Here are the Florida Antique Biplane Association's May Newsletter and the Florida Cub Flyers' May Newsletter. These are the last newsletters for "the season", will pick up again for the Florida chapters in the fall.

Steve Carter has just completed the purchase and export of Ryan SC-W, the original N18916 then N46207, and soon to be VH-???. Here is his story:

Recently I was fortunate to have had Jimmy Rollison inspect and test fly a 1938 Ryan SCW on my behalf at Fresno CA. Following a positive report, I have purchased this rarebird and am having her shipped to Australia, where I live. Thus begins a new chapter in her life following a drawn out rebuiding phase, a result of a forced landing in 1989. Richard Hulme rebuilt the Warner 145 at Santa Paula in 1996, and more recently Alan Buchner in Fresno completed the airframe restoration. This concludes my search for a 1930's antique aeroplane capable of transporting two in comfort.

During the early years of aviation in my part of the world, regulations restricted aircraft imports to largely those of British design. The legacy of which revealed an interesting array of available British type of aircraft during my localised search. For example, a Miles Whitney Straight, a Miles Mercury M28, a DH Leopard Moth and a Percival Vega Gull. All of these types are of timber construction. The amount of specialized restoration work required to return these aircraft to their former glory would present huge challenges and certainly test one's patience. Sure if I was 20 years younger, things may have been different - however?

Referring, once again, to my "Vintage Flyer" book by Eric Preston, an all metal constructed Ryan Sports Coupe caught my eye. I began to investigate further afield, North America. It didn't take much to discover a wealth of information on Russell Williams' Ryan SC website. Before long I was communicating with Russell, asking many questions about the type.

Maybe it was meant to happen! There were two examples, of the 12 ever built, available both for sale in California. A trip to the US, to inspect these Ryans was timed to take in the Reno Air Race. Witnessing the disastrous crash at Reno shall stay with me forever, however flying in Russell's beautifully polished Ryan SCW over Seattle the following day, more than compensated my emotions. As a result Ryan SCW N46207 is now mine and is something that I shall enjoy flying around Australian skies for many years to come.

Manufactured on the 5/18/1938, first registered NC18916, and originally owned by Doc Booth and Al Henning, she was the 11th airframe off the production line. She first appeared on the FAA register in 1939, and flew based out of Dallas and Oaklahoma City before spending time seconded to the Air Transport Command during the war for coastal patrol duties. Fortunately the remainder of her history is well documented. Apart from the newly painted and bright blue and gold color scheme, she appears to be in relatively original condition, due to the low hours that she has flown over her lifetime. However, there remains a great deal of work detailing her back to an original state, for that is my aim.

Acknowledgments: To fellows like Jimmy, Russell and Alan, a big thank you. Your wealth of knowledge and dedication to the preservation of vintage aircraft is meritorious.

Sparky Barnes Sargent sent photos of the Oklahoma Chapter well-attended annual fly-in on May 5, 2012 at Pauls Valley, Oklahoma. Attendees arrived from Oklahoma, Texas, and Arkansas. Thanks, and here's a small sampling of photos. Photos (c) Sparky Barnes Sargent.

Rocky Rutter's Swift

Gary Grubb's Howard

Greg Lucas Rearwin Skyranger

Claude Koenig 1957 Taylorcraft DCO-65

Marty Hall in Fairbanks, AK has great news:

The "Time Machine", Travel Air SA-6000-A N9966 has flown for the first time in roughly 5 years after a 2 year rebuild. Ron Klemm was primarily responsible for the work and he did an outstanding job. She's now down in Anchorage for the Trade Show this week end. It took her some 2 hours and 35 minutes to fly from Fairbanks to Anchorage, and arrived there with very little wrong with her after her first long flight after all this work. This spring work will start on her floats, and maybe in time for duck hunting she'll be ready to make her traditional trips over the ridge to Minto Flats and the Duck Camp.

