments occurred
during the production of the 43 Swallows built. The
Company trademark was a diamond with L-A-I-R-D
across the upper edge and P-L-A-N-E-S acro~s the
bottom, while the city of manufacture, in this case,
Wichita ... appeared in a band dividing the diamond
horizontally. The spacing of the 'L' and the 'D' in
LAIRD was pretty wide-set at first, causing people
to read the insignia as L. D. AIRPLANES. While this
was undesirable as a trademark, it may well have been
the beginning of the word AIRPLANES, because prior
to that era (and still so in England), flying machines
were referred to as AEROPLANES.
Among the many people to leave a lasting contri­
bution to aviation history while with Mr. Laird was
Clyde Cessna. Clyde had done some very early pio­
neering work in the 1910 era, but had concentrated
most of his subsequent efforts on his farm in Rego,
Kansas.
His interest in aviation was re-awakened by the
purchase of a Laird Swallow in the fall of 1923. He
later combined efforts with Walter Beech and Lloyd
Stearman in the Travel Air Company.
Very central to the development of the aviation
business growing up at Wichita was Matty's partner,
Jake Mollendick. Jake was nuts about flying and
thoroughly sold on it. He was willing to put his money
into fostering it also, but unfortunately, Jake' s busi­
ness methods reflected his background as a well
digger. He just wasn't happy unless he was hammering
away at something in the airplane business, and un­
happily he didn't always know how to go about it.
One by one, through those early days in Wichita, the
aviation greats left Laird. Matty's problems began
during the period when he was in California on the
tour. Jake had hired a group of not very experienced
pilots and within a short time, these individuals washed
out a number of airplanes.
Sales were somewhat depressed at the time, and
for Matty's portion of the partnership, these accidents
were very costly. For Mr. Mollendick, these accidents
didn't represent quite the hardship, as he had other
sources of income.
Mr. Laird sold his interest in the Company in 1923,
taking with him two Laird Swallows, as part pay­
ment for his business interest. Leaving Wichita , he
flew them down to St. Louis for the National Air
Races. Entering several events, he then carried pas­
sengers at the conclusion of the Meet.
He sold the Hispano Suiza powered Laird , and
flew the OX powered airplane back to Chicago. There,
he operated it commercially, carrying passengers
and flying photographers to special events. Through
(Photo by Robert G. Elliott)
The well known Laird Trademark.
20
it had come at a bad time ... just when business was
really in the growing stages. It did nothing for the
manufacturers, other than providing them with orders
for a couple of aircraft. To comply with these regula­
tions cost the industry many thousands and thou­
sands of dollars. Particularly exasperating for all the
factories was the requirement to submit a stress anal­
ysis on airframes, as there were only few persons out­
side the Bureau, or within the military manufacturing
complexes, capable of performing the analytical work
involved .
Matty had long been a believer of testing sub­
assemblies of his aircraft with various loading tests.
He had personally flown each ship upon completion,
taking it up and wringing it out in his excellent acro­
batic style, a portion of its acceptance test. Now, how­
ever, finding someone in the Chicago area to per­
form the stress analysis work was difficult . Two engi­
neers, Messers. Green and Heinrich were engaged on
the stress analysis work until Mr. Green left to work
at Ford's plant. Raoul Hoffman, an early aero engineer
had previously been brought in to assist, but had left
when there were some objections to his calculation
Above: Laird-Whirlwind, 3 Place, open
cockpit. Wright Whirlwind J5 220 hp engine.
these efforts he was able to capitalize a new manu­
facturing plant in Chicago . Here, he produced a new
line of commercial planes, starting with OX-S power
plants and progressing through the larger Wright and
Pratt & Whitney radials, synonymous with Laird Air­
planes in succeeding years.
After Matty left Wichita , Walter Beech and Lloyd
Stearman remained with Jake Mollendick to bring out
the single bay Swallow. They continued on this pro­
ject for about a year and then left to join Clyde Cessna
in forming the Travel Air Company.
Matty"s younger brother, Charles, later headed
up Jake's Company with not altogether satisfying
results in bringing out the 'Super Swallow'. Poor
Jake went through a long series of partners before
finally becoming insolvent. He passed away some
years later in a sanitarium. A sad end for a man who had
been such a key in the early formation of the aircraft
manufacturing and air travel industry.
