Warbird Information Exchange

Last week I had the privilege of delivering a 1930 Speedwing Travel Air to the Owls Head Transportation Museum in Maine, http://www.ohtm.org/.

From their Facebook page, taxiing in:


The aircraft, NC477N, was built in February, 1930, and was used in a number of movies back then, including "Central Airport" in 1933, and "Air Devils" in 1938. Also possibly "Devil Dogs of the Air", according to this newspaper ad featuring then-owner Ray Murrell:
http://nlj.stparchive.com/Archive/NLJ/N ... 935P03.php

The color scheme is from a short lived airshow team, "The Three Flying Sons O' Guns", who only operated during the summer of 1930, until they had a mid-air at the Iowa State Fair in August. One pilot bailed out and the other managed to land safely. Those three airplanes were NC473N, NC474N, and NC475N, and interestingly, the two that survived that day are still around today.



Colors were supposedly different for each, one yellow/black, one orange/black, and one red/black.



I had the GoPro on for the flight





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Didn't this come from Alexander Brown of Marlborough, Connecticut? Nice to see it flying. But always sad to see a vintage flyable aircraft leave our state. Waaaaaaay too few vintage planes here. Hope they keep her flying though!

Love that paint scheme !!!
What a great looking airplane ...very classic
I envy you getting time in her

Always the problem with flying something like that.... then I want one!
Wish I had been able to have some more time with it to get to know it better, but it was a non-stop flight, 2:40, and only one landing. Wind was 14 gusting to 18 when I landed, so I thought I'd quit while I was ahead-



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What's it fly like, say compared to a Stearman or a Taperwing?

Dave

I've actually been in the Travel Air business a bit in the last 4 months, ferried this one

from Wisconsin to Virginia in August,

Then this one

from New York to Texas in September



Then hopping rides with Dewey Davenport in his Travel Air at the Miller Pumpkin Barn near Dayton, OH in October

real barnstorming out of a farm field



http://gobiplanerides.com/Home_Page.php

I always wondered why anybody would buy a Stearman when they could have a Travel Air, which will run rings around the Stearman, but of course the PT has the warbird connection, is more common, and is indeed a well engineered airplane. The Travel Air is for sure an older machine as far as systems and structure and creature comforts, but it does perform well, being a few hundred pounds lighter I think, and a higher lift airfoil on the standard Model 4000. It's been a while since I've flown a Stearman, but I think it probably has better harmonised controls than the Travel Air, which has ailerons that can be slightly heavy, but light on the elevators and rudder. Since it was a delivery flight I didn't get to play much with the Speedwing, didn't even stall it, but did three aileron rolls and two loops. It does loop nice, but takes some work to roll. I've flown a couple of Taperwings, and they do roll better, with the four ailerons, and the tapered wings probably help also. The Taperwing did have a little bit of a "hotter" feel to it, and I might lean towards one of those if given a choice. I only made one take-off and landing in the Speedwing, both on grass, and in pretty good wind. As you know that's where the fun is, so can't say too much about that on that machine, but on the Taperwings and other Travel Airs, especially with the tall tires, they are definately more squirrelly than the Stearman.
All good fun-



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Here is the Taperwing I got to fly in September


It belongs to Josh Brownell, is based at Brodhead in Southern Wisconsin, and is available for rides. Web site is http://www.gypsyairtours.com/index.php/faq and he's on Facebook. Again, a wonderful priveledge for him to share his airplane with me, and much appreciated.
Really nice machine-



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Nice stuff, Andrew. Who did you deliver NC6085N to down this way?

blue skies,
Doug

Doug, '6085 went to a partnership in Pampa, TX-



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Thanks for the pirep.

We're all shut down for winter in the Great White North. I might get a few flights in with the Fairchild, but even those are rare...

Dave

Dave, did you get to fly the VWoC Taperwing?? If so, how did you like it?



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Wow. You guys are so lucky!