A 1946, 65 HP Chief that was stored in a barn for over 30 years is flown around the pattern by Mark while discussing the features of the aircraft. Cameo performance by Don the Camera Guy.
My grandfather had a Chief on floats. He sold his C170B for the Chief because he wanted something that could get in and out of small fishing lakes. The Chief was fantastic for that and we had many great memories fishing in Northern Ontario.
My first airplane was a 11AC Chief. I paid $1700 for it in 1977. It had been ground looped and needed a wing bow and a couple of ribs. I was an apprentice A&P mechanic so between me and some great friends at the airport (KLWM), we were able to get it flying for next to nothing. The reason it ground looped was some of the clips that hold the brake disk on one side had come out and the disk canted at an angle which locked up the wheel. This plane had Goodyear mechanical disk brakes that required periodic adjusting and obviously some scrutiny of the disk clips! This plane originally had an interesting feature. Instead of a "farewell to arms" starter it used a McDowell Aero-Safety starter. This was akin to a recoil starter on a lawnmower. Unfortunately it had been removed before I bought the plane. I was thrilled with the plane! It would cruise all day (OK 3 hours or so) on 4 gal/hour at 92 m.p.h. indicated. I owned it for one year to the day, put about 100 hours on it and sold it for $3200. One bizarre problem I had with the plane occurred when I asked to have it fueled and I wasn't there to supervise the operation. I told them to fill the main tank. Well they saw the fuel cap on the auxiliary tank and proceeded to fill it. They managed to pump 10-15 gallons of fuel into that 8 gallon tank. Unfortunately it wasn't connected to anything and the fuel all leaked out! When I arrived at the plane there was a fuel stain as big as the plane itself! I waited several days for things to dry out and installed a locking gas cap on that tank. Not so anyone couldn't steal gas. It was so someone couldn't add gas to it!
Be still my heart! I was a 70 hour newly minted Private Pilot in 1967 when I had the opportunity to buy half interest in a 1946 Aeronca 7AC Champ. Kept it only a little over a year, but put over 300 hours on it during my freshman year in college. Went on to fly military and airline, but my fondest aviation memories are of flying the Champ. Can't beat it for cultivating stick & rudder skills.
My first few hours of dual in a Chief owned by Walter Thielman, FBO, Governor's Airpark, Richton Park, Illinois. Started taking dual time in 1953 shortly after finishing high school. I liked the Chief - well behaved easy to fly airplane back in the days when taildraggers were considered "conventional gear", and, along with J3's, Taylorcraft, and Champs, were what most beginning pilots started their flight instruction with. First hour of instruction, Walt had me doing stall and spin recoveries over the cornfields of northeastern Illinois. Fun memories of flight instruction from little grass strips in the 50s.
I learned to fly in a 1938 Chief, it even had a wooden prop. It was fun to fly, I wish I had it today as I don't need anything fancy to have fun flying.
Nice Chief. I have my dad's Champ he bought in 1961. I soloed it in 1971. I'm amused how some consider hand propping a dangerous dark art. Our Champ was responsible for my 39 year professional flying career.
I learned to fly in a 1947 Chief here in South Africa way back in 1974/75. Hand propped the plane on my own with both mags on and the throttle at idle ..no problem! Yep, slipped off height on occasions, did wing-overs, off field landings, cross countries, wonderful memories. Now at age 81 I’m watching micro light videos every day….Aerolight 103 looks cool…wonder what it would cost to ship one here…😮
You can adjust the static port pressure, which is the tube under the pitot tube, by loosing the set screw on the small disk located on the static port tube. That disk can be moved forward or aft, which will affect the indicated airspeed. That is the reason it is there. My 11AC indicates about 5 to 6 mph slow at cruise (around 90 mph) under 60 indicated airspeed is exact, which is where I want it to be precise. You will find that if your cruise is exact, your lower indicted speeds may be off. Thanks for sharing your Chief review. I am right up the street in Chico.
This brought back memories, my dad had a Champ, 7AC N1392E. Out of SNA in the middle 60s, so he had a 12 volt wind driven generator for radio and lights. We used to fly an hour or so out a couple of times per month for lunch at different airport cafes and return. Love your term for your starter, Hemingway.
Don't forget to check Carb Heat during run up. I did all of my training in a Champ. I prefer a stick and tandem seating. Nice looking Chief. Good video. Thanks for posting.
