My wife and I have been flying around our kids the past 6 months. Before kids we flew all over the place in our supercub. With plans to add 3rd critter at some point I have been window shopping 185's and 206's. We were really planning on buying a 4+ seat machine in 2-3 years but I managed to buy this hail damaged 206. I found the auction about 3 days before it ended so we made some assumptions and put in a bid.

1965 U206

Picked it up in Dallas. $57 flights from CLE to DFW.



Nice Panel. Bunch of stuff I could only dream of....



I think I saw Tom Ford down here.



My Dad went along with me to pick it up. He is an avionics guru, instrument current but no medical right now. Trying out the back seat....



Landed in French Lick.... Blew a brand new tire and tube. Apparently this happened at the storage facility, looks like mud ripped the wheel scraper from the pant and then it got lodged inside. Eventually it sliced the tire/tube in half. Eric at http://midwestaeroworks.com/ fixed me up. Too late in the day....freezing fog was rolling in. Took the airport car to the comfort inn....



This is what you can buy in French Lick.....



French Lick has two very nice turn of the century hotels: http://www.frenchlick.com/ Inside of West Baden Springs



Departing at noon the next day. Freezing fog bank below. 200' ceiling.



On the way in I shot a VOR approach near my home airport, could not get in. Flew 15 miles or so and shot the ILS into CAK in VFR conditions. This fog was very odd, there were VFR areas all over but also freezing fog areas about 800' thick. This is what it looked like 10 miles from where we landed.



This week we start the first annual on the 206....more to come.

Tim

Nice! I love that panel!

I've gotten a little time in a couple of 206's, they're nice planes. I bet one for a family would be traveling right (what do you think, Brett?).

Post more pictures!

I have flown lots of hail damaged Cessnas. The dimples just make them go faster, like a golf ball.

Nice find!

Wow! That thing is sweet!

Very nice! Super sweet panel. Congratulations!

Very nice!

That sand bar is waaaay to big for me

Very nice, proper 206 (U206) and one heck of a panel too!

Congrats.

Sweet ride. Love a 206. FYI, my parents grew up near French Lick. Spent my summers up there on the farm.

I used to fly Teppco Midwest Pipeline through French Lick.

You'll definitely be happy that you got a 206 for the large family. Lots of space and comfort for everyone. We sure are happy with the comfort ours has provided in our journeys. Congratulations.

Brett

Hard to beat a 206 with a family of four . Even though I have an "improper" P-206 . Spent plenty of time in the u model . I kinda like having a copilot door .You are fired up !!

French lick ? Really ........... Sounds like a great place for a stopover .

I cut my 206 teeth in a TU206 of that era (65 or 66), back in the summer of 1976. Good solid ol' flying truck. To that time, it was the most powerful airplane I'd flown. My instructor cautioned me to advance the throttle slowly for take-off, which is a good idea in any airplane, but especially in the 200 series Cessnas--saves nose tires, which otherwise get scrubbed pretty badly with the hard right rudder necessary to keep it straight.

Looks like you got a good deal, a good ol' airplane plus that panel that looks to be a $50K version at least.

Curious--you said you couldn't get in using the VOR approach. I'm guessing your homedrome is Wadsworth. Why wouldn't you use one of the RNAV approaches there, instead of going on to Akron? Both would get you lower with obviously more precision than the VOR, which strikes me as one of those which is so far from the VOR that it's not all that precise, and also requires circling instead of the nice straight-in of the RNAVs.

In any event, good luck and many adventures in your "new" airplane!

Cary

Cary,

Home base is 15G. The picture above in the car was right by the runway of 15G. The VOR approach I shot was into KBJJ down to 1840. 1840 was just on top of this nasty fog/clouds we have had around here all week. Somebody took the data cards out of the 430 so all that we had available was the VOR and the 496 for backup.

Tim

I sold my 66 U 206 almost 2 years ago. I only had it for a little over a year and flew it 78 hrs. I didn't like the way it flew. Most of my flight time is in a 180 and straight tail 182. It was heavy on the controls and flew like everthing that I have read and heard from experienced 206 drivers.
I wish I would have given it more of a chance. It had way more room and was easier to land in a cross wind than my current 180. I loved the cargo doors and the extra elbow room. It cruised at 155mph and carried a big old load. It just flew like a truck, basically because it was a flying SUV. I could have used the extra room a few times in the last 2 years.
For hauling the family , it can't be beat. It will serve you well. I wish I hadn't sold mine everytime I see a 206.

Needs 29" Bushwheels! That panel though

Congratulations! Tough to find a better piston single engine family hauler than the old 2 by 6! Love mine but dang I wish it was 30 knots faster.
Bummer about the tire...looks like u lost some gas too. Whenever I park mine I turn the fuel selector off to prevent just such a thing. Popped into the hangar one day to find my bird with a flat (stuck valve stem) and sitting in a blue puddle. Lost about 20 gallons.

behindpropellers wrote:Cary,

Home base is 15G. The picture above in the car was right by the runway of 15G. The VOR approach I shot was into KBJJ down to 1840. 1840 was just on top of this nasty fog/clouds we have had around here all week. Somebody took the data cards out of the 430 so all that we had available was the VOR and the 496 for backup.

Tim

That's not kind of them! As pricey as those things are, though, I guess some folks thought they needed them more than any auction buyer. Bummer for you.

Cary