CF-JLW 1929 Travelair 4000/D4D

[JohnReid]

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y250/JohnReid/Travel Air D4D/TravrlairAward002-1.jpg

[JohnReid]

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y250/JohnReid/Travel%20Air%20D4D/Travelair2-1.jpg

[JohnReid]

The not so impossible dream!
This is the story of my relationship with a little red airplane.It is also the story of the evolution of a factory fresh airplane in 1929, to a basket case in 1960 ,and then its rise from the ashes to become a showpiece and ultimately a museum hangar queen.I hope you enjoy our story!

[JohnReid]

First ,a little history.
CF-JLW rolled off the Travel Air factory floor in 1929 as a Model E-4000 c/n 1151.It was registered as a Model BE-4000,N9953 by the Dept. of Commerce.(The BE-4000 only existed in reference to the Group 2 Approval 2-156 which was superseded by the E-4000 ATC #188)
The E-4000 was the most popular of the radial engined Travel Air biplanes.About 85 were manufactured.It had the Wright Whirlwind J6-5 five cylinder 165 h.p. engine,the "A" fuselage with the rubber "bungee" shock cord landing gear,30X5 Bendix wheels,and he new Standard wing which was the replacement for the counter-balanced "elephant ear" aileron.The standard wing was available in two versions:the "B" wing with a fuel tank in the inner bay of each wing panel and in the center section;the "E" wing with a single tank in the center section only.Both versions had an upper wing span of 33 feet....

[JohnReid]

First contact.
My dad liked to build things.Not so much the labor type of building but the planning and developing and the seeing through to completion type of building.During my teens I had helped dad build two large houses.The last house we built together I supplied the cheap labor along with various professional carpenters,stone masons,electricians,plumbers etc...Dads projects usually start small but grew over time.What started as a modest home became a very large project indeed.It took years to complete and when we moved in still was not finished.
While I was away at university I began to hear rumblings about a new project that he was thinking about.No not another house but an airplane this time.You see my dad was an aviator who flew in the military with R.C.A.F. and R.A.F.during the war and for Trans Canada Airlines in civilian life.I too by this time had obtained my pilots license.Dad always had big dreams and one of them when he was a teenager was to own his own airline.He had fallen in love with airplanes and used to scrounge 10 or 15 minutes flying time by gassing airplanes at the local flying club.He had even approached a well off uncle of his to help finance his planned business venture.But this was the 30's and he offered him an education instead.Along came the war and the rest is history.The airplane that he wanted to buy? you guessed it a Curtiss-Wright Travel Air!......

[JohnReid]

Well dad did buy the Travel Air but 30 years later ,a basket case he found in northern New York State.Over the years, many attempts were made by others to restore this aircraft but without much success.(At one time I did have the original log books and if I remember correctly it had about 700 hours on it total time.)
By the time I had returned home from university he had already hauled it home. When I first saw it, it was resting in a hangar on the old hangar line at Dorval Airport(now Trudeau International).A couple of boxes of parts,4 well used wings and a rusty frame with undercarriage legs and wheel hubs ,that was about it.I had never seen or heard of a Travel Air up until this point and being young I was into modern airplanes like my dad flew ,Super Connie's and North Stars and I really didn't understand what he saw in this old wreck.
However it wasn't long before we were back in the old groove, me doing the cheap labor and dad doing the planning.
I worked on the steel tubing fuselage first sanding off the paint and rust which thank goodness was more dirt and years of crud than it was rust.We ran some oil through the tubing and the interior also seemed to be in good shape.Anyway we fooled around like that for some time,not really getting anywhere when we suddenly happened upon some really good luck.I don't remember now how it all came about but dad introduced me to a fellow named Al Pow.It seemed that Al had built Mosquitoes in Toronto during the war and was at the time building gliders and working on old airplanes.He was a glider pilot and held a few records over the years ,for time aloft and altitude.Al had remained solo all his life and was living in a rooming house in Montreal.A quiet unassuming man with a great sense of humor and as I was to learn later, a master craftsman ,designer and engineer and all around good fellow.

