L-1 Recovery And "Recovering"
Story and Photos by Kathryn (KT) Budde-Jones
Kermit Week's L-1 Stinson is on the road to recovery at his
unique aviation attraction in Polk City, FL. This particular L-1E
survived the war, survived the perilous years as a camera ship in
California for Tallmantz Aviation culminating in its use in the
Hollywood hit movie, "Waldo Pepper", towed banners over trendy
Miami Beach only to meet Hurricane Andrew head on in 1992.
L-1 #40-3102 was built at the Stinson factory in Nashville, TN
in August of 1941. It was one of 324 built of which only seven
survive today including Kermit's two examples. The L-1 was vital to
the Allied war effort as a liaison aircraft used for artillery
spotting, ambulance evacuation, message service, forward air
controllers and personnel transportation. It was the most versatile
military aircraft ever built and in many ways, the L-1 was the most
complicated and sophisticated of the L-Birds.
Paul Stecewycz has been in charge of the L-1's restoration since
1994. Not only was Paul responsible for repairing what Hurricane
Andrew wrought, but also the alterations the Tallmantz did on the
aircraft to make it a photo plane when Frank Tallman and Paul Mantz
gutted it during its use in the 60s and 70s. Paul chose the L-1 as
one of his first complete restoration projects for Kermit because
he thought that the L-1 was an uncomplicated plane. He was quickly
astonished by the labyrinth of steal tubing that made up the
fuselage and the aluminum spars on the wings; once uncovered,
revealing an intricate modern art sculpture that was a shame to
cover up. The plane's military purpose also added to its
complicated nature by allowing the observer in the back his own
electrical access for his missions, which in turn required a more
sophisticated electrical system and bus bar.
The L-1's STOL characteristics were enhanced by its unusual
slats on the leading edge that were governed automatically by
airspeed, not pilot controlled, that allowed the airplane to hover
over a target seemingly not moving at all. The massive wings are a
third longer than the fuselage adding to the appearance of the L-1
looking like a dragonfly. It is its unique character that makes it
such an interesting project for Paul and his crew at Fantasy of
Flight.
Paul has put about 8000 man-hours in the project bringing it to
the point of the wings being attached to the fuselage. This is
equivalent to approximately two years of full time work spread out
over a decade spent helping Kermit move his entire collection up
from Tamiami, FL, to Polk City as well as setting up shop in his
new state of the art facility at Fantasy of Flight in central
Florida.
Paul is an Embry Riddle graduate receiving his A&P in 1986.
Originally from Ohio, Paul left the gray and gloomy winters to work
at Vintage Props and Jets in New Smyrna before joining Kermit's
team in 1990. Today Paul heads up a team of fellow restoration
experts including Andy Salter who has added his machining expertise
to the project by creating the illusion of carved castings to
replace corroded components. Rick Reeves experienced sheet metal
skills and Ken Kellet's fabric work complete the compliment of
conservators working on the project.
The project still has approximately 2000 hours of restoration
left to complete. Paul and Rick Reeves are now also working on
bringing the Seversky P-35 back to flying condition. The P-35 has
much in common with the L1 especially the intricate "subcutaneous"
structure.