Electric Cool Aid Antique and Classic

We've all read about this guy "Bye". His goal is to retrofit a Gen Av. airplane with an electric motor. He picks the Cessna 172 for obvious reasons. Cessna built something like 43,000. of these aircraft. Every few years these airplanes need their engines overhauled anyway. Av gas is expensive. Electric motors aren't affected by altitude. We could think of dozens more good reasons for a conversion. It's surprising though, how many people don't think this is feasible. They are the same people who don't like the idea of electric cars. And I'm not talking about people who have a financial interest in the status quo, such as oil investors. I'm talking about folks who just don't like the idea because they didn't think of it. Or they're just conservative about new ideas. And here's the big anti-reason that I just love: they point out the drawbacks in the brand new prototype electric car. Such as cost. Or power. Or charging time. Or infrastructure. All the things that will vastly and quickly improve. They don't want this electric car. But ironically they don't want anyone else to have it! All this good electric stuff may not happen much in my lifetime, but I am enjoying it. I'm thinking lets say they get a decent kit going for the 172. Could it be that 10 years from now I could be putting a 200 HP electric motor in my CherOHkey? One friend told me the other day that he thought the old Mooneys would be a cool airframe for electric. I like sailplanes too. My dream sailplane is a self launcher (not a motor glider). Electric retro fits of self launching systems into conventional gliders. Will that be in my future? If you're one of the status quo, "it can't be done" guys I mentioned above, well flyin' is still fun, but you don't have as much to look forward to. Gen. Av. Informal :::::+:::::

Span Can Part 2

My Piper PA-28 140 is a spam can. Yes. In fact it, along with the 150 Cessna, is the quintessential spam can. Or you could say the "classic" spam can. Now we have an oxymoron of sorts. "Spam can" is certainly a derisive term. Yet "classic" is a complimentary term when we speak 0f airplanes and cars. The Hershey bar wing 140 Cherokees are actually becoming so old, that they are becoming cool. A lot of boomers, including me, had their first solo in a Cherokee. I know my airplane is slow and unsexy and vanilla boring. But it suits. I wound up using the tiny rear seats again last weekend. I gave 4 rides to the neighbor's grandkids. Used all four seats on all four rides. Then after that, wife and I went to refuel at CGE. And eat at the restaurant. We took a friend along. So again we used the tiny back seats. I know when I transition to light sport I will miss those back seats. I can't afford a sexy plane. But the 140 is great. My fantasy back yard Cherokee is this: A 180 Cherokee with a nice mid time engine. Hershey bar wing. But the large interior which comes around '72 to '75 before the taper wing. Leather. Tuned exhaust. A basic auto pilot. Decent avionics with dual GPS. 4 place intercom. A collision avoidance system. No wheel pants. State of the art wing tips with strobes, LED navs, and landing lights. New paint in the original factory style. That's it. Hey I wonder what it would cost? You buy a 50K 180 that has the big interior and the auto pilot. Put up another 20K for the TCAS and juice up the comms etc. Another 2K for the wing tips. Another 2K for the leather. Add 8K for the new paint. I forget how much the tuned exhaust is. 3K? So for 80 grand or so, there you are. Folks my dream plan is a SPAM CAN.

"in praise of old spam cans" by lane wallace

I can't afford subscriptions to all the aviation magazines. And even though I'm retired, I wouldn't have time to read them. I receive "AOPA Pilot", but don't always read it. There is so much new stuff going out and coming out. I'm pretty much lost anyway. A buddy sent me a recent "Flying" magazine. I guess I'm really out of touch. It had a 50th anniversary Beech Baron on the cover. So Beech still makes the Baron. I didn't read that article. What could a new Baron cost? A fifty year old design. Non- turbo. With a G 1000 glass panel. Costs about 1.32 million. Somebody is buying this plane. I can't imagine who. Another article in my free "Flying" mag. was about the "Carbon Cub". This plane complies with light sport. Great fun and great performance. Price $185K. I could talk all day about light sport and it's ironies. But I'm not going to. There was a little article in this "Flying" issue about "spam cans". Now this is something I know about. I, as you know, have a spam can. The author described a spam can as a single engine, fixed gear, aluminum, nose wheel airplane. That's a perfectly fine definition. But the first time I ever heard the term "Spam can" it was in reference to the NASA Mercury space capsules. The X-15 rocket plane was a spacecraft that a pilot flew and took off and landed in. The space "capsule" had an astronaut who had some controls, but mostly was along for the ride like the chimps and dogs who made the first flights. Many fly-ins have an infield for the "antiques and classics" and a far away long walk weed patch for the span cans to park in. The 150's and cherokees are not "real" airplanes. I think the author of the article was pulling our chain a bit when she said she was embarrassed to have to tell someone she owned a Grumman Cheetah. I bet she's not embarrassed at all. I'd be proud to own one of those. Remember the BD-5 and the James Bond BD-5 J? Jim Bede the designer and kit builder? Well the BD-1 was a popular homebuilt that became the Yankee, that morphed into the Grumman Cheetah. Call it a span can if you want. It started out as a radical part-fiberglass homebuilt ahead of it's time. My Piper Cherokee 140 is a true spam can. I'm not embarrassed and make no apologies. I'm 61 years old and I like having a fixed gear and a simple panel. I can park the plane outside too. Another thing. I just don't get the tail wheel thing. It's neat that a pilot knows how to fly tail wheel. That has to do with the pilot and his set of skills and knowledge. I operate off a grass strip and like grass roots flying. The nose wheel is simply easier and nicer to me. I used to park on the infield. But I'm a span can with a big smile and I carry my folding chair to the action. I need the exercise.