Vaughn Lovley sent us an update on his Vagabond project:
4426H does have some very interesting history being formerly owned by Mr. Lowell White. He hand-picked this particular airplane because after its completion at the Piper factory it weighed the least of all the -15's Piper had ready for delivery.
Over the course of the next few years Mr. White used 4426H to travel the country performing his air-show comedy act routine. He performed the air-show using the stock 65 lycoming with a ground-adjustable propeller.
I got the airplane when when my parents came down here to visit me on my 30th birthday, and John Swander, my dad, and I have been working as a collective group ever since.
I have made it a point to preserve as much of the historical significance as possible along with much of its originality as well. That being said a few changes will be made. In addition to the 2 12 gallon wing tanks, dad is working on a 90-12 engine for it, which should really make it a hot-rod Vagabond.
I can only imagine what Mr. White could do with that under the cowl. Some minor things like disc brakes and a full-swivel tailwheel have also been added. All-in-all it should really be a great airplane when finished. It has been a really fun project to work on. Just doing all of the research on this airplane in particular has been half of the fun. It is neat hearing from people interested in the project's progress, and checking if they can help in any way. I can't wait until the day when it first lands at Antique Airfield.
