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Mach 2 Pioneer Crossfield to Participate at
EAA Airventure 2001 Celebration of 'Aviation Firsts'Scott Crossfield, a pilot at the controls of numerous record flights in the mid-20th Century, has confirmed that he will participate at EAA AirVenture 2001's celebration of "Aviation Firsts." EAA AirVenture will be held July 24-30 at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh. Crossfield is best known as the first pilot to fly faster than Mach 2, or twice the speed of sound, when he reached that mark on Nov. 20, 1953. He was also the first pilot to fly the experimental X-15 rocket-powered aircraft and in 1960 became the first man to fly that aircraft successfully at Mach 3. "Scott Crossfield made many of the pioneering flights that linked aviation to the space program," said Tom Poberezny, EAA President and AirVenture Chairman. "As the speed and complexity of aircraft leaped forward in the 1950s and 1960s, he was foremost among the pilots who pushed the envelope of discovery. We are very pleased he will participate at AirVenture this year." Crossfield will give several forums and presentations during the event, discussing his experiences and accomplishments. The exact dates and times of those scheduled appearances will be announced as they are confirmed. Even before his record-setting flights, Crossfield had a diverse and accomplished aviation career. Born in 1921, he took his first flight at age six in an oil company airplane, a flight that hooked him on aviation for life. During World War II he was a fighter pilot and fighter gunnery instructor in the U.S. Navy. In 1950, he joined NASA's predecessor, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), and was a research pilot for the next five years at the High Speed Flight Research Station at Edwards, Calif. There he was the test pilot for numerous research aircraft, including the X-1, X-4, X-5 and the D-558-II, in which he surpassed Mach 2. While at Edwards, Crossfield also designed the first full-pressure flight suit, which eventually evolved into the pressure suits used by military pilots and NASA astronauts. In 1955 Crossfield joined North American Aviation, which designed the X-15 rocket aircraft. He was both a pilot and design consultant for the revolutionary new aircraft, which would eventually surpass 4,000 miles per hour in testing. During his career, Crossfield also was the first pilot to fly the North American T-39, the military version of what eventually became the civilian Sabreliner jet. Crossfield also worked for Eastern Airlines and Hawker Siddley Aviation, as well as serving as a technical consultant to the House Committee on Science and Technology. Among his awards are the Collier Trophy from the National Aeronautics Association, The Harmon Trophy and the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal. In 1963, Crossfield was one of the charter inductees to the Aerospace Hall of Fame. In 1983, he was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame and was presented with the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Trophy for Lifetime Achievement in November 2000. EAA AIRVENTURE OSHKOSH is the world's premier aviation event and EAA's yearly membership convention, with an annual attendance of more than 750,000 along with 12,000 airplanes. Annual EAA members receive substantial discounts on admission rates. For more information on EAA and its programs, call 1-800-JOIN-EAA (1-800-564-6322) or www.eaa.org. EAA AirVenture information is also available through the World Wide Web at www.airventure.org
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Sanchez Named Project Coordinator for EAA Aviation
Foundation 'Soar' Program for Youth Horacio Sanchez, who has a background in both aviation and education, has joined the EAA Aviation Foundation as Project Coordinator for the new Special Outreach with Aviation Resources (SOAR) program. The SOAR program is designed to reach young people in underprivileged or "at-risk" situations who are not usually reached by traditional aviation education efforts. It was unveiled during EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2000 and received initial financial support from Peter Fuss, retired president of Tellabs International, one of the nation's leading communications infrastructure builders. "Horacio is a wonderful fit for this position," said Greg Anderson, executive vice president of the EAA Aviation Foundation. "He has experience in education, business and aviation, while working with a wide range of communities." Sanchez received his bachelor's degree in quality and productivity management, as well as his master's degree in education, from Marian College in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. In addition, he served as a member of the college's adjunct business faculty. Sanchez is also a board member for the Native American Alliance Project, who aims to assist underprivileged families on South Dakota reservations. In addition, he graduated from the flight training program at the U.S. Army Aviation School and currently holds a commercial pilot license-Rotorcraft/Helicopters. The SOAR program is part the Foundation's "Vision of Eagles" initiatives
that seek to educate, motivate and provide direction to young people
through the excitement of aviation. The EAA Aviation Foundation was
founded in 1962 and is dedicated to aviation education, preservation
and research. Its headquarters are at the EAA Aviation Center in Oshkosh,
Wis. 
