Mite of the Month, May 2001

N346M, SERIAL NUMBER 226 is an M-18C owned by Thomas Locks of Webster, Texas.

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Built in 1950, 346M is equipped with the standard VFR instruments: airspeed, altimeter, tachometer, oil temperature and pressure, etc. but also has cylinder head temperature and vacuum (suction) gauges. The landing gear warning system has both a visual & audio indicator. For communications it is equipped with a mode-C transponder and a 760-channel radio. 346M also has an auxiliary fuel tank made and installed by Boyd Maddox of Houston, Texas who does the maintenance on the plane.

This Mite is powered by the rare Continental A65-12 engine which differs from the standard A65-8 in that it has rear case mounting points for an optional starter and generator.

Thomas takes 346M out as often as he can, usually about four times a month. On one recent flight he logged 9.75 hours in a single day, arriving back at the stable at 10 p.m. In his own words: "I enjoy every minute in her."

As a matter of history, this Mite was previously owned by the following people:

Dick Llewellyn of Fayetteville, NC in 1965
Michael Killiam of Fayetteville, NC in 1967.
S.P. Munn of Columbia, SC in 1969.
Morton Lester of Martinsville, VA in 1974
Allan P. Bloxsom III of Houston, TX in 1994.