Champ, since I can't afford a PA-12

Other plane? She's my only airplane. I'm monogomous (monotonous?). And, since you asked, here she is:



This was taken on 04FEB06 at Island Lake, just north of Park Rapids, Minnesota.

I may sell half of her and buy a share in a Bellanca (pre)Viking; a 14-19-x. It's a 260hp model. That's in case I need something fast.

Jon B.

Never seen a Champ that nice, she's a beaut!

skukum12 said:

Never seen a Champ that nice, she's a beaut!

Click to expand...

Well, thanks!

The custom cowl cover adds a special touch, don't you think? It's a "Monkey Wards" el-cheapo sleeping bag, but it works. And, as T.J. and Torch have mentioned, those digital cameras add about 30 pounds and twenty years to a guy.

I've changed my mind about the PA-12, though. I still want one but it won't solve the interior room issue. I'm leaning toward buying a Stinson "Flying Station Wagon" these days.

The Champ is for sale.

Jon B.

Jon - have you had a chance to go to the Stinson owners group yet? stinson@yahoogroups.com. There is a wealth of Stinson specific information there. It's not as good as supercub.org, but very useful for stinson or wanna be stinson owners. Good luck in your search - but you'll miss your champ - I know I miss mine. Russ

Russ:

I've joined the list server, so I get daily emails. I've not tried viewing the forum; is it similar to this one? I know it won't be as good...

I *did* locate a Maule this morning that's in my price range. It's an M4 with a 201 Continental. He'd take the Champ in trade if it was worth less than $20k.

Oh, dear. Did I mention the 'M' word here? At least it wasn't the dreaded 'H' word...


Jon B.

Nothing wrong with a Maule - and I had them on my short list before buying the Stinson. All depends what you can buy and where in the right price range. If you need 4 usable seats in the under $60K range unfortunately you are like me- and out of the Cessna 180 price range. That is where the Stinson's and Maules come in to play. The Stinson owner group mailing list only will give you current topics - would need to go to the web page to look up old topics. And no - it doesn't work nearly as well or have nearly the members with the wide range of knowledge as supercub.org does. But there is a lot of info on -2 vs -3's, metal vs. fabric, things to look for in a pre-buy, etc. I wish I had known about it before buying mine. And it has been very useful since buying mine. Half the fun is shopping around. Russ

There is an operator out of Port Allsworth that uses I believe a -3 to move caribou hunters all over creation. It's faster, roomier, tough as nails and way less expensive to buy a good one than a Cub. Simply put it fits his needs better. It has respectable performance and good looks to boot. I still think there are some darn fine -3s out there for less than 30k.

TAP online has a nice looking -3 right now with a fresh 165 asking $32500. I agree - lots of Stinson available for 25-$35K. On the average I would say the Maule's run a little more. Pays your monies and takes your chances.