Mite of the Month, January, 2002

This month's featured airplane is an M-18C, serial number 315, built forty-eight years ago (1954) at Kerrville, Texas. Both N4149E and its owner, Ben Workman, reside at the airport in Zanesville, Ohio.

This airplane won a Bronze Lindy (named after Charles Lindberg) Award for Best Classic Aircraft, Class I (0-80 hp), at the 2001 EAA AirVenture, otherwise known as the Oshkosh Fly-in.

This photo was taken somewhere in Tennessee around 1990. Ben bought the plane about three years ago.	The interior of Ben's son Paul's shop, Ohio Aircraft Interiors, located on Parr Airport (42I) at Zanesville. You can see the Mite wooden wing hanging there.	Ben's Mite presently has a TT of 887 hours, while the time SMOH is 65 hours. The engine was overhauled at Nostalgair in Lantana, Florida.
The instrument layout is very close to the original VFR configuration from the Mooney factory, although Ben added a turn and slip indicator. The nav/comm equipment consists of a GPS which mounts on the instrument panel and an Icom hand-held radio.	Ben's Mite is flying again after two year restoration. These photos of the cockpit and interior indicate the care and attention that Ben and Paul gave to details, resulting in the Lindy award.	N4149E is one of several airplanes that Ben has purchased and restored over the years. He still has most of them.
Photos courtesy of Larry Minch and Paul Workman

The Mite Site records show that N4149E was previously owned by:

T.B. Meadow of Albany, GA in 1969.
Jewel Massey of Indianapolis in 1975
T.W. Keen of Albuquerque, NM and Buena Park, CA from 1980 to 1985, when it had 628 hours on the engine and airframe.
Nostalgair Sky Adventures of Lantana, FL in 1994.
Some guy in North Carolina in 1998.