| | My father(Donald Hugh McKenzie - Soperton, GA) owned this plane from approx. 1975 - 1978. We sold the plane sometime between sometime between August of 1978 and Febuary of 1979 after his untimely death at the young age of 42. My father always dreamed of becoming a pilot, and fulfilled this dream in 1975. He purchased this plane (the only one he ever owned)shortly after earning his pilot's license. My family lived in Columbia, SC during these years we owned the plan, so it was kept at a small hanger that resides at the Columbia Airport. I don't recall the name of the hanger, but I believes it's still there today. My father mostly flew the plane around SC on short business and leasure trips. The plane was given a brand new paint job in 1977 compliments of the aircraft service where the plane of was kept. They had to paint the plane due to an accident where one of their employees sprayed several planes with paint remover, instead of de-icer. My father was the only one who flew his plane right after it was sprayed, and when he did, the plane began to perform poorly, so he made an emergency landing. When he got out of the plane, he discoverd that the paint was literally running down the side of the plane, which lead to a free(state of the art) paint job! I discovered just today, from looking at a Gov. Web site, that this plan was in a major accident back in its first year of operation (1969). My father certainly never knew about this, or he probably wouldn't have purchased the plane. Well, I hope you have enjoyed reading about some of the history of this little two-seater as much as I have enjoyed writing it. |
