The latest FNG with wing tip color ?
I just bought a 1973 Arrow II, white with red and blue cheat line stripes moving to a large flair on the tail. Just inside the plastic wing tips are narrow red and blue stripes wrapping around the wing. More about those later. Standard 1973 paint. The plane has 4700 hours TT and 90 on the new engine and prop.
I am a disabled and retired Police Officer who had to leave GA for loss of medical. I was a cop with an MS in Aviation Weather, being a cop is the family business but it ends with me. After the cop thing I moved into 121 Supplemental the airline I worked for was successful at pissing the world off 171 pax at a time, I still love Boeing 727’s.
Next I moved on to the largest operator of business jets as one of the founding members of their dispatch program. I spent 17 years there till my neck injury caught up with me and forced me out the door, kinda, my wife is also a dispatcher, so the crews still find out I am not dead yet.
Back at home on the ranch. So there we were, in our nice home in the country, with our perpetually greatful daughter telling us of her under privileged status while holding her cat and admiring the trophies and plaques she and her horse had won over the past year, when she said, “My parents both work for the most prestigious airline is the world and I have never been flying,”. That sent me into a thought, my wife saw it instantly and that night said we need to rent a plane before we buy one.
One of the other retired dispatchers is a flight instructor at the near by airport and the flight school owner said just buy something for yourself, don’t buy me another plane. So I bought an Arrow.
Now backtrack with me to 1978 my dad tells us, his family, he is a new pilot and just bought a 1979 Piper Archer. Around 1983 he bought a 1974 Arrow II. I grew up driving the Arrow all over the western US. Then my spinal modification in 1991 prompted him to sell the plane or as we like to refer to it, Give it away to a stranger. I hung on by reading Flying but I just watched the price go up and up way out of my reach so I gave up and just dispatched.
Now back to the now, I expected push back from my wife but I got none when buying this plane came up. After being told not to rent by the owner she was happy with the Arrow.
When we go on vacation I am the only one who can drive the dually pulling the horse trailer RV and debilitating headaches are part of my life, my wife does not like going far from home and getting stuck with nothing she is comfortable driving. She just so happens to have over 200 hours in Arrow III’s.
It has been a while since she has flown but we have the resources of a dispatch department and can read TFR’s so all we both need to do is a refresher on driving a plane and not crashing before our daughter and another friend get their licenses. As it should happen we know a CFI or 4.
My plane is a time machine back to 1973 with a stop in 1995 for a King NavCom and a GPS with 3 lines. On the far right side of the panel is an ADF, goes from the yoke hole to the top of the panel.
As the plane is out of annual first stop is disassemble and new radios, hopefully with the loss of 100-120 pounds. After that I am thinking flap gap seals and maybe extended wingtips for more light.
The airport where our new plane will live KLHQ has deer, Ohio deer are not small, my wife is deadly to Ohio deer….with her truck. I am very hopeful the extra light will allow us to see deer on the low pass at night before we land.
Now, these extended wing tips will need a color applied, I am male, therefore colorblind. Would painting them other than white be good looking on a wing that is white with just 2 stripes, on red and one blue on each side?
The other kid getting his license is from a large farm family with all John Deere Green equipment, do I dare allow him to paint the tips? He is very likely going to become family down the road. I guess it would be his brand. Speaking of brand, they are working on a personal brand for the stock, oh boy that is a can of worms I am not mentioning.
If you see a white with red and blue striped Arrow with JD Green wing tips, deer blood stains and something that looks good branded on a horse painted on it someplace, it is likely mine. It’s likely I will be at home watching the cats and horses.
My wife wants to do an LPV approach in her 50 year old plane something the jets she dispatches can’t do. The plan as of now is a full Dynon panel with Garmin GPS. But it’s not done with annual.
Aren’t you sorry you read this far. Color blind people painting planes and installing Experimental avionics. Now knowing these mental midgets move the bizjets landing near you, are you a little worried? Painting a plane like a tractor and branding it like a horse. This poor plane will not know if it is to plow a field, buck and fart, or decorate itself with deer blood. I promise not to write anyone a ticket but my daughter may for a fashion violation if she is not too upset with the parking job I or her “he” did parking the plane. Good luck if you ever meet us. The BeverlyHillbillies with wings. In Technicolor
I am a disabled and retired Police Officer who had to leave GA for loss of medical. I was a cop with an MS in Aviation Weather, being a cop is the family business but it ends with me. After the cop thing I moved into 121 Supplemental the airline I worked for was successful at pissing the world off 171 pax at a time, I still love Boeing 727’s.
Next I moved on to the largest operator of business jets as one of the founding members of their dispatch program. I spent 17 years there till my neck injury caught up with me and forced me out the door, kinda, my wife is also a dispatcher, so the crews still find out I am not dead yet.
Back at home on the ranch. So there we were, in our nice home in the country, with our perpetually greatful daughter telling us of her under privileged status while holding her cat and admiring the trophies and plaques she and her horse had won over the past year, when she said, “My parents both work for the most prestigious airline is the world and I have never been flying,”. That sent me into a thought, my wife saw it instantly and that night said we need to rent a plane before we buy one.
One of the other retired dispatchers is a flight instructor at the near by airport and the flight school owner said just buy something for yourself, don’t buy me another plane. So I bought an Arrow.
