Nov 29, 2022     Day 2 Cleaning - (6 hours)       Category: Inspection

Removing years of dirt from the Cessna was today's objective. The bulk of it was just accumulated dust from sitting in a dirt floor shelter. For the most part the dirt came off easily revealing fairly decent paint underneath. Aside from some touch-up, we may not need to have her repainted. A lot of parts and miscellaneous stuff in the cabin was removed and sorted out. The seats appear to be in fair condition. The upper cowling was removed to get a first look at the engine. The engine compartment appears complete. Since it has 3,000 hours on it and has been sitting for so long, the engine will obviously need to be overhauled. The condition of mags and other accessories is still unknown. At this point several important things remain to be done. Decisions need to be made regarding financial support for the project and a thorough inspection by an IA needs to be completed. Meanwhile, the fuselage will soon be moved to hangar B10 and the engine pulled. The fuel tanks will also be removed so they may be cleaned and the wing structure more easily inspected.

  Nov 25, 2022     Day 1 Recovery - (12 hours)       Category: Inspection

Mark Gosselin discovered this abandoned and lonely Cessna 150 sitting in an open sided shelter in Shirleysburg Pennsylvania. After a little detective work he was able to locate the owner and arranged to purchase the plane as a restoration project for the chapter. Early on the morning of Friday November 25th a group of chapter members headed to Pennsylvania to rescue N105ES, a 1977 Cessna 150M with about 3,000 hours on it. It has been sitting neglected in the shelter for many years and was covered with a thick layer of dirt and grime. But we found the airframe complete and undamaged aside from some minor hangar rash. After a brief inspection, disassembly was begun. The tires were inflated and held air. When external power was connected the panel lit up and the flaps operated! It took most of the day to remove the tail surfaces and wings. Everything was then loaded onto trailers and brought back to Frederick, arriving around 6pm. Temporarily, we put the little Cessna in hangar 11. The immediate plan is to clean and inspect it further and then move the fuselage into hangar B10, sharing space with the Cub.