Serving Midwest Aviation Since 1960
Serving Midwest Aviation Since 1960
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Societe de Construction d’Avions de Tourisme et d’Affaires was established in 1966 as a subsidiary of Sud-Aviation, later Aerospatiale. It has produced general aviation aircraft like the Horizon, Tampico, Tobago, Trinidad, and the TBM 700. In 1978, it began work on a basic trainer for the Armee de l’Air. Powered by a 300 hp Lycoming O-540 air-cooled flat 6, the Epsilon was designed to provide a stepping stone to the Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jet advanced trainer and light attack aircraft. The T...
The Air Force's new Boeing KC-46A Pegasus air-to-air refueling tanker graced the main ramp. Set to replace or supplement the old KC-135 and KC-10, it's based on the 767 airliner....
"Mud, mud, glorious mud – Nothing quite like it for cooling the blood..." From "The Hippopotamus Song" by Michael Flanders and Donald Swan More like curdling or boiling the blood. 2019 seemed a reprise of Sloshkosh and the Splash-In from earlier days. Due to heavy rains before the convention, parking autos, RVs, and airplanes proved a challenge and walk times to the gates for the notorious bag check seemed like infinity. In 35 years, I've never parked so far away. Packs of seagulls circled a...
Glenn Curtiss (1878-1930) was truly one of aviation's great pioneers. He founded the Curtiss Aeroplane Company on 1 December 1910 in Hammondsport, NY. The company evolved through various mergers until 8 August 1929, when it combined with former bitter rival Wright to become Curtiss-Wright. Litigation between Curtiss and the Wrights had lasted from 1908 to 1913. In 1930, Curtiss-Wright absorbed Wichita based Travel Air. Curtiss-Wright did not survive long after WWII as an aircraft manufacturer,...
Established by the Canadian government in 1944 at Montreal to build a Merlin engined version of the DC-4/C-54, Canadair manufactured its own designs (Argus and Tutor) and license - built F-86 Sabres, Lockheed T-33s, Lockheed F-104s, and the Northrop F-5. In 1986, the company was sold to Bombardier. Canadair's unique amphibious CL-215 fire bomber, powered by two 2100 hp Pratt & Whitney R-2800 radials, was first flown on 23 October 1967 by W. Longhurst and made its first water takeoff on 1 May...
Thomas Octave Murdock Sopwith (1888-1989), later Sir Thomas, formed Sopwith Aviation at Kingston-on-Thames in 1912. Famous as a pilot, balloonist, car racer, and yacht racer, Sopwith, with Fred Sigrist and Harry Hawker, were the backbone of a company that supplied the RFC, RNAS, and RAF with combat aircraft during WWI. Finances forced the liquidation of Sopwith after the war, but it returned to aircraft manufacturing as H. G. Hawker Engineering in November 1920. Known for the 1 ½...
To cover its needs for liaison, medevac, training, and light cargo, the USAF has acquired "off the shelf" civilian business aircraft. Examples have included the Beech King Air, Cessna Citation, Gates Learjet, Gulfstream, Lockheed Jetstar, and North American Sabreliner. To train students for tanker and airlift operations, the Air Force ordered a converted version of the Beechjet 400A. The T-1A began life as the eight passenger Mitsubishi MU-300 Diamond, first flying on 29 August 1978. After...
The Army was impressed by the Luftwaffe's use DFS 230 assault gliders on 10 May 1940, in the surprise capture of Belgium's Fort Eben-Emael and a bridge over the Albert Canal. As a result, it ordered the Frankfort TG-1, Schweizer TG-2 and TG-3, and the Laister-Kauffmann TG-4 training gliders in April 1941. While these civilian designs were suitable for training, they did not replicate the flight characteristics of the large WACO CG-4A combat gliders. The surviving trainers were declared surplus b...
