NEWSPIX
In addition to pictures from my files or those borrowed from news sources, I receive a great many email photos from friends and associates. Some are "News Pix," some are pictures of the sender's airplane (you are invited to send yours, please), others are "doctored" just for fun. Check here often to see what's new:
Most people are unaware that Kennedy Space Center, launch base for the Space Shuttle and before it, the Apollo moon ships, is residence for yet another American symbol.  This beautiful family of Eagles lives in a gigantic nest about three miles from the complex where the shuttles are made ready for flight. Eagles have been there for many years, building on the huge nest until it has approximately the floor space of a small apartment in Manhattan.
The birds seem to have no fear of their surroundings, even when the shuttles roar. It appears they feel they are where they are supposed to be .. and nobody argues.
Kennedy Space Center is a wildlife preserve administered by the National Park Service.
Bob Button sent the pictures.
 "When I grow up, I'm gonna be a B-25.."
Tommy Terry of La Vernia, Texas sent this one of his Ercoupe, "Harry," parked next to that regal bomber. Actually, the two airplanes are just about the same age and both look terrific.
Parenthically, I tell people that my Ercoupe, "Sweetie," is a B 12 and a half.
Editor: Phillips Sweet, of San Jose, CA feels like Howard Carter. Carter, you'll remember, was the archeologist who shined a light through a hole in a desert wall and said he saw "wonderful things." In Carter's story, it was King Tut's tomb. For Phillips Sweet, the hole in the wall was a hangar door. Behind it..wow! I'm going to let Phillips tell the beginning of what I hope will be a long-running series on Jim Slade's Air Lines:
Stinson Emerges
Phillips Sweet: I recently purchased a Stinson Reliant SR 9E that is in good shape but hasn't been flown in 25 years. I found it by going through the FAA registry, looking for existing SR9's.
I called all of the registered owners, or attempted to find them. All of my inquiries went bust, as phone numbers were no longer valid, the plane had been sold and they didn't have the new owner's number, etc., except on one plane, which happened to be located in Tucson, probably the best place in the U.S., weather-wise, to find an old aircraft. I called the owner, age 88, and he explained that he still had the plane but it hadn't been flown since '82. He didn't want to part with it but would call me if he got it flying again. After I gave him my name and address, I realized that I would probably never hear from him again, so I called back a week later and offered to come down and see the plane as is and maybe we could work something out.
 Hiding in a corner.
He'd owned the plane since 1952!
I flew down, loved the plane, and we settled on a fair price. The deal was done pretty easily. A month later, the owner of the hangar where the plane is being kept said I must be the luckiest guy on the planet, because everybody at the airport had been trying to buy that plane for the last 25 years and I just happened to be in the right place at the right time with the right persistence to make it happen. He was happy for me, though, and glad to hear it would fly again. It was re-covered in Stits and painted in 1982 and has sat inside the hangar in Tucson ever since, so the fabric is excellent.
 Big, brawny Stinson.
Interestingly, the log books show it was owned by Pan American Airlines up until 1943, so it has some history.
I decided not to fire the engine in case the supercharger bearings had deteriorated over the past 25 years of non-use. Suck those up and you can kiss a decent part of the engine good bye. As much as I would love to fire it up and fly it home, the prudent approach I think is to make sure the engine and prop are in good condition. It would be a shame to lose such a cool piece of history by trying to save some bucks and a little time.
My plan is to pull the engine this winter and send it to Radial Engines in Oklahoma for a tear-down inspection and rebuild of the carb and magnetos, then have an AI who restores old Stinsons put the engine back in, along with the rebuilt prop, and fly it back to my home in San Jose, CA.
 The possibilities are endless.
The tear down will run at least $15k and I'm sure there will be other expenses, so I'm looking at a bill of around $20k to get it up and flying again.
My goal is to have it here by April.
--Phillips
Editor: We can't wait to see the rest of the story, Phillips. You're doing a noble thing. Good luck.
Click to continue News Pix. . .
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