Waldo Peppers' Plane

[webmaster]

I've always enjoyed the Cessna 150 on the roof of Waldo Peppers and the story of how it crashed and was resurrected for that purpose. I noticed the registration number in this picture and using Google quickly found this report on the crash caused by "Miscalculated Fuel Consumption" and "Fuel Exhaustion". Whoops.

I also found this listing that describes the plane. I'm going to submit the picture below to that service. It should give them a laugh.

[Pineedles]

I wonder if those trees in the background of the picture are really as close as they seem? Or, was it the cupola on the building that hung this plane up before it reached ground? Wa it a wide angle lens that took this picture? As the accident report said: TERRAIN - HIGH OBSTRUCTIONS. OR it could have been a Bahre structure!

[Pepper]

Oh, Pineneedles! Waldo and I just laughed so hard we nearly fell off the couch!

Don, it never occurred to us to ever do a google of the tail number! Awesome stuff you found!!!!!

I've saved the NTSB report, and am going to have it printed out and nicely framed for the dining room wall. THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It sure didn't take long for the photograph to appear on the airportdata website! I clicked on the link and voila, there she was! That photo should indeed cause some chuckles for anyone browsing the Cessna aircraft listings!

Thanks so much for sharing this information - we've thoroughly enjoyed reading it, and sure are happy to have that report. What a gem you are.

[upthesaukee]

When you go to the listing, you can click on the picture just like you can in Photopost, and get a larger version of the picture. Any perspective Cessna 150 pilot will now be Googling "Waldo Pepper's" to find out where the heck that airplane is.

[webmaster]

Speaking of Airport-Data.com, I also uploaded this picture from PhotoPost to this seaplane's listing.

[Pepper]

Simply amazing. Always performing public service - even during your "leisure" time!

Hope you're having fun! We sure are!

[ApS]

1) I'm certain to see Waldo Peppers when driving by that sight. The trouble was, I was a passenger last time we drove around the lake at lunchtime (!) and certainly didn't pass it.

What major landmark — prior to the aircraft — should we be looking for?

2) A Cessna 150 should have a tail wheel. Isn't that a Cessna 152? (Probably retrofitted, maybe with the flat-top vertical stabilizer -- never mind).

[Skipper of the Sea Que]

Originally Posted by Acres per Second

1) What major landmark — prior to the aircraft — should we be looking for?

Hmmm. Across from Handy Landing.
Just down the street from the Weirs Bridge over Paugus Bay.

On the road between the big Weirs Beach arrow sign and the Naswa.

I thought Waldo Pepper's WAS the major landmark

[upthesaukee]

Originally Posted by Acres per Second

1) I'm certain to see Waldo Peppers when driving by that sight. The trouble was, I was a passenger last time we drove around the lake at lunchtime (!) and certainly didn't pass it.

What major landmark — prior to the aircraft — should we be looking for?

2) A Cessna 150 should have a tail wheel. Isn't that a Cessna 152? (Probably retrofitted, maybe with the flat-top vertilcal stabilizer -- never mind).

Waldo Peppers is about 100 yards south of the Weirs Channel Bridge on the Weirs Blvd heading towards Laconia. There is the old Steakhouse now vacant and partially burned, then Gulbrickson's Garage & Towing, and then The World Famous Can't Be Beat Easy To Locate Pinpoint Landing Expert Waldo Pepper's Home Of The World Famous Can't Be Beat Double Stuffed Lobster Roll. Phew!!!!!


Cessna 150 in my 14 years as an air traffic controller was always a tricycle gear aircraft. C120 and c140 were taildraggers. Hear's a link to one site that describes the aircraft. http://www.airquestaviation.com/aircraft/c150-1.html

It seems from looking at a few other sites that the main difference is the engine, with the C152 having a Lycoming engine.

[DRH]

Did you notice on the www.airport-data.com web site that the plane's owner is listed as an individual living in "Bilford, NH 03246"? Better fix that address, Pepper, or the FAA will be watching for you at the wrong airport! (Oh, you say, that was the plan?)

[hockeypuck]

Webmaster, thanks for a great photo. I've been by it hundreds of times and like many others, have enjoyed the cessna, but enjoy the lobster rolls even more.

