Beechcraft Mouse Abandoned at KOMH?

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Lawson_Stone

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Lawson_Stone
My wife and I were driving from DC on I95 then onto the Constitutional Highway and as we were chattering, actually discussing "in a world where Lawson could own an airplane, what plane would that be?" we passed an airport (I think it was Orange County KMOH) and I saw a Beechcraft "mouse" of some sort, Musketeer, Sundowner, not a Sierra--and it was clearly either abandoned or at least sorely neglected. Parked near the highway, high grass growing around the landing gear, it made me deeply sad. I think a lot of pilots could love that little airplane.

Does anyone know anything about that plane? I can't do anything myself (not yet a pilot) but I would love to hear that someone is planning to restore it.
 
Look up the registration number on the FAA site
 
OMH. The one sitting in the field off the end of the t-hangars? Don't know the story, but it's been there a LONG time.
 
You could definitely make that fly again. Some pipe, some concrete, a hole saw, it'd probably make a dandy wind indicator.
 
I have been watching a once mighty Piper Cherokee waste away for the past 23 years. One of the flaps is just hanging on, and there is surface corrosion all over... We approached the owner many years ago to put it as a leaseback into our flying club... and was met with a firm NO.....

In my world, if your not using it and it cost you money every month/year... well it doesn't take phi betta kappa graduate from the Harvard School of Rocket Surgery to figure out where this is going.
 
There was a Navion parked at VKX when I was there. I had looked at it and it didn't seem in too bad shape. Apparently, the owner parked it after Bobby told him she wouldn't annual it unless he got the exhaust fixed. That was only an AMU or two. I looked at some of the common other problems (I started looking at his right after I found some broken pieces in my landing gears, but his seemed fine). Last I heard about it Dave Wartofsky was trying to figure out how to get the thing condemned so he could get it off the field. Apparently he'd not been paying the tiedown fees either.
 
It seems that most airports have abandoned or semi-abandoned aircraft on them somewhere.
At ONZ there is a Navion tied down that, I think has changed hands, gets worked on on occasion, but hasn't flown since before I got there 10 years ago. ( I did see someone start it up and taxi to the end of the runway and back a few years ago.)
There used to be a 172/182? in the hangar next to mine. Hadn't flown in many years. Many. Last I heard, the owner had moved to Ohio and the airplane was going to be trailered there to be "restored". Who knows. Perhaps it happened. Perhaps.
 
flyingron said:
OMH. The one sitting in the field off the end of the t-hangars? Don't know the story, but it's been there a LONG time.
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that's the one. We drove by before I had presence of mind to note the N number or even snap a picture, but yeah, it looked to me like it had been there for a super long time.
 
Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe said:
It seems that most airports have abandoned or semi-abandoned aircraft on them somewhere.
At ONZ there is a Navion tied down that, I think has changed hands, gets worked on on occasion, but hasn't flown since before I got there 10 years ago. ( I did see someone start it up and taxi to the end of the runway and back a few years ago.)
There used to be a 172/182? in the hangar next to mine. Hadn't flown in many years. Many. Last I heard, the owner had moved to Ohio and the airplane was going to be trailered there to be "restored". Who knows. Perhaps it happened. Perhaps.
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I flew up to Slatington PA (69N) last year to ride the bike trail up to Jim Thorpe. The entire taxiway is lined with junked planes - probably 15-20 of them - rotting away in the woods. No idea why they’re there. Maybe someone had the idea of parting them all out for the cash. The airport is right next to the river, so I was also considering that a flood could have destroyed them all at once.
 
AlleyCat67 said:
I flew up to Slatington PA (69N) last year to ride the bike trail up to Jim Thorpe. The entire taxiway is lined with junked planes - probably 15-20 of them - rotting away in the woods. No idea why they’re there. Maybe someone had the idea of parting them all out for the cash. The airport is right next to the river, so I was also considering that a flood could have destroyed them all at once.
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Insurance fodder? If a flood destroyed them all at once, that could make for an interesting claim.
 
Most of the ramp queens I've run across weren't insured and either had liens or incomplete registration histories. However, every now and then you could find one that was simply forgotten about and turn it into a small profit.
 
There are even more hangar queens at many airports. Older guy, can't bear to part with his airplane, even though he hasn't wanted or been able to fly it for 3, 5, 10 years, whatever. Every electrical connection slowly getting oxidized. Engine sitting and sitting. Mice doing their thing. Then he dies and the aircraft gets scrapped or sold for a fraction of "what I know it's worth because my husband told me so before he died." Yes, your spam can sitting in a hangar for 10 years is not worth 100k. And usually the last maintenance before it stopped operating was also minimal since he wasn't flying it very much anyhow.

For the majority of such aircraft, free is too expensive.
 
I hopped on google maps and did the street view to check this little guy out. It's weird how this one emotionally hit me. My impression was it looks like this proud little airplane, standing tall, eagerly waiting for somebody to come fly him. Almost puppy like. Yet, no owner comes.

As stupid as it sounds, I always feel like our airplanes do contain some spirit if you will. They appreciate it when we take care of them, and are sad when we don't. I know it's just metal, and wires, and this is purely an internal feeling projected onto a lifeless object, but still, I feel they know. Perhaps this goes back to when sailors felt their vessels had souls, and airplanes are the same. I hope somebody rescues this little guy and gets him off the ground.
 
BigghHauss78 said:
I hopped on google maps and did the street view to check this little guy out. It's weird how this one emotionally hit me. My impression was it looks like this proud little airplane, standing tall, eagerly waiting for somebody to come fly him. Almost puppy like. Yet, no owner comes.
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The only attribute of these Beech is that they have roomy cabins (and therefore are very slow). I know of at least two similar ones and corrosion has set in - a running one can be a nice time builder. Easy to land, just have to keep the donuts fresh.
 
