Welcome to our wee club for the skinny birds, Richard!  Would your old gal be a model 35-70?  We’d enjoy seeing photos of her and reading about her if you’d care to post something on the forum, blog, photos, videos, etc.

Soft landings,

Andy

Hello Richard. Saw your "find" of a PT26. I had a friend who bought a Canadian version (crated) from a museum back in the 1970's. It took him over 10 years to put it back together. The picture was taken on the same day it flew for the first time after reconstruction. I'm in the back seat and my friend Johnny Cooper is up front, flying from a grass strip in Mohawk, TN. The PT handled like a wet sponge. Two years after completion is was sold to another pilot on the field who promptly overloaded it (240-# in the front seat and 300+ in the back) on a 100+ degree day and 1800' grass strip. Crashed into a river off the end of the runway. The plane remained largely intact and no serious injuries. It was sold as-is (wet and bent) to a flying club in Knoxville, TN. I understand they did a complete rebuild and it was flying again at Island Home airport. Good luck with your Porterfield!

Did you locate the rest of the airplane pieces?  I have a good pair of wings & tail surfaces for  your Porterfield, if you’re in need of them...though it's a bit of a commute to central New Hampshire...

Andy