WILL ALL FLY Painted on the original muslin covered ailerons, operated from the two seat cockpit by pilots pulling the right or left aileron down making a turn of choice. In level flight ailerons raise to a level position by the wind stream. Upper and lower wings where covered with muslin on top only with the ribs visible. Fabric was held in place by small tacks throughout the aeroplane.

WILL (Willy) ALL (Arthur) FLY. Two young twin boys with a third grade education, a dream to fly, an empty wallet with the help of older brother Eddie who became the first pilot of the Gonzales #1. My father, Henry did all correspondence while Grandmother supplied the engine money.

After the big earth quake in San Francisco my grandmother purchased a home with sand dunes behind the house miles away from the ocean, The brothers began flying kites, then onto larger kites that became gliders with people flying them being propelled by ropes. Their idea of flying a real aeroplane with an engine became a big challenge that brought out paper, pencils, and designs of all kinds that finally became the Gonzales #1 aeroplane built by the Gonzales Bros. from San Francisco.

The twins began building the aeroplane in 1908 with the completion date late 1911 or early 1912. Now they must search for an engine that would lift their airframe off the ground. One engine that was identified from the many pictures the Brothers took was the Anzani three cylinder radial engine. This engine with their home made propeller lacked the power needed to lift the aeroplane off the ground. Another hunt began which led them to Muncie, Indiana’s Kemp Engine Company that builds a V-8, I-6, I-4. The twins decided on the I-4 which developed 35hp. at 1100 rpm. Air cooled with rocker arms on exhaust valves only. The down stroke of the piston sucked the intake valves open injecting fuel from the intake manifold into the cylinders. Oil sump is a two part container with the bottom pan being the main supply then pumped to the top by an external oil pump where the connecting rods splashed the interior moving parts. Oil holes in the upper pan drained oil back to the bottom pan keeping oil level constant. Rocker arms, pushrods, lifters and camshaft are externally lubricated by the pilot or crew before each flight. Cam gear, crankshaft gear, magneto gear are all external. My Grandmother purchased the Kemp engine serial #64, a Paragon propeller plus shipping for $450.00.

A very large tent was erected in the back yard of the house which became the start of the Gonzales Aeroplane Builders. The backyard was sand dunes to the ocean which became a great place for flying gliders but not an engine driven aeroplane. After installing this brand new Kemp engine on their fuselage they would pull the aeroplane out onto the dunes and run the engine until the neighbors complained about the noise. Knowing they could not fly the aeroplane in San Francisco the Brothers needed a location close to SF with a long flat area, near a platform that railroad trains would stop long enough to unload the aeroplane and supplies.

They decided on a place called Target near Woodland in Northern California would be there new airfield. The aeroplane was built in sections making it easy to assemble & disassemble while at their flying location. Boxes and crates where made for transporting the airframe, engine, extra parts for the aeroplane. Everything needed for their stay was loaded on a truck, then onto a railroad flat car that would take them to Target, Woodland. The Conductor would stop the train at Target where they unloaded their equipment. No history of their longevity at the flying area, my guess would be a short week. A lot would depend on what would run out first, food, fuel or the next available train heading to SF. When it was time to leave everything would be repacked into boxes and carried up to the railroad platform a distance about a half block then they would wait for the train. They flaged the train down with the Conductor stating loudly “Here are those crazy Gonzales boy’s again”. This statement came from my Uncle Eddie first pilot to fly the Gonzales #1

One of the Wright Brothers visited my Uncles aeroplane to see if there where any infringements on their patent. He found no infringements then on his departure he loaned my Uncles money which Uncle Eddie did not remember the amount.

August 8, 1918 the Gonzales Aeroplane Co. move to Los Angeles California where the whole family would call their new home. The trucking company the brothers hired was California Trucking Co. 322-324 E. Third Street Los Angeles CA charging the Gonzales Brothers $10.00. Now based in LA rebuilding the Gonzales #1 began with a new design of the tail feathers and ailerons. The new modification is what it looks like today at the new future Museum at Vacaville CA. The original ailerons, WILL ALL FLY will be on display with the Gonzales Aeroplane.

