Vagabond

Vintage AirMail 2 SEPTEMBER /OCTOBER 2015 C O N T E N T S Vol. 43, No. 5 18 Tim and Myrna’s Time Machine Restoring a Howard DGA Sparky Barnes Sargent 26 Vaughn’s Valiant Vagabond Putting the fun back in flying Sparky Barnes Sargent SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER TYSON RININGER 38 Al Meyers and an OTW Reborn The Herrmann family’s biplane Budd Davisson 45 Keepin’ Up a Family Tradition Walt Bowe’s D-18 Beech Budd Davisson 52 Doomed Titan The sacrifice of the USS Shenandoah Mark Carlson www.vintageaircraft.org 3 C O V E R S FRONT COVER: Vaughn Lovely eases his Vagabond up close to the photo plane. Photo by Tyson Rininger BACK COVER: Walt Bowe and his freshly restored Beech D-18. Photo by Tyson Rininger For missing or replacement magazines, or any other membership- related questions, please call EAA Member Services at 800-JOIN-EAA (564-6322). ANY COMMENTS? Send your thoughts to the Vintage Editor at: jbusha@eaa.org 2015 COLUMNS 1 Straight and Level Nothing but amazing! Geoff Robison 4 Friends of the Red Barn Thank you 5 Oshkosh 2015 Vintage Awards 9 Ask the AME Tremors John Patterson, M.D., AME 10 How to? Select and use aircraft screws Robert G. Lock 12 Good Old Days 14 Art of Flying Blu Sarah Wilson 58 The Vintage Mechanic Specialty inspection—Part 1 Robert G. Lock 62 VAA New Members 64 Vintage Trader 4 SEPTEMBER /OCTOBER 2015 TM Friends of the RED BARN Diamond Plus Level Robert F. Charles Charles W. Harris Arthur P. Loring Jr. Michael Miller S.H. Schmid Sisk Charitable Trust Diamond Level Ron & Jon Apfelbaum James Gorman Robbin Hill Ken & Lorraine Morris Earl Nicholas Richard & Sue Packer Geoff Robison Ben Scott Ronald Tarrson Leonard Weiser Platinum Level James Hamilton Gold Level Susan Dusenbury Joseph Leverone Silver Level Gary Brossett Dave Clark Gerald Cox John Cronin John Kephart MariAnne & Mark Kolesar Larry Nelson Dwain Pittenger Carson Thompson Michael Wotherspoon Bronze Plus Level Dennis Beecher Ray Bottom Richard Broderick Donald Coleman A.J. Hugo Ed Lewandowski Terry Ross David Smith Tom Vukonich Bob & Pat Wagner Bronze Level David & Jeanne Allen Lloyd Austin Tom Baker Hobart Bates Marilyn Boese Logan Boles Robert Busch Steve Buss George Chaffey Geoffrey Clark Sydney Cohen Timothy Devine Dan Dodds David Flinn Roger Florkiewicz Stuart Fraley Joseph Gamble Terry Griffin Ian Harvie Lee Hussey Peter Karalus Glenn Kinneberg Marc Krier Barry Leslie Charles Luigs Thomas Lymburn Stephen Moyer Dan & Denise Osterhouse Sandy & Barry Perlman Ronald Price Tim & Liz Popp Robert Porter Peter Ramm Timothy Raupp Jerome Riesz John Seibold Jeffery Shafer Bob Siegfried, II Joseph M. Smokovitz Dean J. Stoker Carl & Pat Tortorige Alan Thiel Robert Tyler Jan Wolfe Brian Wynkoop Ed Yess Boyt Young Supporter Level Charles Burtch Bruce Denney Duane Dunwoody Walter Kahn James Lockwood John Mahany John O’Callaghan Michael Schnell Robert Staight Don Stewart Michael William Duane Wething We thank our Friends of the Red Barn supporters for their generous investment in the future of VAA. www.vintageaircraft.org 5 VINTAGE AWARDS Antique Awards (Through August 1945) Antique Continuously Maintained Aircraft JOHN RICCIOTTI, 117 DEER RIDGE DR, BARRINGTON, NH N14048 1934,WACO S3HD Replica Aircraft Champion Bronze Lindy FRANK PAVLIGA, 1965 NEW MILFORD RD, ATWATER, OH N498K 1983 PIETENPOL World War II Military Trainer/Liaison Aircraft Champion Bronze Lindy JAMES SAVAGE, 119 GOLFVIEW DR, GIBSONIA, PA N17634 1939 SPARTAN 7W Customized Aircraft Champion Bronze Lindy PETER RAMM, 290 RIVERVIEW BLVD, ST. CATHARINES, ON N39752 1941 WACO UPF7 Bronze Age (19371941) Champion Bronze Lindy DAVID PYEATT, 10153 WISH AVE, NORTHRIDGE, CA N20961 1940 WACO SRE Silver Age (19281936) Champion Bronze Lindy DAN MURRAY, 3842 FLORENTINE CIR, LONGMONT, CO NC6464 1928 TRAVELAIR 4000 Antique Reserve Grand Champion Silver Lindy DOUG HARKES, 88832 CHURCH ST, WROXETER, ON CFCVE 1944 FLEET M62A3 CORNELL Antique Grand Champion Gold Lindy CRAIG BAIR, 1647 CHEKAPA LN, GRENVILLE, SD N67478 1942 HOWARD AIRCRAFT DGA15P Antique Grand Champion Gold Lindy Classic Grand Champion Gold Lindy Contemporary Grand Champion Customized Gold Lindy Contemporary Grand Champion Gold Lindy STEVE MOYER PHOTOS 6 SEPTEMBER /OCTOBER 2015 Outstanding Cessna 120/140 Plaques (Small) DOUG SYTSMA, 42333 TRENT DR, CANTON, MI N2339N 1947 CESSNA 120 Outstanding Cessna 170/180 Plaques (Small) JOHN CASTORINA, 675 DANA DRIVE, SANTA PAULA, CA N3261D 1955 CESSNA 180 Outstanding Ercoupe Plaques (Small) RONALD BLACK, 217 MILES AVE, VALLEY CENTER, KS N93394 1946 ERCOUPE 415 C Outstanding Piper J 3 Plaques (Small) MATT HOFELDT, 4918 LANTERN HOLLOW LN., WUNAKEE, WI N92012 1946 PIPER J3C 65 Outstanding Piper Other Plaques (Small) PAUL GAGNON, 12 ELDERBERRY CRT, GUELPH, ON CFGAG 1950 PIPER PA-20 Outstanding Stinson Plaques (Small) MICHAEL GARDONIO, 328 S 60TH AVE W, DULUTH, MN N9418K 1947 STINSON 108 2 Outstanding Swift Plaques (Small) CRAIG LAYSON, 8950 STONY CREEK RD, YPSILANTI, MI N90394 1946 GLOBE SWIFT Outstanding Limited Production Plaques (Small) DAVID DENTON, PO BOX 1312, SILOAM SPRINGS, AR N2916V 1951 CALLAIR A 2 Preservation Plaques (Small) PAUL “HARVE” APPLEGATE, APPLEGATE AIRPORT, RR 1 BOX 61A, QUEEN CITY, MO NC8841K 1947 STINSON 108 1 Custom Class B (81 - 150 hp) Plaques (Small) MARK HEUSDENS, 29130 2ND PL, KANSASVILLE, WI N2877H 1946 ERCOUPE 415 C Custom Class C (151 - 235 hp) Plaques (Small) TABER ROBBINS, 2230 GRAND CENTRAL, HORSEHEADS, NY N10RR 1954 BEECH E35 Custom Class D (236 and up hp) Plaques (Small) CARY SINGLETON,23375 HIGHWAY EE, DEARBORN, MO N4101K 1947 NORTH AMERICAN NAVION Best Customized Runner-Up Plaques (Large) JOHN NIELSEN, 108 N DUNCAN RD, BLOOMER, WI N170KW 1955 CESSNA 170B Class I (0 - 80 hp) Bronze Lindy RYAN HARTER, 1434 BUTTERNUT CIR, GREENFIELD, IN N3175E 1946 AERONCA 11AC Class II (81 - 150 hp) Bronze Lindy TERRY DURHAM, 7743 E. SUMMIT RD, PARKER, CO N1902B 1948 LUSCOMBE 8F Class III (151 - 235 hp) Bronze Lindy CRAIG LAYSON, 8950 STONY CREEK RD, YPSILANTI, MI N180TP 1955 CESSNA 180 Class IV (236 and up hp) Bronze Lindy MICHAEL PRATT, 9223 SPRINGBROOKE CIR, LOUISVILLE, KY N1001D 1950 CESSNA 195A Champion Customized Classic Bronze Lindy MARK MEREDITH, 509 REDLAND BLVD, ROCKVILLE, MD N7DW 1951 DEHAVILLAND DHC 1 CHIPMUNK Reserve Grand Champion Silver Lindy ROBERT P. CHRISTENSEN, 1600 GRANDVIEW LA., ASHTON, ID N4846M 1947 PIPER PA 11 Grand Champion Gold Lindy ROBERT EPTING, 410 MARTIN LUTHER KING JR BLVD, CHAPEL HILL, NC N92455 1946 PIPER J3C-65 Classic Awards (September 1945 through December 1955) www.vintageaircraft.org 7 Outstanding Beech Single Engine Outstanding In Type RAYMOND DEBS, 6209 27TH STREET CT NW, GIG HARBOR, WA N828R 1959 BEECH K35 Outstanding Cessna 150 Outstanding In Type LORRAINE MORRIS, 2900 HOWARD ST, POPLAR GROVE, IL N6469T 1960 CESSNA 150 Outstanding Cessna 170/172/175/177 Outstanding In Type STEVEN WEINER, 15882 THRUSH AVE, NORA SPRINGS, IA N2867X 1968 CESSNA 177 Outstanding Cessna 180/182/210 Outstanding In Type MARK DENSON, 3101 POST OAK DRIVE, BRENHAM, TX N751S 1964 CESSNA 180G Outstanding Cessna Multi Engine Outstanding In Type THOMAS HANDZLIK, 2931 FALCON WAY, MIDLOTHIAN, TX N4AF 1968 CESSNA 421 Outstanding Piper PA 22 Tri Pacer Outstanding In Type JAMES HAMILTON, PO BOX 1283, ROGUE RIVER, OR N4770A 1956 PIPER PA 22 150 Outstanding Piper PA 24 Comanche Outstanding In Type J. BRUCE CAMINO, 1611 E. 4TH STREET, SANTA ANA, CA N8871P 1965 PIPER PA 24 260 Outstanding Piper PA 28 Cherokee Outstanding In Type STEFAN KURSCHNER, 3450 SW DOWNS VIEW TER, PORTLAND, OR N8933W 1964 PIPER PA 28 235 Outstanding Piper PA 30 Twin Comanche Outstanding In Type DAVID WINTERS, PO BOX 1542, REDWAY, CA N204WT 1965 COMANCHE PA-30 Preservation Award Outstanding In Type ROBERT MORELAND, PO BOX 1082, BYRON, IL N5224D 1957 CESSNA 180A Class II Single Engine (161 - 230 hp) Bronze Lindy CODY ERICKSON, 2405 N EVY AVE, SIOUX FALLS, SD N8790D 1956 PIPER PA 18A-150 Class III Single Engine (231 and up hp) Bronze Lindy BRUCE MAYES, 2101 NUUANU AVE APT 1604, HONOLULU, HI N229RS 1963 MEYERS 200B Dean Richardson Memorial Award Bronze Lindy RICHARD JONES, 10960 VILLA MONTE CT, MUKILTEO, WA N8370D 1958 BEECH J35 Outstanding Customized Bronze Lindy THOMAS RHINES, 2258 VZ CR 2301, CANTON, TX N7404R 1966 PIPER PA 28 140 Outstanding Multi Engine Bronze Lindy DALE EGAN, 249 N WATER ST UNIT 204, MILWAUKEE, WI N434T 1961 BEECH D50E Reserve Grand Champion Customized Silver Lindy JOE BORGESEN, 4235 LAFOREST DR, WATERFORD, MI N8376B 1957 CESSNA 172 Reserve Grand Champion Silver Lindy ED NEWBY, 431 RIDGE CT, LAKE IN THE HILLS, IL N7437D 1957 PIPER PA 22 150 Grand Champion Customized Gold Lindy KEVIN MAYER, 5545 S WAPAK RD, LIMA, OH N76J 1958 BEECH J35 Grand Champion Gold Lindy PAUL SHANK, 5736 STANBROOK LN, GAITHERSBURG, MD N9060L 1970 CHAMPION 7GCBC Contemporary Awards (1956 through 1970) 8 SEPTEMBER /OCTOBER 2015 To nominate someone is easy. It just takes a little time and a little reminiscing on your part. • Think of a person; think of his or her contributions to vintage aviation. • Write those contributions in the various categories of the nomination form. • Write a simple letter highlighting these attributes and contributions. Make copies of newspaper or magazine articles that may substantiate your view. • If at all possible, have another individual (or more) complete a form or write a letter about this person, confirming why the person is a good candidate for induction. We would like to take this opportunity to mention that if you have nominated someone for the VAA Hall of Fame; nominations for the honor are kept on file for 3 years, after which the nomination must be resubmitted. Mail nominating materials to: VAA Hall of Fame, c/o Charles W. Harris, Transportation Leasing Corp. PO Box 470350 Tulsa, OK 74147 E-mail: cwh@hvsu.com Remember, your “contemporary” may be a candidate; nominate someone today! Find the nomination form at www.VintageAircraft.org, or call the VAA office for a copy (920-426-6110), or on your own sheet of paper, simply include the following information: • Date submitted. • Name of person nominated. • Address and phone number of nominee. • E-mail address of nominee. • Date of birth of nominee. If deceased, date of death. • Name and relationship of nominee’s closest living relative. • Address and phone of nominee’s closest living relative. • VAA and EAA number, if known. (Nominee must have been or is a VAA member.) • Time span (dates) of the nominee’s contributions to vintage aviation. (Must be between 1950 to present day.) • Area(s) of contributions to aviation. • Describe the event(s) or nature of activities the nominee has undertaken in aviation to be worthy of induction into the VAA Hall of Fame. • Describe achievements the nominee has made in other related fields in aviation. • Has the nominee already been honored for his or her involvement in aviation and/or the contribution you are stating in this petition? If yes, please explain the nature of the honor and/or award the nominee has received. • Any additional supporting information. • Submitter’s address and phone number, plus e-mail address. • Include any supporting material with your petition. Nominate your favorite vintage aviator for the EAA Vin- tage Aircraft Association Hall of Fame. A great honor could be bestowed upon that man or woman working next to you on your airplane, sitting next to you in the chapter meeting, or walking next to you at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. Think about the people in your circle of aviation friends: the mechanic, historian, photographer, or pilot who has