THE DALLAS POST VOL. 80 NO. 18, MAY 8, 1969 Wielding paint brushes, three members of the Dallas Junior Woman's Club transform the scarred benches in Dallas Center into atiractive resting places for weary shoppers. The project By SHAWN MURPHY It’s an old joke, the one about the man who builds a boat in his cellar and then has to destroy his home to get it out. Henry Ward, long time Dallas resident, chuckles heart- ily whenever he hears it, and he usually hears it after he’s explained that yes, he really will have to knock out a por- tion of his cellar in order to get the airplane he’s building down there out to the local air- field. It’s a Pitt Special, and it’s a beauty. A ardent aviation enthu- siast, Hank Ward has been * building airplane models since he was a kid back in Iowa. He's had his pilot’s license for fifteen years and already owns a four seater Mooney which he keeps at the airfield in Wyo- ming (‘What every family needs,” his wife was heard to lament when he announced his intention of building a plane, ‘is two airplanes’). He’s been a member of the Experimental Aircraft Association for five years, an organization of ‘‘home plane builders” formed to en- courage sport aviation. It was through his membership in this rather elite group that he first decided to build his own plane three years ago. “It’s not a kit, you know,” he’s quick to explain when asked how he knows what to do when. “You buy plans from the Association and then you're O “But will it flv?” asks loca on your own.’’ The plans are fifteen pages of unbelievably complicated directives and cost anywhere from $15 to $129, unless the builder wants to go all out and design the plane himself. So far as being ‘‘on your own’’ goes, Hank means it. Al- though the Federal Aviation Agency must inspect any ‘‘homebuilt” before it makes its maiden run down that long, long airstrip, the FAA seems to follow the democratic ideal. Says Jim Donathan, an FAA inspector, “This is a free country. Guys can break their necks if they want to. Our job is to be sure they don’t Kill somebody on the ground.” All of which is small consolation for the airborne pilot who dis- covers that the weld on the left wing really wasn’t quite strong enough afterall. But Hank spends little time worrying about things like that. His workmanship is superior and, with the cool good sense of a veteran craftsman, he knows it. From his point of view, the hardest thing about the whole project has been finding the specialized ma- terials necessary to build the plane. The wings of the 14 foot craft are fashioned from Sitka spruce, a light weight, durable wood found only in northern Washington, Alaska and Van- couver. Not in Dallas, Pennsyl- vania. Fortunately, Hank knew somebody in New Jersey who just happened to know some- body in Washington who some- how managed to get the wood for him. A fellow in Florida found the 150 h.p. Lycoming aircraft engine which will soon lift the plane skyward, and the special hollow aircraft tubing from which the frame is fash- ioned comes from California. When it’s finished, the little red, white and black bi-plane will very nearly be an inter- national undertaking. been finding the time to put it all together, Hank claims. By the time the craft is fidished, he will have spent nearly 3,000 hours in his basement work- shop insuring its air worthiness. “It'll be flying late this sum- mer,’ he promises though not, he adds a little sadly, in time for the week-long Experimental Aircraft Association air show at Rockford, Ill., in July. The air show boasts con- tests, displays, and aerobatic routines and is the biggest ‘“fly-ip”’ in the country. Next year, the Dallas plane builder says, he’ll be there with his Beauty and maybe, just maybe, enter the aerobatic stunt con- test. He’s installed a special pressure fuel system which will enable him to fly the plane continued on PAGE 14 A MORE THAN A NEW / home plan AA Logging a little ‘‘stick time’ in his nearly completed Pitts Special is Henry Ward of New Goss Manor. is part of the area's clean-up fix-up paint-up campaign. The painters are, left to right: Mrs. Audrey Tenley, Mrs. Charles Butler and Mrs. Edward Kale Jr. Lake Supervisors to close landfill Lake Township Supervisors voted unanimously Saturday morning to close the Landfill to users from Lake Borough. Chairman Walter Hoover read a letter which was then mailed to council at Harveys Lake. It stated, ‘‘Starting May 31, Lake Township Landfill will be closed to Harveys Lake Borough users until all monies are paid and a new accessible contract for dumping is reached.” A check in escrow for ten months of last year had been received but was turned back to Solicitor John O’Connor for another including the balance of the year. No other check has been forthcoming. Lake Township Solicitor Wil- liam Valentine reported no settlement reached yet by the court appointed commission to determine property division. A new agreement will have to be arrived at if further dumping is to be assured. Closing of the dump at the summer season influx will present serious prob- lems to the Borough. Motion to close the. facility was made by Chairman Hoover and seconded by Sheron White- sell. The latter said continua- tion of the landfill has pre- sented a financial problem since the new Borough was formed. In other action the Super- visors heard plans for a Police Pension Fund presented by representatives of three insur- ance companies. Discussion was held on the purchase of a two way radio for the police cruiser but no action was taken. Solicitor Valentine will check with Berkheimer Associates to see if a resolution authorizing their wage tax collection be drawn up by him or a form used by the collection agency. P-TA to install The Lake-Lehman P-TA will meet Monday, May 12, at 8 p.m. in the high school audi- torium. The installation of officers will highlight the evening’s pro- gram. Refreshments will be served. All interested persons are in- vited ‘to attend. SPAPER, A COMMUNITY INSTITUTION TEN CENTS highway opposition voiced by some Opposition to the proposed “Back Mountain Expressway’’ was expressed by