The late twenties brought many changes to the
aviation business. Among them, and most significant,
was the Air Commerce Act of 1926, requiring certi­
fication of pilots, aircraft and manufacturers. Reflect­
ing the thoughts of most in the industry, Matty felt
21
Below: Aerial view of two Lairds. On the
left is a Laird Speedwing, LC-R-200, at
right, slightly behind a Laird Whirlwind,
LCB-200.
by the Department of Commerce's Engineering De­
partment. Finally, Heinrich was able to learn enough
from the others to complete the job and satisfy ATC
requirements for the LCB's, LC-R and other special
models.
The late twenties brought racing and record setting
activities into prominence as thEa barnstormers strove
for new sources of income and notoriety. Matty's
airplanes, including the Junior Speedwings, Speed­
wings, Solution and Super Solution, were consistently
among the fastest airplanes of the day. Excellent pilots
who flew them . were such personalities as E. E. Bal­
lough, Speed Holman, Bill Brock, Jimmy Doolittle,
Red Jackson and Matty himself.
Characteristically, Laird planes were known for
their ruggedness, light weight, high speeds and out­
standing finishes. Consequently, they were widely
copied in the industry. Many of the people who later
started their own manufacturing concerns found their
(Photo Courtesy of Clem Whittenbeck)
Clem Whitten beck standing beside his
restored Laird Junior Speedwing NX10537
at Tampa, Fla ., in 1947. His Laird was just
one registration number less than the Laird
Solution . Matty flew the original version of
this plane during the National Air Races of
1930 in Chicago at Curtiss-Reynolds Air­
port.
Above : Laird-Speedwing (STD), 3 Place
open cockpit, powered by Wright Whirl­
wind 330 hp engine.
interest stimulated ... one of whom was Major Alex­
ander de Seversky.
Matty's company capitalization did not permit be­
coming involved in quantity production. His airplanes
were largely custom built to order, with an arrange­
ment that provided him a partial payment for the air­
craft through several stages of completion . His cus­
tomers were largely oil men, publishers, and indus­
trialists who were interested in owning "The Thorough­
bred of The Airways". When Charles Dickinson se­
cured the contract for the Chicago to Minneapolis
mail, he placed an order for Lairds . Billy Brock, Speed
Holman, and E. E. Ballough flew this route initially,
an activity which led to the formation of Northwest
Airlines.
Unfortunately, due to the economic depression of
1929, the bottom fell out of Matty's market. Many of
his customers began to loose their interest in flying,
being diverted by worries of tending their fading busi­
ness enterprises.
TO BE CONTINUED IN AUGUST ISSUE (Highlights of 1930)
22
<~~7~~~~~
,
ANTIQUE/CLASSIC DIVISION CONVENTION ACTIVITIES SCHEDULE
FORUMS AND MEETINGS
ANTIQUE/CLASSIC FORUMS TENT NO.3
SATURDAY, JULY 31, 1976
9:00 A.M.-10:15 A.M.
10:30 A.M.-ll:45 A.M.
12:00 Noon-12:45 P. M.
1:00 P . M.- 2:15 P.M.
2:30 P.'v1 .- 3:45 P. M.
4:00 P.M.- 5:15 P.M.
Meyers OTW ... . .......................................... . ......... .. ................. Richard K. Martin, Meyers Restorer Piper Cubs .. .. ................................ .. ... Clyde Smith, Sr., and Clyde Smith, Jr., Test Pilot, Piper Aircraft Company Early Bellanca Ai rcraft . . .... ..... .... ... . ....... . .. .. ...... .. August T. Bellanca, President, Bellanca Aircraft Engineering, Inc. Monocoupe .......... . ..... ... .. ............... ....... ... Harold C. Maloy, Federal Aviation Agency and Monocoupe Restorer Fail Safe Flight Instrument Installations ....... ........ ........... ... .. . , J. R. Nielander, Jr., President, Antique/Classic Division SUNDAY, AUGUST 1, 1976
9:00 A.M.-10:15 A.'v1.
