antique Attic
Out of the Toy Chest
“For many years, I have had a passion for vintage, historic aircrafts, and in 2001, out of the blue, I got a call from a fellow who introduced himself as Nick Ludi, Joe Hardy’s (the founder of the 84 Lumber Company) chief pilot. Ludi said: “Mr. Hardy has been collecting vintage motorcycles and automobiles all throughout his life, and he decided he wanted to start a collection of vintage aircraft. So, he went to an auction in Aurora, Illinois, purchased this one-of-a- kind Pitcairn PA-8 and would like to know if you would be willing to bring the airplane back to Pennsylvania.”
This is how Chris Polhemus, of Carmichaels, Pennsylvania, a little town in the southwest corner of the state, became involved with the Pitcairn PA-8 N10753.
The PA-8 was the ultimate development of a very successful line of pure mail planes built by the Pitcairn Aircraft, Inc. of Willow Grove, Pennsylvania and was quite different from its predecessors, altogether a bigger airplane, fitted with a more powerful 300 hp Wright J6-9 (R-975) engine.
X10056 (c/n 150), the PA-8 prototype was followed by a batch of five production units (c/n 161 to 165). The model PA-8 obtained ATC #364 on September 13, 1930, and all the aircrafts were sold to Eastern Air Transport and delivered mail up and down the Eastern Seaboard, starting in early 1931.
Accepted at the factory on January 27, 1931, number 164 was the next-to-the-last Pitcairn airplane ever built, as production switched to autogiro after s/n 165. Incorporated into the Eastern Air Transport fleet in January 1931, it was put on service on CAM #19, and flew the mail with Eastern Air Lines until 1934.
Stored -minus engine- after its airworthiness certificate expired in 1937, it was acquired on July 11, 1963, number 164 -along with Number 162- by Tony Steinbock of Klamath Falls, Oregon. In 1974, they were advertised for sale in the Western Flyer. Avid reader of the publication, Jack Rose of Spokane, Washington, hopped on an airliner and flew back home the following evening with the vertical fin of one of the airplanes as a carry-on.
Jack chose to restore NC10753 (c/n 164). However, it was his first airplane restoration project, and this one was monumental. So, smartly, he asked local aviation legend Skeeter Carlson for help and entrusted the wings to Art Swenson.
N10753 first post-restoration flight took place on July 19, 1977, and the PA-8 was later sold to actor Steve McQueen, who based it at Santa Paula Airport. He flew it on occasion until his death in 1980. His family auctioned off all his possessions, including the Pitcairn. It was acquired in 1984 by Peter Palumbo of Aurora, Illinois, before being auctioned off again in 2001, at which point Mr. Hardy purchased it to start his own airplane collection.
Chris Polhemus accepted the challenge presented to him. He recounts:
“So myself and Frank Wilson, a retired USAir mechanic living in Irondale, Ohio, loaded his Cessna 185 with tools and parts and headed towards Plano, Illinois. Arrived there, we opened the doors of the hangar to this absolutely beautiful Pitcairn, which had not been flying for years.
“Its mechanic had probably been in the process of doing some engine maintenance, as the #1 cylinder had been removed. We spent two days inspecting and servicing the aircraft, reinstalling the cylinder, figured out how the systems worked, got it started, taxied it, got the tail up on the nice grass strip of the airport, and I went ahead with flying it.
“I flew the plane again the same afternoon, spent enough time to feel comfortable with it, and in the morning of the third day, started heading back to Pennsylvania. Along the way, I traveled back to the 1930s, flying the mail and cruising across the Illinois and Northern Indiana farmland.”
He continues:
“Mr. Hardy had arranged a champagne reception for the arrival of the airplane. During the reception he came over, thanked me profusely, and asked if I would be willing to keep the airplane airworthy and stay proficient to fly it at special events. At that point, I was afraid that this airplane would go in a glass cage and never fly again.
“I told him I applauded his decision and that I would be honored to do so.”
The PA-8 is now based at the Woodlands Toy Store, which is part of the Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, in Farmington, Pennsylvania. Mr. Hardy’s collection is housed in a glass hangar, with glass bi-fold doors, opening on a 4000 ft private runway.
As for the Pitcairn:
“The airplane is extremely stable; it likes to fly straight and level. The control pressures are heavy and you do not have the same authority in pitch as in modern airplanes. It really lags in response, so you have to anticipate any pitch needs.
“It has very limited forward visibility, and your peripheral vision starts right at the wingtip. The runway at the resort where the airplane is kept is only 35 feet wide, so, it is akin to a sidewalk. This makes directional control paramount on take-off and landing.
“On take off, you lift the tail as quickly as possible, so you can have some limited forward visibility, and likewise on landing, a wheels landing is preferred, keeping the tail up for as long as you can, pretty much until you reach a brisk walk speed, then, plant the tail, and make sure you maintain directional control of the plane.”
With some 1500 hours on the airframe and 600 hours on the engine, the airplane is almost straight out of the box and should fly for many more years.
Thank you, Mr. Hardy for sharing your toys.