Rob58
Moderator
As some of you might know I have a strange affection for the triple-tail Cruisemasters. A charter member of the Bellanca Rescue Society. This dysfunction has caused me to embark on a mission to locate each member of the old fleet and determine the operational status and a bit of history of these old birds. Some neat stories and nice friendships have resulted.
A couple of months ago I became aware of N165TV, a 14-19-3 looking for a new home. A hangar queen for most the past 20 years; not flown at all in five years. Spending these last couple of decades at Ryan field in Arizona the environment was a perfect place for this hiatus from the air. The most interesting part of the story is the profile of Tom, the owner: a 94 year old WWII & Vietnam vet who reluctantly hung up his wings a few years ago. One thing led to another and I agreed to help get the Cruisemaster back in the air and assist in finding a buyer.
The aircraft was in reasonably decent shape. I spent a couple of days making sure the everything was set to take to the air. The first test flight demonstrated once again that a Bellanca is “at home in the air”. Then the second flight put Tom in the co-pilot’s seat for a final farewell to the old girl. Tom took his turn at the controls and performed perfectly coordinated 60 deg steep turns and other maneuvers. He’s still got it! Equally impressive was his dexterity getting in and out of the famously cramped front office – this guy has the agility of a twenty-something gymnast.
So then I was off to my home base in California to give 165TV some much needed TLC. She brought me home with only a few reminders that at the age of nearly 60 she still needs a little more doctoring.
A couple of months ago I became aware of N165TV, a 14-19-3 looking for a new home. A hangar queen for most the past 20 years; not flown at all in five years. Spending these last couple of decades at Ryan field in Arizona the environment was a perfect place for this hiatus from the air. The most interesting part of the story is the profile of Tom, the owner: a 94 year old WWII & Vietnam vet who reluctantly hung up his wings a few years ago. One thing led to another and I agreed to help get the Cruisemaster back in the air and assist in finding a buyer.
The aircraft was in reasonably decent shape. I spent a couple of days making sure the everything was set to take to the air. The first test flight demonstrated once again that a Bellanca is “at home in the air”. Then the second flight put Tom in the co-pilot’s seat for a final farewell to the old girl. Tom took his turn at the controls and performed perfectly coordinated 60 deg steep turns and other maneuvers. He’s still got it! Equally impressive was his dexterity getting in and out of the famously cramped front office – this guy has the agility of a twenty-something gymnast.
So then I was off to my home base in California to give 165TV some much needed TLC. She brought me home with only a few reminders that at the age of nearly 60 she still needs a little more doctoring.
