BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — The Bowling Green-Warren County Regional Airport holds the hope of a dream.
It
started with Harry Balcer of Bainbridge, Ohio, who has loved airplanes
since he was a child, and is continuing with Peridot Pictures owner
Dorian Walker.
Walker plans to make Balcer's dream a reality by
getting the Curtiss Jenny airplane Balcer was building ready for its
first test flight. The plane will be part of his upcoming PBS television
special "Jenny." The one-hour film is scheduled to be released in the
fall.
"It was one of the most popular airplanes of its kind,"
Walker said last week as he walked around the plane and its various
parts. "We're taking an icon of aviation that is rarer than a rare
steak."
The Curtiss Jenny is a biplane created in the early 20th
century by the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Co. Glenn Curtiss recruited
B. Douglas Thomas, who had worked for Sopwith Aviation Co. in England,
to help develop ideas for fighter planes. These became the JN series of
planes, which came in six model variations, JN-1 through JN-6. They were
called the Jenny and flew in World War I. They were used for aerial
stunts in later years.
"Charles Lindbergh learned to fly on a Jenny. Amelia Earhart learned to fly on a Jenny," Walker said.
Walker
decided he wanted to tackle the story of Glenn Curtiss, considered the
father of the American aircraft industry, and the aircraft he helped
design.
"I've been an aviator most of my life. I fly mainly
vintage airplanes," he said. "The story of Glenn Curtiss and the Jenny
is not told very often. As I researched it, I fell in love with the
story."
Balcer remembers when he and his friends would play with toy airplanes.
"I've
been interested in airplanes ever since I was a kid. I built a lot of
model airplanes. I was always interested in French Flyers," he told the
Daily News in a phone interview.
In 1979, Balcer bought
construction plans for a Jenny from the Smithsonian Institution. Then he
did what any other man who was busy with a wife, kids, home and job
would do.
"I put them in a drawer," he said, laughing.
It
wasn't until the early 1990s that Balcer brought the plans out again.
The retired engineer found himself with time to work on the plane.
"I
researched for six or seven months, located materials and went through
the whole process," he said. "I started working on it in the basement. I
have a large basement."
For about 15 years, Balcer and his wife worked on the plane, starting with the fuselage. They put the airplane skin on together.
"The airplane I put together was experimental. I built it from scratch," he said.
Even experimental aircraft need certification from the Federal Aviation Administration, and that's what eluded Balcer.
"It got expensive. I couldn't afford it anymore," he said.
At the same time, Walker was looking for the number of Jennys still in the world.
"I found 26 in museums or exhibits worldwide. I found six that are flying worldwide," he said.
Walker
found two active rebuilding projects in the U.S. One was an airplane
pilot in Atlanta who has been working on his Jenny for seven years. The
other was Balcer's project.
"In the fall, I went up there with my
cameras. Harry looked at me and said, 'I don't have it in me. I want to
pass the torch,' " he said. "I agreed to try."
Balcer thought it would be a good educational tool.
"I was selective in letting someone get it," he said.
Walker
isn't an airplane builder, so he has been gathering people in the
southcentral Kentucky area to help. He has volunteers but needs more so
the film can be ready by fall. His goal with the production is not only
to make an interesting film, but to also make it educational.
"It
shows people who set examples of what you can aspire to be," he said.
"Glenn Curtiss showed American ingenuity and entrepreneurship."
http://www.kentucky.com/2012/07/31/2278539/airplane-restoration-to-be-part.html
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment