Rare Birds

Mon Jan 12, 2009 12:26 am

Here's one for Andy and those who like oddball airplanes-- the two surviving (out of six built) Timm Collegiates, photographed at Goodyear, Arizona in February 1988. NC337 is at Creve Coeur now, and NC279V is registered to an Ellen Hirshman in Orange County, CA. It was used for an endurance flight in 1930 or so, named "City of Los Angeles", and had a McClatchie Panther engine at the time. When I saw it it had a 220 Continental on it, but they had flown it with the McClatchie, and still had the engine.

Did a quick google and found this: http://timmcollegiate.com/

-

Mon Jan 12, 2009 6:17 pm

The one on the left was once owned by B.C. Reed.

Mon Jan 12, 2009 9:10 pm

B.C. took me for a ride in it a long time ago. Baldeagle, didn't you ferry the airplane to St Louis?

Mon Jan 12, 2009 9:15 pm

Yes, something like 28 flying hours from BC's place in Brownsville, CA to St. Louis, via Santa Paula and the southern route (it was February), Tucson and up. It didn't go up and down in turbulence like most airplanes, but shook its tail instead, very weird. Timm kept the prototype, NC337, and apparently kept extending the vertical tail to try to cure this phenomenon, but it didn't work.

-

Mon Jan 12, 2009 10:39 pm

I think the City of Los Angeles is (or was) at Scott Gifford's place in Prescott, AZ for recover. I think it was on it's way to a static (gasp!) museum for permanent display.

Mon Jan 12, 2009 11:27 pm

Nice pic of a couple of unique old birds. My Dad used to keep his Bonanza tied down at the old Glendale airport just a few tie downs away from NC279V. Good memories!

Chad Veich

Mon Jan 12, 2009 11:33 pm

I would have liked to hear the McClatchie Panther engine run! The Timm always looked smallish in photos until you get up close to one and it's a good-sized airplane!

Tue Jan 13, 2009 5:14 am

When Baldeagle says 'rare'...

...you know he means rare.