Had a fantastic trip! Left Chino CA Sunday, March 7th, and made it to Jamestown NY Wednesday, March 10th! For my first long Xcountry as PIC, it went very smoothly! I'm blessed that the Luscombe Aircraft Corporation has given me these opportunities! I have fallen in love with the Luscombe Model 8 airframe and look forward to selling what I think is a fantastic airplane! In Chino, I had the privilege of meeting great people and having outstanding experiences, like flying 7 different aircraft types and having the privilege of meeting some outstanding people like Juan! Thank you all for the support it's been an amazing journey!
Gavin - You are an inspirational young man. I am happy to see the "Resurrection" of Luscombe aircraft. In 1951, I was a Civil Air Patrol cadet with Squadron 612 - Chicago Heights, Illinois. I remember riding as observer on a SARCAP training mission with one of the squadron pilots who owned a Luscombe. Great airplane - operated well out of grass strips like Governor's Airpark where we were based. Very best wishes to you in your aviation endeavors.
He does sounds like a scripted non-player character though. That natural conversation flow will come with time - he certainly has the articulation down.
@@adameczek4541 That young gentleman is not only eloquent but very slick. One or two overly salesperson answers, but he is only 18. The more he absorbs the tech information the better he will get.
His Civil Air Patrol participation and training are shining through in this interview. Knowledge, focus, articulation and command presence are outstanding. Semper Vigilans!
I’d probably be in prison now instead of a Former B52 Gunner and veteran if not for Civil Air Patrol, where I ended up the cadet commander of my squadron, and got a flight scholarship from them, getting me my ppl at 17.
Good to see a young man carry himself so well. Never heard a you know or a stammer,,unheard of these days. Did you notice that twinkle in Juans eye? Hope he brings us along to pick up his new ride!
“The airport rat gets the cheese”. Truer words never spoken. My progression went from shop apprentice, line guy, A&P, Cfi, and then airline pilot. Hang out at the airport long enough and someone is bound to show you how to use a wrench and/or take you flying
I want one of these. This young man is going to be known as the new "Mr. Luscombe". What a great salesman. This video is worth its airplane's weight in gold for the free marketing by Juan. Good luck Luscombe.
The mention of Harris Ranch brought back some great and tasty memories. We would fly out of Buchannan Field in Concord and an hour later enjoy a fabulous steak dinner
@@roderickcampbell2105 Not always. This young man is making his own future rather than to be set on a different path by indoctrination specialists. Pros and cons to both avenues.
Juan, the young man you spoke with is extremely polished for an 18 yr.old. I think his future at Luscombe Aircraft is unlimited ! He has the opportunity of a lifetime getting into a company on the ground floor. I wish him continued success in promoting the Luscombe Aircraft brand of light sport aircraft .
Built in the USA but no longer in California! I wonder why? LOL! Very impressive. This young man is on the ball. So good to see young people with a sense of direction and purpose. He will go a long way in aviation.
Manufacturing anything in California is a real conundrum. They've been doing everything possible to destroy manufacturing. Hope New York works out for them. NY suffers from some issues...that's a long story. I have my fingers crossed.
That young man is going places for sure and I wish this new company much success. And oh, if I were 15 years younger I'd seriously consider getting one. My Dad used to have a Luscombe 8-F when I was about 8 years old. It was a good performing airplane and I have many great memories flying with my dad.
Young man knows his details, history and obviously loves what he's involved in. Enthusiasm and a solid business plan will take him far. Thanks for sharing this development, JB.
It's great to see kids like him. That was me years ago when I could give all the stats of a B-17 at 12 years old and name all the gauges on the instrument panel.
My Heart sank, I thought you sold Pete's plane 😁 This young man can grow old with a great career ahead of him in aviation with the Luscombe. Simple, proven and safe is what the Light Sport needs to keep aviation alive at local airports. I grew up around the Cessna 150 with my Grandfather and today enjoy the memories of our afternoon flights on Sunday.
Juan, does Gavin remind you of yourself at that age? Most 18 year old guys are no where near that single minded, knowing where they are going and how to get there! It was enjoyable to see him!
How does an 18-year-old know so much about aviation? He talks about that plane like he's in his 30s. Wow! What a long, bright future he has ahead. :) Fantastic! And so delightful and positive. Very refreshing and very encouraging. I hope we have thousands more like him in our country. We've got Pete, that's for sure! :)
@Andrew Good news. There are thousands more. You may not see them, because they're busy. CAP Cadet Program - At a Glance* Mission: Transform youth into dynamic Americans and aerospace leaders Established: 1942 Age to Join: 12 through 18 Content Areas: Leadership, Aerospace, Fitness, Character Total Cadets: 25,000 Locations: 1,000 hometown squadrons Time Commitment: Ideally, cadets participate in a 2-hour squadron meeting each week, plus one "Saturday" event monthly and one week-long encampment in summer, but of course, school and family obligations take priority** Costs: Annual dues of $25 - $60, depending upon location; some assistance is available with uniform costs and overnight activity fees; a fully-active cadet could incur $300 to $600 in costs during the first year, less any financial assistance Military Obligation: None, but 8% of USAF Academy cadets are former CAP cadets Annual Flying Hours: 25,000 hrs in single-engine aircraft; 12,000 glider sorties * All figures are approximations that will vary year-to-year ** School-based squadrons may have different expectations for participation
That is soooo cool brining those old aircraft back to the forefront of aviation, especially with all of the advancements in technology and light weight materials.
If the new Luscombe Aircraft Corp succeeds and thrives, this kid will be a huge part of that. While I currently own a V35 Bonanza and I'm not in the market for a new airplane, his sales pitch and positive attitude made me want to buy one anyways. Actually, I have a soft spot for the Luscombe, since I did my primary flight training in one back in the dinosaur days when I was Gavin's age. One thing I'm glad won't be on the new aircraft are the mechanical heel brakes that caused me considerable angst as a student pilot.
Juan--Seems like an essential acquisition for the Blancolirio channel and an obviously justified investment in perishable hand flying skills. Hope to live to see Lt. Pete solo in a new plane!
It's great to see another storied aircraft company return to the field to produce new airframes and parts. This new incarnation of the Luscombe company and Viking Air who purchased the type certificates for the de Havilland Canada will be able to produce new aircraft and the parts to keep the existing birds in the air is a win for general aviation today!
One more thing, I saw Juan grinning pretty wide during this whole interview!! I think he was proud of h is Luscombe, AND it's newest generation of supporters!! I agree, this kid IS the future!! And through him, it looks better!
LSA certified means Light Sport Repairmen can perform the maintenance... if you make it an experimental-light sport, a 16-hour course allows owners to perform their own condition inspections!
My first airplane was a 1946 Luscombe 8E, (N45765). It was the most fun plane I ever owned and regret ever having sold it. Getting rid of the mechanical heel brakes will be a big improvement! (If you had to use them hard, the cable stretched and no or little brakes till you readjusted them.) I earned my private license in my Luscombe. I bought it in 1975 for $4200. It wasn't a hard plane to fly or land, but you did have to pay attention. It made you a better pilot! I'm glad to hear it is going back into production. Long live Luscombe!
Best wishes to Gavin. My time was in an 8E Silvaire, then more hours in an 8A. Both manual starts. I used to help polish a bare aluminum AT-6; using Met-Al cleaning polish. Buffing was done with clean diapers and flour. Gave a show class finish.
Man o man. My eyes are tearing up. I 'grew up' in a Luscombe 8 (in the '70s). My father had one and would take me up in it on the weekends. Seeing this, the memories are flooding back. Such a good boy! Im gonna start saving my dimes. :) (And yes, that kid is VERY on the ball. Great spokesman for the company!)
That kid is great, you can tell he has the passion like many of us. Good for him and already living out his dream at such a young age. Even though I’ve been living out my dream flying commercial, charter, corporate, etc for close to 15 years, and private for over 20. There’s a small part of me that wishes I was in his shoes. Awesome! Love it
I was his age when I had my first flight in any light plane, and it too was a Luscombe Silvaire out of a little grass strip near Vancouver. A great plane and good-looking too.
I just saw this Luscombe at Chino on the 6th. Watched it do several touch and goes. I wrote down the tail number and was going to look it up, low and behold here it is.
I grew up flying in my dad's Luscombe, to air shows and fly ins. Stan Finberg, if you fly a Luscombe, maybe you knew him. I wish he were still alive to see this, he loved Luscombe second only to his family. This is great news! Best wishes for the success of this venture.
This is one of the coolest videos I’ve seen in a long time. I’m currently a software engineer, having taken up many a long-abandoned open source project and brought it up to current standards. That’s what this feels like for this aircraft. Always a great feeling!
I'm certain that we'll be hearing the name "Gavin' Swanson" quite often - from this point forward. Gavin represents himself well, and also has a personality capable of "selling horse manure to an Amishman". Had I not recently entered the 'sunset' phase of my life, I'd be out in my garage, readying my immaculate '79 Grand Wagoneer, for the ±120-mi round trip excursion from my Cross Fork, Clinton County, Pennsylvania cabin, to Jamestown, New York, to 'chisel' a job interview with the "New Mighty Luscombe Aircraft Corporation". I wish them nothing but the best, thanks for sharing this, Juan, and oh, "PS", when you visit their factory, a visit to "Johnny's Lunch", purveyor of the best/most addictive "Greek" hot dogs you'll ever have!!
Always up for the trip over to "Bovine University" for some tasty beef! Way back when I got my PPL, one of my first flights was from here at SBP over to Harris Ranch for some dinner. It's a pretty quick trip for us!
Amazing fellow for 18 years old. He’s a smart dude and I’lm certain we’ll be hearing his name mentioned many times in the future in the aviation environment. Not many 18 year olds have a brain. Love the Luscombe . Great plane. My first plane was a 108-1 Stinson and I got it at 22 years old. And since I had no instructions I sort of figured it out on my own so I have great respect for this fellow. if you could fly any of the early taildraggers, you could pretty much fly anything. They weren’t easy but they were honest airplanes. Kinda separated the wannabees from the real pilots in the early days. Very cool seeing young aviators willing to put in the effort to get the job done. Rare these days.
Wow, does this video bring back memories. I starting flying in 1965 and am checked out in 28 different type of airplanes, most taildraggers, and only flew for 21 years. The Luscombe 8A was by far my favorite taildragger and when you fly a Luscombe you will become a better taildragger pilot. The new Luscombe LSA has all the great options that were not available on the 8A. The young man who spoke for the new Luscombe company is extremely well spoken and a real asset to the new company. Wish you all the best.