10:30 A.M.-ll :45 A.M .
12:00 Noon-12:45 P.M.
1:00 P.'v1.- 2:15 P.M.
2:30 P.M.- 3:45 P.M.
4:00 P.'v1.- 5:15 P.M.
Aeronca Chief ..................... . .. . ..... . ........... . ............................ George S. York, Classic Aircraft Judge Stearman Aircraft ........................... . ............ ... ... .. Tho m.as E. Lowe, President, S tearma n Restorers Association International Cessna One-Seventy Association Meeting ............................................ George M. Mock, President Cur ti ss OX-5 Engines ................................... Leslie C. Miller, Developer of "Millerized" Conversion of Curtiss OX-5 Stinson Reliant and SM's ... . ................... . .................... George E. Stubb s, Past President, Natio nal Stinson Club Sti nson 10, 105, 108 Series ......................................... . ... . .. .. .. . ... .. ..... Rowell S. Weilert, Stinson Res torer MONDAY, AUGUST 2,1976
9:00 A.M.-10:15 A.M.
10:30 A. M.-ll:45 A.M.
1:00 P .M. - 2:15 P. M.
2:30 P.M.- 3:45 P.M.
4:00 P. M.- 5:15 P . M.
Aeronca K ...... .. ... . .. ... . ..... .... ... . ..... ...................... . ... ..... Edward H. Schubert, Chairman, Aeronca Club
Mooney Mite ........ .. .... . . . ......... .. .. ..... .. ... . ... . . .. ........... . ......... . Lawrence P. Dale, Mooney Mite Res torer
Travel Airs ........ . ............. ... .... ...... ... . . .... Nick Rezich, Air Show Performer, Announcer, and Travel Air Res torer
Cessna 1201140 . .......... . ............ ......... .... . ............... .. . J. R. Nielander, Jr. , President, Antique/Classic Division
Cessna 1201140 Type Club Organizational Meeting ............................... ... . .. . ... Tom Williams and Kennedy Dwight
TUESDAY, AUGUST 3, 1976
9:00 A.M.-10:45 A.M.
10:30 A.M.-ll:45 A.M.
1:00 P . M.- 2:15 P.M.
2:30 P. M.- 3:45 P.M .
4:00 P. 'v1.- 5:15 P.M .
23
Rearwin-Commonwealth Aircraft .............................. . . ..... .. . .... ... George T. Williams, Chairman, Rearwin Club Howard DGA Aircraft ... . .............. . . ... . .................. .. ... . ... .. .. .. ..... . ... Richard K. Martin, Howard Res torer World War I Aircraft ..... .. . .... .. . . .... . .......... .. ............... Charles Woerner, Builder of World War I Replica Aircraft European Antique Aircraft ............... . ...... .. ... ..... . .. " Harold Bes t-Devereux, Director, European EAA Regional Office Airframe a nd Engine Electroplating ................. . ......... . ....... . ....... .. William J. Ehlen, President, Electro-Lab., Inc. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 4, 1976
9:00 A. M.-10:15 A. M.
10:30 A. M.-11:45 A. M.
1:00 P. M.- 2:15 P. M.
2:30 P . M.- 3:45 P. M.
4:00 P.M.- 5:15 P.M .
Aero nca 7 and 11 Series ... .. ....... .. ......... . . . . C. L. "Buzz" Wa gner, Developer of Aeronca Supplemental Type Certificates Antique/Classic Division Annual Business Meeting
Cessna 170 ....... . ............................. Gene L. Collins, Past President, International Cessna One-Seventy Association Ercoupe .. .. .... . .. ........... ..... .. ...... Fred E. Weick, Ercoupe Designer, and M. C. "Kelly" Viets, President, Ercoupe Club Bourke Engines . .......... . .. .. . ...... , .......... . , .... . ............ . . . . .. ,. John S. Hendricks, Bourke Engine Experimenter THURSDAY, AUGUST 5, 1976
9:00 A. M.-10:15 A. M.
10:30 A.M.-11:45 A.M.
1:00 P.M.- 2:15 P. M.
2:30 P. M.- 3:45 P. M.
