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 Special coverage and favorable rates for Vintage Aircraft Association members. 
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Nearly 8,000 members strong, the Vintage Aircraft Association brings together people from around the world who share an interest in the aircraft of yesterday. Since it was established in 1971, the association has been working to keep aviation history alive. Members are active restorers and enthusiasts working to keep vintage aircraft in the air and flying for the pleasure and education of themselves and the public at large.
FAA Issues Final AD for Taylorcraft Strut Attach Fitting EAA, VAA suggestions incorporated
VAA Board Member, Dean Richardson (1943-2008) April 23, 2008 - Vintage Aircraft Association Director Dean Richardson of Stoughton, Wisconsin, died Sunday at the age of 64. He would have been 65 on Tuesday. Richardson, who also served EAA members as the chairman of Vintage Aircraft Classic Judging and was the VAA’s representative on the EAA Judging Standards committee, enjoyed flying and working on a wide variety of aircraft, most of which were award-winning airplanes … (read more)
Back to the Future For Taylorcraft March 11, 2008 - Taylorcraft 2000 LLC, which owned the Taylorcraft type certificates from May 2000-August 2003, sent a notice to T-Craft owners last week announcing it had repossessed the company’s Brownsville, Texas, factory and assets. This development affects an undetermined number of customers who, in response to a recent airworthiness directive (AD), paid Taylorcraft Aviation LLC approximately $3,500 for new OEM lift struts that have not been delivered. Installation of the new, sealed struts eliminates the August 2007 AD’s inspection requirements to address corrosion issues in the original struts … (read more)
New AD Proposed for Taylorcraft A, B, and F Models February 22, 2008 - The FAA this week proposed to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for Taylorcraft A, B, and F models requiring inspection of the wing strut attach fittings for corrosion or cracks. This is in addition to the earlier AD issued in October 2007 issued to inspect the wing struts themselves. (That AD was just revised on February 22, 2008, as Taylorcraft AD 2008-04-09) … (read more)
Boeing 40C Flies For the First Time in 80 Years February 21, 2008 - It’s 44 feet wide, 6,000 pounds heavy, and if you sat on the top wing, an African elephant would have to look up to look you in the eye. This is one big biplane, meant for heavy lifting, hauling 700 pounds or so of mail plus four passengers and a pilot. No matter how you divvy up the project, it was one massive undertaking, just the thing for a fellow who loves to tackle a difficult restoration. With 18 airplane restorations under his belt, Addison Pemberton was ready for “the big one,” and this biplane certainly lives up to that billing … (read more)
Experience the Complete Oshkosh: The Spirit of Aviation Video, Now Online February 15, 2008 - Over the past few weeks you've had a chance to visit the web and preview Oshkosh: The Spirit of Aviation, EAA's beautiful new video about AirVenture Oshkosh. Now you can see the complete, 17-minute version, which is available for viewing or download through the AirVenture website. Stream it online through EAA's embedded video player or download to your own system and view whenever you'd like. Several resolutions are available, allowing you to choose the most compatible version for your system, including portable players like Apple's iPod … (read more)
Field Approvals Top Discussion Between VAA, FAA Officials January 29, 2008 - Ongoing concerns regarding the process of obtaining FAA Form 337 and STC field approvals, and ways to improve that process, were a major points of emphasis on Jan. 23 when senior FAA officials were in Oshkosh to meet with Vintage Aircraft Association officials at the EAA Aviation Center … (read more)
Group to Revive Precision Carburetor Line November 20, 2007 - A tentative agreement was announced Monday to restart production of Precision Airmotive’s MSA line of carburetors and spare parts. EAA reported earlier this month that Precision had halted production of the units November 1 because it was unable to obtain product liability insurance. That move prompted concern in the vintage and experimental aircraft communities as Precision was the nation’s only manufacturer of the Marvel Schebler float carburetors used in many type certificated aircraft engines manufactured by Lycoming, Continental, and Franklin … (read more)
FAA Takes Type Club, EAA/VAA Recommendations Issues AMOC For Taylorcraft Wing Struts November 14, 2007 - The FAA embraced the recommendations of EAA, the Vintage Aircraft Association, and type clubs including the Taylorcraft Foundation last week by approving the use of radiograph (x-ray) to inspect for internal corrosion on T-Craft A, B, and F series steel wing struts. The Airplane Certification Office (ADW-150) issued the Alternative Method of Compliance (AMOC) for Airworthiness Directive 2007-16-14 on November 8 … (read more)
EAA/VAA Submits Comments to Taylorcraft Lift Strut AD October 11, 2007 - EAA and its Vintage Aircraft Association (VAA) have responded to FAA Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2007-16-14, which requires non-destructive test (NDT) inspection of the lift struts on Taylorcraft A, B and F models. As expected, given the wide range of models affected, many EAA/VAA members contacted their organization regarding the maintenance issues resulting from the AD … (read more)
AirVenture 2007 VAA Awards October 1, 2007 – Check out the list of Antique, Classic and Contemporary award winners from this year’s AirVenture.
