Kyle, a word of warning, do not accept a ride in a 180 under any circumstances. Once you do you will be trying to figure out how to get one. This advice from someone who bought his first 170B when he had 13 hours, flew it 400 hours, sold to go to A&P school (so I could put what I want in the log books . Then I had a 140, a 150. Finally bought a 71 180, sold it, thought I needed a 310, sold that to buy a 185 (super fun), times got bad at work so sold the 185 on a Friday and bought another 170B on Saturday. Great fun at the airport doing landings but found a 69 180 project, kept flying the 170B while working (slowly) on the 180. Foolishly sold the 170B thinking the 180 would be done soon. Didn't happen so for after a year of renting 172 bought a 170A which I will keep until the 180 is finished. No matter how much fun the 170 is, can't wait to get the 180 together as the are the most versatile airplane built. So take Greg up on his offer of help but stay out of his 180.
Funny you mention that... The 170 is the only good decision I've made with regard to airplanes. My first was a 1974 - 182P, great airplane. Then I had the really stupid idea of selling it, buying a twin and opening a charter business - all the while having a real job. Well, I sold the 182, bought a Seneca III and went into the Charter business Certificated right before 911 - May 19th 2001 to be exact. That didn't work out so good for the long term. In June of 2003 I turned the certificate back into the FAA (Very painful thing after all that work) and found the 170B in 2006 - just love this airplane,
But - now I've been kicking the idea around with a couple of buddies about something with a radial engine. I should just learn from all my mistakes and fly the 170 forever
I do look at 180's and 185's on TAP and ASO all the time... I'm my own worst enemy
docfoley wrote:oooooh.... R A D I A L E N G I N E .......
There is almost nothing better sounding than a radial... ( except a Merlin )
Especially to high dollar repair shops that specialize in mechanical problems
of the wealthy.
'53 B-model N146YS SN:25713
50th Anniversary of Flight Model. Winner-Best Original 170B, 100th Anniversary of Flight Convention. An originality nut (mostly) for the right reasons.
Most Merlin installations had short exhaust stacks with a barky, rather ragged sound. What I really liked was the sound of an exhaust collected V-12 like the Allisons on the P-38s.
I can vividly recall that when I went to work for Lockheed and heard the collected exhaust on the P&W R-2800 engines on the Venturas, it used to make the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
Let me tell you about how the USAAF almost lost their most valuable pilot recruit back in the really big war.
I had worked for Lockheed (Vega Aircraft) on the Ventura which was equipped with P&W R-2800, eighteen cylinder engines, with a collected exhaust and a single outlet. The throaty sound of this masterpiece engine was just about the most exciting sound I had ever heard.
When the Army found that the war seemed to be bogging down and decided to send my tender young butt off to flying school to get things going, they sent me waaaay out to Blythe, California, to Morton Air Academy, a contract primary flying school, to help them to get things started. Blythe is out in the desert and they used to start flying early in the morning.
We rode a train all night and arrived on a railroad sideing at Morton Air Academy at about 6:30 AM. They were just starting the days flying with the world famous Ryan PT-22s with the Kinner five, count 'em, FIVE, cylinder radial engine, which had two exhaust outlets, one for three cylinders and one for two.
You must understand that I was pretty excited about flying, but I didn't know a helluva lot about little airplanes like a Ryan PT-22. However, I sure as hell knew what an airplane was supposed to sound like.
These PT-22s with their exhaust outlets on on either side so that you could hear almost half of the engine
certainly did not tend to instill confidence in a fledgeling aviator who was prepared for something like the sound of those P&W R-2800s. "Pocketa, Pocketa, Pocketa, Pocketa" OMG!
"Those dirty bastards have sent me out here to die", I thought. The airplanes sounded very similar to a two cylinder John Deere farm tractor in need of a tune up, and seemed to be turning about the same RPM.
To this day, I am amazed that we were able to defeat the grim reaper and get through the primary phase with nothing more than having aged our instructor, John J Raptis, well beyond his actual years.
