Aug 2012 Jerry Griggs: 8 Random things I love about my taildragger
Jerry Griggs is from Goddard, Kansas and his favorite taildragger is his 1937 Aeronca K. This is an amazing little compilation of Jerry’s random reasons he loves his Aeronca K!
#1Â I get to fly it out of my back yard. Â It is a rare Aeronca, less than a dozen still flying. Â People always ask, “What type of Cub is that?”
#2Â I’ve known of this Aeronca since 1969, been flying it since 1974 and owned it since 1980.
#3Â I built up the wings myself as the original wing ribs were in sad shape. I fabricated the wing ribs from spruce while in Saudi Arabia. Â When returned to the USA I slipped the ribs over the spars along with new leading edge skins and fabric.
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#4Â It is part of the family.
#5Â One year I parked it in the front yard as a Christmas decoration complete with lights on it. Â A motorist stopped by while I was near the mailbox and told me my decor looked great. Â He stated, Â “For a while I thought it was a real airplane.”
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#6Â TAG Aviation International chose my photo of the Aeronca for their company Christmas Card several years ago.
#7Â The Aeronca has carried about 100 EAA Young Eagles.
#8Â I soloed two 16 year old girls in it. Â Their first solos were exactly 24 hours apart.
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I’ve mentored two boys with it, Noel de los Santos, who is now a USAF crew chief on F-16’s (sorry, no photo) and Alex Gertsma through BigBrothersBigSisters where I was his big brother match.
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This is Alex working on the Aeronca in exchange for flights. Â Alex graduated from college, finished his Master’s degree in France and is now in France as an Intern for Airbus on the A300 Beluga heavylifter team.
Alex and I were matched about six years.
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