Air & Space Smithsonian – September 2019

ASWEETHEARTOFARIDE– 1931WACOQCF

ChrisGallowayalwayslikedthelookofthe

WacoF series.Hisfirstflightinhis 1931 Waco

QCFwasonlyabouta yearago—August24,2018.

Heremembersthedatebecauseit wasa longtime

coming:threeanda halfyearsafterhebought

theopen-cockpitbiplane,duringwhichtimehe

awaiteda necessarysoup-to-nutsrestoration.

“Theairframeis stilloriginal,”Gallowaysays.“As

originalasanalmost-90-year-oldairplanecanbe.”

Butstarscanmakepeoplewait,andGalloway’s

F serieswasa starbeforeitsownerhadflownhis

firstPiperAero.It hadwona priorowner,M.H.

“Curly”Havelaar,theOshkoshReserveGrand

ChampionTrophyin 1979 (theyearHavelaar

completedhislengthyrestorationoftheairplane)

andagainin1987.Wacodidnotmakea habitof

sellingitsprototypes,butit soldthisone—whose

testpilotshadgivenit theendearment“Betsy”—to

ContinentalEnginesin1931,whereit becamethe

testbedforwhatbecametheContinentalR-670,

theenginethatpoweredthousandsofStearman

Model75s.Havelaarmanagedtolocateandcor-

respondwithformerContinentaltestpilotPaulE.

Wilcox,whosaidheenjoyedflyingit,a refrainon

Waco’s1930smarketingslogan,“Askanypilot.”

Betsyremainsa conversationstarteratfly-ins

today.“I’veneverseenanybodywalkuptoit who

doesn’twanttotouchit ortakea pictureorboth,”

Gallowaysays.“Itfliesaswellasit looks,andyou

can’tsaythatabouteveryairplane,that’sforsure.”

He’sreluctanttosaywhathe’sputintorestoring

theairplane,butwhenit cametojustifyingitsini-

tialprice,Gallowayfoundsomeunexpectedhelp.

MostWacoshavedataplatesindicatingonlytheir

monthandyearofmanufacture,butBetsy’sgives

anexactdate:April4.Thisdetailhadescapedits

newowner’snoticeuntilhebroughthiswife—

whomhehadnotconsultedinadvanceofthe

purchase—totheairporttoshowherhislatest

restorationproject.Thinkingquickly,Galloway

said,“Look,Honey!Shesharesyourbirthday.”

Chris Galloway’s

1931 Waco QCF

“Betsy” won the

Experimental

Aircraft Association’s

Reserve Grand

Champion

Trophy—twice.

September 2019 AIR&SPACE 35

COURTESY MOOSE PETERSON