[Lakegeezer]

Originally Posted by Acres per Second

2) A Cessna 150 should have a tail wheel. Isn't that a Cessna 152? (Probably retrofitted, maybe with the flat-top vertical stabilizer -- never mind).

Tailwheel? The 150's I flew all had a nose wheel. The 152 came out in 1978, with a new engine to deal with the new unleaded avgas that had been introduced - 100LL (low lead). It was a bit more powerful/faster and a bit wider. That was my flying hay-day <250 hours divided between 150's, 172's, and a few other strange beasts>. My fixed base operator got one of the new 152's, and there really wasn't much difference except it had that new plane smell.

That said, there are 152's with tailwheels - see
http://www.controller.com/listings/f...05B63CD5594D5C

Flying - where craft separation is measured in 1000's of feet and the speed limit is 180MPH (under 18,000 feet)

Waldo Pepper's 150 is very cool! Especially that ceiling fan propeller...

[RLW]

Originally Posted by Skipper of the Sea Que

I thought Waldo Pepper's WAS the major landmark

It "IS THE ONE AND ONLY MAJOR LANDMARK"

[trfour]

Waldo Pepper's, is the Most!! The cessna just helps keep them grounded here for us!!!!

What a Treat!!!!!!

[secondcurve]

Who is Waldo Pepper and what is the significance of his name?

Thanks

[trfour]

secondcurve,

Begin your search here.

http://www.winnipesaukee.com/forums/...ead.php?t=2034

Hope this helps you.

[secondcurve]

Trfour:

Thanks for the link. It was entertaining. That being said, I still don't know the origin of the Waldo Pepper name. My guess is that Waldo married Pepper? However, there wasn't any reference to Waldo to confirm. Is the restaurant seasonal?

Thanks again,

[trfour]

Secondcurve;

Yes, their Restaurant is seasonal, ( our loss ).
However, Waldo is the quiet and personable side of this very wonderful couple!
Maybe Pepper can get Waldo out here to introduce hiimself to us!

Pepper! Where are you?

Thank you.

[Bizer]

There was a 1975 film, "The Great Waldo Pepper" staring Robert Redford. It was about a barnstorming pilot. I assume that's where the restaurant's name came from. The film also had Susan Sarandon (before Rocky Horror) and Margot Kidder (3 years before Superman).

Separately, about the aircraft:This raises a lot of curious questions.
•As the crash happened in August, 1980, was the plane ever back in service? Hey, Pepper, when/where did you get it.
•The plane was on a flight from Watertown, NY, to Laconia. That’s 201 nautical miles (231 statute miles). The pilot only had 30 hours of flying experience. Since all student flights must be approved by an instructor, what kind of an instructor sends a student pilot on a flight of that magnitude? That’s more than double the requirement for a cross country flight needed to get a private pilot’s license.
•Did the flight originate in Watertown, NY, or was the plane returning to Laconia after a flight to Watertown?

[trfour]

I think that the plane lost its' luster for resale.

I think that you are right about the movie being part of Waldo Peppers', Weirs Beach.
Hopefuly, Pepper can help us all out on this subject.

Thanks Bizer.

[Pepper]

Ok, let's see how concisely I can manage to answer these questions.

Originally Posted by SecondCurve

Who is Waldo Pepper and what is the significance of his name?

Waldo Pepper was a World War I pilot. He is the pioneer of "reconnaissance" flight as it relates to the Military. He had to devise methods of aerial reconnaissance which would allow him to get in, see, and get out without being shot down. The result was a wild-ride form of flight!

The Daredevil, heart-pounding nature of this flight so excited him that when he returned to the States, he continued developing his skills. He basically created "barnstorming", aerial dance, thrill show, whatever name you want to call it. He even walked on the wing of his own aircraft while it was in flight - he had no copilot onboard either!

So, that's who he is! Now, as to why his name is important - well I don't necessarily know that it is, except maybe to my husband and me.

When the restaurant was in it's planning stages, we were originally going to be located out by the Laconia Airport. So, we wanted an aviation theme, and a name that would lend itself to that theme. Ultimately that location was scrapped, but the name and the theme stuck! And there you have it!

