I've always wondered how many Cherokee's are out there. I now know of four that are in flyable condition. N373Y (Mine), N4653T (Leah's), N72DG (Dean Gradwell's), and VH-GLU (Ken Caldwell's).
I downloaded the FAA Registration Database and learned a bit about MS Access (Thanks Pete!). Also searched the NTSB database and checked the Canadian, Austrailian, and New Zealand registries. End result is 100 Cherokee II's! Surely some of them are flying. I'm going to make a list here and any notes if I know anything about them. Please contact me if you know anything about any of these birds...
Additionally I put some good work into making a good wikipedia page for the Cherokee II. Check it out:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherokee_II
N1011D - Deregistered - Built by D.J. Sedgwick in 1968.
N10111 - No FAA registration data. Built in 1966 by Scheurer, Pontine, and MacNicol. John MacNicol got Silver Altitude in a Cherokee II, reported in the February 1981 Soaring. I assume it was in this glider. This picture is from the Cherokee II entry in Martin Simon's book Sailplanes: 1945-1965:
N10124 - Pennsylvania - This was the original RM Model, built by the John Ree and Terry Miller. John Ree was one of the builders of N373Y. N10124 is owned by Jim Shafer and was restored in 2010 by Dennis Barton, VSA "Bungee Cord" Editor.
Here is Jim landing after 10124's first flight after restoration at Chilhowee in the Fall of 2010.
N10342 - Deregistered, reported Destroyed in 2002 - Built in 1962 by Lawrence Cook. This glider was an RM model. Lawrence Cook earned Silver Altitude and Duration in N10342, listed in the October 1964 Soaring. Lawrence finished his Silver badge in N10342 with Distance, reported in November 1964 Soaring.
Takeoff accident in 1967. NTSB Report:
http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=17277&key=0
Here is how N10342 looked in a picture published in the November 1963 edition of Soaring Magazine:
Here is an ad for N10342 from Jan. 1991 Soaring:
N1073 - Kansas - 1073 is currently in Kansas and hopefully will eventually be restored. Built by Fuller in 1968. Reported in EAA Directory in February 1969.
N1081 - Deregistered - Built by Nelson Stubbs in 1967. FAA data describes it as destroyed. Nelson's Silver Distance, Altitude, and Duration in N1081 was listed in the November 1969 Soaring.
N12042 - Alabama - Built by Ken Flaglor in 1964. Listed in November 1964 EAA Directory. This is the famous Cherokee II Motorglider. I'd love to hear more about its current condition. FAA lists Status as Revoked. Ken wrote an article for Soaring Magazine about the Cherokee Motorglider, including some performance specs, in the Feb. 1965 edition, page 14 and 15:
http://soaringweb.org/Soaring_Index/1965/PDF/1965_Feb_14.html. Ken also displayed N12042 at the EAA Fly-In at Rockford in 1964, 1965, 1966.
Here is a picture from that Feb 1965 Soaring article:
The following photos are from old EAA magazine I believe:
Here is an article written by Ken from the January 1965
Sport Aviation
N12825 - Missouri - Built by MacDonald in 1965.
N129V - Deregistered - Built by Ben Voigt in 1963. Destroyed in Stall/Spin. NTSB Report:
http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=31718&key=0
Classified for N129V from December 1979
Soaring:
N1374 - Washington - Built by Fred Porter in 1970. Reported in November 1965 EAA Directory. This glider was reported in the February 1974 article of
Homebuilder's Hall in
Soaring. Fred had 51 hrs of flight time on the glider and reported outclimbing Ron Chitwood in his Libelle. Ron built N3300T but had moved up by then. It weighed 397 lbs empty and was painted Stearman Vermillion with White trim.
N14ET - Iowa - This glider is hanging in the Iowa Aviation Museum. Originally registered as N12033 and built by John Montgomery in 1963. This was the first glider to fly cross country in the state of Iowa, flown by Don Gurnett. This is me and N14ET:
Don Gurnett's Silver Altitude/Distance/Duration in 14ET (then 12033) were all listed in the November 1967 Soaring. Don's purchase of 12033 from John Montgomery was reported in the December 1967 Soaring. In the October 1969 Soaring it was reported that Don had set the Iowa State single place open distance record in 12033 at 197 miles. This was also his Gold Distance flight. Don must've been anxious to move up after that as the same Soaring magazine has the following classified:
Here's a note from the June 1979
Soaring:
Ed's Silver Duration flight in 14ET was listed in the November 1984
Soaring, which completed his Silver Badge.
