On Tue, 13 Jul 2004 04:48:54 +0000 (UTC), Frank Stutzman
wrote:

Roger Halstead wrote:

OTOH Frank's 49 makes my 59 look positively modern.

Uh, well mine doesn't *exactly* look like a museum piece (any reputable
museum at least *washes* their plane occaisonally ;-)

On the other hand, the fellow who owns Cannon avionics at Arlington, WA
has a A35 which is a few hundred serial numbers newer than mine. I saw it
for the first time this weekend, during the airshow. Walking past it I
was going to disregard it as one of the newer models, probably a N or a P.
Wasn't until I noticed the landing lights that I realized it was an
earlier model. Wasn't until I read the data plate I realized it was a
massivly modified A model. Long side windows, speed sloped winshield,
fully modern panel (complete with avionics worth more than my plane),
extended baggage area. It also no longer had an E-series engine it it,
although I don't know exactly what it did have.

It looked *WAY* more modern than some inverted t-tail thing from 1959 ;-)

I gota admit that mine is a bit austere inside although it has had a
few mods. 1/2 inch Speed sloped windshield, 1/4 inch side windows,
extended baggage compartment with long third rear windows, dorsal fin
with cabin air inlet. (outlets are like cabin air on DC-9), gap seals,
Deshannon flight extender tip tanks, aileron and flap gap seals,
complete King silver Crown stack with KNS-80 RNAV (well it was modern
20 years ago G), 260 HP IO-470N, 3-blade Hartzell prop and rudder
hinge mode to do away with the rudder spar AD and a bunch of other
stuff I don't seem to remember now.

On a good day cruise is 180 MPH on 14 GPH at 24 square and... It has
less than 4000 hours total time on the airframe.

S# CD-2 although all the parts say CD-1. They tell me it was the
prototype used to set up the tooling, then taken apart and reassembled
on the line. The airframe log shows 30 hours of pre production flight
testing.

I normally fly it in enough rain to keep it clean although that's a
bit hard on the paint. Those thick windows really quiet it down in
heavy rain.

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com