From Websters Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary:

Hob-son's choice \hab-senz-\ n [Thomas Hobson 1631 Eng. liveryman, who required every customer to take the horse nearest the door] (1649): an apparently free choice when there is no real alternative.

Those of you who have read my summa of to the Great South American Air Adventure, and the above definition, should now understand why we named the TriPacer Hobson's Choice. If you still don't get it, I can't explain it to you.

Hobson's Choice was a 1952 Piper PA-22-125 TriPacer, with a 125 horsepower Lycoming O-290-D engine. The TriPacer could be described as the final evolutionary step of the famous Piper Cub. It has a welded tubular steel structure and the wings, fuselage, empanage, and control surfaces are covered with fabric. It has four seats, although our back seats were removed to make room for gear. It flys comfortably at about 110 mph and has about an 800 pound useful load, including fuel. It carries 36 gallons of fuel, and burns about 8 gallons of fuel per hour. It is about 20 feet long, 8 feet high, and has a 29 foot, 3 inch wing span.

As I get the time, I will add photographs and details of the work that was done on Hobson's Choice to prepare her for the Great South American Air Adventure.