Founded in 1912 by Guilio Macchi to manufacture Nieuport aircraft, Macchi soon turned to building seaplanes designed by Mario Castoldi. The most famous were the Schneider Trophy racers, culminating in the MC.72 which still holds the piston-engined speed record for seaplanes. On 23 October 1934, Francesco Agello hit 440.681 mph behind the 3100 hp Fiat 24 cylinder liquid-cooled engine. First flying on 24 December 1937, the MC.200 fighter won the Regia Aeronautica interceptor contest of 1938....
Professor Claude Dornier was known during World War I for his work with stressed skin Duralumin construction, designing large flying boats and other combat aircraft, including the experimental D-1 all metal single-seat fighter. Post-war he continued designs of all metal flying boats like the famous "Wal" series, production taking place in Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, and Japan to avoid the Versailles Treaty and Allied Control Commission. During World War II, Dornier production focused on t...
Designed by Teddy Petter, and first flown by Wing Commander Roland Beamont on 13 May 1949, the Rolls Royce Avon powered Canberra was the RAF's first jet bomber. Produced in the U.K. by English Electric, Avro, Handley Page, and Shorts and, like A84-229 in this Oshkosh 1991 photo, by the Australian Government Aircraft Factory at Fishermen's Bend, the Canberra and its American Wright J-65 engined Martin B-57 cousin, remained in military service until the last RAF PR. 9 was retired in July 2006....
The Bolingbroke was a Canadian license production Bristol Blenheim. In an effort to build Canadian aircraft manufacturing capability, the RCAF chose the Bristol Model 149 for production by Fairchild Aircraft of Longueuil, Quebec. The initial contract was awarded in November 1937, and the first aircraft, RCAF 702, made its maiden flight on 14 September 1939, flown by J. H. "Red" Lymburner. Powered by two Bristol Mercury nine-cylinder radials and carrying a 1000 pound bomb load, the Bolingbroke...
Maritime patrol aircraft evolved during WWI with Curtiss and Felixstowe flying boats scouring the North Sea and Mediterranean for German U-boats and commerce raiders. Land based bombers followed. The Catalina, Sunderland, Wellington, and Liberator served during WWII. World War II also saw the modification of airliners into land-based patrol aircraft. The Lockheed Model 14 Electra became the Model 414 Hudson and the Focke-Wulf FW-200 Condor became Churchill's "scourge of the Atlantic." Post war,...
Emil Matthew "Matty" Laird (1896-1982) flew his first design on 15 September 1913. Built in his mother's attic, it got 10 feet into the air. Associated with Wichita and Chicago, Laird was famed for his custom-built sport and racing aircraft. Known initially for the Swallow biplane (about 43 built between 1920 and 1923), in 1924 he began design and manufacture of a series of Laird Commercials that sold well to "sportsman" pilots even during the Depression. Laird biplanes were part of the early da...
The dusty black Nissan rests by the "4C" pillar. I ditch the empty water bottles and other trash in a nearby can and settle in for the drive to Stead. We're staying at the Peppermill, a nice hotel and casino where inside it's never day or night. It clanks, whistles, clinks, shouts, and buzzes without pause, the search for the elusive jackpot an addictive lure. To me, it's a place to eat, sleep, and write. I'm not used to a pushbutton start or an automatic transmission. Old guy that I am, all my...
In 1946, the Army Air Force sent to industry a request for a "penetration" fighter able to escort bombers as well as perform ground attack. Three companies responded, McDonnell with the XF-88, North American with the YF-93 based on the F-86, and Lockheed with the XF-90. Of these, only the XF-88, modified to become the F-101 Voodoo, was produced. Lockheed received an AAF contract on 20 June 1946 for two prototypes, serials 46-687 and 46-688. Initially, Lockheed had proposed a delta wing, but...
Writer/Historian Tom Lymburn shares his "Camping under a classic" photo from EAA's Airventure at Witman Airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. This 1933 Stinson Junior, N18285, is owned by Douglas Taylor of Backus, MN. A typical Oshkosh view, with tents under the wing....
