COMPONENT, AIRCRAFT

Description: WING SUPPORT CROSS-SECTION, WOOD, LEADING EDGE IS ROUNDED OFF AND TAPERS TO A POINT AT THE TRAILING EDGE, THE STRUCTURE IS REINFORCED BY SEVERAL TRIANGLE SHAPES, WING IS HELD TOGETHER BY ADHESIVE, PENCIL LINES THROUGHOUT, SMALL REMNANTS OF NEWS PAPER ON ONE SIDE OF LEADING EDGE AND ONE SIDE OF TRAILING EDGE. THIN PIECES OF WOOD WARPED THROUGHOUT.

History: ACCORDING TO DONOR GARY HODGE AT TIME OF DONATION, HE RECEIVED THE WING CROSS SECTION FROM HIS UNCLE, ART LARSON (1913-2000). THE WING COMPONENT WAS BUILT IN THE 1930S. LARSON BUILT GLIDERS IN A BACKYARD SHOP ON HIS PROPERTY AT 1411 3 AVE. N. APPARENTLY LARSON ONCE EXPLAINED TO HODGE THAT THIS PART PERIODICALLY BROKE AND HAD TO BE REPAIRED OR REPLACED. THIS SUPPORT MAY BE A SPARE PART MADE BY MEMBERS OF THE CLUB. IT WAS LIKELY A SPARE PART FOR THE HUTTER GLIDER (H-17) A SINGLE MAN AIRCRAFT USED BY THE "LETHBRIDGE GLIDING CLUB." ACCORDING TO VARIOUS SAMPLES OF CORRESPONDANCE BETWEEN LARSON AND NORMAN BRUCE, JIM FRETWELL, AND A COMPANY IN WURTTEMBERG, LARSON WAS TRYING TO GET BLUEPRINTS FOR THE H-17 IN 1936. BY 1937 HE HAD STARTED BUILDING THE AIRCRAFT AND SUBSEQUENTLY FLEW IT (SEE ARCHIVES FOR LOG BOOK OF H-17). BY JUNE OF 1938 THE H-17 WAS THE ONLY GLIDER BEING USED BY THE CLUB. LARSON FLEW THE H-17 AS LATE AS 1947 BEFORE LEAVING IT IN THE CARE OF EVELYN SMITH, A FORMER MEMBER OF THE GLIDING CLUB. THE WING COMPONENT COULD HAVE ALSO COME FROM ONE OF TWO PRIMARY GLIDERS. UPDATE: ON 6 NOVEMBER 2017, GALT CURATOR AIMEE BENOIT CONDUCTED AN INTERVIEW WITH GLIDER OBJECTS’ DONOR GARY HODGE. FOR MORE INFORMATION, INCLUDING A TRANSCRIPT OF THE INTERVIEW, PLEASE SEE THIS RECORD’S PERMANENT FILE AND P20060019001.