4:00 P. M.- 5:15 P. \II.
Mooney Mite ................................................................. Dr. Earl G. Sanderson, Mooney Mite Restorer Swift Aircraft ........... . . .. ..... ... ...... .... . .... ... . . Charles E. Nelson, President, The International Swift Association, Inc. Cessna 195 . .............................. . ............... Daniel J. Kindel, III, M.D ., Clifford C. Crabs, Paul W. Terrell, M.D.,
President and Past Presidents of the Eastern Cessna 190/195 Association
Beechcraft Staggerwing . . .................................................... James C. Gonna n, President, Staggerwing Club Spartan Executive .................................................................... Dr. James Patterson, Spartan Restorer FRIDAY, AUGUST 6, 1976
9:00 A. M.-10:15 A.M.
10:30 A. M.-11:45 A. M.
1:00 P. M.- 2:15 P.M.
2:30 P. M.- 3:45 P . M.
4:00 P . M.- 5:15 P.M.
Waco Aircraft ..... . ... . ...... .. ... ..... . .... . .. ...... ... .. .. .. ..... ... .. ....... Ray Brandly, President, National Waco Club Ryan Aircraft . .. . ....... ...... .. ... . .. .. . ... ....... .. .... ..... .... .. ...... . . Dorr B. Carpenter, Co-Author, Ryan Guidebook Fairchild Aircraft ........................................................ Donald L. Coleman, M.D., Secretary, Fairchild Club Taylorcraft . .... ................. . ... . . . . . .... . . ............... Dorothy Feris, Vice-President, Taylorcraft Aviation Corporation Porterfields ................................................................. Charles E. Lebreckt, Chairman, Porterfield Club SATURDAY, AUGUST 7, 1976
9:00 A.M.-10:15 A.M.
10:30 A. N,-11:45 A. M.
1:00 P.M.- 2:15 P . M.
Piper Va ga bond ....... ...... . . ................. .... . .. . . .. ... ... ........ .... . ......... Cecil Ogles, Editor, Vagabond News Early Beechcraft Bona nzas ................ . ................... . J. Norman Colvin, Retired Execu tive, Beech Aircraft Corporation Laird Super Solution .............. . .. E. M. "MC!tfy" Laird, President, E. M. Laird Airplane Company, and Eduardo C. Escallon,
President, FSAACA, and Chairman, Super Solution Restoration Project
2:30 P. M.- 3:45 P . M. Northrop Alpha Project ....... .. ..... ....... ........ . . . .. Daniel McGrogan, Director, TWA Northrop Alpha Restoration Project 4:00 P.M.- 5:15 P .M. Luscombe Aircraft . ........ .. .......... .. . .. ....... .. ................... . .. ..... ... Richard Lawrence, Luscombe Association Calendar of Events July 3-4 - Gainesville, Georgia - 9th Annual
Cracker Fly-In. Sponsored by North
Georgia Chapter of AAA, Antiques, Classics,
Homebuilts and Warbirds welcome.
Contact Bill Davis, 2202 WiUivee Place,
Decatur, GA 30033.
July 10-11 - Annual EAA Chapter 62 Fly-In,
Hollister, CA. Contact D. Borg, 6948
Burning Tree, San Jose, CA 95119.
July 10-11 - 17th Annual AAA Fly-In, DuPage
County Airport, West Chicago, Illinois.
Phone 312-763-711~
luly 31 - August I - Oshkosh, Wisconsin ­
24th Annual EM International Fly-In
Convention_ Star1 making your plans NOWI
August 29-September 6 - Blakesburg, Iowa ­
6th Annual Invitational AAA-APM Fly-In.
August 30 - September 3 - Fond du Lac,
Wisconsin -11th Annual EAAIIAC
International Aerobatic Championships. Spon­
sored by International Aerobatic Club.
September 17-19 - Georgetown, South
Carolina - Second Annual Spirit of '76 Fly-In at
Georgetown County Airport, South Carolina.
Sponsored by Chapter 543 Antiquel
Classics, Warbirds and Homebuilts. For infor­
mation contact Herb Bailey, P.O. Box
619, Georgetown, SC 29440. (803) 546-2525
days; (803) 546-3357 nights and weekends.
