My Other Plane WAS a...

I only have the Cub now, but I had a 250 Comanche which was a great traveling airplane. I don't think you can beat them for the money. At the same time I had Great Lakes 2T-1A-2. Fun and the easiest taildragger I ever flew. Living in the Northeast, it spent a lot of time in the hangar. Open cockpit only works about 7-8 months. And as I got older, that number was getting smaller!

Before those, I owned a J3 and a 1958 172 with the Bolen TW conversion. It was a straight tail 172, so most people thought it was a 180 until they got close to it. I also owned, with a partner, a 1940 Fleet 16B that had been modified with a 220 Continental in place of the 125 or 160 Kinner. It was a performer. It was called the Flaglor Hi-Tow, built by Ken Flaglor of early EAA fame in 1957. He used it to tow gliders. It is now owned by Dr. Brent Blue who writes for AVWEB and other places. When we sold it to him, it need a lot of work and he did the right thing and had it totally overhauled. Most of the work was done by Aviat.

My first airplane was a T-Craft. Bought in 1974. Recovered it my self in 1980. Sold it in 1984 when I bought the Cessna.

Other A/C I have ferried for friends include Super Cub, Top Cub, Huskey, Stearman, Waco UPF7, Waco YKS7, Waco UBA. Loved them all!!!

Rich

You say the Great Lakes was the easiest taildragger you ever flew? I bought my J3 cub to get tailwheel time because I've always wanted a biplane. Still not sure what I want, or if I'll ever get one, but have found the J3 to be easy to fly (only taildragger I've ever flown). In fact I bought it to learn tailwheel issues, but have found I really like flying it. I wouldnt mind more hp, but that just adds to the nostalgia!

I agree on the Great Lakes. Wonderful airplane. So good, in fact, that I'm presently building one! Complicated airplane to build, but worth the effort when it's done. I'll be using a 165 Warner and an Aeromatic prop. Should sound as sweet as it flies.

As for my other airplanes, I started out with a Tri-Pacer, which I converted to Pacer configuration. When my wife got her private license we bought a J5 Cruiser, and at that same time I built and flew a Sonerai II. Somewhere along the way I also ended up buying a Pitts S1C as well. (All four of these were stored in my 46x42 hangar in Wisconsin Rapids, which made for some cramped quarters!)

Everything changed when the Pacer came down with corrosion in the tail. I embarked on a restoration project, and had the airplane completely apart when it dawned on me that it was going to cost me more to put the airplane in the shape I wanted than it would cost me to buy my friend's Cessna 180. So I sold the Pacer project and the J5, only to have my friend back out on the sale of the 180 at the last minute! An immediate search for a different 180 began, resulting in the purchase of the plane I have today.

Shortly after buying the 180 I had offers on the Sonerai and Pitts that I couldn't pass up, so both of those airplanes departed to their new homes. The hangar looked really empty then, and I missed flying a Cub, so I bough the Super Cub. The Cub and the 180 share the hangar to this day, but the hangar is now 54x54 and located in Oshkosh WI. (There is plenty of room for the Great Lakes without being too cramped!)

Along the way I've also had the opportunity to fly many other planes and helicopters that belong to others, including a few first flights of homebuilts. All in all, lots of neat airplanes and nice flights!

Cheers!

Joe

I've flown a factory Lycoming powered Great Lakes built in the late 1970s and a friends 1930 something model that his grandfather bought new. What a sweet flying airplane. Very well balanced.

my other airplane was

first plane was a piper 150 warrrior, then a v-tail bonanza, followed by a b55 barron, then a b-58 barron, a pa12 with ak mods, a p barron, a 210, have had a j-3 with 85hp for 10 years and am presently feeding it and a cessn 185, really liked all of them but my favorite is the j3 with 25x11x4 tires

I just noticed on the FAA accident reports that my old Fleet was damaged yesterday. No one injured, but substantial damage. Apparently an aborted takeoff gone bad.

Rich G