https://caspercollege.cvlcollections.org/files/original/3c9803e2e69886f9ede015f1db98eba5.pdf 38dfc7be65e10b0ed73d6dfb0301e186 PDF Text Text Adventure* in a Biplane STARDUSTIR Norm Wki* �Adventure! in a BipAane Nona Wais For Bill Biadasali and for all othara who cherish the privilege of flight* With apaeial thanka to Mika Harbiaon Scott Jonaa Dick Raitx Joe Stewart �Adventures in a Biplane Norm Weis CHAPTER 1 FIRST FLIGHT A third quarter moon cast faint light on the little biplane perched incongruously on yThe moonlight bounced crescents from each rib-rise along the scalloped upper wing, and gave outline t?*propeller, tiosl and^ake o^fuselage. ^2 steps could span its wings and an arm stretch enfold its tail.~2^seeme^Sj^lke a large model airplane, perhaps capable of flight, but surely unable to carry a man ) jtloft«^<he image was deceptive»«fw‘’^is was a machine"'??***^ freedom, a machine that could ^SMU)«»XA4UwauBa&JMi4><arry 15^ - beyond the clouds, that would feel no tether of time jia^fetter of schedule^ and wiUi -bur a single oeggpmiL, iievea swifee the indignitv of iadeelsten* Three years of my life were'vested in 4ae-£ahsifi»' .^The invMstmewt"" ea* ggF* f Film RimTie^ ■fiw—aahj? its frame of wood and metal rode a thousand dreams^ fiiwwaBO-ef plaees ab ^M»d"RpoHrtfc,5l^On this day, the two of us would taste that freedom and find Smuk dreams. It would be the first excursion into the third dimension for the little plane. I had been before, perhaps a thousand hours. but never in such frisky company. This craft was far smaller 3 �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 1 Norm Weis than anything I had flowland carried more horsepower per pound o£ total weight than any plane in my experience* Its^ sensitivi­ ties would tax my pilotage, perhaps exceed it lie weregr)!^^ recently renewed axKi readied for the effort. tricky Luscomb£an^ tuistered its obstinate rudder — ^^i!a&s/repeated takeoffs and landings with the controls trimme^^o full nose up and full nose down to prepare nyself fnr sny esadisien. I was > / ready, and'the 11rt1e»hiplasfc> was Tfsady* At IwasL 1 hoped the , dl** plane was^ready. My life would depend on its structural integrity and that integrity was of my own making. The east hmm Id iium* a teste of tlia wtrplane so much wa test ei aysetC. Dawn aaew a thin line along the eastern horizon as X fussed over the plane, feeling ef- its line and form, mentally checking each vital bolt, nu^and safetyg^ k sudden shaft of sunlight brought color to the red and t^ue trim. The white lettered ^^TABDUSTER'^’ra the nose ^Seed forth. The plane took on new charm and personality. She was a beauty I /x The deputy sheriff arrived on schedule, followed in short order by a few friends, all flying enthusiasts. The Star­ duster's tail wheel wgs quickly replaced with a trailer hitch, and the hitch attached to a pickup truck. In a thoroughly un­ dignified manner, the little biplane began its reluctant trip to the airport, tail high and backward. �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 1 Norm Weis We threaded our way past darkened homes and along empty streets, then entered a little-used^ winding^field all lights flashing. Half a if wyr' dozen cars followed behind, sworn to stop any rear approach­ road. The deputy led, ing vehicle at the expense of own. gate leading to the main road was too narrow by a previously measured six inchecu ^e loose end-post removed and the Starduster unhitched and carefully eased through Some of the crew reinstalled the gate post. Others gently goewed* the Starduster's 800 pounds into position on the main road to recouple with the pickup. It was a straight route to the highway, and a short mile lather to the County Airport. The sun was up and warming the ground <s*the caravan came to a stop in front of the big pink hangar. Willing hands unhitched the plane and helped reinstall the tail wheel. The Starduster^assiimed a perky three-point stance, all signs of reluctance gone.^^c was eager for flight. A small crowd had gathere^ jadewe*ay"J"laiiL inspection^Mss merle ■ exuded conThis would be a bad time to overlook the obviouse Fuels ten gallons of 80/87. Drain cocks: Oil: dewatered and checked for sediment. to the mark, 7 quarts of 50 weight. �Adventures in a Biplane Controls! CowlI Chapter 1 Norm Weis free* solid and checked for nuts and safeties* all fasteners secured* Flying wiresI all eight tight and safetied at each end, and each one tuned to siiddle C. Chute: in place, all straps laid out for easy entrance. Auxilliary power unit! plugged in, ready for start up. ’ s^cZ Everything was ready. Z stepped to the wing walk, ma fra the seat* eased ny feet into position, Qn ran the control Stick cold up ny pant leg. Dsnnl X ghaakad nags, carb heat, throttle and nixture with gweet intsnsHy, gad discretely the stick. . ’'CLEARI” Several^answered, "Clear." The engine started on the third turn. With the power cord detached, Z taxied to the ramp, confident that all was checked and ready. The tower failed to answer my call. Either Z was not transmitting or was unable to received. taxied back and shut down. conference ensued. The lack of a clicking sound when the stick-mounted mike switch was de­ pressed indicated a break in the switch wire, and that wire was under the floorboards. Twenty minutes later Z located the break. had separated in the middle of a soldered connection. connections cannot stand vibration. The wire Such Z thought Z had corrected �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 1 Norm Weis all of my earlier mistakes, but this one had been overlooked. wondered if I had overlooked anything else. I A The thought was wpg- solderless coupling and squeezer were passed into the cockpit and the repair completed. The stick switch again sent a click to the earphones, and the tower responded quickly to a test call. The radio transmitted well and the reception seemed adequate. With the multitude of chute straps, shoulder straps. and seat belts again latched and tightened, I briefly checked the cockpit and instrument panel. "CLEAR!" Again the answer, "Clear. But^^he engine wouldn’t start. Floode throttle it still refused to start. After several shots of prime the engine still failed to fir^ weak. With half J^e battery was getting Faintly, through the padded helmet, I heard someone shout. "Turn your mags on. With that small oversight rectified, the engine roared to life. This was getting to be embarrassing. "Casper ground, this is Starduster One November .-/hiskey at hangar fwe. May I make some taxi tests on the ramp?" "Starduster One November VJhiskey. tive." That's affirma­ �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 1 Norm Weis At slow speeds she handled beautifully. Not a sign of the rudder lag so common to larger taildraggers. No feel of being behind the motion, like an auto sliding in mud. Punch the left rudder, and you go left, quicker and further than expected. Right rudder the same. Thanks to the foresight of early airplane builders, every control movement was directionally appropriate. Push the stick forward and you literally push the nose down. Pull it back and the nose rises. you go forward. Push the throttle forward, All the motions come naturally, provided one ha^ no earlier bias. As a youngster I had tried to learn air­ craft control movements sitting on a sled with a hammer ui|^nded as a stick. It was difficult because I knew how to run a sled, and its control was o|nposite to that of an aircraft. Once X overcom^, I could practice every maneuver in ray twenty-five cent book, How to Fly. The rudder was comfortable now. was delightful. Its sensitivity X caught myself grinning foolishly. I swung the plane around for a 360 or two, then faced the control tower, still grinning. "Casper ground. I'd like to make a few runs down the ramp at medium speed, say^^miles an hour." "That's affirmative," Rudder control at the faster speed was positive, and a bit quicker, requiring new accommodation. The nose moved �Norm Weis Adventuees in a Biplane Chapter 1 back and forth in quick jerks, exactly imitating my over­ controlling foot movements. of it. the second run I had the hang I was able to taxi straight and true with the tail wheel clear of the ground. I requested permission to make a few highQspeed runs down the ramp and received another affirma­ tive. communications with ground control were broadcast from loudspeakers along the flight line. procedure. It was a standard There is no privacy on aviation frequencies. Pilots warming their engines or flying in the area could hear both sides of the conversation on their aircraft radios. onlookers gathered about the loud*^peakers. Knots of A plane about to taxi by pulled off to watch. With full throttle, the plane accelerated rapidly. I held mild forward pressure on the stick to bring the tail up. It rose slowly, stabilized, then rose drastically before I could back off. The propeller came within an inch of chewing the blacktop. On the second try the tail over-rose again, but I managed to catch it sooner. I assumetj^ the elevator control was simfjly more sensitive than expected, and that I would learn its 4#^ proper handling with practice, as I r..the rudder. That was a dangerous assumption. On the next run I let the speed build tc/j^ mph. As I caught the tail over-rise with back pressure,the plane �Norm Weis Adventures in a Biplane It felt good/i*^! coul^n^c became suddenly light on its wheels. As the plane slowed, I keyed the mike, "Boy, she help grinning. really wants to fly." Then I caught myself and added, "Gasper ground, would this be an auspicious moment to give her a try?" '*Starduster One November Whiskey. What kind of a moment did you have in mind?" 'I mean, are we free of airliner^ Are there any due in or out? 'Negative. Taxi to runway 3*7" wind T^,.?cknow] u- ' two miles down the taxi ramp to runway 34. -g' " as I zigaaggedQriy at 10 knots. -'r It was nearly I had time to . Other pilots ha'«/ tested other craft. Starduster Whiskey would not be greatly different. My test of I had studied the procedures at length and knew what to look for. t-bp-p -—-"-JI ; jmiuiJT?. '’TflBti T^ili!it3^ "" i'he name sonuOuG axoy , tt fit/ct, irerhaps I didn’t deserve to tease myself with the titl^ was no higtQjerformance jet. This There were no crash trucks at runway midpoint, no ejection seat, and my clothing was far from fireproof. Twey.*?- /f I were any kind of a test pilot,would have been smart enough to have seen to some of these precautions. t6 �Adv«ntur«s In a Biplane Chapter 1 Norm Mels The test There was one big item in vty fav<^ though. pilot pits his skill against the possible imperfections of a thousand factory workers and hal^4^^^(undred aeronautical engineers. But the homebuilder is his own riveter, his own welder, his own fabric man and his own engine mechanic. He need not be con­ cerned with the unknown quality of others* work. His worry is strictly his own. AntiislpaLiuU ielLTlL&iS i Ims rin, wrHwqr Isteri shews how the plane would feel in the air. I speew- Mould it need a great angle of attack to achieve a cl7»mb^as the eld Fleet biplane did? Or would it be^as a friend described his first solo flight in a Fitts, 'pK^ike strapping on a pissed-dff bumble­ bee.** X hoped for the latter. I reached the threshold of runway 34 and with brakes locked, ran the engine to ^500 rpm. Left and right magnetos dropped the revolutions per minute by 50 each* normal. At full throttle, rpm^T^reached ^200, and dropped 150 with carburetor heat* again normal. green. Oil temperature and pressure were in the Controls were free. Trim was set at micCtravel. X switched to iMsf, tower frequency. "Casper Tower. Starduster One November Whiskey Experimental ready to go on "Stairduster One November Whiskey. on half^klle final." Hold for aircraft �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 1 Norm Weis X watched the Cessna 150 slide in for a landing* its occupants glancing frequently at Starduster Whiskey* Everybody loves a biplane, especially one on its maiden flight, "Starduster One November Whiskey. Cleared for take off." NOW! Tail is up. pressure. On the center line, ease into full throttle. Watch out for over-rise. Watch the rudder. the air speed. Stay on the center line. A quick glance shows she's off and climbing. Ease off the forward Speed now^9p< Check Back pressure and More back pressure and the climb steepens to an unbelievable angle. She's a hot one •• maybe not in the bumblebee class, but lively, very lively. climb at^^mph, gaining ^500 feet per minute. We A quick motion of the stick right axid left, and instantly the wings rock/30^ degrees each way. Sensitive! We reach 600 feet, pattern altitude, time for adegree turn left, then^ *3-right to exit the area. Two small moves with stick and rudder, and the turns are accomplished. The plane has reached an altitude of twelve hundred feet above the ground in less than a minute. thing X had hoped for. X can't stop grinning. She's every­ Quick, sensitive, superb climber/*and capable of any maneuver X might dare to try. No longer will X look up with envy at other aircraft flown by other pilots. now on the sky is mine! From �Chapter 1 Adventures in a Biplane Norm Weis —*> But IS wrong ith throttle reduced to cruise, the S'tarduster wants to dive The hancs^off flight I had hoped for is not to be., sharply. tven with full nosa-up trim, strong back pressur^is reoulred to hold a level attitude. At reduced throttle, more back stick is needed, leaving precious little for maneuvering. I twist about to lool riding high the in the up position re alarming. i—mph, she sits and mushes and porpoises, it ''"here is no stall nd there should be. — , " . - - -- * 3 non id have »- iwu problem xdien the tail over-rose during taxi tests. 1 continue x\7ith stall tests, nower on, power off, in various attitudes, recording the results on a pad taped to my right leg. The figures arc not encouraging. be a bit of a problem. barely safe. 1,ending will Various glida speeds show that 90 is It feels much more controllable at ICO. 1 decide to make a wheal landing, approach hot and touch down at a speed between 100 and 110 raph. 'C.' sper Tox'jer, Starduster One November ^biiskey, five miles west for landing. ’ ’’Starduster 'Jhisk----------- runway m------ The sound coming through the earphones is overx-^helmed by the engine and slipstream. I duck my head deep in the cockpit to minimize 5*^- �Adventures in a Biplane the noise. "Say again?” Norm Weis Chapter 1 After three tries I am still unable to read their transmission. "Casper Tower. I’ll enter left down wind for I can’t read you. I have a nose-heavy condition. Hope you can clear the traffic.” I turn the radio off and concentrate on the landing. If I can^get her down without damage, it will be a simple matter to adjust the center of gravity and cure the nose-down tendency. Appaoaching at 130, carrying ^400 rpm, I reduce power only slightly as the ground nears. Three feet above the ground at 120, it is still necessary to hold hard back pressure to main­ tain level flight. The ground races by much too fast, but there is no alo^wr choice. I lower carefully, feeling for the ground. Lower. A tight squeal, and the wheels make contact. Quickly I relax some of the back pressure in order to maintain contact. The little biplane rolls down the runway at well over 100 mph. With throttle retarded, the speed deteriorates and the tail slowly lowers to three-point. The landing had been far easier than expected. had been exciting throughout. It almost pleasant, with positive control In spite of the weight and balance problem. Starduster Whiskey was a gentle, forgiving creature. The thrill of the flight was with me as I taxied in. The wide grin was back and could not be suppressed. I re­ called the magic of my first flight in a light plane, and the �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 1 sharp freedomyjfelt on the* first solo. Norm Weis Something happens to feke- soul when you fly alone for the first timegp jSut to fly in a craft of your own making is an experience that t«i.M»..nuwac another order of magnitude. Twenty years of living without and three years of building and dreaming, had culminated in this euphoric moment. Bellerophon, having mastered Pegasus, could have felt no more. I taxied back along the ramp, aglow with pride, returning stares with a grin and a,wave, knowing well that every pilot on the line would i'iX his right am to fly this little sweetheart. �Adventures in a Biplane Norm Weis CHAPTER 2 TILTING AT A NEW WINDMILL When eae""is young, there is rtTC ahead, for life in that direction is endless. reason to look There is time enough for everything, and planning is unnecessa^. passions, joy and sadness arrive and depart liftCi ffetie eh^rx 1,4^ p* **1 Trail!.Llum Middle age brings a Uime of'cuurolidetion^a time be hold* ^n to the feiling: of youth and pointedly igniy the aging process. One Iseler luiead far enough to increase life insurance. ^catJuba every intention of living forever. ignored. At the age of fift]^ the future can no longer be Its finite nature is obvious. «K!K?numerlcaUy on the downhill side of life. flPlie alrsBiiue uf pews owe more than-* 100 yeats uld offBfS conviiiuiug piuoia But there is one ad- vantage! now life can be Judged with more certainty^ lint t, -.tfl in vlwed When I^ took a hard look ahead, I could see a dozen more years of teaching, a dozen summers* backpacking, fishing/^ and working on one project or another. change the emphasis. Retirement would simply The future looked pleasant and secure but devoid of any new adventure. �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 2 Norm Weis My early years had been full of surprise and discovery. ^^ose years seemed more exciting than^my plans for the future. Somewhere 1 had given up old delights and taken -wp-more conservative pursuits. Like many of those around me, I had be- come a spectator rather than a participant. b . -It waB~~tima ta-graip life and bend it to toy purposetP t<^4fei«vigetetef tb~i^8^=nwcL, discovery. It was time to til^a new I inventoried tlw past, looking for the good thinge- pursuits worthy of repetitioi^ endeavors that circumstance had brought to an early en^ dreams that were never realised. As a youngster, I^^ipent almost every Saturday with ny beet buddy, messing around at the Omaha Municipal Airport. My mother deplored such excursions, explaining that a-i^^ old had no business being two miles away from home. that I countered pal's mom said he could gOg-ssid Ui used the sane excuse. Being the middle child of the family of five youngsters proved quite an advantage. Mother had trouble keeping track of the boys, spending most of her time monitoring the two younger sisters. My father, a young Methodist minister, was far too occupied with churchaaffairs to worry about his number three son. Only the most flagrant violation brought his guiding hand into play, but on those rare occasions, the guiding hand usually held a thick leather razorstrap*2 Xt was a good thing covered, or exploits were largely undis­ problems would have been compouxided, and my 11 �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 2 Horn Weis backside/would have been sore with a far greater frequency. When the first airlitier with a flush toilet arrived in Oaaha, ny buddy and Z were the first to flush it — right on the ran^-- after wsUuBi,gi3rsn. were thrown off the airport^ stealing coupons ths pwspew uee> st eeurse. 1M.ce the local grocer caught om the tops of Thoopson's Malted Milk cans. Bach coupon could be sent in for a large picture of an airplane. A dozen of them lined the walls of ny attic room. My buddy had fourteen. But mostly we did harmless things. On our visits to the airport we spent hours standing around airplanes looking wistful, hoping to be invited for a ride. It never worked. At best we were permitted to sweep floors and empty buckets of used oil behing the hangars* The two of us were consumed with a love of airplanes. We read everything available concerning flying macMiMSjP WHasew» yrsiry smtieapiMlnrijg ulsplemi byslmpe mitxmieww^The sound of an approaching plane would send us tearing outside for a look. could identify them all. a Stinson. J, Ab^mone:^ We If there was any doubt, we would call it None of our peers dared challenge otur vast kno^edge* When the big Air Show came to Omaha,/! Repression made it difficult, My five>cent^a-w«ek allowaxice^plus pin money from carrying grocerie^ did not add up to the price of a ticket. /A �Adventures in a Bipiane Chapter 2 Norm Weis Ify Buddy and I, along with several dozen other kids in like circumstance’, sneaked into the show by crawling under the woven wire fenae. Ws were ejects^ but Just as repeatedly sneaked Ws ^irnss bstirssn hangnrtn back in^ this Blissed a lot of the show running between access points, but the parts we saw were fantastic. A fellow Jumped out of a plane, way up high, wearing a black coverall with black webs between h^ legs and under his arms. He "flew" as he fell, doing flips and turns, then opened his parachute at the lest fBooMint. A big brown balloon full of hot smokey air drifted upward and a man fell out —• but h^to^had a parachute. The bag turned upside down and shot out a big cloud of black smoke. Then a shir^ two-winger took to the air and began doing things X had never seen before. I had never even read about. He even did some things His name,***^SpSBD UOlMAI^^as printed on the side of his airplane, and he could fly upside down Just as gsS^as right side up. He could loop, roll ^p^^er and fly ^<?*7id«ways, one right after the other. enthralled. When SJ^eSS Lindber2*as my personal hero. I watched, totally landed, he had cookietely replaced . Flying the Atlantic waS all right, but wliaL Utt fiptad did was something else. seme stunts. X ached wfcshMHtr dssliw to do the world would be complete if X could ever learn to �Adventures An a Biplane Chapter 2 Norm Weia fly like Speed Holman — maybe even get to where ny stunts were good enough to keep a whole crowd of people on the ground spelX^^ bowad^nritW their mnnths hengiwig upeir. were kicked out again when Speed flew his aeeond bunch of stunts. I didn't learn until later that he dove Into the ground upside down and was killed. too close to the ground. They said he just He was still my hero,. ay mind he Jias just as I saw him last — looping, rolling and flying sideways. Model building becamey^ar great passion^invoIwiag scale models of boats and trains and airplanes — ^iiostly air­ planes. 1 sweat dsHgha in following the flight of the simplest glider, especially when aaae with gentle kissing touch. lihi flirsiir^ Rubber-powered craft, weeks in the buildingt, often carried tb^ hopes to new extremely) as they briefly flew, then crashed. Ify first gas-powered model plane had a Mln^.pread ot nearly j^^e feet. It weighed so much mere than ay previous models that I doubted its ability to fly. It hung from the ceiling for weeks while I admired its uf0n#eeplng wing, its glossy red finish, piano wire landing gear and miniature balloon tires. One calm day, curiosity at a peak, Z launched it by hand into tall grass. It tracked straight and true without a trace of stall or turn. The time had come to risk powered flight. ^(^^wished that I were small enough to ride along. X knew the �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 2 control movements by heart* Norm Weia If the plane dove, I could pull back on the stick and save It from a crash, or if it banked too steep^, I could give it help with a push to the side on the stick along with a quick jab on the rudder — If only I could ride along* I put two^yedroppersjfulp of gas in the tank and Started the little engine. Faced into the light breese, the wheels vibratt^f against plane traabled and surged in my hand^ the ground* 1 released it gently. The tail rose, and after a short run the plane lifted, tracing a gentle curve to the left. climbed and becamg small with height. neath, praying^it would run out of gas* It I ran, trying to stay uadeiS^ The buss of the engine stopped suddenly, and the plane began to glide, banking gently to the right. I stood, turning in slow circles, watching it feel its way through small bumps of rough air* It passed over the road, turned, and headed for a pile of rocks, caught an updraft, then turned full circle, closed with the ground, •Sham bounced and rolled free on^the road. Diere SaX^ssm many other modelsi seaplanes, float planes, biplanes, canards, boom tail8/“*and conventional aircraft* SocM failed to fly after repeated adjustments} others flew well, too well at times. One model landed in the open bed of a pickup traveling down the highway and was never seen again. Another caught in a thermal and flew unpowered for more than an hour before going out of sight* Later, iKssMT returned a mangled engine and landing gear, all tha^ survived the trip through his compickar* �Adventure® In a Biplane pureuitst Norm Weis Chapter 2 JTar B fen yffwv® my life«MM filled with other cano^J^f kayak|Hyand sailboat4^ But even while running with full spinnacker before a brisk wind, the sound of an engine overhead wouldynpull ay attention/*^**** In my twenties I embraced flying again, but this time with the real thing. added new dlmensioxu LsasaXag «te> fly full-sized aircraft The view from Inside an aircraft was totally different from the modeler's view of flight from the ground. InzTiHKf side an airplane thm motion seemed to disappear) ewiy-tha horizon moved, tilting right and left amd rising and falling.'^ At low notlceable>^^mid the track of the plane level through the air hensme more apparent. Mild aerobatics put the hemisplwres of the sky and **S^^»*^^*^ earth in wild alternation. In time X we® able Be *'ae>^* the airC plane fly as if X were observing frcsn a distance, and^equattgAt with the view fr(»n inside. joy. Flying small aircraft became a great The aerobatics, mild as they were, proved to be as exciting as X had dreamed. Loops and spins were exhilarating. X wanted badly to learn more demanding maneuvers, bpt the little Aeronca tandem was not stressed for more. The dream oJ^ aerobatics ’'like old Speed Holman" was still unrealized. In fact It seemed as impossible as it had a dozen years befor^z** C— Flying^wM expensive, and the amount of time X could buy on ^y highschool teacher's pay was limited. A Later, tdien X �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 2 Norm Weis received pay for flying, the expense problem disappeared, but so did much of the fun. Flying became a job, especially when It was confined to simple point-to-point transportation. After teen years ofi fiyAwg, I shelved my loj^ook and took up more pressing matters, occasionally wondering what had happened to the old thrill of flight. Now, twenty-some years later X realized that flying was too rare a privilege to be abandoned. The thrill must be re-experienced, but this time the flying would be strictly for fun — 8eat-of“ the-panta f lylng^wlth a minimum of Instruments and a maximum of maneuverability. I wanted a craft that would give ma the freedom to hop from patch to patch, take m^places I wished to see, even roll Inverted and turn th^j?^rld up^de down. The thought of such freedom brought the. lihstil ef flikht soaring bac'^ ^Mid again. drernn of derobatics came alive . new desire was hardly compatible with my financial condition. A plane to fill my wants would cost $20,000, and I could barely muster a tenth of that figure. I searched the flying magazines,^advertls^g publicationaz fil'd aircraft sales lists for a solution. the thousands of planes offered for sale, none fitted both my need and ability to pay. While reading the ads, I noticed a number of homebuilt aircraft for sale. I wasn't Interested In purchasing one, but the idea of building my own plane surfaced as a possible solution. �Adventures In a Biplane Chapter 2 Norm Weis Several years earlier X had visited a man mHo was building an airplane in his garage. He had been for three years and ejtpected to finish in three more. I had dis­ missed any thought of undertaking such a long term project, but now my thinking was different, and Bill Bourret’s-pefieot"de­ served a closer look. Bill was a big happy sort, tickled to show the Intricacies of his plane and describe the problems encountered in its construction. His three place Stita Playmate was sitting on its tricycle landing gear awaiting construeti ^^^^e folding wings, .^^/workmanship was outstanding^^*! uMnSewei&f X could equal dae quality in a ar** tH W urnmy^rtt similar project time. ^%ill claimed that some home builders had finished projects in two or three years.