General Aviation News

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A 1928 Pheasant H-10’s remarkable homecoming

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In August 2011, private pilot and truck driver Ron Brown of Memphis, Missouri, discovered an ad in Trade-a-Plane for N5738B, a restored and airworthy 1928 OX-5-powered, three-place Pheasant H-10 biplane. 

Immediately intrigued, Brown’s wheels started turning.

“Our generation heard the old timers talk about the Pheasant for years because the Pheasant Aircraft Company built 36 of the biplanes here,” said Brown.

He decided it would be great to be able to buy that Pheasant and bring it home to its birthplace in Memphis. 

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A Staggerwing with less than 200 hours

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NC80309 has the remarkable distinction of having flown fewer than 200 hours since it came off the Beech production line in August 1946 at Wichita.

Its saga began shortly after its first owner, Oles Envelope Corporation of Baltimore, Maryland, took delivery of it around October 1946. 

“The president of Oles Envelope Company’s son was flying home from Texas and stopped in Charleston, South Carolina, to refuel,” recounts Jim Francis of Winter Haven, Florida, who is a previous owner of the airplane. “As he walked to the administration building, he looked back at the airplane and the tail was on fire. It burned all the way up to the cabin doors. He had landed with a flat tailwheel and they surmised that sparks from the magnesium wheel started the fire, fueled by old grass clippings that had collected in the tail area during landings on sod strips. That was March 28, 1947, and the airplane was only six months old with roughly 75 hours’ total time.” 

Some 40 years later, Jim was excited by the prospect of owning a low-time G model Staggerwing, and wasn’t deterred by its fire-damaged and environmentally-ravaged condition. That’s because he knew just who he wanted to restore the airplane.

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The Spirit of Octogenarians

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Larry Long beams happily as he pushes his Sonex out of the hangar at Montgomery County Airport (43A) for a flight on a beautiful North Carolina blue-sky day. His sprightly gait and radiant smile belie his age — he seems 20 years younger than his 84 years.

Maybe that’s because he turned his dream of flying into tangible reality after more than half a century. He first soloed a Piper J-3 Cub in July 1957 on the grass runway at Moore County Airport in Southern Pines.

After logging 15 hours, he joined the Army, completed two years of service in 1959, and then … well … life intervened and his devotion to his wife, career, children, and grandchildren took precedence. During those years, he tried to satiate his hunger for flight by building and flying RC models.

Finally, at 76, Larry decided it was time to get back into flying. Valentine’s Day 2011 couldn’t have been any sweeter for him — it was the day he started taking lessons at Raleigh Executive Jetport at Sanford-Lee County Airport (KTTA). He was thrilled to earn his sport pilot certificate in November 2014. 

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75 years since his first solo and still flying

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The phone rang within 10 minutes of placing a classified ad for my Continental A65-8 engine. A kind and calm voice informed me that he was making a standing offer and I could take my time to consider it. I returned Dave Stevenson’s call the same day and accepted his offer.

He and his wife, Helen, showed up a few days later, cash in hand, and we had a pleasant exchange as he loaded the engine in the back of their minivan. That was 18 years ago, and we’ve stayed in touch ever since. 

The proverbial hands of time have flown by, allowing Dave to achieve a special milestone on June 15, 2019 — one that perhaps few pilots ever have the thrill of celebrating. He flew his Aeronca Champ that day to celebrate the 75th anniversary of his very first solo. Four days later, he celebrated his 92nd birthday.

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Pumpkins away!

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Once aloft, the Cub door is opened and a chilly breeze blasts into the cabin as the pilot noses closer to the target.

The back-seat bombardier grabs a pumpkin, peering intently at the carefully-placed circle of cones around the target below. Trying to time it just right to score a bullseye, the bombardier liberates the pumpkin for its impressive one-time flight — but alas!

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Puckett Field’s soaring legacy

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“Anyone who can look at a sailplane and not see a thing of beauty hasn’t got a soul.”

That’s what a well-seasoned crop duster pilot told me years ago when I mentioned my love of flying sailplanes to him.

He understood the essence of natural, soaring flight and the requisite skills and techniques that make soaring such a rewarding and fulfilling form of flight. There are coveys of sailplane pilots throughout the country who enjoy this serene and exhilarating type of flying.

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Earthrounder receives Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award

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Earthrounder and author Ann Holtgren Pellegreno — who recreated Amelia Earhart’s last flight in 1967 — recently received the FAA Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award.

To be eligible for the award, nominees must be a U.S. citizen, hold a U.S. Civil Aviation Authority or FAA pilot certificate, document at least 50 years of flying experience, and have three letters of recommendation from other pilots certificated by the FAA. 

Ann’s award presentation is a story in itself: It was originally scheduled for Dec. 5, 2018. But after President George H.W. Bush died, President Donald J. Trump declared Dec. 5 as a National Day of Mourning. The presentation was rescheduled for Jan. 18, 2018. But then the partial shutdown of the federal government was in effect.

As Ann says with tongue-in-cheek humor, “The award presentation was trumped twice!”

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The savior of the Staggerwing fleet

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One historically remarkable 1939 Beechcraft F17D was nestled among its brethren Staggerwings, quietly soaking up the sunshine on a lovely autumn day during Beech Party 2018.

The arrival of NC2663 (Serial Number 330) at Tullahoma, Tennessee, heralded this singular survivor’s debut back into the fold of flying Staggerwings.

Owner and pilot Jon Berndsen of Stoney Point Airfield (6GA0) north of Atlanta, who good-naturedly admits that he has more airplanes than sense, thinks NC2663 is a terrific addition to his fleet, which includes an RV-7, turbo Cirrus, Great Lakes biplane, and his current project, a Lancair Legacy.

Jon bought the Staggerwing as a mostly-finished project from his A&P/IA friend Steve McDonald, who had agonizingly-yet-lovingly resurrected it from myriad boxes of parts over the course of 15 years. [Read more…]

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