Lifetime Love Affair 14 JUNE 2013
For Harry Pick Sr. from Chenoa, Illinois, EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2012 was the culmination of more than 8,500 hours of work spanning 30 years, restoring a rare PQ-14B from WWII. The airplane became one of only four airworthy aircraft of its type in the world. Harry s restoration was truly a spectacular feat considering all of his efforts over the past three decades. For one man, with the occasional help of his son Harry Jr., to have accomplished what he did was truly deserving of the recognition he received at AirVenture. Mark Laatsch Harry Pick and his award-winning Culver PQ-14B by Mark Laatsch Necessity, the Mother of Inventions Initial aerial gunnery training in WWII started with.22-caliber rifles shooting at moving targets, like something from an amusement park. From there trainees progressed to moving targets on a rifle range. They learned to shoot the.50-caliber machine guns at stationary and moving targets on the ground. In the air we could only use.30-caliber guns because the training planes couldn t carry the larger.50-caliber units plus four to five trainees. From these planes the gunners practiced on air targets being towed by another plane. This form of training was adequate to introduce the trainees to the guns and basic moving target tracking, but was far from what was needed to prepare the airmen for real-life enemy fighters diving at a moving bomber at better than 300 mph. Gen. Hap Arnold complained in a letter to Training Command, stating, Reports are still being received which indicate a serious lack of gunnery training for our aerial gunners www.warbirds-eaa.org 15
A better method of training the gunners was needed, in which the trainee would be placed in a realistic mock combat situation, firing live ammunition at an aircraft making simulated attacks on a flying bomber. Maj. Cameron Fairchild of Training Command was convinced the only drawback to the simulation was the development of a machine gun bullet that could strike a target aircraft without damaging the plane or its pilot. The solution was a lead-filled bakelite bullet, of proper density, with sufficient frangibility to be fired from a machine gun and hit the target aircraft without damaging the plane. Enter Operation Pinball, using armored P-63s and the frangible bullet. This method of training worked fairly well, but there were still mishaps in cases where the frangible bullets damaged the radiators of the P-63, resulting in downed target planes and in some cases loss of the pilot. A still better method of training was needed. Enter the target drone. The Airplane The U.S. Army Air Corps ordered the development of radio-controlled aircraft to be used as targets for training aerial gunners. These target aircraft were to be flown unmanned, controlled by radio signals from the ground or a mother ship, but the aircraft would also have the capability of being flown by a pilot for ferry flights or check flights. Culver Aircraft Corporation submitted a design for production and thus became a major producer of radiocontrolled aerial aircraft for the Army and Navy during WWII. Culver began with the PQ-8 model, originally powered by a 90-hp Franklin O-200 engine, based on the civilian Culver Model LFA Cadet sport airplane. This model was succeeded by the faster PQ-8A, powered by a 125-hp Lycoming O-290. Further development led to a new aircraft design in the form of the PQ-14, powered by the 125-hp Franklin O-300. The fuselage, wings, and tail components were made of wood with stressed plywood skin. In the mid-1940s the U.S. Army Air Forces experimented with the concept of a lightweight fighter using wood as a primary construction material. (The Bell XP-77 is an example of the experimentation.) More than 2,000 PQ-14s were produced for the Army Air Corps, with 1,198 going to the Navy. The original intent of the PQ-14 was a radio-controlled aircraft used for gunnery practice by ground and aircrew gunners. Using actual high-speed aircraft proved invaluable for service personnel during wartime training. One gunnery cadet during World War II remarked on the experience gained during one day of using actual aircraft as the equivalent to weeks on simulators of the time. 16 JUNE 2013
During wartime, the PQ-14s were used as they were intended, as flying unmanned targets, and most were blasted out of the sky. It should be noted that due to the wooden construction many times the hits passed right through the aircraft, allowing the plane to land, be patched up, and return to target duty. After the end of World War II the aircraft took on a somewhat different role as test beds for a then evolving radar/ tracking system being tested in the Panama Canal Zone, mainly for the likes of the B-29 and P-61 which incorporated the mechanical, unmanned gun turrets. The airplane tests were flown by both human and radio control. Only about a dozen PQ-14s survive today, most of which are static displays in museums around the country. The PQ-14B has a wingspan of 30 feet and is 19.5 feet in length and a little over 8 feet high. With a weight of 1,820 pounds maximum, its mostly wood construction makes it truly a lightweight aircraft. The Franklin O-300 engine gave the aircraft a