CONVENTIONAL News for UNCONVENTIONAL People
November/December 2005
Happy Holidays
We want to thank all of you for being part of our flying family. Despite all the crazy things we deal with in aviation, it is always a great source of fun and friendship. We hope you get to enjoy the holidays doing whatever it is you do during that time.
Keep up the good work restoring, maintaining, flying, or researching those great machines of yesterday. Inside us all is a little bit of historian and by default, it is up to us preserve our aviation history. The next time the sun shines, find someone who you believe would enjoy the experience and take them for a flight. If nothing else, sit down and write out your favorite aviation memory (and email it to us if you want an eager ear). This is a great way to keep your spirits up when the snow has you grounded. See you next year…….
After a very long and record setting hurricane season, the Time Pieces operation at Page Field in Ft. Myers, Florida is ready to start selling shares in their 1957 Super Cub.
To schedule your demo ride,
Call (239) 278-4359 (IFLY)
Making a list and checking it twice 
Our limited edition, hand assembled, first rate calendars were first printed in 1988 with a run of 25. When the requests for them grew to the point that we could no longer fund or devote enough time to their distribution, we decided to make them limited print editions(500).
People make it on the list in several ways. Our primary methods for determining who gets them are as follows: Wood, Fabric & Tailwheel Fly-In attendance, legible writing on the sign in sheet, True Grass Roots Supporters,and proper flying technique (3 point landings). Please do not feel hurt or left out if you do not receive one. There is always a chance that we just screwed up and should have sent you one. Unfortunately, by the time you realize this, someone of undeserving nature may have hung "yours" on their wall next to the Golfing Digest "favorite hole" pin up and cutaway poster of a Polo Horse.
We've spent the past week, reviewing our lists, checking them twice, and compiling our 2006 calendars. They should be showing up in your mailboxes by the end of the year.
Ginger Earns Her CFI . . .
Learns more in the process
My favorite way to add additional ratings to my pilot certificate has always been to take the written test and then to go somewhere for a concentrated training effort. Therefore as a by-product of my efforts, I have had the opportunity to train at many places around the country. This last training was for the CFI, it was in Florida, and it was the most rewarding. Yet, I have to admit this was my first ever flying experience that wasn’t fun. In fact, the only fun I had was in the checkride. Let me tell you about it…..
The school: Once I arrived, it was apparent that most people involved with the school were there to perform a job and to use it as a stepping stone; not because they had a passion for aviation. To their credit, the CFI’s all cared about their students, wanted us to achieve our goals, and were very professional in appearance, attitude, and demeanor. Unfortunately, it seemed they had no passion for flying but I had to wonder, was the passion for flying there originally but lost when no one showed them how to have fun with a pilots license? Have they or will they ever have the opportunity to have a stack of pancakes with the local EAA chapter, to sit around a campfire at night with several other pilots after having flown all day going nowhere, or to sit around the airport talking to “old timers” that instructed in back in the day?
Maybe it was because we came from different points on the aviation spectrum. My entire life currently evolves around “the old style of flying”. Apparently, that’s the romantic side of aviation – the part that dates back to our aviation roots. I can remember giving a talk to a local EAA chapter a few years back. I was talking about buying my first airplane so that I could camp out under the wing of the plane just like the barnstormers. When the purchase was complete and the checkout signed off, it was “smack dab” in the middle of winter. I even told them how I was so bent on camping under the wing, nothing could change my mind and I took off to do just that even though the temperature was below zero. It was this type of passion which I assumed everyone had but one person in the meeting said he couldn’t relate. He used an airplane to travel, it was a tool, and that was it. At the time, I thought, that is just a fluke – most had to be like me, but in Florida I found myself learning this is not the case as most had no idea what fun flying was about. It is a startling thing to be at a flight school and realize not a single person was even familiar with EAA.
I quickly discovered that I was out of my environment and spent most of my time in quiet observation. I knew that following the book, doing the maneuvers by strict regimented steps, memorizing all the checklists, and being able to recite quotes from the the FAA’s books would get me to my goal and that is what I decided to do; pass the checkride.
