The saddest Tcraft

[dedrekon]

Re: The saddest Tcraft

I popped into Evergreen (FINALLY some decent flying weather here in the NW) and took a look at these poor airplanes. That green Taylorcraft looks like a skeleton from the air...there's almost nothing left of it. The yellow one is definitely salvageable.....if the engine's OK you could probably fly it out of there with a little quick maintenance work. It does have nice wheel pants and I could use that prop!

That whole airport is sad.....not long ago it was the busiest airport in the NW, with more daily flight ops than PDX or Sea-Tac. I bought my T right off the field there. The guy was trying to get some money out of it before the IRS grabbed it and I gave him $4k on the spot and flew it away. Wally Olson hooked me up with him and told me later the IRS had been there the next day to seize it. I've flown it nearly 600 hours and never put another dime in it, other than annuals and routine maintenance (although it does need a new exhaust now).

[Carl Ellis]

Re: The saddest Tcraft

Soon, all that will be left is pictures.

[hangarb7]

Re: The saddest Tcraft

I fly into and out of several small fields here in western Pennsylvania and there is at least one old T'craft on each that needs some major TLC.

One is at McVille near Ford City, it was flown once after a complete recover, 19 years ago. It has the 8 foot long socks on the wings to protect from bird poop and dust, but they are eaten away from the acid and hanging in strips. The fabric amazingly doesn't look too bad but it would be insane to trust it, considering the hangars are open with dirt floors. Probably major rodent damage and rust in the lower tubing.

Sitting right next to it, a very nice Luscombe Silvaire that was parked about the same time.

Sad.

Jack
N44057
'46 BC12D

[dedrekon]

Re: The saddest Tcraft

This is the day I moved N43457 out of Evergreen (where it had lived for 15 years) to it's new home at Lenhardt (7S9). You can see the place has gone to ruin. The hangars are so full of birds now, there's not much difference between being in a hangar or outside. The level of activity there used to keep them out, but with no folks around they just take over.

Carl, you'll remember the old Navion down on the North/South (also rotting away).....my hangar was just two down from it.

[Vasey fan]

Re: The saddest Tcraft

I spent a week in Portland back in '90 (I think). Managed to make it up to Evergreen one afternoon, what a great place it was. Wally was out, so I didn't get to meet him. The place seemed like a little slice of heaven, although the folks I talked to that day told me that the handwriting was already on the wall.

[flyguy]

Re: The saddest Tcraft

So what is the story on why Evergreen fell apart? We lost a really fun place with the closing of Fremont in about 84.
Darryl

[dedrekon]

Re: The saddest Tcraft

It's the same old story in three parts.

First Part, it used to be way out in the boonies, but is now surrounded by strip malls, office buildings, fast food joints, houses and apartments.......

Second Part, it was owned and operated since the 40's by a guy who sincerely loved to see people fly and he rented Taylorcrafts, a rickety old Champ and the odd Cessna (even a 172 for ADVANCED training) for dirt cheap. He even had a Waco UPF7 that rented for $80 an hour wet! He died a few years ago and it's just wasted away without him.

Third Part, he had a family and the kids (except one) weren't interested in running an airport, especially when the property it sat on was/is worth multiple millions of dollars. I'm surprised it's lasted as long as it has.

He once told me that during the War (the Big One), he had 27 or 28 TCrafts in that great old hangar of his. They had to stack them on their noses to get them all inside. He was too old for military service, but trained countless pilots under the CPT program. He also had one of the only flying Jennys anywhere AND he flew it. He was a true bigger than life character with a heart of gold and is greatly missed in this little slice of the flying world. I think he's one of the main reasons you find so many Taylorcrafts in this part of the country.

[dedrekon]

Re: The saddest Tcraft

Here's a pic of Wally Olson in his Waco.

[Carl Ellis]

Re: The saddest Tcraft

Here is more Wally. I never did get to meet him.

http://www.wheretofly.com/evergreen/

- Carl -

[Vasey fan]

Re: The saddest Tcraft

Being kind of a biplane freak, I've got to ask - what happened to Wally's Jenny & the WACO?

[dedrekon]

Re: The saddest Tcraft

The Waco was sold to a local guy.......still see it around once in awhile. Brings back great memories. Wally also a Cabin Waco that he would drag out on special occasions and he had a BT-13 Vultee "Vibrator" that just sat outside for years. I think it's since been restored by some fella in California.

The last time I saw the Jenny it was at the Pearson Air Museum just up the Columbia River a few miles......Pearson claims to be the oldest airport active airport in the US. Their hangar/museum was built in 1918!
I suppose it could've found it's way over to the Evergreen Museum where the Spruce Goose is housed. It seems like everything old and rare in this area is migrating there slowly (maybe I'll be housed there someday).

[Pearson]

Re: The saddest Tcraft

Wally's Jenny is hanging from the ceiling of SKAMANIA LODGE in the Columbia River Gorge east of Portland about 35 miles. I don't know what became of the Waco.

I also bought my Taylorcraft from Evergreen Field and have spent many many hours there just sitting on the bench watching airplanes, or doing the jigsaw puzzles inside during the rain.

One of the last two Taylorcrafts that he used for instruction now belongs to the Northwest Antique Airplane Club (nwac.com), which puts on the big fly-in every August. It is currently being restored.

[M Jones]

Re: The saddest Tcraft

It is sad. Always hate to hear of things like this... I visited Pearson Field while on a business trip just last month. It was am "impromptu" side trip, and I wish I would have known more about Evergreen at the time. I would have looked it over during the free afternoon I had.

I've been a little concerned about the home field for my Taylorcraft lately also, with the spreading out of Chicago from the southwest. John Dacy (Dacy airport in Harvard, IL) is now 90 years of age, bless him. He's always been a lot of fun to listen to, with all of his stories and experiences. His sons and daughter are entrenched in aviation also, with their corporate/commercial jobs (and Stearmans too!) so I only hope there's a long life in store for this great little field, with its three grass runways, and lots of antique/vintage aircraft.

[dedrekon]

Re: The saddest Tcraft

The Jenny's hanging up at the Skamania Lodge? Where is it at the Lodge....in the bar or the lobby? That's sure not the final resting place it deserved. It should be seen and appreciated by real aviation fans. Is the OX5 still in it?

I haven't been up to Skamania in quite awhile. The golf course is just too short. Awesome views, from a couple of the holes you can sometimes see the Sternwheeler cruising down the Columbia, but the golf is marginal. Plus, there's no airport nearby....at least near enough for a fly and golf day (my perfect day).

[crispy critter]

Re: The saddest Tcraft

I tried golfing a few times with a pilot friend and my wife....it didn't take me long to realize that I needed to spend more time flying and less time(or no time)golfing.