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Wright Propeller Reproductions Duplicate Original Specifications
The aircraft builders for EAA's Countdown to Kitty HawkTM, the re-creation of the Wright Brothers' first flight at Kitty Hawk, N.C., on its 2003 centennial, have taken a major step forward as hand-constructed propeller reproductions matched the originals' specifications during extensive wind-tunnel testing. Ken Hyde and The Wright Experienceâ of Warrenton, Va., who have been commissioned to construct the exact reproduction Wright Flyer for the Countdown to Kitty Hawk, completed the propeller tests in the NASA Langley Full Scale Wind Tunnel operated by Old Dominion University in Virginia. The tests proved the propeller reproductions captured the specifications of the original Wright propellers of 1903 and 1904. "This is a significant step toward unlocking the engineering secrets of the Wright brothers," said Tom Poberezny, EAA President. "It's just one of the many innovations by the Wrights that now must be rediscovered to make the centennial flight a reality. Ken Hyde and The Wright Experience have dedicated themselves to uncovering the past for this reproduction and flight." Hyde and The Wright Experience assembled a team of experts to assist with creation of the reproduction propellers. Included was Larry Parks, an authority on 1900-era woodworking tools and techniques, who helped identify the specific tools used to produce the original propellers. Dave Meyer of The Wright Experience supervised computer imaging and evaluation of those original propellers, which were essential to the new propeller carving process. "Our success was greatly aided by Larry Parks and Dave Meyer," Hyde said. "Larry's expertise and knowledge of turn-of-the-century woodworking were invaluable to the manufacturing of the 1903 propeller reproduction. He was able to determine the woodworking strokes actually employed on the original propeller and then copy them in reproducing the propeller. "We were very pleased, but not surprised, that both thrust coefficient plots showed very good to excellent agreement between the Wright brothers' measurements and the measurements taken during the current tests." The preliminary propeller work is just part of the research for the centerpiece of the Countdown to Kitty Hawk celebration - the flight of a new 2003 Wright Flyer, the only accurate flying reproduction of the original, at Kill Devil Hills, N.C. on Dec. 17, 2003, 100 years to the date of that remarkable first flight. The program has been augmented with the support of the National Park Service, which has designated the reproduction as the only aircraft to fly on the historic Wright brothers' First Flight Path at 10:35 a.m. on the centennial anniversary date. EAA's celebration of the first flight also includes a number of commemorative and educational programs on both the national and local levels. Also planned are multiple documentary productions chronicling the construction of the airplane and the event. More information is available at the Countdown to Kitty Hawk web site The Wright Experienceâ is the production team established by the Discovery of Flight Foundation, which seeks to rediscover the Wright brothers' experimentation, discovery and methodology, provide for the remanufacture of original Wright brothers aircraft and create a living classroom for school children and people of all ages. "Countdown to Kitty Hawk" was created by EAA, The Leader in Recreational Aviation, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of powered flight. EAA is an international association with 170,000 members and more than 975 local Chapters. For more information on EAA and its programs, call 1-800-JOIN-EAA (1-800-564-6322) or explore EAA's World Wide Web site
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Vickers Vimy Replica Commits to Appearance at EAA Airventure Oshkosh 2001 A faithful replica of the 1919 Vickers Vimy, which was forced to cancel last year's visit to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh due to mechanical problems, has committed to an appearance at the 49th annual AirVenture, which will be held at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh on July 24-30, 2001. This unique aircraft, which completed re-creations of historic journeys from England to Australia and England to South Africa, has been called "the world's largest homebuilt airplane." Those journeys, as well as the accomplishments of the original aircraft, make the replica well suited to be part of EAA AirVenture 2001, with its theme of "Aviation Firsts." "It is possible that the excitement to greet the Vickers Vimy replica at AirVenture this summer even surpasses the anticipation felt last year, when the Vimy was first scheduled to be at Oshkosh," said Tom Poberezny, EAA President and AirVenture Chairman. "This replica represents the spirit of the early aviators and today's builders, pilots and dreamers. The airplane embodies the courage of those who originally attempted a task that no one had tried before. The Vimy pays tribute to those people, as well as the current adventurers who have overcome great hurdles to bring the airplane to AirVenture 2001." Last year's appearance at AirVenture was thwarted when the Vimy's gearbox broke and replacement gears were unable to be located. Late last year, an Australian