Spartan Executive NC17662 to Texas

Spartan Executive serial number 28, NC17662 has a new home in Texas with the Mid America Flight Museum in Mount Pleasant. This Spartan 7W is a welcome addition to the impressive collection of vintage aircraft. 

Serial number 28 was built in 1940 and served as a executive transport for the Spartan Aircraft Company. Maxwell Balfour, the Spartan Sales Manager, flew this 7W all around the country to promote the aircraft and visit the Spartan Schools in Muskogee and Miami, Oklahoma. Spartan retained this 7W for company use until 1976. 36 years of service!

It would fly on to new owners based in Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and California before returning to Texas the summer of 2018. One interesting add on this Executive featured in years past was wing tip fuel tanks! The only 7W to be fitted with tip tanks.

We look forward to posting more photos of serial number 28 upon our next visit to East Texas.

Links - Spartan Survivors - Mid America Flight Museum

Aviation Posters - Time Flies

Looking for a unique aviation gift? Check out Dylan Wreggelsworth’s creation at BVR Design - “Time Flies” Air Racer Poster:

https://bvr.design/…/air-…/products/time-flies-racer-poster…

It was designed in collaboration with Dan Linn of Fly to Another Time

http://flytoanothertime.com

BVR Design also carries unique t-shirts and patches that have graphic details only an aviation loving designer would incorporate. Watch for more upcoming designs from BVR Design and Another Time!

Vintage Lockheed Electra Junior Advertisement

My current research "dive" has been into my magazine collection. The hunt for rare aircraft featured in company advertisements. I love the art, the ad copy and the company logos. Can you imagine the conversations around the boardroom tables in the 1930s as the executives crafted their next company ad campaign? It must have been pretty exciting. The Lockheed ad above even features a comic style story! Fly along as the owner does business all over the country.

Watch this space and the Instagram page (user name dtlinn) for more of the art as I continue to scan these cool ads.

Link - Instagram dtlinn

Matt's Luscombe 8A - N71556

N71556 on the grass in Gainesville, Texas

Luscombe N71556 is a 65hp 8A owned by Matt Hood of Argyle, Texas. Matt purchased the Luscombe in 2014 from his dad in Indiana and brought it to Texas. It is not what the owner would call a show plane but a flyer. It has had some interesting adventures in its life. The logs tell the tale of an off airport landing. The metal doesn’t shine of new aluminum but that suits Matt just fine. Winning awards wasn’t in the plans for this ship even though it won a “Most Original” award at the Blakesburg, Iowa antique fly-in!

Matt flies the airplane often and loves sharing flights with others. One day I caught Matt at the gas pumps at Northwest Regional airport as he prepared to launch on a tailwheel lesson for a daring young aviator. The mission for this little Luscombe is not to gather dust. It is to introduce the next generation of pilots to cool vintage airplanes.

Based at Northwest Regional it shares a hangar with a classy Cessna 170. When not flying Boeings for Southwest Airlines you will find Matt flying various airplane types over North Texas. Most likely sharing stories of flying airplanes from another time.

Air Racing T-shirts - BVR Design

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I recently stumbled upon the BVR Design Instagram feed that features remarkable aviation t-shirts. Being a vintage aircraft nut myself, I was instantly fascinated by the unique design and layout of the shirts. After exchanging a few notes with the designer, Dylan, I inquired about what was on the drawing board next. A few mutually appreciated types were mentioned but when one of my favorites was in the queue I had to speak up! Within a few days the Lockheed 12 t-shirt was released.

As a deep-rooted, die-hard, Lockheed fan I often cruise the internet in search of “new” modern aviation t-shirt styles that also have an authentic vintage look, but am rarely able to find anything worth purchasing. So when I laid eyes on this Lockheed Model 12 Electra Junior shirt from BVR, I knew this one would be worth it. Not only was the Lockheed rendering true to detail, but the addition of the designation and first flight dates anchoring either side of the aircraft were spot-on. The added touch of the classic Lockheed lightning bolt gave the final design punch to secure the deal. I had to have one!

Once it arrived, I was able to actually take a closer look at the artwork. It was an incredibly accurate representation of this classic airplane. The shirt is excellent quality and is comfortable. The fit is true to size so I recommend adding one of BVRs designs to your collection.

