By John Glodenbaum
This story first ran in the July-August 2019 issue of Vintage Airplane.
Well, you’re finally there. After wanting to fly all your life, and having to delay your dream for your career and family, you finally found yourself with enough time and money to begin flying lessons. Learning to fly was a challenge but a huge pleasure, and you are proud of now having your private pilot certificate. It is time to enjoy flying with your spouse on weekend jaunts and getaways.
However, you find that it is really tough to book good, sound rental airplanes that are available when you need them. The boom in flight training has most of the local Cessnas tied up instructing students, especially on your free weekends. You are also not too keen on shop-worn trainers; they may be reliable enough, but all are rather tired looking — not much style to travel in.
After really thinking about it and with your spouses’ permission, you decide to look at buying your own airplane. You think you can swing about $30,000, which is what you have saved for that second car you were considering. You now reason that it would be much better to buy your own airplane than another car. So you start looking for an aircraft in your price range. What you find is that 30 grand will in no way buy a clean, newer Cessna with a reliable low-time engine and reasonable avionics. Most of the used airplanes you look at are double your budget, and you certainly can’t touch one of those cool Cirrus SRs with the glass panels, or other fast cruisers. You look at experimentals, but find that they, too, can get expensive, particularly those that perform a bit. Also, you learn that experimental aircraft may not hold their resale value like certified aircraft. You consider building, but that’s just not your thing. You want to fly, not build, and you also find that by the time you finish a kit you can have more money in it than what you could reasonably buy a good, used Cessna for.
Then a flying buddy tells you about “classic aircraft,” certified aircraft built after World War II when the dream of an airplane in every garage was alive. Turns out that in this period simple and affordable aircraft were designed; many are still around and have been well cared for or stored. Best of all, you can get a really nice one for an amount well within your $30,000 budget. You are also pleased to learn that these simple certified aircraft keep their value, and if well cared for, are most reliable and easy to maintain.
So you get interested in the Aeroncas, Chiefs, Taylorcrafts, Short Wing Pipers, Cessna 120/140s, Luscombes, Stinsons, etc. All are tailwheel, fabric-covered aircraft with reasonable cruising speeds and modest fuel consumption. On investigation you find that modern fabric-covering systems last at least 25 years, and that tailwheel training is available and not too daunting for new, low-time pilots.
The following story is about just such a buyer; Debbie Cheney of Riverside, California. Debbie now owns and flies Debbie’s Creampuff. A beautiful 1947 Cessna 140 that she bought for $25,000.
Debbie was first exposed to aviation in 1980 by her then-boyfriend, Dave Cheney, who had just earned his private pilot certificate and purchased his first airplane, a cute 65-hp, red Luscombe 8A with white fabric wings. Debbie used to sit in a lawn chair watching Dave shoot touch-and-goes over and over again. Dave had just purchased the airplane and was getting practice in it to make sure he was ready to hop rides.
“I was very impressed with this handsome young man, and I couldn’t believe he actually owned his own airplane,” Debbie said.
Dave and Debbie spent that summer flying to breakfast or lunch at other local Southern California airports with their new Corona Municipal Airport (KAJO) family. They even made a couple camping trips to Columbia, California, for the annual Luscombe Fly-In where they made new lifelong friends and were welcomed like family.
With their common joy of aviation and their love for each other, Dave asked Debbie to be his wife and co-pilot for life, and this is where the great adventure really begins. Still flying every chance they got, their Luscombe took them all around California where they found many grass strips with campgrounds, airstrips with pancake breakfasts, and burger joints. With their little family now growing, and their Luscombe only being a two-seater with no possibility to fit a baby seat, Dave started the search for their next family airplane. With a deep desire to keep a vintage aircraft in the family, Dave found a perfect airplane for them. Dave and Debbie drove to Houston, Texas, in July of 1990 to retrieve a 1946 Stinson 108 Voyager that was in need of a full restoration. The plane had a good maintenance history and good bones, but was mostly a basket case and needed a lot of love. Dave and Debbie spent the next three and a half years meticulously putting this plane back together, a true labor of love and patience. With Dave’s craftsmanship and attention to detail, and Debbie’s eye for colors and fabrics, this plane became a showstopper. Painted in its original Insignia Blue with a Diana Cream stripe, it drew a lot of attention and was every bit the perfect family plane they had hoped for. After its first flight in October of 1993, and with two baby seats in the back, Dave and Debbie made the fly-in circuit around California — Watsonville, Merced, Porterville — picking up trophies along the way. They even made a pilgrimage to Oshkosh, Wisconsin, where they were dubbed the Flying Family.
