https://caspercollege.cvlcollections.org/files/original/31c85624106ecbc01ba1e185fe824869.pdf eb558e8245a1d21feb57ba6039845873 PDF Text Text Adventures in a Biplane Nona Weis OF' S^KATCHEWAN Chapter 8 Flying Second Sweetheart to Canada would have been far easier had I remained ignorant of the special rules concerning experimental aircraft. While^building the plane, some kind soul had mentioned that homebuilts were not allowed to cross national borders without special permission^ The rule is little known. ^nd Infrequently ejierctsed.^ It took^hree phone callj and four letters to locate the proper Canadian agency^Two more letters finally had a list of the required papers to /7P �Adventures in a Biplane be submitted. Chapter 8 Norm Weis It was a good thing I started the procedure during the idle days of winter. Three months later, a statement of authorization arrived along with a pamphlet containing rules pertaining to Canadian flying, and special rules for flight into the sparsely populated areas 80J)am My trip WUlJ take me one hundjiiil mil lb hi Him 'JpVlllgad**^arl;—ef SaskahekawnnT /' Mnajr.-af «-hp rftgulat-lnna made sens?, bll*’ * fOW- c^uld nolZ_bfLJii:ajJja£lj£-J3te c^aoi t*y due taJLh££tardiLat^ gmall cargo X vzas required to !>.>.•.« carry five pounds of dry food, cooking gear, matches, compass, knife/*and mosquito net. list went onZ inches or axe These items sounded fine, but the poimds or more, with a handle of thirty feet of snare wire, four trawls (whatever they were), two fishing lines with assorted hooks and a fishj^et of not more thanInch mesh. Since my intention was to go fishing, I had two fishing rods along, packed in a special compartment in the rear fuselag^.0^Alsu fBMiKa small kit of lures. I added one hatchet. some wire/^nd the net portion of a landing net. The four (^4<* trawls were left out since I could find no one that knew what nghj^rthe list made no mention of flares smoke bombs or signal mirror. in NINW. These were standard equipment �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 8 Norm Weis My letter of authorisation specifically prohibited aerobatic flight. Sieti uae a disappointi^tai, but -eeeti fifaMk that particular rule was frequently repealed. My Cgnadian authorisation* good for only seven days* began the day I returned from the contest at Council Bluffy ^jffiat evening I checked the plane over* serviced the engine* charged the radio batteryy^nd stowed my gear. The equipment <w»ld fill all the normal compartments* making it necessary to carry clothes and cameras in separate containers The total load was a bit more than on the trip to the \*4st ^ast* but there would be no mountains to on the floorboards. _ ...» . I Clear* and lift would improve^ v found denser air the low elevations of ^rthem Saskatchewan. At 7 A.M. I said goo^^e to Jay and took off, headed north. odbyes seemed more frequent tliaftwritius for Jay;— "nugd «^he plane Second ay wsni |ntBTLaJn4ng some dmihs ikunLiiiTHng-1i«i >/**'hmighr r«1»Hir. yar>v^Tlg. An hour later we refueled at Sheridan* took off without delay* and headed for Montana, Below our track* num­ erous coal mining operations scarred the laxidscape. over a number of ugly* unreclaimed pits. We flew I wondered where the beautiful grass-covered reclamation projects were that the big energy companies continually bragged about on the T.V. conmercials. /?/ �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 8 Norm Weis mtana, fifty miles shqjpc ofA the bor­ der, I visited witythe Qustoms man while filjxtg the required flight plan to cross th/ border to Regina,y^skatchew<m. No i Inspection wa^requiree to exit the cowatry, but he went through \ a list of D^ms that vpuld be checker on the other slide. I \ answered/’no” to boozel bacon, apd marijuana, but volunteered that l/had fishing rodA. a hprldy-dandy hatchet, and the ever vitM rabbit snaring wire on board. He thought that was hilarious and had to have a tour of the plane to sea where everything was packed >acked. As the border eased ing to the Canadian rules of flight: below, I think' Eastward flight was to be at odd thousands of feet in altitude, and westward was to be even thousands, both without the added 500 feet required in the United States. No VFR (visual flight rules) flights were to be made over clouds — from now on I had to stay underneath even the most sparsely scattered clouds. Radio frequency of 122.2 was to be monitored continuously "when practicable^ according to the manual. mA mAanh With a limited life battery, ’’practicable” ti*- on* fTZ. �Adventures In a Biplane Chapter 8 Norm Weis Presently we crossed the boundary of the control area surrounding Regina* I tw^d^he radio to 122.2, turned the volme up high and gava^Sien, a call. watts was aspa* rently inadequate^* Five minutes later^^^^nd ten miles closer, I tried again^ and received an answer immediately. After asking ny altitude, Regina radio informed me of approaching traffic at 12 o'clock (head on), but 1,000 feet bilow. I was their buaiaeas^likB RtTlWiSSe cautioned to maintain altitude, I reported crossing the east«west highway Just south of the airport as requested, and was promptly given clear- anas to land* On rol^jout, I we^esoed directions to Customs, ths tower man obliged, then asked if the plane Ira^aerobatic. I answered in the affirmative. After some delay, he asked if I did imieh, aerobatics in the plane. 1 answered again in the affirmative, figuring he was Just being friendly. sat in the coc t, waiting for tlie Cust come out and U. S. Customs ag angry If yo eave go law-abid taxi ane. citla After five m I noticed Everyprie got out and we ins id e agent in charge said it^^s coffee time, and could I wsat? ent 8 gei/vexy es of trying to ther V. S/filaxui I foil d of 60 or so We both had coffee Fifteen minutes later, the agent peeked out of the window at �Adventures in a Biplane fflfl InrV, Chapter 8 inH pniwli.ij t-hw Norm Weis tiA, gI4.ghfc flu wj . / The oil was low my and required I asked for a quart weight. In short ordery| flight plan of to 50 Prince * was back at the plane looking for petrol. Albert •TV Thera was no tank truck available, so I gave the bloody wind­ screw a twirl, climbed in and taxied around the corner to the pump. no - a blue fired ques organized t ime the plane was surrounded by uniformed lad boy scout troo^ pf wouldpilots. three at a time until au rview. They ity shBflsd up and The questionp^wer^.Jcnowledgeable — how does/ihe handle on rolls; does she stall clean; what’s the consumption on the engine? All they had was 100 grade. Quite a discussion ensued. Finally we all understood that 100 grade was Canadian for 50 weight American. With the windscreen freshly cleaned, one of the hands volunteered a twirl, and I proceeded to taxi out, proud of my Il tv® wwt knowledge of the Canadian language. When I called for clearance to the runway, the tower operator avoided answering, questions about aerobatics. instead hwgan aiikiiig more I pulled on the parking brake and answered. ”Yes, the plane handles aerobatics nicely, and yes, I did a whole bunch Just the other day.” I7H- �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 8 Nona Weis ’’Would you put a show on for us?” *ti^3“)'l’d sure like to, but ray authorization to enter the country prohibits aerobatics. ” ”T^ell, we can give you our permission.” ’’Can you override the prohibition?” There was a long pause, then a deeper voice came over the radio: ”We will override that.” jAen preoeeJed Ltrmini airshow at busy Regina Airport, while two jetliners loaded passengers on the ramp below. I peeled dovm between runway 30 and the tower at 500 feet and 160 mph, t)ut her on knife edge, held it, Xhen leveled, pulled y J ‘tVe up sharply Zand rolled. On fche-jutJiTd re 11 the cameras floated off the floor boards and threateaoA X trapped<-Vi n-nn hand and COmpIp^-pH— tbpm ggaiMfit- t-hp insEruwent paAol tn* wn th* w«-havy^t-h»RR ri»'ni-«iiii.,.i cut tn g - the radio ’’Beautiful, he Bring r, voice ”it ***P . beautifulI” hewan landscape the sun as seem toXsh roads elevators our CO ft at Intervals raa th ” prin^d o different. were ecially clean. th bright yell and/red grain the side, the eq wn has two or three ings/holding hockey rinks and c lin The towns an ena-size ild- lanes4^.„AxiJ-evcevwh&ie ulgrT �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 8 Nont Weis re is wheat* »ii«| and mitev of wheat* fssHi the shield country* tdie pre-cambrian roe inally makes cul tivation impossible. As Z approached Pr Albert* Z could see the southern edge of the shield* SKltaassive^rea marked by numerous lakes* red and brown outerbps of rock* and nse forests of rather scrubby treofZ*^ Valuable minerals had be about the shiel built towns found sprinkled n the past 50 years* causing roadb^to to be born. Once the roads were built ckly beeasM fishing resorts. Zn spite of the the j^rime transportation in the shield country* or sparsely populated area of the province* was the float-equipped airplane On the ground at Prince Albert* the first three people I met asked ise to put on an air show. The folk/at Regina radio had probatty passed the word up the line. clined* refueled* filed and took off. ' I de­ flight note for LaRonge* climbed in But the ”schoolbus syndrome" prevailed* On take* off Z held the Sweetheart down for speed* then climbed almost vertically* half*-hamaierheaded^^'*and banked steeply to assume a c course to LaRonge. Signs of civilisation dribbled away to a two-lane black top road thatfchanged) eventually to gravel. cars* and Z clung to the road like a child to a Zt was lonely country. There were few magdcst A forced laxiding away from the road �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 8 Norm Weis would be disastrous, since it would be nearly impossible to move across the Rivers, lakes and bogs interlaced with occasional ridge^ike highlands called ’’eskers^’ formers veri- table maze. We sailed along over a progression of quiet lakes, remaining always within gliding distance of the road. Soon sinre them fortyjjat the extremes, the Eake was surrounded by trees and a mesh of connecting waterways. was peppered with islands. dangerous. northern half iSb southern half was open and From ground level you could not see the far shore. LaRonge Town SH- tight up against the west•iftore on a solid slab of granite. I could see several float planes taking off and landing, and several dozen more tied to the docks. The land port, a mile to the south, was quiet*4*<**^j^ the radio service was shut down. After clearing the area for traffic, 1 circled overhead searching for the wind sock. Fail­ ing that, I took direction from the float planes and landed to the northeast. had to be closed, or uld be launched deserted. A turn ,af ter>^upper arri exp mse. The radio ck was open, but on the cojnter stated^the operator 1 left no tly searc ould re» o the effect that NlNW had and would be at the Dalyn Fishi �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 8^ Norm Weis The^cami^was operated by a young and friendly couple, Dave and Linda Longpre* Dave, a bush pilot until he bought the camp, had hopes of expanding the operation by adding a number of fly-in camps, and in the process-^get back into In fac^he had a lake he wanted to check out, active flying. had arranged for the use of an^^ horse Cub on floats/^fl^ 4 like to go alongT**"^**^ Shortly after breakfast the next morning, we loaded up with on^ rod and three luresx^d gas to the brim of both tanks. Dave faced her into the wind and opened the throttle. Soon we were plowing watei^ ar.u4 4...4..Q ** 1 ■ r "* ? J * ”_nn tilw gathered slowly, and the wings took part of the load. Speed Stick left, and one float cleared the water..a,Speed iaeeeased by etr four t^ph whno m, i-qm nm a sharp tug laeice off and climbing. then with Dave was an acoomplished pilot — probably had more time on floats, which Canddians call skis, than he had on wheels. It was a pleasure to look out of the window and <u>/Zo/ watch the floats pass over ^"Irrcnr as we headed for the remote lake. The sight brought back pleasant memories. Jieaewiee of my first solo flight in a seaplane^** serf of s t-yffurself been tirnntj fira yr*-* th*^ ny^ �I Adventures in a Biplane Cha Nona Weis boss and pal, Bill Riedesel, made a most unusual bargain with a yhmig adventurous type named Tom Croswell, Tra wanted floats put on\his Cub and was short of money after l^ing out cash for the Edo Hoats. Bill volunteered his and uptime to make the conversion, yf we could fly the plane, fuimishing the fuel, of course. Tom a^eed, and in three days tlM land plane became a seaplane, comple^ with extra fin, wat^ rudders, canoe paddles, / and life preservers^ the Park Rapids (Minnesota) * airport to the nearest winter. The haul would be expensive. but Tom (adventurous) had \ s He figured two pickup trucks and a long rope would\suffice« The rope would catch each float at the back of/^e ^tep on a fitting called the skeg, / \ but would release as flying speed was reached. It worked/ but it was dangerous I We had three volunteers in the back of each pickup\to hold the rope ends, and on the shouted/count of "three”, th^drivers accelerated along the grassy ^runway. At twenty mph the rope slipped from the right float/and the plane skidded wildly^ try, Tom s red into the air, using full travel on every con­ trol he could find. He staggered over the righthand pickup so low, we du^ed the floats. length amy. On the second The prop chewed air a scant arm's We never tried that method again. \ We drove to the lake and met an ecstatic �•*’X- Adventures in a Biplane Crossweli. Chapter Nom Wsis Z turned out he had never flown on fiMts before» and he loi^ it« and would we like to try it tantJ ^ill went first* While I retumed/to tend the airport. An hour\ater Bill showed up as thrilled as Tom was* and "It went Just like the book said," he explained. "Just opm up and hog back to/get her plowing* then pop her forward on tk\step, lean a flo^ out and ease back!" Z had it and rehearsed it once morses Z sat In the cockpit "sailing" the plane to the downwind em of t^ lake. Z faced her into the wind* checked mags and opeb^her up, careful to begin step one by applying some back pressu^. by the floats. Water boiled, then hissed Just as Z waf read^to pop her forward on the step, the hissing stopped* _.mii Z reallaed we were flying. 1 was still on step / \ Danmitl 120 pounds and eheat^ the minimum fuel made the Cub a real perfomr. Zt wasn’t until Z had received a seaplane rating and started\hauling passengers that Z learned steps two, three and four. \ But whatever the nature of the takeoff* float flying was a ne^ kind of thrill. On calm water, thk usual bounce and roll of Wheels was replaced with absolute siMothness. Planf end water parted and rejoined without a nenceable change. Only the onset of a quiet hiss let you know a perfect landijigghad been made. Flying from smooth water was like dancing the starring role in Swan Lake. / �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 8 Norm Weis My daydrearaiag. ended as Dave eased the throttle and glided down to an effortless landing on the smooth waters of the reweSe lake. Fishing was slow, and the first three trout threw the hook, I [jiilLitcd uliL Llie dull trsMoi me KAiigKf fiwnw chores, paddling and casting. ahftp.. a We traded WejjaxieefeetWrTBBtllSTTnr e' tt^waSe»"iwiddey on the fleaL LU ChUlTCBTauL Lhe^effoofee .Riit nt liw»S> Fishing from a floatplane is rnddllnr. Vg awkwardl* Everything is in the way, and the uaderfootlng is slippery. The fish were there — .fchee^i what Dave wanted to know, so we taxied about the lake looking for a cabin site. Several sandy beaches offered ideal location^ ^J/^ather began to move in, aad» discretion dictated a hasty departure. The winds were squalling from the wrong direction, irfrp. and eirtwo drooped hff^^y. 1 * > <-g ■» ■ 4xi£JU-aaiXiAg>'e*MMBadde*-Xo->ge<r y “**-*--■ g, n.«t. —r? on t-h^------- j]axt>J;aka«a££Ma£X£aQ£x«.JEieieUi)K9 we clawed our vay into the air and headed home, dodging the low scud^^ C_J^We won, but just barely. rolled in. fog. The wind died and the We flew^through light rain, dodging patches of haterj we heard-several eteries ef ether hush pllntdfc (9f �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 8 Nona Vais that had been forced to land and wait for improved visibility. One of theml^ a lone female passenger of interesting propor­ That pilot was the last to axrrive the next day. tions on boaroV bush out of LaRonge, like most other flying, is mostly routine, but sometimes frightening a^ occasionally humorous. Dave told a friend that had be^ practicing water pick-up and fire-drop te^miques. Many of t^ float planes based in the area can be quickly convert^' to fire fighting configuration. Ssiall, hollow, upside down periscopes let the pilot fill two water tanks by skimming/along on the step with'\ / out really landing, then proceed\to ^he fire and drop the load* Dave’s friend was checking out a tank Installation, and had returned to the dock to complain of 'a release lever that only It took a second, heavier yank to / empty the remainder. Before he could mention the problem, he / was drawn into a scheme cooked up by a group of pilots and half moptied the load. mechanics hoping to get k^ck at a new hand, a fellow nssMMi / Joe, who had recently j^rpetrated a number of practical Jokes. Everything was plann^ carefully. Joe, airport. proposed victim, had Just left for the The gai^ would drive over and wait for the pilot to fly innocently by, then they would ask Joe to walk across the runway topick up some tie-down ropes. The pilot, �Adventures In a Biplane Chapter 8 Nora Wale r VROuld time his pass and give Joe a wet right in the middle of the runway Well* Joe Xtarted across* and the pilot him. led aw only a floatplane/ihat surely Joe looked* Idn't land on the runway He continued •*>> atMi so did Uie lane — straight toward him. oe got suspicious* lane was a few hundred feet awe When the Joe jjegan to run, then re- \ / versed his field — reversed again* and finally resigned himself to his worst suspicions. The ws^r casX|bM down* knocking Joe 'let and soaking him clear toXis Jocky sl^ts. mt to look and enjoy the/lretribution. The gang ran They cavorted about the victim* pointing and Ijellering and rolling with laughter, as the pilot banked fpZa return pass, his hand on the lever that had delivered only half a load. They were in a tight knot, laughing and dancing and waving congratulations to the pilot >verhead as the remaining 500 gallons of water cascaded down*. , laBonge was still socked in with fog the next morn** ingy* 1 wandered about the town soaking up the frontier atmes-— pherp, e< an "end of ths road tewm” The single main street wsndewed^lewg parallel to the shore, graveled in spots* but puee solid granite most of the way. Fishing camps and charter air services crowded the lake side of the road. and a few residences stood opposite. Stores* cafes Sewers and septic tanks were all but precluded by the solid rock that underlaid the 193 �Adventure* In a Biplane ae^R^ Chapter 8 Norn Weie zJfiere was only one flush s£^ in town* am^ Indians from hundreds of miles around made special trips^ to flush it. Oufcheuees were the- nesm.—Brand new pre fabrlcaLed— tpeyefced ■■ui... and ona >dne litpior sev 1 "licens varied 'client to Cree trap formed in side ore did booming **ta]ce out" business presdses" offered libation to a greatly Well-heeled fly-ii\fisherme pay day, end on ont of the "premises awaitit rank ale next day, long lines open hours. Once in< native Indians would order six or eight beers de­ livered to the table, and enjoy the visible prospect as they sipped the afternoon away. ____________ The whole town smelled of fish. For the sport J* x***- the boats returned, people gathered at the docks to view the z -/fyU and pick up a tip or two. Each boat carried a large washtub or box of equivilent sise. NP-mawtageaBS^aiBSad* In June and September the boats usuaUy returned with overflowing boxes, happy fishemen^/and grinning, usually toothless, guides* But now, in July, the big fish were scarce and the boxes sq^u^ngJ^ fiUed? The urge to go fishing — really fishing — heoa * �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 8 Norm Weis ipBtetfi'tmd guidri returned as 1 watched a box holding a dozen *‘******y-rr-*—emptied ity^the cleaning house four pounders was eaoqpad neaabyX^d mas looking for someone to go shares on a day's fishing. Ed^wma a retired Saskatchewan wheat farmer/ avid fisherman* rhsmpifm ski Junysr* and oaai 6*?lw&e charactezg ftnt fslilnm mseSr. We made a dealy Ed's outboard motor and knowledge of hot fishing spots^matche^ny boat rental and gasoline. Ws headed out early the next morning* dodging reefs and bowely siibmergeifc rocks along the way. An hour late Jie seepped Se ewell s« sme-ei Bd'e fa^rity^speiaSs Ed took a couple of sights on nearby islands/*’If I don't resMSsber wrong* this is the spot.” j We trolled with wire lines^amd heavy luwes* beunen as Ed was complaining that "they don't want to hook today*” a nice one put a horseshoe bend in his stiff trolling rod. Soon we had a fine eight-pound lake trout thrashing in the fish box* and moments later a six-pounder Joined ”"iL gireb you----- plenty of t the particular to vis I was intrigued rds toget th s accent and med that in " and "trout*** rhymed perfectly. In �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 8 Nont Weis t Canadian on and headed north to try casting for N er^^ke, calle^ ^Jacks" by the locals, Fishing was the next four with a save er and a six pounder and four pounders for on sone urs. I ftnally^-^jmtrib?ted alternated e, and when the fish box looked respectable, we tiours and thirty miles The weather was lousy the next morning. Fog re­ duced the world to a silent white hemisphere. The fish caught the day before were all filleted and frosen. Ed had donated kCf Ince his freeser at home was already ful The twenty-odd pounds of pure, boneless fillets would fit nicely ix/^me of Second Sweetheart's unused wing compartments. I stomped about town, yi-eifeing every charter sevvice and^l sh fame headquarters, touching base frequently with Dave and Linda Longpre to swap stories and listen to weather reports. The outlook was bad. When low ceilings gather over the shield country, they usually stay £while, up to a week, according to some of the long-time pilots It was relaxing for the hush pilots — a time to rest and let the mechanics catch up. time was running out for me. If 1 couldn't reach the United States in the next three days, my permit would expire emoon, t rained all bight/and andered about But rting a newly rain fell with �Adventures in a Biplane Norm Weis Chapter 8 The rains stopped in late afternoon, but the A new low-pressure weather forecast remained discouraging, system was to move in the next for another week. and dominate the area There was.a chance for a few hours of mar- ginal flying weather the next morning^ I packed uph-and made arrangements to pick’^the fish^^ at 6 A.M. ;?here vas a noticeable thinning of the overcast as 1 walked to the local hotel J:ha next wming for an early breakfast. An hour later, a patch of blue passed over^as Dave helped me load up the Stardustei^^*^fe^ it socked in again. We waited at the radio shack, looking west for lighter skies, as if wishing would make it so. Perhaps the wishing did it. a thousand feet. i The ceilingX*^ose to I quickly filed my flight note and took off. The overcast lovzered some as I approached the mild highlands hal:^3‘’ay to Prince AlbertZ^ squeezed through with a hundred feet to spare. If it got worse, I would have to land on the road below, or head back. Itjasa brighter ahead, so ^^con­ tinued. ^Twenty miles out of Prince Albert, the weather went below VFR minimumSy'^ ;&t was too late to turn back. My gas would not reach. I called Prince Albert radio and explained my predicament. They could refuse permission to land, or they �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 8 Nona Weis could bend the rules and let me sneak in. Never underestimate the Canadians. special way 5t^handl#*^uch problems. They fiaS^a I was asked to orbit a dozen miles north o£ the airport while they cleared the area of aircraft so that X would be the only blip on the nearby Saskatoon ladar. There was only one other plane in the air* and in a few moments, irwas on the ground, and X was cleared landf«*jfe Now X had to find the airport. The am* hundred^ —foot ceilings and quarter-mile visibility made task challmging. X^found the town of Prince Albert, then the river going east. Around the first big bend, 1 turned left and came in the back door to the airport. No sweat! landing under minimums in a pinch was all right, but X would have to wait for 800-foot ceilings before departing. X drank coffee and loafed about the grounds until noon, when the men at Flight Service said another window was arriving that would let me get off for points south — at least to Saskatoon. X filed for Swift Current, 225 miles south, figuring to land at Saskatoon if the weather worsened. We left as the window arrived, pointing upstream and south-southwest along the Saskatchewan River. brightened. ahead. Soon the skies Five large white birds with black wiT^tips j^gijwred As we closed, the' large yellow bills*Q^^he pelicans^bo*» nans swtdsati. We were alieost even with their formation when the �Adventures In a Biplane Cliapter 8 Nom Weis left wingman noticed us/''*^?h<!y evacuated in unison^and banked Saskatoon showeci clearly a point or so to Star- board. Like most Saskatchex^fin cities, it looked bright and clean, even under dark skies. I reported my progress to Saskatoon radio, received a eatisfactory weather report and continued on course for Swift. Current. ood off both wings, and we flew the wide corridor, feeling t occasicnal warmth of brief sunshine. Twenty miles \u^/bf Swift Current\ t skies were suddenly clear. hat’s what. ohC weatherman termed a similar ’’Severe clea relief from overcast conditic:•ns. Swift Current Flight Service a ramind nr thal^U. S. Customs XTOuld be clo3ed,^«4«M< •*LnTnn GuiirTiijr >JfherG would be a ^25/00 fee to open the office at Glasgow, Montana. ^^ere was too little time to make it all I hac to overnight gomex4iere, I ^igur^ the 'vrsy hcm.Q/^^d it might as well be^Swift Cuirent. I had one day left to reach the U. S, without violating ny permit. During the night , the edge of the overcast drifted south instead of east as expe cted. passing up breakfast, I hurred to the airport; few ijftekclia <eB peawwes cn the ■— wa!3i»— It was still bright to the south, but closing down rapidly from the north. Some of the scud looked familiar. �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 8 Norm Weis The ceiling^ went below minimus^ as Z taxied out to tlM end of the runway. 