* ife dug out a dozen copies of Sport Aviation that carried stories proving the point. He loaded me up with reading material and ruined tny sleep for a week. Plans for more than emX.tnmd«ed aircraft were avail­ able to the home builder, but one aircraft stood out. Its elllp- tlcal wings and gently curved fuselagc^leassd the eye and crowded imagination, ' It was called the Stolp Adams Starduster, all nine­ teen feet of it. It was small for maneuverability, single place so I would never be tempted to fly passengers for hire, fully aerobatic forfnifill ny long held dream/*^d an open cockpit �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 2 biplane just for the hell of it. for a dream-chasing machine. Nocm Weis "Starduster'* -« what a name The decision was made; I had found my new windmill lU- The passions of building and flying would both be It would be a lon^ painful endeavor* but what satisfied. challenge was ever easy? Ify wife. Jay, understood my desire to fulfill an old dream|^an^ in the doin^ spice up a life that had lost some of its excitement. ^hr She heartily endorsed the plan. had a weakness for flying machines ever since I courted her by airplane. Time would be no real problem. My job at the local college would let me spend all my vacations, including the three — month summer lajj^fon the construction. However, salary aghfet no great help to^S^new ^jO£«^^Jay and I figured our finances could handle the car for a few years. than $3,000, , if we put off^a new I expected the plane ae cost a bit more We could scrape up about $^500 and could scrounge perhaps $500 a year for the t^^e or so years of construction. z/ wouldn't be doing much traveling, hunting or fishing,«aMd vasyaisy formerly spent on those Wfert's would^o toward the plane. It was an appropriate moment for Jay to undertake a little hors^ trading, I could build my plane if she could have a three-speed bicycle, and when the plane was done, my next project would have to be the construction of her ofter^promised and evei^postponad greenhouse. �^ntux*** in a Biplane Kona Welt Chapter 2 The next morning X ordered a set of plans for $25*00 and set out, checkbook in hand, in search of a suitable engine. There were five hangars spaced along the halfi«mile flight line at the Natrona County International Airport, and in one of them X found exactly what X wanted; a 125 h.p. Lycoming Stacked next to the engine was a pile of partsf land­ 0«290-D. ing gear,*Xent fuselage,^mangled propeller/amd a set of uncovers- ed wings. The owners had hoped to rebuild the airccaft, but the cost of labor added up to more than the restored aircraft was worth. X offered $800.00 for the works. The owners countered with $900.00, and we settled for the mid-point. It took a week to sort the wreck into two stacks. The one containing the engine, wheels and instruments repre­ sented those items that would become a part of the new plane. The other stack was salvage and Junk. The Junk went to the Juzd^ZVard in exchange for a five*dollar bill that was quickly converted to a sheet of 4 x 8 partical board which would become the work bench for Jiggly the steel tubing fuselage. An air parts trade^namsd *^Duff^tn Denve^. took the wings and some land­ gear parts in trade for a carburetor heat box, heel brakes, air filter, an old rusted throttle quadrant and nearly a hundred dollars in cash. Thlf money <ras in turn converted into an assortment of steel tubing. �atur«» in a Biplane Chapter 2 None Weil When the plane arrived Z set to the chore of adding up the quantities of sheet-steel* straight grained spruce and aviation-grade plywood tha^would W needjAk 9 three aimail orders to different supply houses that specialised in aircraft materials* t]£-began a program of study on the twenty or so sheets of plaziF. Some of the drawings were baffling* and required hours of study. number of dimensional discrepancies^M^peavedr Most corrections to be made in the plans were obvious* but others required new sketches* perspectives and three-view drawings to determine the solution. The landing-gear detail ^fcJ**^* was particularly confusing^ I mocked up a rough mode^ and X found that if the parts made according to plan^there would be too little propeller clearance. Zf redesigned the gear to provide the clearance Z wanted, gmeb the way Z had designed model aircraft. With the fuselage pattern laid out full sise on the two-foot by sixteen-foot work bench* steel tubing could be cut to leng^* fitted in place and tack-welded. h Next, the fuselage sidesuieimubemt to Join at the ^il» while jBSOgJMkiqp parallel in the forward section^ wmL a multitude of cross mndjerseiowe fitted and tack-welded in place. The first of a number of problems became painfully Im I obvious am Z exssdned mymneroiwe attempts to weld steel tubing. The welds were patchy and lacked penetration* the result of /li. �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 2 Moxa Weis too little heat^ <Sut whenever Z got the metal hot enougtva would 13urcv|through the tubing wal^accooipanlw^*^^ howl a« the flame entered the tube. sound. y I learned to hate that Luckily my mistakes were made on small pieces of spare tublxi^^ I mauiLd not dare tackle the final welds on the fuselage until the art of welding^jsae-eMeaeeedK advice of ea^rt^w^ sough^ of^red and accepted, but still Much help was wdlds were shamefully Ixsspy. blamed the torch, then the regulators/^ finally the goggles* ,2.^ ft«. •*«<toggles worn over bifocal glasses were an unsatisfactory comblnatlot^^ They^habltually steamdd over at each critical moment. Xn desperation I took the welding goggles to the local optometrist and asked that correcting lenses be ground so that X might see without glasses* X became an Instant expert* The puddle of molten metal, clearly visible for the first time, seemed to crawl along under perfect control, growing with the addition of welding rod, melting ahead, solidifying behind, just the book said it should* For practice, I welded up every broken Item X could find: a metal ehalr, the boat trailer, the truck bumper, the Ironing board, then finally the fuselage of airplane* 1 J.' �Adventures in a Biplane NoraurtJela Chapter 2 I had developed a bad habit* After completing a weld, 1 would unconsciously point the torch away while. I studied the weld. The smell of something burning wen* the first indication that 1 had set a fire behind me. The curtains, the broom handle/^d comers of two sheets of plans all went Up in flames, '^new piece of equipment war~inetarled a fire extlngulrt&erl It took ten weeks to build the fuselage, and another month to bend and weld the tail surfaces, A few weeks later, the specially lengthene<bgear was finished and bolted In place* JThe elastic loops called Shock-cords >MLe WlfesLied Into position. Each gear coul<^pivot outward, the cord stretching, acting as a shock absorber* Upside down, the fuselage and/|gdar looked like a spavined dinosaur* side up. It looked beautiful* there. Kight Ths pwimlss nf flighb waf I climbed Into the space that woulc^ become the cock­ pit and let sqt Imagination take over. If a scarf had been handy Z could have whipped it about ay neck. On the third "Vroom, Vroom,” my wife opened the garage door to check the new sound. She caught me jessing the Imaginary throttle of an equaUy Imaginary engine on a wingless plane* 1 blushed; she grinned. ^st people are unable to comprehend why anyone would want to build bls own alrplan*. under.banding» they 2^ �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 2 Norm Wais are quick to condemn the effort as foolish. anire nags remargks-like nnmn ysu< won’t catch rae riding in it,” OT ”I believe in keeping one foot on the ground." One un­ believer went so far as to ask if he could take an insurance policy on ray life. CAoae friends were inclined to be under- standing, andy^follow pilots were at once encouraging anc^en- vious. * colleagues at the small collage where I teach quickly split into two groups! those xdio figured I could build and fiy the plana, and those who knew I would never fly it because they . sure as hell wouldn’t. As the airplane progressed^ new material need^ total cost of the aircraft wMuae.-uiseewwTC^ and the foeer above tne^$3,000 off orders for seat belts, t shoulder harness, windshield, fiberglass turtleback, cowl, hun­ dreds of bolts, machine screwsy^^d tubing for the engine molint. The engine mount is considered a most critical item in a small aircraft. This network of steel tubing connect/ t<^ air franw! is subject to extreme vibration and ^sub­ sequent cracking due to metal fatigue. highest quality eewld be allowed, Only welds of the 4</1 Mjr welding had Jtee &fi« by the time the fuselage and gear were finished. Thfi pi"wk was serRMii'hni short of perfection, but to delay construction of the engine mount would bring no improve- mant. an elaborate jig attached to the 30 �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 2 Norm Weis front of the fuselage, I carefully fitted the chrome moly­ bdenum tubing in place, cleaning the tubing inside and out to prevent weld contamination. The Jig was built intentionally "crooked" to allow the engine to point and down a degree and a half. the righty/t^ degree^ The right thrust was to help counteract the effect of torque — the tendency of a plane to turn to the left 4ue fee the propeller turoMg' to the right; lAfcle the down thrust was to help minimise fchX nose-up tendency when the throttle W opened wide. I buT'WWSfg When all members of ths engine piount had been tackwelded in place, --- iifrt yjo 1/141/1 v-p u:. .Ai.« ®ich cluster ws thewetighly heated / of dry lime.* ^feiB l tm And inmediately immersed^ in a box acted as an insulator, permitting It slow cooling of the * weld! * preventtfat embrittlement. .ZT' *** I ruined the entire mount^etrtehe final weld. The nearly completed mount was in the vise, and I was welding on a last "finger plati^' or reinforcing layer of sheet meta^ tubing bent sharply as the weight of the mount took ad­ vantage of heat-softened metal. ten bucks worth of tubing wasted. 1 was sick — four days and I could repair the mount, but to install a repaired part on a brand new aircraft was ^sc^ppe^t?ie^ount * intolerable?^^ and ordered more tubing. �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 2 Nona Weis The most frustrating thing about building an air­ plane is the^duplication and repetition. Hardly anything comes Eithex;i a ar ah in the plans, or part doesn't fit out right on the first try. » am an improvement could be ^^Ktfe<-by doing 4t over, right, th.n «6ccy over Its fl-r TjI? **** y is rabiiitiK ^Xne prospect of test flying an aircraft with known flaws becomes less acceptable as the time for testing approaches. Fear keeps the airplane builder honest. Sumner vacation had arrived and the tubing for the second engine mount had not. Rather than sit and wait. I loaded the engine into the pickup and headed for Park Rapids, Minnesota, and the welcome assistance of an old friend. Bill Riedesel was a friend by choice, ay|boss by necessity/^nd a cousin by chance. From 1941 to 1955, Billy hired me during the summers as a mechanic's helper and part-time pilot. We worked well together, thinking ahead to each other's needs, generally offering or accepting needed tools or parts without question or request. Occasionally the mechanical work was interupted by the opportunity to fly cross country. On noi^assenger flights, I was permitted to build time for my commercial license. It was a good life, full of excitement and new experience. 3Z �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 2 Norm Weis When Bill learned that 1 planned to build my own plane, he promptly offered to supervise the work on the engine, whether it be a partial or major overhaul, The extent of re­ quired work could only be determined as the engine was dis- assemble J. As it turned out, the engine was full of surprises I The little Lycoming had figured in at least three serious accidents. The crankshaft had been replaced and the entire engine, overhauled several times. however, wt the main housing The reel surprise, behind the^ccessory case at the rear of A part-of the cas4**^d been broken ou^ ^^^me small engine par^had obviously come loosei, and been bhrewn lihrirngh of the four bolts holding the gear wheel to the back of the camshaft were <euMUea-*a missing X(m safety washers had-never 1t>Mn bent along side the bolts to prevent their loosening. Us found part of one bolt in the oil screen. The other am/ eitheJ^ completely chewed up or thrown out through the hole in the accessory case. moving K£.t^T 4-ha-angiaa-Jima completely disassembled, aHT'‘tsiniiJ| Inipanlmi and shippe^^ff to Minneapolis for magnafluxing, a sur^^ira test for small cracks invisible to the naked eye. yn»ere was time^to kill while waiting for replacement parts. I flew and fished and swapped stories with Bill Riedesel. -31- �Adventures in a Biplane Norm Weis Chapter 2 They call it hangar flying whenever two or more pilots talk 2^pl ewes end She libs. Such conversations are usually marked by noisy sound effects and much am waving Xmth and accuracy are seldom encountered. "Remember the time the student pilot ran into bad weather?" "Yup he was taught to make a one-eighty, but the weather was so bad he made two of them Just to be surel" "And his buddy, no less smart, claimed there was no point in turning back 'cause the clouds ware goin* to beat hell the other way.*" "How about the time 1 saved the cub that was headed for the Junk pile?'' It was an unwritten law that if one of us "greased in" an airplane especially a crippled airplane, to a perfect landing, the other would never admi^^liaving noticed. The Junk*pile incident began when a customer brought in a J-3 Cub with the complaint that the engine had developed a bad tendency to quit. The owner swore that he hadn't been using car gas, our first di^^sis. We checked tthe Cub over, and Bill gave it a test flight. The wind was brisk, and the Cub leaped off the ground quickly, hummed smoothly as Bill climbed to The engine or 3y- �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 2 Norm Weis Then there was a dudden silence. I watched Bill glide in to a flawless three-point dead stick landing. As we pushdd the plane back to the hangar to work on the engin^Bill asked if I had seen the landing. "Gos^ Bill, I missed it -- what happened — you didn’t bend anything, I hope.” /^■^iV^ime we were sure we had found the trouble^ The primer had been left in the unlocked position, a common cause for engine failure. With the problem corrected, I suggested^it was my turn to fly the plane. The wind had come up a bit and I looked forward to a quick take-off. "Bet I can get her off in a hundred feet.” studied the wind, looked at my skinny 12o’ Bill pound frame/and took me up on the bet -- the loser to buy pop and peanuts all around. We paced off T^qAui^?ed feet^3/ along the ramp facing into the wind, aAgued a bit over the distance and marked the spot with an old hunk of two by four. Bill swung the prop^.*—- the engine caught immediately. I checked the magnetos and other vital signs, taxied to the starting point and ran the engine to full throttle with the brakes locked. The tail rose and I let her go. rolled rapidly toward the two by four. The Cub Twenty feet short of the mark, I asked the plane to fly with a firm pull on the stick. She was ready, and with the help of a gust of �Adventures in a Biplane Norm Weis Chapter 2 wind we cleared the board by a foot or two. I settled the Cub into a steep climb, nose pointing thirty degrees above the horizon. Just as I crossed the east-west runway, the engine quit! bfy God, it was quiet! speed dribbled to^^ e m.p.h. ai hfy f I popped the stick forward in self** defense, trying to regain flying speed. I tried to turn in line with the runway, but my meager hundred feet of altitude faded rapidly, forcing me to straighten and prepare to land. It was apparent that the little Cub was going to quit flying right in the middle of the airport bone pile, the junkyard of airplane parts. It would be handy anyway. .The wreckage would be well placed.^Mypickii^ up on an incidentic re-solo days. An instructor had once ruined a would-be perfect landing by shoving the stick hard forward just as the plane was about to touch. TheJ|gear had flexed and bounced the trainer<20>’teet in the air. the ground • A dozen feet short of the a foot off I jammed the stick forward. The wheels hit the ground, the landing gear spread and rebounded. bounced^ . The plane sailed up and over the junk pile and floated to a safe landing on an intersecting runway. *||^one showed up to offer congratulations, let alone help push the plane, I chocked the wheels with pieces of junk and cranked away �Adventures In a Biplane Chapter 2 Norm Weis until the engine fired, then taxied to the hangar, fcarkeda Bill was Just hanging up the and walked Into the office. phone. "That was the owner of the Cub. Says he loaned It to a friend and the friend put some car gas In It. In fact o* explains a lot doesn't It? Ethyl, Everything go all right?" (J-uuklll^ back twenty-five years to that in^dent. It was surpriXpg how differently each of us recalLra the details. 1 Insisted the two»by»four had been^/nundred feet Bill held out for IQtl yards. most embarasslng moment Then he had the time I remind me of my &ided his best airplane In a ripe wheat field. "That three»foot>m t has probably shrunk to tall grass, too, I suppose." I had no answer smiled and then twisted theNmlfe. three "Took you to clean that plane — looked like iKthreshlng machine — amazing how much that tall grass can mess up a plane." - - Within a week the required engine parts had arrived The power plant went together nicely, ^arts for the engine Increased the projected cost of the plane by anobherZd^^ I figured the completed aircraft would �Norm Weis Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 2 cost about $3^00.00. That was higher than.planned, but.every spent repairing the engine was an investment in peace o£ mind. I drove the long miles home, confident that the little Lycoming would be a reliable trouble"free source of power. I hadn't been home more than a few minutes when received an emfSuel.phone call. The operator said it was collect call from Oklahoma^and gave the name of I caller didn' t know amwe«*-bHJtha^Beaa«rfMU^as about to refuse the call when the man mentioned the word '^tarduster.* I accepted "I'm with the Federal Aviation Administration, and I'm calling about the registration number you applied for three months ago — you didn't really want that big f^e^digit number, did you?” • I answered.to the effect that it was the number on the wreck I had bought. "Well, that doesn't mean you have to use that number on your little Starduster probably wouldn't have room for it on the fuselage anyway.” The situation was puzzling "» here was a )2»ovem- ment employee calling me collect to offer advice on my plane. "How would you like November One November Whiskey?” "Why would I want that number?” I countered, still confused. �Adventures In a Biplane Chapter 2 ”It*s your initials. Norm Weis You know, N.W. I just checked and number one for those initials is available. -- ------- cours^ if you want that old number "No, no! Of I’ll take the^NlNW^and thanks — sorry I'm so slow to catch on. Guess I'd^^et^r learn the new phonetic alphabet." amazed at 1 thanked him again for his help, the initiative the gentleman bad taken on my behalf. There is a certain brotherhood between those who love airplanes. It surfaces quickly when a little homebuilt biplane is involved. Enthusiasm renewed, 1 attacked the project with vigor, anxious to complete the plane. If the reaction of the man in Oklahoma was typical, then I was in for some real fun flying the little plane ab^^^^e country. More than a year had slipped by, and the plane was less than half done. The fuselage was structurally cooqplete A/J and the engin^ mounted. The control stick was in place and connected to the elevator^ ^ut a hundred other chores remained^^or^work on the wings could start, hfy slow progress was due mainly to my own finicky nature, but some of the blame fell on the continuous flow of visitors. Some of the visitors were welcome. Fellow pilots and homebuilders were often of help when an extra pair of �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 2 Norm Weis hands was needed, but the majority of the visitors were pestiferous. Some thought they were doing me a big favor by stopping by. Invariably they would ask if I were really going to fly it, and wasn't that dangerous. X always resisted the tow/tation to quote Thoreau's statement about people living lives of quiet desperation, never daring to take a change. I learned to dread the inevitable question, ’’Can you gen kbt out of the garage?" That query was invariably followed by the old story of the boat in the basement. One charming lady was very disappointed in the airplane's limited capacity. "Aren't you goixig to take anyone else along?" "Nope. Only has one seat." "But X wanted to fly to Denver with you." "Guess we can't do it," X answered. "OJe yes we can," she replied, her face suddenly bright with inspiration. "We'll Just make two trips!" Space became critical in the double garage when^ plywood sheets i>ems laid out on saw horses in order to assemble the upper wing. The garage hadn't held a car for a year and a half, and Jay now referred to it as the "shop." In cold weather, after her car failed to start, she pronounced I inflection. The upper wing wee-19 feet long — big for a "two* car shop," but alarmingly small for an airplane. Even bwith �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 2 Norm Weis thn rnriXiHBaCTBB that a second, albeit smallei^ set of wings would be added, ^the lifting surface seemed inadequate, ^ay rT|gn-|ii-in«e difficult to believ^che craft would fly. iSii'wr Both our minds were put at ease a few weeks later in Boulder, Colorado. We were visiting relatives for Christmas and had driven out to see what was happening at the local airport. As we parked, a young man appeared, pushing a tiny yellow biplane or^o the ramp. His name was Clark Everest, and yes, he was going to fly the plane. I paced the wing-span -- feet less than the wing of my Starduster. seveji^^n feet -- Jay and I watched Clark go through the ritual of checking the plane inside and out. In a few minutes he cQihbed in and. with the help of a line hand, started the engine and taxied out. jtfis plane, a Pitts S-lA, was smaller than mine in almost every respect; iA power. Clark’s plane had 180 horses, where^mine would have but 12f'^making my Starduster a much gentler creature^ X was careful to point out. Clark poured the cobs to the engine and came snort­ ing down the aninway. The little plane lifted just like a big craft, then climbed steeply, unlike any other craft, big or little. Jay was impressed and reassured- I was anxious to get home and get back to work on the wings — they would look big enough now. �.nir«i In a Biplane Chapter 2 Nexa Vela An old hand at airplane building once clalned that It took him a month to build the fuselage, a month to build the tall surfaces, another month to build the wlnge, then three more years to finish the airplane, I was beginning to find out what he meant. JUdLth the wing^ finished, the real work began* The upper wing had to be carefully aligned with the fuselagSL, using the flat garage celling.as a reference plane. With the wing -r tenuously supported by 1 x 2 scaffolding and brace wires,*the. struts^onneetilfi4^%selage be Ileted bask welde^^to pleeew^ <The Iswer-iHeos wsr^then temporarily bolted oiy amd»(jx>th wlngpnsAretuxiy measured?for proper align­ ment and perpendicularity with the center line of the fuselage. The garage became a maze of wooden braced plumb lines and level wires. Visitors were banned whll^the laborious process of building the Interplane mesibers, or 1-struts y. was uMeeSeksni Shaped like a slanted capital ’’I’’, the struts keep the wings separated and properly aligned. Flying wlre^rought complete rigidity to the4t<wAr alxfmssMrv Crisscrossed between the wings, they provided the strength of a bridge truss. 1 could rock the entire plane by moving one wing tip up and down without a sign of flex or play. The wires were hand made of stainless steel, round and threaded at the ends, but otherwise flattened to a streamlined shape. .f th. .l^t xlr.. h«l . h^akln, .tr»,th ««»»d to �Adventures in a Biplane thousands of pounds. Chapter 2 Nona Weis The care evident In their manufacture was also evident In their price — the el^t wires came to more than » three"hundred dsllaee» The vires, a new propeller^'^l^ an order sent off for a parachute^brought ray projected cost to $^00.00. An Insurance dividend and the spring tax refund arrived opportunely. The air frame was finally complete. nut, bolt and instrument was in place. Every wire, I called John Montebello of the local Federal Aviation Administration office and requested an inspection. Among other things, John was In charge of home- bullts and accident Investigation —• a combination I considered unfortunate. The Inspection revealed some shortcomings. The fuel line was too short and could break with vibration.'^ The" u-f- g mr*'”rfid H"* -md tho strhorqiicnt JMeo Ulfis tmb pleasant ■■ I readllji egeeed te wspXaes eha Some bolts J y were faced the wrong way/* ^e main bolt on the tall wheel was upside down. The rule was that all bolts should face down or to the rear. I explained that4^ wouldn't go In right side up. John picked up a wrench, removed thebbolt and slipped It In from the top with no trouble at all. Two weeks e«e I had spent half an hour trying unsuccessfully to do the same thing. John pointed out a few other bolts that could be reversed, ^s criticisms were valid, but damn it, everyone of them hurt I John signed off the airframe, passing out compli­ ments on the welding and wood work, but stipulating the �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 2 Norm Weis changes in bolts and fuel line. Now the plane could be dis"> assembled, covered with fabric, doped/Imd decorated, then reassembled for the last time. Two and a half years had passed during construction of the air framea My colleagues at the college were tiring of asking about my progress. Those of a more acid nature con** tinued to barb me with"ain*t that plane done yet?" the'bin't" was intentional. Sale. I assumed One wag posted a notice! Airplane parts, whole bunch, cheap. "For See Norm Weis." With encouragement like that, failure, or even delajr was un­ thinkable. Covering an aircraft is a job dreaded by most builders, but for me it was frosting on the cake. During the years I had worked with Bill Riedesel, recovering aircraft had been my favorite job. Watching the skeletal framework take on solidity of form was satisfying. Lines that were already pleas­ ing became planes and curves that felt good to the hand and brought joy to the eye. The cover went on easily — first the^^^lage bottom, then the two sides. After the glue was thoroughly dried, I gingerly applied a warm iron to the slack fabric, moving over the entire surface repeatedly. The Dacron lost its wrinkles and tightened smoothly, drawing straight lines �Adventures In a Biplane Chapter 2 Norm Weis between longitudinal members and curving sweetly to join turtleback to vertical tail fin. Covering the wings would be easier; I approached the job with anticipation. Loose fabric laid out on the top wing brought to mind part of Ovid’s tale of Icarus and Daedalus 7 *^'^rowe of fethers one by one, beginning with the And overmatching still eche quill with shorty one of longer sort.,,.Then fastened he with Flax the middle quilles, and joyned in the lowest sort with Ufuc /•* t ribs of the Starduster’s wing^were ^^^aried length •- some short, some of a longer sort. They/lay row on row^overmatched by a layer of fabric,^sewn through with cord well rubbed with wax. The airplane builder would call the waxed cord Jjiit npe.ujJU'ij. Once^both sides of the wings shrunk^to proper tautnessC flat ribbons 4M»ZZa£d,-«n top and /tit bottom of each rib^ 4haa-ii«U»atJb4Mhixig,^palJjBd-avas3^uJjach — SA» The stitchin^^passed completely through the wing and securely knotted before the next stitch laid. Without the stitching, the fabric could lift on the upper surface, dis­ torting the airfoil, causing loss of lift, and eventually, loss of the entire cover. �7- Norm Weis Adventures in a Biplane CJiapter 2 . ' tape fwwarad^very ribstitch line, every seam and every wear point.^^^dded in wet dope, each tape l«tie!!?*^had to be sanded and recoated several times. Once the tapes were firm and smooth^ the entire fabric surface gi vifwa numerous coats of dope, a quick drying resilijmt fori of lacquer TiHwb wwiit- imiii carefully sand^ywith fine grit Slowly the pinked edges of the reinforcing tape disappeared beneath the finish. id th the garage as clean and dust-free as possible, even to water sprayed on the floo^ L—e- fuselage, tail surfaces and wxngs viia'ife' their final coat of color. Of all the color schemes my friends and I could devise, a scalloped red and white seemed to fit the plane's gracefulunes most appropriately. The plane would appear white from top or side and red from below. When rolled it would flash each rotation . , «»/rA "ft* with a change of color. 4^blue slash across the fuselage, a large NINW on each side, the required "Experimental” in two inch letters over the the job was done. ■ii uii d.Liiil bit , -n-l Additional trim could be installed later, after testing had proved^no major alterations would be needed. The start of another school year was only two weeks away^’^/he thought of fielding the same old questions with the same old answers gave me reason to plan the test flight before the first day of the new semester. 