Dave and Debbie flew the Stinson all around the United States for 13 years and watched their two kids, Aaron and Allison, grow up in the back seat.
“It was a lot of fun flying the Stinson all over the southwest,” Debbie said. “The plane was painted in those beautiful, original, vintage colors. So when we landed and then taxied on the ramp we would get a lot of admiring looks. But once we stopped and opened the doors, and then a couple of little kids piled out of the back seat with their toys and other support materials in tow, that’s when the crowds arrived and the admiring conversations really started! You just didn’t see many families flying together back in those days!”
In 2007, Dave had the opportunity to purchase a 1953 Cessna 180 from a dear family friend. Back in the ’80s Dave hitched a ride with Roger Baumert in this plane and was enamored with the luxury, speed, and classic good looks of Roger’s 180 and told him, “If you ever sell this beauty, please call me first.” Well, in 2007 he got the call and quickly closed the deal. True to Cheney fashion, they rolled up their sleeves and spent the next several weekends hand-polishing the 1980 paint to a brilliant shine. They installed a custom instrument panel with an eye on retaining the vintage look, but with modern avionics that were lighter, more reliable, and fully functional in today’s ATC environment. And after a search for the perfect leather and tweed to keep with the 1953 vintage theme, they installed a beautiful interior that is both new and classic at the same time. This aircraft turned out to be the plane they had always dreamed about. But the biggest surprise to Dave was Debbie’s newfound desire to learn to fly!
“I never turned down the opportunity to fly, and was always ready to enjoy the socializing aspect of aviation, but the flights themselves could turn into a white-knuckling event for me,” Debbie said. “Turbulence and winds were my nemesis. I just didn’t like the way either affected the aircraft in flight. It would make me so nervous! But the 180 seemed to cut through the turbulence like butter, and I really started to enjoy the actual flying part of aviation!” Always content to be the novice navigator and vacation planner, this was all about to change because of the Cessna 180 that she fell in love with!
With Dave’s full support and encouragement, Debbie found the perfect flight instructor and friend on their home field at Flabob Airport. Dave Belford was kind and knowledgeable, and a “big teddy bear” who made her feel safe in this new role of student pilot. Thinking that flying would be “as easy as pie” because of all the time she spent in the right seat flying with her husband, Debbie soon found flying in the left seat was not only very demanding and challenging, but oh so incredibly rewarding at the same time.
“I guess I hadn’t soaked in as much of the aptitude for flying as pilot in command as I thought I had,” Debbie said with a laugh. “But boy did I enjoy this newfound challenge and the feeling of freedom that learning to fly gave me!”
After a lot of really hard work and constant encouragement from Dave and her Flabob family, Debbie received her pilot certificate four months later. While flying a rented Cessna 150 was fun, she knew becoming a taildragger pilot had its own bragging rights among her family and friends. Debbie was fortunate to earn her tailwheel endorsement at Flabob in a J-3 Cub owned by the Tom Wathen Center. She spent that summer perfecting three-point landings, wheel landings, and slips and stalls. The pure joy of flying a true stick and rudder aircraft like the Cub was amazing, but Debbie found the transition from a J-3 to their Cessna 180 was a very big leap. “I didn’t just want to be able to fly the 180, I wanted to fly it well, and the harder I tried, it seemed like I was more and more behind it,” she said. “It just had too much power and complexity for where I was as a pilot.” Unable to find a rental plane that filled this void, her husband encouraged her to look to buy her own plane. Having saved up $25,000 for such a purchase, Debbie and Dave went on the search for a plane she could personalize and call her own.
Immediately, the little red Luscombe with rag wings came to their minds, and they both thought returning to their roots would be an exciting path to take. After looking for many months for the perfect plane, a friend and CFI at Corona Airport, Dave Stevenson, pointed Debbie to a local Cessna 140 that he knew might be for sale. The current owners, Dennis and Dorothe Voll, had rebuilt the engine, re-covered the wings, and given it a pretty white paint job with a blue stripe. It had all the appearances of a perfect plane for Debbie. Dennis gave Debbie a ride on a very windy day and encouraged her to take the controls. She was impressed with how the 140 handled and thought it would be the perfect aircraft to make the transition to the 180. When she sat in the left seat, everyone said they looked like the perfect pair and that they belonged together.
A deal was made for $25,000, and the pretty little Cessna 140 became hers! After her checkride was completed and signed off by Stevenson, Debbie was cleared to fly her plane back to Flabob!
