The International Cessna 170 Association

I taxied up to the fuel pumps at my home airport today, and a Piper Archer pilot who I didn't recognize asked me if my airplane was a 195. It caught me a little off guard, but think I managed not to laugh, and simply mentioned that it is a 170, and that 195s have round engines. I actually remember not knowing a 170 when I saw one, but a 195 is distinctive enough that I was probably born being able to recognize one (or at least narrow it down to a 190 or 195). At least he didn’t ask if it was Cub.

Ha, good one! I've had people mistake my 170 for a 180, but never a 195!

I’ve had folks think my RED 170 is a jet.

In your dreams George

I have had people ask over the radio “What’s a 170” . Or is that like a 180? . My answers have been “the 180 is more like the 170” . And when asked what’s a 170 ? , my answer has been “ the thoroughbred of all tail draggers ‘’. Or it’s the principal of the DNA of all modern Cessna,s .

The only thing I can thaink of is that he knew what the tail of the 195 looked like and saw the similarity in the 170. Can’t really fault him for that part.

I was lookin for a 195 when I bought my 170B. A beautiful round tail makes the best things in life interesting.

When I flew for the state of Tx I took the atty general to Huntsville to visit the prison. While waiting for him to complete a days business I stood around the small FBO and a gorgeous 195 landed and was rolling-out and I made the comment to the lineman “That’s what I want to buy!”

He responded “That one is For Sale!” And when I asked who was flying it, he mentioned it was based at Huntsville and owned by Ed Bridges who wanted to sell it.

I KNEW ED BRIDGES because he and I both once flew for the same corporation, ... he moved to to an airline in Phoenix and I moved on to another corp job. So I walked down to where he was pushing a Gorgeous 195B back into a T-hangar and renewed our acquaintance and asked him about buying it. Ed showed it to me...it had an absolutely perfect interior and a beautifully laid out panel with all-digital Allied—Bendix center-stack.

Now Ed was not just a good pilot. He was a superior airman. He wasn’t someone who’d likely be intimidated by taildraggers. So I was very surprised when He said, “George, Let me tell you the reason I’m selling it...”
I interrupted, “Too expensive to operate? I get THAT. I just sold my Baron!”

“No”, he replied. “It’s because just-before landing... You know, right when you’re about two feet above the runway...? ..I always realize that I have NO IDEA what it’s gonna do after touch-down! I’m gonna let someone ELSE wreck it.”

My respect for Ed as a pilot told me that maybe I’d better find a different taildragger for my next airplane, and when I found what I saw as the best example I could afford, ... I bought N14YS.

I later realized I may have passed-up a really sweet deal. Ed sold that airplane and retired from the airline with a Mooney. When I saw the airplane a few years later the owner told me that it handled really badly on-the-ground when he bought it, so he had the gear re-aligned to get rid of a horrible TOE-OUT condition, and it now lands very sweetly.

Almost bought one of these back in 1983 at Noah's Ark airport, (just a stones throw from MCI). Was A beautiful well kept 195. I thought he wanted too much for it (14K) another lost opportunity.

In the late 80’s I had a 58 172 with the Bolen tailwheel STC. I took it to Sun n Fun a few times and camped. I’d come back to it and usually find a group trying to figure out what it was: “Not a 170. Wrong tail”. “Not a 180, no constant speed prop”. It was a straight tail with no back window. The Bolen STC moves the main gear forward so it has that bow legged look. Pretty airplane, though. And very easy to make great landings except you needed somebody in the back seat or a case of oil in the baggage to truly three point it. If you did a full stall landing it would touch on the mains with the tailwheel about a foot in the air. Then relax the back pressure and it would come up on the mains and look like a great wheel landing. If you held the stick back, the tail would come down pretty quick. N8616B. Still around according to FAA records.

Rich

Rich, you and Frank Stephenson (Ole Pokey) should have a lot to talk about. He’s had a Bolen conversion 172 (1956, I think) as long as I’ve known him.

I just talked to Duane Shockey, the host for the Penn Yan convention, last evening and all is a GO for the convention so far. In fact nearly all of the blocked rooms at the host hotel have been booked and he is considering blocking more. I was not a fan of moving the convention to October, but it has become a blessing this year. Hope to see you there! Michigan has has its share of virus cases, but is currently waning. Things are beginning to open back up, but our governor hasn’t caught on yet. The only time our local group has gone a week or more without flying out for breakfast or lunch this year has been due to weather.

I visited with Bob Jolly last evening regarding the Penn Yan convention as well. Understandably there is some concern about attendance due to this virus thing. I can understand that. However, we are still planning to go and hope most folks will as well. While our activities have been somewhat curtailed due to the virus, I have continued to fly pretty much as usual. Our group has had to resort to taking our sack lunches to some locations or getting take out food and going to a park or back to an fbo's location to eat and visit. Things have improved in the last few weeks and restaurants are opening back up. Let's go to Penn Yan!
Good memory Miles. Ole Pokey is a '56 172TD and so for I've managed to keep you guys from sawing off that square tail Rich, I see your old 172 TD is now in Germantown, NY.