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Owner:  Bob Ray 
Email:  banjobob@ix.netcom.com 
Year Model: 1947 
Engine: Continental C-85 
 

From the May, 1999 newsletter:

Bob Ray's Collection 

Most aviation enthusiasts have only one plane; if they are lucky they may have two.  Bob Ray has seven.  Well, he has enough parts and pieces to assemble seven aircraft.  You see, Bob's got a hangar at Yellow River Airport full of aircraft in various stages of repair (or disrepair) that he spends his days working on. 

Most chapter members know that Bob is the Technical Counselor for Chapter 108 and that he normally files a beautiful silver and green Cessna 140.  What some folks may not know is that Bob is a retired Air Force colonel who's been working on planes for years.  Bob's Air Force career started as a back-seater flying F-94's in Korea.  Bob then flew the F-89, F-101B, and F-4.  After flying F-105's in Viet Nam, Bob became the Director of Maintenance with the U-2 program at Edwards AFB.  Most of the remainder of Bob's career was spent in various maintenance roles with his final assignment being Eglin AFB.  Bob got his A&P certificate in 1970 so that he could do his own maintenance on a Taylorcraft that he owned.  He later received his Inspection Authorization in 1978. 

A few years ago Bob bought a 1946 Taylorcraft BC-12D that he restored and that has been featured on the cover af the Taylorcraft Association calendar.  The engine was upgraded from a C-65 to a C-85 variant that produces about 90 hp.  According to Bob, it's a real rocket ship (for a Taylorcraft).  The aircraft has a beautiful white paint job with a red stripe down the side.  Bob's son has said that this T'craft is one of his two favorite planes; the other is an F-16. 

Bob is best known for his many Cessna 140s.  The silver and green 140 that Bob often flies is rather unusual.  Although most 140s came with a fabric covered wing, Bob's 140 has an aluminum wing skinned completely with flush rivets.  The craftsmanship of the wing is a true work of art.  As a matter of fact, the flush rivets were the thing that attracted Bob to that particular plane.  Bob had performed maintenance on the plane for the previous owner and when Bob crashed his own 140 in 1993, the plane's owner offered to sell.  The first thing Bob did was restore the panel to it's factory-new appearance with original instruments.  He later upgraded the C-85 engine to an O-200.  The plane really is beautiful.  Take a good look at it at the next fly-in. 
 

 

Bob's current project is a Luscombe that's undergoing restoration.  The plane suffered a hard landing years ago and the gear was bent.  Bob flew the plane from 1993 until he had a fuel line problem in 1995.  At that point he decided to tear down the plane and do a proper restoration.  The entire floorboard and gear were removed and rebuilt.  The plane now sits level and Bob estimates that the plane should be ready in about six months if he's lucky. 
 

 

Also in Bob's hangar are an assortment of other projects. There's a Cessna 182 that Bob restored and has kept as a "traveling" plane.  The 182 is currently getting a panel upgrade.  There's the Cessna 140 that's completely disassembled and stacked against the wall.  There's the 1941 Taylorcraft BL-65 that was in a crash.  There's the collection of Cessna 140 parts that Bob may someday use to create another 140.  There are several spare engines sitting around the hangar too. 

If you want to see how airplane restoration is really done or if you just want to look at some beautiful old airplanes, drop by and visit Bob.  He's at his hangar most days and would love the company. 

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