Gonna buy a plane...
Just like this, different stripe on the side, tinted canopy, with hinge on the front edge:
View attachment 144935
White is good, less burn when you touch it in the sun.
Schweizer 1-35C, serial no #97, manufactured in 1980.
Made in U.S.A.
https://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/Search/NNumberResult?NNumberTxt=2927H
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schweizer_SGS_1-35
How the canopy will probably look:
View attachment 144948
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It's in pieces at the club, being repainted and soon to be reassembled and reinspected.
Too good a deal to pass up as I don't have to do anything -- it's already here, it's being rebuilt, don't have to drive across the country to look and be disappointed, don't have to rent a vehicle to tow it home, is a known quantity to the folks who need to know about it, it's had its regular and annual inspections by one of the club's retired licensed A&P mechanics, my instructor approves even though I don't have my license yet, will get help with from one of the board members on the necessary paperwork, etc.
Helped put a similar plane into its trailer today, it's kind of a pain in the ass. The owner taking it to Pennsylvania for reasons unknown. That trailer and the fittings inside were somewhat "homemade", the one that comes with this one might be German, from the little plaque with the serial and model numbers. It wasn't very English, at any rate.
A glider joke is that it is better to buy a good trailer with a so-so plane inside, than a good plane with a crappy trailer.
Will be able togive some real pictures soon.
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Different from what I've been flying in that it has flaps instead of spoilers/airbrakes, so a little different technique for landing will be needed.
Both add drag, to steepen descent angle, but flaps add lift where spoilers/brakes kill lift.
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Owner is a retiring doctor, and member of the club, retiring practice and moving to Highlands NC, and just wants to let it go. I've seen it in the shop for months, someone slowly working on it since that's what he likes to do. Only found out Friday it was for sale, when the owner dropped by to see what's up and take a refresher ride in one of the tandems.
He showed me a partial "before" picture, think bird poop and green mildew on the exterior, like a car that sat unmoved under a tree for a year (?) or so.
Looks really good now, not unlike the first photo above. Seems undamaged, imagine a 40 year old car being (relatively) refreshed.
Haven't seen the cockpit yet, hidden by tape/paper to block paint overspray. I presume it will be fairly utilitarian as with the other club planes.
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Flew from and landed on the grass by our closed runway on Friday. That was nice. A little bumpy and narrow mowed part, longer grass past the mowed edges, no problem.
Saturday day flew with someone who just passed their license test a week or two ago, at the suggestion of our instructor. He said I was his first passenger. I said I hope I won't be the last. I might have declined were I not able to fly the thing myself. Sat in the back seat for the first time, which was different. Wasn't bad, seemed to have a little more room to move around, could have easily flown the plane from there, though it might take a bit of practice at landing and takeoff due to the different perspective and somewhat limited visibility.
Takeoff, from the grass, a little squirrely behind the towplane, a big floating bounce on landing.
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Turns out the runway construction included temporary re-marking our end of the runway, so it will be back in-service during construction to the south, has a "displaced threshold" and will be open daily except if absolutely necessary to close it. Closed at night 7pm to 7am, as the lighting will be out of service.
Others flew using it today, no change noticed in our regular routine or location. The shortened part is just paint on the runway for the power pilots that might occasionally use it, other than the Skydive planes, also unaffected,
View attachment 144936