[JohnReid]

As time went by our relationship with Al changed,originally it started that he would come by on weekends to see how we were doing, then as his other work slacked off he spent more and more time helping us out.Dad's airline career was taking off so to speak, and he moved up the ranks to become Chief Pilot and Director of Flight Standards, over at the peoples airline.Eventually,because of his increased workload, he assumed mostly the position of parts finder and financier of the Travel Air project.Al was now working on the airplane full time and I got into flying instructing for a living. On IFR days I resumed my cheap labour and "go for" position with the Travel Air.

[JohnReid]

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y250/JohnReid/Travel%20Air%20D4D/TravelAirinTim1.jpg
This is about where we were when Al joined the team.

[JohnReid]

Al was a great mentor to me not only for the quality of his work as a craftsman
but as an inspiration for self-imposed quality control.(This would serve me well in later life building 1/16th model aircraft for museums)
In October of 1969 Air Progress magazine did an article on the building of our aircraft.I will put excerpts of that piece by Budd Davisson to include in this thread.
"The Reid approach to airplane rebuilding is simple.They chose not to restore,but to remanufacture. Practically nothing original was retained,except as a template to make a new part.Where the strength of the original design left something to be desired,it was beefed up.The intent was to build a brand new airplane,modernizing where necessary,but still retaining all the original lines.(closest other example is the Pepsi D4D)
When CF-JLW is first sighted,the eyes are automatically drawn to that hulking but exquisitely shaped cowling.It looks like power,and the Wright J-6-7 helps it live up to its appearance.Rated at 230 to 260 horses,depending on whose rating system you use,this particular engine came out of a parts yard in Illinois and its original mission in life was to drag an N3N through the air.Reid had a better future in mind for it,and equipped it with a full inverted fuel and oil system ,as well as a smoke generator.It doesn't look like he plans to bounce around the pattern." to be cont.....

[JohnReid]

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y250/JohnReid/Travel%20Air%20D4D/travpic1.jpg

[JohnReid]

"Travel Air 4000s used every engine then available,and the J-6-7 was one of the more popular installations.They used Wright J-4,J-5 and J-6 mills,as well as Axelsons,Curtiss Challengers,Kinners,the Ace,and Lycomings.
After the engine was changed,everything from the firewall aft received the full Reid treatment.The original wings were faithfully reproduced in new materials.In searching for aircraft-quality spruce ,Reid found a ladder manufacturer to be a prime source,and he prowled through the yard hand-selecting his spars.All the fittings,wires,and attendant hardware were copied or designed with greater strength.Reid probably has the only brand-new speed-wings in existence.
The struts,too,are all new manufacture(beefed up,of course),and were treated to a trip to the chrome shop,along with every other bit of exposed steel.The flying wires have been doubled for strength,their ends neatly fitting into handmade fillets and covers.It's these extra streamlining wing fillets and flying wire fairings that make CF-JLW a D4D rather than a D-4000.All of these fairings are either mirror-smooth pieces of new aluminum or fiberglass copies of the originals.
The interacting lines of the struts and brace wires form intricate patterns almost as beautiful as the airplane.
The fuselage was stripped to the bare bones,sand blasted,and all members were drilled and checked for internal corrosion.As it happens,the fuselage longerons are among the few original parts.All the fuselage fairing pieces were copied in new metal,the hinges on the front door were moved inside,and a Spitfire-type door was made for the rear pit,making boarding less of a gymnastic chore. to be cont....

[JohnReid]

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y250/JohnReid/Travel%20Air%20D4D/Albatros089.jpg
Dad and I.

[JohnReid]

