Grandpas N number help

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Grandpas Plane

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Grandpas Plane
My aunt and I are trying to find the N number of my grandfathers old plane to make a little model plane for him. he doesn't have a good memory any more. Any and all files he's had of his old planes and airport that he has owned have been destroyed in fires. (btw he never owned airport mentioned in picture, it was a different one, very small)
The only information I have is his full name, birthdate, old and expired piolets license number, the airport that it was housed at for awhile and name/model of the plane with a picture.
I have tried the FAA which Is where I got his license number.
I tried the museum of where they may keep records of all the planes ever made of this kind.
And I have tried the airport were he housed his plane.

and I have had NO LUCK. does anyone have any info on to how I can find the N number?
 

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Grandpas Plane said:
My aunt and I are trying to find the N number of my grandfathers old plane to make a little model plane for him. he doesn't have a good memory any more. Any and all files he's had of his old planes and airport that he has owned have been destroyed in fires.
The only information I have is his full name, birthdate, old and expired piolets license number, the airport that it was housed at for awhile and name/model of the plane with a picture.
I have tried the FAA which Is where I got his license number.
I tried the museum of where they may keep records of all the planes ever made of this kind.
And I have tried the airport were he housed his plane.

and I have had NO LUCK. does anyone have any info on to how I can find the N number?
Click to expand...

Pilot logbook
 
Grandpas Plane said:
... (btw he never owned airport mentioned in picture, it was a different one, very small) ...
Click to expand...
Do you mean "never owned airplane mentioned in picture"?
Because the picture is of a quite unique type. If he owned something else (a Cub, a Taylor, Aeronca, Luscombe, etc.) the possibilities greatly expand.
 
Kenny Phillips said:
Do you mean "never owned airplane mentioned in picture"?
Because the picture is of a quite unique type. If he owned something else (a Cub, a Taylor, Aeronca, Luscombe, etc.) the possibilities greatly expand.
Click to expand...
what I ment by that was the picture was taken at the paulwakee/Chicago executive airport. my grandfather owned the governors airpark, which he changed to wings feild
 
Bell206 said:
Did you talk with someone or did you get his certificate number online at the FAA website?
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I got his certificate number online FAA website. then I called the FAA they confirmed that. but they didn't have any more information.
 
If you're building him a model, and he can't remember the N-number, why not just use his birthday and or/birthday and initials for the N number and personalize it that way?

Unless you want to contact 128 owners and ask all of them to go through logbooks and see if there's a receipt in there somewhere. I know going through the logbooks of my plane, the N number was changed sometime in the 70's to I am assuming someone with a July 27 birthday and certain initials. But going through every single scrap of paper there is nothing that shows who the owner(s) of the plane was prior to 2003 or so. I found out there was an egine overhaul done in Mexico, and various other interesting tidbits, but not a mention of any owner names anywhere. All the work orders and such just show the N-number.
 
EdFred said:
If you're building him a model, and he can't remember the N-number, why not just use his birthday and or/birthday and initials for the N number and personalize it that way?

Unless you want to contact 128 owners and ask all of them to go through logbooks and see if there's a receipt in there somewhere. I know going through the logbooks of my plane, the N number was changed sometime in the 70's to I am assuming someone with a July 27 birthday and certain initials. But going through every single scrap of paper there is nothing that shows who the owner(s) of the plane was prior to 2003 or so. I found out there was an egine overhaul done in Mexico, and various other interesting tidbits, but not a mention of any owner names anywhere. All the work orders and such just show the N-number.
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If I have to call all of them I just might. I figured there would be a data base somewhere, with who owns what and when. but It doesn't seem that why. which Is why I went to this forum. haha
but I think your idea with the birthdate as the N number would be a great idea,when all else fails. thanks for that one. Going to keep looking though.
 