1 called John Montebello �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 2 to arrange for final inspection. Norm Weis He could make it, but it would have to be August 25^ and the semester started the 26th. It would be a close race. ******XA ^^el flow tests, had in5>ortarifc. Up^***^ andy^the center of Should the C.G. be too far to the rear, the plane would be unstable in a stall* and to spin in a flat level attitude from which it mig recover, ^^o far for- warc^ end the plane would be reluc to stall, would tend to porpoise and be difficult, even dangerous to haddle at lower speeds.’;Fhe plans gave no clue as to the location of the center of gravity. I called Lou Stolp, the designer, and asked for pertinent data. We-4Mhd-^Ui>ee«tflrsech~the~mtte«—e£-.gxsaacix^-«iid^ nigny ethe*"*teeBW—ew*eggtj?eT*"cat'taT—h»fcMgaJdaaa:—than nntnO)-! fumiH aaai ■■■ a M With bathroom scales borrowed from four neighbors, and the help of a few flying-type friends, the plane was rolled into position for weighing.^*^^gach front whe^.jaeeeed»on a cross pad connecting the tops of two scales/* ^jSe tail wheeljat on a single scale raised on a platform high enough to achieve With a little algebraic manipulation, level flight position. the location of the C.G. It uae> right I thought it belonge4|* John Montebello couldn't find anything wrong dur­ ing final inspection. He even grinned a bit when he saw the �Adventures In a Biplane Chapter 2 Norm Wale tag that read "No It won’t" hanging from the one bolt Installed upside down, John liked the way the plane had turned out. He laid on the eompllments, then twisted the good words into a safety lesson. "You be darned careful now. We don’t want taxy- thing to happen to this nice little airplane* do we?" After the papers were signed* we stood and talked about the procedures and hasards of test flying a new aircraft. If It hadn’t been so late In the afternoon* I would have asked him to help escort the plane to the airport for an insediate test flight. That evening I rolled the little plane out of the garage* backing and filling to clear the foot door* then positioned it on the driveway and tied it down with three stout ropes. A little over ^cee years of spare time/*a^ every bit of spare money I could roxmd up sat there on the driveway. What had started out to be a $3*000.00 plane had escalated to $5,800.00* requring a bit of cooperation from the local bank. I could have shaved perhaps a thousand or so from the total* but It would have meant going second class on important items. New that the test flight was only Iwigs^way* I was that X had chosen the best materials. I Allred conflden^j^ aircraft was sound. 0Uc&leep was Impossible. I reviewed the last few months* wondedng if I had prepared ourself as well as Z had prepared the plane, It had taken two and a half hours of dual instruction in a Piper Cherokee 140 to bring old. �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 2 Norm Weis skills up to the level required to pass a flight review. Four additional hours of dual in a two-place Luscomb^brought my rudder coordination back t^ sharpness. Luscombes are naturally nasty on the rudder, probably due to the inordinately forward position of the main^gear. Pilots of such aircraft have to be continually on their toes -- literally on their toes. Quick, short anticipatory jabs with the feet are needed to keep a straight course. From midnight to th^e a.m, I flew airplanes, crashed airplanes, repaired airplanes, then flew and crashed them again. If I forced my mind away from the prospect of flight testing, a plan view of the elevator control system wouldJ^stretch'across Jis' ' * my closed eyes and I would inventory every nut and bolt. Finally I gave up, dressed, brewed coffee and stepped into the warm August night. I sat on the stoop and sipped from the cup, admiring the moonlight on the Starduster's wings, feeling a strange mixture of fear and anticipation. Four hours later, the test flight behind me, still glowing with the pride of accomplishment, I confronted my colleagues at the college, waiting, just waiting for someone to ask, "How's the work on the plane coming?" The few close friends I confided in had spread the word. Everyone seemed to know about the test flight. ^9’ 1 �Adventures in a Biplane It was frustrating. Chapter 2 Norm Weis Finally one instructor, a very predic­ table type, made my day by asking, ”Say, did you ever finish that plane you were working on?” And I replied with great satisfaction, "Why yes, as a matter of fact I took it up for a spin just this morning, ' �j^idventures in a Biplane Norm Weis CHAPTER 3 TESTING The aircraft log book held one lonely entry: Date: Hours: Pilot: Remarks: 8-26-75 .4 N. Weis First test, nose heavy, poor radio reception. The nose-heavy condition was serious. l j J A bad mis­ take hori bnawiiimndn, in determining the proper location of the center of gravity. A double check on the weight and balance calculations revealed no mathematical error. The C. 6. was precisely 4.6 inches ahead of the leading edge of the lower wing, right where it should have been according to the last phone conversation with Lou Stolp, the designer. But when I reviewed the notes of earlier calls and found a second, more rearward set of center of gravity figures, it became obvious that Lou Stolp and I had discussed two different aircraft. Lou had designed a two-place version of the Starduster at a later date, and since I failed to identify my plane on the last phone call, he naturally assumed I was building his most recent design. The 6. G. of ray aircraft should have been at the leading edge of the lower wing, nearly inches bShind its present location. The solution was obvious/ ^ve the C. G. to the �z^-civentures din a Ciplane Norm Weis Chapter 3 rear by removing weight up front or adding it to the tail. Calculations showed that the addition of a pound battery in the tail section would not suffice 4 *w» a generator up front to complete the electrical system. That Wh* the engine would always have to be hant^cranked, but there was an advantage: ^Leaving out the starter, generator, and battery would save more than fifty pounds and result in increased performance. was late afternoon and the wind was calm rolled the plane out of the hangar for was no crowd of curious on hand. >. econd flight. There Just one friend stood by as I climbed in the cockpi t?»anuZran the stick I quickly drafted o crank the prop. While the engine v the plane and mentally prepared myself for a nevj, haps unexpected feel on the controls. The starter was LJW^’pound chunk of lead xjwb bolted to the tail spring ^e leading edge of the horizajgtal stabilizer bit lowered within half an inch Of 'lake-Ioff was the same mind-bending thrill. Tall up, acce2rating, whee1s off and climbing -- climbing steeply. In minute! we were a mile above the ground. Irimmed out, the little plane flew hands off I flew with both arms out in the slipstream and wiggled the palms alternately up and down. I could bank it right and left with the air pressure on my hands If I �dventures in a Biplane Chapter 3 leaned fonvar<^ the plane dove gently. pulled up my knees, she climbed, fortless. Norm Weis If I leaned back and khat a kitten! Flying was ef­ Think a turn to the left and before the thought could end, the path of flight curved sharply. Imagine a spiral climb and the next instant you are looking down from new heights^^ cue wing tip small circles a fading earth. ■■?ome moves the plane seemed to by glfsel^ - /^rely did I feel that I was in complete com­ tnand*»that I moved the levers and the machine responded. climbed and banked and soared^ topped the clouds and them with our fleeting shadoxj^ moved from winf^^^^ver to wing over, climbing easily to each swooping apex to stand breathless on a wing tip, then dive, level and rise to yet another weight­ less falling turn. Finally, !_ retarded the throttle, and rudder to point the way baci< to the airport. the Starduster obliged, kicked the ’.’ith some reluctance i£ sliced down the invisiblb path and let the ground meet us with contact. Clearl;^ the little plane was built for aerobatics. She held promise of a thousand moves I had never dared try. Try them I would, but first the plane must be thoroughly tested, and before the testing could start, the problem with the radio had to be solved. As a physicist, it was embarrassing^to admit fail­ ure with a simple thing like a transmitter and receiver, but as 1 explained to would-be helpers, electromagnetic radiation �Adventures in a Biplane wasn’t my speciality. Chapter 3 Norm Weis After trying three locations for the antenna, and half a dozen different headsets and mikes, I gave up and rewired the external circuitiy. I have no idea what portion of the wiring had been fault^®^^e sudden improvement in reception uc v’Il i.> without question for fear the ques­ tioning would cause a sudden return of the problem. Radios work best^ if the operator has faith^ -y^radio^^sense a suspicious mind an^react ^iMCFTChe^M^ There were many tests to be made before the plane could be considered safe in ^^1 categ^^es. Fuel starvation trials headed the list, The^A^^g^ 1 on fuel tank in the Star­ duster’s nose owed its adequate capacity in part to its deep, belly-shaped bottom, which rode only^^^inches above the car­ buretor when the plane was in level flight. In a steep climb. the tank bottom rode at an even lower level — so low that the last three or four gallons of gas could not be trusted to flow by gravity to the carburetor. A curved, hollow blastZtube facing forward on the gas cap permitted air to be forced into the tank to pressurize the fuel and minimize the possibility of fuel starvation. I had installed a ball check valve in the blast^^be to prevent wholesale loss of fuel when the aircraft was inverted. To test the adequacy of the fuel system, 1 climbed ’normally” to 12,000 feet over the airport, then proceeded to climb as steeply as possible at full throttle. By holding the �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 3 Nortn Weis plane on the edge of a stall, the altitude and attitude could be held constant. Periodically I leveled the plane and checked the fuel gauge. gallons remaining, the With only engine continued to run flawlessly, I decided to try a steeper angle of climb, but a dive to speed would be required. I hadn’t mentioned such plans to the tower, so I called and asked permission. They answered with a question. ’What is your present altitude?” ’’Eleven thousand five hundred.” Our control zone tops out at twelve thousand feet.” ’’Okay, I'll climb to thirteen and terminate above twelve.” Diving sharply from 13,000 feet the speed increas­ ed rapidly. The air speed needle wound to the right like a clock gone crazy. At 150 I eased back on the stick and held on as the nose passed horizontal and reached steeply upward I held the angle until the speed faded. The blas|^tube had done its job; ^he engine had run smoothly with no sign of fuel shortage. The accelerometer, or g meter, read a positive two and a hal^ frame and the Starduster's airframe had felt a load -^^JxUp^times our normal weight. My body had exerted a force of 400 pounds against the seat, and the wings had supported nearly 3,000 pounds. The plane was designed �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 3 Norm Weis to tUce up to 10 g’s, but I suspected that ray body was somewhat less tolerant* I dove again, planning a three g pull up. speed reached X gave the stick a firm pull. sagged and the seat compressed. When the My innards My head felt heavy, then suddenZ^ light as the plane climbed almost vertically. g meter read an even four g*s. throughout. The The engine had operated smoothly I decided there was no problem with the fuel system and directed my attention to the establishment of a "do not exceed speed" and a maximum personal g tolerance. There was a possibility that something might go wrong as dive speeds were increased* The first sign of trouble would probably show up in the form of bibration, and the most likely spot would be the ailerons. If an aileron began to vibrate 1 would have little time to back off on the speed before the aileron would break up. If the aileron went, chances were the wings would go shortly after. connected the radio plugs and stuffed them down 1 dis­ shirt front, tightened the chute straps, unhooked ray second seat belt and rehearsed the procedure for bailing out. 'racial pains^taken during the construction of the cockpit now paid great dividends in peace of min/. I had moved the instrument panel forward two inches and shifted the top of the backrest �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 3 rearward three inches. As a result, I could exit the plane Norm Weis in an emergency by placing my feet flat on the floor, and after releasing the single lever on the seat belt and shoulder harness, catapult myself straight up and out. Most biplanssrequired a straight-legged exit by brute force of the arms on^cockpit coaming sides or wing mounted hand grips. Once out of the aircraft, there would be no counting, simply a clawing search for the D ring, and that longest of waits for the canopy to deploy. With power on this time, I dove until the speed reached 165, then pulled back firmly on the stick. sagged as the g forces set in. lower in the body cavity. My I could feel the viscera crowd The meter read 5%. I gave the wings a quick visual check as the plane zoomed back to 13,000 feet, realizing I had neglected to watch the ailerons for flutter. I let the speed build to 170 on the next dive and held it there for a quick check on the ailerons, then pulled up abjcuptly -- 5 g’s again. I wondered about the effects of heavy g forces as I regained altitude. Test pilots had been known to suffer from severe hemorrhoids -- even complete rectal inversion. I decided to tighten up the belly and yell on the next pull up. I yelled as the g’s grew and then faded. left aileron okay. The meter read 6. Down again -- 175 -- right aileron okay — I holding down the mike switch �Adventures in a Biplane on the stick. Chapter 3 Norm V'eis If the mike jack had been plugged in, I v/ould have broken the eardrums of everyone in the tower. J.he speed climbed to 178 on the next dive. ailerons showed no sign of teibration. The I gave the stick a brutal pull and yelled ray way through a record ^f»g's, then clirabed to bleed off the airspeed. The engine coughed, fluttered then came back to life as I headed doxTn ivt reduced throttle, conserving the little gas renu'iining. I turned in tight circles, remeiining over the airport, reconnecting earphone and mike jacks, and loosening chute straps that suddenly felt uncomfortably tight. The landing was uneventful. Once in the liangar, I removed all the inspection plates in order to give the plane a thorough going over. had moved or loosened. Nothing The flying wires still strummed middle C, and the wings iC-ralc! be rocked from the tip without a sign of flex. bystander observing the seemingly rough treatment given the plane asked the reason for all the Wiggling and shaking. I explained how g forces had put a heavy strain on the plane making tl^ough inspection necessary. He looked at the accelerometer, still read ■ng*** g s, then straightened up and uttered a classic boy, if it's that hard on the plane, think what it does to your asteroids! Spinning an airplane is simple. In a .iper �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 3 Norm V’eis Cub or an old Aeronca Champ, the maneuver can even be enjoyable, but spinning the Starduster was something else. I had spen^ several evenings studying find memorizing the (National A^^utics and Space Administration) spin—recovery techniques. recommended full abrupt, opposite rudder, followed by an equally abrupt forward movement with the stick, in case normal neutralization of the control^failed to break the ' plane's spin. *^J^tfeilization of the controls was a procedure to be used only in testing. If ebtrvy e■ eurr-i?.■ within one turn. the plane could be considered normal. In protracted spins, neutralization recovery might requite two revolutions. ®TEe power or ailerons. * . ( lW ?^e application of either could cause the nose to rise, locking the plane into flat of the C.G. too far to the rear Could have the same result^ /<1ie G. G. problems^ al ready experienced contributed little to my peace of mind. If the spin went flat I promised recovery before bailing out. myself two tries at the The plane entered the first spin nicely. With the controls iimnedlately neutralized, the spin terminated in the expected ha If-turn. ' ...I t the two turn spins brought my education to a new level. The Starduster had a two wstage entry} nice and easy fee's— turn, then ran id as hell the second. the secrond rum in al 1*^the opposite rudder and forward stick I could �nturai In a Biplane fine. Chapter 3 Norm Well Xpinning at that frightening rateynearly one turn per aecon(i|.^/lniply neutralising the controls required more cool than I could ■uster.^X cliisbed back to tAAh s had a little conference with myself. ehemeewd and X didn't really want to find out what surprise the plane slight have in store during . the third fourth turns, but if X chickened out now, all hopes o^^eXbatics would have to be abandoned. X would never know the thrill of performing bsfsrr u csusdi Any hope of-* filling Just like *Speed Hohaasg wsuW be gone fui gOTU. X pulled on the carburetor heat, slowed to a stall, kicked hard right rudder and held full back stick, scared but detersdned to try for three turns. The plane again spun slowly /•* 4o the first turn then whipped ints rapid Bsbabisn sn the second^ <»t rotation held constant for turn number recovery, again with frantic full opposite controls, was aocoM*i<>hed in the expected half-turn. Greatly relieved, X climbed back and tried three turns to the lef^ /dien 4ee^ turns right and four turns left.^J^ cool was returning. X tried several more four turn spins, determined^to recover with con­ trols neutralised instead of Jammed full opposite. impossible. X tried counting out loud — ” was 2-3-NEUTRALXZEI” but each time adrenalin rose and X shoved in full opposite con­ trols. <I'^isd aggtu, Vn» my Stnmsrh Ruttewsd a warning - X called it quits at 5 turns left and 5 right with full opposite �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 3 Norm Weis On several occasion^the tower operator had asked me if I cared to make a low approach. Each time I had refused because I did not know what a low approach was, and hated to broadcast my ignoranne by asking. A fellow pilotfexplainedjlater that it was simply a low-level pass. If that was the case, I could certainly oblige. Apparently they wanted an old-fashioned buzz job, and that^^'^as something I understood. On my next takeoff I keyed the mike and asked if they still wanted me to make a low approach. The man in the tower gave an affirmative, and I explained that I would climb to 400 feet, make a \ , and dive dovm to pass between the tower and the runway at eye level. ’’Affirmative on your plan." The plane was twenty feet off the ground traveling at 160 mpl^as the tower passed by my rocking wings. "Very pretty. Starduster Whiskey, now look out for the Citabria on final for runway two-five." "I have him — I’ll make a climbing turn out. Still at full throttle, I bent the plane around the end hangar, climbing steeply, feeling a new with the men in the tower. Later, one of them told me that my "low approach^ was a bit unusual, and that I really should have avoided the steep turn, and maybe should have cleared that hangar by a few more feet, but he grinned as he said it. �Adventures in a Biplane Norm Weis Chapter 3 About a mile from my home in the sul55Srbs, a long flat hayfield offered a tempting opportunity for a convenient '■'backyard landing. I had eyed it carefully each time I flew out on the now almost routine test flightr^^ riel Loose, who grew several crops of hay on the irrigated land each season, was agreeable to letting me land on the field between cuttings, pointing out that the small irrigation dikes fortunately ran lengthwise along the ^00—foot strip. We^toured the field by car, running the length several times at 50 mph to check for bumps. The next day I informed the tower of ny plans, since the field was within their control zone, then proceeded to "drag” the field, flying slowly along the ground noting trees along the ddge and the telephone lines at the north end. On the second pass I rolled the Starduster's wheels yards or so, then took off and went around again. l^ndjSLd Ffy antics had drawn a small crowd. Mel drove out to watch, and several cars stopped on the road. Later I found out one of them was an official On the third pass I rolled the wheels on at the south end, slowed to a stop mid way in the field,/*^d waited for Mel to drive alongside in his truck. VJe for a while about how smooth the field was and how the irrigation dikes were of no real hazard. I told Mel.I would taxi to �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 3 Norm Weis the telephone line^ then turn and take off do5vr^vind to the south. Being a pilot himself, he agreed it was the best choice. I asked if he wanted to drive alongside on tak^pff and compare speeds. He agreed and I taxied to the north end, Mel following in the truck. The people on the road, including the man from the saw a different picture. They saw an irate rancher drive out and demand the removal of the plane from his land. Then they saw the rancher chase the plane to the north end, where the plane evaded the truck with a sharp turn, and then — believe it or not — the rancher, madder than hell by now, chased that guy in the plane right off his land! On takeoff it must have looked that way, since the Starduster immediately left Mel behind. I held the plane down a bit longer than needed, and in the process drifted over one of the irrigation dikes. The prop chewed away at the earth, throwing up a cloud of dust that added a bit of drama to the occasion. A few days later, after inspecting the prop for damage, 1 had a chance to put the worried officials at ease, explaining that I had permission to land on the ”Mel Loose Hayfield International Airport" at any time, provided the irrigation water was turned off and the crop was short. �hrr-i^- in Ilii . Chapter 3 Adventures in a Biplane I.LjLin;!. tt-,-^^ Norm Weis r-,^—. .it■ IGwould be eye-popping negative g s^ fchip' "feimc-. I decided to break in slowly, starting with zero g’s. The weightlessness of zero gravity is delightful. Most youngsters love it the first time they are tossed in the air. Divers and trampolinists enjoy it briefly as they round out their trajectories.*^ an airplane the effects of zero g can be or extended to properly. seconds if the controls are handled The speed must be increased with a gentle dive, then the plane put in a climb and carefully rounded out with forward pressure on the stick. If done correctly, the plane r<4rrt can be floxvn across the crown^in a perfectly weightless con­ dition. A pen placed on the dash can be "lifted” a few inches and floated at eye level, then gently replaced as boredo. on cross- Years country trips by playing a little game with my cap. Placed. on the dash, upside down and bill facing to the rear, it could be lifted with careful application of forward stick. Once Z ' above the dash, by advancing the throttle^ij^ could fly iry head, airplane and all, forward, under the the bill to forehead, tip^i«»g the cap^*-^ the top of my head. cig i nnaZ Ty t-.h/a 'iri ’iirn>ii Wi'i ■! , i| i.—and thc plane �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 3 Norm Weis end«4 up in a steep^ heartajZdive. ^|/^/lying at zero g's is not all fu^, PiTt and grit tend to rise from hiding places in the floorboards /hevi Larger objects float from floor to skylight. At various times I have plucked long»lost items from, mi<^^airi^pens^^.^unglasses, a pockel^'knife, and on one memorable occasion, eighty-five cents in change. The situation changes when you shift from zero g to a negative two. ^’^yeballs rise to the top of ^^e^ead 4 crowded by rising cheeks that threaten to close ^2^yelids from the bottom. ent ire body strains against the seatbelt gpj.te of and shoulder^hayess, the most tighi-rn-inn the threat of being ^nd iinrnmf^rtnbiM. 2n an open cockpit, consequently deplaned is real, It'^ even worse in the Starduster because the engine quitM instantly when the plane * negative. The prop.continues to windmill, but the sudden loss of noise and thrust j.<iib upsetting. On top of that^ the gasoline rising to the top of the tank spurt^ out of the blast-tube before the ball chec^cM<4/seat.^^H^lf a cup of gas washoe over the wind­ shield and quickly evaporates, leaving a short-lived trail of moisture condensed from the sudden cooling, t** ------- Ml i'^»-i... fpo-I^iij I if Ji I KI Aa JtJ umiiiil HH'Tyij TTL -.'^i __ lor uho �Adventures In a Biplane rnnmant- any, "7 * - Chapter 3 Norm Weis *»*»*• , - ■ «« >ni^m’i «iw 1 » LU Llm JluUUUlfsit U< UJUgUtlTfl g*l. Uncomfortable or otherwise« the plane had to be tested negative* I climbedy and at 110 miles per hour "pushed over" until the g meter read a minus three and a half. was well past my personal preference. That 1 called it quits and decided quite unprofessionally that any further tests in that direction would have to arrive by accident. The'^iaeemfovb of negative g’s madi^positive . ..... maneuvers! even spins, enjoyable by contrast. 1 M^d-oaee more^to recover from a ^((iF*tum spin with single neutraliza­ tion. shouting at cQrsel^ again. "1—2-3-Neutralize," and X managed this time to stop control movement at neutral position- Wa- the spin went onj finally^*—• j^^SB^iBUgJLana straightened. r Xe«y -T**! that lifsstT. X wondered how much worse an inverted spin would be, and in particular, how much slower the recovery might be. stomach to my throat. The thought raised my If anyone had told m^that within a year X would be spinning the plane inverted, X would^have jJit cJ eiuiw^ he was crazy. The structural tests were now completed. entered an endorsement in the aircraft lo^jooki X ‘ �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 3 Norm Weis At 25.1 hours total time this aircraft is considered to be free of adverse characteristics and capable of handling 'aerobatic maneuvers it! and •A week xater, whil^^igntseeing over the rugged canyon-cut7 soutnem foot of the Bi^ Horn Mountains, the en­ gine^ /tutte'j I headed eas C^^*r^lat grounc!^•Checking tl^ fuel level and engine instruments. Everything appeared normal, but ths engine continued to hiccup every few seconds. Twenty wor^some minutes later I entered the airport control zone on a high pattern, allowing for possible engine failure, then slipped sharply to a landing. The carburetor was wet with gasoline and still dripping. open. Obviously something was holding the float valve That meant the cowling, air-box, assorted engine con­ trols and the carburetor itself had to be removed to get at the trouble. hair Finally the culprit was founds a lodged along side the float valve. inch dog In the sediment XVs****^ bowl iSi* two more hairs waiting their opportunity to add a little excitement to the next excursion over the mountains. I dismantled and purged the fuel system from tank to firewall, but fno further dog hairszw^e founcll >^ie hair had found its way into the tank when I blev; it dry with a vacuum cleaner after pressure testing the tank with water. I should^have letM^ ,3'*xhe water flush out with the first fill of gasoline. PerfeqA^X �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 3 Norm Weis iiMWMi* tends to compound the simple. I took off the next day with the power plant again running smoothly. Twenty miles out, the engine suddenly took on a nex^louder sound. I thought my ears had simply popped, but that easy explanation evaporated when the cockpit**fteate^ up. . I dropped ouickly to fifty feet, looking for a landing sitefeeling the metal surfaces by my right and left legs. The right side was hot — too hot to keep my hand in firm con­ tact. ’ Probably an exhaust stack had broken. If^Vtie plane ***»/ f ire^ there would be no time to i itwir' ■ <’lying low the worst thing I could do. VJith throttle wide open, I climbed back to a height that would permit use of the parachute. I slowed down and punched in some right rudder, hoping the re- rulting slip might direct the excess heat overboard through the right cowl opening, away from the combustible fabric. The temperature of the panel by my right leg stablized, but the ugly smell of burning paint began to drift through the cockpit. Traffic was heavy at the airport. turn would take time. Landing in I thought about declaring an emergency, considered the possible pos^Vaortem pape^^ork/^nd opted for an extended base in number position, as requested by the tower. The stack had indeed broken off, and the metal flank behind the firewall was scorched brown. I considered /***64‘4 �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 3 Norm Weis the needed repair to the exhaust stack and the paint job, re­ calling a dozen other improvements I. wanted to makei^stiffer trim springs, gear*leg covers, wheel pants, an oil#*breather extension, wing fairings/and an oil cooler to bring down the engine oil temperature, ^old weather was setting in, and flying would become uncomfortably cold. add«i^a cockpit heater to my list of changes. A few days later, with the exhaust stack tempo­ rarily repaired, I landed the plane at Mel’s"Hayfield Inter­ national" and taxied down the ranch road to the outskirts of <^U»*x/*‘*** the housing developmen*-^ A raft of kids was on hand to push the plane the remaining few blocks. The little sweetheart was home again; a bit tired and worn from testing, but just as pretty as she had been three months before when she had stood in that same spot, bathed in moonlight. Jay wtood beside me, and we viewed the little Starduster with matching pride. Her delight in the little plane continually surprised me. At that moment the name for the plane became obvious; "Second Sweetheart." Sweet­ heart because she was, and "Second Sweetheart" to let Jay know she still held top priority. �Adventures in a Biplane Norm Weis CHAPTER 4* AIRSHOW ANYONE? It was good to have the plane home again. The garage became a shop once more as the Starduster's graceful Again it became a joy to open the wings filled its width. doorway connecting house to garage and be confronted with the promise of adventure. Now that the plane 4lis/proven^in flight, f doubt. were The return to mechanical work wasj satisfying. Fly* ing the plane, however exciting and challenging, lacked the feel of accomplishment that follows the creation of something of particular beauty or utility. Building and flying one's own airplane involves a ^MW$ate combination of satisfactions. I rsgrsStrep that I had not discovered the combination earlier. The winter passed easily and the little Starduster blossomed. Wheel pants and gear—leg covers gave the plane a Jia*d6iel»> look that promised added speed. New metal wing fair­ ings connected wing to fuselage, covering a multitude of air resisting protuberances. Wingwalks glued to each wing root offered slip**free access to the cockpit, but created frictional drag that probably negated the streamlining effect of the wing J IM. a d < ✓ Some changes and isyweRRemeghey although unapparent, added greatly to the plane's performance or to ay comfort. 