N1510U - New Mexico - Built by F.L. Swaney. In the Southwest Soaring Museum. Swaney did his Silver Duration in 1510U, reported in the November 1967 Soaring. Here is a picture of N1510U that I took at the 2008 SSA Convention in Albuquerque:
N163P - California - Sale Reported to Bill Gray in Gridley, CA - This was Stan Hall's original, built in 1957. Originally registered as 63P, it was changed to 163P when Stan finished his Ibex, which was registered as 63P. I'd really like to know where this one is at and what condition it is in. Classified from Sept. 1965 Soaring:
A picture of (1)63P from the November 1959 Soaring:
Here is (1)63P before it was covered, from the October 1964 "Project Cherokee II - Final Report" article by Stan Hall in Soaring.
And here is a photo of (1)63P in flight, from the November 1964 "Project Cherokee II - Final Report Part II" article by Stan Hall in Soaring.
N1658 - Elmira, NY - Built in 1968 by Clayton Shoemaker. This is the RM model in storage at the National Soaring Museum. Clayton earned his Diamond Alititude in N1658 over Mount Washington.
N1728 - California - Built in 1967. Builder listed as Au T Aroa Soaring Association. 1728 was donated to the Antique Airplane Association in Feb. 2012 by Richard Nelson. Here is a picture of 1728 courtesy of the Antique Airplane Association's website:
N183G - Pennsylvania - Built by TS Garnett Jr. in 1968. Ted won the Region 4 Sports Class Contest in 1978 in his Cherokee! His Silver Duration is listed in the December 1971 Soaring.
N1854 - Utah- Built by Malcolm Dion in 1968. I found this picture on the www.soarwest.com website. Currently registered to Robert Peterson. This glider is based at Morgan, UT. Stan McGrew reports that nearly every glider pilot in Morgan has owned at least part of this Cherokee and it was instrumental in getting the club started there back in the 80's
Here is a classified from the December 1977
Soaring for N1854:
N1861 - California - Built by Ralph Henneman in 1968. Listed in EAA Directory September 1965. Registered to the California Antique Aircraft Museum. This picture shows the glider condition as of March 2008:
N22400 - California - Built by John Gerlach in 1965. John's Silver duration in 22400 is listed in the April 1967 Soaring
N2339 - Nevada - Built from 1969-1971 by Earl Hopkins and Steve Miller. Described as a "modified" Cherokee II.
N25001 - New Mexico - The Leonard Annebula. Cherokee II Fuselage with custom built wing. 15 meter span I believe, trailing edge airbrakes. Bob Leonard built this glider and did Diamond Distance and Altitude in it. His Diamond Altitude gain was done in a cloud in Kansas, setting the state altitude record of 20,020 feet. Bob's son Steve did Silver Distance and Diamond Goal/Gold Distance in 25001. Steve's brother Ron did Diamond Goal and Gold Distance in it. Described to perform like a Ka6 with 100lbs of ballast, the Annebula weighs about 550 lbs empty.
Here is another picture of the Annebula courtesy of Ron Leonard:
Here's a classified ad for the Annebula from the October 1969 Soaring. It must've never sold.
N3034 - New Mexico - Built by Ralph Schellenbaum. Ralph's Gold Altitude in N3034 was listed in the August 1972 Soaring. His Diamond Goal in N3034 was reported in the Sept. 1973 Soaring. This is an RM owned by the Southwest Soaring Museum. Here is a picture of N3034 that I took at the SSA Convention in 2008.
N3034 is currently on display at the
Anderson-Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum in their "Sky Sailing" Display. Looks great! More pictures
here.
N3069 - Deregistered - Built by Richard Sabine. Listed in EAA Directory August 1973.
N3118G - Built by Les Hiller. First flight Dec. 1959. In April 1960 Ray Proenneke flew this glider on the first Gold Distance and Diamond Goal flight in a Cherokee II, 192.5 miles. Ray flew 3118G in many west coast meets and contests in the early 60's and won the 1964 Torrey Pines contest.
No FAA Registration Data. Destroyed in a Stall/Spin. NTSB Report:
http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=12611&key=0
Here is a picture of N3118G from the October 1964 Soaring magazine, included in Stan Hall's "Project Cherokee - Final Report" article:
N3183 - Wisconsin - Built by Clemens Van Airsdale. Reported in November 1972 EAA Directory.
N3189 - Deregistered - RM Model built by Raymond Shamblen. Reported in December 1965 EAA Directory.
Here is a note from the June 1979
Soaring:
N3189 is now owned by Greg Pelfrey who also owns N3393.