In 1972 I receive a telephone call from my Aunt Aurora letting me know that Uncle Eddie passed away, the aeroplane is yours as you requested many years ago. This must have been one of my lucky days because I was scheduled to travel down south with a large open trailer to pick up some company displays.

The first and last time seeing the aeroplane was around 1932 at the age of eight years old I remembered the fuselage hanging up in my Grandmothers basement. Driving from San Francisco bay area to Los Angeles many thoughts buzzed through my head. What am I getting myself into with this new adventure in my life? Will I be picking up a bunch of junk or just part of that fuselage I saw when I was a young boy. Not knowing what to expect, I walked into the back yard finding the fuselage with an engine a home made propeller, open to all the weather with just a piece of corrugated steel covering this complete antique engine. The engine was my first concern, was it frozen. With one turn of the home made propeller the engine was free with compression. The man living at the house asked me if I was the junk man that was hired to clean out all the junk in the back yard. My reply was I’m a Gonzales picking up the old aeroplane. Loading what could fit in the trailer became the first trip. Second trip was a quick turnaround to beat the junk man. The same week was the final trip with all parts now in Concord, CA an hour away from its original home in San Francisco.

A few days after arriving home I had a chance to really inspect the complete aeroplane and engine finding the center section of the bottom wing missing and the aluminum oil pan had holes over the complete bottom caused by water standing and corroding. These holes did not eat completely through the bottom keeping oil from leaking. At that time I did not repair the pan because it was not leaking with the small amount of oil in the pan which was an indication the metal was very thick. I needed a product that would bond with the old aluminum. Hand propping the engine gave a few pops which lead me to the plugs and magneto. Inspecting the magneto I found the case was like a pot metal ready to fall apart. It was time to inspect the complete engine inside and out finding all four pistons had cracks on the skirts opposite piston pins so the hunt began looking for a piston that would fit the large 4 ¼ bore. One piston I found that would work was a Chrysler piston. The piston pin was about twice the size of the Kemp pin. Machining brass stock into bushings became a good fit for a 101 year old engine. This engine has poured rods and main bearings adjusting clearance was to add, remove shims to get clearance. The front & rear crankshaft has no seals to keep oil from covering the pilot goggles.

With the engine back together my next project was to locate a magneto, make it fit this counter clock wise engine looking from the cockpit. Checked wires to the spark plugs, located best spark plugs out of the dozen plugs that where spare parts for the aeroplane.

Next came the air shows around Northern California that took a couple of years requiring a trailer to haul the Gonzales #1 with Snoopy in the cockpit, scarf flowing in the wind stream, family’s passing us showed great joy that made all the hard work worth while. The road was taking a toll on the aeroplane & me. Snoopy was getting very dirty with road grime, I was getting tired of assembling and disassembling at each air show. It was time to look for a permanent home where the aeroplane would be completely assembled. Travis AFB was having an air show which allowed outsiders to fly their airplanes on the base. Our Navion group made the Travis AFB show a flyin which housed us for the night. I found out that a new museum was in the works for Travis AFB started turning wheels in my head.

When I was in high school, I worked for a trucking company on the week ends lubricating trucks for Manning Trucking Co. helping build Travis AFB.

England 1943 8th Army Air Force, Home 1946, Build & drive racing cars, 1952 back in US Air Force stationed at Travis AFB with B-36 group. 1984 I donated the Gonzales #1 to the Travis AFB Historical Society. The aeroplane was on display for fifteen years at Travis then on loan at the Hiller Museum in San Carlos CA for twelve years. She now sits in a very large hanger at the Vacaville Airport (Nut Tree) waiting for a new museum to be built on the airport site. After leaving the Hiller Museum I brought the engine to my hanger, dissembled, cleaned, polished, reassembled and ran the engine probably for the last time in my life. The propeller was stripped down to the wood, stained with finishing coat of clear and waxed for a long stay hoping to educate the young and old. If Snoopy can handle more time behind the yoke it may give the young and old a smile or a memory.

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