shared innumerable tips with you and with many others. They could be the next VAA Hall of Fame inductee—but only if they are nominated. The person you nominate can be a citizen of any coun- try and may be living or deceased; his or her involvement in vintage aviation must have occurred between 1950 and the present day. His or her contribution can be in the areas of flying, design, mechanical or aerodynamic developments, administration, writing, some other vital and relevant field, or any combination of fields that support aviation. The per- son you nominate must be or have been a member of the Vintage Aircraft Association or the Antique/Classic Divi- sion of EAA, and preference is given to those whose ac- tions have contributed to the VAA in some way, perhaps as a volunteer, a restorer who shares his expertise with others, a writer, a photographer, or a pilot sharing sto- ries, preserving aviation history, and encouraging new pilots and enthusiasts. C A L L F OR V I N TA G E A I R C R A F T A S S O C I AT ION Nominat ions W.E. writes, “I have been diagnosed with benign essential tremor. How will this affect my medical?” The term benign usually indicates that the tremor is not debilitating to the extent that it pre- vents the individual from accomplishing his or her normal tasks and activities. The FAA stance is that “essential tremor is not disqualifying un- less disabling.” Of course that determination can be very subjective, but it certainly gives the airman some wiggle room. There are many commercial and airline pilots flying with this condition and with- out restriction. Essential tremor can be inherited and develop at a young age. Typically the tremor worsens with the attempted task (intention tremor) versus the tremor with Parkinson’s disease that is charac- terized by a “tremor at rest.” There is actual sup- pression of the tremor with the task attempt. Of course these are general statements, and the tremor may be present at all times. Beta blockers such as propranolol are often used to suppress the tremor at rest. This same medica- tion is also given for blood pressure control and is approved unless there are adverse side effects. As indicated above, the primary differential diagnosis of essential tremor is Parkinson’s dis- ease. The problem with diagnosing Parkinson’s is that there are no blood tests or imaging studies that will definitively make the diagnosis. Gener- ally the individual must have at least two of the cardinal manifestations of the disease. These in- clude tremor and rigidity, gait disturbance, and “bradykinesia,” or slow movement. Parkinson’s is a progressive disease and can lead to deterio- ration of fine motor skills and even affect lan- guage. Dementia can be a part of the syndrome, and depression is a common occurrence. Parkinson’s disease is felt to be due to a de- crease in the level of dopamine in the brain, which is a neurotransmitter (allows the nerves to con- duct impulses and essentially communicate move- ments). So treatment is designed to increase dopamine levels in the brain. The only medication approved by the FAA for this purpose is Sinemet, which is a combination of carbidopa and levodopa. Other medications that are used for Parkinson’s disease, such as Requip and Symmetrel, are not approved because of their sedating and other un- desired side effects. Airmen with a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease and with symptoms severe enough for medication will need an FAA decision and special issuance. Special is- suance will typically result in a time-limited certificate and will depend heavily on the treating neurologist’s report. Follow-up status reports need to specifically address any progression in movement dysfunction and any dementia progression. www.vintageaircraft.org 9 Ask the AME Tremors JOHN PATTERSON, M.D., AME Essential tremor can be inherited and develop at a young age. Typically the tremor worsens with the attempted task (intention tremor) versus the tremor with Parkinson’s disease that is characterized by a “tremor at rest.” There are several types of screws available for air- craft use; however, two of the most popular are the AN525 washer head and the AN526 screw. Both are protruding-head screws and can be purchased as ei- ther slotted or Phillips head. All the older aircraft used slotted-head screws because the Phillips head was not invented yet. The AN525 is a structural screw, being made from 2330 nickel steel and then heat-treated, just like the bolts. After heat-treating, the screws are plated with cadmium for corrosion protection. Common sizes are the No. 8 and No. 10. The AN526 is a non-structural, truss-head screw made from low-carbon (1020) steel. It is not hard- ened by heat-treating because there is not enough carbon in the alloy. These screws are commonly used for attaching a cowling, fairings, etc. Do not substi- tute these screws in any structural application. Figure 1 is a sketch of these screws. When driving screws into structure it is wise to use a washer under the head to protect a painted sur- face or to keep from scratching polished aluminum. For the size 10 screws you can use an AN90-10L steel washer or a No. 10 fiber washer. Either is commonly used. Screw code sizes are difficult to remember, so I al- ways refer to a catalog or my trusty Standard Aircraft Handbook for reference. The standard No. 10 screw will take an AN365- 1032A fiber locknut, which is normally used. Or, an AN366 winged nut plate can be riveted to the struc- ture to make the removal and installation job easier. Figure 2 shows the AN366 nut plate. The Phillips head screws are easier to install and re- move because the screwdriver fits well into the slots, so when using a slotted-head screw, be careful and hold the screwdriver firmly to keep it from slipping out of the slot and damaging the finish. Sheet metal screws may be used for attaching non- structural parts on the aircraft. These screws come in truss heads similar to the above machine screws and can be purchased in either Phillips or slotted heads. Type A screws have a point on the end of the threads, while type B screws are flat on the bottom of the threads. They are normally secured by Tinnerman nut plates that carry the NAS395 code and come in vari- How to? Select and use aircraft screws ROBERT G. LOCK FIGURE 1 FIGURE 2 10 SEPTEMBER /OCTOBER 2015 ous types from A-E and H. The Tinnerman nut plates come in screw sizes No. 6, No. 8, and No. 10. Figure 3 is a Tinnerman Type NAS 144 nut plate that can be flush riveted to a structure. This type of nut plate readily will accept any coarse-threaded sheet metal screws—just secure the correct size when ordering. Brass screws are used for installing instruments because they are non-magnetic. The common screw to use is the AN520B round-head screw that comes in sizes 6-32, 8-32, and 10-32. Head types are ei- ther slotted or Phillips (recessed). Figure 4 shows a brass screw. Special nut plates are available that fit into instru- ment holes and make mounting much easier. You must order these special mounting nuts by paying attention to the length of the ears that insert into the instrument. When using this type of mounting nut, the only thread size available is 6-32; therefore, the only brass screw that can be used would be a 6-32. Figure 5 is a sketch of an instrument mount- ing nut plate. There are flush-head countersunk machine screws available for aircraft use. These screws carry code AN510 and have an 82-degree included angle be- tween the taper. Like most all other machine screws, they come in slotted and recessed-head styles. Finally, there are fillister-head screws that have a hole for safety wire drilled through the head. These screws carry the code AN502. They are manufac- tured from 2330 nickel steel and are heat-treated and cadmium-plated. FIGURE 3 FIGURE 4 FIGURE 5 www.vintageaircraft.org 11 Good Old Days Take a quick look through history by enjoying images pulled from publications past. From pages of what was . . . 12 SEPTEMBER /OCTOBER 2015 SCRAP BOOK www.vintageaircraft.org 13 What would you have found . . . Classified A ds 14 SEPTEMBER /OCTOBER 2015 Entr’acte. Between acts. An entr’acte is a play within a play during the intermission. In early theater the action would continue in front of the curtain as a prelude to act 2. Audiences didn’t get up to buy popcorn or go to the bathroom then. They stayed riveted in their seats. Waiting to see what would happen. Act 1 of my story The Wish Twin was over. Action pauses. Curtain closes. No one knows where the plot will go next, includ- ing me. Smoke pots glowing on the proscenium. Mood shifts. The story within a story begins. Fade to Blu… When I met my first plane, Blu, it looked so much bigger than the only other Stearman I knew. A Diana Cream and orange colored plane that looked just plain. Her owner was my friend and anything but plain. He was a successful pro athlete who had traded places with whom “he wished he could be” to actually become it: a pro- fessional barnstormer. He gave me my first Stearman lessons off Kermit’s grass strip after his customers had left for the night. He told me if I could fly a Stearman, I could fly anything. I loved flying his biplane. I named her Crème Puff and left pink lipstick kisses on her metal cowling. My plane was different. It wasn’t feminine at all; gleaming in Army blue and yellow military colors. A stunning 1943 PT-17. The 111th Stearman Pete Jones restored at Air Repair and given the buzz number 111 by the builder. A Stearman was a sentimental and dangerous choice for someone with seven hours of tailwheel The Art of Flying Blu SARAH WILSON SARAH WILSON SARAH WILSON www.vintageaircraft.org 15 time, and I was afraid of it. I was right to be. My few hours of tail- wheel time were not at all compensated by my 3,000-plus hours of air- plane time. While I had flown all types of air- craft, from pistons to jets, I had never really learned how to use my hands in sync with my feet. My boyfriend at the time, Chuck, was a second set of training wheels in my front seat. Another man who had traded places with whom “he wished he could be” to actually be- come it: a professional warbird pilot. On June 11, 2005, Chuck and I left Pennsylva- nia to bring my Stearman back to Florida. I said, “This plane is trying to kill me,” again and again on the trip. It wasn’t trying to kill me; it was trying to tell me something. Years of poor pilot technique and neglect had created a pretty unhappy biplane. The plane was definitely a “he,” and I named him Blu on the trip back. His shiny exterior was a ve- neer, hiding all the things wrong within him. Three hundred thirty-three hours on his engine in 11 years wasn’t nearly enough. One hour be- fore we landed in Lake- land, the rear main ball bearing went out. His Continental W670 en- gine was making metal. It would have to be taken off, driven to Air Repair, and rebuilt. Blu was a mess. I can’t begin to list all the things wrong with that plane, but with each failure they fixed him. Once Blu was right, we flew together on an engine that never missed or failed. Then hung a second engine after we had run 1,400- plus hours together on the first. We became best friends after that first year. I sold Blu out of fear. Fear I would not have enough money to keep him in the final year of my Speedmail’s restoration. I have no regrets in my life except for the decisions I made that were moti- vated by fear. Selling Blu was a knee-jerk response to fear. The antithesis of what flying is all about. I hated every moment of the transition and hated SARAH WILSON I said, “This plane is trying to kill me,” again and again on the trip. It wasn’t trying to kill me; it was trying to tell me something. myself for selling. I sat in the hangar with Blu for weeks, talking to my plane. Saying, “I love you; thank you for being my friend. I’m going to get you back soon.” Blu didn’t believe me, but he had never met anyone like me. I’ve had an army of pi- lots reporting on his well-being ever since. There is a brotherhood among vintage aircraft own- ers that runs deep. On the last day of May I woke up early and started Googling Blu’s N number. My intuition said he was for sale. I had to get my friend back. Blu was sold and about to be ferried to the new owner in Texas. Robbie Vajdos was the ferry pilot and one of the brotherhood. Blu was in safe hands for the moment. On June 11, 10 years to the date I flew him home from Pennsylvania, I called Robbie to see how I could get my plane back. Robbie said he had an idea that might work but was not sure. If he could make it work, it was going to cost me a lot. I said, “I don’t care what it costs, get me my plane.” It did work. I got my first best friend Blu back on June 29. In the years counting up to the time you start growing young again, it is easy to forget the worst thing that can happen to anyone is losing their first best friend. People worry about losing so many things, because people think they get to own everything, but that’s the best part of a friend. 