Aircraft
From Spearfish Lake Tales Wiki
This page is under construction, and eventually will either describe or link to pages for the various aircraft that appear in one or more of the Spearfish Lake Tales.
Unless otherwise noted, all aircraft are single engine.
Contents |
Significant Individual Planes
Cessna 140 Rocinante
The Cessna 140 (and the 120, a stripped down model) are single engine, high wing, two-seat, light general aviation aircraft that were first produced in 1946, immediately following the end of World War II. Production ended in 1950, and was later succeeded by the Cessna 150, a similar two-seat trainer which introduced a tricycle gear. Between the 120 and the 140, Cessna sold 7,664 airplanes in the five years that the aircraft were produced. Tailwheel ("Taildragger") landing gear, fabric covered wings, 85 or 90 hp Continental 4 cylinder engine (Rocinante had the 85 hp version).
Mark Gravengood bought Rocinante used in 1970; the engine had just been overhauled but the wing fabric needed to be replaced. In spring of 1971 he takes off on a trip around the country; at the last minute Jackie Archer decides to go with him. Their adventures are described in the book Rocinante.
Cessna 150 Magic Carpet
Jennlynn Swift's first airplane, the "little green and white Cessna".MC1 Jennlynn "discovered Magic Carpet -- the name came with the plane, lettered on the cowling -- "down near San Diego at a price she figured she could afford" in her second year at Caltech, around 1989.MC2 She bought it for $9500, and traded it in for the same amount when buying Soiled Dove a little over four years later.MC14 She bought it back in 2002 for exactly the same amount, worn and needing repairs.MC36 Jennlynn had it restored and painted, and used it to depart her wedding.MC38
Cessna's replacement for the 140; a tricycle landing gear plane with high metal wings and a 100 horsepower Continental engine. It was a very popular airplane (almost 24000 were built from 1957 to 1977) for training and touring.
Mooney Mark 21 Soiled Dove
Jennlynn's second plane; she bought it for $42,500 including the trade in of Magic Carpet in 1993.MC14 Low wing, single 4 cylinder engine, tricycle landing gear, 4 seater. Airspeed of 200mph, twice the range of the Cessna 150. Soiled Dove is the 1962 version. It was sold to four military retirees, including Joe Brockway.MC20
Stinson 108-1
Mark Gravengood's father's plane; At the beginning of Rocinante Mark flew Jackie down to Lordston and back to pick up some supplies for recovering Rocinante's wings. Later, Mark and a couple of guys from the Henry Toivo expedition also flew it out to Rod Matson's archeological dig in Absent Friend.
More than 5000 of the 108 series were built between 1945 and 1950. Initially Stinson was a division of Consolidated Vultee. In 1948 Piper bought Stinson and sold the remaining inventory as the Piper-Stinson. 150 horsepower engine (Franklin?), fabric covered metal tube fuselage, high wings, tailwheel landing gear. Seats for pilot and 3 passengers; baggage compartment behind rear seats. Cruising speed around 110 mph.
Wikipedia page for Stinson 108
Cessna 182
Dirty Thirty at Leadville; Jennlynn also rents one for a while. Also known as the Skylane; single engine, 4 passenger, high wing, tricycle landing gear, introduced in 1956 and still currently marketed. Usually equipped with a 6 cylinder Continental 230 horsepower engine. Useful load: 1140 lb. Cruising speed 167mph; range 1070 miles.
Cessna 310 Twin engine (1967 version) Songbird
Jennlynn flew one belonging to a customer in MC02, and later owns one (Songbird) as Skyhook #1 in Alone Together. The 310 her company Skyhook Aviation owns was purchased shortly after the events of MC18; i.e. sometime shortly after May, 1995. The name was painted on the plane when she Jennlynn bought it; she considered changing it but her part-time pilot, Mike, insisted on keeping it.MC20
Learjet 24A (1967) Registration Number N590SH aka Skyhook
Skyhook is the second airplane that appears in Alone Together and in more detail in Magic Carpet starting in Chapter 23.
Brief Appearances
- Cessna 185 (Mark rented one to follow Josh and Tiffany in the Idatarod in Runner's Moon)
- Cessna 207
- Piper Super Cub (tow plane at Waverly West Soaring Ranch)
- Pitts S-2 (a very powerful two-seat biplane used for aerobatics that Jennlynn Swift recalls briefly flying and considers as a potential second airplane in Magic Carpet Chapter 23.)
Sailplanes
Sailplanes (gliders) appeared in Rocinante and Busted Axle Road and one of the short stories
- Schweizer 2-33 in Rocinante
- Schweizer 1-26 in The Outlanding