1 had to receive clearance before takeoff. Swift Current Flight Service knei^lTwas headed for the brighter skies to the south* and to delay me now would hold me up several days. ceiling. They cleared me in spite of the low Nice folkf these Canadiaxui. For fifty sdles we dodged clouds and powe^ines. JBiea ^iuddenly it was clear again^*^ rose to^comfortable altitude* ^nd fep crossgf ths<, invisible line* the 49th Parallel* that separates those who say "troot" from those who say "trout.” Montana* asked the quired questions the plane. on before releasi Haljf^ realised that I had failed to cancel jd gow did not answer* but after four calls* the pilot of a Twin Otter* flying nearby volunteered to relay my reque The homing instinct came on strong as the Big Hom Mountains showed a faint line ahead. Individual peaks stood out as we approached Sheridan on the Wyoming border. was nearly 100 degrees. The full tanks and the extra weight of the fish packed in the wing made the taktf£bff fnora Sheridan Airport less than spectacular. We staggered out and climbed �Adventures in a Biplane Norm Weis Chapter 8 slowly into coole^ smoother air. There is time aplenty to dream and fehinlnwhen the air is smooth and the course is known. Each sight below sparks a different thought. This was the favorite country o^Jim Bridger some 100 years ago. "Old Gabe(^ as they called him, used to call Big Homs, his "Shining Mountain^^ and he would tell lies about "seein* clear through * em." H^Zlaimed they "magnified rock chucks to look big as Ue al'se^laii all the mountains in the territory "was jes* little hills" when he got there, and that they had "growed some since." a special storyConcerning passing below was reclaimed. t liked to be a/small alkali lake before it The e was oil ep above it, and an outc face, "Old Gabe o:: coal below 1 e to a newspaper ioaan from rold his fines e\3ast who believed it and printed t as truth. "This ••Old Gabe ce is going to famous soma day* said '* Sooner or later someone is go in* to open up that oil seep and let her run into that there alkali lake, t tunnel in and torch off the c whole d boil the e down into the biggest batch of soap you ever aoi �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 8 Norm Weis Fifty miles ahead, Casper Mountain showed its rounded outline. We were nearly home. 1 studied the mountain carefully. It didn't lookwhit bigger than the day we left. I had kind^^oped it might have "growed some^ jTZ**^.** 2.^2 �Adventures in a Biplane Norm Weis Chapter 9 The grand gathering at Oshkosh, the yearly bash of the Experimental Aircraft Association, was scheduled for the last week in August. That gave me ten days to relax, in­ spect and tend to Second Sweetheart’s minor ailments, as well as gather maps and lay out the longest trip of the sunner. Oshkosh was a mere 900 miles away,ya shorter- trip by TjtBnncrpj t-han the jmmt- t-n ^gut-Osh^osh■ would stop on the way to the east coast. be an extended Once^the Atlantic shore - �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 9 Norm Weis my border^to-border and coast—to-eoast goals would have been accomplished. It took(ij)sectional charts to cover the proposed route. I planned to visit Park Rapids, Minnesota; Oshkosh, Wis­ consin; Chicago, Illinois; Goochland, Virginia; Kitty Hawk, North Carolina; and Muscatine, Iowa. The trip would last about two weeks, requiring an amount of gear, mostly clothing, that overtaxed the plane’s capacity. I sacrificed the chute and replaced it with two changes of cloth^s^ then up three more changes to be It was the wrong season to leave cool mailed ahead to Oshkosh. Vtyoming and head for hotter and more humid areas. sweat a lot, I expected to , The sun rode low on the cowl as we headed east, looking for the dark^SSd^of the Black Hills. They rose/*^nd sharpened on schedule. We passed over the^^wn of Custer and skirted the southern end of the mountains. Mrff*Rushmore, a few under s^^^t^s of rain. miles to the north, was Rapid Cdity, visible over the nose, was momentarily free of precipita­ tion. We gassed up quickly and were off again. The best tail­ wind was at 9,600 feely^^/^e rose to ride with the helping wind and enjoy the cooler air. at—F" Qi-yrpnnf The deoeenfc to-Abeideeii, SuuLtrPakuta, feet, wuuVI Tifi nri rnr popping UHJiinlenee. To minimize the effect^ I began a gradual let^down eighty miles �Adventures In a Biplane Chapter 9 Norm Vais We landed under sunny skies dotted with a fresh crop of out. budding cumulus clouds. North and ^^ast of Aberdeen, we nicked a comer of North Dakota, crossed the north flowing Red River/^^and entered the State of Minnesota. The air felt cooler immediately. The clouds were older here, sporting flat bottoms and slow boil­ ing tops. The land^ below changed from crops and deciduous trees to *Xai;ee and pines. I put the maps away and enjoyed the familiar outlines of the lakes passing below. Mature thunderstorms stood with an^vLl^hg^^ hoadsthreaded OUr Hoop ranynn. nnf- nf y/tay tyhlt-e lightning shoot bright jagged lines from the virga that bottomed each storm cell. Sounds of thunder were lost in the^engine and the view from the cockpit weis "remini bo ent of a scene from an old silent movie. The air began to roughen, Gratefully we sloped down over the trees and slipped sharply to the grass runway at Bill Riedesel's little airport south of Park Rapids, Minneso- ta. We had traveled 650 miles in^^^^hours — what a freedom machine( Bill stood by the hangar, all smiles, as I taxied up. His help in majoring the engine two years earlier jaow^ �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 9 hroughte- full' satisfaction. Norm Weis He ran his hands over the curves *•<*"« Vnr.w4r.g thnt of the Sfcarrtnwhft^.in Gfppyflr^nt-^nn. all skills viaart to bwlld she plawe hadiJaaat learned ^i^Jhis direction. nf r,uz^p Two of Bill's art asked Bill to-call whenane passing out ^)^^jizo«de. One of the men, a Starduster loo builder, paid the ultimate compliment by dlaimin^he was going straight home s^ take a piss-elm branch to his half-built plane The second gentleman was more concerned with performance "How quick^'^oes she get off?" "I don't really know — probably six, eight hundred feet at this altitude." and offered to bet He both of us know- ing .all he wanted was to see the plane fly We didn't measure it, but with the luggage out and a firm breeze on the nose, she got off in grand fashion. I hung her on max climb at^^^per, then put on an impromptu air- show. i-n Tt-»n idisn alftni*; lOOpod SUd aK«..T,^a V^.>p« Awo gtiy rolled, hammerheaded and snapped, slipped and '* »- XI... trU.. knn^or fA-,. ^nin.»h.i.. - surf tw-H 11 ■ At eljght the next morning, I climbed in the cockpit,''ocmfnrtable jgith Ginny Riedesel s enllnasy nospitallty. 2^)6 �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 9 Norm Weis Sfi^efully avoiding the stick with my leg, I settled in and moved kll the right levers as Bill gave the prop a twirl or two. has a way with engines. He ) One hand in his pocket, the other gently pulling through against compression, his head cocked, listening tor the right sound from the carburetor. ’’Switch on,” and thJ nvor ornAnthly AU1' »r pnVL O^'Wpnhhv, Once airborne, I picked out a lake on the desired track ahead, took a compass reading/^nd relaxed, letting the Sweetheart handle the business of flying while I took in the sights. ToV>-.e f.yoAA Smoke^tw a saw mill rose, kewfrwest, rose some more, then leaned hard east. I matched altitude with the east leg and watched the ground^peed climb. Just south of Duluth, and barely short of Wisconsin, •fly J;&7way was blocked by a solid bank of Arh^te. Ta -f-ly above HiFas €n1 ly — the gas tank would probably go dry before I found a holei**^t tried^»«2e«neerfch, and the world dissolved in white, forcing me into an uncomfortably low one-eighty. nearest airport^a lonely grass strip near ^5<mdetoone, Mliiuesutn';—Tlie suck hung litnjT: n bear up fuul pump and set the parking brakooi Ar* kfaded sign read ’’Sandstone Municipal Airport - phone for gas QT taxi. Inside the adjacent shack, chewed over stuff* chair, and rinizonnt-o o f-rnm ,0 well «<gpi»nr.g epfo, a �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 9 Norm Weis note was pinned to the space heate^: ’’Don’t light fire — bird's nest in smoke pipe.' fcsid weathered-twtn»engine Aera-Commander nPiaiocks were boltad to^^h^^do^, and sat on two fl an ki aid someLhlnK’TKbew Marijuana, no J»n I bcLi? do foe away. for a look. ■ j qq «4,.. imj atr-tmp«-»d tn win tha An hour later, I fired up the plane and went up The path was still blocked. Another hour, another try, and this time the fog was breaking up into patchefi. headed east, zigzagging to remain over open ground. We At Rice Lake, Wisconsin, the fog closed in again, but we needed to land there for gas anyway. Navy man ran thw waath«>r station at ^^Ti* ^°V<ui Illi* prognosis was u6iuiiul» and as it tumed-^^f also oulfw arriivfM A» ^nd _ t-U.. The land-changed from lakes to meadow, /•* 'de then to mixed crop and dairy land. Jifead winds 4eMai«^ and we headed southeast. our speed suffered. It took nearly two hours to cover the 150 miles .^osaWMbee laitet To Waupaca. A twin«engined aircraft was departing Waupaca as we entered the pattern. I tuned in Unicom frequency just in time to hear the pilot of the twin ask: '’W^io’ s-bbafc up there �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 9 Norm Weis tn that little biplane?” ”It*s me, Norm Weis, from Casper, Vtyomtng.” ’’Sorry I missed you,” came the reply. Waupaca was delightful. Nice pilots’ lounge, hot coffee, new tie-downs (at no charge)^and a cafe across the street. Oshkosh was a twenty-minute hop away, in early the next momxng I could pop uthe convention traffic^ set in* t Jhe- tent f ai S nie elyi along side Second Sweetheart’s right wing. I Inflated the air matteess and fluffed up the sleeping bag. The seat and back cushions made an excellent pillow. I laid out canteen, flashlight and reading material, locked the camera in the baggage compartmentretired to the shade of a large cottonwood tree across the street^and nuxV tn the rafiei beer was cold and the trunk of the tree met cty back in all the right ^la^es. A mild breeze the air rnnled as the ^wened. It would be a good night for sleeping. well the gear^wwo ro 11 a 3 aiid a t the horizon by the time aA4r The engine startea the first try, and «affre* .a.rfhawt wainuLip», I was off to see the elephant « the grant extravaganza called Oshkosh. Traffic was light — only a dozen planes flew the pattern over Oshkosh. Lacking the proper frequency, I joined the no radio group and landed the first go ’round. �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 9 Norm Weis A pickup truck full of ground handlers met and directed me to Uta parking spot. I dug out the tie­ down stakes and laboriously screwed them into the hard ground, then tied the plane’s wings and tail securely. At the registration booth I filled out the forms that entered Second Sweetheart in the judging for the best homebuilt. I signed a statement attesting to the fact that I had done at least 5(^of the building (actually 98^, then paid my fees and headed back to unload the plane. car was parked alongside the Starduster . '’’^u’ll have to move it. You’re in\thex^ong row!” They hilped roll the plane next row, th^nCleft as I began shifting the tle-downaz Ins ip lent blist^frs gc^ and burst before the job was dpne. Another blplajre was directed to my old spot by_^ the crow that had asked me to move A ------- Planes were everyvdiere -- landing, departing, form­ ing up in display lines, filling camping spots, settling in for the week-long air show. Within a few days there would be more than 420 homebuilts, 150 antiques, 140 war birds, two dozen rotor-craft/*and a handful of creations that defied classifica­ tion. In all, there would be ^260 on display, and 300,000 people would view them. They arrived by car and by plane, and they stayed at the campgroun<^ oeb-tw the motels, or the /University dorms. influx. The 50,000 citizens of Oshkosh were overwhelmed by the �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 9 Norm Weis The entire vest side of the airport was filled with planes. Thousands of store-built craft crowded the park­ ing areas and created a havoc in the air that challenged the traffic controllers. More than 70,000 arrivals and departures could be expected during the week, making Oshkosh temporarily the busiest airport in the world,.t^r far. Airline pilots had been known to pass up their scheduled stops at Oshkosh because of the confusion. Planes formed long lines in the air awaiting their turn to land. Controllers had no time for such niceties as numbers and letters. It wa^’^d lovz-winger, you’re next — stretch your glide and land at the far end; yellow bipe, pour it on, stay close to the red low-wing; blue Cessna, you’re long, go around; silver Beech, put it down now, right now, then get off the runway to the left! up. Come on folks, close it Red Cessna, stay right and put it on the numbers* BEECH, GET OFF THAT RUNIMYl BLUE Everyone, taxi on the grass only.” And on it would go for an entire week. And that was just the runway for store-bought aircraft. A separate runway was reserved for experiraentals and such. At times that runway was even busier. I wandered about, getting in the spirit of things, The letters *^E^^^.^^ere everywhere; on signs, on every air­ plane, on caps and patch-covered jackets. I saw them on pins and t-shirts, even earTVings and coffee cups, all offered for t-h �Adventure* iu * Biplane sale* Chapter 9 Norm Wei* Two dollar film was selling for $3.95, and there were fees to camp, fees to enter the ground, and fees to enter the display area/'-^ndj of course^ a fee to Join the K7A?X^^^fbeg£^*^ to resent the fact that Z had to pay a fee to display a plane that others had to pay a fee to see. Yet, the Hicpevli^SataA Aircraft AsioeilaMsa Is a nonprofit organisation, loyalty within the group Is fantastic. I seemed to ha the only one possessing doubts. questions were met with amazement. My hesitant Nd one. It seeam^ had ever heard a disparaging word used In connection with the E.A.A. Apparently I was out of step^- * maybe It was tht "yilgtifi. For would-be airplane builders, Itrwaa a grand place to gather vital Information. see lota of planes. run loose. For xmiookeve. It was a to For^^M^ It was a place to let the kids For It was a place to learn a skill) even take part In some construction at one of the do-it-yourself workshops. For the buslnesqj^o^k. It was a place to aeidt-Hietr pmdiifrt as hawk their wares. �Adventures in a Biplane sopagatelyi Chapter 9 Norm Weis 1 wivorf ip block]! f buji HrilBLlBijiL Out on the ramp/nmerous aircraft were on display with owners or agents on hand to dispense information as to cost of construction, perforrnance/and of plans. the availability Selling plans .jawk big business. Of cours^ it’s nearly impossible to design your own craft, and plans are vital and well worth the money — especially If they represent a craft designed by an aeronautical englnee^^^* meet ef them-are> CZ^^^lTBut few people realize that 1,000 sets of $150 plans add^ up to $150,000, and that’s big business. Only one buyer in sixty ever completes his plane, so the sale of plans is a matter of selling dreams, and I can’t knock that — for dreams are aare at any price. A^'^ark, I caught a bus for town and settled into ny dorm room at the University. It was sweltering. it was still hot^^^^eep was impossible. At midnight VThile those lucky fiUDi Llie “Ouiitlj" slept comfortably, the group from cooler places sat in the lobby, watched television and sweated. More homebuilt craft arrived the next morning, and the competition escalated, ffnr ii iilihH I thought the Sweetheart was the finest carnmp^c on display^** trundled in. a wildly painted Pitts Its finish was like a mirror. The three colors of paint met so smoothly that the Joints defied detection, even by fingertip. 2-/3 �Adventures In a Biplane Chapter 9 Norm Whin Down the line, a trio of BD4*s*^arked and new ropes were strung along stanchions. One proud owner stretched nearly 100 feet of white plastic chain about his plane, set up large Information easels/^li^ relaxed on a matching white chaise Joua^. KIs airplane was flawless — metallic paint Job In subdued tones of green} dark ^lexiglas^4*^s^P<^ upholstery,^/ and desert scenes air-brushed neatly along^c^ter lines of^^e* lags and wheel pants* Before all the contesting aircraft had arrived, I had reduced vxy Taaik from a hopeful first or second, to twelfth or below — and they only went three or four deep on the prizes* However, tl^e^^ms always an award for the best S tardus ter > and there ly^had a chance > although seven or eight Stardusters had already arrived, wen-another Starduster showed up, sporting a military paint^J^ that rivaled mine In workmanship,^became Instantly 3ieentfuU imw wandered over to visit with the "ptleb aid owner. j x He We a decent sortX^^ small-stalked like a couple of banty roosters^^ur plea­ sant words^qulte^^poslte tJefrinx thoughts, Down the line, the builders of two blue and yellow biplanes were going through the same routine* Their discussion waifiaec to argument when' It eame-Se the question of cruise speedy then cooled as they both watched a thlrd^blue and yellow biplane taxi up with a young woman at the controls* of egos, and mine It was a gathering �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 9 Nona Weis was second to none. Of the twenty or so biplanes, I figured the Sweet­ ♦•h-rAugb heart was the finest, but tdeenrl was ownex% light green Starduster Tyfio^came close^'^Y^m eyes. sure the owner eyed my plane Uhe ^valuateten,, but there no rivalry here, for old Doug Pfundhelle^ was too buoy har friendly. His family^nH fwteiwhj a few blocks away in the drive-in campground^ <Hri pnt camped got along wall wlbh Norwegian^^limlip— hospitality is exceptional. Doug htmg a sign on his plane, "Please do not touch or caress," and it worked. our planes. However, we both stayed close to The hordes of visitors, although mostly well manner- ed, were known to flop ailerons, climb in cockpits, bump and bend worst of all, lean over to look in^he cockpit while babes in arms kicked hell out of the fabric. If it wasn't babies, it was neck-strapped cameras that banged and rebounded. We all developed baby rash and camera Now I understood why so many owners had brought rope and stanchions along. At times I vay worries over tourist damage tjjxnedie^edbBsfc and walked over to the workshop area to listen particularly interesting seminar, or take part in a work­ shop. But always I returned quickly to take care of the plane. Then too, I didn't want to miss the judging team as it made the �Adventures in a Biplane rounds. Chapter 9 Norm Weis Some of the owners stuck around until dark, hoping to add a swaying word or two. We all assume^T^J^tlw judges^probably a team of half a dozen experts** would look each plane over carefully* top, bottom, inside, outside, even lift the cowl. There was much discussion about the great number of ^^omebuilts'^hat ha^^been built by professionals. One past winner had claimed his 5^^ but it turned out he had hired his welding, bought his fittings, had a friend build the ribs, hireo^tne plan^eeieeaMi^ and farmed out the upholstery and paint job. He did fly it to the contest. I began to under­ stand how the unbelievable paint jobs and upholstery I had seen on some of the "top twelve" had been achieved. Thousands of visitors wandered through the display area each day. Most of them asked the same questions! much did ^xost? from Casper? Do you really fly it? "How Did you fly it here How many hours did it take?they ooh^and alf^n admiration^ST^wch a long trip, as if each hour were perilous. The job of plane tending became easier when 1 blew up the air mattress and stretched it under the shade of the right wing. I lay there for hours, fielding questions, occa­ sionally reading/^nd always hearing the click of cameras held by^iSSc Kteo thought a comical sight. �Adventure3 lu a Biplane Chapter 9 Norm Wais The week long fly-in Is a good experience for the flying huff, the sl^tseer and the would-be hooMbullder. I envied them as I stood by the plane, my freedom restricted and opportunities to look and learn severely limited.—Oshkosh experience would have been far more pleasan^^^ 1 had made an^) ebservey<gi7a mistake to display a plane /^rller on the first trip. Air shows were held at the end of each day, and they were the beet feature of the convention. Performers vied for a chance to show their skills, and they did it/freal <yhere- was such' a spirit in the ergsnlteMnn and such respect for itw"'' feisndoTii Paul Pobaragipy^ ♦•hat me one evee esked’ a fee of ths XaAiiAi ^^^^al hours a d^^ ^r the entire week, the air shews went oiy^ and seldom was an act repeated* were outstanding, Most efiethe acts tw of them were quite similar to the type of show that 1 had put on for the college faculty* Perhaps I wasn't so far from professional quality air show work as Z had thought. One performer made his briefly* It was a quirk of the plane that he had discovered quite by accident. biplane stand on its tail Itaesolved to experiment with the Starduster and see if it had any unusual moves within its makeup* could invent a new maneuver* . Perhaps Z y Wednesday rolled around and there haJ bssiri rg. sign of the judges, Worse, my clean clothes had not coma* �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 9 Bainy weather Jee^ arrived» but that wee we leone. Nem Well Ute IneleuiBinr* weeiih^ would hold down the visitors and temper the heat. Between rain showers, a young pilot at the south end of the field had been Making short flights in his powered, tailess glider. He would fire up the engine, hoist the rigr'v^ �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 9 Norm Weis and run into the wind, retracting his feet as rtwr-flying speed was obtained, then climb laboriously for altitude. I watched him execute steeper and steeper win^^vers, marveling at the stability. Every tailess model airplane X had ever built flew only briefly before *^/er1^a aede atmtlaa ts fclf rotating reel in an old push-mower. A few flights later, the pi^t e< tlis LuilesM overdid his aerobatics and :&4r^ver on his back. Immediately the wings began to roll over jind swsr» like the reel I had been thinking about. He fell as he rolled, and passed behind a large hangar, still rolling. I hurried Xks line to find the pilot and machine both intact. On the way down he had been shifting his weight back and forth to no effect, but after shutting (t0ib^the power and shifting weight once more, the plane stabilized a few feet over the ground. E.A.A. officials were on hand, as well as an ambulance or tw^ d pilot was grounded for the duration of the meet. Skies cleared the next day and the crowds increased. Long lines formed lor every necessity. X stood in line for coffee, &Mr hot dogs, 4Sow a drink at the fountain^er a chance to use the outhouse. voiced the sentiment! Someone deep in one of the lines ’’Oshkosh is a nice place to live, but I wouldn’t want to visit.” Six of us missed the bus to the airport the next 2 �Adv«ntura« in a Biplane Chapter 9 morning, so we shipped in 6^. cab. Norm Weis As we ■pprosched- the aiv 4Mpa,H.<ng. port, we aaiBfa ftn» pd st s steep aagle i peiliups UlJETty W8g*«r» strife ths ground and flii^i^ owsr. Although we were still several blocks from ths terminal, we could clearly see two people scramble from the ^*p^S^mid run, then stop and stare^as^lipilled fuel, ignited jjpMot. fnllftwed ths trail to t^ ‘^irplum brightly. Qm-aAspdiiM flared Later we learned that the plane^^rried three people, and sadly, one of them did not get out in time. It surprised sm that there weren't more accidents, especially on the runway reserved for the experimental^ ^^The "fly-by” pattern above the runway was always crowded. Sometimes thirty or forty aircraft made endless circles, some landing, some taking off to enter the circuit. To fly the circuit, pilots were required to attend one of the many briefings held each day. The ^leflngs were put on by volunteer people, and If it wasn't such serious business, the proceedings would have been hilarious, J>n , g ... Hl**;* P‘"J||1 II oeated meseewa nanatflijlifr Iipatumtly “‘Ti“ The thrust of each briefing was to the effect that certain hours were for slow planes, other hours foiPmedlum speed/'and 4rtins«for the fast planes. There would be NO racing, NO Abrupt �Adventure* In a Biplane Chapter 9 pull ups, and MO turns below 200 feet. Norm Weis All takeoffs and Ings would be handled by the slgnalswn on the runway u ZtAi -(-ea fy direction o£ flight on the circuit we sfcatsd, thsn .