CKeller
Premium Member
- Joined
- Aug 18, 2006
- Messages
- 268
- Reaction score
- 25
I'm now the proud owner of N81962, a 1990 Steen Skybolt that was previously living in Gallatin, TN. The aircraft is powered by an O-360A1D engine with a Hartzell constant speed prop, Bendix RSA5 fuel injection, and inverted oil. The airframe was overhauled in 1999 by a Stearman builder: tubes blasted and primed, wood revarnished, rewired, new metal fittings, new taller Skybolt gear, new aluminum panels, new instrument panels, new windshields and fairings, new-plan-design aileron slate struts, recovered in Ceconite and repainted. The aircraft is in beautiful condition and flew straight and fast (once I replaced the failing spark plugs 
).
I logged my first-ever 18 hours in a Skybolt flying it back to San Diego with my tailwheel instructor. Between the two of us we figured out how to land the thing, though we're still fine-tuning this. The landings are a lot noisier and busier than the Citabria in which I trained (I wonder why?). Love the big rudder though...
It was awfully fun to attract attention at every fuel stop we made on the trip back. This is a wonderful plane and I'm looking foward to many hours of enjoyable flying (and acro!) in the future...
Colleen
Edited by: CKeller
). I logged my first-ever 18 hours in a Skybolt flying it back to San Diego with my tailwheel instructor. Between the two of us we figured out how to land the thing, though we're still fine-tuning this. The landings are a lot noisier and busier than the Citabria in which I trained (I wonder why?). Love the big rudder though...
It was awfully fun to attract attention at every fuel stop we made on the trip back. This is a wonderful plane and I'm looking foward to many hours of enjoyable flying (and acro!) in the future...
Colleen
