The Midwest Antique Airplane Club(MAAC) is a unique and interesting phenomenon. Other members on line feel free to chime in. It's annual meeting is called "Grassroots" and is closed to the public and the media. Membership, however, is a whopping $10.00/ year. The "For Sale" section of the newsletter is worth that. They don't want to be Oshkosh. It's a time for the keepers of the old ships to gather and share.
Brodhead is a small town in Wisconsin between Milwaulkee and Chicago. It has two long grass strips and perhaps 35 large hangars. These are special hangar-apartment-airplane factory-bar/club buildings. They are inhabited by a delightful collection of skilled builders and restorers of rare and amazing old airplanes. When I got interested in a Szekely several years ago, I found four at Brodhead...two flying. Last year I got a ride in an Aeronca C-3, and this year missed one in a Rearwin Sportster. The men travel to work long weekends together and sleep in trailers or bunks.
In one hangar this year, Meilin and Joe are working on a "Monocoupe-looking" ship, whose fuselage started life as a Taylorcraft. It sports a new wing with clipped and rounded tips, outrigger gear and spoked wheels, dual sticks and a fresh Warner 145 up front! That's Meilin's Hatz with the Warner in front. There are two (2) Bleirots on the field. One has flown in ground effect on a Subaru. It features music wire rigging and hundreds of brass turnbuckles. I sorry my detail photos for Lynn failed in the poor light. T he huge beautiful props are carved in Corning Iowa, my home state. The second Bleirot is powered by an Anzani Fan and is to be exact scale. They ran the engine on a mock-up this year. The owner sold a Pietenpol project and a flying C-3 in partial payment for the Anzani.
Enjoy
Phil D |
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| This is a flat engine Hatz...looked a tad plain next to the Warner. | |
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| Anzani Engine | Bleriot |
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| Bleriot | I wish the light in the hanger allowed a closeup of these hundreds of music wire braces... |
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| That's an HMS...new to me. Designed by the Flea fellow. He could never fly it, so he designed the flea. |
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| Farman | Franklin Sport with a Lambert 90 |
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| Unknown | Harley power plant. |
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| Butler Blackhawk | Spartan C3 |