7^ �Adventures in a Biplane th exhaust stacks Chapter 4 Norm Weis reworked and strengthened sleeve ambient air to be warmed and on the right stack ducted to the front of the cockpit. Several old-time pilots scoffed at the idea of a heater in an open cockpit, explainin^the wash of air past the cockpit would pull out the warm air before it could be felt. But the experts were wrong. The heater later proved able to maintain reasonable comfort even with the outside air temperature at the freezing level. After much consultation with the local radio repairmaiy^ the earphones in/Hy helmet with stereo headphones rewired for monjp^aural operation, and wired to the speaker outlet of the radio. The impedance of the new perfectly matched that of the speaker circuity ^at had been marginal reception now became a threat to the eaiOirums. With the volume turned up, the empty helmet sounded like a P.A. systei^*^^hand placed in the helmet was bombarded with puffs of air from both sides. I considered limiting the travel on the volume knob, but decided against it when a friend suggested it might offer a bit of poetic justice to a would-be thief. J’^^^^fack trim to accent the meeting of the basic red and white along the fuselage,and.the vertical fin �Adventures In a Biplane Norm Weis Chapter 4 averted a stylized heart crossed by old-fashioned letters that read **^^OND SWEETHEARTf*^^ith those letters, the plane was christened and declared cooqplete* The confinement of wtater sparked plans for summer travel. Some provision had to be made for protecting the plane In strange territory. A snap-on cockpit cover made of coated from rain and prying hands. nylon would offer Emer­ gency tii-down anchors and generous lengths of rope were In­ stalled under the sea^ along with an emergency kit containing signal mirror, flares/^^d smoke bombs. War^t Chinook winds brought a taste of spring In early Marc^ snow sialeed from Mel's hayfield airstrip revealing numerous cow-pies the size of fat hub caps. JEhe Aze larger specimens were elearned from the take-off patch^and ^>fche entire lengjj>/€hecke(p£or gopher holes. ’T^*-***^ M X ^X*small, camera-laden crew gathered the next momlngy4IB*'Second Sweetheart was rolled out of the garage and trundled down the road to the hayfield. The air was crisp and frost covered the ground. The engine started easily, and I taxied down the strip, dodging the occasional frozen cow-pie. After checking the engine, I called the tower, two miles to the north, carefully holding the volume at a minimum. They answered Immediately with In­ formation on wind velocity and altimeter setting. I Informed them of ny plan to take off and make a few passes down the 72 �Adventures in a Biplane Chep^i^r d ____________ iari)? fi ifild fox rjuo r blitia squared the plane away and Norm Weis opened the throttle. The tail rose quickly, anc^ with the nose lowered I plotted my course down the field, missing the largest of the remaining cow-pies. I was still dodging when the wheels met a small rise and we left the ground. climb was phenomenal. stronger than ever. In the cold dense air the The old thrill of flight was back, I succumbed immedidhfely to the temptation and laid a wing down for a slipping^diving pass down the field, terminating with a sharp nearly vertical pull up. Another pass, and I rolled the wheels on the ground, carefully missing the cow-pies, recalling the quip a friend made earlier about going up when the chips were down. Photographs completed, I settled into respectable straight and level flight, and called the tower for clearance to land. On final approach, half a mile short of the runway, my pride in the little airplane surged to a peak. I keyed the mike and asked the tower if I could make a low approach. The response was distinctly cool, ” h — Starduster Wliiskey -- Ah, what is the occasion?” ’’Oh, ^*^'d just like to show off the finished product. You might call it a low pass for therapeutic purposes. There was a long paus^ ^^e operator no doubt re­ calling my earlier "low approach” that turned into a buzz job. 75 �entures in a Biplane Chapter 4 Norm Weis "Starduster Whiskey, affirmative on that low approach -- confine fvs your path to runway maintain normal speedy ond follow standard patteriu^ ^They had my number —• there would be no more grass patch hi-Jinks at this airport, ^^flew down the runway at 120 mph, 100 feet off the ground, climbed to proper altitude/^^d executed a very correct rectangular pattern, landec^/^^d taxied to the ramp full of rebellious thoughts. How much fun it would have been to fly by the tower at eye level, upside down, then key the mike and drawl out, "is my gear up?*A jSsuisLfnB, wliau I mT~timgsT Tnpt to fly- jpr”*nTlrl-Ui Liiiili ri".' *2^ -m lrp'‘Tr rni 1 hsri 1? 'y*iL Llm first I’d have to learn to fly upside down, ^^propriately, aerobatics was the next challenge on the agenda. Finally, more than £a«ey years after watching Speed Holman fly aerobatics at the Omaha Air Show, my chance to try the same moves had arrived. For several months X had been reading various books on aerobatics. Xnvariably^the introduction made it clear that good instruction was the first requisite. Bu^my single-seat aircraft did not lend itself readily to dual instructlon. Xfcnteuld be hsmdiew to teach myself aerobatics even if k meant doing it the hard way. �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 4 Nora Weis YT*......... . iluriTH the jesting-"phise *" |l^£e**edge flight, or flying on the side, was the first new maneuver X wanted to learn^ fawrite aerobatic book laid out the control moveiBents in precise terms. 1 suHOorised them one evening and set out the next morning to try ray hand. Three thousand feet above the ground, I rolled Second Sweetheart to the left until the wings stood perpendicular to the horizon. Xanediately things began to happen » the nose dropped and the plane entered a steep diving turn. X recovered and flew back to altitude, •O*I mentally going over author^Kaeehnec^s instructions once again. On the second try I applied more top rudder to keep the nose up. The plane responded properly for a moment, then began bucking about before dropping into the same steep 7r �Adventures in a Biplane Norm Weis Chapter 4 time with an entry speed of The little 140 mph. flew straight away, nose slightly high, wings perpendicular to the ground. At 160 mph it was even better — she would hang on to the altitude nicely until the speed dropped to 120 th^^buck and bounce around, warning me it was time to level out before ou^ - ■ •' '' L-jry. control mouemen involved. rudder started the r At the onset. left 1, then opposite or ‘top” rudder; had to besfed j f orwa At the same time and er (right rudder strongly to keep the nose up. pressure on the stick was nt a turn to the Recovery was simply leaning the stick to the righ nd easing off on necessary to a matte stalled ■ '* the top rudder. Once knife-edge right and left were perfected, it was time to try inverted flight and rolls. The book claimed it was simply a matter of holding the stick hard to the left, into knife-edge position and right on past, then eas the rudder as the wings leveled with the horizon, upside down.of course. Once inverted, some forwara^pressure would be required to hold the nose up. I might liave succeeded on my first try if so many �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 4 Norm Weis things hac^n^t happened in such rapid sequence. As the plane approached the inverted position, the usual cup of fuel spilled from the filler cap. As the gasoline spilled over the windshield, negative g’s took up the slack in the seat belt. My body shifted downward out of the plane an inch or two, and the top of my head felt the hard buffet of the slip stream. Ther^ the^engine quit^ since the plane did not have an 11ll II it I The propeller continued to windmill and inverted fuel system. the engine would restart when upright. was frightening. i , the total effect The adrenalin flowed, and I reacted with Ji * shameful panic, throwing in full opposite aileron, and back on the stick. was a mistake. Using aileron was proper, but the back stick*^ In seconds we were headed straight down, the engine again running, screaming to high rpm’s as the speed built to 150, then 160. I yanked the throttle back and pulled out of the dive gradually. The speed built to 175 and the g meter wound past the 6 mark. I gave the situation a bit of thought as I climbed back to altitude. Forward pressure and continued use of aileron would have let the roll continue to completion. With the seat belts and shoulder harness tightened. I tried again. This time the spilling gasoline was no surprise. The negative g's were briefly uncomfortable, but soon lessened as the roll continued to the opposite knife-edge, then to upright �Chapter 4 Adventures in a Biplane position. Norm Weis The nose had wobbled all over the horizon, but the roll was accomplished. Now it would be simply a matter of per­ fecting the technique. It took half a hundred tries to purge my system of all the wrong ways to roll an airplane. Finally, with the cause of each mistake recognized, I could roll the plane to the left without flaw, keeping the nose pointed steadily at t-w point on the horizon. learn. but a sure way to Trial and error is a hard Hrininrirrw, -it- nanniimn; i .i i ur»—Mlili ii P tn mo have learned faster, but I was under a double handicap — a slow learner taught by an inexperienced, often bewildered instructor. Once accomplished and perfected, each new maneuver add^to the feeling of freedom fnii -21 i -'■□x. jkiw* It’s a special feel that can never be felt by those limited to ground travel. Ill that 1parallel ''_2r Tn * Pko clOSOSt is with a young driver newly turned loose with a sports car fresh from the dealer’s showroom. The acceleration is heady and the cornering ability impressive^nllBWiH the new found mobility is^two dimensional. But now imagine a new feature — one that permits the driver to control the shape of the road ahead. A turn to the right banks the road, and the car changes direction without tendency to skid. Rapid create wide, perfectly banked S turns/that fit perfectly beneath �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 4 Norm Weis the car’s wheels. Jgofc back on the steering wheel and the It road tilts upward and stretches into the ? -^h-7-r upfiride down if you wish, an^^^ck to level^ the road^ always in place, curving and sweeping in tune with your every move.^^'^/^e that road invisible, change the steering wheel to stick and xuddei^and increase the sensitivity to the point of response, and you are in the cockpit of Second Sweetheart, ing the caprioles of a modem Pegasus. . It sta^s with the airplane pointed straight upj^ the^ as the airspeed approached zero, the nose drops sideways like a hammer strike* “TH ^BB"Kontinues rotating until > is pointed straight down. the wings all the while in the same geometric plane, like the arms of a youngster doing a r.artyTheol omehow convince mvself that s eights •e jus wo hammerheads put to VJhat I tho was straight lazy- I was wrong. climb. straight down simply^-s/eap dive. J*io fly truly straight up is difficult, and to fly precisely, vertically downward is alarming. fly straight up, one must first gain a little extra speed — 150 or so -- then pull up firmly and look.to the side. Whe^^the wings stand'Vertical you are heading straight up/ A glance to the opposite wing to check for equal spacing right and left,^/^!! ensure a �Adventures in a Biplane straight Chapter 4 non-leaning path of flight. On my first try, airspeed dribbled away plane fell back down in a tail- both wings ■L Norm Weis slide — a move that puts fantastic forces on the elevator and I hung on to the controls firmly as the reverse air rudder. flow tried to slap the control surfaces full travel. The stick moved back forcibly and the plane,whipped quickly to the nose»-down position. After an oscillation or two we were headed Nothing was visible ahead but straight down. Good grief! solid ground! The air speed needle wound rapidly to the passed the 100 mark right On the next try the top. J—: t-ihhi} back as- the stick. threw in full left arudder at The plane wobbled over and headed down crooked and partially inverted. Three tri^ later it becameeevident that the right wing, traveling faster on the outside of the curve, ^*#*/*^ was still giving lift. I tried^a little right aileron with the left rudder -- bette^— more aileron — better yet. Forty or so hammerheads later, the maneuver predictable, but hardly perfected. The secret was to detect the approach of zero speed* and lay into the controls so.that the wings were half way around whuw all the, speed was gone. Done properly, the controls at the ape:^werej full left rudder, full right alleron/^id almost full forward on the stick. go �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 4 Norm Weis UU41 a th3e foot piece of yam tied ■ to the left strut, the maneuver became a cinch* Whei^peed^^^^*lorate«^, the ordinarily straight yam would whip about* After one good Xh A* V whip* it was time to feed in the controls -- full left rudder, stick in the^comexieruntil the plane was straight down. JIhe yam agiHin. assumed a straight position, again perpendicular to the horizon. Wash syas again.4e<mimmd» the nose cmild bn bold on a point on the ground for a nice straight-down line« than tsans t-bT airgf-Tiriil inHrmt‘‘-r "imit fcr'crcpa.i‘ opirBTi New maneuvers seemed to start with apprehension, then move through alternate periods of pride and fright, followed eventually confidence. confidence, and sometimes blase over- That was the case with the hammerhead. I began to think there was nothing to it. But there was one more way of fouling up the maneuver that X hadn't yet blundered upon. For some reason, perhaps it was simply curiosity, I fed in full control movement while still going up at about 60 mph. The sky went crazy! Completely disoriented, X watched the sky and ground trade places over the nose. Air rushed in from the side, then from behind, and the stick ^cane alive in my hand. X fought it, but it went full travel forward and the plane whipped into a new node. all X could see was ground* We were rotating, and Having been in broken maneuvers 2/ �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 4 Norm Weis before where I just held on until the plane settled into some­ thing I understood, such as a dive or spin, I wasn't greatly However, I didn't recognize this movement. worried. It felt like a spin, but no sky was visible — just brown ground. After three or four turns I decided t had better do something besides just wait it out.^"—' J ‘ "■■*1 suspicion that I was in an inverted spin quickly blossomed into fear. Luckily I had memorized the recovery from the dreaded maneuver, even rehearsed ityi^ maliiia fchu uuL-L.. lull. ^ania proof. Throttle back, full opposite rudder, wait a bit for the rotation to stop, now full BACK stick -- point her for the ground! Ah, straight down — wait fox speed — now The altimeter read 1000 feet above the ground as pull out. I leveled out. Damned fool! Next time you want to experiment, do it way up there where a parachute might do you some good! A person can learn a lot from his mistakes. The secret is to survive the first mistake and never repeat it^^ r-.-i 1 1^111- n -i^y I anii! bnwJJia -1, c— ’ Learning aerobatics is the same as learning anything else «•«* but the penalty for failure is greater. " "y' at^^Oatic piloLt ''L- . passin^*4^rough on hrs way to a cont^«€^^stened to about the higT>><^ed liararfleMreS^ As I reached \ jf ?2. �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 4 Norm /eis olsal hananerhead, he began to smile, then nod his head in/a know­ ing manner. \ \ "Have you ever done a Lomcevak?" "Nope." "Oh yes you have." / / / He went on to\explain how to do a Lomcevak (Lumonevak) on purQ pose. Had I entered on a 45 degree up line about 30 miles an hour faster, it would have been more spectacular but would probably have ended thk same way -- spinnmg down inverted. His first bout with an inerted spin canfe when he fell out of In a mild panic h^mistakenly applied power the top of a loop. and the spin flattened. The contro^ went slack and ineffective. At the last moment he backed off \ne throttle and recovered at a few hundred feet. The t-shirt/he\ears at aerobatic contests sums up his feelings, for on i/ is printed in large black letters, "INVERTED FLAT SPIn/DIRTY YOUR^UIT OF THE LOOMS." Only one thir^ is worse, claimeX another experienced pilot, and that is findi/g one’s self pointed straight down at red line speed. Havi^ experienced both problems\l figured I would be pretty saf^in the future. That sophomoricVassumption would put me into /several more close scrapes and finally convince me that I would/never know enough about aerobatics to do\it in complete safeW. But sophomoric as I was, I felt it was tKsje to show oth^s just how damned good I was. \ �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 4 Norm Weis FAA regulations demand that aerobatics be con** ducted ^500 feet above the ground, off the airways/'^d away from populated areas. Aerobatics are defined as any abrupt change in direction, generally considered to be climbs or dives beyond and banks more than OccasionalIjr turbulent air may cause one to exceed such limits a handy excuse. ly^developed the same bad habits displayed by most pilots a few hours after solo$ sho^j^ff, my wings I was a complete and utter I never passed anyone on the ground without wagging was it^ld^^each way. For two people I would add a rule bending hammerhead and top off with a slipping turn down alongside to accept their accolades. Three or more specta­ tors constituted a crowd and 1 pulled out the stops. At 1^00 feet over the ground 1 would treat the folks to loops, hanaaerheads, rolls/*^d a few things 1 still wasn't sure of. gnnf geneiirnlly hrniipht e sehuvri LBrrea’SCTT and The fliat'aiuulF ehe show would ewd-^ My particular weakness was schoolbuses. I could not pass one without swinging down at eye level, a few feet off the ground at a very legal 500 feet to the side, then put^^e Sweetheart in a climbing degree" banked knife-edge that rode on the brink of illegality. Occasionally I fractured the regulations badly, but always by "accident," or "due to turbu­ lence.” The latter was, of course, an act of God, and the former simply the result of soooething the devil made me do. �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 4 Norm Weis 'eated nets As a youngster* plane that passed overhead* change in attitude* never failed to watch every air Most aircraft traveled past without 1 could never figure out vhy a pilot of a machine that could go up and down and all about would ever settle for straight and level flight. capabilities? ing? Didn't he know his Didn't he know 1 was down here watching and wait* And didn't he know that thousands of other kids were look­ ing up* aching to see the plane do what it was built to do* a roll* or a loop/*or at least a dip of the wing? On one memorable occasion a passing plane suddenly dove* then looped — an^ looped again. Z ran the two miles to the airport and found^the plane had Just taken off* The mechanics told me all about it — how it had almost 100 horsepower* olio struts and could do almost any stunt* even spinsI Since that time Z Jisiie I fflniii each sedate passage of an aircraft as a personal affront. Z might forgive airline pilots and even the pilots of chartered aircraft* but for the pilot of an aerobatic aiircraft to pass over strAA^t and level is an insult to every envious youngster below* That's why Z perform for every schoolbus Z see* J'^huprolls in some aiimlant back Qar*^e stich>^tomp the �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 4 Norm Weis* about — then reverse everything when the horizon, looks proper again* Xn the Starduster the horizon whl you to hal^ Its rotation at exactly o just getting ”wltH It" as the time There Is a narrow o It* rtunlty f After hours and and defies aro turn. The plane Is neutrallaatl perfection. approaches I se dom found snap rolls X finally fettled for rs o an early recovery and h up with aileron. The snap roll is really just a spin horizontal line retlcally, the plane could be Into a with the nose d^e^plng until a But not Dustff Whiskey* p and It would 8p/.n along* inventlonal spin ^as asstimed She spln8\pne and three/quarters turns pauses, ^(Uffets and idtlps over Into dire on* spin In t|(e opposite A spectacular move* but one dlsl/ke repeating, e It always feels accidental The little biplane had assumed several personal1 ties with names to match. Quite naturally she was the "Sweet- heart*' whan she was delightful, but she became "Duster Whiskey" when beWstlal* Officially she was "Starduster NINW," but on �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 4 Norm Weis the radio her name was 'Starduster One November Whiskey.” After the first call, the name is generally shortened to ’’November Whiskey ’ by the tower, but I always acknowledged the transmissions x^ith ’Duster Vliiskey on their toes. with to c u til i. u "'“"“TTC t - - L"U i j □ t -rid keep Occasionally a controller would counter Dusty i.hiskers. Second Sweetheart was not a part of the registration number/^id therefore not permitted in the communications^. dk-l“ though 1 often would have preferred to call her that^particularly after a satisfying session of aerobatics. She was especially deserving of the name when she forgave the mistakes made dur­ ing a sloppy landing caused by a fuzzy brain in a head still swimming from snaps and rolls. ' There are four basic types of rolls one can do in an aircraft. Besides the snap rolls and slow rolls^ there are the barrel rolls and falling aileron rolls. The aileron rolls are the easiest and can be accomplished in most any aircraft. The plane is aimed upward at about^5iydegrees, stabilized on a straight if climbing line, then the stickyipushed full travel to the side. No forward or back pressure is used. The plane rolls and falls along a curve ending up in level flight as the wings again reach the horizontal. At a tendency to pull back on the controls xszhile passing through the uncertainty of inversion, but they^suclden dive and increase in speed tenc<* to discourage a second similar mistake. �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 4 Norm Weis The barrel roll is not quite as simple* Books by Kerschner and Cole disagree on the nature of this seemingly rudimentary maneuver. The problem is that the roll looks vastly different when viewed from the inside and the outside. The ground observer sees the plane flying a horizontal spiral with the plane's idieels rolling along the inside of an invisible barrel, hence the name. about a point. The pilot sees the nose rotatjl^C'idely Cole stresses nose positio^^’^*Iter8chner|^deals uatian baeeaws I solicited the advice of local pilots, but found /** Uzt none with recent experience with barrel rolls. This did mart stem the flow of advice* however* and well-meante et»— iLTTd fiul uiil untuiiiiHili sne adiHuiUigV. I lgf*1 I (<ould take my plane up and try out each vagrant i.^*^4After many altitude-losing, speed-gaining abor­ tive rolls t^^he truth became evident* position didn't go hand in hand. Nose position and true Nose position led by 90 degrees The craft was at its highest point when it was half'^ay through the roll in the Inverted position, quite contrary to^majority opinion of those idio frequently fly the local hangar. perfectedyi^ the barrel roll became pr favoritir. Once The g's remained positive throughout, ranging from plus two or three at start and , mfr end to a plus 1/4 or so at the top. I could do them endlessly �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 4 Norm Weis with my eyes shut or glued to the altimeter to check the rise and fall in altitude. In reality the barrel roll is nothing but a loop stretched sideways. If you compare a loop to the coil of a spring ^^hen the barrel roll is a coil on the same spring that has been overstretched. I have passed over the loop intentionally, be­ cause it has always been easy for me. It’s simply a matter of diving to a speed 2C^^^*or so over cruise speed, then hauling back on the stick until the world turns upside down and then right side up agair^ —* .'i!, l.-.c-LLt lu.'*? .1. LL.-T*. The path is far from circular, but it’s easy to correct r-- that problem by slacking off on control pressures at the top of the loop and round it out. at build agai 3 or 4, Properly done, the g’s should o a 3 or 4. ■: at tAe , then oop should end at the original spaed and altitude Most pilots will tell you that altitude can be exchanged for speed, and speed exchanged for altitude. statement is generally true. you that a little ITie Those same pilots will tell 1'1 i Iwi lar speed brings added safety^ But quite the opposite is true when it comes to entering a maneuver called the split S, A fellow pilot and friend was killed recovering from a split S. It is possible that he entered it with extra speed, assuming the speed gave 1^ S'? �Adventures in a Biplane Norm Weis Chapter 4 him a margin of safety./The split S is a simple move. Just • Mt roll^ inverted and pull back on the stick for half a loop ««d <>**’ the plane is again upright and flying in the opposite direction. It was a favorite move of World War I pilots. Entered at cruise speed, 120 mph, a split S in Second Sweetheart results in a loss of about 500 feet, /ntered at 150, Duster IThiskey uses up ^100 feet before straight and level can be achieved! It is much mm-e enjoyable to begin by aiming the plane upwards on a angle, then rol^r^side down and complete the loop with no loss of altitude. Repeat the maneuver and you have a Cuban 8, a favorite of airshow pilots. Once the basic moves are learned, it is a simple matter to put them together to form new, seemingly difficult maneuvers. Half a loop plus half a roll forms an Immelman, and four loops with a quarter roll on the down sweep of each makes a cloverleaf, e.. th At ><inn'do ow mifeawde? 5^r»P<-V>ni-.-i,n,ia1 ,1y rlnnni'wi^ II ■*^0 I'M Utf' "TOTO , ISTJWIJLU! luup ■difficult maneMVe-ra wnnl nnM« 1 ini>.i|«M |.|4.|... r. — The International Aerobatic Club, the official organ of the serious aerobatic pilor. The I.A.C sponsors a number of contests each year, separating pilots into iwfer categories ranging from Sportsman to Unlimited. �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 4 Norm Weis For some time I had been toying with the idea of entering competition to see how my self-taught skills measured <*** up to the tutored variety. To get an inside view of.competition, I drove the 300 miles to Boulder, Colorado, home of the nearest Aooni chapter of the organization. The fellows were helpful, drawing out the maneuvers required for Sportsman competition, explaining the ’’box” and the scoring system. me to enter the Rocky Mountain They also invited erobatic Championships to be months away. held nearby on Memorial Day, just Fired with new purpose, I hurried home, bought 200 pounds of lime and drove out to my favorite practice area in hopes of talking the local rancher into letting me lay out an aerobatic box in his pasture. He was a tall gangly sort, with a handshake like a steel vise. "So you’re the fella that’s been doin’ the fancy flying up there!’ , . MS t't It sounded Iwwe I w»6 in for some^heavy. You know you cost me a whole afternoon’s work — had half a dozen neighbors over to help me out and here you come a flyin’ over -- couldn’t get a lick of work out of them — just sat there and watched. ' His name was John Steinle, and he was tickled to have me lay out the comers of the box -- even asked me to swing over the ranch each time to waggle a hello. We discussed �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 4 Norm Weis soma of my practice maneuvers and I quickly learned that his slow drawling manner hid a quick eye and sharp judgment. He told me my loops wobbled on top, my “fast” rolls never came out straight^^^d that he didn't like it when 1 flew straight down. I answered that those "fast" rolls were called snaps, but that he was right on ever^count. For the next few weeks, John made a practice of calling me an hour or so after a practice session and giving me the benefit of his advice. His comments were always helpful and welcome -- as welcome as was his greeting each time I flew past the ranch at ground level. He always heard me coming and would be outside wildly waving his Stetson. Once I surprised him on the corral fence -- he stood up on the rails and waved his hat anyway. The aerobatic box was ^300 ieert by ^600 feet. A small outhouse stood at one comer, a gravel pit at another. I marked the two remaining comers with lime and traced a dashed white line down the middle. ^500 feet above the ground The bottom of the invisible box was the top was ^00 feet. The actual elevation of the ground was about ^400 feet, and in order to make net altitude calculations easier, I made it a practice to pass by at ground level and set the altimeter at an even 5000 feet*. and a< sum sr* waggle ub Jeha en She way'by» The;;j>eafeg»was^ �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 4 Norm Weis top limits would then be 6500 and 8600 feet on the altimeter. /O Putting 4Nn» maneuvers together without pause was not easy, but I finally was able to struggle through the Sports­ man sequence without a major goof. Eventually I could even do all 4^ and stay within the confines of the box. Full of confi­ dence, I filled out my entry form for the Boulder contest.,, and stumbled across a few unexpected regulations in the process. In order to perform at an aerobatic contest, it was necessary to have a paid-up $300,000 liability policy, membership in the and a current low-level waiver from the Federal Aviation Administration. X tackled the last item first. The accommodating folk at the District Office of the FAA set the time and place for the waiver flight. I had only a week to practice before demonstrating my capabilities over the east-west runway of a little-used airport north of town. The maneuvers X chose and the altitude X wished to use ecM my optionC The FAA representatives would judge sy compe­ tence to repeat the seme maneuvers in front of a crowd. X chose to do the Sportsmen routine at poo feet, breaking frequently to climb for altitude. X staggered out of the Xmmlmann, and ovej£rotated on the spin. The final snap roll was crooked as hell, so X just held the wings crooked, swung about in a turn and bored in for a low-altitude knife-edge followed by a point roll, then a hammerhead to reverse �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 4 Norm Weis dlrectloxyfollowed by a dive to ground level and a climbing aileron roll finale. 1 swung around* slipped Into a landing on the dirt strip* taxied over to the FAA officials and Inquired If there was anything else they wanted me to demonstrate. were all smiles and coaq>llment8. They Later, when the waiver was being filled out, I asked for sosie helpful criticisms. The observers had noted jtr flaw In the Immelmann but thought every** thing else was fine. It was their first experience^with a low altitude walvex^^gi^didn't learn much from each other, but we enjoyed the exercise. Within a week I was Invited to put on an air show. Having the only aerobatic biplane Inside a 100 mile radius may have had something to do with It. Then again, It ma^^l|ave been because I worked so cheap. Vp Lu tills puink 1^didn't fee^ny talents warranted a fee. This Invitation, however, was Ideal. The faculty members of the college where I teach were holding an afternoon picnic and wanted me to entertain the group. Of the hundred or so that were expected to attend, only three or four were pilots Of those, only one had done any aerobatics, and he was an understanding frl^d. The picnic was to be held at the Casper Boat Club), on Alcova Lake, a site not conducive to low-level aerobatics. The Club was on the south side of a narrow bay baziked on each side by 500-foot-high hills. I decided to play �Adventures of a Biplane Chapter 4 Norm Weis it cool and stay ^500 feet above the water except for a low— level nor^erobatic pass or two. At precisely 2:30, I swung down over the lake at high speed, flew the length of the narrow bay, a few feet off the water, set the altimeter at an even ^000 feet, then zoomed up well clear of the hills. Sportsman sequence. At :^00 feet I flew throggh the It was old stuff by now and slightly I climbed a bit higher and tossed out two rolls of boring. toilet paper which promptly unrolled to form long vertical ribbons. A split S put me through the bottom string, and a hammerhead reverse let me approach the top one on a climbing line. I rolled my way through the paper. I was tempted to dive straight down through the remainder, but feared that I might accidentally clog the air intake. Down below, the loudspeaker proclaimed that the toilet paper was not only bio­ degradable, but it was used, probably by the pilot. After one last pass at the toilet paper, pretty well bunched up by now, I swung down for a final fly-by. the road above. I could see cars stopped on People were standing by their cars looking at the plane several hundred feet below. The Sweetheart climbed nicely, speed dribbling off to a comfortable 100 as I leveled with the hill to my right. bright idea. Suddenly I was smitten with a I eased over the hill in a crippled altitude, then retarded the throttle as much as I dared, pulling the �Adventures In a Biplane old disappearing act. Chapter 4 Norm Weis Z gilded silently down the valley, out over the lake, and turned toward the Boat Club. Therewith throttle opened wide, I tore past the Boat Club again. I thought it was a great act —•> better than the one Bob Hoover does at Reno. Then 1 realize<^my wife was In the crowds The fun I had wasn't worth the scathe she got or the hell I caught! Requests for al^hows poured In,—ikoth of them arrived the sane day. The first offer was from students of the fourth-grade class In one of the Casper schools. The class had been studying a unit on aviation and wished to top It off with the real thing, With great regret I turned down the offer, since aerobatics over town were prohiblted/and an alternate site could not be foun<h^ *** The second offer was from a^^mall townlnear that would pay gas money and a few extra bucks for a demonstration. Z accepted ehweffem immediately, -'My debut as a performer was something less than spectacular^ only get better. bu^ things could Bhme day Z would fly for a crowd —• a big �Norm Veit Adventure! in a Biplane CIOTING W lABXLICAl. Chester 5 Of the many regulations laid down by the Federal Aeronautics Administration, relatively few apply to homebuilt aircraft. However, one of j^te Bei» caused me great frustration. rule states that foi^ fifty hours, a hcmiebuilt cre£t may not fly Biore than fifty miles from home base. Beaty hours ihad alesady ■been logged while testing the plane and learning basic aerobatics.^ Those efforts were made close to home, amd» the fifty mile umbilical had never been a problem. with suimr approaching, X had the urge to go �Adventure* in a Biplane place*. Hora Vela Chapter 5 a dog on a JBeJdan^ly ths uwh^iinal piilled tightiw chain, X paced the perimeter, learning more than 1 really wanted to know about the terrain within the circle. Ten hours doesn't sound like ouch, but at 120 mph it meant }200 miles of wandering •• always within the limit* of my^/ederally regulated playpen. I looked at cows and sagebrush, creeks and lakes, and waved at countless fishermen. 1 flew up smooth slopes and *— down ahe precipitous canyons, Utub syawd UPC Upuu ths flas*. X la sene if the h^nts o£ eagle* and fsund' the place;^ antelope play. l^*^^serving wil^jlife. ties paesieulurly ■fmsolisirtMJir especially from a height of a dozen feet or s^ a J^actions to the passage of what must have seemed a big noisy bird^ were varied and at sAraes^*^zing antelope reactf*with total confusion. An entire herd w4r41 Jun^ and run outward like a starburst s I ll>~—I liiw II fl Ki...V win atIsen fee his C Flying over undulating ground, the planebe heard by antelope long before it^X^be aeen* They are a Biost inquisitive animal, and the sound puzslesF them. On sever* id occasions I bagr approached a rise to find an antelope stand* ing on it* hind legs, peeking over the rise to spot the source of the mysterious sound. -------- �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 5 Noma Wais One early morning I happened upon ew-buck antelope fighting on the flat top of a broad mesa. Their heads seemed glued together as Uiey took turns pushing each other about* They had been at it for a while* if the radiating scuff marks were any sign* I circled above and watched the proceedings* Finally* when the action slowed* Z dropped quietly down to ground level* then opened the throttle wide as I passed over­ head. Looking back* Z could see two dust trails extending in precisely opposite directions. Each animal thought the other had won* Bird watching is fascinating sport* axid Z admit to the hobby without sh^e. JKewomme^ X prefer to do my watching from an aircraft^*^*s triclqr business*^ Seme birds treat aw Their reesttemejjBaep^wtdel'ji. Bussards are generally docile* and interpret the plane's presence as one more bird in coc^etition for the food below* At times I have joined their spiral at high altitude* then left abruptly to lower and circle about another spot, try­ ing to lure theoAS^^/lggsw gaen>»* only briefly. It seldom works* and then The bussard is a very smart bird. Qeese are spooky and quite intolerant. Flying in a slow aircraft* it is ilways sporting to attempt to join up �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 5 at the tail end of the vee. Norm Weis The tail-^nd Charlie lets you approach Just so close before squawking out a warning. Some*-* times the lead goose fails to respond, the signals from the rear overwhelmed by the engine noisebut the message is relayed eventually and the vee breaks away, generally diving toward the ground and safety, Eagles flap their wings with great majesty. would have delighted in a study of their movement. Da Vinci The main por­ tion of the wing is always half a beat ahead of the tip, giving the wings a rubbery look, with elbows still rising as tips begin their descent. But the eagle is not to be trusted. There are many eagles, both bald and golden, in Wyoming, and I’ve learned to leave every one of them alone. Where a hawk might veer j.way when approached, an eagle is more likely to close in belligerently After all, he knows he’s the biggest bird in this part of the worldtherefore has no reason to faa^ The first few times I pulled alongside an eagle, I - wi thought his sudden approach was accidental,’ i began to keep track of their behavior carefully and found that while a few *Su2a •ee^ most are inclined to close in, and or few 4*0*1 C. are instantly angry and aggressive. ^serving wild life, fascinating as it was, ev«ti- tually nacsme boring.; The confinement caused by ny d4»ey>mile /aa �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 5 Ko rm Wais txahllical took the edge frriTTt even thn rrnglluBfr erivrwlwrr,^^dio conversations with traffic contfccllers in the local tower became the high point of most flights. Each controller seemed to broadcast his own attitude It was like studying a new form of by implication or infXecticn, sedentary/?ut vocal wild life. One of the fellows could be called the drawler, or perhaps the gargler. the mike close to his lips. Ha always spoke with His voice could put you at ease in an emergency, or perhaps sound asleep on final approach* Occa­ sionally ha sounded J^ke he wXs running down/^^d needed re­ winding. X pegged him as a talk friendly sort. �/adventures in a Biplane Chapter 5 Norm Weis Some controllers are brusque and all business. One broke in abruptfy^as^I slowed after a landing, jai. such hiskey, go to ground.** (rapid»-fire.) '’One November It took a few moments to figure out that he meant Casper ground, I should switch to the ground control freouency. (slovz, cool drawl.) this is Starduster 'ihiskey.- ■hat did it cost to make fhat olane?' (staccato.) i/e •' ansvzered, one syllable ''omething over time. . - - Probably v/orth it, ---- —- it- like all one word. One communicator seemed to have a(biU>"i^ against experimental aircraft. -e always made me feel as if i intruding upon his private air space. He was on duty one late afternoon as I approached for a landing. but he was ’hue5^/^ raffic was light, On the third call he acknowledged existence cleared me to lanozand went on to more serious matters. iestem flight five cleared to take off. homebuilt Traffic one mile south lower, ihstern five, '^■hat make is the homebuilt £respect^? ’ ’’Don’t know. Just a ’’ ould you ask the pilot?' I broke in, volunteering, '’Starduster �AdvQiituxQS in a iiiplaae Chapter 5 Norm Weia There was a long pause before the controller replied. ’'Well, his call letters are Starduster One November Whiskey guest it's a Starduster fismal]^tne/ij," ’'Casper Tover, Western five* I have him in sight «• it’s a pretty bird.” On subsequent transmissions, tke uuiitYenTer^cdhtittned Jit *i«eu1*i rtiB einil isssw* fteeettiOT»» X (aiiwii). made it a practice to j^gggaiMbiwMMieetegb* using werieMMS* tenu OMeii as CUSTOM-BUILT, SPORT PLANE, TWO-WINGEs/and finally PRZTTT kii ybr got the message. After that it was a biVplane or experimenta^ ^nly a trace of snear). One fim-loving operator gave the following instructions to a pilot, obviousl|c a straxiger, approaching for a landing} ’’Your clearance was for runway 21 «« you are approaching runway 3. Be advised that you will have a 40-knot tail-wind; however, you may land on runway 3 If you wish.” Notliing like creating a little excitement with a wild down£wind landing on a dull day. Low-level approaches to busy airports are generally discouraged* Mn^Tever, there are exceptions. When a new radar system was installed at the local airport, the newly trained operators frequently asked arriving pilots to take part in a mock radar approach, X always refuse*^ oatpl/iaed later that since the plane lacked any blind flight instruments, X would never be able to penetrate an overcast anyway. However,^ X just �Adventures in a Biplane Kona Weis Chapter 5 might, come limping in under an overcast, glued to the ground, and unable to find the alrpor^ ^ould bhiy help me in such a cae«^ John Chase, traffic controller, radar operator,/and transplanted Okee, figured he could find me on the scope and lead me itrno matter what my height. After all, he could spot passing trains on his radar scope, and he Jmow. 1 couldn*t fly any lowe^« reflections. I^*aoubted^h« could find my blip ^aong the ground We discussed the problma through half a dozen cups of coffee. . John happened to be on duty a few days later as X T**** an approach to lend under clear blue skies with 60 miles visibility, ‘*Say there, Duster Whiskey, when do you want to try that low»-levei radar approach?" "How about right now?" X answered. "But X can see where you are," came the drawling reply, "Give me ten minutes," X countered, opening the throttle and heading for the hills southwest of town. Over the hills I dropped low, out of sight where the radar couldn't follow, then cut hard left for a few miles, caught the Platte River and headed downstream, back toward town, ewattwy feet over the water, "Casper tower. Starduster Qne November Whiskey — �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 5 Mom Well I*m having trouble finding the airport* Thia imaginary ceiling Can you help?" has ise pinned down lew, and X can't see a thing* "Duster Whiskey* We don't have you on the scope. Can you describe the terrain?" "Well, there's some water now and then, seam trees, end a house Just went by*" I stayed low, hidden behind the in­ tervening hills, making John's work as difficult as Z could* The hills flattened, and X could see the tower* That meant the radar could see me* "Duster Whiskey, we have a blip* Give us a slow count to five and back." John was sharp* He had Flight Service all set to put their direction finder on me. Seconds after X finished sy count, John was back on the horn, very natter of fact* "We have a positive identification* Make a left turn to JSe?* X tried, but my compass swung all about* Besides, X was busy dodging houses axMi a radio tower* "Now take a right to degrees." 1 hade a sloppy stab at it, explaining sy^ problem with the compass* John shifted gears, giving me instructions to bear right, then hold heading. His eyes were glued to the tube as he gave final directions. "Bear right more. is Just ahead* Hold your heading. , Runway -Mr Be ready to turn left and land." (OS' �Adventures In a Biplane Norm Weis Chapter 5 At twenty feet above the ^ound, all 1 could see ahead was a grass-covered slope. 'Kothl^In sight yet, John. You sure there's a runway around here?” "You'll see It just above the next rise," he answered, and I knew he had moved from the tube to visual, satisfied that he and the radar had performed their proper fuxiction. And there It was, runway 21, right on the numbers. 1 passed over In a turn, swung back, straightened/^and landed. After parking, I climbed the long steps up to the tower and offered my congratulations.. nw ■ si.a«.i ■..I. *** ■■■■ little paper work with the Feds ^ssd one more inspection, and we would be FREEI Z stopped by the local CADO to ask John Montebello for an Immediate inspection. (GADO — that's Gensral Aviation �Adventures in a Biplane District Office. Chapter 5 Norm Weis /viator types are heavily into abbreviationsja^ and W combo Lu(^-ly my stujJ^<*was intarruptd by John’s call to come on back the next day for final inspection, but In the meantime/ he suggest­ ed we get the paperwork out of the vzay. keep up with all the forms reculred. I could never quite John, being the cooperative sort, always kept me up to date and legal. e finally worked our way dovm to the last paper, the Operations limitations, khat one surprised ms. 1 had been flying as if there were no limitations, and novz v/e vzere going to establish wham the plane could or could not do. somewhat negoti^j^ble. maneuvers. 'ihe matter was John wanted to list all the separate I claimed the list would be too long. He vzainted to try anyway, but on the twenty-second maneuver, he ran out of space, gave up and agreed to a simple statement to the effect t07 �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 5 Norm Weis that NliW was allowed all maneuvers except vertical tums^aai^ L . Urr 1 LtLmwu.X...W£i s he inspection the next morning was routine simpler than the pape::^work. much John wanted to know all about the broken exhaust; and the dog hair in the carburator. Is checked vital items with great care, then signed the iirtsorthiness Certi­ (how there'^3 a term that should be abbreviated ficate. The day vzas young, and it was time to taste my new It freedom. I had been planning a particular trip for weeks. wasn't a long jaunt,i but it a-as beyond the old il*mile limit by 30 miles -- enough to stretch the umbilical and snap it properly. The Schiffers and ihsir two children live on a ranch tucked away at the mouth of a deep canyon. The hills rise hun­ dreds of feet on either side of a small flat meadow that fronts the canyon like ahe flare of a trumpet. ;i ~ frequently over the Qosted _on ,■ " 0 I had fished the area iti-p and ms/Tn-jn.-.^casionally Casper for some of their fish (fried; and a check on the plane's progress. They had yet to see the plane fly. I’rom half a mile away I could see Tony walking across the yard. I bored in full throttle and roared overhead at 500 feet. On the turn around I could see Ilaryy the kids, the hired hand^>/*and his youngster^,X^l tumble out to watch. I passed over on knife-edge at^l500 feet, then hammerheaded a �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 5 Norm v/cis and came over again in a slow roll. A few loops and snaps later, I sidled in at half throttle and minimum altitude/^nd threw out half a dozen candy bars, each with a 6-foot ribbon attached. 'On the return pass I could see the kids clustered about the point of confectioner}' impact. They were looking up, waving the ribbons. I waved back with the wings, waggled the rudder and pointed my ireedora riachine ’ nose for home, feeltnt.good j-nstde. Thoughts of distant travel y world was expanding. ly unfamiliar maps. blossomed into lines drawn on exci recently been intrigued with Steinbeck's laving I'ravels with Charle I couldn’t wait to lay out my own plan for trav ■econd Tliere Steinbeck had driven^ the perimete^-, 1 would fly A A* the heart of^nerica, from coast to coast and border to border. Sweetheart. I would fit; in an aerobatic contest or two, a fishing trip to Northern Saskatchewan/^and maybe a week at ths big airplane extravaganza at Oshljcosh, Wisconsin. Perhaps I could touch the ^^st ^oast at Kitty; Hawk, where the ’..'rights flew. Along the vzay I could trace the paths the old-time mail pilots flew, and maybe make a detour to Death Valley and roll my wheels along its dusty f loo ^J^^?ould be no frantic ef^njct for record, and no .ach jaunt wo for f^be planned loosely to allox-z wAAt.her and change of whi those many dreams, long on the shelf, could now �Chapter 5 Adventures in a Biplane With : econd Sweetheart I could ful- be dusted off and polished. rixl them axl. Norm Weis ijut fxrsty^^ shal<.e-/do\vn cruise was in order. ... «**•< xouth we.s the direction to treveh ^^spring would, b"'' greening the lent^ ---Bh red ‘W.ves and friends in boulder and Colorado Springs, the route of the shakc^dovn cruise was obv'ous. My chute was due for repaci:; so a brief stop along the way at r'U Cheyenne was j.n order* 7 h -a; to t.oulder for an overnight with tw di.stance, dsss anci orothei"”-.n—j.at’ day I could hop the short ' miles. ihe next miles on south to Colorado Springs for an ovemighe with ioike a.nd Suzy herb:,son, long-time backpacking friends, ihe trip back would require one fuel stop at bararaie, the mic0)oint on the route to Casper. ' eather permitting, the miles and five hours’flying time trip would cover jusi over spread over three days -- a lo .surely jaunt. A westerly wind a7as blowing ^knots, gusting to the mom..ng of m^ departure, iiio line ha.ncs held dovzn the vzings as I taxied to runwa.y 21 and facac. ?i_nto the vzind. the wing-xze.Ikers trotted alongside and Second Sweetheart into the then •'hand launched** air even teen minuter s t. Douglas, Wyoming, headed due east at 12, '09 feet a ground speed in excess of 180 mph. sailed over traveling The air was cold at that altitude, but that was the altitude where ■ asper Flight ervice claimed the strongest tail wind would be found. U£> �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 5 The cockpit heater was full on. Norm Weis My feet were warm, but cold air washed over my left shoulder and curled behind m.y neck. scarves After a lifetime of assuminf^the old-time pilots wore an affectation, T abruptly realizec^it v’as a jap?on^a.ay. I stuffed my handkerchief under the helmet and hunkered ray neck down. Laramie Peak, more than IP,10^ feet high, passed off the right wing as we slovzly changed course to the south. ■ .he\-ennG was faintly visible 10 miles ahead, and Second '"'X'/eetheart vfas running smooth and free. alone. The sky was cloudless and we were £ had forgotten how pleasant crosscountry' flying could be No road to follow, no hass. no press The little plane provided the ultimate 2scrn« from anf u/er compounding life on the surface. Thirty miles out we began the long slope doxvn to the runways of Cheyenne liunicipal iiroort, quartering a bit to cancel the effects of the vest wind^ 'I'^ne ciarey was waiting at the iir National Guard Hangar. We trundled the Sweetheart inside and tucked her under the wing of a gigantic airborne troop carrier. sonnel gathered around. Uniformed per­ She would be in good hands while we drove to Duane’s home for the chute repacking. Stretched out, the chute was nearly fifty feet long. It had been satisfying to pull the ripcord and have the loaded m �Adventure* in a Biplane Norm Wei* Chapter 5 spring tire the pilot chute, out •« proof that Dwane*« earlier peek Job wa* flwrleeeo C^Within half an hour the chute was inspected* re­ folded* cocked like a set trap/^iuid carefully crsasesd back into its corse^like case* Shortly* we were back at the hangar* and with the willing help of fjyoad.ng*s Air National Guard* the plane was rolled out and started up. Takeoff was spectacularly short against the brisk westerly. Climbing out steeply* I waggled a thank^ you to the fellows now lined up across the cavernous mouth of the huge hangar. Along the row* uncountable hands waved back. SBwWr-a-J'Oy' 'to' . The wind died at the Colorado-Wyoming border. We stayed low* dodging the small towns that became more frequent as we sped south along the east shoulder of the Kooky Mountains. Visibility dropped to a few miles as we encountered the northern drift of Denver's smog. Xt surrounded us like a brown sickness* reducing the sun to dirty orange. Ten mile* from Boulder* I tuned the radio to 122.8* the frequency common to uncontrolled airport*. Th* apparently eo^ty sky became filled with pilots crowding the airwave* with intentions to land here* take off ther*/*^ otherwise approach or overfly some particular point. for me to state my plans* so X There was no pause big enough drove in at ground level* spotted the planes in Boulder's traffic pattern* climbed quickly to fill an empty slot/mod followed the leader a landing. �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 5 Norm Weis While waiting for relatives to arrive, I was accosted by a chunky red-tu7—fellow, obviously a pilot type, who wanted to know if the plane ought not to be hangared rather than tied J* .e had his own private hangar,^sort of a 'foam dome that just happened to have a space that needed filling. We traded nsmes*-»his was Mike liyer^then trundled the plane doxm the tax:i^way to the open door of the hangar and into some pretty fancy company. There was a |^itts single place on the right^^^ (kyer’s plane), and a scaled down Sucker on the left/*this wife’s plane), along with two other single-place aircraft parked at each side of the door, iecond Sweetheart was to visit that hangar fre­ quently over the next few years. It was bright and blue the next morning. smog had yet to spread. The Denver My sister and brother-in-law, Jess and Ed Kellenberger, helped ease the plane out of the closely packed hangar. Jess admired the plane and ran her hands over the smooth hH fabric^*^ ji.d, with unlit cigar tucked at one side of his mouth. expressed doubts as to the plane's safety^ Soon off, climbing steeply, waving back to Jess, who was no doubt telling Ed he should have more confidence in his in-laws. Between Boulder and Colorado Springs lies a hazard called the Denver Terminal Control Area. Shaped like an inverted wedding cake smacked down on stapleton International Airport, it offers a haven of control to airliners and other business types, but is pure hell for those flying sport aircraft with //3 �Chapter 5 Adventures in a Biplane minimal radio facilities. Norm Weis It is legal, but a bit tricky to fly the 700»-foot—hlgh gap between the ground and the middle layer of the cake. path. The ground rises frequently, threatening to block the Just west of ' enver that possibility comes perilously close to fact. However, if one’s mental attitude is oroper, it can be fun snuggling up to the foothills of the .ockies, flying the valleys between ridges, detouring around small suburbs/and carefully dodging all the towers with their invisible wires. The cake layer ended just past ..astie .lock, a dozen or so miles south of Denver. Z ’.Tas legal to rise to higher altitude, which was'fortunate, s nee the ground ahead rose almost 'Q ^^^d feet. The higl^.tree-covered area was called the Black TammaEt, and \T7as just north of my destination, Colorado Springs. The lone runx'zay of the Clack Tore st Glider Tort seemed to be jammed up against the southern border of the forest. The runway sloped strongly downhill to the south. .Che slope was not detectable from the air, but luckily a friend had briefed me on the situation. It sceias^ever} one lands to the north, uphill. and takes off south, doxmhill. making sure that i circled the field several times. wasn’t interfering with glider operations, then curved in and landed north, uphill, and of necessity, dovzn ’ dropped by. f — f kittle bipes seldom. A. small crowd gathered around the planed /ne �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 5 Norm Weis youngster asked to sit in the cockpit, then several more followed in turn, lifted in and out by grinning fathers. Each disappeared down in the depths of the seat, head below the level of the coam­ ing, eyes on a level with the grip on the stick. By the time Mike and Susy Harbison showed up, every youngster within two miles had "flown** Second Sweetheart. * TWri^rbison home is a friendly ccwnfortabTFpIace. | We spent an. eyening rehashing old times, and speculating on / the future|/\e planned the upcomirjg sunmer’s backpack and / slowly jSduced the world's s^^ly oc^in. su^ested we J buiM4>ackpacks foz\^ur dogd^wd let them pack their own chxx^ KfA —■— some of ours. Susy raises Labs, and for years had tried to sell Jay and me one of her pups. Finally, in frustration, she gave us one of her prise pups — one of the smaller ones. ago, and **^ue^^*^w weighed eighty pounds. That was two years Mike's favorite Lab of, the several around the house was a gentle giant named "war.' y Iff they eaasieJ part uf Uw loaiS, Mike had taken Bear along on a recent backpack and was strong on the advantages of four-legged companionship* ^wever, there could be problems — like the one Bear created in the mountains just west of town. I It seems old Bear^spotted a troop of boj^couts coming down the trail and took off to investigate. Mike tried �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 5 Norm Weis to call him back, hollering "Bear, Bear I" The Jcouts, hearing Mike yelly/'s^ glimpsing the black form through the underbrush, quickly took to the trees, passing on the warning, "bear, bear I" Even the scoutmaster scrambled to safety. In seconds, "Bea^*!