Thorp Air Command - T18.net

Hello Thorpies,

A bitter sweet note:

As some of you may know, sometime in 2009 I believe, Ken Morgan of Pecan Plantation near Granbury, TX, managed to bend his airplane up a little and since restored and back in the air.

For awhile, Ken thought of selling the airplane as was or part it out and be done with it, but I talked him into rebuilding. The initial intent was to get another fuselage, taking everything off the old one and bring the airplane back to life, but that would not have been a restoration. Instead, airplane was disassembled; all components removed and rebuilding process began.

Sometime during disassembly, he spoke with Lee Walton, who offered to replace the forward deck on the fuselage. I helped Ken load the fuselage unto a trailer and towed it to Houston where Lee did his thing which essentially straitened the fuselage rather nicely. Ken and I returned to Houston and brought the fuselage back.

Ken and I went to working on the restoration and N118TX once again took to the air a few months ago. The airplane flies as straight as an arrow with minor squawks which were corrected during phase I. I managed to put a few hours on the newly reworked engine and restored airplane (for free). It sure is fun flying an airplane when someone else fuels it up. He! He!

After almost fifty years of owning and flying various tin cans, including two T-18s, Ken decided to close a chapter in his life and hang his head set up and part with N118TX. With sad eyes and mixed emotions, Ken asked me if I would deliver his T-18 to the new owner, Bill Cochran, which I accepted and appreciate Ken's confidence in my flying skills.

With equally sad eyes and mixed emotions, on the morning of August 4, I took to the skies with N118TX for delivery to its new owner. Flying east with fuel stops at Monroe, LA (BQP) and Alexander City, AL (ALX) to my destination at Cochran, GA (48A), the flight was non eventful excepting the TruTrack auto pilot not engaging, causing me to hand fly the 730 nm trip much in the same way we did in the days of no GPS, Auto pilots and niceties of nowadays snazzy cockpit equipment. The flight according to GPS data, took 5.5 hours, some 36 gallons of fuel and 1/2 qrt of oil. The task turned out to be a great and fun adventure.

Ken, I’m sure, appreciates the friendship and comradery of the Thorp group and will probably post a few words sometime in the future.

_________________
In CowTown USA,
Don D-Day
NX18DD

We all will face that reality some day. Ken was/is a great Thorper.

_________________
Bob Highley
N711SH
SN 835
KLAL

I'm glad a good airplane found a good home.

Fine gentleman. I hope he keeps attending whatever he can.
Cubes

Ken was one of the first people my wife & I met at the first Thorp fly-in we attended (in Oklahoma). I still remember that day vividly, well over 20 years ago. Ken was so welcoming and friendly - the perfect Thorp ambassador, and we've always remembered that. It was the same way whenever I would see him. It's been a long time now since we've seen each other or talked, but I think of him fondly, & with appreciation for his kindness. I can imagine how hard it was to give up the airplane, but you will always be a treasured member of the Thorp group, Ken.

_________________
John Evens
Arvada, Colorado
T-18 N71JE (sold)
Kitfox 7 SS N27JE

Thorpies,

My appologies for a missprint in my post on delivery of Ken Morgan's N118TX to its' new owner. The name of new owner is Bill Coody who lives in Cochran, Georgia, not Bill Cochran. Sorry Bill.

_________________
In CowTown USA,
Don D-Day
NX18DD