<0^ Il colored card of a certain shape as proof of atten­ dance, and permission to fly the circuit* But as soon as pilots climbed into their planes, the rules were forgotten* As If by common consent, wst pilots sttde soomlng cllstb* and showy low-level approaches* there were lots of informal races every day* And races — The colored cards given out at briefing were seldom asked for at the runway, and slow, aedluBi and fast aircraft were J^ifsant^ In the pattern together* The word was out* The judging was finished I The winners would be announced later that day. No one along the biplane lines had seen the judge^^^Wm a pilot from the next row said they had driven by one day In the^j^^ — rolled dow the^windows and looked — at some plane^^ they t even stop^^ the carl Well, none of us expected to be In the running for the sweepstakes, but there was still the prise for the best biplane. �-J. 4 Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 9 Then the ecx£ fell! Norm Weis The donor for Chert:' trophy That meant all our waxing and polishing, hadn't coma through. waiting and hoping, had been in vain. The biplane pilots propped up their crippled egos and turned their attentions to the trip home. For me it was The best part of ray trip was still aheacL^ But there easy. Car nwM*. mnffi nl-r aHnw^ thia atiH m« t-A pain of H4AAppA4A*r«^*- TJie performers, the most "Spectacular, , was a group called the Canadian Snow le flight of niAe, often shi/^ting to f soloists. leath. r Thei^ Tu^br JetsTwere red I They trails whpie smoke and Lights on. I They wer^f antas tic. \ Formations not between xti^eu^rs, but in the mid­ formation chafed to wiw goose to diamona :om loop to /roll to bomb b^st. / They were \ They truly flew^e HIGH FLIGHT that John Billcspie Mageeu Jr. captured in verSe shortly before he was kille(L--ert: age 1 ieKoy^ Canadian Air Force! �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 9 Norm Weis Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth And danced the skies on laughter**silvered wings; Sunward I’ve climbed, and Joined the tum­ bling mirth Of sun-split clouds — and done a hundred things You have not dreamed of — wheeled and soared and swung High in the simlit silence. Hov’ring there, I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung Ify eager craft through footless halls of air* Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue I’ve topped the windswept heights with easy grace Where never lark, or even eagle flew. And, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod The high untrespassed^sanctity of space, Put out my hand, and touched the face of God. The above poem is often published without copyright �Adventures in a Biplane Norm Weis Chapter 10 It was a relief to be alone and free of crowds. We were a mile above the ground, cruising north, paralleling the spur of Lake Michigan^^^alled ’^^en Bay^T*****Plans to head for Chicago, then southeast toward Kitty Hawk, had been changed by the persist&it rain-filled low-pressure system that occupied ^xxthem Wisconsin and most of Illinois and Ohio. I had always wanted to visit Mackinac Island anpmyy (they call it ”Mackinaw”), and the weather was an easy excuse. �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 10 Norm Weis The entire Island was an historic landmark. Located a scant fifty miles from the Canadian border, between mppee and* im<re>"MlqhlganH fche Island commanded the strait between Lakes Huron and Michigan. Although no cars were allowed on the Xsland^ ■in oidex bo preserve ies hi st eric sspee^ access by air was permitted. It would be a nice place to wind down after suffering the crowds of Oshkosh. We hopped our way along the west< shSre, then curved along the north shore of Lake Michigan, enjoying the sun and the solitude, shopping every two hours or so^r gas, coffee and a leg stretch, \ X Car¥ crawled along ths'Uiighway below, their destiny dictated by the whuM of a strip^f concrete. I watched their struggles to pass and>gain tM edge, and felt vastly superior as we sped by at twice the/speed. The desire to fly must be within most of us, but the'^ear of leaving the ground in many of us has happily left/the skyto just a few of us. The air was pleasantly rough as we climbed to pass over the open wi^r that separated Island. mainland from Mackinac Measui4ng am a half, pfing two two miles miles by by one one am^^a half, the the southern southern <end of the Isl. was filled with stores, hotises, a hotel and rock- walled fort. The north end was traversed by. a single 3500 foot runway. \ �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 10 Norm Weis ere no hangars, just one bui g wit wdre ti in js. adid, restrooms down, so ntended EM ephone. en planes a spot and sunk tie-down stake ctiiirlrrE ooil- t , . Cmara/n hnndy I began the one—mile walk to town*. ■ A*i4**-r**itJ‘ • lait.Wfin niHrWy overtaken by a stoutly wheeled dray, pulled by a team of horses. I bummed a ride on the tailgate, dangled my feet and enjoyed the view. The road was deeply shaded in tall It was marvelously quiet. pine ' WU llhl'daded tttfe L. 1iiiinfL!i. o -pr.illcu muffttJ Llm ulijp JLidU^ll lab»r. orses, drpt^ings were a with king-siz push carts. of days w ” were no ons and bicycles were everyv^ere. ev ere, but so were the street cleaners ong-ha died dust pans, Any smel ng gone. that rema Bi and twor d was pleasa led y remiyiiscent iding was made inteeesting by the apples” that escaped the sweepers. Amazingly, there ies! Main Street ran parallel to the south shore of the Island, and was face<^both sides with small shops and cafes. The side streets of town were steep and it was common to see a string of bicycles catching free^ride/behind horse-drawn vehicle^ Qjl I uiuiimin Illi Illi iiiiiii.u£ij jiaok.i curlo^ Z2-C �Adventures tn a Biplane Chapter 10 Norm Wets the ramparts of Fort Mackinac, high on a promontory at the east The Fort is intact and weafehithe climb and the edge of town. <92.00 fee for a chance to wander about the halls and to view the Straits from highf^rapets. Semawhate-'Sliattailj ' atSwftbsd, but On the opposite side of the town, the impressive Grand Hotel effuis a tastir olsgmntitn ’ Built in 1878, with fancy woods and loving care, the building has remained in marvelous repair and full working order* More than 800 feet long, and fronted all the way with a column supported three-story porch, the magnificent struc­ ture dominates the Island's west overlook. ThaLjml9UBa4xizuJiaBg£sJJ3 fira aprlaklar jysbsmi. Itenjrlg^-eye doors, and a reinforcement . Just inside the main entrance was a sign, "Ties and coats are required after 6 p.m.**>,^ AnA ba lew frhet-r-" lytked to bjrpass the ” nn r;*****^ rig^^" a"sho^^ t-ls"* pl eye** *‘hi Cl rtnF’for^^le. The lobby wa^eeply carpeted. Adjacent oms and cocl^t^r^loimges obviously catered to^ tlaa^11 heele felt out of place. \ On the front porch, a four year oM lasB'^s lost and c tie ^^Immediately one of the hotel officials, in black tails, to �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 10 Nona Weis . An elderly woman was trundled oi^ the front door to a waiting ambulai^, one of the two vehicles allowed on the Island, The lady was ito formal attire./Several long-tailed official types hovered ab^t with sme/ling salts and worried looks. The scene shouted ar^uen/s. A problem developa^ whfeh the lady refused to let the long-haired unshaven, dut^gar^-clad man with the sththoscope come near her. She refi/ed to acceM the fact that the young ”hippie” was an M.D.y/and stoutly clawed she’d ’’rather die.” A compromise was reached. The officialXwould load her through the rear door/^ the ambulance, and the "iHppie” M.D. would enter via fene front passenger door. Once irvSthe privacy of the vehicle, and safely out of sight, she woulc^et the ”hippie” ’e't. doq^r^ndj^^^neg^i&l^^ Feeling the need of a little class ntyselfAl dined ( s&fd out in the finest place in town that did not require then took a.taxi to the airport. mrme, eaueh lilte the dra> , except J Mini II vr ; a'l'VSTSSI h»w1 'iinly skinini.agy bnrs^pnwer It d. a twcK-way uudip! was labdin the T-pn-ifi- ev en and women a h piled 0 and ran over to hold the knew h way around ould tell ard unif s One of thtem obvijXusly y the viay h 2-Z^ �Chapter 10 Adventures in a Biplane taxi — by the horse Norm Weis brVdle! The lM<fi ay The crewmen remaning tried to explain the situation to ma. Sure, it was ^vacation, but it was a trainWig flight too. Yes, it took a lorn of fuel/ but the pilots ha^to fly a certain num­ ber of hotws each mon:h to remain curr^t. Why didn’t they fly ke another Gua^ Base? They explained tracted few/volunteers, 1 lold gaZ; ay the hotel, I 8uffered‘~*-eoTCPu- sion jbf standards. I hold nold t' thjroi their presence made me proud to •ayer. pitched ray tent beside Second Sweetheart as the sun spread color over the western sky. With flashlight and book, I read myself to sleep — the first good sleep in a week. oJ- coffee brought me awake. th^<*S^ter was fiXy»g*1nsLeakfast. The crevz in iZcleaned up in the opera­ ions building^then wandered over to the ’copter to visit a it and a cup before firing up the plane and flying south for a proper breakfast. J ' -------------- - —------- - ' At Jackson, Michigan, I learned that a low-pressure area covered most of the Appalachians, and that Hurricane Belle on the coast^^as holding the weather system in place. I de­ cided to head south and skirt the west edge of the overcast. Marysville, Ohio was as far as I could go. I was �Adventures In a Biplane Chapter 10 Norm Weis stuck there for three days vihile Hurricane Belle made a slow curve to the northeast, then finally headed out to sea. The air was clear and the sky was cloudless as we departed Marysville. A few miles south, smog covered the city of Chilliclothe like a poisonous blanket. dirty brown and Beyond, the sky turned plumes rrsr ^hi hrrrlrgn f”^J of red and black smoke compounded the problem. At Ashland, the visibility dropped to two miles, requiring special radar clear­ ance and a ^^ve minute wait in order to land. The poor visibility had me a bit spooked, and I sought advice concerning the best passage through the Appalachians. "Just head up the canyon," the man said. you can see to the next bend. "Keep going as long as That's the way we all do it. Of course, if you had the instruments, you'd be better off on top." Jfllihiiisgitm^KyiVThorinlnn, T pointsd thr ntnr^iiii^rqn nopdj;o the east, foliowing the highway to Cha^aaton, \ virginiaX Charl^West radio cleared BM,-tHrough their/control \ area and wisKW me well as I neadetTup the canyon, aiining for y Tteaweke on the other side of the «ounteata-»-----------" The overcast sat like a lid on the canyon rim, and we flew the open notch, following the bends out of necessity. It was nervous work, and 1 disliked it intensely. My hand ached from gripping the stick, and time crawled. My disgust turned to stage one fear when a half- �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 10 Nona Weis bridge loomed out of the mist half a mile ahead. Con­ struction work meant guy wires* and that meant I had to go over* not under, even if the space below looked ample* I climbed to test the ceiling, figuring on a quick hammerhead turn if things The clouds rodeubJMiM«ML feet above the rim. went bad. I turned south, crowded between the clouds and the town of Fayette ville below. e The ai t was* in f d high" ction way. th a bend to tXe rig circle two win and npP^oached from 'the south. the lose/end of the runway After contacting the hill sl^pe right I gutt Two men tarr ng cracks^at ved away at the la moment realized we were/on a bad down it OU brakes* maki hour 40 pe ged the the bend to/the back up slope. thin, and more than e could talk your leg off frie lea ed wan d weat about know. Fina the new bri In fi fteen minutes I than 1 reall West , I got the conv sation turned to the , and what the remainder of the canyon was like "That bridge is gonna be the wor s highest and 23/ �Adventures In ay^ip^/fene the world' this Chapter 10 p — the vdiole wo arch brid longe bad. er 8 n G 8 wors of the :^anyon is okay — Aot like own is wh say, d you kn this thos books in e scXools, and th lots o£ times e part you a through —’ e they first^/started banning coal mi rs’ unions - II r came from j\n>n Norm Weis 4|f white-knuckled nqr way through Llw iBUia'liulci eS< any on, carefully following our slow progress on the map. At Hinton, we turned south, and with great relief followed the flat eastern shore of Bluestone Lake. Then, with lifting ceilings,‘•t^erflew the narrows at Pearisburg and took a straight line for Roanoke, Virginia. The blacktop ramp at Roanoke felt particularly solid and reassuring. 1 dawdled over several cups of coffee before calling Dan and Ruth Steck, old friends now living in Goochland, Virginia. We agreed to meet in Charlottesville, 100 miles northwest of Roanoke and forty-five minutes away over comfortable terrain. Riding in an automobile was a welcome change. I spent the evening and the next day touring the various construc­ tion projects Dan had going, and generally relaxing, waiting for* the smo^ to clear. Dan and Ruth finally convinced me that the haze was normal, so I made plans to fly to Kitty Hawk the next day. Dan had locaged a small private strip just norgh of 2-32 �Chapter 10 Adventures in a Biplane Norm Weis Goochland, and taed**secured permission for me to land on my re­ turn from the coast. S* The smog enclosed us as we climbed out of Charlottes ­ ville. It was M*~~a thin brown version of the white stuff I 4^^ encountered over Los Angele^ formed a Tarwfirstaele around the plane, growing and shrinking, but always affording a few miles of visibility. We climbed, and the sky above became blue, but the ground visible below closed down like the dlaphaam of a camera. AU»uwu Duwl fUflUiCl AVdUlid usi** We flew the bewA past Richmond, dropped In at Chesterfield County Airport for fuel, then headed southeast, carefully tracking progress on the map while keeping an eye on the bottom of the bowl. There Is one advantage to smog flying. Other alrI, craft stand out as black sllouettes, with no chance to hide In A the camouflage of mottled ground. The possibility of a raltPair collision Is minimized. At Suffolk I filled up for the 240-mlle/round trip flight to Kitty Hawk. The Great Dismal Swamp occuplled the land under a shorty straight-line course. Common sense dictated a track south along the railroad, then down the wide Chowan River< and east along the edge of Albermarle Sound to the long cape that stood off the coast. Detours aroimd restricted areas and the Coast Guard Port at Elizabeth City added to the distance. , , . With Just over half a tank of gas remaining^ the 233 �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 10 dunes of Kitty Hawk shewed* below. Norm Weis The skies at the coastline were a suarprislng blue, well speckled with small puffs of cumulus. The bright sunlight flashed off the choppy waters of the Atlantic while the or^hore breeze held the smog at bay. I wheeled overhead, reconstructing the path of the Wrights* first flight, then dropped down and rolled the There was no time to dawdle. almost half gone. The fuel supply was With throttle retarded and mixture lean, we began the slow trip back. Prior to the trip, I had done a bit of reading about the Wright Brothers. the two men Aviation texts generally agree that been badly served by historians. eering skills were phenomenal. Their engin­ Not only did they develop a controllable flying platform, bu^the engine to match, a«4 the first airfoil-shaped propeller. Their propellers were more than 70^efficient. Sixty years later, propeller efficiency had been boosted to only But most of all, they were persistant. wrote to Octave Chanute,^May 13, 1900: Wllbufc ’’For some years I have been affected with the belief that flight is possible to man. My disease has increased in severity and I feel that it will cost me an Increased amount of money, if not my life.” On conviction of the brothers' first successful �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 10 Norm Weis glider flight, Wilbur wrote his father, Bishop Milton Wright: man who wishes to keep at the problem long enough to really learn anything positively must not take dangerous risks. Carelessness and over-confidence are usually more dangerous than deliberately accepted risks.'* One can but envy their industry and their genius. Perhaps it would not be pleasant to live a life filled with such determination, but if Z could have controlled Ety own ancestry, I would like to have been one part Wilbur, one part Orville, two parts Will Rogers, two parts Llndbergl^ three parts Speed Holman, plus a dash of Wrong Way Corrigan, the fellow 4hatr took off from New York alone In an old Curtis Robin headed for Los Angeles, but ended up flying the Atlantic -- quite on purpose. Wy wish carries no dissatisfaction with my lot. Quite the con- trary,^I consider it qtshWer miraculous that I was bom InM the gentle th ^ntury. Of the thousands of generations that trod the ground and watched the birds, vy turn came when man first took to the alrl Fuel was bouncing on the empty mark as the Sweet­ heart's idieels rolled to a stop once again on Suffolk's wide runways^once used by Billy Mitchell as short field take off training for the B-25*^that raided TSokyo early in the wsrr. Nearing Goochland, Z spotted Dan's car pulling into the outskirts of the small village. It was air-show time. �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 9 Norm Weis X passed by his vehicle at eye level and legal distance, climbed to comfortable altitude and ran through a rapid sequence of loops, hammerheads and Cubans, then headed for the private strip a few miles north. the nest <J of the day ess than two ch trip. The Mtrii •and foot laiikth •• perhaps ^00 et along The bottom and "•••aad deep �Adventures in a Biplane in trees although a to/provi e approa rrowe and £o VZhapter 10 Norm Weis rr< ane of trees had been clears nee The upper end o d a Vee- 3 with extra power. uphl the field ed trough I dr gged the field twice ' ped or t Do ill first, and hen >a :isfied the st p was safe, I si ped through the gap the trees ris4i bounced t the ground held off en collided with a nd clattered up the ravine almos Two days later, after Dan, Ruth and I had discussed and solved all the world’s problems, .Ik nepewtos^ irem Llial fiiald, *’ * 11-*—r.H r I III i insisted was purely xxaturil, The reliable smog, which Dan seemed to keep pace as we nnn-ff we st*-southwest, planning on a gas stop at Lynchburg. —'TKe^miiqipal Airport at Lynchburg had quency not available I my ten frequency transceivi to use the non-control' ed Falwell Strip, rer fre so opted The strip was ed' Lca- tional re Goochlai id’s runway sloped reasonably and evi in helpfully Falwell’s 1 pe blacktop runway looked like a sk: jump The strw appeared to be flat for half of its 2900 foot len th. then rise sharply and level again for the last hundred feet so. /it was so steep that a plane attempting a turn on the slipped potion must surely be in Manger ft toppling. If the landing rpll didn’t end on the flat at the bottom, you were committed \ to continue to the -flat-~on~’ton. """" 2-Z7 �Adventures in a Biplane C apter 10 The Sweafthear Norm Weis came to a stop in the firs the st ep uphill portion. feet, fuel and some m^or repel s. We t thousand led 1 for An intermittent miss/had devdloped indicating a p/oblem with/one of the sparkplugs ified up the I fired up If throttle. face do down-Roping runway e engine and taxied AX the top, I turned to off quickly, ^d we climbed off thi the nose stizll below the horizon. 1 was/tempted to come back and land/io 1 could try the takeoff at duced throttle. The 1 ill w so steep that an Idle rpm tai re­ ainl 1500 woul done it. The Clinch Mountains paralleled our track as we fnv an easy pass<Br~through the Appalacians. The map indicated a reasonable passage from Norton to Cumberland, but sixty miles further, the gap at Middlesboro looked even better. Strangely, the map showed the southernTmost passage to be "Cumberland Ga^|^ well removed from the town of the same name. Xfter r Clinch Mountal umed eling at Ab and rode a autiful V across th y to Tazewe hen for Cumberland Gap. Tree-covered mountains rose sharply and crowded both wings as we entered the gap. Like the playful a3oZ*^rk of some forgotten giant, tshaJliap formed an open wedge, momentarily break*^ ing 4^>^teadyymarch of the Cumberland Range. Beyond, the land 2^38 �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 10 Norm Weis gentled to rounded hills, bounced down and leveled. We landed at a place called London. Sectional charts make light of state lines, and I was not at all sure just where I was, I asked the young man handling the gas hose, and received a look of pure disgust, along with a grudging "Kentucky,” The wall map in the office showed that after leav­ ing Virginia, I had clipped a comer of North Carolina, entered Tennessee, then passed into Kentucky at the Gap, At Seymour, I played it cool and consulted the wall map first. Indiana! The name had a pleasant, friendly ring. There was plenty of room in the big hangar, and **s^e, I could sleep with the plane if I liked .’**^Tha roan even smiled in under­ standing. I*m sure he figured I wanted to be with the plane to ensure its protection, when in reality^^^ny finances had reached the point where I had to choose between soft beds and gasoline. Then again, maybe he had ma properly figured, since he gave me a ride to town and pointed out his favorite hamburger joint. Thunderstorms struck at 2 A.M, fortable on I lay awake, com- air mattress, head resting against the wheel pant, enjoying the play of lightning, listening for the trailing thunder. The broad doors of the hangar stood wide open, but 233 �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 10 Norm Weis we were tucked well back, safe from wind and rain. Soon thunder and lightning came as one, and the storm stood overhead, deliver­ ing rain, then hail, then rain again. The thunderstorms marched all night, but in the morning the world was beautiful. p fiBB.1-1 puffy cumulous, rimi i fiffw' dwewehed gweuad rose slowly to begin their dally growth. We flew below them, then among them, and soon bested their modest heights, Tfc matf thn oewfr sf Juji JoUi HuOue sngetee uLuuL lTr*'High iTI ifght . The sky was a delirious blue and the clouds timh'* nrhrth as we chased the shentingi wind fWhs the same kind/nf day that I gave uiy faLlieiTB t serious Methodist Minister I wanted him to feel the thrlL gentle Vlouds of early morniiig, hisXfirst ride in an airplane, of flikht among and beyond the It was a closest I hatfebeen to heaven, and I wanted much/to share the my he would feel at the same lerience, But tl e sights fell on>unseeing eyes — eyes that s Idom left the c Inf Ines of the plants cabin. Sitting behind me, ' mds clamped to the back of ray seat, \e endured the to atv&i^hte.n each dip of thk wing with punishment, attempting . a countering; twrst on the aeat, I skidded each turn to hold hi world secure whil^ pointing out the beauty of the sunlight on the clouds A quick look, and his thoughts were once more inside the plane. Likq/a parent dutifully viewing a chil mediocre, but proudly offered report card, hejquifetly endured ±he gift I tried to bring him, ---- �Adventur«« in a Biplane Chapter 10 ther was Twenty feet pposlte. Id/ ask me to air she Norm Well ow when we left ground. / on roll out i/fter landli g^und?” I ed to clonally bumpy "when wll •harp pul\ltxps nge touch the ke off and inten- Utt to eee her eraile and tell me it t older brother* Homer* lived Just 400 miles ahead at a place called Muscatine* Iowa* Ijeould be there In three hours enjoying family talk, eating a forepromised dinner of catfish and com^^n/^h^/^b. As'^bSSaed before, I had family scattered about the country In the most strategic places* On arrival, I learned that the corn mas on hand* but the fish had yet to be caught. Homer claimed he had them all staked out In his favorlt^^hofe^ ews miles srwth sf tbs bmidge* In the middle of the Mississippi Rlver> fish failed Kul, to favor JHsmse*s rig. Ve ate ny catfish and his wlfe^^^^ry's, cornT^/^he/il^ob. Bad weather followed good* and It was two days before Second Sweetheart cleared ground. Ifo flew northwest* making gas stops at Marshalltown and Forest City* Iowa. Imiulrles concerning runway conditions at Lake Mills, lows* brought strong caution concerning wet muddy runways at that town's small airstrip I had taught physics at Lake Mills High School thirty five years earlier, and wanted baldy to revisit. One of the �Adventures In a Biplane Chapter 10 Norm Weis students at that school was responsible for my first flying He challenged a statement 1 made concerning the theory A of flight and backed up his knowledge by telling the class he lesson. had just flown an airplane eifevn^ all by himself I I set out to equal his credibility, and In the process met a most Interesting character Eldon Hagena fwish jEjBom e« Btlnlr»'wieh an Alw- Ceeps,gaining | tfyfhg'Tb n-Hvlng deing whate he !lieved-beee> flying and tearhing nthers-tetr" He owned a little yellow and orange hlgh-wing tandem two<place Aaronca 7kQ, *^ferred toVaffectionate^ as the ”alr knocker.” charged seven bucks dual and five sol<>XKd yeu aeu^'?buy-a fifty <tmnj eha leeal^cafe. 111 nr Ilm kisanr^ *-hiT His airfield consisted of a^A^acre grass patch with one T hangar, a tiny shack/^d a gas pump* The longest runway was 1^600 feet, with a fence at both ends. All In all. It was a perfect place to learn to fly. Eldon 163^2glOgling sort -ef laugh' tluit suxfaced sja^b't Hii Ilian n practical joker. 