Nice little plane. Interesting how the GA completely changed with the war. I would sign up for one of these any day. 4-5 gal/h at 90 knots is really good performance!
My Dad bought a 1946 Champ in 1956 and kept it for a few years. When he was in the Navy in the Pacific theater in WW2 He was on the USS ATTU jeep carrier that was ferrying TBM Avenger torpedo bombers and the F-4-U Corsairs for replenishing the Carrier Groups during the island hopping campaign. That's where he fell in love with aircraft. He got out of the service in 1946 and went on to get his pilot license on the GI Bill and his first aircraft was a PT-22 Navy trainer from the Navy surplus in 1947. I was born in 1959. I was 4 years old and remember the Champ he had that he painted solid red. He ended up selling because he couldn't afford putting a radio in it. Someone he knew bought it. They came with a trailer and they took the wings off of it and put it all on the trailer. That was a sad day and I remember it like yesterday. Thanks for the video and the memories you brought back😊
Thanks for the video, this brings back a lot of memories, I soloed an Aeronca Champ in 1955 from a grass field airport outside of Atlanta, Ga. that no longer exists, I also flew a Chief and many other tail draggers of that era, the first tricycle gear that I flew was a Piper Tri Pacer. Thanks again for the memories, that's a beautiful old lady.
Our family had a Piper Cherokee, , my dad would prop start it regularly. I never thought of it being dangerous because I had seen it done so many times..
Nice restoration. I remember my Dad taking me to a grass airfield near a small town in Missouri where we saw a collection of Chiefs, Champs, J3s, J4s, Luscombe's, Cessna 140s, and other small and early model aircraft. They all had a similar panel to this plane. Most of them either didn't have a radio or had an old "coffee grinder" radio, a Narko Mk 12.
I hand propped our 140 one day when the battery was down. Dad was on the brakes. Basic checkout by dad. I was in college so I had some muscle. An eye opener when the prop turns into a metal disc a few feet away. "RUN AWAY!!!"
Well, you've got the speed for it, Flash! Wasn't it satisfying though, when you stood back and the engine caught and started running after you spun the prop?
There was a McDowell oull starter you can get for the Chief. You would havs a handle down by your left leg. Keep the cable lubed goid tho. The 65 TC, O58, L3, 7Ac series aircraft were not built to compete with Piper but to meet a military design requirement. The 65 was on the drawing board when the company was still in Cincinnati but they didnt get to start them until they moved to Middletown. Taylorcraft and Interstate had their designs similar to these. My Uncle Maurice was killed testing an L3 when the wing folded up due to a strut bolt installed wrong. He also lost the whole engine and mount while testing a ground adjustable prop and successfully landed the O58/L3. I have part of that prop. The Cub is a great little aircraft but the L3 can be single pilot from either seat while the Cub is restricted single pilot to the rear seat. The Chief actually had one built as a flying ambulance. Huge side door for the stretcher. Funny that the military didnt want it but the had the Stenson L5s that could carry stretchers.
NC3396E was owned and flown by me for about 2 years and 430 hours. I put a used mag on it for $50 and that was all that ever broke. Good airplane to learn with.
Once owned a 46 Chief. For fun and local hopping around, they can't be beat. Always loved 'slipping' into the runway. Flew it a few times during a thunderstorm.
I have a 1941 Aeronca 65CA Super Chief based at HAO (Cincinnati). Virtually nothing in common except for the name but they serve nearly the same purpose! I love the Chief
What a beautiful looking plain thank you for sharing this video very exciting to see this take take care May you have pleasants and pleasants Good flights
I love watching these segments so because your little airport is just such a lovely place in this world, and yes indeed I do believe it could be LSA eligible. 1320 gross weight, two place, and under 120 mph top speed.
Great video and a gorgeous plane! I live very close to a public grass strip (40I) which is home to a number of Cubs, Champs and a Stearman. I love hearing them practicing aerobatics!