Tom Lymburn The railroad VFR traffic follows from Ripon, runs through little Pickett (unincorporated) to Oshkosh via Fisk. Pickett hasn't changed much in the 34 years I've been going to EAA. The gas station, grocery store, and Post Office are still in one building. The farm service business is next door. It's true, the corn canning plant has closed and the graveyard has grown, but that's about it. One hundred year anniversaries are relatively new to aviation. This year was the Centenary of the...
Ultra-light and light sport aircraft aren't new. Back in the early 1920's, The Daily Mail encouraged the design and manufacture of ultra light, inexpensive aircraft. One born of this competition was the DH. 53 Humming Bird. Originally fitted with a 750 cc Douglas motorcycle engine, the 524 pound Humming Bird debuted in October 1923. Later, powered with the 26 hp Blackbourne Tomtit and other engines, fifteen were produced, eight for the RAF. Three went to Australia, one to Russia, and one to...
Although recognized as a maker of helicopters today, Westland started in the 19th century as a manufacturer of farm equipment. During WWI, Ernest Petter produced engines and airplanes at Westland Farm, the doors opening on 3 April 1915, as Westland Aircraft Works. Post-war Westland designed and built the Wapiti and Wallace general purpose biplanes based on the wartime de Havilland DH 9A. Designed to RAF Specification A.39/34, by a team led by Arthur Davenport, the Lysander, named after the...
Lloyd Stearman started with Matty Laird in Chicago, moved to Wichita, and later worked with Walter Beech and Clyde Cessna at Travel Air. In 1926, he set up Stearman Aircraft Company in Venice, CA, returning to Wichita in 1927. His company produced practical biplanes for sport, passengers, mail, and training. The classic C-3B, certified under Approved Type Certificate #55 of July 1928, appeared with a 220 hp Wright J-5 Whirlwind nine-cylinder radial. A three seater, it had the traditional welded...
Rene and Gaston Caudron were inspired by seeing Wilber Wright fly. Their first aircraft flew from their farm on 21 September 1909. Caudron designed and constructed aircraft for civilian and military use until the end of World War II when the company disappeared. One of their most exciting aircraft was the C. 460 racer that appeared in the 1935 National Air Races flown by Michel Detroyat, winning the Greve and Thompson Trophies against U.S. competitors. This photo, taken at the NASM's Steven F....
Major Reuben Hollis Fleet, U.S. Military Aviator No. 74, founded Consolidated Aircraft Corporation in May 1923. Fleet believed in making aircraft simple and safe, and produced a series of training biplanes for military and civilian use. On 25 March 1930, he formed a subsidiary company, Fleet Aircraft of Canada at Fort Erie, Ontario. Later, as Fleet Aircraft, Limited, Fleet produced two seat radial engined biplanes for the Royal Canadian Air Force and for export. Most, like the Model 2 and the...
Jack Riley formed Riley Aircraft Corporation in 1952 to improve the performance of existing production aircraft. He converted the North American/Ryan Navion to twin engines, later selling the conversion rights to Temco, followed that with upgrading Cessna's 310 series as the Riley Rocket, and continued with conversions of Cessna 314, 340, 414, and 421 twins. In 1963 he upgraded the de Havilland DH. 104 Dove, originally first flown in September 1945, to the Riley Turbo Executive. A major conversi...
Army Air Force pilot training initially involved three levels: Primary, Basic, and Advanced (single engine and multi-engine). Advanced training was a ten-week course devoting 60 hours to ground school, 19 hours to "military" training, and 70 hours to flight time. Twin engine training used the Cessna Bobcat, Curtiss Jeep, the Twin Beech, and the Beech AT-10 Wichita. The AT-10, or Model 26, designed by a team led by T. A. Wells, trained over half of the Army's multi-engined pilots. Although Beech...
