I hope everyone is safe so far and all are taking this seriously... Surly it will be changing our economy in ways we would never have dreamed the past winter when lots of us were looking forward to our yearly trip up to Anchorage for the show.

As I'm sure all of you have seen, the show is now cancelled. That said, the Cessna 180 raffle is still scheduled to take place.

I was talking to Tom Anderson of The Landing Gear Works earlier this week and he was lamenting the cancellation since he had donated quite a bit of product for the bird including his (very expensive) Ti gear. He had arranged for his booth to be right next to the raffle bird, and had hoped to parlay the product donation into some good marketing.

I took a list at some of the sponsors, and saw that we have quite a few of our own BCP companies including Tony of AeroPod, Willie of Stene Aviation, Daniel of Sport Aircraft Seats, Brian of Steve's Aircraft... Many of the other companies are classic small US businesses with amazing products and great customer service. These are companies like AeroLED, Tanis, McFarlane, FA Dodge, Fly-Lite, Selkirk, Rosen, Pponk, Great Lakes, Door Steward, and Wing-X (Canadian) to name a few.

Considering how hard the US economy is going to get bashed this year, and considering how hard (in good times) it is to make a living in aviation, I thought it might be nice for our community to reach out to and let them know that their commitment to our passion wasn't overlooked and did not go unnoticed.

Considering we are all hunkered down in our bunkers, perhaps now is the time to add that set of new AeroLED wig-wags, set of Willie's Quasar tips or Sportsman, the Door Stewards we have been thinking about, one of Steve's gascolators, some new Great Lakes glass, a set of Tony's must-have aft fuze inspection kits, or even a set of Daniels kick ass seats.

I hope I didn't miss any other BCP sponsor of that bird, but for those who don't know the ones I listed:

Tony from AeroPOD
https://backcountrypilot.org/forum/new- ... opod-20902

Brian of Steve's Aircraft
https://www.stevesaircraft.com/

Daniel from Sport Aircraft Seat
https://sportaircraftseats.com/

Willie of Stene Aviation
https://www.steneaviation.com/

If I did miss someone, I hope someone will add to my list.

Good idea Greg. If these companies can't stay afloat we'll regret it in a couple of years. There won't be any gov't bailout for Willie and Tony.

My airplane is in for the annual inspection and I could have called the mechanic and told him to suspend work until we see where this is going. Instead, I elected to continue with my planned upgrades going on the assumption that next year will be better. I'm adding Rosen visors, BAS shoulder harnesses, and Surefly electronic ignition in addition to complying with the C180 tailcone inspection letter.

I suppose there is a chance I'll regret my decision and be trading my airplane for toilet paper in a couple of years but I doubt it.

I hope all of you are safe. Take care of yourself and others around you. My 85 year old mother says, "This too shall pass."

K

Can out of country residents win? If so, I will buy some tickets, might be some luck around yet!

Mark Y. wrote:Can out of country residents win? If so, I will buy some tickets, might be some luck around yet!

Absolutely they can win it. They just can’t take it out of Alaska. I will do the right thing and properly store the 180 in my hangar and take good care of it

akgreg wrote:

Mark Y. wrote:Can out of country residents win? If so, I will buy some tickets, might be some luck around yet!

Absolutely they can win it. They just can’t take it out of Alaska. I will do the right thing and properly store the 180 in my hangar and take good care of it

Sounds like a heck of a deal! Maybe come up once a year and fly it around.....Lol

I keep tormenting myself with the titanium main gear with axles and think I heard about door hinges too. I wonder if Tom would trade for a piece of farm equipment and sorta bypass depreciation recapture? Hmmm

I've spent way too much money on my plane during this work-from-home thing. Almost daily orders to spruce and trips to the hangar.

Where is the raffle Web Site? Dave b

It's a great idea Bigrenna, and I really like that you put it out there.

Though personally, I've lost enough money in the past two weeks to buy a factory new glass panel 206 and a few years worth or operating capitol, or a really decent used Twin Otter. I like the idea of helping the aviation community survive, but I might not be in a spending mood for the next...er...while.

Hate to say it, but aviation is something I can easily live without. Food, water, shelter, medicine, plumbing, heat, roads, propane, roofing, car tires, communications, community and national security...not so much.

My attention, energy, and money isn't going to be directed towards pimping my airplane for the foreseeable future.

