Page 1 of 1

Open Cockpit

Posted: Fri Dec 16, 2005 8:47 pm
by cessna170bdriver
Falcon wrote:
cessna170bdriver wrote:Falcon,

With that "bugs in the teeth" artwork in you signature, I think I'm going to quit browsing this forum before dinner! :lol:

Miles
I love my little 170B, but the pic is what my smile would be if I got to fly......
Image
My Dad instructed in these in WWII and I have grown up loving them. Even though I have only ridden in one once.
I'm still a bit perturbed at my dad for selling his Stearman this past summer :x . When I bought my 170B in August of 1982, he couldn't stand me having an airplane and him not. He said he'd wanted a Stearman since he was a kid, and by October he had one. ( http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/cessna170 ... /my_photos ) He put well over 3000 hours on it in that time, some years over 300. I first soloed it one Father's day and have around 200 hours logged, but never got comfortable enough to solo off of pavement 8O .

Dad says he doesn't regret selling it, but he keeps talking about a 450-powered one that he knows is for sale....

Miles

Posted: Sat Dec 17, 2005 7:28 pm
by Harold Holiman
Miles,

That is what got me back in flying. I had basicly stopped flying about 1989. In I believe it was 1994, at the annual LaFayette fly-in, I had a chance to go up in a Stearman and that got me hooked again. I love open airplanes with round engines. Don't plan on stopping flying again untill I can no longer jump through enough FAA hoops to keep my medical.

Harold
N92CP

Posted: Sun Dec 18, 2005 5:30 pm
by rudymantel
Stearmans are great fun airplanes. When I was in college,in the early 1950's, I was in the ATL CAP squadron. We had a Stearman, a PT-19, and a Stinson L-5, all courtesy of the USAF. We could fly these neat airplanes to our heart's content just for gas & oil. I built up my hours towards a commercial license in these planes, taking classmate for rides where they sprung for the gas & oil. (This did not help my GPA).

Years later (1982) I did some ag flying in 450hp Stearmans. But in my opinion it's hard to beat that nice stock 220 hp Stearman for just fun flying.
BTW, it's not at all a good aerobatic airplane with relatively heavy ailerons and a slow roll rate. But hell for strong, just right for training those WW2 cadets !

Rudy

Posted: Sun Dec 18, 2005 5:39 pm
by GAHorn
I want two. One original, and one with a R-985 and four ailerons. Is the plural for Stearman....Stearmen? :lol:

Posted: Sun Dec 18, 2005 5:44 pm
by rudymantel
Yes, four ailerons would make a big difference in aerobatics!
Rudy

Posted: Sun Dec 18, 2005 5:49 pm
by GAHorn
You're into things numbered "four" these days, aren't you Rudy? :wink:
BTW, .. how're you feeling? UP and at 'em?

Posted: Sun Dec 18, 2005 7:11 pm
by rudymantel
Yes, "four" seems to be my lucky number these days. George, I'm feeling fine. Really well. Now to convince the Feds...
Rudy

Posted: Mon Dec 19, 2005 12:40 am
by doug8082a
So does that mean you are keeping the 170? Hang in there, you'll get it back.. We had a guy up here who had a multiple bypass (5 I think), plus several recurring bouts of cancer and he still managed to keep his medical and fly his 195.

Go get 'em and keep that 170!