An assumption (admitedly a very weak one) might be that subsequent owners might keep the same base color.
5255878393_e06b485083_b.jpg

Ron Wanttaja
 
Grandpas Plane said:
I called the FAA they confirmed that
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If you called the Airmen Certification Branch then maybe contact the Aircraft Registry Branch below and plead your case. If that fails request a recommendation for an Aircraft Title Search company that "maintains" a desk at the registry. This will cost money but they can manually search the registry records for the time period you mentioned. Unfortunately, several years ago the FAA purged the number side of the registry due to excessive "errors" however, I believe they maintained the original historical records. If they won't recommend a Title Search company just google "Aircraft Title Search" and a list of companies will populate with their contact info. Or ask for a recommendation on this site.

https://www.faa.gov/licenses_certif...raft_registry/contact_aircraft_certification/

Grandpas Plane said:
my grandfather owned the governors airpark, which he changed to wings feild
Click to expand...
I assume you have the following info below as it mentions a "Sandra Thielman" as providing it. But the write up on Governor's Airpark/ Wings/ Haedtler Field mentions a number of names and other things that may give you another track to follow. Seems your grandfather had a rather unique aviation history. Good luck.

http://www.airfields-freeman.com/IL/Airfields_IL_Chicago_S.htm (scroll to the bottom of the page)
 
I looked at the Abandoned Airfields website:

That's really cool - I used to live right next to that field when it was still operating (early-mid '60s). Both sets of my grandparents lived nearby. My mom grew up in Steger until she got married, and I lived in Park Forest for a bit as a kid while we were moving around. I also lived in Steger with my grandparents (her parents) for a little while during another one of our moves.
 
Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe said:
In a couple hours you could roll through all of the entries under the "production" pull down in the Beech17.net page.
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yeah I took a quick glips through that, nothing standing out yet. going to have to look at it when I get off work.
 
Bell206 said:
If you called the Airmen Certification Branch then maybe contact the Aircraft Registry Branch below and plead your case. If that fails request a recommendation for an Aircraft Title Search company that "maintains" a desk at the registry. This will cost money but they can manually search the registry records for the time period you mentioned. Unfortunately, several years ago the FAA purged the number side of the registry due to excessive "errors" however, I believe they maintained the original historical records. If they won't recommend a Title Search company just google "Aircraft Title Search" and a list of companies will populate with their contact info. Or ask for a recommendation on this site.

https://www.faa.gov/licenses_certif...raft_registry/contact_aircraft_certification/


I assume you have the following info below as it mentions a "Sandra Thielman" as providing it. But the write up on Governor's Airpark/ Wings/ Haedtler Field mentions a number of names and other things that may give you another track to follow. Seems your grandfather had a rather unique aviation history. Good luck.

http://www.airfields-freeman.com/IL/Airfields_IL_Chicago_S.htm (scroll to the bottom of the page)
Click to expand...
Yes Sandra Thielman is the aunt mentioned in my question. and we even know the man that wrote the book. ill take a look into the link you provided. THANKS!
 
That’s a neat looking plane. Never saw one of those until this post
 
Any chance he flew it to the Staggerwing Fly In in Tullahoma? Someone at the museum there might have some information on it.
 
I agree with beechtalk forum
Put something like "Staggerwing N number help". In thread title.

I know a Staggerwing expert in Chicago area, I'll pass on this info. Good luck
 
Busflyer said:
Any chance he flew it to the Staggerwing Fly In in Tullahoma? Someone at the museum there might have some information on it.
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I’m guessing that’s the museum he referred to in the OP. In the time frame he’s talking about, his grandpa would’ve been a museum founder if he was there.

They’ve probably got some info on the airplane, but it’s catalogued by serial number.
 
Bell206 said:
I assume you have the following info below as it mentions a "Sandra Thielman" as providing it. But the write up on Governor's Airpark/ Wings/ Haedtler Field mentions a number of names and other things that may give you another track to follow. Seems your grandfather had a rather unique aviation history. Good luck.

http://www.airfields-freeman.com/IL/Airfields_IL_Chicago_S.htm (scroll to the bottom of the page)
Click to expand...

Man... I seem to go to airfields-freeman.com a lot, but recently it's hit closer to home... Each time I go there, I tend to read some of the other airports on the same page as the one I'm looking at, and lately I've started to notice fields that have closed since I've been flying (got my private in 2003).

And this page has Howell-New Lenox, which was open for three years after I started flying, AND was within relatively easy $100 burger range. I don't remember it at all, and I don't remember it closing, but I'll bet I have some old sectionals that have it.

And it was supposed to be replaced by a housing development (called Sky Harbor, no less) and something appears to have stalled - They built the roads but not a single home. What a waste of a perfectly good airport. :(
 
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