John Chirtea

The retired real estate developer has been in love with aviation since he was a boy in Ohio. Like so many, he started with airplane models, winning a trophy for his balsa wood Wright glider, presented to him by Chuck Yeager. Daydreaming from his rural school windows, watching a crop duster work the fields, Chirtea first started in an aeronautical engineering program at Miami University of Ohio, but too much daydreaming—and a lack of calculus aptitude—convinced him of other careers. But he started the flying club at his university, and, with 15 other students, purchased an Aeronca Champ 7DC in which Chirtea had his first lessons and soloed.

After the Army, a family, and his career halted his flying for a while, his success in real estate in the Washington, D.C., area gave Chirtea the means to pursue aviation again. He wondered what had ever happened to that Aeronca Champ. He found and bought NC83515 in 2004. Following that purchase, he bought a Cessna 172 in June 2006; a Cessna 172 XP in April 2007; a Breezy in August 2008; a Pietenpol in November 2010; a Fisher Celebrity biplane in October 2013; an Ercoupe 415C in December 2014; a Magni M–24 gyroplane in June 2015; and an Alon A2 in October 2017.

“My favorite aircraft would have to be my 1946 Aeronca Champ as it is the actual airplane in which I took my first half-hour flight on December 1, 1955. I still fly it a couple times a month to this day. But then, every airplane I have ever had is/was my favorite. My fleet is now down to the 1946 Aeronca Champ, a 1946 Ercoupe 415C, and a 1965 Alon A2.”

Chirtea keeps his “fleet” at Eagle Crest Aerodrome, a private grass strip located between Lewes and Milton, Delaware. “It’s a real gem in this area,” Chirtea said. His wife, Cindy, is also an avid collector and has a gyroplane of her own. She makes sure their collection remains manageable and that her husband follows her one rule: “You need to recycle your assets, and you can’t buy another airplane until you sell one.”  

Chirtea enjoys sharing his passion with others and is a member of the Quiet Birdmen and the United Flying Octogenarians. “There are always three basic things a pilot tries to achieve in their lifetime: They strive to own the airplane in which they took their solo flight; they have a desire to live on an airport community; they want to find an airplane in a barn. Fortunately, all three have been bestowed on me, and my burning desire is to continue to fly low and slow and enjoy them for at least another decade.”

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