The International Cessna 170 Association

For 45 years my partner Leroy Walter has been a partner or sole owner of N7A. I've only been partners with Lee for about the last 12 though I'd flown in N7A for years before with Lee. Today Aaron Mcduffie took over the reins, technically we transferred title yesterday. The photo taken just before Aaron and Jon "Jughead" Counsell took off for Aaron's home in Portland, Oregon. You will notice Aaron's smile. He hasn't sat in the seat for 25 (or what ever it takes) to get home yet.

N7A, in 71 years and many many owners, has never been owned or based outside of Pa. In fact to be exact, eastern Pa. She's made it to Kentucky twice, once with Leroy and his wife long ago and once with Teresa and me for the Bardstown, KY Convention. Teresa and I also took N7A to Convention in St. Joseph/Benton Harbor, MI and Columbus, IN. But for the most part N7A had been a east coast Pennsylvania girl. But no more. Portland, OR and the west coast is her new home.

Good luck with N7A Aaron. Take care of her.

I'm glad you found a worthy owner for N7A, Bruce. Take good care of her, Aaron. We're watching!

Is both a sad and a happy day ... congratulations Aaron!

N7A performed great today. After a quick visit to an old Air Force buddy’s stomping grounds at Van Sant, we took advantage of the weather to do a Hudson River tour of NYC before we pointed her west. After 7.4 hours, we shut down tonight in Vinton, IA. We will be airborne at sunrise, 0545. If the weather in MT cooperates, we’ll be home tomorrow evening.

Jughead, as there is ADS-B tracking in N7A, and wondering where you might be, I looked up the track. You where picked up just over Somerset, NJ and I saw your track up the Hudson. I just had to laugh. Did you have that in mind or did you realize how close you where and just had to do it? I also noted you had some great ground speeds later in the afternoon hitting 133mph at least for one data point.

Glad to hear 7A is performing as she should. I have no reason to think she wouldn't but when the aircraft you have had custody of for so long is no longer in your control, you wonder and hope it is. Thanks for the update

Arron asked about fly the Hudson the night before. Some quick research showed it was easy and close. Glad we did it. Maybe a once in a lifetime opportunity for us.

I’m curious about the “E” on the left cowl...

Bruce, I can’t imagine how you felt seeing a big piece of your life fly away. I guess the smile on the new owners face helps a bit but i think we all feel for you. Hope to see youi in the fall

gahorn wrote:I’m curious about the “E” on the left cowl...

George I often told folks who ask that the E was not an E at all but a ground symbol. They usually give me a confused look.

In truth the E is a great memory between me and several of my friends. One of my longest flying buddies Dan, bought a '65 Cessna 210. This is the model that has the flat retractable gear. He is very proud of his 210 and was very upset when someone would approach and say "nice 206" not seeing the retract doors or even knowing there was a flat gear 210. We Witnessed this many times. There was no identifying number on the airplane just the words Centurion. And very few it seems know a Centurion is a 210.

So one Sunday before our weekly breakfast flight my friend proudly placed 210E on each side of his cowl using 2" high vinyl letters he'd had lying around from a house mail box lettering project. He announced his aircraft would never be misidentified again by a dumb as_ who didn't know what he was looking at. We flew to breakfast and upon landing the left E was peeled half way off. No problem he stuck it back on. We flew home and once again the E was half off when we got there and he stuck it back on. This went on for several weeks flights. Every flight the E was half off and he would stick it back on. We all new at the end of a flight to look for the status of the E.

Finally, upon landing after several weeks of this, finding the E half off again, and after an appropriate comment from me about it of course, Dan ripped the E from his plane and walked over and planted it on my airplane just as you see it. Of course I just left it there. And there it has stayed . Not once in the last 5 years has it ever had even the appearance of coming loose.

And for the last 5 years any time Dan and I would fly someplace in each of our planes or in the last year on the occasion that Dan would fly my 170, the E would always come up. Sometimes we would rehash the story with friends and others we would theorize how Cessna was developing an E model.

Lots of good memories of many people we know locally who have stories of 7A as many learned to fly in her. Dan was one of them.

counsellj wrote:Arron asked about fly the Hudson the night before. Some quick research showed it was easy and close. Glad we did it. Maybe a once in a lifetime opportunity for us.

I'm glad you did it. I personally have about 1000 hours flying helicopters up and down the Hudson river and around the statue giving tours and flying charter. I was in a helicopter over the statue when the second plane hit the world trade center.

If I'd known you where going to do it I could have given you a few pointers.

Curious which routing you guys took. I’ll be doing West Michigan to Spokane in a few weeks. I’ll visit some friends south of Chicago, and might drop by the Twin Cities to see some folks.

We ran straight west to just south of Chicago. We then flew 290 mad Eric heading all the way to Billings, MT. We will then follow I-90 through Mullan Pass in Mt. From Spokane we will proceed mostly direct to Portland area. Assuming the weather will be good in a few days.

Bruce,

Thanks for trusting me with N7A. I know she means a lot to you. I mean to take good care of her. I have learned a ton reading these forums over the last few months, and after a few days of being a 170 owner it's clear just how much I have to learn. Jughead has been fantastic (and patient) with helping me learn the ways of the tailwheel and getting N7A home.

I am a little later to transaction


You name will forever be recorded in the annuals of aviation history.



Grady Bowers

counsellj wrote:We ran straight west to just south of Chicago. We then flew 290 mad Eric heading all the way to Billings, MT. We will then follow I-90 through Mullan Pass in Mt. From Spokane we will proceed mostly direct to Portland area. Assuming the weather will be good in a few days.

Thanks! I’ll probably do something similar. What are you guys doing for legs? 300 miles?

If I was home in Spokane I’d offer up a place for you guys to crash if needed!