"The original Travel airs used wooden horizontal and vertical stabilizers,with steel tubing surfaces.Since Captain Reid planned on twisting the tail ,he decided the wood had to go and replaced it with 4130 tubing.While the rudder is original ,the rest of the empennage is new.The brace wires are bigger than original,and every hinge(And this is true of the entire airplane)has a one inch safety strap to preclude the possibility of losing a control surface due to hinge failure.
The tail skid has long since disappeared and has been replaced by a full swiveling tailwheel unit from an old T50 Cessna.Reid reports that there are no problems in its ground handling because the rudder is very effective,and the brakes can handle what the rudder can't.
The main gear Vs are also original,and mount wheels and brakes are from the same UC-78 that donated the tailwheel.Reid replaced the mechanical binders with hydraulics,but he says it was hardly worth the effort,since brakes are very seldom needed.The shock struts are chromed (naturally)and the shock cords are enclosed in a very trim,and nicely detailed fairing unit.
The neat belly pan runs all the way back under both cockpits.The fuselage depth has been reduced by about 5 inches,and the usual wood and fabric panel replaced with aluminum.This modification resulted in a slimmer fuselage,and necessitated the streamlined bulge under the aft stick assembly.
The cockpit area is reminiscent of classic sports cars,with its black leather,chrome,and mahogany panel.Every single piece of exposed metal is chromed,which sounds garish,but it definitely is not.A VHF unit is mounted on the floor,with the transmitter switch on the stick,and during taxing a headset isn't even necessary. to be cont......

[JohnReid]

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y250/JohnReid/Travel%20Air%20D4D/Travnew9-1.jpg

[JohnReid]

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y250/JohnReid/Travel%20Air%20D4D/Travnew10-1.jpg

[JohnReid]

"It's quite difficult to talk to Reid about his airplane and how it flies because he's always grinning so wide it's hard to understand him.That could be an immediate indication that it flies as well as it looks.He says the most amazing thing about it is that it flew absolutely hands-off,first time out.He had made provisions under the control surface fabric for attaching metal trim tabs,but he says he won't even need them.
Asked about takeoff,he says,"It's very straightforward,nothing difficult at all. I did have one problem of overrevving the engine because I flattened the pitch of the propeler on the advice of a so-called expert,I think I'll go back to the original pitch setting.(we later installed a constant speed prop)
The control feel is very light,similar to a Harvard's.The rudder,however,is very sensitive and powerful.All controls remain effective all the way through the stall,which occurs at about 45 mph.I was holding her stalled and easily rocked the wings with the ailerons.Since the wings are shorter than the normal Travel Air's I had expect a much sharper stall,but it just mushes and loses 300 fpm,or so." to be cont...

[JohnReid]

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y250/JohnReid/Travel%20Air%20D4D/Travnew14.jpg

[JohnReid]

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y250/JohnReid/Travel%20Air%20D4D/travpic7.jpg

[JohnReid]

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y250/JohnReid/Travel%20Air%20D4D/travpic6.jpg

[JohnReid]

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y250/JohnReid/Travel%20Air%20D4D/Travnew15.jpg

[JohnReid]

"Apparently his efforts at streamlining have paid off well,as he reports it cruises at a solid 130mph.The D4D is not a small airplane,with a span of 28 feet and a gross weight of 2,800 pounds,and it has to be clinically clean for 250 hp to move it along at that kind of speed.
Trying to describe an airplane like CF-JLW is an exercise in futility.No number of adjectives can describe the completeness,the attention to detail,and the sheer beauty .Even photographs fail to capture the aura that surrounds this airplane.It's like a magnet and draws people like flies.Even none aviation types have to express their admiration.The airplane approaches perfection,which is a universally recognized quality.
People are going to read this and say Ive left out this,or that,important fact ,but I just couldn't help it.To accurately portray this beautiful machine would take a complete book,and even then it would be just mere words."

[JohnReid]

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y250/JohnReid/Travel%20Air%20D4D/Travnew6.jpg

[JohnReid]

"It's the many small details that go into raising a mediocre machine to the level of superplane.In the case of CF-JLW,these details include things such as the fact that there isn't a brazier head rivet in the entire airplane,everything is flush riveted and filled.This is what makes the cowl look like one flowing piece of aluminum.The doors fit so tightly that only a razor-edge gap betrays their presence.The baggage door is shaped to the exact outlines of the fabric turtle deck,making for complete continuity of lines.The 30 coats of dope are rubbed to such a lustre (I know,I rubbed them,John here.)it is difficult to photograph it without getting your own reflection.Every single cut-out,whether in fabric or metal,is dressed down,with the corners rounded and smoothed.The entire project speaks of absolute fanatical attention to detail.
The overall effect of the airplane is that it should be in a glass case,with lights playing on it,like a rare jewel(which it is).It's built for flying ,however,and that's what Reid intends to do with it.He'll be a regular at all the fly-ins possible,as well as using it to burn off steam,high over the Quebec countryside.He figures if you can't fly it,whats the use of building it?

