|
N6551K
Photo: © Please tell me!
|
AIRCRAFT DATA |
| Manufacturer: |
Republic
Aviation Corporation; Farmingdale, Long Island, New York, USA. |
| Model: |
RC-3 Seabee |
| Type
Certificate No: |
A-769 |
| Serial
Number: |
817 |
| Manufacturing
Date: |
1947-05-?? |
| Engine: |
Franklin
6A8-215-B9F (215 HP at 2500 RPM).
|
| Remarks: |
|
| |
|
| Reg.
No. |
Date |
Remarks |
NC6551K
N6551K |
1947-05-?? |
Manufacturing
Date. |
| 1947-05-?? |
Test
flight. |
| 1947-05-06 |
Officially
delivered from Republic Aviation Corporation to Buffalo Aeronautical
Corporation; Buffalo, New York, USA. |
| 1947-05-06 |
Carol
J. Shaner; Bolivar, New York, USA |
| 1957-10-16 |
New
owner? |
| 1971-06-20 |
During
take off from Buffalo River(?), near Tonawanda, NY, the left wing float
separated from aircraft. The pilot landed again to retrieve the
float. After landing, the taxiing aircraft was capsized by wind
and sank, some 6 miles from departure airport, Lockport, NY. The flight
was an instructional flight, with an instructor (40), a student pilot
and a passenger on board. Nobody was injured. The wreck was
later recovered. |
| |
Parts
from #817 used in the rebuild/restoration of #582, N6353K. |
| 1981-03-30 |
Whithworth
Aviation; James Withworth, 4425 Miller Road, Niagara Falls, New
York, USA. |
| 1988-11-02 |
N6353K
sold from James Withworth to John
D. Haffner; 28626 Polks Road, Princess Anne, MD 21853, USA. |
| 2013-03-21 |
My father owned serial #817 N6551K from
5/6/47-10/16/58 and that is why I am interested in the Seabee
Newsletter. I have been working for over 4 years trying to track down
this plane and so far it appears that I have hit a stone wall. The
last known owner was James Whitworth on 3/30/81 in Buffalo, NY. He is
now deceased. I requested a FAA history on the plane and it was
involved in a water crash/submersion/recovery on 6/20/71. After that
James Whitworth acquired the plane.
I can remember flying in the N6551K with my father
probably around 1950, when I was 5 years old, until he sold the plane
in 1958. We kept the plane at the old Olean, NY airport and in the mid
50's moved it to a private airstrip in Angelica, NY. My dad used the
plane to fly up into Canada on the French River for fishing. He was a
great pilot from what I can remember. We would go flying around
Western New York State and land on many of the small lakes in that
area. I am 68 years old and live in Crandall, GA and do not have a
pilots license.
I have been trying to track this Seabee down and it
appears it has disappeared into the dust of the world. I found one
down in Cartersville, GA at their airport that has the wings off and
in sad shape. I have not been able to find out who owns this plane. I
thought that I would buy it, move it to my home and reassembly it in
my side yard to admire and dream of what it was like some 60+ years
ago when we were flying s/n 817. Hopefully this answers your question
and explains my interest in Seabees.
Thanks.
Dick Shaner.
(E-mail to Bruce Hinds 2013-03-21) |
| 2013-03-25 |
I purchased N6353K Serial #582 from James Whitworth
in Buffalo in 1989 and flew it home to Maryland. During
restoration, I found that the fuselage and some other minor components
were from SN 817 your Dad's airplane. It appears that N6551
parts were used to reassemble N6353K.Sadly, after many years of work
and most of my savings, I am unable to complete the restoration,
and have come to the conclusion that I will have to sell N6353K.
John Haffner
(E-mail to Dick Shaner 2013-03-25) |
| |
Sources: |
RAC
Seabee Delivery List
John Haffner
Dich Shaner
Bruce Hinds |
|
< prev | prod
| next >
|
|
Updated 2013-03-28
|
|
© 2013 Steinar Saevdal
|
|