1£ a, forgot hAe seat belt, he could hardly wait to get enough altitude to pop the stick and float l^he wMidcwb to the celling. I forgot often, and each time the trip to the skylight carried more force. Once eMeodSBl! thought landings had been mastered, Eldon would bring on a klng-slsed bounce or two with the same .shove on the stick. �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 10 Norn Wslt In the winter, wheels were replaced with skis, ^gsd the field seeamd to shrink as the packed snow chaxiged to Al y ice. Jhe~ frantic use of wheel brakes, tdiich had no effect at But he was all on skis, brought old Eldon to fits of laughter. watching — if he was certain a stop could not be made short of the fence, he would Jam the throttle forward and suggeet tha-*^ student take off and try again. wuuld spend hOUrs trying to hand start the engine at 40 degre low, then raise the tail to get pressure to regiffter During some of Iowa's worst bllssa we dropped co to sta: ving pheasants, and even t game as we tyled to saye the birds by hitting sacks of lied com Even the resident fox bounty pelt added ip to a tidy sum structl abruptly ceased as we went hun oi t becanM a square w not safej n sported, dual in ^d whack him with out and head ran opposite to tn, we would buss the farmer, then reduce throttle holler and point, hoping to split the bounty and pelt money later^ Hagen showed me my first loop and let me try a few. Of course we tried a snap or two. That was merely a spin turned sideways, and spins had already been covered — they were required for a license baek then. ___ .J The brief taste of aerobatictu aed^ y �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 10 Norm Weis On cross country/^ripi, we fleiZ^y~*the’“eecttorr line There is a road every oiile in the mid west, and 1 1 do was angle your/pathi across to match you jieed /' I on the map. We flew low, good weather or bad, and /'■ J everyoneI we knew, which seemed/ to be everyone. In one of my classes I taught a eadlspace flight. Qhe of on rockets told his paints, and they told the school board, which/held a meeting and saw that I was toyi to bring suck nonsense ^o a halt. I was censured and tolol to <|uit teaching science fiction. One parent made it i clMr that X was never agaii^ to make the Claim (in class) thajt / ./ ■) / ' tLfaan would ealk the moon ih twenty-fiv^ years. That parent i WM on the/school board. Twenty-three years after that episode, a man walki4 and one of the students in that class was partly esponsible. He had gone on tkj>ecome an engineer for N.A.S.A, / \ He iprklled meI after the moon walk, in an obviously celebrated **We did it I We did itl” me-jd! i could mak* out.) c ition. The old 40 acre aiPfield at Lake Mills was gone — eaten up by progress Fsnsy hemes and sfcwests violaSed ies The new airport, a few miles southeast, was indeed nuddy^and I dared not land, I cruised over town and over the nearby lake and golf course. After a while I flew to the site of the old ai �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 10 Norm Weis Btrrtoy looped a loop or two,^fehen-made a sido slipping appreach ♦•ft- t-ho ftiH -wiriMajr, trip homeward* Avajf headed west I continuing my Eldon Hagen, if he was watching, would know that one of his many fledglings had stopped by to say hello* �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 11 ^ETTINtr- Norm Weis TTOin I*m still not sure how I got involved in rating. Perhaps it began when Z stumbled onto the aircraft requirements for the racing biplane class and found that the Starduster was qualified. Maybe it was because I had watched the Reno National Air Races several times as a spectator. Certainly Z was curious about participatingy^*j3e^'tg on ihr-luside-vf the big evsiiL IMmudiid lIKU heady gaw»*^;rt» prospect scared me a little. was a dangerous sport. Zt �Advanturaa in a Biplane Chapter 11 Ic *3uld certainly tesj/m skill* enge 1 couldn't pus np. but Norm Weis It i»s a challV Jay i«s^rt tob crasy abptft the idea,! promised b^^raedjust this one J along witk it ——----------------------- —_— time only, X The trip to the ust coast, stretched out by bad weather, had cut in on the time needed to prepare Second Sweet­ heart for racing* Less than three weeks remained before we were due on the line at Reno Stead Airfield for the Reno National Championship Air Races* For some months my two crew members had been read­ ing up on the rules and cheeking into possible changes that might legally be made to the plana and engine in order to in­ crease the Starduster's speed* �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 11 Norm Weis Pat Day, explosives expert and area manager for Southwestern Explosives, was my general expediter. He saw to all the many entry forms and contacted other race pilots for information. He also lined up two sponsors^ Casper White Trucks and looming Central Aeroway^ sponsors had volunteered to underwrite the cost of some small engine parts /*and a special racing propxZ^*^* Fat and I had become friends several years earlier through a mutual interest in homebuilt aircraft. He had^a mid- A wing Volkswagon-powered midget racer under construction in his garage, vdiile X had a nearly completed Starduster in mine. traded advice and muscle frequently. talents always surprised me. We His eyeball engineering He could see a mistake before it developed, or spot an existing ge^ and pester me tmtil it was ^en possible, X returned the favor.* When X invited Bob Husted to be my crew chief and take over the care of the Starduster's engine, X received a prompt .grlnnlnQ. ^affirmative*'* Boh had helped me through some /***yP/>*^ early problems and had impressed me with his knowledge and his abiding love of flying machines. people in this world T seem almost normal. Bob is one of the very few is skinnier than I.ssfc Standing eHisHig**e44e> he mal^me On occasion we have been known to demon** strate our laeeriHky famous disappearing act* On cue, we turn �Adventures in a Biplane Norm Weis Chapter 11 sideways, suck in our guts Zand claim invisibility. Several parcels and a stack of letters had accumu­ lated during my three-week absence. One box contained the short, specially pitched racing prop. Sprinkled amon'^ the bills, I found an important letter from Racing Association /The United States j number 17, fees liud been sseetved, and we were requirbj^^o report on Monday of race week to qualify plane and pilot. Additional letters from old- time race pilots^^ave Forbes, Don Fairbanks/and Clem Fischer held valuable advice and encouragement. I needed the encouragement. Now that the race was near at hand, I was suffering from second thoughts. Racing around pylons was risky business. People got killed that way. The quip made by one pilot to the effect^ that "fo^might get killed, but you never got hurt,'****^2S^little assurance. Jay and I had made a special trip to the Mojave Air Races in early June to see what racing was really like. What we foimd surprised us both. biplane class seemed to be quite The pilots in the racing of greatly varied, but background. Dave Forbes was a tall, gentle, soft-spoken airline pilot. Don Fairbanks ran a flight service in Cincinnati, axid Clem Fischer did the same for many years in Nevada. Their wives �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 11 Norm Weis were friendly and notably unworried about their husbandj^^ racing, Stan Brown, Reno Attorney, and C. R. ’’Reel Blackbum, telephone installer from Lompoc, California, both raced for the sheer joy of it, Don Beck, former test pilot, now in the construction business, raced to win — and usually did. His revolutionary all metal ’’Sorceress” usually beat out the Sundancer, flown by Logan Hines, a data processing executive from California, And t?iere was^an Mortensen, a traffic controller from Newcastle, California. called him. ’’Last Place Da^j^*they His bright yellow Smith Miniplane could barely muster 120 miles per hour. He took great delight in racing even though he generally finished last. always waved to the judges On the final lap he each of the six pylons. lab Vi logs and their wires warmly invited us to 'jointhem at the/Reno Races. approach to/xacing. We took cony ort in th^JarTalm We\had expected to find aa^ssemblage of characteM^wild-eyed and irresponsible.^"'^ere were a few in some or the other race classes, but they were the exception. There was a strange undercurrent of dissatlsfac- tion running through the filUir rsrlng. cl asses during the Mojave Race. Interclass rivalry for prize money was part of it, but anger over application of rules^conceming engine specificat^naTws- the main cause. I the problem would heal itself before Reno rolled around. �Adventum* in a Biplane Norm Well Chapter 11 Z forced any second thoughts hbout racing to the hack of ay nlnd. There could be no backing out now. ,Boh jsail fir id up aiid ready Pat and ^tel reservations had been made, and Ch^ were both anxious torgaa>the big race^fgcw rhe Inside caught their fever. gafffai fl y «ral a-frApngyaphl a map nF I lui fimpiTr 7- X chose a nearby stretch of flat ground that had dirt roads at one-mile 1r>«>awa1a.irnJiHiiH tn inaXlaaa J T checlMd the Starduster's top speed by timing the run both ways and taking an average. If the wind quartered our path, I let the plane drift, avoiding aaay crab or reach. Over the two-mile course, nor speed each way simply ^200 divided by the seconds elapsed. On the first try I got an upwind speed of 128 and a downwind of 162 for an average of 135 miles per hour. Not badI X could beat Mortenseiy^t leas Although It meant endless trips to the speed course, T_yes detsrml""* make only one change at a time. That way I would know precisely the effect of each. between elevator and stabilizer did little to Improve speed, and side windows to close In the cock­ pit did even less. Decreasing Incidence/^ angling the front of the lower wings downward brought the speed up to 139, a four miles per hour Improvement. Installation Z57 �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 11 of the racing propr made little change; did not develop. . Nona Weis ]Fhe expected 3100 rpm's We air-freighted ie off for re-pitching, and in the meantime went to work on the engine. Bob Husted installed stronger return springs on the valves, worked over the magnetos and put not^hielded, wide gap plugs on all the right mag wires. firing in spite of oil fouling, I^e wide gaps would insure cause horrendous radio £[it]x one magf^^ill firing shielded plugs^the interference. radio weuld still operate^icely with the ignition tume^to that mag^emlyr* The newly pitched prop was returned on schedule and prositly installed. *^^tuxned to 3000 rpm's, but gave no increase in speed. The flat-pitched prop was important, however, since the original prop would turn ^700 at racing speed, right in the middle of the bad vibration range prohibited by Lycoming, the engine's manufacturer. The engine had been installed with down thrust and right thxust to counteract the tendency to rise and pull to the right under full throttle. For racing, it would be better to have the engine point straight away^^^W^ hoisted the el^tne and installed washers to effect the change, and the speed went up two mphyto 141. Upsetting news arrived from U.S.A.R.A. The race �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 11 Norm Weis pilot* were voting oa-ar boycott for higher prise money* I pleaded ignorance of the problem and entered a null vote* The extra money would be welcome* but Z didn't want to see my first and only race cancelled. The same day* I received notice that my low flying over the speed course was not appreciated. The owners of the land beneath toy course objected "to that guy stormin' over ten times a day." My good buddies at the airport began calling me "Stormin' Normin," a vast improvement over "Number One Nit Wit." Three miles from the original speed course, Z found an even better twox*mile stretch. Only cows occupied the land beneath. Taping and filleting the Junctions from wing to fuselage, and gear leg to wheel pant/*w»h- brought another mile an hour. Disconnecting the carburetor heat hose brought an astounding increase of four mph. Th* speed now stood at a very respectable 147 mph. We spent hours fiddling with changes in the t^^ Ing, going from around ^l^degrees advance to^^degrees and ^egweee, and once, accidentally, to(^degeeea. Every change brought a loss of rpm's and an attendant loss of speed. The plane was sensitive to weight. slower with a full tank of gas. for racing to be six gallons. She was much We calculated the minimum gas That would leave a two-gal Ion landing reserve after £ach heat of six laps. 2-52 �Adventures in a Biplane Norm Weis Chapter 11 We could^ think of no other changes that might bring greater speed. The plane was ready. Now it was time to see that I was edeo-ready^XrO According to the rules, I must be able to take off from a dead stop at full throttle, with less than ten ■-foot de­ viation in course. plane lansl- he diwed to 1.3 times the maximum level speed, or about 180 raph, and pulled out with 4 g’s or more. I would also have to demonstrate a full roll, and show that I was safe on the pylons. Only the last item posed a problem. 1 had a strong tendency to climb on low-level turns, and badly needed some practice on the rac^^^urse. Lacking proper pylons, I chose three cottonwood trees spaced a quarter mile apart on some flat irrigated landZ^^awelBg She ifn* of the landowner,^— /oyswi|n^*a{)out the treesfull bore, trying to hold the wing a constant twenty feet off the ground^ It was unnatural and difficult, s«d-^p|qulrelf^reat concentration. Each session with the trees left me we^wltft a-blit scared, but strangely exhilarated, I wondered how I would handle flying the same steep banks at low level while flying tight formation with other planes.^‘^ere was no way, short of racing, to practice that maneuver. We were ready, with almost a week to spare! more bad news arrived from U.S.A.R.A. Then The old rule limiting horsepower to 125, and displacement to 290 cubic inches, had , a �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 11 Norm Weis 4/^ been liberalized tQ4150 horse and 320 cubes! change had been months ago, In fact, the rule we were only now made aware of it. , . Pat Day immediately called Dave Forbes to object. MM MO Mt *s Dav^calmly explainednnQftr '*^ere wouldn’t be more than one^r'''two~planes with the higher horsepower,** ’Jla»e-- igfefe ^and the final legality of the change might be altered at the first pilots* meeting at Reno.***^ MSt finished preparing his new Cobra biplane, and was anxious to race it. He would be flying out from Crystal Lake, Illinois, and would call us when he left. He express >d a hope that we could fly part way together* X sudden flood of mail arrived from race pilots I never met, askink support for their stand on a fresh disagree- ment among members of U.S.A.R.A. One of the Formula One racers had been disqualified'Xot* use of illegal substances in his oil and fuel. He objected, aTqd he had a lot of sympathetic allies. The problem I m^d hoped would heal Itself had erupted again This time peop the sides had hired lawyers. were choosing up sides, and The\:ontroversy sapped our enthu- siasm, but we continued with our pla^. We would fly the 800 miles to Reno together on Saturday, kee^ng Sunday in “bad weath reserve" to Insure making the Monday deadline. Join us via airliner in mid week. \ - Our wives would ! I �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 11 Norm Weis The day before we left^ word arrived that the boycott had been voted down, and its originator, the president of U.S.A.R.A., was under fire from several groups, including the Reno Race promoters. The world of racing was in one hell of a mess, but the Second Sweetheart Racing Team, outfitted in brand new bright jackets, was deter­ mined to persevere. We loaded up on schedule, slept little that night, then set out early the next morning on our great excursion into the confused world of air racing. �Norm Weis Adventures in a Biplane Reno Stead Airport appeared deserted as I swung overhead's enrching out thj ■i;i"" t-nrt ■ i 11 pun., ths ^rird f Ian Hi -ng-—single plane, probably Dave Forbes* Cobra, sat on the ramp tkat ^iiould aooif^uld hiiinriinod c. pickup truck dusted its way past the long row of empty grandstandsJ?ad g rj_H wbi t-Q n1 hy one tall black and white checkered pylon thaXread "RENO" from top tn briti-r.m in 1 m-Qn >1. ..1. 1.1 Illi- ! *1 little ?_r.dicaticn ^There was the excitement and controversy that would center on this lonely spot during the next few days when the Thirteenth (an omen?) Annual Reno National Air Races got underway. eac d ibandingi The mr I put Second Sweetheart down tail high and �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 12 Norm.Weis on the wheels with extra speed. 'JA'pickup joined my path t-bp pl 0-0 0 qIcvtpH lead to the ramp. and I followed ofc thn map jumped out and guided me to a parking spot alo-ngoi^e what was indeed Dave's othe’f gentleman walked to the cockpit and handed in a hillcrj mmplx of What a welcome! Dave wandered over smiling T Agreed do al~ way Lu -LdLL abmut hiu jpcud Ull LllLi' Lflp We had taken off from Elko together two hours and ten minutes earlier, minutes al'iLud lyf wau he had igiround twenty His new racing biplane was fast -- about 30 mph faster than the Starduster. Crystal Lake, Illinois be and had s nt th night at Cheyenne, Wyoming,/with the understandi/g that h would meet the Casper c along the way/sometime Saturday morning. Husted had own Pat's Cessh for most o the trip. time in e day Pat 182 alongside When Da oose three plane formati tingent y and Bob econd Sweetheai t joined up< we flew for a V nances in cruise speed always brought separation between met, separated and re-met fr from Cas eno. -W- along the 770 mile route �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 12 Norm Weis Pat and Bob arrived as the second round of beer was passed. The hangar flying was well under*^ay. Right in the middle of a particularly good story, Red Blackbum sputtered in with his Pitts Special. He had been pumping fuel by hand for the last hour and was fiXumb worn out. Over the threshold, Red’s arm and the engine died at the same time. r.nrkpi »• .* ye all rode out on the truck nnd VfQVOd to offer aid, comfort/and welcome. HaH.: lb" pi I klip I the rlinbpH h: TTnnt-pd nntbing rnnro to du Lowed in,—STrf-Cet'liig Lhu tLlLical ouggojLIouj .liv jw- vp TijFU ro'^rorh'^c'^.i; c ?-n-nor-v ith Red lackbum properly rescued flying re/umed. The/quality of the stories i it? t-b tb 2 hangar rove as the erry Duty, Director of t e Reno Air Races, beer di/appeared. was h(/Lding court, and when Jerry got warm d up, th; stories roll d out with r al elegance. He reach/d a peak w .th the taJ/e about the Cu and the motorcycle. ave the world's Air Races.' called me clai to s it's 'perfeck for he down in New Mexic Fell reatest act. S Says he s going to pick up a guy from a motor- cycle with his Cub. I im the act was a dime a dozen, �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 12 No,rm Weis sut he goes on -- says he's going to do a loop wi^ this otl^r guy hanging on to the end of the ladder! /I told him L^d be there the next day. out at 5^is dirt strip. I met him an^his buddy He had the sicke^^ old 65 horse Cub stillKalive, and a ladder made out his old lady's \ / \ clothesline>^nd four broom handles, takes off in the Cub and comes N^arrelling down the runway. The guy on the bike can't catch-up with him, so they try again, and on the third try the ^y on the bike grabs the ladder, but won't let go of the bike. Finally he lets go of the ladder, and the fellow\n the Cub lands. talk it over. The two of them I could se\ they had never tried the act 'cause the guy wit^hVhe bike had just found out / \ that when he climbs the Iadder\ his bike is going to go before, exhaust pipe over handle bars. \ "They deai.de to try it\gain, and this time the guy on the bike get/s a firm hold on the bottom rung the first try. He l^s the bike go and surX enough, it turns stacks over handlebars. Well, the Cub isn\t doing too good a job oy flying, and the guy on the ladder is climbin' to keep frota being drug to death, but the Cub ^ill ain't climbingy Pretty soon his hands and feet are on the top rung, ^d his posterior is draggin' a furrow down t^ strip." �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 12 Norm Weis By now, Jerry Duty has the audience t^nsported. Pat Day can't\ stop laughing. Husted is hugging/nis belly, and Red Blackbum's eyes are running tears cl^r to his mustache. / \ "FinaJSly the guy flying the ^fub gets a little edge on his air speM and he climbs a^ouple of feet. They pass over the barbed Vre fence at ?the end of the runway, the poor soul on the laqder all buckered up, clearing the top strand by an inch or two. /it takes them half a dozen wide circles to get six hundred jfeet. back down to the bottom rong By now the gent has climbed the ladder. They come a diving down doing nearw 90 mil^ an hour, right over the top of me, the guy or/ the ladder h^ging on for dear life, hoping for a chanc/ at fame and fortune. The Cub starts up in a loop but/poops out just past thU. vertical. The gent on the la^ider falls back onto the bo^om of that plane while it's u/side down. First time I'd ever\seen a plane entered frenn the bottom. Somehow they get the\^b turned over, an/ the ladder-man crawls into the cockpit.\ / "They land and walk over, all smiles, thinking I'd hire them on the spot. Sure was tough to tell themXno, sp^ially since they volunteered to practice the act. tmey 'could perfect it a little.' " SaiX \ �Adventures in a Biplane Norm Weis Chapter 12 Ten 0/ us toow turns trying to top that storyy' ) The beer had long since disappeared, but the tales conbinued unabated. Th^e was something magic about the momey as ten pilots face^each other in k circle permeated wi^ good will and fine htanor, surrounded by the lonely barrel/ sands and tarred mnways of a deserted air base. EveW man was a pilot /f experience, and every story rang/memories full ci role. / Failing light broke\the spep/f and one of lifej^x j?d^e moments came to a reluctXpt^^end. Monday morning the crew of Second Sweetheart went to work. We installed the racing prof/and removed the carburetor heat hose. For some odd reason/^^e race course was closed, ^o tests with the plane had to be done on the basis of rpm’s and indicated air speed. On the first try the engine wound up to a disappointing ^900 rpm, and the air speed needle seemed stuck on 138. the timing to Bob Husted advanced degrees and I tried it again, satisfied this time to see the tachometer reach 3000 rpm, and the indicated speed 140 mph. We tucked the plane away in a comer of the hangar, gathered up a multitude of papers^^nd headed for race headquarters to register officially. �Norm Weis Chapter 12 Adventures in a Biplane Later we looked over the list of contestants. There were twenty planes entered in the Racing Biplane Class, and only the sixteen fastest would be permitted to race. we ranked ^)th, we were out of the race. ^venteen was my race number, and £tiiiiii1 I had gi If i i"f’! ife I hoped it had no hidden meaning, but at the moment it looked unluckier than the traditional thirteen. To qualify we would have to beat four other planes. mntirn thn fireld; there were only two planes, both Smith Miniplanes, that we Tip rnnlH bnnt- ■ While Pat and Bob fussed over the plane, I wandered about the ramp, worried about not qualifying^ apprehensive about closed-course pylon racin^^ yi oase—i rU H qn/Alify n±b°rc doing T Lilt sacmod too dangeroboorvad fljlH^. I'hI ^TW^:^~?5Tth my pi a-ng rinill ijjg. nn ■vnmp I Hbir TTiei.TWqq A llttlp f V1 £ll f l‘IT- ^hose damned pylons were soli^ telephone poles with heavy steel culverts on top. dead! wwd Just touch one, and yox/^ Dead like the T-6 pilot at last year’s race. His wing tip touched the barrel and his plane ended up in, cmnll pinrna over a hundred yards of desert sand. The prospect was unsettling. �Norm Weis Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 12 Tuesday morning the^WbftA course was declared open. Dave Forbes, Red Blackbum/^nd I took off to run the fl lap add promptly wag'gled hltl Wings 4t the home pyl<^, then heUj^*a^ teady altitude u?ffVl he is lap time/^arteq at that again reached Zhe home^^lon. point, and ^ded wj>dn he again I assed t>fe checkered pylon. His qualif/iimztime, posted lat >ai<*was 1 minute 18.2 seconds. for a speed of 138.2 mnb — m^l Hi '-mml uiiti n. n nn T_ r- 1 ^'cl'xd mycrlf tried flying straight legs. Qi.qtant 1 minute, 17.6 spmxxd^. banking steeply at each of the six corner pylons dotted along the hexagonal course* sa6>ond3, oQ^ abandoned the ideay\^and concentrated on flying/*^ a smooth oval^&Burog^ More practice would cut the Iwpr time, and I decided on qualifying later in the week. There was much Xo- be(/ ,\4^eti flying learnei^ about low-level pylon flying. wide open at low altitude, one must push forward on the stick while banking around the pylons, quite the opposite of the back pressure^ ordinarily used in turns. wide on pylon six, and at an alt\- de of fifty feet. ew smac was ake. into Dave Forb anding o 11 opposite c a wi rols. and re sing to Several long recover in spi of seconds later. cond Sweetheart popped into level flight, miraculously still at fifty fe.e±------ T realized at that moment 2.6/^ �Adventures In a Biplane Chapter 12 Norm Weis ery race pilot must demonstrate his ability alrtraft without lot altitude If you hit t c^tivel/, the pl fli 8 inverted and you to get it ight w thout lose of altitude and roll. onse day I flew the x^equlred str ter in take off fr 11 the full thrbttle, dead stop, /and the required div ter divii^ to 180 mph to rove the plane could the 1.3x pruise speed, 1 immediately/executed the roll wlthou itltud., ...i lose of climbed, rolled inverted. Lt in a cubsin, and finished up with two hanlnexheads. old time nee^i do only the oneroll* I told him I hated to waste the i speed and altitude pn one little roll. some length. rently he fi We discussed aerobatic information awa would hear from him later YU^^^'^^^^/S^emergency meeting was called for Racing Biplane pilots^that-^dUaBaaea. {United pglia The controversy raging within the U.S.A.I.A* Baring AtSTtislrlTn) had reached a dangerous Several pilots, disqualified during a previous race, had arrived in Reno, ready to claim their right to race. The member- ship had polarised over the controversy^ JZhe four race classes /la » ^»eh sides t ah* dissident Formula One pilots eaid most of the ^631 �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 12 Norm Weis ;h« rMHiinder « «ttii^e<rt;o bfihft th! faces to appeagi most Ay meshed he weu �Norm Weis Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 12 voted unanimously to hire uiiplcy guards to protect One pj/lots made er. sign: evicted planes during each night of race week. rnpptj o-r.Ho/1^ e mist e of flying the R He was invited to 1 b ■ . I ii'il I I U oicourse wi e, res , and wfes ating^ and I wondered if The controversy huLl-J. ... ..................... .. r.T.Q J._... t-n <-bn -rarp rmi-roo I l[l'1 ITN" 1.11 Illi |1 — Everything appeared normal at the mandatory general pilots' meeting the next morning. The F^A^Aj^went through its rules, stressing two new favorite terms — "sterile and "sanitary," both having to do with keeping the race course free of interlopers. The Race Director laid out the recall signals and changes in qualifying procedures. At the end of s were^asked^^il^^,?