N3200F - Michigan - Built by Donald Zimmer in 1963. Here is a photo fo N3200F from the Feb 1964 Soaring:
Damaged in Landing accident in 1973. Current condition unknown. NTSB Report:
http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=86445&key=0
N3300T - California - Built by Ronald Chitwood in 1964. Damaged in takeoff accident in 1978. Ron set a few Washington State Records in N3300T. One was for speed around a 200 km triangle at 28.7 mph. The other was speed around a 100 km triangle at 27.2 mph. These were flown in May of 1965 and reported in the August 1965 Soaring. Currently owned by Jason Conaway who is just beginning to restore and recover the glider.
NTSB Report:
http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=42252&key=0
Here is an article in Soaring Magazine from December 1964 written by Ron about the first flights in N3300T.
http://soaringweb.org/Soaring_Index/1964/PDF/1964_Dec_14.html Here is a picture from the article:
N3300T was also featured in a full page photo in the October 1964 Soaring along with Stan Hall's "Project Cherokee - Final Report" article:
Ron earned Gold Distance and Diamond Goal in 3300T with a 190 mile flight from Richland, WA to Sandpoint, ID on July 23, 1966.
Classified ad from the March 1967 Soaring:
The September 1967 Soaring reports that 3300T was purchased by Ted Ferguson and Jerry Landon.
N3311 - Deregistered - Built by Irving Gilmore in 1967. Destroyed by in flight wing failure. NTSB Report:
http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=26517&key=0
Barry McGarraugh rebuilt N3311 in the late 70's and flew it in the Mojave desert, getting his Silver and Gold badges and even an unofficial Diamond Altitude gain!
Barry's Gold Altitude was listed in the October 1975 Soaring, Silver Distance was listed in the November 1978
Soaring
N331FM - No FAA Registration. Built by Sherburne Klein in 1971.
N3389G - No FAA Registration. Built by Martin Davis in 1963.
N3393 - West Virginia - Built by Robert Clark in 1970. Registered to the Cherokee Soaring Club. An RM Model. Owned by Greg Pelfrey and scheduled for restoration Summer 2012.
N340Y - Deregistered - Built by John Heiser in 1967. Tom Swanson reports that his dad owned this glider starting in 1968 until 1971 or 72. Last he knew, it was in Wellton, AZ. Anyone have any more info on this glider?
Here is a classified from the May 1969 Soaring:
N3596 - Oklahoma - Sale Reported - Built by Daniel Erb.
N373Y - Kansas - My Glider. Built by John and William Ree in 1964. Reported in EAA Directory March 1966. Al Honer was one of the owners of 373Y and earned his Silver Duration in it, reported in the October 1974 Soaring. I completed my Silver Badge in 2006 in 373Y and flew both Gold Badge legs in 2010 in 3Y. In 2011, YYY and I earned 3rd place at the Region 10 Soaring Championships in Llano, TX
N3773G - California - Built by L McChesney in 1966. This glider was formerly owned by Ron Kriz. He got it certified and built a trailer for it when he was in college.
http://www.sv.vt.edu/ugr/cherokee_sailplane.pdf
N3784G - California - Built by Patrick Page in 1962. Listed in EAA Directory September 1965. Here is a classified from March 1966 Soaring:
Soaring magazine reported in September 1966 that Edward Searby purchased 3784G.
The February 1969 Soaring shows that Patrick Page flew a 230 mile flight in a Cherokee II. Not sure if that was in 3784G.
N390NL - California - Registered as a "Long Wing Cherokee"
N3922 - Kansas - Sale Reported - Built by Ardean Sveum. Ardean's Silver Altitude in N3922 was reported in the October 1972 Soaring. Gold Altitude was in the October 1973 Soaring. A Silver Altitude leg was earned by Eric Sveum, reported in the December 1973 Soaring. I assume it was also in N3922. Here is a classified from the January 1977
Soaring:
N4021 - California - Built by Frank Sanchez in 1967. Frank's Silver Duration in 4021 was listed in the Feb. 1969 Soaring. His Silver distance in N4021 was reported in the October 1969 Soaring.
N4088K - Connecticut
N4182 - Colorado - Built by Edward McGuire in 1969. Previously owned by Al Clark. Al got his Silver Badge in N4182. Al has recently built a 1/3 scale model Cherokee II, painting it to match N373Y. This is how N4182 looked in 1977:
N4282C - Michigan - Built by Mike Hepperlen in 1971.
N4653T - Leah's glider, built by Wallace "Bud" Brown, owned by Dave Schuur and David Stanley, among others. Reported in March 1964 EAA Directory. Bud Brown displayed 4653T at the EAA Fly In at Rockford in 1966.
