Chasing Seaplane History!

[SIKSUKR]

Welcome to the forum KH. I'm sure you will get many responses here as we have more than a few aeronautical historians. Good luck with your project.

[ApS]

You've been sent a PM. The contact will surely tell you that's not an old biplane...

[NoBozo]

Originally Posted by Acres per Second

You've been sent a PM. The contact will surely tell you that's not an old biplane...

Not Old..?? The FAA registration (Tail) number indicates the plane IS a 1931 Kittyhawk...OR is a replica with the same tail number. The engine listed also seems to be an original five cylinder Kinner R5 radial.. NB

EDIT: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinner_R-5

[KittyHawk]

Thanks for the replies! Glad to be aboard.

A/S: For your Dad, it's not old - he grew up in that era. For the rest of us, it's 80!

Yes, the plane I am referring to IS the original - not a replica by any stretch. It is the one in the photo I attached which shows it afloat on Winnipesaukee. The factory engine in 1931 was a Kinner K-5 but William Harman (I believe) replaced the 100 HP K-5 with a larger Kinner R-56 of 160 HP. That made for a much better ride hopping airplane.

This plane was built at New Haven, CT, sold new to the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA and was used to instruct students and faculty in one of the first such college programs in the US. Spent some time later kicking around VA before moving in stages to NYC and NH. I just brought her home to VA in 2011 after an 80 year absence. Once she's back in the air, I plan to resume ride-hopping in her since it's the only life she's known.

Attached is a photo of how she looked when I took her on.

[NoBozo]

Welcome aboard Kittyhawk. Look in the "History" section of this forum. There is some chatter over there relative to early aviation on the lake. Your (this) thread may be moved over there. NB

EDIT: Is that plane Metal "Skinned"....

[KittyHawk]

About 90% of the airplane is fabric covered, originally Grade A Cotton, more recently a dacron product called Ceconite. Same nitrate and butyrate dope as used from the factory.

The basic underlying structure of the body (fuselage) is steel tubing, fabric covered. Up front near the engine there are several thin aluminum panels/cowlings. They are there for fire protection and ease of access for engine maintenance. The wings are all wood structure covered by fabric.

Thanks for the vector inside the Forum. I will look there. Wherever this post thread ends up, I am sure there will be a story or two about NC975M and the barnstormers who pioneered aerial sightseeing on this Lake.

[ApS]

Originally Posted by KittyHawk

"...Wherever this post thread ends up, I am sure there will be a story or two about NC975M and the barnstormers who pioneered aerial sightseeing on this Lake..."

Please call the telephone number I gave you today .

It may be a week before the recipient gets a printout of this inquiry, and I can't wait!

[KittyHawk]

Just heard from Jack Ferns, Director of the Aviation Museum of NH, who had some interesting leads about pioneer flying and flyers in New Hampshire. We'll see if these lead anywhere with the investigation of NC975M's flying exploits. I plan on a Museum visit when winter breaks - and suggest all here stop in when passing Londonderry.

Might be mundane for some, but I find it intriguing that two barnstormers spent nearly every summer in the 1940's to 70's flying on floats from Paugus Bay Seaplane Base in this 1931 Kitty Hawk biplane. Because I live and fly in the Shenandoah Valley, she'll not return to the air on EDO's, but I will carry photos and notes about those decades with us on our own 21st century adventures. Restorers almost all carry a scrapbook on their planes' histories, repairs, resurrections and legacies. Makes for interesting reading. Any I receive from Lake Winnipesaukee will be added to the book.

A/S: out of town until SAT, will call Sun at 1155. Son's furnace was out for 2 days and no repairman wanted to work the weekend, so we had fun learning a new trade.

[ApS]

Originally Posted by KittyHawk

ApS: out of town until SAT, will call Sun at 1155.

To assure that my Dad would not be napping, I called at 11:30.

We had a nice chat 'til I got to the specifics of your aircraft.

—> You have to know he can be quite the kidder.

...
ApS: ...The Kitty Hawk is not going to be restored with the EDO floats.
Dad: Oh?
ApS: What do the letters EDO stand for?
Dad: E (garbled) D (garbled) O (garbled).
ApS: I didn't get that. The cellphone reception here isn't so good.
Dad: That's his name.
ApS: Well, what does the "O" stand for?
Dad: That's his last name.
ApS: The company had more than one name?
Dad: Not that I know of.
ApS: What did the "E" stand for?
Dad: That was his first name.
ApS: What did he end up for a name, then?
Dad: EDO.
ApS: EDO was his name?
Dad: Yes.
ApS: Did you get much snow?

____________________

After that Abbott and Costello routine, I went to Google to look it up.

EDO Corporation was named after its founder: Earl Dodge Osborne.

BTW: Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, EDO Corporation received WWII Government contracts for amphibious floats on transport aircraft. It's interesting to watch the "rollout" of some huge floats, and how those big transport aircraft manage those floats at YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_8ccwoVZTc

[NoBozo]

I think it was maybe 20 years ago, myself and a friend of mine who owned a Lake Aircraft flying boat... got a tour of the Lake Aircraft factory in Sanford, Maine. The factory was in an OLD mill building in downtown Sanford. When a plane was "ready," the major parts..fusalage, wings, etc were trucked over to Sanford airport to be assembled there.

At that time, the Lake factory was also building EDO Floats under license. The Lake flying boats didn't use floats, as the fusalage itself provided the floatation. NB

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Aircraft

[KittyHawk]

One of the Kitty Hawk Floatplane pilot/owners checked in with a bit of history about NC975M and Lake Winnipesaukee. Bill Harmon emailed with some Paugus Seaplane Base flying info. It appears the Bill Muzzey actually logged most of the passenger hops while he owned the old girl in the 1950's, flying only from June to September, about 30-40 hours a month. For those familiar with barnstorming, that is one heck of a lot of flying! Hat's off to both Bill Harmon and Bill Muzzey. Still waiting to hear from Muzzey. Anyone know where he is now, or - have any photos to post of those times?