A number of the original All American airmail pilots were still flying with Allegheny Airlines when I joined in 1965. Got to know Norm, Toby West, Johnny Harkin, Frank Petee, etc. Hard to believe that Allegheny was one of the original airlines that eventually made up today's American Airlines.
Bryan Pender, e-mail, 22.08.2015 19:49
We can all agree that these ships are the most beautiful design of the era, never to be duplicated, let alone surpassed. The cabin wacos, and staggerwing beach's perhaps are in the same "class" for good looks. But the lines on the (Gullwing) Reliants are, IMHO, the prettiest.
Shout out to Tony!! Long time, no hear from you.
I'm still maintaining the family Reliant, which has been in my family since 1963.
Frank Samples, e-mail, 09.08.2015 00:17
A damaged Reliant was restored at Port Huron, MI in about 1984. This plane had been upset in a violent wind storm. The mechanic, whose full name I do not know is said to be mentioned in the Smithsonian archives. That Reliant was sold, outfitted for long range flight, and ferried to England.
Bill McIntosh, e-mail, 13.04.2014 03:05
What about the Stinson Model O. It was a parsol wing with an open cockpit built for the Honduran Air Force based on the SR. It was the only open cockpit aircraft built by Stinson. A replica of the Model O is on display at the Museum of Flight in Seattle.
Gordon H Terwillegar, P.E., e-mail, 22.02.2014 07:18
The first date, late Sept. 1967, with my future wife was in a Stinson to 10,000' over the Finger Lakes, which were in full fall color. I guess that she was impressed!
Earl Benedict, e-mail, 27.11.2013 09:38
I had 3 stinson V-77's over the years, I stall have one at the Nut Tree airport Vacaville Ca. Once you fly one you forget the rest. There not the fastest but they fly like a dream.
Earl Benedict, e-mail, 27.11.2013 09:35
I had 3 stinson V-77's over the years, I stall have one at the Nut Tree airport Vacaville Ca. Once you fly one you forget the rest. There not the fastest but they fly like a dream.
Tom Patterson, e-mail, 07.10.2012 15:12
It was a Stinson SR-10F that did the first human pick-up at Clinton County Army Air Field. The plane was from All American Airways (black with orange trim) and the pilot was Capt. Norman Rintoul ("on loan" to the AAF from AAAv). After the war Rintoul bought the airplane and later donated it to the Smithsonian. It now is in the Postal Museum in Wash DC. The 2nd,3rd and 4th pick-ups were done with a Noorduyn UC-64A. My father was a glider test pilot at CCAAF and witnessed the 1st pick-up.
Ken Oxenrider, e-mail, 07.08.2012 03:32
How can people think the photo is backwards when the wing letters are not.... Just look at the K
Phil Sattler, e-mail, 25.06.2012 05:47
I have a picture of a 1928 Stinson JRS. I think it is also known as a Stinson Jr. Model S. Would you have use for this picture?
Ed Copeland, e-mail, 25.03.2012 23:33
Great input. I recently acquired V-77-103(FK916) to restore.I'm looking for all the info I can get. I "appear" to have all the parts. thanks for your help.
Scott Boyd, e-mail, 03.08.2011 05:42
I've seen a couple, but your's sounds like a great plane. I've flown some of the later Stinsons and they are still one of the better flying aircraft. I've always had a special love of the radial engines though, 195, Stearman, DC-3, Ag-Cat and of course the Twin Beech being some I've flown.
Tony Wright, e-mail, 02.08.2011 08:31
Jim Tait is right and Tom Dwyer is wrong on some of his comments. As a long time owner and restorer of a Stinson V-77 I am completely familiar with it and the "SR" series. Jim is right, the V-77 is not a copy of the SR series. Yes, it has a similar configuration, but none of the dimensions are exactly alike. When Vultee decided to make the V-77 model, they pretty much started with a clean sheet of paper. By the way "V-77" stands for the 77th Vultee model. The Stinson L-5, was the "V-76", since it was also built while Stinson was a subsidiary of Consolidated Vultee. I don't know why Vultee didn't call the V-77 the Stinsons SR-11 when they obtained the type certificate. It would have made things easier. The single door on the V-77 was, and is, unless modified, on the pilot's side, not the passenger side. It came stock with the Lycoming R-680 radial engine. That is the engine on the aircraft shown. A 450 h.p. engine would have a larger and different cowl. My plane has the 450 h.p. engine, so I know. On the 450 h.p. model the carburetor induction and oil cooler scoops are in different locations. The aircraft shown has the standard R-680 cowling. My 450 h.p. model was done under the STC owned by Serv- Aero Inc. of Salinas, Ca. I think owners of the "SR" series do look down their noses in some respects at V-77s. I, however, prefer the V-77 model. It has many modifications that make it a more modern aircraft. That being said, I restored my V-77 to look as much as possible like a model SR-10F. Tt has two rounded doors that were direct copies of the SR-10 doors, the SR-10 folding entrance ladders, rounded SR-10 like windows, original SR-10 metal wheel pants, SR-10 seats and interior, and a late model SR-10 black and red paint scheme. It flies beautifully and is truly a Cadillac of the air.
leslie ridge, e-mail, 17.03.2011 02:13
I AM 86 AN AS A 13 YR OLD I HELPED A GUY CALLED SALTY JUNKER WORK ON THE ENGINE AND ON SUNDAY SOLD TICKETS FOR A RIDE FROM EVANSVILLE IND AIRPORT TO DOWNTOWN AND BACK FOR ONE BUCK. PILOTS WERE OSCAR HASS AND IKE HILLARD.