Since I know you are dying to know what amazing things I learned while sitting in quiet observation, here they are with no skewing or exaggeration and I'm saving some for future articles.
brand new Cessna 172’s are safer than the “killer” 152’s;
sport and recreational pilots are hazardous to our airspace and other pilots;
a slip is a very dangerous maneuver and is the same cross controlled stall situation that causes pilots to spin in while turning base to final;
a pattern is to be square at all times;
tailwheel airplanes are hard to fly because the landing gear might collapse and it is really expensive to fix a wing;
don't upset the controllers by requesting a runway that favors the wind over the active runway;
old people flying Ercoupes are “scary” and shouldn't be flying.
Just to set the record straight, I disagree with all of these new things I learned. However, we all need to understand that a great many young pilots believe these things. In their defense, I’m sure they took some of the things I said and are sitting around talking about those at this moment. I can hear them now, “landing into the wind, what a crazy idea.” After all, I was coming from the opposite end of the aviation spectrum. Which school is right? Both schools will probably continue to think they are right and the other wrong and I will continue to ponder it as a flaw in our aviation instruction system.
O.K. I’ll admit it, looking back the flying was fun – any time you can find to be in the air, it is fun. It was the atmosphere of “flying can be fun” that wasn’t there and it made everything more difficult. I believe all pilots should be encouraged to be more integrated into their flying; for it to be more than just a tool to go from point A to B. The checkride was a different story. It was fun because it was the first time I could have a conversation with someone who understood my side of the spectrum yet it was also a challenging and a very thorough evaluation. Along the way we talked about the FAA’s current recommended flying techniques and discussed those that were presented in the 1940 Civil Pilot Training Manual issued by the CAA. We also discussed why some things might have changed over the years and the importance of both. When we were through, he told me to “Hold onto that manual. You’ll learn a lot of good things to pass along to your students”. I now look back on the experience as something that expanded my horizons and allowed me to see different shades of the entire aviation spectrum. This should make me a better CFI.
The Grass is Growing
Our last round of seeding appears to have taken hold and grown quite a bit before the cold weather set in. As you can imagine, we are very excited to know it will sit there all winter growing roots so it can make us a nice runway extension in the Spring.
Next year will be the 10th anniversary of the Wood, Fabric, & Tailwheels Fly-In and it seems everyone is excited about it. Already several magazines have told us they will be here and we continue to get calls from pilots wanting to know if the runway will be ready. Apparently, the word is out on the runway and if all goes well we will have some planes here next year that were never quite comfortable with 3000.’ We suggest you start making your plans now. The Chautauqua Arts Festival falls on a different weekend next year so there will be plenty of motel rooms available. If interested in setting aside one of our reserved rooms at the Clifty Inn, give us a call.
We want to thank everyone for your continued support.
Click Here to see the GRASS ROOTS SUPPORTERS
Click Here to Become a GRASS ROOTS SUPPORTER
(8 framed grass seed bag pieces still available)
Memories of a DC-3 Freight Dog
If any of you have seen the December issue of AOPA, you have seen the “three” that Rich earned his type rating and ATP in six years ago. The article brought back so many memories for Rich that he dug out his notes from his DC-3 freight days.
For a reason Rich cannot explain, he was organized and driven enough back then to make a journal for every flight he took. He also saved the freight order sheets, flight plan, and printed weather. Because of this strange fit of organization, Rich is now able to read over a few pages and tell the stories only a DC-3 freight dog could.
Here is an excerpt from one day of the journal:
Data: 6-24-99, N142JR to Smyrna and back.
The flight earned $1808.91 for 394 nm of flying
The sun is in our eyes. The left main is leaking and when I shut the window, the smell of fuel almost knocks you out. Our left engine has had some top notch maintenance and the rocker covers are leaking pretty bad. Our oil pressure on the right engine goes 30 lbs over red on takeoff. During the approach check, I discovered we were out of hydraulic fluid so I gave it to _____ and got up to refill it. I removed the brass plug with a wrench and put in over a gallon of fluid to bring it up to an almost acceptable level……later that day.….departing the field, we had to shut off one entire set of radios because they were full of water that had leaked in from the windshield.
