April 2012
“I like the Cherokee a lot,” Steve Flock told me… but he wasn’t looking even looking for an airplane, let alone a Cherokee, when he bought his 1966 Piper Cherokee 140.
The story almost sounds like a tale told out of (flight) school, but it’s the truth. “In 1999, I took a friend for a flight—he’s not a pilot—and after we returned to Joshua Tree from Big Bear, we saw it for sale.”
“I said, ‘Hey, Ken, you want to buy an airplane?’”
We both looked at each other and thought, “Why not?”
The Cherokee—N6318R—needed some TLC, though. “The aircraft had a high-time engine, disappearing paint, and original upholstery. It wasn’t very attractive, but the price was right, so
we bought it,” Flock recalled.
They eventually had the engine overhauled, and Flock later became full owner of One-Eight Romeo. “My partner was too busy with other projects to remain involved in aircraft ownership, so I ended up buying him out.”
A DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH
“Although we got it running good, and it was in overall good flying condition, cosmetically, One-Eight Romeo was in sad shape,” Flock admitted. And folks weren’t afraid to give him some good-natured prodding about his airplane. “On one occasion, we landed at Ryan Field (KRYN) in Tucson and were asked by the ground controller if we wanted directions to their paint shop.
“Another time, an A&P’s young son asked if anyone had been injured in the accident. That really hurt!”
Clearly, it was time to think about a paint job. Flock weighed his options. “Having an airplane painted is expensive,” he said. “I thought, ‘How hard can it be?’”
“I soon had an answer to that question,” he said.
ONE THING LEADS TO ANOTHER
Repainting an aircraft—especially one with cosmetic “issues”—involves many steps. “First, I stripped what was left of the original paint—actually, had it soda blasted, but that’s another story. Then I cleaned it with acid before applying alodine, then primer. Next were base coats of color, followed by clear coat.” Flock selected white (Ford) over metallic charcoal (Honda), with silver (Ford) accents, for the new, improved One-Eight Romeo.
“Actually,” Flock explained, “the process was a little more complicated than that. Prior to painting, minor repairs had to be done to some fiberglass parts. Others, such as the wings and stabilator tips, had to be replaced. Of course, much of the work had to be done under the supervision of an A&P.”
Flock continued, “Since I was painting it, I thought I might as well install gap seals and replace the windows. I didn’t want to drill a hole in the windscreen for a thermometer, so I installed a remote one. One thing led to another, and another…”.
Flock chose Solar Gray windows from Great Lakes Aero Products. The gap seals for the flaps, ailerons and stabilator, as well as a dorsal fin, strobe and rudder cap are all from Knots 2U, Ltd.
He sums up the whole experience this way: “If any readers are contemplating painting their own aircraft, my advice is, ‘Don’t.’ There’s a reason it’s expensive.” All’s well that ends well, however. “After finally getting it all back together, I was very pleased with the results.”
CHANGING AN INFERIOR INTERIOR
“Of course, the nice-looking exterior only made the interior look that much worse,” said Flock. This time, Flock chose Manny Solano at High Desert Aircraft Interiors in Redlands, Calif. for help.
“First, I installed new plastic trim, a hat shelf, weather stripping, and a new glareshield,” Flock explained. The interior plastic and hat shelf came from Vantage Plane Plastics. The new door seals and glareshield were ordered from Aircraft Door Seals LLC.
“Manny completely redid the interior with leather upholstery and wool carpet. He fabricated new panels from sheet aluminum and covered the plastic trim pieces,” said Flock. “I was very impressed with his professionalism and attention to detail.”
THE MOST IMPROVED PLAYER
The changes have made an improvement. “Although I did not closely monitor any performance changes during this process, I have noticed better handling, increased climb rate and some increase in cruise speed,” Flock reported.
“As far as appearance goes, it’s a completely new airplane. The A&P’s son has complimented One Eight Romeo’s new look,” he said. “And I am looking forward to returning to Tucson. I would like to show the ground controller the first place award we received at Copperstate,” Flock joked.
