Aircraft N3835 Data

From 1977 to 1981 I worked for Sidney Shannon at the Shannon Air Museum in Fredericksburg, VA flying the museum's aeroplanes. Many years previously, having seen the Mailwing at the Smithsonian's Silver Hill restoration facility, I just "knew" I'd love to fly a PA-5. It just "looked right" to me. The first time I flew the Shannon machine, serial number 9, I changed my opinion. This PA-5 was not a pleasant aeroplane to fly being very heavy on the ailerons and the rudder pedals were as if welded to the floor. The flipper were very sensitive. Regardless of these shortcomings, the Mailwing was a favourite and probably the ship I flew most. I flew the Eastern Airlines 50th Anniversary flight from New York to Miami, retracing the original airmail route, in 1977, and returning from Florida the #8 inlet valve let go, dropped into the cylinder, and the resulting forced landing (my 11th) put me on Interstate Route 95 some miles south of Savannah, Georgia. The piston, with a big hole in it, still sits on my desk.