company was found to re-create the necessary gears. The repairs are expected to be completed this spring at Petaluma, Calif, where the aircraft is currently based. "Our highest priority now is to make sure we're at AirVenture this year, and we will be, barring anything unforeseen," said Mark Rebholz, the Vimy's pilot-in-command and flight operations director. "When you ask who made the first non-stop flight over the Atlantic, most people say Lindbergh. Maybe after our AirVenture appearance they'll know it was actually Arthur Whitten-Brown and John Alcock." The aviation contributions of the original Vickers Vimy are often overlooked, but the airplane made three of the most significant flights in aviation history. In 1919, Alcock and Whitten-Brown crossed the Atlantic non-stop from North America to Ireland. Later that year, brothers Ross and Keith Smith took 28 days to fly from England to Australia in a Vimy. In 1920, South Africans Pierre Van Ryneveld and Quintin Brand flew a Vimy from London to Cape Town, South Africa. The Vickers Vimy replica was built in the mid-1990s to salute the original aircraft, which was designed as a World War I bomber but arrived too late to be part of the conflict. Owned by EAA member Peter McMillan of California, the replica Vimy, named the Silver Queen, is supported by the Vimy Aircraft Project and has recreated two of the original airplane's three historic flights. The first flight retraced the route from England to Australia while the second flight re-created the Vimy's 1920 flight from England to Cape Town, South Africa. The Vimy Aircraft Project hopes to recreate the airplane's third historic flight, the first crossing of the Atlantic, by 2003. The replica Vimy has a wingspan of 68 feet, making it the world's largest airworthy biplane. The engines were converted from auto engines by BMW, specially designed to fit within the airplane's distinctive elliptical cowlings. The aircraft cruises at 75 miles an hour, making long-distance flying extremely demanding on both machine and crew. To learn more about the Silver Queen, its history, and its schedule, visit the Vimy Aircraft Project's website at EAA AIRVENTURE OSHKOSH is the world's premier aviation event and EAA's yearly membership convention, with an annual attendance of more than 750,000 along with 12,000 airplanes. Annual EAA members receive substantial discounts on admission rates. For more information on EAA and its programs, call 1-800-JOIN-EAA (1-800-564-6322) or EAA AirVenture information is also available through the World Wide Web at
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The Bird of Paradise
There was a time when everyone who flew, flew in an open cockpit airplane. Pilots and passengers alike were in intimate contact with the airplane itself, the ether they flew through and the landscape they flew over for the entire flight. It was a magical time, accented by an equally magical experience. For the most part those days are gone. But luckily they're not gone entirely. In central Florida there is a brand new time machine that can take even the most cynical, jaded techno junkie back to those days. Even if only for a brief visit, as a passenger in the finest tradition of the barnstormers of the golden age of aviation. The time machine is in the form of a 1928 Travel Air biplane, painstakingly restored to better than original condition by Bar Eisenhauer. Eisenhauer is known and respected in the area for his previous restorations of a variety of classic aircraft, including a Beech 18 that was known as The Bird of Paradise. Taking the name of its twin engine big brother, the new Bird of Paradise has undergone a three year complete restoration that has breathed new life into an airplane that was a classic even when it was brand new. The Travel Air was designed with passenger service in mind. The front cockpit, which has basic instrumentation in the panel, was built for two average size passengers. Extra large passengers may be surprised to find that they are in roomy, comfortable surroundings when they fly alone in the front seat. The Bird of Paradise will be showing off her new look at the Sun 'n Fun Fly-In at Lakeland, Florida this April. Following the fly-in she will begin barnstorming for a living as she may well have been meant to do, under the command of Eisenhauer and his wife Dannie who rounds out the ground crew. The Bird of Paradise's original paperwork from 1928 bears the signature of none other than Walter Beech. His aircraft, built in partnership with aviation pioneers Clyde Cessna and Lloyd Stearman, and reborn courtesy of the Eisenhauer's efforts, is once again airworthy and working for its supper in central Florida. A warm and sunny place where a lady of her maturity deserves to spend her days enjoying her surroundings and telling tales of how things used to be when the world was a simpler place.For additional information contact: Bar and Dannie Eisenhauer The Bird of Paradise 2158 Greenway Drive Winter Haven, FL 33881 (863)294-2695 E-mail: baranddannie@aol.com
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OTHER ARTICLES OF ASI MARCH 2001 ISSUE
From The Secretary General's Desk | Air Waves | | News In Brief | Letters To The Editor | World Records | | 2000 Motegi International Balloon Championship | | II World Air Games | | People Who Race | | London/Sydney Centenary Air Race 2001 | |