The first of November will be one year and almost 100 hours since we completed the restoration. My wife and I started the annual inspection yesterday. We have made several trips with her and is just about the easiest airplane to fly we have ever owned. She shrugs off turbulence and crosswinds when landing and rate of climb is exceptional. We are seeing 1,000 fpm on average with 1,500 fpm on cooler days. The plane is pretty light with only two seats and the stock military panels inside rather than the heavy civilian seats and side panels.
My wife filmed these short videos yesterday on a short ten minute flight to warm up the oil before we drained it. The takeoff was no flaps with initial climb at 90 mph then nose up to best ROC at 85 mph. She can climb at a steep angle at 75 to 85 mph with cool cylinder temps due to the large air intake area up front. Cruise speeds are 112 mph at 9 GPH and 125 mph at 11 gph at 2,500 feet.
We were honored to receive Best Warbird at SERFI this past week. All four judges mentioned it was the first T-41B they had ever seen. The judges were gracious and did not deduct points for the Horton STOL kit, strobes, STEC AP, HSI system and Garmin 420.This aircraft will never be a Oskosh Quality Bird, it has had a hard life serving our Country with 7 years in the Army and 21 years as a DEA aircraft along the border with Mexico. The DEA modifications while adding safety would keep it from being a Oskosh winner. However the DEA mods reflect the history of the aircraft which is very rich and interesting.
Also I have restored several aircraft that were much prettier but we decided to take a different approach with this one, I wanted a flat weathered finish on the plane like it would have looked after a year or two in the field. The paint is full flat and weathered and we love it.
http://www.serfi.org/2016/2016_Champs/N62217/N62217.htm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OzLB2uiUU4https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHYS_LqCUPw
Login
Register
FAQ
Search
