Project - Yankee or Yanked Around?

nope, not an A&P, and to be honest, I'm nowhere near ready for a project like this now. Gotta get our daughter married (2 weeks - yikes!) and son thru college first. The youngest may have to figure out how to do college on his own when the time comes if I do dig into something like this before he's ready for college...6 years to go before I have to worry about that, tho!

I was just poking around on ebay and these caught my eye.
 
Stuff like this makes you wonder what else is lying around in peoples' garages, sheds, barns, etc.
 
HuskerMedic said:
Stuff like this makes you wonder what else is lying around in peoples' garages, sheds, barns, etc.
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...and how to find it and get your hands on it.
 
Greg,

Its in Wayne, NE. That's not too far from us. We could have that sucker down here in no time! The AA1 series O-320 conversion are very popular. I'd love to have one, but that would constitute having my own "fleet" of Grummans which my wife has promised will cause AIDS (aviation induced divorce syndrome).
 
I've got the truck and a trailer that it would fit on...we could hide it at my place for a while. Let's see..."Hon - I'm going to Nebraska for a load of hay"... that might cut it...for about 3 seconds, that is. And, the garage is on the "must clean out" list before our daughter's wedding guests arrive in, gulp, 2 weeks.... :eek:
 
Anthyony,

Whats the deal with wing repair on the Grummans these days... is there a procedure for field repair...I wonder what the hanger rash looks like.

Len
 
NC19143 said:
This looks like a fine project. Are you a A&P? do you know an A&P that will allow you to work under supervision?

IF So, have a go, the price looks right.
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So, Tom... let's just say, hypothetically, that I bid on this thing (and my wife doesn't find out) and let's say I actually win it (and my wife doesn't find out) and let's say I sneak out to Nebraska (and my wife doesn't find out) haul it back and stash it in my garage (and my wife doesn't find out) spend hours and hours reassembling it (and my wife doesn't find out) get it to the airport and actually fly the thing (and my wife doesn't find out). What are the chances that I end up spending way more money than if I just found an airplane that didn't come with the fine print "some assembly required"?

Weak attempt at humor aside, buying an airplane in a box, how much A&P supervision would be required in reassembling said aircraft? If assembled without supervision, is the plane a candidate for an Experimental category? Is there some way to upgrade from Experimental?
 
That little aircraft could be a rusty gold brick. But restoration is a family affair, get the wife involved and she may really enjoy the hobby.

Rule # 1

You can buy better aircraft than you can build dollar for dollar.

Rule # 2

You can build the aircraft you want.

This AA1 looks like it needs a lot of soap and water applied with TLC.
The radios are crap, trash them get 1 one good GPS/com such as the Garmin 250XL.

Get involved with the type club subscribe to the news letter and get an education.

Strip clean re-paint, re-assemble and you got an aircraft.

A&Ps many of us like to help owners with their aircraft. All you need to do is a search the FAA Data base and find a list of A&Ps near you start phoning them see who will help.

Remember

You do not gain the EXP airworthiness certificate by any other method than gettig FSDO involved.

They will want a major change to place it in EXP catagory, then after the testing time they will place it back into normal catagory.

Work with an A&P it is the easiest.

This is an easy project, you will not be doing and fabrication, just strip, clean, and re-assemble. get an annual to fly.

Do good work, by the book, fly it up here and I'll do your first annual FREE.

Tom D. A&P-IA
 
fgcason said:
...and how to find it and get your hands on it.
Click to expand...

Good-ol Boys club, type clubs, word of mouth. what ever it takes.

Here is a project I have been trying to buy for 15 years

SR-10-J almost the last one made.
 
Greg-I'm not very far from Wayne (as the crow, or Cherokee as it would be, flies) and I would be happy to help you load it up.
 
Thanks, Tom - very kind of you and a very generous offer. And, thanks to you, too, Carl!

I don't see a project in the cards for me right now...lots of other family kind of things a bit higher up on the priority list. Somebody's going to have fun, tho. Looks like a bit of bidding activity, and it's got another couple of days to run.
 
Greg,

The bid is up to $11.4K on that Yankee now.

What is interesting is that the engine is probably worth that much if it is actually in the shape advertised.

I would consider selling the O320 and switch it back to an O235 and add the 125hp cylinder STC for the O235. Basically for weight and full burn reasons.

It is a tempting advertisement but my wife would kill me before I would ever have the chance to fly the thing.

I notice that there are three seats pictured in the ad...I wonder if one of them is the child seat that was available.

Len
 
I was hoping that the seller would post the questions and answers. I'm sure he's been asked about complete logs (says "comes with all logs" but no hint about how complete), etc, how long since the engine was run, was it pickled before disassembly, etc... I'm curious, but not curious enough to bother asking the questions.
 
