Pepsi Stinson SR-7 Turns Heads at EAA AirVenture

The aircraft is on display this week at EAA AirVenture's Vintage Aircraft Circle.

The Ackermans bought the Stinson as a project in October 2011, and it quickly became apparent the project was more than the two could handle.

The Stinson is a large aircraft for a four-seater, tipping the scales at 2,617 pounds empty, which is about what many four-seat general aviation aircraft gross out, fully loaded. Nothing about it is small, including the documentation the Ackermans had to wade through, including 18 reels of 35 mm microfilm, with each stretching out 100 feet long.

Stinson NC3040 was the first production Stinson Gullwing, which would be enough fame for most any flying machine. Their particular Stinson had lived something of a higher-profile existence, having been owned through the late 1930s by Pepsi-Cola, and it had been painted with the company logo for publicity work. Through the '50s and '60s, the airplane grew derelict and was parked.

The Ackermans turned to RARE Aircraft in Faribault, Minnesota, to take on the work. RARE Aircraft is noted as a Stearman and WACO restoration shop, whose wood and fabric work are well known in the community.

On July 12, the freshly restored Stinson took its first flight in almost 70 years, following four years of work by RARE Aircraft and the preceding effots of the Ackermans. The restoration is well-researched and incorporates tasteful updates, such as avionics and safety improvements, to make the Stinson more easily handled in today’s environment.

While the Ackermans haven’t flown their plane yet, the test/ferry pilot reported that it cruised at about 140 mph and landed at 48 mph. They plan to keep the plane about a decade as custodians before passing it along to the next of its caretakers.

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