From Past to Present: Our Piper Pacer’s Journey and the Adventures Ahead
By Ed Becerra
Our Pacer’s story began at the Piper Factory in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania. N7413K, a 1950 Piper PA-20 Pacer, first took to the skies on June 17, 1950. In the decades since, she has passed through the hands of several owners and logged countless miles beneath her wings. My wife and I became part of her journey in 2019, and from the moment she entered our lives, she felt less like a machine and more like a treasured member of the family.
Bringing her home from St. Joseph, Missouri was a surreal experience—one that marked the fulfillment of a lifelong dream to own an aircraft. Having been lovingly maintained through the years, our Pacer was truly a “turnkey” airplane. Beyond a few minor cosmetic touch-ups, the only upgrade we made was adding ADS-B In and Out, allowing us to safely navigate the busy airspace within the Mode C veil around Chicagoland.
Seventy-five years after rolling out of the Piper factory in Lock Haven, PA, my 1950 Piper Pacer made her way home. The journey wasn’t just about miles—it was about history, connection, and pushing myself as a pilot. Weather forced me out of my comfort zone, making me use every bit of my training to navigate safely. Along the way, I was reminded that flying is as much about the people you meet as the places you land. Lock Haven was alive with the hum of vintage taildraggers, early-morning engine starts, and the shared love of aviation history. Leaving was harder than I expected, but the memories, friendships, and lessons will carry me forward—until the next time 13K’s wheels touch the grass where she was born.
My wife Caitlin, our adventurous pup Lolla, and I are still giving our Pacer plenty of exercise. She’s no hangar queen—she’s out stretching her wings with us all over Wisconsin as we chase our goal of landing at every public-use airport in the state. From grass strips tucked between cornfields to bustling little county airports, each landing is another story in her logbook and ours. If you’d like to come along for the ride, you can find us on YouTube at The Flying Stampede.
