Tom Frasca sent us a video of APM board member Steve Adkisson flying the Frasca Air Museum's Aeronca C-3:

This C-3 was the last airplane that Steve's dad, Earl Adkisson, worked on, completing the restoration started by the previous owner. Earl also did the engine conversion on it to Continental A65. Steve of course spent some time building an all new cowling as well as some other work on it.

I imagine the C-3 will be on display and flown during the Frasca Field Fly-in on June 14th-16th, Frasca Field, Urbana, IL, Free Camping (please bring your own tie downs). Please RSVP via email (include number of guests in your party) tfrasca@frasca.com. Contact: Tom Frasca, Phone: 217 367 8441

APM Director Mike Lossner started his aviation career restoring a J-3 Cub when he was in high school. He owned that Cub for decades but eventually it made way for other projects/airplanes including a Cessna 120, Piper Vagabond and a Piper Tri-Pacer. But it seems as if life has come full circle again for Mike. He currently is restoring the Cub that his employer, Classic Aviation Inc. Pella, IA uses for taildragger instruction/checkouts. We’re certain with Mike’s experience that this will be one fine flying Cub when finished!

Want to know the back story on why Chuck Doyle's airplanes are mostly painted turquoise? Check out this new article featuring Chuck's custom Stearman in Atlantic Flyer.

The folks at Applegate Airport, Queen City, MO are pleased to invite you to their 26th Annual Watermelon Fly-In. Sunday August 11, 1pm until dark, food will be provided.

Bring your lawn chairs!

For full details see the flyer.

Here's the Texas Chapter May 2013 Newsletter. Fly-in reports, and flying the Southern Cross.

Thanks to the generosity of Mike & Margaret Wilson of Cedar Rapids, IA, the APM has received a large donation of Ryan PT-22 projects and parts.

Just a portion of the Ryan parts/projects in one of Mike's hangars (Brent Taylor photo)

Mike, an active pilot into his 90's, was a P-38 & P-39 pilot in the 11th AF (Aleutian Islands) during WWII. He has been a check pilot with the Warbirds of America, was heavily involved in the restoration of the P-38 "Glacier Girl" but is probably best known in antique airplanes circles for his expertise in the rebuilding of Kinner engines and Ryan PT-22's. Mike still has his much traveled PT-22, N49049, that he has put well over 1000 hrs on over the years, including a dozen + trips from Cedar Rapids, IA to the West Coast for the annual Ryan Fly-in. Mike is also a long time supporter of the APM having served on the Board of Directors for several years during the 70's & 80's

Mike's well traveled Ryan PT-22, N49049 (Scott Fisher photo)

Margaret Wilson is one of the first of a generation of female motorcyclists in post-World War II America who took up the sport and began changing the image of the motorcycling as an exclusive domain of men. Margaret has ridden her bikes over 550,000 miles, is a tremendous motorcycle supporter and is an inductee into several motorcycle Halls of Fame. Beginning in 1950 and for the next 25 years Margaret and Mike were business partners in Wilson's Motorcycle Sales of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Margaret has also been an active supporter of Mike's aviation endeavors and the APM as well.

Getting one of the fuselages down (Scott Fisher photo)

APM Founder/Chairman Robert Taylor had been talking with Mike for several weeks about this donation and APM Treasurer Brent Taylor made an inspection trip to Mik'’s hangars, at the Eastern Iowa Airport in Cedar Rapids, to gauge what was there and what it would take to get the projects/parts transported to Antique Airfield and the APM. Then early on Sat April 27th a group of APM volunteers from around IA and MO headed to Cedar Rapids to inventory, load and transport the materials to the APM. From Columbia, MO came Harman Dickerson, Don Miles, Bob Edginton & Don Grimm with a 20 ft trailer and a van full of packing material, tie downs, etc. From Davenport, IA, APM Director Scott Fisher drove over to help with the loading. From Montezuma, IA came APM President Mike Gretz towing a 20 ft enclosed trailer courtesy of Sig Modeling Co.. From Ottumwa came APM Director Mark Lancaster with a box truck courtesy of Bob Lancaster Oil Co and from Antique Airfield, Brent, Marcy & Ben Taylor.

Sorting the parts for loading while Marcy Taylor inventories all parts coming out of the hangars. (Scott Fisher photo)

The next several hours were spent moving the parts/projects out of the hangar, sorting, inventorying and loading them into the various vehicles and trailers. Once back on the road, a stop was made at the Colony Inn, Amana, IA for a GREAT home style meal and rhubarb pie for the whole crew. Then it was onto Antique Airfield. With the help of local APM Volunteers Bryan DeWitt, Kevin Chitwood, Rusty Landers and even RLT himself, the unload went quick and smooth with all being stored by around 6pm.

