Am I Crazy? | 1st Test Flight of Rehabilitated 1979 Cherokee Six

“And we’re BAAAAAAAAAAAACK” – J. Fallon
I’m Brian, a private pilot based in Northern Indiana. 18 months ago I took my 1979 Piper Cherokee Six in for its annual inspection, and it never came back.

First, we discovered cracks in some ribs too big to ignore under the right wing walk area. So off it went to Airframe Components in Kendallville Indiana. They specialize in rebuilding wings of all types, it’s pretty much all they do.

2 days later, we discovered a 3 inch crack in our crank-case extending through one of the bolt holes holding on the #2 cylinder. At this point we threw in the towel on our 32 year old engine and ordered a new, zero-time IO-540 from Lycoming complete with a factory warranty.

We rebuilt the airplane with all new components firewall forward including the wiring, cables, hoses, exhaust, and overhauled prop. And then we waited…

Delay after delay from Lycoming, 4 previous ship dates came and went until final in June 2024, we got our new engine installed. Ground runs are complete so now we just need someone crazy enough to take it for a test flight and break-in the new engine.

We thoroughly briefed this flight, had emergency plans and procedures memorized for every stage of the flight. We got into our Nomex flight suit, strapped in to the bird, and executed the mission to fly the recommended test-flight profile per Lycoming Service Instruction No. 1427 Rev C. Did I survive?

DISCLAIMER: This video is highly edited for entertainment purposes only. It is NOT for instruction or training. The views and opinions expressed here are solely our own and do not constituent professional advice. I am not a CFI nor A&P. Seek qualified A&P, CFI and training in your own airplane. Now sit back, relax and enjoy the views! 😀

Music
“Hot Heat” - Topher Mohr and Alex Elena
“Drive Fast, Turn Left” – E. Cartman
“Corncob” - Kevin MacLeod
“Good Gig In the Clouds” - Joel Cummins

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Shout out Airframe Components https://www.airframecomponents.com/

+Brady and the crew at Venture Aviation Services for all your help with this vlog brady@ventureavn.com