WANTED: Stinson Reliant SR 5 or SR (straight wing). Will pay good money for a rebuildable with all parts present. Tom Rench, 1601 Circlewood, Racine, WI. 24
OSHKOSH~
__
'76==~
EXPERI.....ENTAL
AIRCRAF T A S SN.
WHISTLING IN THE RIGGING
By Tom Poberezny
At present, I am on my way to Tullahoma, Tennessee to attend the
Annual Staggerwing Beech Convention. Travelling to Tullahoma got me
to thinking about the hard work and preparation that I am sure went into
this event, as well as the hundreds of other events that will be taking
place throughout the United States this year.
Having been involved with the Annual EAA Convention as well as
various other flying events, I can appreciate the amount of time and effort
(as well as money) needed to make any fly-in or air show a success. If you
are planning a future event, a few words of caution.
Number one . . . be sure that your sponsoring organization is incor­
porated. In today's society, talk of liability and lawsuits has become un­
fortunately commonplace . I can't stress enough the importance to you as
an individual to be sure that the sponsoring organization for any aerial
event is incorporated. If you haven't read the article of incorporation that
appeared on page 32 of the May issue of SPORT AVIATION, please do so.
Also important is insurance. Be sure that you have proper coverage
for your event. Your Headquarters staff has been accutely aware of the
problems of insurance . . . proper coverage at a reasonable cost. After
much investigation and review, EAA Headquarters has obtained a Master
Policy that is available to EAA Chapters and Divisions. For more infor­
mation, contact Mr. Harry Hanisch, P . O. Box 2424, Oshkosh, Wisconsin
54901, 4141235-1980.
Unfortunately, the planning and labor that goes into any event falls on
the shoulders of a relatively few people. If everybody pitches in, the job
becomes a lot easier and much more enjoyable. If your chapter is sponsoring
an event, be sure to give a helping hand.
The 1976 EAA Convention is fast approaching. One new innovation
25
is the establishment of a Flight Scheduling office . Headed by Verne Jobst,
this committee will be working with representatives of all the divisions
as well as various EAA'ers on the scheduling of flight activities for the
Convention. This should allow us to schedule special events and flights
in coordination with the daily fly-bys and air show.
Numerous other events will be featured at Oshkosh '16. The world
famous Canadian Snowbirds will highlight the evening air show on July
31 and August 1 and 2. This nine-plane jet team is one of the finest in the
world. You won't want to miss their performance.
Last year's Interview Circle was very well received. 1976 will see a much
expanded program with many designers, EAA'ers, and well-known pilots
and aviation personalities interviewed.
Many changes have been made at the Convention site itself. A new
walk-in area has been developed which will accommodate foot traffic more
readily. A new shopping mall and shower have been added to Camp
Scholler as well as expanding the area for camping.
All in all, Oshkosh '76 will be the world's greatest aviation event. I hope
you can plan to be there.
On Friday, June 18th, we had a number of top ranking FAA officials visit
your Headquarters and EAA Air Museum facility. This was a very im­
portant meeting for it provided the opportunity for them to gain further
insight into the activities of the Experimental Aircraft Association and its
divisions. Lines of communication and understanding must be main­
tained between government and your organization. It is important that
we continue to demonstrate our ability to self-police and use sound judg­
ment so that unnecessary and constraining regulations do not appear in the
future.
Meetings such as this are just one aspect of what your dues provide
for you and all aviation enthusiasts . We have received many fine comments
on the quality and content of The Vintage Airplane. This publication pro­
vides the cohesiveness and means of communication that is so important
to the success of the Antique/Classic Division .
But please don't look at your dues only as a subscription for The Vintage
Airplane. This is but one benefit. Your dues support your organization
so that it can help insure a healthy future for aviation . We want to be
sure that the editor of The Vintage Airplane has something to write about
20 years from now!
May 30, 1976
Dear AI Kelch :
" Some Canadian Scuttlebut". The first thing
you will probably note is that I use
classy paper for writing.