PS: If you saw this AOPA magazine, you also saw our vision for the first round of development; Hangar Heaven. Period style hangars with living quarters built in would be a perfect fit for the airport. Interested? Retirement, get-a-way, or great hangar...which do you want?
WHY IS IT SO? . . .
141 SCHOOLS: Kids teaching Kids
As we all know, real aviation is under constant attack. Currently the airlines choose to see the growing competition from air taxis, fractional operations, and private jets and attack them through the purchase of politicians who will pass user fees to squeeze them out; our courts are awarding ridiculous amounts to the families of people who are at fault for accidents while blindly blaming manufacturers; people are building homes close to airports and then getting airports closed because there are airplanes flying overhead; and one of our solutions is to run pilot sweatshops. Does this make sense?
Let’s look at one example: 141 schools. Many of you may not know these places by the phrase "141 school" so I will give you some great ways to spot them. If the school is a university flight department, if the name includes the word Academy, or if their ad says anything that refers to training pilots for an airline position it is a 141 school and you should carefully consider sending anyone there. Here’s your quick evaluation test: Do I want my offspring to be a pilot or do I want them to be a regulation expert with average skills? If it’s the first, you should consider finding another school.
Now if you happen to be a 141 graduate, please do not take this personally. I know many pilots who made it through a 141 school without the skills learned prior being stripped from them. If you are a 141 grad and you get this newsletter, you likely know better than anyone what I am talking about. And if you run a 141 school, there is a chance you are one of the few who have received FAA approval despite your good reputation. With that said, let’s get to the meat of the subject.
Why do people go to these schools and why do flight schools go to a 141 method of training? 141 Schools are typically accelerated programs that are eligible for government grants, and whose students are eligible for student loans. For this reason, it is very hard for me to blame a flight school that chooses this route as it is sure to guarantee more income. Likewise it is hard for me to blame students as they are apt to seek out the quickest route through training. But does this encourage the best training?
Because these programs are FAA sanctioned, these schools tend to focus first on regulation, preparation for the airlines, and all the ways you can get violated instead of how to fly an airplane well. Due to this, the typical 141 graduate is an amazing encyclopedia of regulation that can tell you what page and paragraph of the FAA bible describes the current situation while simultaneously freezing at the yoke because they have no idea how to read the weather ahead. But, as you fly headlong into a level 5 or try to convince them you don’t need to deviate a hundred miles around a cloud the size of a VW Beetle, they WILL tell you the technical term for that specific type of cloud.
Did you realize that a 141 school student:
- can get a full license in less hours
- can become a CFI in less hours
- is teaching the next class of students
- is allowed to do this because the program is a certified FAA approved program
Knowing pilots are inherently cheap, I can confidently say that most are tempted to get excited about fewer training hours but answer these questions: How many of the “highest quality products” in the world come from “sweatshops” or the phrase “FAA approved", how many high schools let sophomores teach the freshman, and how many people put their best into “sweatshop” style jobs? NONE……and WHY? Do I really have to explain?. Strangely, it is never advertised that most 141 students don’t actually earn those ratings quicker. Yet with all this, those at the top of aviation continue to support these schools in the interest of pumping out pilots.
ON the positive side, I have flown with many 141 graduates and most of them have a great pilot inside dying to come out. In fact, many of them have great unused skills and knowledge. The only problem is that their school did them a disservice in their training. Years ago when I was spending the winter in the Keys, I helped pump gas at an FBO and was witness to one of the most ridiculous aviation spectacles ever seen. Back then most every Saturday brought a flight of 10-15 Embry Riddle planes to the Marathon airport that would somehow arrive together. I watched this over and over trying to figure it out until I had to ask one of the student pilots what was going on. It turned out they were doing their long cross countries to one of two syllabus approved airports; DAYTONA TO MARATHON KEY. Go look at a map and tell me what you would learn doing this long cross country, flying down the beach in formation with 12 or so others, while following the wealthiest airline offspring who happens to have a GPS . Today whenever I run into an Embry grad I mention this to them and they all know exactly what I am talking about.