16 SEPTEMBER /OCTOBER 2015 Sarah Wilson and Blu. SARAH WILSON www.vintageaircraft.org 17 Friends choose you, and you choose them. That’s why you should always be kind and say, “Thank you for being my friend,” and “I love you,” to them. I never wanted to be a pilot or a barnstormer. I fell into it, or maybe fate tripped me. I love in- spiring people to do things they think they can’t achieve. I do that when I fly with certain people. People who really need to fly. People who are afraid and unsure if they can. The people I found the greatest reward in flying with were not pi- lots. They were dreamers. Souls trapped on the ground, looking up. They’re the ones who contact me, year after year, reminding me how a flight changed their lives. Healed a wound, erased a fear, gave them a deep connection with joy and free- dom. Even if for only 30 minutes, they knew what it felt like to be free. To be a pilot. Are we the sum of whom we care for, or is whom we care for the sum of who we are? I traded places with whom “I wished I could be” to actually become it when I flew with them: a vehicle to lift a human spirit. Friends choose you, and you choose them. Blu and I have something important to continue to- gether, and neither of us can do it without the other one. We’ve missed each other so. 18 SEPTEMBER /OCTOBER 2015 It isn’t often that a non-pilot spouse is inspired to buy a res- to ra t i o n p ro j e c t— l e t a l o n e when that airplane happens to be a World War II-era Howard. But that’s what Tim Weston was hearing from his wife, Myrna, back in 2000. They had just re- turned home from Alaska, where they took a flight in a Pratt & Whitney-powered Beaver. Myrna just fell in love with the sound of that round, rumbling R-985, and when she saw an ad for a Howard in Trade-A-Plane, she pointed it out to her husband. But Tim had other plans—he was enjoying retirement from his airline career by flying Angel Flight missions in his Baron C55 and working on a 1946 Piper PA- 12 project. At first, he politely told Myrna that he wasn’t certain he’d actually finish his current Tim and Myrna’s Time MachineRestoring a Howard DGA by Sparky Barnes Sargent TYSON RININGER www.vintageaircraft.org 19 project, and he wasn’t about to buy another. Myrna was insistent, even adamant, that Tim inquire about the Howard—and she let him know that if he didn’t call, she would. So it wasn’t long before Tim flew from their home in Yelm, Washington, to Manteca, California, to look at Se- rial No. 1830, a 1944 Howard (which was then registered as N100KS). “Norman Way had purchased the project in 1996 along with two part- ners, and they had bead-blasted and primed the fuselage, gear, and tail feathers. My mentor, Mike Grimes, from Lancaster, California, happened to be in that area meeting a carpenter friend that had wood wing experience, and they were both amazed when they looked at the Howard project with me. The wood looked brand new, and all the parts were catalogued,” recalls Tim, adding, “the airplane had been built during World War II as a GH-2 air ambulance, and the wings still had the green paint that was used to cover the blue U.S. Navy colors. Everything looked good; it was a rare and com- plete project, with all parts original to the airplane. Norman and I struck a deal, and two weeks later, Myrna and I flew down to California. We rented a truck and spent a long afternoon load- ing the project for travel.” Myrna and Tim Weston CHRIS MILLER 20 SEPTEMBER /OCTOBER 2015 A Few Words About Military Howards With the advent of World War II, many civilian Howards were im- pressed into Army and Navy ser- vice, and for good reason. Howard Aircraft Corp. touted the How- ard’s functional versatility in its Aircrafter brochure: “Howard an- swers the demand for a faster air- plane which can carry heavier loads on wheels, pontoons, or skis. This ‘Multi-Use’ model is a conversion of the Personal Transport…and the cabin is so arranged that the operator can make quick changes without tools to accommodate pas- sengers, cargo, a stretcher for the ill or injured, mail or express, or for use in aerial photography. Mount- ings for machine guns and bomb racks are also obtainable.” The Army designation for this model was UC-70. The U.S. Navy contracted Howard Aircraft to build four variants of the DGA-15. The GH-1 utility transport was clos- est to the civilian DGA-15P with its wheelpants and spinner. The GH-2 Nig ht ingale feature d a rearward-folding utility door, as well as an enlarged baggage door that was hinged across the bottom to accommodate stretcher access. The GH-2 also had a 24-volt elec- trical system instead of a 12- volt system. (Today, some components— such as the starter and the bulbs and motors for the Grimes retract- able landing lights—are more read- ily available and economical for the GH-2’s 24-volt electrical system.) The GH-3 was a utility transport, and the NH-1 was equipped for instrument training. During the war, some pilots found the aircraft challenging to han- dle during landings—hence its nick- name, Ensign Eliminator. Serial No. 1830 was manufac- tured on May 9, 1944, and the Navy took delivery of the aircraft (military ID No. 32865) in June. It logged 125 hours as an aerial ambulance in southern California during the war. The aircraft was sold as war surplus by the war as- sets administrator for $2,000 to John Frederick Wood of Oakland in 1947 and assigned registration number NC63597. The Howard remained in California with vari- ous owners until it stopped flying around August 1957. The aircraft’s accumulated total time was 522 hours; it wouldn’t take to the sky again until 2013. Historical records from the Ho wa rd A i rc ra f t Fo u n d at i o n (HAF), which currently holds the type certificate for the Model 15P (GH-2), reveal that Tim and Myr- na’s Serial No. 1830 was one of 131 GH-2s built for the U.S. Navy. The GH-2 Nightingale model was the only Howard model still in produc- tion when the Navy canceled the contract in 1944, and Howard Air- craft production ceased. Serial No. 1830 was one of the last Howards built for the Navy, and it was the highest serial number civil- certified by the CAA. Work Begins Tim completed the PA-12 in Au- gust 2005 and commenced work on the Howard in September. Per Tim’s request to the FAA, the How- ard’s original registration number (NC63597) was reinstated. He and Myrna didn’t realize it at the time, but the successful completion of the project would take seven-and- a-half years of continuous work. They decided to restore NC63597 to a prewar DGA-15P civilian liv- ery, as opposed to restoring it in its former Navy configuration. Along the way, Tim had help from nu- merous friends, especially those who were members of HAF. “There is such a great network of How- ard people and experience,” shares Tim. “I built a huge document of my resources; it just takes time, but parts and supplies are out there if you know where to find them.” The first task involved reskin- Tim works on the right wing. Instrument panel installation in progress. COURTESY TIM WESTON www.vintageaircraft.org 21 ning the Howard’s mahogany- plywood covered flaps, ailerons, and wings. The original casein ad- hesive had deteriorated, so Tim spent several months researching different types of adhesives, spec- ifications, and application tech- niques. “The West System offered the best adhesive of all epoxies available,” says Tim, adding, “during this period I also made many phone calls to HAF members, including Les Sargent, Bruce Dickenson, and Dennis Lyons, in order to familiar- ize myself with wing reskinning.” Fortunately, fellow HAF mem- ber Fred Lundeen was working on his Howard at the same time, so Tim and Fred were able to help each other with the reskin- ning process. After Tim finished his flaps and ailerons, he fabri- cated a new cabin roof by using the original one as a pattern. Then it was time to tackle reskinning the wings, while preserving their orig- inal washout. (The correct wash- out in the compound curve of the outer wing is critical for proper flight characteristics.) “First, I built a frame from 12- inch prefab floor joists and 4-by-4- inch legs. My neighbor, Fred Tuche, helped level the frame, which we glued to the floor. Then we set the wing on the frame, bottom-side up,” recounts Tim. “Then we used a hot-glue gun to secure the wings to the frame. It was easy to remove the old skins because small nails were the only thing holding them on. Amazingly, the ribs and spars looked as if they had been recently assembled. Then, with the interior exposed, it was easy to remove the metal parts for inspection and re- plating. Ed Schlect helped me re- skin the wings, and we placed the VOR and marker beacon antennae inside the wing to keep them out of sight. After we reskinned that side of the wing, we just popped the wing free from the frame and flipped it over, glued it down, and reskinned that side.” If that all sounds like it was too easy, rest assured Tim encountered a bit of a challenge with the reskin- ning process. Back when his Howard was built, larger sheets of plywood were used for the wing skins than are available today. Per the Howard draw- ings, the original, single 12-to-1 scarf joint was centered over Rib 21, which was located 100-1/2 inches from the wing root. And Rib 21 was made 1/4-inch wider than the other ribs to support the scarf joint. Today, only 4-by-8-foot aircraft plywood sheets are available. Hence, Tim had to use two-and-a-half sheets of plywood for each side of the wing, which necessi- tated precise scarf joints where they could be placed over a rib. He rein- forced the joints with doublers, and throughout the process, he learned the importance of keeping his wood plane very sharp. After the flight control cables were fabricated and installed, and the electrical wiring was com- pleted, it was time to do a test-fit assembly of the airframe prior to fabric covering. Fortunately, HAF members Dennis and Susan Lyons of California happened to be visit- ing and were able to lend helping hands for that process. Jim Erwin of the Seattle FSDO patiently guided Tim through the process of writing an FAA Form 337 