«rt? “TCHgwi^ to please the meeting, fill out a questionnaire ^e-.<ia1i;ai'tnainiQ. the mental makeup of the typical race pilot. Most pilots^feft ¥qiin^ giving the would-be immediately,^giiri researcher one very valid bit of information: ^^ce pilots don't give a hoot for psychological research. The Racing Biplane pilots metiZmmedlately after ► egaii Lu gel l~hri irlrn I'Inis the general pilot briefin; me raci la or. x.7i t-b flying. ver, smce The meetr the "rules of the roadXj^*®*®"^*****®*®^ - ' o We all agreed that A**l>*<^ �Norm Weis Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 12 the overtaker was to pass well outside or well over the passee, and that all pilots should choose a track and stick with it without sudden rise or sink. So far seven biplanes had flown their qualifying We could beat two of them, Red Blackburn’s Pitts, laps. and Mortenson's Miniplane; but we had to beat two more in order to qualify for the race! ypt- fini.m Tbp Up knew wp mu Id beat him n tbat ...La ft one to » We analyzed the opposition, looking for aircraft that the Starduster could top. We couldn't find one! Second Sweetheart hadn't been built for racing and carried less power than her competitors, 125 h.p. vs 135 h.p., and in one case, 150 h.p. Things were tense. and I was the pressure. irritable Husted and I argued over engine changes. wife, Gonnic, and and Pat agreed with neither of us. llLlI-k '-"111 willin he p ble o halp but off fiipojind Slowly we resolved our differences and set to ork/o We removed the chute, radio, emergency survival flares, tie-down ropes and lo^^ooks. I agreed to fly without shoes, empty my pockets/^d swear off liquids until the plane was qualified. We moved the timing ahead to^^^^ �Adventures in a Biplane Norm Weis Chapter 12 degrees and taped the oil cooler three-fourths shut to raise the running temperature and thin the oil. We even covered/^e rough wing walks ovea* with furnace tape! After rolling the plane from the hangar, we drained the gas until only three gallons remained, then Heiwg LU-11 LttU waited our turn e Ke course maki H ^c**^'*^ finally arrived. niiT <!Prnnd We had forty minutes to test the plane and qualify. I flew the first two laps at reduced throttle, letting the oil temperature climb to 200 degrees, then opened wide and leaned the mixture to achieve maximum power^ Sfee— Ian f imrr A bothersome crosswind was slowing me up and fooling me on the^pylons^n?aught myrnluf rounding npiiTind pylons, dangerously close — so close I had to stand on a wing to prevent crossing over the barrel. goo Finally lap, but the stoj^atch read 1 minute, 19.2 seconds -- much too slow. I landed and taxied to the ramp. Bob Husted raised the cowl and eyeballed the timing back to his special ^^degree mark, and Pat Day pulled off the furnace tape that had lifted from the wing 3^ �Norm Weis Adventures In a Biplane Chapter 12 walk and was now doing more harm than good. The fellows in the gas tmr.k^iJiTdP-r«;thnHgL7hoTT; T gcVori fhalf a gallon dHlb engine sound I conce was 1: the upwin ated on t e turns, swinging wide turns ,yhnticipating t e downwind turns. fl8.5 on the next ead stop watch The first lap time ett ap but the ly ten minutes of qua wrist showed tch on my fhg time remaining. We had to beat Red Blackbum’s time of 1 minute and 18.2 econds I had a smooth lap going -- the turns were shallow and even with the pylons passing only a few feet 1 fl Tri de my wing. At the home pylon I punched the watch and stole a quick look. 1:18.1 -- /reat! I cleared the watch and continued around the course, low and smooth. Past pylon six I headed straight down the home stretch, wagging my wings, signaling that I wanted to be timed for qualification on my next pass.,. WJield my min?enlrafir noting t-hp "-iid the intn position tn r.hpr.k for nylon--------- 77t±s. -.1 rtJilicd the otop •..~atch after rcvnding The starter at the home pylon waved a green flag at my approach. —.. I punched the stop watch at the exact moment of passage, then concentrated on each turn, approaching wide * �Norm Weis Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 12 or close as the wind dictated, dropping lower for increased speed in ground effect, passing the barrels at eye^^evel, pushing forward on the stick at every turn, concentrating, always concentrating. The lap felt good. Pylon five and six went by without a bobble, and I headed for home. The checkered flag waved as I punched the watch and zoomed sharply to altitude, letting the prop wind down before reduc ing thro 111e. seconds. It was the best the little Sweetheart and I could do, and with a'^X^tSe luck, it would be enough to qualify. I swung in for a landing as the allotted time expired. While Bob stowed the plane in the hangar, Pat j- n It looked rrke- we were in ~~ the last figures were being posted: 138.817 miles per hour! ^h position. No. 17, Weis, 1:17.8, speed Second Sweetheart had qualified in We hustled back to the hangar to hug wives and break the news to Husted, who promptly drove to town for a bottle of champagne. �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 12 Norm Weis With the plane qualified and ready to race, there was time to tour the ramp and look over the entriey^ in other racing classes. / The Formula One hangar was a beehiVe of activity as specially made trailers gave birth to sha^p-edged wings and slim wiieel-mounted bodies. The assembled race planes were remarkably similar, demonstrating t^ state of the art was well advance^ In each case, a fl^ straight wing met the body at mid hei^t just behind the tightly cowled engine. Tail assemblies were miniscule with/elevators only slightly larger than cookie sheet\. The cj/ass rules required the area of the wing to be at least \6 scmare feet, and the total empty weight of the plane to be at l^st 500 pounds. Engines were limited to 200 cubic inches,/but\pm's were unregulated. tachometers read to 5000 rpm's. Most A few had red lines painted on / the face at 4500. In spite o& the bustle of activity, the hangar was oddly quiet. Th^se not involved in ass^bly or repair were gathered in sy(all, intent groups. The conversation stopped as I app/oached and heads turned in suspicion as I passed. The l^ngar was electric with controversy. 0ne knot of half a dozen pilots and crew teembers seemed les^ serious. I joined the conversation. The subject was cheat/ing -- who does it, and how it’s done, and how not 272. �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 12 to get caught. Norm Weis The introduction of compounds of manganese or cobalt in the fuel could raise horsepower greatly. Even added to hhe oil, a 5% increase in power could b^achieved due to blow^*^y around the rings. Carburetor throats could be polished to^ larger diameter and intake tubes enlarged, or cylinders bore\out for increased displacement. Nitrous oxide introduced in ^e fuel could raise/horsepower drasti­ cally. The rules forbid any access fr/m the cockpit to the oil or fuel lines that mi^t permit -surreptitious injection from a bottle hidden in a fright ^it. half the planes in the hangar One conversant claimed illegal engines. Pilots hesitated to file complaints,/an^even then, with fellow pilots acting as judges, the inspecrfcions were often biased, or as one irate crew chief claimed, tfte inspectors themselves could rig the evidence to get rid of competition. The T-6 pilots were of a diffe^nt sort. The tight competition With closely matched aircra^st seemed to attract a super cj^mpetitive type of individual, rptent on / racing rather /^han circumvention of the rules. Only World War II At-6^ or SNJ's were permitted in the class. Both designatiptis referred to the same plane commonly called the TEXAN, but universally referred to as the T-6 Pilots in otheiyclasses enjoyed explaining that the T in T-6 stood �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 12 Norm Weis for TRAINER, but they found it harder to explain the T-y pilot. To race such large machines in close formatic^ around the\small course took great skill and uncom^n abandon. Some claimed\he T-6 pilots were nuts. Others said it was simply an over ^veloped aggressive nature. Tine aggressive quality was evident in the names printed iiy large letters on their planes - DONTREAD ON ME! GOTCH^ COMIN THRU! MISS BEHAVIN -- then,\as if to dispro\^the rule -- MISS EVERYTHING. \ / The Unlimited, pilots ^emed to be invisible. The crews were almost always on ham, working or standing guard, but the pilots were generally elsewhere. Many had mobile campers parked along side therr aircraft, offering air condi­ tioned escape from the exsert sun and talkative visitors. Most of the Unlimited/owners wereXwell heeled. They had to be, since planes and sj^re engines ran ^ell into, and sometimes past five figures. Ahl of the aircraft we\e modified World War II Fighters, mainly Mustangs and Bearcats.\ Rocket and jet- powered cra:^ were not allowed, making thX Unlimited Class in reality/quite limited. Perhaps Limited \ould be a more proper ^ass name, since the shortage of fighter planes has recenf^ly become acute. \ Only sixteen had signed up for the 1976 races. �Adventures in ~a Biplane Chapter 12 Norm Weis and three of those had failed to arrive, and a fourth had with­ drawn for unknovm reasons. Other World War II planes oiyQiand for demonstration,\although not adapted for racing, w^e draft­ ed to till the field\ Biplane and Formula One piloj/s, generally envious of the Unlimi^d prize money, took the slynrt field as a sign of terminal illnkss, commenting to the ^fect that the Unlimiteds were an endan^red species. Somey«mall-plane pilots were convinced the National. Air Races woul^be better off with­ out the Unlimiteds. They contended the Unlimiteds' 55% share of the prize money could be bXtter speht on the other classes, failing to realize that without^ the ^ig planes, the crowds would shrink and the purse money dwindl^ Meanwhile, Unlimited pilots argued the prize money was inad^i^te. Even first place money of $12,000.00 hardly covered ^e co\t of a blown engine, and engines blew frequently. / \ The biplane hangar seemed\to be the only happy place on the ramp. We ^ad more good humqr, more honest friendship, and more Meetings than any otl^r racing class. We averaged three rivetings a day, and I had\iust missed one while touring th^ramp. However, I arrived iX time to catch Red Blacl^um's description of his recent\accident. /A few months ago, Red had patterned \n for a land­ ing at an afirport near his home in Lompoc, Californi^. He checked the air for planes, then flared out over the runway. \About �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 12 Norm Weis twenty feet off the ground a Cessna 172 materialized under the Pitas’ nose, but it was too late. The Pitts chewed the tail of ^e 172 into small pieces, and worked its way for-/ ward, stopping just short of the cabin. The $27,000 Cesraa was totaledX and Red's biplane was severely damaged, ^d complained th\t his Pitts had been slower ever since /he had rebuilt it, and\figured that was the reason Second /Sweetheart had out-qualified\him. / Whenev^ Red was in earshot, we ma^ it a point to call the Stardust^ "The Pitts Killer." Ms red walrus mustache invariably signalled a reprisal aA he sauntered over to offer an insult oS: two. the BIG IRON?" "How's tilings going with The Stardu^er had a sp^an two feet greater than his Pitts and was one o:k the Ingest biplanes in the field. "Don't know how that mmsMr qualified faster than me -- you sure that ain't a two^lacer with one seat shut off?" As friendly as thy rivalry was, we weren't about to tell Red he could obtaiiVanothery to 10 mph by removing his carburetor heat hosey We had to have someone to beat, and as we frequently tyfld Red, we woul<l rather beat him than anyone. / \ Odd tj?fings were happening on me race course. A plane had ground looped on landing and flapped upside down. The owner, wHo had a backup craft, told the Mlot to be more �Adventures in a Biplane eful, because ou-al Chapter 12 Norm Weis ormula 0 le pilot turned i w^s caught /fitting ever) pylon, inclu n Unli ted pilot had qn engine a record la but ng the home pyloi^! ilure at the end of hi a thousand feet, then He climbed t qualifyrun. H are down to your la li erally dove for the runway, landed hot, rolled the lengt f the runwa the pilots' briefing the next morning TTLe explaiiidcT? start ten minute warning .would— Vfiias then a red flag would be waved at 5, 4, 3,Zand 2 minutes. The assistant starter would check all planes for hP readiness one minute, the red flag would jy-aa-and-afeef up until ten seconds to go. At that point, a green flag would be caiaed. When it fell, the race was on. Any further flags would from the home pylon. JSf^ll^ow wearu caution, flag as red p*..:d'" cancellation^ and g j''' black ’’get off the course Shortly after the meeting adjourned, J 1y ..7-; level jet aircraft fly-by and a spectacular display by a team of female parachutists. The Reno National Air Races were underway! The eight fastest biplane qualifiers were to fly first in the Heat lA race jgiQOQi followed soon after by -The Co^eud SinmnlhiiiLart Bgaw Heat IB d ?1 Ty .2,-77 �Adventure* in a Biplane Chapter 12 Nott Wei* a* the plane* lined up for the £ir*t heat, taking particular note of the tail-holding technique. Don Beck in hl* Sorceress took an early lead with Pat Hines close behind. Dave Forbes fought it out with Don Fairbank* for third place, and Tom Wrolstad and Tom Aberle carried on a battle behind, with Wrolstad cutting a pylon in the tpoces*/ Beck, Hine* and Forbes finished one, was with the technique rather than two, three, but ay concern was.with the competition. I the top pilots flew smoothly, with minimum change in bank and little variation in altitude. Formula One races were under way a* the Biplane* Heat IB pilot* met to determine their etarting positions. fastest qualifiers were given first choice. The Starting slots one through six were taken In order^^^ chose position eight, the $4.nre J’ wn* frhe iiiiljn ■gWOut I figured it would outside slot. put other* at ease if I stayed out of the middlsi^ eW^ he much easier for me if iniad/o^ IQiad^i^a man on my left to look out for We pushed our plane* the quarter mile to the starting line Special» Dense F^**y hfr Pfirirt fw bi« ■mIimiisl .ned to look him -«595 �Adw&Cutet In a Blplana Chapter 12 Nom Weis The take«*o££ would be tricky — right rudder would be required to prevent sliding into Red Blackbum on ny le£t. ^79 �Norm Weis Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 12 At the ten-minute signal, I took off my shoes and climbed aboard. Pat swung the prop a few times and the Bob leaned into the c engine beck, the The red flag the five-fliinute warning and the assistant starter down the line pointing his rolled up flag at each pilot until he received a "thumbs up" in return. The flag waved again and Lbc1 btaut The si Three minutes, and the relay line, to—piiefr. was repeated. At two minutes, Pat and Bob took position/ at the tail. With one minute to go, the red flag went up and stayed up. I advanced throttle to |500 rpm’s and checked the engine instruments once more -- everything was normal. The red flag was down -- the green flag was up — ten seconds to go! 1 tromped on the heel brakes, opened the throttle wide, released the parking brake/^d set the mixture at the predetermined mark. Eight pilots, holding full throttle, turned their heads to face the starter. Eight planes strained against brakes and tail-holding crews. Tail surfaces buffeted in hurricane-like propeller blasts. Tail crews squinted against the wash, eyeing the green flag, awaiting the moment of release. The flag is down! Pat and Bob release the tail. At the same instant my heels come off the brakes, and Second d �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 12 Sweetheart leaps forward. Norm Weis In moments the tail rises and I concentrate on he controls firm up and the plane i■ ght on the wheels. I ease back on the stick and we leave the ground. a fi to the lef we are in first place, but positions ahead. ed Blackburn‘S slot sever]) is several hundred feet behind. Win Kinneryear old veteran race pilot, is still on take|-off roll. He drifts toward the edge of the ramp^feeling the down wash of nearby plane^^ ^/His left wheel hits the dir^asd'Yhe plane slews, cartwheels horizontally, and flips over T4r nil bnpppns in thp .jl n-P- , Cuy. Ahead of me, five planes are strung out in a line, bending into the first pylon. I curve in behind, wide open, intent on fly- ing a tight^ smooth course. I hold wide on number two, letting the wind carry me in close. The wind is dead behind as I approach pylon three. I pull tight around the pylon and crab on the straighf^^way, immitating the track of the planes ahead, setting up early for pylons four and five, then easing off for six as the plane turns into the wind. Red is just behind, heading for pylon six as I line out for the home pylon, crabbing slightly to the right. I scan Win Kinner’s wrecked aircraft as I pass. iiM* L.iiiptjT' i'Tt ‘J...2 I thank God his plane didw t> bumA i cn th* JHlblift.ndijrnrp.jyetQin Harl annmi-nrod lUdlWSU �Chapter 12 Adventures in a Biplane i i-ii-l ^^pcatcdly that H-.."' Noirm Weis J..-' 'J;.y h";iT it t.U- true ok Kei? up? of. I can't seem to gain on the plane ahead. He is wide open too, trying and failing to gain on the plane in front of him. Each time I enter a straightaway I check behinc^ ^^ed is always there, less than a pylon behind^ behind him is a little black Mong, the stand-by after Win Kinner cartwheeled. alternate, launched Below I can see the judges looking upward through the empty barrels of the pylons^^M any part of that cutting the pylon. n1 g-no ■■ qirrrrfW is visible ____ pI 1 u -TTryil H I ui 1 I'm having trouble with pylon two — the wind continually puts me in too close. Twice I have to back off, then stand the plane on end to avoid cutting pylon. Each time I swear to take the turn wider the next lap. Each pylon is visible between the wings as I approach. but as the bank steepens, behind the upper wing. pyi-ar» disappears I duck my head to prolong the view, then stretch my neck to find the pylon again as it comes in to over the top wing^a bare 100 feet ahead. My shoulder straps inhibit the motion, but there is no time to make an adjustment. course. At pylon six I back along the Red is now a pylon and a half behind, with the Mong �Adventures in a Biplane still trailing. Chapter 12 Norm Weis A white flag waves as I obviously a mistake, since I have four laps. the home pylon, only three or The next time around, the planes ahead zoom up off the coursecheckered fI pass. I can't believe the six—lap race is over. finished sixth, and Damn, that was fun! InipuIiJ.iiL'lj , hml survived the traffic and the pylons. The fear I had e:^ected pyl I i 1 J g-t~ T not materialized, and vTonld bavp l-i J landed in number—six position, then taxied to the ramp for a special welcome from Jay and the crew, one of whom still carried my shoes. The rains ■ciame as we pushed Second Sweetheart into the hangar. The crowds fled and the race was canceLted for the day, but the pilots, at least the biplaners, stuck around, some making adjustments, others making conversation. I asked Red what he thought of Second Sweetheart now, and he jieplrgd -to tke^^ffueit that it was kinda purdy, even if it was oversize. f If Husted, busy checking the timing, aarbew him UFLUL "Yeah, Red. That view from the behind is really fetching, ain't it?" Dave Forbes wandered over and presented me with small blue card that pylon race pilots earn of their first race. He welcomed me in small fra term ty^^*U»-;*»« exclusive one. completion a �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 12 Saturday was wet and drippy. Norm Weis A dying typhoon had limped ashore and bogged down ■eaaek u»ev aha California-Nevada border! but heat lA of the Formula One race went off a8*^a^pact4S^* I watched with contestant's eyes* seeing only techniques* close eallaZ^^ cut pylons, Jirf^Wygner wen the race* puzzling many uf Ll'Rr uliiei vena, with he retail high ritiddiun^ turns, seem­ ingly added to her speed. Four planes took to the air for the Unlimited Medallion Race/^st as word was passed for the biplane pilots to get ready. We busied ourselves with the plane raissi^ the Unlimited contes^ which we later learned was won by John Wright at a modest 352 nph. We rolled our planes out of the hangar as the T-6 pilots took off. You can't Ignore a T-6 race noise is horrendous. They don't go as fast as the Formula Ones, Iw-fsrt they wmild-have rmuhle bealilBg Lltr fasLei. iMt all that neAee makes them seem faster, A bad start was aiSMMed.on the*T"^MedaMism M&ce/btt^-awM-Xa Ktplitstlei^ two T^ pilots went three laps7"^ssing three black flags before they noticed they were racing alone. The T-6 race was re-run as we pushed our planes down the quarter mile Iffiag ramp for the Silver Race, the �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 12 final race for Second Sweetheart. eight. Norm Weis I had again chosen slot Tom Wrolstad had been bounced down to our race for cutting a pylon in heat lA, and Stan Brown, winner of our first race, had been moved up to the Gold or Championship Baca. Our takeoff would^of necessity be down wind, Aho wfawl had increased tozl^knots. longer as Takeoff rolls j result. We spaced out along the starting line with barely a wing span between planes, and waited for Bob Hoover to finish his aerobatic act. Given the chance, I would have traded places with him Instantly. Strange how I could sit In gqt plane, lined up for my second big race and still envy the guy doing aerobatics overhead. J weadewed if X would eves beuums' ski lied aiiuugh" tbs Bce to perform In-front of a esewd like tehle-i—J: led hJ long»loftl g's. Movnia —His "gulls’ were atl-baTrels or<^ , rounded out v As ^cuspetltlon pilots he was sra >oth. expert dropping 0 I d 1 ^uld say — al plicata his one 8 kept positive sof 1 to 1 trick at It wou aerobatic I, but to else. tatlons that al stuff. But tate his eel land ings, and his the landl^ geaXlti mid roll ifere something to Incorpora some of his arching maneuvers Into my air show act, something I had to get serious about when I returned home. —. --------- Finally the ten minute signal was pass< �Adventuref In a Biplane line. Chapter 12 Korm Weis Pat propped the engine* then came over to the cockpit to Vioiti and give me a sales talk on the advantages of flying high around the pylons. Good old Pat* always takinietare of me* Hoover skimmed past* landing on one wheel* and the assistant starter passed down the row checking alignment of the eight aircraft. At five minutes the red flag went up and the thumbs-up ritual began. Red Blackburn looked our way as 1 passed my shoes to Husted. His eyes widened* his mouth droppedy^i^ his mustache wobbled a silent disapproval. gave him a thumbs-up. I He grinned and returned the sign* Ing like a character out of World War I — leather helmet* scarf, .amd eyes full of devil-may-care.^ I tightened the seat �belt and adjusted the shoulder harness^ belts Norm Weis Chapter 12 Adventures in a Biplane T fn-r safety or loo^» fal^Tts f l-Ll' get away. r------ VijibillTy' Pat and Bob gave me parting taps on the helmet and took position at the tail. green went up. i i the one minute signal I went to I -I iiiiii half throttle. pnni»i rHnnco The red flag dropped and the The plane strained at full throttle, eager to When the green flag dropped, Second Sweetheart surged, accelerating rapidly. We were off in seconds, leading the field Half way to the first pylon, six of us were flying briefly. abreast; then four planes drew ahead and formed in line. The black Mong to my left gained the edge, and I swung wide to avoid his wash. The pilot of the Mong was flying smoothly this time, avoiding his earlier square comers. slightly. At pylon three I checked behind. ing number one. His lead increased Red was just round­ "luajae"uuL With en- I concentrated on my flying, hoping to catch trrjMr. the Mong with six smooth laps. If I could close on him, he would probably revert to his old style, and I would have him. The wind moved me in to pylon six, and I backed off, ohal Ici.’irg HnnV then tightened up, banking steeply and losing speed in the process. wide The wind tended to carry me two and-^-kgo^ but I anticipated by aiming to the in­ side, feeling the drift of the wind as Second Sweetheart rounded dozen feet out, barrel level with the lower wing —» �A-dventures in a Biplane tip. Chapter 12 Norm Weis Pat's advice on flying high was forgotten. Though I had no chance of winning, the heat of the race would not permit conservative flying. 