Airplane of the Month • November 2003

Notes by Owner / Pilot Scott L. Gampfer:
Don Theiss took this picture from the right seat of a Cherokee 180 being flown by its owner, Joe Collins.  We were on our way back to Cincinnati from Grimes Field in Urbana, Ohio after having flown up for breakfast.

 I bought the airplane in 1992 when it had only 1,850 hours on it.  The previous owner (my younger brother) had the plane repainted in the 1959 scheme (with silver paint for the base color instead of bare metal) about a year or two before I bought it.  Since getting 56E, I have had the interior redone by Air Mods at Clermont County Airport (Batavia, OH.).  I also added the following over the last eleven years; a new radio, a transponder and encoder, shoulder harnesses, spin-on oil filter, lightweight starter (replacing the pull-type), new fin tip strobe, new windshield, upgraded generator, and many other small things.  I have tried to retain the original look inside and out as much as possible.  The plane is a "flyer", not a show plane however.  I have had the red trim repainted last year and had a G&N engine overhaul several years ago. 

I now fly the plane about 140 to 150 hours per year.  Co-Op Aircraft Service at Blue Ash has done all of the maintenance on my plane since I got it. 

I started flying lessons in 1973 but didn't actually get my license until 1976.  I fly purely for the fun of it.  56E is the first, and to date, the only plane I have owned.  I have put about 1,150 hours on it so far. I can't emphasize how much I still enjoy flying 56E. 

Scott L. Gampfer
Director of History Collections and Preservation
Cincinnati Museum Center

[Posted November 1, 2003]