Reference Information

  • Executive Reference Manual This is an 84 page reference document produced by The Spartan Aircraft Company during the time period the Spartan Executive was produced.  It is essentially a combined Pilot’s Operating Manual and Mechanic’s Service Manual.
  • SpartanExecutiveServiceBulletins There are no Airworthiness Directives for the Spartan Executive airframe; however, several Service Bulletins were issued.  This file contains all of those Service Bulletins.
  • Spartan Executive Type Certificate (ATC 628) Thirty-four Spartan Executives were built under the authority of this Type Certificate during the years 1936 through 1941.
  • SpartanExecutiveSales Brochure This sales brochure from the late 1930’s highlights the features of the Spartan Executive that made it one of the most desirable aircraft of the era..
  • Hamilton Standard – Prop Service Manual This is the service manual that covers the Hamilton Standard propeller used on the Spartan Executive.
  • R985-Series-Aircraft-Engines-Operating-Instructions-March-1-1943 This is a useful document covering various models of the P&W R985.   It was produced by the military in 1943.
  • Understanding the Mythical Teardrop Traffic Pattern Procedure. Although not about Spartan Aircraft, this document is useful in understanding the issues associated with a traffic pattern procedure currently being used by some pilots.
  • Presentation Notes- Flight Operations at Non-Towered Airports. Although not about Spartan Aircraft, this document is a short presentation about the history of traffic pattern entry procedures at non-towered airports.
  • If Rudder Pedals Could Talk

    This is a free downloadable version of the hardcover book by the same name listed under the “SPARTAN BOOKS” tab of this website.  The book captures the incredible 85+ year history of 1939 Spartan Executive serial number 17, currently registered as NC 17634, based on surviving records and numerous photographs that have been accumulated by the author over the past 18 years. The history begins in 1939 with the construction of the airplane in Tulsa, Oklahoma. After a brief corporate stint shuttling drilling executives around the oil fields of Oklahoma and Texas, the Spartan entered the wartime era where it first served as an advanced trainer for the British Government at Polaris Flight Academy before becoming a light transport/liaison aircraft in the Royal Air Force, registered as KD102. The book recounts the various noteworthy/famous military pilots who flew this airplane from late 1940 through the summer of 1945. After the war, it resumed the role as an executive transport in the oil industry for 11 years, before becoming a privately owned, multiple award winning, vintage show plane.