8
Wednesday, May 20, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Tales from a
Sisters
Naturalist
by Jim Anderson
No job too big,
or too small
There is a phenomenon
that occurs on this earth that
never stops: change. That
includes everything in nature
and whether we like it or not,
our lives as well.
Change has come to
one of the more interest-
ing people who has lived
in the Sisters Country for
many years, Vern Goodsell.
Changes are about to take
him to another place to live,
leaving behind a legacy of
aircraft workmanship.
In the time he9s lived in
the Sisters Country, Goodsell
has been in the airplane busi-
ness. In addition to rebuild-
ing multiple airplanes, he9s
scratch-built several full-
sized aircraft that have gone
on to become important parts
of the world of aviation.
Take for example the
World War II fighter plane
the Supermarine Spitfire,
which came into its own
in the Battle of Britain. In
1994, Goodsell was asked
by Arizona commercial air-
line pilot Bob DeFord, to
build the fighter so he could
fly it in air shows around the
country.
Goodsell was delighted to
take it on. He got hold of a
set of plans put together by
Marcel Jurca, went out and
started hauling the various
aluminum and steel materi-
als he needed, and with his
eye on the goal of the replica
fighter, went to work.
It took him 8-1/2 years to
complete the aircraft, and in
that time he found a Spitfire
seat, rudder pedals, control
stick, and cockpit controls,
to implement into the air-
craft. DeFord found an origi-
nal engine, an Allison V-12,
which Goodsell and DeFord
rebuilt. They were not able to
find an original wooden pro-
peller, so they used one from
an old Douglas DC-3 airliner
that worked perfectly.
After Goodsell completed
the fuselage he placed it
on his trailer and took it to
Prescott, Arizona, to put on
the wings he and DeFord
had built, finished install-
ing the cockpit equipment,
built a cowling, installed the
engine and one glorious day
flew the Spitfire for the first
time.
Since that time the owner
has flown it in numerous air
shows, flying in formation
with many other World War
II historical aircraft. One of
the more interesting jobs
the Spitfire undertook was
to be on the promotional set
of the movie, <Dunkirk,= a
2017 war film that portrays
the World War II evacua-
tion from three perspectives:
land, sea, and air.
The project Goodsell
has going now, rebuilding a
Cessna 185, is requiring all
his mechanical skill, includ-
ing knowledge of aircraft
plumbing, electrical systems,
and especially sheet metal
construction of the fuselage.
His past experience of own-
ing and operating an auto-
mobile body shop came to
the fore as he repaired and
replaced the aluminum skin
of the 185 and various other
Cessna aircraft.
When asked how many
airplanes he has rebuilt in his
career, Goodsell shrugged
his shoulders and said, <Oh,
maybe a couple dozen.=
PHOTO BY JIM ANDERSON
Vern’s scratch-built Spitfire doing a back home flyby.
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PHOTO BY JIM ANDERSON
Vern Goodsell, Sisters airplane pilot and rebuilder with the tools of his
trade. Behind him is a Cessna 185 he is working on.
Then he looked at the ceil-
ing of his hanger and added,
<Let9s see& a few Piper J-3s
(Cubs), Cessna 140s and
170s, an Arctic Tern 4 that
took three years to do 4
and, oh yeah, there was that
Cessna 180, and others that
are dim memories.=
He also built a slick,
low-wing speedy aircraft,
the <X-P Talon,= which is
powered by a 400 cubic inch
Chevy-style racing engine
and cruises at 210 MPH.
The 185 he9s working on
at the moment came to a ter-
rible stop during a landing at
Carson, Nevada, for reasons
yet to be cleared up. It was
ground-looped (left the run-
way) while still rolling pretty
fast, swerved, and dug its
nose into the side of the run-
way. In doing so the engine
was crushed into the firewall
and the aircraft rolled over
on its side, smashing the
left wing and tearing up the
fuselage.
Vern has installed a new
firewall, rebuilt the wing
mountings, and the entire top
skins, from the windshield to
rear of the cabin, along with
new stainless steel control
cables and new fuel sys-
tem. He has also modified
the aircraft so floats can be
attached, so it can become an
amphibian.
Just about the time the
185 fuselage is completely
rebuilt, it9ll be time for Vern
and his wife, Sandy, who has
been in the real estate busi-
ness in the Sister Country
for almost 20 years, to pack
it all up and move up to
Washington where Vern has
their new home and airstrip
waiting. Sisters Country9s
loss will be Washington9s
gain.