Feature _Labor of love newest museum ESSIEN by Mare Davis The Review Over a six-year period Bob McDonell painstakingly con- structed a 1920s-style two-seater airplane from a blueprint pub- lished in an old aviation magazine. But his dreams of flying his homebuilt Pietenpol “Air Cam- per” never came to fruition and now the plane is being proudly displayed by the B.C. Aviation Museum off Canora Road. Constructed from scratch, the wooden propeller-driven monop- lane was completed by Coquitlam resident McDonell in 1986. A key feature of the aircraft that McDonell opted not to build by - hand is its vintage four- stroke 50-horsepower engine. The modified 1932. Model A Ford car engine offers the late 1920s era monoplane an aura of authenticity, McDonell said. “I located the engine in a manure patch in Saskatchewan. It was quite a piece of junk but I had it restored,” he said. The ambitious project of build- ing a flying machine from an old set of drawings was modestly referred as “just a hobby,” by the retired aerospace engineer. After leaving the Canadian Armed Forces, where he helped design aircraft from 1951-1977, he worked intermittently on this labor of love -for nearly six years. Handcrafting the propeller and all the plane’s spars was laborious work but the prospect of rediscov- ering the joy of “flying by the seat of your pants” fuelled his enthusi- asm. By the summer of 1986, McDonell’s “taildragger”’ aircraft was ready to make its maiden flight. But a problem with a minor oil leak forced him to postpone the realization of his dreams. “I had even gotten as far as taxiing down the runway with the tail in the air,” he said. : However, his dreams were shat- tered at the eleventh hour when he had his pilot’s license pulled by the authorities after it was discoy- ered he had developed a heart condition. “Had it not been for the oil leak, I’m sure I would have gotten off the ground,” he said. Bitterly disappointed, he stored the aircraft in an outdoor wooden shed in the hope that some day he’d get his pilot’s license back. “But I eventually realized it probably wouldn't happen. So that’s when I decided to donate the plane to the B.C. Aviation Museum,” he said. The arrival of the pristine air- plane at the museum in December was a “Teally nice Christmas pre- sent,» museum president Pat Phil- lips said.. It’s a beautiful example of a lovingly-crafted Pietenpol “recre- ational airplane” that has been popular with back-yard aircraft builders ever since it first appeared in the late 1920s, he said. McDonell said the airplane was originally built by an engineer called Pietenpol who wanted to defy cynics who had said an aircraft couldn’t be propelled by a car engine. YOU HOLD THE KEY TO YOUR FUTURE Since then this “simple but very airworthy plane” has become so popular with aviation purists that hundreds have been built in North America and there’s even about 30 ADMIRING A PIETENPOL monoplane that’s on dis- play at the B.C. Aviation Museum is this vintage air craft enthusiast. Museum TheReview Wednesday, January 23,1991 — A9 jassic Flowers 3 =. 1 WX NE 7S 2310 BEACON AVE. SIDNEY 656-6551 656-0411 of them in flying order in B.C, he ours are from 11 a.m. to 3 said. p.m this winter. seen SOFT WOODS examples of an expertly-built Piet- enpol that’s still in immaculate condition is McDonell’s “baby,” 4 @K.D. KNOTTY PINE Phillips said. S4S (surfaced 4 sides) The B.C. Aviation Museum is 4x12 65¢lin. ft openiirom llaim: toS pmsevery =f see ae 2 day of the week through the winter | @K.D. CLEAR CEDAR months. : Rough Vintage and classic aircraft are in. ¢ cn aiplay wicleding Secosa UXGA ccocsases $1.03/lin. ft. World War warplanes, at the “WE DELIVER” museum located just off Canora DHO Tr y Road in Sidney, Admission is by ARDWOON donation. Currently the museum is keeping winter hours, from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. daily. e Brentwood Gallery ° ORIGINALS - LIMITED EDITION PRINTS e POSTERS - ART CARDS Brentwood Gallery IN THE BRENTWOOD BAY SHOPPING CENTRE NEAR ROYAL BANK 652-6801 VILLAGE VALET DRY CLEANING & ALTERATIONS 7-7120 West Saanich Rd. 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