Bud's Gold Distance flight of 188 miles was reported in the November 1966 Soaring. Here is a classified from the March 1969 Soaring:
It must not have sold at that time because Bud's Diamond Goal flight in 4653T was listed in the October 1970 Soaring.
N46840 - Minnesota. Built by Karl Grimm. This Cherokee has a 30 hp KFM motor for self launching. Also features outrigger wheels and nosewheel steering for ground operations. Has recently been occasionally listed for sale on
http://www.barnstormers.com/
N481J - Built by George Welley in 1969. No FAA Registration Data. Inadvertant tow release in 1980. NTSB Report:
http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=29630&key=0
N4937C - Deregistered - Built by L.E. Hendersen in 1962. At one time belonged to Gavin McFarland. Here is an old picture from Eagleville, TN:
N4931E - Built by Kolstad & Smith in 1960. No FAA Records that I could find.
December 1967 Soaring reports that 4931E was sold from Charles Blodgett to Kraig Bomke. Here is the classified ad from Feb. 1967:
Stall/Spin. NTSB Report:
http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=37817&key=0
N4980E - Tennessee - Built by Herbert Combs in 1961. Reported in EAA Directory April 1962. Attended the EAA fly-in at Rockford in 1962, 1963, 1964. Herb earned his C badge in 4980E, listed in the Sept. 1961 Soaring.
Here is an entry from the March 1979
Soaring:
N5141 - Deregistered - Built by Cleon (sp) Folkins. The February 1969 Soaring lists a Cherokee for sale from a Lt. Folkins at Fort Sill in Oklahoma. Needed to sell because he was being shipped overseas.
N5201 - California - Built by John McCoah in 1967. Here is a picture sent to me by Dennis Gonski. Dated 1976 in Lake Elsinore, CA.
N53MB - Illinois - This was a Cherokee II variant built by George Applebay, with a longer wing. He called it the GA-II Chiricahua after the Chiricahua Indian tribe in New Mexica. Originally registered as N9413. Involved in an accident in 1974. NTSB report:
http://www.ntsb.gov/aviationquery/brief.aspx?ev_id=31197&key=0
N5405E - Oklahoma - Sale Reported - Built by Wayburn Cook in 1964.
N5515V - No FAA Data. Built by John Ratabe.
N5522V - Wisconsin - Built by Ralph and John Thenhaus in Van Nuys, CA. Father and son, respectively. First flight on April 12, 1958. First flight was 2 hours 5 minutes, flown by Stan Hall himself. Owned at one time by Mark Lengenfeld.
Mario's Silver Distance in 5522V was reported in the November 1965 Soaring. His Gold Distance was shown in the August 1966 Soaring and Silver Duration was reported in October 1966. Mario and 5522V jointly held the Wisconsin Open Singleplace distance record at 206 miles, reported in the September 1966 Soaring.
The May 1967 Soaring reported that Mario had sold 5522V to Frank Allen.
It also was at one time part of the Boeing Employees Soaring Club fleet. Destroyed in a windstorm in 1973, was ripped from its tiedowns. Wreckage was bought by Clem Van Airsdale (builder of N3183) but he died before getting to work on repairs.
In June of 1965 Jim Hard flew N5522V from Napierville, Illinois to Mexico, MO, a distance of 260 miles in 8 hours 10 minutes. As far as I know this is the longest flight ever achieved in a Cherokee II.
This photo is from around the time N5522V had its first flight:
This photo from the November 1960 Soaring Magazine:
Here is a classified from the March 1962 Soaring Magazine:
This is a picture of a picture from Jim Hard's house of 5522V in flight:
Here is N5522V tied down after Mark bought it:
And here is what it looked like after the windstorm:
N587A - Built by Alfred Anderson in 1966. Reported in the EAA Directory in March 1962. No FAA Registration Data. Landing Accident in 1975. NTSB Report:
http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=47982&key=0
N5975V - North Dakota - Sale Reported - Built by Donald Baldwin in 1961.
A Classified from September 1962 Soaring:
Must not have sold. Here is a classified from the March 1963 Soaring:
The October 1966 Soaring reports that Roy LeCrone, Jr of Wichita, KS bought N5975V from Jerry Davis.
Wasting no time, the following ad was in the November 1966 Soaring:
The January 1969 Soaring reports that 5975V was sold from Joe Harrington to the Central Iowa Soaring Association in Des Moines, IA. Bob Nady earned Silver Altitude in 5975V in the summer of 1970. Bob would go on to be a founding member of the Silent Knights glider club, where I learned to fly, and also become the Designated Examiner in Gliders for the state of Iowa for many years.
