Within the vintage community, a number of simple aircraft designs from Taylorcraft, Luscombe, and Aeronca haven’t surged quite like much of the market and remain a value for folks looking to get into aviation.

Walking through the Vintage parking area at EAA AirVenture, Vintage Aircraft Association (VAA) director Ray Johnson motioned to a taildragger parked nearby.

“A young guy or gal could buy something like this Taylorcraft, or a Champ, then fly it a ton to build their hours up and sell it without taking a big hit on the resale value,” Johnson said.

But as any vintage aircraft owner can attest, purchase price is one thing. Upkeep is another. To that end, on Monday morning VAA leaders conducted a ribbon cutting at the Charles W. Harris Youth Aviation Center.

The center, a hangar behind the flight line in the vintage aircraft parking area, aims to attract area youth for hands-on experience learning how to use basic and equipment to maintain and repair aircraft, while introducing them to pilots and mechanics. At the same time, they can learn about types of aircraft that can become an affordable entry purchase into aviation for learning to fly and building time.

VAA president Susan Dusenberry said building the youth hangar took a bit longer than her initial five-year plan. But the well-finished exterior and interior certainly gives hints as to the thought put into its construction while also managing rising construction costs over those years. Dusenberry said that while education is important, so is building a community.

“In addition to the things we want to teach, we really want to foster a sense of belonging to the participating youth,” Dusenberry said.

Given the significant generation gaps involved, it could seem to be a daunting task. But Dusenberry and the VAA leaders have tapped a cadre of advisers in their 20s to help develop the program’s curriculum to ensure that it can gain traction without the generational challenges a teenager might have while considering a program that’s headed up by folks who are, shall we say, considerably older?

Between the youth advisers and a very friendly atmosphere, the Harris Aviation Center should readily handle those challenges.

The center was half financed from the estate of Charles Harris and half through EAA member donations. Their plans borrow partly on the Youth Aviation Program (YAP) that the late Ron Alexander, former VAA director, formed at Peach State Aerodrome south of Atlanta.

The YAP, operating completely independently of any school, draws high school students from the surrounding community to help in restoring and repairing vintage aircraft. Their labor at the shop is paid out in the form of flight instruction with the flying club on the field. Several students have earned their private pilot certificate, and at least one received their airframe and powerplant (A&P) mechanic certificate.

More information may be found here.

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on Plane & Pilot.

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This is something I see fairly regularly, albeit more commonly in reference to more basic and affordable types. A prospective buyer polls a general audience for specific advice about a major purchase, and the replies are both predictable and suspect. All too common is the warning that parts for anything other than Cessna, Piper, or Beechcraft are impossible to find. While certain aircraft (and engines) do indeed present some difficulty with regard to parts availability, the vast majority are entirely possible to own and operate without too much trouble.

There are far better ways to become informed about a given aircraft type, and my favorite, by far, is type clubs.

• READ MORE: Going to the Birds, And How Not To

For a nominal fee, one can purchase an annual membership to a type club and instantly gain access to a treasure trove of virtually any mass-produced type out there. Good clubs offer online libraries chock full of scanned documents, manuals, diagrams, and literature. Additionally, many club websites are home to online forums with comprehensive prepurchase inspection checklists, airworthiness directive (AD) lists, and firsthand knowledge crowdsourced from current and former owners. Best of all, membership is almost always made available to shoppers who aren’t yet owners, offering an extremely affordable education about a type under consideration. 

As someone who creates spreadsheets and compiles detailed documentation for purchases as minor as a toaster, I joined The International Cessna 170 Association early in my shopping process, years before actually purchasing one. I spent hours soaking up as much info as I could about the type. Of particular note was a pinned thread in its forum that listed approximately 30-40 items to address immediately upon purchasing a 170. The list was detailed, and the reasoning behind each item was provided.

When I finally bought a 170 and dropped it off for its first annual inspection, I presented that list to my mechanic. Before long, he completed approximately a dozen various mods, many of which I’d never have discovered without entering the 170 community. I learned that the parking brake has a history of becoming partially engaged after a rudder pedal is pushed to the stop during crosswind landings or taxiing, and we followed the advice to disconnect it entirely. We proactively replaced the tailwheel leaf springs and old copper oil pressure gauge lines. I also had him perform multiple specific inspections that weren’t called out in any manufacturer materials.