Downloadable Registration Numbers & Letters May 31, 2007 - Everyone who builds or restores an airplane is hit with the task of laying out registration identification numbers. Over the last 60 years they have gone from 24 inches to 20 inches to 12 inches and whatever on classic and amateur-built aircraft. May I suggest a current copy of Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR) Section 45.1, Subpart C, Nationality and Registration Marks. The FAA-mandated markings can be traced back to a 1919 international agreement that detailed the type of markings for aircraft around the world ... (read more)
VAA Board Expands Contemporary Judging Category May 10, 2007 - Acting upon the recommendation of EAA's Vintage Aircraft Association judges, the VAA Board of Directors voted to expand the Contemporary judging category to include aircraft built up to December 31, 1970. The category was previously up to December 31, 1967. This change gives EAA and VAA members, who have lovingly restored many of the capable personal aircraft of the late 1960s, an opportunity to participate in EAA's world-class judging program. Inclusion in one of VAA's judging categories also allows those aircraft to be insured through VAA's aircraft insurance program, administered by AUA, Inc… (read more)
Flight Planning with Your Vintage Airplane Prefer Grass Runways? Here’s some help. As an EAA member (an important part of your VAA membership), you can use the EAA Flight Planner to chart your trip to Wittman Field for EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2006. Just click on the EAA Flight Planner link on the left side of the home pages at www.eaa.org or www.vintageaircraft.org. As an added bonus, we have a handy list (PDF) of airports that have both grass runways and fuel service, compiled by VAA member Kris Kortokrax. Kris flies a variety of old biplanes that are more pleasant to fly when they are flown from grass strips, and he and his buddies from Shelbyville, Illinois, do their best to keep the old biplanes happy (and keep tire wear to a minimum) by flying cross-country from grass strip to grass strip. Finding fuel facilities can be a challenge these days, and Kris has distilled this airport information to be useful for like-minded grass-runway-preferring pilots. This data was current as of the beginning of the year, and we’d suggest calling ahead to confirm fuel availability and hours of operation. If you have any changes or additions, drop us an e-mail here at vintageaircraft@eaa.org and we’ll forward it to Kris. Our thanks to Kris for sharing his list. Let us know if you find it useful!
Restoring vs. Buying: The Realities “Everyone in this part of aviation is a wannabe restorer. We’re all gripped by a sometimes-irrational dream that we can take a lump of coal and, through a lot of elbow grease and a small amount of money, turn it into a diamond. That part of the dream is absolutely sound. Where it falls apart is when we convince ourselves we can do it more economically than we can buy the same airplane already finished. This too is possible, but only under specific circumstances.” So begins noted aviation author Budd Davisson’s article about evaluating yourself and your potential project. Part of Budd’s article mentions the use of a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet to track time and cost projections for your potential restoration. Just replace Budd’s estimated costs for a sample project 1957 Cessna 172 with the numbers appropriate for your aircraft, and you’ll have a realistic idea what your project will entail. You can download that spreadsheet here.
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