Now, with regard to Waldo and Pepper - those are nicknames which were bestowed upon us by our customers. My husband is Waldo, because of course, he's the guy! I am Pepper because, well, because it just fits.

Originally Posted by Bizer

Separately, about the aircraft:This raises a lot of curious questions.
•As the crash happened in August, 1980, was the plane ever back in service? Hey, Pepper, when/where did you get it.
•The plane was on a flight from Watertown, NY, to Laconia. That’s 201 nautical miles (231 statute miles). The pilot only had 30 hours of flying experience. Since all student flights must be approved by an instructor, what kind of an instructor sends a student pilot on a flight of that magnitude? That’s more than double the requirement for a cross country flight needed to get a private pilot’s license.
•Did the flight originate in Watertown, NY, or was the plane returning to Laconia after a flight to Watertown?

The flight originated in Watertown, NY, and was a solo flight with a destination of Laconia, NH. For the life of me I cannot imagine what lame brained instructor would send a 17 year old student with 30 hours at the stick on a flight of that length, and over such inhospitable terrain!

How did we get the plane, you ask. The plane belongs (still) to my husband's dear friend who resides in Gilford.

This friend was a pilot for Delta - having achieved a very high ranking position with the airline, he had very little time to fly the Cessna. Not wanting to see it sit idle, he leased it to the flight school as a training craft.

After the student crashed, the plane was towed to Gilford and there it sat in our friend's garage. His thoughts at that time were that he would restore the plane in his spare time, and after his retirement he would fly it again.

His flying career was unfortunately cut short as a result of diabetic complications affecting his vision. So, there the plane sat. Beat up, forlorn, and without a pilot.

My husband agonized about asking his friend about the plane, because he knew that it was a heartbreak for his friend to no longer fly. After much angst, he worked up the courage to ask his friend if he could buy the plane and put it on the roof. His friend said "NO" you cannot buy the plane, but you can put it on the roof, for sure! So the plane is on "very long term loan" to us, but still belongs to our friend.

A tow truck from Gulbicki's was promptly dispatched to our friend's home, and the disassembled plane was transported overland to our parking lot. It took my husband and his brother an entire summer of "spare time" to remove all the electronics, avionics and the engine. The plane was then wired to accept electricity from the building, which powers the lights and the "propeller" . Then a whole lot of hammering, bending, straightening and smoothing was required to restore the appearance to an acceptable degree.

Finally in the fall, a crane was ordered and the plane flew again! (albeit a very short flight!)

So, that was none-too-concise, but it's the best I could do. I hope I've answered all the questions. If anyone else has any questions, fire away! I'll try to exercise brevity, but don't count on it.

[secondcurve]

Pepper:

Thanks. That makes a lot of sense. I was confused because I thought I read that the origin of you nickname came from a red pepper which tied into the color of your hair? Don't beleive everything you read as the old saying goes! Anyway, that clears it all up. My final questions on the subject are as follows:

1) How long have you been in business;

2) When do you open up again for the season;

Enjoy your winter vacation.

[Pepper]

Second Curve - more answers:

On March 27th, we'll celebrate our 7th Anniversary.

This is the first year we've been seasonal, so we've not set a "definite" date for reopening, but it will be some time in mid to late March. We'll decide exactly when once the weather begins to subside, and the neighborhood begins to come alive again!

Thanks! we are indeed enjoying our first REAL leisure time in seven years!

[Sandy Beach]

Originally Posted by secondcurve

Who is Waldo Pepper and what is the significance of his name? Thanks

The background of the name is found in this thread: scroll down to messages 2+ for more specific Waldo Pepper information.
How Waldo Peppers got it's name

It is an interesting thread.

Sandy

[SAMIAM]

Hey,Pepper.....isn't NICE to be a seasonal operation? good for you.....helps you keep your sanity!

[Pepper]

SAMIAM!

Indeed it is QUITE NICE to have a bit of time off! I must admit, however, that I miss it!

Now, with regard to the sanity thing. One must question the very existance of my sanity first!

Hope you two are doing well. I promise we'll pay a visit SOON!!!!!