I hear what you're saying and I think it's great, but I think we'd all be better off if we just concentrated on what we can do to minimize the impact of this pandemic rather than worrying about the viability of any particular company. The best way to save those companies isn't to buy their products, but to do everything possible to reduce the spread.

I could not ethically advise someone to spend money on an airplane upgrade instead of buying the basic things that keep us alive.

double post for some reason

Hammer wrote:It's a great idea Bigrenna, and I really like that you put it out there.

Though personally, I've lost enough money in the past two weeks to buy a factory new glass panel 206 and a few years worth or operating capitol, or a really decent used Twin Otter. I like the idea of helping the aviation community survive, but I might not be in a spending mood for the next...er...while.

Hate to say it, but aviation is something I can easily live without. Food, water, shelter, medicine, plumbing, heat, roads, propane, roofing, car tires, communications, community and national security...not so much.

My attention, energy, and money isn't going to be directed towards pimping my airplane for the foreseeable future.

I hear what you're saying and I think it's great, but I think we'd all be better off if we just concentrated on what we can do to minimize the impact of this pandemic rather than worrying about the viability of any particular company. The best way to save those companies isn't to buy their products, but to do everything possible to reduce the spread.

I could not ethically advise someone to spend money on an airplane upgrade instead of buying the basic things that keep us alive.

I certainly understand this sentiment. The truth is, if my airplane had not already been under the mechanic's roof, I would probably have postponed any new expenditures. As it is, my summer flying plans are certainly going to be curtailed, if not cancelled. My airplane may get preservative oil and parked in the hangar.

No one should put themselves in a financial bind for a recreational airplane, even in good times.

Take care of yourselves.

K

If history is any indication of the present. I grew up the 70’s and 80’s in household that was supported by General Aviation. My Dad was an A&P/IA in the Northeast who strived to maintain a steady job with larger more reputable FBO’s that would offer benefits and job security. He would do annuals out of the back of his pickup on the weekends for the intelligent tinkerers(who are now gone)at the small airports. He bought a brand new 1979 Cessna 152 for $13,500 in 1981 and leased it back to various flight schools to make a few extra bucks. When the economy was good, things around the house were good. We took small vacations(often with the 152 with me in the baggage compartment.) Dad maintained a Lake amphibian that the owner let him use in exchange. He took me and my friends on some amazing trips. We ate Pizza every Friday. My parents seemed pretty happy and got along well.
When the economy was bad, it was a different story. First thing would be my dad getting a pink slip from the big FBO. That would make my moms mood turn on a dime and not in a good way. No more vacations or pizza on Fridays. My sister and I wore clothes handed down from other families or relatives. We hoped other kids wouldn’t know we where on the free school lunch program. The Lake that we got to use was sold by the desperate owner. The 152 program was far in the red, as the flight schools were creeping along. My dad would look for any kind of cash work he could find. Among other things I remember, he found two different wrecked Seabees that he convinced the eccentric owners to rebuild. I remember being in the forward hull of one for hours holding the bucking bar while dad shot rivets.(I could fit down there and he didn’t have to pay me except for soda and candy) Often Dad had to look for non aviation cash work like fixing people’s cars or wiring houses. I could tell from Dads mood that he was stressed and unhappy during these times.
Dad is now 81 and retired in Florida. He did pretty good for himself in the 90’s with a couple of plush corporate flight departments out of HPN. He has maintained ownership of a Cessna 177RG since 1985 that him and mom took some neat trips in. Owned several recreational vehicles that they traveled the US in. I don’t think he regrets life as it was, but I think he would have been happy to not have to deal with the down times. I know it brought a lot of stress and uncertainty that really weighed on the whole family. That said there are many things in life we have no control over and they shape us into the rugged, diverse individuals that we are and make us appreciate when times are good.
I’m hoping to be able keep all my airplanes through this and maybe my mechanic will actually slow down enough to do my annuals on time. These are going to be some interesting times, we have never navigated waters like these. The world economy is a tightly linked chain in the present day. We all know what happens when links on a chain snap....

Thanks for writing that post. By the way, how are your ears after running the bucking bar?

Bigrenna, excellent post; spot on. The joys of flying are a little more deeply rooted to some than others. No judgement.
Hammer, to lose the cash you quoted you must have started with some really big numbers; good on ya.