They Don't Make Them Like This Anymore

Posted December 2017

Car ads, that is...with a hot homebuilt airplane parked in the background.


That's an actual, existing Fly Baby in the ad. It was built by Francis Frey, completed in 1968. In the list of experimental aircraft in may 1970 Sport Aviation, it lists the builder as Francis W. Frey of Fairfield, Connecticut. The Oshkosh summary issue in 1979 said Frey had flown into the Fly-In that year.

Sadly, the plane was destroyed in an accident in May, 2009...still flown by Mr. Frey. Mud daubers had built nests in the induction system. Mr. Frey had minor injuries, a bit of a surprise when the accident report says, ""Pilot thrown through right side of cockpit when fuselage broke into two segments. Shoulder harness and seat belts still intact."

Tough old bird. And N59357, too.....
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Ron Wanttaja

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