Further designs to come off the BVR drawing board that have me excited would be the ones in the Air Racing series. The powerful Gee Bee Z, the sleek Crosby CR-4, the timeless Travel Air Mystery Ship and the racy DH.88 Comet. I have just purchased 4 more shirts to add to my collection and am on the edge of my seat waiting for the next design release.

The eye-catching selection covers a broad aviation audience, so when shopping for yourself it will be hard to choose which one to buy first! The selections are also perfect for gift giving.  Click through to BVR for some beautiful bespoke aviation t-shirts.

Links - BVR - Instagram - Lockheed 12s

Taylorcraft BL-65 Showpiece

1940 Taylorcraft BL-65 N27652

When Jake Bilstad purchased his 1940 Taylorcraft BL-65 (N27652) in 2001 at Spinks Airport in Fort Worth, Texas it was in need of some serious attention. It was just a big pile of parts. It last flew in 1970, then it was disassembled for restoration. 

When I first met Jake he passed me in the hallway at work. He had a bag full of parts over his shoulder and I caught site of the large diameter tachometer. So I just had to ask what it was for! Being a former Taylorcraft owner myself I knew it might be from an early model Taylorcraft. Over the years Jake and I exchanged emails as I checked in on the progress of the rebuild.

The slow but steady rebuild was finished in 2013. Jake said he loves flying it “It performs really well with the C85 engine.” When asked what the biggest challenge was in the restoration Jake said “Finding the time, space, and money to finish it.” The logbooks told a story that took the history all the way back to 1940. It spent most of its life as a trainer at a flight schools based in Minnesota and Wisconsin. As the photos featured here show it is now a pampered cream puff based in Gainesville, Texas. 

(All photos via owner Jake Bilstad)

N27652

N27652

N27652

Lockheed 12 For Sale

This beautiful example of a Lockheed 12 (NC25628, Serial Number 1286) has come up for sale in early 2018. One of about a dozen actively flying Electra Juniors, this is a rare opportunity to purchase a Lockheed. I was fortunate enough to see this example at Oshkosh 2014 when seven were in attendance for AirVenture. Like many early Lockheed this one served as an executive hauler for an oil company having flown for Humble Oil Company.

NC25628 at Oshkosh 2014

Three of the seven Model 12s at Oshkosh 2014

Lockheed 12 brochure

Text from the advertisement on barnstormers.com

1940 LOCKHEED 12A • $595,000 • HISTORICAL AIRCRAFT FOR SALE • Classic 450 HP R-985 P&W twin. Right engine- 33 SMOH and left engine- 75 SMOH by Kenmore Air Harbor. Landing gear overhauled with new jack screws and gearboxes. Factory installed 50 gallon auxiliary fuel tank- 250 gallons total. Factory installed and functioning engine fire extinguishing system. Humble Oil Company corporate aircraft 1940-1963. Outstanding Antique Transport Aircraft- Oshkosh 2004. One of the "Magnificent Seven" featured at Oshkosh 2014.Featured in March 2017 Air & Space Magazine.Own a piece of aviation history. • Contact John T. O'Keefe, Owner - located Winthrop, WA USA • Telephone: 509-322-1630 . • Posted January 22, 2018

Curtiss Robin Cowling

In April of 2016 I took delivery of my Curtiss Robin cowling parts. These are from an OX-5 Robin. They are a fun addition to my collection. The coolest thing about their delivery is that they were flown to me on a Challenger 300 business jet! The pilot had permission from the owner to pack them in the back for the trip to Texas. With the help of a new aviation acquaintance who worked the ramp we loaded them up on the "follow me" cart and took them to my car. Yes... I made them fit!

1920s airplane parts flying in a corporate jet!

The coolest baggage loaded on THIS cart!

Yes the cowling fits

Trunk full of cowling

Bata Lockheed 10 - Post Restoration First Flight

Wichita Air Services photo

Hats off to Wichita Air Services for the post restoration first flight of Lockheed 10 serial number 1091!

Watch the first engine start here... video

Watch the first take off here... video

This 10 has a unique history, as most vintage airplanes do, in that it was first purchased by Bata and will soon return to the Czech Republic to live near its original home!