Andy Isburg sent us some photos of this past weekend's Georgia Cub Flyers Chapter fly-in:

Please find a couple of pics I took yesterday at Hodges Hobbies Cub Club fly-in. Sorry more of you did not make it. I would like to mention that.........the Hodges' Brothers (Mac & Billy) are "The Best" and could not be finer Hosts! Also, Robin from Loganville was there directing operations and parking airplanes and a big Thanks goes out to him, too!! Thanks Guys!

Andy Isburgh

APM Director Mark Robotti has discovered the remains of a Cessna T-50 "Bamboo Bomber" on a farm in Minnesota.

Mark is in the process of salvaging any useful parts (and there are several ie; tanks controls etc) from this long forgotten and forlorn aircraft. The plan is for those parts to find there way to the APM "Fly Market" at some point in the future.

If you've kept your eyes open at Front Range Airport near Denver, from time to time you may enjoy the image of one stately, high wing antique in cream color with brown trim. Fairchild N14988 is lovingly owned by Stephanie and John Penney of Evergreen, Colorado.

John and Steph’s Fairchild looks a lot like a Fairchild 24R-46A, but she started her life at The Fairchild Aircraft factory in Hagerstown, Maryland as an Army Air Corp UC-61K, finished in February 1944. After a couple of test hops she was disassembled, crated up and shipped to England where she served out the remainder of WWII as a transport hack for the British military. After the war she went to Germany for the post war occupation and was decommissioned into surplus in 1947. There are no records on the bird from then until 1979 when she was brought out of storage, restored and sold to her first civilian owner, John Greenland. John, an Englishman who was flying as a captain for SwissAir took her to Switzerland where she received her first civilian certification as “HB-EPF”. Later John rebased her at his airstrip in England where she was re-licensed G-LEPF. A few years later John, with the help of a friend in the US had her registered as N14988. This beautiful Fairchild was the Greenland family flivver for over 27 years.

Enter John and Stephanie Penney. John had lusted after Fairchilds since he was a boy building model airplanes. John Desmond Penrose, a mutual flying friend of John Greenland and John Penney, called the latter one day and informed (in a most proper English accent): “John, I recall the story you told me a fortnight ago about your lust for a Fairchild. I believe I’ve found your airplane for you”!

Through numerous communications, and even before John Penney went over to “Blackacre Farm”, near Bath, England to see the bird in April 2007, John Greenland made an offer that John and Stephanie simply could not refuse. At this point in his life, John Greenland wanted the bird to have a good home, back on American soil where she was born.

The UC-61K has a thirty six and a half foot wing span, sits high on her articulating “birdcage” landing gear structure and has a gross weight of 2562 lb. (military GW was 2880 lb). Useful load is about 1000 lb. With wing tanks on each side holding 30 gallons each, her flying time is longer than John’s body can stand. At a nominal cruise of about 110 knots true she doesn’t set speed records. But, you’re traveling in a style reminiscent of the time of Benny Goodman and big band swing, Fedora hats and pleated silk trousers, and actors like Clark Gable and Katherine Hepburn who used airplanes similar to N14988 for their personal transportation.

So, if you look up one day at Front Range and see a beautiful cream and brown antique Fairchild UC-61K smoothly rumbling along in the pattern at a stately pace, it’s likely N14988, a veteran of the WWII European Theater who 65 years later now enjoys motoring around the skies above her native American soil.

APM Director Steve Adkisson has being performing a firewall forward restoration and engine change on AAA member Rudy Frasca's P-40E. Here's what Steve had to say about the project:

Engine removed, firewall stripped, polished and repainted as per original.

All parts stripped & repainted. New wiring harness. Engine was NOS in original crate, had five hours test stand time. Had it overhauled at Cascade Engine Service in Washington. Now has nine hours time since new and is at last mounted in an aircraft for the first time.

Rudy's P-40 was purchased new by the Canadian Government. Rebuilt in 1975 for Max Hoffman and purchased by Rudy in 1977. Was used in the movie "1941" starring John Belushi as "Wild Bill" Kelso! We will send some more pictures as we get closer to getting the P-40 back in the air.

Ready for engine installation with rebuilt, overhauled or new components & accessories

Here's the Texas Chapter May 2012 Newsletter. See all the chapter newsletters.