5975V was sold to the Dakota Territory Air Museum in Minot, ND where it is in storage awaiting restoration. Here is a picture showing its current disposition:
N6113U - Built by Robert Beltay (sp) in 1963. No FAA Regisration Data. Landing accident in 1964. NTSB Report:
http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=80391&key=0
N62926 - Deregistered
N6335T - Virginia - Built by Gilbert Fuller in 1961. Attended the EAA Fly In at Rockford in 1962. Classified from August 1963 Soaring Magazine:
N72DG - Oregon - Dean Gradwell's glider, won Best Restoration at IVSM 2009. Dean also displayed his Cherokee at the ESA gathering in 2009 as well as the 2010 SSA Convention in Little Rock. It was featured on the cover of
Soaring in March 2010. Beautiful! Dean's Silver Duration flight in 72DG was listed in
Soaring in November 1978.
Turning final at Montague:
N73678 - Deregistered - RM Model
N74007 - Built by McCallum, Brooks, and Campbell. No FAA registration data. Overload failure after ground launch. NTSB Report:
http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=69003&key=0
Robert Campbell of Tulsa, OK is listed for Silver Duration in a Cherokee in the October 1964 Soaring. I'm guessing this was in N74007. Robert's Gold Altitude was listed in the May 1965 Soaring. He earned it in 74007 in Colorado Springs, CO.
From the September 1966 Soaring:
N75887 - Massachusetts - Sale Reported - Built by Louis Weihs in 1959.
N7616B - Colorado - Built by George Applebay and Mickey Jensen. First flight April 30, 1958. George now owns this glider again. Here is N7616B on the cover of Soaring Magazine in Feb. 1961:
I'm pretty sure this is 7616B in this photo from the September 1961 Soaring:
N7703G - Deregistered - Built by Ralph Knight, Karl Kurbjun, Henry Ebbett, and Wayne Newcomb in 1967. Here is a picture from an old Sport Aviation magazine:
N7742C - Deregistered - Built by John Baird in 1960. Here is a picture of N7742C from when it was tied down at Sky Sailing. Dan Rihn reports that this glider was named "Sunkist".
N7754C - California - Sale Reported - Built by Parker and Showalter in 1961. Don Showalter earned his C Badge in 7754C, listed in the September 1962 Soaring. Classified from Sept. 1965 Soaring:
N7790C - California - Built by Carlton Kibler. First flight in late June, 1959, by Herb Long. Here is a picture of N7790C on the cover of Soaring Magazine in Feb 1962. Carlton Kibler flying.
N7839C - No FAA Data. Built by James McCarrier in 1962. Here is a classified from the July 1964 Soaring Magazine:
Must not have sold the first time, here is a classified for N7839C from the Feb 1965 Soaring Magazine:
N7843C - Built by F.R. Green. Reported Crashed.
N7862C - California - Sale Reported - Built by M.E. Tyler. Tyler managed Gold Altitude with 7862C, reported in the July 1966 Soaring. Later owned by Loran Dietrich, who published a Cherokee II Newsletter in the 70's.
N7892C - Texas - Built by Mythen, Lininger, and Kitowski in 1964. Don Mythen did his Silver Altitude in N7892C, reported in the June 1964 Soaring. Also in the June 1964 Soaring, Jack Lininger completed his entire Silver Badge in 7892C. Don did Gold Distance in 7892C, reported in the August 1964 Soaring. The flight was 186.5 miles in 7:38! This completed Don's Silver Badge.
Owned by Vincent Messina in the 80's. He flew Diamond Goal and Gold Distance in it, as reported in the December 1981
Soaring. Destroyed when a Thunderstorm rolled its trailer.
N7893C - California - Built by Delbert Fredrick in 1964. Landing accident in 1968. NTSB Report:
http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=11236&key=0
N7895C - Oklahoma - Sale Reported - Built by Gunnar Anderson in 1961. NTSB Report:
http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=5232&key=0
Here is a picture of N7895C from Jan. 1963 Soaring Magazine:
Gunnar's Silver Distance is reported in 7895C in the July 1967 Soaring.
Howard Rohde is reported as purchasing 7895C from Gunnar in the October 1967 Soaring. Howard got his Silver Duration in 7895C, also reported in the October 1967 Soaring. On October 29, 1967, Howard had a gold altitude climb in the wave at Calistoga, CA. At the Region 10 Championships in 2011, Howard told me that the thing he remember most about his Cherokee II flying was how uncomfortable the seat was. He eventually used a cushion for people with hemorrhoids which made it tolerable.
N7943C - No FAA Data. Built by Laddie Klindern (sp) in 1960.
