I've been calling sellers, kicking tires for what seems like years now.

Now it's my turn to post the photo and type the brag:

1946 Taylorcraft BC12-D-85 - Disassembled in 1980 and stored till rebuild in 2000. New zero time C-85-12 installed at that time. All new everything except interior. Inside looks like a cheap Black Hills whorehouse circa 1860.......OR.......a 1979 Buick Century like I owned as a teenager - same cheesy red velour interior....right down to the kick panels.

I fly to Richmond, VA on thursday next week and do the deal. Seller has agreed to hangar it till I can get it ferried back to Michigan where I will finish up my sport pilot ticket and checkride in my NEW RIDE!!!!!!

Windknot, Congrats on the new ride!!

GT

It's one of the best feelings in the world... setting off in your own bird.

Congrats!

Congrats! What town in MI are you from. I grew up in MIo. Still visit once-in-a-while. Enjoy the new ride!

Mr. Ed wrote:Congrats! What town in MI are you from. I grew up in MIo. Still visit once-in-a-while. Enjoy the new ride!

Ed - I split my time between West Branch and Saginaw - house in Saginaw has been on the market for a year, all of a sudden we're getting a ton of action on it. Will be semi-retiring in West Branch at our house on Lake George as soon as the house in Saginaw sells.

That airplane will be a sweet ride for you. Very efficient, enjoy, and learn it well.

Cant wait.

I've done all my flying (ready for my checkride now) in a 65hp Taylorcraft. The plane is airworthy and that's about it. Moving up to an 85hp T'Cart with nice, unpatched covering, no cracks in the windshields, and a good working heater will be a big improvement for me. 85 HORSEYS!!!!!

Dont know what I'm going to do with enough power to get up and OUT!!!

Got to love a Tcraft learn it well and it can do more on a dollar than most

Windknot wrote:Will be semi-retiring in West Branch at our house on Lake George as soon as the house in Saginaw sells.

Well then you'll haft'a get yourself some floats!
Like ZZ said, owning your own plane is the best thing since (the other best thing).

Congratulations mister. The C-85 dash 12 normally has stuff like a starter and generator on it. Many just remove those and hand prop. I see though that you've got one of those nifty new style alternators on the chin underneath so you've got electricity anyway. Just like up town!

EB

Nice ride!

Interior pics?

Scolopax wrote:Nice ride!

Interior pics?

Showing interior pictures of this airplane is analogous to seeing Angelina Jolie without makeup. It ruins the image of beauty, sexy and allure that exists in the fantasy that we create in our minds.

I'll post photos after I recover the seats, take the red velour off the the kick panels and doors. (Yes its that bad)

Emory Bored wrote:Congratulations mister. The C-85 dash 12 normally has stuff like a starter and generator on it. Many just remove those and hand prop. I see though that you've got one of those nifty new style alternators on the chin underneath so you've got electricity anyway. Just like up town!

EB

EB - I do/will feel like a townie - I'll have a transponder and a hardwired handheld - the seller lives close to Washington DC and they get a little cranky of anyone is flying around without them. I'm a tech hog - I like my 496 (Thanks BLUE!!!) and my iPad and GPS, so the generator will be handy.

The C-85-12 is on the plane on a short mount. The STC for upgrade to the 85 has a couple of variants - upgrade to 85 on the short mount, and keep the same gross, upgrade to the 85 on a long mount, add a starter and generator and extend the baggage compartment to round out the weight an balance and then beef up the Strut and spar attach bushings and you can increase gross up to 1280. Do the same upgrades as the 1280 but call it an F-19 and you can up the gross to 1500. The guy that owns the STC now is a guy named Terry Bowden and I've had several discussions with him and find him most helpful - http://dc65stc.blogspot.com/2010/09/cer ... ffers.html

Unfortunately, the STC's haven't been able to keep up with the technology. B&C now makes a lightweight short starter that you can STC onto a C-85 on a SHORT mount and there's still 1/2" clearance between the starter and the firewall. B&C also makes the orange puck-style generators that guys have gotten documented field approval via 337 to install as well. Funny thing, when I recover from "Initial Airplane Purchase Shock" - the taxes, the insurance, the AIRPLANE - all paying at once, I'll PROBABLY go ahead and put on the starter and generator. When I do, I'll be able to pull the wind generator and should have a NET increase in gross of 2 or 3# over the old generator.

My arms are still good, starting to have tendon issues in my elbows, so I'll just kind of keep an eye on them and get ready to add the starter as needed.

Well it's a beautiful bird whichever way it's configured. The only hassle I've found about hand propping is tying the tail down. The Luscombe parking brake is an embarrassment. I wouldn't trust it any farther than I would a rattlesnake in my hat. Enjoy.

EB