Refurb of the Month: Larry Gettleman's Skyhawk

Refurb of the Month: Larry Gettleman’s Skyhawk

Editorial Staff

Tuesday, June 17, 2014 at 12:00 AM ET

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Key Takeaways:

Larry Gettleman refurbished his 1977 Cessna 172N Skyhawk, leveraging the model's availability and aftermarket modifications to create a personalized aircraft.
The 2012 refurbishment, after owning the plane since 1983, involved extensive cosmetic upgrades including new windows, headliner, wingtips with strobes, and a custom red and black Imron repaint.
The project was a collaborative effort, with mechanical restoration by Cherryhill Aviation, paint/detailing by Hangar 6, and decals by Higher Graphics.

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Cessna 172s may be not be fast or sexy, but there are plenty of them out there and prices reflect that supply. There are also lots of aftermarket mods for these airplanes. Larry Gettleman of Louisville, Ky., put that to work in his refurb of this months Refurbished Aircraft the Month.

I have owned this 1977 C172N Skyhawk since 1983 and refurbished it in 2012. New clear windows, headliner, new wingtips with strobes, complete strip and Imron repaint. I used the red and black design from an AOPA holiday card that I send out: Final Approach on Christmas Day, by Nixon Galloway.

“Mechanical restoration was by Lance Bartels of Cherryhill Aviation in Seymour, Ind. Paint/detailing was by Hangar 6 in North Vernon, Ind., and decals by Higher Graphics of Tampa Fla. The airplane has 1700 hours TT and 1100 hours on the engine. Radios are 1983-vintage BendixKing.

“I wish that I had more time to fly it.