N8056R - Ohio - Built by Elliott and Cellier in 1969.
N8079 - California - Thanks to Bob Vogt for this report - This glider had two builders; Robert (Bob) Lewis
Vogt of Camarillo, California purchased the plans and wood for the fuselage and
empennage and started building the glider in about 1964. In 1968 with the fuselage and empennage structures
complete as shown in the first picture Bob and family had to move to Key Port
Washington, and the glider made the move with them. The
work project in Washington did not work out as planed so about two months’
later the family had to move back to Camarillo and the glider moved with them. And as luck was with them the glider made the two
trips without being damaged. In 1972 the glider was being stored in Bob’ garage
and took up a lot of space, with Bob’ work requiring him to travel away from
home a lot there was no time to work on the glider. In 1972 Bob decided to sell the glider. Jim
Kerley of Redondo Beach, California purchased the glider and finished building the
glider in 1977. Jim made the first flight of this glider on 8-9-77
at Hemet, California, picture left. This Cherokee II was modified by Bob by widening the
fuselage so a person with wide shoulders could sit in the glider and not feel
clamped in. Jim modified the spoilers from 2 feet to 4 feet;
with the fuselage being wider Jim was able to fit a one piece bubble Canopy
over the cockpit which really faired in the nose of the fuselage perfectly. Jim also added a small tail wheel and small wing tip
wheels because where Jim was flying they had a paved runway. Jim Stated that the empty weight came out to be 390
Lbs. and the CG was right on. In about 1982 Bob called Jim and asked about the Cherokee.
Jim stated that the tail of the fuselage had water damage from being stored
outside, and he had to disassemble the glider and was storing the glider in his
garage. The
status of this N8079 Cherokee II glider today March 28th 2013 is
unknown.
N833Y -California - Built by Eldred Lord in 1968. Reported in EAA Directory February 1969.
N86693 - California - Built by Peter Newgard in 1964. On August 19, 1966, Peter had a 194 mile, 7:10 hr flight in N86693 to earn Gold Distance and complete his Gold Badge. Peter and 86693 earned Silver and Gold Altitude in a wave flight at Fremont, CA on January 16, 1966. Silver Distance was reported in the June 1966 Soaring. In 1967, Peter flew to first place in the
25:1 glide ratio and under category at the US Region 11 contest. I've been told that Peter had a clear finish on the fabric of his Cherokee. I got an email from Mike Smock that shows the current condition of 86693.
N871Z - Maryland - Built by Bill Miller in 1961. Reported in EAA Direcotry June 1962. Bill earned his C badge in 871Z. His Silver altitude was reported in June 1962 Soaring.
Classified from April 1966 Soaring:
According to the September 1966 Soaring, 871Z was purchased by Leo Pons.
Here is a picture of N871Z later in life with a new paint job. Len McClain, a founding member of the VSA, added the nose art. It was shown this way in the 1983 Sailplane Directory. Looks like a translucent cover job on the wings. Nice!
This picture was part of the Labor Day Sailplane Homebuilder Association Worskhop report in the November 1981
Soaring:
Here is a picture from the November 1979
Soaring report on the Sailplane Homebuilder Association Workshop. Len hadn't added the nose art yet.
N8722E - Vermont - Built by Arvo Thurman. Destroyed in takeoff accident in 1971. NTSB Report:
http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=59486&key=0
Landing accident in 1968. NTSB Report:
http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=10583&key=0
Classified from August 1969 Soaring:
N8722E was rebuilt in the 80's but as far as I know never flown. It eventually made its way to Tennessee and Gary Flandro has bought it and prepared it for flight. I love the nose art and the Baby Albatross style tail scheme.
N87691 - California - Built by Richard Hlavenka in 1962. Reported in December 1968 EAA Directory. Richard did his Silver Duration in N87691, reported in the July 1965 Soaring. Richard managed Gold Altitude and Silver Distance with 87691, reported in the July 1966 Soaring. In the October 1966, Richard is credited with setting the Arizona State Open single place altitude and altitude gain record of 13,500' and 10,200, respectively, in N87691.
N8981 - Wisconsin - Built by Emanuel Steffen in 1969.
N90017 - California
N906Z - Built by Len McClain. Later owned by Art Heavener in New Jersey, sale reported in the February 1970 Soaring. I've heard that Len built 906Z using only hand tools, just to prove that it could be done. Len later owned N861Z.