The next things you may wish to note:
are I own (a) Piper J3 SI N 17579 C-FRDX built
in 1947. It should be at Oshkosh '76­
military camouflage paint in markings of ITALIAN
ARMY . (There will also be an Emeraude
in Fascist wartime Italian desert camouflage
and markings.)
(b) Taylor J2 CUb. SI N 1531 1937 C-FRDS.
It was at Oshkosh '72 with 65 hp Continental.
I purchased it shortly after Oshkosh.
It is presently stripped for restoration to
40 hp and is on display at Harbourfront in
Toronto - a public participator deal
which now salutes transportation . It is the only
antique aircraft there. Vintage Airplane,
SPORT AVIATION and AAA News are
on display also . The J3 (above) will participate
in a fly-by June 5th .
(c) Taylor E2 Cub SIN 289 C-GCGE ex
NC15399, built August 31 , 1935. The aircraft
has not flown since 1939 or so . I
purchased it in U.S. last year. Have copy of
factory production notes and will restore it as
it came from Taylor.
I have 10 Continental A-40 engines
and intend to keep the E-2 J-2 going indefinitely.
In Canada we have 5 J-2 Cubs and 2 E-2s
(Mine and one in the National Museum SIN 142
used to be in Wisconsin) .
I can think of about 6 Aeronca Ks (5 being
restored) one on floats. I hear of a
DC-3 going on floats sometime .
A Taylor-Young (early T-Craft) and a
T-Craft Model A are being restored out west.
There are 3 Bellanca Airbus aircraft extant in
Canada - one still in service. DH 80
Puss Moth of Father Mac Gillivray has just been
placed in National Aeronautical Collection .
A Fleet 7 is newly restored here.
I know of a few projects underway - mostly
in Ontario - Lancaster Bomber, DH
Mosquito, several North American Yales (like
fixed gear AT-6 about 450 hpj, several
Tiger Moths, a few Gipsy Moths, Fleet 7,
Alexander Eaglerock, Curtiss ­
Reid Rambler (pending) , Aeronca 50L and
50C, the Jackaroo, Fox Moth, lots
of Cubs etc., 2 Barkley-Grows (look like Beech 18).
By the way, my J-2 and J-3 are registered
as " ultra light " aircraft and as
such are treated as homebuilts, even though
they are factory built. The advantages
of such a registration are remarkable . I have
a little 01 ' project afoot - to get a
new category of licensing for Antique Aircraft
in order to place more of the maintenance,
fabric work (but not major structural
repair) in the hands of the owner who could
himself sign the work out. In the
event of repairs to the major structure , the
work must I think be inspected. After
all , if a man may build a high powered
aerobatic aircraft (Pitts, etc.) and do
aerobatics, then why must it be
considered dangerous for an antiquer to
do and sign out his own fabric work , etc. ???
Certainly it seems (to me at least) that
such a licensing of the aircraft
would be a boon to the antique movement.
I find it difficult to find an AME (US - A&P)
who is caring enough to work on an
antique. Most just don 't want to deal with antiques.
I would be most interested in response
to this concept on the U.S. side. (Above
refers to antiques up to say 3,500 pounds) .
Antiquing is expensive enough , I think.
I had promised Buck Hilbert an
article on Cubs in Canada. However, the
info I had sought was burned in a couple of
fires - still trying though. I could
write an article on ferrying a J-2 from
Winnipeg to Toronto via the north
shore of Lake Superior. Winds were as high
as 60 mph and landings were made no
brakes on pavement in 35-40 mph 90 0 cross­
winds way over gross (300 Ibs.)
Maximum GIS was verified at 137.5 mph Bungees failed finally and fire trucks
chased us alongside runways - being
oblivious, we didn 't realize trucks saw us
land with a wing tip in the grass ­
we thought that they were possibly sent out
because a JET (I) was in trouble .
Perhaps an article could be written.
Oh yeah - all the maps blew out the open
door - out over the boondocks . One
tire went flat, the tail wheel bent (springs)
the aircraft would only taxi in left hand
circles .
Don 't get me wrong - I don 't ever
expect to make such a flight again .
