Tachicawa AFB Japan "Chofo Aero Club" in 1963 we had Army surplus Stenson L-5s, variable pitch propellers, Lyc.180/190 HP 6 cyl. engines, and wing leading edge slots. Tail Numbers 9881F and 9882F. Fun fling loops, spins, and hang from the prop power-on stalls.

I just bought for restoration the Stinson 108-1 N97844 and I am looking for all information and photos concerning it. Thank you

My uncle had one they used to make sales runs from RDU to NY. One trip back they some problem at night,just before getting to RDU. They could tell there was a clearing, didn't know what kind, but my other uncle who flew it, put it down and felt something slapping under it and though it was water, it was wheat. He had put it down in a wheat field. That was a long time ago.

My Dad co-owned N97844. Got his solo in it. Flew a few trips from Ft. Myers, Fla. To Chattanooga, Tenn. Plane was fun and enjoyable.
I wonder where it is now.

Great pic and really takes me back to some wonderful moments which led me into Air Traffic Control for 36 yrs.

My old station wagon hauled my little family to many family gatherings from Houston Clover Field back in the mid 60's. And I looked for excuses to fly it to little country airports that had a "good" restaurant on or near the field. It flew easily and was stable but that big old Franklin engine burned a lot of fuel. I couldn't afford to fly it today. I agree the photo is not a Station Wagon.

I had a Stison 108-3 "flying station wagon" I got my license on it. I will always love that aircraft. You feel you cold get in and out of anywhere with it. My old friend Tom Murphy, who instructed primary training in the 2nd world war and after also thought very highly of it. Eddie Stinson knew what He was doing.

Why are Stinsons so well loved by all generations of pilots? Are they currently easily maintained to current standards?

Why are Stinsons so well loved by all generations of pilots? Are they currently easily maintained to current standards?

We had a flying club at the WV Air National Guard and I learned to fly in it. Obtained my privite in 1956. I was single at the time and about the only one who was able to afford it among the members, who were rasing families.
Great pic and really takes me back to some wonderful moments which led me into Air Traffic Control for 36 yrs.

I was a Stinson 108-3 owner for 45 years. I sold it last year. I believe I have read every book, article etc about Stinsons. I have never heard of an inverted Franklin in a Stinson or any other aircraft.

Great picts. I agree with Dennis Goodrich. My brother and I own a Stinson 105-10 which was built in 1940. The L5 was built on the same lines just a bit larger with a bigger engine. I'll be glad to send a photo if you have a way of receiving it.

The Stinson Station Wagon and L-5 were two of the airplanes I really enjoyed flying. The L-5 in 1947 and Wagon at Cousins Air, Staten Island Airport, NY when I was going for my Commercial ticket in 1950.

In the middle 60's, my friend, bought 108-3 N935C, in Phoenix. John, whose left arm had been amputated just below the shoulder, had never flown. John was in his forties when I started instructing him in his Stinson. Because of his handicap, we flew together about 20 hours before I felt comfortable soloing him. He did just fine and later got a waiver of "demonstrated ability". He had no restrictions on his license. He later traded his Stinson for a 1956 C182 and still later, got a 1966 C182. John was very active in the Arizona CAP and was credited with several aircraft finds, with lives saved.
John succumbed to cancer in June 1994. He was a great friend and we flew many hours together over the next 25 years. Of all my students, I was always most proud of my friend, Johnny Tyler.

I owned a Stinson 108-1 (N97569) for about 20 years. What a great plane! Mine had a 150 HP Franklin and was slow compared to some other planes of the time, but was very stable, hard to stall and spin-proof. The slots at the wing tips allowed a very slow, mushing descent in which there was complete lateral control -- the ailerons never lost their effect. Full flap, power on approaches were STOL-like and the run-out on the runway was very short. A burst of power was required to stop the descent and flare, otherwise, the plane would continue descending and could damage the gear, but I felt that in an emergency one could make a safe landing in a very small footprint and walk away -- the criterion for a successful landing!
It was a good cross country plane and I flew several cross-continental flights with the family (four of us). Once trimmed, in smooth air, one could fly for hours with hands off and simply correct course with the rudder. It lacked the ability to get much higher that 10,000 feet in the summer with a max gross load, but that will do in most places in the USA.
Eventually, I metalized the plane, but doing so, I felt destroyed the pleasing lines of the fuselage. It is a great old man's plane -- wish I still had it!

My friemd had a Station Wagon and we flew it from Palmer, Alaska to Merrill Field in Anchorage 1951-53 when we were serving with the USAF stationed at Elmendorf, AFB. I was a staff announcer and dee jay with Armed Forces Radio Service also worked at KFQD. Both Johnny Gorc my late friend and I were living in Palmer as civilians then joined the USAF. My flight training was in a J-3 in Michigan when I was 16. Never got to fly an "airknocker" what a beautiful plane.
I have a photo of a beautiful refurbished Voyager I would like to ad to the web site.

I owned 108-1 N97896 in 1966. Got my commercial & CFI in it. The 108,108-1 and 108-2 had the small tail. The 108-3 and Piper Stinson 49 had the tall tail. I liked the Franklin engine. I soloed in a Bell 47D-1 in 68 that had the vertical Franklin. The Stinson in the picture is not a 108 series airplane.

The aircraft in photo is a Stinson L5 "Sentinel" a derivative of the Stinson 105 Voyager, the Model 10/10A and the HW-75. Having wood wings and tail surfaces with fabric covering. The L-5 was powered by a Lyc O435 engine with a fixed pitch propeller. Some were modified with radial engine after the war. Makes a great tow plane either way.

I owned and soloed in a 1947 108-2 in 1957. Had it until 1959. Had been recovered completely in metal. I understand it is still flying in Alaska. Very enjoyable to fly but noisy with the metal "tin can" sound.