Hail To The Chief

Possessing many benign qualities, the Aeronca Chief earns our respect

- Dave Unwin

As the Chief settles gently onto the grass I glance at my watch. It’s exactly 0900, which is precisely when Nils Jamieson had said he’d land. If he flies his 737 with the same precision (and I suspect he does) it’s no wonder Jet2.com has such a fine reputation! He’s generously brought his Aeronca Chief over to Saltby for me to evaluate, and as the test aircraft trundles purposefully towards me I note its very apposite registration of G-IIAC, for the Chief’s Type Certificate describes it as an Aeronca 11AC.

I must admit straight away to a real soft spot for Aeroncas (sometimes also referred to as ‘Airknockers’). Although the first aircraft I ever soloed was a Schleicher K-13, and the first powered aeroplane a Cessna 150, it was in a 7AC Champ that I really learned how to fly. So, as the neat little taildragger taxis towards me, I’ll admit my enthusiasm generator is firmly on line, for despite hundreds of hours in Champs, Citabrias and Decathlons I’ve never sampled a Chief.

Owned by Jet2’s 737-800 Fleet Technical Pilot (and GASCo Regional Safety Officer) Nils Jamieson, and known as Mabel, she rolled off the production line in 1946 and was the 169th Chief built. After many years of flying in the US and then Canada Mabel arrived at Compton Abbas in 1991 and has been owned by Nils since 2014. Incidentally, if you think Mabel looks familiar it’s because she is often used by GASCo for the preflight challenge at the LAA Rally.