officials of Dallas Borough last week at a private session conducted by a member of the Lackawanna- Luzerne Transportation Study Group at the municipal building in Kingston Township. A dozen or more representa- tives of the borough, Dallas Township and Kingston Town- ship, heard Edward Heiselberg, technical staff representative of the study group and Luzerne County Planning Commission di- rector, explain the need for the proposed four-land expressway. Mr. Heiselberg said that through a comprehensive study undertaken by the two counties, and with the aid of the state highways department, traffic . congestion in the Back Moun- tain would be total by 1990. He also said that the Back Mountain had the greatest po- tential as a future residential area. The plan he showed, with the use of slides, pinpointed the proposed expressway at its beginning in the vicinity of Church and Sutton roads, ex- tending through the Overbrook Gun Club grounds, along the Dallas side of the Huntsville Reservoir, over to .Natona Mills, skirting College Miser- cordia on the north, around the front of Irem Temple Country Club and then onto Route 309 near the Dallas Outdoor The- ater. Diamond shaped interchanges were proposed in at least three areas between Trucksville and Dallas. A connector was also shown being provided for at Roushey Street in Shavertown. The expressway would tend to keep the artery near the shop- ping centers free of through traffic, providing f -ster travel for through traffic to and from the lake and downtown Wilkes- Barre areas, i Mr. Heiselberg said. The expressway would also allow for complete freedom from any stops from Dallas to Wilkes-Barre, Mountain Top, or through the Wyoming Valley. Harold Brobst, president of Dallas Borough Council, ex- pressed dissatisfaction with the proposal on the basis that it would mar a prime residential area -and depreciate land values. Others asked why the cordon drawn in the two-county plan work on new bridge had not included Routes 415 and 118, which were termed as dangerous at their intersection. Mr. Heiselberg said that those municipalities which were not in favor of the plan could submit alternate pro- posals, adding that he doubted there could be any change made at this date. He said the government was anxious that final plans be adopted as soon as possible because they wished to termin- ate the services of the consul- tant as it was costly to retain that service. Some changes proposed by those attending the private session included routing traffic through Pringle and Courtdale, which Mr. Heiselberg said was not practical because of the cost, to building on the other side of Huntsville Dam, which Mr. Heiselberg also said would not be too likely because the property was owned by Penn- sylvania Gas & Water. He said that past experiences with that company had proven it to be not too cooperative. Another plan suggested that brought majority approval was that the expressway be ex- panded to include traffic from and to Harveys Lake. at Chase to begin soon Residents of Church Road in Trucksville will be heartened to learn that the dilapidated bridge in Chase will soon be replaced. The structure, built in 1913, has been closed to truck traffic for nearly two years, necessitating the re- routing of huge asphalt-carry- ing trucks over precipitous Church road. The new bridge will be much larger than the old one, says Bernard Gallagher, County En- gineer, and will boast a span of 61 feet. It will be built of com- posite “I” beam with concrete ‘grooving’ urged to correct hazard Rep. Frank J. O’Connell Jr. believes that a condition known as ‘‘hydroplaning’’ may be re- sponsible for many of the num- erous automobile accidents which have occurred during the past several years along Route 309 in the area of Harters Dairy. In a letter to Tom Harring- ton, District Engineer for the Department of Highways, Mr. O'Connell suggested that hy- droplaning occurs when water builds up ahead of a tire. lifting it much like a speedboat and rendering brakes ineffective. “I travel this highway rather frequently,” wrote Mr. O’Con- nell, “and notice that this plan- ning does take place.” The application of non-skid material to the highway had not reduced this dangerous situation, he added. The State Representative urged Mr. Harrington to con- sider a new procedure to cor- rect this condition which in- volves grooving the highway surface. This procedure im- proves vehicle control by al- lowing more water to escape. Pointing out that on some treacherous highway sections grooved pavements have re- duced rainy-day accidents by as much as 90 percent, Mr. O’Connell maintained that he was firmly in favor of grooving the Route 309 surface. fire at restaurant A cigarette thrown down a grade leading into a former coal bin resulted in a fire at the Suburban Restaurant Thursday. Dallas Fire Company re- sponded with two-trucks and set up its porta tank. Great billows of smoke poured out of the storage area .where boxes of dishes were stored slab. A unique feature of the new span will be the use of weath- ering steel in its framework. Called ‘‘self-painting,”’ the steel requires little maintenance and will never have to be painted. “It’s a premium steel and it costs a little more initially,” the County engineer stresses, “but it will save money in the long run since it won't deterio- rate as rapidly as the regular metal.” Plans for the $70,000 struc- ture have been okayed by the Power and Water Resources Board and must be approved next by the Department of Highways. After that, Mr. Gal- lagher asserts, ‘“We’ll be off and running.” Sounding a note of caution to truck drivers who ignore the load limit signs posted at the old bridge, Mr. Gallagher states that two bridges ‘have collapsed under excessive weight within the last two years. “It’s happened before,” he warns, ‘‘and it can happen again.” “Iywont “1 won!" shouted six-year old George Chukinas Jr. at the Penny Pitch at Mercy Spring Festival on Sunday. The youngster is the son of Mr. and Mrs. George Chukinas, 6 Valley View Drive, Pringle.
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