[JohnReid]

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y250/JohnReid/Travel%20Air%20D4D/Travnew11.jpg
Front pit.

[JohnReid]

"Wendell Reid,his son John,and their mechanic Al Pow have put four long years and countless thousands of hours into CF-JLW,and they obviously have a product they can be proud of.What it cost in terms of dollars makes no difference,since money is a poor measure of beauty.But,I can't help but wonder if this is really the end.Reid already says that he is looking for a good,zero-time 450 hp Pratt & Whitney engine.
As I left,I overheard Captain Reid and his son discussing their complete set of factory drawings for the SE5 and the engine that they have located for it...
(article by Budd Davisson,Air Progress Oct 1969)

The SE5 never did get built nor did the Travel Air get its 450,but dad did go on to have a Pitts Special and a Steens Skybolt built for him.He sponsored a fellow Air Canada pilot with them at the Aerobatic Championships.

[JohnReid]

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y250/JohnReid/Travel%20Air%20D4D/Travnew3.jpg

[JohnReid]

Once built ,dad had a kind of "on again off again" relationship with the little red airplane as a lot of his time was now taken up with his duties as Chief Pilot 747 at Air Canada.While it was a great source of pride for him to be able to say that JLW held a C of A with no restrictions, it was also, on one occasion, a source of much embarrassment .
Now living in Toronto he wanted, of course ,to have the airplane there as well.He planned a YUL-YYZ cross country with a stop in YGK.Upon landing in Kingston he noticed a sticky brake(well that was his story anyway)and made a mental note to have it looked at upon arrival in Toronto. Well arriving in YYZ at around dinner time, when of course the airport was at its busiest,he proceeded to land on the active runway.Well it seems that the sticky brake now ceased shut upon roll out when the aircraft was going about 5 mph ,and it rolled over on its back damaging the prop and vertical stabilizer.Of course by this time most of his fellow pilots knew of the little red airplane and who flew it.Not a good day for the old pride, especially considering he had never even bent a wing tip throughout his career, including overseas during the war.
Fortunately ,his ego was bruised more than the aircraft itself and it was soon repaired and back in the air. to be cont.....

[JohnReid]

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y250/JohnReid/Travel%20Air%20D4D/travpic3.jpg
Somebody forgot to close the baggage door compartment properly!:blush:

[JohnReid]

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y250/JohnReid/Travel Air D4D/Trav13.jpgFirst flight at Dorval,now Trudeau International.

[JohnReid]

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y250/JohnReid/Travel%20Air%20D4D/Travelairmodel-1.jpg
Our airplane as a model.

[JohnReid]

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y250/JohnReid/Travel%20Air%20D4D/AlPowpics001-1.jpg
Here is my good friend and mentor Al Pow working on JLW all those years ago.:):

[JohnReid]

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y250/JohnReid/Travel%20Air%20D4D/TravelAirfactory19292-1-1.jpg
The Nest !

[JohnReid]

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y250/JohnReid/Travel%20Air%20D4D/TravelairMalton78-1.jpg
In Toronto(Malton) after repairs to the prop and fin.
Photographer unknown to me,from my dad's collection.

[wacoc8]

Thanks for sharing John. I remember seeing the Travel Air in Hamilton at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum back in the late 1980's, back before the big fire. Very pretty airplane. Where is the airplane now?

[JohnReid]

Thanks for sharing John. I remember seeing the Travel Air in Hamilton at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum back in the late 1980's, back before the big fire. Very pretty airplane. Where is the airplane now?
Hi ! it is now at the Reynolds Museum in Alberta.One of the stipulations that I made when my family donated it was that it was to remain in Canada.

[JohnReid]

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y250/JohnReid/Travel%20Air%20D4D/AlPowpics002-2.jpg

[JohnReid]

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y250/JohnReid/Travel%20Air%20D4D/TravelAirbuild60s003.jpg