A Stunning Coincidence Leads to a Fix for the ‘Colossal Mistake’

Friends and an amazing stroke of luck give the writer a solution to a self-inflicted engine problem.

Wednesday, March 30, 2022 at 08:57 AM ET

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The museum-quality 170B that solidified the author’s decision to continue saving for a 170 of his own. [Photo: Adam Stiffler]

Key Takeaways:

After damaging his newly acquired Cessna 170 engine, facing a five-figure repair bill and financial strain, the author was advised to contact Dan, an acquaintance who might have a spare engine.
An astonishing series of coincidences revealed that Dan was the former owner of the very Cessna 170 that inspired the author's purchase, and his spare engine happened to contain the brand new cylinders the author desperately needed.
Dan generously sold the engine to the author at a price matching his extremely limited available funds, demonstrating immense kindness and offering a crucial solution to the author's predicament, though logistical challenges for repair remained.

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Editor’s note: This is part three of an ongoing series about the author’s ‘colossal mistake.’ You can read part one here and part two here.

My friend Jared bought his Cessna 170 about a year before I found mine. He purchased a truly exquisite example that he located in Missouri and now keeps in Spokane, Washington. With museum-quality paint and interior, the airplane was legitimately indistinguishable from the day it rolled out of the factory.