NC86916
- Thread starter bdon661
- Start date
bdon661
New member
Hi Grant! It wasn't on eBay, it was Dick Hulmes' old airplane out of Santa Maria, CA. I bought it from the estate back in March, flew it home to Texas, and have been enjoying it ever since. I thought that was one of the best pictures of it I've seen, so I thought I'd put it on the board.
Rob58
Moderator
What a beautiful picture... worthy of a magazine cover or calendar page! I am curious about the history of this bird - I live about 30 miles north of Santa Maria and have never seen this plane in the skies around this area. Who did the restoration? What does the interior look like? Hope you have many enjoyable hours in this beauty! --Rob
Larry Lowenkron
Member
This isn't as nice a picture...I think I took it at the Watsonville, CA Fly In in 1994. It's old and dusty, and I don't have the greatest slide scanner.
Dennis McCormick had been doing my annuals, and I recognized this plane as the one he rebuilt.
Had a weird conversation with Dick H at that time. I'm not sure but I think that Dennis built it up for Drew Peterson before Drew got his Cruismaster
Dennis McCormick had been doing my annuals, and I recognized this plane as the one he rebuilt.
Had a weird conversation with Dick H at that time. I'm not sure but I think that Dennis built it up for Drew Peterson before Drew got his Cruismaster
bdon661
New member
Larry:
Thank you for the awesome pic of NC86916 in Watsonville.
I never met Dick, but understand he was a bit eccentric. He owned several antique airplanes when he passed last year, all of them registered in a family trust that he didn't update following his second marriage, so there were some regrettable surprises when it came time to settle his estate. To my knowledge, the Bellanca is the only one of his airplanes to have sold with minimal drama.
When I bought it, it had been stored for several years without flying. As best we can tell, it's last flight prior to my acquisition was in 1997, but Dick went to great pains to store it properly and his efforts showed when we did the inspection and put it back in service. One cylinder had a stuck exhaust valve and there were plenty of leaking seals and gaskets, but the airplane was in overall outstanding condition - Dennis McCormick did a FANTASTIC job of restoring it and Drew Peterson apparently took very good care of it prior to selling it to Dick in the early 1990's.
Between my work schedule, the weather, and the overall logistics of the return to service - it took the better part of two months worth of trips between my home in north Texas and Santa Maria before the airplane was ready for its 1200 mile journey home. Dick was a well known and long-term tenant in Santa Maria and many of his friends came by to watch the progress on the airplane. I was pleasantly surprised by how happy everyone was to see the Bellanca returned to service. Like many antique airplanes, NC86916 has a very rich history; I'm humbled to now be part of that history and enjoy this beautiful little airplane.
Thank you for the awesome pic of NC86916 in Watsonville.
I never met Dick, but understand he was a bit eccentric. He owned several antique airplanes when he passed last year, all of them registered in a family trust that he didn't update following his second marriage, so there were some regrettable surprises when it came time to settle his estate. To my knowledge, the Bellanca is the only one of his airplanes to have sold with minimal drama.
When I bought it, it had been stored for several years without flying. As best we can tell, it's last flight prior to my acquisition was in 1997, but Dick went to great pains to store it properly and his efforts showed when we did the inspection and put it back in service. One cylinder had a stuck exhaust valve and there were plenty of leaking seals and gaskets, but the airplane was in overall outstanding condition - Dennis McCormick did a FANTASTIC job of restoring it and Drew Peterson apparently took very good care of it prior to selling it to Dick in the early 1990's.
Between my work schedule, the weather, and the overall logistics of the return to service - it took the better part of two months worth of trips between my home in north Texas and Santa Maria before the airplane was ready for its 1200 mile journey home. Dick was a well known and long-term tenant in Santa Maria and many of his friends came by to watch the progress on the airplane. I was pleasantly surprised by how happy everyone was to see the Bellanca returned to service. Like many antique airplanes, NC86916 has a very rich history; I'm humbled to now be part of that history and enjoy this beautiful little airplane.
