Corky Corbett's Pietenpol
Corky Corbett's A-65 Pietenpol
(...now MY Pietenpol!)
revised January 5, 2005... added "Incident" page at the bottom
This is Corky Corbett with the beautiful, stock, Continental A-65 powered Pietenpol that he built and test-flew, and now has sold to me. Corky lives in Shreveport, Louisiana and is a Southern gentleman in the finest tradition. Although the airplane was completed and test-flown in 2004, Corky was completed and test-flown some 80 or so years ago ;o)
Another shot of the airplane. Exceptionally clean, straight workmanship and detailing. The small venturi powers a turn and bank indicator. The metal prop on the airplane in this picture has now been replaced with a beautiful Hegy wood prop.
Port side of the airplane. If you look closely you can see just a tiny smidge of dihedral; Corky says it's about 1-1/2 degrees.
The latest change to the airplane... a Hegy wood prop replaces the metal original. A new weight & balance is in the works. The elbow hanging out the starboard side of the cockpit belongs to Charlie Avaritt, my old instructor and quite a pilot in his own right. After I purchased the Piet from Corky, Charlie went up to Louisiana and ferried it down to Texas for me. Not a very quick trip, in the summertime and against the prevailing southeast breeze. Charlie said he didn't mind so much when he'd see trucks and buses passing him up on the highway below, but was a bit indignant when he saw farm tractors making better time! But this is what Piets are meant for, isn't it? Low, slow, fun flying!
A picture of what's usually connected to Charlie's elbow, this time with the Acro Cub that he used to own.
Now, about "The Incident". On Veterans Day 2004, Charlie experienced engine roughness and made a precautionary landing in a field outside of Zapata, TX. The result was failure of the landing gear and a nose-over of the airplane. Pictures and story (and rebuild/repairs) at The Nose-over Incident...