Taking a moment to enjoy the sunshine, I walked to the far end of the field to catch up on the latest happenings at the Aeronca haven.
The first time I wrote about this place, the shell of the hangar had only just been erected. Nell, the Aeronca C2, was the very first resident. The little flying bathtub, as they are known, took her place at the front of that year’s parade of planes. Nell has a few more friends now.
Last year, the shell stood ready and more examples of Aeroncas found their way home. Since then the haven has taken on a shape and purpose that only existed in imagination for years.
After helping Mama’s Chief get to the sandblaster and then up to the restoration shop, our Aeronca friend brought home additional pallet racks to hold more engines and propellers for the representative fleet.
Mama’s Chief is a 1946 Aeronca 11AC. It is the airplane my mother brought home in pieces before she and my father were together. Mama rounded up family and friends in order to rebuild it to airworthy condition once before selling it. Decades later, we found it again and are bringing it back to flight.
Organization Frees up Display Space
With organization options finally in place, sorting and allocating is happening in earnest. Moving engines and propellers up above in one area has created more floorspace for exhibiting aircraft and engines.
Having a representative engine of each type is one of the goals of the haven. Some of the early, rare engines are now displayed on engine stands and lightly placarded so the average visitor can see and understand them. It is certainly a win.
Our other Aeronca friend was beaming at the recent progress. He stood amazed at how much has changed since they first started putting the hangar together and pulling the haven into reality. The years of dreaming that led to this moment are something to comprehend.
Finding representatives of each aircraft type over the years and storing them until they could be assembled in one place was the foundation.
The haven is that dream taking shape.
Helping Projects
While the haven’s home is still being finished around it, its existence is already helping projects. Every couple of weeks someone reaches out about an Aeronca needing guidance. Recent inquiries included a C restoration in Montana and another C project in Indiana.
Having this resource so close has been a wealth of information and support for us as well. The welder came over to look at the Chief structure while correcting the blemishes in Mama’s Chief.
Local Aeronca owners have been able to get a better look at what is under fabric or inside the cowling. Both of our Aeronca friends can point to projects their mission has given guidance to.
The vision is to have each project open with interior and structural members exposed. The idea is to show how everything fits together behind the fabric and paint. It is fascinating to watch that vision come to life. You can see how everything is falling into place, each time a bit than before.
Rare engines now sit on stands, some labeled. If space permits, examples of different engine combinations may eventually be displayed together on the haven floor. The early engines, like the Menasco and LeBlond, are delicate and parts are hard to come by. Having representatives of engines that were barely reliable when new is a reminder that some areas are better updated for safety and reliability.
Besides Champs and Chiefs there are K’s, T’s and a glider trainer, and of course Nell, the C2 who flew at Middletown during this year’s National Aeronca Association convention.
Of the K models that arrived recently, one has floats.
More treasures will make their way to the haven in time.
Even so, seeing the dream realized to this extent already feels like a gift to everyone who is restoring or repairing these classic flivvers.
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