1 had the wind figured out, staying wide on five and six, and boring in on two and three. The Mong was closer now, less than a pylon ahead. I checked oil pressure and temperature on the next straigh^^-^ay, ad­ justed the mixture, noting the tachometer bouncing at ^150 rpm, then leaned forward to concentrate on a smooth turn around pylons one, two^^^d three. Wrolstad, flying 20 mph faster than the Sweetheart, passed me high and wide, but I never saw him. My eyes were where they belonged -- on the pylons. The Mong was even closer as we rounded number six and headed past the home pylon . Damn! There was the white flag -- only one lap left, not enough to catch him. Second Sweetheart and 1 would finish in sixth place again. I bored around the last lap fifteen feet off the ground anyway. in a vain attempt to catch the Mong, careful to rise to legal, eye-level height as I rounded the barrel^ lessly as the altitude. watchait help­ took the checkered flag and zoomed to I waggled my wings to acknowledge the checkered flag as 1 passed the home pylon, then climbed steeply — -............ — pilotj turned cii flnu.1 , t'j'i < - - L urr III............. ...... �Adventures in a Biplane Norm Weis Chapter 12 About the thja^^ had it all figured^/dut, complete chaosV thaj/rascal, Red ^atkfurn, cut in :^ont, forcing^e into a serifts nf tn-ms tn nt^i■n'^ggfral^tion. Pilots and crews, all in high spirits, gathered in the biplane hangar. We raced the race again, passing out compliments and criticisms, and taking the same in exchange.. awii^—' eawiplaiinad final. The ban^Ta-^-iTiTg wi th abnirt^X^ laughter. We were still riHing High nn the excitement of competition and wp-r^ """ y.z hii..^ ' i niiiii jusi.ih Punn Perri, pilot of the black Mong, offered congratulations. I said kind words about his flying, then claimed I would have had him if there had been Red disagreed: "Hell, the way you guys were two more laps. flying, two more laps and I’d of passed both of ya!" I felt*^re^^*^tisfaction. The race had been a test, and I had passed. Other pilots apparently felt the same. It showed in their actions and in their words. Egos were at ease/^^^ was nothing left to prove. J fat..becalm and bi.implLLg'; Perhaps feeling that follows racers race wonderful successful confrontation with one's feeling of measuri^ up 'dffidng others who inner fear^^. Certainly it IzasrfM; the money. Our share of the purse was a bit over $500, and our expenses were triple ^ven the ^|2fiampionship purse for Racing Biplanes was less than $2,000. It couldn't be the recognition either. fit — �Adventures In a Biplane Chapter 12 for there was little recognition Nom Welt or accepted pllots^No, ItZs not the money or the the company of confidence thaC brings the racer back to race again. > The rere was over for the crew of '8eco^°^ee We celebrated ^he evening mny and slept late Sixnd^y nopdi For a lhang there was no early meeting to attend at Sti ort in the middle of the first race*’ >bservlng w arrived the finish w.th only mild interest. We rooted Dave Forbes to a thi placB finish in the Biplane old Race, and watched Judy r, our favorite in the Fo la One Class, wind up in f I Our relaxed attitude t the races 1sharpened somewhat as the Unllmlteds roared down the runway gathered I ; in loose fonoation for a flying /start Nine planes \f lew along- side pacesetter. Bob Hoover, |ind with the traditiona "Gentlemen you have a race a most unusual contest statement, ot under way^ The planes then Crockd in P-51 number nine hrew a r re still hunched after the fii^st lap, r six, took a small lead and left the course rtly. Then the cohtra- rotating RB—5^1 lost/his blower and was forced to quit the race. Soon Clp.y abo called a "Mayday," and retired with/a �Adventures In a Biplane Norm Weis Chapter 12 I / had oil leak, leaving ^ly six planes on the course. Crocker, taking the pylons high a^ vide, caught the checkered flag first, folloved by Garditrar and Oreenconyer. Within minute^ Crocker was disqualified for flying over the deadline that separated the grandstand from the race course. Lefty Gardner became the winner, and Daryl Greenamyer, in a P-51, not converted for racing, took second. The planes that dropped out early and never crossed the finish line took The st,range race with the surprise fifth, sixth and seventh! finish brought to a fitting end 'one of the most controversial air races ever held. / f After the excitement of the National Air Races, it would be logical to assume the trip home would be unevent- ful. But that was not the case. / In clear blue skies over \ the wide open wastelands a dosen miles vest of Battle Mountain, Nevada, circumstances brought several lives\close to extinction. I was flying east, obeying the rules fox a change. ■ \ Planes flying to the east were supposed to fly at odd thou­ sands plus five hundrect feet. Earlier I had climbed to a cooler temperature, leveling accidentally at the proper \\ altitude of 11,500 feet, surprised to see that my comfort and the P.A.A.^s rules were both satisfied. The air was / \ smooth and the engine purred. Z was about to call Pl^|ht Service for >d.nds aloft, whan it happened. �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 1 2 Norm Weis my head, then 2d in front on c, both planes Lme for fright, irget. The sen hidden be- ■ 2yed the rule, 2r about this 2S at Reno so 5ert floor amid scheduled for ns to lie where expected. �Adventures in a Biplane Norm Weis |2- PUSHING THE LIMITS < ivIuAisbai. 13 All things have a limit. X thought I had pressed the Starduster’s capabilities to the limit, but in realicy^had taxed only my own. priety and fear. My limit was that fine line between pro­ The Starduster*e limit, if reached, would be structural failure. The Starduster had suffered not the slightest bend or give. It was time to push the limit — my limit. If I Mlf^^to realize my dream of flying professional aerobatics, it was time to perfect some top-notch max^%^rers for ay act. �Aibzentures in a Biplane Chapter 14 None Welt Part of my enthusiasm was due to Nell Williams' new|9SlVBas9SBV*^ book on^j^robatice. Hie explanations concern­ ing simple maneuvers coincided with my own* We were both self- taught, but he had progressed far beyond my rudimentary level of competency. He could explain a complex move in a way that made you want to Jump Into the plane and try diately* Imme­ Since Second Sweetheart was not capable of sustained Inverted flight; some of the enticing maneuvers were beyond reacl^ {^wever the list of tshoev possible was^considerable. Perhaps the most exciting was the "dreaded" Inverted spin, which, according to the new book, was not to be dreaded at all* The design of most planes made the spin and the recovery easier Inverted than upright* Having frightened myself with accidental Inverted spins, I was determined to conquer t**.?.*doing a few on purpose. The air was calm and cool 7,000 feet above Golden Eye Reservoir* Smooth pasture land fronted the lake, offering safe landing In case th^engine stopped completely* I circled, check^ my procedure^ *tugglglg{'^ute straps tigh^'^^*'pulled up sharply, as If entering a loop, eased the stick forward • e pull^Vthe throttle all the way back* Speed dribbled away quickly as I held the nose high, still Inverted* She shuddered on the ddge of a stall and I Jammed In full right rudder and full forward stick* The world tdilrled and I counted the turns* f �Adventures In a Biplane Chapter 13 Norm Weis After the second revolution, I janmed full opposite rudder, and ifhen the rotation stopped, pulled the stick back to point the nose down. The old master, Neil Williams, was right. head down was easier then upright. Spinning There was no feel of being thrown out, and the plane showed no reluctance to recover. big difference was visual. The When upright, earth and sky seem to circle the plane, but Inverted, no sky shosrdd at all I I tried another inverted spin of two turns, then three, and finally four, climbing each time to 7,000 feet and finishing ths last spin at just under 5,000 feet. The fishermen a mile below no doubt figured the spins were simply more of the same old upright variety they had seen me do at lower level, and probably wondered at my sudden conservative attitude. The 125 horses in the Starduster's nose didn't provide much of an up line. If 1 dived to 160, then smoothly pointed straight up, she would climb perhaps 1,000 feet before dying and falling back for lack of thrust. Falling back, tail first, in what is appropriately termiJa tailslide, could have serious consequences. is continued. The maneuver is safe as long as power The air blast from the propeller permits the elevators to act quite normally for that short interval before the craft swaps ends and heads straight for the grount^nose first. �Adventures In a Biplane Chapter 13 Norm Weis Bit with power off, it’s quite a different story. As the plane slides backward, the reverse flow of air exerts strong forces on the elevators, tending to force them full travel up or dovm. If the pilot is caught napping, the force is great enough to snatch the control stick out of his hand and let the control surfaces bang hard against the stops. The damage can render the plane uncontrollable} hence the bad stories and warnings concerning tail slides, especially accidental till slides. There are two ways to recover from a tail slide, and I was determined to try them both. From maximum altitude, I dove to 160 and pulled up, checking both wings for horizon posi­ tion, to ^sure a vertical track. As speed dwindled, I drew the throttle back, grabbed the stick in both hands and firmed ny feet on the rudder pedals. a moment it waasquiet. The air noise diminished. For Then the string on the "I" strut streamed out in front and air flew into the cockpit from the rear. slid back, gaining more speed than I wanted. We I was pointed too precisely perpendicular and the plane could not decide which way to flip. 1 pulled back slightly on the stick to help the plane commit itself to an upright recovery. Immediately the stick came all the way back. I could not hold it, only ease the bump against the stop. Instantly the tail whipped up and the nose down — over corrected itself until we were nearly in­ verted, then swung back, nose headed for the ground. �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 13 Norm Weis I brought the plane level and felt out the controls* even loosened the shoulder straps and swiveled about to study the elevators. Everything appeared normal. 1 tried several more, taking care to climb at(^ degrees rather than^^ The slide back was shorter, and the stick forces easier to combat. The second variety of tail slides involved recovery ”on the back,’* with head down and eyeballs out. I pointed the plane straight up again, but leaned back at about 100 degrees this time, chopped the power and held the stick firmly, a bit forward ofccenter. The plane slid back, then abruptly whipped upside down, oscillated/^amd pointed down. Like the inverted spin, the advertisements were exaggerated. The move, although sloppy and imprecise, was fun and easy. Lifter, a thorough ground inspection of the tail assembly and elevator control linkage showed no signs of over stress. I counted it lucky that the first tail slide was more violent than needed. Now I could trust the plane's structural integrity for properly executed slides. Between practice sessions, I studied the possibility of installing a smoke system. A separate tank could be installed in the upper wing, with a flop tube and double vents* fanstallBd. A rechargeable battery could be installed anywhere, and it would drive an electric fuel pmp to send a special oil — �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 13 Norm Weis ^orvus oil -» through tubes to each exhaust stack. a lot of work, and quite a little extra weight. It involved I decided to postpone the project until winter. Friends who fly straight and level, in aircraft designed to fly straight and level, are ^^S^cme to questions my abiding passion for aerobatics. Why, they want to know, am 1 determined to try such things as inverted spins and tail slides^.. ^X^ings they were always taught to avoid at all costs. Ify �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 14 Norm Weis explanations are generally unsatisfactobyX hftt T Feel 1 muste“* try anyway. *** The plane is like any new toy#Mw a bicycle for example.^^u owned one,i^ng eeuess? ^^d you learned to ride i^at the expense of a few scraped knees and elbows? 4BiU4riMm ^ne day you had to try riding "no handseven if your perents thought it foolhard]^ Perhaps you even tried a wheeli^ I guess^^'^terS at birth. Every new skill reveals a new challenge. Once you can crawl, you strive to walk, and walking, you must learn to run, eaA> then jump/^'^id dance^ <<^Tt~Ts when you stop the process — when you think you have experienced it all -- that*4k»taryou begin to grow old. challenge is necessary to the way I wish to live, and SQT challenge Just happens to be aerobatics. But isn't it risky? ^ary^is Thoreau said, Perhaps, "Xt is life near the bone where it is sweetest.'* Torque rolls are beautiful and feel just W«e> they look, but the control motions are strange. Once pointed verti­ cally, full aileron is cranked in and the plane begins to roll. With eyes fixed on the left wings, the plane se«ns stationary, and the horizon becomes a passing blur. Prompt fore and aft motions of the stick keep the wings perpendicular to the whirl­ ing horizon. So far everything is easy, but soon the left wing begins to ride too high. Left rudder will bring it down, and -^01 �enturet in a Biplana Chapter 14 Noma Well when you've overdone it, a touch of right rudder will bring it back on the horizon. . , ’ . Handling stick and rudder UjtflUiti is like patting your head and rubbing your stomach. finement can be added. Once learned, a new re­ Wien the plane reaches the top and starts to slide back, the ailerons should be reversed so the wings can unscrew their way down, preserving the rotation. Other control motions remain the same, since full power still puts normal air blast over the tail. But only for ^hile. Soon the backward motion brings on more reverse flow of air than the prop wash can handle, and the plane sags over eeafety and oscillates to a downward path. Some planes can achieve three or four rolls on the upline, hang on the prop for another, then rotate two or three more turns on the way down. The Starduster, with a lesser roll rate, due to its lack of four ailerons, does well to get a three^ quarter roll up and a half roll down. It's mot much of a torque roll, so I prefer to call it a "rolling tail slide." Uhifferdill! What an exotic name for a maneuver. wanted to learn the maneuver if only to make use of the term. When I finally found out what it was^from an English friend, I realized I had been doing eiUm for more than a yea Mew tehey t a barrel roll that has its mind changed mi^^ay, or you could call it a super**steep lazy I �zentures in a Biplane Chapter 14 Norm Weis eight, so steep the wings go past vertical to precisely in­ verted, then return. It is a long sweeping reversing maneu­ ver that keeps you pleasantly in your seat. . Square loops, diamond loopa/and eight-sided loops are simple from the pilot’s seat, but viewed from outside, first efforts look more like rectangles, squashed boxes/*and ellipses. The problem is with the timing* Speed changes are drastic, and to draw equal sides, one must fly for unequal times. For example, the first leg of a diamond loopj inward at should be held for a count of three, then the plane rdiited ^^^with ele­ vator, and the new course held for a count of five} another and htfld for a count of four (the engine and gravity are now working together), then a final two, then level. hfild it for a count of A ground obeerver can suggest slight changes in count and angle, and when mastered, the maneuver will look grand from the ground but seem all wrong from the cockpit. trol^ taka on a new stiffness and the wires a new higher-pitched howl. A glance at the aiiQipead indicator explains it all. new top speed has been reached. A I make it a practice to check both ailerons for incipient flutter (they would look extra fat) before reducing throttle and pulling out. Later I wobM move �Advanturat in a Biplane the red, Norm Wais Chapter 13 not exceed speed" line/up to a new position on the dial Cliittbii^ in and out of the Starduster wos/still a graceless ac In spite of special precautions, I f/aquently ran the stick vy pant leg Even when X toed the stick to the side and out of the way, the wind on the ailerons would and found it difficult*^ doing it on purpos by accident. foot. to match the planting of/ nave it back in S(»iie stick wouldn't ride X tried t was much easier y I would rework the^rim system so the the meantime, the center travel. best Z could do was leAva all my flared britches in the closet and weat the tight-cuffa^ pants thai went out of style four jrears ago. Although Z hav formed considerably since I found there were rules about such; tics, 1 still get a kick out flying parallel to highways at\.ow altitude. I often flew low i^^to and from the practice area and close to Highway 20 /bn ray wa; Perhaps e habit be ingrained on early cross- The planes countries as X held the highway fo * security. ware slower back and head winds ^re more of a problem, and that meant |bw level flight to esca] effect. At times the wind almost aron. some of the slowing ^e flying a J-3 Cub, I've been insulted by cars passing me oii\the highway <-«* even trucks. Once X barely got around a combine.. A friend of �AdventurM in a Biplane Chapter 13 Nona Waia mlne/naimra^thtt wlnd>^*aix1^^ realJjrlBloir^nj^wjtJ^^ wonan hang outtlrtTwaah and you're still there when she takes ft lnl“ \ / The fifty-five nile per hour has introduced a new sport. limit All those Mrs traveling sixty plusi are gambling someone's C.B. will get tra word out if ’’Smokey is lurking up ahead*" Let one little aJ^lane pass by, and the whole string slows to fifty-five, and the air waves are filled with ’’Bear in the airl" / Ify- low level flying/is strictly for sport, but for Jim Good of Casper, Wycsning, i-X i* a means of livelihood. Jia flies pipeline for AMOCO through most of Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, and Utah. His 2w mph aircraft is equipped with all sorts of radio gear plusyi siren and a loudspeaker. He has his own kind of fun with tl^ cars on occasion, but most of his low flying is strictly business. \ 1 rede along on one of his tours engine of the Ces 210 hummed smoothly as feet and began ppkalleling the pipeline, entered rough country. The turbo equipped leveled at 100 In a lew minutes we While Jim looked for leaka below, Z watched the bluff tops race by above. When the pipeline turned, so did we — two g turns at times Now and then we slowed, and Jim called the man below on c frequency, inquiring about a fresh slick of oil near the lin 303 �Adventures in a Biplane Norm Weis we left the line and sought put an airport At with decent food Chapter 13 hen took up where we left off * began looking for wildlife\and soon caught the knack of s hing the meager shade benea scrub cedar end eage deer* Ma and the two yo sters* heads tilted back watched seen the plane red times calmly as we passed* They ly of mule before. Although the air s cal* and t temperature mild we encountered odd turbulence at Certain locations that Jim pointed out ahead of time* He has theo as a gravitometer* feeling the mov that the plane acts t pf air away from those areas with slightly lesser gravity* du^ptobably to the presence of low density matter such as oil or ^t^pr The bumps occur / / reliably along the perimeter of knoi^ ollX^ields* and around a few other places that just might Jim recently bought a new discovery some day ceeding to teach himself aerobatics much like Ws compared notes frequently* <»7* and is pro­ old Waco did the year before specially in rega Both our planes seemed to resist the maneuver* to snap rolls ecision snap roll in a Starduster is di|^icult* but half a snap is even harder It Is strictly a matter rudder* and just as t neutralize when the timing — pull on the stickXand jam right motion starts* jam in opposite controls and Lane is inverted* For a quarter snap* the recovery begins before the snap actually starts �Adventures In exBiplane Chapter 13 Norm Weis Quite b^accident, I found that froira climbing attitude and at low speed, 80 or so, the Starduster half snaps beautifully. She's a Sweetheart again, lhe nose drops, but if the stick is held back shsNcompletes a marvelously quick, altitude preserving split "S” that makes a perfect turn around. soy �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 14 Norm Weis he ins ne. The new maneuvers demanded much time to bring to compet^ce, then far more time to achieve a measure of precision The inverted spin was the easiest. I sprinkled that maneuver in among the difficult moves to maintain confidence. When I told Pat Day about the Joys of spinning upside down, he had to have a demonstration, also curious, rode out to the practice area with Pat. I could see them standing beside the vehicHe as I climbed to 5,000 feet. Any higher, I reasoned, and the plane would present too small an image. On the top of the loop, 1 pulled the throttle back, but not all the way •• the engine would die from fuel starvation anyway. She entered the spin nicely, and af^r kicked opposite rudder. Nothing happened! Something was awfully wrong! turns, I JeoA nothing happened! I could see blue sky and hear a flattering-roaring sound. 1 considered slipping the belts and bailing ou^ ^Xhat bhough^had never ItselF before. Could 1 clear the plane? Perhaps the spinning plane would wrap the canopy up into a useless ball. Maybe I was already too low to Jump. Suddenly I understood what was happening. Th4B- funny sound was the engine running, and that made the spin 30(, �Adventures In a Biplane Chapter 13 Moxa Vais flatten up and bring the sky In view* Quickly 1 yanked the throttle back d the yet *» B den* »■ ewaeHy reealH lyway, the rudder again, nose dropped and the spin slowed. Z pulled the stick back ouch too soon, but the plane responded In its own time, leveled quickly and checked my altitude. Z The altimeter read 1,000 feet, which was ^500 feet lower than I had intended/ jglothe«Mle«»ed‘*'foirirMMii«k«>--i Z milled about, letting the adrenalin run down, tondering how an engine without an inverted system could run upside down. Of course! Rotation would throw the fuel away from the axis, and that would be forward to the engine! Z should have taken off all the throttle at the top of the loop. By the time I reached the airport, Irealized the rg&ideac keZe .a- valuable le-ersen in invertedy«^pr spins. The spin would flatten with power and return to normal without pmnT, ^Bbme planes will |(!p7 return to a normal spii^when power is shut dowi^rTme Sweethear^ was one of the safe ones. inverted The spin would be a good maneuver to practice sometime hi^*‘ thMirx. »,■>«. r./i 1l■lll^T^Jl There were othe^ more Interesting maneu­ vers to master. Zt was time to try out the Starduster's flight characteristics in odd attitudes with radical control positions. Perhaps we could invent a new maneuver like the tail stand the yl(i^^drivefdemonstrated at Oshkosh. �Adventures In a Biplane Chapter 13 Nona Weis I tried entering a eontlnuoue map roll from different angles and attitudes. Vle.»3r Moat of the results were dis- ^4<t*»4**H**<P>**« appolntdaagt hu^ entored^nearly vertical eesM strange things haj^pened. dl qjre rnep er ^pln would start nonoally, but as the speed died, the spin died, and we would fall out In sene unpredictable attitude. At times It felt as though we were briefly in on inverted spi^* /ince 1 kept the power was a chance the spin could go flat, e» X kept ^^^Mn.SBe 1 experioented with different entry speeds, angles off the vertical, and tried the spin In both directions. Z failed to duplicate the Waco*a moves, but In the process, X came upon a new. apparently original maneuver. Starduster can accomplish. Perhaps It* a sonething only the X named It the '’Bolly/ermaker.** p degrees, X wait^4or the speed to Heading up at drop to 110 s^>h, than quickly put the plane into a spin to the left. She spidfel a turn or two, dle^on top, and for eM-4as£ABt ysia^ flat on her back with no rotation. Than as the plane starttf^to fall back, X fedsl In whatever control It tgj^ to pro­ long the float while torque from the engine bfB!