Of free line tape to make the insignias on the fuselage alone.
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I also wanted to duplicate theįactory colors and markings, and I recall it took four full days and a ‘mile’ Very hard to get the right ‘unmatched’ look. Original metal color did not match the fabric at the factory, and so I tried I had been told by fellow L-16 restorers that the “I chose to use Aero-Thane on the metal because it “I covered the entire airplane with Poly Fiber and finished the fabric With everything covered, Darrell took a different approach Darrell made new spars, leadingĮdges, and wingtip bows and repaired or replaced most of the ribs along withĪdding a wing tank. Spending an eternity with a herd of cattle. Although they were intact, both sides were in bad shape after Needless to say, I spent hours with hardwood blocks and scraps of glass beforeĪs one set of problems was solved, Darrell proceeded with the next one Then seem to fade to nothing as they blend into the natural arch of the glass. They have sharp bends at the edge to match the fuselage stringer lines, I spentĬonsiderable time trying to duplicate the bend lines in the aft edge of the top In an afternoon, but it took me a lot longer to build a greenhouse. Glass years ago and covered it with fabric, though. Offered out there by perfect strangers who all share the common airplane bondĪnd want to see your project take flight. “Remember, there is a lot of networking and help “I was lucky to meet this guy at AirVenture because he not onlyĮxplained the process, but he loaned me the original plans and let me makeĬopies of them,” Darrell said.
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Although Darrell had no idea how to fasten all those windows around the fuselage, he stumbled into a fellow L-16 owner at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, and the rest of the pieces fell into place. Remember, sometimes all you need is a little help - so don’t be shy, goĭarrell attacked the fuselage of the L-16A next and found it had “greenhouse” windows at one time during its military career. Help of a good friend who works at a body shop, and he made it look better than Lightweight filler, it looked pretty good, but not good enough. After a couple of days with a welder, a hammer, and a little It stared at me for the next five to six years before I got up enough courage
Was until I found out how much a new one cost. Shape, so I decided to throw it out -that Metal on the airplane, along with new interior panels, fairings, window trim,Ĭowlings, engine baffling, and air box,” he said. “Except for the nose bowl, I ended up making every piece of sheet This helped Darrell keep his costs down, and it also enabled him to “But previous experience helped me plan farther “Some of the parts were missing, and some that were there were only Numerous pits in it, and the sheet metal looked like it had been driven over by Wings had been stored in a farm shed alongside some cattle, the fuselage had Seating, sported an 85-hp engine, and was a military version of the Champ.ĭarrell wasn’t even deterred by the seller telling him on the phone that the Although Darrell was unfamiliar with this model, he knew it had tandem In 1999, Darrell answered an ad in Nebraska for an Aeronca L-16A But that all changed when I answered a simple ad.” Restoration Addiction - No Known Cure! I always figured I would never be able to attain my dream. I was always under the impression that learning to fly was not only a hard thing to do, but it was very expensive as well. “I always dreamed of flying and would look up in envy at the airplanes overhead. “As a kid growing up on a farm in northern Wisconsin, our family didn’t have a lot of money,” he said. Sound too good to be true? Surprisingly, no, because asĭarrell Kuhn, EAA 326842, said, he experienced all of the above during his Many of these are hidden talents are buriedĭeep inside all of us.
Purchase an airplane with good looks alone, owning a warbird can still beĪccomplished with some hard work, a little sweat, some creative ingenuity, andĪ willingness to learn new things. But is it? Although it’s just about impossible to learn how to fly or 1 thing holding us back from our dream of flying a However, for most of us, that dream is far from reality. You would have to make is whether the airplane matchesyour significant other’s Obtaining that rare fighter would be no big deal. Shape, size, and color that are for sale. You are instantly bombarded by hundreds of airplanes or projects of every Of the trade papers and magazines or look online at the dozens of websites and There are a lot of avenues to warbird ownership. This piece originally ran in the April 2020 issue of EAA Sport Aviation magazine.
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