Sometimes when you look back at 70-plus years of improvements in general aviation, you wind up asking yourself “where exactly was the progress?”
The 1953 Cessna 170 owned by Daniel Hopkins of the Phoenix, Arizona, area is a great example. This month’s cover plane lives in Texas with Dan’s brother, Donn, who flies it the most now that Daniel is retired in Phoenix. Both brothers said it’s such a remarkable machine that they really haven’t had to do much upgrading or fixing during its 30 years in the family. “We haven’t done a whole lot to the airplane other than just flying,” Donn said.
No, this plane isn’t perfect — it could use a VHF omni-directional range (VOR) receiver and some upgrades here and there. But if your mission is to easily and enjoyably get from Point A to Point B, including across the country, you’re not flying over mountains too often, and you don’t need to carry four adults plus baggage, then Cessna had your problem solved in 1953.
The Origin Story
This plane was made in December 1953. Daniel was a pilot for Southwest Airlines for more than 30 years, retiring a few years ago. He bought this plane in April 1991 and flew it himself for many years when he still lived in Texas. “This airplane had been in Dallas for years and years, but it hadn’t been flown in many years,” Daniel said. “It had maybe 800 hours on it.”
Daniel flew it about 100 hours a year for about five years before it started running rough, so it got an engine overhaul from a local company (it isn’t around anymore) in the mid-’90s. So that overhaul was more than 20 years ago, and it’s run great ever since. The engine is mostly original. “It had a bad cylinder a few years back, a low-compression cylinder that we had to change out,” Donn said. “That’s about the most major thing we’ve done.”
Not Just Age but Mileage
Most pilots wish they flew their planes more often and got it across the country now and then. That is not the case with this 170, which has been all over the country, including Alaska. It is certainly not a hangar queen. “I fly it at least a few times a week,” Donn said. “It’s a fun plane to fly. We’ve taken it to Oshkosh four or five times.”
“We” in this case includes not only Donn and his brother Dan, but also Cessna Owner Organization photographer Jack Fleetwood. Donn and Jack typically make three stops if they bring it to Oshkosh from Texas. “We’ve been all over the country and it’s a great-flying airplane,” Fleetwood said. “I can tell you I just bought a 182 and my second choice was a 170. It’s a good go-somewhere airplane. It’s good for off-field because it’s a tailwheel; we’ve flown into 2,000-foot strips with no issues, with just Donn and I in there.”
Daniel has flown it to the 170 association’s annual event in Missouri on the way to Oshkosh. He’s also had it to Anchorage.
Mostly Original Panel
Scanning across the photos of the panel, you’ll notice that it’s mostly original, with little evidence that anything has been done to it. There have been a few modern improvements, with a few more upgrades on the way. “The panel is not original, but that’s the way it was when we got it,” Donn said.
One of the first things you’ll see is that “it has the original radio, which is a cool touch, a Narco Omnigator” Fleetwood said.
However, the Omnigator has an “inop” sticker on it, and its power source is removed. Daniel said the Omnigator wouldn’t be legal for operation even if it were working, and the Narco comm and transponder in the lower left are the operative avionics.
The exception in the upgrade department is the new uAvionix tailBeacon. It isn’t used for ADS-B In, it only kicks out ADS-B, so there’s no evidence of it in the panel.
The simplicity offered by this panel is great for learning or for flying with ease for a veteran pilot. Fleetwood said it would be better if this plane had VOR, but other than that, he thinks this is a great plane in which to learn. “Donn did most of his training in this plane,” Fleetwood said. “And I think a tailwheel makes you a better pilot.”
The rest of this article can be seen only by paid members who are logged in.Have a website login already? Log in and start reading now.
Never created a website login before? Find your Customer Number (it’s on your mailing label) and register here.
Still have questions? Contact us here.