“The day I flew it home there was a pretty stiff breeze blowing out of the north, and Flabob does not have a crosswind runway,” she said. “I asked for a wind check from the tower controller at Riverside while I flew through their airspace, and then said a little prayer asking for help in getting my new plane down safely. I really didn’t want to hurt my pretty little 140 on its maiden voyage!”
Fortunately, the prayer was answered and Debbie was able slip the plane in for an uneventful first landing. Her new Creampuff was now home!
In an effort to become really familiar and intimate with the plane, Dave encouraged Debbie to complete its first annual inspection while under their ownership. In true fashion, Debbie and Dave tackled this together. Stripping off all inspection covers, looking at all pulleys and cables, hinges and bolts, and basically reviewing and inspecting every system of the aircraft. Dave added a new oil filter system to protect this gleaming new engine, and he rebuilt a vintage Scott tail wheel assembly from the ’40s to add to the classic good looks and to make it easier for Debbie to push and taxi the plane around. Together, they washed, waxed, and detailed every inch inside and out and under the cowling. The little 140 really started to look like it belonged in their stable, and it became the Creampuff it is today.
They really get a kick out of doing routine maintenance on this cutie as a team. Dave even taught Debbie how to change the brake pads and how to clean and repack the wheel bearings. “It’s funny, I’m not necessarily fond of picking the dirty grease out from under my fingernails, but I do thoroughly enjoy the knowledge and skills I have gained by working on my own plane,” she said. “Someone asked me once if I really enjoy meeting up with Dave after work to perform maintenance on the plane, ‘Are you kidding me?’ I replied, ‘I call that date night!’”
For Debbie’s last birthday, Dave surprised her by procuring a set of vintage wheel covers and painting them blue to match the accent stripe that’s painted down the side of the fuselage. “I was over the moon,” Debbie said.
Debbie’s pretty little Cessna 140 has exceeded all of her flying and ownership expectations and much, much more! Originally purchased five years ago as a transitional segue for flying their Cessna 180, the little 140 has become an extension of her personality that she uses as a tool to promote aviation. Debbie and her plane are recognized all around Southern California, and when others hear her voice on UNICOM or tower frequencies, she will hear, “Debbie, is that you? Where are you headed off to today?” Debbie is an EAA Chapter 1 member where she flies and mentors young girls and teens at the chapter’s monthly Young Eagles flying events. Debbie even volunteers to fly Young Eagles at other local chapter events around Southern California. So far, Debbie has flown and mentored a total of 55 young ladies. She shares with them her own flying experiences, tells them about chasing her dreams, and encourages them to recognize and pursue the endless possibilities available to them both in and out of aviation!
Many of these Young Eagles are astonished to learn that Debbie is not a professional airline or corporate pilot, but that she is a registered nurse with a love of flying and a passion to share this love with others. Debbie is also a pilot and mentor for EAA’s Flying Start program and walks alongside other adults looking to expand and explore their experiences with aviation. And for a little fun and nostalgia, Debbie can be seen at local flying events dressed in vintage 1940s clothing as she enjoys the camaraderie and fellowship that owning and flying a classic 1940s aircraft can provide.
Debbie understands her responsibility as a role model and mentor to young women, and she always makes sure they understand that owning and flying is not only for the guys! She is also involved in the group Ladies Love Taildraggers, which is an online Facebook group of female pilots and enthusiasts. She finds it a great organization to be a part of, and a good way to network and meet interesting and like-minded lady tailwheel pilots.
Debbie will tell you that she loves owning and flying her classic 70-year-old beauty! She sees herself as the temporary caretaker of the pretty little Cessna 140 she calls Creampuff, and realizes the importance and responsibility of keeping aviation history alive.
“Looking back, I originally purchased the 140 to gain the experience necessary so I would feel comfortable transitioning to the 180,” she said. “In that regard, the 140 has fulfilled its mission in spades! I can now climb into the bigger Cessna and fly it with confidence. However, the little 140 has grown to be such a big part of me, and I thoroughly enjoy the opportunity to share it with others whenever possible. Taking a young girl up for her first airplane ride, having her take the controls in flight, and then having the opportunity to discuss all the tremendous opportunities available to her as a young woman is such an exciting experience for me; it really warms my heart!”
She and her husband, Dave, appreciate the opportunity to own their aircraft, keep them safely flying, and be good ambassadors for general aviation. Look for them at air shows and fly-ins throughout the country. They represent the absolute best of classic aircraft enthusiasts.