Gone N3N flying

N3Njeff · **Posted:** Fri Oct 27, 2006 8:02 pm

A couple of weeks ago, dad and I turned some $$$$$ into noise.
If this works, here are some pics.

N3Njeff · **Posted:** Fri Oct 27, 2006 8:31 pm

A little about our N. Well she is family owned. Bought by my father and uncle in 1969. This former but short lived crop duster was bought in a package deal of 2 airframes. She was under restoration from 1969 to 1978. Between the diper changes (for me) and the nickels and dimes used, she took to the air in the skies of vermont.

The years she has brought lots of fun to the family, with some misery and one scarry moment.

She is painted in different markings then when she took to the air in 1978. We went through a repaint after a mild overhaul in the early 90's after a hydraulic locked engine.
we decited to paint her in her markings that she wore at her retirement from the navy in 1959. She was #33 at Annapolis MD

TimAPNY · **Posted:** Fri Oct 27, 2006 8:56 pm

Nice shots! very nice a/c.

Tim

Pat Carry · **Posted:** Fri Oct 27, 2006 8:58 pm

Great lookin' plane for sure!!!

N3Njeff · **Posted:** Fri Oct 27, 2006 9:40 pm

Thanks guys,
She is always fun, I grew up with her in my back yard. The ground pics are taken from the house. In the summer when I was a kid. Dad and I would be sitting on the deck and we would hear the freight train whistle blow on its way south off in the distance. We would scramble out to the airplane like the bell was ringing at the ready shack at biggin hill in 1940. We would be airborne in a few minutes and would find our target. From about 1500ft we would be making the 90deg cross and "roll in" on the locomotive. We did it frequent enough it seemed the conductor was always "checking the skies"

retroaviation · **Posted:** Sat Oct 28, 2006 3:52 am

Very good lookin' airplane there Jeff. I hadn't seen pictures of it before. No doubt you have good reason to be proud of it!

Gary

skymstr02 · **Posted:** Sat Oct 28, 2006 7:12 am

Jeff, do you have BT-13 wheels and brakes on the N3N?

N3Njeff · **Posted:** Sat Oct 28, 2006 12:18 pm

the wheel is stearman..............dont know about the brake assy. About the only thing I have done at that end is pack the bearings every year. I think the brake assy is BT...........I will ask.

Rob Mears · **Posted:** Sat Oct 28, 2006 6:55 pm

Now that is what it's all about in my opinion.

All the money in the world can't replace having unique family memories like those in your pocket. That's what flyin' is all about!

Quote:

In the summer when I was a kid. Dad and I would be sitting on the deck and we would hear the freight train whistle blow on its way south off in the distance. We would scramble out to the airplane like the bell was ringing at the ready shack at biggin hill in 1940. We would be airborne in a few minutes and would find our target. From about 1500ft we would be making the 90deg cross and "roll in" on the locomotive. We did it frequent enough it seemed the conductor was always "checking the skies"

N3Njeff · **Posted:** Sat Oct 28, 2006 7:38 pm

Rob, your right. I got a bunch of them. Just like brad, I grew up around airplanes. At the bottom of my driveway was my uncle and cousins house. When I was a kid, we had his Aeronca champ in the yard next to the n3n. At his house off the airport was his hangar where he was restoring his BT-13. At one time my uncle had 16 airframes that he bought for scrap prices after a duster company took the engines for there fleet of stearmans.

Anyhow, once in a while both airplanes would be in the air. My cousin and I would be the gunners while dad and uncle put there planes through its paces. Using our hands as guns, just like snoopy going after the red barron. I would be wearing a leather helmet and goggles and a white scarf. The funny part, I would sit on 4 seat cushions so I could get my head up to see.

N3Njeff · **Posted:** Sat Oct 28, 2006 7:51 pm

One of the bad times...................
It was the 1st flight of the year. Early spring and we were bringing the airplane home from its winter storage hangar in Burlington. Well about 1/2 way there, she started backfiring bad. I remember watching the rpm gauge bounce from 1000 to 1800. Dad started a quick desent, we just happen to be right over a private airstrip. I remember a very short base to final and a hot final at that. Dad got her set down in quick fashion. He climbed out and I held the brakes while he went out and looked. I got the shut down signal and we walked to the house to call the tower and let them know that we were ok. Uncle came out and took a look. He found a broken pushrod on one of the cylinders. So back to his hangar to the spare enging and retrieve another pushrod. Back out to the airplane and 2 hrs later, she was back in the air but without me and finnished the trip home.

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