N9118 - Arizona - RM model built by Lee Steorts in 1968. Lee's Silver Altitude, Distance, and Duration is listed in 9118 in the June 1969 Soaring. On May 18, 1969 Lee had a flight from Heber City, UT that included a climb to 18,500 ft, good enough for Gold Altitude! In May of 1970 Lee flew 9118 on a 223 mile out and return flight for Gold Distance to finish his Gold badge, reported in the September 1970 Soaring. Lee also listed 9118 for sale in the September 1970 Soaring. On August 8, 1970 Lee had a 220 mile flight from Nephi to to Beaver, UT and return but the claim was denied due to a barograph malfunction.
N9186Z - Alabama - Sale Reported - Built by Donald DeHaan in 1963. Registered to National Headquarters, Maxwell AFB. Interesting! Don DeHaan claimed Silver Duration in N9186Z, reported in the November 1964 Soaring. His Silver Altitude in 9186Z was reported in the July 1964 Soaring. Classified from July 1966 Soaring:
N9191Z - Arizona - Destroyed - Built by James Baker in 1959. Was based at Skylark Field in Lake Elsinore, CA in the early 70s, owned then by Paul Todd. Paul earned his Silver Altitude and Distance in 9191Z, reported in the Feb. 1974 Soaring. Paul finished his Silver Badge with duration, listed int he October 1974 Soaring. Had an open cockpit canopy option. Here is a picture that Al Clark sent me, taken at Lake Elsinore by Earl Mosley. Very interesting "flat top" construction with a Jetson's-like bubble canopy.
Here is another picture of N9191Z from Lake Elsinore, from Terry "Teezer" on the
http://www.rcgroups.com/ scale sailplane forum. He thought this was from sometime in the mid to late 70's.
Another poster on rcgroups.com reports that N9191Z had been retired by the early 80's and was used at the Cochise Community College in Douglas, AZ in their A&P mechanic program for students to practice wood working technique.
N93176 - Washington - Sale Reported - Built by Haugney and Maniuci in 1965.
N9711C - California - Built by A.D. Davis in 1963.
N98P - California - Built by Frank Kerns in 1956. This Cherokee was the first to fly!
Here is a picture from the March/April 1956 Soaring showing Stan Hall with 98P as it was under construction:
Stan Hall did the first flight on this one before completing his own Cherokee II. Here is the Soaring Magazine article describing the flight. Starting on page 6 and continuing on Page 7 and 9:
http://soaringweb.org/Soaring_Index/1956/PDF/1956_Nov-Dec_06.html
A shot of 98P on its first flight, from the Nov/Dec 1956 Soaring:
98P was reported sold in the December 1962 Soaring from Frank Kerns to Frank Slavens of Torrance, CA.
Here is a classifed, not sure what year, when 98P was for sale.
98P has been on Craigslist and Ebay in 2010 and 2011. According to the ad it last flew in 2008.
98P was bought by Ross Sperry in Idaho and he will soon have it home. I'm looking forward to getting more info and pictures about this glider.
ZK-GCL - New Zealand - Scrapped in 1971
ZK-GBT - Cherokee II from New Zealand. At the Classic Flyers museum in New Zealand. My latest email from Ian Dunkley indicates that it is no longer on display but is back in storage. Here is a short article about the rescue of ZK-GBT:
http://vintagekiwi.gliding.co.nz/rescue/cherokee/cherokee.htm
Built by Trevor Taylor, John Williams, and Harold Christie. Here is some pictures from an
article in The Gliding Kiwi from December 1961:
and a picture from a letter they sent to Soaring magazine in November 1962:
CF-ILU - Canada - Canceled Registration
CF-OXX - Canada - Canceled Registration
CF-RAQ - Canada - Sister ship to CF-RAR, RAQ was built in Ross Grady's garage by Ken Lewandowski and James Reid. RAQ must have had its maiden flight shortly after RAR and was also first flown by Paul Tingskou.
CF-RAR - Canada - Canceled Registration - CF-RAR was the first Cherokee to fly in Canada. Built by Ross Grady, first flight was by Paul Tingskou in September of 1958. This was reported in the Nov/Dec 1958 Soaring Magazine.
RAR and RAQ seem to have performed well in the 1959 Canadian Nationals:
CF-RCV - Canada - Built by Brother Hormisdas and Mirko Kukovica. This Cherokee was used to get at all three Silver Badge legs for one owner in the summer of 1980. In 2004 this glider was reported by Free Flight magazine as being active and owned by Richard Avery in Arthur, Ontario.
Another picture of CF-RCV:
CF-REI - Canada - Registration cancelled in 1998, registered as "Cherokee II Modified". CF-REI is on display at the Aero Space Museum of Calgary. This glider is only sort of a Cherokee II. This is the "Bagyjo", built by John Jobagy and first flown in 1962. It is actually a BG-12 fuselage with Cherokee II wings! Described in a 1963 classified as "performance better than 1-26". Ralph White earned his Silver Badge in Bagyjo in March 1965.