But what you may have missed in this example was the fact that these schools are pumping out pilots like crazy. This is a great opportunity in disguise. Our aviation organizations need to be bringing these pilots into our flock with the intention of making “real pilots” out of them. If this were the case, we could have many more people on our side. The option is to have a future majority of pilots who say scary things like “ I will never fly another small plane” and who will gladly sell out our freedoms and theirs to go along with an airlines efforts to get user fees passed. All because they believe it will save their jobs. These are the pilots of tomorrow. Bring them in or be cursed by them later.
Is there anything else that could be done? As long as the FAA continues to support (promote) these programs it is unlikely. But if aviation as a whole would insist on a change in their methods, something could be done. My suggestions would be to make the hour requirement for a CFI higher, and make any flight school eligible to instruct and receive payment from students using student loans and grants. This would encourage a more professional and qualified group of instructors and create the opportunity for students to learn from smaller flying oriented organizations.
Once again, we find ourselves asking "Why is it so?" . . .
The Eagle has landed
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Last month, I received a call from an acquaintance of mine who was needing an aircraft ferried. I first met Roy Foxworthy six years ago after being taken to his hangar to see a rare machine; a Johnson Rocket. Not only was it the first one I had ever personally laid eyes on, it was a strikingly beautiful orange color, much more unique than I expected, and it was flawless.
Sitting next to the Rocket was a Christen Eagle and although I had never found anything appealing about these machines, I was strangely drawn to this one. Upon closer inspection, I could see why it attracted my attention. This Eagle was unlike any other I had seen. Like the Rocket, it too was flawless and the listing of awards on the side proved others believed the same.
During the next six years I rarely saw the Eagle fly but am proud to say the Wood,Fabric, & Tailwheels Fly-In was one of those rare occasions. Then came the day last month when Roy phoned to say the plane was being given to the Kalamazoo Air Zoo. Everyone knows my opinion on giving aircraft to museums where they will never be flown so I counted on the fact Roy would not call me unless it was going to a good home. When I rang him back, as I expected, I learned it would be going to a great home in Kalamazoo Michigan.
On the day I left for Kalamazoo, Roy was there to buy me breakfast, make sure I was comfortable, and make sure there were no smudges on the finish. After a quick briefing, I took off for Michigan on what would be one my "ten most perfect flights". The aircraft was rigged perfectly, the sky was clear and cool, and there was not a ripple in the air to be found. It was a great flight with a great end. The people at Kalamazoo were very friendly, they showed me around, let me touch rare planes to see if they were real, answered any questions I had, and tried so hard to get me to stick around that I almost called in sick for the week.
Later that day, Roy picked me up at the airport and on the way home shared stories about his time with the Eagle over seventeen years. When he dropped me off at his car, I thanked him for trusting me with his plane and he thanked me in a very sincere way by saying, “You are the only other person who ever flew her.” Thanks again Roy for trusting me with your aircraft. It was a great flight.
Most Ridiculous Item of the Month
We've been holding this item in reserve for a time when our readers could use a good laugh. This month’s most ridiculous item is angle of attack indicators.
For those of you who don’t know what these are, (don’t feel bad, you shouldn’t) they are one of the many overpriced worthless little toys that people plug into experimental aircraft like flames on hot rods. These "geewhiz" items provide a color coded visual indication to let the pilot know what angle of attack the plane is at and to let him know when he is approaching the critical angle of attack.
I know all of you vintage folk are out there laughing because someone taught you how to fly before giving you your license but let me finish, I’m building up to something. I wonder how many different ways each of you would say an airplane itself tells you it is approaching a stall…..I’d say anywhere from 3 to 10, what do you think? But apparently, there is a large group of people out there who need these things because I know they wouldn’t add the weight and complexity of useless parts to an airplane.
