The Two Winger Title comes from my Grandfather who took me for plane rides and to the airport. Every time we saw a Biplane it was called a Two Winger by my Grandfather. So I carry on the remembrance.
Well Guys,
Since a lot of you that saw my post on refurbishing my Bonanza and requested I tell about building my Two Winger. Well hear you go. I'm sorry because this isn't going to be short. No way can I tell a story that covers 44 years in a few words. Hell I can't even tell a short story in a few words.
Lets start with the high points. I started the project in 4-1969 at that time I was 26 I bought the plans in 9-1968. I had allready refurbished a 7AC Champ and a Piper Super Cruiser. I finished and flew the SD/Starduster Too in 3-73. I had $7500 in the plane at that time and this included a new Continental 225 HP O-470 and an overhauled Constant Speed prop and governor.
At the time there were not any kits or one stop shopping suppliers like we now have. I didn't keep track of the hours but most projects like this at that time took 3500-4000 hours to complete.
Now let me make it clear to you Guys. Just because I have been doing airplane stuff doesn't mean I have a bunch of money. Nothing could be farther from the truth. I could never take our household money and spend on planes. The whole time I was building/restoring I was working a min. of 50 hrs. and most of the time 60. Plus taking out of town jobs to get the extra money and PD.
Anotherthing I would be willing to bet that most all of you on this form could build a plane. There damn sure nothing special about me or excess talent. I have been told several times WOW you have a lot of patience. BS the Wifie had the patience I had perseverance. That is why I named the SD "Pats Patience".
Now to the building. In 3-69 we moved to Tuscaloosa AL. for a temp job with my Co. for 14 mos. and rented a two bedroom Apt. Why remember the $$$$$. I was lucky to find one that had a covered patio for a work shop. Hot in the summer, cold in the winter and wet at times.
This is where I built all 4 wings, center section, Stab., elev, and rudder. The rest of the plane was built in my garage in Houston.
In 9-70 I bought a Cessna 170 that had a lot of interior corrosion. I took it to a IA Mechanic friend's house and worked on it on weekends for 6 mos. We replaced wing main spar and skins, fusg. stringers, drilled apart all controls flushed and chromated and removed paint and painted plane also installed a new interior.
Ohhhhhhhhhhh by the way in 6-1971 we went to Montreal Canada for 6 Mos. Needed more money so no work was done.
As you can see I was pretty busy all extra time including vacations was spent working and building planes.
Well how about some details on what the SD is made out of. The wings have Sitka spruce main spares with 1/8" Birch Ply reinforcing plates glued and nailed to areas of high stress. The ribs are 5 ply 1/4" Aircraft Mahogany that are routed, plus steel plate and tubing in the wings. The rest of the airframe is 4130 chrome moly steel tubing from .028 to .049 that is Oxy/Acetylene welded with 4130 plate steel gussets and tabs and stuff. By the way all the steel on the plane was cut with a hacksaw or a tubing cutter and there is a lot of it. Why didn't I buy a band saw? Well remember the money thing? I even made my own grinder to shape the tubing and steel.
The covering is Cotton and Butyrate Dope, kind of like a lacquer, and the alum cowling is 2024-T3 .020-.032. There are fiberglass parts like the nose bowl, wheel pants, and turtle deck which I didn't build.
Well I hope you aren't to bored so lets get to some pictures. I'm not going to post many because they are not very good. I didn't take that many the first time around with a crap camera.
I will post more on the next chapter which will be " The Redo of a Two Winger"
This was my workshop on the patio. I also did some work inside the Apt when it was raining. Notice all the GREAT tools.
This is where the SD was built. My garage in Houston. We had our house built and I knew I would need a big garage so it is 25'x25'
When the weather has to high of humidity or to cold. Well that is what dens are fore. Remember the Pat's Patience thing :wink:
We never had living room furniture so I did my kind of decorating
Pretty minimal panel notice nothing in the front pit :wink:
Well the time has come after 4 years of hard work to take it to the airport. :wink:
Since I didn't have any good pictures of the fuselage and parts I included these from starting the Redo.
Doing a little sand blasting for the redo.
This is my World after many hours of hard work
This Old Homebuilt has won a lot of awards for workmanship over the years. A few from the 70s
Now on a serious side and from the bottom of my heart. I do believe this Homebuilt Airplane had a lot to do with forging of the lives of my loved ones. This is Son, Daughter, Son-in Law ( who Daughter met at USAFA), and Daughter-in law (who was the girl across the runway). Three out of 4 as Naval Aviators isn't to bad. Don't look at the old fat Guy.
