Airplane of the Month • June  2004

Photographed by Lori Colunga enroute from Clinton, Iowa to Oshkosh 2003.

Year: 1964 Model: 150D Serial#: 15060425
338 of 685, 1964 150D's manufactured
2,424 of 21,404, 150's manufactured in the USA

 Kirk Wennerstrom's 1964 Straight Tail 150

N4425U found me more than I found it. I had just received my license and was wandering through the hangar at the flight school. I saw this cute little Cessna stuck in the middle of the school's Piper Warriors and Cherokees. I chuckled at it's small size, the tiny gold-painted engine, it's diminutive pitot tube with an even smaller metal flap to keep the bugs out. It all seemed so toy-like. Maybe not the prettiest girl at the dance, but certainly the most approachable and inviting.

One of the line-crew mentioned that the plane was for sale. "Heh, heh," I chuckled, "how much?" I asked just out of curiosity. How much is a full-size toy airplane worth? "They're asking $18,000." My world subtly changed. I stopped chuckling and started thinking... I had spent that much on a used Chevy Suburban. Until that moment, airplane ownership wasn't even a dream, it was so far out of reach. I started making inquiries, learning about financing and insurance, tie-downs and annuals. Within a month I bought that plane.

Since that day three years ago I've put over 400 hours on the tach. I've flown it from Maine to D.C., from New York City to Clinton, Iowa. I've used it to commute to skydiving drop-zones (conveniently, they're located at airports), lunches at Nantucket, dinners in the surrounding states, and untold hours day and night cruising alongside the biggest city in the nation, New York. Along the way I've had nothing but good experiences and memories and met many wonderful people - all for price of a full-size toy airplane.

 -Kirk Wennerstrom

[Posted June 1, 2004]