Now let’s indulge those "angle of attack people" and say “that’s a neat little gizmo.” With that said, can you guys tell me why someone would have an angle of attack indicator hooked up to a stick shaker in an RV-4? This is easily the most ridiculous thing I have seen on an airplane since the nosewheel. Wait, you don’t know what a stick shaker is??......................
A challenge to FSDO offices . . .
I had the opportunity to attend a program by the Orlando FSDO office called “ESP” (Enhanced Safety Program). The program was formed to better inform initial CFI candidates with important and pertinent information.
This program, which reduced flight training accidents by 80% over a 6 year period, was formed by the Orlando FSDO in reaction to flight training accidents. Yet, I viewed it as proactive. There they were, talking to FUTURE CFI's about issues and problems relative to the flight training environment. They also covered the most common areas where initial CFI candidates tend to lack understanding and skills. It was definitely a positive and collaborative approach to better flight training.
It is too easy to always find fault in the FAA's ways. This is one time when they should be applauded and I would encourage other FSDO offices to look at the model the Orlando office has developed.
Is your hangar door friendly?
The other day, a good friend and I were having one of our many transcendental conversations about aviation when I was caught off guard by something I had never even considered. We were talking about the subject of airport developments, hangars, and the type doors to put on them when Charlie turned to me and said, “You know, I think bi-fold doors are one of the reasons airports aren’t friendly anymore.”
Now even to me this seemed a little odd but it was just strange enough for me to inquire why and the answer was great. He went on to say that bi-fold doors were more like vault doors, so automatic and easy that they usually only open to pull a plane out then close and that sliding doors were more like doors to a home. Thinking about what he said, I thought of how people with sliding doors usually slide one door open to enter the hangar and leave it open until they leave. Taking it even further, when someone pulls a plane out of a hangar with a sliding door, they usually leave it all the way open until they leave for the night.
How many of you remember poking your head into a hangar with one section of door slid open only to find a new friend on the other side restoring, working on, or building an airplane? It was so insightful I decided that must be the reason I have always preferred sliding doors to bi-folds. Like the fences around airports, bi-folds can be just another way to say “stay out.”
THIS ONE IS JUST STRANGE
The other day we received one of the strangest pieces of marketing materials we have ever seen. Because we are involved with so many different aviation groups and run an airport we get materials from all the different segments of aviation. Therefore, we get a very clear picture of aviation and the direction it is heading delivered to us in our mailbox every month. It’s really quite interesting.
This last one is from a few of the business aviation groups and comes in the form of a poster. I would like to believe their marketing person misinterpreted “their vision” for the piece but it seems to be one of those things that could only come from these groups. I think it sends the wrong message and does nothing to bring aviation together, it only serves to separate out another group of aviation. What is it?
It is a half and half poster that says, “You DO have a Choice…Choose Safety 1st.”
The first choice offered is an FBO that has an hangar with sliding doors and a windsock (oooh that’s dangerous). The hangar has the name painted on it, “Fly-by-Night service and sales,” and under that is says, “Est. 1936.” Sitting around the hangar is a DC-3 with flat tires (but no oil stains) and a few other prop planes that appear to be King Airs. There is a part laying on the ground outside the hangar, and there is some guy who fell asleep reading the FARs.
THE OTHER SIDE has a sterile white stucco hangar with black windows and a dish on top (to compare to the other place with the windsock). The name on the hangar is “ACE Aviation” and painted on the building is a giant sign “NATA Safety 1st.” Outside on the ramp is one machine that best resembles a Lear with Citation wings and it has so many wheel chocks under it a forest is crying. Outside the plane, on the ramp, is the all important RED CARPET, three orange cones, a grounding wire hooked to the ground, and a line guy with wands scratching his butt.
Now I think I know what they were trying to say but we’ve all been around aviation a long time and I wonder how many of us could name shoddy operators represented by both of these pictures. I also wonder who is in charge of a group whose job is to promote business aviation as a whole but says a company in operation since 1936 is unsafe and one that was started on a whim by some guy who wanted to play airplane with his inheritance is the place to go for safety. Con men will always say a successful ruse is all about appearance and perception. These groups appear to have fallen for it and so hard they would pass blind judgement on operators successful enough to have survived seventy years in aviation.
