Man told he can have an abandoned Cessna 401A for free on the condition he can fix it
- This man was given a Cessna 140 for free
- But his quest to restore it hasn’t been an easy ride
- Three years later, the project is starting again – from scratch
Published on Apr 18, 2025 at 4:06 AM (UTC+4)
by Jack Marsh
Last updated on Apr 18, 2025 at 4:56 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
To quote Luther Vandross and Janet Jackson, the best things in life are free – but it’s not every day that a Cessna 401A airplane lands on someone’s door with no fee attached.
That was the case for this man though.
Experienced mechanic X was offered a free jet on one condition.
He had to fix it himself.
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Plane restorer gets the ultimate challenge: fix this Cessna and keep it for free
It’s no secret that airplane maintenance is not a cheap affair even when everything is working well.
But restoring one can make planes a very costly hobby.
Still, if one turns up for free, it’s worth a shot, right?
YouTuber X from Rebuild Rescue was given this opportunity. If he could get this Cessna 401A airborne, it was his.
However, this was no easy fix.
He instantly found that it was much more complex than anything he’d done on his channel before.
The exterior was corroded and rusty in places, with a broken window that had let water through.
A paint job and a soaked interior were only the start of his issues though.
The woes piled up as he uncovered face-value problems with the mechanics. Frozen controls, rusted engine, failing turbocharger, and a fuel leak were found on just the first day.
Could he fix it?
Well, three years later the Cessna 401A is still unfinished.
The page has 80 entries in its rebuild-dedicated playlist, where X has tackled the plane with various mechanics, and uncovered hundreds of different issues.
He’s also poured thousands of dollars into housing it in a hangar while juggling other aviation restorations.
The last entrance in the playlist, as of two weeks ago, says Rebuild Rescue will be temporarily shut down as X hands the plane off to another friendly mechanic who they’ll liaise with as they start over.
The new rebuild expert plans to completely rewrite the logs and run over each component with a fine tooth comb to ensure that they can oversee the harmony inside.
In the meantime, the Cessa 410A will be leaving YouTube’s limelight.
Still, there are plenty of places to get your fix of Cessna content, with a group of young Americans hoping to make their aviation debut in a 1,800-mile trip to Phoenix.
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