72 years
Not me, father of the neighbor where I grew up, bought a 1947 cub in 1950 for his summer charter business.
Its still in the same place, private strip on the family farm.
Close to nothing done on it as far as I can tell, although they recovered it and overhauled the engine sometime in the 1960s. Original radios and instruments. Which were none, other than a vacuum operated old style turn and bank.
My first GA flight was in that airplane. And during one summer, first float plane flight. And sometime in the middle, my first long IFR cross country.
Warrior -161, part and then full owner for 20 years+. Strictly VFR, only mod cons are a 430 and a clutch of iPads. Been all over Europe, most years to the Baltic (3 times so far this year). I fly for the view and VFR suits me very nicely. I do business trips and very rarely have to scrub (or in the Baltic, hop on one of the excellent cruise ferries instead).
I showed this thread a friend of mine at Old Warden and he told me the longest ownership he knows off would be one of the old ladies from the Spitfire production. He had no name, but mentioned this lady got a Spitfire on her own after the war and flew it for unbelievably long years.
Does anybody here happen to know the name of that lady, must have been one of the manufacturing heroine women flying production Spitfire to the front in WW2?
NCYankee wrote:
KNS80 is super versatile. It has the DME, VOR, ILS, and VOR/DME area navigation built in.
Yes, I would love if newer units such as Garmin GTNs had DME/DME or VOR/DME or VOR/VOR or … RNAV navigation instead of only GPS/Navstar/GNSS. I would certainly have chosen such a unit instead of Garmin GTNs for my upgrade… if they had been available.
KNS80 is super versatile. It has the DME, VOR, ILS, and VOR/DME area navigation built in. It is fully coupled to the autopilot and selectable for VOR/ILS using the G500TXi. The standby CDI supports the VOR/DME mode for RNAV direct when GPS is not available. GPS interference testing seems to be all the time now a days. See today’s testing:
Here is my current panel,
Nice setup, integrated display with modular functionality 
KNS80 is kept for nostalgia or doomsday navigation !
So, I need to update my 2018 comments. I added the standby alternator, G5 standby AI and did away with the air pump. I have added the GTN 750 and the G500TXi 7 inch PFD. Also added the FS510. Then the GTN 750 was replaced with an Xi and the 7 inch PFD was replaced with the 10 inch G500TXi. I also replaced the WX1000+ with a WX500 and replaced the panel. The G500TXi has altitude preselect for the Stec 60-2 and the flight director.
Here is my current panel:
I still have the Auster mentioned upthread. I’ve not got around to putting an engine monitor in, but the transponder was replaced – so far, since I’ve had ownership: replacing the cable operated (and nearly useless) brakes with Cleveland discs and wheels (hydraulic brakes), new radio, G5, new transponder, new wing fabric. The fabric and brakes were done while we had a group of 4 in the plane, but everyone else in the group had left the island, and I’d taken sole ownership, before I got to the radio, transponder and G5. I’ll have to dig in the logbook but I think I’ve been flying the plane for about 15 years now.
V35 born in 66 owner since 2013. added new interior, repainted partially, repainted landing gear with all new seals, (STC)eagle drains, (STC) tip tanks, EHSI, electric ATT, (STC) STBY. Alternator (STC) GAMI Liquidair Baffles, (STC) speed slope, removed old KX with GNC255a and KX165A 8.33…redone the instrument radio rack with replacement of KMA24 to SL15 stereo audio panel,, (STC) TKS, replaced McAuley with Hartzell overhauled prop with TKS slinger, repaint RVs, replaced GEM with insight G4.
Still on the list door seals, at some point the engine (over 2000Hrs now) and KLN90 replacement with something giving me LPV…
Every time I fly it i feel myself very blessed to operate it …no regrets..
Bonanzas are made for a long term relationships :-) and they appreciate cool STC wedding gifts.
1999 Commander 114B bought 2004. Was demonstrator model for German distributor. TKS two alternators, two main pumps, two screen pumps heated stall warner.
Full P2 Panel 88 gal tanks.
530 later upgraded to W
Avidyne TAS650
GTX330
GCN255
Nicholson Mclaren rebuild for crank AD.
Aspen
ESI-500
Flown about 2,200 hours.