Why does aviation continue to do such ridiculous things?
Which EAA are you?
This past Oshkosh convention was interesting to us in so many ways. Take away the really strange, board of directors interview where I was laughed at for being just like Paul (also followed by a poor imitation of Paul saying “flying the way it used to be”), and then told the idea of independent GA airports wouldn’t help but stackable hangars (I think the quote was “just like my boat at the marina”) would solve aviation's cost problems……let me regain my composure…..ok, take that away and you still have all the times people seemed to come out of the woodwork saying negative things about EAA and talking down the other segments of the organization. There were even times it seemed we had a "complain to us" sign on our backs.
Even stranger, though, was the way our friends behaved. When we were in the warbird area, friends would ask why we had been in the vintage area and when we went to dinner with some warbird friends, our vintage friends looked at us like we were Martians for hanging out with someone from “that end.” Others couldn’t understand why we would go to the seaplane base or visit friends in the homebuilt area. No matter what the case, someone seemed confused that we were part of some other group.
After thinking about this for a long time, we realized that the EAA has become a bunch of splintered groups clinging to the idea they are one EAA. Yet, can anyone tell me when these groups get together outside of the Oshkosh Convention? I bet most of you can even point to many sub-groups inside of each of the groups. Now more than ever, we are in a situation that needs everyone working together yet every day seems to bring another new EAA magazine and another group sub-group.
So here is our suggestion to EAA. Combine all your magazines into one. Each section would stay separate but be combined into one. This would create a magazine worth carrying around for more than and hour, each group would have an opportunity to find out what the others are doing, and each section could still have it’s own advertising and sub-committee. Advertisers that usually advertise with groups like Warbirds would get exposure to the members of every group, the cost of magazine production would go down, and the benefit to members would go up. What do you think?
One Six Right
The much anticipated release of One Six Right to DVD has arrived and it has received great praise from all who have seen it. Our review: This movie holds true to the form of documentary and tells the very interesting story of Van Nuys Airport. We recently watched this movie at home and were pleased with the outcome.
Watch carefully and you will see it mentions one of our favorite topics; pilots promoting to pilots instead of to the public. Ironically, if the public doesn’t see this movie it will have been just that. So what can you do to keep this from happening? We suggest you buy several copies and send them to your local mayor, zoning committee chairman, and anyone else you believe should see it.
Brian Terwilliger has created one of the greatest tools for promoting aviation we have ever seen and everyone should take advantage of the opportunity. It is professional, it has some great aerial footage, and it covers a lot of subjects in a positive way. Brian stuck his neck out to accomplish a dream and did just that.
If you do nothing else, please buy one extra copy and mail it to someone who is completely unrelated to aviation. This would be a great grass roots way for every person to promote aviation, their local airport, and dreamers like Brian who are the future of aviation.
Please take flight over to www.onesixright.com
WHAT IS THE ACE LIST? - CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT IT
We have been attempting for over a year now to get our RV-3 (don’t ask why, that’s for another day) back in the air. But no matter what we do, some problem inherent with the experimental world pops up.
The latest one is a single wire alternator. You may be asking, “what is a single wire alternator?” Well, it refers to an alternator that has only one wire going or coming from it and is best explained as one of those trends homebuilder groups go through like wildfire. It was the greatest thing in the world yesterday, but today nobody understands what you are talking about. And, as with so many aviation forum boards, the only people on them are people who are clueless and looking for answers to questions like “How do I wire a single wire alternator?” So, for months we went around and around with everyone on the subject because they all had different ideas about it.
Then came the day that someone said, call John Marshall. I felt really stupid when I heard it because me, my wife, and everyone else who knows him will tell you he can answer any questions when it comes to anything associated with RV’s. If you don’t know him, he is a very likeable, skillful, and knowledgeable guy who has built or assisted with a great many RV projects. If you ever need help, John has a business focused around RV’s and he can without question heal your pains.