" Pat's Patience"
NOT JUST ANOTHER HOMEBUILT
After a 40 year love affair with a homebuilt, I have realized that it is not the homebuilt that is important, but the home that this homebuilt built.
This Starduster Too is not just another homebuilt airplane. It was, and is a way of life. The airplane was started in 1968 when I was 25 years old. At the time the Starduster Too was the most beautiful two place biplane ever built, and still is. In 1968 my wife gave birth to a wonderful son. Stolp and I gave birth to a Starduster Too. However, my Starduster's birth took longer than my wife's because at the time there were no kits available for building airplanes. I finished the plane in 1973, the same year my wife gave birth to a terrific daughter. My son and I went to all the local airports in the Starduster to tell our friends about her birth - the same way I had shown off the birth of my baby, "Pat's Patience."
Going to Oshkosh in 1973 & 1975 were some of the best times of my life, other then when the kids wanted to go fly in the Starduster. Going again in 2002 with my son and winning a Bronze Lindy was right at the top of the best things also.
Every Aviator's dream is to live on a grass strip with his plane in the backyard. Well, in 1979 my dream became a reality. We moved to an air-park in the country because of an airplane, and that airplane showed our family a better way of life. During the next 10 to 15 years that the kids lived at home, on the airport, they became aviators. Our son worked at our airport and another one close by doing airport kid stuff - trading work for flying time, etc.
In 1992 he became a Naval Aviator and married the girl across the runway, who also became a Naval Officer that same year. Our daughter soloed my Luscombe in 1992 which was the year she went to the Air Force Academy. After graduation, she and her husband, to be, cross commissioned into the Navy, and later became the first married couple to complete pilot training together and receive their Wings of Gold at the same time.
Her and her brother are also the only brother and sister to be COs in the Navy at the same time.
Now I'm looking forward to seeing my grand-kids continue their love of flying.
My Grandson soloed on his 16th birthday. He could fly but couldn't drive alone. He has also flown from VA. to Houston in our 7GC and from Seattle to Houston in our Pacer
Jim Hayden
Well Guys,
Since a lot of you that saw my post on refurbishing my Bonanza and requested I tell about building my Two Winger. Well hear you go. I'm sorry because this isn't going to be short. No way can I tell a story that covers 44 years in a few words. Hell I can't even tell a short story in a few words.
Lets start with the high points. I started the project in 4-1969 at that time I was 26 I bought the plans in 9-1968. I had allready refurbished a 7AC Champ and a Piper Super Cruiser. I finished and flew the SD/Starduster Too in 3-73. I had $7500 in the plane at that time and this included a new Continental 225 HP O-470 and an overhauled Constant Speed prop and governor.
At the time there were not any kits or one stop shopping suppliers like we now have. I didn't keep track of the hours but most projects like this at that time took 3500-4000 hours to complete.
Now let me make it clear to you Guys. Just because I have been doing airplane stuff doesn't mean I have a bunch of money. Nothing could be farther from the truth. I could never take our household money and spend on planes. The whole time I was building/restoring I was working a min. of 50 hrs. and most of the time 60. Plus taking out of town jobs to get the extra money and PD.
Anotherthing I would be willing to bet that most all of you on this form could build a plane. There damn sure nothing special about me or excess talent. I have been told several times WOW you have a lot of patience. BS the Wifie had the patience I had perseverance. That is why I named the SD "Pats Patience".
Now to the building. In 3-69 we moved to Tuscaloosa AL. for a temp job with my Co. for 14 mos. and rented a two bedroom Apt. Why remember the $$$$$. I was lucky to find one that had a covered patio for a work shop. Hot in the summer, cold in the winter and wet at times.
This is where I built all 4 wings, center section, Stab., elev, and rudder. The rest of the plane was built in my garage in Houston.
In 9-70 I bought a Cessna 170 that had a lot of interior corrosion. I took it to a IA Mechanic friend's house and worked on it on weekends for 6 mos. We replaced wing main spar and skins, fusg. stringers, drilled apart all controls flushed and chromated and removed paint and painted plane also installed a new interior.
