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Seeing Your Aircraft Through the Lens of Odd Mods

A Cessna 170 owner goes on a quest to find the most unusual FAA-approved modifications for his airplane. Here are the top five.

FAA approved for Cessna models 170 through 182, ‘Wings with Springs’ promised a smoother ride in turbulence. [Courtesy: Wings with Springs]
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Key Takeaways:

  • The article explores a variety of unusual and often short-lived Supplemental Type Certificates (STCs) discovered for the Cessna 170B, illustrating the diverse ways aircraft can be modified and customized.
  • Notable historical STCs include an "abominable" tricycle-gear conversion for the taildragger 170, an impractical aftermarket windshield wiper, a costly medevac stretcher, and a 1990s aircraft burglar alarm system.
  • Perhaps the most eccentric STC featured is "Wings with Springs," a 1950s wing suspension system designed to provide a smoother ride but introduced significant structural complexity and visible wing droop, with few systems ever installed.
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As any airplane owner quickly learns, most types can be modified to some extent through STCs, or supplemental type certificates. From higher-quality sun visors to additional fuel tanks to entirely different engines, an owner can customize their airplane to their liking—provided someone designed that modification, tested it thoroughly, and got it approved by the FAA. 

Predictably, less common aircraft types tend to have fewer STCs to choose from. More popular types, however, might have several hundred that have been developed and offered over the years, particularly if the type was produced for a long period of time. 

Jason McDowell

Jason McDowell is a private pilot and Cessna 170 owner based in Madison, Wisconsin. He enjoys researching obscure aviation history and serves as a judge for the National Intercollegiate Flying Association. He can be found on Instagram as @cessnateur.

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