A link to on post on the Bata company web site... Bata in the News

It's new home in the Czech Republic will be... Tocna

For more on surviving Lockheed 10 and 12 aircraft visit.... Another Time

Link to Wichita Air Services web site

Harpoon 84062 Recovery

The aviators dream of a Jenny in a barn, a Mustang in an old hangar or a Cub in a garage make up the stories for books.  When the airplanes are larger sometimes you might find them sitting outside!  Years ago on our families route to church there was a Cessna 195 sitting outside behind a house.  If they are bigger than a 195 they might be more obvious commanding a spot on the ramp of a local airport.  It appears that Taigh Raimey and his crew at Vintage Aircraft found an airplane that they could not let go to the scrap heap.  A PV-2 Harpoon (84062) was sitting on some land that had sold in California.  The tired Harpoon was a fire bomber and had been sitting since 1994!  It only has about 800 hours on it since new!  The mission to save the Harpoon was a success and Taigh tells a fantastic story over on the WIX forum.  Check out the story here.  After you read the story check out the videos here!

Links - WIX - Vintage Aircraft

The Future of Vintage Aircraft Operation and Restoration

A few years from now will we still see vintage aircraft flying through the skies?  What does the future hold!?

Many issues come to mind in looking to the future of vintage aircraft operation and restoration.  Issues related to engine parts, airframe parts, fuel, and the costs of all of those items rolled into what we will call "operational costs" for this article.  Who has the skills and tools to restore and maintain vintage aircraft?  Are the skills to fly these aircraft being taught to new pilots today?  Then, what could be done to generate an interest in flying? What needs to take place to bring more people into the aviation community?  How do we educate the newcomers and current pilots to the history and heritage of vintage aircraft?  I don't have answers to all of these issues but I do have thoughts on some of them.

One of the main factors that does give me hope for the future of vintage aircraft is technology.  Today's technologies provide us with the tools we need to make from scratch the once extinct engine and airframe parts.  With new technology we can build old technology!  And build it better!  Over time the parts have become unusable because of age and wear.  With the advance of technology the cost to produce new parts comes down and this should help with operational costs.  I am very excited that vintage aircraft parts can be built.  Put all those parts together and once extinct aircraft can be reborn!

Examples of technology in action for vintage aircraft would be... A company in New Zealand, The Vintage Aviator, is building brand new engines for World War One era aircraft!  Another company is building brand new spars, very complicated spars, for the F4U Corsair!  In Arizona a shop is turning out brand new Boeing 100 series biplanes.  A Texas company built up brand new copies of the Grumman F3F and German Me-262.  I could go on.  My hope is that more enthusiasts will invest in building and rebuilding vintage aircraft.

So technology and tools are one part but who will operate that technology and those tools?  Are there ways to educate future generations to what is needed to keep vintage aircraft flying?  A glimmer of hopes exists in me as trade schools and aviation camps provide a draw into aviation.  From those schools and events we can teach the history behind our vintage aircraft and hopefully draw an interest.  There are many aviation trade schools around the country (one here - Redstone College) and a few aviation camps.  Peach State Aero has a camp and EAA has their Air Academy summer camps.  That is good news for the aviation community!  Are we supporting these organizations?  Let's do what we can to spread the word about these schools and camps!

As the airplanes are maintained to continue flying and restored to fly again, where will they be based?  What airports?  What hangars?  What will the aviation community and vintage aviation community do to provide an outlet for those owners and pilots?  Local chapters of national organizations provide monthly social events, activities and fly-ins.  Are those local chapters drawing in their friends, neighbors and other community organizations?  Could more be done?  Back in the 1930s there was an aviation country club in New York.  Why don't we have those?  Why aren't there more aviation friendly locals and vacation destinations?

I know I have presented a lot of questions here and as I stated I don't have answers to them all.  I would love to hear from readers what they think of some or all of these issues that deal with the future of aviation.  You can comment on this blog or send me an email.  I will re-publish the emails if relevant ideas are presented.

Vintage Aircraft Advertising

There is something about vintage advertising that has captured my interest.  Vintage cars and airplanes have some of the most unique advertising.   They transport you back to another time and place.  The clothing and hair styles are very telling of the era along with the wording of the ads.  In my collecting I have pulled some of my favorite ads and scanned them to post here and note some of the details that stand out.

