I have found a 85hp Champ and as soon as I get it in my hangar my current 65hp Champ is For Sale.
It has orignial Champ paint scheme, going through annual with New Slick mags--harness--plugs, new tires, new scat hoses. Has float fittings, 5 gallon aux. wing tank. Cleveland wheels, brakes, intercom. Complete rebuild 1997--ceconite, new struts, new wood, stainless cables and tail wires.
Airframe 4300 hrs, engine 795 SMOH. Has a Lasher STC for this airframe that will go with it. All logs since new. This is a nice Champ. Of course it is LSA--price will be $31,000 firm where is.
Posting here in case anyone is interested before it goes on Barnstormers, Trade-A-Plane ands etc.
Will post pictures later. You will have to take my word of it now. Unless my son sells his Cub and buys it. Got to get the new one in the hangar first.
Doug
Keep the pointed end forward--
The dirty side down.....
And the blue skies on top....
A question. Your "old" Champ sounds like a nice one. Why not just put a C-85 on the front of it and keep it rather than buy an airplane you know nothing about that has a bigger engine?
I know about the new one--it has the dorsal and is new also. Knew the person that did the restoration. Even has STC to fly with door off. I am going on 74 years old, just passed my physical and don't want another project--may go LSA in two years, who knows.
I have been doing projects for the past 50 years since I got my A&P--just want to fly now and want the big tail and 85hp. The owner agreed to sell it to me--done deal. I have the '39 S-65-C Chief as a minor project. Yes my current Champ is a nice Champ. Warning-- if anyone is interested, we do abuse tire kickers. My son wants it but has to sell his Cub first. That is iffy, so it will probably be for sale soon. Just giving everyone a heads up if they are looking.
My problem is when I get an airplane I usually start making it new. Did the same with my 1966 182J and many others , which I am selling due to the fact that I don't go anyplace anymore--the family is all grown and gone, wife gets airsick now.
It gets expensive to just go fly around in the 182 compared to the Champ. I put VG's, Sportsman STOL Kit, New tires, wheels, steel axles, brakes, digital flap guage, BAS harnesses, door stewards, strobes, digital flap guage, engine pre heat, carb air temp, new complete exhaust and radio stack with GPS in it. Has long range tanks, wheel pants and etc. Even have 206 nose gear for it to convert it to larger wheels. It is a short field airplane now. The VG's take the nose heaviness off the 182's--you can actually flare it--if you know anything abut 182's.
My last big project was the 1931 Travel Air 6B that I sold to Delta and is in their museum now--although sometimes they take credit for it (corporate indifference).
Enough for tonite--putting new hardware on the cowl tomorrow.
Doug
Keep the pointed end forward--
The dirty side down.....
And the blue skies on top....
Bill de Creeft out of Homer Alaska. Wonder if you know him..
Agree with you about the rest. After 50 years in the business I would be ready to relax and just fly for fun as well. If I did not have to have a first class medical I would go Sport Pilot tomorrow.
I looked at the resto of that Travel Air. I really enjoy looking at the old stuff to see how engineers thought in the '20's and '30's. The last time I was in Anchorage I went through the Alaska Aviation Museum on lake Hood. I saw a Travel Air being restored there at the time. Those single engine airplanes were Big! Just handling the airframe parts is a chore. When you think wing rotator's and fuselage jig you think on a lot bigger scale than what we use for our Champ's and Chief's.
I have talked to Bill deCreef--in fact he has reserved the original "N" number of my old Travel Air 6B--N447W-- it was the last Travel Air that Johnson Flying Service had in use and when they tried to get big with Eectra's they had to sell it--I bought it from a friend that had traded for it. Restorattion took 7 years and my family and a few friends had over 6000 hours plus in the restoration.
I wanted to restore it in Delta configuration, but they would not consent due to copyright--so I restored it as Truman Wadlows 1930 Frod Air Tour airplane and changed the "N" number to 452N. which was Truman's airplane--Truman was a test pilot for Walter Beech and salesman along with his twin brother Newman.
During the restoration I worked with them all including Clarence Clark--original Travel Air test pilot, who test flew the Travel Air Mystery Ships and the Woolaroc (the Dole Pineapple race winner). After it was l finished Delta decided they wanted it--I flew it over 100 hours and then sold it to Delta, who changed the "N" number again to one of their original ships--the "N" number on it now in the current Goodyear calendar you may see around airports--it is the same airplane.
The caption is not correct on the calendar--it was restored when they got it--corporate editorial license I guess. I have a very thick restoration presentation book on it. When all this "N" number changing took place Bill reserved 447W. It was fun airplane to fly--sorta like a medium duty truck--it was 7 place, wcker seats, 90 gallons of gas and would haul anything you could get in the door.
But it was not like a Champ--you needed at least three people to get it in and out of the hangar--my hanger had a 48' opening and the wing span was 52 feet--to you did a half in and turn about entry and ended up with it at a 45 degree angle just inside the doors. I had a speed ring and burled hub caps on it--Delta did not want them so we are going to use the speed ring on my sons 1931 Stinson JR-S. which will begin restoration again soon.
The Travel Air finish was butyrate dope with the exception of the metal which was Ranthane and Imron. Still have my wing jig for the Travel Air--and yes it is big and heavy--one end supported by a 4x4 bolted to the hangar rafters--the other end alot of angle iron.
Doug
Keep the pointed end forward--
The dirty side down.....
And the blue skies on top....
Have many--if I make it to Middletown (plan on it) will bring the book of before, during and after. Will either be driving or flying airlline tho as I have a family commitment further North during that period.
Doug
Keep the pointed end forward--
The dirty side down.....
And the blue skies on top....
I'm in a rush this am so won't take time to sign up...
But tell Doug the reason I held on to the 447W number was to save it for the plane...as far as I know there are no other factory built 6B's left and I hated to see the history and the number dissapear because of "corporate carelessness" and bureauocracy.
So it costs me $10 a year and whoever puts it back on line as itself can pay me whatever I've run up (maybe $70 so far)...but not to put on another airplane!
Yes, I'm a purist/fanatic (and lover of Old Artifacts !)
