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As mentioned elsewhere in this website, N119C is the only one-owner
Mite we know of. Garry bought it brand new in Wichita from Mooney. In his
own words, here is what Garry had to say about his beloved airplane:
"My Mite, serial 51, was originally N390A. The number was canceled
following my crash in Phoenix during wake turbulence from an American
Airlines DC-6 in June of 1950 when I had the plane rebuilt at the Mooney
factory in Wichita. The new wing and forward section of the fuselage
were taken from the production line and used to rebuild my plane, serial
51. The "N" number was located on the wings in 1950, and the number
N119C was already painted on the wings. So serial 51 became N119C
through a simple log book change. Serial 80 was thus cannibalized and
was probably never built.
"The insurance company paid off and I bought the salvage for a
very nominal amount, and the decision was, sell the salvage or rebuild
it. I didn't have the experience or knowhow to rebuild it, but I had a
good engine, tail cone, tail feathers, flaps, ailerons, landing gear,
and instruments. If I had elected to repair the plane, I would have had
to buy the wing and forward section of the fuselage, and assemble and
test the airplane. So the Mooney distributor called Al Mooney and they
worked out a deal whereby I would ship the good parts back to the
factory at Wichita and they would assemble them into a new plane.
"I had bought the plane with a minimum down and had made maybe one
payment, and so I didn't have much in it, so when I paid for the repair
it totaled about $1,850.00, the price of a new plane.
"N119C is IFR equipped, with vacuum driven attitude and
directional gyros, and electric turn coordinator. The instruments are
arranged in a classic "T" configuration. Com equipment is a Terra
TX-760D with complimentary Nav equipment, TN-200D and TriNav C with
glide slope. A Lawrance Airmap with moving map display is an
indispensable item of navigation equipment. The Radair 250 transponder
with Mode C and a Birddog ELT completes the package of com/nav
equipment."
To see more details about his accident go to our article at:
http://www.mooneymite.com/articles/factorypaintjobs.htm
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Garry strolls to the
fuel pumps with his Mite in tow. |
At WAMM gatherings, the story is often told about Garry's persistence.
He lost his medical in 1968 and didn't get it back for 25 years. He could
not bear to part with his Mite and it sat in the hangar all that time. He
also decided that if he was going to keep it he might as well add
improvements.
In 1979, with typical meticulous care and attention to detail, he
engineered a method for installing a 1978 Honda Civic 35 ampere alternator
to power the lights and other electrical equipment. The alternator is
mounted at the aft end of the engine, between the magnetos, and is driven
by shaft running about 15 inches across the top of the engine from the
pulleys and belt at the front of the engine. Still making improvements as
late as 1998, he upgraded his engine from a 65 HP Lycoming
0-145-B2 to a 75 HP 0-145-C2 by simply adding dual valve springs.
It took him about 12 years to make the improvements, right up to the
time he got his medical back. The day after his medical was reinstated, he
flew to a Mooney Mite gathering in Porterville, California, and said it
was one of the most memorable flights he'd ever taken.
Garry and his Mite gained attention wherever they went. From our
Articles Page, here is an one by Vicki Cruse first published in the April
1999 issue of Custom Planes magazine:
http://www.mooneymite.com/articles/crusemagiccarpet.htm
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He took meticulous
care of his airplane. |
In the last few years, the combination of age and medical problems made
it difficult for Garry to renew his pilot's medical each year. In 2001,
Garry must have realized that it was impractical to keep fighting to
retain his license and that, unless the Sport Pilot Rules were adopted,
his flying career was just about over. So in August of that year he
decided to have one last fling and flew from his home base at Gillespie
Field near San Diego all the way up to Prosser, Washington, for a WAMM fly-in. This
thousand-mile long distance flight alone was quite a feat for a
seventy-nine-year-old, but to top off the adventure, while there he made a tour of the
famous Mount St. Helens volcano west of Prosser and sent us photos taken
during his flight:
http://www.mooneymite.com/articles/grammanaerialphotos.htm
Garry was decent man and a truly dedicated member of the Mooney Mite community.
He is greatly missed by his friends in WAMM.
To end our memorial page, here is Garry's obituary as published in the
San Diego Union-Tribune on March 19, 2004:
E.G. Gramman
GRAMMAN, E.G. "GARRY" Garry Gramman, 82, a long time
resident of El Cajon, CA died March 16, 2004. Garry was born January 4,
1922, in Fowler, Indiana. He was the oldest son of Charles Gramman and
Isabel Hasser (both deceased). He is survived by Virginia "Ginny," his
wife of 51 years. Ginny resides in their home in El Cajon. Mr. Gramman
was the founding CEO/President of Dynair Electronics, Inc. for 38 years.
Dynair was a leading global broadcast communications manufacturing
company, with customers including NASA, television networks and
affiliates, and government institutions. He served in the U.S. Marines
from 1942 to 1945. Garry was a past chairman of the American Electronics
Association, a member of the Antique Airplane Association, Western
Association of Mooney Mites and the Institute of Electrical and
Electronic Engineers. Garry was very active and engaged in life until
his last moment, and only quit flying his Mooney Mite plane two years
ago at age 80. Surviving with his wife are two daughters, Susan
Phillips, Albuquerque, NM, and Kelly Oletta, San Diego, CA; seven
grandchildren; sisters, Julia McGrath, and Helen Hamilton, Winter Haven,
FL. Preceding him in death are his son Scott Gramman and daughter Diane
Roberts. Visitation, March 19, 4:00-7:00 p.m., Rosary 7:00-8:00 p.m. at
Paris-Frederick Mortuary, 374 N. Magnolia Avenue, El Cajon, CA. (619)
440-8033. Mass: March 20, 11:00 a.m., Holy Trinity Church,405 Ballard,
El Cajon, CA. Internment: Holy Cross Cemetery,4470 Hilltop Drive, San
Diego, CA....
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