maximum speed of 185 mph with a cruising speed of around 154 mph, a service ceiling of 17,000 feet, and a range of around 360 miles. The Man Harry s flight training started prior to his enlistment in the Army with the CPT, Civilian Pilot Training Program, in Bloomington, Illinois. Harry joined the Army Air Corps in January 1944 and entered the Army Specialized Training Program to become a pilot. He started by flying a 1939 Taylorcraft but transitioned to the Howard DGA-18K. With the war in Europe coming to a close in early 1945, the pilot training program was terminated, and Harry looked to other programs to continue his service. He entered Central Fire Control Gunnery training and flew about 25 hours in B-29s and P-61s as a gun scanner. By the end of 1945 Harry took a crash course in aerial photography, but with the war ended, Harry had no clear assignment to service his country. Finally transferred to the Overseas Replacement Depot in Greensboro, North Carolina, Harry thought he was finally off to a definite position, having been issued an Army winter uniform. The situation soon changed as his winter uniform was replaced with summer khakis, and he was off to New Orleans and from there to Panama. While serving in Panama, Harry first came in contact with the PQ- 14B. The aircraft was being used for target tracking for B-29s. Harry fell in love with the PQ-14, equating it to a little red sports car. Although not involved with the use of the PQ-14, Harry gained access to flying the aircraft due to his relationship with the base commanding officer. He flew the airplane only about five times, logging around 20 hours. Harry put the airplane through its paces, performing basic aerobatic maneuvers, only to find out later that test pilots had been killed in crashes performing the same type flying. Harry left the service in December 1946 and went on to start an airport with his brother on the family farm in Chenoa, Illinois, under the GI bill, which provisioned him to teach the public to fly airplanes. Harry went on to become a Cessna dealer at the airport, selling Cessna 120s and 140s. When Harry left the service, his one desire was to own a PQ-14. Over the years he searched the Trading Post for the aircraft, and although a few did appear for sale, they were too expensive, but Harry never gave up the quest. The Restoration In 1969, Harry finally found a PQ- 14, for what he thought was a reasonable price, in Gooding, Idaho. Little did Harry know, but the airplane had been exposed to the harsh Idaho weather in an open hangar for a number of years. Harry purchased the aircraft sight unseen and had it trucked back to Illinois. Once the pieces of the airplane were back at his shop in Illinois, Harry began the realistic assessment of what he actually had. Due to the extremely poor condition of the airplane s components, wooden parts rotted beyond use and steel that was all rusted, he realized the restoration of this plane to flying condition was going to be no small task by any stretch of the imagination. Harry assessed the airplane and thought he may be able to use some of the original parts, but he soon realized almost all of the wooden structure was unusable. Harry began the search for replacement parts and building his own using originals as patterns. He soon realized he not only needed spare parts that he could not reproduce, but also original plans, schematics, and documents of the aircraft built by Culver decades earlier. Harry sought out existing intact aircraft, the majority www.warbirds-eaa.org 17
of which were in museums. He contacted museum personnel and began the process of researching the history of the aircraft type, as well as his particular airplane. Harry s initial contact for parts and information was with the Airpower Museum in Ottumwa, Iowa. Harry was able to borrow parts from the display aircraft to copy and gained a great deal of information about the aircraft. He then contacted the Smithsonian and found a treasure trove of information including original documents and schematics from Culver. Harry s persistent requests for this documentation led the Smithsonian to finally make copies of all microfiche documentation, containing every specification, drawing, schematic, and part number from the original Culver factory inventory, and give them to Harry. He also received original scale mechanical drawings of the airplane from the Smithsonian. Over the years, Harry has accumulated the complete history and documentation of the aircraft from the time it was built until the time it was sold as surplus by the U.S. Air Force. During his research and investigation of the aircraft type, Harry contacted many original Culver (eventually became Mooney Aircraft Company) personnel, including factory production personnel and test pilot Bill Taylor. Bill was in fact the first civilian owner of Harry s airplane. At some point during the restoration process, Harry discovered the airplane he possessed was rather unique in that it was one of three PQ- 14Bs involved in a special project at Culver, possibly preparing for what was intended as the next generation PQ-14 design. Culver assigned three PQ-14B aircraft to a special program. These three airplanes would be virtually hand built, having a project