Jack Kearbey (Tulsa, OK) arrived late yesterday evening (along with support crew, Johnny Hagan and Ken Clark in a Cessna 175) flying his magnificent, full scale, very accurate, Hisso powered replica of an S.E.5a.

It took Jack over six years to build this very authentic replica using many original parts including the windshield, wheel hubs, instrumentation and Hisso engine. It's hard to accurately describe how looking at and then watching this aircraft fly opens a window to aviations past. Simply put, this aircraft has to be seen to be believed !!

Jack is on his way to Oshkosh to leave the S.E.5a for AirVenture, then we hope to see it back here at Antique Airfield for our Invitational Fly-in Sep. 1st - 6th.

This Hisso powered beauty joins a rather exclusive "club" of Hisso powered aircraft that have graced the grass here at Antique Airfield over the last forty years. That list includes the late Dennis Trone's Travel Air 3000 and his Waco DSO, Neils Sorenson's Standard J-1, Frank Schelling's Curtiss JN4H "Jenny" and Warren Pietsch's Travel Air 3000.

Brent Taylor

The long dual exhaust on the 180 Hisso makes a very distinctive sound.

No brakes and a tail skid, just as in 1917, make the S.E.5a operate strictly off of grass runways.

Moonrise over Antique Airfield

Dirt floor, tin hangar, tail wheel dolly etc. Is it 1917 somewhere on the Western front or 2010 at Antique Airfield??

Another B&W inside hangar #2, just for fun

The S.E.5a crew refueling the airplane before the days first flight. From the left are, Johhny Hagan, aircraft builder/owner/pilot Jack Kearbey and Ken Clark (back to camera)

Jack and AAA founder/President Robert Taylor discussing their days in the Air Force

John bounces the prop back against compression while Jack furiously cranks the exciter (booster coil) to get the Hisso started

Jack taking off to the E. on the short runway at Antique Airfield. He only needed around 250 ft of the available 1600 ft before the S.E.5a was airborne and climbing

The S.E.5a is a performer. Off the ground in a couple of hundred feet it climbed out smartly and had an estimated 700+ feet of altitude as it crossed the fence at the end of the E/W runway which is 1600 ft in length