^ the friendly Lab, had treed the entire troop! The sky was overcast the following morning. The sun squeezed a few rays through a crack in the eastern clouds and lit the face of the front range briefly. Sparse patches of blue appeared as I auddered laj way iwilli tis ds. battltf^agaJA ""—I tuned in eft layer. empered. affie In Denver Tower as I passed under the was brisk, and the controllei^were short rder, one pilot was told to have his radio Irepaired, anothe go around agal nd a third poor soul, a ! bit slow to de8cd was told to "get Ith^/lt that thing at 7500 eti" clear as you can't land 8 light, andwe smog out of it and in thi passed over Moulder,^till headed\north, Over Fort Collins^ the clouds lifted, somewhat, revealing clear passage over the low pass between thelLaramie and Snowy Ranges. We angled left a bit, heading for the pass and the Town of Laramie .... beyondJ .. — Laramie showed up on schedule, exactly an hour and a half out of Colorado Springs. After a brief contact over the radio, we curled in for a landing and a bit of fuel. She took �Chapter 5 adventures in a Biplane Norm Weis 9.3 gallons, yielding an average miles to the gallon -- cheaper than driving the car! The usuei.1 small crowd had gathered about the plane as it was fueled. 1 stood at the fringe and listened to the comments, swelling immodestly with pride. It’s a strange feeling. All the attention is directed to the plane, and none to its builder. -uc then the plane is beautiful, and <.’m borderline ugly. ven -then I shoulder m\ way to the cockpit with a polite ■’excuse un^^I’m only tolerated. .leluctantly I’m permitted access, and begrudged a share of credit, things change wtien i climb in and strap up. ,iow we are one. Starduster One November hen . talk on the radio I'm hi skeg . ucomc cUi airplai'n:'. nf ;-qv like this I'd rather be an airplane — K- times ~ espectaily s. little red and white biplane! The same win<-2 that helped me at the trip’s onset^,,^^^ now blew from the nose, re.-jucing the ground speed to less than 100 mph. - lowered to a. few feet off the ground to take advantage of the sraall reduction in head wind due to ground friction. effect also offered an advantage. Cround The air seems to compress be­ tween wing and ground, increasing lift and permitting some fo’rward stick to be applied,to offset the tendency to climb., result is extrci speed. '.-.he net Theoretically, ground effect shows up only when the plane is within one wing span/of the ground. 1/9 �Adventures In a Biplane Chapter 5 Mens Wils Um near, X would swear that It can be felt as high as^ feet One has to remain owl»eyed for hasards • for the added speed. particularly naxOsade hasards like power lines. Constant sur­ veillance right axid left Is required to spot the poles support Ing wires that way becooe visible too late. 41 though erst low for X suspect X Whatever. ason, eac lar reasons us safe and X like the feel of speedf end ^^■s^ sieplawsr tha 4eei cooMS onl^at lew altitude Kt 100 feet you cm feel It at 50 feet It beeosies thrilling) and at 10 er 20 feet th^ground three iitay» to escape a ^nsiidobw collislont up. Xn a car* rlj^ht, leftZl^ ** ""iy wf - up Is Ssntid. .flying (^^eet e stopr- above the ground at 130 mph In an aircraft Is safer thorny^ 50 mph on the highway^ pwewldsdl one peflf.il> jirtentlnni The Union Pacific tracks moved over to Join our path. Ws flew by rail for a while* navigating by ’’iron compass.'* bed weather, traveling by rail can becosM a necessity. Xn Old-time //0 �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 5 Nona Weis nail pilots frequently flew the tracks* always keeping to the right to prevent a head-on collision with the fellow pilot fly­ ing the return route* Stories about the early aixnail service had been in the news for the past few nonths. Xt was the 56th anniversary of Wsstem Air Express* a forerunner of Western Airlines* Ainaail flying had actually begun seven years earlier along the Eastern routes. Of the^^?pilots originally hired* only nine were alive six years later* They called it the "Suicide Club," and Lindbergh was one of its surviving sMs^bers* The job paid $1*000 a month* a fantastic wage for^the tines When o Laramie to / .t*» » th. Ut A««U. UM. enne route* caq>leting the coast to coast run* .1 V' t cut down the transcontinental\ mail en routs time from 24 days "'x 30 hours. Bougies M-2 Biplan wi^e mnployS^* with 415 horsepowsr^liberty engines *^three open kpits* end a noise level that * according tp_ one pilotr^ would ruin ywirlSiXfl^ �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 5 Norm Weis In spite of the available space, ^ompany rules for­ bade passengers. Will Rogers promptly broke the rule and set a precedent by mailing himself-- even licked the stamps and plastered them all over himself. I flew along the right side of the tracks; the same tracks the old-timers flew fifty years ago. Our cruising speeds were about the same, and no doubt they also dropped down to near wheel-rolling height to offset the headwinds. Even Second Sweetheart’s color was proper, since all six of the original mailplanes that flew this route were painted red and white. We flew the mail past Bosler, over the siding called Lookout, around Rock River, and headed for Medicine Bow, tilting to knife-edge occasionally for a better view of antelope, rising when power lines demanded, waving dutifully at each train we met. Finally, over Medicine Bow, it was time to end the reverie and head north for Casper. Shirley Mountain passed on the left, and the Laramie Range sidled in on the right. Flat ground was below, so we continued at low level, still fighting the wind. No power lines here--just fences/*and windmills, cattle and thousands of antelope Thirty miles out of Casper, we overtook an old beatf^ up Aeronca plowing along at 80 mph. familiar. iced. The TE on the tail looked We moved in at reduced speed and waited to be not- ShurL , the pilot the expected double^ake, then �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 5 Norm Weis broke out in Stan Laurel type surprise. ewsagh; Jl was an old rancher-pilot friend-- a fellow named Bob Palmer questionable rancher, but accomplished He signalled 2-2-9” with his fingers, and I turned to 122.9, the plane frequency. plane»-to His transmission arrived loud and clear. "Hi-yah, Nit Wit.” ^e never dignified me or the plane with "November WhiskeyThe insult, however friendly, was meant to include his evaluation of my and^ at the same time, exercise some of the words in his private phonetic alphabet. "F-L” was fruit loop, ”C_C” was Canadian Club, ”R_T” became Rat Trap and ”R_S” was unprintable. dp91 gngfi ?no- -. — inL puL ftAiaota of ralffLiLf's The NINW on Second Sweetheart's fuselage had always meant "Number One Nit Wit” to Palmer. "Hello Plumber. How's your conduct?" n r i n n 11L Mi ypro- true friend ever called Palmer by his right name--he would have been insulted. "Impeccably," he replied. "I see that two-winged excuse for an airplane is still chewing up perfectly good air." "Yeah, and chewing it about ^5^miles faster than some slow«-flying antique air knockers I've met." Before he could answer, I pushed in full throttle and moved ahead in a long slow aileron roll. parting shot. As the wings leveled, I keyed in a "Eat your heart out^Plumber." �. dventures in a Biplane Chapter 5 Norm Weis Shortlj^we began the decent into Casper. Ikiddy Mountain slid by a few hundred feet below as I made contact with the tower. The trip vjas nearly over. Everything about the shake doim cruise had been enjoyable --- not a single problem had arisen 1 ~ L . .1*1 fuel up and head out on a longer journey, but v.nere \7Gre plans to be ma.de and duties to be performed. /he last weeks of the semester must be finished uo, �Adventures in a Biplane Norm Weis Chapter 6 The morning sun paled as lowering clouds enveloped Second "weethea.rt in shadovz. 'he cockpit became suddenly cold. A tug on the heat control brought the temperature back to reason­ able comfort, but did little to improve the .a.ominous view ahead. A solid layer of grav rode above, rasd .— indistinct horizon. -.A.,—to an Casper, nov? fifty miles behind, still en­ joyed the sun on this uncertain day, the '’'’nd of ; ay Small^ 'd , ___ i ________ - . ceiling^ fe-i.L . oon they mnlt • n’b'-d t? form a new stratC^ forcing JW C. diifcia. j'i-jjn^'to dror^ to ground level. The bottom of the cloud layer was^yfdO feet above sea level, but the ground itself was '^OTO feet and rising, claiming more and more of my S^'O feet of airsnacc. The Tuzzard Lanch materialized just over thiy^nose. A gentle bank, and the buildings passed to the left,, only slightly below. A ranch hand on horseback leaned back, one hand on the horse’s rump. >n.s head sizivelffi^as I passed. Thcad, the approach to the pass betvzeen the Ferris and Seminoe Xo’J’^tains was cut short ^w/b^e ground rose to make contact with clouds. a discretionary' SJ" ylu-y. The lone rider s*>‘<» It was time for * waved, and I knew his thoughts — what’s that dammed fool up to, flying in this weather? I wiggled yzing-"SpitO' of tlis-jinoul'fe', fev -I appi'EclaLitd hig noti oe .^**F.[f I failed to shovz �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter Norm Weis up at my destination, he might.contribute a clue to my whereabouts. Rock Springs, Wyoming was thexdestination listed on my flight plan. The intended route was- by way of Ferris, an old town that I wanted to view from overhead.*^ With the pass blocked, the side trip to Ferris was* cancelled. be unreachable. Perhaps Rock Springs might also With thousands of miles ahead, I was in trouble in the first hundred. I'fc--?m9-eR-«nfaBpress4r<^e-4jegiiuiing. I wondered if ny plari^to fly from coast to coast and border to border — realistic. Flying in the sharp wedge between cloud and rising ground would ordinarily be unsettling, but this was familiar territory. Soon the Sweetwater River appeared, and shortly the rounddd top of the pioneer landmark/^dependence Rock/^ssed below. A left turn. and I was above the highway heading south. The ceiling had risen to a luxurious 800 feety^i^^e west edge of Ferris Mountain curved behind. The clouds ahead were alive and changing^ ^Xurbulent air^^»^»^eneath. Brighter skies to the left invited a change in destination. On the third call, Rawlins Flight Service answered. "Skymaster - ah, ah — one - ah - Whiskey, say your position again." "Rawlins Radio, this is ST^RW^TER One November Whiskey, five south Lamont. What is your weather?" "Ah, Skymaster One November Whiskey, we have lyOOO feet and lies, rain in western quadrant." "Okay, I’ll come on in. Looks bad over toward Rock �I 'T'^ 1^3^/eeji ^*-6 Lt P'^c^C^ — l-f <s <ff' ^.u^ts'-^/' r <— * h^ ■b — "^Pf>fx:^ -tP^ ■ ■ *■ «fl5^ /ic lilSiil&’Wii iW- �Adventures in a Biplane Springs. Norm Weis Chapter 5 Change my flight plan to your destination, please, and —------------- ------ — ah — that' s STARDUSTT'T. as in biplane." Twenty minutes later, with a second radio contact, I received the altimeter setting, wind direction/’^d a caution, "We have had antelope on the runway. Be advised of the hazard." Twenty: or so antelope stood beside the approach end The of the runway, well-behaved and undisturbed by the intrusion. left wheel touched gently, and immediately the right. Tail high. Second Sweetheart rolled straight and true down the blacktop run­ way. A left turn and the engine wound to a stop as the plane coasted to position beside the gas pump. on the ramp. There wasn’t a soul There never is when you greaSBit in. The flight had lasted exactly one hour and had con­ sumed 6.4 gallons of gas. to the gallon. It figured out to be nearly 20 miles The tank held 22.5 gallons. hour, I could stay up for nearly 3^ hours. At 6.4 gallons per At 120 mph, the little biplane could go an impressive 400 miles, a range in excess of my kidney capacity Theyjf light service reporte^ the weather to the west was deteriorating. Rock Springs had rain in all quadrants. To the south. Grand Junction, Colored^had unlimited ceilings with scattered clouds. South was the only choice. The Sierra Madres of ^uthern Wyoming occupied the left horizon. Scattered showers stretched out along the intended f �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 6 Norm Weis path, a minor irritation to be endured in pursuit of "sunny” Grand Junction — but there was more enduring than planned. The scattered showers merged to a general, inescapable light rain. Threads of water streamed across the fabric of Second Sweetheart's wings and trailed off in spray on each aileron. Rivulets formed on the windshield and crawled up to be blown away in the prop wash. A few drops curled inward to run down the inside surface of the windshield and drop on my hand hold­ ing the stick. About one drop every twenty seconds — not bad for an open cockpit, I figured. ———■ I dropped >fco 200 feet and took a compass course southwest to ihterc^ipt the highway south. A quick bit of map work showed anx^^ir^ercept distance of yO mMfes, or 15 minutes. Sure is nj.^ to cnnsse at 120. The Iz^hway showed up on time, aad—elie drip on my hanoXslowed t^nalf rate. A sure sign of ------- - improving weather. Over Craig, Colorado, the rain ceased and the sun showed faintly through the thinning overcast. I passed over a statioiji^wgon going the same direction but at half the speed, gave a few quick wiggles of the rudder/^'^d zoomed to a dizzying 300 feet. Suddenly it was bright. Sunshine warmed my shoulder. The open cockpit let me feel its full effect. It was more than a fair trade/^casional raindrops for undiluted, heartwarming sunshine. �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 6 Norm Weis Hills rose on my right and left. and our cruise altitude rose to match. washed air was defined. . They grew in size, Visibility in the rain- Mountain crests/70jmiles away were sharply A deep canyon joined our path, opened up and offered a gentle, everwwidening approach to the single runway just east of Meeker, Colorado. VTiile refuej-WHf at Meeker, a pilot who had just arrived from Grand Junction offered a disappointing description of the weather. He had come up the Colorado River Canyon V.F.R. (visual fight rules) and had nearly given up and refiled I.F.R. (instrument flight rules) several times. He had squeaked under several thunderstorms that had since matured behind him, closing the canyon. I waited an hour for the storms^o clear, then headed toward the canyon, full of determination, miles south of town, the mouth of the canyon was obscured by a white curtain of rain. The route southwest, over high lands cut by deep canyons, seemed to be the safer path. than^O^iles. The straight line distance was less I headed across the rough country counting on zO/ninutes of worry before the ground would lower and flatten. The sky was a cold electric blue, shot with thousands of small puffy clouds. To my right, the clouds diminished and became widely scattered, offering escape routey. aread ahead, clouds threatened the heights I had to clear. Dodging right and �Adventures In a Biplane Chapter 6 Norm Weis left, pursuing the open path, I wa^^ble to squeeze over the^</^*^^ from ridge to valley^ovwgat sudden changes ridges. I In altitude, height above the ground we«tld44^«/*' /lying level, Chang A** Rapidly from 50 feet to 1,500 feet. Faint stirrings of the gut marked the return of issy Inslplent fear of heights -** a fear Utttfe le so strong that waleee the thought of mountain '"''^mHrF,** '^euffc for n^rhtmnrrn ground Is ple^ureabl-e. Oddly, aliitfude over reasonable/ j^er rough countiy only defense Is greater altitude, nnfrhy wa an Increased glide distance In case of engine failure. But here tha£^p^u!o^*^a8 denied. The clouds hung tenaciously, «to"^aeet a few hxmdred feet over the canyon rims. J Twenty minutes later,>the hoped-for flat country hadyifailed to appeal^ Mere ridges stretched'out Tka cnry*»/»«- 5TffUlfirf irctg ?bvlftMF^y *•" muMi- te-±hf horiiow, my ii.i.li — inr>r/.r.»r4m.«iy hoTding to the right, toward the lesser cloud cover, xhe compass xcadlng confirmed the susplclox /f kick of the rudder, .4Mftd-£he noseyswun^ to a new more souther 1; heading^*^en minutes later the flats of what had to be the Grand River Vai ley 4rer!r^e low. four-lane highway reach4ft^n from the left and Swashed below, ^ar the ^ghway, a railroad axid river sewpeiHH^t^ their way southwest In nearly perfect syn' chrony. wag nn My detou^ put me well north of Grand Junction. •, There "them Miiyway. * �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 6 Norm Weis According to the air map, the highway below would turn vjest and lead me directly to the small airport at Green River, Utah. feet too ing H-i a i F-; mnv<a^ -Fnll—nf rp sadete.*A slight side pressure on the stick and we were standing on a wing tip, then rolling and slicing down inverted. The plane stood momentarily on the opposite wing, then continuedy^nd rolled level in a mild dive. Slight back pressure had kept the g’s positive, and the luggage had remained on the floorboards. The speed reached 160 mph and the wires began to sing. sound and feel were intoxicating. The Up we went, climbing sharply, then rolling slowly, the nose dropping, leveling again at normal cruise, then up and around again. the second roll, or the third. Second Sweetheart I can’t recall instigating Like a bird given freedom, cut ne\^ unexpected lines through the sky. I felt like a passenger — a delighted surprised passenger privi­ leged to be in company with such a rare spirit. about g’s, negative or positive. The luggage rose off the floor and lodged under the crook of my knee. my left hand. She cared little I held it in place with Lty right was still on the stick, but only passively. �Adventures in a Biplane Norm Weis Chapter 6 I felt out her moves as Second Sweetheart curved through one more wide, weightless, falling roll. The altitude was gone. flight and normal relationship. We returned to normal I was still the pilot, right Now let’s settle down before I get into trouble with the T.A.A. little vegetation below. reds, tans, and a mix of wa col beautiful at nset, but now it was noon the Utah landscape a hostile look The earth was SixmsX' It would be Ahead, a double line of trees drew a green curve* p>n thQ- broTim lawdt The trees lined both banks of the river called ^Green. The small towns of Green River and Elgin occupied opposite banks. Green River, the larger of the two, was much like a miniature railroad layout. Main Street, the airport, the highwaythe railroad were crowded into unnecessarily close quarters. Main Street seemed to meld, lose its buildings/“^d become the east-west runway. The tracks of the railroad moved over and closely paralleled the air strip. As if on order, ,a train approached as I patterned for a landing. The engineer waved from the cab as I taxied back. I raised an arm and returned the salute. Ah, the joys of an open cockpit. The east end of the strip was connected to the hangar area by a curving^down-sloping ramp. I cut the engine and coasted quietly down the hundred yards or so to the gas pump. The usual small crowd gathered as I unbuckled, ASir(3q �''dventures in a Biplane Norm Weis Chapter 6 I could see lips moving but could not catch the words. It's awkward being half deaf from the noise of the engine while confronted with a of rapid-fire questions. I faked it a little, since the questions always seemed to follow the same pattern. "It's a Starduster. Nope, it's not a Pitts. About My hearing began its return as I dismounted and attached the pitot tube cover. A man confronted me with an astonished look. "You serious? It lands at Sorry, I'm a little deaf right now. it CRUISES 4 stalls about (toCy He looked relieved. Two youngsters, on tiptoe, leaned into the cockpit from opposite sides. One was explaining features to the other. Their heads bbbbed in and out. a small controversy developed. One of them looked in my direction. aint' it? "That is too a parachute, He says it's just seat cushions." The last comment was directed face to face across the cockpit. f-iy explanation that it served both purposes made them both feel like experts. They continued their inspection, the conversation less one*-sided now. A car skidded to a stop. Half a dozen teenagers piled out and trotted over to the plane. what is it, a Pitts?" Boy, sure is purdy — �Adventures in a Biplane ’’Nope, Norm Weis Chapter 6 and I point my eyes toward the cow^ where it says "STARDUSTER" in large white letters. "It's a Starduster.’ Boy, single place, huh?" Yup.” "Well, one thing sure. You ain't never gonna get hijacked." The oil was checked and the tanks filled. cided to for^o lunch and continue on my way. I de­ It was only 12:30 and Las Vegas was just gwo gas stops away. Ten minutes later I was not so positive about the destination. The horizon had again filled with thunderstorms. It appeared that a route Virga hung from their flat undersides. could be found between the hairy extensions of rain. I aimed the nose toward the area of least rain, but lightning immediately flashed from cloud to ground dead ahead. new heading straight west put me on a course for Richfield, but more storm cells blocked the path. The lightning found new intensity as To the north, storms formed a solid black trc’ I made the third Z-jywy of the day and headed the sky darkened. ominous wall. back for Green River. That line of thunderstorms could wr^^ its havoc without me. Every ^ilot'?I^^^^^perienc^)has found his own severe storm. For most, it is the last, for to survive is to learn never to re-enter arena. My violent lesson was dealt me one summer day back in the late forties. �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 6 Norm Weis I was flying charter out of Park Rapids, Minnesota, headed for Minneapolis. The local beauty queen and a business­ man were in the rear seat of the three-place Super Cruiser. tahEOff was a precursor of events to come. The A suitcase placed in front of the stici^ j iggled back on tak<^off and caught against a metal floorboard plate. plac^ /The i , - LX'.--" breaking position. suitcase^ locked firmly in The suitcase . wp q i 1 n its rearward, ground oxiuiuuLi au/mpLiy. I could not free the Forward speed deteriorated and a stall was immiment. I cranked in all ^e nose down trim available, and the speed held at a sha^y It held long enough for me to jam the suitcase forward with both feet. nothing. If the passengers noticed, they said The businessman was enjoying his seat beside the queen, and she was busy being thrilled by her first flight. Midway in the flight I was forced down to 500 feet in order to pass under a ragged line of clouds, the sort of line often seen under maturing thunderstorms. But here there was no apparent storm, nothing to spavm such a line. We passed be­ neath the clouds and experienced only mild turbulence. With passengers delivered and the plane refueled, I headed back along the same route. Minneapolis radio claimed the weather was fair, and furthermore,J: there should be a tail wind at 6,000 feet. The tail wind wasn't there-*1 sat back and resigned myself to a slow return flight, wondering if that 133 �Adventures in a Biplane Norm Weis Chapter 6 line of clouds would still be hanging over the lakes near Brainerd. The line had moved and grown darker, but it still looked innocent. It had been safe an hour and a half before, and izould surely still be passably now, and there was lovrto the ground some vertical motion^ ftppnrnnt-" I proceeded beneath with a confidence bom of ignorance. .. / , All hell broke loosed^^vere turbulence tfe»ow me aboutA I took a quick yank on the seat belt and reduced throttle to ease the strain on the aircraft. At an indicated 70 mph, the bumps were still severe and seemed to be worsening. The seat belt bit into my hips on each rapid drop, and my chin sagged to my chest on the returns. side. At times the plane was rolled on its Full opposite control seemed to have no effect. The Cruiser would recover eventually from each half roll only to whip violently in the opposite direction. The trees belo\^7 were waving like grain, and the wings of the poor old Cruiser were flexing up and down, pivoting on the stmt attach points, mhving nearly a foot at the tips. strong regret, secondary. with a rush. I knew the plane was lost and felt ^e fact that I was lost with it seemed quite I continued to fight the controls. Heavy rain came The windshield became a blur, and water flowed through the cockpit in small rivers. ground bfegsL-T”!..!— 1 -Lcuit. Visual contact with the I dropped lower, fighting to maintain /3^ �dventures in a Biplane control. Chapter 6 Norm Weis Suddenly the air smoothe<i.*’ I realized I *ircn ■malv.ijljh; .—^go.-co o.nH grew vo —__—,,;. ikui 'tirge.i tn.. iondw ^ut the trees formed a solid, frustrating barrier. I was^^lying in a I gree crab. bnd pn imr.nn!-.r My air speed was .e rtrndy and ,ifrftft"G£ feuc'Eiulunofc now must have been roughly the same velocity, in the trees field, and another. a plowed The second field was in line with the wind, and long enough for a landing. I headed for it. There was no mistaking the wind direction, for it was kiting the plane side­ ways. All I needed was to turn into it and set down on that inviting smooth brown surface, much too fast. I touched and rolled, but I was A fence loomed ahead. I jammed throttl€^arid went around for another try, slower this time. 'Ihe plane touched, slowed/'*^nd came to a stop. The ground was soft and had a slippery liquid feel. The wind was still blowing dangerously, well over the minimum flying speed of the Cruiser. I held half throttle, and with brakes hard on, flew it tattxough each gust, tail high and stationary, locked in contact with the ground. Occasionally a wing would lift and a wheel threaten to leave the ground, retiuiring quick stick movements to hold position. M ten minutes the wind slackened. air speed indicator. I thought to look at the It would now be acting as an anemometer. lowly the rain eased, the wind �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 6 Norm Weis diminished/ and the tail lowered to the ground <>Now I could look around. cultivated field. I had landed in a freshly- Small green shoots of wheats oa. pe-fhaps cjll» lay flat, battered to the ground by wind and rain. It was going to be difficult to take off fromsea of mud. I was too close to the fence to risk a straigh^^away departure, and the wind was still too strong to taxi. If I timed it right, I taxi to the down wind end of the field as the wind let up, then get off quickly before it died out altogether. I gambled on a turn to a downwind heading, pray­ ing that careful manipulation of the aileron would hold the wind ward wing from rising. The wing lifted alarmingly, but finally we were around, facing dowii wind, stick liard forward. It took half throttle to move in the mud in spite of the following wind. At the far end of the field I turned for take off, taking the same precautions with the ailerons. as the plane faced into the wind. speed. Wide open, we slowly gained Mud flew from the wheels and clattered on the wing under surfaces. I eased back on the stick. then sagged and slowed. wheels. The tail rose She lifted slightly, A bump, and some mud dropped from the The plane lifted, then touched again. stick forward, bouncing hard. I jammed the Mud flew off the wheels and we �Norm Weis Adventures in a Biplane Chapter bounced clear of the ground. She was flying, staggering with stick full back, but slowly gaining speed. A fence, a gravel road, and a second fence were immediately ahead. We cleared the first fence, bounced on the road<'*'^d were finally airborne. a farnChouse to the left. A man stood in the open door. There was I slanted my wing toward him, hoping he could not read the large niimbers printed there. The wind lessened, then died completely as I flew the remainIng miles to Park Rapids. behind. Tall clouds formed a half circle The trees below were unmoving in the newly calmed air.