The International Cessna 170 Association

I concur - West Coast Wings rebuilt my flaps and I'm very happy with the results.

Don't be scared off by C170 (non A/B) ragwing models. Unless you have some specific inclination to the A/B (like availability of a particular STC), the original C170 is a fine machine (I'm quite biased) and really not something to be wary of.

RT

There is a reason why test pilot schools (NTPS, USAF) locate in SoCal - good weather & wicked winds! I took '79V from Palo Alto to Phoenix/Deer Valley over Thanksgiving to visit with family. The high desert is some of the most beautiful country we have, and littered with all sorts of aviation ho...

I use preprinted labels for endorsements and must-be-logged training for my flight students - they are legal as long as you sign and date by hand. More than legal, they are actually a whole bunch more legible than the handwritten versions!

RT

I've been insuring cars with USAA since I started driving, and wouldn't change given their superb service and "officer's word is his bond" attitude. Same with my house insurance. But not on my C170. They don't write the policy, they resell it, and my sense is they don't have the same flexi...

When I had my annual done last year we disconnected the CHT and Carb Temp gauges as they were unreliable. My mechanic (Vern Miller, sad that we lost him last month) suggested we replace the gauges and probes/thermocouples in next annual cycle, but I cannot recall what brands he favored. He was very ...

Ask if they'll let you have the 'bad' unit as a memento. I'm sure you can resell it for enough to pay for a few annuals and 37 gallons of 100LL.

I concur - I just read the STC paperwork, and the blast air is required for the Jasco alternator. What I need to do is secure replacement rear baffles with the blast ducts and get them put in at my next annual. By then it will be ambiently cooler and thus no longer imperative, but then next year wil...

Following on - please confirm that the blast tubes were optional for the C-145 as installed in the 1948 C170? I don't have any installed (if they are, as described, ports on the rear baffling off the engine, to scavenge the impact air that flows over the engine). I am definitely seeing higher oil te...

My '48 170 needed new packing for the fuel valve. There were plenty of official sources that required a mortgage. My friends at Home Depot were more than happy to help out with a teflon packing rope for less than a cuppa at the corner 'high end' coffee shop. I bought four of them to give me a lifeti...

Not tricks, it's common sense stuff. But it's good to read it and try it. Remember the soft field landing stuff from your primary training? That bit about "a touch of power over the fence" wasn't for the benefit of the fence or clearing the engine. It arrests your descent rate, and gives y...

One other bit to consider is these airplanes hold their value. We aren't making any more of them, but we are making more pilots interested in them. So, think of it as an investment account - treat it properly, manage it properly, and you can sell it for some reasonable profit in the future, with lit...

Everett, one thing you might consider is a Scott 3200 (or 3200A) replacement. I never liked the wheel-frame clearance of the Maule wheel, or the single support arm. The Scott wheel is much stronger, and with the 3200A version (same as used on the Husky) I'm a lot happier landing on soft/rough fields...

Miles - I am a CFI and would not say it much differently, good job! I would add that power is the real source of "power" in this situation. You can modulate the airplane all the way down to the runway with the throttle, basically getting the vertical speed to nil if you wish. It's not much...

Someone approached me this weekend at Palo Alto, offering to detail the airplane. I didn't catch his name, but a call to the FBOs at KPAO would probably turn him up (West Valley Flying Club, Palo Alto Flying Club, Sundance Flying Club, Northern California Piper, etc.)

RT