Swede
Filing Flight Plan
This is going to be a rather long post... but I'm high as a kite right now. Our rebuild project is airborne!
Long story short - I moved to an airpark about 8 years ago to get back to what makes flying fun. I bought a 1966 Citabria 7ECA from an older fellow, ex TWA mechanic. It wasn't airworthy, but I thought with some effort, it could be. The nice thing about an airpark, you have neighbors who are pilots, skilled mechanics, CFI's, etc. We even have an avionics shop in the neighborhood.
But the more I dug into it, the more depressed I became. It was in a wretched state with a run-out O-235, ancient avionics, there was corrosion, bad paint, it went on and on.
These were the original wood spar wings. There is an evil AD that requires cutting a dozen or so inspection ports so as to periodically ensure that the spar is healthy. This, given that not a single 7ECA has been lost due to spar failure. Most annoying to me, we have serious mud dauber issues here in TX, and these little bastards find every crevice they can to make their nests. I'd tap on the fabric. feel a mud nest break loose and bounce in the wing. I'd cut a slit in the fabric, vacuum out the mud, move on to the next rib. I think I pulled about 50 lb of mud out of it before I gave it up.
It sat in my hangar for years. Nov 2014, an A&P buddy came by and said "Let's rebuild it!" It needed it.
New metal spar wings, new struts. New glass, new interior. I'm using round VHF comm and transponder, and the original radio rack area now houses a GPS bracket. No NAV radio.
The ancient avionics were tossed. Ditto vacuum pump. The O-235 was worthless, we replaced it with a 0 SMOH O-320 via STC. The airframe was stripped to the bone, blasted, primed, recovered.
The wings came from the factory (ACA) all white. I wanted to do something (paint-wise) that didn't scream "CITABRIA!" So I found a design I admired, red over white, and we shot it with a HVLP gun. People are going to look at it and say "Huh? A Champion? Just what is that?"
Anyone who has rebuilt an aircraft, or built an experimental, knows the effort and $$ that goes into a project like this. The work was immense, but generally fun, and when you have a neighborhood into airplanes, that makes a huge difference.
First flight was supposed to be 2 days ago. But a fuel problem described in this thread
http://www.pilotsofamerica.com/forum/showthread.php?t=86123
prevented it. I'll reiterate... were were VERY lucky my buddy wasn't killed or hurt, and the airplane a wreck.
So... I promised some pics. I wish I'd taken more of the basket case she was. I posted some very short video clips. Nothing particularly exciting, very short, more for family and friends, and those who know what a first flight feels like, emotion-wise. I was scared to death, and I wasn't even in the airplane!
https://youtu.be/VZM74cBirGw Take Off
Long story short - I moved to an airpark about 8 years ago to get back to what makes flying fun. I bought a 1966 Citabria 7ECA from an older fellow, ex TWA mechanic. It wasn't airworthy, but I thought with some effort, it could be. The nice thing about an airpark, you have neighbors who are pilots, skilled mechanics, CFI's, etc. We even have an avionics shop in the neighborhood.
But the more I dug into it, the more depressed I became. It was in a wretched state with a run-out O-235, ancient avionics, there was corrosion, bad paint, it went on and on.
These were the original wood spar wings. There is an evil AD that requires cutting a dozen or so inspection ports so as to periodically ensure that the spar is healthy. This, given that not a single 7ECA has been lost due to spar failure. Most annoying to me, we have serious mud dauber issues here in TX, and these little bastards find every crevice they can to make their nests. I'd tap on the fabric. feel a mud nest break loose and bounce in the wing. I'd cut a slit in the fabric, vacuum out the mud, move on to the next rib. I think I pulled about 50 lb of mud out of it before I gave it up.
It sat in my hangar for years. Nov 2014, an A&P buddy came by and said "Let's rebuild it!" It needed it.
New metal spar wings, new struts. New glass, new interior. I'm using round VHF comm and transponder, and the original radio rack area now houses a GPS bracket. No NAV radio.
The ancient avionics were tossed. Ditto vacuum pump. The O-235 was worthless, we replaced it with a 0 SMOH O-320 via STC. The airframe was stripped to the bone, blasted, primed, recovered.
The wings came from the factory (ACA) all white. I wanted to do something (paint-wise) that didn't scream "CITABRIA!" So I found a design I admired, red over white, and we shot it with a HVLP gun. People are going to look at it and say "Huh? A Champion? Just what is that?"
Anyone who has rebuilt an aircraft, or built an experimental, knows the effort and $$ that goes into a project like this. The work was immense, but generally fun, and when you have a neighborhood into airplanes, that makes a huge difference.
First flight was supposed to be 2 days ago. But a fuel problem described in this thread
http://www.pilotsofamerica.com/forum/showthread.php?t=86123
prevented it. I'll reiterate... were were VERY lucky my buddy wasn't killed or hurt, and the airplane a wreck.
So... I promised some pics. I wish I'd taken more of the basket case she was. I posted some very short video clips. Nothing particularly exciting, very short, more for family and friends, and those who know what a first flight feels like, emotion-wise. I was scared to death, and I wasn't even in the airplane!
https://youtu.be/VZM74cBirGw Take Off
https://youtu.be/JcNDPTi2FhI Low Approach
https://youtu.be/nwgQjV5yya4 Final Landing
Painting... funny note, the paper used to mask was giant blue prints of DFW airport and terminals when it was built in the 70's! I found it in the dumpster.
Final views...
I'd appreciate comments, good or bad, on the color scheme. The seats are leather, sewn at a local shop, and the glareshield uses the same burgundy leather rather than black. I like it.
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