CROPDUSTER SOLD

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These posts are the ones that I feel privileged to view. What a life you have had. So sorry that your HB is gone but I know the memories will carry you through. Sharing with you Swiss friends would be great. Have a great New Year.
 
As I get closer to retirement I hope my financial planner has me steered the right way. Best of luck to you Jay.
 
Weeds,

Thanks for sharing. So much for the conventional wisdom about selling your "other wife". Letting "Still Dancin" go was a bad day, too. Great that you got to fly your old plane.

Dale
 
As an aviator and aviation buff, what a thrill to see the Connie pix and to know through this forum, someone who actually flew one. The Connie never looks like it isn't flying, even when static on the ground.

I've always done my own financial planning. There are those who've scoffed at me and told me that a professional planner is the way to make the most money. I've not made any big money through my own planning but it has resulted in having "enough" and I know that it will continue to be enough. I'll never know what a pro could have done with my money, but I've maintained my own house, boat and cars and airplanes. So I figured, I could handle my own investments. But my little 21 foot cruiser gets me everywhere on the lake in comfort.

So, Weeds, you can have great joy on the lake in something a quarter the size of Crop Duster. There are many nice cruisers for sale in the 25 to 35 foot range with all the amenities and really inexpensive if you check craigs list and boat trader etc.
 
Hey Potty Water....oops...I mean potter water (I have this 3 1/2 month old springer spaniel sitting on my lap and guess what....)
Not sure exchanging the boat for a puppy was such a good idea.......

Anyway, watch this 2:17 minute vimeo video that was sent to me in January, 2014. Really got my attention...made me aware that the airplane still existed. Not until comparing the Swiss registration (HB-RSC) to the plane # in my log book (N73544) did I realize it was the same plane. Very moving.
Seems like I posted this stuff before so forgive the repeat.
The video is very well done......but after I realized what I was seeing, it really choked me up. I have a few photos of Connie from 44 years ago...would never know it was the same plane. She wasn't well maintained at all. The Swiss did a beautiful job.

At the 1:45 mark there's a brief shot of the flight engineer we stayed with.
(May have to copy and paste)
 
Weeds,

Great video. Would love to see the then/now comparisons.

When you aim high, you sometimes miss. Better than settling for safety at the bottom, in my book. All the best to You and Linda.

I have heard they make Depends for puppies.
 
Weeds, For your sake, I'm glad your baby sold and at the same time sad to see things "change". We exchanged a couple flying emails years ago when the Cropduster building thread was unfolding. I don't recall being aware of your history in the Connie. In the early 90's at the OSH airshow, there was a Super Connie that was open to walk thru and flew in the daily airshow. First link is a YouTube vid of all the transports flying on parade. The Constellation and Concorde were both in the parade, along with a rare JU 52. I had a friend flying for Air Wisconsin at the time that knew one of the Concorde pilots, so we got a personal tour. IIRC, the Connie was back subsequent to the 90's as a static display.

The second link is another rescue of a short body from Davis Monthan and was reputed to be president Eisenhowers transport. Fortunately it was restored, but appears to be a museum piece. As a kid in Jr High I can remember viewing the Constellations at Stapleton field from the observation platform and thinking "what a cool plane." Great memories you got to dig up flying your old plane again!

Sorry to hear of the financial issues and wish you a better 2018!

Mike



http://warbirdsnews.com/warbirds-news/columbine-ii-arrives-home.html
 
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Hi Mike, back then I didn't even know about the old Connie. Like I mentioned, I only found out about it in January, 2014...40 years after flying it...and long after Cropduster was on the lake. My assumption was it had rotted away in the desert somewhere.

Columbine II is sitting on the ground in Virginia last I heard.
Probably will be a static display. They wanted to make it FAA legal to carry passengers, but that's really expensive.

Also there are two Connie's at Chino airport in LA. The owners have also been entertaining thoughts of flying them commercially. One of them is Bataan...General MacArthur's old airplane at the Planes of Fame museum (it set in Valle, Arizona for a long time).

The other one in Chino is at Yanks Air Museum...still C-121 livery.
One of the Swiss Connie representatives and my wife and I visited there early 2017, looking for Connie spare parts. We got a personal tour of the place when they were closed for a holiday. Very impressive collection...two N3N3's in mint condition.
Anyway I've been looking for spare parts but they're very rare...found about 7 or 8 items so far.
But while trying to sell Cropduster, I haven't been much help. Hope to get back to it soon.