manager assigned to each of the three, who would oversee every aspect of the construction of the aircraft, from start to finish. The three airplanes would have new features such as main wheel covers, auxiliary fuel tank, side rails in fuselage, 1.25-inch steel tube between wing roots, an air intake in the front of the cowling, plywood skin thickness increased from 1/16 inch to 1/8 inch, and increased flap size, as well as other minor improvements. These changes/additions potentially would be standard for the next generation aircraft. Harry s airplane was assigned Serial Number 427, which along with numbers 450 and 487 made up the three special craft. He also tracked down William P. McCelland, the project manager assigned to aircraft 427, whose signature was still legible inside the original skin of the fuselage. Harry had several conversations with William prior to his death in 1970. The restoration process brought about many challenges for Harry. Since the aircraft fuselage and wings is almost entirely made of wood, it would seem Harry could benefit from the processes and procedures encountered by numerous homebuilders around the world. However, Harry s situation was somewhat different in that he would have to reverse engineer a process which had originally been accomplished by an industrial factory with facilities to mass-produce these aircraft several decades ago. Harry met the challenge with creativity by building the tools, jigs, and machines required to restore and rebuild his aircraft to equal or better standards accomplished by the Culver factory. In some cases this process of reinventing the wheel has been trial and error, usually resulting in a second (or possibly third) machine or process that would eventually accomplish the task at hand, meeting Harry s exacting standards. Using everyday tools and common materials at hand on his farm, Harry built his own pattern jigs, scarfing machine, and vat system for steaming and shaping the 18 JUNE 2013
plywood skin. He first started soaking the plywood skin in a bathtub, but this proved too small for some parts. Harry then designed a rig to lower parts into a well on his farm, which proved adequate to soak the plywood parts. He built a large steel trough over a roaring fire to generate enough steam to form the wing and fuselage skin. With every challenge, Harry found a way to improvise and solve the problem. Harry began the restoration of his aircraft in 1982; however, the daunting task at hand caused Harry to become discouraged, and at one point he posted the project on the sale board at Oshkosh. Harry began working in earnest on the project in 1996. He was meticulous in keeping records of his time and every dollar spent on the airplane. The wing retains the largest percentage of the original structure, including both spars. All the metal parts in the wing have been removed, magnifluxed, and replaced. Shaping the plywood skin to the leading edge of the wing presented some unique challenges for Harry, which required building more than one vat for steaming the plywood, allowing it to be formed to the wing ribs. Harry said the most difficult part of the restoration was the re-creating the wing slots outboard of the ailerons, which act as anti-flat spin devices. Although Harry acquired an engine along with the pieces of his airplane, he located a new Franklin O-300 engine with only 20 hours of factory time in Washington state. The original engine was designed to operate at between 3050 and 3450 rpm, resulting in an average engine life of around 10 hours. Since the primary purpose of this airplane was to provide a target, longevity was never a consideration for the aircraft as a whole. Harry plans on running the engine of his airplane at around 2950 rpm, given the original documented specifications for cruise power setting at 2850 rpm, which should significantly extend the engine s life. Among the parts Harry was not able to re-create was the engine cowling, as the originals were damaged beyond use. He was fortunate enough to find a new one in Canada. The original small wooden propeller was also unusable, so Harry sent it to the Sensenich Company and a new one was re-created by Sensenich. Harry has made only a couple of modifications to the original airplane design, primarily due to the fact of the aircraft s original intended use. The PQ-14 was intended as a radiocontrolled aircraft, intended to fly straight and level for the most part. One modification would be larger flaps, which he built for the restored aircraft. Another modification involved a redesign of the airplane s instruments. A radio-controlled aircraft would normally not require any flight instrumentation; however, the PQ-14s were equipped with some instruments enabling human piloting during test or ferry flights. Harry has redesigned the cockpit s instrument panel to accommodate modern avionics. Harry spent about 8,500 hours over 30 years to accomplish the restoration of his unique PQ-14B. It was completed in late 2009 (but a few years were needed to finally obtain FAA certification), allowing him to bring his ultimate dream to its fruition by flying and displaying the airplane at AirVenture in 2012. by Jean Barbaud http://jeanbarbaud.blogspot.com www.warbirds-eaa.org 19