Bellanca "260" Owner's Manual - Downer

artL

artL

New member
I have an original owner's manual for N7609E, Tri-tail Tri-gear 14-19-3, S/N 4111. I think 1958/1959 - very early tri-gear. Anyway, if anybody out there has a need I'd be happy to scan it into a .pdf and send it out. It has a lot of margin notes and mark-ups from previous owners but all of the original is visible.
 
Hello TJ and welcome to the forum! Please post your email address and I will forward a copy of the manual to you. Also, please give us a little history on your new airplane and maybe a picture or two. --Rob
 
hi! my email is belltf@mail.uc.edu

Plane is N86802. Found it within 10miles of my house, had been sitting for 20 or 30 years.
 
TJ... I have emailed the owner's manual to you. Let me know if you do not receive it. Glad to learn you have rescued an old neglected bird! --Rob
 
There was another 260 that sat for years at the Smith Ranch airport in Marin County Calif. I saw it and could not help going over and looking. It actually had brush growing up through the rotten wings and fabric falling off of the fuselage. I talked to the airport manager and he said that the owner didnt want to talk to anyone. The airport was improved several years ago and I have no idea where it ended up. What surprised me most was in looking at it, I leaned against the prop and it turned free. It was a McCauly, so didnt have the Horrible Hartzel ADs. I thought that the plane would have been a great source of parts to convert a 14-19 to a 260 engine. Like many of my wild assed ideas, I let the thought drop. _____Grant.
 
Out of curiosity more than for any practical reason I am working on a status list of the 14-19-2s & -3s (since these are the two models that I own). I'm trying to figure out which planes are still flying and what happened to those that are not. Collecting pictures as best I can find them. Just a spare time project, but it is interesting to collect some history and current status on these machines. Grant, do you recall the tail number on the old bird you saw at Smith Ranch by chance? --Rob
 
Rob, No I dont recall it. The fabric was falling off of the plane, so it might not even have been visible. I parted out a 14-19-3 several years ago, but it came as a complete basket case with no paperwork or logs, so I have no idea what the numbers were. I have an old note book that I used to keep information in, and I think I have notes on a couple of 14-19-3 basket cases. I will try to locate it and let you know what I find. _____Grant.
 
Thanks Grant... I'm guessing that there is less than a third of the original fleet still airworthy. Still it would be interesting to find out what has happened to them. --Rob
 
Rob58, I suspect you have already looked at the FAA database where you can search for registered aircraft by many parameters including Make & Model. However, in case you have not, here is the link: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/. ArtL
 
Many of the existing basket cases are no longer in the registry since the paperwork has to be renewed every 3 years under the new rules. I have bought many Cruisair abandoned projects and only a few had up to date registration, and even then it was a widow or a friend of a widow selling the plane. At one point I knew where 15 basket case Cruisairs were , just in California. I dont think any of them had good paperwork. Most of them were hardly worth hauling home. As far as 14-19-3s go I think I have notes on 1 or 2. I still have to look. The one I parted out had done an off field landing and was borderline repairable, but there was no paperwork at all with it. The story was that the pilot had filled up on beer rather than filling the plane, and it went silent on climb-out. I sold the whole fwf of the plane to a fellow that was going to put it on a 14-19. I dont think he got far because I saw the project for sale on Barnstormers a year or so later. Trying to get clear title on a project that may have gone thru 3 or 4 owners (most long dead) without registration is almost impossible. _____Grant.
 
John, this is a great story. I am compiling a list of active 14-19-3s along with a few pictures and some history on these birds. If you would please send me a few pictures of both of these planes and share with us some more information that would be much appreciated! Let me know if you need a copy of the owners manual. --Rob
 
I know...twins with the same airplane!
I will send some stuff to your private email and you can sort through it all. Message me johnlbtap@aol.com
I am flying now to Singapore. When I get to the hotel I will look at all.
Best regards,
John L
 
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