for one-time field approval of the West System. Tim was ap- preciative of all his help, yet a bit dismayed that preparing the pa- per work took longer than the hands-on process of reskinning. Fabric and Paint Tim used the Poly-Fiber process to cover the Howard, with heavy- weight fabric on the fuselage and empennage and lightweight fab- ric on the wood-skinned wings. Rib stitching was the most time- consuming and tedious part of the fabric installation. FAA Advisory Circular 43.13-1B requires 1-inch stitch spacing, since the Howard’s VNE exceeds 250 mph. “I counted 1,600-plus knots The Howard is easily identified by its tall tail. SPARKY BARNES SARGENT 22 SEPTEMBER /OCTOBER 2015 with the lacing in the tail feath- ers alone,” shares Tim, “and lacing the fuselage was quite an endeavor. Ed Schlect was inside with a long pair of forceps to pull the needle in and guide it outbound without tan- gling. Stretching back to the rear bulkhead required lots of twisting and turning, which isn’t easy for 70-year-olds!” The metal fuselage skins were stripped, prepped, and primed prior to painting. Tim selected Ranthane for the final red coat (in September 2006, the Poly-Fiber STC was revised to allow Randolph Ranthane HS polyurethane as a topcoat option.) Tim was using an HVLP paint gun to shoot the Ranthane, and re- calls, “I didn’t know how to do it well, and frustration built until I felt like it was time for a big bon- fire or a pro painter! So I found an aircraft painter to shoot the large surfaces in my paint booth, and with a little help and instruction from him, I became a fair painter. I had started with the HVLP gun using low pressure, and the paint orange-peeled badly. The profes- sional painter showed me how using higher pressure with the heavyweight paint would do the job. The side effect was fogging ev- erything in the paint booth, but the finish was correct. The painting part of this restoration took two years and required a lot of sand- ing. I used 320, 600, 1,000, 1,500, and 2,000 grit, and then went on to three grades of machine buffing compounds before I had the end results I wanted.” Fuel and Engine The original fuel tanks clearly had some leak issues, evidenced by tell- tale red rings around some rivet lo- cations from 80-octane gas. So Tim rolled up his sleeves once again and completely stripped the tanks, us- ing carb cleaner on the inside. Then he pressure-checked the tanks at 3-1/2 psi to find the pinhole leaks, which were then welded closed. Myrna’s beloved R-985 was over- hauled by Ken Miller of Younkin Aviation at West Fork, Arkansas, and the Hamilton Standard 2D30 prop was overhauled by North- west Propeller. Tim’s friend, John Miller, helped with the engine and accessory case installation. The Howard needed a spinner, and when Tim happened to be at AC Propeller Services at Seattle, he inquired if anyone knew of one for sale. It just so happened someone did, and Tim bought his spinner from John Nordstrom. Interior The instruments in the How- ard’s center panel are all original to the airplane and were overhauled by Keystone Instruments at Lock Haven, Pennsylvania. Tim was able to purchase an original WWII Navy compass through eBay. Tim and Myrna selected a beige wool fabric and dark blue leather for the cabin upholstery, accented by red piping around the con- tour of the seats, to complement the Howard’s red and blue paint scheme. Tim created the side pan- els, while an acquaintance, Pat Bertram, did most of the interior work. Pilot and passenger comfort was greatly enhanced by using Or- egon Aero memory foam for the seat cushions. Paperwork and Mods When it came time to do the weight and balance, Tim and his helpers pushed the tail of the How- ard just outside the hangar to have enough clearance to level the air- craft in an in-flight attitude. Not surprisingly, they discovered that the air plane had gained a few pounds, chiefly from thicker ply- wood on the wings, new f loor- boards and carpet, wheelpants, and larger-than-original tires. Through- out the restoration process, Tim’s IA, Ron Wright, provided helpful advice and a discerning eye to en- sure that correct methods and re- sults were attained. Tim installed modern avion- ics and radios, which he concealed to help preserve the ambiance of 1944. “I didn’t like the manually operated wobble pump for pump- The rearward-folding door and enlarged baggage door are special GH-2 features. Cleveland wheels and brakes were installed. CHRIS MILLER www.vintageaircraft.org 23 ing the fuel from the lower tanks up to the engine,” shares Tim, adding, “so we bought a Weldon electric pump, and I obtained a field approval for that modifi- cation, with the help of an FAA designated engineer- ing representative. We also installed a de Havilland fuel filter on the firewall.” (For a list of additional mods to this Howard, please see accompanying text box.) Though NC63597 didn’t have an inordinate amount of field approvals, Tim shares that he’d never “worked quite this hard in the past to get proper wordage down on paper to satisfy the feds.” The Howard was last airworthy when the airworthi- ness certificates were issued in conjunction with the annual (periodic) inspections, so Tim needed to apply for a permanent airworthiness certificate. “The FAA showed up with three guys who inspected the airplane and paperwork. They made a list of items that I had to fix, such as missing placards, loose screws, and a Form 337 for the radios.” With those issues addressed, the FAA made another visit in February and issued the new certificate. Yet a few minor glitches were discovered, which had to be resolved. “There were problems with getting the carburetor adjusted and the prop governor set right, but we fi- nally solved those things. Then, after we got the engine up and running correctly,” recalls Tim, “we discovered an oil leak and just couldn’t find the problem. My A&P friends looked at it, test ran it, and it still kept leak- ing—turns out it was just one governor oil fitting I hadn’t tightened!” Finally Flying NC63597 finally leapt from the runway on May 20, 2013, with Tim in the left seat. “With all the problems resolved, my friend Dick Smith, a CFI who has experi- ence in more than 200 types of aircraft, said, ‘Are you ready to fly?’ He had quite a time getting this foot- less wonder to start using rudders,” says Tim with a chuckle, adding, “the first few landings let me know this truly could be ‘the Ensign Eliminator.’ For me, be- ing competent and confident with flying the aircraft are two different items. I found I was competent with the five hours of required training. Getting confident took about 15 more hours to feel like I could make fly- ing this bird fun.” Tim’s careful work during the wing reskinning pro- cess paid off—after more than 50 hours of flight time, it still doesn’t need any adjustment. Time Machine This Howard is a time machine in many ways. It sur- vived the passage of time virtually intact, and after 1944 Howard DGA-15P General Specifications Manufactured Under ATC A-717 Length 24 feet 10 inches Height 8 feet 5 inches Wingspan 38 feet Empty weight 3,200 pounds (Original U.S. Navy empty weight was 3,080 pounds) Useful load 1,300 pounds Max gross weight 4,500 pounds Fuel capacity 151 gallons Oil capacity 8 gallons Maximum speed 270 mph Cruise 165-170 TAS @ 10,000 feet Stalling speed 68 mph Landing speed 75 mph Engine 450-hp Pratt & Whitney R-985 Rate of climb 1,500 fpm Ceiling 22,500 feet Cruising range 984 miles 24 SEPTEMBER /OCTOBER 2015 absorbing 7,300 person-hours of devoted restoration efforts, it has transported Tim and Myrna to a yesteryear-style of flying, and si- multaneously into their future. “Saying you are restoring a How- ard is one thing; getting it done is something else!” declares Tim. He and Myrna are enjoying the rewards of finally flying the How- ard and are elated with the awards that the airplane has garnered. NC63597 received the Antique Re- serve Grand Champion—Silver Lindy award during EAA AirVen- ture Oshkosh 2014. “The thousands of hours of labor has paid off in b i g d i v i d e n d s ,” s h a re s Tim, adding, “as Oshkosh was ending, a gentleman stopped at our aircraft with an invitation to display the Howard during the Na- tional Aviation Heritage In- vitational, which is held at Reno each year. Thirty-five airplanes were on display there, and all were museum quality. I was fortunate to be awarded the Orville and Wilbur Wright trophy for antique restoration. As I was be- ing handed the trophy, I felt an arm around my shoulder. I looked to my right and was stunned to see Herb Kelleher of Southwest Airlines’ fame standing next to me. Standing on my left was Dick Rutan. Seated next to Dick was Bud Anderson, World War II P-51 ace. Seated in back of us was Bob Hoover. It’s pretty humbling to be in the company of such legends, and we wouldn’t have been there but for the Howard.” Myrna happily serves as PR rep- resentative for the Howard during these fly-ins and gatherings. Smil- ing as she relaxes in the shade of the Howard’s high wing, she re- flects upon their restoration saga: “I don’t think Tim nor I knew exactly what we were getting into, but I just thought it would be wonderful to have a round engine, so here we are! I’m not a pilot, but I enjoy flying— I hand out the mints and the wa- ter! Seriously, flying in the Howard is such a big change from a Baron with twin engines—when you get behind this big, round engine, you can’t see anything. So that just took some time getting used to, but I love the sound. As to which airplane is better, it just depends on what you want the plane to do—per- sonally we like to fly to Mon- tana and visit relatives, so I like the Baron for that. But for fun, this is the one!” Tim, with a smile stretch- ing from ear to ear as he lis- tens to his fun-loving bride of 53 years, can’t help but chuckle when he comments, “All these guys say, ‘I wish I had a wife like that!’” Geoff Robison and Tim Weston. TYSON RININGER COURTESY TIM WESTON 26 SEPTEMBER /OCTOBER 2015 TYSON RININGER www.vintageaircraft.org 27 Some folks never give it a second glance; just a few can call its name. But the Piper Vagabond hardly feels slighted, because it holds a secret that it shares with those who fly it. It slips right into the heart and soul of its pilot, with an endearing charm born of its unas- suming appearance and sweet flying characteristics. A delight to fly and forgiving in the air, the short- coupled Vagabond won’t tolerate complacency when its tires are on terra firma. It demands full respect and attention, for which it handsomely rewards its pilot with a happily enduring relationship. Vaughn’s Valiant VagabondPutting the fun back in flying by Sparky Barnes Sargent 28 SEPTEMBER /OCTOBER 2015 Birth of the Vagabond Though often overlooked, the Vagabond filled a noble role in the history of Piper Aircraft Co. at Lock Haven, Pennsylvania. By 1947, the company was in the depths of fi- nancial despair; its production was slashed, and employees were laid off. In an effort to save and revive its business, outside consultant William Shriver was hired. William worked about a year redirecting the company, bringing it slowly out of debt and into stable production. He commanded the Piper engineers to design an inexpensive airplane that could be built from raw materials already on hand, and voila! A blue- print for the PA-15 Vagabond was completed in little more than six weeks. About six weeks later, on Oc- tober 29, 1947, the prototype was flown. Priced at $1,990, it was a no- frills airplane, painted plain yellow and powered by a 65-hp