To paraphrase a little Harry Nilsson song (from the 1971 cartoon The Point): “Me and my airplane. Straight up and narrow. Wherever we go, everyone knows. It’s me and my airplane. Me and my airplane. Taking the high road. Wherever we go, everyone knows. It’s me and my airplane.” Here are our members and their favorite airplanes. Please keep those photos coming.
Compiled by David Tulis
Midget Mustang MM1; This is the fifth Midget Mustang manufactured by Jim Browning of Evansville, Indiana. It has a Lycoming O-235-L2C engine producing 115 horsepower. At an empty weight of 705 pounds, that is more than enough power to give it an impressive 165 mph cruise speed. The normal cruise burn rate is only 6 gallons per hour, and with a 15-gallon fuel tank, it can fly for two hours with a range of over 300 miles. It is currently equipped with a Catto propeller. I am impressed with how easy it is to fly. It accelerates rapidly, has almost instantaneous control response, and is capable of most basic aerobatic maneuvers. It can sometimes be challenge to land smoothly, but it does exactly what you tell it to do, and rewards smooth control inputs; Ken Collins; Olympia, Washington
2015 Lockwood AirCam; My 2015 Lockwood AirCam is the remarkable airplane I’ve ever flown! Twin Rotax, taildragger, full enclosure, dual Dynon 10-inch displays, Eagle AOA, and LIDAR. The 180-degree visibility under the canopy is amazing, and best of all, I love to introduce people to GA in the AirCam. Dual redundancy, low and slow, makes for an incredibly safe and fun airplane to fly; Butch Gilbert; Tampa, Florida.
1965 Piper Comanche 400; It’s fast, it’s rare, and it’s red. And yes, it burns lots of gas but not all in the same place!; John Gritschke; Crystal Lake, Illinois
1948 Aeronca 15-AC Sedan; It’s a little bit rare these days. It has an STC for a Lycoming 180-horsepower with a constant speed 80-inch Hartzell prop. It carries my family everywhere we want to go. It has heaps of landing and takeoff performance, it looks like an absolutely treat, and it handles even sweeter than it looks; Kevin Cassim; Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania; Photo by David Tulis.
1948 Stinson Voyager 108-3; I purchased it in 2017 and love this airplane. Makes my wife jealous. I have been flying 44 years and have owned several airplanes. I had always wanted a taildragger...It's all I currently own or need. Such a wonderful airplane; Jeff K. Hargis; Cleveland, Missouri
David Tulis
Senior Photographer
Senior Photographer David Tulis joined AOPA in 2015 and is a private pilot with single-engine land and sea ratings and a tailwheel endorsement. He is also a certificated remote pilot and co-host of the award-wining AOPA Hangar Talk podcast. David enjoys vintage aircraft and photography.
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