He heard about the 2011 Copperstate Fly-in from participants who were refueling at Twentynine Palms. “I wasn’t ashamed of flying the aircraft,” he said. “It didn’t take a whole lot of prodding .” So, off he went—and One-Eight Romeo ended up winning first place in the Contemporary class.
THE MAN…AND THE MISSIONS
Flock served four years in the Air Force in the 1960s as a member of the USAF Combat Control Team. “It’s a pretty exclusive group,” he explained. Combat Control used to be “the outfit that controlled the air traffic for DZs and LZs ,” he said. “It’s a lot more than that now.”
Flock retired from a career in law enforcement. A native Californian, he worked for the California Highway Patrol, the San Bernardino County Marshals, and the Sheriff’s Department. He also was a member of the Twentynine Palms city council for four years and served his last year on the council as mayor of the city.
Flock is instrument rated, but not current. “I don’t stay current; the aircraft isn’t really set up for it,” he said, and he finds it’s not that practical for his needs. Flock’s main mission, besides cross-country travel for visiting grandchildren, is flying locally for hundred-dollar hamburgers.
“There are a variety of airports in southern California,” he explained. “It’s a good place to get experience in different conditions.” I asked him if the crowded airspace was intimidating, and he said no, but that with all of the overlapping airspace in the Los Angeles area, it could be a challenge.
“The controllers are great,” he said. “I get flight following and SoCal Approach handles the whole area.” Density altitude can be a concern when he heads to Big Bear (L35) or a mountainous area.
Flock has also used the aircraft for some of his Twentynine Palms business. “When is proposing a project, and we’re concerned with water flow or something, we can get up in the air and see how it looks,” he said. “It’s great to get a different perspective.”
Steve’s wife, JoAnne, is navigator on their long-distance flights. “She enjoys following along on the charts,” he told me. “And, I think she might be a little disappointed in the iPad,” Flock admitted. He has recently transitioned to more EFB-type navigation using electronic apps, so JoAnne’s work has gotten easier.
One thing that isn’t easy, though, is all the windscreen time. Flock knows he’s asking a fair amount of his airplane on these long-distance flights, particularly in terms of cabin space. “It gets a little crowded,” he admitted—and his wife wouldn’t disagree. On their first trip to North Carolina, he told JoAnne, “You know, you’re a good sport. Not just any wife would do this.”
JoAnne smiled, and said, “Yes…but any grandmother would.”
WISH LISTS SPRING ETERNAL
One of the main reasons I buy a magazine, believe it or not, is the ads,” said Flock. “I like to see what’s available, what parts, etc. a valuable resource for that type of information.”
So what is he daydreaming about when he flips through the pages of Piper Flyer? “I’m thinking about getting the EI Fuel Flow,” he said. Electronics International makes the FP-5 or FP-5L; Flock already has the SC-5 Super Clock.
Now that the aircraft’s paint is in good shape, Flock is also considering an air/oil separator. “It seems like it gets dirtier now .” He’s still debating on whether to install a separator, though, because he’s heard conflicting reports about their effectiveness.
Through Piper Flyer Association, Flock can get connected with other pilots to debate the finer points of any mods, as well as socialize—online, or in person at future West Coast PFA events—with other Cherokee pilots. He is new to the association, and we’re happy to have him!
Heather Skumatz is Associate Editor at Piper Flyer magazine. Send questions or comments
to editor@www.piperflyer.com.
RESOURCES >>>>>
Performance Engines
Brackett Field (KPOC)
1935 McKinley Ave., Suite C
La Verne, CA 91750
(909) 593-5008
High Desert Aircraft Interiors
1745 Sessums Dr., Hangar 27 Suite B-27
Redlands, CA 92374
(951) 415-9335
For information about Great Lakes Aero Products, Knots 2U, Ltd., Vantage Plane Plastics and Aircraft Door Seals, please see their ads in this magazine. Refer to the Ad Index on page 64 for the location of their advertisements.