Lycoming, with rigid landing gear and a single set of controls. The side-by-side, two-place PA- 15 was the first of the lineage that would come to be known as the short-wing Pipers (which include the Clipper, Pacer, Tri-Pacer, and Colt), and it saved Piper Aircraft Co. Production began in January 1948 and ceased in July, with a to- tal of 387 built. The PA-17 Vaga- bond Trainer, designed soon after Piper began producing the PA-15, was a dual-control, deluxe version of the PA-15, powered by a heartier 65-hp Continental and priced at $2,195. A total of 214 were built from May to October 1948. The valiant little Vagabond ex- ceeded its intended purpose of Air show stunt pilots Lowell C. White and Bill Fischer with NC4426H. COURTESY VAUGHN LOVLEY www.vintageaircraft.org 29 transforming Piper’s stock- pile of materials into cash; the company actually had to purchase more materials be- fore Vagabond production ceased. By the end of 1948, William had succeeded in changing the company’s ink from red to black, and his job there was completed. By the early 1960s, the Vagabond was still enjoy- ing its popularity. The 1963 Annual Light Plane Guide described the airplane this way: “ The Piper Vagabond is a curvy little dish. . .but she behaves like a real lady. She climbs at 500 fpm, cruises at 90 mph and lands between 40 and 45 mph. She has a gentle rate of sink, and very little tendency to float….” Today, yet another generation of pilots is enamored with the per- formance and handling of the Vag- abond. As of March 2015, there were 169 PA-15s and 106 PA-17s registered in the United States. (Some are registered in other coun- tries, as well.) Vaughn Lovley is one of those loyal Vagabond pilots, and his particular PA-15 has a flamboy- ant air show history. NC4426H NC4426H (S/N 15-212) was manufactured April 22, 1948, and its Statement of Conformity was approved April 23, “with the excep- tion of the following deviations: Engine Primer, Cabin Heater.” Lowell C. White of Moline, Illi- nois, bought NC4426H on April 29, 1948, for $2,010 from Piper. He had his choice of nearly half a dozen PA-15s at the Lock Haven factory and personally selected this particular one because it weighed 5 pounds less than the others. He had a mission in mind for it, and to maximize its performance, White had a 17-pound Hartzell HA-12U ground-adjustable propel- ler installed in place of the origi- nal 11-pound wood propeller. This brought the PA-15’s empty weight to 626 pounds and its useful load to 474 pounds. Lowell immediately commenced flying his Vagabond in air show comedy routines, primarily in the Midwest and Southeast. He was lanky and tall at 6 feet 3 inches, and reportedly enjoyed putting the Vagabond through its aerial paces, at times by operating the flight controls while perched outside on the right-hand wing lift struts. He was perhaps best known for his “smallest airport” act. A photo of Lowell landing NC4426H atop a 1949 “woodie” station wagon was featured in the December 16, 1948, edition of The Evening Independent (St. Petersburg, Florida). The cap- tion stated that he “will land and take-off from the ‘smallest airport in the world’ which is a platform at- tached to the top of a new station wagon. The platform is eleven feet long and eight feet wide.” Look magazine featured a photo spread titled “World’s Smallest Airport” in its April 12, 1949, is- sue. “This stunt is made possible by precision flying. It’s done with a light plane, the Piper Vagabond, a stock Mercury Station Wagon— and daring teamwork. The feat is one of many by the Trans - American Sky Shows, now touring the country.” [See sidebar for more air show information.] 30 SEPTEMBER /OCTOBER 2015 The project is ready to be hauled from Kansas City to Minnesota, June 2012. The Vagabond project in June 2003, before fuselage restoration. Installation in progress of the 12-gallon fuel tank in the right wing. Close up view of the wing attach points on the fuselage. Work progresses on the skylight installaton. Close-up view of the brake cylinders and rudder pedals before restoration. Work on the cowling progresses. COURTESY VAUGHN LOVLEY COURTESY VAUGHN LOVLEY COURTESY VAUGHN LOVLEY COURTESY VAUGHN LOVLEY COURTESY FORREST LOVLEY COURTESY FORREST LOVLEY COURTESY FORREST LOVLEY www.vintageaircraft.org 31 Changing Hands Lowell sold the Vagabond to Harold D. Sheldon of Jacksonville, Florida, on April 12, 1949. All told, this Vagabond changed hands and geographic locations about a dozen times until it came up for sale in 2002. It was one of three airplanes in an estate “package deal,” and Forrest Lovley of Jordan, Minnesota, went together with air show pilot Warren Pietsch to purchase the lot. (War- ren retained and restored a Hisso- powered Travel Air.) The PA-15 arrived from Oregon on a trailer, and Forrest and a friend, Clifford Hatz, began gradually working on it. Forrest was familiar with rag-wing Pipers, having been around airplanes all his life. He grew up on a farm in northern Maine, and recalls, “My dad always had an airplane; he ran a trap line in the wintertime when we weren’t farming, and he had a PA-11 that he kept either on skis or floats. After we moved to Minnesota, I just kept it up.” Then in May 2010, the Vaga- bond once again changed hands— but this time, it remained in the family. Forrest’s 35-year-old son decided to buy the airplane and complete the restoration. Vaughn Lovley, who is tall and lanky just like Lowell White was, makes his living as a disc jockey (known as DJ Str8Reppin), performing at a vari- ety of venues, including night clubs and corporate or private parties. Vaughn has 35 years of aviation ex- perience, and it’s almost an under- statement to say that he grew up around airplanes. “I grew up ‘flying in diapers,’ and our family vacations were fly- ing to the Antique Airplane fly-in at Blakesburg, Iowa,” shares Vaughn, adding with a big grin, “Until we went to school, all we knew were air- planes. All the kids we hung out with and all their parents had airplanes, too. So it was a weird culture shock going to elementary school and find- ing out other kids didn’t know any- thing about airplanes. We grew up around airplane people, and essen- tially no one else! I was 18 when I so- loed our PA-11—Dad bought that airplane the day I was born in 1978. Forrest Lovley and Clifford Hatz work on the landing gear strut. COURTESY VAUGH LOVLEY TYSON RININGER 34 SEPTEMBER /OCTOBER 2015 Mom soloed in it, as well as a lot of my friends. I have over 700 logged hours, but I’m knocking on a thou- sand I’m sure, and most of it is tail- wheel time.” The genesis of Vaughn’s inter- est in the Vagabond came about in October 2008, when he was living in Kansas City. “My good friend, John Swander, is really like a second father to me, and he had just let me solo his Waco to celebrate his birthday. He asked me, ‘When are you going to get your own airplane?’ I told him I didn’t know what I wanted—I’ve always been a Bellanca guy, so a Vagabond wasn’t even on my list. John said, ‘Well, your dad still has that Vagabond project; why don’t you get that?’ So I called my dad the next day and asked if he would part with it, and we made a deal. On my 30th birthday in This PA-15 retains its Spartan interior, sans the fuselage fuel tank. A Breeze cap covers the front spark plug, eliminating the need for bumps on the cowling. North Florida Motor Co. sponsored air show stunt pilot Lowell White, who bought this PA-15 new in 1948. Cliff Anderson Jr. hand lettered the company name on the fuselage. SPARKY BARNES SARGENT PHOTOS SPARKY BARNES SARGENT www.vintageaircraft.org 35 November, Dad trucked it down from Minnesota.” Restoration Saga John generously made a home for the Vagabond project in his basement, where he and Vaughn immediately started working on it. “Then the economy crashed,” recalls Vaughn, “so I moved all around the country to stay work- ing, and the project stalled and just sat in John’s basement for a couple of years.” Vaughn moved to Minnesota in late 2011 and started diligently working on the PA-15 again in June 2012. His friends, Larry and Barb Frost, had welcomed the project into their hangar at Le Sueur Mu- nicipal Airport. Vaughn was familiar with many aspects of restoration, since he and his father restored a Mooney Mite together during the winter of 2005. But Vaughn is the first to assert that the Vagabond would never have been finished without the help, experience, and expertise of a number of friends, to whom he remains grateful. “This is the first airplane resto- ration that I’ve been involved with that I own,” shares Vaughn, adding, “I did a lot of work on it, but I had a ton of help, so I can’t claim I did the total restoration myself. Dad came back into the picture, along with Clifford Hatz, Chuck Doyle, and Tim Verhoeven. They really helped me out; I grew up around people who take a lot of pride in their work, and I had two former antique Grand Champion winners helping me with the Vagabond.” North Florida Motor Co. “After Dad bought it back in 2002, a friend of Dad’s called and they were talking about Vaga- bonds,” recounts Vaughn, “and the guy said, ‘I’ve liked them ever since I saw an air show comedy act in Redwood Falls.’ So Dad started looking through the logs and found the date that the airplane was in Redwood Falls. That’s how he found out the history. After I pur- chased the airplane, I decided to put it back like it was when Lowell White was flying it.” Vaughn contacted Lowell and his son, Jim, who shared numer- ous photos, old newspaper articles, and other historical information regarding NC4426H’s air show per- formance and appearance in 1948 and 1949. (Sadly, Lowell passed away a few months prior to the Vagabond’s completion.) North Florida Motor Co. was a Lincoln Mercury dealer in Jacksonville, Florida, and sponsored Lowell’s aerial stunt f lying—hence the company name was prominently featured on the fuselage. During the restoration, Cliff Anderson Jr. hand lettered the company name on the Vagabond’s fuselage, just as it was in 1948. Mods W hile NC4426H bears a re- markable similarity to its original appearance, it is, in fact, highly modified. When Forrest owned it, his first order of business was installing a Continental C-90-12 engine and Sensenich 74-CK-46 metal prop, for which he received one-time FAA 337 field approvals. Breeze cups were installed over the top two front spark plugs, which eliminated the need for bumps on the cowling. Forrest also transformed the PA- 15’s fuel system by removing the original 12-gallon fuselage tank and installing a Clarence Witte 12-gallon fuel tank in each wing. He obtained a field approval for this by referencing STC SA1496GL and Air-Energy Service Drawing No. 200 for the Piper J-3C, noting that all ribs and cables are in the same place as in the PA-15. A fuel selector valve was installed in the cabin for the gravity-feed tanks. This gave the Vagabond 24 gallons of fuel to quench the thirst of the higher horsepower engine. Vaughn and his team of helpers installed a B&C starter on the en- gine, and an Odyssey 12-volt bat- tery on a reinforced area of the 36 SEPTEMBER /OCTOBER 2015 baggage compartment floor (per field approval). Other installations included a Marvel-Schebler carbu- retor, Steve’s Aircraft gascolators (per STC), and heat muffs on each of the separate exhaust pipes. “John Swander and I did the boot cowl when I got the project—that was one of the first things we did, along with the instrument panel. Chris Blazer of Kansas City helped me a lot with the cowling,” explains Vaughn. “I can cut and form metal and know what looks