AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2020 - 58

BUSHMAN'S HANGAR
Jeff Whiteley. Bushman listened to what Whiteley
slats; and it can take off in less than 200 feet (see
in Creswell, Oregon,
wanted-a fun, backcountry workhorse that could take
"Modifications to the Cessna 175," page 52). "You
is a meeting spot for
visitors and enthusiasts.
friends and family on adventures with him. Bushman
get a lot of bang for the buck. It's a high-performHowever, this photo is
suggested the Cessna 175 they discovered in the back
ing airplane that has a really nice race-car feel.
deceptive: the PA-14
of a hangar. "It hadn't been flown for 20 years, the
It's so much fun. We come back from a flight
lives inside, not the
Cessna 175. Flying in
engine was questionable, but it could be had for under
and laugh like little girls remembering what
the Pacific Northwest
$20,000. To me, the 175 became the expression of the
this aircraft can do and how much fun we have,"
doesn't get much better
unlimited things we could do without the restrictions
Bushman says.
than this.
of a certified airplane," Bushman says.
He has taken criticism from some in the aviaHe likens the restoration of the 175 to the hot rods
tion community about his work on the 175: "One
of the 1950s. "They weren't the top cars on the line, they were the half says, 'How could you guys think you could improve on Cessna
Sunday drivers-available and affordable and if you wanted to drill and all their engineers?' and the other half says, 'How can I turn
a hole in the sidewall, you weren't afraid of trying."
my aircraft into a fun airplane?'"
And Whiteley and Bushman weren't afraid to try modifications with this 175. "I had just gotten finished restoring the BLANK PAPER
PA-14," Bushman says. "I wanted the 175 to be an expression of With both aircraft Bushman has tried to push the limits. The
100-percent unlimited performance, so I said let's pull from the PA-14 is certified ("tried and true") and the Cessna 175 is experiexperimental world, where the most advancements are taking mental/exhibition ("never been done before"). He's proud of both.
place. We had an FAA designated inspector come and pull the "Both are huge projects-taking a blank paper and pushing the
standard category certificate and issue an experimental/exhibi- limits. And both were a lot of fun to build."
tion certificate."
If you've heard of either of these projects before, it's probaNow Whiteley and Bushman could push the limits. Parts added bly because of Bushman's social media presence. He posts daily
to the aircraft could be truly experimental, custom-made, and not updates on Facebook. But even though people say he should make
constrained by the traditional FAA approval process. The down- YouTube videos and post on other sites, he's sticking with just the
side is the FAA can place operating limitations on experimental/ one. "It's quick and with the volume of work I have, that's about
exhibition aircraft, restricting how and where they're flown. For as much as I can handle," he says. "It is great to hear from people
Whiteley, flying from his backyard strip, that was fine.
and bounce ideas off of others-and sometimes I'll take someone
"I enjoyed supporting this mad scientist. He'd run upstairs, else's word for it-but I like to do it myself."
and I'd hear the whine of a saw and he'd come back down with
To that end, he says, the future isn't in re-creating projects he's
some part and say, 'Let's try this,'" laughs Whiteley. "It's as basic already done before. "I always want to try something new; I'm excited
as it gets, and it gets muddy and it gets dirty and we get to go out for the next one. I'm happy to help someone else try what I've done
and play-all on a budget."
themselves. I'm always looking for the next great thing."
AOPA
The 175 now has a tailwheel configuration; more than 75
pounds of stuff was deleted from its interior; it has leading edge EMAIL julie.walker@aopa.org
58 | AOPA PILOT June 2020

AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2020

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