^^ It was as if nothing had happened. boss had been worried. I was an hour late and the I explained the delay, playing it down as much as possible, not ready to admit to the full fright I had ex­ perienced. "Sure glad you weren’t on the ground at Minneapolis. Just heard over the rddio that a cyclone hit." My God. I had flown through a A dry land It had grown to size and died, with Park Rapids all the while within its calm eye. "Wiped out more than a hundred aircraft — Sure glad / to see you." A ejipfained the mess tdie i/tud had made o£ the plauLT Thia bnco undcrfftnn—He liad bi storm the year baforo. Thirty years had not erased the memory nor dimmed the lesson of that storm. The prospect of a similar encounter hastened �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter Norm Weis my retreat from the wall of thunder storms in ^ntral Utah. At mic^aoxning the next day the skies were clear, the wind was calm/ and I was lost. Escalante should be right there. The map on my knee showed the location clearly, and my watch said I had traveled long enough to have covered the distance. But there was nothing below except dry washes and eroded hills. Not even a road to follow or use as an emergency landing strip! The map had not agreed with the land since Hanksville The Bouller Mountains were luldnLt poss somewh] be lost. Escalante was ysimply misplaced. There had been a reflection off to the right a few miles back, tucked away in a notch at the foot of the mountains, but that had to be the small town of Boulder. Escalante, on the map at least, was on a flat in front of the slopes, with a river running through it heading east, cutting across my course. There had been no sign of a river, so 1 continued, confident even though the gas gauge was bouncing on the short side of the half way makk. Twenty minutes later there was still no river. recognizable had appeared below. Nothing The gas level had dropped to the qxiarter mark and the engine was sounding rough. The little Lycom­ ing didn't take kindly to the economy measures of lean mixture and low r^p.m.'s. I bent Starduster Whiskey around and took a course back to that small reflection in the notch. available, and it was time to start grabbing. It was the only straw �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter Norm Weis Starduster Whiskey's gas gauge is like the small tube that stands alongQside most large coffee urns. Such gauges are very accurate and quite foolproof as long as no one shakes the Bumpy air was sending the gas level up and down from ona**-^^ um. quarter to less than empty. Whatever happened to that three hour range I had relied on? I had been airborne just two hours and the tank was nearly dry! I must have failed to fill the tank at Green River. Perhaps the gas spit back prematurely and the tank was assumed full. The gas in the tube leveled momentarily at the top of the letter "E" as I turned toward drcid □.lirrtrL motmtain»»>ifch feha iraflee The reflection grew to a building. The buildings multiplsed and resolved into a town, complete with an airport that had "ESCALANTE" painted on its runway in large orange letters! approached high and straight in. The 22^ gallon tank took 21 gallons to fill. x?) I 2^ is 120 miles from Escalante to St. George, measured along a straight line, welcome. short leg with plenty of gas reserve was The air was warm, and I climbed to a comfortable 10,000 <hhe mimdaTiA. —Ea-nm 10. )00 feet, the p^nk riiffc of Pryo "vlTrcyed from the ground k dig- . �Norm Weis Adventures in a Biplane Chapter yatuieri The ail njnnn-,x.n«- and I ratfcMiLiLi.i.1 apmaid hn tbn *ihe mountains on the right lost their sharpness and sank into the flattening earth. pied seemingly flat valleys. was the exception. Small streams occu­ The /ast ?^rk of the Virgin River It flowed nearly straight west at this point to pass eventually through the southern portion of Zioiy , I followed the river to the ^ark border, then swung north over the mountains to intercept the ^rth Jf^rk of the Virgin River as it began its spectacular descent through the^^rk’s most impressive canyon. From 12,000 feet, Zion was simply a bad case of ero- sion. From 10,000 it was a canyon, and at 8,000 it was a CANYON! We lowered, and the canyon walls rose and enclosed us. Water flowed straight toward the plane from breaks in the wall, then droppeddin lat^y fronds to the canyon floor. move. I circled, then regretted the People below were viewing the same beauty and would not appreciate our presence. I headed down the canyon, camera in hand. Biplanes are not built for aerial photography. is always a wing in the way. able. There No clear view to the ground is avail­ I spent a lot of time on wing tip, holding course with rudder in wild knife-edged slips. Air poured through the cockpit from the wrong direction, and the altitude slipped away. I tried shooting through the windshield, over the windshield, and even clicked off a few exposures with the camera over my head aiming backward. Perhaps inverted, shooting down, which would be up, �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter would be the best. Norm Weis In a biplane, the ways to waste film are limitless. St. George unicorn answered on the first call. There was no traffic, and the wind was calm. The strip occupied the flat top of a mesa at the edge of town. I entered high on the downwind leg, passed over the business district and curved sharply down in a slipping turn, straightened and flared over the numbers. Eight gallons of gas, a quart of oil, two cups of coffeeL<v-*^ and we were in the air again. Soon the rough country southwest of St. George gave way to the broad valleys of the Virgin River, only to change again as desert took over the land. A dozen or so miles out of Las Vegas, the highway curved past a small.dry lake. A small group of partially collapsed build­ ings huddled at the lake's perimeter. I swung down to investigate, and at an altitude of 300 feet the United States Air Force caught up with me. ^JTko delta-shaped shadows, sharply defined, raced over the ground directly below. aircraft responsible. jets. I swiveled ny head to locate the two From their shape and speed, they had to be I resented the unfairness of the matchy their 600 mph against my 120| their radar against my bifocaled eyesight. I checked qqt own shadow and found it to be less distinct than that of the jets. Those rascals had passed between me and the grovind! J had been skylighted all the while. game. Well! Two could play that I promptly lowered to six feet off the dry lake. ’’Get /w �Norm Weis Adventures in a Biplane Chapter under that!" I yelled. I scanned the skies waiting for their return pass, figuring to let them close in, then make a tight They wouldn't have a chance of following. 6 g avoiding turn. They would be out there five miles, skidding, trying to warp their big machines around for another pass. They didn't know it yet, but the little biplane and I could carry out formidable eva­ We hdd the moves, and no modem day Red Baron was sive action. sights. going to get ■^mehow tbpy spngpd tbnt- T bnH fn-i- bUry failed bn tw«»v^ u jueuiiG yagb.^ I rose to twenty feet and took a quick look at oy map. 1 had trespassed five miles inside the Nellis Air Force Base Alert Are^ fact^ those long blacktop strips three miles off had to be the runways of Nellis. grief! Good Two more jets were rolling down the xrunway headed in my direction. Were these guys serious? would take more than four. where we were going. Four against one! Well, it An entire squadron couldn't catch us banked the Sweetheart hard to the left and ducked behind a low knob. A moment later, clear of the knob, I stole a quick look toward Nellis. The two jets were closing, their knife-edged wings parallel and low to the ground. I headed down the nearest dry wash full-bore, banking at each bend, wing tips within feet of the sides, the entire aircraft frequently be­ low ground level. 1 scooted for the boundairy and the shores of Lake Mead, telling myself it was all in fun, yet feeling melon patch fear chase up my spine. �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 6 Norm ' feis I climbed to -m Luucreaiiu feet over Lake Mead, well out of the alert area, and reconsidered the encounter. The first pass was obviously intentional^*^ ^robabl)^ two bored jet jockeys out to scare the guy in the little red biplane, ^^e scramble of a second pair a<*^' have'been coincidental, ..—Ik-vs-’' a both been the practice intercept target for the day. sides of the dry lake air battle learned a lesson. They learned that a jet can’t catch a little biplane at the bottom of a crooked dry wash, and I learned to stay the hell out of their area noover Dam, viewed from above, as frightening. The web of power lines and metal towers seemed/to reach out to snare the unwary Notting was horizontal. cannon sides were T hills, the dam, the 11 near the vertic Lake Mead with its flat blu2 surface offered\the only exception I flew west from the dam fo lowing the shorelin A large crowd\liXed the beach. shallow water, some pointed t ir stems. utward, exhaust plumes rising from Vhite w^Kes sud<\nly reached out from the shore a d curved to align^fent as a doze boats raced toward a bouy s id around, and/Tieaded straight for razily, corrected, then flipped over he next. One of them tiltdd [oflowing boats bent away and thfeir wakes died as the race came boat se Numerous boats sat i o a halt. A rescue out To save the day. Second Sweetheart and I roared around the course full bore at 500 feet. Three laps and the race was won /^3 �Chapter 6 Adventures in a Biplane Norm Weis t®nptj^Z><<i to add a vic^ry ro"■ ■***‘ It was cool and calm at the Boulder City Airport when I arose the next morning. I rolled up my sleeping bag, stuffed it in the baggage compartment behind the headrest, untied the wings/and checked the tail rope to see that it was still tied securely. Two shots of prime, a dozen dry pulls on y the prop/*^3.nd she was ready. ■ e»iyn< I <»</ /ft /iffJ Ceg> on‘boti-^ 1 stood between wing and pro^/*^^ one downward stroke the engine fired and settled into a confident chucke. If there had been a crovjaround, I’d probably have climbed in the cockpit, run the stick up my pant leg, strapped inyA^d attempted to taxi away with the tail stillv^ J/**f securely tied down. Ml***?/ But there was no one about, 1.untied the tail, climbed in and ran the stick up my paftlleg. It was surprisingly hilly west of Las Vegas. The ground climbed rapidly, but in the cool air/*^cond Sweetheart’s rate of climb, nearly 2,000 feet per minute, let us top the Spring Mountains effortlessly. r>f- *>J-0 00 0w« the Pahrump Vail ay. t.hc. gmuLid' high---------------------------------V 11,^ X continued west, threading the gap in the Nopahs, cutting across desolate country to a patch of green that had to be the town of Shoshone. gasoline. There was an airport at this town, but reportedly no straight down the runway regardless. I was filin^||^|(5^ man’s flight plan. I passed down the strip at ground level, then rose normally at the north end, passed over �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 5 Norm Weis Shoshone’s small business district, made a turn in the intended . t direction, then flew a straight course out. i nad not filed an official flight plan^ and had no ' intention of doing so. ‘ -Fri'ilnT.T o p-j ec u p i Li. I igjdp att-rarki.".no onhictf. ma. denie^ too many pleasure^ ? t 'L. . ii.n.md it> "‘’‘-'■-c'yc too mrny j,r fo file a flight plan would have I could not tolerate the loss of free­ dom. ^J^iat doesn’t mean that second Sweetheart and I were unprepared. In the otherwise empty wing tank compartments were three gallons of water, two days’ worth of dry food, a floppy hat, pack sack, compass, matchesa couple of paperback books. Beside me, in small compartments on either side of the seat, were the miniature smoke bombs, flares/*^d an unbreakable signaling mirror. The last was most important, and I was well checked out Many pilots, I suspected, carried such an item with on its use. little idea of its use effectiveness. It was a simple matter of looking through the hole in the middle and turning the mirror until the sun’s reflection struck your outstretched finger while that finger was held in line with a would-be rescuer. Five minutes west of Shoshone, I intercepted a black­ top road as it topped a low pass overlooking the south end of Death Valley. It meandered down and I followed, imitating each turn in an exercise efi coordination. I broke abruptly into the open. it 'The Monument. ’ The hills fell away, and Death Valley! The locals call Flat, hot, lonesome and seemingly endless^ �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 6 Norm Weis it stretched north, disappearing in waves of heat. I wanted to travel its full eighty-mile length and return by way of the paralleling f:^anamint Valley, but the added distance would press on my fuel reserve. I headed north up the center of the Valley, searching for its lowest point, cruising at an altitude of ten feet. altitude was unnecessary, for I could land anyvdiere. road beneath me offered a temptation. More The gravel I Carrying 1800 eased down, the wheels touched briefly and a cloud of dust boiled behind. Again, and I turned to admire the rooster tail. pickup was parked alongside the road ahead. little deviation, I continued with filing another flight plan, FAA regulations in the process. ? and bending the I rolled the wheels again and slowed a bit, considering a full stop landing, then decided to settle for a touch and go. Just ahead the road divided. read ’’Ballarat. ’ A sign on the left fork Only short messages on such small signs could be assimilated at this speed. The map had this spot marked at -225, or 225 feet below sea level. Fifteen miles ahead was the lowest point in the continent, 282 feet below the sea. The / I felew e-looe I'-iliww for wet spots. If the country were to spring a leak, it would show up somexvhere nearby. I'l nnj ""hi hbn At the low point, I^v* rippr-, g ‘ ■?p. water — jUSt �AdventiiYet In a Biplane Chapter 6 more barren eedinentary slopes* None Weis I happily concluded.the .the country was sound and in no danger of sinking* The fuel gauge bounced a warning* ria and headed /outhwest, n X climbed ever the v* '*~**'*T^iiwn^***’ f a snail ridge* It looked beautiful •« its beauty i hope of fuel for Sec< told ne there was available* yi could either. t for the tank truck due Inyokern was 30 ailes west but the Chine Lake Air Base and its surrounding restricted area 35 minutes* worth of gas — more if a head wind developed* I had started with full taziks and had been airborne for 2*3 hours* X 45 jainutes* should have *7 or *8 hours left — aboutf45 X climbed out at 2150 rpm, fuel mixture leaned to the uaxlaMB* Ten miles ou^ the fuel level still rode above the **!•** X had been this route before* "Inyokern Unicom* Starduster One November Whiskey, ten southeast* answer. Nay X have an advisory?" No X gave the transmitter a few taps* "Inyokern Unicom, Starduster Whiskey* do you read?" "Starduster Whiskey* this is Oh Five One* Can X help?" "OH Five One* Duster Whiskey here* for an airport^directive and a little fuel*" X*m Just looking �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 6 Norm Weis I refueled there ’’Starduster Whiskey, Oh Five One. earlier. They didn’t answer then either.” "Thanks. Where are you talking from?” "I’m over the Monument, about eighty northeast of you. Just wanted you to know your problem Your transmission is good. is not in your equipment.” Nice guy. 1 wondered what Oh Five One looked like. I would like to meet him. rode She ”E” as the wheels con­ The fuel level tacted the runway at Inyokern. ^Shortlj^we were fat with gas and coffee and in the air again, gp”*-** iBM-rked fay occasion*'' r‘^iim<nsii-r- The peak north of Carlock was listed on the map as ^244 feet. Since I had failed to set nqr altimeter at the last stop, I pulled alongside, leveled the peak with the horizony^nd adjusted the altimeter to ^244. ,F |I 11 T J-...: ■<— r A quick stop at Mojave, and 1 was off again* lodging restricted area No. R-2515 surrounding Edwards Air Force Bas^ e~axrpa wee restrirred at all alticud«i> all"tiie Llme> unleee»^B<» wsien was arantejUMt.. the 1nr«l-Hfty'~(TlIiSt"Ser^cn fltabion)^ ptChL Jury 111 fsPt'* t*' "nsrrsr mgr call and I hob tmnptsd dewn-flHd'mL across.—Tha thnught of my blip showing mi gone frfhEar;) ptltrt’f ?r-biTaffd radar datieiTed ms. I flav arniTn^ ♦•hii TsstilLtaii skirted the iniind shoulder bf the San Gabriel Mountains* then headed straight for Redlands* California. �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 6 Norm Weis The sky over^San Bernardino Valley was a sea of white; solid, fluffy, beautiful, impenetrable white. Somewhere beneath was Redlands Airport and Lou Stolp, the designer of the Starduster I circled over Arrowhead Lake in flawless sunshine, aircraft. frustrated at my inability to drop through the overcast. I very much wanted to meet Lou Stolp and ask a few questions about the Starduster named ’Second Sweetheart ,*'**our mutual creation. The man at Hisperia Air i'ark served a good sandwich, 'You just fly down the highway. and was full of confidence. all do it. of 'em. Look out for those wires, though. Never see the wires. We Two or three sets Look for the towers. I called the area Flight Service on the telephone. They were helpful, but annoyed with questions about a phenomenon that was for them a daily, monotonous occurence. on the gauges. Just drop through uw feet and several miles underneath. We have I disilaimed ownership of any such gauges. \>/hat aircraft are you flying?” At the mention of the name *^arduster,***the agent suddenly became friendly. Tell you what you do. one thirty; then head down the highway. ing by then. Wait until Smog ought to be lift­ Look out for the transmission lines though. At one thirty I was off to do battle with the smog and the local utility company. mess and disappeared. The highway ahead dove into the With the map on my knee and my finger inch­ ing along, tracking my progress, I penetrated the smog. The world shrank to a hemisphere two miles in diameter|J)t4^moved with me. 1^3 �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter revealing its secrets grudgingly. Norm Weis Faint images became towers and I climbed until the view below lost clarity in the haze. The world became smaller, a mir^scule circle of dim visibility, moving at equal speed, remaining precisely below. The road descended. followed, and the visibility improved. The world grew to a huge six mile diameter. I At 1,200 feet over the surface I followed a railroad south, -took a left at the first airport and paralleled a four—lane highway east, M‘K*opped lower and worried a lot a^A I passed^throug^the approach to Norton Air Force Base’s longest runway. b^rfiked Sweetheart constantly \roin^ide to side to in- crease the sl\e of our image. From th^zdTrnnt or side the little bip^MTO is difficttl^to spot. past the Norton approach I M gave tny full attention to the terrain passing under the left wing^ Redlands east-west runway emerged on schedule, and after a brief iirn i D»'L the Intuit a I curved in on close pattern and landed. From the grin on his face, as broad as the biplane grin that afflicts me when I strap up, I knew the man approach­ ing was Lou Stolp. ’’Nice landing.” ’’Thanks. It’s a nice airplane.” He inspected the plane as it was fueled. missing from the right wheel pant. and we’ll fix her up.” standable. A bolt was ’’Push her over to the shop His grin was still there. It was under­ He had designed the aircraft some twenty years ago. /S'O �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter^ built several, and later sold them. Norm Weis It pleased him to look at Second Sweetheart, and his pleasure was my compliment. ’’Nice paint job. ”Yup. Enamel?” Dulux and T.L.Cj’ He was still grinning. Later we sat in his office at the airport/"^d I asked him about cruise speeds, stall speeds and Second Sweetheart was normal, but perhaps spin characteristics. a bit slow. He suggested a little work on the propeller pitch, or perhaps a double check on the tachometer. It might be fooling me into cruising at low Lou didn't like the idea of aerobatics and gently tried to discourage me. My explanation of the strengthening put into the plane brought no endorsement. "You know, every friend I've ever had that went into aerobatics is now dead." His feelings on the subject were personal.. The air­ craft was airworthy enough, Lou explained; it was the pilotage that was dangerous. learned. We talked of aamy things. I listened and I I complained about the smog, and extolled the virtues of looming withlits [GOytnile visibility. Lou explained that the smog lifted a bit each afternoon then socked in each morning. I wanted to head east to the desert, If I would have to leave soo^ or wait until noon the following day. 'I said a prematur^ goodbye and headed out. �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter^ Norm Weis The absence or smog Uiude the dtiuert below seem a radise It was rm even at 10,000 feet. laborato type ermometer taped to the\caban and fuselage read 28 degre ing upper abundant gent f co ewall. diluted the wa The Sweet d from the rt was pdrring, cruising at 2 was a grand improvement. I was re open, and a h that radia temperature 180*, all gauges in the green.( -long, strut connect- Celsius. Both cockpit><ents ortable. wash of a The fo 0 rpm, oil The higher cruise The engine was smoother and its pitch I couldn’t tell if the tachometer was off or the more intent. engine simply smoother at the new setting. the result. Either way, I liked The needle of the air-speed indicator had found a new home 7 mph to the right of the old one, an improvement that might raise hob with my quick time and distance calculations. Figured by the old method, using a speed of 120 mph. constantly find myself arriving ahead of time -- not a disappoint­ ing prospect. Thermal, California showed up ahead of schedule. We landed at 4:04, just twenty-nine minutes after leaving Redlands, 68 miles behind. That was more than 132 mph! Tie-downs secure, I patted Second Sweetheart with new affection and headed for the Flight Service Station. fie|ure^the map^flufa eifehawt The multi­ tude of restricted, warning and alert ares on the map overlapped and compounded themselves into a mess rnnlH resolve. �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter Norm Weis Reading the fine print pertaining to each area merely tangled the matter further. It appeared^there was no easy, legal way to get from Thermal to Imperial A cnlj map Jlffuiud I'i'did LllLuu. .. My fine print u. j a later vc.-..-cL?n. Other pilots gathered about, and one tall fellow volunteered that he always took the slot between the two restricted areas, (Military Operations Area) straight to through the In5>erial. with I figured I would do the same and squared the details The tall gent and I walked out the door together, diverging somewhat as we headed for our respective aircraft. ’’That a Pitts?” ’’Nope -- Starduster.” ’’You’re Starduster WHiskey!” plane, not me. He was looking at the ”I talked to you up near Inyokern." I glanced at the numbers on his plane and succumbed to like protocol. ’’You’re Oh Five One. Appreciated your help.” I .cyiT>U Glad to meet you. ' g his face, but I can describe OhTl^vej/one in detail. Visibility over the Salton Sea was unlimited in all directions but one, straight ahead. billowed like blowing dust^ It looked like smog, but At .five thewoand feet over the ground I could taste its grit between my teeth. what now recognized as a sandstorm. I rose to 6,500 to clear The extremely fine sand on low flats southwest of the Salton Sea must make such storms a �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter Norm Weis common occur^nce. ^rom my vantage point above the disturbance, I could make out the runway at Imperial, ennld see them. T miles ahead^ i— tallf tn Tmpo-ri aL reported winds of tower crt~knots. ^'^J?tirty knots is nearly forty miles an hour^^^e wind direction and the runwjry heading I could imagine the guys in the tower elbowing were each other with a "Watch this, thirty knots plumb crosswind, and that idiot’s gonna try to land!" Their communication with me showed no anticipation, only cooperation as they made sure I understood the perpendicular- ity of the wind by giving me permission to land in either direction on the lone runway. I lined Starduster Whiskey up on final approach, holding thirty degrees left heading to keep from being blown away. Over the threshold I dropped a wing and swung the nose in line with the stiip. We drifted. rudder, and we still drifted. The wing was at such an angle now More aileron, more that itr dould be two feet underground by the time the upTwind wheel touched. "Thank you. Imperial. I guess we’ll go on to Calexico." Customs officials at Calexico did not recommend that I continue flight into Mexico. They mentioned certain special forms for experimental aircraft but had none available. Of course, they carefully stated, I could fly on if I wante^^to discuss the matter with Mexican officials in Mexicali. A IS-th �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 6 Norm Weis dozen pilots had warned me about flying a homebuilt into Mexico. ' '' v?rrn.'i,"~:;?3 " ' ' 1 ,i.,, j.*" 'f At Redlands^I heard that a local pilo’^——-t his homebuilt into Mexico, filled out the required forms/*and with their well wishes, fltfu^outh for a little fishing. He landed at the same airport on his return, as had been requested, to find that a slight problem had developed. The local authorities had found that aircraft licensed in the .^experimental category could not legally be flown in Mexican ai:£^space. His plane was confiscated. That was five years ago, and the Mexican authorities still have the plane, ^.<*-'****^ Other sto/les were similar. One pilot was offered his aircrafTS^k/^ a ridiculous price. \Anoth^ sneaked to ? the airporh-aila stole his own airplane, therihad problems with I S^erican customs upon re-entry. ------- ~ Rather than snarl Second Sweetheart in red tape, I decided to skirt the border and head for Arizona, At least that was my intention Borders ar usually disappointing. cTi^fqX^nt — perhaps pink o land to loo las. the other as Calexico ch a demarcation exists. e side, Amazin The solid tan; Mexico vias a checkerboard of green line was unmistakable. One expects the ale blue on ust east of ed^ Statesjwas nd brown. The �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 6 Norm Weis Five miles away and well into Mexican ai^^space, the runways at General Toboada International Airport offered a blatant, welcome. border I headed toward the airport, violating the wondering how close Discretion overcame desire, and I settled for a mild demonstration of disappointment. Firewalled, I nosed doxm until the speed reached 150 mph, then lifted in a high wide barrel roll. At the top, completely inverted I looked down on Mexico and offered a snappy middle-fingered sa­ lute, the international sign of recognition. A brijfk tail wind hustled us on our vzay. iuma radio reported a strong tail wind two thousand feet higher. e climbed and sailed even faster, racing the sun to Gila Bend. The sun was touching the horizon as we passed over toxas. Time and our lowering altitude cooperated to sink the sun completely. We approached the runway flying into a rising sky of red and orange and yellow. "n rollout, a tall Sugauro Cactus moved into position, then another. and perfect. The picture was complete TTiis was Arizona. It had been a long day of flying} from Las Vegas to Death Valley, California, the Mexican borde:^ and finally to Gila Bend, Arizona. I considered ^j/^rogress. With the Pacific Coast reached, the country checked for leaks, and Mexican air space ovei^^flovm, ■—vn ........ ~ " / W;,us �Adventures in a Biplane Norm Weis Chapter 6 / 3^^^ J hdti, Bij^^.