In the early 60's I was a part owner of a 46' T-craft. The wire and cork in the fuel tank sticking out of the coweling in front of the wind screen ( Jack Ohmart's comment) brings back memories. If I remember right the tip was painted red, meaning time to get out of the air.

My dad and a couple of friends owned a Aeronca C-3 in about 1950. I haden't been flown for several years. It was parked next to the Myres Aircraft Co in Mich. We cleaned it up, painted it. One cylinder used oil quiet bad. Couldn't by parts back then. Weith some research, found out John Deere B tractor rings were very close. By altering the compression rings slightly, made them fit perfect. Yes, it was underpowered. On the first flight, they flew 5 mi. before they got high enough to attempt a turn.

I enjoy reading all the guys comment.I changed my email
address if any have questions.

The Aeronca c-3 is the first airplane that I actually touched. I was 9 years old in 1938 at the Wood River, Illinois airport. This C-3 would fly over our house that was located on Halloran Avenue, about 1/2 mile from the airport. When it came over I would run to the airport to see it. It was called at the time, "The Flying Bathtub". I later soloed in the Aeronca C-7 at East St. Louis Airport in 1954. Later I flew the souped up version with a 95 HP engine and tricycle landing gears called the TriTraveler when I was stationed at Westover AFB, MA will a member of the SAC Aero Club. I still love that champ.

I knew this aircraft well in the mid-50's. It was based at Southend, Essex and in those days painted dark blue if my memory serves me correctly. Somewhere I have a black and white photo.

G-AEFT (c/n A.610),pictured above, was the 15th out of 20 to have been registered in the UK (cofA issued 27 Aril 1936) and was the sole survivor, the others either crashed or were scrapped. It was operated and cherished at Stapleford, Notts, by the Aeronca Flying Group. It was an imported C.3, being manufactured at Lunken Airport before the great flood there of 1937. Nineteen British-built Aeronca 100s (construction numbers commencing 'AB') were built by Light Aircraft Ltd., formed at Hanworth in 1935, but all succumbed to disaster, apart from G-AEVS (AB.114), which was seen at Sywell in 2010, looking absolutely gorgeous in duck-egg blue with silver aerofoils, probably being one of two survivors of its type (the other possibly being G-AEWV/AB.117). I was lucky enough to see two Aeronca 100s at the Thruxton prop-meet in 1998, when they arrived together, cruising overhead on a total of only four sparkplugs between them!

When I worked as a ramp boy, Lake Union Air Service, 1949, Peter Bowers fly his Aeronca C-3 on floats over to get some gas. He warned about hand propping because there was no hot mag for starting.

In the fall of 1972 my family and I moved to Newport News, VA. Shortly after, while looking to buy some rental property we met an elderly couple with some properties for sale...In the course of our dealings I was introduced to her husband in his upstairs studio the walls of which displayed pictures of some old aircraft. As a former Air Force pilot I inquired about them and was told that he was the designer of the Aeronca aircraft. Ther also was a framed citation painting of his wife commorating her solo altitude record in the aircraft. As I remember he was of Frech nationality. Can anyone verify this info...

There is a C3 Hanging up in the old Terminal Bldg at Lunkin Airport in Cincinatti.

IJn the 1960's IJ got flight trainning at the Okmaulgee,OK airport. At that time there was an Aeronica Chief hangered there. It was there for the couple of years that I used the airpor the plane sat idle. It appeared to be in excellant shape. Always regretted tha I didn't look for the owner etc. and still wonder what eventially happened to this plane????

There is a C-2 hanging in the Great Gallery of the Museum of Flight on Eat Marginal Way in Seattle. My brother Paul R. Morton, Lt. Col. retired, flew one in 1933 ar Ravenrock Airport in Portsmouth, Ohio. It landed at about 33 mph as I recall.

I bought a 1937 K model in 1957 for $550 at Fort Worth TX. Somebody had put a 65 continental on it and 12 lbs. of lead in the tail to balance it. Side by side, 2 wheels, hydraulic brakes (Cessna landing gear). Steerable tail wheel. Very much fun to fly, very forgiving. Cruised about 80, landed about 40 or less. Sold it to Lynn Wright in 1958--I think he's the man that had modified it. He had owned it earlier.

I am not sue if is a C2 pr C3 however there is a restored one in the museum of flight at boing Field Seattle WA. Restored and was flown into the 1980 by a Captain of West Coast Airlines Robert Cansdale. One of his daughters is a NW captain.

My Father was Clifford H. Indoe and he was the Supertindent at the Aeronca Air Craft Corporation at Lunken Field in Cincinnati,Ohio from 1930 to 1938.
The company moved to Middletown in 1938 because
of the flood in 1937. I have a picture where they landed
3 C-3 Aeronca's on top of the hanger before the flood.
It was a very big flood. I can remember seeing them looking down from Alums Park at the Airport.
My Dad got one of the airplains that had crashed at the field and he cut the fuselage in half and made the first side by side seats. He brought home the patterns on brown paper and my Mother cut the patterns out of canvas and he took them back and covered the fuselage.
He made the first shock absorting landing gear that he built useing bungy cords rapped around a couple of v type
frams that changed the bloon tires to smaller tires.
There was a fire started in the shop one night and when my Dad showed up just in time to put out the fire out.
I got a prop that my Dad got out of the fire that burned the back of the prop.Dad took the prop and mounted a clock in it and I still got it hanging on my wall today
and it was one from the C-3 Aeronca.
I sure have enjoyed seeing the other comments that you
gentlemen have given. Thanks Again. It brings back many
memories when I was just 5 or 6 years old.

Thomas C. Indoe
tcjdindoe@verizon.net

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There is an aircraft of AERONCA MISSING FROM THE FILES, THE AERONCA KCA . i BELIEVE 14 WERE MADE 1938-1940.iT WAS SIDE BY SIDE PREDESSOR OF THE CHAMP. I OWNED ONE FOR 2 YEARS 1965-1966.I HAD ALL THE RECORDS FROM WHEN IT WAS BUILT. I CAN SEND PICS TO HELP UPDATE INFO. PLEASE ADVISE

As per last entry the tail # of Aeronca chief #8090E. anybody seen her? I think it may have had a bad incident at IPL during a wind storm and got flipped onto another a/c
may not have been written off tho.

In 1970, I "Ferried" a Aeronca "Chief" from Cable Airport, Cal. to Imperial co.Airport for a buyer. I found it to be real squirrly on take off. On landing at IPL did a groundloop..no twr there..first flight in a tail dragger.

the picture is an c3 built in england under license. the c3 is easy to fly and fun but way underpowered. performs ok with one person...not so good with two. many were converted to 65 hp cont. Aeronca made well over dozen models of aircraft before ending complete small aircraft in 1950's. the factory still exists in middletown, ohio making aircraft related parts

I owned an Aeronca L3B & obtained my license in 1944 at Brockton, Mass. after 8 hours of training. It's cruising speed was 72 mph with a 10 gal gas tank. It had 5 instruments plus a wire out the top of the cowling as a gas gage. Wish I had it now.