NORTHERN Cruisemaster (N7655B)

1957 Bellanca 14-19-2 Cruisair Senior (hope this current pic)
Glad to see it back in the air after 2011 accident
Love these Ol birds SUPER THANK YOU! to everyone who help keep these Ol birds flying.
nice looking bird nice pic

Sweet!!!

Nice shot, very pretty aircraft.

Gorgeous! If I didn't own a BSV I'd definitely look at one of these!

Art Deco of aircraft - gotta love it!

Love the triple-tail Cruisemasters!

My dad, always a Cessna-owner, loved this plane for its flying finesse.
Do I recall correctly, that much of it was made of wood?

Beautiful airplane and a storied past. I love to see these older birds.

Mr. Kennington, the Bellancas, all through the Viking series were all fabricated in a similar manner. The fuselage and tail were fabric covered steel tube truss and the wings were bonded wood with cold molded wood vineers. This construction method has a lot going for it, protected from the elements it will last indefinitely. Wood had no fatigue life, steel virtually as well. The steel tube truss has an excellent energy absorbing capability, so much so that Mooney added a steel tube cage around the passenger cabin of their offerings. Being fabric covered makes major overhauls practical as all the wearing control bearings completely accessible.

The major drawbacks are that like all fabric, sun and weather will accelerate deterioration and the construction is very highly skilled touch labor intensive. The second make them very expensive.

The Bellanca Cruiseair I flew was a delightful machine to fly. Not an idle comment as I had just climbed out of a Globe Swift. The manual gear actuation is certainly quirky, but both reliable and ergonomically easy to operate. Certainly easier than the manual gear Mooneys. On grass anyway, it would nearly land itself.

If I'm not mistaken that's a SkyBeacon on the port wingtip - she's all ready for 2020!

What a cool little taildragger!
Thanks for sharing the pic!