Cruisair in Ocean Springs, MS

twheel47

twheel47

New member
A gentleman contacted me for information, pre-buy advise, etc a week or so ago about a cruisair, N86725, based at 5R2 in Mississippi that's being sold as part of an estate. Apparently the fellow, RIP, who owned it had it a long time and local word is he kept very good care of it and flew it often. Does anyone know the airplane or and history?
It's a long drive, or even flight after my plane's out of annual, to out the pilot if he buys it.

Thanks, Scott
 
The NTSB has that Bellanca wrecked beyond repair in the 70s. Stalled on climb out and crashed. So I would think that it would have had to be extensively restored at some point if it is in flying condition.

http://www.ntsb.gov/news/press-releases/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=36289&key=0
 
The owner also flew west in march of last year, so I assume it has not been flying for over 18 months.
Could be a good buy with a thorough inspection and extensive annual!
 
Yes, that's what the buyer thinks. He's an experienced pilot and a previous Tri-Pacer owner of some time. He's looking for a "retirement" airplane and is drawn to Bellancas.

The two fellows handling the sale for the estate aren't too knowledgable about the particulars of the records/history, they're airport buddies of the late owner and have done the last annual

I passed the NTSB stuff on, thanks. We're waiting for the FAA CD of the planes records to supplement the maintenance records available. This is helpful to know.

Sounds like you're having fun with your new ride! I'm jealous, a little bit, of the Cruisemaster but have no intention of getting rid of my Cruisair.

Scott
 
Scott,
it seems that most of our birds have had some sort of damage history at some point, but a Stall and "Crash beyond repair" seems a bit more intensive than a gear up etc..
It could actually prove to be a great bird, seeing as it would have required a complete repair or restoration to be flyable.
I believe that it has a Mode S Transponder, which I would assume mean that a fair amount of money has been spent on it.
I would worry that the airport guys that don't understand the type may think "Classic airplane in good shape" and slap a 50k price tag on it, while almost all of the Cruisairs are selling for under 30k well equipped and flying.

As for my Cruisemaster, I am absolutely loving it! Pushing it to the limits and exploring what it can do of course, but fitting my mission very well. Expect to see similar upgrades from my Cruisair (LED lights etc) in the near future (I asked Santa).

I do sometimes miss my Cruisair. It was an effortless bird, simple and fun, and telepathically responsive. The Master is more stable, and a better cross-country machine, but it requires a little more thought and effort, and I feel that the control harmony, while nice, is a bit heavier.
I traded "Feel" for speed and room. Everything is a trade off I guess
I do enjoy the engine though, powerful, relatively smooth, and spark plugs are only 20 bucks!
 
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