• READ MORE: When It’s Better to Have It and Not Need It

Without question, my $45 annual membership had just paid for itself, and I hadn’t even tapped into any of the scanned documentation. Neither had I posted many of my own questions in the forum or engaged with any of the all-knowing 170 owners and their decades of experience maintaining the type. With such informed and helpful people at my disposal, happy to help tackle problems and lend their expertise, this membership is one that I don’t think twice about renewing.

Type clubs like this are also an excellent source of events. Many hold refresher and currency clinics aimed at sharpening the skills of the owner group as a whole. Some even negotiate special rates with insurance companies for owners who have demonstrated an ongoing effort to undergo recurrent training. And even if a club hasn’t arranged for formal discounts, I’ve spoken with one insurance broker who acts as an owner advocate, presenting underwriters with proof of such training and negotiating lower rates as a result.

Other clubs do an excellent job with social events. At face value, many of them appear to be little more than excuses to devour vast amounts of cheeseburgers and ice cream. But if such temptations are what it takes to motivate owners to preflight their airplanes and get into the air regularly, well, that’s good for airplane and pilot alike.

It’s possible rare types benefit the most from a vibrant, active type club or owner’s association. The Meyers Aircraft Owners Association is a textbook example. With a small fleet size to begin with, airframe parts can occasionally become difficult to source. So when the original factory jigs and tooling were located by a Meyers owner, he purchased everything and stored it all in a secure location for preservation. Due to his efforts, the entire Meyers community will be able to source brand-new airframe parts if and when they are required. 

• READ MORE: 5 Things I Wish I Had Known Before Buying My First Airplane

To determine whether your type has a corresponding club, simply Google your aircraft  along with the words “club” or “association,” and you’ll likely find any that exist. Additionally, the EAA Vintage Aircraft Association maintains an excellent list of type clubs.

Finally, if your time and workload permit, consider getting involved and giving back to your community of owners. Help to organize a fly-out or two during the summer. Contribute some of your newfound knowledge in the forums. And lend a helping hand to others who are navigating the steep learning curve of ownership for the first time. 

The post Navigating the Aircraft Ownership Learning Curve Through Type Clubs appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

While it is doubtful the Textron Aviations of the world will shutter, other platforms are not so lucky. The trouble is you still have to maintain “in accordance with.” The truth is that some older aircraft are super cool, and it seems an absolute shame to grind them up for scrap when they operate perfectly fine. 

If you love your airplane, you should be able to continue operating it. The good news is, you can. 

VARMA

There’s a long-standing phrase in aviation maintenance: “Just because a part is airworthy, it may not be approved.” The FAA recently decided that some parts could be approved, even without the expensive and time-consuming action of certifying them.

• READ MORE: Finding Spare Parts for Vintage Aircraft Easier Under New FAA Program

In April,  the FAA made finding spare parts easier under the  new Vintage Aircraft Replacement and Modification Article (VARMA) program. Under the VARMA program, maintenance personnel are allowed to validate that “low-risk,” off-the-shelf replacement parts are suitable for use in type-certificated aircraft weighing less than 12,500 pounds and built before 1980.

According to the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), VARMA can assist with parts for “rarer models that lack manufacturer support.”

Acronyms to Know

When considering maintenance of an aircraft that’s no longer in production, there are some important acronyms to know.

• Parts manufacturer approval (PMA). PMA parts have to perform as good, or better, than the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) part.
• Designated engineering representatives (DER) repairs. A DER repair can be the ultimate upcycling in aviation maintenance, sometimes becoming the difference between saving or scrapping a part.
• Supplemental type certificates (STC). An STC is a type certificate (TC) issued when an applicant has received FAA approval to modify an aeronautical product from its original design. 
• Technical standard orders (TSO). TSOs are not as well known, but they are all over your airplane. Have you ever installed a Parker Stratoflex hose? Yep, TSO.
• Mil-spec standard parts (STD). You see standard parts quite often in aircraft hardware. 

It will take a combination of these tools and more to keep your vintage aircraft airworthy and approved for flight. 

Community

Back in the day, if you needed something at a rural general aviation airport, you hopped in the airport parts truck and drove to your friend’s hangar. After a few hours and more than one Fanta Orange drink, you finally returned to your base. 

You can still build community in your corner of the internet. Sites like Aeronautica can be resources for out-of-production parts.

The Vintage Aircraft Association is another organization where you are sure to find someone who knows someone who can help.

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