"Thanks Andy, I’m pleased you enjoyed it.
I persevered with our local bureaucracy and received building approval the day we started erecting the posts. We thought we would make a start without approval and erect the posts, and if queried we…"
Keep the Skinny Birds Flying Safely
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Steve Ahrens
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- LYNDOCH South Australia
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Steve Ahrens's Discussions
My Porterfield Purchase Part 2 (Final)
2 Replies
Hi All,Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year.Attached is the final part of my story in our Australian Antique Aeroplane Association Rag and Tube magazine.I hope you enjoy it!Continue
Started this discussion. Last reply by Steve Ahrens Dec 30, 2022.
My Porterfield Purchase Part 1
2 Replies
If this is too hard to read I’ll try to download the script…Continue
Started this discussion. Last reply by Steve Ahrens Oct 11, 2022.
My Skinny Bird made the front cover
4 Replies
Started this discussion. Last reply by Steve Ahrens Oct 7, 2022.
Shinn Brake Relining
1 Reply
I now have brakes on the Skinny Bird.Basically I followed the instructions found on the net set out by Rob Lees “Care and Feeding: Shinn Brakes”. Attached.Removing the rivets, old lining’s and…Continue
Started this discussion. Last reply by Andy Gelston Sep 19, 2022.
Steve Ahrens's Page
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"Well written, Steve! Your two birds look rather chummy together in your hangar. Are you sure the lean-to is worth the effort of ballroom dancing with the local bureaucracy?
Whatever became of the 2" gas cap? Did AS&S send it later, or just…"
My Porterfield Purchase Part 2 (Final)
Hi All,Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year.Attached is the final part of my story in our Australian Antique Aeroplane Association Rag and Tube magazine.I hope you enjoy it!See More
"That's a pretty creepy PM, Steve. Tom Porterfield approved him before I could check him out with our other ORA members. I'll just delete him and be done with him. Thank you for bringing this to my attention!
Andy"
"Thank you Andy!
Part 2 will be published in the next 1/4 magazine, as soon as I receive my copy I’ll post it here."
"I had no problem zooming in on the pages on my iPad, Steve. Well written!
Andy"
"You never know Andy!
I felt quite chuffed to meet Trevor Bange a few weeks back. Trevor is the other Porterfield owner in Australia!"
"Way to go Steve"
"Well done, Steve!
I can think of better reasons that the Collegiate is better than the Cub, other than being "something more unusual," but any press that will bring our old girls back in the public eye is fine by me!
Maybe someone will buy…"
"Thank you for all this Shinn info, Steve! I've had many owners express a desire to change over to Cleveland or Grove wheels and brakes. I always admonish them that those brakes are hard on props, engines, wing struts and vertical tails:…"
Shinn Brake Relining
I now have brakes on the Skinny Bird.Basically I followed the instructions found on the net set out by Rob Lees “Care and Feeding: Shinn Brakes”. Attached.Removing the rivets, old lining’s and cleaning up the drums proved relatively straight forward. Finding the lining material proved less simple, however a local automotive brake workshop managed to find some strip lining 4mm thick. At first they thought they could bond the material to the drum, but when they realised the drum is alloy…See More
"Fantastic story and adventure Andy! Thank you!"
Profile Information
- About Me:
- I live in the wine growing area of the Barossa Valley in South Australia, and operated a Piper Archer from a private strip close to home for the past 30 years. Purchasing the Porterfield is a new adventure for me, having to learn to fly a tail dragger after so many years of tricycle.q
- Do you own a Porterfield Airplane?
- I have recently purchased a Collegiate LP65 here in Australia.
- Are You a Pilot?
- Yes
Steve Ahrens's Photos
Comment Wall (5 comments)
- At 7:49am on November 10, 2022,
Andy Gelston said…
That's a pretty creepy PM, Steve. Tom Porterfield approved him before I could check him out with our other ORA members. I'll just delete him and be done with him. Thank you for bringing this to my attention!
Andy
- At 8:04am on May 10, 2021,
- The Collegiate is a great tailwheel trainer. She was the favorite among most CPTP cadets.
- At 3:21pm on May 4, 2021,
Tom Porterfield said…
Steve,
I don't know much about your Porterfield. Donald Bishop owned it from Bowie, Texas, about 75 miles NW of Dallas. I'd talked to him some and he told me it was heading to Australia.
I hope you don't have to wait too long for the Slick magnetos. Good Luck.
Here's a picture of N37733 and Donald in Texas 2009
- At 1:27pm on May 3, 2021,
Welcome to the Porterfield Airplane Club Steve.
It's cool to see that Porterfield again. I believe it is the same one that went to Australia a few years back from here in Texas. Good luck on your transition to tail wheel flying.
- At 8:27am on May 3, 2021,
Welcome to our wee club for the skinny birds, Steve! You’ll find a lot of information on the Collegiate, scattered about the website. Once you get acclimated to the claustrophobic feeling of having the instrument panel a foot away from your face, she’s a real sweet plane.
Soft landings, Andy
Steve Ahrens's Videos
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