Dan’s Aircraft Repair finishes Alaska Airmen’s raffle plane

ANCHORAGE — The Super Cub being rebuilt for the Alaska Airmen’s Association’s raffle is finished and ready as the May 1-2 2010 Alaska State Aviation Trade Show and Conference opens on Saturday morning. “We are putting the Cub on floats and it should be ready early this week,” said Richard Walker of Lake Hood’s Floats Alaska. The aircraft that will be raffled off on Sunday, May 2, is a refurbished Piper PA-18 with almost all the bush modifications possible including Tundra tires, skis and Aerocet floats.

“We have more than 800 man hours in on this Cub and it is a beautiful aircraft with everything a pilot could dream of,” said Dan Hollingsworth, of Da’s Aircraft Repair who rebuilt the Cub. The aircraft has gotten a lot of attention from vendors who are donating everything from an alternator to the floats.

“This year’s aircraft will have Landis skis and a belly pod, 35-inch Alaskan Bushwheel Tundra Tires and tail-wheel, Aerocet floats, a Wipaire 2000lb weight increase, Univair fuselage and lift struts, Aviall position lights, LED landing lights a completely balanced 160 horsepower 0-320 Lycoming from Aerosport, and a bore propeller from Precision Propellers,” said Hollingsworth. “We have almost 60 different donors who have contributed to the airplane, this is ever pilots dream aircraft, said Hollingsworth.

Hollingsworth and his suite of mechanics rebuilt this year’s Piper Super Cub (PA-18) at their Merrill Field (MRI) location that is said to be valued at $240,000. The Cub will have a useful load of 800 pounds, has cargo tie downs built into the cockpit, a special carbon fiber toolbox located and a rear seat configuration and baggage compartment specially powder coated that can be arranged so that a person can sleep in the airplane. This Super Cub is the third PA-18 that Dan’s has rebuilt for the Tradeshow raffle.

Executive director of the Alaska Airmen’s Association says that the 2010 raffle tickets are selling well. “Tickets are going fast,” said Dee Hanson. “It’s surprising usually we have more sales when they become available this year people have waited later to buy them and are buying them in groups of five.”

Tickets are $50 dollars each, and five for $ 225, with 7,500 tickets offered. The association buys the aircraft from Dan’s and uses the raffle money to pay for it. The Cub will be raffled at 5 p.m. on Sunday, May 2, 2010.

The “2010 ALASKA STATE AVIATION TRADE SHOW AND CONFERENCE” will be held at the FedEx maintenance hangar on Postmark Drive in Anchorage on May 1-2. For information on how to buy tickets e-mail: supercub2010@alaskaairmen.org.