good, but in terms of bending and stretching metal, Chris is just a pro at it. The cowling is kind of a hybrid between a PA-11 and Vagabond style, where it’s got the three-piece top—but the fasteners are very Vagabond. I did all the sheet metal baffling for the engine, and the nosebowl is the original nosebowl, which still has the dipstick opening on the top.” Other mods include a skylight, and the Grove Aircraft Landing Gear Systems disc brake conver- sion kit was installed (per STC) for reliable braking, longevity, and low maintenance. Finally, the airframe was cov- ered with Ceconite 102 fabric and finished with butyrate dope. Then fuel flow tests were conducted “by creating a high angle of attack to simulate climb-out,” recounts Vaughn, adding, “with about 2 gallons of gas total, we did a full- power engine run on each tank for about a minute. Since it was es- sentially a scratch-built system, it was important to us that this was tested thoroughly.” When all the paperwork was completed, the airplane was ready to le ave t he g ro u nd . Vau g hn climbed into the Vagabond and made its first post-restoration flight on August 11, 2013. He’s logged more than 50 hours on the Vaughn Lovley flies his restored PA-15 to AirVenture 2014. TYSON RININGER TYSON RININGER www.vintageaircraft.org 37 airplane since then, including his longest cross-country flight, which was to AirVenture in 2014. “Because of all the mods, its empty weight is heavier than orig- inal, at 686 pounds. The C-90-12 burns around 5-1/2 gph, depend- ing on how fast I want to go and how lean the mixture is set,” says Vaughn, adding, “I cruise 107 mph at 2300 rpm. It’s the thrill of a life- time to be flying this airplane—it’s a dream come true!” Forrest is glad to see his son fly- ing the Vagabond. “It’s really spe- cial to be at AirVenture with him and the airplane,” he shares, ex- plaining with a smile, “He was never forced into learning to fly—I may have leaned on him a little bit, but Vaughn has always made up his own mind.” Vau g hn echoes his father ’s words, explaining, “You can’t force flying on your friends or kids. It helps for them to be involved early at a young age to become inspired, but I’ve seen a lot of kids almost turned off because they felt it was expected of them. So it just has to come naturally, and you have to al- low that interest to develop.” Vaughn and his wife, Cat, don’t have children, so the two-place PA-15 meets their present needs. NC4426H has won several notable awards, including Grand Cham- pion (Neo- Classic 1946-1956) during the Antique Airplane Asso- ciation 2013 Fly-In, and Outstand- ing Piper Other (Small Plaque) at AirVenture 2014. “My plans are to enjoy the air- plane until I see there’s something else I can enjoy more,” he shares, smiling and adding, “This Vaga- bond has a neat history and it was a cool restoration, so I’m not in any hurry to get rid of it. At this point, I can’t imagine owning a more prac- tical, fun-flying airplane, especially with the 90-horse engine!” The Vagabond Novelty Pilot Forrest Lovley recently acquired aerobatic champion Johnny Vasey’s per- sonal scrapbook, and kindly shared its content for this article. Though the newspaper clippings and air show souvenir programs in its pages are tinged with the patina of passing time, they easily convey the fun-loving camara- derie of some very talented performers during the late 1940s. Those were the days when local airports welcomed the public, and air show admission was only a dollar or two. Following are excerpts from Johnny’s scrapbook. In 1948 and 1949, air show novelty pilot Lowell White performed the air show circuit with headliner Johnny Vasey, who flew a 450-hp Stearman. Other fellow performers included Rose Parrakeet stunt pilot Bill Fischer; wing- walker and stuntman Billy Light; bat-wing parachute jumper “Red” Grant; skywriter Maj. Art Davis flying a Taperwing Waco; acrobatic pilot Marion Cole; and low-altitude parachute jumper Carl Ruppert. A souvenir air show program offers this description of Lowell’s piloting skills: “During the war, the daring pilot served as an instructor in the army air forces and hundreds of the students he taught went out and helped write world history. He has over 6,000 hours at the controls of a plane to his credit. Veteran pilots, while watching White put his ship through his zany routine, have been heard to say, ‘You can’t do that with an airplane.’” One period newspaper reported: “His plane is just a plain stock model, without special accessories and has not been strengthened for stunt flying. Pilots seeing the act seldom believe that White’s ship is not a specially con- structed stunt ship and are amazed when they examine the plane after the act is finished. The intrepid White … is known all over the United States for his ‘screwball’ flying and his crazy antics, and has amused countless thousands of spectators. Most of White’s stunts are performed under 50 feet and can be seen in detail by spectators at the show.” Lowell also performed a crowd-pleasing “drunken flier” act and was sometimes billed as “T. Hennesey Collins from Bourbon, Corn County, Ken- tucky.” A newspaper account described the act in detail, as it was performed during the International Air Fair held at Stevenson Field at Winnipeg in early July 1948: “The ‘inebriated’ act was put on by Lowell White, novelty flier of the American Tiger air circus. His flight in a 65 h.p. lightplane was just one of the thrills and chills of spectacular flying put on by the American stunt pilots aided by the R.C.A.F. A good many of the spectators turned pale after stunt flier White eluded police and officials to jump into a tiny Piper Cub Vagabond and do a hairbreadth zig-zag takeoff. As part of the act he had been taken by police from the field earlier for causing a disturbance. Once in the air af- ter dragging a mechanic 25 feet across the ground, the little yellow plane shot into the air vertically and kept the crowd on edge for the next 15 minutes as the master of ceremonies Bob Doan shouted instructions over the loudspeaker to the runaway plane. Playing constantly on the brink of a stall, White flew the little craft sideways, bounced on several attempted landings, and at one stage flew across with one leg out the window, shouting frantically to the crowd. He finally made a one wheel landing almost in a circle to the relief of the crowd, who were then let in on the gag.” The humble-yet-valiant Vagabond played a unique role in history—not only by saving Piper Aircraft Co., but also by providing thousands of air show spectators with priceless moments of surprising and awe-inspiring perfor- mances, when flown by the talented Lowell White. 38 SEPTEMBER /OCTOBER 2015 Al Meyers and an OTWReborn The Herrmann family’s biplane by Budd Davisson TYSON RININGER www.vintageaircraft.org 39 I f you think about it, the 1930s was an incredibly contradictory time. On the one hand, soup kitchen lines stretched around the block and Mother Nature had the Midwest vise-gripped in a crip- pling drought. Times were tough. However, for totally illogical rea- sons, highly intelligent people like Walter Beech, Clyde Cessna, Al Mooney, Clarence and Gordon Tay- lor, William Piper and Al Meyers, among others, decided that, even though the country was starving, it would be a good time to build airplanes. And so they did. And they succeeded. However, it could be argued that, in a strange sort of way, Al Meyers owned much of his success to Adolf Hitler. Al Meyers: Kid Airplane Builder Al turned 21 years old the same year the stock market tanked and a depression with a capital “D” clamped down on the country. However, by that time, the fasci- nation he had for airplanes, which had apparently gripped him at an early age, had propelled him into aviation directly out of high school. Since the mid-1920s, he had been working for all of the major pioneer aviation companies like Glenn L. Martin, Stinson, and Chance Vought. He had been hon- ing his skills in sheet metal work and gaining an understanding of aircraft design, engineering, and construction. Even as he was getting his hands dirty, however, he was also learn- ing to fly, soloing a Jenny on Long Island. As his flight time increased, he bought a Waco 10 in 1932 and continued flight instructing and barnstorming to build his flight time. A pivotal trip came when he went on the road barnstorming with a friend, Martin Jensen, in an aircraft Jensen had designed and built. It was unique for the time be- cause it had an aluminum fuselage and fabric-covered, wood-struc- tured wings. Al liked the combina- tion, and while working for Stinson in Wayne, Michigan, he began de- signing and building an airplane of his own design that used the same combination. It’s interesting to put efforts like his in context: He was probably making a minimal wage (as everyone was), the coun- try around him was totally crushed by the Great Depression, and there he was, a young man in his 20s de- signing and building an airplane. An impossible dream was taking shape in the shadow of a national catastrophe. It seems the aviation disease first attacks that portion of the brain that sponsors common sense. It must also numb fears of starvation. Al’s new airplane flew for the first time at Wayne Country Air- TYSON RININGER The OTW owes its existence to the need for aerobatic trainers early in WWII. 40 SEPTEMBER /OCTOBER 2015 port in May of 1936. But, in look- ing around at the state of aviation, he must have known that he had designed and built an anachro- nism. The open-cockpit biplane, even with a metal fuselage, was totally out of vogue in the market place. 1930s “modern” aircraft de- sign had the Beech Staggerwing and Spartan Executive at one end, and the new crop of small engine trainers and sports planes like the Taylors, Pipers, and Aeroncas at the other end. That’s when, al- though it was certainly not their intention, Adolf Hitler and Hideki Tojo came to his aid. The Axis Effect By 1937-38 it became blatantly clear to American leadership that things were happening in Eu- rope and China that appeared to be headed for critical mass in the not-too-distant future. Besides the overt, and sometimes brutal, politi- cal moves being made, Germany had established hyperactive, suppos- edly civilian, “flying clubs” that were training pilots at an accelerated rate, far greater than would be expected for purely civilian, sports use. Visionaries in Washington took note of what was happening and decided it would be in America’s best interest if they established some sort of program that taught lots of civilians how to fly. Robert Hinckley of the Civil Aeronautics Authority (CAA) was charged with developing what would be known as the Civilian Pilot Training Pro- gram (CPTP) under which the gov- ernment would pay for a 72-hour ground school and between 35 and 50 hours of flight training. The ground schools would be part of university and college programs, and the flight training would be conducted at civilian flying schools located near the schools. What started initially at 11 col- leges around the country was in the process of succeeding, when, on September 1, 1939, the Weh- rmacht and Luftwaffe waded into Poland and things got very serious, very quickly. Accordingly, the CPTP was given emergency priority and was expanded to more than 1,100 educational locations and 1,400 flying schools. After Pearl Harbor, it was reorganized and renamed the War Training Service and func- tioned as a lead-in screening sys- tem for the military. When the program was phased out in mid- 1944, more than 435,000 pilots had