Showboat Six is airborne again

[Showboatsix]

After a long conversion, a few problems, Showboat Six is airborne again!

$200.00 hamburgers here I come!

[1SeventyZ]

She looks pretty sweet!

[bsdunek]

Gongradulations!!! I know it feels good to be in the air again.

[GAHorn]

Tell us about the paint scheme. Is that a T-41 scheme?

[Showboatsix]

Tell us about the paint scheme. Is that a T-41 scheme?

I bought N6863a in 1990, she was just the standard old '56 Cessna 172, a horrible blue interior, and the standard "white with your color stripe here" (blue) paint job, she had a mid time engine, but the fuselage and flying characteristic were excellent. I flew her until the engine that came in her stuck a valve, (1992) when we took the jug off we found a cracked piston also, so we pulled off another jug at random and sure enough we found another one cracked too. So I borrowed an engine off my brother's Cessna 172 (N5148a) which was apart for restoration. I flew her until 1994 when the paint was really getting bad, and my I.A. said..... "That permanent frost" on the wings and plane has to go. I flew down to Red Bluff, Ca. to "CarDan Aircraft" and had the plane stripped. When I brought her home and we did some close examination of the naked plane, we found a lot of "bondo" in the wings and elseware.

It was at that time that I (we) my I.A. said "you might as well fix her up right, so a 4 year restoration started, re-skinned the right hand wing, replaced the turtle deck skin (488 old antenna holes) and as many "M.A.D.S" as you can imagine (Might As well Do's), she was ready for paint. But what to paint her...... Oh please not the typical "white with your color stripe" here again....no no no.

I was looking through "the Cessna Wings For The World" book my I.A. had got me for my birthday (1997) and in there was a black and white photo of a U.S.Army T-41, WOW! I did not know that the Military used a lowly Cessna 172 for a trainer.

So I was off to (Al Gore's) invention "the internet" and started a search for information about the T-41. After many emails, phone calls, I ended up at the Museum at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, the historical department said they knew of the plane but perhaps I get what I needed if I called Ft. Rucker U.S. Army Museum and talk to "Regina Burns, in the Historical Archives section. A call to her resulted with complete blueprints for the T-41A, colors, type text, locations and a bunch of 8X10's and slides, she asked for the slides and photos back when I was done with them, so I made her two sets of slides and photo copies and returned them back to her with much thanks for her generosity.

I used PPG Concept paint on all the aircraft.

The engine was overhauled, all machine work was done by EC Northwest, Aurora, Oregon (since moved) , 6 Millennium cylinders, Slick mags, new carb, alternator conversion, Western Propeller repitched the prop to 51inches minus 10% (FAA tolerence), the engine runs great.

I finished the restoration and returned N6863a (now referred to as 28963) to service on April 18, 1998. I now have about 960 hours on her since then.

Since I had about 1500 hours in this plane and I learned to fly in a Champ, I always had a twinkle for a taildragger, my I.A had a Birddog, so it was time to do the conversion, after getting the STC papers, several years of collecting all the parts needed, (all C-170 items) I started the conversion in mid December of 2007, and between work , wife and kids, my spare time out at the hanger was drilling and pounding rivets the conversion was finally complete.

After a few low and high speed taxi tests, it was time to take to the air, all went fine, I still have to trim the rudder and ailerons, but other than that it is finished.

I hope you have enjoyed the story about 28963 as she has been a good bird for me.

Dean
Hanger 26
North End
Aurora (UAO), Oregon

[hilltop170]

Dean-
Good story and the Showboat looks great. Out of curiosity, why is it sitting up off the floor on the rims?

[W.J.Langholz]

Dean

Were the supports on the frame already there for the conversion to the taildragger or did you have to do a bunch of work moving the landing gear?

Nice plane

Willie

[Showboatsix]

I set the plane up on the car rims so that I had more space to sit under the fuselage to drill the bottom rivets, it brought it up about 8 inches. The plane sat on the original gear until the forward gear was ready to accept the wheels and brakes etc.

I added all the gear support to the forward bulkheads, angle strips, corner braces, gear boxes, all that came from a '52 C-170B. The rear gear boxes remain.

[170C]

Showboat looks super. Now is she a T-41? or a C-170C You will love the handling now that she is converted. Good luck with her.

[flyguy]

Showboat looks super. Now is she a T-41? or a C-170C You will love the handling now that she is converted. Good luck with her.

PROBLY A T-4170/172C - - - - ER SUMTHIN ? ? ?

Hey Dave really a neat restoration and you finally got the 3rd wheel in the right place!