Ohhhhhhhhhhh by the way in 6-1971 we went to Montreal Canada for 6 Mos. Needed more money so no work was done.
As you can see I was pretty busy all extra time including vacations was spent working and building planes.
Well how about some details on what the SD is made out of. The wings have Sitka spruce main spares with 1/8" Birch Ply reinforcing plates glued and nailed to areas of high stress. The ribs are 5 ply 1/4" Aircraft Mahogany that are routed, plus steel plate and tubing in the wings. The rest of the airframe is 4130 chrome moly steel tubing from .028 to .049 that is Oxy/Acetylene welded with 4130 plate steel gussets and tabs and stuff. By the way all the steel on the plane was cut with a hacksaw or a tubing cutter and there is a lot of it. Why didn't I buy a band saw? Well remember the money thing? I even made my own grinder to shape the tubing and steel.
The covering is Cotton and Butyrate Dope, kind of like a lacquer, and the alum cowling is 2024-T3 .020-.032. There are fiberglass parts like the nose bowl, wheel pants, and turtle deck which I didn't build.
Well I hope you aren't to bored so lets get to some pictures. I'm not going to post many because they are not very good. I didn't take that many the first time around with a crap camera.
I will post more on the next chapter which will be " The Redo of a Two Winger"
This was my workshop on the patio. I also did some work inside the Apt when it was raining. Notice all the GREAT tools.
This is where the SD was built. My garage in Houston. We had our house built and I knew I would need a big garage so it is 25'x25'
When the weather has to high of humidity or to cold. Well that is what dens are fore.
Remember the Pat's Patience thing :wink: 
We never had living room furniture so I did my kind of decorating
Pretty minimal panel notice nothing in the front pit :wink:
Well the time has come after 4 years of hard work to take it to the airport. :wink:
Since I didn't have any good pictures of the fuselage and parts I included these from starting the Redo.
Doing a little sand blasting for the redo.
This is my World after many hours of hard work
This Old Homebuilt has won a lot of awards for workmanship over the years. A few from the 70s
Now on a serious side and from the bottom of my heart. I do believe this Homebuilt Airplane had a lot to do with forging of the lives of my loved ones. This is Son, Daughter, Son-in Law ( who Daughter met at USAFA), and Daughter-in law (who was the girl across the runway). Three out of 4 as Naval Aviators isn't to bad. Don't look at the old fat Guy.
" Pat's Patience"
NOT JUST ANOTHER HOMEBUILT
After a 40 year love affair with a homebuilt, I have realized that it is not the homebuilt that is important, but the home that this homebuilt built.
This Starduster Too is not just another homebuilt airplane. It was, and is a way of life. The airplane was started in 1968 when I was 25 years old. At the time the Starduster Too was the most beautiful two place biplane ever built, and still is. In 1968 my wife gave birth to a wonderful son. Stolp and I gave birth to a Starduster Too. However, my Starduster's birth took longer than my wife's because at the time there were no kits available for building airplanes. I finished the plane in 1973, the same year my wife gave birth to a terrific daughter. My son and I went to all the local airports in the Starduster to tell our friends about her birth - the same way I had shown off the birth of my baby, "Pat's Patience."
Going to Oshkosh in 1973 & 1975 were some of the best times of my life, other then when the kids wanted to go fly in the Starduster. Going again in 2002 with my son and winning a Bronze Lindy was right at the top of the best things also.
Every Aviator's dream is to live on a grass strip with his plane in the backyard. Well, in 1979 my dream became a reality. We moved to an air-park in the country because of an airplane, and that airplane showed our family a better way of life. During the next 10 to 15 years that the kids lived at home, on the airport, they became aviators. Our son worked at our airport and another one close by doing airport kid stuff - trading work for flying time, etc.
In 1992 he became a Naval Aviator and married the girl across the runway, who also became a Naval Officer that same year. Our daughter soloed my Luscombe in 1992 which was the year she went to the Air Force Academy. After graduation, she and her husband, to be, cross commissioned into the Navy, and later became the first married couple to complete pilot training together and receive their Wings of Gold at the same time.
Her and her brother are also the only brother and sister to be COs in the Navy at the same time.
Now I'm looking forward to seeing my grand-kids continue their love of flying.
My Grandson soloed on his 16th birthday. He could fly but couldn't drive alone. He has also flown from VA. to Houston in our 7GC and from Seattle to Houston in our Pacer
Jim Hayden