been created. Amazing! As the CPTP began to be wildly expanded, a second tier of training TYSON RININGER PHOTOS The aluminum structure of the fuse- lage seems out of place with its oth- erwise traditional bi-plane details. www.vintageaircraft.org 41 David Herrmann, OTW pilot/owner, will be the first to say that Joey Sahakian gets full credit for his airplane being what it is. And Joey is quick to say that one of the reasons he sold it to David was that he would continue to take care of it. “I made it so nice that the neat freak in me wouldn’t let it get dirty. I’d fly for an hour, get some bugs on it, and spend seven hours cleaning it. Even though I’d put my heart and soul into restoring it, flying it bordered on being work. I really enjoyed it but I didn’t enjoy it, if that makes any sense.” Joey is a second-generation auto-repair guy, hav- ing taken over the business from his father. But he’s also a second-generation vintage airplane guy. “My dad had a bunch of old airplanes, including a Lus- combe and a Stinson, which I eventually restored. I got my first airplane, a Piper J-5A, in the ’80s. I flew that old airplane any and everywhere, before fi- nally restoring it. I must have done it right because it won a lot of awards.” Joey has it better than most nonprofessional air- plane restorers. His auto shop was originally a body shop so it has a big spray booth in the back. Joey says, “I’ll put an airplane in there, and when things get slow in the shop or I want a break, I just walk back there and bang on an airplane for a little while.” “I sold my J-5 when I got married, and a few months later we were having a backyard barbecue and I kept looking up at the airplanes flying over. That went on for several hours, and my wife finally cornered me and said, ‘Go buy an airplane. You’re driving me nuts!’” And that’s how the OTW came to be. When he started his search for another airplane, he heard about an old biplane, an OTW, that had been taken apart and had been sitting in a hangar for five years. The owner was in a hurry to sell, and Joey was in no hurry to buy, so he negotiated until the price was right and then pulled the trigger. “I got my airplane buddies together, and we started putting the airplane back together. It was to- tally complete, just apart and dirty. It took us three weekends, but we got it back in the air and licensed. I jumped in, never having flown a big biplane before, and flew home with no problems. That says more about how nice the airplane flies than me, as a pilot.” He flew the airplane for nearly 10 years with it perpetually in “I’m going to restore it some day” mode. It wasn’t in bad shape. He says “fair” would describe it. That, however, changed on a whim. He remembers, “One day a bunch of my buddies and I were supposed to fly to a strip that’s right on the beach, build a bonfire, and camp for a couple of days. But, the weather turned really sour and we were standing around the airplanes at the hangar watching gloomy skies. For whatever reason, with no forethought whatsoever, I said, ‘I have it! Let’s take my airplane apart, and I’ll restore it. Out came the pocketknives and wrenches, and by nightfall, my airplane was totally naked and in a million pieces. At that point, I was pretty committed to restoring it.” As always, when an airplane comes apart there are surprises. “The airplane had never really been restored, especially the wings, and we found a major crack in the rear spar of the center sec- tion. The rest of the wing wood was probably us- able, but I decided I wanted a brand new biplane, so I replaced every piece of wood in the wings. All of it! My friend Ken Dodderer cut the raw stock for me. When I was done with the wing construction, the inspector looked at them and said, ‘They look like furniture. It’s a shame to cover them.’ But I did cover them using the Stits process all the way through. “The fuselage aluminum was actually in good shape, but a total cleaning was in order, inside and out. The cowl was rough so another friend, John Nielsen, English-wheeled new metal for it. “The wheelpants are fiberglass and originally for a Waco, so they aren’t original. I opted to go for an air show look, rather than the original, military scheme: bare metal fuselage, yellow wings. Same thing inside: It had leather seats, nice panel, etc. It may not have been original, but it looked great and was fun to fly. However, it was time for someone else to enjoy it, so I sold it to David. Now I’m helping a friend with his 1929 Fleet 2 and am looking for a project for myself. I’d like something a little unusual like a Porterfield, Interstate Cadet, or maybe a PA-12 Super Cruiser. A guy’s got to keep busy, right?” The Man Behind the Machine: Joey Sahakian TYSON RININGER 42 SEPTEMBER /OCTOBER 2015 was added. Besides simply teach- ing them to fly, it was decided that student pilots would all be given aerobatic training , and that’s where Al Meyers’ future immedi- ately changed. Aerobatics in those days automatically meant tandem, open-cockpit biplanes, and Waco couldn’t build enough UPF-7s to meet the demand, so Al was tapped to build his out-of-date biplane to be the aerobatics trainer for flight schools. There was only one glitch: The airplane had to be certifi- cated to be accepted into the pro- gram. A second Meyers airplane had been built in the company’s temporary factory in September of 1939. Although the aircraft wasn’t certificated yet, the government had already issued a Group 2 ap- proval back in August that techni- cally allowed the company to begin building. The pressure to get air- planes into the f lying schools was so fierce that a lot of govern- mental winks and nods resulted in around 30 Meyers biplanes al- ready having been built by the time the paperwork for the type certificate was approved. CPTP Provides a Market, a Factory, and David Herrmann’s Airplane With government orders in his pocket, Al Meyers suddenly found that funding and adequate facili- ties were no longer a problem. He was being courted by a number of communities to locate on their airport, and the small town of Te- cumseh, Michigan, offered him a tax and facility package he couldn’t turn down. So, Meyers Aircraft Co. (it had already existed in his mind and on paper for many years) of- ficially located onto what is now known as the Al Meyers Airport. Al’s nameless biplane became the OTW (Out To Win) as soon as it was selected as one of the CPTP’s aerobatic trainers. One hundred two aircraft were rolled out of the small plant, with production com- ing to a halt in 1943, probably be- cause the government decided to begin standardizing flight training with the Stearman. The war ended with the OTW having the enviable record of never having a student fatality occur in the airplane. It was toward the end of produc- tion, in 1943, to be exact, OTW serial No. 95 was built. Seventy- one years later, wearing N34351 registration, July 2014 found S/N 95 parked on the grounds of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh under the tutelage of a proud new owner, David Herrmann of Two Rivers, Wisconsin. His aviation heritage runs deep, with the OTW being his latest love. David says, “My dad talked about his uncle Otto who was a navigator on a B-24 named Tommy Thumper. He said when he was home he would get in his TYSON RININGER PHOTOS Many of the airframe features surrounding the 160 hp Kinner show that restorer Joey Sahakian was going for an airshow appearance, rather than an original military look. www.vintageaircraft.org 43 Piper Cub and fly around the farm having all kinds of fun. That kind of stuck in my head and then, in the early ’80s, going to EAA Oshkosh re- ally got my interests piqued. “My dad and I kicked around building a Son- erai, and at some point my dad said, ‘You didn’t want to do college, so what do you want?’ and I answered that I’d like to get my pilot’s license so, that’s what I did.” His flying hit a lull when the family business, suffering from high interest rates and competi- tion, went under, and for nearly 10 years he was pretty much ground-bound. He says, “I got back into flying when I was about 28, and I got my PPL glider. I did a lot of soaring and even bought a motorglider, a Fournier RF5B. Then I bought a newly restored L-3B Aeronca in California, but I couldn’t fly it home because I didn’t have a power PPL. A friend flew it back. Then my CFI, Jim Wheeler, and I flew to AirVen- ture ’03, where it was runner-up in class.” As David was getting back into flying, his busi- ness life was getting busier as he went to work for a Harley dealer, taking care of many departments in a growing business. “One of our service techs and I built a RV-7 in my garage over four winters that I flew for years before selling it to Steve Morse, guitarist for Deep Purple. Then I bought an RV-8A, but I didn’t like the nose wheel so got rid of that in favor of a straight RV-8 and then an RV-3. That was replaced by an RV-4 and a Cub that I re-covered. And that’s when the OTW joined the fold.” Accidental Biplane Purchase “I went looking for an OTW partially because I accidentally sold my last RV at almost exactly the same time that I discovered OTWs. I’d never seen one until I ran into a local pilot who had one, and it intrigued me. I heard that little voice in my head saying, ‘Hey! I think I’d like to own one of those.’ And I listened to it. Just then a guy looking at my RV asked me if it was for sale. It wasn’t, but I tossed a silly number at him ex- pecting him to stomp off, but he smiled, and just that quickly, I needed another airplane. I had just looked at the local OTW, but it wasn’t for sale. Then I peeked at Barnstormers and there it was…an OTW! I called the guy, he still had it, and I told him to hold it for me. This all hap- pened on the same day, as if it was foreordained that I was to own an OTW or something.” 123 E. 4th Street • Newton, KS 67114 316-283-8000 • BandC.info/VA Your Next Oil Change Just Got Easier $328List: $450 BC700-1 (STC/PMA) O-235 thru IO-720 Limited Time and Quantity 3-D Machined Billet Aluminum Mess Free! 44 SEPTEMBER /OCTOBER 2015 The OTW he’d never seen but was about to buy had been re- s t o r e d b y J o e y S a h a k i a n i n Fresno, California. In the pictures it looked perfect. When David fi- nally saw it in real life, it looked the same way. (See the sidebar for Joey’s side of the OTW story.) “I did some research through the OTW club and biplane forum, look- ing for someone to ferry the air- plane home and check me out, and Clay Hammond appeared to be the perfect person. I expected the check- out to be a big deal, because, among other things, the OTW tail wheel is totally free-swiveling. It doesn’t steer and it doesn’t lock. It was like nothing I’d ever flown before, and I expected it to be squirrely. But, it definitely wasn’t. We did five take- offs and landings to a full stop, as required by the insurance, and I was done. And the insurance premium is exactly the same as I was paying for my RV. This is because the OTW has such a good safety record.” A Gentleman’s Flying Machine “The landing gear is so wide and the rudder so effective,” he says, “you don’t even miss the tail-wheel steer- ing. The main gear also has a huge amount of well-damped travel so it’s really hard to bounce it on landing. Whether three-point or wheeling it on, it just settles on and sticks.” David says, “Takeoff is leisurely and super easy to keep straight. It just sor t of f loats off at 65 mph, You climb at 70 and gen- erally cruise in the 95-100 mph range, burning about 10 gallons per hour. You fly the pattern at 80 mph and just aim the nose at the numbers. I usually wheel it on be- cause it’s so easy and you can see what you’re doing.” Cruising around at less than 100 mph takes a lot longer, and he says the RVs have spoiled him in that re- gard. But watching the sunset is so much more fun at OTW speeds. “The first time I brought my wife, Donna, out to see it, she wouldn’t even get out of the Jeep. She just watched me fly. The second time, she let me put her in it, but she wasn’t about to go flying. The third time, I had her in the cockpit and she says, ‘Can we go flying now?’ She really likes it!” So, inasmuch as David changes airplanes the way most people change T-shirts, how soon before something new catches his eye? He says, “This airplane is a big bucket list item for me. I’ve always wanted an open-cockpit biplane with a round motor. Always! So, it may be a while before I part with this one. “Lastly, I’d like to thank my par- ents for the start of my aviation ad- venture, EAA for making sure my aviation interests were kept alive, and a few local mentors, namely Jim Wheeler, Don Gruett, Gregg Goins, Ray Roethle, and Don Kiel. Also, I definitely need to thank the most important person of all, my wife, Donna.” TYSON RININGER The OTW’s long-strong landing gear makes smooth landings easy. www.vintageaircraft.org 45 Looking around at the sport aviation and vintage air- craft communities, it’s obvious that we’re seeing second- and third-gener- ation participants jumping into the fray. It seems the family that flies together, at the very least, seriously infects their offspring with the av-bug. Walt Bowe of So- noma, California, is certainly one of those generational aviators who never had a moment in his life when old airplanes weren’t part of his environment. Bowe says, “When I was about 12 years old, I got my first vin- tage airplane ride in Old Rhine- beck’s D-25 New Standard. That one ride really gave me the bug, and being from Sonoma, Califor- nia, I fell in with the Schellville airport crowd, which included a bunch of serious antiquers. “I soloed in a C-140 and was very much taken under the wing of some of the local guys, including the late Ted Babbini and Don Carter. They let me fly their airplanes, which in- cluded a Jungmeister and a Fleet, K e e p i n ’ U p a Family Tradition Walt Bowe’s D-18 Beech by Budd Davisson Chris Miller Photos 46 SEPTEMBER /OCTOBER 2015 to fly-ins, where I was almost al- ways the youngest pilot. I was hav- ing the time of my life. “My first airplane was a Pieten- pol that I bought when I was 15 years old for $500 from Joe San- tana. It was a bare-bones, unfin- ished project. I would have been better off starting from scratch in the long run, but it gave me in- spiration. My closest friend, Chris Price, and I were fascinated by the old flivver-style airplanes in high school. He started a Heath Para- sol (previous OSH winner), and I did the Pietenpol. The Pietenpol was my first project and restora- tion. I finished it in 2005. College, work, and lack of money stopped me from finishing earlier. Chris beat me! “I met Bud Field,” he says, “a well-known airplane collector and business man from Hayward, Cali- fornia, at one of those air shows, when I was a teenager. He offered to let me fly his stock Stearman and, of course, I jumped at it. He was very generous with his toys. That led to me flying his Travel Air and Model 4 Stearman to shows. I was fortunate to fly all his air- planes. He was to have a huge im- pact on my life. “I left for college at California State University at Chico and ma- jored in earth science/environ- mental engineering. I graduated in three-and-a-half years and went back to Sonoma as a flight instruc- tor while hoping to become an air- line pilot. I did get an opportunity to fly for a company that operated 737s within six months of being out of school and was in the train- ing program in Tucson. I never ac- tually got the opportunity to fly, though. I began realizing that I was miserable and knew that the airline life was not for me. I grew up in an airline family, and many TYSON RININGER Walt Bowe’s opening comment to everyone about his airplane is that he can’t take any credit for its magnifi- cent restoration. That honor belongs to George Byaard, Carson City, NV. www.vintageaircraft.org 47 friends were airline pilots. Many of those friends went out on a limb to help me climb the ranks to be an airline pilot. However, I was headed down a path that wasn’t right for me. Deciding not to fly for the airlines was tough, and I was worried about repercussions with friends and family, but ultimately I decided I couldn’t keep going. “Before leaving for Tucson, I had received an offer from Bud Field to go to work for him in his con- struction business, but I turned him down, thinking I should fol- low the path I had been on for my short flying career. He told me that, if things fell through on the airline thing, I had a standing job offer that was good for one year. That was pretty sweet; he knew I would be miserable. Anyone who knew Bud would understand his craftiness. He had planted a hook in me, and he knew it. “ Within a few months I was done with the 737 gig and working for Bud at his Industrial Construc- tion Co. based out of Livermore, California. Working for Bud was a great experience, and despite what many thought, we didn’t play with his toys as much as was assumed! Bud gave me an incredible oppor- tunity to learn his business, and in six short years I became a part- ner in the company. Four years later Bud passed away (February 10, 2010), and I took over his role as president of Lilja Corp. We had a five-year buyout plan, and it is sad that Bud only made it through four of those years. Even sadder, he never got to enjoy retirement and his collection of airplanes to the fullest. He died a young 63. I men- tion my history with Bud because it’s really important to me that people understand that he was an incredible mentor and friend and gave me the opportunity to ulti- mately fulfill my dream of collect- ing airplanes. We tried each oth- er’s patience at times at work, but nothing a few glasses of wine at the end of the day wouldn’t fix.” While working for Bud Field, Walt got to stretch his wings, so to speak, in the airplane building/col- lecting area. The Pietenpol was his first, and as he says, “I built it ex- actly to the plans and even acquired an original N number that had belonged to Bernie Pietenpol and painted the airplane accordingly. It is no brakes, tailskid, Model A pow- ered. Period-correct instruments, solder-wrapped cables, etc. To be honest, it’s ridiculously original!” Walt’s next air plane was an Eaglerock that had a family con- nection. He says, “My grandfather was really my inspiration for old airplanes. He learned in the teens and got his license, bought a Jenny for $500 and barnstormed. Later he went to work for an Alexander Eaglerock distributor, then onto the airlines, Eastern, then Ameri- can Overseas, and flew the Ber- lin Airlift, then on to PAA flying the flying boats out of New York. I am fortunate to have discovered all of his old logbooks and photo albums as a teenager. I never got to meet him, though I was named after him. Walter Hostetler was Walt Bowe 48 SEPTEMBER /OCTOBER 2015 his name. Neat history that I’m fortunate to have in my family, so buying an Eaglerock was a no- brainer. My wife, Carlene, and I bought one in Brewster, Kansas, and trucked it home to Sonoma. It was pretty much a complete airplane, not a basket case. I over- hauled the OX-5, did some fabric work, installed new cables, wiring, and plumbing. It was not pretty, but we got it flying again. That was a sentimental project because of my grandfather’s history with the type. Thanks to Carlene for mak- ing that all possible.” Carlene is part of everything Walt does and still has the Cub she soloed in. That one was joined by a 1939 Cub project that Walt fin- ished, and he says, “One day, we dreamed up the idea to have ‘his’ and ‘her’ Cubs and go to Lock Ha- ven for Sentimental Journey. Well, we have the Cubs, but have not made it to Pennsylvania yet.” EAA/VAA members remember Walt’s next airplane well: an award- winning 1929 Laird that graced these pages. The project that fol- lowed the Laird, however, and is still underway is not only exciting but, as he puts it, “It’s a long, long, long project that has come a long way, but has a long way to go.” It’s a 1937 Beech 18A: the original pro- totype Twin Beech. The very first one! (See sidebar for details.) As he worked on the prototype D-18 project, Walt decided he had to do something about his over- whelming desire to own and fly a Twin Beech. The prototype was go- ing to take too long. “I wanted im- mediate satisfaction. I talked Car- lene into us buying one (kidding, but kind of true). I wanted to have an airplane we could load the dogs into and go somewhere.” The D-18 he brought to EAA Air- Venture Oshkosh 2014 was a 1944 C-45B that had been totally re- stored by George Byaard in Carson City, Nevada, but it hadn’t been flown for five years. “It was beau- tiful and came back to life after a morning’s work. After lunch, Taigh Ramey flew it back to Stockton for a thorough annual.” The airplane may have been beautiful, when Walt found it, but it hadn’t always been that way. In fact, reading through its military records makes it obvious that the airplane had been ridden hard and put away wet more than a few times. It was delivered to its first duty station, NAS Norfolk in March of ’44, but a little over a year later, it had a “major repair” done in San Juan. A few months after that, it had a minor repair in the same lo- cation, and another two months later it was “reconditioned and re- paired.” The airplane was less than 18 months old but had spent more time in the hospital than flying. It was “reconditioned and re- paired” again in November ’46 and again in February ’50, then went back to the factory to be remanufac- tured in ’53. It then cycled through a number of training command bases until it was put in storage at Litchfield Park, Arizona, in ’59. It was awakened a few years later and put to work again until it taxied into When George Byaard restored the airplane, it was with function in mind, so, although the instrument panel harkens back to older times, it is still thoroughly usable in today’s airspace environment. www.vintageaircraft.org 49 what is often a fatal parking spot at Davis-Monthan AFB, where mili- tary airplanes go to die. Davis-Monthan AFB is better known as “The Boneyard.” The year was 1967, so, before it was stricken off Navy inventory in April of ’68, it had 24 years and 10,343 hours of military service in its logbooks. It was time for a well-earned rest… which it didn’t get. In fact, what it got was generally a death sentence for any airplane: C-45B, S/N 6198 was transferred to Southern Ne- vada Vocational Technical Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, to be used for “instructional purposes.” Es- sentially, it was a cadaver to be dis- sected, poked, prodded, and stud- ied by students who had no appre- ciation for its elegance or history. For 17 years the plane suffered the indignities associated with being a “donor airframe.” Then, George By- aard V came along. In December of ’98, he paid $6,000 for a tired-look- ing D-18. Byaard found as much of the corpse as he could and trucked the remains to his shop where he spent the next 10 years trying to put the aluminum jigsaw puzzle back together. Walt Bowe says, “Most of it was there, but almost all of it was either worn out or suffering badly from ex- posure to students