The International Cessna 170 Association

Pilot lands newly purchased Aircraft Bellanca Viking - retractable.

Lands , turns onto taxiway, heads to Hanger.

Near the hanger, nose gear unexpectedly retracts, engine and prop damaged. Really Prop Stop.

Immediately a tail dragger pilot helps move damaged aircraft into an empty hanger. Pilot goes to city/owner/operator and request that they issue a lease to him. He is refused on the grounds that he has not shown ownership of aircraft. Remember this is a legitimate new purchase. Several days pass, owner trying to satisfy request for prroof of ownership. They want title with the aircraft N number on paperwork.

A little chafing between the participants. Mayor demands that owner remove his damaged airplane immediately or HE will replace the padlock on door. This would deny the long time tenant (owns/hangers other planes) access to his property.

Owner leaves dejected.

One hour later owner receives phone call. "Come on back the city will lease you a hanger"

I have a tender spot for aviation, but this type behavior bruises me.

Sounds pretty much like typical municipal incompetency to me. Airplanes don't have titles. The pink slip from the bill of sale should have been sufficient proof of ownership.

I doubt if the "mayor" has much knowledge about aircraft at all, per his behavior. I imagine the city attorney quickly cleared him up on it....as well as the problems of denying a pilot access to his aircraft (which can be a Federal offense depending upon the situation.) This is not an "aviation" problem as much as it's an elected/appointed official exercising his mistaken "authority". (There's nothing quite as stoopid as a janitor with "authority".)

Twice I have landed at away from home airports with a sick plane, and both times the locals (including the airport management) bent over backwards to get me into a hanger. The second place turned out to be kind of spendy, but I paid with a smile. It was obvious they cared much more about my plane than they did my wallet. I treated their bill with the same respect they treated my airplane.

DEM