VIKING of the MONTH
November 2005
"Miss November"
N336V is a 1979 17-31ATC owned by Richard Good
This Viking is based in Chesapeake, VA (CPK)
Unique...in more ways than one!
Richard writes: “I have looked at the ‘Viking of the Month’ for the last three years. The pictures, performance numbers, and the wood and cloth construction all convinced me the Viking was the right plane. I have champagne taste and a beer budget, so the most plane for the money was by far the Viking. Knowing I would want to hangar a Viking, I got on the waiting list at all the local airports and actually had a hangar before the plane!”
“The first Viking I looked at was from Greensboro, NC. N336V, the last Turbo Viking built (1979). I looked at a second one in Gainesville, FL, a couple in Georgia, and had one sold in Alabama by some folks who didn’t have the courtesy to tell me before I made the trip to look at it. Along the way I almost bought a Mooney 201. All this brought me back to 336V about eight months later.”
“When I made the trip to pick up the plane, there was a problem with the voltage regulator. The paperwork and title had already been signed over, money paid, insurance changed, et cetera. During one of their flights to troubleshoot the voltage regulator problem, the previous owner and his mechanic got distracted and forgot to put the gear down…remembering when the plane was no more than 10 feet off the ground. 336V almost bought the farm before I had even flown it!”
“The first order of business on getting the plane home to Chesapeake was to upgrade the avionics. I had a Garmin 430 and 330 transponder installed along with a four place intercom, stormscope, engine analyzer and Precise Flight standby vacuum. The engine hoses were all 25 years old, so they were all replaced. Last winter I decided to repaint the plane and chose Miller Flying Service in Plainview, TX. Once they had the plane, discussion with Dwayne and a look at pictures of his interior, made me decide to replace the interior at the same time. I wasn’t sure whether to go with the old paint scheme or try something new. Seeing the AOPA Commander pictures gave me the idea for the new paint scheme. I wanted a dark fuselage to help hide the grease and dirt anyway, and the dark blue is perfect for that.”
“After six months I have the plane back. It would have been a little sooner, but my trip to pick up the plane in Plainview coincided with the approach of Hurricane Rita and the evacuation of Houston. Continental stranded me in Houston with no way to get to Lubbock (the apron was full of Continental planes with no crews to fly them). By a fluke, I made it on a plane to Washington Dulles, otherwise I would probably have been stuck in the Houston terminal for several days. Anyway, 336V is now home and I thought other Bellanca owners might enjoy the pics, so here she is!”
Richard can be reached at:
good4us@solarservices.com
Picture YOUR Airplane Here!
Send me photos and some history about your Viking, and I'll place it on this page for all Bellanca Fans to see! Snail mail photos to: 3741 N. Forgeus Ave, Tucson, AZ 85716 (all photos will be returned promptly)...or e-mail .jpg files to:
Vikingdrvr@att.net
Previous "Vikings of the Month"
N 1285R...Don Ames' 1972 Turbo Viking
N 93570...Larry Smalley's 1973 17-31A
N 39819...Jim Howell's 1973 17-30A
N 4081B...Tom Binder's 1975 17-31ATC
N 4052B...The DeFoe's 1976 17-30A
N 28067...Craig Gifford's 1979 17-30A
N 6578V...James Gryder's 1970 17-31ATC
N 93554...Troy Foster's 1974 17-31ATC
N 110CB...RJ Lint's 1974 17-30A
N 6639V...Michael Waiwood's 1970 17-30A
N 147PH...Ron Bianchi's 1974 17-30A
N 7379V...Bob & Bette Nixon's 1969 17-30
N 7358V...Troy Foster's 1969 17-31TC
N 8811V...Jeremy Reiley's 1971 17-30A
N 9996V...Lee Moore's 1971 17-30A
N 14732...Lynn Walker's 1975 17-30A
CFMJT...Eric Hansen's 1974 17-31ATC
N 4101B...Peter Knize & John Sullivan's 1974 17-31ATC
N 8229R...Bill Dudley's 1972 17-30A
N 4851V...Carl Fleece's 1968 17-30
N 7300V...Lee McGee's 1969 17-30
N 8281R...Victor Catalanotto's 1972 17-30A
N 228CM...Curtis Hannay's 1973 17-31ATC
N 8842V...Richard Dews' 1971 17-30A
N 28058...Rex Warren's 1978 17-30A
N 77TV...Tim Averett's 1977 17-31ATC
N 9782E...Walt Peasley & Greg Treager's 1977 17-30A
N 4062B...Russell and Rusty Viers' 1975 17-31ATC
N 4935V...Hal Schroeder's 1969 17-30
N 8229R...Bill Dudley's 1972 17-30A
N 14798...Earl Gault's 1974 17-30A
N 39862...Craig Schwab's 1973 17-30A
N 8231R...Mike Carr's 1972 17-30A
N 281SV...Fred Olson's 2000 17-30A
N 28055...John Hartnell's 1979 17-30A
N 327CP...Jeff Baker's 1973 17-30A
N 6712V...Tom & Laurie Cox's 1970 17-30A
N 8813V...Bob & Bette Nixon's 1971 17-30A
N 5683U...Dean & Demita Crofford's 1973 17-30A
N 4137B...William Bruu's 1975 17-30A
N 73KP...Ross Seabrooke's 1973 17-31A
N 200EB...Frank Waltman's 1978 17-31ATC
N 89EL...Don and Shirlee Shapansky's 1989 17-30A
N 8862V...Mark Rooney's 1972 17-31ATC
N 28022...Frank Ayers' 1978 17-30A
N 93710...Tom & Dee Null's 1973 17-31A
N 14696... Dewey & Darla Elsik's 1974 17-31ATC
N 93634...Jim Sinke & Barbara Rose's 1973 17-30A
N 7383V...Dave Hetrick's 1969 17-31
N 76604V...Clifford Kidd's 1970 17-30A
N 4744V...Gregg and Bonnie Watts' 1967 17-30
N 28039...Phil Lancaster's 1978 17-30A
N 4703V... Dave & Janet Taylor's 1967 17-30
N 39899...Ron & Deanne Gerber's 1973 17-30A
N 4863V... Phillip Mason's 1968 17-30
N 7304V...Mark Jones' 1969 17-30
N 6650V...Bill Stark's 1966 17-30
N 7341V...Tim Patterson's 1969 17-30
N 198V...Dan & Jennifer Baumgartner's 1969 17-30
N 6645V...Dwayne Mitchell's 1970 17-30A
N 77FE... Dave Leonard's 1972 17-30A
N 9578E...Joe Farrell's 1976 17-31ATC
Return to the 'Viking of the Month' Page
Return to the Viking Main Page