The International Cessna^® 170 Association

Hello everybody,I'm a new member and owner of a 1953 Cessna 170B N3095A .
Searching trough the logs i found a old picture of N3095A in the 170 magazine cover . The plane at that time was a different color . I bought it in NJ ,flew it down here in Jacksonville Florida , and started stripping the paint off .All my friends told me that I was crazy to maintain a polished plane in Florida . And maybe I am ,but she is so beautiful now that i don't care ( at least for now) how much i need to polish.
The plane is fun to fly and to maintain. I also restored the interiors, some I was able to clean it very well but the seats were rebuilt .
I ordered a new headliner and at least for the first round or restoration i will be done.

here some pictures https://picasaweb.google.com/1022072722 ... ssna170B02

and here

https://picasaweb.google.com/1022072722 ... o3Er_PikgE

I really enjoyed to read this forum and was one of the reason that i finally bought a Cessna 170.

Giorgio Azzalin
Jacksonville FL

Keeping an airplane polished is a labor-of-love.

Owning a polished airplane is not so bad as long as:

1- Keep it in a dry hangar.

2- Never put soap (not even the so-called airplane Simple Green...which will definitely and permanently stain the alumunum) on it.

3- Wash it only with WD-40 (or kerosene) and water mixed together into an emulsion, and then rinsed with plain water, immediately dried with old towels.

Here's a professional photographer's photo of my airplane, just-polished for OshKosh (taken by
the photographer for Cessna Owner Magazine article, May 1997 issue): Here's a picture of my airplane taken with a cell-phone TWELVE YEARS later, dirty and just after a flight, having never,...ever... put a polish rag to it:

I used your pictures to copy the details several times outside and inside .Basically you and your plane are the reason because my wife is not taking with me anymore ( just kidding)
Thanks for the support but the "never ever use the rag"it is really to much .....


here a little video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Hz_aXGQmVk

Very Nice!!!!!!

More pictures ,she looks like yours

Thanks everybody for the compliments ,the entire stripping and polishing was done in a month and half just working hard during weekends.

I'm thinking to install smaller tires,some of my friends say that it looks more "bossy" now ,but i really like the original looks too. What you members think about it?

I actually have the wheel pants but no brackets. How hard to to find the brackets? I have Cleveland brakes i do not know if i need a different modified part.

giorgioazzalin wrote:I actually have the wheel pants but no brackets. How hard to to find the brackets? I have Cleveland brakes i do not know if i need a different modified part.

The original wheel pant mounting brackets were cut for Goodyears (as you clearly indicate you know) but they can be modified/cut for Clevelands. Mine were part of a set specially arranged by my predecessor (Parts Coordinator, Tom Hall) and ordered thru the club and were first cut for Cleveland brakes.

Giorgio, I think the larger tires are very useful on v e r y soft or un-improved landing areas. But they do add some aerodynamic drag and hurt cruise speeds (although not so much you have to worry about green airplanes catching your very pretty RED one.)
If your present tires are in good condition, you also must consider the cost of replacements. But if you operate only from paved runways...or smooth grass/etc..... and if you are willing to spend the money for new tires anyway, I'd recommend you use the standard 6:00 X 6 tires.
I operate 6:00 X 6 with wheel pants primarily off a grass runway (not especially smooth) and have no complaints about tire size. I like the wheel pants because they keep water/mud/dirt/gravel off my tail and wings.

I enjoy seeing your pictures. I hope your wife doesn't see the ones with your girlfriend in them.

I encourage you to join The Int'l Cessna 170 Association at these forums HOME page or at headquarters@cessna170.org
(Participation in these forums are open to the public as you already know, but full membership in the Association will also allow you to have access to Members Only areas and also to post photographs directly to your messages instead of having to host them at other sites and link to them....PLUS...you'll get the quarterly magazine, monthly newsletter, and other benefits.)

OH YEAH...and WELCOME!

gahorn thanks for the advices,I'm already a member of the association #xxxx.

giorgioazzalin wrote:gahorn thanks for the advices,I'm already a member of the association #xxxx.

Giorgio did your remove our logo as your avatar or did we forget to set that up. I'm thinking it was missed and so I'll fix that and if you did in fact remove it, you'll have to remove it again. The avatar of any kind is (other than for moderators) the only way folks know your a TIC170A member.

As for the tires. There are many folks who actually need larger tires for their operations. But I think there are many more of us who just like the look of larger tires. I'm a big tire kind of guy. I think 6x6:00 look a bit small without wheel pants. I ran 8x6:00 but in a compromise now am using 7x6:00.

Can't believe you admitted to following George's 170 as an example. We might never hear the end of it from him now.

Nice looking airplane, where do you keep it in Jax? I am down there often to visit family and usually go into Craig.

I keep the plane at Saint Augustine airport KSGJ .

Thank you for the avatar back !.If i removed it was not in purpose

I'm still debating what tire to use. Like you all probably already saw in the pictures, the plane came with the 8.00, and they still look good. I will try to put some more hours so i will have more time to decide.

[/attachment]This a pictures that i found in the logs ,the plane was a different color . So the plane probably went from aluminum/red to maybe white and red on the pdf file to the white and red in the picture to the aluminum/red again.

I also was a kind of blondish when I was very young to darker color , and again to a blondish /white now

I'm sure glad you got rid of that ugly Maule paint-scheme!

I LIKE the new one!

My story with the Cessna 170 is a little strange .
I got my first Glider license in 1981 in Italy were I'm originally from. I owned a Cessna Reims 172 210 HP and i towed glider with him.I also owned a GROB 109 motor-glider ,a very interesting taildragger . I bough it from my local aeroclub because was to hard to fly for the members...

I moved here to Florida in 1997 and stopped flying ,too busy learning English , and make a living . Last year i went to the Sun n Fly and i saw a polished Cessna 140 . I was so impressed by the beauty of the plane that I was probably drooling .
I tried to convert my Italian licenses ,but was too long that i wasn't fly so i started from scratch,FAA considered my time and in 30 days i pass my check ride.
Reading the C 140 specs I realized that it can really carry too much so i moved to the 170 and i saw ghorn plane.My American pilots friends tried to convince me to by a performance plane ,but i really want a vintage taildragger.In November I bought N3095A the price was reasonable the paint i didn't care . I love the final result is almost nice as the ghorn plane one day i will park mine side by side .