CF-REA - Canada - Reported in EAA Directory February 1969. At the time was owned, and possibly was built, by E. R. Glew. In 2004 Free Flight magazine, this glider was reported to be active and owned by Jason Beattie in Omemee, Ontario. Here is a classified from Free Flight magazine in the spring of 1995:
CF-RED - Canada - Reported in June 1964 EAA Directory. Built by Claude Rosseau.
CF-TSU - Canada - Cancelled Registration. Reported in February 1973 EAA Directory. Owned, and possibly built by, Otto Bondmann.
CF-RCG- Canada - Built by Ivan Horvath, Les Czizarik, and Louis Luttye. First flight by Ivan. No info in Canadian database.
VH-FQU - Australia
VH-GQE - Australia
VH-GLU - Australia - Owned by Kim van Wessem. Previously owned by Ken Caldwell. Has aerotow and ground launch releases. Harry Crossman flew GLU on a 400 km flight from Forbes to Benalla in 1972.
VH-GLV (VH-GPR) - Australia - Built by Reg Barrington of Renmark, South Australia. First flight Jan. 1960. Suffered major structural damage to the forward fuselage in 1962 after a cable hangup. Currently owned by Peter Raphael who is working to re register and get GLV airworthy again. Previously owned by Lindsay Cooper, JC Maddock, Renmark Gliding Club, Loxton Flying Group, J Scriven, Garry Morgan, and Ken Williams.
Garry flew GLV on a 300 km triangle in 1991.
GLV has 1377 hours of air time on 3021 launches. This is the highest time I've heard of on a Cherokee II
GLV participated in at least the 1966 and 1967 Australian Nationals. Here is the account from Ken Caldwell:
In those days there was a League 1 and a League 2 competition. League 1 was the real comp with all the "hot" ships. There was a FOKA 3, eight Boomerangs (ES60), a BG12, eight KA 6, a Sagitta, two Mucha Standards, a Skylark 2, an Arrow (ES59), two K7 and a KA2B (like a K7 but with a plywood fuselage). League 2 was for gliders with an L/D less than 25. League 2 had a "Longwing Kookaburra" (ES52B), the Cherokee II, a Schweizer 1-26, two GRUNAU IV and two ES57 Kingfishers.
League 2 was won by the "Longwing" and the Cherokee despite winning two days was beaten into third place by the 1-26.
Day one, the 27th December, was a 190 Km Out & Return to Mullengudgery for both classes and Roger took me along for the ride as ballast. I snapped the air to air shot of the Cherokee during that flight. Gliders
did not usually display registration markings at the time but did display competition numbers. Your Cherokee was number 31.
That was the last nationals before the arrival of fibreglass gliders here.
The next year at Benalla There was a Diamant and a Libelle 301 in League 1. They must have changed the rules because I was flying a K7 in League 2. (I think I came last). One day we were set a 300 Km triangle and I remember flying against the Cherokee. I had a passenger in the back and was consistently out climbed by the Cherokee but could do better on the glides. He eventually had to land halfway along the second leg an I landed two thirds of the way along the third leg after 6 Hrs 57 min!
Peter reports not a lot of progress on the glider in 2011. However it has been re-registered. Unfortunately the original -GLV number has been taken so Peter registered it with the -GPR registration which formerly belonged to another Cherokee II in Australia
VH-GNR - Australia
VH-GQV - Australia - In 2005, this glider was reported to be under restoration in Australia. Previously owned in a partnership by Fritz Friess, Dita Stumpfell, and Ken Caldwell. Has aerotow and ground launch releases. I contacted the current owner, Fritz's grandon James Friess, and he reports that it is ready for covering, however he is selling the glider, so if you are looking for a good project in Australia, let me know and I'll get you in touch with James!
Here is another picture of VH-GQV that Ken Caldwell sent me. This was after a landout on a 151 km cross country flight in Jan 1983.
VH-GUR - Australia
VH-GPR - Australia - Built by Eugene Blunt.De-registered and ID reassigned to VH-GLV
VH-GRD - Australia - Stall/Spin from a winch launch.
http://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/1972/aair/pdf/197200038.pdf
VH-GVO - Australia - Previously owned by Ken Caldwell.
VH-GVM - Australia
So there is the list. Feel free to send any and all info you have. I will update these as I find out more. I know that I have a pretty good horde of photos on my home computer that I will try to add to this post, and I'll dig through my emails and see if I can find any more info about these gliders.
