Pietenpol Aircamper

[GoBoy]

Way back in the 70s when I was around 12 yrs old , my AME/Pilot Father decided that I was old enough to take the step from model airplane to real ones.
He was fixing up and recovering a Pietenpol Aircamper for a customer. It was a great experience.
Jump to last summer. A well known vintage aircraft collector in Ontario obtained ownership of a very true to original design Pietenpol Aircamper that
for many years was operated at Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome in NY State. Not being a Pilot himself, he asked me to do the flying in it.
The Aircamper is by far a very fun light airplane . Very vintage - rudder bar , WW1 instruments, open cockpit, no forward visibilty and powered by a 1929
Ford model A 40 hp engine .
I had sooooo much fun flying it that I decided I needed one.
With that I started reaching out to my contacts and eventually found and purchased  suitable project near Nashville Ten.
The aircraft was started by a retired NASA Engineer 2003 and his wood work was first class . Unfortunately he passed away mid project. The wings and empennage were covered with the first coat of clear applied
fuselage still has a few things to do but is almost ready for cover. It also has a model A engine that is has been already converted as per the plans
I decided that I did not like the way the fabric tapes were applied so re-did all of them and the wings and tail surfaces are now completed up to silver and are ready for
colour coats.
The aircraft will have International orange wings and empennage and the fuselage will be navy blue
I am putting no timeline on the work as I already have a flying vintage aircraft but I estimate 2-3 years and she will be done .
Once complete, I hope to fly it from Hamilton Ontario all the way to Broadhead Wisconsin for the annual Pietenpol Gathering and then over to Oshkosh .
A long and slow journey there and back 
It is really a pleasure to get back to doing some restoration work and I am pretty sure that this is the 32nd aircraft I have recovered/ rebuilt .
Sure wish my Dad was still alive  to help me as it would have brought us full circle

[David MacRay]

Nice! You earned a bar for that story.