Wanttaja
Sky Savant
Put this in my EAA newsletter this month.....
When Pete Bowers’ original Fly Baby, N500F, was restored by Chapter 26 in 1982, it was decided to fly it back to Oshkosh for the 20th anniversary of the Fly Baby. Ross, not long out of high school, volunteered. He didn't have a whole lot of money, so he brought his camping gear along and slept with the plane every night. He had the usual set of adventures, culminating at the very last stop before Oshkosh.
He arose that last morning, started preflighting, and noticed the right tire was flat. A massive blow-out had occurred, shredding a section of the right tire as well as the tube.
The airport didn't have any tires and tubes in the 800x4 size. Ross sat down by the plane and started trying to figure out a way out of his fix. He was only eighty or so miles from the biggest fly-in in the world...if he could just GET there, they could probably fix him up. One takeoff, one landing. The tire had only to retain pressure for an hour.
As he sat there, he noticed a tire resting on its side in the grass. Like many airports, it was used to mark the location of a tiedown rope. He rushed up and looked at it. Nope, not 800x4. He went though all the tires. No luck.
Just then, Ross had an amazing inspiration. He crossed the street to the local discount store and bought a bicycle-tire repair kit. He used all the patches in the kit to close the torn tube.
Then...Ross grabbed the nearest discarded tire. He cut out a section of it matching the location that was blown on his tire, with a generous overlap. Then he laid it over the torn section on the Fly Baby tire and stitched it in place. With safety-wire, of course.
Insert the tube and assemble the wheel. Incredibly, the Frankentire held air. Ross propped the Continental to life, climbed aboard, and started taxiing to the runway. He could feel the thud every time the wheel went around. Line up on the runway, hard left with the stick, and go to full power.
Thud. Thud. Thud thud. Thudthud. Thudthudthudthud...
...and the Fly Baby was airborne.
He half-expected the tire to be flat when he landed at Oshkosh. It wasn't. He taxied up to the "Emergency Aircraft Repair" area (thud…thud...thud) and the whole staff came out to shake their heads at the safety-wired contraption.
The chief told Ross to go to the vendor area, where they'd have new tires to purchase. Ross went...and was astounded at the prices. If he bought a new tire and tube, he wouldn't have any money for gas to get home.
He went back to the repair area, kicked pebbles, and said he couldn't find any new tires for sale. The staff took him to a large old-tire disposal area. There, he found a fairly decent-looking 800x4 tire, and that's what he flew home on.
---------------------------------
Ron Wanttaja
When Pete Bowers’ original Fly Baby, N500F, was restored by Chapter 26 in 1982, it was decided to fly it back to Oshkosh for the 20th anniversary of the Fly Baby. Ross, not long out of high school, volunteered. He didn't have a whole lot of money, so he brought his camping gear along and slept with the plane every night. He had the usual set of adventures, culminating at the very last stop before Oshkosh.
He arose that last morning, started preflighting, and noticed the right tire was flat. A massive blow-out had occurred, shredding a section of the right tire as well as the tube.
The airport didn't have any tires and tubes in the 800x4 size. Ross sat down by the plane and started trying to figure out a way out of his fix. He was only eighty or so miles from the biggest fly-in in the world...if he could just GET there, they could probably fix him up. One takeoff, one landing. The tire had only to retain pressure for an hour.
As he sat there, he noticed a tire resting on its side in the grass. Like many airports, it was used to mark the location of a tiedown rope. He rushed up and looked at it. Nope, not 800x4. He went though all the tires. No luck.
Just then, Ross had an amazing inspiration. He crossed the street to the local discount store and bought a bicycle-tire repair kit. He used all the patches in the kit to close the torn tube.
Then...Ross grabbed the nearest discarded tire. He cut out a section of it matching the location that was blown on his tire, with a generous overlap. Then he laid it over the torn section on the Fly Baby tire and stitched it in place. With safety-wire, of course.
Insert the tube and assemble the wheel. Incredibly, the Frankentire held air. Ross propped the Continental to life, climbed aboard, and started taxiing to the runway. He could feel the thud every time the wheel went around. Line up on the runway, hard left with the stick, and go to full power.
Thud. Thud. Thud thud. Thudthud. Thudthudthudthud...
...and the Fly Baby was airborne.
He half-expected the tire to be flat when he landed at Oshkosh. It wasn't. He taxied up to the "Emergency Aircraft Repair" area (thud…thud...thud) and the whole staff came out to shake their heads at the safety-wired contraption.
The chief told Ross to go to the vendor area, where they'd have new tires to purchase. Ross went...and was astounded at the prices. If he bought a new tire and tube, he wouldn't have any money for gas to get home.
He went back to the repair area, kicked pebbles, and said he couldn't find any new tires for sale. The staff took him to a large old-tire disposal area. There, he found a fairly decent-looking 800x4 tire, and that's what he flew home on.
---------------------------------
Ron Wanttaja