^rr*the 'way home I would pass through a small town in Colorado where the Rocky Mountain National Aerobatic Championships would be held. My mind shifted from cross country touring to barrel rolls and hammerheads. The next morning I packed the luggage away with 4 W / 4** extra care tba to piTLcLlee lq foati mano.uvoro alon^ T ■^--- —diagram of the Sportsman’s Sequence on the instrument panel. flew ^rth and ^st, rolling, snapping, looping and occasionally reversing with half a cuban /rt-rimght NuiLli, llylhg along the Mountaj .asbem tl^ for the comfort of familia ground and old Z? < X*- �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 7 Norm Wait tfPPTn HP AFiitnririTTKWhTmnN CHAPTER 7 For a chang<iKthe air was smooth as I slipped beneath the upside Mown cake of the Denver g«0;As difficult route was old stuff now. passed on eehedule* J The once », j q-* I put may the maps and relaxed, recall­ ing the pleasant banter of the previous evening with Mike and Suzy Herbison at Colorado Springs, now^^^iles behind. They surprised me with their intention to drive up and watch the wee^T^nd aerobatic competition. i t The HiH liy WUUHUILLR AAfdbALlC CtUimpluushlpj were tifl bp hcil^ot Longmont, a scant dozen miles from Boulder, my next stop. �Adventures In a Biplane Chapter 7 Norm Weis I sem planned to base my operations out of Boulder for the week In order to share Mike Ryer's foara~dome hangar and Sister Jess'^ gourmet cooking. e warm welcome that ays awaited my visits with Je er was due -law Ed* s weight problem to brothe imposed let, I d in on a ’ wife- always looked forward to the sumptous f High over the Boulder Airport* an aircraft was going through an aerobatic routine* no doubt practicing for the up­ coming contest. I patterned below* landed/^*”^d wandered over to a shady spot to watch the show. X found myself standing next to Mike Ryer, who promptly gave me the benefit of his jud^^oent on each maneuver. The sequence I watched didn't look much like the stuff I had practiced! even though Mike said it was the same the Sportsman's routine* My knowledge of contest**type aerobatics was so slim that I could not tell if the gent above waggon it or if 1 had been practicing it all wrong. Mike did his best to explain the techniques* but without watching me perform* there was little he could do to help* Others were waiting their turn to practice* so I sat back and watched* The pilot of the aircraft landed and walked over to join the group. His name was Robby Robinson, ears old^^nd a teacher at the local high school, lid hit it itff. He sai^^^lt^ �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 7 Norm Ueie aerobatics were lousy> but he loved every minute of it* ■cffliTfreved* that they looked okay to me, but that I one to judge, since I had the same problem. I was a poor We watched several routines, especially Mike Ryer's complex sequence. Robby and I offered sage advice froiysophomoric stores of knowledge. b^ind- led tlw blAmd. When Carl Bratfisch joined us, the conversation im­ proved. He answered questions for both of us. His background in the Air Force gave him a bit of an edge, especially when it came to an appreciation of the precision of a maneuver. Carl was a colonel in the Air Force, based at Colorado Springs, but had just recently taken up serious aerobatics W CZ^The three of us, all ’’Sportsman,” would be com­ peting against one another the next day. Robby and I figured 1^4 Carl would beat us both, leaving us to battle it out for last place. Late in the afternoon myewifu. Jay, arrived. Hav­ ing driven the 250 miles from Casper in a ground-born vehicle, she was peopsn and^ready to retire to the Kellenbergersr. For dinner, Jess fixed trout in almond butter sauce and served it with wild rice, togathev'eMieh June peas ^il</pearl onions. Us ate and we talked. Conversation began with recent developments within t&o �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 7 Norm Weis our families, and slowly turned to memories of the good old days. id Jeas if she recalled her first flight, ing of the times I used to help her commute to her summer ob as waitress at a Minnesota fish ery well, especially the looks resort. She recalled it h the faces of the rich folk s she climbed out of the fright blue float plane, waitress apron ap and all. But s Otten - her V ix years o sidered was also remembered something I had first trip off the ground , the youngest of the family. pest to be tolerated only if ieded this particular day bl ing, and my buddy and I b kite. It was a bi S for- " was five or generally con- er help was needed. twenty mile an hour wind was re trying to launch our latest 6ne -- 3' x 3’ x 6 feet We had a earner taped on the fronjxtiser, and a trip line stretched out two hundred She t of clothesline. An earlier model ng the broken the lighter-vjSlght twine -- this time we were taking no chances. It took two^ people to hold the line, and one to hold the kite. That’s where Jess came in. We gave r careful instructions as to vdiere to grab and how tohold it on a slant. to tell her to let go! We forgot Just as we brought the line tight, a gust took Jess and the'“kite ten feet in the air. The rope pulled so hard, it stumbled us forward, then slipped through our hands The kite fell and broke, but Jess landed unharmed. We didn* Ibl �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 7 Norm Weii tpMT'tha folKn other i------------ aQiLnth»x-mem»c4e8>^We visited until well patt midnlgjit.^^ Mike Byer and I took off together at^MU the next morning* Mike went on to the contest site, while I found a quiet spot to practice. While talking with the fellows, I realised that I had practiced two of the maneuvers in reverse* An hour later, the corrected moves began to feel natural, and I headed for Longmont* There were a dosen aerobatic planes already parked on the ramp, and several more land^ made my way to the registration trailer to pay my^lO*©© fee and have my papers checked* Proof of liability insurance was require^ as well as membership in the EAA (Experimental Aviation Association)/"az^ the lAC (International Aerobatic Club)* The airworthiness cer» tlficate and operations limitations were checke^and the plane and parachute inspected* The Inspectors were intrigued by my second seat belt* Such a belt is common, in fact required In all competing aircraft, but they had never seen one that utilised velcro Instead of the standard metal buckle. "Are yuu positive this will take ^negative g’s?" one of the Inspectors asked. I replied that we had lifted three grown men with the belt before it was installed* "Well, we want to be sure — don't want the same thing happening to you that got Speed Holman**' �Adventures la a Biplane Chapter 7 Ha suddenly had ay interest, Kona Weis ”What exactly did happen to HoAoan?" "His belt let go as he tried to pull up froa an inverted dive^^*je fel^hal^ay out of the cockpit. All he had to hand on to was the stick. Ever since his death, aerobatic pilots hove worn a seeend seat bel^” explained the inspector Since that conversation, Z*we rhsughfr about ny boyhood hero every tJ^ Z strap in. aoaxing amount of debris iwo- found* in the bellies of the various aircraft, each Item capable of interfering with control noveswnts rould ^sul? in a fatal acclden^. < ,11^ - ------------------------------- jiBfikiftB ifsrr^^nrr* eeveeal plsnesi A tost jwsfcsweHc uuueig'was sehrtewed frea . ths bslly of a Pecatiaon. Second Sweetheart was clean. 1 had carried out ny own inspection earlier, and in private embarrassment had retrieved a screwdriver that had been missing for three weeksl Z seershed out ny new friends, Carl and Robby, looked over the competition. the Sportsmen Contest. We In all, twenty people had entered Among the group were two regional cham­ pions, a few airline pilots, two flight instructors/^kdA an airshow pilot. It would be rough company, hmverr-emeM-mesa. >tar-of us competing for the first tisw. t6>3 �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 7 Norm Weis One of the airline pilots, Jim MciUnstry, a Western Airlines^ptain/o^inarily flStil in a more advanced categorj^ plane* <eday he was competing in Sportsman with a borrowed He had wiped out his Pitts at a recent air show when debris lodged in his elevator control as he exited a loop* The plane destroyed itself as it impacted at a sharp angle on the runway* Pieces flew in all directions, but McKinstry crawled out unharmed, a tribute to shoulder harness and sound aircraft design* The planes on the ramp varied greatly in else and number of wings* There were hilig-winged T-Crafts, Bellanca Citabrias and Decathlons, and five kinds of biplane^ which included one Steen Skybolt, a dosen red Pitts/'uid one wildly decorated Aaroduster, a second cousin to the Starduster. Parked along side Second Sweetheart was a light green plane of strik­ ing similarity. It was the two-place version called the ^rduster Too,***the design that caused all the confusion on my plane's center of gravity. �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 7 Norm Weis All the planes had one thing in common. On each Instrument panel was a white envelope**sized card that displayed a strange assortment of symbols. Aresti symbols they are called, named for Count Aresti, the man that developed short­ hand aerobatic notation. The circles, arrows, triangles, lines and dotted lines that crowded each card represented up to ten minutes' worth of aerobatics. I had rCws n pmW In Vhy S^wtheart. but it was panic pitl'pd^as only, since 1 was coUfldeiiL Llrnt X had my----- •sequence laemerised.— At the pilots' meeting, we learned the location.^ , t of the aerobatic box^*comers and the center cross were laid out with white panels^A»4he" heii was hhe sums-sige as frhn nnp T^ad Into uul at hsmsi. to the altitude and its debilita­ ting effect on lift, the top of the box was open. Sequences could begin as high as desired. To eliminate the possibility of two planes in the box at once (end it happens at almost every contest), we were to be held on the ground until the man above started his routine. Then we could climb up and enter as the man ahead vacated. Those with radios would get a double check on frequency 122.9. Xt would be a four^category meet. fly once, with the^top third All Sportsoien would entitled to repeat. Those in the Intermediate category would all fly two sequence^ �Adventures In a Biplane Chapter 7 Norm ;*jei« X^e Advanced group would fly three end the Uni 1mlteds would per* form four times. The last two categories would have to fly an ’’unknown" sequence cooked up In great secrecy by the judges. All told, there wore more than forty pilots flying nearly as many airplanes. Zt was to be a busy weekend. It and sounded like fun. Most of the pilots joked abo«*t while they waited their turn. appeared to be quite serious. However, some "Doe" Carothers, dentist from Lincoln. Nebraska, took a small model plane from his klt/*i^ "flew" It through his unlimited sequences. His concentration was total^ ^8 eyes followb^the model as he moved It through an Imaginary box was even more Intense. his sequence,-hl He closed his eyes and. walked through Is net- Ithe wings, flying ^i**'^**^** ver.^1 recognised the sportsman's routine^* I Mneu* "isybs I should join those doing the aerobatic dance* fiMsm rejected the Idea, flgurln^he dance was for top hands only. Zt would be too embarrassing to be seen dancing the routine on the ground. <13Xri«t.r blow the whole thing In the air. Wteu Jotm flulshethiits giuuud»bortrT>rftetice'^ 1 wandteri wished him luetes—Its wns a bit shocked be given wii £t ar ■ �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 7 Norm Weis t||St-XfimpaiUsit-ws--m--dessMd«aasl^iusUMM<sHnrv:"~Bnc'*not-4e9Mi^«« -jf IS** The MnXimiteds flew first. I stood by the P.A. snAOuneert Lloyd Wittenberg, another Western Airlines jZ^aptain^^ His descriptions of the maneuvers were of greet help, and he was happy to answer questions between routines. polished sy techniques. Mentally Z X would float over the top of each loop to make it round and hold straight lines equal on either side of sy rolls. X£ I csbm out crooked, 1 would ho 14 the crook until I entered the next maneuver. ‘'Never make an obvious correction/* said Lloyd, ''except in the interests of safety." day^^jrad friend$ Mike and Suzy Harbison, arrived before the Unlimiteds were finished. Mika asked about the competition, and Suz^told ma I had to win. Jay wished me the best. X explainel^it was all in fun, but there was a small seed of stage fright germinating in my mid-section, do well and not embarrass ay supporters. Robby, and*^JaoBiit X wanted to outscore’ X wanted to beat Carl Bratfisch too/ even— fly M Stainiy tKS, i wanted to ♦•We*. /«.»my X was caught up in the competition/^ahd was getting serious, even to the extent of .findwag a secluded comer bo walk throughsequence a few times. The engine warmed as X sat on the rasp awaiting ay turn. Overhead, Morrissey finished a flawless performance. �Adventures in a Biplane Bratfisch was next. Norm Weis Chapter 7 He started out well — much too well. hop.<l h. wouw blow . .o far. Now it's ny turn. as X climb to 9,000. I My stomach chases butterflies With the required wing-wag* X enter the box at 140 mph, level* barrel rollj^'^a^ level again (crisp and nice)* then pull up to a^^degree climb* hold it* then roll to inverted (not bad* but X wish X had a faster roll rate)* now hold it* keep climbing inverted — a bit longer* since the speed is dropping — now ease back on the stick and come around* -amd back to level (not bad). Dive for speed - a quick look • 150 nph* then a nice even slow roll — oops* keep the name up (eh* oh* scooped it out the last quarter). Now up and over in a ^i)loop* hold that^^^degree down line while inverted* then roll upright* hold the line and level up (perfect). X missed the outhouse and gravel pit markers od my own practice area* but pleased to note on each down/line that X 4lds| still centered over the big "X" in the center of the box. Next the loop — float her over — and pass through my prop wash at the bottom (beautiful). Now gain speed for a half loop and half roll (staggered out of that one). Now slow up for a^^/^tum spin. Do it to the right. Here's where you had it reversed. Now straight down* out of the spin (not bad)* pull up level* now straight up for a hammerhead. left to check wing on horison* now wait* wait* as the speed dies on top* kick left rudder* put the stick in Look �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 7 Norm Weis the comer — nothing happens — what's wrong? back down. whip. We're sliding I lock up the stick and rudder and wait for the Now we're pointed down (sure zeroed that maneuver). There vb^ chance to beat Carl —• and Robby to<^ most likely. Back to business (hal£}ieartedly) 27(6^ bank, hold the altitude now, straight through the box, back on the throttle, wait for 115 raph. Now -** full throttle, and snap her. Dammit! degrees off bank to the left! crooked —• I'm I straightened- the wings smartly, then cuss myself for not flying out of the box on the slant. Wittenberg would be shaking his head at that mistake. Back on the ground I quickly recounted my mistakes before anyone else could tell me about them. Carl listened Carefully, nodding his head. Then Just as I switched over to' nqr good moves, he volunteered some pointers on my loop, spin/^*^ and barrel roll, the ones I thought were perfect. Shot down by the Air Force! Robby made me feel better. He forgot a couple of maneuvers and fell out of several more, but he enjoyed it. was OQT problem. That I took it serioue^mnd forgot it was all supposed to be fun. From all the talk, and from the routines I had ob­ served, I figured on placing ^^h or^l^h out of When the scores were posted, I found I had placed^th, behind Morrissey, �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 7 Norm Weis 3588 points; McKinstry, 3370; Powell, 3329; Massegee, 3325; and Bratfisch, 3325. I scored 3066 —• in the top one third — and 5«as qualified for the fly-off! My confidence returned and my ego re^nflated. Damn — that wasn’t bad for a guy that taught himself aero­ batics. Besides that, mine was the only plane whose engine wouldn’t run inverted. in aerobatics. Maybe there was hope for future success Now I was hooked -- and «ow 1 was very serious. We adjourned to town for lunch. Mike brought a round of ale and toasted cy success in tomorrow’s fly-fiff. After a leisurely visit, we returned to the field to be met with instructions to roll the planes out and start up. Bad weather was forecast, and the fly-off had been moved up. We were due in the air right now! I have a rule about drinking and flying. I like to keep them separated by at least {^^hours. There is an old addage, most often quoted in its aboirted form! "Don’t smoke within twelve hours, or drink within twenty feet of any airplane It It looked Mee several of us were about to break the rule. The contestant overhead was messing things up properly, falling out of his loop and flying out of the box. The next pilot crossed the deadline between the box and the crowd. That’s a "no,^no", and brings an automatic zero score. There is only one other way to zero out, and that is to violate. /70 �Adventures In a Biplane Chapter 7 Norm Weis the 1500 foot minimum height — the bottom of the box. I missed Bratfisch's flight as I climbed to alti- asmawd he did well. ■ mind went blank. Hal^ay through my routine, ny I couldn’t remember the next move. I wagged out of the box (it’s legal), consulted my 4re8ti card and re­ entered for the^nd half. Outside of the break/^he routine was good, except for the hammerhead, which was described as a sen45^orque roll by Announcer Wittenberg. After landing, I filled up with gas. competition was over. t«. ij-qs q For me the mu»e 1 UULlltl lahar. Rough air moved in as the last two contestants flew. see them bounce about. It wasn’t a fair fly-off and those who suffered filed a verbal protest. to let it stand. You could Those who had done well wanted I didn’t care, figuring I’d finish^h or^h anyway. Finally the decision came down. We would re-fly the fly-off on Stmday — weather permitting. The scores on the disallowed flights were posted anyway. Unbelievably, I found that I had zeroed the loopI fact I plumb left it out. In Strangely, several othersy^had left out a move or two. Even Gagl-Dratflsuli-1l£l uul bus I And AFJ z** I-6wasn’t the beer, since Carl never touched the stuff. It seems that one must be mentally prepared if he is to do well. /?/ �Adventures in a Biplane Ch^ter 7 Nona Weis Since Z wu new serious about the business e£ aerobatics* it was only reasonable to learn HK>re about the method of seering* Five Judges evaluated each maneuver on a scale of 0 to 10, The high and low scores or^thrown out* much like the scoring of Olympic diving. There ^io^even a ^^ilffi^ulty or "K‘* factor* calculated in afterwards* For exsople* 9 points on a maneuver with K 20/wuld be 180 points. surprised to find that the.highest K ■nsSMaysriiaiH I was tnd thsssfuiu Hit iniuisuiusii was the hammerhead* the one l*coSl'Z to practice that maneuver* and bum off some excess gasoline at the same time* X rolled the plane out and began a walk-around inspection, X {■eAllred ^lalnteaace witehi nne-wnna rule; the meet started, No practicing was allowed once Xn fact, the planes were Ijffcerally impounded for the duration of the contest. There was no way to drain the extra fuel, said, at ^pounds per gallon, that meant I would be haulingunwanted pounds around, X wondered if the extra weight would help or hinder the hammerhead. that maneuver bothered me. The problem with Either X was doing sosiething awfully wrong* or the plane was somehow at fault, 1 asked for advice* but no one had a solution to my problem. The thunderstorms blew past during the night and the morning's bright blue skies and siaooth air were welcome. The fly-off of the top^ in the Sportsman's category went /7Z �Adventures in a Biplane quickly, Chapter 7 Norm Weis bfy first maneuver was good. I was relaxed of/Zth could not be worsened even if I zeroed the routine 457degree climbing roll did not go well. heavy. The plane was too After five maneuvers, I broke my sequence to climb for more altitude. Immediately, the radio man on the ground called for the next man to enter the box. I keyed in a frantic warn­ ing, ”^tay out, stay out - I’m only half done I” There was no reply, so I proceeded, eagle-eyed for an intruder. Surprisingly, However, I accidentally flew out of the hammerhead went well. the end of the box (that cost 150 points) and finished up 300 feet below the minimum height, :X^iat could zero the whole flight the Judges caught (4^. ■fisTT'an hour later the scores were posted. ' Judges had called ma for ’’going out the bottom' flight. ed. The and zeroed ny They were correct, of course, and 1 got what I deserv­ However, seventh out of twenty was better than the last place finish I had feared. Maybe I could have done better had I taken some dual^from an experienced competitor. The two4u>ur flight home the next morning offered time to think and plan. There was a contest to be held<.a ewHseh latea on the Fourth of July at Council Bluffs, Just across the river from Omaha. It would be bigger and tougher, but I was smarter now, and I would have almost a month to practice. If I could solve the hammerhead, I would be very competitive. /73 �Adventure* In a Biplane Chapter 7 Norm Weis Maybe if I climbed with a slight lean to the left, the plane I checked around for traffic and gave would fall over better. it a try. Usually I laid the left wing on the horizon as I headed up, so this time I lowered the wing so that it was cen­ tered on the horizon. complete control. Amazingly, we swung over Ind down under I tried again, this time checking the right wing's position on the horizon, and was shocked to see that it was also centered. Good grief I All ray other ’’straight up lines*' had been leaning to the right. fused to fall left. No wonder the plane re­ Why hadn't other pilots seen it? did, but were Just being kind. Probably did I ever get such a bad habit? Suddenly it became clear. Pitts a few months back. on top of the horizon. X had flown a two-place Xhe wing position for straight up was When I climbed back iti^the Starduster, I carried the sight picture with me. X resolved in fche- fuSwst ^Iways/Q check both right and left wings to )^sure a vertical track. Well now! Competition was going to be a bit more in­ teresting in the future. Casper was fifty miles ahead. X kicked rudder and changed heading a bit to put uqS on a line with my private prac­ tice area, the one with the outhouse and gravel pit. to be ready for Council Bluffs. -159- X planned �Adventures In a Biplane Chapter 7 Norm Weis The month raced by, and the hammerheads became easy. Even the snap rolls, entered faster and with less elevator, became predictable. Improved. My altitude conservation also On a cool day, with minimum fuel, I could complete the sequence without a break to climb. Rancher Steinle called frequently. He was re­ lieved to see me practicing agaln^^i* thought I’d done myself in somsriduire. 1 listened to his criticism carefully, even though he professed ignorance concerning aerobatics. He was the only coach I had. By the end of June, I was more than ready. I de­ cided to leave for Council Bluffs a few days early, and perhaps practice along the way. 1 packed air mattress, tent and sleeeJ ing bag, plus a few cans of sardines and a handful of aandy bars. By the time the sun was high enough to warm the cockpit, we were halfway to Ogallala, Nebraska, riding a tall wind for all it was worth. By noon we had refueled at Grand Island and were on our way again. put down at Council Bluffs. Just over an hour later, we The contest was still two days off, but the ramp held a sprinkling of aerobatic craft. Apparently other pilots planned to do a bit of practicing too. After registering, I flew on east to Perry, Iowa, for an overnight with relatives. Q. have relatives and friends con­ veniently placed all over the country! ^*^e next morning, I �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 7 Norm Weis practiced the routine a few times in the quiet air above the runways at Perry, then flew on west, practicing along the way. The ranq> at Council Bluffs was crowded with aero­ batic aircraft — twice the number that I had seen at Longmont. ^KidaMt. *reir ahimdant Itt ondly ^tiT welcome was genuine^ A 250 pound pig^had been rotating over a charcoal fire since early BrcnlnQ, carved up and serve^with beans, potato chips and beer.ldMW/^^^'^^vC**^ atmosphere was friendly and relaxed. serious. Tomorrow it would get tirer. 7***^ At eight the next morning, 67 pilots gathered Thirty of those pilots were entered in .flbewtr fov a briefing. the Sportsman category. here to do it again. Everyone ahat beat me at Longmont was In addition, a national champion had showqrt- up, along with a dozen more experienced competitors from all over the midwest. Xhnt wwe I could find just one other tyro/7artiJ*^ friendly nemesis, Carl Bratfisch. Ny flight was scheduled near the end of the group. While waiting, X listened in on the Judges* comments, try­ ing to figure out how they wanted each maneuver done. I didn't see things the way they did — but then they weren't agreeing with each other either. Rancher Steinle's jud^'^faient looked pretty good by comparison. Several times during one flight I heard a judge on the left say '*p>o steep," while the one on the 2 --4*^ �Adventures In a Biplane Chapter 7 right sai(^*’^blt shallow.” Norm Weis The judges differed widely on the barrel roll, with one judge giving tens,/a^ others scored threes . and fours. still uncertain just what they wanted to see. and how to fly properly crooked so It would look right from their view point. Flying for score was like painting a picture blindfolded, while five obstinate critics studied the work with magnifying glasses. When It 8«ne my turn to fly, everything seemed to go just right — all except the hammerhead. safe, and skidded It over the top. I played It too When the scores were posted, Carl had 3355 points and I had 3204. We ranked 11th and 15th out of 30.^“Either of us qualified for the fly-off. Eight pilots scored better than 3400 points, with Morrissey, the winner at Longmont, topping out with 3753. As at Longmont, I was at once disappointed, yet encouraged. There was no question but I could score In excess of 3600, given more experience with the business of flying for score. ""*■ '** ght s mors, enj nyahl a. 4.ihi-w.iwii ■ni» ■ I Carl. Bsatflseb and I stretched out on our backs and watched the flights. The quality of pilotage in the more advanced categories was impressive. were unbelievable. gf Other Some of the moves Outside loops were common, and so were �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 7 Norm Weis square andsided loops. There were snaps going up, down/^^ and at the tops of loops. Unlimited |>ilot8 experienced up to 5 negative g*s bottoming out of outside square loops, then felt hard positive g's in subsequent pull-ups. The abrupt change «6r*-*^^»*w** 4*^ I .f cewid put the pilot to "sleep", the plane flyout of the box, wings aslant and uncontrolled. The "sleep" and generally brief. rare Usually the pilot recoverj? before ser­ ious loss of altitude. When done properly, aerobatics is an art form — an aerial ballet — a three dimensional dance deserving of the finest symphonic accompaniment. Even when less than per­ fect, aerobatic flight is rare freedom axid rarer privilege. But for every privilege there is a price. After I left the contest site, one of the contestants ,hisrt<an engine 0^ fail ^sile^climbisig out. He tried hard to save his plane, but stretched his glide too far. the ground and burned. The aircraft stalled, spun to The price was paid quickly. , � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Norman Weis Manuscripts Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/</a> Date Created Date of creation of the resource. 1971-1987 Description An account of the resource A collection of manuscripts by Casper College professor Norman Weis. <br /><br />This collection includes manuscripts of:<br /><em>Ghost Towns of the Northwest: Known and Unknown<br />The Starduster<br />Two-Story Outhouse<br />Helldorados<br /></em><br />Each manuscript contains written in edits by Norman Weis Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Norman Weis Language A language of the resource ENG Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. Norm Weiss Manuscripts and Photographs, CCA 10.2003.01 WyCaC US. Casper College Archives and Special Collections. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Searchable PDF Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context CCA 10.2003.01_Weis_Manuscripts Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Manuscript Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource <em>The Starduster</em> Draft Manuscript Ch. 1-7 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <div class="element-text five columns omega"> <p><a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/</a></p> </div> Date Created Date of creation of the resource. 1979 Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Norman Weis Language A language of the resource ENG Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. Norm Weiss Manuscripts and Photographs, CCA 10.2003.01 WyCaC US. Casper College Archives and Special Collections. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context CCA 10.2003.01_Weis_Starduster_DraftManuscript_1Thru7 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Searchable PDF