National Association Magazine 1st Quarter 2014 Volume 13, No 1
NATIONAL AERONCA ASSOCIATION Volume 13, Issue 1 First Quarter 2014 President s Message Special points of interest: 17th NAA Convention this 19-22 June in Middletown, OH. Jim Thompson passes the Torch Newsletters are back!! New Format NAA Newsletter Newsletters will be posted Quarterly on the NAA Website at Mailed Hard copies will be available for an additional fee to the Annual Membership dues. Sorry, but printing and postage costs have driven this. Future issues will highlight historical photos, advertisements and restoration projects by our members. The desire is to create a format where information, stories and pictures can be shared that can compliment the NAA Discussion Group. Articles, photos, suggestions, questions and comments are welcomed. Technical/Drawing requests can be made at anytime through the Discussion Groups on the NAA Website. Drawings e-mailed at no charge. Jim Thompson has been the President, creator and driving force of the National Aeronca Association. He organized the first gathering in 1983 that has grown into the National Aeronca Association. That gathering continues this June with the 17 th Convention at Middletown, Ohio. Jim grew up in rural Illinois with the love of all things aviation. He started flying as soon as he could. As a kid he got his first plane. He was young, he could afford it and it flew. It was a J-3 Cub with a nose wheel. He would take a local gal flying, usually without her father s knowledge. Betty has been with Jim ever since. She, too, has been a guiding force in the National Aeronca Association. Along the way, Jim transitioned to the world of Aeronca. He has owned and flown several over the years. There have been Champs and Chiefs. And he had a 1936 Low Wing LC, yellow with blue trim, for many years that was a regular at Blakesburg and Oshkosh. Then he bought the Last Aeronca ever made. It was a 1951 15- AC Sedan that had been built by the Aeronca employees for their flying club, after the production line had been shut down. He restored NC1491H to perfection. The beautiful blue and straw Sedan won Oshkosh Grand Champion in 1980. His work creating and driving the National Aeronca Association over the years has been a mix of blood, sweat and sheer determination. His efforts have directly improved the supportability of all Aeronca aircraft. His work on the Post War Spar AD for Champs and Chiefs helped to keep it to a one-time inspection for most of our planes. The alternatives would have been so costly that many Champs and Chiefs would have been parked for good. His behind the scene, un-lauded efforts are typical of his work over the years. Jim Thompson is passing the torch to another Aeronca enthusiast and NAA Board Member, Craig MacVeigh. Jim will continue to be a beloved source of knowledge, guidance and energy to the Aeronca community. From All Aeronca Owners, Jim and Betty, Thank you for all of your years of dedication and service. Well done! God Bless you both. MIDDLETOWN 2012 Jim Hammond in his 1933 C-3 and Craig MacVeigh in his 1930 C-2N
Page 3 NATIONAL AERONCA ASSOCIATION Middletown 2012 Middletown was a great success. For the first iim Grand Champion Classic L-16 N6702C Curt Debaun Grand Champion Antique C-2N NC11276 Craig MacVeigh Tom Roush, with his trusty 11-AC named Buttercup. He s showing off a handy tool for tie-down stakes. Perfect for Summer Fly-ins and home security Middletown Convention A Celebration of all things AERONCA The Aeronca only parking area of the flightline. We also have a very nice area to park the non-aeroncas. We encourage enthusiasts to get here any way they can. We have folks fly commercial from the West Coast and Europe (maybe even Australia this year). If you are working on a project, there is no better place on earth to meet the people that can help get and keep you flying. Come take pictures, get phone numbers and E-Mail addresses. You ll never meet a better group of people.
Volume 13, Issue 1 Page 4 Member Spotlight The Next Generation Most teenagers have skateboards or bicycles. Some have cars. Hayden Newhouse has an Aeronca C-3. One of our newest members is Hayden Newhouse from Rockford, IL. Hayden soloed a Cessna C-140 on his 16th birthday on a cold snowy day in January. A week later he soloed the C-3 and a 7DC Champ on the same day. His family is in the process of buying a Champ now. He has flown the C-3 to Broadhead, Blakesburg and Oshkosh last year. Hayden has well over 50 hours in the C-3 and a bunch more in the 7DC. The Aeronca C-3 that he soloed is the one his Great Grandfather bought new in 1931. NC11422, is now currently the oldest C-3 flying. His Great Grandfather bought the C-3 to instruct in at the airport his family started in Princeton, NJ. This was the first airport in New Jersey and they had an Aeronca dealership there. Hayden s Grandfather soloed this C-3 on his 16th birthday in 1936 and went on to earn his private and commercial rating in this airplane. When the airport was sold in 1945 the airplane left the family and was flown a little before being stored in a garage in California. Hayden s family then bought it back and completely restored the C-3 in the early 1990 s. Hayden s father soloed a J-3 on his 16th birthday in 1976. Hayden After his Solo Flight Hayden helped in the NAA booth at Oshkosh this year. He also helped with the hand propping demonstration. He flies out of Freeport, IL airport (FEP). Don t look now, but Hayden has a younger brother. We hope to see the Newhouse gang and the C-3 at the Middletown Convention in June. Here is Hayden s Grandfather with Aeronca C-2, Serial Number 11 Middletown 2014 - See You There There hasn t been a Low Wing at Middletown for many years. 2014 could change that. There are also a few C-3s that are returning to flight status. Many are within a few hundred miles. A Model K would also be nice to see. It would be wonderful if there was a whole row of early birds. There will also be more seminars and group discussions on a variety of models and subjects. Saturday is a tour of the Factory. Compliments of Magellan Aerospace Check out the NAA Web Site for more details Here is Bob Frost and his wife with their Aeronca LB Low Wing
Page 5 Aeronca On Display NATIONAL AERONCA ASSOCIATION The oldest Aeronca on display is the first production C-2, at the Smithsonian Udvar-Hazy Center. NC626N is Serial Number 2. NC626N and NC627N were hastily put together to display at a show in California. The little C-2, was well received. I think the model name was called C 2, to give the impression that this was not the first endeavor by an unknown company. The restoration was well documented in a great book by noted author and former Aeronca owner, Jay Spenser. If you have to travel through Washington DC, fly into Dulles. The facility is breathtaking. Many of the aircraft had not been displayed for decades. NC626N is hanging high overhead of the Boeing 307. The best viewing point is from an upper walkway. Unfortunately, to get any really good pictures, you need to bring a camera with a telephoto lens.
Volume 13, Issue 1 Page 6 From the Archives Aeronca 7-FC on snow. A 1941 Super Chief after a hail storm. NC36824 is no longer on the rolls. The N Number was put on a Piper in 1978. O-58 Fuselages on the assembly line. They have a rear floorboard and seatbelt attach points so that the rear observer could sit backwards. Rear Seat of Civilian Tandem
Page 7 NATIONAL AERONCA ASSOCIATION Past Convention Photos - Sights you won t see anywhere else! Aeronca Airplanes in their Natural Habitat Parked on the grass at Hook Field Non Aeronca Flightline
15-AC The Evolution of the Cockpit C-2N Special Thanks to UNIVAIR for your long time support of the NAA National Aeronca Association 10563 Milton Carlisle Rd New Carlisle, OH 45344-9251 Next Issue: Countdown to the 17th NAA Convention this 19-22 June in Middletown, OH. Meet the NAA Board of Directors Member Spotlight From the Archives Fun Stuff from the Past