The floor value seems to be scrap Aluminum -- might be able to get $0.50/lb. Surely there is a rebuild out there that needs a data plate.

If one wasn't an A&P and had to pay for wrench labor, I couldn't see it working out even if one got the plane for free.
 
DJTorrente said:
The floor value seems to be scrap Aluminum -- might be able to get $0.50/lb. Surely there is a rebuild out there that needs a data plate.

If one wasn't an A&P and had to pay for wrench labor, I couldn't see it working out even if one got the plane for free.
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Correct free is too expensive. You may be able to get it hauled off for free; no scrap value unless you cut it up yourself. Ot sometimes an outfit like Texas Air Salvage will buy and haul it for a very low number, presuming they can sell bits and pieces off of it for more than their investment.
 
DJTorrente said:
Surely there is a rebuild out there that needs a data plate.
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Except that type of data plate swap was never legal to begin with and leaves the rebuilder open to severe penalties if caught. However, even with an A&P it is still a tough route to flip any ramp/hangar queen that has sat for extended periods. For example, I had a much higher ROI repairing or parting weather damaged aircraft than any derelict aircraft I picked up.
 
DJTorrente said:
The floor value seems to be scrap Aluminum -- might be able to get $0.50/lb. Surely there is a rebuild out there that needs a data plate.
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Which isn't much. We got a ton of Navion "scrap" donated to the type club that nobody had the least bit of interest in. We tried to see if any teens or someone wanted to take them off our hands in exchange for what they could get at the scrapyards, but aluminum wasn't going to net enough to get someone to bite.

One of the Navions we looked at when we bought ours was a pretty original one that was in good condition (wasn't quite what we wanted). Margy talked to the owner at length. She had a co-owner for a long time, but he passed away. None of the children wanted the plane, and she said she couldn't see to leave to decay from non-use and was looking for a good home for it. Someone, got a good deal on that (it could have been made into an award winner).
 
Bell206 said:
Except that type of data plate swap was never legal to begin with and leaves the rebuilder open to severe penalties if caught. However, even with an A&P it is still a tough route to flip any ramp/hangar queen that has sat for extended periods. For example, I had a much higher ROI repairing or parting weather damaged aircraft than any derelict aircraft I picked up.
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^This

Much more remunerative to keep the few remaining highly-used high performance (selects for owners that probably can and will pay) aircraft out there in good form than restore a junk pile.
 
BigghHauss78 said:
I hopped on google maps and did the street view to check this little guy out. It's weird how this one emotionally hit me. My impression was it looks like this proud little airplane, standing tall, eagerly waiting for somebody to come fly him. Almost puppy like. Yet, no owner comes.

As stupid as it sounds, I always feel like our airplanes do contain some spirit if you will. They appreciate it when we take care of them, and are sad when we don't. I know it's just metal, and wires, and this is purely an internal feeling projected onto a lifeless object, but still, I feel they know. Perhaps this goes back to when sailors felt their vessels had souls, and airplanes are the same. I hope somebody rescues this little guy and gets him off the ground.
Click to expand...
I think that intangible aspect of it struck me too. I"ve seen abandoned airplanes, but that one seemed to me to be waiting for the right person to come along and go broke trying to restore it.
 
flyingron said:
There was a Navion parked at VKX when I was there. I had looked at it and it didn't seem in too bad shape. Apparently, the owner parked it after Bobby told him she wouldn't annual it unless he got the exhaust fixed. That was only an AMU or two. I looked at some of the common other problems (I started looking at his right after I found some broken pieces in my landing gears, but his seemed fine). Last I heard about it Dave Wartofsky was trying to figure out how to get the thing condemned so he could get it off the field. Apparently he'd not been paying the tiedown fees either.
Click to expand...
If he's not paying tie down fees, after proper notice, the airport management can put a lien on the aircraft. After a time they can take the aircraft to pay the lien and then auction it. It must be a public auction.
 
Just did a bit of curiosity sleuthing with Google Maps street view. It wasn't there in Aug 23 but was in Jan 24. Couldn't make out the N number though.
 
BillTIZ said:
If he's not paying tie down fees, after proper notice, the airport management can put a lien on the aircraft. After a time they can take the aircraft to pay the lien and then auction it. It must be a public auction.
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That's exactly what HWY is doing with an abandoned Albatross. Absolutely gorgeous aircraft and I'd buy it in a minute if I won the lottery. Would cost a ton to fix (not that the economics of aircraft has ever been rational) but would make the greatest Pilots and Paws transport in the world!

And agree with the comments about aircraft having spirit. I talk to my airplane all the time and always thank her for a safe flight after I've put her back in the hangar. Rationally, I know it's just a machine. I also know that's not true. :D
 
AvNavCom said:
That's exactly what HWY is doing with an abandoned Albatross. Absolutely gorgeous aircraft and I'd buy it in a minute if I won the lottery. Would cost a ton to fix (not that the economics of aircraft has ever been rational) but would make the greatest Pilots and Paws transport in the world!

And agree with the comments about aircraft having spirit. I talk to my airplane all the time and always thank her for a safe flight after I've put her back in the hangar. Rationally, I know it's just a machine. I also know that's not true. :D
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Don't forget you'll need a type rating and a co-pilot for your Albatross adventure.
 
If you can handle a twin, their are lots of them that can't draw flies for sale. Operation and fixed cost are more but the rock bottom price for lots of them can pay for a lot of gas and other cost over a single engine.
 
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