an aircraft restoring college student was offered a project inside of a wasp-infested shed, a tubular steel frame that once was a 1929 Spartan C3-165
the above has the serial number that matches this airplane below
With nothing more than a frame, a tail wheel fork, and some elevator trim components, this didn’t appear to be a suitable project.
Until he was given the stacks and stacks of original drawings for the aircraft, all of which had been rescued from the factory’s dumpster
Bruce, a collector of many things aircraft-related, acquired the Spartan in 1971.
He also has a full drawing list, which has allowed him to begin matching up what he has, versus what he’s missing. Right now, most are for parts – a floorboard cup, passengers’ entry step, rear brake pedal casting, and a random wood rib for here or there…But the large drawings are still missing.
For instance, he has all the drawings for the wing center section and all the mounting brackets for the wings themselves, but no prints for the actual wing structures. He describes this as having a picture of the puzzle, but without any of the pieces.
With only two complete -165s in existence, this makes the build even more challenging. Connor has been granted permission to examine, photograph, and measure Spartan NC285M at Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome, so he has plans to make the trip that way this coming summer, hoping to get a better look at some of these missing pieces.
