Biplane Artisans Never Get the FullCredit They Truly Deserve!

Back in “the day”, we owned a small but very active art gallery, and I came to admire the artisans who displayed and sold their work in my shop. These painters, sculptors and potters never ceased to amaze me in their never-ending quest for perfection.

So what does that have to do with airplanes? Stay with me now…

In my life, I have had the distinct honor to know one of the finest biplane artists in this country by the name of Bob Lock. I say “biplane artists” because Lock (nobody calls him Bob) is one of a tiny group of Master Craftsmen who possess the skill set to bring those wonderful vintage biplanes literally back from the dead.

A few years ago at the American Waco Club banquet in Oshkosh, Lock was awarded the Charles Taylor Mechanic award from the FAA for spending the past 50 years as an aircraft mechanic. This is a well-deserved award, and it only goes to the very top hands in the trade.

I will never forget one day I spent in Lock’s Reedley, CA shop, watching him hand-form wing ribs for his New Standard D25 using tiny strips of wood, some screws and glue. Watching his hands work the wood into shape, I knew I was in the presence of an legend. Not just kissing Lock’s butt here either, these guys are un-freakin-believable to watch.

A couple of years ago, I discovered a group of equally talented biplane artists up in Spokane, WA. The two hangars of Pemberton and Sons at Felts Field are stuffed with hand-built biplanes, each of museum quality. But they have one project going up there that us worthy of note. They were resurrecting a Boeing B40-C from a serious basket case into a flying work of aviation art.

The Pemberton web site tells a wonderful story of the Canyonville Mail Plane Crash of October 2, 1928. On that day, pilot Grant Donaldson was trying to “make the mail” southbound between Portland and San Francisco when…

The decision was made. He entered Canyon Creek Canyon at the Pass, flying the big biplane in the narrow space between the treetops below, and the low clouds and fog above. As he flew down the canyon, he looked downward from his open cockpit to keep Pacific Highway in sight. As he approached the Pioneer Bridge, two and a half miles from the Pass, it happened.

If you love the stories of these old biplanes, make some quality time soon to visit the Pemberton site where you can download a PDF version of the Canyonville crash and view numerous vintage photos of the B40-C they are restoring. There is also a great photo gallery of their progress.

In writing this post, I must admit to becoming a bit nostalgic. When guys like Lock and the Pembertons go off to fly with Lindbergh, who will be the young men and women that will continue the astonishing work of these true American aviation heroes?

With that in mind, cherish any moment you can spend next to, near, or especially IN, one of these beautiful vintage biplanes. And the next time you meet up with anyone who can build a perfect biplane from a scrap heap of twisted parts, better shake their hand and tell them thanks, ‘cause they’ve damned well deserved it.