IIn 1938 , THE CROWN CITY GLIDER CLUB of Pasadena, CA, began construction of a small sailplane. Designed by Irv Culver and built by him, Wally Nugent and Walter Burke to fit the limited workspace of a garage, it ended up with a half-span of 18 feet and 4 inches. The fuselage was made of plywood, and the wooden tail surfaces and wings were fabric covered. Because its all-up weight was only 500 pounds, this maneuverable glider could work well in very small thermals. In 1939, Irv Culver test-flew his plane at Tehachapi, CA. Because of the distinctive whistling sound it made in flight and its bright red paint job, the ship was dubbed "Screaming Wiener". In 1941, it was flown at the Arvin Meet by Wally Nugget (one of the original builders) and at the Southwest Soaring Contest in Wichita Falls, TX.

After being flown at Arvin in 1941, it was sold to Frank Boggs, who flew it at the Elmira 1941 Nationals and recorded a flight of 1 hour, 20 minutes. Frank then took the Wiener to Rosemond Dry Lake, CA, where he and several other pilots made many flights by auto tow, the longest of which was 2 hours, 10 minutes at 5,000 feet.

After Frank Boggs' death, the ship was sold back to the Crown City Glider Club, but it wasn't flown until 1944 at Bishop, CA. Two more years went by before the Wiener took to the sky again - this time in Twentynine Palms, CA, with Ray Parker at the controls. Ray made several cross-country flights, including one all the way to Wickenburg, AZ. He placed second at the 1946 Nationals at Elmira, NY with the Wiener.

Next, the club sold the ship to Paul Tuntland, who took it to Sanford, FL, where he attained an altitude flight of 15,500 feet. The Wiener was then acquired by Paul MacCready, Jr. of New Haven, CT, who took the ship to the Nationals at Wichita Falls, TX. In just over two weeks, Paul recorded more than 1,870 cross-country miles and two gold "C" legs, and set a world out-and-return record of 230 miles!

In 1948, Gordon Winfield bought the plane. He re-covered and painted it, but never flew it. He sold the ship to Beaumont Cooley, Jr. the same year. Beaumont flew the ship in Grand Prairie and Odessa, TX until 1951. His flying included airshow aerobatics, a Gold "C" altitude and cross-country flight of 154 miles.
The next proud owner - Wally Wiberg - of Grand Prairie, TX, renamed the ship "Li'l Dogie" (suggested by June Wiberg since they lived in Texas where a motherless calf was known as a dogie, and the glider now being one of a kind) and made major modifications by changing the turtle deck and adding a large bubble canopy modified from that of a Bell helicopter. (According to Bob and June) These changes DID NOT eliminated the whistle that had earned the ship its original name. It is assumed the open area around the horizontal stabilizer control horn is the cause of the whistle. Wally flew the ship between 1952 and 1954, and logged more hours than any other pilot. In 1963 the ship was put into dry storage in San Diego, CA.
Wally donated the ship to the San Diego Aerospace Museum after a fire in 1978 destroyed most of its aircraft collection. The staff there repainted it in the Li'l Dogie’s present cream and red scheme, but the museum decided not to use it, and the Dogie was sold to Jim McDonald in 1981. Jim sold it back to Paul MacCready in 1983, who sold it to its present owner, Bob Fronius, in 1985. Bob has owned the ship ever since and he kept it in flying condition until 1989. The last flight was made at Tehachapi by Bob with Irv Culver looking on, celebrating the glider’s fiftieth’s anniversary. The Dogie had finally reached an age where it was no longer feasible to keep in airworthy condition and it is now in storage at Bob Fronius' hanger in El Cajon, CA.
With upwards to 500 flying hours, the Li'l Dogie has certainly earned its place in soaring history.
Right side of Li'l Dogie
Spoiler panel of the Li'l Dogie and Bob Fronius' Hangar at Gillespie Field, El Cajon, CA.
Cabling of rudder and elevator
Tailskid and registration number on the fuselage
Main spar ends and the trailing edge spar connections.

Many thanks to Andy Kecskes, President TWITT and Bob Fronius for providing pictures and information..

Günther Hennig jun.
Copyright © 1997 Alle Rechte vorbehalten.
Stand: 14. April 2001.