Len Lanetti said:
I notice that there are three seats pictured in the ad...I wonder if one of them is the child seat that was available.
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If you change the pic views to the third pic (quartering view from the rear), you'll notice that there are 4 seats pictured; 2 tan on white and 2 tan on dark...
 
gkainz said:
If you change the pic views to the third pic (quartering view from the rear), you'll notice that there are 4 seats pictured; 2 tan on white and 2 tan on dark...
Click to expand...

Greg,

Aaahh yes. I also see that it will need an antenna.

Additionally, the main landing gear wheel is mounted wrong. The wheel should be on the outside of the gear leg. See pictures below of flying examples for sale listed in Trade a Plane.

AA1C Model with 160HP
http://www.trade-a-plane.com/unprotected/specs/32082.html

1970 Yankee
http://www.trade-a-plane.com/unprotected/specs/31970.html

There were a few other examples of flying 2 seaters in trade a plane as well. Here is a four seater, just add engine and annual. :<)

1972 GRUMMAN TRAVELER AA5, 2030hrs TTAE, VFR panel, needs annual. Clean, reliable, fun airplane. $24,750. TX/(210) 523-9226.

Len
 
Len Lanetti said:
Additionally, the main landing gear wheel is mounted wrong. The wheel should be on the outside of the gear leg.
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Do you suppose that was intentional as part of the "disassembled for transporting" the seller mentioned? It would make it a little narrower, but I can't tell which is wider, the main mount or the wing spar... ah, after checking out the "fully assembled" pictures you linked, it seems that the main gear wheel extends outboard of the wing spar...
 
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gkainz said:
Do you suppose that was intentional as part of the "disassembled for transporting" the seller mentioned? It would make it a little narrower, ...
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It has been awhile but I helped put a few AA1s on flatbed trailers. I can't remember if we had to turn the wheels around to make them fit on a standard truck. The seller may very well have done this to save some room in the hanger or garage and to fit on a truck.

I've also seen AA1s packed into crates and sent overseas.

The more I look at projects the more I think that getting a flying plane is a better deal.

Len
 
Len Lanetti said:
The more I look at projects the more I think that getting a flying plane is a better deal.

Len
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Remember
Rule #1 ?
You can buy better aircraft than you can build.
BUT
Rule #2 ?
You can build the aircraft you want.

You do not restore a project like this for a cheap aircraft.

You restore this aircraft because you want to restore this aircraft.

You must look at these projects as a hobby, otherwise you'll drive yourself crazy.

If going to lunch at ?______ and having some one say "WoW! that's Sweet" Is worth anything at all, these projects are worth doing.

If not? trust some one elses work.

Very few modern aircraft will make money on a restoration, My 3 C-170s made me about $.50 per hour. but I had fun and that was $.50 that I did not have without doing it. And they got me into the F-24,

I paid $40k for it, and now have around $62k into it total, but have a standing offer of $240k. paydays are few and far between but are good when they come along.

Remember I started this hobby in 1990, with a C-150 which I borrowed $8500 to buy.

All you need is a place to start.
 
NC19143 said:
Remember
Rule #1 ?
You can buy better aircraft than you can build.
BUT
Rule #2 ?
You can build the aircraft you want.

You do not restore a project like this for a cheap aircraft.

You restore this aircraft because you want to restore this aircraft.

You must look at these projects as a hobby, otherwise you'll drive yourself crazy.

If going to lunch at ?______ and having some one say "WoW! that's Sweet" Is worth anything at all, these projects are worth doing.

If not? trust some one elses work.

Very few modern aircraft will make money on a restoration, My 3 C-170s made me about $.50 per hour. but I had fun and that was $.50 that I did not have without doing it. And they got me into the F-24,

I paid $40k for it, and now have around $62k into it total, but have a standing offer of $240k. paydays are few and far between but are good when they come along.

Remember I started this hobby in 1990, with a C-150 which I borrowed $8500 to buy.

All you need is a place to start.
Click to expand...

Got any PIX of your F24 ?
 
Len Lanetti said:
Tom's website

http://www2.whidbey.net/nc19143/index.htm

Len
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things completed since the latest up date


Tail feathers on.
Fuel system mod
Up on gear

The wing in my garage is ready to cover this week.
But I'll take it to the hangar and mount it run all the new wiring to the strobes, nav light etc, and hook up the fuel lines, befor we hide every thing with ceconite.
 
NC19143 said:
things completed since the latest up date


Tail feathers on.
Fuel system mod
Up on gear

The wing in my garage is ready to cover this week.
But I'll take it to the hangar and mount it run all the new wiring to the strobes, nav light etc, and hook up the fuel lines, befor we hide every thing with ceconite.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the PIX, it will be incredible to see it flying again !
 
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