Yesterday I was stopping by my hangar to get a compressor that I store out there... and as I am driving up I saw her... one of the two Cherokee 140s that I did all of my primary training in... N75186. I first flew her on December 11th, 1977, and flew her many more times over the next four years. Between this aircraft and her near-twin sister, N75248, I worked my way from my first flight to my commercial license several years later. I did my commercial long cross country in N75186... I still remember that day, flying the entire perimeter of Lake Michigan. All in all a great day. The current owner just redid the panel, upgrading it nicely. I hope that she will be flying for many years to come.
Cool! every once in a while I run across an airplane I flew significantly...most of them don’t look like they used to.
The plane I took my private test in is still flying locally. It was recently sold to a private party from the guy that had the small flight school. It looks better now at least on the outside than it did when I was flying it. The plane in my Avatar is the plane I started lessons in and soloed in. It apparently got bent by a student at some point.
Yep. A little bit if Michigan State University trivia... at the time the University flying club... the Winged Spartans... was very active. They bought N75186 and N75248 new. Not many (or any) clubs could afford to do that today. These two aircraft were used to train many pilots during their time with the club.
The first 3 planes I flew were Piper J3C65's. They all three seem to have been manufactured in 1946, making them 74 years old. The first one, 98806, was still at the same airport, Augusta, Daniel Field, in 2001 when I made a refueling stop there during the Masters Tournament. It is now in Overland Park, Kansas. The second, 98168, has been de registered by a crop dusting company. The third, 70485, is now in Fayetteville, Georgia. I have always been glad that my training started out in those very simple planes, learning only the basics, then adding more complexity after understanding exactly what an airplane can and can not do, un distracted.
The plane I took my first lessons in (back in 2000) is in the T hangar next to one of the club's planes (the 182 I got my high perf endorsement in) and two doors down from the 172 I got my PP and IR in. I've been a member of that club for 20 years. I know the guy who sold that plane (172N) and the guy who bought it from him. Small world, even smaller group in this corner of the airport. And if the guy who sold the plane had made me the same offer he made to the guy who bought it, I'd probably own it now. It was an offer he couldn't refuse.
In addition to 186 and 248 the Winged Spartans also purchased a 3rd new a/c, N75078 a IFR Warrior. The purchase of these 3 a/c was approximately $78,000 which nearly bankrupted the flying club. Fortunately, with 120 due paying members and the lure of flying new airplanes, enough revenue was generated to keep the club in existence. Nice pics of 186, looks to be original paint.
Nice David.... I'll bet that did stir up the memories. I was poking around online a year or so ago and found an old photo of a couple of the planes I flew back in the day...even that caused me to pause and think.... I was thinking about posing a list of the aircraft I've flow to see if anyone here has "crossed paths" with me.... I wonder if there would be much interest....
