I posted some pics of my Champ on the following link if any of you are interested:
http://www.myplaneonline.com/users/inde ... userid=515
I've owned this airplane since I was 15 years old (I'm 35 now) and plan on keeping it another 20 years! My Father took this airplane in as payment for work he did on a friend's Waco UPF-7 when we lived in Dayton, OH back in the 1970's. When we moved out to Colorado in 1979, the basket case Champ came out with us too....towed in a trailer.
The first restoration was completed around 1983 in our garage on Northridge Drive and then moved out to the Mack Mesa Airport in Mack, CO. My Dad taught me to fly in this airplane and I soloed it on my 16th birthday in 1985. I also took my checkride for my Private in this airplane (after doing some requisite instrument work in a C150) on my 17th birthday.
Lots of time was built in this little guy, and I can honestly say that the time I have spent in this airplane has made me a much more competent pilot than a lot of my contemporaries. I think I may have taken this experience for granted when I was younger, due to the fact that tailwheel airplanes were the ONLY airplanes I ever had flown in (or my Dad had ever owned) and we were always based at little airports where tailwheel aircraft were the norm and going to Antique/Classic Fly-In's were a way of life.
After I received my other ratings and started talking to guys around my same age, it became glaringly apparent that "stick and rudder" flying just didn't apply to 90% of these "professional pilot" types. It also was apparent when taking a BFR with a flight instructor who, when given the controls, has absolutely NO idea what the rudder pedals are for!
Anyhow, around 2001 we decided to take it down and re-cover the wings to comply with the wing spar AD. Well, re-covering the wings just didn't sound like the right thing to do, so it was decided to go ahead and re-cover the entire airplane. However, once it was down it was THEN decided to just go ahead and put in a new interior...and then that turned into a new LEATHER interior etc. etc. Bottom line is - everything was put in new and 3 1/2 years later you're looking at NC1869E Version 3.0!
We finished with the Air-Tech process and they were very friendly and helpful to deal with. It was a great process to use and we're using it again on my 450 Stearman that is undergoing restoration at the present time.
Well, I thought this may be of interest to all you Aeronca fans out there, so if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me. I'll try and assist if I know the answer.
Randy
Restoration Complete 7AC-5436
Restoration Complete 7AC-5436
Randy
Converting money into fuel and fuel into noise
NC1869E and N5000V
Converting money into fuel and fuel into noise
NC1869E and N5000V
