Winstead Special flies again

Flight Journal, Dec 1999 by King, Andrew

A one-of-a-kind 1926 Winstead Special recently took to the air again following a 62-year absence from the skies. The airplane was built by Carl Winstead and his brother Guy, who used the plane for barnstorming and air racing. For a couple of years, it was part of the famous Flying Aces Air Circus, and the legendary Jesse Woods occasionally used it for wing-walking.

In the early '30s, it was sold but was flown until 1937, when it was placed in storage in a Nebraska barn. For over 50 years, it lay dormant until being acquired by the Antique Airplane Association in Blakesburg, Iowa, in the early 1990s. In 1994, the Golden Age Air Museum in Bethel, Pennsylvania, purchased it, and after a four-and-a-halfyear restoration, the historic aircraft was piloted on a June 26, 1999, test flight by museum president Paul Dougherty Jr.

The airplane is on display at the museum on Grimes Airport and will be flown regularly for museum events and airshows. Hours are by appointment; call (717) 933-9566. -Andrew King