Funny you mention the JU-52 (carried Hitler around among other things). They have 2 or 3 in Switzerland still flying passengers...80 years old. They charge a fortune for a seat, and the waiting list is 3 years. The Europeans are real nuts for old warbirds.
 
Dale said:
Weeds,
Great video. Would love to see the then/now comparisons.
When you aim high, you sometimes miss. Better than settling for safety at the bottom, in my book. All the best to You and Linda.
I have heard they make Depends for puppies.
Click to expand...

Hi Dale, here's a few "dirty" Connie photos since things are a little slow.
The Marana AZ. shot was in Nov. or Dec. 73 during spray swath testing with the Quebec government.
The others are in Canada well north of Montreal.

1st shot I took out my side window looking back at #4 engine and right wing. The dark brown stuff all over the prop spinner and wing is Zectran insecticide (suspended in diesel fuel). We had to use Coke-a-Cola to clean off the wind screen. Nasty stuff. That carbamate was banned all over the world long ago. We were about 100 to 120 ft above the forest.

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2nd shot is the nose of our Connie behind the Quebec government Dehaveland (sp?) Beaver on floats. Waiting for fuel and insecticide. Note the date stamp on the side.

3rd shot is me behind the right wing at Marana...
see the spray booms on top of the wing.

4th shot is the red dye leaking over the left wing. We were spraying at Marana to check the width of spray pattern. (5000 ft wide, but we planned 3000 ft.)

5th shot is me in front of Connie after we arrived back at Falcon field in Mesa.
 

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Also there are two Connie's at Chino airport in LA. The owners have also been entertaining thoughts of flying themcommercially. One of them isBataan...General MacArthur's oldairplane at the Planes of Fame museum
Click to expand...

I keep intending to hit up Chino and the Planes of Fame airshow each spring, but something always interferes. When I lived in SoCal yrs ago, I used to kick tires at CNO and if I ever make the show, I'll get some pictures of the Connies.

The JU-52 at the '90 OSH show was the last time I saw it. It was owned by a guy from FL and IIRC, was sold and exported to Europe. The crew had on German officer attire and taxied up to airshow central to park. An "officer" opened the hatch above the cockpit and stood up while the announcer gave the planes detailed history. I remember thinking that the corrugated construction on the airframe looked like something that Behlin buildings might have built....or FordMoCo.

I wasn't aware the Connie was ever converted to spray. I remember seeing a couple P-38's in WY as a kid in the 50's that were converted to spray sagebrush. Only a couple flying today and worth millions if ever for sale.
 
weeds said:
Hi Dale, here's a few "dirty" Connie photos since things are a little slow.
The Marana AZ. shot was in Nov. or Dec. 73 during spray swath testing with the Quebec government.
The others are in Canada well north of Montreal.

1st shot I took out my side window looking back at #4 engine and right wing. The dark brown stuff all over the prop spinner and wing is Zectran insecticide (suspended in diesel fuel). We had to use Coke-a-Cola to clean off the wind screen. Nasty stuff. That carbamate was banned all over the world long ago. We were about 100 to 120 ft above the forest.

View attachment 1489

2nd shot is the nose of our Connie behind the Quebec government Dehaveland (sp?) Beaver on floats. Waiting for fuel and insecticide. Note the date stamp on the side.

3rd shot is me behind the right wing at Marana...
see the spray booms on top of the wing.

4th shot is the red dye leaking over the left wing. We were spraying at Marana to check the width of spray pattern. (5000 ft wide, but we planned 3000 ft.)

5th shot is me in front of Connie after we arrived back at Falcon field in Mesa.
Click to expand...

Thanks. You looked a little younger then!
 
That was a 3 1/2 month beard in the nose shot.
Linda made me shave it off..........immediately.
I was more than happy to comply.
 
I remember seeing a Connie at the Ventura airport I think back in the 80's. I was told it was being used as a spray plane for mosquito control. I was disgusted that a Connie should end up in the duster business. But there aren't enough John Travolta's around who want to play airplane captain.
 
mondofish said:
Hey squirrel... Been kinda busy....life, grandkids etc. I've been teaching myself forging, welding, knifemaking etc. Figured it was time for mondotocomeupforair....hope all the wordlings are well!
Click to expand...

Yes we have a strong group of winter readers and a few that even go fishing in the winter. Glad you are doing well. See you in the spring.
 
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