Vintage aircraft identity sought

It looks sort of like a Funk B. My shot of a Funk doesn't have wheel pants, but otherwise it looks like the same machine.

http://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/photo/016646.html

Looks like a Funk B to me as well...

I have a pic with one with wheel pants...

http://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/photo/127507.html

There is an N-number on the wing....NC 5154 or 5754? maybe? or 6164, 6764 tough to tell...

I looked at most of the Funks on the FAA registry:

http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/acftinqSQL.asp?striptxt=&mfrtxt=Funk&modeltxt=&cmndfind.x=22&cmndfind.y=8

and I don't think any had that short of a number. The angle of the photo probably distorts the NC number. Maybe better deciphered in the original shot?

I also believe it to be a Funk model B. The shape of the balanced rudder and vertical stabilizer, the fuselage shape and turtleback slightly fairing above the wing trailing edge, the parallel wing struts, the aileron shape and position on the wings and the fuselage shape all strongly point to the Funk B. Some Funks did have factory wheelpants just like the photo aircraft's. I also looked at ATC #715 for the Funk B with photos in Juptner's Volume 8 for confirmation.

Look at N81137 for a Funk B that is somewhat customized. The last loaded photo was taken from about the same aspect as the Old Rhinebeck photo.

take a look at N81134

http://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/photo/034168.html

Funk with Gulf Oil logo - but not the same scheme - well this photo is 2006 and the original was 1977 - so not inconceivable.

But sadly nothing definite that ties it to , what looks like , the NC registration

Terry Fletcher

take a look at N81134

http://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/photo/034168.html

Funk with Gulf Oil logo - but not the same scheme - well this photo is 2006 and the original was 1977 - so not inconceivable.

But sadly nothing definite that ties it to , what looks like , the NC registration

Terry Fletcher

NC81134 could very well be the number...Number distortion in these oblique angles, in some photos, has tripped me up more than once....

Good job Stanton

I also found numerous Funk Aircraft listed as McClish Funk B (54 of them on this site) interesting...anyone know what the McClish thing is all about?

The Funk Aircraft Company in 1941 replaced Akron Aircraft, Inc. with the Funk brothers Joe and Howard of Coffeyville, Kansas continuing production of the Model B side by side two seat cabin monoplane that they had developed in 1934. The first model used an inverted Ford automobile engine of 63 horsepower, highly modified for aircraft use. It first appeared at the Miami Air Races in 1937. The Civil Aviation Agency bought a Funk B for evaluation, because of the automobile engine. Akron was formed by several men in Akron, Ohio and about 100 Akron-Funk Model Bs were built between 1939 and 1940. There were some cooling and lubrication issues with the engine. (As an aside, I believe only three Funks remain with the Ford engines, and the one at SZP is rebuilt after every 100 hours of operation. It hasn't flown is some years-I last saw it airworthy in 1973, but it probably flew beyond that year.)

The Funk brothers then used a new geared Lycoming-the Funk B-75-L model of 75 horsepower with Lycoming GO-145 approved in 1940. About 60 Funks with the 75 Hp Lycoming were built into 1942.

Production was moved to Coffeyville as the Funks weren't happy with the Akron operation. Postwar in 1945 production resumed with the Funk Model B-85-C with a Continental 85 horsepower C85-12 engine. Between 1946 and 1948 about 200 B-85Cs were built. Only the engine differed from the B-75-L model. Thomas McClish took over production of the B-85C from the Funk Brothers, so many are on the register, including the winner I photographed, as McClish-Funks. The Funk is small inside with poor visibility, and huge round control wheels reminiscent of an automobile's. One was based at ANE where I learned to fly in 1965-66. Fuselage is welded steel tube, fabric covered with fabric covered wood wings, no flaps. Wing loading is low at 7.98 lbs./sq. ft and power loading is 15.88 lbs./Hp for the B-85C model.