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Sitarro
07-05-2007, 12:09 AM
My brother's and I bought this 1949 Piper Clipper for 16 grand. It cruises at about 110mph and burns about 6 gallons an hour of car gas. We are putting about 15 grand more to basically make it a new, more powerful plane. It will be worth upwards of 45,000 when finished with a 150 hp engine that will get us about 1,200 ft a minute climb on 7 gallons an hour. Cruise should be at least 140 mph. New leather interior, new fabric, new control cables and pulleys, new prop, powder coated frame, etc.

Not much money when you consider the land vehicles that 30,000 will buy. What is really sweet is that we can add aerial photography to what our company does and have a nice little write off.

First shot is the plane as purchased, second is the frame loaded to go to the frame welder and powder coating and the third shot is the same type of plane that a friend did the same work to. Stall speed is only 40 mph and the windows open for aerial work.

Mr. P
07-05-2007, 12:25 AM
Nice! That'll be a fun lil VFR bird. Personally I'd keep it as close to original as possible. That's just the way I am with old stuff.

nevadamedic
07-05-2007, 12:34 AM
I don't fly unless there is no other way around it.

Sitarro
07-05-2007, 12:53 AM
Nice! That'll be a fun lil VFR bird. Personally I'd keep it as close to original as possible. That's just the way I am with old stuff.

I'm amazed at how nice this little thing flies, amazing how cool a stick is over a yoke.
There was some thought about making it a pure restoration project but there are a lot of those around anyway and a few mods brings the performance to a much safer level( It will still look original except for the wingtips and spinner). When my brother flew it back from the Seattle area, he ran into a lot of problems with mountain passes. With the smaller engine it just wasn't very stable above 7,500 feet, that becomes a problem when you cross as many mountain chains as there are across the country. The 150 makes a 10,000 ft. ceiling much more possible. He has been a Airline Captain for 35 years and he said that cross country was one of the most challenging. The one in the picture was flown from Washington, this side of the Cascades to South Florida with no problems..... he said it was a fun trip. The leather on the seats is the same pattern as the original cloth. We have also had wigtips installed that help with slow speed handling but don't change the looks like the downward facing winglets. We will also probably decide on a tinted sunroof..... those are about the extent of the modifications.

glockmail
07-05-2007, 07:42 AM
I was tld a few years back by a guy who works on avionics that the engine technology for small planes like this is basically unchanged since the late '40's due to lawsuits on te manufacturers. Seems that people sue the company if the gas gauge is off a little, so they are reluctant to update with such things we take for granted in the automotive world, like electronic fuel injection and overhead cams. Aslo the RPMs limited to about 2000 for the same reason. Is this true?

Pale Rider
07-05-2007, 12:51 PM
My brother's and I bought this 1949 Piper Clipper for 16 grand. It cruises at about 110mph and burns about 6 gallons an hour of car gas. We are putting about 15 grand more to basically make it a new, more powerful plane. It will be worth upwards of 45,000 when finished with a 150 hp engine that will get us about 1,200 ft a minute climb on 7 gallons an hour. Cruise should be at least 140 mph. New leather interior, new fabric, new control cables and pulleys, new prop, powder coated frame, etc.

Not much money when you consider the land vehicles that 30,000 will buy. What is really sweet is that we can add aerial photography to what our company does and have a nice little write off.

First shot is the plane as purchased, second is the frame loaded to go to the frame welder and powder coating and the third shot is the same type of plane that a friend did the same work to. Stall speed is only 40 mph and the windows open for aerial work.

Very cool. But can I ask a stupid question? When you say it's a 1949 Piper Clipper, you're not saying it's a "vintage 1949" are you? It's a "model 1949" right?

Abbey Marie
07-05-2007, 02:18 PM
Are you both licensed pilots? Very coooooool!

glockmail
07-05-2007, 03:02 PM
Are you both licensed pilots? Very coooooool! If you were referring to me, then no.

Abbey Marie
07-05-2007, 03:09 PM
If you were referring to me, then no.

No, I meant Sitarro and his brother. You have other talents. :coffee:

glockmail
07-05-2007, 03:16 PM
...You have other talents. :coffee: Gulp. :o

Sitarro
07-05-2007, 08:35 PM
No, I meant Sitarro and his brother. You have other talents. :coffee:

I'm not yet. I've soloed but haven't built the time to get my license yet, that was why I was interested in getting a plane that burns so little fuel. I will be able to build the time at a very low rate. Renting a plane can be extremely expensive.
Three of my brothers are airline Captains so, yes, they are licensed and my youngest was just made an instructor for the airline.

Pale....... it was originally built in 1949 and doesn't have any changes except the wingtips and windows so far. It has recieved it's annual inspections every year since 1949 to make sure it was airworthy. The metal looks really good but will be xrayed to check for any cracks. There are some wooden slats that make the skin tight that need replacing but overall it was a great deal for a plane that was obviously flyable but not very pretty.

Dilloduck
07-05-2007, 08:44 PM
My brother's and I bought this 1949 Piper Clipper for 16 grand. It cruises at about 110mph and burns about 6 gallons an hour of car gas. We are putting about 15 grand more to basically make it a new, more powerful plane. It will be worth upwards of 45,000 when finished with a 150 hp engine that will get us about 1,200 ft a minute climb on 7 gallons an hour. Cruise should be at least 140 mph. New leather interior, new fabric, new control cables and pulleys, new prop, powder coated frame, etc.

Not much money when you consider the land vehicles that 30,000 will buy. What is really sweet is that we can add aerial photography to what our company does and have a nice little write off.

First shot is the plane as purchased, second is the frame loaded to go to the frame welder and powder coating and the third shot is the same type of plane that a friend did the same work to. Stall speed is only 40 mph and the windows open for aerial work.

Had buddy who took me up in his 1942 Luscombe Silvaire. 65 HP. It was like a carnival ride that went really high. :laugh2:

glockmail
07-06-2007, 05:01 AM
... a plane that was obviously flyable but not very pretty. I'd say that the old girl looks pretty good. I hope you enjoy her. You won't lose money when you sell.