EAA - Vintage Aircraft Association

3 days ago

This week's Vintage Airplane Ad highlights the 1942 Funk Model L-75! ... See MoreSee Less

EAA - Vintage Aircraft Association

4 days ago

Congratulations to Mitch Wohl and his 1948 Cessna 170, based at C77- our Plane of the Week! ... See MoreSee Less

EAA - Vintage Aircraft Association

1 week ago

Our Vintage Airplane Ad of the Week from 1946 features the versatile Funk, perfect for taking fishing or going into town! ... See MoreSee Less

EAA - Vintage Aircraft Association

2 weeks ago

Congratulations to Glenn Cheatham, owner of our Plane of the Week! He tells us the following history:

"“Emmlie”
1949 Aeronca Champ 7CCM

This 1949 Aeronca Champ was purchased in December, 1949 by Emmet and Charlotte Olson from Svedy-Sorenson Aviation, Inc of Worthington, MN. Emmet used the Champ for aerial spraying. It was kept in a T-Hangar on the Olson farm, 2 miles west of Red Lake Falls, MN.

The Champ was recovered at Thief River Falls AVTI in 1968. Emmet continued flying and spraying with it until his retirement in 1976.

After his retirement Emmet gave the airplane to his two sons, Gordon and Leslie, who both lived in Wyoming. In 1980, Gordon trailered the Champ from Red Lake Falls to Wyoming. Gordon and Les used the plane for pleasure/sightseeing. It was kept in a hangar in Saratoga, WY.

Unfortunately, Gordon passed away in March of 1983, at age 38, a month after an accident suffered during a competitive snowmobile race in Wyoming. Thus, the Champ was turned over to Les and his wife, Bonnie.

In 1986, Les flew the Champ to Jamestown, North Dakota where him and his wife lived for several years.

In 1990, Les and Bonnie moved to Colorado. Les flew the airplane to Laramie, Wyoming during the summer of 1992. The Champ was kept in a hangar in Laramie until the two were able to buy enough land for a landing strip and hangar in Wellington, CO. They flew the plane solely for sightseeing/pleasure.

In 2000, with another change in jobs, Les and Bonnie moved one more time back to Minnesota. This time the wings were removed from the Champ and it was trailered back home rather than flown.

With the wings already off and an AD Note due on the wood spars, it was decided that it was time to recover and restore the airplane.

The first thing Les did was overhaul the engine during the fall and winter months of 2000-2001. Then in the spring of 2001, the fabric was removed from the wings and the spars were checked per the AD Note and found to be okay. From there, Les and Bonnie went all in. “We ordered the Stits Poly Fiber book and video, we went to Oshkosh for seminars and we dove in with all four feet…. Les’s & mine”- Bonnie wrote.

Since Les was gone for his job so much the two were only able to work on this project about every 2nd or 3rd weekend. The project was delayed slightly in the spring of 2004 when Les was having difficulty breathing and had to have 4 stents put in his arteries. Then sadly, two weeks later his mother passed away. The complete restoration would take until May of 2005.
On May 22, 2005 the wings were lifted up and bolted on and later that month the Champ took its maiden flight since restoration.

Bonnie writes- “Though the project was long and at times stressful, we shared a lot of laughs through it all. One such laugh came as we were nearing completion. After having been through what seemed like months of dreary, rainy weather we were both a little stir crazy. This story topped it off and made for a memorable exit to the restoration project. The padlock for the hangar was a bit sticky and difficult to lock and unlock. On this rainy, Friday afternoon after having just finished with struggling to get the cowling back on, we packed up our bags, put the door down and started for the car. At that point, Les grumbled about how sticky the lock was and so I suggested we bring the WD-40 out with us the next time so we could lubricate it. Of course, that wasn’t soon enough and Les told me to pop the hood on the car, which I obediently did. He then proceeded to take the dip stick and put oil drop by drop on the lock. After he felt there was enough, he locked and unlocked it with the flick of the key. Amazing I thought, and before I could say a word he said, “Just Call Me MacGyver”.

Total Cost of Restoration: $9,909.67

The aircraft was then sold to I, Glenn Cheatham of Greybull, WY, on July 2, 2018. It had been in the Olson family for nearly 69 years! After losing my first airplane to a 78 mph microburst, I took it as an opportunity to get the slow flying taildragger I have always dreamed of. During my search, I had no idea I was to be so blessed as to own such a unique airplane.

I’m a firm believer in simplicity, and folks, nothing comes closer to the purity of flight than an old simplistic bird such as this Champ. Without a battery, starter, or even radios, and nothing more than the required gauges, it truly is just a few sticks and some metal all held together by fabric. Back in the day, to fly an airplane of this nature, one had to solely fly by feel. This is why I enjoy this airplane. Just to think, I wouldn’t be able to experience this if my Champ was any more modern. This is truly everything I could ever want from an airplane. If I have it my way, I will be maintaining and flying it for another 68 years!

To add, I couldn’t let a plane with such a special personality go unnamed and so in honor of Emmet and his son Leslie…

I present to you- “Emmlie”." ... See MoreSee Less