FLYING - THE BEST WAY TO GET HIGH
Vintage Airplane has an article March
1976 concerning a Cub Fly-In at Burlington every
June, and the article states " Come Join the Fun at Burlington ", but it isn 't listed in Vintage Airplane or SPORT AVIATION . Well????? Copies of old ads and brochures would help as " filler " in Vintage Airplane . Aeronca even had a booklet on C-3 series . Drawings for the Taylor E-2 Cub are now avail­
able from the FAA in Jamaica, New
York. I wrote to them and they found they
had drawings which could not be released
as they were confidential to the
application for the AIC. However, FAA
responded to my request by contacting Piper
who have now given permission to release the
drawings to the public. I have a list of
what appears to be about 126 micro­
filmed drawings.
C. Garth Elliot
2nd Line West
Meadowvale, Ontario Canada LOJ 1KO
P.S. Years ago EAA had " status " cards to be completed by members - keep track of projects, etc. It would cost a bit , but might be an idea to enclose some in Vintage Airplane every 3rd issue??? on a regular basis in order to create an awareness of Australian Aviation History. The first of the articles to follow deal with Bert Hinkler and his aircraft , one of which appears on our badge. Two are preserved in the Museum at Bris­
bane . I'm awaiting some photographs from around the country to put the articles together. I just received the parts for my Auster J5R, and I am just starting the fuselage weld repairs, so I should have some progress soon with some photos . Well, I had better sign off as I have another newsletter to complete . Regards, P. J. Harrington 35 Leone St. Lawnton - Brisbane Queensland 4501 Australia Editor's Note: We welcome this news and will be glad to have stories from Australia! For those of you who don't know they are even in attendance at Oshkosh in numbers. 'S. May 24,1976
Dear AI :
Editor's Note: Always glad to hear I received my May issue this morning
from far away people - keep it up. and could not have been more pleased . Frankly,
Burlington had to be cancelled this year ­
I am truly impressed with each and
sorry about that! every issue. It is my every wish that all
of our members realize that these issues are
May 20,1976
collectors items and will treat them
Dear J. R. :
as such and cherish them as I do.
Sorry for the lack of communication ,
The enclosed is a 5 x 7 color picture
but I have been trying to recruit
of our Ryan SCW, which incidentally
a substitute forum speaker to no avail. I couldn 't
won the Grand Champion Award at the North
organise any leave for Oshkosh , unfortunately.
Carolina, South Carolina , Virginia
I'm off for a month in September, and
Antique Airplane Foundation Fly-In (EAA
am going to the Farnborough Air Show, UK.
Chapter 395-2A) held at Burlington , North
We might call through the USA on our
Carolina the first weekend in May.
return from the UK, but I can't promise any­
This is the ship that was covered in
thing . Well , next year will be a good
SPORT AVIATION several months
effort as I already have leave approved for
ago , and is the prototype SCW which we
July/August , 1977, and I hope to bring
brought out of Mexico about three years
a couple of our Vintage Section people over
ago , and was beautifully restored by Pete
with me. We will begin to plan a series
Covington. Incidentally, the print is
of films and lectures prior to the
yours to keep in the interest that you might
end of this year so as to give you early notice
have some use for them when convenient.
of the presentation to be given at
I believe that I had previously
the convention .
mentioned that Pete and I have two low-wing
I've enclosed material relevant
Aeroncas undergoing restoration, and
to the formation of our Vintage Section
I am currently doing a story for you on the
of the Sport Aircraft Association of
history of the Aeronca Low-wings. I have
Australia. We would like to establish an Official
collected a number of excellent pictures
affiliation with the EAA Antique/Classic
including early factory shots. Currently, Pete
Division if at all possible. I'm the
and I are recovering the Travel Air 6000.
Federal Chairman , as well as State
Again, many thanks for the May issue ,
(Queensland), and State Technical Officer
and I extend to you my warmest personal regards.
for SAAA. Maybe you would like to
Sincerely,
Morton W. Lester
publish an article from the enclosed material.
During the last few months I've been
Editor's Note: I saw Morton at the
organising about six articles for
Tulahoma Fly-In this week and tagged
THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE. It is the intention
him for an article on the sew. Will save the
of our group to try to submit articles
picture to use then . Will be
anxiously awaiting both stories.
26