Awesome my dad has one back in the 60’s & the whole Fam loved it! It was red & white & we painted it yellow!! Great memories, the whole fam got their pilots license except me cause I thought I’d never be able to see other planes in the air, no flight plans for small trips
I have owned, flown and taught in my 1946 11AC-65 Chief for 11 years and quite agree on Mark citing great value and easy flying! OPS TIP ONE! Shut down the Chief’s C65 with her FUEL SHUTOFF valve (after mags off test) Cleans plugs and proves valve still capable of shutting fuel off and then the notoriously leaky updraft carburetor won’t be as likely to seep fuel inside her hangar! OPS TIP TWO!! Test mags SWITCH at each shutdown - SAFE SWITCH is a must for hand propping and …. OPS TIP THREE!!! - PULL THROUGH (mags OFF+ Fuel Valve ON (hear carburetor slurping!) I always pulled 4 props to physically oil each of 4 cylinders and proof hand feel of each’s COMPRESSION! Rarely ever needed primer but you need to “use or loose” all systems!😊 Super easy start after above!!
I had the same plane back in the middle 2000s. Except mine was yellow or yours is green. Fun little airplanes, I started getting into the old Fairport stuff especially having a grass strip at my house and I upgraded to more of a stol airplane. I always loved the super simplicity of that plane.
We are glad you like our work! And, living in the tall trees does not offer many options for an engine failure on take off or landing, but you are right ... it is absolutely beautiful here.
Miss flying w/ my Dad - he often rented a Chief back in the 60's-70's and later he bought a Cub and then traded up to a Piper Clipper (tail-dragging Tri-Pacer ). I hated landing the Clipper as it was too hot for my skills which were forever glued to flying the Cub!
Back in the mid '60's Dad and three other guys bought a Chief. So from the age of 10ish to 12 before we moved away I have some very strong memories of the plane. It was very loud - very. Smelled like an old car. I seem to recall the dash being fake wood (or brown at least - the plane was yellow with dark blue stripes and N numbers). In the winter it was a cold as it was loud. Cars would slowly pass us - kinda annoying. :^) I think on a good day it would 70mph. Anyway; about a year after Dad sold his share (he was transferred) one of the owners misjudged the available room for a take off and went through a barbed wire fence (a tree may have been involved too - and sagebrush). My understanding the damage was too much to repair. I checked the N number about a year ago and it has been reassigned. :^( I remember my small bladder screaming for relief so Dad found a ranchers air field (more field than landing strip - he worked for the SCS so he knew all the ranchers) to land at so I could live again. I seem to recall him starting it himself without tying it down. But that was a long time ago so I'm sure I'm missing some details.
I flew a 1940 65LA for a few years -- fun airplane. 95% of the time I was solo, so I learned how to tie down the tail! Though these airplanes were made for grass runways -- always a bit skittish on pavement. I 3-pointed it nearly every time -- stall in ground effect was in the 30 MPH range. Mine had the cork-and-wire fuel indicator.
I love watching your videos Mark!My mother was born in London as WWll was braking out, she never lost her accent. The first two planes I flew where a Cessna 180 and an 11AC. Nice to have a friend who is a CFI and owns a couple taildraggers. Two months after my private I was fortunate to have found an 11CC which is a Super Chief with a STC'd 0-200. I don't have the old 'armstrong' or as you call it 'Hemingway' LoL as in Lots of Love but do love the nostalgia of hand propping! I've always wanted to fly out and visit to hear that brit accept in person, who knows as my budget grows maybe you can help get me get in a Skywagon!! Cheers mate!!!
That is a sweet old taildragger. I had my very first lessons in a Champ, back in the day. It was a wonderful airplane. I like the side-by-side concept here. If that plane continues to have good care it will last a long time. Classic. If you set up your landing well, it should need no slipping unless you hit a big poof of wind or something. You had a beautiful day to fly. Glad things have calmed down from the Mosquito fire. Thank you for sharing.
I had a little chuckle when you slipped it in on final. I remembered when you and I went up in the 172E I bought from you, and you said that I fly my approaches like a "Kit Fox pilot," which I had just sold. 🙂 I enjoyed the video Mark.
Appreciate your videos, been following you for awhile now. You can also hand prop those from behind while your left hand holds on to the wing strut like floatplane pilots do when their in the middle of the lake. Just an option. Thx again for all your content. CFIAM/A&P JOE COVINO Lake Havasu, Arizona.
Yes my 11AC was easily started by propping from behind standing at right door window my left hand on the throttle (Only 6-1 but reaching throttle in my left hand and C65 prop in my right hand was my common “solo-start” Agree to check carb heat every runup and pre-landing check! My chief was also a Golden Yellow with Navy Blue trim - ALUMINUM WHEEL PANTS and a MacDowell Aero Safety starter (lawn mower recoil “knuckle buster” so I was told - it came in a box and I passed it on to the next owner! Chief was a beautiful spin trainer too!!
