LEON  AUDINO'S  STINSON  108-3  RESTORATION
READY TO FLY ! One year after posting a shot of an almost identical completed Stinson restoration, Leon's beauty is ready for flight.  Come see the airplane at the Western North Carolina Air Museum's Classic Aircraft Hangar.

  For more information on Stinson aircraft,
see the International Stinson Club website.
or contact me by phone at: (828) 693-0007
 Living in New Jersey in the early '70s, another radio-control airplane fan offered me a half share in a Stinson 108-3.   I learned to fly in this airplane, and it's been my favorite ever since.  With my new partner in the airplane, I flew several times to Oshkosh, and throughout the southeast.

In time we sold the airplane to a buyer in Idaho, delivering the airplane to him on a very memorable flight.  Returning home we bought a Cessna 182, but about 2 years later it was lost to a caved-in hangar which had collapsed under a heavy load of snow.


In the early '80s my wife and I moved to Florida where I settled for renting airplanes.   Then just before moving to Asheville in 2000 I searched the internet for a Stinson I could restore and found one in Florida which had been in storage for some 35 years. 

This restoration consumed over 1,750 hours over a span of 2 1/2  years.  All of the work up to covering the airplane was done at home.  The balance was accomplished in the Western North Carolina Air Museum's maintenance hangar.
   
Leon did everything he could to keep the panel original with the exception of installing 2-1/4" diameter Becker comm and transponder units, an intercom, and a circuit breaker panel.
The luxury of Learjet leather in the classic Stinson "woodie" interior. 

The wings and tail structure were in fair shape, but the tube airframe had rust particularly in the tail section.  This required a complete rebuild including reinforced tubing splices.
The engine is the original Franklin 165, now zero timeed by  Bruce Kown from north of Atlanta who was recommended by the Stinson Club.
   
Leon did a beautiful job of completely rewiring the aircraft as evidenced by this neat harness work behind the panel. Leon's meticulous workmanship is evident throughout the airplane even down to the firewall and heater ducting.

Leon reports having  had no trouble getting parts, noting that  Univair in Colorado is a good, but expensive source.  The International Stinson Club website is a great source for parts (sometimes for as little as 10% of Univair's price) as well as for advice . . .which is free!


Revised 3/19/04