Dad's New Toy

cessna170bdriver · Post by **cessna170bdriver** » Tue Mar 14, 2006 11:41 pm

Back last summer my dad sold the Stearman he'd owned since 1982. He still has his 310, but got to wanting another "toy" to replace the Stearman. I just talked to him, and here's what he found. It's in Nebraska and he's just waiting on a weather window to go get it. I guess I need to start planning a trip to Florida. Hmmm... How much local time should I put on a fresh O-300 before I start out... when is Sun-N-Fun, anyway...

Miles

Post by **Bruce Fenstermacher** » Wed Mar 15, 2006 1:09 am

You better get cracking on that engine Miles.

You've got a pretty cool Dad Miles. Do you rent him out?

Kyle Wolfe · Post by **Kyle Wolfe** » Wed Mar 15, 2006 2:38 am

Wow Miles. Can't wait to hear of all the fun you'll have trying to read the POH for that bird

Looks nice. Am sure your Dad will have a ball.

I just dug up some old slide pictures of my Dad's champ, 170, Stinson and Sea Bee and had them reproduced. Just took them to him as he was recuperating in the hospital. He did enjoy them.

The lesson in that is you d- - - well better go fly with your Dad while you're both able to. Enjoy!

cessna170bdriver · Post by **cessna170bdriver** » Wed Mar 15, 2006 4:18 am

Kyle Wolfe wrote:Wow Miles. Can't wait to hear of all the fun you'll have trying to read the POH for that bird

Dad said he got the POH in the mail yesterday, and was reading it when I called. He told me that it is both challenging and funny to read. He said that in the instructions for crosswind takeoffs the book states to never apply aileron and rudder in the same direction lest the airplane "pivot about the opposite leg wheel". I presume that is "leg wheel", as opposed to "tail wheel". Sound like Russian doesn't (or shouldn't) translate word for word into English very well.

Kyle Wolfe wrote:I just dug up some old slide pictures of my Dad's champ, 170, Stinson and Sea Bee and had them reproduced. Just took them to him as he was recuperating in the hospital. He did enjoy them.

The lesson in that is you d- - - well better go fly with your Dad while you're both able to. Enjoy!

Kyle, I hope your Dad is on the road to recovery and he'll be able to fly with you. My Dad is 73, but thankfully he's as healthy as I am, if not more so. I get back his way once or twice a year, we DO fly, and I relish every minute of it. (Go to http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/cessna170 ... /my_photos and click on Stearman...) When we lived closer, we'd get together once or twice a month and fly the Stearman. It seemed like it took forever, but I finally made peace with it and he turned loose me loose for solo one Father's Day. I'm not sure if it was him or me that was more proud.

Since he sold the Stearman last summer, I was relegated to the 310 during my Christmas visit last year. It's a Colemill conversion, and based near sea level, so it's fun in it's own way.

I don't have a multi rating, and Dad isn't an instructor, so I can't log twin time, but have probably 40-50 hours over the years, some even actual IFR (he makes me do it the hard way... without the autopilot!).

I'm REALLY looking forward to my next visit now!

Miles

170C · Post by **170C** » Wed Mar 15, 2006 1:56 pm

Sounds to me like you need to have your Dad come to Kelowna. I'll bet he could get some takers on riding in his new toy. COUNT ME IN

I'll bet you Dad is a fun guy. I'd like to meet him sometime.

Post by **Bruce Fenstermacher** » Wed Mar 15, 2006 2:17 pm

You know Miles, Ole Pokey has something there. I've been looking at the shape of that rudder and it sure looks like a 170 to me.

cessna170bdriver · Post by **cessna170bdriver** » Wed Mar 15, 2006 5:19 pm

N9149A wrote:You know Miles, Ole Pokey has something there. I've been looking at the shape of that rudder and it sure looks like a 170 to me.

Yeah, Dad mentioned the same thing... a low-wing 170, only it takes metric tools

. With the airplane being licensed in the Exprimental-Exhibition category though, I don't know how hard it would be to get it to Canada. Maybe Gaveston.

Miles

c170b53 · Post by **c170b53** » Wed Mar 15, 2006 8:56 pm

There's lots of YAK's up here but I've never seen one
with such a mean looking Prop. I know very little about these machines,
it could be that the ones I have seen in B.C. are the older trainers.

cessna170bdriver · Post by **cessna170bdriver** » Wed Mar 15, 2006 9:20 pm

c170b53 wrote:There's lots of YAK's up here but I've never seen one
with such a mean looking Prop. I know very little about these machines,
it could be that the ones I have seen in B.C. are the older trainers.

This one is a Yak-52TW, which was built at the factory (in Romania) as a tailwheel airplane, and was imported into the US as a brand new airplane in 2002. The 52TW's come standard with the 400hp version of the M-14 engine and the 3-blade prop. The brakes are hydraulic Clevelands, but the flaps and landing gear retraction mechanism are still pneumatic.

The Yak-52TD's are converted from nosewheel models which came standard with the 360hp M-14 and 2-blade prop, and all pneumatic operation.

In the Experimental-Exhibition category in the US, the FAA has to be notified (no permission required, just notification) if the airplane is to operated more than 300NM from it's home base. I don't know what the requirements would be for crossing an international border with it.

Miles

n3833v · Post by **n3833v** » Thu Mar 16, 2006 12:10 pm

Miles,
One of our local fellows helped set up a assembly plant over in that country and he brought about a dozen back with him and assembled them locally. I and a friend looked at one to buy.
They are a wild airplane. All that bought them are very satisfied.

John

cessna170bdriver · Post by **cessna170bdriver** » Fri Mar 24, 2006 10:07 pm

Dad just called, and he finally got home from Nebraska with his new pride and joy. He says it's one of the nicest flying airplanes and smoothest running radial he's ever flown.

Dad had an interesting way of determining if the check pilot REALLY thought he was throughly checked out in the airplane. After some airwork and several hours of landings totalling the 5 hours dual for insurance purposes, the check pilot asked dad if he was comfortable with the airplane. Dad turned the question around and asked the check pilot, "If it was YOUR airplane, would you let me fly it?" After several more hours and a total of 50 landings, the check pilot could finally answer "yes". The next opportunity I have to check out in a different airplane I'm going to remember that.

I asked Dad if he had a nickname for the airplane yet. (He always comes up with something, but not all are repeatable in a family forum.

) Since Piedmont Airlines' tagline was "Route of the Pacemakers" he's thinking about calling the YAK the "Siberian Pacemaker".

One other thing:, The YAK's seller's grandfather started the Vise-Grip company, so he can afford and does have a veritable fleet of airplanes, the most recent of which is a 170!

I have PM'd Velvet to see if he's a member yet. If not, I'll have an application on it way soon!

Miles

cessna170bdriver · Post by **cessna170bdriver** » Thu Apr 06, 2006 10:21 pm