170 B with less than 1300 hours TTAF

[blueldr]

I would sure as hell like to know the secret of those tires. All of the airplane tires I've ever been associated with were "leakers" and refused to hold air for more than a month or two before they became hard to push around.

[T. C. Downey]

Half a can of fit-a-Flat,,,,, that's the secret

[GAHorn]

I hope no one takes your "fix-a-flat" suggestion seriously, Tom. That stuff is water and latex and deteriorates after a while, and it ruins the balance as it's slops around in there, creating vibrations, etc..

I have seeen "Slime" used in small quantities successfully, but only a couple ounces applied and then extensive taxying to spread it around internally. Not on anything of mine but my lawn tractors, etc.. I buy good U.S.A. (prefer Goodyear) butyl tubes for my airplane and avoid chineese inner tubes. The good ones have really shot up in price recently, but they're a long-term investment.

[jwpalmer]

Back to the plane, does anyone know WHY the owner does not wish to part with his rapidly deteriorating aircraft? Is it even salvageable for someone comfortable with major sheet metal repair? Timmonsville isn't that far from Richmond. If he could be persuaded to part with it, I might want to take a look.

John

[N2255D]

Don't Know why he won't sell but from what I saw of the airplane there is not much that is any good. The exterior is badly corroded. Every part that is not blue is corroded, not painted. The MLG legs are probably trash because of the extent of the rust. The right door was ripped off by the wind yeas ago and the inside turned into a trash can. Looks like someone has helped themselves to a few instruments and left parts of the panel hanging. Don't know how many years the landing light lens has been missing but that can't be good for the interior of the left wing. If I remember correctly it still has the goodyear brakes.

[bagarre]

I'll bet the prop could be overhauled and put back into service.
The accessory case MIGHT be ok. Oil pan is probably shot but worth checking.
Does it still have the floating panel and trim rings? Maybe the glove box?
The firewall is galvanized, it might be OK.

past that probably not much other than using things for templates.

[jwpalmer]

Thanks. Hard to tell from a photo. Better projects await.

John

[GAHorn]

Back to the plane, does anyone know WHY the owner does not wish to part with his rapidly deteriorating aircraft? ...

Why do I keep my old Boy Scout Merit Badge Sash?
Why did my Dad keep his WW-2 uniforms? (at least he could still fit into them)

I think aeroplanes are not just what a pilot does.... it's who he IS. The value of that piece of dust is more to the old man than the money. The plane isn't what he loves (or he'd let someone restore it).... it's the remembrances it gives him that he loves.

I once researched an old dilapidated machine only to find that the owner had never cleared the title-lien from a defunct bank. To interested parties, it was a mystery why he'd never sell. To passers-by...it was a mere curiosity. To the owner, it was a precious memory. But in reality, it was a wasted asset.

[Ryan Smith]

So I am finally back in North Carolina. I unloaded the moving truck and headed immediately down to the Joe Nall Memorial flying at Triple Tree (SC00) for the week for work.

Because the last month has been hectic, I was looking for an excuse to unwind, so I drove well out of my way to check this airplane out. It's not exactly easy to locate on the field. I drove down the runway, and back, before driving back to try to locate an office or a person otherwise. I happened upon an older gentleman that owns a hangar on the field and asked him about the airplane. He was kind enough to drive me to it (it's down by the road). He's been out there since 1980 and his family actually owned a 170 many moons ago.

He took a few minutes to chat with me about the airplane and then went on his way. Since the airport owner is a grumpy old fart, I didn't stay too long, but I sure wanted to.

The airplane was apparently flown in one night and abandoned. The airport owner took the propeller off of the airplane so it couldn't be flown out/stolen and it has been sitting for decades, as previously stated. I've done a little research into the legality of this airplane on my way home, and it would appear that the airport owner is, in fact, the de-facto owner of this airplane.

I suppose I don't share the same sentiment that others have when looking at the airplane, but it could be ignorance or naïveté. Certainly the corrosion on the underside of the wings is horrendous, but looking inside, the ribs, bulkheads and stringers (from what I could see) appear to be shiny, uncorroded metal, oddly enough. I'm going to do a little more research and contact the owner to see what pans out. It's certainly original, and it was very cool to see. Interior was not salvageable, but could be used for patterns and documentation purposes. As silly as this sounds, I'd love to have it.

I didn't stay too long, but it has crosswind gear and some sort of plenum/duct on the starboard side cockpit floor to the back seat. It's a neat airplane that would take a lot of cash to become airworthy again, but I think it could happen. It's certainly an original 1952 survivor.

[blueldr]

A follow up on this thread would be interesting to read.

[Ryan Smith]

Arash,

If I could somehow get my family's airplane back to fly while I restored this one, I'd be in heaven. My real goal is to own N2256D. I just need to befriend a rich guy that would be willing to finance a loan to buy it.

Once I complete my research and contact the owner, I'll report back. Buying a CD from the FAA today.

[edbooth]

I saw this airplane about 20 years ago..was not in too bad of shape then. Even at that time, everyone around there said "not for sale"........weird !

[Ryan Smith]

I'm shocked that this airplane has not been destroyed by a hurricane as it's not tied down.

It really is like peering into a time capsule. It's a survivor...barely. I hope the FAA CD shows up soon.