|
wacoykc
Your post reminded me of this Email I just received from Ron Alexander. I think you may like it.
Steve
(On September 30th, my friend Tom Lowe and his wife Nancy visited for a day. Tom is past President of the Stearman Restorer's Association and has been a long time owner and promoter of Stearman aircraft. Tom owns a PT-17 along with a C3R. While visiting, I asked Tom if he would like to fly my Stearman Model 6. After a lot of arm twisting he decided he would fly it. The following is an article Tom wrote describing the experience.)
A QUARTET OF SQUARE TAILS
By
Tom Lowe
September, 2008 was a very special month in my aviation career which brought me special pleasure and satisfaction in the completion of a personal goal, one that also might have some minor historical significance. Through the very gracious and generous efforts of several very special friends who offered me the opportunities to fly their rare and very valuable airplanes, I was privileged to fly an example of each of the four types of civilian model "Square Tail" Stearmans that are currently flying in the world today.
It all began on September 2, 2008 at Galesburg, Illinois during the 37th National Stearman Fly In when Larry Tobin offered me the opportunity to fly his 1927 Stearman C3B, NC3440. I had flown a couple of C3B airplanes previously, namely Jim Friedline’s NC8835 which was one of two C3Bs restored by Charles Herr in California and now owned by Ron Alexander and Jeff Robinson’s Wright J-5 powered NC6438, now owned by Greg Herrick. But getting to fly Larry’s C3B was a special treat. It is an especially historic airplane in that it is s/n 104, the oldest flyable Stearman in the world and was the last airplane completed in Venice, California before Lloyd Stearman moved his company back to Wichita, Kansas.
I settled into the cockpit of Larry’s C3B and he gave me a quick check-out and pointed out the differences and similarities from what I was used to in my C3R. The pilot’s seat was non-height adjustable and sat me quite a bit lower in the cockpit than what I like, so I retrieved the extra cushion that Nancy uses in our airplanes and added that to the seat so I would be a bit higher. The rudder and brake pedal arrangement was the same as in my C3R, but they were a little bit closer to the seat and consequently my legs were bent a bit more and I was more hunched over than what I was used to in the roomier C3R cockpit. Larry said that the seat and pedal arrangement became very tiring as the flight time lengthened. He also mentioned that the airplane was very pitch sensitive and the nose tended to wander all over the sky.
I flew Larry’s C3B for about 30 minutes and thoroughly enjoyed every one of them. It is smaller and lighter than my C3R, but displayed the same basic flight characteristics. It was fairly heavy on the controls and the instability in pitch quickly became apparent as the nose meandered all around the sky and I constantly was required to make corrections. The least amount of inattention would result in an almost immediate departure from level flight. Larry’s comments about the geometry of the pilot’s seat and rudder pedals and the inherent instability of the airplane, especially in rough air, contributing to pilot fatigue over time was readily apparent to me after my short flight. As Larry said, "It will wear you out." My C3R will also do the same, but due mostly to the heaviness of the controls, especially in rough air, rather than because of instability or cockpit comfort issues. Larry also said, "After flying the C3B, you really appreciate your PT Stearman!" All in all, it still was a delightful airplane to fly and at the completion of my flight I was greatly in awe of this historic airplane and felt extremely privileged to have flown it.
Immediately following the C3B flight, Ben Scott asked me if I’d like to fly his Stearman 4E, NC663K. Boy, would I? Ben’s 4E is an airplane that holds a special place in the hearts of all my family, and I must admit, I had lusted after it for many years. It was restored by Bob Penny in California and later purchased by Dan Wine, a fellow United Airlines pilot. Dan had flown the 4E to Oshkosh, but it had developed a vibration in the propeller and eventually he brought it to Dacy Airport where it stayed in my hangar for several months while Dan and I tried to solve the propeller vibration problem and also one with the engine cowling fasteners which had also manifested itself. Well, the couple of months working around that beautiful big "Square Tail" 4E just intensified my desire to own one, too. After the AAA-APM Fly In at Blakesburg that year, I made contact with Dick Jackson in New Hampshire and eventually made the purchase of our 1931 Stearman C3R, NC799H. So we attribute the C3R becoming part of our family largely to Ben’s 4E.
