jeep, The

Air Classics, Feb 2002 by O'Leary, Michael

ART CHESTER DEMONSTRATED THAT A CAREFULLY DESIGNED RACER COULD OFFER EXCELLENT PERfORMANCE ON LIMITED HORSEPOWER

Born on 15 December 1899 at Downers Grove, Illinois, Art Chester (modified from the family name Czechowski) grew into a young man fascinated with the developing science of aeronautics. With America's entry into the Great War, Art volunteered as a pilot but because he had dropped out of high school in his sophomore year, he was refused flying training but was sent to Pratt Institute for specialized technical training. Finishing at the top of his class, Art was shipped off to France where he became a motorcycle dispatch rider rather than an aviation mechanic! Needless to say, he was extremely disappointed but he did manage to visit many airfields, meet pilots, and inspect the warplanes.

Returning home after the war, Art went to work for International Harvester and began saving for flying lessons which he started in 1921 with a barnstormer in a surplus Curtiss Jenny. Soloing, Art quit his job and went to work for another barnstormer and he even did wing-walking and other dangerous stunts.

At the end of the barnstorming season, Art returned home to Downers Grove and went to work as an auto mechanic. He met another fellow who had a damaged Standard J-1 and he rebuilt the plane in exchange for half-ownership. This is where

Art's budding talents as an aircraft designer got their start. When completed, Art started barnstorming the lumbering biplane throughout the Midwest.

Art began to build up a lot of time, made many useful contacts, sold different types of new aircraft, and finally began designing aircraft. In 1926, he designed a three-seat Wright-powered commercial monoplane for Tony Yackey. Two prototypes were built and flown but Yackey was killed in a crash when the wing came off. This was due to an apparent structural weakness, and possible flutter, in the wing spar. It was not a good experience for Art.

In 1929, Art was heavily bitten by the air racing bug and started competing in a finely-finished Travel Air biplane and progressed to the clean parasols built by Davis.

However, stock plane racing came to an end in 1932 and Art had to turn in a different direction.

There was a new class of racing for aircraft designed around 375- and 550-cubic-inch engines and Art decided to design his own airplane. With financial help from one of his students, Art started on his project in February 1932 and the sleek little plane was finished just six months later. Fitted with a Menasco C4 of 125-hp the plane only weighed 640 pounds empty and cost $5000 to build - a not inconsiderable sum in those Depression years. The Menasco ate up $2000 of that figure.

Art flew the plane on 14 August 1932 and found it to be tail heavy. Numerous modifications did not cure the problem and Art had to pull his plans to race the craft, now named the Chester Special, during the 1932 season. Other modifications, including shortening the fuselage, cured the problem and during January 1933, Art made many test flights and declared the plane ready to go.

Trucking the Special to the 1933 Nationals in Los Angeles, Art found that other racers in the 375-inch competition had better performance due to the fact their engines were equipped with superchargers. Art won a race by accident when the three leading aircraft pulled up and out of the race after miscounting the number of laps. Art invested his winnings in adding a supercharger to the Menasco which upped the rating to 150hp. With fine-tuning and a few modifications, he could get 200-hp at 3200 rpm.

With the engine upgraded and with some other mods, Art took the plane to the September 1933 races in Chicago. The modifications paid off and Art and the Special won four firsts, two seconds, and three thirds for a total of $4115 in prize money. His best top speed was 197.25 mph. In January 1934, Art entered the Miami All-American Air Races where he won the Col. Green Trophy with a speed of 209.03 mph. He then entered the Unlimited event and was only bested by Jimmy Wedell in the big WedellWilliams No. 44 racer but his so and place finish was at 210 mph.

One of his main competitors was the Miles & Atwood Special at the February 1934 New Orleans Pan-American Races (there were a lot of races back then!), but Art led the other aircraft at 205.3 mph. However, on the last day of the race, the Menasco let go and oil covered the Special's windshield while Art was out over Lake Pontchartrain. Trading speed for altitude, Art got the racer up to about 50 feet and managed to make a safe landing at the airfield. It was a close call.

By the 1934 Cleveland event, Art had the Special in fine shape and earned over $2000 in prize money but the Miles & Atwood was still out ahead in the Greve Race at 233.44 mph compared to Art's 229.71 mph. However, back in Miami for the January 1935 All-American event, Art was in great form and broke the 100-km light aircraft speed record at 237.033 mph. Later in the year, he installed longer wings which brought the span to 16 feet 8 inches. However at the 1935 Cleveland NAR, he did not exceed 200 mph in any of the races but still managed to take home almost $4000 in prize money. That December, the Miami event was back on and Art won the Shell Trophy Race at an average of 232 mph.