bdon661
New member
Rob:
Thanks for your post. Dick Hulme was an executive for Lucas Oil and owned a number of antique airplanes in Santa Maria. He bought NC86916 from Drew Peterson in the early 1990's and flew it through 1997 or 1998. By the late 90's, his health was declining and his mobility issues made it difficult for him to get in and out of the airplane, so he stopped flying it, but maintained it in flyable storage in his hangar at KSMX. I went through the registration history of the airplane (it has all its logs back to new) and made a page for it at http://www.aerialvisuals.ca. Click on the Airframe Database button and type NC86916 in the search line. It will pull up an icon of the airplane and if you click on the icon, it will show its complete history, with some nice photos of its return to service and my adventures in it since then. I bought it to fly it and have put nearly 100 hours on it in a little less than a year and can't begin to tell you how happy I am with it. Please feel free to check out the Aerial Visuals page and if your travels take you to the DFW area, stop by Spinks Airport (KFWS) south of Fort Worth and say hi.
And it should go without saying - what makes owning this airplane great is the people I've met along the way. NC86916 would still be sitting in Santa Maria waiting for a new owner were it not for the help of Dan Cullman, Dan Torrey, Susan Prall, Larry Rau, Jamie Treat, George Sparks, Sehon, Jose, the Tarvers, and all the other incredibly generous and passionate folks who provided advice, encouragement, knowledge, parts, and great ideas. General aviation is the uniquely American experience that it is because of the people who make it possible.
Thanks for your post. Dick Hulme was an executive for Lucas Oil and owned a number of antique airplanes in Santa Maria. He bought NC86916 from Drew Peterson in the early 1990's and flew it through 1997 or 1998. By the late 90's, his health was declining and his mobility issues made it difficult for him to get in and out of the airplane, so he stopped flying it, but maintained it in flyable storage in his hangar at KSMX. I went through the registration history of the airplane (it has all its logs back to new) and made a page for it at http://www.aerialvisuals.ca. Click on the Airframe Database button and type NC86916 in the search line. It will pull up an icon of the airplane and if you click on the icon, it will show its complete history, with some nice photos of its return to service and my adventures in it since then. I bought it to fly it and have put nearly 100 hours on it in a little less than a year and can't begin to tell you how happy I am with it. Please feel free to check out the Aerial Visuals page and if your travels take you to the DFW area, stop by Spinks Airport (KFWS) south of Fort Worth and say hi.
And it should go without saying - what makes owning this airplane great is the people I've met along the way. NC86916 would still be sitting in Santa Maria waiting for a new owner were it not for the help of Dan Cullman, Dan Torrey, Susan Prall, Larry Rau, Jamie Treat, George Sparks, Sehon, Jose, the Tarvers, and all the other incredibly generous and passionate folks who provided advice, encouragement, knowledge, parts, and great ideas. General aviation is the uniquely American experience that it is because of the people who make it possible.
Rob58
Moderator
Hi Brad... I THOROUGHLY enjoyed reading the history of NC86916 on the Aerial Visuals site - read every comment! Audrey is a beautiful example of a great airplane. There is something about an airplane that is all red in color that makes a special impression, and the shade of red on your craft was a perfect choice. Also the interior work is amazing. However I am a bit sad that this airplane sat for so many years only a few miles down the road from my home base and I never knew anything of its existence. Oh well, that was probably good fortune for you! As I make the journey to Texas often (a great state I might add) I hope the opportunity might present itself to see Audrey firsthand sometime in the future. Please keep up your posts to our Bellanca forum as well as to the Aerial Visuals site so that we can enjoy your adventures. Thanks again for sharing with us! --Rob
JackFulford
New member
Let me know if you come north of Dallas. I am based at 52F. I would love to see your plane.
bdon661
New member
Hi Jack:
I'll be through there after the holidays when we get a decent stretch of weather. I'm wanting to take this little tour of the Brazos River - go up to the headwaters of it just outside of Lubbock and follow it all the way down to where it discharges into the Gulf of Mexico. I'll shoot you a message once I settle on a time frame.
I'll be through there after the holidays when we get a decent stretch of weather. I'm wanting to take this little tour of the Brazos River - go up to the headwaters of it just outside of Lubbock and follow it all the way down to where it discharges into the Gulf of Mexico. I'll shoot you a message once I settle on a time frame.
JackFulford
New member
Sounds like a plan!