Tripacer

Way back in the summer of '77 I had the most incredible thing happen to me. Well, actually to my airplane. While I was away on vacation with my family a rather mixed-up young man attempted to steal my airplane and succeeded in turning it over on it's back less than 100 feet from where I kept it tied down. Dad called me where I was vacationing and gave me the sad news. To say that I was heart-broken would be an understatement. I had just purchased '78A, a 1952 Piper Tri-pacer, from my dad a year earlier after he moved up to a '61 Cessna Skylane. God, how I enjoyed the freedom of owning and flying my very own airplane. Now, it was over almost before it began.

Upon returning home my dad and I began the tedious and depressing task of disassembling and inspecting '78A for damage. Outwardly, it didn't look horribly bad but under the skin it wasn't good; bent tubing cluster at left main-gear attach point; several damaged wing ribs; bent crankshaft; cracked crankcase, just for starters. I was sick. And that didn't include the obvious stuff such as bent forward lift struts; broken windshield; bent engine mount; broken carburetor; broken propeller; destroyed wheel pants; mangled head liner; bent landing gear, etc.

Dad loved ol' 78A as much as I did and he wanted to see it fly again. To help me out, he refused to accept my monthly payment to him for the original purchase. Instead, he insisted that I use the money towards the repairs. This helped a lot but the rebuild still cost more than I initially estimated. Then something else happened that I wasn't expecting; dad passed away part way through the project and left me to operate the family business. This was a major reality check for me. Dad was only 55 and there was no real warning of health problems. We had just moved the business into a new building and unknown to me, we were barely solvent. So, here I am, grieving over the loss of my dad and struggling to get the business healthy again. The Tri-pacer project faded into the background literally over night.

It took another 2 years of very hard work to get the business up to par. During that time I had little hope of ever flying '78A again. Also, with the birth of my daughter I now had 2 youngsters to think about. As business improved and I learned how to budget my time

and money better I began working on the Tri-pacer again. Mom sold the Skylane and I moved some of the larger Tri-pacer parts to the empty hangar. I was very fortunate to have 2 A & P mechanics that were willing to supervise my work and also treat me kindly when performing work I couldn't do such as welding, etc. By the time the engine overhaul was complete I had the fuselage up on it's gear so the obvious next step was to install the engine. Seeing the airplane on it's wheels and that pretty engine hanging out front really inspired me to keep going.

As the rebuild progressed I found that I could still accomplish a lot of work during times when money was tight. I would turn my attention to detail type work that included cleaning and painting of many small items such as seat frames, cabin heater, heater valves, carb heat enclosure, etc. The spray paint, primer paint and sandpaper were inexpensive but the results were very noticeable. It was a very satisfying feeling when I began bolting these parts to the airframe.

After re-wiring much of the electrical system I reinstalled the radios and tested them.

Everything worked! The sound of the local VOR Morse code over the speaker was inspiring. It was now time to tow the fuselage from my garage at home to the hangar, a trip of 15 miles or so. I was a bit nervous but the trip was uneventful. The only real problem I had was getting the fuselage out of the garage — had to remove the garage door!

My dad, brother and I had already recovered the wings and they were safely stored on padded braces high in the hangar. It was a very exciting day when we attached the wings and horizontal stabilizer. Looking more like an airplane every day!

I did most of the prep work for the impending paint job; lots of cleaning and sanding. After my mechanic applied the silver coat I set out on the task of carefully masking the paint scheme and N numbers. Although '78A is a 1952 model, it sports a late '50's or early '60's trim design. This is the way it was painted when dad bought it and I liked the design much better than the original early '50's design. After hours of masking, punctuated by several visits by my paint sprayer wielding mechanic, the paint job was complete. Only thing left to do was carefully install all of the fairings, cowling and inspection covers.

About a week after the last screw was put in place my mechanic approached me with the updated and signed log books and he said, "go fly it!" I felt a surge of adrenaline as I performed a very thorough pre-flight inspection. This was the big day! Although I had kept current by flying C-172's I was a bit nervous. I fired up the engine and stayed alert for any strange noises or smells. Ground control cleared me to taxi to the active runway in such a routine manner that I wondered if I should inform the tower operator that this was the maiden flight of a newly rebuilt aircraft, just in case. I decided against it.

The run-up was perfectly normal except that I was really taking my time. After flying C-172's for the past 3 years the Tri-pacer panel and controls seemed a bit out of place and somewhat unfamiliar. Eventually, I couldn't think of any more reasons to delay the flight so I dialed in the tower frequency and requested a closed pattern. The tower responded immediately and it was time to rock-and-roll. The next thing I knew, I was airborne. Wow, the elevator sure feels light! And those rudder/aileron interconnect springs! I forgot that the TP doesn't need strong rudder inputs because of those springs. I finally settle down and start flying coordinated turns. On downwind I start thinking about those little, tiny bolts that hold on the wings and tail pieces. I look out the side window to see if anything is flapping in the wind. Finally, I turn base and then final. Over the fence at 70 MPH and I even manage a reasonable touch-down. I taxi back to the hangar, shut down the engine and then just sit and enjoy the moment.

After looking the engine over and finding everything clean as a whistle (no leaks), I headed out for a longer flight. On the second flight I circled the airport at 3000' AGL for about 45 minutes with the engine set to 75% power. It purred like a kitten. I was really thrilled! All of the gauges were in the green and all of the radio equipment functioned properly. The only problem that I noted was a minor rigging problem; the left wing felt slightly heavy (this was later corrected with one-half turn on the rear lift-strut clevis). A week later I made a short cross-country to a nearby airport and added another hour to the logbook. Back in the saddle again!

Not long after I started flying '78A again I decided to replace the wimpy 20 amp generator with a modern STC'd 55 amp alternator kit. It involved expanding the circuit-breaker panel to accommodate one more CB but the over all project was well worth the effort. With the original generator it wasn't possible to get decent radio performance (especially transmit) when the engine was idling. Also, when the landing lights were used during flight the ammeter always indicated a deficit, even at cruise RPM. Now, with the new alternator in place, all of the electrical accessories can be operated with no drain on the battery, even with the engine idling! The radios seem to transmit better also.

It's been many years now since '78A returned to the air and I've really enjoyed having my airplane back. My son and I have enjoyed many, many hours in the air together attending air shows, camp outs, or just cruising around the country-side. The real high-point for me came just a few weeks ago when my son (a newly minted private-pilot, home for the weekend from aviation school) flew my Tri-pacer solo. That's the 3rd generation of my family to fly that airplane. I wish dad were still alive to have witnessed that moment. But somehow, I think he knows.

Addendum, 06/18/2001

I'm happy to add that since I wrote the above story my son has gone on to earn his Instrument, Commercial, CFII and MEI ratings. Somewhere along the line he also managed to earn an A & P license and a tail-wheel endorsement. His long-term goal is to fly for a major airline. I wonder if the Tri-pacer had anything to do with this...

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