(Wikipedia) - Stinson Reliant

Stinson Reliant or V-77 or SR-10 or Gullwing. 1,327 built.

aerialvisuals.ca - N79458 in 1980 in Tuscon, AZ

N79458 STINSON V-77 GULLWING S/N 77-36

The Stinson Aircraft Company was founded in Dayton, Ohio, in 1920 by Edward “Eddie” Stinson. In 1925 Stinson moved to Detroit Michigan. Over the next three decades, more than 13,000 aircraft were manufactured by The Stinson Aircraft Company.

One of the most successful of those was the Reliant, commonly known as the Stinson Gull wing. From 1933 to 1941 Stinson manufactured 1,327 Reliants, ranging from the SR-1 through the SR-10. The Stinson Reliant SR-10, introduced in 1938, was considered the ultimate, featuring leather upholstery, walnut instrument panels and automobile-style roll down windows. The Reliant carried a pilot plus three or four passengers at speeds close to 165 MPH and had a range of 815 miles. It was known for it’s durability, safety, and stability in flight.

The Reliant cost between $10,000 and $18,000 dollars, which priced it out of range of most private pilots, however, it was a favorite of corporations and commuter airlines, Gulf Oil, Shell Oil and Pepsi Cola were some of the better known operators.

The SR-10 Reliant U.S. Army designation was UC-81 and was used as a utility transport, the British designation was AT-19/V-77.

In the early 30’s Stinson sold to the Cord Automobile Company, which was purchased by Aviation Corporation (AVCO), then by Consolidated Vultee, which became Convair, which was merged into General Dynamics.

13 July 1946 - A ferry permit was issued to allow the new owner to fly the aircraft to Chicago, IL. This form shows the aircraft as a British AT-19, S/N 42-46675 and listed the British identification number as FK-845.

17 July 1946 - Bill of sale transferring ownership from the Army to William F. Kennedy, Chicago, IL. The purchase price was $1,500. The aircraft was listed as a British model AT-19, S/N 77-36, Identification number FK-849. The sale was held in Richmond VA.

13 August 1946 - Sold to E. B. Nattemer, Chicago IL. This bill of sale gave the Army S/N as 42-46675 and the identification mark (N number) as N79458. The first two digits of the Army S/N (42), is the year of manufacture. The various licenses that were issued when this aircraft was sold were comparable to the Airworthiness Certificates used today. The identification number would change depending on what license was in effect at the time; example, 4515, C4515, NC4515 and it could be cancelled by the Dept. of Commerce or the owner for various reasons. Only licensed pilots could legally fly an aircraft with a letter prefix. If the number had no letter prefix, as in 4515, then it was limited to commercial operations wholly within one state and licensed pilots were specifically prohibited from flying it while carrying persons or property for hire. C and NC were commercial airplane licenses, R and NR were restricted licenses and X and NX were experimental licenses. These licenses were issued semi-annually.

14 August 1946 - The first aircraft registration certificate issued.

29 October 1946 - Form ACA-305, annual inspection report, shows the engine being overhauled at Richmond NAS on 8 August 1945 This aircraft was probably operated by the Navy before being surplused. The form gives the date of manufacture as April 1944.

6 October 1950 - Sold to Cincinnati Air Activates Inc, Cincinnati, OH.

17 October 1950 - Sold to Harry M. Gollahon, Cincinnati, OH.

8 November 1951 - Sold to Charles E. Bush, Ojus, FL.

17 December 1952 - Sold to W. L. Laney, D/B/A Gulf Airmotive, Bradenton, FL.

25 June 1953 - Sold to Walter T. Harris, Augusta, GA.

22 September 1955 - Sold to Tommy Dunn, McGehee, AR.

16 October 1962 - Sold to Mayer Aviation Inc., Dumas, AR. The bill of sale list the aircraft as a Stinson V-77.

3 February 1968 - Sold to Samuel E. Harris, Grace, MS.

21 March 1969 - The engine was replaced with a new engine and a complete overhaul of the airframe and wings, was completed. This included new grade A fabric on the fuselage, Stits poly-fiber fabric on the wings and replacing the steel fuselage formers with wood.

23 September 1969 - Sold to Leonard C. Pratt and Carl W. Bennett. The address of the new owners has been blacked out, this is unusual.

7 May 1970 - Sold to Harry B Marioneaux Jr. (a good cajun name), Shreveport, LA. The sale price was $4,500.

15 July 1973 - Sold to Gullwing Enterprise, Whitemore Lake, MI

1 January 1975 - Sold to Jerome K. Caviani, Anne Arbor, MI.

10 September 1975 - Sold to Gullwing Enterprise Inc, Whitemore Lake, MI.

10 December 1976 - Sold to Keith Simecek, D/B/A Milan Air Service, Milan, MI

1 June 1977 - Sold to Gregg Wesley, Anchorage, AK.

5 December 1980 - Sold to the Air Museum, China Lake, CA.

16 September 1988 - Sold to Donald Rogers and Robert H. Wagstaff, Anchorage, AK.

30 April 1994 - Replaced the fabric on both the wings and fuselage with Ceconite.

17 November 1995 - Sold to Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum, Anchorage, AK.

29 May 1996 - Installed the wheels and brakes from a DeHaviland DHC-2 Beaver.