VIKING of the MONTH
March 2000
"Miss March"
N4101B is a 1974 17-31ATC owned by Peter and John Sullivan
This Viking is based in Robbinsville, NJ (N87)
Let's see...where to put the Stormscope?
Peter & John write: "N4101B is our first airplane, purchased in December, 1998. We had never heard of Bellanca until last year. Once we did some research, we knew it was the right plane for us - more for the money than anything else we had considered. When we first laid eyes on N4101B out in Oregon, it was truly a case of love at first sight. The pictures we had seen had not done it justice. The plane has always been hangared, and it shows. The exterior and interior are in super shape, including the wings, glass, and fabric (both in and out)."
"Considering that we were looking for ANY good Viking, we feel that we really got a lot: 75-gallon fuel capacity, 63 cubic feet of oxygen, Century III Autopilot (coupled to everything, including the ILS), GEM engine analyzer, R-Nav, and of course, those rip-roaring twin Rayjay turbos! So far, we’ve added a stand-by vacuum system, extended the 2-place intercom to 4-places, rebuilt the landing gear, rebuilt the entire exhaust system (including wastegates), and replaced every hose under the cowl. Yeah, the first annual was a whopper! So our wish list - Stormscope, panel-mount GPS, and upgraded radios - will have to wait a while."
"Having never flown anything more complex than an Archer before, Peter spent a healthy amount of time with his instructor (Peter is the pilot, John the co-pilot). There were so many new toys - retractable gear, constant-speed prop, hi-performance engine, turbos, oxygen, autopilot. He has about 125 hours of Viking time now, and feels right at home. We really enjoy getting places so fast. On a recent trip we saw our fastest speed yet. With a little bit of tailwind, descending through 10,000 feet at 500 FPM, we were clocking a steady 240-245 MPH ground speed on the GPS! We felt like a commercial jet! Even the controller at Kennedy Center seemed impressed with that one."
"So far we’ve flown mostly around the northeast from Cape Cod to Virginia. We made one trip out to Dayton, Ohio to the Air Force Museum to check out other similar types of planes like the SR-71 Blackbird (surely a cousin of the Viking)! Upcoming plans include Niagara Falls, North Carolina (to see the Biltmore House), Ohio, Michigan, and Chicago. And last month, we took our longest and most exciting flight yet - to the Abacos in the Bahamas!"
"Stepping up to so much plane was a great decision. Vikings really are "the best kept secret in aviation"."
Peter & John can be reached at:
johnpeter@erols.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 Ame's 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
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