Raptor05121
Mooney Apostate
- Joined
- Apr 13, 2010
- Messages
- 1,119
- Reaction score
- 152
It's been a while since I've been here but I think I'll stick around this time. Lots of new faces, I see. I think I'll give a little into to those I haven't "met".
My name is Alex, and I'm 22 years old. I come from a family of pilots (father, both grandfathers, and great-uncle) so I got the bug early on. My father no longer flies, nor does my dad's dad. My mother's dad passed away a long time ago. My great uncle (fathers uncle) is the only one still flying. He owns an Ercoupe flying within the LSA rules up in Idaho.
Right now I am in college for my Associate of Arts degree, with plans to transfer and get my Bachelors Degree in something to do with aviation. At the moment I work fast food making minimum wage and I pay to keep my F-150 on the road, so I don't get much in terms of getting my license or getting the Cherokee closer to flying again. Years down the road I hope to make enough money to accomplish both. Women and kids can wait!
Backstory: My family acquired a '64 Cherokee 140 sometime in the 70s, and through the years she has stayed in the family. Every pilot in my family owned her at one time. Most recently, my great uncle was the owner, but he lost his medical. So he gave me the Cherokee and went and bought himself an Ercoupe.
Currently it is in a great state of dis-repair. Its last annual was 2007 and has not flown since. It was given to me in 2010 and since then I've done what I could to keep it from getting worse. So far I have about $500 into it to keep it running (new battery, oil line, fuel, etc). One day I have plans to restore her to her former glory with a plethora of new avionics, paint, and interior. The Cherokee has been in the family for over 40 years, so I have no plans to let her go as she turns 50 years old in May!
My local airfield isn;t much to hope for. 4000-ft paved runway, ~10 planes on field, one mechanic, but from word of mouth everyone says to stay away from (price gouging). So my connections are quite limited. I'm hoping to learn a bit from the masters on here. Here are some pics:
Last year:
Recently (found the main wheel pants):
The battery cables are in bad shape, and I need jumper cables attached to a vehicle to give it enough power to start. Runs decent (from what I know) but the right mags are in horrible shape. ~75RPM drop on left mags and on right mags it stumbles to the point it will shut down. Slight oil leak from the oil pressure switch, and needs A LOT of work. Both fuel tanks leak, struts are bottomed out. From what I heard, the cam shaft and main spar have to be checked for corrosion. Located in North Central Florida. And for those wondering, the paint is 1/10. Standard house paint applied with brushes...and mailbox-style stickers for the N-number
My name is Alex, and I'm 22 years old. I come from a family of pilots (father, both grandfathers, and great-uncle) so I got the bug early on. My father no longer flies, nor does my dad's dad. My mother's dad passed away a long time ago. My great uncle (fathers uncle) is the only one still flying. He owns an Ercoupe flying within the LSA rules up in Idaho.
Right now I am in college for my Associate of Arts degree, with plans to transfer and get my Bachelors Degree in something to do with aviation. At the moment I work fast food making minimum wage and I pay to keep my F-150 on the road, so I don't get much in terms of getting my license or getting the Cherokee closer to flying again. Years down the road I hope to make enough money to accomplish both. Women and kids can wait!
Backstory: My family acquired a '64 Cherokee 140 sometime in the 70s, and through the years she has stayed in the family. Every pilot in my family owned her at one time. Most recently, my great uncle was the owner, but he lost his medical. So he gave me the Cherokee and went and bought himself an Ercoupe.
Currently it is in a great state of dis-repair. Its last annual was 2007 and has not flown since. It was given to me in 2010 and since then I've done what I could to keep it from getting worse. So far I have about $500 into it to keep it running (new battery, oil line, fuel, etc). One day I have plans to restore her to her former glory with a plethora of new avionics, paint, and interior. The Cherokee has been in the family for over 40 years, so I have no plans to let her go as she turns 50 years old in May!
My local airfield isn;t much to hope for. 4000-ft paved runway, ~10 planes on field, one mechanic, but from word of mouth everyone says to stay away from (price gouging). So my connections are quite limited. I'm hoping to learn a bit from the masters on here. Here are some pics:
Last year:
Recently (found the main wheel pants):
The battery cables are in bad shape, and I need jumper cables attached to a vehicle to give it enough power to start. Runs decent (from what I know) but the right mags are in horrible shape. ~75RPM drop on left mags and on right mags it stumbles to the point it will shut down. Slight oil leak from the oil pressure switch, and needs A LOT of work. Both fuel tanks leak, struts are bottomed out. From what I heard, the cam shaft and main spar have to be checked for corrosion. Located in North Central Florida. And for those wondering, the paint is 1/10. Standard house paint applied with brushes...and mailbox-style stickers for the N-number
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