Pat Doane.

It is an Avid Mark IV with the STOL wing and Hirth 2706 EFI 2cycle air cooled w/ fan which runs and pulls the bird extremely well. It truly is a wonderful bird just as she sits. But the majority of my hours were spent as a pipeline pilot with a lots of time behind the hum of the low rpm continental motor. I could never get really comfortable with the higher rpms of the two cycle motor vs the "ole putt, putt, of the continental" so I decided if I ever came across a good deal on a C-85 Continental I would make a swap. Besides, who doesn't like a good challenge? Well I found one, and I thought since it was going to be down for the winter for the engine swap, I might as well paint it too, and while I'm at it, I ought to go and replace my old instrument panel with some updated stuff like a panel mount radio and gps instead of the handhelds that I had mounted to brackets that I'd made, and why not update the rest of the instruments also. While I was sitting there in those cloth seats, I thought to myself, I bet leather would REALLY feel good to sit on, and boy is the glass on this plane really scratched up? Umm, I bet these doors would really look great in all plexiglass....and so on and so forth. So basically, you know, just a normal engine swap is what I'm doing....., as far as the wife is concerned. (I bet there's a lot of pilots out there that can relate!)

Boy was it a cold winter here in Kansas. It was usually around 15 to 30 degrees in the hangar I'm working in, and that made for some numb feet and hands. Usually had a space heater going, but it didn't seem to help much. Progress has been slow but very steady. I didn't realize the amount of work I had taken on. But... I have found that I rather enjoy working on these things. Most pieces are made and fit, other than my cowling and wing tank, both scheduled to arrive this week. I hope!!!!(fingers crossed, believe me it has been an adventure trying to get them). I put fabric on the cockpit interior sides and it really added a nice touch to it. It was painted a dove grey last week and am hoping to paint fuselage first of next week, (gloss white, and then eventually dark and light blue striping of some sort, Inever want to see red again!). Once it is painted white, the assembly will begin! Install glass, reassemble cockpitcontrols, put in new upholstered seat (if done, my guy just had quadruple bypass surgery last week! not sure when the new guy will get to it), install and plumb up C85 cont, build instrument panel and plumb up.....etc.... But it is going great and I'm having a blast and learning so much. I've even put Golf on the back burner, and that's never happened before! Anyway, I just wanted you to know I am still alive and kicking and the project is moving right along. I will be sending some better pics soon. Here are a couple of pics so far.