^*ton a slow spin to the right. If done properly, the controls endfup with stick forward and full rudder deflection, precisely the require­ ments for an Inverted flat spin, which t^exactly what *^^^dolng. the plane And it was entered from a nozmal spin going straight up I X never gUe^e flat spin time to fully develop. A half turn �Adventures in a Biplane Ron Weis Chapter 13 ono, and X chop power and point her down* Old hands might argue that torque will cause a ’ plana to spin to the left* not the right, but if the boiler** maker JLs viewed from above* the flat spin indeed to the left* but sitting upside down in the cockpit* the spint^'to the right. a doaen tries to understand what really It happeni^cf. Some of the fellows from the CKperimental Aircraft Association — the EAA — were flying a replica of Lindberg's Spirit of Saint Louis about the country, much the way Lindy d toured aVttk^after his Atlantic flight fifty years earlier. The plane was due^* ^*^oon, end quite a crowd had gathered to see the show. mine included. Several homebuilt aircraft were on display* a This time X played it smart/’ surroianded the plane with one Inch wide flourescent surveyor's tape* to keep people from looking with tha^y instead oi^ their eyes^ ^Somehow the unuaeJl portion of the tape was left in the cockpit. D|gexrXt fell into the fuselage and much later* 9X. a very crucial time* X would find it in a oarsnin place. When word arrived that the Spirit of Saint Louis Qi—ft—— would be two hours late* X volunteered to jii 1-^ _ y. a aerobatic demonstration Ss emssstatn She e.i*ui>di during the wait The FAA was on hand* and X had a low*>level waiver* so the legal!** ties wexre quickly satisfied. �Mvcntures in a Biplane Chapter 13 Nona Veie At the first break in the traffic, the tower gave ne the go-ahead,, pgoaAeing to "hold u£f tiaffie fee the newt J^eti mlrnitee It wee real kick to go through the maneuvers I had thoroughly perfected -• the ones proven safe at low altitude. Bottoming out at 1,000 feet, I paeeed from loop to hennerhead to idiifferdill to barrel roll, frequently reversing then going on with the Sweetheat *s easy half snap split to the Cubans, point rolls, slow rolls and snaps, with one snap roll while going straight down,^^^-^™ 4* finale, X dove for speed, and then pointed her up and spun her into one of toy better boilermakers. It felt so good X did another. How if the crowd ^im/^arger, and I iSwf^eceiving a healthy fee^^.fy«^raaybe sometime. A month later, after much practice on diamond loops and rolling tail slides, X moved on to a couple of simple awJrwr called the pullover and pushover. Both are entered going straight up, and both end/^oing straight down. The pull and push refer to the stick motions. The pullover is Ukw a tall skinny loop! The pushover is the same shape but the plan^is upright at the apex. At that moment, the plane and pilot are subjected to negative g*8. The pilot is thrust up against the belts, his neck stretches, and his eyeballs bulge. Anythin^ loose tends JT^****-^ * ’(r-T to rise^ M w liiiHng rkeS long lost roll of surveyor's tape lying unknown in the tail of the aircraft. Xt rose into the gap between elevator actuating arm and fin post. ^The gap wasz«sMrl>ecau8e the elevator was in the down positionJ �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 14 Norttt Weis The pushover and the down line all seemed normal, but when X applied back stick to pull out, my movement met sudden solid resistance. ablQ< redweed rhrn hr Inii l<avn1 \Jb^ tP up elevator w^as avail-* n jqtMMirtn >'hu' plane reuaded out gradually, nlnrA^rn Hb ■ j^ywuMii* problem now was to get back to the airport, get it on the ground, then find out what Uku hulii was causing the blockage. /l held hard back stick, compressing whatever thadg. mysberious object was. discarded the idea* I^considered jockeyingj^about . but 5 it- i-hfe t.«iy -tt- bir^-T^ the object shifted, the chances were 50«50 that the problem would worsen, . jr T xliiiildetf 'Lu lni>lu> the ;fiick against the blockage^ 1^1 ■and lanri vHt-h fy>.♦- I <» few sfi thir greuad. ^It would have to be a wheel landing, but that was ny normal |istyleyB(**landin^ axtyway, I told the tower about my problem, and asked for a ”no delay” straight in approach. They obliged by delaying several other planes, then sent the crash trucks screaming "if/ �Adventures in a Biplane resolved t Chapter 14 Nona Weis inspect the belly for debris before each aerobatic flight. I carried that bullc^roll in my pocket for two weeks like a guilty sailor, neck slung with a dead albatross, hoping its discomfort would serve as a permanent reminder. 3/2 �Adventures in a Biplane Cliapter 14 Norm Weis €haptece"’i-4' It wa^tha first of January, and alPiMaai the tharooooatar stood at tan below saro. The two ha rdryers humming away in tha blan^^«cova^a^^ngi^ compartnant saamad to have little affec^ Z busied myself (^towing tent, sleep** ing bag, air mattrass, tie-downs, and survival gear, then plastered over the oil-cooler with furnace tape. By nine o'clock the engine oil temperature had climbed into tha graan. I removed the hairdryers and blankets, pulled on an extra jacket, snugged tha windproof hood and slid �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 14 Norm Weis ray flying helmet over the top, slung a scarf about my neck, pulled on heavy glovesXand climbed into the cold cockpit. The engine started on the line-hand's first pul^^**! sat waiting for ^ngime to warm completely, wondering if 1 could stand the cold I hadn't planned to leave on the temperatures at altitude. coldest day of the year. The decisio^ had been an easy one. The race promo­ ters had offered me $300 to put on two aerobatic acts, and a few more dollar^prize money if 1 aleo entered the races to fill out the field, ^jisefacing no longer thrilled me, but I found it im­ possible to turn down my first chance to fly aerobatics for decent money, . ... —n t t .................. . ,ci , .i Be­ >. sides, the races were to be held in Mexicali, Mexico, where the weather should be warm. It was to be the first Mexicali Interna­ tional Air Race, and 1 would be the feature performer. They expected a crowd of 10,000. The official had checked my qualifying rolt^ and the extra goodies I had thrown in at Ken^ was the man SkS; had made the offer. The little string attached — the requirement that I also race, had^>Bfemiaiw«Ked»aa-4dxa._aldi«hee8t, Jsut to agiem would violate my promise O6 no more racing ehat j ... . 4>ad made tn Jny. ^e understood bqt deep desire to fly the air show/was granted a ^'stay of promise * for just this ame race. �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 14 Norm Weis Strangely enough* Jay had no worries concerning ay aerobatics^ ySEe reasoned that when racing^life was In the other fellows* hand»»and she didn't trust the other fellow/* 1 felt a bit guilty about Mexicali* however* for it was ■Cii>y*e alipuft Uiat was Uw sutoJeuL of ay feweewatedi. Back then I dared not middle-fingered aalute the year before. enter the country for fear the plane might be confiscated* but now the Governor of Mexico had sen^ a personal invitation^ee— We cleared the ground at 9:30 a.m.* and headed cold and straight for Rock Springs. A little fuel* some hot coffeeA n brief sfeund e'lei. Uia"Uul eii misiiIi>tea» '^od we were up again* flying through the paraly: if vffy Lluuilr �Adventure* in a Biplane fciii 111■iiMf III I Chapter 14 1 Norm Weis cf-miTliliiii heater couldn't kepp up with the frigid air rushing The ;8filvers set in as we left Wyoming and entered the State of Utah, <11 thftiigt* ft.. cQftsplred rn deny maUrha-fulfillaetit I upped the cruise settings to raise the temperature and shorten the flight time. Clouds took over the sky and the temperature dropped the controls q flhe- >fy hand shiveved, sending small pulses th whole eltplene shlverag. Heber City and Provo. inally, we slid down the notch between Th* lower altitude would be a enduring she cut J lietHiUg uf Uie isuuiitainsi Itftsr The shivses-ceased^ as the tenq^rature rose to near the freezing level. The airport at Nephi, Uta^was untended, but a phone call brought a)Kieriff*s ^puty immediately, I gassed up the Sweetheart and headed out, pleased with the Jieputy’s friendliness, wondering idiat the town was like. I would find out all about it eight days later. Mountain shadows were growing long as we landed at Cedar City, Uta^ It was a pleasant place to spend the night. The hardest part of the trip was behin^jT*^Only two legs and a hop remained before the bright >texias**sun would warm my bones. Th^ morning was again cold and the engine slow to fire. It was ten o'clock before we cleared Cedar City and headed ^uth. Twenty miles out, we passed over land badly cut by canyons, Xt was in one of those canyons, nearly fifty years ago, that mail pilot Maury Gralfe was forced to land in /, �Adventures In a Biplane Chapter 14 Norm Weis winter-. They gemnd naury and his wrecked plane.the following spring. Maury had managed to walk six miles before exhaustion brought him down. <•» Ths pioneer mall, pilots used to have all the-decent ency landing fields marked with a white painted "V**, the uphill, or into the prevailing wind. fields were mar th a ••T”, which stood though it was plainly age t the , many of the early mail pilots carried bottles of 100 and a rough engine pu country below w engine so Doubt smoothing oil.'* like a kitten pie upside down stile enough to make even 1 underst e One swig, Sweetheart* the old time pilots thing-ol1 The rough country ended abruptly and we descended to the flat warmth of the Nevada desert. half an hour ahead. Boulder City was only We had been this route before. This time the Air Force and Nellis Field receive^wide berth as we detoured through the Valley of Fire,^2iff slid along the west shore of Lake Mead. At Boulder City I removed the tape from the cooler, and stdHtd my windbreaker and gloves^ in the baggage. The- low elevetlnn atid dawuhill runway shegfcened the take»uff pleasantly. 'Ps*' I pointed the nose straight south and watched the Colorado River meander a dozen miles to the east. turned from tan to brown, axid erupted The land below tusks of igneous rock. �Adventures In a Biplane Chapter Norm Weis It was hot when we landed at Blythe, California. After gassing upn,T-adjnnmed-..to the flight ehaek fe» «ind a da^le^^ givhni^ttw^ngine time to cool, fie ^d^ bec^e balky and haixi'xo'^it^t due se^*2he Xsw eloraSien and*^ I checked the parking brake and found it still full on, then looked about to see if anyone was available to swing the prop. Not a soul^was iu siglit. I thought briefly of y(>ing down the tail, but no ground loops were visible nearby. With throttle well cracked and ignition on, I stood between wing and prop and pulled her through. She coughed, coughed again, aH* then quit firing altogether, obviously loaded up with a heat-induced rich mixture. With ignition off and throttle wide open, I pulled the prop through a dozen times, then retarded the throttle, turned on the Ignition, and tried again. engine coughed and died as before. —1 I'gpeauiJ uhe leening prnseihiws.* Sweat began to gather under my long-Johru The failed again and I looked about for help, ^gmim^^re waf.no one in sight.s^I^jMpt trytne ■was on the third pull of twe^-ve^tisying fro .lean her out with^ fuJJLt.hrnntlg ngflla.whe^^e engine fired^4am2^ ^1nn e^ti an. . She wae kiekiwg ewem-aa I^San fo^ the wing tip. The tail was^contlng up as lMM«indod.j;ha..xaaMao«-eMMUheaded for �Adventures In a Biplane the cockpit<1 Chapter 1^ Norm Weis When T gst there the engine ws* at full bore^eeriK** the prop was chewus^ its way into the blacktop JHie tntl rudiT Jriahss flB-rtm My first leap at the cockpit peiip nhnntRiie^ failed.plane was crawling toward a gas truck/ On the second, mnyJif^s third'^^jqt^I managed to get on the wing AM JwenH eally I clawied> my way over the cockpit coaming M^yankad* I*6^^ the throttle bac^ A** N0|/there were lots of people around, bombarding me with accusing eyes and condemning illence. I was sick. In almost two thousand hours of flying I had never hurt an airplane. I had demolished a propy 1i««i ■ ■gwiikaluiffr FlMuj^y and come perilously close to blowing up a gas truck. tt, the fixed base operator, was angry neardestruction of his gas truck./ I bi e lack of Ip starting up We sooiy cooled d' )wn and coopera ated in an iffort to secure a new propeller. came almost frie The would arrivu in 'I wandering about sines in Even lually we be­ ly ropeIler shop in enix cAairaed tl lythe within tw^ays. It s In the process, I the mega* upon an a National record had bei tn set for en a^r cockpit biplwes in the Sweetheart's weight 2700 miles in 30 days. new prop I killed ti le time rwin's operation, then reading ai: ^s pilots' lounge nterestiiu item back about lass An hour spent with the log books �Adventures in a Biplane showed trips 1 Chapter X had broken that Norm Weis ec|rd by a wide margin y6n Vhe o Cjxiada and the East/Coas 3,000 mile: diti ths/ fact," In fact I had in 10 days, and' well over 4,000 miles aveldd n 20 days. At a later d e I ch eked with the fecord accru y and learn that r cords could ot be set "j :ter t that Iycould appl upj exi at temp t\ If for an o rtunity to se 50 in fees, and an/in­ uld only cost day to check in at Mexicali.^ I M-imlrcd the, iihcolj and britjxj the pron-oa~oisa«awaya to epe» tion off, imdjtouble ehetked OFF^ r"jgraiTednasr'prdp thfOUgh ~of-“the''-^ HPerfeotl.^. stalled in proper position, thetx flange was alJU right! I bolted the pi^p down, safet^ed it and installed^^ spinner. At request* the local XI service called the tower in Mexicali and arranged for ray arriv The menage was relayed from Blythe to Imperial to Mexicali. e man at Imper- tly via the same rou One of the line hands kindl red to\prop the engine. I had the feeling they wanted to take no mo chances With me* The cox>lr"'engine fired iramedidfcely and ran pthly �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 15 Norm Weis u£ vibl'Alluu. with ’^^Jteke^ff was extra quick, cular. t^e^limb out specta* The prop was Indeed bette£^ The cruise speed was a few miles slower, but that mattered little. cross country *•*“**• end the new prop Jt w«n*-fc racing or . these days* Just aerobatics, make a big improvement in my vertical performance southw follow t pa eyebal wenty se across was un e rough tad ow notch, en took he sand dunes that blanketed the es to the border The General Taboada International Airport itSf just a few miles south of the border amid land checkerboarded by i rrigat ion * f tr-the iHnd in on 1 t<^Qwnw^T^L—Tlie eApeetfed gieuii llghr d to.. ari'lTiyy^se I went srouaJ shI veil leaded fus feBaJflv ■feline' Bob Downey, formula one pilot and coordinator cf the races, directed me to parking^ semed in the cockpit "‘ig'niit Good old Red Black* t'* hcirda am T rk**- bum, walrus mustache ana stammerdiF out a welcome* as ever, over I began to feel at home* Red hustled me directly to customs ispRswder to cancel ny flight plan and enter the country officially* The 32./ �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 15 Norm Weis custcxns man spoke no English and I could speak no Spanish. communicated by writing numbers, adding question marks if not sure. When finished, the immaculately uniformed agent stood at attention, shook peating hand, and offered an official welcome, re­ piloto, race piloto." low-toe.*' V1 ng watching i .i ijy n^i He pronounced it ”pee] in»f— all, tinning broadly. /The vele/ briskly to/f^ce old ed, whipped a Salute, st octet ng about ’ Cenerale laught Although ' Red blushed and the hey takeXaii^orms very sal ent brdke riously 8 found Red’s emblSxtJned jacket a source o^ high Tfevlcsn e« ot of p\lot8 Stood about the ramp. joying ooKe her and disci^ussing the low ceilingX encountered mild their flight to Mexics li t A stationary fr nt was hung up over Los Angsles, holding back the arrival contestants. A few of the pilots had arri a little sight-seeing in igner Hk and he area* race enthusiastV had been b Downey had engines Art almost half th< a week illiams, aircraft d ere for several days. the race course, erecting e six-comer pylons as well as the start-finish mark. The course was parallel to the single runway, and quite close in. The race promoter, uninhibited by the Mexican equivilant of the FAA, jjaff-aakad that all races and aerial acts 32^2- �Adventures In a Biplane Chapter 14 Norm Weis gslT be held as close to the crowd as possible. He wen suggested that the scheduled clown act and ray aerobatic act be held next to, oryjSlrer the crnwd. The races took on a barnstorming atmos­ phere, and the '*pllotos*''^Lwad it. Mexicali, a brown and dusty city of half a million people, sprawled across the flats a dosen miles west of the The houses it the outskirts^som^ temporary. airport. Rut^ corrugated sheets and loose-fitted boards^i^ke well for the Except for the highways, streets wre powdered dust clim&te. or clinging mud, depending upon the weather. At the center of town, the buildings became substantial^ sad a distiiicfaichi- taeteure ■energed, Statues stood in mid street/ ^Iti-storied motels rose on both sides of edyswt dustafllledL boulevards oe pilots st^ed aX tlae Multday B the led first class, but diedXat the bo ca Cold wtter was on to be rocked off itS^base to permit t open, how t you had to l^d your heel y stool never/le althoug autho ity, it sed one grab rly in the e in t on ha downstairs lobby of the on must have lef the stool hikd thro door to ful y tub it in. flashed a hand th such Id. ua BMt for tel. Some- pilots' meeting Two into a courtesy of the mote ? 23 �Adventures in a Biplane Chapt Norm Weis BKistiffened, saluted, and then unlsoMa an **S1 Generale * ablush wae SMgnlf leant. eau^t on so well. Maybe t^t wLs why the nleknta When a red jacketi red haired, red isustaehed man blusWed, he eveated apeetaeulan. / CTiiMon I , / \when most of the pilots had gatnered, Bob Downey I abked for vol^teers to appear on a local television show. \ « V ' / lid, and we all volunteM^. \ f The waee wasZbelng sponsored In Company, bottler/ of several brands of Ws itood about the tWevlslon studio idille ^erid pilots ward Interviewed. The proves. Involving translation In both dlree« tlonX was laborl<^. \he lone camera often left \he conversahts peclally the mtches on Red's jacket. \ / /After the TV sunt, we dTOve \ the botming plan! for a fray sample of the sponsor's product, then adj sirnH^w eat+ns heuse for e abrlmp dinner Early Friday morning a small crowd gathered at the airport to watch the qualifying rounds. piiia.ii SiiiiMii ■!Ill 1 p—rr*T kA trial run on the course by am emperl eased hand showed that Pylon Six had to be moved Inward to prevent overflight of the runway. That was. im^rtant, since ordinary traffic would 4 �Adventures In a Biplane Chapter 14 Nona Weil continue during the races.»--/Jrdinary traffic four jetliners inrand eut each dnyi plus the sporadic arrival and departure of a few dosen smaller craftX 4 It felt good to round the pylons again. Although ***4 I hadn't made changes for speed, I Jmew Uy speiw.wesi in excess of 135 mph. However, the timers claimed 176 kilometers per hour, or 109 mph. It wasdidiculoi... I told the timerB Jiise tlnnO/Wmy insisted their figures were right. Their electronic timers could not he wrong. Obviously the course was longer than measured. War-eFFagreed to let things stand, hoping the timers would at least be consistent. During a break in the action, I went up to practice ny aerobatic act, low ^nd close in as requested. The new prop and the dense air*mm2K the Sweetheart into a Toeny Thomason,friend of Bed*s,^lmo from Lompoc, California, tried out his drunk acW X watched people duck and run as A TiaaKf worked his Aeronca Chanqp in close,as requested. A Jet- liner landed, then took off, while trial runs continued without break. Formula one racers and jetliners passed in opposite directions a few hundred feet apar^ >Bnly the Americans con­ sidered it unusual. ■epmvyfA, in Lhe LUWf gaftt down word than-KAf uld\be no more Their kreen bulb radio eq pe Their use o affic control had been haphasard st. planes li �Adventures In a Biplane Chapter 14 Norm W41s At mid day* th^Callfomla contingent 4wiplved* bringing the roster of racers to full compliment. tened to qualify their planes. They has­ It was well after sunset before the planes were tucked away In the hangar. We stood In the gathering darkness and talked until the air turned cold. Dave Forbes had brought his Cobra biplane. His wife had flown down In a Cessna, and both planes were seheduled to race. Dan Mortenson* whose little yellow Smith Mlnlplane 4 4 y failed to qualify at Reno* was there* but he wouldn't be elimi­ nated this time. He had a new screamer — a Mong that he be­ lieved capable of more than 160 mph. j All the old ganAwas Aherej_^S<ws like Rene alir Zfw evening was<Mie s^reunlon. small bar and caf Ws took over the at the motel * much to the discomfort of d Wit t the regular customer^ O waiter^ were not happy with the noise and the shenanigans. We were sjMr "ugly Americans" for the evening. The next morning we were heroes. announcer on the public address system said. That's what the He spoke In Spunilsh* but we eamght She meaning as "brave* grande* vallente, hero* and famoso plloto" came through unmlstakab^. The �Adventures In a Biplane Chapter 14 Hom Veil audience must have believed every word, for we were net with wide-eyed approval as we pushed our planes along the edge of tile crowd. We formed a line in front of the crowd and stood for introductions, waving whenever the announcer pointed in our direction. Wteu Uie gmuuucei salil “Bl Oewerale,** Bed jeaVlcT auLumatlMillyi The rest of us applauded.—Oux XureT 7‘*''rHnnir . John Schmidt, another aerobatic pilot, specting his planeSnrior to putting on his act. in­ 1 Wandered over to lend an eye. Onck finished, we adjourned to ny plane to re­ peat the process. The x^lly was clean, but om of the ailerons had a loose actuating ho^. At first X thought it was "hangar rash," and got properly angW. As I tore into the problem, it became evident that it was an\njury X had caused back in Blythe, while making that hairy scrambl^nto Xhe cockpit. X redirected my anger and put it to use, hopingXto have the horn repaired in time for my scheduled race and aeipiakect late in the afternoon. / \ Tossoy Thomason and/yohn Schadt stood closely by, offering advice, comfort, and/4t box of tools freshly borrowed from Dave Forbes, who was presently taxiing xmt for the first race. / \ X removed Jtiie aileron, then the hox^ Tommy kept track of the loose pi^ts. The hom needed rivetingkand the three of us drove down the ramp looking for the local repair �Adventures in a,Biplane Norm Weis Chapter 15 MAW^ aHiI ii'wm Mi.jj ^lyinc^ With sign language we explained the pTOblea, and The Mexican swehanic Opened up his tool displayed the\Mrt. box and we poinb^ out our needs. plated. TWo rivets had to be re- The oachfiiilc watched closely, then trotted off and promptly returned with, an exact replacwaent. the job was done. in twenty minutes The ^chanic refused any payment. Ws offer* ed three varieties of Spaxiish "thazik you’s’* and shook his proffered hand half a dozen times. / Soon the horn wa^w the aileron, the aileron on the plane, and the control cablei reattached. At the last minute, ToBaqr had to leave to 4ut o^his act, wad the box of tools was placed in the open/trunk of john’s car. prooptly stolen. It was Our forei^ relations\ad gone to belli / Tommy's act ,^s fabulous. s The whole crowd believ* ed he was drunk, ’’borracho,” just as the aanoi^er claimed. When he took off crool^ and wing*low, they could see the very fact for themselve^ collisions with I<»qr After a few wild slipping pMses and near ground, even the announcer began to believe h<m..tly dnmk. ! \ \ ^^n the act was over and Tommy stepped out of the plane, the c;towd was quiet. Then as Tommy waved and walked away, very/Straight and sober, they caught on and applauded his sza �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 15 Mom Wait •kilt and(h<i«y&wn guUabill^y, ”borra<Sho__ pilWier for thifyicsm^nder of Dan Mortensfe and Z were in the fourth vaaO| along with four other bipes similar speedi|^ They let me off first with a handicap of tan seconds — hut in lass than a lapj-A--" Mortens^* in*^^HKfe^and yellow hornet, sipped by wagging his wings in for Reno* Then avaryona else passed ma — hut what the hell, Z was here to put on an aerobatic act, not to race. Z flew across the finish line on knife-edge to cover my embarassment. During the formula pne race, one of the pilots passed through a had wake and severely damaged a disc in his , eottk. He managed a landing at the far end of the runway, and- it was some time before anyone realised he needed help. he was transferred to an ambulance and taken to Mexicali, Finally fcatwr— <we-4eawaed-thay_Xzied.J[ous-di£feveRt-plaee»-be£e*e-fi«kding —teha~~' fSair «*ff5>ld handjf* -unh a piiV'* nr*— That made a tw at us curious as to the quality of the crash truck and fire-fighting facilities. We wandered over for a look and found a frightening lack of preparation. There warn no asbestos suits laid out, and no one sat ready in the cabs. Zn fact, the crews were scattered about, enjoying the festivities. Worst of all, >seecdijag.JiftjgoLiMespsmCe«^ the fire truck had no foam, only water, quite useless on gasoline �Adventures In a Biplane fires. Chapter 14 Norm Weis The freedom from regulations that we were all enjoying J had a fffw iresj^^Howe drawbacks. Clem Fischer had to pull out of his race after a few turns about the pylons. A strange noise developed in the engine and the power fell off, making an Immediate landing necessary. We viewed his engine, tracking the dripping oil to a split crankcase, a problem much too complicated to permit Immediate repair. He began making plans to drive down the following week load his sick airplane on a flatbed for the long haul home. The stock plane race was on the final lap as I took off for my aerobatic act^ The now-prepei-tev and-±he denuL ulr cpnpaeaSsd fcg-glv^>fehC'"§yBnthiwr>‘eltmfa-gngle' yeL. I circled, scanning the long line of spectators as the stock racers strung out for a landing. Citizens of Mexicali and nearby towns lined the south side of the runway. Most of them had never seen an air show, but then I had never performed before I a(^^^^befe«e% We made a good match. would ray mistakes as well as vay better executions. j^The last of the stock racing planes landed. That was the signal for the announcer to Introduce the Starduster and Its pilot. The mmsent IS OURS I From 1,000 feet we