One load ready to strap down and transport (Scott Fisher photo)

We'd like to "Thank" all the above named for taking the time, expense and effort to help load, transport and unload all the donated Ryan parts and projects, it couldn't have been accomplished without your efforts.

To Mike & Margaret go our most humble and gracious "Thanks" for thinking of the APM with this donation. Their donation of Ryan parts and projects reflects their ongoing support of the APM and its future.

Brent Taylor

Unloading at the APM (Brent Taylor photo)

In 1998 the Kansas Aviation Museum acquired the remains of Stearman Model 4D, Serial Number 4027. The "Junior Speedmail" as this model was called, was donated by Bruce Bissonette, a retired aviation writer of El Paso, Texas. Bruce obtained the Stearman (basically the fuselage and 3 boxes of parts) from John Thurmond's aircraft project yard in Tucson, Arizona in 1971.

Bruce offered the Stearman to KAM as a donation – it was accepted immediately and was hauled it back to Wichita from El Paso.

The Stearman 4D, registration NC563Y, was first purchased on July 21, 1931, by The Texas Company. It was completed and delivered on August 1, 1931, and Texaco pilot J. D. "Duke" Jernigan flew it away. It was a handsome airplane with its red and white paint with the "Texaco 11" fleet number, Wasp Jr. engine with a full NACA cowl and 81 inch wheel pants. Some say the Model 4 was the most beautiful biplane built. Lloyd Stearman said in later years that it was the best airplane he ever designed.

Texaco flew 563Y over 1100 hours, on an aggressive schedule. It was repainted in 1933 with "Texaco 14" fleet number. Texaco sold 563Y in 1937 to Hangar Six Inc. in San Antonio, Texas. It then went through several cotton duster owners in Mississippi, including the famous Finkley Brothers, before being sold to the Tennessee Valley Authority in November 1941. The Stearman flew mosquito control for the TVA out of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, along with three other Model 4D's. Mal Carberry of Fresno, California purchased the biplane in 1948. Carberry Dusters operated several Model 4’s through the 1950's. 563Y's records show that it was "Dismantled/Salvaged," May 18, 1965, with more than 3,000 hours total time flown.

The Kansas Aviation Museum has a rare jewel in this Stearman. Out of the 40 Model 4's built in 1929 through 1931, fourteen are still accounted for. Eight are restored and flying, two are restored and in museums. 563Y is under restoration and three others are awaiting restoration. This is an amazing survival rate.

More parts have been donated and some were obtained through trade. The engine, a Pratt & Whitney Wasp, Jr. (R-985), has been assembled from donated parts and as the Kansas Aviation Museum does not fly the restored airplanes, the engine was not built up to run. The nice ladies of a local organization, "The Women of Wichita" donated $20,000 for the restoration in January 2005. This allowed the restoration shop to purchase all of the necessary supplies, materials, parts, dope and fabric to complete the project. The restoration was started in mid 2005. With the donated services of several commercial shops and suppliers, the volunteer museum shop technicians (who range in age from 60 to 87) were able to fabricate and assemble all of the non-repairable or missing parts and assemblies.

The four wings and wing center section, including hardware, ribs and spars were all built from scratch in our shop as well as the right horizontal stabilizer and elevator. The beautiful instrument panel, seats, all sheet metal, upholstery and furnishings were all fabricated in our shop. All of this was accomplished without factory drawings. Using dimensions from other Stearman Model 4's under restoration, KAM volunteers re-created the necessary drawings. More than 9,000 KAM shop volunteer hours have been expended on this project. It is now nearing completion. The paint is complete except for the green color separation stripes. The decals have been applied and final assembly is 95% complete. This team effort of the KAM volunteers and the Wichita community is making the "Texaco 11" look like it did when "Duke" Jernigan took delivery in Wichita August 1, 1931.

By Walt House

Interested in homebuilt aircraft? You know, the old fashioned plans-built kind that is?? Airplanes with names such as Pietenpol, Corben, Knight Twister, Thorp, Wittman and similar. If so, the latest issue of AAA founder/President Robert Taylor's Legacy Log of Homebuilt Aircraft is hot off the presses.

For more info give RLT a call here at AAA HQ in the afternoons at 641-938-2773 or subscription is $21 for three 24 page issues to:

Legacy Log of Homebuilt Aircraft
PO Box 127
Blakesburg, IA 52536

RLT would welcome your input of material, photos, history etc. for future issues.

Here's the Michigan Chapter April 2013 Newsletter. Lots of fly-in announcements!

From Aero Digest, 1928.

A reader pointed out about a month ago that it was hard to find an application for the Antique Airplane Insurance program that is a membership benefit of AAA. The application form is now available here on AntiqueAirfield.com, suitable for emailing or paper mailing to Butler-Brown Insurance.

Click for the application form.