I was visiting my brother and his family in the province of Alberta, Canada, in 1994. My brother left D.K. (Danish Kingdom) in 1956. I also called in at Gary Hillman’s Hangar at Penhold – Red Deer Industrial Airport – where I spotted this beautifully restored 1956 Aeronca Champion 7FC - Tritraveller (American Champion Aircraft Corp - serial no 118).
She was sitting there – spic and span – on the clean and heated hangar floor, with 2 ft of snow outside. I asked Gary if I might be allowed to sit in the front (tandem seats) of this registered C-FLIA, and do some dreaming ?
A little while later, Gary came over and spoke through the port sliding window: “She’s for sale, you know”
I then discovered that this delightful airplane - we are still in Canada - belonged to an elderly gentleman by the name of John Wittwer, Gary’s father-in-law and former crop sprayer (lingo also Canadian) pilot from way back flying Stinsons and Ag-Cats.
I called in on this-true-gentleman at Stettler where he also had an immaculate Piper Super Cub sitting in his shed – very low hours, but not for sale.
John got excited when I showed interest in the old Champ, and he told me a few stories about her. She had hit a snow bank in Calgary one winter, and he had replaced the port wooden wing spar, fitted new fabric all over and finished off with a complete paint job.
We made a deal, where he actually offered to knock Can$1000 off the price, Can $18000.
He conceded that it would be an expense for me to ship it to Brisbane, Australia.
John himself did the packing of the aircraft into the container which I had organized through a shipping firm in Sydney. The trip went by rail across the Rocky Mountains (British Columbia) to Vancouver, then by Container Ship down through the Panama Canal to England – and onwards via the Suez Canal to Australia.
At Hawker Pacific who put it together again and ‘Australianized’ the old girl, I remember the Chief Engineer’s comment:
“Whoever packed this aircraft into the container must have loved her dearly, it was exceptionally, carefully done“.
I was endorsed on now VH-LIA at Gordon Jenkinson’s Sunland Aviation, Archerfield, and almost (feeling) taller than the cockpit allowed, I got in and flew her home to Smoky Creek Airfield, now in ERSA / ALA as YSMK. The date was August 21st 1995.
The Champ is powered by a Continental C90–16F engine, developing 95hp and driving a McCauley IB90 / CM7345 propeller. I use LL100 Av-Gas, adding a light dose of Penrite upper cylinder lube (40mm per 20L) and thereby overcame an earlier, slight, problem with a sticking exhaust valve.
The engine is fully approved for using MoGas (Petersen Aviation Inc, Calgary), I gave that type of fuel away.
She cruises - flight planning - at 78-80 kts and takes-off / lands at her maximum 658 kg. She is hard to stall, even at 42 kts / one person – power off.
I am still in touch with John Wittwer in Stettler, Alberta. I visited him in 2011 and he is now approaching the age of 90.