slice downe building speed, head/d for a point Just off the edge of the crowd* The speed reaches �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 14 160 and the vires sing. We level, then quickly drop the right Norm Weis wing until it points precisely to the ground, giving the crowd a full view of the Sweetheart's red and white scalloped wing. Two hundred feet above the runway we race by the long line of spectators, flying on knife-edge « flying sideways, just like old Speed Holman. throttle to cheek At the thought i ey left* hand dweps fi'onr~the-A^ e^OTMl seat belt, and fBff^~'Ui ^ghtn»ji.2_A mild buffet sets in, and it*s time to level and climb steei£r to 800 feet, half snap upside down, dive to low level axid make a slow roll on the return pass in front of the crowd. On the climb out there's time to check the card for the next two moves, a full cuban followed by a loop. notes ^n the card tell me I need 900 feet and 100 mph. it. My We have Now kick rudder and ride the wing over through a raverf^ then slide back down, looking for 160, and then up and over, float the top, wait for the^^degree line inverted, then roll upright, hold the line, level, check the altitude — 300 feet — safe enough, then pull up and repeat. It's all so easy when you know how. ing how that^^ difficult. It's the know­ We are through the loop with ease, and I scan the runway below, checking for alignment. A Cessna single-engine has just landed and is rolling out a few hundred feet beneath the bottom of ay loop. Hew niee te have a broad T fbu 33/ �Adventures In a i^wmwey below;—Sweh an improvemenr over the eewtpafceh-er <ueeaibsdRSlW''*±iTtgairiN«Bdytthaa.i^^ to-aiawrt' pit belew ay euauLlue ma ul home. d they Mewe- paying me money to do thlsl The biplane grin Is back, and I hold on to It, hl|^ on the fulfillment of my boyhood dream — a dream I had always clung to but never really thought was attainable. The hammerhead comes out crooked and X snap back to reality. X repeat the move, doing It right, then climb for my finale. From 1500 feet we roar down until the airspeed reads 175, then pull up and point for the sky As the speed drops to 110, X kick rudder and hold a bit of back pressure on the stick. We enter a spin going straight up. The spin slows, stopsy^c^ we fall back down. Inverted, beginning a slow spin In the opposite direction. The We float down Inverted a bit longer than usual, giving the folks their money's worth, then point for the ground, feeling great. Everything had gone wel^ ^Xslorlous experience. X felt like flying a few more maneuvers In celebration, but my time slot was used up. X landed, and taxied to the stand for my after act Introduction. Ltouristas * avoldddf dr the/lo Ing ruck ftt-J. n of wa beer ( “al varl In faucet ter Inste h-I"had- le and ml of using ,-532 �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 14 Norm Weis provided* A good shc^e og. the pilo^^* had developed a eimilar problem. They all hid explaj^tions. It wee the fruit — or 53? �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 14 Norm Weis aid bmerites/were peyilag» as well-oe eliteheii hex-lunches, and tough, Mge luukiiig tWlfBiggSP _____ 4d>e endlessly and labeeieuely gumed dowH 111B‘bWB pioduct Bright, sparkly-eyed children were special* to wmA-frcna my camera. of the races. Smiling I walked through theiwewd^ taking note of the great difference between Mexicali and Reno race enthusiasts* The Mexicans were more inclined to smile and less apt to push and shove*nhecid lirUm ttniu Llmt fuimi J nt Thoipj wrc no hot dogs or Tlu umittl tsrj^ and shy, they wre inclined parents coaxed them forward with much confusion in communica­ tion, but always with great good humor. ressed in wealth obvious They were inroaculate like royalty commoners* Only pre sive were the /oik Mio wore unifo uni ormed citizens stood straighter terparts i mi ht not er to ms ce ey walked ightl Witho less im< exception, chestier than their civilian\earb ndered idly f the Alamo been saved If t attacking armie had lacked r coldrful costumes. 33^ �Adventures in a Biplane Rom Wela Chapter Fhotographars were everywhere* Yesterday we had politely pdeed for them, assuming they were from the local prats* Today they were selling us the photos, and their business was booming. At Boh Downey*s suggestion, I agreed to put on aa extra aerohatio act just after the biplane race. In fact, ve cooked up what should liave been a very fitting act. It was the touristaiL that gave ySptf the Idea., Z'wonld fly in front of the crowd, tossing out three foot lengths of toilet paper while the announcer explained that X had the touristas. Then, at 1,000 feet, X would throw out a whole roll and pwsssed as cut it up with the prop, while running through some aerobatics. As the first roll drifted to the ground, X would make one last pass, climb up and toss out another roll, with the announcer making additional quips. We figured the fifteen minute comedy-aero­ batic routine was just what the show needed. Bob went over the plans with the announcer idtlle X located the rolls of paper* The final race for the ’’slow'* biplanes was about to start. X sat In the cockpit, engine running, adjusting the two rolls of toilet paper tucked into the front of jacket. shirt pockets ware stuffed with the three foot lengths. X felt like a pigeon with a chest problem* Xth was ee be awsfcher hendieap lacn, wittrxhu slowest 335 �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 1 Norm Weis was second in line and was to take 1 counted the seconds| cCZrSiefirst plane one thousand one, one thousand two. At twelve, I opened the throttle wide, watching Art Williams holddag up the green flag When nqr count reached fifteen, I eased the brakes and began to roll. I must have Ssen sewnsing ^set sssswAb, for Art cau- tioned me with a push of the flaa. lessisd • H^^Lakg of 'tlu iripi t-pwfr on frhs bweksst Up came the tail. For a moment*^xhad it saved* Jhe» the tail bobbed up again and the prop struck, Once the prop began grinding into the blacktop, no amount of back stick would bring the tail down. Belatedly, Z pulled the throttle back, turned off the ignition and sat there hoping it was all Just a bad dream. They rolled me off the runway vdiile X held helmeted head in my hands. Elf » that was me I No one could say anything that compared to the hell I gave myself* I searched for an excuse, an alibi to explain the mistake away, then accepted the fact that I had simply goofed.^ I esmssibsr at-the L»«t mftmfnt. fl £1111 ng 1 'ifKhiiH got ny ”ge” levers mixed* ijff ihu gn HaytiB" In the ■air> leewawi LhiuLLlg'IHd— niLiri~'Trtick mmkip fnr tpood, and mnybe I fand rot^iv irhmrH ♦'hfllll ■both st the-J,ast, moment.------ - 33 i �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 14 Norm Weis It hurt — really hurt -- pushing the plane back past * the endless and pointing crowd. wanted to be remembered as the the aerobatici^ bast liav I was the guy bent his prop. The announcer was busy calling the race. ended, he began the wamup on my toilet paper imo now* I walked over and tried to explain. saueelletn As it He didn’t under- stand, so I pulled out^^^C two rolls of toilet paper, gave them to him and pointed to my damaged propeller. He pointed at the I nodded ny head, feeling terrible, propeller, then at me. I didn’t much like myself. f still had regular aerebable aetr-to perforim - Clem Fischer had no need for a propeller on his crippled plane trip home^o^Casper. His offe^^Jea a God-send, ^CTFaeho piXetee, we linetalleA Qlam^e and carefully c short t stiXLl ran true. e cranks d\the track to It/cheeked out fine e that witl\ only of an i h deviation asured i^aar the p;^opellet tips I to fly th last aero act, thbn £er h Cl sixteen rts. the ’a pro , expect dl under o a ma of the pla to dismantle the/engine, in ove ul. Th Ct pyan sounded go ^’s short radb prop was the third and/final \aistake 337 �Zidventures in a Biplane Chapter 14 Norm Weis aerobatic act began satisfactorily, but the keen A edge was removed by lingering embaraassment were kind — erhans too kind! I c pg Into” f requewtely7—My mi»d ■eenBrnntly-returndd^,^to bhe atCrCTftliL. 1 I forced Things had gono fynm myself to concentrate on the point rolls and the hammerheadSj.^r**’^^*****/^^ Sjnwly-.the thwi.ll ef aewebakies feeek ever, and*I fit hesitation hammerhead with some flatty the On the downline X snap rolled the plane in one of Rancher Steinle’s ’’shot down maneuvers” and was startled to see a glider in tow pass below. The shock out crooked. Operation was adequate,^® caused the snap to come aad I climbed for altitude, reading my card, . , aresti _ _ \ We roared arching four-^f^Hoover roll, then down, leveled and flew an angled, rolled again, and half snapped a turn about Now X was with it. X flew some of the hundred moves you’ve never dreamed of that John Gillespie Magee wrote about, we wheeled and soared and felt the rare privilege of flight. I wished Bill Riedesel and my old instructor, Eldon Hagen, could see me now. We rolled and flew on edge and slid down backward. Thejatoilenaaker went so well we did a second. As X landed and taxi^ in, ar residual shame over the bent prop returned. I took^comfort.in the applause. J JJIH^ 338 �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 14 Norm Weis The Carta Blanca people, prime eponsore of the race, had a big banquet planned for the evening. They invited Every­ one involved in Mexico's first "International Air Race," which was now completed without serious incident/^mid considered by all to be success For the Aawricanos it was an Band ro. the let room playing as if course the world I placed along the centffr lines Beer and tables A Mariachi kept 1 constant supply f the long 'a surprise. to every ter coursie of CHINESE food w Photographers peddled t served1 day's pictur 8, starting I et's end to 500 at $5/00I each, winding down at le on the pri icted to photbs with polaro ds and selll fight began when encroache The ce ish, compounded by a trumpets retreated € Two young men Everyone re taking pictures on the s upon the other's territory with a welcoming in Span system full of squeals and warbles. the far end of the hhll, playing fyoradically as the speeches ensued. --- -— Everyone received a certificate, a medal/^ a vote of thanks. Even the photographers were given awards, and each flashed a bulb at the crowd in appreciation, M A special / �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 15 Mona Wais photographer covered the presentation with a four-light bar Kodak movie outfit of a type common in the forties. JShe"endl«e**-evpply-of'*hee»-w»e-hegixmizig_to. tne’beWee.F The Americano pilotos were in high humor. Joking, toasting and arguing over the price of photos, taking sides as photographers rnntlmied-te-wrestl/ for territory. The speak one be striki ave his le spre^id, ivwf loud, t in itself lance of ■waited' lass with k on a the thii, came an rder^as even bntinued, w£ sho Over it all Americanos and Mexicans all ”f»nt;^^tico.** at miy PCeeding I stepped outside to escape the racket. Although it was past ten ^.m., the traffic was three abreast in both ^Ixt from the streets swirled about and mixed with directions. barbeque smoke from street vendors* carts, ^le charatLei Mexicali's atmosphere was unique. ! 4e *Dust eswewed Memieali faded qnidkiyTruui siglii as - flew north the next looming. The air was moist, and Second Sweetheart's engine was running smoother than ever^But the smooth feel was ntisleading. At 2550 rpms, th^^Stoewt propsllerV �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 15 the engine frequeniy^matched * vibrating in sympathy with the engine like a window might rattle at the passage of a heavy ever so slightly, but ever so,rapidW. In spite of the smooth engine sound, hly pynpoHoy wag tmderyft^pg ♦•>»« ded at Needles then go half an hour/latjtr, flying throug light noon, Cedar jCity/ Utah* was bel d the ff agai misping rain. ttfornia hfc 10 t was time for/a 1 eh and we/headed north again,/dodgi rain wafather ahead #as deteriorati the weather bure visit wit At 2:30 I howers t soon changed to sno r. ja we sq ezed through t ighway 9 was always g in casK of engi leweeds w The clouds dropped Ibwer low saddles north of Cove Fort^ ort of a safe land ow, offering the failure or si closure of the weather ed Uy, driven-nurLhaast by the gusty wind IT Past Scipio, the ceilings lifted a bit and we rose fee^ TP****^*^ ***** rflUrftad nf Tnafc- ^y^^ld vibration eessae^^e.^ and 1 tried to coax it out with small changes in throttle and mixture, climbing while I experimented, just in case the problem might be serious. \ I wuhUte'Fe'J”Wil fly U BIIIWM Ilf lb* .|1>4 »4w mH p^lA♦^*w Fbwtunately, gjl Will J IWUrTT. the eeltlHg liad lifted? ej^l continued to climb is I checked the magnetos and fiddled with the mixture control �Adventures In a Biplane Chapter 15 Norm Weis Um thing seemed to .influence the rate or intensity of the vi» bration. 1400 feet, the wTlu tT JSy vision blurred fiaam. eeTrere* A ’>r1 hrBit< ew r seemed to explode! The spinner entire plane shook violently. bobbed up and down in front of the nose. throttle and I instantly yanke^back. My hand was on the The pounding slowed, but each Jolting vibration became nK>re severe* Maps, a cap, and objects too blurry to identify flew overboard. turned off the magneto^ Quickly I vibnafeions again slowed > but ngittn»^ pulled up the nose, slowing the plane, hoping to stop the propeller from windmilling, VJhen tJie propellnry finally stopped rotating, the caweo becTOe evideafc* One blade of the propeM** was missing «« broken cleanly off about a foot from the hub, X** A There was a sudden quiet^^j^jj^iet that I had ex­ perienced before. It carried the s ei bel HTiZ-j"- ah landing — another unsolicited challenge* The plane must Another foxxed J* resented' the— pnersBffilty.—— The highway below was crowded with cars* moment I j-bft bedty For a girc. up anil •retrea*! *nxe feeling passed and X took stock. We still had ^200 feet and the Sweetheart was gliding beautifully;* WiOb* ---- nr^ M’TTppTrri, It Km fl t.nh/"ar>d t-Rp t'.iih hart tgKl'g” 3^'2^ �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 15 Norm Weis years- ng^ whim Its rrgfno had e^gff "TSfee off^ ^1 ...................... ... nf t-b^ .Iy4ng . —asauriagH—eenfldeiite Waa 'l^CK^ I tightened the shoulder straps, unlatched my number two belt, checked my helmet strap and unplugged the radio jacks. I might want to get out fast, While I worked, I scanned the country for flat spots. A pasture directly below looked pretty good, but It was short and the north end was blocked by a transmission line. east half a mile to check on a plowed field. I glided Snow filled the furrows and the furrows ran crossways to the landing path. Enough looking 1 I headed back for the pasture, assuming the wind that blew the tumbleweedystlll prevailed. the sky ahead with large flakes. Snow speckled I thought for a moment that I should delay landing until visibility improved? then lawghad t-ho 4 Hag J a4ni*« nnn nn cholco. One Way or another we would be on the ground in a matter of second^. downwind, parallel to tty Intended landing path, I searched for ditches and obstacles. The cowpies uniformly sprinkled, offering a faint hope of level land. turned on base leg just after passing the power lines. I Then, as altitude dwindled, I banked left, slipping over the wires, iag herd In. the Irnwii raising the nose to kill the speed, watching the airspeed needle hover on 100, than 90. Ten feet over the �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 14 Norm Weic ground we were still traveling at 85, and the far fence was looming. I kicked rudder hard right, then left, bamdooring the fuselage against the breeze. We thumped down, tail wheel first, then the main wheels, brakes full on. She was still light, axul the skidding wheels had little affect. A large fallen tree trunk with straggled branches raced by on the left. The fence grew large ahead, and X stood on the brakes, easing a bit at each tail bob. Each time ■/la. , the tail rose, XJiaa.XzaaaedHsa-«4&ua£-Kiat»-«£-4ihe-4e«iea» X considered a ground loop, but epocrf coasted to a magnificent stop/2^yards..^^ni the fence. yjy ,X looked up., into tne .falling snowfisfeaa th».t fad,, j ""d gp^Vw "Thanks Bosel" 1 sat in the r—4*® marveling at oqt luck, shamefully congratulating myself <•4^/0 on the landing But there were a few things I "could have done that be suLli. iu> luUuL X Tsheitid have radioed a quick "May Dajy^ I should have considered jumping « all, X should have shut off the fuel valve ** and above Second Sweetheart appeared to be intact everywhere except from the firewall forward. What used to be a neat assemblage of tubes and wires/'fiw looked like spaghetti. The engine mount was broken in two places, and the cowling was battered �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 15 Norm Weis and bent from the engine * s ayniws4-qn^ fchgeughoufc the compart- ment. Met- Ifhe ^ngine^ sagged, pointing half way to the ground, held in place^Jby cowling and safety cable. The 3/16” steel safety cable, required for racing, had done its job. Had the engine broken loose, the aircraft would have been completely uncontrollable. Up front, the broken propeller told its own story. The stub showed two kinds of faacture, A thin break along the back side, brought on by resonance fatigue, had let the blade bend forward into the airstream — that was the mild vibration I had felt. The rest of the fracture showed signs of an in­ stantaneous separation. That was the loud bang. blade had flown off to land perhaps a mile away. prop had The broken The unbalanced caused th^mount to break at the same Instant. Three propellers! In less than a week I had creamed three propellers — made modem works of art out of two, and broks^^he third clean off! How would I explain that to tty wife, ny fellow pilotsthe Insurance company? Half a mile away, dimly visible through the snow shower, stood a farmhous^ and I hoped a telephone;—•* Neither Mrs, Hall nor her^^yean-old son, Kurt, had heard me land, which was understandable, since the engine i|as silent. I called Jay first, and then the local ^eriff. It was a diflficult accident to explain, since all the damage 3 yr �Adventures In a Biplane Chapter 14 Norm Weis )uiX occurred in the airland nui while eentaeetng the gaeundi— Young Kurt hall and X walked back to the plane* pushed it to the fence and tied it down securely. The loose gear and baggage was all packed and stacked by the time the deputy sheriff and-&e newsman arrived of-tlie forced laudlng-from his police radio ecermer. ■ .MW*.. IrU . *-r> J He pro4 7mr>r.» 10 *"mr1r~’ It ’'loirirmTilci pioof,** ^Llis t*T'm imd Csmshirr, story got on the wire serviced** >rt was so mixed up by the time it hit the luwie town media*Z*that close friends thought I had been killed or badly hurt. long process of reportixig bO’ the yAA*--the in« nnrnnn ?"mpaTiyi end plomning ths lir*''* 1i iiiil butnn the*- AA neidemb L4) y with g After repA^'l&iij^ the date several times to the various officials* it dawned on me that January 9th was ny birthday^ ■ ■■ "»y arAsgs of eowteBipT4tt/tig my .C was gil^^ anmight**^ The insurance company instructed me to hire a guard* and agreed to send an insurance adjuster to Salt Lake City in three days if we could have the plane dismantled and hauled that distance that soon. The next evening* e*tf»^Jay* andyson* Wade 3y4 �Adventures in © Biplane Chapter 14 norm Weis arrived, laden with packing materials, tools/ and w4ah flatbed in tow. By noon the next day we had the wings off and the en» tire craft secured for travel. > met th^*adju8ter at the Salt Lake City Airport He stepped off X&*'alrliner, checked the plane, photographed «.^ov the next flight it and filled out th^ form^ out, and we ^gan the long .drive*to Casper. y ^swe was S<we So ahiuk"and fee plasu, The d^mag^ more extensive^ than ipj*—tihc p^nnc hrfllr Suspicious wrinkles in the fuselage fabric near the tail meant^the coverbe strippe^%id minutely inspected. From the firewall forward, everything would have to be new: new propeller^j^ ^aaie, there was - a benefit'lii the dlcsgteri—B investing time and money be ondxthe insurance, d make some \f those changes I had she could bf^ng a new desirable ont dance and let the con< t rest. more stick-up-the- ide forward trol stick pant-leg1 P ps a n and this time 1 extended invert install a sm outlining engi or new elevator trim could should have an inverted fuel ight and outd^de maneuvers. greater power. oil system for now I could system^'^hat would \leave a white puffy trail behind e path of each uver. �Adventures In a Biplane Chapter 14 Norm Weis That little problem over Central Utah wasn't an accident •• ilot even an Incident •- It was an opportunity! It had been a\proper birthday after all. work seemed endless. y The ^Ine re<|ulred a special mount tlmt had to be jigged and built from scratch. The fuselage was stripped and Inspected. ^Thd gas tank had to / / be removed and rewoi^d, then cheeked repeatedly with water to find pinhole leaks Vent tubes raxv'from tank to gear leg and wing top to prevent ^acuum and vapor lock. A new firewall had to be cut to shape and monnted before the cowling could be patterned. Finally, the fii^la^/ took on Its old familiar form as new fabric was stretched the framoi then doped and painted. Six months after ^forced landing, Second Sweet"* Z ' ■ \ heart again took perky stanci^ on the driveway In front of the house. She was a show plane now. The broad black and idilte checkerboard nose made^ the fact obvious^ Beneath that checker­ board cowl was an engine of 150 horsepo^^ — 25 more horses than before. Tuc of hoses formed between engine and jfli^wall, a multitude omplek passages that woul^^^end oil to vital parts even the earth turned upside down. \The new carburetor would feed fi with equal pressure In spite of the most outland- Ish attitude. A small tank hidden In the upper whig fed special corvus oil/to the exhaust stacks. Sprayed under p , the ollwould Aaim and form 3 <4 A �Adventures in a Biplane Chapter 14 Norm Weis which were now dense smoke guaranteed to enhance the new Het new capabilities / i» »» begged testing, and 1 begged to fly her/ as a pro this time. wothin the Starduster's capabilities* The nigl^t would pass slowly as worry worked its \HKy through a final check of vptal fittings, lock nuts and safeties. There would be little sledf^. / At d»n th. c«:h^/£or«d. md S.c«xl S«.th«rt was again towed to the airport/stail high, and backward. / The engine started inmediately and idled smoothly. 1 sat in the cockpit, grinning the wide grin, feeling outrageous prid.. / Brents hadr4»raus^t me full circle. Grand new ad­ ventures lay ahead, Quixote, X was\^ain head strong after a challenge 9/my own making, this time mounted on a more spirited steed — a Rocinante incarnate. was filled wiUi windmills. / And lay world Ia6Lz^*1' �lo Obc« agala tha Starduatar stood la tha drlYaway In front of ngr Iwusa. Tha Lata aftamoon snnlight nailaanai dsaaUngly frna bar polished wings and iana tha shiaay naw hlack«and«whita checkerboard paint job that decorated her nose. She She was a show plane now, and as 1 stood gasiag / had never looked ■ora hand sone. at her, it seemd to a* that 1 had never loved her so amch. It had taken aw six graelling ■onths of labor to bring her to this noaent* for t while, after the accident in Utah, I had been so disconr^ed that 1 could barely bring nyself to look at the wreckage "of net killed so easily. wlwsd p 10087" Bat dreano are In tine, abacst ioperceptably, to the possibility of repair. thoughts began to turn If I were to try to rebuild her, perhaps this tioa c ,1.1 I could alter the elevator trio so as to get better control redundance.'' sUybo-Jt,, could find a sore powerful engine, and aaybe install tiaot inverted fuel and oil a ya tabl'd always wanted. Maybe I could even add a soske-awklng device that would Burk the path of our naneuvers with a white puffy trail. Maybe.... When 1 finally did set to work, the task IMwmbo seemd almst ovexwheloing. The^ulwm fuM^ngn would have to be stripped, inspected, repaired and recovered. The fuel systen would have to be ewOdwoiy reworked./| The new engim would need a^ now munt, and that would have to be jigged and built from scratch. I'd have to cut end install a new firewall before the new cowling could be pattermd. on and on. And so , (! Yet by 'iTinl i PC'- '■ T — beyond the posnihtlibyAof drawing back. Once again 1 wos firmly in the grip of ny old dreasK—or obsession, if yon will—and I could think of nothing but the day wiien the Starduster and X would take to the air again. dMi now, six months later, that day was meooiy here. I thought about the now engine—20X mre powerful than the old one—about the new carburetor and oil system that would operate as well upside down as right side up, about the smke«mker, about the dosens of other refinements, big and little, that X had added. The night would pass slowly as X reviewed and re-reviewed In my imagination the state of every vital fitting, every lock nut and safety. X did mt suppose 1 mold odoep , 7 u/ �At d*wB the caravan would fora and tha S tardus tar would ba towed to the airport. Parbapa to aoa«-uiutefMUMd bystanders she would seen uuls^resslve**- snrely a rather old**fashloBed airplane rolling awkwardly, tall high and backward. down the highway. would be nuch nore. But efc-tensb to om flfty-flve«year-old schoolteacher she 6^ In a few houra 9^ would again becone hla naglc steed, the Roslnante who could carry hin hseh^bnu'shin,lag wnrld.ftUnd wAab<»endtoowvWhsBsatts fd~ fl tie i mUK � 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. 9-13 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_9Thru13 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Searchable PDF