Jonathan Baron
New member
Gentlemen:
As expected, the insurance company totaled my Cruisemaster. What I didn't expect was the absurdly high price they're asking for the salvage: $13,485.00. How they came up with that number is anyone's guess but it's simply too much money for me to buy and pay to have fixed properly. It's certainly repairable but any reputable estimate came out at over 30k, I've put three times that sum into it over the past eight years, no 14-19 I know of is worth anything close to 45k, and I no longer have the resources to meet its demands.
The only way for owning this to make sense is through sweat equity. That leaves me out but some of you out there may be able to acquire it for a lower bid and be capable of doing the work. It's a pretty airplane, the engine is not only fresh but runs wonderfully, and it's unusually fast for the type. I'll let you know where the sale will be posted. I'd hate for it to become another parts source in Al Pontius' salvage collection, I have nothing at all against Al, but I'd like for it to find an owner who'd return it to the air.
Were I not unemployed I might consider giving it another go. One thing I've learned, however, is that nobody has any business owning an aircraft of this sort unless it's been recently and thoroughly restored, or the owner is capable - either personally or financially - of doing so. It's difficult to consider a different cross country aircraft because they all have tricycle landing gear. Tail wheel aircraft simply have too many advantages over trikes to even consider one. Yes the -2s are newer, more practical, and they're great airplanes but they just don't do it for me.
I have become convinced, as strange and as "new age" as this sounds, that there exists among certain aviators a human/machine connection when flying that creates a separate, living entity in the air apart from their constituent components on the ground. Thus owning and flying certain aircraft works whereas piloting others is akin to organ rejection. There are spooky connections in this peculiar Bellanca DNA evidenced by the enormous number of Triple Tail pilots who either have owned or still own Luscombes for example. I don't fully understand it but it may be one of those things that surpasses understanding.
Cruisairs speak to me the same way. Were it not for the physical dimensions of the ones available during the year and a half I spent shopping for a Triple Tail I would have chosen a Cruisair. But that presents the same problem to someone like me for whom the act of turning a wrench should be a felony: ancient machine, orphan engine and, due to their unfairly low value, too, too few examples that would be viable.
I will still talk this over with Dan, Ozzie, Bob, and others. Perhaps I can get lucky with a far lower bid, find a way to get repairs started until someone with my peculiar array of skills can find employment again. It ain't over, but they are taking out the defibrillator paddles. Most likely my Triple Tail days are done. It was worth it though. Though the rest of the GA world may be ignorant of this fast, nothing flies like these rare and wonderful machines do. Nothing holds a course in turbulence as they do, nothing handles so well in so many ways and in so many conditions as they do. They ride upon a wing of singular magnificence, the product of a singular genius who created something pilots minted today will probably never have the opportunity to know they'd want if only they had the chance. I did and for that I have been privileged as all of you are or have been.
Jonathan
As expected, the insurance company totaled my Cruisemaster. What I didn't expect was the absurdly high price they're asking for the salvage: $13,485.00. How they came up with that number is anyone's guess but it's simply too much money for me to buy and pay to have fixed properly. It's certainly repairable but any reputable estimate came out at over 30k, I've put three times that sum into it over the past eight years, no 14-19 I know of is worth anything close to 45k, and I no longer have the resources to meet its demands.
The only way for owning this to make sense is through sweat equity. That leaves me out but some of you out there may be able to acquire it for a lower bid and be capable of doing the work. It's a pretty airplane, the engine is not only fresh but runs wonderfully, and it's unusually fast for the type. I'll let you know where the sale will be posted. I'd hate for it to become another parts source in Al Pontius' salvage collection, I have nothing at all against Al, but I'd like for it to find an owner who'd return it to the air.
Were I not unemployed I might consider giving it another go. One thing I've learned, however, is that nobody has any business owning an aircraft of this sort unless it's been recently and thoroughly restored, or the owner is capable - either personally or financially - of doing so. It's difficult to consider a different cross country aircraft because they all have tricycle landing gear. Tail wheel aircraft simply have too many advantages over trikes to even consider one. Yes the -2s are newer, more practical, and they're great airplanes but they just don't do it for me.
I have become convinced, as strange and as "new age" as this sounds, that there exists among certain aviators a human/machine connection when flying that creates a separate, living entity in the air apart from their constituent components on the ground. Thus owning and flying certain aircraft works whereas piloting others is akin to organ rejection. There are spooky connections in this peculiar Bellanca DNA evidenced by the enormous number of Triple Tail pilots who either have owned or still own Luscombes for example. I don't fully understand it but it may be one of those things that surpasses understanding.
Cruisairs speak to me the same way. Were it not for the physical dimensions of the ones available during the year and a half I spent shopping for a Triple Tail I would have chosen a Cruisair. But that presents the same problem to someone like me for whom the act of turning a wrench should be a felony: ancient machine, orphan engine and, due to their unfairly low value, too, too few examples that would be viable.
I will still talk this over with Dan, Ozzie, Bob, and others. Perhaps I can get lucky with a far lower bid, find a way to get repairs started until someone with my peculiar array of skills can find employment again. It ain't over, but they are taking out the defibrillator paddles. Most likely my Triple Tail days are done. It was worth it though. Though the rest of the GA world may be ignorant of this fast, nothing flies like these rare and wonderful machines do. Nothing holds a course in turbulence as they do, nothing handles so well in so many ways and in so many conditions as they do. They ride upon a wing of singular magnificence, the product of a singular genius who created something pilots minted today will probably never have the opportunity to know they'd want if only they had the chance. I did and for that I have been privileged as all of you are or have been.
Jonathan
