The Sedan was designed to be a docile airplane but also a good performer. Pilots found that the Sedan, with its large interior, had plenty of room for baggage and passengers. With its large wing, it had good takeoff performance, and was capable of
short takeoff and landing operations. It found a niche as a personal aircraft and in commercial
bush flying roles; it could also be equipped for
agricultural work. Though the commercial roles have been largely taken over by more modern designs, many Sedans remain in use as personal airplanes. Their ongoing operation is aided by the availability of support from the design owner.
Record flights A Sedan was chosen by pilots Bill Barris and Dick Riedel for their attempt to set a time aloft record in 1949. Their flight was sponsored by the local
chamber of commerce and the
Sunkist growers association, the second sponsor accounting for the naming of the aircraft as the
Sunkist Lady. (The accompanying support aircraft, also a Sedan, was called the
Lady’s Maid.) Departing from the
Fullerton, California,
Municipal Airport on March 15, the flight crossed the United States to
Miami, Florida, where bad weather forced the pilots to circle for 14 days before making the return trip to Fullerton. Along the way, fuel and food were passed from vehicles on the ground to the pilots during low passes over airport runways. Having reached Fullerton on April 11, the pilots kept flying around the local area until April 26, finally landing at Fullerton Municipal Airport and setting a record of over 1,008 hours, or 42 days, in the air. The Fullerton record was short lived. Inspired by the flight at Fullerton, later in 1949,
Yuma, Arizona, decided to sponsor its own time aloft record attempt. The city needed publicity as it was experiencing economic hard times due to the 1946 closure of
Yuma Army Air Field. Pilots Woody Jongeward and Bob Woodhouse piloted the
City of Yuma, a Sedan borrowed from local owners, modified for the flight and painted with the slogan, “The City with a Future.” The flight began on August 24, with the aircraft remaining in the Yuma area throughout, and ended after more than 1,124 hours, or nearly 47 days in the air, on October 10. In 1997, the record-setting airplane was located and returned to Yuma; made airworthy again, it flew on October 10, 1999, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the end of the record flight. The "City of Yuma" airplane and the refueling car are now on display at City Hall in Yuma. ==Variants==