Joe Pelletier, e-mail, 03.03.2011 03:54
The Stinson Reliant was the first airplane flown by All American Airways the roots of USAir. They had about 6 used to fly "Air Mail Pick-up" in Pennsylvania. I used to refuel at least two at the DuBois, Pa. airport in 1939
Perry T Yowell, e-mail, 23.02.2011 18:05
I owned a V-77 Stinson while stationed at Ft.Wainwright AK.Mine had a 300 Lycoming which worked fine with enough take off runway.
Dick Weir, e-mail, 18.12.2010 22:57
I flew the Stinson Reliant SR-5 and SR-9 on CPTP Cross-country flight training and the Stinson 105 for night flying. The SR-9 was a most delightful airplane to fly and deserved to be called the Rolls Royce of private airplanes. With a little more power the SR-5 would have been as pleasurable.
Dennis Zymboly, e-mail, 25.11.2010 06:11
Regarding Col Kliber's and this planes use as a mail plane. As a boy my Dad and I would sit on our front porch just outside of Butler, PA and watch the plane drop down to pick up the mail bag from the bungy cord. The pick up was several miles away be we could see the plane drop down below the horizon then come back up with the bag being dragged up and into the aircraft. In highschool I spent one summer as a hanger boy at the Butler Airport working for Scholter Aviation. There was a Stinson Reliant there and I would sneak into it and sit at the controls in the hanger and dream of one day flying one. Never did get there but the dreams were great.
Don P. Simons, e-mail, 07.11.2010 18:58
I flew many Stinsons including the V-77-NC60634. It was typical of all the Stinsons - lovely, docile and beautiful. The prittiest was the SR-9 with its curved glass windshield and bump cowling. 10-A, 108, SR-2 (the only SR-2, NC13832) was our passenger workhorse early on at Bernard Airport in Youngstown, Ohio, early 40s. Originally built for the State of Pennsylvania, the "S" of the registration was still visible under the yellow wing paint.
Col. Ray Kleber USAF (Ret), e-mail, 03.03.2010 17:50
The Stinson Reliant SR-7 was also used prior to World War II in Western Pennsylvania as an aerial mail pick up from Pittsburgh, Latrobe and many other sites to Harrisburg, PA. Using goal posts with the bungee ropes the mail bag was snatched into the air and reeled into the aircraft. We used this method slso with the L-13A aircraft in 1949 in the Liaison Flights in the new U.S. Air Force.
Jim Tait, e-mail, 30.01.2010 20:47
I recently finished a 7 yr ground-up restoration on a V-77, restoring it back to it's authentic WW-2, AT-19, Royal Navy configuration, with correct military equipment. The AT-19 picture above is not backwards, the numbers on the wings are correctly placed and the AT-19 had only one door and that was on the left side. It also has an escape hatch in the cabin roof. The correct engine is a Lycoming R-680-13, 300 HP Radial. They were used for training navigators, radiomen and cameramen etc. having on board radios, navigator's chart board and inst. tray and a F-24 camera, mounted on the floor, at the rear of the cabin. Plus other equipment such as: dinghy, flare pistol and cartridges, flame floats, aperiodic compass w/outside pedestals, fire extinguisher etc. It has a three man crew: pilot, copilot and observer ( which could be a navigator, radioman or cameraman). The At-19 was a completely different aircraft than the other Reliants, having been designed specifically for wartime duty. When they were decommissioned after the war, they were stripped of all military equipment, civilianized and designated V-77.
Tom Dwyer, e-mail, 07.01.2010 21:54
Having once owned a Stinson Reliant, SR-7, built in February of 1936 in Wayne, Michigan, I can state that the plane pictured is a copy of the SR series. This one is a V-77 manufactured in Canada during World War 2 and probably sports a 450hp Pratt and Whitey Wasp engine. Note: No cowl bumps or wheel pants on the V-77. The picture is backwards as noted by the registration lettering under the wind AND it only had one entry door, on the passenger side. The picture, being backwards, makes it look like the door is on the left side when it was actually on the right. The Army Air Corps "drafted" many Stinson Reliants into service to act as observation, VIP transportation and stretcher carriers, my aircraft being the latter. Civilian flying during the war was restricted as was fuel so most owners gladly donated to the war effort. The Air Corps were so impressed with it's performance and ability to carry heavy loads that they contracted an aircraft company in Canada to start up an assembly line to produce more. The name of the company escapes me at the time I'm writing this. At the end of the war, most Reliants were returned to their original owners and the V-77 were sold to any interested buyers. Many V-77 owners waited until the fabric covered aircraft needed recovering and incorporated a second door into the fuselage on the pilots side. When the aircraft became an antique collectors item, wheel coverings, "pants" were also fabricated so it made the V-77 look like an original Stinson. As beautiful as these V-77's were converted and maintained, the owners of the SR series jealously guarded the fact that theirs was the pre-war model. This is not intended to detract from those V-77 owners who put in thousands of hours and thousands of dollars to restore their aircraft. Most are pure examples of the days of round engines and fabric covering. The Stinson Reliant and refurbished V-77's are undoubtedly one of the most beautiful planes to ever fly.
Harry Ballance, e-mail, 18.06.2008 01:05
It is a Stinson V-77 (Air Corps numbering)built for the Brits. It was powered by a 300 hp Lycoming R-680.
Maurício Rodrigues, e-mail, 08.04.2008 13:12
Please refer to site www.stinsonreliant.com/, and you will have a treasure of informations on this wonderful airplane. Enjoy it!