Aeronca leads with the heading "Tandem Riding Is Out Of Date" and words the ad with "comfort, convenience, visibility."  Take note that they are talking about their Low Wing and C-3 models!  Comfort?  In a C-3?  Even when they produced their new models of the Chief, was that comfortable??  The side-by-side seating made for a cozy arrangement.  I truly think that people back in the 1930s and 1940s were a lot smaller, slimmer and trimmer!  Having flown my side-by-side Taylorcraft for over 300 hours and being wedged in to the bench seat with riders it makes me wonder why they thought this was a good thing?  Conversations and flight instruction may have been easier by looking each other in the eye but in flying any length of time, like a cross country, it would be tight.  The ad finishes with the words... "Aeronca will never build a cheap ship. Aeronca will continue, as always, to build the best low cost plane!"  Fun ad.

The fact that they went on to build the Champ and Chief for many years to come.... makes me think that the ad was right!

How to Research Vintage Aircraft Part II

A few days have gone by since my posting "How to Research Vintage Aircraft" and a lot of other resources have crossed my mind.  Here are a few I have time to cover...

Photos... I mentioned Google Images but there are countless sites with aircraft pictures posted.  Airliners.net covers mostly... you guessed it... airliners but if you get to digging you can find photos of vintage aircraft.  Airplane-Pictures.net is another devoted to mostly commercial aircraft but again... vintage aircraft shots do exist.  One of my favorites is 1000aircraftphotos.com.  It hosts a large collection of black and white shots that are listed by manufacturer.  The highlight for me on this page is the Waco pictures.  For one more... see Warbirdz.net for a wide variety of vintage and Warbird aircraft from Australia and New Zealand.  There are many, many more... so recommend your favorites to us and we can post them.  I still use Google Images the most.

As mentioned by one of the readers of this blog in the comments section....  Type Clubs.  Know a type that you are passionate about?  A type club will help you with thorough research on a specific type.  Check out the type club listing through EAA's Vintage Aircraft Assoc.  The Type Club Listing is here.  These type club web sites usually have a photo page so be sure to watch for those.

Forums are all over the internet.  Like minded people share their love for their callings, interests and passions.  They are organized by topic and within those topics are posts.  Each post can be commented on by the registered readers.  Some posts are rich in history and photos.  Other posts are just a waste of someones typing on the keyboard!  The Warbird Information Exchange has a good Vintage Aviation forum.   I frequent the Plane Talk forum as well.  Check out the photos on Plane Talk showing aircraft from shows over in the U.K.

That covers a few more topics... I am off to the garage to sort some magazines... printed materials will be a future topic!

If you are new to reading a blog or article like the one above.... note that any of the underlined text will lead you to the web site that I have referenced by clicking on the text.

How to Research Vintage Aircraft

Using today's modern technology to research vintage aircraft has brought a lot of material to your fingertips.  In the past we have spent most of our time flipping through pages in books, magazines, manuals and photographs.  But unless you have access to a large collection of books and magazines you may never run across the details you were after.

Searching for specific aircraft types
May I suggest the simple Google search.  Open up your handy internet browser (we recommend Mozilla's Firefox) and type in www.google.com and a simple window will display on your screen.  In the box in the middle of the screen type in "Spartan Executive."  A list of web sites will show up on your screen.  Click on as many that look related to the rare aircraft you are searching.  (yes... my web site may come up on the Spartan Executive... enjoy!) Try typing in some other rare types and see what comes up.  You will be surprised how much material is on the internet.
While you are on the Google search page be sure to select "Images" in the upper left portion of your screen.  A page (or many pages) full of images will appear on what you entered in the search.

Looking for a specific aircraft
Visit the "Aircraft Information Center" at www.aircraftone.com and you will have the ability to search for the owner or N number of a specific aircraft.

Researching details of a rare vintage type
An outstanding resource for specification on rare aircraft types is available on www.aeroflies.com. Click on the image on the main page to enter.  I would start on "Aircraft A-Z" on the left hand menu.  BINGO!  Click on a manufacturers name and look up the type you are after.  Some rare types are listed here along with great pictures.  I use this site as a source of specs and pictures for my blog.

On the prowl for rare books
The internet is THE place to hunt for rare aviation books.  I would start at www.bookfinder.com.  The first screen comes up with a search box ready for you.  Author and title awaiting you entry.  I cant tell you how many times friends have mentioned books to me they say are VERY rare and that you will never find a copy.  Well... I find them and more of the time they can be found on Book Finder!

These few pointers I have recommended are just the begining!  I will post soon on where to search for vintage aircraft photos!  Forums, museums and a host of other resources are available... so, where do you do your research?  What web sites do you use?