Almost as quickly as the suggestion was aired, I was on the phone to John. Two rings and he picked up. It turns out he was on his way home, but out of his head he gave me a very close answer and told me how to verify which connection was right. The call may have lasted one minute and our months of problems were over. Yet that is not all. About ten minutes later, John called me back from his home to tell me he found the wiring diagram for the very installation we were trying to create and told me the exact connections I needed to save us the testing. It is for this reason we add John Marshal to our list of people with whom we’ve had great experiences.
If you have “RV” work for John, you can contact him at 317-431-1676
To Make a Small Fortune
Start with a Large Fortune
The subject of antique aircraft valuation has always been one of my favorites. As long as I can remember, it has been a subject of hot debate and mass confusion. Yet, lately, it has gone out of control. In fact, I have become so intrigued by the subject that I have started surveying owners of antique aircraft who are currently selling to see why they are selling, what they are replacing them with if anything, and if there is anything else they can tell me about how they came up with a value.
Some of the responses are quite normal but the majority of them should be a wake up call for the antique, classic, and even warbird community. Loss of pension, wanting something faster, want something can leave outside, want something faster, lost medical, want something faster, can’t afford gas are just a few of the responses but they all fall into just a handful of categories; Speed, money, ease of maintaining, and loss of medical. Once I started focusing on the subject and all the reasons people were selling their antiques, I realized there was something else going on keeping a lot of these machines from selling and making it to good homes. It’s actually very simple.
People are restoring aircraft when they wear out and not when they are worn out. WHAT!? Let me explain. I noticed that many people are restoring planes they have owned forever (when they wear out), then putting them up for sale expecting to get back out of them what they put into the restoration. Unfortunately, this just doesn’t happen……it doesn’t happen. But if you start looking at the Champ or Waco like a hobby, or like EVERYTHING ELSE we do in life, you would see it like the price of enjoying life or whatever it is you like to do and not some dreamlike money making pursuit.
Ten to twenty years ago, the prices of Model T’s were outrageous and now you can get a nicely restored one for well under 10 grand. Why is that? The people and the market that knew these when they were new, is almost gone and therefore very small yet the number of cars is even greater than ten years ago because that group was restoring those items they remembered from their childhood. This is the same thing going on with the vintage market. It doesn’t make me any more happy than the next person but I do have a suggestion that would help us all.
Buy a project, flying or not (worn out), and rebuild it. Now you have a new machine you understand and can afford to fly for twenty years. It also gives you the opportunity to use one of the great unspoken marketing tools of the experimental community. By selling one piece at a time, owners can feel like they aren’t spending so much and likewise, spouses find it easier to allow you to spend $8000 on a project than a $50,000; this way it just doesn’t sound or feel like so much money.
When the plane is worn out, sell it to the next person at a price that reflects it’s age and condition and let them restore it. I understand this is hard to do because it forces you to face the fact all the money you spent is gone, but really it is not. Think of the many flights with your kids or family, all the great $100 hamburgers, and all the great time with great friends and tell me what those memories are worth. Whatever you do though, don’t restore a plane and then try to sell it thinking it will pay off. It doesn’t do anyone any good, it costs you more, and it keeps these planes out of the hands of people who would make sure they continue on.
WHAT A GREAT NAME Piper Savannah Frith was born at 8:05pm on Wed. October 26, 2005. The proud parents are Glenn and Kristin Frith - Time Pieces franchise owners from Ft. Myers, Florida. As you can see, she is dressed in her daddies favorite outfit with a Piper Super Cub on the front.
The Midwest Aviation Conference and Tradeshow will be held at the St. Louis University's Busch Student Center. What started as a Flight Instructor Refresher Clinic has grown to include safety presentations, vendor displays, and flying companion courses for non-pilots.
For more information visit www.macts.org.
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Lee Bottom Flying Field
Identifier: 64I
7296 S. River Bottom Rd.
Hanover, IN 47243
812-866-3211
Time Pieces
7296 S. River Bottom Rd.
Hanover, IN 47243
317-501-2773
