The International Cessna^® 170 Association

Late 1949 Gary. Mort Brown flew the test flight on 28 December 1949.

On another note, I'm fortunate to own (2) two 140A's, the first one I purchased is a 1950 model purchased new by McCreery Aviation in McAllen, Tx. This is a picture of the airplane in 1951-1952 when it was owned by McCreery. Must be a paint design that McCreery opted for. Notice the Goodyear wheels and brakes along with the Scott 2000 tailwheel. I flew this airplane for 18 years on power line patrol for the then Southern Company utilities company known as Gulf Power that was located in the panhandle of Florida.

Looks like the inspiration for Cessna’s 1956 paint scheme.

We will have to get together and compare stories some day, as I spent many days visiting/sitting in the McCreery Hangar or their FBO lounge between patrol flights, or on corporate turn-arounds, or passing-thru on Rio Airways charters to/from Mexico, or on State of Tx official business or political trips.
One of the visits to McCreery’s was on the occasion of an annual-inspection I ordered on a 170B I was considering for purchase. The inspection was conducted in Steve McCreery’s hangar. I declined to buy that airplane, but it had an interesting history… it had held a World un-refuled endurance.record at one time… while on floats, it had taken off from a dolly and landed on water…making the record flight using the floats as fuel-tanks.

My wife and I went out to AZ last year with our travel trailer (good ole TX company known as Casita), and on the way back to Florida ventured down to McAllen to see if I could obtain a copy of that photo. Previously, a local Florida friend of mine was in McCreery's lobby and spotted the picture which clearly showed the registration number of my airplane. Bob McCreery was very kind and had copies made for me. He was glad the someone still had the airplane and was using it. While operating it for 1,600 hours of power line patrol it never let me down. Right now it's also in my hanger being restored by myself and my 17 year old grandson who one day hopes to be able to fly for a profession. Told his grandmother, the airplane is his once it's done which in our opinion is a great way to pass on the torch to another loving caretaker.

Mike

WOW I think my whole interior has original 1949 under the red velour! What do you guys think? Pretty sad but if original then I know what mine looked like.

Here is some more.

and more