The International Cessna 170 Association

I think there should be a Cessna 170 on permanent display in a A MAJOR museum. Have I missed something?

Point me in the right direction.


I have seen the Jeri Mock C-180 rightfully hanging high in ceiling at Smithsonian. Flew around the world solo. Tied plane down and put on homemakers apron. Satisfied.

But what about our Cessna 170s?

Isn't it Time?

Regards

I don't know about any 170's in museums (I'm sure there are), but I'm about 2/3's through Jerrie Mock's book (3 8 Charlie) and I would consider it required reading for any propeller head. An incredible journey by an incredible pilot! It's also a fascinating look at aviation in the 60's, when our airplanes weren't considered classics.

DEM

I don't think we need to have any 170's in any museum that isn't going to fly them. Let's keep as many in the air as we can.

Western NC Air Museum has a 1954 B model. The airplanes in the museum fly, though this one hasn't for quite some time. I believe it was donated after it sat when the previous owner passed. There is a 1952 B model in a museum outside in Japan, if memory serves.

How about this one? Should be in the "Russ Farris Collection of Unrestored Cessnas" !

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/csp/mediap ... ry=2340163

The lengthy storage of that C-170B at Santa Rosa is kind of strange. It does not appear to be in an isolated storage hangar since there appears to be the tail of another airplane in the background of the picture. I'm kind of surprized that someone hasn't talked the owner into selling it. Maybe sentimentality was the reason.
I also think it is kind of a shame to put it in a museum. I'd much rather see it restored and flying again.

Dick, I am with you and Miles on this. While there is likely a historic 170 somewhere that should be in a museum or one that is so eaten up that it could never be made flyable, that is the one ('s) that need to be in a museum. Redo the others and keep um flying

I read that this low time (600hr) '54B, at Pacific Coast Air Museum will in fact be restored to flying condition ... ?

I'll make some calls, and find out for sure!

- Joseph

Latest information that I know in the following link .. scroll down to 170B

http://www.pacificcoastairmuseum.org/fi ... -Scoop.pdf

- Joseph

Thanks for the link to the current status on the Santa Rosa 170B. I'm actually saddened by what I saw.

Without having seen up close and personal this airplane, I can't say for sure but the restoration seems unnecessary. This was an original, hangared 600 hour aircraft and I suspect the corrosion was minimal and would have polished out perfectly. It's only original once and to see beautiful factory paint stripped away is almost criminal. Preservation should have been the goal.

I've been involved in museum projects before and the damage that can be done by well-meaning volunteers can be considerable. I'm all for getting young people involved in aviation but this airplane is the last thing I would have turned them loose on. The last line in the article about selecting a paint scheme and colors doesn't bode well.

Too bad Dillon Barron and his Dad didn't get to this first. I met them at Sun-N-Fun this year and they totally appreciated my original survivor 1957 172.
Dillon's Oshkosh winning 170 was a stunning airplane to see, with even the original clear plastic cover master relay!

Russ Farris

I am glad to know that this hanger Queen is undergoing restoration. Her youthfulness will be revitalized as she springs into the air again.


For over thirty years I have thought that C170 owner/operators are more than just GA pilots.

It is not a complex design just needs careful detailed attention to maintenance and flight operations.


Together I think we collectively are a live flying museum. More than just pilots we are curators of that flying museum.


Regards

Obviously, we don't know the extent of the corrosion, but I was also bummed when I saw that the paint was stripped. As we all know, original factory paint is extremely rare. Not to knock the museum, but it seems odd to me that this is one of the best type associations in the world, with a wealth of technical and historical information about the C-170, and no one from the museum contacted us. We didn't know about the restoration until now. If someone from the museum contacted us in advance, we could have told them how rare the original paint was, and perhaps convinced them not to strip it. I doubt that there are many similar hanger queens left, and every time something like this happens, we lose valuable information. I hope they at least carefully documented the original paint job.

I was bummed when I saw the factory paint stripped off and their plan to consider any other scheme than the original one.[/quote]

This just kills me as well

I also think the PCAM, like nearly all aviation museums is heavily weighted to the warbird/military side; that's what folks are interested in. I don't believe they truly understood the significance of the airplane and the importance of preserving it as it produced over 60 years ago. It was obviously just a little private airplane to them.

One thing for certain - if it was a 600 hour original P-51 they wouldn't have made a project for high school kids!

Russ Farris

That makes me sick. Some museum. They should be ashamed of themselves. What's next, stripping out the interior? Center-stack radios? Ace Demers Super Tips?