Now backtrack with me to 1978 my dad tells us, his family, he is a new pilot and just bought a 1979 Piper Archer. Around 1983 he bought a 1974 Arrow II. I grew up driving the Arrow all over the western US. Then my spinal modification in 1991 prompted him to sell the plane or as we like to refer to it, Give it away to a stranger. I hung on by reading Flying but I just watched the price go up and up way out of my reach so I gave up and just dispatched.
Now back to the now, I expected push back from my wife but I got none when buying this plane came up. After being told not to rent by the owner she was happy with the Arrow.
When we go on vacation I am the only one who can drive the dually pulling the horse trailer RV and debilitating headaches are part of my life, my wife does not like going far from home and getting stuck with nothing she is comfortable driving. She just so happens to have over 200 hours in Arrow III’s.
It has been a while since she has flown but we have the resources of a dispatch department and can read TFR’s so all we both need to do is a refresher on driving a plane and not crashing before our daughter and another friend get their licenses. As it should happen we know a CFI or 4.
My plane is a time machine back to 1973 with a stop in 1995 for a King NavCom and a GPS with 3 lines. On the far right side of the panel is an ADF, goes from the yoke hole to the top of the panel.
As the plane is out of annual first stop is disassemble and new radios, hopefully with the loss of 100-120 pounds. After that I am thinking flap gap seals and maybe extended wingtips for more light.
The airport where our new plane will live KLHQ has deer, Ohio deer are not small, my wife is deadly to Ohio deer….with her truck. I am very hopeful the extra light will allow us to see deer on the low pass at night before we land.
Now, these extended wing tips will need a color applied, I am male, therefore colorblind. Would painting them other than white be good looking on a wing that is white with just 2 stripes, on red and one blue on each side?
The other kid getting his license is from a large farm family with all John Deere Green equipment, do I dare allow him to paint the tips? He is very likely going to become family down the road. I guess it would be his brand. Speaking of brand, they are working on a personal brand for the stock, oh boy that is a can of worms I am not mentioning.
If you see a white with red and blue striped Arrow with JD Green wing tips, deer blood stains and something that looks good branded on a horse painted on it someplace, it is likely mine. It’s likely I will be at home watching the cats and horses.
My wife wants to do an LPV approach in her 50 year old plane something the jets she dispatches can’t do. The plan as of now is a full Dynon panel with Garmin GPS. But it’s not done with annual.
Aren’t you sorry you read this far. Color blind people painting planes and installing Experimental avionics. Now knowing these mental midgets move the bizjets landing near you, are you a little worried? Painting a plane like a tractor and branding it like a horse. This poor plane will not know if it is to plow a field, buck and fart, or decorate itself with deer blood. I promise not to write anyone a ticket but my daughter may for a fashion violation if she is not too upset with the parking job I or her “he” did parking the plane. Good luck if you ever meet us. The BeverlyHillbillies with wings. In Technicolor
1973 Arrow II factory AC removed
G5’S, G275, GNX375 Still can get lost.
Comments
Welcome to our forum and association. Great story and I'm glad you're both back in aviation, where you belong. If there's anything I can do for you please ask. Also, when you have a moment, post a pic or two!
Scott Sherer
Wright Brothers Master Pilot, FAA Commercial Pilot
Aviation Director, Piper Owner Society Forum Moderator and Pipers Author.
Need help? Let me know!
Resq5hvy:
Lol, great story!
In the beginning of your 4th paragraph, you state that in 1978, your dad bought a 1979 Archer. Did he buy it at the end of the year when the new models were out or is he a time traveler? J/K
White wing tips are perfectly acceptable, and stripes can always be added later (preferably by someone who can match the colors). Don't go John Deere green on a plane with blue and red stripes. It'll clash, and that's not allowed. Worse yet, if your plane hooks itself up to a combine, you may not have enough runway to get airborne. If it does, I'd use 25 degrees flaps just to be safe.
Excellent call on the lighted wingtips. I installed them on my plane 11 years ago, and they have been lifesavers. I live in the Midwest, so we know a Whitetail can make a mess of a truck, never mind a thin aluminum plane. For night landings, I make a low pass over the runway with every light on the plane illuminated. The wingtip lights have been extremely helpful in spotting animals and/or poor runway conditions. Also very helpful when the landing light died en route, and I was still able to land safely by illuminating the runway with the wingtip lights. I replaced the landing light with an LED bulb 8 years ago, and no longer worry about the bulb dying.
Like Scott said, post pics!
Welcome to the forum!
Jim "Doc Griff" Griffin
PA28 - 161
Chicago area
I will attempt to post a photo. I can flight plane planes through Russia, I should be able to post a photo….
1973 Arrow II factory AC removed
G5’S, G275, GNX375 Still can get lost.
1973 Arrow II factory AC removed
G5’S, G275, GNX375 Still can get lost.
1973 Arrow II factory AC removed
G5’S, G275, GNX375 Still can get lost.
Wunderbar, dude! She looks great!
Scott Sherer
Wright Brothers Master Pilot, FAA Commercial Pilot
Aviation Director, Piper Owner Society Forum Moderator and Pipers Author.
Need help? Let me know!
I look forward to finding how much the annual is going to cost. Then I will know how much I can afford for new toys.
Followed by the installation of the afterburner and underwing hard points for drop tanks.
Then flying it home.
1973 Arrow II factory AC removed
G5’S, G275, GNX375 Still can get lost.