Price slashed on my 1946 BC12-D

[Joel Severinghaus]

$30,000.

NC96130, serial no. 8430, built May 1946.

My financial folly can be your gain -- I invested way too much restoring this plane, expected to keep her forever. But now I need a tricycle-gear modern Light Sport with a radio and transponder that will be more suitable for flight instructing at a towered airport. Need the downpayment on a Flight Design CTLS and the hangar space, so the Taylorcraft has to go.

Completely restored to authentic factory original, multiple Oshkosh trophies (thanks to all the very generous assistance from the Taylorcraft community.) This is a pristine, like-new 1946 BC12-D that will need nothing but oil changes and annuals for years to come. You can fly Light Sport for only $20 per hour: 4 gph mogal/100LL, 4 hours range at 80 mph.

• 18 gal fuel, 50 lbs baggage, 793 lbs empty, 1200 lbs gross
• Airframe 2329 hrs total time (194 hrs since frame-up restoration)
• Engine 90 hrs since major overhaul (Continental 65 hp, compression 79/78/79/79), carburetor 164 hrs since overhaul (Stromberg), original Case magnetos, new exhaust
• Propeller 90 hrs since new (Sensenich W72CK40 wood climb prop)
• New fabric 2007 (Poly-Fiber, Poly-Tone paint in Taylorcraft Ivory with AN Blue trim)
• New cowlings, fairings, windshield, windows, tires, brake linings, bungees, tailwheel, tailwheel springs, interior, seats, harnesses
• Altimeter, oil temperature gauge, A7 ignition switch overhauled
• All ADs and SBs done; original vented lift struts, struts ultrasound or in-situ X-ray re-inspection due Nov. 2011
• All logbooks back to her factory test-flight in 1946
• No electrical system--dependable old-fashioned hand-propping (train your spouse, be the envy of all the other pilots at fly-ins)
• Battery-powered radio, intercom, push-to-talk switch, 43-inch comm antenna in fuselage for amazing range, Garmin GPS90, ELT
• Original Federal 1500 skis (need work), Reiff engine preheater, Kennon covers
• Spares, manuals, reference materials, restoration documentation
• Annual done in July

You can't buy a $20,000 Taylorcraft, spend $10,000 on cosmetics, and have her looking like this. I bought this plane for $20,000 in 2005, invested another $30,000 in the initial restoration and recovering, and then another $20,000 on an engine overhaul and additional restoration details over the past few years. Delusional pilot math, what can I say? (And yes, my wife thinks I'm a plane-crazy idiot...)

She's listed on Trade-a-Plane and Barnstormers (the plane, not the wife), but I'd rather see her go to a good home in the Taylorcraft community. Specs and photos on my website at www.5500feet.com. Email me at [email protected] or phone me at 515-240-7153 and I'll mail you a CD full of photos, restoration documentation, logbook copies, etc.

[freightpilot27]

Re: Price slashed on my 1946 BC12-D

Joel-

Do you have any pictures and details about your comm antenna? Very interested.

Thanks.

[Joel Severinghaus]

Re: Price slashed on my 1946 BC12-D

Bob,

Very interested in buying my airplane, or just interested in the antenna?

It's an Advanced Aircraft Electronics 5T:

http://www.advancedaircraft.com/

It's mounted on a thin strip of wood, which is lashed to the fuselage tubing behind the cockpit at a 45-degree angle. The coax cable runs forward under the center of seat, coming out over the front edge of the seat to screw onto the antenna jack on the radio. I haven't done any sort of bracket for my hand-held radio -- I just leave it on the seat next to me or in my lap if I have a passenger.

My previous antenna was a 45-degree-bend whip that poked backwards out the belly between the bungee covers. Good location, and didn't require putting a hole in the fabric -- I've seen many other Taylorcrafts with that antenna configuration.

I've been really pleased with the Advanced Aircraft Electronics antenna. Des Moines Approach can hear me about 20 miles out, especially if the radio has 8 fresh AA batteries. The only antenna orientation problem I've had was flying straight toward the Des Moines Tower -- I could hear them, but my transmissions were garbled, probably because the engine and its unshielded ignition was between my antenna and theirs. Once I turned slightly, they could hear me again.

Photo of my radio set-up, such as it is, attached below. (The spare battery pack I keep in the glovebox is to the right of the radio.) The coax cable from the antenna goes into the radio, adapter cables from the radio mic and phone jacks plug into the intercom box, and then my headset and the push-to-talk switch plug into the intercom box. I use the intercom box even when solo, to be able to hear sidetone of myself talking.

See also my recent blog post "NORDO happens" on my website:

http://www.5500feet.com/nordo-happens/

[Joel Severinghaus]

Re: Price slashed on my 1946 BC12-D

Sold (finally!) on November 20 to Tom Williams of Lebanon, Indiana. He plans to hangar her at Frankfort (FKR).

I encouraged him to register and participate in the Forum here. He got his Private in Cessnas about ten years ago, went inactive, and is now going to start flying again as a Sport Pilot. This is his first plane, so please treat him as nicely as you do all the Taylorcraft newbies.

I know he'll be a conscientious caretaker for the plane, and that's she's in good hands. I hope he'll become active in the Taylorcraft community and that we might see him and NC96130 at Oshkosh and other fly-ins for years to come.

(Tom would be smiling more broadly in the attached photos, but it was bitterly cold here yesterday morning as he was departing.)

[Jim Hartley]

Re: Price slashed on my 1946 BC12-D

Wow...He scored!

[Jim Herpst]

Re: Price slashed on my 1946 BC12-D

Dont feel too bad Joel. I just helped a Gentleman (funny but also from Indiana and I think the same airport !) Any way spent the day helping him pack up a Penski truck to take my PRISTINE Baby Ace from its home here in Lexington SC. I also put WAY too much money in her. It was a joyful 165 hours of flying in two plus years after the two year restoration (which was also fun)

Now get to do it all over again with the 1941 Clip Wing project. A real repeat offender !!!! I will say now though that if the clip flys well knowing how well a Taylorcraft flys I hope not to be selling THIS ONE !!!