Forty seven years later, John J. Raptis touted me on to the C-170 and helped me run a pre-buy inspection on the airplane I bought.
Hopefully "docfoley" has purchases his 170 and his search is over. I wish you fun and safe flying.
I to have been searching for a couple years but more earnestly since early Dec. 2012. I to have made two of those 28 hours (one 18 hour) road trips from here in Arkansas. I wish I had a big thumb drive with all the knowledge from the folks on this forum on that I could just plug into a usb port on the back of my skull (not literally) for easy download , sort of like Mr. Anderson had on the matrix. I have found this plane search process very challenging and very frustrating. Second guessing every good decision I thought I was making. I wish I had found this thread before making the last two trips as I did not do much of the access panel or carpet/head liner removal stuff, just figured that's what I would pay the inspector for. I understand the purpose is to not pay for 5 inspections before finding a good plane, just not sure I would have understood what I was looking at short of some really big problem. I guess that is one of the down falls of growing up learning to hunt and raise cattle rather than inspect airplanes.
Even though the wife is on board with the purchase of a plane, well half on board at this point, it is touch to convince her that I need to be gone for yet another weekend to look at planes. I said all of that to just give you a little insight (whether you wanted it or not) into my fun last two months.
I did run across a 170 for sell not exactly in my back yard but at least within a 4 hours drive. I seen all those offers of help from some of the forum members up in the NE. Does anyone by chance know of a good knowledgeable 170 inspector in the Arkansas area? I believe my A&I is good but when he starts asking me questions about the difference between the 3 models I figure that is not my best option, even though I have no doubts that he is good at what he does and would probably know corrosion or a jacked up plane when he saw it. It just sounds like from the forum it would be best to find someone that really knows these planes. I really would like to get a 170 and would hate to settle for a 172 (good plane I know) but I am growing weary. Of course there's the loan issues that most of you have seen my posts about so I won't do that again here. I do understand 172's can have issues as well there are just more of them in closer proximity to my location.
Please look over, if you can my typo's and screw up's on this post as I was kind of in a hurry.
Thanks.
My playground....
35°58’52.01” N 93°06’27.51” W
'54 170B White and Green with a hint of Red
Justin-
Del Lehman over in Mena is very knowledgeable on C170s and would probably be glad to help you. PM him, he goes by "wingnut" on this forum, and ask him. He also does beautiful work if you need anything done after you find the right plane.
Richard Pulley
2014-2016 TIC170A Past President
1951 170A, N1715D, s/n 20158, O-300D
Owned from 1973 to 1984.
Bought again in 2006 after 22 years.
It's not for sale!
And I went through the same thing before I bought 2704C from Charley in September this year. I was torn between flying all over the country or looking local. Lucky for me Maine is only a 3 hour drive. I have met Greg in Plymouth and now I have got to get down to Chattham on Cape Cod to meet Kyle. I owned a T-Craft 30 years ago and that was the last time I flew. After going to the Rusty Pilots seminar at Plymouth the day before the AOPA fly in, I had to get back into flying. At first my instructor at Plymouth tried to have me stay on the center line. I was trying to keep it on the runway. Much better now. Thanks Charley.
When I bought 81D, they wanted a bit more than I thought she was worth at the time.
But, the plane was a 2 hour drive away and when I factored in the cost to travel around and look at 2 or 3 or 4 more planes, it became a good deal.
. Then I had a 140, a 150. Finally bought a 71 180, sold it, thought I needed a 310, sold that to buy a 185 (super fun), times got bad at work so sold the 185 on a Friday and bought another 170B on Saturday. Great fun at the airport doing landings but found a 69 180 project, kept flying the 170B while working (slowly) on the 180. Foolishly sold the 170B thinking the 180 would be done soon. Didn't happen so for after a year of renting 172 bought a 170A which I will keep until the 180 is finished. No matter how much fun the 170 is, can't wait to get the 180 together as the are the most versatile airplane built. So take Greg up on his offer of help but stay out of his 180.
)
