Builder Fails to Make Rough River Again
It may be a record. Twenty-four years of failed attempts to finish the airplane and fly to the renowned Kentucky event.
First flying it in 1917 and trying valiantly to finish up the last minute details, and failing again, the owner of the Oldest EZ hasn’t given up. With the 25th anniversary of the fly in coming up next year, he is already again setting his nose into the headwind to finish up the plane, finally fly off the restricted period, and be there next year for what promises to be a gala 25th anniversary RR event.
You may not be familiar with this airplane, the builder is somewhat reclusive. I believe it is probably the oldest EZ in existence. The builder reports that two mods, a speed fairing installed behind the GIB’s head and the addition of wheel pants from a Model T, shown in the picture, resulted in an amazing 10% increase in top end speed… 5 knots!
Speed was confirmed flying alongside a Model A driven by his wife.
I think it would be accurate to say that he was ahead of his time.
He reported that several additional attempts to increase speed proved to be disappointments including
Gray speed tape on the gaps,
Dimples on the valve covers and gear struts,
Painting the airplane yellow,
‘Squarer’ trailing edges,
Zig-zag tape - the original,
Vortelons – which he thought that was a type of watermelon,
Trailing edge fences - picket and post oak,
A worn out smooth nose wheel,
Various nose lengths - final shorter crimped nose shown in picture,
An internal water temp gauge,
Various external control cable diameters,
Baby moon hub caps,
Tapered valve stems,
Dihedral and anhedral on the canard - neither on purpose,
Backdraft cooling,
Inverting the Ooga horn, and
A 1917 Packard ram air grill.
For slowing down on landing he tried lengths of 2x4 studs on top of the wings for spoilers but couldn’t detect a measurable speed change.
Evidently two events relate to his reclusiveness. First, he was put off by a visitor that referred to his svelte highly refined steed as a “Barn Find.” And then one day another aviator stopped in his hangar, leaned on the prop and said that he had already thought of and tried all those things ten years earlier.
The owner is in the middle of the mod that kept him from making RR again this year… rounded lips on the ooga horn, and is open to any suggestions for getting that last .02 knots.
Reporting, Bill James
Sorry, plans not available.
