What was it?

[Jim Burns]

Last week I walked up to a couple pilots discussing an airplane that was
sitting on the ramp at STE. They noted that it did not have a data tag on
it so they really weren't sure what it was.

What it looked like was an early straight leg 172 fastback, but it had a
swept tail, not a straight tail. Beautiful airplane but nobody had heard of
a swept tail fastback. Was there such a beast? or did somebody put a new
tail on an old airplane?

Any ideas or answers appreciated.

Jim

[George Patterson]

Jim Burns wrote:
>
> What it looked like was an early straight leg 172 fastback, but it had a
> swept tail, not a straight tail. Beautiful airplane but nobody had heard of
> a swept tail fastback.

The swept tail was added in 1960. Omni-vision came around in 1963. You probably
saw one of the interim aircraft.

George Patterson
Give a person a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a person to
use the Internet and he won't bother you for weeks.

[Jim Burns]

Thanks George!

"George Patterson" > wrote in message
news:Wa7Me.143$zb.94@trndny04...
> Jim Burns wrote:
> >
> > What it looked like was an early straight leg 172 fastback, but it had a
> > swept tail, not a straight tail. Beautiful airplane but nobody had
heard of
> > a swept tail fastback.
>
> The swept tail was added in 1960. Omni-vision came around in 1963. You
probably
> saw one of the interim aircraft.
>
> George Patterson
> Give a person a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a person to
> use the Internet and he won't bother you for weeks.

[Don Tuite]

On Mon, 15 Aug 2005 20:46:46 GMT, George Patterson
> wrote:

>Jim Burns wrote:
>>
>> What it looked like was an early straight leg 172 fastback, but it had a
>> swept tail, not a straight tail. Beautiful airplane but nobody had heard of
>> a swept tail fastback.
>
>The swept tail was added in 1960. Omni-vision came around in 1963. You probably
>saw one of the interim aircraft.
>
Yeah. The '61 172B we just sold was like that.. FWIW, several pilots
I took flying in it said it felt more "solid" than more recent 172s
they'd owned or flown.

Don

[Steven P. McNicoll]

"Jim Burns" > wrote in message
...
>
> Last week I walked up to a couple pilots discussing an airplane that was
> sitting on the ramp at STE. They noted that it did not have a data tag on
> it so they really weren't sure what it was.
>
> What it looked like was an early straight leg 172 fastback, but it had a
> swept tail, not a straight tail. Beautiful airplane but nobody had heard
> of
> a swept tail fastback. Was there such a beast? or did somebody put a new
> tail on an old airplane?
>
> Any ideas or answers appreciated.
>

Sounds like a 172A/B/C.

The Model 172 was introduced in 1956; straight tail, fastback. The swept
tail was introduced in 1960 on the 172A, the 172B and 172C that followed had
no major changes. The cut-down rear fuselage and rear window were
introduced in 1963 on the 172D.