Such a cool little taildragger! I'm skittish about wooden spar wings, and no electrical system, but really neat plane! I like the trim bar, that's easy to remember nose-up/down! Old Pipers I've been in had the window-crank and I'd always spin it the wrong way all the time! LOL. I also thought the full gauges were neat too! Thanks, Mark!
C’mon Pedro, spruce spars are easily replaced and metal, well not so much. Sooo much less to go haywire and if you find the need just carry a hand held. Wind powered generators are simple for lites. I’m just biased ‘cause I built and flew ‘em but they’re reeeliable.
@@marthakrumboltz2710 hehe, I know, it's irrational of me. Wood flexes, it is the original 'composite. As far as electrical, well, I'm in pretty busy airspace, between Philly and Baltimore/Washington, at Class D Wilmington. Solid radios and ADS-B I find really helpful. Can one do it? Sure, but I'd be stressed. 🤣
I saw a number of these and their Champion brethren when I was young and still had a full head of hair. I remembered reading in the local paper that a hunter out coyote hunting crashed a Chief by shooting off the starboard struts with his gun.
Thanks, Mark. Very cool. I used to have a prop from a Chief that was involved in a ground strike at some point. We know you are busy, however an interview with the crew of that Kaman eggbeater would be awesome! Thanks again.
Good presentation, thanks. But, you should’ve explained why you start on the left magneto. It has an electrical impulse function so it doesn’t kick back when you hand prop. (In other words, it makes hand propeller starting easier.) And, no carburetor heat check on run up? When you turn it on there should be a noticeable drop in RPM because of the richer mixture so then you know that the carb heat is working. Also, for even safer hand-propping, do it from behind like you have to do when it’s on floats. It is for that operation that it’s very good to have an impulse mag for starting.
I was taught how to hand prop an airplane way back in the 1960's! There were many of these birds from the 40's still active back then. We flew with no radios and no starters for decades! That's why I'm always astonished when the "Kids" refuse to fly if the GPS is out. As if they were never taught how to use a chart!
That Chief was sold in California and flew to Marathon Key in Florida with two hour stops and hand propping all the way. It took 10 days and it never missed a beat.
The chief is a great flying airplane if you don't like staring at the back of your passengers head! Great trainer for adverse yaw, much more than a cub...glides better too!
Nice plane ..good video --I haven't flow taildraggers -- heard they are tricky on ground handling -- I fly a nosewheel SkyFox Gazelle -- similar otherwise-- 80hp Rotax --no flaps --in Goulburn NSW Australia elevation 1840 ft. . Looks like your density altitude could be a concern at that airfield ? I always sideslip ( really forward slip ) in the Gazelles as they have no flaps either . Noticed your approach was by the book and very shallow but I would never approach that way..its too shallow for me . I always come in steep with a bit of slip . ( "Altitude is my friend" ) .My concern at that airfield is it sits on a raised area with a steep slope on the approach and since you would always fly into wind on landing then you could get a downdraft on approach as the wind will flow down that slope so risking a collision with the ground . Anyway have a look at my vids via the icon ...comments welcome
Hi Dan. The GoPro changes the perspective of the view, making it look much more shallow than it is. Mark comes in at a steeper angle than it looks. - Don the Camera Guy
Where is this airstrip? I took my first intro flight in this aircraft in DeKalb Illinois airport in 1965. For the un initiated it appeared crude! Then learned in a Cessna 150 Macomb, Illinois.
What a well turned out classic.I hope you popped round to some of those helicopters and got some footage of them - although I know this is a channel for Skywagons....
Amazing....that's the nicest looking 30 yr-barn-stored airplane that I've every seen. Nice! I'd have bought one of these already if not for the upside down, ridiculously high prices of airplane, hangar, maintenance, and insurance! 🛩 🙃
Mark I have a GPS speedometer app on my phone free app. It is a good back up .I use it for water-skiing. Love your videos I'm gonna drop in Placerville soon.
I have a relative who had an 11AC Chief. When it comes to 65 hp tail draggers it wasn't one of the most pleasant flying ones. The 7AC Champ was better.