Ben’s Stearman 4E, NC663K, is a beautiful black and yellow biplane and was originally owned by his father. The Model 4 absolutely represents the epitome of the civilian open cockpit biplane. As before, I had flown a couple of Model 4s previously, Addison Pemberton’s 4DM, NC485W and Alan Lopez’s 4E, NC785H. But flying Ben’s 4E was a long-time dream come true. Ben had offered me the chance to fly his airplane several times before, but in each case, mechanical problems arose which negated the opportunity. The flight certainly did not disappoint me. It is a wonderful airplane to fly; smooth, very stable, powerful and fast. What a pleasure to have been able to experience a flight in the classiest of all Stearman biplanes.
Immediately after flying Ben’s 4E, I flew my own Stearman C3R, NC799H, around the Galesburg area savoring the morning’s experience in the confines of my familiar cockpit and reflecting upon how fortunate I was. In the space of about two hours I had experienced a "Square Tail" trifecta!
After we returned home following the Stearman Fly In we discovered that we had three bad cylinders on the Wright R-760E engine on our C3R. We pulled the jugs and drove them down to Georgia to have Mike Connor overhaul them for us. While waiting a couple of days for Mike to complete the repair on the cylinders we accepted the invitation by Jim Ratliff to come up to Jackson, GA, just south of Atlanta, and stay in his apartment in his hangar.
The next day, September 30, we made arrangements to meet Ron Alexander and tour the Peach State Aerodrome which he is developing. Peach State is a beautiful 2400’ x 100’ grass strip on which Ron is recreating Candler Field, the first airport in Atlanta. His plans include an airpark which is a planned airport community centered on antique and experimental airplanes and a separate commercial area featuring an antique airplane museum, a restaurant, convention and meeting site, rental hangars and a full time antique airplane restoration business. Atlanta area Stearman friends, John and Jim Ratliff and Cal Tax also joined us for the day and enjoyed Ron’s personally guided tour of the aerodrome.
Ron asked me if I would like to fly his 1930 Stearman Model 6L "Cloudboy". He was aware that the "Cloudboy" was the only type of "Square Tail" Stearman that I had not flown and I needed that to fill all the Stearman squares. We drove a few miles over to the Brook Bridge Aerodrome which is the residential grass strip on which he lives. Upon opening his hangar doors a sight to warm the cockles of an antiquer’s heart presented itself. There sat a beautiful yellow Piper J-3, Ron’s Stearman C3B, NC8835, which he had bought from Jim Friedline and the Stearman 6L, NC787H.
After a quick cockpit check-out I taxied out onto the beautiful long grass airstrip that is Ron’s home. Brook Bridge is beautiful, but it also is very challenging. Tall trees line both sides of the runway and also are present at the approach ends to the runway. It’s sort of like taking off and landing in a tunnel. Ron cautioned me not to stray too far from the airport since it was very hard to find in the rolling small hills covered with trees in the Georgia countryside. True to his word, after becoming airborne and flying around a few miles, it was very hard to spot.
The 6L is a relatively small and light biplane and I felt at home in it right from the start. It is a very simple and uncomplicated airplane and has delightful flight characteristics. The famed Stearman PT/N2S "Kaydet" trainer was developed from the Model 6 and the basic flight characteristics of that later trainer clearly showed in how the 6L handled. After about 30 minutes of steep turns, slow flight, stalls and wingovers it came time to try to find the airfield again and put it on the ground. On downwind the runway was clearly outlined by the trees, but once I turned base leg, it completely disappeared! I headed for a slight notch in the trees, turned left again, and there was the runway. After crossing over the trees at the end of the runway, a moderate slip got us down to the runway in good order and a petty good landing ensued, if I do say so myself. All in all, it was a delightful Stearman to fly.
Throughout each of these flights, my best Stearman companion, my wife, Nancy, flew with me in the front cockpits of each airplane and got to enjoy these great experiences with me too!
So, through the generosity of so many great friends, I can have my fifteen minutes of fame and lay claim that I am possibly the only pilot in the world who is current in every model of "Square Tail" Stearman that is flyable today. But that is a distinction that won’t last too long because Alan Lopez’s Stearman M-2 is nearing completion and should fly fairly soon and we will have another "Square Tail" model on the scene. I can hardly wait to see and hear it fly.
Thanks to those special friends, Larry Tobin, Ben Scott and Ron Alexander, who made this fantastic moment in my life possible. Also a special thanks to Jim Friedline, Jeff Robinson, Addison Pemberton and Alan Lopez who previously had granted me the privilege and honor of flying their Stearmans. The airplanes were all great, but the friends are priceless.
_________________
"Any excuse is good enough if you're willing to use it!"
|
Login
Register
FAQ
Search
