The International Cessna 170 Association

I grew up on a little grass strip, and when my Dad got lonely he put up a few hangers for rent. Apparently one of the guys flew out there without a medical for 10 years. He only flew by himself, only on nice days, and only when he felt good. My Dad often spoke of this as a victimless crime. Like Geo...

I put mine in the back corner of the baggage shelf. Reasonably sturdy and in the same section of the aircraft as the antenna. I can physically see it to make sure it's armed, and don't have to worry about baggage getting banged into it. Finally, in the event of an accident I can quickly and easily r...

We use vinyl coin mat flooring on some of the helicopters at work. I think the trade name is Loncoin, and Loncoin 2. It's available from Douglas Interior Products with burn certs if necessary, and I'm sure others. The stuff we use isn't overly heavy, though I never weighed it compared to traditional...

Hi Folks, My 170B has a slight left wing heavy tendency. On a glass smooth evening if I let it go it will gently roll left. Usually I just lean my foot on the right rudder pedal and that picks it up, though that does result in the ball slipping out a bit. Before I start messing with rigging I just w...

Hi All,

I was reading an article the other day about Ron Draper, the current head of Cessna, and the cover shot showed him in a hanger in casual clothes next to a 170. Is he perhaps a 170 owner? According to the article he's a pilot, but it didn't mention his personal flying.

Thanks,
DEM

But, After thinking over Bruce’s personal advice to me, I doubt if one ever fully-owns a helicopter. I think one only pays for it (in the words of Johnny Cash).... “one piece at a time”. Hi George, For what it's worth, I pretty much agree with everything Bruce has said and told you as well. Like ai...

I’ve found three Enstroms in my price-range, two F280 and one F28A. I’m still in the learning-curve and may just take the simpler way toward the rating and learn in the local R22 despite my misgivings about that model. George, Sorry, I've been in Ecuador all week talking with customers down there. ...

Hi George, Full disclosure: My day job is selling helicopters for Enstrom. As Enstrom does not sponsor TIC170A or the forum, I'll try to keep this from becoming an ad. Obviously I'm going to second Ghostflyer's recommendation to try an Enstrom. If the Bell 47 is the Piper Cub of helicopters, the Ens...

Lots of wiggling, prying, swearing, and luck usually helps line up the bolts. It's one of those things that doesn't fit until it does. There is a torque spec on the bolts also. The mount kits are expensive. That being said the donuts themselves are the same as used in most other mount kits, just the...

Thanks guys. Like George, I initially only insured my airplane for what I had into it, which was quite a bit less than what I think it's worth. However after a few years of ownership my premium has come down nicely and I can afford to pay a bit more to properly insure it. I understand the declared v...

Hi All, I'm trying to figure out what my 170B is worth for insurance. It has the Avcon 180 hp conversion, and Vref doesn't seem to really account for that. They don't really come up for sale very often, and when they do all you see is the asking price and not necessarily the selling price. Any other...

Knock on wood, if I ever have an engine failure I hope it's at least in a helicopter! The helicopter I can land practically anywhere. Airplanes need a clear stretch. I was practicing 180 autos today (fun!) and it's amazing where you can put those suckers. And if I do have to crash into something, I ...

Dem, what did your threshold value end up being that you programmed in the app? I think i have some Transponder/Encoder issues that have me failing the Mode 3A portion of the verification flight and I'm trying to survey the installed units different threshold values. I used the preprogrammed values...

Hi All, I installed my skybeacon today and thought I'd update everyone on how it actually worked and what it really took. Installation in theory is pretty straightforward. Remove existing light, cut wire, crimp on new wire, and screw the unit into the existing holes. However I did run into a couple ...

Somebody smarter than me can probably verify (or invalidate) this, but isn't an early 172 just a 170 with a squared off tail and a training wheel? Mechanically are their any other differences? Flying wise are their any other differences? As long as the autopilot isn't expected to work on the ground,...